Stats highlight from the first ODI between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in Dhaka

Shiva Jayaraman07-Nov-2015 145 Runs Bangladesh won by – their third-biggest win while batting first in ODIs and their biggest against Zimbabwe. They had won against Zimbabwe by 124 runs at the same venue last year which was the previous largest margin against them. 0 Number of five-wicket hauls Shakib Al Hasan had taken in ODIs before his 5 for 47 in this match. His previous best was the 4 for 16 he took against West Indies in Chittagong in 2011. Shakib has now taken 68 wickets against Zimbabwe in ODIs at 21.83. His next-highest against any team in ODIs are the 28 wickets he has taken against New Zealand. 3 Centuries by Mushfiqur Rahim in ODIs before the one in this match. Two of these have come against Zimbabwe. Mushfiqur has made 1122 runs at 40.07 against them in ODIs. 4 Man-of-the-match awards won by Mushfiqur in ODIs including the one in this match. This is his second such award in 2015 – he had won it in an ODI against Pakistan in April this year. 75.40 Average stand for the fifth wicket for Bangladesh in ODIs in 2015 – the highest any team has averaged for that wicket. The stand between Mushfiqur and Sabbir Rahman in this match was the third century partnership for Bangladesh’s fifth wicket this year – also the highest for any team. 15-6 Bangladesh’s win-loss record under Mashrafe Mortaza’s captaincy; among those who have led full-member teams to at least 15 wins, Mashrafe win-loss ratio of 2.50 is currently the fourth highest. 1 Number of times Zimbabwe have been dismissed by Bangladesh in ODIs for a lower total. They had been bowled out for just 44 runs in an ODI in 2009, which is their lowest. In a separate instance last year, Zimbabwe were dismissed for 128 – exactly their total in this game. 15 Centuries by wicketkeeper-batsmen in ODIs in 2015 – the most in any calendar year. Last year saw 13 hundreds in ODIs by wicketkeepers which was the previous highest in a year.

No batting line-up has amassed more runs at a better average than Pakistan’s in the past 18 months, but no other team has fielded a weaker tail

Umar Farooq in Dubai23-Oct-2015No batting line-up has amassed more runs at a better average than Pakistan’s in the past 18 months, but no other team has fielded a weaker tail. On the good days, it has not mattered – who cares what Nos. 8, 9, 10 and Jack contribute if the top seven can produce 29 centuries in 14 Tests? But on the day when they were called upon, the bowlers were rolled aside. Six wickets given away at the cost of 96 runs within 29 overs on the second morning in Dubai.Misbah-ul-Haq’s first-day hundred had given Pakistan resolve after a rare top-order wobble but the mainstay of Pakistan’s batting today was Asad Shafiq, who stood tall as the lower order blew up around him. It was Sarfraz Ahmed who first left his Karachi childhood friend in the lurch by tossing a rash shot to mid-on. A ninth Test century would have been Asad’s for the taking if anyone had hung around alongside himAnyone with a bit of application would have done the trick. None of Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah or Zulfiqar Babar has a great record with the bat but they all have passable defensive techniques. And yet their reckless self-destruction cost Pakistan the 450-plus total that would have kept them in command of the match. To be bowled out with eight minutes remaining before the lunch break was a dereliction of duty.Mushtaq Ahmed, Pakistan’s spin bowling coach, blasted his lower order for giving it away so easily. “There was no plan as such for the tail but they played very poor cricket,” he said. “It wasn’t a smart cricket at all as you got to understand your role according to the situation, especially when the batsman [at the other end] is on 70 or 80. You’ve got to understand and play accordingly.”We didn’t bat well with our last five or six players. We really didn’t understand the situation very smartly. Obviously the plan was to play positive cricket but we ended up with poor batting. To reflect positivity you got to play things smartly. I don’t mind hitting the bad ball to boundary but you’ve got to choose the right ball.”England ensured they didn’t squander the inroads made by their bowlers as Alastair Cook and Joe Root both defied Pakistan with contrasting half-centuries. It took 14 hours for Pakistan to extract Cook in Abu Dhabi but in Dubai he was trapped within a mere 214 balls as Mushtaq hinted at a well-laid plan to take him down. As many as six fielders were placed on the leg side; four in front of square and two behind, to turn one of Cook’s strengths, the leg glance, into a weakness.Yasir Shah celebrates the dismissal of Alastair Cook•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesZulfiqar had bowled 170 balls to Cook without success in Abu Dhabi, and his further 14 today even included an attempted sweep that struck the stumps but did not dislodge the bails. Shah, on the other hand, endured far fewer frustrations. He needed a bit of luck as Cook flicked him to leg-slip to be caught for 65, but there was planning behind the moment as well.”You obviously got to make plans against good players,” said Mushtaq. “We had a plan against him and you might have noticed that we kept fielders mostly on the leg-side and bowled in patterns to get him out. I am really happy with the way Yasir bowled despite having a little stiffness in his back. He started well. He landed the ball in the right areas and at a good speed as I saw him touch around 90 kph. He is not bowling bad balls and he’s in a good rhythm as well.”England reached the close on 182 for 3, trailing by 196 runs but with Pakistan’s spinners starting to find a bit of grip on the steadily wearing surface.”At the moment we are equal at 50/50 chances,” said Mushtaq. “But tomorrow the first session is the key and we have to take quick wickets and I am very much hopeful the pitch, with our spinners, will pay a huge role in it, especially when the rough opens up. We have nearly 200 runs to defend and it’s not going to be easy for the new batsmen to play the spinners here well.”

Tamim Iqbal and Mashrafe Mortaza had shared a light-hearted chat about facing Mohammad Amir before the BPL began, but it was Mashrafe who had the last laugh

Mohammad Isam24-Nov-2015On the day before BPL began, Tamim Iqbal was going to Chittagong Vikings’ training at the BCB Academy ground when he bumped into Mashrafe Mortaza. When their conversation was winding down, the talk drifted to Mohammad Amir and how Tamim will use him in the tournament.”When you will come to bat, I will just tell him to hit you there,” Tamim told Mashrafe pointing to his toes.”Bring him on if you dare. I will hit him out of the park,” Mashrafe said in mock warning.Tamim pointed to his toes once again, the two laughed heartily, before he joined his team-mates for training.That moment arrived in the 17th over on Tuesday when Comilla Victorians needed 36 off the last four overs. It wasn’t a surprise to see Amir come on to bowl, and Tamim didn’t just bring him on because Mashrafe was at the crease. Chittagong’s plan is to use Amir up front for two overs and then at the death.Tamim possibly forgot to inform Amir to bowl at Mashrafe’s toes as both deliveries he sent down to him on the over were angling away, giving him room to take a single off the inside edge and a couple with a hoick over cover.The scenario had changed rapidly when Amir bowled his next over, the 19th of the innings, as Comilla just needed a run-a-ball 12 after Samuels carted Shafiul Islam for 18 runs to reduce the gap.Amir tried to jam the ball past Mashrafe’s bat but he tapped it on the off-side field to reach his maiden T20 fifty. A fuller delivery was next up, the fourth of the over, but Mashrafe squeezed it past point for a couple and then the next ball too, another full one outside off stump was squeezed away past point. This time it reached the boundary and Mashrafe was off, celebrating Comilla’s first win in the BPL.After the brief celebrations, Tamim later caught up with Mashrafe and shared a brief handshake. It was done in all seriousness.Mashrafe later ranked the unbeaten 56 off 32 balls as his all-time best, and said that his self-promotion to No. 5 was a tactical move.”This is my best ever innings with the bat,” Mashrafe said. “When I went to bat however, I didn’t think much. I just wanted to hustle their bowlers and maybe prompt a bit of change in their bowling plans. When I could be there till the end, I couldn’t really believe it. You could see it in how I ran off to celebrate.”It worked, and although his prophecy to Tamim didn’t pan out exactly as he said Mashrafe would count himself lucky none of those Amir yorkers dipped into his feet.

The game as a whole has not seen so much imaginative talk about its future since the dawn of Twenty20; Test matches themselves have not been the subject of this much hype since the invention of the word “hype”

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide29-Nov-2015In a week of renewal for cricket’s oldest form, the Adelaide Test found room in its tense final act for one more redemptive tale. Few could have expected the fifth coming of Shaun Marsh to produce arguably the innings of match, guiding Australia all but home in a nervy chase for 187 to defeat New Zealand. But as Test cricket has itself proven, the longer the story, the greater the chance of a surprising twist.On day two, Marsh’s nerves had been palpable, much like those of Cricket Australia administrators and their broadcast rights holders over several years of experimentation and discussion to bring this fixture to fruition. His innings ended in the sort of run out seen more often in nightmares than actual matches.Yet at the moment of greatest import, Marsh was able to summon a tremendous innings, showing evidence of the assiduous work he had done with Chris Rogers to improve his technique against the moving ball. As Rogers had advised him, he would not be able to eradicate edges – he did so twice in his first 10 balls – but tellingly, Marsh’s angled bat and softer hands meant these nicks did not go close to carrying.Such adaptation to the prevailing conditions, in contravention of Marsh’s long maintained habits, mirrored the efforts of CA to create the right environment for this match, even if it had to throw several Australian cricket conventions out of the Sir Donald Bradman Pavilion windows to do so. A grassy pitch, prepared by committee, replaced Adelaide’s commonly drier deck. The square and outfield were equally lush, helped by the installation of drop-in wickets. Much of this was anathema to traditionalists.Marsh’s composure in these climes was essential to Australia’s success. His sound judgement of when to play and when to leave, coupled with good balance to open up scoring zones through the leg side, stood out next to numerous nervier teammates. Notably, the captain Steven Smith played an innings bordering on the disorganised, as both outside and inside edges were struck. A swirling, skied pull shot was survived only because New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner made his one mis-step of a fine debut by having his sunglasses on his cap, not over his eyes. Mitchell Marsh played his best innings of the series, but slipped up in trying one too many big blows as Brendon McCullum gamely used his spinners.Balance is critical in any game, and it is here that CA too can improve on what was rolled out for Adelaide. The pink ball undoubtedly needs to become hardier and thus more adaptable, meaning that pitches do not need to resort to a matte of grass quite so thick as this one. Both Smith and McCullum remarked that they would have preferred a slightly less verdant surface, though they also enjoyed the contrasting skills drawn out by an English-style wicket in sharp contrast to the deader surfaces of Brisbane and Perth.Equally, they will hope that the flawed interpretation of DRS evidence by the third umpire Nigel Llong will be reviewed in order to ensure such mistakes are not repeated, with greater common sense and circumstantial awareness applied to all decisions. Llong was not aware that Nathan Lyon had walked most of the way off the field upon seeing the evidence on the big screen, and made his decision as though in a bubble. It was a painful irony for New Zealand that it was this incident that had more bearing on the outcome than any vagaries of pitch, ball or lights.This is not to say that players on both sides emerge from the series without fault. There was a reminder of the work that all must still do in Marsh’s dismissal, tied down and nicking off thanks to New Zealand’s patience despite his earlier poise. Some may also question Smith’s decision to allow a clearly hobbled Starc to bat at the end, as the final two winning runs he slogged through in the company of Peter Siddle were visibly painful. Relief, rather than elation, seemed Australia’s dominant emotion at the end of the night.New Zealand can take plenty of solace in finishing this series far better than they started it. They will be able to point to plenty of positive signs when looking ahead to home Tests against the same opponent in the new year. Trent Boult started the series well and truly out of rhythm but was more or less back in it by the end of Adelaide, Kane Williamson confirmed himself as a player of the highest class, and Ross Taylor re-emerged as a prolific scorer at ease with himself.But it cannot be denied that Australia deserved to finish the victors, having started the stronger and then found enough compelling passages of play to squeak home here. Josh Hazlewood and Siddle deserved much of the praise for helping to win the match after Starc’s injury left the hosts a bowler down – there is plenty of history to demonstrate how rare it is to win Test matches from that position. Likewise CA was able to overcome numerous naysayers and caveats to achieve a major outcome for cricket by having this match take place at all. The world has now seen what is possible.Refreshingly, numerous other concepts were floated across the week also, from various models for a World Test Championship and the proliferation of more day-night Tests, to talk of converting Tests to leaner four-day affairs, and even renewing genuine cricket investment in the United States. In all it added up to a “Festival of Dangerous Ideas” for cricket. The game as a whole has not seen so much imaginative talk about its future since the dawn of Twenty20; Test matches themselves have not been the subject of this much hype since the invention of the word “hype”.The bottom line of the week was that a crowd of 123,736 and immensely strong television ratings had given Test match cricket the potential for a new dawn of success and therefore longevity. A finish inside three days was a reminder that more needs to be done to refine the concept, but as the often maligned Shaun Marsh demonstrated with an innings Australia desperately needed, there can be no renewal without opportunity.

A career that spanned over two decades came to an end with Shivnarine Chanderpaul announcing his retirement. We asked fans to share their favourite memories

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2016

I followed this man since the 1996 World Cup semi-final knock. That was a gusty innings, he scored 60-70 odd runs. They had to chase something like 220 against Australia. Unfortunately, WI lost the match, but this man won our hearts. He was the unsung hero of West Indies cricket… we gonna miss you.
– Priyankara Anton FernandoI remember this Test match, back in 2002, India v West Indies. We got Lara out for a duck and Windies were reeling at 50 for 3 in the first session. I went to sleep and was able to get a glimpse of the game only 24 hours later on day 2 (120-odd overs had been bowled) and saw that Chanderpaul was still batting! It was a mammoth partnership with Carl Hooper. I was so disappointed, I couldn’t go back to sleep that night and watched WI pile on the misery till end of day’s play! Was a beautiful knock, though.
– Aditya VinnakotaShiv Chanderpaul! What a man! What a career! His best knocks for me have always come against India. It takes me back to 2002 when he completely pulverised the Indian bowling attack and helped West Indies win the five-match series 2-1. His brilliant knock of 140 in the first Test in Guyana announced him on the big stage. Even though it was overshadowed by a scintillating 233 by Carl Hooper, it set the tone for Chanderpaul for that series. It was a gritty and a classy knock. He was patient and found the gaps with ease. That was my favourite Chanderpaul moment!
– Rutul ParikhHe is one of the greatest batsmen of our time. He is the player with unique batting style, qualitative stroke play, strength to bat for days, a one-man-army potential. Bowlers had to struggle a lot to get him out. He can save a Test match by batting all day; he can even snatch a match from the opponents by some furious batting. The best West Indian player after Brian Lara. Cricket will miss you, Chanderpaul! Have a happy retired life! #Legend #ThankYouShiv
– Ram Tadiboyina There was a triangular series going on in Sharjah between West Indies, England and Pakistan. And there was a board on the fences of Sharjah Cricket Stadium that said “Hit The Board $500”. And there comes Shivnarine Chanderpaul… it was England fast bowler Dean Headley bowling to Shiv and he hit that ball right on the board on first bounce.
– Imraan Syed A constant thorn in the side of England… yeah so he didn’t look the prettiest batsman but he was made of iron and his determination and presence at the crease made him what he was: a world-class batsmanThank you Shiv, you’ve been a pleasure to watch play the game…all the best buddy. From an England fan
– Matt Smith One of the many favourite moments is when he hit a four and then a six of Chaminda Vaas to win an ODI for West Indies.

– Toolaram GajWest Indies’ record chase against Australia, where he scored century and was Man of the Match.

– Maxim Garg I remember him getting felled by a Brett Lee bouncer only to recover and score a hundred.

– Aaron WillesHis debut at Bourda will forever live in memory.
– Linton VickersWhen Warney bowled him just before lunch in a Test match in 1997. Warne had just come back after a finger injury and turned this one a mile.
– Cam Skirving

Any apprehension about whether fans would turn up was immediately forgotten on Thursday night as people of all ages turned out in strong numbers to Dubai Sports City, keen to see the T20 spectacle

Nagraj Gollapudi in Dubai05-Feb-20160:25

Fireworks galore in Dubai

Shahid Afridi looked anxious as he stepped out of the team bus in the early evening light of Thursday. And why not – this was a special occasion in his career. Not just his. The inaugural Pakistan Super League was about to begin. All of Pakistan was waiting in expectation. Afridi and Pakistan needn’t have worried, though.A couple of steps away from Afridi, a young boy was shrieking in delight. This youngster could not believe he was at arm’s length from Pakistan’s most popular modern-day cricketer. Such episodes are what make and sell franchise-based sport: access and intimacy with your idols, favourite players and heroes.If there was any apprehension about whether fans would turn up at all, it was immediately forgotten as the queues started to build up four hours before the start time. By the time the five team buses snaked their way into the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, as the sun set on Dubai, there was a huge din in and around the ground.Inside, the stadium had descended into a choreographed darkness. Cleverly the organisers had left LED wrist bands for the fans to wear. Soon those LEDs on the wrists blinked different colours resembling the jersey colours of the five franchises. And then the music started. Like gleaming ocean waters on a full-moon night, those LEDs on the wrists and the empty seats danced dazzlingly.It was an electric atmosphere by now, with the 26,000 capacity stadium 60% full. And the din inside had already made those waiting outside eager and anxious. Like avid movie-goers, no one wanted to miss even the trailers. Boys, girls, teenagers, men, women, grandparents, families, parents pushing pushchairs, fathers swaddling babies… everyone made their way to their seats, keen to see the spectacle.Franchise cricket encourages loyalty towards your team and, as the five captains lead their contingents onto the ground, the crowd reserved their loudest cheers for their respective regions. Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq got handsome cheers from the crowds as they led the Karachi Kings and Islamabad United out, but the loudest, craziest shrieks were reserved for Pehshawar Zalmi. Afridi, who entered the ground with his trademark star-pose, waved both hands to acknowledge the support of his fans.The crowd erupted once again when the “world boss” Chris Gayle joined his Jamaican countryman Sean Paul, the rapper, on the stage, along with fellow Caribbean players in the league – Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy – to shake a leg. Even the rock called Misbah moved rhythmically as he clapped and nodded his head as Pakistani singer Ali Zafar sang the PSL’s anthem – (Show Me How You Play).Among the crowd was a special set of 146 that had been flown in on Thursday by Javed Afridi, Zalmi’s owner. The group comprised students and teachers of the Army Public School in Peshawar, which had been attacked by the Taliban in 2014. Lead by their teachers and the school principal, the students – dressed in their school attire – enjoyed the evening out.According to the school coordinator, Zalmi’s gesture was bigger than just benevolence. Sport is a great healer and the for the young minds who had witnessed the brutal attacks on their friends from close quarters, being part of a festive atmosphere like the PSL could have a significant and positive impact psychologically.The PSL has been a longstanding dream for Pakistan cricketers. At the trophy unveiling on Wednesday afternoon, the tension was palpable on the faces of all five captains. Forced to play cricket away from their home, forced to sit out of the IPL, both the players and their fans have been left hungry and frustrated.Salman Sarwar Butt, one of the main architects of the PSL, told the five franchises during an address on the eve of the tournament that he and his management team had done all the hard work. “‘Now it was for you guys to go and fight hard. We have done what we could.’ I told them it was in their hands to make PSL a success,” Butt says.He might have just said:

The Sri Lankan captain has the skill to stand up to England’s bowlers, so why did he not use a review? Whatever the situation, it was surely worth it

Jarrod Kimber at Headingley20-May-2016Sri Lanka hold the trophy between these two sides. Not because of a win over England earned in dust pits at Colombo and Galle, but one they claimed in early season England, at Headingley, with Yorkshire-coloured clouds. That was a spectacular effort.Yet, when they arrived this time, people were whispering about England going unbeaten during the entire summer. That was before Sri Lanka had even played a tour match. Not one of their batsmen have been mentioned more than the two they didn’t bring, Mahela and Kumar. In their last five series they had won one. And their chairman of selectors Sanath Jayasuriya played one of the most audacious shots, even for him, when he claimed that Sri Lanka had the world’s best bowling attack.The holders of the trophy suddenly were being treated like an appetiser for an English banquet, with their best players not here, their form seemingly retired with them, and their bowling attack had been put under more pressure than a violent Ben Stokes attack.Angelo Mathews is used to playing in tricky situations, this was tricky before the coin toss.Then they arrived at Headingley, and the pitch was green. So they bowled. Those bowlers, Sanath’s best men, struggled with the new ball. The first drinks break happened, and then the sun came out, this team that had been written off was staring at a big first innings score. They threw the ball to their latest gamble, an allrounder who can make two T20 hundreds in a week, but one who his own former team-mate, Mahela Jayawardene, seemed confused about when he came on to bowl.Then it was magic, it was like the Headingley of two years ago. Dasun Shanaka didn’t bowl within-himself medium-pace, he seemed to throw everything he had at the other end, and in a moment, he had two more Test wickets than he had given up runs, and over 10% of his career first-class wicket tally.It didn’t stop. England had lost their first five wickets before they had scored 100. Mathews was in control, his bowlers were swinging the ball, Shanaka had been bowling pure fairy dust and Sri Lanka were a solid hour from heading for victory.There is a theory that Jonny Bairstow doesn’t like the short ball. That at Test level, when the ball is at him, he is weak. Sri Lanka had certainly heard that. They decided from the start that Bairstow would be bounced out. They tried two men out on the hook. They tried leg-side heavy fields. They tried men in leg-side catching positions. They tried around the wicket. They tried, and failed.Bairstow often gets bowled. But a look at the seamers’ beehive to Bairstow would suggest the stumps were some kind of a forbidden zone the ball physically couldn’t hit. Like Bairstow had brought a forcefield with him, rather than it just being stupid bowling. Even when the umpire gave him out lbw the ball wasn’t hitting the stumps and it was overturned.Bairstow wasn’t playing an innings of carnage and destruction, he wasn’t taking Sri Lanka apart one blow at a time, he was just batting, and with him and Alex Hales together, they put on the sort of partnership that changes the game, and makes momentum look like a buzzword.But Sri Lanka had another chance to end it. Nuwan Pradeep dropped a catch. A simple catch. What he saw was a death ball covered in razor wire that was operated by a super villain, and he had the balance of a building that was being imploded. What we saw was a mistimed shot heading slowly towards a man who seemed more destined to end up swallowing the pitch than catching a simple caught and bowled. All this while Hales was scoring three runs in 50 minutes, a near Nick Compton state of self-denial. It could have been Sri Lanka’s morning, instead it was Hales and Bairstow’s, and then Finn and Bairstow’s, but mostly Bairstow’s.But Sri Lanka weren’t batting with a massive total to chase, they were batting in the afternoon when the Test should be at its calmest. And 32 balls into their innings their captain arrived in one of those tricky positions he knows so much about: 12 for 3.No one was mentioning Mahela and Kumar, no one had time. Sri Lankan batsmen were checking in and out quicker than you would a hotel made of giant alien rats. If they had a tactic to overcome the swinging ball, they forget to use it. If they had an idea of how to play in England, they forgot it. They never even flirted with something that should be called a total.It was only Angelo that looked right. It was Angelo who very nearly had Bairstow lbw. It was Angelo who very nearly had Hales caught at slip. It was now Angelo, striding out, having to calm and carry his team. At one stage he was saving wickets at his end, but also stopping Chandimal from a suicidal second run. He couldn’t save him forever, but Sri Lanka’s first, and only, partnership of note was when Angelo batted with Lahiru Thirimanne.It was as calm as you can be with your first four men gone, a green pitch, Yorkshire coloured-clouds, James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn moving the ball, Mahela in the comm box, and Kumar playing for Surrey. But Angelo had been there before, his batting style should be called “right hand rearguard”.Then Anderson hit his pad, and the umpire thought it was out. But Angelo was across the crease, and asked Thirimanne if he should review. Obviously he should. If Mathews had taken a flame thrower to his stumps after being caught at mid-on slogging, he should review in this situation. Sri Lanka hadn’t used one review, and they were one Angelo innings from complete annihilation. There were people travelling on buses going past the ground who thought it was obvious he should review. The entire nation of Sri Lanka agreed with them.Except Thirimanne.He told his captain, his best batsman, his country’s only hope, to leave the crease. Suddenly this didn’t look like a team with the best bowling attack, a team that had won last time, or even a team that Angelo could save. It looked like a team that was in rush, a mad dash, a screaming naked panic-riddled sprint to get the trophy back into England’s hands.Angelo has been in tricky positions before, and he has saved Sri Lanka so many times from those tricky positions. This time he turned and walked. Sri Lanka’s hopes went with him.

Rookie South Africa chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi talks about his variations, his “bus driver” celebration, and debut IPL season

Jonhenry Wilson20-May-2016How does a left-arm wristspinner combat the inventive batting and premeditation produced by the likes of David Warner and others at the IPL?
Bowling to a guy like AB de Villiers can do plenty for your confidence, and help your game plans for match time. One does need to combat the unorthodox shots that players like him play, so I enjoy the challenge. The IPL, in that respect, has been very good for me, being in a squad with guys like AB, Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle. They’ve been there, done that, they’ve seen a lot during their great careers, and I am able to learn from that and them. It will only help my development as a spin bowler.Without giving too much away, run us through your repertoire of bowling variations.
I’m always working on them. I’ve got my standard deliveries and my chinaman, which is the googly. I’ve got the slider and I’m actually working on the flipper. The flipper is a tough ball to learn to bowl, but I’m keen to add it to the mix and make myself a better cricketer. I am a big believer in not having too many tricks, but the ones you do have, do them well, and eventually perfect them. Royal Challengers Bangalore are full of batting superstars but evidently they are light on bowlers this year.
I don’t necessarily agree with that. You need a bit of luck in T20 cricket. Some of our defeats have been very close, not one-sided cricket. The small outfields, in Bangalore and others, are a factor – when teams are unable to successfully defend scores and get beaten, that’s not often considered. We have some of the set game plans we’ve put in place – and we try to execute them.

“The first-class cricket we have is definitely appropriate for a Test team that wants to be No. 1 again”

You are still establishing yourself as a player at RCB, but do you make the time to also mentor the other spinners in the squad?
Some of the younger spinners speak to me, we share insights and take things from there. I’m happy with that. I remember how Imran Tahir helped me back in the day, at Easterns. The stuff I picked up from him, and other things I’ve understood and practised along the way, I’m able to impart to the youngsters at RCB now.Your characteristic “bus driver” celebrations have pleased some and peeved others.
I think the media and others made a big thing of it. I don’t think it’s a big deal, it’s just something I do. My team-mates enjoy it and don’t have a problem with it. I am just concentrating on my bowling and having fun. At this level, you are always under pressure to perform – and it’s good to remember to have fun. When you are a small child, falling in love with the game, you do it for the fun. In the IPL, or playing for my country or franchise, wherever I am, I am just trying to enjoy it. The bus driver celebration is pretty much just part of that.The possibility of a mid-tournament player draft for future IPLs is gaining traction.
I think it could be a great thing to do. We see it back home too, when franchise players are unable to get into the Titans squad because the squad is so strong, so they go play for the amateur side, or franchises loan players. We’ve seen at the IPL a guy like [Chris] Gayle not getting into the XI for a particular period. He would walk into any other team, so perhaps a draft or loan system of some sort could work.”The flipper is a tough ball to learn to bowl, but I’m keen to add it to the mix”•BCCIAside from Daniel Vettori at RCB, which other coaches have been particularly influential on your career?
The son of the former international umpire Cyril Mitchley was probably my first ever proper coach. He was the first to help me understand my game and progress quite a bit.Then there was Grant Morgan. Grant recently signed on as Dolphins’ head coach, but I’ve worked with him a lot over the years. We worked together at Gauteng, where I got my first opportunity at first-class level back in 2009. He was the first guy who basically backed me, and we are very close now.Then Rob Walter at Titans. He has encouraged me to keep pushing myself to get better and better with each day. He never lets you rest on your laurels, he is a big motivator. He always wants the bar put higher and higher. If you’re giving 100%, he wants 200. As a player, when there is a coach expecting things like that, it’s a great place to be.Hasn’t Marlon Samuels had a big impact on you too?
I consider Marlon a big influence. We played against each other during a tour match in South Africa last year. After seeing me play just once, he noticed my ability and from there that’s how I got linked up at the Caribbean Premier League. The confidence gained through the CPL has set me up from there. When nobody else on the world stage really knew of me, he did.As the leading wicket-taker for Titans, who won the 2015-16 Sunfoil Series, do you consider yourself well placed to comment on the level of first-class cricket being produced by a country which has slipped from first to sixth in the Test rankings?
The four-day cricket scene in South Africa, in my experience, remains one of the best in the world. People will always express their opinions about why it might not be, but South African cricket is still in very good hands. The first-class cricket we have is definitely appropriate for a Test team that wants to be No. 1 again.

“The confidence gained through the CPL has set me up from there. When nobody else on the world stage really knew of me, he did”On Marlon Samuels

After the IPL, you’ll head to the Caribbean for your first tour with South Africa. Are you starting to think about the possibilities and expectations already?
I’m not thinking too much about getting into the playing XI yet. I’m just happy to be in the squad at the moment. If or when the opportunity comes along, I want to be able to do a good job, in line with what the expectations are of me, and the game plan. Being in a squad with two other spinners, Aaron Phangiso and Imran, that’s exciting – hopefully we can pull together well. For me personally, I don’t think I will have a different way in which I approach the Australian or the West Indies batsmen during this ODI tri-series. It’s about sticking to overall game plans, not necessarily having a different approach for each team.You’ll be banking on the experienced gained in the IPL this year and the Caribbean Premier League last year to serve you well in Guyana and surrounds, though?
Having watched the [2016] World T20 from home, I was excited to get involved in the IPL, and thankfully did in the end. I knew the conditions were going to be good for spin, and not always just batsmen-friendly like other parts of the world. I think the conditions in the Caribbean are going to be this way too, with a bit more turn than usual. The challenge is there, and hopefully I will be able to make things work.

This might not be a global tournament, but South Africa will want to prove they can conquer pressure in the eliminator against West Indies on Friday

Firdose Moonda24-Jun-2016South Africa will search for the “perfect game,” in what is effectively a semi-final against West Indies in the last round-robin game of the Caribbean triangular series. The fixture is a winner-takes-all affair, with the victor progressing to play Australia in Sunday’s final.”If you look back at the games we’ve played so far, we’ve been reasonably good in one area. We haven’t completed a game where we’ve done well with bat and ball. So we’re searching for that perfect game,” JP Duminy said, despite South Africa’s massive 139-run win over West Indies in their last completed match.After that game, South Africa sat atop the table with two bonus-point wins. A victory over Australia last Sunday would have secured their place in the final but rain allowed only one over to be bowled. Now, South Africa find themselves in the kind of knockout situation they are trying to get the better of before their next major tournament.”The mood is relaxed, which is a good mood for us to be in because we know we’re going to have to put in that big performance. That it’s a crunch game, a semi-final, will bring a little more pressure to it. That’s a reason for us to emphasise our basics more,” Duminy said.Already, the pressure is on from back home. Apart from the axe hanging over Russell Domingo’s head – with 10 months left on his contract – there is also expectation that the players will step up after they ended last season in underwhelming fashion. Although the next fifty-over trophy is next year’s Champions Trophy, it is important for South African to show that they are improving by racking up wins.”This tournament for them should just be about making the final and then producing a decent performance on the day, that’s what a triangular is about,” Shaun Pollock, former South Africa captain told at the CSA Centre of Excellence, where he was working with the National Academy. “They look like they are heading in the right direction.”South Africa are the only team to have posted a score over 300 in this tournament, which should bode well for what Duminy expects to be a battle of the batsmen. After slower surfaces in Guyana and St Kitts, Barbardos has seen more runs. In the only completed match at the Kensington Oval, West Indies set Australia a target of 283, which was successfully chased.”West Indies have batted really well and this venue leans towards a good batting wicket. So it’s probably going to come down to who bats better on this surface,” Duminy said. “The first 15 to 20 overs are going to be crucial – setting the platform leading into the game. Especially in these kind of games, where there is extra pressure, it’s important to set a good platform.”But with Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock in decent form, South Africa’s focus could be trained on the middle order, where there is significant responsibility on AB de Villiers, who is yet to have an impact on this series, Duminy, Farhaan Behardien and Chris Morris to finish strongly.If the middle order fires, it could amount to a perfect batting performance, but South Africa will have to still find a way past Marlon Samuels, who leads the tournament’s run-charts. With the series’ top-wicket-taker, Imran Tahir in their ranks, South Africa will be confident they can. Samuels has been dismissed by Tahir once in the series and by spin three times out of five. If the slower bowlers are unsuccessful, the additional pace and bounce at Kensington Oval should provide assistance to the seamers. Morne Morkel is expected to be included in the South Africa XI to take advantage of those conditions.In theory, South Africa should be favourites but West Indies have already beaten both opponents in this tournament and are mounting a resurrection of their own. Add to that South Africa’s nerves in knockout situations and it sets the stage for a tense affair, which will mean more to South Africa than meets the eye.

05-Aug-2016But they didn’t have to wait long for a wicket – Dilruwan Perera got through Usman Khawaja’s defences with a full-length arm ball•AFPSmith failed to add to his score and was castled by Rangana Herath as Australia were reduced to 59 for 4•Associated PressHerath then had Adam Voges caught by a diving Dimuth Karunaratne at extra cover•AFPHe went on to remove Peter Nevill and Mitchell Starc off the next two balls to claim a hat-trick•AFPPerera accounted for Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood soon after to pin Australia down to 89 for 9•AFPMitchell Marsh unleashed some big swipes and dragged his team to three figures…•AFP…before he holed out to long-off off Lakshan Sandakan as Australia were skittled out for 106 in 33.2 overs•AFPStarc and Hazlewood struck early in the second innings to leave Sri Lanka 31 for 3 at lunch, capping an 11-wicket morning session•AFPKusal Perera and Angelo Mathews steadied Sri Lanka after the break with a brisk 48-run stand•Associated PressBut Lyon had both of them bowled. When Mathews missed a reverse sweep and exited for 47, Sri Lanka were 121 for 6•Associated PressDilruwan Perera, however, built Sri Lanka’s lead with drilled fours…•Associated Press… with assistance from Herath, who reverse-swept his way to 26•AFPHerath fell to the reverse sweep and Dilruwan was cleaned up by a Starc yorker for 64 as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 237•AFPHerath followed his hat-trick in the first innings with the early wicket of Joe Burns in the second innings•AFPDilruwan got rid of Nathan Lyon, the nightwatchman, and Usman Khawaja off successive balls as Australia closed the day at 25 for 3 in a chase of 413•Associated Press