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).

Five years down the line, Rohit Sharma hasn’t played a single Test, is not a permanent fixture in the ODI playing XI and is, if he is indeed picked, a floater in the batting order

Deepika Ravi25-Feb-2013During the 2007-08 ODI series in Australia, India had unearthed an exciting young player. Rohit Sharma had come good during the series. At the end of the series, he was touted by many as the heir to Sachin Tendulkar.Close to almost five years later, watching the 25-year-old play, I wonder: what went wrong? One of Australia’s best and most formidable captains, Ian Chappell had described Rohit as the next best thing to happen to Indian cricket. To begin with, here was a batsman with a really good technique. Next up, you noticed, amid the many sloggers, a man with crisp drives and solid punches. Then came his fielding: energetic, enthusiastic and near perfect. A bonus perhaps was his really useful offspin. All in all, here was the complete package.But five years down the line, Rohit Sharma hasn’t played a single Test, is not a permanent fixture in the ODI playing XI and is, if he is indeed picked, a floater in the batting order. Plenty of opportunities have come his, more often than not he has failed to cash in on them. The accusations levelled against him are being irresponsible, poor running, and throwing his wicket away in tight circumstances. If Rohit takes a reality check he will probably see himself going nowhere.I agree I’ve been a little too harsh on him, for he has had his moments of sheer brilliance. Right up from his debut during the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup through the Australia ODI series, right down to his recent century in the IPL, each and every one of those rare innings were gems, characterised by gorgeous shots. His shortcoming, however, lies in his inability to do it time and again, something the other batsman in his league (the likes of Virat Kohli) do, day in, day out. Far too many chances have been given away and in all probability they will dwindle. One of my personal favourites, an incredible talent, Rohit Sharma must do all it takes to keep himself from going off the radar.

From Neeraj Narayanan, India

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013
The 90s were something else•Associated PressI do not know why I don’t like the IPL. Maybe it is the sheer obscene display of money, maybe it is the cheerleaders. Maybe I like to believe that even in 2011, cricket does not come under the purview of entertainment, instead it still should be treated like a gentleman’s game. Just like how I feel sad seeing empty parks and blame it on Facebook. Maybe I am just not ready to accept change.And so, when Set Max’s live telecast of the player auction began, I switched off the box and sat down beside my bookshelf, cross-legged and, might I add, adorable. At the end of my endeavours, a rather disheveled scrap book found its way into my callused palms. A shoddily cut picture of Tendulkar, with a few yellow stains on his cheek formed the cover of the dog eared book titled, ‘Nero – the summer of ‘96’.Nineteen-ninety six was indeed a memorable year. It was the year I evolved into a teenager, and the year I first fell in love. Seated two rows across, I would look at her and wonder if even the Taj Mahal could be so pretty, and if it was necessary that we hug or kiss (blech!) when we got married. It was also the year my voice broke and I croaked like a frog and why we never eventually got married. It was the year when Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid first played for India.The 90s was the decade when cable television tiptoed stealthily into Indian households. The sudden plethora of channels amazed us, and we were shocked to know that news channels were allowed to hire pretty women, a fact that Doordarshan, our national channel, always hid from us. When electricity failed on us, which it did with clockwork regularity, we would run to the neighbourhood shop. You see we did not have Cricinfo then. Once there, we would stand hunched along with fifteen others, with perky ears, submerging as one big family into agony or ecstasy with the lows and the highs of the team’s fortunes.Back then, none of the Indian players had fancy hair styles. All of Azhar’s ‘boys’ as he repeatedly called them at every match conference, were absolute mama’s boys – be it Sachin, Rahul, Kumble or Srinath. It almost seemed like flamboyance was not allowed to be part of that Indian team character. There was no dude at all in the team, no Kohli, no Yuvraj. No one sledged, no one stared, it appeared as if they were standing in a temple, instead of a ground. Even Sourav was a quiet little fellow till he became captain in 2000. Unlike 2010, when we have been tagged No.1 in Test cricket, we were archaic in those days, even medieval, in our play. Our batting rose and fell with Sachin, our fast bowlers ticked and as their favourite daily diet, and our best fielder was a 35-year old man called Robin Singh. It was inexplicable – the team totally refused to dive on the ground, and Anil and Sri became models for a ad every time they had to bend their knees to stop a ball. I would scream at them and call them ‘women’ and my sister would glare at me malevolently.In that entire decade, we never won a Test outside the subcontinent. But isn’t that why we became obsessed with the team. There is a feeling that comes with being part of an underdog, that impassioned aggressive desire to punch and knock out a better opponent, that one can never understand being part of a champion side. It is heady, it is intoxicating. Ask Hayden or Gilchrist if they feel as bad about a loss as a young Bangladesh side would feel about a win. Watch how players react when they beat Roger Federer and you will have an idea. It is only because David beat Goliath, did the story become romantic. And it was the same with India. With our team, we felt crushed a million times, and ecstatic a few other times, but with that grew our loyalty and misplaced patriotism. It was also why we made Sachin into a demi-god.But now, everything has changed. Twenty20, IPL , businessmen, cheerleaders, Mandira Bedis have now become an integral part of modern day cricket lexicon. The Indian team is at its best. Today, Afghanistan have done all but enter the cricket fold, Zimbabwe are all but extinct. England are thrashing Australia in the Ashes, in ways they were themselves slapped around for over a century. There is no Wasim and no Waqar, thank heavens for Steyn. Everything has changed, except maybe Sachin Tendulkar. As always, he remains our hero across all ages, across all time, across all hairstyles. Our one constant.P.S – That scrap book, it had its first page dedicated to a code of conduct. As captain, my first rule did not allow any members of the Sector 55 Noida team to use any expletives while playing. I guess, once upon a time, I was a relatively better person. As I flipped through the pages, an assorted mix of match scores and statistics appeared scribbled in pencil, that most innocent of communication facilitators. My laptop lay across the room, proud and superior.

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.

He may not be the quickest or the most dangerous bowler in world cricket but James Anderson has mastered the skill of fast bowling and England would be lost without him

George Dobell at Lord's17-May-2013If any reminder was required of James Anderson’s value to the England team, it was provided in empathic fashion on the second afternoon at Lord’s.It was not just that Anderson joined an illustrious group of players to have claimed 300 Test wickets – he was the 26th man to do so and just the fourth England player – but that he produced a performance so palpably superior to his colleagues that it was painfully clear once more how much his team continue to rely upon him. Without his contribution, England would be in desperate trouble in this match.When Fred Trueman became the first man to take 300 Test wickets, in 1964, he remarked that anyone else who reached the landmark would be “bloody tired”. So it was probably not surprising to see Anderson appearing weary at the close of play. But it was not just the emotion of reaching a landmark that has been looming in the road ahead for some months, at this famous old ground and in front of his proud parents, but that he continues to shoulder more than his share of the bowling duties of this England side. Only when Graeme Swann, gaining turn and bounce, was in support did England maintain control at both ends.The difference between the sides to date – and New Zealand have looked the stronger so far – has largely been in the performance of the support seam bowlers. While New Zealand’s were wonderfully disciplined and tight, England’s have been profligate and expensive.Stuart Broad, in particular, endured a wretched day. After a duck with the bat underlined the doubts about his suitability to bat as high as No. 8 – he has reached 30 just once in his last 20 Test innings – he then conceded 10 boundaries in his first 13 overs. On a truculent pitch on which England had struggled to score at more than two-an-over, every long-hop he delivered – and there were several – was another body blow for his team. He generated neither great pace nor great swing and, in conditions in which seam bowlers should dream, was close to a liability.Steven Finn, cut to ribbons by the impressive Ross Taylor as punishment for over doing the short ball, was even more expensive. But while Finn was selected for this game in the knowledge that he was a fast bowler in the developmental stage of his career, Broad is playing his 56th Test. Such seniority comes with expectation. England require more from Broad.Besides, Finn was hostile and sharp. He has conceded more runs in 11 overs than Bruce Martin did in 26, but he compensated with a wicket that kept his side clinging on to the coattails of New Zealand. Taylor later commented that they would be looking for a first innings lead of 50 or 60 but at one stage it looked as if it could be far more than that. “I wasn’t looking to score at a run-a-ball,” he said. “They just bowled a few loose balls.”Both Finn and Broad could learn much from Anderson. He is, in most ways, a far superior bowler to the young man who, a decade ago to the month, burst upon the Test scene here with a five-wicket haul against Zimbabwe. Most crucially, he has learned how to bowl an inswinger to complement the outswinger with which he claimed his first Test wicket; Mark Vermeulen beaten by a beauty that pitched leg and hit the top of off.

“I’m happy I got the landmark out of the way, really. It was nice that Graeme Swann took the catch to reach it. It was just nice to see him hold on to one.”James Anderson on his 300th Test wicket

Anderson has developed a consistency, too, that led Andrew Strauss to name him the most reliable bowler he ever captained, MS Dhoni to remark that he was the “difference between the sides” in the Test series in India and earned him an excellent opportunity to overhaul Sir Ian Botham’s England record of 383 Test wickets. He might not be the most dangerous, the quickest or even the best fast bowler in Test cricket – those accolades surely belong to Dale Steyn – but it is very hard to think of one more skilful.But it’s perhaps Anderson’s attitude that marks him apart. While some bowlers bemoan their workloads and their aches and pains, Anderson simply gets on with it. His quiet, modest demeanour conceals a strength that used to be considered a pre-requisite of a fast bowler. He makes neither excuse nor complaint and prepares with the professionalism and diligence required to go into every Test in condition to give of his best. It is a long, long time since Anderson bowled poorly with a red ball. Taylor later compared him to “a mixture of Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn”, to which Anderson responded: “I’ll take that”.Maybe time – and all those overs – have taken a toll, though. Until a couple of years ago, Anderson was still capable of bowling spells at least approaching 90mph. Now he operates closer to 80mph and, on pitches or conditions offering no assistance, can appear tidy but unthreatening. He experienced a disappointing tour of New Zealand and a disappointing series against South Africa, though whether he has chosen to bowl within himself in the knowledge of spells ahead or whether the miles on the clock are starting to show is unclear. It is quite true that speed is not everything, but it is not nothing, either.”I don’t see why not,” 30-year-old Anderson replied when asked if he could beat Botham’s record. “I’m not too old. I’ve a few more left yet. But I don’t want to think about it. I’ll just try and stay fit.”I’m happy I got the landmark out of the way, really. It was nice that Graeme Swann took the catch to reach it. It was just nice to see him hold on to one,” he said with a smile. “It meant a lot to me and I could see how much it meant to him too.”Anderson’s relief was tempered by the knowledge that New Zealand remain in the stronger position in this game and that his side’s bowling had contributed to the situation. While he modestly attempted to share the blame, his description of events owed far more to his colleagues than himself.”I bowled too many short and wide and I’m sure the other guys would say the same,” Anderson said. “That’s one of Taylor’s strengths and we knew that. We weren’t trying to bowl there. We just didn’t bowl very well for that period of time.”England will have to bowl far better on the third day if they are to claw their way back into the game. But the knowledge that Anderson remains fit and willing to lead the revival will remain as reassuring to England’s supporters as it has been to a succession of England captains.

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

Stats highlights from an incredible Twenty20 game in Southampton, where 457 runs were scored in 40 overs and seven bowlers conceded 40 or more

S Rajesh30-Aug-2013 The match aggregate of 457 is the highest in a Twenty20 international, 29 runs more than the previous record, a tied match between New Zealand and Australia in Christchurch in 2010 that produced 428 runs. This is the ninth instance of a 400-plus aggregate in a Twenty20 international. For the first time in a Twenty20 international, there were two century partnerships in an innings: Aaron Finch added 114 for the second wicket with Shaun Marsh (in which Marsh’s contribution was 28), and 101 for the third wicket with Shane Watson, who scored 37. The 101-run stand between Finch and Watson came at a rate of 14.78 runs per over, the second-fastest 100-plus stand in this format. The fastest was by Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard, who struck 108 off 6.5 overs (which was also the duration of the Finch-Watson stand) against New Zealand in Lauderhill last year. The Finch-Marsh stand of 114 came at a rate of 12.43, the sixth-fastest. Finch’s 156 is 33 more than the previous highest in Twenty20 internationals: Brendon McCullum’s 123 was the previous best, against Bangladesh in Pallekele in the 2012 World Twenty20. Finch also created a record for the most sixes in an innings (14), going one better than Richard Levi’s previous record. The only bowler who managed to restrict Finch to a strike rate of less than 200 was Jade Dernbach, who conceded 13 runs from seven balls. Against all the other bowlers, Finch scored at a strike rate of more than 200, with Joe Root suffering the most, going for 26 off five balls (strike rate of 520). Dernbach also finished as the only bowler to go at less than 9.50 runs per over, conceding only 34 in his four overs, and taking three wickets as well. Eighteen sixes in an innings, which Australia managed at the Rose Bowl, is also the highest in an innings, one more than what South Africa had managed against England in Centurion in 2009. Joe Root’s unbeaten 90 is the joint second highest in a losing cause in a T20I; the only higher score is Gayle’s 117 against South Africa in the first match of the 2007 World Twenty20 in Johannesburg. David Warner had also scored 90 not out in a defeat against Sri Lanka in Sydney earlier this year. It’s also the fifth-highest score in a run-chase in this format. With 457 runs being scored in 40 overs, this clearly wasn’t a game for the bowlers: seven of them – Steven Finn, Stuart Broad and Danny Briggs for England; Mitchell Johnson, Josh Hazlewood, Fawad Ahmed and Shane Watson for Australia – conceded 40 or more runs, the first such instance in a T20I. It could have been eight, but James Faulkner stopped one run short of that mark. There had been one previous instance of six bowlers going for 40 or more, in that tied game between New Zealand and Australia in Christchurch in 2010 which produced 428 runs.

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.

Plays of the Day from the match between Chennai Super Kings and Trinidad & Tobago in Delhi

Siddarth Ravindran02-Oct-2013Crazy running of the day
Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling was taken apart in the first two matches of the tournament, and he has hardly had a chance to perform with the bat. Today, he had the opportunity to help his team recover from a middle-order wooble, but he threw his wicket away with some awful running. Jadeja sprinted for a quick single after MS Dhoni tapped the ball towards midwicket but, as he was completing the run, instead of continuing straight on, he ran diagonally across, which meant he ran about a couple of yards more than he needed to. Perhaps it was to avoid being struck by the throw, but the extra time permitted to the fielder meant that an under-arm direct hit caught Jadeja short.Comic running of the day
In the final over of Chennai Super Kings’ innings, the last pair were in the middle when Mohit Sharma drove the ball back at the bowler, Rayad Emrit. It struck the non-striker R Ashwin’s bat and flew over the stumps at the bowler’s end. While trying to stop the ball, Emrit and Ashwin collided and Ashwin lost his bat. Mohit seeing the ball elude the bowler had already set off for the single, but Ashwin, who was a few yards down the track before the contact with Emrit, hadn’t spotted that and sprinted back towards the bowler’s end. Both batsmen were nearly at the same end, forcing Ashwin to gallop for the single; he nearly made it, dipping his head like a sprinter as he neared the crease, but without his bat he had to run extra and ended up just short.Ball of the day
One of Ravi Rampaul’s prized assets is his ability to summon up the unplayable delivery – for example, the peach to get rid of Tillakaratne Dilshan in the World Twenty20 final last year. This time he got rid of the rock of Super Kings, Michael Hussey, with a beauty. In the second over, the ball darted back in at Hussey, far too much for him to cover, and the offstump was left reclining yards away from its customary position. It was Hussey’s first failure in the tournament.Walk of the day
Plenty was made of the clash between Dwayne Bravo and his home team. Bravo got a rare chance to bat plenty of time today as he was sent in at No. 5. He didn’t last long, though, after nicking Emrit through to the keeper when on 2. T&T were convinced they had the wicket of Bravo but the umpire was not, and despite the confident appeal the finger wasn’t raised. Bravo, though, knew he had edged it and walked off, to the jubilation of the T&T team.

The fact that his wrist is not behind the ball and the seam doesn’t come out upright speak volumes

Aakash Chopra23-Oct-2013Let me start with a disclaimer: I’ve been a huge Ishant Sharma fan, right from the day I saw him bowl in a Ranji Trophy one-dayer years ago. It was rare to see an Indian fast bowler as tall as that. He also had the perfect high-arm action and a solid wrist behind the ball.His height offered him extra bounce off the surface, and the ball almost always came out of his hand with the seam upright, which allowed him immense control. Such was his mastery over his line that we at Delhi could give him a 7-2 off-side field and the chances were he would not go for a single boundary off the legs throughout the day.He was barely out of his teens then, but it was quite evident that this lad would almost certainly play for the country, for he had potential and promise. Besides the obvious physical advantages, his mind seemed perfectly primed for the job: he simply loved bowling. Ishant would never shy away from bowling long hours in the nets. He was the first to raise his hand if the captain needed some overs, even towards the end of a long day.So I wasn’t surprised one bit when he bowled that magical spell to Ricky Ponting in Perth. Ishant went on to bowl many such probing spells, especially when India toured overseas. He wasn’t the typical Indian swing bowler – more the sort of hit-the-deck-hard bowler who was likely to get purchase off hard and bouncy Australian and South African pitches.Ishant stood out on another count – he typically bowled slightly short of a good length. If one can get steep bounce, along with some sideways movement, as Ishant used to, both ways, success can almost be taken for granted.However, as he progressed in his international career – and he progressed much faster than many of his age – his wrist started to defy his commands. It was no longer willing to stay behind the ball every time he bowled, and that meant the seam was rarely upright on release. If the seam is wobbling at the point of release, it’s improbable that the ball will land on the seam, which in turn means negligible lateral movement off the deck. The extra bounce, which was his best ally, lost its sting because the predictability of length coupled with the lack of lateral movement off the surface allowed batsmen to ride the bounce.Ishant could still bowl some probing spells on days when his wrist didn’t fall, or when, by some stroke of luck, the ball landed on the seam more often than not. I distinctly remember his spell to Mahela Jayawardene on a docile Sri Lankan pitch, in which he made one of the world’s finest batsmen dance to his tune. Unfortunately those spells were few and far between.Even when Ishant was far from his best, MS Dhoni kept faith in him, for he was still one of the few who would readily bowl 18 or 20 overs in a Test match day. There are bowlers who are there to take wickets and then there are the ones who the captain wants in his side, for you need workhorses if you are to get through 90 overs in a day. Not that the latter variety are not expected to take wickets, but they are allowed to take fewer than the rest; that’s part of the bargain.In the last six months things have taken a turn for the worse, for Ishant has seemingly almost stopped even attempting to bowl with the seam upright. When a fast bowler ceases to deliver the ball with the seam upright, you know his confidence is at its lowest ebb. Sacrificing the upright seam and its benefits is usually part of a bid to gain more control, but ironically control is also a matter of confidence. If you aren’t 100% sure of where the ball is going to land, chances are, more often than not it won’t land where you want it to.Ishant’s lack of confidence in his ability to put the ball in the desired spots was clearly visible in that 30-run over. But while post-match analyses wrote him off, and the next morning’s newspapers carried obituaries, not many attempted to deconstruct those infamous six balls.

When a fast bowler ceases to deliver the ball with the seam upright, you know his confidence is at its lowest ebb. Sacrificing the upright seam and its benefits is usually part of a bid to gain more control, but ironically control is also a matter of confidence

Ball one: Long-on and long-off were on the fence, and Ishant attempted a yorker. The ball ended up two feet outside off and at least a couple short of the blockhole. Faulkner dispatched it for four over covers.Ball two: Ishant brought mid-off inside the circle, which meant that he had to bowl a short ball, and he did. Just that Faulkner was ready for it and hit a six.Ball three: Ishant brought third man and fine leg inside the circle, and had long-on and long-off on the fence. The only place to bowl was full and within the stumps. Another attempted yorker missed its spot by a good few feet and went for a six over his head.Ball four: Not knowing what to do, Ishant bowled a length ball. Most times, bowling a length ball in the death overs is a sin, but he got away with only two runs this time.Balls five and six: Ishant had one fielder on the fence on the off side, long-off, and three on the on side. He had two options to choose from: one, a yorker within the stumps, or two, a short ball to the body. He chose the latter and gave away two more sixes. Which raises the point that if that was what he wanted to do, he should have brought long-off inside the circle and sent fine leg to the fence. With fine leg inside the circle it was not prudent to dig it in too short, for even a top edge would go over the infield. And there was very little chance of a bouncer being hit over the mid-off fielder.Unfortunately, Ishant couldn’t deliver good old yorkers, conventional or slower bouncers, or changes of pace with precision under pressure.I’ve not come across many players who are as hard-working as Ishant is, and it saddens me that he is not learning from his mistakes – or perhaps the lessons aren’t being conveyed to him accurately. He is only 25 and it’s not too late for him to go back to the basics of keeping the wrist steady and attempting to release the ball with the seam upright. The rest is bound to fall in place.