It has been 42 days since India arrived in Christchurch – on February 20, exactly 41 years to the day they first won a Test in New Zealand – to set right what they believed was an aberration

Sidharth Monga in Wellington02-Apr-2009It has been 42 days since India arrived in Christchurch – on February 20, exactly 41 years to the day they first won a Test in New Zealand – to correct what they regard an aberration. Since their arrival, India have charmed the New Zealanders and have been charmed in turn. They have won hearts and have lost theirs to the breathtaking locales. On flat batting pitches, they have raised the bar higher and they have walked the sky too – literally – in Auckland.But with the last match of the tour coming up, India have a final obstacle to cross, one that touring sides generally find the toughest – winning in windy Wellington. This is only the third time a Test in New Zealand is starting in April and only the second in Wellington. Sri Lanka lost that match comprehensively in 2005, by an innings and 38 runs.The uncertainty over MS Dhoni’s availability due to a back injury and the weather are obvious hurdles but the pitch at the Basin Reserve, which was perceived to be a threat, looks surprisingly brown and dry.”I was expecting a green track,” Dhoni, said. “Quite similar to the… 2003 tracks… [But this one] looks like a nice track, so bowlers will have to put in the hard work again. For the batsmen, if they are careful and if their approach is good, you may see big scores on the board. Of course I am a bit surprised.”New Zealand, a wonderfully hospitable country, has perhaps extended its generosity to the pitches. Daniel Vettori and Andy Moles, the New Zealand coach, have all along asked for tracks that are more responsive to the seamers, like the one for the Auckland ODI, but haven’t been obliged.Still, India need to take that last step to win their first series in New Zealand in 41 years. What had been taken for granted after the Hamilton Test does not look such a formality any longer following a spirited New Zealand performance in the second Test at Napier.Yuvraj Singh, suddenly, doesn’t look like a natural Test batsman when put under pressure. It didn’t help that he had to field in the slips because of a finger injury Sachin Tendulkar picked up in Hamilton. Over in Wellington too, Yuvraj has been practising slip catches.Also India’s bowling and fielding doesn’t look encouraging on a flat track, against batsmen in good form and enjoying some luck. The way they let New Zealand score 619 from 23 for 3 in Napier being a prime example. Napier was not entirely a damaging experience, though. One of the more aggressive characters in the team put his head down to save the Test and displayed the team’s resolve.It showed India are capable of damage control if their natural “flair” lets them down once in a while. “I think we showed in this last Test that we can play two different kinds of cricket,” Gary Kirsten, their coach, said. “I think it’s important that people try and play their natural games and play as positively as they can. But there might be situations where they have to play slightly differently and I think we did that really well.”The time has come to clear the final frontier in New Zealand. This is one of the best teams India have sent out to the country, to face one of the less accomplished New Zealand sides. If they win, it would only be expected. If they lose, the New Zealand frontier will remain unconquered. All through the last 42 days, India have tried their best to put the past behind them. But if they don’t leave with the Test series in the bag, the legend of New Zealand will embed itself in the psyches of future teams. And who knows, given India’s sporadic visits, when the next tour will be?

India had Australia on the defensive during the first hour but after Ishant was finished, the slowness – in the pitch and in their legs – helped Australia settle

Cricinfo staff09-Oct-2008

	Ricky Ponting: “For the first few overs today from Ishant, I was trying to be fairly defensive and not play too many shots. He’s a bit fitter and stronger now and bowled a good long spell” © Getty Images

Ishant Sharma said at the end of the day that the pitch was slow and difficult to bowl on. Yet you couldn’t see it in his opening spell, which evoked memories of Perth and one of the most gripping bowler-batsman duels in recent history.He loped to the crease, used his tall physique to hit the pitch hard, and tested Ricky Ponting with deliveries that jagged in, and others that bounced and straightened. India had Australia on the defensive during the first hour but after Ishant was finished, the slowness – in the pitch and in their legs – helped Australia settle.It took Ishant one over to remind everyone, despite the hoopla about Ponting’s spin demons, that it was he, and not Harbhajan, who made Ponting fend and swerve in Australia. His fourth ball was full; it swung into Ponting and struck the front pad. Rudi Koertzen correctly ruled that the impact was outside off stump.The contest approached its crescendo in the eighth over; Ishant had an lbw shout turned down against Ponting – the impact was high – and he followed up with a bouncer that nearly grazed the batsman’s nose. Ishant came back strongly after being pulled for four, forcing Ponting’s hand off the bat with a rising delivery. He hit the pad once again with an inswinger – this time Ponting did not offer a shot – and beat him on the pull with a delivery that straightened. He went right up to the batsman in his follow-through, perhaps as a reminder that Ponting had to get through him before facing spin.Ponting drove the rare wide delivery from Ishant through cover but focused on dropping the ball with soft hands in order to get to the other end. The heat of a clear day in Bangalore, and perhaps the need to take a break, prompted Ponting to ask for a change of gloves. At the start of his eighth over Ishant motioned towards the dressing room for a new shirt. He got rid of his sweat-soaked jersey at the end of the over and retired to fine-leg and mid-on for the remainder of the session.”For the first few overs today from Ishant, I was trying to be fairly defensive and not play too many shots,” Ponting said. “He’s a bit fitter and stronger now and bowled a good long spell. I was out there nice and early so it was important for me and Simon Katich to get through the period with the new ball without losing too many wickets.”The introduction of spin was the obvious plan against Ponting but the first-day pitch offered no turn. The crowd roared when the ball was given to Harbhajan in anticipation of a swift kill. They had to wait 15 balls for Ponting to get on strike after which they were batted into silence.A factor that compounded the spinners’ ineffectiveness was the inability of the infield to anticipate and cut off singles which did not allow either Harbhajan or Anil Kumble an extended spell at a particular batsman. There were no glaring lapses but the immobility of several fielders in the circle allowed the Australians to implement their “new-age cricket”. Gentle nudges a few feet wide off the fielders brought singles and those that found the gap and towards deep point and deep square leg resulted in two.The Australian batsmen will aim to adopt a similar approach after seeing off the second new ball tomorrow morning. Ishant’s opening spell will once again be crucial.

Seventeen games into the IPL, and the Australian influence in the tournament hasn’t been a whole lot

Cricinfo staff29-Apr-2009Matthew Hayden has been in outstanding form in the first few games for Chennai Super Kings•AFPSeventeen games into the IPL, and the Australian influence in the tournament hasn’t been a whole lot. Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist have been outstanding at the top of the order for their sides – though the teams themselves have had widely contrasting fortunes – while Shane Warne has been superb as bowler and captain, but with many of the stars involved in the series against Pakistan, there hasn’t been a lot else for Australians to cheer.Overall so far, the seven Australians have scored 506 runs out of 3961, with Hayden and Gilchrist contributing 378 of those. The batting average and strike rates are impressive, but the bowlers have only managed seven wickets so far out of the 171 wickets that have been taken by bowlers. Warne has taken four of those, but the Australian cause has been hurt by the absence of Glenn McGrath, who hasn’t played a single game for Delhi Daredevils so far.

Australian contribution with the bat in the IPL

Aus runs	Average	RPO	Total runs	Average	RPO	% runs by Aus
506	36.14	8.29	3961	21.29	7.27	12.77

Australian contribution with the ballin the IPL

Aus wkts	Average	Econ rate	Total wkts	Average	ER	% wkts by Aus
7	32.14	7.45	171	24.09	7.59	4.09

While Hayden and Gilchrist have shone, Brad Hodge has been a huge disappointment for Kolkata Knight Riders. His 70 runs have consumed 77 deliveries, and his run-rate of 5.45 per over is well below what you’d expect from one of the best batsmen in the team in this format. Rob Quiney has done little in the two matches he has played so far, while among the bowlers, Dirk Nannes has only taken one wicket in three games.

Australian batsmen in the IPL

Batsman	Runs	Average	Runs per over	50s
Matthew Hayden	215	71.67	9.77	2
Adam Gilchrist	163	40.75	10.29	1
Shane Warne	39	39.00	5.31	0
Brad Hodge	70	23.33	5.45	0
Rob Quiney	13	6.50	7.80	0
Moises Henriques	6	6.00	4.50	0

Australian bowlers in the IPL

Bowler	Wickets	Average	Economy rate	Strike rate
Shane Warne	4	20.00	6.66	18.00
Brad Hodge	1	29.00	9.66	18.00
Moises Henriques	1	36.00	8.64	25.00
Dirk Nannes	1	80.00	7.27	66.00

The one area where the Australian contribution has been significant has been in the opening gambit, where Hayden and Gilchrist have stamped their authority on proceedings in no uncertain manner. (It’s also helped Deccan Chargers that they have an outstanding partner for Gilchrist in Herschelle Gibbs, who has scored two half-centuries in four innings, continuing the glorious form he displayed in the last two innings of the ODI series against Australia.)Conditions haven’t been easy for batting at the top of the order – eight times the first wicket has fallen without a run on the board, while a further eight times teams have been one down before the total has reached double-digits, but Hayden and Gilchrist have weathered the new ball better than most of their mates. The shocker so far at the top of the order has been Graeme Smith, who has scored only 19 runs from three innings at a strike rate of 50 runs per 100 balls. Jesse Ryder is another much-hyped name who hasn’t done much, scoring 32 in three innings, including two ducks.

Openers in the IPL

Batsman	Runs	Average	Strike rate
Herschelle Gibbs	183	91.50	137.59
Sachin Tendulkar	163	81.50	134.71
Matthew Hayden	215	53.75	162.87
Adam Gilchrist	163	40.75	171.57
Chris Gayle	107	35.66	130.48
Ravi Bopara	132	33.00	125.71
Sanath Jayasuriya	79	26.33	131.66
Virender Sehwag	51	25.50	170.00
Gautam Gambhir	31	15.50	93.93
Karan Goel	57	14.25	121.27
Parthiv Patel	46	11.50	102.22
Jesse Ryder	32	10.66	133.33
Robin Uthappa	38	7.60	71.69
Brendon McCullum	26	6.50	76.47
Graeme Smith	19	6.33	50.00

Among the teams, Mumbai, Deccan and Chennai have been the best in terms of opening partnerships. Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya have been outstanding, and were involved in the highest opening stand of the tournament so far – 127 against Kolkata on Monday. Deccan have been extremely consistent, with stands of 24, 46, 63 and 67 in four innings, while Chennai have the only other century partnership of the IPL – 106 against Bangalore – though they’ve also lost their first without a run on the board on two occasions.

Team-wise opening partnerships

Team	Runs	Average stand	Runs per over
Mumbai Indians	170	56.67	8.57
Deccan Chargers	200	50.00	10.43
Chennai Super Kings	163	40.75	10.08
Delhi Daredevils	69	34.50	10.35
Kings XI Punjab	128	32.00	8.35
Kolkata Knight Riders	91	22.75	7.18
Rajasthan Royals	17	5.67	4.25
Bangalore Royal Challengers	6	1.20	2.57

Cricinfo looks back at some of the important stats from the 2009 ICC World Twenty20

S Rajesh22-Jun-2009Comparing the two World Twenty20s – overall numbersIt’s remarkable how similar the stats are for the two tournaments: 11 more wickets fell this year, but the average runs per wicket is almost the same, while the runs per over went down marginally. Sri Lanka were the only team to score more than 1000 runs – they managed 1100 – but ironically, it was their failure with the bat in the final that cost them the title. Pakistan were next best with 990 runs, but the team which scored their runs the quickest was West Indies, making their 851 runs at 8.46 per over. Netherlands and Ireland were the only teams to score at less than seven per over, while among the top teams India were the laggards, scoring at a run-rate of 7.47, marginally lower than Scotland’s 7.50.Among the bowling teams, South Africa were the best, averaging 16.28 per wicket and 6.48 per over, while Pakistan (17.82, 6.81) and Sri Lanka (18.30, 7.14) were next best. Pakistan and Sri Lanka were also the only teams to take more than 50 wickets – both took 52.

Comparing the two World Twenty20s

YearRunsWicketsAverageRun rate2007788134822.647.992009762533722.627.62</tableHow the runs were scoredThe overall run-rate was almost the same, but the manner in which the runs were scored were quite different. The most significant difference was the number of sixes in the two tournaments – the 2007 edition had 265, while in England the number was only 166, a difference of 99. Pakistan hit the most sixes – 21 – while that was also the only category where India were somewhere near the top – their 19 sixes put them in second place, with South Africa. Sri Lanka led the fours tally with 121, and were the only ones to hit more than 100 fours – the next best were South Africa, with 87.West Indies and Sri Lanka conceded the most number of sixes – 21 each – while Pakistan only conceded 13 in seven games.

How the runs were scored in 2007 and in 2009

YearSinglesTwosThreesFoursSixes20072156450386592652009224857045668166The spin factorWith the tournament being held in the early part of the summer, fast bowlers were expected to hold sway, but spinners did much better in this edition than in the previous one: they took 130 wickets at an excellent economy rate of 6.70, while fast bowlers leaked almost eight runs per over. In 2007, there was hardly any difference between the economy rates of spinners and fast bowlers. Of the seven bowlers who took ten or more wickets, four were spinners, and they also lead the way in the list of best economy rates.

Pace and spin in the two World Twenty20s

2007 – wicketsAverageEcon rate2009 – wicketsAverageEcon ratePace22625.147.7618425.687.97Spin8023.897.8813020.956.70The Powerplay oversBatting was slightly easier in the Powerplay overs in England than in South Africa in the previous World Twenty20. Scotland scored at 9.41 in these overs, but they also conceded 12.08 per over. What was more shocking, though, was that Australia were equally profligate, conceding their runs at exactly the same rate as Scotland (145 runs in 72 balls for both). Sri Lanka had an excellent record in the Powerplay- (8.77 per over at more than 63 per wicket) till they botched it up in the final.

The Powerplay overs in 2009 and in 2007

YearRunsWicketsAverageRun rate200723268627.047.45200925148330.287.75The middle overs (7 to 14)This is where the spinners came into play, and expectedly the run-rate during this period was much lower compared to 2007. Pakistan were the best team during this period, taking 20 wickets conceding only 5.96 per over, thanks largely to Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal, while Sri Lanka conceded 6.19 per over. Among the batting teams, West Indies, England and Pakistan were the only teams that scored at more than seven per over during this period.

The middle overs in 2009 and in 2007

YearRunsWicketsAverageRun rate2007313011028.457.702009278211125.066.77The last six oversThe run rate was marginally lower in the last six overs in this year compared to 2007. Australia and India were surprisingly the leading teams with the bat during this period, scoring at 11.75 and 10.29 per over. South Africa were the best bowling team, conceding only 6.63 per over, with Pakistan next at 7.36 per over, an indication of how effective Wayne Parnell, Dale Steyn and Umar Gul were for their teams.

The last six overs in 2009 and in 2007

YearRunsWicketsAverageRun rate2007242515215.959.032009232914316.288.78Venue statsThe Oval was clearly the best venue for batting, with teams averaging 8.14 per over. There was little to choose between the two other venues, Trent Bridge and Lord’s.

Venue-wise stats in the 2009 World Twenty20

VenueMatchesRuns per wktRuns per overThe Oval921.578.14Trent Bridge1023.317.49Lord’s822.977.29The slow nature of the pitch at Trent Bridge meant spinners had plenty of success there, taking 56 wickets at an average of less than 20 and an economy rate of 6.38. The pace and bounce at Lord’s made it toughest for batsmen to get the fast bowlers away for runs.

Pace and spin at each venue

VenuePace – wktsAverageEcon rateSpin – wktsAverageEcon rateThe Oval7221.838.403623.147.23Trent Bridge5729.758.105619.776.38Lord’s5526.497.403820.616.64The toss factorIn 27 games, the team winning the toss won the match 13 times. Putting runs up on the board was also more profitable, with 16 wins for teams which batted first.

Stats highlights of Sanath Jayasuriya’s 20 years in international cricket

S Rajesh26-Dec-2009Twenty years ago, Sanath Jayasuriya began his international career in pretty nondescript fashion. The stage was huge – the Melbourne Cricket Ground – but Jayasuriya’s contribution was unexceptional: coming in at No.5 after Australia had scored 228, he scored 3 off 11 balls as Sri Lanka fell short by 30 runs. Jayasuriya has come a long way since that uncertain debut.Over 20 years, he has progressed from an occasionally-hit, mostly-miss limited-overs batsman into a high-quality and consistent performer in all forms, capable of the quick blitzes and innings of long and sustained aggression in equal measure.One-day internationals, though, remains his strongest suit. He has played more matches than any other player, and scored the second-highest number of runs. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for him from the start, though. In his early days in one-day cricket he struggled to make an impact – his first half-century came in his 40th ODI, and after 55 his batting average was a miserable 13.87.The change in fortunes thereafter was stunning. He began opening the innings regularly, and the 1996 World Cup heralded the new Jayasuriya – in his next 100 games (after the first 55), his average almost tripled, and the strike rate moved up to almost a run a ball. It’s stayed around that mark ever since, even if his average has dipped in the last few matches.

Tracking Jayasuriya’s ODI career

MatchesRunsAverageStrike rate100s/ 50sFirst 55 ODIs65213.8768.630/ 2ODINo.56 to 155350537.2897.957/ 23ODINo.156 to 255318932.8785.814/ 23ODINo.256 to 355317934.1888.778/ 11ODI No.356 to 443287235.02101.029/ 9Career (443 ODIs)13,39732.4391.3328/ 68Jayasuriya’s Test stats have fewer peaks and troughs. The start wasn’t anywhere near as horrific: in his first eight innings he had three half-centuries, and since then the average has stayed on the right side of 35 through most of his career. Each of his 14 Test centuries had their fair share of excitement, but a couple of innings stand out – his 340 against India in 1997 remained the highest score by a Sri Lankan for nine years, while his 213 against England at The Oval a year later was even more stunning for the sheer impact it had on the game – he got his runs so quickly it allowed Muttiah Muralitharan enough time to bowl England out cheaply in the second innings to give Sri Lanka their first Test win in England.Even with a somewhat unorthodox technique, Jayasuriya still handled the rigours of opening the innings in Test cricket with plenty of success. With Marvan Atapattu he added 4469 runs for the first wicket – only two opening pairs have scored more. Jayasuriya has also scored the most runs of all Sri Lankan openers – his 5932 runs came at an average of 41.48, which is slightly higher than his overall Test average of 40.07.

Tracking Jayasuriya’s Test career

MatchesRunsAverage100s/ 50sFirst 20 Tests88033.841/ 5Test No.21 to 50228945.785/ 10Test No.51 to 80188040.864/ 10Test No.81 to 110192437.004/ 6Career (110 Tests)697340.0714/ 31That’s only as far his batting is concerned, though. Jayasuriya brings to the table much more than that: his left-arm spin has given the Sri Lankan side plenty of balance over the last decade and a half, especially in one-day internationals, where his ability to bowl tight spells in the middle overs has allowed the team to play an extra batsman. He is the only player to score more than 10,000 runs and take more than 300 wickets in ODIs; even after easing the cut-off considerably – to 5000 runs and 200 wickets – only two more make the cut.

Allrounders with 5000 runs and 200 wickets in ODIs

PlayerODIsRunsAverageWicketsAverageSanath Jayasuriya44313,39732.4332236.72Jacques Kallis29510,40945.2524832.10Shahid Afridi288583023.1326934.52Jayasuriya the bowler is often underestimated, thanks to his sheer presence as a batsman, but he is among the most successful spinners in ODIs, especially in the subcontinent. He is the second-highest wicket-taker in Asia, with 225 scalps at a respectable average and economy rate, and is next only to the incomparable Muttiah Muralitharan. Jayasuriya’s numbers compare pretty well with India’s two frontline spinners, Anil Kumble and Habhajan Singh – the averages and economy rates for the Indians are only slightly better than Jayasuriya’s stats.The best conditions for him have usually been in his home country – in 128 ODIs in Sri Lanka, he has averaged 28.31 for his 119 wickets, and conceded 4.44 runs per over. His worst venue, on the other hand, is clearly Australia – in 51 matches he has only taken 19 wickets at an average exceeding 62. (His batting stats in the country are further proof of the fact that Australia didn’t bring out the best in Jayasuriya.)

Highest wickets in ODIs among spinners in Asia

BowlerODIsWicketsAverageEcon rateStrike rateMuttiah Muralitharan19929922.683.7935.9Sanath Jayasuriya27422533.924.6743.5Anil Kumble17522230.884.3742.3Saqlain Mushtaq9016720.584.3628.2Harbhajan Singh13316431.484.2944.0Shahid Afridi17215737.314.6747.8What also stands out about Jayasuriya is his ability to play fearlessly even when the stakes are high. His aggregate in the finals of ODI tournaments is next only to Tendulkar, while the average and strike rates are very impressive too. He is one of only eight batsmen to score 1000 or more runs in finals.The team which has suffered the most at his hands in finals in India. His overall average against India is only 36.30, but in finals it shoots up to 56. Both his centuries have come against them.

Most runs in finals of ODI tournaments

BatsmanODIsRunsAverageStrike rate100s/ 50sSachin Tendulkar39183355.5487.416/ 10Sanath Jayasuriya39161342.4498.352/ 13Ricky Ponting41134538.4282.212/ 7Adam Gilchrist33116337.51102.643/ 6Dean Jones30106448.3673.121/ 8Allan Border38105736.4473.301/ 4Gary Kirsten20101967.9374.163/ 7Sourav Ganguly31100037.0369.203/ 4Jayasuriya is also second in the all-time list of players who’ve won the most Man-of-the-Match awards in ODIs. He has 48 from 443 games, next only to Tendulkar’s 60. Jayasuriya’s powers are clearly on the wane, but hopefully he has enough left in the tank to turn in two more matchwinning performances, which will take him to the half-century mark that he so richly deserves.

Most Man-of-the-Match awards in ODIs

PlayerMatchesAwardsSachin Tendulkar44060Sanath Jayasuriya44348Viv Richards18731Sourav Ganguly31131Jacques Kallis29530Brian Lara29930Aravinda de Silva30830

Collingwood’s ability to rebuild an innings when the opposition bowlers have gained the momentum is a trait that any team would love to have

Jamie Alter at the Feroz Shah Kotla04-Apr-2010Cricket is a mind game more than any sport with the possible exception of golf, the classic masochists’ recreation and that is not a dig at Tiger Woods. Paul Collingwood doesn’t do flash and flourish has never been his thing. But he knows his game and plays within its limitations, and tonight’s match-winning half-century was as much about beating the opposition with mind as it was with strength. He’s done this countless times for England but don’t expect him to take this IPL game lightly.Collingwood’s ability to rebuild an innings when the opposition bowlers have gained the momentum is a trait that any team would love to have. On both occasions that Collingwood has scored big this season, Delhi Daredevils’ top order stumbled and left him with a battle to avoid defeat; tonight it was tougher because there was no centurion to lead the way.After 11 overs Delhi were 92 for 4 and conditions were just fine for batting. Collingwood was trying to lay a foundation but was losing out on partners. Carefully, he began to accumulate his runs, smartly trying to pinch a run off every ball. His front foot came forward even as the ball left the bowlers’ hand and he deflected the ball away. Collingwood had a sense of what ball was going to be bowled, and in that regard Bangalore’s attack proved to be ideal.While Anil Kumble, Kevin Pietersen and KP Appanna bowled tidily to Collingwood, the rest were too one-dimensional. Jacques Kallis was too straight, Vinay Kumar attacked the stumps but didn’t get any assistance from the track, Cameron White was terrible, and Abhimanyu Mithun didn’t have the variation to set Collingwood off his game.The over that ultimately proved decisive was the 12th, bowled by White. It cost 19, with Collingwood looting 18, and it gave him much-needed momentum. Until the ball landed in White’s hands Collingwood was 15 off 16; at the end of the over he had 33 from 22. The tone of his innings had changed and he hit 42 runs in the next 24 balls faced. The shots that rocketed off his bat were powerful and precise, but they couldn’t have flowed had Collingwood not sussed out the bowling earlier and played his natural game.Compare this to how Kallis and Pietersen batted later in the night. Unlike Collingwood they had more batsmen to follow. Like Collingwood, they were trying to lay a strong foundation but one would have expected some urgency. Instead both withdrew into their shells and the run-scoring was drastically curtailed. Between Pietersen’s entrance on the fourth ball of the fourth over and his exit on the second of the tenth, only 27 runs were scored, with 14 dot balls. Only one six was hit, and no fours. Unlike Collingwood, Kallis was unable to compensate towards the end.The other key to Delhi’s win also came down to discipline. Mithun and Kallis bowled three overs each and their consistency left a lot to be desired. Their length was erratic and on a surface that begged for discipline they could have kept the batsmen in check like Rajat Bhatia and Pradeep Sangwan did later in the night. The Bangalore pair bowled five short balls, five half-volleys and three length balls, which got hit for 42 runs. Even in the other 29 legal deliveries that were bowled, there were many drifting down the leg side when they should have been probing on off or middle.Now look at what Bhatia and Sangwan achieved. They completely avoided the short balls and conceded only 17 runs when they erred in length. In four overs bowling in tandem, the pair allowed just 18 runs, with no boundary and Sangwan dismissed the dangerous Robin Uthappa. Bhatia finished with 1 for 24 in his four overs, and Sangwan ended his with 3 for 22. Their efforts tell a story, and they were successful because their heads were in the right place. That’s a trait Collingwood, the most driven of players, knows only too well.

Rather than trimming a format slowly being reduced to un-coveted ashes, Cricket Australia is involved in a dramatic redesign of one-day cricket

Peter English20-Jul-2010The 2009-10 Australian summer was a horrible one for ODI attendances but there were enough television viewers to satisfy the broadcasters. Having West Indies and Pakistan as the struggling drawcards didn’t help, especially since it was only two seasons since the introduction of head-to-head contests to liven things up following the replacement of the 29-year-old tri-series. After 10 games in 29 days, with nine Australian wins and a no-result, there was overwhelming relief when the summer’s ODI component finally died.On January 5 it will be 40 years since one-day cricket was born, growing slowly initially until it exploded in the late 1970s. It changed the sport forever without becoming immortal. Phase three has occurred over the past decade with Twenty20 and it has quickly downgraded the revolutionary 50-over concept into a fight for survival.Despite support from the ICC, which needs the genre for its lucrative World Cups, it seems impossible that the current format will remain recognisable. Former players, including Shane Warne, think it should perish and it would be no surprise if it was pensioned off in the next 10 years. South Africa and England don’t compete in any 50-over one-day games at domestic level, preferring 40 overs to the international standard.In Australia the administrators are currently planning much more than a simple 20% cutback. Rather than trimming a format slowly being reduced to un-coveted ashes, Cricket Australia is involved in a dramatic redesign in which all reasonable ideas – and some wacky ones – are being considered. Over the next month the proposal for split-innings fixtures, played over four 20-over pieces, will be formalised in the hope of partial implementation in next summer’s FR Cup, the inter-state one-day tournament. A swift trial is necessary to start the persuading of the rest of the international world that this is a winning method for the 2015 World Cup, which will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand.It means that many of the concepts that made addicts of a new generation of audiences over the past four decades will be ditched in favour of new flavours. Victor Richardson, grandfather to the Chappell brothers, was fond of saying everything in the game had been done before. It’s not always true, but cricket is a sport that relies on recycling.The starting point for Cricket Australia’s re-inventors is an 80-over match split into quarters. Team A bats for 20 overs in the first and third innings and defends its score in the second and fourth segments. England played a split-innings tour match against a Western Australia XI in 1994-95, so the officials are looking back 16 years to go forward. That fixture was a one-off during a period when all sorts of games were being concocted to revive interest, including Super Eight and Cricket Max.Split innings were trialled in an England 2nd XI competition this year with mixed, and obvious, results. Some games were close and exciting, others were one-sided and boring. Just like in two-innings 50-over affairs, Tests or backyard games.Cricket Australia’s aim is to increase strategy in the contest and make it less predictable. To do this they are discussing sensible ideas, such as two short-balls an over between shoulder and head height, and radical ones, like allowing a star batsman to bat twice. They want more excitement while being conscious of not drowning in gimmickry that will eliminate the project.Sadly, what can’t be changed quickly is the glut of meaningless fixtures because of scheduling commitments and long-term broadcasting deals. Television stations love the duration of one-day cricket and its end-of-over advertising slots; players and administrators are always talking about fewer games and greater context. Cricket Australia’s figures for average ODI television audiences show more than 1 million viewers for eight of the past nine seasons. Last summer the number came down to 846,000.Officials argue people switched off in all formats because Australia were dominating weak opponents. The ODI concerns peaked when West Indies lost their first three wickets within five overs in three of the five matches. A rainy night in Sydney was the main player in preventing a 5-0 result.Making the game more strategic is a worthy pursuit, although no amount of potions and focus-group feedback can prevent a weak team from being outclassed. Three for 11 in the 55th over of a two-innings match still makes the game more interesting for longer than if a side suffers the same fate in the 25th over of a split fixture.

Celebrate the change of pace

I like ODIs and don’t want them to be downgraded to 40-over, split-innings affairs. It makes me a Generation X conservative. What I hate about 50-over games is there are so many, usually played so close together. In November Sri Lanka visit for a short tour that includes three ODIs and I think that is ideal, but scheduling and broadcast deals prevent that for major tours. Having shorter series means a lot less money for boards.
One of the main complaints is that the overs between 15 and 40 can be mind-numbing as the batsmen chip the ball around for singles. One thing I really like about cricket is its change of pace and this period provides it in 50-over games. Driving fast on motorways gets boring and makes a detour through a sleepy village an enjoyable diversion. Why is the aim for all limited-overs games to occur at the same break-bat pace?
Inevitably, the split-innings format will make things more like Twenty20. When that happens one of the things I’ll miss is the commentator shouting “SHOT” followed soon after by a much quieter “for one”, when they realise there’s a fielder stationed on the boundary. There is a place for subtlety and singles in ODIs, but it’s hard to believe in that when there are so many matches.
Peter English

However, Cricket Australia says it knows what its fans want. The marketing department has conducted 1200 surveys with supporters, who continue to enjoy the ODI game but believe it needs updating. Test cricket remains the style those fans were most fanatical about, achieving a mark of 54% from respondents, putting it ahead of one-day cricket (52%) and Twenty20s (48%).Crowds at one-day internationals have dropped over the past decade in which the style has been squeezed by the committed interest in Tests and the dramatic rise of Twenty20s. For Australia, the deepest trough came in February when the two ODIs against West Indies at the 90,000-seat MCG were watched by 25,463 and 15,538 people. Despite this the genre remains the version most people follow. “Interest is holding up, but it’s an important opportunity to reinvigorate ODIs and improve them,” Cricket Australia’s marketing manager Julian Dunne says.In the research Dunne has found that a key consideration is most Australian supporters want to see their team make runs. “If Australia bat second at the MCG the crowd is 25% higher,” he says. “In split innings you get to see Australia bat and bowl at night.” If the plan to employ a super striker is approved they will be able to watch David Warner or Ricky Ponting have two lives. That would make the casual supporter happier.During a cross-country exercise – what the politicians would call a listening tour – Dunne and Geoff Allardice, Cricket Australia’s operations manager, have been speaking to supporters, players, sponsors and broadcasters about the possible changes. A minimum of four bowlers to deliver the 40 overs, more generosity on legside wides and fewer fielders outside the inner circle are some of the admirable ideas. Dunne and Allardice acknowledge there are some shortcomings to the package, but are confident a plausible alternative to 50-over games can be ready by October.If successful, it will mean there are five different forms of the game played in Australia this summer: five-day Tests, four-day Sheffield Shield contests, 100-over one-dayers, 80-over split innings affairs, and Twenty20s. Two of the formats will be applied in the same FR Cup competition as the organisers attempt to marry the new idea with the traditional structure so it will not hamper the Australian players’ fine-tuning for the 2011 World Cup.Cricket Australia’s board will vote on the final submission next month and something very unusual – perhaps a committed revolt from the players; Michael Hussey says it doesn’t sit right – would have to occur for the split-innings system not to be implemented. It took almost a century for Test cricket to gain a sibling, but the modern one-day game can now change in an off-season.

A promising 20-year-old offspinner is among the first of USA’s homegrown players, and he’ll be looking to strut his stuff in Italy

Peter Della Penna14-Aug-2010One of USA cricket’s biggest bugaboos over the course of recent history has been the fact that hardly any players have emerged out of its junior development programme to go on to play for the senior side. Instead, they have relied on expatriates who learned their trade overseas before moving to “The Land of Opportunity” to claim a spot on USA’s roster.However, some progress is being made to buck that trend. Muhammad Ghous, who came to America from Lahore as an 11-year-old in 2001, has parlayed personal success as part of USA’s 2010 ICC U-19 World Cup team into a spot in the senior squad, for whom he will play, starting this weekend, at the WCL Division Four in Bologna, Italy.”We haven’t had a lot of players who have made the transition from the junior to the senior [level] over the years, but I must say that the one thing that I was very impressed with is his confidence and I think that’s very important for any young player making a transition to the next level,” said USA captain Steve Massiah about the solid performance of Ghous on USA’s tour to Bermuda in May and June for the ICC Americas Division One Tournament.”You have to have that self-belief to compete at that level, because most times it’s your self-belief that’s going to take you through. You have to believe in your ability and you have to be confident and feel that you belong there in order to perform, and I thought that’s a great sign.”Ghous tied for the team lead on tour with 10 wickets split between three matches in the 50-over portion of the event, where USA finished runners-up to Canada, and four games in the Twenty20 competition, where USA defeated Canada for the title. Ghous said his confidence grew after he played against Jamaica in Florida prior to heading off to Bermuda. In his debut match for USA at the senior level, Ghous was their best bowler in a 132-run loss to Jamaica, turning in figures of 2 for 42 in 10 overs.”The Jamaican team was very good. They had, like, five Test players,” said Ghous. “I got a boost of confidence from there. I thought if I can bowl good against these guys, then certainly I can bowl really good in Bermuda against all those Associate teams.”Ghous sat out the first two matches USA played in Bermuda but in the third game he made an immediate impact against Bahamas, taking 2 for 34 in 10 overs. Two matches later, against Cayman Islands he took 3 for 21 in 10 with three maidens.”My captain, when I got a chance to bowl, I got him a wicket,” said Ghous. “The grounds were very small there. That was a disadvantage to the bowlers, but if you’re going to bowl a right length, you can get the batsman mad and you can get his wicket, so I just bowled on a good length and got wickets from there. Throughout the tournament I just started bowling good and I didn’t get dropped.”Ghous perhaps understands that he’s not quite an automatic selection yet, but a valuable player when included as an offspinner. That role as a bowler is not exactly the way many people anticipated he would enter the senior team.Ghous was the leading batsman and Tournament MVP at the 2009 U-19 National Tournament in New York, out of which USA’s U-19 squad for the 2010 ICC U-19 World Cup was initially formed. It was a remarkable achievement considering he only started to play organised leather-ball cricket in 2006. He spent most of his time growing up playing with a tape ball.However, when the team travelled to Toronto for the ICC Americas U-19 Championship in the first part of their qualifying journey, Ghous had a rough adjustment playing on turf wickets for the first time in his life and started to focus more on bowling offspin to help maintain his place in the squad. The move has paid off.Two months later he bowled the most overs for USA at the U-19 Global Qualifier in Toronto, finishing with a 3.37 economy rate and nine wickets in eight games, including 5 for 46 against Afghanistan. It was the first time he had taken a five-for at any level. At the U-19 World Cup in New Zealand, he finished with four wickets and a respectable 3.77 economy rate in six matches. Although he faced off against South Africa and eventual champions Australia in group play, Ghous said it was in a warm-up match against India that he learned the most.

“I must say that the one thing that I was very impressed with is his confidence and I think that’s very important for any young player making a transition to the next level”Steve Massiah, USA captain

“Against India, they were going for everything,” Ghous said. Both of India’s opening batsmen retired, including Mayank Agarwal, who punished just about everything he faced from USA’s bowling attack on his way to 104 off 82 balls. “I think I bowled in the Powerplay and the Indian openers were going after it really hard. So you’ve got to be mature and know about the game.”Since returning from that tournament Ghous has focused on his fitness more than anything else. “As long as you’re fit, you can play the 50-over game,” he said. “That’s all you need, and on top of that I just started practising every day.”At the men’s selection trials in April for the tour to Bermuda, Massiah saw enough to believe that Ghous was ready to step up and contribute.”One thing that I must say I was impressed with was his control,” said Massiah. “I figured that once he had enough talent, being around myself and a couple of the other senior guys, it could only have helped him.””They see that I can bowl at the big level and I’m pretty mature. I have different deliveries and I can mix it up,” said Ghous, referring to his arsenal, which includes a well-disguised doosra. He is also known for the rapid pace at which he completes each of his overs, further aiding his ability to keep pressure on batsmen. “Anytime, whenever they need me, I’m ready to bowl for the team.”While Ghous talks a lot about how he has matured on the field, he still projects the attitude of a blissfully unaware youngster off it. Perhaps drawing inspiration from Australian opener Phillip Hughes’ foray into social networking during the 2009 Ashes, 20-year-old Ghous took the contents of an email he received in April from USACA informing him that he was selected to go to Bermuda and posted it as his Facebook status – 10 days before the squad was officially announced through a USACA press release. He also sports a carefully maintained David Beckham-style fauxhawk.Ghous still dreams of making a major impact as a batsman and frequently talks up his batting skills. In June he scored his first century for his club team in New Jersey, but as far as the national side goes, his greatest worth is with the ball in hand. USA will be counting on him to tie down opposing batsmen in Italy starting Saturday, as the team aims for promotion to WCL Division Three in Hong Kong next January.”I wish to do well and whenever they want me to bowl I will bowl and hopefully I will bowl good,” said Ghous. “I just want to go up a division and win the trophy.”

Friday’s World Cup clash against Australia will be more than just a game for New Zealand: it will be their chance to bring cheer to a nation in mourning

Nagraj Gollapudi in Nagpur24-Feb-2011The big question for New Zealand is: how do the players forget the trauma and suffering of their people back home in the aftermath of the catastrophe in Christchurch? Cricket can act as a distraction for a while, but how can John Wright, Hamish Bennett or Brendon McCullum (they live in Christchurch) or for the matter the rest of the squad, who have friends and relatives in the affected zone, entirely rid themselves of painful thoughts and instead create a competitive bubble to operate in? No one can be that numb.Yet Friday’s contest could probably put New Zealand back in the right frame of mind because they have always managed to pick themselves up and bring their best game to the table when playing their arch rivals. The teams will also be contesting for the Chappell-Hadlee trophy and this will up the intensity for them as both Australia and New Zealand have always scrapped hard in the bilateral affair. Not to forget, New Zealand have a score to settle, having lost the trophy 2-3 at home last year.Little wonder that there was a renewed sense of purpose about New Zealand’s training on Thursday. Even the absence of two key members from the support staff – their physiotherapist and trainer – did not deter them as both players and the coaching staff joined hands to fill the void. It did not matter that New Zealand’s resources looked depleted as compared to those of Australia, who had eight support staff members, including David Boon (a national selector) on hand. In comparison New Zealand’s players had just three helping hands.One of them, John Wright, the commander of the New Zealand ship, was busy. From timing the batsmen’s stints at the nets, to giving an encouraging word or suggestion, or consulting captain Daniel Vettori while keeping a watchful tab on the batsmen’s technique, Wright kept the pulse of the New Zealand camp energetic. The former India coach was back home and he was making sure his wards felt the same.Allan Donald, New Zealand’s bowling coach, readily doubled up as a wicketkeeper sans pads, as he tried his best to read the ball from the hands of the spin pair of Vettori and Nathan McCullum. Both did not mind the slip-ups, having a hearty laugh every time Donald moved in the opposite direction to the spin. Earlier, Donald, who joined the team during the Pakistan series at home recently, had lined up as second slip, standing next to Ross Taylor, as Wright was giving them catch practice. Once again Donald, never a slip fielder during his South Africa days, had his team-mates in splits, dropping a catch. But far from being embarrassed, Donald was doing his best to keep the spirits positive in the camp. Jacob Oram was the other field marshal on the day as he studiously observed his team-mates and passed on his suggestions.”It has been difficult, but we put it in perspective and said it’s nothing to what the people back home in Christchurch and the people all over New Zealand are going through, because it has affected the whole country. The whole country is hurting immensely, and the team feels exactly the same way,” Vettori said about how the team was focussing to Friday’s game.Vettori said the importance of the clash was not lost on the players even though the last 48 hours had been an “incredibly” difficult after they woke up on Tuesday to news of the horrific earthquake. “It has been an incredibly tough build-up with what’s going on. For a lot of the guys, coming to training has allowed them to take their mind off things,” he said. “We know it’s a big game in terms of the World Cup, but it’s also a Chappell-Hadlee game, which means a lot to people back home, so I definitely think we’ll be up for it and we’re looking forward to it.”Still the task will not be easy. New Zealand have played 76 one-dayers from the last World Cup in 2007, and though their winning percentage is quite healthy with 32 wins to 35 losses, the figure gets skewed when limited to the subcontinent. They have only three wins from the 18 matches played across the three hosting countries of this World Cup. In the last one year they have suffered series whitewashes in Bangladesh and India.New Zealand’s Achilles heel in the subcontinent has been the inability of their batsmen to notch up a big score. But a day match tomorrow could probably allow them to get their eye in on what is likely to be a dry and flat pitch. New Zealand could also take advantage of Australia’s vulnerability against spin; a growing concern for the defending champions, as Ricky Ponting admitted. New Zealand had started with spin in their game against Kenya and today the pair of Vettori and McCullum practised with the new ball, a possible indicator that they wouldn’t mind starting with a slow bowler once again.Vettori said New Zealand were confident carrying forward the momentum they established in Chennai after their 10-wicket thrashing of Kenya last week. “We have to look at ourselves in the best possible light. When we do perform we’re a very good team. Unfortunately over the last little while we haven’t been able to live up to those expectations. Hopefully we can take the positives of a comprehensive victory against Kenya through to this game but we know it’s going to be a different challenge, a lot tougher challenge.”Vettori, however, knows a victory in these troubled times will carry more weight and bring small cheer to a nation in mourning.

Rajasthan had a dream run on their way to the final, their first since 1973-74. ESPNcricinfo retraces their path to the big game

Sriram Veera10-Jan-2011Round 1, v Hyderabad in Jaipur

Scorecard
Rajasthan started their campaign with a remarkable performance from debutant Deepak Chahar. Hyderabad were shot out for 21 in 78 minutes of mayhem on the opening day, breaking the tournament record for the lowest team total, and equalling the Indian first-class record. Chahar, Rajasthan’s 18-year-old medium-pacer, did the damage with a spell that read 7.3-2-10-8. Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the captain, hit 193 as Rajasthan racked up 403 before Hyderabad collapsed for 126 in the second innings. Hyderabad axed four senior players, while their head coach and batting coach resigned in the aftermath of this crushing defeat.Round 2, v Goa in Jaipur

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Pankaj and Chahar shared nine wickets to bowl out Goa for 216 before Vineet Saxena hit a hundred to ensure Rajasthan took a 274-run lead. Ajay Ratra racked up 204 and Rahul Keni hit 115 in an unbroken stand of 310 to help Goa draw the game.Round 3, v Madhya Pradesh in Vadodara

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It was a run-fest at Vadodara. Vaibhav Deshpande hit a hundred and Robin Bist scored 91 to charge Rajasthan to a massive 523. Devendra Bundela and Syed Abbas Ali hit hundreds as Madhya Pradesh reached 419 for 5. Neither team got a point as even one innings couldn’t be completed on a flat track.Round 4, v Tripura in Kota

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In a low-scoring encounter Rajasthan won by 10 wickets. Pankaj grabbed eight wickets to bowl out Tripura for 95 before Aakash Chopra topscored with 62 to help Rajasthan gain a 55-run lead. With the match tantalisingly poised, Pankaj breathed fire in the second innings to pick up six wickets and rout Tripura.Round 5, v Jharkhand in Udaipur
Rajasthan 488 (Parida 190, Chopra 107) drew with Jharkhand 303 (Jaggi 131, Chahar 4-86) and 211 (Yadav 4-71)
ScorecardThe seamers again did the job for Rajasthan. Pankaj and Chahar shared six wickets to bowl out Jharkhand for 303 before the professional Chopra and Rashmi Parida hit hundreds to help Rajasthan post 488. The legspiner Vivek Yadav eased the seamers’ burden in the second innings, grabbing four wickets as Jharkhand fell for 211. Rajasthan earned three points for their effort.Plate Semi-final v Maharashtra in Nasik
Rajasthan 641 (Chopra 301) and 203 for 2 (Kanitkar 100*) drew with Maharashtra 349 (Paradkar 104*, Yadav 4-63)
ScorecardChopra hit his maiden triple-hundred to bury Nasik. Chopra batted over 13 hours and hit 33 fours and three sixes as Rajasthan ran away to a mammoth 641 in their first innings. Nikhil Paradkar hit a hundred but Yadav picked another four-wicket haul to restrict Maharasthra to 349. Kanitkar helped himself to another hundred in the second innings and Rajasthan moved up to the Super League.Super League quarter-final v Mumbai in Jaipur

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In a sensational result, Rajasthan shoved the 39-times champions Mumbai out of the competition to reach the semi-final. It was their talisman Pankaj who took six wickets to restrict Mumbai, who chose to bat, for a below-par 252. Saxena batted for nearly 10 hours for his 143 and Mumbai’s woes increased with hundreds from Kanitkar and Ashok Menaria. Mumbai’s captain Wasim Jaffer later said that Mumbai paid for their arrogance and complacency.Super League semi-final v Tamil Nadu in Jaipur

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Rajasthan were put into bat but Chopra and Saxena added 181 runs for the opening wicket before Kanitkar and Menaria hit hundreds to charge them to a strong 552. The match hurtled towards a thrilling finale: Tamil Nadu, if they didn’t get bowled out, needed to score 272 runs in 90 overs on the final day to go through based on net run-rate but they were shot out in the last session. For 10 hours and five minutes, Badrinath resisted everything hurled at him, but Rajasthan found a way around him to bowl out Tamil Nadu and get the lead.