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Peter Roebuck fell to his death from his Cape Town hotel room while being questioned by police about an alleged sexual assault, it has been reported

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2011Peter Roebuck fell to his death from his Cape Town hotel room while being questioned by police about an alleged sexual assault, it has been reported. A police statement said the circumstances surrounding Roebuck’s suicide were being investigated.Western Cape provincial police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk was quoted by Reuters as saying that “a cricket commentator committed suicide by jumping from the sixth floor of his hotel.” He died on impact.A report in the , Roebuck’s employers, said he was questioned in his room at the Southern Sun Hotel by a Cape Town detective and a uniformed police officer from the sexual crimes unit from around 9 pm.Roebuck, who the report said was agitated, asked a fellow cricket journalist for help. ”Can you come down to my room quickly? I’ve got a problem,” he said. He asked for help to find a lawyer and for contact to be made with the students he helped to house in Pietermaritzburg, near Durban.Minutes later, the reported, Roebuck fell to his death from a window. It is believed only the uniformed officer was in the room. Paramedics rushed to the hotel but Roebuck was pronounced dead.Police established a crime scene and took personal items from the room, including a laptop.Colonel Vishnu Naidoo of the South African Police Services, told ESPNcricinfo that they suspect no foul play and that it was a suicide. He said there would be an inquest, after which the SAPS would make a statement; he said he expected that to be “next month”.In 2001 Roebuck received a suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to common assault for caning three young South African cricketers he had been coaching. ”Obviously I misjudged the mood and that was my mistake and my responsibility, and I accept that,” he’d said at the time.

The pundits find it hard to arrive at a consensus over the most likely candidate capable of filling the void created by Dravid’s departure

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Mar-2012Rahul Dravid left cricket assuring everyone that India had an abundance of batting talent which could easily fill in the No. 3 slot he has left vacant. The pundits however find it hard to arrive at a consensus over the most likely candidate capable of filling the void created by Dravid’s departure. Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, S Badrinath, Ajinkya Rahane and even VVS Laxman were all the names that came up as men well-equipped in both mind and with bat in hand to tackle the various hurdles faced by a one-down batsman.”The first and obvious choices would be some of the guys who were already there in the reserves in Australia,” a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. He said even the likes of Manoj Tiwary and Punjab youngster Mandeep Singh were on the selectors’ roster along with the above names. “People who are performing at the domestic level would be in the fray. Finally it depends on who clicks at the right time,” the source said.The chief parameter the selectors would look out for, the board insider said, was the player’s ability to perform on the overseas tours especially in Australia, England and South Africa. “One of the most important things is batsman needs to be a good player of fast and short bowling on overseas wickets. At home it is easy. Except for Sachin [Tendulkar] and Rahul, nobody averages above 50 overseas,” he said.Pujara, after his determined 72 on debut against Australia in the Bangalore Test that India won, would seem to be a readymade replacement for Dravid. Again though, not everyone was in agreement. “He has not scored runs in the Ranji Trophy matches after he came back from injury. Also, he has had two surgeries, so with regards to fitness, he could be a concern,” the board official said. Pujara played four Ranji Trophy matches for Saurashtra this season and scored just 200 runs with two fifties. Subsequently, he led West Zone in the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals, but scored just 57 runs in the two innings with 55 in the first.VB Chandrasekhar, the former national selector, said it would not be a bad idea to reinstate Laxman to the No.3 spot. “If they are going to still continue with Laxman, he should be the No.3 for the short term,” he said. But the board official disagreed, saying a more healthy approach would be to think long-term. With India playing their next three Test series (against New Zealand, England and Australia) at home, the selectors had a good opportunity to blood a young talent.What also does not help Laxman’s cause is that he has weaker away record compared to batting at the No. 3 spot at home. Overall, Laxman has made 1611 runs across 23 Tests in that position at an average of 44.75 with four centuries. But in 28 away innings, he averages only 34.40 with a tally of 929 runs compared to 682 runs at 75.77 in nine innings in India, including his highest Test score of 281 in 2001 against Australia at Kolkata. And outside Asia, in 24 innings he has just 797 runs at 33.20 with two hundreds.If he has to look beyond Laxman, Chandrasekhar said he cannot see too many choices beyond Kohli or Rohit. Chandrasekhar qualified his answer by citing the parameters necessary to be a one-down batsman. “Dravid was successful for two reasons primarily. Considering India had a host of top-order batsmen who were aggressive and if there was an early loss of a wicket, it (situation) required him to come and stonewall. Also, if India had a good start, the team needed someone to sustain the momentum and Dravid did the job successfully again.”Aakash Chopra, the former Indian Test opener, said the selectors had the right opportunity now to actually hit upon a long-term No.3 batsman. Though he is a fan of Pujara, Chopra said his other choice would be Badrinath, who played two Tests in the homes series against South Africa in 2010 but never played again. “He has been the prolific batsman on the domestic circuit,” Chopra said. “Allow him to be there for a while and see how it goes.”Chopra said even if age was not exactly on his side, Badrinath had the right fitness, attitude and experience to compete with the youth. “He might be on the wrong side of 30s so to speak, but he is as fit as, or even fitter, than anybody else. And he knows how to score big runs.”Badrinath’s case inside the board, however, does not have much support. “Not only is he 30-plus, but he has been tested already. He is a good player at domestic level but unfortunately does not seem to fit at the highest level.” The official said the selectors would not be bothered even if the player was inexperienced as long as they felt he had the X-factor. He even cited the example of the Rahul Sharma, the Punjab legspinner, who was criticised as a gamble.”Some have that and some don’t. When the selectors picked Rahul Sharma, they were criticised because he had only played a handful of first-class matches and hardly got any wickets. But he has bowled well in whatever matches he has played. It was a gamble but the selectors had faith in him,” the official said.Asked if Kohli was not being groomed for the No.4 slot once Sachin Tendulkar retires, the board source said the selectors would have to keep their options open. “Depends. Three to six are slots where a lot of places would open up as the selectors would have to look beyond the seniors.”Edited by Kanishkaa Balachandran

Sunderland return to action today as they travel away from the Stadium of Light to face Wigan at the DW Stadium in League One.

The Latics are currently second in the table and chasing top-of-the-league Rotherham, whilst the Black Cats have fallen to sixth.

Alex Neil is still looking for his first win in charge of the club after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Burton Albion last time out in the league.

How many changes will he make to the team? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side, with Jack Clarke, Elliot Embleton and Dan Neil all coming in.

Starting off in the midfield, Neil could come back into the XI in place of Jay Matete to partner Corry Evans in the middle of the park. The Stadium of Light academy product was on the bench earlier this week but has started 30 times in League One and could be recalled to the side after being rested.

Sunderland could opt to change their shape back to a 4-2-3-1 instead of the 4-4-2 they went with last week, with Embleton coming in to start in the number 10 role. This would leave Jermain Defoe being dropped to the bench after his dismal showing against Burton.

His disappointing performance should result in him being named as a substitute, with Neil having him as an option to impact the game late on. Embleton can then come in and look to dictate the game and create chances in the hole behind the striker, whilst linking up with the other midfielders in the side.

Finally, we are predicting that Clarke will come in for Lynden Gooch to play out wide. The latter has one goal and zero assists in his last 12 outings for the club and it could be time for the on-loan winger from Spurs to show what he can do from the start.

Clarke provided two key passes and was successful with both of his attempted dribbles in just 20 minutes off the bench against Burton, showing that he can be a threat in the final third at this level. Therefore, Neil must axe the £5k-per-week American dud and offer the Englishman an opportunity in the XI.

We are predicting that the rest of the players will keep their spots, with Anthony Patterson, Carl Winchester, Bailey Wright, Callum Doyle, Dennis Cirkin, Evans, Alex Pritchard and Ross Stewart also starting.

AND in other news, Speakman avoided huge £6m SAFC transfer nightmare in January, he’s Will Grigg 2.0…

Zaheer Khan, the India fast bowler, has said his recovery from ankle surgery has been slow but positive so far, and that he has not set a time-frame for his return to international cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2011Zaheer Khan, the India fast bowler, has said his recovery from ankle surgery has been slow but positive so far, and that he has not set a timeframe for his return to international cricket.”The first phase of my rehab programme went off pretty well,” Zaheer told the media after receiving India’s Arjuna Award from the country’s sports minister in New Delhi on Monday. “I have started with the second phase of my rehab. I will soon be going to the National Cricket Academy. My progress has been slow but positive.”To start bowling, I have to get back the full strength in my ankle. Then I might play a few club matches or first-class matches. I am taking one day at a time and not setting any targets.”Zaheer was originally diagnosed with a hamstring injury during India’s first Test against England at Lord’s in July this year, but was later ruled out of the remainder of the series with a right ankle impingement that required surgery followed by a 14-16 week period of rehabilitation. When asked whether he was eyeing India’s tour of Australia later this year as a target for his return, Zaheer said he was simply taking it day by day.”I have not decided on any date but I will be back very soon. It’s frustrating not to play at the highest level. But you can only control [only] the ‘controllables’ and be patient.”Commenting on the India team for the home one-day series against England, Zaheer said he expects the dropped Harbhajan Singh to fight his way back into the squad. “Harbhajan has produced great performances for the country. I am sure that he will be back soon, as he is too good a player to be left out. He has a lot of fire in him and he is a strong character.India’s bowling attack struggled in England without Zaheer’s leadership and ability, and he said knowing how much the team needs him spurs him on to perform better. “It always acts as a motivation when your team needs you. I don’t think the over-dependence on me adds to any pressure, rather it feels good to go to sleep with this kind of expectation. Hopefully, I will be back soon to play that role again.”

A selection of the leading Associate and Affiliate players will get their chance to compete against the No. 1 Test team in the world next month

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2011A selection of the leading Associate and Affiliate players, led by Ireland captain William Porterfield, will get their chance to compete against England, the No. 1 Test team in the world, next month after it was confirmed they will form part of England’s preparations for the Test series against Pakistan in the UAE.The team, which will be under the banner of an ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate (AM) XI, will face England from January 7-9 at the Global Cricket Academy in Dubai where players from countries below Test level regularly make use of the facilities for training. The team includes three Afghanistan players – pace bowler Hamid Hassan, allrounder Mohammad Nabi and batsman Mohammad Shahzad – while Porterfield is joined by Ireland team-mates Boyd Rankin and George Dockrell.ICC Combined AM XI

William Porterfield (captain, Ireland), Saqib Ali (UAE), Kyle Coetzer (Scotland), George Dockrell (Ireland), Majid Haq (Scotland), Hamid Hassan (Afghanistan), Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan), Boyd Rankin (Ireland), Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan), Paul Stirling (Ireland), Christi Viljoen (Namibia) and Craig Williams (Namibia)

Rankin has been part of the England Lions set up, and is currently at a fast-bowling camp in Potchefstroom, while Dockrell, the left-arm spinner who plays for Somerset, is also on the England radar after making an impressive start to his Ireland career. Porterfield, Rankin and Dockrell were all involved in the famous World Cup match in Bangalore when Ireland beat England.”It will be a great honour for me to lead out the Associate and Affiliate team against the No. 1 team in the longer format of the game,” Porterfield said. “If you look through their squad they are full of world-class cricketers and it will be a great test for us against whatever XI they put out.”Another challenge we face is coming together as a group ourselves; we have played against each other a few times but we will have to gel pretty quickly in the few days preparation we have in order to put in a good performance. As this is such a great chance for all the individuals to showcase their talent against the No. 1 Test team in the world, I do not see this being an issue at all.”Staging the series in the UAE, which is Pakistan’s ‘home’ venue while they can’t play in their own country, has created the issue of finding suitable warm-up opposition for England. The second game ahead of the Test series will see England face a Pakistan Board XI from January 11-13.Pakistan, meanwhile, will prepare for the one-day series in February with a one-day international against Afghanistan. England will face their own Lions squad as they did on their previous visit to the UAE in 2010 when they played two Twenty20s against Pakistan. On that occasion the Lions beat the full team and the match saw the emergence of Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter as the opening partnership that played in the World Twenty20 in West Indies.The first of three Tests starts in Dubai on January 17 and the tour also includes four one-day internationals and three Twenty20s.

Zimbabwe have the courage and confidence to compete with and beat New Zealand in the one-off Test in Napier starting on January 26, according to the head coach Alan Butcher

Firdose Moonda18-Jan-2012Zimbabwe have the courage and confidence to compete with and beat New Zealand in the one-off Test in Napier starting on January 26, according to their head coach Alan Butcher. Since making their return to Test cricket in August last year, Butcher said the team had grown significantly from a mental perspective and are ready for their first challenge away from home in the new era.Zimbabwe endured the worst period in their cricketing history during six years of self-imposed exile from the longest form of the game. Defeats, disunity and disappointment abounded before they were able to make a commitment to rebuilding in 2010. Zimbabwe were ready for Test cricket again in August 2011 and beat Bangladesh in their comeback match in Harare. They played three series, all one-off Tests, in as many months and lost to Pakistan and New Zealand.Their defeat to New Zealand was by a margin of only 34 runs. Had they had managed to score those runs, they would have achieved a record Zimbabwean run chase. Although they didn’t, Butcher saluted the team’s efforts in just their third Test back. “People didn’t give us much of a chance so I was proud that we got that close,” he told ESPNcricinfo on the eve of Zimbabwe’s departure for New Zealand. “But I was also disappointed. We deserved to win it and to get that close and lose was disappointing.”The match highlighted one of Zimbabwe’s chief concerns on re-entering Test cricket: the inferiority complex that plagues so-called minnows, including Bangladesh. Throughout his tenure, Butcher has talked about developing Zimbabwe’s sense of self-belief and self-assuredness and as they embark on their first overseas tour as a readmitted Test nation, he says they have made progress. The results against New Zealand, which also included a record ODI chase by Zimbabwe, have helped.”I hope that the confidence we showed in those two matches will continue,” Butcher said. “In a lot of areas we showed that New Zealand can be beaten. What was really pleasing is that we did not have a bad day in the Test match, we played good cricket on all five days. And to win a one-dayer of that magnitude gave us a big boost. When we get into winning positions we have to be able to finish it off. The more times you get into a winning position, the more times you believe you can win.”One of the chief protagonists in getting Zimbabwe into situations where victory is a possibility is their captain Brendan Taylor. He scored back to back centuries in the ODIs against New Zealand and a hundred in the second innings of the Test. Taylor was offered a contract with Wellington to play in the HRV Cup as reward for his talents.Butcher said Taylor’s early experience of the New Zealand stint will help his leadership role and the team as a whole. “It’s been good to have him there, getting some inside information and insights on the conditions and a few of the players,” Butcher said. “And he has been fairly successful, which is a great feather in his cap.” Taylor was among the top 10 leading run-scorers in the Twenty20 tournament.The tour will also give some of Zimbabwe’s inexperienced Test players, particularly the bowlers, a taste of the big time. With senior seamer Chris Mpofu ruled out with a lower back injury, the third seamer’s spot is vacant. “[Kyle] Jarvis and [Brian] Vitori will be vital for us with the new ball but I would like to see one of Keegan Meth or Shingarai Masakadza do well in the third seamer’s spot,” Butcher said. “And both of them can hold a bat as well.”Graeme Cremer will also be interesting to watch. He may not get to play this time but it will be nice to see how an attacking spinner progresses.” Cremer has not been part of Zimbabwe’s comeback after a long recovery from a knee injury and may have to sit out for the experienced Ray Price if Zimbabwe opt for a safety-first approach. He is not in the ODI squad and will return to Zimbabwe, to be replaced by Prosper Utseya.From a batting perspective, Butcher said he would like to see “a couple of the fringe players” step up. “Guys like Forster Mutizwa and Regis Chakabva have good records in domestic cricket and it will be nice to see them do well. Then we will be well stocked.”Butcher said he would have loved to have had opening batsman Vusi Sibanda as part of the touring party but respected the decision of the cricket committee to exclude him. Sibanda was declared ineligible for national selection after choosing to play grade cricket in Australia and declining a Zimbabwe Cricket contract at the start of the season. He has since returned to Zimbabwe and is currently on a pay-as-you-play arrangement with the Mid-West Rhinos, which could turn into a full-time contract that will qualify him for national selection again.

Rajiv Shukla, the new IPL chairman, has said that the interests of players who are contracted to the terminated franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala will be protected

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2011Rajiv Shukla, the new IPL chairman, has said that the interests of players who are contracted to the terminated franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala will be protected. Shukla said the IPL governing council will meet in the second week of October to discuss the issues related to the termination.”Our prime concern will be the players’ interest, their interest is not hampered in terms of financial losses and also in terms of their participation in the tournament,” Shukla told . “Suppose these players are re-auctioned for some other franchise and if there is any difference in what they are supposed to get, it will be compensated by us.”So after the termination of this franchise [Kochi], now nine teams are left. The whole matter will go to the governing council and they will take a view if we should go for one more team or we should stick to nine teams. I am okay with both the plans and whatever the council decides we will go by that.”N Srinivasan, the new BCCI president, had earlier said that efforts would be made to find “an equitable solution that is viable both for the players and the BCCI.”The Kochi franchise was terminated by the BCCI at its annual general meeting on September 19 for breaching its terms of agreement. According to the BCCI the franchise was unable to furnish a new bank guarantee for 2011. Kochi denied they owed the BCCI any money and filed a case against the board in the Bombay High Court on Wednesday. The court, however, rejected Kochi’s case to restrain the BCCI from encashing its bank guarantee of Rs 156 crore. Kochi then filed an appeal against the court’s decision and a new hearing has been set for Thursday.”The status is that on the issue of non-payment, Kochi has been terminated as per the agreement between franchise and BCCI,” Shukla said. “They were supposed to pay the bank guarantee … they have gone to the court, and the court didn’t give them any relief and BCCI is entitled to encash the bank guarantee.”Shukla, however, ruled out any immediate possibility of a new owner coming in to take over Kochi. “No, now if any decision is taken, it has to be on the basis of a new bid.”

Somerset stepped up their challenge for the Division One title in the County Championship with victory by an innings and eight runs after polishing off Worcestershire for 95 at New Road

29-Jul-2011
ScorecardSomerset stepped up their challenge for the Division One title in the County Championship with victory by an innings and eight runs after polishing off Worcestershire for 95 at New Road. Peter Trego (4 for 22) spearheaded a well-balanced attack with the variety to run through the relegation-threatened home side as a wearing pitch offered bounce for the seamers and some turn for Murali Kartik.Back-to-back wins have lifted fourth-placed Somerset to within 23 points of leaders Durham although Warwickshire could be the team to watch with their game in hand on the other contenders. Somerset were the nearly men of last season when they lost the championship on the last day, but this year they are gearing up to make a late run for a prize that has always eluded them.Four of their last five matches are at home, and while results can be hard to come by on the flat pitches at Taunton, it could boil up to a decider with Lancashire, currently in second place, in the final fixture. For Worcestershire it is back to the drawing board after briefly escaping from the bottom two with a couple of home wins. Now they have to re-build from a deflating defeat after posting their highest and lowest totals of the season in the same match.Somerset bravely followed their strategy to make close to 600, which they did after a double century by Marcus Trescothick, and then bowl out Worcestershire when the pitch began to deteriorate. Overhead conditions on a gloomy morning probably gave their seamers another advantage as a number of bowling changes paid off with immediate wickets.Steve Kirby angled his second delivery across Matt Pardoe to have the opener caught at first slip and Vikram Solanki edged Trego’s fifth ball to second slip. Moeen Ali, having made a career-best 158 in the first innings, got to 10 before a top-edged pull gave Alfonso Thomas an early success and worse still for Worcestershire, this led to a clutch of wickets.Jack Manuel was bowled by Kartik from only the third ball he faced and Thomas (3 for 13) accounted for Gareth Andrew and Alexei Kervezee, the latter giving James Hildreth his fifth catch of the match. Captain Daryl Mitchell stayed for nearly two hours but went for 26 when the second ball of a new spell by Trego kept horribly low.Trego and Kartik then mopped up the last three wickets for 11 runs in six overs after lunch, leaving Ben Scott unbeaten on 15.

Michael Clarke, Australia’s stand-in captain, has defended the way he batted during the first one-day international against England at the MCG

Andrew McGlashan in Hobart20-Jan-2011Michael Clarke, Australia’s stand-in captain, has defended the way he batted during the first one-day international against England at the MCG. Australia won the match by six wickets with Shane Watson hitting an unbeaten 161, but Clarke’s 57-ball 36 threatened to stall the run chase and increased the pressure on his partner.The home supporters were clearly unimpressed as they booed Clarke when he played a dot ball and cheered when he got off strike. It continued a difficult summer for Clarke, whose popularity has taken a severe hit following off-field issues and a slump in form. Following the Ashes series, where he scored 193 runs at 21.44, and made his Test captaincy debut at Sydney, he retired from Twenty20 cricket so he could focus on his batting in the longer formats.Clarke is currently filling the No. 3 role that will be Ricky Ponting’s when he recovers from a broken finger, and he stood by his performance. “What’s important for me as the captain of this team right now is to do whatever it takes to help Australia win every game of cricket we play,” Clarke said. “I thought throughout that period when I was batting with Watto that it was important to get a partnership.”We thought in those conditions both Swann and Yardy were going to be quite tough to score off, so we had to be patient throughout that middle period. When I first walked out to bat, the ball was reverse-swinging a little bit.”It wasn’t the easiest of conditions to walk out and just smack it. Watto was playing an amazing knock and my role was to get up the other end and try not to lose wickets, try to build a partnership. We put on a hundred-run partnership which helped us set up the game.”The first ODI followed two Twenty20 matches where quick scoring was far more evident and Clarke suggested the fans needed to adjust to a change in tempo. “If people want to see fours, sixes and wickets taken every ball, that’s not international cricket,” he said. “My role will be the same it has been over the 180 one-dayers I’ve played, to play the best type of cricket I can for the team, try to help win the game. If it means I need to go steady, I go steady. If it means I come in early and need to maximise the Powerplay, well then I maximise the Powerplay.”However, while Clarke was bullish about his own performance and Australia’s victory he knows the team needs to improve after a shoddy display in the field. Brad Haddin had a poor match with three missed stumpings, while an early run-out opportunity went begging and a wicket fell to a Brett Lee no-ball. England’s 294 was their highest score against the hosts in Australia, but it could have been even more.”Our bowling and our fielding for the first 30 overs of the game was as bad as I’ve seen and played in,” Clarke said. “The whole team is aware of that. But as a batting unit, I thought we went about it the right way.”Clarke will again have to juggle a group of expensive fast bowlers with Shaun Tait likely to replace the ill Mitchell Johnson. However, he should be able to rely on some control from Nathan Hauritz, who earned the specialist spinner’s role for the World Cup and will belatedly resume his international summer.

Pakistan made a winning start to their tour of West Indies, as Mohammad Hafeez and Abdul Rehman steered them to a comfortable 68-run victory against University of West Indies vice-chancellor’s XI

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2011
ScorecardMohammad Hafeez was in compelling form during his century•Getty ImagesPakistan made a winning start to their tour of West Indies, as stand-in captain Mohammad Hafeez’s ton and Abdul Rehman’s four-wicket haul steered them to a comfortable 68-run victory against University of West Indies vice-chancellor’s XI.Pakistan chose to bat, and immediately benefited from the hosts’ generosity. Hafeez was dropped in the first over by Keron Cottoy, off the bowling of Fidel Edwards. Hafeez made the home side pay, slamming ten fours and two sixes in his 93-ball 101 , before retiring out. He was supported well by opening partner Taufeeq Umar, who dominated the 77-run first-wicket stand with a score of 44 before becoming the first of three Carlos Brathwaite victims.Ahmed Shehzad took over where Taufeeq left, contributing 49 to a 130-run stand as Hafeez shifted gears. Umar Akmal went after the bowling in the end overs, carting eight fours and a six in his aggressive unbeaten 57. His flurry lifted the Pakistanis to a strong total of 287 for 7. Dwayne Bravo had a forgettable time with the ball, leaking 69 runs in his eight-over spell.Miles Bascombe and Omar Phillips began the chase well, adding 40 for the opening wicket, before wickets began to tumble. The seam trio of Tanvir Ahmed, Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz struck once each to reduce the hosts to 75 for 3 before Nkruma Bonner and Bravo began a repair job. They added 48 for the fourth wicket after which Rehman began to make incisions.Bonner’s dismissal for 43 triggered a mini-collapse as 123 for 3 became 146 for 6 in quick time. Bravo scored a breezy 63 off 70 balls and showed little evidence of the injury that curtailed his participation in World Cup. He hit four fours and two sixes before holing out against Rehman. Kevin McLean and Cottoy added an unbroken 39 for the ninth wicket to reduce the margin of defeat, but Pakistan still won the game by 68 runs.