All posts by h716a5.icu

Plays of the day from the IPL game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals in Kolkata

Devashish Fuloria03-May-2013The surpriseRahul Dravid sent in James Faulkner at No. 3 and you thought that was the surprise of the day. But as Rajasthan Royals’ batsmen started falling one by one, everyone expected to see Dravid walking in. Samson came in to bat, then came Yagnik, then Owais Shah, surely Dravid was the next in line? Apparently not. He came in to bat at No. 8, possibly the lowest he has ever batted. He struck his first ball for four, missed the second and charged back for a quick couple off the last ball of the innings. Three balls. That’s it for the legend.The buggy algorithmShane Watson had been making smooth progress and looked set for another important innings, until Sunil Narine was introduced in the 11th over. Watson got a leading edge off the first delivery, then survived a very good shout for lbw to one that was going away, then survived another shout to one that came into him, and was finally trapped in front off the fifth ball. What does one expect of lesser batsmen when an international biggie like Watson still has no algorithm to decode the mystery?The dropWhile the rest of Royals’ batting line-up was struggling against spinners on a pitch that magnified the effect, Sanju Samson, all of 18 years, was stroking the ball beautifully. But then he tried to go leg side to a Sunil Narine wrong ‘un and got a thick leading edge that ballooned towards short cover. Manvinder Bisla, the wicketkeeper, called for it and comfortably got under it, only to see the ball pop out of his hands. Bisla couldn’t believe it, Eoin Morgan, who had tried to catch the fumble, couldn’t believe it, the bowler couldn’t believe it, but reaction of the day came from team co-owner Juhi Chawla, who stared with a blank expression like she had seen a ghost.The wide Manvinder Bisla had just been beaten by a Brad Hogg wrong ‘un which he didn’t read as he went for a sweep. The next ball he tried the sweep to a chinaman that was down the leg side. He missed that one too and the keeper was unable to stop it cleanly, allowing the batsmen to change ends. The umpire, CK Nandan, didn’t signal anything, which means it would have counted as runs for Bisla. The batsman, though, signalled to the umpire that he hadn’t touched it after getting to the non-striker end. A polite request was all the umpire need to call it a wide belatedly.

What’s bigger than the opening day of the opening Test of the Ashes? The fourth day of the opening Test of the Ashes

Craig Nicholson14-Jul-2013Choice of game
It doesn’t get much bigger than day four of an opening Ashes Test and this one was set up perfectly. It was my first live taste of the Ashes since Edgbaston 1997 (Nasser/Thorpe and all that) when I was only eight, so I was like a kid on Christmas eve last night.This Test has Edgbaston 2005 written all over it and the Aussie tail should not be written off. If Agar is given licence to attack in the morning then he could rapidly take the target below 100, which is a huge psychological target in itself for the visitors. England haven’t won an opening Ashes Test since 1997 – maybe I’m a lucky charm?Team supported
Proud Englishman. I’m prouder to admit I’m one of those rare county cricket obsessives.Key performer
Stuart Broad. Ian Bell deserves a huge amount of credit for his wonderful century but the hard work was done yesterday. Broad’s contribution to that partnership, and a half-century of his own, ensured Australia were chasing 300-plus, but it was his bowling this afternoon which may end up winning the game. The deliveries that accounted for Shane Watson and Michael Clarke were, in the context of the game, impeccably timed.One thing you’d have changed about the day
It’s incredibly hard to find fault after such a gripping day of Test cricket. The weather was perfect, the ground was packed and the game ebbed and flowed as it has throughout the match. The only minor gripe would be England’s apparent lack of impetus in the morning when they could have really got away from Australia – but I’m an eternal pessimist so I wouldn’t have been happy even with a lead of 400.The interplay you enjoyed
Funnily enough, it would have to be Anderson’s over to Agar right at the end of the day. There was a genuine buzz around the ground when he came out to bat at No.8 with everyone expecting him to go out swinging but he showed admirable patience against the King of Swing himself and may yet deliver a fairytale win for his team.Wow moment
The wicket of Clarke was absolutely huge and resulted in the two biggest cheers of the day; the first when the England players celebrated the edge in the first place and the second when the edge was confirmed following the review. Swann trapping Steven Smith the very next ball just put the icing on the cake.Shot of the day
Shane Watson’s majestic cover just before lunch which thumped into the hoardings in front of where we sat in the Radcliffe Road End. It was a day of few boundaries and that was a real signal of Australia’s intent and determination to reach their target.Ball of the day
Mitchell Starc’s opening ball of the day would have been talked about for years had it been the first ball of the match and the series. A beamer that threatened to decapitate Watson at first slip; five no balls that could end up being the difference between the sides. Yes, I think Australia will get that close.Crowd meter
Despite the ground being full, the enthusiasm in the crowd followed the pattern of the day’s cricket – us Poms just can’t cope with this unusual thing called summer. As you would expect the crowd was predominantly English, but there were a handful of Aussies near us who made their presence felt. One in particular insisted on referring loudly to England as ‘Wales’ all day, in some sort of reference to the British Lions. What he failed to realise is that the intelligent cricket fans among us, from both sides of the Ashes void, took no notice because rugby league is a far superior game.Fancy dress index
I don’t think there is such a thing as unusual fancy dress at the cricket these days. Two drunk nuns making an early exit earned a good ovation as did someone dressed in full Ironman insignia. That spectator has my admiration for persisting with their fancy dress in such heat.Tests v limited-overs
Test match every day of the week (well five days of the week anyway). There are so many ODIs played these days that even the rare close games are forgotten in an instant. Test matches, particular those in an Ashes series, go down in history. To be part of that is a privilege.Overall
A fascinating day of cricket and the proof of that lies in the fact that we still don’t know for sure who will win on Sunday.Marks out of 10
9/10. The only way it could have been improved would have been if England had ripped through the tail to win the game while I was there. Tomorrow, tomorrow…

Till 1992 there was no thought about South Africa playing in the World Cup, but Mandela’s words changed that immediately. Such was the power of Mandela

Ali Bacher06-Dec-2013In August of 1991 I brought Clive Lloyd to South Africa for the first time to inspire the black kids, to tell them about his story and what he had achieved as a black cricketer. I wanted Lloyd to assist us with our development programme. Lloyd told me he wanted to meet Nelson Mandela. I phoned the late Steve Tshwete (a senior member of African National Congress and Minister of Sport in Mandela’s government) and we saw Mandela the next day. That was the first time I had met him.At that point we had been re-admitted into international cricket, but we were not going to the 1992 World Cup. There were a lot of journalists present during our meeting and one of them asked Mandela his views about South Africa playing in the World Cup. Mandela said: “Of course, we must play.” That was it. The message went around the world of cricket and we went to Australia. Till then there was no thought within South African cricket as well as at the ICC about South Africa playing in the World Cup, but Mandela’s words changed that immediately. Such was the power of Mandela.He will go down in history as South Africa’s greatest son and in all probability 20th century’s greatest leader. I will never forget his first speech from Cape Town after he was released from prison in 1990. He said clearly that this is a country for all South Africans – not for white domination and not for black domination. He imbued that viewpoint throughout the ’90s and the 21st century. And because of that his presidency between 1994 and 1999 will always be remembered for his greatness in reconciliation between whites and blacks.During my interactions in person with Mandela, I was never nervous. He made the other person at ease. One reason probably was because his communication with people was amazing. During the 1999 World Cup we played Pakistan in one of the qualifying matches, a close encounter which South Africa won in the penultimate over of chase. It was a Saturday. Lance Klusener won that match batting brilliantly. I was in Johannesburg and I got a call from Mandela’s personal assistant requesting Mandela wanted to call Klusener and congratulate him. I told the PA to inform Mandela that Klusener spoke fluent Zulu.When I met Klusener recently, he reminded me Mandela had indeed called him and congratulated him in Zulu. That was Mandela’s initiative, to get on the phone, find Klusener and convey his congratulations. This was the president of South Africa.Mandela did not watch much cricket. In February 1993 we hosted a triangular series involving South Africa, Pakistan and West Indies. South Africa did not get to the final but Mandela came to watch Pakistan play West Indies. He told me that was the first time he had watched cricket match.Mandela was a man who could be spontaneous. In a 1995-96 home series, South Africa were playing England at St George’s Park. Mandela came in cricketing attire: long whites, cream shirt and a Proteas cricket blazer. It was absolutely extraordinary of him to come and give support to our cricket team. While we were watching from the president’s box, my daughter called me and Mandela enquired who I was speaking to. He took the phone and spoke to my daughter. He was a people’s man. And that is why people loved him. He could communicate with anyone from state presidents to little kids to groundstaff. At tea time I was admonished, quite rightly, by his secretarial staff, but I did not mind that.Mandela was a man of immense stature and presence. Early on when he was released from prison he had the vision that the medium to bring white and rest of South Africans together was through sport. So for the very first time he came to the Wanderers cricket ground and Ellis Park rugby stadium in the early 1990s. He did that precisely because those two sports and grounds were dominated by whites. He wanted those sports to be truly represented by all the different people in the country.His vision of using sport to bring whites and black together was firmly realised during the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa when the togetherness, the unity, the camaraderie amongst all South Africans during and after our victory was unique and unprecedented for this country.Nelson Mandela gave us inspiration. He created a future for South African cricket – for all its people.

This and other imponderables answered in this special World T20-themed q&a

Andy Zaltzman18-Mar-2014@jug_23: If T20 were to reach its ultimate conclusion of one-ball cricket, who would be the World T0.1 Champion? And why?
Why have one ball, when a coin-toss-only contest would be even more exciting? However, if you do insist on retaining some of the rather outdated and time-consuming cricket phase of cricket (and technically, the format would not be “T0.1” but “NPO0.1”), then the winners would be: India. Who would beat Sri Lanka in the final.This is a scientifically provable fact, based on the precedents of all World T20 cricket played up to and including Monday, 17 March, 2014. Taking only the first ball of each innings played in World T20 cricket, India are clearly destined to be the inaugural World NPO0.1 champions. They average 1.67 runs from the first balls they have received when batting, and have conceded an average of 0.76 runs from the first balls they have bowled. This gives them an overall First Ball Average Net Score of 0.91. Sri Lanka’s is 0.72, just ahead of unsurprising NPO0.1 specialists West Indies (0.60). No other team has a positive rating, with Australia (-0.42) being particularly slow out of the blocks in this high-pressure format, and South Africa (-0.53, the worst of any Test nation) clearly succumbing to big-tournament first-ball nerves.The fact that (a) the last World Cup final was between India and Sri Lanka, and (b) the NPO0.1 final would produce the same result, proves that the final 49.5 overs of each innings of a 50-over match are entirely worthless. Here endeth the mathematics.(If you are feeling a sense that you will never get back the minute or so it took you to read that answer, please bear in mind that I will never get back the half an hour I spent totting up those figures. The internet may be a blessing, but it can also be a curse.)@Roarzz: When will the batting Powerplay involve adjustable gravity?
T20 cricket is, by its nature, a contrivance. A frequently entertaining, sometimes thrilling, occasionally captivating contrivance but a contrivance nonetheless. As such, and as has been seen with its 50-over uncle, cricket will always seek new contrivances to enhance the original contrivance. In the 50-over game, these have ranged from the flagrantly idiotic (substitutions, for example), via the pointless (fielding Powerplay), to the interesting (batting Powerplay), and back via the baffling (changing the batting Powerplay regulations in an effort to stop it mostly being taken at the same time each innings by restricting when it can be taken, with the result that it is now almost always taken at the same time each innings).This column has suggested further Powerplay variations: the batting captain skippering the fielding team, for example; or five overs in which bowlers are allowed to do, wear, shout or sing absolutely anything during their run-up in an effort to distract the batsman. Neither of these suggestions has – yet – been adopted by the ICC, for whatever reason.An adjustable-gravity Powerplay would certainly bring a great deal of intrigue to T20. Batsmen are accustomed to the ball moving sideaways, due to swing, spin, seam or collisions with birds, but not with the ball befuddling them with vertical unpredictability. It would be a true test of a batsman’s T20 skills if, upon release, he did not know whether the ball would be affected by normal, excessive or zero gravity. Is it a good-length ball, a half-tracker that scuds through to become a second-bounce yorker, or a bonce-endangering beamer?It is also incumbent on the ICC to legislate gravity alteration into the game, before it succeeds ball-tampering as a fielding team’s chosen means of microcheating. It can only be a matter of time before teams are sneaking into stadiums in the dead of night, and installing gravity-altering machines under the pitch, which they will then be able to control remotely during the following day’s play.@roychs123: how different would the world be if Misbah hadn’t scooped it to Sreesanth way back in 2007?
Misbah’s plopped scoop that concluded the inaugural World T20 final was arguably the most significant event in human history. You would have to be out of your mind to argue it, but you could still give it a go. I have run this scenario through ESPNcricinfo’s Historical Scenario Alternativator, whilst wearing some retrospectacles, and I can confirm that, had Misbah scored the six runs required off the final four balls of that match:1. India would never have played T20 again.
2. The IPL would still have happened, but would have been in the format of an expanded Ranji Trophy, featuring 12-day four-innings matches.
3. Crimea would be fine.
4. MS Dhoni would have run off the pitch straight into the nearest hair salon, had his flowing mane shorn off, retired from cricket and become a librarian.
5. Misbah would be president of Pakistan.@SchnoodleLad: Who would win in a fight between cricket and an angry elephant?
Tough to call, as are most contests between a sport (which is essentially a concept), and an actual mammal in a state of advanced strop. However, having seen and reported on the travails of the much-lamented 2011 Cricket World Cup mascot, Stumpy the Elephant – one of the few documented clashes between cricket and pachyderm – I would put all of my and ESPNcricinfo’s money on cricket. By the end of that tournament, Stumpy was clearly broken, a physical and psychological wreck, bereft of hope, vigour and purpose. News of his troubled life in the International Home For Abandoned Sporting Mascots has come as little surprise. His decline into coconut abuse and squirting cheap beer at himself out of his trunk reflects well on no one.@Percinio: Is it a sign of growing professionalism that the Dutch camp seem to have taken notes from their football counterparts?
Dutch football is famous for its internecine squabblings, which have sprouted forth in several major international tournaments. The spat erupting from the replacement of Tim Gruijters with Tom Cooper, detailed here, suggests that the cricket team has responded to its recent disappointing form by seeking to emulate its footballing compadres.There are also rumours that the Dutch have been applying the principles of “Total football” to develop the revolutionary “Total Cricket”, in which players fluidly switch positions and roles during play. Expect to see opening batsmen blocking the ball, picking it up, and bowling it back up the pitch; wicketkeepers crouching down on the long-off boundary; and left-arm spinners bowling right-arm fast. It is the future of the game.@kevin1990x: Is Dirk Nannes the only cricketer to play in the World T20 for two different countries?
Yes. According to this list, Ed Joyce, Luke Ronchi and Boyd Rankin have played for two countries in T20Is, but not in World T20 tournaments. Nannes played the 2009 tournament for Netherlands, and the 2010 edition for Australia. Rumours that Kevin Pietersen will be representing South Africa in this year’s tournament have thus far proved unfounded.@collings_jc: England v Sri Lanka on a spinning wicket. Who wins?
Sri Lanka. Probably. Certainly, if the 2011 World Cup quarter-final is anything to go by. Which it probably isn’t, given that not many of the players involved are playing in this tournament, and it was three years ago.Please tweet any further WT20-related queries to @ZaltzCricket. I will respond to a selection of the best questions in my forthcoming ZaltZone videos.

Plays of the day for the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bangalore

Karthik Krishnaswamy04-May-2014The bouncerAaron Finch was just about getting into his stride, having struck the last two balls he had faced, both from Ashok Dinda, for four and six. When he got on strike for the first time in the next over, the third of the Sunrisers Hyderabad innings, Mitchell Starc banged the ball in. Finch seemed to pick up the length quickly enough, and was back in his crease and in position to hook. The ball came on way quicker than he expected, though, and it was headed for the space framed by his helmet and his left shoulder. Finch therefore had neither time nor space to manouevre his arms through the shot, and ended up popping a simple catch to the wicketkeeper.The dislocated seatDavid Warner had been in for 41 balls, but had only scored 45 by the end of the 17th over. Sunrisers were still going at less than 7.5 an over. On came Ashok Dinda. Warner ran down the track to the fourth ball of his over, converted it into a full-toss, and sent the ball soaring over the long-off boundary. Off the last ball of the over, Dinda sent down a third straight full-toss. This time, Warner wasn’t to be denied. He smacked it over long-on, and straight into the Sunrisers bench. The players scattered to safety, but one of the seats in the dugout came loose in the melee.The mistimed diveIn the fifth over of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s chase, Chris Gayle swung across the line to a back-of-a-length ball from Ishant Sharma and didn’t make the cleanest connection. The ball struck the inside half of Gayle’s bat and rolled away in front of deep midwicket. Darren Sammy, running to his left on the boundary, seemed to be making ground comfortably, but he dived a touch too early, and his tall frame got stuck in the turf as the ball rolled past him. The timing of the dive cost Sunrisers three runs. In typical fashion, Gayle had stopped running after completing his first run.The hole-in-oneThe Sunrisers dugout was a magnet for big hits throughout the game. In the 10th over of the Royal Challengers innings, AB de Villiers got down on his knees and slogged Irfan Pathan high over long-on. Though it didn’t carry quite as far as Warner’s, and fell short of the dugout, it plopped into a waste bin lying just in front of it. De Villiers, incidentally, is an excellent golfer, and maintains a handicap of two.The scoopWhen Dale Steyn began the 19th over, Royal Challengers needed 28 off 12 balls. When the over ended, and when de Villiers was done taking him apart, they needed 4 off 6. You could tell de Villiers was batting in a rarefied zone even before the over had begun, but what he did to the last ball proved it beyond doubt. Having walked across the stumps to a length ball, de Villiers went down on one knee and scooped the ball over his left shoulder. This was Dale Steyn, the world’s best fast bowler. And de Villiers scooped him over his shoulder, over the fine leg boundary, and into the second tier of the stands. There was only one thing Steyn could do here, and he did it. He stood there, watched the ball sail into the distance, and applauded.

Billboards are calling the series England’s Indian Summer, but it is India who are looking for that period of warmth, redemption after the last whitewash, for they have seen how bleak the winter that can follow is

Sidharth Monga in Nottingham07-Jul-2014″What’s the score?” “One more gone?” [Laughter]On January 17, 2012, India should have been playing tough Test cricket on the hard surface of the WACA Ground in Perth. They were not. Having been rolled over inside three days – their seventh successive overseas Test defeat – India rested on what would have been the fourth, trained on the fifth, and were back in the hotel by the time England’s Test against Pakistan began in faraway Dubai.The cricket was either not on TV or the players were going through their team exercises – gym and pool sessions, individual and team meetings etc. A few journalists were working in the team hotel’s foyer. Every few minutes a player would pop out to ask for the score in Dubai, and be informed of another fallen wicket as England went from 31 for 1 to 43 for 5 to 94 for 7 and eventually 192 all out on the first day. There was visible pleasure on their faces. From little things big things grow.Five days later, during India’s next press conference in Australia, came their first cry for turning pitches when England and Australia would tour later in the year. Such moments were the lowest point of India’s miserable run away from home.Why are we still talking of the dark days during a lovely start to the English summer with days long and birds atwitter?Because England matters. Of late England have been a bogey team for India in Tests. They have won three of the last five Tests that India have lost at home, they began the process of unravelling the strong Indian side in 2011, and three each of the five most successful batsmen and bowlers against India since 2011 have been Englishmen. Players of the 2011 Indian team must still be going to shrinks to deal with the recurring nightmares of long days in the field when nothing happened with the ball only for it to become unplayable when they batted.In the recent past, more often than not, India have had to do with schadenfreude when it comes to England. Now that they are back in England, India have been provided ingredients for more schadenfreude. Around the time they were getting measured for final alterations on their tour blazers, the India players would have heard of the meltdown the England captain Alastair Cook had while responding to Shane Warne’s criticism of his “boring” and “defensive” captaincy. By the time they were sipping their first Earl Greys or India Pale Ales, England had lost a home Test series to Sri Lanka.No laughter this time, though. Not in public at least. Instead of turning the screw through some kind of mental disintegration, India have chosen to stay low key, which is usually their way unless they are rattled or the inimitable Virender Sehwag is at press conferences. The first signs point to a calm team quietly hopeful and confident. They know this is a good chance for a young group, which came awfully close to winning Tests in South Africa and New Zealand, to finally put one, and then more, on the board.

The hosts right now are in similar disarray to what India were when England toured India in 2012-13. Like then with India, the ruthless whitewash in Australia has claimed careers, and has left the hosts vulnerable. Consequently India’s batting is more stable than England’s, although they are bound to be less familiar with the conditions. However, they also know that Sri Lanka’s attack had the same England batting in some trouble in both Tests; India’s is not exactly a worse attack than Sri Lanka’s. There is cause for optimism, but there is no way India – least of all – are considering themselves favourites.

That confidence must arise from a promising batting line-up as much as it does from England’s disintegration. The hosts are in disarray, similar to what India went through when England toured India in 2012-13. Like then with India, the ruthless whitewash in Australia has claimed careers, and has left the hosts vulnerable. Consequently India’s batting is more stable than England’s, less likely to play weak shots to get out as they showed in their two previous trips, although they are bound to be less familiar with the conditions. However, they also know that Sri Lanka’s attack had the England batting in trouble in both Tests; India’s bowling is not exactly worse than Sri Lanka’s. There is cause for optimism, but there is no way India are considering themselves favourites.This whole tour is a vast unknown for India. Most of them have played, and done well in, ODI cricket in England, but only three – MS Dhoni, Ishant Sharma and Gautam Gambhir – of the 18-member squad have played a Test here. Only four – M Vijay being the other – have tasted Test success away from home. India last won an away Test just before going to England in 2011. None of them has ever played a five-Test series, though questions over longevity are being asked of England too, what with Sri Lanka proving stubborn, pitches good for batting, and seven Tests to be played in the summer. India’s stock bowler, their workhorse, and also their most experienced one, boasts one of the worst records for any bowler who has lasted 50 Tests. Their captain has had tactics questioned, and has been labelled defensive, more often than his counterpart.With the unknown comes the beauty of possibility. It’s almost a clean slate for a majority of this team. If they see an England partnership developing, they are less likely to think, “Here we go again.” The Indian newcomers of today aren’t the newcomers of the ’90s and before. They are confident, combative, aware, privileged with the best of facilities and finances, and do not build pressure on themselves by putting a tour on a pedestal.And within that unknown, the India players are pretty certain of their roles, which will not change much from what they were in South Africa and New Zealand. Vijay will look to fight at the top with the discipline he scarcely gets credit for, Shikhar Dhawan will try to impose himself; Cheteshwar Pujara will play his usual game while Virat Kohli will look to take it to the opposition if he manages to get in; Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane will have to get runs with the lower-middle and lower order.Bowling has always been India’s worry, and will continue to be. This is where India can be hurt. This is the first time in a long time they have embarked on a big tour without their de facto bowling captain, Zaheer Khan, who would have been fit midway during the series. Picking someone not fit right then and there is a mistake they were not going to repeat after 2011. Over the last two trips, the bowlers have inspired to an extent and against the odds; now they will need to make it a bit of a norm. They can’t afford for the intensity to drop in – at 42 days from start to finish – the most compressed five-Test series England has ever hosted.Sri Lanka had the England batting in some trouble in both Tests. India’s is not exactly a worse attack than Sri Lanka’s•Getty ImagesBhuvneshwar Kumar will try to do what Praveen Kumar did on the last trip: swing the ball, either way, and look for edges. Mohammed Shami will be the impact man, looking to bowl fast and get seam movement. India will look to use him in short, sharp bursts. Ishant will have to do the donkey’s work when the shine on the ball has worn off. Rangana Herath’s success in the first part of the summer might just have tipped the scales in favour of Ravindra Jadeja to start ahead of R Ashwin. India haven’t looked shy of experimenting with an extra bowler, but there is time to go before Stuart Binny is handed his Test cap.The most important role – though he won’t admit it and invite extra pressure – will be that of the captain Dhoni. He has won all there is to win in limited-overs cricket, but the last two Test tours to England and Australia have to rankle. Try as he might to keep the idea of legacy from clouding his current state of mind, the competitor in him will want to correct this record. More so because there were instances on both tours when India let Test matches drift in the field, something that can be pinned as much on the captain as on the bowlers. He has a younger and more athletic bunch in the field, which he has always sought, but they are also poorer in the slips. To manage with these bowling resources, not in limited-overs cricket with finite possibilities, but over a gruelling five-Test series with all its infiniteness, will be a stern test of Dhoni’s captaincy.Here in England, headlines and billboards are calling this series England’s Indian Summer. Some of their players might have, to borrow from The Doors’ , loved India the best, “better than all the rest”, but it is India who are looking for that late period of warmth, a bit of redemption after the last whitewash. They don’t want Anderson and Broad, and Bell and Cook to love them better than the rest. They need their own Indian Summer, for they have known how bleak and full of agony the winter that can follow is.

Also, lowest totals to include fifty partnerships, match awards in your final Test, most five-fors without reaching 100 Test wickets

Steven Lynch12-Aug-2014India were 8 for 4 in the fourth Test. How many worse starts than this have there been? asked Krish Menon from India
There have been only eight worse starts in Tests than India’s 8 for 4 at Old Trafford (by which I mean the score at the fall of the fourth wicket). India were famously 0 for 4 at Headingley in 1952, thanks to Fred Trueman and Alec Bedser, and later in the same series were 6 for 4 (and then 6 for 5) at The Oval. England were 2 for 4 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1999-2000, in Michael Vaughan’s first Test, almost a century after being 5 for 4 against Australia in Melbourne in 1903-04. There have been four instances of a Test team being 7 for 4: by Australia against England at Old Trafford in 1888, at The Oval in 1896, and again in Brisbane in 1936-37; and more recently by Bangladesh against India in Mirpur in 2007.There were six ducks in India’s first innings at Old Trafford – is this a record? asked James Mewshaw from England
The six ducks in India’s first innings at Old Trafford equalled the Test record, set by Pakistan against West Indies in Karachi in 1980-81, and matched by South Africa against India in Ahmedabad in 1996-97, and Bangladesh against West Indies in Dhaka in 2002-03. India’s eventual 152 was the highest total to include four ducks (Pakistan made 128, South Africa 105 and Bangladesh 87). There have been 11 instances of a match featuring a total of 11 ducks.Cheteshwar Pujara collected his first Test duck at Old Trafford. How many people had more innings – or more runs – before their first blob? asked Henry McKinnon from England
Cheteshwar Pujara’s first duck, in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, came in his 39th innings, putting him level with Mark Taylor. Some 21 players had more innings before their first duck, including James Anderson (54) and Alastair Cook (39). Top of the list is AB de Villiers, who had 78 innings before finally succumbing for a duck, just ahead of Aravinda de Silva with 75 (Clive Lloyd is next, quite a long way back with 58). De Villiers scored 2958 Test runs before registering a duck, and de Silva 2779 (Pujara had 1840 runs before his first one).Was India’s 152 the lowest all-out Test total to include two fifty partnerships? asked Luke Bull from England
India’s 152 at Old Trafford was actually the second-lowest completed Test innings to include a pair of fifty partnerships: in the second Test of the Bodyline tour, in Melbourne in 1932-33, England’s second innings of 139 started with an opening partnership of 53 between Herbert Sutcliffe and Maurice Leyland, and later Bob Wyatt and Gubby Allen put on 50 for the seventh wicket. There was a recent near-miss: in Providence in Guyana in 2011, Pakistan’s 160 against West Indies included two half-century stands.Jason Gillespie won the Man of the Match award in his final Test. How many others have done this? asked Arnold Sathasivam from Sri Lanka
Excluding current players, only six other players won the match award in what turned out to be their final Test: Ian Redpath (1975-76), Greg Chappell (1983-84), Sarfraz Nawaz (1983-84), Sunil Gavaskar (1986-87), Murray Goodwin (2000) and Shane Bond (2009-10). Jason Gillespie, of course, famously won the award for his unlikely double-century after going in as nightwatchman against Bangladesh in Chittagong in 2005-06. He’s the only man to be dropped for good after winning the match award: the others above all retired. Among current players, Pat Cummins has not appeared for Australia since winning the match award on his Test debut against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2011-12, while India’s Pragyan Ojha hasn’t featured in a Test so far this year.Venkatesh Prasad had seven five-wicket hauls in Tests, yet he didn’t reach 100 wickets. Has anyone else got more? asked Mohit Patney from India
The only man who fits the bill here is the lion-hearted old Surrey fast bowler Tom Richardson, whose 88 wickets in just 14 Tests for England in the 1890s included no fewer than 11 five-fors (and four matches with ten). Two old Australian bowlers matched Venkatesh Prasad’s record of seven five-wicket hauls: Fred “The Demon” Spofforth, whose 94 wickets in 18 Tests also included four ten-fors, and Albert “Tibby” Cotter, who took 91 wickets in 21 Tests before his death in the First World War. The England slow left-armer Colin Blythe finished with exactly 100 Test wickets, with nine five-fors, while two more recent left-arm bowlers – India’s Irfan Pathan and Mohammad Rafique of Bangladesh – took 100 with seven five-wicket bags.

Stats highlights from the final ODI between Sri Lanka and England, in Colombo

Bishen Jeswant16-Dec-20141256 Runs scored by Kumar Sangakkara in ODIs in 2014, more than any other player. Sangakkara is already the highest scorer in Tests this year with 1431 runs and is unlikely to be overtaken by any player in either format.5 Number of batsmen who have topped the run charts in both Tests and ODIs in the same year; Sangakkara, should he as expected achieve the feat, will be the fifth. The four players to do this before him are Viv Richards (1976), Greg Chappell (1977), Brian Lara (1995) and Ricky Ponting (2005).300 Number of ODIs played by Tillakaratne Dilshan, making him only the seventh Sri Lankan to play as many ODIs and the 18th player overall.9004 Runs scored by Dilshan in ODIs, making him only the fifth Sri Lankan batsman to reach this mark, and the 15th overall.23 Number of balls in which Thisara Perera got to his fifty, the second fastest by a Sri Lankan. The only Sri Lankan to score a faster fifty is Sanath Jayasuriya, who did it in a world record 17 balls against Pakistan in 1996.2502 Runs scored by Alastair Cook in ODIs as the captain of England. No other English captain has scored 2500 ODI runs. Overall, 21 players have scored 2500 ODI runs or more while serving as captain.3 Number of Sri Lankan players who have scored a century and taken three or more wickets in the same ODI. Dilshan achieved this feat in this game, but had already done this once before in his career, during the 2011 World Cup. The other Sri Lankans to have achieved this feat are Sanath Jayasuriya (thrice) and Aravinda de Silva (once).4 Number of times that Sri Lanka’s top six batsmen have all scored 20 runs or more in an ODI at home. Overall, this is the ninth time that Sri Lanka’s top order have fired collectively in this manner, and the first time against England.

14-Feb-2015He added 111 for the first wicket with Martin Guptill before falling to Rangana Herath•Getty ImagesKane Williamson, however, kept New Zealand ticking with his 13th fifty-plus score in 17 ODIs•Getty ImagesThen, in two consecutive balls, Jeevan Mendis took as many wickets as he had in his previous 12 ODIs•Getty ImagesNew Zealand’s momentum hardly slackened as Corey Anderson took charge with a 46-ball 75•AFPHaving been dropped by Jeevan Mendis on 43, Anderson plundered 73 for the sixth wicket with Luke Ronchi to propel NZ to 331 for 6•ICCSri Lanka’s reply began on a positive note with Lahiru Thirimanne cracking a brisk fifty•AFPKumar Sangakkara infused more impetus, scoring 39 off 38 balls•Getty ImagesThe wicket of Thirimanne, though, triggered a middle-order slide, as Sri Lanka lost three wickets in two overs•Getty ImagesAngelo Mathews mounted some resistance but the innings unravelled quickly•Getty ImagesSri Lanka lost their last four wickets for 37 as New Zealand romped to a 98-run win•Getty Images

Even if it’s just for the World Cup, cricket has encroached on rugby turf in New Zealand. Take Wellington, for instance, where a crash course in cricket lexicon can be found on bus stops, lamp posts and even a church wall

Firdose Moonda in Wellington11-Mar-2015Wellington is a great city for distractions.It is reported to have more cafes, bars and restaurants per person than New York City, which makes for a good start. It is home to the country’s national museum – six floors that house everything from a selection of Maori instruments, that can be played at the push of a button, to a giant squid. It has a sea-side run that stretches almost 40 kilometres and a bicycle trail that goes on much longer.The South African team have taken advantage of all these things. AB de Villiers explored the city with his wife before playing a round of golf; Dale Steyn, David Miller and Kyle Abbott enjoyed sundowners at one of the many hotspots, and some of the management staff explored the terrain on two wheels.But as valiant as their attempts to get away from the cricket have been, there is actually no getting away from it even in a town where there seems to be enough of everything else, especially sport. In Wellington, as in most of New Zealand, the rugby side the Hurricanes are the headline-grabbers and billboard models but cricket has learnt to encroach on that space, even if just for the World Cup.A Learn the Terms poster clarifies that cricket’s Cabbage Patch has little to do with the dance moves•ESPNcricinfo/Firdose MoondaOn bus stops, lamp posts and even a church wall, posters have been plastered to help fans “Learn the terms” of cricket. I’ve spotted LBW, in which the bowler looks suspiciously like Dale Steyn letting out a loud appeal; stumped, where a wicketkeeper who seems to bear some similarity to MS Dhoni is shown pulling off some nifty work against a batsman, and a poster defining a cabbage patch.The cricket explosion has made it to bars that are advertising two-for-one specials during the games and extended happy hours, and to the pages of the ‘s OpEd section, where they published this cartoon.In Wellington, as in most of New Zealand, the rugby side the Hurricanes are the headline-grabbers but cricket has learnt to encroach on that space, even if just for the World Cup; that sentiment is captured best in this cartoon•ESPNcricinfo/Firdose MoondaSadly, it’s only made it as an afterthought to the Basin Reserve, possibly the loveliest cricket ground in either of the host countries. The gorgeous picket-fenced oval is merely a training venue this time, while matches are played down the road at the Regional Stadium – the only stadium at this tournament where teams choose not to train before their matches unless they want to get a feel for being under the lightsThere are no nets at the Regional Stadium – this is rugby country, remember – so for a proper bat or bowl, teams go to the Basin. Morne Morkel pointed out that the advantage of that would be to allow squads to simulate game situations on an actual cricket field but one wonders if it wouldn’t just want to make them actually play at the Basin instead.Havana Coffee Works – the aroma of fresh roasted beans can sometimes waft into the Basin Reserve•ESPNcricinfo/Firdose MoondaJust around the corner from the ground is Havana Coffee, so close you can smell when there’s a new batch being roasted from the Basin. Its name fits in with one of the sub-cultures of this vibrant city. There’s a Cuba Street and a cafe called Fidel’s. You get it?Perhaps South Africa have too, especially with their bullish attitude ahead of what is an entirely low-profile game against the UAE. “If I lose, it will not mean that it was impossible to win,” Che Guevara said. There’s a line for AB and co to remember.