Bravo ends speculation over Gayle’s return
From Caribbean360
NELSON, New Zealand, Friday January 3, 2014, CMC – West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo has brushed aside speculation that flamboyant opener Chris Gayle will be back in the side in time for the two T20 matches to end their tour of New Zealand.
Coach Ottis Gibson had said that he was hoping Gayle would return for the T20s as he recovers in Sydney from a hamstring injury.
“Chris has a while to go. There’s a lot of cricket to be played in 2014 for us and we don’t want to rush him back too soon,” said Bravo.
“We have a T20 World Cup to defend [in March/April] and he’s going to be a big part of that tournament along with [Kieron] Pollard. We’re going to allow them to take their time to recover”.
Gayle suffered the hamstring tear in India in November and was originally expected to be sidelined for about a month.
He raised hopes of a return for the New Zealand tour last month when he appeared in Sydney and was photographed batting in the nets.
“He’s doing his rehab there and it’s the right approach. He flew himself over there to ensure he got the right treatment and therapy. He wants to come back fitter and stronger and there’s a lot of cricket in 2014,” said Bravo.
“He’s in the right place, we keep in contact and he has a close eye on what is going on and always wishes us all the best. As a team we can’t wait to have him back”.
The tour-ending Twenty20 internationals are scheduled for Auckland on January 11 and Wellington on January 15.
image Gayle suffered the hamstring tear in India in November
Related story:
Injured Sammy to miss rest of series
By Renaldo Matadeen ESPN cricketinfo
Dwayne Bravo, the West Indies captain, has remained optimistic about his team’s chances to bounce back after a comprehensive loss to New Zealand in the third ODI but will have to do so without the services of the experienced allrounder Darren Sammy.
Sammy, the West Indies’ Test and T20 captain, will be out for the remainder of the ODIs Bravo confirmed, following a hamstring injury which prevented his participation in the last ODI at Queenstown.
“It’s a big loss. Darren is out for the entire series,” Bravo said. “We haven’t decided on what changes to make yet and we’ll do so when we look at the pitch. We have a couple niggles in the camp but with Darren out, he brings so much to our team, especially in the depth. His experience and positivity will be missed. It’s a tough time for us but our newer players will have to step up. Our players have a good work ethic so I’m confident in them.”
He reiterated that despite their inexperience, there was a hunger he wanted to bring out in this Nelson fixture to silence critics.
After Corey Anderson pummelled West Indies’ bowling attack with a record ODI 131* off 47 balls, Bravo admitted that they were coming up with new tactics for him, as well as Jesse Ryder, who smashed a whirlwind 104 from 51 balls.
“Our bowlers were disappointed. It was a great knock from Anderson but we’ve been analyzing footage and studying the size of the ground. It’s going to be a different ball game. We will not be making the same mistakes twice. We’ll be going back to basics like we did in the first ODI and be disciplined. Bowling to one side of the wicket is important and we didn’t do that in the last match.”
He added that he felt Anderson’s cavalier knock was due to the fact that it was a shortened match as he would not be that swashbuckling in a 50-over fixture. Bravo stated that if the weather didn’t interrupt, his bowlers would fare better.
The captain contended that while this chilly weather placed them out their comfort zone, he needed more from his charges. “We’re looking forward to this game. It’s only 1-1 and we’ve said to ourselves that with two games to go, it can go either way,” he said. “We feel like we’re still in with a good chance. The last game is gone and out our minds. We’re fully focussed on the job ahead.”
He also dispelled rumours that Chris Gayle or Kieron Pollard could return for the T20 fixtures later this month. “There’s no Gayle to come. No need to rush him or Pollard. Their health is important and comes first. We have a T20 World Cup to defend and they’re going to be big parts of this. No risk needed. We want them to return fit and stay on the park as long as possible. We’ll be using another young squad for these New Zealand T20s.
“But right now, let’s see if our bowlers have the guts and courage to bounce back. That second one-day was just one of those days. But it’s going to be tough to repeat that again. I’m not saying it can’t happen again but we’ll be ready to make sure it doesn’t.”
Renaldo Matadeen is a sportswriter and social media manager for ESPN Caribbean.
For more on this story go to:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/new-zealand-v-west-indies-2013-14/content/story/706597.html
And:
Cricket: Black Caps win as rain falls
By Andrew Alderson in Nelson From New Zealand Herald
Thorough batting from New Zealand’s top four sealed the fourth one-day match of the series against the West Indies.
The hosts triumphed by 58 runs, via Duckworth-Lewis Method once rain set in at 5.14pm. The players exited in the 34th over with the West Indies 134 for five chasing 286 for victory in Saxton Oval’s debut as an international venue. The rain-adjusted target meant the visitors needed a par score of 192 to be level with New Zealand at the same point.
New Zealand’s bowlers and fielders had ample runs to defend. The West Indies force the pace early, especially after losing both openers for ducks. The pace quartet conceded less than five-runs an over while Nathan McCullum and Kane Williamson spun 18 tidy overs to get New Zealand past the 20 overs required for a result. The fielding which included two in-field run outs to Williamson and Brendon McCullum (throwing to Luke Ronchi) was another core thread to victory. Sometimes it was as if the visitors had heard one too many Bob Marley songs over the PA system this tour and needed to make tracks before another one was inserted between overs.
The hosts 285 for six seemed commendable after choosing to bat, yet judging by early crowd reaction and Twitter wisdom, the New Zealanders were suddenly malfunctioning unless a six was delivered every 5.73 balls, like Queenstown. Sure, powerplays of 38 runs for the first 10 overs and 38 runs from overs 36 to 40 could have been amplified, but it was hardly a dirge. Horror of horrors, the first six only came at the end of the 17th over.
The reaction may have been skewed by a high proportion of the crowd, predominantly men, dressed in orange T-shirts hoping to win $100,000 with a one-handed catch in Tui beer’s latest promotion. The upshot of just five sixes was that no children were trampled or hoardings flattened in the hunt to get rich quick. It’s also important to remember the likes of Corey Anderson’s New Year’s Day heroics can’t be produced every innings. The 23-year-old is still a fledgling talent.
Some fans are hard to please. Here was a team which, across most of 2013, struggled for consistency.
New Zealand has predominantly achieved it across the West Indies series in different conditions and formats, yet there was disbelief Guptill might be taking time to anchor the innings until the 42nd over with 81 off 119 balls. Sure, his initial stagnation of two off 29 balls stretched the patience but he had the support of Ryder (47 off 49) to maintain the tempo.
Ryder was fortuitous getting dropped on 12 through the gloves of Denesh Ramdin and on 14 through the hands of Dwayne Bravo at first slip. Kane Williamson (47 off 55) and Ross Taylor (49 off 44) sustained Ryder’s flurry. The top four scored a collective 224 runs (79 per cent) of the total, enabling Brendon McCullum (14 off nine) and Corey Anderson (17 off 13) to flay late cameos.
Guptill and Williamson preferred to push singles and twos. Guptill stroked the ball in the ‘V’ and Williamson worked deliveries backward of square, pulled them through mid-wicket and produced Glenn Turner-esque chips to elude the in-field. There was a 50-ball gap from the start of the 17th over to second ball of the 25th where New Zealand could not score a boundary but the scoreboard never lost its pulse.
For the West Indies, Dwayne Bravo produced steady line and length aiming outside off stump. He had the best figures of two for 35 off seven overs. Tino Best was the only bowler to face serious punishment, finishing with one for 70 off nine overs. His extra pace enabled batsmen to get the ball to the boundary easier.
The wicket might have played a touch slow overall but, given Nelson’s inclement weather in recent days it passed muster as it prepares to be a World Cup host.
New Zealand 285-6
West Indies 134-5 (lose by 58 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis Method) New Zealand lead the five-match series 2-1 with a match to play.
Luke Ronchi of New Zealand runs out Chadwick Walton of the West Indies during game four of the One Day International Series between New Zealand and the West Indies. Photo / Getty Images.
For more on this story go to:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11180976
