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The India captain brushed off criticism of the way MS Dhoni had approached the final phase of India’s chase in the second ODI

Nagraj Gollapudi at Lord's14-Jul-2018MS Dhoni walked a single to third man to reach 10,000 ODI runs, but there was barely a clap heard at Lord’s. Even the Indian dressing room was glum.Not long after that, Dhoni was booed as India’s run rate came to a virtual standstill in the final 10 overs, after the chase of 323 fell apart. Boos and slow-hand claps rang across the ground because Dhoni was reluctant to play aggressively.Dhoni had walked in at the fall of Virat Kohli’s wicket with India needing 183 in 23 overs, the asking rate a shade below eight. By the time he was dismissed for 37 off 59 balls, 20 overs later, India had added just 75 runs, and the required rate had nearly doubled. India didn’t have a single over that went for over 10 in the last 15; overs 40 to 50 produced just 42. It was also the first time since the 2011 World Cup semi-final that India failed hit a six in an ODI.When Dhoni was finally caught slogging Liam Plunkett to deep midwicket in the 47th over, the crowd clapped his dismissal. At the presentation, Kohli reasoned that Dhoni’s plan was to ensure India did not suffer a big defeat.”The idea was to take the innings deep,” Kohli said. “We don’t want to lose by 160 or 170 runs. You want to take it as deep as you can and he has got the experience, but some days it just doesn’t come off. People just jump to conclusions, which we as a team don’t. We totally believe in him and in the abilities in all the other players.”Kohli said the team was not affected by the criticism of Dhoni. “This thing comes up again and again when he is not able to play the way he does,” Kohli said. “It is very unfortunate that people just jump to conclusions very quickly. When he does well people call him best finisher ever. And when things don’t go well people pounce on him. We all have bad days in cricket. Today was I think a bad day for everyone, not just for him alone. And just as a batting unit we could not click.”Yuzvendra Chahal, India’s No. 11, also said he understood Dhoni’s position. With a long tail -Kuldeep Yadav, Siddarth Kaul and himself – Chahal said Dhoni was helpless. “He had not also batted much through the series. And if he had gone for the shots and got out then probably India might not have played all the 50 overs.”

Niroshan Dickwella agreed with his captain, saying Sri Lanka made too many mistakes in the field to defend a total of 244

Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Aug-2018Angelo Mathews put it bluntly: “We were a bunch of school kids when it came to today’s fielding.” Niroshan Dickwella said basically the same thing, but with a little more subtlety, drawing attention to the many “mistakes” that led to Sri Lanka’s 10th straight loss to South Africa, and their second loss in this series.Sri Lanka had begun shakily with the bat, losing two wickets in the second over – bowled by Lungi Ngidi. They had failed to accelerate through the late overs, with wickets having fallen regularly, and ended up with only 244 on the board. Then in the field, they shelled two straightforward chances in the early overs, both off the bowling off Kasun Rajitha, and the reprieved Hashim Amla (4) and Quinton de Kock (24) put on a 91-run opening stand to reinforce South Africa’s advantage. More shoddy fielding was to follow, as well as poor bowling at various times in the innings.”We made mistakes throughout the game,” Dickwella said. “If we want to win a match, we can’t make so many mistakes. Maybe you can make two or three mistakes and fix those things within the game itself and win the match. But if you make mistakes through the match, it’s hard to win.”Dickwella’s own batting though, was less ridden with mistakes, especially compared with how his team-mates played, and as such he hit 69 off 78 balls to give Sri Lanka’s top-order effort a little bit of credibility. Dickwella has been struglling for runs through this tour, recording scores of 18, 9, 5, 7* and 2 across the two Tests and first ODI. His success on Wednesday was due to a change of approach, or rather a reversion to the way he used to play, before coaches had asked him to change his technique. As is often the case with Dickwella, more than half his runs came behind square.”I was working with the batting coach Thilan Samaraweera and coach Chandika Hathurusingha, and I did some changes in my batting and I was worried about those things,” he said. “Then we had one-to-one meetings, and I said I’m going to play like how I used to play, and not think about my technique. I’m going to work on my technique in the nets, but I’m going to play my normal game like I used to play when I started my career. That’s what I did when I went to the middle today. It worked out for me.”Part of that “normal game” for Dickwella, is to attack more or less relentlessly in the early overs. In this match, he hit three audacious boundaries off the opposition’s best bowler, Kagiso Rabada, to set his innings off at a canter. He started by socking Rabada over mid off for four in the third over, before twice backing away to scythe him through the off side – one of those shots was a ramp shot that flew just over slip. Soon enough, Dickwella was on 21 off 18 balls, and seemed more comfortable at the crease than he had all through this tour, even as Sri Lanka lost wickets at the other end. Dickwella’s 67-run partnership with Mathews would be the best stand of Sri Lanka’s innings.”If I go to a negative mindset after we lost two wickets, definitely I’m going to get out,” Dickwella said. “I didn’t think about the wickets. It was not my mistake to lose those wickets, so if I think about those things, and bat as a reaction to that, it’s not going to help me. I spoke to my partners, and we wanted to build a partnership. Then Angelo Mathews came and it really helped me because he is the senior player and he always talks to me. He always advises me how to play and how to take the calculated risk. That helped me.”

Marcus Trescothick bagged a pair but Azhar Ali ensured that Surrey would have to work hard for a victory against their closest challengers

ECB Reporters Network20-Sep-20181:38

Worcestershire relegated after Essex hammering

ScorecardSurrey were frustrated by the weather and some stiff Somerset resistance on the third day of the Specsavers County Championship match at Taunton.By the close of a day limited to 49.3 overs by rain and bad light, the hosts had reached 168 for three in their second innings and required a further 171 to avoid an innings defeat.The match looked set to end inside three days when Somerset crashed to four for two, following on, Marcus Trescothick bagging a pair when dismissed by Morne Morkel for the second time in the match.But from there the home side found a resolve that was missing from their first innings batting, James Hildreth making 60 and Azhar Ali ending the day unbeaten on 61.Overnight rain prevented play getting underway until noon and when it did Somerset’s last wicket pair of Josh Davey and Jack Leach added 24 before Davey looked to drive Morkel and was caught at point by Mark Stoneman.Somerset were all out for 146 and were soon in trouble in their second innings as Morkel bowled Trescothick in the opening over.Tom Banton hit a sweet on-drive for four off Tom Curran, but was bowled next ball and the hosts’ brittle batting in recent games looked set to repeat itself.Surrey could sense victory in the air as Hildreth walked out to the middle to join Azhar. Bu the third-wicket pair gradually grew in confidence and in the 13th over a blistering cover drive from Azhar off Conor McKerr saw the Somerset 50 up.The duo continued to prosper and Hildreth went to his half-century with a single off McKerr to square cover, his runs coming off 68 balls with eight fours.Two overs later Azhar edged McKerr to the third-man boundary to bring up 100, shortly after which the players left the field for bad light for an early tea.When play resumed only two more balls were possible before the players went off again due to more bad light.After an hour, play resumed with the loss of 16 further overs. Tom Curran switched to the Somerset Pavilion End and in his second over made the vital breakthrough when he tempted Hildreth to drive at a fuller ball and edge to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.In his next over Curran was unlucky to have Azhar put down at second slip when he was on 30. The former Pakistan captain survived and rode his luck, taking two boundaries to deep backward square leg in the young paceman’s next over.Azhar went to his fifty with a boundary to backward square off McKerr, having faced 97 balls and hit nine fours.Somerset had moved onto 168 for three off 42.2 overs, when bad light stopped play bringing an early close to proceedings, by which time Azhar and Tom Abell (21 not out) had added 61.

Australia were left with needing 491 runs more with two full days of Test cricket still to go

The Report by Danyal Rasool18-Oct-2018Stumps Pakistan moved closer to a series-clinching win in Abu Dhabi today, breaking the back of the Australian bowling attack – and perhaps the spirit of the side – once and for all. On what was a draining day in ferociously hot conditions, Sarfraz Ahmed kept Tim Paine and his men out on the field for all but the last 12 overs. They amassed 400 runs in the process, and set Australia a gargantuan 538 runs to win. There was still time for Mir Hamza to get his first Test wicket, clipping the outside of Shaun Marsh’s off stump with perhaps the best delivery of the match.It was a day when good news kept coming for Pakistan; not only do they have their foot on Australian throats, but the two men chiefly responsible for it are the pair who most struggled for runs prior to this Test. Babar Azam and Sarfraz put on 133 for the sixth wicket, Babar falling agonisingly short of his first Test hundred, Mitchell Marsh trapping him in front when the 23-year old was on 99.Had it come, it would have arrived with all the stylishness archetypal to Babar in white-ball cricket. He respected the good balls – on the rare occasions Australia bowled them – and exquisite timing off both feet kept the boundaries flowing. The glorious cut behind point totemic to Babar was repeatedly struck with magnificent sweetness; one off Peter Siddle took him within two runs of the hundred. No one could have argued he didn’t deserve it had he got there.Sarfraz and Babar rotated the strike as if these were the middle overs of an ODI, and with Australia having pushed the field back, any serious intention to pick up wickets had long been sacrificed at the altar of saving boundaries.For Sarfraz, too, this Test has been like manna from the heavens. After his career seemed to be meandering aimlessly for the last few months, he appears to have shaken off the negativity and is batting like the man who forced his way into the side in 2014, ending the reign of the Akmals in Pakistan cricket. He scored 81, his second half-century of the match, but it meant yet another occasion this Test where a Pakistan batsman fell short of the three-figure mark.Babar Azam congratulates Sarfraz Ahmed on his second fifty of the Test•Getty Images

After tea, the game stalled somewhat strangely; Pakistan weren’t as keen to pursue quick runs as they might have been, while Australia bowled a tight enough line to make run-scoring more challenging. However, it continued to sap the energy from Australia’s reserves; in all, they were out on the field for 120 overs this innings. They will have to bat closer to 200 more to avoid a seemingly certain defeat.The day, though, will perhaps be remembered for a piece of astoundingly amateur cricket from Pakistan’s two most level heads. Half an hour into it, it appeared Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali’s morning coffee still hadn’t begun to make its impact felt. Azhar edged Peter Siddle through the slips, the ball looking destined for the third-man boundary.The pair were so sure of the four, that they jogged to the middle of the pitch for a leisurely chat. (It isn’t yet known whether they, like Tim Paine and Nathan Lyon last match, were talking about which Inbetweeners episode they were going to watch that night). But the ball stopped just short of the rope, and Mitchell Starc threw it back to Paine, who effected a swift run-out. All this while, Azhar and Shafiq hadn’t moved an inch from the middle of the pitch, perhaps unwilling to accept how absent-minded they had been. Expect to find it in cricket-blooper videos for decades to come.At this stage, the lead was under 300, and Australia may have sensed a chance to bowl Pakistan out quickly. But Babar, whose place in the side has been under some scrutiny, played with the maturity he usually limits to white-ball cricket, and alongside him, Shafiq forgot the madness of the run-out. Pakistan’s scoring rate picked up in the last half hour before lunch, and Australia began to get desperate; both reviews were used somewhat frivolously.But Asad, who had along with Babar steered the game out of competitive waters with a 75-run stand found point off Labuschagne soon after lunch. Once again, Australia may have harboured hopes of running through the lower-middle order, but Pakistan were having none of it.It seems a long time ago, but the visitors had started the day particularly brightly, with Haris Sohail and Azhar back in the pavilion in a first hour where under 30 runs were scored. But by the time the desert sun finally set on another blistering day in Abu Dhabi, Justin Langer and his men would be forgiven for wondering if that had just been a mirage.

Victoria had a handy lead by the close thanks to a calm half-century by Cameron White

Alex Malcolm17-Nov-2018Chris Tremain’s third five-wicket haul of the Sheffield Shield season helped Victoria dismantle Tasmania on day one of the clash at Bellerive in Hobart.After being sent in to bat by Victorian captain Peter Handscomb, the Tigers were bowled out for 81 in just 29.5 overs.Tremain picked up three of the first four wickets of the innings trapping Alex Doolan in front, getting Jordan Silk caught at point with a sliced drive and finding Beau Webster’s outside edge to leave the home side 4 for 34.James Pattinson and Scott Boland also got in on the act. Pattinson picked up three scalps of his own in a brisk five-over spell while Boland claimed Jake Doran and the crucial scalp of Matthew Wade.Tremain returned to claim the last two wickets of the innings including Australia’s Test captain Tim Paine.Victoria were in early trouble at 2 for 21 in reply after Travis Dean was run out and Handscomb nicked a superb delivery from Gurinder Sandhu. Marcus Harris failed to capitalise on a start edging an attempted cut off Riley Meredith.Cameron White steadied with a calming half-century. His patient 63 from 121 balls featured just five boundaries but put Victoria in control. He got good support from Seb Gotch who remained 23 not out at close and will look to build a significant lead early on day two with the help of Victoria’s lower order.

Sandhu’s record spell helps Pakistan bowlers apply the squeeze after Javeria’s enterprising half-century in a must-win game

The Report by Shashank Kishore13-Nov-2018Ireland were in the contest for eight overs after losing the toss. Then, they saw it sensationally slip away. As is the case most times, a missed opportunity proved costly. Pakistan didn’t look back from there, blasting 110 off their last 12 overs to finish with a competitive 139. This was 38 too many for Ireland. The win kept Pakistan just about breathing in the competition after two heavy losses to Australia and India.The beneficiary of the missed opportunity was Javeria Khan, the Pakistan captain. On nine at the start of the ninth over after Pakistan had limped to 29 for 1, she should’ve been caught at long-on, but Clare Shillington was five yards inside the ropes. When she finally backpedaled, it was too late. Celeste Raack, the Australia-born legspinner, was denied a wicket in her very first over. Javeria went on to make 74 not out, the highest score by a Pakistan batsman in a women’s T20I.Ireland’s chase never took off, and they were expertly tied into knots by Nashra Sandhu, the left-arm spinner. Left out for the game against India, 20-year-old returned to finish with 4-0-8-2. After managing only 36 for 2 in the Powerplay, it turned out that Ireland never quite had the muscle in the middle overs to pinch boundaries. Instead they chose to play ugly across-the-line swipes to either be bowled or lbw. Isobel Joyce’s 30 added the only touch of respectability for Ireland in what was a one-sided affair.ICC/Getty

The effort of the game clearly came from Javeria, who brought a sputtering innings to life with her industry. When long-off was wide, she hit straight. When mid-off was in, she went over the top. When there were two point fielders, she opened the bat face to carve it into the gap behind the wicket. When the bowlers drifted the ball in, got inside the line and played inside-out. If the bowlers bowled short, she walked across to sweep.It was an exhibition of batting right out of the top drawer. She raised her half-century off 41 deliveries, and with the landmark out of the way, put her head down to bat right through the innings without compromising on her strike rate. Her three successive boundaries in the 17th over off Raack displayed her full range.Ireland’s chase never took off, but they also weren’t helped by an umpiring gaffe. Gaby Lewis, the first to fall, should’ve survived a stumping as wicketkeeper Sidra Nawaz gathered the ball in front of the stumps – as per the rules, that’s not allowed. But the decision went in favour of Pakistan to trigger the slide. In the face of an escalated asking rate, only Shillington managed to strike the ball clean and pinch runs to briefly give Pakistan a flutter, but she was gone before the Powerplay was done. Barring two double-digit scores from the top three, Ireland caved in meekly.

The former Durham county head coach is part of a slew of new appointments, and has a contract that runs till the end of the 2019 World Cup

Andrew Fidel Fernando13-Dec-2018Jon Lewis, the former Durham county head coach, has been appointed Sri Lanka’s new batting coach, displacing incumbent Thilan Samaraweera.Lewis, 48, will join the Sri Lanka team after the Test series against New Zealand concludes, on December 30, and has a contract that will take him through to the end of the 2019 World Cup.A highly-rated coach in England, Lewis oversaw the latter stages of Durham’s run to the County Championship crown in 2013, and coached the team to the one-day title the following year. Under him, Durham were also Natwest Blast runners-up in 2016.”With his expertise and experience, I believe, Lewis will be able to bring in the required impetus to our batting, which needs stability,” SLC CEO Ashley de Silva said.Lewis played 205 first-class matches from 1990 to 2006 and amassed 10,821 runs at an average of 31.92 with 16 centuries.ALSO READ: Sri Lanka hire Steve Rixon as fielding coachSamaraweera is likely to remain in Sri Lanka Cricket’s employ, and will probably take up a role in the high performance centre in Colombo, where he will work with developing and age-group players.Lewis’ appointment is one of several recent changes to the Sri Lanka set-up, following poor home series against England. In addition to a new batting coach, Sri Lanka have a new set of selectors led by Ashantha de Mel, as well as a new fielding coach in Steve Rixon, who is expected to join the team ahead of the second Test in New Zealand, which begins on December 26, in Christchurch.

Having shown that they have the techniques and the mental fortitude to tackle quality spin in the UAE lately, can they enhance their reputation by bouncing back at Mount Maunganui?

The Preview by Ankur Dhawan25-Jan-20194:39

Manjrekar: Want to see how Dhoni bats when India bat first

Big Picture

Hyped as a contest between teams that were so closely matched that the friction was expected to cause a spark, maybe even an explosion, the irony wasn’t lost when the first ODI turned out to be a damp squib. Much as New Zealand failed to show up after a 12-day break since the Sri Lanka series, India showcased how difficult they are to beat when they have three wicket-takers at their command.

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Imagine having four once Jasprit Bumrah returns. Although when that does happen in the home series against Australia, the team might have to choose between Mohammed Shami’s strike-rate and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s control and batting ability. For now, on the day when India’s constitution came into force in 1950, they may want to correct a small piece of cricket history: they have never won an ODI on January 26.If New Zealand were lured into a sense of complacency after a series whitewash, the eight-wicket defeat – first in a series opener at home since February 2017 – should shake them from the stupor. Their strength, the middle-order, came a cropper against India’s wristspin, and even Kedar Jadhav had his moments, albeit not while fielding. Seven wickets were lost to the trio on a pitch that did not even offer too much turn.Most of them were soft dismissals, a sign of rustiness, but equally a muddled mindset, and in some cases a consequence of techniques being found out, like Mitchell Santner’s dismissal after a short-ball barrage. It could also have been the pressure built by dot balls. There were 142 in 38 overs, which seemed to affect Ross Taylor, although he was cleverly deceived in the air as well. Or simply an aberration, like Kane Williamson holing out to long-on when he needed to bat through the innings.A fact that they could take refuge in is that India’s wristspinners tend to get easier to negotiate as a series progresses. England handled them better after going one-nil down in Nottingham last year, eventually winning the series. Even the Australians, who had trouble picking Kuldeep Yadav in the Sydney Test milked him in the subsequent ODIs in Sydney and Adelaide. Having shown that they have the techniques and the mental fortitude to tackle quality spin in the UAE lately, can they enhance their reputation by bouncing back at Mount Maunganui? It might help if the openers got some runs.5:08

My technique suits all kinds of wickets – Dhawan

Form guide

New Zealand(last five completed games, most recent first) LWWWL
India WWWLW

In the spotlight

Lockie Ferguson cranked it up with the ball, even though there were not too many tangible gains to be had in Napier. He ended up with the wicket of Virat Kohli, who was out hooking to a ball that hurried onto him. It had an immediate impact on the incoming batsman Ambati Rayudu, who was leaden footed in anticipation of another bouncer and unwilling to cover the line, as he nicked his first ball between keeper and slip. Going forward in the series, that short burst of hostile bowling is something the fast bowler could use to his advantage, knowing that he was able to rattle the Indian batsmen.Ambati Rayudu had no game time before arriving in Australia and it showed in the first two ODIs he played. Things have got progressively worse, as his bowling action came into question, his fielding was found out, he was omitted from the side that sealed the series in Melbourne and Ferguson gave him an intense working over in Napier. It’s baffling that he should return to international cricket after a break looking so raw. But Rayudu has already retired from first-class cricket, the one place that could have enabled him battle-ready. While he has had the faith of the team management, there is a young man with a truckload of first-class runs waiting in the wings.

Team news

India might not want to make any changes yet. There’s time for that later with Virat Kohli being rested from the last two ODIs and Hardik Pandya joining them soon.India (probable XI): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Vijay Shankar, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalYuzvendra Chahal brought out his full bag of tricks•Getty Images

One-nil down, New Zealand don’t have the luxury of time. Any corrections would have to be made soon. As such, there wasn’t much wrong with their team combination. They have depth in both departments, the only question, and that maybe determined by the nature of the pitch in Mount Maunganui, is whether they want to go in with their own wristspinner Ish Sodhi. He fared well at the venue, taking five wickets in the two matches against Sri Lanka recently. Tim Southee could be the one to make way, should New Zealand tinker with the XI.New Zealand (probable XI): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Henry Nicholls, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Tim Southee/Ish Sodhi, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Doug Bracewell, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

The most recent matches against Sri Lanka were high-scoring affairs, with three 300-plus totals and a 298. Generally quicks have fared better at the venue than spinners as far as wickets go, but they have also been more expensive, conceding runs at 5.89 as opposed to 4.83 for spinners.

Stats and trivia

• Kuldeep Yadav’s 4 for 39 in his first match in the New Zealand were the second-best figures by an Indian spinner in the country, after Anil Kumble’s 5 for 33.
• New Zealand have played six ODIs at the Bay Oval, losing three and winning three.

Quotes

“We have been playing for a long time, so it’s a normal thing for us, it’s pretty routine. We enjoy it, the good thing with Virat is that we rotate the strike well”
“Ish [Sodhi] has done extremely well for us but where does he fit in in terms of who you don’t play is one of those things. I’m pretty sure we didn’t read the pitch to turn like it was going to and respond how it did in Napier. Here, it’s generally a very good wicket.”

Suspended West Indies fast bowler accepts his mistake, hopes to be more sensitive and respectful in the future

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2019Shannon Gabriel has extended an “unreserved apology” to Joe Root and the wider cricketing world for his sledge during the St Lucia Test, which has since led to a four-match suspension on him, also calling the episode an “opportunity for myself and all athletes to recognize the need for sensitivity and respect in their interactions with all”.Gabriel also decided to state his account of the conversation that took place between him and Root, of which only one line was picked up by the stump mic earlier. “I think I owe it to them (friends and well-wishers) and to all supporters of West Indies cricket to provide an accurate record of what happened,” he wrote in the statement.”The exchange occurred during a tense moment on the field. The pressure was on and England’s captain Joe Root was looking at me intensely as I prepared to bowl, which may have been the usual psychological strategy with which all Test cricketers are familiar.”I recognize now that I was attempting to break through my own tension when I said to Joe Root: ‘Why are you smiling at me? Do you like boys?'”His response, which was picked up by the microphone, was: ‘Don’t use it as an insult. There’s nothing wrong with being gay.’ I then responded: ‘I have no issues with that, but you should stop smiling at me.'”Shannon Gabriel’s apology•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Gabriel was charged with a Level 2 offence under article 2.13 of the ICC’s Code of Conduct, covering “personal abuse”. There was no formal hearing with Jeff Crowe, the match referee, as Gabriel accepted the charge, following which he was given a four-match ban and fined 75% of his match fee.Gabriel went on to say that he had had a conversation with Root since and “I am comforted by the fact that there are no hard feelings between us” at the end of what he referred to as something he had initially assumed was “inoffensive picong [taunt] and sporting banter” but had since used as a “learning experience”.

England’s preliminary World Cup squad will keep most people happy, although the inclusion of Joe Denly might raise questions

George Dobell17-Apr-2019That’s the easy bit done.Having the option to pick three squads gave Ed Smith and his fellow selectors a chance to keep just about everyone happy and they have done so. The provisional England squad is little more than a marketing tool to ensure the World Cup claims a place in the news in the approach to the tournament. The real business – selecting the final 15 – remains more than a month away.We can conclude, therefore, that Jofra Archer’s inclusion is dependent upon how he fares in the forthcoming games against Ireland and Pakistan. He has played only 14 List A matches and will have to learn fast, but it will be a surprise if he does not impress enough to force his way into that final 15. He is an outstanding talent and he has had experience of high-pressure cricket in various T20 tournaments.The thought of him bowling in tandem with Mark Wood – have England ever had a quicker ODI bowling partnership? – is mouth-watering. Liam Plunkett and Tom Curran look most vulnerable, but Chris Woakes has been nursing that sore knee for a long time now. He has to be considered a doubt.Opinions over whether Archer should be included appear to be divided pretty much into those who think he should and those who are the incumbent England seamers. Really, asking them their opinions is a bit like asking butchers what they think of vegetarianism.ALSO READ: Archer misses initial World Cup cut but set for debutThere is, however, a valid concern over whether the squad could be destabilised by insecurity at this late stage. Building such a unit is always dependent on maintaining the balance between meritocracy and security. Players encouraged to engage in fearless cricket need to know they will not be dropped if they endure one or two modest games. The thought that a few may now be looking over their shoulder when they should be concentrating on the task in front of them is a legitimate worry.Equally, though, you cannot build too cosy an environment where the opportunity to improve is spurned. Archer looks to be a player of huge ability who could potentially strengthen the England side. This is, after all, a team that allowed Chris Gayle to hit them for a six, on average, every 8.10 deliveries during the recent ODI series against West Indies. You cannot concede a statistic like that and feel secure in your place in the team.It would be brutally harsh to leave a player like Plunkett out given his excellence in recent years. But he appear to be in gradual decline and international sport brutal. The overall strength of the team has to supersede individual ambitions.Change doesn’t have to destabilise, either. Take the World T20 of 2010, for example. Craig Kieswetter, who was Man of the Match in the final, made his debut in the first game of the tournament. So did his opening partner, Michael Lumb. Michael Yardy had played just three T20Is previously, while James Anderson was somewhat surprisingly omitted to make room for Ryan Sidebottom. It remains the only global, limited-overs trophy the men’s side has won.Ultimately, it will be for the England team management to ensure the changes are smoothly handled and beneficial. They did little to play down the consequences of Archer’s impending qualification during the Caribbean tour – they reasoned it may motivate the current team members – but they will soon need to focus and calm their first choice squad. It surely bodes well that they have done a good job of managing the competition for the opening batting spots.Either way, Smith dismissed the idea that the team would be destabilised, following some eye-catching headlines involving comments from Woakes and Mark Wood.”If you read those comments really carefully, if you read the whole piece, you’ll see Woakes specified he was not concerned about team unity with Jofra Archer coming into the squad,” Smith said. “He feels those comments were taken out of context. He went on to say he didn’t believe there would be any disruption. Eoin Morgan also confirmed that he didn’t think there would be any disruption.”I believe a strong team culture enables the gradual evolution of the side. It’s a small change here and there that can make the squad even stronger when it matters. Everything we’re doing now is geared towards England having the best squad available at the World Cup.”Amid all the noise around the availability of Archer, it has gone relatively unnoticed that Joe Denly is in the World Cup squad despite not having played an ODI for a decade. Denly is a fine cricketer but he owes his selection to two key factors: Smith’s apparently unwavering belief in his ability – for Smith is clearly something of a champion of his former team-mate – and the premise that he is a spin-bowling allrounder. And that second point is highly debatable.Jofra Archer was Royals’ outstanding bowler on the night•BCCI

Certainly, the statistics don’t endorse Smith’s description of Denly as “one of England’s leading spin bowlers” in the format. In a 15-year-career, he has claimed just 46 List A wickets, with 24 of those taken overseas. Only once in an English season has he claimed more than four wickets. His selection reminds us, yet again, about the lack of depth that currently exists in England’s spin-bowling resources.Maybe that is slightly unfair. Denly’s batting is perceived well enough by the selectors that he went in at No. 3 in England’s last Test. And as Smith points out, he is “very unusual cricketer” in being able to bowl spin and bat in almost any position, though much the same could be said about Moeen Ali.Still, the sense remains this is a throwback to the days of ‘bits and pieces’ selections when general utility took precedence over any specific excellence in either discipline. Memories of Vince Wells, Ian Austin and the 1999 World Cup come flooding back. And, with respect to those fine cricketers, they are not great memories.There is very little probability that England will select a three-spinner attack at any stage in this World Cup and, if either Moeen or Adil Rashid suffers injury, the likes of Denly or Liam Dawson are probably little more than a couple of hours away. With Archer or Chris Jordan – who surely has extra value as a high-quality substitute fielder and stood above his fellow seamers at the end of the Caribbean tour – pushing for inclusion, Denly will have to put in a couple of persuasive performances over the next couple of weeks. You suspect most opposition players would rather see him in the England line-up than Archer.It probably bears repeating here that Archer has, and has had for many years, a UK passport courtesy of his British father. He’s British, he’s qualified and he’s a fine cricketer. Worrying about the implications of his inclusion would seem to be conjuring a negative out of a considerable positive.