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Maharashtra Cricket Association also says it will conduct a probe into the matter which will be independent of the ICC’s investigation

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Oct-2017Contrary to the BCCI’s assertion that Pandurang Salgaoncar has been “dismissed” from his role, the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) says it has only suspended him as head groundsman of the Pune pitch. The MCA will appoint its own committee to conduct a probe, which will be conducted after investigation being carried out by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit (ACU).”He has been suspended as curator and as also the MCA member because of any actions which might bring disrepute to the association,” a MCA official told ESPNcricinfo. “There will be an inquiry and depending upon the verdict a final decision will be taken.”Action was taken against Salgaoncar on Thursday, hours before the India-New Zealand T20, for “malpractice” that was captured on camera by undercover reporters from . The decision to suspend Salgaoncar was unilaterally taken by the MCA president Abhay Apte, after the footage was released. It is understood that Salgaoncar had come to the ground on the morning of the T20, but Apte met him and explained the seriousness of the issue. Apte informed Salgaoncar that he was left with no choice but to suspend him. He also said that the best solution was for Salgaoncar to leave the ground.According to the MCA official, Salgaoncar asked if he could watch the match sitting in an MCA box, but Apte declined such a request as the curator’s presence would have added to the media furore. “There was the issue about perception. There is an issue about faith, about trust, and it was not appropriate to let him continue in the job and it would be incorrect,” the MCA official said.The MCA was relieved once ICC match referee Chris Broad gave the match the go-ahead upon examining the pitch.On Thursday, in an emergency meeting, Apte explained to the MCA members the logic behind suspending Salgaoncar. “The MCA suspended him pending enquiry. We cannot terminate him without any proof and finding. And we cannot let him go just based on a perception that he had done something wrong.”Asked whether Salgaoncar had committed a breach of the ICC’s ACU code, the MCA official agreed there was a violation. “Prima facie there is evidence and misconduct and hence he was suspended. If it is confirmed that there was [misconduct] then he will be removed. If it confirmed that was not the case, then he will be reinstated.”

Jonny Bairstow made his second century of the Royal London series to help England to a resounding victory over West Indies

George Dobell at the Ageas Bowl29-Sep-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJonny Bairstow made his second century of the Royal London series to help England to a resounding victory over West Indies.Bairstow, who was promoted to open the batting following a spell of poor form that saw Jason Roy dropped, followed his maiden ODI century at Old Trafford in the first match of this series with an accomplished innings of 141 from 114 balls. It was the highest ODI score by an England batsman in an ODI against West Indies and the first time an England player has scored two centuries in the same bilateral ODI series against them.With the recalled Roy also taking his opportunity – he followed his innings of 84 at The Oval with an innings of 96 here – it suggested Alex Hales could face a prolonged period outside the team. Hales is not currently considered available for selection following a night out in Bristol.The competition for places in the England squad is more intense than anything they experienced on the pitch at the Ageas Bowl. Set a modest 289 for victory, they eased to a nine-wicket win with an eye-watering 12 overs remaining. That sealed a 4-0 series win and stretched England’s record against West Indies to 16 out of their last 17 ODIs.While Roy and Bairstow’s opening partnership of 156 in 21.2 overs will probably gain the plaudits after a disappointingly one-sided game, the key period arguably occurred much earlier. From the moment West Indies went more than 20 overs in mid-innings without hitting a boundary it became apparent they would set an inadequate total.But for a brief flurry from Chris Gayle, when he thrashed 34 in six successive deliveries from Jake Ball, West Indies were oddly passive for much of their innings bat and allowed England’s spinners – Man of the Series Moeen Ali and legspinner Adil Rashid – to bowl their 20 overs for a cost of just 78 runs. West Indies went from the final ball of the ninth over to the fifth ball of the 31st without hitting a boundary.The day had started poorly for England. With Ben Stokes’ immediate future uncertain, the importance of Chris Woakes to England has grown further. So it was far from ideal that he reported some stiffness in his lower back after the match at The Oval and was rested as a consequence. There are currently no plans for a scan but England will be anxiously monitoring his progress over the next few days.In his place, Tom Curran came into the side for an ODI debut and produced a quietly impressive performance. Most notably, he demonstrated admirable skill and composure in producing a perfectly delivered back-of-the-hand slower ball to deceive and dismiss Gayle in full flow. It will prove a memorable maiden ODI wicket in a performance that may well have propelled him above Ball when it comes to future selection.Ball found, like many before him, that bowling to Gayle in the Powerplay is no easy task. Despite starting with a maiden to Gayle, who didn’t get off the mark until his 15th ball, the final three deliveries of Ball’s third over were all thrashed – to say they were driven would hardly reflect the terrific force with which the ball was struck – for six by Gayle, while the first three of his fourth conceded two more sixes and a four to the same batsman. In all, Ball conceded six of the 10 sixes hit by West Indies during the innings.Also deserving of credit for the Gayle dismissal was Liam Plunkett. Keeping his eye on the ball while running back from mid-off, Plunkett clung on to an outstanding diving catch to capitalise on Gayle’s mistimed drive. A few overs later Plunkett took an equally good reaction chance off his own bowling – pouncing low and to his left, he clung on to a mistimed drive – to account for Kyle Hope, who came into the side in place of the injured Evin Lewis.That wicket brought Shai Hope and Samuels together. And, while the pair were rarely troubled in adding 57, the fact that it took them 16 overs played into England’s hands. Samuels’s miserable series culminated in an innings of 32 from 60 balls with just one boundary and meant he finished the series averaging 15.25 at a strike-rate of 49.19. By the time he ran past one from Moeen Ali that slid on, it was hard to gauge whether it was England or West Indies supporters who were happier.Shai Hope, at least, eventually found his form. Having not hit a boundary for the first 77 balls of his innings, he then hit three in succession as he started to anticipate Curran’s variations.Sunil Ambris, brought into the side in place of Jason Holder who returned to Barbados for the funeral of his uncle, also looked an accomplished, aggressive player. With Ashley Nurse, who hit 31 from 12 balls, he added some impetus at the end of the innings to partially compensate for the overs used up by Hope and Samuels. But, on another decent track, the West Indies total always looked a little short of par.Not for a moment did Bairstow and Roy appear troubled. And, if it was the crisp striking that was a feature of the latter part of Bairstow’s innings, it was his brilliant running between the wickets that left West Indies’ stand-in captain, Jason Mohammed, scratching his head. Joe Root completed proceedings by hitting the final ball of the match for six and, in the process, becoming the third-fastest man in history to reach 4000 ODI runs.The result completes the longest international season in England’s history. In the 147 days since May 5, England have won 18 of the international games they have played (with one no-result), including Test and ODI series victories over South Africa and West Indies. All of which sounds excellent. But the failure to win the Champions Trophy and lingering fears for the future of Stokes cast significant shadows over those results.West Indies, meanwhile, clearly have a great deal of work in front of them if they are to gain qualification to the World Cup.

Tottenham Hotspur have already acted quickly this summer to secure the signings of both Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison to help bolster Ange Postecoglou's squad, with chairman Daniel Levy having also wrapped up both Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro on permanent deals following their respective loan spells.

In the case of the latter man, the 23-year-old joined on loan from Sporting CP in January in a deal that included a £39m obligation to buy at the end of the season, with the Spaniard having been earmarked as the long-term solution for the Lilywhites at right wing-back.

The arrival of Postecoglou, however, is likely to see a shift to a flat back four, hence the possible concerns as to whether the one-time Manchester City asset can be deployed in a more orthodox right-back berth.

As football.london's Alasdair Gold wrote last term following the grim 6-1 defeat to Newcastle United last season, the 5 foot 8 ace 'doesn't look like a natural full-back', while The Athletic's Charlie Eccleshare has revealed that is 'well known' that he is an 'excellent attacker but a questionable defender'.

As such, it is no surprise that the north Londoners are believed to be looking to the transfer market to find a possible alternative, with Tuttosport recently reporting that Levy and co are interested in signing Torino's Wilfried Singo, with the 22-year-old potentially available for a fee of just €12m (£10m) due to his expiring contract.

If Spurs are able to pull off a deal for the 6 foot 3 ace, it could allow the Premier League side to finally fill the void that was left behind by Kieran Trippier's exit back in 2019.

How good is Kieran Trippier?

There's no denying that Tottenham have endured issues at right-back since the Englishman moved on to Atletico Madrid on a £21.7m deal just over four years ago, with the likes of Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal failing to truly establish themselves in recent years.

In the case of Doherty, the Republic of Ireland international was moved on in January after making just 54 starts in all competitions following his arrival back in 2020, while Emerson was branded a "liability" by ex-Spurs man Jamie O'Hara last year amid his difficult start to life in England.

That duo seemingly proved unable to plug the gap that was left behind by Trippier, with the one-time Burnley ace having been part of the side that reached the Champions League final in 2019, having contributed 23 assists in 114 games for the club across all fronts from his right-sided berth.

Having returned to the Premier League at Newcastle United 18 months ago, the 32-year-old's all-round quality has been evident, as he finished fourth in the division in 2022/23 for big chances created, while also averaging three tackles and interceptions per game as part of the joint-best defence in the league.

Spurs are seemingly in need of their own version of the Bury-born gem, hence why Singo could be a dream addition, with the Ivory Coast international having been hailed as the "complete defender" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Also lauded as a "baller" by Kulig, the towering titan – who registered five goals and assists in Serie A last term – can provide an attacking threat from the flanks as he ranks in the top 13% among his European peers for successful take-ons, while his defensive nous is shown by the fact that he ranks in the top 2% for aerial duels won.

Like Trippier – who has been described as a "defensive animal" by England boss Gareth Southgate – Singo is also rather "tenacious", according to Kulig, ensuring he proves to be a stern test for any opposition winger.

While it remains to be seen if Spurs will invest again in that department following Porro's capture, the Torino menace would no doubt be an ideal, bargain Trippier heir.

Jadon Sancho has reactivated his Instagram account ahead of his return to Borussia Dortmund on loan from Manchester United.

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Sancho already in DortmundReturns to Instagram just hours after landingLoan deal set to be announcedWHAT HAPPENED?

The 23-year-old has already flown to Germany before his impending move to the Black & Yellows. And immediately upon his return, Sancho reactivated his Instagram account which he had to deactivate due to a row with Erik ten Hag for his'scapegoat' remark that left him exiled from all first-team facilities since August.

He has deleted all former posts and teased his imminent move to Dortmund on his display picture with an image from his earlier stint at Signal Iduna Park.

@sanchooo10 Instagram

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It will be a straight short-term loan with no-buy option, which means that Sancho will return to Manchester in the summer. He had been training with the academy players at Carrington to keep himself fit and ready for a fresh challenge after it was made abundantly clear that he had no future at Old Trafford.

DID YOU KNOW?

Jadon Sancho is the only player since 2004-05 who has scored and assisted at least 15 goals each within a single Bundesliga season, doing so in 2019-20 (17 goals and 16 assists).

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Sancho is set for his medical at Dortmund before re-signing with his former employers until the end of the campaign. It remains to be seen if Sancho is handed a run-out on Saturday by coach Edin Terzic against Darmstadt in the Bundesliga or if he is made to wait until January 20 to get back to competitive action against Koln at RheinEnergie Stadion.

Zinedine Zidane continues to be linked with Manchester United, but Louis Saha is not convinced that the legendary Frenchman would want the job.

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Questions being asked of Dutch coachReal Madrid legend still out of workHas avoided English jobs in the pastWHAT HAPPENED?

There is not a vacancy to be filled in the Old Trafford dugout at present, with Erik ten Hag still calling the shots. Questions have, however, been asked of how long the Dutchman will be sticking around for as United scratch around for consistency in Premier League and Champions League.

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Former Real Madrid boss Zidane has been mooted as a potential United boss in the past, and figures prominently in current betting markets, but ex-Red Devils striker Saha has – speaking in association with – told GOAL when asked if the World Cup winner would be interested in a prominent English post: “Zinedine Zidane has been linked with Manchester United before but he’s a legend of the game and he’s willing to take his time. He’s had a lot of opportunities, with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and we heard his name with United before. I’ve seen reports that he might not be willing to come to the Premier League, so I'd be surprised if things have changed in that sense. Manchester United are still one of the biggest attractions but it’s a difficult place to come and have the success that we’re all looking for. That’s the biggest challenge, and whether he wants it is up to him.”

WHAT THEY SAID

Ten Hag is under contract until 2025 and did deliver Carabao Cup glory for United last season. Quizzed on whether he should fear the sack if collective performances do not improve, Saha added: "Being a manager of Manchester United, you have to accept the pressure of being sacked. That’s the reality of being manager of Manchester United, especially when you’re not playing well. Big managers before Erik ten Hag have come in and been sacked.

"But last year, Ten Hag came in and changed a lot of things but now there’s some frustration which we saw with other managers. He has to be aware of that and I'm sure he is. There won’t be any surprises, even if he somehow manages to create Ten Hag mania, it always comes down to results. Even Sir Alex Ferguson was under pressure at United, and that’s a normal position that Ten Hag will just have to get used to. He has to get points in the league and the Champions League as well as getting the team back on track because at the moment, it’s not quite there."

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United are sat eighth in the Premier League as things stand, with 15 points collected from nine games, while they finally got off the mark in Europe last time out when edging out FC Copenhagen 1-0 – with Andre Onana required to save a stoppage-time penalty in that contest.

Having averaged over 50 in first-class cricket over the last three years, Aaron Finch seems to have come of age as a red-ball batsman and hopes he can one day wear the Baggy Green

Brydon Coverdale14-Feb-2017Over the next week, Aaron Finch will break a record. And yet it’s a record he hopes he will not hold forever. Assuming he does not miss any of the three T20s against Sri Lanka, Finch will overtake David Hussey to become the man with the most international caps for Australia without having played a Test. Hussey finished his career with 108 combined ODIs and T20Is; Finch begins this series on 107. But he still dreams of a baggy green.It is a goal that may or may not happen, but at least Finch has improved his chances by greater first-class output over the past few years. At times, Finch has not even found a place in Victoria’s Sheffield Shield XI, but before Christmas this summer he produced his first Shield century for six and a half years. County assignments with Yorkshire and Surrey have helped him find his way in long-form cricket.And Finch freely admits that he had lost his way. In the past three years, Finch has averaged 54.53 as a first-class batsman; in his entire career until then, he had averaged 27.47.”I think it was a combination of a few things,” Finch told ESPNcricinfo. “There were a couple of small technical flaws – at the time I was batting at No.3 for Victoria – that probably got exposed a little bit more with the moving red ball compared to the white ball that swings for a handful of overs. As an opening batter in the shorter form, your job is to go out there and try and make a real statement early on in the game. That risk-reward is slightly more in your favour in the shorter forms.”I missed out a few times and started to doubt my technique, and then I started to doubt my ability, and then I got into a real bad case – my self-talk was all negative. It was almost as if I was walking out there to bat just hoping to do well, and if I got any runs it was almost a surprise, because I’d just talked myself out of it before I started. It wasn’t until I thought, ‘you know what, this is doing nothing for your career’.”I wasn’t very happy, to be honest. I always had the shits because I wasn’t getting runs, but I wasn’t helping myself in any way, shape or form at the same time to do anything about it. That was a combination of a bit of technique and a real mental battle that I was having with my game, and also with myself. It’s something over time that I’ve learnt to deal with.”Finch says holding down a consistent place in the middle order for Victoria, Yorkshire and Surrey has helped him settle down as a long-format batsmen•PA Photos

Finch’s talent has never been in doubt – hence his regular presence at the top of the order in Australia’s ODI and T20 teams over the past few years – but his struggles in the longer form might have led to some observers writing him off as a red-ball player. However, Finch is now coming off 102 in his last Shield game before Christmas and 49 and 71 in Victoria’s low-scoring win over South Australia this week, and he is looking forward to more Shield cricket after the upcoming T20s against Sri Lanka.”It’s always good when you get a good run of four-day cricket in a row,” Finch said. “I’ve been lucky enough to have that in England the last three years. I really enjoyed being able to prepare in blocks, whether it be for three or four games in a row. I just feel like I hadn’t had that opportunity in Australia – through my own fault as well, through not making enough runs to warrant being picked every time.”But I’m really excited about four-day cricket. I still want to play Test cricket – that’s why I choose to go to the UK and play some county cricket instead of taking on the T20 circuit. I still want to play Test cricket … I think having a little bit of consistency with where I’ve batted has helped. I think I’ve batted four, five and six with Victoria, Yorkshire and Surrey.”That’s a place I enjoy batting – in the middle order in the longer form. I’m comfortable mentally and technically with where my game’s at, which makes you walk out into the middle a bit more excited, a bit more upbeat about what’s going to happen. Whether you get runs or not, that’s a different story.”

Opener Israrullah’s unbeaten 153 off 148 balls overpowered Karachi Blues and led Peshwar to the final of the Regional One-day Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Israrullah hit his third List A hundred•PCBOpener Israrullah’s unbeaten 153 off 148 balls helped Peshawar to a narrow win over Karachi Blues and put his team in the final of the Regional One-day Cup against Karachi Whites.Israrullah struck 12 fours and five sixes and contributed just over half of Peshawar’s runs. The next best score from was wicketkeeper-batsman Gauhar Ali’s 45 off 51 balls, but a series of cameos from the middle order pushed the total to 303 for 5.Karachi Blues made a steady start to the chase with Khurram Manzoor, who last played for Pakistan in the Asia Cup T20 in March 2016, and captain Khalid Latif adding 59 for the first wicket. The stand ended in the 17th over when Latif was lbw to left-arm spinner Khalid Usman. Manzoor, though, went on to bring up his 28th List A fifty off 73 balls.He then became part of a middle-order slump as the chase spiraled out of control. From 155 for 2, Karachi Blues were reduced to 211 for 7. Jaahid Ali, coming in at No.7, counterattacked his way to 53 off 44 balls, but ran out of partners in the end. Karachi Blues were dismissed for 280 in 47.4 overs, left-arm seamer Taj Wali taking care of the tail and finishing with 3 for 32.

USA’s chances for winning the Auty Cup took another hit with the withdrawal of allrounder Timroy Allen. An ICC Americas official confirmed on Wednesday that the Jamaica Tallawahs-contracted player would be unavailable for the three-match series against Canada, which starts from October 13, due to a “pre-advised commitment”.Allen’s spot in the squad has been taken by batsman Ravi Timbawala, who lives and plays his club cricket at Woodley Park in Los Angeles, the venue for the Auty Cup. Timbawala was second on the list of run-getters at USA’s 30-man squad camp at the start of August in Florida but was a surprise omission from the final 14-man USA squad for ICC WCL Division Four, beginning October 29.Allen is the second CPL-contracted player to withdraw from USA’s original Auty Cup squad and his absence leaves USA without both new-ball pace bowlers for the series. Guyana Amazon Warriors fast bowler Ali Khan was ruled out after he failed to recover in time from a left hamstring injury suffered at the five-day national camp at Indianapolis on September 20.Khan’s spot was taken by medium-pacer Hammad Shahid, who will also provide standby cover for WCL Division Four in case Khan cannot recover in time for the start of the tournament.

Faf du Plessis, speaking for the first time since being found guilty of ball-tampering, said he believed he had done nothing wrong

Firdose Moonda in Adelaide23-Nov-20164:31

‘I wasn’t trying to cheat, I was shining the ball’

Speaking for the first time since being found guilty of ball-tampering on Tuesday evening, South Africa’s stand-in captain Faf du Plessis used the first half of his pre-match press conference to continue to claim innocence. Du Plessis began with an explanation of what he considered the difference between altering the condition of the ball and merely looking after it, and that he firmly believed he was only doing the latter.”Yesterday was the hearing and the verdict was that I was guilty. I completely disagree with that. I felt like I have done nothing wrong,” du Plessis said. “There’s two ways of looking at it, either ball-shining or ball-tampering. For me, if you talk about ball-tampering, that is something that’s wrong. It’s picking the ball, scratching the ball.”Shining is something that all cricketers would say is not in that same space. It is something all cricketers do and I think there will be a lot of emphasis after this incident on where the game is going, what the ICC is going to do about it. I don’t believe shining is wrong. It’s not like I was trying to cheat or anything. I was shining a ball and I see no problem with that.”Du Plessis admitted he had a “massive mint” in his mouth and was not trying to be insidious about what he was doing in using saliva that had mixed with the sweet to shine the ball, but he questioned why he would have escaped charge had his actions not been seen by television cameras. “I wasn’t trying to actually hide it,” he said. “I put a massive mint in my mouth and my mouth was that wide open. Whether you shine the ball with a sweet in your mouth or whether you don’t see the sweet, and the sweet is still there, it’s exactly the same thing.”And according to du Plessis, he has received enough support from both current and former players, including Australian captain Steven Smith, who in his own press conference said his team “along with every other, shine the ball the same way”, to know that it is commonplace in the game.”The ex-players have spoken about it. It’s part of our game. It’s been an unwritten rule,” du Plessis said. “Some people use sunblock to shine the ball. I know of people who carry lip-ice in their pocket and shine the cricket ball or gum. So many things. It’s just so difficult to say what is right and what is wrong. To say that when you have a sweet in your mouth, it’s wrong but when you have a sweet in your mouth and the camera doesn’t pick up on it, it’s okay. It’s just a really massive grey area.”The everybody-does-it defense made headlines in the lead-up to du Plessis’ hearing, when footage emerged of Virat Kohli shining a ball when he appeared to have gum in his mouth, and David Warner shining a ball after applying lip-balm to his mouth. Neither Kohli nor Warner were charged – the visuals of their actions emerged after the ICC’s five-day window for reporting incidents – and although du Plessis would not be drawn on whether they should have been, he asked for consistent application of the rules. “I just ask that everyone gets treated the same way,” he said. “The ICC has taken a stance against me to use me as a scapegoat. All you can ask for is that everyone gets treated the same.”He also, along with Cricket South Africa CEO Haroon Lorgat, who was present at the press conference, hoped there would be clarity on what constitutes an artificial substance, and believes his case could lead to thorough research into whether sugar can make the ball swing.”Ninety percent of the time, cricketers have got sugary saliva,” du Plessis said. “Whether we are drinking Powerade, Coke, Gatorade, eating sweets, sucking on jellies, our mouths are always full of sugar. It’s such a grey area in the laws of cricket and its something that will be looked at. Us as cricketers, we think that it makes a difference but we are not scientists. We are not sure if it makes a difference. It’s opened up a can of worms, what’s going to happen now, going forward with the game. Something like this needed to happen to create a little bit more awareness on it.”Lorgat confirmed that CSA will engage the ICC on the matter at the next cricket committee meeting but until then, du Plessis has asked not be branded underhanded and for the practice to be considered acceptable. “It’s never nice to be in a position like this because with ball tampering, it’s a really negative connotation that gets put to it and the term cheat has been thrown around and that’s something I do not take lightly,” he said.”It’s something I don’t want to be associated with in any space and as I said, I felt I did nothing wrong. I was shining the cricket ball. I’ve been doing that for my whole career and every single team I have played in does exactly the same thing and it’s not something that’s frowned upon my anyone, not even the umpires. So to make such a big thing, I just think it was a little bit blown out of proportion by everyone.”He has also thanked his team-mates for their united showing of support when Hashim Amla addressed the media at the MCG last Friday, with the entire squad alongside him. “If you know the character of someone like Hashim Amla, you will understand that for him to go out and stand in front of the press and say the things that he said, he will feel very strongly about it. He is just the most honest guy on the planet so for him to say that means a lot,” du Plessis said. “It’s speaks a lot about our culture and how we don’t let any outside noise creep into our space.”The noise may not have got in, but du Plessis has been warned to expect a hostile reception at the Adelaide Oval, perhaps from the opposition but definitely from the crowd. While he does not think Smith and co will have anything because he believes they do the same thing.”I think the Aussies won’t talk about it at all because they know that’s part of their team as well. It’s not been driven by the cricketers. You don’t expect to go out there against Australia and walk out with a clap and welcome to the crease. It’s part of playing against Australia, you expect that and that’s something I have grown used to,” he said, but challenged fans to understand his perspective. “I’m hoping that cricketing sense will be prevail. It’s obviously something that if you are a cricketer and you understand cricket that this is not actually that big of a deal.”With the ball in the spotlight, du Plessis’ tactics on shining the pink ball will come into focus but he has indicated it may not need as much work. “The timing is perfect that it’s the pink ball. Apparently it swings more. It will be interesting to see how to shine the ball. I will probably just touch my finger like that and get a little bit of spit on it,” he joked.And will he still use mints as the sugary substance of choice? “Possibly just for bad breath now, not for shining the ball. I still the feel exactly the same way. Whether I was guilty or not, whether the sentence was different or not, I still feel exactly the same way. Maybe that needs to change now but possibly for this one game, I just maybe need to stay away from the mints.”

West Indies captain Jason Holder knows his team needs a much stronger batting performance in St Kitts than during their two tri-series matches in Guyana earlier this month. The series has moved on from the sluggish Providence Stadium pitch to the harder surface at Warner Park, which combined with the short boundaries makes it a more attractive ground for batsmen.Australia managed to post 288 for 6 at Warner Park on Saturday, enough for victory over South Africa, and West Indies get their first opportunity at the venue when they take on Australia on Monday. Holder said regardless of the change in conditions, his batting order needed to lift after being skittled for 116 by Australia in Guyana.”We didn’t bat well in the last game in Guyana,” Holder said. “We won the first game probably in the 48th over chasing 180. I think it’s obvious that we need to put some more runs on the board. This pitch here will be a lot better than Guyana in terms of strokeplay.”We saw the game yesterday and it looked like a pretty easy pace and pretty easy going for the batsmen. It’s important for the top four to bat as big as possible, give us a good solid foundation for our middle order to come in and capitalise.”West Indies have won four and lost four from eight ODIs in St Kitts since the ground hosted its first match 10 years ago. Last time they played there Denesh Ramdin slammed 169 off 121 balls and Darren Bravo scored 124 in what became a comfortable win over Bangladesh.”Traditionally playing here in St Kitts it tends to get a little slow,” Holder said. “It’s always been a slow track, but I guess the dimensions of the ground make it easier to hit the ball over the top and score freely. But having said that it could be a bit difficult, especially when the slow bowlers are on in the middle overs, to get the ball off the square.”I think we can use that to our favour. We’ve got two good spinners at the moment and there could be a possibility of playing three, you never know. I think it’s important we capitalise when the ball gets softer, as the Australians and South Africans pointed out, we try to peg back the scoring and keep it very tight.”Sunil Narine has been the most dangerous bowler in the series so far, with eight wickets from West Indies’ two matches, and Sulieman Benn has also proven difficult to get away. Offspinner Ashley Nurse is also in the squad as a third slow-bowling option.