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A review of the performance of the Australian players during the home Test series against New Zealand

Brydon Coverdale13-Dec-20119
James Pattinson
In South Africa, Australia discovered Pat Cummins and in this series James Pattinson was their breakout fast bowler. The prospect of the two young men sharing the new ball in the Test team when Cummins regains fitness is an enticing one. Pattinson swung the ball away from the right-hand batsmen and bowled full and straight enough to force the batsmen to play. He picked up Brendon McCullum’s wicket three times, twice with near unplayable deliveries. Pattinson was the leading wicket-taker from either side, with 14 at an average of 14, and was the best thing Australia could take from the series.8
Nathan Lyon
Lyon was second only to Pattinson on the wickets tally with 10 at 12.60 apiece. His efforts were all the more remarkable because both venues favoured the fast men. Lyon continued to toss the ball up and entice mistakes, and in both Tests he ran through the New Zealand tail. His gutsy work with the bat in Hobart also nearly delivered Australia victory as he accompanied David Warner. The lasting image of the Test will be of the New Zealanders huddling to celebrate while a distraught Lyon was crouched on the pitch having just been bowled. But the loss came in spite of, not because of, Nathan Lyon.7.5
David Warner
Selected in Brisbane because of the injury to Shane Watson, Warner had a slightly nervy entry when he gloved behind trying not to play the ball in the first innings. By the end of the series, he had carried his bat for a maiden Test century and nearly saved Australia from defeat in Hobart. It was as much the shots that he neglected as the ones he played that impressed viewers. Rarely did he hit the ball in the air and his patience was impeccable. Warner deserves to hold his spot for Boxing Day.Peter Siddle
The leader of an inexperienced attack, Siddle did not take more than three wickets in an innings but his consistent hard work was a key reason Australia’s attack was so potent. In Hobart, he reached 150kph and appeared to have mastered his outswinger. It was an admirable performance over the two Tests from Siddle, who entered the series needing to show that Australia’s fast-bowling future did not lie entirely with the younger men like Cummins and Pattinson. He achieved that goal with nine wickets at 23.22.7
Michael Clarke
The captain remains Australia’s most in-form batsman, but he needs support in the middle order. A century in the first innings at the Gabba set the tone for Australia’s strong victory, but in Hobart he failed and so did his team. As leader he rotated his bowlers well and his canny, occasional use of the part-timer Michael Hussey helped cover the gap left by the absence of Watson.6.5
Brad Haddin
While Clarke scored a hundred at the Gabba, the vice-captain Haddin also made a valuable contribution with a composed 80 that helped set up Australia’s win. His glove work was generally reliable, and a leg-side stumping off the medium-pace of Hussey was breathtakingly good. But he continued to prove a frustration: in both innings in Hobart he was out to irresponsible strokes when Australia needed to show more fight. He had done the same in Cape Town last month. To some degree, that is just the way Haddin plays, but it is not unreasonable to expect more of such a senior player.5
Ricky Ponting
A half-century in Johannesburg and one in Brisbane eased some of the immediate pressure on Ponting but, by the end of the New Zealand series, questions were again being asked about his future. His 78 at the Gabba was encouraging but both his dismissals at Bellerive Oval looked wretched. He was lbw in the first innings when he appeared to be in two minds about whether to play or leave, and his loopy lob in the air when trying to play a strong drive through the off side in the second innings was awfully ugly. There is only so long Ponting can remain in the team on the promise of a big score to come.Mitchell Starc
An encouraging start to his Test career in the first innings in Brisbane gave way to a less consistent performance throughout the rest of the series. Starc showed an ability to swing the ball but also sprayed it, reminiscent of his fellow left-armer, Mitchell Johnson. He finished the series with four wickets at an average of 50, and when Ryan Harris returns to fitness, Starc should be the man to go from the attack.4.5
Usman Khawaja
Australia’s new No.3 continued to show promising signs but was still searching for that big score to confirm his place in the side. It could have been on the way at the Gabba, when on 38 Khawaja was unlucky to be run out when Ponting called him through for a tight single. He concentrated for 78 minutes in the first innings in Hobart for 7, before edging behind, and fell to an uncharacteristically rash drive in the second innings. Should retain his place for Boxing Day if Shaun Marsh does not return from injury, but could miss out when Marsh does come back.2.5
Michael Hussey
Mr Cricket will hope to quickly forget this series, the lowest-scoring one of his career. He made 15, 8 and a golden duck and, following on from another poor series in South Africa, it has put him under the spotlight heading in to the India series. However, Hussey was Man of the Match in all three Tests in Sri Lanka, so has some credits in the selection bank. He squeezed ahead of Hughes in the rankings because his gentle outswing brought Australia two important wickets.2
Phillip Hughes
Caught Guptill, bowled Martin. What more is there to say? Hughes cannot be picked against India, and it could take years for him to regain the faith of the selectors.

England do not have a great record against spinners who are a bit different and are likely to face a new one in the final Test against West Indies

Nagraj Gollapudi at Edgbaston06-Jun-2012No doubt all eyes will be on Sunil Narine at Edgbaston. The mystery spinner from Trinidad. The knuckle-ball wizard. The offspinner, whose hand batsmen have found hard to read. The man, who Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, feels has the expertise to tease and pose problems against England.Equipped with strong wrists, a scrambled seam and smart brains Narine controlled Australia like marionettes during the one-day series in April, which West Indies drew 2-2. Last week he finished as second highest wicket-taker in the IPL, where he was also the most economical bowler and instrumental in Kolkata Knight Riders winning their maiden title. Narine turned 24 just ten days ago and on Thursday there is a strong possibility of him making his Test debut. Rarely have so many expectations in the Caribbean rested on someone so young.Narine was drafted as a replacement for Kemar Roach, who was the ruled out of the series due to injury after the Trent Bridge Test. It was a curious inclusion in that Narine had decided to play in the IPL instead of making himself available for the Australia Test or England series. You can’t blame him only because Narine still has no WICB contract and he will have wanted to safeguard his future by selling his wares in the best marketplace in cricket – the IPL.But can West Indies really pin all your hopes on Narine? The pitches in England do not turn much. The conditions have been severely cold as Shane Shillingford, the other of spinner in the West Indies squad, experienced. He complained that he could not grip the ball firmly and would much rather sit out of the first Test at Lord’s. When he did play in the second Test at Trent Bridge, Shillingford managed just one wicket, and finished as the most expensive bowler on both sides.Sammy was therefore cautious about what to expect from him. “Everyone is calling him the mystery spinner and he could come in and make an impact for us,” he said. “It’s a difficult place for spinners to make their debut but he has a lot up his sleeve and we’re backing him to make an impact.””He has enough variations in flight, bounce and turn and he can pose problems to any batsman. Sunil is different. He has a wide array of balls. So far nobody has been able to pick him at least in Twenty20 cricket. So hopefully he can come in and make a big impact for us in this Test match.”If Narine stands up to the challenge, it will be an immense shot in the arm for both him and West Indies cricket. Most successful Test teams have had an effective slow bowler – one of the exceptions being the West Indies side of the 1980s and early 1990s – with the ability to play the dual role of being the sponge which can absorb pressure while turning into the impact player who is able to win matches by dominating batsmen mentally using various tricks from his bag.Narine has not even played enough first-class matches to use up all the fingers on both hands. Yet with every match he has shown the aptitude to learn and an appetite to take wickets in big numbers. In his last first-class match, against Windward Islands, Narine bagged two five-wicket hauls for Trinidad and Tobago while opening the bowling. Sammy, leading Windward, remembered the match with an embarrassing smile; Narine removed the West Indies captain in the first innings although Sammy made 88 in the second.He tries to outfox the batsmen with changes of pace, but his biggest strength is accuracy which is highlighted by a Twenty20 economy rate of 5.20 and an ODI figure of 3.79. Also since he bowls with the scrambled seam, he makes it difficult for the batsman to read which the ball is going to spin. He then forces them to read off the pitch which means the batsman has to sit and wait. It is not an easy job as Australia will attest to.So it will be interesting to see Narine bowl to the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell who do not think twice before jumping out of the crease to dominate the spinners. Kieron Pollard, Narine’s team-mate and friend at Trinidad and Tobago, thinks Narine has the patience and the temperament to withstand pressure. This is as good a time as any to put Pollard’s opinion to the test because West Indies need a matchwinner desperately.Unlike England, who can afford to rest their leading bowler, James Anderson, due to strong bench strength, West Indies have been forced to recast their line-up owing mainly to injuries. In the absence of Roach, the onus will be on the pair of Ravi Rampaul and Narine. Rampaul is an honest workhorse but cannot single-handedly run through opposition. At the same time it would be unjust to ask Narine to change West Indies’ fortunes singlehandedly. The potential, though, is huge.

Plays of the Day from the third day of the second Test between New Zealand and South Africa in Hamilton

Firdose Moonda at Seddon Park17-Mar-2012Hopeful review of the day
After Jacques Kallis had Daniel Vettori caught behind, South Africa seemed in a hurry to end the match as quickly as possible. Three balls later, they asked for a review on an lbw appeal that was turned down against Kruger van Wyk. The diminutive wicket-keeper was struck on his front pad, after getting a good stride in and looked, to the naked eye, to have been hit outside the line. The review confirmed that he was and although the ball would have gone on to clip off stump, the umpire’s call stood. It appeared to be an act of desperation, though, as South Africa hoped to run through New Zealand and give themselves two days off.Captaincy move of the day
As lunch approached and South Africa looked for something to tease their appetites with, Mark Boucher decided he would take over. He walked over to Dale Steyn to offer some advice and kept going all the way to the fast-bowler’s mark with him. On his walk back to his own position, Boucher ordered Hashim Amla, who was fielding at short leg to hand over his helmet and move to deep square, to wait for the pull shot, and rearranged the slips. Steyn’s next delivery was a fiery bouncer but van Wyk didn’t have to do much other than duck under it.Shot of the day
Mark Gillespie proved himself to be an all or nothing man with the ball and he seems to be that way with the bat as well. He faced nine entertaining deliveries including one that he sent sailing for six with all the carefreeness of a balloon left to coast through the air. It was a good-length ball, Gillespie made room for himself and slogged over long-on. The boundaries are not particularly long so the big hit found itself well over and as a bonus, a member of the crowd caught it and won 200 New Zealand dollars for his efforts, the first time that has happened successfully in the match.Walk off the day
Vernon Philander has become used to leading the pack off the field and he did it again at the end of New Zealand’s second innings. With ball in hand Philander was first through the white picket fence and onto the paving where Gary Kirsten greeted him with a high five and Allan Donald with a pat on the back. South Africa let Dale Steyn walk in next and Morne Morkel after him as all the bowlers were allowed their moment of glory. At the back of the queue was a reluctant Imran Tahir, who bowled 17 overs without a wicket and must feel as though Test cricket isn’t giving him what he hoped it would. Tahir hoped to slink in with the rest but AB de Villiers nudged him forward and clapped him in, a gesture of reassurance over his role in the side.Nail-in-coffin moment of the day
New Zealand must have known they were out of luck when Gillespie appealed for lbw against Graeme Smith and was found to have overstepped on review. The ball appeared to have struck Smith in line and ball-tracking replays showed that it may have shaved leg stump. None of it mattered because Gillespie’s foot was a good few centimetres over the line. Doctrove also missed a no-ball in the first Test, off Doug Bracewell who appealed against Jacques Rudolph in the first innings in Dunedin. The only joy New Zealand got out of both of those was that they were given their reviews back.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the second semi-final in Colombo

Andrew Fernando in Colombo05-Oct-2012Knockout of the day
George Bailey had led a mini-resistance alongside Pat Cummins, and thanks to their 68-run partnership from 36 balls, Australia had cause to hope again. Kieron Pollard and Bailey had stared each other down even before the over began, and though Bailey hit four from the first ball, Pollard dismissed both him and Cummins from the second and third balls of the over to effectively seal the result and send West Indies to the final.Celebration of the day
Gayle’s Gangnam Style dance has been a theme of West Indies campaign, and over the three weeks, his teammates, and even the West Indies Women have imitated him in their wicket celebrations. West Indies took it to a new level after completing their semi final victory, when the entire team met mid-pitch and performed the dance, lasso move and all, while the DJ blasted the K-Pop phenomenon. It is rumoured the team hope to have large amounts of trash blasted at them if they win the final on Sunday.Dismissal of the day
When David Warner under-edged the last ball of the first over and the stumps were broken, even the bowler Samuel Badree seemed uncertain of what had happened. Initially it looked like wicketkeeper Dinesh Ramdin was appealing for a stumping, but replays showed Warner remained well in his crease. Eventually it dawned that the ball had dislodged the bails on the way to the wicketkeeper, and what is usually the most obvious and comprehensive dismissal in the game required a ruling from the third umpire.Shacklebreaker of the day
Chris Gayle appeared to be playing the same sort of frustrating innings Tillakaratne Dilshan had played in the first semi final when he had managed only 4 from nine balls. He finally connected with the last ball of the sixth over and the colossal strike over long off from Shane Watson lurched Gayle’s innings into top gear. It was the first of 14 sixes Australia suffered in the innings.Fielding of the day
Usually it’s batsmen who face chin music, but fast bowler Mitchell Starc got a little bit of his own medicine when Chris Gayle swatted one flat and fast to cow corner. Starc came in hoping to catch the ball on the full, but the ball bounced well short of him and the best he could do was stop it with his face.Relaxed running of the day
Coaches will tell young players to always run the first one hard, and then look to take a second, but Kieron Pollard and Chris Gayle did exactly the opposite in the sixteenth over, when they took two runs off Pat Cummins. Having hit the ball softly into a wide open space on the leg side, the pair sauntered casually for the first, before looking up and realising the fielders were still nowhere close to the ball. Almost reluctantly, Gayle realised they should probably take two, and began sprinting back down the pitch, and Pollard followed suit.

It was an innings against South Africa that helped Kane Williamson kick on as a Test player and he is now central New Zealand’s batting hopes

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town01-Jan-2013When it was Kane Williamson’s turn to bat against South Africa in the second innings of the Wellington Test in March, nothing was expected of him. New Zealand were 1 for 2, chasing an improbable 389 and facing likely defeat.He was on 7 when his time at the crease seemed to have run its course. He slashed Dale Steyn to point but the umpires could not determine whether the catch was cleanly taken. He survived.He was still on 7 when he edged Steyn to first slip and it fell short. He survived again but looked every much the child his boyish face makes him out to be.He had moved to 9 Steyn when struck him where it hurts, cracked his box and drew tears from his eyes. Bravely, he survived a third time.Williamson was dropped twice more before he found the confidence to reel out his high-elbow drive. But once the first one flowed off his bat with a silken touch he was a different player.By the end of match, Williamson could truly say he had become a man. His unbeaten 102 saved the Test and some face for New Zealand. It also helped him take the next step in his career.Before that, Williamson was just a talented youngster who had debuted with a century and faded slightly. After it, Williamson had shown he had something none of New Zealand’s other batsmen could muster properly – guts. They are going to need all of his on their tour of South Africa.New Zealand have only one senior batsman in their top six – Brendon McCullum – and he carries the additional responsibility of captaining the Test side for the first time and opening the batting. While Martin Guptill and Dean Brownlie are exciting in their own regard, they have failed to consistently inspire the kind of confidence that makes bowlers nervous.Williamson might, especially as he seems to have made some progress since the last time he faced South Africa. Does he think he has grown? “Do you mean in height,” he joked. Of course not. He knows that. “It’s always good to make improvement and learn as you go along,” is all he would really say about it but his numbers suggest slightly differently.His highest score to date was achieved just over a month ago during New Zealand’s victory in Colombo. Williamson’s 135 was a major factor in that game and showed he has what it takes to play a role when it matters. McCullum hopes that will continue.”We’re really hopeful he is going to have a big series,” McCullum said. “We know that he stood tall for us in that last match back home when he scored that match-saving hundred against South Africa and we are hopeful that he will continue to grow in this series as well.”For a young man, that may add a significant amount of pressure but Williamson is taking it in his stride. “It is always great to play a fierce opposition,” he said during preparations in the three-day match in Paarl where he scored 59. On a flat pitch there, Williamson looked assured but said he won’t read too much into his score because he expects different conditions and a much more hostile attack in the Tests.”There’s really not much in this surface and we should get more bounce and carry in the Tests so it may take a little longer to adjust to that,” he said. Patience is one of his obvious character traits, as is quiet confidence and he knows he will need both against South Africa. “Their attack is definitely the best I have ever come up against and it’s going to need a step up in level but hopefully the experience that I’ve gained can help me push onwards.Williamson also does not think he will have to do it alone even though New Zealand’s batting appears thin and there are few obvious candidates to help him defy South Africa. “It’s going to be important for each batsmen to contribute heavily,” he said in response to whether the feels he will need to do more in the middle order in the absence of Ross Taylor.Maybe he would simply prefer to keep his thoughts on the additional responsibility he will be given to himself, as he grapples with how he is going to approach it. The raw truth is that Williamson is just going to have to get used to being relied on more and even if he does not want to talk about it, he will have to accept it.After this tour, New Zealand have home and away series against England where they will again need a batting line-up that can withstand a high-quality attack. And after that doubtless there will be another challenge. Having even captained New Zealand in a one-day series, Williamson must know he has been earmarked as a future leader, with and without bat in hand.McCullum confirmed the standing Williamson has. “Hopefully he will occupy that No.3 spot so for another decade or so,” he said. “He has got a lot of cricket intelligence for a young guy, he is popular member amongst the squad and he works hard on his game. He ticks a lot of boxes and he has clearly got some skills as well.” In the next two Tests, South Africa will see some of it.

To see him taken off after three-over spells was frustrating, but Pattinson, more than any other of Australia’s current Test fast bowlers, needs to be managed conservatively

Brydon Coverdale23-Feb-2013James Pattinson’s workload on the second day in Chennai was a microcosm of his Test career. A short period of brilliance, then a long time out of action. Another brief and eventful display followed by another lengthy break. To see him rattle the stumps of both of India’s openers in a new-ball spell of 18 deliveries and then be taken off for 20 overs was frustrating but Pattinson, more than any other of Australia’s current Test fast bowlers, needs to be managed conservatively.Dennis Lillee thinks Pattinson can be the spearhead for years to come. He possesses serious pace, swing and Lillee-like raw aggression. He is the most exciting of Australia’s young fast men. Besides the nearly-forgotten Pat Cummins, he is also the most injury-prone. Since his debut in December 2011, Pattinson has played eight Tests and missed eight more through injury. It is not an encouraging ratio.A foot stress fracture prematurely ended his first Test summer and Australia’s selectors were left regretting their decision to ignore the advice of sports scientists, who correctly predicted he would break down during the Sydney Test against India. A back problem affected his trip to the West Indies last April, an abdominal strain prevented him touring England with Australia A in July and a side injury stopped him mid-Test against South Africa in Adelaide in November.During Pattinson’s Sheffield Shield comeback a month ago, Victoria’s captain Cameron White was told by Cricket Australia not to bowl him for any more than 12 overs per innings as his workload was gradually increased. There were no such constraints on Pattinson in Chennai, but under the circumstances it was easy to see why Michael Clarke handled him as gently as he would a priceless and fragile possession. Because that’s what he is.Twice in his first three Tests he was Man of the Match. The only time he has gone wicketless in an innings was when he broke down after 9.1 overs in Adelaide. His average of 20.88 since his Test debut is better than Dale Steyn’s during the same period. Steyn is precisely the type of bowler Australia hope Pattinson can become. He has the tools. But at 22, his body hasn’t reached the point of maturity at which fast-bowling injuries usually drop away.And so for the time being, Pattinson will be used in short, strong spells. By picking five bowlers Australia afforded themselves that luxury in Chennai, although they didn’t anticipate that he would be the only wicket taker. His first spell of three overs was sharp. The ball that swung in and bowled M Vijay was 150kph, far quicker than anything the Indian bowlers could deliver. And by going for his yorkers he took the slow pitch out of the equation.Pattinson’s speed was also too much for Virender Sehwag, who played on. But his dismissal was followed by three boundaries from Sachin Tendulkar and Clarke, sensing that Pattinson’s new-ball work had been done, put his strike bowler on hold for the next 20 overs. On a Chennai day that was hot but not oppressive, perhaps Pattinson could have come back sooner, especially given the way Tendulkar and Cheteshwar Pujara became set.But the long rest meant that when Pattinson did return he was as fresh as he had been at ball one. Again he bowled quick and although it was an offcutter that bowled Pujara, it still reached 140kph. His first spell was 3-1-16-2. His second was 3-1-9-1. He will certainly be well rested for day three. Pattinson was to come back for another spell before stumps, but Clarke was happy with the way Mitchell Starc was bowling.Of course, there is a fine line between managing Pattinson for maximum impact and simply under-bowling him. At some point during the tour, perhaps at some stage during this match, Australia will need more from Pattinson. But if fit he will be Clarke’s most valuable bowling resource during the Ashes, just as he already is on this tour. If fit. Australia can’t afford for their best bowler to keep missing a Test for every one that he plays.

Famous Greek philosopher weighs in on the year ahead. Hypothetically

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013Two thousand and thirteen promises to be one of the least diverse years in England’s recent cricketing history. In the next 13 months, they will play 15 Tests, 25 ODIs (one or two more if they qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy), and ten T20Is. After the impending five-match ODI series in India, all but two of their remaining currently scheduled total of 105 potential days of international cricket will be against New Zealand (up to 37 days: five Tests, seven ODIs, five T20Is) or Australia (up to 66 days: ten Tests, 11 ODIs, five T20Is).A group-stage Champions Trophy game against Sri Lanka, and a one-off ODI versus Ireland, offer the only non-antipodean variety in this oversized blancmange of cricketing homogeneity. As Aristotle once sagely said: “You can have too much of a good thing.” Admittedly, the former professional philosopher said that after waking up naked on top of the Parthenon after a few too many flagons of cheap ouzo and an unsuccessful wrestle with a man in a pantomime lion outfit claiming to be Hercules (The Complete and Incontrovertible Oxford History of Classical Philosophy). However, the famously wise old celeb had a point.All the indications suggest that, had Aristotle been born in a cricket-playing nation at some point in the mid-to-late 20th century, he would have been a big cricket fan, and quite probably a journalist and/or commentator (From Confucius to Wittgenstein: Dead Philosophers I Would Like To See Me Bowl).As such, Aristotle would undoubtedly have sat down on New Year’s day and thought: “Emotionally and logistically, I am going to have to prioritise. Even I, as a hardcore fan of the great game and, more importantly, as the senior cricket correspondent of the Harvard Journal of Ethical Philosophy and Bat Sports, I simply cannot care about all of those days of cricket. And whilst I love the Ashes and everything it stands for, its traditions and its ancient rivalry that has carved a compelling narrative through the last 136 years of history, even I might struggle to be overwhelmingly excited by watching the 38th Trott v Siddle duel of the year. Ah well, beats having a proper job.”Tell you what ‒ I’ll set myself a challenge,” the ace-class thinkster would continue. “I’ll try to write the words ‘Phil Hughes edged to third slip’ on fewer than 25 occasions this year. It’s going to be tough but I’ll give it a go. And I’ll try to enjoy the ODI series in India whilst I have the chance. Even if it is tagged on as a bit of an afterthought to last year’s Test series, and even if England are resting key players because they also have to prioritise what cricket they most care about ‒ because they have somehow scheduled themselves 103 days of cricket against just two countries from the other side of the planet in the next 13 months.”Aristotle would conclude: “I am going to make two predictions for this year. Prediction One: if on 31 December 2013 you ask 100 randomly selected cricket fans what the scoreline was in the five-match ODI series between England and Australia in September, a maximum of three will give you the correct answer. Two of them will have guessed it, and the other one will only remember because he landed a 12,000,000-1 accumulator bet because of it (the other three bets in which were: the British media to get overexcited at the birth of the magic royal baby; at least one six to be hit in this year’s IPL; and Chris Martin to score a Test hundred at Lord’s).”And Prediction Two: on current form, and with this schedule, effigies of Alastair Cook are going to be the biggest-selling Christmas gift of 2013 in 99% of all Australian shops.”When pressed for a prediction for the India-England series, Aristotle would stroke his outdated beard, say, “Well, that depends on whether India bat as badly as they did against Pakistan ‒which in turn depends in part on whether James Tredwell has borrowed Saeed Ajmal’s body ‒ and on whether England play as well as they did when they last played Test cricket in India, and not as well as they did when they last played ODI cricket in India. So, tough call. I’ll say 3-2 to India. Now leave me alone, I have to do some philosophy about how human beings should live, and stuff like that.”● England will have watched Pakistan’s superb series win with interest, and will have noted their key tactics – have a left-handed opening batsman who can score hundreds; and bowl relentlessly well. Part A they have the personnel in place for; Part B might be trickier to accomplish. Pakistan’s bowlers conceded just 3.77 per over during the series – the most economical performance by any bowling attack in an ODI series against India since New Zealand shipped 3.40 per over in a seven-match series in 2002-03, and the second lowest ever by a visiting attack in a one-day series in India (beaten only by the 1983-84 Pakistanis, who went for 3.57 per over in two games).It was the first time an away team in a bilateral ODI series between top-eight Test nations has conceded less than four per over since Pakistan’s trip to Sri Lanka in 2005-06 (3.60 per over – the only such performance more economical than the current Pakistan team’s recent effort since 1994-95).

Stats highlights from day two of the second Test in Hyderabad

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan03-Mar-2013

• For the third time against Australia, two or more centuries were scored by Indian top-order (1-3) batsmen in an innings. The previous two occasions came in Sydney 1986 when Sunil Gavaskar, K Srikkanth and Mohinder Amarnath made centuries and in Perth 1977 when Gavaskar and Amarnath scored centuries, Since the beginning of 2000, India have scored the most centuries against Australia (27 in 28 matches) followed by England, who have scored 25 in 30 Tests.
• The 294-run stand between M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara is the third-highest second-wicket stand for India and their highest such partnership against Australia. Their highest second-wicket stand overall is the 344-run stand between Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar against West Indies in Kolkata in 1978. The partnership is also the sixth highest for the second wicket in Tests against Australia with the highest being 382 between Len Hutton and Maurice Leyland at The Oval in 1938. Vijay had also been involved in a 308-run stand for the third wicket in the second Test in Bangalore on Australia’s previous tour of India in 2010. The partnership is 92 runs short of the highest ever stand in India-Australia Tests – the 386-run stand between Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting in Adelaide in 2012.
• Vijay, whose maiden century also came against Australia in 2010 in Bangalore, scored his first century in over two years. Between his two centuries, Vijay scored just 153 runs in 11 innings at an average of 13.90. Vijay’s century is also the first by an Indian opening batsman in matches against Australia since the Bangalore Test in 2010. Since 2000, Indian opening batsmen have scored the second-highest number of centuries against Australia (8). Only England are ahead on the list with 11 centuries.
• Pujara’s century is his fourth in Tests and first against Australia. In ten Tests so far he has scored 975 runs with four centuries and a half-century (on debut against Australia). Three of his centuries have been 150-plus scored with the highest (206) coming against England in Ahmedabad in 2012. In his previous Test at the venue (against New Zealand), Pujara had scored 159. His 162 is also the third-highest score by an Indian No. 3 batsman against Australia after VVS Laxman’s 281 (Kolkata 2001) and Rahul Dravid’s 233 (Adelaide 2003).
• Pujara and Vijay were quite slow to begin with bringing up the fifty-run stand off 157 balls. The next fifty-run stand was quicker and came off 97 balls. The subsequent fifty-run partnerships came off 80, 63 and 50 balls respectively.
• Pujara scored at a run-rate of 5.12 off the bowling of James Pattinson (41 off 48 balls) and 5.11 off Glenn Maxwell (29 off 34 balls). In contrast, he was much more subdued against Moises Henriques (27 off 60 balls). Vijay also scored quickly off Maxwell (26 off 26 balls) and Xavier Doherty (52 off 84 balls). Pujara had a fairly even distribution scoring 77 runs on the off side and 85 on the leg side. Vijay, however, scored 74 os hif 129 runs on the off side.
• Sehwag failed yet again falling to Peter Siddle for six. In six out of his last 12 innings against Australia, Sehwag has been dismissed in single figures. His last century against Australia came in Adelaide in 2008. Since the Mohali Test in 2010, Sehwag has scored 338 runs in 15 innings against Australia at an average of 22.53 with three half-centuries.

The possibility of China playing international cricket has excited fans, administrators and marketers, but they’re not quite there yet

Jon Newton26-Mar-2013″My dream is that before my lifetime I will be able to see India and China playing against each other in Test cricket,” said Malcolm Speed, former ICC chief executive, after his first visit to China in 2006. In ancient Chinese mythology that dream would be Shangri-La – utopia.The prospect of the world’s most populous country taking to the game has captured the imagination of cricket followers around the globe and has been a cause for much debate ever since. On that visit Speed met with members of the then newly established Chinese Cricket Association (CCA), which gained membership as an Affiliate of the ICC in 2005.With its vast population, the natural assumption has always been that China is potentially a sleeping giant of international cricket, and many have seen it as merely a matter of time before it awakens. Articles have been written about how people envision this first Test match between China and India playing out. These imaginings do make for entertaining reading, especially as they involve half the world’s population cheering on two national teams.However, it would be naïve to think that cricket is the only sport with the foresight to have identified China and its massive growth potential. Football has always been China’s most popular spectator sport. Yao Ming’s rise in the NBA has entrenched basketball even deeper into Chinese youth culture. Almost every school, whether rural or urban, has basketball and football facilities, and public spaces in the cities are host to thousands of youth playing in evening competitions. Even the NFL has generated interest across major cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou with city-based flag football leagues.Meanwhile, lack of quality facilities has been a challenge for cricket development in China. With only one turf wicket at the international stadium in Guangzhou, three synthetic pitches in Shanghai and one in Beijing, securing playing grounds can be an expensive proposition. International cricket gets very little, if any, media coverage here and when you explain to people the beauty of the game, in these parts called , it is immediately confused with the similarly pronounced (baseball).Familiarity and media exposure aside, the cultural challenges are more far-reaching than simply broadcasting World Cups to the masses in the hope that it will make youngsters want to start bowling to each other in the streets. China’s industrial growth has created opportunities for this generation that its predecessors never had. With family values and filial piety still the foundation of the nation’s culture, young people are encouraged to excel academically in the hope that prosperous careers and futures will follow, not only for the individual but for the family as a whole. At present, all Chinese cricketers are school or university students and are amateurs in the purest sense. While they may get access to coaching and opportunities to play over these formative years, upon graduating from tertiary education, the pressures and desire to pursue career goals takes precedence. Without any stable income from the sport on offer, no one can blame them. The tragedy is that there are very few avenues for youngsters to continue playing, as the local playing platforms are only available within the schooling system.

The ambitious goals of a 150,000-strong player base by 2011, qualifying for the 2019 World Cup, and obtaining Test status by 2020, claims that originally created so much media hype and excitement, can now be shelved as romantic ideals

This social dynamic has meant that a number of talented cricketers have fallen out of the system. Mei Chunhua is one of China’s most capped cricketers and a former captain of the women’s team. As a young graduate, she is now based in Shanghai and works in marketing for a foreign medical supplies company. She spends some of her evenings working part-time as an umpire at Shanghai’s newly built indoor cricket arena and plays in the social third division on Sundays at the Shanghai Cricket Club (SCC). “I’ve spent almost six years playing cricket full time. It’s disappointing that I couldn’t continue to play at that level, but I’ll never regret playing and even quitting my first job to make myself available again. I have to choose to work now, though I’d definitely prefer to be a full-time cricketer. But I can’t see that happening soon.”Olympic status would no doubt help. China’s results at the games are a testament to how important Olympic pride and performance are from a nationalistic perspective, and Olympic sports programmes receive handsome government funding. With the ICC still undecided about its future as an Olympic member, that lifeline unfortunately isn’t anywhere on the horizon. These obstacles have meant that the ambitious goals of a 150,000-strong player base by 2011, qualifying for the 2019 World Cup, and obtaining Test status by 2020, claims that originally created so much media hype and excitement, can now be shelved as romantic ideals.That said, however, over the last few years, the CCA, with support from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), has been making quiet inroads. Cricket development here has taken a two-pronged approach. The first and most crucial one is the natural focus at grassroots level by training up coaches and umpires with the intention of nurturing an interest for the game, and hopefully some basic skills, in the schooling system.The Shanghai Cricket Association (SCA) is currently China’s only regional cricket association recognised to have provincial governing mandate by the CCA, and it has been very active in implementing development objectives. Since its founding in 2008, the SCA has trained over 40 schoolteachers as certified coach-umpires running cricket programmes as part of their physical education curriculums. With more than 50 academic institutions registered under SCA membership, to date over 5000 Chinese students in Shanghai alone have attended SCA-managed cricket classes or programmes.Terry Zhang, the deputy secretary general and external affairs director of the CCA, has been involved with cricket development since the organisation’s earliest days and takes a realistic view of growth over the long-term across the country. “Cricket has been introduced in more than 100 schools and to 30,000 students in China over the past eight years. However, considering the large population of China, cricket is still an unknown sport to most Chinese people. There is a long way for CCA to go to make cricket a well-known sport in China.”An encouraging sign, however, is the progress that the women’s team has made on the Asian circuit. Hosting the 2012 Women’s T20 Asia Cup in late November in Guangzhou, China finished a respectable fifth out of Asia’s top eight teams including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. They also came painstakingly close to beating a Full Member nation, pushing Bangladesh to the wire in the opening day’s encounter, which went to the last over. While it was disappointing not to have enjoyed such a high-profile victory, China were buoyed by the fact that they finished above all other Associate members.Legspinner Han Lili took 14 wickets•UTPMedia/nforce sportsWith the Women’s World Twenty20 final qualifiers in their sights, the ACC Women’s Championship in Thailand this January was a must-win event – only one qualification spot was available in Ireland later this year. China went through the round-robin stages unbeaten and even broke an Asia women’s cricket record by posting 272 for 3 in 25 overs against Kuwait. Zhang Mei was the batsman of the tournament, with 269 runs at 67.25 over the seven games. Another outstanding on-field contribution was the legspin of Han Lili, who racked up 14 wickets. However, Thailand’s strong bowling attack, and possibly a change in China’s strategy, due to which they bowled first after winning the toss, meant that the team that appeared to be strong favourites to win the tournament stumbled at the finish line. China’s solitary loss came in the crucial final and enabled Thailand to qualify as the fifth Asian nation for the qualifiers in Ireland.There is no doubt that victory in this event, and thus progress to World Twenty20 final qualifiers, would have been the country’s highest cricketing achievement to date, and the disappointment within the cricket fraternity here that it did not come to pass cannot be overstated. That said, the rapid climb up the Asian rankings made by the women’s team and the ability to compete at such a high standard is indicative of how the grassroots school approach is succeeding in developing promising cricketers.Hopefully in years to come, some sort of platform for sustainability and consolidation of this talent pool will present itself so that after graduating from university, players like these can build on the progress already made.In part two: the second development strategy, which is the engagement of the foreign cricketing community in China and abroad, and the opportunities it has presented young Chinese players to develop as cricketers

Plays of the day from the fourth ODI between Sri Lanka and South Africa

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Jul-2013The would-be wide
Tillakaratne Dilshan has found crucial wickets during the series, and he did so again in Pallekele, first trapping an imperious Hashim Amla lbw, and claiming AB de Villiers’ wicket as well, off a much poorer delivery. Bowling from around the wicket, Dilshan pitched a length delivery outside leg stump, and turned it further away from the right-handed batsman, for what should have been a regulation wide-call for the umpire. But instead of leaving the ball alone or sweeping it powerfully, de Villiers played a lap-sweep, for which he might have only got two runs, and ended up deflecting the ball off the face of the bat and into Kumar Sangakkara’s waiting gloves.The fielding change
Having never played against Ajantha Mendis before, Farhaan Behardien lasted only two deliveries before he was bowled by the Sri Lankan spinner in the third ODI, and thanks to a clever change in the field his stay was even shorter in this match. Mendis removed David Miller early in the 38th over, and as soon as Behardien arrived, captain and bowler colluded to place a slip and a short leg – the latter particularly strange given the match situation. Behardien defended the first ball safely, but when Mendis dropped an off-break slightly shorter next delivery, the ball took slightly more turn than the batsman anticipated and his attempted clip to the leg side became a straightforward catch for short leg, off the inside half of the bat.The sweep
If the batsman is good enough though, a fielding change can also be an opportunity. With Lasith Malinga going full and wide to JP Duminy in the 46th over, Mathews thought to remove the man at midwicket in order to reinforce his defences square on the off side. Having seen the now vacant space between square leg and mid-on, Duminy found a way to exploit the large gap, despite a well-executed full delivery from Malinga. Moving across his stumps, Duminy got low, and swept Malinga, changing the length from yorker to full toss, and sending the ball screaming through almost exactly where midwicket had stood.The missed review
Having seen Kumar Sangakkara strike a walloping 169 in the first match of the series, you’d think South Africa would use everything at their disposal to cut his innings short. But despite having used reviews speculatively throughout the series, they barely even considered reviewing the umpire’s decision, when JP Duminy rapped Sangakkara on the pads in the 26th over. South Africa appealed vigorously, but when the umpire turned them down quickly, neither bowler nor keeper appeared confident of overturning the decision. The projected path however showed that the ball would have struck enough of the leg stump to send Sangakkara on his way for 33.The misfields
Lonwabo Tsotsobe dropped a sitter in the second match that AB de Villiers later said had had the potential to lose the game, and though no aerial chances came his way on Sunday, he committed two comical fielding errors in five balls, just after he had conceded 25 runs in his last two overs. Fielding at fine leg, Tsotsobe first let a Dilshan pull go between his legs and to the fence, before early next over, he went to his knees at short fine leg to collect another Dilshan swivel-shot, only to let the ball bounce through him and travel to the boundary again.