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West Indies may have formally played the fourth ODI in Dharamsala but their fielding suggested their minds were already on the flight back home

Abhishek Purohit17-Oct-2014The drops
Catches are put down almost every match, but West Indies fluffed too many sitters. Andre Russell had just broken the opening partnership with a sharp bouncer to Shikhar Dhawan, and in his next over, he had Ajinkya Rahane top-edge a hook, only for Jerome Taylor to drop it at fine leg. It came down at a comfortable height barely a few paces to Taylor’s right, and he got there easily, but it popped out of his hands.Dwayne Bravo brought up the rear end of West Indies’ meltdown by putting down Virat Kohli on 101 in the 47th over. Kohli whipped Taylor straight to the West Indies captain at midwicket, but Bravo could not cup his hands around it. Kohli walloped the next ball over long-on for six.Dhoni had swung the second ball of the 47th over to deep square leg, who did not have to move at all, but still managed to clang it.The triple whammy
That second ball summed up West Indies’ state of mind. There was a run-out chance at the striker’s end after the dropped catch but the wicketkeeper collected the throw some way behind the stumps, and missed the target with his lob. The resulting overthrow made it three runs off the delivery, to go with the dropped catch and missed run-out opportunity.The untimely overthrow
There is no good timing for an overthrow, but this was probably as bad as you could go with it. Kohli was on 99 going into the 47th over, eager to score his first century in a long time. Kohli tucked Taylor to midwicket and the batsmen ran out a few steps before retreating to their ends. With Kohli having already grounded his bat, the fielder needlessly had a go at the striker’s end, and missed by a long margin to hand Kohli the century on a platter with an overthrow.The misfield
There were several of them but this was one of the most glaring. Kohli eased Dwayne Bravo to long-on in the 31st over. This was a regulation ODI push down the ground, without any power, done only to turn the strike over. The ball was rolling very slowly towards the fielder, but he still messed the pick-up.The dare
India were 328 for 5 going into the last two deliveries of the innings, and you would think West Indies would be keen to save every run possible. Kohli had driven Jason Holder to long-on, and it should have been only a single. But Andre Russell picked up the ball and just stood there for a few seconds, daring the batsmen to go for a second. Kohli and Ambati Rayudu did exactly that, and by the time Russell belatedly let go of the ball, the second run was being safely completed.

Stats highlights from the fifth ODI between New Zealand and Pakistan in Abu Dhabi

Bishen Jeswant19-Dec-20142 Number of bilateral ODI series Pakistan have won in the UAE since 2009, both against Sri Lanka. They have lost eight series in this period – three to Australia, two each to New Zealand and South Africa, and one to England.1 Number of bilateral ODI series New Zealand have lost since 2013 in away or neutral venues. They lost 3-0 in Bangladesh in 2013. New Zealand achieved series wins in South Africa, England and UAE, and a draw in Sri Lanka.8 Number of 50-plus scores for Kane Williamson in his last ten ODI innings, including a hundred and seven fifties. He has scored 707 runs at an average of 78.60 in this period. His scores read 71, 77, 65, 60, 88, 10, 70*, 46, 123 and 97.54 Number of innings Williamson took to score 2000 ODI runs, the second fastest by a New Zealand batsman after Andrew Jones (52 innings). Williamson got to the landmark when he was batting on 52 during his innings of 97.346 Runs scored by Williamson in this series, the third highest by a captain in a bilateral ODI series, after George Bailey (478 against India, 2013) and AB de Villiers (367 against Pakistan, 2013).2 Number of times Williamson has made 300-plus runs in a bilateral ODI series in 2014. He also scored 361 against India earlier this year. The only other batsman to make 300-plus runs in a series twice in a year is Rahul Dravid, against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 2005.53 Number of times Pakistan have lost their first wicket in an ODI without making a run, the most for any team. Sri Lanka and India are next with 50 and 42 such instances.22 Number of ODIs Pakistan have lost in the last five years when chasing 250 or more. They have only won six such ODIs.1 Number of New Zealand bowlers other than Matt Henry who have taken a five-wicket haul against Pakistan since 2001. Henry returned figures of 5 for 30 in this ODI. Tim Southee took a five-for against Pakistan in Wellington in 2011.

Daniel Brettig15-Jan-2015You’ve been away from the Australian team but are now back in time for the World Cup.It’s great to be back. I’ve been looking forward to this ever since I got the call. I’ve been up in the north woods and actually the day I left it was 20 below zero Fahrenheit and there was 15 inches of snow following me as I drove to the airport six hours back to Chicago. Then I got out here and it’s 90 degrees out here – that was a wake-up call.When did you get the call to come back to the team?It’s been about a month I knew. Darren (Lehmann) called me and said get involved with the tri-series and the World Cup, so very pumped up about that.This will be your fourth World Cup campaign with Australia. Winning the trophy in 2003 and 2007, and knocked out in the quarter-finals in 2011, which was not so good. What do you take out of those campaigns?First of all let me comment on the not so good. Playing in India we made it to the knockout round and we played pretty well and almost beat India. What I take out of them is experience. Every World Cup game is important. I can pass on a few little things here and there from those World Cups but these guys know what they’re doing.In 2013-14 you worked with the team through the home summer and in South Africa and fielding standards were very good but then you didn’t continue. Why was that?Darren was just moving the staff around, making some changes. I’d been with the team and I’m back for now. Greg Blewett I know very well, he’s doing a great job, he and I talk every day. It’s good to inject new people – the coaching projection, to be quite frank, is if you’re doing a good job you want to make yourself redundant. It sounds crazy and people don’t like to hear that about most of their work, but there comes a time when they need to have another injection of a different personality to keep players sharp. I think what Boof’s done here is a really good job.

“Nobody on this planet in cricket respects how hard it is to catch a cricket ball more than me, because I didn’t play. When I got into the game I was amazed. These guys are the best in the world – you’re going to drop some balls, you’re going to catch some.”Mike Young

What have you made of their fielding performances this summer?I was in America, I followed it and read some things and I take offence to some of those things because there’s a lot of facts, and nobody on this planet in cricket respects how hard it is to catch a cricket ball more than me, because I didn’t play. When I got into the game I was amazed. For years in America on they’ve got the top 10 plays of the day. I called up New York City and said ‘that was a nice play baseball-wise, but I see two of those every match in cricket that are better than that’. All of a sudden I’m watching , they’ve got top 10 plays and there’s a cricketer on it. I was happy about that because they have no idea how hard it is. These guys are the best in the world – you’re going to drop some balls, you’re going to catch some.Catches win matches in any sport, but in a World Cup it’s even more important to hold those?The worst thing to do is to say it’s more important, honestly. Because why put the excess pressure on somebody when it’s already hard enough. You’re going to have good games and bad games – what I consider a drop and what other people consider a drop can be different – I see guys diving for a ball, it hits them one-handed and it’s labelled they put it down. Come on, it’s not that easy. I think that [the fielding problems] has been overplayed a bit.Darren has spoken about how it’s not an issue of training volume but more confidence dropping after a couple chances have been missed.Confidence is everything. But to their credit they’re so resilient, they’ve been through so much, they bounce right back. You’re going to drop a catch, no big deal. I’m going to go public on one thing – I’ve been around coaching for 30 years, I read something the other day and it doesn’t matter who wrote it, but I have a problem with people calling me a lucky charm. I have a problem with that as a professional. I’m not a lucky charm, I’m not a horseshoe. They don’t need a lucky charm, they’re good enough. I’m here to impart anything I can to help. My job is to help Blewey.Ricky Ponting wrote a column recently in which he said one of your qualities is that when later in a season guys are getting tired or have sore hands, they will still want to train with you because of how you operate.Ricky was the best thing for me because he loved fielding training. Being Ricky Ponting the superstar and the captain, if he’s going to do it people will follow. That made my job so much easier, and let’s not forget the talent. I just take a different approach, I come from a different background. This is my coaching style. Some guys might not like it, I don’t know, but I’m just there to help.Do you know what you’ll be doing after the World Cup?I have no idea. If they wish for me to continue I’ll happily do it – I’m an Australian, don’t let the accent fool you – I’d love to continue on but that’s not my decision and whatever it is I’ll support it.

In the second half of the tournament, at every training huddle, players were told treat each match as a final. That resonated with Mumbai’s talismans who lifted their games admirably

Nagraj Gollapudi25-May-20152:38

Mumbai Indians overcame a poor start to seal their second IPL title

Tournament overviewDuring the first timeout of the Chennai Super Kings innings in the IPL final, Ricky Ponting led the entire support staff onto the field. Shane Bond, Robin Singh and Jonty Rhodes were in tow with the Mumbai Indians head coach as they strode purposefully onto the field. Only to pat the backs and joke around with Rohit Sharma and his men for they were doing nothing wrong.This philosophy to bond together, keep a light head, have good game sense and adapt when necessary has been the hallmark of Mumbai’s success this season. Both Ponting and Rohit deserve credit for creating an atmosphere where every player buys into the winning mentality and plays hard to come out on top at all cost.Mumbai, we could say, have patented bounceabackability. They lost their first four matches, and with only only one win in six had to win each of their last eight matches to make the play-offs.Jokes about their coaching staff being a stronger outfit only became louder In the first half of the tournament. But as Kieron Pollard pointed out franchise sport is a maze: it takes time to find the right way out.For Ponting, the challenge was understanding his soldiers and finding the right way to communicate his message. Luckily, he already had his captain’s trust and respect: Rohit has acknowledged Ponting’s inputs, as consultant, in Mumbai winning the Champions League Twenty20 in 2013.And at the outset of the 2015 triumph, Ponting had made it clear that he wanted to run the team. Although he did not mind the presence of former Indian greats Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble as mentors, he did not want any interference. Ponting’s intention was not to confuse the players with too many voices.In the second half of the tournament, at every training huddle, players were told treat each match as a final. That resonated with Mumbai. Lasith Malinga found his pace and his yorkers. Pollard found a bigger role than just being a murderous finisher and also helped guide the young and raw Hardik Pandya. Harbhajan Singh found his flight and drift. He helped inexperienced left-arm spinner J Suchith beat his own nerves and opposition batsmen.Emotionally lost at the beginning, Rohit found his voice to bolster his men. He was seen as a dejected figure, sitting away from the team at times. On Sunday though, as Vinay Kumar ran in to bowl the last ball of the IPL, Rohit started his own victory run. Leaping up ecstatically and pumping his fists in glory.Mumbai Indians won nine of their last 10 matches, and blitzed past Chennai Super Kings in the final•BCCIHigh Point”Every time you go into the game and come out of it, you’ve got to think how you can improve at least by 10%.” Rohit Sharma said that after Mumbai stomped on David Warner’s Sunrisers Hyderabad with a nine-wicket victory with six overs to spare. It was the final league match of the tournament and the stakes could not have been higher: if Mumbai had lost they “would go home”, as Rohit described it. Instead the secured the second spot on the table with attacking bowling followed by a 106-run opening stand between Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel that sealed the result.Low PointFour defeats on the trot in the first four matches.Top of the classIf it had been mentioned that Lendl Simmons would end up as Mumbai’s best batsman at the start of the tournament, you would roll your eyes. More than the runs, he kept a cool head and helped raise a platform at the top of the order consistently. His alliance with Parthiv Patel yielded 619 runs, the second-most by any pair in this IPL. Simmons’ match-winning half-century in the final was his sixth 50-plus score in the season, the most by a Mumbai batsman across all IPLs.The way Simmons constructed his innings showed he wanted to be a catalyst. Simmons’ natural game is to be an aggressor, but this season he showed a calmness especially in the first six overs. His strike-rate in the Powerplay was 120.33, rising to 132.50 in the next nine overs and thereafter it soared to to 155.5.Under-par performerR Vinay Kumar is not just a workhorse. He has a smart grasp of conditions and a good knowledge of the batsman’s weak points. Those skills have helped his domestic side Karnataka complete the treble (winning Ranji Trophy, Irani Trophy and Vijay Hazare) for the last two years. Vinay brought his domestic form into the IPL last year when Kolkata Knight Riders won the tournament. But this season Vinay has been ineffective: he managed just seven wickets, the fewest for any bowler who has bowled at least 40 overs this IPL. His average of 52.57 is the second-worst in this bracket.Tip for 2016 As amazing as the adrenaline-pumping, mad rush was in the back nine games, Mumbai will do better to establish a winning trend on the front nine going forward.

We look back at IPL finals over the years

23-May-2015

Ahead of the start of the Royal London One-Day Cup campaign, a panel of county cricketers – Steven Crook, Lewis Gregory and Ravi Patel – plus England selector, and Middlesex director of cricket, Angus Fraser discuss how the 50-over game is evolving

George Dobell24-Jul-2015Did the recent ODI series against New Zealand set a new template for domestic 50-over cricket?Steven Crook (Northants) I hope so. Watching that series showed what was possible. It feels as if the shackles have been broken. 500 might be possible.Lewis Gregory (Somerset) I agree. It’s shown what is possible. It shows a no fear attitude and it shows that you can take the T20 attitude into the 50-over game.
Angus Fraser The 50-over game has been much maligned. People have been writing its obituary since T20 came along. But I always think 50-over cricket is the best day of cricket you are likely to get. If you turn up to a Test to watch Joe Root but Australia are batting, you might not see him. And if you go to a T20 and your star batsman has a hack at his first ball – as he has to – and gets out, you don’t see him, either. You get everything. You see bowlers bowling properly and batsmen building an innings. And the format has been rejuvenated by the World Cup and England’s performances against New Zealand.One of the observations about England’s performance at the World Cup was that county cricket fallen behind. Is that fair?AF The aim at the World Cup was to play a similar game as we did in the New Zealand series. But if players aren’t playing well enough, that is difficult. It’s one thing to say you’re going to play a certain way, but you need the pitches and the players to do it. You can’t fast track the skills into players. But yes, the World Cup showed where we needed to be and, over a period of time, we will get there.Everybody is aware of what happened at the World Cup. It was extremely disappointing. You get to a situation where you hit rock bottom and think we might as well go out there and have some fun. We had nothing to lose. Players went out there with that attitude.Huge credit must go to Paul Farbrace and Eoin Morgan. Players have known that, if they go out there and get it wrong, they will not be chastised. Eoin is a stubborn bugger, you know. He’s a bloody good bloke, but he is stubborn. Even when England got it wrong in that New Zealand series, he was adamant that they would keep on doing it that way.SC We put a lot of focus on our white-ball cricket at Northants. The Royal London is a big focus for us in the second half of the season. We’ve gone close to the semi-finals in the last couple of years, and hopefully we can make it this time. I love it, bowling aggressively and trying to smash it out of the park. It suits my game.Are the pitches in this year’s Royal London competition going to allow aggressive cricket?SC There are only a limited amount of pitches. When you’re playing T20 and Championship matches and, at Northants, we have charity games on the square, too, there aren’t many new pitches around. So we may not play on the surfaces we saw in the ODI series, but if we play with the right intent, we can still see some high scores.AF I have huge sympathy for groundsmen. They have 20 games on any square and there are only so many pitches that can work for TV. Last year we played three games on the same pitch. But, with the good summer we’ve had, the groundsmen should be able to control the pitches. They should be able to control the amount of water they’ve put into them. And we’re playing the competition in a bit of a window – at the end of July and in August – which will hopefully have allowed counties to prepare for it. We will play some games at outgrounds. There’s more 50-over cricket at outgrounds.Ravi Patel (Middlesex) At Lord’s they always play to one side of the square for our games so one boundary is ridiculously short. It makes for an uneven battle between bat and ball.Sam Billings starred in last year’s Royal London Cup and is tipped to again•Getty ImagesDo the counties have a duty to play in the way we are seeing ODI cricket develop? Or is it just about winning?SC Each player, each team, will play their own way. But the guys who stand out, the guys who get picked by England, will have to play that brand of cricket. But we’re used to playing 40-over cricket – this is only the second year of 50 overs – so it may take a bit of time to get used to it.AF People are under pressure to win. T20 scores tend to go down as the tournament goes on as pitches are reused. So it could be similar. The last year of 40-over cricket, you needed to score 280 to win, really. The scores had gone up already. Maybe you get yourself into a position at 30 overs and then play a T20 for the last bit of the innings. Get 160 or 180 in the last 20. But England didn’t play like that. They were aggressive through their entire innings. There wasn’t a late surge.SC It’s become one giant T20. But I don’t think it’s a generational thing. I’m pretty old, but I feel I go out and play aggressively. It’s more about mentality. Some teams will play on low, slow wickets.AF There is a danger that sides will think “we have to get 370” but they’re on a 250 pitch and they get bowled out for 140. So, yes, the goal is there to play that style of cricket, but the surfaces and the skills will have an impact.LG The game is becoming more about all-out aggression, yes. At Somerset we’ve looked at trying to take early wickets. The only way you’ll stop people scoring 300 and more is by taking wickets. So with bat and ball, you have to take the aggressive option now. If you just try and contain and they have wickets in hand, you’re going the distance.But I don’t know if you have to play that way. There are many ways to skin a cat. Look at Joe Root: he doesn’t go out and whack the ball to all bats. He plays properly, he hits gaps and runs singles.AF Kane Williamson from New Zealand is the same.LG Yes. Sam Northeast doesn’t look to whack it everywhere. You have to score quickly, no doubt.RP You have to play your natural game. If you are a top-order batsman and you don’t hit sixes, you can still win games for your team by being there at the end of a run-chase with an unbeaten 100. I don’t think you have to change the way you play.AF The game has progressed from when I played. And it is a more attractive game now. And that’s good, as long as the skill levels are high. Runs are only worth something if the skill level of the batsman has gone up. Not if you’re manufacturing a situation where batting is too easy.One of the common complaints you hear about modern bowlers concerns the small number of yorkers you seem to deliver. Is that simplistic?LG It’s a hard skill to execute. When you nail it, it’s hard for a batsman to get it away. But if you miss if by even a foot, you go out of the park. So bowlers tend to feel there’s more leeway with mixing it up and keeping the batsman guessing. But yes, if you get it right, it’s not going far.AF To some extent, a batsman makes a yorker. If they come down the pitch, or go back in his crease, it can make the difference between turning the same ball into a yorker, half-volley or full-toss. The other thing is, if you do get a yorker slightly wrong, a batsman can still score at 360 degrees. If you bang it in short, you are probably limiting their options to 120 degrees.LG That’s it. In the county game, there tends to be one side of the pitch that has a much longer boundary than the other side. So you try to utilise that. And, having played with Jos Buttler, I know that even yorkers can disappear. But yes, we practice the yorker a lot.SC I think it’s a massive part of the game. If you get the yorker right, it’s hard to get away. Yes, some guys can, but they’re taking risks to do it. It’s the hardest ball to get out of the park.AF We were talking about this the other day: are you better, as a bowler, just trying to hit the top of off stump? Bowlers are getting so funky now, moving around the crease, hiding the ball, but then most of the deliveries are going to miss the stumps. So the batsmen can do what they want with no consequences. At least if you bowl straight, you have a chance of taking wickets. And there’s nothing that slows a batsman down more than getting him out.LG James Hildreth was saying this the other day. As a batsman, he said “why don’t you just try and hit the stumps? If the batsman misses, you hit.” There are times when it pays to keep it that simple.How do you cope with life as a bowler?AF The bowler in me is happy he retired. Though we might have some games where sides set off trying to score 400 but are bowled out for 140. The fact that you can get it right and still go out of the park is interesting. I wonder if it affects the way you go about your business. Do you pursue the skills with the same intensity knowing that, even if you get it right, you can go miles. So do you press the gamble button and think I might as well go for it. Rather than remaining mentally strong and thinking that, if you get it right, you can have a huge impact? My answer would have been to slip in a couple of beamers!LG You have to learn to live with that. There are going to be days when the batter gets on top. You have to understand that, if you execute the skill you were trying to execute and you still get smashed, then fine. You have to adapt to the wicket and the batsman.RP Confidence in your ability is very important. You have to back yourself to deliver under pressure. I try to spin the ball hard and take wickets. Eoin Morgan is a great captain for me. He tells me to go and attack.Who are the team to beat in this year’s Royal London One-Day Cup?LG Yorkshire are always a decent side. At Somerset we’re going to have a young team with a lot of allrounders, which will hopefully work well for us.RP Warwickshire are a very good one-day side. They were runners-up last year – and they won the T20 – and they have a side full of all-rounders. They have a lot of England, or ex-England players, so they will be one to watch.SC Warwickshire are a decent shout. I see them as a real threat. Lancashire, too, could do well.AF Somerset have been a dangerous side for a while. They have lots of allrounders and the likes of Trego and Trescothick. And Kent did well last year and are doing well in the T20 Blast. They have a lot of dynamic batsmen who do play fearless cricket.David Willey, who is expected to leave Northamptonshire, is another player with expectations on him•Getty ImagesGive us a young player or two to look out for.LG David Willey. He has the skills to make a big impact.RP Sam Billings. I played a lot of youth cricket with him so I’ve seen him develop. He can hit 360 degrees and he is very confident.SC Having missed a lot of last year, David Willey can do something special. He’s had an injury, so maybe he will need to start as a batter, but he has won games for us as a batsman. He is a very dangerous player.AF Sam Northeast has had an outstanding T20 campaign – I think he’s the second highest run-scorer – and Tom Westley is a dangerous cricketer. He did well last year and someone who I think will push through. David Payne at Gloucestershire did well last year, too.And who do you think the best player in the competition is? Overseas or England qualified; young or old.LG I agree with Ravi, Sam Billings at Taunton last year was just silly. He may well have been the best player I played against last year.RP As a spinner, I really like Jeetan Patel. He has a massive impact in most games he plays. He bowled incredibly well in the final last year and almost won the game for Warwickshire.SC Rikki Clarke is a terrific player. I’ve played against him a lot over the years and, right now, he is on top of his game. He is contributing with bat and ball he is a lot of the reason why Warwickshire are doing well in white ball cricket. He bowls well up front and he smashes it all over the place. And he is an unbelievable fielder.AF I was going to say the same thing: Patel and Clarke.Would Rikki Clarke be near England selection then?AF: It’s a fair question. And you’re going to get a fair answer: that’s not for you to know.But selection for the Australian ODIs can be influenced by performances in the Royal London Cup?AF Every side will have played half-a-dozen group games before we sit down to select the ODI side against Australia. It will be relevant. The side did pretty well against New Zealand so you have a nucleus there but people can come through and shine.The long-term goal remains the 2019 World Cup. You can see that there is a correlation between the sides that get through to major global finals and the number of caps they have within that team. So to have a large proportion of the squad playing a large number of games ahead of the next world cup would be advantageous. And, as we’ve been saying, the 50-over game has become a long T20. When we sat down to select the T20 side against New Zealand it was the same. The cricket is producing the same skills.Yes, the next two global 50-over events are played in England in the first half of the season. But the Kookaburra ball does a bit less and good players adapt.RP I see it as an opportunity, yes. Since Graeme Swann retired, there has been a hole. Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali are doing well, so I need to emulate what they’re doing. But it’s more important for me to think about what I do and try to be successful than to look too far ahead. I’m a big admirer of Moeen.LG I enjoyed the taste of the England one-day set-up for the game in Ireland in May. It definitely makes me hungry for more. The Royal London is a chance to show what you can do in 50-over cricket.

Stats highlights from the fourth day of the third Test between Sri Lanka and India at the SSC

Shiva Jayaraman31-Aug-20158/169 Dhammika Prasad’s bowling figures in this match – his best bowling performance in a Test match. His previous best was the 7 for 135 he took against Pakistan at P Sara Oval earlier this year. The 15 wickets that Prasad has taken in this series are his most, beating the 14 he took against Pakistan earlier this year.44 Wickets Prasad has taken in 11 Tests since his comeback to Sri Lanka Test team in 2014, against England in Leeds. He has averaged of 28.68 and has taken four or more wickets in an innings five times. In 12 Tests before that Prasad had taken only 22 wickets at an average of 59.00 and no four-wicket hauls.4/62 Nuwan Pradeeps’s bowling figures in India’s second innings – his best in an innings in Tests and his third four-wicket haul. His previous best was the 4 for 63 he took against New Zealand in January this year in Wellington. Pradeep has taken 34 wickets at an average of 46.70. He had a slow start to his career having taken only one wicket in his first three Tests at an average of 345.00. He had bowled 504 balls in those three Tests for a solitary wicket. Since then though, he has taken a wicket every 61 balls.0 Number of fifty-plus scores by Rohit Sharma in second innings before his fifty in this Test. In ten innings Rohit had scored 170 runs at an average of 18.88 and a highest of 39 against Australia at the SCG.1953 Last time India had fifty-plus stands from both fourth and fifth wickets after losing their first-three wickets for ten runs or fewer. India were 10 for 3 in the second innings against West Indies in Port of Spain before Madhav Apte and Polly Umrigar added 135 runs for the fourth wicket and then Apte and Vijay Hazare added 64 runs for the fifth. The fourth-wicket stand between Virat Kohli and Rohit was only the fifth time that India’s fourth-wicket had added fifty-plus runs in such situations. The last such instance had also come against Sri Lanka, at P Sara Oval in 1985, when Kris Srikkanth and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan added 76 runs.98 Runs scored by Amit Mishra in this Test – the fourth highest by any batsman from No. 8 or lower at the SSC. The last time any batsman, batting at No. 8 or lower, scored more runs than Mishra in this Test was in 2009, when Daniel Vettori got 163 runs including a second-innings hundred.1 Number of times India have had their No. 9 batsmen make two fifty-plus scores in a Test before this one. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar had made two fifties against England at Trent Bridge in 2014. In the current Test though, two different batsmen – Amit Mishra and R Ashwin – got fifties from that position.1968 Last time India posted a total higher than the 274 they made in their second innings after having lost their first-three wickets for ten runs or less. India had made 279 runs in the first innings at the Gabba after having lost three wickets for just nine runs. The highest and the only other higher total posted by India in such a situation came in 1953 when India made 362 in their first innings in Port of Spain.0 Number of times before this Test India have had each of their five batsmen batting at No. 5 to No. 9 scoring 30 or more in an innings. Overall, including this instance, this has happened only nine times with the last instance also coming this year, in New Zealand’s second innings at Headingley.15 The top opening stand of the series – between Kaushal Silva and Dimuth Karunaratne in the first innings in Galle. Opening stands from either sides have made 14, 0, 12, 4, 1, 3, 8, 2, 11, 0, and 1 in this series after that. The 15-run stand in Galle is now the lowest top opening partnership in any three-Test series. The previous lowest also involved India as one of the teams: in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 1999-00, VVS Laxman and MSK Prasad added 22 for the first wicket, which was the highest opening stand of the series.5.91 Average opening stand in this series – the lowest in any Test series involving three or more matches. The first wicket in this series added just 71 runs from all the 12 innings put together from either team. The worst performance by the opening stand in a three-Test series before this was way back in 1895-96. Only 61 runs were scored from ten opening stands in that series between England and South Africa.16 Number of single-digit score by openers out of 24 innings in this series – the most in any series with three or fewer Tests. There were as many as five ducks in this series from the openers. The previous highest was, again, in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 1999-00 when there were 14 single-digit scores from the openers.2008 The last time before R Ashwin in this Test an India batsman batting at No. 9 had top scored with the team posting a total 250 or more runs. On that occasion Zaheer Khan had made 57 in a team score of 360 in the Bangalore Test against Australia. Including this Test, there have been only nine such instances for India.326 The highest target chased successfully at the SSC in Tests. Sri Lanka had done that against Zimbabwe in 1998. Teams setting a target of 250 or more at this venue have lost only once in 17 instances before this Test. The longest any team has batted in the fourth innings at the venue to draw a Test is 134 overs, which was done by the hosts against Pakistan in 2009.

A dejected Jason Holder provided the defining image of one of the most troubling Tests played in Australia for many years

Daniel Brettig in Hobart12-Dec-2015Most Tests get their defining image from the winning team. A batsman in attack, a bowler in celebration, a captain in jubilation. This match found its singular moment from a far more melancholy place. Snaffled down the leg side to give James Pattinson his fifth wicket, the West Indies captain Jason Holder was the very picture of misery as he dragged himself from the field.Holder would go on to say this was more about his own disappointment at squandering a pair of starts than anything wider, but the tableau was a fitting summary of one of the more troubling Test matches to be played in Australia – or indeed around the world – for many years. Coming so soon after the excitement and promise for the future provided by the day-night Adelaide Test, Hobart’s grim tidings were like the ghost of Christmas past come to haunt Uncle Scrooge.The primary worries exposed over the past three days were of course those of the West Indies. Thanks to a pair of spirited innings by Darren Bravo and Kraigg Brathwaite it was not a record margin of defeat, but the chasm between the teams was so vast as to lead Barry Richards to remark quite poignantly about the irony of this encounter being classed as a Test while his brushes with the brilliant West Indians of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket were not.For all of the bluster Curtly Ambrose offered prior to the match in public and to the tourists’ bowlers on the first morning, it is difficult to imagine a more inept performance. Bowlers were comically out of rhythm and in Shannon Gabriel’s case injured, fielders seemed as worried about keeping warm as cutting off runs and the batsmen demonstrated oft-repeated technical and mental frailties with disheartening frequency.Holder tried his best with the ball, notably being the only member of the attack to keep any kind of clamp on the scoring, but his tactical thinking seemed stilted at times. There was even the spectre of teammates not being willing to follow his instructions – stories of the fast bowlers not wanting to bowl into the wind were tantamount to mutiny, though Holder denied it was quite as dramatic as that. Even so, it was not hard to conclude too much was left on his broad but young shoulders.”That wasn’t the case,” Holder said. “The case was, basically, the fast-bowlers struggled coming into the wind and I just felt it easier to rotate them at the top end, coming down the slope. After losing Shannon, we were a bowler short, so it was easier to rotate the three fast-bowlers from the top.”Having said that, we were always behind the eight ball with our over-rate and had to speed up. At one stage we were down six overs, at that twas due to the fact the ball was going around the park. There was no situation were people were reluctant to bowl. It was just that I thought it best to rotate the fast bowlers from the end coming down the slope.”West Indies played against the backdrop of a looming board meeting at which the very future of the WICB was to be discussed, with recommendations for the dissolution of the board and the appointment of an interim authority to run cricket in the region all on the table. If the game’s administrators both there and around the world needed any further proof that the Caribbean game needs urgent treatment, they had it here in plenty of lurid detail.This is not to say that Hobart’s troubles were exclusively the property of the touring team. Cricket Australia speak often of a vibrant Test match culture, and in Boxing Day and New Year they have a pair of fixtures with all the history and “event” hype that ensures they will remain well attended almost irrespective of who Australia is playing. But Bellerive provided a glimpse of how that strength is not universal, with acres of empty seats drawing the odd puzzled comment from players who think they merited a larger gathering.The lack of continuity afforded to Tasmania’s cricket watchers is likely to be the greatest issue affecting attendances in this part of the world, but ticket prices must also be taken into account. While the CA director Tony Harrison’s line that “the workers of Tasmania are competing with the fat cat bureaucrats of Canberra” had a ring of cornball populism, it cannot be disputed that pricing for both public and corporate packages in Hobart were too steep, even if the former had come down significantly since the previous Test here in 2012.Prices of $62 (including booking fees) for seats in the stands behind the bowler’s arm were clearly beyond the budgets of too many locals, and compared unfavourably with those set for Big Bash League games that repeatedly pack out the ground. CA like to talk of Test cricket as a “premium” product, yet their wider strategic goal of “putting fans first” has not extended to a realistic appreciation of how to nurture spectators in Hobart.It is likely that the sixth Test of next summer will be played in Canberra, servicing not just the ACT but also the vast tracts of country New South Wales, and furthering a creep of the game’s fixtures towards the economic and population hubs of the eastern states. Such an outcome would make plenty of fiscal sense, but it would also leave the state of David Boon, Ricky Ponting, George Bailey and James Faulkner immeasurably poorer for opportunities to see the game’s most enduring form.There is no strong financial argument for continuing to play Test matches in Hobart unless ticket prices are heavily subsidised, just as there isn’t much for hosting the West Indies or even fighting to retain a regional team when the WICB is in such a dreadful state. But as Ponting himself said before the match began, “I hear the business side of it but as far as I’m concerned it’s more than that, it’s about the fabric of the game.” Hobart witnessed a tearing of that fabric, and Holder’s painful trudge exemplified it.

ESPNcricinfo picks its best XI for each franchise after the IPL 2016 auction in Bangalore on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-201614:13

How the eight teams stack up

Rising Pune Supergiants – Intimidating batting line-up, weak bowling1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Kevin Pietersen (overseas), 3 Faf du Plessis (overseas), 4 Steven Smith (overseas), 5 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 6 Mitchell Marsh (overseas), 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 M Ashwin, 11 Ishwar Pandey
Full squadGujarat Lions – Strong allrounders, short on reserve batsmen1 Aaron Finch/Dwayne Smith (overseas), 2 Brendon McCullum (overseas), 3 Suresh Raina (capt), 4 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 5 Dwayne Bravo (overseas), 6 James Faulkner (overseas), 7 Ishan Kishan, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Pravin Tambe
Full squadRoyal Challengers Bangalore – The best top four in the business1 Chris Gayle (overseas), 2 Shane Watson (overseas), 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 AB de Villiers (overseas), 5 Mandeep Singh/Sarfaraz Khan, 6 Kedar Jadhav (wk), 7 Stuart Binny, 8 Varun Aaron, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 S Aravind, 11 Mitchell Starc (overseas)
Full squad Kolkata Knight Riders – A no-frills outfit with proven T20 performers1 Robin Uthappa (wk), 2 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (overseas), 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Andre Russell (overseas), 8 John Hastings/Jason Holder (overseas) 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Morne Morkel (overseas)
Full squadKings XI Punjab – Reliant on overseas batsmen, questions over who will lead1 M Vijay, 2 Manan Vohra, 3 Shaun Marsh (overseas), 4 Glenn Maxwell (overseas), 5 David Miller (overseas), 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 Rishi Dhawan/Gurkeerat Singh, 9 Kyle Abbott/Mitchell Johnson (overseas), 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Sandeep Sharma
Full squadDelhi Daredevils – Light on proven match-winners, possibly the only overseas captain1 Shreyas Iyer, 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Sanju Samson, 4 JP Duminy (capt, overseas), 5 Karun Nair, 6 Albie Morkel (overseas), 7 Pawan Negi, 8 Chris Morris (overseas), 9 Mohammed Shami/Zaheer Khan, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Imran Tahir/Nathan Coulter-Nile (overseas)
Full squadMumbai Indians – No obvious chinks, strong overseas bench strength1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Lendl Simmons (overseas), 3 Rohit Sharma (capt), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Kieron Pollard (overseas), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Harbhajan Singh, 8 J Suchith, 9 Mitchell McClenaghan/Tim Southee (overseas), 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Lasith Malinga (overseas)
Full squadSunrisers Hyderabad – Formidable first XI, short on Indian bench strength1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 David Warner (overseas), 3 Kane Williamson/Eoin Morgan (overseas), 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Naman Ojha (wk), 7 Ben Cutting/Moises Henriques, 8 Trent Boult (overseas), 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Karn Sharma, 11 Ashish Nehra
Full squad

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2016The Basin Reserve track had eased and Khawaja capitalised, bringing up his fourth Test century, his first overseas•Getty ImagesVoges got himself in, driving and cutting with ease, as the pair added 168 for the fourth wicket•Getty ImagesTrent Boult sent back Khawaja and Mitchell Marsh in the same over, the latter falling to a stunning return catch by the bowler.•Getty ImagesVoges brought up his fifth Test century. It was also his third hundred in as many innings•Getty ImagesPeter Nevill provided Voges with support and their 96-run stand for the sixth wicket consolidated Australia’s lead•Getty ImagesCorey Anderson prised out Peter Nevill but New Zealand had little respite•Associated PressVoges carried on, adding 68 runs for the seventh wicket with Peter Siddle•Getty ImagesAt stumps, Australia were 463 for 6, 280 runs ahead, with Voges unbeaten on 176•Getty Images