All posts by n8rngtd.top

Haroon Lorgat talks about the postponement of the Test Championship over commercial concerns, and why he didn’t seek an extension to his tenure

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi24-Nov-2011Why did you announce before your term runs out that you won’t be seeking an additional term in office?

My term of office ends in June of next year. In late 2010 I had agreed on an additional one year to my initial contract, which was due to expire in June 2011. At the time I believed I would not have been able to properly complete a new ICC strategy for 2011-2015, and, importantly, the spot-fixing matter was not concluded. Hence I agreed on a one year extension. We have now reached a stage where the strategy is well understood internally and is progressing well in its implementation, and thankfully the spot-fixing trial is behind us. I therefore feel it is the right time to move on.You said it was disappointing the World Test Championship would not take place in 2013. Was the postponing of the event a big setback for you and a reason for your quitting?

I can assure you that is no reason for my departure. I am of course disappointed that it will not happen in 2013 because I believe we needed urgency to create context in order to promote Test cricket. A Test World Championship would have been the ideal culmination for teams competing over a period to achieve a top-four ranking and then progress to the playoffs and the eventual champion team.Did the ICC think of renegotiating the broadcast deal, whereby they could pay ESPN STAR Sports* the money it was owed for the Champions Trophy as a measure to go all out to hold the Test Championships?

This was considered but not supported by the ICC board and the Chief Executives’ Committee.There seemed a lot of support for the event until money came into it. Did you feel the member countries should have looked beyond short-term financial ends?

A balanced mindset would have been a lot better. Money is clearly an important factor but it should not be the only factor. We looked at different models of evaluating the revenue implications but the fact is that the value of an inaugural Test Championship comprising four teams and fewer matches is not viewed the same commercially as the Champions Trophy comprising eight teams.It is a complex issue, particularly for some of the Members, and there could be occasions when some of them would favour the commercial aspects above strategic or other aspects.Reportedly, some of the countries that turned out to be reluctant about 2013 were stronger ones like England and Australia. Was it disappointing that countries which already have the benefit of marquee series seem less enthusiastic about broadening Test cricket’s appeal?
Your information is not correct because some of those countries you mention were strong supporters of the Test Championship.What about the World Cup format, where you had decided in April that only 10 teams would play before it was reversed in June at the annual conference.
I still believe that a ten-team World Cup on a qualification basis for all Members would be a better event. This was part of the proposals to strategically restructure international cricket and was designed to protect and promote all three formats. In my view, the top four teams in a Test playoff, the top 10 teams in the 50-over format and the top 16 teams in the Twenty20 format is the most suitable structure and would create excellent context, as every match would count towards qualifying for a global event. We must ensure quality games with no mismatches, and I believe that fewer teams are able to compete in the longer the format. Making everyone qualify will raise playing standards overall. Since the Full Members believed they deserved automatic entry, it is obvious that the 50-over World Cup needed to be expanded [from 10 teams]. That is perfectly understandable.Was it a setback for you personally?

No. I was backing a particular line of thinking which did not find sufficient support for implementation in 2015. It will be applied in the next World Cup, in 2019, and I still believe it is the best way to ensure the sustainability of the 50-over game. Once the Full Members were not willing to go through a qualification process, I was in favour of 14 teams.What were the objections presented? Was there any ill feeling?

The main objection was that a ten-team event would require [some] Full Members to qualify. Their belief was that there was a long-standing expectation that Full Members automatically play in the World Cup, and that therefore [we] needed sufficient notice before we can change this practice. This is why the ten-team World Cup will start from 2019.I can assure you there was no animosity in the debates and this may be a reflection of the fact that I am not confrontational by nature. In fact, [at the moment] I am engaged in the Development Committee meeting, which consists of members who pushed for the 14-team World Cup, yet we are having amicable and interesting arguments for the good of the game. The members on this committee fully appreciate why I was batting for a ten-team World Cup and many would have supported me had there been a qualification process for all members. Their argument, quite rightly, is about having access to the World Cup.Were there objections from certain Full Members to your recommendation or was it a unanimous vote?

At the end it was unanimous – to go with the 14-team format, although initially there was strong support from countries like Australia, New Zealand and England for a ten-team event with qualification. But ultimately it was a unanimous decision to go with 14 teams.Haroon Lorgat: “We cannot carry out sting operations or arrest people or seize property. That is not within our remit or powers”•Getty ImagesThe governance review is an important step, but how likely are Member nations to accept genuine change and a more powerful ICC?

There is a lot of interest and support for the governance review and it is one of the key initiatives agreed in the new strategy. At this stage it is not possible for me to speculate but I do know that Lord Woolf is on track to report at the next board meeting. As for accepting change, it will take vision and courage from the board to openly consider the recommendations for the good of the game.Has your tenure been a frustrating one, in that the ICC executive does not have any powers vis-a-vis the board?

It is not ideal when you are not sufficiently empowered to undertake or implement what you know is correct and must be done. But I understood that when I entered the ICC, and it is why the ICC board rather than the executive [is] held accountable for the future of the game.Your relationship with BCCI has seemed far from cordial. Was it humiliating when the Indian team did not turn up at the ICC awards earlier this summer in London?

This must be the most frequently asked question and I seem unable to convince you that we share a very cordial relationship in spite of the debates we have. It’s not me that was humiliated – rather it is the team that faced criticism.Malcolm Speed, your predecessor, wrote in his book : “finding the right balance between India’s commercial power and the interests of the other countries is a big test for the game”. Do you agree?

Malcolm’s view is shared by many and is accurate. However, in my view we should not begrudge India its commercial strength; rather we should celebrate such economic power. What we should be concerned about is the weakness of the other Members that leads to leadership and governance challenges.Do you think the ICC can afford to invest money in sting operations to help the ACSU apprehend match-fixers?

We cannot carry out sting operations or arrest people or seize property. That is not within our remit or powers. This was made clear by the members when the ACSU was established. Corruption is a serious challenge and we must not be complacent but remain vigilant to combat this menace. While there may be exceptions, I firmly believe that the vast majority of players and officials are honest and play the game in great spirit, and it is most unfair on these players to cast doubt on them. I do believe that the recent convictions will send a strong message to all involved in the game. You can rest assured that we will not tolerate corruption.*ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.), the parent company of ESPNcricinfo, and News Corporation Limited (STAR)

He rattled Australia, Sri Lanka and India with pace and bounce but Chris Tremlett’s England career has been stalled again

Alan Gardner06-Mar-2012Chris Tremlett is sitting in the clubhouse at Hursley Park, the club a few miles outside Winchester in southern England where he first took up the game, having folded his 6ft 8in frame into a low chair like an action man forced to accommodate himself in the furniture of a doll’s house. It is a crisp, clear morning in rural Hampshire and Tremlett has just been to see his parents, who still live in the village where he grew up. Having been forced out of England action for the second Test series running, then undergoing surgery on a recurring back problem, he has recently begun the early stages of rehabilitation but he seems relaxed about the challenges of returning to fitness, finding form and regaining his place in the international side.Despite being a fast bowler of such imposing physical proportions, Tremlett was once characterised as too diffident a sort to thrive for England. His re-emergence during last winter’s Ashes proved he had the menace to match his measurements, but alongside providing a convenient hat-stand for people’s assumptions, Tremlett’s height and build have in his case exacerbated the stresses and strains that bowlers’ bodies must withstand. Faced, at 30, with another injury layoff that will hand further opportunities to the likes of Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn, he could be forgiven for bemoaning his bad luck.Rather than despondency, though, Tremlett’s take on the situation is a positive one. This may be a PR-friendly line, typical of the modern Team England philosophy of in-it-togetherness that would please a coalition minister, but there is not a flicker of internal contradiction as he discusses the crop of bowlers that Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss have at their disposal.”There’s natural competition there and I think it’s very healthy,” he says. “There are five or six guys knocking on the door. Finny’s bowled brilliantly for the last year or so and he hasn’t been able to get in the Test side, apart from one game at Lord’s last summer. So if guys are bowling well and they get the opportunity, then you’ve got to stick your hand up and say ‘The guy deserves his place.’ It is sort of like a natural rotation policy with fast bowlers, because there are going to be injuries.”Enforced absence is difficult for any bowler but Tremlett accepts that some rotation among the attack is likely to be inevitable, as England look to build a squad strong enough to succeed in all conditions, and that with the right management it could help prolong his career.”It’s tough work, especially if you’re a big guy – someone like Broady, sometimes I feel for him because he plays all forms of the game, he bowls a lot of overs, probably more than anyone else. For me, I guess you get a natural rest sometimes when you do get the odd niggle here and there. My main focus has been four-day cricket and Test cricket, so it has given me natural breaks from bowling in between. Unfortunately I got injured, but hopefully, long term, if I can keep myself in the set-up and make sure my workload’s looked after, then I’ll be able to play for a few years to come.”

While the rigours of his trade have left their marks on Tremlett, the bowler as a young man was more of a batsman. He describes his favourite Hursley Park memories as coming in to “slog a few sixes over the short boundary”

The injury – a bulging disc in his spine – that removed him from England’s plans in the UAE, flared up last summer. Having been England’s leading wicket-taker against Sri Lanka, following on from his searing whites return during the Ashes, Tremlett lost his place in the side to Bresnan as England went on to crush India 4-0 and become the No. 1-ranked Test team. Such are England’s current resources that Tremlett’s awkward angles and splice-threatening lift were ably compensated for; but with Bresnan suffering an elbow problem of his own, Tremlett won a recall for the first Test against Pakistan in Dubai.England suffered a chastening defeat – with Tremlett going wicketless in a Test innings for the first time in his career – but the damage to his body was worse than that inflicted on his pride. Rather than rest and recovery, which had been the strategy before, an operation was required, meaning another spell on the sidelines for a man who once came with his own emergency supply of bubble wrap.”I don’t think I’m back to square one,” he says of his latest setback. “It’s naturally frustrating. Obviously I’ve had injuries in the past, which in some regard mentally has actually helped me at this stage of my career because I know what it’s like. I know I do bounce back strong and I do work very hard when I’m coming back from an injury. I’ve had a good couple of years, I’ve got myself back in the England fold, so it is frustrating.”I’m not trying to get too down about it, just trying to concentrate on training hard, getting back playing for Surrey, and not think too much about playing for England at the moment. That’s the long-term goal, to get back as soon as I can, but if you want it too much and push it too hard – and I come back too quickly – that’s when the injury could reoccur. It’ll just be nice to get some overs under my belt for Surrey, then we’ll think about England and hopefully I can find the form I had last year.”It’s just finding that consistency and I back myself when I’m fit to find that consistency pretty quickly. If I’m fit and strong and playing cricket regularly and bowling overs then I back myself to be as good as anyone.”For all the suggestions that Tremlett is, as Shane Warne put it before the 2010-11 Ashes, a bit “soft”, there is a quiet determination about him as he discusses his recovery. He is enthusiastic about returning to Surrey, where his consistent displays in 2010 triggered an England call up more than three years after his previous appearance, and refers fondly to the “family feeling” at The Oval.

Chris Tremlett’s record since his return in Perth in December 2010

• v Australia (a), three Tests, 17 wickets at 23.25

• v Sri Lanka (h), three Tests, 23 at 22.40

• v India (h), one Test, 4 for 124

• v Pakistan (a), one Test, 0 for 53

Although he will miss the first few weeks of the season as Surrey reacquaint themselves with Division One of the Championship, Tremlett could form a contrasting new-ball partnership with one-time England swing bowler Jon Lewis. Modestly, he defers to Lewis as the senior man but he will admit to being “next in line” in terms of experience. With team-mates Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker also jostling for the attention of the England selectors, Tremlett’s comfortable approach to competition may have to extend to his county surroundings as well.”Surrey is a very exciting place to be at the moment,” he says. “We’ve brought in a lot of young players and they are finally starting to perform to their potential. A lot of guys stepped up last year, winning that trophy [CB40] and getting promoted. So everything’s in place, the youngsters are there, we’ve got a mix of experience as well – I think Jacques Rudolph we’ve just signed, Jon Lewis, Zander de Bruyn, Mark Ramprakash, so we have got some experience as well.”Tremlett is back at Hursley Park to help promote NatWest’s campaign to find the best-supported local cricket club and on the wall is a picture of the fresh-faced teenage version smiling into the camera – proof, if any were needed, that no Dorian Gray-style bargain has been struck to offset the depredations of this fast bowler’s existence. There are also some of his youth honours on show – not quite the urn, but a couple of engraved shields and a ball mounted on a mini-plinth – and Tremlett acknowledges the value of county players retaining their links to club cricket wherever they can.”I started playing here when I was 11-12 years old. I grew up down the road, unfortunately since moving to Surrey I don’t come down as much,” he says. “But it’s nice to come back and see a few pictures on the walls, that they still remember me and there’s a couple of trophies from performances I did 10, 15 years ago. It’s nice to remember your roots and how you grew up.”While the rigours of his trade have left their marks on Tremlett, the bowler as a young man was more of a batsman. He describes his favourite Hursley Park memories as coming in to “slog a few sixes over the short boundary”, although he concedes that while batting may have led to a career less dogged by injury, in the end the choice was a straightforward one.”Back then, I was quite tall, and I just tried to give it a bit of a whack, use my height and strength. I’d come in at four or five and just try and up the ante at the end. I used to bowl as well but I was probably a batting allrounder, and then, as I grew up, I turned it around. Probably from 16-17, my dad was pretty honest with me and said, ‘If you want to make it, you’re going to have to work more on your bowling.'”England should be glad that he did – even if his body frequently isn’t.Chris Tremlett supports NatWest’s Biggest Little Cricket Club campaign, a nationwide search to find the most loved NatWest CricketForce club. For more information and to vote for your club visit www.natwest.com/cricket before 23rd March 2012.

A breathtaking display of big-hitting and a mesmerising spell of spin bowling in a disappointingly one-sided game

Aashish Calla24-Apr-2012Choice of game
Can any reason be bigger than the prospect of witnessing a Gayle blitz? The anticipation of a few hits coming my way was reason enough for me to watch this game live. Moreover, I’d like to believe, I’ve been lucky for Gayle in Jaipur – the previous two times I saw him bat at the SMS Stadium, he scored 70 (unbeaten, in last year’s IPL) and 130-something (again, unbeaten, against South Africa in the 2006 Champions Trophy).Team supported
Rajasthan Royals. Royal Challengers Bangalore had the likes of Gayle, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Virat Kohli and Daniel Vettori in their line-up, but my loyalty and die-hard support will always remain with Rahul Dravid. And he didn’t disappoint with the bat today.Key performer
AB de Villiers. Watching him bat in the manner he does, smashing bowlers all around the park, I always think it’s time he inserts a “C” into his name to make it ABC de Villiers. That way, he can tell people, “I’m the ABCDE of batting!” Some of his strokes at the Royals game were so breathtakingly brilliant that most of the local fans gave up all hope of another home win even before their team had come out to bat.One thing I’d have changed
Royals’ decision at the toss. I’d have made them bat first, undoubtedly. Why give the opposition a chance to set a target when you had set them an unbeatable target just a few days ago? Royals scored in the vicinity of 190 then, and won with ease. Here, Royal Challengers scored in the vicinity of 190 and won with ease.Face-off I most relished
Rahul Dravid v Vinay Kumar. Karnataka boys and India internationals, both. Daniel Vettori also gave Vinay an extended spell today, three overs out of the first six. In his first two overs, Vinay kept things tight – the only blemish was five overthrows gifted away to Dravid – but in the third over, the batting legend came into his own. The first two balls of the over were duly dispatched, one over midwicket and another a crisp-sounding cover drive. Two varied, glorious shots that reminded me of the Rahul Dravid of 1999.Wow moment

KP Appanna. Most of the Jaipur crowd did not know who he was. He was introduced as a left-arm spinner, and as he came on to bowl, people thought he would be easy pickings for Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane and Co. But the young Karnataka player started with a dot ball and had Rahane caught at long-on off just his second delivery. The crowd couldn’t believe what they had just seen. The orange-cap wearer was walking back and the unknown spinner was celebrating. It was just the beginning of what would turn out to be a dream spell of left-arm spin bowling.Player watch
Today’s game clearly told me who is the man to watch from now on when at an India game. It’s Virat Kohli. Although he isn’t really setting the IPL alight with the bat, Kohli’s the red-hot favourite as far as the crowds go. Today, the chants for him, and the cheers he received every time he approached the boundary line, be it deep midwicket, long-off or long-on, were unbelievable. It was hard to imagine a non-Rajasthan Royals player getting such massive crowd support. A future (or should I say, present) superstar for sure.Shot of the match
What better than the Dilscoop? Watching such a shot live in a stadium is something a fan will take back as a fond memory. This evening, I told my brother, “Wait for the Dilscoop now, as the fine leg fielder is within the circle.” Dilshan obliged just two balls later, with a fabulous scoop over the head of the wicketkeeper. Two bounces and it was a four.Post-match buzz
De Villiers, when presented the Man of the Match award, asked Appanna to come forward and share it with him. It was such a lovely gesture. I think it is these little things that lift the morale of young cricketers and boost the reputation of the stars even more. I can certainly say that tonight, de Villiers added at least one more name to his already long list of fans.Crowd meter
The stadium was packed, but this time the spectators weren’t as well behaved as usual. A man threw a piece of trash on a spectator in the front row who was standing on his seat and obstructing the view of the people behind him. This, sadly, became a game. For a brief but intolerable spell, the attention of fans in my vicinity moved from the match to throwing things like paper cups and plates, banners and caps on to the spectators in the front row. When the situation looked like getting out of hand, the security intervened.Entertainment
The DJ at the stadium did his best to entertain the crowd with the latest numbers and, of course, the signature IPL trumpet tune. However, the local rules state music can’t be played after 10pm, so by the time the Royals’ innings started, the DJ’s job was done.Refreshments
For the first time at the SMS Stadium, I could choose to eat a Dominos pizza. I’ve been to about eight games here, but Dominos pizzas at the match were a genuine first for me, and something I could never have imagined.Overall
It was a one-sided game from the time Royal Challengers prised out Rahane. Any margin of victory of over 25 runs in a Twenty20 game would suggest that. Here it was 46. Multiply that by 2.5, to get the corresponding number for a one-dayer, and that’s a victory margin of 115 – an ample demonstration of the one-sidedness of the game. There were some great moments, though, as always. Rahul Dravid’s half-century, de Villiers’ five sixes, Appanna’s four wickets, the cheers for Kohli… but all in all, it would have been better if it were a closely contested game.Marks out of 10
Seven. Three marks deducted because the match, as some would say, didn’t go “down to the wire”. Also, it loses some points as the team I was supporting was not in the game for too long.

In the 1980s, a young fast bowler from Denmark set out to play cricket for an English county. He was fierce, disciplined, popular, and lived to regret bouncing Sylvester Clarke

Scott Oliver07-Jun-2012If Carlsberg made reliable seamers for English conditions, there’s a fair chance they’d come up with something along the lines of the moustachioed 6ft 4in Dane with the angular, windmilling action seen squaring batsmen up at verdant Derby in the eighties and nineties – someone rated by Kim Barnett, his captain for the duration of his stint in county cricket, as “the best bowler never to have played Test cricket”. Possible bias notwithstanding, there’s little doubt Ole Mortensen’s 434 first-class wickets at 23.88 make him the comfortably the best Norseman yet to have donned whites.Carlsberg don’t make reliable seamers, of course, but in 1985, after Mortensen’s first Derbyshire deal had expired, they did try and sign him on behalf of Northamptonshire. Spotting a branding opportunity, the brewer offered to double their countryman’s wage while picking up the tab for the county where they had their UK base. However, “Stan”, as his team-mates knew him, decided to stay at Derby because he “felt that we were going places under Kim Barnett’s leadership and sincerely believed we were going to win some trophies”.One can almost hear the slurps of appreciation from Ilkeston to Glossop, and if the omnipresent Viking helmets of his testimonial year in 1994 are any guide, Mortensen is among the county’s most cherished post-war cricketers. The loyalty was vindicated by the fact that two of the four trophies Derbyshire have won came during his dozen years on the staff.But how does a young Dane get involved in cricket of all sports? “Pure coincidence,” Mortensen says. As a boy he played everything from handball to ice hockey but it was while waiting for his lift after soccer practice that he found himself watching a cricket match. The chairman of Svanholm CC wandered over, explained what was going on in this strange game, and invited the eight-year-old Mortensen down the following week. With the team short, Mortensen stepped in and duly top-scored, his debut 30 not out providing “quite a motivation”, if little portent of where his cricketing talents lay.With no cricket at all on Danish television, the occasional videotape and copies of Wisden and The Cricketer were the meagre resources available to spark the imagination of a young seamer who had already started to idolise Dennis Lillee. However, it was a local summer cricket clinic organised by the former Derbyshire captain and Derby County footballer Ian Buxton that provided the big break for a bowler who, Barnett said, was “entirely self-taught”. Mortensen impressed enough to be subsequently invited to trial and, a few years later, offered a contract.”As the first Dane trying to break into first-class cricket there was no pressure on me,” he says. “I just thought, ‘Okay, let’s give it a go.'” That debut season in 1983 netted 66 Championship wickets, 26 more than any of his team-mates – including career-best innings and match figures of 6 for 27 and 11 for 89 in a 22-run victory against Yorkshire. Mortensen is quick to acknowledge the “enormous help” of wicketkeeper Bob Taylor during his first few seasons in Derby. “He knew all the weaknesses of all the players and also took some phenomenal catches.”

In the early days, he was renowned for bird-scattering, eardrum-splitting appeals, occasionally crude sledges against the likes of David Gower, and a propensity to swear in Danish

In the early days, he was renowned for bird-scattering, eardrum-splitting appeals, occasionally crude sledges against the likes of David Gower (on 120 not out), and a propensity to swear in Danish (“Satan” did not mean what people thought) that earned another nickname: “Eric Bloodaxe”. He was the quintessential “character”, endearing himself to fans and team-mates alike with his diehard attitude: “I got out there and said, ‘Today’s gonna be the best day of my life’ and tried to give Kim and the boys 100%.”Yet for all his cult status, this was no circus act. In his middle six seasons at Derby – his peak years in the Peaks – Mortensen topped the bowling averages four times and was otherwise nudged into second only by Ian Bishop and his other hero, Michael Holding, with whom he remains good friends. Barnett considered the Dane a “controlling factor”, to whom, if necessary, he could set 8-1 fields, yet also one who regularly dismissed top batsmen, including the two men Mortensen regarded as his most difficult opponents: Wayne Larkins and Viv Richards.Despite the idiosyncrasies of a chest-on, wide-of-the-crease action that was all knees-and-elbows, like a Swiss Army knife suddenly opening out, his method was distinctly uncomplicated: pitch it up and vary line according to whether it was swinging. “We wanted him to bowl the odd bouncer,” laments Barnett, “but he’d never do it. He just bowled immaculate line and length with an angry nature.”Not quite never. There was one occasion when, at the behest of Geoff Miller, Mortensen – with customary accuracy – bounced Sylvester Clarke at The Oval, resulting in a gloved slip catch to England’s current national selector, and a few seasons of Mortensen fending off bumpers from a bowler renowned for targeting tailenders, regardless of how far they backed away. “He was quite a formidable bowler to be standing 20 yards from,” deadpans Mortensen – who was dismissed hit-wicket in his next game against Surrey. Barnett jokes that when a fax announcing Clarke’s retirement came through at the Racecourse Ground, Mortensen had it framed.”Eric Bloodaxe”•Pete SellmanWith a forward poke the limit of his batting prowess – an undefeated 74 from No. 11 was his sole half-century – he is thus renowned for the bowling parsimony that was fundamental to Derbyshire’s 1990 Sunday League success. In that pre-Powerplay era, Barnett often bowled “Stan” unchanged at the start, on the proviso that he went for under 25 runs in his eight overs (which he managed in nine of 14 games). This strategy, which he recognises was “a luxury”, incurred good-natured ribbing from the likes of Dominic Cork and others sharing death-bowling duties, but Mortensen repaid the faith with an economy rate of 3.11 for the season, comfortably the best in the country. In the must-win final match against Essex, he recorded figures of 8-2-10-1.This was “the stepping stone that showed us we could win”, and Derbyshire proceeded to beat red-hot favourites Lancashire in the 1993 Benson & Hedges final. Mortensen was called up for Lord’s having not featured in the earlier rounds, and turned in the second-most economical analysis (1 for 41) in a six-run win, helping erase the memory of heavy defeat to Hampshire on a damp pitch five years earlier.Despite this limited-overs success, he believes Derbyshire ought to have achieved more in the Championship, especially given their pace-bowling resources. They managed a best finish of third place, in 1991 (their highest since the early ’50s), during his time there, as part of an attack that included Bishop, Cork, Devon Malcolm and Allan Warner, before Mortensen’s career wound down to a single first-class outing in his final, benefit season. His only other regret was not attending more to his fitness, but he is quick to add that the 12 years in Derby “were an absolute ball, probably the best time of my life”.He finished coaching the Danish national team in 2001, since when they have slipped down four divisions, and finally hung up his boots in 2010, aged 52, after helping Glostrup CC to their first Danish title. He now splits his time between teaching English, maths and PE at college, and a business venture supplying formal clothing to sports teams, but will also be commentating on the World Twenty20 in September for Eurosport. And he always, always checks ESPNcricinfo for Derbyshire’s results.If they can return to challenge for domestic honours, then somewhere in Copenhagen an old favourite will be cracking open a cold lager in celebration.

Despite losing his aura in the longer formats, Ajantha Mendis remains a threat in T20, where batsmen cannot afford to see him off

Andrew Fernando in Hambantota19-Sep-2012Ajantha Mendis’ international career has been almost as vexing as his variations themselves. Hyped as the next Muttiah Muralitharan while Murali was still playing, Mendis painted a target on his back with a phenomenal first 18 months at the top level. When he was a debutant in Port of Spain, West Indies batsmen wondered whether they would ever decipher him, given they couldn’t even pick his variations on the slow-motion replay. In the Asia Cup two months later, Mendis was by far the highest wicket taker, having inflicted a gobsmacking 6 for 13 to ruin India in the final. In three home Tests that followed, he plundered 26 wickets at 18.38 against supposedly the best players of spin bowling.Yet as emphatic and immediate as his success was, his aura diminished just as quickly in the next phase of his career. Batsmen from the subcontinent rallied the resistance – first Pakistan, who were un-flummoxed by him in two Tests in Sri Lanka, before India sniped back at their old tormentor in another Test series in India. Soon England, Australia and even New Zealand were managing his threat. The hauls began to grow lighter, the runs flowed more freely, and with Murali also dimming towards the end of his career, Sri Lanka’s spin attack suddenly lost its bite. Mendis had become the quickest bowler to 50 ODI wickets, managing that feat in 19* matches. In 40 games since, he has added only 46 scalps to that tally. In all formats combined, the three years since that initial 18 months have only yielded him 32% of his wickets – though that is in part due to fewer opportunities, which in turn is largely the result of poor form.Still, despite the dive in ODI and Test results, Mendis has remained a threat in Twenty20s. Last year against Australia in Pallekele, Mendis took 6 for 16 in a match-turning spell, to record the best figures in the format. He has now bettered that with 6 for 8 in the World Twenty20 opener against Zimbabwe. His average of 9.84 and economy rate of 5.45 are the best of any bowler to have taken more than 25 wickets. There are no major changes to Mendis’ game, but in a format where batsmen need to be aggressive, his fingers seem to retain their old charm. It is something his captain seems aware of, when he routinely brings him on in the Powerplays.Hamilton Masakadza found out how difficult Mendis is to attack when he attempted to swipe one away to the legside, but misread the turn completely, and had his stumps rattled by a googly that slotted in nicely between bat and pad.”He gives you very little to score off,” Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor said. “When you’re chasing nine an over you have to go after some bowler. He was on top of his game tonight and probably caught us off guard a bit.”Earlier, Vusi Sibanda was bowled by Mendis’ straighter one, before Taylor himself was undone by the carrom ball. Elton Chigumbura attempted a similar shot to Masakadza, and succumbed in almost identical fashion to the same Mendis delivery. The harvest might have become leaner in other formats but here Mendis’ full house of trickery still reigned supreme, even if this was his first game after a long layoff due to a back injury.”Ajantha was very keen to get back into the side and we saw that hunger in him,” the Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said after the match. “Even in the domestic tournament [SLPL] he came back and bowled really well. That was the indicator to see how match fit he was and how much control he had. This was his first game in eight months and he was a bit nervous before the game but he bowled really well.”Mendis’ real tests will come against opposition who will have studied him more closely on video, and are better equipped with the batting tools to read him more accurately than Zimbabwe did. South Africa will provide the initial examination on Saturday.”He’s comeback strongly and hopefully he’ll continue to do the job,” Jayawardene said. “I’m sure he’ll have bad days but the quality of the player is that he’ll have more good days than bad.”The theories to explain Mendis’ recent woes in the longer formats are many. He has not bowled a wicket-to-wicket line, some say, and when he strays he goes blunt and is easy to pick off. Others say the mystery has expired. Teams have simply worked him out, and since Mendis is not a spinner who relies on flight, dip or extravagant rip, once the batsmen know which way it will turn, he loses his effectiveness. Still others have suggested batsmen have succeeded in playing him as a seam bowler, like they did to Anil Kumble (though if this was all it took to unhinge both bowlers, it would have been worked out earlier in Mendis’ career, and Kumble would not have finished with 619 Test wickets).Can Mendis prove he can still be a force for Sri Lanka with more fine spells in the tournament? His career at large needs a serious boost, and though he may never be the bowler his initial surge suggested, he will hope he can use his favourite format as a launching pad to success in others.*04:34 GMT, September 19: The article had incorrectly stated 17 matches. That has been changed.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the fourth day at Eden Gardens

George Dobell in Kolkata08-Dec-2012Breakthrough of the day
India had enjoyed an excellent first session. Having taken England’s final four wickets for just 14 runs at the start of play, their opening batsmen then made deep inroads into the deficit before the lunch break. At 86 without loss in 21 overs, some were even starting to dream of a testing fourth innings target for England.But that all changed the ball after lunch. Graeme Swann, drawing Virender Sehwag forward, deceived him with flight and spin, and turned one through the gate to hit the top of off stump. It was a fine delivery but a flimsy stroke and precipitated a sharp decline, with India subsequently losing their much-vaunted top-order in a spell of 6 for 36 runs.Controversy of the day
There was some confusion when Gautam Gambhir, on 36, was given not out after England appealed for a catch at slip off the bowling of Swann. The third umpire was called upon to see whether Jonathan Trott, at slip, had caught the ball cleanly. In the process, though, Vineet Kulkarni, the third umpire officiating in his first Test, also reported back to the on-field umpires that Gambhir had not edged the ball and that it had deflected off his thigh. It was the correct decision and the correct process.While the playing conditions for a match where DRS is not in use state that the third umpire can only be called upon to confirm whether a ball has been caught cleanly, they also state that, once he has been called into action, he should indicate if it is clear to him that the batsman did not hit the ball.Run-out of the day
For the second time in the match, Gambhir played a significant role in the run-out of one of his colleagues. Having failed to respond to Sehwag’s reasonable call for a third run in the first innings, here the unfortunate victim was Cheteshwar Pujara. Gambhir dabbed the ball into the leg side and called Pujara for an optimistic single only to see Ian Bell swoop and beat Pujara’s dive with a direct hit. It was, by any standards, a poor call and did little to disprove the theory that Gambhir is a much keener runner when his own runs are at stake.Drop of the day
Sehwag had scored just 7 when he prodded at one on off stump from James Anderson and edged the ball to the slip cordon. Swann, moving to his left at second slip, made a half-hearted attempt to catch it and may also have obscured the sight of Alastair Cook, at first slip. Either way, the ball ran between them for four runs. Ian Bell also put down a sharp chance at short square leg when Virat Kohli chipped aerially.Miss of the day
R Ashwin had scored only 22 and the score was 161 for 8 when he skipped down the wicket to a delivery from Monty Panesar, missed it and should have been stumped. But, perhaps due to the ball flicking Ashwin’s pads on the way through, Matt Prior fumbled the chance and allowed the batsman to recover his ground. Had the stumping been completed, it is almost certain that India would have succumbed to an innings defeat within four days.Moment of the day
The wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, edging a fairly innocuous delivery outside off stump, was telling. It was not the first time that Tendulkar has failed to pick the flight of a Swann delivery in this series and another sure sign that, aged 39, the eyes and the reflexes are not what they once were. It was also the wicket that took Swann clear as the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket in 2012.

Shapoor Zadran talks about cranking himself up, his favourite bowler, and playing in the BPL

Interview by Mohammad Isam12-Feb-2013How did the BPL get in touch with you?
It happened all of a sudden. I was in a training camp in Pakistan when the Khulna owner, Salman Karim, called me. He asked me to join his team, and I asked him: “How does that happen? I don’t even know you.”He mailed me the details, and I came over to Bangladesh. I never thought I would play in the BPL. But here I am. It is a matter of pride for Afghanistan.You have been taking the wickets of some really good batsmen here, bouncing and beating them often.
I have played in two T20 World Cups, in 2010 and 2012, and these tournaments have given me a lot of experience. The first time I felt pressure was in the 2010 tournament. So by now the pressure is out of my system and whoever I face, it could be Dhoni or Sehwag, I wouldn’t feel pressure. I have Allah with me, so I bowl with that in mind.Do you say anything to batsmen after you bowl a bouncer?
I am angry every time I bowl. A bowler has to be angry, so that his reaction can carry over to the batsmen, who get unsettled and end up making a mistake.Bowlers work the hardest, more than the batsmen. We have to do extra training, swimming, and we need a lot of stamina.How did you come to cricket?
I used to play at the Arbab Niaz Stadium and Gymkhana in Peshawar. I started playing with the hard ball in 2001. I thought I would play for Pakistan one day, but the situation with the officials wasn’t good. Then Iqbal Sikander, who used to bowl legbreaks for Pakistan, started coaching Afghanistan, so I went there.I went a little mad when I saw 500 players at a trial. I said to myself, “Shapoor, it is impossible that you will break through from these 500 players!” I prayed to Allah that I must play for the team. I gave my trial, and I was among the top 50, then the top 25. I was very happy, so I called my family to give them the good news. They were so surprised. I hadn’t told them why I was going to Afghanistan – I said I had some work there and went to the trial secretly.Do they support your cricket career?
Not at first, but now my mother, father and brother, they all do. They watch me play on TV, and they’re watching me now, playing in the BPL. They all sit together and watch me on TV, and they are very happy that I represent Afghanistan. People there are very happy that four Afghanis are playing here.How did you train when you first started playing cricket?
I didn’t have a coach when I started playing. In Peshawar, I started to play under Rahmat , who played first-class cricket in Pakistan. He gave me some idea about bowling. Slowly I caught on. In 2008, Kabir [Khan] came along and my bowling started to improve immediately.Is Wasim Akram a hero?
Wasim Akram is a legend. I salute him.My favourite bowler is Shoaib Akhtar. I really respect him a lot. I am cross with him for retiring. I followed him very closely. I have never talked to him, although I have met him twice. I feel nervous when I see him, you know. Inshallah, I will speak to him and take tips from him about speed, find out where his speed came from. Speed comes naturally to me but there are exercises that one must do to improve it. So I will ask him what he did to increase his speed over the years.Is playing the 2015 World Cup also a target?
We have been having a training camp in Lahore for the past two months, playing T20s and one-day matches against a team there. We have been building towards the 2015 World Cup, which we will hopefully qualify for. Playing in Australia would be great for me, because the wickets offer a lot to fast bowlers.How has it been in Bangladesh – your first time in the country?
I like it here. I will definitely play here again, you can take my word for it. In Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna, there have been so many people at the ground. I felt nervous playing in front of so many people. The crowd has been really amazing for me. I’ve been wondering: if there are so many people for a BPL match, what happens when the national team plays?Have you made any friends in the Khulna team?
I have grown fond of Shahriar Nafees, Farhad Reza, and our manager, Rony. They are all very nice people – the foreigners and the Bangladeshi players. I talk to everyone, spend time with them.Mohammad Nabi has said he has adjusted to the food here. What about you?
The food here is fine but a little too spicy for me. We don’t eat spicy generally. The fish and chicken are great. The kabab is great.

From Josh Barnes, Australia

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013
Don’t give up the reins to ‘Pup’ just yet•Getty ImagesWhile many people voice their determined opinion about how Ricky Ponting should step down from captaincy, from cricket altogether and Swisse Vitamins commercials, I thought it would be fair for somebody to stick up for the great battler, and against better advice I decided to take on the task. Ponting can remain the Australian Test captain and an integral accumulator of runs. Just by giving up a couple of the things that makes him so great.ODI cricket: Firstly, Ponting might need to step away from one of his favourite past times: pulling medium-pacers for six in coloured clothing. Following the World Cup (where Super Rick will attempt to win his fourth consecutive World Cup, third as captain) he should be told that reducing his workload may be overly beneficial. Stepping down from ODIs will keep him to Test matches only and allow him to focus on returning to powerful form. Although he remains one of the greatest batsmen to ever don the colours, ODIs must go.Move down the order : While his pride will already be dented by being told ODIs were finished, Ricky Thomas will have to move down to No. 4 or 5. Facing the new ball is no longer his game, being successful in the middle order is. Ponting has averaged beyond 58 at No. 3 for almost ten years, yet he is obviously moving along in age and reflexes, so holding down the middle order while a younger member of the team takes over No. 3 (or even Shane Watson) is the right move to make.Stay as captain: Australian cricket has finally made its way to the great, inevitable fork in the road. It can take that beautiful glorious road of return towards the rainbow or glory, or the deadly, dark and dangerous road towards disaster and mediocrity. Australia needs the experience and smarts of Ponting, at least until Michael Clarke grows up and proves himself, or a better replacement is found. Now is not the time to make drastic action to remove the captain, it is time for security and solidity. Panic doesn’t help anybody. Ponting is Australia’s second greatest batsman and deserves to be treated with respect. But if he wants to retain his position in international cricket, he needs to make a couple of changes. Following these changes we will return to the glorious days of the giant pull shot, the brilliant straight drive and the celebratory bat raise. Or, at least, less sleepless nights.

Despite a slow start in Test cricket, Lahiru Thirimanne already looks the most complete of Sri Lanka’s young batsmen

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle09-Mar-2013Even before he was in Sri Lanka’s Under-19s team, Lahiru Thirimanne’s batting was surrounded by hype. Former Sri Lanka batsman Aravinda de Silva has been one of his foremost supporters at home. There is even a story going around that it was de Silva who convinced Thirimanne to focus on cricket, after good O-level results had him thinking about putting sport on the backburner.Yet when he arrived in internationals, there was little in his results to back what de Silva saw. A languid cut and a sharp drive in his first innings revealed a little of his ability but he was also visibly daunted by the England attack, and ended up edging to first slip for 10. There were further glimpses of his class in the second innings but, after being dropped on 13, he did not convey any assurance for the remainder of his stay. Another edge would eventually bring about his demise on 38.The first seven Tests of his career largely followed this pattern, as he was dropped into the team sporadically whenever injury forced a mainstay out. There were flashes of brilliance, but always in between tentative pushes, over-eager lunges and muddled footwork.Home or away made little difference. After his seventh Test, against England in Colombo, he averaged less than 20, with one half-century to his name. For many, he was another gifted youngster who couldn’t quite cut it at the top level. Sri Lanka’s cricket history is littered with players stranded between first-class excellence, and Test-match competence.But in one innings Thirimanne changed all that. Not initially picked for the Tests in Australia, Thirimanne was flown in after Kumar Sangakkara fractured his finger in Melbourne and was thrown straight into the New Year’s Test in Sydney, just 36 hours after landing.Suddenly he was a man transformed. His judgement was precise, the cover drives commanding, and his body language sure. When he walked to the crease most of the SCG’s full house would never have heard of him before. When he exited for a well-played 91, they did not hold back their appreciation, as they rose to applaud him to the pavilion. For the first time, the world saw what de Silva had seen all those years ago.By his own admission, Thirimanne’s challenge in Galle was less arduous than the one he’d faced in Sydney, but he did what any Sri Lanka top-order batsman ought to do on a flat pitch, against a side like Bangladesh. Rarely was a false-stroke drawn from his blade, which came down with equal assurance against the quick men and the spinners.He constructed his century with maturity, making use of Sangakkara’s slipstream early in the second evening, before venturing heavy blows of his own. Often when the bowling deserved punishment, sometimes when it didn’t.

Against Gazi, whose flight is his cudgel, Thirimanne preferred the back foot, and locked away the sweep. To Sunny, whose best asset is turn, he flitted forward to punch down the ground, or clip through midwicket.

“The 91 in Sydney gave me a lot of confidence,” Thirimanne said after his unbeaten 155. “After that innings, I scored a one-day century in Adelaide, and I hope to continue this form for the future. I didn’t change much in my technique. It’s all about the mindset.”What will encourage his coaches was Thirimanne’s ability to assess varying strengths of each bowler, and then adjust his game accordingly. Against Sohag Gazi, whose flight is his cudgel, Thirimanne preferred the back foot, and locked away the sweep. To Elias Sunny, whose best asset is turn, he flitted forward to punch down the ground, or clip through midwicket.Late on day one, he did not withhold his strokes as the sun-beaten attack waned, and the momentum was with the batsmen. On the second morning, when Bangladesh regrouped to produce their best bowling in the Test, Thirimanne hunkered down till the squall had passed.Though the boundaries were regular throughout, Thirimanne’s innings was largely founded upon the ability to work the ball early in his innings – something his young cohorts are yet to master.Both Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews rely heavily on boundaries for their runs, and while 36 of Chandimal’s fortuitous first fifty came in fours, only five fours were hit in Thirimanne’s far more convincing effort. Mathews also suffers from an inability to convert starts into meaningful innings and is noticeably less comfortable against spin. Though he has played fewer Tests, Thirimanne already seems the more complete batsman.It is also no coincidence that Thirimanne was involved in the two biggest partnerships in the innings. An innate ability to gauge his partner’s mood, taking the strike when the other batsman found the going hard, or feeding him it when he looked to push on, saw Thirimanne put on 203 unbeaten runs for the fifth wicket alongside Dinesh Chandimal.”We’ve batted together since Under-19s level, so we know how to tackle those situations,” he said. “He’s a bit more aggressive than me. I had to bat through the innings, so early on I didn’t take many risks. Batting with Chandimal was easy because the runs came quickly.”On day one, Sangakkara said it would be healthy for Sri Lanka’s young batsmen to compete with each other for runs and hundreds in the years ahead. After a poor start, Thirimanne has found the confidence to make good on his ability in Test cricket, and his young team-mates should take notice, lest they be left in the dust.

With others who had come to the crease at Lord’s prisoners of the conditions, Ross Taylor played an unshackled innings that displayed his wonderful talent

Jarrod Kimber at Lord's17-May-2013Zombie ants will find a leaf about a foot off the ground, on the north side of a plant, attach themselves to the underside and will be eaten away by a fungus that is posthumously controlling them and eating their non-vital soft tissue. The ants have no say in what happens next, they are dead soldiers for their fungi overlords.Batsmen generally don’t have this problem. Most batsmen are living creatures with free will. Sure every player has his own external and internal pressures. Perhaps the coach has told them to put a price on their wicket. Maybe they are worried about their place in the team. Bad form could always be an issue.Then there is a pitch and the conditions. A grey sky or green pitch will play on the mind of any batsman. A grey sky can make the most cocksure batsman shut up shop.Then there is the sideways movement. A little or a lot, it matters. It was not, as early cricket scientists tried to prove, an optical illusion. The cricket ball can dance in a way that can trip anyone up.You can never discount bowlers in this equation (if you’ve been watching the IPL, they are the players who deliver the balls to the maximum hitters). Good bowling can stop a scoreboard; it can bring uncertainty to any situation. Backed by decent field strategies, runs become mythical whispers.At Lord’s all of these things added up to stop every single batsman who walked out. Except one.While the opposition and his team-mates held still like zombie ants on a leaf. Ross Taylor batted. He batted like his last few months haven’t involved a public demotion, his friend almost being killed, and a poor run of form in Test and IPL cricket. He batted like he, and few players, can. Like the opposition and conditions didn’t apply to him. In one knock in trying conditions he outscored his IPL season at a better strike rate.Taylor is an interesting batsman. You feel had he not made it to Test level, he could play every ball on the legside and die a happy man. But despite his obvious talent (he has the 8th best average of any Kiwi Test batsman), he has worked very hard to make himself into a destructive force on the international stage. Yet, he’s not. Not consistently. Not like he could be.Coupling talent with dedication should be a surefire hit. But Taylor struggles away from home. He isn’t as consistent as she should be. He can be ineffectual for long periods.Then you see him today. Jimmy Anderson was crushing New Zealand, two quick wickets had spooked the team that had fought like champs to keep England’s total low.Taylor walked in to a situation that looked dire from the outside. Taylor hit almost as many fours as England did on the entire first day. Taylor scored his fifty at better than a run a ball. Taylor batted like this despite the ball moving around enough to make his team-mates and the opposition find the underside of a leaf to stick themselves to.A Taylor innings on full flow is a sight to see. It’s like KP, but humble. Bowlers are just there to deliver to him. He owns the crease. He hits the ball in a special way that most people can’t do, the way that almost instantly makes the bowler less sure of himself. And he just keeps batting faster and hitting harder until it doesn’t matter where the fielders are. Like he owns the ground and everyone in it. It doesn’t happen often, but when he does it, it’s clear that he’s not just a batsman. He’s something special.You could see it building at Lord’s. The flash through point. The slog sweep. The fifty when everyone else saw a 30 as Everest.Then, with greatness and an often-replayed highlights package within his grasp, he got a ball that kept a bit low. Not a shooter, but just a ball that hadn’t reached the heights it should have. Instead of one of those innings that Taylor plays that makes zealots out of heretics, it was just a cameo.In the full story of Taylor’s career, it felt about right, with everything that has gone with him recently, it felt way short. Taylor is 29, and the next four years should be his best. At the least his average should jump over 45, and he should be demanding that he ends up as one of the greatest New Zealand players of all time.Today was just a taster, all he really did is show us that he was not a Zombie ant, but he can do much more than that.