Natural Herb

Gayle calls for 'drastic improvement'

West Indies opener Chris Gayle has pronounced himself "99 per cent fit" at the start of the three-match Twenty20 series against England in Barbados and admits that West Indies need to up their game drastically in time for their World T20 title defence in Bangladesh.

"We've had some poor results in the last few games on the limited overs front but both teams are going through some challenging times," Gayle said. "Personally, I'm feeling really great, having rested my glutes.

"I haven't really been doing much in the way of playing, or even watching, cricket to be honest. But as long as my body's feeling fine, I can't wait to get out there. I owe the people some big runs and I think with home support for us, this is the time and place to deliver," he said.

Gayle stressed that following England's 2-1 ODI series win in Antigua, West Indies needed to address their sub-par batting and added that this series was ideally positioned for them to garner some momentum going into Bangladesh.

"It's been rough recently. I think we need to be more steady in the crease but we do have the batting capable of getting big runs and more importantly, the wins. We also have disciplined players like Sunil Narine and Ravi Rampaul to deliver on the bowling end of things."

Alongside Gayle's hitting prowess, the return of Marlon Samuels to the fold will help to offset the loss of Kieron Pollard, which Gayle labelled as "a huge blow to the team". He was nonetheless pleased to see the core of the title-winning unit from 2012 in Sri Lanka back in the mix.

"We have Marlon back but we all know how dangerous 'Polly' can be and it's devastating when you lose a player like that. But, even with as many talented individuals as we have, we have to go out there and play as a team to win. We also have one or two new faces to add a fresh dimension to our side."

Gayle did not escape the obligatory question about Kevin Pietersen's enforced retirement from the England side. He suggested that England were substantially weaker without Pietersen and regarded England's treatment of him as "disrespectful".

"KP is one of the best. Any team would love to have him in their ranks. I think it was disrespectful how he was treated and the way he went out but you never know what happens behind closed doors. I'm glad I won't be facing him on the field. He's a tremendous asset and someday I hope he gets back into the England mix if the door ever re-opens."

He remained adamant that the losses of Pietersen and Root would be detrimental to England's T20 aspirations but his own resolution of his long-standing personal spats with the WICB encouraged his belief that there was a chance Pietersen could make his return someday.

Afridi, Shehzad among Pakistan's injury concerns

Misbah-ul-Haq expects high-intensity final

Soon after Shahid Afridi had reached his half-century against Bangladesh on Tuesday, Pakistan's physio had run out to the field to attend to him. Struggling to move after that, Afridi was run out. Three days later, he was still walking gingerly when Pakistan trained on the eve of the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka.

"Shahid Afridi has a grade one hip flexor strain," their manager Zakir Khan said. "Our physio is working on him. He's been given rest and treatment.

"Hopefully tomorrow, before the start of the match we will know the complete situation about Afridi. He has responded well to the treatment. We are all analysing and assessing his situation. Tomorrow we will take the final decision about Afridi."

Afridi isn't the only Pakistan player with a fitness issue.

"We have little bit of niggles and strains to Ahmed Shehzad who was struggling with his shoulder," Zakir said. "He's also responding well to treatment. He's coming up well. Umar Gul was little bit stiff but he's also coming out of it."

Zakir added that Sharjeel Khan, who had missed the Bangladesh game with a knee injury, was "nearly 98% fit. He batted and fielded at the nets and looked good today."

From these comments, it seemed as if Sharjeel and Gul would probably be fully fit in time to play the final. Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan's captain, didn't provide too many clues to the likelihood of Afridi and Shehzad making it.

"Obviously your main players make a difference to the side," Misbah said. "We are, however, mentally strong. You may have seen [Fawad] Alam played really well in absence of Sharjeel Khan. The confidence level is very high. All the members of the team have been performing well. There is a will to win. We hope to get them in the side but at the same time we're confident that even if they don't play, we have the boys in the bench who are capable and confident to win the game for us."

Mathews backs Jayawardene to come good

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has said it will be tough to pick a XI for the Asia Cup final against Pakistan, and predicts a hard contest, like in their league game.

"None of the games were easy for us," Mathews said on the eve of the final. "It is going to be a fresh match against Pakistan. We have to play positive cricket. We are not worried about any individuals but the Pakistan team is balanced and strong. They have good batters and bowlers so we have to play the best cricket to win against them.

"Selection is very hard, because the bowlers and batters are performing quite well. It is a good problem to have as a selector or captain. You want the whole team having competition within themselves. We will have a tough time to select the team."

So far seven Sri Lankans have played all four games in the tournament. They are Kusal Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Thisara Perera, Mathews and, surprisingly, the newcomer Chaturanga de Silva.

Among them, Jayawardene has had an awful run, having scored just 36 runs in four innings, but Perera, Thirimanne, Sangakkara and Mathews have played well. De Silva has only made 72 runs but he has picked up five wickets, bowling at 4.26 runs per over.

Mathews made it clear there was no doubt over Jayawardene's place in the team. "We know the type of player he is," he said. "I believe he is a big-match player. I am very confident that he will come out to take the Pakistan attack apart."

Dinesh Chandimal has also made only 45 runs in three innings but he too is expected to play, although Ashan Priyanjan replaced him against Bangladesh without much success. Sri Lanka have to make a choice between de Silva and Suranga Lakmal, who has taken six wickets at 21.16 and has been economical at 4.88 per over.

Mathews had special praise for his most effective bowler, Lasith Malinga. "He is an exception. He is doing consistently because he is working hard. He wants to get things right when he walks into the game.

"He is working on his fitness, fielding and batting. He is our premier bowler for so many years. We want him to continue to do the same thing."

Jordan returns to old Barbados haunts

If Bill Athey, the former England batsman, had not gone on a reconnaissance trip to Barbados to seek out a potential cricketer for a scholarship at Dulwich College, Chris Jordan might conceivably have been lining up for West Indies against England in Barbados on Sunday.

Kensington Oval, after all, was where Jordan watched from the stands, played on the outfield in front of the old media box and even took part in the first match after the ground had been refurbished in time for the 2007 World Cup.

But Athey liked what he saw and Jordan found himself living among the unaccustomed splendour of Dulwich College, an independent school in South East London which is approaching its 400th anniversary, where England and Sri Lanka trained during the Champions Trophy last summer, and where there are comfortably more artificial outdoor cricket pitches than any county ground in the land.

At 25, and with the best year of his career behind him, Jordan is strong enough to cope with the inevitable consequence of his change of allegiance, knowing that, if he wins a place in the final XI in the first of three Twenty20 internationals on Sunday, for every well-wisher there could be a partisan West Indies who will be happy to see him fall flat on his face.

But his task in the three Twenty20 internationals at Kensington Oval is to get his preparations for World Twenty20 in Bangladesh right on track and contribute to the lifting of morale in an England side that has gained some release with a 2-1 ODI series win in Antigua, but which few people regard as serious challengers in World Twenty20.

Jordan waved aside the crowd reaction he might face as "pretty irrelevant really," adding "As long as my friends and my family are backing me, that's honestly all that matters. It doesn't matter who I play for at the end of the day, my family and friends will back me 100 per cent and that's all that matters.''

Jordan still returns regularly to Barbados to look up old friends and old haunts. After he practiced at Kensington Oval, he recalled: "I used to sit down in the old press box - and as these kids are doing now, I used to go on the field at lunchtimes and have little games. I really do remember it.''

The ground had quite a makeover for the World Cup, turning from a homely ground with a stirring tradition to a sports stadium. As the renovations took place, Jordan himself was among those who first experienced the changing atmosphere from the middle. "It has changed so much," he said.

For all the stirred memories, he says he remains proud of his return with England to his native land. "I'm very proud actually,'' he said. "Obviously I grew up here ... but I went to England and learned most of my trade there. I'm more than happy with the decision I've made.''

Injury problems disrupted his development in England, and only when he moved from Surrey to Sussex for the 2013 season did he really make a breakthrough. In that phase of his career, he had better fortune for Barbados - but by then he was classified as an overseas player. There would be no thoughts of going back.

Root set to miss World T20

Joe Root has been ruled out of the Twenty20 series against West Indies and, in all probability, the World Twenty20 to follow after x-rays revealed he had suffered a broken thumb in the deciding ODI in Antigua on Wednesday. It means Ian Bell, who last played Twenty20 cricket in January 2011, is in line for a place in the World T20 squad.

Although the ECB announcement did not rule Root out of the World T20 in Bangladesh - it just stated that he would be returning to the UK to see a specialist, the recovery time frame means he appears to have very little chance of being available. England's first group match is against New Zealand on March 22.

Root was struck by a Ravi Rampaul delivery third ball of his innings and the medical staff wanted him to retire hurt during a rain break, but Root insisted on resuming and scored a superbly-paced maiden ODI hundred to help England to a series-winning total of 303 for 6.

He also opened the bowling, removing Kieran Powell in his first over, but soon left the field and spent the majority of West Indies' innings in the dugout with a large ice pack strapped to his thumb. His all-round performances in the ODIs earned him the Man-of-the-Series award.

Given the way Root was used to open the bowling in the one-day series against West Indies - with considerable success - it appeared he was in line for the role in Bangladesh while he also has a batting strike of 139 from his seven T20Is, including a career-best 90 not out. Although he has become bogged down at the crease during his Test career, he can manipulate the field, has deceptive power and is electric between the wickets.

Bell has already joined up with the England squad, which arrived in Barbados on Thursday, having been called in as cover for Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan who picked up injuries before the one-day series.

Ashley Giles, the England coach, said that he wanted a batsman who could fill a variety of roles and who was adept at playing spin, but Bell's selection was odd given he has not played a Twenty20 for anyone since January 2011 - an international against Australia.

IPL schedule will be 'finalised' on Friday - Biswal

IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal has confirmed that the decision over the venues and scheduling of the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League will be "finalised and announced" on Friday. Bangladesh and South Africa have emerged as contenders to host the away leg of the IPL, if required, depending on the union home ministry's decree.

Though Biswal declined to discuss the details over whether the IPL - which clashes with the Indian federal elections - will be held in one or more countries among India, South Africa, Bangladesh and UAE, ESPNcricinfo understands that the BCCI has prepared two options, based on the directive from the home ministry. A senior BCCI functionary on Wednesday is believed to have discussed the possibility of the IPL returning to India at the start of May - once the polling in a few IPL-hosting states is over - with a bureaucrat in the home ministry.

If union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who had recently declared the inability to provide security till the elections are over, allows IPL games to be staged in states where polling is completed, then the BCCI is contemplating to stage the first 16 matches in the latter half of April in the neighbouring Bangladesh. "Logistically it would make a lot of sense," said a BCCI insider. "We won't end up wasting a lot of time between the overseas and home legs in such a case. However, ultimately the ball is in the ministry's court."

If the home ministry sticks to its earlier stand, then the BCCI will be forced to stage at least two-thirds of the tournament away from home. In that case, South Africa emerges as the likely host for the overseas leg due to the availability of infrastructure and the experience of 2009, when the IPL was shifted there for the same reason.

Mathews overcomes the finisher's jinx

Angelo Mathews has had his share of heartbreak in chases, but lately he has shown a thirst to do whatever it takes to ensure Sri Lanka come out the victors

Pressing forward to a length ball from Shakib Al Hasan, Angelo Mathews bunted the ball into the off side and ran, ran like he'd just lit the fuse of a firecracker. Thisara Perera, sprinting to the batsman's end, may well have feared the cricketing equivalent of a loud explosion in his face. Perera had barely got halfway down the pitch when Arafat Sunny, running in from point, was poised over the ball, shaping for an underarm flick to the keeper.

Sunny failed to pick up the ball, and Perera glanced anxiously at the undisturbed stumps as he jogged into the crease. At the other end, Mathews barely acknowledged the fact that he'd reached 50. He probably knew, though. He probably knew as soon as he'd set off for that suicidal single. It was harebrained, it put his partner at risk, but it showed, perhaps, how much he had wanted it.

Mathews had walked in with Sri Lanka 47 for 4, chasing 205. They were now 164 for 6, needing 41 runs from 47 balls. At this point, Mathews would have wanted desperately to remain at the crease till the end. All batsmen do, of course, but Mathews had more reason than most to really, really want it.

Before this match, Mathews had scored six half-centuries in run-chases. He had remained not out in three of those innings. All three of those unbeaten half-centuries had taken Sri Lanka to famous victories.

Back in the 2010-11 season, at the MCG, Mathews and Lasith Malinga came together with Sri Lanka 107 for 8 chasing 240. They put on 132, and Mathews was unbeaten on 77 when Sri Lanka sneaked to a one-wicket win.

In June 2012, Mathews had remained not out on a 76-ball 80 as Sri Lanka sneaked to a two-wicket win over Pakistan in Colombo, with Mathews slapping the winning four over point with two balls remaining. Five months later, Sri Lanka had to chase a revised target of 197 in 33 overs against New Zealand in Pallekele. They had romped home with 11 balls remaining and seven wickets in hand, with Mathews unbeaten on a 47-ball 54.

Mathews, however, has also been unfortunate enough to score three half-centuries in Sri Lankan defeats. In Hobart last year, he was dismissed for 67 when Sri Lanka needed 61 from 36 balls; they went on to lose by 32 runs. Against England in 2011, Sri Lanka needed 17 from 12 balls when he miscued a Jade Dernbach slower ball high above Manchester. Mathews was out for a 64-ball 62. Dernbach dismissed Malinga next ball to win the game and the series for England.

Most heartbreaking of all, though, was Perth, two years ago. Then, Sri Lanka needed six runs from two balls when Mathews was last man out, caught at long-on. With wickets falling all around him, his innings of 64 had kept Sri Lanka in the hunt all the way.

Mathews' mixed fortunes with half-centuries in chases is only one aspect of a broadly disappointing second-innings record. When Sri Lanka bat first, Mathews averages just over 40. Of late, he's become an expert at applying the finishing touches to Sri Lanka's first-innings totals.

In his last 13 innings when Sri Lanka have batted first, Mathews has made five half-centuries. In that sample, he's been not out six times on 40-plus scores. In five of those six innings, he's ended up with a strike rate of over 100. Those are the numbers of a top-class number six. While chasing, however, Mathews' average drops to just over 30. He's got most of the ingredients a world-class finisher needs, but he's still working his way towards becoming one.

Now, he had a chance to improve that record. He had come in with Sri Lanka in trouble, and the team suffered another setback when they lost Lahiru Thirimanne to find themselves 75 for 5. Conditions weren't easy to bat in either. Ziaur Rahman was in the middle of a testing spell, getting the odd ball to bounce awkwardly from just back of a length.

One of these deliveries had consumed Ashan Priyanjan and Mathews was a touch lucky to survive another, his edge screaming past the right glove of a diving Anamul Haque. Whether it was plain old conservative captaincy or because of Mathews' reputation, Mushfiqur Rahim, had declined to give Ziaur a slip despite how often he was threatening to create that precise sort of chance and despite the fact that Sri Lanka were 80 for 5.

Mathews ground on, most of his runs coming through a steady drip of leg-side singles against the spinners. Occasionally, Sunny dropped short, and he punched those balls to the off-side sweeper. Once, out of the blue, he stepped out to Ziaur and smashed him over long-off for six. But it was an otherwise subdued Mathews at the crease. The body language of Bangladesh's fielders, though, deflated steadily with each over he spent there, and Chaturanga de Silva made things worse for them with a 52-ball 44.

Soon after reaching his fifty, Mathews gave Bangladesh a half-chance, edging Mahmudullah past the keeper. His heart rate would have gone up a little more when Perera ran himself out with Sri Lanka needing 12 from 18 balls.

But Mathews had done the hard yards, and he'd brought Sri Lanka too close to falter. When he swatted Sunny across the line to bring up the winning boundary, Mathews restricted his celebrations to a quiet hug with Sachithra Senanayake. His body language didn't show it, but just being there at that moment must have meant a lot to him.

Bangladesh devoid of form, balance and confidence

Bangladesh's struggle to strike a balance between ball and bat has hurt the team badly, contributing to them losing seven ODIs in a row

Bangladesh's loss to Sri Lanka in their last Asia Cup game was their seventh consecutive ODI defeat. Given their impressive form in the home series against New Zealand, this slump is a drastic downturn in form. Worryingly for Bangladesh there has been a massive drop in confidence among the players.

The last time they suffered this long a losing streak was between March and August 2011, beginning from their last World Cup game. After being bowled out for 78 against South Africa, Bangladesh were crushed 0-3 by Australia and then Zimbabwe took a 3-0 lead in a five-match series. This time they lost 3-0 to Sri Lanka and were blanked in all four Asia Cup matches.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim did not consider this the worst phase of his career. Instead, he lauded his team for bouncing back from the defeat against Afghanistan, even though they lost the following games narrowly to Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

"As per the results, we are not doing well and not playing up to our strength," Mushfiqur said. "We have played well in the [last] two matches. Hats off to boys for the way we have come back after the debacle against Afghanistan. There were ifs and buts. It is not an excuse but we have put on an improved show. As a team we have more capability. In the series against Sri Lanka, we could have won the first match. We have been unlucky in some aspects."

Between the end of the last slump to the start of this one, Bangladesh had developed faster in one-day cricket than in Tests and Twenty20s. Mushfiqur was made captain two games into this period, and won 10 out of 24 matches. His highlights included a place in the 2012 Asia Cup final, bilateral series wins over West Indies and New Zealand, and a 1-1 draw in Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh have also suffered crippling injuries in the last 17 days. Already without Tamim Iqbal, they used 17 players in seven ODIs, and had Shakib Al Hasan for just four games due to a suspension. Nasir Hossain and Shamsur Rahman losing form did not help, neither did the bowlers and fielders struggling.

Nasir and Tamim were Bangladesh's top batsmen during their successful period. Over that time, the average of bowlers who had taken more than 20 wickets was between 24 and 30. During this slump, only Arafat Sunny averages less than 35 for his six wickets.

During the previous poor run too, Tamim batted at an average of 22.14, which affected the team's balance at the top of the order. Shamsur's batting form has also dipped and despite Anamul Haque batting well, it has still not worked for Bangladesh.

Their biggest difficulty has been coordinating the three disciplines. When Bangladesh bowled well, their batsmen failed. Similarly, when the batsmen scored Bangladesh's highest ODI total, against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, the bowlers were poor.

After Bangladesh had reduced Sri Lanka to 8 for 3 in this game, there was hope the streak would be broken with an efficient bowling performance. But Sri Lanka put together partnerships and then Al-Amin dropped a simple catch after five wickets were down. It took away the momentum once again, and Sri Lanka walked away with a win. This has been Bangladesh's story over the last 17 days. They have put themselves in some winning positions but given it away.

Mushfiqur said after the Sri Lanka game that one win would fix everything. If it comes against Afghanistan in the opening game of the World T20, it will keep Bangladesh in the tournament till the end of March. For the short-term that would be appeasing, but it will be nothing compared to long-term progress.

'When I told the team, it was a really tough night'

After 10 years, 11 months and 16 days, 117 Tests, 60 wins, 9265 runs, 27 hundreds and more press conferences, training sessions and autographs than you can count, Graeme Smith had one word to describe his international career: privileged.

"When I look at my Test cap, it's worn down and it's been through a lot but it's been a privilege," Smith said after his last day as a Test cricketer. "Today is a day I would like to celebrate. The challenges of captaining are well documented but I only see it as a highlight. I've been extremely proud of captaining South Africa."

Smith is Test cricket's longest-serving captain and under his leadership, South Africa grew from a team that threatened to achieve into one that achieved. They won series in tough places, members of their squad became world leaders in their disciplines and they became a unified unit.

Smith began thinking about retirement in June, when Gary Kirsten's tenure as coach ended. Smith wasn't sure if it was just Kirsten going, Mark Boucher gone and Jacques Kallis about to go that sparked the idea, or whether he really wanted to call it quits. "It's been a period of time of trying to understand that because everyone kept telling me you're only 33," he said.

If any cricketer has proved that age is really nothing but a number, that person is Smith. He took over the captaincy at 22 and played at the highest level for 11 years. Smith had said he did not want to play until the same age as Jacques Kallis (38) or Sachin Tendulkar (40) and perhaps that is how old he feels already. Once he accepted that, it was just about doing what he considered the right thing.

"The hard part is to have the courage to make the decision," Smith said. "It felt like the time is right. I realised this is the place where I wanted to finish. I didn't want to hang on too long and finish it in a place where it didn't feel right. It just took courage to hang on to that last 5% and make the decision.

"I haven't had my best series. I felt really good in the two past series but knowing that the end was near made it difficult for me to find the space to keep performing."

Before the second innings against Australia at Newlands, Smith needed to call time. His first duty was to tell his charges. It was also his most difficult task. No player in that change-room knew a Test captain other than Smith. His concern was that they would feel abandoned. "When I told the team, it was a really tough night. I didn't get too many words out," he said. "The hardest part was saying goodbye to the team. For so long the Proteas have been my family. I've grown close to players and I will cherish those relationships for the rest of my life."

Knitting close bonds is what Smith's leadership was really about. As his captaincy matured, his focus shifted away from results and towards team building, which he realised would ultimately bring results. "To create the culture and to see it grow has been really special," Smith said. "And there's been so many wonderful victories around the world. Our record away from home is something I am proud of as a leader as well."

Smith also places value on things that cannot be measured. As his captaincy reached its later stages, he spent time emphasising team culture and the importance of representing the country the best way possible. He stressed that political challenges had nothing to do with his decision to step down. "I am hugely proud of the diversity and the quality of players that have come through and stand their ground against anyone in the world. The diversity of this team is our strength," he said.

He thinks it will continue to be that way but South Africa's most important challenge will be filling the gap left by the retirements of three stalwarts: Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis and himself. "There's some important things that need to be tightened and an environment needs to be created that can create success. The leadership group and how they galvanise the players and get them in the right direction will be important," Smith said. "Yes, the team has lost a lot of experience but there are guys who have played well around the world."

He will be around to offer advice when needed. "There are certain challenges on the exterior that need to be met. I'd love to play a role in helping. I have gained a lot of experience over the years and I'd love to share that."

For now, though, he has something he needs to do: let go. While South Africa's lower-order batted out the final hours of Smith's international career and attempted to increase his unbeaten series run to 15, the former national captain found out how difficult it bowing out really was. "We've become good at never letting go," Smith said.

Smith's days as a South African cricketer are over but he left the way he arrived -fighting. "We found a way to take it as deep as possible. It would have been a wonderful fairytale if we hung in there but I saw enough qualities to know South Africa will be strong for a long period of time."

In that knowledge, Smith can walk away a satisfied and proud man. He is choosing to walk away feeling privileged instead.

Ryan Harris vows to return

If Ryan Harris never bowls again, he will be immortalised as Australia's hero of Newlands, conjurer of the last two wickets on one functioning leg and another months overdue for the surgeon's knife. But he has vowed to return after that extensive knee surgery, expressing his desire to again experience the elation that washed over him and the rest of the touring team as they won the match and the series over South Africa with a mere 27 balls to spare.

By merely being in South Africa, Harris had already delayed his hospital check-in date. He felt increasing discomfort in his knee across a wildly successful Ashes at home, where he was instrumental in the securing of the 5-0 sweep. His difficulties increased across the tour, and were further compounded by a hip ailment so painful that he was unsure if he could even bowl in the second innings.

But Harris has awed his teammates for some time with his ability to fight his way through pain barriers that would rule out any other player, and he did so again in their hour of need in Cape Town. His bowling on the final day went well beyond any expectations, as team management had reckoned him capable of only another 8-10 overs. Harris ended the match in his 25th.

"Yesterday I didn't think I was going to bowl another over to be honest," Harris said. "I had a bit of a niggle in the hip flexor which was quite sore. A bit of painful treatment yesterday and last night got me up and going this morning. Now it's worth it with the win, but it's something I had to get through and got through okay. The doc [Peter Brukner] was dry needling me, I think I had 30-odd mills [of fluid] drained out of my knee yesterday as well which wasn't great. But it's all worth it now. To get through that and come out on top, it's worth all that pain.

"It was ridiculously sore, but a couple of Panadeine Fortes helped, and dulled the pain a bit. If the captain tells you to bowl you need to bowl, especially Test matches like that, that's our job to win Test matches, but when you've got bowlers at the other end like Mitch, if you say no then it would have been embarrassing."

Harris had already gone beyond his limits by defeating AB de Villiers with the second new ball. But his penultimate over in the final session had all the hallmarks of a last failing effort. He had made Dale Steyn play at only two of six balls, and was withdrawn by the captain Michael Clarke. At this point, Harris felt he was finished, but resolved to be willing should Clarke call again. Desperate for a wicket, he did.

"I thought I was done," Harris said. "I wasn't sure, I thought Michael would turn to me and say 'I need you to bowl two or three'. I was hoping he wasn't going to say that because I was feeling a bit sore, but when he turned to me and said 'can you give me three' I wasn't going to say no. All the pain I went through last night and the night before is all worth it now.

"All I know is I was trying to bowl as fast as I could. I didn't even know I'd bowled Steyn until the boys celebrated. Personally it was great to get through it, the pain threshold. To be honest, the knee wasn't much of a factor today it was more the other thing, but as a team it was getting close. I thought we really deserved the win. Mitch and Patto bowled really well, Mitch bowled 30 overs which is really ridiculous for a quick, but to get through and win it was all worth it.

"There was a spell where I think at times I was really struggling to get to the wicket. I was working on different ways to run. I haven't really run with a proper running action because the knee won't let me fully extend my leg. I worked out ways of trying to dull the pain, some balls were really painful and some weren't. I had to keep going and if Michael said to me I had to bowl I had to bowl, simple as that, it's my job."

Now, Harris' job is to get fit again in time for next summer. The coach Darren Lehmann wants to keep him operational until the Ashes in England in 2015, and Harris is adamant that he will push for that goal. Moments like Newlands have provided him with the greatest possible incentive.

"I get back Friday, have a couple of days at home and head down to Melbourne on Monday and have it done Tuesday," he said. "I've got a few bone spurs rubbing on my PCL and ACL so they'll shave a bit of that off, and apparently because they're shaving bone it's going to be quite tender for a bit. It's not exactly a clean-out, it's a bit more than that - hopefully get rid of the bone that's floating around in there which is the one I keep unlocking every now and then.

"It's going to take a bit of time, but I've worked out we've got five and a half months I think before hopefully Zimbabwe if I'm considered for one-day stuff then hopefully Dubai. I've got plenty of time so the first 10 days I'll be feet up and on crutches and then go from there. The good thing is living in Brisbane I've got the NCC with all the facilities there waiting for me, and the physios and everything up there so I've got the best people there looking after me.

"I'm bloody going to enjoy a break, I can tell you that. But knowing that, it's going to take a lot of hard work to get up and going again. I've said all along that long breaks aren't good for me but this is an enforced one and it's something I'm looking forward to. Coming into this series I was a little bit underdone fitness wise, I need a good pre-season to build up some strength. My right quad, which I need to be strong is really small - it needs to be be big and I've got a lot of time to do that now. I want to keep playing here as long as I can - moments like today, there's nothing better."

Clarke, for one, cannot wait for Harris' return. "Ryan is one of a kind, he will run through a brick wall for me and for this team," the grateful captain said. "He seems once he gets on the field the pain is gone, I don't know what he has done to himself, I don't know how bad it is. He just seems to find a way, you ask him to bowl he will bowl, he's got no energy left his body is killing him he will find a way to take a wicket for us.

"As captain you can't ask for more and that's where I am extremely fortunate with this team, no matter what the results are going forward, we will lose a lot of games, lets hope we will win a lot of games as well but I have players in this team who will jump off a bridge for me."

Ball change leaves England under cloud

A cloud of suspicion hung over the England team after umpire Marais Erasmus changed the ball due to "unnatural deterioration" during the West Indies innings in the third ODI.

Erasmus, clearly suspecting that the wear to the ball was due to factors beyond those expected when it is used on an abrasive pitch or hit to the boundary, exchanged strong words with the England captain, Stuart Broad, in the 35th over but did not identify any specific culprit.

The match referee, Andy Pycroft, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the ball had been changed on the basis of playing regulation 42.1.2 - which comes under 'Fair and unfair play' - and that, as captain, Broad had been issued with a first and final warning that any further occurrence in the series would result in a five-run penalty and the reporting of Broad, as captain, to the ICC. As the series has now ended, that threat of penalty has disappeared.

While the England camp denied any warning had been issued, rule 42.1.2 b) states that, when the ball is changed in such circumstances: "The bowler's end umpire shall issue the captain with a first and final warning."

The decision infuriated Broad. He insisted any wear had been caused simply by England bowling cross-seam deliveries and complained that the replacement ball was newer and harder than the original one, thereby proving easier for the batsmen to hit boundaries.

"I'm very confused as to why it was changed," Broad said afterwards. "And I made my confusion well known. It's not like the ball was reversing for us and they gave us a ball that was [only] 10 overs old. You saw Denesh Ramden got hold of it much better. The softness of the original ball made it difficult to hit and they gave us a brand new ball that was easier to hit.

"Yes, the umpire said the ball had been changed for that reason and, after I bowled three cross-seam deliveries with the new ball, the same wear was arriving on that ball. So I said 'Take a picture of that ball as well'.

"I just saw no logic to it at all and I made my feelings pretty clear, as politely as I could without risking too heavy a fine. The ball at the other end was in a worse nick than the one that was changed. I'm baffled by it.

"I don't think they're suggesting we tampered with it. They are just saying it was unnatural wear which may just be that the wicket was ripping the ball up more than expected."

Ramdin, whose 128 carried West Indies to within sight of an unexpected victory, also confirmed that the newer ball had been "a bit harder and came off the bat a bit better".

It is not the first time in recent memory that England have had the ball changed. Most notably, umpire Aleem Dar changed the ball during the Champions Trophy defeat against Sri Lanka, although on that occasion there was no warning and no public mention of "unnatural deterioration". But, despite a plethora of photographers and television cameras at all international fixtures, no evidence exists to suggest England have been guilty of ball tampering.

England's spring shoots of regrowth

Victory in a short and, at times, low quality one-day series should not be over-hyped but all recoveries have to start somewhere and England's may just have begun in Antigua

The road from Durham to North Sound has been long and has claimed several casualties. But, after a miserable and momentous winter, Antigua may just have witnessed the first signs of recovery from England.

In the seven months since they clinched the Ashes in Durham, England have lost the coach, the spinner and the middle-order batsman who did so much to achieve their period of relative success. They have had to abandon their long-held plans and begin again with fresh faces and lower expectations. They are at the start of a journey that may be hard and will not always be pretty.

But they have, at last, won their first series since that day in Durham. Not only that, but they have come from behind and won two games in a row for the first time since September. The harsh might point out that they have hardly won one in a row since September.

But it was not just the result that was significant here. It was the architects of the result.

For this was a victory forged by those young men who have been identified as the future of this side: Jos Buttler, Joe Root and Moeen Ali, among them. All three registered their highest ODI scores, all three demonstrated the class that will surely win bigger games on bigger stages and all three have their best years ahead of them. On such men, will England's new team will build its foundations.

Root, with a century of class and composure, displayed not just his quality but a toughness and bravery that the boyish exterior could easily conceal.

He sustained a nasty blow to his right thumb off the bowling of Ravi Rampaul when he had scored just 1 and, when rain took the players off the pitch a few minutes later, was advised to retire hurt and allow Eoin Morgan to bat in his place. But he insisted on continuing and, with the pain forcing him to limit his game, deflected and nudged his way to a maiden ODI century.

In the short-term, he may well be proved unavailable for the World Twenty20 after an X-ray in Antigua on Thursday morning, but in the long-term he surely has a bright future at international level.

"One thing that Joe wouldn't mention is that his was an incredibly brave knock today," Stuart Broad said afterwards. "His thumb was very ugly and Eoin was going to go out after the rain break, but then two minutes before the resumption, Joe wacked his helmet on and stormed out. It was clear for everyone to see the discomfort he was in.

"That is the sort of commitment and desire you want people to have in playing for England. We've tried to make a big point of that within this squad about how much it means to play for England and how it must not be taken for granted.

"Here we got a real-life example of someone putting themselves through the pain barrier and showing that level of desire. And you saw the passion he showed when he reached a 100. That's the sort of thing that will help England going forward."

Buttler was equally impressive. While known for his outrageous invention and strength, here he also showed admirable restraint and composure. After 11 balls he had scored only 1 and looked less than confident against the wiles of Sunil Narine.

But he retained his calm, built his innings and, towards the end, unleashed the shots of power and ingenuity that will surely become familiar over the next few years. Just as impressively, he did so against the bowling of Narine and Dwayne Bravo that had previously caused him such difficulty. Such skill, such character and such ability to learn quickly bodes well.

Ben Stokes contributed, too. While he again failed with the bat - England's No. 3 position has now contributed 91 runs in eight ODI innings since Jonathan Trott's departure - he took one fine catch and showed wonderful commitment in diving forwards to attempt another.

Some perspective needs to be maintained. England have still only won only four of their last 11 ODIs. They have still lost 16 of their last 21 games in all formats against Test-playing opposition. This was still their first ODI series win since they left New Zealand a year ago.

Nor was this a particularly high-quality series. It contained some poor death bowling and a batting collapse from England in the first ODI and some poor batting from West Indies in all three games. Both teams will face sterner opposition in higher-pressure situations.

There are clear areas of improvement required, too. England's reluctance - or inability - to bowl yorkers is a significant weakness (Hawkeye suggests they delivered three in the West Indies innings here) and will continue to hurt them. The preferred policy, at present, is to deliver bouncers of various speeds and hope for the batsmen to make an error. It is like shopping in Harrod's. It was telling that when Bresnan did, at last, deliver a yorker, it ended Denesh Ramdin's outstanding innings. "We could have bowled a few more," Broad admitted afterwards.

But the mood of the England squad has been notably lighter on this trip. With young faces replacing the tired and in some cases cynical ones of recent times, there is a heightened sense of enjoyment and purpose that has been reflected in the much-improved fielding performances. That old adage about the fielding reflecting the mood of the side so often rings true.

Root and Buttler and Moeen and Stokes are all raw at this level. There will be days, as they learn their trade, that they make mistakes and England fail. The World T20 surely comes too soon in the rebuilding process.

But, after a grim winter that has ended the careers of huge figures in England cricket, such players represent hope and progress. And at the end of a winter that has at times been hopeless, such qualities are worth a great deal. Spring is on its way.

Spectators deserve a better pitch

The pitch in Antigua, which will be used for the third time, is doing the spectator few favours but all the players can do is take their chance. Ravi Bopara did that two days ago, winning a game he may not have done in the past

Young guns need to step up for WI and England

Cricket's governing bodies are a curious bunch. Try to take a soft drink into a game in many places and you can be refused entry; wear a branded top in some places and you face the prospect of being accused of ambush marketing. During the 2007 World Cup, a fellow had his lunch taken from him because the baguette he carried was deemed to be a weapon.

But when it comes to the really important thing - the product that is the game of cricket - they, at best, do nothing.

Dull pitches represent a greater threat to the future of the game than drugs, spot-fixing, ambush marketing or websites seeking to celebrate and propagate cricket. Dull pitches will result in dull matches that risk losing the interest of spectators and failing to attract the next generation of supporters. And that was, of course, the original point of limited-overs cricket.

So it should come as a disappointment to learn that West Indies and England will contest the deciding ODI of their series in Antigua on the same begrudging surface that hosted the first two games. The same surface that yielded just nine fours in West Indies' innings in the second ODI. The same surface where part-time spinners have proved so effective in stifling the scoring. The same surface where where strokeplay and pace are punished and where patience and accumulation are rewarded. Where anti-cricket thrives. ODI cricket was not meant to be this way.

It is no coincidence and should be no surprise that attendances have declined in the Caribbean since such pitches became the norm. This ground has only been filled once. And that was when Kenny Rogers took his love to town.

There is, in this case at least, some mitigation. The conditions here are expected to be similar to those in Bangladesh where, in a couple of weeks, these two sides will be starting their World T20 campaign. But it is a shame that spectators have been asked to sit through - and pay for - a training session in desultory cricket.

That is not to say that both this sides are not desperate to win. They are like two old heavyweights slugging it out on the undercard; battling not so much for glory as to sustain an ebbing career. They craze confidence and momentum after chastening months and, quite rightly, see each other as opposition ripe for the taking. This has not been a high-quality series.

But both sides could be strengthened for this game. Marlon Samuels is not 100% but will be considered for selection by West Indies in the place of the horribly out of sorts Kirk Edwards, while Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan have now trained for three days in succession and are close to a return. Luke Wright looks most vulnerable. In a series typified by weak batting, all three would be welcome.

One man who can already take some confidence from this series is Ravi Bopara. His match-winning partnership with Stuart Broad in the second game might not, in the grand scheme of things, be remembered as one of the great innings - he scored 38 in 59 balls, after all - but in the context of his England career, it might prove quietly significant.

As things stand, the defining moment of Bopara's career is the Champions Trophy final. With England on course for victory - they required 20 to win from 14 balls - Bopara, the last experienced batsman, pulled a long-hop from Ishant Sharma to square-leg. England lost by five runs and their long wait for that first global ODI trophy remains. It is a memory that might bother the whole team for the rest of their lives.

It is an uncomfortably accurate summation of Bopara's career, too, which has to date promised rather more than it has delivered. And certainly the memory of it bothers Bopara.

"We came so close in the Champions Trophy," he said. "We had a chance to win a global competition. That would have been amazing for the team. For all of us, really. Not winning was heartbreaking. It's right up there with the worst disappointment I've had.

"When you're out there, you don't think back. You don't think 'this is what happened in the Champions Trophy'. You just play the situation. You play the ball. But every now and then I'll be sitting watching TV and I'll think about the Champions Trophy final and think 'maybe I could have done this or that'."

He appears to have learned from the experience.

"When we needed three to win the other day, Darren Sammy came on as the top bowlers had bowled out," Bopara said. "He bowled me a short ball and I took the single and got up the other end, looked at square leg and thought 'You know what, I could easily have hit that straight at him.' If I'd just pulled it, it would have felt nice coming straight out of the middle of the bat, you think, alright that's going for four, but it goes straight to the bloke. That could easily have happened again.

Such episodes bode well for England. If Bopara, who says he has "never been more hungry" to return to Test cricket, can find the composure to complement his talent, he could yet win many games for England. Perhaps in all formats.

"I feel stronger and tougher," he said. "I don't question myself as much as I used to. I went through that that period when things weren't right with my life and I took my eye off the ball. I had a lot of time to think about what I want to do and why I'm here and why I started playing cricket. I realised that the most important thing in my life apart from my family is cricket. Finishing my career saying I've played 13 Tests and 100 ODIs; that doesn't satisfy me."

Winning this ODI series may not satisfy these teams, either. But it will provide something of a foundation stone at the start of a long rebuilding process.

Warner thrives on sledges

Throughout their long and legendary careers, it was a common dictate of bowlers and fielders not to sledge Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. In the case of Tendulkar, the verbals seemed to have no effect. In the case of Lara, they often served to rouse him to feats of batsmanship that may not have been seen had the opposition kept their mouths shut.

David Warner is still a long way from emulating either man in terms of run-making, but he too can be added to the 'do not sledge' ledger. Following the ball-tampering allegation he raised on Australian radio, Warner was not only fined by the ICC but warned by South Africa's captain Graeme Smith to expect a hot reception at Newlands. His response has been definitive, twin centuries in a dominant Australian display to cap the finest series of his career thus far.

While tempering some of his earlier excesses of quote-ability, Warner was frank in expressing his delight in making himself a target, then backing his ability to fight off his assailants, no matter how riled they may be. So much does Warner thrive on confrontation that he admitted to looking to start one if it was not already there.

"You don't always want to play like that but when there is a little bit of pressure on I do find another gear," he said. "It does help me sometimes but I think the other thing is that when I get out there and they start giving me a little bit of banter I love that I am in the contest then.

"If they are not going to talk to me when I am out there I will try to niggle them, I will try and say something when I bat. I've ventured away from that because now I have given ammo out in the media or in previous games. I love it when they come at me it is a challenge.

"Sometimes I think when I do deliver something in the media I probably do say it in a way where it does get misunderstood. But I've been brought up to be honest, I'm always going to continue to be honest and not cross that line. I've got to keep working on my ability to do that, and not give you guys ammo to write things."

It will never be forgotten that Warner made his start via Twenty20, having been held out of the New South Wales Sheffield Shield team long after his talent was apparent. On the advice of Virender Sehwag and the initiative of Greg Chappell, Warner was pushed towards longer form priorities in 2011, and after periods of adaptation and indiscipline is now taking up the lofty perch Sehwag had imagined for him.

"It goes back to that conversation I had with Virender Sehwag. He said to me I'd be a better Test cricketer than shorter format because all the fielders were in close," Warner recalled. "If you're going to take on fast bowling and the best bowling in the world you have to try and score runs and with my game I look to attack first before I'm defending and that's the way I've always played my cricket and that's how I will always play my cricket."

"I do feel respected, and the other thing is they know if they miss their mark that I'm going to start going after them as well. I've still got to be careful and respect the bowler in the conditions that we face. With the conditions that we've had here, the wickets have probably been batter friendly, but I've known my game and trusted my game [so] I can go after the bowlers."

Asked whether he could now consider himself the world's best opening batsman, Warner smiled, but for now allowed modesty to rule his ego. "I'll let you answer that question," he said. "I'm just elated that I'm in good form, I'm probably playing the best cricket I have in my career so far. It's fantastic to feel like you know when you go out there you can take on the world's best as I have so far. It's an amazing feeling but it'll be even better if we win this game."

We still have hope - Domingo

It was only 16 months ago but Russell Domingo seemed a lot younger in November 2012. His voice had a little more song in it and he smiled a bit more when he was put up to address the media on the fourth day of the second Test between South Africa and Australia.

Then, South Africa were 77 for 4 after being set a target of 430 and Domingo admitted they were down and out. "We know that 350 on the last day with four wickets down is probably out of the window," he said then. He was right but he also wasn't expecting South Africa to bat out 98 overs like they did.

That they did is why today, despite tired eyes, with a tone that was less melodious and more of a frown, Domingo brought a message that was like a dark cloud. It had a silver lining. "I think there is still hope," he said. "We're hoping AB can score the slowest 40 in the history of the game. We've got Faf who has done it before. And JP is off the back of a 100. There's still hope."

It's probably a slimmer hope now than it was then because back in November 2012, Australia were a bowler down after James Pattinson had suffered a side strain. Now, he is fit and they are only half a bowler short because Ryan Harris may need to protect his knee. Then, the track was flat and there was no reverse swing. Now, it's a little up and down and the movement is there to be exploited. But then, South Africa did not know whether they could bat out a day. Now, they do.

"We've managed to get ourselves out of holes like this before," Domingo said. Twice, they have done it before. South Africa drew both in Adelaide and at the Wanderers against India. They have proved bowling them out is not always that easy and with enough resolve, they can put up a stubborn resistance.

What could end up being the major difference is that then, South Africa were not facing a future without their leader. Now they are. It may also be why Domingo looks like he has aged more than he would have liked. "It's an emotional space," he said of the South African change-room now, given Graeme Smith's imminent retirement. "Everybody in that team started their career with Graeme as the captain."

Smith told his team-mates and Domingo the news after the third day's play. It came unexpectedly but firmly. "When a player of that decision makes like that, he doesn't do it overnight. He would have thought about it. You cant change a person's mind once he has made his decision," Domingo said. "I might have heard a rumour that it was due to happen soon but I didn't ask about it."

Whether there is more to Smith's timing than meets the eye may only be uncovered in a few days' time. For now, Domingo and Smith have to concentrate on salvaging the series. Domingo can't look too far ahead but thinks he has the players who can make up for Smith's absence and step up when needed.

"When guys like Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock retired, people thought who is going to come next and up popped Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander," he said. "We've always got some depth and some good players. It's time for Hashim Amla, Dale, Morne, Vernon and AB de Villiers to become icon players. They learnt their trade under the Smiths and Kallis and now they need to impart knowledge."

The only batsman from that list who can still do that in this match is de Villiers, who incidentally was also batting overnight in Adelaide. He has the nightwatchman at one end and du Plessis still to come. With those resources in the bank, Domingo sees the current situation as 70-30 in Australia's favour.

If South Africa can bat to lunch with only another wicket lost, he thinks that will shift the balance to 60-40. If they get to tea and still have five men in the hut, that equation, according to Domingo, will become 50-50. It's a number's game for Domingo who admitted, somewhat wearily, they can only hope to save the match and and not break new ground.

"We'll always want to win but we'll take a draw right now and run very quickly," he said. "I wouldn't have taken a draw at the start of the series because it was an opportunity to make history."

Having never won a series against Australia at home since readmission, now it is just an opportunity for South Africa not to repeat history.

'We tell Afridi, give yourself 20-25 balls' - Misbah

Having won Pakistan their previous match against India, Shahid Afridi walked in with Pakistan in an even more difficult situation against Bangladesh. With 52 balls remaining, Pakistan needed 102 runs to win. He proceeded to clout 59 off 25 balls, sending seven sixes soaring over the ropes. In between those big hits off the spinners, he kept his head about him, and was prepared to take singles and wait for the loose balls against the seam bowlers.

"I think that's the message given to Shahid Afridi, that at least he should give himself 20-25 balls," Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan's captain, said after his team's three-wicket win. "Just make sure that you play 25-30 balls. We know that when he plays 20-25 balls, he can score 50. I think that's what he's doing, and I'm really happy with the way he's playing."

Afridi's controlled aggression was in some ways reminiscent of how he had batted on the road to Pakistan winning the 2009 World T20 title in England. With another edition of that tournament mere days away, Misbah said Afridi's form boded well for Pakistan's prospects.

"I think that's the biggest plus for us, the way Shahid Afridi is playing, not only in this [Asia Cup] final, but also T20 World Cup is coming, so he's the main player, and the kind of form he is in, the kind of confidence, it's good for the Pakistan team."

Misbah said Pakistan could look to use him in a flexible role during the World T20. "He is always used in T20 whenever such a situation comes, he is promoted, and depending on the start his number changes," Misbah said. "I think, the kind of form he is in, Pakistan can use him anywhere in the order."

Pakistan's chase wasn't all about Afridi, of course. Ahmed Shehzad's century and his opening stand of 97 with Mohammad Hafeez laid a solid platform before Fawad Alam, returning to the ODI side after three-and-a-half years, guided the team through the closing stages in the company of Afridi and Umar Akmal. While most of the questions at the press conference were about Afridi's whirwind innings, Misbah kept drawing attention to the other batsmen's contributions.

"I think so," he said, when asked if Afridi's innings was one of the best he had seen. "Not only Shahid Afridi, but also the way Fawad Alam and Ahmed Shehzad played. After his 50, the way he picked up the run rate, it was almost 10 an over and he brought it down to 8, and then well supported by Fawad Alam, and the start of Hafeez was also crucial, and Shahid Afridi. I think all of them I think played much-needed knocks, and in the end Umar Akmal finished it well. In the end it was a great combination of all these batsmen who really won us the game."

With their successful chase of a 327-run target, Pakistan had shrugged a particularly clingy monkey off their backs. They had failed in their last 12 pursuits of 250-plus targets, the most recent instance coming in their opening match of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka, where they lost wickets in a heap to let go of a dominant position.

Asked what the team talk had been like following that defeat, Misbah said the team management, particularly their chief cricket consultant Zaheer Abbas, had stressed on the need for the batsmen to stay at the crease till the end.

"I think the message was very clear, even by the great Zaheer Abbas, that the kind of ability we have in our dressing room, especially our batsmen, if our batsmen play 50 overs, we can just chase any target," Misbah said. "That was the message even today when we started chasing, that we need to play 50 overs. The batsmen need to play 50 overs, so that was the task given by the management and me also, and we did it and it proved right at the end and we chased the target."

'We showed a lot of character' - Kohli

'Proud of our boys today' - Kohli

With three overs remaining, Pakistan needed 17 runs to win, with four wickets in hand. Three of India's frontline bowlers had one over left of their 10-over quotas. Virat Kohli decided to bowl out his two seamers first and leave R Ashwin to bowl the last over of the match. The strategy nearly worked; India took three wickets in five balls in the last two overs, and left Pakistan's last-wicket pair nine runs to get from four balls.

Two sixes from Shahid Afridi won Pakistan the match, but Kohli said he was proud of how India fought, and didn't think he had gone wrong in leaving Ashwin to bowl the last over.

"Not at all," he said, after the match. "I knew that if I put the seamers in before and Ashwin comes to bowl, they will go for it. Wickets is all we wanted. If Afridi and Umar Gul had just played singles they would have won easily. I took that risk of putting the seamers in and making them hit the ball.

"We almost pulled it off as well in the end. Those last two sixes were not quite off the middle of the bat. One side was a small boundary, but that's how it goes. We almost pulled it off and I'm really proud of the way the team showed character in the field and with the bowling as well - 245 against a team like Pakistan and on that wicket with the dew is not easy to defend, but I think the guys showed a lot of character."

Kohli said India had done particularly well to run Pakistan so close considering the experience gap between the sides.

"If you compare the experience of our team with their team, it's massive, it's huge," Kohli said. "And in international cricket it really counts a lot. You can get away with it in Twenty20, but in the 50-over format you need to show a lot of character and that's exactly what the boys did.

"If you see the kind of batsmen they had and our bowlers with the inexperience they had, still to put up that kind of fight… I mean you see Amit Mishra, he gave only 28 runs in 10 overs, took two wickets, bowled brilliantly against the likes of Misbah, Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi. So I think it was a commendable effort and I'm really, really proud of the way the guys fought it out."

Kohli praised the efforts of Amit Mishra, who came into the side for the first time in the tournament and took 2 for 28 in his 10 overs. Kohli hinted the legspinner might start featuring more frequently in the team's plans.

"Well that's one thing you can say now," he said, when asked if Mishra should have come off the bench sooner. "If he went for 70 in 10 I don't think you would have asked me that question. But I've always been really impressed by Amit Mishra. He's an attacking bowler, which I like as well. He always likes to make the batsman take on that extra fielder inside the circle.

"The way he bowled with such a small target to defend I think it was brilliant on his part. The amount of character he showed, he certainly put his hand up. In the future as well, if we want to play with three spinners or we want to go with the same kind of bowling attack, he would certainly be one of our priorities. He's brilliant with the ball, turns it on any sort of wicket and today he showed what he could do. I'm really, really happy for him."

After seeing how the spinners had controlled the ball better than the pace bowlers when dew started playing a part against Sri Lanka, Kohli decided he would select Mishra as a third spinner against Pakistan.

"Well the last game, the way it panned out… even with the dew, if you can get the wicket to dry out, and these wickets are pretty dry, so if the bowler can bowl three deliveries in an over on an area, it's much better for the spinner. He has more of a wicket-taking chance compared to the fast bowlers. With dew coming in at the end, the fast bowlers tend to go for plenty of runs. That was the idea in the last game itself.

"Rohit Sharma had contained them [Sri Lanka] pretty nicely and there I made a decision that we should go with three spinners. These guys have a lot of right-handers in the squad as well and Mishra turns the ball, so I wanted that attacking bowler in the bowling line-up and it almost paid off for us. I think he and Ashwin were the difference in the game today. The way they controlled that situation was magnificent."

As had been the case in their previous match against Sri Lanka, India missed chances on the field, with a missed stumping from Dinesh Karthik proving particularly costly. Kohli repeated what he had said after the Sri Lanka game - India would have to play smarter cricket.

"We are making mistakes regularly, which we need to correct because they are costing us in international cricket," he said. "If we make three or four crucial errors in each game, it's quite costly in the end. That is one thing we have to learn from and improve on because there's quite a bit of inexperience in batting and bowling. People learn from mistakes and I hope in the coming games we don't repeat these mistakes and play more smartly at crucial times."

India still have a chance of reaching the final, but they will probably need other matches to end in upsets. Kohli said he was not going to worry about other results.

"Well, I've personally stopped putting my money on the games that are left in the tournament," he said. "In Australia [2011-12 tri-series] as well, we were watching another game, and Sri Lanka almost beat Australia and we could have made the finals, but that didn't happen. Last time in Asia Cup as well we were hoping Sri Lanka beats Pakistan or Bangladesh, either of the two, but that didn't happen. All we can do is put up a strong performance in our game, try and get a bonus point, and then see. We'll know by March 4 what happens. We're just looking to improve our cricket and correct our mistakes."

Karthik lets it slip again

Dinesh Karthik has missed two important stumpings in two matches, and has lost his wicket at times when he could have helped India towards stronger totals

Before bowling the fourth ball of his eighth over against Pakistan, R Ashwin waved to his fielders at deep backward square leg and deep midwicket. With a sweep of his right arm, Ashwin indicated he wanted both of them to move a few steps to their right.

Ashwin, bowling around the wicket, had clearly set his field for the sweep. It was obvious to anyone watching that he was going to shift to a leg-stump line. Sohaib Maqsood knew this, and it looked like he wanted to upset Ashwin's calculations when he tried to squirt the next ball - quick, full, on leg stump - down the ground in a slightly inside-out manner. Ashwin moved alertly to his left and stopped the ball.

Next ball, Maqsood jumped down the track. He had started too early, though, and Ashwin sent down a carrom ball wide of leg stump. Maqsood tried to flick, missed, and was stranded yards down the pitch. Behind him, the ball bounced off Dinesh Karthik's gloves.

The field change should have alerted Karthik that he might soon need to collect the ball down the leg side. He should not have been surprised by the carrom ball either. Ashwin had taken his first wicket with that delivery, bowling Sharjeel Khan through the gate.

With the match situation thrown in the mix, Karthik's error looked even more glaring. Chasing 246, Pakistan were 168 for 4 in the 38th over. The partnership between Maqsood and Mohammad Hafeez had just gone past 50. They added another 32 and took Pakistan to 200 before Ashwin dismissed Hafeez. Pakistan won by one wicket, in the last over, and it took two sixes in two balls from Shahid Afridi to get them home.

In India's previous match, Karthik had missed a stumping when Kumar Sangakkara was on 30. He went on to make 103 and win the match for Sri Lanka. It was one of a series of errors the fielders made, and Virat Kohli, India's captain, spoke after the game of the need to play smarter cricket.

A part of his concern had been directed at India's batting too. Against Sri Lanka, they had slumped from 175 for 3 to 215 for 7, and Karthik had played one of the needless shots that had brought them to that situation.

Against Pakistan, Karthik walked in to bat with India on 103 for 4 in the 24th over, having lost Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane in the span of five overs. This was a big test for India's new middle order. For a while, it looked as though they were passing it, with Ambati Rayudu busy at one end and Karthik hanging in at the other.

Their partnership had just crossed 50 when Karthik moved to sweep Hafeez from outside off stump. The ball landed well short of sweeping length, and Karthik changed his stroke to an uncertain lap. The ball bounced a little extra, took the top-edge, and nestled into the hands of short fine leg.

It was a soft dismissal, and it came at a bad time for India. Yes, it was the batting Powerplay, after India had already lost four wickets. Their priority at that stage must have been to reach the 40-over mark without losing another. Karthik was out for a 46-ball 23.

India's squad at the Asia Cup is full of inexperienced players, and a large part of this inexperience is concentrated in the middle order. Karthik isn't inexperienced. He made his international debut nearly a decade ago. He has played 70 ODIs, and 23 Tests for good measure.

Karthik has had the misfortune of being a wicketkeeper-batsman in the MS Dhoni era, and it's meant he has seldom had a long run in the side. But the selectors have valued his talent enough to pick him as a specialist batsman in 47 ODIs and seven Tests. They have valued it so much that he has batted in the top five in 42 of his one-day innings, and has opened the batting 20 times.

Despite this, Karthik has an average of 27.48, a strike-rate of 73.15, seven half-centuries and a highest score of 79. It's fair to say he has rarely grabbed his chances.

From September 2009 to August 2010, he made double-digit scores in 17 straight ODI innings but only made two half-centuries. All but two of those 17 innings came as opener or at No. 3. He was dropped after scoring 9, 0 and 0 in the three innings that followed, and didn't play an ODI for nearly three years.

Karthik returned to the side for the Champions Trophy last year, on the back of some heavy scoring in first-class cricket and in the IPL. He showed ominous form in the warm-up games, scoring two hundreds, but reverted to type when the competitive games began. Replacing Yuvraj Singh, he scored two half-centuries in 12 innings over the course of three ODI tournaments, and was dropped once again.

Dhoni's side strain gave Karthik another opportunity, but he has let it slip in the most literal way possible, in two successive matches. As Afridi's match-winning six soared into the Mirpur sky, Dhoni's IPL franchise, Chennai Super Kings, pressed the send button on a tweet.

"Do you think we missed Dhoni today as a captain / keeper / finisher? #missuMahi," it said.

Bopara and Parry give cause for optimism

When you've been in the slump England have endured any win is gratefully received. Some their batting raised more concerns, but the bowler, fielding and Ravi Bopara's calmness impressed

Croft: A dismal West Indies batting performance

It wasn't pretty, it wasn't without fortune and it wasn't convincing but, like a starving man presented with week-old bread, England are in no position to quibble over the style of any victory.

Going into this game, England had lost 16 of their last 19 games in all formats against Test-playing opposition. They had lost seven of their last nine ODIs and five in a row across the limited-overs formats. They were desperate for a win to inject some confidence into a squad that has, so far, crept tentatively into a new era.

Defeat would have had damaging consequences. Not only would it have sealed the result of the series, but it would have increased the pressure on Ashley Giles, in particular, and risked the morale of the squad just ahead of the World T20.

As Stuart Broad, the captain, admitted afterwards: "We've probably fallen short in the real pressure scenarios in the past year. It would have been a huge setback to lose today, having done some great things. It would have been like slamming your head against a brick wall really.

"We just needed the top order to play us through and take responsibility. We didn't manage to do that, and we had a Champions Trophy final-type wobble in the middle. But we got over the line, and that's the most important thing.

"I would have been hugely disappointed sat here 2-0 down after some of the cricket we've played. On Friday, we played 75% of the cricket, and lost the game.

"To get over the line should give the changing-room a huge amount of confidence and belief - because we've not won two games in a row since July."

Even if the result had gone the other way - and but for an umpiring decision that went against Dwayne Bravo it might have done - there would have been some encouraging aspects to the performance. England's bowling, with their four spinners accounting for eight of West Indies' wickets, was much improved from the first game, while their fielding, already showing the influence of Paul Collingwood, was a key difference between the sides.

The close proximity of the fielders to the bat in the circle - England usually have them on the edge, thereby regularly surrendering quick singles - was classic Collingwood and noticeably increased the pressure on the West Indies batsmen.

Stephen Parry, a veteran of just six first-class games at the age of 28, went some way to justifying his surprise selection with three wickets on a debut that earned him the Man-of-the-Match award. He is not a spinner that is particularly pleasing on the eye and offers little of the traditional skills of flight or dip but, much in the manner that Michael Yardy fulfilled a valuable role for England in the World T20 of 2010, he has something to offer in the shorter formats.

He was admirably composed and, in taking the important wicket of Lendl Simmons the ball after having been hit for six, holding the following delivery back just a fraction and inviting a repeat of the stroke, he demonstrated pleasing confidence and nerve. He will not always find the conditions so helpful or the batsmen so obliging, but the unfazed character bodes well.

But perhaps it was the composure shown by Ravi Bopara that was most heartening. Bopara's talent has never been in question and, in his 101 ODIs, he has shown glimpses of quality that have made his inability to deliver more consistently all the more maddening. All too often, notably in the Champions Trophy final and in the ODI in Adelaide in January, he has appeared to freeze under pressure.

Here, however, he was calmness personified. While Broad was more than a little fortunate - he could have been caught three times before he made 6 and was reprieved on review before he had scored - Bopara knew there was no hurry and did not play a false stroke in the eighth-wicket partnership that took his side to victory. Again, there will be bigger moments in bigger games, but this was an unbeaten 38 worth far more than some of his half-centuries thrashed with the pressure off.

Broad's captaincy is intriguing, too. He appeared noticeably more aggressive than Alastair Cook might have been, utilising two legs slips at one stage and again opening the bowling with a spinner. Indeed, England utilised two part-time spinners in the Powerplay.

Still, victory should not mask the fragility of England's batting for the second game in succession. Bearing in mind the trial against spin anticipated in Bangladesh, their struggles against Sunil Narine, in particular, are a worry. Luke Wright has been horribly exposed in this series and the manner of Jos Buttler's dismissal, desperately uncomfortable trying to evade a bouncer, will have fast bowlers the world over taking notice. He will face many quicker bowlers on many quicker wickets.

It is a situation that does nothing to vindicate the management's decision to dispense with the services of Kevin Pietersen, but it would be disingenuous to suggest that is the only problem. Eoin Morgan has also been sorely missed, while Ian Bell and Cook will return to the first choice ODI side.

It is worth noting, too, that since the ODI series in January, England's No. 3 batsman - a combination of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Wright - have scored just 91 runs between them in 13 innings; a run of scores that reads: 3, 2, 15, 70, 0, 1 and 0. Suffice it to say, Jonathan Trott has not been effectively replaced.

While the tired pitch - slow, low and, in many ways, utterly unsuited to promoting limited-overs cricket as a form of entertainment - resulted in some desultory cricket - there were only nine fours in the entire West Indies innings - it did provide a good example of what to expect in Bangladesh.

It will be encouraging for them, then, that both Morgan and Alex Hales were able to return to the nets during the game and might play in the deciding game on Wednesday.

Zimbabwe Cricket mismanaged $6m ICC loan

A protest over salaries by Zimbabwe's cricketers has again brought to the fore Zimbabwe Cricket's financial problems, which have continued despite at least US $9 million being loaned by the ICC to the board. ESPNcricinfo can reveal that one reason for the financial mess is that ZC's top leadership apparently used a $6 million loan from the ICC to enrich a bank on whose board they sit and ignored a key condition of the loan.

The issue also raises an apparent conflict of interest: ZC chairman Peter Chingoka, vice-chairman Wilson Manase and former managing director Ozias Bvute all sit on the board of Metbank, one of Zimbabwe's leading banks. While Chingoka is a non-executive director on the Metbank board, Manase is chairman of the board and Bvute is a major shareholder in the institution.

ZC said the main purpose for the ICC loan was to service the current facilities with local banks so that it could borrow again but the plan was upset by the status of the financial market. Chingoka also said it was "wrong and malicious" to allege loss of money when Metbank themselves were owed the most amount of money. The ICC, meanwhile, has declined to respond to specific questions.

Recent effects of that debt have been public knowledge: last September, ZC called off a proposed visit by Sri Lanka on financial grounds and the current domestic season was delayed by two months after players went on strike over unpaid wages. That matter raised its head again in negotiations over payments for the upcoming World Twenty20, which have been deadlocked but due to resume on March 3.

ESPNcricinfo has learnt that from 2009, ZC took out US dollar loans from Metbank at interest rates of more than 20% - and possibly as high as 24% - despite knowing the ICC could arrange loans at international interest rates far below those that Metbank was offering.

In December 2011, after learning of ZC's high-interest loans from Metbank, the ICC loaned the cricket board $6 million with one rider: the money should be used to immediately retire ZC's existing debt. Instead ZC deposited the money in a non-interest-bearing account with Metbank for more than five months. Metbank would have benefited from the interest accruing on their high-interest loan to ZC, as well as from having ZC's money in the non-interest-bearing account available to loan to third parties. ZC would, by the same deal, have lost out twice.

The ICC loan was received by ZC on December 14, 2011; on January 18, 2012, ZC repaid $75,000 to Premier Bank, and another $50,000 to the same institution on March 15. It then repaid $1,758,211 to Interfin Bank on April 23, 2012 and $829,167 to FBC Bank on May 3.

It was not until May 25 that $3,287,623 was repaid to Metbank. With that amount sitting in a non-interest-bearing account for five months and 11 days, Metbank could have earned in the region of $300,000 by loaning it out to third parties at an interest rate of 20%. ZC would have paid around the same amount in interest on its loan from Metbank, which was attracting interest of more than 20 %over that time period. Metbank could therefore have benefited by more than $600,000 from the two effects.

The knock-on effect of those decisions was that ZC's debt spiral continued, to the extent that the board had to seek a second ICC loan last month, worth $3m, so that it could pay the money owed to its contracted players, umpires, scorers and other employees. It was also able to announce its squad for the World Twenty20 after receiving an extended deadline from the ICC, and domestic cricket resumed last weekend.

The ICC knew about these indiscretions since at least March 2013, but did not take any action against the individuals involved. However, its latest loan came with the condition that ZC move its principal accounts away from Metbank, which it has now done. Media reports suggest the ICC is preparing to pay off ZC's debts to Metbank; that money will then be deducted from ZC's annual benefits from the ICC, which could amount to $25m over the next three years.

The malaise in Zimbabwe Cricket's finances has been a feature of the last decade. When Bvute took over the organisation's reins following Vince Hogg's resignation in 2004, ZC was $10 million in the black. The 2012 audit of their accounts shows net liabilities of $14,267,152, and total liabilities of $19,081,421.

The exact cost of the financial mismanagement to ZC is difficult to calculate because it is unclear how much they owed Metbank when the $6m loan from the ICC was granted. Media reports in Zimbabwe estimated a further $15 million will be needed to erase the cricket board's bad debt to Metbank.

It is also not clear whether ZC explained the conflict of interests involving Chingoka, Manase and Bvute when that loan was agreed upon, although the ICC should have been aware of it since the trio are listed as directors on the Metbank website and the facts are also stated in ZC's annual audits. The ICC would not have known that Bvute was a major shareholder unless it had been informed as such by ZC.

Asked to explain the reason for the delay in paying off the loan, Chingoka told ESPNcricinfo: "Zimbabwe Cricket postponed utilisation of the ICC loan proceeds. Given the unstable financial market situation then, there was a risk that utilisation of the ICC loan proceeds was likely to result in ZC's bankers failing to finance the renewed bank facilities. Zimbabwe Cricket's main purpose for the loan was to service the current facilities with local banks so that ZC could borrow again. However, as a result of the status of the financial market then, such an initiative was no longer achievable. Meanwhile, temporary extension for the other bank facilities had been sought on the understanding that payment for the facilities will be done once the liquidity situation improved. So it is wrong and malicious to allege loss of money when Metropolitan Bank themselves were owed the most amount of money."

Chingoka did not, however, answer questions on why ZC borrowed money from Metbank when it could have borrowed from the ICC at lower interest rates, or why ZC did not deposit the ICC loan into an interest-bearing account.

He did answer a question on the potential conflict of interest involving its top officials. "Non-executive directors (including Chingoka and Manase) at ZC guide the organisation's strategy and policy whilst operational issues e.g. relationships with banks, are for the management of the organisation." Bvute was managing director of ZC until June 2012.

Asked about the misuse of the ICC loan, an ICC spokesman said only that the organisation does not comment on financial matters relating to its Full Members. A further request for comment on the latest $3m loan, and the prospect of ZC being bailed out of its debt, received the same response.

Were the ICC to pay off the debt to Metbank, it would likely be helping to bail out the bank as well as the cricket board. Metbank has faced mounting liquidity issues over the past five months, which came to a head towards the end of last year when many customers were unable to access the money in their accounts. According to one newspaper report in January, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has been monitoring Metbank under the Troubled and Insolvent Bank policy since November 2013. The report said that ZC's outstanding debt to Metbank was $15m, and that this large exposure was a prime reason for the Reserve Bank's concern over Metbank.

Warner, Clarke get tough

David Warner and Michael Clarke produced arguably two of their finest knocks to lift Australia into a commanding position in Cape Town

When pondering how David Warner might respond to a raft of South African sledging expected to come his way in this match due to his howled down allegation of ball tampering, Michael Clarke offered his opening batsman the inelegant but appropriate sobriquet of "tough bugger".

On the critically important opening day of the Newlands Test, Warner lived up to Clarke's choice of words with arguably his finest Test hundred, but no more so than the captain himself, who carved out an innings of enormous courage and presence.

There had been many reasons entering into this match for both Warner and Clarke to be distracted, even agitated. Warner had earned the rebukes of teammates, opponents and officials alike for his broadcast suggestion of sharp practice on the part of AB de Villiers.

It was certainly provocative and formally deemed disrespectful, drawing an ICC sanction and the sorts of headlines that have followed his career a little too often. The South Africans had plenty of reason to pour on the vitriol once Warner strode to the wicket.

Clarke's problems were of a different and deeper nature. In order to overcome his immediate difficulty - a lack of runs over his past 11 innings - Clarke had to surmount a longer term foible, namely the spectre of short-pitched bowling and its capacity to expose the lack of flexibility in his back.

The man to deliver such bowling was Morne Morkel, a man with no rival as the fastest and tallest exponent of the bouncer in world cricket. Add to this the chance to defeat top-ranked South Africa at home, and the occasion weighed heavily.

Fortunately for Clarke and Warner, the captain performed ably in his first duty of the day, winning one of the more important tosses of his life. Centurion and Port Elizabeth had well and truly established Australia's preference for making the running by batting first, particularly on a pitch not given to early life. Taking first strike in Cape Town on another late-season surface promising little in the way of sideways movement allowed the fast-scoring method preached by the coach Darren Lehmann to place pressure on South Africa, even as they carried plenty of momentum from St George's Park.

Irrespective of the prevailing conditions, the runs still had to be scored, and in the early overs Warner once again too the initiative from the hosts with some help from Chris Rogers. They raised a half-century stand inside 10 overs, prompting Graeme Smith to disperse his catching men and post sweepers to the boundary in search of greater control over the scoring rate. To some degree he achieved this, but he also allowed Warner the room to feel more or less impervious to dismissal, given so many options for turning over the strike.

Across the series, Warner has repeatedly forced Smith's fielders back, to the point that his latter phases of centuries at Centurion and Newlands have been played out in the manner of mid-innings ODI batting. Very little onus has been placed on Warner to split the field or avoid the clutches of slips or gully, allowing him to throttle back into a gear of comfort while still scoring rapidly. Ten boundaries in Warner's century were the minimum to be expected from a powerful opener on a fast outfield, but a strike rate of near enough to a run-a-ball showed how Warner had hemmed in Smith, rather than the other way round.

"He puts pressure on the opposition so quickly," Shane Warne said of Warner. "Duminy was bowling in the 10th over so very early you've got a part-time spinner bowling. It just puts pressure on the opposition captain by how fast he scores and the way he scores. I saw maturity in his batting when Graeme Smith had point back and he got a couple of singles, Smith brought point up and he hit two fours past him. It wasn't like he was just about smashing the ball, he was quite clever about it.

"One of the hardest things as a bowler is if you go through all your plans and say 'we've just got to stop this guy scoring for a while' and when he manipulates the field it is a really tough spot to be in as captain. Someone like a Darren Lehmann when you used to bowl against him he'd manipulate the field very well. Smithy ended up just being defensive about stopping runs, then Davey can just knock it around. He can do that to a captain because he's such a good player."

If Warner was in command of his game, then Clarke was on bended knee beseeching his to comply with his fervent wishes for a score. His early play was scratchy, and when Morkel chose to go around the wicket, Clarke found himself with no escape. Not limber enough to duck or sway easily, nor swivel to hook in the manner of Ian Chappell, Clarke was instead battered after the fashion of Steve Waugh. Neck, jaw, body and fingers all took fearsome blows, the icepacks piling high in Australia's dressing room to greet Clarke whenever he returned.

But Morkel was unable to follow up these raining blows by coaxing an outside edge or a miscue, Clarke's determination underlined by the perfunctory wave he offered the physio Alex Kountouris and doctor Peter Brukner when they jogged onto the field at the end of the over when Morkel felled him. Warne called it batting in the "over my dead body" category, and there was scarcely a better way to describe it. Clarke stood firm, untroubled by how ugly he looked, and with Dale Steyn absent due to a hamstring complaint he was able to endure.

By stumps Clarke was on the outskirts of a century to rank with any in his career, his unbeaten status a fitting capstone on one of the best Australian first innings, first day performances of Ricky Ponting's prime period. Every partnership had been worth at least 50, meaning even the likes of Rogers and Alex Doolan had played some part. But it was Clarke and Warner who deserved the chief plaudits, two "tough buggers" setting aside their earlier travails to set Australia on the path towards the sort of victory that would echo down the years.

Spirited Pakistan fall in final hurdle

Having at least one subcontinent team in the final of the Under-19 World Cup was what the tournament organisers would have hoped for. It was perhaps fitting that Pakistan was one of those teams, given that the turnout is always bigger when Pakistan and India play in these parts.

A Pakistan win would have brought massive cheer to the several expectant fans who showed up in Dubai, but the team failed to deliver. It might have been stage fright on an important day such as this, but the players got a taste of playing in front of large numbers, by U-19 World Cup standards.

Sami Aslam, the captain, has been a part of two World Cups and has endured heartbreaks in both. In 2012, it was a quarter-final exit in a low-scoring thriller against India, a match which was in Pakistan's hands till India's tenth-wicket pair stole the show.

In 2014, they were bundled out for 131 in the final - just one short of their senior team's score in the 1999 World Cup final - and the results were similar. They made South Africa sweat in the beginning but couldn't sustain the intensity. Rather than look for excuses, Aslam gave due credit to the opposition and acknowledged the work put in by his own team getting to the final.

"We had played very good cricket coming to the final," Aslam said. "But South Africa bowled well in the final, and two or three of our batsmen played some poor shots."

Pakistan had only dropped one match in the tournament, against India, and had to fight tooth and nail in the semi-final to get to the summit clash. Their batting problems from the semi-final resurfaced in the final, with their top order stumbling to South Africa's four-man seam attack.

The team had a huddle before going out to defend 131 and Aslam said the message was to focus on the positives.

"The manager spoke to us and said that there is nothing to be disappointed," Aslam said. "We had played well and he motivated all of us. Today, we could not play that well."

Pakistan struggled against the South African duo of Justin Dill and Corbin Bosch, two bowlers of similar pace, and were floundering at 72 for 7 at one stage. Aslam said their accurate lines and lengths changed the match.

Pakistan's biggest takeaway from the tournament is Imam-ul-Haq, the opening batsman who finished the second highest run-getter in the tournament with 382 runs and forged a formidable opening stand with Aslam.

Pakistan's journey is all the more special considering that they don't get to face bowlers of international quality back home, because many teams have refused to tour the country since 2009. Therefore, their foreign tours assume greater significance than for most teams. In the lead-up, Pakistan had played tournaments in England, UAE and a short home series against Afghanistan and had won all barring the Asia Cup.

'This is a shameful loss' - Mushfiqur

Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh captain, has called his side's 32-run loss to Afghanistan a "shameful defeat". He has questioned the dedication of his players and said those not motivated enough will have to be replaced.

"This is a shameful loss. For a split second I thought we wouldn't lose this game, being honest with you. I thought that someone or the other would stand up and bail us out. But in the end we were not good enough.

"We have to replace those players who, after being motivated, do not understand. It is not my or someone else's team. It is a matter of the nation. I think it is time to replace those who cannot perform. If they don't feel bad after losing to Afghanistan or Sri Lanka, they should not play cricket. After seeing some of their cricket, I think some of us can't feel what is going on. The team management and selectors will probably think about changes."

There are several areas of concern but the fielding has been particularly poor since the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Even on Saturday, Imrul Kayes dropped two catches and there were far too many singles given away between the bowler and the extra-cover fielder. At times, Bangladesh's body language didn't suggest the urgency that was needed.

Mushfiqur said that he is seeking answers from his team-mates. "If I knew what was wrong, I would have fixed it after a game. I don't have any answers about fielding. Our fielding hasn't been this consistently bad for so long.

"I have to answer this question time and again. If the players don't understand, it becomes tough. I cannot spoon-feed all eleven players. If they don't show responsibility at this stage, it becomes very tough."

Mushfiqur's tactics as the captain were also called into question during the post-match press conference. With the opposition 90 for 5 in the 27th over, there was a need to up the ante and attack a little more. But just like he didn't attack after reducing Sri Lanka to 67 for 8 two weeks ago, he allowed Asghar Stanikzai and Samiullah Shenwari to craft a recovery.

He said that Sohag Gazi's finger injury early in the game handicapped him, forcing the use of part-timers like Nasir Hossain and Mominul Haque. "We were one bowler short so I had to make do with some part-timers. I think they batted really well at that stage. We dropped a couple of catches. But I still feel we should have chased down this target."

There was further bad news for Bangladesh as Gazi's injury ruled him out of the rest of the Asia Cup. "The cut was caused by the seam and it had to be stitched up. He will need seven to ten days to recover," said Bangladesh team physio Vibhav Singh said. Mahmudullah has been called up as his replacement.

Natural Herb

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Afridi, Shehzad among Pakistan's injury concerns

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Root set to miss World T20

IPL schedule will be 'finalised' on Friday - Biswal

Mathews overcomes the finisher's jinx

Bangladesh devoid of form, balance and confidence

'When I told the team, it was a really tough night'

Ryan Harris vows to return

Ball change leaves England under cloud

England's spring shoots of regrowth

Spectators deserve a better pitch

Warner thrives on sledges

We still have hope - Domingo

'We tell Afridi, give yourself 20-25 balls' - Misbah

'We showed a lot of character' - Kohli

Karthik lets it slip again

Bopara and Parry give cause for optimism

Zimbabwe Cricket mismanaged $6m ICC loan

Warner, Clarke get tough

Spirited Pakistan fall in final hurdle

'This is a shameful loss' - Mushfiqur

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