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There will be a tendency to dismiss as inconsequential India’s2-0 Test series victory over Zimbabwe. After all, it was a winachieved against the ninth-ranked Test nation – out of 10, it maybe added. Also, as I stated in an earlier column, it does notmatter that India is rated number seven or eight in the currentTest rankings. In home conditions, the Indian team makes forrather formidable opposition, borne out by the fact that only oneteam has won a Test series here in the last 15 years. Even topranked Australia came a cropper in their bid to cross the “finalfrontier” a year ago.That said, it must not be forgotten that India won both thematches in the series, something they were unable to achieveagainst the same team in their last series played here some 15months ago. Andy Flower thwarted India from registering a secondvictory on that occasion, and the left-hander’s failure this timewas certainly one reason why India made a sweep of the seriesfairly comfortably, the rather unconvincing achievement of theNew Delhi win notwithstanding. With all the huffing and puffingat the Feroz Shah Kotla, one must remember that the victorymargin in the first Test was an innings and 101 runs.

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In the ultimate analysis, the series victory, besides underliningthe fact that India continues to be awe-inspiring opposition athome, also served to confirm the strengths and weaknesses of thehosts. Touching upon the former, one must first mention theHarbhajan Singh – Anil Kumble duo. The two look well on coursefor taking their place in the honoured list of the great Indianspinning pairs of the past ­ Subhash Gupte and Vinoo Mankad, BSChandrasekhar and Bishan Singh Bedi, and Erapalli Prasanna andBedi. The two complement each other perfectly, and notunexpectedly, they have showered praise on one another.In his 32nd year, Kumble, with over 300 wickets in the bag, is atthe peak of his powers, while his partner, 10 years younger,obviously has his better days ahead of him. Indian cricket’sstrongest point, for some years now, has been its middle-orderbatting, but the time is not far off, I venture to guess, whenthis accolade passes on to the spin duo, who shared 28 wickets inthe two Tests.Speaking of the middle-order batting, the series against Zimbabwesaw this mighty aspect lose nothing of the aura surrounding itfor some time now. Sachin Tendulkar made his customary hundred,while Rahul Dravid used the opportunity to get into his groovefollowing treatment to a shoulder injury. If there is a suddenquestion mark over VVS Laxman, who only a year ago had scaled newpeaks and was hailed as a Messiah, it is heartening to know thatVirender Sehwag and Sanjay Bangar are around to fill that vitalnumber six slot in the middle order.But what was most encouraging was Sourav Ganguly finally strikingform. The Indian captain has always been a classy player, but hisextended bad run saw some critics baying for his blood. I, forone, did not join the growing list of detractors. To me,Ganguly’s case will always be paralleled with that of GundappaViswanath who too, more than once during his 91-Test career, wentthrough a bad patch that led to the “experts” calling for hisremoval. The selectors, however, displayed more wisdom than thedetractors, and the Karnataka stylist repaid this confidencehandsomely. Similarly, I can only see Ganguly getting better andbetter from here on.Shiv Sunder Das, I have always believed, is on course toovertaking Navjot Singh Sidhu as the finest Indian openingbatsman in the post-Gavaskar period. The just-concluded seriesconfirmed this view. It can also be taken as confirmed that DeepDasgupta has played his last Test match. The doors are now wideopen for Ajay Ratra, who can grab this opportunity to cement hisplace in the side as a specialist wicket-keeper whose batting isa bonus. Bangar, who opens the batting for Railways, could be asuitable contender to become Das’ partner at the top of theorder.

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There was little wrong with the new ball attack, with JavagalSrinath and Zaheer Khan capable of making the earlybreakthroughs. The latter was particularly impressive, his speed,swing, line and length all having the Zimbabwe batsmen hopping.As far as home conditions go, I emphasise, there seems to be noproblem with the Indian attack, and it is to be hoped that Bangarwill work on his bowling skills to become the kind of all-rounderthat Indian cricket has needed for so long.A word about the visitors. In a nutshell, they proved to begallant losers. They were badly outplayed at Nagpur, but within afew days, they were able to raise the level of their game severalnotches to run India pretty close at the Kotla. Overall, however,their batsmen found Kumble and Harbhajan too hot to handle, whilethe bowlers were no match for the run-hungry Indian batsmen.But a bright future surely awaits Ray Price. The 25-year-oldleft-arm spinner displayed tenacity of purpose, a tantalisinglength and line, besides biting turn on a pitch that was onlyslightly helpful. Even the reputation of being the best playersof spin did not aid the Indian batsmen in overcoming the guilesof Price, and however long he plays the game, the fact that hedismissed Tendulkar three times running ­ twice for scores lessthan 50 ­ could remain his proudest achievement.

	Sachin Tendulkar: “It was truly a pleasure to be out there in the middle and get runs in front of the Australian crowd.” © Getty Images

Sachin Tendulkar admitted that he hadn’t looked at the scoreboard when he was in the nineties, not wanting to think of missing out on a hundred yet again. Tendulkar endured seven scores in the nineties in the last year and said he would savour this hundred as a special one.”It was a little different this time because in 2007 I missed a lot of hundreds and I didn’t want that to continue,” he said referring to his string of dismissals in the nineties, including three on 99. “I wanted to move on and the beginning of the new year is extremely important. It came at the right time so I am happy about that.”I didn’t look at the scoreboard, to be honest. I was just sharing my opinion with Harbhajan about how to go on with the innings and build our partnership and continue and that was the prime focus. That kept my mind pre-occupied with a lot of things.”Harbhajan joined Tendulkar after a mini-collapse, when India lost four wickets for 52 runs in 14.5 overs. “I had to re-think the strategy as we lost four wickets in that period. We had to plan little different. One big partnership was important.”The striking feature of this innings was Tendulkar’s decision to trust the tailenders, even if it was No. 11 Ishant Sharma, who’s previous 13 first-class innings had produced just 15 runs. “It was our strategy,” he said. “For me there was just one fielder at gully saving one otherwise all were virtually on the boundary line or half-way down. To try something stupid and get out would have been unwise.”I thought if runs had come earlier with Harbhajan and RP Singh, the same strategy should be applied. Ishant scored some important 23-24 runs. What eventually matters is the partnership and not who takes the initiative. We had these calculations going our way.”Tendulkar’s innings was greeted with such a tremendous response that it often appeared he was the home batsman. “I am very happy with the way the crowd have supported us. Australians are known for that, they enjoy good cricket, they enjoy competitive cricket and it makes the players feel it’s worthwhile to have the spectators to enjoy the game in the right spirit. They know and understand the game very well. It was truly a pleasure to be out there in the middle and get runs in front of the Australian crowd.”Was the SCG, where he now averages 326, his favourite ground? “It is one of my favourite grounds,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed batting here and it has truly been a memorable one. Sometimes you walk on the field and it gives you good feelings. It is one of those grounds.”

John Wright says that even though he’s not a New Zealand selector, now he has been appointed as acting high performance manager for NZC, he will certainly be offering his opinions. Wright was appointed in the role on Friday as a replacement for Ric Charlesworth.Wright hopes he is chosen as a selector when the rotation rolls around next year.”That may evolve,” he told The . “In the meantime I’d like to be able to give my opinion on the subject, in fact I will.”Wright denied he has been underemployed since taking the role in August, with New Zealand struggling in South Africa under John Bracewell. “That’s a matter of opinion,” he said. “It is not like you can come in and wave a wand overnight.”He said the chief executive wanted him to focus on settling in first. “Justin Vaughan said to me ‘Look, I want you to get to know how it works for the first few months’ and that is what I’ve done. Now I’ve got a fair understanding of where we are at and probably what is needed really.”While he would one day consider being an international coach again, at the moment his focus is on being high performance manager. “I coached at the top level for nearly five years, I wouldn’t rule it out again, but I’m pretty excited about this role. I can help drive performance at all levels of New Zealand cricket.”And he expressed his sympathies for Bracewell’s current situation as coach of a team that was in some trouble. “I’ve known John for a long time and it is not a nice situation losing.”He revealed his methods of getting New Zealand cricket back on track. “I’m a bit old fashioned. We need to get back to the real basics of hard work. To me it is not rocket science.”If you want to get to the top you have to have a very good set of basic skills and be able to produce them at any stage, in any situation, and that requires a lot of work. The great players that I played with and coached had one thing in common, they all had very sound technique. That is what I need and if anyone is not like that then we have to think about that.”

Taylor’s prize wicket: ‘We all know how dangerous Inzi is and I was very happy with it.’ © Getty Images

Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, was full of praise for the West Indies ona day when the tourists established a firm foothold in the second Test.Pakistan succumbed to a second career five-wicket haul from Jerome Taylorand Corey Collymore in the morning session, losing their last six wicketsfor only 94 runs, all out for a disappointing 357.Adding to their discomfiture, no West Indian wickets fell as Chris Gayle andDaren Ganga put on 151 runs by the end of the day, both men scoringfifties. Woolmer acknowledged the swing in fortunes to reporters after theday’s close. “West Indies had a very good day today. I thought Gayle andGanga batted extremely well and made it hard work for our bowlers. Theyplayed Danish Kaneria well because I thought he bowled a good spell.”The damage was done though by the West Indian bowling and Woolmerrecognized their efforts with the new ball, taken first thing in themorning. “The ball started swinging and that was crucial. They bowledextremely well with the new ball and produced some excellent deliveries.We would have obviously liked to score more runs.”The collapse was initiated early, Taylor removing Inzamam-ul-Haq with oneof the excellent deliveries Woolmer mentioned. Speared in to his pads, itcut away sharply and caught his edge; squared up, Inzamam looked to havebeen beaten by a fast leg-break. Taylor happily called it a prize wicket.”We all know how dangerous Inzi is and I was very happy with it.”At the other end, Collymore pulled out an unstinting, behemoth spell of 15overs. Taylor said, “He kept up the pressure from the other end and reallybowled well.” He might have added without any fortune, as two catches weredropped off his bowling and batsmen beaten regularly. It has been his fatethus far in the series.The tourists moved into a robust position by the end of the day, at 151for no loss, 206 runs behind. A first Test victory in Pakistan for 16years is more tangible than it has been at any time since, during whichthey have suffered four heavy Test defeats on the trot. Much work remainsto be done and the pitch is showing no signs of offering help tobowlers.”The wicket is not conducive to fast bowling and there is still a lot ofwork to be done. It actually gets better for batting. But we just have tobowl in the right areas and if we can do that again, then we aredefinitely in with a chance,” said Taylor.

AB de Villiers’s take on his woeful one-day record: ‘If it’s your day you can get 150, if not, you get nothing.’ © Getty Images

South Africa have tasted success ahead of the first one-day match at Hyderabad, beginning November 16, as they raced to a comfortable eight-wicket victory in a warm-up match against the Hyderabad Board XI yesterday.Good performances from Andrel Nel (3 for 14) and Johan Botha, the offspinner, restricted the opposition to just 127. Botha took 3 for 34 in his 10 overs, impressing with the sharp bounce and turn he extracted from the pitch, and justifying the selectors’ decision to include him as their specialist spinner for the tour to India.Speaking to , Graeme Smith, the South African captain, said Botha’s performance, though against a weaker team, was just the start the team was looking for. “I was very satisfied with the spin Johan achieved. Even our opponents’ spinners did not get the same kind of movement. He changes his speed and also has good control. We don’t want to put too much pressure on him too soon and I think the tour will be valuable experience for him.” Botha is expected to make his debut in Wednesday’s match at Hyderabad as Smith and Mickey Arthur, the coach, have indicated that the same team could play.Smith himself scored 44 and AB de Villiers top scored with an unbeaten 56 as South Africa easily ran down the Hyderabad Board XI’s meager total. Speaking on de Villier’s knock, Smith said that it was good to see him among the runs, adding that he looked comfortable once settled in. “I think the time AB spent at the crease will do a lot for his self confidence. Net practice is just not the same,” he said.de Villiers, who struggled in the recent one-day series against New Zealand, remains unperturbed by his run of low scores in the shorter format of the game. “My form most of the time has been very good, in fact it’s been a while since I’ve been in such good form. (Unfortunately) the runs are just not coming, but… it’s just a question of time,” de Villiers told . “It’s just the nature of one-day cricket; if you’re a little bit unlucky then you can get five ducks in a row. If it’s your day you can get 150, if not, you get nothing.” South Africa will hope for the aggressive opener to fire as they look to continue their fine record of 19 matches without a loss.In the 12 one-day matches he has played in, de Villiers has yet to make a noteworthy score, and an average of just 17 seems way below what is expected of an audacious strokemaker. However, he is confident that a big score is around the corner, adding that adapting to Indian surfaces is not a major worry. “It’s just in the mind I think. There are a few small things, nothing major. You’re looking to play straight, the ball stays low and it swings for the first five overs.” With Irfan Pathan, the medium fast bowler, getting the ball to move a fair amount in India’s 6-1 drubbing of Sri Lanka, de Villiers is well aware of the threat that he poses at the start of the innings. “It swings more than in South Africa. So your technique needs to be perfect for the first five overs. But once you’re set it’s much easier.”In a surprise move, Justin Ontong was announced as replacement while Andrew Hall, Albie Morkel and Robbie Peterson did not make the team. Even though Ontong was included in the squad as batsman, Smith and the team management have decided to use him as an allrounder. “Onters can deliver a few overs as spinner, while we can also bat him at No.3 to get the most from him in the 20 overs when fielding restrictions apply,” Smith said. “To give guys exposure to the conditions here are exactly what we said we would do on this tour.”The first of five one-day matches begins November 16 at Hyderabad, and is the only day match.

England 95 for 4 (Strauss 45) trail South Africa 441 (Kallis 149, Boje 76, Smith 74, Flintoff 4-79) by 346 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Jacques Kallis reaches his 19th Test hundred – he went on to score 149© Getty Images

After five sessions of fairly uneventful fare, the Cape Town Test exploded into life in the late-afternoon sunshine as South Africa struck back to leave England tottering on 95 for 4 in reply to their 441. In 14 overs England lost four wickets for 43 runs in an hour as Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock and Charl Langeveldt took full advantage of the foundations laid by Jacques Kallis’s 149 earlier in the day.Almost all the the first two sessions had belonged to Kallis, who lowered his anchor yesterday morning and never looked likely to leave harbour until he finally nibbled at one of countless balls he faced which were speared wide of his off stump. And then, just as England seemed to be on cruise control, Ntini removed Marcus Trescothick, and the three more wickets that fell in the final hour turned the match on its head.All four dismissals had the faint odour of sloppiness. Trescothick (28) started the slide, playing an uncharacteristically loose stroke, looking to work Ntini over gully, but instead diverting the ball straight to Herschelle Gibbs (52 for 1).Enter Robert Key, in good batting form according to statisticians – he has two hundreds in his last three first-class innings. However, the most recent of those was more than three and a half months ago, and like a boxer with hours in the gym but no fights, Key looked ring-rusty. He edged his first ball short of the slips and gloved his fifth, attempting to hook Shaun Pollock, to AB de Villiers for 0 (55 for 2).Michael Vaughan, who started the day in the local hospital after being struck in the nets by James Anderson, looked equally out of sorts. Twice he edged through the slips, before on 11 he nibbled and edged to give Langeveldt his first Test wicket (70 for 3). Vaughan’s footwork was uncertain, and with 64 runs in five innings so far in this series his one-day form in Zimbabwe seems a distant memory.

Shaun Pollock celebrates dismissing Robert Key for a duck© Getty Images

While Andrew Strauss, England’s answer to Kallis, stood firm at the other end there was a feeling of well-being. But in the penultimate over, he dragged Ntini into his stumps and the celebrations on the field and the silence of the large English contingent spoke volumes. He had made 45 – a virtual failure by his own remarkable form in 2004 – and in his innings he had reached 1000 Test runs (only three Englishmen – Herbert Sutcliffe, Len Hutton and Wally Hammond – have reached that milestone quicker) but that counted for nothing as he traipsed off (95 for 4).On a pitch which most pundits expected to be good and remain that way, South Africa started the day looking for a minimum of 400. That they got there, and more, was down to Kallis’s obduracy and some spirited late-order biffing from Nicky Boje (76). England’s over-rate was poor, their line was defensive, and it was hardly thrilling fare for the capacity crowd.At times in this series it has seemed that Kallis has been all that has kept South Africa’s batting from falling apart completely. After his epic innings at Durban, and gritty resistance yesterday, he was even more subdued today aside from a mid-morning flurry of strokes. He was a victim of his own success. Vaughan recognised that cramping Kallis would stem runs and add pressure on the other batsmen, and so his bowlers tried to do just that. An unappetising number of balls passed harmlessly wide of the bat, and for his part Kallis seemed content to carry on rather than to counterattack.England were just about on top until Kallis and Boje combined in an eighth-wicket stand of 104 in which, somewhat surprisingly, Boje took the lead. Much of the afternoon was what pundits described as “good old-fashioned Test cricket”. Those who had paid to watch it might have been less charitable. The sizable English contingent blamed the batsmen, the locals blamed the bowlers. At least the bars did a healthy trade.

Nicky Boje hits over the top on his way to 76© Getty Images

Boje might be No. 9 but he has pretensions to be a middle-order batsman, with some justification as he has two one-day international hundreds to his name. He grew in confidence, and just as England’s policy of containment began to wobble, Kallis fenced at one wide of the off stump – similar to countless he had left during his innings – and was caught by Geraint Jones.But he had a tough start as Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard opened up with blistering spells. From the first ball of the day, when Harmison rapped Kallis on the gloves, the batsmen looked far less at ease than they had done. The second ball dumped Kallis on his backside, and before the half-hour was out he had been given a thorough working over.Hoggard made the breakthrough when Hashim Amla was undone by a combination of suspect footwork – once again he was stuck back in his crease – and another poor decision from Daryl Harper, who gave him leg-before when, even before the endless replays started, the ball looked to have struck the batsman far too high (261 for 5). But Kallis weathered the storm, and with an assured AB de Villiers saw off the opening salvo and gradually began to reassert some kind of order to proceedings.Kallis reached his 19th Test hundred, and his seventh in nine outings at home, and carried on remorselessly. While his concentration never wavered, his middle-order colleagues proved less adhesive. de Villiers was bowled by Ashley Giles, using his feet to convert a half-volley into a full toss which he played all round. He made 18 and until that rush of blood looked a good candidate to keep Kallis company for some time (308 for 6). Giles bowled well, extracting considerable turn.Pollock, clearly ill-at-ease with his battered and bruised hands, came and went for a brief 4, Geraint Jones catching a thin but audible edge off Andrew Flintoff (313 for 7).After Kallis departed, Ntini’s innings lasted two balls, but he would have noticed with interest the working over Langeveldt received from Flintoff and Harmison. Langeveldt was struck on the left hand trying to avoid a bouncer, a blow which left him in considerable discomfort.But Vaughan’s wicket was the ideal pain-killer for Langeveldt, and by the end of the day it was England who were in need of something to dull the senses.

1st Grade – Two-Day CompetitionSt Albans 58.75,LPW 42.26,East Shirley 27.93,HSOB 15.99,Old Collegians 15.75,BWU 15.53,Sydenham 12.45,Marist 10.82,Riccarton 9.68.1st Grade – One-Day CompetitionEast Shirley 18,Riccarton 18,St.Albans 18,HSOB 12,BWU 6,Canterbury Country 6,LPW 6,Marist 6,Old Collegians 0,Sydenham 0.2nd Grade – Two-day CompetitionOld Collegians 59.57,Riccarton 32.45,BWU 30.17,East Shirley A 20.66,Sydenham 18.65,East Shirley Budgies 18.07,Marist 17.23,HSOB 16.47,LPW 15.59,St.Albans 14.37.2nd Grade – One-day CompetitionEast Shirley A 18Old Collegians 18,East Shirley Budgies 12,HSOB 12,LPW 12,Marist 6,Sydenham 6,BWU 6,Riccarton 0,St Albans 0.3rd Grade GoldBWU Maroon 55.67,LPW 51.72,St Albans 33.58,HSOB Cavaliers 32.76,BWU Gold 28.13,Old Collegians 27.73,Sydenham 21.62,Riccarton 16.6,East Shirley Gold 16.11,East Shirley Blue 11.67.3rd Grade Red – Two-Day Competition:Christ College 60.96,Christchurch Boys HS 34.05,St Andrew’s College 32.74,Shirley Boys HS 31.31,Timaru Boys HS 18.64,St Thomas 11.46,St Bedes 10.76,Burnside HS 9.12.3rd Grade BlackChristchurch Boys HS Blue* 61.48,St Andrew’s College 46.87,Christ’s College 34.48,Shirley Boys HS 31.86,Burnside HS* 21.1,Christchurch Boys HS Black 16.48,Christchurch Boys HS Red 11.59,Riccarton HS 6.09,St Bedes 4.11.4th GradeSt Albans B 25,Old Collegians Cavs 20,LPW Yabbage 17,St Albans A 17,East Shirley Hooters 15,Burnside West 10,Marist 5,Sydenham Muppets 5.5th Grade:LPW Yaks 27,Riccarton Gold 25,St Albans 22,Riccarton Hogs 15,Burnside West SNCC 17,Burnside West Maroon 10,Burnside West Blue 5,Burnside West Gold 5,Old Collegians Tan 0,Old Colls Gold 0.6th GradeSt Albans 22,Sydenham Blue 20,Sydenham Red 20,Burnside West 17,Marist Fozzie Bear’s 12,Marist Gold 10,Lancaster Park Woolston 7,Parklands 5,Old Collegians SGC 0.Presidents Grade:East Shirley Gold 27,Riccarton+ 27,Sumner Misfits 22,Sydenham 25,Hospital 17,Burnside West 15,High School Old Boys 15,LPW Gladiators 15,St Albans Gold 15,LPW Red 10,East Shirley Blue 7,St Albans Blue 7,Old Collegians 5,Marist 0.+denotes holder of the G.Frampton Challenge CupWomen’s Cricket1st Grade – One-Day Competition:Lancaster Park Woolston 20,St Alban’s 20,Old Colls/Country 10,East Shirley 0.1st Grade – Two-Day Competition:St Alban’s 4,East Shirley 2,Lancaster Park Woolston 2,Old Colls/Country 1.1st Reserve:Sydenham 42,St Alban’s 30,Riccarton 28,Burnside West 11,Old Colls/Country 10,East Shirley 8.2nd Grade:St Alban’s 27,Lancaster Park Woolston 25,Sydenham 17,Harewood 15,Old Colls/Country 5.3rd Grade:St Albans 27,Hornby 20,Riccarton 17,Sydenham 12,Burnside West 10,Lancaster Park Woolston 2.4th Grade Sen Trad Girls:St Albans Gold 27,Lancaster Park Woolston 20,Hornby 15,St Albans Grammar 15,Old Colls/Country 10,East Shirley 2.

St.Kilda all-rounder Nick Jewell will make his ING Cup debut when the Bushrangers tackle the Queensland Bulls at the GABBA on Friday.In the only change, Jewell comes in for Jason Arnberger who will miss with a back injury. His elevation comes after registering his second century last week, in the ACB Cup competition this year against the England Cricket Academy at the MCG.The son of Victorian football identity Tony Jewell and a former Richmond footballer himself, Jewell was looking forward to the match. “I’ve been happy with my improvement over the season and feel I am ready to contribute to the side at the next level. Cricket has always been my passion and to get this opportunity is very exciting”.In other Victorian cricket news, the Second XI travel to Perth on Sunday to take on W.A in a clash likely to determine the 2001/02 ACB Cup champion.Captain Damien Fleming will spearhead the Vics bowling line up after some encouraging recent form against the England Cricket Academy and in Victorian Premier Cricket.BUSHRANGERS ING Cup team to play QLD Bulls at the GABBA on 1/2/02
Matthew Elliott (c), Rob Bartlett, Brad Hodge, Michael Klinger, Nick Jewell, Jon Moss, Andrew McDonald, Darren Berry, Ian Hewett, Damien Fleming, Mick Lewis, Mathew Inness.Victorian ACB Cup team to play WA in Perth from Monday Feb 4-7th
Damien Fleming (c), Tim Welsford, Andrew Kent, Nick Jewell, Andrew McDonald, David Hussey, Peter Roach, John Davison, Bryce McGain, Brett Harrop, Anthony McQuire, Will Carr.

If the New Zealand Cricket Academy sent a team to participate in theBuchi Babu Invitation Tournament 2000 to gain experience on subcontinent wickets, they seem to have achieved that already. Afterrocking Tamil Nadu Districts XI out for a paltry 153 on the first day,the visitors began the second day on 34/1.Although Jacob Oram managed to pile on a brisk 54 and Aaron Redmondhelped himself to a sedate 71, the day belonged well and truly toNorthern Districts batsman Hamish Marshall. At the crease unconqueredat the end of the day, Hamish Marshall had a massive 155 to his name.His knock alone surpassed the combined score of the Tamil NaduDistricts XI team. The stocky batsmen who usually bats around numbersix, was in commanding form. Spinners and pacemen alike could notdislodge him as he crossed landmark after landmark. Although he didnot clear the ropes even once in his stay at the crease, he pepperedthe boundary with 19 strokes.Hamish Marshall flourished especially luxuriously in the company ofJames Franklin, who led New Zealand Under-19s not so long ago in theWorld Cup at Sri Lanka. Franklin rotated the strike around well andwhen the partnership was finally broken, the pair had added 120.Earlier in the day, Jacob Oram combined with Marshall to notch up aquick partnership of over 150 from 43.4 overs.When stumps was called, New Zealand had lost 8 wickets, but that washardly of any consequence as they were far ahead of the Tamil NaduDistricts XI score. At 382/8, the Kiwis had added nearly 350 runs onthe second day of this three day game. The New Zealand Academy XI willno doubt press hard tomorrow for an outright win.

Tonight brings arguably Manchester United’s most important game of the season so far as they host Atletico Madrid at Old Trafford in the second leg of their Champions League tie, and it’s all to play for after a 1-1 stalemate in Madrid.

This season has been yet another disappointment for fans with the side crashing out of both domestic competitions earlier than planned and are now in a very tight top-four race that could see the side end the season without a Champions League qualification spot in the Premier League, only heightening the desperation for progression in the European competition now.

With that being said, Ralf Rangnick must impose their best-attacking threats on their opponents to not only get an early lead in front of their home fans but to see out the game comfortably and with confidence. Therefore, the German coach must not ignore how out of form some of the players are currently and select those who have made an impact in the last few weeks.

The player who has put Manchester United in the position of power going into this decider tie is Anthony Elanga, who scored the equaliser in the final moments of the first game away at the Metropolitano Stadium, giving the team the crucial lifeline they needed ahead of their game at Old Trafford.

It’s very clear that Marcus Rashford is out of form for the Red Devils and Rangnick must realise that starting the struggling winger could be more of a hindrance than a help against the Spanish side this evening, especially since he hasn’t scored since January. Albeit more experienced in these pressured games, swapping out the 24-year-old for a young, goal-hungry Elanga would be more advantageous for the team.

The 19-year-old attacker who was hailed a “dream come true” by his manager Rangnick, has scored twice now in the last couple of weeks for Manchester United during a combined total of 38 minutes on the pitch. That is extremely impressive for the £3.6m-rated young talent and shouldn’t be overlooked by the manager when he makes his team selection today.

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Crashing out of the Champions League would be the final nail in the coffin of a disastrous season for Man United, and considering the team are playing at home in the final leg, Rangnick is under huge amounts of pressure to deliver in the decider. If he doesn’t the side could be in a sticky situation when it comes to European football next term.

In other news: Get rid: Ralf must bin £78k-p/w MUFC dud who lost the ball every 3 touches on Saturday…