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The International Cricket Council has officially launched the 2007 cricket World Cup logo, mascot and tournament schedule during a function in New Delhi where the World Cup trophy was also unveiled.The aim of the programme was to urge the fans in India to visit the West Indies and enjoy the cricketing extravaganza in a carnival-like atmosphere. Malcom Speed, the ICC chief executive officer, said the West Indies were long overdue to host the World Cup given their immense contribution to the game. “Given the passion West Indies have for the game and the tremendous commitment shown so far by the governments and people of the region, we are confident that they will host an excellent cricket World Cup.”Chris Dehring, the managing director and chief executive of ICC World Cup 2007 said India was an extremely important market as host of the next World Cup, as home to the largest TV audience to world sport and as the base for the tournament’s official global partner and two of the official sponsors.”To show our commitment to strengthening our relationship with India, we are working to highlight the World Cup in India and offer a taste of what fans can expect in the Caribbean next year,” said Dehring. “We want to make sure that the Indian public is fully informed and excited about the event. We also wish to encourage as many Indian fans as possible to travel to the Caribbean for the best cricket World Cup ever. The first phase for ticket application would close on July 31.”Dehring also sought to allay apprehensions over accommodation in the Caribbean, saying the governments of the nine sovereign states which would host World Cup matches had met recently to tackle the issue. “There would be a wide range of accommodations for the international visitors. There will be home stay programme as well as cruise ship to accommodate thousands of visitors expected to travel to the Caribbean. The governments are working together with the private sector and we are confident of providing good accommodation to the fans.”

Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi wants Shoaib Malik, the captain, to be “tough and demanding” to get the most out of his players in order for Pakistan to fight back in the Test series. Pakistan are trailing 0-1 in the three-Test series after India won by six wickets in Delhi.”If a player is not performing to his optimum level, the captain must be tough and demand more. I think our team was in a position to win the first Test,” Afridi, who was omitted from the Test squad after the one-day series defeat, told PTI.”Experience counts for a lot and [Anil] Kumble led their team well and intelligently. Malik can also do a similar job but he needs to be confident ahead of the second Test and must push the players to do better.”However, Moin Khan, a former Pakistan captain and wicketkeeper, said that Malik could not be blamed because captaincy happened too suddenly for him.”He [Malik] doesn’t have the captaincy experience,” Moin told Cricinfo. “He just captained his regional side for some Twenty20 games and suddenly he becomes the captain of the national side. It is going to take time for him to develop. The problem lies with the board. They should have groomed a captain.” Moin felt the Test captaincy could have been given to Mohammad Yousuf while Malik could have continued to be the captain in the ODIs.Afridi said that Pakistan were in a strong position when they gained the lead on the third evening in Delhi. However, on the fourth morning, they lost their last five wickets for 35 runs and set India a target of only 203. Afridi said that the batsmen needed to apply themselves more.”The batting didn’t go all the way after a good start. I have no doubt if we had got another 80 to 100 runs, we could have won this Test match,” Afridi said. “It was disappointing to lose out in the end. I am sure the rest of the team will be eager to make a comeback in the second Test in Kolkata. But the other bowlers also need to give more support to Shoaib Akhtar.”Shoaib, who took six wickets including all four to fall in India’s second innings, received little support from the other bowlers. Danish Kaneria, the legspinner, was especially disappointing, going for 0 for 50 in the final innings.”They must have tried hard but the results are important,” Afridi said. “I was surprised that Kaneria didn’t take more wickets on this pitch. I think he was not as effective because of his shortened run-up. He will get more bite into his bowling if he goes back to his old bowling action which allows him more flight and turn.””It is just a matter of getting back the confidence. In 2005, when we were down in the series, we only came back in the final Test in Bangalore because we believed we could do it and Inzamam [ul-Haq] kept telling us we were close to squaring the series. But the batting must click big time like it did in Bangalore.”

Match facts

February 3, 2016
Start time 1330 local (1130 GMT)

Big Picture

In an act of typically perverse scheduling, the limited-overs leg of England’s tour of South Africa includes five ODIs and just two T20Is, despite the fact that the World Twenty20 is looming in barely a month’s time, and both sides would doubtless benefit from a bit more sprint training in the intervening weeks.Nevertheless, such is the cross-over between the shortened formats in this day and age that the 50-over showdowns, which get underway in Bloemfontein tomorrow, still retain a relevance to both teams. If South Africa’s imperative is to cultivate that winning feeling after a chastening Test series, then England want only to carry on where they left off in a riotous finish to their tour of the UAE before Christmas.Eoin Morgan’s England are an unrecognisable outfit from the one-paced shambles that bombed out of the World Cup in Australia almost exactly 12 months ago. They bat without fear, they field like panthers and their bowlers – if still a touch raw in the post-Anderson and Broad era (albeit that the latter has been drafted back into the squad after a glut of injuries) – have shown promise that augurs well for the challenges to come.No-one would pretend that England are a finished product, but with Andrew Strauss, the ECB’s new director of cricket, preaching a more open-minded attitude to white-ball cricket, their squad has a focus that has been lacking in one-day cricket almost since the dawn of the format. Adil Rashid and David Willey even arrive in South Africa with their horizons broadened by successful stints in Australia’s Big Bash, which would have been an unthinkably progressive move in England’s not-at-all-distant past.Whether England are yet good enough to beat South Africa on home soil is a moot point, however. South Africa’s recent tour of India was a disaster in almost every facet, yet they still proved strong enough to muscle their way to a 3-2 ODI victory. This time last year, AB de Villiers was slamming a 31-ball century to trounce West Indies at Johannesburg, and after ducks in each of his last three Test innings, the only way for South Africa’s captain, surely, is up.

Form guide

South Africa: WLWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)

England: WWWLL

In the spotlight

Alex Hales endured a torrid Test baptism in the recent series against South Africa. His technique and temperament received equally searching examinations and both were found wanting, as he struggled to 136 runs at 17.00 in four matches. However, a return to the shorter formats may be just what his game needs – a chance to see ball, hit ball, and worry rather less about the consequences of the wrong shot at the wrong time. The concern, however, may be the knock-on effect of his struggles on the tour so far. As his opening partner, Jason Roy, told ESPNcricinfo last week, confidence is everything for a one-day opening batsman. Hales hasn’t displayed much of that in recent times.Hashim Amla’s stunning return to form in the latter stages of the Test series was a reminder of how quickly a change of scene or circumstances can transform a player’s fortunes. Amla’s match-saving double century in Cape Town was made possible by the decision he had made earlier in the match, that the time was right to offload the burden of captaincy, and he confirmed the wisdom of that move with twin scores of 109 and 96 to set up a consolation win at Centurion. His task is now to translate that free-spirited strokeplay to the top of the one-day order. But, to judge by the serenity of his cover-driving in recent days, he’s perfectly poised to make any start count.

Teams news

Marchant de Lange is a strong bet to add to his tally of three ODI caps as South Africa look to cover the gap in their fast-bowling ranks amid the long-term absences of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Kyle Abbott. Although there are concerns about Kagiso Rabada’s workload following his Test heroics, he seems likely to be given the chance to start the series, while Imran Tahir – overlooked through the Test series after struggling to make an impression on the tour of India – is back in the frame as the first-choice spinner.South Africa (probable) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 JP Duminy, 7 Farhaan Behardien, 8 Chris Morris/David Wiese, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Morne Morkel/Marchant de Lange, 11 Imran TahirRoy is a major doubt after suffering a back spasm during training on Monday. His place at the top of the order is likely to be filled by Moeen Ali, which is not the worst rejig imaginable given that Ben Stokes’ availability after injury in the UAE would otherwise create a logjam of stroke-makers in the lower-middle order. Adil Rashid, flushed with confidence after a breakthrough winter in the Big Bash, may be given the chance to take that form straight into the 50-over format.England (probable) 1 Moeen Ali, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 James Taylor, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 David Willey, 11 Reece Topley

Pitch and conditions

A flat deck, a large outfit, and intense heat. It promises to be a sapping day’s work for whichever side gets to field first under the afternoon sun.

Stats and trivia

• AB de Villiers made his ODI debut on February 2, 2005 against England in Bloemfontein. The match was tied. Eleven years and one day later, he will play his 196th ODI at the same venue, and against the same opponents.
• South Africa have won each of their last six ODIs at Bloemfontein since that tie, most recently by 125 runs against Pakistan in 2013.
• Quinton de Kock, fresh from his maiden Test hundred at Centurion, needs seven runs to reach 2000 in ODis.

Quotes

“I focus so much on winning the game that before I realise it I’ve scored a hundred off close to 30 balls. Things like that are always possible when you aim bigger and have a bigger cause.”
AB de Villiers admits that superhuman batting feats are just one of those things.“We are not quite there yet in terms of catching up with the World Cup teams that went out there and scored 300 on a regular basis – but we are making strides towards that.”

Jayantha Dharmadasa, the chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket, has expressed disappointment at the withdrawal of Rumesh Ratnayake as assistant coach of the Sri Lankan team.Ratnayake, the former Sri Lankan fast bowler, had signed a four-year contract with Sri Lanka Cricket nearly a month ago to become assistant coach, replacing the outgoing coach Trevor Penney. But in a complete u-turn Ratnayake has stated in a letter that he is unable to accept the position due to family commitments.”I am very disappointed with Rumesh’s decision. We have been trying to get his services for the past two years and when he decided to sign with us to become assistant coach we were extremely happy,” said Dharmadasa. “We have been criticised for not contracting former cricketers for the job of coach. This is what we get in return when we try to open the doors for them.”Dharmadasa said that he had great difficulty in getting Ratnayake released from his present position as development officer of the Asian Cricket Council of which Dharmadasa is the chairman. He said that Trevor Bayliss, who has signed a two-year contract with SLC to become Sri Lanka’s next head coach, will be given the opportunity to find a suitable assistant.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRangpur Riders kept chipping away at the wickets regularly to pull the plugs on Comilla’s chase in a top-of-the-table clash•BCB

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJahurul Islam held the batting line-up in shape before Mohammad Nabi’s accurate off-spin gave Rangpur Riders a 21-run win over Comilla Victorians. The win put Rangpur atop the points table with 14 points, two ahead of second-placed Comilla.For once Comilla couldn’t get control with their bowling as Rangpur piled 153 for six in 20 overs on another double-paced pitch. Imrul Kayes’ hard-hitting 38 gave them a good start, but the rest of the batting line-up were caught in the rut before giving their wickets away.That they posted a competitive total was courtesy Jahurul, who played his best knock of the tournament so far and is aiming at regaining his spot in the national team for the Asia Cup T20 and World T20. Jahurul previously had two match-winning efforts against Chittagong Vikings and Dhaka Dynamites.He got to work in the second over when opener Soumya Sarkar checked drove Abu Hider to Shuvagata Hom at cover. In Hider’s next over, Jahurul scooped, slogged and flicked for three boundaries in a row. Lendl Simmons watched the show briefly from the other end, before being sent back in the seventh over for 13.Shakib got stuck into paceman Kamrul Islam Rabbi for two fours before slogging one to deep midwicket. When Andre Russell took a stunning catch at the long-off boundary to get rid of Thisara Perera in the 13th over, Rangpur were in the dumps. Jahurul however kept finding the boundaries and duly reached his fifty off 43 balls. He added 39 runs for the fifth wicket with Darren Sammy, who made 24 off 20 balls with two fours and a towering six, to revive the innings.Jahurul was aggressive on anything short, and his only six came off Russell when he smashed him over midwicket in the penultimate over. Hider finished with two wickets while Malik, Zaidi, Russell and Rabbi took one each. Mashrafe bowled one over although he is carrying a grade 1 hamstring tear.Comilla’s chase started with an action-packed 20-minute from Kayes. He smacked Shakib through point and backward square-leg in the first over before latching on to Arafat Sunny. The treatment continued in the next over when Kayes hit two fours between point and cover. He was dismissed off Sammy’s first ball, giving third-man a simple catch after making 38 off 20 balls with six fours and a six.Comilla then lost three quick wickets. Mahmudul Hasan was given out leg-before before Nabi removed Ahmed Shehzad and Zaidi. Shuvagata Hom and Russell tried to give the chase some impetus with a six each, but fell in the 13th and 16th overs. Mashrafe Mortaza, who has shown sparks of brilliance with the bat in the tournament, also struck a six over long-off before falling to Saqlain Sajib, all in the same over.Their last hope was Shoaib Malik who fell in the 18th over but it was Hider who struck Sammy for two sixes in an 18-run penultimate over, to bring the equation down to 24 off the final over. But Perera removed Dhiman Ghosh with a superb yorker off the first ball and Rabbi in the fifth delivery to seal the deal.

Janeiro Tucker has again been hauled before the Bermuda Cricket Board disciplinary committee after an incident during a league match last month.Tucker, who is player/coach at Southampton Rangers, faces charges of displaying unsportsmanlike conduct during his side’s Premier Division match against Cleveland County at Southampton Oval on September 9. He is alleged to have shouted obscenities towards Hector Watson, the umpire, after being dismissed.Earlier this year Tucker received a three-match ban after a similar incident, and he was also punished for swearing in 2002.Despite this latest incident, he was included in Bermuda’s 15-man squad for the tour of Kenya and UAE.

Sylvester Joseph has been appointed captain of the West Indies A side for the tour of England in July and August this year.The 16-man squad contains as many as eleven players with international experience, including Dave Mohammed, Runako Morton and Jerome Taylor, currently with the national team for the home series against India. The touring squad also includes Lendl Simmons, Richard Kelly and Jason Mohammed, stars of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carib Beer title triumph. Tino Best, the fast bowler who missed out on selection against India, gets another chance to impress the selectors.The team will play a series of three-day and limited overs games against various county sides, including a three-day fixture against the touring Pakistan side at Shenley.Squad – Sylvester Joseph (capt), Ryan Hinds (vice-capt), Devon Smith, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Runako Morton, Dwayne Smith, Lendl Simmons, Jason Mohammed, Darren Sammy, Patrick Browne (wk), Richard Kelly, Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell, Tino Best, Dave Mohammed and Andrew RichardsonSupport staff – Anthony Howard (manager), David Moore (coach), Phyllis Burnett (physiotherapist), Bryce Cavanagh (strength & conditioning coordinator)

Nottinghamshire are on the verge of securing promotion after an emphatic innings-and-six-runs victory an hour after lunch on the third day against Derbyshire at Chesterfield. Following on, Derbyshire were always up against it and although they lifted themselves past 300, they still couldn’t make the visitors bat again. Travis Birt top scored with 85, while Hassan Adnan made a fifty. Samit Patel ended with three wickets. The promotion spot is now Nottinghamshire’s to lose: Middlesex need to win their last two matches to even have a sniff, while Notts only have to take six points from their final match at champions Somerset.Nicky Boje took 6 for 110 as Northamptonshire capitalised on their dominant position to take the honours in the lower-table clash with Leicestershire at Grace Road. Paul Nixon’s brave century and the efforts of the lower order propped them up for a while, but ultimately they could not stave off defeat and they sank 177 runs behind with more than 23 overs remaining.

Surrey did their chances of staving off relegation no end of good at Edgbaston, ending the third day on 2 for 0 chasing a target of 177 to beat fellow strugglers Warwickshire. Surrey’s first-innings lead of 88 was wiped out for the loss of one wicket as Ian Westwood and Jonathan Trott put on 101 for the second wicket, but Jade Dernbach’s dismissal of Westwood, who had been dropped by James Benning when in single figures, started a slide in which nine wickets fell for 142 runs.

Iain O’Brien, the Wellington medium-pace bowler, has been called up as cover for Michael Mason and Mark Gillespie during the first ODI against Sri Lanka on December 28 at Napier’s McLean Park. Gillespie, on international debut, suffered a knee injury during New Zealand’s Twenty20 win on Tuesday, while Mason is reportedly not fully fit.O’Brien, 30, served as 12th man for both the Tests. He has previously played two Tests, against Australia, in March 2005.John Bracewell, New Zealand’S coach, hinted that Daniel Vettori, who will captain in the first two ODIs place of a rested Stephen Fleming, will bat at either No. 5 or 6. “There may be a surprise in that we use Daniel Vettori in the middle because of his ‘gapping’ ability, in particular against spin,” he told . “So there may be a shift there.”Nathan Astle, whose unbeaten 40 helped New Zealand to a five-wicket victory on Boxing Day, underwent an x-ray on his hand, with Craig McMillan on standby. “We’re delighted with the progress he’s [McMillan] made,” Bracewell said. “We’re in constant touch with him and his domestic coach.”Brendon McCullum will open the innings with Astle and keep wickets, though it’s assumed that a second ‘keeper, probably Gareth Hopkins, will be named in the squad later in the series.

Scorecard
India made short work of England’s total of 215 for 7 in the third one-dayer at Guwahati, cruising to victory by 8 wickets to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Karu Jain starred with 64 at the top of the innings, and Mithali Raj ended unbeaten on 65 to take the home side through to a comprehensive win. Anjum Chopra also continued her good form, partnering Raj in a stand worth 68.The home side were assisted in their run chase with a disappointing bowling performance by England: only Charlotte Edwards, the captain, could apply the brakes to the rampant Indians, conceding 43 from her ten overs.It was Edwards who led from the front, again, when England won the toss and chose to bat. Together with Laura Newton, the pair put on 102 for the first wicket – but when Newton fell, bowled by Reema Malhotra’s legbreak, the doors were swung wide open; one became two, two became three and, but for some plucky lower-order boundaries from Beth Morgan and Nicki Shaw, the innings subsided quickly. On what was a flat pitch, their eventual total of 215 – albeit their highest of the tour so far – was a little less than they anticipated, a sentiment Richard Bates, England’s coach, agreed with.”Yes, the pitch was flatter than we expected – certainly flatter than in previous games,” he told Cricinfo today. “In hindsight, I suppose we were 20 or so short – but even if we had managed another 20 runs, I don’t think that bowling performance merited a victory.”Injury scares further limited England’s options. “It wasn’t the balance we were looking for; only 12 players were at the ground, so we were forced into selection,” Bates said. “That’s no excuse, though. We didn’t bowl very well today and we weren’t able to put any pressure on the batsmen.”India’s run chase got off to a rollicking start – “we simply didn’t put the ball in the right areas. They got away from us and got the runs with ease” Bates added – with Jain, who deservedly won the Player-of-the-Match award, smiting ten fours in her 88-ball innings. Despite Arran Brindle dismissing Jain, and Watts removing the wicketkeeper Jaya Sharma, India weren’t troubled in the slightest, coasting to 216 with more than 9 overs to spare.