A memorable victory, a bit of bowling out in the middle, and a braai with old mates

Paul Harris30-Jul-2008

‘Nella’ will have a crucial role at Edgbaston, filling in for Dale Steyn © Getty Images

One of the great things about playing cricket in the Midlands is the passionate support of the Warwickshire fans, who help make any game there so atmospheric. It was great to come back to a ground that I’m very fond of after spending time there during 2006 and 2007, and seeing some old friends. I really enjoyed my time at Warwickshire and would love to play some more cricket here in the future, and learn under the new coach Ashley Giles, who like me was a left-arm twirler.As far as the team goes, we have been on a high ever since the Test win at Headingley. We do, however, realise that we have to keep working hard and not start celebrating too early – there is still a big job to be done.We had a warm-up game against the Bangladesh A side at Worcester, which, putting it politely, perhaps wasn’t the best opposition in the world, but it was a good outing as our batsmen got some more time in the middle and our bowlers got a few overs under their belts.Andre Nel, in particular, is bowling well and that is encouraging for us as he will be replacing Dale [Steyn] at Edgbaston after he broke his thumb. It’s great that we have a bowler as good and whole-hearted as Nella in our squad; it shows that we have the strength in depth that all top sides require when you lose one of your top players. It is a bit unfortunate for Dale as he is a class performer for us and I know he dearly wanted to play here – especially because, like me, he also played for Warwickshire – but we do know that Nella is more than capable of filling Dale’s shoes.Personally I had a mixed week: I managed to slip in the bath and hurt my right wrist before we left Leeds. Maybe it will be added to those lists of freak accidents by sportspeople! I was relieved when I was told that it was only a minor injury and that I would be fine. I suppose you fear the worst initially and wonder whether it might be serious, but I was okay, thankfully.I also got a few more overs in at Worcester, which was important. I wasn’t really needed in the last Test – I had to do more of a holding job than be an attacking bowler. It was good to have the practice match and to keep bowling in the middle.It has also been useful having Jeremy Snape with the squad. He has been a great help not only with my bowling but also with my fielding. I spent a couple of hours with him on Tuesday while the guys were taking indoor nets, and hopefully the extra fielding practice will pay off.

	I’m looking forward to bowling at Edgbaston: there will be some turn for the spin bowlers in the game and normally some good bounce, especially towards the latter part of the match, which is what you want

I’m looking forward to bowling at Edgbaston: there will be some turn for the spin bowlers in the game and normally some good bounce, especially towards the latter part of the match, which is what you want.On the social front, the boys have been enjoying the various restaurants that are on offer. The Mail Box complex near our hotel has been the favourite venue as there are many different types of food on offer. I was very happy to see that there is a Nandos very close to the hotel; it is one of my favourites. It was also good to get in a good South African-style with my old Warwickshire mates and guys I know from Cape Town, Jonathan Trott and Neil Carter, who treated me to a bit of and some good steak. Felt like I was back at home again.We realise as a team that this is a huge test for us. We are aware of our history of not managing to finish series off in England in recent times. If we manage to win this one, we would achieve something that a South African team hasn’t done for a long time. The boys are up for the challenge.

During the 1990s Anil Kumble and Sachin Tendulkar were the twin pillars of a team that sought to establish itself as a big player on the world stage

Dileep Premachandran02-Nov-2008
Mahendra Singh Dhoni carries Anil Kumble on his shoulders after the Delhi Test © Getty Images
For those of us old enough to remember the days before black bats and matches worth $20 million, it was the most poignant of snapshots. As he walked off the square for the final time, Anil Kumble got a pat on the back from the only man who has been playing international cricket even longer than he has. Kumble’s first Test, at Old Trafford in August 1990, was Sachin Tendulkar’s ninth, and in the decade that followed they would be the twin pillars of a team that sought to establish itself as a big player on the world stage. Over time, they would be joined by other great players, a nucleus that would allow India to challenge Australia on a consistent basis, but the mind-boggling durability of the two main men remained a source of wonder.By the time shoulder surgery laid him low at the turn of the millennium, Kumble had already been around for a decade, inspiring an unprecedented number of victories on home soil. Coming back from that was perhaps the greatest challenge of his career, especially once Harbhajan Singh stole the limelight with his 32-wicket haul against Steve Waugh’s side.Perfect 10 Antigua: Bowling and a broken jaw don’t really go together. They couldn’t keep Kumble off the park though, and what’s more, he got Lara out too.Adelaide: The game where he once again established himself as India’s premier spinner. He ran through the tail on the second day to set in motion a chain of events that ultimately led to the most improbable of Test wins.Chennai: Gilchrist done in by the googly behind the legs was the highlight, but there were 12 other wickets, including seven on the opening day.The Oval: For a man who took his batting very seriously, this was a special highlight. Not too many have struck Test hundreds when in sight of their 37th birthday.Multan: India’s first win in Pakistan, and an eight-wicket performance from Kumble, including 6 for 72 in the second innings.Bangalore: His last big performance on home turf. Bowling seam-up, he almost won a game that appeared to be drifting to a boring draw.Delhi: There’ll be a few quibbles about some of the umpiring, but 10 for 74 was an immense effort by any standards. From 96 for 0, it sent Pakistan tumbling to defeat.Sydney: Remembered more for what he said after the game. He took eight wickets and scored a valiant unbeaten 45 as India sought to avoid defeat.Johannesburg: The first sign that he was there to stay as a bowler. He went through 44 overs, picking up 6 for 53. No batsman really handled the quicker one that detonated off the pitch.Chennai: His 6 for 64 clinched a series win against England, and perhaps laid the foundation for the Azharuddin-Wadekar strategy that would be so successful at home in the seasons that followed.The return in South Africa wasn’t especially memorable, but as soon as the team returned to India, it was as if he had never been away. Eight wickets sent England tumbling to defeat in Mohali , and there would be over 300 more in a second coming that was to last eight seasons. With a greater emphasis on variety and more faith reposed in the googly, he wasn’t quite as Scrooge-like as before, but the strike-rate was markedly better, suggesting that the new model was an improved one.In the years that followed, he would play his part in nearly every significant Indian victory, something that he admitted gave him the most satisfaction. Unlike the 1990s, when successes arrived on designer pitches at home, the millennium version of team India won all over the world. Kumble picked up seven at Headingley, eight in Multan and four in Perth . Inevitably, for a man who finished his career with 111 wickets from 20 Tests against the best team in the world, the standout performances came against those in baggy green.He picked up 12 wickets in Steve Waugh’s farewell Test, bowling himself into the ground as India strained every sinew for the epochal series victory that never came, and there were 13 victims in Chennai in a match that was ruined by last-day rain. He picked up 7 for 48 on the opening day after Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer had emerged from the dressing room like buccaneers intent on pillage. In the second innings, he bowled AdamGilchrist behind his legs with a googly, a dismissal that he said was one of the most satisfying of his career.For someone who started out as a medium-pace bowler, it was almost appropriate that he took the new ball when he came out for the last time. Hayden had already pulled a long hop for four and flailed a cover-drive by the time Tendulkar took his cap for the final time to hand over to the umpire. And with his penultimate delivery, Jumbo rolled back the years. Lifting from the rough off a good length, it beat the Hayden forward pushand nearly decapitated Dhoni.That it was followed by a full toss that was smashed past him for four was almost incidental. A journey that had lasted 18 years was finally over. It spanned 132 Tests and 619 wickets, figures that might embarrass the strident critics who derided his ability when he first came into the team as an earnest and bespectacled engineering student.After the game, there were no tears and no histrionics, just the modulated tones of a man who always put his team-mates first. “It’s very tough when you’ve been playing for 18 years,” he said with a stoic expression at the press conference. “My body gave me the decision. I didn’t want to let the team down, and I thought it would be fitting to finish here.”The Kotla and Kumble will forever be entwined, in the same way that Brian Lara and St. John’s and Jim Laker and Old Trafford will be. The 10-wicket haul in 1999 will always be part of the Indian-cricket highlights reel, and he didn’t do too badly in his other six Tests either.After all was said and done and the match called off, he came back out to be chaired around the ground, part of the way on the shoulders of the man who will succeed him as captain. For someone who scaled the greatest heights, it was one of the very few occasions during the 18 years when his feet actually left the ground.

Cricinfo’s experts look back on the key issues that dominated 2008

31-Dec-2008In this seven-part year-end audio special, Tony Greig, Ian Chappell, David Lloyd, Sanjay Manjrekar, Daryll Cullinan and others look back on the key issues that have dominated 2008: Australia’s struggles and the teams that have emerged as likely challengers, the crises and scandals, the captains who made a difference, the entertainers who bid the game goodbye, and the innovations that came into the game.

‘Australia have never been more vulnerable’ Ian Chappell looks at the decline of a champion side Listen (5:06) | Download (2399k) | Podcast | iTunes

‘India is the No.1 team’ Which team will end 2009 as No.1? Cullinan, Lloyd, Shastri, Manjrekar and Chappell discuss Listen (10:26) | Download (4893k) | Podcast | iTunes

‘Dhoni looks to win every game’ Who’s the captain to watch out for? Lloyd, Manjrekar and Chappell predict Listen (6:19) | Download (2969k) | Podcast | iTunes

‘We need a bigger panel of Elite umpires’ Umpiring errors, a racism row, and is cricket becoming a contact sport? The scandals that rocked 2008 Listen (3:02) | Download (1422k) | Podcast | iTunes

‘Zimbabwe and Bangladesh need their status reviewed’ Osman Samiuddin, Aamer Sohail and Derek Pringle on the problems facing some of cricket’s teams Listen (4:52) | Download (2284k) | Podcast | iTunes

‘Goodbye to the greats’ Daryll Cullinan, Ian Chappell and Sanjay Manjrekar pay tribute to the year’s key retirees Listen (4:51) | Download (2274k) | Podcast | iTunes

”Twenty20 will take players out of Test cricket’ David Lloyd, Geoff Boycott, Ian Chappell and Sanjay Manjrekar look at how cricket changed in 2008 Listen (8:24) | Download (3940k) | Podcast | iTunes

Australia’s raw attack struggled to cope with pressure of play at Lord’s, but apart from Andrew Strauss England failed to make them pay

Andrew Miller at Lord's16-Jul-2009For approximately half of the first day at Lord’s, Australia bowled as badly as they have done in any Ashes Test for a generation. All the while that Mitchell Johnson was spoon-feeding England’s openers in a ghastly new-ball spell, a packed Lord’s crowd that has witnessed five Australian wins in their last six visits was left blinking incredulously through their pint-glasses. Who were these impostors, and what had become of the men who pushed England to the brink in Cardiff last week?By the close of the first day, we knew. While Andrew Strauss settled serenely into the innings of the day – his fourth century in 12 Tests at Lord’s, the ground on which he learnt his trade as a young buck at Middlesex – Australia’s rookie cricketers were quite simply crushed by the expectant weight of history. Nobody in the ground can have been unaware that the Baggy Green has reigned supreme at this venue since 1934, and nobody seemed more acutely aware of that fact than the Australians themselves.No fewer than eight of the men who followed their captain out of the visiting dressing-room, down the central staircase and through a packed and buzzing Long Room were playing in their first Test at the grand venue, and not one of the six bowlers used on the first day had ever had to contend with the vagaries of the slope, let alone follow in the matchless footsteps of the great GD McGrath, who etched his name on the dressing-room honours board three times in three occasions.Last week, Australia were deprived of the victory that could have settled their nerves for the summer, and at the close of play, Brad Haddin mentioned the tension of the occasion on five separate occasions in a ten-minute press conference. Contrast that anxiety with England’s ease with their surroundings. Of the 14 men who vied for selection in this game, only two – Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad – have yet to make their mark on the walls of their dressing-room, and it’s fair to suggest that time is on their side.”We’ve all batted pretty well at Lord’s in the last few years,” said Strauss, and with 17 Test centurions since Australia last had a hit, that’s something of an understatement. “It has been very batting friendly to be fair, but there’s a lot of confidence in our batting unit here, and hopefully we can continue to display that over the coming days.”But confidence in English batsmen is a very dangerous thing, especially when coupled with Australia’s ability to rise above adversity. By the close, the two traits had collided to create a perfect cliché – a day of two halves. In their first 47.4 overs, England managed 196 for 0, and then 168 for 6 in their last 42.2. By the time they retreated to their dressing-room, no doubt for the sort of talking-to that their opponents received over lunch, they had squandered their second priceless toss of the series.

England squad members with hundreds at Lord’s 2009 AJ Strauss, Australia 161* 2009 R. Bopara, West Indies 143 2008 I.R. Bell, South Africa 199; K.P. Pietersen, South Africa 152 2007 K.P. Pietersen, India 134; K.P. Pietersen, West Indies 109; I.R. Bell, West Indies 109*; M.J.Prior, West Indies 126*; P.D. Collingwood West Indies 111; A.N. Cook, West Indies 105 2006 A.J. Strauss, Pakistan, 128; I.R. Bell, Pakistan 100*; P.D. Collingwood, Pakistan, 186; A.N. Cook, Pakistan, 105; K.P. Pietersen, Sri Lanka 158 2004 A.J. Strauss, West Indies, 137; A.J. Strauss, New Zealand, 112 2003 A. Flintoff, South Africa 142

At Cardiff last week, England attempted to seize the momentum, but ended up taking the piss. Their desire to dominate translated into arrogance, as ten starts and a top-score of 69 amply testified, and their first-day scoreline of 336 of 7 was soon revealed to be entirely inadequate. What, then, will be made of this effort? As Strauss proved by piling on through to the close, the opportunity was there to atone for those first-Test errors, and convert a confident start into a formidable finish.But the recriminations will abound if, as Australia suggested with their end-of-day rally, their stage-fright has dissipated by the time their turn comes to bat. “The whole occasion of Lord’s got too big for a few of us,” admitted Haddin, “but late in the day we got into our rhythm and started to build a bit more pressure, and relax more into our work. We were looking down the barrel of a very bad day at 0 for 200, and I thought we fought back well.”They certainly did, but England assisted them in their downfall. Superbly though he played for the first 146 balls of his innings, Alastair Cook missed pretty much the first straight one he received (just as he had done at Cardiff), and once he had gone nobody else could muster the necessary application – not even Paul Collingwood, whose out-of-character shovel to mid-on with the new ball looming was the most culpable failure of the day.Coming so soon after Ponting’s agenda-setting 150 at Cardiff, Strauss’s hefty performance was timely in one ways than one. But as he admitted at the close, it had been a better day for him personally than for his team, and nothing telegraphed his frustration more pointedly than the look of daggers he gave Collingwood, his Cardiff hero, as he made his way back to the pavilion.”It is a slightly disappointing [position] from 190 for 0, but I suppose Collingwood was the only one you could say had a hand in his own downfall,” said Strauss, “He was trying to push things along before the new ball came along, which can sometimes happen. But otherwise it was a bit of swing and a bit of nip that did for most of our batsmen, which was pretty encouraging.””There are more wicket-taking opportunities here than at Cardiff, definitely,” he said. “The ball swung around more, and when it swung at times batting was quite tricky. At the same time, in between that there were opportunities to score. It’s always a fast-scoring ground, so if you’re slightly off it’s going to go. If we can get up to 450 tomorrow, we’ll be in a pretty good position in the game, but we’ll have to bat better than in Cardiff.”They’ll have to bowl better as well, and in that respect, the percentages selection of Graeme Onions over Steve Harmison may in hindsight prove to be prudent. On his last appearance at Lord’s, Onions claimed four wicket in seven balls, on his way to becoming the latest notch on England’s honours board – and while the quality of his West Indian opponents were barely worth mentioning in the same context, he can at least claim that Lord’s rarefied atmosphere did not affect his performance in the slightest.Today, that was not remotely true of the Australians. If they can recover their poise from this position – and this evening they made a fantastic fist of a comeback – then they truly are worthy to follow in Bradman’s footsteps.

Deccan Chargers, the team that got ahead of themselves last year stayed grounded in the moment this year. By remaining Clark Kent, Deccan were able to fly like Superman

Sriram Veera25-May-2009Andrew Symonds’s two wickets in two balls swung the final but his impact on the team since his arrival halfway through was perhaps down to neither bat nor ball but his attitude – he literally owned the turf whenever he stepped on it. Whether the frequent motivational runs towards bowlers and fielders or the verbals with youngsters in the opposition, this was a man relishing the notion of being a senior and leading from the front. This sense of ownership by the seniors – missing last year, when Deccan ended up last in the league – allowed the youngsters to play more freely, seek self-expression.The story of Deccan 2009 is the story of seniors like Symonds, Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs – and, in a different sense, VVS Laxman – and their effect on youngsters like Harmeet Singh, Pragyan Ojha and Rohit Sharma. Add to that consistently superb bowling from like RP Singh and moments of brilliance from Fidel Edwards and you had a recipe for success. They were the least glamorous team – but that allowed them to focus on the cricket.Gibbs’ story mirrors Deccan’s. Through the tournament he showed a hunger for success and the realisation that, at times, one had to win ugly by fighting it out. It was something missing in him, and in the team, last year. The final epitomised the new Gibbs. Gilchrist called it a “brave innings”, symbolic of where he is at in life at the moment. This was a man who admitted his mistakes, acknowledged the problem and went about trying to solve the issue.And there’s Laxman. You might wonder how a player who failed on the field might be a symbol of a winning team. But Deccan’s success stemmed from the atmosphere in the dressing room. Laxman was axed as captain after last season and then dropped from the side halfway through this tournament. He could have sulked but instead took it upon himself to mentor the Indian youngsters in the team, a decision that effectively solved what could have been Gilchrist’s biggest problem. Gilchrist pointed to how Laxman worked hard with the fitness trainer and fielding coach, saying he wanted to be a better Twenty20 player. “He wanted to learn at his age. VVS epitomises what our franchise has been this year.”The determination of the seniors didn’t take long to filter down. Take the example of Harmeet. At first glance, there isn’t anything special about him. But by being aware of his limitations, he extended himself and eventually his bowling was a crucial factor in the semi-final and the final. He is not a natural athlete – and doesn’t look athletic by any stretch of imagination – but he took the best catch of the final, running in from the deep before flying forward to dismiss Vinay Kumar. His celebrations after each wicket were not those of a young man feeling the pressure-cooker intensity of a final but one relishing the chance to play in a big game.Or take Ojha. He has consistently improved as a bowler and his celebrations too got wilder as the tournament went on. The more intense the pressure was, the better he performed. It’s a huge stride that he has taken in this IPL. Ojha has begun to feel at home in the international arena.Perhaps the best news for India, though, is Rohit’s form and fruition. He had a great last year with the bat but Gilchrist wanted more from him and so appointed Rohit the vice-captain. No one ever doubted his talent but what he revealed was a flair for leadership and a capacity to think and analyse; time and again, he would walk up to Gilchrist with a suggestion or a piece of advice. Repeatedly, he spoke to the young Indian players on the field. The team looked more united as a result.That attitude change was the most important factor in Deccan’s success. Gilchrist remembers addressing the team. “I told the team to lie below the radar, to play a smarter brand of Twenty20 cricket rather than walking out and trying to fire from ball one. We knew we had to be smarter about it, I think.”The team that got ahead of themselves last year stayed grounded in the moment this year. By remaining Clark Kent, Deccan were able to fly like Superman.

The following scenario may sound familiar. England are at a low ebb after a desperate winter campaign, and a new coach decides it’s time to take a punt with one of the most problematic positions in the side

Andrew Miller at Lord's06-May-2009The following scenario may sound familiar. England are at a low ebb after a desperate winter campaign, and a new coach decides it’s time to take a punt with one of the most problematic positions in the side. Ignoring a host of usual suspects, he selects at No. 3 a young Essex batsman of Asian extraction, whose talent has never been in question, but whose opportunities have been limited to a handful of appearances down the order. The player responds with a superb century that carries his team’s innings, and cements his place in the side for the foreseeable.Ravi Bopara’s arrival as England’s No. 3 has strong echoes of the manner in which Nasser Hussain seized his opportunity against India at Edgbaston in 1996. There are differences in the two men’s temperaments and techniques – cocky and classy on the one hand, fiery and gritty on the other – but aside from their shared Ilford upbringing, the clearest similarity is the undoubted character they bring to their role. Thirteen years ago, Hussain seized his chance with 128 out of a team total of 313; Bopara currently stands on 118 out of 289 for 7, an almost identical ratio.”A lot is made of your batting position,” Hussain recalled to Cricinfo, “but I always felt, and I did back then when Bumble [David Lloyd] rang me up and asked me to bat No. 3, that if you’re good enough to be playing Test cricket, you should be good enough to move from No. 5 to No. 3. Otherwise what is that saying about you? It’s saying you’re not a particularly good player.””The question I would be asking is not is he a No. 3, but is he a Test match player?” said Hussain. “That is the same question that David Lloyd and Mike Atherton must have been asking about me in ’96, and it’s the one that Ravi Bopara has answered now. From the first time I saw him at Essex, I thought he was a Test match player and nothing I’ve seen since has changed my opinion.”Prior to Hussain’s innings, England had tried all manner of combinations at No. 3, from the left-field Jason Gallian to the veteran Robin Smith, via the temperamentally suspect pairing of Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash. None of them was able to provide the ballast the team so urgently required, much as Ian Bell and Owais Shah have fallen short in recent contests.Bopara himself didn’t display a trace of self-doubt in his first-day performance at Lord’s. “No. 3 is only a problem position if you make it a problem,” he said at the close of play. “You just go out and do your best, play the ball as naturally as you can, and if it’s not your day it’s not your day, and if it is, you make it count.”Nevertheless, until their respective promotions, both Bopara and Hussain had been given reason to doubt their Test credentials. Bopara endured a tortuous baptism in Sri Lanka when he managed 42 runs in five innings, while Hussain’s seven Tests – all against the mighty West Indies and the rapidly improving Australians – were spread across six years and contained a solitary half-century.”Of course I needed those runs to prove it to myself that I could play Test cricket, and until you get them there’s going to be self-doubt,” said Hussain. “But I think we were both young enough to get another chance, and we knew English cricket. If you’re Australian in the last 20 years, you might have one or two chances because it’s been so difficult to get into the side.”But in England, if you’re young and you’re good and you get your runs in county cricket, you generally know another opportunity will come. Ravi said to me he knew he’d get another chance, but he also knew he’d have to take it.”In the event, Bopara didn’t just take his chance, he seized it, with a cocksure performance that, according to Hussain, belied the more anxious side to his character. “I know Ravi gives his outward bravado of being very confident, but he’s not,” he said. “He’s nervous. It’s fine when he’s out there, but he’s a nervous starter, so I think No. 3 is good for him. I also enjoyed batting at 3 because I just wanted to get out there and get into it, instead of fretting in the dressing-room and waiting to bat.”Now that he has produced his breakthrough innings, Hussain believes that the sky is the limit for Bopara, so long as he manages to retain a basic humility. “He’s now got two hundreds in a row, so he’s sure to get a bit more of a swagger, he’ll become a bit more Pietersen-esque. I just hope he doesn’t go over the top, because he’s got to remember how he’s got his runs. If he can keep grinding them out, this could be the start of something special.”Hussain should know. Within 12 months of his own breakthrough, he had capped his time at No. 3 with a matchwinning double-century in the first Test against Australia. Now that would be taking the parallel to its extremes.

Pakistan cricket doesn’t lend itself to analysing. For nobody yet knows what motivates its cricketers, or what brings them down.

Sidharth Monga in Colombo12-Jul-2009Pakistan cricket doesn’t lend itself to analysing. For nobody yet knows what motivates its cricketers, or what brings them down. How far will they plummet before things can’t get any worse? How many times will we witness one session of madness undoing all the hard work of the previous sessions? Will they have such passages one after the other? When exactly do they start one of their mercurial comebacks? Perhaps only after the biggest of optimists have given up. Perhaps one could hire a psychologist-scientist team to find out, but it’s very doubtful if it would work.In Galle session came right at the end. At the P Sara today we had it up front. In less than two and a half sessions Pakistan lost 18 wickets for 137 runs, and with that, perhaps the series. has to be used because you never know with Pakistan.To say they don’t belong here will be inaccurate. To say they do will not be consistent with the lack of Test-match temperament they have shown so far. To make sense of what they have done in two sessions will not be a task for those with a logical bend.What is explicable is that the choice of squad was poor, made worse by the choice of openers today. Both the captain and coach had suggested this was a bat-first track which required patient negotiation during the first session. Yet they sent in a kid (in terms of Test cricket) with no experience in opening the batting, even in first-class cricket.”Because we came here with just two openers, we had the choice between Shoaib Malik and Fawad Alam to open with here,” Misbah-ul-Haq said. “Because Salman [Butt] was feeling a bit low in confidence, we rested him. I think he [Shoaib Malik] is doing well in the middle order. We are looking to the future, and Shoaib Malik has to play in the middle order in the long run, that’s why we picked Fawad Alam as the opener.” Go figure.It was obvious that Fawad didn’t possess the required technique, and his shuffle across the stumps proved to be his downfall. What is inexplicable is that Fawad was the fifth wicket to fall. This is not to take away any credit from Nuwan Kulasekara, who bowled a good spell, but check the highlights package, read the ball-by-ball commentary – neither the pitch nor the bowling was lethal enough for his bowling figures to read 3.4-0-6-3.Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf played needless shots, Khurram Manzoor again played forward with his weight still back, Misbah got an inside edge outside the off stump. The captain, Younis, will himself have to take the blame, for he tried to cut a ball that was too full. Younis has been a very good player of spin, but so far in this series he hasn’t survived long enough to play the spinners.Malik looked solid in the middle but soon started to run out of partners. But there was no conspicuous attempt to push the scoring rate or farm the strike before the tailenders eventually got out. The result: Pakistan outdid themselves and dubiously beat their lowest score against Sri Lanka – one they had just acquired in the Galle Test. In doing that they also achieved their seventh-lowest total in Tests.Like many others, Pakistan themselves fail to make sense of these two sessions. “It happens in cricket, especially with…” Misbah said, followed by laughter and a pause “…Pakistan.” There can’t be a bigger expression of exasperation for followers of Pakistan cricket.Coming into this match, they had looked to draw inspiration from their comebacks in the World Twenty20 barely weeks ago. Therein lies the difference. It takes session upon session of resilience to come back from such defeats in Tests, not just from one inspirational spell. “It does a bit to the team,” Misbah said of the Galle defeat.Test cricket gives a chance to come back. “We are looking forward to making a comeback in this game,” Misbah said. “Try to bowl them out quickly tomorrow. And then hopefully play like we did in Karachi and have a big score.”It’s just a matter of first few spells. Especially on these wickets, the new ball is very important. If you get through the new ball, then I think you can score big runs. We will try to survive at the top in the next innings, and then score big.”These are ominous signs for Pakistan, that not everyone has given up as yet. Has the most enigmatic team reached a point from where it can’t get any worse?

Over a 19-year international career, Wasim Akram took wickets all over the world, in Tests and ODIs, with a consistency that was mind-boggling

S Rajesh25-Apr-2010There are several outstanding aspects to Wasim Akram’s international career, right from its sheer longevity – almost 19 years – to the amount of success he had in Tests and ODIs, with new ball and with old, with the red variety and the white. He was pretty handy with the bat – you’d have to be if your highest Test score is 257 not out – but it’s as a bowler of splendid and varied skills that Akram will be remembered.Making his Test debut against New Zealand in the beginning of 1985, Akram needed just one match to make his mark: in his second Test, in Dunedin, he returned match figures of 10 for 128 and was named Man of the Match even though New Zealand won the thriller by two wickets.That set a glorious Test career on its way, but the early years were, as you’d expect for an 18-year-old, somewhat erratic. Even so, there were enough promising performances to prove that Akram was the real deal. In Barbados three years later, Akram took seven wickets in heartbreaker that Pakistan lost, yet again, by two wickets. In his first five years, though, Akram only managed 94 wickets in 29 Tests – a modest average of 3.24 per match.Akram’s best years were about to come. In his first Test of 1990, against Australia in Melbourne, Akram took 11 for 160, and that haul triggered a sensational run that lasted through most of the next eight years. In 48 Tests from 1990 to the end of 1997, Akram averaged five wickets per match, and his average dropped to an outstanding 20.05, before his form finally tapered off in his last four years.

Wasim Akram’s Test career with the ball

PeriodTestsWicketsAverageStrike rate5WI/ 10WMTill Dec 1989299428.1865.95/ 1Jan 1990 to Dec 19974824020.0546.416/ 3Jan 1998 onwards278028.9666.04/ 1Career10441423.6254.625/ 5During that eight-year period from 1990 to 1997, Akram had the best figures in Test cricket, barring none. There were several legendary bowlers who were at the height of their craft during an era which we now look back on as a golden one for bowlers, especially the fast ones – Curtly Ambrose, Allan Donald, Waqar Younis and Glenn McGrath were all around, but Akram’s stats stood out even among them. His average of 20.05 was better than anyone else’s during this period (with a cut-off of 150 wickets); in terms of strike rate, only Waqar was ahead.During these eight years, Akram was Man of the Match in 12 of the 48 Tests he played, an incredible average of one every four games. Eight of these were in overseas Tests, including the game in Melbourne and the next one in Adelaide, when he turned in an outstanding all-round performance, taking six wickets and scoring 52 and 123. At the time it was only the 12th instance of a player scoring 150 or more and taking six or more wickets in a Test.

Best Test bowlers between Jan 1990 and Dec 1997 (Qual: 150 wickets)

BowlerTestsWicketsAverageStrike rate5WI/ 10WMWasim Akram4824020.0546.416/ 3Curtly Ambrose5724720.5052.817/ 3Waqar Younis4623221.2340.119/ 4Allan Donald3617123.2748.89/ 2Glenn McGrath3616423.4253.09/ 0Shane Warne6228924.0862.912/ 3Overall, he won 17 Man-of-the-Match and seven Man-of-the-Series awards, both of which are among the highest. Even better, his rate of winning these awards, one every six Tests, is the best among those who’ve won at least ten such prizes.

Highest frequency of MoM awards in Tests (Qual: 10 awards)

PlayerTestsMoM awardsTests per awardWasim Akram104176.12Jacques Kallis137206.85Muttiah Muralitharan132196.95Curtly Ambrose98147.00Imran Khan88118.00Malcolm Marshall81108.10Not surprisingly, Akram remains one of the most potent matchwinners in Tests for Pakistan. In the 41 wins that he was a part of, he took 211 wickets at an average which compares well with the best in the business.

Best bowling averages in Test wins (Qual: 200 wickets)

BowlerTestsWicketsAverageStrike rate5WI/ 10WMMuttiah Muralitharan5343016.0342.640/ 18Malcolm Marshall4325416.7838.117/ 4Curtly Ambrose4422916.8644.413/ 3Waqar Younis3922218.2035.014/ 4Dennis Lillee3120318.2739.017/ 6Shaun Pollock4922318.3047.59/ 1Wasim Akram4121118.4842.313/ 2Anil Kumble4328818.7544.420/ 5Like most fast bowlers from Pakistan, Akram too mastered the art of bowling grassless pitches, where reverse swing becomes a most potent weapon. He is one of only four bowlers to take more than 150 wickets in Pakistan, while in the three major subcontinent countries, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, his average was marginally better than his overall career average.

Best Test fast bowlers in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (Qual: 100 wkts)

BowlerTestsWktsAverageStrike rate5WI/ 10WMImran Khan5120520.2848.812/ 3Waqar Younis4119121.0739.213/ 4Wasim Akram5721122.6752.911/ 1Shoaib Akhtar2610824.8745.26/ 1Javagal Srinath3511626.4355.06/ 1Chaminda Vaas7123027.5462.46/ 1Kapil Dev8627929.0159.814/ 2Zaheer Khan3810738.1269.22/ 0Through most of his career, Akram formed a destructive fast-bowling combination with Waqar: in the 61 Tests they played together, Akram averaged 21.33, with 20 five-fors and four ten-wicket hauls; in the 43 Tests he played without Waqar, his averaged fell to 28.50, and he only managed five five-fors. His wickets per Tests too dropped to 3.07 per match, from 4.62 when the bowled with Waqar. Some of that was also because the periods he bowled without Waqar were also during the first and last parts of his career, when he wasn’t at his most potent.

Akram in Tests, with and without Waqar Younis

TestsWicketsAverageStrike rate5WI/ 10WMWith Waqar6128221.3349.220/ 4Without Waqar4313228.5066.25/ 1Akram’s ODI career was more even, and his stats stayed within a narrow band almost throughout. He announced himself in his third game, taking 5 for 21 against Australia in Melbourne – a haul that included Allan Border, Dean Jones and Kepler Wessels – during the World Championship of Cricket.His best period, though, was between 1992 and 1997, when he had an economy rate of 3.76 and took 14 of his 23 hauls of four or more wickets. At the beginning of that period was the 1992 World Cup, in which Akram was an absolute star, taking 18 wickets at 18.77. The highlight was his 3 for 49 in the final, when he derailed England’s run-chase with the wickets of Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis in successive balls. Even towards the end of his career he remained a significant threat with the ball, and became the first bowler to go past the 500-wicket mark.Akram played five World Cups over his 19-year career, and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker with 55, next only to McGrath’s haul of 71.

Akram’s ODI career

PeriodMatchesWicketsAverageEcon rate4+ wktsTill Dec 199110714323.973.845Jan 1992 – Dec 199713119821.863.7614Jan 1998 onwards11816125.174.094Career35650223.523.8923With 326 ODI wickets in wins, Akram is next only to Muralitharan in this regard. He’s clearly one of the greatest matchwinners in ODIs, averaging less than 19 at a run rate of 3.70. Among bowlers with at least 150 wickets in wins, only four bowlers have a better average.

Best bowling averages in wins in ODIs (Qual: 150 wickets)

BowlerODIsWicketsAverageEcon rate4+ wktsSaqlain Mushtaq9318815.843.7811Glenn McGrath17130117.943.6515Muttiah Muralitharan19134718.083.6321Waqar Younis14927818.764.3321Wasim Akram19932618.863.7018Allan Donald10819519.053.9610Akram’s genius and his ability to burst through batting line-ups is obvious from the fact that he has taken two hat-tricks in Tests and ODIs, the only bowler to do so. He finished with 22 Man-of-the-Match awards in ODIs, which isn’t anywhere near Sachin Tendulkar’s 61, but it’s a significant number considering the fact that ODIs are usually dominated by batsmen. In fact, Akram and Shaun Pollock (who also has 22) have the highest number of awards among players whose major suit isn’t batting.And then there’s the small matter of Akram the captain. In the 25 Tests in which he led Pakistan, they won 12 and lost eight, and his reign included a series win in England, and clinching the Asian Test Championship. His ODI record was impressive too: a win-loss ratio of 1.6, which is the joint-highest for any Pakistan captain who led in more than 50 games.

Highest ODI win % for Pakistan captains (Qual: 50 matches as captain)

CaptainMatchesWonW/L ratioWasim Akram109661.60Waqar Younis62371.60Inzamam-ul-Haq87511.54Imran Khan139751.27Javed Miandad62260.78

In each and every spell of Mohammad Asif’s there remains a threat, a leg-before appeal, a play and a miss, an edge. He carries the sense every ball that something very clever he has been working on is just about to, or has almost come off

Osman Samiuddin at the SCG03-Jan-2010Time can really be a bastard. The last time I met Mohammad Asif properly for an interview, he was confident, full of wit and supreme in his own art. That was just before the England series of 2006, which now qualifies as another age of Pakistan cricket. Probably it was another life for him.We spoke again briefly just before this New Year’s Test in Sydney because it was a five-year anniversary for him; he made his debut at this very ground, notable only for a few no-balls and an Adam Gilchrist spanking. He took a good catch at long-on and stuck around with bat, annoyingly like a Melbourne fly but little else. Pakistan lost, he was discarded, came back, conquered the world and then lost it.If the humour and bluster is still there, he doesn’t show it so readily now. He had a casual easy lope then, though it not looks more like a weary trudge. When he talks, he seems to first calculate what possible headline could be twisted out of what he has said and is, as a result, cagier and measured. I did a story once about his Dubai detention that upset him and he let me know it. That is the way, so he is understandably wary.Unsaid, it is nevertheless agreed we won’t talk about what, probably, most people want to hear about. We agree to look ahead and we tread carefully while doing it.***The one thing that hasn’t changed is the experience of watching him. I probably appreciate it more now. He remains as compelling as he was, though has he lost a little pace? He would hate to even talk about that for he is outside the faithful when it comes to pace.Elsewhere he is intact. The wrist is still loose and cut forthcoming from it. In Melbourne, he even got more out of the old ball. The appeal still has the suddenness and abruptness of a dance movement and becomes a persistent if he feels it is really tight. On the field he still smiles, beamingly for wickets and slyly for when something has just failed to come off.The brain most definitely is still ticking. In each and every spell of his there remains a threat, a leg-before appeal, a play and a miss, an edge. Like those legspinners Shane Warne and Abdul Qadir, to close watchers he carries the sense every ball that something very clever he has been working on is just about to, or has almost come off.In Melbourne, he was at the center of attempts to deny Shane Watson a hundred in the second innings. A simple plan was devised and I half-suspect he had something to do with it. An 8-1 field was set and over after over passed by as maidens of temptation, the ball hung out well wide of Watson’s off stump and swinging away. Watson broke a couple of times, but all went on unscathed for nearly an hour before lunch. Then in the fourth over of Asif’s spell one came straighter and dipped in late. Watson tried to clip it, overbalanced and the ball missed leg stump by no more than an inch.The whole setup was so beautifully worked. He had drained Watson mentally, each ball a little water drop of Chinese torture. He then slipped one in when no one was prepared, the only straight ball in that entire passage. Consensus was that it was a poor ball and that Watson missed out on four. Watson probably believed the same. But that is to know nothing of Asif. Much like Verbal from , he had worked it from start to finish.

Few Pakistani bowlers have ever really played this game that Asif does. Wasim Akram’s mind was similarly sharp but his magic was unique. And he always had pace. Maybe Sarfraz Nawaz was like him, but went on like a bowler who thought he was quick. He got caught up often in bouncer wars and that isn’t always a thinking man’s game, especially at that pace. Asif doesn’t have the mind of that kind of fast bowler

***The grass was greener in Sydney this time.Few Pakistani bowlers have ever really played this game that Asif does. Wasim Akram’s mind was similarly sharp but his magic was unique. And he always had pace. Maybe Sarfraz Nawaz was like him, but went on like a bowler who thought he was quick. He got caught up often in bouncer wars and that isn’t always a thinking man’s game, especially at that pace. Asif doesn’t have the mind of that kind of fast bowler.He’s been strangely underestimated in Australia on this trip, strange given this is the land of Glenn McGrath. Mohammad Aamer was the star of Melbourne and he has the pace, the youth and freshness to excite everyone. Nobody forgets he is left-arm either. Mohammad Sami also has pace and his burst made for a great story here. But Asif? Since he is not quick, people often don’t get it. How can he be Pakistani and not quick?He set about Australia from the Paddington End in his second spell with the care and precision reserved for PhD theses. Michael Clarke was done in by a fast bowler’s googly. He had got him into driving the very first ball and for Asif, like spinners, that is victory. He kept doing it, mostly straightening the ball away. Eventually it came; same length, shape but straightening and the deed was done.Such plans were in place for his other victims. Essentially, he played on Michael Hussey’s patience, giving him less room than a taxi full of elephants, before he eventually cracked. Poor shot? Probably. Smart bowling? You bet. Marcus North didn’t know what hit him, saved by technology to one that came in and gone to one that kept going across. Brad Haddin thought he had an idea, stepping out to change the length and driving him, until Asif pulled one back a little more and Haddin drove anyway.The tail took swings at him but he had their fates already written. Time leaves some things untouched.

The tributes pour in as Muttiah Muralitharan ends his Test career with 800 wickets

Cricinfo staff23-Jul-2010″He was a fantastic sportsman and supported all his team-mates on the field and I think that’s something all senior players should take as a piece of advice from him, to be behind your team-mates 100%.”

“I admired him from a distance and when we played against each other we always tried to outdo each other. It was more about Australia and Sri Lanka, but it was good fun, the little battle within the big battle.”

“I don’t want to get into comparison but I would prefer Warne. Murali is more accurate and has more variations so tougher to face.”
“I am never going to go around looking for another Murali. Because you are never going to find any.”

“Glad I don’t need to face him in Test cricket again.”

“What an incredible achievement. But it was one that is so deserved because he loves the game, has worked so hard and is such a great lad. It is not so much fun standing at the other end, though, when from 22 yards he’s laughing at you, which is a bit off-putting.”

“There was no better way to finish than on that high note. You cannot ask for anything else. It was an honour to play along with him.”

“I haven’t changed my view in 15 years – he doesn’t deserve the record.”

“There is no doubt Murali will be missed by the Sri Lankan team, not just for his wicket-taking ability, but for the pressure he applied and the number of overs he was able to bowl on each day.”

“Murali used this delivery as a great wicket-taking weapon and I felt proud watching him do this.”

“To Benjamin Franklin’s assertion that death and taxes are the only certainties can now be added the eternal nature of Murali’s 800.”Guardian
“Murali is something phenomenal. I don’t think anyone will even come close to taking 800 wickets.”
“He is a God’s gift. In my opinion no one will be able to match this feat in the horizon. He has performed on all types of wickets.”

“I am afraid that Murali may have short-changed himself by deciding to give up Test cricket. He should have given himself a couple of years more and targeted 1000 Test wickets.”

“Were another Murali – and the beaches and streets of Sri Lanka are still full of youngsters who throw rather than bowl the ball – to emerge now, he would be headed off at the pass, 15 degrees of flexion or not. Murali graced Test cricket but Test cricket for many confused reasons will be relieved that he has departed.”
Independent
“I can honestly say that I was never able to pick Murali. Shane Warne, yes, but not Murali.”

“He has borne the responsibility of representation with lightness, humour, and simplicity, remaining a conciliatory presence in an often strife-torn nation.”
Hindu
“I may not agree with Murali’s action or may have called all Murali wickets as run-outs, but I have highest respect for him as a human being, a kindhearted man.”

“He brought to the craft a new way of doing things, converting a finger-spinning exercise into a wrist-spinning one. He remains the symbol of a resurgent Sri Lanka, a talented side from its pre-Test days but one that needed a touch of iron to perform consistently.”