All posts by n8rngtd.top

The tour got off to a super start when we put one over Australia for the first time in an ODI Down Under in nearly two decades

Charlotte Edwards06-Feb-2008

It was a bit of a relief to eventually arrive in Geelong for our second game
against the Australian Under-21 side, the Shooting Stars, and the third of our
tour.Among other hiccups, our convoy’s lead car had decided to follow the completely wrong vehicle off the freeway. We finally arrived, for a shorter warm-up than we’re used to. I won my first toss of the tour and elected to bat on what was a fantastic wicket. We made 249 for 9 with Beth Morgan and Sarah Taylor both passing 50. It was good to see Beth get 70: she’s worked really hard on her batting since she’s been in Australia and it’s paying for her.The girls gave a good bowling performance and we bowled the opposition out for
174. All in all it was a really good day for the team considering the start we had to the tour, with two losses. Everyone seemed to be hitting their straps and getting ready for the Twenty20 at the MCG.It was fantastic to get the series underway with the Twenty20 at the MCG. We were the curtain-raiser to the Australia against India men’s Twenty20 match, which was great exposure for the women’s game and something we were all really excited about. Our game started at 3.30pm and when I went out to do the toss at 3pm, I was quite surprised to see the stands already filling up.By the end of our game there were 27,000 in there. The atmosphere was amazing and both teams put on a good show for the crowd. Unfortunately, we missed out by 21 runs, but to have a game of that standard to promote women’s cricket was fantastic. There are plans for more women’s games to be played ahead of men’s and that can only benefit our game in the long-run. There was a bit of coverage after the game and a few write-ups in the papers over here the following day. It was also great to have Channel Nine there
throughout to do a highlights package. It’s always good to get the game on TV for more exposure.The other highlight of the day was going into hospitality, courtesy of
Cricket Victoria and KFC after the game to watch the men’s international. It
was there that I got to meet Shane Warne, Cathy Freeman, and also a
favourite of all the girls – Kel from . He’s a legend and even
entertained ideas of us getting on the show! It was also the first time we’d
managed to pull out our lovely Number 1s by the Irish designer Paul Costelloe. They looked amazing on everyone and attracted plenty of compliments.After the carnival that is Twenty20, our attention turned quickly to the one-day series. A good practice session on Saturday meant the girls were ready for their back-to-back ODIs on Sunday and Monday. Both of these were played at the MCG, which was fantastic for everybody. Playing at these great venues is always an experience and something we’ll always remember.The first ODI started with the two national anthems. Though we were very loud, we were a bit out of tune, so I don’t think any of us will be going for auditions on ! It’s always really special to sing the national anthem and makes you feel proud to be wearing the England shirt.I lost the toss again and Australia asked us to bat. We posted 233 for 6 which was a fine score considering the conditions, and a great partnership of 80 between Lydia Greenway and Jenny Gunn was a highlight for me. In reply, our bowlers, especially Jenny and Nicky Shaw, got us off to a good start. They were backed up brilliantly by Holly Colvin who had literally only been in the country for 24 hours.We bowled the Australians out for 177 and we had won our first ODI on Australian soil for the first time in 19 years. It was a real team effort and I was so proud of the girls after a disappointing start to the tour. We showed a lot of bottle and determination to overcome the best team in the women’s game.We were back in our huge changing room the next day for the second ODI of
the series. I lost the toss again and Australia elected to bat. They posted
240 with Alex Blackwell scoring her maiden international hundred. She was
ably supported by her twin Kate, who hit her second one-day international
half-century. We got off to a disappointing start and found ourselves 24 for
3, which we never quite recovered from. We were bowled out for 156 and
Australia levelled the series 1-1.

It was a complete role reversal from the day before and we all look forward to
the games in Sydney with everything to play for.We have a practice session on Wednesday before the third ODI on Thursday. We’ll be working hard with our assistant coach Mark Lane and head coach Mark Dobson. It’s Dobbo’s first overseas tour with us and he’s got us working hard. He’s a big believer in
training under pressure, and because of his degree in psychology he has a real interest in the sporting side of that to make us tougher cricketers.Jenny Gunn is a prime example of that with the way she deals with the stick she gets from us about how she’s best mates with all the South Australian players, who she’s played alongside prior to the tour. She’s learned to laugh it all off.All in all it’s been a really eventful couple of weeks with some highs and lows. The girls are a great group to captain because they’re so receptive to everything we tell them. We’re now looking forward to the Sydney leg of the tour, especially the four who have been out here since September and feel like they’re going home.We’ve got a tough week ahead with three one-day internationals to play. We just hope the rain stays away and we can get on with the cricket.

Sanath Jayasuriya is one of those rare cricketers who doesn’t care about records, and worryingly for bowlers, he isn’t slowing down even at the age of 39

Sidharth Monga in Karachi30-Jun-2008

The beauty about Sanath Jayasuriya, Virender Sehwag and Adam Gilchrist is that there are certain records they are the most likely to set – and they don’t give a damn about it. For them the journey is the thing. They can’t bear to take the joy out of their batting just because they are close to a record – in that sense, they derive a Keith Miller-like sense of pleasure from their cricket.For some reason, in our consciousness, the difference between 200 and 190 is more than just the 10 runs. For these batsmen, though, nearing a landmark is not reason enough for them to not hit a ball that is there to be hit. Scoring, and not records, is their primal emotion.
It could have been the ease with which Jayasuriya was playing, it could have been the pace of his devastating hitting, it could have been the flatness of the track, or it could have been how he suddenly exploded in the 10th over, but one sensed a special innings in the making and a threat to Saeed Anwar’s record for the
highest score in ODIs.From 29 off 23 balls, he reached his century in 55 balls – in the 18th over. The wicket was placid, so was the bowling, the fielders demoralised and Jayasuriya going strong. Kumar Sangakkara, his opening partner, gave him most of the strike, and 200 no longer seemed a fantasy. Off went the helmet and, after a brief calm Jayasuriya cut loose again. The journalists in the press box rummaged for Anwar’s contacts. Two fours and a six later, Jayasuriya had reached 130 off 87 balls, with 22 overs still to go. Then came a short one outside off, and Jayasuriya, perhaps going for a four and slightly misplacing, or going for a six but not getting the power, was caught at sweeper-cover. Had there been a crowd here, a loud sigh would have been followed by generous applause.”I think it’s more natural about instincts than milestones,” Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka’s captain, said of Jayasuriya’s batting. “He just looks to contribute to the team. If he is in his groove, he can score 250 on his day. But that’s how he plays. If he changed his game, he probably would get out anyway. He knows exactly how he has been playing for 18-odd years. It’s amazing to watch him bat.” Jayasuriya has himself said previously that his batting is all natural; he doesn’t even think about hitting fours or sixes, they come instinctively to him.In the past, against India in Sharjah in 2000-01 (189 off 161 balls, out stepping out in 49th over), against Pakistan in Singapore in 1995-96 (134 off 65), against Netherlands in Amstelveen in 2006 (157 off 104), he has looked he would get to the record, but the approach didn’t change with the record in sight.Not long ago, though, Jayasuriya was too old and too out of form to be playing the young man’s game of limited-overs cricket. When he was dropped for the West Indies ODIs earlier this year, he had gone 20 innings without having scored a half-century. “Due respect to selectors too, because when they dropped him he wasn’t in form; he wasn’t scoring runs,” Jayawardene said. “They had to look at the future too.”Despite his replacements not doing well, Sri Lanka chose to persist with them. The selectors had picked a squad – excluding Jayasuriya – for the Asia Cup as well, but a not-so-happy sports minister delayed in ratifying it, in which time Jayasuriya made his case with a sizzling century for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. The result: he won back his place.He chose the perfect day to score his first century on return to the national side – the day he turned 39. Some of his team-mates hadn’t even made it to primary school when Jayasuriya had made his debut. “He doesn’t surprise me. I have been lucky to have him; his attitude is the same, he hasn’t changed.” It’s just as well that Jayasuriya doesn’t change, as 52 days from now he can have a go at another record: become the oldest man to score an ODI century. Are we being greedy if we ask the oldest centurion to score one that challenges the fastest one too?

The story of Shivakant Shukla, who batted for821 minutes to take Uttar Pradesh through to the final of the Ranji Trophy, embodies Uttar Pradesh cricket

Sidharth Monga in Nagpur07-Jan-2009

The story of Shivakant Shukla, who batted for 821 minutes to take Uttar Pradesh through to the final of the Ranji Trophy, embodies their cricket.As a raw, talented 17-year-old, he went with the India Under-19 team to the Asian Under-19s in Pakistan in 2003-04. Many of his team-mates went on to play for senior side – Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Piyush Chawla, Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa and VRV Singh – and almost all others have developed enough to at least be permanent members of their state sides.However, until this match, Shukla was seen as a passenger in the UP team, part of it only because there was no other opener who could have done better than his average of 25 in five seasons of first-class cricket. “I was doubting if I would be picked even in the 15 [man squad] this season,” Shukla admits. “When I would see all of them [team-mates] doing so well, I didn’t feel good for myself. But somewhere I also used to think if they can do it, so can I.”His innings in this game, under extreme pressure, with all the big players dismissed, spanning over three different days, tackling three new balls, facing a spirited and resurgent L Balaji, and taking the team through unbeaten, clearly shows an average of 25 is not the accurate depiction of his talent. So what had been going wrong until now?”I don’t even know how I scored these 178,” Shukla says. “And I don’t know how and why I have been failing. My funda is simple: when I go to the ground I give my 100%, and whatever the outcome be I accept happily.” There is not much else a youngster can do when there is nobody to guide him, to tell him if his footwork is wrong, if his head position is not right, if something is going wrong psychologically.Staying in the famed UP hostels, many like Shukla learn their cricket on their own, playing with each other: the passion and desire, and not the technique, matters. Mahela Jayawardene recently spoke of how one needs to fight his own battles, and kill his own demons. But that can hold for an established Test player who has seen a lot of highs, and is going through the lows, and not for a inexperienced player struggling in domestic cricket. In UP cricket if you lose your way, you find it back yourself. “I had lost my way, this has been an experience for me,” Shukla says. “This experience will stay with me, not only in cricket terms but in life.”Yes, there was support for Shukla, in that he was being picked for the team. Beyond that there was little. Just like this team keeps on winning without any outside support. They have the name UP to play under, but the rest they do by themselves. There is no computer analysis, there is one trainer-cum-analyst and there are no grounds owned by the UPCA. Yet somehow they find a way, like Shukla did over the last three days.After close to 14 hours of batting Shukla, chuffed with his effort, is not tired. “I can bat four more days,” he says. “No seriously. The little bit of tiredness that I had is gone, because we won.”Two matches ago, he cut a sad forlorn figure in Bangalore. UP had won the toss, put Karnataka in on absolute flat track hoping to get early wickets [they needed to win to be on the safe side]. Both the Karnataka openers offered catches to gully, where Shukla fumbled. He spent the next two days on the field, in the deep, watching his team-mates struggle. And when his turn came, he played a loose stroke and got out for 1.”That was the low point. I was nervous throughout. Fielding for the next two days was very difficult. I was focusing too hard, thinking I had to convert even a half-chance to redeem myself. My captain and coach helped me that time. They said, ‘Don’t worry, just give your 100%. There is always a next match.'”UP have made giant strides in the last four years, winning the Ranji Trophy once and twice making it to the final. There have been many satisfying victories along the way – a win over Mumbai in Mumbai, their maiden Ranji Trophy win in 2005-06, the comebacks after poor starts to seasons, but this one will be one of their most satisfactory matches. In that it is a change for a side that has earned a reputation of relying too heavily on the big star players: Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina with the bat, and Praveen Kumar with the ball.”This is a big win,” Shukla says. “We have depended on consistent performers – Kaif, Raina and Tanmay [Srivastava who has done well this season]. So when we were three down, it seemed we would go down easily, and the biggest satisfaction is that two fringe players won the match.” He feels he might have turned a corner today. If he can turn that corner, UP cricket could too.

Rahul Dravid is a modern great but his goodwill account is depleting fast

Sambit Bal12-Dec-2008

Margins always discriminate against batsmen struggling for form. Paul Collingwood, who didn’t look like being able to buy a run yesterday, got a shocker from Billy Bowden, who must now rank as Collingwood’s least favourite umpire. Rahul Dravid’s case today was fuzzier. Daryl Harper wouldn’t have been blamed had he adjudged him not-out leg before: Dravid was well forward, the ball was turning and it hit him around the knee roll. As David Lloyd, who has been a first-class umpire, said, quite likely it was out but could Harper be sure?Dravid can look back to Sri Lanka, where he was twice given out to marginal lbw decisions by the review umpire and was once caught off the helmet of the fielder. But nothing, absolutely nothing, can hide the big picture: Dravid’s run of poor scores has gone far beyond a slump and has now reached a dangerous flashpoint.Dravid batted for 44 minutes and faced 24 balls today and, for academic interests, scored only three runs. Not once did he look secure and sure. Steve Harmison, all energy and vim, sped past his dangling bat; Andrew Flintoff hit the perfect length with his first ball and caught Dravid groping, then got him to poke at another short one a while later. The last one Dravid would have let go comfortably ten times out of ten. In between, he managed to tuck one behind square and tapped two more in front to squeeze out three furtive singles. There was neither a moment of authority nor a hint of promise.Graeme Swann bowled him a good ball but who knows how Dravid would have played it had his feet been moving better and his mind been free of doubts. Another debutant offspinner had got him in the previous Test in Nagpur. Admittedly, it was the first ball Dravid was facing off Jason Krejza, but it was hardly a ripper and the edge was the consequence of a tentative prod.When batsmen of great calibre hit a fallow spell, a turning point seems imminent. After all, skills don’t run dry. In Dravid’s case, there has been a sense of that for a while. Everyone has felt it – Dravid himself, his team-mates, his opponents, the selectors, and the fans – that it is merely a matter of one big innings. But what was once inevitable is now turning into desperate hope.Dravid started the series against Australia with a half-century, a battling, Dravid-like effort on a slow pitch in Bangalore that kept alarmingly low on the third morning. But there followed a series of dismissals that were a combination of casualness and misfortune. In the second innings in Bangalore, he hit a full ball from Brett Lee to midwicket; in Mohali, where he looked confident and attractive, moments after chasing a wide ball, he aimed for another ambitious drive and ended up dragging the ball onto his stumps; in Delhi he chased a wide ball from Mitchell Johnson to slip and inside-edged a drive to the stumps. Only in the final innings in Nagpur did a deserving ball from Shane Watson – it swung in and deviated away off the pitch – get his edge.Two inferences could be drawn from his performance against Australia, when he got in plenty of times and then got out. One, that he was batting well without the runs on the board (it happened to Sachin Tendulkar in Sri Lanka earlier this year). The other thought is more worrisome. The foundation of Dravid’s batsmanship has been his immovability. Once he got in, it needed a great ball to get him out. Many of his recent dismissals have suggested a looseness, a certain wandering of the mind, traits not associated with Dravid. Stroke-players can sometimes fall prey to overconfidence but Dravid’s career has been built on diligent adherence to the basics and an almost superhuman application of the mind. A deviation from these fundamentals can be inferred as a sign of decline.

And the decline can be traced to the tour of South Africa towards the end of 2006. Till then Dravid had scored more than 9000 runs at just under 59, an average that put him ahead of all his contemporaries. He then had 23 hundreds and 46 fifties, a ratio of 1:2. The 26 Tests since then have fetched him only 1320 runs at 30. Both his hundreds in this period have been nondescript, one against Bangladesh and other a 291-ball 111 against South Africa on a pitch where Virender Sehwag hit 319 off 304 balls.In South Africa, Dravid batted hard and long – an 83-ball 32, a 58-ball 29 and a 134-ball 47 during which he was associated in a scoring freeze with Sachin Tendulkar that ultimately cost India the final Test and the series – without being able to make an impact, his first such failure in an away series in years. After this, the Dravid story has not been the same. Only one innings – a typically gritty 93 in Perth – could be said to have contributed substantially to a victory; there have been other odd contributions to partnerships but the security that India had been granted by him at No. 3 has not been available.Few other batsmen would have survived two successive poor years but it is right for Dravid to have been granted the allowance and the space. No one wants to see off a batsman of his pedigree and accomplishment in a hurry.Dravid has been a modern great: a colossal fighter, the hero of epic revivals and the architect of many famous triumphs. In the Indian batting pantheon, he stands firmly behind Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. And more than that, he has been a man of commitment, a wonderful teamman, and a sporting hero of impeccable bearing and manners. Such men sport needs to hold on to for every extra second possible.However, sportsmen must ultimately stand and fall on their performances. The second innings will present Dravid with an opportunity to help save or win a Test. There would be no better time for the innings that he has been waiting for. It would be familiar territory. And it could be his moment of truth.

A few key numbers involving Delhi Daredevils, Deccan Chargers, and Centurion, the venue for the first semi-final of the IPL

S Rajesh22-May-2009RP Singh is the owner of the purple cap with 20 wickets, but against Delhi he only has one wicket from two games•Associated Press0 – Number of times Deccan have beaten Delhi in four tries over two IPL tournaments.67 – Number of wickets lost by Delhi in the round-robin matches in this IPL, which is the lowest by any team. Deccan have lost 91, which is next only to Bangalore and Rajasthan, who’ve lost 93.2111 – Runs scored by Deccan, which is the most by any team. Delhi are fourth with 1978.8.23 – Deccan’s run-rate in the first six overs. Delhi’s average run-rate in this phase of their innings is 7.94.505 – Runs added by Deccan’s opening pairs, which is the highest of all teams. They average 36.07 per partnership, at 8.94 runs per over. Delhi’s opening stand averages 28.38, at 7.66 runs per over.11 – The number of 50-plus scores for Delhi in the IPL. Deccan have only seven.11.36 – Adam Gilchrist’s runs per over against Delhi. In two matches he has scored 72 from 38 balls.1 – Number of wickets, out of 20, that RP Singh has taken against Delhi. He has been economical, though, conceding 6.57 per over in his seven overs.9.62 – Ashish Nehra’s economy rate against Deccan, which is his worst against any team – in eight overs he has conceded 77 runs and taken three wickets.5.25 – Pradeep Sangwan’s economy rate against Deccan (42 runs in eight overs, for four wickets). Dirk Nannes too has an excellent economy rate of 5.87 (47 runs in eight overs).7 – The number of games, out of 11 in Centurion, won by the team batting second. However, in seven night games, four have been won by the team batting first.159 – The average score of the team batting first in night games in Centurions. In seven matches, four times teams have scored in excess of 160, and twice in excess of 180.43 – Wickets taken by spinners in 11 games in Centurion, at an average of 26.97 and an economy rate of 7.31. Fast bowlers have taken 63 wickets, at 33.17 and 8.09 runs per over.

England’s year began with the Moores-Pietersen spat and the 51 all out and went on to take in the Ashes win and a marked improvement in ODI cricket

Andrew Miller04-Jan-2010A year that began in disarray for England has ended with a glut of triumphs that bring to mind some of their finest achievements of the decade. A year that began with Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores at the helm, but tugging the rudder in opposite directions, has finished with Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower bedding in as the most composed and harmonious captain-coach combination since the heyday of Duncan Fletcher and Michael Vaughan. A year that began with the humiliation of 51 all out in Jamaica ended with an innings triumph in Durban – a result to savour like few that England have ever pulled off overseas.A year that began with mocking laughter from Down Under has finished with England as Ashes winners for the second time in four years, and in between whiles they have even achieved some measure of competence in one-day cricket – of which more later. All in all, it’s been a year to remember, both for the results that have arisen and the manner in which they have been achieved. In years to come, when England revert inevitably to their frustrating ways of old, 2009 will be taken as proof that fortunes can be transformed almost at the flick of a switch, so long as there is a collective will to do so.And it was indeed the collective that enabled England to become a force once again, for 2009 owed as much to the unsung heroes as the standout performers. Strauss was imperious as an opening batsman, as he revelled in the responsibility of leading the team he ought to have inherited from Vaughan back in 2006, and cracked 1172 runs in 14 Tests, while Graeme Swann emerged as the most confident and attacking spin bowler in world cricket, and the first from England ever to manage 50 Test wickets in a calendar year. But their efforts would have come to nothing had it not been for the belt-and-braces efforts that kept the team afloat in between whiles.Take Paul Collingwood, for instance, who rescued the Ashes opener in Cardiff with a five-hour 74, then repeated the feat in Centurion before Christmas, grafting a vital 26 not out to repel the fury of Friedel de Wet. Take the long-forgotten Monty Panesar, and his fellow tailenders James Anderson and, in Centurion, Graham Onions, who glued their bats to their front pads and blocked their way to two vital draws. Having lost embarrassingly in the Caribbean in the spring (and having failed to capture the public imagination during a dismal return series in May), England could easily have been sizing up three defeats out of three in their marquee series. And had January’s poisonous atmosphere not been dispersed, that is surely the record they would have been nursing.

It was indeed the collective that enabled England to become a force once again, for 2009 owed as much to the unsung heroes as the standout performers

Talking of Onions, his earthy heroism with the ball brought to mind the highfaluting failings of his Durham team-mate Steve Harmison, whom he rightly usurped in the Test squad due to his greater willingness to get down and dirty for the greater good of the team. All in all, it was not a good year for the big cheeses. Pietersen went from January humiliation to August anonymity, and was even upstaged on his return to South Africa in November by Jonathan Trott. Andrew Flintoff, meanwhile, saved his best for a single barnstorming bowling spell at Lord’s, but was limping towards retirement long before the Ashes reached its climax.Humility, enforced or otherwise, was a clear feature of England’s performances, and it even extended to the one aspect of their cricket that not even the legends of 2005 could quite be bothered with. Like toddlers learning to walk, England were not without sizeable mishaps in their one-day performances – they were stuffed 6-1 by Australia in a series that should never have been scheduled so close to an Ashes finale, and they also tripped up in comical fashion against the Netherlands in the World Twenty20. But from an important if untrumpeted series win in the Caribbean, via a semi-final showing in the Champions Trophy, and all the way to an impressive maiden triumph in South Africa, they showed a rare determination to improve their dismal reputation, and as Australia have shown for decades, success begets success, no matter the colour of the clothing.And as it happens, few moments in England’s year were as important as the forgotten ODI triumph in the Caribbean. When England set off on that trip with the embers of their flare-up still glowing, Flower and Strauss had not the slightest inkling as to how they would gel, and Flower wasn’t even sure he wanted the full-time role. But as the series wore on and the near-misses mounted in Antigua and Trinidad, it became clear that England had chanced upon a winning combination.But after surrendering the Wisden Trophy, the pair still needed a result to stick on their CVs, and with a little help from John Dyson’s arithmetic and that man Flintoff, who hasn’t played in limited-overs cricket since his series-winning hat-trick, that is what they achieved. By the time they had seen off South Africa in Port Elizabeth eight months later, they had identified a potential star of the future in Eoin Morgan, and were sure enough of their direction to jettison Owais Shah, whose impressive 98 in the Champions Trophy came too late to dispel the doubts about his temperament after a decade of nearly-man status. The message is clear. Henceforth, only the toughest team players need apply.New kid on the block
It’s a peculiar fact that England’s most buoyant discovery of the past 12 months has been lurking in the backs of the selectors’ minds for longer than anyone else in the current Test XI. Graeme Swann toured South Africa precisely a decade ago, and played a solitary ODI in Bloemfontein before being ostracised for seven years by Duncan Fletcher, for a combination of crimes against punctuality and humility. What a gem he overlooked. Those years in exile have taught Swann all the tricks of the offspinner’s trade, and persuaded him to seize the day now that his belated opportunity has come about. On debut in December 2008, he claimed two wickets in his very first over, and that trait of striking early has served him well ever since, not least during his finest hour to date, in Durban last week. His confidence, dare one say it, is almost Warne-esque in character – and his lower-order tonking is a joy to behold.Swann: overlooked for about a decade, but back in the frame now•Getty ImagesFading star
If Fletcher’s judgment on Swann was prematurely damning, then he’ll doubtless permit himself a quiet “I told you so” about another spinner to have featured prominently during his time as coach. Monty Panesar’s most notable performance of 2009 came with the bat, when he and James Anderson survived 69 deliveries on the final day in Cardiff, to save the Test, turning the Ashes. It was also his final act for the foreseeable future in international cricket. Swann’s instant impact, and moreover his willingness and ability to think on his feet, have shown up Panesar’s robotic obsession with good areas. A dismal county season brought an end to his 10-year association with Northamptonshire, and perhaps the spin-friendly atmosphere at Hove will raise his game back to the heights of 2006. But damningly, James Tredwell was named as cover for Swann during the tour of South Africa, despite Panesar being billeted down the road with the Highveld Lions.High point
In terms of popular acclaim, nothing could match the achievement of winning back the Ashes, as England took a flawed but thrilling series two Tests to one, in a contest that lacked the sheer intensity of the 2005 version but was nonetheless blessed with more than enough ebb and flow to keep the nation gripped. But from the point of view of an England management who saw that triumph as a stepping stone to greater glories rather than an end in itself (as it had been four years earlier), the manner in which the team launched their tour of South Africa was even more satisfying. A shared Twenty20 series, a victory in the one-dayers, and a 1-0 lead in the Tests as the year drew to a close.Low point
At least England got their crisis out of their system nice and early. Mind you, it was something special, a conflagration of Pakistani standards, as Pietersen instigated a coup against his coach, Moores, and found himself out on his ear as a result. Twelve months on, it is hard to recall quite how poisonous the atmosphere was within the England set-up, with accusations of cliques and backstabbers in every corner of the dressing room. It actually meant that what followed in Sabina Park, though hideous to behold, was actually a blessing in disguise. From the nadir of 51 all out, England had nowhere to hide and only one direction in which to take their subsequent fortunes.What 2010 holds
The immediate focus is on Cape Town and the Wanderers, two massive Test matches in which England have a chance to emulate the achievement of Vaughan’s men in 2004-05, and win in South Africa for only the second time since readmission. After that, however, the challenge will be to maintain focus throughout a fallow nine months that offer little in the way of headline acts. Bangladesh at home and away, followed by the mercurial Pakistanis and an overkill of a one-day series against Australia, will test the intensity of Strauss’s tightly bound unit. But then it’s off to Australia for another defence of the Ashes. And after what they’ve overcome in the past 12 months, they’ll surely believe that vengeance for the whitewash is a distinct possibility.

Fitness, fielding and simple cricket sense will be key if Guyana are to match T&T’s fairytale performance from last year in the Champions League

Tony Cozier08-Aug-2010Guyana have a hard act to follow. Trinidad and Tobago’s inspiring performance in the inaugural Champions League in India last year set standards and created expectations that the new West Indies Twenty20 champions will find difficult to match in the second tournament in South Africa next month.Complete outsiders at the start, the Trinidadians advanced to the final with one victory after another over powerful opponents from England, Australia, South Africa and the Indian Premier League, most bumped up by foreign imports. Only Brett Lee’s all-round brilliance for New South Wales stopped them in the final.They caught international cricket’s attention and restored some of the West Indies’ fading image. The impression of Ian Chappell, the great Australian captain of the 1960s and 70s, was typical. “Daren Ganga’s team played with a smile on their faces and fun in their hearts, while capturing the public imagination,” he wrote. “This team has the ability to deflate opponents with their big hitting and outrageously optimistic strokeplay but, by taking such risks, they also keep the opposition interested.”Despite playing in such a free-flowing manner there’s an underlying discipline in the team that was epitomised by their sure-handed and, at times, brilliant fielding,” he added.
Ganga’s leadership was universally lauded, encouraging a strong, but unsuccessful, lobby for him to be elevated to the West Indies captaincy.This is the benchmark that confronts Guyana. Already, the naysayers are predicting the worst. Dwayne Bravo has publicly asserted that, regardless of the outcome of the WICB’s first T20 championship, T&T remain the best short-game team in the region.And there has been the especially dismissive judgment of Andre Baptiste, a regular columnist in T&T’s oldest newspaper, the Guardian, that the Guyana team “is just not up to international standard and will be a poor representative for this region”.The Guyanese can disregard such pessimism. Much the same was felt about the Trinidadians a year ago, if not as strongly put. Their team paid no heed and simply went about the business of proving the doubters wrong.The internal strife within the Guyana board and the predictable wrangle over how the payout from the League should be portioned out seem like distractions. So it was for T&T. A contracts dispute between the players and their board last year wasn’t settled until days before they flew out for their date with destiny in India. The opportunity of participating in the first significant competition of its kind, televised live internationally, eliminated any distractions then. So it should now.

Quite apart from the pride qualification has already brought to the substantial global Guyanese diaspora, a few strong motivating factors, collectively and individually, override all dire forecasts.

Quite apart from the pride qualification has already brought to the substantial global Guyanese diaspora, a few strong motivating factors, collectively and individually, override all dire forecasts.There is overall prize money of US$11 million to be shared around and, after Kieron Pollard’s brazen six-hitting for T&T last year made him one of the most sought after, highly-paid cricketers on earth, all are aware that a pot of gold could be waiting for them at the end as well.Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan has redundantly stressed that the most critical element in their campaign is preparation. While the same doesn’t appear to apply to West Indies teams, Sarwan would be keenly aware of the benefits of the six-week Stanford camp prior to the Super Series against England in 2008. T&T realised it and committed themselves with real intensity for five weeks last year. The effects were obvious on the field.Time is shorter for Guyana but at least two areas are already covered. Throughout the regional T20, Sarwan said his was “an easy team to lead since I have a great relationship with all the players”. He described team spirit as “the best I’ve seen in any Guyana team I’ve been in”, and he’s been in Guyana teams since he was 15.It tied in with his tactical direction that was widely praised in media coverage by former players, usually grudging in such praise. His leadership can have the same impact as Ganga’s for T&T.Where attention is urgently needed – and this applies to West Indies teams at every level – is to fitness, fielding and simple cricket sense. A glance at the physiques of the majority of West Indies players and a count of the number of injuries emphasise the first point. The overall sluggishness, the proliferation of missed catches, of fluffed run-outs and of fumbles in the field cover the second.These are areas the Guyana coaching staff needs to concentrate most on – even above batting and bowling – in the brief period available to them. The evidence, especially in this helter-skelter version of the game, is clear.The major difference between England and Australia, the finalists in May’s World T20 in the Caribbean, and the also-rans was fitness and fielding. T&T might now be getting ready to return to the Champions League but for the five catches and palpable run-outs they missed in their semi-final loss to Guyana. It was in direct contrast to the sure-handed and, at times, brilliant fielding Ian Chappell praised last year. Barbados certainly would be the West Indies’ representative in South Africa had the boundary catch off Jonathan Foo to clinch victory in the final not been parried over the ropes for six. And so on and so forth.Guyana are understandably keen for a few late preparation matches against T&T at the National Stadium before their excited and expectant public. By then, they should have an idea as to whether they have got everything in order for the challenge ahead. They carry the hopes of the Caribbean with them.

To appreciate Sachin Tendulkar’s effort today – his fourth century off his first innings in each of the last four years – it is important to appreciate the most exciting bowler in world cricket at his best

Sidharth Monga at Newlands04-Jan-2011Years later, or weeks later, or days later, when they talk about this series, regardless of the result, they will talk about two Dale Steyn spells that started the first two sessions of the third day of the Cape Town Test. Perhaps the 11 best overs anyone can bowl for just two wickets. It was perfect outswing bowling at high pace, often pitching leg, missing off, too often too good for the batsmen. And if it can be considered possible, after that wicketless first spell, Steyn came out to bowl even better. If one were to strain and look for a possible criticism, it was that he bowled just one straighter one and two bouncers in the first chunk of five overs. Everything else was close to perfect. There wasn’t even a no-ball; loose balls were a distant thought altogether.To appreciate Sachin Tendulkar’s effort today – his fourth century off his first innings in each of the last four years – it is important to appreciate the most exciting bowler in world cricket at his best. It was just such a day of Test cricket. Of the 66 balls from hell that Steyn bowled in those two spells, which went for 13 runs and took two wickets, Tendulkar negotiated 48. In that mix of some masterful defending, some luck (he could not have survived without luck), and huge responsibility, is the difference between India’s being even and being woefully behind by the end of the third day.There was no counterattack there: Steyn was too hot to touch for that. It was good old-fashioned buckling down, doing your best and hoping that the good deliveries are too good for the edge. Then again, Tendulkar played five back-to-back Steyn overs for 10 runs – six of them unintentional – and in this modern world, that calls for an injudicious shot to release the incredible pressure. He reserved the releasing of pressure for Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who bowled well too, but in comparison to Steyn he was like Mother Teresa. Calculated risks were taken: the premeditated pull and the upper-cut in Tsotsobe’s first over of the day.Tendulkar had tired Steyn down, Gautam Gambhir had done the same to Morne Morkel, and with some sort of authority established over Tsotsobe’s bowling, it was time for Tendulkar to reap the rewards for the hard work in the first hour. As South Africa awaited the new ball, out came the delicate run-scoring shots, the drives through cover and extra cover, the check drives straight down the ground, the nudges, the paddle sweeps, and the steers to third man. Then, as he approached his century and also the second new ball, Tendulkar saw Gambhir get out, and contributed to Laxman’s dismissal through a lovely straight hit off Paul Harris. Time, again, for the old-fashioned Test batting to kick in.This time he was surer with Steyn, coming well forward to defend, using soft hands, and leaving better, sometimes perilously close to off stump. That couldn’t be said of Cheteshwar Pujara, who got an unplayable one from Steyn, and MS Dhoni. Three of Tendulkar’s four recent new-year centuries have featured partnerships with the tail – in Sydney, in Chittagong and here. It is something we don’t appreciate often enough with Tendulkar, because those after him have in the past inflicted heartbreak on him.Today, Tendulkar took the responsibility again. He shielded Harbhajan Singh from Steyn, and asked him to go after the others. It worked. And in a strange show of outdoing MS Dhoni in terms of defensive captaincy, Smith spread out the fields. That was the only downer on a perfect day of Test cricket, but Tendulkar would have taken it any day. He started manoeuvring the strike, and soon even Harbhajan saw spread-out fields. The partnership bloomed, and Tendulkar got surer, better and more severe on loose deliveries. Even through those deep fields, Tendulkar found runs, hitting Harris for a six over long-off, driving Morkel through the covers, and cutting between the third man and deep point to take couples to retain strike.If respect from the opponent were a yardstick to measure an effort, Tendulkar came out glowingly from his examination today. Even though on the field, Steyn had a verbal go at Tendulkar, and even though the series is now getting a bit ugly as it approaches its end, Steyn has this to say about Tendulkar’s innings: “Sachin is a really good player. I have heard one or two guys remark about the speed and everything I have been bowling at, but he is such a good player, there is no point wasting your energy bowling at him. You tend to save your energy and tend to bowl at other guys. If you bowl a good bowl to him, or a No. 11 batter, it’s going to remain a good ball. So it was a good contest going on.”Tendulkar’s role in making today one of the best days of Test cricket in recent memory cannot be overstated. But for him, it would have been a much more memorable day for Steyn and South Africa, but we would not have been entertained as much as we were. If Rafael Nadal hadn’t come around, we would have remembered Roger Federer’s incredible shots, not his matches.

South Africa are favourites based on recent form, but West Indies can draw inspiration from their excellent performances in global tournaments against South Africa

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan23-Feb-2011Going by recent form, South Africa are firm favourites going into their first match of the World Cup, against West Indies. South Africa have won 26 of the 39 matches played since the beginning of 2009 and along with Australia, have the best win-loss ratio in the same period. Their only series defeats since 2009 have come against England and India, and their biggest disappointment was the failure to make the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy in 2009. West Indies, on the other hand, have won just 10 matches and lost 27 since the beginning of 2009, and have the worst win-loss ratio among Test-playing teams. Their last series win against a Test-playing team came in the home series against Sri Lanka in 2007-08. However, what makes the match-up interesting is that West Indies have almost always found a way to compete against South Africa in global tournaments, where they have won four out of the eight matches played between the two sides.Head-to-head record
South Africa have beaten West Indies in their last eleven meetings since the Champions Trophy in 2006. However, West Indies can draw confidence from their record against South Africa in global tournaments. While Brian Lara’s superb centuries in Karachi and Cape Town gave them victories in the 1996 and 2003 World Cup matches, it was Chris Gayle’s aggressive 133 which led to a convincing six-wicket win in the Champions Trophy match in Jaipur in 2006. South Africa, though, boosted by AB de Villiers’ 146, won comfortably on the last occasion the teams met in the World Cup, in 2007. In the subcontinent, South Africa have a better record, having won four out of six matches played between the two teams. Since 2000, however, West Indies are one of only three teams to boast a positive win-loss record in ODIs in India.

South Africa’s batting dominance
Since January 2008, South Africa have a batting average of 37.42, the best among all teams that have played at least 50 matches. In contrast, West Indies average just 25.73. While South African batsmen have made 111 fifty-plus scores in 56 matches, West Indies have just 69 fifty-plus scores in 61 matches. South Africa’s record against West Indies is even more impressive; in ten ODIs since the beginning of 2008, they average 42.94 with five centuries. West Indian batsmen, on the other hand, have not scored a single century and average just 25.94.
Jacques Kallis, de Villiers and Hashim Amla average over 50 in the last three years in matches against West Indies. Amla especially, has been exceptional scoring over 400 runs in five matches with two centuries and one half-century. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who averages nearly 44, has been the solitary success for West Indies in recent head-to-head matches against South Africa. Gayle, who is the only player to score a century against South Africa in all three formats, has had a very poor time since 2008. In five matches against South Africa, he has scored just 128 runs without a single half-century.

Bowling experience the key
Dale Steyn, the best fast bowler in Tests over the last few years, has been less effective in ODIs. He has picked up 58 wickets at an average of nearly 30 since the beginning of 2008. Surprisingly, his record against West Indies is poor: he has just eight wickets in seven matches at an average of 39.25. Morne Morkel has been much more impressive, with 53 wickets at 24.18. He has picked up 18 wickets in his last seven matches against West Indies with two four-wicket hauls. Lonwabo Tsotsobe lends variety to the pace attack, while the consistent Johan Botha has led the spin attack well over the last few years. With legspinner Imran Tahir showing plenty of promise, South Africa’s attack has lots of class and variety.In the absence of the injured Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards, the West Indian pace attack is led by Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul. Dwayne Bravo, the highest wicket-taker for West Indies since 2008, and Darren Sammy complete the pace line-up. Despite the presence of spinners like Sulieman Benn and Nikita Miller, the bowling attack overall lacks the experience and firepower that South Africa possess.First ten and last ten overs
South Africa have been the superior batting side, scoring at a higher run-rate and averaging higher than West Indies in the mandatory Powerplay overs and the last ten overs. When the bowling performance is analysed, West Indies have a slightly better economy rate in both the first ten and last ten overs. Overall though, the run-rate difference is significantly better for South Africa.

Delhi, the venue for the game, has hosted just five ODIs since 2000. Three of those matches were won by the team batting first, but India won the only day-night game by six wickets against Australia in 2009. The most recent match in Delhi – between India and Sri Lanka in December 2009 – however, ended abruptly as the pitch was deemed dangerous for play to continue. The focus will thus be as much on the pitch as the teams on Thursday.

In the 33 Tests he played since his return to international cricket, Simon Katich scored more runs at a higher average than any other Australian batsman

S Rajesh10-Jun-2011Simon Katich has lashed out at the Australian board and selectors after being omitted from the list of contracted players for next season, and his stats over the last three years show just why the decision has incensed him so much.After being out of the national team for two-and-a-half years, Katich returned in the middle of 2008 had three of his best years in Test cricket. (Click here for Katich’s career summary.) He’d averaged only 36 in his first 23 Tests, before May 2008, but was fantastic when he returned, averaging more than 50 in 33 matches. Eight of his ten Test hundreds came during this period, and he was easily Australia’s leading batsman: no one else averaged 50, with Michael Clarke’s 46.51 being the next-best. Overall, only Alastair Cook scored more runs than Katich during this period, while Katich’s 25 fifty-plus scores was also second only to Cook’s 27.Of his 2928 runs, 1495 runs came in wins at an average of 59.80 with five hundreds – all three are the best for Australia during this period. And at a time when Australia weren’t doing so well overseas, Katich stood out in away series too, scoring 1857 runs at 50.18, with six centuries. Among the Australians who played at least ten overseas Tests, the next-best average was Clarke’s 43.66.

Katich’s ability to stay at the crease for long periods also meant he forged many meaningful partnerships with the top order. The top three pairs in the last three years, in terms of runs scored, all feature Katich – he added more than 1000 runs with Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey. Of the 47 century stands that Australia managed during this period, Katich was in 17, which is a healthy 36%. Six of those were with Ponting, but there were also six other batsmen with whom Katich had at least one century partnership. (Click here for the full list of partnerships for Australia during this period.)

One of the reasons for his exclusion that particularly enraged him was the fact that the selectors wanted to groom an opening pair for the 2013 Ashes. “To be given the reason that it’s because the opening partnership needs to bed down for 2013, when I know for a fact that Watto [Shane Watson] and I have thoroughly enjoyed opening together, and it’s been one of the bright spots of our team in the last two years, I find it very hard to believe that [a new partnership needs to come in].”Again, the numbers completely justify Katich’s comment. Since the pair started opening the batting in the 2009 Ashes series, Katich and Watson have scored 1523 partnership runs at the top of the order, averaging 54.39 per completed stand. On average, they topped 50 once every two innings, which was an excellent cushion for an Australian middle order that wasn’t in great form. No other opening pair scored as many as they did, and among the top ones only one – Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir – had a higher average during this period.In the six innings that Watson paired up with Phil Hughes in last season’s Ashes, they only managed an average of 33.67 and a highest partnership of 55. With tough tours of Sri Lanka and South Africa coming up, Australia’s opening pair will need to do much better than that. Whoever takes up the job from the list of contenders will have huge shoes to fill.