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31-Jul-2016Jermaine Blackwood then launched a counter attack. His run-a-ball 62 in an 81-run fourth-wicket stand with Marlon Samuels lifted West Indies•Associated PressSamuels scored 37, before his promising innings was cut short by R Ashwin’s wile•AFPThe procession continued thereafter, despite cameos from the lower order•AFPMiguel Cummins had a few close shaves before getting off the mark, but made use of it to stay unbeaten on 24•Associated PressAshwin finished with 5 for 52 as West Indies were bowled out for 196•Associated PressIndia’s openers made a solid start. Shikhar Dhawan played second fiddle to KL Rahul in an 87-run opening stand, before spooning a catch to short cover•Associated PressCheteshwar Pujara made a characteristically sedate start and stayed unbeaten on 18•Associated PressBut it was Rahul who took the batting honours on the opening day for his unbeaten 75 that helped India finish on 126 for 1•Associated Press

West Indies, Australia and South Africa are going through different stages of transition and meet in a tournament format that was once the bread and butter of ODI cricket

Daniel Brettig02-Jun-2016Australia have declared themselves favourites on the eve of a tri-series that will provide a thorough survey of three teams at contrasting points of their development. It will also offer an intriguing look at the international game immediately following the conclusion of the IPL, as many of the chief combatants are still dusting themselves off after eight hectic weeks traversing India.’Warner an outstanding leader’ – Finch

Aaron Finch has pointed to David Warner’s inspired IPL leadership of Sunrisers Hyderabad as evidence Australia have another natural captain waiting in the wings should Steven Smith ever choose to give up the job in one of cricket’s three formats.
“To lead the Sunrisers to the title I think shows how much he loved the responsibility of captaining,” Finch said. “He led from the front with the bat, in the field he led from the front and I think as a captain he was someone who captained the way that he plays. He always took the aggressive option, he never backed down.
“They didn’t start off the tournament overly well but I think he stuck to his guns, stuck to what he believed was right and they got the job done. It’s all about backing your ability and backing what you think is the right thing at the right time and he certainly did that. The way he dominated the tournament with the bat, but also winning close games in finals shows a lot of character from a team and a leader, so he was outstanding.
“I think a part of that is having confidence in your own game but also having the confidence of your team-mates in your own game as well, that you’re almost the number one picked player. And he is certainly that, along with Steven. They’ve been exceptional for a long time now and as captain and vice-captain they’ve done a fantastic job. I think if something did happen and he had to take over, he’d do an amazing job as well.”

In a way the series is a throwback, for triangular ODI tournaments were once the bread and butter of the international schedule, having first been popularised in Australia following the end of the World Series Cricket split. Barely a year went by in the 1990s and early 2000s without numerous competitions of this kind, and after some years of a more bilateral focus there is an appetite at the ICC level for a return to three-cornered contests.For Steven Smith’s team, the tournament is a chance to reassert some authority in the 50-over format after a defeat at the hands of an emotion-charged New Zealand side in February. Ranked comfortably, the world’s leading ODI team and reigning World Cup champions, the Australians will be challenged by slow and awkward conditions in Guyana and St Kitts before the tournament concludes in Barbados. But in the words of Aaron Finch, they have earned the favourites tag over several years of strong displays around the world, not only in home territory.”Absolutely we’re still favourites,” Finch said in Guyana. “We’ve had good success all over the world, we’re the No. 1 team in the world for a reason. We’ve played some great cricket over the last two to three years including the World Cup, and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be favourites.”The South Africans and West Indies are two quality sides so that really doesn’t mean anything going into it, but at the same time we appreciate the position we’re in as No. 1 and also we’ve put a lot of hard work into that. It’s going to be tough on wickets we haven’t played on for a while, so it’s a case of getting stuck in and playing our best cricket whenever we can.”There is also something of a transitional air to Australia’s touring party, not only in terms of players but also support staff. The interim coach Justin Langer may one day find himself in the role full-time, while the selector on duty Trevor Hohns may be pondering another stint as chairman of selectors – he previously held the role from 1996 to 2006 – depending on when the current chairman Rod Marsh chooses to retire from the panel.Among the players, Mitchell Starc is returning after foot surgery and will add the threatening edge temporarily missing from Australia’s attack. Langer and Hohns will manage him carefully in full awareness of later assignments in Sri Lanka and back home, but at the same time Smith will be eager to unleash the swing and speed Starc used to such great effect in the World Cup and elsewhere.There will be jostling among the top order as Finch, Smith, Usman Khawaja and David Warner duel for places in the top three, while the spin bowlers Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon can expect opportunities on pitches expected to take turn. Behind the stumps Matthew Wade will hope to atone for an underwhelming series in New Zealand that allowed Peter Nevill to leap ahead of him for the World T20 campaign that preceded the IPL.”There’s 16 players here on tour and obviously that doesn’t fit into 11, so whoever gets the nod is going to be under pressure to perform well because there are guys here to fill every spot in the side,” Finch said. “As a group that is a great space to be in, because it pushes everyone hard, it also makes everyone appreciate the position they’re in at the time. It’s going to be exciting and whoever gets the nod first up is good.”For South Africa, it is patently clear that the team and their management will be under pressure to show evidence of progress. The coach Russell Domingo is the subject of plenty of job speculation, for he is out of contract later in the year without a record of enormous success to keep him safe. South Africa are widely thought to be in a position of some decline, while the absence of Dale Steyn, ostensibly rested but actually playing in the T20 Blast with Glamorgan, will raise a few eyebrows.Nevertheless, a strong batting line-up and the eminent threat of Morne Morkel will provide plenty of headaches for the opposition. Domingo and AB de Villiers will be expected to guide the team into the tournament final, and anything less may bring dire consequences for the coach. The tournament may be cast as the start of a run towards next year’s Champions Trophy in England, and Domingo will need to generate better results here in order to make it that far.And what of West Indies, World T20 champions but paupers otherwise? A preparatory cycle that featured a pair of losses to a Barbados Select XI did not suggest promise, and the hodgepodge selection of some T20 stars – Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine are in – but not others – Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy are out – gives the squad a somewhat muddled look.It is disheartening for all concerned that West Indies failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy by being ranked outside the top eight at the September 2015 cut-off date. Their absence will be the first time West Indies have missed out on a global tournament since they were victorious in the very first World Cup as far back as 1975, reflecting the decline of regional cricket. The tri-series offers the chance for some consolation on home turf, but squabbles at board and management level seem unlikely to abate any time soon.West Indies’ current predicament makes for quite a change from the halcyon days of tri-series, when the teams led by Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards and Richie Richardson lifted the World Series Cup in Australia no fewer than six times in eight attempts. Their current coach Phil Simmons was part of the team that edged Australia in 1992-93, and would want nothing more than to repeat the trick on home soil 23 years later. Whether a confident Australia or a motivated South Africa will let that happen is another matter.

On a typical WACA pitch, Australia’s fast bowlers outdid those of South Africa, who bowled far too short, far too often, to let David Warner race away to a quickfire fifty

Firdose Moonda in Perth03-Nov-2016The promise of pace was so alluring that one Perth resident ended a 30-year hiatus from Test cricket to pursue it. Shortly before 10 am on the Red Cat Number 2 bus, said denialist told his fellow travellers he was making a special trip to the WACA to watch the quicks. The South African quicks.”Their fast bowlers are really fast,” he said.As it turns out, so are Australia’s.Mitchell Starc clocked speeds, in kph, of 147.3, 145.9, 141.5, 147.6, 146.4 and 145.9 in his first over. Peter Nevill caught the first three balls at shoulder height. The bounce and carry would have, in Dale Steyn’s own words, “got him going”, had the fourth ball not taken Stephen Cook’s outside edge.What followed was the most intense hour of Test cricket South Africa have played in recent memory, comparable to the pressures of last summer but not. Same same but different. In India, the spin challenge was expected to exploit areas of the game South Africa are not supposed to be good at. Here, they were in familiar territory, facing fast bowlers on a fast pitch.They may not have grown up with a slew of Starcs but there are enough Marchant de Langes and Hardus Viljoens in South African domestic cricket to keep everyone on their toes. All the surfaces in South Africa are not as spicy as the WACA, but everyone makes enough trips to the Wanderers and SuperSport Park to have some idea of how it can play. Yet for the first 13 overs, it looked like South Africa had none. Truth be told, they even looked a little afraid.The usually sure Dean Elgar didn’t know if it would swing – it did, but only a little – and was beaten, wasn’t sure if he could leave and did tentatively, and wasn’t always sure where the fielders were. He came close to giving Usman Khawaja a catch at short leg and was lucky the ball popped out. It hardly mattered because he nicked off in the next over.All that meant was that South Africa missed AB de Villiers a lot earlier than they would have liked to. By the 13th over, his absence loomed large. South Africa were 32 for 4, with their two most experienced batsmen, Hashim Amla and JP Duminy, already out. The inexperience of their middle order was laid bare and the prospect of being embarrassed, especially after all the big talk, was real.If they are to take anything positive out of this day, it will be what happened next. Temba Bavuma played his most accomplished innings to date, more impressive than his maiden hundred against England last summer which came when South Africa already had more than 400 on the board. This one showed his temperament is up to Test cricket, something which continues to be unfairly questioned because of the transformation targets.Bavuma is compact, not just physically, and has a solid defence. He is not easily intimidated, even when he becomes the subject of an interrogation. His first one came from Josh Hazlewood who, having seen the full ball dealt with, pulled his length back a touch. He hit Bavuma on the hip, then aimed for his ribs, and when Bavuma pulled off a flick, stuck a fielder in to invite him to try again. Bavuma did, but was struck on the thigh pad. Starc opted for the more traditional line off attack: full, full, full, full, bouncer, but Bavuma swayed out of the line. Bavuma warned the short ball would not scare him and stayed true to his word.Though they occasionally discomfited Australia’s openers with it, South Africa’s quicks perhaps overdid the short ball•Getty ImagesHis ability to block out the surround sound served him best when he was joined by Quinton de Kock, who complemented him perfectly. De Kock’s natural game is to play his shots and find runs and neither reverse-swing nor an impending collapse would stop that. He coped by counterattacking.It would be too easy to suggest that de Kock demonstrated the approach his team-mates should have taken because none of them can play with the same freedom. Instead, the partnership itself showed what should have been done. A bit of fortitude, a bit of a fightback, a bit of fortune, even. It’s not even that the rest of South Africa’s batsmen did anything particularly poorly; they were shot out by an attack even Australians had underestimated.If the man who hasn’t watched a Test in three decades hung around until the last hour, he would have got what he wanted. Sort of. South Africa’s fast bowlers got their chance and should have taken it.Questions will be asked about why they did not go all-pace and the official line is that Morne Morkel is not yet at the level of match-fitness they want him to be at, and why their quickest bowler, Kagiso Rabada, did not open the bowling, and the explanation may lie in the fact that Vernon Philander is his most effective up front. The biggest question will be why South Africa got so carried away with the surface that they defaulted to a short-ball strategy that was not working. Mitchell Starc noted that in the 21 overs Australia faced, 88% of the deliveries were short. “Too short,” he said.The big talk about cutting the head off the snake and getting nasty did not turn into any big action. The only real words were those of disbelief when Warner nicked one over the slips.”Did you mean that?” Steyn asked him.”No,” came the reply as Warner shook his head and practiced the shot he wanted to play. The upper-cut which came later. Steyn did not need to wonder what Warner’s intentions were for the rest of the day. Or for the rest of the innings.Australia are on top and can drive home an advantage over the next few days but South Africa won’t count themselves out just yet. Four years ago, they scored 17 fewer first-innings runs and still won the match. Then, they bowled Australia out midway through the second session on the second day. If they are to repeat that, their “really fast,” fast bowlers will have to be fierce too.

Jake Ball’s tactful use of angles and Alastair Cook’s problem of having too many bowling options feature in Aakash Chopra’s technical breakdown of the third day’s play in Mumbai

Aakash Chopra10-Dec-2016Cricket – game of angles
Jake Ball is playing only his second Test but has shown maturity in using the crease. He has gone to the corner of the box while bowling bouncers and has come closer to the stumps to bowl fuller. The first ball of the third day was bowled from the outside half of the box and Pujara left it comfortably. The second ball that dismissed Pujara was bowled from closer to the stumps and while the length remained almost identical, the closer release point ensured the ball pitched six inches closer. Pujara failed to read the subtle variation and let it go, instead of playing, and was bowled.England spinners inconsistent
The fact that fast bowlers have taken only one wicket is this Test suggests that the pitch is spin-ready right from the outset. While the pitch has definitely assisted spinners, one must not start assuming that if you’re a spinner, you will be among the wickets. Engand’s spinners have realised the importance of peppering the same length and also that it is difficult to do consistently. The lack of bounce on most Indian pitches allow you to get away even when you miss the length by a foot on either side but the red-soil Wankhede pitch is severe if you err in length. The ball sits up to get hit. It’s not often in Test cricket that you see so many full tosses and half-trackers.Moeen Ali’s pitch map•ESPNcricinfo LtdEngland’s problem of plenty
Adil Rashid was held back until the 22nd over of the day. He might have been expensive on the second day, but it’s unfair to ignore the fact he is England’s most successful bowler in the series. Alastair Cook has an option too many at his disposal and one way or the other, one bowler gets under-bowled. Chris Woakes has bowled only eight overs so far and he did not bowl in the first 70 overs on third day. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that England have played with ten players in most games in this series.Defend higher
We, the players from north India, are given invaluable advice while traveling to the western part of the country. In Delhi and Mohali you can easily manage with low hands while defending but on pitches with extra bounce it’s critical to keep the hands higher.Adil Rashid’s pitch map•ESPNcricinfo LtdSecond new ball delay
India waited for 121 overs to opt for the second new ball. England took it after 129. Mohammed Shami’s absence and the presence of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja could explain India’s approach but England’s choice was interesting. They have played as many as four fast bowlers, and both Rashid and Moeen Ali haven’t bowled with the same penetration. Also, the absence of reverse-swing could have prompted such a different approach.New-ball tactics
James Anderson found the outside edge of Jayant Yadav’s bat in the first over with the second new ball. Because he had bowled only 12 overs till then, a long spell was expected from Anderson. But surprisingly he bowled only 2.4 overs with the new ball. It was equally baffling that even Woakes bowled only two overs from the other end. In addition, the lack of bouncers after the morning session showed poor planning.

Ben Duckett was found wanting by the best spin bowler in the world during England’s Test series in India, but he believes he’s better for the experience

David Hopps28-Jan-2017Ben Duckett heads for Sri Lanka with England Lions determined to put his torment against R Ashwin behind him and remain in contention for England’s Champions Trophy squad.Duckett firstly wants to make an impact in the Pakistan Super League before joining the Lions for five one-day matches against Sri Lanka A in early March, which he hopes will show that he has benefited from being put through the mill by Ashwin, the India spinner who is ranked at No. 1 in both the ICC Test bowling and allrounder rankings.After a promising introductory tour of Bangladesh, Duckett went to India as an exciting gamble at the top of England’s batting order, but was dispensed with after two Tests and then excluded from the one-day series as Jonny Bairstow and Sam Billings put themselves ahead of him in the list of batsmen still eager to force their way into England’s Champions Trophy squad.Lions squad for four-day matches v Sri Lanka A

Keaton Jennings (Durham, capt), Haseeb Hameed (Lancashire), Nick Gubbins (Middlesex), Tom Alsop (Hampshire), Tom Westley (Essex), Joe Clarke (Worcestershire), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Sam Curran (Surrey), Tom Curran (Surrey), Toby Roland-Jones (Middlesex), Tom Helm (Middlesex), Craig Overton (Somerset), Ollie Rayner (Middlesex), Jack Leach (Somerset).

Duckett’s plight was summed up in the second Test in Visakhapatnam when he suppressed his aggressive instincts in a bid to follow orders and block out the final day, but made a 16-ball duck which ended with a misconceived sweep.Duckett spent the latter part of the India Test series working on his batting method with England’s batting coach Mark Ramprakash and he makes no secret of the fact that Ashwin exposed his technical frailties as he dismissed him in all three innings he faced.”Obviously there are technical issues,” Duckett said as the Lions finalised preparations at the national performance centre at Loughborough. “I went out there as a good player of spin – that’s what people were saying – and coming back, I’ve been told I’ve got plenty to work on.”I hadn’t faced world-class spinners in those conditions. I can learn all there is to learn in India. But I’m used to playing in England – it’s not going to pitch outside leg and hit the top of off stump in England. I definitely think, in a strange way, I’ve come back from it as a better player of spin.”Ashwin dismissed Duckett cheaply in all three innings, leaving him increasingly perplexed as how he could score off him and aware of the media scrutiny on a technique that often left the left-hander’s stumps dangerously exposed.50-over series v Sri Lanka A

Keaton Jennings (Durham, capt), Daniel Bell-Drummond (Kent), Tom Alsop (Hampshire), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire), Joe Clarke (Worcestershire), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Sam Curran (Surrey), Tom Curran (Surrey), Craig Overton (Somerset), Tom Helm (Middlesex), James Fuller (Middlesex), Ollie Rayner (Middlesex), Josh Poysden (Warwickshire).

“During the series, it’s extremely tough to play around with it when you realise you’ve got a problem – the way I got out, with my front leg going outside leg and showing my stumps and the ball pitching outside leg and hitting the top of off.”I’ve never had that experience before in a series, needing to find a way to score runs. That was extremely tough. But the best thing at the time was that, when I actually did get dropped, it took a bit of pressure off me and I could go and work with Ramprakash in the nets and play around with a few things.”I’ve also got to remember I’ve faced one of the best spinners in the world in his conditions, and he was the one that got me out a few times. I didn’t get out to any of the other bowlers – I didn’t face many of them too much. The balls he bowled me were fairly good balls – it wasn’t like I was getting caught at cover or mid-off.”Ashwin took 28 wickets in five Tests against England as India took the series 4-0, two ahead of his team-mate Ravi Jadeja and five ahead of Adil Rashid; in a series dominated by spin bowling, no-one else took more than 10.After a few weeks’ holiday, Duckett can now relive the experience without his eyes glazing over. “He changes his pace very well, turns the ball… and the difference with him is he’s got so many variations, and he doesn’t really bowl too many bad balls.”He’ll bowl you the same ball three times, and one will rag, one will turn a tiny bit and one will skid on. I know, if I go back out there and face him in those conditions, my footwork has got to be perfect.”Duckett’s technique against spin was exposed on the subcontinent•Getty ImagesDuckett was loath to imply criticism of the instructions from Alastair Cook, England’s captain, that they should seek to block out the final day. “When the England captain asks for a group to do something, and everyone buys into it, you do it really,” he said.Even Cook would be the first to admit that such an approach would rest less easily with Duckett than the rest of England’s top order, with Cook himself, Haseeb Hameed and Joe Root all better versed in the art of passive resistance.”Cookie spoke to us – ‘we’re going to try to bat all day here, whether it’s 20 runs off 160 balls’. That isn’t my game, but I did try to do what we were asked. On another day, my way of batting for the draw is actually trying to get 120 off 160. I think if anyone is going to be successful against spin, you’ve got to be positive – especially out there.”Even the likes of Haseeb – he likes to bat all day, but he found you can’t just block against world-class spinners. You’ve got to find ways to put them under pressure – not necessarily running down and hitting, but sweep, use your feet and manoeuvre it and get off strike.”But I ended up trying to sweep one which wasn’t there for the shot – a different mindset to normally. On another day, I might commit to that and nail it.”Cook’s caring captaincy was again to the fore after Duckett was excluded. He was besieged by assessments about his technique – a world apart from a quiet day in Northampton – and with England largely confined to their rooms for security reasons, he found it hard to relax.”You go on your phone and your name’s there, and you almost think ‘I’m getting dropped’ before you even are. It is easy to go ‘Hang on, I’m a rubbish player of spin’. If people are talking about it, then you sometimes believe it.”Cookie asked me when I actually got dropped: ‘What can we do to prepare someone like you that’s coming in again [to international cricket]?”I said: ‘Well, I don’t really think you can’ – because county cricket, the pressure of that, is nothing like when you’re playing for England.”Duckett has ample opportunities to rebuild his England case before the Champions Trophy. As well as the Pakistan Super League, and the Lions trip, he is in the North squad to meet the South over three 50-over fixtures in the UAE in March.If any England players in the IPL are given licence to miss the two ODIs against Ireland in May – and that debate is ongoing – then Duckett might also be in contention for those. After all, his first three ODIs for England in Bangladesh in October were deemed a success. Then came India, Ashwin and a wholly different ball game.

Despite the absence of Imran Tahir and little contribution from Ben Stokes, Rising Pune Supergiant beat Kings XI Punjab and stormed into the first qualifier. They will be looking for a similar display against Mumbai Indians to storm into their first final

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai15-May-20173:12

Hogg: Dhoni, Rahane must step up in Stokes’ absence

Mumbai Indians are in familiar territory – playing a qualifier, that too at Wankhede Stadium. They have made it past the league stages in seven out of 10 seasons now and have won both their previous playoffs at this venue. Winning here for them might sound as easy as sweating in the Mumbai humidity. What do they have to worry about now? It’s their form against Rising Pune Supergiant, who have qualified for the playoffs for the first time, in their last season.Rising Pune had the better of their neighbours in both the previous matches this season – they first won by seven wickets at home and then handed Mumbai their first loss while chasing this season, that too at their fortress Wankhede. It broke Mumbai’s six-match winning streak; it broke Mumbai’s five-match winning streak while chasing and created a chink in their chasing conviction. The next time Mumbai chased, they only managed to tie in a pursuit of 154 against Gujarat Lions but eventually won in the Super Over. In the next two matches they chased at home, they won one but lost to Kings XI Punjab despite scoring 223.Rising Pune’s formula while winning on both occasions was to dent Mumbai’s strength – their middle order. They haven’t relied only on a couple of batsmen, or only the openers, or only the foreign batsmen. Unlike the other teams that have done well in this IPL, Mumbai’s batsmen have shared the run-scoring burden. No Mumbai batsman has over 400 runs yet, and not one of them features among the top 10 run-getters of the tournament yet. But their batsmen from No. 3 downwards have done the bulk of the accumulation and acceleration through Nitish Rana, Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard.When Rising Pune played them the first time this season, no Mumbai batsman, apart from the opener Jos Buttler, passed 35. They posted 184 and Steven Smith flicked the runs away in the chase. The second time, Rising Pune were defending only 160 but they didn’t let any batsman, barring Rohit, score freely and over 35. Imran Tahir and Ben Stokes held the key for Rising Pune, accounting for seven of the 16 wickets Mumbai lost in those two games. They claimed collective figures of 16-1-117-7, including the wickets of big guns such as Rohit, Pollard and Buttler, at an economy rate of 7.31.Tahir had not only been their top wicket-taker until two matches ago, he was their go-to bowler in the middle overs. He has 13 wickets in 33 overs in that phase with an economy rate of just over seven; the next Rising Pune bowler on that list is Dan Christian with seven wickets, which shows they have been perhaps over-reliant on Tahir. He would target the stumps, he would dart in the quicker ones and slip in the googlies, one of which got Rohit. If Tahir didn’t get wickets, Smith would turn to Stokes.The England allrounder would bowl in the Powerplay, he would bowl in the middle overs, he would bowl at the death, and he would get you wickets. If it was possible, he could even bowl the 21st over for Rising Pune. His team prospered during the middle and end of the league phase by winning seven out of nine matches and Stokes bagged nine of his 12 wickets in those games at an economy rate of 6.72. He is not only one of the top players for Rising Pune, he is one of the best players of the tournament so far because of his all-round abilities.2:00

‘We will miss Stokes’ – Rahane

The problem Rising Pune face now is they are without both Tahir and Stokes. On the other hand, Mumbai showed their bench strength by making six changes in their last match against Kolkata Knight Riders and still winning. Rising Pune can still be cheerful, though. When they stormed into the first Qualifier by trampling Kings XI Punjab on Sunday, they did it without Tahir and without much contribution from Stokes. Tahir had already left India while Stokes bowled three wicketless overs. Jaydev Unadkat and Shardul Thakur did the bulk of the work with the new ball to dismantle Kings XI for 73.With Stokes also gone now, Rising Pune will be looking at New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson or the hitherto unused Australia batsman Usman Khawaja.”Yes, we will miss Stokes because he has done really well for us in batting, bowling as well as fielding,” Rahane said on Sunday. “But we’ve got a few other international [players] who are experienced, who have done well in this format. Lockie Ferguson has done well in that one game, and Usman Khawaja is here. Our Indian batsmen are also doing well.”But can they repeat what they did to Kings XI on Sunday, against the table-toppers and probably the best team of the tournament? The record of the season will encourage them even if the Wankhede crowd does not.”It will be an advantage for sure, we’ve beaten them twice already this season,” Unadkat told on Sunday. “They’ll have that thing in mind as well. We must grab the opportunity that has come our way, having finished second in the points table. The momentum is on our side a bit more than them because they haven’t done really well in the last couple of games. They are a formidable side but the firepower we have in our backyard is good enough to outclass any team on any day and that’s what we’ll be hoping.”If Mumbai sprang a surprise this season by unexpectedly becoming the first, and not the last, team to qualify, Rising Pune have a chance to stupefy Mumbai and become the first team to reach the final this season.

The two have met for 128 ODIs in the last 19 years. Some of those matches were thrillers, some were absurd, and some plain refused to live up to the hype

Sidharth Monga03-Jun-2017The last-over classic that everyone remembers
At least 17 ODIs and four T20 internationals have been decided in the last over, but how many do we remember, really? Javed Miandad’s six, that was heard around the world, for sure.In the 2007 World T20, the tie, followed by the shot that expedited the birth of the IPL, both gave a new format just the kickstart it needed.Then there has been the India offspinner connection: Harbhajan Singh’s roar after hitting Mohammad Amir for a penultimate-ball six in 2010, Rajesh Chauhan’s swipe in Karachi in 1997, and R Ashwin falling prey to an almighty Shahid Afridi swing in 2014. These last-over finishes tend to favour the chasing sides in India-Pakistan clashes, but there have been famous defences too, no more so than Ashish Nehra succeeding with only eight runs to play with in 2004.The forgotten last-over classic
These are some of the better matches, but largely not remembered as well because the stage was relatively smaller. Inzamam-ul-Haq brought on multiple heart attacks in Ahmedabad 2005 by chasing the three remaining runs in the last over, bowled by Sachin Tendulkar, thus: going dot, dot, two, dot, dot, four. And not just any four, one caressed all along the ground.Tendulkar was involved, in Brisbane in 2000, again when he went looking for a run-out but conceded the overthrows that proved to be the difference in the last-ball win with a scampered bye. Surely MS Dhoni would have had one glove off for the last ball?Hrishikesh Kanitkar’s dink in the 1998 Independence Cup puts a tick in India’s column in these forgotten last-over thrillers.One of the real underrated last-over classics is from back in the day when chasing 300 was not as boring as it is now. Ten years ago, Younis Khan set it up with a hundred, but Afridi and Sohail Tanvir saw them through.Sourav Ganguly and Aamer Sohail collide, Toronto, 1998•Getty ImagesIn Toronto in 1996, with a twisted ankle and No. 10 for company, Saleem Malik chased down 44 off 44, ending it with a square-cut boundary off the second-last ball, bowled by – get it – Sunil Joshi, a left-arm spinner.Malik also played one of the most astonishing ODI knocks, coming in with 78 needed at more than ten on over with mostly the tail for company, and scoring 72 off those in 36 balls, a good 30 years ago at Eden Gardens.The other Malik who could have ended up among the greatest chasers in ODIs before he threw it all away, Shoaib, chose more violent methods, but ten in the last over of a T20I – in Bangalore in 2012 – didn’t really challenge him that much.This is from those days when India-Pakistan matches at ICC events used to be competitive. India put up a spirited defence of 200 in the 2004 Champions Trophy match, but the artist formerly known as Yousuf Youhana kept his cool in the company of the tail to do it on the foot. Pakistan didn’t hit a single boundary in the last 31 balls of their chase.Obscure last-over finishes
Did you know India and Pakistan once played a 16-over ODI with Pakistan scoring 87 for 9 and for some reason winning by seven runs? Yes, they did, with poor light in winter in Gujranwala, 1989, forcing the start beyond lunch and then India failing to bowl the allotted 20 overs in their allotted time of 85 minutes. Had they taken one more wicket, they would have got the whole 20 overs to chase in, and might have probably won.India’s over rate also haunted them in a dead rubber in Toronto in 1997, resulting in two fewer overs for India to win in, but this was the Summer of Sourav, and Ganguly chased it down with the help of Ajay Jadeja.Miandad loved hitting Indians for sixes, even when asking their spinners for their room numbers in the adjoining clubhouse so he could hit them there. He loved it so much that this feat is not even on our mental highlights reel: in a dead rubber in Jamshedpur in 1987, it came down to 12 required off the last over, and he ended it in the first two balls, according to , “Pakistan seemed overcome by both tension and the cold: the temperature had dropped to 12 degrees Centigrade. Moin Khan missed a stumping off Jadeja, Mohammad Akram converted a catch off Ganguly into a six by stepping over the boundary, and three run-out chances were muffed.”Crowd-disturbance classics
Many believed that the match that Chauhan won for India would have been Pakistan’s had the crowd not thrown stones at Indian fielders for the fourth time, which is when play was stopped and Inzamam – 74 off 92 then – was denied the finishing kick he looked set for. Pakistan batted only 47.2 overs, and there was no target correction; except that India were asked to chase 266 in two balls fewer.Indian crowds didn’t paint themselves in glory, but in limited-overs matches, the Pakistan crowds have provided more material. On a damp Karachi pitch in 1989, in a match reduced to 40 overs, with Manoj Prabhakar running riot with the ball, the stage was getting set for a proper chase against Wasim Akram, Waqar, Aaqib Javed, Imran Khan, but the crowd trouble meant only 14.3 overs were possible. Tear gas had to be used inside the stadium, and gun shots were heard from the outside.Sharjah classics
Between World Series Cricket and the many T20 leagues, there was Sharjah, home of lucrative cricket. Pakistan obviously dominated the terrain, with India being the most commercially viable opponent. Apart from the Miandad classics, apart from the dodgy classics, it produced many memorable India-Pakistan clashes. Not least of which is India’s successful defence of just 125 runs in 1985. They would have fancied themselves a year later, this time in defence of 144, but Manzoor Elahi took Pakistan home from 65 for 6. As might seem, India tended to run Pakistan close in Sharjah only in low-scoring matches, but when they finally did manage their first ODI 300, in 1996, they did get into a close fight as Pakistan kept coming at them. They were 172 for 2 in 25 overs thanks to a pinch-hitting fifty from Rashid Latif, but then, as a runner, he ran Aamer Sohail out, and the collapse began.A pinch hitter was successful, and opener Shoaib Mohammad was run out with Pakistan 105 adrift in 1989, but there was no meltdown then. Forty required off the last six overs was not a match sealed back then, but Pakistan did so with eight balls to spare.The 2009 Champions Trophy fixture – won by Pakistan – was one of the few contests on a global scale that didn’t underwhelm•Getty ImagesCanada classics
This might be worth a book in in itself. Sixteen matches, seven to India, eight to Pakistan, one no-result. Ganguly wreaked general havoc. As a bowler. Malik chased chases. Meltdowns happened, not just on the field, when Pakistan missed five chances ostensibly because of the cold, but just off the field too.Classics when no one knew the playing conditions
Add to the Sharjah twilight the only tied ODI between India and Pakistan. With the scores level with a single to get off the last ball, Abdul Qadir did as you would expect: try and steal the extra run no matter how impossible it seems. Except this was a special case.In the process, Qadir got himself run out, and from just outside the playing field, Miandad began to swear at him. That is because this was a rare series with no tied matches. The tie breaker was number of wickets lost first, and then the score at 25 overs. Had Qadir kept his wits, Pakistan would have ended up with scores level and with same number of wickets lost, but with a higher score at the end of 25 overs. Now instead, they lost because India had lost fewer wickets.Miandad’s anger was directed not just at Qadir but also the umpires, who had missed that India had only three fielders inside the 30-yard ring for that last ball.Non-last-over classic that everyone remembers
World Cup 1992; World Cup 1996; World Cup 1999; World Cup 2003; World Cup 2007; World Cup 2011Oh, Bangladesh and Ireland turned up for that 2007 match? Poor babies, India and Pakistan. It’s okay, the ICC has now changed tournament structures to make sure they never get knocked out early. They have also fixed draws to make sure they meet each other at every world event. Except that can’t prevent what makes our next section.Classic duds
World T20 2012; Champions Trophy 2013; World T20 2014; World Cup 2015; World T20 2016; Champions Trophy group match 2017.Forgotten non-last-over classic
The best kinds. Like at Champions Trophy in 2009: high-voltage match with ebbs and flows, a quick Pakistan start with consolidation and slowing down in the middle, then a late kick, followed by a fiery India start, a collapse brought about by a run-out, a strong final push by Rahul Dravid, but ultimately a win for Pakistan.This is from the top of the head. There are many more such classics that didn’t go to the last over, that didn’t feature skirmishes, that need some searching in memory banks. Tell us about those in the comments section.

Evin Lewis’ masterful innings could signal the way for a West Indies revival in the 50-over format

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Sep-2017Evin Lewis had The Oval standing to give him appreciative, deafening applause.Unfortunately, Lewis could not raise his bat to acknowledge the full house. He could not even raise his back off the stretcher, as it happened. Lewis had just knocked himself out by punching a perfect off-stump yorker from Jake Ball into his right ankle. The power of the stroke flattened Lewis, leaving him with what was later confirmed as a hairline fracture that will end his tour.It also erased the possibility of Lewis becoming the second West Indies batsman after Chris Gayle to record an ODI double-century, as he retired hurt 24 runs short of the landmark.It would not be stretching the imagination to say Lewis might have got their with another four hits. The diminutive opener had leaped from 100 to 176 in 36 deliveries. Seven of those were sixes. There were also four fours. Lewis was finally playing like the T20 batsman we have come to know: a manic, mean, six-hitting machine, with an electrifying tempo.But here Lewis showed he is much more than a showboat. West Indies had lost Gayle, Shai Hope and Marlon Samuels half an hour into their innings. Virtually everyone believe this was going to be a one-sided contest once again. Lewis proved them all wrong.His innings was full of determination. He had made use of the short lengths that Chris Woakes and Ball attacked him with at the top-end of the innings, allowing him to get out of the blocks confidently. The challenge for Lewis and West Indies has been to convert the starts, to build momentum. Stuart Law, West Indies’ coach had remarked on Tuesday that his batsmen loved strutting their muscle in first 15 and final 10 overs. In the crucial middle overs, West Indies had lacked the tactical nous to pace the innings.Lewis and Jason Mohammed might not have envisaged they were about to start the rebuild. Lewis had just 250 runs in 17 previous ODIs this year. But Mohammed has been one of the better batsmen coming in for West Indies, in fact the second best this year with 424 runs before this match. Neither man allowed the pressure to climb, which happens fast when your team is 33 for 3.Not only did they rotate strike regularly but they were hungry to create opportunities. Lewis was especially proactive, defeating not just the loose delivery, but also being aware of the narrowest of divides to push through the vacant space. The partnership steadily flourished and crossed the 100-run mark, thus establishing a platform.

This was the first time West Indies had recorded two 100-plus partnerships against a top-ranked country in ODIs since 2004

Even after Mohammed was out, Lewis’ concentration did not wave. In his captain Jason Holder he found another willing and hungry partner. Teams, not least England, have begun to consistently chased 300-plus targets, so West Indies ought to think 350. But Lewis was not looking too far ahead. He played the situation.He got his hundred with consecutive fours against Woakes, who was trying to fire short deliveries into Lewis’ hips, only to be pulled past the rope. Lewis punched his right hand and yelled with joy. It was only the second century by a Windies opener since the 2015 World Cup – both were by Lewis.Amazingly, in his previous 19 innings Lewis had crossed the half-century just once, when he scored 148 against Sri Lanka last November in Bulawayo. Lewis must believe he can score big if he gets a start. In 14 T20I innings, he has four 50-plus scores: 100, 91, 125 not out, and 51.The century did not drain Lewis. It motivated him further. His reflexes had not grown tired. Woakes delivered a sharp bouncer to his head, but Lewis ducked swiftly out of danger at the last moment. The fact that England wanted him to play a rash stroke was not lost upon the Trinidadian. He would not yield.Surprisingly, Lewis had not yet hit a six and the match was 40 overs old. He was undeterred. With Holder delivering big blows at the other end, Lewis understood he did not yet need to switch on Beast Mode. But soon he would unbuckle himself and enjoy some range hitting along with his captain. He reached 150 in no time, in fact his third fifty came in just 26 deliveries.His success rubbed off on the team, too. Unlike in Bristol, when West Indies folded their tent with more than 10 overs still to go once Gayle had been run out, here they were switched on. One revealing statistic: in Bristol, West Indies batsmen ran just three twos; there were 19 doubles at The Oval. This was also the first time West Indies had recorded two 100-plus partnerships against a top-ranked country in ODIs since 2004 against South Africa. All this allowed Lewis-Holder to smash a record 87 runs in the five-overs segment between 41 and 45, which set up a challenging total – albeit one England overhauled with the help of Duckworth-Lewis-Stern.Regardless of the result, Lewis should bookmark his Oval epic. Can he make this a habit now? Many talented young men have shown the spark over the last two decades only to fade away quickly.It could be a moment of awakening for Lewis and other young West Indies batsmen in one-day cricket: that you can play time, rotate the strike, play purposefully before unleashing the power they are known to possess. With the right mindset, the right strokeplay, the right decisions, things can fall into place.

George Dobell observes a ball tampering beat-up at the MCG and not for the first time in this Ashes series doesn’t like what he sees

George Dobell in Melbourne29-Dec-2017Perhaps, on a busier day – a day when almost half the overs had not been lost to rain – the “ball tampering” narrative would have been buried by more worthwhile content.But, on a day which featured only five boundaries and saw the run-rate crawl along at 2.34 an over, an angle had to be found. And, with Australia struggling to save a game for the first time in the series, that angle turned out to be a thinly-disguised suggestion that England had engaged in ball-tampering in an attempt to gain reverse swing.It’s hard to interpret headlines such as “England in ball-tampering furore” (wwos.nine.com.au) and “England in the spotlight over ball treatment” (cricket.com.au; the website owned by Cricket Australia) any other way. Sure, there are some caveats in the articles. But the clickbait nature of modern journalism throws the mud before those caveats satisfy the lawyers. And it’s the mud that sticks.Maybe, on first viewing, the footage of James Anderson holding the ball might have raised some eyebrows. And maybe, by some interpretations, England’s tactic of throwing the ball in on the bounce to ensure one side is worn is stretching legality to the limit. It is true that they were warned not to over-do it by the umpires. It is also true that Australia were.

“Kumar just said, don’t worry, there is absolutely nothing in it. His words were: it was a beat up – it’s made up.”

But anyone looking closely – or doing some research – might have seen the England bowlers were standing next to the umpires when the ‘incident’ occurred. They might also have noticed that any alleged scratching was to the shiny side of the ball; an action that would counter the attempts to gain reverse swing.Furthermore, they might then have checked with the match-referee before making any allegation. Had they done so, they would have been told that no complaint had been made. An England team spokesman subsequently said they had received apologies from a couple of broadcasters, an acknowledgement that checks should have been made before publication and an understanding the relevant articles would either be amended or deleted.Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, described the story as “a beat up” subsequently suggesting that was also the expression used by the umpires. Asked to explain what that meant he said: “it’s made up.””As soon as I saw the headlines I raced into the umpires’ room and that was their words: it’s a beat-up, nothing to worry about, absolutely fine,” Bayliss said. “You are allowed to clean the ball. [Umpire] Kumar Dharmasena had said to our guys – well both sides – that there is no problem but he would like them to do it in front of the umpires so they can see and there is nothing untoward.”Kumar said there is a bit of dirt and mud out there. It does get on the ball and in some of the seams. You are allowed to clean it off. Watching the footage, if he was scratching it, it was the wrong side to get it to reverse. I’m quite sure that wasn’t the case.”Kumar just said, don’t worry, there is absolutely nothing in it. His words were: it was a beat up – it’s made up.”

This latest non-story sustained what appears to be a pretty conscious campaign of sledging against the touring team that extends beyond the pitch and into the newspapers and broadcasts

Maybe England only have themselves to blame. In the days when they used to be bowled out by the likes of Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, allegations of ball tampering were never far from the surface – both from the media and the dressing room – while in the days when they were bowled out by Muttiah Muralitharan and Saeed Ajmal, whispers of suspect actions proliferated. On both occasions, there was a failure to appreciate the skill of the players. It’s not so long since a UK paper published a match-fixing expose that exposed nothing, too.And maybe, in the longer-term, broadcasters may seek to recalibrate commentary teams that are strong on cricketing experience – which is clearly a tremendous asset – but lacking in journalistic rigour. There are times when the Channel 9 commentary, predominantly staffed as it is by cricketers who have served Australia with distinction, becomes as partial as any broadcaster anywhere in the world. And yes, that includes the North Korean channel that only shows Kim Jong-un hitting holes in one on the golf course. While sitting on a unicorn.But this latest non-story sustained what appears to be a pretty conscious campaign of sledging against the touring team that extends beyond the pitch and into the newspapers and broadcasts. Had the boot been on the other foot, talk would have been of “whingeing Poms” (surely a pejorative expression used to describe a nationality; you wonder if it will be in circulation in 20 years) and a “doctored” pitch. Recall the reactions to England winning the Ashes in 2013 and 2015? Was it more ‘well played, England’ or ‘doctored Pom pitches define the series’? You decide.In the last couple of days, Michael Hussey – who was also vocal on the ball-tampering issue – had somehow misconstrued Stuart Broad’s concession that he “wasn’t competitive” in Perth into an admission that he hadn’t tried.Under the headline ‘Amazing ‘Broad didn’t try” (foxsports.com.au), Hussey said it was “unbelievable” that Broad was “almost saying he wasn’t trying hard enough in Perth”, which “you find amazing in an Ashes series”. Hussey signed off by wondering why Broad “hadn’t been working this hard in the lead-up to Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth”.England players sing the national anthem while the Australian media sings a different tune•Getty ImagesWhat Broad actually said was this: “I thought I bowled pretty well at Brisbane, okay at Adelaide, but very poorly in Perth. I didn’t find a good rhythm and that probably showed. All you can do as a top-flight sportsman is make sure your work ethic is always at the top level, that you are looking to improve and that you are competitive. I was not as competitive as I should have been in Perth. I wanted to improve that.”But why would we expect any better?When England scored at a run-rate of 2.58 in Brisbane, they were dubbed the “Bore-me Army” but when Australia scored at a rate of 2.51 they were praised for their determination.When Mike Atherton – a man who stood up to Allan Donald at his best in a particularly thrilling encounter – wrote a considered, nuanced piece suggesting some tailenders (whatever country they might be from) might need greater protection from the short ball to avoid serious injury, he was lampooned as a “whingeing Pom”.

It is relentless, it is cheap and, most of all, it is really, really boring

When Anderson suggested there wasn’t a huge amount of depth in Australia’s pace resources – a suggestion that has largely been vindicated by Jackson Bird’s attempt to stand in for Mitchell Starc (no bird has had a worse Christmas and plenty of turkeys have had a rough time of things) – it was dismissed as abusive and disrespectful.When the Jonny Bairstow buttgate incident was first reported, one newspaper’s page lead called it a “nightclub attack” while Moeen Ali – that’s the Muslim Moeen Ali – was recently asked if he was going “to be able to keep out of the pub” for a few days. It is relentless, it is cheap, it is hysterical, it is parochial and, most of all, it is really, really boring.Cricket is sinking into the mire of its own hogwash. If the Ashes, of all contests, needs this sort of tosh to remain of interest to the general public, we are in real trouble.

India had recovered from a poor start with the ball by the time Hardik Pandya was brought on, but it remained a key period of the Test. It quickly went their way

Nagraj Gollapudi at Trent Bridge19-Aug-2018In 2012, after he had hit his second Test century at Edgbaston, West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin unfolded a piece of paper saying: “YEH, VIV, TALK NAH.” That was Ramdin’s way of hitting back at former West Indies captain Viv Richards, who had been critical of him for constantly failing to deliver. Richards, who was at Edgbaston, had said he had questioned Ramdin only after he realised that the latter had lost confidence in his ability.Last week, another West Indies legend, Michael Holding told ESPNcricinfo that Hardik Pandya was not yet good enough as an international allrounder. Holding pointed out that, as a bowler, Pandya lacked the consistency and control to create the pressure to get the wickets and become the man your captain would throw the ball to as a frontline seamer.On Sunday at Trent Bridge, Pandya broke the back of England’s batting with his maiden five-wicket haul. But he did not take any sheet of paper out of his pocket, scribbled on which was: “YEH, MIKEY, TALK NAH.” He did not need to.If anything Pandya, usually a jump horse, went about quietly galloping over England. Pandya had replaced Jasprit Bumrah from the Radcliffe Road end about an hour into the afternoon session. Bumrah and Mohammed Shami had wasted helpful conditions in the half hour before lunch, allowing Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings to their best opening partnership of this series, which had come at a fair clip.Ishant Sharma immediately swung the momentum back in India’s favour, mainly by bowling fuller with a straighter seam. Shami was failing to find his rhythm and Bumrah was not bowling with a straighter seam. Both of them were also not bowling full. But post lunch, Ishant brought the focus back and India, according to CricViz, swung the ball 30% more compared to pre-lunch.When Pandya was given the ball, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow were just settling down, but they were not on a sure footing. There was a huge responsibility on Pandya, unlike, in the past because R Ashwin had a stiff hip and was off the field for more than an hour post lunch. In the past, Pandya would be the towel that other fast bowlers could use to mop their sweat. He would bowl a short spell of a few overs, rarely creating any dent.And if he failed with the bat, which is not uncommon, the question clearly then was: why is Pandya in the team when he actually affects the balance? Why not play a specialist bowler or batsman? That is exactly what Holding wanted to know. It could have been any other allrounder, but the question would be the same: is that person actually being effective in the role given to him?In the spotlight: Hardik Pandya leads India off the field•Getty ImagesAs the fourth bowler, in hospitable conditions for seam bowling, Pandya had a key responsibility in this innings. The first ball suggested he was up for the challenge. The delivery that forced an edge off Root was on a good length and seaming away, delivered from close to the stumps. There was some unnecessary kerfuffle about the catch, taken low by KL Rahul at second slip, but there could not be any dispute about how Pandya had hit the right length immediately.As Aleem Dar, the third umpire, upheld the on-field umpire’s decision, India captain Virat Kohli raised a cry of joy, as did several other India players. The architect of the wicket, Pandya, remained quiet, smiled, with hands crossed in front of the chest – as if he were posing for a magazine photo shoot.Pandya’s best wicket was that of Bairstow, which he earned by pushing the length much fuller from wide of the crease. Bairstow’s trigger movement was to go back in his crease, but the ball was moving away with the seam and took the edge. Pandya’s thinking mind came to the fore when he banged in a short ball to surprise Chris Woakes, who gloved to be brilliantly caught by debutant Rishabh Pant using quick reflexes to pouch it even while his momentum was taking him another way.Admirably, Pandya sustained the discipline and kept pressure on England ball after ball in the spell lasting half-a-dozen overs. It came on the back of the 17 overs he had bowled at Lord’s, the most he has bowled in an innings in his 10-Test career. It meant Pandya was a willing learner.Off the 36 balls delivered on Sunday, Pandya pitched 30 on full or good length (83%), a massive improvement compared to the first two Tests. At Lord’s, Pandya hit 67 out of 103 on full or good length (65%), which was 13% more than at Edgbaston, where the count was 31 out of 60.One man Pandya should thank is Ishant, who was constantly in his ear reminding him about the bowling plan. Before each over began, Ishant walked up to Pandya to have a word. At one point, Ishant used both hands to touch his temples, asking Pandya to not lose the focus and the rhythm he had built. This after Pandya had taken Woakes’ wicket. Having seen Sam Curran run away with the prize at Edgbaston in the second innings when England were on the mat at 87 for 7, Ishant did not want India to get distracted.When Pandya got his fifth wicket, it was Ishant who got the ball form the umpire and handed it to Pandya in the team huddle. Pandya flicked it across his long fingers as he waved to Trent Bridge. The fans gave him a hearty applause.Watching from the Radcliffe Road end, Holding too gave an appreciative nod to Pandya. “Moving conditions,” he said. Holding was not being mean. Holding is a plain-speaking man, not emotional usually. He calls it as he sees it. Before today, he had seen Pandya not creating any impact. On Sunday, Pandya did, and Holding enjoyed it.Pandya might say he never heard what Holding had to say. If he did, he should be the first to acknowledge he was right. And Pandya will tell Holding: he is here to stay.