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Ireland batsman Paul Stirling’s belligerent 71 guided Middlesex to a six-wicket Friends Life t20 win over Hampshire at West End

18-Jun-2012
ScorecardTony Roland-Jones took four wickets to help restrict Hampshire•Getty ImagesIreland batsman Paul Stirling’s belligerent 71 guided Middlesex to a six-wicket Friends Life t20 win over Hampshire at West End.Stirling clubbed eight fours and two sixes in his 49-ball innings and was ably supported by Dawid Malan’s 46 as Middlesex bounced back from their opening two defeats in the competition and ended Hampshire’s impressive home run of eleven successive wins – dating back to July 2010 – in the process.Hampshire, put in by Middlesex captain Neil Dexter, made 157 for 6 from their 20 overs, with James Vince putting behind him a disappointing season thus far to top-score with 64 not out. At one stage Hampshire were 83 for 5 but Vince and skipper Dimitri Mascarenhas began a recovery with a stand of 44 for the sixth wicket.Toby Roland-Jones conceded only nine from his first two overs while taking three wickets and finished with impressive figures of 4 for 25. The fast bowler dismissed openers Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry while Neil McKenzie, making his first appearance of the season, was caught by Ollie Rayner at short fine-leg off his second delivery.Roland-Jones returned later to bowl Mascarenhas but Vince moved to his half-century off 42 balls and at the close of the innings had hit five fours and a six from 47 deliveries.Middlesex made a poor start to their response with Kabir Ali bowling Joe Denly and Mascarenhas having danger man Chris Rogers snapped up by Sean Ervine with only 18 on the board.But then came the match-winning partnership between powerfully-built Stirling and Malan for the third wicket. Stirling and Malan put on 107 in 13 overs and there was no way back after that for Hampshire.Malan went for 46 in the 16th over but big-hitting Stirling took Middlesex within sight of victory before lofting Ervine to Carberry at midwicket. Middlesex coasted to victory, requiring ten from the final two overs and a single from Kabir Ali’s last over of the match, with Berg duly hitting the second ball for four to ensure an unexpected win.

A half-century by captain and opener Babar Azam took Pakistan Under-19s to a six-wicket win over Australia Under-19s at Gold Coast

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jul-2012
Scorecard
A half-century from captain and opening batsman Babar Azam led Pakistan Under-19s to a six-wicket win over Australia Under-19s at Gold Coast. The visitors reached the target of 188 with four overs to spare, after the Australians had stuttered in their innings despite an 83 from Kurtis Patterson. Pakistan lead the three-match Youth ODI series 1-0 as they prepare for the Under-19 World Cup, which begins on August 11.Azam scored 79 off 121 balls to control Pakistan’s chase, building partnerships of 80 each with Imam-ul-Haq and Umar Waheed for the second and third wicket. Sami Aslam, Pakistah’s other opener, had departed early but Australia could not consolidate with further inroads. Pakistan accelerated towards the second half of the innings – the third-wicket stand took only 13.4 overs – and safely reached the target.”[Pakistan’s] captain, who opened the batting today, was very solid all day and kept the batting ticking over,” William Bosisto, the Australian captain, said.Unlike Pakistan, Australia’s innings lacked steadiness. Although Patterson tried to hold his side together, wickets continued to fall at the other end. A 67-run stand for the fourth wicket between Patterson and Bosisto was the only partnership of any substance. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz took 3 for 36.”I think Kurtis Patterson batted really well at No. 3 today and was the mainstay of our innings and also scored quite quickly. We just needed a few other batters to bat around him to get the score up to around the 220-230 mark,” Bosisto said. “Bowling wise Pakistan have got a lot of spinners who were quite accurate and difficult to score from.”The second Youth ODI is on July 31.

Abdur Rehman flew straight in from Dubai to take three wickets as Somerset closed on top at Hove

David Hopps at Hove04-Sep-2012
ScorecardAbdur Rehman took three wickets as Sussex were bowled out cheaply•Getty ImagesEven for the modern cricketer, two matches on different continents within barely 12 hours is pushing it a bit, but Abdur Rehman pulled it off it somehow. Two wickets for Pakistan in a floodlit ODI against Australia in Dubai and, a long-haul flight later, three more wickets for Somerset at Hove. He was probably content to get his loosener on the cut bit. It was a wonder he was not so disorientated that he bowled it against the sightscreen.Life was certainly of a slower pace when Les Lenham, who is still Sussex’s part-time batting coach at a sprightly 76, began an association with the county in 1952. He was summoned to Hove in August of that year, small kit bag in hand, in expectation of a game and instead spent the day selling scorecards, working the scorecard and picking up banana skins.But even as he watched Rehman demolish Sussex’s lower order, Lenham’s thoughts did not dwell on the lifestyle of the itinerant cricketer as much as something more substantial. He was on hand to watch Murray Goodwin’s farewell to Hove and stuck to his remarks at a knees-up to mark his 60 years with the county by reasserting that he had seen no finer Sussex cricketer in his lifetime. As the list includes Ted Dexter, it is quite a compliment, one to fit alongside his 24,000 runs and 48 hundreds for Sussex in all formats.”I was asked who I thought had been the best Sussex batsman I had seen and I looked at Murray and said the question was not too difficult,” Lenham said. “He has an amazing flair for the game, great hand-eye co-ordination and amazing powers of concentration. His cover drive is a joy to watch and he must be one of the finest square cutters the game has ever seen. He watches the ball longer than most, too; it’s a gift to stand still and wait.”But better than Dexter? Such an accolade is not easily made in Sussex where he lorded it over so many bowling attacks in his heyday in the early sixties. “Ted played many outstanding innings, but he wasn’t always bothered with the grafting. When the chips were down I would always back Murray ahead of Ted. Ted was one of the most exciting players the world has ever seen, but what has made Murray great has been his ability to assess the situation.”Now he has assessed the situation and decided, at 39, age has caught up with him. He has not added to those centuries this summer and, in first-class cricket, barely averages more than double figures. His Test career – only 19 Tests for Zimbabwe – is a thing of distant memory.He was given a sitting ovation today – these Hove deckchairs take some getting out of when your sprightliest years are behind you – and a more sympathetic ripple when he returned to the pavilion with 16 more runs to his name, edging Sajid Mahmood to second slip where Marcus Trescothick held one of his five catches.A glide to third man off Alfonso Thomas possessed the touch of earlier seasons, but it was Thomas’ day which took a turn for the better as he removed Matt Prior, Ed Joyce and Ben Brown within the space of three overs shortly before tea. Joyce had been Sussex’s bedrock, committing four-and-a-quarter hours to a disciplined 65 which ended when he edged to the wicketkeeper. He had also skied a pull to mid-on on 47 but Peter Trego had overstepped.Somerset named 12 and fielded 11, under the ECB regulation that allows international players to have an active substitute until they arrive. Jack Leach, Rehman’s substitute, even got an over of slow left-arm in before lunch, but Rehman walked onto the field around 2pm and had a preamble about half-an-hour later.He was in his 16th over when he took his first wicket, Mike Yardy providing Trescothick with another victim. James Anyon fell in identical fashion in his next over and, in the one that followed, Sussex’s innings came to an end when Lewis Hatchett was bowled for nought.Lenham had witnessed many better Sussex batting days. Goodwin will take some replacing, but his tutor thinks he is retiring at the right time. “By the time I started coaching him, there wasn’t a lot to do,” he said. “The art of coaching is sometimes to say ‘well done, great shot and this is why it was a great shot.’ I didn’t have to tighten up a method like Murray’s. But he has had a bad season and there comes a time when the days in the field feel longer and you are not moving or timing the ball quite so well. You’ve got to realise there comes a day.”

Ravi Bopara has stood down from the opening England Lions match against Australia A at Old Trafford after feeling he was not ready to return to cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Aug-2012Ravi Bopara has stood down from the opening England Lions match against Australia A at Old Trafford after feeling he was not ready to return to cricket following the personal issues that led to his withdrawal from the second Test against South Africa.Bopara was drafted into the Lions squad on Sunday as a replacement for James Taylor who made his Test debut at Headingley in place of Bopara. However, he was not in the eleven named for the four-day encounter and issued a brief statement.”I thought I was ready to return to action but after some consideration I just feel it’s too early so won’t be playing quite yet,” he said.In Bopara’s absence Taylor made a determined 34 in Leeds, forming a partnership of 147 with Kevin Pietersen which brought England back into the match. Bopara had made 0 and 22 at The Oval in what was his first Test for nearly a year.Eoin Morgan will captain the Lions and they included three spinners for the opening match with Simon Kerrigan, James Tredwell and Samit Patel all playing. Matt Coles, the Kent bowler, was the other player left out from the 13-man squad.

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the second Twenty20 between Pakistan and Australia in Dubai

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale07-Sep-2012Match factsBrad Hogg will become the second oldest player in T20 international history•Getty ImagesSeptember 7, 2012
Start time 2000 (1600 GMT)
Big PictureThe first game was dominated by Pakistan’s outstanding bowlers, especially the spin of Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez and the debutant Raza Hasan, although the fast men Sohail Tanvir and Umar Gul were also very effective. They bowled Australia out for 89, their second lowest T20 total of all time, and the chase was a doddle. Again, Pakistan’s bowlers will be a handful for Australia’s long batting line-up. The big boundaries at Dubai won’t help, and Australia will need far more than the three fours they struck in the first game if they are to avoid losing the series in this match. More than anything they need runs from the top order but worryingly David Warner is struggling for form, having scored at less than a run a ball in all three ODIs against Pakistan and the first T20, with a top score of 24.As much as this match is about a series being up for grabs, it’s another chance for both sides to prepare for the ICC World Twenty20, to be held in Sri Lanka later this month. Pakistan can be pleased with where they are placed, although it wouldn’t be a bad thing if their batsmen were either set a heftier chase or given a chance to bat first, to give them a more intense time in the middle.Australia must put their thrashing in the first game behind them and realise that in the shortest format, one piece of individual brilliance can be enough to turn a team’s form around. They have made three changes to the bowling group but it is in the batting order that they need a lift. If they don’t, they risk entering the World T20 ranked tenth in the world – behind Ireland. And what’s below a minnow in the food chain? Krill? Algae?Form guide (Complete matches, most recent first)Pakistan WWLLL
Australia LLWLLWatch out forIn his first international match for two and a half years, Imran Nazir scored 22 from 26 balls in Pakistan’s small chase. He slapped a couple of boundaries away through the leg side and showed glimpses of the form that helped him force his way back into the side. Pakistan will be keen for Nazir, who opened the batting with Mohammad Hafeez, to have a couple of good hits in the next two matches ahead of the ICC World Twenty20.More than 16 years after he first played for Australia, Brad Hogg is enjoying a renaissance brought about by T20. A revelation in the Big Bash League for the Perth Scorchers last summer, Hogg was recalled to the national side with the specific aim of taking him to the World T20 in Sri Lanka’s spinning conditions. Hogg is 41 but still has his ability to turn the ball and uses his canny variations effectively, and he will enjoy the challenge of taking on Pakistan’s batsmen.Team newsPakistan’s bowlers did the job on Wednesday and there seems little reason to change the winning side. Shahid Afridi appears likely to miss again due to his thumb injury.Pakistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Hafeez (capt), 2 Imran Nazir, 3 Nasir Jamshed, 4 Kamran Akmal (wk), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Raza Hasan, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Saeed AjmalAustralia responded to their loss in the first match by making three changes, with Glenn Maxwell, Xavier Doherty and Ben Hilfenhaus all dropped. The allrounder Daniel Christian has been included, along with the spinner Brad Hogg and the fast bowler Mitchell Starc. It was the batsmen who let the side down in the first game but they played such a long batting line-up that there were no back-ups in the squad, and the selectors clearly believe the best policy is to give the batting group as much game time as possible ahead of the ICC World Twenty20.Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Michael Hussey, 4 David Hussey, 5 George Bailey (capt), 6 Cameron White, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Daniel Christian, 9 Brad Hogg, 10 Pat Cummins, 11 Mitchell Starc.Pitch and conditionsDubai’s pitch is again expected to assist the spinners. “There’s no doubt that the wicket is only going to turn more,” Shane Watson said ahead of the second game.Stats and trivia Australia are only fractionally ahead of Ireland on the ICC T20 rankings and could slip below them into 10th place if Pakistan sweep the series Among Australian bowlers, only Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait have more T20 wickets than Daniel Christian’s 82 at an average of 24.90 Brad Hogg will become the second oldest player ever to play a T20 international in this match; only Sanath Jayasuriya was older, by 145 days The three leading wicket takers of all time in T20 internationals are all part of Pakistan’s squad: Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul. By contrast, no members of Australia’s squad are in the top 30Quotes”In terms of the group we’ve got together and what we’re capable of, it certainly hasn’t altered my thoughts that we can still be a very good team.”

A wrap of the second day of the ninth round of Ranji Trophy matches in Group A

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-2012
ScorecardDefending champions Rajasthan avoided relegation narrowly as they recovered from the cameos from Ashish Reddy and Amol Shinde just in time. Hyderabad fought hard against the relegation, but came short by 35 runs.However, beginning the day at 160 for 5, they stood a much less chance than they gave themselves. Parth Jhala dropped anchor as Ashish Reddy and Shinde scored 62 off 84 and 33 off 36. Those two stands with Jhala took Hyderabad to 321 for 8, but they had left themselves too much to do. Jhala remained unbeaten on 75.
ScorecardRailways began the match with an outside chance of making it to the quarters, and they kept that outright chance alive by building on their first-innings lead and declaring just before stumps on the third day. In the six overs possible, Railways took one Bengal wicket.Railways need to win outright, which will take them to 21 points and then hope that Gujarat lose outright and the match in Rajkot ends in a draw. Even then they will need a better run quotient than Gujarat’s.
ScorecardSaurashtra had been 23 for 3 in the morning. Cheteshwar Pujara’s dominating double-century crushed whatever pressure that scoreline suggested, reducing it to an entry on the card. By lunch, Saurashtra were 128 for 3. By tea, they had bolted to 303 for 4 and declared to set Madhya Pradesh a target of 411. The stunned visitors gifted two wickets to Saurashtra, leaving them with eight more to take on the final day to reach the quarter-finals.Click here for the full report.
ScorecardDuring tea time on the third day of their last Group A game against Mumbai, a couple of the Gujarat support-staff members were keeping a close watch on the proceedings in Rajkot. And it was quite understandable. With an outright loss hovering over their heads at the Dr DY Patil Sports Stadium, Gujarat will be keeping their fingers crossed for Madhya Pradesh to draw the game against Saurashtra in Rajkot …Click here for the full report.

When Darren Sammy walked back after compiling a fighting, unbeaten 60, he had given West Indies hope in an otherwise unconvincing batting performance. He wasn’t done yet for the day

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran07-Dec-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAt 13 for 5, the game was all but over•AFPWhen Darren Sammy walked back after compiling a fighting, unbeaten 60, he had given West Indies hope in an otherwise unconvincing batting performance. He wasn’t done yet for the day. He returned with the new ball and inflicted a top-order wobble that not only dictated the course of the match, but also gave West Indies their second-consecutive win, with the teams locked at 2-2 going into the decider on Saturday.Having restricted West Indies to a middling 212, Bangladesh would have fancied their chances of sealing their second series win at home against a formidable side in two years. During the mid-innings break, judging by the threat posed by their own spinners, Bangladesh would have discussed Sunil Narine at length. By the time Narine came on to bowl, Bangladesh had lost half their side – they were 13 for 5 – and it was the West Indies seamers, Sammy and Kemar Roach, who got the ball to wobble around under lights. The expectant crowd had a glimmer of hope via a positive half-century stand between Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah, but Mushfiqur’s departure ensured the initiative remained with West Indies.The slide began in the second over when Anamul Haque popped a tame leading edge back to Sammy. He slanted the following ball across the right-hander and Naeem Islam edged to Darren Bravo at second slip. Two balls later, Roach softened Tamim Iqbal up with a short ball and then followed it up with a fuller delivery which skidded through and clipped the stumps. Bangladesh were reeling at 4 for 3 and their chances of overhauling what looked like a modest target had receded sharply.The dire situation got worse for Bangladesh when Nasir Hossain edged Roach low to the wicketkeeper. The first four wickets were all done in by the seam movement. Mominul Haque perished trying to literally pull Bangladesh out of the rut, finding Kieron Pollard at square leg. At 13 for 5, Mushfiqur’s task of guiding his side to a position of respectability, let alone victory, was far greater than his opposing number’s.It took nearly eight overs for Bangladesh to register their first boundary, a firm push by Mahmudullah down the ground off Sammy, followed by an elegant flick past midwicket. Mahmudullah looked to take control by chipping down the track and cutting strongly square of the wicket. Mushfiqur too played some authoritative slogs against the spinners, conscious of not allowing them to settle.The decibel levels picked up in the crowd as the sixth-wicket pair showed fight. The hush returned when Mushfiqur was stumped off the carom ball, beaten in flight and turn. Narine, brought on as late as the 16th over, troubled Mushfiqur with the carom ball earlier and it looked like a wicket was around the corner. At 87 for 6, the fight had gone out of Bangladesh and Mahmudullah, who ran out of partners.It was a pitch that tested the skills of the batsmen from both sides. West Indies’ struggles against spin were exposed yet again as they scrapped and later recovered to 211. West Indies lost wickets in a clump – four specialist batsmen for nine runs, resisted with a watchful stand between the two Darrens – Bravo and Sammy, stumbled again before the captain Sammy himself struck late blows when Bangladesh took their eyes off the ball.It was a combination of incisive spin bowling in helpful conditions and impetuous strokes that contributed to West Indies’ precarious position at the start. West Indies needed an in-form batsman to pilot the innings, but Marlon Samuels’ departure seemed to have a profound impact as the likes of Dwayne Smith and Kieron Pollard were left swimming against the tide.Bravo and Sammy then made a slow recovery, giving the spinners their due and pinched the singles in a stand of 43, the best of the innings. After Bravo fell cheaply for 34, it was left to Sammy to muster as much as he could with the tailenders. His first six, off Mahmudullah, was hit straight back and he tried to repeat that off Mashrafe Mortaza but was lucky to be dropped by Sohag Gazi at deep midwicket. That let off cost Bangladesh 30 runs as Sammy tore into the spinners in the final two overs with only No.11 Kemar Roach for company. Sammy’s ferocious bat speed was responsible for his seven boundaries.West Indies smacked 81 off the last ten overs to give the bowlers some runs to work with. It was more than what they could have asked for and fittingly, Sammy took the final catch to seal the series leveler. The turnaround time, however, is so quick that Bangladesh have less than a day to regroup.

Shahriar Nafees’ century, the first by a Bangladeshi batsman in Twenty20s, provided a boost to his team, and the tournament

Mohammad Isam24-Jan-2013Shahriar Nafees had a stunned look in his eyes after he had completed his hundred, the first by a Bangladeshi batsman in Twenty20s. Ordinary performances in the format by him made this innings a bit surprising, but according to his opening partner Lou Vincent, who has scored two centuries in Twenty20s, Nafees looked good for a big one this evening.Vincent and Nafees put together an unbroken 197-run opening stand, a world record for the first innings in a Twenty20 game, and pumped some much needed life into a dull tournament. They hugged each other at the press conference, after hearing it was the first time a team hadn’t lost a wicket in the first innings of a Twenty20 match.”I have never played such an innings, at least not in T20s,” Nafees said. “I didn’t think about reaching a hundred until I had crossed fifty. I just wanted to bat till the end.”Nafees smiled broadly while explaining the final moments of his innings, as he reached his century off 67 balls. “It is a bit unbelievable that I have scored a T20 hundred,” he said.His opening partner Vincent played a major hand in his innings by freeing him up to let him play his own game. Vincent, in his unbeaten 51-ball 89, struck eight sixes, hit long and hard, and he said that batsmen with more strength are far more likely to hit Twenty20 hundreds. “You have to set the tone by utilising the field by hitting boundaries over the top in the first six overs,” Vincent said.”Then you have to build from that. It is always good to get a Twenty20 century. Chris Gayle has nine but that’s pure strength and class. Little guys like us, we have to run real fast.”Nafees, for his part, was resourceful at the crease. He used its depth and placed the ball in gaps in several parts of the ground. He lofted the ball quite a few times too, especially against the spinners, and had three of his boundaries dropping just short of the rope. Nafees has the ability to play all around the wicket, which showed in this innings. His repeated use of the scoop is, however, a new addition.The knock also injected some motivation into his team-mates after they went down in the first three games. Khulna Royal Bengals have finally given their hometown something to cheer about, and Nafees’ century could improve attendances at the ground, a factor that has been a worry for the BPL this year.

The legspinner Cameron Boyce, the batsman Joe Burns and the fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile are the three uncapped players named in the Australia A squad to take on the England Lions in a one-day series this month

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2013The legspinner Cameron Boyce, the batsman Joe Burns and the fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile are the three uncapped players named in the Australia A squad to take on the England Lions in a one-day series this month. Aaron Finch will captain the side with Tim Paine as his deputy in a group that Australia’s selectors have chosen with development for the 2015 World Cup firmly in mind.Batsmen Shaun Marsh and Adam Voges, who have played Twenty20 cricket for Australia this summer, are in the squad along with the South Australian Callum Ferguson, who last played for his country in April 2011. The attack will include Ben Cutting, John Hastings and Kane Richardson, all of whom have played international cricket this season, along with Josh Hazlewood.”In selecting this 12 man squad for the five-match series against the England Lions the National Selection Panel had the development of players for the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup very much in mind,” John Inverarity, the national selector, said.”Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Joe Burns, Callum Ferguson and Adam Voges are all talented batsmen. With the Test Squad being in India, these 12 players will have a chance to push for higher honours by doing well against a strong England Lions outfit.”Burns is the only batsman in the group who has not played for Australia but his class has been apparent in his performances for Queensland over the past two years, which led to him being named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year this week.The presence of his Queensland team-mate Boyce is an indication of how the selectors rate the young legspinner, who has shown plenty of promise in his four seasons of state cricket. Coulter-Nile also has a chance to push for inclusion in Australia’s growing list of international fast men.Australia A will play five one-day games against the England Lions in Hobart and Sydney from February 16 to March 1.Australia A squad Aaron Finch (capt), Tim Paine (vice-capt, wk), Shaun Marsh, Joe Burns, Callum Ferguson, Adam Voges, Ben Cutting, Nathan Coulter-Nile, John Hastings, Kane Richardson, Cameron Boyce, Josh Hazlewood.

In comparison to events in Mohali, the build-up in Wellington could not have been more mundane

Andrew McGlashan in Wellington13-Mar-2013Publicly, at least, players from both England and New Zealand are playing a straight-bat to what is happening with Australia. Privately, you suspect, they are all desperate for the gossip.”It’s very hard for me to comment on something I’m not part of,” Alastair Cook said. “I’m a long way away from it. You do have an interest in it – of course you do, because you’re interested in cricket – but the main focus for us is the start of tomorrow’s game.” Brendon McCullum’s tone was very similar.Each of these teams has recent experience of what internal strife can do. Kevin Pietersen’s ‘reintegration’ dominated the latter part of last year for England while New Zealand had to deal with the scrappy transition of leadership from Ross Taylor to McCullum. There was a short-term hit with both: England lost their Top test ranking to South Africa (although Pietersen’s presence in the final Test may not have saved it) and could not defend their World Twenty20 crown. New Zealand went to South Africa, minus Taylor, and were hammered in both Tests.However, there was soon light at the end of the tunnel. England secured an historic series win in India, during which Pietersen played a defining role with a breathtaking 186 in Mumbai, and New Zealand gained a galvanising one-day series victory in South Africa and their mini-revival continued in the first Test in Dunedin. Although both these situations are not entirely comparable to Australia’s predicament (despite Mickey Arthur referring to the Pietersen situation) it shows that, however rocky the current status appears, sport often shows a great ability to move on quicker than imagined.That is not to say that England and New Zealand are without any issues – sporting teams are rarely without a problem or two – but the sides that will go head-to-head in Wellington over the next five days have pulled together on the field. That, in the end, is what the supporters want to see.In comparison to events in Mohali, the build-up in Wellington could not have been more mundane. Most interest centred on Pietersen’s knee but both Cook and Andy Flower have tried to dampen the issue. Pietersen took a full part in training in both warm-up days although he continues to have his knee heavily strapped.McCullum confirmed that New Zealand will be unchanged and it is expected that England will follow the same route. The home side has gone to great lengths to ensure the pace bowlers are recovered from their high workloads in Dunedin and they have barely bowled in preparation for this match. Perhaps it was mind games, emphasising that his bowlers are fresh, but McCullum made it very clear that he would bowl first again. Of course, that doesn’t mean he has to when the coins goes up on Thursday morning.Who holds the advantage? It is a familiar question when a Test ends in the manner of Dunedin with one side being on top throughout the match, but the other producing an impressive rearguard to hold out for a draw. On a couple of occasions under Andrew Strauss, England used the belief gained from saving a game to win the following fixture. Against Australia, in Cardiff, in 2009 they survived nine down then won the Lord’s Test handsomely and on the 2009-10 tour of South Africa another last-wicket survival, at Centurion, was converted into an innings victory in Durban. On a different note, England’s eventual success in India stemmed from the fighting second innings in Ahmedabad, which was again led by Cook.On the flip side, New Zealand have shown that they remain capable of capitalising on a team that doesn’t keep its concentration. All the talk of how the University Oval pitch killed off a chance of a result is misguided. There were nearly four sessions lost to the weather and England ended 128 ahead with four wickets in hand. Another day and there would certainly have been a winner. For McCullum, the significance of New Zealand’s performance in Dunedin was not putting England in their place but instead giving his own team confidence after the recent problems.”I think England respect us anyway, so it wasn’t about sending messages to them; it was about sending them to ourselves that we are good enough to compete with the best teams and able to do it for long periods of time,” McCullum said. “Being able to dictate a Test is something we’ve not been able to do for a period of time against a top quality team and it was a nice feeling to do so. It has raised the expectation, which is a nice place to be.”For the next five days nothing matters to these two teams except what happens in the middle of the Basin Reserve. Perhaps, though, in a more relaxed moment or two, there might just be half an eye on Mohali.