All posts by h716a5.icu

Matt Prior, aka The Big Cheese, has been subjected to arguably the most withering written attack on a colleague ever seen in cricket

Alan Gardner07-Oct-2014Kevin Pietersen’s autobiography was always set to make a big stink but it quickly became clear from the fevered early readings that one person in particular was in for a grilling. Matt Prior, The Man Who Called KP in the aftermath of text-gate, is ridiculed throughout as the “Big Cheese”; the target of so many pot shots that he might by now be reckoned to look more like a block of Emmenthal.The devil, of course, gets the best lines – although perhaps in this case the credit should go to Pietersen’s ghost writer, David Walsh. Prior, the subject of a chapter entitled “Le Grand Fromage”, is flambéed in a manner rarely seen in the tepid world of sports publication. A humble diary product is raised to the level of obloquy, the repetition of “Cheese” ringing out with loaded meaning, like Antony persistently damning Brutus as an “honourable man” in .”The Big Cheese had matured and grown too large for his little box” ending up as “an empty vessel who made a lot of noise”. As a senior player, Prior “turned up the volume and made himself the main man in the dressing room, an endless foghorn booming about his perfect life”. Pietersen even belittles Prior’s late-found love of lycra.”The Big Cheese made himself unpopular by insisting on bringing his bicycle out to New Zealand,” he writes. “Here’s a thing about playing cricket at the other end of the world: you don’t need to take your bike with you. They have bikes in New Zealand.”Who the hell takes their bike? You rent a bike like any normal person … If Cheese wasn’t a top genius cricketer Cheese would have been a world-class cyclist … he’d get into his full-on Team Sky uniform like Clark Kent turning into Superman and go out on his bicycle, looking like a prat. Le Grand Fromage getting ready for the Le Tour de France.”The news of Prior getting a Big Bash contract (having criticised Pietersen for going on about the IPL) is worth several extra slices: “The Big Cheese down under – exactly what the world wanted… Cheese is talking about how Cheese’s sponsor is going to change the colour of Cheese’s equipment to match Cheese’s Big Bash team colours.”His acolytes, meanwhile, are “Baby Cheeses” (surely Mini Babybel?), exempt from the criticism Pietersen says Prior vented at those outside his clique. Perhaps most damning, depending on your palate, Prior became “a Dairylea triangle thinking he was Brie”. As brilliant as the rhetoric is, there is a strong whiff of something sour here.Prior has long been known as “Cheese”, from his time at Sussex “when I used to strut around a bit”, as he puts it in his own autobiography, a less pungent tome published last year. “I didn’t think I was ‘the Big Cheese’, but others obviously did believe that was how I saw myself.” Ironically, in his defence of players “who have a bit of a strut”, he cites as an example one Kevin Pietersen.The “aura” Prior also refers to may have now dimmed. Prior was the man who rang Pietersen after his Headingley outburst in 2012 – “It wasn’t a useful phone call,” Pietersen writes – and the man who tweeted “Reintegration complete” after his triumphant comeback on the tour of India. Forget cheese, now he is a chalk outline.As a device, the “Big Cheese”, referred to constantly in the third person – “the Big Cheese has earned some beer” – is devastating. But Prior is essentially the most obvious MacGuffin in the wider plot of KP’s revenge on English cricket. In some way, Prior’s perceived sins – a superabundance of ego, a misapprehension of his importance to the team, an abrasive manner, accusations of favouritism – elide into those qualities of which Pietersen has already been found guilty by ECB trial without jury. The hypocrisy vendetta is part self-defence mechanism. Not so much “Why always me?” as “Why not him as well?”Prior has already indicated that he will be exercising his “right of reply”, while Twitter immediately went into meltdown over cheese puns. At least the ECB might be able to have a fondue party at the end of it all.

Plays of the day from the 4th ODI between England and India at Edgbaston

Sidharth Monga at Edgbaston02-Sep-2014The field placement
It didn’t take MS Dhoni long to realise this was not a quick pitch. As early as the first over, he had moved his second slip to a fine gully and placed him a little close too. Almost like a wide fourth slip standing a couple of paces up. In the fifth over, Alastair Cook got a shortish, widish delivery that he didn’t cut whole-heartedly, playing just a chop, right into the ankles of Suresh Raina at that fine short gully.The field placement, part II
Ever since the start of the South Africa tour last year, Dhoni has been obsessed with the leg slip and leg gully. It initially looked like a plan just for Graeme Smith’s strong leg-side play, but the presence of that fielder almost everywhere for many other batsmen, and for both spinners and quicks, has been a source of frustration for observers. In this match, too, when Eoin Morgan and Joe Root got a partnership going and limited Dhoni’s catching options, the India captain went for a leg slip as opposed to a regulation one. Finally, at long last, that leg slip got a catch. Morgan moved across to Ravindra Jadeja, got inside the line, closed the face, played it with the turn, and found that man Raina again. Dhoni stood and clapped nonchalantly.The passage
While wicketkeeping has not evolved as much as batting and bowling with the advent of shorter formats of the game, one of the modern features is wicketkeepers standing in front of the stumps to save that half a second when they have to whip the bails off. On some occasions, though, you can come in the way of a direct hit. Not Dhoni. His knowledge of where he is with relation to the stumps is phenomenal. He showed it in this game. First he deflected a throw, from in front of the stumps, by opening the face of his glove to hit the stumps, but couldn’t beat the batsman. Later in the innings, though, when Raina threw from short third man, Dhoni was in front of the stumps again. This time Dhoni knew the throw was accurate even though the stumps were behind him, and made way for the ball. Chris Woakes was caught short.The reaction
In the third over of the day, Ajinkya Rahane made a diving save at cover. He saved four runs. As per the modern convention all the fielders, led by Raina, converged on Rahane to congratulate him in a manner mildly more animated than that of the 1970’s bowlers after taking a wicket. The change this time was Dhoni, who ran nearly 30 yards from his wicketkeeping position to pat Rahane. Only fielding efforts manage to draw such emotion from Raina. Later in the day he was seen clearly cross when an outfielder was slow to come around and conceded a second.

Stats highlights from the final day in Cape Town, when South Africa duly completed an eight-wicket win

S Rajesh06-Jan-201517-0 South Africa’s win-loss record in Cape Town Tests against all teams other than Australia since 1993. Against Australia they have a 2-4 record during this period. Against West Indies they have won three times and drawn once.1-47 West Indies’ win-loss record in overseas Tests, excluding matches in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, since November 2000. Their only win during this period has come against South Africa, in Port Elizabeth in 2007. However, they’ve also lost seven out of 10 Tests there. In Australia they’ve lost 10 out of 11, and in England 11 out of 13.74 Dean Elgar’s aggregate in six previous innings in Cape Town, before making an unbeaten 60 in the second innings against West Indies. His previous highest in those six innings was 23. It was his third 50-plus score in 19 Test innings outside Port Elizabeth, where he has two hundreds and a half-century in four innings. (Click here for Elgar’s venue-wise stats.)5 The number of Man-of-the-Match awards for AB de Villiers in Tests. This was his first against West Indies, and his first in a home Test since January 2005. His previous awards have been against England, India, Australia and Pakistan. Overall, 10 South Africans have won more Man-of-the-Match awards in Tests than de Villiers.1 The number of South African batsmen who have scored a century on Test debut, and a duck in their last Test. Alviro Petersen, who announced his retirement after the Cape Town Test, made 100 and 21 on his Test debut, and 42 and 0 at Newlands, thus becoming the first South African to start his Test career with a century and end with a duck.1.41 Sulieman Benn’s economy rate in South Africa’s second innings – he had figures of 2 for 24 from 17 overs. The last time a West Indies bowler bowled more than 15 overs and went at less than 1.5 runs an over in an overseas Test was in October 2002, when Marlon Samuels had figures of 1 for 21 from 16 overs in a drawn Test against India in Kolkata. Excluding Tests in Zimbabwe, the previous three instances were by Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, all of them on the tour to England in 2000.60.56 West Indies’ bowling average in the series; their batting average was 24.48. The difference between the two – of 36.08 – is their worst in a series in South Africa. The previous poorest was 32.37 (batting average 34.94, bowling average 67.31) in the 2003-04 series.18.20 Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s average in the series (91 runs in five innings), his poorest since the tour to New Zealand in 2006, when he scored 74 runs in five innings at an average of 14.80. (Click here to view his series-wise averages.)

Darren Sammy is not the one to throw tantrums, but after being taken off the attack, the allrounder was not able to hide his disappointment

Firdose Moonda in Napier15-Mar-2015The warning
Jason Holder promised UAE aggression and that’s exactly what he delivered. Midway through his first over, Holder bowled the first of several back of a length balls, knowing UAE’s batsmen were uncomfortable. Andri Berenger had no choice but to play at one that angled away and took the outside edge. Berenger immediately turned his head and watched nervously as the ball flew over the slip cordon. Darren Sammy jumped but his fingertips were not long enough. Even as UAE breathed a sigh of relief and took the four runs, they would have known more was coming.The almost five-for
With West Indies making steady progress through UAE’s line-up, and Holder closing in on a career-best, the captain kept himself on in a marathon spell. He almost got the reward when Nasir Aziz pushed at a full delivery and got the outside edge. It died on Sammy, who collected what he thought may have been a catch and alternated between appealing and tending to a finger that seemed to bend backwards, which immediately suggested he was not sure if he had cleanly collected. Holder wanted the five-for though and the umpires sent it upstairs for a closer look, which revealed the ball probably hit the ground before Sammy’s valiant effort. Almost.The Sammy sulk
He is not the player you would pick to have a mini-tantrum but Darren Sammy was not impressed when he was taken off after just one over and seemed to drift into his own world as Dwayne Smith took over. Holder went to his former captain to try to explain the decision but Sammy wasn’t buying it. They shared some choice words before Holder dispatched Sammy to the long-off boundary for an over and then brought him into the ring in the next over. The lesson had been learned as Sammy eagerly chased after everything that came his way, and even some that didn’t.The acceleration
After Amjad Javed and Nasir Aziz had stoically taken UAE to the point of a respectability with a 107-run stand for the seventh wicket, they sensed a need to accelerate as they entered the last 10 overs. Trying to smash one towards long-on, Javed was bowled but two balls later Mohammad Naveed got it right. He aimed squarer over the deep mid-wicket boundary and sent the ball into the stands. It was the boldest shot by a UAE batsman on the day and showed their ability to produce some glory shots amid the grind.The urgency
Johnson Charles had not played an ODI in over a year and was not part of this squad till Darren Bravo was withdrawn but he understood the urgency better than anyone when he began the chase. He hit the second ball he faced through extra cover for four and sent the third over long on for the biggest six of the match, at a towering 89 metres. Welcome back.The frustration
Marlon Samuels’ talent should be a source of celebration but the man himself takes it for granted so often, that it has become the opposite. With West Indies well set to finish the chase quickly, Samuels grew careless and played a casual cut straight into the hands of the man at backward point. Berenger did not have to do anything but accept the gift and Samuels ended what could have been a matchwinning knock by fizzling out.

What is the difference between a Twenty20, a fifty-over match and a five-day Test? Does randomness play a role?

Vineet Jindal03-May-2015What is the difference between a Twenty20, a fifty-over match and a five-day Test? Is there a hidden dissimilarity? The game essentially remains the same: the ball, the bat, the pitch, the stump height, the rules (more or less) and the players (not always). Then, why is it that some teams can consistently play well and win in one format but look pedestrian in another?More questions. Why do teams manage to score 200 runs in a Twenty20 while in a fifty-over game 300 is not easy? And why is scoring 400 runs in the fourth innings (even on a good pitch) of a Test nearly impossible? How come Dale Steyn is carted for more than 20 runs in an over by average players in Twenty20s, but when it comes to Tests, they can’t lay bat to his deliveries?Why do we love to play Candy Crush? It looks so silly at times to slide fingers over a smartphone, but let’s face it, everyone does it. Why? The answer I presume is not that we love sweets or chocolates (though it is a nudging factor) but it is the nature of the game. It involves a lot of luck and only a little bit of smartness. If you lose, you say it was luck; if you win, you can silently pat your ego for being smart. Would we play chess like this? I can’t imagine, because chess is essentially a game that does not involve luck. If you win, it entirely proves that you are smarter than the opponent. Even in card games, when the experience of the players starts to converge, it is the lucky one who is dealt all the aces that wins. Sometimes even a novice beats a seasoned player. But in chess, a novice never wins. If players are equal in ability, the one who is more alert on the day may win but he still can’t be called lucky.Unlike most sports, chess begins on the same board with the same pieces arranged in the same spots. There is no toss, wind, sunlight, a line call or injured players to induce luck. Some other games are similar, like checkers, but chess’ possibilities make it vastly superior.The popular games will always be slightly high on the luck factor because watching unpredictability is easier than facing it. Uncertainty also keeps the underdogs interested and hopeful of toppling a big-name team or player. Sports which have no element of luck, like chess, struggle to penetrate for viewership. This is not to say that only sports involving luck are popular. Olympic track and field events are hugely popular but they owe their viewership to the sense of the event. Imagine watching a 100-metres race, a wrestling match or a shot-put event every month.Football too has an element of luck which introduces unpredictability, and hence reduces the dominance of perennial favorites. True, some teams dominate but others are never out of contention. Where else do we see a rank outsider like Senegal beating France or Cameroon stunning Argentina?Why are tennis and Test cricket high on intensity while low on luck? It’s primarily because a lucky line call or a streaky boundary might give you a point or a run, but they can’t win you the match. In Twenty20, or even in an ODI, a couple of lucky hits, wickets or even dot balls can make the difference. And remember there are no second chances in limited-overs cricket.This is not to say that players who excel in the shorter formats don’t have these attributes, but Test cricket does require a lot of patience, perseverance and grit. To turn a Test match is no joke: it needs a sustained high-quality performance to tilt it, even more to turn it in your favour.The length of a Test match ensures luck does not dominate the game. If it were not so, we would see a lot of inferior teams winning Tests. In the IPL, every year mostly all the teams have a chance of qualifying till the end. This is pure randomness. Who are the players who excel in this? Not only brilliant players of the shorter version, but also those who are masters of cashing in on randomness. MS Dhoni is such a master. Using his influence as a captain, he loves bringing every game to a state where a stroke or a wicket can decide the game. If a chase comes to a point where 120 runs are needed in 20 overs, instead of batting with sustained aggression, he would stretch it to make it a game of chance. He would bring the equation to say, 75 in ten, and then 40 in four overs. At this stage, the opposing captain will not have a choice but to gamble. He would forget the ideas of field setting or wicket-taking and would indulge in pure run-stopping tactics. Before I proceed, let me clarify. There is nothing unethical in Dhoni’s methods.Dhoni works hard to find himself in a 22 runs off ten balls situation. He loves it. This introduces randomness in the game. An edge can fly over third man, a catch might be dropped, or the bowler may drift to the leg side under pressure. All such things help the batting side. Moreover, Dhoni, invariably the senior batsman in such a situation, hits the ball out of the ground with his muscular swing and wins it. Dhoni becomes a hero while the spectators and fans are left to bite their nails.A Test can rarely be brought to a lottery state where it can be decided by a swing or two. A few fortunate happenings will even out in the day itself. This is where a quality player excels. He needs to bat or bowl session after session with the same intensity, aggression and most importantly, with the same calibre. This is indeed very tough. VVS Laxman did this for five sessions against the world’s best in Kolkata in 2001. His effort produced possibly the greatest cricketing contest.Five deliveries compared to five sessions. Which one do you prefer?Batting in cricket depends a lot on horizon. Arguably, every delivery can be hit out of the park – even the ones delivered from stratosphere by Curtly Ambrose and Joel Garner. Batting also depends on the match state and batsman’s mindset. So, if the horizon is an over, it is not at all a heroic act to hit sixes against Dale Styen – or for that matter two or three. In fact, it is more like a gamble that might pay off. It does need, however, a basic capability of hand-eye coordination and a good swing. Further, in Twenty20 situations, if a batsman fails, he has nothing to lose, especially if he has scored well in his previous innings. So, with that knowledge, he can always swing with abandon. If the same state becomes surviving a whole day against Dale Steyn bowling at will, scoring even 20 runs becomes a challenge for most batsmen.The more you shorten the game, the more it hinges on a few events – most of them can be pure luck. Try playing a one-over game. The outcome of a match between international teams would not be far away from the randomness of a coin flip.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line.

Lisa Sthalekar and Anjum Chopra talk about breaking into the boys club of the commentary box during the IPL

Interview by Gaurav Kalra22-May-201514:11

‘A positive step by the BCCI’

.How has your experience of commentating in the IPL been?
Anjum Chopra: Excellent. It has been a great opportunity, not only for us as women cricketers speaking on the biggest platform but also in world cricket. It has been a great revelation as women’s cricket gets highlighted in totality. The way women’s sport is today, it is going on a higher pedestal. A lot of people will recognise that if women can share a commentary box with men, they know about the sport, as they have played the sport.Lisa Sthalekar: Last year I decided to leave my role at Cricket New South Wales where I was coaching as I wanted to get more involved in the media. I was lucky enough to do some work throughout the Australian summer on ABC Grandstand. One of the player managers asked me whether I would like to commentate in the IPL. I thought it would be the biggest thrill to commentate on the greatest T20 tournament. I didn’t think it was going to happen and was a little hesitant, but he told me that the BCCI wanted to get a few women involved. I didn’t quite think it would actually happen. When I got the call finally, I was over the moon, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.Lisa Sthalekar: “We have been treated like any other commentator. We have not been put on a platform”•BCCICommentary is mostly dominated by men in cricket. It is seen as a “boys club”. What was the reception in the commentary box?
LS: On my commentary team, I’d got Danny Morrison, who I had worked with in Australia. It was good to have a friendly face. The rest of the guys have been great. They made me feel very comfortable straightaway and were very welcoming. It is interesting, as they are used to a boys club. Sometimes the producer or the director would say, “Okay boys, you ready?” and I think, “Am I supposed to be ready for this bit or is it just the boys?” I think it has been a good learning curve for them as well.AC: It is different. It is a shift or an add-on. I won’t say I felt anything different with the male commentators in the same commentary box, as I had met them earlier, worked alongside them in some form – whether on the cricket field or in the commentary box. That made it slightly easier for me. I’m a very friendly person, so that makes it easy. The other side is that it did take a little bit of time to adjust.Did you feel that as a woman commentator, there could be a danger of being stereotyped, especially as this was the IPL?
AC: I’ll be very honest on this. It depends on how you want to get positioned. Do you want to go the glamour way, the hardcore professional way, or a mix of both? What is it that suits your personality, whether in front of the camera or behind it? Everybody has their areas they want to succeed in or their stronger points which they want to present. For me it is how you can bring out your best and what is suitable at that time. I feel that it can get into the stereotype angle easily because you may try to be a replica of something that has succeeded at the highest level. It is about your own belief, personality and your positioning as to how you want to get comfortable. It is my job to make it comfortable for the viewer.

“They [male commentators] have adjusted very well. There is no bias, and credit to them for welcoming us with open hearts”Anjum Chopra

LS: It’s about what you can bring to the table and everyone will take a different path. We all commentate differently. There’s no right way or wrong way. It is our personality and how we bring it across. Since I arrived in India for the IPL, we have been treated like any other commentator. We have not been put on a platform and we have not gone down a level. Whatever the male commentators are getting, we are getting exactly the same. It is really refreshing.Did your successful international careers come as a confidence booster when you went in to commentate?
LS: A commentator needs to know the game. It is our job to believe what we know. We have played the game at a high level and been very successful. So, bringing out knowledge in the men’s game also brings out a different perspective as women look at things slightly differently.AC: Having played recently has helped us. If I talk about the present generation, the latest entrant is Siddhesh Lad in the Mumbai Indians squad. I’ve played a lot of cricket in Mumbai and seen him come through the ranks of local cricket. So I can associate with him.It is what you bring to the table. No two people analyse the game in the same way, though there are people playing cricket around the world. The way you present and read the game brings different opinions to the table. The way you communicate to the viewer or listener is the key.Anjum Chopra: “I had worked alongside male cricketers in some form – whether on the cricket field or in the commentary box. That made it slightly easier for me”•India Today Group/Getty ImagesDo you think this is the first step towards a bigger stage for women’s cricket? For instance, do you see an IPL-style league for women in the future?
AC: I think so. That is required for the progression of the women’s game at a higher level. The reason why so many sporting leagues have come up is that it is a way to catch the public eye. How it is worked out, the way it takes place and is to be marketed is the professionals’ field of expertise. I think four of us commentating on the game will give a good fillip to the women’s game.LS: I can only talk about Australia and Cricket Australia has done a wonderful job with the Australian Cricketers Association to raise the bar for women’s cricket. For this summer, they are looking to start a women’s Big Bash League. It will have eight teams and a certain amount of matches will be televised on Channel Ten, which is free-to-air. I think it’s important to telecast the women’s game to a broader audience for it to grow globally.My last game for Australia was in India and we were playing in the World Cup final. Fifty million Indians had tuned in to watch the Australians beat West Indies. You can imagine what the numbers would have been like if India had been in the final. There is a precedent there – that if women’s cricket is televised, people would watch it. People are interested and they are impressed with the skill level. We just need to convince the broadcasters, directors and sponsors that women’s cricket is the way forward and they are wonderful role models.Do you think that your presence in the commentary box could be a pointer to how cricket coverage will evolve in the the future, with more women being invited into the box?
LS: I think the BCCI has done a wonderful job to get us involved. They’ve broken a lot of barriers. A lot of other countries and production houses can look at it. The feedback I’m getting is that it is working and we have been pretty good. We are not going to be everyone’s cup of tea but the general response has been very good.AC: It is for the other broadcasters to look at it in the right perspective. If they can take it to the next level, nothing like it. It is not that you put your hand up and say, “It is a woman’s world.” It is about adding to the sport. You want to give maximum entertainment to the person who is watching the game on television for three hours. It is also about how many other broadcasters can take the step that the BCCI has taken and extend it to future cricket games. BCCI has always taken the lead and this is the biggest positive step they have taken that has paid off. Other cricket boards should try and follow it.Who is the commentator you have had most fun working with?
AC: I think Harsha Bhogle. He still gets the better of everyone. He is the lead commentator and he gets the lead role.LS: When Danny Morrison’s in the room, we have a lot of fun. We have had the “bowlologist”, Damien Fleming as well. We love it when he pulls out a couple of his lines. We egg each other on to say certain things on the commentary team. It is a lot of fun, and hopefully it has come across well.AC: It is also credit to the male commentators. They have adjusted very well, which is why the picture in totality comes out very well. There is no bias, and credit to them for welcoming us with open hearts.We have already seen a top tennis pro, Andy Murray, hire a woman as coach in Amelie Mauresmo. Do you see a woman coach being involved with a men’s cricket team in the future?
LS: I think there have been some instances in the past where it has happened. I know Charlotte Edwards was assisting coaches in Western Australia. We look at things from a different perspective. It might open the eyes of some men who look at the game in a certain way. It is important to get different perspectives. As a player, I always preferred to get advice from a lot of different sources. It is up to me to filter them. I definitely think there are opportunities. Every time I’ve done some coaching – I was a coach with New South Wales 2nd XI – I hope I provided a different perspective there. I think I was well received and I’d like to see that in the future. I don’t know who is going to be the first one.AC: It is the next level of progression for the women. If you are able to increase your knowledge base to a greater level and contribute to some player or some team, it is the sport that gets more recognition than the individual. No individual can become bigger than the sport, and as far as cricket is growing, the sport tends to grow and you as an individual are noticed for doing a good job.

Watch the plays of the day from the fourth day of the second Test between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2015#SangaSignsOffThe time had come and Colombo knew how to make it special. Kumar Sangakkara strode out for the final time as a batsman in Test cricket through a guard of honour and a very noisy crowd. It was a chancy innings though. He was nearly run out off the seventh ball he faced. There were two crisp fours as well. But the innings would only last 18 balls.Memories of the manAlthough the fairytale ending was foiled, Sangakkara’s value and “what he was for SL cricket is something you can’t take away,” to quote his best friend Mahela Jayawardene. Here is what some of his other team-mates had to say4:17

WATCH – What Sanga meant to his team-mates

Behind the scenesFor those curious about the man himself, Sangakkara’s wife Yehali talks of how she was wooed by five-page love letters, and of family cook-outs2:26

WATCH – Yehali Sangakkara on her husband

Rise to the topThat Sangakkara has toppled various records is common knowledge, but how does he rate among his peers? ESPNcricinfo compared his average as a Test cricketer with some of his peers as his career went on0:53

WATCH – Sanga soars from from No. 21 to No. 1

The nemesisThat he had to go through his first Test series without aggregating 100 runs in two years was down to India offspinner R Ashwin, who took Sangakkara’s wicket four out of four times

Kraigg Brathwaite had three first-class wickets before his 6 for 29 at the P Sara Oval. ESPNcricinfo looks back at other standout performances by the ‘occasional’ bowlers

Mathew Varghese24-Oct-2015Allan Border
7 for 46 v West Indies, Sydney, 1989The ball turned from the start in Sydney, but West Indies would have not been perturbed by the prospect of facing Allan Border, who had taken 16 wickets in his 100 Tests till then. Australia were playing two specialist spinners in Peter Taylor and debutant Trevor Hohns, while West Indies had brought in Roger Harper for Patrick Patterson.West Indies were in control in their first innings at 144 for 1. Border then turned it around, with wickets off deliveries that would remind one of tactics used by kids in the 1990s to take wickets in computer games like Allan Border Cricket. Two short balls well outside off, and both Richie Richardson and Carl Hooper only managed to find the fielders on the offside. Border then got the big wicket of Viv Richards, who was given out caught at silly point. Gus Logie got an inside-edge on to the stumps, and Border had his maiden five-for – in both Test and first-class cricket – when Jeff Dujon was caught in the deep off the sweep.Border went on to get Australia’s best figures by a spinner at the SCG; his 7 for 46 – he took four more in the second innings – set up a consolation win for the hosts.Michael Clarke
6 for 9 v India, Mumbai, 2004On a pitch that was tailor-made for the spinners, it was a part-timer who had the most astounding figures. In 2004, Australia headed into the final Test against India in Mumbai with the series already won, and started on a dominant note, bowling out India for 104. India had three specialist spinners in Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, and Murali Kartik, but Australia managed to take a lead of 99 as 18 wickets fell on the second day.Offspinner Nathan Hauritz, making his debut, opened the bowling for Australia in the second innings. Ricky Ponting, though, perhaps missed a trick in not turning to Clarke’s left-arm spin earlier than the 57th over. Clarke, who didn’t bowl in the first innings, required only ten balls to strike; he had Rahul Dravid caught behind for his first Test wicket. He then blitzed through the rest of India’s line-up – in 38 balls, he had taken six wickets for nine runs. It still remains the only six-for by a spinner for less than ten runs.Clarke’s effort, though, didn’t win Australia the match, as they crashed to 93 all out chasing 107 – 20 wickets fell as the Test ended in three days despite a first day marred by rain. Clarke however did turn a Test against India in Sydney less than four years later.Basil Butcher
5 for 34 v England, Port of Spain, 1968Butcher, an occasional leg-break bowler, had only bowled in one innings in his Test career spanning 31 Tests before Port of Spain. West Indies put on 526 for 7 declared in the first innings. The hosts had a setback after fast bowler Charlie Griffith suffered a leg injury after three overs. Colin Cowdrey led England’s reply with his 148, and put on 113 for the sixth wicket with Alan Knott before Butcher, who was the sixth bowler to be brought on in the innings, had him caught behind. It sparked a collapse from 373 for 5 to 404 all out; Butcher had figures of 5 for 34 off his 13.4 overs. reported: “In three overs, Butcher took four wickets and in his full spell of 10 overs, interrupted by rain, five for 15.”West Indies gained a lead of 122, and Garry Sobers made an adventurous declaration, setting England a target of 215 on the final day. The visitors scored at more than four an over to seal a seven-wicket win.Butcher took only those five wickets in his Test career, averaging less than six balls per match in his 44 Tests.Denis Compton
5 for 70 v South Africa, Cape Town, 1949After bowling out England for 308, South Africa seemed on course to take a big lead in the third Test in Cape Town, having lost only two wickets for 298. However, Denis Compton, bowling his slow left-armers, triggered a slide. He caught and bowled Dudley Nourse, South Africa’s captain, for 112, and Billy Wade was dismissed for a duck to make it 298 for 4. Bruce Mitchell, the other centurion in the innings, was bowled five runs later. A 39-run stand for the sixth wicket followed, but Compton struck again. He took the final wicket – No.11 Cuan McCarthy was stumped – as the last five wickets fell for 14 runs.Compton bowled 25.2 overs (eight-ball overs) for his 5 for 70, and three more overs in the second innings as the Test ended in a draw. He took 25 wickets in his 78 Tests at an average of 56.40, with 2 for 32 being his next-best figures.Simon Katich
6 for 65 v Zimbabwe, Sydney, 2003
Katich, who made his debut in the Ashes in 2001, had to wait two years for his second Test, against Zimbabwe in Sydney. Australia’s weakened attack had Brad Hogg as the only specialist spinner, and Katich, a chinaman bowler himself, bowled seven overs as Zimbabwe scored 308 in the first innings. Katich then scored his maiden fifty as Australia managed a 95-run lead, with left-arm spinner Ray Price taking 6 for 121.Without an injured Brett Lee, Katich had greater bowling responsibilities in Zimbabwe’s second innings, and he out-bowled Hogg. He removed Stuart Carlisle, Zimbabwe’s top-scorer in the first innings, and opener Trevor Gripper in the space of five overs. He went to take the vital middle-order scalps of Craig Wishart and Tatenda Taibu. Price became his fifth victim, and he had his sixth when Andy Blignaut was the last man out for 44.Katich took 21 wickets in 56 Tests at an impressive average of 30.23, with the Sydney haul his only five-for.Any other performance that you can think of? Tell us at [email protected]

Sanjay Manjrekar has his say on a day that was completely dominated by India after South Africa shot themselves out for 121 and were left facing the prospect of a 3-0 series defeat

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2015 ‘Jadeja has grown in stature’ South Africa hardly had a chance to settle during their 49.3 overs at the crease, and a large part of that was due to Ravindra Jadeja’s rhythmic bowling. Manjrekar believes Jadeja has come a long way from the offspinner who could only flourish in rank turners.2:26

Manjrekar: Jadeja has grown in stature

‘Kohli’s selection of Umesh Yadav a masterstroke’ With the pitches and spinners hogging all the headlines, Virat Kohli’s leadership in this series has perhaps flown a little under the radar. Manjrekar feels that among everything else, Kohli has been really impressive in picking the right fielding combinations and handling the bowlers in his first home Test series as captain.2:22

Manjrekar: Kohli’s selection of Umesh Yadav a masterstroke

‘Rare to see such an all-round display from India’s bowlers’ India’s attack also came in for high praise, with Manjrekar quick to acknowledge and laud how every singly bowler managed to put pressure on South Africa.1:21

Manjrekar: Rare to see an all-round bowling performance from India

‘SA’s batting skills exposed’ While being bundled out for 79 must have hurt South Africa, it seems strange to suggest that the No.1 ranked Test team has suddenly become mentally fragile.1:51

Manjrekar: SA’s batting skills exposed

‘Disappointed with Faf and Amla’Plenty of South African batsmen went down cheaply, but Manjrekar was especially surprised that Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis failed to apply themselves in Delhi, especially after battling it out in Nagpur.1:59

‘Disappointed with Faf and Amla’

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2016Scotland began strongly by dismissing Hong Kong’s top three by the seventh over•AFPMark Chapman, however, lifted Hong Kong with a fighting 40…•AFP…Before top-edging one to short fine leg in the 18th over with the score on 98•AFPNizakat Khan struck back-to-back sixes to push his side to 127•International Cricket CouncilRain interrupted play at the end of Hong Kong’s innings and reduced the match to a ten-over shootout. Scotland’s target was revised to 76•International Cricket CouncilMatthew Cross drove Scotland’s chase after they had lost opener George Munsey early•International Cricket CouncilHe found good company in Kyle Coetzer who made an unbeaten 20•International Cricket CouncilCross fell with the score at 56, but Scotland eventually knocked off the target with 12 balls to spare•International Cricket Council