Fumbles prove costly for slapdash India

From loose shots to dropped catches and a missed stumping, India were guilty of producing a few too many errors in a match of wafer-thin margins

Two matches into the Asia Cup, India have already made a rich contribution to the tournament's blooper bank: two collisions, one bowler taken out of the attack for bowling two high full-tosses, four dropped catches and a missed stumping.

Six of those eight moments came against Sri Lanka. All of them added up. In a match of wafer-thin margins, in which an edged boundary from Sri Lanka's No. 10 may have had a substantial impact on the result, the errors from India were so plentiful they must have wondered if they had let a big win slip.

In the end, things became particularly slippery when Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, struggling to grip a ball drenched in dew, bowled nine full-tosses in the last five overs. Had India taken their chances before that, the dew might not have proved such a decisive factor.

"We could have played smarter cricket," captain Virat Kohli said after the match. "If you see some of the decisions also, they went against us. In the first two overs [of Sri Lanka's innings] itself there were two lbw shouts that were very close, and then we also missed chances. That happens in cricket, getting a favourable decision or not, but the chances that we get, we should at least hold on to. I think that hurt us. But overall, I think we didn't play as smartly as we had done against Bangladesh."

In that match, the mistakes didn't really cost India. Varun Aaron was forcibly removed from the attack, but it was quite conceivable he may not have bowled for too much longer, considering how expensive he had been. Mohammed Shami's bones may have hurt a little when he crunched into Ambati Rayudu while trying to catch Shamsur Rehman, but he came away with the ball.

Against Sri Lanka, Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan were left both red-faced and empty-handed when they went for the same catch. Fielders colliding twice in two matches might be a coincidence, or it might be evidence of sloppy calling.

Kusal Perera was on 7 at that point. He went on to make 64, but not before surviving another missed chance when Ravindra Jadeja dropped him in the deep on 36. Jadeja deserved full marks for effort, running in from deep midwicket and throwing himself forward, but he would have been disappointed with himself for letting the ball pop out when his elbows hit the ground. Once he'd done all the hard work, he would have expected to complete the task. He had dropped another catch a little while before that, an even harder one, diving to his right from cover to intercept a well-struck cover drive from Lahiru Thirimanne.

The openers put on 80. When Ashwin dismissed Kusal, Sri Lanka's score had moved to 134, and they needed less than six an over to win. Two wickets from Ravindra Jadeja then dragged India back into the game.

It could, however, have been three wickets to Jadeja and potentially game over; Dinesh Karthik fluffed up a stumping in a manner that must have been hilarious to everyone bar the die-hard India fan. Karthik must have felt more than a touch uneasy when he felt the swish of thin air against his gloves, and positively ill when the third umpire confirmed that Kumar Sangakkara had got back in his crease by the time he'd taken the bails off with his second attempt.

Sangakkara was on 30. He went on to make 103. Sri Lanka won with two wickets in hand and four balls to spare. And India still had time to miss another chance, Dhawan dropping a dolly at mid-off to let off Thisara Perera when Sri Lanka needed one run.

"Even in the last ball, you never know," Kohli said. "They needed one run and if had taken that catch we could have probably got Malinga out."

With the bat, Kohli said India could have scored 25-30 runs more if the batsmen had played more responsibly.

"I think when we were batting, those three wickets that fell - I think it was Shikhar, Rahane and Dinesh Karthik. We lost them in quick succession, in [the space of] about 20-25 runs. I think that was something that really hurt us during our batting because we were 175-odd for 2. From there on I think we were in a position to get to 300, but we lost those three quick wickets."

At that point, with India 175 for 2 with 15 overs remaining, Rahane tried to hit Sachithra Senanayake over cover and sliced the ball to backward point. Four overs later, Karthik arrived at the crease following the dismissal of Dhawan. Third ball, he went for a full-blooded pull off Ajantha Mendis and top-edged a catch to mid-off.

The pull isn't a bad shot on a slow pitch, and he might not have picked the carrom ball out of Mendis' hand, but he should have been expecting it, having seen how he had taken his first two wickets. It might have been a little too early in his innings to attempt such an expansive shot anyway.

Dhawan's 94 would have provided the batsmen waiting their turn enough clues to how the pitch was behaving. It hadn't been a typical Dhawan innings, because he had recognised it wasn't possible to play his usual game when the ball simply wasn't coming on to the bat. He had played within himself, and waited for opportunities to pierce the off-side field when the bowlers gave him room.

After India's win against Bangladesh, Rahane had said the pitch was particularly difficult for a new batsman to score runs on. And so it proved against Sri Lanka, after the loss of those three wickets. Ambati Rayudu struggled to get to grips with the conditions, Stuart Binny fell by the wayside, and India's new-look middle order ended up looking bad.

Binny's contribution, in the end, amounted to a four-ball duck and four unthreatening overs full of leg-side singles. At the presser, Kohli was asked whether he should have picked a third seamer or a third spinner in Aaron's place rather than Binny.

Kohli's explanation, that India had wanted to beef up their batting, made sense in theory, considering the inexperience of the other middle-order batsmen. But an extra specialist bowler, in hindsight, may well have proved more useful. But such questions may have been superfluous had India taken their chances.

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Sangakkara's aggression and Mendis' menace

Time for Dhoni to go

The team needs a more proactive leader who challenges his bowlers to get him wickets

Why Dhoni needs to speak out

It can't do Indian cricket any good when there is rampant speculation over the motives and methods of its highest-profile player

Steyn's spell from hell

No other bowler in the world today could have won the match in Port Elizabeth so suddenly and with such effect

A punishment that should have come earlier

Shakib Al Hasan has had discipline issues in the past, and had he been pulled up earlier this latest incident may not have occurred

India batting thin on experience

The absence of MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina means India will go into the Asia Cup with an inexperienced middle order for the first time in a long time

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Lumb makes good on gifted opportunity

At 34 years of age, Michael Lumb was England's oldest debutant in this format since Paul Nixon seven years ago. He could have been forgiven for thinking his chance had gone

If success in sport is largely due to taking chances, Michael Lumb may yet end up a double World Cup winner.

Lumb, who already has a World T20 winners' medal, earned himself a decent chance of gaining a place in England's squad for the World Cup in 2015 with a century on ODI debut in Antigua.

It was an innings that so nearly did not happen. Had a scheduling quirk not persuaded England to select their T20 team for an ODI series, had Alex Hales not pulled out with a thigh strain and had Eoin Morgan not been ruled out with a knee injury, then Lumb would not have played. At 34 years of age, he was England's oldest debutant in this format since Paul Nixon seven years ago. He could have been forgiven for thinking his chance had gone.

But perhaps this was the sort of innings that could only be played by a man who knew he had one opportunity left. Perhaps it was the sort of innings that could only be played by a man who knows he is in danger of being remembered not just for that winners' medal, but for being something of an unfulfilled talent.

To put into perspective what an impressive achievement this innings was, Lumb was just the ninth man from any country to register a century on ODI debut. He becomes just the second England player to do so too following Dennis Amiss, who managed it in 1972. Had any of his colleagues managed to scored more than 44, it would surely have helped England to victory.

That it did not was largely due to some wretched death bowling and some hapless batting. To concede 100 from the final seven overs of West Indies' innings is reflective not just of some marvelously flamboyant batting from Dwayne Bravo, who enjoyed a fine game with bat, ball and as captain, and the typically selfless Darren Sammy, but of some muddled, inexperienced bowling.

The charitable interpretation for England's final 15 overs in the field - 15 overs in which they conceded 157 runs and allowed West Indies to recover from 112 for 4 - is that they were giving opportunities to inexperienced bowlers with a view to the challenges that await in Bangladesh. Certainly there is little other obvious reason for Stuart Broad to prefer Chris Jordan to himself towards the end and little other obvious reason to have not thrown the ball to the vastly experienced Ravi Bopara, playing his 100th ODI, Ben Stokes or even Luke Wright. He did, after all, bowl in that World T20 final.

While Broad later claimed that the plan had been to bowl yorker length outside off stump, Hawk-Eye analysis showed that England actually delivered only one or two yorkers in their entire 50 overs. For all the talk of practicing such deliveries in recent days, there was precious little evidence of improvement. A tally of 11 wides and no-balls, plus the extra deliveries they offer, is unacceptably profligate at this level.

The batting was almost as concerning. While Moeen Ali shaped up nicely with bat and ball before squandering his wicket away with a loose stroke, England's middle-order lacked the composure required to play the sort of innings that Jonathan Trott once made seem so simple that his ability was routinely questioned. Their struggles against Sunil Narine not only underlined what a terrific bowler he is in such conditions but suggested that, in future, West Indies may play more than one spinner. Nor does it bode well for the trial by spin anticipated in the World T20 in Bangladesh. Bopara, for such a talented and experienced player, rarely seems to deliver when the pressure is on.

The shame about all this was that it denied Lumb the support his innings deserved. This is not the first time he has sensed a glimmer of a chance and seized it. In February 2010, representing England Lions against the England side, he impressed to such an extent in scoring an unbeaten 58 to help his team to victory that he was somewhat surprisingly drafted into the World T20 squad. While he never scored more than 33 in the tournament, his positive batting ensured the speedy starts required and played a meaningful part in England's subsequent success.

He has learned to deal with setbacks, too. While his Nottinghamshire team-mate Hales, whose injury may have cost him a rare opportunity, struggled to contain his disappointment after the county refused to allow the pair to appear in the 2013 IPL auction, Lumb knuckled down and accumulated over 1000 Championship runs despite the challenges of a tricky home pitch at Trent Bridge. Such characteristics are greatly valued by this England set-up.

His List A record was modest, however. Nottinghamshire may have won the YB40 trophy, but Lumb passed 50 only once in the campaign and averaged just 24.64. In normal circumstances, his form would not have warranted even consideration for ODI selection.

Nor was this a perfect innings. For his first 20 or so runs, he was comprehensively outplayed by the elegant Moeen and, harsh though it sounds, he might have been expected to see his side home having built such a solid platform.

Quite what England do with him now remains to be seen. In a different era, Lumb might be considered an automatic choice for the 2015 World Cup, which will be in progress at this time next year, but even without Kevin Pietersen the England top-order is a crowded place. Ian Bell, Alastair Cook and Trott all have strong claims on the top three positions, while Joe Root and Stokes filled the role without much success in Australia. Moeen, with his offspin perhaps providing an edge in selection meetings, may also be a contender. Hales may yet come into the equation, too.

Certainly Lumb has earned himself an opportunity. But it may be worth reflecting on the example of Kim Barnett who, in 1988, won the Man-of-the-Match award on his ODI debut and never played again. 34-year-olds are not just given few opportunities, they are given fewer chances if they fail.

There were other bright spots for England. The use and bowling of the spinners was intelligent and impressive and Moeen and Lumb's opening stand should have been a match-defining foundation. But unless the death bowling improves rapidly, it is hard to see them challenging in Bangladesh.

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'We did those little things right' - Mathews

Sri Lanka have won their first two matches of the Asia Cup, beating their two strongest opponents, Pakistan and India. Both were close matches, and Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka's captain, said they had won because they had grabbed the important moments.

"We've been winning those close games," Mathews said. "Once again it was a nervous game but we do those little things right. But we need to play better cricket against stronger teams. Today also I think we could have won it a bit easier than what it was in the end because the middle order collapsed."

Mathews said Kumar Sangakkara's 84-ball 103, the fastest century of his career, which came on a slow pitch that other batsmen from both sides had struggled to score quickly on, was one of the best innings he had seen.

"He's a true champion," Mathews said. "Has done it for the past so many years. Once again when the team needed, he delivered. It was a treat to watch him bat and it was one of the best innings I have seen in the recent past and most importantly he got us through. I am really happy with the way he batted."

Sri Lanka had picked three spinners for this match, and it helped the team that they won the toss and avoided bowling when the dew came into play. Asked about this, Mathews said Sri Lanka had the resources to win even if they had batted first.

"We were geared up for both batting or bowling first," he said. "But we wanted to chase as the dew comes in to play. Wicket was slow so we played [Ajantha] Mendis in place of [Suranga] Lakmal. Had we lost the toss India would have bowled first as well. Bowling second is not tricky because it turned with Jadeja and Ashwin as well. So it was tricky for our batsmen as well. We have the allrounders too with Sachithra at eight and Mendis at nine. We have the batting depth so we were up for the challenge if we had to bat first as well."

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'Batting mistakes almost cost us game' - Misbah

Pakistan's captain Misbah-ul-Haq has expressed his concern over the performance of his batsmen, after a series of rash shots from them had left his team tottering on 117 for 6 against Afghanistan. Speaking after Pakistan's 72-run win, Misbah said their mistakes could have cost Pakistan the match, had Umar Akmal not rescued them with a century.

"I think at one point the match had almost gone out of our hands," he said. "If Umar Akmal hadn't played that innings, we would have had a lot of problems. As a batting unit, I think if we continue to repeat the same mistakes, it will be a big problem for us. We have a very important match against India coming up now, so we have to avoid making these kinds of mistakes. We have to take responsibility, especially as a batting unit."

Asked if he was thinking of shuffling Pakistan's batting order to try and prevent these mistakes, Misbah said he would back his batsmen to pick up their performances.

"These things happen," he said. "If you see the last series, our top three made us win the whole series against Sri Lanka. No. 4, 5 and 6 didn't even get to bat much in that series. So I think, they are good players and in good form. Yes, two matches have gone and they have struggled, but I hope that in the next matches, which are important ones for us, someone of them will step up and make important runs for us."

Since his debut in 2009, Akmal has been the leading run-scorer in wins at the No. 6 position in ODIs. Asked about his record at that spot, Misbah said he was pleased with Akmal's success as a finisher.

"I think he has been doing well for Pakistan," Misbah said. "You could say he could have done slightly better than this, but from the last year and a half, I think he's really doing well at that number, finishing games for Pakistan and scoring runs at crucial stages. I've been really happy, especially with the way he played today. I think that's what we want him to do, to finish games for Pakistan."

Misbah praised Afghanistan's bowling and fielding, when asked if the Associate team had presented Pakistan a tougher challenge than he had expected.

"Afghanistan is always like that," he said. "They have a decent bowling attack and a very good fielding side, and I think they proved it today. They bowled very good lines and they were very disciplined. Their fielding was supporting them. I think they are an improving side and they can really put you under pressure on a given day."

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Missing players hamper Giles' audition

England will interview for a new head coach in April, and by then Ashley Giles could have cemented his position as favourite or be struggling to keep his head above water

England and West Indies desperate for momentum

Like arriving for a job interview with blood on your suit and stains on your CV, Ashley Giles knows that England's recent form can hardly have helped his case to be the team's next head coach.

Giles, England's limited-overs coach since the start of 2013, has made it clear he would like to be in charge in all formats of the game, but goes into the ODI series against West Indies, starting in Antigua on Friday, knowing his side have lost six of their last eight ODIs and five of their last six T20 internationals. It is not a record that does his case any favours.

The final of the Champions Trophy seems long ago. Then, in June, England appeared to be pretty much on track for the World Cup in 2015 as a team missing the injured Kevin Pietersen and Graeme Swann went within an ace of winning their first global ODI tournament.

But instead of building for the World Cup, the foundations appear to have crumbled. Swann and Pietersen have gone, Jonathan Trott is absent and the results in Australia - England won one and lost seven limited-overs matches - inspire little confidence.

Perhaps it is unfair to judge Giles on such statistics. He had, after all, something close to a B team with which to work in Australia and, with Andy Flower hardly the sort to release the reins, has never enjoyed the opportunity to select or coach a side exactly the way he would have liked.

That has not changed entirely even now. With their eye, reasonably enough, on the larger prize - the World T20 starts in Bangladesh in just over two weeks - England have arrived in Antigua with a team of T20 specialists, missing several of their key ODI players. As a result, Giles is risking going into the business stages of the application for the England role with a record that could make it hard for the ECB to give him the job.

Underlining the inexperience of this England team is the fact that Tuesday's warm-up match represented Stuart Broad's first experience of captaincy in 50-over cricket at any level in his entire career. If Eoin Morgan is forced to miss Friday's game with a knee injury sustained in the field on Tuesday, England may have two debutants (Moeen Ali and Alex Hales) in the top five as well, with Ben Stokes and Chris Jordan little more experienced. Ravi Bopara, going into his 100th ODI, has suddenly emerged as a senior player.

There are a couple of areas for optimism for England. For a start, West Indies' own form is little better. They have won just three of their last nine ODIs against Test-playing opposition and they are missing several of their best players - notably Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Kemar Roach - through injury.

England also possess, especially if Morgan is fit, an exciting middle order. The Morgan-Buttler-Bopara spine has proved an effective accelerator in recent times, building on foundations laid by the likes of Ian Bell, Alastair Cook and Trott.

That has always been a controversial tactic. While some believe England's policy of accumulation has been their greatest strength, others feel it has held them back. So in this series, England will explore the possibilities of a more aggressive approach at the start of their innings.

Instead of Cook and Bell, England will have Luke Wright and Hales to face the new ball. And instead of Trott, they will have Stokes at No. 3. It could give them the fast start they require to take pressure off the middle-order. Or it could see them 30 for 3 and expose the middle-order.

"There will be a bit of a shift on how we play in England," Broad revealed. "You look at that Champions Trophy when we had a lot of success through, not being defensive, but stacking it up at the back end.

"But when you play abroad, as was evident in Australia, you can't be 130 after 30, you've got to look to be more like 160 so you're not as reliant on people like Morgs and Buttler to get us up towards 300.

"So I think there's a bit of change in mind set to push our score a bit beyond 130 after the first 30 to take a bit of pressure off the guys at the end. We've got world-class players there but you can't expect them to do it every time. The players are pretty excited about executing that."

Death bowling is another area requiring improvement. With Broad sometimes making the somewhat surprising decision to bowl his full allocation of overs before the end and James Anderson missing, England were sometimes badly exposed in Australia with a surfeit of slower balls failing to mask the lack of yorkers.

"We've got strong areas we need to improve on in ODI cricket," Broad said. "I think our death bowling is somewhere where we need our skills to improve. Of course that comes with yorkers and our change-ups and that will also help us in Bangladesh. The pitches there can be pretty good to bat on so getting up in the hole is important. The bowlers have been having a good focus on their yorker bowling."

England's training session was again hit by rain on Thursday, but without causing any meaningful disruption. While the change from Flower's influence to Giles' is not always obvious, it has become apparent that, at long last, the England coaches are ensuring that bowlers are not allowed to bowl no-balls in the nets or training sessions.

In a professional sport where attention to detail is advocated in all things, it has long been an absurdity that England's bowlers over-stepped in training but then expected to hit exact lengths and avoid no-balls in match situations. It is a small detail, but an important one and may yet make the difference between a win and a loss over the next few weeks.

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'I'd have loved KP to be here' - Bravo

Dwayne Bravo has expressed his disappointment at the absence of Kevin Pietersen from the England squad touring the Caribbean, but admitted he could understand the decision taken by the ECB to exclude him.

"I would have loved KP to be here," Bravo said. "He's a player that the world loves to see play cricket. Despite his problems, personally I love to see him play and it would have been good for us to actually play against him. It's good for international cricket to have someone of his calibre to continue playing."

But Bravo, who may well have simply been attempting to appease all parties in an argument that tends to polarise opinions, also claimed he was "not surprised" by the decision to end Pietersen's international career.

"At the end of the day, no player is bigger than the game," Bravo said. "Regardless of how good you are, there are (team) guidelines and there are rules. Whoever the player, you have to respect that.

"For me personally, I am a Kevin Pietersen fan. And I know the world is too. But that's England's issue, and I don't have to worry about it."

Bravo also has to cope without some of his leading players. Big hitting batsmen such as Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard are both unavailable due to injury, while Kemar Roach is one of several fast bowlers - Shannon Gabriel, Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards are among the others - unavailable, leading Bravo to bemoan the burden carried by Caribbean fast bowlers.

"We have a lot of key players missing," he said. "We play a lot of cricket now and we play a lot on flat wickets in the Caribbean that means fast bowlers have to work a lot more. I'm just waiting for the day when we can have a fully fit squad when can pick our best XI. That day is yet to come."

But the absence of senior players has provide opportuntiy for others and, in 22-year-old Barbadian, Jason Holder, Bravo clearly spots great potential.

"Jason Holder is definitely going to be one of our best fast bowlers," Bravo said. "I wouldn't want to put too much pressure on him, but I honestly believe he is going to be the closest we shall get to Curtly Ambrose. He still has a lot to learn, but he is definitely one of our best fast bowlers."

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Restrictions lifted off Leicestershire

Leicestershire took a giant step towards safeguarding their future with the news that the local council had lifted the restrictive covenant on their Grace Road home.

The covenant, which originally placed a value of £24,000 on the ground and restricted its use to sporting activities, was put in place in 1966 to protect the future of county cricket.

But the city council have now agreed that such restrictions were endangering Leicestershire's sustainability by preventing the club opening new revenue streams to help supplement their cricketing income. The ground's current worth, anticipated to be somewhere around £3 million, can also be utilised by the club now should they require to borrow against its value.

Leicestershire are now pressing ahead with a planning application to build 14 apartments on a parcel of land to the edge of the property and are hopeful of receiving a grant of up to £1 million from the ECB to develop other community projects.

"When this covenant was drawn up, its purpose was to protect the future of county cricket in the city," the City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said. "But, ironically, it's now having the opposite effect.

"Having looked at the cricket club's situation, we can see that these restrictions are now preventing the club from attracting new investment and improving the facilities it offers to the local community.

"By lifting the covenant, and giving the club the security it's been lacking, we hope that the board will be able to access new funding - and be able to progress their ideas for a range of new development opportunities."

The club recently reported a loss of £66,000 for the last 12 months, while their hopes of building a new arena within the ground to house the city's basketball team fell through.

"We've been trying to remove this covenant for the last 25 years, so this is fantastic news," Leicestershire's chief executive Mike Siddall said. "This move has secured the future of county cricket in Leicester by giving us the freedom to seek new investment in our ground, in the club and in our cricket-led community projects.

"It will unlock many new funding streams for the club - primarily from the England and Wales Cricket Board, which has already earmarked £1 million for Leicestershire.

"This is a very important day for all of us at LCCC - and we're delighted that the city council has recognised that the covenant is no longer fit for purpose and has decided to lift the restrictions that have been holding us back."

While Leicestershire finished bottom of the Championship without a win in 2014, there are three players (Stuart Broad, Luke Wright and Harry Gurney) in the current England squad in the Caribbean who developed, in part at least, through the club's system.

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Gibson not ruling out England job

Ottis Gibson has declined to reject the suggestion that he is interested in the role of head coach of the England side. Gibson, who is currently head coach of West Indies, is known to have expressed an interest in other coaching roles of late and is highly thought of at the ECB having worked as the England bowling coach before returning to the Caribbean in 2010.

Asked whether his "name was in the hat" for the England job, Gibson replied, somewhat enigmatically, "My name is firmly in the hat for this job I'm doing."

While Gibson went on to insist he was "fully committed" to his current role and "improving the fortunes of West Indies cricket," his failure to categorically rule out any interest in the England job will do little to douse speculation over his possible candidacy.

Gibson has experienced a roller-coaster ride as West Indies coach. Among the high-points, he oversaw the side's victory in the World T20 of 2012 and signed a new three-year contract only 12 months ago.

But at other times, he has suffered public fallouts with such high-profile figures as Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan and endured criticism from various politicians, even prime ministers, in the Caribbean. West Indies have also won only one of their last six T20 internationals, including defeat against Ireland in Jamaica a week ago, and have lost four of their last five Tests, three of them inside three days.

Gibson's apparent wandering eye - he was also linked with coaching jobs at Warwickshire and Glamorgan - suggests he may be tiring of the ups and downs apparently inherent in West Indies cricket.

"When you're not working then every job appeals to you," Gibson said. "But at the moment I'm working and working hard so that is all I'm looking at right now."

Gibson admitted that West Indies "haven't played well in this format over the last six or twelve months" ahead of the ODI series against England.

"Both sides haven't set the world on fire recently in this format," he said. "So, England will be thinking that it is a good time to play us. We're at home so hopefully that will count for something but we're two teams that maybe you could say are in transition."

Gibson was, at least, optimistic that Chris Gayle would be fit to return to the side for the World T20 in Bangladesh, but had less positive news over the involvement of Kieron Pollard or Kemar Roach,

"From all reports I've heard Chris should be back," Gibson said. "He had some time out with a hamstring injury and he had a good two months to get himself right. He did some work in Australia with a physio.

"He was back here and played in the first T20 and looked good, but then he had a reaction in his back. When you work so hard on one thing then something else can give way so he had a reaction in his back and his hip so we've given him some more time to get himself comfortable on the cricket field.

"Pollard had a knee injury and he hasn't recovered from that. We've given him time but he just hasn't recovered. Kemar Roach had a shoulder operation in December and he's now on his way back, but neither of them will be ready for Bangladesh."

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Varun Aaron: fast, but not fearsome

Varun Aaron ticks all the boxes when it comes to sheer pace but has been lacking control and bowling nous, and that is compounding India's bowling woes

Varun Aaron is quick. On Wednesday at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, he maintained an average speed of 88.2mph, and his fastest delivery clocked 93.2mph on the speedgun. That's 149.99kph. India have a fast bowler. A genuinely fast bowler.

It wouldn't be inaccurate to say that the selectors gave Aaron a chance to play for India solely because he was quick. He made his ODI debut in October 2011 and his Test debut a month later. At that point, he had taken 26 first-class wickets in 12 matches at an average of 41.50. His last first-class match before his international debut was for Rest of India against Rajasthan. In that match, he took one wicket for 117 runs in 42 overs.

He didn't have the numbers in first-class cricket to suggest he could take wickets at the international level. He had, however, sent the speedgun needle into previously largely uncharted territory for Indian fast bowlers. You could legitimately label him "right arm fast".

On Wednesday, Aaron came on with Bangladesh 40 for 1 in 11 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami had bowled tight first spells, and each of them had produced edges that flew through gaps in the slip cordon. There was little in the pitch to enthuse the seamers, but they had kept the batsmen under pressure.

Aaron immediately released it with his first two balls, wide half-volleys that left-hand batsman Mominul Haque drove handsomely for fours. This was a portent of what was to come, although it wasn't immediately apparent, after R Ashwin dismissed Mominul at the other end and Aaron bowled a quiet second over.

You could tell even then, though, that he wasn't really worrying Anamul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim. His length wasn't asking them any difficult questions, and both batsmen came forward and drove him confidently. For now, they were hitting to the fielders.

What came next was unexpected. Out of nowhere, in Aaron's third over, Anamul jumped down the track and clattered him over long-on for six. In his fifth over, Anamul charged him again. Aaron banged the ball in short. Anamul swatted it for six. Later in the over Aaron served up another half-volley. Anamul clumped it back past him for four.

Aaron was bowling fast, but there was no extra ingredient - no cunning and no intimidation either. Even that can work sometimes, if you bowl fast and attack the stumps, but Aaron's default line was fifth or even sixth stump.

When he came back on later in the innings, in the 37th over, Aaron dismissed Anamul, bowled off his inside edge, but only after he had struck two more fours, the second a slash past point off a high full-toss that was called no-ball. In his next over, the high full-toss made another appearance, seemingly slipping out of his fingers and striking Mushfiqur Rahim a painful blow on the chest. The second offence meant he had to go out of the attack.

It was unlikely he would have done any more bowling after that over anyway. Before being struck by that beamer, Mushfiqur had spanked Aaron for two more fours and a six. All of that had left him with figures of 1 for 74 in 7.5 overs. This was the second time that Aaron had gone for more than eight runs an over in an ODI, and this was just his eighth match. His career economy rate had now spiked to 6.64.

India's excitement with Aaron's pace is understandable. It's a precious resource. And he has improved his bowling to the extent that he has enjoyed his best ever first-class season after recovering from recurring back injuries. But he still seems unsure of what exactly he's trying to do when he bowls at the international level. It has been the same case with Umesh Yadav, and it's hard to tell if either of them is getting the guidance they need to make the most of their talent.

It's hard to tell if any of India's young fast bowlers are getting this. Aaron's spell in Fatullah was the 12th instance of an Indian fast bowler conceding eight or more runs per over in an ODI spell of six or more overs since the start of 2013. Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma appear once each on that list. Vinay Kumar and Mohammed Shami, like Aaron, have two entries each, while Ishant Sharma features a staggering four times. All of this, remember, has happened in the last 14 months.

In that period, India's batsmen have been made to chase 300-plus targets eight times. They've been made to do it not just in Jaipur, Nagpur and Rajkot but also in Johannesburg, Kingston and Wellington.

Despite Aaron's waywardness, their target in Fatullah was "only" 280 and they got home without too much fuss. It's what Virat Kohli does. But he must wish sometimes that he didn't have to do it so often. He will wish he won't have to keep doing it in this tournament. MS Dhoni isn't around to help him.

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Trott on track for April comeback

Jonathan Trott is on course to start the domestic season with Warwickshire and has been backed to return to international cricket.

Trott left the Ashes tour with a stress-related illness straight after the opening Test in Brisbane. At the time it was revealed he had been managing his condition for a considerable length of time.

He has since been supported by the ECB and PCA during his recovery and is on track to play for Warwickshire at the beginning of the season. Their first Championship match is against Sussex, at Edgbaston, on April 13 but he is expected to play against Oxford MCCU at the Parks the week before.

He will not be part of Warwickshire's pre-season tour of Barbados but that was always part of the plan. Trott has yet to speak publicly since leaving Australia but Dennis Amiss, the chairman of Trott's 2014 benefit committee, said his desire to return at all levels is strong.

"He's doing very well. He's had a great rest, which is very important, and he is raring to go again," Amiss told the BBC. "He's still very hungry. He wants to continue succeeding both for Warwickshire and for England."

"Cricket is his passion and I believe he has qualities, as we've seen, to be able to score a mass of runs for Warwickshire to get himself back into the England side and regain his position."

"I think it was essentially burnout. The England and Wales Cricket Board has helped him while he has been back. Everybody has given him a lot of help. Rest has been the most important thing."

In Trott's absence, Joe Root was initially promoted to No. 3 but was dropped after the Melbourne Test and Ian Bell took the position. In the one-day side, the No. 3 role is currently held by Ben Stokes.

England's home international season begins with a one-day international against Scotland on May 9 before Sri Lanka arrive for a tour that includes one Twenty20, five one-day internationals and two Tests.

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I wasn't feeling any pressure - Rahane

'Shot selection was crucial' - Rahane

Having scored just 51 runs in five innings during the ODI series in New Zealand, Ajinkya Rahane might have felt under pressure coming into India's opening match of the Asia Cup against Bangladesh. But after scoring 73 and putting on 213 with Virat Kohli to guide India to their target of 280, Rahane said he felt relaxed when he first arrived at the crease.

"Frankly speaking, I wasn't thinking about the past," he said. "I was slightly relaxed and just wanted to play my game. I got a hundred in the last innings in New Zealand [in the Test series], so I was confident during my batting. My plan was to take my time initially and then play my shots. That really worked today."

India had lost both their openers in the space of two overs when Rahane walked in to bat. At that stage, Rahane said the pitch hadn't been an easy one to start an innings on.

"On this wicket, shot selection was very crucial," he said. "It was not easy to play shots initially, the ball was keeping low. There was some odd bounce and uneven bounce. We were just planning to play straight initially and back ourselves to play our shots later on. Obviously Virat took his chances really well and that worked."

Bangladesh left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak had said that dew had made life very difficult for Bangladesh's bowlers under lights. Rahane, however, said it hadn't been that much of a factor. "I don't think so," he said. "It was there, but only after 38-40 overs."

When India bowled, they had done well at the death to restrict Bangladesh to 279 after a big partnership between Anamul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim. In the last five overs, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami bowled the yorker particularly well. During their first pre-tournament training session, India's bowlers had been seen practicing their yorkers against a foam dummy made to look like a batsman.

"I think that is working really well," Rahane said. "Joey is really working hard with the bowlers in the nets and that is really crucial. On this wicket, I think the bowlers did really well. Bhuvi and Shami later on bowled wicket to wicket and it was not easy to hit that length."

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'We thought we were 25-30 runs short' - Mathews

Between innings during their opening match of the Asia Cup, Sri Lanka felt they had fallen short of a winning total against Pakistan. Lahiru Thirimanne had scored a century and added 161 with Kumar Sangakkara for the second wicket. With that in mind, Sri Lanka should have scored "at least 325", according to their captain Angelo Mathews.

"I actually think that we were 25-30 runs short, to be honest," Mathews said. "Especially with the start that [Kumar] Sangakkara and [Lahiru] Thirimanne got for us, we should have got at least 325, minimum. We lost our way in the middle, we kept losing wickets and we had to consolidate in the last few overs, to set 297 target. I actually thought, if we didn't lose wickets, we could have got 325-330 easily."

In the end, Sri Lanka's score of 296 proved enough to secure them a 12-run victory. But at one stage, they had looked out of it, with Pakistan needing 57 from the last eight overs with six wickets in hand. Mathews said that Sri Lanka's bowlers had had no answers to Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal during their 121-run fifth-wicket partnership.

"When Misbah and Umar Akmal were batting, they were batting brilliantly, and we just didn't have answers to them," Mathews said. "We just had to hang in there. We knew that if we take one wicket from there the game is going to open once again, so we did that and fortunately our bowlers did it once again, Lasith Malinga took that crucial wicket, and that turned the game for us."

Malinga ended up taking his sixth ODI five-wicket haul, and reached 250 wickets in the format. When asked what discussion captain and pace spearhead had before his final spell, Mathews said he usually left it to Malinga to make his own plans.

"When it comes to Lasith, he has always been our best bowler," Mathews said. "We always bank on him in pressure situations. He's been our best bowler for so many years, and we always throw the ball to him, and he knows exactly what he has to do. I was pretty comfortable with what he wanted and I always give him the option to do whatever he wants because he is very well experienced and he knows exactly what he's doing."

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Root hits ton but Corbin makes England work

England XI 290 for 8 (Root 104*, Stokes 58) beat UWI Vice Chancellor's XI 261 for 7 (Corbin 105, Tredwell 3-39) by 29 runs
Scorecard

Joe Root warmed up for the one-day series against West Indies with an unbeaten 104 but England were given a scare by Kyle Corbin, who struck a powerful century, before they wrapped up a 29-run win at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

After compiling 290 for 8 on the back of Root's hundred, England made steady inroads into the UWI Vice Chancellor's XI once they broke a half-century opening stand and appeared to have the game completely in hand. However, 23-year-old Corbin, who has a List A average of 13.43, added 103 with Devon Thomas, who has played 21 ODIs, to give the VC XI an outside chance of reaching their target.

Thomas was bowled by Stuart Broad to bring relief to England but Corbin reached a 98-ball century and it was only when he found short third man off Tim Bresnan that the visitors were absolutely assured of not suffering an upset.

Root hit nine boundaries in run-a-ball stay as he anchored the innings from No. 4 following a brisk opening stand of 58 by the new-look pair of Alex Hales and Luke Wright.

In Australia, Root lost his place in the one-day side for two matches before returning for the final game in Adelaide where he hit 55, and this innings assures him of another run in the team as England look to begin the rebuilding after a debilitating few months.

With England's focus very much on Twenty20, regular one-day openers Alastair Cook and Ian Bell have remained at home so Hales is in line for his ODI debut on Friday. Wright was given the first opportunity to be alongside him, ahead of Michael Lumb or Moeen Ali, and struck the ball cleanly before finding deep cover.

Hales top-edged a pull to be caught and bowled after playing himself in then Root and Ben Stokes (58) added 68 in 12 overs. Stokes continued in the No. 3 role that he was promoted to during the one-day series in Australia and cleared the boundary four times before falling to Miguel Cummins, the pace bowler who made his ODI debut against Ireland at the weekend.

England's middle-order strokemakers, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler, could not get going, both falling lbw to legspinner Akeem Dewar. When Ravi Bopara fell to Raymon Reifer England had lost 4 for 50 and the innings was threatening to fizzle away.

However, Root and Bresnan added 62 in seven overs for the seventh wicket, Root dominating the partnership as he moved towards three figures.

Chadwick Walton and Adrian Barath gave the VC XI a steady start before James Tredwell struck with his first ball when Walton pulled a long hop to long-on and then had Paul Palmer caught at slip. The same bowler-catcher combination came together for a third time to remove Barath when Jordan was back at long-on.

When Broad and Bopara claimed a wicket apiece the VC XI were 143 for 5 and it appeared a formality for England, but Corbin kept them on their toes.

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'Batsmen should have finished better' - Misbah

Pakistan's 12-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the opening match of the Asia Cup meant they hadn't managed to chase a 250-plus target successfully since February 2011. Asked what the issue was, their captain Misbah-ul-Haq said they had no problem constructing chases, but simply lacked finishing.

"I think there is no problem," he said. "We just chased even in the Test match [against Sri Lanka in Sharjah, where they scored 302 in 57 overs in the fourth innings], and the effort even today was good. A little bit more, we should have batted the same way, batsmen should have taken a little bit more responsibility and finished the game."

At one stage, with Misbah and Umar Akmal at the crease and both having crossed 50, Pakistan seemed to be cantering to an easy win. Their batsmen then proceeded to gift Sri Lanka wickets with a series of poor shots.

"The way Umar and I had a partnership going, if we had just played out the overs the match was easy," Misbah said. "Only a wicket could get them back in the game, and that is the mistake we made."

Pakistan had done well to restrict Sri Lanka to 296, after Lahiru Thirimanne and Kumar Sangakkara had laid the platform for a massive total with their 161-run stand for the second wicket. Misbah was pleased with the job his bowlers had done at the death, but wished they had started the match a little stronger.

"In the last 10 overs, if you see, whichever bowlers we used, they gave away 64 runs," Misbah said. "This was the reason we held them back. Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan have been bowling the last few overs for some time now, and they did the same thing today. I think at the start we bowled too many bad balls, or boundary balls. If we had bowled a little better then, the 10-15 run margin that decided the game, I think we could have done better."

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