All posts by csb10.top

A boost from the boss
Kolkata Knight Riders’ co-owner and Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan, who cheered and danced as his team got off to a victorious start, was missing when they came down crashing against the Chennai Super Kings in their third game. This time he didn’t miss the action, and came down to the dugout before the start of the game to personally greet each player.Duck, wait and hit
Runs were coming at a trickle for Kolkata – at least by Twenty20 standards – when Shaun Pollock brought himself on for his second spell in the 11th over. David Hussey had already smashed him over extra cover, and Pollock bowled a slower bouncer on the final delivery. Hussey did not pick it initially, and he looked set to let it go. But the ball took ages to arrive, by which time the batsman adjusted, and a last-minute dab, almost out of the wicketkeeper’s gloves, set the ball running to the boundary.A quick bite, Sanath
No doubt the television producer is under pressure to drag out the top performer and put the camera in his face for a mid-innings or post-match interview, but in the mad rush one still needs be logical. Sanath Jayasuriya was the star in the field for the Mumbai Indians, but he also opens the innings and was rushing back to the dressing room to change and pad up in the break. But the television guys cut short his progress requesting him for a quick chat. Obviously the Sri Lankan legend was annoyed. Mumbai coach Lalchand Rajput settled matters and Shaun Pollock, the second-best performer, faced the camera instead.Missing revenge
Chasing 138, Mumbai had been reduced to 25 for 3. Ashok Dinda had dismissed Manish Pandey for a duck and Robin Uthappa should have been his second victim. Uthappa slapped a short delivery to the left of backward point, where Debabrata Das reached out, but the ball didn’t stick. Das had fluffed the chance to avenge his dismissal – Uthappa took a catch to his left at point to end the debutant’s innings on 29.Come on Billy, raise that finger …
… would have been the refrain from the Kolkata crowd when Murali Kartik rapped the batsmen twice on the pads and led loud appeals from the home team. But umpire Billy Bowden didn’t budge. Perhaps Sourav Ganguly should have considered a change of ends for the spinner.Coincidences
Till today’s game, Sanath Jayasuriya’s quiet time in the IPL hadn’t helped the cause of the Mumbai Indians. But after his four-over spell, his figures read 3 for 14, uncannily similar to his 3 for 12 off seven overs against India in the 1996 World Cup semi-final at the same ground. He took two catches then, and the 38-year-old showed he was no slouch, pouching two, the first of Sourav Ganguly at wide slip ample proof the reflexes were still top-notch.

Australia 1 for 28 (Ponting 11*, Hayden 12*) trail England 6 for 551d (Collingwood 206, Pietersen 158) by 523 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out – England
How they were out – Australia

It has happened again. Down 1-0 after a first-Testthrashing, England have been revived for the secondAshes series in a row by batting first in the nextmatch. Through brilliant returns from Paul Collingwoodand Kevin Pietersen they grabbed the momentum fromAustralia, posted 6 for 551 and promptly declared infive-star luxury. The series gained further life whenJustin Langer edged Andrew Flintoff, who decided toopen the bowling, and the home side were 1 for 28 atstumps.Collingwood clipped a superb 206 and Pietersen backedhim up with a sensible 158 as England enjoyed anotherwildly successful day on a pitch offering nothingencouraging to the fast bowlers. Together they etchedthemselves into Ashes history with England’s highestfourth-wicket stand against Australia, passing the 288of Nasser Hussain and Graham Thorpe at Edgbaston in1997.Individually they coped well with Australia’spersistent tinkering in the field, the attempts atregular containment and Shane Warne and Stuart Clark,the biggest dangers in an ineffective attack.Collingwood closed a 70-year double-century droughtfor England Down Under when he became the first sinceWally Hammond to achieve the milestone. It was anoutstanding all-round innings that has sealed his spotat No. 4. Pietersen has been criticised for sitting aspot lower in the order but the move has workedspectacularly in this game.The top four blunted Australia and then Pietersen andCollingwood were allowed to capitalise, driving theirside into a position that was unthinkable for even themost positive England supporter over the past week.They narrowly avoided going three sessions withoutAustralia’s hyped attack taking a wicket and thechilly wind that blew between lunch and tea was morebiting than Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee.It took an edge from Clark, who was easily the leadingfast man with 3 for 75, to end Collingwood’s stay of392 balls and signal the tea break. India havepunished Australia at home like this recently, butonly occasionally do they allow themselves to betreated so badly in their own conditions.Adelaide is not Warne’s favourite ground and he hasnever given up as many runs against England as his 1for 167. Struck for centuries in consecutive inningsby opponents who usually shake whenever he flicks hiswrist, he has started to look like a 37-year-oldinstead of a vibrant 20-something. Spin has been greatbut slow and his first wicket didn’t come until his47th over. He barely acknowledged it.Age is also telling for McGrath and his left heel. Hewas on and off the field in the opening session for boot treatment and was belted for three fours by Pietersenin his first over of the morning. Clark was preferredto start proceedings and McGrath was only called for athree-over spell. He delivered 12 in the day, most ata speed in the mid-120s, and the decision to passhimself fit is in the process of back firing.

England have no such concerns thanks to the 310-runpartnership between Collingwood and Pietersen thatrattled at 3.68 an over. Collingwood’s century arrivedfrom his second ball this morning and he was measuredin the first session before outscoring Pietersen by 27runs in the second.The most spectacular of his 16 fours were lofteddrives to bring up his 150 and 200 as he corrected hiserror on 96 in Brisbane. Warne was the first to watchthe ball sail over his head while Michael Clarke wasthe victim when Collingwood joined Hammond and REFoster as the only Englishmen to scoredouble-centuries in Australia.Until his dismissal Collingwood came closest to losinghis wicket on 109 when Michael Hussey had a chance ata direct hit and missed. As Collingwood walkedfollowing his edge 97 runs later Pietersen ran over tohis team-mate to join the loud applause and the BarmyArmy sang his name.Australia had shut down Pietersen by employing Warnearound the wicket, sometimes with five men on thelegside, but he was happy to let the ball thud intohis pads and occasionally used his feet to attackhalf-volleys. Lee was hammered by Pietersen on acouple of memorable occasions; one thumping straightdrive was just out of the bowler’s reach and a finehook shot sped to the short square boundary. However,Lee was convinced Pietersen nicked him on hisovernight score of 60, but Steve Bucknor ruled not outand was supported by the technology.A quick single from Clark brought up Pietersen’ssecond century against Australia and his double-armraise paid particular attention to his fiancée andLiberty X singer Jessica Taylor, who was standing andsmiling in the Sir Edwin Smith stand. A similarattempt at a run caused his downfall when Ponting under-armed sharply from midwicket. By then England’sgrip on the match was as secure as Pietersen’s bearhugs of Collingwood.

Short cuts

Shot of the day
Paul Collingwood’s lofted four over the head of ShaneWarne to bring up his 150. He tried a similar shot inBrisbane last week and failed, but stayed true to hisaggressive instincts and was rewarded.Highlight of the day
Collingwood again. His double-century was only thefifth by an Englishman in Australia. Wally Hammondscored three, the last in 1936-37, and RE Foster’s 287came in 1903-04.Partnership of the day
Collingwood and Pietersen gave Justin Langer andMatthew Hayden a target to aim for this summer for themost hugs in a liaison. There was a lot of love on theoval as they produced the highest fourth-wicketpartnership for England against Australia.Surprise of the day
Bored of Pietersen andWarne’s battle, the Boony Army tried to start aMexican Wave in the middle session, but the Barmy Armywere gripped by the action and refused to haveanything to do with it. How times change.Wave of the day
Glenn McGrath has never given up as many runs withouta wicket as his 107 in this innings, but theperformance did not steal all of his humour. When theBarmy Army cheered his century McGrath gave a thumbsup as he walked back to his mark.

Sport marketing company Nimbus Communications have said it had struck a deal with Rupert Murdoch’s Star to distribute its new 24-hour cricket channel in India.Nimbus, which paid US$612million to secure the rights to screen live coverage of Indian cricket until 2010, said it will start test transmissions of the new channel next month. The channel will be seen in millions of Indian homes via the third party Star platform that already penetrates 96% of homes with cable in India, said Harish Thawani, the Nimbus chairman.Indian homes with cable and satellite was estimated at 55million in 2005 and was projected to grow to 90 million by 2010, according to an industry report this year. “They [Star] will act as our exclusive distributor of cable and satellite in India,” said Thawani.Nimbus secured the live rights for India’s home series earlier this year in the biggest television deal in world cricket. The scale of the deal highlighted the passion for the sport here in India, where it regularly makes the front pages, stars proliferate on hoardings and games are played out on every spare scrap of land.Thawani declined to give financial details of the Star deal but said it was designed to lower distribution costs. He said Nimbus expected to distribute the channel directly to homes in the Middle East and elsewhere in Asia within the next three months.

Silver League finalBuoyed by Bhilal Khilji’s 132, Multan made full use of the absence of Rao Iftikhar and allrounder Azhar Mahmood from the Islamabad line-up, as they posted an impressive 326 for 4 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Both Iftikhar and Azhar are with the Pakistan squad in South Africa, thus denting Islamabad’s chances to get promoted to next season’s Gold League.Khilji’s knock came off 218 balls with 22 fours and a six. Opener Usman Tariq chipped in with 56. Bilal was joined by Kashif Naved in a 134-run stand for the fourth wicket. Naved’s 72 came off 109 balls with 11 boundaries.Gold LeagueFawad Alam hammered his second century of the tounament, as Karachi Harbour ran up an impressive total of 323 for 6 against Faisalabad at the National Stadium in Karachi. The 21-year-old, who was tipped earlier in the season to at least make Pakistan’s preliminary World Cup squad but eventually didn’t, came in at number five with his team at 140-3 and proceeded to score his third first-class hundred.Fawad faced 149 deliveries to make 103, that included 15 boundaries. He dominated the 132-run fifth-wicket partnership with Fahad Iqbal. Karachi Harbour, led by Danish Kaneria, won the toss and decided to go in first. Khalid Latif and Wajihuddin got off to a good start, adding 53. Wajihuddin scored a resolute 67 off 121 balls with nine fours and a six and his second-wicket stand with Akbar Rehman was worth 85. Seamer Asad Ali bowled usefully for Faisalabad with figures of 3 for 97 from 27 overs, although he conceded 13 no-balls and a wide. Ahmed Hayat picked up 2 for 57 in 16 overs.Sialkot took a step closer to toppling Karachi Urban from the top of the Gold League table, as they dismissed their opponents for just 164 at the Jinnah Stadium on Wednesday. By the close of play, the Sialkot openers batted out the remaining overs, adding 53.Seamer Kashif Daud, playing his first match for Sialkot after having captured 21 wickets for Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) in the Patron’s Trophy earlier in the season, picked up five wickets for 54 runs in 11.5 overs. Only wicketkeeper Amin-ur-Rehman reached 30 for the visitors. Four others got good starts but couldn’t go beyond that. Sialkot’s in-form paceman Tahir Mughal struck three times before Daud took over.Mohammad Wasim and Babar Naeem scored half-centuries as Rawalpindi compiled 330 in the opening day against Lahore Shalimar at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. At stumps, the hosts lost opener Ashfaq Ahmed for a third-ball duck, finishing at 15 for 1.After being put in to bat, Rawalpindi lost two early wickets before Naeem smacked 63 runs off just 77 balls with five fours and five sixes. Wasim was joined by Awais Zia in a 69-run sixth-wicket stand. Wasim’s 75 came off 119 balls with 10 boundaries. Four more wickets then fell for an addition of 59 runs to make it 264 for 9. Yasim Murtaza and Najaf Shah proceeded to add 66 in a rollicking last-wicket partnership that took the score to 330 in less than an hour.Yasim made 42 off 54 balls with five fours and a six while Najaf remained unbeaten with 31. Mohammad Khalil returned figures of 3 for 57 in 19 overs.

Johann Myburgh scored 88 off 58 balls to lead Hampshire to a competitive total against Windward Islands, after which Hamza Riazuddin’s four-wicket spell helped secure a narrow victory, and with it a spot in the Caribbean T20 final. Hampshire had a solid start to their innings, with Jimmy Adams and Myburgh adding 47 in 6 overs before Adams was run out. Myburgh provided the acceleration, striking six sixes during his half-century, while James Vince made 36 off 32 balls. Myburgh, who was eventually bowled by Mervin Matthew with the score on 160, was the only batsman dismissed by a Windward bowler. The other three wickets in the score of 166 for 4 were run out.Windward lost Johnson Charles early but Andre Fletcher and Devon Smith steadied the chase. They didn’t score at breakneck speed but they led Windward to 75 in the 10th over, when Riazuddin struck for the first time, getting Smith caught behind. Keddy Lesporis was run out for 6 but Windward were still in it, at 114 for 3, when the 16th over began. In that over, Riazuddin ripped out three wickets, reducing the innings to 116 for 6, and severely broke Windward’s momentum. Riazuddin finished with 4 for 15, and even though Matthew blasted 27 off 15, Windward fell four runs short.Trinidad & Tobago’s passage to the final was easier as they beat Jamaica by eight wickets with 13 balls to spare in the second semi-final. The result ensured T&T’s qualification to the Champions League later this year by virtue of being the best Caribbean side in the competition.Jamaica’s innings failed to take off as wickets fell regularly and the run-rate struggled to rise over six. The top four batsmen fell for less than 20 and strike-rates of less than 100. Wavell Hinds and Andre Russell provided some stability, scoring 23 and 36, but the tail folded after their departures. T&T legspinner Samuel Badree, who opened the bowling, finished with 1 for 15 in four overs, while Ravi Rampaul and Sunil Narine picked up two wickets each. T&T needed only 137 to set up a summit clash with Hampshire.The top order did the job, with Adrian Barath making 37 and Lendl Simmons contributing 51. Darren Bravo continued his impressive form, scoring 25 off 19 balls at No. 3, to lead T&T to 140 for 2 in the 18th over. Of the six bowlers Jamaica used, only Jerome Taylor took a wicket.

The first of five one-day internationals between Pakistan and West Indies at Rawalpindi has been abandoned due to heavy rain.Umpires Daryl Harper and Aleem Dar called off the match after three days of torrential downpours left the ground waterlogged. “The umpires asked the curator if he could hand them over the ground in three hours time but he said this would not be possible despite the rains having stopped,” Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman Naushad Ali said. “They have called off the match due to wet conditions of the ground and square.”Brian Lara said his team would now focus on Thursday’s second match. “The weather wasn’t great but we have to move on,” he said. “The focus is now on the second match as the series moves on.”Pakistan will be boosted by the return of Inzamam-ul-Haq. Despite the fact that the first ODI was abandoned, the match will still count as part of the four-match ban he received in the wake of the Oval affair. Having missed Pakistan’s three games in the Champions Trophy and now this one, for which he wasn’t selected, Inzamam will be allowed to return for the second ODI in Faisalabad on December 7.

The road to the 2011 World Cup continues for six teams with the start of the ICC World Cricket League Division Two in Windhoek, Namibia this weekend. The hosts, as well as Argentina, Denmark, Oman, Uganda and United Arab Emirates will battle it out over a week of action at three venues around the city.And at stake are four places in the World Cup Qualifier (formerly the ICC Trophy) in the UAE in 2009, the tournament that will determine which of the leading ICC Associate and Affiliate teams will go to the World Cup in the Asian subcontinent two years later. For five of the teams in Windhoek, it is a road they have travelled down before as Denmark, Namibia, Oman, Uganda and the UAE all played in the ICC Trophy in 2005 but failed to reach this year’s competition.However, Namibia (2003 in Southern Africa) and the UAE (1996 in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) have both reached World Cup finals so they should know exactly what is at stake and what sort of rewards are on offer to the successful sides.The new kids on the block are Argentina, a country basking in the glory of its success in the recent rugby World Cup where they reached the semi-finals and finished third.The cricketers have done just as well in many senses because, as late replacements for the United States of America in the ICC WCL Div.3 event earlier this year in Darwin, they were not expected to make many headlines. On paper, at least, the likes of Fiji, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea and the Cayman Islands all looked likely finalists alongside the fancied Uganda, and there were also Italy and Tanzania to consider.But Argentina proceeded to rip up the formbook and won through to the final before losing out to Uganda, the other side to earn promotion from that event which gave both line-ups their tickets to Windhoek. It will be fascinating to see if Argentina can continue their journey or whether they will get stopped in their tracks by some of the more experienced sides on show.Explaining the significance of the World Cricket League and how the Windhoek tournament fits in, ICC global development manager Matthew Kennedy said: “The idea of the WCL is to give each of the ICC’s 91 Associate and Affiliate Members a clearly defined pathway to progress and develop in world cricket. Apart from Division 1, which involves the top six Associate sides, the next best teams from the ICC Trophy 2005 have been allocated to Division 2 and 3 events along with the top teams from each of five regional qualifying events.”It means that regular global one-day cricket opportunities are no longer confined to just the top sides in the LG ODI Championship table and this tournament in Windhoek is an example of that. Our belief is that by exposing these sides to different opponents and different conditions they will improve and take that improvement back into their own domestic structures thereby helping our strong sport grow even stronger by broadening its base to a significant degree.”With places up for grabs in the World Cup Qualifier, the incentives and rewards for teams to improve have never been greater and I wish all the sides in action in Namibia the best of luck in what should be a terrific tournament and a great advertisement for Associate and Affiliate cricket.”

Stephen Alleyne, the former president of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA), died of a heart attack on the morning of October 15. Alleyne, 47, headed the Barbados Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 2007 World Cup and was also a former director of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).He was the driving force behind Barbados getting to host Super Eight matches and final of the World Cup. He was also in charge of the redevelopment of the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. The ground did not host any international games in 2006, due to the renovation work ahead of the World Cup.Alleyne was a member of the BCA’s Board of Management from 1992 to 1993. He then served as the Third Vice-President from 1994 to 1997, and later the First Vice-President in 1999. He took over as president after the death of Conrad Hunte, the former West Indies batsman, in December 1999. He was then elected President in 2000.Ali Bacher, the former president of the South African cricket board, said that Alleyne’s contributions to the game in the West Indies would be missed. The two first met when Bacher arrived in Barbados for Hunte’s funeral and he stated that he was impressed with his abilities as an administrator.”I always told him he had the attributes to be president of the West Indies Cricket Board,” Bacher told the , a Barbados-based daily. “There were two main reasons. The first was he had a great respect for the legends who helped build the game in the West Indies. He had a desire to keep the legends as part of the game. The second was that, as an actuary, he understood the commercial world very well and looked at the commercial side of West Indies cricket and how it could work.”When I heard of his death I was absolutely shattered. He was in the prime of his life. It’s a national tragedy, he was such a gifted person and wonderful man.”Joel Garner, the former West Indies fast bowler and current president of the BCA, acknowledged Alleyne’s contribution to cricket in the West Indies. “Stephen possessed a brilliant mind, a quiet confidence and he was always willing to give advice freely. He was thoughtful, meticulous and would be thoroughly analytical before he offered his counsel.”

Craig Wright and Trent Johnston, the Scottish and Irish captains during the World Cup in the Caribbean, may have experienced different fortunes at the tournament, but both are unequivocal in the belief that their countries will only progress up the cricketing ladder with hard cash, not soft soap.Last Friday, Wright declared that his troops may have hit a “glass ceiling” and risked slipping backwards, without “significant financial assistance.” Then, within 24 hours, following his team’s emphatic defeat by India at Stormont, Johnston issued a resonant cri de coeur. “We have got to put professional contracts in place, so that players can get back to the standard we set in the West Indies, when we had a schedule of 24/7 cricket,” he said. “Without that, we are amateurs with jobs and families to worry about and it is always going to be tough.”The issue of how best to develop the emerging nations remains a taxing dilemma for the ICC, which meets this week in London. Yet there is one obvious solution to the present monetary shortfalls faced by the likes of Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Kenya. Namely, that the sport’s governing body should kick Zimbabwe out of international cricket, withdraw its annual payment of $10m to the ZCA, and tell Peter Chingoka, the chairman of the latter organisation, that it is grotesque that he should expect to be subsidised indefinitely.At a stroke, the move would finally demonstrate that the ICC has some connection with the real world and recognises that questions of morality and ethics should not be left solely to the politicians. After all, the reigning global champions, Australia, have already refused to tour Zimbabwe, with the support of their prime minister, John Howard, and it seems probable that the West Indies A squad’s imminent visit to the African country will also either be cancelled or feature such a depleted Caribbean party that any subsequent matches staged in Harare or Bulawayo will be rendered meaningless.In which light, what do Zimbabwe bring to the table to justify their Full Member status? Even in purely cricketing terms, they are a second-rate proposition, without the likes of Henry Olonga, Heath Streak, the Flowers, Andy and Grant, and Sean Ervine. But, in the wider scheme of things, their continued participation in international cricket is abhorrent: a glaring contradiction of all the social, political and multicultural values which are supposed to be enshrined in the ICC’s constitution, but which have been left to wither on the vine under the inadequate stewardship of the council’s chief executive, Malcolm Speed.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that cricket is fairly trivial in the grand picture of discussing Mugabe’s myriad crimes. And yet, the ICC is struggling at the moment to properly finance its associate members, a state of affairs which will doubtless be raised at Lord’s over the next days, as the panjandrums pick over the bones of the calamitous World Cup, which finished in darkness but not before sufficient light had been shed on the organisers’ collective blundering to ensure that the event will be remembered with derision.From which perspective, if Speed and his colleagues decided to call an abrupt halt to Zimbabwe’s presence in the ranks then that $10m could be the catalyst for professionalizing the game in Scotland, Ireland and beyond.I spoke last week to Roddy Smith, the chief executive of Cricket Scotland, and he estimated that half-a-million pounds a year would guarantee that his organisation could place 12 to 15 players on contracts, as well as pay for any foreign tours which the Scots are keen to pursue. Given that the Irish are in a similar position, we can conclude that a £3 million leap of faith by the ICC would allow both Celtic nations to establish a full-time structure for the next three years, at which stage they would have to demonstrate to the authorities that they have forged commercial and local authority partnerships within their own territory as a means of moving towards self-sufficiency.Nobody, least of all Smith, is asking for hand-outs, but it should be obvious to even the most blinkered ICC placeman that if cricket is to expand beyond its present pool, it has to invest in missionary work rather than simply be content to throw the minnows a couple of ODIs every summer.Heaven alone knows, the ICC badly requires an injection of credibility. What better way than by expelling Zimbabwe, whose politicians have sparked anarchy for the sport ever since 2003? And by rewarding those nations with ambitions to transcend the goldfish bowl and advance into the big pond.

It may not have looked so at any stage of the seven days of Test cricket between India and South Africa so far, but the visiting batsmen did everything they could to prepare for their trial by spin.Led by Hashim Amla, who assistant coach Adrian Birrell has called “the most precise preparer for a match that I have ever met,” they conducted “very specific training,” to try and simulate the Indian spinners. Their specialist slow-bowing consultant Claude Henderson “threw,” in the words of Birrell, left-arm spin to get them used to facing Ravindra Jadeja. Birrell himself rolled back the years to his legspinning days to bowl like Amit Mishra although he was “not even close.” They brought in youngsters at every venue of the series to try and mimic R Ashwin’s threat. They batted on scuffed up pitches and put themselves under match pressure. Yet after all that, they have not been able to answer the challenge. Why?”Unfortunately, we are not quite as good as Ashwin,” a resigned Birrell said. In these conditions who is?”He is tighter than anyone else. He doesn’t give us any bad balls and maybe that’s been the difference,” Birrell said. “We dished up a few easy runs and yet we’ve had to fight for every run. He doesn’t give you those bad balls. He keeps the pressure on all the time, and he’s at the top of his game. He’s really in form and he’s an outstanding bowler. He can bowl on any surface.” And if South Africa can get the better of him, even in a dead rubber, they will leave India somewhat satisfied they achieved something.”We are here to fight,” Birrell said. “I like Hashim’s words – win or lose you need to put up an honourable fight. That was the case in this last Test and we’ll put up an honourable fight again in this Test. The guys are determined to put in a good performance.”South Africa may have conceded the series, but they have enough reason to regard the Delhi Test with as much importance as they would any other match. Another defeat would make it the first time since 2006, the same year they last lost a series away from home, that they have come second best thrice in a series. To win would require an effort in adaptability that seems beyond this South African line-up on although Birrell begs to differ.Like others in his camp, including Amla and du Plessis, Birrell expects turn again but unlike them, he was optimistic of an even contest. “We are playing in India so we expect the pitches to turn. This one looks like it will go more than three days. We are happy with what we see,” he said, referring to a strip which seems harder and less cracked than the one in Nagpur.Birrell also tried to distance the South African team from the criticism that clouded the Nagpur match, which seemed designed not to go full term. “We are not complaining. We are playing in India and we are playing in India’s conditions.”Instead, Birrell focused on the changing nature of Test cricket which has become more cut-throat and intense. “Look at it beyond India and more worldwide. There are a lot of Tests not going the full five days. There are very few draws,” he said. “The game is a lot faster. Runs per over are a lot quicker. I don’t think there are too many easy games. Every Test I have been involved in over the last two-and-a-half years has been very competitive and very tense. I think that’s good. It’s probably the way that Test cricket should be. It’s got to be tense and be competitive and there is a lot on the line.”With so much at stake, South Africa remain hopeful they will be able to use their premier pacemen Dale Steyn. who has not bowled since the first innings of the Mohali Test when he suffered a groin strain. Steyn will undergo another fitness test on Wednesday to determine his availability.The same wide berth may not be given to a few others. Stiaan van Zyl and Dane Vilas may be sweating over their sports, especially after Birrell hinted South Africa may make use of some their reserves. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there were one or two other faces in the XI.”