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Hamish Bennett, the New Zealand fast-bowler, has insisted he’s happy to support Tim Southee and James Franklin despite being an obvious new-ball candidate after his heroics in New Zealand’s nine-wicket defeat of Pakistan in the first ODI.He and Southee were expected to open the bowling but allrounder Franklin took the new ball with Bennett second change. The formula clearly worked well as Southee finished with man-of-the-match figures of 5 for 33 and Bennett chipping in with three wickets of his own.New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said a horses-for-courses approach was being taken and with the history of bowler-friendly conditions Queenstown, Southee and Franklin’s ability to swing the new ball would likely see them open again in Wednesday’s second match.”I think we’ll look to use James, particularly in Queenstown where the wicket probably suits the swing and seam bowler,” Vettori said. “When we get to the likes of Hamilton and Napier, maybe we’ll revisit it on the flatter wickets.”Vettori felt that Bennett, who finished with 3 for 26 from eight overs in just his third one-day international, was better suited to first or second change.”I think that’s where he’s most comfortable, but if he keeps bowling as well as he did [on Saturday], there’s no reason why he can’t step up into that opening role. We just hope he keeps performing that way.”Bennett, 23, is by far the quickest bowler in the team and generated good pace and bounce throughout the opening ODI. He was happy to start with the older ball in the circumstances but hopes to get hold of the new ball in future and feels he can generate more pace as he settles into the team.”I think Franky and Timmy do a good job swinging the new ball so we’ve got to use that, especially with the conditions we had [on Saturday],” he said. “I probably rely more on bounce so if I can use that and bowl a heavy nut it’s going to help.””I’ve never bowled [at the stadium] before so it was quite funny, it always felt like you were bowling into [the wind], so I found that quite tough. Hopefully in Queenstown I have the wind at my back. I think in Bangladesh last year I got clocked just under 145kmh so if I can get the conditions going my way, hopefully a bit quicker but who knows? If it’s not in the right area it doesn’t really matter, does it?”New Zealand routed Pakistan with their batsmen chasing down the modest target of 125 in just 17.2 overs. The new opening partnership of Jesse Ryder and Martin Guptill surged with an 84-run stand in 10 overs as John Wright’s first move for the ODI team succeeded. Ryder returned to form after a difficult Test series with 55 from 34 balls, while Guptill ended 40 not out and Ross Taylor was unbeaten on 23.After an 11-match losing streak last year Vettori was pleased to return to winning ways but cautioned the conditions were nothing like what the side will face come the World Cup next month. “It’s a difficult one because we’re not going to play on any wickets like that at the World Cup but this series is about getting that winning feeling back.”

The PCB has expanded its existing pension scheme to cover all Pakistan Test cricketers who reach the age of 60. In 2006, the board decided to provide pensions to all Test cricketers who had retired before 1978. Since then, the PCB had also approved pensions for some Test players who quit after 1978, on a case-by-case basis.Players currently receive Rs 20,000 (US$ 233) a month, an amount the board has decided to increase. “The Governing Board held a detailed review of PCB’s welfare policy for former Pakistan players,” according to a PCB media release. “It was decided that the stipend paid out by the PCB to Pakistan’s ex-Test players upon reaching the age of 60 years will be increased.”PCB chairman Ijaz Butt, a former Test cricketer himself, welcomed the decision. “We are extremely grateful to the Governing Board for approving this measure for the benefit of our former Test cricketers,” he said. “Our players are our national assets and this decision by the Governing Board will send a positive message to all our former players that the PCB values the services that they have given to Pakistan.”

Match Facts

With Shahid Afridi, a truly spectacular innings is always around the corner•AFP

December 26, Auckland
Start time 14:00 (01:00 GMT)

The Big Picture

Pakistan run into another team that is dealing with problems. Compared to the murkiness surrounding Pakistan’s cricket – spot-fixing investigations, an inefficient and politically incorrect board, a disappearing wicketkeeper – New Zealand’s winless woefulness may seem like a trifle.Yet, their recent travails in the subcontinent – where they failed to win any of their last 11 one-dayers and three Tests, spread across each of the three World Cup hosting countries – have left their tournament preparations in disarray, with very little time for new coach John Wright to turn things around.This series – on spongy, seaming tracks and small grounds – against a Pakistan team in its current state, presents New Zealand with less than ideal preparation for the big event, but it gives them a good shot at ending the slump.Pakistan don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing their venues anymore. Security concerns have prevented them from playing at home. This is Pakistan’s second visit to New Zealand in a year, a frequency rarely seen from Asian teams.They begin this tour at the Eden Park in Auckland, the venue that hosted the first ever Twenty20 international, almost six years ago. A lot has changed since that hit-and-giggle encounter, in which Australia and New Zealand sported retro costumes and outmoded facial hair. Three World Twenty20s have come and gone since, with Pakistan making the semi-finals on each occasion and winning the tournament once. This is the format they have always threatened to make their own; so despite their current four-match losing streak and all the other distractions, they come into the series with a dangerous reputation.

Form guide

(most recent first)
New Zealand: LWLWL
Pakistan: LLLLW

Watch out for…

It’s tough to leave Shahid Afridi out of this section, especially at the start of a series. There is a good chance he will succumb to a rush of blood and leave his backers infuriated, but with Afridi, truly explosive innings is always around the corner. He failed as an opener in Pakistan’s warm-up defeat, but his best innings in the format – the memorable half-centuries in the semi-final and final of the 2009 World Twenty20 – came at No. 3. Where is he going to take guard on Sunday?Daniel Vettori’s absence means Nathan McCullum will be New Zealand’s main spinner. His Twenty20 stats are impressive: a bowling average of 17.61 at an economy-rate of 6.45, to go with a batting average of 26.66. Pakistan have their share of aggressors in the middle order, and some of them – Umar Akmal in particular – are likely to target his offspin.

Team news

Brendon McCullum’s absence gives Peter McGlashan another chance behind the stumps. McCullum will, however, be tougher to replace at the crease. Jesse Ryder should return to the opening spot after recovering from the injury he picked up in India, and he could have new-face Dean Brownlie for company. Adam Milne, the 18-year-old Central Districts seamer, could also get a game.New Zealand (probable): 1 Jesse Ryder, 2 Dean Brownlie, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor (capt), 5 James Franklin, 6 Scott Styris, 7 Nathan McCullum, 8 Peter McGlashan (wk), 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Ian Butler / Adam Milne, 11 Tim SoutheeUmar Akmal kept wickets for Pakistan in the warm-up match, and could continue to keep his brother Adnan, the specialist keeper, on the bench. Ahmed Shehzad made a duck in that match, and could make way for Asad Shafiq.Pakistan (probable): 1 Asad Shafiq / Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Shahid Afridi (capt), 4 Younis Khan, 5 Umar Akmal (wk), 6 Fawad Alam, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Umar Gul, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Shoaib Akhtar

Pitch and conditions

The match will be played at a reoriented Eden Park stadium, with a newly installed pitch running from north to south, with some of the lower tier seats retracted in order to fit the new boundary. Traditionally, the average 20-over score on this ground works out to 154 for 9, but things could be different on the new track.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan won the first four T20s between these sides, before losing by one run in a close encounter in the 2010 World Twenty20
• Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal are the top three wicket-takers in the format. Fourth in the list is a man New Zealand would have loved to have for this series – Daniel Vettori
• The hosts will miss another player dearly – Brendon McCullum is the only player with over 1000 Twenty20 runs (1100 in all), and is the leading six-hitter in the format. Pakistan are without their top three run-getters – Kamran Akmal, Misbah-ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik
• Two of the five Twenty20 games played at Eden Park have resulted in ties.

Quotes

“Coaching is not about telling or ordering. It’s more about helping create an environment where good players who want to learn can get on.”
John Wright explains his coaching philosophy

Nottinghamshire batsman Ali Brown extended his contract with the club for another year after helping bring the Championship to Trent Bridge in the 2010 season. The 40-year-old Brown has held off retirement for after a productive season where he scored 805 Championship runs at 37.52, alongside 337 runs in the Friends Provident t20.”Last season was very enjoyable for the team and for me personally and winning the championship was an achievement that we’re all immensely proud of,” said Brown.”My thinking at this moment in time is that this will be my final contract but it is hard to walk away from a club that is challenging for honours. There are some talented young batsmen here who are beginning to make inroads and I hope that they can grasp their opportunities and force their way into the side.”Brown’s 134 in the win over Durham at Trent Bridge in May was his personal highlight of Nottinghamshire’s Championship campaign and Nottinghamshire coach Mick Newell feels his experience, allied to his runs, makes him an important member of the squad.”Ali was a key player for us last season and he has a positive impact on the field and in the dressing room,” said Newell. “We know that there will be changes to our batting unit when Ali and Mark Wagh retire but it’s to our advantage that they are in the squad alongside young players who have the potential to succeed them.”Steven Mullaney has the potential to develop into a number six batsman in four day cricket and the likes of Akhil Patel and Scott Elstone have continued to improve.”

MS Dhoni, the India captain, has reiterated his stance that the standard of on-field umpiring needed to be improved instead of relying on the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) to eradicate errors. Dhoni spoke strongly on the issue on the eve of the second Test against New Zealand in Hyderabad, saying if the quality of umpiring continued to be poor in the future, India could be forced into accepting the system.”The way it’s going, if they keep on committing the kind of mistakes they are making, whether we are willing or not willing, we’ll have to go with the review system,” Dhoni said. “At the same time there should be strong measures to improve the standard of umpiring.”The Indians were on the receiving end of two umpiring errors on the final day of the Ahmedabad Test. VVS Laxman and Zaheer Khan were both adjudged lbw off successive deliveries by umpire Steve Davis, who failed to detect the inside edges on to pad. While Laxman’s was a sizeable nick, Zaheer’s was harder to detect, and both batsmen were visibly dismayed at their dismissals. Had the UDRS been in place, they could have asked for a review and been able to continue batting.Dhoni, however, doesn’t see it that way. To him the UDRS shouldn’t be a substitute for improving the quality of umpiring since he and others in the team, like Sachin Tendulkar, are of the opinion that the technology used isn’t foolproof.”You have two umpires who are supposed to take good decisions on the field. If you see Laxman’s decision [in Ahmedabad], I don’t know what to say exactly about it,” Dhoni said. “We need to improve the standard of umpiring. The umpires have too much pressure about the over-rate, the players’ behaviour on the field, the logos and everything apart from giving decisions – that’s the most important part.Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh apart, the other Indian players who have voiced their opinions about the UDRS are not in favour of the system since it was first used during the tour of Sri Lanka in 2008. They struggled with their referrals, getting only one of them right, while Sri Lanka successfully challenged 11 decisions.Since then the UDRS has been used in Australia, South Africa, England, New Zealand and West Indies and has found favour with several captains and players. The Indians and the BCCI, however, are firmly opposed to the system, even though the ICC have approved its use in principle during the 2011 World Cup.

VVS Laxman, down with back spasms, is expected to bat on the final day of the Test should he be needed, Ishant Sharma said at the end of the fourth day’s play. Laxman got the spasms before India’s first innings, and came out to bat with a runner, at No. 10. He didn’t field in Australia’s second innings but, because the No. 6 batsman is already in, Laxman can theoretically walk out at the fall of the next wicket.India are four down for 55, and need 161 more going into the final day. They will start the day with nightwatchman Zaheer Khan batting with Sachin Tendulkar, who is unbeaten on 10.This is the second time Laxman has had back spasms in two Tests. He batted in pain to score a match-winning century at the P Sara Oval. “It was painful,” Laxman had said then of that effort. “I started my innings well, but during the partnership [with Sachin Tendulkar] I had a lot of discomfort and the spasms didn’t allow me to move freely. Once I was into my 30s it became very painful… I was in such pain that I thought that the best decision in team’s interest was to have a runner instead of just giving away the wicket due to pain.”

The BCCI’s disciplinary committee that is considering the case against suspended IPL chairman Lalit Modi has adjourned its proceedings to September 26, after today’s hearing could not be completed in time.The BCCI has produced four witnesses on its behalf: IPL chief executive Sundar Raman, and three members of IMG, Peter Griffiths, John Loffhagen, and Paul Manning. One of Modi’s lawyers requested more time to cross examine Griffiths, the BCCI said in a statement.The hearings were originally scheduled to begin on September 13h, but were postponed for two days because Modi appealed to the Bombay High Court to remove board vice president Arun Jaitley and interim IPL chairman Chirayu Amin from the committee, saying they were biased against him. The High Court dismissed Modi’s petition earlier today. It is the second time Modi has petitioned the court to intervene in the BCCI’s proceedings against him, both times unsuccessfully.The next hearing will be held at 3.00 pm at the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi, with two more on September 27 and 28, as originally scheduled. If necessary, an additional session will be held on September 29 at 4.00 pm in Mumbai.”It is made clear that the recording of the cross-examination of Mr Peter Griffiths, Mr John Loffhagen, Mr Paul Manning and Mr Sundar Raman would be endeavoured to be concluded during this time,” the board said.

Scorecard
Peter Trego’s career-best 147 and a blistering 90 not out from Jos Buttler clinched Somerset a home semi-final in the Clydesdale Bank 40 with a 249-run thrashing of Glamorgan in their final Group A match at Taunton. The home side’s total of 368 for 4 after winning the toss was their highest ever 40-over score. Trego hit 19 fours and five sixes, while Buttler faced only 33 balls and smashed eight fours and seven sixes.There was also an unbeaten 58 from James Hildreth as Glamorgan’s injury-hit attack was put to the sword. David Harrison’s eight overs cost exactly 100. In reply the hapless visitors crashed to 59 for 6 as Ben Phillips ripped through their top order. In the end they were bowled out for 119 to lose by an embarrassing margin. Phillips finished with 4 for 31 from six overs.Trego is determined to win a place with the England Performance Squad this winter. The 29-year-old allrounder made the most of Craig Kieswetter’s absence on international Twenty20 duty to open the batting with Marcus Trescothick and almost doubled his previous best one-day score of 78.Glamorgan gave a debut to young left-arm seamer Alex Jones, who went for 74 off his eight overs, figures that looked positively tight alongside those of the more experienced Harrison. Only Dean Cosker, who took 1 for 30 from his full allocation, escaped the blitz. Trescothick (22), Nick Compton (6) and Zander de Bruyn (33) failed to cash in on the friendly bowling, but Trego took full toll, reaching his century off 69 balls with a series of bludgeoning shots.When he was out with the total on 251 Glamorgan may have expected some respite. But, while Hildreth sensibly played second fiddle, 19-year-old Buttler gave another sensational demonstration of his talent. Showing a blend of power and sweet timing, the supremely talented youngster simply took the bowling apart, reaching fifty off 18 balls and blasting the ball high and hard to all parts of the County Ground. By the end of the innings he had scored 90 of the 117 runs made while he was at the crease.It was all too much for Glamorgan, who did not even have their own big-hitter Mark Cosgrove in the side to reply. They batted like a side with no chance and a string of ill-judged shots saw them dismissed in just 23.3 overs. Ben Wright top scored with 36 off 34 balls, while Murali Kartik claimed 3 for 23. It was the most one-sided of games and Somerset’s biggest winning margin by runs in 40-over cricket.

Match abandoned South Africa Emerging Players v India Emerging Players
Scorecard
Match abandoned New Zealand Emerging Players v Australian Institute of Sport
Scorecard
South Africa emerged as the Emerging Players Tournament victors after the final against India was washed out at Allan Border Field in Brisbane. Heavy rain also prevented any start of the third-place playoff between New Zealand and the Australian Institute of Sport across town at University.There was a chance of play in the decider but just as the ground was ready more showers arrived and the match was abandoned at 12.40pm local time. South Africa finished on top of the one-day standings after being undefeated in their three group games. Australia won the Twenty20 section of the event last week.

ScorecardJames Franklin fell one run short of becoming the first Gloucestershire player this season to hit a County Championship century as his side took control of the game against Middlesex at Bristol. The New Zealand allrounder was caught off a top-edged pull shot for 99, his third score in the 90s this summer. But it set up a first-innings total of 404 for 8 and a lead of 168 going into the third day. Hamish Marshall contributed 68, Alex Gidman 61 and Chris Dent 53.It was a tough day in the field for Middlesex, who were without Owais Shah for much of it because of a back problem. Pedro Collins also suffered a back injury when diving for a ball, but was able to take the second new ball after treatment. Gloucestershire began on 81 for 2 and progressed sedately as overnight batsmen Marshall and Dent consolidated with half-centuries. Marshall was first to his fifty off 75 balls, with seven fours and a six.England Under-19 player Dent has played some valuable innings in his first season of championship cricket and the left-hander again showed good temperament in facing 112 deliveries for his half-century, which featured six fours and a six. The partnership of 126 was broken when Dent fended a chest-high ball from Toby Roland-Jones to Scott Newman at short square-leg.That brought in skipper Gidman, who helped take the total to 193 for 3 at lunch. Marshall then fell to the second ball of the afternoon session, bowled pushing forward to Neil Dexter without addition to the score. When Chris Taylor was also bowled, shouldering arms in Dexter’s next over it was 199 for 5 and Gloucestershire were still 37 behind.But Gidman was well set and reached his fifty off 86 balls, with eight fours as he and Franklin produced a partnership of 76 to put their side 39 runs ahead. It ended when the captain played across a topspinner from Dawid Malan and departed lbw. Middlesex immediately took the second new ball, but neither Collins nor Tim Murtagh could force another breakthrough.At tea it was 319 for 6, with Franklin on 45. Jon Lewis made a valuable 30 and by the time he was run out by bowler Tom Smith attempting a suicidal single Gloucestershire’s lead was 88.Franklin hit five fours in a composed 87-ball fifty and then added two sixes. He looked sure to reach three figures when miscuing a short ball from Dexter and watching in horror as Smith claimed a good catch at deep square. Gloucestershire still went on to maximum batting points and look well placed to boost their promotion challenge.