All posts by h716a5.icu

Deprived of their full-strength bowling attack, South Africa looked an altogether woollier proposition

David Hopps in Cardiff06-Jun-2013South Africa’s Test side has a discipline, know-how and physicality that has worn down the best the world can offer. Opponents bounce off the South Africa Test side like rubber balls off an oak door. South Africa’s one-day side does not possess the same authority. It is a side trying to disguise its deficiencies as well as it can.AB de Villiers wants South Africa’s one-day side to have the same resilience and sense of threat. That is only natural, it is the side he captains. He had promised to release a pack of wolves against India but, if it suffers many more bowling injuries, it could become the sort of wolf pack that even Mowgli learned he could stare down in .India’s ODI side has moved on from Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir and Yuvraj and remains a side to be reckoned with. South Africa must envy their array of young talent and the way it has been integrated so seamlessly. They took on India without Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn, and then saw Morne Morkel fail to complete his allocation because of a strained quad. Those who replaced them lack the same presence.Morkel will undergo a scan on Friday and even if the provisional assessment is that it is only a minor strain, it can still take up to seven days to clear, leaving the disturbing prospect that Steyn and Morkel might miss the next match against Pakistan in a day-night encounter at Edgbaston. Chris Morris, who had a good IPL for Chennai Super Kings, might be a preferred replacement on the grounds that South Africa have been reluctant to risk Vernon Philander’s vulnerable physique in the one-day game.Ryan McLaren acquitted himself respectably well but South Africa’s second-string attack looked just that•AFPUnable to call on such talent as India, South Africa were forced to gamble. Robin Peterson had never reached 50 in 68 previous ODIs, and only batted in the top six on seven previous occasions, but he was thrown in at No. 3.It was logical enough. Pre-tournament talk had concentrated on exacting batting conditions in English conditions, with two new balls, but the reality was far more amenable to batsmen. Here was a promoted lower-order batsman playing the ODI innings of his life on a flat pitch under sunny skies. As India’s spinners fought back by suffocating South Africa in the middle order, not much seemed to have changed.If South Africa experimented with their batting line-up, with the ball they played according to pre-set notions. They chose to bowl, said de Villiers, because the stats told them to, even though the forecast indicated that the morning cloud would burn off almost as soon as the match started. They made liberal use of the short ball, said de Villiers, because it was the best way to go against subcontinent batsmen.”Against a subcontinent team, I still prefer some of the batters to hit us off our lengths instead of hitting us down the ground when we are on the fullish side, especially in English conditions,” de Villiers said.”I don’t mind the guys having that aggressive mindset. I am very proud of the way we fought back. We got five wickets in a very short time in the middle overs and I think that was probably the short ball paying off.”There was 100percent of the pack of wolves out there today. Every time I connected with the team, their energy and intent and awareness was there. Losing Morne Morkel was a shock but the way the boys fought back to restrict them to a chase-able score was a great effort.”

Kleinveldt is the wolf that looks as if it has dined out on too much elk and moose. He recently suggested that he had lost 10kgs but, if he had lost it, it looked easy enough to find

But two of the wolves were Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Rory Kleinveldt. Tsotsobe was the wolf who keeps losing his bearings and has to be guided back into the pack before he strays too much. Kleinveldt is the wolf that looks as if it has dined out on too much elk and moose. He recently suggested that he had lost 10kgs but, if he had lost it, it looked easy enough to find.Kleinveldt is 30 and only made his ODI debut earlier this year. He was probably a little taken aback when the opportunity finally came. It must have seemed “a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world”, as the Kinks once sung about Lola. When he did force an error against the short ball, it twice sailed just out of the reach of South Africa’s fielders; Shikhar Dhawan was 27 when he cleared Morkel at fine leg and 69 when he pulled over the head of Peterson, well in from the rope at deep square.At least Ryan McLaren, portrayed as Kallis lite, had a thoroughly decent game. He bowled with more intelligent than most, conceding 70 but dismissing three of India’s top six in the process. He even bowled a yorker – such a rarity it almost amounted to insubordination.He then made an unbeaten 71 at No. 8 to take South Africa within 26 runs, a more respectable outcome than seemed had likely when Morkel limped out at No. 11 with South Africa still 75 shy of their target. South Africa accepted that it was a calculated risk for Morkel to bat, but if they are to qualify, it might now come down to net run rate and the 48 runs added in the last 7.1 overs, seemingly with no damage done in the process, was a rewarding outcome.Without two disastrous run outs – first Peterson, later David Miller, potentially destructive but run out without facing a ball – South Africa would have got closer than many expected. At 155 for 2 around midway, they were in the match; at 188 for 6, with Miller and Faf du Plessis standing at the same end, discussing who had been run out, they were out of the match.”Miscommunication in the heat of battle,” de Villiers called it. “The run outs cost us dearly today.” He smiled, but it was the smile of the wannabe leader of a wolf pack. The rabbits in Bute Park would have been best advised to remain out of sight if South Africa’s captain fancied creeping through a gap in the hedge for a late-night stroll

Test cricket should be taken to venues outside the south-east of England if it should inspire the next generation

Sam Blackledge, UK03-Sep-2013There was a time in England when the old favourite grounds of Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford, Trent Bridge, Headingley and The Oval held the monopoly on five-day matches every summer. Then in 2003 Chester-Le-Street, now unfortunately known as the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, broke the cycle by welcoming Zimbabwe. The visitors were bowled out for 94 in their first dig and lost by an innings and plenty. The Riverside embraced its big moment and a change appeared to be coming – Test cricket would surely now reach more far-flung parts of the country.Over the last decade, there have indeed been matches played at Cardiff’s Swalec Stadium, Hampshire’s Rose (or Ageas) Bowl – and that’s it. Bristol has hosted ODIs, but none of the other 13 main first-class grounds get a look-in.When I was growing up, I saw a lot of cricket. I was lucky to live just down the road from Edgbaston, and my love for the game was fuelled by the all-conquering Warwickshire side of the mid-1990s. But the real thrill was Test cricket. My first Test was England v West Indies in 1991. I was six years old. On the third day, Patrick Patterson and Curtly Ambrose demolished a decent England batting line-up on their way to a seven-wicket win. Gooch, Atherton, Hick, Lamb, Ramprakash, Russell – all gone in the blink of an eye.I squinted across at the blurry city-end scoreboard showing the not-out scores of Derek Pringle and Chris Lewis, the latest pair in a long line of contenders for the role of ‘The New Botham’. I could never have known that I was in for another ten years of watching England lose in ever more inventive ways. But I knew Test cricket was for me.Next summer, India will play Tests at Trent Bridge, Lord’s, The Rose Bowl, Old Trafford and The Oval. That’s three games in the south-east, two of which are in London, and just two in the rest of the UK. Edgbaston may yet be awarded a Sri Lanka Test earlier in the summer, but it misses out on the main series for the second year running, despite being home to one of the highest populations of British Indians.Between 2010 and 2011, the pavilion end of the ground was completely redeveloped, bringing the capacity to 25,000. A handful of ODIs and a season of one man and his dog watching county cricket is in danger of wasting a top-class sporting venue.I can make my peace with Edgbaston losing out. This season they were compensated with the pick of the Champions Trophy games and a sparkling T20 county finals day. Trent Bridge is not so far away, and I know several Brummies who gladly made the trip to Nottingham for this summer’s Ashes and may do the same next year. But the south-east bias shows a disappointing lack of vision.Every overseas cricketer dreams of playing at Lord’s. Of course, a Test summer would not be complete without a visit to the home of cricket, and The Oval is always a fitting venue for the final Test of the summer. The ECB will perhaps argue London is the most densely populated area of the country and is easy to access. But adding Southampton means three of India’s five Tests will be played within a 100-mile radius.Not all county grounds are up to scratch, of course. In order to host a high-profile Test between two of the best sides in the world, you must be more than just a pitch and a pavilion. But Durham, formerly a forgotten northern outpost, is a prime example of what can be done with investment and support.Not everyone can afford to travel to see Test cricket. From where I live in Cornwall, it’s 200 miles to the nearest Test venue. Add in the spiralling cost of match tickets, and parents and children will drift away from the game, or decide not to explore it at all. The ECB must look beyond the capital and take a punt on some developing stadiums to inspire the next generation of English cricketers.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line

Michael Clarke appeared distracted during his pre-series press conference, despite the many reasons he might have had for confidence

Daniel Brettig in Brisbane20-Nov-20130:00

Waiting finally over for Clarke

Few can recall a nervier Michael Clarke press conference than the one he delivered in Brisbane on the eve of Australia’s bid to wrest the Ashes back from England at home. Where usually he is polished, sunny and even given to the odd bout of verbosity, this time Clarke was clipped, terse and taciturn. Tense from the moment he walked into the Champions Room at the Gabba, Clarke’s prickliness was so evident that his media minder could be heard offering the aside “be nice and positive” in the seconds after the tapes started rolling.While it cannot be known exactly why Clarke was so distracted, it was fair to surmise that the imminent start of this series provided good reason for introspection. Clarke, his team and Cricket Australia have reached a moment of enormous import not only to all of their careers, but to the game down under. For some weeks, the hosts have projected an image of stability, calm confidence and greater enjoyment under the mentoring of the newish coach Darren Lehmann. But now, with the curtain about to rise, Clarke’s mien conveyed the nervousness that bubbles underneath.Enough members of Clarke’s team experienced the humiliation of a 3-1 defeat in the last home Ashes series in 2010-11 to know that failure is not an option. That result caused major upheaval in Australian cricket, hastening the exit of the captain Ricky Ponting, the coach Tim Nielsen, and the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch. A second such loss on home shores would leave plenty of CA staff looking over their shoulders, not least the industrious team performance manager Pat Howard, anointed by the Argus review as the single point of accountability for the performance of the national side.Clarke struck a curious note before the previous series also, stressing that Ashes results would not define his captaincy. These words were in contrast with those of his opposite number Alastair Cook, who acknowledged the seemingly obvious point that yes, he would be historically judged largely on the strength of his results against Australia. This time, Clarke’s most expansive response suggested that he could not promise victory, and hoped Australian fans would understand this and remain supportive.”I’m certainly not going to sit here and promise the world and say everything’s going to be different,” Clarke said. “It’s going to be a tough battle like it was in England, and we have to play our best cricket to have success no matter what conditions you play in. It is nice to be playing in front of our home fans, we’ve got a lot of support throughout the country and it’s going to be great to see so many people turn out and support some fantastic cricket.”Michael Clarke cut a nervous figure on the eve of the Ashes•Getty ImagesNumerous reasons do exist for Clarke and his team to enter this series with a “nice and positive” mindset. Under Lehmann’s confident stewardship the dressing room ructions of India and England appear to have settled down, while time in the job has allowed the coach to identify and imbue belief in the players he has deemed worthy. The likes of Chris Rogers, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris and even the debutant George Bailey have brought solid character and life experience to the team, balancing the brio of David Warner, the fearlessness of James Faulkner and the youthful enthusiasm of Nathan Lyon.Craig McDermott, John Davison and Mike Young have been called in to bolster the pace, spin and catching departments, even if the latter’s presence seemed to infringe on the role of the incumbent fielding coach Steve Rixon. The team doctor Peter Brukner has maintained his recent success in building up the fitness of Shane Watson, who now appears capable of bowling as well as batting. Former players have buzzed smilingly around the team, including Mark Taylor and Glenn McGrath, while recognition of Haddin’s 50th Test has offered an individual motivator in addition to the team imperatives.Plenty may be drawn also from the surrounds in which the Australians find themselves this week. They have not lost a Test match at the Gabba since falling foul of the West Indies in 1988, and not really looked like doing so for equally as long. So pronounced is the Gabba advantage that England regarded their second innings rearguard four summers ago as near enough to a victory, not only leaving Brisbane on level terms but also exhausting the hosts with two consecutive days in the field. In many ways it is the last fortress of the previous empire, the pacey pitch and early season spot in the schedule contributing to the downfall of many an underdone touring team.England are underdone by their own precise reckoning, having lost more than two full days of preparatory playing hours and a good deal more training time to rain in Hobart, Sydney and Brisbane. They are also less sure of the final XI for Brisbane than at this point in 2010. Back then the tourists’ nominated bowling attack had flown up to Queensland early. Now the identity of England’s third seamer and wicketkeeper will only be known for sure at the toss. For an opening partner Alastair Cook will not have Andrew Strauss but Michael Carberry – Joe Root’s demotion is a victory for Australia’s pacemen even before a ball is bowled.So there was plenty of reason for Clarke to puff his chest out while speaking publicly about the series to come, thereby enhancing curiosity about why he did not. Perhaps the greatest clue for Clarke’s trepidation may be derived from Australia’s Test match record in 2013 – played 10, won one, lost seven. It is no sort of foundation for a team, and another loss in Brisbane would shatter much of the rebuilding work that has preceded it. Asked about summoning the belief to win over five days for the first time since the New Year’s Test against Sri Lanka in Sydney, Clarke replied: “I think the belief’s there and hopefully we’ll show that over the next five Test matches.””I think” is a long way distant from “I know”, and Clarke will not know the belief is there until after this Test match has run its course. No wonder he was distracted.

South Africa’s batsmen had laid the foundations, but the pitch looked slow and low. Then Morne Morkel took the ball in his hand and the Test match gained a different complexion

Firdose Moonda in Port Elizabeth22-Feb-20140:00

Cullinan: Bat for an hour, then go hard at Australia

Morne Morkel has stood head and shoulders, in every sense, above the other quicks in this Test•Getty ImagesContrary to on-field evidence, Morne Morkel does not hate Australians. Later this year, he will marry one.Morkel actually does not hate anyone. The term gentle giant was invented for him, even though his job is to make people feel as uncomfortable and scared as possible when they are 22 yards away from him on a cricket field.The Port Elizabeth pitch was supposed to make him a more realistic impression of his moniker. Slow, low and generally unresponsive, Morkel should have been like a manual labourer in the modern age – made to work hard for very little reward. Instead, he was the Pied Piper and made both the ball and the opposition dance to his tune.Morkel was, by some distance, the best bowler on a surface which did nothing to flatter any of them. He was the only one who could consistently generate bounce, get good carry and cause problems for the batsmen. Morkel managed all of that for three reasons: his height, his speed and his accuracy.Being the tallest man around has many advantages and it is one of the reasons Morkel can make the ball travel past batsmen’s ears more often than not. But that would mean nothing if it was doing it without pace – his was up over 140kph for almost every ball he bowled and even went over 150kph on occasion – or direction. Morkel aimed at the body with ever increasing aggression after he had David Warner dropped late on the second day.The nightwatchman Nathan Lyon bore of the brunt of Morkel’s frustration as the quick bombarded him. He struck the helmet, he struck the glove, he aimed at his face and he eventually made him back away. Lyon had been given a working over and would have slept uneasy even though he had not been dismissed in eight Tests.Morkel started against him this morning and after four balls hit him on the glove again. The ricochet struck him the shoulder. There will probably be a bruise. Lyon’s stubbornness made Morkel crank up the pace and beat him with that, instead of the ball, for a change. Lyon did not know where the ball was when he looked to flick it away. By the time he did, it was past his inside edge and in AB de Villiers’ hands.The inevitable happened when Lyon backed away to a short ball he ended up wanting to play and hit it into his stumps. It may not have been the way Morkel would have wanted him to go but the first mission was accomplished and Morkel only became meaner.As though he was trying to give Mitchell Johnson a taste of his own medicine on behalf of the entire batting line-up, when Morkel saw him there was only one thing on his mind. With the first ball he struck him on the glove and then the ribs. With the next, he pinged the helmet.Morkel did not account for Johnson in the end, and had to satisfy himself with having Steven Smith out on review followed by Ryan Harris, but he was central in the softening up to allow South Africa’s other bowlers to cash in. He did not let up against the tailenders either. Bouncer after bouncer made the surface South Africa were operating on seem a different one to which Australia bowled on.I can make an impact in different ways – Morkel

Morne Morkel revealed his inner mongrel came out because of conditions, which would usually not suit a bowler like him, and the runs South Africa’s batsmen had posted innings, but said they want a few more in the second innings before going for the victory.

“Last night we had a nice little window before close of play to bowl with the runs we had on the board, I knew at the back of mind that working with my lengths smartly would be key for me,” he said. “Because I am not a big swing bowler and my strength is bounce, when there is bounce, I usually bowl for one dismissal and that’s caught behind. When the wickets are slow it allows me to make an impact in a different way.

“Not having Wayne Parnell is a big blow for us because he knows conditions well and he is a guy who can swing the ball. With rain forecast for Monday, the most important thing for us is to respect the game and see from there. We’ve got two guys who can score quickly and we can see where we are after the first drinks break.

“450 seems to be the magical number these days and we’ll need to look at time in the game. There’s nothing nicer than scoreboard pressure with the wicket keeping low and now we’ve got dangerous guys. Vernon and Dale will be able to make an impact. The key is to get the ball to reverse. It’s also a tough field to score on. Hopefully we can pull it off.”

There was intensity in South Africa’s attack because they saw one of their own making something happen. Before this Test match, Makhaya Ntini told ESPNcricinfo if Steyn is not able to spearhead the pack, Morkel should take over. It was as though Morkel took that as an order. He lifted the morale by lifting his own game and South Africa prospered.But better than that, his hostility was sandwiched between two South African batting efforts that were as workmanlike and aggressive as their bowling has often been. You could argue that this is the first time since August 2012 against, England at Lord’s, that South Africa’s batsmen have successfully responded to being under pressure batting first to find a way to give the team an advantage. Then they fought back from 54 for 4 to score 309 which ultimately proved enough to secure the win that took them to No. 1 in the world.Since then, South Africa have won four matches by more than an innings, an indication of the strength of their line-up but also a sign that they were relatively untroubled in their victory march. They have also been engineered by dominant first-up bowling displays. In their other four triumphs the foundations have occasionally been built by the batting but it has again often been their bowling which has been credited with throwing the first punches in anger and winning matches.South Africa’s attack has brought them into matches when they have started slowly – The Oval in 2012 for example – and blasted the opposition away when their batting has been under pressure; Pakistan for 49 in Johannesburg and 99 in Dubai, the match after a defeat, come to mind. With those “reference points,” as Graeme Smith calls them, in mind South Africa’s line-up has often been able to trust the attack would make-up for any indiscretions on their part.Perhaps it took a pitch like this to force them into seizing the initiative as they did. Dean Elgar and JP Duminy batted with responsibility, AB de Villiers batted like the best batsman in the world, which he is at the moment, and South Africa had a first innings total they could really work with. They needed swift damage from their attack, which Morkel and Vernon Philander orchestrated, and then they needed quick runs to turn an advantage into a winning position. Hashim Amla answered that call.He also played himself back into form, after seven innings without a fifty. It looked as though the lean run would stretch when his first boundary came through an edge but with a bit of early luck he was able to spend time at the crease. He showed the touch was still there and the back-foot drives had not evaporated from his memory.He put South Africa in a position where their only decision will be based on the clock. With rain forecast throughout Monday, South Africa will have to look at a declaration early on the fourth day if they hope to beat the weather. Otherwise they will have to hope the weather, unlike Morne Morkel, is not engaged to an Australian.

Steven Davies on the pain of keeping to Stuart Meaker, rainy days in the Surrey dressing room, and who’d play him in a movie

Interview by Jack Wilson24-May-2014You have shared a dressing room with legends of the game, like Graeme Smith and Ricky Ponting. What have you learned from them?
The beauty of having these guys around is, I can tap into their experience. Graeme has immense leadership abilities and I’m trying to pick things up about that from him. Ricky has played in all sorts of conditions all around the world that I could pick his brains about.How do you rate your England career?
Pretty brief, to be honest with you. I’m looking to change that and get back into it. I think I’ve got a good chance to break back in, providing I start the season well.Which bowler hits the gloves the hardest?
Definitely Stuart Meaker. He’s an absolute nightmare. He’s 5ft 5in, tiny, but bowls at 92mph and swings it and wobbles it. I’m standing pretty close too, because he doesn’t get much carry.Who is the tidiest gloveman in county cricket?
James Foster.Which of your team-mates would you least like to be stuck in a lift with?
Jason Roy would be a nightmare. He’s all over the place. He has a lot of energy and I don’t – and it wouldn’t mix well.Who would play you in a film?
Leonardo Di Caprio.You wear the squad number nine. Why?
I’m a striker.When it’s tipping down with rain, what’s going on in the Surrey dressing room?
A lot of messing around. We’ve played a lot of indoor cricket recently too. I’d like to say gym work but no, chilling out and messing around.Who do you least want to be near during a rain break?
He’s not boring but Zafar [Ansari] has always got his head in his books. He went to Cambridge and is always studying something. We leave him to do his thing.What’s the toughest thing about being a wicketkeeper?
Standing up to seamers who are pretty quick. It can be pretty daunting at times.If you weren’t a cricketer what would you be?
A tennis player.You are a big Arsenal fan. Do you want Arsene Wenger in or out?
I think it’s time for a change. I’m getting rid of him. I want to freshen things up.You have to choose a five-a-side football team for Surrey. Who would you have in it?
My team would be Davies to captain the side, obviously. I’d be running the centre of the park. Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Jack Winslade, and I’ll put Jason Roy in there too.And who would be nowhere near it?
Tim Linley.

The duration of the Test series will allow Alastair Cook and MS Dhoni to reassess the strategies, or provide enough time to get thoroughly exposed

Sidharth Monga04-Jul-2014Roger Waters might well have been thinking of Alastair Cook when he wrote in that “hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way”. Take some license and add MS Dhoni to it, for their stories as captains have a lot in common. Starting July 9, over 42 days packed with 25 possible days of Test cricket in England, the two captains will be under intense scrutiny. Knowing them as captains, they are likely to hang on and on until the desperation is not quiet anymore.Cook and Dhoni both like order, set-pieces so to speak. The ball is 60 overs old; let’s get a spinner and a part-timer on. The opposition is six down; let’s attack only the tailender. Let’s not change batting orders mid-series. Even in personal lives, the highs and lows of cricket don’t seem to be a matter of life and death. Both men are conscious of not expressing too much despair or joy on the field; neither wants attention on himself. At the best of times, they bring this predictability to their operation that calms their teams down. No wild celebrations on winning, no rockets given after losses. When the cricket is over, Cook goes to his farm and tends to sheep; Dhoni opens up bikes and reassembles them, gets acquainted with army weapons and army ways. They won’t be able to get away over the next month and a half.They have had massive highs and lows. Dhoni has won the World Cup, World Twenty20 and Champions Trophy, but he has also gone three years without an overseas Test win, or a defining contribution with the bat over these 13 Tests. Cook has won an Ashes each off his bat and as a captain, has done the unthinkable by leading a series win in India, which are probably two of the most cherished results in England cricket, but he has also overseen the devastating whitewash in Australia, has done the unthinkable by losing a home series to Sri Lanka, and has now gone 25 innings without a century. Over this English summer, they must lay themselves bare on the field. One of them, or both, or even neither, will get the monkey off the back.Cook and Dhoni. Dhoni and Cook. Possible mates. Possible nemeses.•BCCIYou can imagine Dhoni and Cook will like each other over a drink. They might love to discuss how not many in the outside world understand their ways. Surely they believe there is merit to what almost the whole world considers defensive, non-instinctive captaincy? “A hundred and eighty-seven Tests between us, and people are still questioning us.” “A hundred and eighty-seven Tests between them, and they are still letting Tests drift on the field.” They might even enjoy a game of poker, sitting expression-less, keeping their cards close to their chest, not letting anyone know what they are thinking. Except there won’t be a lot of raising done. They could spend hours talking about Duncan Fletcher, who holds both of them dear. They might discuss how one of them was saved by his board president, and how the other’s boss considers him and his family “the sort of people we need”.Cook and Dhoni. Dhoni and Cook. Possible mates. Possible nemeses. For Cook has given Dhoni as much grief as anyone else in international cricket. Piling on those runs in the home series, leading a side that consigned India to their most rueful Test defeat in recent memory, winning after conceding 325 on the Bombay Bunsen. Dhoni had his own back when he pulled out an Ishant Sharma-sized rabbit out of his hat in the Champions Trophy last year, cruelly ending England’s quest for their first big title in 50-over cricket.Even when Shane Warne says that the fourth day against Sri Lanka at Headingley was the worst bit of captaincy he has ever seen in Test cricket, Dhoni can pull out a few examples of his own to steal that thunder from Cook. Wonder if Dhoni found that fourth day all too familiar. Then again, Cook can claim Dhoni doesn’t have such days at home. It takes a really awful day of cricket to be able to manage this in home conditions.

They might even enjoy a game of poker, sitting expression-less, keeping their cards close to their chest, not letting anyone know what they are thinking. Except there won’t be a lot of raising done

Consequently Cook will be under more pressure than Dhoni, who still has the limited-overs success to fall back on. After all he did survive the two whitewashes and the home series loss to England. Cook’s selectors and public are not likely to be that forgiving. Cook need not look past Dhoni if this feels like pressure. It matters nought to Dhoni what the public or the pundits think. It doesn’t affect his game, it doesn’t affect his team’s game. They won the Champions Trophy weeks after the biggest scandal in Indian cricket in this century, and it had involved Dhoni’s IPL team and his biggest supporter in India, N Srinivasan.Srinivasan does his bit by protecting the team, by making sure nobody who will criticise them – like Shane Warne or anyone at Sky might England – will be employed by the host broadcaster. It is still unlikely Warne will be able to send Dhoni into a public meltdown. You need a thick skin to be India captain for this long.It’s not all doom and gloom for the series, though. It won’t all start at 11am in Nottingham with third man, deep point, deep cover and deep midwicket as the brave new version of three slips and a gully. These two are exceptional international cricketers, and you don’t achieve what they have achieved in their careers without mental strength. When Cook hammered India in 2011, it was part of a resurgence after almost a summer where he couldn’t buy a run. Dhoni began India’s turnaround at home with a series-turning double-century against Australia.Michael Clarke and Mark Taylor might not approve of this, but with both the captains evenly matched as tacticians, preferring attrition to assault, this has the makings of a tight series. The duration of it will allow the leaders to reassess the strategies, or provide enough time to get thoroughly exposed. The stakes – surely higher for Cook than Dhoni, but he has the better bowlers – could even make the captains come out of their shells. Just as long as a proper batsman is not batting with a tailender.

For all their looking out for each other, M Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan have still not added fifty in an innings outside Asia.

Sidharth Monga at the Ageas Bowl30-Jul-2014When Shikhar Dhawan hit an innocuous full toss back at Moeen Ali at Trent Bridge he had fallen one short of what would have been his and M Vijay’s first 50-run opening stand outside Asia in 14 innings together. The 49 in what began mostly as a dead innings remains their highest outside Asia. The longest the opposition has had to wait for a wicket is 14 overs.Opening partners are usually good mates. They look out for each other. They are open with each other. They don’t mind letting each other know of their insecurities, their fears. Matthew Hayden used to say he and Justin Langer were almost like a couple. Might have good times, might have bad, but there for each other.Shikhar Dhawan has struggled on this tour•Getty ImagesVirender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are friends off the field. Sehwag never minded asking Gambhir to take most of the strike when chasing a small total because Sehwag had a streak of losing interest when not facing a big task and thus throwing his wicket away. “Whenever I go onto the field and I have Sehwag at the other end, it gives me a lot of confidence,” Gambhir once said. “No doubts about that. He has been one of my very good friends.”Vijay and Dhawan wouldn’t have been great friends when they were picked to open the innings for Rest of India against Mumbai early in 2013. They had played against each other plenty of times in domestic cricket but had batted with each other only once in first-class cricket and four times in List A. They had both been in and out of the Indian team, and quite a few would have thought their best cricket had come and left them.Vijay had scored 138 runs at 17.25 in Ranji Trophy yet had been picked in the Rest of India squad. Dhawan had been better, but 461 runs at 51.22 in Ranji Trophy is hardly the look-at-me-I’m-here stuff. Vijay was 29, Dhawan was 27. This punt from the new selectors allowed them a new lease of life. The existing India openers, though, were on their way out. Some might argue they should have been out earlier. These two now added 144. Vijay got a hundred, Dhawan a half-century, both were given what might have been one last India chance, and they added 289. They might not have known each other well earlier, but their comeback began together; a bond had been built.By the time India went on to win their first overseas Test in three years – at Lord’s – you could see the two were looking out for each other. When, fielding in the slips, Dhawan has something stuck in his eye, Vijay rushed to pluck it out. Vijay had batted exceptionally well at Lord’s but had fallen five short of a century. When the win was achieved, Vijay looked to settle into the background in the celebrations, but Dhawan went back, plucked a stump and handed it over to Vijay. A quiet little acknowledgement from an opening batsman to the other when he might have been lost in the euphoria of Ishant Sharma and the bouncers.Who knows they might have even have talked of a more public satisfaction when they score runs together. They haven’t. In the last seven Tests, India have been 22 for 1 on an average. Vijay has scored runs in South Africa and here, Dhawan in New Zealand, but not together. Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli have been walking in to face tricky circumstances. “It is frustrating,” Dhawan said of the lack of runs between the two. “Vijay has been batting really well, but unfortunately I haven’t contributed much. I have been working hard on my game, sometimes you can’t do much when you get out to good balls.”But the bond between Vijay and Dhawan has remained. The two look out for each other, running almost in Twenty20 fashion, pouncing on every slight opportunity they might get of getting the other guy off strike, making the bowler change his line of attack from a right-hand batsman to a left-hand batsman or the other way around. In the second innings here, with India needing a long opening stand to give them any hope of saving the Test, they were watchful, they ran 14 of the 26 runs together, they had seen off what looked like the first spells of Anderson and Stuart Broad. With the last ball of his sixth over, Anderson had sent square leg back, and Dhawan bunted one in that direction for a single. Singles, the building block these two have been after.To the first ball of a bowler other than Anderson and Broad, Dhawan bunted one towards square leg again. Broad wasn’t at the boundary this time, but was a little deep. This single was fair game for the pair. Dhawan set off right away, Vijay hesitated mildly. Yet they were making it comfortably. Vijay took it easy in the end. A moment of switching off. No stretch, no desperation to get the bat in. The bad Vijay, who takes catches casually, who takes his eye off the ball in the field. Not the one who has been leaving balls like his life depends on him. Not the one who has been sprinting hard to get his partner off strike. And bang, Broad hits the stumps direct. Well, not quite bang. The bails came off softly. They took their time. It will make Vijay even more distraught when he sees the replay.For all their looking out for each other, Vijay and Dhawan have still not added fifty in an innings outside Asia. Pujara, who might have wanted to walk in at a big score for one, should be so lucky.

The weird and wonderful city that has made a hero out of a groundsman

Paul Ford04-Nov-2014Most days the jury is out as to whether Central Otago or the Hawke’s Bay is the fruit bowl of New Zealand. But for the 2015 cricket World Cup it is decided the mantle is claimed by the Bay because neither Molyneux Park (Alexandra), Queenstown Events Centre or Anderson Park (Cromwell) made the cut for the big games.Most cricketing roads in the Hawke’s Bay lead to McLean Park. The exceptions include Gordon Road, home of the magnificent Clifton County Cricket Club (“Keep driving along dusty roads and across paddocks until you reach a piece of lush turf surrounded by undulating hillside… and if you get lost, just follow someone else”).McLean Park has been around for more than 100 years, having been created as a 10-acre memorial to a bloke who used to be a VINZGP: a very important New Zealand government person. His name is Don McLean but he never wrote amazing folk songs with cryptic lyrics. Instead he was a Scottish farmer and was the ominously and imperiously named Minister of Native Affairs and Colonial Defence in the 1870s.Apparently – and weirdly – in the early years, Sir Donald McLean’s Park was mainly used by the Highland Society for eccentric and wonderful games like caber tossing, hammer throwing and maide leisg-ing.Now it is best known as the home of eccentric and wonderful sporting games like rugby and cricket.

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McLean Park is the primary home ground for the Central Districts Cricket Association and base camp for the roving Central Stags. It is unusual in that you can see the sea from the park, so if you are watching on TV then expect to see epic montages of the glittering Pacific Ocean through the line of Norfolk pines along the Napier waterfront.Central Districts is an eclectic region that essentially ring-fences Wellington, and runs the game in Horowhenua Kapiti, Manawatu, Taranaki, Wairarapa and Wanganui in the North Island – and Marlborough and Nelson at the top of the south.Central Districts legends include the one and only Mathew “Skippy” Sinclair (the bloke responsible for the greatest catch I have ever seen live), who was on the dole but is now training to be a real estate agent in the Bay, and is coaching the local Hawke’s Bay provincial team. He has the most appearances for the province, followed by Mike Shrimpton, who went on from first-class cricket to be prominent as the coach of the White Ferns when they won the World Cup back in 2000.Other household cricketing names who have worn the Central Districts greens and whites many times over the years include Scott Briasco, Michael Mason, Mark Douglas, Glen Sulzberger, Gary Robertson and wicketkeeping stalwart Bevan Griggs. Golf nut and Hastings schoolteacher Stu Duff is also a Central Districts legend – his dulcet tones can often be heard when he parks up atop the Harris Stand at McLean Park to jabber on over the radio airwaves.And who can forget Cleckheaton’s only black-belted wicketkeeper-batsman, Tony “Chill” Blain (an irregular correspondent on the BYC podcast)? His sensible hats with the neck flap are an iconic cricketing memory for watchers of Kiwi cricket in the eighties and nineties.

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The deck in Napier is notoriously as flat as a pancake, and most batsmen around the globe would be keen to pack it up and roll it out wherever they were plying their trade. In Tests, John Wright averages 201 there, VVS Laxman 200, BJ Watling 180, Imran Farhat 178 and Jesse Ryder 158. And in ODIs, MS Dhoni averages 124 there, ahead of Virat Kholi on 123 and Ricky Ponting on 107.5.The Tasmanian devil’s magnificent unbeaten 141 (off 127 balls) in an ODI in 2005 was a frighteningly good innings to watch as a local fan – “clean-hitting dominance” that ended the series from hell. It didn’t help that the same day Brett Lee unleashed a 99.9 mph thunderbolt and Adam Gilchrist monstered 91 from just 61 balls.

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Napier groundsman Phil Stoyanoff with Kris Srikkanth and Anil Kumble in Bangalore•Associated PressThe Park’s road maker is Phil Stoyanoff, the Napier groundsman who has also carved out his own little niche in Kiwi cricketing folklore. I’ve often said there is a lucrative market waiting to happen if someone wants to start making “I Love Phil” t-shirts. Why? Because he’s as blunt as a trauma injury, with a delicious turn of phrase:

“Any of this mythical talk about slime outbreak on the wicket, or algae or the fungal attack, is a lot of rubbish.”
“My most endearing memory of Phil is when he turned up to a Saturday game, and Collegians were bowling first. Phil had obviously had a late – very late – Friday night, and it would have been optimistic to say he’d had more than a couple hours sleep. Phil slumped in the dressing shed, unshaven, eyes red-rimmed and with the breath of a brewery. When a team mate half-seriously suggested he wasn’t in a fit state to bowl, Phil had the perfect retort: ‘Mate – when I’m hungover it makes me bloody angry and I’ll take if out on the f***ken opening batsmen.’ And he did.”
“Depending on what the samples say I base my plan of attack for the day around that. I have to think about what roller I’m going to use and if I need to mow.”
“Yes, because both sides have such bad batsmen. That’s my honest opinion: they’re useless.”

Stoyanoff has cut an interesting path on the Kiwi cricketing scene. He played one first-class match for NZ Under-23s against Canterbury back in 1980, scoring 4 and taking 0 for 15 from five overs. Fellow first-class debutants in that match included Robbie Hart, Trevor Franklin, Alan Hunt and Rockin’ Roddy Latham.He was also flown to India to prepare the turf at Bangalore’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium for an Australia v India series using soil core samples, weather charts and mathematical equations. As he said at the time: “Preparing a pitch is science… We decide based on the data what type of roller to use. It is real artwork, which they don’t know about here. They don’t regard curators as professions, but we are as important as the cricketers.”I love Phil.

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-2015However, after putting on 75 runs, Shikhar Dhawan was stumped off Shakib Al Hasan in the 17th over•Getty ImagesEight balls later, Rubel Hossain had Virat Kohli caught behind and sent the batsman off•Getty ImagesBut Rohit Sharma remained firm, collecting his 50 off 70 balls•Associated PressBangladesh made it difficult again by removing Ajinkya Rahane for 19, and celebrated the wicket with botched chest-bumps•Associated PressSuresh Raina’s arrival, though, gave India a boost in the batting Powerplay. He struck 65 off 57, and added 122 off 95 with Rohit for the fourth wicket•Associated PressWith his seventh ODI hundred, Rohit propelled his strike rate towards the end to finish with 137 off 126 balls and India ended on 302 for 6•Getty ImagesTamim Iqbal showed intent to get Bangladesh off to a brisk start•Associated PressBut his dismissal, for a run-a-ball 25, in the seventh over put Bangladesh in a spot of bother•Associated PressImrul Kayes was involved in a terrible mix-up with Soumya Sarkar the very next delivery, and was run-out•Associated PressMahmudullah’s attempt to revive the innings appeared to succeed before India’s fielding pegged Bangladesh back•Associated PressFirst, Shikhar Dhawan balanced himself well to take Mahmudullah’s catch at fine leg•Associated PressThen, MS Dhoni pulled off a one-handed stunner diving to his left to dismiss Soumya. And Bangladesh were four down for 90•Getty ImagesAfter Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim didn’t contribute significantly, Sabbir Rahman and Nasir Hossain stitched together 50 runs for the seventh wicket•Getty ImagesBut it was only a matter of time before India knocked out the tail, and completed their 109-run win. It was India’s 11th win on the trot in World Cups, and Dhoni’s 100th ODI win as captain•Associated Press

Amid a hostile atmosphere at the SCG, Mitchell Johnson’s blows with bat and ball sent Australia soaring into the World Cup final

Daniel Brettig at the SCG26-Mar-2015Mitchell Johnson walked to the wicket at a moment when the SCG was more Pune than Paddington. Shane Watson had holed out to deep square leg, the Australia innings had stalled at the death and India supporters were rejoicing in anticipation of chasing something in the region of 310. A few overs before, the hosts and heavy favourites had been 232 for 2 and galloping, but now the quieter home contingent of supporters might easily have been in a library, so silent they had become.In years gone past, Johnson had been unnerved by crowds. In England his brain and limbs were so scrambled by personal taunts relating to his family that he went into something of a meltdown at Lord’s, just a few months from displays in lower-profile South African climes that led to him being named ICC cricketer of 2009. At this very SCG in January 2011 he was heckled all the way to the wicket and laughed all the way back, bowled by Chris Tremlett for a first-ball duck.This time Johnson walked out into a similarly intimidating tumult, knowing that Australia did not have enough runs and there was precious little time left to get them. They needed a late burst and Johnson took it upon himself to provide it. He had only faced 11 balls all tournament, six weeks in all, and been dismissed by two of them. Somehow Johnson found a way to cajole his first three balls, from Mohammad Shami, to the boundary.In the final over Johnson struck again, clattering Mohit Sharma’s fourth and fifth balls for four over mid-off and then for six beyond wide long on. He walked off with 27 runs from nine balls to his name, and Australia had the sprint finish they so badly needed. Arguably, Johnson had just made his most pivotal contribution so far of a tournament at which he has sat behind Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood as the team’s third paceman.It was after Australia’s reboot following the loss to New Zealand in Auckland that Johnson assumed the role of first-change bowler. He had been battered by Brendon McCullum with the new ball at Eden Park, though getting some of his own back by bruising New Zealand’s captain with one of the few balls he put where he wanted. Instead of setting the agenda, Johnson would exploit gaps opened up by Starc and Hazlewood or probe for his own should they fail to strike early.

Johnson bored in on Kohli and the vital extra kilometres of pace he had been missing in his last Test match meeting with India proved the undoing of their No. 3

The tactic did not work against Sri Lanka in Sydney, when Tillakaratne Dilshan pulled off the trick of cuffing Johnson for boundaries every ball of an over. But there were no protests, no expressions of irritation that he did not get the new ball, and no sulks. Johnson was here to help win the tournament in whatever way he could. The runs at the back end of Australia’s innings against India proved that beyond doubt, but he would add two spinal wickets to their number before the night was out.During the India Tests, Johnson had slipped back a gear or two in pace as an acknowledgement of how flat the wickets were and how Australia needed him to bowl longer spells. It was an exhausted Johnson who was withdrawn from the team for the final Test with a minor hamstring strain, but also one who knew he could be faster again later in the summer. At the SCG it was his pace that would provide the difference Australia so desperately needed after Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan had made a fine start.While Josh Hazlewood accounted for Dhawan, Johnson bored in on Virat Kohli, and the vital extra few kilometres of pace he had been missing in his last Test match meeting with India at the MCG proved the undoing of their No. 3. In December, Kohli had hooked and pulled Johnson with something like impunity. In the late March he was surprised to find the ball arrived faster and higher than before, a skied top edge plopping gently into Brad Haddin’s gloves.Next over, Rohit was intent on regaining momentum lost by the earlier wickets. One short ball was swung lustily for six in front of square, returning the crowd to the ecstasy of late afternoon. Johnson, though, was as focused as when he walked out to bat. Unable to summon swing, he instead looked for variation off the pitch, bowling a delivery cross-seam that skidded on while deviating just enough to catch Rohit’s inside edge and his leg bail. That cheer for the six became a more guttural roar for the wicket.Like the runs, these wickets were brief moments in a wider narrative. But they were as central to the tale as anything longer lasting. Michael Clarke said as much after the match, marvelling at Johnson’s resolution but also pointing out how he has been steeled by past experiences, whether they be in England, Sydney or two previous World Cup campaigns.”I’ve always said Mitchell making runs gives him confidence with the ball, I think tonight was a good example of that,” Clarke said. “Mitch is a class performer. He probably hasn’t had the standout tournament everybody expects of him all the time, because he’s such a great performer you expect him to take five wickets every time he walks out on the field. But I think he’s done a fantastic job for this team throughout this tournament.”He’s a wicket-taker, he’s an X-factor, but he’s got experience under pressure now. So a dangerous weapon to have. He’s an example of someone who always puts the team first – he would love to open the bowling but he knows it’s best for the team at the moment that he bowls first change. He hasn’t blinked once at it, it doesn’t bother him. He wants to win, that’s what’s most important.”Bowling first change, facing a raucous Indian crowd, pondering elimination, tiring at the end of a long summer. None of this fazed Johnson, as he made a contribution every one of his team-mates will remember. By the end of the night it felt once more like Australia’s home World Cup, and Johnson had played large part in making it so.