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.

There may be little for Pakistan to play for in Jaipur, apart from the
clichéd pride and a morale-boosting win going into the first Test

George Binoy16-Nov-2007

Pakistani batsmen failed to bat around Mohammad Yousuf in Gwalior and paid a heavy price in the form of a series-loss © AFP

There may be little for Pakistan to play for in Jaipur, apart from the
clichéd pride and a morale-boosting win going into the first Test, but the touring batsmen will have to rally
together to match a confident Indian line-up and avoid a 4-1 defeat in the
one-day series.Though Shoaib Malik blamed defeat in Gwalior on his opening bowlers failing to
rein in a vintage Sachin Tendulkar, the initiative had been lost earlier in
the day, when their batsmen failed to bat around Mohammad Yousuf, who was left
stranded on 99.Yousuf had a strike-rate of around 90 throughout his innings and formed
substantial partnerships of 51 for the third wicket with Younis Khan, and 94 for
the fifth wicket with Misbah-ul-Haq. Pakistan had another steady partnership
when Malik added 78 for the second wicket with Younis but they didn’t score 300 because the set batsmen got out
precisely when it was time to accelerate.Malik tried to up the ante and was bowled by Zaheer Khan. Yousuf joined
Younis and began to efficiently anchor the innings. The ideal blueprint
would have been for the batsmen at the other end to play the aggressor while
Yousuf built his innings at a run-a-ball. However, both Younis and Misbah
lost their wickets when the partnership was just lifting off the ground.
Shahid Afridi’s failure to fire also left Yousuf in a familiar dilemma; whether to
risk his wicket trying to accelerate, or continue the anchor role and
see Pakistan through to a reasonable total. As it turned out, Pakistan
finished with 255, a difficult total to defend under normal, dewy conditions
and impossible with Tendulkar on a rampage.

Gwalior wasn’t the first time the batsmen failed to support Yousuf in the series. In the first game in Guwahati, Yousuf scored 82 off 88 balls on a sluggish pitch but received little support and, at Kanpur, Salman Butt batted nearly 47 overs for his hundred but Pakistan still fell short by 46 runs

Gwalior wasn’t the first time the batsmen failed to support Yousuf in the
series. In the first game in Guwahati, Yousuf scored 82 off 88 balls on a
sluggish pitch but received little support and, at Kanpur, Salman Butt
batted nearly 47 overs for his hundred but Pakistan still fell short by 46 runs.Treating the batting order like a pack of cards after each match hasn’t helped either. Kamran Akmal opened in the first two games but
was shunted to No. 7 and 8 in Kanpur and Mohali. Afridi was promoted to
open in the third ODI after batting at No. 5 and 7 in the first two. He was
pushed back to No. 5 in Gwalior while Malik put on the opener’s boots after
batting at No. 5 and 6 in the first three games.It doesn’t just sound chaotic. It was.Butt has called for openers to be identified and persisted with but that
ideology should apply to the rest of the order too. Making a policy change
for a final one-day match of a series might seem like too much trouble ahead of
the Test series but if Pakistan were to plot out a batting plan with more
stability rather than flexibility, bordering on instability, they could
perhaps take some positives out of this one-day series after all.Their batsmen, free of pressure in Jaipur, playing clearly defined roles –
the opener, the anchor, the aggressor, the finisher – while allowing for
changes according to the match situation, might just bring out the chutzpah
that’s been sorely missed.Things might not go according to plan, but you do need a plan.

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

Deccan, down, out and lost even for good excuses, Delhi’s sense of relief soured by the stone-throwing buffoon. Some days, no one wins

Cricinfo staff15-May-2008

	Virender Sehwag had a stone thrown at him while fielding on the boundary during the penultimate over of the match (file photo) © Getty Images

Less than a day after Glasgow Rangers supporters went on the rampage in Manchester, it was the Delhi Daredevils’ turn to reflect on moronic behaviour from so-called fans. The game was tantalisingly poised, with the Deccan Chargers needing 24 from 11 balls and the in-form Venugopal Rao on strike. At that moment, Virender Sehwag ran in from the boundary to speak to Brian Jerling, the umpire. There was a lengthy delay, with no one quite sure what was going on. Only later, at the post-match press conference, did the reason come forth.”It’s a matter of shame that something like this happened in Delhi,” said Sehwag. “And that too a stone thrown at a Delhi player.” When asked about the identity of the player, he said: “Virender Sehwag”. Perhaps the imbecile who threw the projectile was grumpy about zeroes in consecutive matches, including Thursday night, and he clearly didn’t have the powers of recall to remember the thrilling knocks that had inspired Delhi to victory earlier in the competition.The sordid incident wiped the smile off Sehwag’s face, though there was considerable satisfaction at ending a four-match drought. With three more home games to play on a surface that suits their hard-hitting batsmen, Delhi are once again in the semi-final shake-up.As well as the batsmen played today though, it was the bowlers that pulled this one out of the fire. The headlines on Friday may well be about Amit Mishra’s hat-trick, but no self-respecting bowler is likely to boast about the scalps of Ravi Teja, Pragyan Ojha and RP Singh. Instead, Mishra will take immense pride in the two early interventions that utterly changed the complexion of the game.Despite the loss of Adam Gilchrist, brilliantly caught by Tillakaratne Dilshan off the bowling of his old comrade, Glenn McGrath; Shahid Afridi and Herschelle Gibbs appeared intent on showing an increasingly glum crowd just what they were capable of, racing to 50 from just 4.1 overs. Even the redoubtable McGrath got a pasting, and Delhi were punch-drunk and reeling when Sehwag tossed the ball to Mishra.The first delivery revealed the ugly side of Afridi. For all the boom-boom strokeplay, shot selection has never been his strength, and a impetuous hoick was sliced behind point. With Gautam Gambhir off the field, Delhi’s fielding was boosted by the presence of AB de Villiers, and his catch, while running backwards, turned the tide.In Mishra’s next over, Gibbs, who had briefly played like the man of Wanderers-175 fame rather than the IPL imposter, charged forward like the Light Brigade. And despite beautiful cameos from Rohit Sharma and Rao, that was effectively that. Rohit might well think about the wisdom of playing the worst shot in the game, the infamous Misbah scoop, to a die-straight ball from Farveez Maharoof, while Rao once again failed to
take his team over the line after some thrilling four-and-six hitting.Delhi’s batting still resembles Chesty Morgan of 1970s fame, but after a couple of games
of underachievement, the top-order once again did the business. Gambhir is fast becoming a master of this cricket genre, playing to his strengths with genuine aplomb. He strikes the cross-bat shots as well as any Indian, and his footwork to the spinners was also hugely impressive.Sehwag’s blob didn’t hurt them either, with Shikhar Dhawan once again showing off his maturity and tremendous bat speed. Whether it was hustling the ball through the covers or whipping it off the pads to fine leg, he struck it with such a punch that even fielders in the vicinity didn’t bother to chase. The quick thrashes from Maharoof and Dilshan at the end were a nice little bonus.Gilchrist laughingly called this losing run “good for the soul”, but he wasn’t smiling when he spoke about Delhi’s use of substitute fielders. Mohammad Asif, who looked well short of form and fitness, went off and then came back on to bowl, prompting Gilchrist to say: “I think I should express my concern. If a bowler’s fit enough to bowl, he’s fit enough to
field.” He cited the catches taken by de Villiers and Shoaib Malik [who came on for Asif], but his insinuations about Delhi bending the rules evoked a sharp response from Sehwag.”It was an external injury [split webbing on his hand] that Asif had,” said Sehwag. “You can check the rules. When blood is being spilled, the umpires allow you to go off and then come back on. If they have no problem, neither should Gilchrist.”That pretty much summed up the mood of the evening. Deccan, down, out and lost even for good excuses, Delhi’s sense of relief soured by the stone-throwing buffoon. Some days, no one wins.

In a five-part preview series, Cricinfo profiles the Super League teams

Cricinfo staff27-Oct-2008

	Delhi will be keen to repeat their title triumph © Cricinfo Ltd.

Delhi

Delhi finally got it all together last year. One of the big anomalies of Indian domestic cricket – why the most talented team couldn’t win the Ranji Trophy – was eliminated. And unlike the last three champions – Railways were relegated during their title defence, Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai just about avoided the ignominy, Delhi seem to have the required class and stability to take themselves to the next level.While there is a change in the leadership – Aakash Chopra takes over from Mithun Manhas as the captain, most of the other personnel is the same this time. What they will look forward to is the comeback of the mercurial Ashish Nehra, who did well in the IPL. They can also look forward to a good draw too – the dangerous teams in their group being Saurashtra, semi-finalists last year, and Mumbai. Punjab, Rajasthan, Orissa and Hyderabad are strictly dangerous floaters. They play four away matches, and three at home. Feroz Shah Kotla, though, will be available for only one of those.Vijay Dahiya, the coach, knows the team well, and worked wonders for them in the season just after his retirement. He will want to do more of the same this year, a year when after a long time Delhi will start the favourites.What they did last season
It was an almost perfect season for Delhi last year. And even when it was not perfect, they managed to escape without burns. They were bowled out for 119 on the first day of the Ranji Trophy, but came back to clean Rajasthan up for 89, and win the match by 172 runs. In their fourth match, against Himachal Pradesh, when they were bowled out for 75 in the first innings, they managed to hold on for a draw, while following on.They managed crushing victories against Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, and also first-innings points against Saurashtra and Mumbai, which took them to the semi-finals. The fighting spirit resurfaced in the knockouts. In the semi-final, Gautam Gambhir led a 272-run chase in the final innings. In the final, Chopra and Rajat Bhatia scored centuries to take them from 36 for 4 to 290, still a 52-run first-innings deficit. Another Gambhir century in the second innings took Delhi to the title, their first in 16 years.Five of Delhi’s batsmen crossed 500 runs – Chopra, Gambhir, Bhatia, Mithun Manhas and Shikhar Dhawan. Two of them – Chopra and Gambhir – crossed 700, and were also Nos 2 and 3 respectively on overall run-getters’ list. Bhatia more than chipped in with the ball, taking 26 wickets at an average of 12.65. The 17-year-old Pradeep Sangwan was Delhi’s main strike bowler, with 33 wickets at 19.24.Men to watch
Nehra, just for endearment value, should be the man to watch out for. He has spent two seasons unfit, and in and out of the team, but his comeback during the IPL was superb. Whether he can carry it to a format where he will be bowling 20 overs by himself during a day will
be interesting to see. Virat Kohli, who led India U-19 to the World Cup triumph last year, is definitely the one for the future – for Delhi, and possibly for India. Dhawan would want to carry on from his last season’s form too. And then there are the strong seasoned heads for Delhi: Bhatia, one of the most valuable allrounders on the domestic circuit, Chopra, and Manhas.

Orissa

Orissa were the surprise package in Group B in 2007-08, winning two successive games to upset everybody’s calculations. However, they failed to extend their dream run and crashed out in stunning fashion against Punjab before the semi-finals. Orissa have a new coach, Venkatapathy Raju, the former Indian spinner, and they should hope to do better than last season. Orissa have retained Shiv Sunder Das, the former India opener, as captain. Das replaced Pravanjan Mullick during the previous season to help the side retain its place in the Super League. Most of Orissa’s performances still revolve around Das and Debasis Mohanty, easily the two most recognisable faces in the team, but with no players lost to the ICL, the side needs its youngsters to step up.What they did last season
Orissa finished fourth in Group B last season, winning two games out of six. Their first match was an innings defeat to Uttar Pradesh and after losing a thriller to Andhra in round three, after the fourth round they sat at the bottom. Then they got into form with an outright away win over Hyderabad, followed by a six-wicket win over Bengal with more than a day and a half to spare. Suddenly Orissa had ten points from four matches. However, that seven-wicket loss to Punjab will sting; in their second innings, Orissa were bowled out for 76 – VRV Singh took a hat-trick – with the last nine entries on the scorecard reading 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 4, 6, 0, 0*. Orissa signed off their season with a draw against Baroda.Statistically, Das was again Orissa’s highest run-getter with 394 at 39.40, with one hundred. Coming in at second was Pinninti Jayachandra with 286 at 31.77. There were only three centuries all season, indicative of Orissa’s failure to go deep. As for the bowlers, Debasis Mohanty finished with 30 while his namesake, Basanth, had 20. Preetamjit Das, a left-arm medium-pacer, came in third with 15.Men to watch
Mohanty, at 32, remains Orissa’s leader of the pack. His assets remain an ability to control his swing – this did it for Bengal last season – and the experience he brings to the side is invaluable. Like Das, another player with national experience, Mohanty’s success could well dictate how Orissa progress in 2008-09. Preetamjit, who took a five-wicket haul in his fifth first-class match, was steady without being spectacular last season and should get plenty of opportunities. Young Halhadar Das, the wicketkeeper, notched a maiden first-class century last season and was competent behind the stumps. He is one of the more promising Orissa players.

	Murali Kartik, free from national duty, will boost Railways © AFP

Railways

Three seasons ago, Railways stirringly came back from the brink of relegation to the national championship. That fairytale story made for plenty of copy in Indian journalist circles, and rightly so. Then came the descent: the next year they were relegated to the Plate League. They’re back in the Super League by virtue of making the Plate finals last season, and will need to be at the top of their game to avoid relegation again.Sanjay Bangar lead well last season in the absence of Murali Kartik, away on national duty, and his role with Railways will always be special. He topped the wickets tally with 38, 17 more than the next best, new-ball bowler Harvinder Singh, and also scored 293 runs from seven matches at 32.55. Railways’ batting clicked for most of the season: apart from their star, Bangar, Harshad Rawle, Mahesh Rawat, Sanjib Sanyal and Karan Sharma all scored over 300 runs at over 60.00. Life will be tougher in the Super League, so a repeat of such impressive numbers will be needed.Railways have plenty of experience in Bangar, Amit Pagnis, Raja Ali and Harvinder Singh, which should keep them in good stead as they aim to recapture at least a little bit of the glory years.What they did last season
Railways topped the Plate League’s Group B with three wins from five matches, without a loss. They began by routing Jammu & Kashmir by an innings and 88 runs in less than three days and their second win, over Jharkhand, also took three days. To enter the Super League, they managed a 45-run first-innings lead over Kerala in Nagpur and then denied Kerala’s best efforts to force a result. In the final Railways, led by Bangar’s six-wicket haul, fought valiantly on the final day but Gujarat hung on for a one-wicket win to become the Plate League champions. Bangar took eleven wickets in the match but was unable to prevent Gujarat from winning a nailbiter in Mumbai.Men to watch
As always, Bangar and Kartik will be relied on heavily. But there are some youngsters who Railways can turn to. One such is Rawle, who moved from Mumbai before last season and scored 528 runs from seven matches to help Railways get promoted. Mahesh Rawat, the wicketkeeper who switched from Haryana and also represented the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, impressed too. His exposure to international players in the IPL may lift his game this year. Madan Yadav, a left-arm spinner, turned in parsimonious figures of 22.4-12-22-4 in the first innings against J&K and will need further such outings to support his seniors.

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.

Ben Hilfenhaus bent the ball, toyed with batsmen and showed Australia they have a swing bowler they can start to depend on

Peter English at Lord's17-Jul-2009Ben Hilfenhaus was the fifth Australian fast bowler in line to play in this series but after three innings he has become the opposition’s most difficult prospect. It’s no surprise that a swing man is doing well in England and Hilfenhaus was tipped for this tour as far back as his new team’s previous Ashes success.There have been no huge hauls or bleeding batsmen, just regular movement at swift speed, challenging the batsmen to play or leave. In Cardiff, Kevin Pietersen was teased by the line and was bowled trying to let it pass; at Lord’s it was Andrew Strauss who looked foolish. In the opening over he lifted his bat out of the ball’s reach before it arced back into the off stump. Plenty of batsmen in Australia’s domestic scene have suffered that embarrassment so it has been satisfying for Hilfenhaus to know he can trick the game’s elite.With Mitchell Johnson unable to bowl two balls in the same spot and Peter Siddle looking sicker than the attack leader’s economy-rate, Australia needed to remove Strauss quickly to prevent the total inflating. Hilfenhaus trotted in, running and bowling faster than Terry Alderman in the 1980s, and fulfilled his team’s wish with the second delivery of the morning.In his following over he bowled Broad, playing on for 16, to have two breakthroughs in his first 12 balls. The final partnership hung around, extending his figures to 4 for 103 from 31 overs and preventing him from a maiden five-wicket haul, but it was his best display in five Tests. On the opening day Hilfenhaus out-thought Ravi Bopara, catching him lbw, and also removed Andrew Flintoff with an edge to second slip. Australia will rely on him again in the second innings, especially if the fitness problems with Siddle (illness) and Nathan Hauritz (dislocated finger) persist.Michael Hussey hasn’t been surprised by Hilfenhaus’ emergence in England and expects him to continue to do well. “He’s a workhorse, he loves bowling and the conditions over here really suit him,” he said. “He’s a genuine swinger of the ball and history suggests that people who do swing the ball can have success here. I was really disappointed for him and was hoping he could have got a five-for and his name on the honour board.”While some bowlers require perfect conditions to move the ball, or can do it in May but not June, Hilfenhaus has always been able to swing it. He never tried for curl, it just happened, and he has kept the gift despite back stress fractures. Due in the West Indies with the Test squad in 2008, he was held at home by injury and it was not until the series in South Africa earlier in the year that he was handed a baggy green.Seven wickets at 52.28 didn’t seem an appropriate return, but all his wickets were highly qualified batsmen. In two Tests in England he has more than doubled his tally, kick-starting his Ashes with five victims in Wales after sneaking in ahead of Stuart Clark.The fellow Tasmanians, Ricky Ponting and David Boon, a selector, have been strong supporters and given Hilfenhaus the belief he can succeed in the international arena. Life in Hobart, where he opens for the Tigers, assisted him in his first-class journey and there was cloud cover to encourage him on the second day. He bent the ball, toyed with batsmen and showed Australia they have a swing bowler they can start to depend on.

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

He picked up a bat as a refugee in Pakistan and Hamid Hassan’s life has been cricket, cricket, cricket ever since

Will Luke15-Apr-2009Hamid Hassan turns 22 in June. For a young man, he has already achieved the sort of dreams that many of his peers in Afghanistan might dismiss as outlandishly ambitious. Even foolish. Not only has he
visited Europe and stayed in “lovely, lovely” Britain, he has reached cricketing nirvana by playing at Lord’s. His aspirations jut as high as the rocky peaks of Bati’Kot in the eastern province of Nangarhar, near Jalalabad, where he grew up.Afghanistan’s improbable rise has been well documented. Less obvious is which among them have the talent to succeed for years to come. Hassan’s career has only just begun, but his whippy action and pace have already impressed the likes of MCC’s Head of Cricket, John Stephenson, and Mike Gatting and Robin Marlar, all of whom were won over by his natural ability to bowl quickly, and rushed him on to the Lord’s ground staff in 2006. He has been clocked at 90mph and, a few days ago was too quick for Ireland in the World Cup Qualifiers. Four were bowled in Hassan’s 5 for 23, his best figures, in Afghanistan’s greatest win.Like the once-potholed roads of Jalalabad, Hassan’s path has been predictably bumpy. As many of his team-mates have, Hassan’s family sought refuge in Pakistan – a journey trod by thousands, exemplified in its treacherousness in Khaled Hosseini’s .”We moved from Jalalabad when I was five or six. It became too unsafe. Really unsafe, with bombs and so on. Our house was shot at, too, but we all escaped. So, we moved to Peshawar. I saw cricket for the first time in Peshawar, in Tehkal. Boys playing on streets and roads – everywhere. And I just picked up a bat and started hitting balls. I didn’t know how to hold it, but I just wanted to play – hitting it like a baseball bat. From then on, life was cricket, cricket, cricket.”School got in the way, or tried to. His family were all bored by the game and unimpressed by his seemingly foolish ambition to forsake education for cricket. “I had to play in secret,” he says, with detectable pride. “My father always hated cricket. In an exam, I’d just write my name at the top and the date and throw it down and run away. My dad heard about me failing one or two papers, so I began revising from 2am until midnight.”But eventually my mum said ‘Okay, it’s your life, I won’t tell you any more.’ My father was always angry, but now he phones me and says: ‘Hi son. I am so proud of you.’ He phoned me last night after my five wickets changed the game [against Ireland], and he was so happy. ‘Do it again for Afghanistan, son. Do it for me.'”So impressed were his once-apathetic family that a few days ago, sweets were handed around his tiny hometown. “Our village boy took five wickets!” they sang. “They bought a huge lamb and gave it to all the poor people,” Hamid said.” They spent 100 dollars on it and then handed little bits around to everyone, as many poor people as they could. All in my name. It was incredible.”Like all parents, Hamid’s only want what is best for their son. They may not know or care that he learned reverse swing from one of his heroes. And his mother would certainly be more alarmed than proud that one of her sons nearly broke toes of several opposing batsmen a couple of years ago.

So impressed were Hassan’s once-apathetic family that a few days ago, sweets were handed around his tiny hometown. “Our village boy took five wickets!” they sang. “They bought a huge lamb and gave it to all the poor people”

“We played against MCC in Mumbai, March 23, 2006. I remember it well. It was the biggest day in my life. The ball was 20-overs old and I came on in training shoes. Flat shoes. Not spikes.”So I pitched it short, and the keeper went back a bit. And he kept going back. I pitched it up and hit some of them on the toes – four were injured. I finished with something like 2 for 8 from six or seven overs. When I finished the game, this friendly old man called me over. ‘Come here, son. How old are you? What are you doing?’ he asked. I was 19 or
something. He said: ‘Why are you bowling in these shoes? You have to try spikes’. I had only ever bowled in flat trainers. And he said I should come and learn cricket in England.”I didn’t know who he was. Maybe he was just a fan, just some Englishman watching the game. I thought he was just joking. Then I heard other players talk to him. ‘Hi, Mr Robin Marlar’, they say. And then I realised he was president of MCC – a big man. I was shocked.They invited all the players for dinner, and he called me over. ‘Hamid, come here, I want to talk to you alone.’ We spoke for 30 minutes about what I wanted from my life, if I wanted to play in England, and I said, ‘Of course, I’d love to.'”And so in 2006 he came to England and met his hero, Andrew Flintoff, while England and Pakistan practised at Lord’s. Even mentioning Flintoff’s name has Hassan shaking his head. “I learned reverse swing from him over those four days. When I first saw him, I was in shock – my mouth wide open. He had big hands – a heavy, huge person and brilliant bowler. A brilliant body and a good face, too – everything just like an English hero. So friendly, always smiling, always encouraging. ‘Good ball, buddy,’ he’d say.”I hit Monty Panesar on the helmet and broke it. He said, ‘You owe me 200 pounds, these things are expensive’. Well, I didn’t have any money, but luckily he was joking.”So impressed were they by his pace and control, MCC organised, and helped pay, for him to play Lancashire League cricket in 2007, with the help of Asif Mujtaba to translate, after Afghanistan’s maiden tour of England in 2006.”It was a trial game. The keeper was standing quite close. Mujtaba was umpiring and an MCC person was nearby. And the keeper said, ‘Yeah, not much pace here. He’s a bit slow.’ So Mujtaba turned round and said ‘Right, come on boy. You are Afghan. Fire up.’
So I fired in a quick one which smashed the wicketkeeper’s hands, and he threw off his gloves. I was timed last year at 90mph.”Surely, you’re joking Mr Umpire: Hassan appeals for all he’s worth in a World Cricket League game earlier this year•ICC/CricketEuropeEngland, he says, was not unlike the small district of Peshawar where he moved to as a small boy. Fruit is abundant in Tehkal, a green and lush land, where olive trees grow wild.”We saw England in films and movies, but it was so different. When I arrived, it was like seeing a film in colour for the first time, having watched it in black-and-white. Different people, culture, styles, everyone so nice. English people are very kind and friendly. I was playing in Rochdale: small hills, rolling little hills – green, so green everywhere. Lovely, lovely place. I spent five months there. I would love to go there again.”His family no longer hate cricket, now that they have begun to see the world through Hassan’s wide eyes. And Hassan’s ambitions are predictably lofty. “I want to be a future big international cricketer. I want the world to know me, to be famous. ‘Look, it’s Hamid,’ they might say.”Mostly, though, his mission is to spread the good name of Afghanistan, to break down the barriers of prejudice. “Everyone knows the country has had 30 years of war, with the Russians, the Americans. And still the Americans carry on…” A silent pause confirms his distaste for the current situation.”But hopefully we are showing the world we are a good team and a country of friendly, peaceful people. We are not what people say, when they say we only fight. We are also good cricketers and [have] good talent, and want to prove to the world Afghanistan is a country full of people like us. Insh’allah we will do that.”A few hours later, Afghanistan’s World Cup hopes lie in tatters after they are thumped by Canada. The team lay out prayer mats just inside the boundary rope, and most of the squad kneel in silent reflection while the Canadians whoop and cheer.Afghanistan may not reach the 2011 World Cup, but Hassan’s own personal future seems far more assured.