All posts by h716a5.icu

Zimbabwe have a lot to work on, but their goal is simpler. They would want to equalise instead of conceding a 2-0 lead before moving to Dhaka for the last three games

The Preview by Mohammad Isam in Chittagong22-Nov-20140:42

Zimbabwe look to turn a corner

Match factsNovember 23, 2014
Start time 1230 local (0630 GMT)Big PictureBangladesh are finally up and running in ODIs this year. In their 14th attempt, they have broken the duck which had caused them so much grief in 2014. Taking the 1-0 lead in the five-match series against Zimbabwe, therefore, has double significance.Of course, much of the attention would go to Shakib Al Hasan for the way he enforced himself on the visitors. After Bangladesh slipped to 70 for 4, it was Shakib who rescued them with a timely century, his first in four years. He added 148 for the fifth wicket, a Bangladesh record, with Mushfiqur Rahim.Later it was still Shakib who provided the early breakthroughs and finished with four wickets. Mahmudullah, new captain Mashrafe Mortaza and Arafat Sunny all bowled well to take two wickets each.Zimbabwe on the other hand had a nightmare on the field. Captain Elton Chigumbura dropped Mushfiqur on 16 and later overstepped when the same batsman was caught at the boundary, on 56. Brendan Taylor made up for his dropped catch with his first fifty on tour. But more would be expected from Sikandar Raza and Hamilton Masakadza. The pair once again provided Zimbabwe a quick start but could not capitalise.Zimbabwe would want at least one of their openers to score a big innings•AFPTheir bowling, too, started well with Tinashe Panyangara and Tendai Chatara restricting the Bangladesh openers, but once Shakib and Mushfiqur opened up, they lost shape. The spinners too did not do justice to the slowness of the pitch.Bangladesh would now look to Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque to give them a better start, while also expecting Mominul Haque to cut away the cute shots and focus on scoring runs. Mashrafe would also hope that the pace attack doesn’t give away too many runs at the start.Zimbabwe have a lot to work on, but their goal is simpler. They would want to equalise instead of conceding a 2-0 lead before moving to Dhaka for the last three games.Form guide(last five completed games, most recent first)
Bangladesh WLLLL
Zimbabwe LLWLLIn the spotlightMushfiqur Rahim was said to be under-par in the Test series but through a rickety 65 in the first ODI, he has regained his touch. His wicketkeeping has not been great but he did take a leaping catch at a crucial stage of the match.Solomon Mire made his debut in the first game and though he did not contribute much with the ball or bat, he looks like one for the future. He has a promising bowling action and is a big hitter, exemplified by the one big six he struck during his short stay.Team newsBangladesh have opted to retain the same combination as the first ODI.Bangladesh (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Arafat Sunny, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Al-Amin HossainVusi Sibanda’s form may be worrying the team management, in which case they could go for Timycen Maruma.Zimbabwe (possible) 1 Sikandar Raza, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Vusi Sibanda, 4 Brendan Taylor, 5 Regis Chakabva, 6 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 7 Solomon Mire, 8 Tinashe Panyangara, 9 Tendai Chatara, 10 Tafadzwa Kamungozi, 11 John NyumbuPitch and conditionsThe start has been advanced by an hour, to 12.30pm, which would mean a little less effect of the overpowering dew, benefiting both sides. Weather remains cool in Chittagong, so the team batting first will get the best of conditions on a flat, slow deck.Stats and trivia Shakib Al Hasan became the 12th player to score a hundred and take four wickets in the same ODI. He is also the fourth after Steve Waugh, Sanath Jayasuriya and Jacques Kallis to score 2000-plus runs and take 100 wickets at home. Brendan Taylor became the fourth Zimbabwe batsman to score 30 or more ODI fifties.Quotes”We lost too many wickets in the first 15 overs. We need to correct that and make sure to put up a better performance in the second game.”
“The year we have had, I don’t think one win will make us relaxed. We will be up and running in the second ODI.”

Fifteen Zimbabwe players will be on central contracts for the 2014-15 season. In addition, Zimbabwe Cricket has awarded six players winter contracts that will cover the July-August 2014 period

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2014Fifteen Zimbabwe players will be on central contracts for the 2014-15 season. In addition, Zimbabwe Cricket has awarded six players winter contracts that will cover the July-August 2014 period.Last year, Craig Ervine – who had been Zimbabwe’s highest run-scorer across formats in their previous series – opted out of playing the series against Bangladesh after refusing to sign a short-term winter contract. Ervine has not played for Zimbabwe since.In the release announcing the contract lists, ZC also said the four franchises – Mashonaland Eagles, Matabeleland Tuskers, MidWest Rhinos and Mountaineers – would offer 10 franchise contracts each.Central contracts: Sikandar Raza Butt, Regis Chakabva , Tendai Chatara , Elton Chigumbura, Hamilton Masakadza, Shingirai Masakadza, Tinotenda Mawoyo, Natsai M’shangwe, Tinashe Panyangara, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitori, Malcolm Waller, Sean Williams.Winter contracts: Donald Tiripano, John Nyumbu, Mark Vermeulen, Timycen Maruma, Richmond Mutumbami, Michael Chinouya.

Angus Porter, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers Association, has sought to clarify his comments about the booing Moeen Ali received from the Edgbaston crowd and said that he “unequivocally condemns any form of racism.”

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2014Angus Porter, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, has said he “unequivocally condemns any form of racism” as he sought to clarify earlier comments he made about the booing of Moeen Ali at Edgbaston.In an initial response about the treatment of Moeen during Sunday’s Twenty20 against India – which led to his father, Munir, telling ESPNcricinfo that his son’s treatment was “disgraceful” and expressing his believe it was because of Moeen’s Muslim faith and Pakistan heritage – Porter said he should see it as “positive” and a player would “rather be booed than ignored”.However, later on Tuesday, Porter insisted it was not his aim to downplay the issue of racism.”The booing was poor and racist behaviour is completely unacceptable,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “What I was trying to do by my earlier comments is calm a situation and I realise that they had completely the opposite effect. Moeen does not want to take the matter further and we fully respect that.”But I want to add that I unequivocally condemn any form of racism. I’m not sure any of us fully understand the motives behind what happened but it is our shared responsibility that should it happen again to tackle it properly.”In his previous comments to the Press Association, Porter said: “His dad offered his view sincerely and I hope it doesn’t stoke the fire because he was just standing up for his boy. There is an element of taking it as a compliment. You are more likely to boo someone when you think they are someone to be feared. Take it as a positive, you’d rather be booed than ignored.”The Test series between England and India also witnessed extensive booing towards James Anderson and Ravindra Jadeja although that was based around the fall-out to their altercation at Trent Bridge.”Supporters pay their money and they are entitled to express an opinion, but I don’t think it’s exclusively about Moeen,” Porter said in his first response. “You see other players get booed. Jimmy Anderson gets booed when he goes to Yorkshire and it’s disappointing when players are performing as entertainers and doing their best. It would be great if spectators saw the positives.”Police, who received a complaint from a spectator at Edgbaston and classed the incident as “non-crime hate-related”, are unable to take further action without a complaint from a victim and Moeen does not want to pursue the issue.

Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, will have to vacate his position in the Baroda Cricket Association, his home body, following a managing committee decision to bar him on technical grounds

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-2014Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, will have to vacate his position in the Baroda Cricket Association, his home body, following a managing committee decision to bar him on technical grounds. Though Patel’s position in the BCCI remains tenable, the development is a huge setback for the man who is considered as a N Srinivasan confidante.Patel has been serving as one of the two joint-secretaries of BCA and is into his second two-year term. Even though he resumed office after a controversial election last year, the opposition faction led by former cricketers Anshuman Gaekwad and Kiran More have the majority in the present managing committee.As a result, a resolution was moved during the last month’s managing committee meeting against Patel’s unlawful co-option into the managing committee for the first time way back in 2002. After seeking legal opinion on the matter, president Samarjitsinh Gaekwad upheld the decision to cancel Patel’s status as an office-bearer along with three other co-opted managing committee members. Patel will be formally asked to resign from the post on Monday.Patel became a BCA member in 2000 and a technicality was recently pointed out that the BCA regulations doesn’t allow a member to be co-opted into the managing committee before three years since his membership has been approved. Patel is expected to contest the managing committee decision in the court.The BCA decision, however, will not have any impact on Patel completing his one-year tenure as the BCCI secretary. The BCCI rules don’t require an office bearer to hold a post in his home unit. According to the BCCI rules, eligibility to contest for an office-bearer’s post is “(a) Past or present office bearers or vice presidents of the board. or (b) Any person who has represented a full member in at least two annual general meetings of the board as a representative of such member.”Since 2014-15, the tenure of the BCCI office-bearers will be increased to three years.

A round-up of the Asian Cricket Council Premier League matches that took place on May 1 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2014Nepal got off to a bright start in the Asian Cricket Council Premier League, by beating UAE by four wickets with more than ten overs to spare in Kuala Lumpur. Put in to bat, UAE lost early wickets, but the innings was resurrected with a 72-run fifth-wicket stand. Swapnil Patil anchored UAE with 76, but they were bowled out in the penultimate over of the innings for 191. Sompal Kami and Mahaboob Alam shared six wickets between them. Chasing a modest total, Nepal lost Naresh Budaiyar in the third over, but the second-wicket pair of Subash Khakurel (71) and Gyanendra Malla (47) responded with a 66-run stand. Paras Khadka, the captain, chipped in with a 40-ball 30. Fayyaz Ahmed was UAE’s most successful bowler with 2 for 49.Afghanistan completed a clinical six-wicket win over Hong Kong in their first match of the competition. Hong Kong were asked to bat and the openers got the team off to a solid start with a 60-run partnership. Subsequently, they lost regular wickets which stemmed the flow of runs. Hong Kong’s top-order all got off to starts but none of them went on to make a big score. Babar Hayat struck six fours and two sixes in his half-century, which helped get Hong Kong to a respectable total of 216. Amir Hamza was the pick of the bowlers, with figures of 10-1-30-3.In reply, Afghanistan chased down the total with 41 balls to spare. All the batsmen contributed, with the most significant one coming from Usman Ghani, who made a quick 70. Ghani fell in the 26th over with the score on 128 for 3, but a 64-run stand between Hashmatullah Shaidi and Samiullah Shenwari took them closer.Oman convincingly defeated Malaysia by 74 runs, in a low-key affair. Oman were ahead of the game from the get-go, getting off to a fine start, after choosing to bat. Zeeshan Maqsood top-scored with 77 and along with handy contributions from Arif Hussain (44) and Aamir Kaleem (42), got Oman to a score of 269 for 6. Hassan Ghulam picked up four wickets but conceded 72 runs in his 10 overs.Malaysia’s captain, Ahmed Faiz made a good fist of the chase with 70 but none of the other batsmen did anything of note. At one stage, Malaysia required 164 off 180 balls with seven wickets in hand, but collapsed to 195 as they were eventually bowled out in the 41st over. Kaleem and Zeeshan Siddiqui picked up three wickets each.

Kaushal Silva and Mahela Jayawardene did not put on a show but their exercise in restraint, self-preservation and gradual accumulation was exactly what Sri Lanka needed

The Report by George Binoy09-Jan-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMahela Jayawardene and Kaushal Silva did not put on a show – there weren’t many people at the stadium to entertain anyway – but their exercise in restraint, self-preservation and gradual accumulation was exactly what Sri Lanka needed to consolidate the advantage earned by their fast bowlers on the first day. Silva fell five short of a maiden century and Jayawardene left his sublime shots on the shelf until the final session, when he was his usual hard-to-contain self and reached his first hundred in ten Tests to give Sri Lanka a strong chance of a series lead.Pakistan’s fast bowlers did not err too much in their line and length, but the sizeable seam movement that had played a prominent role in undoing their batsmen was nowhere to be seen on the second day. Saeed Ajmal operated with parsimony, but Pakistan needed incisiveness to defend their total of 165, and his spell of 27-9-45-0 extended his wicket drought to 76 overs. Sri Lanka had lost two batsmen to injudicious shots early in the first session to slip to 88 for 3, but Silva and Mahela applied themselves to produce a 139-run stand that spanned 51.2 overs and ended only after tea.Mahela’s pace was Sri Lanka’s pace today. He scored 19 off 49 balls in the first session; Sri Lanka made 75. Between lunch and tea, Mahela added 31 off 85; Sri Lanka’s total grew by 83. And in the final session, against the second new ball, Mahela took 56 off 96 to help Sri Lanka score 103. The split webbing he had suffered while fielding at slip did not seem to hinder him and Mahela got to his century late in the day by square cutting Bilawal Bhatti, the debutant who had dismissed him twice in the Abu Dhabi Test, to the boundary.The gains Sri Lanka made after tea were a result wearing Pakistan down over the first two sessions. The unbroken 91-run stand for the fifth wicket between Mahela and Angelo Mathews would not have happened had Sarfaraz Ahmed not dropped the Sri Lanka captain on 5, diving to his right with one hand when he could have got to the ball with both. Mathews scored briskly after that, finishing the day on 42 at a strike rate of 50.Their position at stumps – 318 for 4 and ahead by 153 – was as good as Sri Lanka could have expected when they began the day on 57 for 1. But they so nearly tripped. After three early boundaries, Kumar Sangakkara leaned across to flick a delivery that angled into him from Rahat Ali and fell over to be lbw. Dinesh Chandimal came in ahead of Mahela but did not bat with the composure that had helped Sri Lanka save the first Test. Junaid Khan sent down a bouncer that was above eye level, Chandimal hooked instinctively and was caught by Rahat at long leg. He had been dismissed in exactly the same fashion in the second innings in Abu Dhabi.Unlike Pakistan, however, Sri Lanka’s stumble ended there. Silva and Mahela defended competently and left well outside off, while also putting away loose balls. Mahela played the shot of the morning when he got down on one knee and slog-swept Ajmal to the midwicket boundary. Those were the only runs Ajmal conceded in his first five overs and his day got steadily worse.Mahela Jayawardene batted carefully for two sessions before stepping up a gear as he raised his first century in ten Tests•AFPEarly in the second session, Silva pulled Ajmal to the boundary to bring up his fifty off 133 balls. The afternoon, however, contained a few moments of uncertainty for Sri Lanka. An uppish flick from Silva fell just short of Khurram Manzoor at square leg, Mahela was beaten by the odd doosra from Ajmal and then successfully overturned an lbw decision against Rahat because the ball had pitched marginally outside leg stump.Those deliveries were memorable because there were so few of them and soon Silva cut and drove Rahat for two boundaries in three deliveries to move into the 70s. Shortly before the tea break though, Misbah-ul-Haq gave Mohammad Hafeez a bowl for the first time and Mahela took a risk. He charged and tried to loft down the ground and Pakistan watched as the mis-hit fell agonisingly out of reach of the fielder running back from long-on.It was Hafeez who denied Silva his hundred soon after tea, when the opener swept and was hit on the pad and given lbw. He chose to review, perhaps because he was so close to a major landmark, but replays confirmed the umpire’s decision. Hafeez had struck in his fourth over, while Ajmal had been wicketless all day.Sri Lanka’s lead was only 65 when Silva fell, and given the long tail, Pakistan had the chance to limit damage if they took a couple of quick wickets. Rahat drew the edge from Mathews, but Sarfaraz grassed the ball. There were no more opportunities for Misbah’s men.

Asghar Stanikzai believes that Afghanistan’s win against Bangladesh will help cricket grow in their country

Mohammad Isam in Fatullah01-Mar-2014Afghanistan have reached their greatest triumph in only their fourth game against a Full Member nation, something which they believe is in itself a massive achievement. So much so, that the country’s president Hamid Karzai has already made the congratulatory call to the captain Mohammad Nabi.”Everyone is happy back home,” Nabi told ESPNcricinfo. “The president just called us to wish everyone. We are just too happy. The boys played brilliantly. Samiullah and Stanikzai were our winning partnership. They took us out of trouble and gave us a good score to defend.”Asghar Stanikzai, who made an unbeaten 90 to set up the 32-run win over Bangladesh, said that it will have a massive impact back in their homeland.”It is a historical win for Afghanistan,” Stanikzai said. “This is fourth time we played against a big nation. It is a huge achievement because I don’t think any Associate member beat a Full Member in their fourth exposure.”Every single victory counts big back home. It has a huge impact. Cricket will grow even more with this victory. It is a positive advocacy of cricket at home. We have achieved a lot in a short time. This will bring a lot of happiness and prosperity back home. Everyone will be celebrating back home.”Stanikzai described how he planned his innings, a fantastic effort under the circumstances as he and Man of the Match Samiullah Shenwari turned the tide from being down on 90 for 5 in the 27th over. It was a technically brilliant innings, and complemented well with Shenwari’s freedom with the bat.”My main job is to play as long as possible, play the 50 overs. The other batsmen play around me. The situation was not good for us.”I had to stay and focus on each single ball. I scored 30-odd in 70-plus balls. I know my capability, I can make 70 off 30 balls. I had to take the game till the end and make it a bit longer. It paid off, and we made 100 in the last 10 overs.”When defending the total, Afghanistan attacked Bangladesh in front and then took four wickets in eight balls between the end of the 40th over to the start of the 42nd.They dropped five catches, four off Nasir Hossain’s bat during his 41, and one when Ziaur Rahman made a last-ditch attempt. Stanikzai joked about the catches, the first of which was dropped by him, but admitted that it was indeed a bit of nerves that affected him.”We didn’t want to beat Bangladesh so comprehensively, so we dropped a few catches (smiles),” Stanikzai said. “Jokes apart, it is a history making for every single boy. They are very excited and happy. That might be the case why one or two chances went down.”So how does Afghanistan celebrate? Team manager Shafiqullah Stanikzai said that it is by doing a traditional Pashto dance.”Normally we celebrate with the ,” the manager said. “It is our traditional dance and we do it quite a lot. I think Shapoor [Zadran] and [Mohammad] Shahzad are the party-makers for us and they will do the party.”

Fast bowler Kyle Abbott has been added to South Africa’s squad for the Durban Test against India, which begins on Boxing Day

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Dec-2013Fast bowler Kyle Abbott has been added to South Africa’s squad for the Durban Test against India, which begins on Boxing Day. Abbott has been called in as cover for Morne Morkel, who badly sprained his ankle during the first Test and so is a doubt for the second.Abbott has been in form in domestic first-class cricket, claiming a five-for in Dolphins’ win against Lions. He had had a terrific start to his Test career as well: in his debut Test in February 2013, against Pakistan in Centurion, he took a match haul of nine including 7 for 29 in the first innings. But he hasn’t played since for South Africa, with Rory Kleinveldt – the other back-up fast bowler in the squad – being preferred. In Durban, he is likely to get the nod ahead of Kleinveldt if Morkel doesn’t make it.Morkel not making it is a big possibility, given the South Africa physio says there’s only 20% chance he will be fit in time. Smith said as much after Johannesburg Test: “The diagnosis Brendon Jackson, the physio, has given is that he is 20% ready for Durban, which Morne believes is 80%. At the best of times, he struggles to control those legs. We missed him in our second innings. Let us hold thumbs, but I don’t think the prognosis is great.”Morkel had turned his ankle while fielding on the third day at the Wanderers, and had to be helped off the field. He was taken to the hospital immediately, and it was confirmed that it was a Grade 1 sprain. On Sunday, he spent time in a decompression chamber in hospital to bring down the swelling in the ankle. As the match drew to a close, he was ready to bat if needed and was seen padded up in the change-room. However, his mobility is minimal at the moment Smith said, and his ability to run between the wickets if he had come out to bat would have been almost non-existant.

ESPNcricinfo previews the third ODI in Centurion

Firdose Moonda29-Nov-2013Match facts Saturday, November 30, 2013
Centurion, 10.00 (08.00 GMT)David Miller will be expected to take up some of the slack left from the absence of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis•AFPBig Picture Usually once a series is won there is not much to get excited about but this is a little different. Pakistan, who have already racked up what their captain Misbah-ul-Haq called “a really big achievement” by beating South Africa for the first time in a bilateral series, stand to add to it. Victory at Centurion will make them only the second team to whitewash South Africa in an ODI series of three matches.Although South Africa will be concerned with avoiding that fate, they also have the smaller picture to consider. While the Twenty20 side has found its rhythm, the ODI outfit cannot seem to do the same. Batting inconsistencies continue to work against them and even though one game cannot help them fix it, it may be an opportunity to solve some problems.Without Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, some of South Africa’s next generation will be on display and with public speculation mounting about whether there is space for the two stalwarts in the set-up, this will be the chance to see. The middle-order focus will be on David Miller, who hasn’t been his usual destructive self, with the bowling expected to perform as they have throughout the recent ODI matches.Pakistan will also want batting improvements if there are to seize their chance for total domination. Even if their top-order fail again they will back their bowlers to make up for any lapses, as has been the case in the opening two rubbers.Along with a South Africa revival, Pakistan’s goal may be spoiled by afternoon thunderstorms which have come down all week and are forecast for Saturday. Should the heavens open again, it may put an early end to the series which is now in its sixth week of limited-overs clashes.Form guide
(last five completed games most recent first)
Pakistan WWLLLW
South Africa LLWWWIn the spotlight The promising start Henry Davids made to his international career unravelled in his last six T20s. He has only managed single-figure scores, appeared to be struggling on subcontinental surfaces and against quality spinners but was also asked to bat in the middle order, where he was more exposed. He has not played an ODI for South Africa yet, although he has the domestic record that suggests he should have, and it may be a chance to show he has what it takes to play at the highest level. On his home ground in a dead rubber, Davids will be faced with pleasant pressure although he may still bat outside of his preferred position in the top two.Mohammad Hafeez has not contributed significantly with the bat in seven ODIs, all against South Africa, since his undefeated 136 against Zimbabwe. Without Dale Steyn in the opposition attack, Hafeez will fancy his chances of registering a worthwhile score and breaking a run drought against a team who has not been able to assert himself over with bat in hand.Team news South Africa are without three of their biggest names which will force them to make substantial alterations to their XI. Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis are out with injury niggles while Graeme Smith has been given compassionate leave after his grandmother died.Quinton de Kock is an opener by trade and could replace Smith in the top two but because he has shown he can adjust to the No. 3 position as well, it may make allow Henry Davids to bat in his usual position as an opener. Vernon Philander will likely come back in for Steyn while Ryan McLaren and Wayne Parnell will have to fight it out for the allrounders’ spot.South Africa: (possible) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Henry Davids, 3 Quinton de Kock (wkt) 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Lonwabo Tsoosbe, 11 Imran TahirAlthough changing a winning combination isn’t the done thing, Pakistan may still have reason to make one change to their XI. With Nasir Jamshed continually misfiring and no Steyn to trouble Mohammad Hafeez early on, they could pair Hafeez with Ahmed Shehzad at the top and bring Umar Amin into the middle order to bolster the batting.Pakistan: (possible) 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Sohaib Maqsood, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Umar Akmal (wkt), 7 Umar Amin, 7 Shahid Afridi, 9 Bilawal Bhatti, 9 Anwar Ali, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Junaid KhanStats and trivia The last time South Africa lost all the matches scheduled in a one-day series was against Sri Lanka in 2004 when they were defeated 5-0 away from home. Before that, they were last swept in England in 1994.Excluding series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, Pakistan last swept a one-day series away from home in 2005, 3-0 against West IndiesQuotes “There’s a lot to play for. From an opportunity point of view, it’s really good for the other guys to get a go. We know we’ve got India in a few days’ time. To create winning momentum is going to be important for us.”

Dinesh Karthik has set his sights on proving his worth as a specialist batsman for India in all three formats

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo31-Jul-2013Such is MS Dhoni’s value as a player, it takes two men to replace him. But while one of the talking points of this tour has been how well Virat Kohli might fill Dhoni’s shoes as captain, rather fewer people have been discussing Dinesh Karthik’s merits as a wicketkeeper-batsman.If Karthik had it his own way, however, his keeping wouldn’t be a factor. Of all people, Karthik knows that the keeper’s gloves belong to Dhoni for the foreseeable future and so he has set his sights on proving his worth as a batsman for India in all three formats.”It’s not something I’ve ever felt bad about because I feel it’s a great opportunity playing with [Dhoni],” Karthik said. “I’ve always looked at myself [as someone who] can play as a batsman in this side and that’s what I’m looking to do – play as a batsman in all three formats of the game.”It was his batting as a teenager that first attracted the selectors’ attention, and once again the runs he scored during a fruitful IPL season with Mumbai Indians led to his recall in a simplified batting role for the Champions Trophy in June – his first games for India in three years. Karthik has also benefitted from some minor tweaks to his batting technique which have aided his balance at the crease.”I feel I have the technique,” Karthik said. “It’s important that every time I get an opportunity I pile up the runs and make sure I do well as a batsman. We won the Champions Trophy and that was great. West Indies was a quiet time, but Zimbabwe again in the two innings I’ve played I’ve done well.”Yet, Karthik’s figures do not quite convince. Since his return in England, Karthik has scored two fifties in 11 innings. Although the runs haven’t begun to flow just yet, on a few occasions since his recall Karthik had shown he has the ability to absorb pressure in the middle order after the loss of early wickets. Most recently, he entered the fray during the second ODI at Harare with India wobbling at 65 for 4. He didn’t need as much luck as his partner Shikhar Dhawan, who was dropped twice and caught off a no ball, and compiled a tidy 69 that helped set a match-winning total. His reaction to pressure situations like that will be key to Karthik’s future.”I’m looking forward to these things,” he said. “It’s important that you keep putting in performances every time you go into bat and be as consistent as you can, and that’s something I’m really looking forward to doing.”