All posts by h716a5.icu

Plays of the day for the Champions League match between Mumbai Indians and Perth Scorchers in Durban

Firdose Moonda22-Oct-2012Interview of the day Shaun Pollock has become one of the better player-turned-commentators and he was a good choice for a dug-out interview during the Sydney Sixers innings. He spoke prudently about the reasons Mumbai Indians did not play well enough to contend for a semi-final spot. When one of his answers was met with total silence by the team, Pollock thought he knew what had happened. “Have you gone to an ad break?” he asked on-air. Nervous giggles met his astute observation before the chat continued.Fielding of the day There were some overthrows given away in the first game, something Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie said he did not mind too much, but the most comical extra runs came in this encounter. Dwayne Smith drove the ball to mid-off and Nathan McCullum’s pick up was good but his throw a little over eager. The ball evaded Brad Haddin behind the stumps and the fielder at fine leg and cost Sydney four.Cheers of the day Sachin Tendulkar has not had the best tournament but is still one of its star attractions. After managing just a single off the first six balls he faced, Tendulkar provided a teaser to his better days with an open faced drive over point. The ball was in the air for a while and crashed into the advertising boards to the delight of the Kingsmead crowd.The end?One cannot help but wonder whether when Sachin Tendulkar was bowled by Moises Henriques that would be the last time a South African audience would have seen him bat. It was an unflattering end to his innings, as he played down the wrong line to a short of a length ball that held its line from middle and off and beat the open face. Henriques was delighted and a dejected Tendulkar may have said goodbye.Shot of the day Viewers of the tournament must have wondered what would happen if someone hit the Spider Cam. Today, we found out. Dinesh Kartik hit a Henriques’ delivery towards midwicket. It was hit too high, it smashed into the camera, causing it to cut to black, as replays showed later. As per the rules, a dead ball was called and Henriques had to bowl the ball again.Body blow of the day For once, not to a player. Two balls after his camera’s antics, Kartik ran into umpire S Ravi while trying to make his second run. Kartik’s shoulder rammed into Ravi but it was the batsman who rolled on the floor in pain while the umpire barely looked ruffled.Brilliance of the day It may have been too late at night for the Australian selectors to be watching, but if there were, they may mark a tick in Brad Haddin’s column as far as options for the national team goes. A bouncer from Pat Cummins feathered Lasith Malinga’s glove and seemed headed to fine leg. Haddin dived full length to his left and grabbed the ball one-handed as he fell. He moved his arm swiftly to his chest to avoid the ball bobbling out and completed a stunner.

Michael Clarke and Shane Watson have had vastly different years but Australia’s captain and vice-captain must both stand up in 2013

Brydon Coverdale in Melbourne27-Dec-2012So this is Christmas, and what have you done? Another year over, a new one just begun. John Lennon had weighty issues on his mind when he wrote those lyrics in a Vietnam War protest song in 1971. Australia’s cricketers are involved in nothing so momentous but they can still ask themselves the same question as 2012 draws to a close. What have you done? The captain Michael Clarke and vice-captain Shane Watson would give vastly different answers.From a personal point of view, Clarke could hardly have achieved more in Tests in 2012. No Australian batsman has scored more runs in a year than the 1595 Clarke has so far accumulated. That included three double-centuries and a triple-hundred. While Clarke hasn’t missed a Test in 2012, Watson has sat out of five through injury. In the six he has played, he has averaged 31.45 with the bat and 49.16 with the ball. He hasn’t made a century or taken more than one wicket in an innings, though he has contributed to wins, like his final-day 52 in Barbados.On the second day at the MCG, Clarke and Watson combined for a 194-run partnership that batted Australia into a position from which they should win again. It was an important stand and it ensured that Australia’s strong bowling performance on Boxing Day was not wasted. But both men had multiple lives against a struggling Sri Lankan attack further weakened by the loss of the lead fast bowler, Chanaka Welegedara, to injury. No Test runs are soft, but most are scored at a higher intensity than was required here.Clarke used the opportunity to score his fifth century of 2012 and for the first time this year didn’t turn his hundred into at least a double. He was out for 106. For nearly every other batsman in history, that would be significantly above average. For Clarke this year, 106 was precisely his average. Watson made 83 before he was caught at deep midwicket, obligingly hooking straight down the throat of a fieldsman. He had done a job, but didn’t cash in like Clarke so often has.For nearly a decade, Watson has been viewed as a player of immense Test potential. At 31, he still is. But will he ever truly fulfill that promise? He has made valuable contributions with both bat and ball, but could have achieved so much more. Of course, it is hard to gain momentum when a player is injured as often as Watson. Clarke has missed nine Tests since his 2004 debut, including those for which he was dropped. Watson, who debuted three months later, has missed 50.Watson remains one of Australia’s most important players. Who else can bat in the top six and act as a genuine fifth bowler? But Australia need more from him with the bat if he is to settle into the No.4 role vacated by Ricky Ponting. Centuries are not everything in Test cricket but his conversion rate – two tons from 21 scores above fifty – must improve. He cannot afford to lose concentration, not with difficult tours of India and England coming up next year.Perhaps his 83 at the MCG will be a stepping stone. He occupied the crease for 265 minutes and with the exception of his two centuries, it was his longest Test innings in terms of duration. Against Rangana Herath, Watson’s play-from-the-crease approach was noticeable compared to Clarke’s light-footed style, and more than next year’s Ashes tour Watson’s big challenge in 2013 will be to handle the spin-friendly conditions in four Tests in India.Australia need a big year from Watson, just as they require more of the same from Clarke. The chances of Clarke batting again in this match are slim, and his 106 would be a fine way to cap off a remarkable 2012. It was a year that began with an unbeaten 329 against India at the SCG followed by 210 in Adelaide, and also included 259 not out against South Africa in Brisbane and 230 in the next Test in Adelaide. They are Bradman-like figures and in all of Test history only Bradman averaged more as a Test captain than Clarke has, of players who have led their country at least 10 times.His Melbourne hundred was good, not great, but as his first Test century at the MCG it was important to Clarke. He celebrated with a hug from his batting partner, Watson, and at the drinks break that immediately followed, one from the team physio Alex Kountouris, whose work had helped Clarke recover from his hamstring injury in time to play this match. But for all that he has achieved this year, Clarke will be judged on how he performs in 2013. He knows it, so he is not getting ahead of himself.”Not much, and I mean that in the right way,” Clarke said when asked what his immense 2012 figures meant to him. “Numbers have never really bothered me too much. It’s nice to be making runs and leading by example as one of the leaders in the team. I think it’s really important that the captain is doing that. But to me it is about winning games … as long as we keep winning, that’s my priority.”After next week’s Sydney match against Sri Lanka, that means four Tests in India and 10 Ashes Tests. The major blot of Ponting’s captaincy career was his inability to lead Australia to an Ashes triumph away from home. In 2012, Clarke bettered Ponting’s best calendar year. If his 2013 is anything like it, he might achieve something else Ponting never did.A productive vice-captain Watson at No.4 – and a Watson who can string together a full year of cricket – would be an enormous help.

New Zealand have shown resilience in bouncing back from their defeat in Galle and are within striking distance of a memorable, series-levelling victory

Andrew Fernando at P Sara Oval28-Nov-2012″Reflection” has been the buzzword around the New Zealand camp since their loss in Galle. That is a strange concept in sport, because reflecting is something more often done after success. Rarely is the acceptance of a World Cup, a Grand Slam, a Major or Test Mace complete until some mention of allowing the moment to “sink in” has been made. Failure, meanwhile, elicits the desire to “move on”. There may be some lip service to the idea of learning from mistakes, but the emphasis is on the future, on “coming back stronger next time.”New Zealand have instead dwelt on their distress. They’ve taken it all in – their lowest total of the year; their worst losing streak in 67 years; their second three-day loss in nine months. Somewhere amid the smouldering remains of their fifth straight defeat, they found the will to succeed. Through reflection, they have seemingly achieved rebirth, and two such disparate performances can rarely have been seen together in the history of their cricket.New Zealand’s new backbone has been evident since the moment Ross Taylor chose to bat, and has been present throughout the Test. From the afternoon of day one New Zealand have been ahead in the match, and although Sri Lanka fought back in patches, no one who has seen the first four days of play will say they deserve to win this over their visitors.At 14 for 2 on the first morning, New Zealand looked set for a now perfunctory rolling collapse, but instead their captain rallied his young accomplice and the pair amassed their side’s biggest meaningful stand in years. Whatever may be true about Taylor’s leadership – and the din for his replacement has been growing louder for some time now – he has barely made a wrong move in this match.In his batting, he has been cautious yet purposeful. Take his 74 today, which was struck at a swift 78 per 100 balls, but featured only two boundaries. Mahela Jayawardene may have been protecting the ropes throughout almost Taylor’s entire innings, but it is not like New Zealand’s captain to show restraint, even on along the ground. This is not a Taylor that has been often seen before. Even his field placements – the retention of the slip cordon and the choking of singles – have veered towards impeccable so far. He has trusted each of his bowlers, and though Doug Bracewell had been wicketless in the series until its final innings, Taylor tossed him the ball at first change, and he removed Sri Lanka’s two best batsmen before stumps.Tim Southee and Trent Boult have been peerless in this series as well, and they have been the prime architects of New Zealand’s dominance in this Test, eclipsing the impact of even Taylor’s 216 runs. In Galle, they found hooping movement in the air, and though they have swung the ball impressively in Colombo as well, discipline has been the supplement to their success when movement has eluded them. Even if Sri Lanka grit their way to an unlikely draw tomorrow, New Zealand have an unequivocal victory with which to leave Sri Lanka: a new ball pair who complement each other absolutely and are as promising as any young quicks anywhere in the world.Beyond the major performances, New Zealand have also struck upon the unifying mood that once fuelled their success. In the first innings, numbers 8, 9 and 10 made 64 all counted, keeping Sri Lanka in the field for 116 deliveries between them. In the field in the first innings, Martin Guptill leapt low to his right at second slip, snatching a stunner to dismiss Angelo Mathews, who looked set for a lengthy defiance. The following morning, Kane Williamson took as fine a gully catch as any fielder will ever take, to ensure the contributions of Sri Lanka’s tail did not match the heft of their own.In the second innings, New Zealand lost three wickets in four deliveries, and where a week ago a triple strike would have heralded the end, Todd Astle drew from New Zealand’s new swell of confidence and helped correct his team’s course. The timing of the declaration was another sign of the distance New Zealand have travelled in the past week. Three hundred and sixty three is not a friendly target, but given Sri Lanka achieved 11 less than that on the same ground six years ago, it is not an impossible one either.”Following the Test in Galle there was a lot of hurt,” New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said. “We had performed pretty well in Bangalore and gave ourselves a chance, but results don’t lie. Five in a row is hard to take. We all reflected on our performance and we did a lot of hard work and individuals took responsibility as well. A few guys went away and worked out their method with the bat.”Hesson’s words echo those of each of his charges over the past few days. Before the Test, Southee said he and his team-mates had “trained the house down,” and spoke of the desperation in the side to begin winning again. Crucially, that desperation has been tempered with the composure and patience that define good Test sides.New Zealand felt they had turned a corner with their victory in Hobart last year, but there conditions had contrived to bring the two teams together and their win was proved an anomaly. There are no such powers at play at the P Sara. If they can complete another series comeback in Colombo on day five, perhaps the qualities that will have engineered their victory will lead to a more sustained revival.

This is a warning: over the next two months, you’ll be subjected to more Andy Zaltzman than cricket

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013FOLLOW ANDY ZALTZMAN AS HE COVERS THE WORLD CUP, HERE: ON THE ROAD WITH ZALTZMAN”So it’s bounce-bounce-sway, bounce-bounce-sway and then we all fall down”•Getty ImagesHello Confectionery Stallers, and welcome to my first ever non-UK-written blog. I am currently in Dubai, on my way to Bangladesh, gazing out over the world’s most ludicrous skyline (well, gazing at a pair of beige curtains, behind which is a brick wall, from the top of which I might be able to gaze out over the world’s most ludicrous skyline).This is the most open World Cup of the millennium so far, since Herschelle Gibbs unwittingly not only dropped the 1999 World Cup when he shelled Steve Waugh, but the 2003 and 2007 tournaments as well, by boosting Australian confidence so much that they became almost scientifically unbeatable.The final stages promise to be riveting – seven winner-takes-all shoot-outs, when all the months of preparation could be shattered with one twitch of Billy Bowden’s trigger finger, one extra rotation of a captain’s lucky coin, or Shahid Afridi putting his head on correctly in the morning. The group stage may be less scintillating. In fact, it will certainly be less scintillating. On the minus side, it is significantly and obviously much too long. On the plus side, I’ll get to see more of Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka than I would have done had the schedule been a little less distended. The early weeks of the tournament may also reveal something of where cricket is heading as a sport: how can the 50-over game and international cricket compete with Twenty20 and the financial behemoth that is the IPL?I will kicking off my World Cup blog, On the Road with Zaltzman, with the official tournament preview on Friday, including full and irrefutable proof of who will win, and why. And when. In fact, I’ll predict the “when” bit right now. I confidently forecast that victory will be secured at some point on April 2, probably in the evening. And I also predict, with equal confidence, that the winning team will stand around in a circle, with their arms around each other’s shoulders and bounce up and down. The circular bounce has now become the default sporting victory celebration, other than in individual sports, although I am sure all sports fans would love to see a golfer sink a putt on the 18th green to clinch a triumph, then put his arms around his own shoulders and pogo up and down for a couple of minutes before dousing himself in champagne and trying to lift himself onto his own shoulders.I will then be posting daily pieces for throughout the tournament – mostly blogs, plus occasional podcasts – and will also be doing a Twitter feed from the games and from my travels around the subcontinent, which you can follow at @ZaltzCricket.I will also unleash a World Cup MultiStat, plus photos, and possibly even the odd video here and there, if I can work out how to use a video camera and edit rudimentary video footage without making people’s eyes hurt. (My inexperience is not necessarily an insurmountable problem. Quentin Tarantino’s first forays into film-making were his home movies from the 1956-57 South Africa v England Test series. That is a lie. But it would nonetheless be interesting to see his take on one of the slowest-scoring series of all time, starring Samuel L Jackson as Colin Cowdrey and Uma Thurman as nagging South African offspinner Hugh Tayfield).And there will be a regular Q&A, for which you will be able to submit questions, which I will (a) attempt to answer, (b) dodge, or (c) wilfully misinterpret. Full details of this will follow on the website.

How does the KKR offspinner continue to bamboozle batsmen? Because he knows when to bowl what

Aakash Chopra13-Apr-2013It’s hard to remain a mystery today, what with all the footage available for replays in slow-motion and every player painstakingly scrutinised. The action has shifted from the 22 yards to the editing table.Yet Sunil Narine continues to beat technology and stay ahead of most analyses. Even though he has been scanned time and again, he manages to get the better of batsmen and fascinate spectators.He’s not the first mystery spinner; there have been quite a few who batsmen couldn’t decipher immediately, if at all. Yet there’s something about this lad from the West Indies, with a peculiar hairdo and an equally peculiar action that has enthralled aficionados worldwide.In his debut IPL season, last year, Narine took 24 wickets and helped Kolkata Knight Riders win the trophy for the first time. But it isn’t just his ability to take wickets that makes everyone sit up and take note, it’s the way he spins around hapless batsmen.One particular over that he bowled to his fellow West Indian, Andre Russell, in the opening match of this season’s IPL comes to mind, because it looked like Russell had no idea which way the ball would turn after pitching. Each time almost, he played down one way when the ball was heading the other.It’s not too hard to decipher a doosra or a carrom ball from an offspinner while watching on TV, when the camera gives us the view from the back, but Narine’s variations are hard to pick even for viewers sitting at home. So what chance did Russell have?By bowling even his offspinners with a scrambled seam, Narine manages to keep the batsman guessing which one will head the other way. And since he bowls both his variations from the front of the hand (the doosra is usually bowled from the back of the hand), you have to look very closely at which way his fingers are turning at the point of release – not an easy job.But it isn’t just the variations or his ability to disguise them that make Narine a difficult bowler to bat against in T20. There are many bowlers who have more variations up their sleeve. All good legspinners have three deliveries (legspin, googly and a flipper), and most offspinners these days also possess more than a couple variations (offspin, doosra and a carrom ball), but it isn’t about the quantity, it’s about the quality of execution. Having different types of deliveries won’t mean much unless you know when to use them.In fact, Narine has only two variations in his bag – a regular offspinner and the one that goes away after pitching. But unlike other spinners, he is a master when it comes to using his subtle variations, and he rarely overdoes them.In his first over in this year’s IPL, he did not bowl a single away-going delivery. He realised that there was some turn and bounce on the Eden Gardens pitch, so he was better off bowling offbreaks. In fact, in the entire game, he didn’t bowl a single away-going delivery to the well-set Mahela Jayawardene, having arranged a leg-side field for him. If Jayawardene had picked the variation, Narine would have run the risk of leaking runs. But against Russell, Narine strengthened the off-side field, with a slip as an attacking option, and bowled the other one repeatedly. His ability to judge the demands of the situation and then move from being smart and defensive to brave and aggressive sets him apart.In addition to his game sense and variety, Narine’s pace and his effective stock ball make it very tough to score off him. He bowls really flat and slightly quicker but without compromising on turn off the surface. If there’s something in the pitch for the spinners, he really rips them across the right-handers and away from the left-handers.The delivery that got David Warner in the first match was an example of his ability to turn the ball with bounce at reasonably high speed. His pace and flat trajectory take away the batsman’s crucial attacking strategy – stepping down the track to play the lofted shot. There aren’t many who can hit the long ball without coming out of the crease.If you can’t come down the track, you look to either slog-sweep towards cow corner or go deep into the crease to pull the slightly shorter deliveries. Narine’s extra turn and bounce on pitches like the one at the Eden Gardens make both these shots tough to execute. The turn ensures the ball misses the bat’s sweet spot. If that fails, the bounce ensures the ball’s impact on the bat is higher than the batsman is comfortable with. Either way the batsman rarely gets the intended height or distance.If batsmen look for five or six runs off a Narine over instead of going after him, he might not turn out to be such a prolific wicket-taker. Unfortunately for all IPL teams, Knight Riders’ captain, Gautam Gambhir, brings Narine on either in the Powerplay or during the death overs. That forces batsmen to go after Narine and increases his chances of picking up wickets. I won’t be surprised if he finishes as one of the top wicket-takers this season as well.

Plays of the day from the fourth ODI between Sri Lanka and South Africa

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Jul-2013The would-be wide
Tillakaratne Dilshan has found crucial wickets during the series, and he did so again in Pallekele, first trapping an imperious Hashim Amla lbw, and claiming AB de Villiers’ wicket as well, off a much poorer delivery. Bowling from around the wicket, Dilshan pitched a length delivery outside leg stump, and turned it further away from the right-handed batsman, for what should have been a regulation wide-call for the umpire. But instead of leaving the ball alone or sweeping it powerfully, de Villiers played a lap-sweep, for which he might have only got two runs, and ended up deflecting the ball off the face of the bat and into Kumar Sangakkara’s waiting gloves.The fielding change
Having never played against Ajantha Mendis before, Farhaan Behardien lasted only two deliveries before he was bowled by the Sri Lankan spinner in the third ODI, and thanks to a clever change in the field his stay was even shorter in this match. Mendis removed David Miller early in the 38th over, and as soon as Behardien arrived, captain and bowler colluded to place a slip and a short leg – the latter particularly strange given the match situation. Behardien defended the first ball safely, but when Mendis dropped an off-break slightly shorter next delivery, the ball took slightly more turn than the batsman anticipated and his attempted clip to the leg side became a straightforward catch for short leg, off the inside half of the bat.The sweep
If the batsman is good enough though, a fielding change can also be an opportunity. With Lasith Malinga going full and wide to JP Duminy in the 46th over, Mathews thought to remove the man at midwicket in order to reinforce his defences square on the off side. Having seen the now vacant space between square leg and mid-on, Duminy found a way to exploit the large gap, despite a well-executed full delivery from Malinga. Moving across his stumps, Duminy got low, and swept Malinga, changing the length from yorker to full toss, and sending the ball screaming through almost exactly where midwicket had stood.The missed review
Having seen Kumar Sangakkara strike a walloping 169 in the first match of the series, you’d think South Africa would use everything at their disposal to cut his innings short. But despite having used reviews speculatively throughout the series, they barely even considered reviewing the umpire’s decision, when JP Duminy rapped Sangakkara on the pads in the 26th over. South Africa appealed vigorously, but when the umpire turned them down quickly, neither bowler nor keeper appeared confident of overturning the decision. The projected path however showed that the ball would have struck enough of the leg stump to send Sangakkara on his way for 33.The misfields
Lonwabo Tsotsobe dropped a sitter in the second match that AB de Villiers later said had had the potential to lose the game, and though no aerial chances came his way on Sunday, he committed two comical fielding errors in five balls, just after he had conceded 25 runs in his last two overs. Fielding at fine leg, Tsotsobe first let a Dilshan pull go between his legs and to the fence, before early next over, he went to his knees at short fine leg to collect another Dilshan swivel-shot, only to let the ball bounce through him and travel to the boundary again.

Vote on our shortlist of classic Ashes moments that have taken place in England since 1981

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2013To coincide with the 2013 Investec Ashes series, we are asking you to vote on our shortlist of classic Ashes moments that have taken place in England since 1981. You can watch each episode of our series and then vote for your winner.Part 2 – most memorable catchWe have chosen the following shortlist from the great Ashes contests in England over the past 30 years.David Gower (Eng) to dismiss Wayne Phillips off Allan Lamb’s boot at Edgbaston, 1985One of the quirkiest Ashes catches of all time: Wayne Phillips square drove the slow left-armer Phil Edmonds fiercely towards the ground, only for the ball to pop up obligingly off Alan Lamb’s boot.ScorecardMark Waugh (Aus) at slip to dismiss Mark Ealham at Headingley, 1997Richie Benaud delivered the only commentary that was needed for this. “Mark Waugh,” he said simply. Paul Reiffel was the benefactor. The ball was already past Waugh at second slip and he shot out his right hand and, turning, gathered it safely to him.ScorecardGeraint Jones (Eng) to dismiss Shane Warne on rebound at Old Trafford, 2005Geraint Jones pulls off one of the finest rescue catches of all time. Shane Warne edged Andrew Flintoff, the ball ricocheted off Andrew Strauss’ knee and Jones’ reactions were exceptional.ScorecardAndrew Strauss (Eng) slip catch off Andrew Flintoff to dismiss Adam Gilchrist at Trent Bridge, 2005Strauss has never showed so much spring-heeled athleticism as the day he caught Adam Gilchrist off Flintoff at Trent Bridge. It was a catch that stated England’s serious intent of regaining the Ashes.ScorecardMarcus North (Aus) slip catch to dismiss Andrew Strauss at Headingley, 2009
A one-handed belter of a catch from Marcus North provided the spark Australia needed on the first morning of the fourth Test. Captain Strauss was the victim as North threw out a hand high to his right, clinging on as the ball came at pace to trigger England’s collapse.ScorecardComing soon: most memorable innings.Part 2 – Most Memorable CatchDavid Gower to dismiss Wayne Phillips, 19850% Mark Waugh to dismiss Mark Ealham, 19970% Andrew Strauss to dismiss Adam Gilchrist, 20050% Geraint Jones to dismiss Shane Warne, 20050% Marcus North to dismiss Andrew Strauss, 20090%

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Ishant Sharma has been a disappointment in ODIs, proving ineffective with new ball and old for the majority of his six-year career

Abhishek Purohit17-Oct-2013″I love being the spearhead of the Indian bowling attack,” Ishant Sharma had said in August. “It is a privilege for any fast bowler.” After the first ODI against Australia four days ago, MS Dhoni said: “As he is part of the side for a long time now, he has to improve his death bowling.” Dhoni was referring to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but one could be forgiven for thinking the India captain had been demanding more from Ishant, the self-acknowledged “spearhead” of his attack.Bhuvneshwar has taken 25 wickets in 19 ODIs at an average of 25.76 and an economy rate of 4.15, creditable figures for someone who is primarily a new-ball swing bowler. Dhoni is within his rights to ask for improvement with the old ball from Bhuvneshwar, but it must be kept in mind that he has not completed a year in international cricket, and has been the only India seamer to go for less than run a ball in both ODIs against Australia.Ishant has been playing international cricket for more than six years. In Pune and Jaipur, he went for eight and almost eight per over for a solitary 50th-over wicket. Given the captain’s expectations of an inexperienced Bhuvneshwar, you would think he would be setting much higher standards for Ishant, who should qualify as the leader of the attack by the sheer amount of time he’s been around. Ishant, however, is falling short.”Unlucky Ishant” stopped being an excuse a long time ago. Few bowlers are lucky enough to play 51 Tests, and only the luckiest manage to do so averaging 38. A lot has been said in favour of Ishant the Test bowler: that he shouldn’t be judged only by his numbers, that he has this rare tireless determination to keep bowling, that his commitment to training is unmatched by fellow fast bowlers in the team. These arguments, arguable at best, don’t apply to limited-overs cricket.Ten overs is all a fast bowler is required to run in for in an ODI. He is expected, chiefly, to pick up wickets with the new ball and prevent the opposition from scoring big at the death. A spearhead might be reasonably expected to lead by example on both counts. Ishant has not. While bowling during the first 15 overs in 67 ODIs, he averages 45.35 for 28 wickets at an economy rate of 5.33. Neither does he get the wickets of specialist batsmen early, nor is he able to keep them quiet. In contrast, Bhuvneshwar has played his new-ball role superbly so far – taking 22 wickets in 19 innings, an average of 21.90 and economy rate of 3.85 in that period.In the last ten overs, Ishant’s economy rate shoots up to 7.38. His bowling average also drops sharply to 24.22 for 31 wickets, which is more than what he manages with the new ball. This suggests that both Ishant’s overall wickets tally and average are inflated by cheap dismissals of batsmen looking to have a slog at the death.”(It is) important we don’t give runs with the two new balls and take wickets,” Dhoni said. “It is always good to have bowlers who can bowl well at the death also. Especially the three fast bowlers should be able to bowl at the end.” Ishant has seldom delivered on either count. For someone who has bowled as much as he has, in excess of 500 overs, only Elton Chigumbura has a worse economy rate. The Zimbabwean at least has his batting to fall back on.In Pune, after having gone for 45 in 6.1 overs, Ishant had James Faulkner clobbering a wide delivery straight to extra cover in the last over of Australia’s innings. He stared hard at the departing No 8 batsman as if he’d earned the dismissal, and proceeded to serve two length balls, one a slower one. No 10 Clint McKay launched both over midwicket. With the new ball, he’d bowled repeatedly short and wide to Aaron Finch, despite the opener’s strength square of the wicket, and had been cut for several fours.In Jaipur, the 45th over of Australia’s innings, which went for 17, was a perfect example of how little control Ishant provided to a captain who has partly built his limited-overs reputation on being able to exercise it. Often criticised for his failure to bowl full, Ishant tried doing so. Three balls were full tosses, two of which went for four. Two were wides down the leg side, and he was also fortunate to concede only a single to deep point off a full and wide one. At times, he kept bowling full despite mid-on and mid-off in the circle, and Dhoni had to run up to him in frustration.In his fledgling career, Bhuvneshwar concedes 8.46 an over in the last ten overs of an ODI, and Dhoni rightly wants him to improve. But with a “spearhead” who is ineffective with the new ball and with the old, and often shows no awareness as an ODI bowler, who can Bhuvneshwar look up to?

Far from an afterthought after an Ashes drubbing, this ODI series holds great importance for several players striving for five-day cricket

Vithushan Ehantharajah10-Jan-2014Watching Chris Rogers’s two-step as Australia brought their 5-0 Ashes success to the masses congregated at the Sydney Opera House went some way to highlighting the shift in moods between the two camps.As the usually publicly reserved opening batsman was coaxed by Peter Siddle into a display of fleet-footed showmanship that seems a world away from his battle-weary arm guard, a handful of England players were already slumping back to the UK.For those few not required for the limited-overs leg of this tour, the chance to relax will be a godsend. Whether Andy Flower and Kevin Pietersen can indulge fully in that luxury remains to be seen.For those still here, the opportunity to restore credibility to the team and themselves should not be understated. In the next 15 months, limited-overs cricket will dominate the senses, with the World T20 coming up in March and then the World Cup in 2015, hosted in Australia and New Zealand.The opportunity to play a more instinctive form of the game might be just the remedy for cluttered minds. Michael Carberry and Alastair Cook could benefit immeasurably from the freedom that comes with batting in the first Powerplay, with only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle, to show their critics they are perfectly capable of playing the part of shot-callers rather than stallers. Boyd Rankin and Steven Finn may also be aided by those same fielding restrictions, which simplify a bowler’s plans by cutting down their options with constrained margins.For the fashionably late ones to the touring party, their presence during Friday’s training session at the MCG was noticeable (the smiles gave them away).Jos Buttler smashed and lap-swept the local net bowlers, much to the amusement of Cook, who spent the last part of the session watching things from afar. For all Buttler’s ingenuity, it’s his glove work that will be watched closely after Matt Prior was dropped for the fourth Test and Jonny Bairstow filled in inadequately.England’s batting woes over the last two months will mean performances in the upcoming one day matches will carry more weight than before, as comfort and solutions are sought. ‘A’ teams have their value, and while every England player has a handful of Lions caps packed away in a drawer next to some old keys and a couple of use batteries, it is in sustained ODI form that the loudest statements are made; statements that are not just limited to those yet to experience the unforgiving nature of Test cricket.Ravi Bopara, England’s ODI Player of the Year for 2013, will look to continue his ascension back into Test reckoning, since his last appearance against South Africa in July 2012. The last year has seen him engineer a massive turnaround in fortunes thanks to his exploits with the white ball.He began the year out of the side, missing tours of India and New Zealand. He was also snubbed in the 2013 IPL auction, leading many to write him off as a spent force at just 27 years-old. But a recall to the squad for the Champions Trophy and a defined role in the lower middle order as finisher and fill-in bowler saw him finish the competition with 118 runs at a strike rate of 137.20, six wickets while conceding just 5.5 runs an over and a renewed sense of clarity.Eoin Morgan could also rekindle his Test ambitions with a strong showing in the ODIs•Getty ImagesBy the end of the summer, he had scored 317 runs at 52.83 (a career high average for a calendar year) including a maiden one-day hundred against Ireland at Malahide. On that sunny September day, he was one half of a record fifth-wicket stand in ODIs. His partner, Eoin Morgan, who recorded an unbeaten century of his own and captained England to a six wicket win, finds himself in a trickier position, despite appearing the more stable of the two.Dropped in the UAE as England fumbled in the dust against Pakistan in 2012, Morgan lost his central contract in November – replaced on England’s full-time list by Joe Root. Morgan has consistently reiterated his desire to break back into the Test side, but his actions seem to suggest otherwise. Since his axing, he has played just nine first-class matches, something which has aggrieved Middlesex supporters, who have only seen him don their whites for seven of them.His desire to spend the first part of the county season in India for the IPL has been a black mark against him, particularly in 2012 when he spent the entirety of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ campaign on the bench.But rather than go through the motions and pick up the cheque, he used the state of the art facilities and world class help on offer to him to rectify the same technical deficiency – an ungainly “crouch” that gave him extra punch but a moving head – that lost him his England place.That England have now moved their international season back to accommodate the IPL will allow both Morgan and Bopara to take part in the event.If they choose to do so, it’s these next five matches against an Australian side enjoying a full-blooded renaissance during what seems like English cricket’s greatest moment of trauma that will help them state a convincing case. Again.

South Africa’s captain and strike bowler have dodgy hamstrings, which is hardly ideal preparation for the opening match of the World T20 and it will test their bench strength

Firdose Moonda20-Mar-2014When worker bees fill honeycomb with nectar to turn into the delicious golden syrup we enjoy on everything from yoghurt to bread, they do it systematically. They do not leave any gaps in the hexagonal holes because that would be wasteful and maybe even weaken the structure. For a few months now, that is what South Africa’s have had to do.Since the Champions Trophy last June, they have been filling gaps and at the World T20, they have two more. Faf du Plessis and Dale Steyn are both nursing hamstring injuries, they may not feature in the opening match against Sri Lanka and, with the quick turnaround between games, their availability for the rest of the tournament may also be in doubt. Replacements are unlikely to be called up just yet, because South Africa will want to hold onto the possibility the pair will return when it matters so others need to step into their shoes.South Africa need a leader, a batsman and a bowler, who are dependable enough not to dilute the strength of their team, and all of them have to come from within the squad in Bangladesh.At least, they have the first of those covered. AB de Villiers is the automatic replacement for du Plessis as captain. He is the current ODI leader and led this T20 side until 14 months ago. He is also the only member of the group experienced enough and willing to skipper. Hashim Amla, the other option, has made clear his aversion to captaincy.De Villiers may also have to occupy du Plessis’ No.3 spot with the only spare batsman in the squad, Farhaan Behardien, coming in lower down. Behardien does not seem an obvious du Plessis replacement. He has limited game-time in national colours, a modest record and not much recent exposure on the international stage.Apart from a T20 against Australia in which he neither batted nor bowled last week, Behardien previously turned out for South Africa in their forgettable ODI series in Sri Lanka where he was the weakest link. Behardien scored three runs in three matches and looked at sea against spin. It was a performance that haunted him, especially because he was dropped shortly afterwards.”The last time I was in the subcontinent was a tough tour for me,” Behardien admitted. “I’ve laid a few demons to rest.” Behardien went back to work in domestic cricket and finished as the sixth-highest run-scorer in South Africa’s domestic one-day cup with 362 runs from 12 games at 51.71 which included a century and two fifties. He captained the side when Henry Davids was unavailable and regained confidence, but not his national place with any certainty.In the match against Australia, Behardien was picked because de Villiers was being rested. Rain curtailed the match to a seven-over shootout and Behardien did not feature at all. In the warm-up against Bangladesh A, he was selected because of du Plessis’ injury. He walked into bat with South Africa 38 for 4 and saw an opportunity. He shared a 49-run stand with JP Duminy to stop the wobble and top-scored with 36 to prove he is capable of filling in.”I was nervous out there,” he said. “At times you can feel alone out there. You’re alone with your thoughts and you can think stupid things. Flashbacks to Sri Lanka in June last year came back to me. It was a tough period in my career but it’s a journey.”The most important thing Behardien has learnt along the way is that he, and the rest of the team, have to be able to overcome their own anxieties. “To unload pressure is vital to us as a unit,” he said.Two people who know that are Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Morne Morkel who will be the bowlers who have to compensate for Steyn’s absence. Both are certain starters so one of Wayne Parnell or Beuran Hendricks will have be included in the XI as well.They have both done it before, Morkel at Test level, Tsotsobe in the Champions Trophy. Steyn played only of South Africa’s matches at the tournament last June, and Morkel was also ruled out, leaving Tsotsobe to lead the attack. He bowled more overs than any other seamer and picked up key wickets in the victory over Pakistan, which kept South Africa in the competition.After a battle with fitness which almost ruled Tsotsobe out of tour to Sri Lanka he returned with a renewed work-ethic. Better results came. Tsotsobe equalled his career-best figures of 4 for 22 in his comeback match and ended the series with an average of 20.33. He has understood what it takes to adapt to conditions that are different to what he is used to at home.”When you come to the subcontinent people think it’s a spinner’s paradise but batsmen play spinners very well now and often you find it’s the fast bowlers who pick up most of the wickets,” Tsotsobe said.That is what happened in South Africa’s second warm-up match against Pakistan where Tsotsobe, Hendricks and Parnell picked up two apiece. South Africa skittled Pakistan for 71 in that match and Tsotsobe thinks they can do more of the same if they continue to use variation well.”You need to practice everything – yorkers, slower ball bouncers, slower balls, full tosses if you can, or even beamers,” he said. “As a bowler you need to think how you want to get batsmen off strike. You have to execute very well. You have to be a very good competitor to play this game.”Something no one will deny is that South Africa are an outfit studded with good competitors. Even when their names are not instantly recognisable, their players are always up for a fight. They were in the Champions Trophy until the dreaded knockout, they were in the Test series against Australia when Steyn was also injured.They are tireless worker bees, filling the gaps and carrying on. What has happened to them along the way is what happens to all workers bees: they don’t become queen; the ruler. Behardien thinks they can change that this time. “We’re perceived as not playing the conditions well in the subcontinent but there’s no reason why we can’t lift the trophy,” he said. “We’ve got to walk the walk now. The talking is done.”