All posts by h716a5.icu

A detailed analysis of batting and bowling performances across the four IPL seasons finds Shaun Marsh and Lasith Malinga on top

S Rajesh and Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan10-Apr-2012Shaun Marsh and Lasith Malinga have emerged the best performers in IPL, according to an analysis conducted by ESPNcricinfo.The analysis, which rated each and every performance in the first four editions of the tournament in a qualitative manner going beyond runs and wickets, has also placed Brendon McCullum’s unbeaten 158 in the very first match of the IPL, for Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore, as the best innings ever played in the tournament, while Anil Kumble’s 5 for 5 for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Rajasthan Royals in the 2009 season has been rated the best bowling performance.The study analysed each IPL batting and bowling performance over the first four seasons, giving each one a score, keeping in mind the different dynamics of 20-over cricket, where strike rates and economy rates often take precedence over the runs scored or wickets taken. The factors considered for batting performances were, among others, the strike rates with respect to the match scoring rates and the batting position at which the runs were scored. For bowlers, the match economy rate and the quality of wickets taken were also considered. These scores were then averaged out to give a mean batting and bowling score for each player.Marsh, who scored 1267 runs for Kings XI Punjab in the first four seasons at a strike rate of almost 141, managed to edge past Chris Gayle – Gayle has a higher strike rate of 162, but averages 38 runs per innings compared to Marsh’s 45. Marsh also scored 11 fifties in 28 innings in those four seasons, though his form has fallen so significantly that he was dropped from the Kings XI team for their second match of the ongoing IPL season.McCullum’s blitz in the tournament opener in 2008 was a stunning way to launch the IPL, but since then his performances have been below par, which is reflected in the fact that McCullum’s overall batting score in the analysis is 13.04, which just about gets him into the top-20 list for batsmen.Suresh Raina, the leading run-scorer in the first four seasons with 1813 in 60 innings, came in at seventh place, while Sachin Tendulkar, the second-highest run-getter, was a slot higher. The list of top five batsmen was dominated by Australians, with Matthew Hayden, Shane Watson and Michael Hussey filling up positions three to five.The list of top batting performances was headed by the usual suspects, featuring innings from Virender Sehwag, Sanath Jayasuriya, Adam Gilchrist and Yusuf Pathan. Gayle’s first innings is at 12th place, but he has two more within the top 35, which indicates how destructive he has been in the IPL.Kumble’s bowling performance in in Cape Town against Rajasthan Royals was stunning but, in terms of overall numbers, it’s tough to argue with Malinga’s contribution for Mumbai Indians. He has taken almost 1.5 wickets per match, at an economy rate of 6.33. The surprise has been Amit Mishra, the legspinner who has played for Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils: in 45 matches he has taken 61 wickets at an economy rate of 6.84.The list of top bowling performances is a mix of those in which bowlers took plenty of wickets, and others in which they conceded very few runs but didn’t pick up too many wickets. For instance, Rahul Sharma’s 2 for 7 in four overs for Pune Warriors against Mumbai Indians last season comes in fifth, ahead of many other spells that fetched more wickets. That’s because he managed an economy rate of 1.75 in a match in which no other bowler had a rate of less than five, and he dismissed a couple of top-order batsmen as well. Ashish Nehra’s 1 for 6 in four overs against Kings XI Punjab in the 2009 edition is at 18th position because of his exceptional economy rate.The main factors that were considered : Each batting and bowling performance was weighted against the scoring rate in that match. Thus, an 80 off 40 balls got more points if it comes in a match in which the other batsmen struggle to score quickly, compared to one in which several other batsmen make quick runs. Similarly, an economical spell gets more points in a high-scoring game. : Since the 20-over game is one in which top-order batsmen get many more opportunities than even middle-order ones, the runs scored were weighted against the average scores by batsmen in those batting positions. A middle- or lower-order batsman thus gets more credit for a half-century compared to a top-order batsman. : In T20 matches, bowlers often taken lower-order wickets in a cluster towards the end of an innings. In this analysis, the lower-order wickets fetch lesser rewards for a bowler compared to a top-order wicket.For a more detailed look at the batting analysis, click here. For the bowling, click here.

Using his height, action and intelligence, Tim Southee has set himself to become New Zealand’s long-term leader of the pace pack

Aakash Chopra02-Sep-2012It’s not often that a fast bowler takes seven Indian wickets in an innings, especially if the match in question is played on slow, low Indian tracks. The chances of achieving these figures become even slimmer if you are asked to bowl on the usually dull second and third days of a Test. Though the pitch at Bangalore for the second Test between India and New Zealand isn’t a typical Indian dustbowl, it is still a far cry from being a fast bowler’s haven. So the efforts of Tim Southee, who was picked in place of Chris Martin, become more creditable. While the other New Zealand bowlers were effectively blunted late on day two, Southee shone as the sole redeemer.A potent bowler with the new ball and quite threatening at the death with his strict and accurate yorkers, Southee looks like he is being primed for the role of New Zealand’s premier bowling prospect.What is it that makes Southee a tremendous possibility? More importantly, what did he find in the pitch on the second day of the Test that the likes of Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav couldn’t find on the first day?For starters, Southee has the distinct advantage of height over his Indian counterparts, which helped him extract a bit more bounce from the surface. His high arm action also accentuated that advantage by a couple of feet. His biggest strength in this Test, though, has been the lines he operated in. Thanks to the lack of bounce, pace and lateral movement off the surface, the margin for error on subcontinental pitches is really small. The moment you offer a bit of room, Indian batsmen force the ball through the off-side. If you try to bowl straighter and drift the ball slightly towards leg, they quickly bring their supple wrists into action to dispatch it. Hence it is imperative to operate in the fourth-fifth stump line to keep the batsmen honest.That’s exactly where Southee remained for the better part of his bowling stint. In addition to the teasing lines, he pitched the ball a foot fuller and brought the batsmen forward. Since there’s very little movement available off the surface, bowlers must make the most of the time the ball spends in the air. The longer it stays in the air, the better the chances of doing something. Good wrist position and near-perfect release allowed Southee to swing the ball in the air, which deceived the batsmen.Southee on target

Of the 145 balls Tim Southee bowled in the Indian innings, 101 landed on a good length, in which he took 4 for 32.

Against right-handers, Southee took 4 for 50 off 122 balls, dismissing Pujara, Kohli, Dhoni and Zaheer; against left-handers, he had figures of 3 for 12 in 23 balls, dismissing Gambhir, Raina and Ojha.

In 110 balls that Southee bowled to the top seven batsmen in the Indian line-up, he conceded 34 runs and took 5 wickets; against the bottom four, he conceded 28 from 35 balls and dismissed two batsmen.

Southee did something else very smart that many bowlers usually ignore, which was to use the width of the crease to create different angles. Once he was able to shape the ball away from the right-hander in the air and get his bearings right, he started changing his positioning on the crease. He increased the frequency of his visits to the corner of the crease once the ball got a little older and didn’t swing it as much in the air. If the ball isn’t swinging much, it’s relatively easy to cover the swing if bowled from closer to the stumps. But the same movement can trouble the batsman if bowled from the corner of the crease, for the angle lures you into believing that the ball is heading into you, which forces you to play inside the line and hence even the tiniest away movement becomes too much to handle.In addition to using the crease astutely to make the away-going ball far more threatening, Southee also bowled a very effective off-cutter. Most of those off-cutters were also bowled from the corner of the crease with a slightly scrambled seam. The one that got Virat Kohli was the prime example of out-thinking a very well-set batsman. Many bowlers try to bowl with a cross-seam instead of seam up to scuff up the ball in Indian conditions; however, those deliveries are not only easier to pick but also rarely do something off the surface except holding up or bouncing just a tad higher. Southee has induced the off-cutter by putting more pressure on the index finger at the point of release and by bringing the non-bowling arm down a fraction earlier than normal. The change has been too subtle for the batsman to pick and if the batsman fails to acknowledge the scrambled seam in the air, he is doomed.If Southee can stay fit and maintain the pace, attack and swing he showed through his 24 overs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the role of New Zealand’s pace spearhead seems his – with potent support from Chris Martin, Trent Boult and Doug Bracewell.

Get a load of the east coast, and a furore about racism, on the first leg of our correspondent’s Australia tour

Firdose Moonda17-Nov-2012October 30
Board the now well-used Gautrain to the airport. At Sandton station, catch a glimpse of Mark Boucher stepping off. He looks well. His non-profit rhino conservation company is being launched today. He was not due to go on this tour anyway and would have retired after the England series had he not been forced to so by injury. First tour for me without him – and for every member of the squad except Jacques Kallis.October 31
Arrive in Sydney late in the afternoon. Long drive through the city gets the eyes wandering. Then out to the western suburb of Ashfield. Geographically, not the best booking. It’s quiet, but a short walk down the road reveals a bustling immigrant quarter. Serious jet lag sets in. Worse than when travelling to New Zealand even. No choice but to take an early night.November 1
Am informed it will take two bus rides to get to the SCG. The first stop is at Hyde Park. Fond memories of the London version and its beautiful running routes. This one looks just as good. Second bus needs a prepaid ticket. Don’t have one. Sympathetic driver agrees to provide an all-day pass for just $2.50.The SCG and surrounds soon loom large. A statue of Steve Waugh is the first artistic touch. Stroll along the walk of honour, where plaques have been erected in tribute to some of the country’s most loved and respected sportsmen. Don Bradman, rugby union legends the Ella brothers and John Eales, and rugby league players Ken and Dick Thornett.South Africa hold an open media session at nets. JP Duminy recounts his successes of 2008, AB de Villiers explains away his bad back, Dale Steyn talks about legally being able to kill people with a ball, and Vernon Philander laughs at the suggestion he will finally struggle. Afterwards do some work in the café next to the gym and pool. Magnificent facilities, just like Andrew Hudson said they would be.November 2
First glimpse of the SCG field. Patchy and sandy, it looks horrible to field on. The venue itself could become a favourite, as long the character-filled ladies’ and members’ stands are not knocked down. Construction is on in earnest. Soon a modern stand will be put up. As a result, media are housed in the football press box, which provides an interesting, almost square-on, look at the match.Rob Quiney impresses, but is downbeat at his presser, saying he does not think 85 will get him a national call-up. Little does he know.In search of a good supper, stumble upon the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House. A wonderful find. Fireworks on New Years’ Eve must be an incredible sight.November 3
The South African attack toils without much reward on a lifeless surface. Even Hashim Amla gets a bowl. After Alex Doolan has made enough of a case with 161, Australia A declare and the rhythm resumes, with the visiting batsmen meandering their way into form. Nothing like the fiery tour match in Potchefstroom last summer.It’s Halloween weekend and the locals are more into the occasion than most South Africans. Catch glimpses of everyone from witches to ghosts to a fully kitted-out cricketer.November 4
Visit Michael Clarke’s Western Suburbs grade cricket ground, Ashfield Park, before the day’s play. Pristine in spite of its working-class reputation. Most impressive, the sculpture garden. Features a stone with the phrase “No stranger shall go empty from our door, for we ourselves eat at the doors of strangers in their land” translated into 17 languages.Back at the SCG, Steyn ends the match with a fast, furious spell. Jacques Rudolph calls it the quickest he has seen in “six or seven years”. South Africa are ready.Not much time to take in more of Sydney. Bondi has to be saved for another trip. Darling Harbour is ticked off, though. Much like on the Cape Town waterfront, the food is pricey, the dress code smart, and tourists plentiful.November 5
Test match week begins. Brisbane greets us with warmth, humidity, and a distinct Durban-like feel. Being a travel day, the team don’t train. Not so for the journalists. November 6
A torn contact lens necessitates a trip to the optometrist. They cannot give me a replacement without a prescription. Put in a call to Mohammed Moosajee, the South African team manager, who is also a doctor. No point. They meant a doctor registered in Australia. After much faffing and a knock on another optometrist’s door, a new lens is bought.Thank goodness, because not being able to see the Gabba would have been a regret. Its brightly coloured seats are quite fun. Australia have their open media session. I concentrate on injuries suffered by young bowlers and talk to James Pattinson. Move on to Mickey Arthur. “Howzits” all round. It’s good to see him again. November 7
Run along the Brisbane River on a route that goes through the Botanical Gardens. No sightings of koala or kangaroo, though, two animals I am keen to spot, especially because we don’t have them in Africa. The green on the Gabba pitch is visible. It looks a paradise for the quickies. November 8
The alleged Australian “dossier” is the source of much amusement for everyone, including Michael Clarke and Graeme Smith. Clarke said it made for “good reading”, while Smith said South Africa prefer “the guys to have the information in their heads so we don’t leave dossiers lying around”. The most interesting plan is the one to Hashim Amla, which will be to sledge him. Whatever the source of the document, it sets the tone for a typical Australia-South Africa contest – full of needle. November 9

Day one delivers almost none of the drama it promised. Instead of pace, bounce and carry, the pitch is slower than expected and flat. Amla and Kallis combine to become South Africa’s most successful run-scoring pair. Most of the drama happens afterwards, when Duminy slips and ruptures his Achilles during shuttle runs.Australian sponsors host a media event, similar to ones I have been to at home and in England. Get to know some of the local media and we discuss issues affecting cricket and society in both our countries, as soft rain falls. November 10
Last night’s drizzle has become this morning’s downpour and it does not look good for cricket. The South African team leave the ground before lunch but with a good few thousand people expected in, the rest of us wait. I interview Ian Healy about his home town. He asks after Boucher’s health. After 4pm, play is called off. November 11
Clouds still hover but drainage is excellent and play begins on time. Kallis and Amla both complete centuries but Australia hit back to dismiss South Africa for 450. The much talked-about South African attack show what they are capable of. With Australia 40 for 3, eyebrows are raised. Ed Cowan and Michael Clarke dig in, and I suspect South Africa will miss Duminy’s bowling more than they expected.The sculpture garden in Ashfield Park, Sydney•Firdose Moonda/ESPNcricinfo LtdThe local journalists introduce us to West End, a trendy suburb that reminds me of Melville, the student area I used to spend a lot of time in back home. November 12
Cowan, Clarke and Hussey dominate in a way that makes Kallis’ and Amla’s innings look nothing more than appetisers. Rory Kleinveldt’s debut does not improve, a shame, especially as his father has made the long journey to watch him. South Africa overstep an alarming 23 times. November 13
Clarke’s declaration duly comes, and for a few overs, South Africa’s vulnerability is laid bare as they slip to an effective 14 for 4. Eventually, for the first time in 14 matches, the two sides draw a game.The media heads for the Story Bridge Hotel, where chatter centres on Greg Ritchie’s racist joke-telling. Someone overhears and joins in, insistent that what Ritchie said “wasn’t that bad”. He launches his own speech, filled with k-words. The South Africans flinch. Our Australian counterparts are apologetic. They tell us the word does not have as bad a connotation here. We understand. November 14
The South African squad disperse. Many head to the Sunshine Coast. On landing in chilly Melbourne, wonder if I shouldn’t have done the same. Chose to visit the Victorian capital because South Africa won’t play here on this trip. Drive pass the Albert Cricket Ground on the way to the hotel. Amazed at how many excellently manicured and cared-for fields I’ve seen so far. My colleague Brydon warns me the water will taste different in every state because of the different minerals used. He is right. Victoria’s is far more acidic. November 15
The city-centre laneways are my office for the day. Marvel at the vintage bikes going past, while I work. Have been told Melbourne is a great city to live in and I can see why. Loads of cafés, cheaper food and drink, and endless parks. November 16
Run along the famous Tan track. Wish we had something resembling this back home. To the left, the Rod Laver Arena is visible. Wish South Africa had played here later – could have watched some of the Australian Open perhaps. Not much more time to wish, though; the hill is steep and there will be another one to climb afterwards. The tour goes on.

Marlon Samuels’ cricketing career is a story fit for the movies filled with glorious highs, tragic lows and redemption

By Roger Sawh 14-Mar-2013Movies are beautiful works of art. Motifs of drama, action, serendipity and tension lie beneath stories of heroism and strength under trying circumstances. Battles are waged, bravery is shown, mettle is tested and, through it all, characters become legends.Marlon Nathaniel Samuels’ cricketing career has had a truly cinematic quality thus far. Picture it through the lens of a screenwriter: a precocious talent is plucked from obscurity to face the mightiest challenge in the cricket world and he rises to the occasion; the new kid on the block is destined for greatness, but inconsistency and circumstances creep in to stifle his ability; scandal, shame and indignation transform the enigmatic hero into a villain; in exile, self-enhancement is driven by the urge to silence the naysayers; penance is paid, and a return is staged; the results begin to follow and the swagger grows; a grand test on the biggest stage summons a hero! Marlon Samuels, the protagonist, the prodigy, arrives, having come full circle.Samuels’ mannerisms have a tinge of Viv Richards in them – a strut as opposed to a walk, a brashness towards the bowler, a frightening amount of power and a bit of the ‘genius’ touch. At the same time, though, he has had to face hardship, dealing as much with mental angst as fluctuating form. There’s a captivating mix of outward confidence that is tempered by inner restriction.Any consideration of Samuels must go back to his first appearance in West Indies colours – he was called to the touring side in Australia at the tender age of 19, with virtually no first-class exposure in the midst of a Caribbean collapse. While the side’s fortunes were beyond repair, the young man acquitted himself well. He earned the respect of many, including Australian legend Steve Waugh, who famously gave him the red rag that had significant sentimental value. The rag, legend has it, remains with Samuels to this day.The promise that had been on display slowly became inconsistent. The erratic glimpses of obvious talent kept the fan base interested, but the frustrating failures left many onlookers dissatisfied and the narrative of unfulfilled potential was growing. A sparkling 108 off 75 balls in an ODI against India in Vijayawada was probably the greatest glimpse of his talent but, by and large, the first half of Samuels’ career flattered to deceive.His attitude to cricket also came under scrutiny, with some reports stating his failure to get along with the team management. It did not help his image in the eyes of a West Indian public that is famous for its lack of patience with players. Additionally, the legitimacy of Samuels’ bowling action was under investigation and required advanced testing by bio-mechanical experts. An ominous cloud was forming over the gifted player.

Samuels’ mannerisms have a tinge of Viv Richards in them – a strut as opposed to a walk, a brashness towards the bowler, a frightening amount of power and a bit of the ‘genius’ touch. At the same time, though, he has had to face hardship, dealing as much with mental angst as fluctuating form. There’s a captivating mix of outward confidence that is tempered by inner restriction.

The darkest period in his story came in 2007-2008. West Indies’ last game of the World Cup 2007 proved to be quite ugly, and Samuels came to the limelight for his involvement in one of the most significant events in the recent West Indies-cricket history: the retirement of Brian Lara. In running out one of the all-time greats in their final match, Samuels turned public exasperation into outright annoyance.Even worse, it was alleged that Samuels had provided information about the team’s tactics during the 2007 tour to India before the World Cup. While details were murky, and he maintained that he was innocent, investigations resulted in a charge for match-fixing in 2008, with a two-year ban from all formats of the game. It was shocking, and gave Samuels the ugliest label possible in the sports world. While details of the episode are still unclear, it is said that Samuels was tricked into discussing some aspects of a match, not realising the repercussions of his actions. Ignorance of the law is no excuse: it was a grim time, and Samuels went into cricketing exile as a man condemned. Many expected him to simply quit the game for good. The movie was heading down a gloomy road.It seems patience and penitence were just what Samuels needed. Introspection, re-dedication and a refreshed desire to succeed were pleasant byproducts of a wholly unpleasant experience. Fans who had firmly backed Samuels began to wait with bated breath for the ban to be lifted. For Samuels, it was a chance to step out of the spotlight he had been cast into since his teenage years and possibly assess all that surrounded him. He famously became more involved in caring for dogs – likely some of his only true friends when the world was against him. Eventually, after two long years, Samuels returned, but there was a difference this time: he was playing for keeps.Samuels had to work his way up – an earnest reintroduction to club ranks, followed by Jamaican and, eventually, West Indies colours was fairly swift, though not without some difficulties. He was a star learning to ply his trade all over again. He declined a place in the West Indies team for the World Cup 2011, stating that he was not ‘ready’. The focus was on the process of getting back, and nothing was going to spoil the plan. Fans, forever skeptics, were not going to forget his past inconsistencies easily and everyone, including Samuels himself, seemed to be awaiting a verdict on where the future was going.After that tournament, Samuels returned to the West Indies side and the talent that fans remembered was evident. The batsman was in his element, and he was able to reverse some of the past wrongs with a more mature performance. It was ‘Helegance’ (a nickname he has been given by some) reborn or, in movie terms, ‘Marlon Samuels – The Sequel’.The Twenty20 World Cup 2012 in Sri Lanka was a defining moment in his comeback trail; many saw his all-round abilities as the key to West Indies’ victorious campaign. His 78 off 56 balls in the final against Sri Lanka was a 70-minute tour de force which showed that the vanquished had returned. He wielded his powerful bat, banishing the ball with might and authority, emphatically stating that he would not let his team be second best. It was a triumph in the face of adversity and it established Samuels’ reputation as one among the best in the game. That innings came in the midst of a productive period for Samuels – runs came in all formats, catapulting him up West Indies’ batting order and solidifying his reputation.Like any good movie, though, there have been enough sub-plots to keep viewers engaged. In the Big Bash League in Australia, Samuels clashed with Shane Warne in an ugly episode that ended with him throwing his bat in disgust. Samuels was vilified for playing unfairly, but the Jamaican answered with trademark bravado, saying that fans in India (where he plays in the IPL) loved him, the Renegades (his Big Bash team) loved him and West Indians loved him. He was at the top of his game and wasn’t afraid or ashamed to stand up for himself.In the same match, Samuels was struck in the face by a Lasith Malinga bouncer. The injury kept him out of the game for a few months, giving him a chance to introspect once again. That brief pause in his career has now set the stage for his latest scene – a return to cricket with lofty expectations. With at least a few years left at the highest level, his challenges will mostly be internal, but his wealth of experience and wisdom should allow him to flourish. As viewers, having seen the plot ebb and flow, we are now ready to watch the grand finale of a warrior who has risen out of the morass and worked at becoming one of the best.Don’t blink, this might be the best part yet.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line

England are a fifth of a way to a glorious 0-0 Ashes scoreline

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013The Brisbane Test was, in football terminology, A Game Of Two Halves – the first an intriguing old-fashioned Test match of wrenching tension, shifts of momentum, and hard-fought battle between bat and ball; the second a trademark 21st-century run glut on a featureless pudding pitch that appeared to have been rolled with Mogadon and told that if it did anything naughty it would have its Christmas presents taken away.The first 130 overs brought 403 runs for 15 wickets (figures courtesy of ProperTestCricketTM Inc.). The next 284 overs gave the world 962 runs for seven wickets − two of which were tail-end hoicks, and two of well-set centurions trying to hit a six. There was some outstanding batting by the five hundred-makers, spectacularly, record-shatteringly dogged resistance by an England team ideally suited to digging in to save a game, some schoolboy fielding by Australia, and some pedestrian bowling and passive captaincy by both teams.England claimed one of their greatest Ashes moral victories. Given that these have been as rare as actual victories in recent jaunts Down Under, this is not to be sniffed at. Reports are that those Australians who have tried sniffing at it sneezed violently and took themselves off to bed with a headache.The real winners were the pitch and the slightly baffling Kookaburra ball, which rendered decent, if not world-class, bowlers utterly toothless, gumming away at Cook, Strauss and Trott like a somnolent baby on a week-old rusk. So much so that they must have ended the match feeling that having a medieval dentist yank their incisors out with a pair of rusty pliers, having used a crowbar to the face as an anaesthetic, would have been a preferable means of achieving toothlessness than bowling for two days on that Brisbane track. Indeed Mitchell Johnson ended the match seeming to be bowling like Shakespeare’s seventh age of man – not merely sans teeth but sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.Not one of the seven billion people or so on earth today would claim that this Australian bowling attack (for want of a better word) is the greatest in baggy green history, but even some of the greatest bowlers from Australia’s cricket’s pantheon would have been left tweaking their moustaches in frustration on this surface, which provided further evidence that the currency of the heroic rearguard has been seriously and artificially devalued in recent years. Indeed, a spokesman for the estate of 19th-century bowling whizz Fred “The Demon” Spofforth issued a statement saying that his client is “delighted to be dead, rather than bowling at Brisbane”.Thus the game drifted from cricketing fascination to statistical curiosity and psychological point-scoring, the pointiest of which were scored by England.It all added up to a curate’s omelette of a Test, which was ultimately glorious for England, agonisingly ominous for Australia, and, presumably, skull-crushingly tedious for the neutrals; and which, whilst confirming that there is little on paper between two teams who justified their current mid-table world rankings, will have left Australia far more concerned than England.This is partly because Strauss’s men are now 20% of the way to a triumphant 0-0 series final scoreline, and the evidence of this Test suggests that both bowling attacks may struggle to upgrade their 0 into a 1. Fortunately for Australia, the evidence of the 2009 series also suggests that the evidence of any Test between these two sides is of absolutely no relevance to the next match. The evidence from which should equally be shredded and buried before the following game. Eighteen months ago, “having the momentum”, the much-prized, much-claimed momentum, proved to be almost entirely counter-productive, and ultimately for Australia, going to The Oval after obliterating England at Leeds, lethal.Nevertheless England will be buoyant, having once again brilliantly underperformed in their first innings in order to make their ultimate avoidance of defeat all the more psychologically boosty. Only Collingwood of the England top six did not show form, and, given that Hussey (almost caught at slip) and Strauss (fractionally not lbw) demonstrated how fine the line is between first-ball nought and match-changing century, golden-duck victims Prior and Broad can both claim to have essentially scored brilliant centuries in the first innings.England’s bowlers all performed creditably if not penetratingly in their one innings of relevance, and with more luck, or a differently regulated umpiring review system, could have snipped off the Hussey-Haddin megapartnership much more quickly.They may struggle to dismiss Australia – other than double successes in Bangladesh early this year and in swinging conditions in New Zealand three winters ago, England have now taken all 20 opposition wickets in just one of their last 19 overseas Tests (a spectacular horsing of South Africa in Durban a year ago), dating back to the start of the last Ashes in Australia. However, the official Confectionery Stall hunch is now that if they do so once to secure a victory, it should be enough to ensure at least a drawn series, as it was against South Africa.For Australia, only Siddle really threatened in England’s first innings, and the second was a slow, surgical dismemberment, albeit in those meaninglessly lopsided conditions. Australia should bring it at least two, and arguably three, physically and mentally unscarred bowlers for Adelaide.And how refreshing it was for English cricket followers to see an Australian team ready, willing and able to drop simple catches at critical times. This traditional staple of cricket at all levels has been largely eschewed by the baggy greens for two decades. With one notable exception, when Warne shelled Pietersen at the Oval in 2005, rocketing to the top of the Player Who Least Deserved To Cost His Team A Series chart.How refreshing also for England to see their own unspectacular left-hander grind out a massive double-hundred, rather than suffering the southpaw ploddings of others – take that, Gary Kirsten. And Justin Langer. And Allan Border. And Mark Taylor. Cook, freed from the summer torment of Amir and Asif, scored more runs in one match than he had in either of his two previous Ashes series. He might have played more awkward-looking strokes than you would see at the average Overcome Your Lifelong Fear Of Dogs group on an outing to an Alsatian petting zoo, but as statements of intent go, it was majestic.It was all set up, of course, by Strauss. In the first innings. His third-ball duck may have been greeted with horror by many Northern Hemisphere fans, but it was exactly the start England needed, as it constituted a blaze of relative glory – his team had lasted a 21st-century record three balls before encountering disaster in Australia. After Harmison’s first-ball horror four years ago (a delivery that put the “miss” very firmly into “missile”), and Hussain’s noughth-ball flat-track insertion in 2002-03, Strauss’s third-ball duck represented a discernible, arguably exponential, stride of progress. Boosted by the surge of confidence those first two wicketless balls sent coursing through their non-baggy blue veins, England comfortably romped to their first non-rain-assisted Brisbane non-defeat for 24 years.Roll on Adelaide. And hopefully some cricket where wickets fall more often than once every 48 hours.

Plays of the day from the IPL game between Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab in Chennai

Siddhartha Talya02-May-2013The dismissal
The IPL speedometer hasn’t been the most accurate on some occasions this season, one Piyush Chawla delivery in one of the earlier games clocking more than 130kmph. However, he did bowl a quicker delivery today that won him a wicket. In the 11th over, Chawla fired one in outside off to a charging Michael Hussey, who missed and was stumped by Gurkeerat Singh.The timeout
The Chennai heat is unforgiving and it wasn’t a surprise when, during the first strategy break, a four to five man contingent, including the coach, emerged from the dug-out and headed towards Suresh Raina and Hussey. Raina was given a back massage by S Anirudha, both batsmen had their heads wrapped in towels, were gulping down liquids; Hussey, through the break, was down in knees. All these in conditions without any breeze not a speck of cloud in the sky.The run-out
Rajagopal Sathish hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary in his three previous games this IPL, but he single-handedly brought about the downfall of MS Dhoni for 2 today. Dhoni turned Sathish, who was bowling, to midwicket and tried to scramble back for the second. Sathish ran across from the pitch, slid, collected the ball and returned a good throw to the striker’s end where Gurkeerat took off the bails to find Dhoni just short of the crease.The stop
Raina misfielded one from Shaun Marsh in the penultimate over, when he struck one down the ground. But in the over before, he did something spectacular. Marsh drilled Dwayne Bravo wide of long-on, and it looked certain to go for four. Raina ran to his right and dived full length to stop the ball on the half-volley with one hand, and kept the batsmen to two. That misfield, therefore, was a shocker.

Michael Clarke’s century in Worcester was an indication of a clear mind.

Daniel Brettig at New Road04-Jul-2013It is no coincidence that Michael Clarke’s carefree century against Worcestershire seemed to indicate that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. In the early days of Darren Lehmann’s reign as coach, Clarke has been deliberately given as little to do as possible, maximising his time to strengthen his back and groove his batting for the Ashes battles ahead.Not since the day Lehmann was appointed has Clarke been required to speak publicly, nor has he been required to participate fully in every training session. Clarke’s only statements have been delivered via his bat, with spectators at Taunton and New Road witness to a promisingly ascending score trend of 45, 26, 62 and 124 against Somerset and Worcestershire.Clarke’s off-field leadership had been questioned in the aftermath of the sacking of Lehmann’s predecessor Mickey Arthur, flowing on as it did from unsavoury events in India and then England in the early, Champions Trophy-preoccupied weeks of the tour. Lehmann said the best way he could improve Clarke as a captain was to ensure he did not have too much to worry about.”Take some pressure off him, I reckon that’s the biggest way,” Lehmann said. “Our role as support staff and people around him is to make sure he gets back to captaining and playing the game and not worrying about the stuff he doesn’t really need to worry about, and that’s where we come into it, making sure the players are best prepared and can go and play, and have a game plan that suited to the way we want to play. Then he can just go and captain.”I just hope I take pressure off all the players to be perfectly honest. We’ve got to let them play the game of cricket, it’s a tough enough game at the best of times, so my role is to make sure they’re enjoying themselves on and off the field, learning about the game and all those things, and making sure we play a positive brand of cricket.”In this, Lehmann echoed his former South Australia team-mate and Arthur’s coaching forebear Tim Nielsen. Interviewed by ESPNcricinfo in 2011 after his exit from the job, Nielsen said Clarke’s greatest challenge as captain would be to devote enough time to maintaining his own batting and fitness when so many other issues demanded his attention.”His biggest challenge will be to make sure he keeps his mind on his batting as well,” Nielsen had said. “There’s so much going on with the team at the moment, so many distractions, and as a first-time captain of the Australian team full-time, he’s going to have so much to do around the place. I just hope he can continue to bat as well as he is at the moment and not let those distractions get in the way.”If he’s playing well, a lot of the stuff looks after itself. I know myself, when I was coaching in that Indian summer [in 2008], you have the attitude of ‘stuff keeps happening but I’ll keep at it, nothing’s too hard’, but after a while it can wear you down. So Michael needs to be aware that it can wear him down.”Clarke has already saved himself a good deal of time and worry by divesting himself of selection duty. Lehmann said Clarke would more often than not still have his selection preferences followed, but without the distraction of constant involvement in phone hook-ups and dialogue about matters other than winning the next game.”He’ll still have input, the captain’s got to be really comfortable with the side he puts out each and every time I think,” Lehmann said. “We speak every day about it, as do Rod [Marsh] and all the selectors. You’d be mad if you didn’t use your captain’s opinion, I wouldn’t want to put a percentage on it, but he’ll get pretty much what he wants within reason all the time.”Phillip Hughes, who was at the other end for most of Clarke’s Worcester century, reckoned the innings showed a useful window into Clarke’s state of mind and body. No longer the harried and immobile figure of the tour’s early weeks, he is now looking ready to take the fight to England at Trent Bridge.”It’s a really good statement,” Hughes said. “He’d been out of the game for around three months, and to play last week and play well, and today to go on with that three figures was outstanding and pushed the game forward. He’s moving really well and not even complaining about it [his back] one bit, and that’s a real pleasing thing for himself and all of us as a unit.”

The leaking of England’s minutely detailed dining requirements highlights their attention to details. The days of pies, pizza and pints are long gone

David Hopps07-Nov-2013Australia still idly likes to imagine England as a depressing culinary backwater of fish and chips and bacon butties, but if they serve that up for the England cricket team in the forthcoming Test series it could create the greatest Ashes stand-off since Bodyline.The Bodyline controversy in the 1930s was all about potential damage to the body because of deliberate short-pitched bowling, but Bodyline II is more obsessed with the attainment of physical perfection as England have issued detailed instructions about the health foods they expect to receive during the Ashes series.England’s culinary requirements, which have been leaked to the , are outlined in a glossy 70-page cookbook plus accompanying instructions and include exact instructions for preparing nearly 200 different types of meals and drinks. Beware, Australia, if your muffins are not wholewheat or if your cranberries are not poached until soft.Superfoods such as kale, agave nectar and yogurt (probiotic, naturally) are present in abundance and, as for the main courses, expect heavy demand for the mungbean and spinach curry. The Herald classified the cuisine style as “modern pretentious”.Most international sides issue dietary requirements – Australia among them – but it is a safe bet that there has never been anything as detailed as this. If you are reading this while reheating last night’s pizza, you may wish to feel ashamed.England’s methodology is based upon micro-planning every aspect of their performance, all supervised by the largest backroom staff in cricket history. This commitment even extended to organising a pre-tour dinner for the team director, Andy Flower, with the players’ wives and girlfriends to advise them about their responsibilities (no menus are available, sadly).They never miss an opportunity to discuss with other elite sports coaches and competitors how to gain minute advantages by perfect preparation. These prescriptive demands for Australia to prepare healthy meals to their requirements will only strengthen their growing reputation for unashamed professionalism.Chris Rosimus, the ECB’s performance nutritionist, has backed up the cookbook with a further 12-page file titled, Test Catering Requirements. Rosimus’ secret? Well, England guard such information closely, but after intense research, we can reveal this mantra: “At the end of play, have a good meal that provides one-third carbohydrate, one-third lean protein and one-third vegetables or salad. This will help your body recovery to do it all again the next day.”Rosimus used to work as a nutritionist for Manchester United Soccer Schools in Abu Dhabi before he joined the ECB more than two years ago. He provides guidance to England players, men and women, at all levels and is tasked with identifying potential problem players. Gary Ballance, who some feel carries a little extra poundage, could find Rosimus on his shoulder at any moment.It is all a world away from England’s three-month tour of India in 1993 when the tour manager, Bob Bennett, kept spirits up by occasionally running what became known as Bob’s Kitchen, with birthday cakes for the players a speciality.By the end of the century, England’s physiotherapist, Wayne Morton, part of a backroom staff that was tiny by comparison with today, would insist on checking the hygiene of hotel kitchens and was not averse to brandishing bottles of anti-bacterial liquid and suggesting that the staff attended to their cleaning rota.What Ben Stokes, one of the least experienced members of England’s Ashes tour party, makes of it, heaven knows. When Durham won a decisive late-season Championship match against their closest challengers, Yorkshire, at Scarborough, Stokes gleefully tweeted a picture of the boys tucking in with a celebratory Chinese takeaway. Now, as he wonders if he will make his Test debut in the Ashes series, he must learn to love butternut squash and falafel coronation. Be warned, Australia: it must only be made with low-calorie mayonnaise.Even now, Nancy, the much-loved Middlesex cook during their glory years, who claimed to prepare for a day’s work at 8am with “a cup of tea and a fag”, must be looking askance from whatever celestial cloud she has alighted upon.It was Nancy, whose lunchtime apple crumble could famously slow a bowler’s approach in the post-lunch session, who once responded to the gentle concern of the former Middlesex and England captain Mike Brearley (and you can insert your own swear words, because there were plenty) by raging: “You take care of the cricket, Michael, and I’ll take care of the cooking.”Times have changed, but when England have a captain, Alastair Cook, who goes by the nickname of Chef, what did you expect?Cook even took part in a fund-raiser for the Chance to Shine cricket charity in September, judged by the TV chef Ainsley Harriott. His own delicacy, a chocolate brownie recipe which he borrowed from his wife, would presumably be on England’s banned list.

All the qualities that once rendered Andy Flower the perfect man for the job – his intensity, his attention to detail and his demanding personality – have now become the reasons he needs to go

George Dobell at the MCG29-Dec-20130:00

#Politeenquiries: Are both teams just hometown bullies?

It is a simply a question of ‘when’ not ‘if’ now. England’s defeat in Melbourne – and the manner of it – has rendered Andy Flower’s position as coach all-but untenable.Flower has done a magnificent job. Appointed with the team in disarray – he inherited a side who had just sacked their captain and coach and, in his first game in charge saw the side bowled out for 51 in Jamaica – he instilled a discipline and unity of purpose that saw the team rise to No. 1 in the rankings in all three formats. He was exactly the man required when appointed and has exceeded expectations. Despite recent events, he should still go with his head held high and great pride in what he has achieved.But all things must pass. All the qualities that once rendered Flower the perfect man for the job – his intensity, his attention to detail and his demanding personality – have now become the reasons he needs to go. England need refreshing. They need to rediscover their joy in playing the game. They need a change.For that reason, it is highly likely that, sometime over the next few days or weeks – probably in the aftermath of the Sydney Test – Flower will take the decision to resign. He will reflect on what he has seen and come to an honest decision over whether he is the man to inspire a resurgence in this England team. Anyone who has seen them disintegrate over recent weeks can come to only one conclusion.He will not be sacked. An odd situation has arisen where there is arguably no-one with the authority to do so. Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, has just stepped down and it is asking a great deal of his successor, Paul Downton, to make such a decision on his first week in the job. David Collier, the chief executive, is more suited to overseeing financial matters and long-term planning, while the idea that a non-paid chairman like Giles Clarke could take such a decision is ludicrous.One goes, one stays: Andy Flower and Alastair Cook are unlikely to be working together much longer•Getty ImagesDespite the current debacle, the ECB will not be without a succession plan. Ashley Giles remains the frontrunner to take control of the England teams in all formats and with a new head coach invariably comes a new back-room team which means the roles of Graham Gooch, the batting coach, and David Saker, the bowling coach, are extremely vulnerable especially after the batting collapses during this tour and the lack of a role for any of England’s tall quicks.

To have picked a side with an inadequate reserve wicketkeeper, a lack of reserve opening batsmen, three tall drinks waiters and a reserve spinner who came into the tour with serious doubts over his readiness to return to this level, has been proven to be folly

Graeme Welch, Giles’ right-hand man when he oversaw Warwickshire County Championship success in 2012, will be a strong contender for the bowling role and Paul Collingwood would be a viable candidate for the batting role. Graham Thorpe would, in normal circumstances, be a favourite for the batting position due to his links with England Lions but there is some doubt over his willingness to tour.There may be questions about Alastair Cook’s captaincy, too. Again, it is highly unlikely that Cook will be sacked. Rightly so, too: it is only a year since he led England to victory in India, and a few months since the previous Ashes and a home season that included taking the side to the brink of their first global ODI trophy. However, though he said what he had to after the Melbourne defeat, whether Cook has the appetite for the challenge after this dispiriting reverse remains to be seen.As his senior spinner wilted and his wicketkeeper flapped like a drowning seal, Cook looked a broken man on the fourth day. Stuart Broad, the captain of the Twenty20 side, and Ian Bell, the Test vice-captain and a particularly impressive leader at domestic level, would be the only viable candidates to replace him.The selectors need to reflect on their contribution to the current state of disarray, too. To have picked a side with an inadequate reserve wicketkeeper, a lack of reserve opening batsmen, three tall drinks waiters and a reserve spinner who came into the tour with serious doubts over his readiness to return to this level, has been proven to be folly. Several of those errors could have been averted had they simply taken more notice of results in county cricket.While there will be the inevitable calls for a complete cull from the side, that would prove a mistake. Kevin Pietersen remains, whatever his army of critics say, the prize wicket for every opposition side, while James Anderson showed in Melbourne that he remains a skilful operator. England’s early bowling on the fourth morning by Anderson, Broad and Ben Stokes was impressive. They created four chances before lunch but, partly due to Jonny Bairstow’s obvious deficiencies with the gloves, two of them went begging. Suffice it to say, Matt Prior had a good game in Melbourne.However, it’s hard to see how changes won’t be made for Sydney. Tim Bresnan and Michael Carberry are vulnerable but Monty Panesar, slinging down his left-arm medium pace with a horribly ragged action, was wretched and will almost certainly be replaced by the young legspinner Scott Borthwick. Borthwick is not the finished article but as a fine fielder, a decent batsman and a fresh face, he offers hope for the future. And, in a grim chapter for England cricket, hope is about the best that can be offered.

Disjointed thoughts on the UAE leg of the IPL, which had big crowds and some pretty good Twenty20 cricket

Karthik Krishnaswamy01-May-2014The weatherApril 18, Chennai Super Kings versus Kings XI Punjab. There is a place and a time for watching cricket from grass banks. Abu Dhabi in April, at 2.30 in the afternoon, didn’t seem like it. The approach to the stadium, over a vast expanse of sand with dust blowing all over the place, added to the feeling of foreboding that had led, earlier, to the procurement of a tube of SPF 80 sunscreen.And yet, the front slope of the West Mound stand was packed with spectators. Down the back slope, meanwhile, rolled a group of children attending their first ever cricket match. The sun proved a largely benign presence, easily kept at arm’s length by means of an umbrella or a wide-brimmed hat. It was hot, yes, but only as hot as a normal summer day.This was the case right through the UAE leg of the tournament, in all three venues. This wouldn’t have been a surprise for anyone who had done some rudimentary research. The UAE is at its hottest in July and August, and is cooler than the warmer parts of India in April and May. In April, the average maximum temperature in Abu Dhabi is 33°C. The corresponding figure in Delhi is 36°C.By India, for IndiaEven if the weather wasn’t outrageously sapping, scheduling afternoon matches at 2.30pm seemed a touch excessive. The match timings – evening games began at 6.30pm local time – were clearly aimed at the Indian TV audience, long accustomed to their 4.00pm and 8.00pm starts.The Indian TV audience is used to this sort of thing, of course. During the World T20 in 2010, they got to tune in at 7.00pm to watch West Indies take on India in Bridgetown, where the local time, for the local fans, was 9.30am. An early morning start, for a format of the game designed to be played and watched under lights.Timings aside, Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi may well have been Bangalore, Mohali and Mumbai, considering the wall-to-wall IPL branding plastered all over the stadiums. Or the Bollywood music that blared incessantly from the DJ’s turntables. Or the flyers that remained strewn around the stands after the spectators had left, selling electronic appliances at duty-free rates to fans who had flown in from India.The fansMost fans at the stadiums, though, belonged to the massive Indian diaspora that lives in the UAE, and the tournament afforded them a chance to watch India’s big names in the flesh for the first time since 2006, when India played two ODIs against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, and for the first time in a sustained manner since 2000, when India last played an ODI tournament in Sharjah.The stadiums, as a result, were uniformly packed to capacity, unlike the ones in South Africa that had hosted the 2009 edition of the tournament. This in itself should earn the UAE extra points in favour of hosting future editions of the IPL or the Champions League or even international cricket involving India.You do wonder, though, why the BCCI waited until the general elections were almost upon India before they went in search of a host. Everyone in India knows that elections happen once every five years; the BCCI, moreover, had the precedent of 2009 to go by.Finalising the venue earlier might have also helped franchises draw up schedules for their players to make public appearances outside matches, like they do in India. As it was, the average fan in the UAE didn’t even get to watch the opening ceremony, an invitees-only event.The pitchesThey got to watch some pretty good cricket, though, even if it wasn’t of the edge-of-the-seat kind for most part. There were only two 200-plus totals in 20 matches, both of which came in the same game, and 16 scores under 140. It was good to see bowlers influence matches, though, and some of the young fast bowlers from India enjoyed themselves.Varun Aaron showed he could be accurate as well as quick, Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Sharma and Ishwar Pandey moved it around, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar was as much of a threat in the death as he was in his natural habitat of the early overs. All of them conceded between 5.56 and 6.69 runs per over.This had a lot to do with the pitches in the tournament. The pitches in Sharjah had a glossy sheen to them, and batsmen found the ball coming on beautifully in the initial part of the tournament. Abu Dhabi helped both spin and seam, with a bit of bounce and green patches that came alive under lights. Dubai was on the slow side, and seamers who took the pace off the ball proved quite difficult to hit.Marauding MaxwellBrendon McCullum is the third-highest run-getter in the tournament, with 193 runs in 151 balls. Glenn Maxwell has faced two balls less than McCullum and scored 107 runs more. Maxwell’s 43-ball 95 against Super Kings seemed like a season-topper. He promptly smashed 89 off 45 in his very next innings, against Rajasthan Royals, and followed that up with a 43-ball 95, this time against Hyderabad Sunrisers.Over the course of those three innings, Maxwell showed he could play the most gorgeous orthodox drives, the most inventive laps and reverse-sweeps, and the most primitive clubs over the leg side, all the while looking a little bored, as if he was asking the bowlers “is that all you’ve got?”Spectators at the three venues exercised their lungs frequently and vociferously over the two weeks that the IPL pitched camp in the UAE. Their noisiest cheers, though, didn’t greet MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli. They came instead in Sharjah, during the 15th over of Kings XI Punjab’s innings against Sunrisers. Maxwell had almost walked off the ground, after slogging Darren Sammy straight into deep midwicket’s hands, before the third umpire confirmed Sammy had overstepped. The umpire signalled no-ball. Maxwell returned to the crease. Sharjah roared its approval.