Stats highlights from the first day’s play at Newlands

Shiva Jayaraman02-Jan-20163601 Runs Alastair Cook has made in Tests as England’s captain. In his brief innings of 27, Cook went past Graham Gooch to become the second highest run-scorer as captain for England in Tests. Gooch made 3582 runs at 58.72. Only Mike Atherton, who scored 3815 runs at 40.58, now has more runs than Cook as England’s captain in Tests.3 Number of umpires in Tests who have officiated as an on-field umpire in 100 or more Tests including Aleem Dar, who is standing in his 100th Test. Steve Bucknor and Rudi Koertzen were the ones to do it before Dar.200 Number of fielding dismissals collected by AB de Villiers in Tests. He is only the second South Africa player to effect 200 or more dismissals. Mark Boucher leads this list by a long way with 553 dismissals, all as wicketkeeper.ESPNcricinfo Ltd5 Number of fifty-plus scores by England openers other than Alastair Cook in Tests since 2014, including Alex Hales’ 60. Cook has made 14 such scores since 2014. This was also Hales’ maiden Test fifty and his second first-class fifty on this tour – he made 56 against South Africa A in Pietermaritzburg. Hales has now hit four fifty-plus scores in his last six first-class games.26 Fifty-plus scores by Joe Root – who turned 25 three days ago – in Tests including his 50 in England’s first innings. These are the second highest such scores made by an England batsman at the age of 25 or before. Ian Bell had made 25 such scores at 25 years of age. Alastair Cook had 38 fifty-plus scores (15 hundreds and 23 fifties). Root has made 3167 runs at 54.60 including eight hundreds and 18 fifties. Root has now failed to convert his last five fifty-plus scores into a hundred in Tests.79.56 Ben Stokes’ strike rate in his innings of 74* – the eighth highest in an innings of 50 or more by an England batsman in South Africa. Stokes completed 1000 runs in Tests in this innings. He has 1072 runs at 29.77 in Tests including two hundreds and six fifties. Jonny Bairstow too completed 1000 Test runs during his innings.46 Runs scored by the partnership between Stokes and Bairstow in five overs after South Africa took the new ball. The England batsmen hit as many as eight fours in these overs, including four in the first over with the new ball from Chris Morris. This stand scored 94 runs from just 115 deliveries at a rate of 4.90 – the fifth highest in a fifty-plus run stand by England in South Africa. The sixth-wicket stand in this innings is currently the third highest for England at Newlands.2 Number of fifty-plus stands by England’s first wicket in their last ten Tests including this one. In 18 innings in these ten Tests, England’s opening wicket has averaged 23 runs per dismissal. Their last fifty-plus stand before this innings had come in Abu Dhabi against Pakistan last year when Moeen Ali and Cook added 116 runs.4.5 Chris Morris’ bowling economy from his 22 overs so far in this innings. This is the third worst for any South Africa bowler to bowl at least 20 overs in an innings on debut. Only Rory Kleinveldt and Dale Steyn have done worse. Steyn was the last South Africa pacer to concede 100-plus runs in an innings on debut. Morris has conceded 99 runs.

Playing the No. 1 team on their own patch will be a huge challenge for an inconsistent England side but there are signs of weakness in South Africa to be exploited

George Dobell in Durban23-Dec-2015On paper, it shouldn’t even be close.The No. 1 side in the world are playing at home. And they are playing against a side that has lost three of its last four Tests, has won just one of the four Test series it has completed this year and which seems likely to be without its leading wicket-taker due to injury. The bookies make South Africa the favourites; it is hard to disagree.And yet, the sense remains that England have an opportunity in South Africa. The sense remains that, despite having won only one opening Test on tour since victory in Port Elizabeth in 2004, a new look England have an opportunity to exploit a South Africa side whose confidence was dented by defeat in India, whose key players are all over 30 and, in a couple of cases, recovering from injury.Might there be parallels with 2012? At that time, England were the No. 1 rated side and South Africa the hungry chasers. The hosts were tired, divided and in decline. South Africa punished their lack of unity and their mistakes.More specifically, England were wedded to an approach that brought short-term benefits but, in retrospect, could not work over a long period: the balance of their side – three seamers and a spinner – compromised the effectiveness of the players required to do much of the bowling. Graeme Swann retired early, Tim Bresnan’s elbow problems robbed him of the nip that, just briefly, rendered him a top-class performer and both Stuart Broad and James Anderson have been obliged to curb the pace they possessed early in their careers. Too much was asked of them.Could it be the same with South Africa now? Almost every seamer in contention for their Test team has suffered some sort of injury in the recent past. Vernon Philander, so effective in Cape Town (where he averages 19.93 with the ball), has already been ruled out of the first two Tests, and while Dale Steyn has proved his fitness, the number of overs he may be required to bowl does not give him the best chance of maintaining it. He is a thoroughbred; he shouldn’t be pulling a plough.To spread the load, South Africa could consider playing four seamers and using Dean Elgar and JP Duminy for a spin option but Hashim Amla’s indication was that they would play offspinner Dane Piedt which would further increase the load on three quicks. Whichever way you look at it, Jacques Kallis is missed almost as much for his bowling as his batting.It would be silly to compare Ben Stokes to Kallis. But there is no doubt that the presence of two allrounders (Moeen Ali is the other) is a major asset to England. It allows them to rotate their bowlers in a way that may prove crucial with just two days between the first two Tests and it allows them to bat deep. The runs added by Moeen and Broad in the Ashes, for the eighth or ninth wicket, and always made at a fast pace against tiring bowlers, were vital.The excellence of four or five players seems to be masking cracks in the South Africa side. On the basis of the performance of the A team against England this week, there is a worrying lack of depth in domestic cricket. The drain of talent to England – Kolpak registrations, UK passport holders et al – has diluted the quality of the domestic system in South Africa. But for a stronger Rand and a more rewarding domestic programme, the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Craig Kieswetter, Michael Lumb, Nick Compton and many, many more might have pursued their careers in the land of their birth. Had they done so, the domestic system might have been improved and the standard may have remained higher.Perhaps, in the long term, it is just as worrying that despite the free entry, very few local spectators turned up to watch the match in Pietermartizburg. Long-form cricket has no room for complacency in South Africa, just as it had no room for complacency in the Caribbean a decade or two ago.None of this is meant to denigrate the current South Africa Test side. In Amla and AB de Villiers they have two great batsmen; in Steyn and Morne Morkel they have a pair of top-class bowlers and Andy Murray showed us recently what impact just one top player can have on a team.Will Dale Steyn be hampered by his workload?•Getty ImagesKagiso Rabada offers hope for the future, too. But, now without Graeme Smith and Kallis, they are not the side they were and the bench strength looks weaker.It would be easy to dismiss defeat in India as an aberration. Conditions at home will bear little comparison and it seems unlikely that any potential weakness against spin will be exploited. But South Africa play so little Test cricket these days – a rain-ruined series in Bangladesh was their only other complete series in 2015 – that new players have little opportunity to adapt to the disciplines required in the longest format. You have to go back almost two years, to the Australian tour, since they were seriously challenged at home.As a result (and as made clear by S Rajesh in his preview of the series), there is little “home advantage.” New South African batsmen are almost as unfamiliar with their Test wickets, which traditionally have offered a little more bounce, as their visitors.England have questions to answer themselves. They have been inconsistent throughout the year, reserving most of the best moments for typically English conditions and again being well beaten by Pakistan. The opening partner to Alastair Cook has tended to have the poor employment prospects and the middle-order, the excellent Joe Root apart, has not delivered with any consistency.Moeen, for all that he offers as an all-round package, knows he needs to contribute more as a holding bowler and using Jonny Bairstow as a keeper is a risk; some might even interpret it as an accident waiting to happen. Standing back to the seamers he is serviceable; standing up to Moeen he is very much a work in progress.As England learned in 2012, when Amla was reprieved early on the way to make two match-defining centuries, you cannot give such players lives. The success or failure of England’s new-look slip cordon – with Alex Hales the new man at third – may define the series. Anderson’s potential absence as slip fielder to the spinners would add to the magnitude of his loss.And, for all the talk of how impressive Chris Woakes looks in training – and he really does – the fact is he currently has a Test bowling average in excess of 50. He’s better than that, but filling the shoes of Anderson is a daunting task and Woakes is yet to prove he is up to it.But Cook, relieved of the uphill struggle that captaining the ODI had become, looks to have recovered the freshness that rendered him such a relentless accumulator of runs, the return of Compton would appear to stiffen the top-order and James Taylor is tough and versatile. Stokes and Root look in top form and, with all six of the batsmen having made half-centuries at least in the warm-up games, they should all go into the first Test with confidence high.The series may come a little early for a redeveloping England side but, against a South Africa team which appears to be in decline, they have a great opportunity to prove themselves.

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2016Mohammad Hafeez, however, was steady at the other end and scored his eighth T20I fifty•Getty ImagesMitchell Santner and Adam Milne restricted Pakistan’s middle order with quick wickets in the middle overs•AFPShahid Afridi, though, smashed 23 off eight balls to lift Pakistan to 171 for 9•AFPMilne ended the innings with a career-best 4 for 37•Getty ImagesPakistan got a huge boost in the chase when Martin Guptill was run out in the second over for 2•Getty ImagesColin Munro and Kane Williamson then put the hosts well on course by stringing together an 80-run second-wicket stand at almost ten runs an over•AFPHowever, Munro fell in the tenth over for a 27-ball 56, giving Pakistan a shot in the arm•Getty ImagesPakistan’s bowlers then carved out the hosts’ middle order, reducing them from 90 for 2 to 108 for 6. But with Williamson still at the crease, New Zealand still had a chance of chasing down the total•AFPHowever, Wahab Riaz dismissed Williamson for 70 and the hosts’ lower order failed to fire, handing Pakistan a 16-run victory•AFP

One manages a branch outlet for a cellular network provider. Another runs a pest control and landscaping business. In a matter of minutes, the lives of six people completely changed; they are now Caribbean Premier League players

Peter Della Penna11-Feb-2016Somewhere in the middle of Ohio, a 25-year-old man just went a step closer from working at Cricket to working in cricket at the stroke of a mouse click in Barbados. Ali Khan, whose day job is managing a branch outlet for cellular network provider Cricket Wireless, was less than two hours into his shift for the day when he slipped into a back room to see the 16th and final round of the CPL draft. At 11:52 a.m., he heard his name called out by the owners of Guyana Amazon Warriors.”I almost blacked out for a minute,” Khan told ESPNcricinfo just after his name was called. “I’m really happy, excited. I got big high-fives and everything from my co-workers. If I wasn’t picked I don’t know how my day was going to go but now it’s gonna be a good day. I was talking to my dad earlier too. He was watching from France. I’m gonna call him after.”Khan was one of six Associate players from the region who were picked on Thursday during the CPL draft. Nikhil Dutta and Steven Taylor, who debuted in the 2015 CPL for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and Barbados Tridents, were retained by their respective franchises. Jamaica-born Orlando resident Timroy Allen was taken by the Jamaica Tallawahs while Calgary resident Hamza Tariq was picked up by the Trinbago Knight Riders and Toronto’s Nitish Kumar was claimed by St Lucia Zouks.The journey of Khan is perhaps the most remarkable one. He has never played for the USA national team, but was plucked from relative obscurity through the open tryout process conducted by the ICC Americas office at September’s inaugural player combine in Indianapolis. Khan not only made it into the group of eight players invited to progress out of an opening group of 68, but even made the cut from a second batch of 32 players into a final 15-man squad to play as a combined USA and Canada team at January’s Nagico Super50 tournament in Trinidad.Sitting in the fast-bowling pecking order behind Allen, Canada’s Jeremy Gordon and USA’s Hammad Shahid, Khan only managed two games in the Super50. However, his ability to bowl yorkers at the death, which caught the attention of Courtney Walsh among other evaluators in Indianapolis, was on display in the pair of appearances he made against Jamaica and resulted in four wickets. A few weeks after the end of the Nagico Super50, that key skill set also helped him garner a CPL deal.”I think this is the biggest thing that has happened to me in my life so far, and my cricketing career also,” Khan said. “I just stood up and jumped in the air and shouted ‘Yeah!’ I’m really looking forward to [being with Guyana]. I really like Chris Lynn. I’ve watched his Big Bash games and the way he hits the ball is amazing. And Martin Guptill of course. He has a lot of experience and in the bowling lineup Sohail Tanvir.”The career-trajectory for the players varies widely. Since Taylor and Dutta were included at the ages of 21 and 20 in the CPL a year ago, they have been pursuing cricket full-time, with Dutta able to parlay his CPL stint into a Bangladesh Premier League deal. Nitish, 21, is currently attending university at Loughborough MCCU in England with hopes of becoming a County pro.The eldest of the lot, 29-year-old Allen, is at the point in life where like Khan, he needs a day job to make ends meet. When not moonlighting as a dynamic pace-bowling allrounder, Allen runs his own pest control and landscaping business. Tariq, though, is stuck in the middle of the two worlds, a 25-year-old whose clock is ticking closer toward Khan and Allen than the younger three.Canada’s Hamza Tariq – “All I can tell you is my eyes are red at the moment. It’s a pretty big thing for me and I’ve been working hard towards getting something like this for a while”•AFPAt one time, Tariq was on a Cricket Canada central contract, but when they bombed out of the 2014 World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand, Canada lost its ODI status and with it, much of the ICC funding necessary to be able to pay players to play full-time. On Wednesday night, Tariq was busy sweating about a mid-term exam in accounting at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology he was due to take early Thursday morning as part of his junior-year business degree coursework.In a brief chat less than 24 hours before the draft, he pinned his chances of being picked at “one percent”. Even though he was tabbed to be the ICC Americas number one wicketkeeper heading into the Nagico Super50, Tariq felt his draft prospects were hurt by the fact that he missed the first two games of the tournament due to coming down with the flu on arrival in Trinidad.However, Tariq held out that one percent of hope that his 35 off 14 balls in the final match against Jamaica – in which seven of his deliveries went to the boundary – was enough to convince a franchise to pick him. Preferably, that franchise would be the Trinbago Knight Riders. He has long been an admirer of Daren Ganga’s captaincy for all T&T sides. As a kid growing up in Pakistan until the age of 12, he acquired an appreciation for all things Bollywood, including the films of owner Shah Rukh Khan.Just minutes after exiting his morning mid-term in Calgary, Tariq opened up his laptop and saw his name and profile picture on the CPL draft live stream being dragged with a mouse into the Knight Riders pool. The Americas team-mates may have been separated by 1900 miles, but the moment was just as overwhelming for Tariq in Alberta as it was for Khan in Ohio.”All I can tell you is my eyes are red at the moment,” Tariq said. “It’s a pretty big thing for me and I’ve been working hard towards getting something like this for a while and finally I’ve got it. It’s just something very special. I had a little bit of a preference of playing for the Knight Riders and getting picked by them is something very special.””I’m very blessed. The prayers from my friends, family and well-wishers, it’s all because of them. I didn’t think that I would get picked, especially by the Knight Riders, but getting picked by my favorite team is something that I wasn’t expecting and something very very special to me.”Before he could get carried away celebrating too much though, Tariq once more had to embrace his current reality.”I’ve got another class at one o’clock so I’ve got to finish that class and then I can go and celebrate.”The six Americas players are only guaranteed base contracts worth $3000. However, as Dutta has shown, the opportunity to showcase themselves on the CPL stage can be worth much more. It’s something that most players like Khan and Tariq never dreamed of happening less than a year ago. Today, it turned into reality.

Stats round-up from the quarterfinals stage of the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy

Bharath Seervi07-Feb-20160 Instances of Assam reaching the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy, before this season (excluding the Plate League). In 2006-07, they reached the semi-finals of the Plate League. (The Ranji Trophy was split into two groups then, with the top teams playing in the Super League, and the lesser teams playing in the Plate League.) This season, they defeated Punjab by 51 runs in Valsad to reach the last-four stage.788 Target set by Madhya Pradesh against Bengal, the fifth-highest in Ranji Trophy history. The highest of all is 959 set by Bombay against Maharashtra in Pune in the semi-final of 1948-49 Ranji Trophy, which is also the highest across all first-class matches. With the 355-run win, Madhya Pradesh have reached the Ranji Trophy semi-finals for the first time since 2005-06. They had reached the Plate League semi-finals thrice in last ten years. The win is also their biggest in first-class matches beating the 287-run win against Maharashtra in Indore in 1994-95 and Bengal’s second-biggest defeat behind their 420-run loss to Bombay in 1958-59 final.432 Runs scored by Bengal in the fourth innings, in reply to Madhya Pradesh’s target of 788. It is the third-highest fourth-innings total in Ranji Trophy. The two higher than this are: 604 by Maharashtra against Bombay in 1948-49 (target of 959) and 492 by Holkar against Bombay in 1944-45 final (target of 867).3 Number of wins by an innings for Saurashtra this season, the most for them in a single Ranji season. They won by an innings and 63 runs against Jammu and Kashmir in their last match in the group stage and then by innings and 85 runs in the quarter-final against Vidarbha. They had won by an innings and 118 runs in the first match of this season against Tripura. They had two such wins in the 2008-09 season and only seven innings victories till the last season. There hasn’t been an instance in the last ten years where a team won by an innings in the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy.2 Batsmen who have completed 1000 runs in a Ranji Trophy season at a younger age than Shreyas Iyer. The Mumbai batsman, aged 21 years, six months and 30 days, got there on the third day of the quarter-final against Jharkhand. The youngest to achieve the feat is Rusi Modi at 20 years, three months and 24 days in 1944-45, while Ajinkya Rahane is next at 20 years, six months and 29 days in 2008-09 (age as on the day of 1000th run). Modi was also the first batsman to aggregate 1000 or more runs in a Ranji Trophy season. All the three youngest to do so have all been for Mumbai. KL Rahul comes next at 21 years, 9 months and 13 days for Karnataka in 2013-14. In the same innings, Iyer also completed 2000 runs in his first-class career. Click here for highest run-getters in this season of Ranji Trophy.2006-07 Last time a bowler took 50 or more wickets in a Ranji season, before Shahbaz Nadeem did it for Jharkhand this time. Ranadeb Bose had taken 57 wickets for Bengal in 2006-07. There were four bowlers who took 50 or more wickets in the 1999-00 season (Kanwaljit Singh 62, Venkatapathy Raju 52, Utpal Chatterjee 52 and Aashish Kapoor 50) and only two since then. Nadeem is also the first from Jharkhand to take 50 or more wickets in a season. Previous highest for Jharkhand was also by him: 42 wickets in 2012-13 season.3 Number of Man-of-the-Match awards for Akhil Herwadkar in this Ranji Trophy season for Mumbai, the joint-most with four other players – Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Rohan Prem and Rajat Paliwal. His 107 and 3 for 26 against Jharkhand in the quarterfinal in Mysore got him his third Man-of-the-Match award.704 The previous-highest aggregate by an Assam batsman in a Ranji Trophy season, by Dheeraj Jadhav in 2011-12 at an average of 176 in nine innings. Arun Karthik has gone past him this season with 728 runs at 49.15, with two games left, potentially The next two highest aggregates are also by Jadhav: 626 runs at 48.15 in 2013-14 and 623 at 56.63 in 2012-13. Similarly, the 47 wickets by Krishna Das are also the most, by far, for an Assam bowler in a season. Sarupam Purkayastha had taken 36 wickets in the last season. 32 wickets by Arup Das this season are the third-most for an Assam bowler in a season.8/83 Figures of Arup Das against Punjab, the best in a Ranji quarter-finals since Harshal Patel’s 8 for 40 for Haryana against Karnataka in 2011-12. These are fifth-best figures for Assam and fourth-best by any bowler against Punjab in first-class matches.401 Wickets for Pragyan Ojha in first-class career. He picked up his 400th wicket in the quarter-final match playing for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh.0 Number of half-centuries for Ashok Dinda in his first-class career, before this quarter-final match, in 108 innings. He scored 52 off 42 balls batting at No. 9 in the fourth innings for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh. It is his maiden half-century across all formats – First-class, List-A and T20 cricket. His previous best was 45 against Haryana in the last Ranji Trophy. Last player to score 50 or more at No. 9 in the fourth-innings in Ranji Trophy was Jammu and Kashmir’s Samiullah Baig in 2013-14.

Who could come in for the injured Steven Smith, Mitchell Marsh and Kevin Pietersen? Here are some options for the beleaguered Pune franchise

Sidharth Monga02-May-2016At the moment, Rising Pune Supergiants need nurses more than fans. And selectors who can act quickly. And contacts in various embassies to arrange visas as soon as possible. They have lost all four of their first-choice overseas players to injuries: opener Faf du Plessis, No. 3 Steven Smith, big-hitter Kevin Pietersen and allrounder Mitchell Marsh. They have only got one replacement in, Australia’s Usman Khawaja, who can take du Plessis’ place at the top of the order. Here are ESPNcricinfo’s best options for the other replacements. There is one catch: replacements can be picked only from the original list of players that entered the auction.

For Mitchell Marsh

Darren Sammy: It was a surprise that the big-hitting West Indies allrounder went unsold at the auction in the first place. Especially against some of the Indian bowlers, he can turn games around in 10 balls. And with MS Dhoni not exactly firing, this is the firepower Supergiants could use in the lower-middle order.Jimmy Neesham/Grant Elliott: They competed for one slot in the New Zealand sides for the two World Cups in the last two years. They could find themselves competing for this one slot again. Neesham could have the upper hand here: Elliott was preferred in the already batting-heavy New Zealand sides for his experience over batting credentials; Supergiants need batting skill first.Wayne Parnell: Not exactly an allrounder, but the South African could get some big hits away and address some of Supergiants’ bowling woes. He has form behind him, albeit in first-class cricket: he has taken five-fors in three of the last four innings he has bowled in.

For Steven Smith

Marlon Samuels: Twice Man of the Match in the World T20 final, Samuels on a good day can hold the innings together before exploding at the right time. Not as industrious as Smith, but if someone in the coaching staff can do a Ben Stokes impression and rile him up, who knows what Samuels might be capable of.Johnson Charles: Dhoni has witnessed first hand in the World T20 semi-final that Charles can be dangerous. He is an excellent boundary rider to boot.Tamim Iqbal: Highest run-getter in the World T20. Several of those runs came against the Associates, yes, but, at any rate, some of the IPL attacks are not better than the Associates’.

For Kevin Pietersen

Rilee Rossouw: Not in great form, admittedly, but once he gets going this South Africa middle order batsman – average 27, strike rate 130 – can be a dangerous hitter in the middle and end overs. Exactly what Supergiants have missed.Michael Hussey: Left-field selection, but a convenient one too. Dhoni loves him, he loves Dhoni (have you heard his commentary?), and they won’t even need a visa for him; he is already in India, with the television crews. Surely he can come out of retirement for half a season?Kevin O’Brien: Fits into both the allrounder and big-hitter categories. He is canny with cutters, almost Shane Watson-like, and Indian spectators hardly need reminding that the man from Ireland can hit the ball big.

For 237 balls, Mashrafe Mortaza’s team did justice to their captain’s grace, abided by his vision. But in three balls, Bangladesh lost sight of the distance they have come

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Bangalore 24-Mar-2016In the third over of Bangladesh’s chase, Hardik Pandya climbs high into the night, at long-on, and snatches the ball flying overhead. In the next few seconds, as the Chinnaswamy Stadium erupts around him, Pandya appears to undergo a series of eruptions himself. His fists are clenched, his lungs are emptied, his vocal chords are in a state of almighty tremor. He advances towards his teammates in violent jerks and pulses. He is riding an invisible rodeo bull.It had been an outstanding catch in a tough situation, so maybe exuberance is understandable. On many nights, this may even have been the catch of the evening. Not on this one.In India’s innings, Sabbir Rahman had tracked a ball that would have challenged any Bangalore skyscraper for height, then dived, and held the ball cleanly. When he rose, there was a grimace on his face and slight arrogance in his gait, but there was no wild gesticulating.Ten overs later, Soumya Sarkar tore to his left from deep square leg, dived full-length, 12 inches from the ground, and took in both hands one of the catches of the tournament. He lay there on the grass and grinned. His teammates paused, processed what had happened, then rushed towards him, all grinning as well. These were moments lived out in the sudden silence that had filled the stadium. It only made them sweeter.This is not how all Bangladesh teams reacted to extraordinary catches. In years past, put-on chest-thumping, aggressive flailing, and preening celebrations had sometimes defined them.Today, Shuvagata Hom didn’t so much as bellow when he uprooted the middle stump of the best limited-overs batsman around. There were no contrived oohs and pained looks when Mustafizur Rahman beat the bat. Tamim Iqbal still retains a little of his old prima donna avatar, acting like he had taken a cruise missile to the chest when he had only lightly bumped Ashish Nehra. But even he has become a more muted and more effective version of himself.For 237 balls, Bangladesh were defined by a deep and powerful, but restrained brand of confidence. Coach Chandika Hathurusingha has been among those leading this team to this new way – to this light. He is not, though, the key man in the enlightenment.

****

With some quicks, there is almost as much pleasure to be had in their approach to the crease as their actual deliveries. Trent Boult is one of these. Mashrafe Mortaza is not.His thighs seem a burden to him, he makes strides of varying lengths, and occasionally appears as if he wants to pull up. Mashrafe gets cortisone injections every year to dull the aches in his knees. Every movement seems an effort. At times it seems like the man’s disobedient body is being dragged by the collar to the crease by his willpower. When he bowled just one over against Australia, some wondered what he was even doing in the team.Mushfiqur Rahim started celebrating three balls into the final over, three balls too soon•AFPBut to understand Mashrafe, to cut to what he really means to Bangladesh, we must look some distance beyond the light spells, his damaged joints, and even his sometimes odd field placements. To know Mashrafe the captain, we must listen to the teammates who have made Mashrafe’s room their permanent haunt for joking, talking and fooling around when there is nothing else to do. We must take note of those who have publicly spoken of the strength Mashrafe’s words have bestowed them in lean times, both cricketing and personal. We must take stock of the small seam-bowling revolution that has begun to take grip in a nation traditionally known for spin. And so, we must conclude, that Mashrafe would be worth his place in the side, even if a fielder had to carry him to the bowling crease in a wheelbarrow.For 237 balls, Mashrafe’s team did justice to their captain’s grace. They abided by his vision. They did right by the man, whom three days ago had been so personally affected by the suspension of Taskin Ahmed that he had got choked up and, in private, asked a journalist: “What kind of captain would I be if I can’t stand beside the boy who will serve my country for the next 10-15 years?”

****

Bangladesh made mistakes in their chase. Some batsmen were fortunate to have catches dropped off them. One was unlucky to be stumped in the fraction of a second his back foot was in the air. The men in form had made runs, and those out of touch made the best of their situation, but all were in the grip of that grim, recently-acquired determination.And it seems fitting when Pandya is the man called upon to bowl the final over. He is virtually mobbed by supportive team-mates when he gets the ball in hand. There are whispers in his ear from Virat Kohli. Dhoni deals out instructions. Ashish Nehra gives advice. Through the course of his walk from long-on to the top of his bowling mark at the opposite end of the ground, Pandya has more arms around him than a 21st-century warlord.This is all for very little, because in truth, he bowls a poor over. Mushfiqur Rahim is sublimely calm as he drills the second ball through cover. He showcases the wit that made him a former captain when he paddles the next ball past the wicketkeeper for a boundary.Two runs needed from three balls. Bangladesh have the tournament favourites and their baying home fans by the throat. The World T20’s biggest upset is at the tips of their fingers.But this is the end of their 237 balls of glory. In the seconds after that shot is hit, something profound is lost. Mushfiqur gets in Pandya’s face. He flails, he screams, he snarls, he pumps his arms.In three balls, Bangladesh lose sight of the distance they have come. They forget the captain that has inspired them. In three balls, Bangladesh turn out the light.

ESPNcricinfo recalls some of the best knocks in Kane Williamson’s record set of Test centuries

Firdose Moonda in Bulawayo07-Aug-20161:08

Williamson completes the set

In his 50th Test match and a day short of 26 years old, Kane Williamson completed a full set of centuries against all nine other Test playing nations. He is the youngest player to achieve the feat, the 13th overall and only the second among the current crop of internationals, after Younis Khan.Having already celebrated three of the innings that contributed to Williamson’s rise – his debut century against India in Ahmedabad, a subcontinental success in Sri Lanka and getting his name on the Lord’s honours board – ESPNcricinfo now takes an in-depth look at Williamson’s full house. 102* v South Africa, Wellington 2012 Coming into the third Test of the series at 1-0 down, New Zealand were 83 for 5, chasing 389. South Africa were on the hunt for a second win and their attack was throwing everything at them. But nothing would dislodge Williamson. He survived a close call on 7, when a catch was not given, was dropped on 10 and 22, and then had to resist a rampant Morne Morkel, who hit him several times. Williamson saw out a session and a half with the tail, scored the only century by a home batsman in the series and secured the draw. Brendon McCullum said it would go down in New Zealand cricket history as one of the “gutsier and more fighting efforts,” of its time.Getting on top of South Africa: Kane Williamson’s fourth-innings century earned New Zealand a heroic draw in Wellington•Getty Images 114 v Bangladesh, Chittagong 2013 With centuries in Ahmedabad and Colombo, Williamson’s ability in subcontinental conditions had already been proved and he merely underlined that in this innings. Against a Bangladesh attack with five specialist bowlers and several spin options, Williamson dominated from the first ball he faced but was equally adept at adjusting to defence. His back-foot play was the hallmark of this knock, with delicate dabs, drives and cut, which allowed him to assert himself on the hosts. 113 v India, Auckland 2014 In their own backyard, New Zealand slipped to 30 for 3 in the first innings, before Williamson and McCullum got together to add 221 in a stirring rescue effort in which they scored at more than four runs an over. On a grassy surface, under overcast skies, Williamson was not just calm but aggressive early on. He maneuvered the ball into gaps, forcing MS Dhoni to spread the field. He had a lifeline on 32 when an edge was not taken and went on to hook Mohammad Shami and Zaheer Khan for six in a race to his century, which came off 138 balls. New Zealand ultimately won that match by 40 runs and won the series 1-0. 161* v West Indies, Bridgetown 2014 After scoring a century in New Zealand’s first Test victory in Jamaica, Williamson went even bigger in the decider in Barbados. New Zealand conceded a first-innings deficit of 24 runs and were 56 for 2 in their second innings before Williamson anchored New Zealand into a position of authority. Against spin on a tricky surface, Williamson’s footwork allowed him to negotiate through tricky periods and his patience paid off. The bowlers eventually deferred to his strengths and runs came in the areas he enjoys scoring in – behind square on the offside and through midwicket. Williamson’s 161 not out allowed New Zealand to set West Indies a target of 308, which proved enough for them to win their first series away from home against a top-eight nation in 12 years.Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson added 297, which underpinned New Zealand’s record total of 690 in Sharjah•Getty Images 192 v Pakistan, Sharjah, November 2014 A rare lean patch saw Williamson struggle in the first two matches of New Zealand’s tour of the UAE but he made up for it in the third. While Brendon McCullum smashed the then fourth-fastest double century in Tests, Williamson played second fiddle but only just. He charged at the spinners, dismissed short balls with characteristic back-foot dominance, brought out plenty of short-arm pulls, and dealt with reverse-swing. Perhaps most impressive in his showing was the restraint Williamson showed in the immediate aftermath of Phillip Hughes’ death. Although never hugely emotional, Williamson was even less so despite what he was achieving. He fell eight runs short of a double ton but helped New Zealand to an innings-and-80-run victory, which saw them square the series. 242* v Sri Lanka, Wellington, January 2015 Williamson only had to wait just over a month for his first double, and it was a sweet one. New Zealand conceded a 135-run first innings deficit against Sri Lanka and then slipped to 79 for 3 in their second innings. This meant that they needed a big effort to avoid sharing the series spoils. Enter Williamson. He switched gears from a cautious first hundred, in which he was dropped on 29 and 60, to an attacking second one – although he was reprieved again on 104 – which helped New Zealand set Sri Lanka a target of 390. In the process, Williamson put on 365 with BJ Watling, the highest sixth-wicket stand for New Zealand. The hosts won the series and McCullum lauded Williamson, predicting he could become “New Zealand’s greatest ever batter.”Kane Williamson hit 113 in Bulawayo and joined the elite club of batsmen with tons against all nine other Test countries•ESPNcricinfo Ltd 132 v England, Lord’s May 2015 England racked up 389 in the first innings of Williamson’s second Lord’s match but he was not to be outdone. Martin Guptill and Tom Latham laid the foundation with a century opening stand and Williamson built on that in signature style. His innings was an execution in elegance and timing, laced with delicate drives and steers to a vacant third man area. He pushed the scoring rate towards four to the over and went to 92 overnight before having his name inscribed on the honours board the next day. New Zealand took a first-innings lead of 134 runs but it was not enough for them to win the match. 140 v Australia, Brisbane, November 2015 If New Zealand had started to think they were coming out of the shadows of their geographical big brother Australia because of recent gains, David Warner and Usman Khawaja showed them they had not. They scored aggressive centuries in the opening match in Brisbane as Australia declared on 556 for 4. New Zealand’s only answer was Williamson. He was the only batsmen to get a score above 50 and went on to almost triple his returns. He scored 68% of his runs in boundaries, picking gaps well, and complimented his cut shot with the leg-side paddle. He saved New Zealand from the follow-on but could not cushion them from defeat. 113 v Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, August 2016 In his first series as Test captain Williamson announced himself with 91 in the opening match and went one better in the next. On a flat Queens surface against an attack with neither express pace nor mystery spin, this may have been the least Williamson was challenged on his way to three figures but it still required the right mindset. Without underestimating his opposition, Williamson applied himself patiently to the task, took his time on a slow, low surface and worked his way towards a full set of centuries.

The third day began with much hope for Sri Lanka but it ended with talk of progress being restricted to small moments

Andrew Fidel Fernando at Lord's11-Jun-20164:21

Jayawardene: Sri Lanka are trying to make it harder for themselves

If you are a Sri Lanka fan, you might have woken up this morning with high hopes. Your team’s openers had made a triple-figure stand. One of the openers had a Lord’s century in his sights. Could Sri Lanka bat long enough to bring Rangana Herath’s spin into the game, you might have wondered. Might batsmen leave the field with a strut of a peacock this time, instead of eyes of a puppy dog?Having probably sobbed yourself to sleep in the foetal position after the second day of each of the previous Tests, it is understandable if you became a little excited by an overnight scoreline of 162 for 1. But, listen, you must be realistic. This is a Sri Lanka team in the throes of consecutive periods of transition. They have administrators who travel en masse to Lord’s and spend millions on shows and tournament songs, instead of paying domestic cricketers a living wage. So it’s silly not to expect frequent collapses, don’t you think? It’s vital not to have pie-in-the-sky dreams like a first-innings deficit of only two figures.It has often been said this series that Sri Lanka have not played the swinging or seaming ball particularly well. Well, that’s probably fair. In Hamilton last December, it was said that Sri Lanka didn’t play the short ball particularly well. Also, in the middle of 2015, they did not cover themselves in glory against legspin (Yasir Shah) or offspin (R Ashwin). And, okay, when the ball was not doing much in the morning session here, they appeared to have substantial issues against non-swinging, non-seaming, non-turning deliveries as well. Five top-order wickets fell for 43 runs.But think about all the balls Sri Lanka didn’t get out to. There appear to be no major weakness to short, wide balls, for example. Long hops have been almost laughably ineffective against them. If England had bowled loopy, knee-high full tosses, all day long, well, those, I’m sure, would have been sublimely defended back down the pitch. It’s not all bad.Having tottered to low first-innings Headingley and Chester-le-Street, it must also be mentioned that at Lord’s, there was significant run-scoring to bookend the mass self-immolation in the morning session. Kaushal Silva and Dimuth Karunaratne had half-centuries. Kusal Perera and Herath – who has outscored two top-order team-mates this series – put on a heartening 71 together.At Lord’s Sri Lanka scored more than England’s highest first-innings scorer, for once. They didn’t fall over in the street and drown in a puddle like total idiots. They walked all the way up to the top of the bridge and only then, plunged off it. Returning this team to competitiveness is a long process, by many accounts. Here was progress of the strictly slow-and-drawn-out variety.And fine, it wasn’t 450-wicket swear word maestro James Anderson taking the wickets this time. It was a cherub-faced Chris Woakes and topple-heavy Steven Finn bowling themselves into form. But it’s not always the highly-rated spearheads that get wickets you know. Supporting bowlers can be quite skilled too. Just look through the list of bowlers who have delivered incisive spells at Sri Lanka recently. Neil Wagner is not that bad a bowler. Amit Mishra can be a handful. Stuart Binny as well. And so, okay, Kraigg Brathwaite only had three first-class wickets before he took 6 for 29 at the P Sara in October, but he’s underrated, surely? Either that or it was a very dusty pitch.In the field, Sri Lanka missed three clear catches in the evening. Wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal didn’t even attempt to pouch the easiest of the lot. Perhaps there is no real improvement in that department per se, but maybe Sri Lanka are learning to devise strategies that account for the drops. Like the Pakistan quicks of yore, Nuwan Pradeep went at the stumps to get his wickets. When he was on a hat-trick in dim light, and in the middle of one of the spells of his life, his captain didn’t bother to give him a third slip. Angelo Mathews is often accused of being over-conservative, but you can see his reasoning here, can’t you? There is no point to non-catching catching men.Sri Lanka were still hanging in the match by a thread as the third day wound to a close. This was thanks largely to the efforts of their depleted attack. At Headingley they had already been pummeled by this stage. At Chester-le-Street they were fighting to make England bat again. Yes, sure, their 288 all out is by a distance the lowest completed first-class total at Lord’s this year, but in there were several patches of competence, am I right?Please…. am I right?

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2016Sri Lanka chose to bat and Dimuth Karunaratne stroked his way to a half-century•Associated PressKaushal Silva was fluent from the other end•Associated PressThe pair added 123 for the opening stand•Associated PressIt didn’t help the hosts that they could not hold on to much in the field – several catches went down, while some were just out of reach•Associated PressKaushal Silva missed out on what would have back-to-back tons as he chipped a simple catch to mid-on•Getty ImagesKusal Perera picked up where the openers left off. He brought up his maiden Test ton…•AFP… Before Graeme Cremer’s late strikes gave Zimbabwe some cheer; Sri Lanka ended on 317 for 4•Getty Images