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It’s been a good underdog story so far, but now New Zealand come up against the biggest, the baddest, villains

The Preview by Sidharth Monga04-Oct-2009Match factsMonday, October 5, 2009
Start time 1430 (1230 GMT)Big pictureLeader of men: Daniel Vettori has got the most out of the resources available to him•Getty ImagesUnderdogs in films make a mockery of the form book. Exhibit 1: New Zealand come to the Champions Trophy, sans superstars, sans high ICC rankings, and after being well and truly battered for more than a month in the sapping heat of Sri Lanka. They are – it is fair to say – the outsiders in this tournament.Underdogs in the movies start out of their depth, find the happy knack of winning, and then start liking what they feel. Exhibit 2: New Zealand are outclassed by South Africa on a true Centurion pitch. Then Sri Lanka, fooled by the earlier two pitches at the Wanderers, put New Zealand in, and discover they have given their opponents first use of a batting beauty. Against England, New Zealand get a spitting beauty of a pitch, call right at the toss, and run through the batting.Underdogs in the movies are hit by injuries, handicaps, and miseries, but every setback inspires them. Exhibit 3: New Zealand lose Jacob Oram before their campaign starts. Jesse Ryder pulls his left abductor muscle during the Sri Lanka game, but before leaving plays the kind of innings that must have led to the coining of the phrase “beware the wounded batsman”. Then Daryl Tuffey, at the time looking their best bowler, breaks his hand while fielding and is ruled out for the rest of the tournament. Next up, Grant Elliott, hero of the win against England, breaks his thumb, but braves the injury to score a heroic unbeaten 75 in the semi-final.The real villains start appearing only in the later stages of underdog movies. Exhibit 4: On paper Pakistan have everything they need to end this underdog tale, but their occasional overconfidence and exceptional play from the underdogs take New Zealand to the final.Underdogs in the movies meet the biggest, scariest villain right at the end. Exhibit 5: It is always Australia’s fate, or that of any champion team, that their excellence, consistency, their hard work, will always be seen as villainous in romantic underdog stories. We can also conveniently forget that they too lost three of their most important players – Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin – in the lead-up to the tournament. Champions, though, don’t deserve such considerations. Every good underdog story needs a mean villain, and Australia have rarely failed to oblige at world events.If more context is needed, New Zealand have historically seen Australia as big brothers, and have always sought to bring their best against them. Moreover, New Zealand are yet to beat Australia in a tournament final, and have lost six times (tournaments with more than one final have been considered as one). Centurion will not provide them with a freak pitch either. It’s all stacked up against New Zealand this time, and no self-respecting underdog story would have it any other way.How good this story is will be known by Monday evening, or rather early on Tuesday morning in Australia and New Zealand.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)Australia – WWWLW
Ominously they are peaking at the right time. Even more ominously they have survived the one token scare that champion sides face, in the game against Pakistan.New Zealand – WWWLL
Their weakened line-up has made the rest even more determined. They will rely a lot on their bowlers and fielders to find a balance between defence and attack, and restrict Australia like they did Pakistan.Team newsBoth teams gave satisfactory performances in the semi-finals, and both are more or less settled – even if not entirely by design.Australia (probable): 1 Shane Watson, 2 Tim Paine (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Cameron White, 6 Callum Ferguson, 7 James Hopes, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Nathan Hauritz, 11 Peter Siddle.A discussion on allrounder Brendon Diamanti has its merits – Neil Broom hasn’t had much to do in the tournament – but New Zealand are not likely to tinker with a winning combination. And the way Elliott came through the semi-final, a big worry for them has been taken care of.New Zealand (probable): 1 Brendon McCullum (wk), 2 Aaron Redmond, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Neil Broom, 6 Grant Elliot, 7 James Franklin, 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Shane Bond, 11 Ian Butler.Watch out for…Daniel Vettori is definitely in the running for the Player-of-the-Series award. Against Sri Lanka he rescued a floundering middle order, and against Pakistan he promoted himself to No. 6 and guided a nervous side through to the final. And that’s besides his routine job, during which he has taken seven wickets at an average of 17.71 and an economy-rate of 3.97. He is now four wickets short of the leading wicket-taker of the tournament, Wayne Parnell.Ricky Ponting has a habit of turning it on on the big day. But he is a bruised captain, too, the only Australian leader since time immemorial to have lost the Ashes twice. He has also led them to successive unsuccessful campaigns at ICC events. When was the last time they failed to win three majors in a row?Shane Watson is a threat to Vettori for that series award. He has taken six wickets at 16.83, and put behind him the lean run with the bat that he experienced at the end of the England series and at the start of this event. If he bats like he did in the semi-final, we could be in for a swift finish.Pitch and conditionsCenturion, apart from the Pakistan-Australia game, has had flat batting pitches, which could made it harder for New Zealand to pull off an upset. A 30% chance of precipitation means we should get a complete game.Stats and trivia New Zealand have entered 13 tournament finals before this, and have won four of those.Since their 1999 World Cup triumph, Australia have reached 19 tournament finals, and have lost only three: in 1999 to Sri Lanka in Colombo, and two CB Series finals to England and India in 2006-07 and 2007-08 respectively. The whole New Zealand team has scored six ODI centuries between them (Ross Taylor 3 and Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill and Grant Elliott one each), Ponting has 28. Australia have beaten New Zealand in six tournament finals. This will be their first meeting in a final at a neutral venue.Quotes”We are playing at a level which would win us the big games. We look to play best cricket when it matters. We are peaking at the right time for the finals.”
“But once you reach that level, you realise there is an immense desire to go all the way and I think there’s no relief in the camp. It was all about how we’re going to win tomorrow as opposed to it’s great the we’ve made it”
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A round-up of the early action from the inaugural 40-over MTN Domestic Championship

Cricinfo staff31-Oct-2009Two days into South Africa’s switch to 40-over domestic cricket – the 45-over MTN domestic championship has been abandoned – and a record was broken.Morne van Wyk hit the highest individual score in South African limited-overs history as the Eagles beat the Lions by 104 runs in Bloemfontein. van Wyk, who has played six one-day internationals and two Twenty20s for South Africa, batted the entire 40 overs for an unbeaten 168 off 125 balls, with 25 fours and a six, to boost the Eagles to 286 for 5. The previous best score was Martin Venter’s 166 for North West against KwaZulu-Natal in 1997.The new format follows the England board’s decision to do away with their 50-over competition. While the teams can pick 12 players, only 11 can bat and field. The first Powerplay extends up to 10 overs and the second for five and both must be taken before the 35th over. For one, four fielders will be allowed outside the ring, and for the other three. Also for rain delays overs will be deducted immediately, and matches will be played over a set period regardless of the weather.Such was van Wyk’s dominance of the Lions’ bowling that the second best score was the captain Boeta Dippenaar’s 36 off 39 balls. van Wyk added 80 for the first wicket with Reeza Hendricks (22), 46 with Rilee Roussow (26), 96 with Dippenaar and 43 with Johan van der Wath (21). The visitors never neared their target. Neil McKenzie’s 53 off 70 balls was the best score they could put up and they were shot out for 182. After the departure of Vaughan van Jaarsveld, the middle order capitulated. van der Wath, who cut ties with the unofficial ICL, took 3 for 36 opening the attack and Ryan McLaren struck twice at the top.van Wyk’s record was in keeping with a busy round of action in the new format. On the opening day, Andrew Puttick and JP Duminy helping the Cobras coast to a seven-wicket victory over the Lions in Johannesburg. Chasing what appeared a challenging target of 287, the pair hit fluent centuries in a seven-wicket win achieved with six deliveries in hand.The new competition began with Graeme Smith opting to field. Despite losing Jean Symes and Alviro Petersen in the first six overs, the Lions ticked along thanks to a run-a-ball stand of 116 between the captain Neil McKenzie and Vaughn van Jaarsveld. Duminy snapped that alliance by trapping van Jaarsveld leg before for 67. McKenzie made 80 off 86 deliveries and Zander de Bruyn 54 off 34 as the Lions finished on 286 for 6.Smith departed in the first over, caught by Friedel de Wet at fine leg off Andre Nel in the first over, but Robin Peterson tonked Nel for 23 in his next over. Puttick and Peterson added 50 in 39 balls after which a match-winning stand was formed. Puttick and Duminy hit the bowlers all across the stadium and Duminy brought up his maiden limited-overs century off 88 balls. He was bowled for 104, ending a 224-run partnership in 187 balls, with victory in sight but Puttick’s unbeaten 122 sealed the win.The Warriors pipped the Dolphins by 13 runs in a tight finish in Durban despite a scare from David Miller down the order. The Warriors’ 213 for 7 owed plenty to the No. 8 Craig Thyssen’s 56 off 39 balls with five fours and a pair of sixes. It was the highest score of the innings after Mark Boucher’s 47. The Warriors’ top order had failed to do much and Boucher’s and Thyssen’s innings proved crucial in the end.Chasing a small target, the Dolphins were ripped apart at the top by Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who soon had them down at 24 for 3. Imraan Khan (54) propped up the innings but his dismissal was followed by Tsotsobe taking his fourth wicket, that of Andrew Hall (51). Miller threatened to down the Warriors with 33 off 14 balls, with three fours and two sixes, from No. 8 but Johan Botha dismissed him with the last ball of his spell, which ended with the 39th over. The Dolphins needed 19 from the last over but Juan Theron allowed them just five while dismissing Johann Louw with the penultimate delivery.In Centurion, the match between the Titans and the Cobras was washed out after the Titans posted 249 for 8. Jacques Rudolph’s 93 off 87 balls, with 11 fours and a six, was the main contributor.

Former Celtic man Frank McAvennie has been reacting to injury news regarding James McCarthy, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: McCarthy’s slow start; inside claim

McCarthy was one of 12 summer signings at Parkhead, penning a four-year deal after leaving Crystal Palace over the summer.

However, he hasn’t had the start he would’ve been hoping for, with Hoops correspondent Kieran Devlin revealing back in September that the Irishman had been struggling in training with the pace and intensity of Ange Postecoglou’s sessions and the demands of his midfielders.

He’s made just eight appearances in all competitions this season, with only three of those coming as a starter, and was an unused substitute last time out against Livingston.

The Latest: Fully fit – McAvennie reacts

Postecoglou confirmed after the Parkhead stalemate against Livingston on Saturday that McCarthy is back fit and available.

McAvennie was asked by Football Insider for his thoughts on the injury news regarding the midfielder, urging Postecoglou not to rush McCarthy back as another injury would be the ‘last thing’ the Hoops need.

“We need McCarthy back.

“He looked very good when he’s played but I don’t think we have seen the best of him.

“Obviously he’s had the injury troubles and hopefully he’s back soon. We need bodies more than anything else but obviously it helps when you have a talented player there.

“He’s that cool head in the midfield, though we have been doing well without him.

“Just don’t rush him back is my message to Ange, imagine if he gets another injury when he comes back.

“That’s the last thing we need.”

The Verdict: McCarthy’s time to shine?

With McCarthy back in the frame and Tom Rogic out with a hamstring issue, now could be the perfect time for Postecoglou to give him a run in the side.

Nir Bitton was brought in for Rogic in midfield on the weekend, however, you’d like to think McCarthy would be above Bitton in the pecking order when fully fit due to his wealth of Premier League experience.

If he doesn’t feature over the coming weeks, questions will surely start to arise in regards to where McCarthy fits in at Celtic Park, especially after Devlin’s earlier revelation that the player had been struggling behind the scenes in training.

In other news: ‘It’s a small fee’ – BBC pundit reacts as Celtic make first move to sign ‘incredible’ defender. 

Leeds United, Everton and Newcastle United have been linked with a move for midfielder Ross Barkley, TEAMtalk report.

The Lowdown: Barkley’s struggles…

Barkley, who shares the same agency as Whites midfielder Adam Forshaw, has had his struggles in 2021.

He spent last season on loan at Aston Villa, however, he started just four of Villa’s final 15 Premier League games last season.

The Englishman’s last appearance for his country came over two years ago and he’s failed to make an impact under Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge during the current campaign.

Tuchel recently labelled Barkley as ‘strong’, but he has started him just twice in all competitions this season, and it seems as if Victor Orta is keen to bring the attacking midfielder back to Elland Road following a loan spell in 2013.

The Latest: Whites interest

According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle are thought to be leading the chase for the 27-year-old’s services.

The report adds that Leeds and Everton are also keen, with an initial loan with option to buy preferred.

Barkley is still hopeful of making Gareth Southgate’s England squad in 2022 and has 18 months remaining on his Chelsea contract.

The Verdict: Avoid…

Leeds are fairly short of midfield options at this moment in time and haven’t signed a central midfielder on a permanent deal under Marcelo Bielsa. However, bringing in a player like Barkley, who is on big money and was labelled as ‘lazy’ by Roy Keane when playing for England, could be a risk.

He hasn’t exactly been a regular in the Premier League over recent years and has a lengthy injury history, so there’s no guarantee he’d hit the ground running in Bielsa’s high-intensity Leeds side.

Perhaps the Whites would be better off looking for a more versatile midfielder similar to Mateusz Klich, who would be able to provide cover in multiple areas such as an eight or 10.

In other news: Joe Donnohue states how much it could take for Leeds and Radrizzani to cash in on Raphinha. 

Rahul Dravid laid the platform with a serene, yet commanding, 144 before Yuvraj Singh and VVS Laxman hit fluent fifties to lead India to a position of immense strength in Kanpur

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera25-Nov-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outRahul Dravid climbed a spot on the list of highest run-scorers in Tests•AFPRahul Dravid laid the platform for the hosts with a serene, yet commanding 144 before Yuvraj Singh and VVS Laxman hit fluent fifties to lead India to a position of immense strength in Kanpur. India consolidated their position further by removing Tillakaratne Dilshan for a first-ball duck, and would also have been boosted by a probing spell from Harbhajan Singh and an encouraging one from Pragyan Ojha. Sri Lanka found a reason to smile due to Rangana Herath’s five-for that terminated the Indian innings just after tea but it was a little too late for the visitors and the result of the game will now depend on how the pitch behaves.Spare a thought for Dilshan, though. After toiling in the field for nearly two days, he was out first ball, getting a leading edge while attempting to flick an innocuous delivery outside leg stump from Zaheer Khan. Contrast it with the fortunes of Virender Sehwag who was dropped in the first over yesterday. It has been that kind of Test for Sri Lanka; not much has happened for them and till Herath introduced some drama into the game, nothing went right for them even today.It was a classic grind-to-dust approach by the Indians led by Dravid, who, during the course of his 28th century went past Allan Border’s run tally in Tests. The stand-out factor in Dravid’s batting during this series has been his intent. He’s been decisive, in defense and attack, and has been aggressively looking to score. Today he displayed the full repertoire: the charges down the track, the gorgeous inside-out cover drives on a stretched front foot, and the skillful punches off the back foot all were there but what stood out was a late cut against Mendis. The ball was skidding towards off stump, Dravid checked his forward press, waited for the ball to arrive before opening the blade and gliding it past backward point. There was no violence, just pure timing, and the stroke captured the spirit of his innings.Dravid seemed impossible to dismiss, and when his end came, it was bizarre and perhaps, as that cricketing cliché goes, the only way he would have got out today. VVS Laxman hit one hard back at the bowler Rangana Herath, who spilled the catch, and the ball fell on the stumps with Dravid out of the crease at the non-striker’s end.Smart stats

India’s total of 642 is their seventh-highest in a Test, and their fourth-best in India. Three of those four scores have come in Kanpur.

This is the tenth instance of the top three batsmen in a line-up all getting hundreds in the same innings. It’s the fifth instance in the current decade, and the third for India.

Rahul Dravid’s 144 is his fourth-fastest innings of 100 or more runs. The 177 he scored in the previous Test in Ahmedabad is in third place. During the course of the innings he also became the fourth-highest run-getter in Tests, going past Allan Border.

Dravid’s strike rate was highest against Muttiah Muralitharan – in 45 balls from him, Dravid scored 33, including four fours, for a strike rate of 73.33. It was 67.92 against Rangana Herath and 59.09 against Ajantha Mendis.

For the first time in his career, Murali didn’t bowl a single maiden over in an innings in which he sent down more than 15 overs. His economy rate of 4.72 is also the worst in these innings.

Dravid left after leading India’s charge and, in a reversal of their usual roles, was the dominant batsman in a 94-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar didn’t hit a single boundary till his 87th delivery, when he pranced down the track to lift Mendis over long-off. A few balls later, however, he was dismissed trying to repeat the shot but couldn’t clear mid-off. The credit must go to Mendis for dragging back the length this time around.Following the two dismissals, the afternoon saw some classic yawn-inducing Test cricket: The pitch was benign, the sun was out, Sri Lanka were flattened and India were almost on auto-pilot with Laxman and Yuvraj cruising to half-centuries without breaking a sweat.Yuvraj, who can be an iffy starter against quality spin, faced no problems as he settled in with imperious drives and a few sweep shots. His best was a late cut against Mendis: He had just lifted the previous delivery to long-on boundary and Mendis shortened the length of the next one and got it to skid away from the stumps. Yuvraj went back and played a late slice-cum-cut to the third-man boundary. It reflected his confidence against his previous nemesis and also said much about the state of the pitch and the match.Laxman, too, looked set for a hundred until he sliced a flighted delivery from Herath straight to mid-off. Till then, he worked the angles well against the spinners, using his wrists to flick and drive the ball, and unfurled couple of caressed drives against the seamers.Herath gave Sri Lanka some thing to cheer about by striking with his carrom balls. He removed a clueless MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, and Pragyan Ojha with finger-flicked deliveries that broke back in from outside off to hit the stumps or the pad and lured Zaheer to edge to slip.Not only Herath but Muttiah Muralitharan too turned in an improved performance today. His flight was always there but today the loop and the dip gained potency. India would have been lifted by the couple of balls from Murali that spun and bounced appreciably in the first session and the amount of spin, though slow, Herath and Harbhajan found late in the day. Perhaps the pitch was showing some signs of life. Maybe it was just an oddity. Only time will tell.

Middlesex have signed a contract with Adam Gilchrist, and are in talks with Sachin Tendulkar, to play Twenty20 cricket for the county during the 2010 domestic season

Cricinfo staff19-Nov-2009Middlesex have signed a contract with Adam Gilchrist, and are in talks with Sachin Tendulkar, to play Twenty20 cricket for the county during the 2010 domestic season.Vinny Codrington, the Middlesex chief executive, said he was “absolutely delighted” with the signing of Gilchrist. “We’ve worked extremely closely with the MCC to ensure that Adam comes on board with us next season,” he said “and this signing is great testament to how well our two clubs are working together to guarantee that Middlesex supporters and MCC members alike are rightfully treated to the very best world talent that Twenty20 cricket has on offer.”Codrington confirmed that the county was also in discussion with Tendulkar and his agent. “As a result of Sachin’s busy schedule of late however; representing India in the one day series against Australia, playing in the current Test series against Sri Lanka and celebrating his twenty years in international cricket, this is yet to be confirmed,” Codrington said. “He is due to be speaking to the BCCI about playing for us next season when the time is right.”Gilchrist has played 13 Twenty20 internationals for Australia, while Tendulkar gave up the format at the international level after just one match, but both batsmen are captains of their respective IPL franchises – Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians. Gilchrist has never played for a county while Tendulkar’s only appearance was as a 19-year-old for Yorkshire in 1992, when he was the county’s first overseas player.Signing up Tendulkar will be an expensive proposition but the MCC and Middlesex could hope to recover costs partly through gate money – targeting the sizeable South Asian community in and around London – and, given that England’s domestic limited-overs games are shown live on Indian television, from international sponsorship deals.

Declan Rice should remain at West Ham for the time being despite potential interest in him, according to former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Paddy Kenny.

The Lowdown: West Ham’s best player?

The Hammers are in exceptional form at the moment, sitting third in the Premier League and already through to the Europa League knockout stage, with top-performing players throughout David Moyes’ squad. Rice is often the first name on the team sheet, having matured into arguably a world-class midfielder, proving to be influential for club and country.

The 22-year-old has been linked with a move away from West Ham, and the Irons will need to accept that constant reports are likely to emerge now, considering how high his stock has grown.

The Latest: Kenny tells Rice to stay put

Speaking to Football Insider, Kenny told Rice that he should remain in east London, both because of the team’s current form and because he owes it to the club:

“I don’t think there is any reason he has to leave. They are pushing for the Champions League. They have got something special going on there.

“They need to keep hold of their players if they are going to maintain what they are doing now.

“If I’m brutally honest, I think he owes it to West Ham big time for what they’ve done for him.

“Rice is one of the players who has got them there. Obviously, they have had this investment now so £100m to them might be nothing.”

The Verdict: No reason for Rice to leave

Kenny is correct in saying that there should be no reason why Rice would want to leave West Ham currently, given how much they are thriving in all competitions. That being said, it could be easy for his head to be turned if a Champions League club make a huge bid for him, especially Chelsea, who he supported as a boy.

The 22-year-old, who has been hailed as ‘fantastic’ by Darren Bent’, has a deal running with the Irons until 2024, so at least the club knows that only a massive amount of money could potentially prise him away from east London.

In other news, a pundit has shut down one West Ham transfer rumour. Read more here.

A major update has emerged on Rangers’ search for a new manager, regarding Italian coach Gennaro Gattuso…

What’s the talk?

According to a report from Sky Sports, the Gers are not considering a deal to bring the ex-Napoli boss to the club to replace Steven Gerrard.

Derek McInnes and Gattuso have both been ruled out as Rangers continue to consider appointing Dutch manager Gio van Bronckhorst instead.

Gutting

This update from Sky will surely leave Rangers fans gutted as Gattuso could have been an interesting appointment at Ibrox. The retired midfielder, who previously played for the club, is reportedly interested in the role and we published an article explaining why it could be a great move.

However, it now appears as though the Gers have made a decision not to approach the 43-year-old and will continue their search for Steven Gerrard’s replacement without looking at the former Milan and Napoli head coach. This is a major update that rules him out of the running and could leave supporters disappointed that he is not being considered.

Ex-AC Milan and Brazil midfielder Kaka previously lauded his controversial former teammate and said:

“Gattuso? It was great to see him coaching for the first time with my own eyes. He’s the same as he was as a player in terms of energy and motivation.

“He spent the whole time motivating the team and demanding the best, but that’s not all. Rino is very good, he’s managed to study and prepare well, and all these things make him a phenomenon.”

Gattuso has 122 games of managerial experience in the Serie A with Napoli and Milan under his belt, winning an impressive 1.86 points per game in that time. He never finished below seventh in his four seasons between the two Italian giants, finishing fifth twice, and he won the Italian Cup with Napoli in the 2019/20 campaign – showing that he has the quality as a coach to win silverware.

This shows that he is a talented manager who has proven himself at the top level in Italy, as he was able to successfully manage two huge clubs in Milan and Napoli who like the Gers, traditionally have higher expectations. Therefore, he could potentially have been a good appointment by Rangers and that is precisely why fans will be gutted that the club are not interested in exploring a deal for him.

AND in other news, Davis 2.0: Rangers could sign new metronome in gem who “quietly impressed” ex-EPL boss…

Alex Gidman, the Gloucestershire captain, declared his ankle operation a success and says he is confident of bowling in the 2010 season.

Cricinfo staff08-Dec-2009Alex Gidman, the Gloucestershire captain, declared his ankle operation a success and says he is confident of bowling in the 2010 season.Gidman, 28, underwent surgery two weeks ago and was not certain whether he would be able to bowl again. Yet he told that he is more positive after speaking to his surgeon.”The surgeon is very happy with what he found and what he did,” said Gidman. “The early signs are that it went okay and I’m pretty hopeful it will have the desired result. I was on crutches for a couple of days and then back walking around slowly building it up. Everything is on track and I’m on the bike getting the range of movement back.”We’d pretty much tried everything from changing my bowling action to wearing tennis shoes and a brace. So this was a last resort but hopefully something that is going to work.”Though primarily a batsman, bowling is an important aspect of his game and he has taken 87 first-class wickets but feels that the limited-over matches is where he can really make an impact for the side he took over as captain at the beginning of last season.”It would be nice to bowl pain-free again and play a bigger part in the games that we play. In the first half of the season where we reached the semis of the Friends Provident I bowled in pretty much every game. It’s probably where the team missed my bowling most, not being able to contribute for the whole season.”So hopefully, personally and for the team, we should see some benefit if I’m fit and ready to go.”

Kamran Akmal has received solid backing from his captain, despite spillingthree chances as Pakistan pushed for a rare Test win against Australia inthe second Test at Sydney

Osman Samiuddin at the SCG06-Jan-2010Kamran Akmal has received solid backing from his captain, despite spillingthree chances as Pakistan pushed for a rare Test win against Australia inthe second Test at Sydney. Akmal had a horror day three at the SCG, dropping Michael Hussey three times off Danish Kaneria.Hussey led the Australian resistance, completing a hundred on day four. Akmal also missed a run-out chance earlier in the day. But Yousuf said dropping Akmal was unthinkable, for the batting strength that he provided the order.”Things like this happen in cricket,” Yousuf said. “Kamran is always trying his best. You tell me, how can we afford to give him a rest? He is such a good batsman. He scored well in New Zealand and we need him here.”Until Tuesday Akmal had had a relatively tidy time behind the stumpssince 2009, and considerably improved from the dip in form he sufferedbetween 2006 and 2008. He was dropped for the Asia Cup in 2008, replacedby Sarfraz Ahmed, but his batting has always kept the door open for him.”The best thing to do is to back your players when the going getstough,” Yousuf said. “Look at Ricky Ponting. He is getting support from every quarter even when he is not scoring many runs or on the toss decision.”Despite Akmal’s fluffs, Pakistan ended the third day in a strong positionwith the possibility of chasing a low total for a first Test win in andagainst Australia since 1995-96. “It only ends when it ends,” Yousuf said. “When a teamlike Australia is involved you can’t predict anything. It would be great to finally win a Test against Australia.”