Nobody knows quite what to expect from Australia’s new split-innings domestic one-day format – including the players

Brydon Coverdale06-Oct-2010It’s always hard for a new captain to juggle the requirements of one-day cricket, calculating bowling changes, deciding on powerplays and setting restricted fields. But Australia’s new domestic limited-overs format turns all six state leaders into first-time captains. is different, and is learning on the run.The Ryobi One-Day Cup kicks off at the Gabba on Wednesday, when Queensland host Tasmania. There are a range of new rules, but the key changes are that each side bats for 45 overs in blocks of 20 and 25; teams can use 12 players; bowlers may bowl 12 overs; powerplays are abolished; and there is one competition point available for a “first-innings” lead.Even basic cricket principles such as whether teams will prefer to bat first need to be reassessed. Stuart Clark, the acting captain of New South Wales, said it would be a learning process for all concerned.”There is an idea that it might be better to chase first, given that no one really knows what a good score is or how you should go about the game,” Clark said. “But conversely, if you get some runs on the board there could be a lot of pressure as well.”The removal of powerplays takes one tactical decision out of the captain’s hands, but instead there are set periods of field restrictions. Importantly, no more than four fielders can ever be outside the circle, down from the figure of five in regular 50-over cricket, which poses an extra challenge for bowlers.”I think it will be a little bit hard for spinners, with only the four fielders out but they’re going to have to make adjustments to their game and work out the best way of being successful,” Clark said. “Teams will come out and attack different sorts of bowlers, try and be defensive against other types and captains are going to have to set unusual fields at times to try and protect the runs from blowing out.”Tasmania last year sailed to the Ford Ranger Cup title by using two spinners, Jason Krejza and Xavier Doherty, and often opened with one of the slow men. The Tigers captain George Bailey said they would still aim to play the two tweakers, which had worked in practice split-innings fixtures.The new rules

Teams bat 45 overs in stages of 20 overs and 25 overs

Ten wickets per team across the whole match, nor for each stage

Each team’s second batting stage resumes exactly where their first ended

Bowlers may bowl up to 12 overs each

Twelve players per side; teams can bat any 11 and field any 11

Maximum of two bouncers per over

A new ball from each and at the start of the innings

No powerplays

Fielding restrictions: Overs 1-5 = 2 fielders outside the circle; 6-20 = 4 outside; 21-25 = 2 outside, 26-45 = 4 outside

One competition point awarded to team that leads after 20 overs each; a further four points awarded for a win

“We’ve had some good success with our two spinners in trial games, still being able to bowl really successfully,” Bailey said. “It provides a challenge not having the extra bloke out, in terms of boundaries, but it also means there’s an extra bloke in the infield to take catches and create wickets as well. Good bowlers will work it out pretty quickly.”Although Tasmania are the defending champions, Bailey knows that no side will enter this season with an advantage in the one-day competition. He believes one of the major changes will be that the mid-innings break might allow a team to change their tactics halfway through, depending on how their first 20 overs have gone.”You get a lot of options, which is pretty exciting,” Bailey said. “You’ll see games change and ebb and flow a little bit more mid-game. Also having that split innings, the break allows you to regroup as a team and chat about how your plans are going.”The halfway mark also provides a notable incentive, as whichever team finishes with more runs after their first 20 overs will win one point, retained even if they go on to lose the game. An extra four points are then awarded for the outright victory, so teams will need to be careful not to get into too much trouble chasing the first point.”There’s one point up for grabs at the 20-over mark, so that’s 10 points across the season,” Victoria’s captain, Cameron White, said. “That could be something that teams will play differently, but it could be pretty important, I think.”Team selection will also provide a fascinating insight into a side’s tactics, with 12 men allowed to take part in the match, though only 11 may bat. And because bowlers can send down 12 overs each and teams can therefore get by using only four bowlers, sides are more likely to choose specialist batsmen and bowlers rather than “handy” allrounders.”The genuine bits-and-pieces allrounder is probably dead now,” the Tasmania batsman Ed Cowan said. “But the guy that can bowl you eight or nine or ten overs and bat in your top seven is invaluable still, because it means you can play an extra batter.”Whether any or all of the changes add to the game’s appeal remains to be seen. Even Cricket Australia are unsure of what the future holds for one-day cricket. But for the next five months, this is the one-day format of choice on Australia’s domestic scene. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess.”Everyone knows that one-day cricket has been in decline for many years now,” Clark said. “Whether the problems is as bad as [they say] it is, we don’t really know. But Cricket Australia are taking a step forward to try and change it. At the end of the year it will either be a real success or maybe we’ll have to go back to the drawing board.”

Plays of the day from game two of the Asia Cup, between Bangladesh and India in Dambulla

Siddarth Ravindran in Dambulla16-Jun-2010Bangladesh in a tearing hurry
India’s fast bowlers were perhaps expecting to be eased back into top-flight cricket and the tournament against the lightweight Bangladesh side. They were in for a shock as Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes came out punching. Kayes cracked three fours off Zaheer’s first over, and Tamim cut and flicked Praveen for plenty, which meant Bangladesh were 35 for 0 in 2.4 overs.Shakib is bamboozled
Harbhajan Singh usually enjoys bowling in Sri Lanka, as 47 wickets and an economy-rate of 3.93 indicate. Today was no different; the highlight of his spell being the delivery that tricked Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan. A flighted ball, Shakib moved forward and played for the spin, but the ball fizzed straight on through the bat-pad gap to knock back the stumps.Sehwag the destroyer
Seeing Virender Sehwag derail the opposition with his batting is a common sight, but seeing him spin out the opposition is a rare occurrence. He ran through the tail today, nipping out three wickets in four deliveries, the grin on his face getting wider with each scalp. Sehwag finished with 4 for 6; in 17 deliveries he had taken as many wickets as he had in the past 17 months.Bad floodlights stop play
Lasith Malinga had already complained about the quality of the lights at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium in the opening match, and there was more floodlight-related trouble today. Two of them didn’t work for a while due to a generator outage, causing India’s chase to be interrupted midway through the 10th over. The players took their dinner, during which the problem was sorted.A decision after much deliberation
After Virat Kohli was beaten by the turn, wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim quickly took off the bails just as Kohli was dragging his foot back into the crease. It took plenty of replays to determine whether Kohli had made his ground or if he had been caught on the crease. As the third umpire Ranmore Martinesz deliberated, a section of the crowd started to scream “Out, out”, promptly countered by chants of “Not out” from another set of fans. The matter was resolved when Martinesz sent Kohli on his way.

The selection of Michael Beer makes little sense, for he is neither a local with vast experience of the WACA, nor the best spinner in the country

Brydon Coverdale10-Dec-2010There was more than a whiff of desperation in Australia’s selection of Michael Beer for the Perth Test. And although the suggestion that Shane Warne should come out of retirement is fanciful, Warne’s fingerprints are all over the strange choice of Beer, whom he recommended in his column on Wednesday, and who, like Warne, also learnt his game in grade cricket with the Melbourne club, St Kilda.If Beer plays, he’ll be the tenth Australian Test spinner since the retirement of Warne. Chances are Beer will be capped, shipped off the production line and lapped up by England batsmen still thirsty for more runs. Or maybe he’ll be put on ice before Perth, which would be a far more sensible option.Three weeks ago, the only beer anyone would have expected to see in Australia’s dressing rooms was the cases of bitter provided by the sponsors on the final day. Nathan Hauritz was the Test incumbent, Steve O’Keefe and Steven Smith were playing for Australia A, and Xavier Doherty was still to enter the picture.Now, Doherty has been tried and discarded, Hauritz has been wrongly ignored despite strong state form, and the left-arm orthodox O’Keefe, despite bowling well against England for Australia A and being a good lower-order batsman, has fallen out of the mix. Had Warne not suggested Beer, would he even have been considered?Which raises the question, how much does Warne know about Beer? In his column, Warne wrote that “maybe you get a local guy who knows the Perth conditions”, yet as Beer’s St Kilda roots suggest, he is about as local to Western Australia as Warne.Beer moved to Perth less than a year ago and has played only three first-class games at the WACA, where the sea breeze can help or hinder spinners with equal measure. In his most recent match there, Beer took match figures of 3 for 139 against New South Wales, whose rejected Australian spinner, Hauritz, collected 7 for 104.Maybe the selectors have seen something special from Beer, like when Peter Taylor was plucked from obscurity 24 years ago and bowled Australia to victory in an Ashes Test at the SCG. But is this the same “something special” they have seen in Beau Casson, Cameron White, Jason Krejza, Doherty and others over the past three years?When they are choosing a spinner, the selectors seem not to ask who is the best slow bowler in the country, but rather “who haven’t we tried yet?” O’Keefe, Cameron Boyce, Jon Holland, Aaron O’Brien and Cullen Bailey should probably keep their phones handy over the next few months. Perhaps they simply wanted someone to keep the pressure on Smith, who is also in the 12-man squad and is certain to play at the WACA.Smith must be in the XI because Marcus North has been dropped, and no other batsman was picked. Brad Haddin has been in strong enough form to move up to No. 6 with Smith as an all-round option at No. 7. It’s a brave selection, and Smith should add some spark to the side – in the field and with the bat, while being a serviceable bowling option.North’s up-and-down form meant he had to go; a No. 6 who cannot be relied upon in tough circumstances is no man for an Ashes campaign. Callum Ferguson can consider himself unlucky to have been overlooked having scored 131 in the Sheffield Shield on the day the squad was announced, his second hundred in three games this summer.The inclusion of Smith leaves the selectors to choose between a four-man pace attack, or three fast bowlers with Beer as a second spinner. And for all Smith’s flaws as a bowler, it makes no sense to play both him and Beer at the WACA. Ben Hilfenhaus, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson, who can slide back in as a fourth fast man used in short, sharp spells, is the way to go.Doug Bollinger’s fitness is an issue, as well as his poor form at Adelaide Oval, and like Doherty and North, his axing was justified. The easiest decision was to bring in Phillip Hughes to replace the injured Simon Katich, despite Hughes being found out against the short ball in England last year, and making scores of 4 and 0 for against South Australia in the recently concluded match at the SCG.He may not be in career-best form, but nor are any of the other openers in state cricket. Choosing anyone but Hughes would have sent another message of desperation, and one such whiff was enough in this squad.

Despite a lack of wickets at the World Cup, South Africa’s giant opening bowler isn’t concerned and is happy to let the spinners take the limelight

Firdose Moonda in Nagpur09-Mar-2011Morne Morkel can’t help but stand out. He towers above almost anyone he stands next to, which means that if he is in a group, he is often the first person to be spotted. Being an international cricketer doesn’t help either. He’s one of few giraffe-sized players on the current circuit, which makes him completely recognisable almost anywhere he goes.A few seconds in his company and you will realise that he is no show-pony and doesn’t really know what to do with all the attention being directed his way. It’s an odd sort of demeanour for a fast-bowler, the type of player that usually enjoys playing a leading role in the game and becomes centre stage whenever they take a wicket. Success can be hard to come by, especially on some of the pitches at this World Cup, which make the exuberance of a bowler so much more expressive.Morkel is not a man for big moves though – there’s no flapping of arms, no massive air-punching, no outrageous send-offs. He is mild mannered which is why he is quite happy to be spending some time out of the spotlight in the current World Cup.South Africa’s seam bowlers have almost faded into supporting roles in the tournament, with the spinners coming to the forefront. Imran Tahir, Robin Peterson and Johan Botha have taken 18 wickets between them, with Tahir accounting for 11, compared to the seven that Morkel and Dale Steyn have earned. Tahir and Peterson alone have shared 16 scalps, more than double that of the quicks.”It’s like a reverse role for us,” Morkel said. “We must now support the spinners, just like when they do a holding job for us on a green wicket, now we have to do that and create pressure and they have been the ones taking the wickets.”Morne Morkel has had to work had for his wickets as South Africa’s take their chance to shine•Getty ImagesMany thought it would be another generation, at least, before a South African fast bowler would ever say something like that but they will not be unhappy that’s it come sooner. It’s not that the South African quicks have not done well in the subcontinent, with the likes of Fanie de Villiers and more recently Steyn reaping rewards here; it’s that South Africa didn’t have anyone else to do the wicket-taking before.Now, with a slew of capable spinners, the seamers are being made to work harder to get among the scalps. Morkel said that the ability to reverse swing the ball is crucial. “The quicker we can get that going, the better for us.”While Steyn’s swing is his selling point, Morkel’s relies on bounce and, as a result, he hasn’t had an easy time of things. “I am not a great swing bowler,” he said, admitting that he didn’t expect to pluck wickets at the same rate he does in South Africa. “A couple of months ago, I was getting wickets but I am not now. Bowling is a cycle and I don’t want all the credit. My day will come.”It’s that one-step-at-a-time kind of attitude that makes Morkel the kind of modest character who is sometimes happy to be behind the scenes. It also means that when he falls, he doesn’t have that far to go because he never places himself on a pedestal, so it hurts far less. Sunday’s defeat to England is one such example.”It was one bad game and it’s not the end of the world,” he said with a shrug, even though his was the wicket that was last to fall in that match. “It’s a new day, a new week and the mood in the camp is fantastic. We want to get momentum going our way again.”

This was a mighty batting performance by the mightiest batting line-up in the tournament but India have a few crinkles to iron out

Sambit Bal at the Shere Bangla Stadium19-Feb-2011The crowd and the stage was befitting of a World Cup opener – and, when the home batsmen sparkled briefly at the beginning of the chase, the atmosphere too – but gradually the inevitable outcome of a gigantic chase homed in, batsmen abandoned the chase and the crowd resigned themselves to cheering the occasional boundary. The streets outside the ground weren’t as charged as the night before but the partying continued in Dhaka. It isn’t merely about the home team here: the World Cup is the real thing.For the Indians, it went to script. A large total was mounted; so large, in fact, that it didn’t stretch their bowlers at all. But the most interesting part of the plot was the unveiling of a new Virender Sehwag, restrained, patient, canny, and hungry. There were glimpses of this during the warm-up games, and he made good his pre-tournament promise to bat long. This was the longest he has ever batted in a one-day match, and inevitably it yielded his highest score. The 200 came tantalisingly close but Sehwag never looked over-anxious to get there. Was it because he didn’t think it appropriate to take Sachin Tendulkar’s record after having run him out?Overall, it was a mighty batting performance by the mightiest batting line-up in this World Cup. The Bangladesh bowling was unthreatening but by no means was the pitch a belter. It was a typical Bangladesh pitch, low and slow. So slow that the real threat to the batsmen came from the risk of indecision. Bangladesh turned to spin after four overs, and the ball took so long to arrive that Virender Sehwag could have sung a song before playing it. Runs had to be manoeuvred, not bludgeoned. The Indians did it expertly, skillfully.The wagon wheels tell the story (check out our brilliant new one). India picked up 152 of their 370 runs in front of the wicket on the onside. The arc between the bowler and mid-on is among the most difficult scoring areas but, on a pitch where the batsmen were forced to generate their own pace, Indian batsmen drove off the back-foot consummately. Sehwag, of course, hit a few straight down the ground with a flat bat.Uncertain of his place in the XI before the World Cup began, Virat Kohli has cemented his place at the number four with an exquisite hundred on debut. By all accounts he is India’s most improved batsman in recent years. Sehwag joined the chorus of teammates to speak about his maturity. Recalling that he had thrown away his wicket in the Champions Trophy match against Pakistan in South Africa, Sehwag pointed out that Kohli has scored six hundreds in the ODIs since then. His batting today was perfectly tempered, full of grace and timing and of cover-driving reminiscent of Rahul Dravid.Sreesanth had only the theatrics going for him in a wayward performance•AFPBangladesh’s decision to bowl was not inexplicable, and Shakib Al Hasan defended it stoutly but did betray diffidence. Two factors would have weighed on Shakib. The dew that tends to set in in the final stages of the match is potentially crippling for his spin-based bowling attack. And historically, most of their wins against top nations, including their two World Cup upsets, have come bowling first. In fact, that’s how unfancied team usually sneak a win: they capitalise on opposition batsmen either underestimating their bowlers or just batting badly.Bangladesh have a fair chance of making it to the quarter-finals in this World Cup. But to get there, they would need to believe that they are genuine contenders. They have a largely defensive bowling attack, and they must trust it to defend in these conditions. A team choosing to bowl first expects wickets off its bowlers, and there wasn’t a sniff of a wicket-taking ball throughout the Indian innings today. The most sustained cheer from the crowd came when Virat Kohli under-edged a pull to his thigh and winced in pain. As if to keep the spirits going, they replayed the ball four times in quick succession on the giant screen, and the cheers grew louder. But for the most part, the crowd was left to feel the pain inflicted by Indian batsmen.Abdur Razzak bowled a couple of good overs at the start and Shakib has developed a fast offside yorker that works at the death but Bangladesh had no option but to wheel away once the Indians got going. Rubel Hossain alone produced some spunk with clever use of the bouncer that Sehwag, and later Kohli, found difficult to put away. He went for only six an over despite bowling in all the Powerplays and at the death.India can be relieved to have done the business expected of them but the bowling will remain a worry. They chose Sreesanth ahead of Ashish Nehra, who had been wayward, and Sreesanth delivered two spells full of sins: too full, too short, too wide, too far down the leg, and predictably a no-ball. Since playing four specialist bowlers is fundamental to their strategy, and they have nowhere else to look for a fast-bowling option, they might soon need to consider two specialist spinners.On a turning pitch in Bangalore against England, that may not be the worst option.

A look at every 100th Test down the years: No. 1100 to No. 1900 includes Inzamam’s triple-century, Nasser’s farewell, and a Cape Town Test played in May

Andrew McGlashan27-Jun-2011 No. 1100: England v West Indies, 1988, Old Trafford
By the end of the 1980s, England-West Indies battles were still as one-sided as they had been for the whole decade. Draws were taken as markers of huge success by England. This Test, though, was one of the ritual hammerings. The hosts also went through four captains in the series: this match was John Emburey’s second in charge. The highest score by an England batsman was David Gower’s 34 in a second innings of 93 all out. Malcolm Marshall took 7 for 22; he was well supported by a young Curtly Ambrose. “The 6ft 7in, 24-year-old Leeward Islander, although unknown to most English followers, was not without local knowledge, having taken more than 100 wickets the previous year in the Central Lancashire League,” said. England would get to see a lot more of Ambrose over the following decade, and leave with many painful memories. No. 1200: South Africa v India, 1992-93, Durban
This was one of the most significant Tests in the game’s long history: South Africa’s first home match in 23 years, after they were readmitted into the international fold. Rain over the final three days meant a contest never really developed, but it was about more than the game. Omar Henry became the first non-white to play for South Africa, and Kepler Wessels became the first player to make Test hundreds for two countries. Jimmy Cook, one of the finest batsmen of the apartheid era, fell first ball of the Test on his debut. The match also included a huge technological milestone for the sport, with the TV umpire introduced for line decisions. Sachin Tendulkar, already established as one of the game’s biggest names, was the first batsman dismissed by TV evidence. “After a slight pause, Cyril Mitchley, the square-leg umpire, signalled to Karl Liebenberg, the umpire in the pavilion, by shaping a TV screen with his fingers,” was how reported the moment. “Thirty seconds later Liebenberg lit the green light to signify that Tendulkar was out.” No. 1300: England v West Indies, 1995, Edgbaston
The series was level at 1-1 following England’s famous victory at Lord’s, and it was believed instructions had been sent out to Warwickshire to prepare a pitch that would help both seamers and spinners. What they got was 22 yards bare at either end but covered in lush, green grass where the tall West Indian quicks liked to pitch the ball. The first delivery of the game, from Curtly Ambrose, ballooned over Mike Atherton for four byes. Atherton didn’t survive the first over, and England crumbled for 147. Against bowlers of lesser pace, West Indies built a strong lead. England’s second innings was even worse than their first; the dressing room resembled a casualty department – Alec Stewart, Jason Gallian and Richard Illingworth suffered broken fingers. Robin Smith’s twin 40s were two of his gutsiest innings, but West Indies won by an innings and 64 runs. No. 1400: South Africa v Pakistan, 1997-98, Johannesburg
One of the many developments in Test cricket has been the rise of lower-order batting, and this Test was a prime example. Both sides were bailed out of trouble before rain wiped out much of the final two days. South Africa were 166 for 8 when Mark Boucher, in his second Test, and Pat Symcox joined to add 195 for the ninth wicket – a record partnership that stands to this day; Symcox reached his only Test hundred. In reply, Pakistan also faced problems and slipped to 112 for 5 before the recovered thanks to Azhar Mahmood, who scored 136. It was his second hundred in four Tests against South Africa and he would add another in the next game, in Durban. However, after that he didn’t pass 41 for the rest of his Test career. With two innings completed by the end of the third day, the match was set up for an interesting finish, but Highveld rain blew in to end those hopes.No. 1500: England v West Indies, 2000, Edgbaston
By the turn of the millennium West Indies’ aura was well and truly diminishing, but they began this series with a convincing victory, before the balance of power started to shift significantly towards England. It was still the early days of the Nasser Hussain-Duncan Fletcher partnership and this defeat suggested much work remained to be done. It was that familiar foe Courtney Walsh who did a lot of damage, with eight wickets in the match, but Curtly Ambrose bowled far better than the one scalp he took suggested. They were well supported by Franklyn Rose and Reon King, and Jimmy Adams’ painstaking 98 extended West Indies’ lead. However, this was to be their last victory against England until Jamaica in 2009. It took 16 years for the next 500 Tests, after the first thousand, compared to 24 for the previous 500. The rate would only increase. No. 1600: Pakistan v New Zealand, 2002, Lahore
A huge win for Pakistan, by an innings and324 runs, and it remains New Zealand’s heaviest defeat in Test cricket. The result was set up by Inzamam-ul-Haq’s career-best 329, which led Pakistan to a huge 643, before the visitors were simply blown away. Shoaib Akhtar claimed 6 for 11 – five bowled and one lbw – as New Zealand managed just 73. “Akhtar was always fast, but it is this new-found accuracy which makes him such a dangerous customer, the one who well and truly inspires chill in the hearts of batsmen,” said a match report. Second time around was a little better for New Zealand – Shoaib couldn’t bowl due to a swollen ankle. Though there was never any hope they would survive, Danish Kaneria had to work hard to collect 5 for 110. That, though, was as far as the series would go. Hours before the second Test was due to start in Karachi, a car bomb exploded in front of the New Zealand team hotel killing 14 people. The players only narrowly escaped, and were soon on a plane home.Test No. 1700: Nasser Hussain brought up his century with the winning runs in his final Test•Stu Forster/Getty Images No. 1700: England v New Zealand, 2004, Lord’s
This was the beginning of England’s “magnificent seven” summer, where they won every Test against New Zealand and West Indies. They had to work hard to earn the first of those victories, which wasn’t sealed until the final afternoon, when Nasser Hussain signed off his Test career with an unbeaten 103, hitting the winning runs and then retiring. As one career ended in fine style, another started: Andrew Strauss marked his Test debut with a first-innings hundred. He was on the way to a match double before Hussain ran him out for 83. However, New Zealand played their part in the match. Mark Richardson produced one of his finest performances, with scores of 93 and 101, while Chris Cairns lit up Lord’s with 82 off 47 balls on the second morning. But England’s bowlers chipped away, led by Steve Harmison, fresh from his heroics in the West Indies, who took eight wickets for the match. No. 1800: South Africa v New Zealand, 2005-06, Cape Town
A back-breaking Test for the bowlers, which brought 1226 runs for 21 wickets. Yet for the first day it was very much an even contest, and New Zealand were 279 for 7 when Stephen Fleming was joined by James Franklin. Fleming was already past his hundred and over the next 71 overs the two would add what was at the time the second-highest eighth-wicket stand, worth 256. Fleming finished with 262, and Franklin a career-best 122. The runs continued to flow when it was South Africa’s turn. Hashim Amla registered his maiden Test hundred and Ashwell Prince also reached three figures. Daniel Vettori clocked up a marathon 63 overs, and by the time South Africa were finally bowled out, interest had long since dried up.No. 1900: New Zealand v West Indies, 2008-09, Napier
There were enough individual performances of note to keep this match alive until the final afternoon, when it finally petered out into a draw. The headline act came from Chris Gayle, who made 197 in West Indies’ second innings when they were flirting with trouble, and although he struck seven sixes, it was also an innings of rare restraint, taking 396 balls. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Tim McIntosh traded first-innings hundreds, but the bowlers also made a mark. Iain O’Brien took a career-best 6 for 75, as did Fidel Edwards with 7 for 87. The series was drawn 0-0.

At the Wankhede, Kumar Sangakkara scored his first one-day century since 2008, but more importantly, it was an innings of control, one under pressure; one that shows he is ready to take responsibility for his team’s fortunes

Nagraj Gollapudi at the Wankhede Stadium18-Mar-2011It was a simple punch. He did not finish the shot, just left the bat hanging mid-air briefly. The power behind the stroke was enough to carry the ball past the ropes on the straight boundary. Hamish Bennett had not done much wrong, except pitching on a length with a straighter delivery on the offstump. But Kumar Sangakkara had moved in quickly to time the ball sweetly. He did not need to add the flourish by finishing the follow-through. It was a stroke of authority.Sangakkara played many such elegant strokes on Friday at the Wankhede Stadium, both along the ground and lofted drives, but with every stroke he strengthened his and Sri Lanka’s grip over the match. On Friday, he played an innings as much of belief as of desire.Sri Lanka had a disastrous start, losing both openers inside the first half hour. The onus was on Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene to remain solid considering the fact that the rest of the middle-order batsmen had not clocked enough time in the middle in the previous matches. Sri Lanka had to win this match in order to strengthen their chances of playing the quarter-finals and the semi-finals in front of a home crowd.Twenty-three thousand fans turned up at the Wankhede, which has a capacity of about 33,000, and most cheers were reserved for the Sri Lankans. Still New Zealand’s bowlers did not make the job easier for the Lankan duo. Backed by supremely athletic fielding, New Zealand cramped their opponents. After 10 overs, Sri Lanka were 43 for 2. Five overs later, at the end of the bowling Powerplay, only 17 had been added. With 20 overs left, Sri Lanka were 124 for 2.Even Jayawardene, a fluent player on any surface, was finding it hard to dominate. It was the most vital phase in the match. If Sri Lanka threw caution to the wind but failed in the gamble, then New Zealand would take the upperhand. But if Sangakkara and Jaywardene continued steadfastly, there would come a time when they could break free with the knowledge that the likes of Angelo Mathews was yet to come. Unfortunately Jayawardene was defeated by a Waqar Younis (reverse-swinging toe crusher) from Tim Southee on the very first ball of the batting Powerplay.Days like these bring a different set of challenges to even a batsman like Sangakkara, who became the fourth Sri Lanka batsman to breach the 9000-run mark in one-dayers. It is on days like these that a batsman analyses his game completely, works out every stroke he is going to play in his mind before playing it, understands the field inside out, calculates the best bowler(s) to target, does a quick reconnaissance of the field before each over to identify gaps he could take advantage of. It is not that these measures are not taken by a batsman in every match, but most times there is a larger freedom for the batsman to take liberties, which was not readily available on Friday.A good example of Sangakkara’s improvisation came two overs into the batting Powerplay. Tim Southee had pitched it short and wide outside off stump and had been duly slapped for a four and six. To escape further punishment, Southee ran in to bowl the next delivery from around the stumps. The idea was to bowl from wide off the crease, keep it short and bowl into the body of Sangakkara. Southee had covered his bases cleverly by keeping the third man and the fine leg on the boundary, just as insurance. So what does Sangakkara do to counter the challenge? He moves outside the leg stump, lines up parallel to the delivery, before cutting it in front of square and over point for a handsome six.The amazing thing about the stroke was Sangakkara did not upper cut it. He used the pace of the ball to place it perfectly. In the first two overs of the batting Powerplay only eight runs came; in the following two 32 runs were smacked. Like he had said on the eve of the match, Sangakkara was not going to lose his head when the field was up. The idea was to play the field to his advantage. Importantly, the platform had been laid for the lower order to bolster the innings further.This is the third World Cup for Sangakkara and this was his maiden century in the event, and also his first one-day hundred in three years. In the 63 innings between the last hundred and Friday’s century, Sangakkara has got 19 fifties. It is not that he does not like getting hundreds. He is a tenacious character. It is just that he read the match situation perfectly on Friday.”Understanding when to accelerate and when to consolidate in your innings is the key,” he said after the match. “When that kind of self-realisation comes through it makes it easier to score runs. I have got close a few times and probably I concentrated less on getting a hundred, and probably more on doing what was needed to be done at that moment.”In the ICC’s Test batsmen rankings, Sangakkara is just one point behind Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis. In the longer versions he has shower more grit than in the one-dayers. It might be a mental thing. He is seventh on the ODI rankings. Ahead of him are men like Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Michael Hussey and MS Dhoni – men who have created more impact on their team’s results more consistently. If Sangakkara wants an example of how to influence one’s team, he need look no further than fellow Sri Lankan Aravinda de Silva, another batsman who played according to the situation during Sri Lanka’s victorious campaign in 1996. de Silva’s contrasting knocks in the semi-finals and the final are part of cricket’s folklore.So far this tournament, Sangakkara has stressed on the fact that the real test lies in the knockout stages. Whatever has happened so far will, and does, not matter. The do-or-die match is where the heroes will be remembered. He could do well to listen to those words.

A collection of essays and photographs that brings new perspectives to bear on the country’s cricket

Chole Saltau20-Nov-2011A few words of advice about Chris Ryan’s beautiful book: don’t cuddle up to it or try to read it on a crowded train. Instead, pick it up off the coffee table and dive in and out. Pick a favourite writer or an intriguing subject and lose yourself. Allow yourself to wonder, as Gideon Haigh does in his mind-bending essay on the “sliding doors” moments in Australian cricket, what might have happened, or not happened, if a coin had fallen the other way here or a catch been held there. Argue about the five greatest Australian cricketers, decided by a “once-a-lifetime poll” of the nation’s Test players. Hell, argue about the top 41. Linger over the photographs, lavishly displayed as if in an art gallery. But don’t think of this merely as a coffee- table book; it is much more than that.The title – , Ryan is every bit as attentive to detail as he is as a writer, and just as evocative. The photographs are accompanied by beautiful inscriptions that give them the effect of self-contained vignettes. A shot of Phillip Hughes playing a homespun cut faces one of Damien Martyn, still and classical, and the contrast tells its own story. “Just when the textbook was getting boringly dog-eared,” the Hughes caption says, “Phil Hughes introduced – here on debut in Johannesburg – his Leaning Tower of Pisa-like stance and his chuck-the-sink at it cutting technique.”There are famous photographs, but just as often recognisable cricketers are depicted in less obvious settings. Neil Harvey, for instance, is pictured in the cobbled Fitzroy laneway where he played cricket with his brothers. Almost always, the players’ faces and expressions are visible. “You can’t see people’s faces when they are wearing helmets,” writes Ryan in the preface. “Some say these are trivial points. But they’re everything. Give me worry, and faces: give me Trott sneering, Gregory chirping, Macartney puffing, Redpath wincing, Toohey bleeding, Hughes imping, Lehmann melting.” And he does.The Five Greatest Australian Cricketers are celebrated from enjoyable new angles – Ian Chappell’s colourful but clear-eyed assessment of Keith Miller, the cricketer and the man, is a particular treat. “Hall of fame footballer, ahem, hall of fame drinker, hall of fame shagger maybe,” Miller said when Chappell rang to congratulate him for his induction into the Australian cricket hall of fame, “but not cricketer.”

As an editor Ryan is every bit as attentive to detail as he is as a writer, and just as evocative

Malcolm Knox, Mike Brearley, Tony Wilson and Greg Baum complete the countdown, and the writing is as compelling as the cricketers they describe. Just as interesting are the selection criteria applied by the 121 Test players, spanning eight decades, who answered Ryan’s call. “Who’d dare leave out Don Bradman?” Ryan wrote. A handful did. One, conscious of the elephant on his ballot paper, felt obliged to explain. “While he was the best bat of his time,” wrote big Queensland left-armer Tony Dell, “footage of opposition leads me to believe he would not have fared well in the Chappell era. Stories point to him being a selfish, divisive person who fought advancement. To me that does not constitute greatness.”Many players picked personal heroes, and some went for cricketers they’d never seen. Jo Angel and Ian Healy chose Victor Trumper, “dead ninety-six years [with] an un-blockbuster-like 39.04 batting average”. “For months, envelopes were ripped open in the romantic – silly, really – anticipation that Trumper might somehow sneak into the top five,” wrote Ryan. “Then, for months after that, another far-fetched possibility dangled: might Shane Warne pip Bradman as the greatest of them all?”The above chapter provides the most fodder for water-cooler debate, but others are just as relevant. At a time when the iconic baggy-green cap can no longer be relied upon to inspire the devotion of fans and players, Sean Gorman addresses the game’s failure to engage indigenous Australia. As the world adjusts to India’s political and financial muscle, Rahul Bhattacharya brilliantly, damningly traces the recalibrated relationship between two countries that once ennobled each other through epic battles. “It is a superculture in descent versus a superculture in ascent,” he writes, and the results are not pretty.Many a detour can be taken while meandering through this story of a cricket country; each is rewarding in its own way and needn’t be taken in a particular order. Few of its destinations can be found along pathways or in strategic plans, and that is the beauty of it.Australia: Story of a Cricket Country
edited by Christian Ryan
Hardie Grant Books
A$89.95

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the third ODI between South Africa and Sri Lanka, in Bloemfontein

Firdose Moonda in Bloemfontein17-Jan-2012Trend-breaker of the day
Tillakaratne Dilshan had gone two matches without a run to his name. At the end of the first over of the third ODI, he hauled out a vicious flick to fine leg to stop the rot. Dilshan played an uncharacteristically watchful knock, with his first boundary coming after 41 balls and the Dil-scoop emerging shortly after. He was dismissed caught trying to slog-sweep after he had built a decent foundation. Jonty Rhodes moment of the day
AB de Villiers said South Africa had given away 15 runs too many in the field in East London and demanded an improvement from his men. The response started when Morne Morkel ran across from a wide fine leg, dived to attempt a catch and, when the ball fell short, grabbed it on the half-volley, one-handed, to save four. That was overshadowed, though, by Faf du Plessis, who de Villiers says is “one of the best fielders in the world right now.” Dinesh Chandimal pushed the ball to the right of du Plessis at point and du Plessis lunged, picked it up and struck down the stumps at the striker’s end in a fluid, seamless movement. Kumar Sangakkara was not even halfway down the track and de Villiers had not reached the stumps yet, but du Plessis was spot on.Yorkers of the day
Before Lasith Malinga could get his turn, Morne Morkel removed Nuwan Kulasekara with a pin-point yorker, and then Dale Steyn dismissed Malinga himself with a full, slower ball. But, it was up to the yorker king, Malinga, to bowl the best toe-crushers of the match. He fired in a low, lethal one to Graeme Smith, and then deceived Colin Ingram with a slower one, the ball after Ingram had stroked him for four. South Africa’s new No. 3, Ingram, had no clue and tried to bring the bat down as the ball dipped on him, but was completely fooled.Bungle of the day
In the tenth over, Faf du Plessis carved Rangana Herath to short fine leg for what should have been just a quick single. But the fielder there hurled in a wayward throw that went to a dawdling Lasith Malinga at long-off. Instead of hurrying to the ball, Malinga took his time, allowing for a second and then fluffed the pick-up to let du Plessis and Alviro Petersen steal a third.Déjà vu of the day
At the start of the 34th over, South Africa were one run behind the Duckworth-Lewis par score of 172. Given that the opposition was Sri Lanka and margins were so small, there was an eerie déjà vu of the 2003 World Cup group match that knocked South Africa out; but this time, South Africa did not get their calculations wrong. De Villiers sprinted through for a couple off the first ball, scampered a single off the second and Albie Morkel put pressure on the fielder for a quick single to draw level. Then, Lasith Malinga bowled a wide to put South Africa ahead and they stayed there until the end of the over, when the rain came down.

ESPNcricinfo runs the rule over England following their first series whitewash to Pakistan, a series where England had a rude awakening following a trailblazing two years

George Dobell07-Feb-2012Andrew Strauss 5/10
England’s captain was never fluent but no-one battled harder with the bat. Hampered by his preference to play spin off the back foot, Strauss countered by attempting to use his feet against the spinners with partial success. But with only one century in his last 28 Tests and just two half-centuries in ten Tests since the end of the Ashes, doubts are beginning to grow. He deserves some credit for the excellent spirit in which the series – which had potential to become controversial – was played and for his honest assessment of Pakistan’s strengths and his own side’s weaknesses.Alastair Cook 5
No England player faced more balls in the series than Cook. There were times, using his long reach and infamous patience, when Cook seemed able to negate the spin threat, though run scoring remained problematic. He produced England’s highest score of the series – 94 in Abu Dhabi – but generally sold his wicket more cheaply than has been case in recent times, against spin and seam.Jonathan Trott 5.5
That he was England’s leading run scorer says little: this was a disappointing series by Trott’s high standards. He squandered two good starts in his first and last innings of the series and once gave his wicket away when not calling for a review that would have reprieved him. He played the spin as surely as anyone and still appears to have the technique to prosper. He was also the unlikely producer of a very good delivery that dismissed Younis Khan in the first Test.Kevin Pietersen 2
There were glimpses – the most fleeting of glimpses – of what might have been in Pietersen’s final innings of the series when he skipped down the pitch to hit the spinners back over their heads. No-one doubts Pietersen’s talent but in this series he was hamstrung by serious technical errors: a lack of balance causing him to lunge rather than press forward and a failure to play straight. He also missed a relatively simple run out that might have changed the course of the second Test. He is good enough to bounce back so long as he retains the appetite for the hard work required.Ian Bell 1
2011 suddenly seems a long time ago. A tally of just 51 runs at an average of 8.5 tells its own story of a gruesome series. Bell’s inability to pick Saeed Ajmal’s variations – he fell to the doosra four times in six innings – rendered the man who came into the series with a reputation as England’s best player of spin all but hapless. His dismissal in the second innings of the third Test – guiding a long hop to point – summed up a horrid tour.Eoin Morgan 2
Fragile against spin and seam alike, this was a series that dealt a serious blow to Morgan’s hopes of establishing himself as a Test cricketer. He was somewhat fortunate to retain his place for the last Test but responded with an improved performance. But a temptation to play across the line against spin and away from his body against seam is a dangerous combination.Matt Prior 7.5
A cricketer at the peak of his powers. The only man in the England side to average more than 30 with the bat, Prior played the spin as well as anyone and was twice left stranded without partners. He also kept well. While he has long been very good standing back to the seamers, he now appears almost as competent standing up to the spinners.Stuart Broad 8
Immaculate with the ball, Broad displayed stamina, skill and consistency in this series. His bowling, maintaining a probing line and length and generating just a little seam and swing movement, would have made the likes of Glenn McGrath proud. There is not much higher praise than that. He also produced a fine innings in Abu Dhabi that, but for an appalling batting collapse from his colleagues, might have shaped the second Test in Abu Dhabi. But he loses a mark for selling his wicket too cheaply on two occasions. He is already one of the world’s top bowlers. With just a little more application, he could be one of the world’s top all-rounders.Graeme Swann 7.5
Somewhat hampered by the lack of left-handers in the Pakistan line-up, Swann was obliged to play the supporting role to Panesar for much of the series. Swann still finished with the best strike-rate of any of the England bowlers – he claimed a wicket every 53 deliveries – and produced some useful contributions with the bat. Indeed, he averaged more than Bell, Pietersen or Morgan.James Anderson 8
Dangerous with the new ball – he may have caused permanent damage to Taufeeq Umar’s Test career – and now boasting supreme levels of control, Anderson’s labours deserved more reward from unresponsive pitches. Perhaps he has lost just a little pace but such is his ability to swing and seam the ball that he remains a reliable bowler in any conditions and a lethal one when conditions help. Anderson also battled hard with the bat, contributing more runs than Bell.Monty Panesar 8
Two Tests and two five-wicket hauls: the Panesar comeback can only be said to have been a resounding success. After a nervous start in Abu Dhabi, Panesar grew in confidence and revelled in his heavy workload. He will never be a bowler replete with variation and he does tend to offer a few more short balls than he would like but, generally, Panesar provides consistency, control and, in helpful conditions, can be very dangerous. He has improved with the bat and in the field, too.

Chris Tremlett 4
Wicketless in his only Test, Tremlett was subsequently forced to return to England with a back injury that will require surgery. It was wretched luck for a fine cricketer whose body seems unable to withstand the rigours of fast bowling. He bowled respectably in the first Test, too, albeit without much of the pace or devil he had shown at Perth, Cardiff or The Rose Bowl. Fears are growing that it may prove to be his last international appearance.