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Match facts

August 31, The Oval
Start time 1300 (1200 GMT)AB de Villiers: captain, wicketkeeper and key batsman in the world’s No. 1 ODI side•PA Photos

Big Picture

South Africa are tempted to smirk at England’s captaincy predicament, with Andrew Strauss’ resignation after the defeat in the Test series still fresh in the mind, and gossip sounding about how much damage Kevin Pietersen’s stand-off with the powers-that-be is causing English cricket. The England dressing room was a sad place in Southampton when Strauss stood down and if the opposition are not at their best it all helps South Africa implant their status as the best side in world cricket.Delve too deeply, however, and before too long they will have issues of their own. Nobody is sure quite how long Graeme Smith will want to continue as Test captain and whether South Africa’s rise to No. 1 in the Test rankings has silenced for the time being his occasional musings that he would like to finish his international career as a respected senior player with no leadership responsibilities.The odds are that Smith is a leader in Test cricket until the day he retires, but that all puts the spotlight on his replacement in the one-day side, AB de Villiers. He has recently taken on the triple role of batsman, wicketkeeper and captain in one-day cricket, but surely to do that at Test level, after Mark Boucher’s tragic accident, would be unthinkable. Comparisons with MS Dhoni, who fulfils all three roles but bats at No. 7, are not entirely valid.This is de Villiers’ third series in charge and in Southampton it all went swimmingly. Already he seems to be confirmed to keep wicket in the Test series in Australia before the New Year. Ranked No. 1 in all three formats or not, those youthful looks could soon be coming under pressure.

Form guide

(Most recent first, completed matches)
South Africa WWWWL
England LWWWW

Players to watch …

Ravi Bopara‘s place seems assured in England’s top six because of his ability to share a bowling spot with Samit Patel so that makes it hard to include the new kid on the block, Jonny Bairstow. One way to balance things up would be for England to play five specialist bowlers. The lack of Graeme Swann at No. 9 – he is rested for the last three ODIs – as a dangerous tail-ender makes this less likely, if not out of the question.Robin Peterson, once forced into a stock bowler’s role, now regards himself as South Africa’s attack dog in one-day cricket. When he conceded runs, captains and coaches used to question his ability. Then two years ago, he was given more licence to attack, finished the World Cup as South Africa’s leading wicket-taker and is now established in the side.

Pitch and conditions

It has rained in England seemingly since time began. It is not going to be quick.

Team news

Swann’s withdrawal from the rest of the series means a probable return for James Tredwell, while Chris Woakes could oust Tim Bresnan after the latter’s expensive showing at West End.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 7 Samit Patel, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 James Tredwell, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steve Finn.South Africa have not taken their media commitments very seriously since the end of their victorious Test series. They were an hour late for the media conference for The Oval by which time pretty much everyone had lost interest so it is hard to know what they will do. Albie Morkel is ruled out, though Dale Steyn could be closer to a return.South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 JP Duminy, 4 Dean Elgar, 5 AB de Villiers (capt, wk), 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Ryan McLaren, 9 Robin Peterson, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Stats and trivia

• England’s appointment of Alastair Cook as Test captain in succession to Andrew Strauss ends their unique reliance on different captains for all three formats of the game.
• Paul Collingwood first suspected that Strauss was planning to retire when he told him he had bought a dog.
• South Africa last won an ODI at The Oval against England in 1999.

Quotes

“I jagged one down to him, he ducked under it and fell over. I remember the coach shouting from the back of the net, ‘You just got put on your arse by a 14-year-old!'”
“I like to take wickets instead of containing people. It’s probably the way one-day cricket has gone these days: the only way to control the run rate is by taking wickets all the time.”

ScorecardJim Troughton was unbeaten on 74•Getty Images

A glance at the scorecard might suggest that Warwickshire enjoyed a pretty good opening day against Surrey. Up to a point that was true, too: they have claimed three batting bonus points and have the power to add more on day two.But Warwickshire will also know that, from the platform they had established, they failed to take full advantage. They will know that, having won first use of a fine batting track, they might have squandered a chance to bat Surrey out of this game and that, despite all their admirable cricket so far this season, they could have made further progress towards their first championship title since 2004.At one stage here they were well placed on 130 without loss. Then they lost four wickets in the afternoon session before a fifth-wicket stand of 98 put them back on track only for Surrey to capture two more wickets before the close. It left Warwickshire with their noses in front, but it could have been far more.To increase Warwickshire’s frustration, they will know that several of their batsmen played more than a small part in their dismissals. Varun Chopra, who has the class to press for a position in the Test side in due course, compiled a typically elegant 60 before, partly through a lack of foot movement, played on as he reached to drive. For a man who had just been left out of the Lions squad, it was a frustrating dismissal. William Porterfield, who has scored only two championship centuries in his career and none in division one, then helped a legside longhop into the hands of the keeper. Ian Westwood and Darren Maddy both played fell playing across straight deliveries, before Richard Johnson’s admirable innings ended when he drove uppishly and Rikki Clarke was well held at point after thick-edging an attempted drive. Had Jim Troughton been held at short-leg on 23, a sharp chance to Rory Burns off the deserving Stuart Meaker, Warwickshire would have been 197 for five.Perhaps Chris Jordan deserves some credit. The 23-year-old fast bowling all-rounder, out of contract at the Oval and wanted at Hove, made the breakthrough in an expensive post-lunch spell of six overs for 45 runs. He forced Chopra on the back foot with a barrage of short balls and, while many of them were pulled to the boundary with disdainful ease and 14 more runs were donated from no-balls, perhaps his pace was responsible for Chopra’s reluctance to come forward to the full ball that dismissed him.But Meaker was, by some distance, the best of Surrey’s bowlers. Both openers were fortunate to survive leg before appeal in his first spell – he had Westwood on his hands and knees after digging out an inswinging yorker at one stage – and his pace and swing rendered him a tough proposition throughout the day.The Surrey attack was profligate, though. Their contribution of 43 extras – 22 of them no-balls – tells its own story. The bowlers were largely responsible for the large tally of no-balls, too, while Jordan’s surfeit of long-hops cannot have done his hopes of a new contract offer at the Oval much good.Having survived the opening spell, Chopra and Westwood batted well. While Chopra was the more pleasing, leaning into some delightful drives, cutting neatly and pulling with grace, Westwood also chipped the spin of Gareth Batty over mid on for a couple of boundaries and looked increasingly comfortable.He enjoyed one major let-off. On 10, Westwood clipped Murali Kartik’s first delivery straight to Burns at short-leg only to see the fielder, over eager to celebrate the catch, drop the ball in his excitement. The umpires conferred but agreed that Burns had not had the ball under his control.Warwickshire were grateful for the contribution of Troughton and Johnson. The latter, recalled from his loan spell at Derbyshire due to a thigh injury to Tim Ambrose, looked a well organised player in moving to the brink of his maiden championship 50 with a pulled six and six pleasing fours. Troughton, meanwhile, who registered only his second championship century since the start of 2010 in the previous game, appeared notably more solid than he had at the start of the season.There were some notable absentees. Chris Tremlett missed the game – and may not play again this season – after undergoing a scan to ascertain whether he required surgery on his right knee. Having managed just one game since his return from back surgery, such a reverse would represent a crushing blow.Chris Adams was also absent. Surrey’s director of cricket has, somewhat controversially, opted to take a quick holiday. While some will criticise his timing – there are, after all, many months out of season in which to take a holiday – it is worth remembering that Adams, like many of his team, has been through a great deal in recent weeks and that the bulk of his coaching work is done pre-season. Still, the timing seems slightly unusual. Ian Salisbury, who is first team coach, and Alec Stewart deputised.Warwickshire, meanwhile, rested Chris Wright and brought in Boyd Rankin for his first game of the season following a ‘stress reaction’ in his foot.

Pakistan’s decision to start three one-day internationals against Australia at 6pm has not appeased the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), which had been concerned about the extreme day-time heat in the UAE in August-September. The late starts, confirmed by the PCB on Thursday, mean the one-day games in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi will not finish until 1.45am local time, which the ACA chief executive Paul Marsh said created a whole new set of safety issues.Marsh said the ACA was now seeking feedback from Australia’s one-day players about whether they were comfortable with the arrangements. The organisation is also assessing whether it will be safe to go ahead with the series, which has provided a scheduling headache for the PCB due to the lack of suitable venues to host a series of three ODIs and three Twenty20s at that time of year.Despite being granted permission by the ICC to change the series to six Twenty20s, which would allow the matches to be played in relatively cooler evening conditions, Pakistan decided to push ahead with the 50-over portion of the tour, in part to satisfy a broadcast deal. Marsh said he had spoken to Cricket Australia about the ACA’s concerns, which now included the playing hours as well as the heat.”We’ve spoken about it several times and they are certainly aware of our views on this issue,” Marsh told ESPNcricinfo. “We’re concerned about the heat and we’re not comfortable with the playing hours. There are issues there with the players playing sport at that time of night. How aware are players going to be?”Are there any safety issues of playing sport at that time of the night? If you’re standing there facing someone bowling at 150kph, are you going to be more tired at that time of day than you [otherwise] would be? Can they adjust their sleep patterns to play at that time of day? There are all of those things we have to look at. This tour has been put on for commercial reasons, not necessarily cricket reasons, and that’s why there’s ongoing frustration from our perspective.”We can’t stop Cricket Australia scheduling games at this time of the day. We have an MoU [memorandum of understanding] in place that has parameters around scheduling, but that is pretty much to do with number of games in total, breaks between games and those types of things. This type of issue we haven’t encountered before.”International cricket has never been held in the UAE in June, July, August or September, the hottest months in the country, and the ACA’s original concerns surrounded the possibility of the players being asked to play in 40-plus heat during the day. Marsh said that while the heat remained an issue even with the late start times, the tour would go ahead unless serious safety issues arose.”I’m not particularly comfortable with it,” he said. “I’m not sure there’s much we can do. From a heat perspective, Cricket Australia has a duty to provide safe working conditions for its players, whether that relates to security or heat or dangerous pitches or any other issues. We’re going through a process of trying to assess whether it’s safe.”In saying that, our players and cricketers around the world play in hot conditions. It’s a summer game and there are plenty of times when players play in extreme heat. I don’t want this to sound like we’re trying to get this tour stopped, because we’re not. But it’s our job to assess the conditions professionally and do our due diligence and then report back to the playing group.”A Cricket Australia spokesman said that while the series had been scheduled at unusual times, it was important to support Pakistan to ensure the series went ahead. Cricket Australia also had concerns about playing one-day internationals during the extreme heat of the UAE day-time.”We’re very conscious of the fact Pakistan have had a lot of challenges organising this series,” the CA spokesman said. “At various times they thought they had arrangements elsewhere. They wanted to play in Sri Lanka and that fell over. There was talk about Malaysia and that fell over. We sympathise and support what they want to do.”We do support not playing in the heat of the day in the UAE at this time of year. The heat gets up into the 40s during the day and they’ve scheduled the games at a time of day when the temperatures are what we’re used to and are reasonable. It is a one-off and unusual situation. It’s an unusual time of day and an unusual circumstance but we sympathise with Pakistan and we’re keen to do what we can to support them.”The one-day internationals, to be held from August 28 to September 3, will finish at 2.45am Pakistan time. The T20s, which are scheduled for September 5-10 in Abu Dhabi, will begin at 8pm local time, which is 9pm in Pakistan.

Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire director of cricket, has confirmed that he has held discussions regarding taking up the Bangladesh coaching role. While Richard Pybus remains the first choice of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to replace Stuart Law, ESPNcricinfo understands that talks between the parties have hit a stumbling block over financial issues and the BCB has been in touch with two other candidates – including Pybus – or their agents.Newell has gone on record for the first time to confirm the story published by ESPNcricinfo on May 4 linking him with the job. “It would be a huge decision,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I would like to coach at the international level and, having not been an international player, these opportunities do not arise that often. I have had a couple of conversations with an agent about the position, but I would need a great deal more information before making such a massive decision and I have had no direct contact with the BCB.”I also feel we are on the threshold of something quite good at Nottinghamshire. It would be very difficult to leave here.”Newell was also considered for the Bangladesh coaching role before Law was appointed in July 2011. Since then he has coached England Lions in the West Indies, while it is understood that Tamim Iqbal, an overseas player at Nottinghamshire in 2011, has provided positive reports about Newell’s ability to the BCB.BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus has said that it is “difficult” to name a coach, particularly at the moment. “It is still uncertain; till today, it will be difficult to name someone. The progress at this stage means that it won’t be completed in a week, probably you can say at the end of the month.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSourav Ganguly struggled to get going•AFP

In the end, Mumbai Indians deserved two points for having rendered a target of 121 so difficult that Pune Warriors played catch-up for most of the chase. And the one-run margin magnified the impact of Sourav Ganguly’s crawl in the final analysis. There were other Warriors batsmen who found run-scoring difficult on the low pitch, but they did not hang around for as long as Ganguly did and consequently, did not make it as difficult for the doughty Mithun Manhas as Ganguly did.When Ganguly arrived at 40 for 2 in the seventh over, the asking-rate was just over six runs an over. By the time he was bowled for 16 off 24 by Lasith Malinga off the last ball of the 17th over, slogging and missing tamely, the asking-rate had climbed to nine. Manhas tried to make the most of the strike he got in a 47-run fifth-wicket stand in which Ganguly contributed 13. But he was up against a class Mumbai Indians attack, and with Malinga to bowl two overs at the death, Warriors’ chances diminished even further. They needed 12 off the final over, but Munaf Patel managed to hold them off, just about.The early damage had been done by Munaf when he trapped Robin Uthappa lbw, after the batsman had kickstarted the chase with some big strokes. Mumbai Indians’ battery of specialist spinners – though one of them, Robin Peterson, was never used – then broke the back of Warriors’ chase. Jesse Ryder chipped Harbhajan Singh to long-on, Michael Clarke got a rough lbw decision and Steven Smith walked past a Pragyan Ojha delivery to be bowled. Warriors had slipped from 40 for 1 to 47 for 4 but with 74 needed from 61, they were right in the game still.Ganguly’s innings ensured they slowly went out of it. He was on 12 off 22 at one stage, unable to earn anything more than singles. He managed to make room and lift Malinga down the ground for a four, but was bowled in the same over.Manhas wasn’t giving up, though. Backing himself to cut almost everything, he and Wayne Parnell took 11 off Pragyan Ojha in the 18th over. But Harbhajan had another over from Malinga left, and it did what Morne Morkel’s penultimate over had done for Delhi Daredevils against Rajasthan Royals. Malinga gave just four runs, and left Warriors with too much to do in the last over.With eight needed off the last two balls, Bhuvneshwar Kumar drilled Munaf over extra cover for four, but could only hit a low full toss – the final ball – to deep midwicket as Warriors ended agonizingly short.That Mumbai Indians managed even 120 was down to the opening partnership between Sachin Tendulkar and James Franklin. Mumbai Indians did not begin badly for a side that has now changed its opening combination seven times in ten matches. Well past the halfway stage of the tournament, they might have finally even found the combination that clicks. Tendulkar and Franklin added fifty-plus runs for the third time in as many matches, but Mumbai Indians could not build much on that base, losing 5 for 12 from a position of 81 for 2 after 12 overs.Warriors were accurate with their fast bowlers. Smith led the way in the field with three run-outs, two of them at crucial junctures. He first ran out Rohit Sharma to dent Mumbai Indians after the steady start, and then caught Thisara Perera short to hurt their hopes of a lower-order fightback.Ashish Nehra recovered from an expensive first over to go for just five runs in his next three overs. It was Nehra who triggered the collapse, getting Tendulkar to edge a steer to the wicketkeeper in the 12th over. He then surprised Peterson with a skiddy short delivery in the 14th, and the top-edged pull was taken by Ganguly.The middle-order implosion undid the decent start from Tendulkar and Franklin. The duo were kept quiet by Warriors but took Nehra and Ashok Dinda for an expensive over each to ensure the run-rate did not suffer much. Bhuvneshwar got the breakthrough in the eighth over when Franklin top-edged a pull.Tendulkar could not pick up his scoring-rate beyond a run a ball, and after he fell, Mumbai Indians stalled. Ganguly could not score at remotely close to a run a ball, and after he finally fell, it was too late for Warriors, who have now lost six of their last seven games.

Sri Lanka’s selector Amal Silva has resigned from the four-man selection committee, saying his business commitments didn’t allow him to do justice to the post. Silva’s resignation comes shortly before Pakistan begin their tour of Sri Lanka on May 29.Silva, who was part of the new selection committee that took office on January 20, said he had enjoyed his stint with the national team. “I thought it is not fair for me to stay in the committee and not serve it,” Silva told ESPNcricinfo. “There are so many players who have quit cricket after me I think they should be given a chance to make their contribution to the game. I enjoyed my stints as a national selector.”Silva, a wicketkeeper who played nine Tests and 20 ODIs for Sri Lanka, had two previous stints as a selector, first in 2007 and then in 2011 when Sri Lanka reached the finals of the World Cup. Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister Mahindanda Aluthgamage will appoint his replacement.

Only five domestic matches have been played in Bangladesh since the national side’s successful Asia Cup campaign, due to a suspension of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League that has now run into its second week. A controversy surrounding the clearance letter of Mohammad Yousuf, the former Pakistan batsman, has spiralled into a three-way battle between Victoria Sporting Club, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the giants, the Mohammedan Sporting Club and Abahani Limited. The conflict has had a big impact on cricket in the country, as the first-class competition, the National Cricket League, also remains in limbo with one round and the final left to play.Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM), the BCB committee that runs the league in the capital, has said they are not in a position to take a decision on the issue. “The board president [Mustafa Kamal] is not in the country and I haven’t received any letters from the clubs,” Aynul Islam Tiash, the committee’s coordinator, told reporters yesterday.During the Super League match on March 28, Abahani refused to play Victoria after being bowled out for 177 runs in 47.4 overs. Their grouse was the participation of Yousuf, whose clearance was said to be forged though the CCDM had initially endorsed the letter. Mohammedan, which had supposedly provided the clearance letter, denied submitting any letter to the CCDM and immediately made a complaint with regards to his participation. As they raised the red flag, Abahani asked for an explanation and when none was made available by noon, they didn’t take the field. Four hours later, match referee Obaydul Haque Azam ruled that Victoria be given two points for Abahani’s actions.The CCDM promptly suspended the league on the same evening and two days later asked the BCB president Mustafa Kamal to take a decision on the matter. During the April 1 board meeting, it was decided that a four-member committee, led by vice president Mahbubul Anam, resolve the issue. A week later, their recommendations were set out at an emergency meeting, and it was decided to restart the league from April 10, endorse the match referee’s decision and restrain Yousuf from taking further part in the competition.But the clubs didn’t comply and just a day after the date of resumption was announced, the CCDM resorted to using “inclement weather” as a reason to suspend the league once again. Abahani, on Thursday, demanded that two points be awarded to them as Yousuf has been barred from playing, and that the league restart on April 17. Mohammedan supported Abahani in this matter, while Victoria has asked for an increase the number of foreign players in the XI from three to five as their star players, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, are away at the Indian Premier League.There is growing discontent among the other three clubs – Old DOHS Sporting Club, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and Gazi Tank Cricketers – while the media and public too have been left bewildered by the issue that has stopped Bangladeshi cricket in its tracks.

Group AHalf-centuries by Ali Khan and Yasir Arafat helped Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) beat Lahore Lions by six wickets at LCCA Ground. The Lions chose to bat first but could muster only 212 for 7, led by Fahad-ul-Haq’s 90. He hit eight fours in his knock, off 124 balls. KRL didn’t get off to the best of starts, losing their first three with 37 on board. After Bazid Khan’s departure, KRL were at 95 for 4, but didn’t lose any further wickets as Arafat and Khan added an unbeaten 118 to seal the game. Khan remained unbeaten on 87 while captain Arafat managed to reach his fifty as well.KRL will meet Lahore Eagles in the semi-finals.United Bank Limited (UBL) beat hosts Peshawar Panthers by four wickets in a low-scoring match at Arbab Niaz Stadium. A combined bowling effort by UBL kept the Panthers to a modest 159. Mohammad Rizwan was the top scorer with 36. Rumman Raees, the left-arm seamer, and the spinners Misbah Khan and Kashif Bhatti shared eight wickets between them to round off the innings in the 42nd over. UBL got off to a shaky start, losing two with just three on board, but Tahir Mughal’s 67 ensured they were out of danger.UBL will meet Quetta Bears in the semis.Group BNasir Awais, the Hyderabad Hawks offspinner, finished with astonishing figures of 5 for 10 off 4.2 overs to send Karachi Zebras crashing to 86 in Hyderabad. The Hawks knocked off the runs but lost five wickets in the process. Only four Zebras batsmen passed double figures as Awais ran through the lower order to round off the innings before the 30th over. The Zebras must have sensed their chances of a surprise win when they had the Hawks in trouble at 28 for 4, but Rizwan Ahmed remained unbeaten on 31 to steer the team home.Fifties by Usman Salahuddin and Adnan Raza helped Lahore Eagles to a five-wicket win over Quetta Bears at National Stadium. Taimur Khan hit 64 at No.6 to help the Bears recover from a poor start at 33 for 4. Taimur hit eight fours in his knock but the Bears could only manage a modest 207. Mohammad Saad hit 49 to give the Eagles a good foundation. Salahuddin made 66 while Raza made an unbeaten 62 to see the team through and seal their semi-final spot.

England women will play a five-match Twenty20 international series against West Indies in September, the ECB has announced. Two of the games, at the Riverside Ground and Old Trafford, will take place before the England men’s team take on South Africa at the same venue in day-night T20s, and will also be televised.The series will act as a prelude to the women’s World Twenty20, which will start 10 days after the fifth match on September 26. England are set to travel to New Zealand next month for a five-match T20 series and three ODI fixtures, and will also play limited-overs games against India in July.”The additional women’s T20 series this summer is a huge bonus for the England women’s team and for women’s cricket,” ECB head of England women’s cricket Clare Connor said. “I’m delighted that international women’s cricket will be showcased alongside the England men’s matches in Durham and Manchester.”Spectators will be treated to an exciting opportunity to experience two sets of double header games before the teams fly out to Sri Lanka a couple of weeks later for the ICC World Twenty20. It’s fantastic once again that two matches will be shown live on Sky Sports for viewers to experience international women’s cricket at its best.”

MS Dhoni, India’s World Cup winning captain, has said he might have to give up one of the formats if he is to lead India’s title defence in 2015. He said, however, that such a decision would be made only at the end of 2013, by which time Dhoni will be 32. He will be 33 by the time the World Cup starts in Australia, where India currently find themselves 2-0 down in the Test series.”If I want to see the 2015 World Cup, I’ll have to retire from one of the formats,” Dhoni said. “It’s too early right now. I am not that old. I am just 30. There is still time. We will see by 2013, and by 2013, I mean the end of 2013.”Dhoni didn’t rule out the possibility of not even making it to the World Cup. “That’s something I need to see,” he said. “I will take it as the time comes. What I really meant was by 2013 I would have to see where I stand when it comes to my body, whether I will be able to survive until the 2015 World Cup. Of course form is a factor.”Also, what I need to see is, if I play till 2014 and all of a sudden say I can’t survive till the World Cup, then all of a sudden you have a new wicketkeeper coming in who has not played more than 30 international games. So by end of 2013 I need to decide if I am fit enough to proceed in one of the formats. It’s not personal interest. What I want is an individual who, if he is taking my place, should have played at least 60 to 100 ODIs before he goes into the World Cup. It’s what my personal thinking is. We will see accordingly. Lots of time before that.”Dhoni has captained India in 36 Tests. No other wicketkeeper has captained a side in more than 16 Tests. Dhoni has captained in 175 games across formats. The next highest is Kumar Sangakkara, with 66.