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Stats highlights from the last day of the first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Karachi

Cricinfo staff25-Feb-2009

Despite another horrendous start with the bat, Rajasthan stole this game because they had the players that made sensible decisions when the going got tough

Cricinfo staff02-May-2009″It’s a high-pressure game, and you need cool heads,” said Darren Berry, the Rajasthan Royals director of coaching. He was replying to a question on ageing stars, and the selection of two players who could be considered part of his playing generation – Lee Carseldine and Shane Harwood.Both were playing their first games of the tournament, and both came through with big performances when it mattered. Despite another horrendous start with the bat, Rajasthan stole this game because they had the players that made sensible decisions when the going got tough. It was no coincidence that Harwood was in the middle to help complete the recovery job that
Carseldine had started.Once again though, it was the Rajasthan’s unheralded collection of Indian talent that caught the eye. Kamran Khan may be out for the season with his knee injury, but in Abhishek Raut, a 22-year-old Maharashtran with no claims to fame, they appear to have unearthed another finisher in the Pathan mould. In a previous game, he pillaged 18 from the final over, and here, his 36 from 23 balls saw his team home after both Shane Warne and Yusuf Pathan had succumbed to Bollywood strokes.Jeremy Snape, who takes care of the mental conditioning side of things for Rajasthan, called Raut an “effervescent cricketer”, and he was certainly bubbling at the end after the risky single that clinched the game. The key moments though had come a little earlier, with Yusuf clobbering sixes over extra-cover and square leg. Shoaib Ahmed had starred in the domestic one-day season, with more than 20 wickets, but Yusuf in rampant mood was a completely different proposition. Those two hits brought down the run-rate to such an extent that the rest of the game was a stroll.”There’s so much coaching in the game now that you can complicate things,” said Snape. “Some players overthink. With Yusuf, we keep it simple. He’s one of the cleanest strikers of the ball in the game. So we stick to a simple plan, and a simple thought process.”The decision to keep Yusuf down at No.8 was certainly a gamble, but it worked primarily because Carseldine, Player of the Year in Australia’s Big Bash this season, batted with such composure before a horrendous decision sent him on his way. “The one thing that we really knew about him was how composed he is under pressure,” said Berry. “With Shane Watson [last year’s star] now missing, we needed someone like that at the top of the order.”Deccan Chargers are now in the midst of a slump after four successive victories. In addition to Rohit Sharma’s embarrassing boundary-line gaffe in the penultimate over, there were a couple of missed run-out chances and the simplest of fluffed return catches [Venugopal Rao letting Shane Warne go]. “On another day, the 20 percent that’s bad goes unnoticed,” said a rueful Adam Gilchrist later. “But today, those were the key moments. In general, I thought our fielding was exceptional.”They do need more runs from other sources though. Gilchrist started brightly today, but Gibbs failed, and it was left to Rohit to lead them to a competitive total. But like Rajasthan, there doesn’t seem to be enough depth to the batting. T Suman, who has replaced VVS Laxman in the side,
showed promise again, but with Fidel Edwards leaving for England this weekend, Andrew Symonds can’t arrive soon enough. He could well be the X-factor that Deccan lack in mid-innings. Rajasthan, for all their worries, continue to find the most unlikely ones.

No match worth the name, but a result to please the hordes of Chennai fans

Ariel Jackson05-May-2009Team supported
Chennai Super Kings. They represent southern India, where I hail from. And I like MS Dhoni as an inspiring leader.Key Performer
Once again it was Shadab Jakati, the new “mystery” slow left-arm spinner. Not forgetting Dhoni’s crucial knock.One thing I would have changed about the match
I would have had Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs firing on all cylinders, which would have made for a closer match.Face-off I relished
Albie Morkel v Herschelle Gibbs. It was short-lived, and Albie had the last laugh.
Also, RP Singh v Dhoni. Dhoni won all the way.Star-spotting
Sivamani, the indefatigable drummer. Always cheerful, never says no if one wants a photograph with him.Wow moment
Dhoni’s six off Pragyan Ojha over long-on left us gasping. It was simply breathtaking. There were a couple of Dwayne Smith moments that were also worthy of some fireworks.Cheerleader factor
Chennai Super Kings all the way. Their cheerleaders are by far the best I have seen in this edition of the IPL, and they are ably assisted by Sivamani.Crowd meter
Not surprisingly (since it was a Monday) the crowds were thinner. Still, there were more than enough people to raise a racket when the signature horn was played by the DJ. The Super Kings might have felt they were playing in Chennai because of the support visible on the ground. One six hit by Smith over midwicket came near where we were sitting. A little fellow tried desperately to latch on to it in vain.Local hero
The local hero I wanted to see on the ground was Makhaya Ntini, who did not play. The others, Gibbs and Morkel, were greeted warmly, but not at the decibel level reserved for JP Duminy on Mayday.Overall
It was a letdown. Two super teams enacting a one-sided show. Chennai’s fielding leaves a little bit to be desired. The Chargers: pathetic batting, worse bowling.Marks out of 10
Super Kings – batting and bowling: 9, fielding: 6
Chargers – batting and bowling: 5, fielding: 6

A stats preview to the third place playoff between Bangalore and Deccan

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan23-Apr-2010Both Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers had their hopes of a final rematch crushed following their losses in the semi-finals. While Bangalore went down by 35 runs to Mumbai, Deccan made a mess of an attainable target in their game against Chennai. The common point in both those matches was that the team which won the match had won the toss as well, and had chosen to bat. With the pitch at the DY Patil Stadium getting more difficult for batting as the match wears on, the toss could play a crucial role in the clash for third place, a match which is vital as the winner qualifies to play in the Champions League later this year.The table below looks at the performance of teams in the first and second innings at this venue. In all four games played at this venue, the team batting first has won quite convincingly. While chasing, the scoring rate falls considerably and the number of wickets lost also is much higher. Deccan have lost all three matches here, and on each occasion they have batted second.

Deccan Chargers, though, will be encouraged by their recent record against Bangalore. They’ve won their last three encounters, triumphing in both games this year, and in last year’s final.In overall performances this year, though, Bangalore hold an edge over Deccan in terms of their batting and bowling performances, which is reflected in the difference between the batting run rate and bowling economy rate.

The scoring rate in the Powerplay overs for both teams has been quite similar but Bangalore have lost far fewer wickets in the first six overs. The reason for this has been the strong showing of the openers Manish Pandey and Jacques Kallis in the initial games. Deccan, though, have never quite had a good start which can be attributed to the poor form of their captain Adam Gilchrist.

The table below shows the bowling performances of both teams during the Powerplay overs. Deccan have picked up more wickets in this phase due to some penetrative bowling by Chaminda Vaas and Ryan Harris. Apart from Dale Steyn, the Bangalore bowling has not been threatening in the first few overs.

Bangalore are clearly ahead with their showing in the last six overs. Deccan’s average is very poor and they have, on more than one occasion, lost wickets in a heap. Their scoring rate in the crucial last overs has also not been on par with the other top teams.

On the bowling front, though, Deccan’s fast bowlers and spinners have performed much better than their Bangalore counterparts. Vaas and Harris have picked up crucial wickets in the beginning of the innings and Pragyan Ojha has bowled quite exceptionally all tournament. For Bangalore, though, Steyn and Anil Kumble have been the only two bowlers who have performed consistently throughout.

He was hailed as the next big thing, and persisted with through thick and thin, and now the faith invested has begun to reap results big time. Watch for Watson to be crucial at the World Cup

Brydon Coverdale12-Feb-2011Four years ago on a cruise ship docked in Grenada, Merv Hughes, part-time selector and part-time travel guide, was taking questions from his World Cup tour group when an older gentleman piped up.”Is that hugely overrated Shane Watson playing today?” the man asked in frustration.”I believe,” Merv replied, “and the other selectors believe, and Ricky Ponting believes, that Shane Watson will become Australia’s most important player within the next few years.”The answer was greeted with scepticism. Watson-bashing was a popular pastime among Australian supporters, who had seen the young allrounder spend seven years in and out of the national team – mostly out. Many Australian fans felt the selectors were so blinded by the 2005 Ashes that they wanted an Andrew Flintoff of their own, and that Watson was a poor man’s Freddie at best.Others saw him as a delicate flower, his emotions all too public. Surely anyone who cried, or a man who thought he was having a heart attack when some food disagreed with him in India, would never be hard enough for international cricket? Some liked him and wished he would live up to his promise, but were resigned to his career being cut short by injury.Whatever the fans on that cruise liner thought of Watson, few agreed with Merv’s prediction. Fast-forward to the 2011 World Cup and Hughes, now an ex-selector, has been proven right.Watson enters the tournament as the winner of the past two Allan Border Medals, the one-day team’s leading scorer of the past two years and their second-highest wicket taker in the same period.And, without question, as the team’s most important player. Among the major contenders, perhaps only Jacques Kallis is as critical to his side’s all-round success at this tournament as Watson is for Australia.His most vital role is as an opening batsman, alongside Brad Haddin. In 2007, Australia had Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist to set the tone and they did the job so well that the middle order was rarely under serious pressure. Haddin is a powerful striker but his form is moderate, and Watson is the one who should really impose himself.That’s especially significant in the current Australian outfit, where the No. 3, Ricky Ponting, is returning from injury, the No. 4, Michael Clarke, can build but won’t blast, and the reliable finisher Michael Hussey is at home in Perth nursing a tender hamstring. The situation is clear – for Australia to win their fourth consecutive World Cup, Watson have a big tournament.He’ll enjoy the slower pitches on the subcontinent, where he will have extra time for his front-foot pulls and drives, and as the Player of the Tournament in the first IPL, he is a proven performer in the conditions. He’s also shown himself to be a man for big moments: what better pedigree for a potential World Cup hero than back-to-back hundreds in a Champions Trophy semi-final and final, as Watson achieved in 2009?And his bowling in this tournament shouldn’t be underestimated. In an attack that will rely heavily on the sheer pace of Shaun Tait, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson, Ponting will look to Watson for variation, reliability and reverse swing, as he is one of the few in the attack who can claim to have it mastered.

He’ll enjoy the slower pitches on the subcontinent, where he will have extra time for his front-foot pulls and drives, and as the Player of the Tournament in the first IPL, he is a proven performer in the conditions

It is to Watson’s great credit that he did not give up bowling a few years ago, when every time he ran in to deliver the ball his team-mates held their breath and hoped a muscle wouldn’t snap. He broke down 12 times in six years, and it turned out that he was brawny. With help from the sports physio Victor Popov, Watson worked out that the gym was not the answer and that other fitness options like pilates were needed to help him become more flexible.He has transformed not only his body but also his role in the game, becoming a reliable Test opener, whose major flaw is forgivable – he makes too many fifties and not enough hundreds. That hasn’t been the case in one-day cricket, and his unbeaten 161 in the series opener against England in January will go down as one of the all-time great Australian limited-overs innings.It makes for a formidable all-round package and it seems remarkable, in hindsight, that Hughes and his fellow selectors didn’t have more supporters when they persisted with Watson, year after year, injury after injury. Watson knows he didn’t help himself with some of his behaviour. Even as recently as late 2009 fans tut-tutted at his obnoxious celebration when he bowled Chris Gayle in the Perth Test, which also brought a fine from the match referee.But finally, at 29, Watson is starting to win the Australian cricket public over. The admiration has come through a maturing approach, and more importantly, piles of runs and wickets.”It was something that I really craved, with the issues that I had with my injuries and also some of the ways I carried on in the field as well really didn’t help me out as much,” Watson said this week. “Probably one of the most satisfying things that has happened over the last couple of years has been to see people really appreciate what I’m able to do.”That respect will keep growing if Watson turns it on at the World Cup. Oh, and that match in Grenada four years ago? Merv’s words were still ringing in the ears of the Australian fans as Watson belted 65 off 32 against New Zealand.

While statistics provide evidence that Ross Taylor succeeds when he leads, his principles could offer plenty to the wider game in New Zealand

Andrew Alderson22-Jun-2011Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Luteru Ross Poutoa Lote Taylor stands to fulfil that mantra stepping into the role of New Zealand cricket captain.The 27-year-old may not have the enjoyed the privileged upbringing of Churchill, but has taken a natural ability to brandish a bat as a five-year-old in the North Island town of Masterton and developed it into a career. Look no further than his signing of a $1 million contract with the Rajasthan Royals in the last Indian Premier League.Taylor is just the second New Zealander of Samoan heritage to play international cricket after pace bowler Murphy Su’a. He has built on that pioneering influence, playing 30 Tests, 107 ODIs and 37 Twenty20 internationals since his debut in 2006. His cavalier approach often inspires the masses and wins games single-handedly.As the incumbent vice-captain Taylor fought off a stern challenge from former vice-captain Brendon McCullum, inheriting the leadership role from Daniel Vettori.Taylor – who received the captaincy ahead of his wedding to fiancée Victoria on Saturday – made a strong case at the World Cup with the bat and as an in-fielder. He scored 250 runs and averaged 50.00 against the Test-playing nations, compared to McCullum’s 10.60. In McCullum’s defence, he battled a knee injury and could not be rested without a specialist back-up wicketkeeper in the squad. He still made a century against Canada, a half-century against Zimbabwe and remained unbeaten against Kenya.Taylor might be more of a quiet cajoler than a damn-the-torpedoes ranter, but he can point to evidence that he succeeds when he leads. His ODI average of 44.20 in ten completed matches as captain compares favourably to his average of 35.79 when he is not. He has won four and lost six in charge. At the World Cup his 131 not out against Pakistan – including 55 runs off his last 13 balls – was a match-winner, reinvigorating New Zealand’s tournament hopes.Taylor was selected by a panel comprising coach John Wright, interim national selection manager Mark Greatbatch and cricket director John Buchanan. Greatbatch has been a mentor of Taylor’s for some time. Taylor captained Greatbatch’s national under-19 side and was coached by him at Central Districts. Wright had been non-committal on his preference, but wanted a candidate to be a “strong competitor” over other qualities. At the end of the World Cup he noted: “If you’re not performing, people stop listening. Leadership is performance.”Taylor’s performance will now be judged on a busy summer programme: tours to Zimbabwe and Australia, visits by Zimbabwe and South Africa and a tour to the West Indies next April-May. While New Zealand have proven themselves in limited-overs cricket with a semi-final finish at the World Cup, performances in the Test arena have lagged. Since the 2007 World Cup, New Zealand has played 32 Tests and won just six, including four against Bangladesh and one each against England and Pakistan. They get at least 11 chances to change that perception over the next year. Taylor can lead the way by righting an often slated middle order.The new captain can also offer plenty to the wider New Zealand game by managing his power wisely. Three factors need public awareness: his generosity, his vices and his warmth.When Samoa played Vanuatu in Apia a few years ago a number of the white trousers finished at low calf or needed a couple of folds to avoid slipping over sneakers. That was an example of Taylor’s commitment to his heritage – donating a couple of bags of used Black Caps’ clothing for further use.

Taylor can also capitalise on vices that lend him a common touch. Anecdotes suggest his penchant for runs is correlated to how much KFC anyone is prepared to bet him

Word has it home appliances would also mysteriously appear on the doorstep of the family home in Masterton. Apparently when he moved in with his fiancée in Hamilton last year, Taylor’s house in Palmerston North was not sold. It was instead used by his sister.Taylor can also capitalise on vices that lend him a common touch. Anecdotes suggest his penchant for runs is correlated to how much KFC anyone is prepared to bet him. It started when a Central Districts team physiotherapist is alleged to have offered him a bucket if he scored a century. That resulted in a delivery of Colonel Sanders’ finest to the dressing room.There is also warmth behind Taylor’s sometimes awkward media persona, but it needs coaxing into the public domain.Take Tuesday’s announcement. At one point nerves seem to overcome the new captain and he lost his train of thought responding to a question. It might have been the thought of those impending nuptials, but it is something he can rectify. While easier said than done – and not everyone can be a Churchillian-type orator – relaxing would help. Yet it matters little what Taylor says to the media pack as long as he and his team perform and his comrades respect him. Captaining the New Zealand is not about popularity.Taylor’s natural honesty can be refreshing – while he prepared some responses on Tuesday, like his initial statement to the waiting media pack, he spoke off the cuff elsewhere. One example was describing Buchanan’s all-important phone call: “I didn’t hear it,” Taylor said. “I was trying to pick wedding songs and had the volume up.”He also had those priorities in place when he nipped away at the end of the conference rather than facing a barrage of similar one-on-one interview questions: “I gotta go, I’ve got a wedding to sort.” With priorities like that, Taylor might well be the sound future New Zealand cricket is looking for.

A statistical review of Edwin Boaler Alletson’s great innings for Nottinghamshire against Sussex at Hove in May 1911

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2011Edwin Boaler Alletson’s great innings was for Nottinghamshire against Sussex at Hove in May 1911.First a brief recap of the match: Notts won the toss and batted first. Though the captain A.O. Jones and George Gunn (stumped for 90) batted well, Nottinghamshire totalled only 238 all out. Ted Alletson scored 7. Nottinghamshire were undone by the “occasional” bowling of Killick (5-14). Sussex spent the rest of the first day and most of the second establishing a commanding 176 run lead.When Nottinghamshire went in again, Jones was out immediately but his opening partner Iremonger and George Gunn put together a good partnership until Gunn was stumped again at 129. Before long, Hardstaff, John Gunn, Payton, Whysall and Iremonger were out; Nottinghamshire were 185 for 7 and lletson was in. His partner was Lee, another allrounder in name, if not in practice. Together, they put together a bright 73 runs for the 8th wicket in 40 minutes when Lee was dismissed. In the very next over the new batsman Oated was bowled and lunch was taken at 260-9. Alletson had compiled 47* at lunch, at a rate which was as brisk as he ever had scored.During lunch Alletson was heard to ask his skipper Jones if, with one wicket left and only 84 runs on, it really mattered how he now played. Jones said he thought not. In that case, said Alletson, he was going to go for Tim Killick. What happened in the next 40 minutes made the No. 9 batsman famous.The figures tell the tale:Edwin Boaler Alletson: 189, Notts vs Sussex, May 20, 1911Whole Innings After Lunch
——————————–
Runs 189 142
Time (min) 90 40
Balls 106 (approx) 51
6’s 8 8
4’s 23 18
3’s 4 2
2’s 10 6
1’s 17 4
Balls not scored off 44(approx) 13
Scoring rate (runs/hr) 178 278
Runs scored by team 227 152
% of total runs scored 83.26 93.42
Balls bowled by Sussex 156(approx) 68
Runs/over by Notts 8.84 13.81
Runs/100 balls by Notts 146 213Scoring after lunch:(Balls faced by Riley in parentheses; * = no score)Killick * 4 4 1 (*)(1) Leach (1) 2 4 2 * 1
-do- 6 * 4 2 4 6 -do- (*)(3) 4 * 6 3
-do- 4 4 * 2 1 (*) -do- 4 6 * 4 3 (*)
-do- 4 6 6 * 4 4 4 6 Relf (1) * * * * 4
Cox (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(3) -do- (1) 4 2 2 6 1
-do- 4 4 outTim Killick’s last over (which included 2 no balls) yielded 34 runs to a rampant Alletson (the record until Sobers smashed 36 off Nash). However, the two new bowlers introduced immediately after the over, Cox and Relf did seem to contain Alletson a bit, but Alletson was beginning to hit them as well when he was caught at the boundary (all reports say that the fielder was actually outside the boundary). In the course of 5 consecutive overs- 3 from Killick & 2 from Leach, Alletson scored 97 runs out of a 100. Notts was all out for 412 & nearly won the game as Sussex hung on for a draw at 213-8, needing 237 to win.Alletson never played as devastating an innings again, though he did manage 60 in 30 minutes in his very next innings and 88 in 40 minutes two years later, an innings in which he hit the great Wilfred Rhodes for 3 consecutive 6’s.

The missed opportunities early in his career have made the England offspinner determined to make the most of the rest of it

Interview by George Dobell03-Aug-2011How had the England dressing room changed from your first experience of it in 1999 to your return eight or nine years later?
It had changed massively. We are much more together now. Back then there was quite an insular, selfish feel to the team. There were cliques. It wasn’t 11 guys playing for one another. It was six or seven guys playing that way and four or five playing for themselves. Look, I could be wrong. I was hardly in the dressing room back then. I was an outsider and I’m just giving you my impression. But I was quite surprised by it at the time.I came back in eight years later and it felt different. It’s hard to put your finger on what has changed. Central contracts have made a big difference. So has the policy of continuity of selection, as guys aren’t looking over their shoulder all the time. But one way or another, things feel much more united now. The sad thing is that many of those guys playing in 1999 would probably have performed really well if they had come into this set-up. They’d have found it a much better environment.I don’t know if you recall, but I was asked to write your tour diary in 1999-2000. What would we have put in it?
Ha! It would have been like Paul Merson’s , wouldn’t it? Yeah, we could have called it .Murali has said England missed out on not selecting you in those intervening years. But had you changed, too, or was it just that the England environment had changed to welcome characters like you?
Oh, there are myriad reasons. It was probably a bit of both. But I had improved by the time I was recalled. It’s only natural that you evolve as you play more. I know I had improved as a bowler, but it’s hard to say to what extent. I just felt I knew what I was doing more. But it’s true that the environment had changed too.Was the turning point in your own career moving from Northants to Notts at the end of 2004?
Yes, probably. It was a case of moving or giving up cricket. I wasn’t enjoying it at all, and it had got to the stage where I was dreading going to work in the morning. I didn’t have a plan to do anything else, but I couldn’t have gone on like that. Then Mick Newell [Notts’ director of cricket] came along. He just asked me to come to Trent Bridge and enjoy my cricket again. He said he wanted me to play with a smile on my face and be myself. As those were qualities that were actively discouraged at Northants at the time, it was a chance I leapt at. It was lovely.How do you feel about Northants now?
I’m still very fond of Northants. I check on their results and I still want to see them do well. It’s the club where I grew up and that I supported as a kid. I’m really happy to see they have started the season so well and I hope they go up. I know that will surprise a few of the people who gave me a hard time when I left, but hopefully they now understand there was a problem there and the reasons behind my decision. At the time, I seem to remember some of them calling me a quitter. Looking back, I still can’t believe that Northants didn’t win more trophies. They had some amazing players.I have a theory that young cricketers would benefit if, alongside going warm-weather training in South Africa or playing grade cricket in Australia, they spent a few weeks each winter working in a call centre or the club office so they realise how good they have it and to focus their minds on the alternatives. What do you think?
I love it! It’s a great idea. But don’t let them work in the club offices; that’s too soft. Young cricketers should be made to do National Service. Or labouring. Look, we have got the best job in the world. It’s brilliant. We travel around the world, staying in great hotels, and we play cricket. Occasionally I hear someone moaning about another flight and I just remind them that we could be collecting bins or laying bricks on a cold morning in England. We’re very lucky and we shouldn’t forget that. Millions of people would kill to swap places with us.So, yes, I think giving young players a bit of that fear factor – showing them what they will be doing if they don’t make it in cricket – wouldn’t do any harm at all. It would give them a good kick up the arse.Have those years out of the international game given you a greater appreciation of your current position?
Yeah, I think there might be something in that. I love touring. Absolutely love it. You’re travelling around with your best mates – and that really is how it feels most of the time – and you’re being paid to do something you love. Obviously you miss your family and there are times when it’s tiring, but generally it’s a fantastic life and I love every moment of it. Look, one winter I helped out in Ian Poulter’s golf shop. It was the worst time of my life. I was bored out of my mind. So I’ll never take playing for England for granted.

“You wouldn’t ask Usain Bolt why he doesn’t run marathons, would you? I’m a traditional offspinner. I can bowl the carrom ball, but it’s just not me. It’s just not what I do. My action is so different when I do it that there’s no point”

So you won’t be asking to miss the odd tour so you can have a break?
No, no. I have missed enough international cricket. I want to play every game I can. In 2009, just before the Ashes, I knew I was going to get picked. It was all I had ever wanted. I was finally in the position that I wanted to be in. So I treat every game as if it’s going to be my last. I play with a bit of , and that seems to work for me.I have been lucky with my coaches, too. If I bowl rubbish, Mushy [Mushtaq Ahmed, England’s spin bowling coach] just says to me, “Don’t worry, Mr Swanny. Everything is still okay. The sun will still shine tomorrow.” It helps you relax and not get too intense about it all.Sometimes when someone misfields off your bowling your reaction is pretty ferocious. Does that ever cause a problem?
When people misfield off my bowling, it makes me hate them. Really. I’m not joking. I want to do them and their family ill. I want to hunt them down and do them harm. That feeling doesn’t last long, which is probably just as well, but it’s there for a moment. It’s funny, the three of us who were the most grumpy with England – me, Broady and Sid [Ryan Sidebottom] – were all from Nottinghamshire. I don’t know why that should be. Look, we all make mistakes in the field. The best thing you can do is acknowledge it, say sorry and get on with it. There’s never been any problem afterwards. We all care a lot and we all understand that passion to do well.During all those years when you weren’t playing international cricket, did you ever think of learning to bowl the doosra or any other type of variation?
You wouldn’t ask Usain Bolt why he doesn’t run marathons, would you? Well, it the same thing, really. I’m a traditional offspinner. I can bowl the carrom ball, but it’s just not me. It’s just not what I do. My action is so different when I do it that there’s no point. I might as well tell the batsman what I’m going to bowl next.Had you given up on an England recall?
I absolutely thought that any chance I had of playing for England had gone. And I had accepted it. I was happy with life. I was loving playing at Notts and England wasn’t even something I thought about. It really didn’t bother me as it didn’t even seem like it was an option. I didn’t even bother to check the touring parties when they were announced, as I just knew it wasn’t anything to do with me. Well, I say that: I sometimes had a peek and thought, “He shouldn’t be in there”. But no, I wasn’t thinking about England.A couple of years before your England return, you became a much higher-profile figure in the media. Was that a deliberate plot to gain some support in an attempt to convince the England selectors to pick you?
No, not at all. You are right that it didn’t harm my profile, but it wasn’t about playing for England. It was more about thinking about life after cricket. I was just trying to open some doors for a future career in the media.You seem to relish that part of your job. Much more so than some of your team-mates.
Yeah, that’s probably right. I think I understand the media. I don’t mind if they criticise – that’s their job, isn’t it? – and I’m not afraid of it. Look, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy being the centre of attention. An interview like this, where I’m asked to talk about myself, well, that’s fine: it’s my favourite subject. I think some of the guys do fear the media, but there isn’t much need. If you approach it as something that can be fun and you just relax and be yourself, then there really isn’t a big problem.Your Twelfth Man diaries were a great success. Why have you stopped them?
We haven’t stopped them. They are for winter tours. We’ll still be doing them, but we wanted to keep them special. Hopefully you’ll see them again this winter. That’s as long as Barney Douglas, who is the guy behind the camera, hasn’t gone off to be a rock star by then. His band, The Sunbeat Revival, have just released their first EP. It’s brilliant, euphoric stuff.It was Peter Moores who recalled you to the England side. Does he get the credit he deserves for his role as England coach? I think Andy Flower would be the first to praise him.
And so he should be. Peter Moores hasn’t had the credit he deserves. He’s an exceptional coach and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he was coaching an international team again sooner rather than later. He was brilliant when I was selected. He said, “We picked you to be you. We want to see the same cricketer we saw when you were playing county cricket: just be you.” I feel really lucky to have had him as coach when I came back into the side.There has been quite a lot of nonsense talked about him, but as far as I’m concerned, he did a lot of good things and he’s definitely part of the reason behind the England team’s revival.You have opened the batting with some success in limited-overs cricket at county level. Would you like to do it at international level?
Ha! I’d love to have a crack at it, yes. I’m not sure it would work so well at that level, but I’d love to have a go. I love batting. It’s the best thing about cricket. I get quite bored in the field sometimes.”Captaincy just isn’t on my agenda. I just want to bat and bowl for England and I don’t think I could still be the light-hearted, piss-taking guy if I was in a position of authority”•Getty ImagesYou weren’t interviewed for the captaincy. Why was that?
I didn’t put myself forward for the job. Captaincy just isn’t on my agenda. I love my role in the side and I don’t want to change it. I just want to bat and bowl for England and I don’t think I could still be the light-hearted, piss-taking guy if I was in a position of authority.Presumably you are a big fan of the DRS?
I am. I was a bit sceptical at first, as I wasn’t sure about the technology, but now I think it’s brilliant. It’s meant that we are now giving guys out who should be given out. For years batsmen were getting away with it.What went wrong at the World Cup?
Weariness was a factor, but we can’t use that as an excuse. It’s not as if we were not fit enough to get through a schedule like that, and we went there to try and win it. But if we are honest I think we would have to admit that the World Cup was our secondary aim of the winter. Our primary aim was to win the Ashes and we put a huge amount into that. Maybe mentally we were a bit jaded. But as I say, that’s not an excuse. I thought we were exceptional in some games and very average in some others.Graeme Swann is a brand ambassador for Kingfisher beer

How come Australians prefer to catch the ball with their hands reverse-cupped? Steve Rixon and Ian Chappell weigh in

Sidharth Monga05-Mar-2012For much of the 1990s, cricket in India was infatuated with Australia. The team was on its way to becoming the best in the world, and games played there provided the best television product in India – the quality of pictures, the commentary. Kids in playgrounds – I was one – would run in a few extra feet when taking outfield catches, so that they could take them with fingers pointing up. During international matches in India, when a fielder caught the ball that way, the Indian commentator would say: “That is the Australian way of catching.”Like other kids back then, I dropped a few. I got hit in the face once because I covered my eyes with the “reverse cup”, losing sight of the ball. Then I stopped, going back to what came naturally to me, believing the Australian way of catching was some sort of idiosyncrasy that belonged to them alone. Like the inverted scores. Like their own cricket dictionary. Like the eight-ball over. When I finally got to Australia, though, I just had to try to trace the history and the logic behind the practice.I ask Ian Chappell, a brilliant slip fielder and someone who has watched most top-level cricket in Australia from the ’70s onwards, about the “Australian way of catching” with the fingers pointing up.”That’s not my way of catching, I can tell you that much,” he says, to my shock. He turns to Mark Taylor and asks, “Ever heard any Australian player call this the Australian way of catching?” Taylor says no, but adds, “I liked to catch that way, but not everyone does.””I think the other nations might talk about it,” Chappell says. “I have never heard one Australian player say that.”Why do the Aussies catch that way, though? How did it start? I ask a few players from older eras, but they can’t pinpoint how the reverse cup became the preferred way. A possible explanation could be the influence of baseball, which is quite popular in Australia, but Chappell quashes that notion too.”I can remember the first time I ever caught in baseball. I was about 11 years old,” he says. “And first time it popped up, and I went like that [], and I dropped it. I was walking up to pick the ball up and throw it back to the pitcher. I looked at my glove and said, ‘Ian you are an idiot. Have a look at the shape of your glove. It’s much better [fingers] down.’ I don’t remember my father telling me [either way]. He probably did, but I don’t remember it.”It was not all uniform in the Chappell family. Ian and Greg preferred the traditional method; Trevor caught with fingers pointing up.Taylor offers a plausible explanation. “I think it comes from the fact that some of the Australian players have also played Australian Rules football in the past,” he says. Fingers pointing up is how you catch in footy. “Typically the Western Australian blokes. Graeme Wood used to catch it that way,” Taylor says. At which point Chappell chips in and says, “[Simon] Katich is terrible. Ricky Ponting too.”Steve Rixon, Australia’s current fielding coach, is not entirely convinced footy is the key influence, but can see the logic. “I wouldn’t have thought that is the reason they catch it that way, but that’s not a bad summation,” he says. “I reckon there is merit in that.”Rixon, a wicketkeeper himself, preferred catching the ball with fingers up. The idea for him, and for Michael Hussey, another Western Australian, is to get the eyes in line with the ball, bend the knees and use that foundation to absorb the catch.”Either side of the body there is [a risk of losing] the ability to watch the ball closely,” Rixon says. “When the ball is round about eye level, all the way into your hands, people find it much easier. I haven’t seen Mike Hussey drop ever with fingers up. I have occasionally seen him drop some when the fingers are down.”There is merit to catching with fingers up but only if you do it as well as Hussey does, where you don’t risk losing the ball in the background: you are just waiting for it to come at you.This technique also obviously helps when you are at the edge of the boundary and can’t push further back. We watch Peter Forrest take one such during a game against India, and Taylor immediately brings up his background. “He is a rugby league player. New South Wales. His dad was a first-grade rugby league player.”I ask Rixon, how the average Aussie father teaches his kid to catch the ball. “Try both,” Rixon says. “With the understanding that if the ball is at chest level, [you] bend your knees, bring your eyes to the level of the ball, and just see how it feels. If it feels extremely uncomfortable that way, try the other way.

Chappell liked to move to the side and take chest-high catches in a normal cup. Bob Simpson would let the ball hit him full force and then take the rebound. Most modern Australian fielders get down low to make sure they catch with fingers pointing up

“What he will then find, like a lot of people, who play differently with a bat in their hands, a lot of people do things differently with a ball in their hand – ot is no different to a fieldsman, when it comes to the specifics of catching.”The safe way of catching the ball is to obviously cup your hand, but a lot of people find it easier to catch it the other way, and my advice to young cricketers is, try both, find out for yourself which feels comfortable, find out which feels safer. I know if I ask Mike Hussey right now right here, he would say he feels safer with his fingers pointing up.”A source of ire to Chappell and concern to Rixon is the chest-high catch taken in close-in positions. The overhead ones you can take with fingers pointing up, and the low ones you can cup your hands under, but what about the in-between height? Chappell liked to move to the side and take them in a normal cup. Bob Simpson would let the ball hit his chest full force and then take the rebound. Taylor used to get his hands together, with palms facing the chest, as if hugging the ball. Most modern Australian fielders get down low to make sure they catch with fingers pointing up.”I mean, it’s abysmal the way Ricky does it down here,” Chappell says. “For the obvious reason – lots of catches in the slips, the ball is looping down.””Makes me a little nervous, yes, but he has got beautiful hands,” Rixon says.The chat with Chappell and Taylor also busts the myth that the Australians prefer catching with fingers up because it lets them have a second grab. “The whole basis isn’t about if you drop, you get a second chance,” Rixon says. “That’s just an outcome of bad execution of the catch. The reason is, you are bringing your eyes to the same level of the ball coming to you.”Catching the ball with fingers pointing up has become more and more popular in Australia with time. Rixon sees a lot more players employ the method than did in his own playing days.Australia continue to be up there among the best fielding sides. They seems to remain casual and natural with how they catch, but to outsiders, especially those who grew up watching cricket in the ’90s, it is the “Australian way of catching”.

Stats highlights from India’s record chase against Pakistan

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan18-Mar-2012

• Kohli’s century is his 11th in ODIs and his seventh in chases. Among India batsmen, only Sachin Tendulkar has more centuries (17) than Kohli in chases. The 183 is also Kohli’s highest score, surpassing his 133 in India’s final group game in the tri-series in Australia. It is also the highest score in the history of the Asia Cup, going past Younis Khan’s 144 in 2004.
• The 183 is the highest individual score in ODIs against Pakistan, surpassing Brian Lara’s 156 in 2005. Kohli just missed going past Shane Watson’s 185 and is now joint-second with MS Dhoni on the list of the highest individual scores in an ODI chase. Kohli’s average in chases (58.40) is second only to Watson’s 59.10 among batsmen with 2000-plus runs in ODI chases.
• Kohli has now scored three centuries and a half-century in his last four ODIs.
• Among batsmen with 3000-plus runs, Kohli has the third-highest average (50.56) and is behind only Michael Bevan and Dhoni. The number of fours hit by Kohli (22) is joint-fourth on the list of most boundaries hit by a batsman in an innings.
• India achieved their highest successful chase in ODIs. Their previous highest was the chase of 326 against England at Lord’s in 2002. It is also the highest target chased by any team against Pakistan, surpassing Australia’s chase of 316 in Lahore in 1998. No team has scored over 300 in successful chases on more occasions than India (13).
• The 172-run stand between Kohli and Rohit Sharma is the sixth-highest overall for India against Pakistan and their second-highest for the third wicket against Pakistan behind the 201-run stand between Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag in Kochi in 2005. It is the third-highest partnership that Kohli has been involved in in the second innings of ODIs.
• The 224-run stand between Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed is the second-highest opening partnership in an ODI defeat, behind the 235-run stand between Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten against India in Kochi in 2000. The top three opening stands in defeats have all come against India.
• The partnership between Hafeez and Jamshed is the highest opening stand and the second-highest partnership overall for Pakistan in ODIs against India. It is also the highest stand in the Asia Cup, surpassing the 223-run stand between Shoaib Malik and Younis in 2004.
• Despite Hafeez and Jamshed scoring centuries, Pakistan finished on the losing side. This is the 21st occasion overall in ODIs and the fifth such result in the last five months. This is also the sixth instance of both Pakistan openers scoring centuries in an innings.
• Shahid Afridi went past the 7000-run mark in his 341st ODI. Although his average is poor (23.59), his strike-rate of 113.76 is the highest among the players with 7000-plus runs.
• Wahab Riaz, who picked up five wickets in the World Cup semi-final against India, conceded 50 runs off his four overs. His economy-rate of 12.50 is the third-highest for a bowler from a Test team (excluding Bangladesh and Zimbabwe) after Matthew Hoggard and Lasith Malinga (four-plus over spells).
• Rohit’s half-century is his first in nine innings. In his previous eight innings (after the 95 against West Indies in Ahmedabad), he scored 131 runs at 16.37. Overall, he has 12 half-centuries at an average of 33.23.

Edited by Dustin Silgardo