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ESPNcricinfo previews the third Twenty20 international between Pakistan and England, in Abu Dhabi

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan26-Feb-2012Match FactsMonday, February 27, Abu Dhabi
Start time 2000 (1600 GMT)Hammad Azam played a brief but sparkling innings in the second Twenty20•Getty ImagesThe Big PictureAfter two whitewashes we now have a series decider following England’s slick victory in the second Twenty20 international in Dubai. Twenty20 matches can swing on the smallest of factors, but the intensity and sharpness of England’s display on Saturday suggests they are the side finishing stronger.A series victory will help consolidate England’s position at the top of the rankings, although the bigger picture, and it applies to both teams, is putting in place plans for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka during September and October. Twenty20 internationals are few and far between – three-match series are a new breed in this format – so each game is important towards building a unit.England learned quickly between the first and second matches in Dubai while Pakistan regressed quite significantly, especially with the bat. Jonny Bairstow showed that England’s young players are soaking up their experiences while the incisiveness of the bowling attack is now consistent across all three formats.Form guide (Most recent first)
Pakistan LWWWW
England WLWLWWatch out for…Hammad Azam showed some spark in the second Twenty20 and while he was cutting loose, in a manner reminiscent of Abdul Razzaq, Pakistan were not out of the match. For a 20-year-old playing his first Twenty20 international innings it was a display of impressive confidence. It might be worth Misbah-ul-Haq giving him a bowl.Graeme Swann was out-bowled in the Test series by Monty Panesar and often overshadowed by the quicks in the 50-over matches, but he has come into his own in the Twenty20s. His eight overs have brought figures of 5 for 30, which should provide him a nice rankings boost at the end of the series. And he still likes cracking the jokes.Team newsThe form of Shoaib Malik is causing Pakistan problems, which became even more acute when Misbah struggled to score in the second match. The middle order could do with some more kick and it may be worth promoting Azam. Imran Farhat is also in the squad if they decide Awais Zia has proved just hit and miss.Pakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Awais Zia, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Umar Akmal (wk), 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Hammad Azam, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Aizaz CheemaWith the series on the line England won’t be tinkering as they did in the last ODI, which means Tim Bresnan is unlikely to find a place.England (probable) 1 Kevin Pietersen, 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Ravi Bopara, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Stuart Broad (capt), 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Jade Dernbach, 11 Steven FinnPitch and conditionsIn Dubai a score of around 140-150 proved defendable and the nature of the pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi during the ODIs suggests something similar could be par for this final match. It will be another late finish for fans and players with an 8pm start.Stats and trivia Pakistan’s defeat on Saturday was Misbah’s first as captain in a Twenty20 In 16 innings on tour (including the warm-up matches) Eoin Morgan has made 190 runs with a top score of 31.Quotes”In this game we won last night, I thought Bairstow’s innings was outstanding – very skilful, and very powerful as well. That’s a very good combination to have.”
Edited by Dustin Silgardo

West Indies Women clinched the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka 2-1 after the last match in Barbados went in favour of the hosts by 45 runs by the Duckworth-Lewis Method

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-2012
ScorecardWest Indies Women clinched the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka 2-1 after the last match in Barbados went in favour of the hosts by 45 runs by the Duckworth-Lewis Method. Allrounder Shanel Daley starred for West Indies by scoring 63 with the bat and picking up three wickets.Sri Lanka struck early with the ball, dismissing opener Juliana Nero. Daley and World No.1 batsman Stafanie Taylor put on a 74-run stand for the third wicket. West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira also chipped in with 20 to help the team post 168 in a rain reduced 40-over match. Shashikala Siriwardene was the most effective bowler for the tourists, picking up 4 for 40.West Indies fast bowler Subrina Munroe made life difficult for Sri Lanka’s top order with the ball by picking up two wickets. The Sri Lankan middle order showed some resistance but Daley and Taylor struck regularly to wrap up the match and the series.

England Lions seamer James Harris took three wickets as Glamorgan had thebetter of a rain-affected second day of their County Championship DivisionTwo match against Leicestershire at Colwyn Bay

18-Aug-2011
Scorecard
England Lions seamer James Harris took three wickets as Glamorgan had thebetter of a rain-affected second day of their County Championship DivisionTwo match against Leicestershire at Colwyn Bay.After Glamorgan made 392 all out in their first innings Leicestershire werereduced to 80 for 4 before James Taylor and Wayne White put on an unbrokenhalf-century partnership for the fourth wicket.At tea, after which no play was possible due to rain, Leicestershire hadreached 140 for 4. Play was called off for the day at 5pm with 32 oversremaining. Glamorgan, who resumed their first innings on 328 for eight, enjoyed aprofitable opening session as they scored a further 64 runs in 13.1 overs asLeicestershire struggled to take the final two wickets.And after home side were eventually bowled out, 21-year-old Harris reducedLeicestershire to 33 for 2 in the 55 minutes they had to bat before lunch. In the fifth over Will Jefferson went leg before to Harris, who then had Greg Smith caught behind.After lunch Harris bowled a testing second spell which was rewarded when hebowled Matthew Boyce through the gate. It was an impressive performance from theLions bowler, who produced figures of three for 20 off his 14 overs.After Harris was rested, Dean Cosker then struck with his fifth ball to trapJosh Cobb leg before to leave Leicestershire 80 for 4. After that the visitors fought back with Lions captain Taylor, who played watchfully for his 34, and the more prolific White, who struck three sixes in his 59-ball 44 not out, looking solid against the spinners before the rain cameand prevented the players returning to the field after tea.The day began with the Glamorgan spinners, Robert Croft (31) and Cosker (39),earning their side a fourth batting point. A 57-run partnership for the ninthwicket was ended when Wayne White had Croft caught behind.But the runs kept coming with Will Owen planting off spinner Jigar Naik overlong-on for six in a breezy 26 from 22 balls before Cosker was bowled by ClaudeHenderson’s first ball of the day.

New Zealand will grasp any consolation after suffering the indignity of being bundled out for 45 in their first innings and avoiding defeat in two days will do for a start

The Report by David Hopps03-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Martin Guptill fell before New Zealand could open their account in the second innings•AFPNew Zealand will grasp any consolation after suffering the indignity of being bundled out for 45 in their first innings and avoiding defeat in two days will do for a start. They will resume the third day 133 runs behind with six wickets remaining after South Africa’s quick bowlers failed to repeat the havoc of the opening day.Their chief source of resistance came from Dean Brownlie, who struck a 44-ball half-century to be 69 not out at the close and collected a few bruises to show for his labours after goading Dale Steyn into a hostile conclusion to the second day. The bulk of Brownlie’s cricket until three years ago was played in Perth and it showed, too, as he prospered on the back foot, square of the wicket on the off side, in an enterprising post-tea innings.South Africa were architects of their own frustration as they dropped Brownlie, twice, and Brendon McCullum in the final session. Brownlie escaped twice at gully on 23, Dean Elgar and Alviro Petersen spurning opportunities presented by Steyn and Vernon Philander respectively. Jacques Kallis’ attempt to catch McCullum off Steyn at second slip was a worthier effort, but it all contributed to New Zealand adding 133 in the final session.New Zealand had batted doggedly up to tea, but they had lost Martin Guptill for nought, when he clipped Steyn to midwicket, and Kane Williamson, who looked in the mood for some prolonged blocking until a tempting short delivery from Jacques Kallis jagged off a crack to have him caught at second slip.New Zealand had lasted only 19.2 overs in the first innings and, if nobody seriously expected a repeat of that, they were vulnerable on a pitch showing signs of unreliable bounce. The strong winds which closed Table Mountain in the build-up to the game and cracked and crusted this Newlands surface threatened to have the final say.Only when Brownlie began to hit about him did McCullum’s mood lighten. For him to bear his responsibilities so heavily was unusual, but he was a new Test captain appointed in controversial circumstances, criticised in some quarters for an overly-optimistic attitude in batting first and then for placing excessively attacking fields in return. If he was ever going to begin a Test innings strokelessly, this was it.He fell lbw to Robin Petersen, his decision to review the decision owing more to his status and New Zealand’s plight than any realistic hope of overturning it. Daniel Flynn’s colourless innings ended with extra bounce from Kallis and an inside edge to the wicketkeeper.If South Africa were not hampering themselves by dropping catches, they were also making a hash of DRS. They failed to challenge umpire Ian Gould’s “not out” ruling when to have done so would have won an lbw decision while Williamson was on 4. They then wasted a review when Gould refused a catch at the wicket with Williamson on 9, the ball having brushed the batsman’s pocket.What followed almost brought DRS into disrepute. There was a delay of nearly five minutes before the third umpire, Kumar Dharmasena, gave his decision. In the background at square leg, as endless Hot Spot replays were studied, Hashim Amla’s long beard was shown as pure white and made him look like an ancient. There again, as we waited inexplicably for Dharmasena, none of us felt any younger.Final-session frustrations or not, South Africa must feel the Test is almost won. It was difficult on a summer’s day like this, with the Test entirely in command, for a South African player not to feel content, but Dean Elgar would not be happy with his world.All Elgar had to show for South Africa’s series-winning victory against Australia in Perth last month was a pair on Test debut. It was a tough ask, summoned to the tour late and expected to contribute to a series in the balance, and it proved beyond him.At Newlands, he resumed his Test career in rather gentler circumstances, but he could not take the opportunity. Five minutes before lunch, Trent Boult made one climb outside off stump and he edged it to the wicketkeeper. He walked off shaking his head, his prototype moustache accentuating a mournful countenance.Elgar got off the mark against his first ball, from Chris Martin, jabbing through square leg, but progression never really came. Two boundaries off Franklin in successive overs flew through slips and gully, one of them with only one hand on the bat. When he was 18, New Zealand could have overturned Rod Tucker’s refusal of Boult’s lbw appeal, but they failed to review.New Zealand’s seam attack had been on the short side on the first day and their ground-fielding had at times been deplorable. It would not take much to improve such standards and they did. Boult needed only one delivery to account for Alviro Petersen – the first ball of the second over. He had added three to his overnight 103 when he dragged on.At 38 years old and after 71 Tests, Martin is aware that not too many more top-order batsmen will fall his way before he calls time on his Test career. His long service was rewarded with three more good wickets. Faf du Plessis was caught at gully, searching for one, and he bowled AB de Villiers and Peterson in successive overs immediately after lunch before Smith’s declaration.Bare head glistening with sweat and thick white headband across his forehead, Martin bounded into the crease in the happy manner of a tennis coach at a private club, intent upon communicating enthusiasm before having a knock-up with the members. As far as New Zealand are concerned, the day amounted to more than a knock-up, it was one heck of a rally.

Mumbai Indians have said they have not lodged any official complaint about the nature of the Jaipur pitch on which they lost to Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets on May 29

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2011Mumbai Indians have said they have not lodged any official complaint about the nature of the Jaipur pitch on which they lost to Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets on April 29. They also charged Rajasthan of trying to “sensationalise” the issue by making “unsolicited, distasteful” comments.On a slow surface, Mumbai were restricted to 94 for 8 in 20 overs and slumped to their second defeat of the season. After the match, Mumbai captain Sachin Tendulkar had said: “It was a tough pitch, different to what we play on in Mumbai. I don’t want to take the credit away from Rajasthan, who bowled and fielded well. It was two-paced, the ball kept low.”Initially, it was thought that Mumbai had complained about the pitch and Rajasthan captain Shane Warne had said he was “disappointed” by that. The IPL’s pitch inspector Venkat Sundaram was present for Rajasthan’s next home game, on Sunday, against Pune Warriors. “I am not having a go at Sachin or anyone, but [for] Mumbai in general, to come here and get outplayed like they did, I think they are using that as an excuse,” Warne had said. “We suddenly have a pitch inspector here and I thought that was totally out of order and unnecessary.”When Tendulkar was dismissed for 51 off a high full toss on Monday’s match against Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Cricket Association’s secretary Sanjay Dixit tweeted: “Sachin gets out off a full toss. Can’t blame the pitch this time.” He had earlier tweeted: “Mumbai is known on the Ranji circuit as the most graceless side. Showing off their pedigree in IPL too.”In a statement issued on Tuesday, Mumbai denied lodging a complaint about the Jaipur pitch and hit back at Rajasthan. “There have been unsolicited, distasteful comments and personal remarks made in reaction which is not in keeping with the spirit of the game,” it said. “It is disconcerting to note that Rajasthan Royals and a senior official of the Rajasthan Cricket Association are trying to sensationalise this issue.”

Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain, has offered his services tp the PCB as a part-time bowling coach

Umar Farooq17-Oct-2011Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain, has offered his services to the PCB as a part-time bowling coach. Akram said he is ‘ready to work for Pakistan’, but would not be able to do it full-time because of family commitments.”Coaching is a very demanding job,” Akram told reporters at Lahore airport. “It requires a 24/7 [twenty four hours, seven days a week commitment] that I cannot afford while my personal life is a little unsettled. I have two kids to look after. But if they want my services, I am ready to work, but only in my free time.”In the past Akram has turned down the PCB’s offers to coach, citing his responsibilities as a commentator. While he did state that he still doesn’t have much free time, he said that whenever he is in Pakistan, he could juggle his routine to have time to coach fast bowlers.”I have emphasised before that while I am free in Pakistan, give me about 10 to 15 young fast bowlers to coach for a month and I am ready to work. We have outstanding facilities at the National Cricket Academy. Send them to Karachi or I can come to Lahore as well.”When asked about the upcoming series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the UAE, Akram said Sri Lanka are a good side but not good enough to beat Pakistan. He pointed out that the bowling attack has struggled without Muttiah Muralitharan, who was responsible for 40 per cent of the team’s wickets during his career.”Sri Lanka is a good team but without Murali [Muralitharan] and [Lasith] Malinga they can’t bowl out Pakistan twice in Test cricket,” Akram said. “I don’t see Pakistan losing unless they play very bad cricket.”Pakistan has experience as Younis [Khan], Misbah [ul Haq] are there in the line-up and another veteran (Shoaib) Malik is back in the side. So with all this, we can understand that the team isn’t lacking any talent. They just need support and need to play good cricket.”Pakistan will play three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 International in the three Emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, as Pakistan are currently unable to host international cricket amid security concerns since the attack on the Sri Lanka team in 2009. Given the situation, Akram said the PCB should create an alternative home country for the team.”The idea is to play as much cricket as they can,” Akram said. “If teams aren’t heading to Pakistan, come up with an alternative hub and a system for Pakistan’s home series and give its team more cricket – that will help them to flourish.”

Seam bowler Nuwan Kulasekara won’t be joining Sri Lanka’s Test squad in South Africa and instead the uncapped Kanishka Alvitigala will fly out along with Dhammika Prasad

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-2011Seam bowler Nuwan Kulasekara won’t be joining Sri Lanka’s Test squad in South Africa and instead the uncapped Kanishka Alvitigala will fly out along with Dhammika Prasad ahead of the second Test in Durban.Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, had said that both Prasad and Kulasekara would be added to the touring party to bolster the pace-bowling options following Nuwan Pradeep’s injury, but the sports ministry hadn’t approved the selections and instead the nod has gone to Alvitigala. Kulasekara is likely to arrive for the one-day series next month.Alvitigala, 25, has taken 51 first-class wickets at 32.35 in 25 matches with a career-best of 5 for 34 and has previously represented Sri Lanka A including on the tour to England earlier this year.Sri Lanka’s pace-bowling options have been stretched to breaking point in recent months with a string of injuries to contend with. Before the tour of South Africa four seamers, including Prasad and Kulasekara, were ruled out with injury and Sri Lanka lost Pradeep after he broke down during the warm-up match in Benoni.Sri Lanka were crushed by an innings and 81 runs in the opening Test at Centurion and although the pace attack was able to cause South Africa some problems they couldn’t sustain pressure. Chanaka Welegedara, the left-armer, took 3 for 96 and Thisara Perera claimed 3 for 114 but Dilhara Fernando, the most senior bowler, only managed 1 for 128 in 28 overs.

Rangers chief Ross Wilson committed a huge Ibrox howler for Gio van Bronckhorst during the January transfer window.

The Glasgow giants chief endured a disaster as he missed out on a deal to sign Siriki Dembele from Peterborough. The Gers were reportedly interested in landing the winger on a permanent deal and he ended up joining English Championship side Bournemouth instead.

Rangers went for Amad Diallo on loan from Manchester United to bolster their wide options in the wake of Ianis Hagi’s season-ending injury and the youngster has endured a terrible spell with the club so far.

Since scoring five minutes into his debut against Ross County, the Ivorian international has been poor for Rangers and is currently struggling to get minutes on the pitch. He has been an unused substitute in three of the club’s last four matches in the Premiership and Europa League, coming off the bench against Dundee United.

In four league outings for van Bronckhorst’s side, he has missed one ‘big chance’, created just two chances and lost a whopping 71% of his duels. This shows that he has been far from good enough since his move from Old Trafford and Dembele would have been a far better option.

Not only would the Scotsman have been a long-term addition to the squad rather than just a loan, but he would also have had more of an impact in the here and now as he has proven his quality at Championship level.

Peterborough chief Barry Fry previously hailed the forward’s talents, telling Football FanCast: “Siriki can get the ball in his own half and with dazzling dribbling ability, he can beat four or five players and score a wonder goal or cross it for somebody else to score.

“He’s very, very exciting. He’s got the best stats outside the [English] Premier League, I think. We’ll try to keep hold of him if we go up, and we’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse! So watch this space.”

He produced 11 goals and 14 assists in League One last term for Peterborough and made a huge impact on his full debut for Bournemouth earlier this month. As per SofaScore, he won eight of his 13 duels, created an impressive five chances for his teammates and scored a goal against Blackpool in the Championship.

Throughout the entire campaign with the Posh and now the Cherries, he has six goals and has averaged 1.1 key passes per game whilst also winning 49% of his duels – as per SofaScore. This suggests that the gem would have been far better than Amad as he has shown that he can provide the goods at first-team level whilst holding his own in physical battles, whereas the United youngster has not done enough on or off the ball.

Therefore, Wilson had a howler by signing Diallo ahead of Dembele in January, both in terms of the short and long-term implications of the respective deals.

AND in other news, Forget Tavernier: £6.4k-p/w Rangers tank with 75% duels won was real star of the show…

Stuart Law, the new Bangladesh coach, has said his aim is to build a self-reliant Bangladesh team that can help each other and rely less on the natural talent of individuals

Mohammad Isam18-Jul-2011Stuart Law, the new Bangladesh coach, has said his aim is to build a self-reliant Bangladesh team that can help each other and rely less on the natural talent of individuals. Having arrived in Dhaka on Monday morning, along with new fielding coach Jason Swift, Law told his first press conference as coach that he needed to work with the team before identifying areas where they needed improvement, but felt a little more professionalism would help.”I’ve seen Bangladesh play a lot of good cricket. They’re very talented,” Law said at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Monday. “The captain [Shakib Al Hasan] was rated No. 1 all-rounder in the world not long ago; Tamim Iqbal is a destructive top-order batsman. Maybe there are areas away from cricket in which they need to improve. A little bit more professionalism maybe, but I haven’t seen them up close to see what makes them tick.”Maybe it’s not about natural talent but a bit more mental toughness, self-belief. That’s what I can impart. The bigger you are the harder you fall. We are a minnow which is a good thing because we go into every game as an underdog and there’s nothing to lose.”Law has played against both Shakib and Tamim; he represented Lancashire and MCC against Bangladesh A in 2008. He will start work on July 20 when Bangladesh play a practice game in Mirpur and his first assignment will be to prepare the team for their tour of Zimbabwe which starts with a tour game on July 30. He said his approach to the side would be to initially observe and see what made the players tick.”I like to observe rather than sit down and tell them what to do. I have a 9-year-old son and he doesn’t like to do what I tell him either. I’ve learnt over my time, the more the players want to do it, the better for the team. It’s not about what I want, it’s about what they want. The tour of Zimbabwe should be a good one, in conditions that we are comfortable playing on. It should be a good way to get into the role.”In the first weeks, the job will be to put names to faces. Once we get into that, we want to make Bangladesh cricket team a team they think they should be. It’s about what they expect from themselves. If they believe they should be the seventh, sixth or fifth best team in the world, that’s where we should aim at first. If they all perform at their optimum, the sky could be the limit for this team.”Law played the role of interim coach for Sri Lanka on their recent tour of England but chose to join Bangladesh after the ODI series ended as they were offering him a permanent job. “Sri Lanka were not in a position to offer an extension in the contract. So there was no job on the table from them. Bangladesh had contacted my management company to seek the possibility of joining. Having been here and knowing the passion that Bangladesh people have for cricket and their team, I saw it as a great opportunity for me while I’m still young as a coach.”Hopefully I can impart the knowledge that I’ve gathered from my 31 seasons of cricket and make the players as good as they can be.”

Chennai Super Kings’ exceptional run of form has been built on the principle of unity, a theme also visible in the other team led by MS Dhoni

Nitin Sundar07-Apr-2011Big PictureChennai Super Kings’ exceptional run of form has been built on the principle of unity, a theme also visible in the other team led by MS Dhoni. While most sides used the 2011 auction as an opportunity to clean out the closet, Chennai focussed on minimising churn. The four best players were held back, and the franchise fought hard to repurchase the likes of R Ashwin, Doug Bollinger, Mike Hussey, Shadab Jakati and S Badrinath from the auction pool. With a solid bunch of performers at their disposal, and the added advantage of familiarity among their ranks, Chennai are primed for another good season.On-field success is only one half of Chennai’s story, though. Chennai is arguably the most successfully branded IPL franchises, with their PR campaign capturing the very essence of cricket on the streets and beaches of the city. Year after year, they come up with the most endearing promos, with everyone from Dhoni to Bollinger joining the Chennai layman in the chorus. The party will resume in full force at Chepauk when they stride out in their yellow jerseys on Friday.Key playersUntil famous bat-twirl after the winning six in the World Cup, the most enduring MS Dhoni image was the uppercut he landed on his own helmet after whacking Chennai into the 2010 IPL semi-finals. It was a rare show of emotion from a man who seldom loses his composure on the field. As wicketkeeper-captain, Dhoni is the team’s brains and the nerve-centre rolled into one. His perceptive use of R Ashwin with the new ball, and positioning of a very straight mid-off to snare Kieron Pollard in the 2010 final are now part of IPL folklore.Michael Hussey is an unusual choice at the top, yet Chennai’s decision to open with him ensures stability and a solid foundation for the muscular middle order to launch from. After a personally fulfilling Ashes, Hussey was laid low by a serious hamstring injury that kept him out of the initial stages of the World Cup. With Matthew Hayden missing in action this year, Hussey should face no hindrance in resuming his alliance with M Vijay at the top of the order. He will, however, join the party a little late after Australia’s one-day tour of Bangladesh.R Ashwin’s prowess with the new ball, bowling to fields that are pulled in, is based on his accuracy. He may not be able to bowl six different balls in an over, yet he can get each one of them to land them on the same spot, and get the odd one to surprise the batsman by going away. Having picked up the carom ball by watching Ajantha Mendis bowling in Chepauk before he became an international sensation, Ashwin has become as lethal in its use as the inventor himself. Ashwin’s biggest strength, though, is not his variety, but his reluctance to over-use it.Big name inChennai have picked wisely in including Nuwan Kulasekara and Tim Southee for the new season. Their bowling attack in past editions often included three spinners, but this time they have two high-quality seaming options to fall back on. Both Kulasekara and Southee rely on exemplary seam position, and while Southee’s stock ball is the outswinger, Kulasekara specialises in mixing legcutters with huge induckers. Bollinger and Morkel are likely to be the first-choice fast bowlers, but Southee and Kulasekara could come into the picture as the tournament wears on.Big name outTwenty20 was clearly not Muttiah Muralitharan’s format, yet he found a way to be effective, by going round the wicket and twirling his offspinners and doosras from the same spot around middle and off. He formed a formidable tweak-trio with Ashwin and Shadab Jakati, and Chennai – the team and the city – will miss his presence and personality, as much as his immense skills.Below the radarS Badrinath’s India days might be behind him, but year after year he turns in stellar middle-order performances for Chennai. Badrinath’s methods will not fill up the stands – his high elbow, straight bat and along-the-ground shots are incongruous in this format, but he is the kind of man Dhoni backs. Badrinath’s domestic record speaks of a man whose appetite for runs borders on gluttony. He provides the stability in a middle order that features attackers like Raina, Morkel and Dhoni himself. Expect more of those typically unsung, unnoticed but invaluable gems from Badrinath this season.Last three seasonsChennai have been the most consistent IPL team, having made the semi-finals in each edition of the tournament. Not once was their passage into the last four straightforward – at one point in the 2010 season, they were languishing at seventh in a field of eight teams – but each time they managed to find a game-breaking performance to see them through trouble. In 2008, they had the upperhand for most of the final against Rajasthan before losing off the last ball. Their 2009 campaign was halted at the semi-final stage by Bangalore, powered by a cool innings from Manish Pandey. Chennai were unstoppable at the business end of the 2010 edition, and easily trumped a nervous Mumbai in the final.