A 17-year old who came through the Lahore academy and a 30-year old who took nearly 450 first-class wickets before he could make his Test debut

Sidharth Monga in Galle04-Jul-2009Whenever a young Pakistan fast bowler comes up and surprises the world – actually the world ought to be prepared by now – one story, perhaps an urban legend, comes to mind. Here goes. In the October of 1989 Imran Khan was down with viral fever, and resting at his Lahore home. On the TV he saw a young unknown fast bowler bowling for United Bank Limited against Delhi in the Super Wills Cup, an annual fixture then between the Quaid-e-Azam champions and Ranji Trophy champions.Imran jumped out of the bed, drove down to the venue, and made sure the youngster was picked for the upcoming Sharjah tour. Eight days later the 17-year-old Waqar Younis opened the bowling with Wasim Akram in Sharjah, against West Indies.Such sudden emergence of fast bowlers adds to the mystique around the art they practise, especially since the very fact that they take bagfuls of wickets on pitches that don’t assist them is beyond the immediate understanding of many. That’s how every fast bowler is supposed to come up in Pakistan, right? Wrong. The times, they are a-changing.With Mohammad Aamer, all of 17, taking wickets in the first over of both his international debuts, it is easy to think ‘there comes another young Pakistan pace man picked from tape-ball cricket’. Aamer, though, has been a name going around for the last year and a half at least. Be thanked, the pace-bowling camps at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, where former bowlers Akram, Waqar and Aaqib Javed identify the talent, and make sure it is nurtured.Aamer, after taking three wickets on Test debut, spoke of influences on his cricket. “,” he said in Urdu. It’s a sentiment that will get lost in translation, the closest being: “Wasim Akram nurtured my cricket.” That process of bringing started two years ago, at one of those camps. Last year, during the Asia Cup, Akram told Cricinfo he would immediately select Aamer for the national team.The academy in Lahore tries to provide that sort of structure to fast bowling, where raw talent is spotted, given technical and psychological guidance for about two years before players make their debuts. “Apart from the help that we have got in our actual bowling through Aaqib , Wasim , and Waqar , we have at least two to three trainers at our disposal at any given time. They help us understand our body better,” Aamer said.That takes the romance out, doesn’t it? The method is developed on. But then let’s be realistic. Akram and Waqar, so gloriously unsullied by coaching, always had Imran and each other to learn from. He might not have had one, but Akram will never say he didn’t want a coach. However possible mentors for the new generation have been busy meeting with lawyers and judges.Also, the presence of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif in the Pakistan side meant Abdur Rauf, a domestic giant with a huge fan following in Pakistan, had to wait until he was 30 to cock his wrist and land the ball on the seam in a Test match. When did we last see a 30-year-old debutant from Pakistan anyway?Rauf might not have the pace now, but he showed he could get the bounce and the movement, and also serve as a foil for the lead bowlers. Needless to say, Rauf has come through the ranks before playing for Pakistan. He has played at Under-17, Under-19, club, first-class and Pakistan A levels before he could play for Pakistan. “You could say I’ve really had to pay my dues in order to get where I am today,” he told last year. He indeed has paid his dues, seen some deserving fast bowlers get injured and lose out, got injured himself, faced the disappointment of making in to the XVs, the A sides, and still not getting the Pakistan cap.It’s rare for a Pakistan fast bowler to make his debut at 30•Associated PressNot many in Pakistan and India, given the set-ups, make debuts after having taken close to 450 first-class wickets. Amit Mishra from India is one who had taken more than 300 wickets in first-class cricket when he debuted in Mohali last year. In these necks of the woods, by such time, you ought to have resigned yourself to domestic cricket. It is difficult to be mentally prepared for debuts at 30. Especially if you are a Pakistan fast bowler.Rauf has managed that, and he could get at least three Tests (because Pakistan have only three pace bowlers in the XV, and because Younis Khan shows an inclination to play three) to make the impact he has waited to make for the last 10 years. And he will need three, because he is not the kind of bowler for sudden impact. He is more like Stuart Clark than Brett Lee.This current line-up, so boldly selected, could truly be a landmark ensemble for Pakistan. The leader of the pack, only 18 Tests old so perhaps not a mentor, Umar Gul, has so wonderfully escaped the glamour that has become both the right and the bane of a modern Pakistan fast bowler. All three defy the set image of a Pakistan fast bowler, all three add to the richness.

An umpire watches Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum’s furious hitting – not from the other end, for a change

James McGillivray13-May-2009Team supported
Bangalore Royal Challengers. I had the pleasure of umpiring one of their warm-up games and I resolved to support them from then on. (As an aside, I was also lucky to do a Mumbai Indians practice game last week, so that made my decision for the second game easy too)Key Performer
Ross Taylor. There have been few innings as destructive in either season of IPL as his knock. He settled himself in and then just unleashed the fury.One thing I would have changed about the match
Two things actually: If I’d been Kolkata, I would have selected Charl Langeveldt in place of Angelo Matthews. A bowler with Charl’s experience and big-match temperament would surely have made it harder in the last few overs. I would also have given Taylor the last four balls in the Royal Challengers’ innings to see if he could have scored his hundred – it would have been the fastest in IPL history.Face-off I relished
I think the biggest was the respective contributions of the two out-of-form Kiwis. Both the innings were excellent, and it was a pity that Brendon McCullum had to end on the losing side.Star-spotting
I never noticed any celebrities on any of the big screens, but the game was very exciting so maybe the cameramen were only interested in the cricket.Wow moment
Again, two: McCullum’s catch off Jacques Kallis was one of the best catches I have ever seen. And every time they replayed it, it got better. Taylor hit one of the biggest sixes I can recall. It sailed high over my head and carried on going for a long, long way (it may still be travelling).Cheerleader factor
This category has to be shared. The Kolkata girls were more energetic and flashier, but the Bangalore girls definitely tried harder to get the crowd behind their team. Both teams were well polished but I was informed by a friend who actually knows something about dancing that Bangalore definitely had the more difficult routines (something to do with them building a pyramid).Crowd meter
The ground was a little barren at the start, but considering that it was a mid-day, mid-week game, that was not entirely surprising. There was still a nice vibe, with the majority of the crowd supporting the Royal Challengers. It probably had to do with the free flags, shirts and caps being given out at the gate.In an abysmal comment on South African sporting prowess, not a single six was caught by the crowd as far as I could tell.Local hero
Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher were the South African players in the game. When Jacques came out to bat he got a rousing reception. Dale Steyn and Roelof van der Merwe took a very slow stroll around the ground and accommodated the thousands of requests for autographs and photos. Jonty Rhodes was in the ground for the later game, and he also obliged the requesting hordes.Entertainment
A large variety of music – local, international and Indian- played throughout the game. Local acts DJ Ossewa (Ox-Wagon) and Dozi performed live, to the delight of the crowd.Banner of the day
It says a lot about the dearth of quality witticisms on show, that “Yuvraj, you make me Singh” was the highlight of the posters on show (in the second game).Overall
Though the game was between two of the bottom sides in the IPL, it was certainly the most entertaining game I’ve been to so far. The game was only decided in the last two overs, and it was full of twists and turns. It had everything that could be asked of it: brilliant batting, some wonderful and some awful fielding, and a close finish. Thoroughly enjoyable.Marks out of 10
9. The only thing that would have improved the experience was if the stadium had been packed to capacity. The grass was nice and full but the grandstands were quite empty.If you’d like to contribute to this section during the World Twenty20 in England, write to [email protected] with a brief (100 words tops) description of yourself, telling us what you do, mentioning which city you’re going to be in, and anything else you think may be relevant. Unfortunately we can’t pay you for your efforts, but you will be read by a large audience, and we’ll be happy to publish a thumbnail picture of you and a brief bio, with a link to your blog or other webpage if any.

Stuart Broad’s five wickets after lunch gave England a chance to regain the Ashes, helping him join an impressive list of England allrounders who have floored Australia in their favourite contest

Peter English at The Oval21-Aug-2009″Hear Stuart Broad’s eight wickets,” a man offering radios shouted outside The Oval in the morning. Not sure if he received much interest, but he got lots of laughs. The English are great at humour in times of despair and using Broad as a selling point was appropriate. As if Broad, who has been more pretty boy than man of substance in the first four Tests, would be capable of that.He didn’t quite fulfil the prophecy, but his five wickets after lunch gave England a chance to regain the Ashes, helping him join an impressive list of England allrounders who have floored Australia in their favourite contest. While Broad in 2009 is not the Andrew Flintoff of 2005 (“If I could be half as good as he can be I’ll be very pleased.”) or 1981’s Ian Botham, he produced the decisive performance at a time when his side desperately needed it.At the start of the day he was not out and just as likely to have a say through his batting. Sure he took six wickets in Australia’s only innings at Headingley, but his crunching strokeplay was more memorable than his breakthroughs as his side was ground in the Leeds mortar. This time, after scoring a useful 37, there was unforgettable elation from his 5 for 37 from 12 overs, all delivered in one spell.Light rain delayed the post-lunch start and instead of continuing with Graeme Swann, Strauss looked towards the blond locks of Broad. The ball shaped consistently but not significantly, and was more than enough trouble for the Australians as they imploded from 73 for 0 to 160 all out. Swann cleaned up at the end with four wickets after Broad caused the rubble.”My plan was to really bring the stumps into play and look for bowleds and lbws instead of caught slip,” he said. “I was clear in my mind what I was trying to do, really trying to slam it into the deck, that’s the way I bowl. I don’t want to bowl too full because when I’m bowling well it swings from that [preferred] length.”After 47 deliveries he was raising the ball for his fifth wicket, the sun lighting up a red side while shining on Broad’s rosy cheek. This was the day he became an Ashes hero, standing high above his more nervous team-mates. In the stands his mum was screaming so much she lost her voice. “I saw her cheering on a few occasions, which was nice to see,” he said. “Hopefully come second innings she’ll still be cheering.”His father Chris, an ICC match referee, was also at the ground. He used to tell his boy stories about winning the Ashes in Australia in 1986-87. Broad is cautious about his own successful tale. “It’s certainly not an Ashes story yet,” he said. “If we win on Monday it might be.”Stuart Broad’s pitch map•Hawk-Eye InnovationsBroad’s final victim was Brad Haddin, who had his stumps splayed by an outswinger he thought would go straight. It was the ugliest dismissal for the Australians and the most beautiful sight for the English. At 111 for 7 there appeared no way back for the tourists, although the loss of three batsmen late in the innings raised the hosts’ heart rates.It took six balls for Broad’s first strike, doing what Flintoff and James Anderson couldn’t when he won an lbw decision after pushing one past Shane Watson’s bat. Broad was so confident he ran down the pitch without turning to the umpire for approval until late in his follow through.That ball angled in, just like the one that forced Ricky Ponting back. Ponting had already under-edged a four to fine leg and was also jumping while showing an angled bat when a follow-up effort ricocheted into the pitch and on to off stump. Ponting went grim-faced for 8 and the biting of his nails became more focussed with each wicket. It was a similar look to his last Test visit here four years ago.By now the batsmen knew Broad was moving it in to the right-handers so Michael Hussey was expecting the ball to curve away from him. His third offering from Broad went the other way and Hussey, too slow in recognising the change, experienced an embarrassing lbw. Broad had total control of the ball, waving it from side to side and watching the batsmen falter.He was quickly becoming a treasured player and the supporters in the main stand at the Vauxhall End stood to applaud. Broad waved confidently, but there was still work to be done. Michael Clarke’s wicket had more to do with the batsman’s loose drive and the field setting of Jonathan Trott at short cover than the bowler’s tricks, but it was happily added to a list of four breakthroughs in 3.3 overs.When Haddin twisted to leg as the ball curled into off stump Broad was the target of everyone’s eyes. He was allowed the chance to add a couple more but his dozen overs of damage ended at tea. Tired and flushed in the face, he led the players, the ones who hadn’t sprinted to the dressing room to pad up, off the ground when Australia’s tail was extinguished. At the end of the day Broad wasn’t just on the radio, he was everywhere.

Collingwood’s ability to rebuild an innings when the opposition bowlers have gained the momentum is a trait that any team would love to have

Jamie Alter at the Feroz Shah Kotla04-Apr-2010Cricket is a mind game more than any sport with the possible exception of golf, the classic masochists’ recreation and that is not a dig at Tiger Woods. Paul Collingwood doesn’t do flash and flourish has never been his thing. But he knows his game and plays within its limitations, and tonight’s match-winning half-century was as much about beating the opposition with mind as it was with strength. He’s done this countless times for England but don’t expect him to take this IPL game lightly.Collingwood’s ability to rebuild an innings when the opposition bowlers have gained the momentum is a trait that any team would love to have. On both occasions that Collingwood has scored big this season, Delhi Daredevils’ top order stumbled and left him with a battle to avoid defeat; tonight it was tougher because there was no centurion to lead the way.After 11 overs Delhi were 92 for 4 and conditions were just fine for batting. Collingwood was trying to lay a foundation but was losing out on partners. Carefully, he began to accumulate his runs, smartly trying to pinch a run off every ball. His front foot came forward even as the ball left the bowlers’ hand and he deflected the ball away. Collingwood had a sense of what ball was going to be bowled, and in that regard Bangalore’s attack proved to be ideal.While Anil Kumble, Kevin Pietersen and KP Appanna bowled tidily to Collingwood, the rest were too one-dimensional. Jacques Kallis was too straight, Vinay Kumar attacked the stumps but didn’t get any assistance from the track, Cameron White was terrible, and Abhimanyu Mithun didn’t have the variation to set Collingwood off his game.The over that ultimately proved decisive was the 12th, bowled by White. It cost 19, with Collingwood looting 18, and it gave him much-needed momentum. Until the ball landed in White’s hands Collingwood was 15 off 16; at the end of the over he had 33 from 22. The tone of his innings had changed and he hit 42 runs in the next 24 balls faced. The shots that rocketed off his bat were powerful and precise, but they couldn’t have flowed had Collingwood not sussed out the bowling earlier and played his natural game.Compare this to how Kallis and Pietersen batted later in the night. Unlike Collingwood they had more batsmen to follow. Like Collingwood, they were trying to lay a strong foundation but one would have expected some urgency. Instead both withdrew into their shells and the run-scoring was drastically curtailed. Between Pietersen’s entrance on the fourth ball of the fourth over and his exit on the second of the tenth, only 27 runs were scored, with 14 dot balls. Only one six was hit, and no fours. Unlike Collingwood, Kallis was unable to compensate towards the end.The other key to Delhi’s win also came down to discipline. Mithun and Kallis bowled three overs each and their consistency left a lot to be desired. Their length was erratic and on a surface that begged for discipline they could have kept the batsmen in check like Rajat Bhatia and Pradeep Sangwan did later in the night. The Bangalore pair bowled five short balls, five half-volleys and three length balls, which got hit for 42 runs. Even in the other 29 legal deliveries that were bowled, there were many drifting down the leg side when they should have been probing on off or middle.Now look at what Bhatia and Sangwan achieved. They completely avoided the short balls and conceded only 17 runs when they erred in length. In four overs bowling in tandem, the pair allowed just 18 runs, with no boundary and Sangwan dismissed the dangerous Robin Uthappa. Bhatia finished with 1 for 24 in his four overs, and Sangwan ended his with 3 for 22. Their efforts tell a story, and they were successful because their heads were in the right place. That’s a trait Collingwood, the most driven of players, knows only too well.

The difference between the West Indies’ performance in Brisbane and those in Adelaide and Perth was surely not by coincidence

Tony Cozier20-Dec-2009You can usually get a pretty fair inkling of the way a sporting team is faring from its demeanour in its off-duty time, away from the stresses of the battles, on the field and off it.So it has been with the West Indies of the past decade or so. With only fleeting exceptions, there was a surliness that reflected the chaos and controversy that have brought the region’s once powerful game to its knees.Stern-faced players have gone on strike and boycotted official functions. With board presidents they have publicly traded insults. They have complained about selectors, coaches, groundsmen and itineraries. The captain has rubbished Test cricket.Such discontent was carried into play with inevitable consequences.Against such a background and the sound thrashing dished out by Australia in the first Test in Brisbane – a month after the end of the second players’ strike in four years – it was obvious that something had changed between Brisbane and the second Test in Adelaide to transform the ridiculed easy-beats into tough competitors.The difference between their performance in Brisbane and those in Adelaide and Perth was surely not by coincidence.Reports had filtered through that, far from becoming depressed by the appalling criticism that followed their heavy first Test defeat, they had been motivated by it.The captain, who copped most of the censure, was adamant that “negative energy is the last thing we need right now”.”We are just starting to try to regroup as a team,” Chris Gayle said.Finally, through the baffling magic of the internet, confirmation of one reason for the turnaround was revealed in a ten-minute clip on YouTube of a function in Perth last Monday night. If you can, it is well worth watching.There, three West Indian players had taken over the stage, and the band, and were entertaining teammates, their Australian opponents and guests – and, clearly, themselves – with impromptu reggae and calypso, dance moves and stand-up comedy.This was two nights before the decisive final Test in Perth. The West Indies already knew that Shivnarine Chanderpaul, their essential and dependable middle-order rock, and Adrian Barath, the young tyro opener, were both injured and would be missing.

Contrary to pessimistic expectations, there have been a lot of good things out of Australia, individually and collectively. Gayle, still only 30, and Bravo, 26, have been at the core

On the surface, there was no cause for skylarking and laughter. The stunning revival in the drawn Adelaide Test a week earlier was surely in jeopardy of being undermined by such setbacks. Usually, the mood would have been doom and gloom.After the Brisbane ‘disaster’ (his word), Gayle responded to a chorus of calls for his head with the defiant retort that he was “the right man to lead the West Indies through this challenging period.”It was an assertion he backed with his 165 in the second innings in Adelaide, unbeaten from first ball to last for more than seven hours. While there was never any doubt that his strongest supporters were his players, his innings now won over most of the doubters on the outside as well.So it was not surprising that he should have been the leader of the trio on stage in Perth.Within a few days, he was to the fore again, now in the heat of battle. His breathtaking 104 off 72 balls, with its six long-range sixes, was a clear and instant reply to Australia’s intimidating 520 for 7 declared.Nor was it any surprise that his lively sidekick on stage was Dwayne Bravo, the heart and soul of the show as he is on the field.While Gayle has established himself as indisputable leader in the past fortnight, Bravo has shown himself to be not only the key allrounder but the tactical lieutenant.His allround credentials were already established by the time his left ankle could take no more and had to undergo surgery a year and a half ago.His Adelaide hundred, his exceptional spells of controlled swing and stamina in the second innings there and again in Perth and his dynamic fielding have emphasised how much he was missed in the interim in series against New Zealand and England, home and away.He is what I imagine his fellow Trinidadian dynamo of the 1920s and 1930s, Learie Constantine, must have been like.But there is more to Bravo than his batting, bowling, fielding and infectious enthusiasm. His tactical sharpness has been evident through the Tests in Australia.He had noted from the preceding series in the West Indies that the left-handed Simon Katich moves so far across his stumps he can be vulnerable off his legs.Repeatedly, Bravo bowled that line and set a fielder round the corner. He passed the word on to the other bowlers.Dwayne Bravo’s tactical sharpness has been evident through the Tests in Australia•Getty ImagesIn Brisbane, the deflection he found was fine enough for wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin to make a tumbling leg-side catch. In the second innings in Perth, Ravi Rampaul exploited the same weakness and bowled the opener around his legs.When Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain winged by Kemar Roach’s second ball in the first innings, emerged in the second at No. 8, Bravo sprinted to the young tearaway to point out that he needed a fielder under Ponting’s nose at forward short-leg.It was a self-evident move but no one else seemed to notice. The position was immediately filled and the impressive Roach immediately sealed the deal with his throat-seeking bouncer that was fended into Travis Dowlin’s waiting hands. Excited by the execution, Bravo rushed to embrace the bowler in a bear hug.Prior to the Australian trip, Gayle and Bravo both spoke of having to make choices between Test cricket and the lucrative Twenty20 tournaments that are mushrooming everywhere.The latter seemed the preferred choice. Indeed, both now remain in Australia to play for state teams in their so-called ‘Big Bash’.Events of the last few weeks in Adelaide and Perth should be sufficient to rekindle their spark for the traditional form. Twenty20 tops up the bank balance but can’t match the personal fulfillment of batting for seven hours or manning a spell of 15 consecutive overs in the team’s interest.Contrary to pessimistic expectations, there have been a lot of good things out of Australia, individually and collectively. Gayle, still only 30, and Bravo, 26, have been at the core.They now need to combine to carry such developments forward-and not simply on a stage behind the mike.

Ben Hilfenhaus, the most skilled of the Australian bowlers, out-thought the most destructive batsman in world cricket

Sidharth Monga at the Chinnaswamy Stadium10-Oct-2010It was a high. You were not sure how long it would last, but that actually was the thrill of it. As it turned out, it lasted for just 28 balls, but those 28 balls were worth remembering – both for Virender Sehwag’s brilliance and Australia’s acumen to get him out – as much as Marcus North’s career-saving century or Sachin Tendulkar’s serene saunter past 14,000 runs to stabilise India.The near full-house – and that is a scheduling lesson for the BCCI who gives Tests to venues that don’t really care about them – had seen and appreciated the visitors work hard for two sessions to get runs on board when all they actually came to see was Sehwag bat.They had been patient, and cheered the Aussies. There was a sense of making up for Saturday when they booed every batsman that came out. When the Australian innings finally ended, they threw the niceties out and were ready for some real cheering. But there were only a few minutes to the tea break, and if hell would break loose, it would do so only after 20 minutes.Sehwag came out to a typical Sehwag field. Square third man, deep point, fine leg, short leg, leg gully. It would all be short, mixed with the odd sucker ball. Sehwag upper-cut the first ball he faced, but deliberately in front of deep point. The crowd, it will be an understatement to say, went wild.If Australia had the plan, Sehwag had the counters. He has done that to Kumar Sangakkara and Graeme Smith again and again over the last year, and was ready to do it to Ricky Ponting too.What summed up Sehwag was neither an individual shot nor the strike-rate. It was the reaction on the faces of gully, slip and short leg when he upper-cut Mitchell Johnson. Michael Hussey at gully and Simon Katich at short leg were like men who were watching a prey enter the trap. Hussey jumped back expectantly, looking at the third man, only to see it sail over. Katich was sure that that was the wicket, but was left with an “aah” on his face. The prey had not only slipped away, he was creating havoc. Shane Watson at slip, perhaps more perceptive of Sehwag’s methods than others, just laughed.Johnson pitched up later, and Sehwag punched him through the covers. Peter George, the debutant, was then asked to bowl his first over to Sehwag of all the people. Twice in first over he was driven between the non-striker and mid-on. As the noise in the stands became louder and louder, the conferences between captain and bowler lasted longer and longer.The decisive one was between Ricky Ponting and Ben Hilfenhaus, the most skilled of the Aussie bowlers. In his four earlier overs, he had managed just five deliveries at Sehwag. Now he had possibly a full over to work at Sehwag. There was a new plan here. There would be square legs in the circle, and another one in the deep. More accurate, more aggressive short deliveries would be bowled. And in Mohali he showed he has a mean bouncer to go with his outswing and occasional cutters.

If this was going to be short, Sehwag was going to pull it in front of square: he was going to be ready deep in the crease. Sure enough the ball was short, but it was the slower bouncer, and Sehwag ended up dragging the pull straight into the lap of the man waiting in the deep

The first one was so accurate it got Sehwag in the helmet. A hush fell on the ground. It sounded like a boo, but it like the nasty ones of yesterday. Hilfenhaus would have liked it. Nasser Hussain, one of the more successful captains in India, has spoken about the importance of silencing the indian crowds. It was perhaps that silence that let Hilfenhaus think more clearly.If this was going to be short, Sehwag was going to pull it in front of square: he was going to be ready deep in the crease. Sure enough the ball was short, but it was the slower bouncer, and Sehwag ended up dragging the pull straight into the lap of the man waiting in the deep. For a moment, only Hilfenhaus could be heard in a stadium holding at least 30,000 people. He deserved to be. He had out-thought the most destructive batsman in cricket today.Australia had jolted everybody out of the Sehwag high. Not for the first time in the series, a team had come back with the other threatening to dominate. Had Sehwag stayed for much longer than those 28 balls, India would have come back holding the advantage. Had Sehwag not got off to that start, Australia’s energies would have been completely different.A little spell of play where Australia planned to trap Sehwag, who broke free, but was dismissed before he could cause irreversible damage, summed up the series beautifully. Seven days of the series have been over, and neither side can claim it dominated the other by the end of any of those days.

Muralitharan left in style, Pranavitana stepped up at the top and Mendis lost his mystery

Sidharth Monga in Sri Lanka08-Aug-2010Tillakaratne Dilshan will kick himself
Got off to three good starts, but failed to convert any into a big century. Dropped Sachin Tendulkar at a crucial moment on the final day of the series.Tharanga Paranavitana looked solid at the top
Yet to prove himself in more testing away conditions, but didn’t waste starts and scored back-to-back Test centuries. Sri Lanka appear closer to finding an able opening partner for Dilshan.Kumar Sangakkara plundered in style
Batted fluently for his century, double-century and 75 in the three Tests. Was always at the heart of Sri Lanka’s attempts at batting first and batting big. Was unorthodox with his captaincy; the moves worked at times, at others they didn’t.Mahela Jayawardene didn’t look at his best
A batsman would usually take scores of 48, 174 and 56 in the first innings of three Tests, but Jayawardene wasn’t at his best in the series. He almost always started scratchily, keeping the bowlers interested.Thilan Samaraweera clicked when it counted
Was hardly required in the first two Tests, but his 137 not out and 83 in the final Test, batting with the tail on a difficult pitch, underlined his importance to the team.Angelo Mathews did not get to do much
Got three chances to bat and bowled just 27 overs. Looked fluent while getting starts, but never kicked on. Gifted his wicket in the last innings of the series.Prasanna Jayawardene will rue that chance
Arguably the world’s best wicketkeeper, but made a huge mistake when he dropped a fairly simple offering from Sachin Tendulkar at the SSC when India were struggling to avoid the follow-on in the second Test. Tendulkar went on to score a double-century; a turning point in the series.Lasith Malinga was on and off
When he was on, boy was he on! But when we was off, he missed one full Test, and then bowled just six overs on the last, crucial, day of the series. Became Sri Lanka’s third-highest all-time wicket-taker during the series.Muttiah Muralitharan signed off in style
Going into his farewell Test, he wanted eight wickets, and a Sri Lanka win. Bowled long spells, got quick breakthroughs, worked hard at times, but like Richard Hadlee, finished his career with a wicket-taking delivery. This one won Sri Lanka the match too.Suraj Randiv showed heart
Was welcomed to Test cricket with a boundary from Virender Sehwag, but came back to get his tormentor out thrice in three innings. Bowled unchanged for 21 overs in the final innings of the third Test, and 29 overs out of a total of 68.3, taking 5 for 82.Ajantha Mendis’ mystery seems over
Still not a bad bowler now that he is familiar, but he showed that he needed generous pitches to become dangerous, like he did in patches at P Sara. The bat talked louder in two important partnerships with Samaraweera.Chanaka Welegedara showed limitations
Although he got Sehwag’s wicket twice in Galle, was dropped for the second Test. Rightly too, as he showed in the third. His real threat was only with the swing with the new ball, but there too Sehwag feasted on him.Dilhara Fernando and Dammika Prasad were cannon fodder
On a lifeless pitch at the SSC, the two bowlers were brought in to replace the injured Malinga and out-of-form Welegedara. Neither did enough, though, to retain his place for the decider.Rangana Herath was overlooked for more attacking bowlers
India tormented him in India too, and continued to play him without trouble in Galle, giving him just one wicket in 45 overs. Despite a timely 80 not out, didn’t play any further part in the series.

Michael Bevan looks back at his early years and at a Test career that never took off

Interview by Richard Edwards02-Dec-2010″I probably lacked a little belief that I could play it the pull, even though a first-class average of 60 would suggest that it shouldn’t have been a problem”•Getty ImagesWhat are your early memories?
Playing representative cricket against all the other states for what was really a minnow ACT [Australian Capital Territory] side. Back then I was more of a fast bowler than a batsman. I didn’t really start taking batting seriously until the age of 16, when I injured my back.Did it hamper your development, coming from the country’s smallest state?
Given that I always wanted to play for Australia, I knew I would have to change states at some stage, butthat problem was really solved for me when I was included in the Australian Under-19 side and then picked for the Australian Academy in Adelaide.What are your memories of your first-class debut for South Australia?
We were playing against Western Australia at the WACA in December 1989 and I spent my first two days in the field basically chasing leather and standing at cover watching Geoff Marsh [who scored 355 not out] smash cover-drives past me. I did manage to score a hundred in my first innings, though. The wicket was like glass. It’s not like that now but back then the ball was still swinging after 80 overs, so it was an unusual experience playing and missing regularly when you were nearing your hundred.Allan Border’s retirement handed you your international chance in 1994…
AB had called it a day and I suppose you could say that I was the first player to take his place in the Australian side, and for a 23-year-old they were pretty big shoes to fill.How was your first tour, to Pakistan?
Travelling over there was a new experience, but I was pretty excited to be making my Test debut and playing with some of the legends of the game. I scored 80 in my first innings and had a good series. It was probably the best I’d hit them in Test cricket, even though I had a pretty dubious start. I remember taking strike against Wasim Akram for my first ball and he nearly took my head off. After that I did pretty well and I’ve no doubt it was because the wickets and the reverse-swing in Pakistan were similar to what I had been used to at the SCG. In the end we lost that first match by one wicket after Heals [Ian Healy] fumbled a stumping and the ball ran for four byes. He was distraught walking off afterwards.You played two matches of the Ashes series after that Pakistan tour and were then dropped. Was that hard to take?
Funnily enough, being dropped from the Australian team in an Ashes series was probably the first time I had learnt anything about myself and my game, and I actually improved as a player after that. Looking back now,that was obviously a good thing, but starting that Ashes series so poorly was a real low because I couldn’t work out why I wasn’t performing.You joined Yorkshire soon afterwards. Did playing county cricket help your game?
Generally speaking, I would say yes. As a batsman it gives you a great opportunity to spend a lot of time in the middle and there’s no substitute for that. I always enjoyed playing county cricket because it was a touch more light-hearted than playing domestic cricket back home, so I definitely took a lot of positives from my experiences in England.Was that light-hearted environment a reason why England struggled to beat Australia during that time?
Look, I’m not sure about that but what I did notice is that the first five matches of every summer were the toughest – those matches were probably tougher than most of the Shield matches we played because the bowlers were fresh, there was a bit of juice in the wicket and there was a bit of rain around. One of the problems that the English domestic game had to get a handle on was that by the middle of summer, with so many flat wickets, the new ball being replaced after 100 overs and the one-bouncer rule, life was very tough for a lot of the bowlers and a lot easier for the batsmen.

“I never saw myself as being just a one-day player. It’s just a tag I was given and have to live with. I guess when I first started I hoped I would play 100 Tests, but obviously it didn’t pan out that way. In the end I think I was dropped from the one-day side too soon”

You had such a great record in England but struggled in the Ashes. Why was that?
I played two Ashes series and in both of them I did particularly poorly. I think I averaged over 50 against West Indies and over 60 against Pakistan but against England I averaged 8 and 13, so there was no in-between for me at that point. It’s hard to put your finger on why that might have happened but, while playing in the Ashes is something that every Australian cricketer looks forward to, from a personal perspective it was a pretty challenging time and ultimately it’s always hard to enjoy it when you’re going through that kind of trot.A lot of people blamed your failures at Test level on a weakness against the short ball. Was that fair?
I couldn’t work it out at the time because I’d never really had an issue with it in the past but the more it happened, the more of an issue it became. I don’t think I helped myself. I probably put too much focus on trying to play it well and gave it too much priority. I probably lacked a little belief that I could play it, even though a first-class average of 60 would suggest that it shouldn’t have been a problem. I think in the end that my problems at Test level were more psychological than anything physical or technical.Which Australian captain did you most enjoy playing under?
Steve Waugh was a good captain and a good leader, although very different from Mark Taylor orRicky Ponting. Steve wasn’t a big communicator, which is quite strange for a leader, but he believed in leading through action. He set such high standards and wanted to achieve such great things. He also took a genuine interest in his players and was empathetic to players who were struggling, which is the way he built his trust and respect.Mark was completely different. He was comfortable in his own skin, extremely astute as a tactician, he was a great communicator and really knew how to get the best out of the players. He was probably themost well-rounded captain that I played under.Did you ever see yourself as a one-day specialist?
I never saw myself as being just a one-day player. It’s just a tag I was given and have to live with. I guess when I first started I hoped I would play 100 Tests, but obviously it didn’t pan out that way. In the end I think Iwas dropped from the one-day side too soon. I was left out because I think my role at No. 6 had been diminished by virtue of us having so many great players – I was simply required less.”Steve [Waugh] wasn’t a big communicator, which is quite strange for a leader, but he believed in leading through action”•Getty ImagesWas there a time when you thought you could win a match as a “finisher” for Australia from any position?
I felt it was my job as a No. 6 batsman to be there at the end when we were either chasing runs or setting totals. Quite often when you go in and your side is in trouble, the last thing on your mind is winning. You try to survive, hang around and keep an eye on the run-rate so that it’s still manageable. In one-day cricket the pressure comes from the run-rate and the scoreboard and they’re the factors that you need to cope with. You need to choose the right gameplan, minimise risk and make the right decisions.What was your best innings?
A lot of people remember when I hit a four off the last ball against West Indies to win a match atSydney in 1996, but I prefer a knock I played against New Zealand in 2002 in the domestic series at the MCG. We were under the pump and were looking as though we were going to miss out on the finals. They got about 240, we were 6 for 80-odd and I got 100. Chasing a large total like that under that sort of pressure was a really enjoyable, satisfying experience.Any regrets?
I haven’t watched much cricket now that I’ve finished. I’ve just sort of moved on. I would love to haveplayed more Test cricket, but then again it was one of the best learning experiences of my life. It wouldn’t make sense for me to harbour any grudges about what happened in the past.

On a vicious turner, Pinal Shah’s attacking approach proved decisive in Baroda’s progress to the final

Abhishek Purohit in Vadodara05-Jan-2011What is the difference between 83 and 88? A lot more than five, when one batsman manages the former score, and barely three hours later, the opposition fold up for the latter on the same pitch. Pinal Shah, the 23-year old Baroda captain, is not a man of many words, but his bat chose the perfect moment to have its say, in the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Karnataka that lasted less than one-and-a-half days on a vicious turner in Vadodara.Karnataka had the bigger names: Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Amit Verma. Pinal’s record suggests he isn’t even the best batsman in his own team, depleted as it was with the absence of Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan. Connor Williams has been around for ages, and the talented Ambati Rayudu was also there. Yet, these five batsmen collectively managed fewer runs in the game than what Pinal did, if one excludes Baroda’s tiny chase of 43. What did the wicketkeeper-batsman do differently than what many India and IPL stars could not?Pinal chose to downplay his effort, saying instead that runs could be scored on the track with proper shot-selection. “I think that on this wicket if you made a mistake, you would surely get out. But otherwise, if you chose the right deliveries to play at, runs could be made. I think I batted alright, but even Robin was batting very well, and if he could have carried on, they would have been in a much better position. I think the Karnataka batsmen’s shot-selection was poor, and that’s why they faltered.”Mukesh Narula, the Baroda coach, was more forthcoming. “It was a wicket on which you needed to play the horizontal shots. And Pinal is pretty good with those shots. Playing the drive in the V was very difficult. And I think he read the wicket better than the others.” He certainly did. From the moment he came in at a precarious 30 for 4 with not much batting to follow, he was positive. Initially, the ball was worked around in to gaps and singles were taken with utmost calmness.At the other end though, Abhimanyu Mithun removed Rayudu with one that kicked brutally from a length, and Baroda were 63 runs behind now with only the long tail to accompany Pinal. After looking on as the pitch consumed Rayudu, Pinal could have gone into a shell, as did most of the others who poked from the crease to deliveries that kicked and jumped.Realising instead that it was time to abandon the waiting game, he started taking some chances, and attacked against the prodigious turn that the spinners were extracting. The slog-sweep was used to good effect as he swung the left-arm spin of Sunil Joshi and the part-time legspin of Verma over midwicket. To their credit, the tail hung around, facing close to 100 deliveries. To his credit, Pinal rode his luck after being dropped off Mithun early on, as a back-foot punch went over mid-off. He soon got to his half-century with a slog-swept six over midwicket off Verma. Fittingly, the shot also took Baroda past Karnataka’s first-innings score of 107.In the next over, a delivery took off from a length, though not as furiously as the one that got Rayudu. Pinal showed the advantage of playing late on the pitch, keeping it down with soft hands. As stumps neared, his confidence grew and he reverse-swept Joshi to the third-man boundary, knowing that he just needed to guide the ball on its way, considering the turn Joshi was getting. All along, he was on the lookout for singles. He almost ran himself out on one such occasion, rushing down from the non-striker’s end before being sent back. The throw from cover hit the stumps, but the third umpire ruled in Pinal’s favour after a long look.Next morning, he mostly swept again as Baroda added another 20 runs to push the lead close to the psychological mark of 50, a figure Sanath Kumar, the Karnataka coach, had admitted would be huge on this wicket. The sweep brought about his downfall in the end as he top-edged to square leg who had just moved in to the position. But by then, Pinal had put his team on top.Could Karnataka have tried anything different? After all, the track was the same for both the sides. “I think if Joshi could have changed the angle to over the wicket and pitched outside leg stump, it would have made it that much more difficult for Pinal to play the slog sweep or the sweep,” Narula said. “There would not have been much room for him to swing fully with the kind of turn on offer.” But it was the Baroda captain’s day, and in the second innings, the bowlers didn’t let his hard work down, and spun the team to its first Ranji final in nine years

New Zealand have done superbly to get this far in the World Cup, but can they conquer Sri Lanka’s spinners in Colombo?

S Rajesh28-Mar-2011Almost any way you look at it, Sri Lanka start off as huge favourites in their semi-final clash against New Zealand. They’ve been one of the form teams of this tournament, having lost only to Pakistan so far; they thrashed New Zealand by 112 runs in the group game only ten days ago; and they’re playing at home, in conditions which should be ideal for spin bowling.In contrast, New Zealand have little going in their favour. They’ve reached their sixth World Cup semi-final, but they’ve also lost each of their previous five, including one to Sri Lanka by 81 runs in 2007. The only aspect that perhaps works in their favour is the fact that Sri Lanka’s batting has relied heavily on Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, and in the last two World Cup matches between the two teams, they’ve both scored a hundred each – Jayawardene in Kingston and Sangakkara in Mumbai. New Zealand may feel they’re due a game when neither gets a big score, and then they might get a chance to exert pressure on the others – in the Mumbai game, Angelo Mathews was the only other batsman to make a double-digit score.The overall numbers, though, are strongly in Sri Lanka’s favour, especially recently: since 2000, they’ve lost only one of eight home games against New Zealand. New Zealand have won three out of eight in World Cups, but they’ve lost each of the last four, since the 2003 edition. And unlike New Zealand’s dismal semi-final record, Sri Lanka have won two out of three – the only one they lost was in 2003 to Australia.

The overall stats for the two teams against the other top sides in this tournament shows the gulf, especially in the batting line-ups: Sri Lanka average more than 43 runs per wicket compared to New Zealand’s 25.20. Sri Lanka’s top three are among the five highest run-getters in this tournament, and all of them have scored more than 350 runs at a 60-plus average.New Zealand’s highest run-getter is Ross Taylor with 288, but he is the only one to score more than 250 for them. The only aspect where New Zealand are well clear of Sri Lanka is in clearing the boundary – they’ve hit 34 sixes to Sri Lanka’s 12. In fact, Taylor alone has struck 14, which is more than what the entire Sri Lankan team has managed.

A key for both teams could be their opening batting. Sri Lanka and New Zealand have among the most successful opening combinations of the tournament. New Zealand’s big stands have come against the weaker teams, but Dilshan and Tharanga put together 231 against England, which was their second double-century stand of this World Cup, after the 282 they added against Zimbabwe. They’re the first opening pair to put together two double-century stands in the same World Cup, and with Sangakkara and Jayawardene to follow, Sri Lanka’s batting will again depend heavily on their top four. Apart from those four, none of the other Sri Lanka batsmen have managed 100 runs in the tournament so far.The spin test
One of the keys to the game will obviously be the way the two teams tackle spin. Sri Lanka are quite used to batting against spin and bowling a lot of it, but for New Zealand’s batsmen, especially, it could be a huge trial. In the tournament so far, they’ve averaged less than 4.50 runs per over against spin, which is much lower than the rate for Sri Lanka. Taylor has been exceptional against pace, averaging more than seven runs per over, but he has fallen to spinners three times, and his scoring rate against them is less than four runs per over. Only two out of his 14 sixes in the tournament have been scored off spinners.

Sri Lanka’s spinners too have been more incisive, with 26 wickets in the tournament compared to New Zealand’s 11. Muttiah Muralitharan is Sri Lanka’s leading wicket-taker with 13 at an average of 16.15 and an economy rate of 3.96, but New Zealand’s best spinner, Daniel Vettori, has struggled for wickets. In four innings he has only managed two, and while his economy rate is excellent – he has conceded 3.60 runs per over – he averages 59.50 runs per wicket. Nathan McCullum has done a fair job of bowling with the new ball and maintaining tight control – he has taken eight wickets at 26, and an economy rate of 4.72.