Stats highlights from India’s five-wicket win in Delhi, which puts them 1-0 up in the three-Test series

S Rajesh09-Nov-2011

• India’s win continues their excellent home record in recent years. Since the beginning of 2008, India have won 11 Tests and lost only two out of 20 home matches. No team has a better record at home. It was also India’s 11th Test win at the Feroz Shah Kotla – their win-loss record at this ground is 11-6, which makes it India’s fifth-best among venues where they’ve played at least ten Tests.
• India’s total of 276 is their third-highest in a successful fourth-innings run-chase in Tests, and their tenth such score in excess of 200. Six of those scores have come in the last four years. It’s also the joint second-highest in Delhi, and quite coincidentally, it’s exactly the score that West Indies had achieved to win at the same venue 24 years ago.
• This is the 18th occasion that India have won a Test after conceding a lead at the end of the teams’ first innings. Thirteen of those instances have been at home. The last time they achieved it was against Australia in Mohali in 2010 when they won a nailbiter, chasing down 216 with one wicket in hand. VVS Laxman was unbeaten on that occasion too. (Click here for a list of matches where India won after batting first and here for a list of matches when India fielded first.)
• R Ashwin became only the third India player to win the Man of the Match award on debut. The previous one had been RP Singh, for match figures of 5 for 164 in a high-scoring draw in Faisalabad in 2006. (Click here for the full list. Before 1990, this award wasn’t declared for all matches.)
• Sachin Tendulkar missed out on his 100th international century yet again, but during the course of his 76 he became the highest run-getter in fourth innings of Test matches, going past Rahul Dravid. Tendulkar, though, averages 39.86 in fourth innings, compared to Dravid’s 41.86. Tendulkar also became the highest run-getter at the Feroz Shah Kotla, going past Dilip Vengsarkar. Vengsarkar, though, averages almost 22 runs more than Tendulkar at this ground.
• Laxman, meanwhile, continued his fine run in fourth innings. Since the beginning of 2010, his fourth-innings scores read thus: 103*, 73*, 32*, 3*, 56, 4, and 58*.

Australia and Sri Lanka, who fought out a closely contested best-of-three finals, were streets ahead of India on the batting and bowling fronts

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan09-Mar-2012At the end of a long and gruelling summer, Australia, faced with multiple injury problems, appeared jaded as the CB Series went on. However, as has usually been the case, they were able to pick themselves up for the crucial contest and managed to put it past a spirited Sri Lankan team in the finals. Despite losing to Sri Lanka in four out of six matches before the third final, Australia produced an impressive bowling performance to defend a modest target of 232. Sri Lanka, who had also reached the finals in 2005-06, were a far improved team this time around. They twice beat Australia comprehensively, and were unlucky to lose three games by narrow margins and tie another against India earlier in the tournament.Their batsmen were by far the best among the three teams. India, on the other hand, were highly inconsistent and their run of big losses against Australia left them with too much to do in the end to qualify for the final.Throughout the tournament, Sri Lanka proved to be the best batting team and their top order was the most consistent. Even on the occasions when the top order failed to perform, the middle-order batsmen were up for the challenge. In the first final, faced with a massive target of 322, Sri Lanka collapsed to 144 for 6 before staging a remarkable recovery to reach 306. On the other hand, India’s batting was very ordinary throughout the series except for their final game when they completed an extraordinary chase of 321 in just 36.4 overs. Their batting display against Australia, however, was well below par and they ended up conceding a bonus point on three occasions in four matches against them. The average difference (difference between batting and bowling averages) and run-rate difference (difference between run-rate and economy rate) are clear indicators of the gulf between the finalists and India. While Australia have an average difference of 4.05 an run-rate difference of 0.13, the corresponding figures for Sri Lanka are 3.56 and 0.06. India, however, are way behind Australia and Sri Lanka, with corresponding values of -10.93 and -0.24 respectively.

In the end, Australia ended with a 6-5 win-loss record in the tournament after the triumph in the third final. Sri Lanka though, were marginally behind, finishing with an even win-loss record (5-5) with one tied game. However, Sri Lanka were the better team in clashes against Australia, winning three of the four group matches and one more in the finals. They had an average difference of 6.06 and run-rate difference of 0.44 in the group stages against Australia. India, who finished with a 2-1 record against Sri Lanka, had an inferior batting average (36.75 to 39.92) but a positive run-rate difference of 0.37 by virtue of the superb chase in their final group game. The Australia-India contests were, however, extremely one-sided. Following their dominance of India in the Test series when they won 4-0, Australia extended their hold in the tri-series by winning three of the four matches while gaining a bonus point on each occasion. The extent of Australia’s domination is reflected in the high value of the average difference (16.74) and run-rate difference (0.97). In the best-of-three finals, Australia and Sri Lanka were closely matched across the three games with Australia finishing with the higher batting average and Sri Lanka ending with a slightly higher run-rate.

The biggest reason for Sri Lanka’s success in the tri-series was the excellent form of their top-order batsmen. Tillakaratne Dilshan, the highest run-getter in the series with 513, was consistent throughout and scored centuries against India and Australia. Both Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka’s most experienced batsmen, were also in great touch and ended with more than 400 runs. With the exception of David Warner, who became the first batsman to score two centuries in the finals, Australia’s top-order batsmen were surprisingly inconsistent in home conditions. And in a tournament where India’s batting hardly had an impact, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir stood out. All three teams were evenly matched when it came to the performance of the middle-order (Nos.4-7) batsmen. David Hussey, in particular, was outstanding throughout and scored five half-centuries. Sri Lanka were slightly ahead of the fray in the lower-order batting stats with timely contributions from Nuwan Kulasekara and Lahiru Thirimanne.

A comparison of the teams’ performances across the Powerplay overs reveals some interesting numbers. In the mandatory Powerplay (overs 1-10), Sri Lanka and India were ahead of the hosts, losing fewer wickets and scoring at a higher rate. In the bowling Powerplay, however, Australia scored at a higher run-rate but averaged lesser than Sri Lanka. In the same period, India had a slightly higher scoring rate than Sri Lanka, but averaged less than 30. All three teams finished with fairly even run-rates in the batting Powerplay. The hosts, however, were far ahead on the average front finishing with an average of 80.00 while India and Sri Lanka ended with averages of 32.42 and 27.00 respectively.

Given the success of the top-order batsmen, Sri Lanka’s dominance of the partnership stats is not surprising. They averaged nearly fifty for the top three partnerships and were involved in three century stands including the highest of the tournament (200 between Dilshan and Sangakkara against India). In contrast, both Australia and India struggled to stitch solid partnerships for the first two wickets but almost finished on par with Sri Lanka for the third wicket. Australia had the most consistent middle order and their partnership averages for wickets 4-6 were the best among the three teams. They also finished with 11 fifty-plus stands, the highest among the three teams (Sri Lanka and India had four each).

In the first few matches of the tournament, there were very few high scores and the bowlers had a significant impact. However, in the latter stages of the tournament, the batsmen dominated the proceedings and there were four 300-plus scores in the last five matches. Even the experienced Lasith Malinga and Brett Lee proved expensive in most matches with Malinga conceding over nine runs per over on two occasions. Malinga ended the series with an economy rate of 6.21, his highest for a series of four or more matches. Clint Mckay, who was man of the match in the third final for his 5 for 28, was by far the best pace bowler in the tournament finishing with 15 wickets at an average of 19.40 and economy rate of 4.60. Overall, Australian pace bowlers finished with the most wickets and had the best stats among the fast bowlers from the three teams. The spinners were quite effective in curbing the run-rate but were hardly among the wickets. Not only did the pace bowlers disappoint for India, the spinners were also below par and finished with 17 wickets at an economy rate of 5.31 and a high average of 44.65.

In the first ten-over period of the innings, India’s pace bowlers were the most economical (economy rate of 4.27) while the pace bowlers from the other two teams finished with corresponding numbers greater than five. In the middle overs (11-40), the Australian pace bowlers finished with the best average (29.17) and economy rate (5.01) while the Indian fast bowlers had the worst numbers (average of 45.18 and economy rate of 5.58). David Hussey and Xavier Doherty bowled consistent lines in the middle overs and ensured that Australia’s spin-bowling stats in the period were highly competitive. In the final ten-over phase (overs 41-50), the Australian and Sri Lankan fast bowlers finished with much better averages and economy rates than their Indian counterparts. In the end overs, the Indian spinners outperformed the Australian spinners, but finished with a higher average and economy rate than the Sri Lankan spinners.

In a cramped calendar, the Asia Cup has little context. However, the unbridled enthusiasm of Dhaka’s fans and marketers could give the tournament the publicity it desperately needs

Siddarth Ravindran in Mirpur10-Mar-2012The Asia Cup has rarely been a high-profile event. Soon after leading India to the inaugural Asia Cup title in 1984, Sunil Gavaskar wrote precisely two sentences about the tournament in his book , an account of the 1983-84 season.Nine editions and 28 years later, the competition remains the passing afterthought it was for Gavaskar. Most casual fans will be hard-pressed to remember who the current Asian champions are. Three days before the start of this year’s contests, another legendary former opening batsman, Geoffrey Boycott, has questioned whether anybody cares about the Asia Cup.As tournaments seep into each other – Sri Lanka played four ODIs over the past week in Australia, get four days to zip to Dhaka in time for this event, three days after which their home series against England gets underway – context and interest get quickly drained. So much so that after India crashed out early of the CB Series, some commentators raised the week’s extra rest for the team as an upside.In this time of excess, no stadium has overdosed on ODIs like the Shere Bangla National Stadium, hosting 50 one-dayers in four years, more than twice any other venue. Judging from the voluminous crowds that have turned up for most of those matches, Dhaka may well be the city with the world’s biggest appetite for cricket.The Asia Cup is looking to cash in on that. Even as you head towards the arrival lounge in the city’s airport a large hoarding informs you of details about the tournament. Drive around the city and you spot numerous billboards urging you to enter a contest to get free tickets to watch “four nations fighting for glory.”The unbridled enthusiasm of the city’s fans and marketers is even more astonishing given the state of the national team. Their captain recently launched a stinging attack on the BCB’s pet new project – the Bangladesh Premier League – their best batsman was controversially left out of the squad and only returned after the national selector stepped down, their most experienced player remains on the fringes after a decade of infuriating inconsistency, and their best fast bowler is among the most injury-prone in international cricket and is now returning to the team after nearly a year. And after the hopes raised by some of their performances in 2010, the past year has been a huge letdown.Dhaka may well be the city with the world’s biggest appetite for cricket•BPL T20India, on the other hand, conquered the world title in 2011 before swiftly sliding to mediocrity. As one of their legends announced his retirement, the future of another, at least in the limited-overs game, remains a source of heated debate. The search for possibly the most written-about milestone in cricket history continues next week in Mirpur, though the wait has extended for so long that even the customary “Tendulkar misses 100th hundred” headlines have now disappeared.With Virender Sehwag rested, the batting rotation policy – a source of much heartburn over the past month – won’t be the center of attention, though the identity of their best bowling line-up will. Less than a year after being crowned world champions, only two peripheral bowlers of the World Cup-winning side are in the current squad.The other World Cup finalists, Sri Lanka, are showing signs of a revival after a horrendous run in the second half of 2011. Tillakaratne Dilshan has revived his scoring touch after stepping down as leader, Mahela Jayawardene’s enterprising leadership has won him plenty of accolades over the past month, and their next generation of batsmen is starting to flourish, complementing the heavyweights at the top of the order. Their off-field troubles remain and their spirited show in the CB Series was in conditions completely different to what they will face in Bangladesh, but they will come into the tournament as the most confident side.The subcontinental team which has had the most successful time in the past 10 months is Pakistan. A year in which the limited-overs captain has a falling out with the head coach is not every team’s idea of a stable year, but 2011 will count as a steady and fruitful year for Pakistan, given the many dramas their cricket have been involved in the years before.The Pakistan head coach job is one of the most challenging and complicated ones in cricket, particularly for a foreigner, and Dav Whatmore will get his first hands-on experience of the difficulty involved during the Asia Cup. The many years of experience in the subcontinent will hold Whatmore in good stead, but the pressure to deliver results will be even greater than usual as he is stepping in after Mohsin Khan’s short and productive spell as interim coach.His biggest test in the league phase will be the match against India. India and Pakistan rarely compete against each other these days, making next Sunday’s encounter a rarity in the overloaded calendar – an eagerly anticipated ODI.Edited by Kanishkaa Balachandran

Missile-firing in Delhi! Head for cover

Nikhil Jha20-Apr-2012Choice of game
For me, more often than not, watching a match live is dictated by ticket availability rather than a keen interest to watch an exciting contest. That said, every match scheduled in my 100km vicinity is an invitation to visit the stadium. I decided to kickstart my IPL-watching season with a relative low-key affair between Delhi Daredevils and Deccan Chargers. An afternoon match on a weekday eased any ticketing issues that could have cropped up.It was a match between a team that had lost just one game and another that had not won a single one. There wasn’t much to predict – Daredevils were the favorites.Team supported
My team loyalty in the IPL is a highly complicated and confusing mess of conflicting allegiances. I have stayed in Gurgaon (which qualifies as Delhi, for outsiders) for five years so one part automatically supports Daredevils. I studied in Mumbai for four years, and those excellent four years present a case to support Mumbai Indians. My hometown is Jamshedpur, and two lads from there – Varun Aaron and Saurabh Tiwary – attract me to their respective teams. But, being from Jharkhand, the biggest influence is Indian captain MS Dhoni, who is the reason I have supported Chennai Super Kings in the past few IPL seasons.Realistically, I think Rajasthan Royals and Daredevils have excellent batting line-ups that have been firing this season. I would like Rahul Dravid to lift the trophy this year as one for the good old times.Key performer
Just two letters – KP. He walked in with Daredevils in a spot of bother, having lost three wickets under 30 runs. His style of play hardly reflected the situation as he displayed supreme confidence in walking out to the fast bowlers and treating the spinners with disdain.Once the dust settled on the carnage, KP had raced away to a century, having scored more than 60% of the runs in the chase. Bruce Willis and other muscle men of his ilk would have been proud of this one-man demolition job.One thing you’d have changed about the day
This game had the makings of a close finish before KP stepped up. I wish Chargers had a few more runs on the board, which would have meant an exciting last-over dash.Face-off I relished
I was really excited about watching Dale Steyn in action, and looked forward to his face-off with Pietersen. I wasn’t disappointed; KP faced quite a few Steyn deliveries, and did not treat them with the disdain he reserved for other bowlers. He quietly played out Steyn’s quota while launching into the others.Wow moment
Parthiv Patel was looking good in the middle and needed to stay there to boost the total. He hit a shot that seemed like it would easily clear the fence, only for Mahela Jayawardene take a well-judged catch right at the boundary’s edge. Made it all look so easy!Shot of the day
On a day when India was testing nuclear missiles in one part of the country, KP was testing his own versions, making the crowd scatter quite a few times with his scorchers. One that stood out was in the 14th over, against Amit Mishra. He launched it straight and high, and it hit the highest part of the third tier of the stadium, still in ascent! Any longer and it would have qualified as an IRBM (Intermediate-range ballistic missile).Crowd meter
Considering it was a weekday and an afternoon start, the stadium was a respectable 70% full. There was no doubt to which team they were all supporting, with Daredevils flags, jerseys, face paints visible throughout the stands. The biggest cheer was reserved for the home boy and captain Virender Sehwag, with chants of “Viru, Viru” ringing across the stadium.Those chants soon modified to “KP, KP” as the man went berserk in one JP Duminy over, hitting three sixes in a row. From there, the crowd egged him on to reach his century and exploded when he did with a six, the final hit of the game.One thing I cannot quite comprehend is people using their mobile phones to take videos of the match; I mean do they expect to sell the rights to TV channels? I am pretty sure the 18-19 cameras present on ground do a marginally better job.Hardship factor
The traffic and parking were a nightmare. Once we got out, we were stuck at the same place for a good 30 minutes before being able to move an inch. All of it was understandable though.Entertainment
I know I cannot expect Grateful Dead to be played over the PA, but the same old mix of Bollywood and “party” numbers is a bit irksome. Someone should seriously work on the playlists before the match.Twenty20 v ODI
Twenty20s have made ODIs seem a bit boring. ODIs are now stuck in purgatory between Tests and T20s. For the sake of entertainment, I prefer T20s to ODIs.Star-spotting
Nargis Fakhri, of Rockstar fame (or infamy, depending on the way you look at it) could be seen smiling on the big screen, so we presume she must have been somewhere in the stadium. Thankfully, there was no Akshay Kumar, a constant feature in Daredevils’ matches during the past seasons.TV v stadium
Considering I have an unfulfilled dream of watching a match in every cricket stadium, I prefer a visit to the stadium to sitting on the couch, any day.Overall
The weather was pleasant in the evening. The harsh summers have not crept in yet. The match was interesting to a certain extent and the KP innings was one of the best you will see. An enjoyable experience overall.Marks on 10
9. One point deducted for Sehwag not firing in front of his eager home crowd.

Tributes to the Surrey batsman Tom Maynard, who has died aged 23

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2012″It’s an absolute tragedy. I’ve known Tom since he was a little boy and our hearts go out to Sue and Matthew, his parents, and all his friends and family. Tom was an incredibly talented cricketer but he was an incredibly likeable young man as well, who had the world at his feet, and it’s just a tragedy. In many respects he played just like his old man did. I remember playing with Matthew, who was such a talented cricketer himself … Matthew played for England and Tom was very much on that pathway, he played for the Lions this winter, he impressed all the coaches, they liked him as a person, they liked what they saw as a player – and to have his life cut short in this way is a tragedy.”
“The lovely kid who was always in our Glamorgan dressing room grew into a man who would have played for England. How can he be gone so soon?”
“Our thoughts at this awful time are with Tom’s family and friends and all those that were close to him. The impact Tom made in such a short period of time for Surrey CCC spoke for itself. There is a profound sense of loss at the passing of Tom. To lose anybody at such a young age is an utterly senseless tragedy.”
“Tom was a player of enormous potential who had already represented England Lions and had an exciting future ahead of him. Our hearts go out to the Maynard family for their tragic loss and we send them and all Tom’s many friends and colleagues within the game our deepest sympathies.”
“Thoughts are with Matt Maynard and his family. Words can’t describe the Terribly sad news that Tom Maynard has died aged 23… #RIPTOM”
“We’ve sadly lost a lovely lad who had the talent to be something very special. My thoughts go out to the Maynard Family. RIP Tom”
“The cricket family is so small. You always tend to know everyone quite well. I know his Dad quite well, his dad was coach of the year in South Africa this year and our thoughts just go out to the family. it is always a tragedy to lose such a talented player. He was certainly flamboyant. He had a lot of potential and had a lot o talent and who knows who he would have ended up. Thoughts with the family and hope they get to the bottom of it.”
“Terrible news, Tom a fantastic athlete, great person who had so much to look forward too, I’m devastated for all that knew him #RIPTomMaynard”
“I was shocked to receive the tragic news of the accidental death of Tom, Matthew and Sue’s son. At the recent CSA awards dinner, Matthew and I were discussing Tom coming out to South Africa this year and possibly playing some cricket in Pretoria. Although I never met Tom, I heard that he was a very talented young cricketer especially in the shorter format of the game. On behalf of Northerns cricket union I wish to express our deepest condolences to the Maynard family and I can assure them that our thoughts and prayers are with them.”
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board and BPL Governing Council express deep bereavement at the tragic death of Surrey and England Lions batsman Tom Maynard … The BCB and BPL GC extend heartfelt condolences to the family of this exciting young batsman whose undoubted talent had made him a prized recruit at the BPL T20 tournament.”
“RIP Tom Maynard. Such a sad loss to everyone that knew him and thoughts are with his family. Absolutely gutted. Will be missed xx”

Ian Bell’s return to England’s ODI side was not championed throughout the land but he is now liberated of his troubles over the winter and in some form to take on South Africa.

David Hopps at Chester-le-Street07-Jul-2012There is something about Ian Bell that means even at the height of his game he will never quite make the earth shake. Bowlers will never feel bullied and spectators will rarely gasp in admiration. Sometimes it has to be admitted that readers might not even bother to read. It is his lot in life and he must put up with it. It cannot be denied, though, he is in the finest of form.He made 69 before chopping on against Clint McKay, extending a run against Australia in the NatWest Series that had previously brought him 53, 41 and 75. His prowess was again apparent, but it is prowess largely without presence, the sort of classical approach that soothes the mind without ever quite quickening the pulse.Well, grant him this: presence or no presence, the manner in which Bell has reclaimed his England one-day place is extraordinary, his graceful talent paraded time and again. England were preparing for life without him in one-day cricket and whatever people might claim in hindsight there were no protests at the gates. Nobody was especially passionate in arguing his case, neither in the media or the public at large. Somebody in Kings Norton might have shrugged a little in disappointment but revolution there was not.Bell, though, retained his hunger. Beneath the forever boyish countenance, desire remains entrenched. Since Kevin Pietersen ditched one-day cricket for England three weeks ago and Bell took his chance to return with a century against West Indies at the Rose Bowl, he has scored 364 runs at 72.80 with one hundred and three fifties. He has become a final component of an England side who have extended their winning run in ODIs to nine. One Australian was heard talking about them as favourites for the World Cup in 2014/15, quite a shock for a country that has never won it.

Bell might never be the tough guy in the tattoo parlour, but at least now he can claim he is so menacing that Australian bowlers are breaking down the moment they set eyes on him.

“He is class, isn’t he?” Alastair Cook, England’s captain, said about Bell. “He is hard to bowl at because he can score 360 degrees. We are getting off to good starts which makes it easier. Kevin Pietersen is a world-class player but we have had to move on and people have had to step up to different roles.”Bell is not unappreciated in our dressing room. The way he has played in the last two years is outstanding. He has worked so hard at his game, he is always first in the nets, and he is getting just rewards for it.”In that comeback innings against West Indies, Bell began with an effortless straight six, but played the shot in such considered fashion that he made the exceptional look routine. Perhaps deep inside himself he wanted it to be seen as a powerful, chest-out statement that he was back, but to the onlooker it did not quite feel like that.Many of Bell’s most dominant shots are understated, so perfectly constructed that they are almost taken for granted. They demand deeper contemplation. As Krusty The Clown once bemoaned in The Simpsons about something entirely different: “Aw crap, I said the soft part loud and the loud part soft”. So it is with Bell in full flow: he flows so effortlessly that the loud shots land softly.The observation on this website after that Rose Bowl innings that Bell’s knock lacked the theatrical appeal of a Pietersen hundred brought howls of protest, much of it not fit to print. The howls, though, came entirely from Pietersen admirers, who felt without justification that their man had been slighted. Hardly anybody ever writes in Bell’s defence. Perhaps they do not view things so emotionally and are out dog walking or spraying the roses.Bell might never be the tough guy in the tattoo parlour, but at least after this innings he can claim he is so menacing that Australian bowlers are breaking down the moment they set eyes on him. Shane Watson and Brett Lee both pulled up with calf injuries and left the field, managing less than four overs between them. They might not play again this series.Up on the hillside stood Lumley Castle where it was reported on a previous Ashes tour that Watson was afraid of ghosts. These days, Australia stay in Newcastle, but Bell may still walk before him at dead of night, his head clasped in the crook of his arm, haunting him for the rest of the series.There were some fine shots for this Chester-le-Street crowd to savour: some fulsome drives through extra cover and serene clips off his legs. He chopped James Pattinson past David Hussey’s fingertips on 21, but that was his only uncertain moment. It was another systematic innings in his orderly universe. His poise was a million miles away from his traumatic time against Saeed Ajmal in the UAE in the winter. He looks liberated, classical, ready to pit himself against South Africa in the contest to be the No. 1 Test side in the world. England can be grateful for that.

Kemar Roach has been the stand-out quick bowler in Port-of-Spain and he was full of pride on a significant day

Daniel Brettig in Port-of-Spain18-Apr-2012Within the space of eight months in 1988 and 1989, Malcolm Marshall turned in two of the most outstanding displays of fast bowling ever delivered on spinner’s pitches: 7 for 22 from 15.4 overs against England at Old Trafford, and 5 for 29 from 31 overs against Australia at the SCG. In each match, a spinner took the new ball for the opposition, and in Sydney Marshall had to overcome the scepticism of his captain Viv Richards, who gave him only seven of the first 94 overs.In Port-of-Spain in 2012, Kemar Roach has done his best to emulate Marshall, harrying Australia’s second innings in the second Test at Queen’s Park Oval. Roach has an awful long way to go before he gets anywhere near Marshall’s level of mastery, but he has studied his forebear’s ways, and could not hide his sense of warmth at performing well on a slow, spinning surface on what would have been Marshall’s 54th birthday.”I’ve watched a lot of clips of him and he was just such a great great, great bowler, he was the best bowler in the world at the time [he was playing],” Roach said of Marshall after rain curtailed the fourth day of the second Test. “I’m just glad, I can’t really explain it, it’s a good feeling to know that I got some wickets on his birthday today and it makes me feel warm as a West Indian to know I can go out here and perform for the West Indies like he did.”Like Roach, Marshall was not a tall man, but used his lower release point to advantage by skidding the ball down towards the batsmen while moving it both ways. Roach made a fair attempt at imitating these methods against the Australians, swerving the ball a little each way in the air, while also using his fingers and the seam to cut it off the pitch.It was one such cutter that deceived Ed Cowan and found him lbw from around the wicket, while David Warner was confounded by a delivery that zipped away from him and touched the outside edge on the way to the slips cordon. The most spectacular moment of all, though, was reserved for Shane Watson, who left enough of a gap between bat and pad to allow a fast, seaming delivery to slide through low and send the off stump cartwheeling.”It was a good sight. I really enjoyed that one obviously. Shane Watson’s also a great batsman as well, I rate him a lot and to get him, on that wicket, is a good achievement,” Roach said. “The lower the wicket is you obviously want to challenge the stumps a bit more. Keep your pace up and be as accurate as possible. That’s what got my wickets today and I’m proud of myself for that.”Roach’s career has had some peaks and troughs already in its brief journey, and he reflected on the fact that in 2011 he had found himself out of the West Indies Test XI while his senior fast bowling partner Fidel Edwards enjoyed a stronger year. However Roach has a certain knack of bowling well against Australia, having made his name down under in 2009. He is building his reputation again in 2012, and now has 13 wickets at 19.15 for the series, by a distance the most on either side.”I don’t think I’m doing anything better [than Edwards],” Roach said. “I still think Fidel’s a great bowler, he’s just a bit unlucky this game, and I know that if he plays the next Test match he will obviously perform. I know he’s a guy who likes to be in the middle of everything. He’s okay right now.”Roach’s success against Cowan and Warner has challenged the capabilities of Australia’s nascent opening combination, and he said he had schemed effectively with the coach Ottis Gibson to Test Warner in particular outside off stump.”I will say that’s one of our plans, to challenge the batsmen’s techniques, and obviously bowl according to how the wicket is playing,” Roach said. “There was always a plan to get him out early playing forward, and that has happened in every game.”[Gibson] really is a good bowling coach, I enjoy working with him a lot. I’ve been working hard with him and I want to thank him for the success I’ve been getting so far and I’m going to keep working with him in the rest of my career hopefully.”With a third wicket for the innings, Roach took his match tally to eight, and he is now within two of not only honouring the departed Marshall but becoming the first West Indies bowler to claim 10 for the match against Australia since Curtly Ambrose did it in the Adelaide Test match won by a solitary run in 1993. At 23, Roach is still learning his trade, but Marshall would have approved of how he went about his work this day.

The ICC has changed the bottled water provider at the World Twenty20 after teams complained of stomach illnesses, but in drought-stricken villages nearby any water will do

David Hopps in Colombo25-Sep-2012As headlines go, you have to admit it had a certain resonance: ‘ICC denies poisoning cricketers.’ That is good to know. Cricket’s governing body has been accused of many shortcomings in its time but, as far as anybody knows, they have always stopped short of attempted murder.Nobody has any proof that there was the slightest thing wrong with the bottled water supplied for World Twenty20. But to address the concerns of one team – believed to be Australia – the brand of water has been changed for players, media, hospitality and event staff for the rest of the tournament.Australia remain for the Super Eights stage in Colombo, where they will doubtless be following instructions in their five-star hotel to avoid the salad, allow no ice to enter their drinks and not to eat buffet food that has been languishing under heaters for any longer than 9.8 seconds. The new brand of bottled water, called simply American, a brand that for some has a reassuring Western ring to it, should at least persuade Australia’s players to stop bringing their own preferred bottles of water to matches. Both brands are sourced in Sri Lanka and follow Sri Lankan health guidelines.Near Pallekele, the other venue for Super Eights, there is a real water crisis, not one that only exists only in the privileged world of the highly-cosseted international cricketer. A cricketer with a stomach ailment might just drop the catch that surrenders the tournament, and to that extent the health obsession of any ambitious player or team is understandable, but on the edge of the Knuckles mountain range, the safeguarding of a fresh water supply has become a matter of urgency.The Victoria Reservoir, a short distance from Pallekele, normally provides a stunning backdrop to one of the most beautiful golf courses in Asia. Hook your drive at the moment and it will land in the world’s biggest bunker. The reservoir, for the first time since it was completed, is bone dry. The May-June rains failed and the October monsoon cannot arrive soon enough. The people around here are deeply concerned.Sebastian Bernard, 57, now a cook at Rangala House, an appealing old-colonial style property further up the valley, used to turn out Sri Lankan curries, ‘not too spicy’, for the Western engineers who worked on the project in the early 1980s. “They said it would never run dry,” he said. “I have never seen it as dry as this. We need the rain.”In Rangala, an hour into the Knuckles from Pallekele, there has been no rain for four months. The land is parched, although the vegetation somehow retains the dark green that is so typically Sri Lankan. Livestock and wild animals will be in danger of dying if the rains do not come soon.This week the villagers assembled on the playing fields between 9pm and 3am, 700 of them dressed in white, praying to Buddhist Gods, and singing incantations, accompanied by the sound of drumming.The spring at Rangala House has run dry and about 500 metres up the road three people hammer away with picks and shovels to deepen a well by a further six feet. They still have drinking water, but nobody dare take it for granted. They are grateful to have a generator because power cuts are averaging three hours a night and when that happens the villagers are relying on kerosene lamps.At least in Pallekele, on match night, as the floodlights illuminate World Twenty20, the villagers can be confident that there will be no power cuts.

Non-Asian players have had upset stomachs on the subcontinent since cricket began. The stories are endless. It can work the other way, too. The Sri Lankans once famously fell ill in England after eating fish and chips in Grimsby.

They adore cricket in Sri Lanka, and are proud to stage World Twenty20, but give the people a choice between a Super Eights stage uninterrupted by the weather and the sort of prolonged dousing that will secure their future and protect their livelihoods, and for many it is an uncomfortable pick. They need water, any water; it does not need to carry an approved label.Amila Prageeth, the manager, admitted: “If it is between cricket for the next week or rain, I love cricket but I want the rain.”Sebastian disagreed, with the contented air of a more elderly man who has seen the rain fall for a lifetime, and trusts that the October rains will be along soon enough.”I want the cricket,” he smiled.”In that case, you can live not on water, only on cricket,” Amila said.Back in the land of World Twenty20, three New Zealanders, Daniel Vettori, Tim Southee and Rob Nicol, have been affected, as have Australia’s Mitchell Starc and Brad Hogg. Five South Africa players were weakened by gastro complaints but recovered to play in the win over Zimbabwe last Thursday. Half-a-dozen Ireland players also missed practice.The list is a strikingly long one, but non-Asian players have had upset stomachs on the subcontinent since cricket began and nobody has ever thought to blame the bottled water. The stories of illness are endless. It can work the other way, too. The Sri Lankans once famously fell ill in England after eating fish and chips in Grimsby.Among the 300 media personnel, by contrast, there have been no official complaints about official ICC water. An occasional stomach upset is shrugged off as a temporary inconvenience. Anyway not too many of the media can still remember what it was like to be in the peak of physical health.LAUGFS Aqua System said it had asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) for samples of suspect bottles of water, but have just been told that its product is off the table.”We have done our own tests and confirmed that there is nothing wrong with our water,” LAUGFS general manager Chaminda Wijesinghe told . “We asked the ICC to give us water samples but we have got no response yet. We don’t know what caused the problem but I can tell you it is not our water. I am drinking it all the time.”The ICC statement was carefully worded: “Although there is no evidence to suggest that water was the cause of any illness, all products supplied for use in the tournament have been replaced,” it said.I read it out to Amila. “Tell them to bring the bottles here,” he said.

With victory at Lord’s, South Africa became the No. 1 Test team in the world. ESPNcricinfo looks back at the years that led to them reaching that goal

Firdose Moonda22-Aug-2012It took Gary Kirsten only a year to take South Africa to No.1 in the world, a time period that speaks to the strength of his unorthodox coaching methods and the swiftness with which he has brought change in the dressing room. It is also serves as an indication that maybe all this group of nearly men needed was someone to point show them which way to go to cross the finish line.Since the rankings started, South Africa have occupied the No.2 spot more than any other team. They were there when the system as first introduced in 2003 and although they had a fluctuating start have always gravitated back there. Since 2008, they have been in that position for 45 out of a possible 56 months, part of the reason their status as cricket’s bridesmaids stuck. They have always been widely acknowledged as having players who could achieve more but lacked the x-factor until now.Here is how they got to the top:2003
A new era of South African cricket was born. It emerged out of the ashes of the Hansie Cronje saga and its aftermath, which included crashing out of the World Cup at home. The administrators opted for total change and appointed 22-year-old rookie Graeme Smith as captain. Kirsten, who would later coach the side, was also part of the squad. Key players at the time included Herschelle Gibbs at the top of the order and Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini as the premier seamers. Nicky Boje was the lone spinner and the middle order was a barely recognisable with Boeta Dippenaar and Neil McKenzie. Smith’s tenure started with a whitewash of Bangladesh away, the drawn Test series against England, during which he scored the double hundred at Lord’s and Ntini took 10 wickets, and a loss to Pakistan away. South Africa lost the series in Lahore, after Shoaib Malik and Danish Kaneria had ensured they were bowled out cheaply twice.2004
A difficult travelling year for the team. After sweeping aside a declining West Indies 3-0 at home, they struggled on three away trips. They drew to New Zealand after coming back from a heavy defeat in Auckland to win in Wellington. The next two were series defeats which illustrated South Africa’s main worry at the time – a continued battle to get a grip of subcontinental conditions. Their loss in Galle was caused by both spin – Sanath Jayasuriya took five wickets in the first innings and seam – Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga shared nine between them in the second. It cost them the series. Batting also let them down in India where Harbhajan Singh’s seven-for in Kolkata secured the series for India. Hashim Amla debuted in that series as did Thami Tsolekile who was tasked with keeping after Mark Boucher was dropped to try and trim his ego. The year ended with a loss and a draw to England in the home series.2005
A continuation of the problems against England mounted. A young AB de Villiers made his international debut in the series and opened for a period of time. Dale Steyn also made his first appearance for South Africa. Even victory in Cape Town and the return of Boucher could not keep South Africa afloat. They lost again in Johannesburg, against inspired Matthew Hoggard, and conceded the series 2-1. The rest of the year was easier, with Zimbabwe presenting little challenge and a fairly straightforward trip to West Indies. South Africa drew two matches and won two, with Ntini taking 13 wickets in Trinidad. Ray Jennings period as interim coach ended after his sixth month contract came to an end. Team changes were taking place: Andre Nel and his alter ego Gunter began to play alongside Ntini and Ashwell Prince was included in the middle order. Mickey Arthur was appointed ahead of the trip to Australia, which started with a draw in Perth.Jacques Kallis continued to the mainstay of South Africa’s batting but the team kept hitting problems•AFP 2006
Arthur’s tenure started in the worst possible way. Two series defeats to Australia in year that began with five losses in succession. South Africa were blanked 3-0 at home in a series where not even their best players could hold their own. They salvaged some pride when they beat New Zealand 2-0 in a three Test series played on the brink of winter but then set sail for a difficult trip to Sri Lanka. South Africa lost 2-0 with both matches played in Colombo. The first was remembered for the 624-run partnership Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara put on, something Steyn was reminded of recently and joked, “I’ve moved on from that in my life.” Muttiah Muralitharan had South Africa in a spin in the second match, in which he claimed 12 wickets. It would be the last series away from home that South Africa lost as things began to change. 2007
After being stunned by India in Johannesburg, when they were bowled out for 84 in late 2006, South Africa came back to win the series 2-1. Paul Harris, the left-arm spinner, made his debut in Cape Town, from where he became a permanent fixture in the national side. Pakistan visited next and escaped with one win but were also eventually defeated. The major turning point came when South Africa travelled for the return leg. Jacques Kallis scored twin centuries in the match in Karachi to win it for South Africa. They returned 1-0 series winners. A crushing defeat of New Zealand later in the year, in which Dale Steyn took 20 wickets in the series and broke Craig Cumming’s cheekbone. It was his major breakthrough. The year ended with a shock defeat to West Indies in the Boxing Day Test.2008
South Africa rallied to win the New Year’s Test in Cape Town and the following one in Durban and take the series against West Indies 2-1. The middle order of Prince and de Villiers solidified and Steyn continued to shine. Another sweeping of Bangladesh helped build up to a series in India, from where South Africa walked away with a 1-1 draw. Amla’s century in the first Test in Chennai was overshadowed by Virender Sehwag’s triple but de Villiers gave South Africa the lead with his double hundred in Ahmedabad. South Africa’s seam attack of Steyn, Morne Morkel and Ntini dismantled India for 76 runs in the first innings. Harbhajan had the better of South Africa in the third game but Smith credits the series result as what set South Africa up for big things later in England.A first series win in England since readmission came after a hard-fought draw at Lord’s, a win at Headingley after centuries from Prince and de Villiers and another win at Edgbaston, through a Smith century. South Africa had ticked off a major box on their list. By the time the Boxing Day Test at the MCG at happened, South Africa had slayed another giant. Wins in Perth, through Smith and de Villiers hundreds, chasing a record 414, and Melbourne, after JP Duminy scored a scintillating hundred having made his debut the game before, gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.South Africa had a brief taste of No. 1 in 2009 but it only lasted a few months•PA Photos2009
Not much Test cricket was played in this year but it started with a crash down to earth. Smith batted heroically at the SCG with a broken hand but could not save the match. South Africa were made to sober up after Australia defeated them 2-1 but de Villiers scored a hundred at Newland to save South Africa from total embarrassment. McKenzie, who had helped secure the win in England, paid the price for the losses and was left out mid-series. Nine months passed between that and South Africa’s next Test assignment, against England at home. That series is one still remembered as one South Africa should have won. England got away with two draws at Centurion and Cape Town when they were nine wickets down. Ntini celebrated his 100th Test at Centurion but was dropped soon after with his age and lack of pace costing him. South Africa’s defeat in Durban was the start of a run in which they lost their next two Boxing Day Tests at Kingsmead. Occupied 2nd place until August when they summited to No.1 for four months. By December, South Africa were back down to 2nd2010
South Africa’s first real chance of earning No.1 by themselves, and not relying on other results to get there, came when they toured India. At Nagpur, Amla scored 253 and Steyn took 7 for 59 to inflict a crushing innings-and-59-run defeat on India. Alviro Petersen debuted in the next Test in Kolkata and scored a century but South Africa lost and left with another draw and without the accolade they had gone there for. During the football World Cup in South Africa, the team were in the West Indies and eased to a 2-0 win. It was a forgotten tour because of the activity happening at home. Later in the year, they played Pakistan in the UAE. Flat, dead pitches were tailor-made for draws. de Villiers scored 278 in the second match in Abu Dhabi to break the record for the highest individual score by a South African. India arrived mid-December and the chance to contest for No.1 presented itself again. On a green Centurion pitch, South Africa beat India comprehensively and the power shift was believed to have started but in Durban, Sreesanth culled them and India were safe.2011
Kallis played in two monumental innings at Newlands, scoring a century in both with a side strain so painful the team doctor said it was akin to knife stabbing in the side constantly. The series against the Kirsten-led India was drawn and South Africa got a taste of what it took to be No.1. Another big break followed, during which they crashed out of the World Cup at quarter-final stage, a defeat that went on to have significant effects on the team. It was a loss that changed Smith because he became public enemy No.1 in its wake. He returned more humble than before to captain South Africa against Australia after their longest winter in 14 years. For South Africa to become No.1, they would have to win all five of their home Tests, three against Sri Lanka.It started well for them. The first Test – Cape Town’s first in November since the early 1900s – was a freak affair. After Michael Clarke’s hundred, South Africa were bundled out for 96, before Australia were felled for a remarkable 47. Smith and Amla scored centuries in the chase. Two debutants were on show for South Africa, Vernon Philander and Imran Tahir, the Pakistani-born legspinner who had become eligible for the country at the beginning of the year. Australia came back to win a thriller at the Wanderers by two wickets and the chance to go top had passed. South Africa defeated Sri Lanka in Centurion on another seam friendly surface prepared with sub-continental batmen in mind but lost in Durban, again. Another debutant Marchant de Lange took 7 for 84 in the first innings of that match.For the second time in his career Graeme Smith led South Africa to top spot with victory against at Lord’s•Getty Images2012
South Africa claimed their first series win at home in four years, since beating Bangladesh in 2008, with victory over Sri Lanka in Cape Town. A new ruthless streak emerged. South Africa went to New Zealand in March with the chance of becoming No.1 again but they would need to win all three Tests in a place they had not visited for eight years. Dunedin was the first stop and wintry weather prevented South Africa from completing a win despite centuries from Kallis, Smith and Jacques Rudolph. They triumphed in Hamilton, thanks to another Philander showing and then ran into Kane Williamson and Kruger van Wyk in Wellington. A 1-0 win kept their unbeaten streak on the road though and laid the platform for what was to come a few months later in England.The Kirsten way came full circle. South Africa set off for a bonding trip in Switzerland with adventurer Mike Horn before the tour to learn how to be a community rather than just a team. That community was rocked on its first active day on tour when Boucher lost his left eye after being hit by a bail in Taunton. The bond grew ever stronger and South Africa went on to complete a 2-0 series win over England, which they dedicated to Boucher and the entire nation.It came with Amla passing 300 and becoming the first South African to do so, with Steyn proving why he is the world’s No.1 ranked fast bowler, with Philander climbing the rankings to No.2 and with Smith emerging and cricket’s leading current captain. He even remembered to mention the 34 miners killed at the Marikana mine back home as part of his victory speech. He called the team “the best group of men,” he had ever worked with and after they claimed the No.1 ranking, few would disagree.

After collecting his 300th Test wicket Dale Steyn was a content man but is more delighted with the team success than his own landmarks

Firdose Moonda05-Jan-2013Dale Steyn, South Africa’s latest admission to the 300-wicket club, acknowledged the speed of his success has been aided by the quality of bowlers around him. Alongside Makhaya Ntini at the start of his career and Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander in the last year, Steyn has been able to operate potently in small doses while his counterparts put in the hard yards.As South Africa’s firebrand frontman, Steyn had the tireless Ntini and hard-working Morkel and now the metronomic Philander do the bulk of the donkey work while he is saved to bowl when it matters. “I pick and choose the times when I need to force speed and force extended spells,” Steyn said.That much was evident as recently as the Newlands Test against New Zealand where Steyn was required to bowl an eight-over spell in the hour after lunch. Graeme Smith wanted to crack through the lower middle order after stubborn New Zealand resistance and he entrusted the responsibility to his senior man.Steyn moved through the gears, firing in a barrage of short balls to unnerve the already vulnerable New Zealanders. He operated at full throttle, steaming in, snorting and scary. Craig Cumming, the former New Zealander opener, said Steyn’s angry eyes get going when he was like that.When Steyn starts to behave irreverently, he bowls better. When he sulks, kicks the boundary rope, sits on the cooler box when he should be fielding and ignores the autograph hunters, he will deliver the ball faster and with more venom. But that side of him only comes out once a series, if that. It only comes when Smith decides South Africa need to pull the trigger.It sometimes leads to people questioning whether Steyn starts slowly or loses rhythm later on. According to him, it’s neither. It is just the difference when he cranks it up is so stark. “I always try to start like that especially as Graeme speaks about bowlers having to lead from the front,” he said. “I try and set the tone but it doesn’t always happen. When you know you can get two more days off in Cape Town, that’s when you try and do it.”It is also when he knows he will have time to recover from the extra exertion that Steyn is willing to extend himself. Having never picked up a serious bowling injury, Steyn is aware that his clean action and good run of luck has served him well and he wants to keep it that way. “I bowled after lunch for an hour-and-a-bit, and my legs are feeling it now. If I had to go back out there and bowl tomorrow, the chances of picking up an injury would be a lot higher.”It is identifying and managing situations like that that Steyn thinks has kept him fit and helped him get to 300 wickets as quickly as he has. His milestone was achieved in the same amount of time as Richard Hadlee and Malcolm Marshall making him joint third fastest in the world. Although Steyn is aware of and proud of the record it is not something he regards as overly important.”I play a lot of games for South Africa and bowl a lot of overs,” he said. “The way I see it, if you’re going to do that, and you stay fit, you will get wickets. For example, if I was a batter, like Hashim Amla, I would be scoring runs. But I was quite happy with the ball that got the 300th wicket.””I was stoked, it was awesome but I’ve got a lot more to offer in the game. I’ve got another Test match to play in Port Elizabeth a few days from now and I’ve got a few more years in cricket. I look forward to a couple more wickets. But 300 wickets is a lot of wickets so I can go to bed happy.”The number crunchers will predict that Steyn could become the quickest to another milestone – such as 400 or 500 wickets. But Steyn is not looking that far ahead and is just enjoying the now. “It’s awesome. A couple of years ago, I wanted to take wickets because of things like strike rates and leading the attack. But now, this attack is led by everyone. Morne Morkel is doing it; Vernon started playing as if he was doing it all the time. We’ve got such a great seam attack that we are able to play with the spinner. This team is an incredible team to be part of right now.”