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Division One

Luke Wright blasted Sussex to a romping nine-wicket victory against Gloucestershire at Horsham with 95 off 68 balls. His first 50 runs all came in boundaries and the powerful display enabled Sussex to canter home with nearly 14 overs to spare as they chased 190 to go top of the table. Wright added 136 for the second wicket with Ed Joyce, who continued his strong form with an unbeaten 66. Sussex had taken an early hold on the match when James Kirtley reduced Gloucestershire to 35 for 3, including a sharp caught-and-bowled to remove a labouring Kadeer Ali, and Yasir Arafat rounded off the innings with a hat-trick, just the third by a Sussex bowler in the one-day league.A solid all-round display from Essex secured a 34-run victory against Nottinghamshire at Garon Park. Ryan ten Doeschate played the key innings with 64 off 50 balls to lift Essex from 155 for 7 to 224 for 8 with an eighth-wicket stand of 55 in six overs alongside Mervyn Westfield. Varun Chopra earlier hit 51 before a collapse against debutant Andy Carter, who claimed three wickets, and Samit Patel. Nottinghamshire were well placed in the chase at 66 for 1, but Ali Brown and Mark Wagh fell to fine catches by James Foster and Chris Read was run out to leave the visitors 107 for 5. Patel offered resistance with 58, but there was too much to do especially against Danish Kaneria who claimed 3 for 28.James Hildreth guided Somerset to a five-wicket win against Yorkshire at Taunton with an unbeaten 62 after the home side suffered a batting wobble. Chasing 209, Marcus Trescothick (39 off 27 balls) and Craig Kieswetter added 77 before Yorkshire fought back with four wickets for 14. Hildreth first added 51 with Peter Trego then the match-sealing with Arul Suppiah, who struck two sixes in his run-a-ball 32, as one Adil Rashid over went for 21. Yorkshire’s innings was held together by Jacques Rudolph’s 95 from 85 balls but he had precious little support and was last-out caught on the boundary.

Division Two

Tom Maynard’s 108 from 62 balls couldn’t help Glamorgan across the line against Northamptonshire in a high-scoring encounter at Colwyn Bay as the visitors held on for a six-run victory. Maynard hit 13 fours and four sixes in his county’s fastest one-day hundred from 57 deliveries but was bowled with 24 needed from two overs. Northamptonshire’s innings was dominated by an opening stand of 153 between Stephen Peters (69) and Niall O’Brien (82).Owais Shah made his claim for an England recall with 130 from 94 balls but the effort was in vain as Middlesex fell to a 12-run defeat in an entertaining match against Kent at Canterbury. The inexperienced pair of Warren Lee and Mat Coles (with one game between them) held their nerve at the end after a consistent Kent batting performance capped off by Darren Stevens’ 50-ball 75.Jonathan Trott gave further evidence of his sparkling form with 73 off 71 balls as Warwickshire sped to a nine-wicket victory against an inexperienced Leicestershire side at Edgbaston. Trott had earlier taken two wickets and added 114 for the first wicket with Neil Carter who clubbed 63 off 34 balls. Leicestershire included Charlie Dagnell, who is now a radio presenter, and five England Under-19 players.

The future of Test cricket dominated the two-day MCC World Cricket Committee meeting at Lord’s, with the sombre conclusion being that it is in danger of dying out. The committee put forward recommendations including a World Test Championship, a trial of day/night Test cricket and pink balls in a bid to make the longer format more appealing.”Except for certain icon series, such as the Ashes, Test cricket throughout the world, and in particular the lower-ranked nations, is in very real danger of dying,” a statement by the committee said. “MCC’s research proved that attendances at Test cricket have declined in recent years. In addition, there is a growing ambivalence towards the longer format of the game from cricketers in certain nations, with player surveys revealing that an IPL contract was the main career aspiration for many.””The committee is deeply concerned that the proliferation of lucrative domestic Twenty20 leagues, such as the IPL, will lead to the premature retirement of quality international cricketers. Those from the lower-ranked Test nations could be particularly susceptible to such a career choice, based on earnings alone.”Referring to a World Test Championship, the committee said that the game “needs a World Test Championship and it needs one within the short-term. Work should commence immediately on devising the appropriate format.”Those views were endorsed by Steve Waugh, a member of the committee. “Test cricketers want to play for a world championship, like what happens in one-day and Twenty20,” he said. “Something has to be done to lift the game’s profile.”Martin Crowe, the former New Zealand batsman, suggested an eight-team format in which teams play three-match series and then move towards the semi-finals and final. The committee said the proposal, which must first reach an ICC agenda, would fit in with the current Future Tours Programme.”If there’s something to play for, it’s definitely going to make a difference,” Rahul Dravid, another member of the committee, said. “This sort of thing would help motivate players because when No. 7 plays No. 8 it’s almost meaningless.”A ranking system is currently employed by the ICC and Australia sit on top of the table after beating South Africa in March. Cricket Australia hired consultants over the past couple of years to shape a Test championship model but went cold on the idea after not getting any support from the other ICC members.Other aspects the committee hope will increase the attractiveness of Tests include playing day-night games using a pink ball. “We are hoping to stage one here next year against Bangladesh,” the MCC’s head of cricket John Stephenson said. “We would like to experiment with a pink ball. We’ve done the research and think it’s worth trying. We want to safeguard the future of Test cricket.”After the meetings the committee also demanded stricter controls on the number of international players appearing in the IPL. “The committee is deeply concerned that the proliferation of lucrative domestic Twenty20 leagues, such as the Indian Premier League, will lead to the premature retirement of quality international cricketers,” the committee said. “Those from the lower-ranked Test nations could be particularly susceptible to such a career choice, based on earnings alone.”The IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi spoke to the group for more than an hour on Tuesday and emphasised that the league’s success stemmed from it being market-driven.

Younis Khan used cricket’s grandest stage to announce his retirement from Twenty20 internationals, and make an impassioned plea for teams to once again tour his country. The Pakistan captain, speaking after Sunday’s emphatic eight-wicket World Twenty20 victory over Sri Lanka, hoped the result would go far to saving cricket in his homeland, which is struggling to attract the interest of younger generations with no international matches being played within its borders.Younis’ final act in Twenty20 international cricket was to lift the trophy that so narrowly evaded Pakistan two years prior. No immediate announcement was made as to the identity of his successor as 20-over captain, but it is likely Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal will be the leading candidates.”This is my last Twenty20 game,” he said at the conclusion of his press conference. “I’m old now for this kind of cricket.”Younis will continue to play Test and ODI cricket, and hopes he will again have the opportunity to lead his national team on home soil. The deteriorating security situation in Pakistan – highlighted by the March terror attack on the Sri Lankan team bus outside the Gadaffi Stadium – has prompted national boards and the ICC to push for Pakistan’s home matches to be played in neutral venues. Accordingly, Younis’ men now lead a virtually nomadic existence.Younis has previously warned that the absence of international cricket could kill the game in Pakistan and push impressionable youngsters into the clutches of terrorists. Speaking at Lord’s on Sunday, he implored teams to return to Pakistan, and expressed hope that his side’s World Twenty20 victory would help reinvigorate interest in cricket among his nation’s youth.”I am requesting to all of the countries: ‘You must come to Pakistan’,” Younis said. “Everybody knows law and order is not good but it is not our fault. Especially for youngsters, we need home series because everywhere there is no cricket in Pakistan. How can we motivate the youngsters, especially at school level and college level? I think this will be helping us build a new structure in Pakistan for our future.”How can we promote cricket to our youngsters if there is no international game in Pakistan? How can I motivate my son and my neighbours’ small children? That’s why we need cricket in Pakistan. Law and order is not good, but this is not our fault. We are suffering at the moment from these kinds of things. I think sports should be away from politics.”Younis dedicated Pakistan’s World Twenty20 triumph to his former coach Bob Woolmer, who died during the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.”This final must go to Bob Woolmer,” he said. “He was doing good things with us in 2005 and especially my cricket. I would be very proud if he was alive and sitting with me because he’s a very nice guy and was a father figure for us. Why I am captain is because in 2005 – at that time I was not a regular player for Pakistan – he was the guy who all the time was chatting with the chairman and the selectors that Younis will be the next captain. So because of him I have become a captain. I dedicate this final to Bob Woolmer.”

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan believes that Pakistan’s problems at the World Twenty20 are ‘self-inflicted’. In his column in , Imran questioned the team selection and the batting order employed by Pakistan in their defeat against England.Left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir, the star of last year’s IPL, was left out of the team against England, a move which, Imran says, left him puzzled. “I was surprised that they (Pakistan) decided to go without Sohail Tanvir on the grounds of him being off-colour in the warm-up games. Tanvir is a proven performer, and the purpose of warm-up games is to make off-colour bowlers get back into rhythm. He would have been hard to put away in overcast conditions, with his nippy pace and unusual action,” he wrote.Imran also criticized the decision to send Misbah-Ul-Haq in at No. 7 when the right-hander did not have enough overs left to force a win. “I do not subscribe to the theory of holding back your best batsmen since it is always easier to avert a batting crisis rather than to bat in a crisis,” he wrote.He said Shahid Afridi had been “very poor with the bat of late”, rating him more effective as a bowler.Imran expected Pakistan to win against Netherlands by a convincing margin to progress to the next stage, but said Younis Khan should “ensure that his best strikers get the maximum balls to face” if they made it to the Super-Eights.

Match facts

May 8, 2009
Start time 16.30 local, (14:30 GMT)Will Virender Sehwag be fit enough to play?•AFP

Big Picture

Mumbai Indians had themselves to blame for the collapse against Deccan Chargers which deprived them of a spot in the top four. They start underdogs against Delhi Daredevils who’ve played fewer games than the rest of the teams but still sit third in the points table. Mumbai have lost each time they have chased this season, squandering winning positions to slip down to seventh place, just above the struggling Kolkata Knight Riders. Their capitulation under pressure, and failure to finish off games hurt them badly last season, and the trend this year is no different. Equally worrying has been their excessive reliance on JP Duminy to hole them out of difficult situations. His three 40-plus scores, including two half-centuries, in Mumbai’s three defeats while chasing demonstrate the huge responsibility he’s had to bear amid little support from his team-mates. Mumbai need a win desperately, and though a positive result may not haul them into the top four, it will mark a step towards a much-needed turnaround in a crucial phase in the tournament.Delhi won’t worry too much about points, for as much as they would want to regain the No.1 spot, their place in the top four, for the moment, remains safe. They have been boosted by the consistency of AB de Villiers, and especially Tillakaratne Dilshan. And with their new opening combination of David Warner and Gautam Gambhir coming good against Kolkata, the tournament’s dominant team looks good to consolidate its impressive run.

Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)

Mumbai Indians: LLWLW
Mumbai’s new inclusions Dhawal Kulkarni and Rohan Raje had a good outing against Deccan, but Harbhajan Singh has gone wicketless in his last three games. Sachin Tendulkar was averaging 81 after Mumbai’s first three games, but since then he’s only managed 48 runs in his last four innings.Delhi Daredevils: WLWLW
The fast-bowling trio of Dirk Nannes, Ashish Nehra and Pradeep Sangwan have been fairly consistent, though Nannes had an off day against Kolkata. The three have taken 24 wickets at 24.9, with Nehra being the leading wicket-taker. Gambhir, desperate for runs, top-scored against Kolkata with a lucky 71 – he was dropped twice – but the runs will give him some much-needed confidence in a relatively disappointing IPL.

Watch out for

Virender Sehwag and Gambhir had averaged 23.8 for the first wicket, while Warner and Gambhir have averaged 40 in their two games together. Tweaks in the opening combination notwithstanding, their battle against Mumbai’s new-look bowling attack with Raje and Kulkarni, backed up by Lasith Malinga, who put in a disciplined effort in their previous game, will make for an interesting contest. Malinga has been particularly impressive, with 12 wickets in seven games at 10.66, conceding just over five an over.

Team news

Delhi may not tinker too much with their line-up, though Sehwag could make a comeback after missing two games. In the event of his inclusion, Mithun Manhas may be asked to sit out, which also means Daniel Vettori would have to miss out for Warner to play.Delhi Daredevils (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Dinesh Karthik, 7 Rajat Bhatia, 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Pradeep Sangwan, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Dirk NannesMumbai made three changes to their team for their game against Deccan, leaving out Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane to play Saurabh Tiwary. On the bowling front, Kulkarni and Raje were inducted after Zaheer Khan was ruled out by a shoulder injury. The three players look likely to retain their places, but Abhishek Nayar’s injudicious sweep at a critical stage in Mumbai’s previous game – he missed and was bowled – would certainly not have gone down well with the team’s think-tank. Nor would have Harbhajan Singh’s swipe the next ball; his performance with the ball, too, has been fairly low key but his exclusion would prove a big gamble.Mumbai Indians (probable): 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 JP Duminy, 4 Dwayne Bravo, 5 Abhishek Nayar/Jaidev Shah, 6 Saurabh Tiwary, 7 Pinal Shah, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Rohan Raje, 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Lasith Malinga.

Stats and trivia

Dilshan has scored 231 runs at an average of 77 in seven matches, while JP Duminy has made 238 at 47.60 in as many games. Both are the highest run-getters for their teams this season.Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar have averaged 31.14 for the first wicket, but have only averaged 12 in the last four games.

Head-to-head record

The teams won a game each when they went head-to-head last season. Nehra, Shaun Pollock and Kulkarni combined to overcome an onslaught from Sehwag and seal a 29-run win for Mumbai in the first game. The second game was much more closely-fought with Mumbai letting it slip after limiting Delhi to 89 for 4 in pursuit of 177, to eventually lose by five wickets on the penultimate ball.

Match facts

April 26, 2009
Start time 16.45pm (14.45GMT)

Big Picture

Who will Rajasthan open the bowling attack with against Punjab?•Getty Images

Rajasthan Royals are a point ahead of Kings XI Punjab – by virtue of a washout against Mumbai Indians – but both teams scored their first victories in only their third games of the season. While Punjab earned their first points through a perfectly-executed chase against Bangalore Royal Challengers, Rajasthan held their nerve to force a tie against Kolkata Knight Riders and then clinched the Super Over.Punjab had terrible luck in the lead up to the IPL – several of their Australian stars were either injured or unavailable – and in the early stages of the second season with both their games being severely disrupted by rain. However, their luck finally changed on a sunny day in Durban: their bowlers restricted Bangalore to a manageable target and Ravi Bopara scored a wonderfully-paced half-century to secure victory with barely any trouble at all.Rajasthan have also been struggling to cope with the absence of their best performers from last season – Shane Watson and Sohail Tanvir – and Graeme Smith’s form has been poor so far. As a result, their batting collapsed in the first game against Bangalore and they relied on their middle order to prop them up to a defendable total against Kolkata. Shane Warne’s been tinkering with the bowling attack, opening with Dimitri Mascarenhas and Yusuf Pathan in the first two games. He’s also shown a lot of faith in Kamran Khan, who was given the responsibility of bowling the Super Over to Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum. Expect more surprises on Sunday.

Form guide

Punjab: Yusuf Abdulla found form after two indifferent outings and took 4 for 31 against Bangalore by using the slower ball to good effect. Among the overseas batsman, Bopara has been the form player at the top of the order but the Sri Lankans Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene are yet to make significant contributions.Rajasthan: Yusuf Pathan has been Rajasthan’s go-to man. He cracked 42 off 21 balls against Kolkata, opened the bowling with a tidy spell, and chased down the target of 16 in the Super Over.

Watch out for

Warne v Jayawardene and Sangakkara: Warne’s wiles have proved too much to handle for the lesser batsmen in the tournament but on Sunday he will be up against two international players with plenty of experience against playing quality spin.

Team news

Both teams are unlikely to make significant changes to the line-ups that secured maiden victories in their previous games.Punjab: 1 Ravi Bopara, 2 Karan Goel, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Yuvraj Singh (capt), 5 Mahela Jayawardene, 6 Irfan Pathan, 7 Wilkin Mota, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 VRV Singh, 10 Ranadeb Bose, 11 Yusuf Abdulla.Rajasthan: 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Paul Valthaty, 3 Rob Quiney, 4 Yusuf Pathan, 5 Ravindra Jadeja, 6 Dimitri Mascarenhas, 7 Abhishek Raut, 8 Shane Warne (capt), 9 Mahesh Rawat (wk), 10 Munaf Patel, 11 Kamran Khan.

Head-to-head record

Watson powered Rajasthan to a six-wicket victory against Punjab in Jaipur in the first clash between the teams in 2008. However, Punjab bounced back in the second game with Shaun Marsh smashing 115 off 69 balls to secure a 41-run win in Mohali.

Virender Sehwag has hailed Gautam Gambhir, who scored a series-topping 445 runs on the recent tour of New Zealand, as India’s best opener since Sunil Gavaskar.Gambhir’s contrasting Test centuries in New Zealand – a 643-minute match-saving 137 in Napier and a much faster 167 in Wellington – have lifted him to a career-high fourth in the ICC rankings. He was the leading run-getter in ODIs last year, and proved his credentials in the game’s shortest format at the World Twenty20 in 2007 and last year’s IPL. “Gambhir is the only opener I have known who is at ease in any form of the game,” Sehwag told the . “Gavaskar was a great opener in Tests and one-dayers and Gambhir has adapted wonderfully to the T20 format too. He is just too good.”Despite a run-filled 2008, there were still questions about Gambhir’s ability to make big scores outside the subcontinent, which he answered with his strong showing in New Zealand. “Just see how he kept adapting. I can’t think of anyone better than Gambhir in terms of technique, temperament and style,” Sehwag said. “To me, he is the best opener India has had since Gavaskar.”Gambhir, though, said he didn’t believe in comparisons. “But having come from my favourite player it means a lot to me,” he told PTI. “Sehwag is such a big player and that he feels so makes me really happy.”He also called his performance in the series “very satisfying”. “I always wanted to do well abroad, I am very happy that I could do that.” He rated his epic rearguard effort in the second Test in Napier his best Test innings.It has been a dream run for Gambhir over the past year-and-a-half but he insisted that a lot more had to be achieved. “You can never be stagnant. You have to keep moving. You have to keep working on your game for your progress and move ahead.”

Jeetan Patel, the New Zealand offspinner, has been called up to the ODI squad as cover for the captain Daniel Vettori, who is expecting the birth of his child.The New Zealand team manager Dave Currie said Vettori, the solitary spinner in the squad, and his wife Mary were anticipating the possibility of minor complications related to the birth of their child, expected shortly. “In case Daniel is called away at short notice Jeetan has come in on standby,” he said. “He will remain with the squad through the ODI series or until required.”Patel was a member of the New Zealand A squad, playing against the visiting England Lions. His place has been taken by Bruce Martin, the left-arm spinner from Northern Districts. Patel last represented New Zealand earlier this year, in the five-ODI series against Australia. He managed just one wicket in three ODIs, conceding 110 runs.

The Moments

First trade
The first player to go under the hammer at the auction in Goa was Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait, snapped up in a matter of moments by the Rajasthan Royals for $375,000. It was a bright start for the Australians but that was as good as it got.Spiralling cost
The most closely fought bid at the auction was not for the stars, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, nor for the flavour of the season JP Duminy. Instead it was the bidding war between the Kings XI Punjab and for Bangladesh allrounder Mashrafe Mortaza. Mortaza’s base price was $50,000 but it escalated, slowly at first before gathering speed when the auctioneer felt the franchises were dilly-dallying. Only when the Kolkata Knight Riders went as high as $600,000 did Punjab drop out of the contest. Mortaza was Kolkata’s only purchase at the auction and his final value was 12 times his base price.Surprise unsold
The franchises didn’t probably consult the ICC rankings before coming to the auction. Or, if they did, didn’t take them too seriously. The ICC recently ranked Shakib Al Hasan – developing left-arm spinner, versatile batsman, and swift fielder – at No 1 on its ODI allrounders list, yet he had no bidders even at his base price of $75,000.Down, under
Australia had the most players up for sale – 18 – but only two were bought. Tait went early but after him the franchises passed over several Australian players: some, like Brad Haddin and Stuart Clark, were internationals, others like Steven Smith and Aiden Blizzard more obscure. It wasn’t until the very end of the auction that the second Australian player was bought by the Chennai Superkings: George Bailey at $50,000 was the cheapest buy at the auction.Tyron who?
Tyron Henderson. And he was bought by the Rajasthan Royals for $650,000, making him their second-most expensive player (Yusuf Pathan retains that slot). To put it in perspective, Rajasthan had paid only $450,000 and $475,000 for Shane Warne and Graeme Smith last year. Nor did they get Henderson, 34, without a fight – the Deccan Chargers kept bidding until the $600,000 mark. So what’s so special about him? Very simply, he’s the highest wicket-taker in Twenty20 matches, with 74 wickets in 62 games at an average of 21 and an economy rate below seven. He’s played for the Cape Cobras in South Africa, and Middlesex in England, and is nicknamed ‘The Blacksmith’.Bangalore’s splurge
Last season, the Bangalore Royal Challengers were mocked as a “Test” team for including the likes of Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis. They were dull, they were uninspiring and, most importantly, they were losing. Vijay Mallya, their flamboyant owner, fixed part of the problem by adding the glamour – Pietersen, for $1.55 million, whom Mallya said could be a captaincy option. The liquor magnate then added the colour by picking up New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder, who has a history of alcohol-related disciplinary issues.Big spenders to big hoarders
The Deccan Chargers blew up $3.3 million on four international players last year but this time they parted with only $250,000 – the lowest amount spent by any franchise. They had bought massive stars such as Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist last year but settled for West Indians Fidel Edwards and Dwayne Smith this time. Maybe they can do what the stars couldn’t – avoid finishing last in the league.

The Maths

44
The percentage amount unspent from a pool of $13,590,000 for all teams ahead of the auction. Deccan Chargers were the most conservative among the eight franchises, spending $250,000 out of $1.9 million. Bangalore Royal Challengers and Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand, spent more than 87% of their budget.22
The number of unsold players this year out of 49 under the hammer. Shakib Al Hasan was the most notable among them, failing to win any bids despite being ranked No.1 on the ICC rankings for allrounders.2
The Australians who were picked up. Shaun Tait and George Bailey were the lucky ones out of a total of 17 up for bids.8
Million-dollar-men in the IPL after Friday. Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen were each snapped up for $1.55 million, and they join an exclusive club of six others – Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Andrew Symonds, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid – who pick up at least a million each season.1100
The percentage increase in Mashrafe Mortaza’s sale price from first bid to closure. Starting from a base price of $50,000 – the lowest among players sold – he was bought, after an intense bidding battle between Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab, for a whopping $600,000. Tyron Henderson and Mortaza enjoyed an absolute increase of $550,000 from their respective base prices but Henderson’s percentage increase – 550 – was half that of Mortaza’s.

Trinidad and Tobago batsman Lendl Simmons is hoping to complete a double-century against England on the second day of the tour match in St Kitts. Simmons added 262 runs for the second wicket with Adrian Barath and finished the first day unbeaten on 171. Barath fell to Kevin Pietersen after scoring 132.”I am really delighted to get a score against England and I am looking to get even more tomorrow,” Simmons said. “I have my eyes on a double-century, which would be the second [double-century] of my career.”Simmons, nephew of the former West Indies batsman Phil Simmons, played eight ODIs and a Twenty20 international between December 2006 and July 2007. “It was not easy out there but I decided I would work hard to get a good score. I decided to bat time rather than bat runs. I knew once I stayed there for a long time, the runs would come.”Simmons said the runs would help him get back into the reckoning for the West Indies team. “We are in a very good position and we will look to get more and more,” he said. “I am looking to put my name in the frame and get into the West Indies team again. This is a start and I will look to capitalise.”Eighteen-year-old Barath, who was part of the West Indies Under-19 squad at last year’s World Cup in Malaysia, said he was happy to get a good score in his first outing for West Indies A. “The pitch was good but batting was not easy. The England bowlers were very good. They were patient and we had to be patient as well.”Simmons and I had to really battle. We knew we had to fight and we decided to put our heads down and we made sure we did not give it away. My goal overall was to bat the entire day. Unfortunately I missed out on my goal. I wanted to be there at the end, but I managed to get a good score and put the team in a good position.”