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South Africa’s bowling coach Charl Langeveldt has said the team is working on developing their situational awareness and “staying in the moment”

Firdose Moonda13-Oct-20152:19

Langeveldt urges South Africa to compete

How long is a moment? The time it takes for Dale Steyn to stare an opponent down? Is it the time it takes for Morne Morkel to do his customary half-circle at the top of his run-up, which has been lengthened by a metre specifically for this tour? Or is the time Kagiso Rabada took to take in the combined advice of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers and consult with himself before he bowled the match-winning ball in the first ODI?A moment can be all of those things or much longer. How many moments did Charl Langeveldt, South Africa’s bowling coach, spend trying to explain South Africa’s new-found attention to the detail of the moment? “We’ve been really working hard at staying in the moment,” Langeveldt said in Indore ahead of the second ODI. “In the past, we have had moments where we have lost big moments, so at the moment we are trying to stay in the big moments.” At least five.In an average ODI, there are likely to be at least twice that number of moments which the eventual winner has to seize. Taking all ten wickets wins a match but the process of taking those wickets can involve multiple moments, especially in India, where conditions provide an additional challenge. Although batsmen have to work hard for their runs, bowlers have to work harder to stop them on slow, flat surfaces so South Africa have adopted a mantra to urge them to concentrate on all the moments.”In India, you don’t give up. You are going to go for runs. So the saying in our team is to always compete. If you go for six, you compete in the next ball,” Langeveldt said. “If we are competing every ball, there’s a good chance we are going to win the game.”Some balls require more competition than others, like the first ten that Rohit Sharma, who has scored two centuries in three games, faces. “The first ten balls are important to him. If we can try get him out then, that’s the way forward because he is one of those players, who, once he goes past 20, he normally kicks on.”Rohit’s runs have bothered South Africa but they have not been enough on both occasions as South Africa’s death bowling seized the moment better than India’s finishing. Their execution of the yorker has become more frequent and better but it is their ability to quickly assess which deliveries will push the opposition’s pressure points that has noticeably improved since Langeveldt took over.”We don’t try and stick to just bowling yorkers. There will be games when you will need to bowl a few more yorkers so when we do training as well I’d rather see them focus on bowling everything – mix up with slower balls, bouncers and yorkers because you never know when you need to adapt,” Langeveldt said.As a result, even South Africa’s stock ball – back of a length on or just outside off – has been a far more effective weapon for them at the end of an innings. Kagiso Rabada used it twice in the final over in Kanpur to win the big moment for South Africa, and the match.Rabada’s rise has been so rapid that he has edged out the other reserve bowler in the squad, Kyle Abbott, who may be confined to the sidelines again after Langeveldt said South Africa will “probably go with the same seam attack” for the second ODI. India’s middle order may need to take a few moments to talk about that.

Ian Bell faces the end of his England career after being dropped for the Test series against South Africa. Nick Compton and Gary Ballance have earned recalls while the uncapped left-arm quick Mark Footitt has been included after injuries to Mark Wood and

Andrew McGlashan19-Nov-2015Ian Bell faces the end of his England career after being dropped for the Test series against South Africa. Nick Compton and Gary Ballance have earned recalls while the uncapped left-arm quick Mark Footitt has been included after injuries to Mark Wood and Steven Finn.

England Test squad

In Nick Compton, Gary Ballance, Chris Woakes, Mark Footitt
Out Ian Bell, Mark Wood, Steven Finn, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid
Alastair Cook, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Nick Compton, Mark Footitt, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Samit Patel, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Taylor, Chris Woakes

Samit Patel, who was called in as a replacement for Zafar Ansari for the Test series against Pakistan, has been retained while Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan are both in the 16-man squad but Liam Plunkett has not been able to find a spot despite being in the squad for the Pakistan series. Wood will undergo ankle surgery next week.Adil Rashid, who played the three Tests against Pakistan, has been omitted with the selectors feeling that he would be surplus to requirements on the pitches in South Africa. Instead he is expected to get a Big Bash deal in Australia, with the Adelaide Strikers, coached by Yorkshire’s Jason Gillespie, one of his likelier destinations. Moeen Ali is likely to slip back down the order to No. 8 after his failed try at opening in the UAE.Alex Hales remains favourite to open alongside Alastair Cook in the Boxing Day Test in Durban, but that position could yet go to Compton to revive the partnership which was the first combination used after Andrew Strauss retired. The Cook-Compton alliance remains the most successful of the seven pairings used by England since Strauss, averaging 57.93 in 17 innings together with three century stands. Otherwise, Compton will vie with Ballance for the No. 3 berth vacated by Bell.Bell tweeted that he was “absolutely gutted” to miss out on selection but staved off thoughts of retirement, saying he was “determined to win my place back”.

James Whitaker, the national selector, said: “Ian Bell has been an outstanding player for many years and undoubtedly still has plenty to offer England in the future. It was clearly a difficult decision but he has struggled for runs in recent series and we felt that it was the right time for him to take a break and spend time working on his game out of the spotlight.”The inclusion of Nick Compton and Gary Ballance alongside Alex Hales, Joe Root and James Taylor gives Trevor Bayliss and Alastair Cook plenty of options in the top order.”Adil Rashid showed plenty of promise in the UAE but the conditions in South Africa make the likelihood of playing two spinners extremely remote. Although he would have been selected as a back up spinner we feel there is an excellent opportunity for him to spend some time developing his white ball skills in the lead up to the ICC World T20 in March. It is likely that Adil will travel to Australia to play for a Big Bash franchise.”The selectors have had to explore the depth of the quick-bowling resources on offer after the injuries to Finn and Wood. Finn was ruled out of the Test series against Pakistan with a stress injury in his foot while Wood flew home after missing the final Test in Sharjah due to the management of his ongoing ankle problem.The ECB statement said: “Wood will undergo ankle surgery next week and Finn will continue his recovery from a bone stress injury. Further details on their rehabilitation and back to bowling programmes will be provided in due course.”Footitt, who has recently signed for Surrey, has taken 160 first-class wickets in his previous two seasons for Derbyshire. He impressed the England management when he was used as a net bowler at the start of last summer against New Zealand and was called into the squad for the fourth Ashes Test at Trent Bridge after James Anderson’s side injury.Jordan was called into the squad for the Pakistan series after Finn’s injury and retains his spot while Woakes returns for the first time since the 2014 series against India.

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy Group C matches on December 3, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2015

ScorecardFile photo: Kamlesh Makvana picked up 7 for 100 to run through Jammu & Kashmir’s line-up•K Sivaraman

Saurashtra wrapped up an innings and 63-run victory against Jammu & Kashmir to book their spot in the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals, thanks to a seven-for from offspinner Kamlesh Makvana. Saurashtra, who had ridden on a century from Sheldon Jackson and fifties from Samarth Vyas and Jaydev Unadkat, eventually ended their innings on 497, earning a lead of 359 runs. J&K, who had folded for 138 in their first innings, once again lost wickets in a hump in their second, falling to 89 for 4. Ian Dev Singh held the innings together by scoring a brisk 127, but no other batsman gave him company at the other end to forge a threatening partnership. Makvana collected 7 for 100 to run through the line-up and bowl J&K out for 296.
ScorecardJharkhand were on course to qualifying for the knockouts, as Saurabh Tiwary’s unbeaten double-hundred earned the team a big lead, before the bowlers reduced Hyderabad to 169 for 6 in their second innings. Four more wickets on day four in Uppal will mean Jharkhand will join Saurashtra from Group C in the knockout stage. Jharkhand, who began the day at 360 for 6, declared for 388 for 8 soon after Tiwary, the overnight batsman, reached his double-hundred, meaning that Hyderabad needed to score at least 243 to make the visitors bat again. Those plans were thrown into disarray, as Hyderabad lost wickets at key intervals. Despite a half-century from Bavanaka Sandeep, three blows towards the end of the day meant the team was staring at defeat. Rahul Shukla and Shahbaz Nadeem picked up two wickets apiece.
ScorecardServices took firm control of their clash in Tripura, after bowling Tripura out for 229 and enforcing the follow on, though they are now out of the running for a place in the knockouts. Tripura, who began the day at 45 for 1, failed to gather any momentum in their innings and lost wickets at regular intervals, with Diwesh Pathania (3 for 49), Muzzaffaruddin Khalid (2 for 62) and Anshul Gupta (2 for 11) making key strikes. Saurabh Das, the No.8 batsman, was the team’s highest scorer with 53, but it was not enough to drag Tripura anywhere close to Services’ first-innings total of 512, as the hosts folded for 229. After being asked to bat again, Tripura saw out the last three overs of the day in their second innings without any damage.

A round-up of the Bangladesh Cricket League matches that ended on January 15, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2016Taijul Islam’s five-wicket haul helped North Zone to a 74-run victory in the first round of the Bangladesh Cricket League. South Zone‘s own left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak ended the game with an 11-wicket haul, but it was Taijul’s performance that had greater effect on the result of the match.South Zone were set 231 to win on the final day in Rajshahi but were bowled out for 156. Opener Shaharyar Nafees had done his best with 74 off 125 balls and was the ninth man dismissed. Bu the middle and lower order not handle Taijul, who finished with 5 for 38 in 14.5 overs.But North Zone owed their dominance to their batsmen. Farhad Hossain and Ariful Haque made 106 and 125 respectively to lead them to 392 in the first innings. Sohag Gazi and Razzak took four wickets each, and South Zone conceded a first-innings lead of 48 runs. Farhad Reza (86), Fazle Mahmud (70) and Taibur Rahman (76) made fifties even as North Zone’s Sunzamul Islam took six wickets.Razzak fought back with 7 for 58 to bowl North Zone out for 182 in their second innings, but the batsmen came up short again.The game at Bogra was seemed ripe for a successful chase, but ended up a draw as East Zone‘s Tasamul Haque (91*) ran out of time to overhaul a target of 208. He took the team to 183 for 5 in 41 overs and with no more play possible Central Zone were sighing in relief.Batting first, Central Zone rode on centuries from No. 6 Tanveer Haider (129) and No. 7 Sharifullah (113) to put up 394. Seamer Abul Hasan took a five-wicket haul.In reply, East Zone had Liton Das (128) and Alok Kapali (100) make tons themselves but they were bowled out for 355. Then new-ball bowlers Hasan and Abu Jayed combined to pick up seven wickets to bowl Central Zone for 168 and create some excitement, but the last day petered down to a stalemate.

AB de Villiers has signed up to play for the Barbados Tridents in the 2016 Caribbean Premier League despite an assertion that he will look to reduce his workload after the World T20

Firdose Moonda11-Feb-2016AB de Villiers has signed up to play for Barbados Tridents in the 2016 Caribbean Premier League in July despite an assertion that he will look to reduce his workload after the World T20. Faf du Plessis (St Kitts and Nevis Patriots), Martin Guptill (Guyana Amazon Warriors), Brendon McCullum (Trinbago Knight Riders), Kumar Sangakkara (Jamaica Tallawahs) and Shane Watson (Zouks) were the other five “marquee” players to be drafted on Thursday.

Marquee players

Barbados Tridents – AB de Villiers
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots – Faf du Plessis
Guyana Amazon Warriors – Martin Guptill
Trinbago Knight Riders – Brendon McCullum
Jamaica Tallawahs – Kumar Sangakkara
Zouks – Shane Watson

In a statement from the franchise, de Villiers confirmed he will not miss any South Africa matches even if there is a clash and that he had turned down offers to play in the Big Bash League for exactly that reason.”I’ve had a careful look at my schedule and am looking forward to the next few months. For players in my position, it is important to find a balance between playing international cricket and participating in the various T20 leagues around the world,” de Villiers said.”I remain absolutely committed to international cricket but, this year, it just so happens I can play in the CPL as well; in contrast, for example, I have declined offers to play in the Big Bash League in Australia because it clashes with our home series against Sri Lanka.”During the ongoing series against England, in which de Villiers was made Test captain, he dominated headlines with talk of managing the amount of cricket he played. De Villiers stressed the importance of international cricket while also explaining the financial value of playing in T20 leagues around the world. The declining South African Rand has made it even more lucrative for players from the country to earn in foreign currency.South Africa have sparse winter fixtures this year, which include a tri-series in the West Indies that also features Australia. This will not clash with the CPL and the two home Tests against New Zealand in August.

Bangladesh have been dealt a blow with Mustafizur Raman out due to a side strain, but the return of Tamim Iqbal should come as a boost

The Preview by Mohammad Isam01-Mar-2016

Match facts

Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Start time 1930 local (1330 GMT)Tamim Iqbal will likely return to the XI in place of Mohammad Mithun•AFP

Big Picture

Teams are getting close to that stage of the Asia Cup when a place in the final is the only thing in their mind. Pakistan, who opened their account against UAE on Monday night after getting walloped by India, have a lot to do, and the first thing will be to beat Bangladesh, who are ahead of them by two points after their wins over UAE and Sri Lanka, and will have a clearer path to the final if they can win this contest.Bangladesh were on fire against Sri Lanka, putting aside their T20 conservatism and taking the game by the collar. Sabbir Rahman’s brilliant 80 off 54 balls led the way, with Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah providing a fine finish. With the ball, Shakib did well again while Mashrafe Mortaza, Al-Amin Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman bowled critical overs with much confidence to stop Sri Lanka from overtaking their mediocre score.The last of those names, Mustafizur, is missing due to a side strain, which will be a big blow to the home side. Mustafizur took two wickets on debut against Pakistan last year and has been bowling well lately too. On the other hand, Bangladesh’s batting will be bolstered by the return of Tamim Iqbal, after he returned to Dhaka from Bangkok where his wife gave birth to their first child. Tamim is in form too, having made 267 runs in six innings during the PSL last month.Pakistan will bank a lot on their bowling attack, especially Mohammad Amir who lit up the Asia Cup with his spells against India and UAE. They will expect more from the likes of Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Irfan, and the left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz, who was tonked around the park by UAE.Pakistan’s main concern will be their batting line-up, particularly their top order, which did not do well in the first two matches. Much will depend on Umar Akmal and Shoaib Malik, and on Shahid Afridi and Sarfraz Ahmed down the order.There is every chance of this being an excellent contest now that the Mirpur curator Gamini Silva is dishing out better pitches.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

Bangladesh WWLLL
Pakistan WLLLW

Watch out for

Umar Akmal made sure of Pakistan’s two points against UAE in their last game, and he did that in style, reaching his eighth T20I fifty in the process. He has, however, made only 20 runs in the two innings he has played against Bangladesh in this format.There is very little left to say about Mashrafe Mortaza‘s leadership, but he will want to improve his wicket count against Pakistan in T20Is, having taken just two wickets in seven matches against them.

Team news

Tamim Iqbal will return to the XI, most likely in place of Mohammad Mithun, while Abu Hider could replace the injured Mustafizur Rahman.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Al-Amin Hossain, 10 Abu Hider, 11 Taskin AhmedPakistan could take out Khurram Manzoor and include Imad Wasim but there is unlikely to be any place for Anwar Ali.Pakistan (probable): 1 Sharjeel Khan, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Khurram Manzoor, 4 Umar Akmal, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Shahid Afridi (capt), 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Mohammad Sami, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Mohammad Nawaz, 11 Mohammad Irfan

Pitch and conditions

There will still be something for the seamers in the Mirpur pitch but it won’t be as exaggerated as it was in the first few matches. There is no forecast of rain on Wednesday evening.

Stats and trivia

• In the last encounter between these two sides, Sabbir Rahman scored a fifty that he still reckons is his best T20I knock.
• Mohammad Hafeez is 30 runs behind Umar Akmal as Pakistan’s highest scorer in T20Is while Shakib Al Hasan needs 55 more runs to become the first Bangladesh batsman to reach 1000 T20I runs.

Quotes

“In the last one year, he has scored thousand international runs. He has been our best at the top, so having someone of that calibre always helps.”
“The wickets here are a bit difficult. As the tournament is progressing, yesterday’s wicket did not have much grass. So I think our players are confident.”

The MCC’s spinners, James Tredwell and Samit Patel, combined to take five wickets in Yorkshire’s second innings in Abu Dhabi to set up an intriguing final day

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Mar-2016Yorkshire 275 and 239 for 7 (Lees 86, Tredwell 3-70) lead MCC 299 by 215 runs
ScorecardAlex Lees made 86 in Yorkshire’s second innings•Getty Images

The MCC’s spinners, James Tredwell and Samit Patel, combined to take five wickets in Yorkshire’s second innings in Abu Dhabi to set up an intriguing final day.The MCC could only extend their lead to 24 on the third morning then Yorkshire slipped from a promising 108 for 2 to 147 for 6 with Tredwell and Patel sharing the bulk of the bowling as they sent down 55 overs before them. However, a seventh-wicket stand of 80 between Will Rhodes and Andy Hodd pushed the advantage over 200.Alex Lees had initially anchored Yorkshire’s second innings after Adam Lyth was lbw to Tredwell’s second delivery. He struck seven fours and a six before being bowled by Patel after he had earlier claimed the captain Andrew Gale lbw to begin Yorkshire’s wobble.Tredwell, meanwhile, added to his early strike with the scalps of Jack Leaning caught at slip and Tim Bresnan taken at mid-off to take his match tally to six wickets before the MCC came up against some stubborn lower-order resistance as Yorkshire had done the previous day.Rhodes, who fell five runs short of a maiden first-class hundred in the first innings, and Hodd batted for the majority of the evening session before Hodd was lbw to Jake Ball.Earlier, the MCC had lost their last four wickets for nine runs. Ben Foakes struck two early boundaries but was then bowled by Karl Carver for 91 – to end a seventh-wicket stand of 139 with Rikki Clarke – and Carver also claimed Ball and last-man Graham Onions to finish with 4 for 106.

Eldine Baptiste and West Indies U-19 coach Graeme West are set to join Mike Young as the lead talent evaluators at US scouting combines, which are scheduled to begin this weekend in Los Angeles

Peter Della Penna07-Apr-2016West Indies national selector Eldine Baptiste and West Indies U-19 coach Graeme West are set to join Mike Young as the lead talent evaluators at US scouting combines, which is being held in eight cities around the USA over the next two months, beginning this weekend in Los Angeles. Baptiste and West’s appointment was announced on Wednesday by the ICC Americas office, which is coordinating each scouting combine.”I am thoroughly looking forward to working with Mike Young as well as the ICC Americas and local cricket community on this project” Baptiste said. “It is a great opportunity for the players across the USA and extremely exciting for the development of the game.”Baptiste has prior experience working in an Associate cricket setup. Baptiste coached Kenya from September 2009 to April 2011, but stepped down shortly after Kenya’s win-less performance at the 2011 World Cup in India.The candidates at each city-based combine will also be put through a series of skills, fitness and agility tests conducted by BAM (Basic Athletic Measurement) Testing. BAM conducts skills and agility tests at the annual NBA Draft Rookie Combine. Headquartered in Seattle, BAM was founded in 2008 by former Dallas Mavericks head strength and conditioning coach Brett Brungardt.”I’m intrigued to see how these cricketers stack up against some of the best athletes I’ve seen in basketball and other major US sports,” Brungardt said ahead of the first regional combine in Los Angeles.Young and ICC Americas high performance consultant Tom Evans are the two main holdovers from the trial held last September in Indianapolis, which also featured players from Argentina, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Canada and Suriname. Venkatapathy Raju and Courtney Walsh were utilized as the lead talent evaluators at that combine along with Young.This weekend’s trial in Los Angeles is the first of eight city-based trials conducted by the ICC to establish a national-team talent pool at men’s, women’s and U-17 levels. At the end of the eight trials, concluding in New York, the ICC is expected to name a group of 20-30 players in each category for a second round of auditions to be held later in the summer.More than 100 applications were received for the men’s trial in Los Angeles, with 55 players making the final list of invitees. They include eight current or former USA senior team players and six former USA U-19 players. The first trial for women’s and U-17 players will take place in San Francisco from April 14.

Heather Knight has said she would be honoured to take on the challenge of leading England into a ‘new chapter’ following the retirement of Charlotte Edwards

Andrew McGlashan17-May-2016Heather Knight has said she would be honoured to take on the challenge of leading England into a “new chapter” following the retirement of Charlotte Edwards.Knight, 25, was Edwards’ vice-captain and has been the main name linked to the position which Mark Robinson, the head coach who instigated the shift away from Edwards, will fill in the next few weeks ahead of England’s summer assignment against Pakistan.She made her England debut in 2010 and has now played 55 ODIs and 33 T20s alongside five Tests – she made 157 in the 2013 Ashes Test at Wormsley – although was one of the players to have an especially disappointing World T20 in India scoring 19 runs in four matches.”It’s really nice to be mentioned and have your name thrown about, it would be a massive honour and a really exciting challenge but the new captain will be decided in the next few weeks,” Knight told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s a new chapter for England women’s cricket and it’s an exciting time. I’m really looking forward to what the summer and the future holds.”It seems likely that England will also have to replace Sarah Taylor in the batting order after she decided to take a break from cricket although the exact timescale, and whether she could return for the Pakistan series which starts on June 20, is still to be confirmed.”They’ve been two massive performers for us over the years and they’ll be a big loss to the batting line-up,” Knight said at the Chance to Shine MCC Spirit of Cricket open day at Lord’s. “But we have some talented players coming through who haven’t come to fruition on the international stage and it’s all about having to step up without those key players we have relied upon in the past. It’s an exciting opportunity for those younger players and I’m massively confident we can fill the void.”While looking forward, Knight said there was “sadness” about the end of the Edwards era and that it was difficult to put into words the impact she had during her 20-year career.”First there was sadness for Charlotte but then looking back on her career and thinking how brilliant it has been to play with her for the last six years. Having a 20-year career at the top of the game and the things she has achieved is remarkable really. I’ll look back with fondness on my time playing with her”I don’t think I can sum up what she has given to women’s cricket in this country – my words aren’t eloquent enough to describe her contribution. But how women’s cricket has grown across her career, giving girls something to aspire to, is brilliant and Charlotte talks about having role models which is something she didn’t have. We are all very proud of it.”

Joe Root says it is “frightening” what England’s batting order could be capable of and believes any of the top six have the potential to score a double-hundred

Andrew McGlashan in Cardiff01-Jul-2016Joe Root says it is “frightening” what England’s batting order could be capable of and believes any of the top six have the potential to score a double-hundred in one-day internationals.England surged to a target of 308 in 40.1 overs at The Oval, their third 300-plus chase in the last 12 months, having only previously done it twice in history. Jason Roy hit 162 off 118 balls to lead the latest of a line of stirring batting displays – last summer against New Zealand they hunted down 350 at Trent Bridge, three matches after crossing 400 for the first time. They also scored 399 against South Africa in Bloemfontein.Post the 2015 World Cup – a tournament that has become a watermark in England’s one-day history after they exited miserably in the group stages – they have scored quicker than any other international team, cantering along at 6.33 runs per over with New Zealand in second position on 6.05. Root acknowledged a new challenge will come on the subcontinent when they face Bangladesh and India this winter, but there is a confidence surging through the team’s veins.Roy fell six runs short of setting a new high score for England in one-day cricket, but while Robin Smith’s 167 not out against Australia at Edgbaston in 1993 retains its spot for now, it surely will not for much longer.”It’s remarkable to see the lads do it consistently,” Root said. “It’s what you want to see, guys getting in and breaking records and with what we had to come in afterwards as well, it is quite frightening what we could be capable of.”But it’s about being consistent and doing it more and more. I suppose that’s our challenge. We’ve got all this excitement and flair, ability and potential, but it’s about winning big trophies, big series, if we’re going to be serious about contending for Champions Trophies and World Cups.”Farveez Maharoof, the Sri Lanka allrounder, has been on the receiving end of the carnage, although his economy rate of 6.56 is far from the worst of the attack. He hadn’t played against England for nine years – having been part of the side that whitewashed them in 2006 – and acknowledged their new-found belief.”In my career, I’ve played a lot of games against England, this side has really good depth in batting especially,” he said. “That’s been the biggest difference, they are much more attacking than a few years back. They are on a good run. It’s a good team.”Root was at the other end for a considerable portion of Roy’s innings at The Oval – his second hundred in three matches after he and Alex Hales had added an unbeaten 256 at Edgbaston – during a second-wicket stand of 149 in 18 overs.”With 160 under his belt, not really looking like he was trying to hit every ball for four and six and still scoring as quickly as he was. That’s quite scary to see, isn’t it? It’s a great ‘scary’ as well. When you’re sat at the other end, there is no pressure on you.”You know the scoreboard is always going to be turning over, and the opposition is always under pressure. You can almost feel that atmosphere out in the middle, when you’re batting with him.”Sachin Tendulkar was the first man to break the 200 barrier in ODIs, against South Africa in Gwalior in 2010, and since then there have been another five doubles. As a guide to what is achievable, Roy was out for 162 in the 38th over of England’s innings; when Rohit Sharma made his world record score of 264 against Sri Lanka he reached three figures in the 32nd over of the innings and had 162 by the end of the 41st over.The six doubles have all been made by opening batsmen – hardly a surprising statistic – but Root believes England’s first double could come from a number of sources, even if he was a little more reserved about his own chances of reaching the milestone.”Definitely, there are a number of players in our team that would be capable of getting scores over that. I think anyone in the top six, really. I’m not sure I’d be able to score that quickly, but you never know. If one guy is getting near 200, we’re looking at a score of over 400 – which is what it’s about, really.”An England one-day side talking with expectation of double hundreds and scoring 400. For so long a nation lagging behind the rest of the world, they are now blazing their own trail.