All posts by csb10.top

Matt Prior and James Anderson have been made available by England for the Twenty20 Finals Day at Edgbaston on Saturday.Anderson, if selected by Lancashire, will take part in the first semi-final, against Gloucestershire, then Prior will line-up for Sussex against Kent in the second match. Prior hasn’t played domestic Twenty20 this season with Andrew Hodd proving an able deputy with the bat and behind the stumps.Lancashire may also include Andrew Flintoff in their line-up after he was named in the current County Championship match against Sussex where he is playing as a batsman following ankle surgery.Kent and Gloucestershire did not have any players on international duty.

Bermuda have opted for youth in their side for the forthcoming trip to Kenya and Dubai.The 15-man squad includes five members of the Under-19 team – Malachi Jones, Rodney Trott, Tamauri Tucker, Kyle Hodsoll and Kian Butterfield. Irving Romaine remains as skipper while David Hemp, returning after playing for Glamorgan during the summer, is the new vice-captain.Janeiro Tucker also returns to the squad after missing the European tour, despite again being hauled before the board on disciplinary charges, but there is no place for fast bowlers George O’Brien or Ryan Steede.The squad will depart on October 15 to play two one day matches against Uganda (October 20 and 22), a three-match ODI series and a four-day Intercontinental Cup clash with Kenya. They move on to Dubai on November 5 for a four-day Intercontinental Cup game with the United Arab Emirates.Bermuda squad
Irving Romaine (capt), David Hemp (vice-captain), Dwayne Leverock, Lionel Cann, Jekon Edness, Stephen Outerbridge, James Celestine, Kevin Hurdle, Rodney Trott, Malachi Jones, Tamauri Tucker, Jeneiro Tucker, Kyle Hodsoll, Azeem Pitcher, Kian Butterfield.
Coach: Gus Logie
Assistant coach: Herbert Bascome
Manager: Lionel Tannock
Physio: Craig Brown

Reserves
Jason Simons, Arthur Pitcher, Dennico Hollis, Khiry Furbert

Match facts

Sunday July 19, 2015
Start time 1pm (11am, GMT)0:34

‘Focussing on our own strengths’ – Uthappa

Big picture

Whatever rustiness India may have felt in their tour opener last weekend appears to have been well and truly shaken off. Their slick, measured performance in the first Twenty20 suggested they weren’t exactly stretching themselves, and Zimbabwe will need to step up their game enormously if they are to bridge the yawning gulf in experience between the two sides in this format.India charged to 178 on Friday on a pitch that wasn’t entirely conducive to strokeplay, and a slightly less frenetic performance from Zimbabwe’s bowlers could have helped them keep the visitors to a slightly more manageable total. The brevity of this format means that every delivery matters, and for Zimbabwe to gift India 25 extras was unforgivable. After Hamilton Masakadza and Chamu Chibhabha’s steady start to the chase, the middle order wilted with a string of soft dismissals.Their win on Friday made it 4-0 to India on the tour, and everything has gone to plan for them. In each match, someone has performed with both bat and ball, and they’ve also blooded a number of uncapped players. India are clear favourites and will also not want to blot their copybook with a slip-up in the final match.Zimbabwe’s inexperience in this format was clearly evidenced by their approach to the chase in the first game, in which their dot-ball percentage was 50%. Against tight bowling, on a pitch that didn’t immediately lend itself to aggressive batting, they were found wanting and this will be a key area for them to improve upon.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe: LLLWW
India: WLLWW

In the spotlight

It’s hard to believe now, but there was a time early in Hamilton Masakadza‘s career when he was considered too sedentary for limited-overs cricket. He’s yet to make a real impact in this series though, and Zimbabwe need Mount Masakadza to erupt at the top of the order if they are to take the pressure off their middle order and challenge India.Robin Uthappa‘s returns on this tour have been increasing with each outing, and though his innings in the first T20 match was less than explosive, it was the adhesive that held India’s lower order together. Given his position at No. 3 and the fact that he seemed to come to terms with the pitch and conditions quickly, he may be the key player to bat through and set up another big total.

Team news

Zimbabwe’s top six should be settled for the second match, although Craig Ervine is the sort of batsman who would probably be better utilised up the order. Offspinner John Nyumbu is the only man in the squad not to have played a game yet during India’s visit, and given the slowness of the pitch, and his control as a bowler, he could be a good pick.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Chamu Chibhabha, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Elton Chigumbura (captain), 5 Charles Coventry (wk), 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Graeme Cremer, 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Neville Madzia, 10 John Nyumbu, 11 Chris Mpofu.Such was India’s dominance in the first T20 that they will probably feel safe giving a chance to a sixth debutant in Sanju Samson, who came in for the injured Ambati Rayudu.India (probable): 1 Ajinkya Rahane (captain), 2 M Vijay, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Kedar Jadhav/Sanju Samson, 6 Stuart Binny, 7 Harbhajan Singh, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Mohit Sharma, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Sandeep Sharma.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch being used for this game is the same one used in the second ODI, and though it will have had a week to recover from that match, one can expect it to behave sluggishly. While the Dukes ball has offered some movement through the air to the quicks throughout, the pitches have played slow and low in the afternoon, and Sunday should be no different. Expect another bright, sunny day.

Stats and trivia

• Hamilton Masakadza is Zimbabwe’s leading runscorer in T20 internationals, with 943 runs, including seven fifties, in the format.
• India’s 178 for 5 was the fourth highest T20I total scored at Harare Sports Club. At the top of the pile is Pakistan’s 198 for 4 scored four years ago.
• Axar Patel is now India’s leading wicket-taker on this tour, with eight scalps at an average of 17.13 in four matches across two formats.

Quotes

“You’re already basically cooked when you’re coming in here, so you’re ready for it.”
“Not many people will expect us to win, but if we go out there with the attitude that we have everything to gain I think we will come out with a victory.” .

Match facts

Saturday, May 3 2008
Start time 16.00 (local), 10.30 (GMT)

The Big Picture

It’s the tale of two captains under pressure. Rahul Dravid has tried everything – he has opened, moved down the order and come up again but without much success. VVS Laxman, after looking clueless in the initial encounters, is beginning to find some form but he has been unable to convert the starts into substantial scores. The captains’ desperation seems to have caught on to the teams. Bangalore should have won against the Chennai Super Kings but choked; they could have won against the Delhi Daredevils but couldn’t find that one big over that they desperately needed. Similarly, the Deccan Chargers have had their close encounters. Both teams have registered their solitary wins against fellow-strugglers Mumbai Indians.If the captains are under similar pressure, the teams, though, couldn’t be more different. Deccan were supposed to be the powerhouse team with attacking batsmen while Bangalore had batsmen who had great Test records but were not known for their big hitting. But both set of players have been unable to gel as a unit. In their last two games, Bangalore did seem to find some momentum but were unable to finish off.

Watch out for …

… Herschelle Gibbs. This could be the format to showcase his game, which depends a great deal on hand-eye coordination. His paddle-scoops, his pulls off the front foot and the innovative adjustments can make for a fascinating viewing experience. Also, look out for Misbah-ul-Haq. With Ross Taylor leaving for England, Misbah, the man who burst into prominence with his showings at the World Twenty20, should get a chance here. A veteran of domestic Twenty20 games in Pakistan, he has the nous and the wherewithal to shine in this format.

Team news

Bangalore are stuck with a problem more than one team has faced in the IPL: which foreign player to play and whom to bench. They have had starting problems, but if they play Shivnarine Chanderpaul, they might not be able to pick Misbah. Jacques Kallis is wanted for his all-round skills, Mark Boucher is the wicketkeeper and you can’t drop Dale Steyn. Dravid said that Anil Kumble will replace Sunil Joshi and either J Arun Kumar or Bharat Chipli could get a chance.Bangalore (likely): 1 Praveen Kumar, 2 Wasim Jaffer, 3 Misbah-ul-Haq, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Rahul Dravid (capt), 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Virat Kohli, 8 Zaheer Khan, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Anil Kumble, 11 R Vinay Kumar.Deccan came close to playing the aggressive Hyderabad opener Ravi Teja but have chosen to stick with the tried-and-failed Venugopal Rao. There is also Arjun Yadav who could slot into the middler order in place of Rao. The team landed in Bangalore only late on Friday evening and they will have a light practice session on the morning of the match.Deccan (likely): 1 Adam Gilchrist, 2 VVS Laxman (capt), 3 Hershelle Gibbs, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Shahid Afridi, 6 Arjun Yadav, 7, Sanjay Bangar, 8 Nuwan Zoysa, 9 D Kalyankrishna, 10 RP Singh, 11 Pragyan Ojha.

IPL form

Bangalore Royal Challengers: LWLLL
Deccan Chargers: LLLWL

Stats and trivia

Quotes

“You have to challenge yourselves to fight back when you have your backs to the wall. Playing Deccan (who are struggling) doesn’t make any difference because in Twenty20 the team that executes their plans best wins. They have a very good players, any one of them can crack the game open. But we have started gelling as a team in the last two games.”

Shane Warne wants Michael Clarke to succeed Adam Gilchrist as Ricky Ponting’s deputy in all forms of the game after his strong performance as Twenty20 captain. The idea has been dismissed by Ponting, who said Clarke’s opportunity for a full-time promotion would come if he maintained his standards of the past 12 months.Admitting Clarke was one of his best mates, Warne said he was the standout candidate and now was the time to groom him. “The best way to do this would be to elevate him to the vice-captaincy in all forms of the game,” Warne wrote in his column.”Gilly has done a wonderful job but won’t be around for too much longer in all forms of the game. I reckon he will hang the gloves up and decide to play only one form, probably Test matches.”Warne’s relationship with Gilchrist is not strong and the wicketkeeper was rated 20th in Warne’s top 50 players despite dominating for a decade. Gilchrist has said Clarke was not the only one who could replace Ponting when he eventually stepped down and Michael Hussey was another contender.The appointment of Clarke for the Twenty20 win over New Zealand on Tuesday was a one-off, but Warne said he was ready for more senior responsibilities. “When you win the toss, hit the first ball you face for four and win the match in your first game as national skipper, you would have to think it’s not a bad start,” Warne said.”He has all the attributes and the image, flair, confidence in his own ability, respect for the game and respect from his team-mates, which has been earned. He knows himself, understands his own game and is hungry for success.” Warne also wants Clarke to be captain of New South Wales when he returns for occasional state games.Ponting said Clarke had grown into a leader over the past year but there was no rush to fast-track him. “I don’t necessarily agree with [Warne],” Ponting said in Adelaide. “I don’t think that needs to be the case right now. Gilly’s not going to play forever, we’re all not going to play forever, but Michael’s opportunity is going to come.”He expects Clarke will be his deputy in the future. “The day will come when Michael will get his opportunity,” Ponting said. “It might not be right now, it might not be six months’ time, but that opportunity will come and he will step into the vice-captain’s role. Hopefully I can stay around for another few years and keep him out of my position for a bit longer.”

Scorecard

Performances in tour games should not be used to dismiss a team’s Test chances, but the batting displays from the Sri Lankans against Queensland have provided plenty of concern. The top and middle orders struggled in both innings before help came from lower down, and it was the bowlers who frightened the hosts again as they sneaked home by four wickets.With Queensland needing 142 for victory, Farveez Maharoof surged through the first three batsmen and Lasith Malinga’s searing yorkers accounted for Chris Simpson and Andy Bichel in consecutive balls. The Bulls had suddenly lost 5 for 16 and an easy chase of 142 became a seriously difficult one. Clinton Perren (62 not out) absorbed the pressure, coped with the loss of Chris Hartley and led the Bulls with support from Ashley Noffke’s 21.Maharoof, who had six victims for the game, collected a trio of edges, including the important one of Andrew Symonds, who could not make an impact in either innings ahead of his first Test in Brisbane. Mahela Jayawardene grabbed the stunning left-handed catch at second slip to make sure the visiting batsmen will not be the only ones feeling uncertain before heading to the Gabba on Thursday.It is almost impossible to win matches against Australia with a fragile line-up and while the home attack will miss Glenn McGrath there are still plenty of threats for tentative shot-makers. The main worries for the Sri Lankans, who will be without the injured Kumar Sangakkara, are that their captain Mahela Jayawardene and the opener Sanath Jayasuriya have struggled for runs in the springy Queensland conditions.The senior players will be heavily targeted by the Australians and the final day of the tour match at Allan Border Field started with the Sri Lankans hoping Jayawardene would add significantly to his overnight 22. However, the shoulders of the tourists slumped when he edged trying to drive Mitchell Johnson and finished with a double of 35 and 0.A firmer, bouncier pitch than the one produced here is likely for the Gabba, which will intensify the difficulties with rising deliveries. Eight of the Sri Lankans’ second-innings dismissals fell to catches in the cordon as Johnson, Noffke, Michael Kasprowicz and Bichel caused the discomfort. In the final session Sri Lanka returned some of the pain.Queensland’s fast-bowling duties were scaled back after lunch when the legspinner Daniel Doran was given 10.5 overs and was dominated by Chaminda Vaas. Vaas, who outshone his more accomplished team-mates with a sparkling 84 from 76 balls, was the reason the Sri Lankans reached 226.After watching his batsmen fail, Vaas strode out and quickly stepped into boundary mode. Bichel and Symonds were both hit for two fours in an over between point and cover and Vaas’ half-century arrived after 40 balls. His two sixes then came from Doran, who finished the innings when Vaas clipped to midwicket. Malinga had joined the late rally by thrashing Johnson for three fours in an over during a short battle that will be resumed over the next week.The bright conclusion came after the dark start to the Sri Lankans’ morning. Noffke opened with another breakthrough early in his spell when he forced Chamara Silva to deflect a short ball to Maher at second slip, dropping the Sri Lankans to 5 for 64. They were again troubled by Noffke’s pace and movement and he picked up 3 for 21 on the way to match figures of 8 for 57.Jayawardene tried unsuccessfully to steer his side and Maharoof, who is a contender for No. 7 in the first Test, was upset by the lift created by Kasprowicz and edged to Perren. Prasanna Jayawardene offered some promise with a half-century in the first innings and he again seemed in control, hooking a Symonds long-hop for six. However, Jayawardene’s resistance ended on 22 when he became Kasprowicz’s third victim and the side was in deep trouble at 8 for 133. Vaas arrived in a hurry, but his performance could not mask the dangerous problems at the other end of the order.

Division One

Ryan McLaren has put Kent within touching distance of a thumping victory over Warwickshire at Canterbury with eight wickets in the match, as the visitors were made to follow-on. After watching Kent pile up 550, Warwickshire collapsed in feeble fashion against McLaren’s brisk swing bowling, picking up 5 for 24 in 11 overs. Following on, Ian Westwood and Darren Maddy past the first innings total in an opening stand of 122, but there followed another dramatic collapse of 5 for 23 against McLaren, again, and James Tredwell. Darren Maddy held firm with an unbeaten 115, but Warwickshire will be looking to the heavens for an escape route.Adil Rashid was left stranded on 91 – an innings which spanned three days owing to the poor weather – but Yorkshire posted 307 before reducing Surrey to 87 for 3 on the third day at Headingley. Darren Gough swung with characteristic vigour in a brisk and brief 28 – which included two sixes and a four – before Deon Kruis offered valuable support to the senior Rashid in an eleventh-wicket stand of 55. Gough then nipped out the Surrey openers, Scott Newman and Jon Batty, and Mark Butcher for 11 in a tight eight-over opening spell in which he conceded just 14 runs.Ottis Gibson became the 79th bowler to take all ten wickets in an innings when he skittled Hampshire for 115 to pick up 10 for 47. A full report of Durham’s third day at Chester-le-Street can be read here.

Division Two

Leicestershire’s match against Middlesex finally got underway, on the third day at Grace Road as the rain at last relented. And in spite of the dreadful conditions to have blighted the match so far, it was a good track on which to bat with the hosts, who were put in by Middlesex, racing to 305 for 2. Tom New and John Maunders put on 104 for the first wicket, taking a particular liking to Chaminda Vaas who leaked 72 runs from his 13 overs. Like Vaas, Tim Murtagh proved a little too expensive but he did trap New in front for 56. The breakthrough couldn’t restrict Leicestershire’s bristling momentum as Maunders received excellent support from HD Ackerman who remained unbeaten on 93. Three shy of his own hundred Maunders were stumped by Ben Scott off Jamie Dalrymple, but Arno Jacobs joined Ackerman to take Leicestershire past the 300 mark.Andy Bichel blew Somerset away for 145 to put Essex in command of their match at Taunton, with Ravi Bopara continuing his excellent form in making 126. Somerset’s innings was a stuttering affair; Justin Langer struck four fours in his 24 before his former Australia team-mate, Bichel, trapped him leg-before. And James Hildreth was brisk in his 38, cracking seven fours before handing James Foster the first of three catches. In reply Essex raced to 294 for 6, Bopara adding to his 69 in the first innings with a 128-ball hundred in the second. Essex lead by a daunting 431 going into the final day.A sporting declaration from Simon Katich, the Derbyshire captain, might have injected life into their match against Glamorgan at Derby, with the visitors leading by 167 runs with nine second-innings wickets remaining. Derbyshire bowled Glamorgan out for 298 – David Hemp struck 14 fours and a six in his 97 – and Derbyshire went on the attack, smacking 150 before Katich declared in the 31st over. Tom Lungley then nipped out Jimmy Maher for 3 but, going into the final day, it will take something special from seamers on either side to force a victory.

Smiling, just as he was after overcoming the might of Australia at theWorld Twenty20 group phase, Robin Brown sits down to talk about a groupof internationals who don’t play Test cricket. Zimbabwe had just lost afour-day tour match in Karachi by an innings – albeit against a bunch of strongPakistan hopefuls – a detour possibly to their road back to Test cricket.Brown, appointed Zimbabwe’s coach in September last year, chose, however,to concentrate on the positives. “Yes, we lost by a big margin but wemanaged to get a lot out of it,” he told Cricinfo. “I think a result wasthe only thing we failed to achieve because our bowlers got a chance tospend time bowling to good opposition under new conditions. Our batsmen,even though only a couple went past fifty, spent time in the middle andadjusted to the low bounce and slowness that is the subcontinent pitch.It’s a learning process, whether it’s accompanied by a win or a loss.”He agreed that there were spurts of impatience from the batsmen – mostly due to a lack of match experience. Tatenda Taibu, for example, had justescaped with a rash stroke away from his body when, to the followingdelivery, he slashed again – to one close to being called a wide. Taibudeparted, having faced 131 deliveries.”Players need to own up, they need to take responsibility,” Brown said.”They all know how vital they are to the team’s cause. We have done awaywith the ‘senior’ tag so be it a debutant, or someone whose played overfifty matches, they are all equally responsible.”Zimbabwe cricket has been in turmoil for some time now. They voluntarilygave up Test status in 2006, having lost almost their entire first teamduring the player revolt of 2004. Brown admits that it greatly affected theside, but quickly adds that no player goes on forever in any case, sobackups should have been in place. It gave, he reasons, younger players achance to step up though the very basics, which, when he took over, had to berevisited.”Rebuilding is a gradual process, especially when you have a young sidewith limited international experience. When we set about the process, wetook players to nets to work on basics. Batsmen need to put their feet inthe right places, play balls on merit and learn how to spend time at thecrease.”Bowlers were given a channel to bowl in. We worked at those basics forsix-seven hours a day for six weeks. Players had a set routine. They knewwhat they would be doing two weeks ahead. There is a set plan now in placefor every member and that has helped immensely.”

Hard work is paying off, as is cooperation from Zimbabwe Cricket. Before, according to Brown, facilities were not provided simply because players never asked for it. Now there are professional trainers, sports psychologists and world-class training facilities. “The board is working with the players now. We have a lot of talent and the board has realised that and invested time, effort and money into it.”The return of some experience has also helped. Without delving into the reasons behind their exits, Brown welcomed back Taibu, Ray Price and Gary Brent, highlighting their value to the team from the tour match alone. Taibu scored 46 and 30, Price managed a four-for and Brent was involved in a defiant 96-run seventh-wicket partnership to delay the inevitable.”Experience improves the side. While they perform, they can share the magic with younger players and pass on advice. Their return also fires a warning to players whose spot they have occupied, as they now need to work extra hard elsewhere and warrant selection in the playing eleven. It’s healthy competition.”Vital to maintaining that competition will be the ability of the domesticstructure to churn out talent. Brown says matters are rapidly improving,pointing out that provincial sides managed to beat the Kenyans easily lastseason. “It was beneficial for Zimbabwe to have invited Kenya to play butit was pleasing for our players to be winning against them. It just showshow much depth we have in our talent pool. We also have A and B teams,with international coaches coming in. It is definitely on the rise.”There are still kinks, for example the fielding, which saw a number ofgrassed chances in Karachi. Brown recalled that it was Zimbabwe’s fieldingthat played a key role in the upset win over Australia, so giving away “60crucial runs due to sloppiness” against the Patron’s XI wasn’t good.”Sometimes they switch off on the field,” Brown admits. “It is difficultto keep them motivated as we, before this hectic schedule recently, barelyplayed any cricket. I would love to see them play more, ideally ininternational cricket but even if its club cricket. Playing under variousconditions different to back home would help the players develop a greatdeal.”So what does Zimbabwe need to get back into the Test arena?”Nothing,” Brown says without hesitation. “I think we’re right up therewith most of the teams on the Test circuit. Obviously, competing againstthe top two will be difficult, but against the likes of Bangladesh, WestIndies and New Zealand I’m sure the team will perform well.”So a humble enquiry is put forward: on the performance of the tour match,would a Zimbabwe Test against Bangladesh last five days? “Obviously it won’t. We will beat them in four.”

Umar Gul is due to travel to Australia for a medical check-up on a longstanding back problem, and one that prevented him from taking any part in the Test series against India last year. It puts in to some doubt his availability for the series against Australia, due to be held in March-April.”I will be going to Sydney in a couple of days’ time, but it is just for a check-up on the back,” Gul told Cricinfo. “It is the same problem that troubled me in India and though I have been doing my training in the gym, I haven’t bowled since. If they clear me, then I will begin bowling again.”Whether or not the problem is linked to the stress fractures of the back that kept him out of the game for over a year soon after his entry into international cricket in 2003-04 is not entirely clear.According to a board official, doctors confirmed that there was degeneration of a bone in his back, a condition that was initially spotted three years ago; around the same time of the first injury. “It was initially spotted three years ago and the MRI scan before the Delhi Test showed this again,” Shafqat Naghmi, the Pakistan board’s chief operating officer, told Cricinfo.”The doctor said he didn’t see further deterioration which is a positive but Gul complained of pain so it needs to be looked at. The board decided then that we should seek another opinion and that is why he is travelling to Sydney. If it had been a new injury, it would’ve been problematic but as it is the same one as before, it is a positive.”Whether or not Gul will be fit in time for Australia’s scheduled visit in March-April is unclear. Naghmi only said the situation will be clearer once the doctors have seen him in Australia. “We can’t say right now but let’s just keep our fingers crossed.”Indeed Pakistan will, for Gul has developed over the last two years, into one of their brightest fast-bowling prospects. He has been, unfortunately, an injury-prone one, having also missed an entire series in South Africa last year with an ankle injury. It has limited him to just 16 Test appearances since his debut. Gul wasn’t selected for the recent series of five ODIs against Zimbabwe, on grounds of fitness and selectors asked him to prove his fitness in the upcoming Pentangular Trophy, to begin from February 10. But he will definitely not play now in at least the first round of matches for NWFP.Pakistan are also waiting on their other promising young fast bowler, Mohammad Asif, to recover from an elbow injury that has kept him out of cricket since October last year. Asif underwent surgery on his right elbow in Australia at the start of the year and has since started bowling. But Naghmi said it would be another 2-3 weeks before his fitness could be properly assessed.

Adam Gilchrist has jumped to the defence of his Indian wicketkeeping counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was found to have worn illegal gloves during the match against Australia on Sunday. Gilchrist said there were no hard feelings after he fell to a diving catch from Dhoni, whose gloves had webbing that did not meet the ICC regulations.”I don’t think they were glaringly obvious to be different to what I use or anyone else at the moment or what is legal at the moment,” Gilchrist said. “But they were just a bit too big. And it was an outstanding catch.”A new regulation was brought in within the past decade which altered the amount of webbing that was allowable. Dhoni’s supplier also provides Gilchrist with his gloves, and Gilchrist said he liked to have match referees check the legality of his equipment at least once a season.”The guy that makes [Dhoni’s] gloves makes my gloves as well,” he said. “Not for a moment am I insinuating that MS Dhoni intentionally wore them out there. Whether it’s a manufacturing error I’m not sure. I know the gentleman that makes them and he’s the best in the world, they’re brilliant. Maybe just in the manufacturing process – they’re all hand-made and hand-stitched – so they may have just used a little bit too much leather in that area.”Dhoni’s gloves were found to have extra webbing between the thumb and the forefinger and the match referee Jeff Crowe asked him during Sunday’s game to switch to a different pair. Dhoni was not given a penalty by the ICC and Gilchrist said that was the appropriate result.”They’re nothing like what we were wearing when I first started my career,” he said. “We were wearing gloves that were almost like a baseball mitt. They were getting out of hand and the ones that Dhoni used the other day were nothing like that. I have absolutely no doubt that he hasn’t intentionally done that.”