All posts by n8rngtd.top

The cricket was of high quality but the same can’t be said about the music and entertainment. Are such gimmicks required?

Benjamin Golby19-Jan-2011Choice of game
I’ve trundled along to all of the Big Bash matches at the WACA this season. I try to make it to as much of the domestic contest as I am able but the sheer amount of cricket, coupled with Western Australia’s doleful performance in recent years, takes the zest from being one of those few faithful who sparingly dot the stands at Shield games. There is a sense of occasion about the Big Bash though which draws not only me, but thronged crowds to the series. Unfortunately Western Australia’s miserable outings in their previous two home games have done little to justify such strong support. They were embarrassingly crushed by both Tasmania and South Australia in defeats not merely demoralising, but utterly dull cricket, the sort which makes you question whether there is even any merit to the Twenty20 format.So then my expectations were low setting off for the match. However having witnessed Victoria crush Western Australia in the first one-day fixture of the season I imagined that at least the visitors might provide a performance of interest. I was proven quite wrong for Western Australia bowled and fielded magnificently to curtail the Victorians to a modest total. The hosts then carried on to achieve the target in cool and convincing manner.Team supported
Holding a partisan attitude within Australian domestic cricket is a practice which has dulled over the ages. While I hold a lingering devotion toward my home state of Western Australia, supporting our cricket team is a disappointing past-time. I can’t claim the feeling to be entirely absent but attend with a more objective air to observe those who would make claims to national selection or otherwise distinguish themselves. I did not expect Western Australia to win, or at least certainly not in such an emphatic manner. While I am glad that they did so, I am far more pleased to have been treated to what was a fairly decent cricket match.Key performer
Shaun Marsh was the deserved Man of the Match with an elegant and salient 93 not out. Marsh was sublime, his innings dignified and composed with a succession of textbook dispatches to the boundary along with shrewd singles and twos. This was in sharp contrast to his team-mates and particularly his only partner of any length, Luke Pomersbach. That gentleman was hit-and-miss in his slapdash 35, a few clubbed sixes to mask his more ungainly moments of desperate and unsuccessful power hitting. This latest proof of pedigree from Marsh in what has been a summer of some promise not merely elevates him above his team-mates, but stands him in good stead for his national call-up which will, in good faith, occur on Friday in Hobart.The other two players of distinction in tonight’s match were Aaron Finch and Michael Hogan. Finch’s determined 61 was impressive in an otherwise inglorious innings. Hogan, who replaced Sajid Mahmood, was wonderful from his first ball, an inswinging yorker to dismiss Brad Hodge. He took four vital wickets to stamp Western Australia’s authority upon the game. One feels a deal of sympathy for Mahmood. His career has been plagued with a certain amount of bad luck and now his cushy jaunt to Australia, which must be a welcome reprieve from bleak Bolton in January, has come to an ignominious end.Player watch
Such is the cosy atmosphere of the WACA, where the visiting team descends to the field through the Eastern Member’s Stand, one is able to observe a good amount of players’ personalities. When Victoria were here last Cameron White lustily sung along with The Temper Trap but unfortunately the captain was absent today to fulfill his national duties. However it was nice to watch Dwayne Bravo unwearyingly pose for such a lot of photographs, and the entire team was very gracious in the manner they went about interacting with the crowd. I was tickled to watch James Pattinson walk up to some young lad who had pad and pen in hand but was completely oblivious to the player, and ask him if he would like his autograph.Late in the match Matt Prior dropped a howler of a catch from Pomersbach after he nearly collided with Bravo down the ground. He was heartily endorsed from then on by those seated near to him on the boundary and warmly applauded in every return made. It greatly pleased me to see that Prior revelled in the humour of the situation and wore a broad grin. For some reason I had him down as rather a lout and I was glad to be proven wrong.In Western Australia much focus has centred upon Chris Gayle who has unfortunately been fairly underwhelming. I do hope he stays with the team for it is such a delight to have him regardless of his batting. I have just enjoyed trying to decipher his Twitter which is a wonderful haze of “LOL”, mention of Nandos, and other endearing adventures within Perth.The Western Australian player I would set down to watch is the youngster Tom Beaton. He did not bat today but I feel he has a future ahead of him. He first caught my eye as an aide in warm-up practices with the Australian team during the Test due to the hideous rat’s tail which is his unfortunate chosen coiffure. He impressed me with his brutally strong and accurate arm though and was promising in his debut Twenty20 against Tasmania.Shot of the day
It is hard to bypass Marsh’s majestic array of shots but I believe the honour for this in fact goes to Finch. Finch has a tendency to bludgeon in an unattractive manner, on brutal display in his impressive pair of games for Australia just recently. In fact when circumstance does not dictate it, he is a fine player of sophistication and gentility. This was on crystalline display for what was my shot of the match. During the seventh over Finch but merely feathered a wayward delivery from Gayle in a stunning late cut shot to the boundary. Amid the slaughter and truncheon of the format, here was divinity.Crowd meter
Tonight’s match was one of quality and beguiling interest. However the most prescient and enduring quality of the evening was its atmosphere. Perth turned out in large numbers to the first two home matches of the Big Bash but such support was clearly lacking tonight. The western grass embankment and Inverarity Stand, shaded from the discomfiting late afternoon sun, were crowded but the member’s was sparse and the eastern part of the ground was desolate. The official attendance was not announced but I doubt it was more than 7000, a far cry from the nearly filled ground earlier in the series. It certainly had its impact upon the match and lessened the spectacle and trumpery associated with the 20-over format. I must say though that this was a thoroughly good thing and drew the focus of the ground on to the cricket rather than some sort of dreary and extroverted theatre. It was a pleasant rather than exciting atmosphere with something of the air of a weary but glowing Sunday afternoon.While this was very agreeable to me I must admit that it gave way to some grave doubts on my behalf for the future of the series. As Twenty20 settles down and becomes cricket, there will be inevitable dullness which dwindle the masses. The fervour that accompanied the incorporation of international players two seasons back has begun to fade and it seems an endless wave of gimmicks are required to maintain interest. Attempting to garner greater interest for cricket is a worthy task but I fear that the series is perhaps unsustainable. Such is the only conclusion to be drawn from the eerie atmosphere of this evening at least.Entertainment
I struggle to grasp what sort of target audience is attempted for in the entertainment put on by the WACA. It seems to be lowest common denominator, something which is entirely unsuitable for the game. Mercifully their garish and embarrassing excuses for diversion were somewhat mollified for the early part of the evening in recognition of the underwhelming crowd. It seems that the cretins put in charge of proceedings cannot help themselves though and they began to make their presence felt as the game progressed.The chief object of hate is the muppet who has featured as emcee of the matches this season. This portly fool is successor to Ryan Campbell but lacks that gallant’s winning charm no matter how commercial it may have been. The heir instead roams the ground making a loud nuisance of himself, saying nothing of interest about cricket but everything else that might be obnoxious and lousy in booming tones over the loudspeaker. He is that sort of abject, loathsome object who makes a fool of himself in public spaces thinking himself a font of humour but in reality a mere extroverted and annoying lump.It is the music which is the most jarring aspect of the event though. Music was used initially in cricket to rally batsmen to their favourite tune or mark the change of bowler. It was perhaps coarse but acceptable and indeed revealed an interesting facet of cricketers. In Twenty20 music becomes a constant invasion, numbingly loud and divorced from its surroundings interrupting between every ball. The chief make-up of a cricket match is middle-aged men and their sons. In the case of Twenty20 families sometimes attend. One would think then that the music chosen would be of the inoffensive but comforting sort – the Beatles, Kinks, Troggs etc, perhaps some Motown, Michael Jackson and whatnot. The DJ is a bizarre tastemaker though weaving a hideous blend of that sort of weak and noisome hit found on beer-drinking anthem compilations along with completely inappropriate selections from the Eurodisco catalogue and the weaker kind of dance trash which fills the more desperate type of nightclub – David Guetta, Black Eyed Peas etc. It’s unnecessary, un-enjoyed, and should be reviewed.Overall
It was a pleasure to watch such a good match of cricket and have my faith in the format justified. I certainly feel the mark has been missed somewhat in the Big Bash but hope that measures will be taken to steer it back to optimistic waters. There is more that is good in the 20-over format than that which is annoying and Cricket Australia should draw upon these strengths for the future when the fads run dry.

New Zealand’s new captain, Ross Taylor, wants more players to step up, and is keen to retain his attacking batting style, and to use Vettori’s experience to take the team forward

Interview by Brydon Coverdale23-Jun-2011″I have a good relationship with Dan. He’s always good to get some ideas from, on the way the team is tracking”•AFPNew Zealand have only won two of their last 21 Tests. How can you turn this around?
We’re always striving for consistency and we haven’t quite found the right balance. That’s the ultimate test of any captain of New Zealand – to get the team performing on a consistent basis – and I’m no different. We’ve got the talent in our squad and we just have to get the best out of individuals. If we can get a good core of senior players and get them up the world rankings, we’ll be a better team for that.Do you think the team have sometimes had the mindset that a draw is as good as a win?
I think sometimes we probably did feel that way. The way Test cricket is going, there are not a lot of draws these days. The only time there are draws are if the wicket is really flat or if the weather plays a part. The way Test cricket is played, Tests are won more often than not. We need to have that mindset. If we go out there just to draw series, we’re going to get ourselves into trouble. If we go out there to win, it’s a nice positive mindset to have.Your first Test series as captain will be in Zimbabwe. Will there be extra pressure, knowing you are expected to win?
It’s probably not a bad thing. We’re not favourites against many teams. We went over as favourites against Bangladesh and the result was different. But it’s an exciting time for New Zealand cricket. We’ve got a good core of young cricketers coming through the ranks, and I’m sure over the next couple of years these players will get some exposure, and it’ll be a good time for New Zealand cricket. I’m looking forward to leading the team out against Zimbabwe.When you’ve been stand-in captain, your batting has lifted. Is that a conscious focus – to lead by example?
I think so. It’s one of the things I’ve taken from Dan’s captaincy. He was always leading from the front, and I think one of the biggest things with leadership is to lead from the front. If you do that, others will follow. I’ve been happy with the way I’ve batted when I have captained the team, and I look forward to doing it when I’m captain full-time.Is there part of you that thinks as captain you need to rein in some of the big, risky shots?
Probably a little bit of that comes into it with a bit more responsibility. But I’ve got to this part of my career with the way I play, and I can’t see why I should do anything differently. The older you get, the more experienced you get, and the better you’ll hone your technique and mental skills. The biggest thing I can do is still play the way I know how to play.What have you learnt from the various captains you’ve played under?
They’ve all had their own way of going about things, but they’ve all been good. I’ve learnt a lot from Stephen Fleming, one of the best captains in world cricket, and Dan Vettori – the way he led from the front. In the IPL it was brilliant to play under Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid and see the way they went about things, and Shane Warne and the aggressive nature that he had. Warnie is one of the most aggressive captains. One of the things I learnt from Warnie, and admired about him, was trying to get the best out of the team and individuals, and just winning from anywhere. If you have a mindset of winning from any situation then more often than not those tight games will go your way. There’s a lot of hard work but I was very fortunate to play with those captains.Will it feel odd captaining Daniel Vettori after he has done the job for so long?
I think it will be a little bit strange, but I have a good relationship with Dan. It will be nice to have his presence in the dressing room as well. He’s got huge respect amongst the players. He’s always good to get some ideas from, on the way the team is tracking. He’s still undecided on whether he’s going to play one-dayers this year, but at least we’ll have him in the Test arena.

“If we can be somewhere from fourth to sixth in 12 months I think that would be a realistic goal”

There has sometimes been a feeling the side has relied too heavily on Daniel. Does that need to change?
If we’ve only got one or two players we rely on, we’ll keep being inconsistent. We need to breed some leaders, and some players who need to step up. We can’t afford to only have two or three. We need a good core of seven or eight players to stand up on any given day, and the more players we can get, if we can extend that out to eight, nine, 10, 11, then I think we’ll be a strong team.Who are the young guys who can step up?
The first name that comes to mind is Kane Williamson. He’s got a big future with New Zealand. He’s playing county cricket, and I’m sure he’s learning a lot. There are also some players who haven’t played for New Zealand, or who have only played a couple of games. We’ve got some exciting young fast bowlers coming through. Adam Milne was clocked up to 150kph against Pakistan in the two Twenty20 games he played. He’s an exciting young talent. There are some others like Doug Bracewell, Ben Wheeler, Bevan Small coming through the ranks. They are exciting young prospects. Something that we haven’t had a lot of is depth in our fast bowlers, but the group of players coming through is very exciting.What do you enjoy about working with John Wright?
He had a lot of success with India, but he’s very passionate about New Zealand. He likes to bring a lot of passion to the team. We both respect each other, probably have similar views on a lot of things, and are probably a little bit old-school in some respects. We both hate losing. I had a good relationship with Wrighty when I was a vice-captain, and I look forward to working with him more.New Zealand are eighth in the Test rankings, ahead of only Bangladesh. What is your long-term goal for the side?
The ultimate is to sit up at No. 1 or 2, and not that long ago – probably at the start of my career – we weren’t too far away from that. But we’re down the bottom, and in some ways that’s probably a nice thing – the only way to go from here is upwards. We’ve got some big series coming up, against Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. If we play like we know we can play on a more consistent basis, then I’m sure we’ll go up those rankings.How far do you think the side can progress within the next year?
We go to Zimbabwe, then to Australia, then Zimbabwe come here, then we’ve got South Africa here, and we go to the Caribbean after that. We’re eighth in the Test rankings. If we can be somewhere from fourth to sixth in 12 months, I think that would be a realistic goal. That’s something I think we can attain in the next 12 to 18 months.

Jos Buttler’s thoughtful manner is at odds with the dynamic, explosive brand of batting that has turned heads on the county scene for the last two seasons and has now led to further honours in the international arena

Liam Brickhill26-Aug-2011Grounded, calm and realistic are not words one would usually associate with a 20 year old, but Somerset’s Jos Buttler – called up by England for the first time on Friday – is all of the above. Buttler’s thoughtful, almost self-deprecating manner is also at odds with the dynamic, explosive brand of batting that has turned heads on the county scene for the last two seasons and has now led to further honours in the international arena.”I know there are a hell of a lot of good players in English cricket, English cricket is very healthy at the moment and there is a lot of competition out there,” Buttler told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s obviously nice to be thought of in that context.”Indeed, Buttler has been thought of as a future England cricketer for some time, and that with less than two full seasons of county cricket under his belt. His call-up seems to be the culmination of a veritably meteoric rise, Buttler’s senior Somerset debut having come as recently as the end of the 2009 season, but even a cursory glance at the performances that led to his apprenticeship as a professional cricketer show that there’s always been something special about him.He broke several records at King’s College in Taunton, thrashing 227 not out in a national schools game in 2008 – an innings that Dennis Breakwell, the former Somerset allrounder and coach and groundsman at King’s College, said “warrants every accolade it can get” – and, almost inevitably, found his way into Somerset’s Second XI. By the following year, a full-time county career beckoned and England Under-19 had come calling.It was not until 2010, however, his first full season with Somerset, that his talents began to reach a wider audience. His maiden first-class century arrived against Hampshire in May, and in one-day cricket his clear-minded and quick-footed batting helped him to 440 runs, including a 37-ball 64 against Lancashire and a blistering 33-ball 90 in Somerset’s annihilation of Glamorgan, at 55.00 in the CB40.And then there were the Twenty20 knocks, most notably his 23-ball 55 in the midst of an unbroken 75-run stand, in just over six overs, with Kieron Pollard in the semi-final win over Nottinghamshire at the Rose Bowl. It wasn’t the first time Buttler and Pollard had combined with explosive results, nor was it the last – their barnstorming 66-run partnership at at Trent Bridge carried Somerset through to Finals Day this season.”Kieron is obviously one of the best if not the best Twenty20 player,” said Buttler. “He goes around and he just does his thing. It’s been brilliant to have a few partnerships with him. You know you can almost play with no pressure when you’ve got a guy like that at the other end. He’s very cool and calm obviously and he passes that effect on to me and keeps me nice and calm.”Obviously we’re very different batsmen. Kieron can hit you pretty much anywhere, and hit you a long way. He can really put the bowlers off their game, which helps me too. It’s been good fun batting with him, I’ve enjoyed it.”There’s certainly something complementary in Buttler and Pollard’s contrasting styles, and while Buttler has no trouble clearing the ropes when the situation demands it, he also has the priceless ability to manipulate the ball in virtually any direction. He’s used the paddle scoop – a shot that he watched Tillakaratne Dilshan and others play with increasing regularity as a teenager – over the wicketkeeper’s head to good effect in virtually every one of his match-turning limited-overs innings, and it’s a shot he’s worked very hard to perfect.”I practice it, a lot. It started from just playing around in the nets, trying to work on different shots, and with one-day cricket you’ve got to have a good range of shots. One of those shots is trying to scoop it over the keeper’s head, which I’ve had some success at. I want to be able to hit the ball through 360 degrees, so whatever field the bowler sets I can find a gap in it.”There aren’t any fielders behind the keeper, and if you can play that shot against yorkers, you take the yorker out of the game for the bowlers, and that’s probably the most bowled delivery at the death of the match. Cricket has evolved, innovation has become a huge part of one-day cricket. So you pick things up, you try to copy them, and then use the shot to the best of your ability.”Having found his natural groove so early, Buttler has time on his side to expand his game – readily accepting that it could be 10 years before he realises his full potential – but there is already an enviable completeness to his limited-overs game. “He knows his game inside out, knows where he wants to hit boundaries,” Andy Hurry, Buttler’s coach at Somerset, has said. “His one day game is nailed on.””I’ve had more success in limited-overs cricket so far,” agrees Buttler, “which you might say is natural for a youngster who doesn’t have much experience in the first-class game. But once I play a few more games I’ll be able to find a way of going about a first-class innings and setting my own tempo. I think in one-day cricket the situation dictates to you how you have to play, so that’s the way I look at it. Once I become a bit more mature with my four-day game, certainly I could have success in that as well.”His willingness to soak in ideas and lessons will surely stand Buttler in good stead, and he has a fine cricketing brain to pick and learn from in Marcus Trescothick, his captain at Somerset. “Having watched Marcus play for England, and now to be sharing a dressing room with him was quite surreal, to start with,” admitted Buttler. “But he’s a down to earth guy, a brilliant team-mate and a good captain too. He’s great to talk to about different things and he’s only too happy to help me and the other youngsters try and develop our games. He’s been a huge asset for me and the other youngsters, and Somerset, as our captain.”Trescothick has spoken of his young charge in glowing terms, as has virtually every county hack on the scene, but the encouragement of others means nothing without self-belief. Fortunately, Buttler isn’t lacking in that department either.”I definitely feel ready [for the next level]. Why not? If someone’s picking me for that, they obviously believe in me. And why shouldn’t you believe in yourself as well? You have to.”Playing for England is where you want to be. I’m no different from any other county cricketer, we all want to play for England. And Test cricket is the pinnacle of that. I’d definitely want to be involved in that. I know I’ve got a long way to go and a few things to work on, but if I can put in a few good performances and score some runs, hopefully that can happen.”

As the Sydney Cricket Ground’s 100th Test approaches, ESPNcricinfo looks back at some of the most famous – and infamous – Tests at the venue

Brydon Coverdale02-Jan-2012The Demon takes ten
Ninety-four Tests have been played at the SCG since the 1884-85 battle between Hugh Massie’s Australians and Arthur Shrewsbury’s England. Only once has the result been any closer than the six-run victory the Australians achieved in this Test. And it was a ten-wicket match for “The Demon”, Fred Spofforth, that secured Australia’s win. England were left requiring 214 for victory and at 6 for 92, their hopes appeared dashed. But a 102-run stand between Wilf Flowers and Maurice Read brought them to within 20 runs of victory with four wickets in hand. Spofforth broke the partnership. When the last man came in, 15 were needed and, as described by , “the excitement round the ground and in the pavillion and stand was intense”. With seven runs required, Spofforth had Flowers caught at point from a rising ball to finish the Test.Tip Foster’s debut
The 17th Test played at the SCG was described by in glowing terms. “A finer game has rarely been seen in Australia,” the almanac said of the first Ashes Test of the 1903-04 season. England won by five wickets but the match is best known for the innings of Tip Foster, whose 287 remains comfortably the highest score on debut by a Test cricketer. The almanack reported that the latter part of Foster’s innings was “described on all hands as something never surpassed”. The timeless match went into the sixth day, England achieving their chase of 194 with five wickets in hand.McCabe vs Bodyline
Australia entered the first Test of the 1932-33 Ashes without Don Bradman, unavailable due to illness, and with the challenge of handling England’s Bodyline tactics in a Test for the first time. When Stan McCabe, 22, came to the wicket Australia were 3 for 82, and Harold Larwood and Bill Voce were bowling bumper after bumper with seven leg-side fielders. The journalist Ray Robinson wrote of McCabe: “Without a flinch, he stood up to the fearsome bowling; he hooked the short balls as if there were no danger to his ribs or skull, and as if he were unaware of the battalion of catch-awaiting fieldsmen, covered by outer scouts ready for the lofted ball”. In four hours, he scored 187 not out. Later, McCabe said: “It was really an impulsive, senseless innings, a gamble that should not have been made but came off against all the odds”.The Bradman and Barnes show
The 405-run partnership between Sid Barnes and Don Bradman, set in the 1946-47 Ashes Test, still stands as the highest fifth-wicket stand in Test history, and the largest Test partnership at the SCG. Both men finished with 234. Barnes batted throughout the second day and until nearly 6pm on the third day. His innings was interrupted early by a fierce storm, and when play resumed conditions were difficult. But Barnes settled in for a long one. He batted for 649 minutes. Bradman’s equivalent score took only 397 minutes, despite him batting without a runner, with a leg injury and sporting a pronounced limp. Together they batted England out of the Test, which Australia won by an innings and 33 runs.Illingworth’s Ashes triumph
England’s first Ashes series win in Australia in 16 years was confirmed at the SCG in 1970-71, the seventh Test added after the Melbourne Test was washed out. England entered the Test with a 1-0 lead; Australia went in needing victory and with a new captain, Ian Chappell, after Bill Lawry became the first Australian captain to be sacked mid-series. The England captain, Ray Illingworth, led his players off the field as tempers became frayed following an altercation between a spectator and the fast bowler John Snow, who had hit Terry Jenner in the head with a bouncer. By his cricketing deeds, Illingworth led by example, top scoring in the first innings with 42 on a difficult pitch, and he took 3 for 39 as Australia failed to chase down 223 in the fourth innings.Brian Lara’s first Test hundred, a wonderful innings of 277, came at the SCG in 1993•Getty ImagesAustralia end West Indies’ streak
In 1984-85, Clive Lloyd’s West Indians entered the SCG Test without having lost a Test in 27 matches. Against a struggling Australia, who had won only one of their past 13 Tests, an end to that streak seemed unlikely. But on a turning Sydney pitch, West Indies were left to rue their decision to leave out their offspinner, Roger Harper, as Australia piled up 471 in the first innings, Kepler Wessels top scoring with 173. Australia’s spin duo of Bob Holland and Murray Bennett ran through West Indies for 163 and, in the follow-on, 253. It was West Indies’ first innings defeat since the 1960s, and the final Test appearance for Lloyd.Lara’s 277
Australian spectators who sat in the stands at the SCG in 1992-93 knew they were witnessing a star in the making when Brian Lara, in his fifth Test, scored 277. It was the first of his 34 Test hundreds, and at the time the biggest Test score in Australia in nearly three decades. Lara gave one chance, low to Steve Waugh at gully on 172, and could not be removed until he called for a quick single and was sent back by Carl Hooper, failing to beat Damien Martyn’s throw from cover. The batting of Lara was so sublime that Richie Richardson, who scored 109 at the other end, said afterwards: “I can hardly remember my hundred. It was difficult playing and being a spectator at the same time”.de Villiers demolishes Australia
January 6, 1994 was one of the most remarkable days of Test cricket the SCG has seen. Australia were in a position from which they could not have expected to lose. Shane Warne had taken 12 wickets over the first four days, including 7 for 56 in the first innings as he showed his array of tricks – twice getting rid of his bunny Daryll Cullinan. At the start of the final morning, Australia were 4 for 63, their target of 117 a mere formality – or so it appeared. But in the first over of the fifth day, Allan Border offered no shot to Allan Donald and was bowled as the ball cut back in and took his off bail. From there, Donald and Fanie de Villiers, who took ten wickets for the match, ran through Australia’s lower order. Damien Martyn was the last recognised batsman but was struggling to score, and from his 59th delivery, chased a wide half-volley and was caught at cover for 6. He would not play another Test for more than six years. The No.11 Glenn McGrath came to the crease with seven runs required and could do little but bunt a slower ball back to de Villiers for a return catch. Donald later described the match, which ended in a five-run win for South Africa, as the best Test he played in.Steve Waugh’s last-over hundred
England won the dead rubber in 2002-03, but the Test was all about one man: Australia’s captain, Steve Waugh. Under pressure after averaging less than 30 in his previous 16 Tests, Waugh, 37, knew the match could be his last. He was not ready to go. On the second day, Waugh worked his way to a century, but entered the final over of the day still needing five to reach triple figures. The offspinner Richard Dawson sent down three balls that were defended, and from the fourth, Waugh took three from a square drive. He was off strike. Two deliveries remained. His partner Adam Gilchrist found a single, and Waugh was left on strike on 98 with one ball left. He duly crunched Dawson through extra cover for a boundary, bringing roars from his home crowd and, no doubt, from many of the 2.1 million TV viewers in Australia who had tuned in. The moment has been etched in Australian Test folklore. It didn’t lead to a series whitewash, but it did buy Waugh another year of Test cricket.Bollyline
The last time Australia and India met at the SCG, in 2007-08, the Test was memorable for all the wrong reasons. There was the allegation that Harbhajan Singh racially abused Andrew Symonds; there was the perception that Australia were appealing excessively, and the series of umpiring mistakes that occurred along the way; there was doubt over whether catches had carried and there was India’s belief that Australia’s excessive celebrations in victory were boorish. The biggest of the umpiring blunders allowed Symonds a let-off on 30, when Steve Bucknor called not out for what Symonds later admitted was a thick edge behind. He went on to make 162 not out. The match finished late on the fifth day, when Michael Clarke took three wickets in an over to secure victory for Australia when a draw looked inevitable. After the Test, India’s captain Anil Kumble said that “only one team was playing with the spirit of the game”. It was the low point in a series full of tension.

Paul Nixon liked to think he was pushing the boundary every time he played. And it hurt him when he found the management didn’t appreciate his efforts

Jon Culley08-Jul-2012When Paul Nixon called time on his playing career, he put every ounce of the energy that had driven him through 22 years as a professional cricketer into making sure he went out at the top and pulled it off as his final game in England ended with Leicestershire crowned Twenty20 champions for the third time.The veteran wicketkeeper had made a major contribution too, snaring a brilliant catch to limit the destructive West Indian Kieron Pollard to just a single, as Somerset failed to chase down the 146 runs they needed to win the final at Edgbaston. That catch – an extraordinary one-handed effort diving full length to his right – and the feel of the trophy in his hands gave him images that would forever illuminate his memory.Hardly surprising, then, that the letter he found on the doormat a few days later left a nasty taste. It was from Alan Fordham, Head of Operations (first-class cricket) at the ECB, and Nixon recalls the contents in his newly published autobiography, , written by the paper’s cricket correspondent Michael Atherton, that had made specific reference to “unacceptable levels of sledging” by Nixon, in particular towards Jos Buttler, Somerset’s then 20-year-old batsman, who was, according to the report, “visibly upset at the close”. And Paul Haywood, the Leicestershire chairman, had told Nixon that “something had been picked up from the stump mic” to the effect that he had said “something derogatory about [Buttler’s] mum”.”It left a bitter taste for a short period,” Nixon said at the launch of the book at Grace Road. “For years England have talked about breeding tough cricketers, people who want to win. The English public love characters who show their emotion – Gazza, Stuart Pearce, Daley Thompson, Ian Botham.”For me it was my last game, in a final. I had to win because it meant so much. So to have a bit of banter with a batsman, without an umpire telling me off, without anyone complaining… and I get a letter like that.”When Jos shook my hand as we came off the field, he was so disappointed they had lost the game he wouldn’t look me in the eye. I kept hold of his hand and said, ‘Come on, you’re better than that – I knew you could win that game because you’re a good player. We play hard on the pitch and have a beer together afterwards.'”When I saw him after the game at the drugs test, we had a chuckle about it. He told me he was just gutted that they didn’t win. He said, ‘Well done’, I said, ‘Good luck’, and we parted on decent terms.”Nixon was only 19 when he made his Leicestershire debut, but so far as he recalls, he was never shy about giving verbal expression to his competitive edge, even in a dressing room in which the fearsome Peter Willey could reduce a young player to a trembling wreck with little more than a stare.”It was never something I was timid about doing. I used to give a bit of stick to help keep me focused. As a wicketkeeper you use it as a tactic. Batsmen work on their mental drills, their routines. If you can interrupt his mental routines you’ve got him.”I have always been like that. I was brought up in a very competitive environment, playing village cricket in Cumbria, and people cared about winning. There was always banter. Sometimes there was close to fighting. The rivalry was huge.

“When England played Sri Lanka in the 2007 World Cup, it was the most mentally disintegrating experience I have had against any opposition, but I respected them for it because they wanted to win”

“But there is a line that you don’t cross. You can have funny comments about things but you don’t abuse people about family or illnesses or things like that.”The suggestion that I said something about Jos’ mother was ridiculous. Whether it was something that sounded that way on the stump mic, I don’t know, but as soon as I heard that this was what it was about, I phoned Tres [Marcus Trescothick]. He said he had heard nothing and then he called Jos, who said he had heard nothing either.”I was disappointed with what Athers had written because I really respect his journalism. I think he is a magnificent writer and broadcaster. As I said in the book, if he had asked me what had happened I would have told him.”I can laugh about it now but I think England should have people who want to win. I’ve played in international games where the opposition have ripped me to pieces because they want to win. In my experience the Sri Lankans are the worst – more so even than Australia. When England played Sri Lanka in the 2007 World Cup, a game where Ravi [Bopara] and I got runs, it was the most mentally disintegrating experience I have had against any opposition, but I respected them for it because they wanted to win. They push that boundary as far as they can because ultimately our jobs are about delivering victories.”Nixon’s participation in the World Cup to which he referred came about because, late in his career, England did recognise his competitive edge, calling him into the one-day squad sent to Australia in January 2007, charged with salvaging some national pride after an Ashes whitewash.It was an experience that began with a handwritten note under his hotel room door from Duncan Fletcher, whose concern about the mental state of England’s Test players was sufficient for him to ask the newcomers to stay away from them for as long as possible. “It was a strange introduction but he did not want us to be infected with any negativity,” Nixon said.Fletcher asked Nixon to address the senior players about his approach to the game, particularly with regard to T20, in which he had enjoyed success already with Leicestershire. It was a moment Nixon recalled for Andrew Flintoff “looking bored and distracted throughout” and noted that “at one point I thought I saw him roll his eyes”. Yet he developed a respect for Flintoff even though he was party – as a member of the same late-drinking group and fined for his trouble – to the pedalo incident that earned the ex-captain the biggest dressing-down of his career, after which the players were summoned to an 8am team meeting to explain themselves to Fletcher, with Flintoff lying on his back on a physio’s bench in the corner of the room, sand still sticking to his legs.”In some ways Freddie was unfortunate to have played in an era when players’ behaviour is under so much scrutiny,” Nixon said. “When I was a young player, if someone did something a bit naughty it might be on the back page but the next day it was fish-and-chip paper. Nowadays it goes online and stays there forever.”Freddie is a guy who can go out for a beer and rock up the day after and bowl at 90mph and be a class act on the field. But times have changed these days and you have to do everything right.”Doing everything right is a theme through the book, from Nixon’s now well-documented rejection of a match-fixing attempt to the extraordinary steps he took to overcome a condition – something between dyslexia and attention deficit disorder – that for many years left him muddle-headed, forgetful and unable to read more than a few pages of a book without developing a headache. Now he has written one of his own and it is an absorbing, informative and honest account of a rich life in the game.Keeping Quiet
by Paul Nixon
The History Press Ltd, 2012
£17.99, 224pp

The side taking part at Lord’s has men to admire but not players to revere

Mark Nicholas18-May-2012There was something quite sad about the second day at Lord’s, a sense of resignation to the facts. England’s runs came at a decent rate and without alarm. In part this was due to organised batting but mainly it was because West Indies were not much good with the ball. If that appears unkind, it is not to question the players’ commitment. Rather it is to say that the flair which once made West Indies both such an attraction and a threat was nowhere in sight.The selection of a fourth seamer in place of the in-form offspinner Shane Shillingford was crass. Even in the glory days of four fast bowlers, Roger Harper might have got a game on a surface like this. The mitigation is that this Lord’s pitch is drier and slower than predicted but five days is a long time without the variety of a competent slow bowler. Shillingford’s ten-wicket bag against Australia in Dominica counted for nothing it seems. Generally, it is wiser to pick teams on the quality of the players not a suspicion of the pitches.During the lunch break, the shrill of a mobile phone startled the occupants of the media centre lift. IPL music rang out and immediately those of us squeezed into the tiny space began to reflect on the West Indians who are absent at Lord’s. Chris Gayle is the obvious one. Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are the others at the IPL. Ramnaresh Sarwan is playing for Leicestershire, for heaven’s sake. Jerome Taylor is injured. Seven good cricketers there. Three are shoo-ins, the rest are thereabouts. The verdict in the lift was that West Indies are better off with them than without them.Clearly this is not the view of the WICB and selectors. The ongoing battle with Gayle does neither party any service, despite the recent agreement for him to play in the one-day series against England. Gayle should treat the game that has made his name with more respect and the board should find a way to harness his talent. Briefly when he was captain, the Jamaican seemed settled, batting with due care and attention, sparkling in the field and bowling useful offbreaks: a wonderful cricketer doing justice to himself and his people. Then the board offered him a contract that he refused and, reasonably, they said he could hardly be captain if he wasn’t prepared to commit. In stepped T20 and the age of the mercenary and so began the uneasy and ultimately irreconcilable relationship between the Caribbean’s best cricketer and those who employ him.Well it’s time to sort it out. And not just Gayle either, all the others and particularly Sarwan. Cricket needs West Indies for these wonderful islands hold the game in their soul. No other cricketers in the world put the IPL before Test matches for their country. Both the Board and the players are selling the game short. They simply have to find a way through the mess. The ICC could begin the process by scheduling a window for the IPL each year and continue it by investing in the Caribbean. It’s all very well taking the game to China but let’s get it fixed where the culture already exists.In the meantime, Darren Sammy has done darn good job with limited resources. He doubtless knows that he wouldn’t get in the best available team but he battles on, making something of not much and willing the young talent around him to get the best from themselves. Friday was hard because the pitch was slow and easy and the ball refused to swing. Fidel Edwards has lost the fierce pace of his youth and Kemar Roach, though honest enough, was subdued by the surface. After these two it is humdrum stuff. Sammy hustles in but needs something in the pitch and the new man, Shannon Gabriel, looks exactly that. In desperation, Marlon Samuels bowled some offbreaks that were barely half as good as Gayle’s and, guess what, the variety he offered claimed the prize wicket of Kevin Pietersen.What we don’t want is to start patronising West Indies cricket. Yes, there is some spirit there and, of late, a decent Australia side were given a good run. But the raw truth is that West Indies are way below an acceptable standard and the fault lies with a few cricketers and a stubborn board. If the situation is allowed to drift, it will continue to infect the game at all levels back at home. Young cricketers need inspiration from heroes. They need to rejoice in stirring deeds that draw them to watch and play the game of their own volition. The side on the field at Lord’s has men to admire but not players to revere. It is time to bring them in from the cold.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the first T20 at Chester-le-Street

David Hopps09-Sep-2012Guv’nor of the Day
Jade Dernbach, an England bowler whose method relies on infinite variety, treated Jacques Kallis to a slower offcutter. Kallis saw it early, seemed to have an hour to play the shot and struck it imperiously through cover for four. In one ball, Kallis seemed to tell Dernbach that he had seen all his tricks and was even a little bored by them.12th man of the Day
A close contest, this one. Hashim Amla was rested from South Africa’s side and when he came on, polite and bespectacled, he might have been a University professor rather than a great international batsman. Luke Wright, by contrast, ran on with his usual energy for England and looked what he is – an allrounder on the back of a successful T20 season desperate for a game.Fall guy of the day
It cannot get much worse than this for Ravi Bopara. He looked defeatist, nicked a fast bowler to slip – in this case, not for the first time, Dale Steyn – and departed, hangdog. He deserves sympathy for a time of emotional upheavel but as an England batsman has he ever really been as good as the England management loyally profess?Question of the Day
The group of fans with “Kevin Who?” signs attached to their shirts were obviously banking on England’s batsmen backing up their bravado with a bravura display to provide firm evidence that life was just fine without their superstar-in-exile. They weren’t the only ones who were let down.Disappointment of the Day
No, not England’s performance, which barely bordered on competitive, but the size of the crowd. With temporary seating, Durham’s ground can hold almost 20,000, but there was no need to throw up extra stands for the first of this three-match series, as around half of the tickets went unsold. Worrying signs for what is supposed to be a cash-cow format.Tweet of the day

@JohnSunCricket: “Another day, another rubbish cricket match. Surely one of the remaining two T20s will provide some excitement.” The Sun’s cricket correspondent feels the strain after a long season.

The records continue to tumble for Alastair Cook during a tour where his standing on the world stage is reaching new levels

George Dobell in Kolkata06-Dec-2012This was the day that Alastair Cook cemented his place among the greats of the game.Statistics never tell the whole story, but they do bear repeating: Cook is now the youngest man to reach 7,000 Tests runs in the history of the game; he has scored more Test centuries than any other England player; and, having become the first man to score centuries in each of his first four Tests as captain only a week or so ago, he has now extended that sequence to five. And he does not seem to have expended a drop of sweat in the process.The tale beyond the statistics is, arguably, more impressive. Cook has produced his three centuries this series, surely the best batting of his career, when his team most required it. Coming into this series, England looked fallible against spin and had been beset by internal unrest. But, by demonstrating that a calm head and occupation of the crease were the best methods of survival during the rout at Ahmedabad, he has instilled a belief into his side that had looked absent a few weeks ago. He is not just on the threshold of greatness. He is sitting with his feet up in his dining room demanding another cup of coffee.He keeps improving, too. When he first came into the England side, he was regarded, despite a century on debut in Nagpur, as an unconvincing player of spin bowling. He spent many hours working on his game, however, not least against the Merlin spin-bowling machine, and gradually developed a method that worked for him.His sweeping, once more of a nurdle, now has power and command. His driving, once reserved for the longest of half-volleys and the flattest of pitches, continues to increase in scope and grace and his footwork, once hesitant, now has purpose and confidence. The languid drive through extra-cover off Zaheer Khan and the straight six he skipped down the pitch and drove off R Ashwin, would have pleased David Gower.He has lost none of his original qualities either: he still has the concentration of a security camera; he still leaves the ball well; he still cuts, pulls and works of his legs efficiently. But he has become, not just obdurate, but challenging for any fielding side to control. He has become a great batsman.Some will baulk at that description. They will point out, with some justification, that Cook’s feat of reaching 7,000 Test runs before his 28th birthday is as much a reflection of the modern fixture schedule as his talent. It is true that while it took Wally Hammond 18 years and 236 days to play the 131 innings he required for the milestone, it took Cook just six years and 279 days.It is true, too, that Cook does not dominate like Viv Richards, he rarely times the ball like Rahul Dravid and he scarcely plays shots that make a crowd purr with delight like Brian Lara. He does not feel like a great player.But perhaps feeling should have little to do with it. While batsmen are often judged on aesthetics, to do so disregards many other skills; skills such as resilience, concentration and, most importantly of all, run scoring. Based on those, perhaps more prosaic criteria, Cook has a strong case to be considered a great batsman. His is a classic case of substance prevailing over style.

While batsmen are often judged on aesthetics, to do so disregards many other skills; skills such as resilience, concentration and, most importantly of all, run scoring. Based on those, perhaps more prosaic criteria, Cook has a strong case to be considered a great batsman

Cook’s success must also be attributed, in part at least, to England’s selectors. Not so long ago, a player enduring the form Cook had in 2010 would have been dropped and, perhaps, never found their way back into the side. He had, after all, failed to pass 30 in eight successive innings and, just as importantly, looked all at sea outside off stump.But the selectors persevered with him. They trusted in his character and in his work ethic. They trusted him to find a way to work out his problems. He rewarded their patience with a dogged century against Pakistan at The Oval and, since then, has scored 11 centuries in 28 Tests at an average of 68.53. He amassed 766 runs in the Ashes series of 2010-11 – among England batsmen, only Hammond (with 905 in 1928-29) has managed more – and he has now become the first man to score a century in each of his first five Tests as captain. Aged 27, the best should still be ahead of him.More importantly, he has presented his team with a once-in-a-generation opportunity: the chance to beat India in India. No-one has done that since 2004 and England have not done it since 1984-85. By dismissing India for an under-par total, England gave themselves the opportunity to use the wicket before its anticipated deterioration. And, by taking that opportunity, they will aim to bat just once in this game. There is a long way to go, but the tide in the series has turned and is currently flowing strongly in England’s direction.Perhaps the key difference between these sides, however, is fitness. While England have been able to call on their top players to produce extra efforts when required – the bowling of James Anderson and Monty Panesar on the first day and the batting of Cook, in particular, on the second – India effectively have to nurse half their team through the day.India’s fielding veered between the ambivalent to the awful. It was not just that they dropped a crucial catch – Cook put down on 17 when Cheteshwar Pujara, usually at short-leg, suddenly found himself at slip while Virender Sehwag, the regular slip, found himself at cover – but that England were able to drop and run the ball with an ease that, at times, embarrassed some of the biggest names in Indian cricket.Shown up for their age and their lack of athleticism, sharp singles became comfortable; long twos were turned into threes and overthrows were donated as the basic disciplines, such as backing up, deserted India. Nor was this an aberration. It was the norm. It wrecked any chance the bowlers had of building pressure and allowed a soft release for the batsmen.This difference did not just show in the fielding. With the match to be shaped after lunch and Zaheer Khan producing an excellent spell that troubled both batsmen, India could have fought their way back into the game. Instead, MS Dhoni was obliged to rest Zaheer after just three overs and the opportunity slipped away.A sports psychologist who has worked with players from both teams suggested there may be a cultural issue at play. In England, he reasoned, the emphasis is invariably on work ethic; in India there is a greater onus on rest. Perhaps both teams could learn from aspects of each other’s approach, but India surely need to work harder on their fielding.This is why defeat in this series might not prove to be such a disaster for India. While a side continues to make excuses for setbacks – injuries, unfamiliar conditions, doctored pitches et al. – they are failing to confront the real issues. Being forced into a period of reflection might do no harm.

The Kaul brothers, Siddarth and Uday, have been integral to Punjab’s success in this Ranji Trophy season

Amol Karhadkar in Rajkot15-Jan-2013There are several noteworthy aspects to Punjab’s journey to the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy. One of their two captains this season is a match shy of joining the 100-Test club, while the other is only 21 years old. They have an opener who has a fair chance of ending his debut season as the highest run-scorer of the tournament. They also have an impressive battery of fast bowlers. And they have the only pair of siblings to play together in this Indian domestic season.Uday and Siddarth, the Kaul brothers, have been an integral part of Punjab’s fairytale ride, as they approach the semi-final against Saurashtra as favourites. They have completely different skills: Uday, the older of the two, is a wicketkeeper-batsman, while Siddarth is a fast bowler.Both brothers are chasing one man’s dream, that of Tej Kaul, their father, coach and mentor. Tej had kept wicket and opened the batting for Jammu & Kashmir for a brief period during the 1970s before becoming a coach. Uday followed in Tej’s footsteps, while Siddarth, on the other hand, followed his father’s instincts and instructions to the tee.”He [Uday] always wanted to be like dad, but I always followed what our father told me to be,” Siddarth said. “He somehow always saw a fast bowler in me and here I am, doing what he wanted me to do day in and day out.” Siddarth, with 38 wickets in eight games, is the fifth highest wicket-taker this season.Both players earned their accolades in different ways. Siddarth, who was a member of India’s victorious Under-19 World Cup campaign in 2008, was an instant hit at the first-class level. Two months before that Under-19 tournament, he had made his first-class debut with a five-wicket haul against Orissa. Since then it has been a topsy-turvy ride, primarily due to injuries.Uday, on the other hand, had to toil to make a name among his team-mates and in the domestic cricket fraternity. After emerging as one of the most consistent wicketkeeper-batsmen in 2009-10 and 2010-11, a back injury disturbed Uday’s rhythm last season. But he returned and made a big impact. With 614 runs, which include three centuries, he is Punjab’s second highest run-scorer. “We don’t compare each other’s success, in fact we revel in it,” Uday said. “It’s been an excellent season so far. I hope we can carry forward and help Punjab win the Ranji title that has eluded us for 20 years.”Siddarth’s frequent injures were a major reason for Punjab’s opponents’ batting card not having “c Kaul b Kaul” more often, but they haven’t forgotten its first occurrence. “It was [Rashmi] Das from Orissa, in my first game,” Siddarth said.Uday adds: “Even though he got five in his first innings in Ranji, it would have been more had I taken those chances off his bowling. I think I dropped two or three catches off his bowling in that game.”It isn’t dropped catches, though, that lead to arguments between the two. Usually, it is the choice of music. While Siddarth is “not that into English” songs, Uday prefers to listen to English classics. But that doesn’t stop them from sharing a room most of the times when they are on tour.”Being together helps both of us – as individuals and cricketers,” Siddarth, the more outspoken of the pair, said. “When it comes to cricket, it helps me immensely for him to be behind the wickets. There are some observations that only a studious ‘keeper can make about a bowler. And he puts them across time and again to help me become a better bowler.”With the brothers sharing a strong bond, Punjab’s team management is more than happy to let them be together. “Both are serious about the game and take care of each other, so we know that they are looking after each other,” the coach and manager Arun Sharma said. “That in a way means two players less when it comes to man-management.”

From TS Trudgian, Canada

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013
Ben Hilfenhaus: can swing, and adapt•AFPBen Hilfenhaus may have begun his Test career as a ‘stock’ bowler — an epithet which seems to convey an unfortunate admission of mediocrity — but he has shown, in the Tests against Pakistan in England, and recently against India at Mohali, that he is becoming the weapon of choice, particularly when the ball begins to swing. Australia have been searching for a quality swing bowler, at a reasonable clip, since the departure of Jason Gillespie in 2006 — that will teach him to score a double-hundred.Leaving aside the sorcery of reverse-swing, Hilfenhaus is the best exponent of swing in the current Australia squad. It is said that the high arm of Doug Bollinger induces some reverse-swing, but even the commentators quickest to proclaim ‘Don’t look now, but the ball is reversing’ would agree that 40 overs, or at the very least 30, must be bowled with the ‘mere’ weapon of conventional swing bowling. ‘The slightly pigeon-toed Hilfenhaus’ — words from Christopher Martin-Jenkins, not me — bowling a teasing line with variable away-swing is the perfect start to Australia’s efforts in the field.But he is not a one-trick pony, as some would label Ryan Sidebottom: a great bowler of swing in the overcast north of England or the humid days at the ’Gabba, but a relatively innocuous trundler otherwise. During the recent Test at Mohali, Hilfenhaus did have the ball hooping around from time to time, but when the conditions were less favourable, he was able to temper the little remaining swing with a very consistent line of middle- and off-stump. It is this combination of style and guile that probably has Hilfenhaus pipping his English bowling equivalent (Steve Finn, say) by a nose. James Anderson is a fine proponent of swing bowling, but perhaps as the ‘strike’ weapon he is best contrasted with Mitchell Johnson (see the next volume).The first-order approximation when bowling outswingers is to pitch every ball up to entice the drive and, if you are lucky, the nick. I have lost count of the number of times I heard Boycott on TMS bemoan the attitudes of almost all bowlers (with the noble exception of Yorkshireman R.J. Sidebottom, of course) who bowled at Headingley: they never ‘got it up’. That is something which I can neither confirm nor deny; in any case, pitching the ball up is a good start. One problem arises when you are not permitted sufficiently many slips — perhaps the run-chase is getting tight and the skipper needs to plug holes elsewhere.Another is when the ball stops swinging, or the seam is ill-positioned and the ball doesn’t swing on that particular delivery: then for the batsman it is money for old rope. Both of these ‘problems’ occurred in Mohali: during the fifth day Ponting did not have four slips (nor did he have a third man and there was a small bounty of runs made from edges and steers through the vacant fourth-slip area). Moreover, after the first few overs, the prodigious swing had disappeared. VVS Laxman, who still haunts my dreams as only the second man (the first being Lara) who is destined to snatch an Australian defeat from the jaws of victory, reached forward and pounded these to the cover point boundary. It was Hilfenhaus who led the counter-attack, mixing up his full swing-for-the-nick deliveries with balls short of a length on an off-stump line and the occasional bouncer.That both Sehwag and Raina should be dismissed off short deliveries should not have come as a surprise. Perhaps though, one might have thought these balls to be delivered with the height of Bollinger or the ferocity of Johnson.That it was Hilfenhaus each time emphasises his skill in adapting his bowling to suit the conditions — of both pitch and batsman. It would be silly to blame his figures of none for 100 in the first innings on the pitch alone, but he was bowling great spells of full-pitched outswing, and the edges induced were either not carrying, or going ‘through’ the slips.Certainly he will be a handful in Brisbane, but I am particularly excited about watching him bowl at Perth. Perhaps a further 250 or so for England to chase on the final day, Strauss well set on 50 and Trott in ‘the zone’ (although he takes five minutes to get there after each delivery), the Fremantle Doctor set to operate, four slips and two gullies in place, and the Hilf running in to a packed WACA crowd. . . game on.