All posts by h716a5.icu

Also: double-centuries in low totals, and a foreign-born England XI

Steven Lynch01-Nov-2016In the respective first innings of the Dhaka Test, Bangladesh reached 150 for 1, while England were 150 for 8 – but went on to get the lead. Was this some sort of record? asked Mahinda Gunasekera from Sri Lanka
That remarkable turnaround in the second Test in Mirpur was certainly a noteworthy occurrence: Bangladesh actually reached 171 for 1, while England at one point were 144 for 8. The only other Test in which a team claimed a first-innings lead after losing their eighth wicket at a lower score than the opposition’s second was in Bombay in 1960-61, when Pakistan slipped from 301 for 1 to 350 all out, and were overtaken by India, who had been 300 for 8 but went on to declare at 449 for 9.Has any side ever won a Test – or a first-class match – without losing a wicket? asked Ed Atkinson from England
There hasn’t yet been a Test match in which the winning side lost no wickets at all. The fewest is two, which has happened five times – most recently by South Africa (637 for 2 dec) against England (385 and 240) at The Oval in 2012. The previous instance was also by South Africa, against Bangladesh in Chittagong in 2002-03. The other three were all by England: against South Africa at Lord’s in 1924, New Zealand at Headingley in 1958, and India at Edgbaston in 1974. There have been eight instances of a side winning a first-class match without losing a wicket. The first – and the only one in England – was by Lancashire (166 for 0 dec and 66 for 0) against Leicestershire (108 and 122) at Old Trafford in 1956. Four of the others were in Pakistan, most recently when Karachi Blues conceded the match – saying the pitch was too dangerous – after slipping to 33 for 4 in Faisalabad in 2004-05.Josh Cobb is the only player to win match awards twice in the final of England’s T20 competition•Getty ImagesI saw a match last season in which Alviro Petersen of the Lions scored 203 in a total of less than 300. Was this the lowest total to include a double-century? asked Tiaan Strydom from South Africa
Alviro Petersen’s fine effort – 203 out of 295 – was against the Titans in Potchefstroom in January 2016. It is actually second on the list for completed innings, behind only a remarkable effort by Namibia’s Gerrie Snyman in an Intercontinental Cup match against Kenya in Sharjah in January 2008. Snyman battered 230, with 11 sixes, in a total of 282; the only other double-figure score was Michael Durant’s 13. There is one lower innings, in which not all the wickets fell – Oxford University made 280 for 1, with Micky Walford hitting 201 not out, to beat MCC at Lord’s in 1938. Gloucestershire scored 292 for 6 (Charles Barnett 204 not out) against Leicestershire at Aylestone Road in 1936, and in 1957, Worcestershire made 292 for 6 declared (Don Kenyon 200 not out) against Nottinghamshire at New Road.Who’s the only player to be Man of the Match twice in the final of the English domestic Twenty20 Cup competition? asked Matt Clarke from England
The Twenty20 Cup started in England in 2003, and in its various guises until 2015 the Man-of-the-Match awards in the 13 finals were shared around 13 different players. But in this year’s T20 Blast final, at Edgbaston, Northamptonshire’s Josh Cobb won the prize for his match-winning 80. Back in 2011, when he was playing for Leicestershire, Cobb had received the award for his 4 for 22 – all of them catches by the substitute Matt Boyce – which restricted Somerset’s score in the final, again at Edgbaston.In an ODI in Colombo in 2012, six Pakistan batsmen were dismissed for ducks•Getty ImagesWhat’s the record for the most people in an England Test team who weren’t born in England? asked Darren Hurst from England
There have been four England teams that contained seven players born outside England, all of them in the early 1990s. The team for the first two Tests at home against West Indies in 1991 included Phillip DeFreitas (born in Dominica), Graeme Hick (Zimbabwe), Allan Lamb (South Africa), Devon Malcolm (Jamaica), Derek Pringle (Kenya), Robin Smith (South Africa) and Steve Watkin (Wales). It might be stretching a point to include the Welshman Watkin, but the following winter in New Zealand the England side for the first two Tests included DeFreitas, Hick, Lamb, Pringle and Smith, plus Chris Lewis (born in Guyana) and Dermot Reeve (Hong Kong). The most recent England side made up entirely of people born inside the country was against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2003-04.There were five ducks in New Zealand’s innings in the fifth ODI at Vizag. Was this a record? asked Prashaan Raga from South Africa
New Zealand’s five ducks in their paltry total of 79 against India in Visakhapatnam last week equalled the New Zealand record, set against Pakistan in Auckland in 2000-01 (in a total of 149). But there have been five one-day international innings that contained six ducks, three of them by Pakistan: against England at Edgbaston in 1987 (in a total of 213 for 9), v West Indies in Cape Town in 1992-93 (43 all out), and against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2012 (199). There were also six ducks in South Africa’s 106 against Australia in Sydney in 2001-02, and Zimbabwe’s 127 v Sri Lanka in Harare in 2008-09.Post your questions in the comments below

Australia have struggled to find a No. 6 batsman in Tests and it appears the search will continue for a while

Brydon Coverdale in Melbourne29-Dec-2016It may not be the sexiest position in a batting order, but it is the sixiest. And over the years Australia have had some jaw-droppingly sixy Test batsmen – Steve Waugh, Allan Border, Ricky Ponting and Doug Walters to name a few. But Australia currently find themselves frustrated, unable to break a six-drought that grows with every Test. Australia, you see, have a headache, and they’ve had it for more than two years.Whether Nic Maddinson is the man to break this drought remains an unanswered question. He struggled badly on debut in Adelaide, and again in his next Test in Brisbane. On day four at the MCG he seemed in the mood, but was then bowled by Yasir Shah for 22. Maddinson’s innings was neither one thing nor the other, neither failure nor success. His 55 deliveries at the crease did little to confirm or annul his Test future.And so Australia’s headache continues.Number six is a deceptively important position, and one that requires versatility. A good Test No.6 is a buttress in case of a top-order collapse, and needs to bat well with the tail. But if the top order has built a big score, he should also be capable of quick runs to capitalise on that platform. He is often the newest batsman in the side, sometimes a veteran shuffling down later in his career, at other times an allrounder.For Australia right now, an allrounder has the greatest six appeal – they just can’t find one. During this Test, bowling coach David Saker said Australia were “desperate” to find a fifth bowler who could ease the workload on the fast men. Desperation does not necessarily equal success. Mitchell Marsh has been tried, Hilton Cartwright could be next, Moises Henriques could even be considered down the track.Since Marsh made his Test debut against Pakistan in the UAE in October, 2014, No.6 has been a problem for Australia. The following figures – batting average, number of centuries and number half-centuries for each position in Australia’s top six since Marsh made his debut – are revealing:

Position Average Fifties HundredsOpeners 48.49 24 15No. 3 50.78 10 9No. 4 58.67 7 10No. 5 54.42 9 6No. 6 21.75 5 0Marsh was No.6 for the vast majority of those innings, and his lack of batting output eventually led to his axing after the first Test of this summer. Callum Ferguson was then tried and discarded, a one-Test stand that satisfied neither party, and Maddinson replaced him. Both Ferguson and Maddinson meant a return to Australia’s old formula of six batsmen and four bowlers, which worked when those bowlers included Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.There are those who point to Steve Waugh as an example of why Australia should have persisted with Marsh as an allrounder. In 19 Tests, Marsh has made 626 runs at 23.18 and taken 29 wickets at 37.27. Waugh’s output after the first 19 Tests of his career was only slightly better: 689 runs at 27.56 and 29 wickets at 33.75.Mitchell Marsh’s lack of batting output led to his axing earlier this summer•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesBut this comparison ignores a couple of critical factors. Waugh’s breakthrough as a Test batsman did not come simply from staying in the team and gaining Test experience. He made serious Test runs – including his maiden century – only after going away and dominating at first-class level. Specifically, Waugh piled up mountains of county runs for Somerset in 1987 and 1988, and scored eight first-class hundreds in those seasons, averaging 78.76. Marsh has done nothing like that.And when Waugh was first selected for Tests, he was averaging 43.21 as a first-class batsmen – Marsh was averaging 28.51. This is not meant to belittle Marsh – who is a fine player with all-round potential – but rather to show that expecting him to blossom as a Test No.6 was always a tall order. In fact, the uncapped Cartwright’s first-class record – two hundreds and an average of 44.50 – is much closer to Waugh’s pre-Test numbers.There is a chance Cartwright could be considered for a Test debut at the SCG next week, given the workload for Australia’s fast bowlers over the past two Tests, which would squeeze Maddinson out. But of course, the whole selection philosophy could change for the upcoming tour of India, where two spinners will likely play – perhaps even a spinning allrounder – and Shaun Marsh will also come under consideration.And it should be noted that No.6 is far from Australia’s only issue in the lower middle order. During the same period – October 2014 to now – Australia’s Test No.7s have produced no centuries, five fifties, and averaged 21.66. Matthew Wade, brought in at the same time as Maddinson with the aim of shoring up the batting order, is yet to reach double figures in a Test innings this summer.After Maddinson fell for 22 and Wade made 9 in the first innings in Melbourne, the captain Steven Smith said that Maddinson “looked pretty good” and Wade was “in a good headspace”. But it’s patently obvious that Australia remain at sixes and sevens with their sixes and sevens. It’s the headache that just won’t go away.

England captain rues the loss of control with the ball as India seal the ODI series after escaping from another tough start to their innings

Vishal Dikshit at Cuttack19-Jan-20172:08

‘Haven’t produced near our best this series’ – Morgan

England can have had no complaints with the two pitches so far produced in their ODI series in India. They are not turning much, they are not particularly slow, and they are the kind of tracks on which a batting-heavy side like theirs can score easily. The flip side is that scoring is easy for both teams, leading to high-scoring matches that aren’t over until the last over.England, however, have managed something that has been beyond India – getting early wickets on two flat pitches. While David Willey removed the openers with his swing in the first match, Chris Woakes – who stifled India’s top order in both matches – removed KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli single-handedly on Thursday. If 63 for 4 was not enough to win the match while defending 350, he made it 25 for 3 this time. His penetrative spell with pin-point accurate bowling finished a first spell of 5-3-14-3.And yet England squandered such strong positions in both matches and conceded the series after coming close in a spirited run-chase. Their captain Eoin Morgan, who steered them almost all the way to their target of 382, admitted they had paid the price for allowing India to regroup in spite of all that early pressure.”We weren’t at our best again with the ball,” he said. “We took early wickets, which is a really good sign, but letting two experienced guys get themselves in like that… and we struggled to break the partnership throughout, probably due to just not executing our plans well enough.”We didn’t produce our best performance – or anywhere near our best performance – with the ball, in this game and the last, which is very disappointing. Chasing 382, we had an incredible amount of belief in the changing room, we believed that we could chase it down, and again we weren’t far off. I didn’t think we batted [as] well [as we can].””When you don’t execute your plans, you’re obviously backtracking a bit and chasing a tail, and just trying different things. If a bowler doesn’t get it right on the day, which can happen all the time, you try different things. When you’re trying different things against the two guys who are in, they can really hurt and today they did.”The two batsmen who hurt England – Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni – cashed in as soon as the England bowlers faltered, once the opening bowlers ended their first spells. Ben Stokes offered too much room to Yuvraj, Jake Ball didn’t bowl the right lines, while Liam Plunkett encountered Dhoni at his most unstoppable in the 48th over and was smashed for three sixes in the over. The platform laid by Woakes’ spell was effectively nullified by his team-mates in the middle overs.That both games came close is a tribute to the batting displays of both sides; 1453 runs have been scored so far in four innings for the loss of 28 wickets. If England’s bowling was unable to build on the momentum established by the openers, their batting could not finish things off after the stage had been set. It was the skill level of the two teams in these conditions that made the difference.Shikhar Dhawan played on to Chris Woakes as England applied more early pressure with the ball•AFP”It’s different from what we are used to,” Morgan said. “The grounds have been very similar, very small, very batting-friendly which continues to be the case for white-ball cricket. It’s almost the case of who bats the best wins. And we haven’t produced our best with the bat. We’ve pushed them close twice, there are positives signs within themselves, but we’ve lost the series.”It’s with our skill level. The belief is there, the character is there, the talent is there – it’s reproducing your skill level. As I mentioned, India are a tough side to beat at home. You need to have skill level. The guys playing the IPL, I believe, will set them up.”Within their side there are a few World Cup winners who were a part of the 2011 side and, of course, having that experience and coming up against these sides in world competitions is a big test for us. You’ve got to produce close to the best to beat them when they’re at their best and we haven’t managed to do that.”We have another chance to do that in Calcutta. Although the series is gone, looking further ahead, it’s going to be a good test for us to prepare for the Champions Trophy. The wickets are not turning square, it’s not the typical India, it’s actually modern-day 50-over cricket. Finding a way to deal with that is a challenge.”Morgan fought valiantly with the lower order and the tail, compiling his eighth ODI century with a plan executed almost to perfection, especially once spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had finished their quotas by the 40th over. Morgan saw them through carefully, he didn’t even score at run a ball against them because he knew he could try and make up for that against the quick bowlers. He unleashed his full repertoire against Hardik Pandya’s erratic lines and the odd loose delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He barely celebrated his hundred in the penultimate over because England still needed 29 runs off 11 balls. And he didn’t get to celebrate later at all.”A pretty disappointing day,” he said. “Anytime you get runs, more often than not, you’re in the team, you perform, the side wins. But when you lose, there is absolutely no satisfaction.”Morgan’s partnership with Moeen Ali took them close to satisfaction. Morgan played second fiddle to his partner in their counter-attacking 12-over stand that instilled life in their chase again, as Moeen targeted the leg-side boundary repeatedly. But a big swing against Bhuvneshwar left Moeen’s stumps rattled . It was, admitted Morgan, a big turning point.”Joe [Root] and Jason [Roy], when they got going, obviously losing the two of them hurt us a bit. And then when myself and Mo got going, losing Mo. It’s more a case of breaking partnerships as opposed to losing one wicket in particular [that turns the match].”If the Kolkata pitch also offers plenty of runs on Sunday, Morgan can only hope his bowlers put up a better show, so that his batsmen’s best statistical efforts don’t contribute to yet another lost cause.

Barring the Sri Lanka game, a set method has resulted in success so far, and proceedings in the semi-final weren’t too different

Nagraj Gollapudi in Edgbaston15-Jun-20173:00

Tait: Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar in good shape going into the final

The pressure is on India.Sarfraz Ahmed said that first. Mashrafe Mortaza said that next. Yet Virat Kohli’s India have waltzed into the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy without breaking much sweat or missing too many steps. India have made winning look ridiculously easy.That success has come through a set template: throttle the opposition in the first 10 overs, take wickets in the middle overs and finish well each time they have bowled first. Indian bowlers have taken the most wickets in the middle segment of the innings – 19. And when it comes to chasing down targets, India are well-versed in this art, evident in the semi-final against Bangladesh.On Thursday, the Indian batsmen cut loose from the start. Their run rate was much quicker in the first Powerplay – 63 for 0 was their best start after 10 overs in four matches of the tournament after scores of 37, 48, 46 at the same stage (against South Africa, Sri Lanka and Pakistan respectively). By the halfway stage India were 164 for the loss of Shikhar Dhawan. Having wrapped up the Bangladesh innings almost 20 minutes ahead of the regulation time, India turned the screws fast on their opponents even with the bat.Critics have pointed out that in tightly-run tournaments like these, the opposition usually is not consistently of high standard and that the pitches are skewed in favour of the batsmen, which feeds India’s strength. But those conditions should apply to the other seven teams too. England were the firm favourites. South Africa and New Zealand disappointed themselves. Australia were unlucky to be beaten twice by the weather. You cannot fault India for doing what they are good at.On the eve of the tournament, Virat Kohli had mentioned there were three factors that helped India win the title in 2013: the success of the Shikhar Dhawan-Rohit Sharma opening combination, the domination of their spin pair – R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – and their fielding.Virat Kohli was delighted with how the Bhuvneshwar Kumar-Jasprit Bumrah combination had stepped up in the last two matches•Getty ImagesTwo of those factors have contributed to their success four years later. Dhawan and Rohit are the most successful opening pairing not just this edition but in Champions Trophy history. Both men have one century each so far in this edition and their four 100-plus partnerships are the most by any pair in the tournament’s history.After the Pakistan victory, Kohli had admitted fielding was a grey area and he would give his unit six out of 10. Against South Africa,the ruthless fielding unit effected three run outs, of which two- AB de Villiers and David Miller – were match-turning.As far as Ashwin and Jadeja go, they have been forced to be defensive on pitches where the ball has not gripped the surface and spun much. Despite that, India’s bowling has managed to squeeze the opposition throughout the innings barring the solitary failure against Sri Lanka, who transformed a challenging target into a cakewalk.Forced to re-think after the loss, India gave Jasprit Bumrah the opportunity to share the new ball with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, possibly the best death-bowling pair in cricket currently. In fact, in this edition, among teams bowling first, they have the best economy rate in the final 10 overs.Australia captain, Steven Smith, has called Bhuvneshwar the best death bowler, but the Indian seamer is equally smart as a strike bowler too. The conditions at the start of the Bangladesh innings were exactly what Bhuvneshwar would have wanted: overcast with a little breeze. He started by pitching some deliveries wide, tempting the batsmen to reach out. Tamim Iqbal did not. Soumya Sarkar did and paid the price by playing on.Sabbir Rahman was eager to bolt out of his crease almost every ball, thus revealing his hand. Bhuvneshwar hit the hard lengths and pitched short to frustrate him. The batsman was kept on the edge of the crease as Bhuvneshwar would angle in a fuller length delivery next ball. Bhuvneshwar eventually trapped Sabbir as he stretched out to play a wider delivery on off stump to Jadeja at point.”Outstanding,” is how Kohli summed up the role the Bhuvneshwar-Bumrah new-ball combine. “Especially in the last two games. they have been terrific initially and in the later stages as well. Their wicket-taking ability is always something that the opposition knows, so they are always careful about going hard against these two guys.”According to Kohli, the fast bowlers had worked hard to improve their lines and length, an exercise that was monitored under the sharp watch of India coach Anil Kumble. Kohli agreed it has paid dividends. “After the Sri Lanka, the lengths and line has been impeccable, so consistent, bowling close to the batsman, always there with an opportunity to get a wicket. Even in conditions which are not offering too much bowling such lines that can produce wicket-taking opportunities. Big credit to both of them for getting us where we stand right now.”With bat, ball, and in the field, India have strived hard to be on top. They have made mistakes, but they have also swiftly corrected them – like the bowlers improvising their line and lengths or the top order scoring at a brisk rate. Today when they found themselves under pressure – as Tamim and Mushfiqur played aggressively between the 12th and 25 overs, adding 93 – Kohli brought in part-timer Kedar Jadhav to distract the batsman. Jadhav was eventually the catalyst for victory.As Kohli said, the hype about playing Pakistan for the second time in two weeks could distract everyone else, except India, who will continue to play “boring cricket.” Boring = consistent, proactive, ruthless.On Sunday India will find themselves at a place they have desired to be in. The pressure, obviously, will be back on them. Pakistan will, no doubt, say that.

It tells you much about the current state of world cricket that Edgbaston had only budgeted for a three-day Test

George Dobell20-Aug-2017It tells you much about the current state of world cricket that Edgbaston had only budgeted for a three-day Test.Little was expected of West Indies but they disappointed nevertheless. And just as David Gower joked that West Indies would be “quaking in their boots” ahead of the 1985-86 tour following his side’s success in the Ashes, so it seems fair to suggest few in Australia gulped, crossed themselves and whispered prayers when they saw the scorecard from Birmingham.Before reaching conclusions over West Indies’ future it is worth remembering a few things. It is not so long since England succumbed to whitewash defeats in Australia (2006-7 and 2013-14), the UAE (2012), India (1992-93) and West Indies (1984, 1985-86). West Indies won the previous Test between these sides – in Barbados in May 2015 – and this series remains live. It is probably sensible to postpone the firmest of judgements.This was, however, a desperately lame performance from West Indies. Arguably not since an inexperienced Bangladesh team were brushed aside in 2005 – England lost only six wickets in the entire series; winning both Tests by an innings – has such weak opposition played in a Test series in England. The difference is that Bangladesh side was at the start of its journey in Test cricket; this West Indies side has no such excuse and no such hope for the future.Coming on the heels of a series of other one-sided encounters – there have been more than a dozen series (of three matches or more) whitewashes this decade alone including the recently-concluded thrashing of Sri Lanka by India – it is a reminder that it will take more than a pink ball and some floodlights to save Test cricket. Such novelties worked in encouraging record crowds to Edgbaston over recent days (the ground has never seen a higher single day attendance for a non-Ashes Test than it did on the second day) but once that wears off, it will become tough to retain the numbers in the grounds or the numbers watching on television.The solution? If players are well compensated for their work – at least as well compensated as they are for their appearances in T20 leagues – and if greater context can be added to such games (ideally the introduction of promotion and relegation in Test cricket) the format can be saved. But the water is rising fast now and, with more players from South Africa and West Indies exploring their options away from international cricket the situation will, if not confronted, only worsen.All of which renders it hard to gauge what progress England have made. In winning three Tests in succession for the first time since 2014 (when they defeated India), they demonstrated admirable ruthlessness. They also gained some experience of pink-ball cricket, albeit with a different ball to that to be used in Adelaide, and the confidence gained from such performances may prove beneficial. They will know, though, that far tougher challenges lie ahead.Mark Stoneman has precious little time to prepare for a potential Ashes tour•Associated PressRoot made a point, after the match, of praising his “record breakers.” In Alastair Cook, England’s leading Test run-scorer, James Anderson, England’s leading Test wicket-taker and Stuart Broad, who overtook Ian Botham to move into second place in the list of England’s greatest Test wicket-takers, he has an extraordinary bank of experience in his dressing room. Add to that the all-round depth offered by Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali and he has the basis of what could be an excellent team.Anderson may have lost a little pace but he has compensated with exemplary control this summer. He has hardly bowled a poor delivery and, after five Tests, almost a third of the overs he has bowled (47 out of 147) have been maidens. His economy rate – 2.22 runs per over – and average – 13.12 – in that period are not too shabby, either. It is also hugely encouraging that he has managed five successive Tests without fitness issues. Trevor Bayliss suggested he would have his head bitten off if he suggested either Anderson or Broad be rotated out of the team ahead of the next two games. Besides, Chris Woakes – while in the 13-man squad for the second Test – may well find himself playing another Championship match next weekend as he seeks a return to Test levels of fitness and consistency.But we knew Anderson and Broad were fine bowlers before this match. And we knew Cook and Root were fine batsmen. None of them taught us anything new by bullying a soft West Indies team.What Root didn’t learn was the readiness of Mark Stoneman for Test cricket, the ability of Tom Westley to add substance to his obvious style or whether Dawid Malan can cut it as a Test match batsman. It was Stoneman’s ill-fortune to receive perhaps the best delivery of the match, while Westley (who looks so like John Crawley you half expect his hair to fall out and then have a ferocious disagreement with Lancashire) may have to play straighter if he is to sustain a career at this level. Malan survived some nervous moments early on to register his first half-century in Tests, but may yet come to regret not compiling the sort of score that makes an irrefutable case for his retention. All three will have another chance at Headingley.That, in itself, is an issue. There are now only two Tests left until the Ashes start. If Stoneman and co. are unable to find their feet in those next two games, it leaves England with no chance of blooding anyone new before Australia. There’s no time for a Plan B now.In time, though, you suspect England may omit one of the specialist batsmen, shuffle their talented middle-order up a space each and bring in both Chris Woakes – who is a more than capable batsman – at No. 8 and find room for a second spinner.Yes, that would leave England with six bowlers and yes, that would be harsh of Toby Roland-Jones who has had a terrific start to his Test career. But with three of those bowlers more than decent allrounders – Woakes, Stokes and Moeen – it would not much weaken the batting and would mean the burden on the bowlers could be lessened a little. On tough days in Australia and with a couple of those bowlers carrying a few miles in their legs, that would be no bad thing. It’s not as if that extra batsman has contributed a great deal, anyway.The test for England now is to retain the intensity they have shown since The Oval for the rest of what promises to be a mis-match of a series. While they do not have a great record in such situations, the level of hunger palpable in Root does appear to have instilled a new edge in the side. And, if the newer players in the side can settle and gain some confidence, it may yet prove a valuable experience.

The stats and landmarks from a memorable day for West Indies in the second Investec Test against England at Headingley

Bharath Seervi26-Aug-20171984 – Last time West Indies had a bigger partnership in England than the 246 runs between Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope. Larry Gomes and Gordon Greenidge shared an unbeaten second-wicket partnership of 287 in their famous chase at Lord’s. This is West Indies’ first double-century partnership since Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin added 200 at Hamilton in 2013-14.2008 – Last instance of a double-century partnership at Headingley for any pair – 212 between AB de Villiers and Ashwell Prince. England haven’t had such a partnership at the venue since 1967 whereas visiting pairs have had seven such stands including the one in this match.6 – Centuries for Braithwaite in Tests. Since his debut, only Darren Bravo and Chanderpaul, eight each, have more hundreds for West Indies. He’s still 24 and only Graeme Smith (11) and Alastair Cook (7) had more centuries as openers before their 25th birthday.3 – Number of away countries in which Braithwaite has hit hundreds – 106 in Port Elizabeth in South Africa in 2014-15, 142 not out in Sharjah in UAE in 2016-17 and this one at Headingley. No other opener has scored centuries in more away countries in the last three years, although Cook, Dean Elgar and KL Rahul have all matched Brathwaite’s tally in that time.2004 – Last time a West Indies opener scored a century in England – Chris Gayle made 105 at The Oval. Brathwaite’s 134 is highest by a West Indies opener in England since Greenidge’s 223 at Old Trafford in 1984.147* – Hope’s score, at the end of the day, is so far the highest score by a West Indies batsman in England since Brian Lara’s 179 at The Oval in 1995.2004 – Last instance of West Indies getting a first-innings lead in England – although on that occasion, at Old Trafford, they went on to lose by seven wickets. The most recent occasion when they led on first innings against England was in Bridgetown in 2009.18.18 – Braithwaite’s srike rate against James Anderson, scoring eight runs from 44 balls. He had a strike rate of nearly 50 and above against all other bowlers. Hope had a strike rate of less than 35 against Ben Stokes and Tom Westley.1 – Number of bigger fourth-wicket partnerships for West Indies after being three-down for less than 50. Gerry Gomez and Clyde Walcott added 267 in Delhi in 1948-49. Against England, only Don Bradman and Bill Ponsford’s 388, which also came at Headingley, in 1934 is higher than the one in this match.

Dilruwan Perera’s bizarre review in Kolkata highlighted the inconsistencies in the DRS protocol, so why not eliminate that doubt by allowing players to get help from the dressing room?

Karthik Krishnaswamy23-Nov-2017Imagine this. At a critical moment in a finely balanced Ashes Test or India-Australia match, a batsman is given out lbw to a ball that nips back into him. He proceeds to walk a few steps towards his dressing room, only to turn abruptly and ask for a review. Replays show ball striking pad outside off stump. The umpire has to reverse his decision.Imagine the uproar from the opposition, the media noise, and the spillover of all that bad blood into the remainder of the series.There was no uproar or bad blood when Dilruwan Perera survived an lbw decision in this manner on Sunday at Eden Gardens, in a Test match that was delicately poised at that point. Sri Lanka denied that there had been any signal from the dressing room to Dilruwan. Their statement said he had turned around because he heard Rangana Herath, at the other end, ask Nigel Llong whether Sri Lanka had any reviews left, and heard Llong reply in the affirmative. India didn’t make a fuss about it either.Imagine this now. Almost exactly the same thing happens, in a finely balanced Ashes Test or India-Australia match, except this time the on-field umpire has spotted someone in the dressing room gesturing to the batsman to turn around and ask for a review. The umpire tells the batsman he cannot review, and he walks off. Replays, once again, show the ball striking back pad outside off stump.In this instance, has the DRS protocol prevented the correct decision from being arrived at?Extend the argument a little further: is it necessarily wrong for a batsman or fielding team to seek assistance from the dressing room, if in the process the right decision can be made?Given that the review must be asked for within 15 seconds of the original decision, it doesn’t allow enough time for the occupants of the dressing room to have watched replays. They would have watched the action live, and after about a second’s delay on TV, from a behind-the-bowler view not available to anyone on the field. Would that not mean they are better placed to advise the batsman or fielding captain on whether to take a review than the non-striker or wicketkeeper?The question leads us to the tension that lies at the heart of the Decision Review System.We hear it often, and the ICC maintains this position, that the DRS exists in order to minimise “howlers”, or obviously wrong decisions – an inside-edge onto pad that the umpire has missed, or a caught-behind given when the ball has brushed elbow guard rather than glove.With that in mind, it’s clear why players aren’t allowed to take dressing-room assistance while deciding whether to review. It’s unlikely a batsman would not know that he’s inside-edged onto pad, or strongly suspect that the ball pitched outside leg stump. In these cases, the batsman really wouldn’t need to look at the dressing room for help.In Dilruwan’s case, the decision was marginal: the ball struck his back pad half an inch outside off stump. In the old days before DRS, commentators would call it a close but fair decision, and leave it at that.Players, however, don’t use the DRS only to reverse obviously wrong decisions. The bulk of reviews are of marginal calls, made on the basis of hope rather than belief: balls that may or may not have hit or off stump or clipped the bails; balls that struck a batsman’s pad while he was moving across the stumps, where impact could have occurred in line or just outside; balls that could have pitched on or outside leg stump, give or take a tiny fraction.As a result, most of the ICC’s tinkering with the DRS has focused on marginal decisions. Last year, the definition of “hitting the stumps” for ball-tracking calls was amended, which meant some marginal lbw reviews that earlier reverted to the on-field umpire’s call now fell within the realms of definitely being out. This year, teams have been allowed to retain reviews that return an “umpire’s call” verdict.The latter decision – only mildly counterbalanced by the decision to end the topping-up of reviews at the 80-over mark in Test cricket – directly incentivises players to review marginal calls, moving the DRS another step away from its stated aim.In this climate, therefore, it seems arbitrary that players can’t ask their dressing room for help with reviews. When batsmen can question entirely reasonable umpiring decisions because they are now at less risk of losing reviews, why not let them get some extra help while they’re at it? It could even open up the job market for specialist DRS consultants.

The best of the numbers from the opening day at Trent Bridge as India’s top order collectively repel England for the first time in the series

Bharath Seervi18-Aug-20181 – The 159-run stand between Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane was the first century stand for India in this series and also the first in the two tours this year, which includes the three-match tour of South Africa. India had over 100 partnerships without any of them crossing triple-digits on these two tours. In the first two Tests against England, India had only two fifty-plus stands out of 44 partnerships with a highest of 57. Kohli has been part of the five of the top-seven partnerships for India on these two tours.ESPNcricinfo Ltd82.6 – India’s control percentage with the bat on the first day at Trent Bridge was far higher than what they had managed in the first two Tests. They had control of just 75% in the first Test then in the second Test it fell below 70%. Each of the seven batsmen who batted had a control of over 70% and all faced more than 30 deliveries.2014 – The last time India’s top seven crossed double-figures in a Test innings on tours of Australia, England, New Zealand or South Africa. It happened in the first innings of the Gabba Test in 2013-14. There was no such instance for India in England in the last 10 Tests. The last time the top seven all scored more than 10 runs in England was in the first Test of 2011 tour at Lord’s.72 – Runs accumulated by India’s top three in this innings. The top three had scored only 118 runs from 12 innings in the first two Tests while 10 of those scores were below 20.78.4- Average score of India at the fall of the fourth wicket for India in the five Tests this year in South Africa and England, before this match. India never reached 150 before the fall of fifth wicket in those 10 innings; the highest was 132 at Centurion. At Trent Bridge, India lost their fourth wicket at the score of 241, and therefore India are marching to their highest total on these two tours.2 – Number of times Kohli has been out in the nineties in Tests. Before this dismissal on 97, the last came about five years ago in Johannesburg in December 2013 when he was out on 96. He has made 17 centuries between these two nineties. He is the first visiting captain to be out in the nineties in England since Brian Lara fell for 95 at Edgbaston in 2004. Among India players, Sachin Tendulkar (twice) and Sourav Ganguly have missed their tons after getting into the nineties at Trent Bridge.ESPNcricinfo Ltd100 – Wickets for James Anderson against India. He is only the second bowler to do so against India after Muttiah Muralitharan’s 105 scalps in 22 matches. India is the second country against which Anderson has managed more than 100 wickets. He has 104 versus Australia. He is the seventh bowler to claim 100 wickets against multiple teams. Shane Warne and Muralitharan have done it against three opponents.1 – Rishabh Pant became the first India player whose first scoring shot in Test cricket was a six (where known). He hit a six off just his second delivery, against the bowling of Adil Rashid.

The sights and sounds at Galle were familiar, but the team spinning a web around stumbling opponents was not the hosts

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle07-Nov-2018You know you are at a Sri Lanka match when you see the flags. You need not know whose flags they are. You could be colour blind. Your eyes could even be failing you in general. But if can see there is a flag for almost every person in at a cricket ground, it is likely to be Sri Lankans waving them. When the team plays overseas, for example, Sri Lanka fans are often vastly outnumbered, but on the brandishing of flags front, they have home supporters covered.There is something amiss about this picture, of course. That is still a Buddhist up on the hill, beyond the bay to the east. The gentle azaan from a nearby mosque still echoes through the grounds in the afternoons. The less-than-gentle honking of public buses as well.At Galle on day one, though, English, British and Welsh flags outnumbered Sri Lankan ones. The ratio was 10 to one, conservatively. On day two, it was even more stark. In the ground, and on the fort ramparts, where the hordes, some of them shirtless, many turning the resplendent pink of the sunset sky, built beer snakes, flags that read “Newcastle” or “Hull” or “Stoke”. There were more unusual names: “Scunthorpe”, “Hungerford”, “Dorking”. In the innings break late in the day, one England fan disrobed and streaked clear across the ground, in a country that takes its public nudity laws seriously.They may not have applied sufficient sunscreen. They may come from places that sound made up. One could be spending the next few days in a local jail. But for this week at least, they have hung out in numbers on the ramparts, and they have taken over the ground. As they watch on at Sri Lanka’s favourite venue of all, their team has taken over the Test.****Sometimes, when teams are a month into an away series and defeats have piled up, morale subsides, ill-feeling rears its head, and personal grouses – magnified by the distance from home – begin to take hold.Officially this is a home Test for Sri Lanka, but it is not without this kind of resentment. When Angelo Mathews reaches fifty, he looks toward the dressing room, points to his bat, and makes a yapping motion with his gloved hand. The message is obvious. “I am letting my bat do the talking.” He has just made a chanceless half-century, helped raise his team from 40 for 4, and batted out 49 more deliveries than any of his team-mates. One look at the scoreboard, though, and anyone would deduce that his job remained half done. Maybe less than half.Fans gather by the old fort to watch the 1st Test•Getty ImagesIt is true that Mathews was recently axed as limited-overs captain by his coach, and shunted out from those teams altogether. True that some resentment seems to linger. But Sri Lanka needed a further 207 to draw level with the opposition at the time, and with five wickets already down, Mathews was batting in the company of Niroshan Dickwella, whose highest Test score is 83. The men to come below can sometimes be handy with the bat, but almost certainly cannot be relied on to make substantial dents in that deficit.It would have to be Mathews who stuck around. Mathews who told Dickwella to curb his aggression, Mathews who hand-held the tail, wringing each lower-order partnership for as many runs as it could possibly produce, as he had done during his best series, in 2014 and 2015.Instead, the first ball after tea – the first ball he faced after gesturing to the dressing room – Moeen Ali pitches a regulation offbreak outside off stump. Mathews lunges, edges into his pad, and is caught at short leg. He’s made 52. Six wickets down, Sri Lanka have still not got out of follow-on territory. This is the kind of plight that often befalls them away, but rarely at home, especially when facing non-Asian teams.Against South Africa in July, they virtually had both Tests in the bag by the end of the second day.****That Dickwella even has to be told to tone down his adventurous strokeplay in Test cricket is telling enough. In limited-overs cricket he is a charging, sweeping, reverse-slapping dynamo – a man who attempts to ‘Dickscoop’ his way into a nation’s hearts. In Tests, though, he his 23 matches into his career, and still hasn’t mustered a hundred. In this Test, that failing seems especially relevant, given what his opposite number, Ben Foakes, has achieved.Dickwella got a start in this innings. Mostly the ball found the middle of his bat. He rarely seemed in discomfort, nailing a sweep, ramping Ben Stokes over the wicketkeeper’s head, and flicking a Jack Leach delivery deliciously over the leg side. Then, just as he seems to be settling in for a good innings, Moeen tosses up a slightly slower ball, and Dickwella drives at it early, chipping it at catching height to short cover.Dhananjaya de Silva’s ill-advised paddle brought his downfall•Getty ImagesIt is the kind of dismissal frequently seen at Galle. A batsman has got through his first 20 balls. His feet are moving well, and he has begun to score freely. The bowler has tried keeping it tight, but is being milked for singles. So he changes his mode of attack and lets one hang in the air a little while, to lure the now-confident batsman into a soft dismissal. The only difference is that often, it is a Sri Lanka spinner who lays the bait and a visitor who takes it. Local batsmen, who have been playing spin since the womb, are usually not so easily duped.****In their worst Tests outside Asia, when the ball is swinging, and the wind is cold, Sri Lanka batsmen often get out attacking. Sometimes, they don’t know what they are doing, are miserable in both a cricketing and physical sense, and the inclination is to try something – anything – which usually involves hitting out. Through the course of the day in Galle, various batsmen appeared uncomfortable on their own home track. Dhananjaya de Silva mishit several balls, and was bowled attempting a lap sweep in the half hour before lunch. Dilruwan Perera smacked a ball to cover having also made a start. Missing from the whole performance was the nous you expect from batsmen in their home conditions. Unseen was the desire to turn a half-century into a hundred, to turn a start into an innings of substance, to make the opposition sweat for their wicket.England, who have done their homework, watched replays of that South Africa series, have two men who coached Sri Lanka leading their think tank, have three frontline spinners in the XI, acclimatised in the ODIs, played two practice matches, and have fans who have bought even the cheap tickets before the locals had a chance, are 177 runs ahead in the Test, with 10 wickets still in hand.As Sri Lanka batted on day two, the flags on the rampart and the beer snakes around the ground almost looked at home.

Rex Singh took all ten wickets in an innings in an Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy match against Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday. A month earlier, Puducherry’s Sidak Singh had achieved the same feat at the Under-23 CK Nayudu Trophy

Interview by Shashank Kishore and Saurabh Somani15-Dec-2018It took a performance that has occurred just twice in Test cricket’s 141-year history to get Manipur left-arm pacer Rex Singh noticed, when he took all ten wickets in an innings in an Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy match against Arunachal Pradesh.A month earlier, Puducherry’s Sidak Singh, a left-arm spinning allrounder, had achieved the same feat at the Under-23 CK Nayudu Trophy, ironically against Manipur. Both cricketers have taken different paths towards their dream of playing top-flight cricket. ESPNcricinfo caught up with both the players to trace their stories.Cricketing journey
Sidak Singh: Bishan Singh Bedi sir had come to Mumbai to oversee a spin camp organised by Mumbai Cricket Association two years ago. Spinners from all age groups were there. I was playing in Mumbai then, I’ve played all age-group cricket in Mumbai including for their Under-19 team. I was also in their Under-23 camp, but then I got the opportunity to play as a professional for Puducherry. I thought this was a good opportunity. I did get chances in Mumbai at various age-group levels, and I also played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Buchi Babu. But I thought I could get more opportunities here. I’m playing age-group cricket now, but they’ve told me that if I perform well I can play for the main team.I was the youngest debutant for Mumbai since Sachin [Tendulkar] sir. I didn’t think too much about moving from there, I followed my instinct. Bishan sir also told me I have good chance to play the whole season. He had told me that I’m talented and I should play further. He met me only during the camp, which was for 15 days. After that we have only talked on the phone. I did well in the camp, and he found out that there is an opportunity here and connected me with the people in Cricket Association of Puducherry.Rex Singh: As a 10-11 year old, I used to go to taekwondo classes in an area called Sagolband in Imphal. Next to my class, there was a huge ground where various teams played tennis-ball tournaments. Many elders from my colony were part of one team. I wasn’t too keen on taekwondo, so I used to skip those classes and go and watch the cricket. One day, out of pity, they took me in the team. Kids of my age weren’t too interested in cricket, they played a lot of football; I think I was noticed because of that. Pheiroizan Roindro, who used to teach at a school near my house, is my coach now. He saw me playing and introduced me to leather-ball cricket. I first played with a leather ball at the Under-14 level in 2014-15. I used to just run in fast and bowl like I did with the tennis ball. Coaches could see I had a natural inswing, so they taught me how to hold the ball and what my wrist position should be. In my first match against Bihar Under-16s, I got a five-wicket haul.I was at an Under-19 camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) where Shiv Sunder Das and Balwinder Sandhu inculcated work ethic in me. I had hardly any knowledge about diet or gym work. At NCA, it was like I was in a different world. I wasn’t used to playing on a ground with grass, so I was always afraid to dive. But I learnt so many things about my game I didn’t know existed, and it gave me confidence.The ten-wicket match
Sidak Singh: . I never thought I’d get all ten. I had seven wickets on the first day at stumps. I thought one of the fast bowlers would get the remaining three wickets because the pitch was a bit green, but I ended up getting the wickets. Luck was on my side. The team was very happy with my performance too. The match referee told me after the match that it was a record, and that no one had taken all ten wickets in an innings in a CK Nayudu match before this. He gave me the match ball also. It’s with me now, but when I go back home, I’ll keep it somewhere safe.Rex Singh: I came close to it earlier in the season, when I missed the mark by two wickets against Puducherry. It wasn’t like a burning desire to get a ten-wicket haul, but when you get it, you know how much it gets you noticed. I was surprised to see videos circulating in social media. It was a proud moment when a lot of family and friends actually messaged me saying the saw the video of my ten-wicket haul. I was on a hat-trick twice, and eventually managed to get one. So to get both the hat-trick and ten wickets is special. Hopefully it will help me regain my place in the first-class team.Sidak Singh picked a ten-for against Manipur in the CK Nayudu TrophyRanji and Under-19
Sidak Singh: I was close to getting in the team for the Under-19 World Cup in 2016, but one of my deliveries had a suspect action. I was in the camp of 20 under Rahul Dravid, but Mayank Dagar played that year because my was reported. So to clear it, I had to go to SRMC in Chennai, but by the time my action was cleared and the report came, the team had already left for Bangladesh.[India lost in the final against West Indies in the tournament] Yes, in fact many of the players also told me that they needed an allrounder. I was upset that I couldn’t be there, because I thought I had a good chance and I was so close. I was a little down after that, the next season didn’t go really well for me because of that. I couldn’t play in the U-19 World Cup and all my team-mates had progressed. But it’s okay, (Whatever happens, is for the good).Rex Singh: My Ranji Trophy debut was an unforgettable moment, I was told the night before that I was playing. I hadn’t seen or heard much about the tournament until four years ago. But I had seen while at the NCA how serious everyone was about the Ranji Trophy and what it meant to them. That’s when it struck me, how big a deal it was to play in the tournament and how lucky I’m to be getting a chance.Family background
Sidak Singh: My father has a clothes shop in Chandigarh. My mother is a homemaker. I live in Mumbai alone. I moved ten years ago. Salim Sheikh brought me to Mumbai and got me admitted in Rizvi Springfield School. I played in Rizvi for six years – I was with Armaan Jaffer, Sarfaraz Khan and Prithvi Shaw. I was the highest wicket-taker in the Giles Shield and Harris Shield. I was 11 years old when I moved to Mumbai.Salim sir had played A division cricket in Mumbai and he’s been the cricket manager for Railways. He was impressed with my bowling and he asked my parents if I can move to Mumbai because I’d have a better cricketing future there, and my parents agreed. My parents have supported me in cricket a lot. I’ve been playing cricket since I was 7-8 years old. Initially when I moved to Mumbai, the first two-three years were very difficult because I missed home a lot. But I settled in after that.Rex Singh: My parents supported me, but it was difficult financially because my father was a bus driver in Imphal, and had to take care of three kids. My uncle also supported my interests in cricket because I was starting to do well in these age-group tournaments. I didn’t want to give up studies, but last year I couldn’t give my Class XII exam because I was playing in the Affiliate and Associates tournament. Hopefully I can complete it soon, for now they are not complaining.James Anderson is my favourite cricketer. I’ve watched videos of his 7 for 43 against New Zealand so many times now. As a left-hander, I watch videos of Wasim Akram. I was too young when he retired, so I can’t remember any matches of his, so I just watch his top spells on YouTube.