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Gautam Gambhir made the case for a permanent place in the Indian ODI team with a century that was intelligent and cool-headed

Nagraj Gollapudi at the Gabba05-Feb-2008
Playing under pressure is something Gautam Gambhir has become adept at © Getty Images
Gautam Gambhir has been in and out of India’s dressing room for some time now and should know what it takes to seal a permanent place. It hasn’t always revealed itself – he has not always made the most of his comeback opportunities – but on Tuesday he set aside the disappointment of missing out on a place in the Test squad with his third one-day century, against Sri Lanka at the Gabba.Gambhir had been in rich form in domestic cricket, leading Delhi to the Ranji Trophy title, with centuries in the semi-final and final. That form was in evidence today in an innings where more impressive than the runs was the manner in which they were scored.He was dropped when on 11, the disciplined Ishara Amerasinghe coaxing an edge that Kumar Sangakarra failed to hold on to, and made the most of the life. It was hard work; while Amerasinghe tested him with bounce and movement, he had to deal with the guile of Muttiah Muralitharan at the other end. Yet slowly, and surely, Gambhir found his way past both spin and pace.He negated Murali by using his feet and hitting against the spin, and rotated the strike against Amerasinghe. “I wasn’t picking him [Murali] early on but my plan was to hang in there and make sure we had a good partnership,” Gambhir said about his initial jitters. By the end of his unbroken184-run stand with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, he was reading Murali perfectly, and their personal tussle eventually read 32 runs off 30 balls – including 11 off one over.It was a vital phase for India, whose early advantage gained from a solid opening stand by Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag was swiftly negated when Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma fell in Murali’s first over. For a while it seemed India might lose their way as they did against Australia on Sunday. Gambhir, who had played around an angled one from Mitchell Johnson when on 39, decided to make amends and was helped by the presence of his captain, whose calm and sense of responsibility was the perfect foil.They also showed they knew the importance of rotating the strike, taking a total of 71 singles off one of the sharpest fielding units in world cricket. By the end of the innings Sri Lanka’s fielding was a ragged, patchy shadow of the early brilliance and much of this was down to the intelligent batting. Gambhir later noted the team had done its homework on Australian grounds, which usually present an opportunity to convert the “singles into twos”.Stealing runs and rotating the strike are old Gambhir traits, as witnessed at the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa last year where he was the tournament’s second highest run-getter. His form, capped by 75 in the final against Pakistan, displayed a suitability for the shorter versions of the game.Today, though, it didn’t matter if India were going at less than six an over. At the 30-over mark they were 115; ten overs later 162 and the last ten yielded 105 runs. It was like a perfectly worked out script, the urgency coming when most required. “At 80 for 4 we were never in a position to attack. We wanted to play safe without losing any wickets,” Gambhir said.That’s the sort of tricky position Gambhir is used to for a personal reason: he’s usually been on trial of sorts when he’s walked in to bat. “The pressure that comes from playing for India is always like facing a trial,” he said. His biggest challenge has been to deal with the conventional wisdom that he is a stand-in before the departure of Tendulkar and Ganguly.Gambhir says he is less comfortable opening than at No. 3, a point from where he can build a strong platform for a late flourish. “I have always been comfortable in this position as I have played long innings here in first-class cricket. It allows me to anchor an innings as well as attack when need be.”In 13 ODIs at No. 3 Gambhir has an average of 42.54, which is much better than the 25.87 he averages while opening. He concedes he now has the responsibility of being India’s No. 3 in ODIs but is up for it. “It’s time to take on the responsibility, stand up and deliver.”On Monday Gambhir and other youngsters had a chat with Tendulkar about the role of every player in the side. “For me as No. 3 I need to hang in there, take my time, pace the innings and stay till around the 45th over.” Tendulkar has carried that responsibility throughout his career and is still learning. For Gambhir, still in the first flush of his career, it’s not a bad lesson to learn.

Andrew Symonds went fishing when he should have been at a team meeting, leaving the Australian management in a rage and getting the media talking

02-Sep-2008

Is he still committed to Australia? © Getty Images
“It’s so hard to play for this team. In my opinion we are the greatest sporting team in the world, and we have standards. They may be higher than other teams, but if you don’t fulfil those standards, unfortunately, you’re not going to be a part of our squad… The main concern for us as a leadership group and a team is commitment to the team. That isn’t just about on the field – that’s off the field, that’s attitude. There are a number of things we believe he wasn’t fulfilling.”
“Andrew’s going to take some time to reflect on what’s happened. He’s still committed to playing cricket at the highest level. How he goes about doing that and how it plays out I don’t know. Whether it means India I don’t know.”
“I have been asked to think about what is important to me and I will take this time to do that. I would ask that during this time, people respect my privacy and that of my friends and family. I would like to say thanks for the many messages of support I have received over the past day or so.”
“He’s not going to be built up with pressure with the spinners where it’s dot ball after dot ball, which is going to be important when we get to India. [During the Bangladesh game] I thought, gee it would be great to have Symmo here to come in and smack a few to put the pressure back on the Bangladeshi bowlers a bit. But it’s the way it is.”
“It was a surprise, but there were issues last summer that have been well documented. Our role is, obviously, we’re here to support Andrew. We’ve been in discussion with his manager and look to put in place the best possible support for him… We just need to get to the bottom of things and work out what’s the best way to move forward.”
“They’ve done the right thing by sending him home. There’s got to be consistency in the group and you’ve got to stand for something. You can’t have players doing that sort of stuff. He’s got to have a good look at what he’s doing for sure. He’s got to re-assess where he’s at if he’s doing these things. It’s not the first time.”
“Missing a team meeting is not a hanging offence. We have focused on a duty of care for Andrew and we are concerned about his mental welfare. He had a long and demanding summer.”
“He wasn’t organised enough to understand his commitments that day. That to me raises concerns about how and what sort of space he is in, in his own mind and that’s the discussion we had with him… But how long is a piece of string? I don’t know if Roy [Symonds] would understand or know how long it’s going to take. I certainly don’t.”
Tim Nielsen, Australia’s coach, is ready for the India tour without Symonds

Sidharth Monga looks back at seven moments in Sourav Ganguly’s career

Sidharth Monga10-Nov-2008
Sourav Ganguly gets a hundred on debut © Getty Images
Debut dance
It’s his Test debut, and he is believed to be a political selection for the tour to England, a perception he puts paid to in seven-and-a-half hours of blissful batting. The image – Ganguly celebrating, arms aloft, no brashness of the later days, and Rahul Dravid applauding him in the background – is enduring: the wait has finally ended; the boy who persistently called newspaper offices for four years to see if he is in the team has arrived.That don’t impress me much
In 2000-01 Australia are a world-beating team with 15 straight wins behind them and are at the final stop on their conquest. One man is not impressed. “They have won most of their games at home, beaten West Indies 5-0 at home, beaten India, Pakistan at home,” Ganguly welcomes Australia. “They toured here in ’96 and lost. They toured here in ’98 and lost. So obviously that’s going to be at the back of their mind.” No awe here. If that doesn’t rile Australia, Ganguly goes further during the series. He walks out late for the toss and, if he wins it, he walks off on his own after letting the TV interviewer know what India choose to do. Once, after being pulled up by Cammie Smith, the match referee, he turns up five minutes before the toss – in his tracksuit top. “You had to give him an ‘A’ for effort in his attempt to annoy us,” Steve Waugh writes in his book, “and in particular me. It worked to a certain extent.”Doing the HQ
Indians, not the least Bengalis, are supposed to be studious, meek, wristy, oriental artists. They are not supposed to make opposition captains wait at the toss, make fielders tie their shoelaces and, worst of all, sledge. There the Indian captain is, at Lord’s, no less, waving the shirt he wore a moment ago, shouting four-letter words again and again. With Ganguly, India’s aggression goes naked, one of turning points in the nation’s cricketing history.Surviving the Gabbatoir
He sweeps Stuart MacGill just wide of fine leg, runs very hard to convert what is for him an easy one into two, leaps twice in elation, almost trips over, pumps the air, holds his arms aloft and, without uttering a word tells every Australian that he enjoyed the “sweet chin music”. This is the Gabba, and the year is 2003. Not only the Australian team, the whole nation, it seems, is after him, and this is test of the captain’s mettle. The innings has it all – urgency, emotion, disdain – and sets the pace for the series.Refusal to die
Only about a couple of hundred have come to watch him play a Duleep Trophy match in Rajkot. The email has already been leaked, his integrity questioned. On the surface he has been left out on fitness grounds, but the writing is on the wall. The North Zone attack – VRV Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Amit Mishra and Sarandeep Singh – does not sound intimidating, but on a greenish Rajkot track they are a handful. He comes in to bat on the second day, his team struggling at 54 for 3, and then at 59 for 4. In the short period before stumps, he is hit on the head by VRV. A different Ganguly appears the next day: he is sure, and he is aggressive. He plays all his shots, including the one where he makes room and slashes over point, a shot he usually employed in one-dayers. By the time he finished he had scored 117 off 143, and sent across the message that he should be playing somewhere else.One for himself
The one word that describes the Ganguly who has made a comeback to the Indian side is serene. Almost monk-like, he goes about his business – fields mostly at the fine-leg boundary, bowls a few overs, and bats with utmost calm. No more shirt flinging, no more nail biting on the field. His last century, in Mohali, is one such effort. A century is almost inevitable from the moment he joins Sachin Tendulkar at the crease. Upon reaching the landmark, he doesn’t react extravagantly, despite the drama behind his comeback to the side, he just smiles to himself, pumps the air, and gets on with it.’Just one last thing lads’
Does he choke for a brief second? After he says “Just one last thing lads” and before he drops the bomb. He does pause, for sure. Is he collecting himself? Does he wait to make sure words will come out? Once he has said what he has said, you are too stunned to think what has happened in that split-second. “Before I leave, I just want to say that this is going to be my last series. I’ve decided to quit. I told my team-mates before coming here.” And the lads don’t have a word to say. They look at him, they look at each other, they look down. The announcement is all Ganguly: he comes in late for the press conference, he is mildly humorous, takes all questions in good spirit, and waits for the media coordinator to end the conference before catching everyone off guard.

Stats preview to the second Test between England and Australia, at Lord’s

S Rajesh15-Jul-2009Australia did everything but go up 1-0 in the series in Cardiff, but the disappointment of that result would have been mitigated by the knowledge that the venue for the second Test is easily their favourite ground in England. Australia have a 15-5 win-loss record at Lord’s and 14 of those wins have come against England (one was against South Africa in the Triangular Tournament in 1912). Since 1985, they’ve won five out of six Tests, with the only draw, in 1997, being affected by the weather after England had been bundled out for 77 in their first innings. England haven’t beaten them since 1934, but their recent record at Lord’s is much better – nine wins and three losses, though two of those defeats have come against Australia.

England and Australia at Lord’s over the years

PlayedWonLostDrawnEngland – overall116432746Australia – overall3415514England since 200019937Australia since19856501England haven’t had much to celebrate when they’ve played Australia here, but their batsmen have excellent records here. Ravi Bopara got a century in his first Test at this ground, against West Indies earlier this season, but others have got runs here over a longer period of time.The other impressive aspect about their batting at this ground has been the ability to notch up hundreds – there have been 17 of them scored by the players in England’s squad, with Kevin Pietersen leading the way with four in eight Tests. The conversion rate is excellent too, with only 15 half-centuries by these batsmen. Andrew Strauss needs only 11 to complete 1000 runs at Lord’s while Pietersen needs 198.England’s partnership stats are the reflection of the batting dominance too, with the average partnerships for the top five wickets all exceeding 40. The fourth wicket has been especially prolific, with ten century stands in 30 innings. The openers have done well too, averaging almost 58 per partnership.

England batsmen at Lord’s

BatsmanTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sRavi Bopara1143143.001/ 0Kevin Pietersen880272.904/ 2Ian Bell756370.373/ 1Alastair Cook759159.102/ 4Andrew Strauss1198958.173/ 4Matt Prior323258.001/ 0Paul Collingwood741641.602/ 1Andrew Flintoff939535.901/ 3England’s bowlers, though, haven’t had as much success, with only James Anderson averaging less than 30 (among those who’ve played more than one Test). Steve Harmison has taken 31 wickets in eight Tests here, but only managed 1 for 138 in his last Test here, against West Indies in 2007. Andrew Flintoff’s stats are more disappointing, with 25 wickets in nine Tests.Monty Panesar, who had a disappointing game in Cardiff, has only had modest success at Lord’s, taking 18 wickets in six Tests at almost 40 apiece.

England bowlers at Lord’s

BowlerTestsWicketsAverage5WI/ 10WMGraham Onions1714.571/ 0James Anderson62427.792/ 0Steve Harmison83131.451/ 0Andrew Flintoff92535.920/ 0Monty Panesar61839.161/ 0Stuart Broad31042.500/ 0Overall, spinners haven’t had a great time here since 2000, averaging nearly 42 runs per wicket. Apart from Panesar, only Ashley Giles and Daniel Vettori have taken five-fors here. Fast bowlers have done much better, with an average of 33.87 and 17 five-wicket hauls.

Pace and spin at Lord’s in Tests since 2000

WicketsAverageStrike rate5WI/ 10WPace46133.8761.5817/ 2Spin9641.9982.973/ 0Among the Australians in the squad who are in contention to play, only Ricky Ponting has played more than one Test here, he has managed only 69 runs, at an average of 17.25. He will need to do better if he has to get the 65 runs he needs to become Australia’s highest run-getter, surpassing Allan Border’s record of 11,174 runs. Michael Clarke and Justin Langer did better, getting a half-century each in the 2005 Test, which Australia won by 239 runs.

A biography for cricket fans and laymen alike

Saad Shafqat19-Sep-2009Don’t be fooled by what you read in the press and hear in the media. In Pakistan it was decided long ago that he can do no wrong. He took those 12 wickets in Sydney, bowled that immortal afternoon spell of reverse swing in Karachi, stared the West Indies down on their home turf, led the cornered tigers in 1992. In short, he ushered Pakistan cricket into its golden era. And then there is the man. As any number of women would say, just look at him.You would think this makes Imran Khan an irresistible biography subject – and you’d be right. There are very few autobiographies of Pakistani cricketers, and fewer biographies. Imran has become the focus now of a second worthy book (after Ivo Tenant’s , which appeared in 1994). The latest effort is by Christopher Sandford, a seasoned biographer who has previously tackled Godfrey Evans and Tom Graveney in addition to an august list from the world of music and film.It is not strictly a cricket book, because Imran is not just a cricketer. There is naturally a great deal of cricket in it, but it is so seamlessly interwoven with general experiences of the human condition that this book can be read with equal enjoyment by die-hard fans and casual followers alike. Indeed, Imran transcended cricket in that many people with little interest in the game found themselves absorbed by his public image and personality. This book will appeal to them too.Sandford succeeds in his essential biographical task, which is to conduct an enquiry into the making of the Imran Khan phenomenon. The research and sources are extensive, complemented by a solid bibliography. The prose, engaging and conversational throughout, is at times even riveting. Imran cooperated and is the first in a long list of acknowledgments.Delicious nuggets are buried here and there. Asif Iqbal pockets serious cash from Kerry Packer at 100-1 odds in a World XI vs West Indies WSC match. Imran floors Zaheer Abbas with a bouncer in a county match against Gloucestershire after being egged on by his Sussex team-mates, and immediately loses his aggression to become full of empathy. A novice political reporter asks Imran the politician in the middle of a hysterical campaign rally if he has ever seen anything like it before, and Imran quietly answers that yes, he has.Imran’s utter focus and devotion to the given task at hand – be it cricket, politics, or social welfare – is well known and understood. But Sandford provides a nuanced picture of a shy yet restless soul brimming with self-belief, who is as concerned with substance and meaning as he is self-conscious about image and style.

Sandford provides a nuanced picture of a shy yet restless soul brimming with self-belief, who is as concerned with substance and meaning as he is self-conscious about image and style

Imran is vividly characterised for his fiercely independent Pathan streak, his bristling sensitivity towards any hint of colonial condescension, and his successful exorcism of Pakistan cricket’s post-colonial inferiority complex. Yet paradoxically he is also totally at home in British culture. Sandford presents this as not merely a post-colonial but in fact a post-modern phenomenon: Imran does have complete comfort and ease in even the most rarefied levels of British society, but it is without any sense of superiority. The English, for their part, cannot have enough of him. An unstated subtext running throughout Sandford’s narrative is that the English would love nothing more than to claim Imran as one of their own.There are a few disappointments. In January 1977, Imran took 6 for 63 and 6 for 102 in Sydney to record Pakistan’s first Test win in Australia. It marked him as the first Asian in the cadre of true fast bowlers, and the victory has been described by Javed Miandad – Imran’s sometimes dysfunctional partner in the making of modern Pakistani cricket, as Sandford puts it – as a crucial watermark in the nation’s cricket psyche. Sandford makes short work of this match, disposing of it in barely a paragraph. This is in contrast to page upon page devoted to obscure county games and to arcane proceedings such as Imran leaving Worcestershire and signing on with Sussex. Sandford does identify a watershed in Pakistan cricket, but places it two years later, in Karachi against India. But Karachi 1978 was just a jingoistic celebration compared to Sydney 1977, which with all its symbolism was the true awakening.As the book moves into Imran’s contemporary life, you keep expecting to read a dissection of his failings, but it never comes. Sandford accepts that Imran is marginalised in Pakistan’s national politics, but also argues that he is better off for it. Yes, he has an obstinate side, but that just makes him a formidable proposition. And true, he may not have succeeded as a broadcaster, but an obscure poll is cited, which ranks him as the game’s fourth most popular celebrity commentator. These judgments finally reveal Sandford’s hand as an admiring scribe. Not that you can blame him, of course. Everybody admires Imran Khan, and those that don’t are lying. Indeed, in politics as in cricket, Imran receives a great deal of unspoken credit for insisting on stepping out of his comfort zone. Sandford’s treatment has done him justice. Imran Khan: The Cricketer, The Celebrity, The Politician
Christopher Sandford
Harpercollins, 384pp, £20

With just two matches remaining in Delhi’s campaign, and the realistic possibility of being knocked out, Sehwag needs to think quick and step up

Cricinfo staff13-Apr-2010It may seem inappropriate to hold Virender Sehwag responsible for Delhi Daredevils’ disappointing season thus far. But let’s just blame him. In fact, Sehwag has been out of sorts. This claim might seem audacious, given he’s the highest run-getter for Delhi Daredevils this season and is No.8 in the overall list. But barring his blistering 75 against Rajasthan Royals in their second match, Sehwag’s contributions have fallen short of improving Delhi’s fortunes. The seven others in that list have had a big impact in boosting their respective teams.Sehwag has failed to wield the same power that has demoralised the most formidable bowling attacks in international cricket. For India, nothing is a hopeless situation when Sehwag is around, and he has managed to pull off magical acts with an unflinching nerve in the last five years.However, Sehwag has failed to achieve such dominance in Twenty20 cricket and Delhi are slowly but surely feeling the pinch. Immediately after the last IPL, Sehwag voluntarily stepped down from the Delhi captaincy to concentrate on, and enjoy, his batting. When Sehwag enjoys his batting, he can play those bold strokes effortlessly. But in this IPL, Sehwag has managed to get out playing shots half-heartedly, as he did against Kings XI Punjab, or when unnecessary. The latter was evident today.David Warner’s powerful assault had put Delhi in a strong position at the end of the Powerplay and they needed a further 115 in 14 overs to get closer to a semi-final berth. Based on his track record and reputation, Sehwag had the might to achieve the target on his own. But he played a frustrating innings, taking unnecessary risks, surviving twice and eventually running out of luck. Sehwag had been lucky not to be caught by Ali Murtaza at mid-on, with the ball falling inches short; he then failed to improvise against the slower delivery from Dilhara Fernando, hitting a skier, but Murtaza spilled it.Sehwag was intent on clearing the fence and there was nothing wrong with his motive. The situation, though, demanded he drop anchor after losing Gautam Gambhir, who spooned a catch to Harbhajan Singh.The run-rate was still healthy and with match-winners in previous games like Dinesh Karthik and Paul Collingwood still to come, Delhi’s grip was still strong. Just then, Sehwag opted for a suicidal second run, having pulled into the empty space at mid-on. Despite seeing a charging Kieron Pollard, Sehwag scampered back foolishly and fell short of the crease, much to the crowd’s delight. Sehwag looked skywards a few times and squeezed his eyes shut, lamenting his unpardonable error.Sehwag is Delhi’s most important player, just like Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly are for their teams. While Gambhir claimed “there is no trump card” in Twenty20 cricket, he would be the first to admit Sehwag is Delhi’s pilot. Their flight will continue to be shaky till while Sehwag remains unsettled. With just two matches remaining in their campaign, and the realistic possibility of being knocked out, Sehwag needs to think quick and step up.

Of all the full-member teams, New Zealand’s top seven batsmen have the poorest average in the last two years

Nagraj Gollapudi in Nagpur25-Feb-2011Brendon McCullum, having hit two boundaries against a wayward Shaun Tait in his first over, slashed hard at a wide delivery in the bowler’s next over only to be pouched easily at third man; Martin Guptill failed to go forward to a length ball, which kept low and hit his off stump; Jesse Ryder, feet static, chased and nicked a Mitchell Johnson delivery that moved away a wee bit after pitching on a length; Ross Taylor moved in trying to play across to an inswinging yorker that re-arranged his furniture; James Franklin and Scott Styris played shots they will never even attempt in the nets.None of those deliveries were really unplayable. Few could have been actually left alone. On paper most of these names are a top cast and evoke a strong appeal, but come audition day they tend to fail miserably, and often. Firsthand it is difficult to know if the hurdles are more mental than technical. The one certainty is New Zealand’s top order has had more troughs than peaks in the recent past.In the last two years, New Zealand’s top-order batsmen (Nos. 1 to 7) average the least among all full-member teams. In 25 matches since January 2009, New Zealand’s top seven average 27.49. That is less than even Zimbabwe, whose batsmen score at 28.48 runs. The best teams like India and South Africa peak above the 40-run mark. Another damning number in the same period is the New Zealanders have registered 36 ducks, a record for any team. On a per match basis New Zealand have less than one fifty-plus score, which is lower than all other teams.On the back of the disaster back home, it was pretty evident that New Zealand’s players were a little bit distracted. But Daniel Vettori, a man who is stoic at the best of times, said later that they were professionals and the remorse felt back home could not be compared or used as an excuse for the dip in the performance today. So is it then the mental approach of players that is vulnerable? Considering the match had been designated for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, it was natural for the players to stay pumped up. Sadly, on Friday, there was only team which was high on adrenaline and it was not New Zealand.Never once during their act did New Zealand look fluent and solid. They started slowly and grew more timid every over. In the first 15 overs, when the first two Powerplays were on, New Zealand had 78 dot balls and lost their top five batters. Australia had come out with a plan and Ricky Ponting deployed his pace arsenal of four quicks for the first 19 overs to combat the opponent. It worked wonders. “The pressure that Australia put on us in a number of different aspects really hurt us but in the end it was about wickets. It is more about psyching up the pressure and being able to repel that,” Vettori said. He felt the batsmen could have hit back through coming back in the batting Powerplay but that never happened because there was no man left standing.To begin with, McCullum was frenetically chasing everything Tait threw at him and trying to hit it hard. Considering he was facing the fastest bowler in the game, a better ploy could have been to just use the pace to his advantage. McCullum is New Zealand’s senior-most top-order batsman, and the team looks to him to provide the ballistic starts he is famous for. But it is not mandatory that he needs to go guns blazing each time. He can study a like-minded batsman in Virender Sehwag, who is showing the determination to bat out as long as possible, which effectively helps India reach bigger totals. It is not necessary that McCullum to go bashing in the first fifteen. If he can last longer he can always convert the final 15 overs into a Powerplay and use the long handle. His team will have no complaints.It is just not McCullum who has cobwebs to clear. It is difficult to understand the reason a batsman like Ryder, who scored a brilliant 107 in the final match of the one-day series at home against Pakistan earlier in the month, cannot thread together two big scores on a trot. After the early fall of McCullum, New Zealand depended on Ryder to provide the thrust. He gladly licked Johnson when he failed to get enough height on some short-pitched deliveries aimed at Ryder’s hips. A few words were exchanged and Ryder was not shy to open his mouth. But then when Johnson pitched it a little fuller Ryder grew circumspect.”The two balls in the over before [which Ryder pulled for fours] I did not get them right. I obviously fed him on his hips where he likes them,” Johnson said. But Johnson improvised his length immediately. “I actually said to Ricky that I just felt I would nick him off from that good length. Fortunately he nicked it for me. Not sure the plan of bowling short and not getting it up worked but just bowling that good length worked.”That was the case with most other batsmen. Australia had many plans today. New Zealand had barely any answers. Vettori was concerned. “We have got very good players in the top 5. We just need to be stand up and be counted particularly in these big games. They have got the skills, but we have to look it as a unit. We got to find a way to find a result.”New Zealand’s top five can learn a lot from the grit of Nathan McCullum, who has hit three half-centuries in his last four innings. If he can dig in deep, why not the rest.

ESPNcricinfo reviews the Test series between West Indies and India

Sriram Veera11-Jul-2011In the end both teams said they are happy. From the outside it appeared West Indies should be a happier unit than India who never quite stamped their authority. They won the series but was that ever in doubt against this West Indies batting line-up? This series was about testing out the youth for India but barring Suresh Raina and Ishant Sharma, not many stood up.And their decision to pull out of the chase on the final evening without really having a go at it was puzzling. And revealing. West Indies lost the ODI and the Test series but they slowly reached a point where they were fighting as a unit. The victory lap with thousands cheering them on at Dominica signalled that. The crowd recognised that the team had fought.Sometimes the way the opposition views you at the end can give a fair idea about how the battle went. Here is Duncan Fletcher on West Indies: “I think they have improved all the time. I think Ottis Gibson is doing a great job. I have come here before with England and watched them in England and watching the way they just have put it together, they are definitely moving up. I wouldn’t like to be another touring side and come out here and face them if this improvement continues. The bowlers did very well. The batters slowly got better and better as the series went. I was also impressed with how they put it together off the field. How they did the warm-ups. They acted as a team and they looked like a professional unit which is good to see.”Here is what Sammy said about India: “With 15 overs to go and 86 runs required, and considering the calibre of players they have like Dhoni and guys who could hit the ball, I thought they would give it a go being one up … I was surprised they shut the shop.” India left you with that kind of strange taste in the mouth.West Indies would have gained a lot from this tour. The bowlers impressed and the middle order is slowly beginning to take a solid shape. Marlon Samuels played an innings of substance in the second Test, Shivnarine Chanderpaul showed he has plenty to offer as a batsman, Darren Bravo showed glimpses of his talent, and Kirk Edwards came to the fore. The main worry will be the openers. Adrian Barath showed he has problems against the seaming delivery and he still hasn’t found a stable partner. Sammy led the team with passion, bowled his heart out but as long as he doesn’t contribute with the bat, the questions will continue. Ian Bishop, the former West Indies fast bowler, reckons he has done enough to continue in this team as a captain for another year till West Indies unearth another leader.India’s strengths are obvious. Ishant Sharma impressed and the bowlers were pretty good though by the end they were down and out physically. The batting was mixed. Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina did what the other was supposed to do. Many felt Raina would show weakness against the short ball and that Kohli would grab his opportunity. The reverse happened. M Vijay failed, S Badrinath never got a chance in the Tests after his poor performance in the ODIs, Abhinav Mukund showed grit and seized the opportunity.The series started and ended with two vital dropped catches. If Sammy had caught Rahul Dravid in the first Test who knows what might have happened there? If Dravid had caught Chanderpaul in the final Test what could have been the result? Those turning points indicate how well-fought the games were. India usually always dominated because West Indies’ batting was weaker but it wasn’t a cakewalk by any means.India were lifted out of the hole in the first Test by Raina and Harbhajan Singh; Dravid played the rescue act in the second innings; VVS Laxman was the saviour in the second Test. It was never easy. It was that kind of series. The pitches were tilted towards the bowlers and the groundsmen should be thanked for providing us with an enjoyable series.India won but with this West Indies batting line-up, they would see the 1-0 margin as an opportunity lost.

Victoria have made 14 of the last 18 state finals. Now they face the challenge of bouncing back after their first disappointing summer in years

Brydon Coverdale13-Jul-2011Victoria is an AFL state. Even in summer, its theoretical off season, Aussie Rules Football, with all its scandals and speculation, robs cricket of headlines. And when the Australian team has to fight for a place on the back page, you can imagine how deep into the sports section readers must delve before a story about the Victorian Bushrangers appears.That’s a shame, because over the past six years the Bushrangers have been one of the most dominant teams in Australian sport. They have reached 14 of the past 18 state finals and have raised seven trophies. In that time they have groomed six Test debutants, second only to New South Wales, and they are the only state to have kept the same captain and coach (Cameron White and Greg Shipperd).But now, in AFL terminology, their premiership window is threatening to close. Although they won the Ryobi One-Day Cup last summer, for the first time in a decade they finished in the bottom two on the Sheffield Shield table. Something just didn’t click, and Shipperd is desperate to make sure that, to borrow another AFL-ism, they don’t bottom out.”We don’t want to be yo-yoing as a group,” Shipperd told ESPNcricinfo. “With 14 finals out of the last 18, we’ve been, in terms of consistency, a benchmark team. We really want to push on and maintain our standards. It will be challenging, though.”One of the major tasks will be to build a match-winning attack. Last summer, only two of the Sheffield Shield’s top 20 wicket-takers were Victorians. And neither will play much for Victoria next season: Damien Wright has retired and Peter Siddle should spend most of his time on international duty.Also gone from the attack are three of Victoria’s oldest heads: the 39-year-old legspinner Bryce McGain, and fast bowlers Dirk Nannes, 35, and Shane Harwood, 37. Of those three, only McGain played in the Shield last season, but the combined experience from the trio, who lost their Cricket Victoria contracts last month, will be hard to replace.Victorian fans can expect Clint McKay and James Pattinson to be key men in the bowling group this season. There will also be some aggression from the newly contracted pace bowler Jayde Herrick, whose bald head, black headband and tattooed arms could well become a fixture of Victoria’s side this summer. There’s plenty of other young talent in the rest of the squad as well.”We’ve released four senior match-winners from our squad last season who provided us with fantastic cricket over a long period of time,” Shipperd said. “We’ll miss them for sure, but we’re equally excited by the young players we’re developing, and Ryan Carters, Aaron Finch, Matthew Wade, Glenn Maxwell and Jon Holland are just some of the names that are going to lead Victoria in the years to come.”Our board certainly wanted in the previous five years to find that balance between winning titles and producing Australian players. Across that period of time I think we’ve generated about 12 Australian players in the three forms of the game, so we’ve actually been ticking both boxes there. But given Australia’s situation in the longer form of the game, there’s been an even greater importance put on developing Test players of the future. We’ve probably gone a fraction younger a bit earlier than we might normally have done. We’re looking forward to seeing that process unfold.”Not that the older members of the squad have nothing to offer. Chris Rogers, 33, is keen to have a productive season after missing much of 2010-11 with a knee injury, and David Hussey, also 33, wants to prove he is good enough to earn a baggy green, after surprisingly winning a Cricket Australia contract this year.And the allrounder Andrew McDonald, 30, has a point to prove, having slipped off CA’s contract list. McDonald had an injury-interrupted season last summer, but when he was in the side he was unstoppable. In his six Sheffield Shield appearances, he made three centuries – no other player in the competition made that many in a tough season for batsmen – and averaged 76.33.Victoria factfile

Captain Cameron White
Coach Greg Shipperd
Where they’ve finished in the Sheffield Shield since 2001-02 fifth, third, first, fourth, second, fourth, second, first, first, fifth
Australia Test debutants since 2001 Brad Hodge, Cameron White, Peter Siddle, Andrew McDonald, Bryce McGain, Clint McKay
Slipped through the cracks
Andrew McDonald Played four Tests in 2008-09 and acquitted himself reasonably well, but there was not room in the Test team for both him and Shane Watson. Will find it hard to break back into Australia’s side.
Jon Holland The left-arm spinner went on an ODI tour of India with Australia in late 2009 as a project player, but still hasn’t quite found his feet at state level. At 24 he has time on his side but must stand up soon.
Future Fund
Glenn Maxwell A spin-bowling allrounder who last summer burst on to the scene with the fastest fifty in Australia’s domestic one-day history. He also posted a century in his second first-class game.
Ryan Carters An exciting young wicketkeeper-batsman, Carters made his first-class debut against the touring England side last season, opened the batting and scored a gutsy 68.
James Pattinson Although he has already played one-day cricket for Australia, Pattinson still has only six first-class games to his name. If he can develop the red-ball skills expected of him, he will be a key player for Victoria over the next decade.

Even more impressive was the way he scored his runs. At Test level, McDonald looked rigid at the crease and was hesitant to play his shots. For Victoria last year, he loosened up and scored at a strike rate of 84.97 in the longer format. McDonald was the one batsman who might have managed a thousand-run season were it not for his injuries, and Shipperd expects him to have a big summer again.”Every good judge in Australia would certainly agree that Andrew McDonald is still a worthy international-quality player, and but for injury last season, he would have just knocked the door down that strongly that he could not be ignored,” Shipperd said. “I expect that he’s in the prime in terms of his cricketing powers right now. His next couple of years, I’m sure he’s going to perform some deeds that would have him beautifully placed to take the place of someone like Watson, should he be injured, for the Australian team.”That McDonald was able to thrive in such a difficult season for batsmen was not enough to help Victoria reach the final of the Sheffield Shield. They did, however, get to the decider in the Ryobi Cup, for the fifth straight season. And after being runners-up four years in a row, the Bushrangers finally won the title summer.When the team huddled around for the traditional celebratory photo with the trophy, Shipperd was at the back, while his assistant coach, Simon Helmot, was front and centre. Helmot had taken over the coaching of the one-day team for that campaign, with Shipperd as his helper – the roles reversed from the Sheffield Shield. It’s an arrangement that will continue next season. Shipperd likens it to the AFL team, Collingwood, whose premiership coach, Mick Malthouse, will eventually be replaced by his assistant, Nathan Buckley, by mutual agreement.”That was the proposal we came up with last year to allow him to spread his wings as a coach, and it was just the natural thing for Cricket Victoria to do, in terms of down the track finding a succession plan for me and a development plan for Simon that worked really well. He’s a terrific young coach. I assisted him in the Ryobi Cup and he assisted me in the Shield, but we both took responsibility for the whole Bushrangers programme.”Adding to the complex relationship between Shipperd and Helmot are their roles in the Big Bash League, where they will coach against each other. Helmot has taken charge of the Docklands-based Melbourne Renegades, while Shipperd has control of the Stars, who will play at the MCG. The state’s players have also split into two camps, and Shipperd said it would be hard, for the younger players especially, to find the balance between being Twenty20 opponents and team-mates in the longer forms.”It will be mentally challenging for them, because one of the strengths of our squad has been its closeness, and the success that they’ve had over this last five to eight years is because of the quality of the team and the way they’ve interacted as a group. That essentially has been split in two. The more senior players are not totally unfamiliar with that environment, having played against each other. We had 11 players in the IPL last year, so a lot of them played against each other and have been through those emotions before.”A few of the older players also know the feeling of failure – from 1991 to 2003, Victoria didn’t win a Sheffield Shield title. Mastering the switch between formats will be one of many key factors if they are to keep their premiership window open. The grand era of Shipperd’s Bushrangers might earn a few more column inches yet.

The groundwork which enabled England to reach No. 1 in the Test rankings was put in place before the new millennium

Andrew McGlashan15-Aug-2011Not for the last time as England captain, Nasser Hussain was emotional after the team sank to bottom against New Zealand•Getty Imagesv New Zealand, The Oval, 1999: Bottom of the pileWhen Alan Mullally skied Chris Cairns to mid-off, England had been beaten by 83 runs in the fourth and deciding Test and were, according to the Wisden rankings that predated the official ICC ladder, the worst team in the world. Nasser Hussain was booed as he made his way onto The Oval balcony for the presentation. The only way was up.November 1999: From now on, this is how it worksDuncan Fletcher, at the time a fairly unknown name outside of his achievements for Zimbabwe, had been confirmed as England’s new coach earlier in the year. However, he had a watching brief as the team hit rock-bottom against New Zealand and it wasn’t until the tour of South Africa that he could start to change English cricket. On his first day in charge, England slumped to 2 for 4 against South Africa at Johannesburg, yet slowly, but surely, a strong relationship with Hussain began to formMay 2000: England firstA hugely significant moment in the bigger picture of English cricket’s future came with the first batch of ECB central contracts. Some, such as Chris Schofield and Mark Ramprakash, faded away, but the principle of the leading players being managed by the England coach brought a new professionalism to the set up.v West Indies, 2000: Regain the Wisden TrophyWest Indies weren’t the force of old, but with Ambrose, Walsh and Lara they still had plenty of matchwinners. When they secured the first Test at Edgbaston it looked like normal service, but after producing a wonderful fight-back at Lord’s to win by two wickets the momentum was with England. On a heady day at The Oval they bowled out West Indies to take the series 3-1. Hussain, who’d barely scored a run, sank to his knees. England were on the climb.December-March 2000-01: Subcontinent successThis is a winter that doesn’t get the acclaim it deserves. Firstly the team won in the dark at Karachi to secure a series victory in Pakistan after 39 years then, even more impressively, came from 1-0 down to beat Sri Lanka on their home soil. A core of experienced players, led by Darren Gough and Graham Thorpe, was forming alongside younger stars such as Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan. This was Hussain’s finest hour.July-September 2001: Ashes hammeringHowever, any thought that England were ready to make a challenge for the top was brought into stark focus by another Ashes hammering. The first three Tests were over within 11 days and only Mark Butcher’s career-defining 173 saved face. Australia were still light years ahead.July-August, 2002: Missed opportunitySri Lanka had been dispatched 2-0 in helpful conditions and when India were beaten by 170 runs at Lord’s, confidence was high. However, inconsistency still dogged the team and at Headingley they were thrashed by an innings and 46 runs. A 1-1 draw was unfulfilling and, more crucially with an Ashes on the horizon, Andrew Flintoff had been stretched to breaking point with a double hernia.By 2003 Andrew Flintoff was becoming a world-class allrounder and would be central to England’s success•Getty Imagesv Australia, Brisbane, 2002: “We’ll bowl.”It’s a moment Hussain has never lived down, putting Australia into bat at the Gabba and watching them amass 364 for 2 on the first day. Worst still, Simon Jones suffered a career-threatening knee injury sliding on the sandy outfield. The Ashes finished 4-1 and, despite the consolation victory at Sydney, the team was still treading water.v South Africa, Edgbaston, 2003: Hussain loses the teamHussain had packed in the one-day captaincy following another poor World Cup campaign and Michael Vaughan made a promising start in the job with two early trophies. Hussain returned for the start of the Test series against South Africa and watched his team struggle to make an impression although the opening match was saved by a mixture of Vaughan and rain. Immediately after the game a tearful Hussain stepped down saying the side had moved on. But he had played a huge role dragging England off the bottom.v South Africa, The Oval, 2003: A tone-setting victoryVaughan’s reign started with a crushing innings defeat at Lord’s and England verged from the very good (winning at Trent Bridge) to the very bad (another defeat at Headingley) to leave the series 2-1 heading into the final match at The Oval. That’s when the first signs emerged of the cricket the side could be capable of playing, having fought back from South Africa being 345 for 2. Trescothick hit a double hundred, Thorpe a comeback century, Flintoff bashed 95 and Steve Harmison rattled South Africa with pace. The series was levelled. It was the start.May-September 2004: Magnificent sevenA summer of complete domination as England wiped the floor 7-0 against New Zealand and West Indies. Harmison became the No.1-ranked bowler in the world, Flintoff became the leading allrounder and the batting line-up was formidable. Momentum was building for the greater challenges ahead.England conquered the Ashes summit in 2005•Getty Imagesv South Africa, Johannesburg, 2005: One of their bestThe series was level following three Tests and after the two first innings at the Wanderers it was still even. Then Trescothick produced a scintillating 180 and Hoggard stunned South Africa on the final day with 7 for 61 to take his match haul to 12 wickets. The totality of their final-day performance proved they were ready to challenge Australia.January-February 2005: Enter Kevin PietersenIt’s easy to forget that Kevin Pietersen wasn’t in the Test side at the start of the 2005 season. Thorpe played against Bangladesh, but was pensioned off when Fletcher and Vaughan decided England needed an X-factor player. That player was Pietersen, whose scintillating arrival in the one-day side against South Africa had proven both his talent and big-match temperament. Three centuries in the series, in a sometimes poisonously hostile atmosphere, meant his Test call-up was a given.July-September 2005: The Greatest SeriesThe summer became the ultimate contest between the two best sides in the world. They exchanged blows throughout the series with the famous two-run win at Edgbaston producing wonderful sporting emotion. Australia hung on nine-down in scenes of rare drama at Old Trafford then England went ahead with another nail-biter at Trent Bridge. It all came down to the final day at The Oval and England stuttered. Would old failings emerge at the crucial hour? Pietersen ensured they didn’t with his spine-tingling 158. Australia’s years of consistent success meant they remained top of the rankings, but the belief was England were genuine contenders for the years ahead. It didn’t turn out that way …