New Zealand (From): Brendon McCullum(w), Aaron Redmond, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Daniel Vettori(c), Neil Broom, James Franklin, Kyle Mills, Ian Butler, Shane Bond, Brendon Diamanti, Gareth Hopkins, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris

Teams:

“My main mission as captain is to lead the performance. I think sometimes the extra captaincy side of things is overrated.” – Daniel Vettori.

“It is a nice achievement, but I had no idea before the game how many runs I had scored. I hit runs for my country and when my career is over I can reflect on the successes.” – Ricky Ponting, on reaching the milestone of 12,000 runs in ODIs.

Soundbytes:

1 – Daniel Vettori’s rank amongst the New Zealand batsmen by average. Vettori has scored 100 runs and been dismissed just twice, to have an average of 50.00. Amongst the bowlers, his average is the second best in his team, at a very good 17.71. To top that he’s scored at a strike rate of 104.16 and given runs at an economy rate of 3.97.

74.29 – Ricky Ponting’s ODI average in ODIs played since September 1 2009. He has played four matches of the NatWest series in that period and four matches in the Champions Trophy. In those eight matches he has 520 runs, remaining not out once. And to top it all, he has scored his runs at a strike rate of 84.96. That means that he has on an average scored 74 runs from 76 balls everytime he’s come out to bat. No wonder Australia have been on such a role.

Numbers Game:

New Zealand should concentrate on getting Ricky Ponting early, and put pressure on the more inexperienced batsmen.

Australia have the bowling teeth to trouble New Zealand’s batsmen, and they should look to their pacemen to come hard at the Black Caps.

Tactics:

New Zealand: For much of their cricket history they have been over-shadowed by their trans-Tasman rivals, and for most of that time, they have not enjoyed it. This is a golden opportunity given to New Zealand to break out of their habitual capitulation in front of Australia and pip them to a major World Title. For most of the tournament, they have gone about their jobs in a quietly efficient way, not attracting too much hype, but getting the job done – again emblematic of much of their history. Any other side hit by injuries the way they have been would have been badly affected, and certainly if the side had been lacking major stars the way the Black Caps have, no one would have given them a hope of making the next round, let alone the finals. They will derive enormous satisfaction from proving people wrong, and the way to do that even more effectively is to win once again the only tournament they have won on the world stage. When they won the tournament in 2002, they beat a much more fancied India in the final, proving that stars and past form count for nothing and it’s the brilliance on the day that wins the day. Their bowling has looked sharper as the tournament has progressed, thanks in no small part to Shane Bond slowly returning to his fastest, meanest best. They have also found men for the occasion in every match – the hallmark of any team that has done well on a consistent basis anywhere. Now they just need to do it for one more match. There is a lot to play for, for New Zealand and they have the strongest motivation of all – proving history wrong.

Australia: The Ashes defeat seems to have galvanized the side into rediscovering their world-conquering ways. However, although they are very good, Australia are still not at a level where other teams are defeated by the thought of facing them even before setting foot on the field. They can make that work to their advantage though, since they will be hungrier to prove that they haven’t lost their aura and will therefore allow no room for complacency to creep in. Their recent one-day form has been awesome, losing just one of their last eleven matches. They also seem to be peaking right on time, as their demolition of England’s competitive total in the semi-finals showed. Ricky Ponting hasn’t felt the absence of a quality spinner, since Nathan Hauritz has done a good job, and the pace bowlers have been consistently firing. A win in the finals should take Australia back to the No.1 spot, with a more comfortable lead over the others in the pack than a few decimal points. After losing the Test number one ranking, this will be another strong motivator for the Australian team. Ponting of course has been in sublime touch with the bat, but over the course of this tournament Michael Hussey and Shane Watson have also got back in form. Callum Ferguson and Cameron White showed their potential in England, so Australia have a good hand while batting. Their bowlers will need to put the New Zealand batsmen under constant pressure in the same way they did with England, since the New Zealand batting is their weaker suit, and the Aussies’ bowling is their stronger one.

Team News:

Ground Reality: Two weeks after it started, the Champions Trophy has delivered most of what it promised – a tight competition, unpredictable results, and every match being important and mattering to a team’s eventual chances. The finals will be played at Centurion, which has been by far the more batting-friendly venue of the two, which means the importance of the toss will be minimized – which is how it should be for such an important match. Both finalists are led by men who are the lynch-pin of their sides, and this will be as much a contest of leaders as teams. The forecast is for morning showers, but since this is a day-night match, there is a good chance of rain not affecting play.

New Zealand (From): Brendon McCullum(w), Aaron Redmond, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Neil Broom, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori(c), Kyle Mills, Ian Butler, Shane Bond, Grant Elliott, Brendon Diamanti, Gareth Hopkins, Jeetan Patel

Teams:

“To be honest, 99% of the wickets we play on are featherbeds, so it is not a problem once in a while to have wickets which challenge the batsmen. I don’t have a problem with it at all.” – Daniel Vettori on the Wanderers wicket.

“It’s nothing because sometimes you win all the games in the first stage and then suddenly you lose a big game. So it’s good for us, not like some other teams, like South Africa and Sri Lanka in the last World T20, who won all their games and then lost the big games.” – Younis Khan speaking in his usual straight no-nonsense way after the defeat to Australia.

Soundbytes:

8.93 – The drop in Mohammad Yousuf’s ODI batting average since his comeback into the side after more than a year. Before he joined the ICL, Yousuf was averaging 43.59, however in the six matches since he’s come back that has dropped to 34.66.

1 – Shane Bond’s position amongst New Zealand bowlers in ODIs by averages. Bond averages an amazing 20.02 in ODIs, considerably ahead of the second placed, all-time great Sir Richard Hadlee who has an average of 21.56. Bond is in fifth position for bowling averages on the all-time list for all countries.

Numbers Game:

The two highest wicket-takers in ODIs in the current Pakistan side are both batsmen – Shahid Afridi leads the pack followed, rather surprisingly, by Shoaib Malik. Afridi has 261 wickets, while Malik has 129. The next on the list is Umar Gul with 94.

Trivia:

New Zealand: New Zealand have won both their matches at this venue, beating England and Sri Lanka – one while chasing, and one while defending. They will thus be buoyant heading into this match. As they often are in the international arena, New Zealand will be the underdogs in this match, but it is a sobriquet that sits well on them. They rely on team performance and not individual brilliance – in stark contrast to Pakistan – to pull through, and nothing has illustrated this better than the fact that they have topped their group and qualified for the semi-finals in spite of injuries to Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder and Daryl Tuffey. Each of the three was likely to be in the starting eleven, but where India have faltered badly without Sehwag, Yuvraj and Zaheer, New Zealand have found their team resources were good enough to pull them through. In Shane Bond and Kyle Mills, they have a capable opening pair, and with Vettori consistently guaranteeing 10 tough overs, they have a good frontline attack. The main bowlers will be backed by either James Franklin or Iain O’Brien. Their batting has started to click, with McCullum and Guptill finding form against England, but their middle order is suspect, and they will have to be watchful of Pakistan’s lethal bowling attack. Ross Taylor will likely need to play a major hand if his side is to break its semi-finals jinx and progress to the finals of the Champions Trophy.

Pakistan: Pakistan have proved once again, that anybody who makes any prediction about them is guaranteed to end up with egg on his face. They had a below-par tour of Sri Lanka, then came out all guns blazing in the Champions Trophy. They looked off-the-boil against Australia for 75% of the match, but came alive in such spectacular fashion in the last quarter that they almost snatched a victory from certain defeat. Now they have an embarrassment of riches in the seam-bowling department – a happy dilemma for coach Intikhab Alam and captain Younis Khan. From amongst Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul, Rana Naved and Mohammad Asif, they will most likely have to drop one pacer, and on recent form, none of the four deserve to be benched. The tussle is likely to be between Aamer and Asif, and if Aamer is not fully fit Asif should get the nod. However, if Aamer is fit, then Asif might well be benched soon after playing his first match after his international ban. The spin department is well manned by Ajmal and Afridi, so Pakistan have a full hand in their bowling attack. The batting, however, has blown hot and cold in the tournament. The extra fire that came from playing India, focussed the batsmen into producing a good total, but even then it was mostly built on the innings of just two men. In both the other matches so far, the batting has not looked very inspired, and if they are inserted first on a fresh pitch against Shane Bond and co., they will need to tighten their loose batting ends.

Team News:

Ground Reality: The second semi-final of the Champions Trophy will be played in seamer friendly conditions, and rather fortuitously both sides taking part have good pace-bowling attacks. However, the toss might be vital, which is something the groundsman and the ground authorities should strive to eliminate. After all, a place in the finals of the Champions Trophy shouldn’t be dependent on the flip of a coin. Even if the pitch produced is more evenly suited to both the team batting first as well as the team batting second, the bowlers will still find something to smile about at the Wanderers, because the forecast is for showers – which means cloudy skies and help for the seamers.

Australia (From): Shane Watson, Tim Paine(w), Ricky Ponting(c), Mike Hussey, Callum Ferguson, Cameron White, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Adam Voges, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger, David Hussey

Teams:

“We had a very good series against England over there but its different conditions here and I think they are playing really good cricket.” – Ricky Ponting strikes a pragmatic note ahead of the match.

“You are only as good as your last game and we trounced them at Chester-le-Street. I think we’ve got a hold on them if anything!” – Graeme Swann sees the lighter side of life ahead of the all-important semi-final against Australia.

Soundbytes:

1 – Mitchell Johnson’s position in the batting charts for both averages and strike rates for Australia in the Champions Trophy so far. Johnson also achieved this feat in the NatWest series (minimum 10 runs).

17 – The difference in the number of wickets the England bowlers have taken in the three Champions Trophy matches versus the seven Natwest series matches against Australia. In the Natwest series 12 bowlers picked up 40 wickets for England over the seven matches, whereas in the Champions Trophy, 7 bowlers have picked up 23 wickets for England in just 3 matches. In terms of purely wickets taken per match, England’s bowlers have performed over 34% better here than they did at home.

Numbers Game:

England and Australia have met once before in a Champions Trophy semi-final in 2004, with England emerging victorious by 6 wickets thanks to 80s by Trescothick and Vaughan. This remains England only semi-final performance in the Champions Trophy. Australia would go on to win the event the next time in 2006.

Trivia:

England: England are a transformed side in the space of a few days. Their bowling which looked flat and uninspiring not too long ago, has found teeth that have surprised everyone. The England bowlers have revelled in bowler-friendly conditions and shown once again that if the pitch is doing a bit, they are as good as, or better than, most in the world. If their win against the Lankans could be put down in some part to winning the toss, the loss against New Zealand would fall in the same category. Against South Africa though, there was no advantage to be had from the toss, and England showed that they do have it in them to outplay top-sides when they click. Before the loss against New Zealand, England had put together a remarkable winning sequence, winning three matches on the trot against three of the top four ranked ODI sides in the world – Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Against New Zealand too, they did not give in without a fight, making the Black Caps earn every single one of the runs of the paltry total they had to defend, showing a spirit that has not always been evident in English sides of the past. As for the batting, it clicked well in the only match where the toss didn’t play a major role – against South Africa, and performed better than average against a quality Lankan attack in conditions that were still not ideal for stroke-play.

Australia: They have managed to just about sneak into the semi-finals with their last gasp win against Pakistan, but that means they are the only team left in the competition who haven’t yet been defeated. However, the thriller against Pakistan threw up some batting loopholes that have to be covered – the brittleness of the middle order, and the continued reliance on Ricky Ponting to reel off a good score. It’s been said before, but bears repeating: Ponting scoring seems to inspire the relatively young Australian middle order to greater heights. Without their leader they seem a little lost – more so with Michael Clarke also being absent. The positive to come out of the match was the continued resurgence of Michael Hussey, who looked by far the best batsman in the middle. Their late-middle order though, showed that they were susceptible to quality bowling. Their bowling has fewer worries, and in the two matches that the bowlers have gotten a bowl they’ve done outstandingly. Coming on the back of an eminently successful NatWest series against the same opponents, this should inspire a great deal of confidence amongst Australian supporters. The other thing the win against Pakistan did was to show other teams, just how hard and how deep the Aussies could dig to snatch victory. They might have been made to work harder than expected, they might have experienced rather more jitters than necessary, and Ricky Ponting might have chewed off more fingernails than he bargained for, but the end result will show the Australians as victors, and that is all that matters – to this team and to every Australian team in the past.

Team News:

Ground Reality: The oldest rivals in the sport will meet barely a week after they concluded a long-drawn series against each other that nobody seemed to care too much about. However, matters have considerably altered since then. For one thing, this match is a semi-final of a major ODI tournament, and for another, England are no longer the whipping boys who suffered a tennis-style 6-1 drubbing at Australia’s hands. This first semi-final will be played at Centurion which has been far more batting friendly during the course of the tournament than the Wanderers. However, there is nothing anybody can do about rain, and the forecast is for rain or thunder.

West Indies (From): Devon Smith, Andre Fletcher, Kieran Powell, Travis Dowlin, Floyd Reifer(c), David Bernard, Darren Sammy, Chadwick Walton(w), Nikita Miller, Tino Best, Gavin Tonge, Royston Crandon, Dale Richards, Kemar Roach, Kevin McClean

Teams:

A lot of our boys have watched him on television and seen how good he is. It would be a challenge bowling to him and get him out. It would do any young bowler a world of good: Floyd Riefer saying that his bowlers would go all-out while bowling against Sachin Tendulkar.

We would delay our team selection. It depends on how the match is progressing. If we need to strengthen our batting we would do so. If we need the bowling to get stronger, we would do that: Dhoni, mentioning that the Pakistan-Australia match would influence the selection on the Indian eleven.

Sound Bytes:

97: The number of runs required for Sachin Tendulkar to reach the landmark of 17,000 in One-Day cricket.

54.17: Sachin Tendulkar’s batting average against West Indies in ODIs. He is fourth on the list of players with most runs against West Indies in ODIs. He has scored 1571 runs against them, which includes 4 hundreds and 11 fifties in 38 matches.

Numbers Game:

Head to Head in CT: India and West Indies have faced off against each other two times in a Champions Trophy encounter. On both those occasions, West Indies had emerged as the victorious team.

Gavin Tonge: He had Pakistan dancing to his tunes with the ball during the Champions Trophy and this cricketer from the Caribbean is not someone to be taken lightly. An upcoming quick, Tonge would look to put India in trouble as he hopes to make a mark and find himself as a reckoning factor in Windies cricket.

Ishant Sharma: Fearlessness comes with the young – That was what said about Ishant Sharma, who sprang onto the big scene with his wonderful show of bowling. But the same cannot be said of him right now as the rookie pacer looks out of sorts in the Champions Trophy. Having said that, one good show and his steam would be back. This is what India would be hoping for as they take on an under-strength Windies.

Form Guide:

West Indies: Termed as a ‘Second string team’ coming into the tournament, the team from the Caribbean have done more than justice to their performance in the Champions Trophy. Playing against teams such as Australia and Pakistan and giving them a run for their money is no mean feat. The Windies have done just this, announcing that they are not a team to be taken lightly. Their bowling form seems to be on the top, as the matches against Australia and Pakistan suggests. Their batting, while failing to deliver against Pakistan, came good against Australia and almost sprung a surprise against the defending champions. The Indian team will find a hard nut to crack in the Windies, while the ‘Rum Nation’, with nothing to lose, would go all guns blazing against the Men in Blue.

India: ‘Down and almost out’ – This is India’s story in the Champions Trophy as they pray for Pakistan’s victory against Australia. Coming into the Champions Trophy, India were touted as one of the favourites along with South Africa, but contrary to those speculations, Pakistan beating Australia and India defeating West Indies by a huge margin is the only possible route for India to qualify to the semi-finals and not follow the South African way. Their bowling performance against the Aussies was slightly better when compared to the performance against Pakistan. Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar performed well with the new ball and Amith Mishra certainly justified Dhoni’s decision to pick him for the match. However, Ishant Sharma once again showed that he was a bowler short of confidence with his display of wayward bowling, and Harbhajan went for 6 runs an over during his spell. India never got a chance to bat against the Aussies with the match being washed out during the Australian innings. As mentioned earlier, India’s hope now rest on Pakistan beating Australia.

Temperatures: Min – 13C Max – 23C | Conditions: Mostly Cloudy

The Pitch: The pitch at the Wanderers is a typical South African wicket providing assistance to the seamers. The current edition of the Champions Trophy has seen 5 matches played here of which 4 have been low scoring encounters.

Ground Reality: Home to the Highveld Lions, Wanderers, nicknamed ‘The Bullring’, played host to many a memorable match and one such was the epic encounter between Australia and South Africa where the Proteas chased down a colossal target of 434 runs set by the Kangaroos. The Wanderers also played host to the 2007 T20 World Cup final as well as the IPL finals where the Deccan Chargers beat the Royal Challengers.

Pakistan (From): Kamran Akmal(w), Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan(c), Mohammad Yousuf, Umar Akmal, Fawad Alam, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Imran Nazir, Misbah-ul-Haq, Rao Iftikhar

Teams:

“It’s India’s fate and I would celebrate if India goes out of the event.” – Sarfaraz Nawaz shows that a career in diplomacy is not what he’s aiming for.

Soundbytes:

4 – The number of players who are likely to be in the Australian starting eleven, who are in their top-10 list for highest strike rates. Cameron White and James Hopes are at numbers 4 and 5, while Michael Hussey and Callum Ferguson are at 9 and 10.

110.81 – Shahid Afridi’s strike rate in One Day Internationals. He has sustained this rate across 283 matches and 265 innings. No international batsman has a higher strike rate than he does (Minimum – 30 innings).

Numbers Game:

For perhaps the first time in history, Pakistan will be playing a match in which the whole of India will be willing them to not only win, but win big. If they do win spectacularly, then we could say that not only does God exist, but he’s alive and kicking, and answers prayers!

Pakistan: Pakistan have been the form-team of the tournament so far. In fact, they’ve been so impressive that JP Duminy has picked them as his favourites for the title. In the two matches they’ve played so far, the bowlers did a sterling job in one (against West Indies) and the batsmen came to the party in the other (against India). And they’ve been on a roll without a major contribution from Shahid Afridi – who at some point in the tournament is sure to murder a bowling attack. Pakistan have not played Mohammad Asif yet, which is probably the right call, especially since the other bowlers have performed well so far. Asif’s match-fitness in physical and mental terms is still suspect, and while there is no doubting his talent, there is less doubt about his ability to consistently make wrong decisions. A spell of working his way back into the team might actually do him immense good, and Pakistan will profit in the long-term from it. However, considering that Pakistan have nothing at stake in this match, Asif might get his first game. Pakistan’s main weakness is their inconsistency, especially while batting. When the batting clicks, they are hard to stop, but when it falters, they resemble a house of cards falling down. Even in the match against India, Pakistan fell at least 20 runs short of what they should have achieved given the platform laid by Yousuf and Malik.

Australia: Their primary goal in this match, will of course be to win it outright, and comfortably seal their last-four spot. However, the secondary goal has to be to try to minimize the extent of defeat, so that their Net Run-Rate does not suffer and they can still make it through even if they are on level points with India. Currently they enjoy a healthy lead over India in the Net Run-Rate stakes, and are thus, favourably placed to qualify even if they lose. Thoughts of losing, though will be far from the minds of the Australians, who have been in great One-Day form for the past several weeks. They will be without Michael Clarke in this match, but they have not felt his absence so far in the tournament. Ricky Ponting will lead the batting challenge, and with a support cast of Hussey, White and Fergusson, backed by late hitters such as Johnson and Lee, they have the batting firepower to chase or set big targets. The bowlers have not really been tested so far in the tournament – not getting a bowl against India, and bowling to an under-strength West Indies team – but on the evidence displayed in England, there are no immediate worries on the bowling front. Mitchell Johnson has regained his confidence, while Brett Lee is back to doing what he does best – steaming in and hurling the ball. Peter Siddle is no slouch with the ball, while Hauritz had performed creditably. The only area that could cause concern is the question of what would happen if Ponting fails. With Clarke absent, Ponting’s success is essential to Australia’s plans, and his presence at the crease often inspires the younger batsmen to greater heights.

Team News:

As the tournament has progressed, the pitch at Centurion has seemed to ease out for batting. The forecast is for mostly cloudy weather though, which could give the seamers some hope. However, if the rains should come down, then India will be out of the semi-final race and Australia will be through.

Ground Reality: This match will decide whether India will stay with a mathematical chance of reaching the semi-finals by beating the West Indies or whether it will be curtains for the Men in Blue. Consequently, there will be a huge amount of interest generated before the match, and frantic Net Run-Rate calculations should Pakistan win.

Pitch Conditions: The wicket seems to have eased up a bit thanks to the amount of cricket that has been played on the surface. The green tinge on the surface has disappeared, and it looks like a sub-continent wicket with true bounce and good carry. The NZ-SL game was a high scoring one, and this game will also be played on the same wicket. So expect another run feast, provided rain doesn’t play spoilsport.

Temperature: Min-11c Max-20c Conditions: Rain likely towards the evening

Team updates:

New Zealand: After an impressive showing against the Lankan Lions, the Kiwis live to die another day. A win today and they are assured of a berth in the semi-final at the expense of Sri Lanka, while England are through irrespective of today’s result. The batting, which has been their main problem since the last year or so, finally clicked with some impressive knocks from Ryder, Guptill and skipper Vettori. McCullum and Taylor who have been a touch inconsistent, would like to rise to the occasion on the big day, if they are to take their side into the final four. They will however be without the services of Jesse Ryder who has been ruled out of the tournament due to a hamstring injury and Aaron Redmond has been flown in as his replacement. The focus in the Kiwi camp has suddenly shifted to their bowling department, with Bond and company struggling to live up to expectations. Daryl Tuffey has been ruled out after he broke a bone during a fielding session, and Ian Butler who is recuperating from an intestinal infection will replace him. Daniel Vettori has been the only shining light with the ball, and they will be looking to fasten their seat belts and come up with a decent showing, if they are to restrict the likes of Shah and Collingwood who seemed to be in super natural form against the Proteas.

England: They have perhaps exceeded their own expectations by qualifying for the semi-finals with a game in hand. So it was no surprise to see the players take a day off from their gruelling calender and relax, with some team bonding sessions, in the build up to this game. The match maybe of no consequence to them, but Strauss will be egging his boys to carry on from where they left off against the Proteas. Owias Shah and Collingwood are the men in form, but the biggest plus so far has been Eoin Morgan, who has come into his own in this series, notching up 2 match winning half centuries. The biggest concern in the English camp seems to be the availability of Matt Prior, more than the batting or the bowling, and that is in itself a positive sign. The only possible change could be the inclusion of Ryan Sidebottom at the expense of Graham Onions. So we can expect an aggressive English side to take the field against the Hungry Kiwis at the ‘Bullring’.

Numbers game:

34:29 – New Zealand can take heart from the fact that the stats picks them as the favourites for today’s game as they’ve more wins than losses against England.

Soundbytes:

Andrew Strauss: Obviously we didn’t expect to be in this position with a game in hand, and I am sure not many of our supporters expected this after we were thrashed at home, but it is a good situation to be in. Perhaps we have surprised ourselves. It’s interesting to note that people have started calling us ‘favourites’ now.

Daniel Vettori: We are happy that at least our fate is in our hands. It is a different feeling altogether knowing that we can qualify if we win hands down, rather than sitting in our hotel rooms and waiting for someone to help us qualify.

Teams:

New Zealand (From): Brendon McCullum(w), Aaron Redmond, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Neil Broom, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori(c), Kyle Mills, Ian Butler, Shane Bond, Brendon Diamanti, Gareth Hopkins, Jeetan Patel

England (From): Andrew Strauss(c), Joe Denly, Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan(w), Ravinder Bopara, Luke Wright, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Graham Onions, James Anderson, Matthew Prior, Ryan Sidebottom, Adil Rashid, Tim Bresnan

Ground Stats: There have been four Champions Trophy-09 matches played at this ground so far and three such games played here have witnessed the teams batting first scoring in excess of 300 and eventually winning the match.

Temperatures: Min – 11c Max – 23c | Forecast: Mild showers expected

Team Updates

India: A team with multiple problems – wayward bowling attack, injury troubles and fielding woes – India face a stiff competitor who they must defeat to stay in the tournament. Zaheer’s absence was an opportunity which well utilized by Ashish Nehra, who maintained a disciplined line against Pakistan; but there ends the positives about the Indian bowling. While RP Singh and Ishant Sharma are proving to be a flash in the pan, even the experienced Harbhajan Singh seems to be having a hard time with the ball. The batting, on the other hand, saw more positives come out. Gambhir stromed his way back into the side with an aggressive half-century, while Rahul Dravid showed that he is always the reliable wall. Raina too had a good outing and India seemed en route to victory against Pakistan while Raina and Dravid were it the middle. However, the baffling part was the inclusion of Yusuf Pathan who does not seem to have an answer against International sides. India would have to play out of their skins against Australia if they hope to extend their stay in the Champions Trophy.

Australia: The Kangaroos had a good beginning to their CT campaign starting off with a victory against the Windies. However, the team did look a bit rusty and West Indies, on occasions, did look to be on their way to cause a major upset. The batting department looks sturdy with Ponting leading from the front. However, a cause of concern for the Aussies is the way the middle order failed against the Windies before Mitchell Johnson pulled off a power-packed innings towards the end. When it comes to the bowling, the Aussie seamers have done a decent job in the recent times and would look to continue the same trend. However, the absence of a quality spinners has been felt by the team from Down Under. With the likes of Mendis and Ajmal getting assistance from the pitch, the Australians would miss the likes of Warne and MacGill. Having said that, the potent pace attack might prove sufficient against the under-pressure Indian team.

Contests to watch:

Ishant vs Ponting: It is true that Ishant Sharma is now not in the best of his bowling form, while Ricky Ponting has had a good outing with the bat in the recent past. However, one can never forget India’s trip to ‘Down Under’ in 2007/08 when Ponting was clueless against the testing deliveries that Ishant Sharma puzzled him with. India would hope that Ishant Sharma relives those moments and comes up with a similar show.

Sachin Tendulkar vs Austraila: Tendulkar always reserves his best against the Aussies. Testimony to this would be the cricket fans around the world who would agree that 1998 belonged to Tendulkar, who single-handedly took India to the finals at Sharjah with a breath-taking century against Australia and then bettered his efforts in the finals taking India to victory against the Aussies. Numerous such shows have been provided courtesy the little master, and India would bank upon one such effort from the batting Maestro.

Numbers Game:

8: There has never been an Indian batsman who has a better record against the Aussies in ODI’s than Sachin Tendulkar. The Master has scored 8 centuries against the Team from Down Under, at an average of 46.27.

5: Ricky Ponting happens to be the closest competitor on behalf of the Aussies, with 5 ODI hundreds against India.

Sound Bytes:

From now onwards it will be a knock-out tournament for us. If we don’t improve in the next two matches it is better we pack up and go back home: Dhoni, following India’s loss to Pakistan.

To get that sort of total, I thought the batsman did a really good job and Mitch finished things off really well for us: Ponting, in reference to Mitchell Johnson’s unbeaten 73 off 47 balls.

Teams:

India (From): Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Mahendra Singh Dhoni(w/c), Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Abhishek Nayar, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Amit Mishra, Rudra Pratap Singh

Australia (From): Shane Watson, Tim Paine(w), Ricky Ponting(c), Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey, Callum Ferguson, Cameron White, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Nathan Hauritz, Nathan Bracken, Adam Voges, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Hopes, Peter Siddle

Team News:

South Africa: The hosts have put their campaign back on track with a clinical demolition of New Zealand after the stutter against Sri Lanka. Their match against the Lankans could be considered an anomaly simply because they were coming off a long lay-off against a quality team that was match-fit. But knowing the professionalism of the Proteas, it would have taken them just a match or two to get back into the groove, and now with a good win under their belts they are back to being the tournament favourites. Their batting has many stars capable of making a vital difference to the match, and none brighter than AB de Villiers, who continues to have an outstanding year in all formats of the game. And to complement him there is a phalanx of reliability and flair in the form of Graeme Smith, JP Duminy, Jacques Kallis and the expected-to-be-fit-again Herschelle Gibbs. The bowling did the job against New Zealand, and Wayne Parnell repayed the faith reposed in him by picking up a fifer. He might have been expensive, but picking up those wickets helped the overall cause of the team. England have also done South Africa a favour by beating Sri Lanka, because this will ensure that the hosts don’t approach this match with any complacency, as they otherwise might have done even subconsciously.

England: England will be high on confidence after upstaging Sri Lanka, but even taking into account the morale-boost that win would have provided, England have their task cut-out while taking on the hosts. They can take heart from the fact that in their last two matches, they have beaten two of the top 4 ODI teams in Australia and Sri Lanka. In the match against Sri Lanka in particular, they seemed to have at last fulfilled captain Strauss’ oft-quoted utterance, that when they get their act together, they can outplay any team. Their bowling clicked, with Anderson being outstanding. However, it remains to be seen whether the bowling can perform to the same level in less bowler-friendly conditions. Throughout the Ashes too, the England attack showed that in helpful conditions they are world class, but when the going is a little tougher they are pedestrian. Centurion will not be as helpful to them as the Wanderers was. In fact, England might want to consider giving the promising Adil Rashid a game to partner Graeme Swann in the spin department. If they bowl second, the two could be quite a handful. The batsmen would have derived enormous satisfaction at the good showing put up for several reasons – they did it without any contribution worth the name from their mainstay Strauss, they did it against a quality bowling attack, and they did it in conditions that were not ideal for batting. If the batsmen can carry on the good work, England will be very dangerous contenders indeed.

Trivia:

Paul Collingwood can lay strong claim to being England’s greatest ever One-Day cricketer. He is fourth on the list of the highest ever run-getters for England with 4129 runs, just 171 runs adrift of third placed Graham Gooch and 548 runs behind the leader Alec Stewart. To top that, he is sixth in the list for the highest wicket-takers for England with 96 wickets. And he leads the charts in catches taken with 97 catches.

Soundbytes:

“I didn’t see it because I was watching the ball at the time. I then had a chance to look at the replay and the umpires said ‘Well, it’s up to you if you want to call him back’.” – Andrew Strauss on his decision to recall Sri Lankan batsman Angelo Mathews after he was run-out because he collided with bowler Graham Onions.

“I wish to thank my team-mates for taking the catches. I was nervous against Sri Lanka and felt a lot more comfortable in the second match.” – Wayne Parnell on his five-wicket haul against New Zealand.

Teams:

England (From): Andrew Strauss(c), Joe Denly, Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Matthew Prior(w), Luke Wright, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Graham Onions, James Anderson, Ravinder Bopara, Ryan Sidebottom, Adil Rashid, Tim Bresnan

South Africa (From): Graeme Smith(c), Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Jean-Paul Duminy, Mark Boucher(w), Albie Morkel, Roelof van der Merwe, Johan Botha, Wayne Parnell, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini, Hashim Amla, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Robin Peterson

Pitch Conditions: Sangakkara in his post match interview, described the wicket as ‘unfit’ for ODI’s. With an even cover of grass, the bowlers can expect some pronounced seam movement and good bounce. If the batsmen get in, they should make it count. It would be difficult for the new batsmen to play their strokes straightaway. The team winning the toss will be looking to bowl, and make early use of track to their advantage.

Temperature: Min-15c Max-26c Conditions: Bright Sunshine

Team updates:

New Zealand: The Kiwis head into the match knowing well that nothing short of a victory would keep them alive in the tournament. After an below par batting performance against the Proteas, they would be looking upto the likes of Jesse Ryder and the more experienced Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor to bring stability to the top order. Shane Bond and Daryl Tuffey who are making their comeback into the one day side couldn’t have asked for a better wicket to bowl on. There will be plenty in the wicket for genuine fast bowlers and if they put the ball in the right areas, the pitch would do the rest. The Kiwis are expected to go into the game with an unchanged team.

Sri Lanka: The Lankan batsmen were all at sea against Anderson and company on a seamers paradise at the Wanderers in their previous game. Having had the feel of the wicket the Lankans would know what it takes to bat in seamer friendly conditions. The top order needs to get its act together and it wouldn’t be easy to play shots right from the outset. Except for Jayasuriya, all the other batsmen have been in good nick, so its time for the ‘Matara Mauler’ to explode. This game is like a virtual quarter-final for both sides, so some exciting cricket will be in the offing. Let the games begin!

Numbers Game:

5: The number of ODI fifties scored by Sangakkara against New Zealand in the last 5 years.

14.09: Brendon McCullum’s batting average in ODI’s against Sri Lanka. He has managed to score just 155 runs in 12 innings against Sri Lanka.

Sound Bytes:

Sangakkara: The wicket wasn’t the best advertisement for one day cricket, but its all about being flexible. We have learnt from our mistakes and are raring to go here.

Vettori: Yet another must win situation for us, I can’t recollect how many times we have been in this situation before in big tournaments. If we don’t win here, then we would have to do some serious soul searching.

Teams:

New Zealand (From): Brendon McCullum(w), Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Neil Broom, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori(c), Kyle Mills, Daryl Tuffey, Shane Bond, Ian Butler, Brendon Diamanti, Gareth Hopkins, Jeetan Patel

Sri Lanka (From): Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara(w/c), Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Thilina Kandamby, Angelo Mathews, Thilan Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dammika Prasad, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Kapugedera

Pitch Conditions: The game last group-A match between Pakistan and West Indies saw the ball dominating the bat. With an even cover of grass, the bowlers can expect some pronounced seam movement and good bounce. If the batsmen get in, they should make it count. It would be difficult for the new batsmen to play their strokes straightaway.

Temperature: Min-12c Max-26c Conditions: Mostly sunny.

Team updates:

Australia: The defending champions kick off their campaign with an easy game against the West Indies. Coming on the back of a resounding series win over England, the Aussies will be high on confidence and will be looking to build some momentum ahead of the crucial game against India on Monday. However they will be without the services of Nathan Bracken, who has been ruled out due to a knee injury, and Micheal Clarke who will be rested, after he complained of a sore back on the way to Johanessburg from London.

West Indies: After being outplayed by Pakistan in their first match, the Windies will be looking to bounce back with a better batting performance. The batsmen were all at sea in the bowler friendly conditions at the Wanderers, and should make some technical adjustments to cope up with the pace and bounce of the wicket. However their bowling was impressive, with Gavin Tsonge showing the way, picking up a 4 wickets on conditions tailor-made for swing bowling. Nikita Miller was the shining light with the bat, and he will looking for some support from Andre Fletcher and the more experienced Devon Smith, if they are to compete against the mighty Aussies.

Numbers game:

2: The number of matches these two teams have played each other in the Champions trophy, since its inception. Both the meetings were in the previous edition of the Champions Trophy held in India in 2006.

Sound Bytes:

Ricky Ponting: The West Indies will get the respect they deserve from us. There is nothing we can do about the contractual dispute.

Gavin Tsonge: I hope I can roll that wicket at the Wanderers and carry it wherever I go.

Teams:

Australia (From): Shane Watson, Tim Paine(w), Ricky Ponting(c), Mike Hussey, Callum Ferguson, Cameron White, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke, Adam Voges, Ben Hilfenhaus

West Indies (From): Dale Richards, Andre Fletcher, Devon Smith, Travis Dowlin, Floyd Reifer(c), David Bernard, Darren Sammy, Chadwick Walton(w), Nikita Miller, Tino Best, Gavin Tonge, Royston Crandon, Kemar Roach, Kieran Powell, Kevin McClean