New Laws of Commercial Registration and Trade Names take effect on Thursday    Civil Defense warns of heavy rains across Saudi Arabia until Monday    Saudi Exchange suspends trading of seven companies over financial disclosure delays    New fleet of 76 public transport buses starts operation in Jeddah on Tuesday Environmentally friendly electric buses introduced for first time    Foreign investors are allowed to engage in real estate business outside Makkah and Madinah Commercial speculation should not be the purpose of real estate transaction    EU preparing 'further countermeasures' to protect its interest, von der Leyen says    Tesla sales plunge after backlash against Elon Musk    Musk's X is suing India, as Tesla and Starlink plan entry    Israel announces expansion of military operation in Gaza to seize 'large areas' of land    US cancels visa of Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias    Danish prime minister refutes US claim on Greenland on visit to the Arctic territory    Aubameyang fires Al Qadsiah into King's Cup final with stoppage-time winner over Al Raed    Cristiano Ronaldo joins Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves    Saudi Arabia welcomes trilateral border treaty between Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan    Swedish table tennis legend Jörgen Persson appointed head coach of Saudi national team    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Windies face S. Africa in opener
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 03 - 06 - 2016

Host West Indies and South Africa get a tri-nation One-Day International series under way Friday in Guyana with both teams in rebuilding mode following last year's World Cup.
Australia, which lifted the global 50-over title for the fifth time with a comprehensive victory over New Zealand in the final in Melbourne 14 months ago, enters the fray Sunday when it faces the Caribbean side before tackling the Proteas two days later.
This competition, which follows a three-month period when international cricket has been almost completely dominated by the T20 format, will be played on a triple round-robin basis with three matches each in Guyana, St Kitts and Barbados before the one-off final in Bridgetown on June 26.
Despite a historic double triumph of the men's and women's teams at the World T20 in India, West Indies go into the competition as underdogs based on a track record of inconsistency in this version of the sport, both in terms of performance and selection.
Jason Holder leads a side that sees the return of all-rounder Kieron Pollard and spinner Sunil Narine.
Pollard's return to the ODI team for the first time since the controversial abandonment of the India tour in October 2014 has sparked considerable debate given that he did not play in a regional 50-over competition in January — supposedly a requirement for selection.
Narine will be in West Indies colors for the first time in more than six months following another period of rehabilitation after his bowling action was deemed illegal during the limited-over leg of the Sri Lankan campaign near the end of 2015.
There is no place in the squad for Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy, all key members of the World T20 title-winning side but who have apparently been ignored for failing to represent their respective territories at the start of the year, when they were all involved in the Big Bash in Australia.
Since losing a pulsating World Cup semifinal to New Zealand and then suffering a shock series defeat in Bangladesh, South Africa has restored its ODI fortunes with close series wins over the New Zealanders, India and England.
Notwithstanding its all-round strength, it will rely heavily on outstanding batsman and captain AB de Villiers for runs and inspiration.
He missed their lone warm-up fixture, against a West Indies Board President's XI in Port of Spain Sunday, the same day that de Villiers and his Royal Challengers Bangalore side fell nine runs short of a run chase in the Indian Premier League final.
In his absence, former captain Hashim Amla's polished 92 at the top of the order anchored South Africa's total of 280 for nine.
The tourists' bowlers did not have things their own way however with the home side getting to 127 for three off 24.1 overs when rain ended the day/night match, the fixture being ruled a tie on the Duckworth/Lewis scoring system.
West Indies, without Holder and a couple of other key players who were returning from IPL duty, lost two warm-up matches against a Barbados Select XI, heightening local fears about their competitiveness, especially given the lack of recent ODI match experience.
That amounts to only a three-match series in Sri Lanka — which it lost 3-0 — since being thrashed by New Zealand at the quarterfinal stage of the World Cup.
Squads:
West Indies — Jason Holder (captain), Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Jonathan Carter, Carlos Brathwaite, Denesh Ramdin (wicketkeeper), Ashley Nurse, Sulieman Benn, Sunil Narine, Jerome Taylor and Shannon Gabriel.
South Africa — AB de Villiers (captain), Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, Rilee Roussouw, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), JP Duminy, Farhaan Behardien, Wayne Parnell, Chris Morris, Kyle Abbott, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi and Morne Morkel.
Australia — Steven Smith (captain), David Warner, Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, George Bailey, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade (wicketkeeper), James Faulkner, Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Scott Boland and Josh Hazlewood.


Clic here to read the story from its source.