The top Associate team have big ambitions of playing five-day cricket, but without a clear pathway to the next level, their players are growing frustrated

Ger Siggins03-Jun-2013Ireland went into their first World Cup match in 2007 as an almost-unknown entity. They had played just one ODI against a Full Member and were seen as yet more Associate cannon fodder to bulk out the early rounds of a bloated competition. But that first fixture, against Zimbabwe, ended in a thrilling tie and 48 hours later a win over Pakistan propelled the Irish into the Super Eights and the game in the Emerald Isle to new heights of publicity and popularity.Wind the clock forwards six years and Ireland have again tied with a Full Member in a game which went to the last ball. But while Sabina Park saw unconfined joy and a lap of honour, the faces of the Irish team at Clontarf last week were downcast. “It feels like a defeat, to be honest”, said Kevin O’Brien, whose pyrotechnics with the bat almost brought victory against Pakistan. “We don’t go out to tie games, we go out to win them.”If Irish player expectations have soared, then so too have those of supporters and administrators. Since the 2007 World Cup, Ireland have abandoned English domestic cricket and become kingpin in the Associate world, losing only four games out of 42 in the past three years. This time ten years ago the team was meeting up every weekend for training ahead of a summer fixture list that included games against Duke of Norfolk’s XI, Hertfordshire, and Free Foresters. These days the home-based members of the squad are working full-time with Phil Simmons for a summer campaign in which they play against England, Pakistan, Australia A and possibly Bangladesh, while also playing crucial qualifiers for the 50- and 20-over World Cups, from which they expect to progress.With no more lands to conquer, Cricket Ireland has announced that it will apply for full membership of ICC, with ambitions for Test status by 2020. But without a clear pathway to the next level, full membership – and reluctance on the part of ICC to define, let alone create one after the premature elevation of Bangladesh – Irish players have grown frustrated. Careers are finite and the lure of Test cricket has proved irresistible for some.Ed Joyce’s departure predates Ireland’s glory years, but once he realised he was not going to be in England’s Test plans he returned to his native land. Eoin Morgan last turned out for Ireland in a World Cup qualifier in April 2009, and a year later made his Test debut against Bangladesh. Sixteen Tests, and two centuries, later he has slipped down England’s pecking order. While he is still a giant in the shorter formats, commentators say he is unlikely to figure in five-day games in the foreseeable future. A third Irish star, fast bowler Boyd Rankin, was persuaded to “declare” for England, and this week saw him called into the England one-day squad.Confronted with this brain and muscle drain – and UK media speculation about upcoming talents George Dockrell and Paul Stirling – Cricket Ireland realised it had to articulate its ambitions to stem this outward flow. Early last year it unveiled a strategic plan, Twenty-Twenty Vision, when chief executive Warren Deutrom announced, “Test cricket is the pinnacle of the sport and something to which we must aspire. As long as it is denied to Ireland we will continue to lose those players that seek that fulfilment. So we must share those same aspirations as they do. If Test cricket is first rate, then any other ambition is merely second rate. With our growing passion of the game and proven track record that would be nothing other than a dereliction of duty.”Our targets are ambitious. By 2015 we see nothing less than increasing our participation figures to 50,000 (from 15,000), to be the eighth best ODI men’s team (currently 11th) and seventh best ODI women’s team (currently 10th) in the world, to be recognised as the fourth major team sport in Ireland (ahead of rugby and hockey) and to establish a domestic first-class cricket structure.”

Part of this boom is due to rapid growth in the South Asian community. It may not be too long before one of “the New Irish”, as they are known, makes the breakthrough to the Ireland set-up

One year on, Deutrom pointed out that the plan was “more than just an iteration of objectives which added a few percentage points onto goals set in the previous four years. It was about a shift of focus and the setting of a vision – a light to guide and inform our actions all the way from 2012 to 2020. The vision is nothing less than striving towards being accepted into cricket’s most exclusive club – that of the Test nations.””We’re not that far from England, and Test cricket is buoyant there now, so I think it’s why we have been moving so quickly,” said national coach Simmons, the former West Indies allrounder. “I look forward to that day, and I look forward to it mainly because that’s the only way we are going to stop our players moving to England. You’ve given them something that a lot of players move to England for — to play Test cricket. Once we get to that stage, we’re going to keep our players and we are going to get stronger.”Wins over Pakistan, England and Bangladesh are all very well, but Irish cricket will need more than a successful national side to be allowed to make the final leap.Until this summer there was no bridge between club competition and the Ireland side, but that has been addressed with a new RSA inter-provincial series, in Twenty20, 50-over and three-day formats, between the Northern Knights, North-West Warriors and Leinster Lightning. The three unions, centred on Belfast, Derry and Dublin, are where the game is strongest but there are hopes that a Munster franchise, based in Cork, will be able to join a T20 league in the near future. The structure is set to blossom into a first-class competition when the standard is sufficient, perhaps as early as 2015, and on the evidence of the exciting inaugural fixture in the historic Dublin University ground, that won’t be long in being satisfied.Former Ireland seamer Nigel Jones is now a development officer in the Northern Union and plays with Northern Knights. “It’s crucial to have a pathway from club to international cricket”, he says. “There was talk of making this competition a developmental one, but it’s crucial to have it as best versus best. If young players want to play for Ireland they’ll first be tested against the best around. While the 20- and 50-over games are our bread and butter internationally, multi-day cricket is going to grow in importance, because that’s our ultimate goal.”Club cricket, too, is buoyant, helped by a clutch of government-funded development officers. From being essentially a middle-class game in the Republic two decades ago, it is now played in schools in all areas – the biggest growth area is in the sprawling western suburbs of the capital, where eight new clubs have sprung up since 2007. The sport has also made great strides into the countryside, where it all but died out after independence in 1922. Provincial towns such as Longford, Nenagh and Dundalk have new, thriving clubs and the big city sides have courted players from these outposts.Part of this boom is due to rapid growth in the South Asian community. It may not be too long before one of “the New Irish”, as they are known, makes the breakthrough to the Ireland set-up: recent under-age and development squads feature names such as Ali, Chopra, Uddin, and Singh.And while there was some sniping at the Boys of 2007, because three of its leading players were Australian and another was from South Africa, such jibes have been largely silenced. Of the 12 who played against Pakistan, only Trent Johnston has no Irish blood – but it would be a brave and foolish man that would accuse him of not being a passionate Irishman.Ed Joyce: To England and now back to Ireland•AFPThe conveyor belt of home-grown talent keeps trundling – albeit some of it out of Irish cricket. Already this summer 12 Irishmen have played first-class or List A cricket in England, and half a dozen others at various stages of their development have links with counties. Just around the time the ECB were emailing the media to trumpet their annexing of Rankin, 20-year-old Graeme McCarter (from the same Irish county) was dismissing Simon Katich first ball for Gloucestershire. If Ireland are to reach Test level, it is the likes of McCarter, Craig Young (Sussex), Stuart Thompson (Somerset) and Peter Chase (Durham) who will form the attack.Pakistan’s captain Misbah-ul-Haq was certainly impressed with the current players. Acknowledging that his side had been lucky to escape with a series win, he said: “I think [Ireland] are really an improved side. The way they are improving I think they can compete with any team, any Test playing nation now.” Asked if he thought Ireland were better than Bangladesh or Zimbabwe, he replied:”I think they are, especially their batting line-up is good enough. I think they might struggle a little bit in their bowling when they go out of Ireland, but still I think they are a really mature side.”Duetrom also believes his team are up to it, restating his ambitions this week. “We must show our players that we want to aspire to the pinnacle of the game,” he said. “We have been at the top of the tree in the Associate countries for five or six years now. We can’t afford to just be happy with that and continue on.”In September, England return to Dublin for the opening of the 11,500 capacity National Stadium in Malahide. The venue will tick another box on Irish cricket’s slow march to the top table. The game was first played in Dublin in 1730 – but then only in cricket can it take 300 years to to become an overnight success.

Angelo Mathews has an unconvincing Test record so far and the success of Dinesh Chandimal and other younger players is threatening to usurp him

Andrew Fidel Fernando at the Premadasa17-Mar-2013In an ODI at Lords in 2011, vice-captain Angelo Mathews joined Dinesh Chandimal at the crease with 17 runs needed for victory and 13 for Chandimal to make a memorable hundred in his sixth innings. His words to Chandimal changed the young batsman’s outlook and provided the period of play for which that match is remembered. “You go for your hundred, Chandi,” Mathews said. “I’ll hold one end up. We’ve got almost eight overs and I am confident I can finish this myself.” So with his side on the cusp of victory, Mathews blocked out 20 of his 21 balls, to allow his partner the runs to pass the milestone.Chandimal does not well remember the furious expression captain Tillakaratne Dilshan wore on the balcony as the young men pursued individual glory, and says not much was made of their hijinks after the win. Perhaps the seniors felt no harm was done and that as the batsmen matured, they would learn never to risk the team’s wellbeing. Mathews and Chandimal are captain and vice-captain now. Both men have grown as cricketers, but not at the same rate. Their innings on day two in Colombo makes that difference plain.For Mathews, his 16 from 38 was another of those frustratingly brief innings in which he had seemed to bed himself in, before a moment of misjudgement consumed him to leave a strong foundation unused. The slider to dismiss him from Sohag Gazi was a fine one, but you get good balls in Test cricket. The mark of a good batsman is to see those out. The 37 balls prior had given every indication that Mathews would help haul Sri Lanka into safety alongside Kumar Sangakkara, but as comfortable as he seemed, Sri Lanka fans have learnt not to make much of Mathews’ starts. At 25, he is quickly nearing on a career’s-full of wasted opportunities.His demise brought Chandimal to the crease with Sri Lanka at 69 for 4, teetering on the slope to a first-innings deficit. Like Mathews, Chandimal set about settling himself in – nervily to begin with, but eventually he pieced his defence together and made his judgement precise. Until a back-of-a-length ball from Rubel Hossain skidded beneath his bat to rattle off stump, the bowlers rarely scored a psychological victory against him. When he departed, Sri Lanka had passed the visitors’ total and were headed for a healthy lead of their own.

In 12 Test innings, Chandimal has crossed 50 six times. Mathews meanwhile, has only hit fifty 12 times in 53 attempts

Chandimal’s 102 was particularly encouraging for its composition. Like Mathews, he has in the past made a large percentage of his runs in fours, and as such neglected to rotate the strike effectively, like the more seasoned hands in the team are wont to do. At the Premadasa, he was denied his heavy reliance on boundaries by an outfield so lush, fielders in the deep were in danger of coming across wild Pokémon.So he retooled his approach, and batted as he rarely has at the top level, in any format. Gaps were mined thoughtfully, and the rapid swishes shelved. Chandimal might hit the fielder once or twice but he persisted with the shot and the strategy until it pulled in his favour. Soon he was working the field with as much ease as the great at the other end who has marked his return from a two-month injury layoff with three consecutive hundreds. Chandimal’s first, stuttering fifty came from 97 deliveries. His second, from an unfussy 72. He has played sparkling innings outside Asia but struggled vexingly at home. During his hundred, the sparse crowd at the Premadasa beheld a batsman improving mid-innings, before their eyes.”My first tour was the World Twenty20 in the West Indies and since then I played about a year and a half away from home. During that time I wasn’t able to train for Sri Lankan conditions as much,” Chandimal said of his lean stretch at home. “I was inexperienced then as well and didn’t quite understand things. Only recently have I had a chance to play a bit more in the subcontinent. There was a failing on my part as well, because I need to learn to adjust quickly, but now I’m training hard with Marvan Atapattu and I feel I’ve rectified that. I hope in the future I’m confident I can play well at home, so that the team can do well.”In 12 Test innings, Chandimal has crossed 50 six times. Two of those knocks came against South Africa on debut in Durban, where he helped a senior batsman hold the innings together in each dig. Sri Lanka’s biggest Test win in recent years was his reward. The other away half-century came in the New Year’s Test this year, when he batted alongside the tail in the second innings and remained unbeaten to give his side a small hope of victory, though it never came. Mathews meanwhile, has only hit fifty 12 times in 53 attempts – 23% of his innings, as opposed to Chandimal’s 50%. Mathews also bowls, unsuccessfully so far in Tests, but Chandimal has kept in five of his seven Tests, and performed his second skill almost as impressively as his first.As Lahiru Thirimanne also begins to grow in stature with the bat, Mathews is in danger of being leapfrogged by two younger, newer batsmen in the side. He was groomed for the captaincy for almost two years, and if he is to avoid being usurped by men whose education has come more swiftly, he must quickly begin amending an unconvincing record.

From truant schoolboy to junior Surrey member to member of the press corps

Steven Lynch24-Aug-2013Considering I spent a large portion of my adolescence there, it was a surprise to realise that I hadn’t actually been to The Oval for three or four years. The ground was sparkling for the final Ashes Test this year – at least until it started raining on the second morning, which spoiled things a bit.As a teenager I often thought The Oval was a better idea than school (I later discovered that if I wasn’t there, bets were taken in the staff room on whether I was at Lord’s or The Oval; unless it was Wimbledon fortnight, in which case the odds shifted).More recently I’ve been lucky enough to be closeted in the press box, which has been shunted around the ground a bit. After a long time on the fringes of the pavilion, there were spells in a Portakabin near Archbishop Tenison’s School, and a box on stilts opposite the pavilion. Now the media are housed in some splendour in the new OCS Stand, at the Vauxhall End – an area that has been transformed from the lunar landscape it was back in my schooldays.For a while, until recently, the press box was in the oddly flat-fronted Bedser Stand that sits next to the pavilion – the angles were all wrong in there, and the rake of the seat rows was too narrow: for a match in the 1999 World Cup I was allocated a seat from which I couldn’t actually see one blade of grass. Matters weren’t improved when my neighbour developed a prodigious nosebleed, possibly because of the altitude (it was on the fourth floor). And the lift was the slowest in the world. So you won’t catch me complaining about the new place.I never have liked the Bedser Stand much, though. It doesn’t seem to accommodate very many people, but my main objection is that it replaced a building which was a big part of my formative years: as a junior Surrey member, I wasn’t permitted in the pavilion on match days, but was allowed to roam free in the West Wing (no presidents in sight, only the occasional 100-year-old steward).Soon after I became a member at the age of 12, I sat in front of the pavilion, wondering if was reasonable to eat my tea-time sandwiches before the start of play (the lunch-time ones had somehow disappeared during the trip on the Northern Line tube), and was very politely ushered away by a kindly old gentleman who turned out to be Geoffrey Howard, Surrey’s urbane secretary.

I sat in front of the pavilion, wondering if was reasonable to eat my tea-time sandwiches before the start of play, and was very politely ushered away by a kindly old gentleman who turned out to be Geoffrey Howard, Surrey’s urbane secretary

By chance I saw the West Wing again the other day. I was watching a TV documentary about Basil D’Oliveira, and after his epic 158 in the 1968 Ashes Test the modest hero was interviewed outside the England dressing room, with a backdrop of what appeared to be a large shed roof. But us Surrey junior members knew better: it was the corrugated-iron roof of the pavilion’s West Wing, which protected anyone who sat at ground level from the ravages of the Kennington sun. The West Wing was, like most of the ground, a warren of interesting corridors, dead ends, oddly sited flights of stone stairs, and unbelievably antiquated toilets.Whenever rain stopped play – which was quite often – exploring the stand was the favoured option. I once found a door (no combination locks or security cameras in those days) that led to an opening under the seats themselves. The floor was encrusted with wrappings and newspapers and other rubbish, and I remember thinking even then that it wouldn’t be good if someone dropped a lighted cigarette down there.That is, of course, roughly what happened on the fateful day in 1985 at Bradford City’s Valley Parade football ground, when 56 people died in a fire that started under the main stand. Sports stadiums, including cricket ones, couldn’t carry on in the same old way after that, especially in the light of the later Taylor Report into ground safety.It wasn’t just The Oval that was ramshackle back then. Lord’s was a similar adventure playground, with swathes of corridors and inviting doors, although disappointingly, more of theirs were locked against the inquisitive schoolboy. The old Grand Stand, for example, had passageways in it that I wasn’t fully aware of even after working there for years: people in the boxes had to traipse for miles to find their lunches, in musty old rooms at the back, and in a masterpiece of 1920s design a lot of the seats – the most expensive in the house – were unsaleable, as the buttress in the middle, which housed the iconic old scoreboard, got in the way of the view, so if you were at the back you could see only half the playing area.A bird’s-eye view•AFPGoing back to The Oval pavilion, though, is an odd experience: for a start, most of the building has been jacked up by a storey or two, so the top is now level with the Bedser Stand. And the atmospheric bar behind the Long Room, which used to be presided over by a buxom woman whose opening gambit was invariably “I only do teas”, has been cut in half, but augmented by a balcony overlooking the back of the pavilion.Back in the day, we juniors were allowed in the pavilion on Sundays – I never understood this, as there were always more people than for your average Championship match – and again we made the most of it.A friend and I would turn up improbably early for a 2pm start, in order to bag a seat on the middle balcony, which comprised just one row of those canvas-backed S-shaped stacking chairs. I suspect it was actually committee-room territory, but no one (not even Mr Howard) ever chucked us out. From there you could see both dressing-room balconies, and a bit further behind was that familiar old corrugated-iron roof. When I go up there now I’m still transported back to the age of 15 or so. Unfortunately, the feeling doesn’t last!

A statistical analysis on Sunil Narine’s performance in ODIs, home and away, and how he has become West Indies’ leading ODI bowler

Shiva Jayaraman27-Jun-2013West Indies’ improved performances at home in ODIs, in the last year or so, has coincided with the emergence of Sunil Narine as their leading spinner in International cricket. By 2000, when the last of their feared breed of fast bowlers retired, and for much of the time since then, spinners were only in the West Indian squads to carry out the perfunctory role of the fifth bowler. Narine has changed all that. With 52 wickets from 31 matches, he has been their leading wicket-taker in ODIs since his debut in December 2011.Narine has won three Man-of-the-Match awards since then, with two against New Zealand, and one against Australia. He also won the Man-of-the-Series award for his bowling performance against New Zealand in the aforementioned series – the first ODI Man-of-the-Series award by a specialist West Indian spinner since Lance Gibbs won in the Prudential Trophy in England in 1973. Narine earned the award by taking 13 wickets against New Zealand. This is the most a West Indian spinner has ever taken in a bilateral ODI series.

Top-five West Indian bowlers since Narine’s debut

BowlerMatOversMdnsRunsWktsBBIAvgEconSR5 wktsSP Narine31289.5201,149525/2722.093.9633.41KAJ Roach20170.314918305/5630.605.3834.11DJ Bravo23151.34864276/4332.005.7033.61AD Russell21142.01818224/4537.185.7638.70DJG Sammy27170.15801203/2840.054.7051.00In home matches, Narine has provided the West Indies attack with much needed penetration. With Narine applying pressure at one end, the West Indian bowlers have been far more effective. In 13 ODI matches at home, their average, strike rate and economy have all improved significantly, as the table shows below.

West Indies at home since Narine’s debut and 5 years before

West IndiesMatOversMdnsRunsWktsBBIAvgEconSR5 WktSince Narine’s debut13225.514868415/2721.173.8433.015-yr (before debut)51621.2272,857784/3636.624.5947.70Narine’s performances against New Zealand in the bilateral ODI series at home was clearly his best. He captured 13 wickets at an average of 11.23 from five games against them. This included a five-wicket haul in the last game of the series at Basseterre. The first such haul by a West Indian spinner in almost ten years, and the best bowling returns by a West Indian spinner in ODIs.Narine’s contribution in the series against Australia was telling. West Indies managed to draw an ODI series at home against Australia for the first time since 1999. Narine’s four-wicket haul in the second game of the series helped his team beat Australia for the first time in eight matches at home.

Sunil Narine v teams, in the West Indies

OppositionMatOversMdnsRunsWktsBBIAvgEconSR5 wktNew Zealand550.04146135/2711.232.9223.01Australia547.52159114/2714.453.3226.00Zimbabwe330.0512453/2824.804.1336.00Statistically, Narine has clearly been the best spinner West Indies has produced. His average of 22.09 and economy of 3.96 are the best among West Indian spinners who have bowled at least 50 overs in ODIs. In home games, he is clearly ahead of the next best West Indian spinner in terms of bowling average. His average of 14.79 is much better than Jimmy Adams’ 20.15, which is the second best.Sunil Narine has also been the best spin bowler in ODIs, among all teams, in the West Indies. He has taken 29 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 14.79. His economy of 3.35 and strike rate of 26.4 are also the best among spinners who have played at least ten matches in the West Indies.However, Narine loses some of his incisiveness in alien conditions. His average and strike rate come down to 31.30 (14.79 at home) and 42.2 (26.4 at home), respectively. His record against Australia – who are the only team he has played both home and away – shows that his effectiveness as an attacking bowler is greatly reduced in away matches. His strike rate doubles when he plays Australia in Australia, while his average goes up to 34.4, as opposed to a brilliant 14.5 when playing at home. He has managed to keep the Australian batsmen in check, though, with an economy of 4.0.

Sunil Narine v Australia, in away and home matches

VenueMatWktsOversEconRuns concAvgSRAustralia5543.04.017234.451.6West Indies51147.53.315614.526.1That he has been less lethal bowling in Australia than at home, can be seen by his performance against Australian batsmen who have played him both home and away. Matthew Wade has found Narine difficult irrespective of the conditions, while Shane Watson and George Bailey have negotiated him better in Australia.

Narine v Australian batsmen, at home and away

In AustraliaIn West IndiesBatsmanRunsBFSRDisAvgRunsBFSRDisAvgGJ Bailey3838100.0138.00164139.00-SR Watson324178.00-173253.00-MS Wade81844.3318.0022010.030.66The West Indies tri-series will be the first time Narine bowls to Sri Lankan batsmen in ODIs, while his record against Indian batsmen, who are also featuring in the series, should give him confidence. He has taken five wickets against these Indian batsmen at an average of 17.4 and a strike rate of 26.8. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been dismissed by Narine twice in three matches.

Narine v batsmen in the current India squad

BatsmanInnsRunsBFSRDisAvgS Dhawan1242885.70-V Kohli3223073.3211.00RG Sharma3213560.0210.50KD Karthik191560.00-SK Raina266100.00-R Ashwin141625.014.00RA Jadeja11425.00-During this series, Narine will be bowling against some of the better players of spin bowling. Some notable performances will only enhance his reputation as a leading spinner in the ODIs, for the subcontinent batsmen will not be discouraged by the local pitches, which are similar to home. To Narine’s advantage, he will be playing in conditions he has produced his best in.

Plays of the day for the second day of the second Test between India and West Indies in Mumbai

N Hunter15-Nov-20130:00

Ajit Agarkar: A ‘glaring’ error from the umpire

The heartbreaker
Darren Sammy had promised he would break the hearts of Sachin Tendulkar’s fans at the beginning of this series. Today he honoured that word. For the second time in Mumbai, Sammy held onto a brilliant catch of Tendulkar on his home ground when the batsman was in sight of a century. During the 2011-12 tour, when Tendulkar was six runs short of his hundredth international century, Sammy took a blinder at the first slip off Ravi Rampaul. Today it was Narsingh Deonarine, who entered history books as the bowler who would get Tendulkar out for probably the last time in his career. As Tendulkar tried to cut Deonarine, the ball jumped on him and Sammy intercepted take a spectacular catch in front of his face, silencing the Wankhede for the second time.Darren Sammy silenced the Wankhede for the second time•BCCIThe mistake
Shane Shillingford was getting good bounce and getting the ball to fly off batsmen’s edges. In the previous over, he had been unlucky when Kieran Powell failed to latch onto a low chance to his right as the ball came to him at boot-lace height. Shillingford was disappointed and annoyed. In his following over he delivered a perfect off break that pitched on off. However the bounce off the pitch forced an edge off Cheteshwar Pujara’s bat which Powell at forward short leg dived forward to hold onto. Shillingford angrily thumped his foot a couple of times onto the ground and celebrated what he thought was a deserving wicket. Pujara did not move. Nigel Llong and the Richard Kettleborough, the on-field umpires, could not decide and passed the decision to the TV umpire Vineet Kulkarni. Replays from all angles clearly indicated Powell had got his fingers well under the ball. Kulkarni thought it was not conclusive. Pujara was 76 and ended up making his fifth Test century.The bunny
Tino Best 2. MS Dhoni 0. For the second time this series, the West Indies fast bowler got the better of the Indian captain with relative ease. Sammy made a smart move to bring Best on as soon as Dhoni walked in. In Kolkata it was the brilliant seam movement that had induced an edge off Dhoni. Best used the same trick to defeat his opponent. His first ball to Dhoni was on the off stump and moving away. Dhoni attempted to play at it, but was squared up. Next ball: similar length, on the fourth stump and again moving away. This time Dhoni went for the shot and the outside edge went straight to Sammy at second slip. As Dhoni walked swiftly back, Best kissed his collar and then started the pile driver with four punches to the ground with his right hand.The enquiry
Shannon Gabriel got his first wicket of the series when R Ashwin mistimed a pull and the top edge was gladly accepted by the bowler. As he rushed to his team-mates to celebrate the wicket, umpire Kettleborough signaled to the third umpire to check the no ball. Replays showed Gabriel’s foot was well inside the popping crease. When Sammy enquired of the umpires if it was necessary to go upstairs, Llong indicated that it was not possible for his partner to see clearly as he was blinded by the sun.The assumption
In the end Llong redeemed some pride for the umpires when he rightly asked Kulkarni to check whether Shillingford had bowled a no ball even as the West Indies celebrated the final Indian wicket of Rohit Sharma, whose slog was taken by Deonarine at deep midwicket. Even as Llong was talking to the third umpire, Sammy and the rest of the West Indies players were trudging back towards the dressing room. Someone had even knocked out the bails at the Pavilion End where Rohit was batting. When the verdict came, Kettleborough lodged the bails back as Rohit took fresh guard. The West Indies players returned to their positions with disbelief and frustration.

To this fan, Sachin Tendulkar is a kid who managed to extend his childhood beyond its definition

Rajan Thambehalli 13-Oct-2013As I sat in my drawing room, sipping some ginger honey tea, I heard a small beep. It was my phone and when I walked over to pick it up, I saw a notification which read .I quickly got on to my Twitter feed and checked for more details. I didn’t doubt the veracity of the message, my interest was more about the source. It was the BCCI who had made this announcement on behalf of Tendulkar.The articles started pouring in left, right and centre. All sorts of people put in their views that captured several themes – logical, cynical, critical, dramatic and statistical – but frankly, I didn’t want to reflect on Tendulkar’s decision to retire. I just kept reading one piece after the other.Every now and then, my mind went back to those laminated picture books I have of Tendulkar (3 to 4 rather big ones). They are still stacked in my room in India and remain my prized possession. My thoughts then drifted to the times I played cricket as a kid. What made me love this game to this day? Is it because the game by itself was so attractive or were there other factors influencing me to take it up?How old had I been? Six, no, five, maybe even younger when I picked up a bat or ball for the first time. Our house was a little way from the city centre and so I didn’t have the luxury of having too many friends. There were three others who were of my age and we started playing cricket on the streets; having a proper ground was unimaginable in those days. Notwithstanding the occasional tips from the elders, we were mostly left on our own to understand the game, a challenge which we relished.Around that time, the cricket world witnessed the birth of the Tendulkar phenomenon. He was young and so were we which brought about an instant connection, a bond which became stronger by the day. I started playing cricket everywhere – on the roads, inside the house and any place which was sufficient to enable my obsession. It didn’t take long for school to become the extra-curricular activity.Outside of my family, Tendulkar has been a constant throughout my life and now that connection is on its way to breaking. He gave me immense joy, and occasionally the source of my tears. He made me go mad. He frustrated and inspired me. He made me a thinker, made me a believer and even gave me the confidence to go after my dreamsWho is Tendulkar? God? No. Demi-god? No. Superhuman with magical powers? No. An ordinary human beingwith extreme talent. Not quite. To me he is a kid who managed to extend his childhood beyond its definition.I believe there is a kid inside every adult, but in Tendulkar’s case, it is the other way around. He is still a kid, and kids tend to move on to a new toy or next set of challenges when they are bored with the existing toy or the next one is more attractive. I believe Tendulkar has reached that phase in his childhood where playing cricket no longer gives him the fun it once did. He has made this call to move on with his life and let the adult in him take over from now on. If cricket was his favourite toy, he has played with it more than one could possibly imagine. He will pad up for his final two tests as an adult, fully aware that his childhood days are now over.My association with cricket started with Tendulkar and with his retirement, a big chunk of my childhood is lost. That void will be replaced by my memories of him as I move on with life, remembering the times when I did everything I could to just watch Tendulkar play.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line

Self-belief, presence and a feel for his players – Gary Kirsten on why Graeme Smith was a natural-born leader

As told to Nagraj Gollapudi07-Mar-2014Gary Kirsten played his final few Tests for South Africa under the leadership of 21-year-old Graeme Smith. In 2011 the pair reunited when Kirsten took over as South Africa’s coach, a post he held for two years. Here Kirsten talks about what made Smith the best captain he played under.Self-belief
The first things I noticed about Graeme was, he had the self-belief and courage at a very young age to want to do the job. I remember at the time Eric Simons was the South African coach and he was considering a new captain. The name Graeme Smith came up although he had been in the team for a very short time. And he was 21 years old. Eric asked him and Graeme said, absolutely, he would love to do it. So the self-belief to be able to do the job and also to have the confidence and courage to accept the responsibility I can never forget.Credibility
My last Test was against New Zealand in Wellington. It was the final Test of the three-match series and we were 1-0 down. At Basin Reserve, we went to stumps on the fourth evening at 82 for 3, chasing a target of 234. Graeme was batting on 46 and I was on 19. On the eve of that match Graeme had delivered a motivational speech with tears in his eyes. It struck me that we had a guy leading the team that players have to go out and play for. The way he spoke that day awakened me to the fact that here is a 22-year-old with limited captaincy experience at the highest level, and yet he could deliver a speech like that.The gist of the speech was to say: we are one down in the series against New Zealand. We need to deliver here. We need to deliver on the promises, deliver on our ability, our potential. The speech was less about content to me, and more about the authenticity of what he was saying. You could see it seeping through his bones, how he felt about it. For me that is the essence of leadership: if you are going to be believable and credible to your players, they have got to see you actually feel it more than they do. And I certainly saw that in him.I went out the next day and I played for Graeme Smith. That was the bottom line. I played my last Test specifically to respond to his call to his troops. That was for me an incredibly powerful acknowledgement of his natural-born leadership tendencies. That was what he was – a natural-born leader.Presence
The best thing about presence in leadership is, you can have credibility from your players. MS Dhoni has that presence. Graeme had the same. They don’t have to say much. Great leaders display this presence. They don’t have to stand up and shout and scream and say, this is the direction we are moving as a team. Just their presence, their body language, tells you where we are. With Graeme, the one thing he always had was he was a big guy. And because he was the in-your-face type guy, you knew he was ready for the battle. In addition he was a very good orator. Then he had the courage and determination to do the job.The frontman
He was the man who was always at the front of the row. And as an opening batsman we know how tough it is opening in Test match cricket, especially in South Africa, which potentially can present some of the toughest conditions for openers. It was an important example to set: that he was always the one accepting the highest pressure, and accepting the responsibility that came with it. So it was a comfort zone for players knowing that their leader was a guy accepting the pressure and the heat at the highest level.

“I played my last Test specifically to respond to Smith’s call to his troops”Gary Kirsten

There is no other job in cricket mentally tougher than opening the innings and doubling up as a captain. So for Graeme to end up with an average of above 48 and then to have the type or leadership success he did have is absolutely a massive achievement. You look at his record in the fourth innings and his ability to make important contributions. That gave the team a lot of confidence. It gives your team a lot of comfort to know that the captain is walking the talk.A feel for people
His man-management abilities were really strong. He had a great feel for where the players and his team were mentally. He had a feel for the energy of the team, where it was, and when he needed to provide inputs and when it was not needed. As a leader you’ve got to know firstly when to say something to an individual and then how to say it. So if there is a piece of information you want to give someone, you’ve got to know what is the right moment to do that. I used to watch Graeme walk around during training and watch him have one-on-one chats with a player. Without knowing the specifics I know the chat would have centred around giving the guy confidence, to know that his captain was backing him. The most important thing about man management is taking the time to do it. He cared about his players. He had instinct about when to chat to his players.The team’s sponge
He was very good with the media. He learnt how to deal and talk to the media. He knew what to do and how to do it. He fended off a lot of negativity that came via the media or he took it upon himself. He always tried to protect his team in that space – if there was anything that was levelled at the team or if the team was criticised, he was prepared to take that on. So in a true sense of the word he was a leader who was prepared to accept the responsibilities that came with the job.

After a solid first season, Suryakumar Yadav’s form fell away as he swung between the extremes of over-attacking or going into his shell. His 120 against Maharashtra suggests he might have found the middle ground

Amol Karhadkar at the Wankhede Stadium08-Jan-2014Flamboyant. That’s the best way to sum up Suryakumar Yadav’s batting style. So talented is the Mumbai middle-order batsman that he not only has all the shots in the book but can improvise at will too.However, talent without temperament leads to inconsistent performances. Suryakumar hasn’t been an exception to the rule. Over the last two domestic seasons he has time and again thrown away starts with mediocre shot selection. Whether it’s been against Vidarbha at Wankhede or Gujarat in Valsad, Suryakumar has gotten himself out more often than bowlers have.For a talent like Suryakumar, it was unfathomable that he hadn’t scored a first-class century since West Zone’s Duleep Trophy tie in Valsad in January 2012. Still, the Mumbai selectors and team management were backing him to the hilt, hoping he would translate his talent into performance, just as he had done in 2011-12, his first full season in the Ranji Trophy, which he finished as the tournament’s fourth-highest run-getter.Since then, it had been a slide for Suryakumar. Till Wednesday, that is, when he justified the faith shown in him by scoring a classy 120 to rescue Mumbai on the first day of their quarterfinal against Maharashtra.Suryakumar had no qualms in admitting he got “carried away” by the success he achieved in his opening season. “After the kind of first season I had, I got carried away a little bit and started playing too many shots at inopportune times,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I was kind of trying to manufacture shots, sometimes pre-determined, rather than playing the ball to its merit.”Experts believe players like Suryakumar sometimes fall into their own trap. “Those who have too many shots to choose from tend to falter in shot selection. Surya I think belongs to the category of players who tend to end up playing to the gallery rather than thinking about the situation of the game,” said former India coach Sudhir Naik. “Such players need to realise how and when they need to restrain their instincts. It’s purely up to how the individual manages himself.”Suryakumar stressed he has “now completely realised” his game after too much experimentation over the last two years. While going through a lean patch – 58 runs in four innings in 2012-13 followed by 376 at an average of 34 in 13 innings this season – Suryakumar first tried to break the shackles by “over-attacking”. Then, at the start of the season, he got stuck in a mindset of “trying to build the innings”. The middle ground seemed elusive.”But then I realised that for me to succeed, I had to back myself and play naturally,” Suryakumar said. “At the same time, I needed to keep myself in check.”Suryakumar needed to find a method to achieve this. “Sometime during the season, I started talking to myself, something that I never did earlier,” he said. “It helped me enjoy my game more and kept myself from drifting away.”Even during Wednesday’s knock, he had a lapse in concentration. Immediately after completing his fifty, he missed the ball after charging down the wicket to left-arm spinner Akshay Darekar but was reprieved by Maharashtra wicketkeeper Rohit Motwani. “I told myself then that I had to start afresh after the chance and it worked,” he said. “Earlier in the season, I would have perhaps decided to go into a kind of shell but today I just told myself to enjoy batting with Vinit (Indulkar) and go with the flow and it kind of worked.”

Also, lowest winning totals, two hat-tricks against the same team, and most number of not-outs in first-class cricket

Steven Lynch24-Jun-2014India beat Bangladesh after being bowled out for 105 – was that a record? asked Anshuman Naik from India

India broke their own record after being bowled out for 105 in Mirpur last week yet still winning. Back in March 1985, India were demolished for 125 in Sharjah – Imran Khan took 6 for 14 – but then skittled Pakistan for just 87. It was the first match of a four-nation competition, and India went on to beat Australia in the final in Sharjah a week later. There have been nine further instances of a team winning after being bowled out for less than 150 in the first innings of a one-day international.Was the aggregate in the Bangladesh-India match the lowest for any ODI? asked Arjun Singh from India

As you might perhaps expect from the previous answer, the 163 runs scored in total in last week’s match in Mirpur was easily a record low for any one-day international in which all 20 wickets fell: the previous-lowest was 203, in the match between Kenya (134) and Zimbabwe (69) in Harare in March 2006. The lowest run aggregate in any completed ODI came during the 2003 World Cup, when Sri Lanka (37 for 1 in 4.4 overs) beat Canada (36 all out in 18.4 overs) by nine wickets. For the full list of the lowest ODI match aggregates, click here.Was Mark Craig’s 67 at Port-of-Spain the highest Test score by a New Zealand No. 10? asked David Howe from Japan

Mark Craig’s valiant 67 in the second Test against West Indies in Port-of-Spain last week was actually the third-highest score by a New Zealand No. 10 in Tests. The highest of all remains John Bracewell’s 83 not out against Australia in Sydney in 1985-86, when he shared a last-wicket partnership of 124 with Stephen Boock (37). And Tim Southee, Mark Craig’s current team-mate, marked his Test debut, against England in Napier in 2007-08, by smashing 77 not out in just 40 balls, including nine sixes.Stuart Broad took his second Test hat-trick against Sri Lanka. How many other bowlers have done this? asked Trevor Badham

Stuart Broad’s hat-trick at Headingley made him the first England bowler to take two in Tests, following his similar effort against against India at Trent Bridge in 2011. Only three other bowlers have managed two hat-tricks in Tests. The old Australian offspinner Hugh Trumble took one against England in Melbourne in 1901-02, and two years later, also at the MCG, took another in his final Test, against England again. At Old Trafford in 1912, playing against South Africa in the Triangular Tournament, the Australian legspinner Jimmy Matthews uniquely took two hat-tricks in the same game – one in each innings. Many years later, Wasim Akram joined the list, with hat-tricks in successive Tests against Sri Lanka – in the qualifying round of the Asian Test Championship in Lahore in March 1999, and shortly afterwards in the final in Dhaka. Wasim also took two hat-tricks in one-day internationals.I heard that Kumar Sangakkara hit his seventh successive half-century at Headingley to equal the Test record – whose? asked Stanley Silva from Sri Lanka

Kumar Sangakkara’s twin fifties in the second Test at Headingley enabled him to equal the record, set by Everton Weekes of West Indies in 1948-49 – a run that included a record five successive centuries. Since then two other players also managed to pass 50 in seven successive Test innings: Andy Flower for Zimbabwe in 2000-01, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul of West Indies in 2006-07. Sangakkara’s run started in Bangladesh earlier this year, with 75 in the first Test in Dhaka, and 319 and 105 in the second in Chittagong; he then made 147 and 61 at Lord’s, and 79 and 55 at Headingley. Sangakkara already had the Sri Lankan record, with six in a row (including two double-centuries) in 2007; now he has a chance to break the overall mark in his next Test. For the full list, click here.I know that Courtney Walsh holds the Test record for not-outs (61). He was also unbeaten in first-class cricket 158 times – is that also the record? asked Allan Alexander from the United States

Courtney Walsh remained not out in 61 of his 185 Test innings, more than anyone else. There are four other batsmen (or, rather, bowlers) with more than a half-century of undefeated innings – Muttiah Muralitharan (56), Bob Willis (55), Chris Martin (52) and Glenn McGrath (51). Jimmy Anderson, with 48 so far, might join them soon, as might Shivnarine Chanderpaul (46). Walsh’s 158 not-outs in first-class cricket, however, leaves him well down a list dominated by English county players. Top of the pile is the old Yorkshire wicketkeeper David Hunter, who was undefeated in 351 of his 721 innings – that’s an impressive 48% asterisk record – between 1888 and 1909. Jack Hearne of Middlesex recorded 318 not-outs, Eric Hollies 282 and Norman Gifford 263.

Eoin Morgan will be in England mode next week with the start of the series against Sri Lanka, but first his focus is on helping Middlesex make a double-quick start to the NatWest T20 Blast

Tim Wigmore15-May-20141:29

Captain Morgan looking forward to double-header

The refrain that England’s stars have become disconnected from the county game is a familiar one. The start of the season has been a welcome exception and, before England return to the international treadmill, their stars will help to launch the NatWest T20 Blast.And in the shortest format no current England player rivals Eoin Morgan for star quality. He will lead Middlesex when their T20 season begins against Essex at Lord’s on Saturday – and then do the same against Sussex a few hours later. It is the first such double header in county history. “Saturday for us is going to be quite a huge event – not only for ourselves but for English cricket,” Morgan said. “I know Middlesex are having a huge push.”The challenge of back-to-back games will be an unusual one, including quickly moving onto the next contest whatever the result of the first. “Going into the second game, we’ll already have had a chance to have a bat and a bowl. But does that equalise the fact that we might be a little bit tired? We don’t know.”But while Middlesex’s T20 campaigns will begin rapidly, the tournament is a slow-burning affair: finals day takes place exactly 100 days after the matches begin. “The idea of the format this year is to get more bums on seats throughout the whole summer, as opposed to it being sporadic,” Morgan said.Other T20 leagues take a very different approach, being completed in a much tighter block and which has left others, including England, playing catch-up. “You could say that the IPL and Big Bash have taken the initiative and sort of raced ahead of most other countries in franchise cricket and they’ve reaped the rewards for it.”This year, though, the IPL is far from Morgan’s mind: it is the first time he has begun the county season in England since 2009. And his county have given him the responsibility of captaining, when England commitments allow, in all limited-overs cricket.The development feels significant, with uncertainty over the captaincy of the national side in both limited-overs formats – and a shortage of viable successors to Alastair Cook in Tests. Morgan’s initial forays into captaincy have been marked by serenity and unusual tactical imagination, perhaps reflecting that he is an essentially self-taught cricketer. Few would argue with Morgan’s assessment of his own captaincy: “calm” and capable of “making good decisions under pressure”.With Stuart Broad injured, Morgan will be able to showcase those attributes in the T20 international against Sri Lanka next week having previously led England five times. “The opportunity to captain the side is one that I’m looking forward to.”The expectation is that Morgan could imminently succeed Broad on a permanent basis, whose role is in doubt after disappointing performances in the World T20 tournaments. Morgan says only that “it’ll be something that I think of” if offered, while, tellingly, admitting that he “was interested” in the job when Paul Collingwood’s reign ended three years ago.”It’s something that I’ve enjoyed because I’ve had something to offer,” Morgan said, speaking like the unusually self-assured 27-year-old that is. “Guys like Ben Stokes who have come in – I was captain when he debuted and then to watch him come through and play in the Ashes series from afar was awesome to see. You take great pride in awarding someone that – although you only play a minor part you’re still involved in it.”For all the bluster about England’s “new era”, uncertainty provides the backdrop for the international summer ahead. Mushtaq Ahmed and Graham Gooch have already lost their jobs, and the make-up of the new set-up is in flux. “We still haven’t got exact clarity on what’s going on or who’s doing what,” Morgan admitted. “The sooner that happens the better, and the calmer and the quicker things can move on.”

David Warner is your typical example – he started in T20, got into the one-day side and the broke into the Test team. And the shots he was playing in the Test matches were unbelievable

In limited-overs cricket, Morgan’s blend of calculation and panache make him immune from selectorial uncertainty. But in Tests the picture is rather more complicated. It is clear England have him in mind – Morgan would not have withdrawn from this year’s IPL otherwise – and a century against Lancashire was “timely”.Whether that is enough to merit inclusion against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on June 12 is a thorny question. Based strictly on first-class pedigree – Morgan averages under 35, and his previous first-class hundred came in August 2011 – he should not even be under consideration. Yet the notion of Morgan replicating his limited-overs brilliance in Tests evidently retains an allure for the selectors.It has been 830 days since Morgan last played Test cricket. His 16 Tests, thus far, did not end happily: he mustered only 82 runs in six innings against Pakistan in the UAE before beginning ignominiously dumped. “It’s professional sport – you’re out of form or you’re not performing you get dropped.” With a middling career average of 30, Morgan did not have enough credit to fall back onto with the selectors: “I don’t think it was harsh, looking back on it.””If I played the series again I might have played a little bit differently. I could have been a lot smarter about how I played,” he said. “Since I’ve played my last Test I’m a better cricketer for the fact that I’ve played more games and I’ve made more mistakes.” He evidently believes that class transfers between formats, suggesting that Ian Bell could replicate Mahela Jayawardene’s success in the shortest format if he returns to England’s T20 side.But it is an Australian that Morgan cites to show that cricketers can thrive in Test matches despite games that seem more suited to the short formats. “David Warner is your typical example – he started in T20, got into the one-day side and then broke into the Test team. And the shots he was playing in the Test matches were unbelievable.”If Morgan is able to imitate Warner’s success dovetailing the demands of the three formats of the game, it will leave Ireland lamenting once more that they could have retained his talents. In theory, the ICC’s new Test Challenge should help prevent a future Morgan from making the same decision. The reality, with a lack of scheduling space for any new Test nation, may be rather different. “Given the aspirations that I had as a kid, I’d probably still make the move.”Eoin Morgan was speaking at the launch of Yorkshire Tea National Cricket Week. On 2-6 June thousands of Chance to Shine schools all over the country will enjoy a week of cricket-themed activities in the classroom and playground. Visit www.chancetoshine.org to find out more.