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Michael Hussey, the Australia batsman, has said captain Michael Clarke enjoys the full support of his team-mates and that Australia are headed in the right direction under Clarke’s leadership.Clarke has had a successful start to his captaincy, leading Australia to four straight series wins since taking over from Ricky Ponting. However, he has also been embroiled in the controversy over the dropping of opener Simon Katich, with the latter suggesting Clarke had a role in keeping him out of the team.”If you want to be part of this Australian team, you’ve got to go with the captain and we respect the way he wants to take the team,” Hussey told . “Even someone like Ricky who has been captain, he’s jumping on board as well and it just shows that the guys really do want to play for Australia, we do want to play under Michael and I think we’re definitely going in the right direction.””It’s been great for him personally – he’s really taken the role with a full head of steam. He’s very passionate about the role and he’s very clear in how he wants to lead the team.”Under Clarke, Australia have won against Sri Lanka (Tests and ODIs), Bangladesh (ODIs) and South Africa (ODIs), who they beat 2-1 ahead of the two Test series starting on November 9 in Cape Town. Hussey said Clarke did encourage the team to enjoy their one-day series success, but attention has already turned to the Test series.”If we can stick together and do the basics for long, long periods of time, which is what Michael’s philosophy is, then I think we can definitely come out on top,” Hussey said. “It’s going to be a huge series … it’s going to be great hard Test cricket which is what we all look forward to, but I’m confident.”We’ve got a very important first-class (tour) match coming up in Potchefstroom [on Tuesday]. We’ve got to make sure we get into Test mode.”

Afghanistan have targeted a place at the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka next year, and batsman Mohammad Nabi believes the blooding of new talent during Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 tournament stands the team in good stead.”We are preparing for the World Twenty20 qualifiers next year and for a series of matches in the United Arab Emirates, so it was very good to come here and play,” said Nabi, who was stand-in captain at the Faysal Bank T20 cup, with Regular captain Nawroz Mangal and several senior players having missed the trip in order to prepare for next month’s matches in the UAE.”We brought some youngsters here while the seniors were in the UAE, so we have a good back-up and youngsters get the chance to learn something, and I am happy that they learnt a lot,” said Nabi.Nabi added that he hoped new coach Aftab Habib would continue the progress set in motion by former coach Rashid Latif. “We learnt a lot from Rashid Latif and now we have former England player Habib as coach, so we hope he carries on the good work,” said Nabi.In order for Afghanistan to make a second appearance at the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka next September, they will have to finish in the top two in the World Twenty20 qualifiers scheduled in the UAE from March 13-24, 2012.

Peter Moores, the Lancashire coach, believes left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan is already an international-class bowler after his 9 for 51 bowled the county to a vital Championship victory with just four minutes to spare against Hampshire. With the second ball of what was likely to be his final over of the match, he had Neil McKenzie caught at slip by Tom Smith after the final-wicket stand had lasted 21 overs.The match-winning haul at Aigburth was his second notable analysis of the summer after he took 5 for 7 against Warwickshire, at Edgbaston, but he has been limited to three appearances because of the presence of Gary Keedy. Next summer he will be the main man if Keedy’s move to Warwickshire is completed in the off-season and he certainly appears ready to take over the mantle, which will be a further shop window to impress the England selectors, having tasted Lions honours earlier this season.”I think they are looking at him now,” Moores said. “He’s been unlucky this year because he hasn’t played as much because Gary has done a fantastic job. He has the ability to put pace on the ball, he’s got two or three different deliveries and how he bowled in the second innings was the quality of an international spinner – that’s the highest compliment I can pay. He got good players out with fairly unplayable balls on a pitch that became quite subcontinental.”When he burst onto the scene last year he immediately showed his talent,” he added. “He’s got a great combination; a great work ethic and real belief in his own ability and they are what you need to be a top-flight player. One of the strengths of a Lancashire player can be when they come through a mixture of the academy and the league structure; the league is a school of hard knocks while the academy provides a more structured environment.”The man himself certainly doesn’t lack confidence. He demonstrated that during the final day at Aigburth when he told his captain that he’d like to bowl at Keedy’s end. Glen Chapple agreed to the switch, but Kerrigan was informed “he had to perform”. Kerrigan promptly took a wicket with his first delivery to remove James Vince and proceeded to take seven of his nine wickets from the River End.”Keggsy fancied it and when someone shows belief I think you should go with them,” Chapple said. “He took a wicket in his first over and there was no reason to go back. If someone believes in themselves that much you should listen to them. To take nine wickets on that pitch was a remarkable effort. It was by no means a spinner’s paradise, it just shows he got quality.”Not surprisingly, after such a memorable performance, the confidence wasn’t about to subside quickly. “When I get into a rhythm, and this is a bit of arrogance from myself, I feel that I can bowl as well as anyone in the world,” Kerrigan said.He had only previously taken seven wickets in an innings at any level – with his best haul coming for club side Ormskirk – and wryly pointed out the high mark he’d set himself with nine wickets. “I don’t think I’ll be beating them,” he said. “I’ll be worried now for the rest of my career but I think I’m wasting my time. It’s a really great moment, and I’ll remember stuff like this when I retire.”

Scorecard
Danny Briggs caused Durham’s batsmen all sorts of problems to finish with five wickets•Getty Images

Hampshire are a step closer to getting the chance to defend their Twenty20 crown after a five-wicket haul by left-arm spinner Danny Briggs set up a crushing 55-run win over Durham at the Rose Bowl.Neil McKenzie’s accomplished fifty had carried Hampshire to a competitive 154 for 6, after which Hampshire’s stable of spinners took full advantage of the helpful conditions to scupper Durham’s chase. The slow men bowled 11.3 overs for just 50 runs in total, with Briggs ripping the heart out of the middle order to finish with 5 for 19 and the Man of the Match award.While Hampshire’s preparation of a pitch to suit their strengths in the bowling department is sure to spark some debate, there was some absorbing cricket on display as ball dominated bat. Hampshire were grateful for a 66-run fourth wicket stand between McKenzie and Sean Ervine, as the eventual first-innings total gave the home side’s spinners vital breathing space and heaped on the scoreboard pressure to induce false strokes from Durham’s batsmen on a turning track.Briggs had played a vital role in Hampshire’s triumph in this competition last season with a club record of 31 wickets, including a Man of the Match performance in the semi final, and is Hampshire’s leading wicket-taker this time round too, with 22 scalps at 14.95 so far. Hampshire captain Dominic Cork also had Imran Tahir and Shahid Afridi’s appreciable talents to turn to, but it was seam rather than spin that he opted to open Hampshire’s defence with.Both Dimitri Mascarenhas and Cork, who turned 40 today and has also been dealing with his father’s illness in recent weeks, managed to keep things reasonably tight, but the match really began to turn when Briggs was brought on in the fifth over, with the field restrictions in place, and immediately struck to remove Mustard.Overseas signing David Miller was the next to go, deceived by dip through the air and zip off the surface to be bowled for 10, and in the very same over Briggs rushed one straight on past Ben Stokes’ thrusting sweep to have him stumped for 28 by wicketkeeper Michael Bates, who had a flawless day behind the stumps. With Durham shorn of the services of the injured Paul Collingwood, Stokes was the only batsman to find any fluency in the conditions, and once he was gone the strangulation began in earnest.Ian Blackwell was completely deceived by a Tahir googly, while Briggs had Dale Benkenstein and Liam Plunkett caught in the deep for his fourth and fifth wickets as Durham slipped to 95 for 8. Once they’d completed their overs, Afridi was brought on and swiftly applied the coup de grace with the wickets of Mitchell Claydon and Scott Borthwick with consecutive deliveries.Durham’s chase ultimately ended with a whimper, but they had been far more competitive in the field, and made a superb start when the potentially-destructive Afridi was run out without facing a ball in the first over. James Vince struggled to get going, and Durham continued to show superb energy in the field as Jimmy Adams was run out to reduce the hosts to 37 for 3.Ervine and McKenzie started slowly but the innings soon began to regain momentum, and they had reached a far more healthy 78 for 3 at the halfway mark. Durham’s spinners – Borthwick, Blackwell and Breese – found plenty of fizz off the surface and Blackwell caused particular problems for McKenzie, who played and missed on several occasions.An intense contest unfolded, McKenzie hitting back with consecutive sixes with a slog sweep and a twinkle-toed loft over cover off Blackwell despite the conditions. A firm platform had been laid but the partnership was then broken in farcical fashion, both batsmen stranded mid-pitch after some very confused calling and Ervine run out for a 30-ball 35.McKenzie remained, however, and marshalled his team past 150, bringing up a 40-ball half-century along the way. That was always going to be a very stiff target for Durham to chase, but once Briggs got going they never had a chance.

Australian concerns about the workload of Shane Watson over an unprecedented three back-to-back Tests may yet allow the pace toilers Peter Siddle and Trent Copeland to jump the queue for selection in Sri Lanka.As the tourists considered the risks of fielding two fledgling spin bowlers against the Sri Lankans on what is expected to be a turning pitch in Galle next week, the captain Michael Clarke said his deputy Watson would not be overbowled as a third seamer if two slow bowlers were chosen. The tour schedule is so cramped that Australia play three back-to-back Test matches for the first time in history.Such a selection would be counterbalanced, Clarke said, by the selection of pace bowlers capable of long spells, placing Siddle and Copeland firmly in the frame. Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris, arguably Australia’s two most incisive fast bowlers, can be better suited to shorter bursts. Harris is also returning to the Test team after a broken ankle, and has not played first-class cricket since he suffered the injury in last year’s Melbourne Ashes Test.”No doubt it’s a concern,” Clarke said. “It is a positive we have Watto and we know he can bowl, he’s got some good bowling in the one-dayers, but no doubt he’s a huge player for us, opening the batting is a big role as well.”I don’t want to blow him out in the first Test, knowing we’ve got three very important Test matches so there’s some concern if we decided to go with two spinners about how heavy his workload would be. But then it also depends on the two other quicks you pick as well.”If you go with two spinners, the two fast bowlers’ role becomes very important, because you have to have someone there who can bowl you some overs. It really is determined by conditions and picking the best bowling unit. When we’re picking this team, it’s about who we think are going to take 20 wickets, and what is the best combination to do that, not necessarily who are the best four individual bowlers to bowl.”There is little consideration being given as yet to Watson’s shift down the batting order, particularly after Simon Katich was so harshly sacrificed by the selectors. This was apparently done to establish Watson and Phil Hughes as a settled opening partnership ahead of the next Ashes series.”He’s been so good at the top of the order, so I don’t think it would be smart to move him right now, who knows what may happen in the future,” Clarke said. “On one side he’s probably going to find it a bit harder opening the batting if he’s bowling a lot more, but the other side of it is if he comes off the field after bowling, it generally takes a bit of time for your body to stiffen up, so it might be better for him to get out there and keep playing.”It’s important me and Watto continue to communicate and we’ll see how he’s travelling and what his thoughts are. Right now he’s loving opening the batting and he’s a big player for us, he’s our vice-captain, and I want him scoring runs, so if he’s happy with that right now, then we’ll keep him there.”

Daniel Vettori has joined the Brisbane Heat with the blessing of Northern Districts, despite an expected clash between the Big Bash League and the HRV Cup. The BBL kicks off on December 16 and New Zealand’s Twenty20 tournament is expected to be held during a similar period, meaning Vettori is unlikely to be available for every match in both competitions.He faced a similar problem two seasons ago, when he flew in to play two games for Queensland between Northern Districts commitments. However, Vettori said he was hopeful of spending more time around the Heat this summer, which could raise questions about his availability for the HRV Cup.”I played with the Bulls a few seasons back and had a good time so I’m looking forward to being more involved this time with Brisbane,” Vettori said. “The travel back and forth was the toughest part of things last time and I’m keen to being a bit more settled with things this time and be around the group a bit more.”Despite the change to city-based teams, Vettori felt he was returning to a familiar environment, typified by the instinctive coaching style of Darren Lehmann.”I still saw it as the same team, I know there will be a few different changes here and there but it does feel like I’m playing with a similar group of guys,” Vettori said. “Knowing Darren Lehmann pretty well and talking on the phone and seeing what direction he wants to take the team was quite a fresh idea to me and something I thought I could really enjoy. Brendon (McCullum) coming on board as well made it even easier.The Northern Districts CEO, David Cooper, conceded there would be a crossover between dates for the BBL and the HRV Cup, but he said he had no problem with Vettori joining Brisbane. Cooper said Northern Districts were hopeful Vettori would be around for every match of New Zealand’s T20 tournament, but that was not yet certain.”That’s to be confirmed,” Cooper told ESPNcricinfo. “Certainly discussions that Daniel and I have had so far are that his desire is to play right through our HRV Cup and be part of hopefully leading the Northern Knights to a competition victory.”Daniel has been talking to me about this and having the opportunity to be part of the Big Bash. We’re thrilled for him and like our other players who play in the IPL, it’s a great opportunity, and hopefully through their involvement with us we’ll benefit from it as well in terms of the experience they’ll gather.”I don’t know all the details at this stage in terms of what Daniel has agreed with Brisbane. But we’ve had discussions and we’re waiting for our schedule to be confirmed, and then we can look at what opportunities there are for him to get across and play in Brisbane around our games.”Vettori hinted that his presence in Brisbane might open the door to Northern Districts having access to other Heat or Queensland squad members during future competitions.”I know Northern Districts and Queensland have a good relationship and that definitely makes it easier for me to pop over and play for them,” he said. “I’m sure other teams will have affiliations as time goes on. So if we can get to the stage where a couple of Heat players are popping over to play for ND and vice versa, I think it’s going to be good for both competitions.”The Heat will have a similar issue with their other overseas star, Brendon McCullum, who will flit between Otago and Brisbane during the Christmas-New Year period. The Heat coach Darren Lehmann said: “As is the case with Brendon McCullum, we’ll work through Dan’s availability with his management and New Zealand Cricket and Northern Districts, but whatever he does, he brings absolute class to the table and we are delighted he is on board.”Meanwhile, the Sydney Thunder have finalised their full 18-man squad with the addition of five young players: Sean Abbott, Tim Armstrong, Nic Bills, Matthew Day and Luke Doran. Teams have until this Friday to name their initial list of at least 14 players, meaning Brisbane must add at least two more to their squad, the Melbourne Stars three and the Sydney Sixers four.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outAdrian Barath’s half-century was the only bright spot for West Indies on a day dominated by the visitors•Associated Press

On another bowlers’ day in Kingston, India swooped into a strong position after yet another West Indian batting failure, and finished 164 ahead in what is shaping up as a low-scoring Test. On a Sabina Park track that had so much turn that the spinners were wondering how to keep the ball on the stumps, the Indian fast bowlers – debutant Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma – knocked West Indies over for 173. Adrian Barath played his shots in a battling half-century but there was little from the rest of the top order.Praveen was India’s star in the morning session, though it was Ishant who made the first breakthrough, removing Ramnaresh Sarwan with his first ball of the day. With Harbhajan Singh getting the ball to spin and bounce, more early wickets looked likely but two of West Indies’ emerging batting stars – Barath and Darren Bravo – defied the bowling for over an hour.Initially the runs weren’t easily available as Ishant cranked up the pace, but Barath broke free with a bunch of boundaries. Bravo too seemed to settle in, with an impressive on-the-up cover drive off Ishant, but followed it up with two nervy moments in the same over: Suresh Raina dropped a dying edge at third slip, and the next delivery reared up and nearly took the the edge.The pair survived some more close calls, and with the first hour of the day negotiated, Barath decided to open out. Amit Mishra, the most impressive Indian bowler in the one-dayers, was greeted with a loft over long-on to bring up Barath’s fifty, and the next delivery was launched into the stands in the same direction.A change of ends for Praveen, though, transformed the session. In his first over from the Michael Holding End, he produced the ball of the morning – slanting in towards off before bouncing and jagging away, forcing Barath to play, and nick to the keeper. For a bowler who has had a long wait to make the Test grade, it was a maiden wicket to savour.That was only the start of a spell in which he bagged three wickets in 14 deliveries. The other settled batsman, Bravo, was the next to go, with the off-stump line and the movement again resulting in a catch behind. West Indies still had two of their most adhesive batsmen at the crease, but Praveen separated them with a straight delivery to Brendan Nash, that took the leading edge to slips.Praveen’s day was blotted a touch as he was suspended from bowling soon after lunch, on getting his third warning for running on the danger area. India had started the second session poorly, sending down too many leg-side deliveries. Praveen’s exit and Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s presence at the crease gave West Indies fresh hope.

Smart stats

• West Indies’ 173 is their fourth total below 200 in the team first innings in Tests since the start of 2008. They have lost on each of the previous three occasions.

• Praveen Kumar’s 3 for 38 is the best bowling figures by an Indian on debut against West Indies since Narendra Hirwani, who picked up 8 for 61 and 8 for 75 in Chennai in 1988.

• After a strong start to his Test career, M Vijay has scored just one century and one half-century in his last 12 innings at an average of 29.50.

• Rahul Dravid’s aggregate in Jamaica is the most by an Indian batsman. He has scored 363 runs in eight innings in Jamaica at an average of 60.50 with three half-centuries.

• This is only the fifth occasion that India have taken a lead in a Test in the West Indies after batting first, and only the second time after scoring less than 300.

• Shivnarine Chanderpaul was dismissed for the first time in Tests by Harbhajan Singh, after facing 575 balls and scoring 203 runs off him.

The three Indian specialist bowlers, however, stepped up in Praveen’s absence. Ishant harried the batsmen with his accuracy, and the variable bounce and generous turn kept the batsmen wary against the spinners. Still, Carlton Baugh and Chanderpaul put on 45 before Harbhajan had Baugh tentatively poking to silly point. He removed Chanderpaul for the first time in Tests soon after, getting him to inside-edge onto the pads for an easy catch at short leg. There was some resistance from the tail-enders, though their efforts weren’t enough to prevent West Indies from conceding a hefty lead.India’s batsmen then set about stretching that lead, and led the side to a comfortable position despite ducks for two of their top four. M Vijay was lbw to a short Ravi Rampaul delivery that was unplayable, rising little above knee-high. VVS Laxman had a rare double failure as his attempt to get off the mark by punching Darren Sammy down the ground ended up as a return catch.Sammy latched on to that one, but put down one he will regret. He fluffed a simple chance at second slip – nice height, close to his body – to give Rahul Dravid a life on 6. Dravid went on to play his second important innings of the match. While these may not be in the league of 2006 Jamaican masterclasses that secured the series for India, Dravid again showcased his patience, judgment and tenacity, to finish unbeaten on 45.In difficult conditions, he and Abhinav Mukund added 56 for the second wicket. Mukund played a cautious hand, rarely trying anything extravagant as he looked to make an impact on debut. It was slow progress, but having negotiated the bowling for nearly two hours, he lost his concentration soon after a drinks break in the final session, feathering Bishoo behind.The other Indian debutant Virat Kohli had flopped in the first innings, and didn’t have the most comfortable of times in the hour he had till stumps. With a barrage of bouncers coming his way, he was involved in a tussle with Fidel Edwards. Kohli blew a mock kiss whenever Edwards stared him down after sending down a short ball.With Dravid at his unyielding best and the pitch remaining a brute, India will be thrilled at the quick turnaround in the fortunes after the top-order collapse on the first morning.

Craig McDermott pipped his old pace rival Allan Donald to be the man charged with shepherding Australia’s pace bowlers after they slipped to innocuous depths during the Ashes. The appointment of Troy Cooley’s replacement was announced in Brisbane on Thursday after Michael Brown, Cricket Australia’s head of cricket operations, had completed his final round of interviews.”It’s great to be back as part of the Australian team set-up again and I can’t wait to get started working with the bowlers and the rest of the team,” McDermott said. “We’ve got some challenging tours ahead in the coming months but I’m excited at the opportunity to be part of the group that helps get Australia back to number one in all forms of cricket.”McDermott wasted little time identifying the potentially explosive but more often wayward Mitchell Johnson as a key to the Australian team’s fortunes. Johnson maintained a very close relationship with Cooley, but the countless hours they spent together did not always result in fruitful spells on the field.”I thought Mitchell had his head in a really good space in Bangladesh,” McDermott said. “If he can get it together he’s like no other bowler we’ve got in the country. His arm speed is phenomenal and when he gets it right, he’s unplayable. He was working on a couple of things in Bangladesh and if he gets it right he will bowl well and he’ll be around for a long time.”In the 15 years since his retirement from international cricket in 1996, McDermott has tried various pursuits, not all of them successful. But in recent times he had worked as a pace bowling coach at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, and was taken to Bangladesh as interim pace bowling coach for Australia’s short tour in April, where he gelled successfully with the players.”Not everything is a quick fix. It’s a long-term thing. Certainly I’d like to put an emphasis on that part of our bowling,” McDermott said of encouraging Australia’s bowlers to pursue a fuller length. “If you pitch it up you’re a much better chance of getting lbws, caught behinds and clean bowleds.”We’ve got more than enough (bowling) depth for Australia to be top in all three forms of the game. It’s a challenging time but I enjoy a challenge.”McDermott was chosen out of an initial field that included Jason Gillespie and Andy Bichel in addition to Donald and the little-known Allister de Winter, with his previous involvement in the Australian system a major selling point. A long and successful Test career, in which he took 291 wickets across 71 matches and excelled in a wide variety of conditions, also helped.”His impressive record as an international player, during which he successfully overcame a number of setbacks, combined with his recent record at the Cricket Australia Centre of Excellence and with the Australia team in Bangladesh, all impressed us that he was the outstanding candidate for this role,” said Brown. “He will provide valuable support to the new Test Captain, Michael Clarke, coach Tim Nielsen, and the playing group.”Justin Langer, retained as batting coach the same day McDermott was appointed, quantified the Queenslander’s value.”He had an unbelievable work ethic when he played,” Langer told . “He played in an era with some great players and also a tough era. He went through the AB times and the Bobby Simpson times. That experience will be invaluable.”I think he’ll also bring quite a worldliness to the group, because he obviously went away from the cricket scene for some time and had varying degrees of fortune in his business life. He’ll bring that worldliness to the group, which I think is pretty invaluable in this day and age.”Often young professionals now, they gain this change-room existence where they come in and they become professional cricketers and all they really get to know is the change-room and their team-mates. I think any outside sources or influences who can talk to them about life after cricket and about being a good person off the field, or the different challenges that come with being a professional cricketer and the rewards that come with that, will be valuable.”Donald is now likely to remain with New Zealand where he had begun a fruitful relationship with the national side during the World Cup, while de Winter will go back to preparing the Tasmanian pace attack for their tilt at defending the Sheffield Shield title.

Match facts

Wednesday, May 5, Kochi
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Sreesanth has the one of the best economy rates this IPL•AFP

Big Picture

If you are a Kochi fan, be worried. Be very worried. Kochi are playing at home. They have just won one game at home, cribbed silently about the pitches, and seem a happy unit away from home. Even their senior players, Mahela Jayawardene and Brad Hodge, expressed their relief and happiness at playing away from home on a “good pitch” in their last game against Delhi. The way they performed would have given them heart. They went in with a four-pronged seam attack and it worked for them. Another thing that would give them hope is their record against the big teams; they have beaten Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi.Even Gautam Gambhir has stopped mentioning trying to bring “joy to the city of joy”. It’s now accepted that Kolkata Knight Riders are a team to reckon with. Victory is no longer a pleasant surprise; it’s expected now. There were murmurs that Yusuf Pathan and Eoin Morgan didn’t do much in the first half of the tournament. So what does Gambhir do? He pushed Morgan to open and promoted Yusuf ahead in the last game. Morgan has got some starts and Yusuf exploded in the last match against Deccan. Nearly all their batsmen are in form and with Iqbal Abdulla and Rajat Bhatia coming good with the ball against Deccan, their attack looks more rounded.

Form guide (most recent first)

Kolkata: WWWLL (second on points table)
Kochi: WLLLW (sixth on points table)

Team talk

It will come down to the pitch. If it has pace and bounce, or even lack of it, Kochi might reprise their four-seam attack. Kolkata are unlikely to change the winning combination.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Jacques Kallis has been one of the key factors in Kolkata’s revival. He has ensured the team doesn’t lose wickets against the new ball and has set up a good platform for the middle and end overs. It’s a pattern with the teams at the top: Sachin Tendulkar and Mike Hussey have done similar jobs for their teams. Kallis has always been synonymous with solidity and he has not disappointed his fans thus far.Brad Hodge is someone like Kallis: solid, experienced, assured and someone who is extremely self-aware of his game. However, he has had a quiet tournament so far, just tallying 157 runs from nine games. His form was perfectly captured in the game against Deccan Chargers when he played a rather loose, ambitious drive way outside the line of a delivery from Ishant Sharma. He made a brisk unbeaten 24 in his last game and said it was good to get out there and play some shots. Will that little knock be the signpost of his turnaround this season?

Prime numbers

• Sreesanth has the fourth lowest economy rate (5.83) for any bowler who has bowled 18 overs or more in the tournament. Yusuf Pathan has the lowest economy rate (5.96) for Kolkata
• Manoj Tiwary and Ravindra Jadeja have hit 12 sixes, the third highest number by any batsman. Yuvraj Singh stands at the top with 15 sixes.

The chatter

“I am making an effort not to go for too many unconventional strokes. I am not comfortable with them and if cricketing shots can get me the desired runs I don’t need to resort to reverse sweeps … I have worked very hard in the gym over the last few months. I was at home during the World Cup and utilised that time by improving on my upper-body strength which is important in international cricket.”
“I always believed that there were never great captains and there will be no great captain. There are only great teams. No captain can win you the game. It is the team that wins the game. So far, I am enjoying my captaincy … You end up taking responsibility, you end up learning a lot, you feel happy when you end up winning.”
Gautam Gambhir indulges in some straight talk