All posts by h716a5.icu

The South Africa allrounder was playing golf when he missed a call from Andrew Hudson asking him to join the squad in England. A big responsibility as opening bowler is likely, given the team’s injury crisis

Firdose Moonda at Edgbaston09-Jun-2013Chris Morris arrived in England for the Champions Trophy “with nothing.” The allrounder left his entire IPL kit in the Chennai Super Kings dressing room, including his bowling spikes because he was set to get a new pair from a different sponsor mid-month. He didn’t expect to need them before then.His only plan for June was to enjoy weekends away and down time after seven gruelling weeks at the IPL. Not a chance. Morris managed ten peaceful days at home before he was summoned to travel to the UK via Frankfurt sans cricket shoes to join up with the South African squad. He spent his first few hours in Birmingham sorting out a new pair.”I don’t wear my shoes very hard so any kind will do. I’ve just got to cut a hole in the front and then I’m good to go,” Morris told ESPNcricinfo when he took a breather from South Africa’s Saturday morning training session at Edgbaston. He had only joined the squad that morning but had already “had a bit of a bowl just to see how I go,” despite feeling, “quite tired.”Being in dreamland suits Morris fine for now especially as an ODI debut is around the next sunrise. “It all still feels quite surreal. I can’t quite believe I’m here but I’m really looking forward to it. I keep saying that to everyone but it’s true. I’m just really looking forward to playing.”

He lost his passport a few days before the IPL and had to get an emergency document to travel to India. His new permanent passport only just arrived in time to get vetted by the British border authorities. In a small moment of panic, Morris wasn’t sure he had the right one as he raced to the airport

Morris has played two Twenty20s for South Africa and has been drafted into their A side for matches against Australia A and India A later in the winter. After an impressive IPL showing for Super Kings he jumped to the front of the queue as far as South Africa’s next cap was concerned. But he did not expect to get it so soon.When Morne Morkel left the field injured against India in South Africa’s Champions Trophy opener, Morris was playing a round of golf. His father, Willie, a former provincial player himself, was watching the game on television and immediately rang his son. “He told me what happened and said maybe I should get myself ready,” Morris said. “But I told him to calm down and that we should just take it easy and see what happens.”At the 19th hole that evening, Morris left his mobile phone on a charger and was chatting to friends when he had a sudden urge to check it. There was a missed call from Andrew Hudson, South Africa’s convenor of selectors. Returning it confirmed what Willie suspected.”There’s been a few injuries for South Africa in the lead-up and I got a lot of messages from people asking if I thought I’d make the squad when Jacques Kallis pulled out and Graeme Smith got injured. But this time it was just manic,” he said. “I had to sort out everything in such a hurry that I didn’t even have time to look at them all and reply.”Morris had to pack his bags and get to Johannesburg from Potchefstroom in a hurry but distance wasn’t the only logistical issue. The process for South African citizens to get a UK visa involves filling out a War-and-Peace-sized-form containing personal details dating back to ones grandparents and a wait of at least five days. Even coach Gary Kirsten was surprised Morris arrived so quickly.Luckily, Morris was among those reserves who had been instructed by CSA to get a visa beforehand but there was a twist in his tale. He lost his passport a few days before the IPL and had to get an emergency document to travel to India. His new permanent passport only just arrived in time to get vetted by the British border authorities. In a small moment of panic, Morris wasn’t sure he had the right one as he raced to the airport.Once there he had some time for reflection and it dawned on him that he was about to become and international one-day player. In an ideal world, Kirsten admitted he would not want Morris to play in what is effectively a must-win game having only arrived in the country two days before the match but injuries have left him with no choice.Morris will probably play and he may even open the bowling if Steyn does not recover in time. Kirsten will take comfort in knowing that Morris has “played competitively in the last two weeks,” but does not want to put undue pressure on him to be South Africa’s saviour. Still, Morris knows many of his countrymen will see him that way and it’s a thought that would make anyone nervous. “I have butterflies the size of Quinny in my tummy,” he said, referring to his diminutive team-mate, wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.But he is also ready for the big occasion and he puts that confidence down to the responsibility that was thrust on him in at the IPL. “I was putting the other day and I wasn’t far from the hole and one of my mates said ‘No pressure,’ and I just looked at him and replied, ‘No man, this is not pressure, not from where I’ve just come from,” Morris remembered. “So I’m just looking forward to it.”

The tour match at Hove wasn’t enough to identify a definitive Australia XI for Old Trafford. A few individual performances stood out, as did the catching, which was dreadful

Brydon Coverdale in Hove29-Jul-2013As pleasant as Australia’s seaside diversion was after the gloom of the Lord’s Test, the three-day match in Hove provided few clear answers to their many selection questions. Guessing at the XI who will take the field at Old Trafford later this week requires a Kiplingesque amount of “ifs” and just as many “buts”. Definitive? The only definitive observation to come out of the past few days has been that the team’s catching has been dreadful.It is not that nobody performed with bat or ball – Steven Smith scored an unbeaten hundred, Ed Cowan and Phillip Hughes both made fifties, Jackson Bird challenged the Sussex batsmen – but that none of it means very much. How much stock could the Australians really take from a three-day friendly against a weakened county side on a bouncy surface that won’t resemble that at Old Trafford, with a laughably short boundary on one side?That the squad has been split across cities – and even continents, for David Warner has been in Africa – has not helped clarify matters. The team management decided that the openers, Shane Watson and Chris Rogers, would gain more from working in the nets at Lord’s under the guidance of batting coach Michael di Venuto and fielding coach Steve Rixon than they would from playing Sussex. Peter Siddle was with them.Warner will rejoin the squad in Manchester on Monday, having just mauled South Africa A for 193 in Pretoria. How do the selectors gauge his performance? It was on a small ground in a game where Glenn Maxwell also thumped a quick 155 not out and South Africa’s Dean Elgar made a career-best 268. On the other hand, Warner was facing Kyle Abbott and Marchant de Lange, two wonderful young fast bowlers who have already thrived in Test cricket.If Warner plays, where does he bat? And who misses out? Rogers and Watson seem certain to remain at the top of the order, which would mean one of Usman Khawaja, Hughes or Smith would have to make way for Warner. Smith scored an unbeaten 102 against Sussex, but is that enough to make him safe? Khawaja showed encouraging signs at No.3 at Lord’s, but did little in the tour match.Hughes tallied 122 across both innings in Hove and is Australia’s leading run scorer on the tour, with 436 at 62.28. He made an invaluable 81 not out in the first innings at Trent Bridge, but since then has had three Test failures. Perhaps most importantly, he struggled against Graeme Swann’s spin, and if the conditions at Old Trafford are as dry as expected and England include two spinners, he might be the man to miss out.But what would such conditions mean for the attack? One spot is vacant due to James Pattinson’s series-ending injury, but will it naturally go to a fast bowler? Or would the selectors consider using Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar as a dual spin attack? Neither man had much impact against Sussex and while it is true that the conditions were better for the fast men, Monty Panesar managed to claim three wickets.Lyon struggled in his first spell and seemed low on confidence, but he did improve as the match wore on. He found some dip and drop, and tempted the batsmen at times. His one wicket could have been two, had Agar held on to a skied chance from Taylor. Agar, meanwhile bowled better early and picked up a few edges, but was outbowled by Lyon as the match progressed. His lack of wickets in the first two Tests cannot be ignored.Including two spinners might be risky, but can Australia really afford to keep overlooking Lyon, who has claimed 76 wickets in his 22 Tests? There must be a temptation to push for Bird, given the way he swung the ball against Sussex and hit naggingly accurate lines. But how relevant will his form be if they arrive in Manchester to see a dusty surface and a fine weather forecast?They cannot forget The Oval Test of 2009, when Nathan Hauritz was overlooked on a dry pitch and Stuart Clark struggled in conditions that did not suit him. There is more than a little bit of Clark in Bird, and likely more than a little bit of The Oval surface in the Old Trafford wicket the teams will encounter. Bird might have edged Starc out of contention, but who could really say for certain?The only thing that is certain is that some remedial fielding drills are in order after the Australians put down roughly half a dozen chances against Sussex. And if they do that against England in Manchester, it won’t much matter who the selectors have picked.

The Ireland captain’s tour diary during the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE

William Porterfield30-Nov-2013After four days without a game it was really nice to get back into action against UAE. We had two days off at the beginning of the week to refresh and recharge the batteries before getting back into training before the semi-final. The two days off were very welcome as this hasn’t always been a luxury that has been there in other qualifying tournaments.Last year, we had to play 11 games in 12 days to win the tournament. This was largely down to us narrowly losing the first game of the tournament and missing out on first place in our group. Although I think that this may have worked in our favour last year, as we gained momentum through the three play-offs we had to play to make the final, I think that the days off to recharge are better for us. The tournament has not been as hectic for us this year.It is safe to say that our experience on one of our days off was a first for most, if not all, on tour. A film company called Biz-Events came in and gave us the challenge of producing a short commercial for two of the sponsors of Cricket Ireland, which had to be in the theme of a pre-selected film. The film that we had was . It is safe to say that when you have Max Sorensen in your team, with his body of doom, there is only one contender to play Maximus Decimus Meridius!For our production, we did pick up an Oscar at the team awards night, which we where pleased about. However, Team Tuggeries cleaned up with the individual awards with more than one of them slotting into their roles in the film a little too easily for my liking – Brendan Connor, our strength and conditioning coach, to name one! The fact that their production had to be edited for the awards night, as there were ladies present, can paint you a picture as to the explicit route they went down. Let’s just say we had a good laugh at the next team meeting.Back to the cricket though and I thought that we put in a solid performance against UAE, without being at our best. It was disappointing to come out of the first six overs having lost three wickets but, on a positive note for us, that did give our lower-middle order some time in the middle, which could prove vital in the final. The most positive thing to come out of last night is that I thought that our bowling performance was the best we have put together in the tournament so far. It is left to us now to put both together as we have been playing well with the bat throughout the tournament.We have developed a very healthy rivalry with our opponents, Afghanistan. This is the third time we have met in in the final of this competition and they have been very closely contested affairs and I expect tonight to be more of the same.

Neither Graeme Smith or Michael Clarke have been flush with runs in the Test series, but have had a fair bit to say about each other’s teams

Firdose Moonda26-Feb-2014Unlike the two teams they lead, Graeme Smith and Michael Clarke have been doing their talking the way us normal folks do: with their mouths. Both leaders are short on form – with 37 runs for Smith and 60 for Clarke across four innings each – so they have to assert their authority by taking gentle at jabs at each other while leaving the rest of their XI to do the real roughing up.”There’s always a game being played within a game,” Smith admitted after the second Test in Port Elizabeth. On that occasion it was a game Smith had won, despite Clarke hinting the South African captain was too conservative in his tactics.When Clarke was asked when he thought the Australians would find themselves chasing, given the gloomy forecast for the fifth day and South Africa needing a victory to keep the series alive, the glint in his eye twinkled with mischief. “I’d have had five overs tonight,” he said, to a room that swelled with laughter. Really? Of course not.Then again, maybe he was not simply taking a dig. Clarke proved his penchant for not batting on regardless when he declared after 3.2 overs on the fourth morning at Centurion Park, with only two runs added to the Australian total. With a lead of 481 and having seen “enough in the pitch,” to know the variable bounce would give South Africa no chance, Clarke sent Smith’s team in and victory was promptly wrapped up in the final session.Smith prefers to err on the side of caution. South Africa’s overnight lead in Port Elizabeth after three days was 369. Most thought it was already enough, especially with the time left in the match because of the looming rain and the brittle Australian top order. Smith did not. He kept Hashim Amla at the crease for 90 minutes the following morning, until the advantage swelled to 447. Morne Morkel had predicted the evening before that 450 was the “magical number.”That gave South Africa just over five sessions to bowl Australia out but, with play looking likely to be washed out on the final day, it meant a likely two and a bit sessions. South Africa used every last minute of those, including the extra half hour awarded by the umpires, but managed to finish the match in time. In the end, they need not have worried. The rain only arrived at lunch time in Port Elizabeth on the scheduled final day so South Africa had the time they needed and Smith did not need five overs late on the third evening to win.As it turned out, Smith said he always knew that. “The disappointing thing is that a lot of you fell for it,” he joked, to the media. “The truth is that as a captain, you know what you want to do and how to get the best out of your guys.”That much is true for both. Clarke knows how to use Mitchell Johnson in short bursts and how to set fields the photographers can have fun snapping. The four short-midwickets he had for AB de Villiers was one example, and he only reduced them to three when de Villiers made a mockery of it and hit Peter Siddle for six over all of them. Smith has become astute in managing his bowlers, especially Dale Steyn, and coped well without the fourth seamer in Port Elizabeth. He also experimented with fielders, using close catchers at short cover more than in recent times.”Graeme has learnt a lot from when he first started and you can see he is more adventurous with field placings,” Peter Kirsten, the former South Africa batsman, told ESPNcricinfo. “On a slow wicket we saw him use two short covers, two short mid-wickets and that kind of thing.”One of those short covers was in place when Clarke drove loosely in the first innings in Port Elizabeth. That shot got him into trouble in the second innings, too, and extended his run of innings without passing 25 to 11. Smith is in an equally barren stretch, with four scores under 15 and seven innings since his last half-century. Clarke has set Johnson on him with success in three of the four innings in this series so far.Smith may regard the left-armers hold over him as nothing more than “bull dot dot dot”, which is also what he called a lot of Australia’s big-talk before the series. Some of that included Peter Siddle saying Australia would target South Africa from the top-down, by going after the leader first. Australia have remained true to that promise and, perhaps subconsciously, have influenced South Africa to do the same thing to Clarke.Overall, Kirsten said it seems the captains have the measure of each other in just about every way. “They’re both strong personalities and have good strength of character. When you do as well as they’ve both done as leaders, it gives you a lot of confidence,” Kirsten said. “It’s all a bit of cat and mouse now but it’s good to have some Jose Mourinho-style talk around cricket.”Which one of Smith or Clarke is really the special one may be decided after the Newlands Test.

Graeme Smith has plenty of memories of facing Mitchell Johnson. Some are good. Some are painful. In their first head-to-head of this series the fast bowler came out on top in double quick time

Jarrod Kimber at Centurion Park13-Feb-2014February, 2014The ball punches the pitch, and cracks into Graeme Smith who seems to react only as the ball leaves him. It loops up slowly and the crowd make noise accordingly. It is just off the pad. Not out. It is the first ball Smith faces from Mitchell Johnson.____________There is not much time to think between the ball leaving Johnson’s hand and the batsman having to deal with it. It is like a camera flash, or a political back-flip.You can have a plan, you can think it through, but the ball just comes out of his hand and you react. There are some batsmen who revel in that. See ball, hit ball.Not enough time for clear rational thought. There is not enough time to think about past deliveries, or history, it just happens.January, 2009A full ball that that should never have damaged anyone, but spat up and took the left massive hand of Smith. His hand disappeared like he had been zapped by a ray gun. For a second Smith was lost, the pain confused him, he was walking around in a circle towards point. And only then did he eventually find the culprit, which had gone off to fine leg to allow him to get off strike. But the damage was done, and he would only come back into to bat at No. 11, with a broken hand.____________There is a bowling machine that players have used to try and learn the mystery and tricks of certain players, the Pro Batter. You can face Morne Morkel, Lasith Malinga or even Mitchell Johnson.But you can’t program it with superhuman confidence. You can’t give it artificial menace. And you can’t play against it like it is a real force of nature. It is a computer game with real elements. Nothing more. All you can do is try and pick up a few tricks that you hope the next time you play will come in handy.South Africa have used the Pro Batter, they have also faced Johnson at his old best. They should know how to play him. Smith has faced him more than most. They have survived him at the WACA, after he took 8 for 61, they milked him on their chase beyond 400 to win, they have played him ten times. They know him.Well, they knew the old him. This new one is relentless and brutal, like a zombie girl group, or a current affairs reporter. This Mitchell is worse and better than anything that can be made with CGI or the old model.Graeme Smith could only fend a Mitchell Johnson short ball to the slips – at least his hand remained intact•Getty ImagesMarch, 2009Off the ground, looking at point, one hand off the bat, the right hand protecting his throat and being smashed into the bat handle. That is how Smith found himself as he just tried to survive a delivery. The ball did not take his wicket, he did end up in hospital.____________Smith is respected all over the world. He has scored almost 10,000 Test runs. He has done that at almost an average of 50. He has 27 Test centuries. He is the captain and leader of the world’s best Test team.Smith is South Africa’s top order monolith. Strong, calm and reliable. The young warrior who took over the side and pushed them higher than they had ever been. All with a bottom handed technique that makes even his best shots look like a solid uppercut.His place in the world of cricket is safe and secure, and he could retire tomorrow and be remembered for decades.In nine Tests he has been dismissed by Johnson five times and sent to hospital twice. Today Johnson tried to do both in one ball.February, 2014The ball leaves the pitch with a mission to break the jaw or eye socket of Smith. There is no time. There is nowhere to hide. There is no way out. Smith can ever be hit in the face, or try and play the ball. His body is doing in one direction, his face another. His bat is jerking upwards not like a cricket shot, but like he is fending off a surprise Pterodactyl attack. The ball hits the bat, more by pure chance than design. The ball flies high, and all of the slips, (there are a few, but it seems like hundreds), arch their necks up at once, and watch it float behind them. Shaun Marsh chases, and chases, while the batsmen easily cross, and at the last minute he reaches the ball to barely take the catch.____________Graeme Smith faced two balls from Mitchell Johnson today.

Dancing West Indians, impressive Associates, the mandatory Steyn special, power cuts and a good dose of dew, the World T20 featured all this and more

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Apr-2014The Associates are coming
Netherlands, Nepal, Ireland, Hong Kong. All delivered memorable performances in this expanded World T20, the opening round adding exotic new flavours to cricket’s rather narrow palate. Hong Kong’s defeat of the hosts provided the biggest early upset, while Netherlands’ outrageous win over Ireland gave them a place in the record books. As the only Associate to progress, Netherlands further enhanced their status with a one-sided thumping of England. All this without mentioning Afghanistan, considered among the most dangerous second-tier sides. T20 will doubtless encourage more such rabble-rousing.Steyn’s last stand
We are quite used to last-over finishes, often when a batsman will club a couple of decisive blows to deliver the expected coup de grace. Alternatively, the bowler will have 15-20 runs to play with and leeway to concede a few boundaries and still come out trumps. Rarely does anyone do what Dale Steyn did against New Zealand. With seven runs to defend, he took two wickets, bowled two dot balls and effected a run-out; the only scoring shot was a four. Steyn’s performance was the acme but, in Sri Lanka’s win over South Africa and Pakistan’s against Australia, death bowlers kept their teams alive.What’s up Chandimal’s sleeve?
As a young captain, Dinesh Chandimal is still learning his way on and off the field. One of the features of his press conferences was a familiar reference to Sri Lanka having “something up our sleeve”. What did he mean? Another mystery spinner, a cunning tactical ploy, something fresh from the unorthodox box? Whatever he was referring to, he certainly pulled out a surprise by dropping himself from the semi-final and final.All hail Hales
England’s World T20 managed to be both better and worse than most expected it would be. That they struggled in the conditions and failed to reach the semi-finals was not much of a shock. Defeat to Netherlands in their final group game then sent them home with solar-red faces. Their winter was an adventure in blunderland but some solace was to be found in beating Sri Lanka, thanks to Alex Hales’ dazzling hundred – the first in T20s by an England batsman. Hales was ranked No. 1 in the format until recently but still qualified for description as “an unknown England player” in one Indian newspaper ahead of the IPL auction. A flurry of cuts, pulls and slogs on the global stage to help England to their highest successful chase should mean he is easily identifiable from now on.Lost in statistics
Numbers have a powerful hold on cricket’s psyche but in these days of data-driven decision making their influence can become overbearing. In their TV coverage, Star Sports would flash up statistics such as “Pakistan win 100% of games when Ahmed Shehzad scores more than 40” (something he has done six times), while Faf du Plessis’ repeated mantra when asked why AB de Villiers didn’t bat at No. 3 was that the stats suggested he played best coming in after ten overs. During the warm-up games, meanwhile, Eoin Morgan claimed that “82% of games are won by the side who hit the most fours”. We are in danger of getting into “60% of the time it works all the time” territory here.Women’s runners-up England went through the tournament without hitting a six•Getty ImagesNo six, please, we’re English
Imagine a T20 tournament where one of the finalists didn’t hit a six. It happened in Bangladesh. Even though the boundary ropes come in by a few yards for women’s games, England went through the entire Women’s World T20 without clearing them once. Speaking before the final, Charlotte Edwards said power hitting may be something the team works on when they become full-time professionals but, for now, their lissom, dexterous strokeplay remains a joy to behold. Although, a couple of maximums might have helped against Australia.New spin required
The tactic of opening with a spinner hasn’t been fresh since Dipak Patel did it regularly for New Zealand at the 1992 World Cup but it can still be effective, as shown by Samuel Badree’s stellar tournament. Picking a non-specialist to do it is T20’s innovation on the subject, but just because this seems a bit out-of-the-box doesn’t mean it is always a good idea. England stuck rigidly to giving Moeen Ali the first over, with progressively worse returns, while JP Duminy’s effort in the semi-final between South Africa and India got the opposition off to a flier. New strategies are in order.– By Alan GardnerCarrom’s the game for Ashwin
R Ashwin took the carrom ball to another level in this tournament. The delivery that spun like a legbreak past Hashim Amla’s attempted flick in the semi-final may or may not be the Carrom Ball of the Century, but Ashwin tossed it up and regularly turned it big from outside leg stump, and bowled some pretty capable batsmen such as Glenn Maxwell and Faf du Plessis.Party like the West Indies
They may not have defended the title they won in Colombo but Darren Sammy’s men won over the Mirpur crowd with their spontaneous, vigorous celebrations targeted at the Australians. James Faulkner’s comments leading into the game had sparked plenty of needle, and West Indies dearly wanted to come out on top in this one. And when they did in a tense chase, there was no holding back, Chris Gayle leading a rather aggressive version of the Gangnam and whatever he could think of at that moment. Gayle brought out a more muted Gangnam when West Indies beat Pakistan to make the semi-finals, Sammy putting that down to the friendliness between the two sides.Dhaka’s not coming for the women
The Sylhetis came out in their thousands to watch the women’s games, but the residents of the capital of the country, with arguably the most wildly passionate following for cricket, could not summon enough interest to watch the women play their knockouts hours ahead of the men. Near-empty stands greeted England, Australia, West Indies and South Africa in their semi-finals. About a couple of hundred more turned up for the final between the Ashes rivals.Hail had the final say in the first men’s semi-final•ICCAll fear the hail
The wind roared, sending a cloud of dust into the stadium during the semi-final between Sri Lanka and West Indies. Then the roof started to clatter. Sammy would later say it felt as if someone was throwing stones. It was instead raining hailstones almost the size of golf balls. Brave were the groundsmen who took a serious pounding in the middle while placing the covers on the square, even as the outfield turned white around them.How many ‘over-boundary’ please?
When you hear it for the first time, you feel you haven’t got it right. The scorer in the Mirpur press box announces, “So-and-so 50 runs, three boundary, two over-boundary.” You then find out that a six is referred to as over-boundary by scorers in Bangladesh, in contrast to a four, which is called a boundary. It is confusing at first, but one of the quirky things you soon warm up to.Watching live cricket from a CNG
Just how much Bangladesh loves its cricket was demonstrated by the hundreds that sat wherever space was available to put up giant screens that showed the evening’s games live. Not only those sitting in front of the screens, even people stuck in the traffic nearby craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the action. Which is what I and my CNG autorickshaw driver did one evening. But then another CNG came and blocked our view, much to our irritation and the amusement of the lady passenger sitting in it. Once he noticed, though, the other CNG driver was gracious enough to take his vehicle forward by a few feet, so that our view was clear again. Sums up Bangladeshis’ love for the game.– By Abhishek PurohitThe mother of all blitzes
When Ireland went off the Sylhet ground after making 189 in 20 overs, nobody thought that Netherlands would – leave alone could – make a dash for the target and the Super 10s, leaving Ireland and Zimbabwe behind. But they did exactly that, with Stephan Myburgh and Tom Cooper slamming 13 of the 19 sixes hit during 13.5 overs. It was improbable, but the sixes kept coming and by the time the assault ended, the ball was lost.Khadka on fire
The Nepal captain made important runs, opened the bowling and hared around to grab half-chances, leaving everyone impressed mightily. There was not one person who could have not noticed Paras Khadka in the middle as Nepal came out on to the big stage for the first time. New teams bank heavily on their leader and Khadka is the perfect ambassador for his nation.Paras Khadka: Nepal’s proud flag bearer•AFPPower failures
There were power failures once in Sylhet and on three days in Chittagong, including the first day of warm-up matches. After the second instance, a BCB director said it as a local connection problem but when it happened for a third time, there was no explanation; power disruptions are commonplace in Bangladesh, reason enough for the BCB to be ready for such problems.Sylhet’s debut
The new stadium in Sylhet is Bangladesh’s eighth international cricket venue, and it was given the most matches this World T20. Sylhet hosted 30, including 24 (out of 27) of the women’s draw (while Mirpur and Chittagong hosted 17 and 15 respectively). And the locals turned up for every single game, be it a men’s first-round match or a women’s play-off. The ICC was pleasantly surprised by the turnouts, while the ground itself is stunning with a green, terraced hill the added attraction.Dew, and how to avoid it
England tried to train with wet balls, the ICC head curator brought in anti-drew sprays from India, but whenever it was clear during the day in Chittagong none of it helped much with the amount of moisture on the outfield in the evening. The ball largely stopped turning at the venue and was changed frequently during matches. None of the teams could say they mastered the dew and confirmation came from Stuart Broad who claimed it is impossible to bowl with a “bar of soap”, despite training with wet balls.Tamim catches, but not much else
The Bangladesh opener continued to do poorly in World T20s, having never aggregated more than 83 runs in five tournaments. This was a particularly bitter campaign for Tamim, with him having been embroiled in a vice-captain controversy four weeks earlier. He did take two catches against West Indies, though, both worthy of competing for catch of the tournament.Munir Dar v Farhad Reza
They fell out as team-mates in the 2007-08 Dhaka Premier League but none could have imagined the pair meeting once again at the world stage. But there was Hong Kong’s Munir hammering 15 off Bangladesh’s Farhad’s crucial over, reducing the target to a manageable 11 off 18 balls. The over cost Farhad the ire of his captain, coach, board president and of course, the fans.– By Mohammad Isam

Once again this year, despite having the opposition under the cosh, Sri Lanka’s attack allowed a position of strength to slip away from them

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle06-Aug-2014SL may request Hotspot and Snicko

Marvin Atapattu said that Sri Lanka may consider asking their board to have Hotspot and Snicko available for use in order to improve the quality of DRS decisions.
Sri Lanka have not made good use of referrals in their home series this year, failing to overturn several not-out calls against South Africa last month, before declining to review a plumb lbw shout off Younis Khan, when the batsman was on 21 on Wednesday. Younis used DRS superbly, surviving the umpire’s raised finger twice, to go on to 133 not out by stumps.
“We were coming from a series in England where they had all the tools, but here we’re missing at least a couple,” Atapattu said. “At the start of the South Africa series it was a bit tough for us to digest that. Some of the things we saw in England, you don’t see here.
“Now that we have experienced having DRS with all the tools, we might take it into consideration [to request SLC uses those tools]. In England, there was clear evidence in decisions coming out of that third umpire’s box.”
The absence of Hotspot was most keenly felt at the SSC against South Africa, when Mahela Jayawardene was given out, despite the fact the ball did not appear to touch glove or bat. Replays, however, did not present enough evidence to conclusively rule him not out, so the third umpire upheld the original decision.
“In times to come I’m sure that the authorities will do certain things to make sure that the decision stays right. We were in a situation like this in the last Test we played against South Africa. That’s the way it goes”

Stranded on a far-off island where one day’s routine was hardly different from the next, Daniel Defoe’s put a cross in the ground and began to make a daily notch, hoping to wrap his mind around the passage of time.Weeks wound by without change. Months melded into one another. When Crusoe was rescued, he learned that even with his wooden cross, he had not managed to accurately count the days he had spent cut off from civilisation.On another island, also teeming with palm trees, but with fewer vindictive cannibals, the Sri Lanka attack had another day that seemed just like so many others they have recently endured. Younis Khan was their quick-footed tormentor this time, as he has been on many other occasions. By biding his time, and choosing his moments wisely, he moved to within 60 runs of scoring an unprecedented 2000 Test runs against Sri Lanka.Patience is the Sri Lanka unit’s style, though really, they have arrived at that method by process of elimination. There were hopes Ajantha Mendis would become the sharp end of the attack following Muttiah Muralitharan’s retirement. Once opponents unraveled his secrets, what once appeared to be magic now seems like common trickery.Attacking quicks like Dilhara Fernando did not prove effective enough to be retained. Even aggressive spinners like Suraj Randiv were tried for a while and then cut off, at least for now. The men that remained were those that were willing to run in and tirelessly repeat the same, well-rehearsed routine, just like castaways stuck in a Groundhog Day of toilsome survival.In the past two series, Sri Lanka had long outings in the field in every match they have played. Bowling first at Lord’s they had three down for 74, then four for 120, but ended up conceding 575 for 9. At Headingley, England were five down in 26.2 overs in the second innings, but it would take 90.3 more overs for Sri Lanka to eke out those final five wickets, on a turning fifth-day pitch.At the SSC, South Africa defied the hosts for 134.5 overs in the first innings, then 111 in the next. Rangana Herath has now completed 517 overs since December 31 of last year. Wednesday must have felt like a day-long déjà vu.When South Africa had finished on 255 for 5 on another first day at Galle less than a month ago, bowling coach Chaminda Vaas had been upbeat about his attack’s returns. Acting head coach Marvan Atapattu reasoned there was little more Sri Lanka could have done against Pakistan as well.”The match situation has a lot to do with the wicket,” Atapattu said. “It settled down, and that’s the way it is in Galle. We played two fast bowlers and it doesn’t do much after the first session. Slowing the run rate, and making it tough to score is what we can do when you get a wicket like this. If you can do that you can expect a poor shot, so that’s our hope.”It is easy to sympathise with Atapattu and Sri Lanka, given the personnel available, but even on such tracks, opposition bowlers have found the means to be truly penetrative. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel shared 16 wickets on a dry pitch to win that game for South Africa. Those two are nothing less than the best new-ball pair on the planet, but they did help illustrate how the X-factor can transcend conditions and transform a series.Sri Lanka’s wins this year have highlighted Shaminda Eranga and Suranga Lakmal’s value, but beyond those two and Rangana Herath, Sri Lanka might do well to find bowlers who are a little more pizzazz and a little less working-class.Test-quality pace bowlers are thin on the ground, especially when at least one of the two premier quicks has found a way to be unfit in every match since the fast men’s demolition of Bangladesh in Dhaka, in January.But there are options for Sri Lanka in the spin department. Twenty-one-year-old Tharindu Kaushal takes bagfuls with big-turning offspin almost every time he plays, and though he has been in two Test squads, the selectors are worried he does not yet have the control to squeeze opponents opposite Herath.The time for a shake-up is approaching, however. In Muralitharan, and in Herath for a time, Sri Lanka had men that were at once workhorse and spearhead. But those are not roles that anyone but the supremely gifted can hold for long. Herath bowled two excellent balls to claim his wickets on day one, but if he is to have the workload that he has been saddled with this year, Sri Lanka cannot also expect him to be fresh enough to be a major wicket-taking threat as well.South Africa had six fewer runs and had lost one more wicket than Pakistan at the end of their first day in Galle. In the end, they batted for most of the second day, hit 455 for 9, and seized control of that Test.Sri Lanka require wickets while the ball is still new, and while there is still a little help from the pitch. Else, another long day when minutes drag and hours stretch may await them.

In the New Zealand city with the longest history of the sport, the non-cricket part is fun too

Paul Ford04-Nov-2014The cricket in Dunedin is all well and good, but the après-cricket is the best in the country. Post-stumps nightlife is focused on The Octagon, an eight-sided pedestrian reserve, encircled by pubs, bars and restaurants. The hardy and the late drink and dine al fresco. It’s notoriously good. After a recent combined Alternative Commentary Collective/Beige Brigade training session we landed at Pequeno, and deemed it the best bar in Otago for a number of reasons. But that’s another story for another article.

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Dunedin claims a special spot in New Zealand cricket history: the country’s inaugural first-class match took place at the South Dunedin Recreation Ground from January 27 to 29 in 1864. The reported: “The first Inter-provincial Match in New Zealand will be commenced today, on the ground of the Dunedin Club, at the Recreation Ground. A capital game is expected; and it will be watched with much interest.”Appropriately, the match was teed up by a local publican and theatre owner, Dr Shadrach Jones. An entrepreneurial bloke, he invited touring troupes to the city to perform opera or sing. He decided cricket should come too, and the Dunedin Cricketing Festival was born.For the record, Otago won by 76 runs, with local knowledge of the boggy surface and cattle-trampled pitch playing into the home team’s hands.

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Most major cricketing activity has played out at Carisbrook, often referenced as the “House of Pain” and revered in rugby union circles. It sat at the entrance to a steep valley, amidst an industrial wasteland of railway industry. One cricket writer acerbically compared its aesthetics to that of a rundown Polish shipyard.Built in the 1870s, it was first used for international cricket in 1883-84, when Otago hosted a team from Tasmania – and what a game it was. Another shocker in heavy conditions apparently – appropriate, given the ground was once a swamp.Tasmania won the toss and soon regretted the decision to bat: they were all out for 40 from 32 overs. Otago responded with 65 all out from 40 overs, including a 41* from Len Harris. Tasmania collapsed again to be all out for 47 in their second dig (from an excruciating 55.1 overs) and Otago ended on 24 for 2 to win by eight wickets.Over the ensuing 128 years, the thwack of leather on willow was a familiar summer sound at The Brook.Locals will tell you it was “full of charm” with a climate similar to Ibiza, but to those without rose-coloured spectacles it remained a primitive place, best suited to southern men and those with thick skins and thick jerseys.Carisbrook, in the good old days•Getty ImagesI never made it to the terraces there but the tales are legendary. Commentators speak of the four Fs: fights, fires and full frontal nudity. Matches were stopped several times when smoke billowed across the field of play as couches burned and joy overflowed.As Whangarei grocer Bryan Young batted for 10 hours in March 1997 on his way to 267 not out, restless students and rural folk procured a billiards table and began playing pool on the terraces. From what I remember, it was hard to keep that field of play even on the gravel steps.Staggeringly, Young was on Carisbrook for every single ball of play in that Test match.

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Primitivism has its limits, and Carisbrook hung up its boots in 2011. Demolition began in 2013 after a couple of noteworthy fundraisers: one was an auction of memorabilia and park equipment via online marketplace Trade Me, and the other was a Tear Up the Turf event where you could fang around and cut the playing surface to shreds in the vehicle of your choice if you paid 50 bucks.In truth, the House of Pain’s days had been numbered for a while. The final cricket international was played in an icy wind in February 2004, 24 hours late. Ah yes, the halcyon days of rain days in the schedule.Hamish Marshall was the rock on that brute of a day, patiently compiling 74 from 94 balls. The deranged wildebeest of the South African attack, Andre Nel, bowled horribly and was described as “distributing presents as if he were Santa Claus on speed” in the ESPNcricinfo report.

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Rugby at the Brook was replaced by rugby at the Forsyth Barr Stadium, a super-flash $224m set-up with a roof, and plastic perches for 30,748 bums. Cricket was relocated up Butts Road next door at the University Oval, a quirkily shaped slice of cricket heaven with room for 6000.Quirkily shaped because the former art gallery on the site – built for the 1925 New Zealand and South Seas International Exhibition – had to be chopped up and moved to keep the ICC fish-heads (and Daniel Vettori) onside.Primitivism hasn’t extended its tentacles here. Yet. It boasts of an almost all-encompassing grass embankment, nestled between tall trees and the Logan Point Quarry (“supplier of quality aggregates”).Groundsman Tom Tamati has wrestled with some demons in the pitch, but things have settled down now: the boundaries have been extended and the drainage has been improved.The most memorable contest played here was in 2009, when Shane Bond played his final Test, and claimed a match-winning match aggregate of 48.5-9-153-8. Pakistan lost but contributed a massive amount to an incredible palpitation-inducing Test that had more twists and turns than the coastal roads of Kintyre. Even the much-journeyed Sambit Bal described it as “the perfect Test”: “Dunedin provided almost everything. The drama. The twists. The contest between bat and ball. Swing and seam and pace. Stirring batting. Wickets falling in a heap and then the batsmen fighting back.”The Oval is good off the field too. The last time I made it there, my mate asked: “Aren’t you allowed to bring booze in?” “Not really,” said the pragmatic chap searching bags. “But you do pay a lot for drinks in there, so we’re not going to be stupid about it.” Welcome to Dunedin, cricket utopia.Let’s hope that Dunedin’s little sliver of New Caledonia makes it past the ICC’s soul-destroying food-and-beverage licensing arrangements to the World Cup games. Cricket at the Oval just wouldn’t be the same without the man called Noumea’s world-famous pineapple bread.

ESPNcricinfo’s poll of county chief executives reveals a hankering for Twenty20 in the summer holidays and a presence on free-to-air TV

George Dobell and Alex Winter15-Jan-20153:47

Surrey’s chief executive Richard Gould insists that an 18-team T20 tournament can work

Derbyshire (Simon Storey, chief executive): “There is no doubt that regular Friday night cricket has helped us. The Derbyshire vs Nottinghamshire local derbies are the highlight of our calendar and we wouldn’t want to lose them. We would support any changes and ideas that help us grow our income whilst still allowing us to build relationships with our local supporters. If that includes developing the T20 franchise model to complement our domestic T20 season, then we should at least consider it.”Durham (David Harker, group chief executive): “I would like to see the English domestic competition moved to later in the season to take advantage of the best of the summer weather, lack of football and school holidays.”Essex (Derek Bowden, chief executive): “Consolidating the T20 schedule to July/August would greatly improve both the quality and commercial performance of the competition. A tighter schedule to attract quality overseas players and prime summer months, during school holidays, to attract a broader audience base including families with children.”Glamorgan (Hugh Morris, chief executive): “It was my first year back in county cricket after my time at the ECB and with the help of the revamped NatWest Blast we doubled profitability and increased crowds so while the new format was not a silver bullet that some had hoped for it nevertheless was a cause for encouragement. If we build a strong brand I see no reason why this can;t grow into a tournament that people want to see on a regular basis.”Gloucestershire (Will Brown, chief executive): “It’s time to accept the fact that Twenty20 is the leading form of county cricket, in terms of finance and spectators, in this country. Let’s put it where people want to see it, which means the school holidays, and make the brand far more exciting. Look at the BBL website: it oozes excitement. We have an equally exciting product to BBL: we just have to present it in a better way.”Hampshire (David Mann, chief executive): “We need a major tournament in a short window in high summer with all the big names playing and held at the big venues. This would be for the benefit of all counties, not just those teams hosting the tournament. It doesn’t mean we can’t have a ‘domestic’ T20 event as well along existing lines, but we should put the franchise event in the calendar first and then work out the rest around it.”Kent (Jamie Clifford, chief executive): “It is no longer acceptable to view Twenty20 as anything other than domestic cricket’s core commercial property ‐ in this context 18 counties should be seen as a strength not a weakness. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it provides the perfect vehicle for cricket to remain culturally relevant. It is essential that we do absolutely everything we can to ensure the full potential is maximised.”Lancashire (Daniel Gidney, chief executive): “We have seen big increases since moving to Friday nights. Playing in a shortened block would probably see a return to Mondays and Tuesdays that UK cricket fans have already shown that they won’t support in the larger conurbations. Play later in the summer; probably mid-June to early/mid-August. We hardly have any matches in the school holidays currently. This could be achieved via moving the 50-over tournament earlier in the season.”Wasim Khan, formerly with Chance to Shine, has taken over at ailing Leicestershire•PA PhotosLeicestershire (Wasim Khan, chief executive): “A T20 tournament during the school summer holidays in August would open up a huge school, family and potential new market that we currently only scratch the surface of and lend itself to high quality overseas players being available, making it an attractive proposition to watch. The condensed theory has been tested in the past; what we haven’t done is hold it during times when our key market place is on holiday.”Middlesex (Vinny Codrington, chief executive): “I would like the tournament to start later in the summer – May is too early. And personally speaking I think it should be condensed in order to help spectators follow it closely and understand it better.”Northamptonshire (David Smith, former chief executive*): “We need to work towards a County Championship of 12 games. It would help create a window in the structure for a three-week height of summer T20 competition in a franchise format, played at the big Test grounds only, targeting new audiences and attracting families and young people. But also still retain T20 cricket at county level on Friday nights throughout the summer to help continue to finance the county game.”
Nottinghamshire (Lisa Pursehouse, chief executive): “A consistent quality in-venue experience; making sure the match experience ensures that people want to return. T20 cricket is popular with spectators, but in the UK we cannot always guarantee the sunshine so we need to make a little more effort on the extras, like a quality PA system, using relevant graphics and video content and using your players to promote your matches so that people develop an affinity for the club.”Somerset (Guy Lavender, chief executive): “Free to air TV, even if it has to be a highlights package whilst the Sky deal remains in place. Did you watch the darts? The BBC’s coverage attracted a peak of 3.1 million viewers over the first weekend of the competition. I expect it was enormous for the final! We have got to get more people watching T20 cricket.”Yorkshire (Colin Graves, Yorkshire chairman. Candidate as chairman of ECB)

“The first thing I want to do is review everything: T20, the congestion in the schedule, our costs and our efficiency. After we, the executive team, have reviewed how we are operating now – and there will be no more outside reviews of the game while I’m chairman – we will announce our strategy towards the end of the year. We have to make the counties more sustainable. Whether that is 18 teams or 21 teams, let’s see. The fact is, county cricket brings in very little money and costs a great deal.”
*Yorkshire’s chief executive, Mark Arthur, was unavailable

Surrey (Richard Gould, chief executive): “Keep the appointment to view schedule with a week between home games but play in the middle of the summer to coincide with school holidays. And get some cricket in front of the pay wall.”Sussex (Zac Toumazi, chief executive): “We are making progress but need to better engage with the next generation of cricketers and fans game wide. We need to work on the image of the game, create heroes for the fans to identify with and follow. This should be centrally driven and supported by the counties.”Warwickshire (Colin Povey, chief executive): “In general T20 has been a huge success story for domestic cricket in England and Wales since its launch. The ‘new’ tournament delivered progress last summer but it is clear there is scope for further significant growth and improvement if we can get the formula ‘spot on’. The IPL benefits from the specifics of the Indian market but Big Bash and other tournaments around the globe have much that we can still learn from.”Worcestershire (David Leatherdale, chief executive): “Progress has been made in 2014 with the customer being the main focus and as the premier one day format it is vital the future structure works to give an experience the customer both wants and expects. Add to this further availability of England players and an option for spectators and supporters to view t20 on free to air TV then I am sure t20 can grow cricket across all age groups”.This article was updated at 1830 on January 16 with Middlesex’s contribution and some published comments also removed

Plays of the day from the Group A match between England and Sri Lanka in Wellington

George Dobell and Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Mar-2015The beamer
Bowling at the death in limited-overs cricket is a thankless business. With Jos Buttler hitting even the good deliveries to the boundary, Lakmal found himself struggling for answers. The first delivery of the final over – perhaps an attempted yorker – was a high full toss that was called as a no-ball due to its height and pulled to the boundary. Later in the over, after a perfectly respectable full ball had been driven over mid-off for six, Lakmal delivered a head-high beamer – presumably an attempted slower ball – and was removed from the attack by the umpire. With Rangana Herath forced to withdraw midway through the previous over due to a hand injury, it meant Sri Lanka had utilised four bowlers in the final two overs of the England innings.The start
England enjoyed a bright start, reaching 61 without loss by the end of the eighth over mainly because of Ian Bell. He enjoyed some fortune, though, at one stage surviving two chances in successive deliveries. First Dinesh Chandimal, diving full length to his right, was unable to cling on to what would have been a spectacular catch at cover off Suranga Lakmal in the fourth over before, next ball, Tillakaratne Dilshan failed to lay a hand on a more straightforward chance at point as Bell failed to keep his cut shot on the ground.The drop
Joe Root was on just two when he edged a delivery off Angelo Mathews to first slip. But Sri Lanka had gone funky and posted Mahela Jayawardene wider, at a position more like second slip, and though he flung himself to his left and laid a hand on the ball, he was unable to cling on. Root went on to make 121, becoming England’s youngest World Cup centurion, and provide the platform for the England total.The other drop
Root was also involved in the other key drop of the day. Lahiru Thirimanne had scored only three when he was drawn into poking at a delivery angled across him by Stuart Broad and edged towards the slip cordon. Initially it seemed that Jos Butter was going to go for the catch and it may be that his movement either impeded Root’s sight or just distracted him. Either way, Root seemed to react late to the chance and was only able to parry it to the boundary. Thirimanne went on to score 139 and, in the process, became Sri Lanka’s youngest World Cup centurion.The grand-prix impersonation
Root had flicked through the gears seamlessly to help yank England out of mild trouble while batting, but when he drilled one past point on 96, he was in such a hurry to get back to the striker’s end, he ended up celebrating his first World Cup ton in a memorable manner. Root had expected the cover-sweeper to reel his shot in, and perhaps beset by nerves, dropped his bat as he turned for the second run. In the end the ball would cross the boundary, and Root would have nothing to acknowledge the crowd’s applause with. He raised his gloved hands and his helmet above his head – more like a victorious formula one driver than a cricket centurion. review
Most of the DRS referrals in this tournament have vindicated the umpires; this one just made you wonder if the players were watching the same game. The delivery from Lakmal would, in other circumstances, have been called a wide but with Root giving himself room, the full toss hit him on the thigh or knee and he hobbled through for a run. But Sri Lanka surprised everyone by calling for a review. It showed the ball passing down the leg side by such a long way – getting on for a foot – that it raised the question: was this the worst review in history?