Plays of the day from the IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-May-2013The appeal
During his international career, Adam Gilchrist developed a reputation as a “walker”, but when Ajit Chandila made an appeal for his wicket in the third over of the innings, Gilchrist was incensed. Shaun Marsh had hit the ball to mid-on and, on seeing the ball fielded there, Gilchrist was on his way back into his crease at the non-striker’s end, when the incoming throw hit him on the glove. As he fended the ball, Gilchrist had taken his bat out of the crease and Chandila collected the ball and broke the stumps, shouting out an appeal. Gilchrist was unimpressed, immediately directing an animated scolding at Chandila, before Rahul Dravid stepped in, withdrew the appeal and placated tempers.The dipping delivery
Even at 40, it’s a rare ball that makes Rahul Dravid seem inept. Yet that’s just what Bipul Sharma delivered in his second ball of IPL 2013. Sharma tossed it up, angled into Dravid, and with the batsman having decided to play across the line, the ball began to dip and drift further towards his pads. Dravid ended up missing it by a distance – though he might feel it was not his most erudite shot selection – and the ball zipped through between bat and pad to disturb the stumps.The Afridi imitation
Shahid Afridi’s quicker ball is one of the more freakish acts of modern cricket as he generates, with a legbreak action and a short run up, speeds in excess of 130 kph. Piyush Chawla took a cue from the Pakistan legspinner as Kings XI Punjab sought to break a burgeoning partnership in the 10th over, when out of the blue, he sent down a 117 kph bolt to rattle Shane Watson’s stumps. Though Watson spotted the shorter length of the delivery that dismissed him and aimed a pull, he was far too late on stroke and the ball sped past him to deliver a breakthrough for the hosts.The shot
Ajinkya Rahane hit form in the last two matches, scoring back-to-back fifties, and several splendidly timed strokes against Kings XI made plain just how classy a player he is when in form. The best of his strokes was not the languid six over extra-cover off Chawla, but his imperious punch through cover off Parvinder Awana in the fifth over. Awana pitched on a length, about eight inches outside off stump and Rahane, who had quickly transferred his weight onto the back foot, met the ball with rapid, controlled swing to send it to the fence.

The tour of Sri Lanka has been a test of Mushfiqur’s captaincy, and he appears to have been learning to deal with the challenge

Mohammad Isam27-Mar-2013Like many Bangladesh captains before him, Mushfiqur Rahim has often stressed how important a start, of an innings, match, series, or tour, is for his team. As far as the tour of Sri Lanka is concerned, they had started well by drawing the Galle Test. A good finish, which can only happen by levelling the ODI series, will further reinforce their improvement as a team.The sole Twenty20 on March 31 is the last game of the tour but it’s the third ODI that will attract attention, and it has certainly been treated that way by their captain, the most important man in the side.Mushfiqur has gradually become the team’s central character, in the absence of Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mashrafe Mortaza. He has had to absorb the influential roles of these three key individuals in the line-up, in addition to his job of captaining the side while wicketkeeping. It is not an easy task, and Mushfiqur appears to have worked with determination to accomplish it.Mushfiqur’s meticulous preparation is now well known, pulling him out of a career-threatening axe two years ago. It has landed him in a position where he doesn’t just have his batting or wicketkeeping to hone or think of; he has 16 other minds to read and influence.Mushfiqur certainly has kept the team from falling apart as it deals with a number of high-profile injuries. His double-hundred in Galle was an innings that has had considerable influence; the team believes it is not a second-rate side without Shakib and Tamim. Head coach Shane Jurgensen has talked about how much the team has pulled itself closer, and how more decisions taken are team-centric.”Every decision we make is team-based,” he said. “We train specifically, and I try to recognise when we win what we did before and after the game.”The team does come closer [without the stars]. The young guys have been quite welcomed by the senior players. Tamim has been fantastic when he has been around. It is a bit of change for me because we are trying to work closer to each other.”In the ODI series win against West Indies in December last year, the key factors were the acceptance of responsibility of Mushfiqur and his deputy Mahmudullah, the surprising contribution of the younger players, and the manner in which some of the bit-part performers stood up.Mushfiqur has had help from some of those on this tour but the likes of Mahmudullah and Anamul Haque haven’t delivered by way of performance. The pace bowlers have been inaccurate at most times, leaving a lot to do for the spinners. The opportunities have been fewer but these have come against a quality opposition that has dominated.Doing well against Sri Lanka in their backyard was a pipedream for Bangladesh teams that have visited the country since 1986. For instance, in 2007, the Bangladesh team had failed miserably in Sri Lanka after their best World Cup campaign and a home series against India in which they had their moments. Mushfiqur’s side, however, has held its head high even after four weeks in Sri Lanka, a first.With Bangladesh now on the verge of either going home empty-handed or leaving with dignity, Mushfiqur and several issues have been pulled into the limelight. He probably never liked being the centre of attention and throughout this tour, he has tried to keep himself a little secluded. A modern-day captain has several issues to deal with and many of those are off the field, but Mushfiqur has taken his time to come to terms with the demands placed on him.As he will walk out to do the toss with Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews on Thursday, Mushfiqur should take a closer look and gauge the sort of pressure his friend from his Under-19 days is in currently. It will provide him with the perspective of the level of pressure that a captain can go through, and whether or not he must de-stress.

Plays of the Day from the fourth day of the second Test between Zimbabwe and Pakistan in Harare

Firdose Moonda in Harare13-Sep-2013Allan Donald impersonation of the day Rahat Ali is a much improved bowler from the nervous debutant who was carted around South African fields earlier in the year. His improvement resulted in his second five-wicket haul and his celebration seemed a copy of someone from the country he toiled so hard against. As Adnan Akmal took the catch Tendai Chatara offered after trying to hoick Rahat over cow corner, the bowler spread his arms and aeroplane-jogged his way down the field. How very Donald-like.Delivery of the day Chatara was Zimbabwe’s best bowler in the first 20 overs and produced a beauty to get rid of Azhar Ali. The ball pitched on off stump and angled in to beat the No.3 batsman to go past his outside edge. It connected with the top of off stump and sent it cartwheeling past the wicketkeeper. Although this match has produced many wickets, this was the first that came with the dramatic effects.Praise of the day Richmond Mutumbami was the pundits’ pick to be dropped for the second Test because of his lack of contribution with the bat but he showed why he deserves his spot as a wicketkeeper with an array of athletic saves. One of his best came after tea when Chatara swayed too far down the leg side as he tried to crank the pace up. Mutumbami had to make ground and stop the ball one-handed before it got away from him and he managed to. “Great stop, Richie,” came the cry from the change room where coach Andy Waller was egging his gloveman on.Disappointment of the day Khurram Manzoor has probably done enough to keep his place as opener for Pakistan in their next series against South Africa with twin fifties in the match. But he was gutted with the way he was dismissed. Prosper Utseya asked for a short leg and Manzoor offered him catching practice by going forward, misjudging the turn and bat-padding it straight to the fielder. While Utseya celebrated, Manzoor wore a pained expression which he did not take off as he made the walk back to the change room.Hug of the day Things were getting slightly away from Zimbabwe with Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq scoring without much trouble before Utseya got Shafiq to edge while trying to cut him away. Mutumbami took a good catch and Zimbabwe celebrated the breakthrough with gusto. Brendan Taylor, in his excitement, embraced Utseya so violently, the diminutive offspinner found himself on the ground. His team-mates were soon around him and it took Utseya a few moments before he could find his feet again.

Kenneth Kamyuka came to cricket so he could eat well, but stayed on for the game, and ended up moving to another continent for it

Firdose Moonda20-Sep-2013Shane Warne turned to cricket after being cut from a second-string Aussie Rules team. Dale Steyn took up the sport when he realised a career as a skateboarder would not work out in South Africa. And Kumar Sangakkara chose batting over the baseline when a teacher advised his mother that it would serve him better than his tennis. But Kenneth Kamyuka played cricket to eat.”I was a good soccer player but the soccer team didn’t go out to play matches as much as the cricket team. The cricketers went out every weekend and they would get fed there,” Kamyuka said. “I didn’t have lots of pocket money, so I gave up soccer for cricket. For me, it wasn’t about cricket as much as it was going to get a good meal.”The century-old Busoga College Mwiri, where Kamyuka was educated, is one of Uganda’s most prestigious schools. Overlooking Lake Victoria, it was previously patronised only by the sons of kings and chiefs but has since started offering all Ugandans the chance to benefit from its magnificent facilities. It’s difficult to imagine the food would be bad in such a school, but boarding school dinners have a reputation for being bland, and Kamyuka obviously preferred what he got while playing cricket. It wasn’t long before he began to enjoy the game too.The school’s cricket team was strong and had won nine championships in a row, some of them during Kamyuka’s time. He was identified by coach Justin Ligaylingi for higher honours.Cricket in Uganda is a relatively minor sport with a small community, so a talented player quickly becomes a star. Kamyuka was one such. He recalled a performance at league level that made him stand out. “Against a development team I bowled ten overs, went for 25 runs and picked up all ten wickets myself.”At 19, Kamyuka scored an unbeaten century, from No. 10, against Malaysia in the 2001 ICC Trophy, and was soon hailed as one of the most talented players of his generation.Eight years later, in the World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Argentina, he picked up four Man-of-the-Match awards from five innings and led the wickets chart with 18 at 6.33.He turned out for Uganda at the World Cup qualifiers later that year but shortly after that his relationship with the authorities turned sour. Kamyuka was frustrated by the lack of opportunities, especially to play in other countries, and felt cricket was not being properly managed in Uganda. “I used to play overseas through my own arrangement,” he said. “I didn’t feel the officials had the best interests of the players at heart.”Kamyuka decided to pull the plug on his Uganda career when fell out with the board over daily payments. He called a former schoolmate, Henry Osinde, who had moved to Canada and was now playing for their national side, and told him of his troubles back home. Osinde invited him to visit Canada. Kamyuka did, liked what he saw, and stayed.But by now 27, Kamyuka had to wait four years to qualify for Canada’s national side. He decided to take the chance nevertheless. With Osinde’s assistance, he found a club to play for, impressed with his performances, and was selected for the national team as soon as he became available.He made his debut last month against Netherlands and took a wicket with his first ball. The fixture was washed out but Kamyuka’s figures of 4 for 38 from 5.5 overs, although expensive, were enough to prove his ability and desire. “It was just another game for me. I had one game and one chance to prove myself. I love situations like that,” Kamyuka said. “I haven’t been playing at that level for four years but straight from club level, I picked up a wicket on my first ball.” He especially enjoyed his second dismissal – that of Michael Swart. “He hit me for a few runs before that so I had a few words for him after I got him.”Kamyuka also dedicated his performance to the Canada captain Ashish Bagai, who has backed him from the beginning. “He was the reason I’m playing,” Kamyuka said. “He pushed for me to play and I told all my friends that if I don’t make it I would have let the captain down. He believed in me and supported me no matter what people said, because he had seen me play before.”Kamyuka took a wicket off his first ball for Canada•Eddie NorfolkBagai too is an immigrant to Canada, as are many of his national team-mates. But Ravin Moorthy, Cricket Canada president, does not look at arrivals like Kamyuka as hindrances to the growth of the local game. “The majority of our players come through our youth systems,” Moorthy said. “In the 2011 World Cup, half of our players came out of our development programmes. This is a fact that we are very proud of. We are very fortunate to be able to augment this core talent with players who move to Canada and join our set-up. Even players who do not make it to the national programme help bring up the level of our domestic competition and local leagues, which creates a more robust competition.”Moorthy hopes Kamyuka’s success continues, especially with 2015 World Cup qualifiers looming. “It’s a big plus to have a player like Kenneth, who we have played against in previous World Cup qualifiers. When we reach the qualifiers, having a player who has experience at this level certainly benefits the team.”But before that the 2014 World Twenty20 qualifiers have to be tackled in November in the UAE. Kamyuka will be an integral part of Canada’s squad for the tournament. He believes Canada have a strong chance, more so than Uganda, because of the composition of their squad and their ability to play spin, which may be a factor in the conditions in the UAE.”We’re not too far off, especially in the T20s. Canada has the edge when it comes to experience,” Kamyuka said. “Uganda is weak against spin bowling while Canada has slow wickets that make us better equipped for spin.”Even if Canada don’t make it through the qualifiers, Kamyuka has pledged to keep playing the game, because it gave him a better life. “I want to keep playing, keep fit and have fun. Cricket is the difference between where I am right now – being a good citizen – and being a thug on the streets. Cricket and I are inseparable.”

Five points to keep in mind as they play in alien conditions and try not to repeat the mistakes made in the 2010 one-day series loss

Andrew Alderson09-Oct-2013New Zealand’s first Test tour to Bangladesh since 2008 is underway. We look at the key factors for the team to consider if they are to succeed in the Tests and limited-overs. Avoid match-fixing distractions
Seven Bangladeshis were charged with match-fixing by the ICC; another two were charged for not reporting corruption during the Bangladesh Premier League in February-March. Those charged with fixing offences have been provisionally suspended, but the issue is still swirling around the Bangladesh game. New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said they won’t discuss it as a team because they will have enough difficulty adapting to the conditions.Recent history
Hesson’s right in his observation above. In 2008, New Zealand won the two-Test series 1-0, but only after Daniel Vettori (batting at No. 4 for 76) and Aaron Redmond (surviving five and a half hours for 79) hauled in 317 to win by three wickets in the first Test – the second-highest chase in New Zealand’s history. In 2010, when New Zealand last toured, they were beaten 4-0 in the one-dayers. However, New Zealand did beat South Africa in a 2011 World Cup quarter-final in Dhaka. Hesson says any suggestion they should whitewash the hosts is “an uneducated view, given how well they play at home. It’s a cauldron.”Bangladesh coach Shane Jurgensen
Jurgensen mentored in the New Zealand ranks as bowling coach from December 2008 to August 2011. In the modern world of mercenary coaching he’s in a prime position to know the visitors’ strengths and weaknesses. “We know we’ll be facing a lot of spin and they’ll be well prepared,” Hesson said. That view was borne out by the lack of grass on the first Test pitch pre-match.Patience with the conditions
The expectation is wickets will start damp and possibly spin early before flattening out into good batting tracks. National selection manager Bruce Edgar is expecting a “war of attrition”. He said a modest run-rate of 2.5 to three runs an over should initially be acceptable, because that figure can extend to five runs an over later in the Test.Preparation is everything
Scarred by a poor build-up to last year’s West Indies tour which triggered a host of flaccid results, there appears to be a meticulous focus on acclimatising to the subcontinental climate and pitch conditions. The New Zealand Test squad had a nine-day pre-tour camp in Sri Lanka from September 22, and unfortunately the three-day warm-up match in Chittagong was washed out. In the meantime the New Zealand A side, including five of the Test squad – Corey Anderson, Doug Bracewell, Mark Gillespie, Tom Latham and Ish Sodhi – had a slate of first-class and limited-overs matches in India and Sri Lanka. Hesson says: “When players are picked, we don’t want to be exposing them for the first time in those conditions. We want players who have already worked out a method of trial and error to get by in the subcontinent.”

Just eight Tests old, Dimuth Karunaratne has the skills to become a fine international opener. With more consistency and a better understanding of his own game, he may well be the answer to Sri Lanka’s top order as they continue replacing the old guard

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Sharjah16-Jan-2014Karunaratne targets 300

Sri Lanka batsman Dimuth Karunaratne compared the surface in Sharjah to spin-friendly pitches routinely found in Galle, as Sri Lanka reached 220 for 5 on the first day. Saeed Ajmal’s offspin appeared more menacing than it has been throughout the series, while Abdur Rehman was also effective in building pressure on the batsmen. Spin accounted for three wickets.
“The pitch we have in Galle is similar to here,” Karunaratne said. “That wicket gives a lot of turn as well. We have played on a lot of spinning wickets in Sri Lanka, so it’s not a surprise for us. When you compare with the Abu Dhabi and Dubai wicket, it’s drier here. I think it’s not too dangerous when the fast bowlers are bowling, but the spinners aren’t too dangerous yet either.”
Karunaratne said Sri Lanka’s scoring rate of 2.44 was justified and said they would seek 80 more runs in the first innings.
“I think the outfield is slow as well. We needed to get some confidence on that track because it spins a bit and it’s slow. That is why we have got 220 in the first day. For now, we are looking at 300 plus, and beyond that it’s a bonus.”

When Dimuth Karunaratne fell to Abdur Rehman in the first over after lunch, he pondered his dismissal for a moment. There was nothing to challenge, for he had clearly hit the ball to slip. But he knew that once again, he had earned a start, seen through the nerves, and then fallen away when a substantial score called. The promise of his batting is clear every time he comes to the crease, but he is yet to produce a knock worthy of his ability, nor one that would put his place in the side truly beyond question.Karunaratne has played 17 Test innings, but only in five of those occasions has he faced fewer than 25 balls. In all but six innings, he has crossed 15. He has appeared insecure outside off stump on certain occasions, particularly when the new ball seams across him, but only few batsmen can say they did not consistently flirt with danger early in their careers. Even when he has struggled, however, he is swift and confident when he does detect a ball in his range – a symptom of the strong, uncluttered mind that breeds resilient openers.The few times he has breached 20 so effortlessly, it seemed as if he was heading towards a defining innings. His 34 in Sharjah was not among his most convincing innings, but even there, a whipped boundary through midwicket off Saeed Ajmal, and a square drive off Mohammad Talha inspired some confidence. Which is why when he left the field at lunch, the most arduous examinations had seemed to be behind him.”I’m disappointed that I’ve not been able to convert my 30s into big scores,” Karunaratne said. “No one wants to get out after getting a start, but sometimes I have bad luck. But I do try to convert my 30s into big innings, because I feel like if I get a big one, I will have the confidence to keep doing that.”During Sri Lanka’s tour of Australia, Karunaratne consistently got very good balls in the first 15 overs, vindicating his comment about bad fortune. Even in this series, he has faced two fine deliveries from Junaid Khan. But the larger truth of his failures so far has been that he is the architect of his own downfall. Many times, he is a victim of ambition – playing the booming drive or rasping cut at one too many deliveries. His lowest score in this series has been 24, but in five innings, he only has one fifty – which came in a chase of 137.Yet, aggression is also his strength. He has amassed mammoth scores for the A team, largely by taking risks and earning momentum. More encouragingly, he has been just as good away as he has been at home, as Karunaratne was the top-scorer in the last two away tours for the A team, to South Africa in 2012, and the Caribbean last year.In Sharjah, he fell attempting to hit a full and wide delivery, and while it is easy to suggest he should have left that ball alone, it would have been just as simple to brand the delivery a poor one if Karunaratne had connected as he wished. The same could be said about the short and wide delivery to which he perished in the first innings in Abu Dhabi.Karunaratne feels he must play a little more conservatively to find his feet in Tests, but more incisive judgement and a better understanding of his own game would also serve him well. Both of those qualities are largely borne from experience, which is why the selectors must consider him an ongoing investment. After all, there is no doubt he has earned his place.”The reason I haven’t been able to replicate what I’ve done for the A team is that there’s a big difference between the A team level and this one. The best bowlers from each country are here in internationals. Also, when I’ve played at the top level, I’ve cut down on my scoring shots and tried to bat for a long time. Usually if I bat through the first hour or first session, I would have hit a fifty – so that’s a change at this level. But I feel like if I continue to do what I’ve been doing, I can turn it into an advantage and succeed.”By a statistical measure, Karunaratne’s tour of the UAE has been a moderate success so far. His tally of 190 is the third highest among Sri Lanka’s batsmen, even if he has had one more innings than most others.It is glib to compare him unfavourably alongside the newer Kaushal Silva, because not only is Silva a more seasoned domestic player, his cricket is also characterised by consistency. Karunaratne may suffer more lows in his career, but at his best, he is capable of the ravishing innings that ease the burden on the men batting around him. If Silva, Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne are the anchors of Sri Lanka’s future top four, the dynamism and stroke range Karunaratne offers might be the key in placing opposition bowlers in discomfort. His strengths are through the leg side, while the others are better off-side players.For now, Karunaratne appears to have the raw materials to become a fine international opener. He is just lacking the adhesive that might bring his talents all together.

Through hell and back, Jesse Ryder is happy that he is back, and in love with cricket again

Abhishek Purohit in Auckland04-Feb-2014Jesse Ryder is happy just to be playing again with his team-mates. At one point he had got so fed up of everything he stopped playing. When he wanted to return, he was seriously injured in an assault and had to fight for his life. He has finally returned to the cricket field again. He knows he has underachieved in his career for various reasons. For the moment, though, he is grateful just to be able to be part of the New Zealand side, although having gone through what he has, he agrees there is a lot more to life than cricket.”Yeah, the year I have had last year, you certainly can say that but I have worked hard over the season to get back into this side,” Ryder said. “I am just happy being back and involved with the team.”I just love the sport, you know. And to have the enjoyment again. A couple of years ago, I stopped playing international cricket because I wasn’t enjoying it. Just a lot of off-field stuff going on, just stuff I don’t really want to talk about. It’s in the past now. I think the break did me wonders. To be back and enjoying cricket again, I am just loving life at the moment. I have worked real hard over the winter and this season to lose heaps of weight, and I am feeling really good at the moment.”The game he had stopped enjoying is what has drawn him back onto the field. Ryder shifted to Otago in New Zealand domestic cricket, and the change turned it around for him. “I figured it’s the time off I have had,” Ryder said. “The move to Otago, that has done me wonders. New set-up, new team, new environment. That sort of brought back the passion to get back into the international side.”It (cricket) has always been a motivation. I wanted to first and foremost fare well for Otago when I first went down there, and making the Black Caps squad again was just the goal I had set in place for the start of the season. I am just lucky enough to be playing after what happened.”Ryder said he had learned from his past to take life at an easier pace, and was “pretty chilled out” now. “I don’t let too much bother me, which is a good thing,” Ryder said. “I know in the past, I have let stuff get to me and get angry and beat myself up and stuff like that, especially when not scoring runs. But these days, it is a lot more relaxed and lot more easy-going, which is probably making the cricket easy as well.”

“I’d love to be playing Test cricket. I want to work on the average and stuff like that, and be known as one of New Zealand’s best Test batsmen”

Getting back was an achievement, but Ryder knows he could have done a lot more with the talent he has. “I know deep down that I probably haven’t fulfilled my potential, but you know I have got time to do that, and I am just finding my feet back in the New Zealand team at the moment. Hopefully I can continue the form I have shown,” Ryder said.That Ryder is in superb touch was evident in the ODIs against India, but he could not convert even one of his five starts. “That was probably the frustrating thing,” Ryder said. “I was getting starts, but wasn’t able to carry on. I kept throwing it away a little bit, but they bowled well at times as well. Getting the start and getting out was the frustrating thing.”Ryder is part of the Test squad only as cover for Ross Taylor but he said the longest format was the one he wanted to make his name in. “I’d love to be playing Test cricket,” Ryder said. “I want to work on the average and stuff like that, and be known as one of New Zealand’s best Test batsmen. In the past, I have done well against India. Certainly that always gives you confidence going in to a series like this. All would depend on if I am playing or not, so I hopefully I can get a run in one of the games.”I value Test cricket. I think it’s the true traditional game of cricket. You have to got to work a little harder for your runs and stuff like that in the Test arena. It’s Test cricket for me, probably the biggest one that I want to play.”

ESPNcricinfo looks back at ten of Kevin Pietersen’s best innings across all three formats

Alan Gardner05-Feb-2014100* v South Africa, East London, 2004
Kevin Pietersen was playing only his eighth innings in international cricket when he struck what is still the fastest ODI hundred – off 69 deliveries – for England. It was ultimately in a losing effort, as England were unable to chase down 312, but they only got close thanks to the man who had left South Africa to forge a career with the country of his mother’s birth. The ‘skunk’ haircut was to become a familiar sight.91* v Australia, Bristol, 2005
Not a hundred but a matchwinner, and an assault the equivalent of any in his early one-day career (after which his average stood at 162.25). England were in trouble at 119 for 4 chasing 253 and then lost Michael Vaughan, still more than 100 short. Pietersen, however, struck eight fours and four sixes, shepherding the lower order to a three-wicket victory with time to spare. Afterwards, Vaughan called it an “unbelievable knock”.158 v Australia, The Oval, 2005
In his debut Test series, with England in sight of a first Ashes victory in 18 years, Pietersen brazenly blazed a path to glory in the second innings of the final Test. England only needed to draw the game but were wobbling on the final day, as Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath threatened to unravel them. Dropped on 15, Pietersen fed off the febrile atmosphere, repeatedly depositing Warne and Brett Lee into the stands during a dominant maiden hundred that all but secured the urn.142 v Sri Lanka, Edgbaston, 2006
A love of the limelight was apparent from his earliest appearances in an England shirt, when he skewered his home country, South Africa, with three ODI hundreds in five innings. Less than a year into his Test career, he produced an outrageous performance against Sri Lanka, which included a switch hit for six off Muttiah Muralitharan – the first sighting of Pietersen’s unique contribution to strokemaking. In difficult conditions, across both first innings, the highest score behind Pietersen’s 142 (off 157 balls) was 30.53 v South Africa, Bridgetown, 2010
England’s World Twenty20 campaign was picking up speed when Pietersen took apart South Africa in the Super Eights. Batting at No. 3 but at the crease inside the first over, Pietersen survived an edge through the slips and then got stuck into some carnage. He took Dale Steyn for 23 from eight deliveries, which included smacking the ball on to the roof of the stadium and out of the ground, in an innings that no one could match on a slow Kensington Oval track.47 v Australia, Bridgetown, 2010
England had never won a global limited-overs trophy but their bowlers had given them a decent sniff by restricting Australia to 147 in the World Twenty20 final. Again England lost an early wicket, again Pietersen put his stamp on proceedings, this time winning a duel with Shaun Tait. An 111-run stand with Craig Kieswetter set England on the march to a title few had expected them to challenge for at the outset of the tournament; that Pietersen was Man of the Tournament went some way to explaining things.Pietersen made a double-hundred in the 2000th Test, against India at Lord’s•Getty Images202* v India, Lord’s, 2011
In the 2000th Test, Pietersen provided a display worthy of celebrating the oldest format. His third double-hundred – coming shortly after his second, in Adelaide, which ended a 21-month period without reaching three figures – set the tone for England in their attempt to wrest the No. 1 ranking from India. He fought his attacking tendencies early on, taking 134 balls for his first fifty, before gliding up through the gears, moving from 151 to 202 in 25 deliveries, amid a flurry of boundaries. KP and England were in their pomp.130 v Pakistan, Dubai, 2012
On tour in the UAE, England tried a new opening partnership, with Pietersen promoted to bat alongside Alastair Cook: they promptly scored four hundreds between them in the four ODIs. The 4-0 whitewash was sealed by Pietersen’s highest one-day score, as he saw off the challenge of early wickets and a pitch assisting Pakistan’s spinners. It was to be his last limited-overs appearance in almost a year, as a shock retirement followed soon after.149 v South Africa, Headingley, 2012
The clouds were darkening for Pietersen, as mutterings about his commitment to the team grew louder, but his talent shone as brightly as ever in Leeds. England were battling to hold on to the top ranking, 1-0 down at home, but as his team-mates struggled Pietersen came out and thrashed the best attack in the world all around the ground – including a straight drive for six off Steyn. The match was drawn but Pietersen almost single-handedly gave England a chance (he also took four wickets and opened the batting in the second innings).186 v India, Mumbai, 2012
Having been exiled from the team over his communications with South Africa’s players during the summer, Pietersen was restored for the tour of India. With England 1-0 down in the series and facing questions about their ability to play spin, Pietersen joined forces with his captain, Cook, for a 206-run partnership that sparked the recovery. On a turning pitch, this was an imperious knock with a chaser of catharsis, featuring his familiar slog-sweep among many crushing blows. It set England on the way to victory in the Test and a first triumph in India since 1984-85.

Zaheer Khan and Graeme Smith have history, but the batsman survived the latest chapter of their ongoing duel

Sidharth Monga in Johannesburg21-Dec-2013Twenty-three balls. That’s all it was. It didn’t prove to be decisive to the day’s play. Fourteen runs came. Not even a wicket resulted. It also lost in entertainment value to the time when MS Dhoni took off his pads and bowled, and then kept without pads. You couldn’t take your eye off it, though. A crafty bowler was up against a struggling batsman reputed to thrive on adversity. Zaheer Khan against Graeme Smith was the play of the fourth day, the first half of which was spent by India trying to deny South Africa enough time to force a win.So it was right in the middle of the day that South Africa began chasing 458 in a possible 135 overs. They couldn’t have thought of a win or a draw then. They just had to bat. Zaheer v Smith was not a clean slate, although an average of 31 for an opening batsman against an opening bowler isn’t bad. Theirs was going to be the contest again. Smith, who arguably is the best fourth-innings batsman of all time, against Zaheer, who can think batsmen out in ways they don’t realise.Smith didn’t face the first ball but don’t read much into it. In 27 Tests, Alviro Petersen has taken strike 19 times. In Zaheer’s second over, though, Smith was on strike. Virat Kohli was at leg gully. Clearly India had reason to have one of their best fielders there. The ball was on the pads, and Smith flicked it high to Kohli, who couldn’t hold a difficult chance. Wonder how much input Zaheer had in placing that catcher. The resultant single let Smith away from the strike.Last ball of that over, and Smith was facing again. Zaheer went back to his first-innings plan of drawing the left-hand batsman across. A wide length ball swinging away had Smith reaching well outside his off stump. Clearly the ball coming into the pads, which had dismissed him in the first innings, was on Smith’s mind. The next ball Zaheer bowled to him, in the fifth over, was similarly wide and Smith played at it. To his credit he looked to play straight, but the away movement resulted in a leading edge through extra cover. Petersen negotiated the remaining deliveries, and after three Zaheer overs, Smith had faced him only three times for four iffy runs.In Zaheer’s fourth over, Smith was on strike again. Zaheer had not been able to bowl a set of deliveries at him. This time he strayed a touch, and Smith finally got a confident single. To the last three balls of that over, Smith presented the middle of the bat to one and refused to be drawn across against the next two wider ones. It was close to tea, India tried a new bowler, and Smith had survived the first examination.By the time Zaheer returned in the 20th over, South Africa had reached 67 for no loss, and Smith was 15 off 29. Another fascinating contest ensued. The first ball from Zaheer was short and wide. Smith mistimed the cut. The next angled in, took the inside edge onto the pad, and Petersen pushed his captain for a single. Zaheer had Smith to himself for the last three balls of his next over.When Zaheer pitched short – around 128kph on average – Smith punched solidly. When he bowled full, Smith walked into it – drawn as if by the Pied Piper – and was beaten. Zaheer smiled a smile that usually tells the batsman he has him; it is a matter of time. The over ended with a decent leave outside off, but the contest hadn’t.In his next over, the innings’ 24th, Zaheer suddenly began to hide the ball. Surely it wasn’t reverse-swinging so soon? What mind games was he up to? We would soon find out. He had Smith on strike for the third ball. It was full, on the pads, and was clipped for four. The fourth delivery was short of a length, outside off, and punched to cover. Zaheer then bowled on a length, on off, and was defended solidly. He had Smith playing.Then came the surprise. On the last ball of the over, we knew why Zaheer was hiding the ball. Out came the knuckle slower-ball, first unleashed in the tie against England in the 2011 World Cup. Smith did not pick it, and spooned it off his pads. This time, though, Zaheer didn’t have a leg gully who would have swallowed it. Another over ended with Zaheer smiling that smile.In the next over, Zaheer bowled Smith a bouncer, a good one, at his body, about as high as his throat. Smith didn’t duck, just got inside the line. Was this sign of growing confidence? Zaheer had him following the next ball, though, and again an over ended with a wry smile.Soon Zaheer came on for the last over of this spell. He had Smith on strike and he was hiding the ball. Another knuckle ball, and Smith was early on it again. It one lobbed just out of Zaheer’s reach, though. Smith was hanging in there. Just. Zaheer was bringing out his tricks one by one. The fourth ball of the over, following a bouncer, was bowled into Smith’s ribs. Smith rode the bounce, kept it down, and placed it fine of that leg gully for two. The next delivery was when Zaheer threw it all at Smith.He had been bowling in the late 120 kph range but this time he seared one in full, at 138kmph. Smith was hurried, not because it was too quick, but because it was a massive step up from what Zaheer had been bowling. He managed to get bat on it, though, and got off strike.It is said about Smith that he can appear to be struggling, but when you look up he has reached 30. Here, too, Smith was 30 by the time Zaheer’s second spell ended. Against the others, Smith grew in confidence. He was 44, and South Africa 108, when he took that risky single and perished. It was anti-climactic, and killed the prospect of another contest against Zaheer, but as we know it was so cricket.

Should he be in England’s Test side? Should he not? How do you tell if a player is “ready”? Damn it all and pencil him in

Andy Zaltzman03-Jun-2014Limited-overs cricket was treated to two classic matches over the weekend, and two magnificent losing centuries by wicketkeepers. Jos Buttler, in the ODI at Lord’s, and Wriddhiman Saha in the IPL final in Bangalore, each played the defining innings of his career so far. Each ended up in a grumpy dressing room. Cricket can be a cruel mistress. As can most forms of competition. I am sure that, back in 1066, some of King Harold’s soldiers went home, were asked by their wives, “How did the battle go today, darling?”, and replied: “Well, we lost, but played brilliantly. I hammered those Normans all over the place. They couldn’t handle me. Can’t wait to have another look at it on the tapestreplay.”Buttler’s innings added further bangers to the already sizzling barbecue of debate over whether he should be in England’s Test team next week. By hitting 121 off 74 balls, and taking England to the precipice of a brilliant victory, the Lancashire gloveman probably did his Test match prospects more harm than good. Had he scored a neatly compiled 50 off 74 balls instead, in a comfortable and unremarkable defeat, proving his technical discipline and ability to restrain his uncomfortably Pietersen-esque flamboyance, he would be being heavily pencilled in as we speak.After an innings of total mastery by Kumar Sangakkara, England lost a couple of early wickets, then carefully batted themselves into a position from which defeat was a near certainty. Strategically, pootling along at under 4 per over before losing a flurry of wickets was a stroke of genius – England cleverly removed any burden of expectation on Buttler by rendering the situation almost completely hopeless, thus liberating his stroke-making wizardry.Others might suggest that, in a sizeable chase and after two early wickets, it might have been worth shuffling the batting order to give one of the faster-scoring batsmen an opportunity to make early inroads into the target, then allowing the accumulators to accumulate, before a final blast for victory. Last year, against New Zealand, after Martin Guptill had planked 189 and the Kiwis had set a target of 360, England stuck with their top four of Cook, Bell, Trott and Root. They batted adequately enough, but by the time Morgan came in, in the 22nd over, the required rate was 8.3 per over, and by the time he was out, slogging, to bring Buttler to the crease, in the 30th, it was well over 9. Trott tinkled along to an entirely ineffective century and England lost by a distance.In all likelihood, they would have lost anyway. But why not risk giving their most likely match-winners the longest possible time to try to do some match-winning? They could even have tried as a “pinch hitter” Graeme Swann, a brilliant striker who was massively underused in ODIs – in 79 matches, he batted only twice above No. 8.The pattern on Saturday was, to an extent, similar. The target was less imposing, and the openers were out within four overs, but even an innings of, say, 30 off 20 would have significantly changed the tone of the chase. England do not currently have enough destructive batsmen in their ODI side. They should use those they do possess with more flexibility.Is Buttler “ready for Test cricket”? Alastair Cook publicly, and extremely oddly, suggested not. Buttler himself, modestly, did likewise. They may or may not be right. But both of their opinions are, to an extent, guesswork, and also to an extent, irrelevant. England should pick Buttler. With Prior struggling for fitness, Foster and Read in their mid-30s, Davies on a glovework sabbatical, and Kieswetter in moderate first-class form, Buttler has as good a short-term claim as any.He could be an extremely high-value cricketer, even if he only averages in the low 30s. The Sri Lanka series offers a chance to blood new players against one of world cricket’s less devastating attacks, the perfect opportunity to (a) see whether or not Buttler is, in fact, ready for Test cricket, (b) help him become ready for Test cricket by giving him a taste of and exposure to Test cricket, and (c) excite the crowd and justify the ticket prices.Besides, how do you tell when a player is “ready for Test cricket”? Was Ravi Bopara “ready” when he scored three successive centuries against West Indies in 2009, before becoming “unready” again as soon as the Australians arrived? Or was he not ready but in a run of good form and playing against a moderate bowling attack? Was Garfield Sobers “ready” at 17? It took him four years to score his first century. After 15 Tests he averaged 31 with the bat and 44 with the ball. Thereafter, he proved to be a handy cricketer. Would he have been so effective at his peak had he not been thrown into the Test arena before he was “ready”?Even if Cook is right, and Buttler is not ready, England should pick him. He might prove to be a one-day specialist, a 21st-century Neil Fairbrother. Eoin Morgan, another one-day magician, struggled in Tests. But why wait to find out? His talent is clearly extraordinary, and worth risking, in both the short and long terms.In the IPL final there were stellar performances by Saha and Pandey with the bat, and by Danny Morrison with the microphone, attempting phrases and word combinations that commentators of the pre-IPL era simply would not have thought possible. Morrison was prepared to try the seemingly linguistically impossible, even at the risk of making absolutely no discernible sense whatsoever. It was a sensational effort, at the end of which the English language simply had to tip its hat and concede that it had been roundly beaten by the better man on the day.* Clearly, Kevin Pietersen (or at least, an in-form Kevin Pietersen) would be a significant boon for this England ODI side, either opening or batting at three. Were England right to jettison him? The evidence of the four matches played in this series so far is inconclusive. Their excellent batting at The Oval suggested that the right decision had been made, but they could certainly have done with him in Durham, where, if he had scored more runs than whichever player would have been left out for him, England would have reached three figures. At Old Trafford, England showed once again that they have no need of the no-longer-allegedly-disconnected batsman, whereas at Lord’s the situation was crying out for Pietersen like a dog waiting for its favourite snack. All in all: inconclusive. We will know definitively later today. At least until the next time England play.* Stat alert: At a strike rate of 163, Buttler’s was the fastest ODI 100-plus innings ever scored in a losing cause. Saha’s 115 off 55 was, at a strike rate of 209, the fifth-fastest of the 32 centuries scored in T20 defeats. Saha does not have the traditional physique of someone likely to smash 115 off 55 balls, but T20 continues to defy traditional expectations in terms of who can do what. Both men could reasonably have expected to end on the winning side. Buttler’s was the 22nd out of 127 ODI hundreds scored at a strike rate of 125 or over to have resulted in defeat (17.3%). Of the 192 centuries clonked in T20 matches, Saha’s was the 32nd not to contribute to a victory (16.6% – four have been in tied games, 155 in wins).* Sangakkara and Dilshan would no doubt have appreciated Buttler’s ultimately vain effort. In December 2009, they blasted Sri Lanka to the brink of chasing down 415 to beat India. Dilshan’s 160 off 124 was the second-highest score ever made, and Sangakkara’s 90 off 43 the fifth-fastest 50-plus score, in an unsuccessful ODI chase. One month earlier, Tendulkar had scored a dazzling 175 in pursuit of 351, against Australia in Hyderabad, but after he was out at 332 for 7, India lost by 3 runs.* Karanveer Singh’s 4 for 54 in the IPL final was the most expensive four-wicket haul in T20 history (and only one three-for has been clouted for more runs – Michael Bates’ 3 for 61 for Auckland against Central Districts in January 2010). Nevertheless, 4 for 54 now adorns his career record as his “best” figures in T20s. It is one of the many curious charms/idiocies of cricketing statistics that, for example, an analysis of 6 for 542 off 24 overs is considered “better” than 5 for 3 off 12.* The Confectionery Stall 14-Man England Squad for next week’s first Test against Sri LankaCook (capt), Root, Balance, Bell, Vince, Moeen Ali, Buttler (wk), Zaltzman (vice-capt), Stokes, Broad, Jordanm Anderson, Larwood, W Gidman