The TCA ground might not have satisfied everyone as a first-classvenue in recent years, but there must be an element of regretamong members that a 105-year occupation of a small piece of theQueen’s Domain is about to end, as far as inter-State andinternational cricket is concerned.The ground has had a fascinating history, and it seems appropriate to reflect on someof the events that it has witnessed in its time. As the Annual Report for 1981-82 revealed, the ground was opened in 1882 after the best part of ten years intermittent development. A gameagainst a Melbourne Cricket Club Eleven was arranged tocommemorate the event, the match ending in a particularly heavydefeat for the local Association. Tasmania, of course, haslearned to live with such reverses over the years, and in asimilar way, local administrators have had to accept the factthat the finances of the Association have not always allowed thedevelopment of the ground to proceed in a satisfactory way; manyof the Annual Reports often bemoaned the fact that variousprojects designed to improve the ground, even as basic aspainting and general maintenance, were not possible to implementbecause of the lack of funds.One of the early problems was the surface of the ground itself.Unsympathetically dry weather in those first few years resultedin the ground cutting up badly, allowing on one occasion EHButler to take 6 for 1 for the South against the North. Alliedto the this problem, which was only partially solved by importingmany yards of topsoil, was the one concerning the supply of waterto the ground. Initially, a windmill was tried, but this wasfound wanting, which might come as a surprise to the members ofthe 1979-80 English team, who had one day’s play abandonedbecause of a Force 10 gale in their match against Tasmania. Inthe 1885-86 season, the windmill was replaced by a hand-forcedpump system, which by definition seems to have been a ratherlabour-intensive device. Nevertheless no further complaints ofthe water supply reached the Annual Reports until after World WarOne, when a total prohibition of the use of water fornon-essential purposes resulted in the death of most of theground’s grass. Reference was made in 1947 to an improvement inthe water supply to the ground, but even so, the water pressurehas never been considered really satisfactory.The provision of suitable accommomdation for members and thepaying public has exercised the minds of many committees over theyears, and in its time, the ground has seen the coming and goingof many forms of seating. Curiously, two of the original standshave withstood the rigours of the elements and time, and surviveto the present day, albeit in modified form. The originalmembers’ stand was in place when the ground was opened in 1882,and in 1906, at a total cost of 1066/18/1, was pushed back toallow the construction of the brick structure at the front whichis familiar to all today as the HC Smith Stand. Gas was laid onat the same time as a concession to modernity;in 1926 electricitywas installed, the committee of the day expressing the hope thatthis would lead to sufficient lighting to allow “eveningtraining”. In 1940, the two ends of the stand were glassed in,but unfortunately the designers of this were inhibited by eithera lack of funds or imagination and failed to glass in the sidewhere it was really needed, namely, the front. In 1946, theoutside stairway on the southern side of the stand first gaveaccess to the top deck, and in 1950, the players’ viewing areasin the front of the dressing rooms were provided. The press,originally accommodated under the old scoreboard (which was builtin 1907), were relocated on the top deck of the stand in 1977,the year of Tasmania’s admission to the Sheffield Shield.The Ladies Stand was originally located on the southern side ofthe Members’ Stand, and was a slightly more grandiose affair thanit is now. In 1946, it was proposed to move it to its presentlocation, a scheme whose execution was accelerated by theintervention of the elements: a series of gales in May and June,1947 unroofed the structure, thus forcing the committee’s handsomewhat. A new cantilever roof was designed, but thenon-arrival of some of the materials meant that it was notcompleted until the 1948-49 season. The two concrete stands thatare now sited in its place were completed for the 1954-55 season,along with the entrance gates, turnstile houses and ticket boxes.The original turnstiles were acquired in 1885, more as a statussymbol than anything else, since the committee was moved to writein its Annual Report that “we have imported from England two ofNorton’s self-registering turnstiles, similar to those in use onthe Sydney Cricket Ground”! The suggested motivation for thepurchase is confirmed by the fact that they were not installedfor use for another five years.Up to World War One, the ground was more than just a cricketground. Two tennis courts (one grass, one asphalt) were openedwith the ground in 1882, and for many years, a memberschampionship was contested and faithfully reported in the AnnualReport. In 1887, the old pavilion that had been sited on theoriginal ground further down the hill, was dragged up to itspresent position and converted into a Skittle Alley for themembers’ pleasure. The novelty of this sport was evidentlyshortlived, for in 1898, it was then converted into changeroomsfor a cycling club. The latter group was originally catered forin 1891, when the committee were moved to report the expenditureof 46/14/0 on a new bicycle track, but added their “regret thatthey have not met with the good faith they expected from theRamblers’ Bicycle Club at whose request the work was undertaken -only three members of the Club have joined the Association of the15 who undertook the responsibility when negotiating with yourcommittee. “Football was tolerated at an early stage, despite this sportbeing the reason why the cricketers were keen to escape from theLower Ground in the first place. By the 1890s, winter Saturdayafternoons were taken up with baseball, and the 1896 AnnualReport announced that the “quoit pitch has been well patronisedon Wednesdays and Saturdays”. The ground even witnessed a”Japanese Sports Day” in 1902, on the occasion of the visit oftwo Japanese warships to Hobart. The gathering at the groundwere treated to the “novelty of Japanese wrestling, single-stickexecises (?) and other feats which proved very interesting to thepublic”. This was a year after, incidentally, the Association’sacquistion of a stone roller and a horse “with a view to economiclabour and making the work on the ground easier for the curator”.Bowls was the fad in the first decade of this century, and aconsiderable amount was spent on the bowling green and pavilionwhich were opened in November, 1911. The impending war, however,seemed to put a stop to all this frenetic activity and thingswere never quite the same afterwards. In 1932 the by-now disusedbowling green was converted into the present practice-wicketarea. The only other major sporting liaison since those far-offtimes has been with the Hobart Speed Coursing Club, which in 1935commenced a long and harmonious relationship with the cricketingfraternity. The greyhounds disappeared a few years ago, however,and now first class cricket is to follow suit. It is theAssociation’s hope that the ground can be retained for clubgames, but nonetheless, 1987 marks the end of an era for cricketin Hobart.

A century a day is usually enough to keep the opposition at bay. Rahul Dravid, fighting dehydration and cramps, notched up his fourth hundred in as many matches and the 14th of his career, taking the Indian total to 457. Zaheer Khan then provided the early breakthrough, Harbhajan Singh pressed home the advantage, and India were sitting pretty as the West Indies responded with 33 for two at the end of the second day.The day began with India on 278 for two and poised to go for a big total. The faithful thronged the Wankhede Stadium in their thousands, anticipating a day of watching Sachin Tendulkar knock the ball around endlessly to reach yet another hundred. But that was when the great cricket powers in the sky decided that uncertainty was the order of the day. Without adding a run to his overnight score of 35, Tendulkar attempted to cut a ball too close to the stumps and tickled Merv Dillon through to Ridley Jacobs.Sourav Ganguly was hardly given a chance to find his feet, adjudged lbw by umpire Asoka de Silva in just his 14th ball. Prodding tentatively at a ball, Ganguly was late on the shot and rapped on the pads. A loud shout was upheld, and Cameron Cuffy had his first wicket of the match even as television replays suggested that the ball pitched outside the leg stump. Ganguly’s dismissal on four left India at 296 for four.The last recognised pair of batsmen in Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman had the responsibility of ensuring that no further wickets fell in a hurry. After all, only the inexperienced 17-year-old Parthiv Patel and the tail were to follow. As a magnifying glass can focus a ray of sunlight into an intense searing beam, the responsibility brought to the fore all the cricketing acumen and skill of the duo.The session between lunch and tea is always the easiest for scoring runs at Mumbai. Perfectly aware of this, Dravid milked the bowling for runs. With the ball slightly soft now, the pacemen were rendered toothless, and the only Caribbean frontline spinner, Mahendra Nagamootoo, resorted to bowling around the wicket into the rough.While the tactic has met with success against certain batsmen in the recent past, one has to be a brave man to try it against Laxman and Dravid. Perfectly capable of combining quicksilver footwork to get to the pitch of the ball and supple wrists to guide strokes past fielders, the pair proved how good Indian batsmen can be against spin. While never really cutting loose and attempting anything extravagant, Laxman made sure the strike was rotated. Dravid, for his part, was unshakeable.And why would he not feel as solid as the proverbial wall when he has scored 115, 148 and 217 in his last three Tests? When he flicked a ball through square leg, set off for a single, doubled over with serious cramps, somehow summoned up one last burst of energy to cross over for the second run, and fell over, Dravid became the first Indian to score four hundreds in four Tests. It had come off 242 sweat-dripping, energy-sapping deliveries that saw the ball reach the fence 12 times. A man well aware of the game’s history, Dravid will now have the name of the legendary West Indian Sir Everton Weeks at the back of his mind. None other than the Barbadian has managed five tons in consecutive Tests.It was a pity though that Laxman, who ably supported Dravid in adding 105 runs for the fifth wicket, was not at the crease when the Karnataka middle-order bat reached three figures. In the last over before tea, with Dravid on 98, Laxman, anxious to return the strike to his partner, overbalanced in attempting a flick and was stumped. Laxman had once more done all the hard work and gotten well-set at 45 before throwing it all away.Certainly, had Laxman been present, the Indian late middle-order would not have imploded as it did when Dravid was forced to retire hurt to be administered a drip to urgently rehydrate him.Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble and Zaheer Khan all picked up ducks in the space of seven balls, and India were pegged back to 408 for eight – not a great culmination after 201 for no loss. Kumble chipped Nagamootoo to cover, while Zaheer was trapped in front of the stumps first ball to leave Javagal Srinath facing the hat-trick ball. The leg-spinner sensibly sent down a quick, straight delivery on the stumps. Srinath, getting his foot down the wicket, missed the ball and was palpably lbw, but umpire de Silva, for reasons best known to him, turned down the shout.Even as Nagamootoo cursed his luck, Srinath swung his wanton blade with new-found enthusiasm, and India added 49 for the last wicket, reaching 457. Srinath’s contribution was 30 (three fours, one six) while Patel remained unbeaten on 21.The Caribbean response to the Indian total did nothing to change the bookmakers’ presumption that India were dead favourites to win this Test. Chris Gayle (7), feet glued to the crease, was trapped lbw by an express delivery from Zaheer Khan. Wavell Hinds, Gayle’s counterpart, should have taken the fall of the first wicket as a signal to buckle down and keep the bowling out. Instead he dabbed a Harbhajan off-spinner straight to Shiv Sunder Das at forward short-leg.Fortunately for the visitors, nightwatchman Dillon, as scratchy as an old record, survived to end the day on 4. Ramnaresh Sarwan, in his contrasting sunny, youthful manner, knocked up 20 as the West Indies ended on 33 for two.It was an uncomfortably hot and humid day at Mumbai today. For the visitors, though, the night will not bring much solace either, for there is a lot of work to be done yet.

A civil court in Chennai has passed an interim order restraining the BCCI, till October 11, from confirming Jagmohan Dalmiya as patron-in-chief. Dalmiya was appointed patron-in-chief of the BCCI on September 12, after a unanimous decision had been taken at the special general body meeting of the board in Chennai. Bharati Cricket Club, a local club in Chennai, had challenged the appointment.United News of India reported that the petitioner contended that the sole purpose of nominating Dalmiya as patron-in-chief was to control the moves of the new president even after his term had ended. He also said that though the BCCI constitution stated that the board could invite, using its discretion, a distinguished person to be the patron-in-chief, it did not delineate his powers and term of office.However, Kamal Morarka, the senior vice-president of the board, had said that the powers of the president would not be undermined by Dalmiya’s nomination as patron-in-chief. He had also added that Dalmiya would hold the position for three years.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Brendon McCullum stroked his way to his maiden Test hundred (143) to give New Zealand a lead of 225 runs, before Bangladesh lost two wickets before the end of the day, and looked set to lose the first match of the series within four days. They reached the close on 41 for 2, with Daniel Vettori doing the damage second-time around.The day had belonged entirely to New Zealand. They first frustrated Bangladesh by repelling the bowling with ease, and then built a comfortable lead for their team before prising out Javed Omar and Hannan Sarkar before the close. When they resumed their innings, unperturbed by the absence of specialist batsmen, McCullum did not attempt to shield the tailenders when the spinners came on. And Vettori (23) and James Franklin (22) held their own, in partnerships of 71 and 57. While McCullum went after the loose balls, Vettori and Franklin tapped it around, applying themselves in a manner missing when the top order batted yesterday. McCullum fed off their comfort, and took the match further away from Bangladesh.McCullum was quick to pounce on anything either too short or too full, and though he was mostly fluent, he did enjoy some luck. Two catches were dropped, but he carried on as if nothing had happened. Cuts flew to the fence. Sweeps beat the fielders. He stayed back and played strokes as late as possible. Some balls stayed low, others jumped, and patience was needed, of which he had plenty. Bangladesh grew more and more dispirited as his score grew. When he eventually fell, it was while attempting to steer Mohammad Rafique to leg – a shot he had played successfully until then (371 for 9). But New Zealand were safe, and had broken away from Bangladesh’s clutches for the first time in three days.Bangladesh were restricted by their limited bowling attack. Apart from Rafique (6 for 122) and Manjural, no-one looked likely to get a wicket, and runs came freely when the fast men bowled. They had opportunities: the new ball swung, but it was pitched on the wrong line, and a shot off McCullum flew airily to third man, where the fielder chose to save four runs, rather than dive for a catch. Apart from the spinners, Bangladesh lacked penetration. Vettori fell to an outstanding catch by Nafis Iqbal, and Franklin attempted an over-ambitious pull (351 for 8).Soon, Bangladesh’s batsmen were in pads, with the task of wiping out the considerable lead. They played steadily at first, barring two edges off Franklin that went through slips to the boundary, but all that changed when Vettori came on. Getting one to turn a bit, he clipped Omar’s outside-edge, before Sarkar tried playing a ball to leg, but edged it back to Vettori (33 for 2). Nafis Iqbal was still there on 24, though, striking the odd defiant shot, but there was no doubt about which team was in complete control of the game.

The United Cricket Board of South Africa is set to lose a major sponsor – MTN, the cellphone company – after it refused to renew its contract which expires in September, citing excessively high demands from the board. According to a report on the News24 website, South African cricket could be teetering on the brink of bankruptcy within the next 18 months if the financial condition doesn’t improve.”We do not have unlimited funds and the question had to be asked whether we can put our money to better use,” said Victor Rahkale, a senior sponsorship manager at MTN. “A decision was taken to focus on soccer and the World Cup tournament in 2010 in particular. Soccer is the ideal vehicle to support our involvement in the rest of Africa and our expansion into that market.”However, Rahkale didn’t rule out the possibility of negotiations in future. “If South African cricket can come up with a more affordable option, we could look at it again sometime in the future.”MTN sponsored South African cricket to the tune of about R10m every year and the total annual contribution was about R20m. During the seven-year involvement, MTN contributed more than R100m, sponsoring the Test side to club tournaments and development programs.Steve Elworthy, the commercial manager of Cricket South Africa, hinted that Castle Lager may be appointed as the sole sponsor of the national side in future, and hoped that MTN would continue their cellphone contract sponsorship of the board. “We still have 083 numbers and hopefully we can get MTN to stay on board as far as our cellphones go,” said Elworthy. “We are now negotiating with Castle Lager – the other Test sponsor – about a package to sponsor Test cricket of the next three years and hopefully this will include an increased financial contribution.”Elworthy further added that they were negotiating with South African Airways to become the new sponsor of amateur cricket.

England 222 for 9 (Liddell 4-45) lead Australia 131 (Brunt 5-47) by 91 runs
Scorecard

England ground out a first-innings lead over Australia on the second day of the second Test at Worcester, but it was an affair for the diehards. In 101 overs, they reached 222 for 9 at the close, a lead of 91.Australia’s tail had wagged to great affect in the first Test at Hove, but it succumbed with barely a whimper in the opening overs today as their last three wicket added only five runs to their overnight 126 for 7. In 15 balls Katherine Brunt took all three wickets, giving her a Test-best 5 for 47.England’s innings was solid but never remotely spectacular, with the run rate struggling to stay above two an over for most of the day. Jenny Gunn (38) Clare Connor (37) and Claire Taylor (43) all played themselves in without ever accelerating, but in the context of the match it was important for England to build a lead, and they had the luxury of having the time to do so.Cathryn Fitzpatrick led the attack with typical fire, taking 3 for 76, while Emma Liddell took crucial late wickets, finishing with 4 for 45.

Close Australia 330 for 5 (Ponting 141, Langer 72, M Waugh 55)
ScorecardAustralia were in the ascendant for much of the first day of the series, as a blistering 141 from Ricky Ponting and half-centuries from Justin Langer and Mark Waugh put a depleted Pakistan firmly on the back foot. But Australia lost three key wickets in the last session, and the match had developed the hint of a contest when bad light stopped play with 13 overs remaining.The toss proved irrelevant. Steve Waugh opted to bat first and Waqar Younis indicated that he would have bowled first; the first over of the day seemed to bear out Waqar’s instincts. On a wicket affording good pace and bounce, he lured Matthew Hayden into mistiming a pull that ended safely in the hands of Imran Nazir at cover (5 for 1).But Pakistan – without Wasim Akram, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana – then showed that as much as their batting inexperience would worry them, their bowling indiscipline is an equal threat to their chances. Waqar, Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Sami all had patches where they troubled the batsmen, but were inconsistent and paid for their profligacy.The finest sports cars can race at high speeds while appearing merely to cruise. So it was for Australia, as Ponting and Langer took Australia to 138 for 1 at lunch off just 26 overs. At no point did they appear to be making an effort to accelerate or score at a fast pace. They were merely clinical, playing out the good deliveries and unerringly punishing the poor ones.Ponting was especially severe on anything remotely loose and at one stage, when he hit four boundaries in the space of five minutes to bring up his fifty, it appeared that Pakistan were in for a nightmare of a day. Meanwhile Langer, a man known to bat in either first or fifth gear, was sailing along in third, but always looking likely to explode.Saqlain tested Langer with some tight bowling, though once Ponting got his eye in against him he played beautifully, using his feet to play some delectable straight-drives and flicks through midwicket. The two had added 183 when, against the run of play, Langer edged an awayswinger from Razzaq to Rashid Latif, who took a low diving catch (188 for 2). Langer had made 72.Mark Waugh started nervily as Shoaib was brought back into the attack, but got into his element soon enough, executing some typically graceful strokes square of the wicket on both sides. But it was Ponting who upped the tempo again, reaching his century by whipping Saqlain to the midwicket fence and then unleashing some belligerent strokes off both Shoaib and Saqlain.But just when it seemed that he could conceivably pass his Test-best 197 before the day was done, Ponting got out on 141, edging Waqar to Younis Khan at slip, thus ending an innings that looked unstoppable (272 for 3).Mark Waugh meanwhile moved on almost effortlessly to his fifty, playing with a languid grace that was all the more beautiful to watch because of the fragile nature of his Test career. This knock will buy him a few more chances though, and justifiably so, given the ease with which he played. He began tentatively but was delightful when he opened out, playing the pacemen with immaculate timing and placement, and taking a cue from Ponting in using his feet to Saqlain.In this instance though, Saqlain had the last word, deceiving Waugh with his loop when Waugh stepped out to get to the pitch of the ball, only to hit it straight back to the bowler (302 for 4). Waugh made 55.Steve Waugh and Damien Martyn then played with perhaps a touch more circumspection than was required, before Waugh (31) was beautifully deceived by Saqlain. He inside-edged a straighter one onto his pads, from where it flew to Younis at leg slip (329 for 5). The light was offered shortly afterwards, and gratefully accepted, but Pakistan, despite their late fightback, will still have a sleepless night ahead of them. Adam Gilchrist bats tomorrow.Teams
Pakistan 1 Imran Nazir, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Faisal Iqbal, 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Rashid Latif (wk), 8 Saqlain Mushtaq, 9 Waqar Younis (capt), 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Mohammad SamiAustralia 1 Justin Langer, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Mark Waugh, 5 Steve Waugh (capt), 6 Damien Martyn, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Shane Warne, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Jason Gillespie, 11 Glenn McGrath

On December 3, 2001, when he missed college to watch Tinu Yohannan make his Test debut at Mohali, in the process becoming the first Kerala player to play international cricket, little would S Sreesanth have imagined that three years later, he would stake his claim for a place in the Indian team at the same venue. Neither would too many people have imagined that a slightly built pace bowler from Kerala, a state more famous for its athletes and football stars, would end up as the Man of the Series in this season’s Challenger Trophy.If Yohannan put Quilon on the Indian cricket map, then Sreesanth has added Ernakulam to the list. Unlike Yohannan, though, whose physique was tailor-made for fast bowling, the bespectacled, baby-faced Sreesanth comes across like a student of mathematics. When he begins his run-up, the equation slightly changes. With a hustling, rhythmic run-up Sreesanth gathers his momentum, delivers with a side-on action, skids the ball through at disconcerting pace, and most importantly, swings it both ways. If you can hurry Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, you can hurry most. The short delivery was used judiciously, the yorker skillfully. He ended with seven wickets and could have had many more if not for some poor umpiring and bad fortune.Until now Sreesanth was hardly anything more than an answer to a trivia question – who is the only Kerala bowler to have taken a Ranji Trophy hat-trick ? His rise, though, has been rapid, and since he plays for a weak side, unnoticed. Not too many bowlers get selected for the Duleep Trophy in their first season, like Sreesanth did in 2002-03 after snapping up 22 wickets in his first seven games. Playing for Plate B, he cranked up some surging pace and troubled experienced domestic stars like Wasim Jaffer and Hrishikesh Kanitkar.New Zealand arrived in India at the start of his second season and the tour game at Rajkot provided him with a chance to prove his worth. He was overshadowed by Munaf Patel, who bowled with fire, but Sreesanth’s 12.5 overs had a fair share of pace too. The honeymoon period, however, had come to an end. A hamstring injury forced him out on the first day and that turned out to be the start of a disappointing season in which he managed just 11 wickets in five games. Kerala played in the Elite group that season and he would have had to deal with batsmen of superior quality but Sreesanth admitted that getting back in shape was an irritating roadblock.A mystifying story did the rounds when Sreesanth missed five games in the Ranji Trophy that season. It was alleged that he was following an astrologer’s advice to stay away from cricket for a certain period of time, an absence that would help his career in the long run. Sreesanth rubbished this claim but it was indeed surprising to see him travel with the side, train before games and yet sit out. “I wasn’t match fit,” he said, “I was working in the nets to get back in shape.” However, if true, the story not only tells us a bit about the man’s beliefs but also reveals the power of the astrologer. Ever since, Sreesanth – who somehow found a place in that season’s Duleep Trophy squad despite such a lukewarm season – hasn’t looked back.Not only did he make headlines for some strong performances in domestic cricket, but he was being touted as a prospect in coaching circles. “Dennis Lillee and TA Sekhar were vital to my improvement,” Sreesanth told Cricinfo. “Lillee helped me change my action from mixed to more side-on and it was great to work with such a legend.” Greg Chappell spoke about him after watching him at the National Cricket Academy, while a few coaches around the country picked him out as one for the future. “I wasn’t so quick when I started off,” Sreesanth continued, “but I built it up gradually. As long as I can maintain my rhythm, I will get wickets.”Kerala’s finest batsman, Balan Pandit, was a hair’s breadth away from playing for India in 1955-56, while KN Ananthapadmanabhan, their best spinner, toiled away for 17 long years without gaining national recognition. Yohannan managed to break the barrier with pace, and despite lasting just three Tests, his impact on the next generation in Kerala, a state so beautiful that it’s often termed as `God’s own country’, might turn out to be his lasting legacy.

Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand spinner, has said that the second ODI at Cape Town is crucial from the series point of view after South Africa grabbed the momentum with a win in the first game at Bloemfontein.”Both teams wanted to grab that first game and we were in with a chance all the way through – we both knew how important it was,” Vettori told the New Zealand Press Association. “The momentum is now with South Africa but if we can take two games this weekend, or even split the games, then we’re in with a chance. But the Cape Town game is really, really important.””We need to get the basics right. A couple of missed catches and a couple of run outs cost us in the first game,” added Vettori. “We need to smarten those things up against a side like South Africa who do get the basics right.”Both New Zealand and South Africa have several allrounders in the side giving them much flexibility with batting and bowling options but Vettori said that New Zealand weren’t going to spring big surprises. “Not for us. We’ve always liked to know what our roles are and we’ve usually got ourselves into trouble by mixing it up. I don’t see too many changes for us. South Africa like to spring a few changes and Nicky Boje has enjoyed batting against us so perhaps they’ll spring a surprise or two.”Jacob Oram, who is struggling with a back injury, might miss the second match of the series but Scott Styris, who missed the first match because of a strained hamstring, has passed a fitness test and is set to play at Cape Town.