Statistical highlights of the Group A match between Bangladesh and West Indies

HR Gopalakrishna and Mathew Varghese13-Sep-2007

West Indies became the first team to be knocked out of the ICC World Twenty20, after losing their second match against Bangladesh. The following are a few statistical highlights:

In a summer of such discontent it is a result that will rankle the Australians for years, but the hosts were outplayed by a superior team in almost every aspect

Peter English at the Gabba04-Mar-2008

There’s no problem. It was just one bad game. Our challenge is to lift our game. Throughout the past week of dire batting the only thing Australia did not do was admit something was wrong. The mind of a professional sportsman does not have any room for public doubt and during the crisis Ricky Ponting’s men retained their world-champion air.Almost a year after Ponting lifted the World Cup he has experienced a brace of losses to India. The embarrassment is that he has not won the CB Series trophy, the country’s annual one-day prize, for the past two years and will not have an opportunity to get it back. The Australian tri-series is finished and India will be the perennial holders.In a summer of such discontent it is a result that will rankle the Australians for years, but the hosts were outplayed by a superior team in almost every aspect. The main deficiency was the batting and it was the area that cost them. A spirited lower-order resistance led by James Hopes managed to get them within nine runs of keeping the contest alive, but there was too much to achieve after the side was 3 for 32 and 5 for 123.Faced with a must-win situation, Ponting demanded his players return to their traditional standards, but over the past month he has been one of the most incapable of getting back. Briefly he stirred in Sydney ten days ago, but on either side there has been angst and disappointment.Nothing has been easy for Ponting since the Sydney Test and he has been unable to distance himself from the off-field drama. He has found compartmentalising impossible and the confusion in his batting has been the most significant. He swears he has been hitting the ball well in training and has practised harder than ever.When he walks to the wicket his crispness disappears and he finds ways to depart. Praveen Kumar is not the sort of bowler who would usually worry him, but he was Ponting’s conqueror in both finals. Most disturbingly, Ponting went to a pull shot each time, the first resulting in a played-on and the second looping to Yuvraj Singh at mid-on. Nobody, including Ponting, could believe the dismissal and the Indians celebrated another bout of fortune.

A tough catch was missed by Ponting when Sachin Tendulkar was 7. The chance was extremely difficult, like a handful of similar ones Ponting has grassed this summer, but a year ago he would have snapped up most of them. His groundwork has been uncertain and he misfielded in the same over he reprimanded Mitchell Johnson for a bad throw. It is hard to inspire team-mates when you are unable to inspire yourself.The energy of the Indians, who benefited from receiving new recruits after the Test series, has drowned the Australians. Only Hopes, Nathan Bracken, who has been outstanding with 21 wickets, and Brad Haddin were brought in as one-day regulars and the team has been as jaded as the tri-series concept. The core batting line-up has carried the same members throughout both campaigns and they have become weary and unable to rediscover their best.Admitting there was a problem when the order began to stutter a couple of weeks ago might have helped. Instead, the same mistakes were repeated and only in the past three days has there been a strong attempt to fix them. The hasty think-tank did not give them enough time for change and Australia’s top wilted at the Gabba.Ponting has improved immeasurably as a leader since the 2005 Ashes loss, but he has a habit of letting high-profile prizes slip. Last year the CB Series went to England and this version has gone to India. The kick in the backside he delivered after Sydney did not work and with the team in a slump he was unable to force a collective improvement. This was the problem.

Ivo Tennant looks ahead to Bob Woolmer’s coaching manual,

Ivo Tennant14-May-2008
‘This is an account that details his love of the game and how to develop mental as well as technical strength’ © Getty Images
At the time of his death during the World Cup last year, Bob Woolmer was working on two books: an update of his autobiography and a coaching manual. Amid the frenzied speculation that ensued over the following days, it was suggested that he might have been preparing a third tome, for page proofs allegedly had been stolen from his hotel room. It was also suggested that he had asked a journalist based on the sub-continent to write an account of his time spent coaching Pakistan, which was nearing a natural conclusion. The demise of any individual is routinely described as ‘untimely’ nowadays, but there can be no question that this death was exactly that. This much-liked man, with his generous nature and spirited view of human nature that bordered on naivety, did at least bequeath a legacy incorporating much of his knowledge of the game which will be published this August.Woolmer’s updated autobiography will never be printed, partly because he had submitted only a further 10,000 words to the version published in 2000 and had yet to commence writing about coaching Pakistan – a period, it should be mentioned, that fulfilled him, for he was working with gifted cricketers and spats with the likes of Shoaib Akhtar generally were swiftly resolved – but mainly because that was the wish of his widow, Gill, whose fortitude over the past months has been much admired, and of Michael Cohen, Woolmer’s long-standing agent. That is not to suggest there was anything untoward about match-fixing in the e-mails he submitted not long before his death: that much I know because I was his ghost-writer – although it took quite a while for some sections of the media to accept this after the pathologist in Kingston declared he had been strangled. His coaching manual, on the other hand, was almost completed before his death in the early hours after Pakistan’s defeat by Ireland on March 18 last year. It has been written in conjunction with Dr Tim Noakes, a sports scientist at the University of Cape Town, who had worked with the South African team during Woolmer’s tenure as coach. This is the first such pairing of cricket expert and boffin for a coaching manual.For anyone seeking lurid accounts of match-fixing or deals involving Hansie Cronje’s leather jacket, this is not the place to go. In fact, insofar as Woolmer’s life was concerned, there was never anywhere dodgy to go. Although he liked a good pay day as much as anyone else – he signed up for World Series Cricket and the breakaway tours to South Africa – he would never have harmed the game he loved through any corrupt action and he did not mix with shady individuals. He knew nothing about Cronje’s underhand activities – and yet did not condone him for it. A braai at Woolmer’s home in Pinelands on the outskirts of Cape Town would include the likes of Jacques Kallis, Mike Denness and Michael Owen-Smith, the long-serving and discreet cricket writer on the Cape Times, and now South Africa’s media liaison. Respectable people, all. So this is an account that details his love of the game and how to develop mental as well as technical strength.The title is . It comprises four parts: discovering the game, technique, developing cricket and cricket science. Allan Donald, who spoke memorably at Woolmer’s memorial service in Cape Town, Kallis and Jonty Rhodes, friends as well as outstanding performers, demonstrate some of the skills involved. Spin, swing, sledging (although no skill) all is there. Noakes, who co-founded the Sports Science Institute of South Africa and who also directs the Sports Medicine Research Unit at the University of Cape Town, brings this expertise to bear and comes up with findings on vision, the prevention of injury and how to unravel the intricacies of swing bowling. At £30, this is not a cheap book and hence some prominent serialisation would not go amiss for the publishers.There is, perhaps, one other reason why purchasing it is important: Woolmer was not well-off and he leaves two sons, both of whom are still making their way in life, as well as his widow. His contract with Pakistan was about to expire and his thatched house, which, he would say, was worth no more than a lock-up garage in Birmingham on account of an indifferent exchange rate, was far from in the most sought-after area of Cape Town. He said this only partly in jest. The coaching centre he had long planned to be built in South Africa may yet come off, but the cancellation of a fund-raising match at Edgbaston this summer is indicative of how constricted this market is.The market for this manual will be clubs – will MCC add to its definitive coaching manual once its cricket committee has studied this? – schools, libraries, enthusiasts and, of course, the considerable number of aficionados who knew or watched Woolmer from afar and who admired him as the most forward-thinking coach the game has ever nurtured.

Instead of scratching their heads for clone of Andrew Flintoff, who haunted them during the 2005 Ashes, the penny has started to drop that attempting to copy natural ability is like trying to replicate the Mona Lisa

Brydon Coverdale at the Wanderers27-Feb-2009

Australia’s obsessive search for an allrounder has been so fruitless that it is tempting to look at the brilliant innings from Mitchell Johnson and Marcus North and argue that they have found two in one day. But what they have really discovered is the value of playing their best XI with each man in a position suitable to his skills.Instead of sending in a solid jack-of-all-trades like Andrew McDonald at No. 6, as they did in Sydney, they chose a genuine top six batsman in North. He rewarded them with a superbly composed century on debut and if he chips in with some handy wickets with his part-time offspin then all the better.Instead of scratching their heads for a clone of Andrew Flintoff, who haunted them during the 2005 Ashes, the penny has started to drop that attempting to copy natural ability is like trying to replicate the . At best you’ll appear silly for trying and at worst you’ll have the credibility of an art-school dropout.North has proven himself to be a thoroughly capable Test No. 6, which is no surprise given he has spent the past decade holding down a middle-order spot for Western Australia with an average of 44. He entered the game with 22 first-class centuries compared to McDonald’s two.North raised his century with a late cut from the bowling of JP Duminy and became the 18th Australian to score a hundred on Test debut and the first since Michael Clarke more than four years ago. His team-mates, perched in the Wanderers dressing room, offered him a generous ovation – a celebration as much for his momentum-shifting innings as the arrival of a batsman who, finally, adds starch to the middle-order.He will be a valuable person to have around the group this year in particular. Stints at five different counties have given him more than a taste of the English conditions and he has a spell at Hampshire coming up ahead of this year’s Ashes tour.His all-round skills mean there will be less urgency to rush Andrew
Symonds back, whenever he is deemed to be available. But the fact that North has nearly 100 first-class wickets – including a career-best six in last week’s tour match in Potchefstroom – is a bonus. If Australia throw in a frontline spinner when conditions suit, in place of McDonald, their balance will look even better.

There is no reason McDonald can’t be a useful Test player but at the moment he appears surplus to needs at No. 8, a position that Johnson can easily fill. His duck – albeit to an excellent, swinging Dale Steyn delivery – looked all the poorer when contrasted with the 117-run partnership compiled by North and Johnson, which broke the eighth-wicket record for Australia in Tests against South Africa.Johnson was desperately unlucky not to match his partner and score his first Test century. He watched on as Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus fell in successive balls to leave him stranded on 96, but his innings was every bit as century-worthy as that of North. The highlight of Johnson’s display was a string of lusty slog-swept sixes off Paul Harris that brought an Australian Test record of 26 runs in one over but to label him a late-overs basher is to do him a major disservice.Compared to top-order men like Simon Katich and Phillip Hughes, who score runs in spite of their weird techniques, Johnson’s batting style is pure. His stance is so rock solid and his bat so straight that he could have been the inspiration for the little plastic batsman in the Test match cricket board game.Before he lost a ball by sending it over midwicket and out of the stadium off Harris, he had sent it rocketing to the boundary several times, including with a perfectly timed cover-drive off Jacques Kallis that he has produced so often in the past year that it’s clearly not a fluke. In his last three Test innings, Johnson has made 203 runs and has been dismissed once.When he walked off the Wanderers to a rousing reception, he boasted a Test batting average of 31.47. For the record, Flintoff’s average is 31.69. But that’s a figure Australia shouldn’t get too carried away with.At some point Johnson will make a Test century but he shouldn’t be bumped too high up in the order. North at six, Brad Haddin (who made a valuable 63) at seven and Johnson at eight. Three quality performers in positions that suit them. There’s no need to manufacture a Flintoff clone.

The year of the IPL also contained some truly memorable moments from Test cricket. We look back at the important numbers from 2008

S Rajesh02-Jan-2009

Two thousand and eight was the year of the IPL, of Twenty20 threatening to encroach into the space reserved for the longer versions, but it was also a year that contained some truly memorable moments from Test cricket, which regained some of its pre-eminence, both in terms of the number of matches and their quality. The batsmen made merry, with a record number getting past 1000 runs, but the bowlers had their say too – overall, the average runs per wicket for the year in was 33.96, marginally lower than the corresponding number in the previous two years. The year stood out, though, for a couple of things: the manner in which fourth-innings targets were ruthlessly chased down, and the way Australia finally lost their status as the undisputed kings of cricket. Cricinfo looks back at some of the important numbers.Test cricket regains its glory
After 2007 offered a surfeit of one-day cricket, the balance was restored this year: 47 Tests and 126 ODIs were played, compared to 31 and 191 the previous year. There were more results too: From 29% drawn games in 2007, this year the percentage reduced to 23.

Australia’s fall, and South Africa’s rise
Australia’s dominance of world cricket has been compared to Roger Federer’s effortless mastery of the tennis tour, but 2008 was the year in which both fell off their perch. (Australia still finished as No.1, but they clearly weren’t the best team of the year.) Unlike Federer, who won the last Grand Slam of the year to finish on a relative high, Australia made a meal of their last match, letting slip a huge advantage to eventually slide to their fifth defeat of the year – almost as many as they had lost altogether in the previous five years. Their win-loss record for the year was 5-5, their worst in the last 20 years.The team that did most of the winning through the year was South Africa – admittedly, four of their 11 wins were against Bangladesh, but with series wins in England and Australia, and a drawn series in India, few can argue that they’ve been the best team of 2008. In fact, South Africa’s 11 wins are the most by any team in a single year, equalling the record, which is jointly held by West Indies and England.India had a pretty good year too, with wins against Australia and England, but their record was blotted by the 2-1 defeat in Sri Lanka.Smith leads batting fest
In 2008, batsmen scored 1000 Test runs for fun – there are 12 of them in the list, more than in any other year.

Leading the run-glut was South African captain Graeme Smith, clearly the outstanding player of the year. The 1656 runs he scored is the third-highest by a batsman in a calendar year, after Mohammad Yousuf and Viv Richards. With Neil McKenzie, Smith added 1552 runs, the most by any pair this year. As if his exploits as captain and batsman weren’t enough, Smith also went ahead and pouched 30 catches, the highest by a non-wicketkeeper in a single year, beating Stephen Fleming’s record of 28 in 1997.There’s one batsman who didn’t make the 1000-run cut, but who deserves recognition: Shivnarine Chanderpaul batted only 16 innings, made two ducks, but still found a way to amass 909 runs at an average of 101. During the year he had a nine-inning stretch that read 86*, 118, 11, 107*, 77*, 79*, 50, 76, 126. It’s the second successive year Chanderpaul has averaged more than 100 – in four Tests in 2007 he averaged 111.60.Thanks largely to the performances of Smith, Chanderpaul, Gautam Gambhir, Simon Katich, Ashwell Prince and Andrew Strauss, left-handers in the top seven average almost six more than their right-hand counterparts. This despite nine out of 12 in the 1000-run club being right-handers.

All left-handers didn’t have it their way, though. Michael Hussey had hardly known the meaning of failure in his first two years in Tests, averaging a staggering 80.58 after 19 games. Like in the stock-market crash, though, Hussey’s numbers fell spectacularly in 2008: He still averaged 37.50 in the year, but due to his unusually high average before this slump, his overall mean fell to 59.04, an erosion of almost 27%.Chase away the ghosts
New Zealand chased 317, India chased 387, South Africa chased 413, and even Bangladesh scored 413 chasing 521 – 2008 was the year when teams put to bed the fears of fourth-innings targets. Ten times a score in excess of 175 was successfully achieved, with South Africa accounting for 50% of those. There was an uncanny symmetry there too: They began the year chasing down 185 against West Indies, losing just three wickets in the process, and ended with an equally emphatic victory against Australia in Melbourne. If ever there was an example of “start the year as you mean to go”, this was it.Wag the tail
South Africa’s last four wickets put together 318 in the first innings in Melbourne, which was only the 11th instance of the last four adding more than 300. Two of those happened in 2008, and by another quirk, the first one came in the first Test of the year. Australia, who were at the receiving end in December, had begun the year by dishing out similar punishment to the Indians in the controversial Sydney Test, when Andrew Symonds’ unbeaten 162 helped the team add 329 for the last four wickets. In all, this was a glorious year for lower-order partnerships – the last four wickets averaged 21.96 per partnership, which is the second-highest for any year since 1990.Steyn leads bowlers’ charge
With 74 wickets from 13 Tests, there was no doubt about who won the bowling honours in 2008. Coming on the back of 44 wickets from seven Tests in 2007, Dale Steyn has clearly established himself as the best fast bowler going around today: In his last 20 games he has averaged nearly six wickets per Test at an incredible strike-rate of a wicket every 33.5 balls.

The 22 wickets in four games against Bangladesh helped, but Steyn was equally effective against most other teams as well, taking 14 wickets from two Tests against Australia, 15 from three against India and 15 from two against West Indies. While he was effective against both right- and left-handers, the wickets came at a lesser cost and better rate against the right-hand batsmen.

Steyn and Mitchell Johnson (63 wickets at 29.01) led the way for the fast bowlers, who took more than twice the number of wickets that the spinners did in 2008, at a slightly better average. Harbhajan Singh, Daniel Vettori and Muttiah Muralitharan were the spin leaders, with Murali taking more than 40 wickets for the ninth year in a row.

India take the ODI honours
South Africa were the leading Test team, but India were the leading ODI team, not only winning more than any team but also conquering difficult challenges in Australia and Sri Lanka. Australia struggled in the Tests, but are on an eight-match winning streak in ODIs, having defeated West Indies 5-0 and Bangladesh 3-0. Pakistan had the best win-loss record in the year, but that needs to be qualified by the fact that 13 of their 21 ODIs were against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Hong Kong. (Click here for the team-wise results in 2008.)With India on such a roll, it’s hardly surprising that the list of run-scorers this year is dominated by them. Gautam Gambhir is on top of the year after an amazingly consistent year, but the breakthrough finally came for Virender Sehwag, who averaged nearly 50 at a strike-rate of 120, the first time since 2003 that he has averaged more than 34 in a year. After a disappointing run in the CB Series in Australia, Sehwag has been on a superb run since June, scoring more than 40 in 11 of his last 13 innings.

The Sehwag-Gambhir partnership was clearly the dominant one of the year – they scored 898 runs in 14 innings at an average partnership of 64.14. The three leading pairs for the year, in terms of runs scored, were all Indians.Mendis tweaks his way to the top
The bowling star of the ODI year was clearly Ajantha Mendis, with 48 wickets from just 18 games as an astonishing strike-rate of less than 17 balls per wicket, which is the best among all bowlers who have taken 40 or more wickets in a single year.

Given that Mohali pitches tend to have a bit more bounce thanother Indian ones, Harmison should survive the cull, and with two spinnersa necessity rather than a luxury, it should be Anderson who sits out

S Aga18-Dec-2008
Despite his rib injury, Kevin Pietersen could be the sort of X-factor for England that Virender Sehwag is for India © Getty Images
The last time India played in Mohali, Australia were thrashed by 320 runs. The last time England played here, the same lack of ruthlessness that undermined their challenge in Chennai allowed India to romp to a nine-wicket victory on the final afternoon. In 2001, a Mohali Test had effectively been lost on the opening day, with Harbhajan Singh taking five wickets as England went from 200 for 3 to 238 all out.That game was played in the first week of December and conditions for thisgame shouldn’t be too dissimilar. Back then, India’s spinners took 15 ofthe 20 wickets, with Anil Kumble taking six in the second innings. ForEngland, Richard Dawson took four wickets on debut, but ended up conceding134 runs as well. Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, assuming both play, willneed to do considerably better if England are to avoid the sort ofhammering that Australia got in October.Kevin Pietersen admitted that the state of the pitch had made him delayselecting a team until the eleventh hour. There was a smattering of grasson the surface, but it was also dry enough to seem extremelyspin-friendly. Against Australia, Amit Mishra took 7 for 106 and Harbhajan5 for 96. Given the abrasive nature of the pitch though, reverse-swing waslikely to be as big a factor. There were dry patches on the main square,and every likelihood of the ball getting scuffed up pretty early. AgainstAustralia, Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan were getting it to reverse withinthe first 15 overs, and Pietersen accepted his bowlers would need touse the old ball much better than they had in Chennai.India had no selection issues to ponder. The Rahul Dravid questioncontinues to vex the media, but as Sachin Tendulkar suggested after theChennai win, the team isn’t unduly concerned. “Rahul isn’t a good player,he’s a great player” was Tendulkar’s assessment, and the only questionheading into this match was whether he would bat at his customary No. 3slot, or move down two places to No. 5.England would have been encouraged by Matt Prior’s performance in Chennaiafter replacing Tim Ambrose, but have issues to resolve regarding the keyNo. 3 slot. Ian Bell was anonymous in the first Test, and Owais Shah, whomade a superb 88 when England won in Mumbai to level the series on their last tour, must surely come into contention. With Stuart Broad, so impressive in the one-day series, also fit to play, the bowling line-up will also be tweaked.Only Andrew Flintoff and Swann, in patches, impressed in Chennai, andSteve Harmison, James Anderson and Panesar are all under threat of losingtheir place. Given that Mohali pitches tend to have a bit more bounce thanother Indian ones, Harmison should survive the cull, and with two spinnersa necessity rather than a luxury, it should be Anderson who sits out.India’s victory against Australia was set up primarily by the openers, whoadded 252 over the two innings. England got both early in the firstinnings in Chennai, but failure to do so at the second time of asking costthem the game. Getting Sehwag early is no guarantee of success, but itcertainly goes a long way.As admirably as Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood battled in the first Test, what England need is someone that can provide the same sort of X-factor that Sehwag does. If he can emulate his feats of 2006, when he scored 70 and 51, Flintoff could be that man, but the more likely candidate is Pietersen. A broken rib is undoubtedly a hindrance, but as he likes to stress, Pietersen is nothing if not a winner. After not contributing in Chennai, India should be wary of a backlash.

India return to the scene of their World Twenty20 triumph but will have to cope with the burden of being favourites

Dileep Premachandran in Centurion25-Sep-2009Just over two years ago, MS Dhoni led an unheralded and inexperienced sideto South Africa for an event the ICC considered a trial run. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Zaheer Khan all stayed at home while the rest of the team followed up a full tour of England with participation in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup.Few knew what to expect from the event, but a gripping first-round match between India and Pakistan that ended in a tie was followed by six sixes in an over [Yuvraj Singh against England] and a magnificent final where Misbah-ul-Haq and Pakistan fell five runs short. Overnight, the Twenty20 version became the talk of the town, and it could be argued that it was the frenzied interest created by those two India-Pakistan games that paved the way for the Indian Premier League, the Champions League and one-off games like the Stanford Super Series.It wasn’t just the Twenty20 game’s stock that went through the roof after that fortnight in South Africa. Dhoni went from being a maverick with an unorthodox array of strokes to the man who could lead Indian cricket past new frontiers. He was the anointed one, the leader who could give Indian cricket a standing on the pitch that was commensurate with its power off it.After the roughest of baptisms in a seven-match series against Australia at home [they lost 4-2], Dhoni has grown into the job. Tough on his players without being a bully, calm without being comatose and keen on leading by example whenever possible, he and his team have put together two years of solid achievement. It’s perhaps no coincidence that Indian cricket’s lowest point during that period came in the Test series in Sri Lanka that Dhoni sat out.Younis Khan, who will walk out to toss with him on Saturday, is certainly an admirer. “He’s doing a fantastic job as captain,” he said on the eve of the game. “When I first saw him, he was young and energetic and given to the grand gestures. Now he’s much calmer, and a real gentleman too. His performances have also improved with time, and he has done really well, for his country and himself.”Progress in the one-day arena has been especially impressive, with series victories in Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and home successes against Pakistan and England. Since January 2008, India have won 30 [and lost 12] of 46 matches, and they go into the game against Pakistan ranked No.1 in the world. Australia have fallen off their perch, hammered home and away by South Africa, while Graeme Smith’s side have experienced a blip of their own, thrashed 4-0 in England last year. There isn’t one side fit to be compared to the Australians that won three World Cups on the bounce between 1999 and 2007, and the frequent changes in the No.1 ranking reflect that state of flux.For Dhoni, the current challenge is perhaps the most tricky of all. Back in 2007, he captained a team of rank outsiders. Now, he leads a team considered the best in the world. That brings with it a pressure of its own, and other sides like South Africa have been unable to cope with it in the past.He’s also without three proven match-winners in Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj and Zaheer. Tendulkar and Dravid lend experience and class to the batting order, though it’s doubtful whether Dhoni had their names inked in when he was planning for the future. Some of the young tyros that he reposed so much faith in have failed to grab their chances, and at one level, he might find it galling that the old guard could be the difference between success and failure.The same is true of the bowling as well, with so much resting on Ashish Nehra, who made his debut a decade ago, and Harbhajan Singh. Ishant Sharma and RP Singh continue to veer between the brilliant and the abysmal, and with Yuvraj’s left-arm spin also out of the equation, one of Dhoni’s biggest tasks will be to cobble together an effective 50-over bowling plan.Off-field distractions are no help. The run-up to the World Twenty20 in England was full of media reports of a rift within the team, a charge that infuriated Dhoni to such an extent that relations with the reporters on tour reached an all-time low. They have arrived in South Africa with the same siege mentality, but that hasn’t stopped global headlines about the alleged dossier that encourages players to walk down the Keith Miller-George Best route of boudoir indulgence.These should be the best of times for Indian cricket, with the team having a great mix of young talent and proven performers, but with the media in particular going from singing hosannas to showing signs of the Tall-Poppy Syndrome, it’s also Dhoni’s biggest test.Ultimately, no one remembers the bilateral series wins, or what you do in various triangular series. Teams will always be judged by their performances on the big stage. Hansie Cronje won 99 of his 138 matches as South African captain, while capturing only one trophy of note. Now, in the country where Cronje was once so adored, Dhoni must avoid a similar fate. Without the trophies that matter, No.1 rankings aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.

Lee was colossal; with the bat his experience and maturity really told and with the ball he was lethal

Dileep Premachandran in Hyderabad23-Oct-2009When Brett Lee came to the crease in the 12th over, the scoreboard showed 83 for 6. Anything less than 150 was unlikely to test a power-packed Trinidad & Tobago line-up. But just how were New South Wales going to get that far?The answer lay with the baggy green, which jealous cynics suggest comes free with the Blues cap. How many times have you seen Australia dig themselves out of a hole, and win matches that they ought to have lost? Remember Andrew Symonds against Pakistan at the Wanderers in 2003? Michael Bevan and Andy Bichel against England at the same World Cup? Where other fancied teams fold like cheap napkins, these blokes revel in the odds being stacked against them. Australia may be a more genteel place now, but the Ned Kelly-bushranger spirit that Peter Carey wrote about so eloquently is alive and well.Just a day ago, the Cape Cobras shelled catches and missed run-out chances galore in imitation of their national side in crunch games. NSW, by contrast, were perfect, taking stupendous catches – Lee and Moises Henriques – and scampering around to cut off what looked to be certain boundaries. Thanks to Lee and Steven Smith, who played his part with 33 and 2 for 32, they had a score to defend, and with the bowlers giving little away, dreams of Caribbean glory quickly faded.Lee was colossal. Injuries may have reduced him to bit-part status in the Ashes but when he’s fit and bowling with such pace and accuracy, there’s no better limited-overs bowler. Even in a 50-over competition, his economy-rate of 3.76 would have been stupendous. The eight wickets at 9.87 were almost a bonus. Not content with making a mess of William Perkins’ stumps, he took a sharp reflex catch to send back Lendl Simmons, and it was the chance he held at long-on as Kieron Pollard took to Nathan Hauritz that signalled the end of T&T’s wonderful adventure.But it was with the bat that his experience and maturity really told. With five overs left, NSW had just 103 on the board. Simmons had done a sterling job for his captain in the Umar Gul role right through the tournament, but when he came back for a second over, Lee went on the rampage. A six over square leg was followed by one over long-on, and then he stepped back and lashed one through cover.Navin Stewart was then smacked over long-on for six, and though Smith fell to the reverse sweep, Lee clouted Sherwin Ganga over midwicket for another six. Within three overs, the run-kitty had swelled by 38. And in an eventful final over that saw Hauritz run out after Lee ducked under a bouncer from Ravi Rampaul, he thumped another six over long-on. By the time he carved the final ball into the hands of deep backward point to end the innings, T&T needed eight an over. In a final, that was never going to be easy.”He [Lee] showed his true colours as an international today,” said Daren Ganga later. “He came in with the team in a spot of bother and he applied himself. Then, with the new ball, he took crucial wickets. He was the outstanding performer, but they have a really good team spirit. It’s hard when you lose wickets early, especially in a final. It puts the remaining batsmen under pressure, and we didn’t handle it well tonight.”

This has taken it to another level. To see the young guys flourish alongside experienced players like Brett, Stuey Clark and myself has been really rewarding.Simon Katich on NSW’s title victory

Lee tried to deflect attention from his own exploits, complimenting the bench strength and the young players who had stepped up to the mark so nervelessly. “For the youth in our side … what this is going to do for their confidence,” he said. “Any time you score runs while batting first, it boosts your confidence. They’re a good side, but also very unpredictable. With runs on the board, we could go for the jugular.”With Smith having made runs, Simon Katich felt that he’d have the confidence to handle the new ball as well. When Adrian Barath drove and cut fours, and then lofted one over long-on for six, it appeared that the gamble might have failed, but a thin under-edge later, T&T were two down.”We made mistakes tactically in that first game against Trinidad,” said Katich. “We learnt from those. There’s so much belief in the squad. Even when we were down and out, no one gave up.”
Even when Pollard tried to ensure that lightning would strike twice, New South Wales held their nerve, and their catches. “That was the gutsiest ball we’ve ever seen,” said Katich, of the one that Hauritz tossed up to Pollard. “To bowl that right after being hit some 150m into the stands for six…”Two years ago, when he led the side to Pura Cup glory, Katich called it one of the proudest moments of his career. “This has taken it to another level,” he said. “To see the young guys flourish alongside experienced players like Brett, Stuey Clark and myself has been really rewarding.”As he walked away from the press conference, Lee, who ended it with a [thank you] was heard joking that he needed plenty of [cold water]. This after he’d already poured a gallon of it on T&T’s Cinderella dream.

West Indies haven’t had Shivnarine Chanderpaul as their middle-order rock at the WACA, but they’ve had two very good imitations in Narsingh Deonarine and Brendan Nash

Brydon Coverdale at the WACA19-Dec-2009West Indies haven’t had Shivnarine Chanderpaul
as their middle-order rock at the WACA, but they’ve had two very good imitations. Cricket in the Caribbean isn’t flush with cash but Narsingh Deonarine
and Brendan Nash
have put an enormous price on their wickets, and the team could enjoy healthy dividends if their diligence continues.The long, hot Perth day eventually got to both batsmen and they departed in the final session. By then they had given their side hope in a chase of 359, although late wickets put Australia back on top. Patience and discipline are vital qualities in Test cricket and it’s no surprise that West Indies, who barring Chanderpaul haven’t always had those traits in the past decade, have won only three of their past 41 Tests.Nor is it remarkable that in a region that has produced dashing superstars like Viv Richards and Brian Lara (though they were brilliantly adaptable and could defend for their lives), a younger generation preferred to entertain. Stroke-players such as Xavier Marshall, Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Smith have rolled through the Test line-up, providing much sparkle but little substance.Now there are batsmen coming through who are aiming to emulate Chanderpaul, and the team is better for it. Much like Chanderpaul, Deonarine and Nash are small-statured left-handers whose first priority is to not get out and if runs come along the way, then that’s good. It was precisely the attitude the team needed when they came together on the fourth day at the WACA.At that stage the visitors required 291 to win, with seven wickets in hand and time was of no consequence. It was so irrelevant to Nash that for 70 minutes he didn’t score a run, remaining on 48. It didn’t bother him. He once batted through a whole session for Queensland and scored two runs.Deonarine played in a similar fashion, although he was more willing to attack and memorably brought up his half-century with a six straight back over the head of the bowler Nathan Hauritz. He would have gone through the whole series without playing a Test but for the finger injury that Chanderpaul suffered in Adelaide.He slotted into Chanderpaul’s No. 4 position with ease, batting 100 minutes for 18 in the first innings as he aimed to shore up one end, before he lasted 202 minutes for 82 in the second innings. The similarity was even more striking as Deonarine wore anti-glare strips under his eyes – the same patches that Chanderpaul has made a trademark.Deonarine was ten years old when his Guyanese countryman Chanderpaul made his Test debut in Georgetown. Eleven years later, Deonarine made his Test debut under Chanderpaul’s captaincy. With his performances, he has given himself a chance of keeping his Test spot even when his idol returns.”Since I was a little boy growing up I was always looking at Shiv and always he was my role model,” Deonarine said. “The way he’s going about doing his business, a very determined guy. I tried to model myself in his way, going out there, be determined, spend time at the crease. He taught me a lot and advised me a lot, so in the end it’s worked out.”Today, neither Nash nor Deonarine could make it through to stumps but their 128-run stand, forged over more than three hours in 35-degree heat, gave their team a chance. Deonarine missed a straight ball and saw it crash off his pads and onto the stumps; Nash’s tired brain told him to leave the new ball that swung in to knock his off stump.But it’s worth remembering that early in his career, Chanderpaul was often criticised for getting tired and not batting long enough. Things can change.Last year in the Caribbean, he was at the crease for nearly 26 hours in the three Tests against Australia, including more than 18 hours straight without being dismissed. If Deonarine and Nash can perfect their Chanderpaul imitations and become long-term investments, breaking through the West Indies’ middle order will truly become a test.

A timeline of a controversy leading up to Lalit Modi’s suspension

Cricinfo staff25-Apr-2010March 7: BCCI cancels IPL franchise tender process after objections over stiff financial clauses. Asks for fresh bids.March 21: New bids opened; Sahara wins Pune, Rendezvous group gets Kochi for $333.33 million. Shashi Tharoor, an MP from Kerala and junior foreign minister in the Congress government, plays mentoring role.Interim: Reports suggest Rendezvous’ surprise bid has upset bigger players. Tharoor reportedly meets Congress leaders, asks them to ensure pressure eases on Kochi owners and says he has no personal material stake in franchise.April 9: Media reports say IPL raises questions over Kochi’s shareholding pattern, asks Rendezvous to clarify its ownership structure.April 10: Kochi owners meet Modi in Bangalore, sign formal agreement to be part of IPL, and disclose ownership structure.April 11: Modi reveals Kochi’s shareholding pattern on Twitter. Says one shareholder is Sunanda Pushkar, whom Tharoor says he “knows well”.April 12: Kochi complains to BCCI over Modi’s revelations. BCCI chief Shashank Manohar criticises Modi, who defends himself by saying no breach of propriety.April 12-13: Tharoor issues statement denying personal stake in Kochi and alleges Modi wants the franchise moved out.April 14: In his first public statement since the controversy broke, Modi says he disclosed Kochi’s shareholding pattern because of the general confusion over the details.April 14: The controversy grows when Kochi CEO alleges Modi offered them $50 million to “quit the game and get out” after their successful bid.April 15: Income Tax officials visit BCCI headquarters in Mumbai and conduct an eight-hour operation in the IPL office and Modi’s residence to inquire into funding for the IPL.April 18: Tharoor resigns as minister, a result of conflict-of-interest allegations in his mentoring Kochi. Pushkar, Tharoor’s close friend, gives up her 4.7% “sweat equity” stake in the franchise.April 19: India’s finance minister says all aspects of the IPL are under scrutiny. The statement comes amid allegations of financial impropriety against Modi.April 20: An IPL governing council meeting is convened by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan for April 26 to decide Modi’s fate. Modi calls meeting invalid and says he won’t attend, BCCI disagrees.April 21: There are raids by I-T officials at offices of MSM and WSG, who hold the IPL broadcast rights. They also visit offices of the Punjab, Kolkata and Deccan franchises. Modi is questioned about a multi-million dollar contract for the league’s broadcasting rights.April 23: Former BCCI chief AC Muthiah files petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Indian board’s rules that permit BCCI and IPL administrators to own league teams. Srinivasan, the board secretary, also owns the Chennai franchise.April 24: Top BCCI officials skip the IPL Awards in Mumbai. All indications are they will attempt to oust Modi at the meeting.April 25: Modi agrees to attend governing council meeting and releases an agenda that includes a request for all complaints to be supported by documents.April 26: The BCCI serves a suspension notice to Lalit Modi upon the conclusion of the IPL final, following several allegations of financial misconduct over the past fortnight.