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The 2011 World Cup’s format was designed keeping in mind the commercial significance of the top teams making it to the knock-out stages

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2011The format for the 2011 World Cup was designed to give the top teams the best chance of qualifying for the knockout stage, tournament director Ratnakar Shetty has said.”Economically, we all know that India is the financial powerhouse of cricket,” Shetty said in an interview with . “The exit of India and Pakistan from the 2007 World Cup was a disaster for the tournament. The sponsors, broadcasters, tour operators, West Indies board – all lost a lot of money. The format was changed in such a way that it gives all the top teams a chance to compete. We have gone back to the same format that was used in 1996.”Shetty was satisfied with the improvements at the Wankhede Stadium, one of the four World Cup venues that were running behind schedule. Talking about the Eden Gardens fiasco, he said the BCCI and ICC could not have averted the situation by being more involved. “Unlike in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh where the Boards run the show completely, in India, the BCCI doesn’t run daily cricket. In our case, the stadia are completely managed by the state associations. The ICC has documented the progress of each venue. The BCCI monitored the reports of the venue, but to ensure that the work is completed was the responsibility of the state association.”Apart from security, Shetty identified filling up Indian grounds for non-India matches as the biggest organisational challenge posed by the tournament. “We have directed all the state associations to throw the gates open to the school children to enjoy a good day out. The tickets have been very reasonably priced too. The ICC is running a lot of contests, and free tickets will be issued to the contest winners, so in our capacity we are doing the best to ensure that the stadia will not see empty stands.”Shetty also stressed that the Indian board made a conscious effort to make the Indian grounds more spectator friendly, something that hasn’t been a concern in the past. “To a large extent, the BCCI have taken the spectators for granted, because irrespective of who India plays, the crowds turn up,” he said. “There was a serious discussion in the board to make the stadiums spectator-friendly. We didn’t want to go by just the numbers. Wankhede’s capacity could have been increased, but we have reduced it from 45,000 to 32,000. Similarly the Eden Gardens capacity has been reduced to 65,000. There is more space between the seats.”The toilet facilities, food courts and the media facilities have all been given a massive facelift, so I am sure people will not complain this time. The IPL has brought a lot of female fans to cricket. Female following has tremendously increased, so we have taken all this into account before redeveloping the stadia.”

Ryan ten Doeschate again showed why he is so important to Netherlands as his unbeaten 129, his 15th first-class century, led them out of a tough situation on the opening day against Kenya

Cricinfo staff20-Feb-2010
ScorecardRyan ten Doeschate’s 15th first-class hundred helped Netherlands reach 276 for 6 on the first day•ICC

Ryan ten Doeschate again showed why he is so important to Netherlands as his unbeaten 129, his 15th first-class century, led them out of a tough situation on the opening day against Kenya. The visitors stumbled to 75 for 4, but ten Doeschate turned the innings around alongside useful contributions from captain Peter Borren and wicketkeeper Atse Buurman.Play didn’t start until after lunch due to overnight rain and Kenya’s seamers made use of some early movement to trouble Netherlands’ top order. Elijah Otieno removed Eric Szwarczynski with his second ball and Bas Zuiderent was caught behind for 3 off Nehemiah Odhiambo. Alexei Kervezee played positively for his 42 but when he and Nick Statham fell in quick succession Kenya were in control.However, ten Doeschate changed the complexion of the day as he added 113 for the fifth wicket with Borren (44). ten Doeschate found the boundary regularly and also cleared the ropes four times. Kenya struck two quick blows to leave Netherlands on 193 for 6, but ten Doeschate found valuable support from Buurman.The pair added an unbroken 83 for the seventh wicket to guide Netherlands through o the close as ten Doeschate reached his hundred from 141 balls with a tight contest shaping up between two teams currently in mid-table and needing a victory to make a push for the top.

Pretoria Capitals have a revamped squad and support staff for the upcoming SA20 season

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2025Keshav Maharaj has been appointed Pretoria Capitals (PC) captain for the upcoming season of the SA20 league, replacing Rilee Rossouw. He was captain of Durban Super Giants until last season,”Maharaj brings a wealth of international pedigree across formats, along with a proven track record of guiding teams with composure, clarity and intent,” Capitals said in a statement on Friday. “Having captained South Africa in white-ball cricket and served as a senior figure within the national setup for several years, Maharaj’s leadership experience, tactical understanding and consistency make him an invaluable addition in this role. His presence strengthens the balance and direction of the Pretoria Capitals squad as the team heads into the new season.”Capitals have a revamped set-up this season, with Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, taking over as head coach. Ganguly replaced Jonathan Trott and will be assisted by former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock.Related

• How the SA20 squads stack up after the auction

The franchise went into the auction in September with the biggest purse – 32.5 million Rand (US$1.85 million approx.) – and also the most slots to fill: 16. They splurged on Dewald Brevis, breaking the SA20 pay record by bidding 16.5 million Rand (US$945,000 approx.) on the batter.Maharaj was one of their big buys at the auction, where they also acquired Lungi Ngidi, Lizaad Williams, Craig Overton, Saqib Mahmood and Codi Yusuf, among others. Andre Russell, who recently retired as a player from the IPL before signing on as Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) power coach, was acquired as a wild card, while Will Jacks and Sherfane Rutherford were their pre-auction signings.Capitals have had an up and down time in the SA20 so far: they finished the first season at the top of the table in the group stage, before losing to Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the final. In the two seasons since then – in 2023-24 and 2024-25 – they have had more middling results, finishing fifth both times and failing to qualify for the playoffs.The 2025-26 season of the SA20 begins on December 26 with a contest between MI Cape Town and Durban’s Super Giants. Capitals begin their season the following day with a fixture against Joburg Super Kings. The final will be played on January 25, 2026.

Hathurusinghe on Taskin: “Want to give him the best chance of be fit for the first game”

Mohammad Isam15-May-2024Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and coach Chandika Hathurusinghe are concerned about Bangladesh’s batting, but that hasn’t led to any late changes to the T20 World Cup squad. As a result, Litton Das has survived despite scoring just 79 runs in his last six T20Is, all played this year.Litton’s T20I form had dipped so much that he lost his place in the side after scoring 1, 23 and 12 in the first three T20Is of the five-match series against Zimbabwe. His last innings ended when he missed with three consecutive attempts at scooping Blessing Muzarabani, dragging the ball on to the stumps off the last one.”Litton is a very important player in our team,” Shanto said in a press interaction on Wednesday. “He hasn’t had a good time recently. It can happen to any cricketer. But we didn’t want to bring in a new player for such a big event. We valued Litton’s experience. I wouldn’t have dropped him.Related

• Rishad Hossain, a package Bangladesh don't understand but can't ignore

• Can Najmul Hossain Shanto pilot a successful World Cup campaign for Bangladesh?

• Taskin dismisses fan talk, sets sights on T20 WC preps

• How T20 has changed cricket forever

“We were already discussing our World Cup team combinations during the Sri Lanka series. We wanted to be prepared by playing matches at home but the success in those matches was subjective. We were clear that we won’t change anyone only because he did badly in these home matches.”We didn’t bat on good wickets in the T20I series [against Zimbabwe in Chattogram and Dhaka]. We had to go on and off from the ground due to rain in some of the matches too. But Litton and I should score runs in every game. We have clarity in the team, so we hope we will deliver at the World Cup.”Hathurusinghe admitted that the top and middle order didn’t combine as well as expected against Zimbabwe, but felt there were occasions when they did fire to win games – they won the series 4-1, after all.”We managed to get a good start in some matches, and when we didn’t get a good start, we managed to finish strongly in some matches,” Hathurusinghe said. “So everybody got an opportunity to bat in the middle, that was a positive. Yes, individually, some of the players would have loved to spend [more] time in the middle, score runs, but in T20 cricket, anything can happen because it is a very different game to the other two formats.”We would love our top order to score all the time – in that kind of scenario, it takes a lot of pressure out of the other players. I am confident that – we have five matches leading up to the first game – we will be able to get those areas of concern sorted.”Bangladesh will play a three-T20I series against T20 World Cup co-hosts USA at Prairie View later this month and then the warm-up fixtures.Mahmudullah is back at his familiar finisher’s position and doing well•BCB

‘Want to give Mahmudullah and Shakib good memories’

Both Shanto and Hathurusinghe said that the batters should take inspiration from Mahmudullah. The senior batter, who is part of the 2024 squad, was dropped ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup but returned to the fray just before the 2023 ODI World Cup, in which he was Bangladesh’s best batter. Mahmudullah has struck two fifties in T20Is this year in his familiar finisher’s role and had just one failure, a first-ball duck in the third T20I against Sri Lanka.”He’s been playing regularly. He made a strong comeback. Lately he’s playing his best cricket,” Hathurusinghe said. “He’s changed his approach to batting a lot. His role is going to be in the middle order, probably be the enforcer in the middle as well as a finisher role, which he has done remarkably well lately in all formats, in the domestics as well.”Shanto said that he was looking forward to Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan, the most experienced cricketers in the squad, to share their experience with the other players.”The team is benefiting from [Mahmudullah’s] role in the batting line-up, at No. 5 or 6,” he said. “It gives the team an extra advantage. He is an inspiration for the youngsters. He has shown how to come back from such a tough situation.”We want to give them [Mahmudullah and Shakib] good memories at the World Cup. It is our responsibility as the younger players. I want them to perform their normal roles but, at the same time, if they can spread their experience with the rest of the team, it will help us.”Chandika Hathurusinghe: “Taskin is a very important member for us. He’s a leader”•AFP via Getty Images

‘Taskin is our leader of the pack in fast bowling’

Bangladesh are also hoping that their new vice-captain, Taskin Ahmed, gets fit in time to have an impact – Taskin was included in the squad despite a side strain.”Taskin is our leader of the pack in fast bowling,” Hathurusinghe said. “The rules of the tournament allow us to carry someone [reserve players], and then we can make a decision. We are giving him the best chance to be fit to play.”Taskin is a very important member for us. He’s a leader. That’s why he’s the vice-captain as well. We have the best medical and recovery procedures in America so we are going to use those resources and then give him the best chance of be fit for the first game.”Despite the question mark over Taskin, Shanto believes the bowling attack can win them games at the T20 World Cup.”We have a much improved fast-bowling department,” he said. “There’s a higher possibility of winning a T20 match if the bowling unit does well. We are also likely to play in conditions that may aid spin, so given our variation, they should also do well. Bowling is our strength.”At the 2022 T20 World Cup, then captain Shakib and the coaching staff led by S Sriram had overseen a new, fearless approach from the players, which gave Bangladesh two wins. They have struggled at global tournaments on the whole, though, but Hathurusinghe is being quietly optimistic.”I understand that we have high aspirations as a country. We have been playing good cricket generally out of the ICC events,” Hathurusinghe said. “As players and coaches, we also have high expectation. The first step is to get through this difficult group stage. We are in a very strong group so getting out of it is the main target.”Bangladesh are in Group D, with Nepal, Netherlands, South Africa and Sri Lanka, and start their World Cup on June 8 with a fixture against Sri Lanka at Dallas’ Grand Prairie stadium.

He backs the group to suss out Indian conditions with the World Cup around the corner

Deivarayan Muthu17-Jan-20231:52

Latham says NZ have done their homework on Chahal and Kuldeep

Trent Boult is currently in action for MI Emirates in the ILT20 in the UAE, having turned down his New Zealand central contract. And Tim Southee has been wrapped in cotton wool ahead of the home Test series against England in February. The last time New Zealand played an ODI without both Boult and Southee against a top-ranked team was back in 2016 against Australia in Hamilton.Ish Sodhi’s ankle injury, sustained during the third ODI in Karachi, has depleted New Zealand’s attack even further. In the absence of a number of seniors, including regular white-ball captain Kane Williamson, who has also been rested for this India tour, New Zealand are looking to give some of their fringe players a run and find out if they could fit into their ODI World Cup plans.Related

• Jamieson-like Henry Shipley ready for the big stage

• Michael Bracewell has the World Cup in his sights

• Can New Zealand challenge India's strong home record?

“Anytime that Tim, Trent and Kane aren’t in the side or aren’t with us, it obviously leaves a massive hole for us,” New Zealand captain Tom Latham said ahead of the first ODI in Hyderabad. “On the other hand, it presents opportunities for the other guys that have been around the squad for a while. I think we’re lucky that pretty much everyone has played international cricket in this side, which is a bonus and over Covid, it presented opportunities to other guys. When guys like that have a break, it’s the other guys’ turn to step up and have an opportunity and we’re lucky enough to have someone like Lockie Ferguson who has played a lot of cricket here in India and I’m sure the guys will be leaning on his experiences as best as possible.”On Tuesday, it was Ferguson, who has had IPL stints with Rising Pune Supergiant, Kolkata Knight Riders and reigning champions Gujarat Titans, who led the bowlers’ meeting. He opened the bowling for New Zealand in their last series – a 2-1 win over Pakistan – and is likely to do so again with two out of Doug Bracewell, Henry Shipley and Jacob Duffy supporting him. This series is an opportunity for them and the rest of the group to suss out the Indian conditions before New Zealand return for the ODI World Cup later this year.

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“This is our last opportunity to play in these conditions before the World Cup in October and November, which you know, isn’t too far away,” Latham said. “So, I guess for us it’s [about] taking as many learnings as we can from these conditions and I said we’re lucky enough that most of the guys have played in these Indian conditions before. I don’t think we’ve played a one-dayer at any of the venues we have been playing at, so for us, it’s getting used to the conditions and familiarising ourselves with different surfaces that we may be faced with during the World Cup.”Latham also drew confidence from New Zealand’s ODI success in Karachi, where they bounced back from being 0-1 down to secure the three-match series. The pitches in Pakistan were slow and grippy, but the ones in India could be much better for batting, as was the case during the recent series against Sri Lanka, where the home side put up two scores of 370-plus in three games.Doug Bracewell is one of three NZ quicks in the running to partner Lockie Ferguson in Hyderabad•Associated Press

“The cricket we played in Pakistan was really good,” Latham said. “It was somewhere we have never toured before for a long time and to come up with a series win where it is difficult to play was really nice. I guess for us coming here, it’s about trying to adapt to conditions the best we can. The surfaces here will potentially be better than what we had in Pakistan; so just trying to stick to our plans as best as we can and I’m sure it’ll be a competitive series. Every time we play India, it’s always a competitive series and we’re looking forward to what’s coming up.”While New Zealand’s bowling attack appears light, they have some excellent players of spin in their batting line-up. During the Test series in Pakistan, Latham and Devon Conway had their eyes locked on mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed’s hand – both from the striker’s end and the non-striker’s end. New Zealand will now come up against Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav though the chances of both the wristspinners playing together are slim. Washington Sundar’s offspin is more likely to be matched up with New Zealand’s left-hander heavy line-up.”As I said before, we’re lucky enough we’ve played these guys and we’ve played India a lot – whether it would be here or back home in recent years,” Latham said. “So, as I said we plan for these guys with our scouting as best as possible and talking to the guys that have played here before – whether it’s in the IPL or different series in terms of trying to read their different deliveries. We will certainly be doing our best to try and negate them [Chahal and Kuldeep]. Obviously spin is quite a big thing over here in India, and we’re really excited about the three games coming up in the one-day series.”

ECB issues joint statement with PCA ahead of further Ashes discussions

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jul-2021The ECB has issued a joint statement with the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) saying it is committed to “putting player and staff welfare as the main priority” in the planning process for this winter’s Ashes tour of Australia.Concerns have been raised about the nature of the touring party England will send, amid suggestions that families may be prevented from joining the group at any stage. With the Ashes set to follow on from a T20 World Cup in the UAE, some of England’s senior, multi-format players with young children, such as Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, could face months of separation from their loved ones.The ECB held talks this week with the England players and representatives of the Team England Player Partnership. Further discussions are planned with Cricket Australia before tour arrangements are finalised, with the ECB stressing the importance of sending a team “to compete with the best players and at highest possible standard” as England’s men attempt to regain the Ashes.Related

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“This week, several meetings have been held between the England men’s players, ECB and Team England Player Partnership to discuss provisional plans for the tour of Australia later in the year,” the statement said.”All parties are collaborating and will continue to work together to understand protocols around bubble environments, family provision and quarantine rules that will be in place for the tour during the current Covid-19 pandemic.”With player and management’s welfare paramount, the ECB will discuss planning and operational requirements with Cricket Australia in the coming weeks and how they seek to implement their policies in partnership with state and federal governments.”All stakeholders are committed to putting player and staff welfare as the main priority and finding the right solutions that enables the England team to compete with the best players and at the highest possible standard that the Ashes series deserves.”Earlier in the week, after former England captain Michael Vaughan used his column in the to suggest Cricket Australia should consider delaying the Ashes rather than host a weakened touring team, Dom Bess became one of the first England players to speak on the subject, saying he would “never, ever turn down” an Ashes touring spot.Australia’s Covid-19 entry and quarantine rules are among the strictest in the world, with a number of English players pulling out of last year’s Big Bash over concerns around bubble fatigue.Kevin Pietersen, the former England batter, last month described the idea of a four-month trip to Australia without access to families as “utter madness, suggesting that players who withdrew would have his support.

The Eminent Persons Group report, however, noted still-prevalent inequalities, especially at school level

Firdose Moonda11-Jun-2020Cricket South Africa has exceeded its annual transformation target for the 2018-19 season though both the men’s and women’s national teams fell slightly short of their self-assigned percentages for generic black representation. This data was published in the latest Eminent Persons Group (EPG) report, which assesses the level of transformation across South Africa’s sporting codes. CSA has improved on its performance each year since 2016, when it was officially sanctioned by the sports ministry for failing to meet targets.The process of transformation, aimed at addressing the legacy of Apartheid and colonialism in South Africa, is applied across a broad range of sectors in the country and measures the number of people of colour (called generic black) and the number of black Africans represented. CSA has set a target that the national teams must, on average over the course of a season, field six generic black players of which at least two must be black African. At domestic level, the target is applied per match and teams are required to field six generic black players of which at least three must be black African.Out of 374 playing opportunities in the South Africa men’s team in the year 2018, 87 went to black African players and 106 to players of colour. Of the 352 playing opportunities in the women’s team, 85 went to black Africans and 78 to players of colour. The single biggest represented race group was white, with 181 and 189 playing opportunities for the men’s and women’s team respectively. While both the men’s and women’s teams exceeded their target for black Africans, they fell short for generic black players by 2%. There will no sanction imposed for that, especially in light of the other areas that CSA performed well in.The report takes into account other cricket played under CSA’s auspices and its operations, which includes the Under-19 teams, schools and club cricket, coaches, referees and umpires, and the high-performance structures and the demographics of the national teams’ support staff and CSA’s office administrators. CSA scored highly in all categories and also received praise for providing the EPG with consistent and reliable data. It is important to note that these numbers will have changed in the 2019-20 season, during which time CSA underwent major changes.Despite CSA’s strong progress, the EPG noted that cricket still faces challenges as it attempts to right historical wrongs, chiefly at school level where access to sport remains the domain of a privileged few. “The education system continues to reproduce inequalities through large differences in access to quality education that is linked to location and household income,” the report states. “This impacts school sport in that participation opportunities are greatly reduced, thereby encouraging sports administrators to perpetuate and increase the existing gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ by focusing on the more ‘privileged’ segments of the structure.”CSA has therefore been encouraged to extend the existing transformation barometers, subject to review, to 2030.

Left-arm seamer under pressure to make his case in final two matches of England’s tour

George Dobell in St Kitts07-Mar-2019David Willey has appeared to question whether picking Jofra Archer could destabilise England’s World Cup squad.Archer, the Barbados-born fast bowler, is expected to qualify to be eligible to represent England in a few days. But while Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, has already provided a strong hint that he would be given an opportunity in the ODIs against Ireland and Pakistan that precede the final deadline for the World Cup squad, Willey has hinted that bringing in a new player on the eve of a tournament for which England have been preparing for four years might prove unhelpful.”It’s an interesting dilemma for the captain, coaches and selectors,” Willey said. “It’s a group of players that have been together for three or four years now that have got us to No.1.”And there’s a reason for that. Whether someone should just walk in at the drop of a hat because they’re available, whether that’s the right thing, I don’t know.”Willey would appear to be one of those that are particularly vulnerable should Archer win selection. Having not featured in any of the five ODIs played on England’s Caribbean tour, he is probably on the periphery of that 15-man World Cup squad.But he does have an almost unique selling point in the England squad. Not only does he offer some left-arm variation, but he appears to swing the ball – the new ball, anyway – more than any of his team-mates. As a result, he often poses a threat at the start of the innings and, with the World Cup played in familiar conditions and games scheduled to start at 10.30 am, he may gain more than a little help from the conditions.He enjoyed a good 2018, too. He not only produced career-best ODI figures with the bat – he made a fifty against India at Lord’s – but he claimed 4 for 43 against Australia at Chester-le-Street – and conceded just 4.70 runs an over against a strong India line-up in that series.And, as he hinted, his limited-overs record doesn’t compare too badly to Archer’s. Archer has a List A bowling average of 30.71 and concedes, on average, 5.29 runs per over; Willey averages 31.64 and has an economy rate of 5.65. He has played 42 ODIs, however, and 121 List A matches while Archer has played 14 List A games. Willey’s T20 record – a bowling average of 23.42 and economy rate of 7.90 – is also very similar to Archer’s: 22.38 and 8.01.”I don’t know Jofra particularly well,” he said. “I couldn’t tell you if he’s got a particularly good record in white-ball cricket, to be honest. But it [tough selection decisions] is always part of professional sport. You have to accept these things and there’s one way to make sure it’s not you: by performing out in the middle.”I imagine every bowler sat in that dressing room will be trying to do that, to make sure it’s not them that gets left out should that happen. I think I went quite well last summer in English conditions but you never know. There is plenty of competition for places so you don’t quite know where they are going to go in the balance of the squad and bowling attack.”Willey is likely to face a challenge to perform out in the middle over the next few games. The final two games of England’s Caribbean tour take place on a St Kitts ground that might well have the shortest straight boundaries in international cricket. Bowling against Chris Gayle on such a pitch could be demanding. Willey insists, however, that he will continue to pitch the ball up in a bid to generate some swing and catch the edge of Gayle’s bat.”The reason I’ve played as much white-ball cricket around the world as I have done is my ability to swing the ball up front and being a left-armer as well,” he said. “It is a bonus being able to do that and I need to continue to do that and also have an impact in other areas as well.”If you get wickets early on in T20 cricket they have to rebuild and it slows the run-rate. Or they have to take high-risk options and hopefully you can take wickets.”I was very disappointed not to play in the ODIs, but part of professional sport is that you have to accept these things. I was disappointed but I think I’d be in the wrong place if I wasn’t. Hopefully, I’m the first left-armer on the team sheet should there be one.”Willey’s issue could be that, once the white ball stops swinging – and he admits that could be after a handful of overs – he does not have the pace to compensate. As a result, his control has to be immaculate if he is to perform a role later in the innings. But, as he says, he did pretty well in 2018 and has lacked opportunities since.”I’m confident about coming back later in the innings,” he said. “I did quite well back home last summer and I don’t think anything has changed since then apart from opportunities and game time.”

Despite having dominated much of the Tests, South Africa will have to contend with a confident ODI team, without their best player in the format

The Preview by Firdose Moonda31-Jan-2018

Big picture

Inevitably, everyone wants another Test between South Africa and India after the three-match series ended 2-1, with South Africa dominating the early stages and India getting progressively better. A fourth, maybe even a fifth Test would have been a fitting finale. Instead, six ODIs will take place in the space of 16 days, two of them at the venue South Africa criticised for having a subcontinental style pitch, SuperSport Park.At least the pitches are unlikely to be the source of much discussion in the limited-overs matches with a strong likelihood of flat pitches and big totals. And there’s still a strong contest to be expected – this remains a battle between No.1 and No.2, except now the roles are switched. South Africa are the top-ranked ODI side in the world, though Ottis Gibson continues to stress that it means very little in this format, while India are second with only a point separating the two sides.Rather than focus on widening the gap, South Africa are using this series to mark the start of “Vision 2019,” a catchy name for their campaign to win the World Cup. They’ve set aside the next few months to trial different combinations, so expect to see new faces and funky tactics, with the view to using the time between September and June next year to fine-tune their game plans ahead of a tournament they are desperate to triumph in.India have not even mentioned the World Cup yet. For them, this is more about being able to win a series on this trip. An ODI trophy, especially after South Africa took the series in India in late 2015, will be a prized possession.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: WWWLL
India: WWLWWESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the spotlight

Neither Faf du Plessis nor Gibson are concerned about Quinton de Kock’s form but the rest of South Africa is. With 71 runs in the Test series off the back of a lean domestic twenty-over campaign, de Kock looks out of touch. There are suggestions from the inner circle that he requires a change of lifestyle to bring focus back to his game. Du Plessis and Gibson hope a change of format will do the same thing. They might be right – the last time de Kock made a score of significance was in a fifty-over game when he smashed 168* against Bangladesh last October. He will need a few like that to provide reassurance of his ability.Rohit Sharma had his place questioned during the first two Tests and scored just 78 runs in four innings before being dropped for the third. But in the ODI format, Rohit is the only batsmen in the world to have three double-hundreds to his name, the most recent of which came in India’s series against Sri Lanka, just before they left for South Africa. Rohit remains a white-ball darling, and India will hope his best on this tour is yet to come.

Team news

AB de Villiers’ injury opens a spot in the middle-order that du Plessis confirmed will be filled by Aiden Markram, meaning Khaya Zondo will have to wait to make his debut. The rest of the batting is familiar, with JP Duminy coming off a run of good scores in the domestic one-day cup. Lungi Ngidi may have to wait for his first fifty-over appearance if South Africa opt for Morne Morkel, with Imran Tahir likely to start as the sole specialist spinner.South Africa (probable): 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 Aiden Markram, 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran TahirIndia seem set to become more flexible with Ajinkya Rahane’s role after having pegionholed him into the opening slot earlier last year. He could be playing at No. 4 given there will be pace on offer throughout the innings in conditions in South Africa and England, where the World Cup will be played. They seem to be set with whom they want at Nos 5, 6 and 7: Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni. Another decision they will have to make is whether they play two specialist spinners.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 Ajinkya Rahane/ Manish Pandey, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Mohammed Shami/ Shardul Thakur

Pitch and conditions

Durban’s surface can sometimes be a little slower than others around the country. It will definitely not have the pace of the Highveld venues the teams have just come from. Rain is forecast for the early afternoon but should stop later on, though the cloud cover will remain with temperatures in the early 20s.

Stats and trivia

• The last time South Africa and India played in a bilateral ODI series against each other was in October 2015. The series see-sawed, but South Africa emerged triumphant in the end, winning 3-2.
• India have only won five out of 28 ODIs in South Africa, none in Durban.
• MS Dhoni needs 102 runs to become the fourth Indian batsmen to 10,000 ODI runs.
  

  Quotes

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England ended the second day in Visakhapatnam tottering on 103 for 5 in reply to India’s 455 after falling prey to India’s trio of spinners

The Report by Andrew Miller18-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:52

Compton: It’s a shame for England that Root isn’t unbeaten overnight

At every critical juncture of this typically subcontinental Test match, England’s cricketers have inadvertently been telegraphing their sense of impending doom. It was visible in Alastair Cook’s body language after losing a vital toss; it resurfaced on the first afternoon when Virat Kohli was dropped at fine leg by Adil Rashid, and there were tremors again this morning, when Moeen Ali’s offbreaks began to find the purchase necessary to check India’s innings before it could run away.But it wasn’t until the second afternoon at Visakhapatnam that their deep-seated pessimism began gushing to the surface like an Andhra Pradesh oil strike. By the close of a gripping and debilitating third session, with India’s trio of spinners tormenting both sides of a succession of stick-or-twist blades, the destiny of this contest was all but pre-ordained.England limped to the close on 103 for 5, in reply to India’s 455, having contributed massively to their own downfall with a succession of hare-brained departures, but equally, having had their minds and techniques scrambled by the dripping-tap accuracy of, in particular, the offspinners R Ashwin and debutant Jayant Yadav.Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm spin played its part as well, darting the ball in flat and fast to challenge the front pad and leave England’s batsmen no time to gather their thoughts between deliveries. But it was Ashwin who applied the surgical strikes, his 12 overs yielding 15 runs and two wickets, including the crowning scalp of Joe Root for 53 and the hapless Ben Duckett for 5.Meanwhile Jayant, shrewdly handed a debut in response to England’s selection of a record seven left-handers, showcased a tall and tidy technique, and accounted of one of that number as his maiden Test wicket. Moeen Ali, one of England’s four centurions at Rajkot, was struck on the shin as he pressed forward to another wicket-to-wicket delivery, and sent on his way lbw for 1 after Virat Kohli made a correct call for the DRS.Soon afterwards, Jayant should have had a second when he bounced an offbreak off the top of Ben Stokes’ off stump and into the keeper’s gloves without dislodging it. It was a memorably bizarre footnote to a fine first day of Test action from the new boy, that had earlier included a key role – once again in tandem with Ashwin – in a 64-run stand for India’s eighth wicket, but was perhaps most notable for the athletic slide and throw from deep square leg that ran out Haseeb Hameed for 13 and wrecked what little poise England’s innings had managed to generate.It hadn’t looked too promising in the early moments of England’s innings either, and Cook in particular had lived dangerously in his 11-ball stay. He all but popped a leading edge back to the bowler in Mohammad Shami’s opening over, but could do nothing about the beauty that bowled him in his second. After being lined up by two deliveries that curled away to the slips, Cook was beaten by a sensational nipbacker that smashed the off stump in two as it nipped back through the gate.R Ashwin is stoked after taking a wicket•AFP

But despite such a seismic shock to England’s system, there had been a glimmer of hope, in the form of a 47-run stand for the second wicket between Hameed and Root, that England might somehow extract enough runs from a still serviceable wicket to haul themselves close to first-innings parity. Root, in particular, had been responding impressively to the challenge of a skiddy low surface, and at one stage during a probing new-ball spell from India’s seamers had advanced on Shami to clip him aggressively through midwicket for four.But he was entirely culpable in the moment of madness that sold his younger partner down the river. Chivvying for the second run as he clipped Jadeja off the pads, he hurtled halfway down the track only to turn abruptly on his heels as Jayant’s throw fizzed in from the deep. Wriddhiman Saha did brilliantly in front of the stumps to gather and flick backwards in one moment, clipping the bails as Hameed tumbled for the crease in vain.At 51 for 2, the door was ajar and India’s spinners did not require a second invitation to bring out the battering ram. Duckett, whose stroke-laden technique had been an asset when counterattacking against Bangladesh, proved as a leaky as a fisherman’s net when facing the best spin bowler in the world, and having consistently exposed his stumps in a bid to attack Ashwin out of the rough, it was to nobody’s great surprise when they duly were splattered for 5.Two overs later, and Ashwin had the big one. Root had been playing a blinder in the circumstances, galvanised by his own supreme form and the knowledge of his role in Hameed’s demise. But, against Ashwin, even his free-scoring methods had been tempered, until Kohli tempted him fatally by removing his long-on and inviting a hoick over the top. He took the bait but failed to get to the pitch, and Umesh was on hand at long-off to cue India’s delirium.The familiar failings with the bat made England’s determined efforts with the ball earlier in the day somewhat redundant. Moeen, who had been underused on the opening day of the match, claimed three quick wickets in the second hour of the morning before Rashid and Stokes mopped up the resistance after lunch.Ashwin, India’s main source of runs on the day, was lucky to benefit from a drop at slip by Stokes when he had made 17, but the unlikely let-off had a spin-off benefit for England. India ran a single as the ball ricocheted off Stokes’ knee at slip, and one ball later, Stokes made amends by snaffling a faster, lower edge to his right to see off India’s main man, Kohli, for 167 instead.Kohli’s early dismissal enabled England to keep India’s innings closer to 450 than 550, but by the close, in spite of a spirited 15-overs of resistance from Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, it was looking like more than enough.