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Mickey Arthur, the Pakistan coach, believed the 4-1 ODI series defeat to Australia that was sealed in Adelaide highlighted the gulf between the two teams – the hosts are the top-ranked side in the format while the visitors languished in eighth place. The latest loss, by 57 runs in the final ODI, also brought the curtain down on a long and disappointing tour of New Zealand and Australia, on which Pakistan won just one international match out of ten.”Results-wise obviously it has been disappointing,” Arthur said on Thursday. “We came here thinking we had a real chance, certainly in the Test matches. We [are] still a fledgling ODI side. There are some gaps in our ODI side that we need to work hard to fill for us. We’re ranked eighth at the moment and I think you could see the gap between eight and one. So we’ve got a lot of work to do in that regard.”Arthur was frank in his assessment of Pakistan’s fielding standards and levels of fitness. They have improved, he argued, but not by enough. “Believe it or not, we have worked extremely hard at our fielding,” he said. “Me and my support staff have been around for seven months now. That has been our focus and priority. Fitness levels have improved dramatically in terms of our day-to-day reports but we’re way behind the rest of the pack.”So, fitness and fielding is again going to be total priority before we go to the West Indies (in April). We will have time to have a camp after the PSL (Pakistan Super League) and we will put in a hell of a lot of work into it because we are just not up to the mark in those. With the ball and the bat we compete perfectly well. I think we saw the difference here. Davey Warner gets in and gets 170-odd today and he gets it very very quick. That is the difference between chasing 310 and 370-odd. Warner and our fielding has probably been the key difference between the teams.”Arthur did find silver linings in the Adelaide loss and was effusive in his praise for the batsmen. Sharjeel Khan hit his third successive fifty – a 69-ball 79 that gave Pakistan the trigger in their chase of 370. Babar Azam hit his fourth ODI ton and finished the series with 282 runs; Sharjeel, with 250 runs, was the only other batsman to top 200 runs.The two of them, Arthur said, would be instrumental to the growth of the Pakistan side.Mickey Arthur felt Babar Azam would go on ‘to score a lot of runs. He is only very young at the moment but he is going to be very, very good’•Getty Images

“If you look at a lot of our guys over a period of time, their strike-rates are only mid-70s, upper 70s. So for us to be able to chase down 300, guys have to be able to play above where they have for their career,” he said. “Sharjeel is different. Sharjeel gives us that start, gives us that momentum. I was quite hard on him after the Brisbane ODI. Since then he has played extremely well for us.”Tonight was the best innings he played because the one thing we know is he can hit boundaries and he hits them at will. He didn’t have the strike rotation in his game, which he has now. And with Sharjeel going, it allows young Babar Azam to just play his normal game. I have made a lot of statements about him, I think he will be an outstanding player for Pakistan, he really is. He is going to score a lot of runs. He is only very young at the moment but he is going to be very, very good. Sharjeel takes that pressure off him. In terms of us building an ODI unit they both are pivotal to where we go with our team now.”Arthur did, however, admit to being frustrated at taking “three steps forward and a step and a half back” but insisted results in Australia hadn’t pulled down the team’s spirits. “I can’t fault the guys in terms of their work ethic, the way they have prepared, the way the team has bonded, there’s no factions, no groups, a very, very pleasant bunch of guys to work with,” he said. “We are working extremely hard, we really are. We are taking significant steps. We get three steps forward and take a step and a half back. It is frustrating, it is disappointing, but we will keep working but when the signs are good and we see some good stuff, it is very very rewarding as well.”Pakistan’s schedule has also been demanding. They have been on the road almost non-stop since the tour of England last summer. “Yeah look, and that’s never an excuse, fatigue has played a massive role,” Arthur said. “I can see guys are mentally tired. We finished in England at end of August. We had seven day off, then we had the West Indies series, then straight to New Zealand and then here.”We have been on the road for an extremely long time and it has started to show. Coupled with the fact that our boys never play at home, they are never at home. it is tough, it is not an excuse but it is tough for these guys.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSolomon Mire made light work of Zimbabwe’s chase – file photo•AFP

Solomon Mire and Peter Moor made light work of a rain-adjusted target of 105 in 42 overs, breaking the back of their run-chase in a 79-run opening stand to square the five-match series against Afghanistan, and set the teams up for a winner-takes-all showdown in Harare on Sunday.After keeping the series alive in a thrilling three-run victory in Tuesday’s third encounter, Zimbabwe drew level with considerably fewer nerves this time around, although they were once again indebted to the accurate seam of Chris Mpofu, who followed up his three-wicket haul in that match with 3 for 25 in 7.5 overs today as Afghanistan stumbled to 111 all out.After winning the toss and batting first, Afghanistan’s ambitions of a competitive total were dented from the outset by Tendai Chatara, who conceded a solitary run in his first three overs before extracting Ihsanullah for a 20-ball duck, caught at midwicket by Tarisai Musakanda.Chatara then made it two in six balls when Rahmat Shah was bowled for 1, and one over later, Afghanistan had slumped to 12 for 3 when the dangerous Mohammad Shahzad tried to hit his way out of trouble, but instead slapped Richard Ngarava straight to midwicket for 9.Asghar Stanikzai, the captain, and Hashmatullah Shahidi resisted for a while in adding 29 for the fourth wicket, but Zimbabwe’s bowlers had the bit between their teeth. Mpofu accounted for both men in consecutive overs, both caught behind by Moor – the former a blinding take diving away to his right.At 46 for 5, Graeme Cremer’s legbreaks were exactly what Afghanistan’s belligerent lower-order didn’t want to face, and he twirled through an eight-over spell at the cost of just 12 runs to ensure there would be no recovery to Afghanistan’s momentum. Samiullah Shenwari top-edged a sweep to Chatara at short fine leg for 13, before Moor held onto his third catch of the innings to dismiss Karim Janat for 9.Afghanistan were reeling at 96 for 8 in the 35th over when rain forced a lengthy delay, and though they eked out a handful of extra runs upon resumption, Mpofu picked up his third when Rashid Khan holed out to cover to end the innings.In reply, Mire and Moor started with intent, picking off regular boundaries to eat into the target, before Mire upped the ante with a pull for six off Janat to bring up Zimbabwe’s fifty in the ninth over. He added a second two overs later, a meaty drill over the covers that required a replacement ball, and though he eventually holed out in the deep off Mohammad Nabi, his hard-hitting 46 from 50 balls had sealed the game.Zimbabwe did wobble briefly, with Musakanda and Craig Ervine falling in consecutive overs, but with Moor steadfast, it was left to Sean Williams to complete a facile victory with almost 20 overs to spare.

Daryn Smit, the former Dolphins allrounder, has signed for Derbyshire on a two-year contract. Smit, 33, had decided to leave Dolphins at the end of the 2016-17 season in order to relocate to the UK and has previously played for Derbyshire 2nd XI and Lancashire club side Ramsbottom.A batsman capable of keeping wicket and bowling legspin, Smit played in Durban for 14 seasons, during which time he represented South Africa A. However, he will qualify as a non-overseas player for Derbyshire.In first-class cricket, he has scored 5711 runs at 37.32, to go with 106 wickets 32.49. He has played almost 200 times in the white-ball formats and in 2009 was part of South Africa’s preliminary 30-man squad for the World T20.”I’m delighted to join Derbyshire and get an opportunity to play county cricket,” Smit said. “I’ve enjoyed my time with the Dolphins, and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities they gave me, but I’m now looking forward to exciting new times in England with Derbyshire.”I still have a lot to give, both on the field and also helping the younger guys in the dressing room, and I hope I can contribute to a successful period for the club.”Derbyshire have undergone significant restructuring during the off-season, after finishing bottom of the County Championship as well as failing to reach the knockout stages of either limited-overs competition. Kim Barnett was appointed director of cricket, while the club has signed Luis Reece, Gary Wilson, Hardus Viljoen, Imran Tahir and Jeevan Mendis for 2017.Barnett said: “Daryn is a vastly experienced batsman, with over 14 years as a professional in the game, and will strengthen the depth to our batting line-up this season.”He has played in England before and performed very well when given the chance with the Second XI at the end of last summer, impressing many at the club with his quality and professionalism towards his game.”

Derbyshire have announced a sixth successive year of profit, with a surplus of £2653 in 2016. The financial results included a record turnover for the third year in a row, on the back of increased commercial activity.A new media centre at Derbyshire’s ground will be unveiled as part of hosting televised matches at the Women’s World Cup and although chairman Chris Grant set to stand down ahead of running for election to the ECB, the club has continued to go in the right direction, despite a difficult couple of seasons on the field.”I’m extremely proud to have overseen six successive years of surplus and grown turnover to record levels since being elected in 2011,” Grant said. “This has been a tremendous achievement given the huge challenge that keeping a first-class county afloat entails and is an enviable track record.”The increased revenue has allowed us to continue our commitment to increasing the cricket budget, while also investing in improving the ground.”It is also no exaggeration to say that the 3aaa County Ground is unrecognisable from what it used to be as a result of a £4m ground development programme, which will see the club host the opening fixture of this year’s ICC Women’s World Cup and Sir Elton John in concert.”Derbyshire finished bottom of Division Two in 2016, while failing to progress in either the NatWest Blast or Royal London Cup. Kim Barnett was subsequently appointed as director of cricket, with New Zealand’s John Wright coming in as a specialist T20 coach, among a host of comings and goings on the playing staff.

ScorecardIan Cockbain maiden one-day century led Gloucestershire to a memorable victory•Getty Images

A stunning unbeaten sixth-wicket 192-run partnership by Ian Cockbain and Benny Howell earned Gloucestershire an improbable victory over Middlesex with five balls and five wickets to spare at Lord’s.Having slumped to 65 for 5, chasing 257 to win, Gloucestershire looked like suffering their second defeat in as many Royal London Cup matches. But Cockbain, who finished with 108 not out from 123 balls, his maiden one-day century, and Howell (86 not out off 71 balls), chased down the target with a mixture of quick singles and big hits. Cockbain finished the match in style, thumping a driven six over extra cover.”It did seem a long way away,” Cockbain said. “We just tried to take it as deep as we could and hope to be in touching distance when the last ten overs came. If me or Benny got out then the game was almost done and dusted which was a big factor in the way I batted. Benny struck it beautifully from ball one which took some of the pressure off me.”Middlesex had also been indebted to a middle-innings partnership, that of 111 by Adam Voges (81) and Toby Roland-Jones (65), but unlike Cockbain and Howell they were unable to bat through the innings.Middlesex, having elected to bat, had been reduced to 114 for 6 by Liam Norwell. The in-form 25-year-old, bowling his allotted ten from the start, picked up his fourth five-for of this nascent season for 36 runs.Having ended Paul Stirling’s opening salvo he dismissed a quartet of left-handers in succession. On a used pitch under overcast conditions he had four players caught at the wicket or in the slips, and bowled John Simpson behind his legs.However, after Norwell took his sweater, with the hosts 97 for 5, Voges rebuilt the innings. He received good support from Roland-Jones and with Steve Finn adding some lusty late blows Middlesex reached 256 for 9.A tight opening spell by Tom Helm, picking up Phil Mustard and conceding 13 runs off eight overs, restrained the start of Gloucestershire’s reply. When Roland-Jones took the key wicket of Klinger, prompting a clatter of wickets, Middlesex seemed set for victory.But Howell and Cockbain steadied the innings then began bringing down the required rate. Howell launched a trio of sixes high into the Mound Stand, unnerving the executive box inhabitants, then Cockbain weighed in with some thunderous straight hits. By the end there was nothing Middlesex could do to staunch the flow of runs.There was a minor scare for Middlesex and England when Finn went to ground after what looked an innocuous piece of fielding. After a few minutes treatment the pace bowler walked gingerly off the field.At that stage he had bowled five overs which, while not troubling the batsmen, appeared to have been delivered without difficulty. Finn, it transpired, had “jarred his knee” and was able to return and bowl after a few overs absence.

When Ben Stokes grimaced and limped off the field at Headingley to check on the health of his knee, Moeen Ali had more cause for concern than most.The balance of England’s one-day side means that if Stokes’ all-round prowess is denied them at any time during the Champions Trophy then the resulting reshuffle would leave Moeen fearing for his place.England’s captain Eoin Morgan sought to allay fears that there might be something seriously wrong with a knee that has let Stokes down in the past, but England will be giving it careful scrutiny before determining whether he should play in the final two matches of the ODI series against South Africa.With Stokes fulfilling strong roles as a middle-order batsman and a seamer, it could lead England to replace him with Jonny Bairstow in the middle order and opt for an extra seamer – David Willey and Jake Ball were omitted against South Africa on Wednesday – and that would leave Moeen vulnerable.Not the sort of outcome that he needs after the sight of him blazing sixes into Headingley’s blue skies in the first ODI indicated that he might be running back into form again.Moeen cleared the boundary boards five times in a late assault, alongside Morgan, which helped swing the match in England’s favour. It was a reminder of his innate talent. Even when his shots sail deep over the ropes, it feels less about power-hitting than aptitude. If he is heading back to his best, it will be another tick in the England box.Moeen missed the one-day matches against Ireland while Stokes was absent at the IPL and now he says: “It’s nice to be back in the side and to have Stokesy back helps me play as well. I was told by Morgy it was about the balance of the team, and especially against Ireland when [Adil Rashid] bowls a lot more variation and he felt he was going to bowl well against them. I’m fine with it and it’s one of those things. You just get on with it.”In addition to a brisk unbeaten 77, Moeen Ali also took 2 for 50 in the first ODI against South Africa•Getty Images

Moeen freely admits that he has had a thin run with the bat. After taking a century off Scotland in Christchurch in February 2015, he went 23 innings without passing 50. In his defence, batting at No. 7 behind a successful top six does not create many opportunities. But his unbeaten 77 in Leeds, to follow a half-century against India in Cuttack in January, hints at better times.”I find batting seven tough,” he admitted. “But I’m trying to get better at it. On previous occasions when I’ve had the opportunity to play a lot more balls I’ve given my wicket away a bit early. So I told myself I was going to give myself a bit more time, get myself in and back myself that I can then play a few more shots as well.”In county cricket and when I played first for England I opened the batting. I can beat the field in the first few overs and then later on I can play a few more shots. When I’m in, I feel I can hit decent-sized sixes. You only have to get it over the rope and that’s all I try to do really. But it’s not easy for someone like me who probably can’t hit sixes like Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and hit the gas like those guys.”Moeen is averse to working on his power-hitting because he feels it destroys his timing and he is grateful that Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, has come to understand his game more deeply.”I find if I work on power-hitting I lose my rhythm,” he said. “I just try to keep it as natural as possible. Even towards the end of my innings there were a couple I tried to slog and I lost my shape. It’s more an instinctive way of batting and Farby helped me a lot. He knows my game, knows what I need to do to get myself into a bit of rhythm. It’s more confidence building. But until you’ve gone out and scored the runs you don’t have that confidence.”In the meantime, for all his assurances that he will happily accept what falls his way, he will be keeping an eye on Stokes’ health. After all, millions of others will be doing precisely that.”At my best I can get in the side,” he said. “I can bat anywhere in the order and I feel my bowling is quite important against good sides. There’s obviously times when I don’t pick up the wickets but I try and bowl as tight as I can.But if Stokesy is not fit, or for whatever reason he’s not playing, and I get told that I’m not playing I’ll still be happy.”

After the protracted saga preceding his own appointment as the new India coach, Ravi Shastri is eager for the focus to shift to his players and their cricket. Speaking ahead of India’s departure for Sri Lanka on Wednesday, Shastri provided a peek into the kind of coach he might be, placing the credit for a team’s success squarely on its players, and saying that coaches like him and Anil Kumble will “come and go”.

Shastri hails under-rated Arun

Ravi Shastri hailed newly-appointed bowling coach Bharat Arun’s “outstanding” track record and cited his familiarity with the team’s players as his strength. Arun was appointed by a four-member committee on Tuesday, following Shastri’s recommendation.
“Fifteen years [of] his life he has been coaching,” Shastri said of Arun. “You look at that track record, it is outstanding. Right from junior level to A teams to Indian junior World Cup teams, he has been a part of them. He knows these boys better than I do because he has been in the system for the last 15 years.”
Shastri suggested Arun was under-rated because he hadn’t played much international cricket – representing India in two Tests and four ODIs.
“You look at the last World Cup, India took 77 out of 80 wickets,” he said. “If Bharat Arun’s name was someone else who has played a lot of Test cricket, you would have put him on top of the tree. So, I don’t need to elaborate too much on what he is good at, what are his strengths. It is there for everyone to see”.

“I have matured immensely in the last two weeks [during the coach-appointment process],” Shastri said. “Mine will be a refresh button that will be pushed. I carry on from where I left. I don’t come with any baggage.”The team has done exceedingly well over three years and they are the people who deserve the credit more than anybody else. These Ravi Shastris, Anil Kumbles will come and go. The fabric of Indian cricket will remain and the credit should go to everyone who has participated in this Indian team over the last three years. If they are No. 1 today [in Tests], it is their efforts they have put in over that three-year period and they deserve the credit. People like us will come and go”.India enjoyed considerable success under both Shastri as team director and Kumble as coach. During Kumble’s one-year reign, India won series in West Indies, and at home against New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia, losing only one of 17 Test matches along the way. Under Shastri, whose earlier tenure as team director lasted almost two years, India made it to semi-finals of successive global events – the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 World T20, and also won their first limited-overs bilateral series in Australia, whitewashing the hosts 3-0 in T20Is.In his second coming, Shastri will work with his core team – Sanjay Bangar (assistant coach), Bharat Arun (bowling coach) and R Sridhar (fielding coach) – from his previous stint. Shastri said his job was to make the player focus on his game “without a care in the world for anything outside”.”When you play the game, you want your mind clear,” he said. “You want to be able to focus inwards without a care in the world for anything outside. That happens with good communication with the support staff. My job is to do exactly that with every player – to put him in a frame of mind where he is thinking only about his role and he is thinking about the team he is playing for and, of course, the opposition which we always respect. And that’s his job, period.”Captain Virat Kohli felt working with a coaching staff the team was familiar with meant everybody knew what to expect from one another. “We have worked together for three years – 2014, 2015 and 2016 – so that amount of understanding is bound to be there,” he said. “Since we have worked together in the past, we know what’s expected and what’s going to be on the plate and what’s worked for us in the past.”I think understanding and communication is something that works in every walk of life. The changing-room environment is nothing different. You need to have all those aspects for any relationship to work in life. It’s not just confined to cricket.”We follow the same rules of life that are followed everywhere else. I don’t see anything different that can be elaborated upon this. Everyone has gone through experience of relationships somewhere or the other in their lives. The same rules apply here”.Asked if there was extra pressure to perform since he now had a familiar coaching staff, Kohli replied in the negative and said he shut out external factors. “I don’t think there is any added pressure because what has to happen will happen, I believe in that, regardless of what happens around on the outside world,” he said. “As a team, we aspire to achieve what we want to achieve. Every one of us has faced hardships in the past. Criticism and being criticised is nothing new, so we understand that aspect of playing sport as well.”I only have the bat in hand and my job is to go out there on the field and control what’s being done on the field. And, that’s something that I have focused on in the past couple of months, two months and I continue to do so. [A] lot of speculation and lot of things fly around and those things are not in my control. As I said, my job is to go out there on the field and try to bring the best out of this team along with the management and try to perform to the best of my abilities which I believe in.”I only started off as a player and I wanted to do the best for the team. And, I continue to take up this responsibility and will continue to do so in the future years, till the team I am the captain or I am kept at this position. That’s what I see of it. I mean you only have to look at the series you are going to play ahead of you. If you focus only on these external factors, it’s very similar to you going out to bat and thinking what if I get out. It can happen in any scenario, so you just need to take care of your mindset and move forward.”Ahead of the Sri Lanka tour, where India will play three Tests, five ODIs and a T20I, Kohli looked back on the 2015 series as a “landmark” tour in setting the template for India’s performances overseas. Particularly heartening to him was the manner in which India came back from 1-0 down to win the Test series 2-1. It was Kohli’s second Test series as a full-time captain after India had drawn the only Test in Bangladesh under him in June 2015.”If you look at the average age of that team a couple of years back – I mean obviously the players have matured from then on and it’s been 24 months, but that tour for us was a sort of start of the belief system that we can win away from home and we do have the side required to win away from home,” he said. “And, we do have the culture that’s been created in the team to win whatever Test matches or Test series that we play.”So, the mindset immediately was to try and win series and losing the first Test was a shock to us. The way we bounced back was only because of the team culture that was created at that stage where our players were the less experienced if you compared us and Sri Lanka. The comparison of number of Tests was not even close. But, we showed more belief in our abilities and that we could win from any situation and that really turned our mindset around. From then on, you can see the results that we have had so far.  We have away series coming up, so the same mindset would apply now what we started back in 2015”.

Mark Cosgrove, batting with a runner, fell four runs short of victory [file picture]•Getty Images

Lancashire ended a run of four defeats and improved their chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals of this year’s NatWest T20 Blast with a last ball victory over Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground.Mark Cosgrove, batting with a runner throughout most of his innings, needed to hit Ryan McLaren’s last ball for four to claim a tie, anmd for six to win the match, but failed to score, finishing on 77 not out, leaving Leicestershire’s bright start to the season a distant memory.Having lost their first five wickets for just 25 against Northamptonshire the previous evening, the visitors can only have been reasonably satisfied to end their opening Powerplay on 47 for 0, after being put in by Leicestershire captain Clint McKay.The more so because openers Liam Livingstone and Karl Brown struggled to find their timing on a pitch that looked a little two-paced, and it was no surprise when Brown lofted the gentle medium pace of Cameron Delport high to Tom Wells at long on, before Livingstone, looking increasingly frustrated, top-edged the same bowler to short third man, where a back-pedalling Callum Parkinson took a good catch.Jos Buttler and Dane Vilas initially found the going equally hard, but they were helped by Leicestershire’s bowlers producing a series of wides – the final total of 11 was the most bowled by any side in domestic T20 this season – and no-balls to keep the score building. The 50 partnership was raised off 32 balls, and had gone on to 74 when Vilas, on 33, cut a short, wide delivery from McKay high to Matt Pillans on the point boundary.Buttler went to his half-century, his third in the competition this season, off 34 balls before being caught behind trying to carve a wide delivery from Pillans to the cover boundary, but the England international had given his bowlers a total that looked defendable.Leicestershire openers Luke Ronchi and Cameron Delport gave their side their usual brisk start, but as has regularly been the case this season, neither was able to go on and make a match-winning contribution, Ronchi hitting 21 off 10 balls before pulling Junaid Khan straight to Jordan Clark at midwicket, and Delport bowled slogging at Steven Croft’s off-spin for 17 off 8 balls.Colin Ackermann was bowled in similar fashion giving leg-spinner Matt Parkinson the charge, and Cosgrove’s innings had barely begun when he was hit on the knee by Aadil Ali’s on-drive at Livingstone. After several minutes of treatment he resumed, albeit with a runner, and almost on one leg kept his side in the game by reaching his 50 off 41 balls.He and Ali brought up the 50 partnership off 44 balls, but Lancashire’s bowlers had the discipline Leicestershire’s lacked, conceding only a handful of extras, and the 14 the Foxes need off the last over proved too big an ask.

Stuart Law believes West Indies can “exploit the weaknesses” in the England side and prove their critics wrong.While West Indies are eighth in the Test rankings and without a Test victory in England since 2000, Law feels the inexperience of the England top-order provides “an opportunity” for his bowlers.In particular, he has noted England’s difficulties in finding an opening partner for Alastair Cook – Mark Stoneman is set to become his 12th partner since the retirement of Andrew Strauss – and the lack of experience elsewhere in a top five that includes Tom Westley and Dawid Malan, who have played four Tests between them.”With a couple of debutants or a couple of new guys to the fore in Test cricket, that’s an opportunity for our bowlers,” Law said. “You always look at any little crack you can find.”We’ve some pretty experienced, pretty good bowlers up front as well. So it’s an opportunity for us to exploit those weaknesses.”Law also feels the manner in which some have dismissed his side’s chances could play to their advantage.”Our players understand there’s a few comments flying around like that,” Law said. “And we’ve instructed them to use that as motivation to go out and play your best.”There’s been a lot said about this cricket team and that is motivation for them. We’re looking forward. Let’s rewrite that history.”Such motivation worked well the last time these two teams played. Ahead of that series, in 2015, the ECB chairman, Colin Graves, suggested West Indies were a “mediocre” side which should be defeated relatively comfortably by England. The words were stuck to West Indies’ dressing-room door and served to inspire the team to a 1-1 series result that hastened the demise of Peter Moores as England coach. Graves subsequently apologised for his comments.On this occasion there has been no such talk from the England camp. While some aspects of the UK media remain bullishly confident, the most damning appraisal of the West Indies’ hopes as come from one of their former players. Curtly Ambrose suggested West Indies would have to “play exceptionally well to even compete against England.”If West Indies are to “exploit those weaknesses” they are likely to need Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel and Jason Holder in top form. On recent evidence Gabriel is not at his best – he delivered 20 no-balls in nine overs against Derbyshire the other day – while Law accepts Roach does not quite have the pace that once made life so uncomfortable for the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Ricky Ponting. He does, however, have nothing but praise for Holder.”Kemar had a bit of time out of the game with injuries and a nasty car accident,” Law said. “He’s had to fight his way back. He’s probably not as quick as he has been but I think he’s a better bowler for that. He is still fast enough to cause problems and he is swinging the ball both ways.”Shannon is coming along nicely. He is training the house down and just needs a bowl to get that rhythm back. He’s fit to bowl. We’re just waiting on him to hit his traps – do that and it’s 95mph coming at you.”The ground was uneven in Derby. He hadn’t bowled for a while and he was over-striding. When he got it right he looked good.”As for Jason… He’s a young man but very intelligent and high quality. The captaincy is a lot of responsibility but he does it with fantastic integrity. He’s a great leader. His bowling is more than very good and he can bat and score runs.”He’s doing everything to make sure he captains this side not just this series but for 10 or 15 years.”While Law does not sound totally convinced by the idea of day-night cricket in England (“it works in certain countries,” he said) or the pink ball (“it’s very hard to shine… and it sounds like a plastic ball off the bat”), he thinks the format is worth a try for the long-term health of the game.”We understand the ICC are looking at ways to promote Test cricket,” he said. “And if it does bring in extra people after work, or extra funding for grass roots cricket, then it’s got to be here to stay.”

The Napier ODI in McLean Park between England and New Zealand has been moved due to a delay in re-turfing the ground. The game, which was scheduled for February 28, has been shifted to Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.This is the third straight ODI that has been moved out of McLean Park after a match against Australia in February was abandoned due to poor drainage. A subsequent game against South Africa in March was moved to Hamilton. The completion of the $2 million overhaul of the McLean Park outfield, which began in October, was then delayed, forcing New Zealand Cricket to also move out the January 2018 ODI against Pakistan.Inclement weather in Auckland, where the new surface is being grown, has postponed the re-turfing process. “We’ve been advised by our sportsground turf specialist up in Auckland that the volatile weather conditions have obstructed the opportunity to get this specialised grass grown and we haven’t been able to access the 7600 tonnes of special grade sand we need to lay the carpet in time,” Napier City Council CEO Wayne Jack said.”Sadly, despite huge effort on all sides, these are factors outside of our control. We’re now revising all our time frames.”