The most impressive aspect of South Africa’s performances on the way to the quarter-finals has been the way they have tried different tactics in all their matches, and almost all have paid off

Firdose Moonda in Mirpur24-Mar-2011Three matches stand between South African cricket and history. Not just any three matches: three knockout matches. It’s reached that stage of the tournament that South Africa has never summited before. As much as they don’t want to be reminded of it, they have always looked capable of going all the way; now more so than ever, because of the new attitude and sharpness of focus that they’ve come into this tournament with.South Africa were unusually experimental in choosing their XV, including 11 World Cup debutants, three frontline spinners and leaving out experienced finishers like Mark Boucher and Albie Morkel. Their squad was not picked based on reputation, but rather they were the 15 players that the selection committee thought would best suit conditions in the subcontinent: people who could bowl and bat against spin; combinations that would exude subtlety and not brute force; and those who were being rewarded for seasons of good form. It was a clear break away from the norm.Everyone, they said, was on an equal footing; this wouldn’t be an effort by 11 playing members and four water boys, but a collective mission in which everybody would be integral. The players wouldn’t go on this journey alone; the coaching staff and the support staff, which includes the psychologist who was with the Springbok rugby team when they became World Champions in 2007, would be with them every step of the way. All of them arrived wearing green wristbands with, among other things, the abbreviation RAFT – resilience, adaptability, faith, trust – as a way to remind themselves of what they were coming out to achieve.This is the kind of softer thinking that wasn’t there before, although they were able to retain the element that made it seem as though they were preparing to go to war and there was more at stake to this than a trophy. Even when you add pride and take into account the long wait South Africa have had for this, there was something bordering on gimmicky about the build-up.It may have been driven and borrowed from what happened during the football World Cup in South Africa nine months ago. Then, an initiative called Football Friday encouraged people to wear the national team jersey on Fridays, which got switched to a cricket initiative in the World Cup period. Some of the football marketing bordered on jingoistic and the marketers this time threatened to go mad again. Luckily, the team did not.Their actions on the field have reflected a seriousness, dedication and commitment that have created a real reason to believe that this tournament will be different. Every match has had its standout moment or period of brilliance for South Africa; in each contest they’ve had a plan that’s worked.There was the masterstroke of opening the bowling with Johan Botha against West Indies’ left-handed opening pair. He removed Chris Gayle with his third ball. There was the way they built an innings of 351 for 5 against Netherlands after a slow start, with JP Duminy’s 40 off 15 balls propelling them at the end. In the third game, they exploited the weakness of Kevin Pietersen by using left-armer Robin Peterson to open the bowling, and he was able to bag not just one but three early wickets. The rest of that match didn’t go according to plan and the batting collapsed on a difficult pitch, exposing what then looked like a fragile middle order.Come game four, against India, that was rectified. The bowling attack had to do a powerful reining in job when the Indian batsmen got off to a flier, but then it was up to the batting to chase down a big total. AB de Villiers’ half-century was the core and then Faf du Plessis, Botha and Peterson finished it off. By that stage, South Africa looked to have played the perfect game, seeing off pressure and winning when it mattered, but they didn’t take the foot off the brake.Against Ireland, the middle order had to perform again and then Morne Morkel’s exemplary use of extra bounce sealed the match. Bangladesh saw the strength of the reserves come through, with Lonwabo Tsotsobe’s opening spell showing that five weeks on the sidelines had only had an enhancing effect on his bowling.Throughout the group stage, South Africa’s performances have been the result of careful planning and intelligent execution. They’ve shown more flexibility than South African teams have ever displayed in the past. They have not been scared to innovate, to try different strategies and to take risks. More importantly, they have also been able to improvise when it’s been needed most, because the ride to the top of the group has had its moments of stickiness.When they lost early wickets against West Indies, de Villiers and Hashim Amla’s level heads carried the chase; when they were off to a slow start against the Dutch, they left the burst for the right moment; the loss to England, on a tricky surface and in a pressure situation was turned into a positive, one the team say they have learned from and will know how to deal with when the situation comes around again; they treated Ireland and Bangladesh as a strong team should treat a lesser one; and now they find themselves three matches away from greatness.Smith has said they won’t change their attitudes; they’ll keep playing their process-driven form of cricket and they know the results will come. They may need to change something tactically; they may need to think on their feet and adjust their game plans, as in the space of 100 overs the game will change. They may need to change with it, but from what South Africa have shown, they will.

Firdose Moonda picks her best XI of the fourth season of the IPL

Firdose Moonda30-May-2011Chris Gayle
The Jamaican juggernaut crashed into town by complete accident, but after he propelled Bangalore into the final, virtually single-handedly, it will be tough to find someone who will say his inclusion was a mistake. He was the architect of a complete turnaround for Bangalore, and changed a three-match losing streak into a record seven-match winning one. Gayle showed the bowling no respect, fearlessly smashing whatever he could. He played fewer matches than most others, but took the orange cap, and had a strike rate of 183.13. He scored centuries against Kolkata and Punjab, but it was his 89 in the play-off against Mumbai that was his most destructive knock of the competition. He was also handy with the ball, his offspin capturing eight scalps for Bangalore.Sachin Tendulkar
Tendulkar’s insatiable appetite for runs has not dried up, even after India’s successful World Cup campaign, and he scored over 500 runs in the IPL. He opened the batting with his usual combination of solidity and flair, and a main contender for the orange cap until the Gayle force blew in. Tendulkar marshalled the top order of Mumbai Indians with such aplomb that eight games into the competition, Kieron Pollard had only faced three balls. He also achieved another first – his maiden IPL hundred, which he scored against Kochi Tuskers Kerala. His captaincy didn’t go unquestioned, but he remained the glorious batsman he has been for the last two decades.Shaun Marsh
Shaun Marsh was one of the chief reasons Kings XI Punjab remained in contention for the play-offs until the dying stages of the tournament. His 95 against Delhi Daredevils and unbeaten 79 against Bangalore were his two standout knocks but he had other, smaller contributions at No. 3 which were just as important. Marsh is one of the cleanest and most elegant strikers of the ball, and he showed he is not an IPL one-season wonder after claiming the orange cap in 2008.Virat Kohli
Tipped to be the future captain of India, Virat Kohli showed that consistency is one of his biggest assets, batting with maturity through the league. Kohli paced his innings’ well, finishing second on the run-scorers’ chart. Although he often was just a spectator to Gayle’s fireworks, he played his part to perfection, both as the standout supporting actor and stand-in captain when needed. In Daniel Vettori’s absence, he was handed the reins and led the side with distinction.S Badrinath
A man for all occasions, Badrinath performed in situations where he was needed to consolidate after a top-order failure and when he was sent down the order after a solid start. His yo-yo functioning in the batting order did not upset his sound temperament. His technical superiority was on display during crucial knocks like his 63 not out against Pune, his best knock of the tournament. Badrinath also established himself as one the best fielders in the Chennai side.MS Dhoni
Quickly becoming the best leaders of his generation, MS Dhoni’s ability to guide teams to champion status is now almost legendary. The face of calm under pressure, Dhoni’s role as tactician and planner is unmatched. He was particularly impressive with the way he used his bowlers, allowing the spinners and fast bowlers to share centre stage, and kept faith in players – Chennai fielded an unchanged XI in six consecutive matches at the league’s business end. While technically Dhoni may not be the best wicketkeeper in the tournament or world cricket, he is one of the most trusted. His skills with the bat came out in the 70 he scored against Bangalore. He promoted himself up the order in the final, in a move reminiscent of his World Cup final strategy, and although he didn’t accumulate nearly as many runs, his handy 22 was not wasted.Rahul Sharma
The fairytale story of this IPL, Rahul Sharma recovered from a problem which affected the nerves around his eye, Bell’s Palsy, to become one of the most eye-catching players of the tournament. A legspinner, whose height helps him achieve extra bounce on almost any wicket – drawing some comparisons with Anil Kumble – he was a threat to the opposition whenever he bowled. He maintained a tidy economy-rate, the best among all bowlers who had played more than two matches. He impressed with his 3 for 13 against Rajasthan and 2 for 7, one of the standout players for the new franchise, Pune Warriors.Iqbal Abdulla
This young left-arm spinner is one of the chief reasons for Kolkata emerging as one of the top four sides this year. Abdulla has been around the block a few times, playing for India’s under-19 side and on the club circuit in Mumbai, but came to the fore in this competition, with his aggressive performances. He took the new ball four times in the tournament, showing no fear in bowling in the Powerplay overs, breaking early partnerships as a result. He was awarded Man of the Match awards twice – and eventually named under-23 player of the IPL – when opening the bowling, once for his 2 for 19 against Punjab and 1 for 15 against Chennai.R Ashwin
The ever-impressive R Ashwin was one among a galaxy of star performers from the Chennai team, and once again used the IPL to stake his claim for more regular place in the national XI. An experienced hand at opening the bowling, Ashwin is now comfortable in this role and achieves early breakthroughs with regularity. His most impressive one came when it mattered most, in the final, when he removed Chris Gayle for a duck. Ashwin is also a man for big occasions and he performed at crucial times, claiming 3 for 16 in the final to break the Bangalore’s back.Doug Bollinger
Bollinger’s aggression and accuracy made him one of the most fearsome fast bowlers in this edition of the tournament. The left-armers’ consistent lines and lengths often saw him create early breakthroughs for Chennai, but that wasn’t the only stage he was effective at. He was one of the best death bowlers in the league, mixing up bouncers and slower balls, to prevent a late burst from the opposition on many occasions. His performance in the play-off, where he took 1 for 20, was key to Chennai’s progression to the final.Lasith Malinga
Lasith Malinga was head and shoulders above any other bowler in the tournament, and that’s not even when taking his curly, blond mop into account. Besides the unusual action, which has now been around long enough for batsman not to be alarmed by, Malinga is as accurate as it gets, landing the yorkers perfectly almost every time. He had batsmen’s toes crying for mercy and stumps being uprooted with regularity. His 5 for 13 against Delhi was the most destructive spell of the IPL and one that will be remembered for being as lethal as it was precise. More than 50% of the wickets he took were bowled, an incredible feat on its own.

A look at a few key numbers from the Champions League Twenty20 2011 so far

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan06-Oct-2011* All numbers updated till the end of the league phase and include stats from the qualifying matches.135 – David Warner’s score against Super Kings, the highest in the Champions League. There have been three centuries and 83 fifties scored in the tournament across the three editions
12 – The number of wickets taken by Ravi Rampaul in the 2011 edition, the highest for any bowler. The most wickets taken in a single edition is 13 by R Ashwin in 2010
7.61 – The run-rate in the 2011 tournament so far which is the second-highest among the three editions. The second edition (2010) had the lowest run-rate of 7.25
139 – The highest partnership in the 2011 edition, between Adrian Barath and Lendl Simmons against Leicestershire. The highest stand overall is 147 between Ashwell Prince and Davy Jacobs in 2010.
195.65 – Warner’s strike rate during his 135 against Super Kings, the highest for a fifty-plus score in the 2011 edition. Kieron Pollard’s strike rate of 300 in his 54 against New South Wales in 2009 is the highest in the Champions League
98 – The lowest first-innings team total in the 2011 tournament, by T&T against Mumbai Indians. This equals the record set by Delhi Daredevils against Victoria in 2009.
1.75 – Samuel Badree’s economy rate in his spell against Leicestershire, the joint-best economy rate for a completed spell (four overs) in the Champions League.
8 – The highest number of sixes hit in an innings in the 2011 edition, by Chris Gayle and Warner. Pollard holds the record with nine sixes against Guyana in 2010.
138 – The most runs in boundaries for a batsman in the Champions League 2011, for Warner. Jacobs holds the record, with 208 runs in boundaries in the 2010 edition.
429 – The highest aggregate in a match in the 2011 edition, in the game between Royal Challengers and Redbacks in Bangalore. This is also the record aggregate for a match across all editions.
12.60 – The partnership run-rate during the 63-run stand between Darren Bravo and Sherwin Ganga against Ruhuna which is the best run-rate for a fifty-plus stand in the Champions League 2011.
128 – The number of runs in boundaries conceded by S Aravind, the most in a single editon of the Champions League.
16 – The most number of sixes hit in an edition of the Champions League, by Chris Gayle. Kieron Pollard is second with 14 sixes in both the 2009 and 2010 editions.
9.52 – Royal Challengers’ run-rate in the 2011 edition. It is the highest for any team in a particular edition of the Champions League.

69 – The most runs conceded in an innings, by Aravind against Redbacks. Amit Mishra is second, with 59 runs against Royal Challengers in 2009.
146 – The most runs in boundaries in a team innings in the 2011 edition, for Royal Challengers against Somerset. The highest is 150 by T&T against Eagles in 2009.
51 – The highest victory margin for a team batting first in the 2011 edition, for Royal Challengers against Somerset and T&T against Leicestershire. The highest victory margin across all editions is 97 runs for Super Kings against Wayamba in 2010.
0.76 – The win-loss ratio for teams batting first in 2011. In the previous two editions, the win-loss ratio was an identical 1.20.
84 – The number of dot-balls bowled by Badree, the highest for any bowler in the 2011 edition. Brett Lee holds the overall record with 86 dot-balls in the 2009 edition.
6 – The number of catches held by Owais Shah and Arul Suppiah in the 2011 edition, the highest for any fielder. It equals the record set by Daniel Harris in 2010.

The furores artfully drummed up to hawk this book might obscure that it’s a cracking read. More’s the pity

Saad Shafqat08-Oct-2011The first thing you realise when you read Shoaib Akhtar’s autobiography is that much of the media reaction to it is a distraction from the book’s true merits. Yes, he has admitted to ball-tampering, delivered questionable opinions on Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, and blasted some of the high priests of Pakistan cricket. But he has also said a great deal that is more interesting, more important, and evidently more heartfelt.As a device to enhance your pleasure of the game, this book delivers. Perhaps the most absorbing, at times even riveting, parts of it are the first four chapters, which detail Shoaib’s ordeals before he became a celebrity. He was born into modest circumstances, a sickly child who at one point nearly died of whooping cough. The family struggled with money and would sometimes go hungry.Despite the financial constraints, his parents worked hard to instill upright values in the children and ensure them an education. Shoaib tells us he was an ace student, and also a natural prankster. As a result, he was frequently in trouble. The pattern of conflicts that marked his international career was set early on.Cricket did not become a focus until his teenage years, when Shoaib’s passion for bowling fast was unleashed. Before that, he played informal street games, including , and ran a lot – everywhere, aimlessly – because it made him feel free. Once he discovered cricket, he was drawn to role models, finding instant inspiration in Imran Khan’s dynamic and towering figure. At the Pindi Club he saw his idols Imran, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis practise under lights. That was when he made a personal vow to don the Pakistan colours.All through the book Shoaib confronts his bad-boy image head-on, but his reflections are unlikely to sway anyone. He admits having little patience for rules and regulations, resents being preached to, and hates restrictions of any kind. He complains about never having had a proper mentor, but more likely it would not have been possible for even the most well-meaning mentor to get through to him.His self-indulgent nature comes across loudly, as we are told of his love for money, girls, and even his own company. Speed, above everything, is his true love, and garners a long chapter by itself. All this underscores his ability to polarise. Shoaib’s supporters will find him refreshingly honest; his detractors will deride him for confirming their worst assumptions.When we come to the chapters covering his international career, it is disappointing to see a lack of serious introspection. All his great spells are glossed over, leaving the connoisseur unfulfilled. You keep expecting to be placed inside the fast bowler’s head as he psycho-analyses the batsman, adjusts the field, and contemplates his wicket-taking plans, but it never happens. Shoaib could have entertained his readers with a ringside view of these intricacies; it feels like a golden opportunity lost. Also slightly disappointing are the book’s occasional typos and misspellings. The persistent insertion of a hyphen between “T” and “20” is especially grating.Nevertheless the overall package is a highly enjoyable one. Co-author Anshu Dogra has polished the material into a coherent and flowing narrative, yet still allowed Shoaib’s first-person voice to be heard clearly. Urdu and Punjabi phrases are interspersed here and there, conveying the thought precisely and to the understanding reader’s great amusement.Anecdotes, often the choicest part of a memoir, are peppered throughout. There are accounts of Shoaib in college as he drives a motorbike through the principal’s office, gets suspended for playing cricket in front of the girls’ building, and convinces a to serve him free meals because one day Shoaib will be a famous cricketer.Shoaib tells us about the anxiety of appearing for domestic cricket trials in Lahore, and the joy of catching the eye of Zaheer Abbas. We learn how, just before breaking into Test cricket, he spent an emotionally wrenching period in Karachi rooming with his buddy Saqlain Mushtaq when they were struggling cricketers and the city was in turmoil.The book’s tone is sometimes conversational, sometimes argumentative, with seamless transitions into languid storytelling one minute, breathless rhetoric the next. In this, the narrator sounds every bit the Shoaib Akhtar we know from his public persona.Every now and then there is also some touching human moment – getting tongue-tied when an attractive Irish girl starts a conversation in a bar, buying his first car, looking up an old benefactor after becoming a star, revisiting old haunts in his hometown of Rawalpindi.Naturally there is a good deal of score-settling as well, some of which – including targeted jabs at the likes of Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, and Tendulkar – has been the subject of recent news cycles. Among all these, I found the description of Shoaib’s administrative duel with former PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf particularly valuable. The drama is vividly sketched over several pages as Shoaib struggles and eventually succeeds in getting his PCB-enforced ban reversed by pulling political strings. His account provides sharp insight into Pakistan cricket’s backroom ploys and validates a great deal of drawing-room chatter.All said and done, you have to commend the man for a job well done. The very appearance of his book is a feat in itself: written output from Pakistan’s cricketers has been sparse. Shoaib may have carried an image of carefree indiscipline for most of his career, but he has certainly demonstrated he has the discipline to produce a book with impact. In this he has outdone several other famous cricketing names from Pakistan.Controversially Yours
Shoaib Akhtar
Harper Collins, 2011
Rs 499, 272pp

Madhya Pradesh’s last pair was at the crease when the Mumbai captain Wasim Jaffer pushed back seven fielders to the deep. It set the tone for a day when Mumbai just refused to take charge.

Abhishek Purohit at the Holkar Cricket Stadium02-Jan-2012You have the opposition on 171 for 9 in a knockout game at their home
ground after having decided to bowl first. It is no exaggeration to say
that you are completely on top. Ideally you will want to get the last
wicket as soon as possible. Ideally that will reflect in your field
settings against the remaining batsmen, No. 8 and No. 11. Ideally you will
not have seven men in the deep against No. 8. Yes, Mumbai captain Wasim
Jaffer had deep fielders for TP Sudhindra, who has a
first-class batting average of 16.05.Third man, deep point, long-off, long-on, deep midwicket, deep square leg
and fine leg made for quite a sight as Mumbai repeatedly tried short
deliveries against Sudhindra, as if the only way to get him was to bounce
him out. The last wicket partnership consumed 40 minutes and added a
crucial 21 runs in what is turning out to be a low-scoring game. Such
astonishing defensiveness characterized Mumbai’s approach on a day they
should have thoroughly dominated after Madhya Pradesh’s batting failed.It wasn’t only against the last pair that Mumbai refused to take charge of
the game. After having got a wicket in the first over of the match when
Zafar Ali was trapped leg-before by Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaffer took men out
of the slip cordon as soon as Mohnish Mishra started to attack. That did
not stop Mishra from driving at anything pitched up. It instead allowed
the surprisingly defensive but in-form Naman Ojha to score a few runs
through where third slip would have been.Mumbai then ran into a batsman who was prepared to treat their attack for
what it was – not exactly threatening. Dhawal Kulkarni kept dropping it
short and Udit Birla kept pulling and cutting for boundaries. MP were
still in trouble at lunch on 115 for 5 but the way Mumbai began the second
session further revealed their state of mind. Deep point was in place not
only for Birla but also for new batsman Murtaza Ali.No wonder the same safety-first attitude characterized Mumbai’s batting.
They had the opportunity to shut MP out of the match by stumps. An
uncertain opening partnership of 26 in 14 overs led to the pressure
building up on Mumbai instead. No doubt, MP’s new-ball attack was disciplined, but it
was clear from the manner in which the openers played that their mandate
was to bat out time.It is only for so long that modern batsmen can play the waiting game, though. After having left deliveries for an eternity outside the off stump, Onkar Gurav fell after getting too far across to work a delivery on the leg side. Even Jaffer, of all batsmen, went chasing a rare wide delivery without moving his feet.After all this, Mumbai still had time left for one more defensive move.
With more than 20 minutes left for stumps after the dismissal of
Suryakumar Yadav, they sent in a nightwatchman. That he lasted only one
delivery is a different matter.The point is that even by the conservative standards of Mumbai captains of
the past, Jaffer’s approach bordered on the extreme. It cost them the
chance to take control of the quarter-final. It may or may not cost them a
place in the semi-final. And for the record, Sudhindra was finally out
caught. Not in the deep, but in the slip cordon.

Australia inflicted their first whitewash on India since 1999 after the visitors’ batting caved in meekly in all four Tests against high-quality pace bowling

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan29-Jan-2012A gulf in class
After crushing defeats in the first three Tests, India were expected to put up a fight on a flat track in Adelaide. However, there was hardly a semblance of a comeback as India were handed another all-round lesson by the hosts. Only Michael Clarke’s decision to rest his bowlers and bat a second time spared India from their third consecutive innings defeat and their fifth such loss in six matches. Throughout the series, India’s famed batting line-up was undone by Australia’s pace bowlers and the experienced batsmen were all at sea against high-quality swing bowling. Although India’s bowlers failed to leave an impact, the abject failure was mainly due to the batting. On only one occasion (Sydney) did India pass 300 and were bowled out for sub-200 totals in four of their eight innings.Before the England series, India were on a high after drawing their first series in South Africa and winning the World Cup. Fatigue and a spate of injuries put paid to their plans in England and they were humbled 4-0. In the first and second Tests, India were in with a chance but let England back into the contest which ultimately decided the fate of the series. The story in Australia was similar. The lower-order partnerships for Australia contributed vital runs in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and took the target beyond the reach of India. After this defeat, the rest of the series was hardly a contest as the hosts bossed India with bat and ball. India did not cross 300 even once in eight innings in England and did so only once in Australia. For a team that boasted four players with more than 8000 Test runs, this was a damning stat. In England, India were abysmal in both the first and second innings, averaging 27.45 and 23.65 respectively. The story only got worse for them in Australia as they managed averages of only 22.65 and 23.52. The average difference (difference between batting averages of opposition and India) in England was 34.21 and only slightly lower in Australia (28.48). The Indian bowling also proved innocuous, picking up only 47 and 46 wickets in the two series while the opposition teams have picked up 20 Indian wickets in each of the Tests played.

India’s batting performance in their last two away series in England and Australia

TeamSeries1st innings (runs/wickets)1st innings (avg)2nd innings (runs/wickets)2nd innings (avg)Overall (runs/wickets)Overall avgIndiaEngland v India, 20111008/4027.45946/4023.652044/8025.55EnglandEngland v India, 20111996/3164.38813/1650.812809/4759.76IndiaAustralia v India, 2011-12966/4022.65941/4023.521847/8023.08AustraliaAustralia v India, 2011-121965/3163.38407/1527.132372/4651.56Partnerships make the difference
The lack of partnerships in the top and middle order hurt India’s chances in the series. The highly successful opening combination of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir was a major flop. The pair has averaged only 15.16 in their last 12 innings and had a highest partnership of 26 in the four Tests. India’s troubles were compounded by the collective failure of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. Tendulkar and Dravid were involved in one of only three century stands for India in the series while Laxman, one of the most consistent players against Australia, was in woeful form scoring just 155 runs in eight innings. Virat Kohli, India’s top scorer in the series with 300 runs, was the sole provider of resistance in the last two Tests.Australia led India comfortably on the partnership stats and managed four 200-plus stands. Clarke and Ricky Ponting were superb in Sydney and Adelaide and seized the initiative with massive stands of 288 and 386. Ponting, whose place was under threat before the series, roared back to form with two centuries while Clarke continued his excellent form with his fifth century in 12 matches as captain. Australia averaged more than twice as much as India for wickets 7-10. India’s lower-order batsmen on the other hand, were very ordinary and failed to put up a fight in any of the Tests. Australia’s only major batting worry was the form of Shaun Marsh who scored just 17 runs in the series with three ducks and his poor display is reflected in the stats for the second wicket (average 4.16).

Partnership stats for Australia and India

Partnership wicketAustralia (runs, average)Australia (100/50 stands)India (runs, average)India (100/50 stands)1346/57.661/0125/15.620/0225/4.160/0309/38.620/33215/35.831/1340/42.501/14842/140.332/1149/18.621/05546/109.202/1278/34.750/3647/11.750/0205/25.621/07-10351/27.000/2441/13.780/2Australian pace bowlers stamp authority
Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle, who topped the wicket-taking charts with 27 and 23 wickets respectively, stuck to superb lines throughout and were highly effective against the Indian top-order batsmen. Hilfenhaus had no success against Tendulkar (zero dismissals and 94 runs conceded) but had the better of Sehwag and Laxman, whom he dismissed three and two times respectively while conceding a total of 77 runs. Siddle, the Man of the Match in Adelaide, troubled Tendulkar and Kohli, dismissing them three times each. MS Dhoni’s technique was found wanting and he was dismissed cheaply three times by Hilfenhaus. Ryan Harris, who came back into the squad for the last two Tests, played a vital role and dismissed both Tendulkar and Dravid in Perth while conceding just nine runs off 48 balls to the former.

Indian batsmen v Australian bowlers

BatsmanBowlerDismissalsAverageBalls per dismissalSachin TendulkarPeter Siddle325.3348.33Sachin TendulkarRyan Harris19.0048.00MS DhoniBen Hilfenhaus316.6626.66Gautam GambhirPeter Siddle312.3317.33Virender SehwagBen Hilfenhaus321.3339.00VVS LaxmanBen Hilfenhaus27.5037.50Virat KohliPeter Siddle324.6651.33At the end of a series the Indian bowlers would like to forget in a hurry, Zaheer Khan was the stand-out performer. He was at his best against the left-handers and also troubled the right-handers especially Brad Haddin with the old ball. He got Haddin three times conceding just 16 runs and was also successful against Michael Hussey (44 runs and two dismissals) and David Warner (94 runs and two dismissals). Umesh Yadav showed glimpses of his potential in Melbourne and Perth but was off colour in Sydney and Adelaide. He, however, had the better of Marsh, who had a wretched series. The left-handed Marsh fell to Yadav three times while scoring just 13 runs. However, Australia’s leading scorers Ponting and Clarke, who both amassed 500-plus runs in the series, were never seriously troubled by any particular bowler.

Australian batsmen against Indian bowlers

BatsmanBowlerDismissalsAverageBalls per dismissalEd CowanR Ashwin311.0028.66Shaun MarshUmesh Yadav34.339.66Michael ClarkeZaheer Khan261.0095.50Ricky PontingUmesh Yadav268.5078.00David WarnerZaheer Khan247.0063.00Michael HusseyZaheer Khan222.0032.00Australia had given indications of building a quality pace attack even before the series started with strong displays against South Africa and New Zealand. However, in the four Tests against India, they surpassed everybody’s expectations. In a display characterised by accuracy and testing lines, the Australian pace bowlers, tormented India’s best batsmen regularly. They bowled to specific plans and fields and were successful on almost every occasion. It was not quite the same with the Indian bowlers. Zaheer and Yadav were impressive in patches but Ishant Sharma’s five wickets came at an average of 90.20. The scale of difference in performance is clearly reflected in the average and strike rate of the pace bowlers of both teams. Australia have an average of 20.45 and strike rate of 41.2 while the corresponding numbers for India are 45.08 and 70.7.Both R Ashwin and Nathan Lyon were struggling for impact through the series. Lyon, however, had the advantage of coming into bowl after the pace bowlers had made early inroads. Ashwin had his moments but was struggling to maintain consistent lines and lengths. Faced with low totals to defend and denied attacking fields, Ashwin could manage only nine wickets at an average of 62.77.

Pace v Spin for both teams in the series

Type of bowlerTeamWicketsAverageStrike rate5WI/10WMPaceAustralia7120.4541.23/0PaceIndia3545.0870.71/0SpinAustralia844.1284.30/0SpinIndia1072.20129.80/0Indian batting on the slide?
India had stayed on top for years because of their powerful batting line-up. Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman had performed in matches at home and outside the subcontinent. Setting up good totals helped an otherwise modest bowling attack to create pressure and deliver wins. However, in their last three major away series in South Africa, England and Australia, the much-vaunted batting came apart. Tendulkar was brilliant in South Africa scoring two centuries including an stunning knock in Cape Town while withstanding a hostile spell by Dale Steyn. Dravid and Virender Sehwag meanwhile struggled while Laxman managed a solitary fifty in Durban.By the time the England tour came along, Dravid seemed to be the only one in form. He stood tall amidst the ruins and scored all three centuries registered by Indian batsmen in the series. Tendulkar and Laxman were below-par averaging 34.12 and 22.75. Sehwag, who only played the last two Tests, bagged a pair in Edgbaston and mustered just 41 runs. In Australia, even Dravid was woefully out of form and this meant that India’s middle order was under severe pressure often. Not a single batsman averaged over 40 and only Kohli showed the stomach for a fight (average 37.50) scoring India’s solitary century in the series.

India’s top batsmen in South Africa, England and Australia

BatsmanSouth Africa matches, (runs/avg)South Africa (100/50)England matches, (runs/avg)England (100/50)Australia matches, (runs/avg)Australia (100/50)Sachin Tendulkar3, 326/81.502/04, 273/34.120/24, 287/35.870/2Rahul Dravid3, 120/20.000/04, 461/76.833/04, 194/24.250/1VVS Laxman3, 196/39.200/14, 182/22.750/24, 155/19.370/1Virender Sehwag3, 144/24.000/12, 41/10.250/04, 198/24.750/2Gautam Gambhir2, 242/60.500/33, 102/17.000/04, 181/22.620/1MS Dhoni3, 179/35.800/14, 220/31.420/23, 102/20.400/1

It’s Delhi v Mumbai. The battle lines are clearly drawn

Arnav Sawhny28-Apr-2012Choice of game
This was a battle of the heavyweights – the swashbuckling Sehwag v Sachin, or the mercurial KP v Slinga Malinga. With Delhi thrashing the pre-tournament favourites in Mumbai, it promised to be an epic encounter – could the Daredevils continue their dream season or would the might of the Mumbai Indians shine through? That no team had as yet pulled a double over the other was a delicious subplot to this battle.Team supported
As a resident of Delhi, I naturally went into this game rooting for the Daredevils. One to always support the underdog, I was looking forward to the dramatically improved Delhi side taking on the rich and mighty Mumbai Indians. I went with a group of seven other friends, and we were spectacularly biased as seven Daredevils supports to one for Mumbai. Needless to say, he was in for a tough day, whatever the result.Key performer
Despite a strong, solid and speedy start by Mahela Jayawardene and Virender Sehwag, I have two other picks for players of the day.Kevin Pietersen – who else? – walked in in the 14th over, took his time to get going, saw wickets fall around him , but stayed calm and composed – well, as calm as you can be while smashing 50 off 25-odd balls. His finish gave the Daredevils’ a 200-plus total.My second performer of the day is the highly underrated left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem. After Mumbai lost their top three early, many thought the game was over. But Mumbai fought back with a spunky partnership between Dinesh Karthik and Ambati Rayudu and some quick hits by Kieron Pollard. Nadeem dismissed Rayudu and Pollard off consecutive deliveries to put the result beyond doubt.One thing I’d have changed
Despite being a Daredevils supporter, I’d have loved to see Tendulkar get some more runs. While a target of 208 was always going to be beyond Mumbai – especially after they inexplicably dropped an in-form James Franklin for Aiden Blizzard – a longer knock from Sachin would have added some stability to the chase, potentially making the match a lot closer than it eventually turned out to be. It’s always a pleasure to see him bat, and his solitary six over covers sent a shiver of delight through the crowd.Face-off I most relished
I loved the way Jayawardene took on Lasith Malinga. He showed a sense of responsibility by never letting the yorker specialist settle into his rhythm and dented his confidence by taking him for plenty of runs. With their kingpin going for runs all over the park, the toothless Mumbai attack appeared helpless to contain Jayawardene on a flat pitch.Accessories
Like a typical fan, I had noise whistles and a Delhi flag to wave for every four, six, save, Mumbai misfield, dropped catch, in between overs and after the match.Close encounter
One of the girls I went with was in love with Morne Morkel and went into a frenzy of delight when he came to patrol the boundary next to where we were sitting. Chants of “Morkel Morkel” and “Marry me Morne” made him blush and smile, and his emphatic wave when going on to bowl sent her into a state of ecstasy.Crowd meter
The Kotla was packed and noisy. Armed with flags and whistles, and encouraged by loud Punjabi music and a very enthusiastic emcee, the crowd created an atmosphere so in favour of the home side, it seemed impossible they would lose. Like in any stadium in India, Sachin got his share of cheers, but the Delhi crowd, after four seasons of the IPL, seems to have finally realised it won’t do to cheer a four from the opposition side. But spectators in Delhi are not yet as hostile as the crowds in Mumbai and Bangalore, and still welcome their visitors with open arms.There was a silent battle between a seven-year-old Delhi fan and a 20-something Mumbai fan. The Delhi boy was wearing the Daredevils jersey and waving a team flag, cheering them on enthusiastically. Then he caught sight of the Mumbai fan and for the rest of the game, after every boundary or over, the Delhi kid would stand up in his seat, turn around, and dance, cheer and make faces at the Mumbai fan, who also responded enthusiastically. The rivalry ended well, with the Mumbai fan giving the Delhi boy a tight hug after the match.Fancy-dress index
One guy wore an array of peacock feathers on his head, with matching sunglasses that had green shiny flashing lights. If he had ventured in front of the sightscreen, there would have been a major interruption in the game.Actual interruption of the day
In the middle of an over during the Daredevils’ innings a dog ran on to the field. It took a lap of honour around the field while the crowd and walked off to allow play to continue.Banner of the day
“Sachin, please stick to cricket not politics!” A simple message that showed how highly we Indians think of our cricketers and how little we think of our politicians.TV v stadium
I’m a sucker for games at the stadium, be it Tests, ODIs or Twenty20s. The IPL, packaged as it is, is simply a must-watch in the stadium. The entertainment – both cricket and off the field – the crowds, the music, the drama, the thrills and the heartbreaks, the euphoria can be best enjoyed with 40,000 other fans screaming their hearts out.Overall
I’d give this game 8 out of 10 simply in relation to the other IPL games I’ve watched at the Kotla. While this game didn’t have the drama of the Delhi v Punjab game I saw last season (both teams scoring over 200 runs), the fabulous crowd and the all-round display from the Daredevils made it a wonderful experience.

West Indies’ top order has failed consistently against England and something will have to change to give them any hope in the final Test

Nagraj Gollapudi at Trent Bridge28-May-2012Marlon Samuels stood there at the non-striker’s end. Head down, motionless. His helpless and sorry figure summed up the terrible state of West Indies batting so far in this series. The previous delivery, Ravi Rampaul, West Indies’ last man, had gone chasing an away swinger from James Anderson, edging into the hands of the third slip. That meant Samuels missed out on scoring consecutive centuries in the same match by 24 runs.This was the second time in the match that Samuels, who had lofted Graeme Swann out of the ground for 16 runs, including two straight sixes in the previous over, was left stranded in such a frustrated position. In the first innings, it was his captain Darren Sammy, who having compiled a resilient maiden century, played an irresponsible pull shot to be caught in the deep at a crucial juncture. Samuels and Sammy had re-built the West Indies house after the early collapse on the first day. West Indies could have crossed the 500-mark but Sammy’s departure only hastened the visitors folding up the first innings at a good, but not good-enough total.West Indies were not in a similar position today, but it takes just that bit of application and determination to turn a corner. Samuels is the best example of that theory working. Unfortunately none of his top order batsmen had learned from him, as well as their own mistakes.Consider this: in the four innings played in the series so far, not one among the West Indies’ top order has managed to score a half century. But the more incredulous fact is that the West Indies top-four comprising Adrian Barath, Kieran Powell, Kirk Edwards and Darren Bravo have scored an aggregate of just 203 runs in the two Tests. Samuels, on his own, has managed 310 runs.At Lord’s, Barath had survived two hours on the first day to return not out at lunch. But as soon as he returned to crease, he went and pushed at the ball which he had left alone all morning. In Nottingham, he was clueless about his position and committed to playing the balls once again he should have let go. In the second innings at Lord’s, Powell had shown his weak mindset when he took on Stuart Broad, who had tempted him to go for the pull. The previous delivery, Powell had been alerted by his batting partner Shivnarine Chanderpaul, about two fielders being placed in the deep, yet Powell consciously fell into the trap.Edwards’ bad luck at Lord’s, when he was run out inadvertently for no mistake of his in the second innings, did not go away as he reported sick yesterday and survived just two deliveries, recording his second duck. His form in the first innings of both Tests has been no better with the England fast bowlers exposing cracks in Edwards’ poor defence easily. Bravo had been done by Chanderpaul’s erroneous call on the first day of the series last Thursday, but on Sunday he repeated the same mistake Powell had made minutes earlier, chasing a wide delivery outside the off stump delivery and edging.

“This group of players has been criticised because of the decline of West Indies cricket. You come to England, you are playing the No. 1 team in the world, it is difficult to expect that you are going to come and beat them.”West Indies coach Ottis Gibson

Not only does it reveal a poor choice of shot selection from the West Indies batsmen but it also highlights a weak temperament. Ottis Gibson, West Indies coach, said the problem was a “combination of both” technical and mental skills: “It is not entirely a technical thing. It is being able to repeat your skill over and over again. That is what top teams in the world do: they test your technique; they test your character; they test your mental strength. Perhaps that is where we are falling short,” Gibson said. “They are doing the hard work but they are not doing it for long enough.”Gibson said West Indies would utilise the two-day tour match in Leicester to not only give more batting time to some of their ailing batsmen but also probably reshuffle the batting order to encounter the top-order failure. He did not rule out moving one of the pair of Samuels or Bravo to No. 3 in place of the struggling Edwards. “We have got a good week off to go back and sort of reflect on where we are the moment and what we can salvage out of the rest of the series with one Test match to go and look at all the different options that we have available; may be moving Marlon or Darren to three or Darren.”Across the two Tests, West Indies have won many sessions of play while fighting hard in others. A good example came during the first session on the third morning when the pair of Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach put West Indies back in the game after the bowlers had been dominated by the pair of Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen on the second afternoon. “We were outstanding yesterday to get eight wickets for 169 runs considering the way we had bowled the day before where we leaked runs from both ends,” Gibson said.He said by blocking one end, West Indies had successfully suffocated England captain Andrew Strauss, who found it hard to accelerate once he had scored his century. “We made it tough for him and then that caused him to get out,” Gibson said. But his batsmen had not learned when they were put under the scanner.”When England make it tough for us, we get out far easier than they do. That is a concern. But we have shown that when we do the right things we can cause problems to the England team but we are not doing it consistently enough at the moment.”Gibson said though he was disappointed that West Indies had lost the Wisden Trophy, he would still not be disheartened by the critics, who were expecting his team to beat a strong side like England. “This group of players has been criticised because of the decline, if you like, of West Indies cricket,” Gibson said. “You come to England, you are playing the No. 1 team in the world, it is difficult to expect that you are going to come and beat them. We challenged them at Lord’s, we challenged them here for periods as well but not for long enough to create any winning opportunities.”

West Indies’ pace attack failed to shine in overcast conditions but they can still learn their coach’s lesson

Nagraj Gollapudi at Lord's18-May-2012As Fidel Edwards limped in during the final over of a long day, Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, might have had a furrowed brow in the dressing room. Perhaps not so much out of concern for Edwards, but rather due to the possibility that the hard grind his bowlers had experienced without many gains could be the trend for the rest of this cold English summer.Friday was even more overcast than the first day of the Test and the conditions on the ground had not changed much. England walked into the series after having had a tough time during the winter where they had lost four out of their five Tests, played in the Asian subcontinent. Andrew Strauss, the England captain and opener, was diagnosed as vulnerable.So the four-man fast bowling contingent from the Caribbean had many things in their favour, in addition to bringing different skills to the table. Kemar Roach had pace and form under his belt; Fidel Edwards, the most dangerous, speed allied with swing; debutant Shannon Gabriel had height and the X-factor about him; Darren Sammy, the slowest of the lot, the rigour to keep plugging the ball on the same spot.Yet England, and Strauss, came out relieved while transferring the pressure on to the West Indies bowlers, who had to toil hard to fetch three wickets on a long day. Their effort was in complete contrast to the England bowlers, who maintained control, accuracy, and utilised the conditions to their advantage on day one, even when there were intervals in the final two sessions of play when Shivnarine Chanderpaul imposed himself completely.But more than effort, West Indies bowlers failed on two fronts: swing and seam. That allowed Strauss, Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott to establish themselves and subsequently build partnerships. It says much when their best bowler on the day was Sammy who, despite only bowling medium pace, had the most number of appeals, including a caught behind off Trott, which he decided not to review, despite replays showing the faintest of edges. But Sammy would be the first to admit it was just not luck that went against West Indies.The first signs of trouble were visible when Edwards did not return after a four-over opening spell. He had failed to move the ball once, and allowed the England openers to settle down quickly. At the other end, Roach, who was coming into the series on the back of finishing as the best bowler in the home Test series against Australia, tried hard in his extended spell of 12 overs, bowling from both sides of the wicket, on various lengths, to try and induce a false shot.When Cook did play on, Roach didn’t expect it, at least from his reaction to the wicket. He was bowling from around the stumps, wide of the crease, down the slope, the ball pitched on middle, on length, and Cook perished cutting a delivery that was a little too close to him. But the vital first session had England on top.The West Indies bowlers maintained a much better line and control immediately on resumption as no run came off the bat in the first 21 deliveries. Roach even bowled the first maiden of the innings in the 26th over.But how long could West Indies keep England in check? Pertinently, how long could the bowlers keep their control? Sammy became too predictable for Trott, who understood the West Indies captain was trying to move the ball into his pads. Over time he became comfortable. At the other end Strauss, who had kept quiet for the first half an hour of the second session, galloped from the 30s to his half-century. The first six overs after lunch only cost seven runs but then Sammy gave up 20 in two overs.

“How long could West Indies keep England in check? Pertinently, how long could the bowlers keep their control?”

This was not new for England. They know the conditions better than anyone and in the absence of any hostile or skilled bowling, the Strauss-Trott combination consolidated further. Apart from Sammy, the other West Indies bowlers, at least in the second session, did not try to bowl to a plan. There was no strategy to keep Strauss locked in at one end. As England extended their vigil, the silly run-out of Darren Bravo and the even sillier fashion in which some the West Indies batsman had got out on the first day, became only more significant.Suddenly it seemed Ravi Rampaul’s stiff neck had come at the wrong time. Rampaul might lack express pace, but he has the knack and intelligence to work hard on a batsman. He has grown to be more disciplined than the rest of the West Indies fast bowlers. Simultaneously, it also raised another doubt: did the visitors read the pitch, which is slightly slow and dry, wrong? With the forecast for Saturday good, spin is likely to become a vital factor on the final two days.Despite bowling long spells, all four of West Indies’ fast men returned to bowl more effectively in final session of play, in which two wickets fell and the batsmen were forced to play and not just leave the ball.The task at hand is not easy for West Indies. But Gibson can remind his bowlers about the one suggestion he had on the eve of the Test for them to succeed in English conditions. “The one message I have given them early season in England is the only skill you need to have is the skill of patience,” he said. “If you put the ball in the right areas often enough in England this time of the year you will get some reward. It is letting the ball do the work for you rather than thinking you have to bowl the magic balls – just put the ball in the right place and the conditions will aid whether they are swinging or seaming. You do not try to force the conditions.”

Bowler? Bowler who can bat? Allrounder? Bowler who can’t bowl his quota?

Sidharth Monga13-Jul-2012Irfan Pathan is back. Again. Not in Terminator sort of way. Not least because he didn’t promise he’d be back when he left. He never does.Nor is this a Rambo-like sequel. This is the continuation of the old story featuring that same unanswered question: who exactly is Irfan Pathan? To be precise, what exactly is Irfan Pathan?Irfan began as a delightful swing bowler. Then he became an occasional pinch-hitter who batted more than he slogged, with genuine potential for being an allrounder. Then as his bowling deserted him, he eked out appearances because of his batting. Then he was dropped, forgot his batting, and came back as a bowler who batted better than the designated allrounder in the same side but wasn’t allowed to bat higher than No. 9. Consequently he is a specialist bowler who has bowled his quota in only three of the last ten ODIs he has played in.One of those uncompleted quotas – nine overs for 61 runs against Bangladesh, which contributed to an India loss – seemed to have put him aside for a while, but in a can’t-live-with-or-without-you manner, India have called Irfan back again to replace an injured specialist bowler. There is no rule set in stone to suggest that a replacement should be strictly like for like, which could suggest picking him ahead of Praveen Kumar might be a belated admission that the original squad for Sri Lanka was an allrounder short. However, don’t hold your breath: Irfan is not considered an allrounder. That much was clear in Australia, his first proper test on his last comeback.MS Dhoni, his captain, said as much when he bemoaned the absence of a “seaming allrounder” even before that ODI series began. That statement needs to be seen in the context of Ravindra Jadeja, the preferred allrounder, struggling to bowl well on seamer-friendly pitches and being clearly out of his depth as a batsman at No. 7. So stubborn was Dhoni that even when Irfan was eventually picked, thanks to injuries to others, he was sent in at No. 9, behind R Ashwin. Sure enough, at No. 9, Irfan hit a six crucial to India coming out with a tie.When Dhoni sat out a game because of an over-rate ban, stand-in captain Virender Sehwag promoted Irfan to No. 7, where he scored an attractive 47 off 34, only for Dhoni to return and demote him to No. 9 again. It was clear that despite the conditions being in Irfan’s favour, India were not going to use him as an allrounder, for whatever the term is worth in the Indian ODI squad context. Even when they left Jadeja out in an Asia Cup game, Yusuf Pathan was his direct replacement, and Irfan had to rely on his bowling alone.What perhaps goes unsaid here is that Dhoni doesn’t want to play with any fewer than four fielders who can dive around and help him control the game. That was the reason he kept out one of the big three. And with the openers and himself ruled out, Dhoni is left with just three if Irfan is played at No. 7 with more specialist bowlers to follow. Jadeja can dive around; Irfan is strictly a safe fielder. It appears that four extraordinary fielders is a non-negotiable: when Jadeja has played himself out of the team, India are happy with a batsman who can bowl part-time spin but, more importantly, allows Dhoni to control the game through his fielding. It doesn’t help that since Kapil Dev India have produced only one fast bowler who is also a better-than-safe fielder, Ajit Agarkar.Irfan was to keep his place in the side on his bowling alone. He is simply not back to being a good enough bowler to do so, especially in the subcontinent. The captain’s lack of trust in Irfan’s bowling shows in how he repeatedly fails to bowl his ten overs, despite there being two new balls, which should counter his ineffectiveness with the old ball to some extent. Sooner or later he was bound to lose his place, and it happened in Bangladesh. With India hardly playing any cricket outside the subcontinent in the near future, his goose seemed to have been cooked.Not quite. When R Vinay Kumar was ruled out with a hamstring injury, India went to Irfan, and not Praveen Kumar, a better specialist bowler by all accounts. Which brings us back to the possibility that the selectors might have picked Irfan to address the absence of an allrounder, once again a term to be taken with a pinch of salt in the Indian context.Now that he has been picked – for whatever reasons – it will be interesting to see how India use him. If they play him as a specialist bowler, they might not have the luxury of not bowling him out, what with part-time spinners already under pressure to share their quota of ten overs. If he is played at No. 7, Dhoni will have to make do with just three fielders capable of charging and diving around the field. There is also the possibility of his not getting a game. Yet another series, then, in the life of the unanswered question: what exactly is Irfan Pathan?