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Match facts
August 16, Harare
Start time 0930 (0730 GMT)Vusi Sibanda has been solid at the top of the order for Zimbabwe•Associated Press

The Big Picture

Zimbabwe are within sniffing distance of ending their drought of five years without an ODI series win over a Test-playing nation. They have beaten Ireland and Kenya in recent times, but their previous series win against a Test playing-country was in August 2006 when they beat Bangladesh 3-2 at home. Much has changed since then, and should Zimbabwe pull off this victory it would underline their notion that this is indeed a new era for their cricket.So far they have outplayed their opposition convincingly, bowling with aggression and batting with composure. They have all the ingredients to cook up a successful summer – a new-ball bowler, Brian Vitori, who looks better and better with every match, back-up seamers like Elton Chigumbura, who play a supporting role but can also take wickets, a top order that can play seam and spin with equal conviction, and, as they showed in the last match, a middle order that can finish the job.It all looks a little too easy for Zimbabwe at the moment and they may want to challenge themselves by trying to defend a total rather than chase one down, especially since their middle order has not spent enough time at the crease. Perhaps those ideas will be left to Bulawayo, if the series has been won by then, and there is room for experimentation before welcoming Pakistan and New Zealand.For Bangladesh, disaster looms, according to Shakib Al Hasan, who called his team situation a crisis. Their mistakes have become more glaring as the series has progressed and are now in urgent need of attention.The top order appears to need superglue stuck to their spikes so that they will stay at the crease and avoid forcing the middle and lower orders to fix their mistakes. The top four have failed – their execution has been poor and their application non-existent. Although they are fronting up against a good attack, they are also been given a pitch and conditions conducive to batting, and if Bangladesh are to come back into this series, they are going to have to learn patience very quickly.The Bangladesh bowlers have not been given much to work with but they have also not shown much perseverance and have tended to give up after getting an early breakthrough. The left-arm spinners have not threatened and it will be up to the offspinners and seamers, who showed that they can extract some reverse swing, to take wickets. A more determined effort is required from Bangladesh if they are to go to Bulawayo with any thoughts of restoring respectability.

Form guide (most recent first)

Zimbabwe WWWLL
Bangladesh LLLLL

In the spotlight

He has been out cheaply in both matches so far and even though he leads a winning team, Brendan Taylor will want to produce with the bat as well. Taylor’s perennial problem has been a lack of footwork and after being bowled by his opposite number in the first match and edging while playing away from his body in the second, it may be an issue he wants to address as the summer continues.Nasir Hossain rescued a tattered Bangladesh innings on debut in the previous game and immediately impressed with his handling of the short ball. On first glance, there is something distinctly different about Nasir when compared to other Bangladesh batsmen. Rather than mistiming his pull shot or being hurried into it, he plays it with skill and grace and his maturity at the crease was evident in his well-paced 63. He was only given two overs with the ball, but it will be interesting to see how he performs in that department as well.

Team news

With a series win just a match away, Zimbabwe are unlikely to tinker with a successful XI. Kyle Jarvis is still waiting for his opportunity, but may have to hang on until Bulawayo to get it, even though Chris Mpofu struggled a little in the second match. Regis Chakabva will also have to bide his time before getting a look in.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Brendan Taylor (capt), 2 Vusi Sibanda, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 5 Craig Ervine, 6 Forster Mutizwa, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Ray Price, 10 Brian Vitori, 11 Chris MpofuA continually failing top order should call for some change and Bangladesh may have no choice but to finally bring Junaid Siddique in. One of Tamim Iqbal or Imrul Kayes should pay the price for their poor showings so far. However, the selectors have been hesitant to drop either and Siddique may slot into the middle order ahead of Shahriar Nafees or Mohammad Ashraful. Abdur Razzak is likely to keep his place, more for his batting than his left-arm spin, meaning that Suhrawadi Shuvo will have to sit out again.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes / Junaid Siddique, 3 Shahriar Nafees, 4 Mohammad Ashraful, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Nasir Hossain, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Rubel Hossain Pitch and conditions
The surface should remain good for batting, as it has done through the one-off Test and previous two ODIs, with all the strips on the square known for being flat. The first hour has had something for the bowlers though, with just a little bit of extra bounce and movement on offer. Later in the day, the pitch has slowed down, but there is not a lot of turn. Batting should be a reasonably easy task and the bowlers will have to stick to good lines and lengths and bowl wicket-to-wicket to get results.

Stats and trivia

• The team chasing has won 50% of the time at Harare Sports Club in its 19-year history as an international ground. However, in the last two years, the team fielding first has won 64.2% of the time and in the last year, that increases to 80%.
• Imrul Kayes’ batting average in day matches, 27.41, is almost 10 runs fewer than it is in day-night matches, 37.09.

Quotes

“We have to do what we have done so far and be hungry on the day.”
“We should put on 260 every time we bat but our top order is not scoring runs, I would love to see those top order guys scoring some runs for the team.”

Scorecard
Derbyshire kept their hopes of reaching the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals alive by completing a double over fast-fading Warwickshire in Edgbaston. Derbyshire survived a bombardment from Varun Chopra – who smashed five fours and two sixes in his 17-ball dash to 40 – before strolling home by 33 runs by dismissing the home side for 129.The match turned as soon as Chopra drove a catch to cover off the second delivery from Derbyshire’s veteran seamer Steffan Jones. With rain threatening, Warwickshire tried to keep up with the Duckworth-Lewis target, but their challenge disintegrated altogether as Derbyshire’s spin pair, Tom Knight and Greg Smith, shared four wickets in their eight overs.Knight held a return catch from Rikki Clarke and completed an immaculate spell with returns of 3 for 19, before the third spinner in the side, Wes Durston, took two of the last three wickets to wrap up a fine all-round performance. He had earlier top scored for his side with 64 from 58 balls and also held two catches.Derbyshire might have expected something bigger than their eventual total of 162 for 5 after flying out of the blocks with Durston’s opening stand of 83 in 50 balls with New Zealand’s Martin Guptill. Guptill hoisted three sixes – planting Steffan Piolet’s first delivery on to the third tier of the new pavilion stand – before he was stumped for 38 off former Derbyshire spinner Ant Botha.Piolet recovered from his poor start – his second ball also went to the boundary for four leg byes – and registered the best figures for his side, taking 2 for 22 in four overs as Derbyshire dropped off the pace.Durston stayed until the last ball, hitting seven fours before he was caught behind off Keith Barker.Warwickshire welcomed back England seamer Chris Woakes after his release from the one-day international squad, but he conceded 20 runs in two overs. He did not fare any better with the bat, making just a single from three balls as Luke Sutton stumped him on the leg-side for Knight’s second wicket.Woakes’ inclusion in the county side meant that Neil Carter finally lost his record of appearing in every one of Warwickshire’s Twenty20 matches since the competition was launched in 2003.

South Africa’s sports minister Fikile Mbalula has sought a meeting with top Cricket South Africa officials, including its chief executive Gerald Majola, later this week following allegations of improperly awarded bonuses that were decided on two months ago. This is the second bonus-related issue CSA has been embroiled in over the past year.The newspaper reported that a total of Rand 1.9 million (US$271,428) was awarded to Majola (R1.4 million, US$200,000), Kass Naidoo, brand and communications manager, (R200,000, US$28,571) and Nassei Appiah (R300,000, US$42,857), chief financial officer, without the board’s approval. CSA, which has rejected claims of impropriety, said in a statement that the bonuses were decided on at a meeting held on April 15, where annual increases, salary adjustments and annual bonus payments were discussed.”The payments were issued through the remunerations committee (Remco) so there really shouldn’t be a problem,” a CSA insider told ESPNcricinfo. However, John Blair, chairman of the audit committee, indicated that proper procedure had not been followed because, “everything must be referred back to the board. These bonuses have not been approved by the board.”CSA reported their highest ever increase in income for the financial year ending April 2011, with revenue going up from R497 million (US$71 million) to R727 million (US$103.85 million). The hike was due to the hosting of the Champions League Twenty20, the Indian tour and the Makhaya Ntini T20 farewell match and concert held at Moses Mabhida Stadium in January.”It was agreed that in the current market conditions a general salary increase of seven percent should be awarded,” Appiah said in the release. “It was also established that certain members of staff were being paid below the salary rates applicable to their positions. It was also agreed that bonuses should be performance-driven. In these circumstances the bonuses were well-merited and were approved by the chairperson of Remco.”The seemingly large amounts paid out have been defended by CSA sources, who said that that the body enjoyed an “outstanding” year and that “the IPL bonuses were taken into consideration when awarding bonuses this year.” Despite that, some board members felt that there should have been a cap on the bonus amounts.The board has asked Remco to re-look at their processes. A meeting will be held later in June to discuss “a framework for salary increases and bonuses,” according to the release.This issue closely mirrors last year’s bonus affair, when R4.7 million (US$671,428) was paid to 40 staff members after the hosting of the IPL and the Champions Trophy in 2009. Those payments were not declared through Remco and only picked up after CSA’s auditors, Deloitte, found irregularities in the body’s financial statements.Insiders said that the payments were in keeping with precedents set in 2007, regarding the issuing of bonuses following major tournaments. CSA President Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka called for an external investigation at the time but CSA held an internal inquiry, chaired by vice-president AK Khan, because it believed it had not exhausted its own procedures.The Khan commission found that “in future, matters of this nature must be signed off by a member of Remco,” without making mention of board approval, except where event bonuses for major tournaments, outside of the usual incoming tours, are concerned. In a recommendation, it said that “management of events be regulated by a comprehensive system of control accounting and that full and proper reports be furnished to the board during and at the conclusion of the event.”CSA has said that Remco chairperson Thandeka Mgoduso did sign off on the 2011 bonuses, but made no mention of whether the board was informed of bonuses relating to the Champions League, which could prove central to the most recent scandal.The Khan commission had cleared Majola of any wrongdoing but the issue formed the kernel of a protracted battle between Majola and Nyoka that saw Nyoka removed as president after a vote of no confidence was passed against him in February this year. The decision to remove Nyoka was found to be unlawful by the South Gauteng High Court and he was reinstated in May. The court judgment also made provisions for Nyoka’s request for a full forensic audit to take place.CSA appointed KPMG on May 23 to conduct the audit /southafrica/content/story/516392.html, which is expected to take four weeks. Their mandate is to “to investigate and report on the payment of bonuses, travel expenses, related expenditure and fringe benefits to CSA staff members in connection with the IPL and Champions Trophy hosted in 2009,” which was does not cover the latest allegations.KPMG reportedly wrote a letter of complaint to the board, saying that there was too much interference from CSA in their work. Blair rejected the seriousness of such allegations, saying, “There was a bit of miscommunication between the office and KPMG. The office wasn’t sure what information it needed to give KPMG.” CSA currently have both KMPG and the South African Revenue Service auditing their books.

Afghanistan need to develop their infrastructure and play competitive matches with more regularity, coach Rashid Latif has said. His team did not play to potential in the recently-concluded series against Pakistan A, which they lost 3-0, a result Latif blamed on lack of match practice.”It is important that Afghan players play more on their home grounds,” Latif, who took over as coach last year, told AFP. “The situation in the country is improving, so it is imperative that Afghanistan has grounds where the players play regularly and not after gaps.”We did not perform to our potential [against Pakistan A]. We were capable of doing better than this, but the main reason [for the losses] is that we are not playing regularly. In the last ten years, Afghanistan has not built a ground and because of that players have to go to the UAE and Pakistan to play, which comes about after big gaps, and players tend to get unfit.”Afghanistan have rapidly ascended through the ranks in recent years. They qualified for last year’s World Twenty20, won the silver medal in the 2010 Asian Games in China after beating a second-string Pakistan team in the semi-finals and also won the Intercontinental Cup in their debut season.With the team doing well, Latif said better infrastructure was also required to groom the next generation of players. “It’s imperative that we have grounds in Afghanistan and with more playing facilities [so] we can have players from the next generation [coming through], and don’t have to rely on this set of players forever.”The ICC, the Asian Cricket Council and other Test nations, Latif said, should pay Afghanistan special attention, because “unlike other Associate countries, a big majority [of people in Afghanistan] play cricket. Countries like Sri Lanka, India, England and Australia need to give tours to Afghanistan, so that they learn more and more.”

ScorecardGloucestershire clinched their second win in three County Championship Division Two games with a 45-run success over Kent at Canterbury.Will Gidman proved the West Country hero with a return of three for 37 including the scalp of Azhar Mahmood, who had looked capable of seeing Kent home to an unlikely victory target of 291.Mahmood, the former Pakistan Test all-rounder, hit 10 boundaries in a 119-ball innings of 70 as injury-hit Kent made a brave tilt at their target. Number 10 Robbie Joseph, hampered by a thigh strain, came out with a runner to help the cause and then last man Joe Denly, who broke his thumb in the field on Tuesday, emerged to try to help Azhar to the winning line.With 45 needed Azhar worked across a good length ball from Gidman only to be given out leg before and give Gloucestershire their 21-point win. Resuming on their overnight total of 52 for 2, Kent appeared to be set for the long haul as Martin van Jaarsveld and Geraint Jones dug in, adding only 49 in the opening hour.In all, the third-wicket partners added 64 in just under 19 overs before Kent’s run chase quickly unravelled with the loss of four wickets for seven runs in the space of 16 balls. Jones (40) missed an expansive drive to be bowled by promising left-arm seamer David Payne then Darren Stevens (three) was squared up on the back foot by Hamish Marshall to spoon a catch to short extra cover via a leading edge.Van Jaarsveld’s 89-minute stay for 32 ended when he opened the face and attempted a run-down to third man against Payne, only to be superbly caught one-handed at second slip by Ian Cockbain to make it 124 for five.After a change of ends, Cockbain was in action again to catch the very next ball at slip, this time at the second attempt, after James Tredwell’s firm-handed push at a Marshall leg-cutter. Azhar and Adam Ball (13) survived until lunch but soon after the resumption Ball’s audacious attempt to pull through mid-wicket against Ian Saxelby ended up in the hands of Jon Lewis at mid-on.Simon Cook then joined forces with Azhar to add an entertaining 70 in 20.4 overs for the eighth wicket but, with 69 still needed to win, Cook got an inside edge to a Gidman delivery that jagged back off the seam and Jonathan Batty pulled off a sharp catch.Batty was again at his best to hold on to a thin edge off Gidman from Joseph, then opening bat Denly emerged as an emergency number 11 despite his fractured thumb as Kent pushed all the way. But it proved in vain as the hosts ended up with just four points from the match.

John Buchanan, the former Australia coach, is in the running to be New Zealand Cricket’s first director of cricket. NZC chief Justin Vaughan confirmed that the board met with Buchanan regarding the role, but said there were other candidates and a final decision will be made on Friday.”I can certainly confirm we’ve met with John,” Vaughan told the . “He’s got great credentials for the role, but we’ve spoken to a few candidates and ultimately there will be a recommendation made to the board on Friday.”While Buchanan is said to be a front-runner for the post, other names in the fray include ex-England coach Duncan Fletcher and Gary Kirsten. The director’s role would include overseeing NZC’s high-performance programme, and he will play a role in picking the national side’s new captain and selection panel – the current selectors’ contracts expire this month.Buchanan is also understood to be on the six-man shortlist for the South Africa coaching job and was initially on the shortlist for the vacant Sri Lanka post. Buchanan coached Australia between October 1999 and April 2007 – stepping down after Australia had won their second World Cup under him – and has worked as a cricket consultant since.

The board of directors of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will meet on Friday and Saturday in Antigua to review the Draft Strategic Plan for 2011-2016 which was prepared by the WICB management. The plan will be evaluated by WICB president Julian Hunte, vice-president Whycliffe Cameron and the board directors. Other key issues that will be discussed include the draft Schedule of Cricket for 2011-2012 and the Event Memorandum of Understanding between the WICB and Territorial Boards.The Umpires Pathway document along with a programme for improving the existing skills of ground and pitch curators across the region, the WICB Anti-Doping and Anti-Corruption codes and the Communications and Public Relations Policy are all likely to come up for discussion and approval. The Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket and Digicel Grassroots Cricket programmes targeting youth development will be presented.The WICB will also host its Annual General Meeting on Sunday at the same venue.

The debate on Associate nations participating in future World Cups should be on hold till the current tournament has ended, Andrew Strauss, the England captain, has said. The ICC last week announced it would stick to its plans for a ten-nation World Cup in 2015, one that has been criticised by the Associate nations who feel deprived of an opportunity to play at the highest level.Canada and Kenya, two of the four Associate countries playing this World Cup, were at the receiving end of big defeats in their opening games. Even Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, supported the idea of a World Cup with fewer teams. Strauss, however, urged patience.”It’s easy to jump to that conclusion after seeing the games played yesterday (Sunday),” Strauss told reporters in Nagpur on the eve of England’s opening game of the World Cup, against Netherlands. “My view on this is let the tournament finish first and then draw any conclusions that need to be drawn.”England were beaten by Netherlands at Lord’s in 2009 in what was the opening game of the World Twenty20 that year. In their warm-up game ahead of this tournament, they hung on to a 16-run win against Canada after Rizwan Cheema had given the minnows a realistic chance of an upset.”We played Canada (in a warm-up) and they gave us a good game but let’s see how the tournament plays out first and then I think it will be obvious what the right formula is going forward,” Strauss said. “Ireland (also in England’s group) and the Netherlands are two strong Associate nations so they are certainly capable of causing a couple of upsets.”It [the defeat to Netherlands in the World Twenty20] underlines the point that you can’t under-estimate sides like Holland. If we are 10 percent off and they have a good day, we are in trouble.”

Following are the outstanding issues at Eden Gardens which forced the ICC to pull the plug on the venue. These are some of the salient points listed in the final Venue Inspection Report (a copy available to ESPNcricinfo), dated January 25, prepared by the inspection panel of Ratnakar Shetty, Campbell Jamieson, Chris Tetley and Professor Eugene van Vuuren.
Major works to complete

• Completion of roof structure
• Installation of bucket seating
• Removal of workers’ accommodation units from within the venue
• Completion of corporate boxes
• Completion of security perimeter fencing
• The precinct around the entire venue along with the security perimeter requires a concerted effort to complete.
• Confirmation of lighting levels post construction of new roofing structures
• Installation of entry gates
• Extension to both main camera gantries which would provide sufficient space for all cameras required to cover a game, and to cover both pitches that will be used.
• New midwicket camera position to be constructed since the previous location is now obscured by the new stand construction and the replay screen
• No plans have been provided as to the building program for the venue
• No certification of any aspects (health and safety, disaster management) of the venue has been submitted or offered
• There is no acknowledgement of the agreements relating to ICC ticket requirements and to providing suitable hospitality facilities for ICC sponsors.
• The corporate suites on both sides of the main stands need to be finished.
• New electronic replay screens are to be installed as there is one manual scoreboard at the moment.
• The position of the radio commentators on the lower level must be reconsidered as the commentators will constantly be under pressure from the spectators in front of them and having police to manage crowds is not viable.
• With regards to the power supply, at the moment the stadium uses generators as back-up in an emergency. It should instead be changed to UPS.

Ricky Ponting was asked before the Ashes series started to consider moving from No.3, but only in the past fortnight has he considered shifting from his home of nine years. Greg Chappell, the new Australia selector, raised the possibility of Ponting dropping to No.4 for the opening Test and after rejecting the idea he has managed just 113 runs in eight innings.His failures were a key factor in England retaining the urn, with the tourists’ innings-and-157-run victory at the MCG earning a 2-1 lead. Ponting, 36, has now loosened his strict stance on staying at first-drop.”I guess there’s been a few doubts creep into my mind the last couple of weeks,” Ponting said. “I’m not going to hide that. I think I definitely have to re-evaluate where I’m at as far as a Test batsman is concerned.”The idea was first discussed after Ponting returned from India and New South Wales’ Usman Khawaja was in impressive form, but since then the country’s next generation of top-order batsmen have struggled to gain consistency. When asked by ESPNcricinfo about Chappell’s suggestion Ponting said: “[Chappell] mentioned something briefly about the possibility of me batting No.4 for the Brisbane Test match, with someone else coming into the squad to bat at three. That’s about as far as the conversation went, we had probably two minutes talking.”Ponting’s stubbornness is both a strength and a weakness and in hindsight a move to safer ground was just what he needed. England have targeted him successfully, taking Australia’s only world-class player out of the contest with a mixture of perfect planning, excellent catching and some luck.Australia will name their squad for the Sydney Test on Thursday and if Ponting is open to an immediate shift Khawaja is the most likely contender for his spot. Ponting said if the selectors wanted to make a change the new man had to be ready for the extra responsibility.”It’s not an easy place to bat, we all know that,” he said. “It’s something I think [the selectors will] be talking long and hard about this afternoon and for any selections going forward.”Ponting has been impressed by Khawaja, who was on standby for him in this match and was part of the squad in Brisbane. “I’ve been very impressed with what he’s been able to do,” he said. “His first-class record is very, very good. Technically, he looks as good as any of the young blokes we’ve got around Australia, probably better. You need to have that really solid technique if you want to stand up at No.3 at Test level.”A broken left pinky suffered in the field in Perth has also hampered Ponting, who had more x-rays in Melbourne this morning before returning to watch the final stages of the defeat. He was planning to see a specialist in the afternoon and thinks he will be able to play in Sydney.”[The doctor] has to go through the x-rays with me and he needs to look at the finger and see what movement and mobility I’ve got around the joint,” he said. “The next part of the plan will be to consult our medical staff overnight and find out what I’m going to be like for Sydney.”Ponting was promoted full-time to No.3 in 2001 and it was from that position that he became one of the game’s true batting greats. He has 9719 runs at 58.19 in 108 Tests at first-drop, but his powers have waned noticeably in this series with his increasingly fidgety and jumpy movements. He fell for 10 and 20 at the MCG and his only significant contribution of the series came with an unbeaten half-century when the opening Test was winding down.He isn’t sure why he is having so many problems after getting himself into his best physical shape for almost a decade. “I wish I knew,” he said. “I feel like I have been well prepared for every game. I have trained the same for every game.”I am more disappointed that I came off what I thought was a pretty good series in India [in October]. I actually thought that after a few leaner months before that series in India I was starting to get things on track again, feeling good about my game.”He is now hoping, rather than expecting, that his fortune will change.