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West Indies have been fined for maintaining a slow over rate in the one-off Twenty20 against Pakistan which they won by seven runs on Friday. ICC match referee Jeff Crowe said the hosts were assessed to be one over behind the required rate, after time allowances were taken into consideration.In accordance with ICC Code of Conduct regulations governing minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10% of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount.As such West Indies captain Darren Sammy was fined 20% of his match fee, while the rest of the side were penalised 10% each. Sammy did not contest the penalty, so there will be no hearing.

Scorecard
Essex’s Matt Walker and Mark Pettini both struck unbeaten half-centuries asEssex secured a draw on the final day of their SecondDivision clash with Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.It had looked the most likely outcome at the start of play and an unbeatenpartnership of 147 between Walker and Pettini ensured it was the case as thevisitors batted out the day in reaching 229 for 4 and declaring to end thematch early.Veteran Walker made 70 off 162 balls, including 10 fours, and was ably assistedby ex-captain Pettini, who plundered 67 off 159 deliveries. Northamptonshire had threatened a result in the morning when Lee Daggett removed Jaik Mickleburgh 16 minutes before lunch to reduce Essex to 82 for 4, but it was not to be.Essex started the day on 26 for 0, 79 runs behind their opponents, withBilly Godleman resuming on 16 and England vice-captain Alastair Cook on 10. Godleman, however, could only add eight to his overnight total before he edgedRob White to home captain Andrew Hall at slip in the second over of the day.Cook made it to 28 before he edged a terrific delivery from former Sri Lankaseamer Chaminda Vaas to wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien. This dramatic opening led to a period where the Essex batsmen went into theirshells and were seemingly afraid to play any shots, which led to two moredismissals.England allrounder Ravi Bopara made a painful 5 off 41 balls before Hallput him out of his misery when he forced him to nudge to O’Brien.And it got worse for Essex when Daggett’s scorcher crashed into Mickleburgh’s(15) off stump to leave the visitors teetering on 82 for 4 – still 23behind.A four hit down the ground off Jack Brooks by Pettini in the fifth over afterlunch put them ahead in the match as he and Walker added over 100 between themto settle their nerves.Walker went on to make a diligent half-century off 103 balls with a fourblasted through cover off Hall as Northamptonshire’s hopes of winning the matchbegan to fade. Pettini then joined him on 50 off 113 deliveries and the pairing comfortablymade it until tea with their side on 198 for 4.With their lead stretched to 124 and the pitch doing nothing – Essexwicketkeeper and captain James Foster decided enough was enough and declared at4:50pm. Both teams come away from this run-fest with 10 points apiece.

Match Facts

March 11, Chittagong
Start time 2.30pm (0830 GMT)Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell are back in Bangladesh, just over a year since England’s last ODI in the country•Getty Images

The Big Picture

This time last week, England’s return to Chittagong was being viewed with the sort of FA Cup-style angst that accompanied Arsenal on their recent trip to Leyton Orient. On paper it was clearly a mismatch, with England having emerged victorious in all but one of their 22 previous fixtures, in all three formats of the game. However, in light of their calamitous three-wicket defeat against Ireland, the contest was being earmarked as a make-or-break moment in England’s campaign. Another slip-up here, and the quarter-finals would surely be out of reach.That, however, was before two extraordinary results redressed the shift towards Minnow Power in a remarkably unpredictable Group B. First came Bangladesh’s capitulation to 58 all out at the hands of West Indies in Dhaka, as a game that could have hoisted them right into the reckoning for the knock-outs instead sent the team’s morale spiralling, with the nation’s mood following suit amid dark and reprehensible scenes outside the stadium.Then, two days later, came England’s incredible comeback against South Africa in Chennai, as the team somehow found the will to defend a limp total of 171, with all ten of South Africa’s wickets tumbling for 102 in a thrilling six-run victory. The net effect of those two results has been to draw much of the sting from this Chittagong contest. It’s certainly not out of the question for Bangladesh to progress to the next stage, especially with Netherlands among their remaining opponents. But right when it most matters, their bubble of optimism has been cruelly pricked, while at the same time, the fear of embarrassment that might have undermined England’s approach has been significantly eased by their dispatching of one of the form teams of the tournament.Nevertheless, these two teams know each other inside-out, with the first half of 2010 including four Tests and six ODIs, split home and away – and the shorter the format, the smaller the gulf between the teams. Bangladesh could and should have claimed the second ODI in Dhaka 12 months ago, only for a nerveless Eoin Morgan to seal a two-wicket victory with his maiden England century. Then at Bristol in July, the Tigers finally pounced, with Shafiul Islam’s last-over dismissal securing an epic five-run victory.The perverse logic of England’s campaign also helps to fuel the prospect of an upset. At some stage, surely, they are going to have to break the cycle of underachievement whenever they’ve been burdened with the favourites’ tag, but having been given extraordinarily close shaves by Canada in a warm-up match and then by Netherlands in their Nagpur opener, the Ireland defeat was an accident waiting to happen. Thrice bitten, four times shy? You’d assume they’d have to learn sometime.Following that abominable effort against West Indies, Bangladesh will doubtless feel liberated with their expectations back at rock-bottom. The intervening days have been devoted to speculation about Shakib’s position as captain, with a media furore accompanying a photo apparently showing him gesturing to the crowd during the post-match presentations at Mirpur. At times such as these, the safest place is often the middle of a cricket pitch. A decent start and a pumped-up crowd, and who knows what could be possible.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)

Bangladesh LWLWW
England WLTWL

Watch out for…

England have had a rough time with injuries in the past few days, with Kevin Pietersen’s hernia proving too much for the player to deal with, and Stuart Broad’s side strain forcing him home early for the second time this winter. But the undeniable bonus is the return of Eoin Morgan, arguably the most innovative one-day batsman in the world game at present, and a man around whom England had built all of the strategies that have been so conspicuously absent from their suck-it-and-see approach to date. The broken finger he sustained in Australia has healed more quickly than anticipated, and he had been back in the nets with Middlesex before his SOS from Andy Flower. The aforementioned Dhaka century was a masterful example of how to finish a one-day innings. He’s ready to start out again.A calm 70 against India set the tone for Bangladesh’s World Cup campaign, a violent 44 made the difference in a tight contest against Ireland. But never has Tamim Iqbal’s importance to the Bangladeshi cause been so starkly demonstrated than during that debacle against West Indies. From the moment he chopped Kemar Roach to second slip in the first over of the match, the atmosphere was sucked clean out of the Shere-e-Bangla stadium, and with it the belief of all his team-mates. Against England, his role can only be amplified. He has smacked the small matter of three hundreds, two eighties and a pair of breezy fifties in his 11 matches to date, and by the end of the Tests in England, the bowlers’ strategy was simply to wait for the hurricane to blow itself out. While he’s still at the crease, Strauss and his men know they can’t relax for an instant.

Team news

So many permutations for England to consider, with a new opening batsman needed to take over from Pietersen, and a replacement bowler needed to fill in for Stuart Broad. The one given is that Morgan will revert to his favourite No. 5 position, where he and Ravi Bopara could form a potent combination in the latter stages of an innings. Earlier in the week, Ian Bell was talking like a man who’d been told to renew his first-wicket alliance with Andrew Strauss, although Matt Prior could yet be asked to take up that challenge once again. There is some speculation about England playing three spinners, with James Tredwell a potential addition alongside Michael Yardy and Graeme Swann. But Ajmal Shahzad, who claimed Tamim for a duck when England last played an ODI in Chittagong, is the likelier replacement for Broad.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Michael Yardy, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Ajmal Shahzad, 11 James Anderson.After a result such as the one they endured last week, the temptation might be to throw the baby out with the bathwater. However, Bangladesh have limited room for wholesale changes, and besides, the players who got their team into this mess ought to be the first to have to front up and get them out again. The one potential change is Mohammad Ashraful for Mahmudullah. Though Ashraful was picked primarily as a batsman, his allsorts spin bowling has proven to be the far stronger of his two suits to date. Mahmudullah, who is an offspinning allrounder, has a solid record against England including two Test fifties.Bangladesh (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Junaid Siddique, 4 Raqibul Hasan, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Naeem Islam, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Shafiul Islam.

The weather has been dry and hot, though not unbearably so. The pitch promises to be a typical Chittagong strip of tarmac – dry and flat, with a touch of turn and low bounce. It was the livelier of the two surfaces on England’s tour in 2009-10, though that is not saying much.

Stats and trivia

England and Bangladesh have only faced each other once in previous World Cups – at Bridgetown in 2007, when England ground to an unconvincing four-wicket win.
• Tamim Iqbal has scored 730 runs at 48.66 in his 11 matches against England, including a run of six half-centuries in seven Test innings. His highest score against England, 125, came in his first match against them, the first ODI in Dhaka in February 2010.
• Andrew Strauss has never played an ODI in Bangladesh, having been rested for last year’s tour. He scored 154 in his last match against them, at Edgbaston in July 2010.

Quotes

“The boys will be a bit tense, but we know if we play our best cricket, we can beat any side. They are confident enough to do the right things.”
Shakib Al Hasan expects an improved performance from his team.”It’s been great to be involved in some thrilling games. Personally I would have liked them to be a bit easier, I’d probably have a bit more hair on my head at this stage of the tournament. But we have shown a lot of character in a couple of those games certainly, and we want these last two games to be less close, to be honest.”
Andrew Strauss is hoping for a quieter match this time around

Zimbabwe’s goal during the upcoming World Cup is “to make sure we play as well as we can.” That’s the mantra coach Alan Butcher brought with him to the team’s arrival press conference in Chennai. “We haven’t set any targets regarding the quarter-finals,” he said.For a team that has only twice progressed out of the group stages and has won just eight of 46 World Cup matches, that ambition seems to fit just right. Zimbabwe are among the stronger of the minnow teams but will have to beat at least one of the big names as well as earn convincing victories over Kenya and Canada if they hope to progress. For them, the results are not as important as the method. “If we can play five out of six games to our plans and to our targets, it will represent a good step forward for our team,” Butcher said.Butcher brings with him a team whose last notable World Cup achievement came in 1999, when Zimbabwe beat India and South Africa to advance to the Super Six stage of the tournament. The team that took to the field then formed what was considered the old guard of Zimbabwean cricket, with the likes of the Flower brothers, Alistair Campbell, Heath Streak and Henry Olonga. Those glory days, just like the Springsteen song says, have passed them by in the wink of a young girl’s eye.Now there’s a team of young hopefuls, the Chris Mpofus and Charles Coventrys of the country who have big talent and big hearts but a lot to learn. “We’ve got some way to go to say that we are back at that level (of 1999) but there is every reason to think that that can happen in the future,” Butcher said. This World Cup is more about planning for that future than anything else.”Zimbabwean cricket is in the process of a turnaround,” Butcher said. “They have gone through a period of poor results and difficult times for the players. At the moment, everyone is working very hard not only in this squad but in the first-class system to improve themselves.” Since voluntarily withdrawing from Test cricket, Zimbabwe have pumped resources into their limited-overs formats, which has included a sponsored twenty-over franchise competition that has attracted the likes of Andrew Hall, Lance Klusener and Brian Lara.”He (Lara) helped us a lot and shared some of his experience with us while he was working with us as a batting consultant,” Elton Chigumbura, the Zimbabwe captain, said. “The guys are ready to express themselves during this World Cup, show how they can play and win a couple of games.” Zimbabwe have every reason to be positive because it was just last June that they qualified for their first tri-series final in 10 years, albeit against second string Indian and Sri Lankan sides.It’s the preparation in and against teams for the subcontinent that will serve Zimbabwe best in this tournament. In December, they played against Bangladesh in a five match ODI series, and in the last two years have played in Dhaka and Chittagong 10 times. “There are players with experience of the conditions from when we played in Bangladesh,” Butcher said. “We’ve been playing and practicing in Dubai as well, where they’ve tried to simulate Indian wickets.”Zimbabwe also have a strong arsenal of spinners to make up for their lack of firepower in the fast bowling department, which could serve them well in the subcontinent. “The balance of our attack will be favoured by the conditions here. There’s a fair chance we will go with more than a couple of spinners which puts us at less of a disadvantage.” Butcher said.The search for the next Zimbabwean quick or the next batsman in the Andy Flower mould is still on, but Butcher is convinced that the 15 men he has to work with now will be the start of a permanent turnaround in the fortunes of the team that has for so long been the little brother of African cricket. He hopes the World Cup can help them to illustrate that point. “Zimbabwe cricket is on the up and hopefully we can prove that in the next six weeks.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDanie Vettori’s innings took New Zealand from a dodgy position to one of comfort•Getty Images

Daniel Vettori embellished his record against his favourite opponent with a century that was exemplary for the smoothness of its gear-shifts and guided New Zealand from their dodgy overnight position to a score of 356. New Zealand’s progress centred around the 138-run stand between Vettori and Reece Young, who made his maiden half-century, as Pakistan’s attack played into the home side’s hands with an unimaginative approach during the morning session. Their batsmen, however, showed more enterprise, with Taufeeq Umar and Azhar Ali making half-centuries to lead a strong response. Taufeeq’s late exit left Pakistan at 134 for 2, and the game evenly balanced going into the third day.New Zealand’s seamers came out with purpose after Vettori’s heroics, and plugged away on a length outside off despite not getting much help from the wicket. Bowling into the wind, Tim Southee got one to nip away from Mohammad Hafeez, who hit his pad with the bat as he shaped to drive. Umpire Rod Tucker upheld the appeal, triggering another round of debate around the inconsistency in the implementation of the UDRS.Having found his bearings in the session leading up to tea, Taufeeq checked in with two delectable shots in Southee’s first over of the final session, driving square when he was offered width, and straight when he wasn’t. When the seamers angled into his pads, he made them pay almost every time, while also leaving well throughout his innings, both on line and length.Azhar was more subdued and survived a couple of outside edges, the second of which carried low to a late-reacting Ross Taylor, standing wide at first slip. Despite the odd stutter, Azhar showed glimpses of the determination that marked him out in the tours of England and South Africa. The highlight of his effort was a back-foot square drive off Southee, so delicate that it wasn’t noticed by an unfortunate pigeon in the deep-point area that had its feathers ruffled.With the fast bowlers struggling for impact, New Zealand turned to their captain for inspiration once again, and he nearly intervened in his first over, the 26th of the innings. Young appealed without conviction after juggling a thin inside edge from Taufeeq, which no one else seemed to have noticed. Unperturbed by the reversal, Vettori settled into a searching spell, getting the ball to misbehave occasionally from the rough outside Taufeeq’s off stump. Without the aid of the bowlers’ foot marks, he set up a fascinating tussle with Azhar, testing him with flight and drift, and it was down to the batsman’s fortune that he managed to survive Vettori’s best.When Vettori threatened to tie him up with his variations, Azhar stepped out to launch him inside-out over long-off for his first six in Test cricket. The respite was temporary, and Vettori nearly accounted for him twice, beating him through the air with subtle variations in flight, inducing a couple of miscues that landed safely. Taufeeq was easily the more assured of the two, but succumbed with stumps in sight, jabbing Vettori into the slips for 70. His dismissal reignited New Zealand’s hopes, which had flagged a touch after a dominant morning.Pakistan’s early woes were exemplified by Gul, who showed little of the craft and presence of mind he had displayed on the first day. Then, he had used the wind behind him to hustle the batsmen, while getting the ball to deviate disconcertingly from a length. Today, his average length was at least a foot shorter, and he wasted the new ball with a slew of bouncers and wide deliveries. Vettori and Young were happy to stay back in the crease and pick gaps in the field when they were forced to play. With Wahab Riaz indisposed, Abdur Rehman took over duties at the Scoreboard End and got several deliveries to drift prodigiously into Vettori, but did not have enough spin to work with.Vettori mastered the conditions and the one-dimensional line of attack, to set himself up for a rich harvest. He steered one of Gul’s many harmless, short deliveries for four through the off side, and off the next ball, brought up his first half-century in nearly 10 months, shuffling across to off stump and turning round the corner. When Gul made way for Tanvir at the Vance End, Vettori welcomed him with a crisp on-drive for four more.At the other end, Young showed enough poise to promise a long stint in the national side. He survived his only error in the first hour, top-edging a pull off a Tanvir bouncer behind the wicketkeeper’s head, and brought up his fifty with a thick edge through gully for four more. His dismissal, with lunch round the corner, gave Pakistan an opening, but Vettori was not done with them yet. He seamlessly shifted from the initial brief of crease occupation and produced a raft of innovative strokes to swell New Zealand’s score.Tanvir followed up the ball that dismissed Young with a sharp bouncer that rattled Southee’s helmet, and there were a couple more bumpers from Gul after lunch. Southee did not last long, falling to a fuller one, but Vettori’s innovation earned New Zealand 34 from their last two wickets. He moved across to off stump to nudge Gul’s lifters to the leg side, trotted out of the crease to launch Rehman straight for six, and later reverse-swept him against the spin. Vettori had reached 96 when Gul snaked an incutter through Brent Arnel’s defences. Martin survived four deliveries in fortuitous fashion, working the home crowd into a frenzy of applause, and they soon repeated the routine for Vettori’s well-deserved ton. His batting put New Zealand on top in the morning, and his bowling refused to allow Pakistan to dictate terms thereafter.

Match Facts

Michael Beer is still waiting to find out if he will debut on Boxing Day•Getty Images

December 26-30, Melbourne
Start time 10:30 (23:30 GMT)

The Big Picture

It doesn’t get much bigger than this: Boxing Day at the MCG in front of a potential crowd of 90,000, the Ashes up for grabs, the series level at 1-1 with two Tests to play, England sweating on the fitness of their best bowler and Australia hoping their captain can play with a broken finger. This is Test cricket at its most intoxicating. Can the match live up to the hype?Australia’s victory at the WACA might have disappointed England fans keen to see the urn safely in the visitors’ hands as soon as possible. But for the series, and for the spectacle of Boxing Day in Melbourne, a level series leading in to the match is a tantalising prospect. Should Australia win, or secure a draw, either team will still be able to take home the Ashes with one Test to play.And things aren’t as straightforward as they seemed a fortnight ago. England’s strike bowler James Anderson is under an injury cloud with a side problem, and their No. 5 Paul Collingwood is in poor form. Australia haven’t solved their spin conundrum, having escaped from the WACA without needing one, and they could give a debut to a man with the grand tally of seven first-class matches under his belt.It all combines to set the scene for one of the most fascinating contests seen in Australia in recent years. And if the home team prevails, the New Year Test in Sydney will be even bigger.

Form guide

(most recent first)
Australia WLDLL
England LWDWL

Watch out for…

He began the series as Australia’s most under-pressure batsman, but now Michael Hussey is the one banker in a line-up that has struggled to post big totals. By freeing his thinking and playing his natural game, Hussey has sparked a career renaissance that has brought his highest Test score and six consecutive 50-plus Ashes scores, which is a record. On the slowish Melbourne surface, he will have plenty of time to pull.
Ian Bell is in form, but hasn’t had much opportunity yet to post a big Ashes hundred, given how solid the rest of the top order has been. He is still desperately searching for that first Test century against Australia, after 16 Ashes Tests. If Australia hand the spinner Michael Beer a debut, Bell will certainly attack him hard, and it could be an important passage in the Test.

Team news

Ricky Ponting appears certain to play despite having a broken finger, so the only question for Australia surrounds the make-up of their attack. The slow MCG drop-in pitches usually mean a spinner is required, so Beer could come in for his debut. If that is the case, Peter Siddle is likely to be the unlucky fast man who would be left out.Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Steven Smith, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Michael Beer, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus.England’s batting group is settled, despite Collingwood’s slump, and their decisions are also bowling related. Anderson’s side problem has placed him in doubt, while Steven Finn might be rested if Anderson plays. Either way, Tim Bresnan is likely to come in alongside Chris Tremlett and either Finn or Anderson.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ian Bell, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Chris Tremlett, 11 James Anderson

Pitch and conditions

Melbourne’s drop-in pitches are usually slow and low, which will be a change after the lively surface in Perth. “I would think on the WACA’s worst day they would still be faster and bouncier than anything we normally turn out,” the MCG curator Cameron Hodgkins said. Batting often becomes easier as the match progresses. The forecast for the first day is for a shower or two and 21C.

Stats and trivia

• Ricky Ponting enters this match having played in 99 Test victories, and should Australia prevail, he will be the first player in history to take part in 100 Test wins
• Australia have won 10 of the past 11 Tests at the MCG, the only loss in that time coming against South Africa two years ago
• Mike Hussey has scored 517 runs and Alastair Cook has 495 for the series. With two Tests remaining, both men have made more than any player did during the entire 2009 Ashes series
• The record crowd for cricket at the MCG was 90,800, set on day two of the Australia-West Indies Test in 1960-61

Quotes

“The Boxing Day Test is always very special because the guys have their families, it’s a great time of the year. Everyone is pretty excited and probably a bit more excited after winning in Perth as well.”
Michael Clarke

“Huge support for Australia, Ashes on the line, there’s going to be a lot of pressure around and personally that excites me. It’s a great test for us as a side.”
Andrew Strauss

Gautam Gambhir is not a sure starter for the crucial Boxing Day Test in Durban. He was hit around the knuckles of his left hand in the first Test, and it has swollen a bit. He had batted in the nets all three days of India’s training leading into the Test. What is a concerning bit of news for India, though, is that the swelling seems to have grown on the match eve, and Gambhir spent a long time in the nets sitting on an ice box, with an icepack on his left hand.If Gambhir doesn’t make it, M Vijay will be his natural replacement. Looking at the contingency, India chose to give Vijay a long hit in the nets on the eve of the match. Vijay has done well in the past as a back-up opener, even when he has been called up on short notice. His last effort as replacement opener was 139 against Australia in Bangalore, which contributed to India’s 2-0 series win. For somebody who always gets called up on short notice, Vijay has a healthy average of 42.41 in eight Tests. If he gets picked, though, this will be Vijay’s biggest Test, on a green, rock-solid pitch, with overhead conditions likely to contribute to swing and seam movement.India trail 1-0, and South Africa are looking to close out this series before they enter the next year.

Scorecard
Laura Marsh helped England take an unassailable 2-0 series lead by top-scoring with 30 and taking two wickets as England eased to a 17-run win in the 2nd Twenty20 against Sri Lanka at Colombo.It was captain Charlotte Edwards’ allround effort that inspired England’s opening victory and though she did not play this match Marsh followed in a similar vein after Sri Lanka opted to field first. Despite losing opening partner Danielle Wyatt early she was aggressive and struck three boundaries in her 26-ball innings. Contributions from Fran Wilson (17), Lydia Greenway (16) and stand-in captain Jenny Gunn (13) dragged England up to 114.If the target looked gettable at the halfway stage it would have seemed much harder after Isa Guha removed Chamari Polgampola, caught behind, with the first ball of the innings. Inoka Galagedara tried to rebuild the innings with a careful 28 before becoming the first of two wickets for Wyatt.Marsh then got into the action, snaring Shashikala Siriwardene, the Sri Lanka captain, for 10 and having wicketkeeper Dilani Manodara out stumped soon after. Chamani Seneviratna (15 not out) held firm to keep the hosts in touch but three run outs ruined the lower order and gave England the series.

Sri Lanka have surged ahead of India to second place in the ICC ODI rankings following their 2-1 series win against table-toppers Australia. Sri Lanka’s win, their first in Australia, earned them three points, lifting them to 118, one clear of India. Despite their recent slump across formats, Australia continue to maintain a healthy lead and are currently on 128 points.India will have to sweep New Zealand 5-0 in the home one-day series, which begins on November 28, if they are to reclaim the second spot. A 5-0 result will take India to 121 points, while a 4-1 scoreline will leave them a few decimal points short of Sri Lanka, who will have the opportunity to add to their tally when they clash against West Indies at home from December 9.South Africa’s 3-2 series win against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates left them in fourth place at 115 points, and their next one-day fixture will be against the touring Indians in January. The results of that series, and Australia’s post-Ashes ODIs against England, could decide the standings leading up to the World Cup, which begins on February 19.

Maurice Ouma has resigned as Kenya’s captain in the wake of the side’s 167-run loss to Afghanistan in the Intercontinental Cup. Vice-captain Jimmy Kamande will take over with immediate effect and will lead the team in the ODI series which starts on Thursday.”We respect Morris’s decision to stand down after what has been a difficult period and would like to thank him for his efforts,” Cricket Kenya chief executive Tom Sears said. “We are confident that in Jimmy Kamande we have a captain who can take the squad forward and start producing the results we know our players are capable of.”Ouma took over from Steve Tikolo in June 2009 but had been unable to arrest the continuing slide in Kenya’s fortunes. Earlier this year he was at the forefront of a player strike which embarrassed the board and led to losses of more than $60,000 because of the resulting cancellation of a tour of England. At the time there were calls for him to stand down.”I feel this is the right decision for myself as a player but more importantly for the squad,” Ouma said. “I have given the role everything and have been very proud to captain my country but the time is now right for someone else to take on the challenge and lead us to the success we know we can achieve.”