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Bosch, de Klerk, Shangase and Dercksen are also first-timers for an ODI World Cup

Firdose Moonda03-Sep-2025Karabo Meso, the 17-year-old wicket-keeper batter, will go to her first World Cup after being included in South Africa’s squad for the ODI tournament in India and Sri Lanka which starts later this month.She has just two ODI caps to her name and has played seven senior internationals in all, but has featured in two Under-19 World Cups and won the SA20 Schools title with Steyn City earlier this year. Meso is one of two players who will play at a World Cup for the first time. Offspin-bowling allrounder Nondumiso Shangase, who was recalled to South Africa’s squad in May, is the other.Top-order batter Anneke Bosch and allrounders Nadine de Klerk and Annerie Dercksen will also feature in an ODI World Cup squad for the first time; they have previously been in T20 World Cup squads.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The rest of South Africa’s 15-player group is as expected, led by Laura Wolvaardt with significant experience in different departments. Allrounders Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus and Chloe Tryon and seamer Ayabonga Khaka all played important roles in South Africa reaching the last ODI World Cup semi-finals and will be present again.As reported last week, there was no room for former captain Dane van Niekerk, who was included in a training camp but her international comeback remains a while away.Others present in that camp but not making the squad are batters Lara Goodall and Faye Tunnicliffe, seamer Ayanda Hlubi, legspinner Seshnie Naidu and allrounders Eliz-Mari Marx and Luyanda Ntuza. Miane Smit, an allrounder who bowls offspin, has been included as the lone travelling reserve.”The make-up of the squad is underpinned by the consistent selection process that was adhered to during the recent ICC Women’s Championship cycle, while taking into account the subcontinent conditions and the different characteristics of the group required for a successful tournament of this nature,” Clinton du Preez, South Africa’s convenor of selectors, said.Under head coach Mandla Mashimbyi, SA have lost four ODIs in 10 outings•Cricket South Africa

This will be the first major tournament South Africa will play under head coach Mandla Mashimbyi, who succeeded Hilton Moreeng in a permanent capacity last year. In Mashimbyi’s tenure, South Africa have been inconsistent, with four wins in ten ODIs, including a series win over West Indies in June. Mashimbyi was occasionally without some senior players – such as Kapp for the tri-series in Sri Lanka – but will have one more opportunity to fine-tune his combinations before the tournament starts.South Africa tour Pakistan for three ODIs to be played between September 16 and 22 before moving on to India for their World Cup opener against England. Their recent tournament run has included two ODI World Cup semi-finals and back-to-back T20 World Cup finals, and there is expectation for them to take the next step and claim a cup. Mashimbyi is confident this group of players can deliver.”From the moment I joined this team, and even before my time when the squad went through the qualification phase, it was all about working towards this moment,” Mashimbyi said. “We can look back at the amount of preparation we have put in and know that we have done our best. We are ready to send a squad to the World Cup that will make South Africa proud.”We believe we have the squad of players that can go out there and deliver on the world stage. Now it is all about carrying that belief with us every step of the way, along with the support of the entire nation.”

South Africa squad for Women’s ODI World Cup

Laura Wolvaardt, Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Chloe Tryon

Travelling reserve: Miane Smit

Injury-prone left-arm seamer plays eight games in a Shield season for the first time in his career including five in a row to bag 39 wickets and lead WA’s title-winning attack

Tristan Lavalette25-Mar-2024With Western Australia just one wicket away from a hat-trick of Sheffield Shield titles after an electric passage of play late on day four, Joel Paris was in a reflective mood and turned to experienced teammates Sam Whiteman and Hilton Cartwright.”I reckon this means more than the other two [titles],” he told them.Moments later Paris sealed WA’s comprehensive victory over Tasmania with a blinder of a catch in the gully to trigger scenes of jubilation on-and-off the field at the WACA. “The boys reckon I put a little bit of mayo on it,” laughed Paris as he recalled to ESPNcricinfo his diving effort to his right.”I was just happy it stuck. We had to grind away, we haven’t had it all our way. We played unbelievably well in Victoria to get a home final and then we’ve probably played our best cricket this week.”This one probably sits right at the top for me. We haven’t had the quicks available this year that we normally have and we’ve just had to keep going. It’s very special.”Related

• Rocchiccioli fights off flu to elevate his case to be Lyon's heir

• Whiteman: We have to be one of the great WA teams

• Gannon and Rocchiccioli lead Western Australia's surge to Sheffield Shield hat-trick

Without frontliners Jhye Richardson, Lance Morris and Matthew Kelly for most of the season, WA had to rely on their fringe quicks. Cameron Gannon, who took eight wickets in the final, and Charlie Stobo stepped up at the backend of the season, but it was the reliable presence of left-armer Paris that held the attack together.Paris was unlucky to only take two wickets in the final as he again set the tone with menacing new ball bowling in both of Tasmania’s innings. He exploited the grassy surface superbly and consistently beat the bat with sharp seam movement.Paris finished the season with 39 wickets at a remarkable average of just 15.2. In 44 first-class matches since debuting in late 2015, he has taken 174 wickets at 20.05 and striking at 45.9.As can be gleaned from his relatively limited number of first-class appearances, Paris has endured a litany of injuries during his career forcing WA to be cautious with his workload.After a delayed start to the season due to a hamstring injury suffered playing for Australia A against New Zealand A in Brisbane, Paris’ durability impressed as he played five straight Shield matches – along with WA’s triumph in the Marsh Cup against New South Wales – culminating with the Shield final.”When you’re in a situation where you just have to keep going, I think your body senses that and just finds something,” Paris said. “I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to achieve this year. The amount of cricket I’ve been able to play…certainly haven’t been able to do it before.”We’ve probably been in a position in past seasons where I’ve been able to rest a little bit more than what I have this season. To get through was really special.”Paris, 31, played two ODIs against India in 2016, but his injuries and the depth of quicks in Australian cricket have kept him away from the international stage.Paris, however, remains on the radar of the Australian hierarchy. Along with playing for Australia A last year, Paris was in the frame for selection on the last Ashes tour.”That desire to play for Australia is always there. For me that will never go away until I put up the boots,” he said. “If an opportunity comes up, I’ll absolutely take it.”Paris is unsure of his offseason plans, with a stint in the UK a possibility but dependent on his body. Right now, however, he is eyeing a well-deserved breather.”I’ll be putting the feet up for a little bit,” he said. “I’m going to enjoy this one [title] as much as possible.”

Former Australia allrounder has enjoyed success with Brisbane Heat and Queensland Fire

Matt Roller11-Nov-2022Ashley Noffke, the former Australia allrounder, is a contender for the vacancy as England women’s head coach, ESPNcricinfo understands.Noffke, who played one ODI and two T20Is for Australia in 2007-8, has enjoyed recent success as head coach of Brisbane Heat and Queensland Fire, winning the 2019-20 Women’s Big Bash League and 2020-21 Women’s National Cricket League.He signed a contract extension last year that runs until 2025 but is understood to have been interviewed for the vacancy created by Lisa Keightley’s departure. Noffke is highly regarded in Australian cricket and previously worked as Australia women’s assistant coach under Matthew Mott, who became England men’s white-ball coach earlier this year.Jonathan Finch, the director of England women’s cricket, interviewed several candidates last week and an appointment is expected in the next 10 days. The job was advertised in September and the successful candidate will start on a three-year fixed term until November 2025.Two other contenders share the name Jon Lewis: the former Gloucestershire seamer who is men’s pace-bowling lead at the ECB, and the former Durham batter who has worked with England’s women as a batting consultant over the last 18 months.Further candidates for the role include Jon Batty, who has coached Oval Invincibles to the title in both editions of the women’s Hundred, as well as Michael Bates, the wicketkeeping and fielding coach who has worked extensively in the women’s game, and Gareth Breese, the Welsh Fire and England women’s performance pathway coach.Charlotte Edwards, the former England captain and current Southern Brave, Southern Vipers and Sydney Sixers coach, has previously ruled herself out of the running.England are expected to name a squad for their upcoming West Indies tour shortly after a coach is announced.

Bavuma, Khawaja and Pooran also part of the drafts ahead of the second season’s kick-off on July 30

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2021 • Updated on 04-Jul-2021Shakib al Hasan, Usman Khawaja, Sherfane Rutherford and Rilee Rossouw are among the leading names to have registered to compete in the Lankan Premier League, Sri Lanka’s premier T20 franchise competition. The LPL is scheduled to begin from July 30 this year and run for three weeks, and despite concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic derailing plans, several top T20 cricketers from around the world are set to take part.James Faulkner, Ben Cutting, Temba Bavuma, Brendan Taylor and Nicholas Pooran have also made themselves available for the draft, as are former Indian all-rounders Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan. Pakistan, too, are well represented, with Haris Sohail, Mohammad Irfan, Shan Masood and Mohammad Hasnain having registered.Sri Lanka Cricket vice-president Ravin Wickremaratne said: “Last year’s success has certainly made a difference with more players from many cricket playing countries looking forward to play in the LPL, which is a very good sign for the League and Sri Lanka cricket.”The inaugural edition of the LPL was won by the Jaffna Stallions last year, one of five teams that took part in the tournament. According to SLC, 135 million viewers across television and digital platforms tuned in to watch the final between the Stallions and the Galle Gladiators, with fan engagement throughout the tournament generally quite high.SLC will be hoping for similar numbers this time around, though Sri Lankan fans hoping for live action will have to wait a little longer, with the tournament likely to once again be held behind closed doors in Hambantota.Concerns over the LPL being hosted in July-August first arose following the postponement of the Indian Premier League earlier this year. Despite SLC’s successful hosting of the inaugural LPL, there were growing doubts over SLCs ability to guarantee a secure bio-bubble for players and staff amidst the growing number of cases.”It’s definitely going to be a challenge, there’s no question,” head of SLC’s Medical Committee Prof. Arjuna de Silva had told ESPNcricinfo. “Last time we were in the middle of the second wave, but this time it’s a totally different ball game.”SLC, for their part, have remained firm in their stance, assuring player safety citing the success of several inbound international series in the past year. De Silva also added that SLCs intention to hold all matches at a single stadium, the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, and the fact that it was close to a scarcely used airport in Mattala, meant the LPL was less likely to suffer the same pitfalls as the IPL.Bangladesh: Shakib-ul-Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mehdy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Liton Das, Soumya SarkarAustralia: Usman Khawaja, Ben Cutting, James Faulkner,Ben Dunk, Callum FergusonWest Indies: Sherfane Rutherford, Nocolas Pooran, Sheldon Cottrell, Rayad Emrit, Ravi Rampaul, Dwayne Smith, Denesh Ramdin, Johnson Charles, Rowman PowellPakistan: Haris Sohail, Waqas Maqsood, Muhammed Hasnain, Mohammed Irfan, Shoaib Maqsood, Shan Masood, Anwar Ali, Ammad Butt, Usman ShinwariSouth Africa: Temba Bavuma, Rilee Rossouw, David Wiese, Jon Jon Trevor Smuts, Morne Morkel, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Hardus ViljoenAfghanistan: Asghar Afghan, Mohammed Shahzad, Najibullah Zadran, Naveen Ul Haq, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Naveen ul Haq, Qais Ahmad

“I think we can (take confidence from recent form). India were the No.1 ranked team and we beat them two-nil,” he said

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2020New Zealand coach Gary Stead has called Australia a “benchmark” that they try and aspire to and has welcomed more white-ball fixtures against them in the coming years.”I look at what’s coming ahead in the next few years, and I do see that we are playing Australia in white ball cricket reasonably regularly.. They are a great team, we respect them a lot for the way they play their cricket. That’s ultimately, sometimes, they set a benchmark for us to aspire to,” he said.New Zealand were thrashed three-nil in the Tests in Australia in December, but subsequently whitewashed India in ODIs and Tests at home, although they themselves were on the wrong side of a T20I whitewash that preceded those. On the back of those results, Stead believes New Zealand come to Australia a confident side.”I think we can (take confidence from recent form). India were the No.1 ranked team and we beat them two-nil in our home conditions and played really well in the ODis series prior to that as well. I think we have played some really good ODI cricket in the last three or four years and hopefully we can continue that on”Australia, on the other hand, are coming off a three-nil hammering in the ODIs in South Africa, before which they were beaten two-one in India, despite having taken a lead in the series opener. But Stead expects Australia to be a different beast at home, and certainly “never vulnerable”.”I think Australia are never vulnerable at home,” he said. ” It’s one of the toughest places to come and play in world cricket I guess as well. Their reputation, and the record that they have I guess, you see the record and that’s why they do have that reputation. And so, I mean, they have come off being beaten in South Africa, but all a lot of teams struggle away from home, and I guess no different for us, that’s going to be our biggest challenge.”It is an unusual time for ODI cricket as it takes the backseat for most teams in terms of importance with the World Cup still more than three years away, and with the Test Championship and the T20Is – given the T20 World Cup later this year – taking priority. The timing of the Australia-New Zealand series was questioned by former Australia captain Michael Clarke who called it “token games of cricket”, and head coach Justin Langer admitted that Australia have some weary players, but Head was quick to dismiss the “some games are not important” argument.”I think every game you play for your country is an important game, so I don’t sort of buy into the it’s not important sort of series,” Stead said.
“You can make your importance out of these series and what you do, and how you play, and who you select, and what you are looking for as well. So for us, every opportunity we get to play for New Zealand, it is a proud moment and certainly go out there and try and win every game we play.”Stead also felt that though the formats are different and the conditions may not be the same as the current ODIs come the T20 World Cup, any information that they can gather playing on Australian grounds could be beneficial.”It is a different format, but I guess the more information you can get, and the more intel you can get on all the grounds, the good thing is. I’m not sure if the pitch conditions will look the same in the T20 time. So you take all those factors in. you can look at the Big Bash, and scores and things that go on there and who is successful at different grounds before you come to making your final decisions. But I guess ultimately we select the 15 that we think can do the job here, and we’ll do that for the World Cup as well.”

The India A coach isn’t unduly worried by the opener’s poor form over the last few months. He also feels India will go into the 2019 World Cup as favourites

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2019India will start the 2019 World Cup as favourites, according to Rahul Dravid. The India A coach believes India are playing “very good cricket” at the moment, and hoped they could peak at the right moment.Speaking to journalists during India A’s ongoing home series against England Lions, Dravid said he expected the pitches in England to be flat and unlike those he experienced during the 1999 World Cup in the same country.”The wickets will be very different compared to 1999, they’ve become very flat,” Dravid said. “I expect it to be a very high-scoring World Cup. We went with India A last year, and 300 was regularly scored, so it’ll be a lot more high-scoring than 1999. We used the Duke’s ball then, now it’s Kookaburra… plus two new balls and field restrictions are there, so we can’t compare the World Cups.”But India are playing very good cricket and definitely go in as one of the favourites. Hopefully, the boys can peak over the next few months.”KL Rahul has struggled for form over recent months, but Dravid believed the opener’s ability would help him bounce back. In his last 12 innings, Rahul has gone past fifty just once and has scored only 55 runs in three 50-over games for India A against England Lions.”I have no doubt that Rahul has quality and ability,” Dravid said. “He’s playing the four-dayers [against the Lions], and he’s proven he can succeed in the international level in all three formats. He’s one player who has hundreds in T20Is, Tests and ODIs so I’m not worried about his form.”The one-dayers against Lions were also an opportunity for Dravid to test India A’s bench strength, and he was pleased with the contributions of the young players drafted in. He also highlighted positives that came from the seniors in the side who remain in contention for a ticket to England.”Ajinkya [Rahane] (140 in three games) came here and scored runs,” Dravid said. “[Hanuma] Vihari, Shreyas Iyer did quite well. The seamers Deepak [Chahar] and Shardul [Thakur] did well. Navdeep [Saini], Avesh Khan and Axar Patel have been excellent. Both the legspinners [Rahul Chahar and Mayank Markande] showed promise and potential, so there were a lot of performances that the selectors can look at and be happy about.”It was also a younger squad, so it was an opportunity to bring the younger players for the last few games – you saw the likes of Rituraj Gayakwad, Himmat Singh, Siddhesh Lad, Ricky Bhui. They’ve not been part of our set-up, but we want to slowly bring them in because they’ve done well in one-day and Ranji games.”Rahul Dravid receiving his ICC Hall of Fame cap•International Cricket Council

On the topic of the Ranji Trophy, Dravid said it was inevitable that some India A tours would clash with the country’s premier first-class competition.”It’s not an easy one to avoid. But in this series, we didn’t pick anyone still playing the Ranji Trophy quarters, semis and finals… so we’ve given importance to that,” Dravid said. “But it’s not easy, we need to balance out the needs of some of the players, we need to develop them and give our players a level and standard higher than domestic cricket. If we don’t challenge our players at a slightly higher level than domestic and first-class cricket, then how can we develop them for international cricket?”We try to not make them clash, but sometimes the clash is inevitable. Like going to New Zealand [in December 2018], it was a very fruitful exercise to play in those conditions… and if the season clashes, then there’s no way we can balance it out. So yes, we do try to avoid clashes but inevitably it sometimes will happen.”Dravid was keen to play down the margin of India A’s one-day victory against a solid Lions outfit captained by Ben Duckett. Dravid felt India A had been heavily challenged by the visitors, and that the scoreline simply reflected of who did better in the crunch moments.”Even though the scoreline reads 4-1, there were many situations where we were challenged and pushed against the wall,” Dravid said. “But we showed some good fighting spirit.”They pushed us. There were a lot of close games, one wicket or a small phase of play their way and they would’ve won it. It was a lot tighter than 4-1, we just won the key moments, so credit to the boys.”Dravid’s next job is to oversee India-A’s four-dayers against the Lions, which begin next week. Rahul is part of that squad too, and is expected to take his place at the top of the order. The first game begins on February 7 in Wayanad.

Trevor Bayliss has called on CA and the ECB to “get together” to ensure a better standard of preparation for both teams on Ashes tours

George Dobell in Townsville18-Nov-2017Trevor Bayliss has called on CA and the ECB to “get together” to ensure a better standard of preparation for both teams on Ashes tours.Bayliss, the England coach, has stated several times that he would have preferred England to encounter stiffer opposition ahead of the first Test but has been at pains to point out that the situation is not so different for Australia when they visit the UK.As a result, Bayliss has already spoken to Andrew Strauss – the director of England cricket – to suggest that first-class matches against an A team (effectively the national second XI) are written into future Ashes schedules ahead of the first Test, adding that he will speak to Pat Howard (Strauss’s counterpart in Australia) about the matter in the coming days.”Both Australia and England should be getting together and having at least one match against the A team before each series,” Bayliss said. “I’ve already mentioned it to Strauss and I will mention it to Pat Howard when I see him too.There was a certain irony in the timing of Bayliss’ words. While the CA XI that England played in Townsville contained just one man with a first-class century to his name prior to the match – Nick Larkin – by the time it ended, two more young Australian batsmen had maiden first-class hundreds. And as England laboured throughout the final day in taking just one wicket, it became harder to sustain the argument that the opposition was as modest as had first appeared.In truth, though, that was partially the result of an unusually slow, flat wicket which is unlikely to be replicated during the Ashes series. And while the England camp are reluctant to make any public complaint about the preparation they have been provided by CA, there is a sense that both the surfaces and the opposition to this point have left them facing a major change of quality – and specifically pace – when they arrive at the Gabba.Underlining that suspicion – or, depending on your view, paranoia – is the training schedule ahead of the first Test on Thursday. England will train in the afternoon on Tuesday and Wednesday – often teams alternate between morning and afternoon sessions on consecutive days – giving them slightly less time to rest and slightly less exposure to conditions throughout the day.”That was a bone of contention,” Bayliss said. “The home team makes the programme and that’s just the way it is. We will take it on the chin and get on with it.”

Bad light brought the first ODI to an excruciating end with Hong Kong needing 18 to win off 12 balls with six wickets in hand when the match was called off

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2016
Match called off due to bad light
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHong Kong’s Ehsan Khan became the 23rd man to strike with his first ball in ODIs•Hong Kong Cricket

Bad light brought the first ODI between Scotland and Hong Kong at the Grange in Edinburgh to an excruciating end with Hong Kong needing 18 to win off 12 balls with six wickets in hand when the match was called off. Hong Kong had played 18 overs. If this were a T20, Duckworth-Lewis would have kicked in at this point to decide a winner. But this was an ODI, and both sides needed to have played a minimum of 20 overs for that to happen.With rain delaying the start by five-and-a-half hours, the match had first been reduced to 21 overs a side. Another spell of rain 4.2 overs into the Scotland innings, after Hong Kong had sent the home side in, caused a further reduction to 20 overs a side. This was effectively a T20 game, but not quite.Chasing 154, Hong Kong began briskly, thanks to a 26-ball 43 from Nizakat Khan. They slipped to 64 for 2 in the ninth over after Con de Lange, the left-arm spinner, dismissed both openers in quick succession. Babar Hayat and Anshuman Rath then put on 62 in 8.2 overs for the third wicket, leaving 28 needed off the last 22 balls. Both fell in the 17th over, bowled by Mark Watt, with the aggressive Rath run out. Ehsan Khan, on 2, and Tanwir Afzal, on 7, were at the crease when the umpires decided the light was insufficient for play to go on.”It was the right decision to come off the field but the decision should have been made six overs prior as it was significantly dark then,” Hong Kong coach Simon Cook said. “And that was further away from a result when neither team could claim to be unhappy.”The umpires asked our batters if they could see the ball and our guys said it was tough and then Scotland were told they couldn’t bowl fast bowlers. So towards the end they could just bowl slow to have a shot at getting in to contention and once we hit a boundary and a few singles they brought the fast bowler on. The umpires handled the game brilliantly other than that but they held on for a decision too long with the light.”Scotland’s innings was given a firm foundation by Kyle Coetzer, who struck 53 off 30 balls, with six fours and two sixes, before he became the debutant Ehsan’s second victim. The offspinner had earlier struck with his first ball in ODIs when he dismissed the opener Craig Wallace at the start of the fourth over.Scotland, 96 for 1 after a 58-run second-wicket stand between Coetzer and Calum MacLeod, slumped to 102 for 5. De Lange’s unbeaten run-a-ball 26 stilled the tumble of wickets, but the collapse took all the momentum out of the Scotland innings. Having scored 99 in the first ten overs of their innings, they only managed to add 54 in the last ten.The two sides are scheduled to meet again for the second ODI in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Darren Sammy, the St Lucia Zouks captain, has been ruled for four weeks and will miss the remainder of the Caribbean Premier League after he fractured his left hand while batting in the match against Jamaica Tallawahs

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2015Darren Sammy, the St Lucia Zouks captain, has been ruled out for four weeks and will miss the remainder of the Caribbean Premier League after he fractured his left hand while batting in the match against Jamaica Tallawahs. Sammy took a blow from a delivery by Andre Russell, and had to retire hurt.Kevin Pietersen will replace him as Zouks captain and Keron Cottoy, who has played just three T20s, has been called up to the squad as a replacement.”It’s a real shame for Darren, he’s one of the biggest names in the CPL and a great leader for the Zouks,” Tom Moody, CPL director of cricket, said. “We wish him a speedy recovery, and knowing the kind of guy he is, I’m sure he’ll continue to be an inspirational part of the squad for the rest of the tournament even though he won’t actually be out in the middle.”Sammy, who led Zouks to three wins this season, scored 81 runs in six innings at a strike-rate of 124.61 and also picked up six wickets at an economy-rate of 8.5.

Alastair Cook hailed a fantastic achievement after England closed out a 2-1 series win in India

David Hopps17-Dec-2012Alastair Cook left the presentation in Nagpur overladen with trophies after England completed their first series win in India for 28 years.Not just one series trophy but two, plus individual recognition as man of the series, completed a perfect start to Cook’s Test captaincy as he joined Douglas Jardine, David Gower and Tony Greig as the only England skippers to win a Test series in India.Add his unofficial stint as Test captain in Bangladesh when he stood in for Andrew Strauss and he has already twice led England to victories in sub-continent conditions which have so often proved alien.Cook even put the 2-1 series win alongside the accepted pinnacle for an England player – victory in the Ashes. “It is obviously a very special day, a special tour,” he said. “I think it is on a par with the Ashes. As an Englishman winning in Australia after so long meant a huge amount. But to be in that that dressing room there for that last half an hour knowing what we had achieved was a very special place and it will live long in my memory.”England’s celebrations were a world away from their misery in Ahmedabad less than a month ago when they were beaten by nine wickets in the opening Test, their frailties against spin again apparent.Since then, Cook has taken particular pride in England’s ability to silence their demons and to adapt to whatever conditions have been thrown at them. His own run tally of 562 in the series led the way set the example with the bat as England conquered India’s spinners and they also unveiled two superior slow bowlers themselves in Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann.”We have played on four very different wickets,” he said. “We didn’t handle the Ahmedabad wicket so well, but the other three wickets were all very different in sub-continent style. Everyone in this squad can be proud of what they achieved, especially the way we bounced back after the heavy defeat in Ahmedabad.”I was surprised at the level we managed to achieve so soon after Ahmedabad to be honest with you. I was talking about playing to our potential but I was surprised we managed to do it straightaway and put all those doubts to bed and prove to ourselves that we could bat in these conditions.”Cook credited a sharply-turning pitch in Mumbai, as advocated by India’s captain MS Dhoni, with jolting England into a response.”After the first game in Ahmedabad it would have been so easy to let head drops, but we showed a lot of character in Mumbai,” he said. “I think the fact it was a result wicket in Mumbai really helped us.”It freed us up knowing that one way or another there would be a result and that people weren’t expecting us to win. Once we got over that mental hurdle and were able to trust our ability on these wickets with the bat we certainly made a big leap forward.”
But that recovery began earlier than Mumbai. It was Cook’s defiant second-innings in the defeat in Ahmedabad that began to set the tone. “You want to prove that the captaincy is not a burden. To do it straight away is a big monkey of your back. It made me very proud that night when I went home after the game. If it gave other people confidence that is even more pleasing.”As the tour developed, Cook got the support he needed from senior players in the dressing room: Kevin Pietersen, the integrated version, looking content with life; Matt Prior, as big an influence on England as Adam Gilchrist once was on Australia; James Anderson, proving himself in India as a skilled practitioner on demoralising surfaces for fast bowling with old ball and new; and the ever-garrulous Swann, delighted to have a partner in crime in Panesar.”They are big characters in the dressing room,” Cook said. “The support they have given me, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. To captain those guys can be tough in certain circumstances, but you want that, you want a lot of ideas and strong opinions because that is when you normally get the best thinking done.”Nagpur was the oddest test of all, a pitch that was strikingly slow and uneven at the start and which gradually became more docile, a perfect surface for an England side prepared to bat with discipline to avoid defeat and so win the series.”We were slightly surprised by the pitch at the start, how low and slow it was,” Cook said. “We thought it would get worse but actually it got better. We knew when we were batting in the second innings it was going to be very hard for India to take those wickets and if we applied ourselves with not too many soft dismissals it would be very hard to bowl us out.”England’s authority on the final day was unshakeable as the Warwickshire pair of Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell took their fourth-wicket stand to 208 in 79 overs, both making hundreds, before the sides shook hands on a draw with England 352 for 4 and celebratory hugs broke out on the England balcony.”I can’t credit the batters enough for fronting up and taking on that challenge. Normally there are a few nerves on day like this but the calm way that Trotty and Belly batted was just fantastic. You can say it’s a flat wicket but when you know you have to bat for 150 overs a series win seems a long way away.”This article was updated at 2.30pm on December 17, 2012 with additional media conference material