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Plays of the day for the fourth day of the third Test between Sri Lanka and India at the P Sara Oval

Sidharth Monga at the P Sara Oval06-Aug-2010Out or not-out?
In the 16th over of India’s chase, a potentially controversial dismissal happened. M Vijay clipped one off the hip, and because of extra bounce, couldn’t keep it down. Mahela Jayawardene, at backward short square leg, claimed the low catch, but Vijay immediately suggested he had doubt and stood his ground. Simon Taufel wasn’t sure either, which was made clear when he consulted Rod Tucker. Tucker wasn’t sure either, which was made clear when Kumar Dharmasena, the third umpire, was consulted. The replays were inconclusive: they didn’t establish beyond doubt that the catch was clean. And going against common practice, they decided to rule Vijay out based on the inconclusive evidence. Gary Kirsten, India’s coach, Immediately rushed to the match referee’s room, and left not looking pleased.Sangakkara keeps gifting wickets
It was a long hop from Pragyan Ojha, gift-wrapped, complete with a bow. Kumar Sangakkara, with loose balls at a premium, went to pull, and found Suresh Raina, placed at square leg for the sweep, with pin-point precision. Out of the four times that he has got out in this series, this was the third time Sangakkara had found fielders with such accuracy. Deep midwicket in Galle, long-on in the first innings here, and now square leg.Mathews does a Sangakkara
Angelo Mathews hasn’t had a great Test, except for the wicket of Rahul Dravid in the first innings. He dropped a very difficult chance to remove Virender Sehwag off his own bowling, and then dropped Amit Mishra at third slip. Both men went on to hurt Sri Lanka. The horror, though, arrived on the fourth day when he tapped a gentle full toss from Mishra straight to midwicket. Surely Mishra will send Mathews a Christmas card at least?Saqlain to Srinath, part II
Saqlain Mushtaq’s overspinning delivery to bowl Javagal Srinath out and finish the Chennai Test of 1999 is not easily forgotten. Srinath had then gone back, covered the line, played a straight defensive block, but the ball bounced around the crease and top-spun onto the stumps. Suraj Randiv did something similar to Rahul Dravid today. Dravid had the ball covered, defended it well, but it hurried on viciously onto the stumps.Mendis turns the senior batsman
During their match-turning 118-run eighth-wicket partnership, Thilan Samaraweera kept shielding Ajantha Mendis, turning down singles whenever he thought the bowler was slightly dangerous. Upon Samaraweera’s dismissal, though, Mendis had some fun himself. He first smacked Ishant Sharma for three fours off the first three balls of an over, and then took a single off the last ball to retain strike. And in the next over again, he refused singles, and took one on the fifth ball. What did Chanaka Welegedara do with the last ball of that over? Get an inside edge of course, for four.

Stats highlights from the first 14 World Cup matches

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan03-Mar-2011Shahid Afridi: the one spinner who has been among the wickets in the tournament so far•AFPOne-sided contests
Out of 14 matches so far, ten have been decided by a margin of more than 75 runs, or by seven or more wickets with more than 40 balls to spare. In four games, the margin was 175 runs or more, and in two others, the team chasing won with more than 30 overs to spare.Tough for the bowlers
The average run-rate in the first 14 matches is 5.27, which is well ahead of the run-rate in the 2007 World Cup (4.95). The rate in the first innings is 5.55, which is well above the mark for the 2007 World Cup (5.19). If the two low-scoring innings of Kenya are excluded, the run rate for the first innings is nearly 5.82.Spin not a huge threat yet
Shahid Afridi is the leading wicket-taker so far with nine, but the next 11 positions are all taken by fast bowlers. Spinners have been more economical, conceding 4.91 runs per over compared to 5.43 by the pace bowlers’, but their average of nearly 36 runs per wicket is considerably higher than that of the fast bowlers (29.37).High match aggregates
While the 2007 World Cup had five matches with an aggregate of more than 550 runs, there have already been three such matches in this World Cup, including the India-England game in Bangalore, which had a World Cup record aggregate of 676 runs.Century stands galore
There have been 12 century partnerships in just 14 matches so far, which is nearly one per match. If this ratio continues, it’ll be the highest for all World Cups. The 1996 World Cup comes closest, with 28 stands in 36 matches. The tournament which had the lowest rate of century partnerships per match is the 2003 World Cup, which had just 25 century stands in 52 matches.The fours and sixes equation
In the nine previous World Cups, the 1975 World Cup is, rather surprisingly, the tournament with the highest number of fours per match (38.33). In the first 14 matches, the 2011 World Cup has marginally exceeded that number, with an average of 38.57 fours per game. Sri Lanka (79 fours) and India (67 fours) have scored the most fours in the World Cup so far. While the 2007 World Cup had the most sixes per match (7.31), this edition is not far behind, with nearly five sixes per game. India and West Indies have been by far the biggest contributors with 14 sixes each in two games.Doing it in boundaries
In terms of runs scored in boundaries, India and Sri Lanka head the list, with 340 runs in fours and sixes. India also head the table in the boundary run percentage (48.02%), followed by New Zealand (47.48%). Andrew Strauss has hit the most fours (29), followed by Tillakaratne Dilshan, who has 21. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, with five sixes each, head the list of batsmen with most sixes in the World Cup so far.Running the threes
The most threes haven’t been run by Australia, South Africa or England – that record belongs to Pakistan, who have run ten threes, followed by Sri Lanka with nine. A part of the reason for that is the fact that they’ve played in Hambantota, which is a bigger ground than most other venues. Out of 52 threes in 14 matches so far, 14 have come in a couple of games in Hambantota.Hat-trick heroes
Lasith Malinga, with his hat-trick against Kenya, became the first bowler to take two hat-tricks in World Cups. His previous hat-trick came against South Africa in 2007, when he picked up four wickets in four balls. Malinga’s hat-trick came a game after after Kemar Roach’s effort against Canada. This is the first time that there have been hat-tricks in two consecutive matches in World Cups, and only the second time – after the 2003 edition – that a World Cup tournament has had two hat-tricks.The mandatory and bowling Powerplays
The mandatory Powerplay (first ten overs) has been a good period for batsmen, with teams scoring at a run rate of 5.08 and averaging 43.05. Teams batting first have a better average in the mandatory Powerplay (50.53) than teams chasing (36.57). In the bowling Powerplay, the run-rate drops to 4.63, and the average to 32.40. Teams batting second, though, do slightly better in this Powerplay (average 35.12, run-rate 4.68) compared to the teams batting first (average 29, run-rate 4.53).The batting Powerplay mystery
The overall run-rate in these Powerplays is 7.83, and the average 22.68, which translates into a five-over score of 39 runs for the loss of 1.7 wickets. The teams batting first have done much better, with a run rate of 8.62 and average of 27.41. In the second innings, they average just 16 and score at 6.40 runs per over.Dot-ball percentage
Kenya have faced 429 dot balls, the most by any team in the tournament. They are followed by Canada (340) and Sri Lanka (332). However, Canada have the highest dot-ball percentage of 71.72, followed by Kenya, with 71.02%. South Africa have faced the least dot-balls (113) and India have the lowest dot-ball percentage (39.06).

As the dust settles on the IPL auction, ESPNcricinfo runs the rule on each of the squads

George Binoy and Siddarth Ravindran08-Jan-2011

Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni will lead a familiar side in this year’s IPL•AFPNo. of players bought: 18 (8 Indian, 10 foreign)
Money spent: $8.6 million
Big-ticket signings: R Ashwin ($850,000), S Badrinath ($850,000)
Bargain buy: Michael Hussey ($425,000)
Eyebrow-raiser: Dwayne Bravo ($200,000)
One that got away: Muttiah Muralitharan (Chennai bid up to $1million)
Chennai were perhaps the most disappointed at being disbanded ahead of this auction, and understandably so. They had reached two IPL finals (they won one), a third semi-final, and were also champions of the Champions League. And so they attempted to keep the core of their unit intact, first by retaining four players – three of whom are Indian batsmen who would have been highly sought-after at the auction – and then by buying back as many of their players as they could. They managed seven. Chennai are unlikely to ever be short of bowling options because, in addition to the eight specialists, they have three allrounders in their squad. A rather well-balanced side in terms of skills and the Indian-foreign break-up.Squad
Batsmen: Suresh Raina (retained), M Vijay (retained), Michael Hussey ($425,000), S Badrinath ($850,000), George Bailey ($50,000)
Bowlers: Doug Bollinger ($700,000), R Ashwin ($850,000), Ben Hilfenhaus ($100,000), Joginder Sharma ($150,000), Nuwan Kulasekara ($100,000), Sudeep Tyagi ($240,000), Suraj Randiv ($80,000), Faf du Plessis ($120,000)
Allrounders: Albie Morkel (retained), Dwayne Bravo ($200,000), Scott Styris ($200,000)
Wicketkeepers: MS Dhoni (retained), Wriddhiman Saha ($100,000)

Deccan Chargers
No. of players bought: 14 (5 Indian, 9 foreign)
Money spent: $6.88 million
Big-ticket signing: Dale Steyn ($1.2 million)
Bargain buy: Kumar Sangakkara ($700,000)
Eyebrow-raiser: Dan Christian ($900,000)
One that got away: Yuvraj Singh (Deccan bid up to $1.6m)
At first glance, Deccan appear light on Indian talent, especially Indian batting talent, but they have enough money left over from the auction to snap up domestic players. They are thin in the multi-skilled department as well, with surprise purchase Dan Christian being their only allrounder. They also have only one wicketkeeper at present, Kumar Sangakkara, who is likely to lead the team as well. They, however, have a rich batting line-up that includes Kevin Pietersen, Cameron White and JP Duminy, and also little-known Chris Lynn.Squad
Batsmen: Kevin Pietersen ($650,000), Cameron White ($1.1m), JP Duminy ($300,000), Shikhar Dhawan ($300,000), Michael Lumb ($85,000), Chris Lynn ($20,000)
Bowlers: Ishant Sharma ($450,000), Dale Steyn ($1.2m), Pragyan Ojha ($500,000), Amit Mishra ($300,000), Manpreet Gony ($290,000), Rusty Theron ($85,000)
Allrounders: Dan Christian ($900,000)
Wicketkeepers: Kumar Sangakkara ($700,000)

Delhi Daredevils
Can Irfan Pathan justify his $1.9 million price tag for Delhi Daredevils?•Indian Premier LeagueNo. of players bought: 17 (7 Indian, 10 foreign)
Money spent: $8.25 million
Big-ticket signing: Irfan Pathan ($1.9 million)
Bargain buy: Andrew McDonald ($80,000)
Eyebrow-raiser: Umesh Yadav ($750,000)
Ones that got away: Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth (Delhi bid $850,000 for each)
The man raising Delhi’s paddle at the auction was the fastest among all the franchises and he spent quite a bit of money, especially on Irfan Pathan, who bats and bowls but hasn’t been a match-winner at either skill for some time. Delhi have several allrounders in their squad but they lack a top-class Indian batsman, apart from Virender Sehwag. They also have only one spinner in their roster of 17 players – Roelof van der Merwe. The batting line-up, however, is solid, and in Sehwag and David Warner, they perhaps have the most explosive opening combination of the IPL. They bought back only four players of their old squad and bid aggressively against Deccan Chargers for a lot of players.Squad
Batsmen: Virender Sehwag (retained), David Warner ($750,000), Aaron Finch ($300,000), Venugopal Rao ($700,000), Travis Birt ($20,000), Colin Ingram ($100,000)
Bowlers: Morne Morkel ($475,000), Ajit Agarkar ($210,000), Ashok Dinda ($375,000), Umesh Yadav ($750,000), Robert Frylinck ($20,000)
Allrounders: Irfan Pathan ($1.9m), James Hopes ($350,000), Roelof van der Merwe ($50,000), Andrew McDonald ($80,000)
Wicketkeepers: Naman Ojha ($270,000), Matthew Wade ($100,000)

Kings XI Punjab
No. of players bought: 11 (4 Indian, 7 foreign)
Money spent: $6.95 millon
Big-ticket signing: David Hussey ($1.4 million)
Bargain buy: Shaun Marsh ($400,000)
Eyebrow-raiser: Piyush Chawla ($900,000), Abhishek Nayar ($800,000)
Ones that got away: Irfan Pathan (Punjab bid $1.8m), Saurabh Tiwary ($1.5m), Mahela Jayawardene ($1.4m), Dale Steyn ($1.1m)
While the other franchises spent and shopped over two days in Bangalore, Kings XI Punjab were sparing with their purchases and bought only 11 players. They have a little over $2 million to fill their squad with uncapped domestic players. The challenge is to pick up several high-quality ones to fill the gaps in their team. And there are many. They have only two specialist batsmen and their two allrounders are nothing to write home about. They also possess only one spinner at present. Their strengths lie in their fast bowling and their wicketkeeping reserves – Adam Gilchrist and Dinesh Karthik. Curiously, Punjab bid over a million for four other players but were never ready to go the distance to buy them, even though their purse was heavy.Squad
Batsmen: Shaun Marsh ($400,000), David Hussey ($140,000)
Bowlers: Stuart Broad ($400,000), Praveen Kumar ($800,000), Ryan Harris ($325,000), Piyush Chawla ($900,000), Nathan Rimmington ($20,000)
Allrounders: Abhishek Nayar ($800,000), Dimitri Mascarenhas ($100,000)
Wicketkeepers: Adam Gilchrist ($900,000), Dinesh Karthik ($900,000)

Kochi
Mahela Jayawardene was the most expensive foreign recruit•AFPNo. of players: 17 (7 Indian, 10 foreign)
Money spent: $7.79 million
Big-ticket signing: Mahela Jayawardene ($1.5 million)
Bargain buy: Brendon McCullum ($475,000)
Eyebrow-raiser: Ravindra Jadeja ($950,000)
Ones that got away: Gautam Gambhir (Kochi bid $2.3m), Yusuf Pathan (Kochi bid $2m), Uthappa (Kochi bid $2m)
Kochi have ten players capable of bowling four-over spells in a Twenty20 – four allrounders and six specialists – but their batting is thin, especially in terms of home talent. Their two Indian batsmen – VVS Laxman and Parthiv Patel – aren’t deadly in the shortest format and at the moment the bulk of the runs will have to come from the foreign players. If that dependency doesn’t change, it will hamper Kochi’s chances of fielding the overseas bowlers and allrounders they have bid for. They were the first team to fill up their overseas slots.Squad
Batsmen: Mahela Jayawardene ($1.5m), VVS Laxman ($400,000), Brad Hodge ($425,000), Owais Shah ($200,000), Michael Klinger ($75,000)
Bowlers: Sreesanth ($900,000), RP Singh ($500,000), Muttiah Muralitharan ($1.1m), Ramesh Powar ($180,000), Vinay Kumar ($475,000), Steve O’Keefe ($20,000)
Allrounders: Ravindra Jadeja ($950,000), Steven Smith ($200,000), Thisara Perera ($80,000), John Hastings ($20,000)
Wicketkeepers: Brendon McCullum ($475,000), Parthiv Patel ($290,000)

Kolkata Knight Riders
No of players bought: 12 (5 Indian, 7 overseas)
Money spent: $8.57m
Big-ticket signing: Gautam Gambhir ($2.4m) and Yusuf Pathan ($2.1m)
Bargain buy: Brad Haddin ($325,000) and Shakib Al Hasan ($425,000)
Eyebrow-raiser: Manoj Tiwary ($475,000). Kolkata hadn’t chased any of the players they previously had in their squad over the past three years, but towards the end of the first day they decided to go after Tiwary.
One that got away: With two major buys in the first hour, Kolkata didn’t have the money to raise the stakes high on too many other players.
Splashing the cash early meant they had a strong Indian batting core to rely on in Gautam Gambhir – their likely captain – and Yusuf Pathan. And, in a tournament where the strength of the Indian players determines team fortunes, they already have five players who should start most matches. They also supplemented that with three value-for-money foreign allrounders – Jacques Kallis, Shakib Al Hasan and Netherlands’ Ryan ten Doeschate. One of their major drawbacks in previous seasons was the lack of a potent bowling attack, a weakness that persists with the current squad. They have Brett Lee, in his prime one of the finest limited-overs bowlers, but after being repeatedly ravaged by injury, it remains to be seen whether he retains the magic of old.Squad
Batsmen: Gautam Gambhir ($2.4m), Manoj Tiwary ($475,000), Eoin Morgan ($350,000)
Bowlers: L Balaji ($500,000), Brett Lee ($400,000), Jaidev Unadkat ($250,000), James Pattinson ($100,000)
Allrounders: Yusuf Pathan ($2.1m), Jacques Kallis ($1.1m), Shakib Al Hasan ($425,000), Ryan ten Doeschate ($150,000)
Wicketkeeper: Brad Haddin ($325,000)

Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma was one of only four players to breach the $2m barrier•Indian Premier LeagueNo of players bought: 12 (4 Indian, 8 overseas)
Money spent: $8.52m
Big-ticket signing: Rohit Sharma ($2m)
Bargain buy: Clint McKay ($110,000)
Eyebrow-raiser: Andrew Symonds ($875,000)
One that got away: Yuvraj Singh (bid $1.7m)
When they walked into the auction, their squad already boasted the biggest name in the game, the most exciting player in the format, and the deadliest bowler in Twenty20s. They added another marquee IPL name in Rohit Sharma, besides picking up some cut-price internationals like Clint McKay, whose slower balls mystify most batsmen, and South African Davy Jacobs, a lethal hitter who can double up as a wicketkeeper. The pedigree of their squad is unimpeachable, but Tendulkar has long stressed the importance of team spirit for success – how the squad containing Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh gels will be fascinating to see.Squad
Batsmen: Sachin Tendulkar (retained), Rohit Sharma ($2m), Aiden Blizzard ($20,000)
Bowlers: Harbhajan Singh (retained), Lasith Malinga (retained), Munaf Patel ($700,000), Clint McKay ($110,000)
Allrounders: Kieron Pollard (retained), Andrew Symonds ($850,000), James Franklin ($100,000), Moises Henriques ($50,000)
Wicketkeeper: Davy Jacobs ($190,000)

Pune Warriors
No of players bought: 14 (4 Indian, 10 overseas)
Money spent: $8.07m
Big-ticket signing: Robin Uthappa ($2.1m), Yuvraj Singh ($1.8m)
Bargain buy: Jesse Ryder ($150,000)
Eyebrow-raiser: Robin Uthappa ($2.1m)
One that got away: David Hussey (bid $1.3m)
The new franchise wanted a headliner to connect the franchise with fans, and got one early in Yuvraj Singh. Then they splurged on a finisher in Robin Uthappa, and also got two Indian bowlers who have proven themselves in the IPL – Ashish Nehra and Murali Kartik. Their overseas signings, though, lack the X-factor that most foreign recruits are expected to bring to the side. They have two exciting allrounders in Angelo Mathews and Jesse Ryder, but the fast bowling looks dodgy with both Jerome Taylor and Wayne Parnell having had long-term injuries.Squad
Batsmen: Robin Uthappa ($2.1m), Yuvraj Singh ($1.8m), Graeme Smith ($500,000), Callum Ferguson ($300,000)
Bowlers: Ashish Nehra ($850,000), Murali Kartik ($400,000), Wayne Parnell ($160,000), Jerome Taylor ($100,000)
Allrounders: Angelo Mathews ($950,000), Mitchell Marsh ($290,000), Jesse Ryder ($150,000), Nathan McCullum ($100,000), Alfonso Thomas ($100,000)
Wicketkeeper: Time Paine ($270,000)

Rajasthan Royals
Shane Warne has a difficult task ahead•Associated PressNo of players bought: 8 (2 Indian, 6 overseas)
Money spent: $6.2m (out of a reduced cap of $7m)
Big-ticket signing: Ross Taylor ($1m)
Bargain buy: Paul Collingwood ($250,000)
Eyebrow-raiser: Johan Botha ($950,000)
One that got away: Cheteshwar Pujara (bid upto $650,000)
Like after the first auction in 2008, Rajasthan look the weakest of the squads. For a franchise that started out with $2m less than the others due to legal complications, the decision to retain Shane Warne at an exorbitant $1.8m was a puzzle. To top that, they purchased another foreign spinner, Johan Botha, at a princely $950,000 – the most bizarre buy of the weekend. They now have only two Indian players – Rahul Dravid and Pankaj Singh, and no wicketkeepers yet, unless they plan to make Dravid keep. Expect them to pull out more wildcards like Swapnil Asnodkar and Kamran Khan to get by. And they’ll pray there’s no Australian tour during the IPL – if Shane Watson and Shaun Tait are away, this squad will be in tatters.Squad
Batsmen: Ross Taylor ($1m), Rahul Dravid ($500,000)
Bowlers: Shane Warne (retained), Johan Botha ($950,000), Shaun Tait ($300,000), Pankaj Singh ($95,000)
Allrounders: Shane Watson (retained), Paul Collingwood ($250,000)

Royal Challengers Bangalore
No. of players bought: 16 (6 Indian, 10 foreign)
Money spent: $8.64m
Big-ticket signing: Saurabh Tiwary ($1.6m)
Bargain buy: Daniel Vettori ($550,000)
Eyebrow-raiser: Saurabh Tiwary – Another beneficiary of the frenzy for Indian batting talent. Shone in IPL 2010, but isn’t exactly a big-name star, or a local player who will pull the crowds in.
One that got away: Gambhir (bid $1.8m), Kallis (bid $1m), Ross Taylor (bid $0.95m)
This was another franchise which bet big on young Indian batting talent, and it reflected in their decision to retain Kohli and to aggressively pursue Saurabh Tiwary and Cheteshwar Pujara. In each of the first three seasons, Delhi’s formidable squad made them pre-tournament favourites. Bangalore have now poached most of Delhi’s erstwhile overseas talent – explosive and experienced top-order batting pair of Tillakaratne Dilshan and AB de Villiers, fast bowler Dirk Nannes and allrounder Daniel Vettori. It is a strong squad but the worries are the shortage of multi-skilled players and spinners. The owners would have also liked more local flavour in the outfit: the only Karnataka player they have currently is Abhimanyu Mithun. Expect them to go all out to secure Manish Pandey’s services.Squad
Batsmen: Virat Kohli (retained), Saurabh Tiwary ($1.6m), Cheteshwar Pujara ($700,000), Tillakaratne Dilshan ($650,000), Mohammad Kaif ($130,000), Luke Pomersbach ($50,000), Rilee Rossouw ($20,000), Jonathan Vandiar ($20,000)
Bowlers: Zaheer Khan ($900,000), Dirk Nannes ($650,000), Abhimanyu Mithun ($260,000), Charl Langeveldt ($140,000), Nuwan Pradeep ($20,000)
Allrounders: Daniel Vettori ($550,000), Johan van der Wath ($50,000)
Wicketkeepers: AB de Villiers ($1.1m)

Stuart Broad has captained a team since his school days but is now set to be the man to lead England’s defence of their World Twenty20 title

Andrew McGlashan05-May-2011Stuart Broad has shown throughout his career that he is a cricketer who can learn quickly but his development will need to hit a new level after being named England’s Twenty20 captain. He will be the least regular of the three leaders, but his tenure could be the most fascinating.As he sat alongside England’s other two captains and the team director, Andy Flower, in the ECB offices at Lord’s, he was asked about his previous experience of leading a team. He admitted he had to go back to his school days to remember the last time he captained a side. Now, a month before turning 25, he has been given a senior position in a format that demands cool heads and clear thinking.On the horizon is a major challenge. Late next year he will lead England in the World Twenty20 as they defend their first piece of global silverware, which was secured last year in the West Indies. He won’t have many chances to hone his captaincy skills before then because Twenty20 internationals are still few and far between. England have two this summer, two scheduled for the winter and a maximum of three next summer.Unsurprisingly, it’s not a challenge that worries Broad. “I don’t have much experience, but it’s not something that fazes me, it very much excites me,” he said. “Every time I take the field I try to think like a captain, certainly looking at fields and making successions that can help.”I’ve been very fortunate to play under two fantastic captains; Straussy recently but Michael Vaughan when I first came into the set-up, I learnt a huge amount under him. The key to my role will be bouncing ideas off people who have captained a huge amount and offering Alastair a lot of support in the one-day format from my experiences there.”Broad’s mention of Vaughan is not surprising. There is a mutual respect there from the start of his career. Vaughan was immediately caught by Broad’s maturity on his Test debut in the gruelling conditions of Galle and at the end of the 2007-08 winter called him the “smartest bowler” he had captained.However, on June 25 at Bristol we’ll get the first real indication of how the captaincy will sit with him. Twenty20 is an unforgiving format and it will only take a few overs of Tillakaratne Dilshan cutting loose for all attention to turn to Broad to see what he can come up with.He has often been a player to wear his heart on his sleeve and be driven by emotion. In a sense they are qualities that make Broad the combative, attacking cricketer he is, and they often serve him well. Sometimes, though, he has crossed the line into petulance – most notably last summer in his confrontation with Zulqarnain Haider – and a captain must exude calmness in the tensest of situations.”It’s important I keep the same passion for the game every time I pull an England shirt on,” Broad insisted. “Obviously every time you take the field as an international cricketer you want to set an example, and play in the right way. I have had the odd occasion in the past when I may have gone over the line, but I feel I’ve learnt a lot from that, and in a good place to take on this opportunity. Keep the same passion, and look forward to doing that.”The other situation that confronts Broad, although it will be handled largely by Andy Flower, is that the transition to his captaincy from Paul Collingwood has been the trickiest of the changes. Unlike Strauss, who decided himself that the time was right to leave one-day internationals, Collingwood still had a burning desire to defend the World Twenty20 title next year.”He’s very disappointed as you would expect him to be,” Flower said. “He was a successful captain and outstanding member of the side. But this is the next generation of young England leaders behind Andrew Strauss and their development, and what they can give to England in the medium to long term is an important aspect of this decision.”Collingwood did an outstanding job as the Twenty20 captain even though he was a reluctant leader. He was willing to step back into the role in 2009, having previously handed the reins to Kevin Pietersen the year before after a difficult spell in charge of the limited-overs teams, when Strauss decided he couldn’t be part of the Twenty20 unit. The emotion on his face when he scored the winning runs in Barbados spoke volumes for his desire. Despite retiring from Test cricket after the Ashes he wants to continue his limited-overs career, but the problem for Collingwood was his form.Even in the World Twenty20 he struggled with 61 runs in the tournament and in his last 13 Twenty20 internationals his highest score is 21. Of course he brought a huge amount else to the team, yet a situation in which the captain doesn’t contribute in his main role can only be sustained for so long. There is now a distinct possibility that he won’t be part of Broad’s Twenty20 era, but the new captain would be wise to pick his predecessor’s brains.

The one-day series offers India’s batsmen a final chance to shine on this tour and one of their youngsters has a key part to play

Nagraj Gollapudi at Chester-le-Street02-Sep-2011These days the media asks questions to Virat Kohli as if he is a senior member of the Indian squad. He does behave like one. Kohli’s answers are clear, measured and forthright. The best part is Kohli listens, before speaking his mind. He is the same in the nets and on the field. If you see him in training Kohli is constantly egging, encouraging, offering insights to his team-mates. And he is not shy to express himself whether it’s to Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Parthiv Patel or any of the coaching staff. Kohli to get involved. He enjoys it.At Chester-le-Street, having finished with his first round of batting in the nets, Kohli stood eagerly waiting for Dravid to finish facing the throwdowns from Trevor Penney, the India fielding coach. Suddenly he realised Parthiv had jumped the queue. “PP, I am going after Rahul ,” Kohli said confidently and walked into the net. Parthiv, Kohli’s senior in terms of experience, just moved aside. Such simple things sometimes do show the hunger within.Penney started off with a wide. “Wide start, scared of you,” he joked with Kohli, who did not respond. He had come into the net with a purpose in mind and he did not want lose the intensity. Penney’s job was to make sure the youngster would not get carried away, to make Kohli play the percentage shots instead of going for the broke.For the initial two overs Kohli’s focus remained mainly on whether he was getting his body position correct. But steadily he started to play his strokes. But when Penney bowled short at his body or over his head, Kohli went for the pull off both the front and back foot. At first instance it seemed he did not want to be dictated to.Virat Kohli is a key part of India’s future and the one-day series against England is another chance to develop•Bipin PatelMS Dhoni, who was to the left of Kohli, batting in the adjacent nets, had been quietly observing his younger team-mate. The fact that Fidel Edwards and Ravi Rampaul had troubled Kohli during his debut Test series in the Caribbean in June had not been lost on Dhoni.After he finished his batting Dhoni went and stood behind Penney, speaking to the Zimbabwean after every ball for nearly ten minutes. After a few short deliveries, Penney had a quiet word with Kohli, asking him to stay calm and not hit every short ball. “Twenty20 is a different format. In a one-dayer I know I have to play steady and get 15-20 runs before playing such a shot,” Kohli replied to Penney, who felt one of Kohli’s favourite shots, a pull over midwicket, was loaded with risk.”You don’t play that,” Penney said a few balls later, as he walked in hastily towards Kohli before delivering the message in soft yet fatherly tone. Kohli had decided to play forward to a delivery that was seaming away having pitched on length on the off stump. It was a similar sort of delivery Rampaul had bowled him in his debut Test innings at Kingston which Kohli had gone chasing, ending up only edging to the wicketkeeper. “I had done this once,” Kohli said.Dhoni stood there at a distance, seemingly unperturbed. He was joined by Tendulkar. Suddenly Kohli was under the scanner. The reason his seniors were restraining Kohli was because they, and even Kohli, knew the England fast bowlers will not wait long before testing him with the short ball. Penney’s, and effectively Dhoni’s, suggestion was to pick your bowler and the situation. You do not play the shot just because you can.Kohli is one of the most improved India batsmen and has shown his maturity in high-pressure situations in the past like the World Cup final. His 83-run partnership with Gautam Gambhir after the fall of the opening pair of Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag was one of the turning points in the match. Back at the nets Kohli improvised steadily if not readily and he impressed Penney when, after top edging an attempted pull, he played the next one with soft hands.”To win a one-day match you need batsmen to bat through 20-25 overs and if given a chance, or if the situation allows, we would all like to take up the responsibility,” Kohli said at the media conference before the training began. “It’s about believing in yourself that you can win the game single-handedly and if we go out with that mindset, we are going to put up a really strong challenge.”He was asked if some of the Indian batsmen’s technique against the short ball, which has been attacked and exposed by various bowling attacks, could provide an opening for an England bowling attack full of confidence following the 4-0 whitewash in the Test series.”It’s all about thinking in your mind how you deal with it,” he said. “If you want to be scared of it and run away from it, you will end up being nowhere. I am pretty much up for it, I am very positive in my mind and I don’t think I have any problem facing it.”Back at the nets, Kohli urged Penney “mix it up brother”. He was steadily warming up for the duel with the England quicks. At the same time he needs to acknowledge he can’t rush. As Penney threw his final ball, another short one, Kohli played it far from fluently. “Your positioning is not correct for that shot,” Tendulkar made clear. Kohli nodded. He has a lot to learn and he is not afraid.

Graeme Swann’s autobiography has plenty of jolly japes but not too much else besides

Sahil Dutta15-Jan-2012Graeme Swann has all he needs to rip a good yarn: he’s quick-witted, irreverent, and possesses a career story that continues to astonish. With both him and the England team entering a legacy-defining phase, there may well be more to say when he retires. It’s a pity he didn’t hold back his autobiography, The Breaks Are Off, until then.The fact he didn’t says plenty about his motivations for writing the book. On more than one occasion Swann berates cricket boards for masking money-making intentions behind grandiose claims – like when England returned to India after the Mumbai atrocity in 2008. Fair point though this is, it is difficult to see Swann’s book as anything other than a cash-in itself.Nonetheless, in an age where players regurgitate off-the-peg quotes to feed 24-hour news, Swann is a relief. He is honest and amusing, styling himself as a proper “lad”, who is quick to take the piss, see the funny side and play the rogue. Anyone who has followed England over the last few years will know that already. The book’s biggest flaw is that he tells you no more.Reading it feels like being pinned at the bar while Swann regales you with tale after tale of drunken japes: “Remember that time we got hammered at the Under-19 World Cup and rugby-tackled Allan Border? Remember that time we got obliterated in Lincolnshire and got punched in the face? Remember that time Gough lamped me in South Africa?”Swann emerges as a likeable, if sometimes annoying, bloke. Being jettisoned by England for seven years clearly hurt him, but at no point does he betray any bitterness. Still, if the cliché about cricket revealing inner character holds true, there must be more to Swann.By the time he made his Test debut, traditional offspin felt drab, but – in what was meant to be the age of mystery spin – Swann made the orthodox cool again. No longer do you see a young finger-spinner like George Dockrell and wish he was something else. Bowling spin needs personality, and the way Swann plays suggests he has it by the shed-load. Peter Moores, the coach who brought him back into the England fold, has talked about Swann creating a “theatre of pressure” out in the middle, and how it is through Swann’s strength of character that he is able to assert himself on the game.It would be interesting to know where Swann got such confidence, or how he thinks about the game. A glimpse is offered when he recalls spotting a glitch while watching Marcus North compile a century in Cardiff in 2009. “Because he had a big, high backlift I suspected he would be susceptible to the ball that went straight on from around the wicket.” Sure enough, in the next Test at Lord’s, Swann was “proved right by a delivery that chipped the pad and cleaned him up”. It’s one of the few insights into the mechanics of his art Swann gives. He says he “always found bowling very instinctive” and doesn’t decide what he’s going to bowl “until he’s at the crease”. Maybe he thought delving into the mechanics would be a touch too serious for his public persona, but expanding on his thoughts about the game would have helped his book greatly.What does emerge is the back-story to Swann’s gnarled competitiveness. His father, Ray, was a stern secondary-school teacher, high-quality club player and filthy sledger, who demanded high standards from Graeme and his brother (former first-class cricketer) Alec. Despite their successes, he was disappointed more often than not. Swann’s mother, Mavis, was also strong-willed, banning both sons from playing Northamptonshire age-group cricket after Alec was unfairly accused of abusing an umpire. It meant Graeme played adult club cricket between the ages of 12 and 16, which he sees as integral to his development.Though there is no intense introspection, Swann is clear about the problems he has had with management. From youth cricket through to the recent pre-Ashes “bonding camp”, which he described as “degrading”, he has never much cared for authority or guidance. Until Andy Flower, the only coaches he respected were the ones who allowed him to act how he pleased.Given the frenzy whipped up about the book’s criticism of Kevin Pietersen, the actual passages in print are quite mild. Pietersen was “not a natural leader” and England “have the right man” in Andrew Strauss. If anything, it’s the rest of the book that suggests Swann’s simmering dislike for Pietersen – hardly surprising, considering both men have had issues with authority, crave attention and can claim to be the top dog in the team.Following the popularity of Swann’s Ashes video diaries and his widely followed tweeting, an autobiography was probably the obvious progression. After all, it’s what celebrities do. While Swann’s is probably more entertaining than most, it is not much more enlightening.The Breaks Are Off: My Autobiography
Graeme Swann
Hodder & Stoughton

The Lancastrian’s three wickets on day one at Galle brought him level with one of the county’s most famous sons

Andrew McGlashan in Galle26-Mar-2012When James Anderson left Sri Lanka in 2007 after England’s previous series here his career was at a crossroads. He had been dropped following the first Test in Kandy after match figures of 2 for 167. A few months later in New Zealand he was recalled in Wellington and starred with a five-wicket haul which led him to say he wanted to be the “attack leader”. Not everyone was convinced it would happen but these days there is no doubting Anderson’s credentials.After that Test match in Kandy five years ago, Anderson’s bowling average stood at 39.20 which is the highest point it has reached. Now, after the first day’s play in Galle, it reads 30.32 which the lowest it has been. The three wickets he took also carried him past 250 Test scalps – the first England bowler to achieve that feat since Ian Botham in 1982 – and if he’d held a return catch off Mahela Jayawardene he would have gone ahead of fellow Lancashire fast bowler Brian Statham in the list of all-time England wicket-takers. To put Anderson and Statham in the same sentence shows how far the former has come in five years.There is currently a Brian Statham end at Old Trafford, although it is the opposite end to where he bowled most of his overs, but with the redevelopment and turning of the square there may yet be space to honour Anderson once his career is over. By then he will have more than 300 wickets and has a good chance of overhauling Botham at the top of tree.”The records are very nice but I think it will be nice when I retire and look back on what I’ve achieved,” Anderson said in typically restrained fashion. “At the moment I’m just looking at getting another two wickets tomorrow and another ten in the second innings.”Anderson’s skills when the ball swings conventionally have rarely been in doubt but over the last 18 months he has developed into an outstanding bowler in all conditions. He is one of the best exponents of reverse swing in the team and he found movement in the first over after lunch on day one to trap Prasanna Jayawardene lbw and move level with Statham.One thing that has not changed much about Anderson is that streak of hot-headedness, something Statham was unlikely to have approved of. There was a hint of that towards the end of the day with England unable to remove Jayawardene and frustrated by the tail. He shared words with the batsmen which didn’t impress Jayawardene and the umpires stepped in before Andrew Strauss asked his bowler to calm down. The heat will have played its part but the real source of his annoyance was probably Monty Panesar who had just fluffed his second catch in two overs to reprieve Jayawardene.”It’s disappointing especially as he focussed on that at the start of the trip. Catches are crucial to getting 20 wickets and two of them weren’t the most difficult of catches,” Anderson said. “Getting them eight down on the first day we’d have taken that, so we have to put it behind us. We’ve got one job do to tomorrow and get two wickets. If we do that I think we’ve done a good job and then we’ll pass it over to the batsman.”England’s bowlers rarely do a bad job these days and, despite Sri Lanka’s fightback, eight wickets on the opening day is good reward. Now it is time for the batsmen to repay the favour.

England strove to show they have learned their lessons after the winter’s disappointments – yet they have lost from a position of strength before

Andrew McGlashan in Colombo04-Apr-2012England know their reputation has taken a battering in the last few months. Even if they do win this Test and retain their No. 1 status, which is now a distinct possibility, too much has gone badly in the first few months of this year to put it all in the past with a single success. However, it would allow them to return home with some evidence that lessons have been learned and their efforts over the first two days at the P Sara Oval have shown they will expend every drop of energy to end the run of defeats.First it was the bowlers – as ever, outstanding – before something different began to emerge. The batting line-up was given a platform as Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook added 122. Their previous best this year was 48. Outwardly it was not a partnership to send the crowd into raptures but, given that the stadium was packed with England fans, it did just that, after the collapses they have sat through. Each milestone – the fifty, the hundred, Strauss’ fifty and Cook’s fifty – was greeted with acclaim ranging from hearty applause to a standing ovation.”It was a very good day,” Graeme Swann said. “Four wickets quickly and cheaply was important, but probably more importantly for the vibe in dressing room was a solid start and we are delighted how it’s panned out. We’ve had some very good days scuppered by bad ones and this was probably the most complete day.”One the problems for the England batting line-up has been finding the happy medium between attack and defence. It went horribly wrong in the first innings in Galle but Jonathan Trott’s century in the second was the perfect template to work from. In Strauss and Cook there were two batsmen with the ideal game to follow suit.Both of them, but especially Cook, are at their best when they bat time and wear the bowlers down. Some might call it old fashioned and it is a trait that is seen less and less in Test cricket these days. The value of a wicket has seemingly been reduced or the balance of risk and reward has altered. That is not bad thing – Test cricket now is as entertaining as it has ever been – but there is still a place for graft.Not everyone will play like Strauss and Cook. On the third day Kevin Pietersen will get a chance to bat and is likely to try and dominate, so too Ian Bell and Matt Prior. But that is more their natural game. Crucially, Strauss and Cook kept the strike rotating. It took Rangana Herath, the matchwinner in Galle with 12 wickets, 16 overs to bowl a maiden. Although both openers are left-handed, so a change of line is not an issue for the bowler, plans still need to be adjusted each time they swap ends.Tellingly, too, the batsmen were far less reliant on the sweep. It was not until the 39th over that one was played – by Strauss – although Cook did later go against the grain by unfurling a reverse sweep. Swann, though, said there had not been any team discussions about leaving aside a shot that contributed to England’s downfall in Galle.”We have worked on things we should and shouldn’t do but the sweep is valid if executed to the right ball. That was the point some of the batsmen, including me, missed in last game and sweeping the wrong one can make you look a mug. It would be very dangerous to disregard the shot. It’s a pain for the bowler if the bloke’s sweeping.”This was also a truer reflection of the strengths of Sri Lanka’s bowling attack. That is not meant as a slight on any of them, but the lowest average is Herath’s 32. They are honest and hardworking, not world-beaters. The two seamers, Dhammika Prasad and Suranga Lakmal who average 61 and 57 respectively, kept plugging away but were nowhere near matching the threat of England’s.”We bowled well in patches,” Angelo Mathews said, “but we were not consistent enough. The pitch is quite tough to score on but we need to get some early wickets in the morning to claw them back.”England have to been wary about letting the position slip. This is a very similar situation to the one they found themselves in against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. After being humbled in three days during the first Test they then bowled out Pakistan for 257 and were 166 for 1 with Cook and Trott together. That was also when they had managed their only previous wicketless full session this year, before Strauss and Cook batted between lunch and tea here.Yet from that position of strength England could not keep hold. The lead was restricted to 70 and chasing 145 on wearing pitch proved far too much as they crumbled for 72. This is not the first time England have been in a good position to win a Test in recent months. The next three days will show how many lessons have really been learnt.Edited by Alan Gardner

With one-sided matches in recent times, a tight domestic calender and more India A tours, the Irani Cup seems to have lost its context

Siddarth Ravindran in Bangalore24-Sep-2012The Irani Cup’s slide towards irrelevance continued with a four-day thrashing of the Ranji champions at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. It didn’t need an expert to predict how this match would pan out: Rest of India comprehensively dominated a Rajasthan side that lacked firepower in both batting and bowling to compete.”This time I am pretty happy with the way we have faced the Rest of India,” Rajasthan captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar said, despite the innings-and-79-run mauling, highlighting the difference in quality between the two sides. “I think it gives us a slight advantage over other teams since we have already played one first-class game. I think we should be building up on that and not thinking about the result for Rest of India was definitely a stronger team.”While this year Rajasthan were hamstrung by the absence of four important players, including two on the concurrent India A tour of New Zealand, the Irani Cup has mostly been one-way traffic in recent times. Rajasthan were battered by 404 runs in the previous season, and even Mumbai, traditionally the pre-eminent team on the Indian domestic circuit, were pummelled by 361 runs in 2010. In the past 14 years, the winners of the Ranji Trophy have added the Irani Cup to their collection on only two occasions.It wasn’t always so lopsided. When the Irani Trophy was conceived in 1959-60, the domestic scene was ruled by an all-conquering Bombay team that was just beginning its run of 15 consecutive Ranji title wins.Much of the cricketing talent in the following decades came from the big centres such as Bombay, Delhi and Karnataka. In recent years, talent isn’t as concentrated in one state side, with players emerging from smaller towns all over the country. That has contributed to weaker Ranji winners, stronger Rest of India teams and fewer close contests.The Irani Trophy was also once a stage for staking a claim for a national berth; it is unlikely performances in the tournament carry as much weight as before. Cashing in against the military-medium of Deepak Chahar and Aniket Choudhary hardly shows how well-equipped you are to face Stuart Broad and James Anderson. No one would bat an eyelid if you score a century; to have any sort of impact a gigantic effort is required, such as M Vijay’s ten-hour 266.The BCCI’s added emphasis on A tours from this year also bring in series which will provide a better picture of a player’s ability. The A team tour of the Caribbean earlier this year proved unproductive for several players who’ve built up enviable domestic records. One of them is Shikhar Dhawan, who plundered twin 150-plus in last year’s Irani Cup, but only scratched out 30 runs at 7.50 against West Indies A.Another reason which makes the Irani Trophy pointless is the mushrooming of Twenty20 tournaments, which have to be factored into the domestic calendar. While the IPL provides a strict marker for when the state-based tournaments must end, the Syed Mushtaq Ali and the Champions League Twenty20 have to be squeezed into prime domestic cricket time.That has meant packing in matches as tightly as possible. Even as recently as 2004-05, players got, on an average, at least five days between each Ranji Trophy first-class match. Last year, it was down to three, as the teams raced through the Ranji season. With the new three-tier system, every team will play more first-class matches – a welcome development – but it tightens the calendar further.The context-free match, with the Rest of India having assembled for just a week, didn’t even serve as a lead-up to the first-class season for the Ranji champions, and has passed its use-by-date.

Plays of the day from the fourth day of the SCG Test between Australia and Sri Lanka

Andrew Fernando in Sydney06-Jan-2013The throw
Australia had two run-outs in their first innings, and Sri Lanka would have matched them in their second, had Matthew Wade’s underarm gone anywhere near its intended target. Rangana Herath had tucked Mitchell Johnson into the leg side, and was charging back for the second run, but despite having travelled more than two thirds of the pitch, was sent back by Dinesh Chandimal. The throw came into the keeper’s end, before Herath had even begun his trek back, but Wade’s underarm lob flew high over Johnson and towards mid-off, allowing Herath to return safely.The red herring
Even before Sri Lanka took the field, Dinesh Chandimal’s resistance on the fourth morning had given rise to hope that the visitors could achieve an upset victory, like South Africa did at the SCG in 1994, when they defeated Australia by five runs. That hope intensified in the second over, when David Warner edged Suranga Lakmal to second slip, leaving Australia at 1 for 0. But although wickets fell regularly during Australia’s chase, they never threatened a collapse, and achieved the 3-0 whitewash with five wickets remaining.The farewell
With the match drawing quickly to a close, only a modest crowd turned out to see Michael Hussey’s final day as an international cricketer, but they were treated to a video celebrating his career in the innings break, narrated by Hussey himelf. In the video Hussey recounted childhood cricket memories accompanied by footage of him playing in the backyard with his brother, and explained why he didn’t like the title “Mr. Cricket”. “There are better cricketers in the world, and players who know much more about the game,” he said. “But I don’t know if anyone loved it more than me.”The cheer
Rarely have the Sydney crowd been moved to applaud an Australian wicket, but they could not have been happier to see the back of Michael Clarke for 29, with Hussey in next. The previous evening they had chanted “Give Huss a bowl”, until Clarke did, and after Clarke and Cowan had neared Australia’s target enough to make the game safe, the chants of “Huuu-sseeey” began again. Clarke succumbed to the crowd again before long, and Hussey was at the crease when the winning run was hit.The bequeathal
The Australian team song has a storied history, and to date, has had seven custodians: Rod Marsh, Allan Border, Ian Healey, Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer and Michael Hussey. Upon his retirement, it was Hussey’s task to choose a successor, and to the surprise of some, he announced he had given the song to offspinner Nathan Lyon, because he felt Lyon “was a man of great character”.