All posts by n8rngtd.top

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2015Kyle Abbott found early success as he had M Vijay caught at second slip. However, replays showed he had overstepped•BCCIShikhar Dhawan and Vijay started cautiously before Vijay edged to slip for the second time in his tentative innings•BCCIKyle Abbott then brought one back in to disturb Cheteshwar Pujara’s stumps•BCCIKohli and Ajinkya Rahane revived India with a solid 70-run stand before Kohli was done in by a freak dismissal, with the ball hitting Temba Bavuma at short leg and popping up to give Dane Vilas a catch•BCCISouth Africa finished the second session by removing Wriddhiman Saha, leaving the hosts at 139 for 6 at the tea break•BCCIRavindra Jadeja then pitched in with 24…•BCCI… but Rahane was the main man, his maiden half-century at home guiding India to 231 for 7 before bad light curbed the day•Associated Press

When AB de Villiers is in his element, he monsters time, space and the laws of physics to further a craft in which he is already far ahead of the rest of the world

Jarrod Kimber14-Nov-2015The bats are bigger.A batsman moves down into a dangerous crouch position while a ball is hurled at him at 90 miles an hour. While down there, he flicks over his head to an empty piece of field. The ball goes for six. “Look how far that flew. Bats today, blimey,” they gasp.AB de Villiers stands back up and prepares for the next ball.

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WG Grace isn’t remembered because of his famous beard and belly. Grace is remembered because of the runs he scored. But what is more remarkable is how he scored them. Batsmen started playing with no real foot movement. Then they moved into back-foot play. Front-foot play followed. What Grace did was combined front-foot and back-foot play. If the ball was full, he would go forward, if the ball was short, he would go back. If that looks familiar to you, it’s because we still do that. .Ranjitsinhji said “he turned the old one-stringed instrument into a many-chorded lyre”.But Ranji did something pretty damn amazing as well. Ranji took batting to fine leg. Before Ranji, fine leg was a place the ball went by accident. Because of Ranji’s early fear of the ball, he backed away, so his coach, Dan Hayward, tied his right leg to the ground. Ranji then invented the leg glance. A shot so weird to cricket at the time, captains often refused to put a fine leg in even while Ranji was scoring there. It was the most the field would be opened up for 100 years.
Victor Trumper made a mark too. Early batsmen, especially the gentlemen, believed hitting the ball on the leg side was vulgar. But cricket was slowly moving towards hitting the ball to where each ball dictated that it be hit. Trumper believed in hitting it to wherever he wanted to hit it. He was moving the ball across the line decades before Viv Richards and Kevin Pietersen were even born. Where the ball ended up was dependent on his mood, not dependent on the delivery or the deliverer.Then cricket entered the batting-machine era. Men like Jack Hobbs, George Headley, Herbert Sutcliffe and Wally Hammond batted as if they had found some new code. The man who wrote that code, Don Bradman, clocked the entire game with his almost repeating, but never repeatable, 99.94.

AB de Villiers didn’t start with all the shots. He didn’t even start as a star. It felt like a slow evolution from flighty, talented batsman to master of the universe

Garfield Sobers was called the first 360-degree batsman by Barry Richards; 360 degrees wasn’t on the field but in his swing: the bat started and finished at the same point, such was the power he swung through it. Batsmen had hit the ball hard before, but never as often, for as long, with such devastating effect. Sobers’ power, much like the two Richardses who followed, had a psychological effect on bowlers. Batsmen were no longer the ones reacting but now the ones setting the terms.Javed Miandad took a genius batting mind and turned ODI batting from unthinking slogging and moments of staleness to an art form. Miandad worked out that in all those angles between sweepers and infielders, there weren’t just singles but twos. And that the safest place to hit the ball was over the head of the fielder closest to you. By using these simple methods, the overs before the death overs became a free buffet.Mushtaq Mohammad, Douglas Marillier and Tillakaratne Dilshan all invented amazing shots. All deserve their part in cricket history, but the next step in batting evolution was the man who used these inventions and put them into a perfect package.AB de Villiers didn’t start with all these shots. He didn’t even start as a star. Looking back it felt like a slow evolution from flighty, talented batsman to master of the universe.When he arrived in cricket he wasn’t in school Dilscooping. He has developed his game until there is no place on the field he cannot hit the ball. Made himself so there is no shot that cricket has invented that he is not the master of. There is no kind of bowling that can stop him from scoring a six. He is, as we sit here today, a perfect modern batsman. A beautiful hybrid of all the best batsmen who went before him.Like Sobers didn’t invent hitting the ball hard and Bradman didn’t invent scoring massive, nothing AB has done is an invention; it is a perfection.

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There was a moment during de Villiers’ 99th Test that showed what he could do compared to a normal player. His entire team, and most of the local Indians, could not handle the pitch in the first innings.Players like Victor Trumper redefined the game through their batting; de Villiers perfected it•Getty ImagesHis team is caught in this endless pushing and prodding trance. Trying, more hoping, to survive. But when India’s best bowler comes around the wicket to him, instead of showing R Ashwin the respect he deserves, the respect his current bowling demands, AB just casually reverse-sweeps him to the rope.Perhaps he hadn’t truly noticed the pitch or the situation or the bowler. Or perhaps, as happens often, AB plays out his innings on a separate plane to other people. In his world, Ashwin coming around the wicket bowling on a dangerous dusty pitch was actually some club trundler bowling on a road.

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Never once has AB de Villiers had to bat on a sticky-dog wicket. Sticky-dog wickets got put down when covers became cost effective in our sport’s finance. Never once has AB had that pure fear you have when you are facing Fiery Fred, the Demon Spofforth, or that miner from Notts on a pitch that has been doused with rain and then seen some sun, which stopped the ball from playing fair and made it start playing to dismember.Never once has AB de Villiers had to face up in a Test without a helmet. Or without adequate protection of all sorts of kinds. If he wants, he can choose from any number of guards and pads that didn’t exist for previous players – and even if they had existed, wouldn’t have been worth a damn anyway. He doesn’t have to face Thommo, naked and alone, hoping the on his thigh will allow him to walk off the field safely.Never once has AB de Villiers had to worry about time off work to play. He doesn’t have to do the early shift before making it to the ground. He doesn’t have to wait years between series. He doesn’t have to pay to cover his own injuries. He doesn’t have to worry about eating the wrong food. He doesn’t have to worry about working out his own fitness plans. He doesn’t need to clean his own kit. He doesn’t have to worry about what he’ll do for months on end on a boat. He doesn’t have to worry about expensive phone calls when he misses his family. He doesn’t know what it is like to face Wes Hall with concerns over how he will pay his mortgage on his mind.But never once did Grace have a team of analysts poring over every single ball he ever faced looking for that one piece of data that could end his day. Never once did Trumper have to deal with a 24-hour news cycle, and his private life becoming his personal life. Never once did Bradman have to deal with social-media trolls trying to imitate him. Never once did Graeme Pollock represent a South Africa that had racial-political selection dilemmas on a daily basis. Never once did Javed Miandad have to slog from ball one, chase ten an over, and risk his health while off balance trying to scoop a yorker past his throat.

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If you are good, even really good, and from inside the big three nations, there will be a lot of noise. One good innings can start it. Virat Kohli did it with the IPL. David Warner did it with a series of slogs in a T20 against Dale Steyn. Joe Root with his first Test innings. Usman Khawaja did it with a 37.

Like Sobers didn’t invent hitting the ball hard and Bradman didn’t invent scoring massive, nothing AB has done is an invention, it is a perfection

Outside cricket’s biggest markets, things move slower. Mitchell Johnson admitted that he hadn’t seen much of Kane Williamson. Shiv Chanderpaul’s career involved endless innings in empty stadia. Younis Khan seems to almost only exist on TV.This is historical as well. So much rich and interesting cricket history just hasn’t been documented because it didn’t interest England writers or publications at the time. Early South African Test history is spotty at best. With weak touring English teams pitted against what were often horrible South African teams, on matting pitches, it just didn’t grab the attention. It really wasn’t until the 1960s that the cricket world started noticing them.Aubrey Faulkner, Bruce Mitchell, Hugh Tayfield, Neil Adcock, Dave and Dudley Nourse and Herbie Taylor aren’t names that get mentioned when the greats of the game are mentioned. Yet all were absolute greats of the game, almost invisible in the era before South African cricket grabbed the world, before disappearing with a lot of what-ifs.Things are no different now. The current Test era of South Africa, where they haven’t lost an overseas Test series since 2006, hasn’t been covered like it would have been in another nation. The South African team, by large an incredibly normal bunch, have just gone about their business. Over a long period they are now the greatest team South Africa have ever had, but you wouldn’t really know that. Their press doesn’t seem to do much hyperbole. The team just plays, well.Perhaps the fact that they can’t break their ICC tournament hoodoo. Perhaps because they have lost to Australia at home. Perhaps because they have drawn so many series. They haven’t grabbed people’s attention like they should have. As far as Test match eras go, it could well be in the top five ever.And in many ways, AB is the face of the modern team. Professional. Talented. Adaptable. Focused. Humble. He isn’t taking photos in jacuzzis with random women. He isn’t selling his image rights for record amounts. He isn’t making huge, arrogant statements. He bats. He keeps. He’s polite.You could imagine some American tourist sitting next to him in business class, and when asked what he does for a living, AB answering with: “I work in sports.”

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Batsmen evolve, or even consciously devolve, to get the best out of themselves. Steve Waugh’s hook, Sachin Tendulkar’s cover drive – gone, because staying out there matters.Indian idol: the IPL has made de Villiers the superstar that he couldn’t be for all his achievements with the South African side•BCCIIt means that batsmen get better slowly. There have been cases where a small technical change has set them right overnight, but usually it takes time.Steve Smith didn’t just became a top Test batsman. He believed in his batting technique when he was out of the team, even when no one else would, and then had a chat with Michael Clarke about how to turn 100 into 200. But all that took a few years.In 2008 at Lord’s, AB de Villiers was batting with Ashwell Prince. Prince was a battler at Test level, someone who through sheer will got the best out of himself. They had put on a decent partnership. Both were set. De Villiers had not been worried much by England’s bowling, and looked set for a big total. But he flicked the ball mindlessly, needlessly in the air, and was caught at mid-on. Prince fought hard and batted very well with the tail to score a hundred. But AB’s mistake meant that South Africa had to follow on.According to Mickey Arthur’s book, , after stumps, after Graeme Smith had been forced to go out and bat by England again, Smith and Arthur confronted AB. Smith told AB he wasn’t doing justice to his talent or justifying his place in the team, Arthur explained what taking responsibility meant.The next Test, AB walked out at Headingley with South Africa 143 for 4, 60 behind England’s 203. Prince was batting with him again. Prince made a hundred. AB made 174.His average was under 40 in both Tests and ODIs before this. Since then he has averaged over 60 in both.Whatever switch Arthur and Smith found, it completely changed everything. He was switched from Ramprakash mode to Bradman, Headley and Tendulkar mode.

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The IPL gets flak from almost all parts, at almost all times. Sometimes it is more than deserved, sometimes it is just the easy target.

You could imagine some American tourist sitting next to him in business class, and when asked what he does for a living, AB answering with: “I work in sports”

But the IPL has done some very important things. South African players, and coaches, have got experience and been well paid. The money that is on offer is important for a country that is not rich in cricket terms. The experience and learning is just as important.What the IPL has done for cricketers from smaller nations is made their star brighter, and kept in consistently in front of people. Brendon McCullum, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers have become massive IPL megastars. And that isn’t just a big thing in India; the IPL, and it’s accompanying noise, is a global thing.In the IPL, AB averages 36. His strike rate is 144. That is a lot of time on TV hitting sixes. Being awesome.That might not be why he is so respected. Maybe it is the 33 off 220 balls. Or his fourth innings to chase down 400 in Perth. Or his two double-hundreds in Asia. Or the fact he did things in the 2015 World Cup that computer-game players couldn’t do.The IPL innings might not be as important, or special, but they are louder.

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Cricket has slowly been moving towards separating its formats since Dean Jones became the world’s best ODI batsman. From then on, players like Chris Harris, Michael Bevan, Russel Arnold, Nathan Bracken, Jade Dernbach and Lasith Malinga have become specialists in certain skills that made them top limited-overs players. There has, and will always be, players who are just good at cricket.But for most, they are good or less good, depending on the format they are playing in. That rule does not apply to players of the level of AB de Villiers. If it involves cricket, AB would be great at it.That is not true of all of his contemporaries. Dale Steyn might be the first fast bowler you pick in your Test team, but he wouldn’t be in your ODI team. MS Dhoni’s keeping, batting and calculating are flawless in limited-overs, but in Tests he has nowhere near the same impact. Even Mitchell Johnson has to take a back seat in ODIs where Mitchell Starc is concerned.Since the 2008 Headingley Test, de Villiers averages over 60 in Tests and ODIs•Getty ImagesThat isn’t the case for AB. If you were picking one batsman to represent you in Tests, ODIs and T20s right now, it would be him. If you were just picking one batsman to represent you in Tests, then another in ODIs, he’d be the guy you picked, and despite his T20 international record, he’d still be on your shortlist for that as well.He’s not a great all-round batsman. He’s great in every single discipline. Not good. Not better than average. Not able to adapt. But instantly, and perfectly, suited to every single part of it.You can break it all down as well. There is no part of batting that he isn’t great at. No shot in which he isn’t one of the best. Not one facet that he cannot excel at.Continent by continent, format by format, day by day, shot by shot, AB de Villiers is great.

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The best Australian and West Indian batsmen of the eras in which those teams led the world always had it slightly easier than others. They didn’t have to face their own in the highest-pressure situations. Sure, Viv Richards faced a young Patrick Patterson* in the Red Stripe from time to time. And Ricky Ponting occasionally tried to loft Shane Warne back over his head. But it wasn’t often, it was barely seen by people outside the small domestic-geek world, and it wasn’t high-stakes.That world was exploded by the IPL. Now mate v mate, as they promoted domestic cricket in Australia, is big business. And while AB de Villiers may not know what it is like to face Vernon, Morne and Dale on a green one at Cape Town, he does get to play against them at times in the IPL.When Steyn was defending a reasonable total for Sunrisers Hyderabad against AB’s Royal Challengers Bangalore, he knew AB was the wicket he needed. Twenty-eight runs in two overs was the chase, but at five wickets down, AB’s wicket should win the match. Every single ball he faces takes you further from victory.The first ball was straight, on a good length. It was a slower ball. AB swept it for six. The next ball, Steyn went for the yorker. It was a 90mph yorker. But AB was back in his crease. He needed a foot or two, and he turned the ball into something he could punch straight back over Steyn’s head for a six. The next two balls were a leg-bye getting him off strike, and then a single getting him back on.

Most batsmen are good or less good, depending on the format they are playing in. That rule does not apply to players of the level of AB de Villiers. If it involves cricket, AB would be great at it

Steyn changed the entire field. He knew AB. He knew what he might do in this mood. Mid-off came up. The ball was full and straight, and AB was set up to hit it to mid-on, but his hands changed late, like he suddenly remembered where the field was, and the ball flew over mid-off’s head.The field changed again. Fine leg came up. There was a shimmy from AB. He faked that he was going to give himself room, and then he ran across the crease until his feet were touching the wide demarcation line. His bat was now off the pitch. Steyn was full and straight just outside off stump. It looked like AB was scrambling, like he was running too far, like he was about to slip. Like he had made a mistake.Then AB paused the world. He stopped time, he found balance, he erased what was happening, and from two feet inside the line of the ball he swept Dale Steyn.Into the second tier at the Chinnaswamy.The commentators screamed. The crowd screamed. The scoreboard screamed. Even in the IPL hyperbole, where even the most mediocre can get screamed, this noise stood out. This shot stood out. This man.Steyn’s over went for 24 of the 28 required. He went back into the field and didn’t look like the world’s best Test bowler but a lost man. Eventually he just joined in the clapping. There was nothing left to do.

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On the eve of AB de Villiers’ 100th Test, he became the world’s No. 1 Test batsman. He is also the world’s No. 1 ODI batsman. In T20 cricket, internationally he’s not starred; domestically he’s a beast.But even while he has spent the last seven years in beast mode, he hasn’t been universally feted, like he should have been. Lots of things have happened since AB started being amazing, let alone since he became No. 1 in the Test rankings for the first time in 2012. Sachin was still playing then; Ricky Ponting as well. Kumar Sangakkara and Younis Khan found golden form. Michael Clarke just exploded. Alastair Cook could bat for weeks on end. Brendon McCullum started doing amazing things. Kevin Pietersen, Virender Sehwag and David Warner have grabbed attention.This is the era of flat pitches, small boundaries, weak attacks, and those damned big bats. Everyone is scoring. Many of them are doing it quickly.What’s he thinking? Does he already know what’s going to happen next ball?•Getty ImagesThat is not even mentioning that in his own South African side were three of the best batsmen his country had ever produced. One of whom, Mr Kallis, was the greatest cricketer in his nation’s history.Then, just as we were about to move on to the part where we all are fixated on AB, the next wave came storming in.Virat Kohli in limited-overs cricket is ranked No. 2 in both formats. Kane Williamson is ranked at three in ODIs and five in Tests. And Joe Root and Steve Smith have been swapping the Test No. 1 ranking between them. Even outside the bigger names, almost every country seems to have someone with serious talent at a young age: Darren Bravo, Mominul Haque, Angelo Mathews and Asad Shafiq.None of them are AB. But there are only so many inches, so many tweeters, so many hours in the day. Sleep through his 31-ball hundred, and amazing as it is, it is just a number. The day before it, there was a Big Bash game, Nepal played UAE, Ireland played Dublin. The same day, Australia played India. The next day Scotland and Ireland. Even if you do go back, it is amazing, but it looks the same as any one of the many YouTube highlight packages of AB. Almost cartoony. And considering he does it again and again, if you don’t see them, your mind starts to squish them all into one.These amazing innings, from AB and others, are just part of cricket’s endless news cycle.

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During the 2013-14 summer of Mitchell Johnson, AB de Villiers faced him in Pretoria. Devastating as Johnson had been against England, bowling deliveries that modern science tells us were over 150kph, and felt over 160kph, he was even scarier in that first innings in Centurion. Ryan McLaren was lucky to leave with his life. The ball seemed to be past South African batsmen before they were aware it had been bowled.South Africa’s second highest score was 25. De Villiers made 91. As fast as Johnson was, as brutal, as unruly, as unimaginable, as dragony, AB DeVilliers just handled it. At times it was as if he could stop the ball midway down the pitch, like Neo in , and decide what to do next, and then just restart the world and dispatch the ball.AB has time that doesn’t exist.Steyn has made the Neo comparison before. Maybe the Wachowski brothers were cricket fans, because before bullet time, it was the great batsmen who made time stop. Who made the world fade away as their brains thought about complex equations in the milliseconds before playing their shot.

He’s not a great all-round batsman. He’s great in every single discipline. Not good. Not better than average. But instantly, and perfectly, suited to every single part

There is a moment, for all batsmen, when everything has kind of already happened, and now it is the ball in charge, not the batsman. But the greats just get longer before that happens. The scrappy batsman is always just getting his foot onto the ground just in time; the great, his foot was there waiting. There are times when AB, like the best before him, seems to know what is coming next. Science, through Tim Noakes’ research, has taught us that batsmen read the bowlers far more than even the cricketers themselves knew. That is why you can face Shoaib Akhtar at 100mph, but a bowling machine at 100mph is unplayable.When AB is in full form, it feels like he just knows what is going to happen next. He is there so early. How did he know it would be the full ball outside off? Was it the field, was it the wrist, was it in the bowler’s eyes? Did he see it in the bowler’s last few steps? Did he know before the bowler turned at the top of his mark? Did he know several balls in advance? Did he know the morning of the game every ball that would be delivered?For a normal batsman, it is the science of batting, for AB it is the magic of batting.

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It is unmistakably a modern pop-rock combo. You can feel the drummer’s alienation, the lead guitarist’s disdain for everyone, the bass player’s insouciance, and the other guitarist’s utter usefulness.There is also a singer. He’s clean-cut, good-looking, wearing jeans and a check shirt, but there is little rock about him. There is no edge. No interesting look. Not unshaven. Good-looking.The lyrics are delivered in a non-threatening soft-rock way, but with the odd Southern African accent. The whole thing has just enough red to impress a grandparent.The lyrics of the song include, “Be the best that you can be”, “To believe in anything, you dream”, “To live it, to breathe it”, “Just feel it in your heart”, “Make a noise, just be the one”, “Show them who you are”, “Stand up tall and make a noise” and “Just be the one.”This isn’t very rock’n roll. It’s hard to imagine Bruce Springsteen, Ian MacKaye or Bon Scott delivering them. The believe-you-can message slaps in you the face repeatedly. As such, there is nothing remarkable about this song.But it is remarkable because of whose song it is, because the singer is AB de Villiers. This is like a look inside his brain. His personal mantra. You can almost imagine him whispering it to himself between balls. Maybe it doesn’t make him massively exciting, but this song shows his vision of courage, of single mindedness, of how to achieve.It also shows that AB wants to be a rock star. Based on this song, he probably won’t be. With a bat, he already is.

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The bats aren’t bigger. The batsmen are bigger. The batsmen are different.They pump iron. They work on twitch fibres. They strengthen their cores. They transfer their weight. They switch-hit. They clear their front leg. They range-hit. They study tapes. They hit everywhere. They back their instincts. They attack from ball one. They are fearless.They do all that to be as good as AB de Villiers.

After injury ruled Graeme Cremer out of the World T20, Wellington Mazakadza suddenly had a far greater role to play. Against Scotland, he embraced the challenge

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Nagpur10-Mar-2016With less than a week to go before the World T20, Zimbabwe announced they were making three changes to their squad, all because of injuries suffered in practice matches. Neville Madziva and Luke Jongwe were big misses, but Zimbabwe had enough depth in the seam department to cope. Graeme Cremer, on the other hand, seemed irreplaceable.In six T20Is this year, Cremer had taken 10 wickets at 15.80, and conceded less than seven runs an over. In ODIs this year, he had averaged 25.00 while giving away only 3.57 runs an over. Losing a legspinner in that kind of form, and with the experience of 96 international games, is a punch in the gut for any team that is about to play a world event in the subcontinent.Into the breach stepped Wellington Masakadza, a 22-year-old left-arm spinner with 10 ODIs and three T20Is under his belt before the tournament. He largely slipped under the radar in the opening game against Hong Kong. On Thursday against Scotland, he was forced onto the hot seat: defending 147, Zimbabwe gave him the new ball.Facing up at the other end was George Munsey, fresh from blasting a 29-ball 41 against Afghanistan. Munsey’s last two boundaries in that innings had come off reverse-sweeps. He brought out the shot against the second ball Masakadza bowled, hitting it firmly but straight to short third man.You are only allowed two fielders outside the 30-yard circle in the Powerplay overs of a T20 game. For a left-arm orthodox spinner bowling to a left-hand batsman, those two fielders have to be on the leg-side boundary, almost out of necessity. Consequently, backward point and third man have no choice but to remain inside the circle. If you can play it well, the reverse-sweep is a deadly weapon in that situation.Munsey went for the reverse-sweep again, next ball, and missed. No problem. He reverse-swept the next two balls for four, over the fielder at short third man.One ball remained in Masakadza’s over. Third man went back on the rope, and a fielder came in off the leg-side boundary. Munsey jumped out of his crease, probably looking for the big hit with the turn. Masakadza bowled it shorter and wider than he wanted. Munsey, unbalanced, jabbed at the ball and missed. The keeper did the rest.”He [jumped out a little early], and I was under pressure a little,” Masakadza later said. “I just pulled my length in and fired it wide.”Another wicket fell in the next over, but Scotland continued to target Masakadza. He was still a left-arm spinner bowling in the Powerplay, and at the other end now was another left-hander, Matt Machan. The two men back on the leg side were long-on and deep midwicket. This meant square leg and fine leg were inside the circle.Second ball of the over, Machan swept Masakadza and bisected these two. Masakadza moved square leg back, and moved long-on to mid-on. Knowing the next ball would be straighter, Machan moved away from his leg stump, making room to clout the ball over mid-on’s head. Four more.For the second time in two overs, Masakadza had been hit for two fours in two balls. This time he did not make another field change. He dared Machan to go over mid-on again. Machan stepped out. Masakadza probably saw this coming, and bowled it flatter and quicker. Machan went through with his shot, failed to get the elevation he wanted, and mid-on took a dolly.”Obviously, when you’re bowling, you still have to bowl your six balls even if you get hit the first two balls for boundaries,” Masakadza said. “And you will have to at least try and get the batsman not to hit more, so there was a bit of variation [in pace].”Scotland were 20 for 3. They slumped further, to 20 for 4 and 42 for 5, before Richie Berrington and Preston Mommsen came together to start worrying Zimbabwe all over again. When Masakadza began his final over, Scotland needed 57 from 36 balls. This would be the last over bowled by a spinner, and Scotland would target Masakadza once again.There were more fielders on the boundary now, and the right-handed Mommsen was on strike. Looking at Masakadza’s stock left-arm spinner’s field, Mommsen eyed the big gap between long-off and the sweeper cover. To hit that gap, he would have to go inside-out, over extra cover – a common ploy in limited-overs cricket.First ball, Masakadza saw Mommsen making himself room and bowled it wider. He reached out and sliced the ball over backward point, not really timing it, and picked up two. Next ball, Mommsen stepped away again. Masakadza followed him this time, denying him swinging room. Instead of chipping the ball over the fielder at short extra, Mommsen hit it straight to the man.That was the big wicket, and four balls later Masakadza killed off Scotland’s challenge, dangling one up slower and turning it past the advancing Safyaan Sharif. He had begun the game as the inexperienced weak link Scotland would target, and ended it as the match-winner.

All through his international career, Suresh Raina had been seen as somebody’s man. This IPL, with Gujarat Lions, he gets to be his own man and lead his own team

Sidharth Monga in Mohali10-Apr-20161:22

‘Important to know our strengths’ – Raina

Sometime before sunset, the main ground in Mohali was made off limits to all but the police, the Kings XI Punjab team, their owners and their bouncers. The home team performed their , a ritual where offerings are made into a small fire. This may or may not be a safety hazard at grounds that don’t even let you take cigarettes in, but it is the Indian Premier League, and such ceremonies are done to mark new beginnings.More than for the Kings XI, however, it is a new beginning for the captain of their opposition on Monday. Suresh Raina, who leads Gujarat Lions, has spent more than 10 years in international cricket. He was one of the first to end the practice of Indian middle-order batsmen playing for a not-out to help keep their place in the team. His selflessness as a cricketer, his willingness to chase every ball, bat anywhere in the order, encourage every good stop, bowl whenever required, makes him a favourite in the side, but only in the IPL does Raina truly emerge from the shadows.Raina was the main man for Chennai Super Kings. He batted at No. 3 and didn’t have to move down the order for bigger names who couldn’t adjust. Then the Super Kings were suspended for two years and through adversity came an opportunity.At Super Kings, Raina had the image of being Dhoni’s man. Before that he was former India coach Greg Chappell’s man, Rahul Dravid’s man; wherever he went, he was somebody’s man. He might soon have to be Virat Kohli’s man. For now, though, Raina can step out and be his own man. Lead his own team. Build his own team.Raina has already made an imprint on the Lions, who bought five Uttar Pradesh players at the auction. UP is not a state where fancy scouts go looking for talent. Hell, even their own selectors barely go looking. This could be an untapped source, which Raina is well aware of. This could be Raina giving back to his home state. Either way Raina is going to command respect.In typical fashion, though, Raina let the spotlight sit on others. “Captain is just a name,” he said when asked about his new chapter. “You need to have good coaches around [pointing to Brad Hodge sitting next to him], good players around. You need to go there and enjoy. This IPL is like that only, you just need to go and enjoy yourself.”Raina has captained sides before – UP, Super Kings, even India – but this is the first time he is leading a side for a whole season. “I’ve done it for UP, I’ve done [it] for the Indian team, I’ve done it for the IPL team,” he said. “So this will be interesting for me to just go there and express myself. We do have a coach from Australia, and he has done really well in IPL in India as well as for Australia team. So we do have a lot of youngsters and lot of experienced players in our side. We are pumped up and looking forward to our game tomorrow.”Raina’s challenges will be many, and immediate. James Faulkner, one of Lions’ big players, will be low on confidence after his over turned the game in India’s favour at this very venue only two weeks ago. Brendon McCullum’s injury-prone back will have to be watched. Dwayne Smith isn’t in India yet. Raina himself had a woeful World T20. Both Raina the batsman and Raina the captain will have to be at their best at the start of this new chapter in his career.

Stats highlights from the final day at Edgbaston as England wrap up an impressive victory

Bharath Seervi07-Aug-20160 Bigger wins for England after facing a deficit of over 100 runs in a Test, than the 141-run victory margin in this match. This was the 15th time they won a Test (excluding Centurion 2000-01 and The Oval 2006) after conceding a lead of 100 or more runs in the first innings and their previous biggest win, in terms of runs, was by 124 runs against New Zealand at Lord’s last year.0 Bigger defeats for Pakistan after taking a lead of 100 or more runs in the first innings, than this win. This was the fifth time they lost after taking leading of 100-plus and their previous biggest loss, in terms of runs, was by 92 runs against Australia at MCG in 1972-73.7 Consecutive Tests at Edgbaston in which the team batting first could not win the match, before this. The last win by the team batting first here was in 2005 when England secured an Ashes win by just two runs. Since then in seven Tests, the team batting second won five times and two Tests were drawn, both due to rain.0 Tests lost by England against Pakistan at Edgbaston. In the eight Tests between the two sides here, England have won five and three were drawn. This is the only venue in England where Pakistan haven’t won any Test even after playing five or more matches. England are unbeaten in their last six Tests at Edgbaston.2 Occasions when five bowlers shared two wickets each in a Test innings for England. The previous such instance for England was in Delhi in 1981-82. This is the eighth such instance for any team and has happened for the second time this year.3/79 Best innings figures by an England bowler in this Test, which is the second least-best figures for England excluding the Centurion Test of 1999-00 where they bowled just one innings. Those are also the least-best figures by any team winning a Test against Pakistan.2 Man of the Match awards for Moeen Ali in Tests. This was his second for his scores of 63 and 86 not out with bat and 2 for 49 in the fourth innings. His first such award was in Durban in December 2015.1 Run added by Pakistan’s fifth, sixth and seventh wickets combined – their lowest in an innings. They reduced from 124 for 4 to 125 for 7, in just 23 balls.23 Wickets for Chris Woakes in this series – the joint-most by an England bowler in a series against Pakistan. James Anderson also took 23 wickets in 2010 series, but in four matches compared to Woakes’ three.429Balls without a wicket for Steven Finn, before he got Misbah-ul-Haq on the final day. His last Test wicket had come in the last match against Sri Lanka. He was wicketless in the first three innings he bowled in this series.0 Pakistan openers younger than Sami Aslam who made 50-plus in both innings of a Test. Aslam, at the age of 20 years, 235 days, beat Salman Butt, 21 years, 36 days, who achieved the same against England in Multan in 2005-06. Aslam is the fifth-youngest opener from any team to make two 50-plus scores in a Test.2004 Last time Pakistan’s No. 6 and 7 had got out for ducks in a Test innings, also in the fourth innings, against Australia at the WACA. This is the sixth such instance in Tests and five of those have come in their second innings. Asad Shafiq got a pair at No. 6 after playing 49 consecutive innings without a duck before this Test and for Sarfraz Ahmed it was his first duck of his Test career in his 43rd innings.

The new biopic, shaped around the World Cup win of 2011, works best when it depicts one youngster following his calling

Jai Arjun Singh03-Oct-2016To begin with an admission that will seem astounding to regular readers of this site: I was more stirred by the opening scene of , set in the Wankhede Stadium during the 2011 World Cup final, than I had been by the actual match five years earlier.The main reason for this is that my love affair with cricket ended a decade ago, occasioned partly by the ugly, fair-weather displays of nationalism-jingoism associated with the sport (one example being a crowd attacking MS Dhoni’s Ranchi house in 2007). As one of the very few people in the country who didn’t much care when the real Dhoni hit that winning six on April 2, 2011, I was unprepared for my reaction – the adrenaline rush, the growing anticipation – when I watched Sushant Singh Rajput as Dhoni in the dressing room deciding to go in at No. 5, padding up and heading out into the deafening arena. Call it the power of a tense, tightly constructed scene that uses camerawork, space and sound effectively, or a sudden burst of nostalgia for a once-loved sport.In other words, begins on a rabble-rousing note. But after this World Cup scene (which Neeraj Pandey’s film will, of course, return to at the end), the narrative backtracks to a quiet afternoon in July 1981 and Dhoni’s birth in a Ranchi hospital ward, while his father Paan Singh Dhoni (Anupam Kher), a hard-working lower-middle-class man, waits nervously outside. A series of well-constructed vignettes follows: Dhoni as a boy being coerced by a coach to give up football for cricket, and to take up wicketkeeping (though he prefers batting); the support of his friends as it becomes evident that he has special talent and drive; the misgivings of his father, who has sensibly conservative ideas about what constitutes a secure future; repeated frustrations followed by a job in the Railways and the possibility of becoming a “” (“Ticket collector ?” as Paan Singh puts it” [What can be bigger than a ticket collector?]).Rajput’ portrayal of Dhoni starts from when he is 16, and these early scenes have a slightly off-kilter quality – as if the actor’s head has been digitally superimposed on a slim teen body – but that doesn’t matter after a while, because this is a fine performance. Rajput captures not just Dhoni’s boyish exuberance and the enigmatic smile that stops just short of being cocky, but also something of the placid, Buddha-like inscrutability that emerges in moments of stress; a sense that he is calling on inner reserves only he knows about. This is a convincing portrait of a young man who can be impetuous but is also grounded enough to buy snacks for his friends as a sort of “celebration” after being selected for a team – because he never wants to forget this day of failure.

Rajput captures not just Dhoni’s boyish exuberance and the enigmatic smile that stops just short of being cocky, but also something of the placid, Buddha-like inscrutability that emerges in moments of stress; a sense that he is calling on inner reserves only he knows about

The film’s first half, with its depiction of the rhythms of small-town life, is a reminder that director Pandey has a feel for place and period (see his recreation of 1980s Delhi in the con-job film ). There are many engaging little moments, such as an early encounter, in a Bihar-Punjab match, between Dhoni and future team-mate Yuvraj Singh (played here by Herri Tangri as a regal kid whose very presence leaves most people awestruck). The cricket scenes are shot with panache and wit, even when they centre on a deadpan hero. The stage also gradually shifts to show us officials in the sport’s higher echelons in Mumbai and Delhi pulling strings and deciding the fate of thousands of struggling youngsters around the country.In the second half, a tonal unevenness sets in, and to a degree this is understandable given the arc of Dhoni’s life. It seemed natural that the early scenes would have the texture of a gritty, understated small-town story about aspiration, the sort that Hindi cinema often does so well now (in another such film, (2013), Rajput played a character whose cricketing dreams pan out). But once Dhoni gets his chance in the Indian team, he rises to stardom fairly quickly, and as more glamorous locations take over – plush hotel rooms, advertising studios where he says cheesy lines while endorsing a range of products – the film’s look and pace alter as well; it becomes glossier, more languid.That in itself is not a problem, but around this time, also becomes looser, more random, and whimsical in its decisions about what to show and what to leave out (there isn’t even a scene that shows the circumstances that led to Dhoni becoming captain) – and when this happens, one recalls that this is largely an “authorised” project, with the real-life Dhoni and his associates having been consulted and kept abreast of the script.Fox Star StudiosThere are two romantic interludes – the first involving a girl named Priyanka (Disha Patani), who dies in a car crash, then with the cricket-indifferent Sakshi (Kiara Advani), who goes on to become Dhoni’s wife – that feel much too generic given how the film has unfolded up to then. This section includes an exotic-location song sequence, superfluous flashback inserts, and embarrassingly forced attempts to generate pathos (wondering about their future together, Priyanka dolefully repeats the line ” time ?” [We have plenty of time, don’t we?] as if she were aware of her own impending fate). Briefly glimpsed in these scenes is the suggestion that a man who is assertive as batsman and captain might be defensive-passive when it comes to relationships, but the film doesn’t take this idea anywhere. The two-woman trope is handled better here than in the recent, utterly lacklustre Mohammad Azharuddin biopic , but that isn’t saying much. (The goofy climactic scene of that film had the “wronged” Azhar being vindicated when his two wives walk into the courtroom side by side to support him and provide the ultimate character certificate!)These sequences notwithstanding, the film builds unerringly towards that World Cup win, which is presented here as the culmination of a remarkable career (never mind that real-life sport doesn’t usually provide such tidy or definitive endings – Dhoni did, after all, also captain India in their 2015 loss, but there isn’t space here for such troughs). Ending with real footage of the post-match celebrations is a guaranteed way of having the audience out of their seats and applauding; as mentioned above, I was one of those viewers.In the final analysis, the film worked best when it did the small moment well. In one notable scene, a subdued Dhoni explains why he is so frustrated by his Railways job – not because he considers it below him (“” [I don’t think the work is small], he says) but because it doesn’t allow him to give cricket enough time and attention. This nuanced scene comes as a refreshing counterpoint to a shoe-polish ad that the real Dhoni did a long time ago, where he turned to the camera and said, “I decided not to be ordinary. I chose to shine.” A good, smooth line for the product, but also one that seemed to condescendingly imply that people in some professions can be dismissed as “ordinary” and that real winners can simply to reach the top through hard work and perseverance. is a bumpy film, very stimulating in its good parts, oddly inert at other times, but in its better moments – like that “” scene – it ducks the grand, overarching narratives and gives us a ground-level story about a young man following a calling with the knowledge that things might not work out perfectly, but that he has to at least give it a shot, he can’t die wondering. That’s a compelling tale in itself, and a more inspirational one in some ways than the one hinted at in the film’s more triumphal scenes – the ones about a blazing star who was so good and so determined that he was destined to reach the top no matter what, and who might well have had that World Cup-winning six inscribed on his horoscope.Have you watched ? Share your thoughts on the movie by mailing us at [email protected].

A 41-run stand for the last wicket, and three tail-end wickets in one over. That is the very definition of “crucial” in a low-scoring contest

Sidharth Monga in Kanpur24-Sep-20163:45

Agarkar: Jadeja’s accuracy phenomenal

Mohali. First Test of the last season. India are changing the nature of the pitches they want dramatically. They win the toss, but still find themselves down at 154 for 7. Ravindra Jadeja scores 38 after coming in at 102 for 5. India end up with 201, which gives them an eventual 17-run lead.In Nagpur, an extreme raging turner that will get a “poor rating” from ICC, India once again find themselves about to lose the toss advantage when they are 125 for 6. Jadeja scores 34, taking India to 215.In Delhi, India are 139 for 6. Jadeja scores 24 in a seventh-wicket partnership with centurion Ajinkya Rahane.In low-scoring matches on turning pitches, where lower-order runs often decide matches, India’s lower order consistently kept outscoring South Africa’s, thanks to Jadeja. The two Ranji Trophy matches on which Jadeja’s comeback was built were even more low-scoring matches than these. He took 24 wickets in them at an average of 8.25, but perhaps the telling contribution was made through innings of 91 and 58 the only times he batted.At the start of another season, on another pitch expected to break up soon but not as soon as the ones last year, India were 277 for 9 against New Zealand, having thrown away wickets, and also the advantage of wining the toss. Jadeja scored 42, including a last-wicket stand of 41, took India to 318. Unlike South Africa, New Zealand’s lower order held promise. Mark Craig had three half-centuries in 23 Test innings; and neither of Trent Boult or Ish Sodhi is a mug. Jadeja ran through them with three wickets in one over.Imagine India’s lower-order scores 25 fewer, New Zealand’s adds 25 more, a combination par for the course, and KL Rahul can say goodbye to the devil-may-care attitude he batted with as India took the game away from New Zealand. That one burst of late runs on the second morning, and that one over was the difference between dominance and parity for India. There were collapses on both sides, as is expected on these pitches, but India had Jadeja to arrest it and they also had Jadeja to make it emphatic when New Zealand collapsed.It is easier to see why Jadeja runs through tails on such pitches. At the end of the second day’s play, New Zealand batting coach Craig McMillan was asked if the batsmen picked which one from Jadeja would turn and which one would go straight off the hand or off the pitch. McMillan gave an honest and instructive reply. “It’s hard to pick it out of the hand when he bowls so quick, and he bowls such a consistent line and length, which offers a lot of challenges. Our guys have used the depth of the crease really well, going forward and back and picked up length really early, which is important.”Even for the best of the batsmen, when you are going to react to the ball after it pitches, it is pertinent you pick the length early and decisively either come forward to smother the action on the ball or go back to adjust to whatever it does off the surface. On less responsive pitches, you can play the line; on such turners you have to be much more disciplined. Ross Taylor wasn’t. He was stuck on the crease, neither smothering the ball nor giving himself time to adjust to the lack of turn.If the specialist batsmen are not picking Jadeja from the hand, what chance does the lower order stand? Plus the lower order needs runs. Jadeja doesn’t give them runs. He fires them in, he fires them in accurately, and they – not knowing which way the ball is going – are hares in headlights.Just after lunch, after some really hard-fought cricket, India bowled five overs of pace out of which four were unchallenging. Thirteen gifted runs in four overs into it, New Zealand were just 67 behind and had five wickets in hand. Now, though, you could see a loose left arm rotating, loosening up for another session of hard work after having bowled 13 in the first. Christmas was over. Jadeja was helped along by partner-in-crime R Ashwin, who removed Mitchell Santner, but now we were into the lower order. Now we were into Jadeja territory.Ravindra Jadeja is not the sort of orderly batsman you can plan against•BCCISo confident was Jadeja of his accuracy and pace now that he left the cut open for Craig. No point, no short third man. You feel like going there against the spin? Be my guest. Two balls into the over, Craig was trapped plumb to a ball too full. Sodhi repeated the Taylor mistake. You just walk in, and you get spin bowling this accurate, this fast, and you don’t know which way it is going. This is spin bowling’s closest equivalent of late swinging yorkers. It was a collapse that demoralised New Zealand after six sessions of hard-fought cricket.Once Craig fell, with three more wickets to go, M Vijay, India’s opener, already began to shadow-practise at the pitch while the new batsman walked in. For a New Zealand opener to do so with India seven down would be premature. Not with Jadeja still unbeaten. Why he should succeed with the bat on such pitches when he is ridiculed for his batting is a question that needs deeper searching.It does go back, though, to his upbringing in Saurashtra where he played on either slow and flat tracks or slow turners. The experience of batting on such pitches for years and years has helped. It has also developed strong wrists because you need them to impart power into your shots on slow pitches. He uses them to keep the ball down even if he doesn’t reach the pitch of the ball. His drives, even to mid-off, are wristy. The sword-wielding celebrations that he unfurled at Lord’s in 2014, he can actually do that with the actual traditional sword. His sister says the sword is so heavy it can break normal untrained wrists.Sitanshu Kotak, Jadeja’s former Saurashtra team-mate and now their coach, has always maintained Jadeja bats much better when he is given responsibility. Kotak makes him bat at No. 5 for Saurashtra. Now when he bats in these situations he does so knowing his responsibility. There is expectation of him as a runs-provider too.Kotak believes Jadeja can bat because he picks the length early, has quick feet, can cut or pull, and has a big heart so he can take the risk to unsettle the bowler. Jadeja is not the sort of orderly batsman you can plan against. He is fidgety, he is restless, and he hits in unusual areas too. When he is beaten in the air, he uses his strong wrists to keep the ball down. Twice, when farming the strike with last man Umesh Yadav for company, Jadeja showed the power of the wrists when he stepped out twice to Santner. Once he cleared mid-off, and once long-on. On neither occasion was there a big wind-up, just the flick of the wrists.The other day Vijay spoke in a tired cliché defending Rohit Sharma’s shot to get out. “Keep doing what has got you here.” It is understandable that a player will stand up for his team-mate in public, but some players need to learn and evolve when they come to Tests because what brings them there might not be good enough. In Jadeja’s case, though, at least on turning pitches, what has brought him here is good enough.

Visually impaired commentator Dean du Plessis talks about how he fell for the game, his phone conversations with Dave Houghton, and life behind the microphone

Dean du Plessis19-Nov-2016The year was 1991 and I was just another self-conscious teenager. Skinny. Pimples. Railroad tracks across my teeth. Although I was a blind boy attending a blind school, there were some partially sighted girls and word was that they were pretty.Ensconced in my bedroom at boarding school in Worcester, South Africa, I scanned through the radio stations, looking for something to occupy my mind. Suddenly my ears were assaulted by a cacophony of sounds. South Africa were playing an ODI in India after being readmitted to international cricket.I had heard the names of some of the South Africans – Kepler Wessels, Allan Donald, Jimmy Cook. But I didn’t even know what a six was. Although my older brother Gary was a good cricketer back home in Zimbabwe, and I had heard people talking about the game, it didn’t really mean anything to me. How could I picture it when I had never seen it?A week later, I was back home for the holidays. Gary and my parents picked me up from the airport. The whole way home from Harare to Kadoma, a two-hour journey, I asked them questions about the game. My dad and Gary were bewildered as to where this interest in cricket had come from, but they supplied the answers that became the building blocks of my passion. I started soaking up facts and names like a sponge, listening intently to debates about the differing merits of Donald and Eddo Brandes.By the end of the holidays I had a firm grasp on the game, and my excitement was peaking because I knew there would be commentary of Currie Cup matches on the radio when I got back to South Africa.The following year the World Cup came around, and Zimbabwe beat England, with Brandes bowling our old export Graeme Hick for a duck. I was totally hooked.When Zimbabwe were suddenly given Test status later that year, and lined up a Test against India, I figured there was only one way that I would be able to follow it. For weeks before the game, I saved my pocket money and converted it into coins. I knew the telephone number for the call box at the Red Lion, a pub at Harare Sports Club, and when the Test got underway, I started calling it to find out the score. Sometimes someone would answer, but they weren’t always that friendly.In the end I reverted to calling Radio One in Zimbabwe, where people were friendly but didn’t necessarily know what was going on. “Maybe you can make sense of this,” they would say. “It says two-seven-five divided by four.” Eventually they knew when it was me calling, because they could hear the coins dropping into the pay phone’s coin box as the call went through. “Yes, is that the guy calling from South Africa?” they would ask.Du Plessis interviews Chris Gayle•Chris du PlessisSoon cricket became an obsession. I managed to obtain Dave Houghton’s home number and started calling him to talk about the game for as long as my allowance would hold out. One day as we were chatting, he heard the “beep beep beep” that warns you the call is about to be dropped because the money has run out. “Quickly,” he said, “what’s your number?” He just managed to jot it down in time and then called me back.The following Sunday, Old Hararians played Alexandra Sports Club, and afterwards everyone was having a beer in the bar. Davie mentioned to my brother what a pleasure it had been talking to me. Gary went home and told my parents, and soon my dad was asking me why I was spending money that was meant for toothpaste and deodorant on phone calls to Houghton. I told him that Davie had called me back, but that just got me into more trouble.I also used to call Eddo, although he never called me back. And at one stage Grant Flower and Alistair Campbell were sharing a flat in town, and I got their number. They were pretty happy to talk, but Houghton is the only person I’ve met whose appetite for discussing cricket exceeded my own. Many years later, after I had become a commentator, the two of us were driving from Harare to Bulawayo for a cricket match. The only break from cricket chatter on the five-hour journey was when we passed through Kadoma, and he said, “Gee, I’m a bit thirsty”, and stopped for a drink.My commentary career came about almost by accident. I had finished school and was back in Zimbabwe in 1999, working on the switchboard for an irrigation company, when Sri Lanka came to visit. I met Ravi Shastri, who was there as a neutral commentator, and was allowed to sit in the commentary box so long as I promised not to make a sound. Eventually some of the commentators started chatting to me and asking for my opinions.Two years later India were back in Zimbabwe, and Shastri interviewed me during one of the tea breaks. Afterwards I was loitering around the press box when I heard a voice that I recognised from my school days in South Africa. It was Neil Manthorp, and I introduced myself. He was doing radio commentary for Cricinfo on the game and asked if I would join him. He ran it by his boss in London, who told him to keep it to 15 minutes. But as it went on, the editor emailed to tell Neil to keep me on for the rest of the slot, and then for the series.Brian Lara has a conversation with du Plessis•Chris du PlessisMy television debut came in 2003 when Mike Haysman persuaded the director to get me on during the second one-day international against West Indies in Bulawayo. Zimbabwe won the game, with Heath Streak and Mark Vermeulen taking them to a six-wicket victory, and the celebrations were extra sweet that night.I was born with tumours behind both retinas, so my eyesight was destroyed before birth. The doctors told my parents that I had three to five months to live. I had my left eye removed when I was three months old, and my right eye came out in 2001, leaving me with two glass eyes.This came in handy during an encounter with Darrell Hair during England’s tour to Zimbabwe in 2004. We had briefly met in Harare, and in Bulawayo we got chatting some more. Zimbabwe had been on the receiving end of several bad decisions from him, so I said, “Darrell, I’ve got something I’d like to give you to help you out.” I took out my right eye and put it in his hand. He went very quiet, then apparently he glowered at me, and then started to smile. Eventually he put his head back and bellowed with laughter. Eventually I had to remind him to please give me my eye back.As remarkable as my story is, I know there are things that only a sighted commentator can do. For example, I can’t analyse the field placements and make suggestions of how they could be changed. But I still feel I have a lot to offer.When I’m wired into the stump microphone, I can generally make out who is bowling from listening to the way that they land and how they grunt, and from that point there are many giveaways as to what has happened. The length of time between the sound of the ball pitching and hitting the bat, the shuffle of the batsman’s feet, and the type of noise that emanates from the bat striking the ball, all give me an idea of what shot has been played. Then the different calls of various batsmen, and the shouts of the fielders or the sound of the crowd, suggest whether the ball has pierced the field and how far it may have gone. So I can follow the game carefully, and along with the facts, figures, scorecards and conversations that I’ve stored in my mind over the years, I can perform a role as an analyst.To date, the only places I’ve travelled for cricket are South Africa and Bangladesh. Opportunities have been a bit short lately, and things in Zimbabwe are not easy. But one day I hope to get out there and see the world.

In the past, Steve O’Keefe has dismissed Kevin Pietersen, Virat Kohli, and many more in first-class cricket. Yet Australia have consistently found reasons not to pick him

Jarrod Kimber in Pune24-Feb-2017″He doesn’t spin it enough”. “He’s a white-ball bowler”. “His best ball isn’t anything special”. “He’s at best a second spinner who bats a little.” “Consistent, but nothing special.” “He needs to grow a foot taller and bowl a doosra”.Steve O’Keefe has heard this kind of talk his whole career. He made his debut in first-class cricket in 2005; he played his second game in 2009. In Australia’s post-Warne era, O’Keefe didn’t spin it enough, he wasn’t a legspinner, and there was nothing x-factor about him. The poor guy was just superb at consistently bowling in the same spot and taking wickets at a lower rate than any other modern spinner.So it looked like his best chance was to grow a foot taller, rip the ball sideways, be more dominant with the bat, and learn to bowl a doosra.The problem was, he found the doosra too difficult, so he just stuck with what worked for him. When he took wickets, he often made the joke he had burgled a few.

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When O’Keefe was named in the Australian touring squad to India, he made a big decision. Part of the Sydney Sixers, who were on their way to the finals of the Big Bash League, he decided – and Cricket Australia agreed – that he should be rested from the tournament. It was a big call at the time, and it became a bigger one when his team played in the Big Bash final.But O’Keefe has been trying to break into the Australian team since his first international game in 2010 when he played a neutral T20I against Pakistan. To become the player he has always wanted to be, he needed to make this big call.Those sacrifices seemed to be working when he played for Manly-Warringah against Campbelltown-Camden and took 9 for 54 off 29.5 overs, and also took the catch of the wicket he didn’t take, in true Richard Hadlee style.That wasn’t the only thing O’Keefe did to prepare. The former teacher has worked with Muttiah Muralitharan and Terry Jenner (who said he bowled blancmanges). But, before this series, he also worked with Monty Panesar, talked to Rangana Herath and Daniel Vettori, before then having Cricket Australia hire Tamil Nadu allrounder Sridharan Sriram as a consultant for this series.It was with Sriram who he bowled in the lunch session on day one. While others have been ignoring him or writing him off, he’s been improving and readying himself.

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Shane Warne was quite open on the cricket this morning; Steve O’Keefe wasn’t his first choice. Mitchell Swepson, the young legspinner was. And even as his second choice, he had Ashton Agar. And really if he had the choice, it’s doubtful Warne would have had O’Keefe as his third or fourth. At one stage, O’Keefe spun a ball, and Warne joked it must have hit a rock. In large part because he isn’t one of Warne’s boys. Not part of the suck-up club, not a legspinner or Victorian, O’Keefe is his own man.When O’Keefe was picked, Warne said he was a “safety option”, and also said, “I think O’Keefe is more of a white-ball specialist. I don’t think he’s a red-ball player. I know he bowls very economically, and he’s a good cricketer but I think he’s a lot better suited to white-ball cricket.” This was what we now call an alternative fact.O’Keefe has 225 wickets in first-class cricket at 23.81. His List A average is over 55. O’Keefe also has a better Shield bowling average than Warne’s and, as of today, better figures in India. O’Keefe must have hit a lot of stones in his career.

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Steve O’Keefe was “steady, consistent and in the right areas,” according to Anil Kumble•AFPWhen O’Keefe finally got his shot in Test cricket, it didn’t go brilliantly; in the heat of Dubai, he bowled 57 overs taking 4 for 219 for the match. It was two years before his next Test, against West Indies in Sydney, and it was rained off.When it comes to bad luck, O’Keefe has been a magnet. After destroying a Sri Lanka XI in a tour game, he then pulled his hamstring when, according to Steven Smith, he was looking like taking a wicket every over. At the start of this Australian summer, he received a finger injury. Before the Adelaide Test against South Africa, he injured his calf. And that doesn’t even include his self-imposed alcohol ban after a drunken incident.And so, for his first full tour, when it was quite clear he was going to be relied upon, he has to turn up in India. The ran a story about the mountain that Nathan Lyon and O’Keefe had to climb before this series. Since 2013, Indian spinners have taken 281 wickets at home, while the visiting spinners have 151. Ashwin, on his own, has 139.O’Keefe might have taken six wickets against India A in 2015, including the wicket of Virat Kohli, but the odds were more stacked towards him adding to the list, or pile, that includes Brad Hogg, Gavin Robertson, Cameron White and Jason Krejza. Australian spinners with little experience sent to India to fail.

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In 2010-11 in Hobart, England XI played Australia A. It was at the height of the ‘Kevin Pietersen struggles against left-arm finger spin’ era. And, in that game, Pietersen received a well-pitched ball around off stump, which straightened and bowled him. It was a handy ball. It wasn’t flashy, just good, and Pietersen was all around it.Because of that ball, and the thought about Pietersen against left-arm spin, Australia picked a left-arm finger spinner for the Gabba Test. They picked Xavier Doherty. O’Keefe had bowled the ball.It seems that even when it is inspired by his own work, the Australian team has looked for reasons not to pick O’Keefe. His era has had players like Michael Beer, Doherty, Agar, and Glenn Maxwell, while O’Keefe has struggled for games with a vastly better record.His first-class stats are remarkable from a distance, but not quite as pretty in close-up. In his career, he has taken more than 30 wickets in a Shield season only once. But that season, 2013-14, he was the Shield’s leading wicket-taker with 41.O’Keefe’s biggest problem seems to have been that he doesn’t bowl much at all. Lyon has had five summers where he has bowled more than 2000 balls, O’Keefe, due to injury and occasionally form, has never had a season where he bowled that many. The year he took 41 wickets was the only season he got close. What that means is that there has never been that huge pressure to pick him.He has two ten-wicket hauls and eight five-wicket hauls in first-class, which is also splendid, and it’s a far better haul record than Lyon has managed. But Lyon got there first. And Lyon has done it in Tests. So while O’Keefe has a first-class average of 14 less than Lyon’s, he has never been seen as a potential replacement, just an occasional supplement. His good record is more a curiosity to cricket nuffies than anything of substantial weight.It’s rare anyone ever demands that O’Keefe is in the team; at most, he gets the question, “with his record, why doesn’t he play more?” That he can bat – his first-class batting average is almost identical to Mitchell Marsh’s – has never swayed anyone significantly. If O’Keefe had this record and was a legspinner, he’d be starring in dandruff ads and inking his first autobiography. Instead, he is a left-arm fingerspinner with five Tests at the age of 32.

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Steve O’Keefe defied the usual doubters with his consistent bowling•AFPWhen O’Keefe opened the bowling, there was concern from many that he was simply doing that job because Smith had seen Kohli do it with Ashwin. Australia were making a grave error, they thought, in not using Josh Hazlewood with the new ball. But Australia had a plan to scuff up one side of the ball early and O’Keefe was the perfect man to do that. When Hazlewood came on with the scuffed ball, he bowled superbly and made the first breakthrough.Just before lunch, Lyon was bowling beautifully, ripping the ball, bowling quickly, and looking like he was about to take a big haul. But he was replaced by O’Keefe, who wasn’t bowling well, who wasn’t creating the chances that Lyon was. Even O’Keefe referred to his bowling before lunch as ordinary.So before the lunch break ended, O’Keefe and Sriram went out on the field early to work on his bowling. His first two overs after the break were fine, but then he changed ends, bowling from the same end as Ravindra Jadeja. His figures at that point were 9-1-30-0.Then his second ball back, KL Rahul ran down the track and tried to end him. Instead, he gave O’Keefe a wicket and himself an injury. It was a significant breakthrough, India were trying to dominate, and the game was about to lurch one way or another.The next ball Ashwin drove towards mid-off for a single. Then a full ball that straightened, Ajinkya Rahane played across it and edged to second slip. Then a dot ball. Then a quick ball just outside off, just slightly straightened, and Saha got an edge. Four overs later, Jayant Yadav launched his front leg at a ball similar to Saha’s, but it turned more, and he dragged his foot, and Wade took the bails off.Later on, Jadeja would decide that O’Keefe had to go, buthe succeeded only in sending himself off the ground, after finding Mitchell Starc in the deep. Big Umesh also felt like he had to hit out, and took a huge swing at a ball to be caught at slip.According to Anil Kumble, O’Keefe had been “steady, consistent and in the right areas”.  And with that simplicity, O’Keefe had six for five from his last 25 balls after changing ends. O’Keefe hadn’t spun it a long way, he wasn’t suddenly taller, there was no doosra, he had a red ball in his hand and he was simply consistent.It’s just that today, it was special, and today, he burgled more than a few. And he did it on the biggest stage on which he’s ever been allowed to play.

Essex have struggled to deal with Division One cricket in their recent attempts, but there is an air of confidence around Chelmsford

Alan Gardner05-Apr-2017Not too much has changed at Essex in the months that have passed since they were confirmed as Division Two champions on a September afternoon last year. Traffic still hums gently by on the Parkway behind the River End. The old brick pavilion, theoretically subject of redevelopment plans, still sits squinting southeast across the square, as it did back in the glory days of Gooch and Fletcher – though there are some new photos on the walls inside, marking the occasion when Ryan ten Doeschate’s side secured their promotion against Glamorgan.There is some fresh signage around the ground and a new sponsor for a place fondly known as the ECG (try saying it with an Australian twang), now officially the Cloudfm County Ground. The Colchester-based facilities management company – no, it is not a radio station – have forked out to renovate the players’ changing rooms, so there are clearly some perks to life in Division One. No one will be complaining about the showers at Essex this season.A sense of anticipation is also in the air, one that has not been felt in these parts since 2010 – the last time Essex attempted to crack Division One of the Championship. They were on a cloud for most of last season, as Chris Silverwood successfully sold his players the dream of getting promoted in his first year as head coach. Now the atmosphere is even more rarefied. “We’ve got to aim bigger, haven’t we,” Silverwood smiles.There is not much talk of survival, although that would surely be an achievement (on three previous trips up, relegation has swiftly followed). Instead, Silverwood and ten Doeschate want Essex to “make our presence felt”, and leave the points table to take care of itself. They may not have an international ground, like the other seven teams in the top tier (Taunton will host a T20I this summer) but that won’t stop Essex getting a little bit bolshy in their attempts to stay in increasingly elite company.Silverwood has another mantra, when asked if a county of Essex’s means can still win the Championship: “Why not?” It is a decade since Sussex’s third title and almost 20 years since Leicestershire; Essex’s last success was a quarter of a century ago, in 1992 under Graham Gooch. In recent times, Test match counties have taken the pennant hostage (although Durham may now plead exception).

We’re very confident with our preparation and the squad we’ve assembled – apart from depth a little bit. But the guys we have, we feel we can competeRyan ten Doeschate

“Why not?” Silverwood counters. “You’re going back to the Keith Fletcher days. I encourage them to dream big but then you’ve got to have the courage to chase it. It’s our job to create the environment for them to do that, go out and chase things down. They’re all so excited about playing in Division One, pitting themselves against the best teams in the country. So, let’s go out there and show our skills.”Every game we’ll view as a must-win game. To me it’s great that we get to play at Test grounds, it’s great experience for the boys. We’ll look at it from a positive stance, not feel the pressure of going there. It’s part and parcel of the fun of being in Division One.”Ten Doeschate is six degrees of separation from Gooch, in Essex captaincy terms, and grew up closer to East London than east London, but he seems to channel what he calls “the tempo and the mood of the club” as well as any native. Last year, also ten Doeschate’s first in charge, was a watershed season in which 1157 Championship runs flowed from his bat but he was surrounded by team-mates making similarly emphatic contributions.Essex will be hoping for more of the same, particularly given their ability to field a batting order that has plenty of Test – let alone Division One – experience, Alastair Cook’s hip problem notwithstanding. Ten Doeschate is not setting any lofty targets, however. “I guess the job of myself and Silvers is to take the pressure away from the players,” he says.”I think it’s very dangerous to make that the goal, to stay up. With two teams going down it doesn’t leave much margin for error. At the moment we’re staying away from numbers and positions, we want to set goals: making our presence felt, being very aggressive, competing all the time. We’re very confident with our preparation and the squad we’ve assembled – apart from depth a little bit. But the guys we have, we feel we can compete.”Essex were competitive for a large part of their previous Division One campaign, in which several of the current squad, including ten Doeschate, Cook, Ravi Bopara and Tom Westley, played a part, but lost four of their final five matches to finish bottom. Ten Doeschate feels better prepared for the challenge this time.”The mindset was very different back then, we’ve certainly grown as a four-day team. One of the things back then was the daunting proposition of stepping up; if anything, the division has become a bit tougher, but I think what we can learn from that is not being overawed by it. But getting that balance right, we need to step up, we need to do better than last year but at the same time not focus too much on how difficult it is going to be.”The difficulty is accentuated by Essex needing to replace two club stalwarts in Graham Napier and David Masters, who retired after taking more than 100 wickets between them in 2016. Neil Wagner, the ultra-competitive New Zealand left-arm quick, was talked into signing by old Otago team-mate ten Doeschate and, although he was playing a Test match this time last week and only landed in the country a couple of days ago, he hopes to be “not too jetlagged” to make an impact against previous club Lancashire – for whom he claimed 32 wickets at 29.28 last season – at Chelmsford on Friday.Adam Wheater could push James Foster out of the wicketkeeping role•Getty ImagesWagner has been given his preferred shirt, No. 13 – “First time I’ve got my number, pretty stoked about that” – and Essex will be hoping that is unlucky for opposition batsmen during his three-month stint.”He’s aggressive, he’s in your face, he bowls loads of overs – he’s exactly the type of character that we want within our bowling attack,” says Silverwood, suggesting that Wagner and former South Africa offspinner Simon Harmer, signed on a Kolpak, will add an “extra dimension” to Essex’s bowling this year.Another thing that may be different around Chelmsford is the identity of the man behind the stumps. James Foster, ten Doeschate’s predecessor as captain and first-choice Essex wicketkeeper pretty much since the advent of a two-division Championship, faces renewed competition from Adam Wheater, who left for Hampshire in 2013 but is back and hopeful of finally dislodging “Fozzy”. Wheater kept in the match against Durham MCCU earlier this week and, perhaps more significantly, scored a hundred. “We just want to pick what we think is the strongest team to win games, and I’d say Adam’s slightly stronger on the batting department,” ten Doeschate said, although a final decision is yet to be made.Cook’s injury means Silverwood can defer another tough decision on whether to leave out one of Nick Browne or Varun Chopra, another Essex product enticed back to old haunts, or tinker with the middle order. It will also deprive onlookers of a duel between Cook and his England team-mate James Anderson, a bowler ten Doeschate admits will provide an immediate examination of his team’s Division One credentials.He doesn’t pause, though, before suggesting Lancashire may have “a chink in their armour with their batting” that he hopes his bowlers can exploit. For Essex, there’s no time like the present to start making your presence felt.