All posts by h716a5.icu

Was it visual? A shotmaking feast of such delicious complexity, that one could often taste it in layers? Was it vicarious? The lower middle-class, living its most vivid world-beating fantasies through an aberration within their ilk

Kali Kishore25-Feb-2013I’ve often wondered what the Sachin Tendulkar experience was? Was it visual? A shotmaking feast of such delicious complexity, that one could often taste it in layers? Was it vicarious? The lower middle-class, living its most vivid world-beating fantasies through an aberration within their ilk. Was it a lesson in values and a personal work-ethic? The need to remain rooted to your nature, and never allowing your desire and focus to dip. Was it, dare I say, an advertisement for the pedants? Strike-rate falling as the hundred neared, the obsession with the weight of the bat, the irritation with the slightest movement of the sight-screen.The Sachin Tendulkar experience may not be of a singular nature, but it does exist as a collective summation, having a nature completely of its own in the Indian cricket lover’s consciousness. Breathing collectively when he walked out, squealing at the straight drive, laughing at his commercials, using his innings as milestones and checkpoints in life (Where were you when Desert Storm happened?), and clinging on to hope when he was batting.This is, the quintessential, wholesome Tendulkar experience. I wasn’t satisfied with it, however. Call it the unsatisfactory feeling of being part of a crowd, or the refusal to accept that the whole is indeed greater than the sum of the parts.A huge reason as to why I’m demanding a unique Sachin experience for myself, is because I grew up a stone’s throw away from the MIG cricket club and Sahitya Sahawas, the colony in Bandra East that housed among other poets and authors, Ramesh Tendulkar. If I may be permitted to be foolish enough to cite proximity as a valid reason to count my Sachin experience as unique, I shall proceed.As a kid, I used to play cricket at MIG, and in and around Bandra East for almost the whole of the year, except during the monsoons. As a seven-year-old, I once noticed amidst the Chetaks and Vespas that were parked in one of the building compounds, a black BMW. I stupidly asked who it belonged to, and with a thwack on my head, I was told that it was ‘Sachin ka, aur kiska’ (It is Sachin’s, who else?).Trips to that side of MIG colony became more and more fascinating, because we hoped we’d get to see a silhouette in the window, or get an impromptu batting lesson, who knows? Especially when the Opel Astra from Desert Storm showed up, and we tried to observe from a distance all the dents and bumps from the jumping cricketers in Sharjah. Trying our best to figure out who dented what.A while later, it was all over the papers that he had bought a Ferrari, but it wasn’t parked in Sahitya Sahawas. Reet, whose father worked in customs, claimed to know of its whereabouts, and boasted that Sachin had even taken him for a drive. It became sort of an urban legend in Bombay after that, Sachin’s Red Ferrari, and I would pester my father for late-night rides on Marine Drive in the hope of catching a glimpse.It was then that I nurtured my first wish of actually meeting the man in flesh and blood, and not just in a flash of red. It was ironic, therefore, that when my wish was actually granted, he was in red racing overalls, tearing up a go-karting track. It was 2003, and we had moved to Chennai. MRF was hosting a go-karting competition, and had called in Sachin, Steve Waugh and Brian Lara to kick it off.My father was good friends with TA Sekhar, who oversees the MRF Pace Foundation, and got us tickets for the event. At the end of it all, we were taken to the back of the room where the press conference was being held. Steve Waugh came out first, and dismissed us with a “Fast, guys” as the photographer fumbled with the camera. Lara was next. He kept staring at a photograph of Sachin and himself that I had given him to sign. He was taller than I thought he’d be.Then he entered. I noticed the face first. We get so used to seeing the cheery or poker-faced Tendulkar behind shades, that we don’t often factor in the fatigue he experiences. It was written all over his cheekbones. The collective demands of the nation had manifested themselves as mere hollows in his cheeks. That impressed me thoroughly.Later, we moved to Hyderabad. I was in university in America, when Sachin launched into the Australian attack at Uppal, and my brother was triumphantly texting me from the stadium. It was then that I felt the entire weight of the Sachin Tendulkar experience. There was the breathtaking batting, the overdependence on it, and the eventual collapse after his wicket.But above all, there was the jealousy towards the sibling. Jealousy because he was witnessing something that I wasn’t, and something that I would appreciate in far greater measure. The same jealousy that I felt in Chennai, when the sibling’s cheeks were patted and pulled, and mine were ignored, although I had seen the world in Sachin’s cheeks. The same jealousy that I felt when the sibling was bought Castle Grayskull in a jiffy, because he was younger, whereas I had to beg and plead for a single He-Man toy.Then there was the hunting for the fake MRF sticker to stick on the bat, and the reliving of Chennai, Sharjah, Nottingham and Cape Town in the colony parking decks, and then remembering these names for the Geography exam. There were the family ice cream night-outs to Marine Drive, where eager eyes would look out for a red Ferrari, but would wander towards a bus stand with an Aladdin poster that was there for the longest time, replaying the entire movie with all the songs in my head, while the ice-cream melted insignificantly.My Sachin Tendulkar experience, I then realised, was the experience of my childhood. It is therefore, naturally different from the others, immensely special and the parts themselves, forget their sum, are certainly greater than the whole. It’s no fault of mine that I straddle between my life and his career. They are, but contiguous entities.Sachin himself has straddled between the image of the cherubic sixteen-year-old, and that of the elder statesman. It’s no fault of mine that I hold on dearly to my childhood. It was, but the happiest time of my life. It is, perhaps, no fault of mine that I see his retirement, (or at least the partial announcement of it) as the complete emergence of the elder statesman. I could be wrong here, and I hope to God that I am, but I think it’s time to finally grow up.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here

While Ed Cowan has found the answer to what works for him in spinning Indian conditions in this Test series, Phillip Hughes seems to have less and less of an idea of the same with every passing innings

Brydon Coverdale15-Mar-2013The past few weeks in India have been a learning experience for Ed Cowan. For Phillip Hughes they have just been an experience. It is okay for Australian batsmen to struggle on their first tour of India, as long as they show signs of improvement. As long as they prove they are absorbing the lessons as they go. Cowan and Hughes began this tour as novices in India. Cowan has progressed to become Australia’s second-best batsman in the series. Hughes has not only failed to improve, he has gone backwards.It is a startling comparison. Aside from a cheap first-innings lbw to a delivery that pitched outside leg in Hyderabad, Cowan’s scores and balls faced have grown in every innings: 29 off 45, 32 off 97, 44 off 150, 86 off 238. Meanwhile, Hughes has looked worse and worse against spin and his only double-figure score came because fast men were operating. He scored six from 15 balls of spin in his first innings of the series and since then has managed two runs from 67 deliveries of spin. He did his homework during the week but couldn’t put theory into action.Whatever plan Hughes is working to has failed. Perhaps it is a failure of the coaching staff, but then he has looked much better in the nets than in the Tests. After five innings in India he is still as shaky using his feet as a newborn calf. The team’s batting coach Michael di Venuto noted during the week that it’s easier to advance when the ball is spinning in than away as the body can provide a second line of defence. But Hughes remains glued to the crease against left-arm orthodox bowlers. He was also unable to pierce the stacked leg-side field and unwilling to hit against the spin to off, perhaps rightly so.His judgment of length and drift is poor and he struggles to pick the ball out of the hand: he left a carrom ball from R Ashwin on the second day in Mohali that fizzed perilously close to his off stump. Hughes did show patience and eventually nudged a couple of singles but the way he looked, it was only a matter of time until the spinners got him. In the end it was a ball turning down leg that he gloved behind that cost him his wicket, not the most lethal of deliveries but one that, in this form, Hughes was unable to put away.It left Hughes with 27 runs at 5.40 in this series. He would almost certainly have sat out this match but for Shane Watson’s departure and Usman Khawaja’s detention. His lack of improvement makes it impossible to see how he can be picked for the next Test in Delhi, given the likelihood of a raging turner. However, he creates a dilemma for the selectors, because he should be of more use in the Ashes in English conditions. But will he get there or will his replacement thrive – as Steven Smith has done in Mohali – and keep him out?At least the visible improvement from Cowan has relieved the selectors of any doubts about his position, although he is so well-regarded by John Inverarity and Co that they had few anyway. Still, a lean Indian series and an average dipping down into the 20s might have tested their patience.

Phillip Hughes scored six from 15 balls of spin in his first innings of the series and since then has managed two runs from 67 deliveries of spin. He did his homework during the week but couldn’t put theory into action

Cowan has altered his plans since the start of the series, eschewing the aggressive approach that he used in the first innings in Chennai and instead placing a million-dollar price on his wicket. It was a conscious shift. Cowan’s response to the coach Mickey Arthur’s now infamous homework task was to explain that he wanted to be accountable for batting a long period of time. The team has enough stroke-makers. A crease-occupier, which is a role that comes more naturally to Cowan, provides important balance.By surviving for 238 deliveries in the first innings in Mohali, Cowan lived up to his words. He has now faced 543 balls in the series, more than any other batsman from either team, including his captain Michael Clarke, who has faced 515. Some critics will argue that Cowan’s slow tempo did not suit a match Australia must win to keep the series alive. But that ignores the basic tenet of playing your own game. The rest of Australia’s order is filled with faster scorers. Cowan has done his job if he gives them a stable partner.Certainly he had his share of luck in this innings, although he was due it. A couple of edges evaded first slip and Cheteshwar Pujara at silly point couldn’t hang on to another chance. But at least those chances came from Cowan playing his natural style, not trying to be something he is not. That brought him undone in the first innings of the series, when he lofted Harbhajan Singh for six down the ground and then was stumped dancing down the pitch to attempt another.”My plans have almost come full circle,” Cowan said after play. “Coming over here I had it in my mind that I needed to put pressure on the spinners by attacking them … my game plan has changed from putting pressure on them to putting pressure on them by not letting them get me out. I’m not saying that attacking the spinners wouldn’t have worked but I don’t think that’s my job. I’m at peace with the fact that I’ve got to grind them out over here.”Cowan guards his stumps carefully. He doesn’t mind if dots build up, but when loose balls arrive he dispatches them. He contributes to his own luck by challenging India’s fielders to stay alert for long periods. When Hughes is in, they are on guard every delivery, confident that a wicket is imminent. Hughes tries to be patient but cannot get the bad balls away.In other words, Cowan has discovered what works in the challenging Indian conditions, and the answer is his natural game. Hughes appears not to have a natural game against spin. He cannot regress any further. The question is, will he ever learn?

Last year, when England faced South Africa, Graeme Swann was at a campsite having been left out but this time he finally gave himself a performance to remember at Headingley

David Hopps at Headingley26-May-2013Graeme Swann had never previously taken a wicket in a Headingley Test and he had never taken a Test wicket against New Zealand, but he needed only 12 minutes to despatch three New Zealand batsmen, put his elbow operation behind him and tick another box in England’s pre-Ashes preparations.These are the pre-Ashes Test preparations, it should be remarked, that England’s players have been told not to dwell upon, for fear of not living in the here and now, but as well as putting England on the way to winning a Test against New Zealand, Swann was honest enough to know his spell had a deeper significance.”It’s only the third time I’ve bowled since the op and it’s definitely the best I’ve bowled,” he said. “Having had the operation and with such a big summer ahead, it was always important to get some wickets under my belt.”I was always optimistic I would be able to perform but whether you have the rhythm and spin in the fingers you are never too sure so I’m delighted. It just feels like it did 18 months ago again.”Living in the here and now, of course, is impossible. It presumably means that you have no past and no future. You can’t remember where you parked the car and, even if you so happen to find it, you are not allowed to think about where you want to drive it.If there were any lingering concerns about Swann’s effectiveness after his elbow operation, they were surely banished when Dean Brownlie, Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson were blown away between 2.20 and 2.32pm and England’s sense of well-being ahead of the Australia Test series, and before that the Champions Trophy, became a little stronger.No England spinner has taken five wickets at Headingley for 28 years and New Zealand’s last man, Trent Boult, thrashed him for three sixes to ensure he had to settle for 4 for 42, rather than emulate John Emburey’s achievement against Australia in 1985.He failed to take a wicket against Australia in 2009 and he was omitted against South Africa last year, a decision which was revealed as folly when Kevin Pietersen, a bit-part spinner, found extravagant turn with his offbreaks.Headingley was therefore an unlikely venue for any spin bowler’s resurgence, as Swann recognised. “Belly asked me ‘what end do you normally bowl here?’ I said ‘I don’t normally play.’ I was in North Wales on a campsite last year when the game against South Africa was going on.”With every year that Andy Fogarty remains head groundsman at Headingley, the pitches look more like those he helped to prepare in his time at Old Trafford. They are not as quick, or as scruffy, but they have improving bounce and carry and, as Swann has again emphasised, they are not averse to turn, especially when New Zealand are fielding two left-armers and Swann has some footholds to aim at.That being so, as the sun blazed down upon West Yorkshire for the second successive day – and the pilots of the flights above were again startled to discover that they could actually see the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport – English cricket had the feel of summer with Swann dancing in to bowl in dark glasses before springing round to deliver his crouching appeal. It is repeated so often, whenever he does it he looks like a Christmas wind-up toy.Swann has been insisting from the outset that his elbow is fine, but he is a garrulous, optimistic sort and not everybody can wake up in the morning with his brand of sunny optimism. Everybody knew he could spin a yarn; they needed to see that he can still spin a cricket ball.On what was essentially a second-day pitch, his intervention came as some surprise. Nobody thought to question Alastair Cook’s decision to delay his appearance until the 27th over. At lunch, the pitch looked flat enough for New Zealand to press for a first-innings lead. After two overs from Swann, they were out of the match. This performance was considerably worse than their collapse to 68 all out at Lord’s. A run of five successive Tests against England is ending meekly, good impressions undermined.Brownlie and Guptill were both bowled through the gate as the ball turned out of the rough, Brownlie from the sixth ball he bowled, Guptill from the 12th. Neither shot had much to commend it. Brownlie had the alibi of surprise; Guptill missed the first Test at Lord’s and so could plead inactivity for his cumbersome prop forward. Williamson did at least try to move across his crease and play Swann with the spin, a method adopted brilliantly against Swann by South Africa’s Hashim Amla, but he was struck on the pad and England won an lbw decision on review.Until now, proof of Swann’s well-being had not been extensive. He bowled only eight overs in the first Test in England’s innings victory at Lord’s and went wicketless. He did take four wickets in his only first-class match of the season, but even they were in the face of a Durham second-innings slog which brought them a last-gasp victory against Nottinghamshire.If England do retain the Ashes then Dr Shawn O’Driscoll, who operated successfully on the elbows of Swann and Tim Bresnan will deserve some of the recognition. He is based in Minnesota, he will will not qualify for an OBE – although there are Australians who will tell you that as the Poms gave a gong to everybody in 2005, they might well find a way to bend the rules.

Watching Ashton Agar bat in his debut innings and MS Dhoni win a final for India can re-affirm one’s love for cricket

<b>Apoorv Sardeshmukh, India</b>13-Jul-2013Every once in a while, there comes a day that makes me fall in love with the game of cricket all over again. Thursday, July 11, 2013 was a day like that. It was a day when a young man batted fearlessly, threw caution to the wind and played a Test match as if he was playing with his friends in his backyard. Late in the night, a not-so-young man played the most amazing limited-overs innings in a long, long time and made sane grown-up people jump around and dance at 3.15am.These have not been the best of times for a cricket lover. In April and May, bookies and fixers were discussed more than cricket and cricket teams. Board appointments were given more prominence than team selections. The Champions Trophy was a welcome relief and the Indian team’s performance brought a lot of joy. But this was followed by a triangular series in West Indies, which was so irrelevant and whose coverage was so bad, that one often wondered if the broadcasters actually wanted you to switch off the television and go to sleep.Then the Ashes arrived. Australia picked a rookie 19-year-old left-arm spinner. He bowled seven overs and looked innocuous on day one. Bad, desperate selection, one thought. Jimmy Anderson then bowled a spell which only confirmed the long held belief that he is the best fast bowler in the world. On the second day, Australia were nine down for 117 and looking down the barrel.Ashton Agar, batting at No. 11, then played such a refreshing innings that everybody, including the English fans, wanted him to score a hundred. Batting at No. 11, yes No. 11, he made Test cricket look ridiculously easy. He smashed the best fast bowler in world all over the park, and Graeme Swann, who was supposed to gobble up left-handers, was dispatched out of the park. All this was done with a smile on the face. When he fell on 98, scored with the enthusiasm of a school boy playing his first inter-school match with a new bat, the entire cricketing world was applauding. The sun was shining, cricket was played in whites and everybody had a smile on their face. Life could not be better.But it got better. A few hours later, MS Dhoni scripted a victory that, at one stage, looked beyond him. Sachin Tendulkar fans might disagree, but MS Dhoni is possibly India’s greatest limited-overs cricketer. The number of impact performances and match-winning efforts he has put in have taken him to a level much higher than anyone else. On Thursday night, he had the game measured to the last possible decimal. You often wondered what MS Dhoni was doing, but in his mind he was clear on how the target was to be achieved. One mis-hit, one unplayable delivery, one mix-up and it was all over. But Dhoni played almost the perfect innings and guided his team to an unforgettable victory. Only Javed Miandad can claim to understand one-day batting better. When he smashed Shaminda Eranga for a six to seal victory, one had to stand up and applaud, even though it was 3.15 am.Days like Thursday make it worthwhile to be a sports fan. Call it paranoia, stupidity or as my wife often says, an unhealthy obsession, but there is no greater high in the world than watching a good performance on the sports field. There is no greater joy than watching your team achieve sporting success. Forget sponsors, forget players, forget officials – the game is played for the fans. Sport makes you the experience the worst lows and the most incredible highs. No sporting contest is ever irrelevant because someone somewhere is going to be happy or sad based on the result of that contest.With his simplicity and boyish enthusiasm, Ashton Agar made us fall in love with cricket again. With his absolute brilliance, MS Dhoni made us sing and dance in love.Such days are rare.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line

While Harshad Khadiwale has shown glimpses of his talent in seasons past, his consistent start to the 2013-14 Ranji Trophy shows how much he has matured as an opener

Amol Karhadkar in Pune22-Nov-2013When Harshad Khadiwale first toured with Maharashtra’s squad as a teenager, almost a decade ago for the West Zone one-dayers in 2004-05, he was labelled the boy wonder of Maharashtra cricket. But, despite creating ripples on the Under-19 circuit and making his first-class debut as an 18-year-old, Khadiwale somehow couldn’t live up to his potential.The first half of the current season, though, seems to suggest Khadiwale has finally matured as an opener. No doubt he has had the advantage of flat decks and mediocre opposition in Group C of the Ranji Trophy. Still, a century in each of Maharashtra’s three games so far, the latest being a double, has supported the notion that Khadiwale has finally reached the peak of his career. His 262 against Goa was a lesson in pacing an innings as an opener.He began cautiously, then focused on rotating the strike, before getting into boundary-scoring mode. When an aggressive batsman like Kedar Jadhav was in full flow, Khadiwale was happy to take the back seat. But the moment Jadhav perished, he balanced the roles of sheet anchor and aggressor to perfection. It reflected in his numbers, as more than half of his runs came in boundaries in an innings that lasted seven minutes shy of 10 hours.Khadiwale may have been sporting a beard, perhaps to appear mature, but his face still has that boyish charm. Usually a man of few words, Khadiwale did open up a bit after his marathon innings, admitting he has taken time to come of age, but adding that he doesn’t think he has done badly either. “First and foremost, it’s difficult for an opener to be consistent at any level. Opening the batting is perhaps the most difficult role and I don’t think I have fared badly. It’s just that the big runs were not coming as consistently as it is happening now,” Khadiwale told ESPNcricinfo. “I am glad things are falling in place now and I hope to continue in the same vein.”The other major factor behind his lack of consistency was captaincy, which was thrust upon him at the tender age of 21. Ever since Hrishikesh Kanitkar’s relationship with the state association’s top bosses turned sour, Maharashtra seem to have experimented too much with leadership and team selection. As a result, in 2009-10, when Khadiwale was perhaps too young for such responsibility, he was entrusted with it. “You had to think of not just your batting but also about all other things, so it may have affected me a little,” Khadiwale said. “Once I was relieved of the captaincy, I have been able to concentrate much more on my batting.”Over the past eight seasons, Khadiwale had given glimpses of his talent. Except for his debut first-class season, in 2006-07, he hasn’t had a season without at least one century. But he hasn’t been able to convert his starts into big hundreds. This is the first time that he has managed to score more than two hundreds in a season.Khadiwale said the presence of Surendra Bhave – the former Maharashtra stalwart who was Khadiwale’s mentor ever since he was child – as the team’s coach has helped a lot. “He has always been supportive and some of the small tips that he gives helps us a lot. Since he has also been an opener, he understands my game very well,” Khadiwale said.Bhave said while there is no doubt about Khadiwale’s technique, he had been conditioning him mentally. “He has got the most fluent technique of all our batsmen and it has reflected into his performance,” Bhave said. “[But] before the season, we had to prepare him mentally for greater responsibility, and he has delivered by carrying [the team] on his shoulders.”Khadiwale said that he has “stopped setting targets” for himself. “All I am thinking of right now is to spend as much time at the wicket as I can. If I can do that, the runs will obviously follow.”If he can convert his words into action, by the end of the season Khadiwale would have done a world of good not only for himself but also for Maharashtra, who are looking to be promoted from the lowest rung of the Ranji Trophy.

Also, nervous nineties, most keeping dismissals on debut, 100 successive Tests, and most lefties in an XI

Steven Lynch21-Jan-2014Nathan Lyon played throughout the recent Ashes series without being dismissed. How often has this happened? asked Jayram Amrith from Singapore
Nathan Lyon had six innings in the recent Ashes series and was not-out in all six. The only person other than Lyon who has played throughout an entire five-Test series and not been dismissed at all is Bill Johnston, the fabled Australian tailender, in South Africa in 1949-50 – and he actually only batted twice, scoring 1 not out in the first Test and 2 not out in the third.*Was Eoin Morgan the first player to hit six sixes in a one-day international in Brisbane? asked Ian Hugo from Nigeria
Eoin Morgan’s six sixes was a new record for any one-day international innings in Brisbane – although he was pushed by James Faulkner, whose remarkable assault at the end of Australia’s run-chase included five hits over the ropes. Before last week the record for any ODI at the Gabba was four sixes in an innings, which was first done by David Gower during his 158 for England there in 1982-83, the highest individual score in Brisbane until David Warner smashed 163 against Sri Lanka on March 2012. Since Gower’s effort Tom Moody (1989-90), Dean Jones (1990-91), Chris Cairns (1997-98), Adam Gilchrist (2005-06) and Cameron White (2009-10) have also hit four sixes in an innings at the Gabba.In the last few months we have seen two players – Ashton Agar and Dilruwan Perera – get out in the nineties on Test debut. How many other people have suffered this fate? asked Hemant Kher from the United States
Dilruwan Perera was actually the 29th batsman to reach 90 on his Test debut but not make it to three figures. The first was Stanley Jackson, a future England captain, who made 91 on debut against Australia at Lord’s in 1893. Three of those players – Australia’s Arthur Chipperfield, Robert Christiani of West Indies, and Pakistan’s Asim Kamal – were out for 99 in their first Test (Asim never did make a Test century). Stephen Fleming scored 92 on his Test debut for New Zealand, against India in Hamilton in March 1994, and 90 on his one-day international debut in Napier a few days later. Only two others have been out in the nineties on ODI debut – Phil Jaques of Australia, and Eoin Morgan (playing for Ireland at the time), who was actually run out for 99.Has anyone ever played 100 straight Test matches after making their debut? asked Michael Warner from England
No one has yet managed a run of 100 consecutive Tests from debut. The nearest was 96, by Adam Gilchrist, which constituted his entire Test career, between 1999-2000 and 2007-08. Rahul Dravid played 94 successive matches from his debut at Lord’s in 1996 to the second Test against Sri Lanka in Delhi in December 2005, but missed the next Test after being hospitalised with gastro-enteritis. (That run included 93 for India, and also the Super Series Test for the World XI v Australia in October 2005.) Kapil Dev missed only one match during his 131-Test career – after playing 66 straight from his debut, he was controversially dropped for India’s third Test against England in Kolkata in 1984-85. He returned for the next match, and embarked on another run of 65 successive appearances. The record run for any stage of a career is 153 successive Tests, by Allan Border for Australia between 1978-79 and his retirement in 1993-94. Three other players have completed a run of 100 successive Tests: Mark Waugh (107 between 1993 and 2002-03), Sunil Gavaskar (106 between 1974-75 and retirement in 1986-87), and Alastair Cook (2005-06 to date).On his first-class debut in November 2008 wicketkeeper Jamal Anwar took ten catches in the match, including seven in one innings. Was this a record for a keeper on debut? asked Zaheer Ahmed from the United Arab Emirates
Jamal Anwar’s eye-catching feat was for Federal Areas against Punjab in Pakistan’s Pentangular Cup in 2008-09. There have been 30 bigger match hauls in first-class history, including 21 cases of 11 dismissals – and one of those was by a player making his debut. Samarjit Nath, playing his first game for Assam in their Ranji Trophy match against Tripura in Guwahati in January 2002, made eight dismissals (one a stumping) in the first innings, and three more in the second, for 11 in the match. Remarkably, that was poor Nath’s only first-class appearance!England had eight left-handed batsmen in the final Ashes Test in Sydney. Was this a record? asked Hari Narayanan from India
England’s side in Sydney produced only the third instance of a Test team containing eight left-hand batsmen. The other two were by substantially the same West Indian side in two matches in 2000. Against Pakistan in Georgetown in May their XI included Jimmy Adams, Curtly Ambrose, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle, Adrian Griffith, Wavell Hinds, Ridley Jacobs and Nixon McLean. Then in the fifth Test against England later that year, they fielded eight left-handers again, with Brian Lara and Mahendra Nagamootoo replacing Chanderpaul and Gayle from the earlier team.*An earlier version of this article wrongly said Lyon’s feat was the ninth instance of a player having six innings in a Test series and remaining undefeated in all of them.

Stats preview to the series decider in Cape Town, a venue at which South Africa haven’t been beaten in their last ten Tests

S Rajesh28-Feb-2014Having won the second Test in Port Elizabeth – a venue which was one of their least favourite home grounds before that match – South Africa will be pleased that the decider will be played at Newlands, Cape Town. Since their readmission to international cricket, South Africa have an 18-3 win-loss record here, their second-best among all home venues during this period – in Centurion they’ve won 14 and lost 2.The last time South Africa lost a Test match here was in 2006, and their opponents were Australia. The visitors won that Test, the first of the series, by seven wickets, and went on to win that series 3-0. That was Australia’s third win in Cape Town in three Tests there since 1992, but after that they’ve lost twice in succession – a dead rubber in 2009, and a live one in 2011, when they were bowled out for 47 in their second innings. That means Australia’s Cape Town record has reduced from 3-0 to 3-2, though they still remain the only side to defeat South Africa in a Test here since 1992.Since the beginning of 2007, though, South Africa have been unbeaten here, winning eight out of ten Tests, and drawing two, against England in 2010 and India the next year. During this period they’ve beaten Australia and Pakistan twice each, and have won once each against West Indies, India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.The batting and bowling numbers indicate just how dominant South Africa have been at Newlands – they’ve averaged more than 41 with the bat, and 27 with the ball. Their batsmen have also struck 35 centuries in 26 Tests, an average of 1.35 per Test. Australia’s batting and bowling averages are far closer.

Team stats in Cape Town

TestsWonLostBat aveBowl ave100sSouth Africa, since 19922618341.5527.2035Australia, since 199253232.6031.974South Africa, since 2007108040.7325.5213South Africa have won the toss in both Tests in the series so far: their decision to insert Australia backfired in Centurion, but the move to bat first worked well in Port Elizabeth. The pitch in Cape Town is expected to be dry, which suggests the captain winning the toss will choose to bat, but the past record here suggests batting first isn’t profitable at Newlands. In the last ten Tests here, seven have been won by the team batting second, and only one by the team batting first. That happened when South Africa scored 580 for 4 declared against Sri Lanka in 2012, and then bowled Sri Lanka out for 239 and 342, eventually winning by ten wickets. In that match, though, Sri Lanka had won the toss and chosen to field, perhaps going by the past record at the ground.Apart from that match, teams have generally struggled in the first innings of Tests there. India scored 414 in 2007 but still ended up losing, while, more recently, New Zealand were bundled out for 45 in 2013. The average runs per wicket in the first innings here is 31.09 since 2007, but excluding the match in which South Africa scored 580 for 4, it’s only 26.03, which converts into an average first-innings score of 260.All five Tests between South Africa and Australia here since 1992 have also been won by the team batting second. South Africa batted first in the first three Tests – in 1994, 2002 and 2006 – and lost each of them, while Australia batted first and were defeated in 2009 and 2011. However, given the conditions that are likely to prevail this time around, the captain winning the toss might still prefer to bat first.

Innings-wise runs per wicket in Cape Town since 2007

1st inngs2nd inngs3rd inngs4th inngs31.0932.3727.4243.63Graeme Smith has had a lean series so far, scoring 37 from four innings, but he returns to a venue where he scored an unbeaten 101 in a successful fourth-innings run-chase the last time the two teams played here, in 2011. That was his last significant Test innings here – he has scored 65 in four innings since then – but Cape Town’s generally been a good venue for him: in 28 innings he has ten scores of 50 or more, and averages 52.11. AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla are the others who’ve played significant amounts of Tests here, and while both average in the early 40s, their recent form here is far more impressive: in his last four Tests at Newlands Amla has scored 3, 112, 16, 66, 25 and 58, while de Villiers has scored 160 not out, 67, 61 and 36 in his last four innings here.Among the current members of the Australian squad, there are a couple who’ve scored centuries here: Michael Clarke scored an outstanding 151 in 2011, and averages 50 here, while Mitchell Johnson scored an unbeaten 123 in 2009, and averages 60.33 with the bat here.

South African batsmen in Cape Town

BatsmanTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sGraeme Smith16135552.114/ 6Hashim Amla1282741.352/ 5AB de Villiers1482441.202/ 3Alviro Petersen427746.162/ 0Faf du Plessis25819.330/ 0Dean Elgar25527.500/ 0JP Duminy24314.330/ 0Among the bowlers, Dale Steyn has been outstanding here (as he has been at most home venues), taking 57 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 21.14. In two Tests against Australia, he has been even more effective, taking 13 wickets at 17.69. Vernon Philander’s stats are still better: in four Tests he has 30 wickets, including a match haul of 8 for 78 against Australia in 2011. In his most recent Test here, against Pakistan in February last year, Philander’s match figures read 9 for 99, and he has never taken less than six wickets in a Test here.Among the current bowlers in Australia’s squad, Johnson is the only one to play more than one Test here, and his stats are fairly ordinary: five wickets at an average of 47, and an economy rate of 4.39. Shane Watson has played only one Test here, but was superb in South Africa’s first innings in 2011, taking 5 for 17 to bundle them out for 96.

South African bowlers in Cape Town

BowlerTestsWicketsAverageStrike rate5WI/ 10WMDale Steyn115721.1445.51/ 0Vernon Philander43012.0028.43/ 0Morne Morkel62425.9150.41/ 0Robin Peterson2634.8368.30/ 0Overall, pace has been more effective than spin at Newlands, but that’s especially true of South Africa’s pace attack – opposition fast bowlers have averaged 43 runs per wicket, compared to 23.24 for South Africa’s pace attack, which further emphasis the extent to which South Africa have dominated here.

Pace and spin in Newlands since 2007

WicketsAverageStrike rateSA – pace15223.2449.7Other teams – pace8543.0371.6SA – spin3435.0276.5Other teams – spin4234.4767.1Australia, though, have a pretty potent attack themselves, and with the series at stake, there’s plenty of motivation for both teams to be at their best. South Africa haven’t won a home series against Australia since their readmission to international cricket, while Australia need to win or draw the series to move past India and become No. 2 in the ICC Test rankings.

West Indies invest heavily on the Chris Gayle method in T20s, but the day it fails, it could leave the team in a spot of bother

Abhishek Purohit in Mirpur25-Mar-2014Chris Gayle is the king of Twenty20. His sheer presence under a helmet with bat in hand is intimidating for most bowlers. He can obviously intimidate with his tremendous six-hitting ability. He can also intimidate with what he does not do. He does not change hisexpression, whether he is on 15 off 30 or 30 off 15. It remains the same if he hits three successive sixes or plays three successive dots.He has also developed this method of going slow at the start, leaving the opposition even more anxious about what is going to come next. Often, it is carnage. If he is around by the tenth over, and hasn’t done much, the bowling side is not doing anything wrong if it expects the worst for the last ten. This method has worked for Gayle throughout the world in the numerous T20 competitions. He takes huge risk in an already risky format, and backs himself to get proportionate returns. That he often does generate thosereturns shows his pedigree in the format.Risk is risk after all, though. And the magnified risk that Gayle’s method involves means he needs someone to mitigate that risk, totemper it to a more manageable proposition. Dwayne Smith was the answer this night. Marlon Samuels was the answer in the 2012 World T20 final. There was no answer against the Indians two nights ago.Smart strategy or a bubble waiting to burst?•AFPSmith pottered to 11 off 29 against India. He made 72 off 43 against Bangladesh. It was a terrific innings on a pitch almost every other batsman from both sides found difficult to score on. He pulled and swept ferociously and kept hitting boundaries, especially against spin, even as Gayle plodded on. Smith hit 10 of West Indies’ 17 fours, and three of their five sixes.Smith has his on days and his off days, with usually no middle path. On the former, he is a runaway train which runs over everything in its path. On the latter, his inertia is broken by his own downfall. Tonight he was on. Against India he was off. More risk.The point is all these elements of risk could hurt West Indies badly in a crunch game, in conditions that are not going to get any easier for their hitters who would much rather prefer to have the ball coming on. It has already happened against India, who did not provide any leeway for West Indies to push on from a slow start. Their fast bowlers got the new ball to dart around, and their spinners then took over in helpful conditions. Fortunately for West Indies, it was their opening game in the tournament, and not a must-win one. Even more fortunately for them, Bangladesh then produced an apologetic performance on the field. How many times will you see successive deliveries go for four byes each, or the same fielder dropping catches off successive balls?When asked if it was team strategy for him to go after the new ball while Gayle played himself in, Smith said that if he maderuns, Gayle would be free to do what he was doing. “I don’t know if it is a strategy or not,” Smith said. “My aim is to get off to a good start and that’s how I play. It’s just for me to keep scoring and if Chris is working himself in, at least there won’t be pressure on him if I am scoring freely.”Of course, the pitch was not easy to accelerate on. And even Gayle ideally would not take so much risk that he reaches a strike-rate of 100 only in the 18th over. It was probably one of those days where it just did not come off for him. It can happen to the bestof batsmen. There can be a case that you have invested so much in your build-up that you then do not feel like throwing it away. And before you know it, the end of the innings is approaching. Seeing what we have from Gayle in the past, it is unlikely this approach will not pay off for him in some game in this tournament. Smith was confident about that.”I am sure that Chris would get the runs at some point of time in this tournament because he has been batting through the first six, he has been batting to ten 10 overs. I am sure that at some point, he is going to get off to a good start, get some good scores.”Again, the point is, this approach could also pull West Indies down to the point of no return. It is high risk after all. There are alwaystwo sides to it.

After his match-winning performance at Lord’s, India fans can’t complain. Or can they?

Fram Hansotia22-Jul-2014Choice of game
The Lord’s Test between England and India had been see-sawing for four days. At stumps on day four, both teams were presented with a clear path to victory: India needed to take six wickets, and England needed to score 214 runs. This situation, coupled with the fact that watching a Test at Lord’s is a must for any cricket fan, meant attending this match was a no-brainer.Team supported
From a neutral perspective, logic and recent form suggested India would win comfortably. However the cricket romantic in me was desperate for England to fight back and regain some of the confidence and swagger that they possessed under the captaincy of Andrew Strauss. Indeed, if they had managed to scrape a win, it would have been one of their finest victories.Key performer
It’s difficult to look beyond the Man of the Match, Ishant Sharma. During a scratchy first session, England were regaining momentum due to a series of boundaries off Ishant, but the Indian pacer maintained his composure the following over to break the partnership that was threatening to take the game away from the Indians. After lunch, he bowled with pace and hostility, to finish with his best Test figures of 7 for 74 – the best figures by an Indian bowler in England. Ishant has been the subject of a lot of mirth in the past, but today he repaid the selectors for their faith, picking him even when his figures suggested that they do otherwise. An Indian fan behind me remarked to his friend (with a hint of disappointment in his voice): “Now we can’t make fun of him for at least another month!”One thing I’d have changed
Moeen Ali and Joe Root seemed to have luck on their side in the morning session, as a couple of chances bounced just short or just wide of the slip cordon. However, their luck ran out at the stroke of lunch, when Ishant bowled a well-directed bouncer at Ali, who contorted his body in a half-attempt to play a shot, but to no avail. The ball bounced off his glove, and into the grateful hands of a gleeful short leg that had been positioned for exactly that sort of chance. Astute captaincy by MS Dhoni, who never let the match get away from his control. If Ali had managed to stick around for another hour or so after lunch, this report could have been very different indeed.Wow moment
In ten years, when people remember this Test match, they won’t remember Ajinkya Rahane’s century or M Vijay’s patient vigil at the crease. This match will be remembered for an English implosion that was astonishing in its lack of professionalism and its pace. In one hour, just one measly hour, Matt Prior, Ben Stokes, and Root undid all the hard work that their team-mates had put in for the last four days. Dhoni didn’t need to resort to one of his unorthodox tactics. His strategy was simple: put three fielders on the leg-side boundary, get Ishant to bowl bumpers, and test the mental fortitude and determination of the English batsmen. They failed this last test. Miserably.In essence, this was leg theory (oh, go on then, Bodyline!) and everyone in the ground – me, my uncle, the Englishman behind me, the Indian sitting beside him, even the exasperated little boy in front of me – knew what was coming. Well, it was more like everyone except the batsmen, who made unforgivable, schoolboy errors that have no place in the international arena. Three moments of madness. Unbelievable.Close encounter
Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and “Sir” Ravindra Jadeja all fielded in front of us in the Compton Stand. The highlight was Jadeja, who embraced his role as the pantomime villain in the Indian squad after his controversial and infamous confrontation with Anderson at Trent Bridge. He re-energised the crowd, most of whom seemed much more animated after what must have been quite a liquid lunch. Chants ranged from the unusual “Sirjee Jadeja, get us a wicket” to the rather more common “[player’s name], give us a wave!”Shot of the day
In a game that ebbed and flowed, Root’s series of three boundaries off Ishant in the 74th over injected some urgency into the England chase. The second one was not off a half volley as it was for the first boundary, nor was it short and wide as it was for the third boundary. This delivery was just short of a length and a fraction outside off stump. Root caressed it through the covers, with the ball on the up at the point of contact. Sheer class.Crowd meter
The crowd at Lord’s is usually quite knowledgeable, and today was no different. Wherever you looked, people were chatting about topics ranging from the Anderson-Jadeja spat, to the origin of the term “Bodyline” (an interesting anecdote!). The crowd was split pretty evenly between Indians baying for English wickets, and Englishmen praying for rain! The crowds streamed in throughout the morning session, and the atmosphere improved as the afternoon progressed. In a bit of gallows humour, Jimmy Anderson was even heralded as “The Burnley Lara” by a group of fans who seemed determined not to let the inexplicable batting collapse ruin their day out.Tests v limited-overs
For a real cricket fan, just as for any respected cricketer, Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game. I feel limited-overs cricket will continue to coexist with Tests, but that the genteel nature of the game, coupled with the mental fortitude and concentration required to consistently excel, raises Test cricket to a higher level than limited-overs cricket.Overall
A morning session that set up what seemed to be a potentially fascinating day of cricket was cruelly cut short by the same unforgivable pull shot to the man in the deep, not once, not twice, but thrice. Ali enhanced his reputation as a gritty, determined player in this English line-up, as did Joe Root, who improved his reputation before falling victim to a lapse in concentration that he will be ashamed off. Ishant Sharma was instrumental in engineering the English implosion, and the manner in which they feebly collapsed should be of concern to the management. England have not won a Test since beating Australia in Chester-Le-Street a year ago, and it’s quite plausible that this run of poor form won’t change in the remaining three Tests.Marks out of ten
8. Decent weather at Lord’s. Determined, focussed batting this morning. A flurry of boundaries either side of the lunch break. Good fast bowling by a very decent Indian pace attack. A nice little rivalry established between Root and Ishant Sharma. If only the afternoon session lived up to our expectations.

One of the world’s most revered grounds, Adelaide Oval still clings to its old-world charm

Aaron Owen04-Nov-2014Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, with a population of over one million people, is known as the “City of Churches” in the “Festival State”. The city is ringed by vast parklands that, in summer, are host to many of Adelaide’s suburban cricket matches. Just north of Torrens Lake lies Adelaide Oval, the state’s premier cricket venue and one of the world’s most revered grounds.The venue
Now capable of accommodating more than 50,000 spectators, following the recent AUD$500 million redevelopment, the stadium combines its modern facelift with an old-world charm. The northern grassy mound, edged by giant fig trees, still makes for mostly shaded seating, and there’s also the manually operated Edwardian-era scoreboard. The ground held its first Test in 1884 (and has hosted 72 till date), and the first of 77 ODIs (as at the time of writing) in 1975.Ground page | FixturesGreat matches
England v Sri Lanka, 8th ODI, Carlton & United Series, 1999
Despite the possible distraction and frayed nerves caused by umpire Ross Emerson’s no-balling of Murali – prompting Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga to attempt to lead a team walk-off, which was thwarted only after the team management called the board back in Colombo for directions – Sri Lanka stayed strong and proceeded to a one-wicket victory. Hick’s undefeated century in England’s 302 for 3 was not enough to secure a win as Sri Lanka reached 303 for 9 with two balls remaining. Fittingly, Murali, the centre of controversy, hit the winning runs.India v Zimbabwe, 8th ODI, VB Series, 2004
It was VVS Laxman’s day. Starting his innings from the team position of 4 for 3, he scored 131 as India went on to post 280 for 7. After a shaky start, Zimbabwe fought back to a winnable position deep in the game. However, a vital late-innings catch by Laxman ensured India held on to win by three runs.Top performers in ODIs
Most runs Michael Clarke 618 at 56.18 | Top score Brian Lara 156 v Pakistan
Most wickets Brett Lee 23 | Best bowling Carl Rackeman 5 for 16 v PakistanMajor players
George Giffen | Joe Darling | Clem Hill | Vic Richardson | Don Bradman | Ian Chappell | Greg Chappell | Greg Blewett | Darren Lehmann | Jason GillespieHome team
The South Australian Cricket Association (the SACA) was formed in 1871 and is the body responsible for Adelaide Oval during cricket season. It plays men’s cricket as Southern Redbacks in domestic first-class and 50-over competitions, and as Adelaide Strikers in T20 cricket (the Big Bash League). In women’s cricket (50 and 20-over competitions), the SACA is represented by Southern Scorpions.