Mumbai face dangerous Chennai in knockout clash

Match facts

Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

Big Picture

Such is the knockout format of the IPL that a side that won eight and lost seven games during the league stage now has a chance to win the tournament. When as many as four out of nine teams - eight during the first three seasons - make the playoffs, such things are bound to happen. Chennai Super Kings, the defending champions, happen to be that side this season.

It is not Super Kings' problem that the format is such. While they have had to depend on three other teams messing up their qualification chances this season, the fact is that those three sides did mess up. And Super Kings would still not have qualified had they not won a few games from seemingly hopeless positions. Against Rajasthan Royals, they needed 43 from 22 deliveries. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore, they needed 43 from 12.

Mumbai Indians, the Champions League Twenty20 2011 winners, may have won ten games, but as always, haven't quite dominated as much as a side with so much quality should have. They have had their share of come-from-behind wins as well, including chasing 172 after being 51 for 5 against Royal Challengers.

Mumbai Indians have scored their runs at 7.43 an over; Super Kings at 7.85. Mumbai Indians have gone for 7.54 an over; Super Kings for 7.58. There is not much to choose between the two on these parameters. On a Bangalore pitch, which has been the best this season for batting, with a scoring-rate rate of 8.31 an over, Mumbai Indians' powerful line-up gives them a slight edge, as does their tendency to contain by taking wickets rather than choking the opposition batsmen.

These sides played the 2010 IPL final, which Super Kings won by 22 runs after Mumbai Indians adopted some strange tactics, sending Abhishek Nayar and Harbhajan Singh ahead of Ambati Rayudu, JP Duminy and Kieron Pollard. Whatever their form going into the playoffs, no side plays the crunch games better than Super Kings.

Form guide

Chennai Super Kings: LWWWL (most recent first)
Mumbai Indians: WLWWL

Players to watch

Suresh Raina, the highest run-getter in the IPL, has made 341 runs this season, but they have come at a strike-rate of 126.76, as against a Twenty20 career strike-rate close to 140. The sight of him heaving sixes over midwicket in the yellow Super Kings uniform has been a fixture throughout the five seasons of the IPL. Will he help them avoid elimination tomorrow?

Kieron Pollard has had a productive season, making 204 runs at 145.71 and picking up 15 wickets at 7.93. Add to that his sharp fielding and safe catching. He had come in at No. 8 in that 2010 final with the game almost lost by then. What will he do in the 2012 eliminator?

During his Man-of-the-Match performance against Delhi Daredevils in Chennai, Ben Hilfenhaus uprooted Virender Sehwag's off stump with a late outswinger in the first over, and three balls later, dismissed David Warner. Michael Hussey has said that the new ball will be crucial in Bangalore. That adds more importance to Hilfenhaus' role.

Team combination

Dwayne Smith's explosiveness with the bat - demonstrated earlier this season when he had three balls from Ben Hilfenhaus to score the 14 needed for victory, and did - should get him into the XI. Lasith Malinga and Pollard are guaranteed starters. Who will get the fourth overseas player's spot - James Franklin or Herschelle Gibbs? With so many hitters in the line-up, it makes sense to go for the all-round skills of Franklin. Their latest opening combination, Sachin Tendulkar and Smith, worked for Mumbai Indians against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. Will Smith partner Tendulkar again on Wednesday?

With MS Dhoni playing both the overseas allrounders, Dwayne Bravo and Albie Morkel, whenever they've been available, two spots remain. Hilfenhaus, who has been outstanding apart from those three deliveries to Smith, should take one place. Will Super Kings choose their highest run-getter of the season, Faf du Plessis, over the seasoned Michal Hussey? Ideally not.

Meetings this season

In the opening game of this season, Super Kings collapsed to 112 in Chennai, and Richard Levi shut them out with a fifty on IPL debut. It was Mumbai Indians' turn to collapse, from 134 for 1 to 159 for 8, at the Wankhede Stadium, before Smith's last-over assault got them home.

Stats and trivia

• Super Kings have the best win-loss ratio in the IPL - 1.45. Mumbai Indians are next with 1.34.
• Mumbai Indians have taken the most wickets in the IPL - 480.
• Michael Hussey has the highest batting average for Super Kings - 39.76.
  Quotes
  "We've stumbled through a number of times to get into the semi-finals. I remember when Dhoni hit two sixes against [Kings XI] Punjab a couple of years ago, that was the difference in finishing fourth and in finishing sixth or seventh. You can look at it as a lucky way, because other teams were defeated in the last few games. But we were able to get enough points in all of our matches leading up to the finals."
  Chennai Super Kings' batsman Michael Hussey

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PCB sees India as potential hosts for Australia series

Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, has hinted at asking India to host a limited-overs series between Pakistan and Australia later this year. Pakistan are seeking a venue for the series after Sri Lanka's refusal to stage it.

Ashraf, who has been invited by the BCCI to watch the IPL final in Chennai on Sunday, said he will discuss the idea with the Indian board officials, but maintained the main agenda would be to revive bilateral cricketing ties between India and Pakistan.

The other possible venues for the series are Malaysia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The series was scheduled to comprise five one-dayers and three T20Is to help the sides prepare for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.

"It isn't a bad idea (considering India) but a good choice to maintain the healthy relationship with them (India), but let us see the mood there," Ashraf told ESPNcricinfo. "But our primary purpose is to revive ties with them. However, in the meantime we have three options under consideration to host our series."

Ashraf was optimistic about a healthy dialogue with the BCCI, following India's decision to invite Pakistan's domestic Twenty20 champions, Sialkot Stallions, to participate in the Champions League Twenty20 later this year, in India.

"We are ready to play them and I can see that they [India] are also positive and gradually the ice is melting," Ashraf said.

The PCB has been planning on starting its own Twenty20 league, but Ashraf didn't sound optimistic about launching it this year. Various companies have made presentations to the board, but each company requires a minimum of six months to plan the league.

"We were hoping to have it this October but I think due time constraints we might have to push it back," Ashraf said. "However, the plan is in the pipeline and if we aren't able to get it organised this year then we have to find another window next year."

Eight companies, including Ten Sports, Nimbus and Geo TV, have already made their pitches to the PCB

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Tino Best replaces injured Gabriel

Tino Best, the Barbados fast bowler, has been recalled to the West Indies squad in England after Shannon Gabriel, who made his Test debut at Lord's, was ruled out of the remainder of the tour with a stress reaction in his back. Best is due to arrive in England on Wednesday.

Gabriel only bowled five overs in England's chase, during which he removed Kevin Pietersen, and subsequent investigation showed he would not be available for the second Test at Trent Bridge which starts on May 25. The management have decided to send him back to the Caribbean to recover. Kemar Roach (ankle) also struggled towards the end of the first Test while Ravi Rampaul missed the match with a neck problem.

"Shannon made the complaint late in the first Test against England and scans conducted following the match showed a stress reaction in the lower spine," CJ Clark, the West Indies physiotherapist, said.

"He was subsequently ruled out of the second Test and, after further consultation, we feel that to prevent this injury developing any further, it is in Shannon's best interest for him to return to Trinidad & Tobago for rest and rehabilitation to ensure he is fully fit when selected for West Indies in the future."

Best, 30, played the last of his 14 Tests in 2009 against Bangladesh in Grenada when West Indies were hit with a mass player walkout. However, he was recently named in the one-day squad for the series against Australia although, he did not make the XI for any of the five matches.

He has taken 28 Test wickets at 48.67 with a best of 4 for 46, although his record against England is better with 13 wickets at 32.37 from five matches. One of those games came in 2004 at Lord's which is where the well-known sledge "Mind the windows, Tino" came from Andrew Flintoff when Best was trying to slog Ashley Giles in the stands towards the end of the match.

Best has forced his way back into contention with consistent performances in the regional four-day competition in the Caribbean where he picked up 17 wickets at 20.64 during the 2011-12 season.

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Pietersen wants Gayle return

Kevin Pietersen has said it would be "brilliant for the game" if West Indies recalled Chris Gayle for the remainder of the Test series against England.

Gayle has not played Test cricket since December 2010 following a much documented fall out with the WICB. But, with both sides having moved to patch up some of their differences and Gayle's involvement with the 2012 IPL season now over - his team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, have been eliminated despite Gayle being the leading run-scorer in the round-robin stages - it has raised the possibility that he could be recalled to the Test squad although Darren Sammywas cagey on the matter.

West Indies, suffering from some brittle top-order batting and a lack of depth in their bowling, lost the first Test at Lord's by five wickets. Gayle, with more than 6,000 Test runs and over 70 Test wickets, could strengthen both departments.

"It will be brilliant for the game if he comes back to play this Test match," Pietersen said. "He is an entertainer. People want to watch entertainers. They don't want to watch people blocking the ball. They want to watch entertainers. He is one of those people that people will pay their money to watch him play and if he comes back that could be brilliant for the series. He is a superstar and he is one of my real good mates in cricket. I love the way he plays."

From an England viewpoint, Pietersen expressed his delight in Andrew Strauss' return to form. Strauss made his first Test century since November 2010 at Lord's though Pietersen insisted he never doubted the England captain.

"The wheel was going to turn at some point and it turned at Lord's," Pietersen said at a Chance to Shine event. "It's brilliant for English cricket. I have been through a period where I didn't score a hundred for a while. It just turns and since then I have scored I don't know how many hundreds. Strauss is a fantastic guy and I was more happy for him scoring that hundred than I have been for any other team-mate when they have scored a hundred. I loved the fact that he did that.

"Somebody's going to get it from the media at one stage in the month or the year. That's just what happens in our job. So long as you just accept that and understand that and concentrate on the ball as a batter, or the areas you bowl as a bowler, then everything's fine. You just have to park that to one side and just do your job. But the wheel turns for everyone. Everyone should notice that by now."

Pietersen also suggested that the "cricketing world" will be eagerly anticipating England's forthcoming Test series against South Africa later in the season. It will be contest to decide the No. 1 Test team in the world if England go on and complete victory over West Indies.

"We are going to have to play very good cricket because the South African team is a very strong cricketing unit with some fantastic players," Pietersen said. "We will have to play really positive cricket too at every opportunity. I think the cricketing world will be looking forward to that South Africa series

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Kolkata in IPL final for first time

After four seasons of at times embarrassing underachievement, Kolkata Knight Riders will play for the IPL trophy on Sunday. For almost two-thirds of the qualifier against Delhi Daredevils, they nearly blew it, though the odds were stacked in their favour right from the start. On a pitch where the first ball of spin turned sharply, Knight Riders had three spinners waiting; Delhi Daredevils stuck to playing three specialist fast bowlers.

Daredevils' strategy did not seem to have backfired when Knight Riders lumbered to 106 for 4 in 16 overs. In the chase, despite losing Virender Sehwag and David Warner in the first 13 balls, Daredevils were right in the hunt at 83 for 2 after 10 overs. But like they had suddenly bolted away in the last four overs of their innings, Knight Riders choked Daredevils in the latter half of the chase. Daredevils did not help their cause, sending Pawan Negi ahead of Ross Taylor, who finally came in at No. 7 when the asking-rate was more than 14 an over.

The late boost that carried Knight Riders to a challenging total on the difficult pitch came from the unlikeliest quarters. Yusuf Pathan, who had done almost nothing the entire season, and Laxmi Shukla, playing in place of an unfit Manoj Tiwary, carted the quicks for 56 off the final four overs, and 36 off the final two, as Knight Riders surged to 162.

Gautam Gambhir had once again given Knight Riders a strong start, taking the fast bowlers for several boundaries. He had sped to 32 off 16 deliveries before he failed to make his ground to a direct hit from mid-off after having backed up too far. Not for the first time after Gambhir's departure, Knight Riders lost their way. Only 58 runs came off the next ten overs as Negi, the left-arm spinner, and Irfan Pathan strangled the batsmen.

Just when it seemed Knight Riders had wasted Gambhir's efforts upfront, Yusuf and Shukla launched into the quicks, who did not let up on the pace. Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav kept bowling in the late 140s with Morne Morkel not far behind. But the faster they bowled, the ball only came on better on the slow pitch.

Yusuf began the assault in the 17th over, carting a Morkel length ball for a straight six. Shukla took the lead in the 19th, making room to loft Morkel over extra cover for four and pulling him over deep square leg for six. It was to get worse for Daredevils in the last over. David Warner dropped Yusuf as he ran across from long-on and ended up parrying it for six. Yusuf cover-drove and flicked the last two deliveries for fours.

The core of the attack that had taken Daredevils to No. 1 position after the league stage had been taken apart. Yadav and Morkel went for 37 each, Aaron for 48, including 21 in that final over.

The last thing Daredevils needed at that stage was a rough decision, and pat it came in the second over of the chase. Warner, who had just smashed Shakib Al Hasan for six over long-on, missed the next ball as he pushed forward, but was given out caught by umpire Billy Doctrove as the ball popped up to the wicketkeeper off the pad. Sehwag departed next ball, edging an attempted cut off the impressive L Balaji to the keeper.

Just when it seemed Daredevils had done themselves in even before Sunil Narine came on, Naman Ojha and Mahela Jayawardene responded with the highest stand of the match. The duo took Shakib, who had a forgettable game, for 15 runs in the fourth over. Bowling too quick to get any bite from the surface, Shakib was lofted inside-out and down the ground for two fours and a six.

Though the general lack of pace in the Knight Riders attack started to make its presence felt, Ojha and Jayawardene kept the runs coming. The duo was in control when Ojha cut a long hop from Bhatia straight to Gambhir at backward point. A few tight overs and Venugopal Rao's struggle further increased the pressure on Jayawardene. The threat of Narine, who gave just seven runs in his first two overs, forced him to attack the other bowlers, eventually leading to him being stumped off Abdulla in the 15th over.

With 55 needed off 32, Sehwag sent in Negi ahead of Taylor, who hit his third ball from Narine for six over wide long-on. But it was too late by then. Daredevils have another chance to get it right in the second qualifier on Friday.

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Pace v spin as teams target first final

Match facts

Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

Big Picture

Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders have easily been the best sides this IPL. It is not only the points table which tells you that. The other two sides in the playoffs have not been as dominant. Mumbai Indians have won as many games as Knight Riders have, but have not been remotely as clinical; Chennai Super Kings have had to rely on other sides' messing up to sneak in.

Neither Daredevils nor Knight Riders have made it to an IPL final before. One of them will do that tomorrow. Daredevils have traversed the entire length of the points table this season, ending on top following their last-place finish in 2011. Realising that their batting was too dependent on Virender Sehwag last season, they brought in heavyweights like Kevin Pietersen, Mahela Jayawardene and Ross Taylor. While Taylor has almost sleepwalked through the season, Pietersen's impact while he was available was huge. The arrival of David Warner has filled the void left behind by Pietersen and Jayawardene has been steady.

Knight Riders' transformation from the side once led by Sourav Ganguly is now complete. They were the target of numerous jokes for the first three IPL seasons but no one's laughing now. A run of eight consecutive defeats in 2009 has given way to six consecutive wins this season. Had Knight Riders not blown a middling chase against Kings XI Punjab at home, they would have won nine in a row.

A heavy-duty Daredevils line-up is up against the only attack to go for less than seven runs an over this season. The venue tilts the contest slightly in favour of Knight Riders. The pitch at the Sahara Stadium in Pune has been a tricky one for batsmen, as Pune Warriors' Robin Uthappa pointed out. "It's the toughest wicket we have played in the country and it's very difficult to score runs here," Uthappa said. Only Wankhede Stadium, among the regular venues, has had a lower run-rate this season, 7.11, than Pune, 7.34.

Knight Riders defended 136 quite comfortably against Warriors a couple of days ago in Pune. Daredevils had chased down 147 in 16 overs against Warriors in Pune. Should be some contest tomorrow. The loser will get another match on Friday to make the final.

Form guide

Delhi Daredevils: WLWLW (most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders: WWLLW

Players to watch

Despite the presence of other big guns, Daredevils have still relied, though to a lesser extent than previous season, on Virender Sehwag. Their captain has responded with 484 runs at a strike-rate of 164.62, including five consecutive half-centuries. The slowness of the Pune pitch had made no difference to Sehwag when he took the Warriors bowlers for an unbeaten 87 off 48 balls. Will he smash Sunil Narine tomorrow, like he said he would have done had he not got out early when these two sides last met?

Twenty-two wickets at 5.14 runs an over. Sunil Narine has been nearly unplayable, with even Sachin Tendulkar failing to pick him. It is very difficult to decipher from his release whether it is an offspinner or the flicked carrom ball, unlike in the cases of Ajantha Mendis and even R Ashwin. How will Daredevils tackle him?

That Gautam Gambhir has made six fifties this season and the rest of his team-mates put together have managed three says it all. Knight Riders, though, have managed to win their previous two games without a big contribution from their captain. Gambhir has made lots of runs this season on pitches where scoring them has not been easy. Will he manage to click again?

Team combination

Warner, Jayawardene and Morne Morkel should take three overseas player spots. Will Daredevils risk playing Taylor as the fourth? Will they stick with the allrounder Andre Russell, who went for 51 runs in their previous game? Or will they play Roelof van der Merwe for an additional spin option? They went in with two Indian left-arm spinners Pawan Negi and Shahbaz Nadeem when they played Warriors in Pune.

Knight Riders could stick to the same side that won in Pune and Mumbai, with plenty of spin options in Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Iqbal Abdulla and Yusuf Pathan.

Meetings this season

Daredevils won a rain-affected game by eight wickets in Kolkata. Knight Riders restricted Daredevils to 153 in Delhi in the return match and won by six wickets with Brendon McCullum making a fifty. Jayawardene and Gambhir had a heated altercation in that game after the former was given not out when he edged Jacques Kallis to the wicketkeeper.

Stats and trivia

• Knight Riders have scored the least runs this season as a team, 2150 in 15 games compared to Daredevils' 2365 in 16.
• Knight Riders have conceded just 6.99 runs an over, by far the lowest this season. The next best are Mumbai Indians, who have gone for 7.54. Daredevils have given away 7.73.
• Warner and Sehwag have the highest strike-rates this season, 172.02 and 164.62 (min 100 runs)
  Quotes
  "I told everyone 'give this line-up a year or so and we will dominate,' and that's exactly what we have done."
  Morne Morkel isn't surprised by Daredevils' improvement this season

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More holes than Gayle could plug

Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Muttiah Muralitharan could only do so much. Royal Challengers Bangalore's campaign suffered because their Indian players struggled

Where they finished

	Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers played some special innings. Most of their team-mates did not © AFP  Enlarge
Related Links Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League Teams: India | Royal Challengers Bangalore

An agonising fifth: Royal Challengers Bangalore ended level with Chennai Super Kings, who finished fourth in the league, on 17 points but missed the playoffs because of a marginally inferior net run-rate after losing their last match to eighth-placed Deccan Chargers. Royal Challengers won eight and lost seven out of 16 games, and had one washout.

Key player

By the end of the league stage, Chris Gayle was IPL 2012's top scorer, with 733 runs; Shikhar Dhawan was second with 569. Among batsmen with at least 400 runs, Gayle's strike-rate - 160.74 - was also second best; Virender Sehwag had 484 at 164.62. Gayle also had the most 50-plus scores, eight (one century, seven half-centuries) in 14 innings; Gautam Gambhir had six in 15.

Gayle hit 59 sixes; Kevin Pietersen, Cameron White and Sehwag together hit only 59. Thirteen of Gayle's sixes came during a 128 off 62 balls against Delhi Daredevils, equalling the record for most sixes in an IPL innings. He hit a six every eight balls on average during the season. He hit a boundary (sixes and fours) every four balls.

There was method to the madness as well. Gayle would often start slowly and play himself in before feeling settled enough to begin relentless hitting. For someone who scored breathtakingly quickly and primarily through the air, Gayle's performances were relatively risk-free. He contributed 31% of Royal Challengers' runs.

Bargain buy

Gayle's performance this season isn't especially surprising, though, because he was as dazzling for Royal Challengers in IPL 2011, after he was signed by them as a replacement for Dirk Nannes. What is surprising, however, is how Royal Challengers managed to retain Gayle for peanuts, relatively speaking, instead of him going into the auction pool, where he would certainly have been bought for more than the $550,000 Royal Challengers paid him. Maybe Gayle was just being loyal since Royal Challengers picked him after everyone shunned him at the 2011 auction?

Flop buy

Royal Challengers bid $1m for Vinay Kumar, making him the third most expensive purchase at the 2012 auction after Ravindra Jadeja ($2 million + undisclosed secret tiebreaker bid) and Mahela Jayawardene ($1.4 million). Vinay took 19 wickets in the league matches, fourth highest overall and the highest among Indian bowlers. Most of his wickets were of proper batsmen as well. His economy rate, however, was 8.59 over 55.5 overs, the third worst, after Amit Singh and Veer Pratap Singh, among bowlers who bowled a minimum of 30 overs this season. Royal Challengers lacked a quality fifth bowling option and Vinay's profligacy exacerbated an insurmountable problem.

When Vinay bowled in the first 15 overs of the innings his economy was 7.14 per over, and in the first six it was 6.80. When he bowled in the last five overs, though, he conceded 10.85 runs on average. Also, 11 of his 19 wickets were in the last five overs, when batsmen usually swing with abandon. Royal Challengers continued to persist with Vinay at the death, though, because he was a front-line medium-pacer and they didn't really have alternatives.

Highlight

AB de Villiers v Dale Steyn, round one, Chinnaswamy Stadium. Chasing 182, Royal Challengers needed 76 off 37 deliveries against Deccan Chargers when de Villiers began his innings. By the time Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mayank Agarwal were dismissed, they needed 39 off 18. Steyn, who had two overs remaining, had conceded only seven in his first two. What followed dropped several jaws. De Villiers nimbly used the width and depth of his crease to adapt to the world's fastest, and possibly best, bowler's line and lengths. He moved back to short balls and forward to slower ones, pulling between deep midwicket and long-on. He then moved back and towards leg to alter the length of a yorker and smite it over extra cover, before shuffling outside off to scoop over short fine leg. De Villiers took 23 runs off Steyn's third over and after that Anand Rajan stood no chance. Royal Challengers won with seven balls to spare.

Lowlight

That Royal Challengers stayed in the competition as long as they did was largely due to their overseas batsmen. The Indians, Virat Kohli and Saurabh Tiwary in particular, were below-par. Kohli, who was the only player Royal Challengers retained in 2011, scored 364 runs at a strike rate of 111.65. Combined with an average of 28, those figures are not terrible, but Royal Challengers needed much more from him, especially since Kohli was in terrific limited-overs form coming into the IPL.

Saurabh Tiwary was bought for $1.6m in the 2011 auction. He didn't do much to justify his price tag that year, and he's done lesser this year. Tiwary scored 191 runs in 11 innings, at an average of 24 and strike-rate of 112, unimpressive figures considering Royal Challengers' home venue probably had the best batting pitches of the tournament. His fielding was often clumsy for a 22-year old.

Verdict

Royal Challengers rarely found the right combination. Had their Indians been in form, they would have had excellent team balance, but because Kohli and Tiwary were struggling, their batting line-up was overly reliant on Gayle and de Villiers. And because Zaheer Khan and Vinay didn't pull their weight, and due to the lack of a quality Twenty20 allrounder, their bowling struggled to contain and took far fewer wickets compared to the competition. The upshot was that, at the business end of the league, Royal Challengers' tail started at No. 7 but the five-man specialist bowling attack wasn't very good apart from Muttiah Muralitharan.

They had tried Daniel Vettori and Murali in tandem before deciding they needed a third overseas player who could bat; so Murali was dropped. They tried using Andrew McDonald as an allrounder, and although he was economical with the ball, McDonald did not strengthen the batting enough. So Dilshan became a permanent fixture at the top of the order, and that worked to an extent. The bowling, however, was at its weakest and eventually Vettori, the captain, began to sit out to allow Murali into the XI. The Royal Challengers think-tank did not think it necessary to strengthen a misfiring pace attack by playing either Dirk Nannes, the highest T20 wicket-taker, or Charl Langeveldt, who was renowned for his death bowling during his South Africa career. The batting was too shallow to sacrifice an overseas batsman. In the end, there were more holes than plugs.

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James Pattinson close to full fitness

James Pattinson, the Australia fast bowler, has said he is recovering well from a back injury that ruled him out midway through the tour of the West Indies last month. Pattinson will train at Australia's Centre of Excellence in Brisbane from Tuesday, and he expects to bowl at 100% intensity by the end of next week.

Pattinson hurt his back while fielding during the third day of the second Test in Trinidad. He was making a comeback after suffering a foot stress injury during the second Test against India at the SCG in January. He bowled 11 overs and took a wicket in the first innings, but didn't bowl in the second. Though he isn't back to full fitness, he was named in the squad for the ODIs against England and Ireland in June-July.

"I'm bowling about three times a week now at about 80% intensity and building that up and hopefully (I'll have) three weeks of going 100% in the nets before getting over to England," Pattinson told AAP.

"I'm looking for a bit of match intensity, so hopefully I can get out there in the middle. It'll mostly be white-ball practice with the one-dayers coming up."

The emergence of Pattinson and Pat Cummins has increased the pool of Australia's fast bowlers and the competition for places in the squad. Australia's coach, Mickey Arthur, hoped the Pattinson-Cummins combination would make their attack a force during the Ashes in 2013.

With an Australia A tour of England later this year, Pattinson wants to get used to the conditions before the Ashes, if picked.

"It's an exciting time for Australian cricket at the moment with a lot of young guys coming through," Pattinson said. "I don't think we've played in these conditions before so it'll be a great learning curve before the Ashes next year.

"Hopefully it gives us a bit of an edge over the Poms and we can go over to the Ashes with one up over them."

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Sammy leaves Gayle door ajar

West Indies' captain Darren Sammy did nothing to quash the theory after his side's defeat at Lord's thatChris Gayle should be invited to strengthen his side in the rest of the Test series against England, as well as the one-day matches that follow.

Gayle's involvement in IPL is over after Royal Challengers Bangalore were eliminated from the tournament and such has been his troubled relationship with the WICB that any emergency dash to the UK in time to play in one or both of the remaining two Tests seems hard to imagine.

But Sammy refused to close the door on the possibility after West Indies' five-wicket defeat against England at Lord's put them 1-0 down in the series, suggesting that both he and the coach, Ottis Gibson, would be content to accommodate Gayle's late arrival.

"Whatever happens outside this squad takes its own course," Sammy told Sky Sports. "Whoever comes in we will welcome them into the team and hopefully they will help. It is up to the selectors to select the team.

"I think Chris has said he is available for Test cricket, one-day cricket and T20 so it is up to the selectors. We have been having some difficulties at the top of the order and if he comes in we would all welcome him, myself, Ottis and all the guys."

One change West Indies will consider for the second Test at Trent Bridge on Friday, and one which needs no political machinations, is the inclusion of Shane Shillingford, the Dominican who took ten wickets in his last Test, against Australia on his home ground in Roseau in April.

Shillingford, according to Sammy, had been omitted at Lord's partly because he could not cope with the cold weather - and with higher temperatures forecast in the build-up to Trent Bridge that could change.

"Shane was experiencing a bit of difficulty gripping the ball but in the course of this Test match he has done some work and hopefully his fingers will be warm enough and ready for him to play for us in the next match," Sammy said. "He played a crucial role in the last series and once he is ready to master the cold we will have him in."

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WICB wants to mop up 'residual matters' with Gayle

The West Indies Cricket Board has asked Chris Gayleto specify a date on which he can meet with it and regional officials, to mop up 'residual matters' related to their seemingly concluded spat. In a statement on Thursday, the WICB said it was pleased that Gayle had confirmed his availability for West Indies selection, but prior to matters moving further along, another meeting between the two parties was necessary.

"Directors of the West Indies Cricket Board recently met by teleconference and are pleased that consistent with his previous commitment Mr Chris Gayle has made himself available for selection to the West Indies team," the WICB statement said. "The board believes that Mr Gayle's stated commitment to West Indies cricket will be an asset to the team and looks forward to his contributions in that regard.

"The board looks forward to Mr Gayle's indication of his date of availability to meet with the WICB along with Prime Ministers Honourable Baldwin Spencer [who is the Antigua and Barbuda prime minister, and chairman of CARICOM's Prime Ministerial Sub-committee on cricket] and Honourable Ralph Gonsalves [St Vincent and the Grenadines' prime minister] as had been agreed to clear up residual matters prior to his return to the team."

Earlier this month, Gayle had pulled out of his Twenty20 contract with English county Somerset, declaring he was committed to playing for West Indies in all forms of the game. The move was believed to smooth the way for Gayle to return to the West Indies side for the limited-overs leg of the upcoming tour of England, ending a year-long standoff between Gayle and the WICB that stemmed from comments he made about the board in a radio interview last April.

Gayle's declaration had followed his request to Ernest Hilaire, the WICB chief executive, asking the board whether he would be selected for the ODI leg of the England tour in June; this, he said, was to help him clarify his availability for Somerset. Hilaire, in his response, had accused Gayle of "reneging" on the undertaking the player had given that he would make himself available to play for West Indies over Somerset during CARICOM's (the Caribbean Community) attempts to patch things up between Gayle and the board in early April.

The CARICOM-brokered deal's success was expected to be tested by an ongoing lawsuit - to which Gayle is a party - between the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) and the board, which is likely to be one of the 'residual matters' to come up for discussion.

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Cook and Bell earn five-wicket win

West Indies had commanded respect and, for a fleeting moment, they even invited hope among their long-suffering supporters but at the end of the Lord's Test it was a familiar tale of defeat. Two early wickets briefly raised West Indies' expectations that a startling victory might be in their grasp but they were summarily dashed as Alastair Cook and Ian Bell swept England to a comfortable five-wicket victory.

From 57 for 4, still 134 short of victory, Cook and Bell should have been under pressure, but they gambolled along at roughly four runs an over in a stand of 132. It ended with England two short of victory when Cook chopped Darren Sammy to gully. Ian Bell, who is already beginning to look like his old self again after a torrid winter, flicked Marlon Samuels through mid-on for the winning boundary in the next over.

The sun that is now finally promised after a raggy-arsed spring will have been a relief for West Indies, but it shone upon on an England victory that has put them 1-0 up in the series with two to play.

West Indies have now won just two of their 31 Tests since they dismissed England for 51 in Jamaica in 2009. They have only a few days to reassess before the second Test begins in Nottingham on Friday. All manner of theories will be bandied around about which absent players might have made them better, but the debate should not be about absent individuals, it should be about the reason most of them are absent - and that debate is about how the financial lure of IPL is threatening Test cricket, and Caribbean cricket in particular. There must be a window, a compromise, a solution. Instead what we have is a short-sighted flexing of muscles.

Apart from Kemar Roach, no West Indies bowler was able to build much pressure. England will feel stronger for having to answer a few questions and Tim Bresnan, who does not much look like a lucky mascot, which tend to be cuddlier and fluffier, now has 12 Test wins in 12. Mascot or not, it is about the identity of their third seamer at Trent Bridge that England's own debate will most centre.

There were no 4am queues as there had been at Lord's for the final day against India a year earlier but expectancy was high and there were officially 7,000 in the ground for a final day that many had assumed would not happen. West Indies had given England a fiery four overs on the fourth evening but they needed early wickets to stir the imagination a second time.

Smart stats England's five-wicket win is their sixth in their last seven Tests at Lord's, and their 14th in 25 Tests here since 2000. Their win-loss ratio of 4.66 is among their best inhome venues during this period. For West Indies, the Lord's defeat is their 43rd in their last 58 Tests in overseas or neutral venues (excluding Tests in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe). They have only won two of those matches. The 132-run partnership between Alastair Cook and Ian Bell is the second-highest fifth-wicket stand for England in the fourth innings of a Test. Kemar Roach's match haul of six wickets is his highest in an overseas Test. Only twice has he taken more wicketsin a Test match. Cook's 79 is his fifth 50-plus score in 23 fourth-innings efforts. For Bell, it's his sixth half-century in 19 innings.

They got them too: Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen removed with the new ball still hard. On each occasion, a West Indies fast bowler responded to a boundary by delivering something better.

Roach, West Indies' main hope, set things moving in his third over of the morning. Trott steered him deliberately through the slips for four, and had a similar outcome in mind from the next ball, but this time it gripped up the hill and Darren Sammy took a good catch to his left at second slip.

Pietersen had fulsome strokeplay in mind to get England out of a tight corner. He had memories of a big hundred in Colombo to sustain him, and the adulation of IPL. It was not long before he was met by a debutant, Shannon Gabriel, and the temptation to break his nerve immediately must have been high.

Gabriel, a 24-year-old Trinidadian, dragged his third ball down short and wide and Pietersen pulled it haughtily to the midwicket boundary for four. The next ball was also short, but straighter, and Pietersen was cramped as he again sought out midwicket's open spaces and succeeded only in bottom-edging to the wicketkeeper.

At 57 for 4, even though one of the wickets was the nightwatchman Anderson, England were under the cosh. But the wicket was still sound and England accepted opportunities to press ahead quickly. Cook kept England's innings moving forward with several controlled drives and West Indies turned to Samuels' off spin. It was delivered at a saunter with no suggestion that a Test was in the balance and Bell's late cut in his first over brought up the 50 stand in only 12 overs.

Roach apart, West Indies' attack offered little. Edwards was out of sorts, Gabriel's accuracy wavered and Sammy lacked menace. Cook's pull shot against Sammy, followed up by a crisp late cut against Samuels to bring up his fifty, smacked of restored England authority. England rustled up 121 runs in 28 overs in an enterprising morning's batting with Cook, still to score at start of play, reaching his half-century in the penultimate over before the break.

Quite why Samuels was still bowling after lunch was a mystery. The idea that in the absence of Shane Shillingford, who took 10 wickets in his last Test, Samuels might spin them to victory was a Caribbean fairy story.

To turn to Roach was more appropriate but his threat had diminished. It was eight overs into the afternoon before Ian Bell advanced to drive Samuels for the first boundary of the session, but England had picked off 28 runs of the further 60 they needed in the meantime. Bell gloved a bouncer from Roach to fine leg for another boundary as victory became inevitable, Roach limped from the field at the end of a stout-hearted effort and it was not long before his team mates followed

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IPL 5 Play offs LIne up

Qualifier 1: Daredevils v KKR at Pune 

May 22, 2012 (20:00 local | 14:30 GMT | 19:30 PKT)

Eliminator: Super Kings v Mum Indians at Bangalore 
May 23, 2012 (20:00 local | 14:30 GMT | 19:30 PKT)

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No need for immediate post-mortem - Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly, the Pune Warriors captain, has said the side does not need an immediate post-mortem after their disastrous IPL season ended on Saturday with a ninth consecutive defeat, to Kolkata Knight Riders. Warriors won only four matches in 2012, the same as in their maiden season in 2011, out of 16 and finished last.

"Any post-mortem that needs to be done should be done after some time," Ganguly said. "Right now, the boys need to get away from here and go back to their respective homes. It's very hard for them too. They have been selected to win matches and that hasn't happened. It's a new franchise and things will only get better from here on. We need to look at a lot of things like team selection."

Wayne Parnell, the South Africa and Warriors fast bowler, said that wrong selection and injuries to key players were major reasons for the franchise's poor showing. "There are a number of factors. We have missed Yuvi [Yuvraj Singh]. We have had key guys injured throughout the season. Graeme Smith has been injured. [Ashok] Dinda started off really well, picked up an injury and has been out for some time. I think Murali Kartik's back stiffened up; Alfonso Thomas is injured as well. That combined with probably picking the wrong teams for certain pitches.

"At the end of the day we are professional cricketers and on every wicket we need to try and win games but this season we have been really, really poor. I thought last year we had injuries to local players, especially fast bowlers, which set us back a bit. I honestly thought we would do better [this season]. We showed that in our first few games. We then lost a few tight games and it went pear-shaped from there."

Robin Uthappa, the Warriors wicketkeeper and highest run-getter this season, believed that the Pune pitch also added to the side's woes. "It's the toughest wicket we have played in the country and it's very difficult to score runs here. Hopefully, it gets better and we have belters next season."

With his side struggling, Ganguly's individual performance also drew criticism. He scored 268 runs from 15 innings but was unable to accelerate with a strike-rate of 98.89. Parnell said that while having Ganguly's experience in the squad had been "massive", it did not matter who played as long as he performed. "It does not matter who you have in the team, whether you have Sourav Ganguly or a 20-year old Indian guy, if he is going to score runs or take wickets you got to pick him."

Uthappa said Ganguly had done the best he could do. "You have to respect his age well. It's the format that is most challenging for someone of his age," Uthappa told iplt20.com. "He has done a wonderful job for us in whatever capacity he could."

Uthappa also said Warriors were involved in several close games but could not finish them. "There were so many games where we won 35 overs out of 40 … we played close games this year, but on the whole, we were bad. As a unit, we never felt we were not up to the mark. We had quality players, we were a very strong side, but somehow results never showed that. Even the atmosphere in the dressing room was very positive. We lost games by five runs or seven runs, even by one run. Those kinds of defeats hit you hard. We couldn't come back from there.

Warriors had let their supporters down, Uthappa said, after they came out in large numbers in Pune despite their franchise losing consistently. "We want to apologise to the people in Pune. Even the afternoon games were full and they didn't mind coming to support us in insane heat. There were so many times that we kept telling ourselves that lets win games for them, they sit in so much heat and support us

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