Hayden terms Sreesanth an overrated bowler

Centurion, May 08: Australia’s burly batsman, Matthew Hayden, who devastated the Kings XI Punjab bowling attack on Thursday to lead his side to a well deserved victory has lashed out at S Sreesanth calling him an overrated bowler.

The former Aussie opener smashed Sreesanth all over the ground taking 32 runs in 19 deliveries off Sreesanth before getting out to him just short of the three figure mark.

TV cameras showed Sreesanth lashing out at Hayden as the latter headed towards the dugout. The batsman later hit back at Sreesanth in the post match press conference saying that he becomes an easy target for the opposition as he loses his cool in pressure match situations.

"I think he is an overrated bowler and so I think he was a great target for us to go at. He always loses his cool under pressure and I think tonight was a good example of that," Hayden told reporters during the post match press conference.

England cruise to 10-wicket win

With more than two days to spare, England began a Test series on a winning note for the first time in 15 attempts and won at Lord's for the first time since 2005 as they wrapped up a convincing 10-wicket success against West Indies. A positive sixth-wicket stand of 143 between Brendan Nash and Denesh Ramdin made England work during the afternoon session, but either side of that there was precious little resistance as they were left a simple target of 32.

This was England's first victory in a live Test since they beat New Zealand, at Trent Bridge, last June, since when they have only once bowled a side out twice. This time England's bowlers shared the honours with Graham Onions adding two more scalps to his impressive debut haul, while Graeme Swann took his match tally to six and in the process removed Shivnarine Chanderpaul for the second time in the game.

When the home side were beginning to get a little frustrated by the efforts of Nash and Ramdin, Stuart Broad made his impression on the innings with an impressive display of aggression towards the lower order which ended with the removal of Nash for a fine, gusty 81 that enhanced his battling reputation. At the end of one of the many frustrating days of toil in the Caribbean Broad pleaded for a pitch with some more assistance, so it was important that England made the most of conditions in their favour.

However, what was particularly impressive was how a young unit worked together with the swing of Anderson being complemented by the extra bounce of Onions and Broad. Swann's return cemented his standing as England's premier spinner, and only Tim Bresnan - limited to seven overs in the match - was left without a real chance to make an impression, though he did take a fine gully catch to dismiss Fidel Edwards.

After their horrendous collapse of 8 for 53 yesterday West Indies needed to restore some respectability but where always up against it. Showers delayed the start by an hour and initially there was some solid resistance from Lendl Simmons and Devon Smith. However, that all changed when Onions replaced Broad at the Nursery End and Simmons tried one of his favourite leg-side clip, but failed to keep the ball down and Alastair Cook snapped up a smart catch at square leg.

Next over Swann was introduced into the attack to have a crack at his bunny, Smith, but he gained an even more valuable scalp. One ball after being cut away for four, as Chanderpaul escaped a pair, he found the inside edge and the ball ballooned off pad into the hands of Ravi Bopara at silly point. Chanderpaul's tally of four runs in the match was the lowest of his career.

With the heart of the batting removed the collapse moved into top gear when Onions swung a beautiful delivery between Smith's bat and pad to uproot middle stump. Another promising innings was cut off and a swift conclusion was on the cards. However, during a bright and breezy afternoon batting became a little easier as the ball grew older. England did have their chances as Nash was missed at third slip by Swann off James Anderson before he had scored, then Onions missed a return catch offered by Ramdin on 38.

After being offered their lives each batsman brought up half centuries, Ramdin with a strong cut over the off side - a shot he played well whenever England dropped short - and Nash with a cracking cover drive off Swann. Onions found life a little tougher as he sent down an expensive five-over spell that cost 40 and Andrew Strauss had to start rotating his options to try and find the breakthrough.

The quicks fed Nash's favourite cut shot and their partnership came off 33 overs as the pair played in an attacking manner and, for the first time since their middle order was rocked by Fidel Edwards on the opening afternoon, England just began to lose their vice-like grip on the contest. Broad, though, began to get the ball to shape back at Ramdin and forced one through his defences into the off stump.

Jerome Taylor played his shots after tea, but fell trying an ambitious sweep at Swann after misjudging the length. Taylor has plenty of Test runs in him if he can just marry some selectivity to his natural stroke-making talent. Sulieman Benn is a far less accomplished batsman and Swann made swift work of him with a lovely arm-ball, then Fidel Edwards was bounced out by the hostile Broad.

It's the early stages of a long summer that will get much tougher, but England desperately needed to get back to winning ways. That they have done it in convincing style will be even more pleasing to Strauss and Andy Flower. It's far too early to call it a new era, but this wasn't a bad way to start.

Tight bowling puts Delhi back on top

Delhi Daredevils didn't quite pull off the cakewalk expected after their bowlers set the batsmen a target of 117, but the end result was satisfactory because they took back the top spot. Chasing an easily achievable total Delhi's openers ate up overs and departed in succession to put undue pressure on the middle order, but AB de Villiers returned to form and saw Delhi through in the end.

Mumbai Indians needed a win desperately to mark a step towards a much-needed turnaround, but they utterly failed to cash in on the toss. Both openers were dismissed in the first over, two more fell before the end of the Powerplay, and there was no final hurrah. Dwayne Bravo and Abhishek Nayar stitched together a 57-run partnership but that too was snuffed out by Delhi's bowlers before it could really cause damage.

This was a win set up in the field, when Delhi were excellent with pace and spin, allowing just seven boundaries and three sixes. For the 22nd time in 21 days, a wicket fell in the first over of an innings. Luke Ronchi, in for Sanath Jayasuriya, was run out second ball and JP Duminy nicked Dirk Nannes behind.

Mumbai were hurting with the scoreboard showing four batsmen with 0 next to their names. Sachin Tendulkar, who had opted to bat, didn't last long either. Having inside-edged a length ball behind the stumps, Tendulkar set off, only to be set back by Pinal Shah. He failed to just ground his bat as Dinesh Karthik nailed the second damning direct hit in six overs. Mumbai were 30 for 3 after the Powerplay.

It got worse. Shah failed to cash in on a drop on 5, swinging Rajat Bhatia to the deep for a chalky 11 from 20 balls. In walked Bravo at 33 for 4. He looked gone for all money on 1, struck on the front pad in front of middle and leg, but the umpire Marais Erasmus was watching a different match. Amit Mishra cut a flustered figure.

There were just two boundaries littering the first ten overs, aptly displaying just how tight Delhi kept it. With singles and doubles and inside edges Bravo and Nayar gave the total some respectability. But just when it seemed Bravo might turn it on - he lofted two big sixes down the ground - Nannes got his man with a wide delivery. Nayar departed next ball, top-edging Ashish Nehra, and there was little oomph from the tail. Bhatia, notable for his clever slower balls, took two wickets and allowed only a single and a leg bye in the last over. It was eerily similar to how Delhi had started 19 overs earlier.

Delhi's chase toward a small target was nervy, with Gautam Gambhir and David Warner pacing themselves. It wasn't a crawl, but neither was the pair forcing the issue. There were only two fours and a six in the 50 balls Gambhir and Warner batted together. Duminy snapped a steady partnership of 42 with a gentle offbreak, luring Warner out of his crease. In the next over Gambhir sashayed out and sliced the ball to deep cover. But that was as good as it got for Mumbai, as de Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan eased into a 61-run stand.

It began slowly, with both batsmen struggling to get runs off the spinners. Duminy and Harbhajan Singh rushed through their overs, one relying on flight and the other firing them flat. Duminy only gave 15 from his four overs and Harbhajan was also frugal, but one over of pedestrian spin from Tendulkar got Delhi - at this stage needing 43 from 30 - back ahead of the rate. A floater was sumptuously clipped for four, a full toss was dumped over midwicket for six, and two half-trackers were duly deposited for boundaries. In six balls de Villiers doubled his score. Defending a small total, a 19-run over was not what Mumbai needed from their leader.

Dilshan fell with ten needed, but de Villiers brought up his fifty and ensured victory was sealed with seven balls to go.

Delhi Daredevils v Mumbai Indians Out-of-form Mumbai desperate for recovery

Mumbai Indians had themselves to blame for the collapse against Deccan Chargers which deprived them of a spot in the top four. They start underdogs against Delhi Daredevils who've played fewer games than the rest of the teams but still sit third in the points table. Mumbai have lost each time they have chased this season, squandering winning positions to slip down to seventh place, just above the struggling Kolkata Knight Riders. Their capitulation under pressure, and failure to finish off games hurt them badly last season, and the trend this year is no different. Equally worrying has been their excessive reliance on JP Duminy to hole them out of difficult situations. His three 40-plus scores, including two half-centuries, in Mumbai's three defeats while chasing demonstrate the huge responsibility he's had to bear amid little support from his team-mates. Mumbai need a win desperately, and though a positive result may not haul them into the top four, it will mark a step towards a much-needed turnaround in a crucial phase in the tournament.

Delhi won't worry too much about points, for as much as they would want to regain the No.1 spot, their place in the top four, for the moment, remains safe. They have been boosted by the consistency of AB de Villiers, and especially Tillakaratne Dilshan. And with their new opening combination of David Warner and Gautam Gambhir coming good against Kolkata, the tournament's dominant team looks good to consolidate its impressive run.

Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)

Mumbai Indians: LLWLW

Mumbai's new inclusions Dhawal Kulkarni and Rohan Raje had a good outing against Deccan, but Harbhajan Singh has gone wicketless in his last three games. Sachin Tendulkar was averaging 81 after Mumbai's first three games, but since then he's only managed 48 runs in his last four innings.

Delhi Daredevils: WLWLW

The fast-bowling trio of Dirk Nannes, Ashish Nehra and Pradeep Sangwan have been fairly consistent, though Nannes had an off day against Kolkata. The three have taken 24 wickets at 24.9, with Nehra being the leading wicket-taker. Gambhir, desperate for runs, top-scored against Kolkata with a lucky 71 - he was dropped twice - but the runs will give him some much-needed confidence in a relatively disappointing IPL.

Watch out for

Virender Sehwag and Gambhir had averaged 23.8 for the first wicket, while Warner and Gambhir have averaged 40 in their two games together. Tweaks in the opening combination notwithstanding, their battle against Mumbai's new-look bowling attack with Raje and Kulkarni, backed up by Lasith Malinga, who put in a disciplined effort in their previous game, will make for an interesting contest. Malinga has been particularly impressive, with 12 wickets in seven games at 10.66, conceding just over five an over.

Team news

Delhi may not tinker too much with their line-up, though Sehwag could make a comeback after missing two games. In the event of his inclusion, Mithun Manhas may be asked to sit out, which also means Daniel Vettori would have to miss out for Warner to play.

Delhi Daredevils (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Dinesh Karthik, 7 Rajat Bhatia, 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Pradeep Sangwan, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Dirk Nannes

Mumbai made three changes to their team for their game against Deccan, leaving out Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane to play Saurabh Tiwary. On the bowling front, Kulkarni and Raje were inducted after Zaheer Khan was ruled out by a shoulder injury. The three players look likely to retain their places, but Abhishek Nayar's injudicious sweep at a critical stage in Mumbai's previous game - he missed and was bowled - would certainly not have gone down well with the team's think-tank. Nor would have Harbhajan Singh's swipe the next ball; his performance with the ball, too, has been fairly low key but his exclusion would prove a big gamble.

Mumbai Indians (probable): 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 JP Duminy, 4 Dwayne Bravo, 5 Abhishek Nayar/Jaidev Shah, 6 Saurabh Tiwary, 7 Pinal Shah, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Rohan Raje, 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Lasith Malinga.

Stats and trivia

Dilshan has scored 231 runs at an average of 77 in seven matches, while JP Duminy has made 238 at 47.60 in as many games. Both are the highest run-getters for their teams this season.

Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar have averaged 31.14 for the first wicket, but have only averaged 12 in the last four games.

Head-to-head record

The teams won a game each when they went head-to-head last season. Nehra, Shaun Pollock and Kulkarni combined to overcome an onslaught from Sehwag and seal a 29-run win for Mumbai in the first game. The second game was much more closely-fought with Mumbai letting it slip after limiting Delhi to 89 for 4 in pursuit of 177, to eventually lose by five wickets on the penultimate ball.

Fatigue India's biggest test at World Twenty20 - Kirsten

Gary Kirsten, the India coach, says mental fatigue will be his team's biggest challenge during the World Twenty20 in England next month. The event starts on June 5 but India play their first warm-up game on June 1, just seven days after the IPL ends in South Africa. Kirsten also believes India, the defending champions, will be under added pressure during the ICC tournament but says the team has shown it is capable of handling such situations.

"The Indian players have been on the road for a long time and the biggest challenge will be mental fatigue," Kirsten told Cricinfo. "But they have enormous pride when representing India and have become a tight unit over the past few months. I'm sure they will look forward to reuniting and playing for their country."

The Indian players have been almost living out of their suitcases since they left Mumbai for the New Zealand tour on February 20. They got a few days off after the series ended on April 7 before leaving for the IPL, which began on April 18. They return home for a few days again when the IPL ends on May 24 - the entire 15-member World Twenty20 squad is playing in the league - before leaving for England to play their first day/night warm-up game against New Zealand at Lord's. India take on Bangladesh in their first game of the tournament on June 6 in Trent Bridge.

But Kirsten, who took over as India coach in 2008, said he was confident the team would be able to handle the pressure when defending the title they won in 2007. "When you are defending champions there will always be added pressure," Kirsten said. "That goes with the territory of high-performing teams. This team has played in many pressure situations since the Twenty20 World Cup in 2007 and has shown what they are capable of."

How different would the conditions be in England for the World Twenty20? It's something all international teams, he said, have to come to terms with. "Every country has its own unique conditions which each team and individual needs to comes to terms with," he said. "The players are aware of those conditions and what is required to give themselves the best chance of performing. Most of the Indian players have played in England and know what to expect."

India have sported a stable look over the five Twenty20 internationals they have played since the 2007 world title victory - winning two and losing three. In fact, there have been only two changes in the team from the 16-member squad for the last two games they played in New Zealand, and the 15-member World Twenty20 squad that was announced on Monday.

There is an argument that such stability could also lead to complacency among players in the team but Kirsten was quick to dismiss such suggestions. "Experienced players understand the demands and pressures of World Cup tournaments," he said. "Throw in a few talented and fearless young players and you have a great mix in the team. There is certainly no danger of complacency within the Indian team. We pride ourselves in taking each game as it comes and giving 100% on a daily basis while representing Team India."

Giving a hint of the team's gameplan for the world event, Kirsten said he believes spin will play a major role in Twenty20 cricket. India have only two fulltime spinners - Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha - in their World Twenty20 squad but have a rich variety of part-time options to choose from: Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Virender Sehwag, Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma.

Moving on to the ongoing IPL, Kirsten, who is based in Cape Town, said the tournament has benefited young Indian cricketers immensely. He put forward the growth of Yusuf Pathan's game at the last IPL, as an example. "The IPL provides a great opportunity for young Indian cricketers to show what they are capable of in a high-profile environment," he said. "They also get to mix with, and learn from, successful international cricketers. This can only be of benefit to Indian cricket. Performances during the IPL can definitely be a stepping stone to achieving higher honours. Yusuf Pathan was one example of that last year."

What is evident from the league, he said, was that the best team on paper is not necessarily the most successful one. "There will always be new ideas and new thinking in every IPL," he said. "What is of interest to me are those teams that are able to win consistently and why they are able to do it. It isn't always the best team on paper."

Asked about Buchanan's captaincy theory for the Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL team that he coaches, Kirsten said: "In the dynamic world we live in, innovative thinking is important to try and stay ahead and push the boundaries of performance. I think it is important to balance out what is already working and what can improve performance. MS Dhoni has proved a highly effective and capable leader for India and I'm sure that will not change for some time to come."