All posts by csb10.top

Kevin Pietersen has been omitted from England’s one-day squads for their tour of New Zealand next year as England’s selectors have accepted that he needs to rest to survive a heavy international schedule.Formal rest periods have become ever more prevalent in England cricket, but Pietersen’s absence from the New Zealand squads as England look to manage his workload is nevertheless a notable concession to the player so soon after his lengthy dispute with the England hierarchy.Geoff Miller, England’s national selector, said: “There are a number of players who we have decided not to select for parts of the competitive programme this winter as we look to manage their workloads effectively while ensuring we remain competitive across all formats. We feel this is the best way of keeping players as physically and mentally fresh as possible during a demanding 2013 and beyond.”Kevin Pietersen will miss the limited overs tour of New Zealand with Graeme Swann missing the T20 leg of the tour. This approach also provides an opportunity for talented young players to gain more international experience which will be important for their development and the development of England sides in the future.”Pietersen is expected to play in the Test series in March before heading to India for the IPL ahead of the English season.Since his much-publicised “reintegration” into the England set-up Pietersen has missed two Twenty20 series despite being one of the world’s most outstanding players in this format. He was also rested for the two matches against India, but England still drew the series 1-1 after winning in Mumbai and registered their highest winning total in Twenty20 cricket in the process.England’s introduction of a job share in their coaching set-up, with Andy Flower running the Test squad and Ashley Giles taking charge of the the ODI and Twenty20 sides in the New Year, supervised by Flower as overall team director, is another recognition of cricket’s demanding calendar.England have played 44 matches in all formats this year and the ECB has now accepted that for players and management rest periods are essential if they are to maintain hunger, fitness and a stable family life.England’s T20 squad in New Zealand shows two changes from the original India party with Stuart Broad, recovered from a heel injury, returning to captain the side and Steven Finn also called up after back trouble. Jonny Bairstow, who left the T20 series against India early for personal reasons, is also named. England play two warm-up fixtures against a New Zealand XI in preparation for a three-match series starting on February 9 in Auckland.For the three match ODI series, which begins on February 17 in Hamilton, Swann, James Anderson and Jonathan Trott return to the side after being rested for the ODI tour of India. As well as announcing squads for all three formats in New Zealand, England’s selectors also put Joe Root in charge of the England Lions one-day tour of Australia in February, barely a week after his mentor, the former England captain Michael Vaughan, had identified him as a future England captain.Root, who made his England Test debut earlier this month against India, will captain a Lions side in five one-day matches against Australia A which includes 12 members of the 2012 England Performance who have recently returned from India.Reece Topley, Essex’s left-arm quick bowler, has an opportunity to win his first England Lions cap alongside Gary Ballance, Varun Chopra, Ben Foakes, Toby Roland-Jones and Chris Wright.Twenty20 squad: Stuart Broad (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Stuart Meaker, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, James Tredwell, Luke Wright.ODI squad: Alastair Cook (capt), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott.Lions squad: Joe Root, Gary Balance, Scott Borthwick, Danny Briggs, Varun Chopra, Matthew Coles, Ben Foakes, Alex Hales, James Harris, Simon Kerrigan, Toby Roland-Jones, Ben Stokes, James Taylor, Reece Topley, James Vince, Chris Wright.This article was updated on December 23 at 6.25pm after the ECB advised that James Vince had been omitted from the Lions squad because of an administrative error.

Cricket South Africa is hopeful of reaching an agreement with the public broadcaster SABC tomorrow ahead of the summer series which starts on Friday. Despite televising all home internationals since readmission, the SABC has indicated they will not air this season’s fixtures against New Zealand and Pakistan. ESPNCricinfo understands financial constraints in buying the rights are the biggest issue for the SABC.CSA controls its own rights but sold the production to subscription-broadcaster , whose cameras generate the pictures. SuperSport then purchases a separate broadcasting rights agreement to air cricket played in South Africa throughout the continent. Their deal excludes the free-to-air package.”CSA have carved out rights for the public broadcaster,” Jacques Faul, acting chief executive told ESPNCricinfo. “We would have sold the same rights at a premium to SuperSport but we keep the free-to-air rights separately because we want cricket to be available to the majority of the country.”The SABC’s deal was worth R30 million ($3.53 million) last season and a source close to CSA said they were willing to offer it at “around half,” the price this summer. CSA would make up the rest of the revenue through sponsorship promotions. For example, Test sponsor Sunfoil has already bought R12 million ($1.41 million) in advertising from the SABC. Some of that money would go to CSA to make up for the loss in selling the rights.SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago was not willing to comment on whether the SABC could not make enough money from other advertising to justify buying the rights. He was only willing to say that matters are still being debated. “We are considering a number of options before us and we will make a decision from our side when we have thought through these things,” he said.International cricket matches played in South Africa are “listed sports events” according to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa. That means they must be available on a free-to-air channel. The only other option for CSA would be to enlist the services of (another channel which does not require a subscription) but with time running out, it is unlikely they will be able to this season.CSA’s biggest concern is that the game will not reach large swathes of South Africans if the SABC does not broadcast the matches. “It’s sad because we need to grow the game and we need the public broadcaster to help us grow the game,” Faul said.The SABC have a notably larger viewership than SuperSport. Last season, the two Twenty20s against Australia pulled in an average of 1,254,642 viewers on SABC while SuperSport had 252,071. As a ratio, almost five times as many people watched the matches on the public broadcaster than the pay channel. For ODIs, the ratio is 4.69 to 1 in favour of the SABC while for Tests it is as high as 6.69 to 1.South Africa play three T20s, two Tests and three ODIs against New Zealand, followed by three Tests, five ODIs and two T20s against Pakistan. The SABC’s radio coverage of the series is expected to continue as normal with ball-by-ball commentary from the stadiums. As matters stand, the SABC has offered to air the Boxing Day T20 but will only show highlights from all other matches. They will revert back to CSA with a final decision tomorrow.

JP Duminy, the injured South Africa middle-order batsman, has wished his successor well for the rest of the tour of Australia. Duminy will be out of action for three to six months after rupturing his left Achilles’ tendon and will be likely be replaced by either Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar or specialist wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile in the starting XI.”I’d tell them to just to take the opportunity with both hands,” Duminy said in Brisbane, where his surgery was deemed a success. “These sorts of opportunities don’t come around often and you’ve got to make the most of them. They are quality players, they’ve proven themselves on the domestic scene and they definitely deserve their position. Whoever gets the opportunity, I’m sure they will do this team good.”Duminy’s words of wisdom come from personal experience. He was handed a Test debut during South Africa’s 2008-09 tour of Australia when Ashwell Prince broke his hand on the eve of the first Test. Duminy scored a half-century in South Africa’s chase of 414 and followed it up with a 166 at the MCG to win the series.His other chances have also come through injury to another player. In New Zealand, in March, Duminy made his Test comeback after Jacques Kallis was ruled out with a stiff neck. He responded with a century. In July, Duminy was handed a more regular spot when Mark Boucher had to retire after an eye injury and Duminy was named the No. 7 batsman. He scored a gritty 61 at Lord’s in South Africa’s rise to No. 1 in the world.With his success, he understands a replacement could have the same experience but is hopeful of a comeback next year. “It is a bit of a setback for me but I’ve still got a long career ahead,” he said. “I’m pretty positive about these things. Over the next four to six month months, it’s about me putting in the hard work and making sure I come back to full strength. The last few months have been a really good part of my career and hopefully on my return, I can follow up on that.”Duminy was in a particularly purple patch after the tour of England, was fitter than he had ever been and recognised as a team-man by his colleagues. Such was the faith in his ability that he was going to be trusted to be the only spin option at the first Test at the Gabba, despite being a part-timer, as South Africa left out Imran Tahir.He ended up playing no part in the match as the top-order batted out day one and he was injured in the after-play warm-downs. “It was a bit freakish,” he said while recalling the incident. “I like to get out after a days’ play and get the blood flowing in the legs a bit. A few of us were doing shuttles and some run through and unfortunately on one of the turns, I turned pretty quickly and the Achilles’ snapped.”Initially I thought a ball hit me on the back of the foot or somebody slapped me with something because I heard a bit of a click sound. But when I turned around and noticed nobody was behind me and I knew something was wrong.”Duminy was carried off the field by bowling coach Allan Donald and physiotherapist Brandon Jackson and taken to hospital immediately where X-rays revealed the extent of the injury. He was operated on on Saturday morning and released the next day. He is still in Brisbane and attended the fourth day’s play but will return home to Cape Town over the weekend.”I am feeling a bit more jetlagged than before actually,” Duminy said. “But the surgery went well and the doctors were quite pleased with the way things went. Now, it’s just about me getting used to a long recovery period.”

South Africa aren’t in the final of the Under-19 World Cup because they slipped up against accurate bowling during their batting Powerplay and couldn’t take the chances Australia gave them while defending a low total.They lost three wickets for 10 runs during the five-over period of fielding restrictions between overs 36 and 40, leaving them with little firepower for the finish. Their fielders then dropped two sharp chances off Kurtis Patterson and one off Cameron Bancroft, who combined together for a 95-run stand to set up the successful chase of 191.Chad Bowes, the South Africa captain, thought the target was defendable, especially at Tony Ireland Stadium, where batting has been hard. “We saw yesterday Pakistan almost defending 130, and if we had taken our chances we would have defended it easily,” he said. “We can’t win semi-finals with a fielding performance like that.”The first chance was the toughest, when Patterson cut the ball high in the air over the infield at point and Prenelan Subrayen ran forward and to his left to try and reach the catch. He got hands to it as he dived full stretch but failed to hold on. Patterson was on 29 at the time and Australia 59 for 2. The life Patterson got on 37 was more straightforward, as Shayne Pillay grassed a hard cut at point. Bancroft was let off on 23 by Theunis de Bruyn at slip, the easiest chance of the lot. Calvin Savage was the unfortunate bowler all three times, and two balls later Bancroft hooked him for six.”We all had the belief [that we could win] but after a few went down you could see the guys’ heads starting to drop,” Bowes said. “We try and keep the belief going within the squad, we did fight back but it was just a bit too little too late. Seems we didn’t have any luck today, starting from the toss, we [should just] try and keep our heads up high and work towards the third-place playoff.”South Africa did have bad luck. Having come up from Brisbane, where they played their group games and won all three, they came up north to Townsville and lost the toss in both the quarter-final and the semi-final. Batting in the morning has been hardest at Tony Ireland Stadium and to their credit South Africa, after getting sent in, fared better than some of the sides that have been based here throughout the World Cup. Early wickets have routinely fallen against the new ball on a pitch that has had up-and-down bounce and seamed as well.Against England, South Africa had been 15 for 1 but recovered to score 244. Today they were 4 for 2 and did not recover. “I think today’s conditions were a bit tougher than against England, I also think the Aussie bowlers utilised the conditions better,” Bowes said. “They kept it in the right areas and gave us nothing to score off. They built pressure well and didn’t release it at any stage during the innings.”Bowes had steered his team through the new-ball threat against England by scoring 46 and batting until the 19th over. He scored 46 against Australia too, but had to toil for much longer, until the 35th over, leading South Africa to 125 for 3. After taking the batting Powerplay in the next over, Bowes was struck on the helmet first ball and dismissed by the second. The innings went off the rails thereafter and South Africa made 191 after looking set for 220.”They [Australia] bowled well as a unit, they bowled in partnerships and the pressure was from both ends,” Bowes said. “So by the time the 35th over came, there wasn’t any momentum from our side. We just had to try and tick it over.”I think momentum is key going into the end of an innings, so we knew we had to up the rate [in the Powerplay], even if was just by one or two runs an over. We backed ourselves to score at a decent rate, it was unfortunate that at the beginning of the Powerplay we lost key wickets.”Bowes is presently the leading run-scorer in the tournament, 271 in five innings, and has one match – the third-place playoff – to try and stay at No.1. While he said it was pleasing that he had been successful on his first tour to Australia, Bowes said it wasn’t a priority. “I didn’t come into the tournament wanting to have that goal. The goal was to get to the final,” Bowes said. “I would take the World Cup over the most runs any day. But it’s good that I’m able to adapt to these conditions.”

The fast bowler Adam Milne has been named in New Zealand’s squad for the ICC World Twenty20, 18 months after he last played for his country. Daniel Vettori has also been included after being ruled out of the upcoming Test series in India due to a groin problem, and he will have the chance to test his injury early next month with the same squad to play two T20s in India on September 8 and 11.There was no room for Andrew Ellis, Tom Latham, Daniel Flynn or Dean Brownlie, all of whom were part of New Zealand’s squad for their most recent T20s, in the West Indies. As expected, James Franklin is part of the final 15, having missed the West Indies games because the team management wanted to allow him an extended run in the T20 format in county cricket instead of flying in to the Caribbean for just two games.Others left out from the original 30-man preliminary squad include the fast bowlers Neil Wagner, Andy McKay and Trent Boult, and the legspinner Tarun Nethula. The national selection manager, Kim Littlejohn, said he was pleased to see the return of Milne, 20, who debuted for New Zealand as an 18-year-old in December 2010.”Adam Milne has impressed during his time with the winter development squad and his extra pace offers something a little different,” Littlejohn said. “We are confident he will have an impact in international cricket and will seize this opportunity.”We are thrilled to have Daniel Vettori back in the fold. He brings a huge amount of experience and knowledge of conditions in the sub-continent. The squad also welcomes back James Franklin, who has been playing for Twenty20 cricket for Essex in the county competition.”After their two matches in India, New Zealand head to Sri Lanka for the World T20, where they must first face Pakistan and Bangladesh in the group stage, before learning whether they have qualified to move through into the next phase.New Zealand squad Martin Guptill, Rob Nicol, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor (capt), Kane Williamson, BJ Watling, James Franklin, Jacob Oram, Nathan McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Kyle Mills, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee, Ronnie Hira, Adam Milne.

ScorecardScott Borthwick’s best bowling performance of the season enabled Durham to take an unexpected advantage against Worcestershire before rain returned on the third day of their County Championship Division One match at New Road.The 22-year-old leg-spinner posted impressive figures of 4 for 37 in 15 overs after sparking off the home side’s collapse for 205 when he halted Phil Hughes’ confident progress to 87 from 136 balls.From the time the Australian was adjudged leg before, pushing forward to Borthwick’s fourth delivery, Worcestershire lost eight for 60 and Durham continued to turn the screw with their openers making 67 without loss.Mark Stoneman, playing well for the second time in the match, cruised to an unbeaten 41 from 60 balls and Will Smith (20 not out) survived an early chance in the slips as Durham expanded their lead to 105.With 33 overs still to bowl, they were aiming to build a match-winning position until the rain set in at tea, and now, with only one day left, a positive outcome is less likely in a meeting of two teams without a championship victory.In all the weather has taken 119 overs out of the game but whatever the outcome there have been some encouraging aspects for Durham.Following Michael Di Venuto’s mid-season retirement, Stoneman has staked his claim for a regular spot and Borthwick took his first real opportunity in this soggy summer.Having broken into England’s one-day set-up in August at the end of last season year, his bowling has almost slipped off the radar on seamer-friendly pitches. In the first half of the campaign, he delivered 17.5 overs in the championship for a solitary wicket taken as long ago as April.His intervention here came in response to a flying start by Worcestershire. With 45 runs added to the overnight 100 for 2, it was a vital breakthrough when he trapped Hughes after the opener had hit 17 fours.What came next was a double gift as Moeen Ali and Matt Pardoe both shovelled catches to Michael Richardson on the mid-wicket boundary.When Borthwick took his fourth wicket, diving forward to hold a return chance to remove James Cameron for 24, the innings was in full retreat.Jack Shantry did manage to chisel out a batting bonus point with last man Alan Richardson but paceman Chris Rushworth finished the job with 3 for 13 in his post-lunch spell.

ScorecardPaul Collingwood had a scan on a damaged hand but will be fit to try to set up Durham’s first Championship win of the season•Getty Images

Durham, who narrowly failed to pull off their first Championship win a week ago when they lost by two wickets to Lancashire in the final over, will hope for better fortune at their Chester-le-Street HQ on the final day against Warwickshire in another enticingly-balanced contest.Warwickshire trail by 227 and still have to take the last three Durham wickets after a third day in which play ended at 2.30pm, with plans for a resumption at 5.15pm falling prey to more drizzle and poor light.When Durham were 116 for 7, Warwickshire were back in the game after trailing by 80 on first innings, but Collingwood and Scott Borthwick staged a recovery, with Collingwood surviving an injury scare after he was struck on the hand by Chris Wright. He went for an X-ray, which revealed there was no break, and remains 29 not out overnight.All the Warwickshire seamers bowled well in the morning, with plenty of swing available. They were frustrated by nightwatchman Jamie Harrison, who survived for 75 minutes to make 23, while his overnight partner Gordon Muchall surrendered to a skied pull off Chris Woakes in the seventh over of the day.After taking five catches at second slip in the first innings, Rikki Clarke put one down off Wright with Ben Stokes on 9. But Stokes was unable to profit, adding only five before edging Keith Barker to Tim Ambrose.Harrison became a maiden first-class victim for Tom Milnes, 19, when he edged the all-rounder’s second ball of the day to Varun Chopra at first slip. There were two more catches for Warwickshire’s acting captain. First Dale Benkenstein fended a lifter from Woakes to Chopra at chest height, then he clung on to a sharp one to his right to get rid of Phil Mustard in the last over before lunch.

ScorecardWill Smith became Durham’s first County Championship centurion of the season as the visitors enjoyed a productive start to the match with Somerset at Taunton.The opener made exactly 100 in a total of 353 for 8, Michael Di Venuto contributing 96 to an opening stand of 158, while Ben Stokes hit an attractive 60 off 79 balls.Somerset stuck to their task in energy-sapping heat after losing the toss and fought back hard in the final session from a tea score of 264 for 2. Peter Trego and Jamie Overton claimed two wickets each..With Vernon Philander having been recalled by South Africa, the home side’s pace attack lacked a cutting edge and they looked likely to be up against it on a good batting pitch under cloudless skies.Smith and Di Venuto set the tone. On 38, Di Venuto was dropped by Trego in the slips off Alfonso Thomas, back in Somerset’s team after playing in the IPL. But it was a rare moment of alarm for the openers as they took the score to 128 off 32 overs by lunch, Di Venuto outscoring his partner to be unbeaten on 81 at the interval.The left-hander looked on course for a certain century when edging an attempted cut shot off Thomas through to wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter. He had faced 119 balls and hit 18 fours and a six. Smith made only 46 before lunch and continued on his steady way to reach a chanceless hundred shortly before tea. It came off 192 deliveries and included 12 fours and two sixes.The only wicket to fall during the afternoon session was that of Mark Stoneman (27), who called for a quick single to cover and failed to beat Jos Buttler’s throw to Kieswetter after being sent back.But after tea Somerset rallied. Smith miscued an attempted pull off Jamie Overton and fell to a tumbling catch by Thomas at mid-on. Paul Collingwood’s poor season continued when he drove a catch to cover off left-arm spinner George Dockrell, having made 12, and Ian Blackwell could score only seven against his old club before pulling a catch to square leg off Overton.When the aggressive Stokes was run out by Craig Overton, fielding smartly off his own bowling Durham were 326 for 6 and in danger of failing to cash in fully on their fine start.Somerset took the new ball at 342 for 6 and eight runs later Phil Mustard joined the list of careless dismissals, pulling a catch to square leg off Trego. In the same over Callum Thorp edged to Alex Barrow in the slips and departed for a duck.

James Anderson has been named England Cricketer of the Year for 2011/12. Anderson, the 29-year-old swing bowler, has taken 46 wickets in 11 Tests from the start of the 2011 English season and has risen to No. 3 in the ICC Test bowling rankings. He also played a key role in England’s defeat of India – a result that confirmed England as the No. 1 rated Test side – and proved his worth in all conditions with excellent performances in the UAE and Sri Lanka.Anderson, who claimed his 250th Test wicket and rose to fifth on the list of England’s all-time Test wicket-takers during the period, beat off competition from fellow nominees Stuart Broad and Alastair Cook to win the award which is decided by votes from members of the cricket media. Charlotte Edwards was named England Women’s Cricketer of the Year, while Daniel Bell-Drummond won the England Development Programme Cricketer of the Year and Callum Rigby won the England Disability Cricketer of the Year award.”It’s an amazing achievement and I’m really proud of it,” Anderson said. “There have been so many successful individual performances over the last year so it’s nice to be recognised for performing well over the last 12 months.”The last two years I’ve shown what I can actually do at this level. It’s been a frustrating eight years before that – a bit up and down – but I’ve been really pleased with my performance in the last two years. The challenge is to try to keep improving and push on.”Anderson claimed two five-wicket hauls in Test cricket over the 12-month period: 5 for 65 against India at Lord’s and 5 for 72 against Sri Lanka in Galle. Perhaps more impressively, he showed he now has the skills to adapt to any conditions with a series of fine performances in the UAE and Sri Lanka. It is hard to recall a single poor spell from him on either tour.”Knowing my game has been the biggest thing,” Anderson said, explaining his consistency over the last couple of years. “Knowing that I can bowl a ball on a length for a period of time is what all bowlers strive for and is something that was missing from my game for the first part of my career. Being able to do it game after game is something I’ve been able to develop really well over the past couple of years.

Leading Test wicket-takers for England

• Ian Botham 383

• Bob Willis 325

• Fred Trueman 307

• Derek Underwood 297

• James Anderson 258

“I’ve always been able to swing the ball but I’ve added different skills throughout my career, and I think being able to bowl in all sorts of conditions has been a problem – not just for me, but for a lot of English bowlers over the years when we’ve gone away with unfamiliar conditions, we’ve struggled with that. But I think now all of the bowlers in this group have got good skills to take away from us, and that’s really exciting when we’ve got tours of India and places like that coming up.”Anderson insisted he had no thoughts about overtaking Ian Botham’s record as England’s leading wicket taker – Botham claimed 383 Test wickets – but said he hoped he could continue playing for many years to come.”If I maintain the same work ethic that I have done throughout my career, I don’t see why I can’t keep this form up for a good few years,” Anderson said. “I feel fit and strong and I think the fitness is probably going to play the biggest part in how long I keep playing for.”I keep getting reminded about the record. It’s nice to be up there, and having taken 250-plus Test wickets is an amazing achievement for me and I’m really proud of that. But I just want to stay on the field and play games for England. When I sit down at the end of my career, I can look back on 500-600 wickets hopefully.”Although the award is meant to recognise “outstanding performances in all formats of international cricket over the past year” it is safe to conclude that Anderson won for his Test form. He has not played international T20 cricket in the period and, though his ODI form improved steadily after a disappointing World Cup in early 2011, he is no longer an automatic selection in that format.”I’d love to be with England involved in all three formats,” he said. “It’s not been the case in the last couple of years but I was in the squad for the last World Cup and I’d love to get into the side. I’m in a position now where I’ve got to knock on the door of that team, so if I get the chance to play any T20 cricket for Lancashire this year I’ve got to use that to try to put pressure on the guys who are in the team already. I’ve just got to wait for a chance to arise.”Cook might consider himself unfortunate not to have won. Cook not only scored three ODI centuries (two against Pakistan and one against Sri Lanka) and averaged 54.29 over the period but he grew in stature as the ODI captain and led England to series victories over both World Cup finalists – India and Sri Lanka – as well as a rare victory in overseas conditions in Pakistan. His Test form was less consistent, but he still averaged 55.47 over the year, with a career-best 294 against India and two centuries against Sri Lanka the highlights.Broad, meanwhile, averaged 31.41 with the bat and 23.04 with the ball in Tests over the 12-month period. He is also the only one of the three shortlisted candidates currently playing in all three formats. But he did enjoy some consolation as he won the Fans’ Moment of the Year Award, voted for by members of ECB’s Twelfth Man fan community, for his hat-trick against India in last summer’s Trent Bridge Test.

One of the defining features of Misbah-ul-Haq’s captaincy has been his attempts to bring in stability and keep out controversy from Pakistan cricket. His press conferences are an extension of that. Unlike other players who usually answer looking at the journalist who asked the question, Misbah prefers to stare straight ahead as he speaks. He stays away from big statements, and rarely betrays any expression.One of the rare instances that he did was when a journalist brought up his batting against India in last year’s World Cup semi-final, a source of much heartburn in Pakistan. “You are reminding me of that, and trying to put more pressure on me?” he asked with a big smile.Pressure was an oft-repeated word during his press conference. During the World Cup, MS Dhoni had tried to defuse that buzzword, saying “we have changed the meaning of pressure to responsibility.”Misbah used a different tactic. “There is always pressure when India and Pakistan play each other, but it is also a good chance for the players to prove themselves,” he said. “The way people remember performances in these matches, if you do well it is a great confidence booster, and gives great satisfaction.”Pakistan have also tried to keep media interactions to a bare minimum in order to ensure there are no unnecessary problems, even skipping the traditional pre-match presser before the game against Sri Lanka (they are not mandatory in the Asia Cup).The previous time India and Pakistan faced each other, in Mohali, the hype and build-up was so huge that some wondered whether the World Cup final would be a sort of anti-climax. This time around, Bangladesh’s rousing win over India, Sachin Tendulkar’s 100th hundred and the tight schedule have all combined to prevent Sunday’s match from becoming an all-consuming focus.Pakistan’s players have been asked about the India game in pretty much every press conference, and their views were summed up by Mohammad Hafeez. “This is just a game and we will take it as a game and we will try our level best to win the game, that’s it.”Hafeez suggested a couple of times that the pressure will be less on Pakistan as they have already qualified, though technically they aren’t through yet. A bonus point win for India, and a similar victory for Bangladesh over Sri Lanka will take things down to net run-rate.What will help Pakistan though is the backing of the crowd. A full house is expected, and the locals will get right behind Pakistan as a win for them will boost the home side’s chances of progressing. “We always enjoy playing in Bangladesh and the Bangladesh crowd has always supported us whenever we play against any other country.”The match has been built up as a clash between India’s batting strength and Pakistan’s bowling might. Hafeez was not too bothered by worries over Pakistan’s batting. “It’s a blessing for us that all of the players are in good form, like in the first game the openers did the job for Pakistan. Then, in the last game the way Umar Akmal and Misbah finished the game for us, that was a real positive sign that everybody’s in good nick.”The only mildly controversial statement in the presser was when Hafeez repeated Mushfiqur Rahim’s assertion about India’s bowling. “I personally feel that their bowling attack is not in good form at the moment, so we are going to try and exploit that weakness and demoralise their attack.”After slipping up against Bangladesh, India’s bowlers will do well to heed Misbah’s words when asked about his Mohali batting. “I think as a player it is better to not think too much about your past performances, whether they led to a win or a loss, and it is better to focus on the matches to come; thinking about what happened previously will only increase the pressure.”