Simon Katich has added to Australia’s injury concerns ahead of the Ashes as he battles to recover from a broken thumb

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2010Simon Katich has added to Australia’s injury concerns ahead of the Ashes as he battles to recover from a broken thumb. Katich suffered the fracture in India at the start of the month, but did not realise how bad it was until after he returned home to Sydney.The problem is hampering Katich’s preparation, although he hopes to be available for New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield game against Victoria from November 10. The opening Test of the Ashes series begins in Brisbane on November 25.”The specialist said there was no point having surgery because I’d be out for some time so we just have to see how it settles down,” Katich told the Australian. Katich is struggling with the injury when he bats and was originally given a recovery time of between three and six weeks.”It definitely hindered me during the first Test in Mohali,” Katich said. “I felt like I was batting one-handed. It felt better in the second Test but the big problem was it affected my preparation. I had to stop hitting balls.”While Katich managed 110 runs in the 2-0 defeat in India, he remains a crucial figure for Australia and his opening partnership with Shane Watson has guided the side through some tough times. Australia also have question marks over Brad Haddin (elbow), Peter Siddle (back), Ryan Harris (knee) and Doug Bollinger (stomach) as the Ashes approaches.

Brendon Diamanti, the New Zealand and Central Districts allrounder, has retired from domestic cricket in order to spend more time with his family

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2010Brendon Diamanti, the New Zealand and Central Districts allrounder, has retired from domestic cricket in order to spend more time with his family. Diamanti, 29, played only one ODI and one Twenty20 international for New Zealand but was a regular for Central Districts in all three formats.”After some months of deliberation I have decided that my priorities in life have changed and I want to spend more time with my family,” Diamanti told NZPA. “I also felt that I had achieved what I wanted as a player at first-class level and that the time was right to step aside and allow someone else the opportunity.”Diamanti, a lower-order batsman and medium-pace bowler, made his debut for Central Districts in 2003 and scored two hundreds in 27 Plunket Shield matches. He averaged 25.72 as a batsman and took 57 wickets at 34.77 apiece. He played 59 List A matches and averaged 28 with both bat and ball.”We are sad to be losing Brendon to retirement as he has been a major contributor both on and off the field,” Central Districts chief executive Hugh Henderson, who was surprised by Diamanti’s decision, said. “Brendon is a complete professional and has always demonstrated the commitment and work ethic required to succeed.”

Round-up of the third day of the fifth round of Division Two of the Quaid-E-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2010State Bank of Pakistan consolidated their position at the top of the table, with a 10-wicket win over laggards Quetta at the Khan Research Laboratory Ground in Rawalpindi. SBP needed only 11 overs on the third day, as they took Quetta’s last four wickets for 29 runs and then got the six runs required to win. The victory had been set up on the first two days by SBP’s bowlers, who dismissed Quetta for 112 in their second innings. Mohammad Naved ended up with nine in the match, taking 4 for 31 in the second innings.Khan Research Laboratories upset second-placed Abbottabad by an innings and 86-runs at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium to move up to fourth in the table. KRL left-arm seamer Rahat Ali took 5 for 36, as Abbottabad crumbled to 158 all out on the third day. KRL made a positive declaration early in the day, and it was always going to be hard for the hosts from then on as they tried to recover from a 244-run first innings deficit. Wickets fell at regular intervals as none of Abbottabad’s batsmen got more than 28 and KRL picked up their second win of the season. Abbottabad’s loss means that Lahore Shalimar have caught up with them on 27 points in second position.Karachi Whites beat Hyderabad by 241 runs at the United Bank Limited Sports Complex in Karachi, but the hosts decision to bat again despite leading by 304 after the first innings cost them the three extra points they would have gained had they won by an innings. Karachi batted only five overs on the third morning before they decided that 442 was a big enough total to set Hyderabad. The visitors made a slight improvement on their first-innings batting performance, when only managed 65, but it wasn’t enough to delay Karachi’s win. Karachi offspinner Atif Maqbool, who hadn’t even had a chance to bowl in Hyderabad’s short first innings, took 5 for 81, while fast bowler Sohail Khan completed his ten-wicket haul with four wickets in the second innings to go with his seven in the first. Karachi are now fifth in the table, while Hyderabad are just three points off the bottom.Lahore Shalimar made light work of their 156-run target against Lahore Ravi at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground, to move level on points with Abbottabad in second position. The match had been a low-scoring affair till the third morning, with neither team having crossed the 200-run mark, but Lahore Shalimar’s batsmen went along at 4.25 runs per over on Wednesday to knock off the runs required with seven wickets still in hand at the end. Lahore Shalimar opener Irfan Zaman got his team’s only half-century in the match, reaching 73. Lahore Ravi move down to sixth position in the table after the loss.Peshawar made a remarkable recovery from their overnight score of 119 for 6 to reach a first innings total of 339 and keep themselves in the game against Pakistan Television at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar. Peshawar’s overnight batsmen Sajjad Ahmed and Riaz Afridi both got centuries on the third day, but Peshawar still fell behind Pakistan Television’s first innings total. Pakistan Television’s batsmen showed a clear intention to that the visitors are going for a win, as they scored at 6.62 runs per over to finish at 159 for 1 at stumps, 210 runs ahead. They will need to maintain that scoring rate tomorrow if they are going to give themselves time to bowl Peshawar out.

Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, was happy to see his inexperienced side settle for a 0-0 draw against Sri Lanka despite bad weather hampering the three-Test series

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Pallakele05-Dec-2010Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, was happy to see his inexperienced side settle for a 0-0 draw against Sri Lanka despite bad weather hampering the three-Test series. “When we left, we said we will settle for a draw or a win. Despite the weather, which has been totally out of our control, the one Test match where we had five days of cricket (at Galle) we basically dominated,” Sammy said.”We all like to see cricket being played. When we left, everyone said 15 days of good competitive Test cricket. But that was not to be due to the weather. It can be frustrating. Sometimes you are on and off. You prepare yourself mentally then you know you have to be focused again. But as professionals, you do a job whenever you are called up.”Sammy said West Indies took a lot of positives out of the series and were looking to build on them for the future. One of the positives was the batting of debutant Darren Bravo who made fifties in each of the three Tests in his maiden series. “Young Bravo scoring fifties in all three Tests. The bowling of Kemar Roach, the batting of Chris Gayle and the whole fighting spirit the team showed are positives for us throughout the series.””The way we went out and played one of the top three sides it was good coming down to Sri Lanka and doing well. When I left home, we knew it was going to be a tough series. But the players have made my job very easy.”Captaining West Indies for the first time was an honour, Sammy said, but felt that there was scope for progress on all fronts. “The cricket we played there were a lot of positives but there is still a lot of room for improvements. I am learning to do my job efficiently and I would like to see personal improvements.”Sammy said that his team would now concentrate on trying to win the five-match one-day series which commences at Hambantota on December 9. “Sri Lanka is coming after a series win in Australia for the first time. It’s another opportunity for us to show what we are capable of doing.”

Chris Woakes showed nerves of steel on his international debut to seal England a thrilling one-wicket victory at Adelaide

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan at the Adelaide Oval12-Jan-2011 by one wicket

ScorecardChris Woakes kept his cool to guide England to an eighth Twenty20 win in a row•Getty Images

Chris Woakes showed nerves of steel on his international debut to seal England a thrilling one-wicket victory at Adelaide and a world-record eighth Twenty20 win on the trot. Woakes finished unbeaten on 19 from 15 balls as he struck the final ball over midwicket having lost Graeme Swann at the start of the last over with four needed.Ajmal Shahzad faced two dot balls before scrambling to the non-striker’s end then Woakes scythed Shane Watson, who produced an outstanding all-round display with 59 and four wickets, through backward point to level the scores and ensure, at worst, England couldn’t lose. They really shouldn’t have pushed it so close having always been in control of the asking rate, but it’s a credit to their belief that they could still pull through for victory despite a late clatter of wickets.Watson will feel the defeat particularly acutely having almost pulled the match back for Australia. Eoin Morgan, in his first major innings since September, had eased 43 off 33 balls when he drove to cover and Michael Yardy fell first ball as he failed to get his bat out of the line of a short ball. But Woakes, a replacement for Stuart Broad in the England squad, showed why he was sent in ahead of Swann when he pulled Shaun Tait for a mighty six and was there to see his side home.Australia were still some way short of the standards they set themselves having lost momentum with the bat after a fine start, the combined eight overs of Tait and Brett Lee went for 81, and their fielding display included a number of errors. They should have struck first ball of the innings but Steve O’Keefe dropped a regulation chance at square leg as Ian Bell went to pull Tait. Bell responded with three boundaries, including an effortless back-foot drive which oozed the class he has shown all tour.England clearly weren’t going to hold back in the first six overs. It was thrilling cricket to watch as the sides traded boundaries and wickets. Steven Davies drove his second ball to cover to give Brett Lee a wicket on his international return then Bell was given a second life, again off Tait, when David Warner dropped a tough chance at backward point.Bell, playing his first Twenty20 international since 2008, unleashed an uppercut over third man of which Virender Sehwag would have been proud and Kevin Pietersen didn’t want to be left behind as he joined in the boundary hunt. Australia continued to lapse in the field as O’Keefe let one through his legs at deep square-leg with England scoring at more than 10-an-over.The batsmen didn’t want to rein themselves in, however, even though the asking-rate was plummeting, and Bell drove Mitchell Johnson’s third ball to cover. O’Keefe, meanwhile, must have feared how his evening would develop when Pietersen hit his first two balls for four and six but the left-arm spinner struck back when Pietersen failed to clear a leaping David Hussey at mid-off. It was a needless shot in terms of the run-rate, but England’s tactic – which has reaped rich rewards – has been to go hard regardless in the first six overs.The situation was made for steady accumulation and for a period Morgan and Paul Collingwood calmly ticked off the runs. It was hard to tell which batsman had barely played an innings since the end of the English season. Morgan pulled Lee for six then placed him perfectly over mid-off, but kept losing partners when Collingwood top-edged a sweep and Luke Wright walked across his stumps. And for once, Morgan couldn’t finish the game himself.Australia had threatened a far greater total than 157 when Watson was cutting loose to take Swann’s first over for 26 on the way to a 27-ball half-century. He added 83 for the first wicket with Warner, but when the pair were separated the innings struggled to regain momentum and Australia failed to double their score.Watson struck one boundary off Bresnan so hard that his bat broke, but the real damage came against the spinners. Yardy’s opening over cost nine before Watson took Swann’s first three deliveries over midwicket for increasingly large sixes and he added another boundary to reach fifty. Yardy, though, is a canny operator and fired one past Watson’s attempted cut to give England a much-needed boost and he later had Warner taken at deep midwicket.Despite Watson’s departure Swann was whipped out of the attack but when he returned he produced a tight three overs which only went for 14. Hussey struggled to find his usual striking range, and though he eventually pulled Bresnan over midwicket for six. he then missed a perfect yorker next ball. England’s bowlers were superb in the closing overs and the final result once again showed how the smallest of margins can make the difference in Twenty20 cricket.

Kenya have announced their 15-man squad for next month’s World Cup and it is a combination of youth and experience under newly-appointed captain Jimmy Kamande

Martin Williamson19-Jan-2011Kenya have announced their 15-man squad for next month’s World Cup and it is a combination of youth and experience under newly-appointed captain Jimmy Kamande. The announcement was more of a rubber-stamping exercise than a surprise, given it is the same group who are currently preparing for the tournament with matches in India.Steve Tikolo, the 41-year-old allrounder who led his country to the semi-finals in 2003, will be taking part in his fifth World Cup as will 32-year-old Thomas Odoyo. At the other end of the spectrum, nine of the squad will be making their World Cup debuts.The warm-up matches in India suggest Kenya will struggle to make any impression in the main competition. Although their batsmen have been scoring well, their bowlers have been ineffective and all five matches against Baroda and Gujarat have been lost.Their preparations will be slight disrupted as Seren Waters, the 20-year-old opening batsman, who has scored the only hundred on the India trip, has to return to his studies for a week at the insistence of Durham University.Kenya squad Jimmy Kamande (capt), Seren Waters, Alex Obanda, David Obuya, Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Tamnay Mishra, Rakep Patel, Maurice Ouma, Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Peter Ongondo, Shem Ngoche, James Ngoche.

Pakistan are likely to announce a captain for the World Cup within the next few days, possibly even before the fourth ODI of the current series against New Zealand scheduled for February 1

Osman Samiuddin29-Jan-2011Pakistan are likely to announce a captain for the World Cup within the next few days, possibly even before the fourth ODI of the current series against New Zealand scheduled for February 1. Indications, for the moment, lean towards the Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq taking over from Shahid Afridi, the current ODI skipper, for cricket’s showpiece event. But the situation remains fluid and Misbah’s chances were far greater a few days ago; a comfortable win over New Zealand on Saturday, with a starring role from Afridi, will no doubt impact on the final decision.The PCB announced a 15-man World Cup squad earlier this month, but much to the surprise of almost everyone, didn’t name a skipper for the event. Afridi has been Pakistan’s ODI captain over the last year but just before the New Zealand tour began, a number of key players and team management officials raised concerns with the board over his captaincy. The development placed the board in a quandary, between players and the captain, ultimately compelling them to delay the announcement.Expectedly the decision has been slammed by a number of ex-players, most notably Inzamam-ul-Haq; the broad feeling of discontent doesn’t revolve around the personalities as much as the instability inherent in such a situation. The board and the chairman Ijaz Butt, it is believed, have no real issue with Afridi remaining captain, but such are the nature of the concerns the players and team management have, that the board has found itself having to choose sides.It is understood that players are mostly unhappy with Afridi’s regular and very public assessments of his side’s performances, mostly when they have been critical. In addition, Afridi’s statements to the ICC with reference to the spot-fixing case involving three Pakistani players have also been felt by some players in the current squad to have been incendiary and unnecessary. Though local reports suggested that a group of senior players had thrown their support behind Afridi, players such as Kamran Akmal and Misbah still hold reservations.The inability of Afridi and vital members of the team management to gel with each other has not helped matters; one important management official is thought to have pushed particularly forcefully for Misbah’s elevation to the captaincy over the last few weeks in New Zealand.The delay has allowed the board chairman to travel to New Zealand to hold discussions with Afridi, senior players and management officials before making a decision. In a meeting before the team departed Butt also advised Afridi to try and improve his interaction with players over the course of the series. These meetings will ultimately decide who is to be appointed.On paper, Afridi’s record as captain is not hugely impressive, with seven wins and 10 losses in 18 games (and one no-result). He averages nearly 36 with the bat in that time, including two hundreds in Sri Lanka, and well over his career numbers. And though the 25-ball 65 against New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday was his first fifty in 12 ODIs, he has, on five occasions, made scores between 24-49, which given the way Afridi bats and the position he bats at, are often vital hands.His bowling has not been as incisive, taking only 17 wickets in that span and generally going for runs. But in pushing ODI series against England and South Africa to the final game each time, in overseeing several fightbacks in tough circumstances Afridi would seem to have built up some credit.Misbah’s case for captaincy, on paper, is weaker. He has not been part of the ODI set-up for much of the last year; in fact, he only played two ODIs in 2010 and was dropped midway through the series against South Africa. His often poor strike-rate also works against him, and if Younis Khan is in the playing XI, robs Pakistan of some power in the middle. But he has built up momentum from his Test exploits, where he has been in exceptional form with the bat and has just led Pakistan to a drought-breaking Test series win.

Netherlands challenged England but were no match for West Indies. Now, they face the might of South Africa

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale02-Mar-2011

Match Facts

March 3, Mohali

Start time 9.30am (0400 GMT)Tom Cooper showed some fight against West Indies, but the Netherlands will need to lift their game against South Africa•Getty Images

The Big Picture

The minnows haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory so far in this World Cup, which those who are looking for an excuse to excise them from the 2015 tournament will use as grounds to support their argument. But there must be an upset brewing somewhere. Surely there must be. Netherlands v South Africa is unlikely to be the one, though, if the history of the two teams is any indication. They’ve met twice before, and South Africa have completed huge victories both times – a 221-run margin in the 2007 World Cup and a 160-run win back in 1996.This World Cup has taught us two things about the Netherlands batting line-up. One is that they are capable of posting big totals, as they showed with a Ryan ten Doeschate-inspired 292 against England in their opening game in Nagpur. The second is that express pace bowling can be their downfall, as Kemar Roach’s six-for demonstrated in their second game. And Dale Steyn qualifies as express, so they’re in for a tough battle in Mohali.South Africa will be aiming to notch up their second victory from two games, after they accounted for West Indies in their opening match on a slow surface in Delhi. There should be more pace in Mohali, which ought to suit an attack led by Steyn and Morne Morkel.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
Netherlands LLLLW

South Africa WWWLL

Watch out for…

Tom Cooper was the one batsman who stood up against the pace of Roach on Monday. Although he was born and raised in Australia, Cooper qualifies to play for the Netherlands because his mother was born in Dutch New Guinea, which is now the Papua region of Indonesia. That European ancestry allowed him to play club cricket in Scotland as a non-overseas player, and it was there that he linked up with the Netherlands coach Peter Drinnen. An aggressive right-hander, Cooper is still trying to forge his first-class career with South Australia, but in the one-day format has been a revelation for the Netherlands, and how he handles quality bowlers like Steyn and Morne Morkel will go a long way to determining if his team can compete in this match.Another man who is not representing the country of his birth is Imran Tahir, the Pakistan-born legspinner who has made South Africa home. He was impressive in his ODI debut, the World Cup win over West Indies a week ago, when he collected 4 for 41, and although he has battled a throat infection in the past few days he is expected to be fit to play. This tournament has been a long time coming for Tahir, who at 31 has been on the books at 16 different first-class sides throughout his career, from Pakistan to England to South Africa. Expect him to make the most of his opportunity.

Team news

There were a few gaps in the Dutch performance against West Indies, but the question is whether any of their backup players will add more to the side than if they were to again use the same starting XI.Netherlands (possible) 1 Alexei Kervezee, 2 Wesley Barresi (wk), 3 Tom Cooper, 4 Ryan ten Doeschate, 5 Bas Zuiderent, 6 Tom de Grooth, 7 Peter Borren (capt), 8 Mudassar Bukhari, 9 Pieter Seelaar, 10 Bernard Loots, 11 Berend Westdijk.South Africa had a few minor niggles to contend with during the week – Steyn (side), JP Duminy (back) and Tahir (throat infection) – but all three have recovered and should be available for selection. The main question is whether they will again choose three spinners – Tahir, Johan Botha and Robin Peterson – or opt for some extra pace, most likely from Lonwabo Tsotsobe.South Africa (possible) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Johan Botha, 8 Morne Morkel, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Imran Tahir, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Pitch and conditions

The Mohali ground is gearing up for its first World Cup match of this tournament, and it could provide a little more pace than some of the other venues.

Stats and trivia

• Ryan ten Doeschate is 20th on the ICC one-day international batting rankings list. He is the only Associate player in the top 40
• Imran Tahir’s 4 for 41 against West Indies was the fourth-best debut figures by a South African bowler on ODI debut, behind Allan Donald, Vernon Philander and Shaun Pollock
• The Mohali ground has hosted one previous World Cup match, in 1996 when Australia beat West Indies by five runs in the semi-final

Quotes

“We are expecting a lot more pace and bounce from the wicket than was the case in Delhi. Conditions will be very different because it’s a day match and dew will not play a role.”
“We certainly have more potential than what we showed against them [West Indies].”

Chennai grabbed a two-run last-ball victory over Kolkata in the opening game of the season

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran08-Apr-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Yusuf Pathan’s dismissal was the start of Kolkata’s slide from a winning position•AFP

With the country still basking in the afterglow of a World Cup win, the IPL needed a nailbiter to grab the already sated fans’ attention and there was one at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Three-quarters through the game, Kolkata Knight Riders were walking to victory before a brilliant run-out from MS Dhoni helped Chennai Super Kings stay in it. Then, Jacques Kallis holed out attempting a cute paddle-sweep, Eoin Morgan was undone by the part-time spin of Suresh Raina, and Gautam Gambhir added another chapter to his book of crazy running to leave the capacity Chennai crowd sensing victory.Even after the big guns of the Kolkata batting were gone, the target wasn’t exactly out of reach. Though one more of Dhoni’s gambles paid off with two massive wickets – Morgan and Gambhir – falling in Raina’s 17th over, Kolkata still needed 33 off the final three overs. That boiled down to an even more difficult 26 off 12 deliveries after Tim Southee showed off his death-over skills with a tight over.Time for another swing in the game as Suraj Randiv, on IPL debut, was hammered by Manoj Tiwary, the biggest name from Bengal in the side after the exit of Sourav Ganguly. After Laxmi Ratan Shukla’s plucky reverse-sweep fetched him a boundary off the first ball, Tiwary slammed a couple of big leg-side sixes bring it down to nine off eight. Kolkata favourites at that stage.To Randiv’s credit, he fought back with the final two deliveries of the over. He switched to round the wicket and fired it quicker and wider on the penultimate ball, and then got the breakthrough on the last delivery, sneaking it past the outside edge to give Dhoni an easy stumping.The tension-filled final over started with an outrageous stroke from Shukla, paddling a full ball from way outside off to square leg for a couple. Off Southee’s next ball Shukla was caught at short-third man, leaving two new batsmen at the crease, and five needed off three. Iqbal Abdulla slapped one over midwicket for two, before Southee resorted to inch-perfect yorkers. It came down to four required off the final delivery; after prolonged discussions with the captain, Southee sent down an into-the-legs yorker which was too good for Rajat Bhatia. Only a single resulted and Dhoni’s charmed run as captain continued.A close game seemed unlikely when Kallis had been giving another demonstration of how Twenty20 batting doesn’t need power-hitting. He capitalised when the bowler erred, highlighted by the fourth over from Southee. The bowler was too wide once, too short once and too straight once; each time Kallis dispatched him for boundaries, and as he guided Kolkata to 92 for 1 in 12 overs, Chennai’s total seemed completely inadequate.Chennai’s strong batting hadn’t made the most of a generous Kolkata fielding performance and the innocuous attack, which lacked any world-class bowlers. S Anirudha and Suresh Raina capitalised on three dropped chances to power Chennai to a strong 78 for 1, before Raina fell attempting a slog sweep. That slowed the pace down, and despite a six each from MS Dhoni and Anirudha off an over from legspinner Sarabjit Ladda, only 43 came between the 11th and 16th overs.Chennai needed some big hits towards the end, but a series of slower bouncers from L Balaji and Kallis kept the runs in check. Albie Morkel showed off his strength hitting down the ground, muscling a four and a six off the final two deliveries to lift the score past 150. It hadn’t seemed enough, but Chennai’s spinners thrived on the turn available to ensure the new-look Kolkata side didn’t get off to a winning start.

ESPNCricinfo previews the game between Rajasthan Royals and Kochi Tuskers Kerala

The Preview by Sidharth Monga23-Apr-2011

Match facts

Sunday, April 24, Jaipur
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

Big picture

Finally Rajasthan get a two-day break. The schedule of the tournament hasn’t been awfully kind to Shane Warne’s side – they have been playing every alternate day since April 15 until they found this extra day off. Those one-day gaps between games went in travelling from Jaipur in western India, to Kolkata in the east, to Bangalore in the south where their game was rained out, to Mohali in the north. It didn’t help that they get into a habit of losing on this kind of stretch. An injury to their best player of the season, Johan Botha, didn’t help either. Or the strategy of hiding their big names – Shane Watson and Ross Taylor – while facing a huge chase, as part of some inexplicable plan. They last won on April 12, and with just five points from six games, they are now left needing to win at least five of their remaining eight matches. Even that might not be enough.

With the state of affairs thus, Rajasthan will find some relief in coming back home to their once impregnable fortress Jaipur, and also in that one extra day to take stock and rethink strategies. However, the team that they face is on a hot streak. Kochi Tuskers Kerala were welcomed into the IPL fold with two losses, but they have made a comeback with three wins in a row to move up in the table. On the field, Rajasthan won’t be expecting too much by the way of relief.

Form guide (most recent first)

Rajasthan LLLWW (sixth in points table)
Kochi WWWLL (third in points table)

Team talk

Rajasthan will be desperate for Botha’s hairline fracture to heal in time for the game. He is not only a shrewd limited-overs bowler, but has also batted better than expected. Rajasthan will also need to sort out their batting order so that Watson and Taylor get to face as many balls as possible.

In their last game, Kochi brought in Muttiah Muralitharan ahead of his countryman Thisara Perera. The choice between champion spinner and allrounder seems like the only dilemma they have right now.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Ravindra Jadeja comes up against his old franchise, Rajasthan Royals, an attempt to move away from whom cost him a season of IPL cricket. There will be mixed emotions when he walks out in Jaipur.

4-0-50-1. Shane Warne‘s figures from his last game read about as pretty as the effect his new moisturiser has had on his face. Warne doesn’t need to do this. He still does this. It can’t be just the money. The man who won almost every big contest international cricket had to offer, now has a small little fight on his hands, both as bowler and captain.

Prime numbers

• Warne is only the third man to 50 IPL wickets. He has also conceded the most sixes in IPL
• RP Singh is the highest wicket-taker over-all, with 54 strikes to his name

The chatter

“It’s all about teamwork. We believe in our abilities. We try and execute game-plans accordingly. Everyone applauds each other’s success. It’s really great to have a group like that. We just had to be clinical in executing.”