All posts by h716a5.icu

Nothing illustrates more aptly the emptiness of whatever method and merit there is to Pakistan’s current thinking than the continued selection of Kamran Akmal as a first-choice wicketkeeper

Osman Samiuddin in Lahore24-Jan-2009
So complacent to Kamran Akmal’s failings have we become that the issue is no longer a debating point. © AFP
Nothing illustrates more aptly the emptiness of whatever method and merit there is to Pakistan’s current thinking than the continued selection of Kamran Akmal as a first-choice wicketkeeper.For about three years now, without exaggeration, Akmal has missed nearly a chance per match – an ODI – on average, sometimes more. This series has not bucked any trends. He missed a stumping today and dropped a catch in Karachi’s second ODI. His glovework to spinners in particular is, to be blunt, appalling, as if the ball and gloves both carry negative charges. Clean takes are seen as often as dry eyes in an Obama speech.Shahid Afridi in ODIs has now joined Danish Kaneria in Tests as a repeat victim of Akmal’s ineptitude; catches, stumpings, byes given away like every day is . Geoffrey Boycott’s great grandmother was an even bet to complete today’s stumping off Shoaib Malik (Stevie Wonder, according to bookies, was the odds-on favourite).So complacent to his failings have we become that the issue is no longer a debating point. Sarfraz Ahmed was tried half-heartedly last year. He did little wrong but was dropped as soon as a new selection committee came in and nobody peeped. Akmal returned, as if to the manor born, amid cautious assessment that he had improved. It was tosh, swiftly evidenced in three missed chances against West Indies in Abu Dhabi.If the issue is brought up, with selectors, team-mates, the captain even, it is said his batting makes up for it, as it did admittedly in Abu Dhabi. It is the curse Adam Gilchrist has left the game that poor wicketkeepers around the world are excused if only they know which side of the bat to hold. Akmal can bat, but that is not the same thing as making up for his follies. And anyway a player’s value to a side is not a balance book that you even out at the end.By scoring a fifty, you do not automatically make up for two catches missed earlier. A dropped chance is not just calculated in the runs made thereafter. The very mood, circumstances, and momentum of a game changes; if a wicketkeeper is the touchstone from whom fielders take their cue, then at least one reason why Pakistan are so inconsistent in the field is clear. At the risk of stating the obvious – and it obviously needs stating – a player’s value is to be judged only by what he , not a total sum of his failings from his positives.But if his batting is to be used as a persistent defence, if we are to go down that road, then there isn’t much there either. In his last 49 matches, he averages 21 with a single hundred against Bangladesh and two fifties. Charitably, there are perhaps four match-changing ODI knocks in three years. So no, let’s not go down that road.Akmal had something when he first cemented his place in the side. In Australia, India, the West Indies and at home against England over 2004 and 2005, he was a good wicketkeeper as well as batsman. To spin, he was safe, often spectacular. But he hasn’t had it for a long, long time. This may have been a poor patch sometime ago, but it is now turning into a horrid half-life. In this form, he might not catch a cold in an epidemic.Yet as sure as day follows night, there will be no calls for replacing or resting Akmal for a while. For Shoaib Akhtar there will be screams, for Afridi there are perennial daggers. But Akmal will go on, Pakistan’s Mr Teflon, on whom no criticism (or catch) sticks. It is said that he is particularly close to Malik. This much is true that Malik has repeatedly insisted Akmal be retained through this period. He even called him, a little while back, the second-best wicketkeeper-batsman in the world, after Gilchrist, which should invite defamation lawsuits from Kumar Sangakkara and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, to say nothing of Brendon McCullum.Predictably, Malik defended his performance again today. “This is the same Akmal who has won Pakistan matches from difficult situations. Catches are dropped by all wicketkeepers and one or two in recent matches doesn’t make a difference. We have to keep the future in mind and not put pressure on him,” he said.Sadly the thinking is emblematic not just of a cricket culture where merit is often wholly forsaken and mediocrity repeatedly rewarded for the sake of a personal connection, but of an entire nation.

Andrew Flintoff’s career numbers are ultimately underwhelming, but against the best team of his era he stepped it up

S Rajesh25-Aug-2009Numbers can never do full justice to Andrew Flintoff: a Test career which fetches 3845 runs at an average of 31.77, and 226 wickets at a touch under 33 will do nicely for most players, but from a player touted as one of the best allrounders of this era, these are somewhat underwhelming. These stats support Peter Roebuck’s assertion – and Flintoff’s own statements – that his career has been more about competence and stout-hearted performances than about sustained out-and-out greatness.There were periods of his career, though, when Flintoff delivered on his promise and then some. The two-and-a-half year period between January 2004 and June 2006 saw Flintoff at his pomp with both bat and ball – his batting average almost touched 40, with three of his five centuries coming then, the bowling average slipped to below 26, with his average wickets per Test exceeding four, and he picked up four out of six Man-of-the-Match awards. He was the only player to score 1000 runs and take 50 wickets during this 30-month period.Unfortunately for him, though, this span only took him through 33 of his 79 Tests. Over the rest of his career, his numbers slipped drastically. In his first 29 matches, he picked up a mere 52 wickets – less than two per game – and needed almost 16 overs to strike, hardly the kind of stats which reflect a potent strike bowler. Similarly, in his last 17 matches, he took only 40 wickets at an average touching 40. During both these periods, his batting came down a few notches from its peak too.

Flintoff’s Test career in three parts

PeriodRunsAverage100sWktsAverage5WIStrike rateFirst 29 Tests (till Dec ’03)120925.7225245.55094.7Next 33 Tests (Jan ’04 to Jun ’06)191839.95313425.80250.8Last 17 Tests (Jul ’06 to Aug ’09)71827.6104039.571802Career (79 Tests)384531.77522632.78366.1It’s impossible to talk about Flintoff without bringing Ian Botham into the picture. Both were flamboyant, capable of changing the course of a game with bat and ball, and both relished the challenges of an Ashes contest more than most. Botham had the better average as batsman and bowler, scoring more than 33 runs per dismissal and conceding less than 29 per wicket. However, the difference was much starker in terms of their abilities to put in major performances: Botham had 12 centuries and an incredible 27 five-wicket hauls, compared to just five and three for Flintoff. Botham also had twice the number of Man-of-the-Match awards – 12 to six.Both enjoyed the Australian challenge – exactly half of those awards for them came against Australia. Botham’s batting average dropped a bit against them, but it was still higher than his bowling average.Most of the stats below favour Botham, but one area in which Flintoff clearly stole a march was in performances against the leading team of the era. In Botham’s case, that team was undoubtedly West Indies, and Botham undoubtedly struggled against them. In 20 Tests, he didn’t score a single century – his highest being 81 – and his 61 wickets came at a relatively high average of more than 35. He did win one match award, at Lord’s in 1984, for scores of 30 and 81 and eight wickets in the first innings, though he leaked 117 off 20.1 wicketless overs in the second innings as West Indies chased down a target of 344 losing only one wicket.On the other hand, Flintoff has done much better against the top team of his era, though he did lead the team to a rather sorry 5-0 thrashing in 2006-07.

Comparing Botham and Flintoff

TestsRunsAverage100sWktsAverage5WIMoM awardsIan Botham – career102520033.541438328.402712Andrew Flintoff – career79384531.77522632.7836Botham v Aus36167329.35414827.6596Flintoff v Aus1590633.5515033.2023Botham v West Indies2079221.4006135.1831Flintoff’s bowling average against Australia are good enough to win him fourth spot among bowlers who’ve taken at least 25 Test wickets against them since 2000. Only Dale Steyn, Harbhajan Singh and Muttiah Muralitharan have done better, while two other high-class spinners, Anil Kumble and Daniel Vettori, have both been pushed back. Flintoff, though, is the only one among the top seven not to have a ten-wicket haul against them.

Best bowlers against Australia in Tests since 2000 (Qual: 25 wickets)

BowlerTestsWicketsAverageStrike rate5WI/ 10WMDale Steyn63427.7946.22/ 1Harbhajan Singh137727.8056.07/ 3Muttiah Muralitharan63732.5961.44/ 1Andrew Flintoff155033.2059.22/ 0Daniel Vettori135133.4167.66/ 1Anil Kumble147433.7258.17/ 2Makhaya Ntini155834.7459.22/ 1Merv Dillon72735.8855.90/ 0Jacques Kallis184136.8763.60/ 0Matthew Hoggard123538.1162.81/ 0Head-to-head battlesSome of his best moments came against Australia, so it’s hardly surprising that plenty of Australians figure in the list of batsmen he’s dismissed most often in Tests. His head-to-head stats (only since December 2001) indicate he had his share of victories against top-class batsmen. Matthew Hayden struggled against him in 2005, and had an overall average of 31.33 against him, falling six times in 407 deliveries. Mahela Jayawardene was the other batsman who Flintoff dismissed six times, at an even lower average.Five Australians figure in the top seven, which indicates what a force Flintoff was against them. He was especially effective against their left-handers: apart from Hayden, Justin Langer, Simon Katich and Adam Gilchrist all lost more battles against him than they won.He had some success against another high-class left-hander: Brian Lara was dismissed by him four times in 263 deliveries, and averaged a touch over 27. Stephen Fleming fared worse, scoring 75 runs while falling to him four times.Some of the other batsmen had more success against him, but none more than Michael Clarke, who didn’t fall to Flintoff even once in 375 deliveries (62.3 overs, or Flintoff bowling continuously to him without success for more than two sessions), during which period he scored 195 runs. A couple of left-handers from New Zealand and South Africa played him well too – Mark Richardson and Gary Kirsten faced 200 or more deliveries without surrendering their wicket. Inzamam-ul-Haq, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid all averaged more than 50 against him.

Flintoff against each batsman in Tests (since Dec 2001)

BatsmanRunsBallsDismissalsAverageRun rateMatthew Hayden188407631.332.77Mahela Jayawardene151341625.162.65Ricky Ponting226424545.203.19Graeme Smith249436549.803.42Simon Katich134341526.802.35Justin Langer121221524.203.28Adam Gilchrist121186524.203.90Neil McKenzie62129512.402.88Jacques Kallis139372434.752.24Brian Lara109263427.252.48Ramnaresh Sarwan105203426.243.10Stephen Fleming75192418.752.34Damien Martyn60113415.003.18Rahul Dravid154470351.331.96Sachin Tendulkar133342266.502.33Inzamam-ul-Haq86178186.002.89Michael Clarke1953750-3.12Virender Sehwag761270-3.59Mark Richardson782620-1.78Gary Kirsten762000-2.28In the Ashes series Flintoff has generally been a huge force against left-hand batsmen, but overall in his career, he had more success against the right-handers, averaging 27.34 against them (bat runs conceded only, since December 2001). Against the left-handers he was a touch more economical, but conceded more than 36 runs per wicket.

Flintoff against right and left-handers, since Dec 2001

Batsman typeRunsBallsDismissalsAverageRun rateRight-handers4074870914927.342.80Left-handers253057747036.142.62

Sri Lanka started 2009 on a high but finished it struggling to hold their footing as key players went missing

Jamie Alter30-Dec-2009Think of a stick of dynamite with the fuse lit and ready to blow. That is what Sri Lanka were all year, a crackerjack side hinting at an explosion; but at the end of a dramatic 12 months the fuse just didn’t seem ready to detonate. The end result was a whimper.Sri Lanka rode into 2009 on the crest of the Ajantha Mendis wave and boosted by the knowledge they’d be playing five more Tests than the six they played in 2008. They had big series away and home lined up, a crop of new and rejuvenated players brimming with potential, and a serious shot at the No. 2 spot in Test cricket.But at the end of the year, 2008’s ICC Emerging Player of the Year was struggling to find a spot in the Test line-up and had been dropped from the ODI one, and Sri Lanka, having climbed to that No. 2 spot, had suffered a severe bout of vertigo.Kumar Sangakkara, who took over the captaincy after Mahela Jayawardene relinquished it early in the year, found by December that the shine of his promising debut, one that hinted at a new and more aggressive direction, had faded as the months ticked over.There were more lows (a limp display in the Champions Trophy, limited-overs series defeats to India at home, twice, and away to go with a 2-0 Test loss) than highs (a maiden Test series success over Pakistan at home and reaching the ICC World Twenty20 finals).In statistical terms, the year was mixed. Of the 11 Tests played, five were won. Sri Lanka played five Test series, winning three and losing one (the fifth was aborted due to the horrific Lahore attacks). To emerge from that shocking assault, in which several players and coaching staff were injured, took spirit, courage and medical assistance. Sri Lanka did so fantastically, beating Pakistan in the return series, for the first time at home.That win was Sri Lanka’s most impressive achievement all year. Sangakkara’s captaincy, the canny pace of new-ball pair Thilan Thushara and Nuwan Kulasekara, and the return of Rangana Herath stood out. Pakistan came hard at Sri Lanka, who went into the series with an inexperienced attack, a non-regular wicketkeeper, and under a new captain. But the extra responsibility was taken on by all and the team played very, very good cricket.An expected series win over an overawed New Zealand followed, but the defeat against India was disheartening. They arrived in India in late 2009 ranked No. 2 in Tests, but the quest for a maiden win in India remained unfulfilled. Sangakkara, who bore the brunt of the criticism, stated that Sri Lanka were a better side than the 0-2 series scoreline indicated. The injuries, lost tosses and poor umpiring were not excuses, and Sri Lanka rounded off their 2009 Test year wondering how to lift their standards.On an individual level the numbers were especially good for Thilan Samaraweera, the leading Test run-scorer in 2009, who began with twin double-centuries in Pakistan and continued in the same vein during the home summer, until he returned to India and struggled.

There were more lows (a limp display in the Champions Trophy, limited-overs series defeats to India home, twice, and away to go with a 2-0 Test loss) than highs (a maiden Test series success over Pakistan at home and reaching the ICC World Twenty20 finals)

Tillakaratne Dilshan did everything this year – keeping wicket, opening the batting in all three formats, and even opening the bowling in ODIs (and in an innings in Test cricket). He did not for a moment appear saddled by the pressure of opening, as six Test centuries attest to.Like Samaweera and Dilshan, if not as impressively, Jayawardene and Sangakkara went past the 1000-mark in Tests for the year.As for the bowlers, the biggest success story was Herath, who returned from the obscurity of the Staffordshire League in England to finish as Sri Lanka’s leading wicket-taker in Tests this year. Herath completely overshadowed Mendis, who struggled for consistency and was played with ease in each of his seven Tests, which yielded him 18 wickets at 45.55.In one-day cricket they had a win-loss ratio of 44% from the 27 games they played. Their form replicated that of 2008: in January-February they surrendered a series to India, lost the tri-series final to India at home, didn’t make the second round of the Champions Trophy, and lost another ODI series in India. Of those 27 matches, 12 were against India, and they won just three.The main reason, like last year, was their unpredictable batting. Sangakkara and Jayawardene managed only two centuries between them and much responsibility was piled on Dilshan. He responded as best he could, racking up 1000 runs at 55 and a strike rate of 103.19. He was the biggest thing to happen to Sri Lanka in 2009.Most distressing for Sri Lanka was an inability to dominate in their own backyard. A 6-7 home ODI record in 2009 shattered their aura of invincibility and No. 7 in the ICC rankings is a fair indicator of where they stand.On a managerial level the coach, Trevor Bayliss, lost the services of his assistant, Paul Farbrace, to his native Kent. Bayliss now has his work cut out: with Farbrace’s replacement, Stuart Law, he needs to further develop a team that can perform in all three versions.Sri Lanka have more questions than answers facing them in 2010. The opening remains a worry, because Tharanga Paranavitana, Malinda Warnapura and Michael Vandort do not look up to scratch in Tests. Muttiah Muralitharan’s impending retirement and Mendis’ drop in form leaves the spin cupboard almost bare, and there doesn’t seem to be a genuine new fast bowler on the horizon. The core unit of players remains talented and very enthusiastic, but the attention and determination needs tweaking.Murali: his last overseas Test series fetched him nine wickets from three Tests•AFPNew kid on the block
Angelo Mathews made his Test and Twenty20 debuts this year, and showed plenty of promise. His new-ball spells played a big part in Sri Lanka’s path to the final of the World Twenty20 – during which he also produced a stunning fielding effort – and capped a run-heavy domestic season with a call-up to the Test squad, where he slotted in nicely as the third seamer and produced a top score of 99.Fading star
Statistically, this was Muralitharan’s worst year. His 26 wickets from eight Tests cost 45.96 each and he had no five-wicket haul. In 1999 he took 24 wickets, but in two matches fewer and at 28.25, with a best of 5 for 71. In 16 ODIs this year he took 22 wickets at 29.45, with a best of 3 for 19. He finished his last overseas series with nine wickets – four in one innings – after conceding 591 runs.High point
Beating Pakistan at home in Tests and ODIs. The success came because Sri Lanka made some crucial, bold decisions, both during the series and before it. Not all were universally acclaimed – dropping Chaminda Vaas (who announced his retirement shortly after), and having Dilshan keep wicket among them – but they worked in the end.Low point
Losing 0-2 to India in India – mainly because of the lack of bowling firepower, and poor catching. Before leaving on the tour, Sangakkara spoke of winning “the last frontier”, but that ambition was left unfulfilled, and the No. 2 Test spot was lost in the process.What 2010 holds
Sri Lanka don’t play a Test until October, when West Indies visit. For a side aspiring to be the best, that doesn’t augur well. Sri Lanka enter 2010 with less optimism than they did 2009, largely because of the ICC’s Future Tours Programme and their own board’s inability to push for more Tests. In one-day cricket, the focus will be on developing a team for that little tournament called the World Cup, of which 12 games will be played at home.

West Indies shouldn’t get carried away after their huge victory over Bangladesh but there were promising signs as they hunt a quarter-final spot

Sidharth Monga in Dhaka04-Mar-2011They didn’t say it before the game, but it hurt West Indies that Bangladesh were ranked higher than them. After the game was over, where the hosts had been humbled for 58, Darren Sammy admitted that the ranking brought out an aggressive edge to their performance.”We knew we had a point to prove, with Bangladesh ranked higher than us in the rankings,” he said. “We were playing them at home, and we came out and gave it everything. It worked. It was a perfect display of how to go out there and bowl on a flat wicket.”It wasn’t difficult to beat a team bent on self-combustion, but the way West Indies did it, never letting their foot off the drowning opposition’s throat, was impressive. They were not content with taking early wickets and then chasing 200, they wanted to make a bigger statement. They used only three bowlers, all three of whom were in wicket-taking form today, and they gave themselves the best chance of taking wickets by having an adequate number of men in catching positions.For all the criticism Sammy has come in for in the lead-up to this game, he bowled, and more importantly, led the side perfectly. West Indies have a thin bowling line-up in the absence of Dwayne Bravo, which means they are playing only one genuine wicket-taking seam bowler. Given all that, it is a huge risk to open the bowling with Sulieman Benn, for if he has an off day there is a serious dearth of bowlers who can make the new ball count.Kemar Roach was one of just three bowlers West Indies need to do the job in Dhaka•Getty ImagesSammy put his hand up. Not only did he put his hand up, he did so immediately after Benn went for nine in his first over. He realised pretty soon that Bangladesh were trying to expose the weak resources by attacking Benn. And then Sammy produced three wickets. They were not magic deliveries, but they hardly ever are with Sammy. Before the match he said he felt he was one good performance away from coming to form, and it is tough to argue against a sharp catch, three wickets and the man’s diving all over the place to stop runs.Sammy, though, said he knew this was just one good performance, and wouldn’t mean much if it is not replicated. “I had belief in myself,” he said. “As a leader, you want good performances. I have been practising well, I knew a good performance was just around the corner. Now I need to be consistent. I really needed this performance, the team needed this performance, the people back home in the Caribbean needed that performance.”Another example of how charged up the team was is how Chris Gayle ignored illness and turned up for the game. “It shows how committed he [Gayle] is to the World Cup cause,” Sammy said. “To the West Indies cricket. He wasn’t feeling too well yesterday and today morning, but he opted to play. Before he went out, he gave us a pep talk, telling us to not underestimate Bangladesh. He is the kind of player the guys respond to. It was very good of him to step up and let the guys know that we have a job to do out there. He has been an inspiration for us, and we went out there every confidently and got the job done.”West Indies can’t afford to get carried away, though. They have beaten Netherlands and Bangladesh, teams the West Indies of past would overcome in their sleep. The big games are yet to come. Sammy agrees. “I would not say that,” Sammy said when he was asked if they have suddenly become contenders for the title. “We know what we came here to do, we need to focus on each game, and only that game. So we have Ireland next, we are focusing on Ireland. Not the quarter-finals, not India, not England. Just Ireland. We are taking it step by step.”

The limited-overs leg has reinforced the state of flux both teams find themselves in, and the Test series could be won by the side that handles the uncertainty better

Daniel Brettig in Colombo22-Aug-2011Michael Clarke is, so far, providing ample evidence that he is a natural tactician and on-field leader, particularly adept in his management of spin bowlers and Mitchell Johnson. Numerous observers, Trevor Bayliss and Darren Lehmann among them, expected Clarke to add plenty to a team of humble means by marshalling his men with flair and vision. His batting has been quietly efficient, and in the final match there was the determined air of a man preparing mentally for coming Tests. Clarke’s batting, of course, is the greatest question against his name, for he has averaged barely 21 since being promoted to Test match No. 4 in mid-2010.Lasith Malinga is Sri Lanka’s most incisive bowler by a distance, and the Australian dressing room will be thoroughly relieved that they won’t have to factor him into their Test calculations. A hat-trick in the final ODI illustrated Malinga’s capacity to blast out the tail, and his speed and swerve can test the reflexes of top-order batsmen almost as readily. The physical demands of Malinga’s bowling action were bound to cause him to retire from one form of the game sooner rather than later, but it is a most unfortunate state of affairs that arguably the most compelling sight on either side – Malinga in full flight – has been seen for the final time this tour when three Tests remain to be played.Freed from the responsibilities of captaincy, Ricky Ponting is in ominously fluent shape. He now looks the right man to set the course of Australia’s Test batting from No. 3, a role he was all but incapable of during the Ashes, his final series as leader. The release of the Argus review did not cast Ponting’s later years as captain in the most favourable light, as it cited the weakening of a culture that was firmly in his custody. But another observation of the review, that the team has been in decline since 2008, fits neatly with Ponting’s reduced runs output. His success with the bat waned in direct proportion to the amount of time and the worries his captaincy duties demanded. He is now able to focus on his oft-stated task of leaving bowlers with only the merest margin for error, and based on the evidence provided in the ODIs it is not hard to picture a Ponting century in Galle.Australia has a duo of in-form players going home and another pair of out-of-touch cricketers staying on for the Test series. Doug Bollinger and Brett Lee were oddly rested for the final match when they had no longer form cricket ahead of them, and Bollinger’s verve through the series suggested he would have been a useful inclusion to the Test squad. The selectors’ concerns about Bollinger’s fitness were not invalid, but his trim visage and consistent performance in the ODIs suggest Bollinger has made significant steps towards answering those queries. By contrast, the wicketkeeper Brad Haddin is fortunate there is no reserve glove-man on the tour. Told by Clarke to concentrate on his ‘keeping, Haddin’s batting has fallen away, culminating in his demotion from the opening spot. His glove work has varied – spectacular at times but far from spotless. Michael Hussey is another who has so far failed to find the correct gears.Tillakaratne Dilshan has some way to go as a captain. Having made the ideal start in the Twenty20 matches, his team has succumbed to capricious batting habits and diminishing danger with the ball. Test runs will be the best way for Dilshan to lead on the field, and his tactics to unsettle the touring bowlers will be refreshed by the arrival of what is, with the exception of Mitchell Johnson, essentially an all-new Australian bowling attack. Dilshan has also had to contend with the instability of political machinations and the odd baffling selection – Kumar Sangakkara cannot be missing the job all that much.The visiting batsmen are growing more sure of themselves against the wiles of Ajantha Mendis with every innings. Hindsight might have had the Sri Lankan selectors hiding Mendis from the Australians after he had left a distinct aura of danger and mystery during the T20 matches. As it was he retained his place and has gradually diminished in effectiveness, as a tally of five wickets at 34.60 in the ODIs can attest. Mendis’ inclusion in the Test XI will be a matter for conjecture, and he will need pitches to offer him the same degree of spin he was able to find while plucking 6 for 16 in Pallekelle if he is to have similar impact against Australian batsmen with increasingly trained eyes.Much will rest on Thilan Samaraweera’s ability to add spine to the Sri Lankan middle order. His handsome record and measured style will be welcome to a group of batsmen who have struggled for meaningful scores. The pivotal batting trio of Dilshan, Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene are neither wholly in form nor out of it, but haven’t given the impression that it would be entirely beyond Australia to dismiss them cheaply. Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal have struggled for runs, so Samaraweera’s composure is sorely needed.Australia have fared better against Ajantha Mendis as the series has progressed•AFPIrrespective of his coaching record, Tim Nielsen deserves credit for how he has handled the release of the Argus report and the imminent end – for there can be no other possible conclusion – to his tenure as Australia’s coach. Almost as startling as the release of the entire executive summary of the report was the fact that Nielsen stepped up to speak in its immediate aftermath. By contrast, the selector on duty and national talent manager Greg Chappell has declined interview requests until he has met with the Cricket Australia chief executive, James Sutherland, in person this week. Members of the touring party have commented that a difficult situation might have been made worse had Nielsen reacted with more venom towards what amounts to an excoriation of his work. That he has retained his composure says much for Nielsen as a man, and should be recognised by his employers even as they move him on.Shaminda Eranga has been Sri Lanka’s find of the limited overs series. Quick and swinging the new ball, Eranga is not quite the sultan of sling that Malinga has been, but his impact has been striking enough to leave open the possibility of a Test match debut. Eranga’s two wickets were just as important to Sri Lanka’s win in the third match as Malinga’s five, while in the final encounter he swung the new ball through Shaun Marsh and then returned to defeat Michael Clarke with skiddy movement away from the bat. Few regard Sri Lanka’s bowling attack as particularly strong, but it is certainly sharper for Eranga’s emergence.The Test series will be won by the team that responds best to its presently unsettled state. Both Sri Lanka and Australia must contend with forces gnawing at the edges of the dressing room. The Argus review went down like the kind of cough syrup that often comes straight back up, and has left the visitors in an odd state of flux. The head coach is probably leaving, the selector on duty definitely is, and the fielding coach Steve Rixon is now a likely contender to replace Nielsen, his current superior. Added to this is the fact that Clarke and Nielsen now have equal selection rights to Chappell, who is yet to decide what to do with his future. Sri Lanka meanwhile have board unrest and confusing selection to contend with, plus the pressure of maintaining a strong home record against a team not fancied before its arrival. Neither side is flushed with confidence, and defeat in the first Test will only compound the fact.

Mahela Jayawardene’s recent fourth-innings hundred in Galle was one for the ages, produced over nearly four hours in conditions favouring the bowling side. He looks back at what went into the knock

As told to Daniel Brettig29-Sep-2011″I’ve missed out on a couple of hundreds in the last two or three years. So to get [the Galle] hundred was important”•Associated PressWhen we went to bat in the second innings we wanted to be more aggressive and try to put pressure on the Australians. We knew the wicket was going to be tough, but the only way we were going to have a chance of getting close to that target was by being positive and getting runs on the board. If you get runs on the board then they’ll be thinking as well. But losing early wickets didn’t help again. [Tharanga] Paranavitana got out first ball, then [Tillakaratne] Dilshan, so Kumar [Sangakkara] and I had to just calm the ship down a bit and steady things, see where we could head with it.Kumar got a brilliant ball that was pretty unplayable, so once that happened I realised I had to stick to a game plan. There were certain bowlers who were quite difficult to play on that track and some guys I could take risks and score off, so I just played along with that. [Angelo Mathews and I] knew with the hardness of the second new ball it would do a bit on that surface because it was pretty soft, and we just had to somehow ride out that period and the bowlers would probably get tired then and we might have a sniff at the Australian target.Even in the first innings we knew the wicket was going to be tough. There’s always the chance of one scooting through or just jumping up. So we told the guys, “If that happens, that happens, but if you’re looking for that ball, you lose the ball you can score off, and you should always be looking for runs on a wicket like that.” My focus was on how I’m going to bat and how I’m going to score runs off every ball. If it’s not there then I’ll let it go and look for the next ball to score runs off. I was taking each ball and just hoping I wouldn’t get one of those nasty ones coming my way. I had a few but I managed to fend them off. As soon as that happens you have to forget that moment and look to the next ball and say, “This is another opportunity to score.”You know you can’t play certain shots and they had two or three guys catching in front anyway, and you don’t know after the ball pitches what is going to happen off the wicket. Sometimes it comes off nicely, sometimes it holds back, so you can’t go for those extravagant cover-drives. I would rather just punch the ball through for a couple of runs rather than look for that big, flashy boundary and get myself out. I completely blocked certain shots, I wasn’t going to hook or pull on that wicket. Anything short, I was going to let it go, just because I wasn’t confident of the pace of the wicket and the bounce. So there were quite a few shots I said I’m not going to play on that wicket.I think over a period of time you tend to make mistakes as a batsman, and to identify those mistakes and make sure there’s no pattern to it, and you tend to see how you could structure a game plan for your batting in different conditions. Maybe as a youngster I would’ve taken those risks and paid the penalty. If you can learn from that and say, “Okay, fine, these are things I can control”… I’ve just tweaked a bit here and there and made sure I don’t make the same mistakes twice.

“I completely blocked certain shots, I wasn’t going to hook or pull on that wicket. Anything short, I was going to let it go, just because I wasn’t confident of the pace of the wicket and the bounce”

I saw the clips of Trent in the warm-up game, and spoke to a couple of the boys who played in the match as well. I had a fairly good idea of what he was trying to do, and I knew on that surface he’s going to be a much tougher opponent, because it is not going to come onto the bat and he’s going to bowl at a much slower pace than the rest of the boys. If he’s going to maintain that consistent line and length on that wicket, then he is going to be hard to play, especially with the height he’s got. He’d be a different proposition when the ball is going to come onto the bat – that pace might be very good for you to score runs off – but on that surface I knew I couldn’t. So I was waiting for him to give me anything with width or anything on the legs.I’ve faced Ryan quite a bit in the IPL the last two or three years, and in Australia as well, a couple of times. But we all knew the quality of the guy, we knew he’s very consistent, hitting those areas – very aggressive, a lot of effort, and he will rush you more often than not. The wicket suited him. It was doing a bit – not in the sense of a seaming track, but because of the softness it wasn’t allowing us to use his pace as much. We just had to wait for something that was in our zones. He was very consistent with his line and length and bowled very good areas to most of our boys. He was probably the outstanding performer in that Test match. The surface was more suited to the spinners, and they did dominate for a while, but of the fast bowlers on both teams he was the guy who was in control and who understood that wicket.Mitch is always going to be that aggressive bowler in the line-up. He’s probably got the licence to do whatever he wants, and he’s naturally a wicket-taking bowler – he’s not a guy who is going to bowl one length, one line and wait the whole day. On his day he is lethal but on some days he can give you a lot of runs and not be so lethal. On that wicket he was tough, with his pace and variation, and you’re not sure exactly what the wicket’s going to do. We played him a little better, but he did come up and take some wickets at crucial times of the game, and created opportunities. Especially for the tailenders, he was a bit too much to handle.I probably played certain shots no one anticipated I would play on that wicket, against the spinner, who I took on because I was very confident of doing that. It put a bit of pressure on them. I knew he was an inexperienced bowler, so there were certain things you can do but others you need to hold back.It was the first time we’ve seen him, and for a guy who hasn’t played that much first-class cricket to come to these conditions… I think he bowled really well in the first innings. The conditions definitely suited him and he took the opportunity and bowled really, really well. We handled him well in the second innings and played to our strengths and put him under pressure. I knew that, yes, he might create an opportunity with the wicket helping him, but at the same time I tried to dominate him as much as I could because I felt I could get runs off him, whereas the fast bowlers I wasn’t able to get runs off – I could play them but they weren’t giving me that many runs. So I knew I had to go after him, and he probably gave me a bit of loose stuff as well, when I put him under pressure.With Mathews: “I wasn’t trying to give him too much advice. I was just giving him options”•AFPHe’s a naturally gifted player, he plays his shots. I didn’t want him to go into a shell. What I told him was about trying to have a game plan, trying to curb a few shots on that surface, and then still be aggressive but work the ball around. I wasn’t trying to give him too much advice, I was just giving him options – telling him it’ll be tough to play this guy against the spin, or difficult to pull this guy, but still be positive and look to score runs in certain ways. There were certain options he had to hold back because otherwise he’s a very free-playing guy. So a great opportunity for me to learn quite a bit and it showed a lot of character as well for him to do that.I’ve always tried to enjoy the moment. I don’t think too far ahead, I don’t think too much about what has happened behind me. So I was quite happy with that hundred and I just celebrated, because I’ve missed out on a couple of hundreds in the last two or three years. So to get that hundred was important. After that I just went back into my zone. Just that moment [of celebration], you need that sometimes, after concentrating and going through a period where you’re trying to do certain things as much as you can.With the harder seam and the harder ball on that dusty wicket there is always going to be something happening. So it was a conscious effort from myself and Angelo that we try to ride that period through. We knew the bowlers were tired, so if we’d been able to bat for another 15-20 overs we probably could have got that ball older and got through another session. But guys like Ryan bowling in those areas are always going to create an opportunity. For three sessions I’d managed to stop those balls coming through my gate, but it was just one of those things – I got an inside edge and it went through. He probably was the best bowler on that surface on that day and he deserved the wicket.It was definitely satisfying personally, but not as much as those scores that are made when the team has won matches. That is the ultimate thing for any cricketer. Once, against New Zealand in 1998, on a similar sort of wicket, we played and we won, so that was much more satisfying – and against a quality attack as well. There are certain knocks where you know you played really well and gave your team an opportunity to win the match, and then it becomes much more prominent. And there are some knocks where I’ve felt I batted really well but it is not so significant because the team hasn’t won, so regardless of how you bat, it doesn’t count, but personally for me it gives confidence that I can do this, so then I build on that for the next knock, the next knock and the next knock. It is a work in progress.

Plays of the Day from the third ODI of the CB series, between Australia and Sri Lanka at the WACA

Sidharth Monga at the WACA10-Feb-2012The breaks
It’s hot in Perth, but just how hot it is, is evident from how the authorities had to shorten the interval between drinks breaks. Usually there are two drinks breaks in one innings, after every hour and 10 minutes, but today the players were allowed replenishments every 50 minutes. There can’t be many envying them.The catch
There haven’t been many spectacular ones this season, but Nuwan Kulasekara’s catch will make it to that category, not least because his came off his own bowling. It was no mean wicket either – that off Michael Hussey. In the 18th over, a fullish delivery seemed to have stopped and Hussey popped it back to the on side of the umpire. Kulasekara fought his forward momentum, leapt full length to his right, across the breadth of the pitch, and the ball stuck between his thumb, index and middle finger.The running
Mitchell Starc and Clint McKay had added 32 valuable runs for the ninth wicket when Starc skied the last ball of the 48th over towards long-off. It was not an easy catch, and Starc and McKay were about to cross with both looking at the fielder. However, McKay realised it was the last ball of the over, and needed to retain strike for the penultimate over, and stopped running. Starc took the cue, and ran back to uncross, keeping McKay down at what would become the striking end for the next over.The edgy visiting left-hand opener
Gautam Gambhir has found company. He has been pushing outside off and edging all summer. Viewers didn’t miss him in the non-India game as Upul Tharanga took up the mantle, and after two or three attempts at pushing away from the body – not slashes, just limp pushes that would get him nothing even if the ball hit the middle of the bat – he finally edged Starc with an angled bat, and Michael Clarke at first slip did the rest.The relief
During the Kumar Sangakkara run-out, McKay, the bowler, rushed towards short midwicket, picked the ball, turned around and threw the only stump visible to him down. However, he had not seen that Sangakkara had slipped and all it would have taken was a lob to Ricky Ponting, who had rushed to the stumps, to complete the run-out. Ponting’s reaction as it happened was lovely. While the ball was in the flight, his hands went down, about to the height of his knees, palms facing McKay, as if about to say, “I was right here.” And then he saw the ball hit the stumps, and there was relief on his face with the wicket taken.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the 1st ODI at West End

David Hopps at West End16-Jun-2012Disappointment of the day #1
Chris Gayle’s anticipated return to the West Indies side after 15 months had caused a late spike in ticket sales for the first ODI, so imagine the disappointment of the 14,000 spectators who turned up to West End to find that Gayle had been ruled out of the match with a foot injury. His involvement in the rest of the series remains uncertain.Disappointment of the Day #2
West Indies. Lauded for the six-hitting prowess throughout their order, they were presented by much of the English media as favourites for the series. They hit two sixes all day and lost by a street. Only Dwayne Smith twinkled in his red boots. They must now win at The Oval and Headingley to take the series.Jetsetter of the Day
Kevin Pietersen found something productive to do with his weekend after retiring from England one-day internationals. He flew to Johannesburg to watch South Africa win the rugby union international against England, met up briefly with family and friends and planned to be back in England by Sunday. Judging by that, he is not about to spend his retirement gardening.Over of the Day
That it could be Ian Bell’s day became evident in the sixth over of the game. Andre Russell, running into a buffeting wind, conceded 18 runs with Bell beginning with a serene straight six against his first ball. By the end of the over, he had lashed a short ball over point, executed a controlled pull and driven uppishly through extra cover. He was on his way to a second ODI hundred (Re)Name of the day
Traditionalists will not like it, but The Ageas Bowl was everywhere to be seen. The six-year commercial rebranding of The Rose Bowl has helped to ease Hampshire’s precarious financial position and the ground’s new name was not just displayed around the ground, but on AA road signs and warning signs above the M3. In the pubs, too, Hampshire fans were heard using the term without any sense of shame. When it comes to naming rights, attitudes are shifting, in Hampshire at least.The Gordon Greenidge Moment
At 156 for 7, Darren Bravo limped out to bat at No 9. He had injured a groin while bowling and under new ICC regulations he was not allowed a runner. With West Indies’s defeat seemingly inevitable after a disappointing batting display, it seemed pointless, unless he was about to revive memories of one of the most ferocious West Indies batsmen of all, Gordon Greenidge, who was always at his most dangerous when limping.

The Lions beat the more fancied Chennai Super Kings at Newlands, and it was good to watch too

Samantha Smith17-Oct-2012Choice of game
It was a pleasant day in the Mother City and there was cricket at Newlands. Not that I needed any more persuading, the prospect of watching the vaunted Chennai Super Kings batting line-up clear the boundary was an opportunity too good to pass over – despite looming exams!Team supported
The Lions. Frankly, they’re South African and most would agree that Chennai have enough trophies in the cabinet. I did, however, initially predict a Chennai win. Neil McKenzie may have combined class and experience to take the Lions home against Mumbai Indians but the chances of them overcoming the mighty Super Kings as well? Unlikely. Or so I thought.Key performer
Aaron Phangiso. Although Gulam Bodi played an important innings of 64 off 46, much to the appreciation of the Newlands crowd, it was Phangiso’s noteworthy performance in the field that kept the batting-strong Super Kings to a score below 160. He pulled off a sensational diving catch to dismiss Faf du Plessis who had looked set to play another big innings, conceded just 17 runs in 4 overs and took the crucial wickets of M Vijay and Ravindra Jadeja.One thing I’d have changed about the match
Albie Morkel played an innovative shot to get off the mark with a boundary. Two balls later, he was dismissed and looked like a No. 10 trying to make room to cut a short delivery. I would have liked to have seen him occupy the crease for longer if only to be reminded that he can actually bat.Face-off I relished
I particularly enjoyed Doug Bollinger’s varied bowling to McKenzie in the early overs. Bollinger mixed it up by bowling a length ball, a yorker, digging it in short and forcing the right-hander to improvise with little success. Perhaps not the most crowd-pleasing entertainment but nevertheless proving that there is room for textbook bowling in the shortest format.Wow moment
When Suresh Raina dismissed McKenzie with an excellent running catch from long-on, the game appeared to be slipping from the Lions’ reach. However, the momentum swung back in their favour courtesy of a free hit – an early Chrsitmas present from R Ashwin that was duly despatched to the boundary for four. Two balls later, Chris Morris surprised us all by whacking the same bowler over deep midwicket for six.Close encounter
Alviro Petersen fielded at long-on and gladly signed a few bats for a scattering of eager, young fans. Vijay, wearing Raina’s jersey, displayed his ‘stretching’ skills and the benched Michael Hussey did a few laps around the boundary line.The Lions weren’t favourites to win, but win they did•Associated PressShot of the day
This was tough. Raina played several exquisite shots as did du Plessis. However, it was Bodi’s sweetly-timed straight six off Ashwin in the 13th over that really took the cake. And judging by the raucous applause of the crowd who suddenly sprung to life following that shot, it took the whole bakery!Crowd meter
Cricket at Newlands is generally very well supported. However, being a Tuesday and the start of exam season for most students, the crowd wasn’t particularly large. That or everyone is broke after purchasing tickets to Lady Gaga, Chris Brown and Linkin Park. Nevertheless, the almost obligatory Indian flags and the occasional chants from the ever-noisy Oaks grass embankment reminded the rest of us that a game at Newlands is a game worth attending.Fancy dress index
Apart from a mime traipsing around one of the grass embankments, one interesting individual was seen slipping in and out of what looked like a lion costume. And some annoying little kid dressed head-to-toe in canary yellow insisted on playing umpire.Entertainment
The start and end of the match commenced with a mini-fireworks display. Indeed a large artificial flame was released from the speakers every time a boundary was hit. The overhead camera was a nice touch as was the audio of a thumping heartbeat which blared across the ground when a decision was referred to the third umpire. A little peculiar, yes, but a nod for creativity. The cheerleaders were in full force as were a troupe of dancers demonstrating their talents ‘Gangnam style’. Chris Gayle and company would have been proud.ODI v Twenty20?
As a purist, I feel inclined to prefer the longer version of the shortened format. Ultimately, it depends on the day of the week. An ODI in the middle of the week is just silly. Who has eight hours to sit at the cricket? A Twenty20 after work, school or lectures is ideal and an excellent way to generate the crowds by cultivating an entertaining and family-oriented setting.Banner of the day
I strained my eyes looking for banners and posters. I found one and it was in fact a miniature white board. Its owners frequently scribbled words of encouragement on it and held it up for the Lions’ change room to appreciate. Their best caption, though not awe-inspiring, was apt: “Hope the Lions are hungry because they’re going to eat CSK!” Clearly, the Lions hungry.Overall
It would be easy to say that I’ve been to better matches with bigger names and a fanatical crowd to boot. But from a purely cricketing perspective, the fielding was commendable and the batting was good – both of which were consistently appreciated by the Newlands spectators.Marks out of 10
7.5. Perhaps a 9 if the Newlands ‘faithful’ had pitched up because if anything, an electric atmosphere intensifies the satisfaction of a win, particularly in Twenty20 cricket.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the second day in Ahmedabad

George Dobell in Ahmedabad16-Nov-2012Milestone of the day
There was, as befits an innings of such class, no extravagant celebrations; just a smile and a nod in the direction of his teammates. He played more attractive shots – some of the pulls were murderous, some of the drives gorgeous – but the moment Cheteshwar Pujara reached his maiden double-century in Test cricket with a perfectly placed glide to third man through an eight-man off-side field, surely heralded the emergence of a significant global talent. It is hard to imagine there will not be many more centuries to come. And to think: we wondered how India would replace Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman.Stroke of the day
Yuvraj Singh struggled a little against Graeme Swann on the first evening but, early on the second day, it became clear that he and Cheteshwar Pujara wanted to hit the off-spinner out of the attack in the knowledge that it would throw England’s plans into chaos if they did so. So, in the course of an over that cost 15 runs, Yuvraj skipped down the wicket and drove Swann powerfully for a six back over his head. It was not just the shot – pleasing though it was – but the fact that it summed up Yuvraj’s return to full health and potency. Even the most ardent England supporter can only rejoice at that.Blow of the day
Maybe England could shrug off the early loss of Nick Compton; he was a debutant, after all. And perhaps they could shrug off the loss of James Anderson, too; he was just a nightwatchman. But the loss of Jonathan Trott, pushing with hard hands at an offbreak from R Ashwin, moments before stumps thumped home India’s utter dominance by the close of the second day. Trott, who survived a huge appeal for leg before moments earlier, is one of England’s more reliable batsmen and a sound player of spin.Drop of the day
The dye was cast long before Alastair Cook dropped Ravi Ashwin: India were already on 501 for 6 and Ashwin was on 20. It cost England little, but spoke of a pattern that is becoming all too familiar. Nor was it an easy chance. Cook, at extra-cover, seemed a little slow to react to an uppish drive off the bowling of Samit Patel and could only get his finger tips to the ball. But it was the fifth chance that England had failed to accept during the innings and exactly the sort of half-chance that they once took so readily. It was also just the sort of half-chance they knew they would have to take if they were to be successful in India.Consolation of the day
This was a gruelling, joyless day for England. But if there was a bright spot, it came with the wicket of MS Dhoni, who dragged the ball on as he attempted a sweep, to give Graeme Swann the 14th five-wicket haul of his career. Only five Englishmen, Ian Botham, Bob Willis, Derek Underwood and Alec Bedser, have taken more and only two – Botham and Willis – have taken more outside the UK. It is a statistic that underlines Swann’s worth to England in all conditions and against all opponents. England would have looked a ragged bunch without him in Ahmedabad.