All posts by h716a5.icu

The Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, once a fortress where anything less than a win for West Indies was tantamount to defeat, has in recent years reflected the stark reversal in the fortunes of the home team

Cricinfo staff25-Feb-2009
Shivnarine Chanderpaul has scored 1059 runs in 12 Tests in Barbados, at an average of 66.18 © Getty Images
The Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, once a fortress where anything less than a win for West Indies was tantamount to defeat, has in recent years reflected the stark reversal in the fortunes of the home team, playing host to five losses in seven Tests since 2002. (Click here for West Indies’ overall record in Barbados, and here for their performances since 2002.) England inflicted a convincing eight-wicket defeat on West Indies in Barbados during their last tour to the Caribbean in 2004 – when they won the Test series 3-0 – and have the best record among visiting teams who’ve played more than five Tests at the venue, winning three and losing four in 13 attempts. However, the momentum is with West Indies after a massive win in Jamaica and a fighting draw in Antigua; and given the absence of Andrew Flintoff, they stand a good chance of sparking a revival at what was once their most preferred venue. Besides Flintoff, Steve Harmison is the only member of current England’s squad to have played a Test in Barbados.

West Indies’ record at the Kensington Oval

RecordPlayedWonLostWin-Loss RatioBefore 2000351936.33Since 20009250.40v England13431.33Among batsmen in the current West Indies squad, Shivnarine Chanderpaul remains the highest run-getter in Barbados with 1059 in 12 Tests at 66.18. He has scored three fifties – two against Australia – and a match-winning 153 against Pakistan in his last four innings. Chanderpaul has managed one half-century in three innings this series, and will bank on his record at the venue to follow up on his impressive run since the start of 2008. However, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle have both struggled in Barbados. Sarwan will be encouraged by his century in Antigua as he tries to improve on his record at the Kensington Oval, where he averages 29 in nine Tests. His highest score at the venue was on his debut against Pakistan in a drawn game in May 2000, when he made an unbeaten 84. Gayle corrected his below-par record at Sabina Park, his home ground, with a century in the first Test and will hope to do something similar in Barbados, where he has averaged 28.33 in eight Tests.

West Indies’ current batsmen in Barbados

PlayersMatchesRunsAverage100s/50sShivnarine Chanderpaul12105966.183/7Ramnaresh Sarwan943529.000/4Chris Gayle842528.330/4Devon Smith29323.250/1Ryan Hinds2307.500/0Fidel Edwards has 14 wickets at 25.64 in his four games in Barbados, much better than his career average of 38.83. Overall, fast bowlers have performed better than spinners in the past decade at Kensington Oval. In 2004, nineteen of West Indies’ 20 wickets – one being a run-out – fell to England’s fast bowlers: Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison, Simon Jones and Flintoff. However, the averages for spinners improve drastically across innings in matches this decade: 78.60 in the first, 32 in the second, 28.19 in the third and 21.77 in the fourth. The averages for fast bowlers move in the other direction across innings, but it steps up gradually from 26.82 in the first to 33.16 in the fourth.

Pace v spin at the Kensington Oval this decade

TypeOversWicketsAverageEconomy-ratePace2174.521729.602.95Spin950.27834.342.81Pace for Windies1166.110832.763.03Spin for Windies457.03042.432.78Despite winning seven out of the nine tosses at Kensington Oval this decade, West Indies have only won twice – an indication of their poor run in the recent past. They have chosen to field in five of those games, winning one and losing three. England batted second in their win in 2004.

History at the Kensington Oval

RecordWonLostDrawWin-loss ratioTeam winning the toss1415150.93Team batting first1415150.93Team choosing to bat first34110.75Team choosing to field first111141.00

South Africa’s greatest strengths on their triumphant tour of Australia were unity and dignity. Those two qualities are disappearing fast

Brydon Coverdale in Cape Town12-Mar-2009South Africa’s greatest strengths on their triumphant tour of Australia were unity and dignity. Those two qualities are disappearing faster than the shine off a new ball. Their unity started to go when the selectors cut Neil McKenzie and Morne Morkel, which clearly displeased the captain Graeme Smith. Their dignity took a hit when those same selectors gave Ashwell Prince the leadership and took it off him less than a day later.The coach Mickey Arthur has always been a fan of the “the innocent climb”. It’s a concept put forward by the NBA coach Pat Riley, who believes that when a team comes together unselfishly and feels itself growing stronger, turf wars and power struggles are put aside. It described perfectly the South Africans in Australia. That’s no longer the case.A team that had been run quietly, calmly and successfully by Arthur and Smith for the past few years has started to whiff of internal tension. The new convenor of selectors Mike Procter has already annoyed Arthur by plumping for JP Duminy over Prince for this home series. After the Durban loss, which confirmed South Africa’s first series defeat since mid-2006, Procter and Smith sat next to each other to talk about the decisions, but it was about as united as they would get.Smith spoke first and voiced his disappointment that the same XI that he had taken into all five Tests against Australia this season was about to be ripped apart. It was natural that Smith was despondent – he had a broken hand and his team had just lost the series – but his body language took an even more negative turn when Procter began to speak.As Procter explained his rationale for leaving out McKenzie and Morkel, Smith slumped back in his chair, turned his head away and looked off into the distance. It was like he didn’t want to listen. Procter’s opening statement, which he directed to Smith and Arthur, who wasn’t present, gave a strong hint that his panel’s choices had been unpopular with the team.”Neil Mac has done a wonderful job,” Procter said. “He came in as a makeshift opening batsman and had a fantastic year last year, so it wasn’t an easy decision to come to leave him out. But there does come a time when decisions have to be made. Sometimes it’s very tough. At this stage, the selectors obviously feel for Graeme and Mickey because those guys that have been left out have obviously been together for a long time.”Smith’s choice of words was equally revealing. After noting that it was naturally disappointing for a group to be split up after achieving so much together, Smith said: “Unfortunately the way of life or the way of sport is that if the selectors feel you haven’t played well enough then it’s a natural progression that things are going to change.”If the selectors feel you haven’t played well enough. It was impossible not to derive that Smith was thinking specifically about McKenzie when he said those words. As McKenzie’s opening partner over the past year, Smith knows how hard it is to face the new ball against world-class attacks in a wide range of conditions and consistently give the team strong starts.A permanent part of the Test top order since the start of 2008, McKenzie had a strong calendar year and finished it with 1073 runs at 53.65. He was a key man on the tours of India and England but his form tailed away and he managed only one half-century against Australia.Losing McKenzie will be a major change in the South African structure.Hugely popular in the dressing room for his humour and affability, McKenzie also has a sharp cricketing brain and was the acting captain on the field when Smith had a broken hand during the Sydney Test. That he was not given the same responsibility in Durban was telling. At 33, it will be difficult for him to come back.He and Smith will be replaced at the top of the order by Prince, who is not a regular opener, and the debutant Imraan Khan. It’s a risky strategy to play two unfamiliar openers but Procter was adamant that the middle order could not be altered. Hashim Amla, he said, didn’t like opening.But how does the preference of Amla, a supremely talented batsman who has failed to fulfil his promise in the five Tests against Australia, earn more weight than that of Prince, the man who was supposed to lead? Amla opened in Smith’s absence at Kingsmead and showed no discomfort with the new ball as he scored 43.It’s just another example of confused logic, as was the decision to make Jacques Kallis captain for Cape Town after initially handing the job to Prince. They’re the kind of moves that do little to inspire confidence.How must McKenzie feel to have his Test career all but ended by a panel that reverses its decisions so quickly? What must the supporters be thinking about the rapid promotion and demotion of Prince? And how nervous will the to-ing and fro-ing make the rest of the squad?South Africa must rediscover their unity and their dignity. The players and fans deserve better than to lose the innocence of the innocent climb.

Chennai’s Saffie allrounder on what he’d do if he ran the game, his all-time idol, and the Super Kings theme song

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi22-May-2009So by now I guess you know the secret to getting MS Dhoni out?
Obviously with the World Twenty20 coming up soon, as a bowler I would’ve loved to pick up some things about him, but he doesn’t give too much away. The big deciding factor would be if he is going to be in form or not.Is it true that Stephen Fleming has written a team anthem for Chennai?
Yes, we’ve got a team song which we sing after every win to encourage team spirit. It has some nice words. Fleming and George Bailey co-wrote it, and the tune is based on the Smokie single “Living next door to Alice”.Can you share a line or two?
Nah, you can only hear it in the Chennai Super Kings’ change room.Tell us something we don’t know about you.
Come December, I will be a father of a boy.What is the most commonly used swear word in Afrikaans?
Probably the f-word. The only difference being the sound.What did you tell Morne when you were told you were replacing him for your debut Test?
I didn’t really say anything much. Obviously it was a big disappointment for him, but on the other hand it was happiness for me. He was supportive of me on my debut and I was supportive of him since he was dropped. We never really had any sort of competition growing up, as we are different sort of players: he is more of a strike bowler, while I’m an allrounder.Does Roelof van der Merwe ever look at the ball when he hits it?
You’re gonna have to ask him. Yes, it looks weird on TV: his head is down while he hits over point for six. He is pretty unique, but I’m sure he watches the ball.If you were running cricket, what’s the one change you would make?
I’d make the lunch interval in four-day games about two hours long, so we can have an afternoon siesta.But seriously?
I would like to get rid of the free hit for a no-ball. It is already a batsman’s game and the bowlers are having a hard time all the time as it is.Are you a walker?
If it is blatant, yes! In the end it evens itself out, because many times you get a bad decision and you can’t do anything about it.A bowler from all-time you would like to be?
Shaun Pollock. He is my idol both for his bowling and batting, and one day I would like to have his record.Is there any disadvantage of being tall?
Actually I would like to be a bit taller to get more bounce. Six-three is a good height to have.Is there any one thing your captain tells you not to do that you still end up doing?
The captain says “Back yourself, back yourself,” after every delivery, but sometimes as you charge in and just before the last step, you see the batsman move and you get distracted. That is the most common thing.What are the wisest words of advice you’ve heard?
“Keep it simple.”

He was New Zealand’s greatest bowler and the first Test cricketer to be knighted while still active, but at home Richard Hadlee didn’t get the adulation his stature demanded

Don Cameron04-Jul-2010Fortunate the cricket writer who has seen Richard Hadlee break Ian Botham’s Test wicket-taking record at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, demolish the Indians with 7 for 23 at the Basin Reserve, absolutely slaughter Australia at the Gabba with 9 for 52, and march proudly out of Lord’s in 1990 as the only playing cricketer to be knighted.Hadlee was born to the purple, his cricketing genes alive and throbbing from his early sporting years as a quick-footed football goalkeeper. His father Walter had an almost royal impact as the most devoted player, captain, chairman, selector and president of the New Zealand board in the second half of the 20th century. Two sons, Barry (confined to one-day batting) and Dayle (medium-fast bowler), had already represented New Zealand.Hadlee junior worked his way steadily up the age-group ladder on to first-class cricket with Canterbury, and a quiet international start with two wickets in a home Test against Pakistan. That was followed by a one-wicket Test at Trent Bridge before he made it to the side for the 1973-74 tour of Australia.In the first Test in Melbourne, he might have had an early victim had a miscue by Keith Stackpole not dropped neatly between sluggish fieldsmen at square point and deepish cover. Stackpole scored 122, Australia won by an innings. Hadlee glumly finished with none for 104 from 25 overs.Then, from his wicketkeeper Ken Wadsworth, came some vital advice. Wadsworth told Hadlee that with his sharp speed, by New Zealand standards, and on sometimes helpful pitches, he had taken heaps of wickets. “At home,” said Wadsworth, “you might get wickets by bowling fast and scaring batsmen. Australian batsmen are used to fast bowling, are not scared, and the bowler needs more skills than sheer speed if he is to get out good batsmen on the hard, fast Australian pitches.”In the following Test in Sydney, New Zealand scored 312 and 305 for 9 declared. Hadlee broke the back of the Australian first innings (162) with 4 for 33, three caught close in, one lbw. By stumps on the fourth day, Australia, needing 456 to win, had lost Stackpole and Ian Chappell lbw to Hadlee. They were 30 for 2 the next morning and it rained all day. Justice was done two months later in Christchurch when New Zealand won the second Test by five wickets – Hadlee taking 3 for 59 and 4 for 71.From that point onward, Hadlee steadily put together his marvellous career: his bowling developed, his batting was full of handsome and ambitious strokes, and his fielding at his favourite gully position was quite outstanding. However, while New Zealanders admired his ability (especially when he was forging a Test win) they stopped short of hero worship. Hadlee was forming his career in his own fashion: determined, seeking perfection, but not with the homespun warmth that New Zealanders seek in their sporting heroes.Some regarded him as the tall poppy, a lofty, self-centred eminence compared with the average New Zealander, and there were more than a few who would have liked to see him whittled down to normal status. Such an attitude has blighted some New Zealand sporting careers. Fortunately for Hadlee, he was signed up by Nottinghamshire from 1978-87. He had a new home, among folk who loved their cricketers. He sank luxuriously into this new and wonderful world of cricket, where he could seek fame, and the records he was rather fond of, without hometown rancour.

Hadlee was born to the purple, his cricketing genes alive and throbbing from his early sporting years

He received, and deserved, a fistful of county cricket awards, was a Player of the Year in 1982, and with his typically determined approach put together the amazing effort of the double – 100 wickets and 1000 runs in a county season. In the old days, of more expansive county seasons, the double was a top allrounder’s pass mark. By the time Hadlee achieved it, it was a rare and almost impossible treasure. His love affair with cricketing life in Nottingham showed in his overall career. This came in three periods. In his first 10 Test series pre-Notts, Hadlee took 76 wickets. In his last eight series after Nottingham, Hadlee secured 76 wickets again. In the 15 Test series during his 10 seasons with Nottinghamshire, he took 279 wickets.Hadlee returned to life in New Zealand at the peak of his powers, and with another jab from the critics’ pens. He was in his mid-30s by this time, and his long and successful Notts experience convinced him that he must re-fashion his playing style. So he shortened his run, discarded a consistently high speed and concentrated on working the batsmen out rather than blasting them to kingdom come. The critics bemoaned the lack of a 90mph opening bowler, but Hadlee won that argument by showing the improved mastery of his new medium-fast style. It was still potent enough to get two five-fors and one ten-for at the cost of 14 per wicket against India, and 16 (with one five-for) on his last tour, to England, in 1990.This was a fascinating end to his long and valiant Test career. And, being Hadlee and not a stranger to the statistics that grew like sturdy oaks in his career, he would add another. When he had Devon Malcolm lbw at the end of the England second innings at Edgbaston, Hadlee proudly pointed to the fact that he had taken a wicket with his last ball in Test cricket.His knighthood had, of course, come earlier in that tour; he was the first active Test player to be so honoured by the English monarch – and his friends reckoned that Walter wore the same smile for a week. There were, of course, New Zealanders who maintained that Walter himself had laboured so long for his great sporting love that only a baronetcy would have been sufficient.Hadlee carved out his long and lustrous career with singular determination, which sometimes had him at odds with his fellow players, and even some of the national cricket hierarchy. A curious fact is that during his long career under half a dozen or so leaders, Hadlee was never made captain. There were two semi-official reasons. One was that he had some radical ideas about how the game could or should be played, which might have resulted in self-destruction. The other was that he spent so much of his time and effort on his own behalf that he might not be the right kind of team leader.There were several examples that Hadlee was on one field and the rest of the players on another.During the 1980s, the New Zealand players pooled any prize money and divided the loot evenly at the end of the series or tour. During a home tour Hadlee won a run-of-the-mill Toyota car, and this was turned into cash and spread among the players. In Australia in 1985, after his brilliant bowling in the 2-1 Test series win, he won the prize for the international cricketer of the Australian season, even though the New Zealanders missed the final one-day tri-series. This time the prize was an Alfa Romeo car, much higher in class than the modest Toyota. As the New Zealanders headed for the airport and home, the word came around that Hadlee wanted to keep the car. This caused a panic meeting in the airport lounge, which only left the team divided for and against breaking the old tradition. The argument went on and into the public view. When it appeared Hadlee would put the car-value cash into the pool, he found that might be a taxation problem. Instead, he said he would pay for all team members to have a week’s holiday at a Lake Taupo time-share. The decision was rushed through as a home Test was on the point of starting. So Hadlee got his Alfa Romeo and it appears very few players used the time-share offer.Two years later, he caused another division among the Test team ranks. Between the second and third matches against a strong West Indies side, a Hadlee column appeared in the national red-top local newspaper, . In the article Hadlee sharply criticised the New Zealand team’s attitude. In a later book Ian Smith, the New Zealander wicketkeeper at the time, said Hadlee chipped the New Zealand players “for sloppy practice habits and tardy attitude”. “This did not go down well with the boys. Such criticism should remain within the team. To air it publicly, especially at such a critical part of the series, was virtually unprecedented,” wrote Smith.In 2009, Hadlee was inducted into the ICC’s Hall of Fame•Getty ImagesJeremy Coney, the captain, spoke in the dressing room against Hadlee’s comments, but dressing-room time was running out and the players had to take the field, with Hadlee among them. To the onlookers something looked odd. Coney had decided not to speak to Hadlee on the field. If Coney wanted to instruct Hadlee about playing tactics, they were relayed by John Wright and, later, Martin Snedden. Hadlee was not impressed with his short opening spell, so took himself off, and Wright had to pass the information on to Coney. But the team recovered from the drama. Hadlee returned to take 6 for 50 – three of them from slip catches by Coney, and the New Zealanders’ mood improved, if not completely, by the fact that they won the Test by five wickets.Having such a strong attitude about his own cricket, Hadlee was bound to be a majority of one from time to time. But as the years roll by and other New Zealand candidates bid for greatness, they will have to improve on his heroics in that marvellous 1970-90 reign. With cricket changing its shape year by year, with Test cricket being squeezed into corners not required for one-day matches, it may well be that not even the finest New Zealander of the future will surpass the Test deeds of Richard Hadlee.

Sriram Veera looks at the various contenders for the few positions that are up for grabs in India’s World Cup combination, and what they need to do in South Africa to strengthen their cases

Sriram Veera11-Jan-2011BattingThe No. 6 position: Yusuf Pathan has three challengers: Virat Kohli, Saurabh Tiwary, and Ravindra Jadeja. It’s increasingly getting clearer that India will go with a batting allrounder which means Yusuf, with that recent brutal hundred against New Zealand, has the edge. Kohli can bowl mediumpace – Anil Kumble used him a few times in the IPL – but it’s his form as a batsman that sets him up against Yusuf at No. 6. If Yusuf hadn’t found his mojo in Bangalore, Kohli’s chances would have strengthened. Kohli will get more opportunities in South Africa but in the current scenario, he doesn’t fit in at No 6. Kohli’s case now can now be distilled to this emotive question: how can you drop someone who has played so well in recent games? But he played as a No. 3 and you will have to weigh his case against Gautam Gambhir for that slot.All this leaves Yusuf as the clear frontrunner for No. 6. It’s still not an open-and-shut case though. What if Yusuf’s imperious knock against New Zealand was an aberration? Also, does the situation alter if Yusuf fails in South Africa? Or will the selectors make a clear distinction about his prowess in subcontinental conditions, where the World Cup will be played, and disregard any failures in South Africa. All things said, Yusuf can definitely seal the No. 6 slot if he does well in South Africa. No. 4: Yuvraj Singh has two challengers in Kohli and Suresh Raina. However, doubts over Yuvraj’s spot will only arise if his Test performances are taken into consideration. Yuvraj can win an ODI with his batting, and provides the best ODI bowling option among irregulars like Virender Sehwag, Raina, and Kohli. It could be argued that Sehwag is a better bowler but the ODI statistics reveal that Yuvraj has been the most dependable. The question, then, is over his batting position: should he bat at No. 4 or lower? At No. 4, his average is a shade below his career average but in this team, and considering his experience, that seems to be the right position for him.No. 4 part II: An interesting alternative is to have MS Dhoni bat at No. 4. He has ceased to be an all-out attacker and has re-invented himself as a very effective player who smartly controls the pace during the middle overs. There is a school of thought that he should bat lower and return to his big-hitting ways. That can work if his return to destroying mode is a given, but it’s not going be to that easy. Even in the IPL, where he had the licence to hit, Dhoni wasn’t the marauder of old, barring in the odd innings. Power-hitting doesn’t come as easily, and perhaps as naturally, as it once did. If that remains the case, India would benefit more if Dhoni bats at no. 4 or 5. Eventually, we might see him floating up and down the order.No. 4 to No. 7 might eventually be filled by floaters. No one might own any position. If too many early wickets fall, Dhoni might send in Yuvraj and Raina ahead of him. If he feels the middle overs need to be controlled in a steady manner, he might push himself up. And if not many wickets have fallen, and only a few overs remain, he might push Yusuf ahead.No. 3: Gautam Gambhir has a challenger in Kohli. They are most likely to go with the experience of Gambhir though Kohli is trying his best to stay in contention; he hit two consecutive hundreds, crossed 50 on four successive occasions late last year and, importantly, showed the ability to smartly pace his innings. Gambhir won’t be featuring in the South Africa series, which presents Kohli with a great opportunity to present more selection headaches. However, Gambhir’s experience – and since he too was in good form – is likely to help him secure the No. 3 spot.No. 5: Raina v Kohli. Raina’s Test woes and his problems against short balls have overshadowed his average ODI form. He has just one half-century in his last 16 innings. So will they consider the in-form Kohli, who has batted at No. 5 in the IPL, over Raina? This could turn out to be a tricky decision. Both are good fielders but Raina’s offbreaks provide a better option than Kohli’s mediumpace in subcontinental conditions. Also, Raina is more suited than Kohli in the lower order as he is a bigger hitter. He can, in theory, get going even when new to the crease, and possesses more big shots than Kohli. But what if Raina fails in South Africa as well? Will it be better to go in with an in-form Kohli even in the subcontinent? This South Africa series becomes all the more important for Kohli as if he doesn’t turn it on here, and Raina does even reasonably well, the selectors are likely to go for the latter.The second wicketkeeperWriddhiman Saha needs runs to show that he deserves that spot. Parthiv Patel grabbed his chances in the ODIs against New Zealand and has become a strong challenger. However, if Parthiv makes the playing XI, his best position is as an opener, where he can play as a pinch-hitter, but he won’t get that position. Will he be as useful in the lower order? Can he play the big shots when the field is spread out? May be not, but the question is whether Dinesh Karthik or Saha can do any better? The thing with Parthiv is that he can get in there and try to swing from the first ball. Karthik is a more conventional batsman, and probably can play bigger innings than Patel, but with the line-up packed with accomplished batsmen, Parthiv’s utility as a pinch hitter might fit better in this team.BowlersR Ashwin and Parthiv Patel have the advantage over the other contenders for the second spinning and wicketkeeping options, respectively•AFPWill India go in with three seamers and one spinner or are they more likely to drop a seamer for a second spinning option? Considering the fact that all their part-timers – Yusuf, Yuvraj, Sehwag and Raina – provide the spin option, India are likely to go with three seamers and Harbhajan Singh. Pragyan Ojha has been economical and R Ashwin, who did well in the final ODI against New Zealand, can bowl in the Powerplays, but two regular spinners might be a luxury unless the conditions turn out to be spin-friendly. If Zaheer Khan is fit, he is certain to play and that leaves Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Sreesanth, and Ishant Sharma to fight out for the remaining two spots.Nehra didn’t bowl well at the death in the fourth ODI against New Zealand and leaked runs with the new ball in the fifth but he has done a great job in the recent past. He is the man that MS Dhoni turns to during the Powerplays and in the slog overs. Two poor games against New Zealand can’t spoil that reputation and if he can present his A game in South Africa, he will seal his spot.Praveen Kumar is an impact bowler with the new ball that he moves both ways and relies on variation in pace as the ball gets old. His best performances have usually come with the new ball but the question to be asked is whether any of his challengers can do vastly better with the old ball? Munaf Patel can be steady but Sreesanth and Ishant have not shown any great skills with the old ball.So, Zaheer, Praveen, and Nehra seem to be the top three contenders in the seam department. Sreesanth, who did well in the second ODI against New Zealand, has to produce memorable performances in South Africa to strengthen his case. Useful middle-of-the-road efforts won’t help him; he needs a tremendous series to help the management forget the fact that he has the second-worst economy rate in the list of bowlers with at least 50 wickets.Munaf did himself no harm with disciplined performances against New Zealand. He hit the short-of-good-length area and attacked the off stump, but would a better batting outfit have handled him better? Nehra and Praveen have repeatedly done well against the best and so, Munaf will have to settle for a spot below them in the pecking order.In the here and now, Ishant Sharma probably ranks with Sreesanth in the ODIs. Praveen’s injury has given him an opportunity to impress and, like Sreesanth, he too will need a great series to move up the order.Second SpinnerIn case there arises a need for a second spinner, who will India turn to? Ojha has better economy and strike-rates than Ashwin, but he has played more games. Also, more importantly, Ashwin is the bowler that Dhoni is more likely to turn to in Powerplays. There is the suggestion that Ojha will offer variety with his left-arm spin, but Yuvraj plays that role anyway. Right now, Ashwin looks a better pick than Ojha to partner Harbhajan.

ESPNcricinfo brings you the plays of the second day of the third Test between South Africa and India at Newlands

Sidharth Monga at Newlands03-Jan-2011The leave
While waiting for his turn to bat, Morne Morkel must have seen a lot of well-judged but exaggerated leaves from Jacques Kallis. When he came out to bat, he went after the second ball he faced, and was duly beaten by Zaheer Khan. The Kallis moment came immediately. As he realised he had been beaten, he completed the follow through, shouldering arms in as exaggerated a fashion as Kallis’. Good recovery, but the replay on the big screen called his bluff.The running
Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid together was a run out waiting to happen. First Gambhir called Dravid for a run and sent him back; the latter was saved only by a missed direct-hit from substitute fielder JP Duminy. In the next over, Dravid hit square and set off, only to see – from half way down the wicket – that Gambhir hadn’t moved. There was a single in there, but also it was Gambhir’s call, so he could be given the benefit of the doubt here. Soon, though, Dravid made the final error, going for a run off a dropped catch. He had judged the single well, but took it too easy, and AB de Villiers’ flashy work to hit the stumps direct caught him short. Lonwabo Tsotsobe’s reaction was priceless. He was the bowler who had that wicket taken away from him, and was standing next to the stumps with hand on hips, but in an instant that emotion changed to joy as he knew before the third umpire that de Villiers had caught Dravid short.The hold
If Zaheer Khan has been toying around with Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn has been having a pretty successful time against the opposition opener. Virender Sehwag showed remarkable restraint against the danger man, even playing out back-to-back maidens, but Steyn managed to make it seven Sehwag wickets out of the 15 innings he has bowled against him in. In this series, Steyn has got Sehwag in all three first innings, and that has had a big impact. However, the contest has been full of action from both sides: to go with the seven dismissals, 203 runs have come off the 234 balls that Sehwag has faced against Steyn. Sehwag’s got 155 of those runs in India, off 156 balls, at an average of 51.67, while in South Africa, Steyn’s been the boss, dismissing him four times for 48 runs.The modern captaincy moment
This was so expected it didn’t surprise anybody. Even though India had all the momentum with four wickets for 21 runs to reduce South Africa to 283 for 8, as a modern-day captain does, MS Dhoni spread the fields for Jacques Kallis, who enjoyed the state of affairs. He manoeuvred the strike well, giving India only a ball or two at the tailenders for most of the overs. And once India started deflating, Kallis started going for boundaries off the last two balls when the fields would come up. The last two wickets added 79, which could yet prove to be the difference in the final analysis.The extra over that didn’t work
In Durban, as India got off to a wicket-less start in the first 10 overs, Steyn pleaded with the captain for an extra over. He got that extra over, which brought him Sehwag’s wicket, which got him another over, which in turn got him another wicket. Today, with Paul Harris ready to bowl the 16th over of India’s innings, Steyn got himself an extra over. This time, though, the extra over went for six runs, including a lovely whip from Sachin Tendulkar, his first boundary.The interruption
It was not clear whether he didn’t like the way Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir were batting, but in the 35th over of India’s innings, a man chose to streak, skilfully dodging the security guards, who frankly seemed athletically inferior to him. As he passed Duminy at backward square leg, the fielder – perhaps in self-defence – made a mock charge towards the streaker. That hurried the man’s departure off the field, but he ran himself pretty hard into the fence, a moment Paul Harris, standing in the slips, particularly enjoyed, expressing his pleasure by clapping and laughing. The almost naked man had his moment in the Cape Town sun, but won’t quite enjoy what the authorities might do to him.

Sri Lanka were so feeble on the field that they rendered absolutely inconsequential a magnificent hundred from Mahela Jayawardene

Sambit Bal at the Wankhede Stadium02-Apr-2011The World Cup hasn’t been blessed with grand finals. From a distance now, 1975 looks much closer than it actually was; 1983 was memorable because it produced a stunning upset; and 1992 was sealed with two magic balls from Wasim Akram. Only 1987 produced a tense finish, but it was played between two middling teams. To the dispassionate eye, the regret about 2011 will be that Sri Lanka, so clinical until the final, were so off the boil on the field that the biggest chase in a World Cup final became a canter in the end.Sri Lanka had the distinction of chasing the highest score to win a World Cup. In 1996 they were generously assisted by the dew in Lahore as they knocked off 241 with plenty to spare. While dew was a factor on Saturday night too, Sri Lanka were so feeble on the field that 274 felt like 50 short. Kumar Sangakkara was full of grace in conceding India’s superiority in the contest, but when he said they would have needed 350 to challenge India, he might have been reflecting on his team’s out-cricket.It was a pity because it rendered absolutely inconsequential a magnificent hundred from Mahela Jayawardene.In fact, it could be said that there were two Sri Lankas in the final in Mumbai. There was Jayawardene: beautiful, balanced and inspired. And then there was the Sri Lanka on the field: sloppy, uncoordinated, listless and a bundle of nerves. India were worthy winners because they carried more class and depth, but Sri Lanka’s inability to stretch them despite the early tremors caused by Lasith Malinga robbed the final of the tension it deserved.Jayawardene must feel hard done by because the world remembers only winners. His team-mates didn’t drop as many catches as Pakistan did in the semi final – in fact, Tillakaratne Dilshan grabbed a stunner off his own bowling to dismiss Virat Kohli – but they leaked so many runs in the field that the India batsmen, once they settled down, were never made to work hard.This was in dramatic contrast to the Indian fielding effort that peaked on Saturday, after gradually improving through the knockout stages. Now trimmer and considerably fitter, Yuvraj Singh, back in his old position at point, was electric: and, along with Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli, he formed an offside cordon the Sri Lankan top order found impossible to breach. They starved Sri Lanka of singles by attacking the ball and cut off certain boundaries with spectacular dives. Even the fast bowlers, usually liabilities in the outfield, seemed to have acquired springs. Zaheer Khan saved a couple of fours at third man, and Sreesanth sprinted and slid at square leg to stop another.While India rose well above themselves, Sri Lanka, though never among the most sparkling fielding sides, sunk way below their usual standards, and the combined difference could well have been 40 runs. This piece of comic fielding summed up the Sri Lankan performance: Gautam Gambhir sliced Muttiah Muralitharan straight to point where Chamara Kapugedera fumbled the ball, allowing a single, and then fired in a throw wide of the bowler to concede another run.With the ball too, Sri Lanka were below par. Malinga produced two huge wickets when it was least expected. He hasn’t been a threat with the new ball throughout the World Cup and to nail Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar in his first spell was a huge bonus. But Malinga couldn’t do the job expected from him and MS Dhoni and Yuvraj picked him off easily when he returned for what could have been a match-turning spell.Murali was perhaps not fully fit and got easily annoyed with the wet ball and Suraj Randiv, who was brought in as cover for Murali but played ahead of Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath, was the most economical bowler of the day but never threatened to produce a wicket. Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Perera more than compensated for the absence of Angelo Mathews with the bat but they were clearly ill equipped as lead bowlers. Sometimes in seeking to address the conditions, teams veer away from their strengths.What a let-down this effort was for Jayawardene, who produced an innings worthy of a final. The world feels a lovely place when he gets going, but beauty is nothing without purpose and substance. His was a beautifully structured innings that first lifted Sri Lanka from a sluggish start and then gradually led them towards a challenging total. As ever, Jayawardene, who had had an indifferent World Cup so far, persuaded the ball through gaps affectionately, using the pace that the pitch offered and creating space with gentle wrist work. His first fifty came off 49 balls, and the second, without any noticeable shift in gear, in 35, with the century coming with two superbly executed fours off Zaheer Khan.This was his second virtuoso innings in knockout matches of successive World Cups. In 2007, his unbeaten hundred against New Zealand had come in similar circumstances (he came in to bat at 67 for 2 then, as against 60 for 2 today) and had carried his team to the final.On Saturday, he became the first centurion in a losing cause in a World Cup final. How empty it must feel.

Angelo Mathews crawled to his maiden Test century at the SSC, and in doing so, did the game more harm than good

Daniel Brettig in Colombo19-Sep-2011Test cricket died a little in Colombo today. With a match for the winning and a series to be saved, Angelo Mathews was so consumed by his personal goal that he all but forgot about Sri Lanka’s.To score a first Test century is a significant achievement, not least on the subcontinent, where statistical milestones carry plenty of meaning in themselves. But the way Mathews went about getting there, draining the match of much of its remaining life, did a good deal of harm to the game.Cricket is often described as a team game for individuals, and there are times when the single-minded pursuit of a century can be precisely what the side requires. Sri Lanka needed Mathews to add to the lead, and to occupy the crease for time in the company of the tail. What they did not need was for him to choke up the flow of runs so comprehensively that only 45 runs seeped from 19 overs on the fourth morning, as Australia sat back in the knowledge that a draw would win them the series.Every delivery that Mathews dead-batted cost his team, and gave Australia a greater chance of evading defeat. Every single he refused lessened the hosts’ chances of winning the match, squaring the series and keeping fourth spot in the ICC rankings. And every over of hesitance and indecision reflected badly on Mathews, Sri Lanka and the game itself.The inertia rather reflected the wider state of the Sri Lankan team in this series, as it wrestles with leadership, management and selection changes. This is not a dressing room from which firm directives were necessarily going to be delivered. Nor was it one from which the new captain, Tillakaratne Dilshan, would have declared on Mathews in the 90s, as Michael Atherton did to Graeme Hick at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1995.Such dithering can cost a team more than momentum. At Port Elizabeth in 1997, South Africa were lording it over Australia until Adam Bacher lingered on the edge of a half-century for an interminable period. In that time he ran out his partner and then was dismissed himself, starting a pivotal swing in a match that was ultimately won thrillingly by the visitors, handing them the series. Such misadventures can be avoided by a team-oriented approach, and also by a stronger hand in the dressing room.The absence of a fulltime coach since the exit of Trevor Bayliss has hampered Sri Lanka’s progress. Uncertainty over the role, combined with Dilshan’s fledgling leadership, has meant there is less accountability and direction than is needed. Rumesh Ratnayake, the interim coach, is a capable mentor without the authority of permanence. An overseas coach is being sought, perhaps Geoff Marsh, who will need to provide strong leadership and targets for the players to work towards. Otherwise there may be more passages like that witnessed at the SSC ground, and all will be poorer for it.This was not the first time that Mathews had been complicit in an episode where team objectives were subservient to those of an individual. Dinesh Chandimal’s ODI hundred against England at Lord’s was reached via what can only be described as some extreme non-batting from Mathews, who pottered around for a single from 21 balls while Chandimal eased to his century.Having watched it in the field, England’s Alastair Cook wondered aloud at the point of it all: “I’ve never seen that before. It is clear what they were doing, but it was a bit strange. They’re perfectly entitled to do that if they want, but it was slightly strange and you never know, the cricketing gods might look at that with a bit of disgust.”Mathews, it must be remembered, is probably Sri Lanka’s next captain. He was pushed forward as a possible candidate to replace Kumar Sangakkara, despite his youth, and the appointment of the older Dilshan can be interpreted as a holding manoeuvre while Mathews grows.He will, in time, take on lessons about the wider interests of the game, and about the need to risk defeat or personal failure in pursuit of a team victory. These are the values that an effective captain must hold, and Mathews will not be ready to lead until the day he can take a dimmer view of his first Test century than he did in the moment he reached it.

Against Zimbabwe in Napier, New Zealand weren’t content with just winning, but doing it with relentlessness. Under John Wright, the team looks more cohesive

Andrew Alderson29-Jan-2012The New Zealand victory over a rebuilding Zimbabwe was demanded and delivered, but it was the way the team conducted itself that gave cause to think this is more than just a blip on their flatlining Test form of recent years.The significance of the win is more about the camaraderie steadily building under coach John Wright.Since November the team has three wins from four Tests (albeit two against Zimbabwe) but it was the character the side showed in the seven-run win over Australia in Hobart which flowed into Saturday’s win. The New Zealanders were uncompromising in their efforts to concertina a result into three days, one of which was affected by weather.Firstly, it showed in the field. New Zealand’s performance was comprehensive, with few errors. The Zimbabwe batting was weak but a similar looking outfit (minus captain Brendan Taylor) made 329 against the NZ XI the previous week in the Gisborne warm-up match. Why should they suddenly capitulate for 51 (their lowest Test score) and 143 on a decent batting pitch?The main reason was New Zealand’s relentlessness. Thirteen of the 20 wickets were caught behind the wicket by a largely three slip, two gully cordon endowed with Alcatraz hands. Nothing was escaping. Dean Brownlie spilt the only catch at 4.21pm off the bat of Graeme Cremer. In Brownlie’s defence, he picked up four at third slip in the first innings and another in the second. Among New Zealand fieldsmen (not keepers) that first-innings effort is only bettered by Stephen Fleming (with five against Zimbabwe in 1997).Ground fielding glitches were also rare. Replacement fielder Sam Wells bobbled a ball and threw inaccurately at 5.40pm to concede an overthrow. BJ Watling could be proud of his wicketkeeping debut under intense public scrutiny. Making a maiden Test century, taking four catches in the second innings – including the one to win the Test in the extra half hour’s play – and conceding just four byes to a loose Trent Boult delivery down the leg side meant he more than held his own.Secondly, the New Zealand bowlers, led by Man-of-the-Match Chris Martin, sustained the pressure, delivering in tight channels with just a gentle sea breeze for assistance. Revolving the spells of the four pacemen proved as successful as when employed in the second Test against Australia. Martin took career-best figures of 6 for 26 runs in the second innings. The return took him to 218 Test wickets, third-equal with Chris Cairns on the all-time New Zealand list. More importantly, the 37-year-old is showing the next generation of Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee and Boult how to apply themselves in the game’s longest form.In addition to Martin’s leadership with the ball, Brendon McCullum’s tactical nous was evident in Ross Taylor’s injured absence. His gambler instincts were to the fore. It was rare if five men were not in the slip cordon, often with a leg slip and short leg attacking too.Finally, the New Zealand dressing room is breeding a more inclusive culture. It was reflected in their post-match celebration. The team ventured to the wicket to have a drink and a chant once the crowds had gone. Bonds are being cemented. Returning to the shed, Martin (the oldest player) joked with Watling (the man with the newest role); McCullum spoke at length with former Test opening batsman Robert “Jumbo” Anderson; a calf-strapped Taylor hobbled along, soaking it up on crutches – rehabilitation can wait when you have just won a Test. Riffs from tunes like New Zealand band The Exponents’ “Why does love do this to me?” floated up to the press box from the dressing-room bunker. Such unadulterated camaraderie is not only uplifting but vital if they are to progress from eighth in the Test rankings during a busy year playing in the West Indies, India, Sri Lanka and South Africa.The New Zealanders are approaching the looming South Africa tour in the best possible frame of mind.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the 2nd ODI at The Oval

George Dobell at The Oval19-Jun-2012Stat of the day
Alastair Cook’s century – his fifth in ODIs – meant that an England opener (one of Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen or Cook) had scored a century in each of their last six ODIs. No team has ever achieved that before. It is surely no coincidence that England have won all six games.Shot of the day
There were a few contenders. Ian Bell’s back foot drive for four off Tino Best – a desperately difficult stroke that Bell managed to make look not just easy but beautiful – took some beating, but for sheer awe-inspiring power, it has to be the fourth of Chris Gayle’s five sixes. One of three sixes he smashed in poor Tim Bresnan’s first over, it was pulled so far that, had it not hit the advertising hoarding on the roof of the Bedser Stand – a five-storey building – it would surely have landed in the traffic outside the ground. It was, by any standards, monstrously massive.Wicket of the day
The dismissal of Gayle, struck on the pad by one from Graeme Swann that drifted into the batsman, was probably the defining moment of this match. Umpire Tony Hill took a long time to give the lbw decision and Gayle immediately called for a review, but replays showed that the ball had just, just, hit the pad before the bat. It says something for Gayle’s entertainment value that many members of the crowd – England supporters as much as West Indies – booed the decision and wanted Gayle’s innings to continue. Perhaps that should not be surprising: at the time he was dismissed, Gayle had contributed 53 of the 63 runs scored. By the time the 21st over ended, West Indies’ other batsman had scored just 26 runs between them.Let-off of the day
Kieron Pollard had scored 28 when he was lured down the pitch by Graeme Swann and beaten on the outside edge by a quicker delivery. What should have been a simple stumping was spurned by Craig Kieswetter, however, with the ball bouncing out of his iron-like hands. The let-off allowed Pollard to extend his own innings by 13 runs and his partnership with Dwayne Bravo by 46. Kieswetter produced some decent moments here – one diving leg side take off Steven Finn and the calm last-over run-out of Sunil Narine spring to mind – but errors like this will sustain the pressure upon him. England got away with it on this occasion, but in the biggest games, against the best sides, such errors can make the difference between success and failure.Fielding of the day
Alastair Cook might not be the most naturally talented fielder in the England side, but he has worked hard and become a reliable performer in a number of positions. Here he ran-out Lendl Simmons, attempting a sharp single, with a direct hit from mid-off that said as much for his cool head as it did the skills instilled in this England team by their fielding coach, Richard Halsall. In terms of the West Indies innings, though, Simmons’ dismissal was a cricketing version of euthanasia. Simmons, whose 12 runs occupied 50 deliveries and lasted for more than 20 overs, was proceeding with the urgency of an asthmatic tortoise delivering anvils. Cook’s merciful throw was like putting a sick cat out of its misery.Moment of the day
It would be silly to pretend this was just another ODI. With the Oval’s flags at half-mast, the players and umpires wearing black armbands, a book of condolence opened at the ground and some spectators moved to tears as they stopped to reflect at a makeshift tribute to Tom Maynard just outside, grief hung heavy in the air throughout. The most obvious manifestation of that grief came with the minute’s silence just before the start of the game. Impeccably observed, it eloquently demonstrated the depths of respect, sympathy, shock and sadness that have united cricket in the past day or two. The game soon began and, on the surface anyway, followed along vaguely recognisable patterns. But the sadness remained and pervaded this match like smoke used to cling to the walls of English pubs.