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The rash of empty seats has been an embarrassment, especially at the Sir Vivian Richards ground for the opening Super Eight clash between the West Indies and Australia. Tickets, it was stated, had all been sold when they clearly hadn’t.My understanding is that sponsors and travel agents, mostly out of India, have either not taken up or returned their ticket allotments and that there was not enough time to properly market their availability locally.Even so, high prices, not only for entry but also for food and beverage at the concession stands, are an obvious deterrent for fans not interested in following neutral matches.As was evident with the three-way tournament involving Pakistan and Zimbabwe in the Caribbean a few years back, West Indians are not drawn to such contests, no matter what is charged. The same obtains everywhere. It is a reason why England have abandoned their triangular One-day series and Australia are about to do the same.In the ICC Champions Trophy in India last October, where there were similar complaints about prices, only matches involving India attracted sell-out crowds. Even the final, between Australia and the West Indies, was shunned. Gate receipts and charges to concessionaires go to the governments, which have bankrolled the new stands and other affiliated work, and to the local organising committees (LOCs) that have prepared the way.It is their one source of revenue and they are understandably intent on maximising the returns on their considerable investments. But they need to adjust to changing circumstances and try to fill as many of the empty seats as they can by lowering the price of admission.The example of the January sales that cut prices on unsold Christmas stock and airlines that adopt the same principle by offering last-minute cut fares refute the claim that such a move is unfair on those who purchased originally.Public ire has been especially aroused by the stipulation that offers no pass-out vouchers. It means that once the punter has left the ground, there is no way of getting back in unless through the understanding of some sympathetic official-and that’s an oxymoron.Once they hold a ticket, West Indians are accustomed of being able to come and go as they please, to attend a meeting, to take in the lunch hour from the office, to pick up the kids. At this World Cup, they are under virtual house arrest once they are in the ground. Those who turned up early yesterday morning at the Viv Richards ground had to wait five hours before play got going. Had they left, there was no way back.

With most of the nation’s attention trained on Durban, where India were taking on South Africa, and some of the capital’s populace watching the Durand Cup football tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium, the atmosphere was distinctly low-key as Tamil Nadu and Delhi went through their paces on the eve of their first Ranji Trophy match of the season.Tamil Nadu were the first to arrive for practice at the Ferozshah Kotla Stadium, even before the temporary nets were erected, but Delhi stayed the longest, rounding off an exhaustive nets session with a team-meeting that that lasted almost an hour.There was hope that interest levels would increase because of live television coverage for Ranji matches but it might take a few games yet before the action heats up. Yet this match, between two big teams, could provide the perfect start; Tamil Nadu beat Delhi when they last played at the Kotla three years ago but at present the two teams are evenly matched.Tamil Nadu’s strength lies in their medium-pacers, backed up by a settled middle-order. Vijaykumar Yomahesh, fast making a name for himself, is well supported by Rajamani Jesuraj and R Naresh. The big question, however, is over Lakshmipathy Balaji’s fitness, and there were no clear answers today. He bowled in the nets with no obvious discomfort but nowhere near full pace, and it seemed unlikely that he would risk playing before he returned to something approaching full fitness.Though there’s plenty of experience in the middle-order, where veterans Hemang Badani and S Sharath form the backbone, Tamil Nadu will seek to rectify one area of their game that’s been a problem of late – the opening combination. They are ready to hand M Vijay his Ranji debut, and he will bat alongside S Vidyut. “Vijay is going to open for us. He has scored a tremendous amount of runs in the league in Chennai and has earned his place in the side,” said S Badrinath, the Tamil Nadu captain. “He’s a technically sound player, so once he gets set he’s someone who can make big scores.”The other sure debutant is Vikram Mani, the wicketkeeper-batsman. Ashish Kapoor is likely to be the lone spinner in the attack, unless Tamil Nadu take the plunge and give C Suresh, the left-arm spinner, his first cap.

Delhi too are fairly well set. Their batting order is well defined, with Virat Kohli set to make his debut. Mithun Manhas, their captain, said a final decision on the team composition would only be taken after a closer examination of the wicket. It remains to be seen whether they will go with an extra spinner in Rahul Sanghvi or with Kunal Lal, theleft-arm seamer and son of former allrounder Madan Lal. “Our strength is a combination of good batting and fast bowling,” said Manhas, almost echoing the line from the Tamil Nadu camp.Indications are that Sanghvi will get the nod, given that the match pitch looks like it will crumble as the game progresses. Ishant Sharma, the young right-arm mediumpacer, is also ready to make his debut and Chaitanya Nanda, the legspinner who had a highly successful Ranji campaign last season, a certainty to play.The other area of interest is the possibility of an India recall for discarded players like Gautam Gambhir, Aakash Chopra and Ashish Nehra. There’s a chance India will look to pick a third opener for the Test series in South Africa. Gambhir and Chopra, fresh from putting on 188 in the Duleep Trophy final, will want to catch the eye of the chairman of selectors, Dilip Vengsarkar, who is due to be at the Kotla watching this match. Nehra, on the comeback trail, can take heart from Zaheer Khan’s return to India colours. However, he will have to perform consistently in domestic cricket to force his way back.TeamsTamil Nadu (likely) 1 S Vidyut, 2 M Vijay, 3 S Badrinath (capt), 4S Sharath, 5 Hemang Badani, 6 R Sathish, 7 Vikram Mani (wk), 8 AashishKapoor, 9 V Yomahesh, 10 R Jesuraj, 11 C Suresh / R Naresh.Delhi 1 Aakash Chopra, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Shikhar Dhawan, 4 MithunManhas, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Rajat Bhatia, 7 Vijay Dahiya, 8 Chaitanya Nanda,9 Rahul Sanghvi/Kunal Lal, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashish Nehra.

Scorecard
Chris Rogers was 16 runs short of a double-hundred as Western Australia made a fine start to their Pura Cup match against Victoria, ending the day at 359 for the loss of two wickets. Opening the batting, Rogers put on 60 with Justin Langer, the captain who passed 8000 Pura Cup runs before he was caught for 25 off the fast bowling of Andrew McDonald.After lunch Shane Warne turned the pressure on Shaun Marsh and he joined Langer after contributing 37 to the 68-run partnership for the second wicket. However, it was Warne’s only breakthrough as Rogers and Marcus North destroyed the Victoria attack.Rogers, who survived a dropped catch from David Hussey on 72, shared a fine stand of 231 with North and the pair both raised centuries. North, the vice-captain, finished unbeaten on 103 as the Warriors controlled the opening day.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

West Indies held their nerve superbly in a nail-biting finish to sneak a one-run win despite once again floundering with the bat. They managed only 198, even that thanks to a battling unbeaten 98 from Ramnaresh Sarwan. Yuvraj Singh responded with 93, but was bowled by a clever Dwayne Bravo slower ball with only two balls to go in the innings. If the first game was a win that almost wasn’t for India, the second was a loss that shouldn’t have been.Yuvraj has been the in-form batsman for India a few months now and even he struggled to score fluently early on, after India had slumped to 60 for 4 in pursuit of a total that should not have caused problems for a team that has won seventeen games on the trot chasing.The warning signs were there early on when Ian Bradshaw, accurate and probing, had Virender Sehwag brilliantly caught at point and Rahul Dravid nicking a delivery that slanted away from the bat. Irfan Pathan played an ambitious across-the-line heave and Marlon Samuels plucked the ball out of the air at midwicket. The West Indies were turning the heat on. And Mohammad Kaif, who has felt the heat more than most in recent times, his unbeaten half-century in the last ODI notwithstanding, negotiated a mere 12 balls before mis-hitting a pull and being caught at square-leg.Suresh Raina partnered Yuvraj, and suddenly batting became more about scampering singles than crunching cover drives. Brian Lara sensibly took the pace off the ball, ushering in the off-spinning duo of Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, and suddenly the balls ticked over faster than the runs could come.Raina’s busy demeanour at the crease gave way to restlessness and a wanton charge down the wicket to Gayle, where Carlton Baugh fluffed a simple stumping chance, was followed by a similar premeditated waltz that only resulted in the ball being deposited down Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s throat at long-on. Raina had made 27, and India were 124 for 5.The presence of Mahendra Dhoni, and the relatively modest target, meant India could breathe just a shade easy, but that was soon to change. Dhoni, looking to get his eye in had not yet attempted a big shot, but an attempted drive through point found its way back to the leg stump via the inside edge. Soon Ajit Agarkar had scooped a return catch to Bradshaw, and India were seven down for 134, still 65 runs adrift.Yuvraj, at no stage bludgeoning the ball like he can, seemed to understand that India would get across the line if he held onto his wicket, and kept his head. Every now and then – as with an early crashing cover-drive against Taylor or a powerful pull off the same bowler for maximum towards the end – Yuvraj managed to release the pressure.Taking strike in the second ball of the final over with 10 needed for victory Yuvraj streaked an edge past the keeper for a boundary and followed it up with a supreme cover-drive that raced to the fence. Bravo, charged with bowling the pressure-packed last over, rose to the challenge magnificently, and sent down a slower ball that beat the bat, brushed pad and rolled back onto the stumps, setting off the biggest party Kingston has seen in some time as West Indies won a thriller. Yuvraj had done almost everything right, and the sight of him squatting on the pitch, looking back at his disturbed stumps told a tale.There was a time in this game when it seemed unlikely that the match would go down to the wire like it did, much less end in a West Indies win. Pathan and Agarkar began tremendously after Dravid won the toss and put West Indies in, cleaning up the openers, including the dangerous Chris Gayle, with just one run on the board.Then Agarkar could have had Lara twice – first when a close lbw shout was turned down, and soon after when Raina dropped a catch at second slip – and India looked right in control. Lara did not make it count, flashing Pathan to Dravid at slip. At 25 for 3 West Indies were in danger of being shot out extremely cheaply. But Ramnaresh Sarwan ensured that this did not happen.Sarwan began in characteristically low-key fashion, dabbing, flicking and pushing the ball into the gaps for ones and twos, but soon realised that there was great merit in taking on the bowlers when they erred in line. He carved boundaries over the covers with an angled bat, and after crossing fifty, with the West Indian innings gaining some momentum, he opened his shoulders and took on the leg-side field, hitting Pathan for two fours and a six in three balls. He ended on 98, and richly deserved a hundred for his effort. He won’t mind missing out on a hundred, though, for his was a matchwinning hand.

How they were out

West IndiesChris Gayle c Dhoni b Agarkar 0 (1 for 1)
Runako Morton lbw b Pathan 1 (1 for 2)
Brian Lara c Dravid b Pathan 14 (24 for 3)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul c Kaif b Harbhajan 10 (43 for 4)
Marlon Samuels c Dhoni b Yuvraj 19 (103 for 5)
Dwayne Bravo c Raina b Powar 0 (105 for 6)
Carlton Baugh c Pathan b Powar 21 (143 for 7)
Ian Bradshaw c Harbhajan b Pathan 12 (163 for 8)
Jerome Taylor c Dhoni b Agarkar 9 (197 for 9)
IndiaVirender Sehwag c Smith b Bradshaw 12 (25 for 1)
Rahul Dravid c Baugh b Bradshaw 11 (37 for 2)
Irfan Pathan c Samuels b Edwards 14 (51 for 3)
Mohammad Kaif c Smith b Taylor 4 (60 for 4)
Suresh Raina c Chanderpaul b Samuels 27 (124 for 5)
Mahendra Dhoni b Taylor 2 (130 for 6)
Ajit Agarkar c & b Bradshaw 2 (134 for 7)
Ramesh Powar c Taylor b Samuels 12 (177 for 8)
Harbhajan Singh c & b Gayle 1 (187 for 9)
Yuvraj Singh b Bravo 93 (197 for 10)

Scorecard

Nick Jewell and Brad Hodge continued their outstanding form and gave Victoria a healthy first-innings lead against New South Wales. The pair built a 181-run second-wicket partnership and pushed past the Blues’ total of 249, helping Victoria reach 4 for 316 at stumps.Jewell’s 112 was his second century in three matches, while Hodge’s 88 moved him past 500 runs in the Pura Cup season and he now trails only Western Australia’s Chris Rogers in 2006-07. Hodge joined Jewell at 1 for 84 after Nathan Bracken enticed an edge behind from Lloyd Mash on 52.Jewell’s innings took nearly six hours and ended in the final session when he was bowled by Bracken having hit 13 fours and one six. Hodge recorded the same boundary tally before he was caught behind off Matthew Nicholson.Cameron White made 8 and gave the debutant fast bowler Scott Coyte his first Pura Cup wicket but David Hussey (22 not out) and Andrew McDonald (19 not out) extended the home team’s lead to 67 runs. The game is a crucial one for both the Blues and the Bushrangers, who sit third and fourth on the competition table.

Shoaib Akhtar is happy to be back in international cricket and hopes that he will be able to stay fit and reach his peak at the Champions Trophy to be played in India in October and November.”I know I can get better and faster,” Shoaib told ABC Sport. “It’s my rhythm that concerns me most and I was pleased that it felt good. The fact my speeds were getting up towards the middle 90s on some deliveries shows that I haven’t lost the ability to bowl fast while I’ve been out. As any fast bowler knows, the better your rhythm, the quicker you bowl.”Shoaib has been out of serious cricket since India’s tour to Pakistan in January this year. On his return he played Pakistan’s first-ever Twenty20 match at Bristol against England. He then played the rain-shortened one-day game at Cardiff where he picked up three wickets for 45 in his ten overs.”The Cardiff match was a nice comeback but it’s only the start. The team is playing some really good one-day cricket and I think the only way we will lose this series is if we become complacent.”If we all stay focused and play to our ability we will take some beating because we have a lethal combination. I don’t mean any disrespect to England – they have some dangerous players also – but I just think we have the advantage with experience and ability.”Pakistan have four more one-day matches against England, the next one on September 2 at Lord’s.

Tim Phillips, the Essex left-arm spinner, will be out of action until June after undergoing knee surgery. He picked up the injury during a second team match against Surrey last week.”Tim underwent surgery yesterday [Wednesday] to repair damaged cartilage in his right knee,” said Essex physio Mark Thomas. “The surgery went well and he is expected to return to play in six weeks.”Phillips featured in Essex’s opening Friends Provident Trophy match of the season against Kent but is now unlikely to return until around the start of the Twenty20 Cup in mid-June.Elsewhere in the Essex camp there is better news ahead of the four-day match against New Zealand starting on Friday. James Foster has recovered from his thumb injury while Mark Pettini, the captain, is back to full health after missing part of the Championship match against Derbyshire with an eye infection.

Match facts

Saturday, January 2, 2016
Start time 1100 local (2200 GMT)

Big Picture

It took four weeks, but Sri Lanka put together their most comprehensive day of cricket on this tour and suddenly their outlook seems transformed. They lost so badly in Christchurch that this trip to New Zealand was threatening to become the tour from hell. In that handsome Nelson win on Thursday, there were signs it may instead be remembered as a journey of discovery.Chief among the promising new talents is Dushmantha Chameera, who was the third-change bowler when the tour began, but is now taking the new ball. He is not as fast as Adam Milne, but so far seems to have a better knack for taking wickets. Maybe he bowls the bouncer too much and the yorker not enough, but the coaches say he is eager to learn. Angelo Mathews also helped by using him as a strike bowler in the middle overs of the third ODI, instead of saving him for the death.Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay troubled batsmen on a track that didn’t give him much turn, and Danushka Gunathilaka was poised and powerful at the top of the order. New Zealand will be wise to their weaknesses in their coming matches, however, and the young Sri Lanka players will want to prove they can’t be easily decoded.New Zealand have lost Tim Southee for the remainder of the series, but such is the depth in their bowling that the man replacing him is the bowler of the series so far. Matt Henry’s bustle ruined Sri Lanka’s innings in Christchurch. A slower, lower Nelson surface may draw some of his venom, but Sri Lanka’s batsmen would still probably have preferred it if he had remained outside the squad.Thursday’s match was also the first occasion in which the hosts seemed a little vulnerable. The middle order doesn’t look in great shape with Ross Taylor and Luke Ronchi still searching for good scores. Mitchell Santner is promising, but perhaps he’s not quite ready to be the top spin option.With Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Martin Guptill and Henry all still playing well, New Zealand have more than enough quality to lock the series up. But they will now have to win on a used Saxton Oval surface that was beginning to resemble the slower, abrasive tracks Sri Lanka often find in their part of the world.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)
New Zealand: LWWLW
Sri Lanka: WLLWW
Spot the missing ingredient: New Zealand’s batting has suddenly looked a little less threatening•AFP

In the spotlight

Doug Bracewell hasn’t been New Zealand’s most penetrative bowler, but he has made himself useful with the bat. He has contributed a good score every time he has come to the crease on this tour. Bracewell’s sober 30 from 34 balls on Thursday helped push New Zealand towards 275, after they had threatened to be all out for less than 250. He has been good in the field as well, though that hasn’t always been a strength for him.Aside from one very expensive over to Martin Guptill in the second game, Jeffrey Vandersay‘s introduction to international cricket has so far been smooth. His legbreaks aren’t the most controlled, or biggest-turning, but he appears to be the kind of bowler that likes to outthink batsmen, if he can’t out-skill them. Sri Lanka are facing a minor spin-bowling crisis, as Rangana Herath moves into the twilight of his career. Having picked Vandersay over two more experienced spinners on Thursday, the selectors may feel he is the man to step into Herath’s shoes.

Teams news

As the pitch is expected to take more turn in this game, there is a chance Sri Lanka may add a second frontline spinner to the attack. More likely they will keep the same XI and rely on Milinda Siriwardana’s left-arm spin, and Tillakaratne Dilshan’s part-time offbreaks.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka , 3 Lahiru Thirimanne, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Chamara Kapugedara, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Jeffrey Vandersay, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Nuwan PradeepNew Zealand may be without their regular captain Brendon McCullum again, as he recovers from a back injury. If he does return, Tom Latham may be the man to make way. Legspinner Ish Sodhi is likely to play in place of one of the seamers.New Zealand (probable): 1 Brendon McCullum (capt.)/ Tom Latham, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Adam Milne, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Ish Sodhi

Pitch and conditions

The strip had begun to take good turn towards the end of the third ODI, and will probably become lower, slower and more given to spin still. Sunny Nelson may belie its moniker however, as showers are forecast throughout the day.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand played Sri Lanka in 11 ODIs in 2015. Sri Lanka won only three of those games.
• With Martin Guptill (1489 runs), Kane Williamson (1376 runs), and Tillakaratne Dilshan (1207 runs), this series features each of the top three ODI run-scorers of 2015.

Quotes

“On the whole 2015 was probably a good year, but we’ve got a game the next day, so we won’t be doing too much reflecting.”

The ICC has confirmed that the Ruaraka ground in Nairobi will be allowed to stage full ODIs.Chris Broad inspected the venue on behalf of the ICC earlier in the year but his report recommended that some work needed to be done to the changing-rooms and scoreboard before it could be considered suitable to host major matches. Those issues have now been resolved.The news means that two of the three grounds (Ruaraka and Nairobi Gymkhana) scheduled to host matches in the World Cricket League have now been passed by the ICC. The third, Nairobi Jaffery has its inspection on January 7 and the only question mark seems to be over the state of the outfield.”The umpires facilities have already been dealt with and are in an acceptable state,” said a local source. “A lot of work has gone into preparing this venue and over 250 tonnes of sand have been used to level it. Much of the outfield has been replanted in an effort to ensure an even growth of grass.” The source said that the authorities were confident it will be approved.The news is another boost after Mombasa was awarded full ODI status in August.

Justin Kemp has left the Titans to join the Cape Cobras. Kemp thanked the Titans for helping him to re-enter the international arena but said that while the decision to leave was difficult, “sometimes life has to come before cricket”.Kemp, the South African allrounder, is one of the biggest hitters in world cricket, and is a useful medium-fast bowler. He had been with the Titans, who are based in Pretoria, for four years, and said of them: “They assisted me in resurrecting my international career and for that I will be eternally grateful.”He fell in and out of favour during the World Cup, but he top-scored against Australia in the heavily one-sided semi-final.