Samuels out of NZ tour, Narine to miss T20s

WHANGAREI : Marlon Samuels will miss West Indies’ ODI and T20 series against New Zealand with a finger injury, while Sunil Narine has been replaced in the T20 squad due to personal reasons. Having lost the Test series 2-0, the Windies face three ODIS and as many T20s. But they will be without the experience of batsman Samuels, making way in the ODI team for Chadwick Walton. Shai Hope takes his place in the T20 party. Narine was only due to play in the shortest format, but personal issues see his place go to Ashley Nurse. Alzarri Joseph (back) and Sunil Ambris, who suffered a fractured left arm in the second Test defeat in Hamilton, are also out of the ODIS.

MS Dhoni is on the cusp of a special milestone ahead of the third and deciding ODI against Sri Lanka at the ACA-VDCA stadium here. The former Indian cricket team skipper needs 102 runs to become only the second wicket-keeper batsman in ODI history after Kumar Sangakkara to go past 10,000 runs.

Achieving the milestone at this venue will be apt, for it was at this stadium, against Pakistan 12 years ago that the seeds for Dhoni’s India success were sown.

BATTERING PAKISTAN

In 2004, Dhoni was included in the Indian cricket team on the back of strong domestic performances. However, his debut did not go according to expectation as he was run out for a golden duck against Bangladesh at Chittagong in 2004. After scores of 12, 7*, 3 in his next three ODIS, it looked like Dhoni’s promising career would never take off.

However, during the second ODI against Pakistan in Visakhapatnam, things changed. Coming to bat at No.3 after the fall of Sachin Tendulkar, Dhoni proceeded to change the course of the match with a swashbuckling knock full of dazzling strokes. His 148 off 123 included 15 fours and four sixes and such was the nature of his knock that even Vir-