West Indies seek revenge against New Zealand in Gayle’s 100th Test

While much of the local focus on the fixture has centered on local hero Chris Gayle becoming just the ninth Caribbean cricketer to play 100 Tests, the bludgeoning opening batsman's impending landmark has taken a backseat in the minds of the visitors, with coach Mike Hesson raising questions as to the match referee's ability to effectively police the action of Shane Shillingford.

   

Suspended from the international game for the second time in his career following two Tests in India last November, the tall off-spinner is set for a return on a pitch that may lack the venom of old but should still have enough bounce to allow both the Dominican and the even more gangling left-armer Sulieman Benn of Barbados to pose significant threats.

   

"It's quite hard to see how they actually police that," Hesson said on Friday in reference to the ability of officials to detect whether or not Shillingford bowls the "doosra," a delivery that has been a key weapon in earning him 65 wickets in 14 Tests but which he is not now allowed to use following the latest remedial work on his action.

   

West Indies, who were comprehensively beaten 2-0 in New Zealand six months earlier, are likely to opt for a balanced attack that could see late call-up Jason Holder sharing the new ball with either Kemar Roach or Jerome Taylor, both of whom are returning from injury.

   

New Zealand's build-up to only their sixth Test series in the Caribbean has involved two warm-up matches, a rarity in recent times given the congested international calendar.

   

Both fixtures against local teams in the western Jamaican venue of Trelawny were low-scoring affairs, although there was enough evidence to suggest that it may be worthwhile investing in uncapped off-spinner Mark Craig even if the seam attack, led by Trent Boult and Tim Southee, will again be key to their pursuit of just a second Test match victory in the West Indies since their first tour here in 1972.

New home captain Denesh Ramdin is expecting a tough first series at the helm but at least does not have to contend with the considerable distraction of a match-fixing controversy in which his New Zealand counterpart, Brendon McCullum, is embroiled

   

That follows his testimony to the International Cricket Council anti-corruption unit in which he claimed to have been approached by a former player twice in 2008.

   

Teams:

West Indies: Denesh Ramdin (captain), Chris Gayle, Kieran Powell, Kraigg Brathwaite, Kirk Edwards, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Jerome Taylor, Jason Holder, Kemar Roach, Sulieman Benn, Shane Shillingford, Shannon Gabriel.
   
New Zealand: Brendan McCullum (captain), Peter Fulton, Hamish Rutherford, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Corey Anderson, BJ Watling, Luke Ronchi, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner, Mark Craig, Ish Sodhi.

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Robson, Jordan called up to England squad for first Test against Sri Lanka

Meanwhile, Yorkshire seamer Liam Plunkett was recalled having last played Test cricket seven years ago. Matt Prior, who has been struggling with an Achilles injury, was passed fit to keep wicket.
   
And that meant there was no place for Jos Buttler, who made a blistering century for England against Sri Lanka in the fourth one-day international at Lord's on Saturday or Jonny Bairstow, the man who replaced Prior during England's 5-0 Ashes series loss in Australia.
   
England, with pace bowling all-rounder Ben Stokes deemed not to have had enough bowling following injury, also included Warwickshire's Chris Woakes in their squad for the first of a two-Test series.
   
Robson is set to open alongside England captain Alastair Cook after Michael Carberry was dropped in what was Peter Moores' first Test squad since he returned to the job of England coach.

England lost the one-day international series to Sri Lanka 3-2 ahead of the two-match test series.
             
Run-out row will 'spice up’ Test: Cook

England captain Alastair Cook said he expected the controversial run out of Jos Buttler during the fifth one-day international against Sri Lanka to "spice up" the forthcoming Test series between the teams.

Cook insisted a "line had been crossed" after Sachithra Senanayake ran out England's Jos Buttler as the non-striker backed up during Sri Lanka's 3-2 series-clinching six-wicket win in the fifth and final one-day international at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews, asked by the umpires if he wanted to uphold what was a legitimate appeal, didn't call Buttler back and the wicketkeeper, whose blistering 121 had so nearly taken the hosts to victory in their seven run fourth ODI defeat at Lord's on Saturday, was out for 21.

"I've never seen it before in a game," Cook told a post-match press conference.

"I was pretty disappointed with it to be honest with you. You don't know what you'd do if you were put in that situation, the heat of the moment, until you are. I'd hope I wouldn't do it," he said.

But Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews insisted Buttler had been repeatedly warned before Senanayake took the bails off to send Buttler on his way. This was only the eighth reported instance of a batsman being run out backing up in an international match and the first since South Africa's Peter Kirsten was dismissed by India's Kapil Dev in a one-day international at Port Elizabeth in 1992/93.

Yet even though 'Mankading', the term coined after India's Vinoo Mankad ran out Australia non-striker Bill Brown during the 1947/48 Sydney Test, remains a legitimate dismissal, there are those who regard it as against the 'spirit of cricket'.

"This is just different," said Cook. "For some reason it's different. In my opinion there's a line and that line probably, I think, was crossed today," he said.

"If he was properly trying to steal a single, I could possibly understand it," he added.

England and Sri Lanka meet in the first of two Tests at Lord's next week and Cook added: "Probably, it [the run out] will spice it up a bit, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just important you let your cricket do the talking as well."

The fact it was Senanayake, reported on suspicion of a suspect action by the umpires at Lord's but was still allowed to play in this match under International Cricket Council rules at Edgbaston, who ran Buttler out only added to the row. But senior Sri Lanka batsman Mahela Jawywardene, who made 53 as the tourists chased down a target of 220 which Cook, for all the Buttler furore, admitted was "20-odd runs short on that wicket", insisted Senanayake had done nothing wrong in dismissing Buttler and defended he offspinner's action.

"We gave him a fair chance twice - before the first warning as well, we told the umpires that they're taking too much of a lead," Jayawardene said.

"He was told not to take a start and then warned again, so it's fair enough. At Lord's, they took 22 twos in the last 12 overs. Ravi and he ran riot, and most of the time they were taking starts - which was not legal by the written law," he said.

Squad:
             
Alastair Cook (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Matt Prior, Sam Robson, Joe Root, Chris Woakes.

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India need to draw Test series to retain second position in ICC rankings

A 2-0 series win will fetch India one rating point to take them to 118 points with no change in the table.

    

While a 1-0 result would see India losing five points to end on 112 ratings points, just one ahead of third-ranked Australia, though they would still remain on second position.

    

A 0-0 or 1-1 draw will allow both the teams to maintain their pre-series rankings.

    

In case New Zealand, who are currently on eighth position with 82 points, win the series 2-0 then they will jump to 88 ratings points, while India will fall to 110.

    

New Zealand will leapfrog the West Indies into seventh position if they win the series 1-0.

    

In fact, the Black Caps can move ahead of Sri Lanka in sixth place, provided they beat India 2-0 and Bangladesh win the second Test against Sri Lanka to draw the series 1-1.

    

A 1-0 series win for New Zealand will mean it will join West Indies on 87 points but will be ranked in seventh position when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.

    

India's Cheteshwar Pujara (5th) and vice-captain Virat Kohli (11th) have excellent opportunities to climb up the ladder in the ICC Test batsmen's table.

    

It will be golden chance for in-form Kohli to enter the top-10 for the first time in his career.

    

Ravichandran Ashwin, at seventh spot, starts off the series as the highest-ranked Indian Test bowler.

 (Agencies)

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Sri Lanka lose early wickets in second Test against Bangladesh

Bangladesh, looking for a series-levelling win after losing the first Test by an innings and 248 runs last week, appeared set for a long haul after Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat.

    

But they struck in quick succession just after the drinks break to share the honours in the morning session.

    

Openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva managed just eight runs in the first eight overs and plodded to 30-0 after 15 when Bangladesh broke through.

    

Off-spinner Sohag Gazi, who shared the new ball with Al-Amin Hossain, claimed first Test century-maker Silva leg-before for 11.

    

Left-hander Karunaratne settled in to score 31 when he slashed at a wide ball from Al-Amin and was caught at point to make Sri Lanka 49-2.

    

Kumar Sangakkara (15 not out) and Mahela Jayawardene (10 not out) were together at the crease when lunch was called.

    

Sri Lanka went into the Test without frontline left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and seamer Shaminda Eranga, who were both ordered to return home due to injuries.

    

They were replaced by off-spinner Ajantha Mendis and paceman Nuwan Pradeep, the only changes from the side that won the first Test.

    

Bangladesh brought in batsman Imrul Kayes, all-rounder Mohammad Mahmudullah and left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak in place of Marshall Ayub, Rubel Hossain and Robiul Islam.

 (Agencies)

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