In which the teams’ season report cards are ruthlessly reviewed, one in more detail than the others

Andy Zaltzman02-Apr-2013It is April. In India, the IPL casts its annual envious glance at Major League Baseball. A hundred and sixty-two matches per side – truly, commercial dreams can come true. And as cricket’s annual big-bucks slugfest begins, the 2012-13 Test season has been tagged, bagged, and taken away to the ICC laboratory for analysis (assuming that you consider the Zimbabwe v Bangladesh series to be part of the 2013 season) (an issue which has, no doubt, exercised your mind considerably over recent weeks). Around the cricketosphere, the world’s Test nations are taking stock. Some with more relish than others.Australia, who began the season by initially dominating the world’s best team, have ended it in something vaguely reminiscent of a poorly directed theatrical farce. The whole of Australia will be desperately hoping that Michael Clarke’s troublesome back recovers within the next 99 days, that his troublesome team reads a few coaching manuals in the same time frame, and that the government’s secret research into the development of an age-reversing serum that it can slather on seven or eight of its former world-dominating stars bears fruit.India is basking in the afterglow of emerging from its era-ending slump, with perhaps a smidgen of concern over how quickly its bright new dawn might be clouded over in South Africa later in the year, and a tinge of regret that they needlessly delayed their obviously-needed process of regeneration until after they had caved in against England in two disastrously low-octane performances in Mumbai and Kolkata.South Africa themselves have spent the last few days having the ICC Test mace analysed by scientists to discover why it seems to possess the supernatural power to magically transform turn a good team into a thoroughly average one. Thus far, they have succeeded only in turning Morne Morkel into a zebra, and Dale Steyn into Sreesanth, although thankfully that metamorphosis was temporary, and lasted long enough only for the world’s leading paceman to put on a headband and throw some excitable shapes on a dance floor. The Proteas may also be wondering why it took them so long (a) to pick Vernon Philander, (b) to fulfil their potential after years of underachievement, and (c) to realise that (a) and (b) might be linked.Sri Lanka have been largely unimpressive with the now-35-year-olds Rangana Herath and Kumar Sangakkara in the team. Without them, they would have been sub-dismal.Since Tino Best produced the most unexpected innings of 95 in the history of cricket – possibly the most unexpected innings of over 70 in the history of cricket – West Indies have won six out of six (for the first time since 1988). That is as many Tests as they had won in their previous 73 matches over eight years. New dawn, or inevitable result of playing the three teams ranked below them? Or a bit of both?New Zealand, amidst concern for the hospitalised Jesse Ryder, are assessing the fall-out from a turbulent season on and off the field, in which creditable drawn series bookended an absolute and merciless cauterisation in South Africa.Pakistan are contemplating how difficult it is to win Test matches without (a) playing regular Test matches, (b) a batting line-up, and (c) England in the opposition dressing room.Bangladesh have made distinct progress in batting, but have, at best, stagnated with the ball. Zimbabwe are playing again.And England? A curious melange of excellence, adequacy and ineptitude, a curious cocktail of rugged determination and inexplicable fragility. They have been brilliant and decisive at times, shoddy and hesitant at others.The batsmen, having enjoyed an extraordinary collective purple patch, then endured an equally extraordinary collective funk in the UAE at the start of last year. Since when, through last summer and this winter, they have been, with the exception of Matt Prior throughout and Alastair Cook in India, mostly inconsistent.The bowling unit on which their previous successes were built had shuddered to a halt at The Oval against South Africa. It has since spluttered inconsistently. From the start of the Pakistan series of 2010, when the bowling unit clicked into a higher gear, until the end of the West Indies series last summer, England picked eight different frontline bowlers. All of them, from Graham Onions in his solitary Test in that time, to Graeme Swann, who played all 24, averaged under 30. Collectively, with the ball, England averaged 26 runs per wicket, and took a wicket every 55 balls.

Pakistan are contemplating how difficult it is to win Test matches without (a) playing regular Test matches, (b) a batting line-up, and (c) England in the opposition dressing room

Since then, the six bowlers England have used in their last three series have all individually averaged over 33, and collectively, they have averaged 40, with a strike rate of 80. Tino Best seems to have transformed more than one team’s fortunes. Before his eye-popping, precedent-obliterating innings, England as a team had taken their opponents’ wickets for less than 30 runs apiece in 19 of their previous 23 Tests. In ten Tests since then, they have done so only in their two wins in India.England should still win one, and probably both, of their impending Ashes contests. Australia’s weaknesses look more pronounced. However, after only two series wins in six, and with no opportunity to avenge their conclusive defeats by Pakistan and South Africa until the 2015-16 season, England’s opportunity to establish themselves as a great Test side has probably passed them by.● Cook’s decision to put New Zealand in to bat certifiably, incontrovertibly and almost disastrously, did not work. This does not mean it was the wrong decision. Even with hindsight, I think it may, in fact, have been the right decision. But it was followed by a rubbishly executed team performance for four days. So it looked wrong. Very, very wrong.There must, similarly, be times when the captain makes the wrong decision at the toss, but his team plays well and wins, so everyone agrees that he made the right decision.Cook’s captaincy is prone to extreme, almost unfathomable, caution in the field. It was visible at times in India, even when England were completely dominant. It was painfully obvious on the fourth morning of the Auckland Test match, when England ran up the tactical white flag and waited for the merciful release of declaration.But Cook’s insertion of New Zealand on day one was a bold move, aimed at maximising England’s chances of winning. It backfired – if this had been a children’s cartoon rather than a Test match, Cook would have been left with gunpowder all over his face, hair on fire, and teeth falling out of his head with a comic twang – but it was strategically sound and statistically sensible.On a pitch that looked likely to remain batsman-friendly for five days, as indeed it did, Cook gave his team the earliest possible opportunity to start the difficult process of taking 20 wickets, with the subsequent options of either trying to force the game forward, or shutting up shop and seeing out a comfortable draw. The fact that they then took only one of those 20 wickets in the first day of the match, and became only the 13th Test side ever to put their opponents in to bat and then see their first two wickets rack up more than 250, does not invalidate the decision. Necessarily.Perhaps England were thinking back to Andy Flower’s first series in charge, when they failed to take the initiative at 1-0 down in the West Indies and needing to force a win on a similarly dull and featureless pitch. Then, England won the toss and, in accordance with convention, chose to bat, thus constricting the time available for taking the 20 wickets they required. They scored 546.West Indies were quite happy to let them score 546. Five of the 15 sessions they would have to survive to secure the series had already gone by the time they went in to bat. One solid team innings on a moribund pitch and they would be almost safe. They replied with 544, and six more sessions had scuttled down England’s drain. England thrashed a quick 237, set West Indies a notional 240 to win in 66 overs, a target that was never going to tempt them, given that they had the lead in the series, and the game ended with West Indies’ ninth-wicket pair clinging on, and England thinking “Oooops.” Cook wanted to avoid a similar scenario, in which his team could be denied a series victory by a lack of time to take the crucial final wickets on a non-deteriorating 21st-century fifth-day pitch. And he did avoid that scenario. By a massive margin. Albeit not quite in the way he was intending to.● Some stats on winning the toss and electing to bowl:Since 1 January 2000, toss-winning Test captains have elected to bat 396 times. Their results: won 142, drawn 96, lost 158. They have chosen to bowl 209 times – won 86, drawn 55, lost 66. In terms of their win-to-loss ratio, captains choosing to bowl first have been 45% more successful than captains choosing to bat (1.30 wins per defeat, to 0.89 wins per defeat).This was the 23rd time England had chosen to bowl first since 2000. They have won 12 and lost only two of those matches. In the 53 Tests in which England have won the toss and batted in that time, they have won 19, drawn 16, and lost 18.

Stats highlights from Zimbabwe’s 335-run win against Bangladesh in Harare

S Rajesh20-Apr-2013Brendan Taylor scored two centuries in the Harare Test; none of Bangladesh’s batsmen managed even a half-century•Associated Press The 335-run margin is Zimbabwe’s biggest Test win in terms of runs. They’ve won ten Tests so far, of which six have been against Bangladesh, and two each against India and Pakistan. Against Bangladesh they have a dominant 6-1 record, and have won five of six Tests at home, including all four in Harare. Given that Harare is also the venue for the second Test, this doesn’t bode well for the visitors. Bangladesh’s margin of defeat is their second-largest, in terms of runs, in Tests – against Sri Lanka in Chittagong, they’d lost by 465. This is their third defeat by 300-plus runs: they’d also lost to England by 329 runs at the same venue in 2003. Bangladesh’s performance was particularly disappointing because they didn’t even put up a semblance of fight, against an opposition they were fancied to beat. None of their batsmen managed even a half-century – the highest was Jahurul Islam’s 43 in the first innings, followed by Mohammad Ashraful’s 40 and 38. The last time they didn’t notch up a single 50-plus score in a Test was in Bloemfontein in 2008, when they were bundled out for 153 and 159 by South Africa, and lost by an innings and 129 runs. In 21 Tests since that game and before this one in Harare, they had at least one score of more than 50. In the first innings, Bangladesh’s last eight batsmen, from No. 4 to No. 11, totalled 18 runs among them, the lowest in Bangladesh’s Test history. In the two Tests in Sri Lanka before this tour, Bangladesh’s batsmen had played more than 180 overs in each match. This time, they lost 20 wickets in 103.3 overs, which works out to an average of a wicket every 31 deliveries. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, lost 17 wickets in 216.3 overs, an average of a wicket every 76 balls. In their first innings, Bangladesh lasted 325 balls, only one more than the number of balls Brendan Taylor played for his 171, while in the second innings Bangladesh didn’t even last that long, getting bundled out in 49.2 overs. In the entire match Bangladesh scored 281 runs, Taylor alone had a match aggregate of 273. The only player who emerged from the thrashing with his reputation enhanced was Robiul Islam, the right-arm seamer. Robiul took six wickets in Zimbabwe’s second innings and finished with a match haul of nine, becoming only the second seamer from Bangladesh, after Shahadat Hossain, to take nine in a match. While Bangladesh had little to cheer, apart from Robiul’s lion-hearted display, Zimbabwe had many heroes. Their bowlers were all among wickets, but the batting star was their captain, Brendan Taylor, with innings of 171 and 102 not out. It was only the 14th instance of a captain scoring hundreds in each innings of a Test, while Taylor became the 12th captain to achieve this feat. (Ricky Ponting did it three times.) Taylor’s match aggregate of 273 is the third-best by a Zimbabwean – only Andy Flower has scored more runs for them in a Test. In his last seven Tests, since 2011, Taylor has averaged 59.50, with four hundreds in 14 innings. In ten Tests before that, he had averaged 21.10, with a highest of 78 in 20 innings.

On the first day of his first appearance at Lord’s, Bruce Martin span a web that helped give New Zealand control

Nagraj Gollapudi at Lord's16-May-2013On Monday, sitting below the visitors’ dressing room at the Pavilion End, Bruce Martin, the New Zealand left-arm spinner, crossed his fingers on both hands, wishing he could play at one of the most famous grounds in cricket. As he lived his dream on Thursday, Martin managed to remained focused and grounded while relentless with his line and length.This would probably have been the most difficult day for Martin. Until Wednesday evening, with the weather forecasts indicating overcast conditions, Martin might have had a good night sleep, only to wake up to a dry and sunny morning and the knowledge that his captain might turn to him. As Lord’s opened its gates to welcome a full-house crowd on a morning on golden sunshine, Martin would have been nervous.England in May is one of the most hostile months for a spinner to operate, what with the wet conditions and a stiff, cold breeze making it difficult to even grip the ball properly. Although he took nine wickets in his first series, at home against England, he could not bowl New Zealand to victory in Auckland. Now, having been used only to the Kookaburra, Martin’s challenge was to make the Dukes ball turn. In the warm-up match last week against the England Lions, he could manage just one wicket in damp conditions in Leicester.But Martin, who made his Test debut at the age of 32, has endured plenty of doubts in his career and remained undaunted for most of the day. Brought on from the Nursery End half an hour before lunch, he was bowling down the slope, which helped him take the ball away from the right-handers. He was perhaps fortunate to get Nick Compton, caught trying to hit over the top in his second over, and then nearly had Jonathan Trott in his next but fluffed a return catch in his follow-through, as the ball swerved on him. But the nerves were replaced by the steadily swelling of confidence. His spell so far is the second-most economical against England at Lord’s in the first innings.As England retreated further and further into a shell, Martin continued to probe with a persistent off-stump line. Martin understood quickly that it would be foolish to try too many variations. Bowling from wide off the crease, he pitched on a fuller length, without offering the space for the batsmen to cut or charge him.Due to the soggy conditions over the last two days the outfield was wet and Martin used it to his advantage. By bowling slowly, the onus was on the batsman to take him on. If England were waiting for the conditions to get better, Martin wanted to make their wait more frustrating. Such was his control that Ian Bell, one of England’s best players of spin, remained muted throughout. Off the 50 deliveries he faced from Martin, Bell could only take five runs as he remained rooted to the crease.In the final session Martin took advantage of the the footmarks to spin the ball further away from the bat and compound the batsmen’s uncertainties. By keeping it tight at one end, Martin allowed the seamers to attack from the opposite side.”He bowled pretty well,” Jonathan Trott, the England batsman, said. “He used the slope and sometimes spun the ball down the hill. But whenever there was a loose ball it stopped on the wicket and there was no real pace on the ball to get punished. I felt it was holding up a bit. Generally balls that run away for two or three were only going for one. I certainly missed out on a few cut shots and that is something we might have to work on.”As the Test grows old the pitch is likely to get softer and Martin’s influence on the match is bound to be crucial. He would also be aware of the fact that quality batsmen will wear on his patience. In last over, Martin was bowling at a much faster pace and dropping short, which Joe Root duly took advantage of. Perhaps it was exhaustion but the key to succeeding in Test cricket is to hang in there.

The nucleus of this England side is not going to change overnight, but some key players are now the wrong side of 30 and will leave tough holes to fill when the time comes

George Dobell22-Aug-2013Whatever else happens over the last three days of this match, England may reflect on the Oval Test of 2013 as having provided a disconcerting peek into their future.It is not just that their two debutants in this match – Chris Woakes and Simon Kerrigan – have endured tough baptisms into Test cricket. It is that, over the last four years, England have now brought 12 new players into their Test side without any of them making an incontrovertible case for long-term inclusion.You have to go back to 2009, when Jonathan Trott won his first Test cap, to find an England player who can be said to a have made an uncompromised success of his elevation.Since then a dozen men have been tried – Michael Carberry, Steven Finn, James Tredwell, Eoin Morgan, Ajmal Shahzad, Samit Patel, Jonny Bairstow, James Taylor, Nick Compton, Joe Root, Kerrigan and Woakes – and, while four or five (Taylor, Finn, Bairstow and Root in particular) may yet prove themselves worthy Test players, none have yet progressed to become long-term, automatic selections.As a result, England continue to rely on the same trusted characters. But the unsettling suspicion is that, scratch beneath the surface of this strong England side, and there are doubts about their bench strength.While England look relatively well stocked with top-order batsmen – the likes of Varun Chopra, Luke Wells and Sam Robson – and tall, fast bowlers – the likes of Jamie Overton, Boyd Rankin, Finn and Tremlett, who responded to be overlooked for this match by claiming five wickets for Surrey on Thursday – they are no closer to finding a replacement for the swing of James Anderson or the spin of Graeme Swann.Maybe that is not surprising. Anderson and Swann are two of the best bowlers England have possessed in decades. But they are both over 30, they are both required to shoulder heavy workloads and neither can be expected to do so indefinitely.While it had been presumed that Monty Panesar would inherit Swann’s role in this side – and there are whispers that this could, just could, be Swann’s final Test in England – recent revelations about Panesar have thrown some doubt over his long-term involvement. Suffice it to say, it would be naive to conclude that his bizarre behaviour in Brighton recently was simply an aberration.That would mean that Kerrigan could be England’s first choice spinner much earlier than had been anticipated. Aged only 24 and with an impressive first-class record, Kerrigan no doubt has a bright future. But on the evidence of this game, he is some way from being a Test cricketer.In some ways, the second day of this Test was even more depressing than the first for Kerrigan. There are caveats to the decision not to bowl him – it was a day truncated by poor weather and conditions favoured the seamers – but to see Trott called into the attack ahead of him hardly provided a ringing endorsement of his captain’s faith in his abilities. Perhaps a more sympathetic captain might have found a way to involve Kerrigan a little more.Any judgement on Woakes’ debut depends on how you perceive his role. He bowled tidily enough on a flat wicket and will surely never let England down. Whether that is enough to justify a Test career as a third seamer is highly debatable, though. And, while he may yet score match-defining runs from No. 6, what has become clear is that he cannot be viewed as a viable alternative as the incisive swing bowling replacement of Anderson. England don’t have one.

In some ways, the second day of this Test was even more depressing than the first for Kerrigan. There are caveats to the decision not to bowl him – it was a day truncated by poor weather and conditions favoured the seamers – but to see Trott called into the attack ahead of him hardly provided a ringing endorsement of his captain’s faith in his abilities

It may be too early to draw conclusions as to the reasons for the struggles of recent England debutants, but part of the problem may lie in the county game. Over the past few years, English county cricket has witnessed the removal of Kolpak registrations – a well-intentioned but not entirely positive move – an increasing difficulty in securing top-quality overseas players, an absence of the top England players on international or even Lions duty and the premature elevation of inexperienced cricketers due to young player incentives.Every change was well intentioned, but the combination has weakened the breeding ground of England’s Test team. There are too many weak young players who might never have made it into professional sport a decade ago competing against one another.Compare it to the side that took England to No. 1 in the Test rankings. It contained four men in the top seven (Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Trott and Matt Prior) who had scored centuries on Test debut, two more (Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen) who had scored half-centuries and a bowler (Anderson) who claimed a five-wicket haul.Every one of them had been developed in county cricket at a time when young players had to fight for inclusion among Kolpak registrations, experienced England players and some excellent overseas cricketers. County cricket prepared them much more thoroughly.There is a strong suspicion that the next few months will witness a changing of the guard in the management of this England side, too. Andy Flower, arguably the most positive influence on England cricket in a generation, may well step down from his day-to-day coaching role with the side after the tour of Australia this winter.While he is highly likely to remain involved in a role overseeing the England teams – a position similar to that undertaken by Hugh Morris at present – it is anticipated that Ashley Giles will assume day-to-day coaching responsibilities.Sooner or later England must embrace change. The next test for them will be to see whether the improvements of recent years are the result of a once in a lifetime collection of players – the likes of Pietersen and Cook and Anderson and Swann – or whether, with all the money invested in age-group teams, talent identification and coaching, the national centre of excellence and a dozen other schemes, the entire system has been transformed to ensure continuity of excellence and a constant conveyor belt of quality players.The evidence of this Test has not been especially encouraging.

Johnson has picked up his pace, and his bounce and late movement have got batsmen wary too

Aakash Chopra28-Oct-2013The bowler runs in hard, sends down a bouncer and makes the batsman hop and duck. With his feet in the air from the hop, and his head tucked into his chest from the attempt at ducking, he manages to stay away from the line of the ball. The wicketkeeper, standing close to the 30-yard circle, makes a futile attempt to get an outstretched hand to the ball, which thuds into the sightscreen after bouncing once inside the rope.The bowler is Mitchell Johnson and the batsman Sanju Samson during a Champions League match in Jaipur.The sight of a fast bowler making a batsman hop gets you to sit up and watch intently. And if the bowler makes some of the best batsmen in the world duck and sway on docile Indian pitches, you hold your breath in anticipation whenever that bowler runs in to bowl.It’s evident that Johnson has picked up his pace over the last year. And while the pace is visibly upsetting batsmen, the late inward movement into right-handers, and the bounce, are also playing havoc.In the ODI series against India, Johnson has troubled the Indian batsmen with that extra bounce and pace, on pitches where totals of 300-plus have been par for the course. It’s not that the Indians haven’t faced this kind of pace or bounce; on the contrary, they have played it with authority and even dominated it in the past. But Johnson is a slightly different proposition.He isn’t the typical left-arm fast bowler who bowls with a high-arm action and relies mostly on exploiting the natural angle lefties create while bowling to right-handers. His bowling arm is some distance away from his left ear, and that makes it difficult for batsmen to gauge the bounce he will generate after pitching.For bowlers with high-arm actions, the bounce off the surface is directly related to their point of release, which makes for a certain predictability. But with bowlers who have a slinging action, it’s relatively difficult to assess how much bounce they’ll get after pitching. Such bowlers skid the ball off the surface, unlike the ones with high-arm actions. When you bowl with a high-arm action the bounce you get is like that you get when a tennis ball bounces on a dry surface, and with a slingy action it’s a bit like the bounce of a plastic ball on a wet surface.Have you ever tried making a stone skip on water? The lower the arm while throwing, the more times the stone bounces off the surface of the water. Another key difference with regard to bounce is the trajectory of the ball after pitching – for bowlers with a high-arm action, the ball gains considerable height right after pitching, but for someone with a round-arm action, the path is more gradual, similar to an airplane taking off: it’s not easy to gauge when the ball has reached the peak of its bounce. (This is why even wicketkeepers don’t know how far back they should stand.)

A round-arm action puts severe pressure on the lower back and hips, which could lead to serious injuries. Mitchell Johnson’s impact comes with a disclaimer: try to imitate it at your own peril

Then there’s the small matter of whether the ball lands on the seam or on the shine. If it lands on the seam, it bounces considerably more than it would if it lands on the leather. When a bowler delivers with a round-arm action, even he can’t be 100% sure of making the ball land on the seam, so what chance does the poor batsman have?Johnson’s natural bowling action is designed to make the ball curve in to the right-hand batsman, and when he’s on top of his game (he has been there and thereabouts in this series), the ball comes in sharply. While the ball that moves laterally creates its own challenges – the batsman must not commit, must play close to the body and in the second line – in Johnson’s case the ones that don’t move create similar problems as well.Given his round-arm action, which makes the ball curve in mostly, batsmen tend to play inside the line most times, so the ones that hold their line and go across cause trouble. When the ball doesn’t come out right from Johnson’s hand, it doesn’t swing, and carries on across and away from the right-hander. Also, even when it comes out right, if Johnson has started a little too far outside off, the ball doesn’t swing, and carries on across the right-hander. There’s a thin line outside the right-hander’s off stump that the bowler must stay within to make the ball curve in effectively. Johnson inadvertently crosses that line from time to time, keeping the batsman guessing.Won’t rookies be tempted to start out bowling with a round-arm, slingy action, given the obvious benefits of doing so? My advice in this regard is that it’s important to know the flip side of such an action before taking the plunge. We only hear about the ones who have fought the odds and reached the top. It’s important to know the rules to break them. Many bowlers with similar actions have ended up with severe back problems. A round-arm action puts severe pressure on the lower back and hips, which could lead to serious injuries. Also, it’s not easy to be accurate regularly with such an action. Mitchell Johnson’s impact comes with a disclaimer: try to imitate it at your own peril.

Daniel Brettig12-Oct-2013Australia’s solitary Test series victory in India since 1969-70 is one of the more humbling statistics in the record of the world’s ‘winningest’ cricket country. The series ledgers alone – 2-0, 0-0, 1-0, 2-1, 2-1, 1-2, 2-0, 4-0 – tell a tale of ignorance, difficulty in adjusting, and lessons often learned too late in a tour, then invariably forgotten in time for the start of the next one. Those results would suggest that there is no more difficult place on earth for an Australian cricket team to prosper, not least in the years after the greats began to retire in 2007.Yet the Antipodean ODI tale on the subcontinent is more about triumph than humiliation. Starting with a 1987 World Cup victory that marked the official start of Australian cricket’s regeneration under Allan Border and Bob Simpson, the 50-over format has brought something near to consistently strong results in India. Since 1998, when regular international series contact between the two countries was resumed after a mid-1990s freeze-out phase, Australian teams have emerged triumphant in five out of the six limited-overs series contested there, whether they be triangular tournaments as in 1998 and 2003, or bilateral visits on other occasions.They also won the 2006 Champions Trophy and reached the quarter-finals of the 2011 World Cup. In 2009, Ricky Ponting’s team managed to claw to a 4-2 victory despite having a full XI first-choice players absent injured.These series victories have come in a range of circumstances, whether after a Test series or standing alone. The only time Australia have not won a limited-overs contest against India in recent times is 2010, when the one match of three not to be washed out resulted in a home victory at Vizag after a high-scoring chase. But otherwise, the tourists have found themselves excelling away from home at a vast assortment of venues, from Bangalore in the south and Mumbai on the west coast, to Mohali in the north and even Guwahati on the distant eastern fringes. A multitude of factors can be pointed to by way of explanation, but here are a few of the most salient.A history of successConfidence in the knowledge that those before you have achieved great things in India has helped Australia’s ODI teams ever since Border lifted the Reliance Cup aloft at Eden Gardens 26 years ago. The doubts, phobias and conspiracy theories that cloud the mind of an Australian Test cricketer on the subcontinent tend to fall away for one-day matches, while the roars of Indian crowds feel less claustrophobic and distracting for the knowledge that they have not stopped the visitors before. Individuals, too, have benefited from strong records there. Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting have all fared better in ODIs than Tests, while the likes of the tweakers Nathan Hauritz and Brad Hogg have held their own in coloured clothing despite being swatted away in the five-day game.More familiar pitchesAustralia’s stand-in captain, George Bailey, believed this to be one of the most critical factors in the team’s greater level of comfort relative to Tests. Where five-day wickets are commonly worn, spitting and spinning, Indian groundsmen prepare their most even-tempered surfaces for limited-overs contests, sometimes allowing grass to hold them together and so granting fast bowlers a little more assistance. Add this to the swing that can be occasionally generated in early starts and the picture becomes far more familiar to Australian players. Damien Fleming, Nathan Bracken, Doug Bollinger and Johnson all profited from early morning seam and swing at various times, while Shaun Marsh, Cameron White, Michael Hussey, Ponting and Watson have played freely without worrying too much about the ground beneath their feet.Less reliance on spinAnother notable quality to Indian ODI surfaces is the fact that they seldom require the selection of a team brimful with quality spinners. Australia’s preferred reliance on fast men with the odd slow bowler for variety has worked effectively, with Shane Warne, Hauritz and Hogg playing fair supporting roles. It is arguable the ability of the pacemen to make headway in 50-over matches on the subcontinent has at times lulled the national selectors into thinking that the same might occur in Test matches, but the differences in pitch preparation have generally conspired against the success of such a tactic.A lower keyIt cannot help a team to view anywhere as the final frontier, even if the 2004 tourists managed to accomplish a Test series win while embracing the idea of India as their last mountain. The pressure Australian Test players feel in India, both in the middle of the ground and from the edges, has inhibited their performances at times, timid strokes and indifferent bowling spells reflecting the sense that the world is closing in around them. By contrast, that feeling tends to be on the other side during ODI series. No nation loves the one-day game more than India, and the expectations upon the home team for ODI tournaments that mean little in the wider scheme have allowed an unfancied Australia to sneak up on them more than once. The 2011 World Cup quarter-final in Ahmedabad is a notable exception.Ricky Ponting’s captaincyThree ODI series in India for three victories is one of many garlands Ponting gained over a storied career, though as he has noted it will be one of many obscured by the loss of three Ashes series. Nonetheless, his calm leadership, sparkling but sturdy batting and peerless example in the field contributed greatly to a legacy of limited-overs confidence on Indian shores. In this, Ponting shares something in common with Border. Both men provided a solid core around which transitional teams swirled and bubbled, while they showcased a greater tactical alacrity in 50-over matches that occasionally eluded them in Tests. His binding together of the injury-strewn 2009 tour party was something few on the tour will forget. Before departing, Bailey consulted Ponting about how best to tackle the current series. There was no better man to ask.

Plays of the Day from the 1st Twenty20 between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Chittagong

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong12-Feb-2014The sunglasses
Kumar Sangakkara timed a short Shakib Al Hasan delivery towards midwicket, perhaps hoping to pick up a couple if not a boundary. But as Nasir Hossain hared towards the long-on and midwicket curve, the speed of the pick-up shot was evident. By the time Nasir had taken the catch, the ball was slightly past him. But the most telling piece was when Nasir’s sunglasses first bumped up on his forehead, and then fell right into place on the impact of his fall.The gymnast
Kusal Perara was starting to settle down after crossing fifty, but Anamul Haque’s gymnastic landing brought an end to his innings. He stood at deep midwicket and just as the ball was going to sail over his head, he caught the ball, turned and twisted, and made sure he balanced himself awkwardly at first, and then like a balance beam gymnast, on one leg.The smack
Shamsur Rahman had just smacked Ajantha Mendis to the left of mid-off but the batsman suddenly crumpled to the ground. In his follow through, the bat had swung back and struck him in the back of his head. The physio came out, and there was no joy of playing such a class shot.The sight
Tamim Iqbal was on fire when his innings was cut short by an excellent running catch, perhaps the best technical catch of the day compared to Nasir and Anamul’s pyrotechnics. As Tamim miscued the ball, Angelo Mathews ran back from midwicket, dived full length and completed the catch perfectly. The best part of the catch was his eye level, which never wavered despite the difficulty in turning back and finding the ball in the right trajectory.The full toss
Thisara Perera had almost lost the match for Sri Lanka when Anamul Haque went after him with 11 needed off the last three balls. He bowled a full toss, when Bangladesh needed three off the last ball, which should have been deposited in the stands, but it was top-edged, and went up to be taken easily. Sri Lanka got another scare when the umpires checked for no ball, which it was not going to be since Perera bowled it from inside the crease, and it was not too high either as it was the perfect length to hammer out of the ground.

Jacques Kallis on the health of Test cricket, the allrounder’s art, what South Africa’s Under-19s must do now that they’ve tasted success and how he plans to stay whetted for one-day cricket, in a free-flowing Q&A session at Newlands

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town02-Mar-2014’I want to remembered as someone who enjoyed the game. There are a lot of pressures and sometimes you forget to enjoy the game’•Getty ImagesI grew up not wanting to play for South Africa because we didn’t have international cricket at that stage. I wanted to play provincial cricket and that was what I was working towards. To suddenly be exposed to international sport, your goals change. It was a major changing point in my life. It afforded me the opportunity to see places, meet people, explore other things.Have you ever had a regret about retiring from Test cricket first, and have you missed it?
All good things do come to an end. The moment I had begun to lose a little bit of passion or I got a little bit tired, I’d have called it quits. Ideally, I would have liked to finish it at Newlands but everything happens for a reason. I have not missed it yet. I am still involved in the side quite a lot. I have been involved with the guys. We went on the camp before this series, in the bush. I still feel a part of it. Surprisingly, I have watched a little bit more cricket now than I did in my playing days. Life is a lot easier on the couch.Everyone has a favorite ground, what is it about Newlands that is so special to you?
What better ground is there in the world? You’ve got the mountain, you’ve got beautiful weather, you’ve got great facilities. I grew up wanting to play at Newlands, bunking a few classes to come and watch matches. It’s a magnificent place to play cricket. The crowds are always fantastic. They are always behind the guys. The memories play such a big role here.Favourite Newlands memory – double-hundreds or twin hundreds v India?
The [twins] were special to me, even though I had done it before. The way the game was positioned, if we got bowled out then, India could have won the match. To get to that second hundred to set the game up meant a lot. I’ve had plenty of games where I’ve got 30 or 40 and it has meant more to me than a hundred. To get our team to a position from where we couldn’t lose the game was nice.The 200 was also special. There had been a monkey on my shoulder to get one. Fortunately and unfortunately, I got one in Pretoria. [Later] getting it here, it was almost giving something back to Newlands.Pair to double-hundred v Sri Lanka… How did you turn it around?
I focus on my strengths and don’t worry too much about opponents. There are little things you pick up but you want to exert your game plan onto them and not step back and let them make the play. It was a little thing where my movement was a little late and I picked it up straight away [on the video footage]. That was all I needed to see. For the next week, I worked on being a little earlier. It’s little things at this level.How do you feel about comparisons?
I didn’t play the game for statistics. When you play this game you want to be as good a player as you can be and make decision that will benefit the team. I like to believe I got more right than I got wrong. There have been some magnificent players in yesteryear who didn’t play as much cricket as we did and some who didn’t get the opportunity to play at all. If they did and they had the opportunity and facilities that we have today, they probably would have achieved what I achieved and more.How do you intend to stay in good touch [having retired from one format]?
When I want to achieve something and put my mind to it, I want to give it everything I’ve got. I want to be part of a team that wins the World Cup. That’s something that’s missing on my CV. If I didn’t believe we could do it, I would not stick around for it. If I didn’t believe I could make a difference, I wouldn’t do it. We’ve still got 20-odd ODIs before the World Cup and if I am not scoring the runs, I have no right to be in that team. I’ve just sat down with Gary Kirsten and worked out a programme. Not playing Test cricket will give me time to work on one-day skills.Would you consider domestic cricket or a contract in the UK?

I would like to play as much as of the one-day cricket as I can going forward. It’s about getting the balance right.How do you get into your bubble?
I have the ability to go in and out of concentration and it applies to a lot of things in life. We spend six and half hours in the cricket field and you can’t concentrate for that long. I managed to find a way to concentrate for the five or six seconds when a bowler is at the top of his mark or when I am at the top of my mark. That’s the difference between the experienced guys and the younger guys. The younger guys sometimes make mistakes because they think they can concentrate the whole day. You have to learn to switch on and off.Administrative issues in the background of your career, how did you stop that from interfering with your game?
There were some tough times but we are also not silly as players that think it only happens to South Africa. There are issues all around the world. We don’t have a lot to do with what the board has to say and what they do and it doesn’t really directly affect the players. We had faith in the guys that were handling that sort of stuff, to handle it. We were there to play the game. Eventually it gets sorted out, sometimes not as quickly as players would have liked, but we also didn’t get the results the players would have liked. It works both ways.Your opinion on the BCCI’s growing power?

I don’t think anyone really knows if it’s a good or a bad thing. We are going to have to wait and see. If we are brutally honest, the BCCI has had a lot of power over the game for some time, so I don’t think it is really going to change much. My only concern is that they make decision in the best interests of cricket and not only in the best interests of the own cricket, and I think they will do that.

“I know I would not have achieved what I did if I couldn’t bat and bowl. I would get bored fielding in the slips all day.”Jacques Kallis on being an allrounder

T20 cricket v Tests?

Look at the turnout here. Test cricket is healthy. Test cricket is the ultimate. That’s what cricketers want to play. I don’t think there needs to be too many changes. There is some talk about night cricket but I am not a big fan of that, because I think conditions will change. We need to look after Test cricket.Having said that, there is so much money in T20 cricket, we can’t turn our back on it. The pace Test cricket is played at these days is probably twice the pace it was before T20 cricket. It’s opened up a new audience. But we mustn’t overkill it.Ideas to grow Test cricket?
The World Test Championship is a great idea for Test cricket. We need to focus as much attention and cash as we can [on Tests]. We need to make sure the culture of Test cricket stays. When I was growing up, we’d play the odd two-day game. I think it’s vital that we still have that and guys are exposed to a longer form of the game.Allrounders – is it a dying art?
My reasoning is [that is down to] the amount of cricket that is being played. There’s too much to bat and bowl. In South Africa, we produce allrounders because of the conditions. There’s always something in it for the batsmen and something in it for the bowlers. There are some great allrounders coming through. If you look at the history of the game, though, there hasn’t been that many that have really come through.I know I would not have achieved what I did if I couldn’t bat and bowl. I would get bored fielding in the slips all day.What is your legacy?

It’s about giving something back to the game. I don’t want to be seen as someone who just took from the game.I also want to be seen as someone who never gave up, no matter what the situation. It’s something we do as a South African team and we’ve done it a few times recently. There have been so many times when people have written us off and we came back.And I also want to remembered as someone who enjoyed the game. There are a lot of pressures and sometimes you forget to enjoy the game.Your opinion on this game [against Australia]?
Sometimes we give up home advantage. We maybe could have got a wicket that gave a little more. The Australians, when there is some sideways movement, they are not always comfortable. They are very good on a wicket like this. Sometimes we have to be clever with our home conditions.We are under pressure here, but this game is far from over. We are going to have to bat well. I have no doubt we can. A couple of years ago, we were in a similar situation and we bowled them out for 47. Stranger things have happened in this game and all three results are still possible.What is your advice to the Under-19s?
It’s a fantastic achievement [winning the World Cup]. Going into the final, they probably had that chokers tag on them. It just shows South Africans can win tournaments. It will give the national side a lot of pleasure.I learnt a great lesson when I started my career. My first six or seven Tests I scored virtually no runs and I doubted myself. Then I scored some runs and it taught me many lessons. I hope this success doesn’t make them think they’ve made it. Now the hard work starts. Don’t sit back and take it for granted.Your toughest opponent?
Seamer: Wasim Akram. He had the ability to swing the ball both ways. Spinner: Shane Warne. He controlled the game, he attacked, defended. Batsman: Brian Lara.Sachin Tendulkar?
He has done a tremendous amount for world cricket and for taking it forward. He played the game hard but always in the right spirit. To achieve what he achieved is incredible. I enjoyed my battles against him. I always said I will play this game hard but in the right spirit, that I can [leave aside] the game when I am in a country and have a beer with them. That’s the way he played it [too].Hashim Amla?
What a revelation he has been. I remember when he started people said he will never make it with that technique. It shows you what hard work can do. You take the hardworking guy over the talented guy. I’m not saying he is not talented but he also works as hard as everyone. When he gets out, you feel a shiver go down people’s spines. He is a complete player, he is difficult to bowl to, he’s got the guts and the determination.What are you going to do after cricket?
It has been nice to catch up with friends and family. That was the first thing I really wanted to do. My sister has recently got married and she is pregnant now, so its nice to spend time with her.My foundation will take up some of my time. I wont be involved too much in the game at the moment. Perhaps the odd commentary stint… Though, from a coaching and batting point of view, I would like to give back. I would always want to share the knowledge I have been given and learnt.

The heat, the frenzy, and the broken chairs – all made you feel like you had gone back in time

Nandakumar Ganesh28-Apr-2014Choice of game
The temperature was rising towards 40 degrees, the humidity was 78%, and the traffic was literally stop-and-go. The parking area was strewn with dirt and throngs of people were huddled outside the rusty iron gate. But when I entered the ground, a whiff of nostalgia hit me as I remembered some of the greatest matches played here in this veteran host of ODIs. Welcome to the Sharjah Cricket Stadium for the battle between the Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad.Team supported
Chennai have hit a purple patch and there is no stopping them. The opening stand between Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith had already devastated three very renowned bowling attacks of Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals, so Chennai entered the game as clear favourites.Key performer
A much-improved cricketer now, Smith played with gusto and common sense, giving the utmost respect to Dale Steyn’s bullets and whacking Amit Mishra’s over-pitched deliveries. He made never looked troubled for runs. The ferocity with which he hit the straight fours showed how he had picked up some of McCullum’s batting traits.Shots of the day
Hyderabad’s run-scoring was flagging after Aaron Finch was dismissed. Karn Sharma, an underrated batsman, rose to the occasion and dispatched a Ben Hilfenhaus short ball into orbit. The ball disappeared behind the canopy-shaped tents of the west stand, possibly landing in the traffic outside. The next delivery was pitched on outside off: Sharma used a high back-lift and shaped a wonderful six over deep extra cover.In Chennai’s innings, Smith straight-batted a six over Ishant Sharma’s head and followed through the picturesque shot with a stylish pose, something for the photographers.Crowd meter
Despite Sunday being a working day here in the UAE, spectators flocked in thousands; some even grouping up outside the stadium to watch from the big screens. In contrast to the one-odd Australian, South African or a West Indian in the Dubai Cricket Stadium, Sharjah was inundated with Indians. The seating also had ’90s feel to it – some of the chairs coming off their hinges, the north stand seats sporting no backrests, and the stairs being used as seats in some areas. But the fans were undeterred by all these inconveniences. They had come to get their fill of high-octane T20 action. And they did.Entertainment
The localisation of sound was not all that impressive in Sharjah, as it was in Dubai. The light show made up for this deficit though. Lasers from the east stand reached every nook and corner of the stadium and spot-lit the cheerleaders sporadically, when the chance came.Darren Sammy provided comic relief when he copied a couple of jigs from the cheerleaders while manning the boundary, sending the nearby spectators roaring with laughter.Marks out of ten
6.

Flying halfway across the world to watch Bangladesh play? It can be painful

Sheikh Minhaj Hossain31-Mar-2014Choice of game
I came all the way from New York to watch the World T20 from the stadium in Dhaka, because I felt I should cheer for Bangladesh from the stands. I could only manage one week off from work and classes. The Bangladesh v Pakistan match was the third match for the teams in first round and the last one for me in the stadium for this World T20. If Bangladesh had won this match, there may have been slight hope for them. But it was an important game for Pakistan to win because then their match against West Indies would a knock-out for the semis. I really hoped Bangladesh would win, because I wanted to watch a victorious performance from the ground. But considering their recent performances, I would have been happy with a closely fought match too. However, Bangladesh’s miserable performance was not unexpected at all.Team supported
I would like to see Sri Lanka win the trophy because of the number of times they have choked in finals. After the consecutive losses in 2007, 2009, 2012 finals, Sri Lanka deserve to win an ICC trophy, at least for players like Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, since this is their last T20 appearance.Key performer
This one is obviously Ahmed Shehzad for his blistering knock. His batting was a treat to watch. If I had been a neutral fan, I would love to watch this type of pure footwork and timing. Pakistani fans often compare Shehzad with Virat Kohli. Their faces resemble and Shehzad is a class player like Kohli. All he needs is to be as consistent as the Indian batsman. He scored his century off 58 balls but there was no power-hitting or T20 hitting at all. It was all technique and perfect timing with sheer elegance. His innings reminded me the Asia Cup match that Bangladesh lost after scoring 326 runs. Remember, Shehzad was the foundation maker of Pakistan’s chase.Abdur Razzak gave Bangladesh fans something to cheer about with his two early wickets.Things I’d have changed about the match
I would have liked to do something about Mushfiqur Rahim’s negative captaincy and wicketkeeping. When Bangladesh had Pakistan at 71 for 3, with an out-of-form Shoaib Malik walking into bat, Mushfiqur should have attacked him by bringing one or two close-in fielders. Instead, he stuck to his pre-planned defensive fielding set-up and gave the Pakistan batsmen chances to score singles easily and get set. His glovework is also not up to the mark nowadays. He gave two consecutive byes for four against India off Shakib Al Hasan’s bowling and some free byes yesterday as well. The crowd around me was also furious with him when he conceded a bye. People were roaring, “Give the gloves to Anamul”. Also, Mashrafe Mortaza has never been a good death-overs bowler. I would have given the 19th over to Mahmudullah instead of Mortaza.Wow moment
Ziaur Rahman was fielding at fine leg when Kamran Akmal swept Razzak in his first over. When the ball was in the air, a neighbouring spectator predicted the catch would be dropped. But Rahman dived and pulled off a stunner.Close encounter
I was in the Shaheed Mushtaq stand and Nasir Hossain was fielding in front of me at long-off. He dropped a sitter from Shoaib Maqsood and crowd was absolutely furious at him. One of the spectators took off his sandals and showed them threateningly to Nasir. Luckily, since it was the penultimate ball of the innings it did not cost that much. It was the over after Mortaza had conceded 24 runs, with a catch taken off a no-ball. The crowd was obviously disappointed. The same thing happened when Shoaib Malik dropped a sitter off Shakib at the same position. This time the crowd erupted and cheered for Shakib. But Shakib couldn’t cash in, surviving only two more balls after that.Crowd meter
In our stands, there were some Pakistani fans. When the Pakistani fans started shouting, “Pakistan Pakistan”, the rest of the crowd started chanting, “Bhua, bhua” meaning “not good”. Sunday is a working day in Bangladesh. The match started at 3.30pm, so the gallery only filled up after the first ten overs. Shakib got the biggest cheers, but so did Shahid Afridi, when he came to bat. However, the roar was bigger when he was dismissed.ODI v Twenty20
In terms of quality cricket, ODI is better than T20, but for the globalisation of cricket, T20 is the most effective one. Although, I am doubtful whether the “big three” want cricket to be globalised.Overall
It was a pretty disappointing match for me. Shehzad’s classy batting was a treat, but I couldn’t enjoy it since it was against Bangladesh. Their fielding was poor, and there were no spirit and intention to win the game. Pakistan were clinical.
I enjoyed the atmosphere around the field. People had mixed emotions. They were disappointed because of Bangladesh’s performance, but they cheered whenever they got a chance. They made fun of the players, and were entertained by them. It was a great experience to watch the diverse emotion of the fans.Marks out of 10
6