South Africa sense swift finish

South Africa are one wicket away from wrapping up the second Test swiftly according to AB de Villiers. Despite Pakistan being only four wickets down at the end of the third day, de Villiers said one more scalp would open them up.

"With the new ball around the corner we just need to be patient tomorrow. We feel if we get one more and then we have the wicketkeeper in there, we can run through them," he said.

Apart from Misbah-ul-Haq, who is at the crease on 42, Pakistan do not have much in the way of solid batting to come. Still trailing by 286 runs, they will need a massive effort from their captain and healthy contributions from the lower order to bat out at least a full day if they hope to avoid an innings defeat.

On a pitch that is expected to become more difficult for batsmen during the last two days, that would seem nothing more than fanciful but Saeed Ajmal was able to remain optimistic. "The wicket is not that bad," he said. "It's still good for batting. There was a bit for the new ball bowlers and it's spinning a little bit but there are still runs in the pitch.

"Although we didn't perform well in our first innings, we saw South Africa put on over 500 in their innings. If we can bat the whole day, runs will come slowly. We hope our batting can be as good as our bowling."

But de Villiers was not convinced that they would be up to task, especially when reflecting on how South Africa's lower-order coped on the third morning. They lost their last four wickets for 31 runs and struggled against the spin Ajmal was generating. "That shows you how well Graeme played. It's not easy," he said.

Smith added only seven runs to his overnight score and de Villiers increased his score by the same number but their quick dismissals barely had an impact on the state of the game. The hard work had been done the day before, when Smith and de Villiers shared in South Africa's highest fifth-wicket stand and wore down Pakistan's attack.

They swelled the lead to 361 by the end of the second day and only wanted a little more on the third morning. "We talked about declaring somewhere after lunch. That didn't happen but we still wanted the runs we wanted to," he said. "We wanted the lead over 400."

South Africa were bowling six minutes before lunch and took two wickets in that time, creating expectation for a third-day finish. Dale Steyn found considerable swing but the house of cards did not collapse as quickly as the early incisions suggested.

Instead of frustration, de Villiers said it was an important lesson for South Africa's bowlers. "We like to finish a Test in two days if we can," he admitted. "But it's important to remind the bowlers that you need to be patient to get wickets on this pitch."

He also did not expect lightening to strike twice for Pakistan's line-up. "I don't know if they played really poorly in the first innings. There were maybe a few soft dismissals. I think they will be quite angry with themselves," de Villiers said. "But it's not over. We still respect the game and the opposition a lot."

Niceties aside, de Villiers seemed certain South Africa will square the series on Saturday. "We missed a trick early on in Abu Dhabi and sometimes, the minute things turn on you it's difficult. Pakistan played too well," he said. "This time around we were a bit more ruthless."

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Hafeez agrees to BBL contract with Renegades

Mohammad Hafeez, the Pakistan allrounder, has agreed to a Big Bash League contract with the Melbourne Renegades. He will miss the first two games of the tournament due to international commitments with Pakistan in the UAE. This will be the first time he will play in the Australian T20 league, which begins on December 20.

"I have agreed [to] a deal with Melbourne Renegades," Hafeez told ESPNcricinfo. "Playing in Australia is always a tremendous experience and the opportunity will allow me to play around the best players. Since the 2015 World Cup will be in Australia, my stint will help me acquire ample acquaintance of Australian conditions."

Hafeez is currently Pakistan's leading run scorer in T20Is with 1093 runs, and has led the Pakistan T20 squad since June 2012 to 12 victories out of 18 matches. He last toured Australia in 2005, and had a poor run averaging just 12.50 in six ODIs. He most recently featured for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the inaugural Caribbean Premier League.

Hafeez was recently dropped from the Test squad for the South Africa series in the UAE, and is likely to miss out on the Tests against Sri Lanka in December. Hafeez is currently training ahead of his departure to the UAE for the limited-overs leg of the South Africa tour, which begins on October 30.

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West Indies tour game set to be shifted from Cuttack

Incessant rains are likely to deal a double-blow to cricket fans in Cuttack: the fifth ODI between India and Australia is set to be washed out, and now the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) is likely to lose out on hosting West Indies' three-day tour game, starting from October 31.

It is understood that OCA secretary Asirbad Behera and president Ranjib Biswal have already communicated their association's inability to host West Indies' match against Uttar Pradesh to the BCCI officials, ahead of the two-Test series beginning in Kolkata on November 6. While accepting the OCA's request since "the outfield won't be ready in time for the game", the BCCI has zeroed in on Mumbai as the venue for the warm-up tie.

Though the Mumbai Cricket Association hasn't been formally informed about the change in venue, the decision will be finalised during the BCCI working committee meeting in Chennai on Saturday. Both the MCA vice-presidents Ravi Savant and Vijay Patil will attend the working committee meet, with Savant showing up as the BCCI vice-president, while Patil as the MCA representative.

Despite the Wankhede Stadium being unable to stage the game less than two weeks prior to the start of the Test match, three more venues in Mumbai can stage the warm-up match. It would be interesting to see if the match is allotted to Cricket Club of India's Brabourne Stadium or the Dr DY Patil Sports Stadium on the outskirts of the city, with MCA's facility at Bandra-Kurla Complex also being in contention. CCI was promised an allotment of matches by BCCI president N Srinivasan during the AGM in September, while Patil, the architect of DY Patil stadium, has been pushing for hosting more games in Navi Mumbai.

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Tough task for defending champions

Mumbai: Likely to face a challenging season

By Nagraj Gollapudi

Where they finished
As Ranji Trophy champions. However Mumbai's journey was not a smooth one: they could muster only two outright victories in eleven matches.

Big Picture
Until Zaheer Khan delivered an inspired match-winning, and season-turning, spell against Madhya Pradesh in the penultimate group match, Mumbai's ride last season had been wobbly. Once they reached the semi-finals, however, Mumbai's determination and much-talked-about aura was restored as they cruised to win the 40th Ranji title comfortably.

Their troubles have not been washed away in the new season. If Mumbai are honest, they will admit this is likely to be one of their most challenging seasons. Their weakest suit is their bowling. Ajit Agarkar's retirement and Ramesh Powar's decision to play for Rajasthan has left a void that cannot be filled immediately. In the last decade, Agarkar and Powar were pillars on which Mumbai's success story was built. Both men not only bowled tireless spells, but also returned to the crease to deliver match-saving cameos and, occasionally, match-winning ones. Along with another stalwart, Wasim Jaffer, the trio was the bridge that connected the new generation to the ethos of Mumbai cricket: cuss out the opposition.

So far only Dhawal Kulkarni, from among the newer lot, has shown the capability of coping with the rigours of domestic cricket. However, Mumbai's chief concern will be their inexperienced spin attack led by the left-arm spinners, Iqbal Abdulla and Vishal Dabholkar. Abdulla, three short of 100 wickets for Mumbai, has remained inconsistent despite chances over the last few years while Dabholkar has just played four matches so far. It is something opponents will aim to capitalise on.

Mumbai would do well to take advantage of the presence of Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane and gain early momentum in the group stage.

Players to watch
He is not attractive, but he can get under your skin - with bat, ball, and with his blunt sledges. A quiet man off the field, Abhishek Nayar showed his ability to make big noise when he finished as the second-highest scorer in Ranji Trophy with 966 runs and 19 wickets. So far this season, he scored two fifties and a century against the A teams from New Zealand and West Indies and also hit a fifty in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy. In the absence of established players like Zaheer, Rohit and Rahane - due to fitness issues or national commitments - Nayar is steadily growing into the go-to man for Mumbai.

Team speak
"To do well in Ranji Trophy, it is all about consistency. Along with that fitness and how we perform in the away games will be the three goals we will need to meet." Abhishek Nayar, Mumbai vice-captain.

Click here for the full squad.

Punjab: Young and well-rounded

By Nikita Bastian

Where they finished
Semi-finalists, after topping Group A.

Big Picture
After a couple of ordinary seasons, when they finished in the lower halves of their groups, Punjab were arguably the most dominant side in the group stages last year. They won four of their first five games - two by an innings, one by eight wickets and the other by nine - and despite not winning any of their remaining group games finished almost 10 points clear of the next team. In the quarter-final, they piled up a whopping 699 for 3 with Taruwar Kohli hitting an unbeaten triple.

Punjab's strength was that, in a batsman-dominated competition, their bowlers were very successful. In their ten games, they managed to bowl out the opposition for below 300 eleven times. They took full advantage of the traditionally seamer-friendly conditions in Mohali, winning all their home games. Among the tournament's top five wicket-takers, two were from Punjab. Siddarth Kaul was second on the table with 44, and Sandeep Sharma was No. 5 with 41.

That's not to say the batting was far behind. Three of their batsmen scored over 500 runs - Mandeep Singh (595), Uday Kaul (652), and the tournament's leading run-getter, Jiwanjot Singh (995). The only glitch in their season was being bowled out for 59 against Mumbai, when Ankeet Chavan ran rampant with a nine-for.

Coach Bhupinder Singh, the medium-pacer who played a couple of one-dayers for India in the mid-90s, said last year offered valuable experience for what is a "young team". "This is a young bunch and they played good cricket last year, and they are richer by one year's experience. I hope we are able to take the next step now, past the semi-finals."

Missing from Punjab's squad is batsman Karan Goel, who's out with a shoulder injury, but should be fit later in the season. Legspinner Rahul Sharma has also not made it for the first match, with Bhupinder saying Punjab has him in the reserves but views him primarily as a limited-overs option. Left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma has been dropped and is likely to shift to Himachal Pradesh. Then there's Yuvraj Singh, who, while not named in the squad for the first game, "has promised to play if he's not part of the Indian Test team [for the West Indies series]". If Yuvraj plays, he will be the go-to man for the team's young batsmen, while captain Harbhajan Singh will mentor the bowlers.

Players to watch The squad's big addition this year is pace bowler VRV Singh, who last played first-class cricket in the 2007-08 season before being sidelined by a back injury. VRV Singh, 29, who has played Tests and ODIs for India, underwent surgery on his back, and returned to competitive cricket last year when he played in the domestic T20s. Since then, Bhupinder said he has been easing his way back into cricket, playing for longer and longer periods. "He's bowling well and I think he can be my surprise package this year," Bhupinder said. "He seems in good shape and is generating good pace." Given that India always seem lacking on the bowling front, and that before the injuries arrived he was impressive enough to impress the likes of Ian Bishop, the Indian selectors might well be keeping a quiet eye on how he does.

Jiwanjot Singh, 22, was the tournament's top-scorer in his debut season. He has since made it to the India A team and the North Zone team for the Duleep Trophy. He has played 15 first-class matches, but not a single recognised limited-overs game. That, Bhupinder said, is down to his style of play: "Jiwanjot is more suited to the longer version. He's more into technical correctness. Batsmen from five, seven, ten years back, he's more in that mould. Plays very straight and has a good defence."

Click here for the full squad.

Jharkhand: Eager to shine in the big league

By Vishal Dikshit

Where they finished last season
Jharkhand finished second in Group C last year. Three outright wins and as many draws took them to the quarter-finals against Punjab. They were promoted to Group A for this season.

Big Picture
The beginning of Jharkhand's season will be watched for the comeback of two players who have had fleeting international careers so far - Varun Aaron and Saurabh Tiwary. While Tiwary had a shoulder operation in August, Aaron has been plagued with injuries since he last played for India in 2011. Jharkhand also have a new coach in Subroto Banerjee and two new recruits - Bhavin Thakkar and Bhavik Thaker.

Middle-order batsman Thakker last played a first-class game in the 2010-11 season, for Himachal Pradesh, and averages 35.62 from 37 first-class matches. Thaker, also 31, moved from Gujarat, who did not give him a chance in the last season, and averages 40.

Their bowling, an area of strength, features one of the most promising spinners in the domestic circuit. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, captain of the side, was also their highest wicket-taker in 2012-13 with 42 wickets from nine games. He will be accompanied by offspinner Sunny Gupta who took four wickets against North Zone in the recent Duleep Trophy semi-final. Shankar Rao and Ajay Yadav will handle the pace attack. While Rao averaged 24.65 last season with 26 wickets, Yadav played only five matches and impressed with 23 wickets, mainly through his haul of 11 wickets against Services and 10 against Tripura.

Jharkhand began their Ranji campaign last year with an outright win - an innings and 31 runs against Jammu & Kashmir - but will face a stiffer challenge in their first game against Delhi this year. While they shone in the lightweight Group C last season, the more accomplished opponents this season will test how far Jharkhand have progressed.

Key players
Saurabh Tiwary amassed 602 runs in the previous season at an average of 46.30, including two hundreds and three fifties. However, his comeback is likely to be tough. He hasn't played a professional match in more than five months and will be facing more potent attacks this season.

Varun Aaron, on the other hand, hasn't played since IPL 2012 due to the recurrence of a back injury. The bowler recently said he had made a "slight adjustment" to his bowling action and hoped that the tweak would help him last the season. Jharkhand will be hoping it works out that way, as a fully fit Aaron will make the side's attack formidable.

Click here for the full squad

Haryana: Ajay Jadeja in the spotlight

By Devashish Fuloria

Where they finished
Eighth in Group B with one win in eight matches.

Big Picture

Last year, Haryana were bowled out for 55 on the first morning of their opening Ranji Trophy match - their lowest-ever Ranji total - against Vidarbha. In their second match, they were again bowled out for a lowly 66 but despite the batting debacles, the conversation every time teams played in Rohtak hovered around the seamer-friendly conditions in Lahli, their home ground.

Their batting line-up will have the services of old stalwart Ajay Jadeja this year, who came out of cricketing hibernation this year when he played Buchi Babu tournament for the team, at the ripe age of 42. Jadeja, with experience of 8046 first-class runs, will have the responsibility of not only leading the team with the bat, but also provide direction as the coach.

Haryana's first match this year will be under media glare for being the last first-class match for Sachin Tendulkar, Jadeja's former India opening partner. For Jadeja, though, it's a new start and he will have the tough job of setting the scene for the long season ahead.

Key players

With Amit Mishra likely to be away on national duty and the batting being the weak link, Haryana will depend on key contributions from seamer Mohit Sharma, who relished the conditions at the home venue last year. He collected a rich haul of 37 wickets, that included three five-fors, at an average of 23.24. But Haryana may have to do without him for chunks of the season as he is not too far from being called up to the national team, at least for the limited-overs matches against West Indies and South Africa.

Click here for the full squad.

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CCS demoted after arriving late to match

Cricket Coaching School has been demoted from the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League for arriving late for their match against Brothers Union on October 8 . They will play First Division Cricket League next season, and all points scored against them or by them will be removed from consideration as had happened last season when Surjo Tarun were relegated for a similar reason.

They were reportedly were stuck in a traffic jam on Jatrabari road while en route to Fatullah Cricket Stadium from Kalabaga. According to match referee Samiur Rahman, who was travelling with the team on the 20km journey, a lorry had collapsed on the other side of road, approximately 10km from the ground, forcing one lane to be closed and a collision between two buses caused more delay.

CCS reached the ground ten minutes before the toss, but about 45 minutes after their scheduled arrival time. The match referee asked for a delayed start, because a provision for a 30-minute grace period had been added to the by-laws because of the Surjo Tarun incident last year - they had arrived late to BKSP ground and were demoted to the First Division Cricket League. But Brothers Union refused to take part in the toss and boycotted the match.

The tournament was closed for Eid holidays but, on Wednesday, the league's organisers Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis, who were investigating the matter, announced the verdict and said it was taken according to the tournament's rules.

The Dhaka Premier League will resume on October 27 and CCS's demotion means that only one other team will face relegation this season. Currently, Khelaghar and 17-time champions Abahani are at the bottom of the table, with one win each, but since Abahani's win was against CCS, those points will be taken away, leaving them winless.

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Kenya to play seven Twenty20s against Sri Lanka A

Kenya will play seven Twenty20s against Sri Lanka A in Colombo ahead of the World Twenty20 Qualifiers in Dubai. The series, which begins on Sunday after being organised at short notice, will also serve as match practice for several Sri Lanka players, ahead of New Zealand's limited-overs tour of the country.

Sri Lanka Twenty20 captain Dinesh Chandimal will lead the A team, as he did on New Zealand A's recent tour, with Lahiru Thirimanne named vice-captain. Sri Lanka players Shaminda Eranga, Kusal Perera and Jeevan Mendis have also been named in the 24-man preliminary squad, alongside a host of emerging cricketers, including Akila Dananjaya and Kithuruwan Vithanage.

The series will be 42-year-old Steve Tikolo's first assignment after coming out of retirement for the World Twenty20 Qualifiers, and the team will be led by Collins Obuya. Kenya's squad for the series includes all of their WT20 Qualifiers players, and two more, in Gurdeep Singh and Emmanuel Bundi.

Five of the matches will take place at the Colombo Cricket Club and two at the Nondescripts Cricket Club. The series will end on November 2, with the tight schedule made possible by playing two matches a day, on October 29 and 31, and November 2.

The World Twenty20 qualifiers begin on November 15.

Kenya squad:
Collins Obuya (capt), Rakep Patel, Morris Ouma, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Hiren Varaiya, Shem Ngoche, Steve Tikolo, Ragheb Aga, Nelson Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Dhiren Gondaria, Thomas Odoyo, Gurdeep Singh, Emmanuel Bundi, Duncan Allan, Irfan Karim

Sri Lanka A squad:
Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Lahiru Thirmanne, Kusal Perera, Mahela Udawatte, Shehan Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Ashan Priyanjan, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Angelo Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Yashodha Lanka, Niroshan Dickwella, Ramith Rambukwella, Chaturanga de Silva, Akila Dhananjaya, Seekkuge Prasanna, Milinda Siriwardene, Isuru Udana, Ishan Jayaratne, Kosala Kulasekara, Lahiru Jayaratne, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Jeevan Mendis, Shaminda Eranga

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Pune Warriors' fate set to be decided

The working committee of the BCCI is set to decide the fate of the Pune Warriors franchise during its meeting in Chennai on October 26.

On May 21, a day after BCCI encashed the bank guarantee due to non-payment of franchise fees, Sahara Pariwar, the owners of the franchise, announced their intention to pull out of the IPL.

Despite a public announcement, Sahara still has not conveyed its decision to the BCCI. As a result, even though the franchise is technically a part of the IPL, it hasn't furnished the bank guarantee for Rs 170.2 crore (about $27.7m) required for it to be a part of the IPL's next season. While the BCCI has sent Sahara "several reminders" to submit the bank guarantee over the last five months, Sahara has declined to do so unless their "promised arbitration proceedings reach conclusion".

The BCCI feels it's time to take a call on Sahara's fate and send out a message that IPL 2014 preparations are well on course following the corruption scandal during the 2013 season. As a result, all the members of the governing council have been invited for the working committee meeting to decide on the fate of the Pune franchise.

Since most IPL officials are convinced that by not furnishing bank guarantee, Sahara has committed an "irremediable breach" of the franchise, the working committee may issue a 30-day "termination notice", thus marking the beginning of the end of Sahara's controversial three-season stint. "The fact that they haven't paid us ever since paying 30% before IPL 2013 makes it evident they are not interested in running the team," an IPL insider told ESPNcricinfo. "Otherwise, even after their bank guarantee had to be encashed in May, they wouldn't have not bothered to submit the fresh guarantee for the coming season."

Sahara's top brass, meanwhile, termed the planned move as a "bullying tactic" by BCCI. "We will not furnish the bank guarantee unless the arbitration that has been stalled for a couple of years is completed. In an IPL set-up that's completely lop-sided in BCCI's favour, someone needs to stand up to BCCI and we are doing it," a Sahara insider said.

Despite Sahara pressing for an arbitration into the demand of revision in annual fees, the fact that the franchise hasn't submitted the bank guarantee will edge them closer to an exit from the IPL. It would be interesting to see if the BCCI decides to replace Sahara with a new owner or trims the IPL to an eight-team affair. In either case, it will result in a considerable loss of income for the Board since Pune Warriors was the most expensive IPL franchise.

Since joining the IPL in 2011 by bidding $370m, Sahara had been demanding that the franchise fee from their original agreement be reduced since the minimum matches per year have been reduced from the 18 promised to them (the 2013 season had 16 league matches per team). As a result, both parties had agreed to initiate arbitration but the process hasn't yet started due to their disagreement over the judges to be appointed.

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Mominul lends spine to Bangladesh batting

Mominul Haque's defiant century ensured Bangladesh, for once, did not collapse in the third innings of a Test match

Mominul Haque surprised a lot of people today. Not because he batted like a dream, as Tamim Iqbal described it, or because he outpaced the more experienced Tamim in a defiant 157-run stand. The sense of surprise came from seeing him remain not out at the end of day's play, after having completed his second century in two Tests.

The records he has set by these back-to-back performances are numerous. A Bangladeshi batsman has hit two centuries in a series only once before, when Tamim had been in top form in England more than three years ago. Mominul also beat Tillakaratne Dilshan's tally of 366 to become the highest run-scorer in a series in Bangladesh and is four short of becoming the highest run-getter in a Test series by a Bangladeshi.

Mominul has been considered as one of the best cricketers in the country from his age-group, and not just for his talent but also for being a cool-headed, even-tempered person. It is a rare quality and although it doesn't guarantee success, he has remained almost the same person who was first spotted hitting Abdur Razzak for straight sixes two years ago in a practice match at this ground. He didn't look too flustered by the attention, just as he hadn't been when he was selected to the ODI side last year, his first international call-up, or when he scored his maiden Test century in Chittagong.

He had to be patient at a very young age too. Someone like Anamul Haque, two years younger to him in school (both went to BKSP), had hit the headlines for his string of centuries in age-group and domestic cricket. Mominul chipped away with runs, but never really caught the eye apart from one big innings for Bangladesh A in West Indies in 2011. He was never rushed in to the team like Anamul was, and that definitely helped him.

These two centuries have lit up his short Test career and there are a few similarities between them, while at the same time the adjustments he made when situations demanded them were refreshing to watch.

The 181 in Chittagong was an innings of two halves as he had to temper his strokeplay after completing a century. Despite walking in at 8 for 2, he blasted 70-odd in one evening session before hitting five boundaries to blaze to a hundred off 98 balls. It was a very Bangladeshi response to any situation, and there had to questions about his temperament for that change from his usual manner of batting.

New Zealand bowled better to him after the hundred, giving him very little to play outside the off stump. His favoured shots square of the wicket on the off side were nowhere to be seen but that didn't frustrate him. He let the likes of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim do most of the scoring, and made sure he dropped anchor.

Here at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, it was about survival from the get-go. He walked in at 55 for 2, with the team behind by 100 runs and in risk of conceding the series. Tight batting was required but there were moments, especially early on, when he played across the line as the left-arm seamers slanted the ball into him. It looked risky but the wrist work involved made sure he played the ball down, and a balanced head position helped too - benefits of extensive training over the last few months to counter his line of attack.

His off-side strokeplay, particularly shots off the back foot through point and gully, were fully controlled. His cover drives are struck in the air sometimes, but his skill in placing the ball saved him on most occasions. On the on side, Mominul picked up runs with ease, particularly off deliveries that were pitched up.

It wasn't an all-out attacking innings from Mominul, though. Tamim, his partner, had impressed the need for both of them to stay at the crease as long as possible and when Mominul was stuck on 99, unable to pierce a seven-two field on the off side, Tamim told him to forget about the hundred and just wait.

It arrived soon after, and like he did in Chittagong, the hundred was celebrated rather sedately. "Mominul has worked very hard and is getting the results," Tamim said. "I have seen very few players play so fluently for Bangladesh. Only when success comes to people they stray down the wrong path, they don't take that walk without success.

"But I don't think he is that type of person who cannot handle success; he doesn't think much about these things. I have seen a similarity in this respect between him and Shakib. Both have the same mentality. They also have the same coach. So I don't think he [Mominul] will have problems."

There will be a lot resting on Mominul going into the fifth day, especially with Bangladesh's batting not known for its survival skills. He will have to shoulder the expectations now and just like he shifted gears during his 181 in Chittagong, knuckle down and end New Zealand's chances of winning the game.

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Ashes spot not on Bailey's mind

Australia captain George Bailey has said it is "ridiculous" for him to think about an Ashes spot in the Australian summer on the basis of his one-day form in India - 318 runs in four innings. He also said he felt "frustrated" during his 98 against India in the washed-out Ranchi ODI and said Glenn Maxwell took the pressure off him in cracking 92 off 77 deliveries.

Although he's played 33 ODIs and 19 T20Is, Bailey has not made it to the Test side, and has a first-class average of 38.29 from 96 matches. His scores so far this series have been 85, 92*, 43 and 98 but he denied having one eye on an Ashes berth. "No, both eyes on the ball. That's very important. I think there's probably eight guys who have got a chance of playing in that Ashes team. It's so far away. It's just ridiculous to look at it. There's guys who will be at home playing Shield cricket, we've got Australia A games when we get back. It's a completely different format. Completely different surface. I don't think there's anyone out playing in these games thinking about that series."

Despite his superb ODI form, Bailey said he didn't feel at his best in Ranchi."I was dropped twice. I was a bit frustrated out there and found it quite difficult," Bailey said. "I think Maxy's innings was absolutely superb. We've seen his hitting before and we've seen how he can take games away late in an innings. But to come in with the team under pressure, with the ball still doing a little bit, I thought he summed it up. He still hit the boundaries and sixes but he hit them off the balls that he needed to hit. He didn't take any risks. They were smart shots in his areas. He took the pressure off me. When you've got someone scoring at the pace he was, it put the pressure right back on India. It was a great knock."

Bailey and Maxwell - who was put down twice as well, though off difficult chances - put on 153 in 22.4 overs after Australia had been reduced to 32 for 3 at one stage by Mohammed Shami. The fast bowler got the new ball to move around initially, but Bailey said Maxwell's arrival changed things. "I thought Maxwell found it conducive to strokeplay. It was still a good batting wicket. Probably what it did that the other wickets haven't done is it swung and seamed and spat a little bit, particularly at the start. From the moment Maxwell strode to the crease he made it look like a different wicket."

Maxwell hit 11 boundaries in his innings, two of them reverse-swept to the deep -cover boundary off R Ashwin. Bailey said he had no reason to ask his partner to take it easy as Maxwell had worked on the shot in the nets. "He practises that as much as I've ever seen anyone practise it. No more so than I see Shane Watson practising the straight drive. If that's a shot he's put the time into - and we've seen him put that time into it - then he has absolutely every right to play it. As long as the circumstances are right. I think the field that he had and the plan that he had was spot on. And he executed them both very well."

Australia were positive about defending 295 before the rain came down with India 27 for 0 in 4.1 overs, Bailey said. "We were confident but I'm sure India probably were as well. Given the way the series has gone... strong batting line-up, I'm sure they would've been. We just felt there was enough movement in the wicket, particularly early on. Looking at our scorecard it would suggest that new batters found it difficult at the wicket. It was hard to get started. We were hoping if we could get a couple of wickets you could make that quite challenging. And certainly the pace that Mitch (Johnson) was getting it through early on, it looked like that was going to be quite difficult to play at different stages at the game.

"Certainly 50 overs we were confident and happy to back. I think the way Duckworth-Lewis is set up, I think if it had become a 20-over game it probably would've suited India quite a bit."

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'Deceptive' Shami earns praise

Mohammed Shami, the India fast bowler, has drawn praise from both captains, MS Dhoni and George Bailey, for his performance in his first game of the ODI series in Ranchi. Bowling consistently around the 140 kph mark, Shami ran through the Australia top order with a first spell of 6-1-21-3, accounting for Aaron Finch, Phillip Hughes and Shane Watson.

"Shami is deceptive," Dhoni said after the game was washed out with Australia having posted 295 for 8. "He bowls quicker than you would think. What was important was he bowled full and the wickets he got, he was hitting the bails. That shows he was bowling the right length on this pitch. And at the death he was getting the yorkers in pretty consistently."

Bailey, who revived Australia after Shami's burst in the company of Glenn Maxwell, also said the fast bowler did a fine job. "He bowled very well," Bailey said. "He's someone we haven't seen in the series and he was a little bit quicker than what we expected. He certainly got a bit of movement off the seam. That's something to be pretty aware of for the rest of the series. That's obviously what's going to be coming at us."

Shami himself did not think there was too much help from the pitch, although he did generate some bounce and movement off the seam and in the air under overcast skies. "Nothing special in the pitch," Shami said. "We were bowling first and there will be something for the fast bowlers when the wicket is fresh. There was not much bounce or carry. It was a little better before the rain but once it rained, the pitch slowed down a lot.

"The plan was not to give any room to the batsmen and make them play at the ball. The pitch in the beginning was assisting fast bowlers and we bowled accordingly."

Shami also said he had been spending more hours in the gym to increase his pace, but added that speed was also an outcome of the conditions. "How fast we bowl mostly depends on the conditions available," he said. "If there is some assistance, you get inspired to bowl quicker. As we saw today, if there is some swing, some movement, you put in the extra effort."

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