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Stats preview to the first Test between Australia and Pakistan in Melbourne

S Rajesh24-Dec-2009Pakistan haven’t yet won a Test series in Australia, and have lost the last six in a row, but they’ll feel they have a reasonable chance of arresting that sequence in the three-Test series that gets underway in Melbourne on Boxing Day. Australia have blanked Pakistan 3-0 in their last two series in Australia – their last nine Tests here have all produced results – but Australia have been less dominant of late, and the venues for the matches – Sydney and Hobart are the other two – are expected to suit Pakistan.It’s been 14 years since Pakistan won a Test in Australia – they haven’t won since Sydney in 1995 – but even that was in a dead rubber after Australia had won the first two matches and sealed the series. The last time Pakistan triumphed when a series was still alive was way back in 1979, in Melbourne, in a match made famous for Sarfraz Nawaz’s haul of 9 for 86 in the second innings. During the three-year period between 1979 and 1981 Pakistan won twice at the MCG, but since then they’ve lost two out of three. (Click here for the full list.)

Australia v Pakistan in Australia

TestsAus wonPak wonDrawnOverall291847Since 199012912At the MCG8422As you’d expect of a team which has been utterly dominant through most of the last two decades, Australia have a superb record at this ground. They’ve won eight out of nine Tests in the 2000s, with their only defeat coming in their most recent outing, against South Africa in the Boxing Day Test last year. Since 1990, Australia have a win-loss ratio of five, which is next only to Brisbane among their five regular Test venues. The other aspect that stands out is the number of decisive results this ground has produced – the last 11 Tests have all had a winner, and the last draw came way back in 1997.

Australia’s win-loss ratio at home venues since 1990

VenueTestsWonLostW/ L ratioThe Gabba, Brisbane20160-MCG, Melbourne201535.00Adelaide Oval211334.33SCG, Sydney221334.33WACA, Perth201343.25Among the Australian batsmen in the current squad who’ve played more than a Test here, Ricky Ponting has by far the best record, while Michael Hussey has struggled. In 22 innings Ponting has eight innings of 50 or more, including 101 and 99 in his most recent Test here, against South Africa. Hussey, on the other hand, has one 50-plus score in four Tests, and it came in his very first innings here, against South Africa in 2005. Since then, his six innings read 31, 6, 2, 36, 0, 2.

Australian batsmen at the MCG

BatsmanTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sRicky Ponting12111765.704/ 4Michael Clarke423547.000/ 2Simon Katich29832.670/ 1Michael Hussey419928.421/ 0Among the Pakistan players in the current squad, only Mohammad Yousuf has played more than three Tests in Australia. His average in 12 innings is a modest 33, but it includes a majestic 111 at the MCG the last time he played here, in 2004, a match in which he also led the side. Salman Butt impressed on that tour, scoring 225 runs including a hundred and a 70, but Kamran Akmal, who was in such splendid form with the bat in New Zealand, has some catching up to do – in six innings he has managed only 77 runs.Both bowling attacks are fairly inexperienced and haven’t bowled much in Melbourne, but recent stats show that both fast bowlers and spinners have enjoyed the conditions here. Fast bowlers have a better average and strike rate, but spinners have had success too. The two five-fors by spinners belong to legspinners Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill, which suggests conditions might suit Danish Kaneria too.

Pace and spin at the MCG since 2000

WicketsAverageStrike rate5WI/ 10WMPace10625.1656.32/ 0Spin4530.3160.42/ 0The team batting first has won four out of nine Tests since 2000, but the captain winning the toss has batted first seven times out of nine. The average runs per wicket in each innings indicates there is little to choose between batting first and putting in the opposition. Whatever the captain opts for, there’s a high likelihood of a result at the end of five days.

Runs per wkt in each innings at the MCG since 2000

1st innings2nd innings3rd innings4th innings36.6236.0430.3425.00

His Test record is imposing enough, but Jack Hobbs has set some first-class numbers which will probably never be surpassed

S Rajesh27-Mar-2010Jack Hobbs was, quite simply, the most prolific batsman in cricket. His Test record is imposing enough – he finished with an average of almost 57, and was, at the time of retiring, the highest run-getter in Tests – but his overall first-class record continues to be quite staggering. Here are a few of his records, which will probably never be surpassed: With a gigantic tally of 61,760 first-class runs, Hobbs is the leading run-getter by far, and the only one to go past 60,000. England’s Frank Woolley comes in next on 58,959. (To put things in perspective, Sachin Tendulkar’s first-class tally is 22,336, and no one who has played beyond 1952 has an aggregate of more than 50,000.) It boggles the mind to think of what Hobbs’ tally would have been had he not lost six years due to the Great War. Along with the record for most first-class runs, he also holds the record for most first-class hundreds, with 199. Patsy Hendren is next on 170, and only four others have more than 150. Hobbs scored his last Test century – 142 against Australia in Melbourne in 1929 – when he was all of 46 years and 82 days old, which remains a record. Hendren comes in second again, at 45 years and 151 days, while the oldest since 1980 is Geoff Boycott, at 41 years and 63 days.Those are records that will almost certainly stay forever, not least because of the nature of the game in the modern era. While some of those first-class stats are staggering, his Test record is outstanding too, with 15 centuries in 61 Tests at an average of 56.94.Hobbs started his Test career with 83 against Australia in Melbourne, but he didn’t exceed that score till his 10th Test, when he made an unbeaten 93 against South Africa. In fact, in his first 11 Tests Hobbs had eight fifties but not a single hundred. That landmark only came in his 12th Test, when he scored 187 against South Africa. That was the beginning of a prolonged prolific passage for him: of the 12 years he played between 1910 and 1929 (there was no cricket between 1915 and 1919), only once, in 1921, did his average for the year slip below 50. In 44 Tests during this period, Hobbs’ average soared to more than 65, and his conversion rate improved dramatically too, with 15 hundreds and 17 fifties.

Jack Hobbs’ Test career

PeriodRunsAverage100s/ 50sFirst 11 Tests78641.360/ 8Next 44 Tests426165.5515/ 17Last 6 Tests36333.000/ 3Career541056.9415/ 28With the conditions loaded in favour of batsmen over the last decade, several of them have joined the list of 50-plus averages: with a cut-off of 5000 runs, 77 are in this league today, while there were only 44 before the start of the 2000s. However, Hobbs’ average of 56.94 remains among the top five. It’s in fifth place, next only to Bradman, Barrington, Hammond and Sobers.Obviously Hobbs is among the top openers in Test history as well. Only Herbert Sutcliffe and Len Hutton have a higher average, among openers who’ve scored at least 4000 runs. Among modern-day openers, India’s Virender Sehwag comes closest to the legends, with an average of almost 55.

Best openers in Tests (Qual: 4000 runs as openers)

BatsmanInningsRunsAverage100s/ 50sHerbert Sutcliffe83452261.1016/ 23Len Hutton131672156.4719/ 31Jack Hobbs97513056.3714/ 27Virender Sehwag120631254.8818/ 19Graeme Smith136656451.2820/ 24Matthew Hayden184862550.7330/ 29Sunil Gavaskar203960750.2933/ 42Justin Langer115511248.2216/ 18Geoff Boycott191809148.1622/ 42Herschelle Gibbs116524247.2214/ 21At the time of his retirement, Hobbs was also easily the highest run-scorer in Tests. His tally of 5410 was almost 2000 more than Clem Hill, who was the second-highest, on 3412. Only five players had scored more than 3000 runs in Tests at the time.The small group of Test-playing nations at the time also meant Hobbs played most of his Tests against Australia – 41 out of 61 were against them, and he scored 12 centuries in those games, at an average of more than 54.

Leading run-getters in Tests till the end of Hobbs’ career

BatsmanTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sJack Hobbs61541056.9415/ 28Clem Hill49341239.217/ 19Herbert Sutcliffe36339666.5813/ 16Victor Trumper48316339.048/ 13Frank Woolley61316037.175/ 22Warwick Armstrong50286338.686/ 8With Herbert Sutcliffe, Hobbs formed an opening combination that remains the most prolific in Test cricket in terms of average opening stands. In 38 innings in which the two opened together, they managed an incredible 15 century stands, including a highest of 283 against Australia in Melbourne, a match England ultimately lost by 81 runs – it remains the third-highest partnership by a pair who ended up on the losing side. Twice the pair recorded century stands in three consecutive innings.Not only does Hobbs top the list of leading opening pairs, he also comes in second: his 36 opening stands with Wilfred Rhodes were worth 2146 runs, at an average of 61.31.Among the modern-day pairs, India’s Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have the highest average partnership (with a 2000-run cut-off) – they average 60.06, with seven century stands in 50 innings.

Leading opening pairs in Tests (Qual: 2000 runs)

PairInningsRunsAverage100/ 50 standsHobbs-Sutcliffe38324987.8115/ 10Hobbs – Rhodes36214661.318/ 5Lawry-Simpson62359660.949/ 18Gambhir-Sehwag50288360.067/ 16Hutton-Washbrook51288060.008/ 13Atherton-Gooch44250156.847/ 12Gibbs-Smith56298356.287/ 10Gavaskar-Chauhan59301053.7510/ 10Strauss-Trescothick52267052.358/ 12Hayden-Langer113565551.8814/ 24

If the first day had been all about making an emphatic statement to Sri Lanka, the second was about restraint and maturity

Andrew Fernando in Galle16-Nov-2010Hard-hitting opening batsmen are all the rage in Test cricket right now. Virender Sehwag, Shane Watson, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Tamim Iqbal, and lately – Brendon McCullum. Few however – Sehwag excepted – can claim the kind of voracious appetite for massive innings that Chris Gayle so patently displays. Six of Gayle’s thirteen centuries have been scores of over 150. Three of those have been double-tons and two have been in excess of that magical 300 mark.While Gayle might not have Brian Lara’s prodigious ability or his effortless control, it seems that he has inherited the great West Indian’s hunger to strive for something even greater when the battle already seems won; the hunger to not be sated by simply having one’s opponents by the scruff of the neck, but to play the kinds of innings that would push them to the brink and further.Like Lara, Gayle is no stranger to playing the lone hand. His valiant second-innings 165 against a formidable Australian attack, while his team-mates’ resolve deserted them in Adelaide last year, ensured that West Indies salvaged a creditable draw from an otherwise arduous series. His unbeaten 63, however, was not enough to get them across the line in the semi-final of the World Twenty20 in 2009. The next highest score on the team card was just seven.Little wonder then that, in an innings where the West Indies amassed their highest-ever total in the subcontinent, none of Gayle’s team-mates passed 70. That’s not to say, of course, that he didn’t have support: Adrian Barath, Darren Bravo and Brendan Nash played second-fiddle admirably. But they were all exactly that: the forgettable back-up singers in a spectacular performance of the Chris Gayle show.The zeal with which the Sri Lankans appealed for every half-chance betrayed the immense value that they had placed on his wicket. For a man who is so often derided as egotistical and self-serving, Gayle means a lot to this West Indian outfit. And had he perished early on Monday morning, perhaps the inexperienced youngsters in the top-order whose work was made that much more simple by the fireworks at the other end, would not have lasted long either. The dramatic collapse after Gayle’s departure this evening simply highlighted his importance to a fledgling side who have struggled whenever he has failed.It’s not as if criticism of Gayle is unwarranted. A man who hauls in a tidy sum as captain of the West Indies in addition to the income from sponsors and the IPL might be expected to fall in line when the board makes demands. But to see Gayle through this one-sided lens – as a mercenary hack who sells out his national side for more money – is to obscure a more laudable piece of the Chris Gayle puzzle: a batsman whose team’s fortunes depend so heavily upon him that he is more often than not, the difference between victory and defeat. The way he compiled his mammoth innings at Galle suggested that perhaps Gayle is himself aware of this fact.The first day of a tour in which your side has already been written off is about impact, the need to convey to the opposition that you won’t be beaten without a fight. And Gayle provided it in emphatic style – 219 not out from 241 deliveries and the record for most sixes in an innings by a West Indian. But the restraint and maturity with which he batted on day two, to not only complete his triple-century, but to consolidate his team’s dominance and lift them to a first-innings total from where a maiden Test win in Sri Lanka was now a very real possibility, was perhaps even more impressive than his opening-day ballistics.He had blasted 34 boundaries in all on the first day, hitting 26 fours and eight sixes. On Tuesday, in over two sessions of batting, he struck just nine, opting instead to exploit the defensive fields to keep the scoreboard ticking alongside Nash, who did the same. Instead of brutish pulls to the midwicket boundary, there were delicate glances and fends to the on-side. The crashing blows through cover and point became gentle nudges and late dabs. Even the majestic wallops high above the bowlers’ heads – the highlight of his dazzling strokeplay yesterday, were replaced by stolen singles to long-off. The ceaseless slogger of the previous day’s play had overnight transformed into a canny accumulator. And his team was far better for it.The celebrations too, were muted. No belligerent fist pumps ensued, no yells, leaps in the air or extravagant flourishes of the bat. He simply knelt in the middle of the Galle pitch and raised his arms aloft. Perhaps the searing heat had sapped the energy necessary for the requisite amount of showmanship or maybe it’s just not his style, but for a man who’d just been relieved of the captaincy, Gayle seemed to have surprisingly little to prove.

A run-down of the slots that are still to be decided in South Africa’s World Cup squad and who the contenders are to claim them

Firdose Moonda in Durban11-Jan-2011South Africa boast a new-look side for the five-match ODI series against India, which starts with the first ODI in Durban on Wednesday. The men who have been stalwarts of the South Africa side over the last few years are either injured, in Jacques Kallis’ case, have been dropped, as Mark Boucher has been, or have retired, like Makhaya Ntini. It means that tickets to the World Cup are still up for grabs for the 14-man squad that will face India and an eye must be kept on the fringe-men, as well. There are still some spots in the World Cup squad that need to be claimed.The back-up opener
South Africa captain Graeme Smith has a habit of sustaining hand injuries when it’s time to play a limited-overs series. He was instructed to rest following a bruise on his hand caused by Sreesanth during the Test series, and with five more matches to play against the fiery India seamer, there’s every chance that Smith may need some back-up in case of a medical emergency. Robin Peterson has been used in the opening role before. His left-arm spin has not been good enough to keep him in the side as an allrounder but he may come into contention again if Smith becomes an injury worry. Morne van Wyk, who is not in the squad for the India series, but is in the list of World Cup probables, impressed in the Twenty20 match against India, in which he scored 67 off 39 balls, and is another option. van Wyk’s case is made stronger by the absence of a back-up wicketkeeper for AB de Villiers.The No. 6 and 7 spots
These roles must ideally be filled by allrounders, of the big hitting and wicket-taking sort, like Albie Morkel, but he is not in the squad for the India series. David Miller, Colin Ingram and Robin Peterson have been battling it out for the two spots in recent times and will now face an additional challenge from spin-bowling allrounder Faf du Plessis. Ingram has been used at number three in the absence of Kallis, but Smith has made it clear that his role is further down the order. Neither Miller nor Ingram bowl as much as will be needed, which strengthens the case for du Plessis to replace one of them. If there are other bowling options then they could well be space for both Miller and Ingram, otherwise the two may find themselves competing for one of the places, while Peterson and du Plessis battle it out for the other.The third seamer
Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel will lead the attack and the third seamer will have to complement them. Lonwabo Tsotsobe showed good form and skill in the series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, when Wayne Parnell was not match fit. Both are left-armers, but Parnell is seen as the more attacking of the two. They may face a challenge from Ryan McLaren, Rusty Theron or Charl Langeveldt, all of whom are in the preliminary World Cup squad. However, none of those three are in the current squad to play India, which makes the third seamer’s spot, essentially, a straight shootout between Tsotsobe and Parnell. Tsotsobe lacks Parnell’s pace but has more experience. Both could end up being excluded from the playing XI in the World Cup if South Africa opt for two spinners instead.The attacking spinner
With the World Cup to be played on the slow tracks of the subcontinent, a vacancy has been created for an attacking spinner in the South Africa team. Roelof van der Merwe fulfilled the role for a while, with his aggressive brand of left-arm spin, but has now found himself on the discards heap. Johan Botha, while often among the wicket-takers, is more of a containing bowler, as is JP Duminy. Imran Tahir is tailor-made for the role but will face opposition from Faf du Plessis. Although du Plessis is known as a batsman, his role as a bowler for his domestic team – the Titans – increased this season. du Plessis has the added advantage of being a good batsman and fielder, departments in which Tahir still has work to do.

A look at the biggest names in each of the ten squads, and how they fared in the World Cup, and in past seasons of the IPL

Nitin Sundar07-Apr-2011Kochi Tuskers KeralaIn IPL 2010, Mahela Jayawardene showed how Twenty20 batting can be non-violent, yet effective. He comes into this edition in top form, having book-ended his World Cup with two sublime centuries. He has had success opening in T20s, and Kochi’s performances could well evolve around his finesse at the top. Brendon McCullum will offer an interesting counterpoint to Jayawardene’s ways. His World Cup was lacklustre against top teams, with 177 of his 256 runs coming against minnows, but he is a menacing presence in any Twenty20 line-up. VVS Laxman has looked completely out of sorts in past IPLs, losing his innate grace to the compulsion to go aerial. This year, he will look for the middle ground that Jayawardene has made his own. With the rigour of international cricket behind him, the free-spirited Muttiah Muralitharan could be Kochi’s main bowler. Given Sreesanth’s unpredictability, RP Singh and John Hastings might be Kochi’s go-to seamers. Sreesanth’s bigger contribution – if he manages to keep his wits about him – will be in attracting local fans.Deccan ChargersExpect Kumar Sangakkara to captain Deccan with the charisma that came to typify his days in charge of the Sri Lankan team. He led Punjab through a disastrous 2010 season, and will want to make a clean break this year. Sangakkara is in fine form with the bat, having finished the World Cup third on the run-scorers’ list with 465 runs. Kevin Pietersen’s injury, however, leaves the rest of Deccan’s batting thin on pedigree. With 224 runs from seven innings, JP Duminy never quite came into his own during the World Cup, but the bigger worry is the out-of-form Cameron White, who has struggled in past IPLs. The bowling will depend heavily on Dale Steyn who has grown in stature since the last edition, and comes off a strong World Cup performance (12 wickets at an average of 16.00). He will expect support from Rusty Theron and Ishant Sharma, who both have points to prove to their national selectors.Mumbai IndiansWith a World Cup medal now adorning his mantelpiece, there’s little left for Sachin Tendulkar to achieve in the game. The IPL offers him the chance to redeem his poor captaincy record, something he got to within a game of doing last year. Having rattled 482 World Cup runs, Tendulkar is primed for another bountiful tournament with the bat. Davy Jacobs, whose audacity at the top lit up the 2010 Champions League, is another exciting top-order prospect. Expect mayhem from Kieron Pollard – as he showed in the World Cup (154 of his 180 runs came against Netherlands and Ireland), he loves to pummel average bowling, and he’s bound to run into some of that at the IPL. With Zaheer Khan gone, the bowling unit will depend on the striking ability of Lasith Malinga, whose yorkers were mostly on target in the World Cup (13 wickets). With nine wickets in nine games, Harbhajan Singh wasn’t at his most incisive in the World Cup, but the presence of old mate Andrew Symonds in the covers should fire him up.Indifferent form notwithstanding, Brendon McCullum in a dangerous presence in any Twenty20 line-up•Indian Premier LeagueRajasthan RoyalsNo side that has Shane Warne and Rahul Dravid in its ranks can be taken lightly. However, in picking these stalwarts, Rajasthan may have gambled on experience and pedigree at the cost of Twenty20 aptitude and young legs. Given that context, a lot will be expected out of the tireless Shane Watson (290 runs in six matches), who will join the IPL after the Bangladesh tour. Ross Taylor’s World Cup will forever be remembered for his birthday blitz against Pakistan, but he was consistent enough to score 324 runs at 64.80. Rajasthan will look to Shaun Tait for short, sharp bursts of pace, the kind of which he fleetingly produced while running up a World Cup tally of 11 wickets. Jacob Oram hustled South Africa into collapsing in the World Cup quarter-final; expect him to retain that spark in the field.Delhi DaredevilsLasting 50 overs at the World Cup might have proved a bridge too far for Virender Sehwag, but he is well capable of running up 50-over scores in 20 overs if he sets his mind to it. He made 380 runs in the World Cup, 175 of which came in the opening game, and is likely to settle games within the span of a few overs. Add David Warner and Aaron Finch to the mix, and you could be looking at the most destructive Twenty20 top three in the world. Morne Morkel, who had a mixed World Cup with nine wickets at 23.00, is the only stable presence in a bowling line-up filled with players on the fringe: Irfan Pathan will resume that tiringly tragic search for lost swing. Roelof van der Merwe will once again try to convince with the sum of his bits-and-pieces parts. Ashok Dinda and Umesh Yadav will try to better each other on speed-gun readings.Kolkata Knight RidersGautam Gambhir has the daunting task of winning over the love and support of a city that will not warm up too easily to the man who replaced Sourav Ganguly. In addition, Gambhir has a couple of records to set right. So far, he has under-achieved at the IPL, often throwing his wicket away after running away to a start. It is an affliction that bogged him down even at the World Cup, where he gifted his wicket too often despite scoring 393 runs. Gambhir’s opening partner is likely to be Brad Haddin, another smooth starter who is susceptible to soft dismissals, as seen in his century-less World Cup yield of 332 runs. Kolkata’s big names – Jacques Kallis (225 runs in seven World Cup innings), Eoin Morgan, Yusuf Pathan and Shakib Al Hasan – all had quiet World Cups and will seek fresh starts at the IPL.Dale Steyn has grown in stature since the last IPL, while Adam Gilchrist cannot afford another poor season with the bat•Indian Premier LeaguePune WarriorsAt the moment, anything Yuvraj Singh (362 runs and 15 wickets at the World Cup) touches is turning into gold, and he will be expected to provide Pune a charmed IPL debut. Yuvraj won’t find the going easy, though. His most experienced batsman, Graeme Smith (183 runs in seven innings), looked ridiculously out of form in the World Cup, and has generally struggled in Twenty20s. Jesse Ryder (184 runs in five innings) is unreliable and inconsistent at the top, and a risky option with the ball. To make matters worse, injuries to Angelo Mathews and Ashish Nehra could curtail their contributions. With the international stars out of form or injured, the engine room could be manned by IPL specialists Robin Uthappa and Murali Kartik. Additionally, Nathan McCullum’s scrappiness (eight wickets at 30.12 in the World Cup) could be a worthy inclusion to the side.Kings XI PunjabAdam Gilchrist was out of his depth in IPL 2010, and could become a liability to his new side if his struggles with the bat continue. His team is short of quality overseas players, with David Hussey being the most bankable batting pick. Piyush Chawla, whose repeated selection for World Cup games became a national debate, will look forward to playing under lesser pressure, while Praveen Kumar returns after missing the World Cup with an elbow injury. Ryan Harris is also on the recovery trail, and could be the main striking weapon in a seemingly underweight bowling attack.Chennai Super KingsChennai will be relieved with MS Dhoni’s (241 runs in eight innings) return to form in the World Cup final, and will look up to continue their consistency under his watch. Suresh Raina comes into the IPL at his confident best having played two crucial innings in the World Cup, and will resume duty as Dhoni’s point man. Ben Hilfenhaus is out with injury, while Dwayne Bravo and Doug Bollinger are on the recovery trail. R Ashwin, on the other hand, having been relegated to the bench in all but two World Cup matches, will be eager to have a go. Chennai have made two interesting picks from New Zealand for this season: Scott Styris (142 runs and four wickets in seven matches) and Tim Southee (18 wickets in eight matches) had contrasting World Cups, but could both fit into the line-up. Styris will have to stave off competition from Chennai’s preferred allrounder Albie Morkel, while Southee could share the pace workload with Bollinger and the domestic seamers.Royal Challengers BangaloreDaniel Vettori leads the new-look Bangalore side, and his biggest challenge will be to maintain his fitness after his World Cup was curtailed by a knee injury. AB de Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan were not at their best in the IPL last year, but have stupendous World Cups behind them. de Villiers plundered 353 runs in five games, while Dilshan finished top run-getter with 500 runs at 62.50. The key player in the line-up, though, could be Virat Kohli, who gave India stability in the World Cup (282 runs in nine games), and will look to hold Bangalore’s middle order together. Expect more magic from Zaheer Khan, who got the ball to do things unseen previously in snaring 21 World Cup wickets. Dirk Nannes and Charl Langeveldt should complement Zaheer’s skills well, while Abhimanyu Mithun and Nuwan Pradeep will hope to get opportunities too as the tournament progresses.

Hunting Lalit, swarming Lloyd, quizzing Hendo, and more, in the third edition of our England tour diary

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Aug-2011August 17
Lalit Modi is the subject of press-box discussion by the visiting Indian media, who have been trying hard to track him down, harder than even Indian investigative agencies.I knock on the door of an old three-storey brick house in the swanky SW1 pocket in London, allegedly Modi’s address since he was driven out of the BCCI (and India) for alleged financial misdemeanours in the running of the IPL. Modi’s son answers the door. He is courteous, saying his father is out, and gives me a landline number on paper bearing the LKM insignia. Modi doesn’t answer calls made to the number.August 19
Sitting in the overflow press box – an enclosure for mediapersons who can’t be fitted into the main box – at The Oval. The best thing about it is that it’s open-air, so you can feel the buzz and intensity of the crowd.In front of me is a radio commentator, weaving into the narrative the sights and the sounds and the ebbs and the flows of the final Test. It doesn’t look easy.Who has been the best cricket commentator on radio? Michael Henderson, the respected cricket columnist, reckons it is the late John Arlott, of the BBC’s fame. “He had a good knowledge of the game and also about other things.” A policeman, poet, wine connoisseur and cricket romantic – Arlott was all of them.August 20
Madness comes in different forms. In England the crowds drink, dress eccentrically, dance and sing while enjoying the game. Some overdo it. A pair of wealth managers want their names mentioned in ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball commentary. A “mad or what?” expression does not deter them. “How about for 50 quid,” they ask laughingly, their faces flushed after a few pints in the afternoon sun. I sigh with relief when they stand up to leave. One of them slips me a folded piece of paper. “Our names are in there.” Inside is a £20 note folded in four that I hand back.August 22
After the whitewash is completed, the entire England squad, along with the large support staff, walks onto the field. The players lounge with beers in hands. In his column in the , headlined “Secrets of our success”, Graeme Swann writes later: “An hour or two after the fourth Test finished on Monday we wandered on to the outfield, supped a couple of beers and had a final reflective chat about the Test summer. Andy Flower was quite emotional as he spoke of the pride he felt in the team. It is great that a coach can be so happy that he chokes up like that.”August 25
History stares down at you from the walls of every cricket ground in England. In the the Kent Long Room is the famous painting by Albert Chevallier Tayler of a 1906 cricket match between Kent and Lancashire at the St Lawrence Ground, a game Kent won handsomely on their way to securing their maiden County Championship of the modern era. It is a vivid painting, one that has been celebrated many times including in this classic essay by Gideon Haigh. It shows Charlie Blythe, the former Kent and England left-arm spinner, bowling to Johnny Tyldesley. In 2009, Andrew Strauss and his men visited Flanders Fields in Belgium to commemorate servicemen who lost their lives in World War I, and laid a stone cricket ball at Blythe’s grave.August 26
The Indian media swarm around Clive Lloyd looking for an immediate diagnosis for the 4-0 defeat. Lloyd comes up with various reasons, and lists safeguards India should have put in place well in advance. The biggest lesson from the defeat, Lloyd says, is that Indian youngsters have to play more overseas cricket – as part of A teams, county cricket – to understand the nuances of the longer format. Living on a Twenty20 diet, Lloyd says, can only harm Indian cricket in the long term. Among his prescriptions, one line stands out: “Twenty20 is exhibition. Test cricket is examination.”Albert Chevallier Tayler’s painting of the Kent v Lancashire match in 1906•Kent CCCAugust 27
Oscar Pistorius, the South African athlete who runs on prosthetic blades, is dominating the sports headlines here. A double amputee, Pistorius is in the 400 metres at the World Athletics Championships in South Korea, but some of his rivals are not happy about the advantage his blades have over human legs. Michael Johnson, the Olympic record-holder for the 400 metres, believes Pistorius probably has an advantage, because, as he says, during the last stretch of a race the ankles tend to relax due to fatigue, when you’d prefer them to stay taut. Pistorius, Johnson thinks, has no such problem. Pistorius is a good human-interest story. He eventually doesn’t make it to the final, but is surely going to be a topic for raging debates in future.August 28
The indefatigable Paul Nixon, 40, plays his final match in England tomorrow, after 22 first-class seasons. He looks supremely fit. So why go? “Top sportsmen should always quit on a high.”

The Stanbic Bank 20 may not have the pulling power of the IPL and the Big Bash, but it has managed to get some big names on the roster all the same

Firdose Moonda29-Nov-2011If cricket was fashion, India would be its black, where uber-glamorous celebrities are patrons of the cricket and every ball plays out with all the drama of a Bollywood blockbuster. And Zimbabwe? It would be the boring beige that few want to be seen in. In the shadows of its bigger and better older brother, South Africa, Zimbabwe appears entirely unfashionable. But for 10 days a year the beige becomes the canvas for splashes of colour – the kind big-hitters like Chris Gayle and fiery bowlers like Shaun Tait can produce.Gayle and Tait are two of 20 foreign players taking part in Zimbabwe’s domestic 20-over tournament, the highlight of the country’s cricketing calendar and the yardstick for Zimbabwe’s progress. Since it kicked off three years ago, the event has grown in stature, generated interest and money, and attracted influential overseas names. This year it is expected to attract a record number of viewers and to come close to breaking even, raising the profile of the game in the country and helping bring in the funds to make it bigger next year.Though similar in theory to the likes of the IPL or the Big Bash, the Stanbic Bank 20 operates on a smaller scale: Fourteen matches are played over 10 days, with five double-headers. The quaint Harare Sports Club plays host to the entire event. It’s a squeeze but it keeps travel costs and hotel bills to a minimum.To some extent, finances have dictated the format of the competition, but far from having a negative effect Zimbabwe Cricket has been able to secure foreign players relatively cheaply. The tournament’s icon players – Gayle in particular – command much more money elsewhere. Gayle is rumoured to earn more for a single IPL game than he will for the full event in Zimbabwe. One thing is clear: he did not sign up for the money.”I had nothing to do in Jamaica and wanted to get some practice in before the Big Bash, so I thought I could go to Zimbabwe,” he said. “I thought it would be a nice opportunity to share my experience and thought maybe I could pick up a few things as well.””We are asking overseas players to spend just over a week here. It’s not a drawn-out thing,” Alistair Campbell, chairman of the cricket committee, said, pointing out an advantage they had in getting players for less money than they would earn in similar tournaments elsewhere.His ongoing battle with the WICB has meant Gayle is unable to represent his country and match practice is in short supply. In the peaceful outpost of Zimbabwe, he can go about his business relatively undisturbed. “It’s very laidback here, nothing rough, nothing fast-paced,” he said. “It might be nice to go on a safari and see a bit of the wild side.”It’s not just for personal gains that Gayle is here, though. “I wanted to go to a country that was developing in cricket so I can help them improve,” he said. He has been to Zimbabwe twice before, in 2003 and 2005. The white-player walkout of 2004 was sandwiched in between his visits. Zimbabwe withdrew from Test cricket after that, as they underwent a major overhaul of their structures. Their main aim was to reach out to the majority black African population and create an inclusive, representative national team. With the number of black players and spectators involved in the game on the up, to have someone like Gayle in Zimbabwe is special for the country. “I can see that they look up to me. There are so many more black people playing the game and it’s nice that they can relate to me,” he said.Gayle has noticed a considerable improvement in the standard of Zimbabwe cricket, calling it “more competitive” than before. Former England wicketkeeper Phil Mustard agrees. “There is some immense talent in Zimbabwe. They love their cricket, they all want to learn and get better,” he said.

To some extent, finances have dictated the format of the competition, but far from having a negative effect Zimbabwe Cricket has been able to secure foreign players relatively cheaply

Mustard is one of six English players in the tournament, a fairly significant number, considering the fractured relationship between the UK and Zimbabwe. Although the England team have not toured Zimbabwe since 2004 and the ECB severed all ties with ZC in 2008, Mustard and his countrymen did not need special permission to travel to Zimbabwe, and he says they will take back a positive message to their home board.”The ECB sometimes make their decisions on security risks but we can still choose to come here as individuals,” he said. “And we are really enjoying it. We walked downtown for dinner a few nights ago, everyone is so friendly and there are no problems at all.”Like Gayle, Mustard has his eye pinned on playing in other T20 competitions around the world and wants to use this event as a stepping stone. He also said he would “like to get a few of the Zimbabwe players to England next season”.Dutch international Ryan ten Doeschate has returned to play in the event for a second year. Roped in by former Essex team-mate Grant Flower, ten Doeschate played in last year’s tournament, where he made 66 runs in six matches, with a top score of 26, a showing that was, by his own admission, disastrous. “I want to make right for last year,” he said. “Especially since this competition is as good as any that I have played in around the world.”As a journeyman cricketer, having his passport stamped in Zimbabwe is ten Doeschate’s way of making the most of his opportunities to play top-level cricket. “For Associate players, the only way to travel and play in different countries lies in T20 cricket,” he said. “There’s a definite charm to being in Zimbabwe, especially to see how they are overcoming their problems. They are a special bunch of people and wherever the rest of us can help, we should.”For one of the visiting players, his involvement is an act of taking rather than giving. Alex Obanda, the top-order batsman from Kenya, is the only player from his country to participate in the tournament. He has stars in his eyes as he enjoys his first foreign event. “I just want to become a better player,” he said. “One of my heroes growing up was Andy Flower, so to be in the same country as he was from is nice.”Zimbabwe’s franchise competition is one up on the structures in Kenya, where cricket is at an earlier stage of development. “I hope we can get better sponsors, like Zimbabwe have, and some international players, and build a team that can represent our country well.” Obanda says he gets a bit more money to play in Zimbabwe than he does at home.For Zimbabwe to stand as an example for smaller countries is a massive step for them. It is the vote of confidence they need to tell them that their rebuilding process is working. This year, Obanda’s words will have a special significance: Zimbabwe can be proud after having made their Test comeback in August. They won their comeback Test, against Bangladesh, and won the ODI series that followed. They then crashed to a series of 12 international defeats across three series before finally notching up a win in a record chase against New Zealand. The Test match that followed – a tense encounter that Zimbabwe lost by 34 runs – was one of the best adverts for the longer version of the game we have seen in a year that has had a few of those.The road ahead will be filled with challenges, including overseas tours and major ICC tournaments, where Zimbabwe will only to succeed if they have a solid base at home. If the T20 tournament is to be believed, they do.

While this series win does not make England immediate favourites for the next World Cup, it does show that England are progressing into a highly skilled ODI team

George Dobell in Dubai19-Feb-2012Short of stumbling upon hidden treasure or a formula for ever-lastinglife, it is hard to conceive of a way that the third ODI could havegone much better from an England perspective.It was not just that England won. It was that they confirmed theirdominance over Pakistan by wrapping up the four-match series with agame to play; their captain underlined his newly acquired status as afine ODI cricketer; their young fast bowler again demonstrated hisclass; and their star player returned to form following a lean period.England’s cup was overflowing with encouragement.This win does not mean England should suddenly be considered favourites for the next World Cup or that all their problems are resolved. But, after the 5-0 whitewash they suffered in India before Christmas, it does suggest progress.On the surface, it would seem to mark an abrupt turn of fortunes forboth these sides. There were concerns after their 3-0 drubbing in theTest series, that an England team struggling for form and confidencemight be thrashed in the ODI series. Instead, led from the front bytheir captain, they achieved only their second series victory in Asiasince 1987 (in series excluding Bangladesh and involving just twonations) and their first away series win (again, excluding Bangladesh)since defeating South Africa at the end of 2009. While England’srecord in home conditions was good, their record outside the UK wasmodest.But perhaps we should not be too surprised. Since Alastair Cook was appointed captain, England have won series against India and Sri Lanka at home and only been beaten by India away. When Cook was appointed England’s ODI captain, he accepted that it would take time to change the fortunes of a side that had recently suffered early elimination in the World Cup and warned that there were be “some hiccups on the way”. The series in India was certainly a hiccup but, four major series into Cook’s leadership, it is possible to trace improvement.England may well have developed the nucleus of a squad that could goon to bigger and better things. The likes of Jos Buttler and BenStokes could be pushing for inclusion in a battling line-up that hasperformed well here, while the likes of Tim Bresnan will be pushingfor inclusion in a bowling line-up that has performed veryimpressively. That represents a strong squad.But the greatest success has been the form of the captain. Cookhas not just ground out runs as is routinely described. He has timedthe ball beautifully, hit the ball with power and scored at a rate of88.36. He looked every inch a top ODI opener and has surely ended, once and for all, the debate over his position in the side. Had hescored just 20 more runs, he would have become just the fifth man – and thefirst England player – to register three successive ODI centuries.

Their fielding has been pedestrian, their spinners quiet, the seamers disappointing and the batsmen underperformingDobell on Pakistan

Steven Finn, too, has established himself as a fine international bowler. For the third game in succession, he bowled with pace, skill and control and has built on the progress he showed in India. It isincreasingly hard to see how England will be able to omit him from any team in any format before long.And then there is Kevin Pietersen. This was Pietersen’s eighth ODI hundred but his first since 2008. He was magnificent in this innings: confident; powerful; brave. It was a reminder of the wonderful player that helped England win the only global trophy they have yet lifted – the World T20 of 2010 – and of the player that was once rated the finest ODI player in the world. One innings – however good – does not prove he is back to his best but proves he is capable of such heights. Aged 32, there is no reason why Pietersen’s best should not be in front of him.”I said I didn’t feel as if I was out of form,” Pietersen saidafterwards. “I didn’t know it had been three-and-a-half-years since mylast century – that’s a long time ago – but I felt very calm. I didn’tfeel I had a point to prove to anyone. I understand that, if I don’tscore runs, I’ll be criticised and that is fine. I’m very thickskinned.”ODI hundreds are very hard to get, so when you get them you enjoythem. But to win for England means more to me. This ranks right upthere with the best ODI series wins I’ve experienced. Pakistan are afantastic team and, after being hammered in India, this is a goodplace to be.”Cook, meanwhile, praised the spirit of his England team. “We showedcharacter to turn things around,” he said, referring to the 3-0 lossin the Test series. “When you lose three in a row, you have everyright to be down on yourself but we fronted up. It doesn’t mean we’velearned all the lessons from India, but it does mean we might bemaking some progress.”Such a victory requires context. Pakistan were strangely off-colour inthis series. That a team that could be so impressive in the Testseries could look so anaemic in the ODI series is hard to understand.Their fielding has been at best pedestrian and at worst ragged andtheir batting has been fragile. While their spinners remained quiet, the seamers disappointed. With the batsmen underperforming, it hasproved impossible to balance the side.In the first two games, at least, there were mitigating factors. Theyhad lost the toss and were obliged to bat under lights. Here, battingfirst, they were simply outplayed. They were bowled out in all threeof these games and have reached 250 only three times in their last 28ODIs. The England attack is good, certainly, but Pakistan’s battingclearly needs strengthening.”Confidence is a big thing for players,” Misbah-ul-Haq said. “You can see by the way they are playing that the England batsmen, as they are getting used to our bowlers and the conditions, are playing with more confidence. All credit to them.”

It’s Delhi v Mumbai. The battle lines are clearly drawn

Arnav Sawhny28-Apr-2012Choice of game
This was a battle of the heavyweights – the swashbuckling Sehwag v Sachin, or the mercurial KP v Slinga Malinga. With Delhi thrashing the pre-tournament favourites in Mumbai, it promised to be an epic encounter – could the Daredevils continue their dream season or would the might of the Mumbai Indians shine through? That no team had as yet pulled a double over the other was a delicious subplot to this battle.Team supported
As a resident of Delhi, I naturally went into this game rooting for the Daredevils. One to always support the underdog, I was looking forward to the dramatically improved Delhi side taking on the rich and mighty Mumbai Indians. I went with a group of seven other friends, and we were spectacularly biased as seven Daredevils supports to one for Mumbai. Needless to say, he was in for a tough day, whatever the result.Key performer
Despite a strong, solid and speedy start by Mahela Jayawardene and Virender Sehwag, I have two other picks for players of the day.Kevin Pietersen – who else? – walked in in the 14th over, took his time to get going, saw wickets fall around him , but stayed calm and composed – well, as calm as you can be while smashing 50 off 25-odd balls. His finish gave the Daredevils’ a 200-plus total.My second performer of the day is the highly underrated left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem. After Mumbai lost their top three early, many thought the game was over. But Mumbai fought back with a spunky partnership between Dinesh Karthik and Ambati Rayudu and some quick hits by Kieron Pollard. Nadeem dismissed Rayudu and Pollard off consecutive deliveries to put the result beyond doubt.One thing I’d have changed
Despite being a Daredevils supporter, I’d have loved to see Tendulkar get some more runs. While a target of 208 was always going to be beyond Mumbai – especially after they inexplicably dropped an in-form James Franklin for Aiden Blizzard – a longer knock from Sachin would have added some stability to the chase, potentially making the match a lot closer than it eventually turned out to be. It’s always a pleasure to see him bat, and his solitary six over covers sent a shiver of delight through the crowd.Face-off I most relished
I loved the way Jayawardene took on Lasith Malinga. He showed a sense of responsibility by never letting the yorker specialist settle into his rhythm and dented his confidence by taking him for plenty of runs. With their kingpin going for runs all over the park, the toothless Mumbai attack appeared helpless to contain Jayawardene on a flat pitch.Accessories
Like a typical fan, I had noise whistles and a Delhi flag to wave for every four, six, save, Mumbai misfield, dropped catch, in between overs and after the match.Close encounter
One of the girls I went with was in love with Morne Morkel and went into a frenzy of delight when he came to patrol the boundary next to where we were sitting. Chants of “Morkel Morkel” and “Marry me Morne” made him blush and smile, and his emphatic wave when going on to bowl sent her into a state of ecstasy.Crowd meter
The Kotla was packed and noisy. Armed with flags and whistles, and encouraged by loud Punjabi music and a very enthusiastic emcee, the crowd created an atmosphere so in favour of the home side, it seemed impossible they would lose. Like in any stadium in India, Sachin got his share of cheers, but the Delhi crowd, after four seasons of the IPL, seems to have finally realised it won’t do to cheer a four from the opposition side. But spectators in Delhi are not yet as hostile as the crowds in Mumbai and Bangalore, and still welcome their visitors with open arms.There was a silent battle between a seven-year-old Delhi fan and a 20-something Mumbai fan. The Delhi boy was wearing the Daredevils jersey and waving a team flag, cheering them on enthusiastically. Then he caught sight of the Mumbai fan and for the rest of the game, after every boundary or over, the Delhi kid would stand up in his seat, turn around, and dance, cheer and make faces at the Mumbai fan, who also responded enthusiastically. The rivalry ended well, with the Mumbai fan giving the Delhi boy a tight hug after the match.Fancy-dress index
One guy wore an array of peacock feathers on his head, with matching sunglasses that had green shiny flashing lights. If he had ventured in front of the sightscreen, there would have been a major interruption in the game.Actual interruption of the day
In the middle of an over during the Daredevils’ innings a dog ran on to the field. It took a lap of honour around the field while the crowd and walked off to allow play to continue.Banner of the day
“Sachin, please stick to cricket not politics!” A simple message that showed how highly we Indians think of our cricketers and how little we think of our politicians.TV v stadium
I’m a sucker for games at the stadium, be it Tests, ODIs or Twenty20s. The IPL, packaged as it is, is simply a must-watch in the stadium. The entertainment – both cricket and off the field – the crowds, the music, the drama, the thrills and the heartbreaks, the euphoria can be best enjoyed with 40,000 other fans screaming their hearts out.Overall
I’d give this game 8 out of 10 simply in relation to the other IPL games I’ve watched at the Kotla. While this game didn’t have the drama of the Delhi v Punjab game I saw last season (both teams scoring over 200 runs), the fabulous crowd and the all-round display from the Daredevils made it a wonderful experience.

Plays of the day for the Champions League match between Chennai Super Kings and Yorkshire in Durban

Firdose Moonda22-Oct-2012Personnel shift of the day With nothing but reputation on the line, Chennai Super Kings were not afraid to make some bold changes to their starting XI. MS Dhoni handed over the gloves to Wriddhiman Saha and the captaincy to Suresh Raina, who became the youngest man at 25 years and 330 days, to lead a Champions League side. He also promised to give Dhoni a few overs.Bowler of the day Raina kept his word and at the start of the 15th over, Dhoni was at the top of his mark. He was so keen to bowl his first delivery that he didn’t even wait for the field to be set before he began running in. Dhoni was stopped on the way and some adjustments were made, but when he eventually got to bowl, he started with a wide.Clean hit of the day Gary Ballance’s prowess has become well known over the course of the tournament. He brought up his second half-century of the event with a six over square leg but his best shot was the one that came after. Ben Hilfenhaus missed a yorker and ended up bowling a full toss. Ballance hit it over extra cover with the same precision as a butcher slicing through meat and the same skill that sees the knife come out clean.Charge of the day Subramanian Badrinath built the platform from which Dhoni could launch and he chose to do it at a time when Chennai may just have been getting nervy. Dhoni took three steps down the track to turn Rashid’s delivery into a full toss and launched it over the mid-wicket boundary. The ball landed many rows back and hit a spectator in the stands.Overthrows of the day With only 140 to defend, Yorkshire could have been more careful with their fielding. Twice, they gave away four runs through wayward throws. Rafiq was the recipient of the first mistake, when short fine leg could not control his shy at the stumps. The fielder in that position was guilty again when Dhoni’s pads nudged an Iain Wardlaw ball that way. The result should have been one leg-bye but a wild attempt saw the ball race to the cover fence and five leg byes were conceded instead.