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.

As Australia grafted for wickets, Peter Siddle restated his immense value to the team

Daniel Brettig at Adelaide Oval08-Dec-2013Twenty-four hours after Mitchell Johnson wrought havoc of biblical proportions at Adelaide Oval, 33,754 spectators and 11 Australia cricketers were reminded why such bursts are to be cherished in their rarity. Most Test cricket is far more attritional in nature, gains hard-won through hours of planning, application, agitation and the odd helping of fortune.Johnson’s incisions had cut the game open, but England would not allow their final 10 wickets to be extracted anywhere near as swiftly on what was now a dying pitch. Despite a brief reprise of Johnson’s sudden impact when Alastair Cook hooked his third ball to fine leg, and the most unexpected gift of Ian Bell’s wicket from a Steven Smith full toss, the major themes of the day were hard graft and ill temper.The scant assistance offered by the surface was epitomised by the frustrated glare of Ryan Harris, who so far has only one wicket in the match to show for more than 30 overs of typical vigour. Nathan Lyon has found spin but less of the bounce or rhythm that so aided him in Brisbane. Even Johnson was taken down a notch or two from his earlier heroics, the slightest drop in pace from day three to day four granting England’s batsmen a valuable fraction of extra time to play him – Matt Prior even hooking in front of square in the day’s final over.On both sides, the frustrations of the situation contributed to several ill-tempered conversations. Australia, so close to victory, did not take kindly at all to being held up. England, committed to obstructing their opponents’ progress in whatever ways they could, returned serve. Joe Root, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin and Johnson all were involved at various times, including at the end of play. So menacing in his silence the day before, Johnson seemed fractionally less dangerous for having to resort to verbals.It was decidedly handy in this atmosphere of war minus the shooting for the captain, Michael Clarke, to call on Peter Siddle for his most significant spells of the series. Across seven consecutive Ashes Tests of wildly fluctuating results, moods and conditions, Siddle has been a constant presence, his performances seldom gaining attention but always maintaining a standard Clarke can rely on. Most of all, Siddle has been the man most likely to dispose of Kevin Pietersen, and by doing so twice in Adelaide he has more than earned his match fee.

On-field temperature rises again

Australia have denied the frayed tempers on display as they sought to close out the second Ashes Test were any more pungent than in any other series, following a series of on-field exchanges that punctuated day four of the Adelaide Test.
Seldom did one of the day’s 90 overs go by without some evidence of niggle between the teams, reaching a pitch towards the end of play when the captain, Michael Clarke, was engaged in discussion about fading light. Peter Siddle, who claimed two of six wickets to fall, was at pains to play down scenes that did nothing to dispel the notion that Australia and England are growing even further apart than usual.
“Pup walked in to have a look at the light and Broady was asking Mitch where to go for dinner tonight,” Siddle said, grinning. “There wasn’t a lot to it, it’s no more than we’ve ever seen in the history of cricket. You can say what you want but, being out there, there wasn’t much said at all. It’s been a long day, a tough day and Mitch was trying to get the job done. That’s all it was.
“I’ve played 48 Tests now and it hasn’t been different, no matter who we’ve played. It’s just part of the game. A long hard day, they’re fighting to try and see where they can end up, we’re fighting hard to get those 10 wickets and it was hard work today, we tried everything, and we need to freshen up tonight, come out tomorrow and get the job done.”

The battles between Siddle and Pietersen served as a microcosm of the way the two days developed. In the first innings Siddle was brought on by Clarke for the specific task of constricting and defeating Pietersen, something he did not have to wait long for. Pietersen’s disregard for field settings has at times brought moments of high class, as his wrists pierce the tiniest gaps between catching men. But this time, as in Brisbane, his pick-up from around off stump found one of the two midwickets Clarke had posted. Like the rest of England’s first innings, it was a wicket sold too cheaply.On day four, however, Pietersen did fight his urge to whip through the leg side. Siddle tried alternating balls wide of the stumps with the odd one angled in, and also varied his approach to the crease to create an angle encouraging the stroke. But Pietersen’s bat continued to come through straight, defensive dead bats leaving the bowler to ponder another option. Pietersen strode to 53, helping himself to three sixes, but was then undone by Siddle’s subtle movement either way, dragging on a ball moving back at him with his bat hung slightly wider in expectation of a mild curve towards the slips.Siddle has now defeated Pietersen five times in the past seven Tests, and on nine occasions overall, a victory for the bowling tradesman over the batting aristocrat. “I love the challenge of bowling against a player of his experience and talent,” Siddle said. “He’s been a star player of Test cricket and I enjoy it. I try to keep patient, bowl in the right areas and been lucky enough, a few chop-ons always help. It was nice to get him today. Pup’s always told us be ready for certain players. He’s got ideas of who we want to bowl to, so at different stages we have. You know you do bowl better at some players and I think it does work.”The wicket of Michael Carberry had been collected earlier, courtesy of a short ball and a fine catch by Lyon in the deep. Siddle’s wicket-taking trailed off towards the end of the previous Ashes series but his value to the team is well understood by everyone in it. “I was disappointed with how I finished off in England but that’s done and dusted, don’t have to worry about that now,” he said. “We’re going well as a team, I’m happy with how I’m bowling.”As a unit we’re bowling strong, and that’s what we’re all about. Mitch has had all the success up to now, but I think it’s been the work from Ryano, myself, Nath, Watto, everyone involved that has built that pressure up, and we’ve got the wickets at his end. That makes it a lot easier for him if we can build the pressure and he can come on in short bursts at them.”The value of the collective is something Siddle has stressed many times before, notably during the 2011-12 summer when many of his best stints at the bowling crease against India went unrewarded, before a starburst of wickets in Adelaide gave him handsome final figures. Walking off the same oval on a day when the Australians had to scrap more thoroughly with England’s batsmen than at any other time of the series so far, they had reason to value Siddle, a man for the hard occasion.

Stats preview to the Boxing Day Ashes Test at the MCG

S Rajesh25-Dec-2013The last 15 Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground have all produced decisive results – the last draw here was in 1997, against South Africa. Given this stat, and the clear weather forecast, the series scoreline will probably read 4-0 or 3-1 before the new year dawns. Australia have a 12-3 record during this period, but England are the only side to win more than one Test since 1997 – they beat the hosts in 1998 and then again in 2010. The 2010 drubbing was especially embarrassing for Australia, and they were bowled out for 98 in their first innings and saw England finish the opening day on none for 157, which also turned out to be the margin of the innings victory for England. That was Australia’s first innings defeat at the ground since 1986.The memories of that embarrassment will surely keep Australia hungry and motivated despite having already sealed the series with two matches to go. Also, despite Australia’s imposing overall record here, they’ve been beaten twice in their last five Tests: before England’s comprehensive win in 2010, they’d also lost to South Africa by nine wickets in 2008. (Click here for the results at this ground since 1990.)Despite those two recent defeats, Australia’s stats here since 2000 are still utterly dominant – they’ve averaged more than 40 runs per wicket with the bat, and conceded less than 26 with the ball. Their batsmen have scored 16 centuries in these 13 Tests, while opposition batsmen have scored only five.

The MCG is one of two home venues where Shane Watson has scored a Test century – in fact, it’s the ground where he scored his first century, 120 not out against Pakistan in 2009. For Michael Clarke, though, it hasn’t been such a great batting ground: he scored his first Test century here last year, in his 13th Test innings; in his previous 12 innings here he’d averaged 36.50.The MCG has also been a poor venue for two of England’s top batsmen. Kevin Pietersen has managed 73 runs from three innings, while Ian Bell has scores of 7, 2, and 1 from his three innings here.

Peter Siddle has the least wickets among Australia’s fast bowlers so far in this series, but at the MCG he has been the top star, taking 21 wickets in five Tests at 22.19. The last time the two teams played at this ground, Siddle was the only Australian to emerge with his reputation enhanced, taking 6 for 75 from 33 tireless overs, even as England amassed 513. Mitchell Johnson went for plenty in that match – 2 for 134 from 29 overs – but he achieved his best MCG figures when he last played there, taking 6 for 79 against Sri Lanka in 2012.

In the last eight Tests at the MCG, fast bowlers have done much better than spinners, averaging 27 runs per wicket with five five-fors, two of those by Dale Steyn in one match. Spinners have conceded more than 41 runs per wicket, and two of the three five-fors taken by them during this period were by wristspinners, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble. Nathan Lyon, Australia’s specialist spinner in the current team, has bowled only 30.3 overs in the two Tests he has played here, which indicates how dominant Australia’s fast bowlers have been in these matches.

Teams winning the toss have batted first seven times in the last eight Tests, but have won only four of the seven times when they’ve chosen to bat. In these eight games, teams batting first and fielding first have won four times each, which suggests the toss hasn’t had that much impact on the result of the match.The average runs per wicket is the highest in the second innings, which suggests the second day is the best one for batting at this venue. In the last eight Tests, teams have topped 330 five times in the first innings, but there’ve also been three scores of less than 160. In the second innings, four times in the last eight years teams have topped 400, with England’s 513 in 2010 being the highest. However, the averages have dropped significantly in the third and fourth innings, with the fourth-innings average dropping to 23.

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.

Stats highlights from the fourth day of the Wellington Test between New Zealand and India

Shiva Jayaraman17-Feb-2014

• Brendon McCullum is only 19 runs away from the first triple-hundred in Tests by a New Zealand batsman. His current score of 281 is the second highest by a New Zealand batsman in Tests. Martin Crowe holds the record for the highest Test score for the team – 299 against Sri Lanka at the Basin Reserve in 1990-91.
• McCullum’s score is the fourth-highest by a batsman in the second innings. Should he score a triple-century, he will be only the second batsman to do so in the second innings. Only Hanif Mohammad has scored a triple-century in the second innings, against West Indies in Bridgetown, way back in 1957-58. There have been only eight other scores of 250 or more in the second innings. Crowe is the only other New Zealand batsman in this list.
• This is McCullum’s third score of 200 or more in Tests and all of them have come against India. He has become only the second New Zealand batsman with three scores of 200 or more. Stephen Fleming is the other, with three scores of 200-plus. McCullum has scored 1203 runs at 70.76 against India from ten Tests.
• McCullum has faced 525 deliveries in his marathon innings. This is now the most deliveries faced in an innings by a batsman in Tests in New Zealand, beating the 524 balls faced by England’s Clive Radley against the hosts at the Eden Park in 1977-78.
• McCullum’s innings has lasted approximately 727 minutes, which is the longest any New Zealand batsman has batted, beating the 704 minutes that Glenn Turner batted for, against West Indies in Bridgetown in 1971-72. This is also the longest a batsman has batted in Tests in New Zealand, beating Shoaib Mohammad’s 720 minute-long vigil at the crease at the same venue in 1988-89. Click here for a list of the longest innings in terms of time by batsmen in Tests.
• McCullum has scored 514 runs already in this series – only the sixth instance of a batsman scoring 500 or more runs in a two-Test series. McCullum’s tally is currently the fourth highest, the highest being Sanath Jayasuriya’s 571 runs, also against India in this series.
• McCullum has now scored the second-highest number of runs by a New Zealand captain in a Test series. He is 32 runs short of breaking John Reid’s record, who scored 546 runs in a five-match series in South Africa in 1961-62. This is also the second instance of a New Zealand captain scoring 500 or more runs in a Test series.
• This is also the fifth-highest runs scored by a captain in a three-Test (or less) series. Graham Gooch holds the record for scoring the most runs in such series – he scored 752 runs, also against India, in this series in 1990-91.
• BJ Watling’s third Test century was only the fourth hundred by a New Zealand No. 7 in the second innings. Watling fell just two runs short of the highest score by a New Zealand No. 7 in the second innings – 126 by Chris Cairns against India in Hamilton in 1998-99. Watling also completed 1000 Test runs during his innings. He now has 1092 runs at 35.22 from 21 Tests.
• Watling’s 124 is the second hundred and the highest score by a New Zealand wicketkeeper in the second innings. McCullum is the only other wicketkeeper for them to hit a hundred in the second innings.
• McCullum and Watling’s partnership of 352 runs is the highest for the sixth wicket in Tests, beating the 351-run partnership between Mahela Jayawardene and Prasanna Jayawardene against India in Ahmedabad in 2009.
• This partnership was the fourth highest for any wicket to come in the second innings of a team. The highest partnership also came at the same venue between Martin Crowe and Andrew Jones when they added 467 runs for the third wicket against Sri Lanka in 1991.
• New Zealand’s sixth and seventh wickets have added 477 runs in this innings – this is the highest added by the two wickets in an innings in Tests. The previous highest added by the sixth and seventh wickets in an innings was 414 runs by Australia in this Test way back in 1936-37.
• The total of 474 runs scored by New Zealand’s No. 5 to No. 8 in this innings is the highest in an innings by four batsmen batting at these positions. The previous highest was also against India, when Carl Hooper (136), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (136), Ridley Jacobs (118) and Mervyn Dillon (43) together scored 433 in this Test in 2002.
• In the last Test, New Zealand scored 503 and 105, registering a deficit of 398 runs between their innings – their second-highest such deficit in Tests. They are quite close to overhauling that deficit in the ongoing Test. The current difference between their first innings and second innings scores is 372, which is the second-highest difference between their two innings with a higher second-innings score.
• New Zealand’s lead of 325 runs is already the highest a team batting first has managed after trailing by 200 or more after the first innings. The previous-highest such lead was also by New Zealand, at the same venue, against Sri Lanka in 1990-91, when they led by 323 runs.
• New Zealand’s lead is well past the highest a team has scored in the fourth innings to win a Test at the Basin Reserve – 277 by Pakistan against the hosts in 2003-04. However, India will not be asking for too much should they hope to salvage a draw from this Test. The previous 18 instances of a team batting second taking a lead of 200 or more in the first innings, only to concede a similar lead when the opposition has batted again, have all ended in a draw.

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

The highs, the lows, the trends, the talking points. The 2014 IPL season summed up

Siddarth Ravindran and Nitin Sundar03-Jun-2014An IPL with no controversy is still an IPL – No slapgate. No expose of rigged auctions. No twitter meltdown involving cabinet ministers and tournament officials. No news of financial irregularities. No talk of conflicts of interest. No enthusiastic sons-in-law. No dodgy no-balls. After the muck-fest that was IPL 2013, the organisers must be relieved to go through an entire season without any scandal.Administrators had promised to do away with cheerleaders as part of a plan to focus more on cricket. They didn’t go that far, but annoyances like in-game chats with players and interviews with the local cinema star (Trisha, Siddharth, etc) were minimised or done away with. The IPL opening ceremony, perhaps due to UAE rules, was a closed-door affair and not a much-trumpeted gala featuring a global pop star like Katy Perry or Pitbull as in previous years.The best teams played the final, which is as good an endorsement for the format as any. Kings XI Punjab were the class of the field in the first half of the season, while Knight Riders shook off a flaky start to peak at the right time. Knight Riders were deserving winners, for finding a way past Kings XI despite their two best players – Sunil Narine and Robin Uthappa – failing in the final.Robin Uthappa’s revival was the most compelling story of the season. He topped the tournament run-charts, despite hitting only 18 sixes. In contrast, Glenn Maxwell and Dwayne Smith, his closest competitors for the Orange Cap, smashed 70 sixes between them. Knight Riders’ brilliant bowling attack made it the best team to be batting for, and Uthappa surely benefitted – his streak of ten successive 40-plus scores included eight games where they were chasing middling targets, which allowed him to play at his pace.Home and away became increasingly irrelevant. The first leg being shifted to the UAE was unavoidable, but Cuttack hosted both a home game for Knight Riders and an away game for them. Two teams – Royals and Super Kings – didn’t play a single game in their traditional home cities.Chris Gayle, Shane Watson and Kevin Pietersen were poor, and it took a toll on their respective teams. Gayle arrived unfit, and was a shadow of his usual self when he got to play. Watson fell apart as a leader, and Brad Hodge had to step up when Corey Anderson was destroying Rajasthan. Pietersen’s mind was at least partly on his off-field battles with the ECB. Overall, a lesson for teams looking to build their teams around a single high-profile buy.Glenn Maxwell’s slump came in a clutch of inconsequential rubbers, while his failures in the play-off against Chennai and in the final didn’t stop Kings XI from running up gigantic scores. However, their approach in the final – promoting George Bailey and Wriddhiman Saha – was perhaps dictated by Maxwell’s form. If he had been among the runs, he may have gone in at 3, and Punjab might have made those 15 extra runs.Kings XI top six – the gold standard of IPL batting•ESPNcricinfo LtdSehwag. Vohra. Saha. Maxwell. Miller. Bailey. Six dashers, no blocker, and all in form. Kings XI’s batting line-up is the gold standard against which all IPL batting sides should be compared.Mumbai’s discards who were strong contenders for a place in the team of the tournament: Yuzvendra Chahal, Glenn Maxwell, Dwayne Smith, Akshar Patel. Did Mumbai muck it up at the auction?MS Dhoni had a peculiar season. He took tight chases deep and struck nerveless sixes in the end to win matches. Yet, in the playoff against Kings XI, he struggled after holding himself back for too long. He had an entire season to find a way to replace Dwayne Bravo, but failed. He made some questionable on-field calls – most notably when he backed David Hussey’s part-time rusty offspin in the final over against RCB. And he was unusually heated in his comments after losing the playoff. Unusual, for a captain who took it all stoically while India were getting repeatedly hammered in away Tests.Dale Steyn’s death bowling came apart four times in the season – against MS Dhoni, AB de Villiers, George Bailey and Yusuf Pathan. Perhaps, fast length balls in the corridor just don’t work against 21st century hitters, that stunning final over against New Zealand in the World T20 not withstanding.Is Sunil Narine the most valuable T20 player in the world? Always called on to bowl tough overs at the death, he was freakishly consistent. It became a cliché that teams playing Knight Riders had only 16 overs to score off. And the knowledge that he was waiting at the end of the innings forced teams to go on all-out attack earlier than they would like. Briefly, during the final over of the tournament, you wondered whether Narine might cost Knight Riders the title as he fumbled against Parvinder Awana, but a scampered single averted that cruel twist.A slew of low-cost spinners were among the performers of the season as well: Akshar (Rs 75 lakh), Chahal (10 lakh) and Pravin Tambe (10 lakh). Others got smaller roles but made an impact: Shivam Sharma (10 lakhs), Karanaveer Singh (10 lakhs) and Shreyas Gopal (10 lakhs).The umpiring was substandard, with games featuring too many glaring errors. The umpire cam was an innovation that resulted in unpleasant pictures when the umpire shook his head to turn down a decision or a player filled up the screen when he was talking to the official. Occasionally it worked, especially for catches around midwicket when viewed from square leg. Relatively old-school Hawk-Eye graphics would have been a better viewer aid.87 off 25 A sense of disappointment lingers over Suresh Raina’s international career, but his IPL performances brook no argument. The most consistent batsman over seven seasons of the tournament, he produced arguably the best innings of all in the playoff against Kings XI. All sorts of records were laid to waste as he showed there was no need to slog even while scoring at a strike rate of 348, highlighted by the shot of the innings – a nonchalant tuck to midwicket for four though the ball from Parvinder Awana was full and angling away.The fielding in the IPL was its usual mix of amateurish incompetence and world-class brilliance. Kieron Pollard and Chris Lynn produced grabs that will linger long in the memory, but a large number of matches also featured comical drops – starting with Lasith Malinga putting down a sitter that changed the opening game of the tournament.Blue v blue was all-too common again•BCCIFeeling blue. Yet again there was a preponderance of teams in the IPL’s favourite colour, perhaps in an attempt to link the franchise with the national team’s kit. When Mumbai Indians took on Royals, it was hard to distinguish the teams. At least the disbanding of Deccan Chargers and Pune Warriors brought down the number of blues from five to three.Pakistan players remained persona non grata. There were Pakistan coaches, Pakistan umpires, Pakistan commentators, and Shoaib Akhtar regaled viewers from the studio but the talents of Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi stay off the IPL stage. Also, with Sri Lanka players ignored this season, England players generally not favoured, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe players a rarity, the overseas cricketers in the IPL came almost entirely from just four countries.Twenty20 has made batting orders more fluid than before, but Royals took that idea to extremes. A profitable opening partnership of Ajinkya Rahane and Karun Nair was shunted to the middle order for one game, Stuart Binny was stubbornly persisted with at around No. 4 or 5 though he was woefully short of runs, and accomplished batsmen like Steven Smith and Brad Hodge were sometimes held back as late as No. 8. It’s toss-up whether those decisions were taken after deep analysis or a spin-the-wheel basis.Short is sweet – The number of games in 2014 was down to 60 – that’s 16 matches fewer than in 2013 and 2012, and it showed. The IPL buzz did not flag this time and the cricket craze built up leading into the playoffs. Traditionally, franchisees have clamoured for more games to be packed into a season, with an eye on the incremental eyeballs and gate revenue. But IPL 2014 proved that less is more.

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.

Plays of the day from the second ODI between Pakistan and Australia in Dubai

Abhishek Purohit10-Oct-2014The celebration
Batsmen usually reserve their celebrations for centuries and not fifties, but it has been a special year for Sarfraz Ahmed. All his five Test scores of fifty-plus have come in 2014. Tonight, he brought up his maiden ODI half-century to follow up on the 34 he made in the first ODI after being promoted from the lower middle order to open in this series. After he ran a couple off Kane Richardson to bring up the landmark, Sarfraz roared, beamed, took off his helmet and soaked in the applause from the crowd and the dressing room, with coach Waqar Younis nodding and clapping in appreciation.The double-jump catch
Captains usually don’t have a slip in the 44th over of an ODI innings but Pakistan’s collapse had allowed George Bailey to attack more. When Shahid Afridi edged a slog off Mitchell Johnson, Steven Smith was in the position as the ball threatened to fly over him. Smith reached it with a jump and hands stretched over his head, only to parry it to his left. Even as the wicketkeeper Brad Haddin pondered whether to go for the rebound, Smith came down from the first jump, leaped again in the direction of the ball, and landed with it safely in his grasp.The run-out
Mohammad Irfan got to face his first delivery in the last over of the Pakistan innings, and poked and missed one from Richardson. Fawad Alam wanted the strike and ran. Irfan realised too late that he too, would have to do the same. Irfan could not pick up any pace, though. The keeper lobbed the ball to Richardson, who was standing halfway between the two ends. Even though he was so far away, Richardson had enough time to trot towards the non-striker’s end and lob the ball onto the stumps. Irfan lumbered in after what seemed like an age.The overrule
In the 22nd over of the chase, Pakistan appealed for caught behind against George Bailey off Zulfiqar Babar, and got the decision in their favour. Bailey reviewed. Replays showed the bat had hit the ground some time after the ball had passed the outside edge. In the absence of Snicko or HotSpot, there was no conclusive evidence on the replay alone that ball had not touched bat. The on-field umpire’s decision stays in such a case but third umpire Richard Illingworth thought otherwise, and it was Bailey who stayed instead.