All posts by csb10.top

With only 15 days until the Champions Trophy you’d think the teams’ preparations would be ready for the final polish. But Sri Lanka and New Zealand still have a few experiments to complete and players to evaluate in their last chance before the bigger competition.A four-game tournament is hardly ideal preparation but it’s all these teams have. Some sections of the local and foreign media are querying the value of this series, which was originally scheduled to be a five-match series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka but expanded to include India and contracted to four games. Though the format has raised the odd eyebrow of players from both sides, Sri Lanka and New Zealand see it as a big opportunity to test themselves, especially against India, who have been in electric form in ODIs over the past year.Both Sri Lanka and New Zealand are reliant on explosive openers and two men behind, with a worrying degree of rawness in the middle- and lower-orders. Both also carry a mixture of inexperienced batsmen and those whose potential remains unfulfilled due to a flawed approach at the crease.Sanath Jayasuriya’s lack of form is a serious concern. “We’d like to keep Sanath out of form, but we know that a player of his class can strike at any time,” was Daniel Vettori’s assessment.Thilan Samaraweera and Thilina Kandamby, two solid but unspectacular players, are in the squad to bolster the middle order. For Samaraweera, who revived his Test career 18 months ago, it’s another chance to improve a sorry ODI resume. If Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene are brushed aside early, there is just too much pressure on a wobbly lower-middle order. Everyone has to put their hands up.Muttiah Muralitharan’s groin injury is being monitored and he is in doubt for the first match, putting pressure on Ajantha Mendis. Mendis poses a tough proposition, but New Zealand have taken confidence from the amount of time they’ve faced him recently. “If we can negate his ability to tear through batting line-ups that will set us up to be a bit more aggressive later on,” Brendon McCullum said. “So far everything has been going well and hopefully we can gain that momentum again.”New Zealand appear to have less to worry about than Sri Lanka and can claim an edge over them thanks to the upset 2-0 Twenty20 win. But despite progressing smoothly from Tests to Twenty20s, Vettori’s outfit is still trying to ease a massively influential player back into the side and get a couple of batsmen into form. Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder have been short of runs recently but gained some momentum in the Twenty20s, and the lack of runs from Martin Guptill and Jacob Oram and the inexperience of Grant Elliott and Neil Broom shows.Shane Bond faces a big test after reasonable outings in the Twenty20s. Nathan McCullum is a part of this squad but not in the Champions Trophy, so his role remains uncertain with Jeetan Patel attempting to seal the second spinner’s spot. New Zealand’s 15-man squad includes names that don’t evoke thoughts of class or assured temperament, so if they reach the final they should considered it a success.Sangakkara addressed Sri Lanka’s concerns on the eve of the tournament but was confident of a change in limited-overs fortunes when the teams stepped into the 50-over format. “You can read into a loss and come up with a number of theories but it’s best to just deal with it and move on. The reality is that New Zealand outplayed us,” he said. “It was unfortunate that we lost the first game after having such a strong start from Dilshan. In the second game, we were second best all throughout. One-day cricket is a different ball game. There are more overs and you have more time. You have to raise your standards. I’m confident of our abilities.”New Zealand have won five of 14 matches this year; at the end of 2008 they were tested by Bangladesh in similar conditions. They last played an ODI in March, losing to India 3-1, and need to prove their ability in the 50-over format. Sri Lanka’s recent ODI form has been patchy; they have lost their last two home series against India, and have been convincing enough against the weak Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. They won the first three games of a five-match series against Pakistan but went on to lose the next two.If the rankings are any guide, then second-placed India will arrive here confident of reaching the finals. New Zealand and Sri Lanka, at Nos 4 and 7 in the ICC’s ODI rankings, will have to prove that rankings don’t count for much. The first step comes tomorrow.

Daniel Vettori prised out the two wickets he needed to cross 300 Test victims on the first day of the second Test at the SSC. He reached the landmark in his 94th Test when, in his 16th over, Kumar Sangakkara attempted a slog-sweep and was caught at deep midwicket by Jacob Oram. Vettori now sits eighth on the list of players to have taken 300 wickets and scored 3000 runs.At the end of the day’s play he allowed himself the satisfaction of soaking it all in. “For a spin bowler from New Zealand, it’s not something a lot of people would expect to happen,” he said. “To play for that amount of time and to do so well is very special. It’s difficult to be a frontline spinner in New Zealand, so to have longevity and to revel in some conditions means that I’ve had a pretty good career. I’d like to think I’ve stayed pretty constant.”Vettori was more pleased to have joined an elite group of allrounders. “To be up there with the four allrounders of the eighties is special,” he said. “It’s been an exclusive group and to think that you’re one of only eight in that list is something I cherish.”It didn’t take long for Vettori, who on Tuesday admitted he was itching to cross the landmark. He brought himself on in the 11th over, after New Zealand’s new-ball pair bowled well but without luck, and struck with his second delivery. He tossed one up with that customary high-arm trajectory, got the ball to gently drift in towards Tharanga Paranavitana, and Ross Taylor at slip did the rest.The landmark came when Vettori dismissed Sangakkara two balls after the Sri Lankan captain reached his half-century. Vettori and Sangakkara had battled all session and Sangakkara seemed to have finally stamped his authority with a couple of smashes over mid-on. But while attempting another he picked out to the sweeper.There was no massive celebration from Vettori as his team-mates mobbed him. He received warm applause from the smidgen of a crowd, the loudest cheer coming from two small groups of New Zealand fans. Vettori smiled and raised his arms in celebration, then dropped his head as he slowly walked towards his team-mates.New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan led the tributes for Vettori’s achievement. “This is a huge honour for Dan – he can be rightfully proud of his record as a preeminent Test cricketer,” Vaughan said. “To have achieved to the standard of players of the calibre of [Shaun] Pollock, [Ian] Botham and [Imran] Khan, for example, speaks volumes for Dan’s ability with both ball and bat.”To claim 300 Test wickets is an achievement for any bowler but it is especially noteworthy for Vettori given the workload he’s had to shoulder since making his debut against England in 1996-97. Vettori played his first Test at 18, the youngest to represent New Zealand, and has lugged the weight of his side almost since. He has rarely had support at the other end, be it from the fast bowlers ahead of him or from a quality support spinner. Of his 94 Tests, 45 have been at home often on unfriendly surfaces designed to hamper the longevity of spinners. Along the way he has fought back from serious stress-fractures that could have laid low less strong-willed bowlers.Today Vettori bowled as he has for much of his career, sticking to the routine that made him New Zealand’s second most prolific bowler, and well past the tally of the only other spinner from his country to take 100 Test wickets, John Bracewell. To the left-handed batsman he drifted the ball in and tried to get the slips involved as much as possible. To the right handed Tillakaratne Dilshan, habitually one to feast on spin, Vettori pushed the ball in quicker, at times operating on a line more prone to nagging stump-to-stump medium-pacers. He varied his flight to Mahela Jayawardene, clearing his throat when a straighter one hit the batsman as he went back. The wicket of Sangakkara was reward for perseverance in the face of adversity, a microcosm of Vettori’s career.

Fast bowler Charl Langeveldt has been named in South Africa’s provisional 20-member squad for the Champions Trophy to be held in September, marking his comeback to international cricket after more than a year. His last ODI was against Bangladesh in Dhaka back in March last year.Langeveldt had withdrawn from the 2008 tour of India after being upset by the controversy surrounding his selection. His inclusion ahead of Andre Nel was seen by many as pandering to Cricket South Africa’s transformation policy. In April 2008, he signed a two-year contract with Derbyshire as a Kolpak player and the doubts over his international future increased after this decision. However, he was happy to return to the international fold and was ready to put the past behind him.”I’ve made peace with everything. I’ve spoken to [coach] Mickey [Arthur]. It’s a nice feeling to be back in the squad. I’m glad the selectors haven’t forgotten about me and are still keeping me in their thoughts,” he told the on Monday.The fast bowler has been successful in domestic cricket during the period of his self exile, picking up regular wickets for the Cape Cobras. He also was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders team for the second edition of the IPL held in South africa. “I think I’m a better bowler now than then. I’ve played a lot of county cricket and domestic cricket over the last two seasons, and it has helped.”Mike Procter, South Africa’s chief selector, was pleased with the look of the squad and believed it would be quite difficult to reduce it to the final 15. He was slightly wary about the numerous injuries in the squad, which comprised all 15 players from the World Twenty20.”Charl Langeveldt is no longer a Kolpak player and is again available for selection,” Procter said. “He has recently undergone shoulder surgery and we will have to see how well he comes through that.”The news on Graeme Smith’s elbow surgery is extremely positive at this stage while Lonwabo Tsotsobe has made a good recovery from the knee surgery he had earlier in the year. We will be able to monitor his form as well as that of Vaughn van Jaarsveld on the Emerging Tour of Australia later this month.””Hashim Amla, Herschelle Gibbs and Wayne Parnell are all playing county cricket at present but will return home in good time to prepare for the tournament.”Provisional squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Johan Botha, Yusuf Abdulla, Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (wk), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Charl Langeveldt , Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Robbie Peterson, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Roelof van der Merwe, Vaughn van Jaarsveld

ScorecardCallum McLeod took the final three wickets•ICC

Jan Stander hit a crucial 64, the highest score of the match, as Scotland battled to a lead of 242 against Canada after their second innings was almost derailed by the visiting seamers as ball continued to dominated the game. The home side secured an advantage of 43, but again struggled with the bat as they stumbled to 99 for 7 before Stander and Gordon Drummond put Scotland back in the driving seat with a stand of 69.Scotland were batting with ten men after wicketkeeper Simon Smith dislocated his shoulder during a morning warm-up game of football. He went to hospital where the injury was assessed and returned with his arm in a sling. Although the damage wasn’t as serious as first feared the pain prevented him taking further part and he is a doubt for the forthcoming one-day internationals.However, it was the problems of Scotland’s top order that left them struggling to build a match-winning lead. Moeeb Iqbal edged an ambitious drive to slip and he was soon followed by Fraser Watts who prodded uncertainly at Khurram Chohan, continuing his impressive performance after claiming six in the first innings.Chohan also removed Neil McCallum between Rizwan Cheema snaring Ryan Watson – who pulled a slower ball to midwicket – and Richie Berrington. Cheema’s third was Ewan Chalmers and when Majid Haq became Chohan’s third Scotland were falling away.The game swung again, though, as Stander and Drummond produced the highest stand of the match. Drummond continued to be inspired by the captaincy with his second vital innings of the game to follow his 52 on the opening day. He finally fell for a valuable 34 and Stander was the last-man out for 64 from 128 deliveries with two sixes.Stander had earlier helped wrap up Canada’s first innings as he and Callum McLeod took the final three wickets for 30 runs in 10 overs. Cheema and Chohan fought hard to edge towards Scotland’s total before causing more problems with the ball. But Scotland’s lead could yet prove decisive.

Shaun Tait’s confusing few weeks has continued with his selection in the Australia A side to take on Pakistan A in Queensland in June and July. Less than three weeks after losing his Cricket Australia contract, Tait was chosen for the limited-overs portion of the series in a squad that will be captained by Cameron White.Bryce McGain’s quick slide following his Test debut continued as the selectors turned instead to White and two other slow bowlers. Jason Krejza had fallen off the radar after his two Test appearances but is back in the mix alongside the young Victoria left-arm spinner Jon Holland.There has also been a shift in the wicketkeeping ranks with Tasmania’s Tim Paine chosen ahead of Luke Ronchi. It is less than five months since Ronchi played for Australia, yet he has now disappeared below Paine and the Ashes-bound Graham Manou as the backup glovemen to Brad Haddin.The series begins with two four-day matches in Townsville before heading to Brisbane’s Allan Border Field for a Twenty20 and three one-dayers. Tait, Moises Henriques and David Warner have been included only for the shorter games while Ryan Broad, Michael Klinger and Burt Cockley have been picked as specialists in the longer version.The pace attack for the four-day matches will be made up of the emerging Cockley and Clint McKay, alongside the established Doug Bollinger and Brett Geeves. The vice-captain Adam Voges, 29, is the oldest member of the group and the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said it was a deliberate decision to choose a youthful squad with the one-day focus already on the 2011 World Cup.”The National Selection Panel has, with view to the future of Australian cricket, selected a very young squad to play both the four-day and one-day games,” Hilditch said. “The selection recognises the performances of these young talented players in the domestic season last year whilst concentrating on those players we have identified as having the ability to play a significant role in the development of Australian cricket in the future.”Australia A squad Cameron White (capt), Adam Voges, George Bailey, Doug Bollinger, Ryan Broad, Burt Cockley, Callum Ferguson, Brett Geeves, Moises Henriques, Jon Holland, Michael Klinger, Jason Krejza, Shaun Marsh, Clint McKay, Tim Paine, Shaun Tait, David Warner.

Two days after making an emphatic statement on the field against Pakistan at The Oval, India sought to make a strong one off it, with the entire squad assembling before the media in a show of unity. The bizarre assemblage was aimed at denying reports in the Indian media of a rift between the captain MS Dhoni and his deputy Virender Sehwag.All 15 members of the squad, and the support staff, walked up on stage after a three-hour training session at Trent Bridge; while Dhoni and the team manager sat at the table, the rest gathered behind in an overt display of camaraderie. Dhoni then read out a written statement from the team for “the people of India, and Indian cricket fans worldwide”..”As we prepare for the T20 World Cup, we are a superbly unified team,” Dhoni said. “The team spirit is as good as it has ever been, with each individual supporting the other on and off the field. Recent reports in the Indian media of a rift between me and Sehwag amount to nothing but false and irresponsible media.”Our fans and supporters can take confidence from the wonderful unity that continues to exist within the team. We thank our fans for their continued support and look forward to entertaining you during this tournament, which we go into well-prepared, unified as Team India, and confident.” And with that, Dhoni led the rest of the squad out of the media briefing room, without taking questions.That task fell to coach Gary Kirsten, who said he was “blown away” when he heard about the reports because it was something that “that never exists in this team.” He said the decision to make a public show of team unity had been a collective one and was intended to send a message to the fans that there was no infighting in the squad.”We don’t play as individuals, we play as a team. We take a lot of pride in that,” Kirsten said. “When we get accused of infighting, it hurts us. We collectively made the decision that it was a good idea to show the Indian people, most importantly, our team unity, just in case there was any doubt that there was any infighting.”The questions came thick and fast. Was there a need for such a dramatic reaction to the reports? Wouldn’t the issue have died down after a few strong performances, or when Sehwag regained fitness and returned to the playing XI? Wouldn’t such a gesture invite unwarranted attention to the issue if indeed it was, as the team claims, without basis? Kirsten didn’t think so, and there were individuals within the team that felt that something needed to be said. Kirsten felt the gesture was a “huge positive” that had motivated the players and made them more determined.The team going out of its way to make an emotional statement was at odds with Dhoni’s usually cool and calm handling of the side. Perhaps the weight of expectation the team is under this time required them to project a unified force going into the World Twenty20.Two years ago, no one gave India a chance of attaining Twenty20 glory. They had played only one international, against South Africa in 2006, and their leading batsmen – Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid – plus Zaheer Khan had opted out of the tournament. Even the Indian board had shunned the format until then, giving it no importance in their international or domestic calendar. The team was finding its feet in the format during the campaign in South Africa but the unexpected victory changed everything. It proved the catalyst for the IPL.The core group of the present squad is formed by the same players that gave India its first international trophy since 1985 and they realize that they are carrying a responsibility that didn’t exist when they took the field against Scotland in Durban two years back. “There is a level of expectation because the team has won before, they are the world champions,” Kirsten said. “We are fully aware of that responsibility and understand the pressures that come with that. We are just focusing on our processes and know that if we execute our skills as well as possible, we’ll be a hard team to beat.”I think it started in the last Twenty20 World Cup, a young bunch of cricketers with not much hope of winning a tournament came through and showed great team unity. The message is that when we operate as a very closely knit team, we can achieve wonderful things.”Unity. It was a word repeatedly heard on the eve of India’s first match against Bangladesh. Their actions today may have been fuelled by good intentions but it will also increase scrutiny they will be under when they take the field at Trent Bridge on Saturday.

Bangalore Royal Challengers captain Kevin Pietersen was warned by the match referee for expressing his disappointment at being adjudged lbw to Muttiah Muralitharan by umpire Simon Taufel. He was out for a golden duck in the match against Chennai Super Kings in Port Elizabeth on Monday and his dismissal was crucial as Bangalore were thrashed by 92 runs while chasing an imposing 179.Pietersen had come in after Jacques Kallis and Ross Taylor had departed in quick succession. At 47 for 3, with the fielding restrictions over, Bangalore were staring at an uphill task. Facing Murali for the first time, Pietersen came inside the line against a delivery that pitched on off and straightened a little before hitting the pads. Taufel raised his finger immediately while Pietersen indicated with his bat that may have taken a faint edge. He appeared surprised and kept shaking his head on his way back to the dug-out.GR Viswanath, the match referee for the game, warned him for dissent after Taufel reported the incident to him. Viswanath said it was a Level 1 offence but Pietersen was spared any fine and was given a “severe warning”.Bangalore had won their first game, against Rajasthan Royals, before yesterday’s defeat.

Ricky Ponting has arrived in Durban ahead of Friday’s first one-day international confident that Australia can turn around their form after losing the Twenty20 series 2-0. The squad will train on Wednesday and Thursday at Kingsmead, where some of the players enjoyed wrapping up the Test series victory less than a month ago.Shane Harwood and David Warner have flown home after the Twenty20 matches while South Africa have also named a slightly different group for the 50-over format. They are hoping to have Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis available after they missed the Twenty20s through injury and Ponting felt the changes would mean a fresh start for both teams.”I’ve been on the record for a number of years saying I don’t really take much from series to series as far as momentum goes,” Ponting told . “Quite often you’ve got a vast changeover of personnel from each team.”I’d be surprised if the South Africans go into the first one-day game with the same team. Sure you want to win every game that you play and you give your absolute best to win every game that you play. But as far as any of this carrying over to Friday, I’d be surprised if they are even talking that way about it.”The five-match one-day series presents Australia with a chance to regain their No. 1 ranking after South Africa claimed the top spot by winning 4-1 in Australia. A key factor for the visitors will be the form of Nathan Bracken, who was uncharacteristically expensive in Sunday’s Twenty20 loss when his four overs in Centurion leaked 44 runs”Nathan’s great strength in the last couple of years has been that he has been able to combat everything that the batters have been able to throw at him with his changes of pace or out-thinking them or his execution being so good,” Ponting said. “But having not played in that sort of pressure for a while, I just think he was probably a little underdone with his skills. I’m sure he’ll really knuckle down with his work this week.”

There is growing anxiety in world cricket over the security situation in India for the IPL next month with Indian government officials suggesting that the tournament be postponed, the franchises admitting to inquiries from players over their safety and the international players association asking for an independent security assessment.Officials from three franchises told Cricinfo that they had received anxious inquiries from some of the international players in their squads after Tuesday’s attack on the Sri Lankan team in neighbouring Pakistan. Tim May, the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), has admitted to concerns over security for players in the tournament. And a senior government official based in New Delhi told Cricinfo that conducting the IPL during the country’s general elections presented a “near impossible situation” for security forces.In fact, hours after Tuesday’s attack in Lahore, India’s home minister P Chidambaram admitted that “it would be better” if the IPL, scheduled to be held from April 10-May 24, was staged after the general elections during the same period.However, Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, and Sundar Raman, the IPL chief executive, said there was no question of the IPL being postponed. Modi said the IPL was aware of government sensibilities and added the matches would be rescheduled within the present window in such a manner that they would not be held within 24-48 hours of election days in the nine venues across India.”We will be working closely with the Indian government and we are gearing up to put in place foolproof arrangements,” Modi told Cricinfo. Raman said it would help that security would be high in any case for the elections.Crucially Sharad Pawar, the former BCCI president who still has the final say in India’s cricketing affairs, is a powerful union minister and a significant voice in the central government.However, it appears that the government, especially its home ministry, is not fully convinced – Chidambaram has deputed the country’s home secretary to meet IPL officials for further discussions, possibly this week. “It is a far from ideal situation for us,” a home ministry official said. “Most of the security cover for the elections will be done by central forces while security for the IPL is to be handled largely by local police. But even then, the role of local police is crucial for a smooth election.” Apparently, nearly 97,000 security personnel would be employed for the elections that will be held in five stages across April and May.The Indian government’s concerns are being echoed by players from abroad, too. In a clear reference to the IPL, FICA’s May said the players’ concerns are not only limited to ICC events and bilateral tours, but also to the staging of domestic events involving international players in “high-risk countries”.”We have written to the IPL on behalf of our members requesting an ability for player representatives to be involved in the evaluation and construction of security for the event – an increasing number of players have expressed a desire for an independent level of comfort surrounding security arrangements regarding this event,” May said.Similar concerns are being voiced by the IPL franchises who don’t want the event to be postponed – that would mean financial disaster, they admit – but are worried that some of their foreign players may pull out. “I fear the foreign players could now be reluctant to play in the IPL,” Vijay Mallya, the owner of the Bangalore Royal Challengers, said in Spain. “The tournament is just about a month away and I really fear the repercussions. It (the Lahore attack) is sad and shocking.”Mallya’s team purchased Kevin Pietersen last month for a record US$ 1.55 million at the IPL auction but the England batting star is now said to among those who have expressed fears about the prevailing security situation.

“If I were one of the England guys who signed up for the Indian Premier League, I would be concerned,” Duncan Fletcher, the former England coach, wrote in the . “The traffic is often so bad in the big cities where a lot of the cricket is played that the coach can move along only slowly at times, which turns it into a sitting duck for terrorists… I would be very nervous because that kind of attack is much easier to carry out in India – and these guys can attack when they like.”The eight IPL franchises have signed up almost all the top international cricketers — England’s cricketers will make their debuts this year — and the entire Indian team. The hugely successful BCCI tournament survived a terror attack last year when a series of blasts in Jaipur briefly threatened to derail the inaugural edition last May. However, last November’s terror strikes in Mumbai forced the postponement of the BCCI-backed Champions Twenty20 League.According to Modi, IPL security will be centrally monitored from this year by Nicholls Steyn, the ICC’s security consultants. “They had handled the security for some teams during the last IPL but now they are on board fulltime as our central agency,” Modi said. Some of the enhanced measures that will be seen at this IPL include CCTV cameras to cover every corner of the match venue and at the gates to monitor the entry and exit of spectators. But Modi and Raman refused to discuss the enhanced security cover in detail as they “would compromise various plans”.Other franchise officials are reluctant to speak on record about the IPL’s security scenario but have privately admitted that there is a need for effective co-ordination between the local state association and local police officials. “There were complaints from several venues last time about the level of co-operation extended by local police,” a franchise official said. “There was a lot of heartburn over distribution of free passes to senior police officials and over protocol issues. This time, the communication and co-operation with local police has to be 100% foolproof. You can’t expect Nicholls Steyn personally to cover the entire stadium in each venue.”The franchises agree though that postponing the tournament would be disastrous. “Really, postponing the IPL is as good as cancelling it for this year because there is simply no other window,” another franchise official said. “Any such move would a massive blow for us and the players, especially in the current economic climate.”Raman insists the tournament will go on as scheduled and said the administration was fully geared up. “Every such incident such as this one on Lahore will only reinforce our commitment and responsibility to security,” Raman said. “The very fact that England returned to play their Test series here after the Mumbai attacks last November, and did so without any problem, is proof of how safe things are in the Indian context.”

Places in the New Zealand squad will no longer be safe with national selector Dion Nash warning underperforming players that, regardless of their status, they may get the axe if they do not deliver.”When you have a small group of proven players, what happens is that you carry them when they are in and out of form,” Nash told the . “You want to be in a position where there’s constant competition for places so the guys know they must maintain good form or they won’t play.”People need a little bit of slack but what you can’t have is a continuous run of bad form. Guys who are knocking on the door underneath deserve their chance.”He admitted that in the past high-profile players had been able to avoid the axe, but believed there was significant pressure from the new crop in the fight for places.”What we would like to do is build a lot more depth,” he said. “Once that’s in place we can start picking guys when they are in form. That’s the key for New Zealand.”Part of that building depth is about creating competition for spots. I think the groundsmen around the country have really helped the process for us. We’ve got better wickets now, particularly for batting, and with that you can get your confidence up at domestic level.”Nash felt that players coming into the New Zealand side after success at the domestic level were closer to international standards than previous players had been. “That instills confidence in the new guys and provides really healthy competition,” he said.With the one-day series win over West Indies and a closely-fought Chappell-Hadlee Series in Australia, Nash said the summer’s success hinged on the upcoming home series against India.”If we can really go toe-to-toe with these guys [India], we can finish the summer in great stead,” he said. “I certainly think we can do that and I know the boys are all up for it. The series will hold a completely new set of challenges from the two series we’ve already had. It’s an exciting series and also one I think we must front up and perform in.”