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Qualification scenarios – What the top five have to do

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While England, Australia and India need one more win to qualify, New Zealand and South Africa might need to win both their remaining matches

Shiva Jayaraman12-Jul-2017The five teams that are currently at the top of the points table are still in contention for a place in the semi-finals of the 2017 Women’s World Cup. As things stand now, five wins guarantee teams a place in the semis. While England, Australia and India need one more win to book a place in the last-four, New Zealand and South Africa might have to win both their remaining matches to guarantee a place in the knockouts – number of wins is the first tie-breaker after points, followed by NRR*. However, qualification on 8 or 7 points is still a possibility for teams – a more realistic one for some than the others.Assuming all the remaining matches end in a result, here’s what the teams have to do to book a place in the semi-finals of this World Cup.England
Still to play: New Zealand and West Indies
England are through to the semis should they win one of their remaining matches. Given their healthy NRR, they are the best-placed team to qualify for the last four on eight points too – that is, without another win – provided one of the other four teams in contention, preferably South Africa or New Zealand, lose both their matches.Australia
Still to play: India and South Africa
They will be assured of a place in the semis if they win any one of their two remaining games. Even if Australia lose both their remaining matches, they could qualify on points ahead of New Zealand if the latter ends up losing both their remaining games. They could also qualify ahead of England on NRR if England lose both their remaining matches.India
Still to play: Australia and New Zealand
A win in one their remaining games will assure them of a place in the semis. England’s win against Australia has drastically slashed the odds of India qualifying with just four wins. Nevertheless, it is still a mathematical possibility and could happen in one of the following two ways: South Africa lose both their remaining matches – an unlikely event considering that South Africa play their next match against the less fancied Sri Lanka – or, England lose both their matches by very heavy margins so that the teams are tied on 8 points and India’s NRR (number of wins being the same) manages to creep above England’s.New Zealand
Still to play: India and England
They could go through even with one win if one of the other four teams in contention lose both their remaining games. However, if South Africa also win only one of their remaining games and the all the three other teams in contention manage to win at least one match each, then it will be down to NRR between South Africa and New Zealand for a place in the semis. Provided they don’t lose their games by a very big margin, New Zealand are likely to come on top in the NRR battle.South Africa
Still to play: Sri Lanka and Australia
Their situation is similar to that of New Zealand’s. They could go through with only one win provided one of the other teams in contention lose both their matches. A tie for the fourth place on 9 points with New Zealand is a possibility for South Africa and they should make sure that they boost up their NRR as much as possible in their match against Sri Lanka. A tie for the fourth place on seven points with New Zealand is likely to not end well for South Africa as New Zealand currently have the healthiest NRR among all teams.*The tournament regulations stipulate that if teams are tied on equal points, then number of wins will be considered before NRR to decide who finishes ahead. In the unlikely event that both number of wins and NRR are exactly the same, head-to-head between the teams will be considered to break the tie. So for example if South Africa’s match against Sri Lanka is washed out and they lose to Australia, they will finish with eight points. Should India or England fail to win either of their remaining games and tie with South Africa on eight points, then the latter will be knocked out based on the number of wins.

The game that didn't end

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At Kingsmead in 1939, with war looming over Europe, England and South Africa kept playing and playing and playing

Alan Gardner09-Jul-2017″It lasts five days… and you still don’t necessarily get a result.” So goes the standard jokey explanation of Test cricket to the uninitiated (incredulous Americans usually). The anachronistic qualities of Tests are part of the attraction for some, of course, although the idea of playing on and on without resolution has always been ripe for mockery. As Lord Mancroft quipped: “Cricket is a game which the English, not being a spiritual people, invented to give themselves some conception of eternity.”Never was this more apparent than during the fifth Test between South Africa and England in 1939 – a match quite literally out of time. From Friday March 3 until Tuesday March 14, the teams contested the most infamous draw in history: the “Timeless Test” lasted ten playing days (although one was rained off) and two rest days, encompassing 43 hours and 16 minutes on the field, 1981 runs and 5447 deliveries, and 12 new balls. “It has always puzzled me what the meaning of eternity is,” mused the South Africa opener Pieter van der Bijl, presaging Mancroft. “Now I have a good idea.”The rain returned on the tenth day at Kingsmead, with England agonisingly 42 runs short of a world-record fourth-innings chase of 696. There was no option of extending the game any further, as the tourists had to board a train for their two-day, 1000-mile journey back to Cape Town, where the steamboat was waiting (having already left Durban without them). One of the underlying anxieties that meant England could not delay their departure was the threat of war in Europe; on March 15, the day after the Test was abandoned, Hitler’s troops marched into Czechoslovakia.This is the story meticulously researched by John Lazenby for , which sets one of the game’s great curiosities in its full historical context. Or, as Lazenby puts it, presents “the jarring juxtaposition of play ticking over at the pace of a grandfather clock winding slowly down, while Europe hurtled inexorably towards war”. Tragically, three of the players involved would give their lives in the conflict that followed.While timeless Tests were a feature of the era, usually when the series was on the line, some were beginning to lose faith in the idea. England had racked up 903 for 7 against Australia at The Oval and, although the match only lasted four days, Neville Cardus was among those to pour disdain on the concept, which many saw as a test of endurance rather than of skill. (Australia stood alone in making all of their Tests timeless, which contributed to the remarkable record of there not being a single draw in the country between 1882 and 1947.)The Durban decider in 1939 was the 99th and last of its kind – fittingly, given its torturous progression and farcical end. Described by Louis Duffus, a South African journalist who sat through it all, as “the father of all Test match freaks”, it was a spectacle both compelling and repulsive. The gate receipts of £3640 from the first five days (after which the admission fee was waived) were a Kingsmead record, and people continued to be drawn in. “Despite the fact that the match was considered to have become dreadfully dull, there were always five or six thousand present by the afternoon,” Duffus wrote.Although most thought the Test would be over in five days – and England had a final tour match scheduled against Western Province on March 11 – the rejuvenating effects of rain and the heavy roller repeatedly cast the playing surface anew. After the teams had left, EW Swanton, in South Africa commentating for the BBC, went out to inspect the following morning and confirmed that “the business end of the pitch was still flawless”.The players involved, many of whom gave marathon performances to no end, were almost unanimous in their dissatisfaction (the South Africa wicketkeeper, Ronnie Grieveson, was a notable exception). Bill Edrich, fuelled by desperation and champagne, walked out in England’s second innings and blazed 219 – his previous highest score from 11 Test innings was 28 – although that was not enough to prevent him being dropped the following summer. Hedley Verity sent down 766 balls, a number only exceeded on one occasion since. Norman Gordon’s tally of 738 remains the most delivered by a fast bowler in a Test.BloomsburyGordon, who went on to become the first international cricketer to reach 100 years of age, returned figures of 1 for 256 in what would be his last appearance for South Africa. When the ICC floated the idea in 2011 of returning to timeless matches in order to decide the proposed Test Championship, Gordon’s opinion was canvassed. “I bowled 92 eight-ball overs in the timeless Test, which equals 120 six-ball overs, to get just one wicket,” he said. “And I hope nobody has to go through something like that again.”So is a timeless read? Well, yes and no. It is a considerably more breezy experience, and if anything, likely to leave you wanting more. As with Lazenby’s previous book, , the level of detail is hugely rewarding: Ken Viljoen having his hair cut twice during the match is the sort of anecdote which rightfully makes it on to the dust jacket, but there are other gems, such as Gordon’s “lucky coin”, which caused Walter Hammond to call incorrectly for the first time in nine Tests as captain, and Bill Ferguson, the MCC scorer, fearing that he would run out of pages in his scorebook.Almost 80 years on, Lazenby has carefully reconstructed the story of one of the game’s most notorious Test matches and a tour that was played beneath the gathering clouds of World War II. “The Durban timeless Test of 1939 was the final gasp of a cricketing epoch, a sparkle of innocence and glamour that disappeared forever,” he writes. It may have been a “monstrosity” as far as Cardus was concerned, but the topic remains endlessly fascinating.Edging Towards Darkness: The story of the last timeless Test
By John Lazenby
Bloomsbury
£16.99, 310 pages

Fearless, flamboyant, free – the traits of Shreyas Iyer's game

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His selection for the T20Is against New Zealand is reward for consistent performances over the last three seasons, in which the young Mumbai batsman has shown immense self-confidence and drive

Shashank Kishore23-Oct-20171:15

Iyer, Siraj called up for New Zealand T20Is

Shreyas Iyer was at a Ranji Trophy training camp ahead of Mumbai’s clash against Tamil Nadu starting Tuesday when news of his India call-up for the three T20Is against New Zealand filtered through. His selection can be deemed a reward for the consistency he’s shown across formats over the last three seasons.Since July, Iyer has been knocking the doors of an India selection by scoring big runs. In the tri-series final in South Africa in August, he hammered an unbeaten match-winning 140, after previously failing to convert starts in the series. In the subsequent two unofficial Tests against New Zealand A in Vijayawada, he made 108 and 82 in the two innings he batted. He followed it up with a 73-ball 90 in the one-dayers, scripting a remarkable turnaround in the second game after India A were tottering at 84 for 5 in pursuit of 270.”I always challenge myself in tough conditions. Everyone has their own tensions, but the one who opposes that and believes himself in those conditions, succeeds. That’s what I did in South Africa in that final,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s what I’ve seen in me under pressure. I always tell myself, whatever happens, it will be good. In South Africa, right from the first match, I was timing the ball really well. There wasn’t a situation where I was worrying about a match going wrong. Since I was timing well as compared to others, Rahul (Dravid) sir told me to bat till the end. I got the 140-odd in the final. It was a satisfying knock. I’ve just taken off from there this season.”This, however, is not Iyer’s first tryst with the national team. In March, he was on his way back to Mumbai after a stint with his corporate team Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited when he was asked to join the India Test team as a replacement for the injured Virat Kohli. He joined the squad on the eve of the Dharamsala Test against Australia and got to spend the week and soak in a series-defining victory.”Once I reached there, I was feeling a little insecure since I hadn’t mingled with the team before,” he said. “After one or two days, I was getting along with all of them. After getting a run-out [as a substitute on the first day], they started liking me a lot (laughs). Before I went on to the field as a substitute, Anil Kumble said ‘Go do some magic.’ That run-out boosted my confidence. After I came back, he said that effort was alone worth the trip up to Dharamsala. That helped me settle in and feel that I belonged.”The late call-up in the series was a result of a magnificent double-century for India A against the Australians in a warm-up fixture that was accorded first-class status. The unbeaten 202 he made in trying conditions at Brabourne Stadium is his highest first-class score till date.”I was given a mouthful by them. David Warner came up and said, ‘Now show us what you’ve got. I can’t see anything in your game.’ Since I was playing against a senior team, it wouldn’t have been great for me to reply,” he remembered of that knock. “You can’t just sledge guys like Warner, who have achieved a lot for their country. I was thinking ‘Let me get to a total, after that I can talk.’ I like to talk. If someone sledges me, I like to give it back.”The most satisfying thing was that I hit a six off my first ball. I wasn’t scared of the bowlers or the consequences. From there, I got into my stride. Nathan Lyon was a bit frustrated that I was stepping out and hitting him easily. He’s an amazing bowler, but that day was my day. He was chirping and I gave it back. It was good, it was challenging. Even in the tri-series final in South Africa, I was just sledging around with all the 11 players in the final. They were shocked. Even when I was taking a single, I was sledging them in the latter half. All of them kept quiet.”The fearlessness in Iyer’s game stems from the immense self-confidence he has. Pravin Amre, a man with a sharp eye for talent, remembers giving Iyer a million instructions as head coach, only to see his ward attempt the complete opposite in his debut season. The fearless look in Iyer’s eyes when summoned to explain his methods convinced him of the need to let his ward hone his own style. Iyer did not make an immediate mark in Mumbai’s first-class scene but this sense of freedom has been crucial to his development as a reliable No. 3 in the first-class set-up over the last three seasons.”His fearless attitude, self-belief and confidence stood out the day he walked into the Mumbai Ranji team,” said Abhishek Nayar, his Mumbai team-mate. “Normally, you see youngsters being all by themselves, overawed by the surroundings, talking only if required. We’ve gone through that as young Mumbai cricketers too. So to suddenly see this young boy just out of Under-19s freely expressing his thoughts and speaking his mind, mingling openly with all the players and coaches, was a refreshing sight.”A hallmark of Iyer’s game is the touch of flamboyance he marries with fast run-scoring across formats, a result he attributes to having been given the confidence to play the way he wants to. These, he say, have translated into performances of note at vital times, like in the Ranji Trophy final in 2016 where he struck a quickfire century on a seaming track to drive the game forward and deliver a 41st title for Mumbai.Soon after the season, however, he endured a tough three months where he couldn’t break in to Delhi Daredevils’ squad in the IPL, and was unable to live up to his INR 2.6 crore price tag. “I was going through a bad patch. I was forcing myself to do what others were telling me, not what I wanted to do. That is a bad thing I would advise any sportsperson from not doing,” he said. “Always take advice, but apply the right things. I wasn’t doing it then. I totally changed my mindset this year. I decided I’m just going to be myself and enjoy what I do. I know I’ve worked hard to tackle failures. You can’t emulate someone else. You have to set an example inside the dressing room.”As part of his learning, he took time off and set up a week-long camp at a private facility in Dehradun with Nayar, whom he calls his “3am mentor” and best friend. “He has this massive drive to win games for his team, and he has the confidence to pull it off in tough situations,” Nayar said. “What he’s done wonderfully, and it’s admirable for someone just 23, is investing his money wisely and in his own game. People, once they have an IPL contract, choose the easy way out. Shreyas goes out of his way, works with a dedicated trainer, physio.””There was a period after the IPL last year, where he wasn’t feeling good about the game. So we went over to Dehradun and had a small camp, one-on-one sessions. We’re both unorthodox in terms of our stance and batting, that kind of was a common bond. Shreyas trusts my experience, so we worked on a number of issues that were hampering him. For him to take the initiative and understand the need to work on his game speaks volumes about his drive. He’s got most shots in the book. The battle was for him to figure out which shot to play when. I think he’s sorted that out now.”At 23, Iyer has most aspects of his game settled. He thinks this is a result of all the early struggle of having to prove himself from being a bowling allrounder to a batsman. A game in 2012, he says, was the turning point as far as his batting goes. In the team as a spin-bowling allrounder, Iyer was batting at No.8 in a Cooch Behar Trophy game against Himachal Pradesh when he was bowled for zero by an “inswinging yorker” in the first innings, and Mumbai had to follow on.Sent in as a nightwatchman at No.3 on the penultimate evening, Iyer batted out 93.5 overs in bowling-friendly conditions for an unbeaten 110 – his first century for Mumbai at any level. That he says triggered his batting success, much like Steven Smith, the opposition captain at the tour game. Smith later offered Iyer “high praise” in the dressing room.”Whenever I’m in tough situations, I look back at my struggling days,” he says. “The way I coped with failures, the way I used to make my mindset positive and come back strong from a lean patch. I watch my old videos and my cuttings, which my mother has kept right from my debut. It reminds me of my old days. It’s motivating at times. If I make my debut, I would be making my parents proud. All these things will be remembered.”

Alastair Cook's discarded dozen

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He is going through a bit of a rough patch, but the men opening with him have done far worse

Jarrod Kimber31-May-2018Alastair Cook is one of the best opening batsmen in the history of the game. In terms of runs, no one has made more opening the batting in Tests. He has made superhuman insane crazy mad runs opening the batting, in foreign conditions, that have won series. And he has lasted in English cricket’s most punishing schedule. Cook is a sweatless god at the top of the innings, one of the best ten openers in Test cricket history.He has not been in great form himself over the last two years: he has scored the most runs by an opener in that time, but he has played way more Tests than most. He’s averaging just short of 41, but of the 18 players with over 500 runs opening the batting in this period, he’s middle of the road, and also down five from his normal career average.It’s unfair to compare Cook to his opening partners, who sweat and fail more than him. But if Cook has been out of form, then his opening partners haven’t even been a gelatinous mass. They are without form of any kind.Mark Stoneman is the latest to lose his spot; he’s had 11 friends do the same.ESPNcricinfo LtdSince Andrew Strauss, England have found no one who can open with Cook. This has meant that Cook has made 60% of the runs made by English opening batsmen in that time.ESPNcricinfo LtdAlex Hales is second on the list with 6.3% of the runs.It gets worse when you check milestones. Cook leads England openers in fifties, doubles them in hundreds, and – in Graham-Gooch speak – he’s got six times the number of daddy hundreds.ESPNcricinfo LtdEven if you look at the number of runs Cook makes per Test compared to the others, there’s him, Joe Root’s bizarre early career as an opener, and tumbleweeds.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe average opening partnership in world cricket since Strauss retired is 34.7; of Cook’s 12 partnerships, only four are over that, despite having Cook at one end.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe partnership with Stoneman is the lowest average for an opening stand in England’s history (minimum ten innings). In all these partnerships, there have been only ten 100-run stands, three of which came with Nick Compton. No one else has more than one.In the six years that Cook and Strauss played together, England only had six openers (seven if you count the one innings Kevin Pietersen opened in) – the fewest among the top-eight-ranked teams. In the six years since, they have had 14, the second most behind Pakistan.ESPNcricinfo LtdEngland are 8.5 runs down on their overall opening partnership since Strauss went. And that was with Strauss averaging 32 in his last 20 Tests.Of the 12 partnerships, Cook has been the first dismissed the most with three of them: Carberry, Root and Stoneman.It gets worse for the partners; they also score slower than Cook.ESPNcricinfo LtdHales was brought into the side to be another David Warner. He never made a hundred, and he scored slower than Cook.And you might think England need to try another opener. Over the last three years, the No.1-averaging opener in county cricket is, well, you probably already know.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe No. 2 player is a now-retired Irish player, No. 3 is Ben Duckett, who has already been dropped, and his runs are from Division Two. As the first man on the call sheet, Duckett averages over 20 fewer than Cook.It’s incredible that England continue to have such poor opening partnerships with one of the greatest openers in Test history.By the next Test, Cook will hold the record for the most consective Tests played. By the end of this summer he will probably have scored 2000 more runs than any opener. One of the few records Cook doesn’t yet hold is the most opening partners: he has merely 15; Sunil Gavaskar holds the record with 19. There seems to be time enough in his career to break that record.Good luck, Keaton Jennings. Again.Jos Buttler was kept out of this analysis due to only opening in one innings, where he replaced Cook in a run chaseAdditional statistical inputs by S Rajesh and Shiva Jayaraman

Alastair Cook's unforgettable farewell fitting for giant of the game

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The Oval was been witness to many famous retirements over the years, but few can have matched the ovation for Alastair Cook

George Dobell at The Oval10-Sep-20181:34

‘The most surreal four days of my life’ – Cook

And they all lived happily ever after.It wouldn’t quite be true to say you couldn’t script Alastair Cook’s farewell – have you seen Attack of The Killer Tomatoes? – but, had seven dwarves, a fawn and a princess welcomed him back into a dressing room made of candy, it could hardly have proved more fairytale.The Oval has been the scene of many remarkable events. It hosted the first football international and the first FA Cup. It was the birthplace of the Ashes and, towards the end of WW2, was fitted out as a prisoner of war camp. It’s witnessed rock concerts from The Who, Rod Stewart and Genesis.But it can rarely have witnessed an ovation like the one that greeted Cook’s century here. Without invitation or organisation, without any need to implore them to ‘make some noise,’ the crowd rose as one and gave Cook an ovation so heartfelt and sustained that you wondered, for a while, if it would ever stop. Britney Spears had a marriage that lasted less time than this; Brian Clough a spell at Leeds.At one stage, the umpire, Kumar Dharmasena, tried to wrap things up. At another, Cook, who had already raised his bat to the crowd in all corners of the ground, shrugged to the India fielders who were in position and waiting the next ball. But still it continued. An expression of relief that Cook’s struggles should be rewarded at last and gratitude for the times he has put himself in the line of fire – both on the pitch and off – for the good of the team.How long did it last? Well, someone, somewhere will no doubt have measured it in minutes and seconds. But the real answer is until Cook knew, knew for certain and for ever, that he would go into retirement appreciated by the supporters of the team he has served with such distinction. It was a long goodbye, for sure, but it was also a perfect one.”They wouldn’t shut up,” he said with a smile afterwards. “It was phenomenal. It’s been the most surreal four days of my life. Every reception has been incredible.”I’ve had bigger innings in more important games that have meant more but, on a purely emotional level, with so many friends and family here, I couldn’t have asked for a better week for me.”People have said that the pressure is off. But, in a funny way, thinking about not getting out for nought or not getting out early every morning, has brought a different type of pressure. It’s a nice way to go.”The manner in which he reached the milestone – Jasprit Bumrah gifting four over-throws after Cook jabbed a cut to point – probably added to the elation of the moment. It was so unlikely and, for most of a crowd who had been living and breathing every ball, such a relief that it added a layer of hilarity and drama.

I’ve spent all my life trying to play for England so to give it up is obviously a big thing. Chasing my dreams and playing for England is all I’ve ever knownAlastair Cook on retirement

Few would begrudge Cook the bonus. After a summer of trying to negate the Duke’s ball and a career trying to negate the fastest and freshest bowlers, he had probably earned a bonus. This was a sort of a ‘buy 12,000; get four free’ deal; a loyalty reward; a tip.In registering a century in his final Test innings, Cook managed what Sir Jack Hobbs, Sir Viv Richards and Sir Don Bradman – all of whom also finished their Test careers at this ground – could not. He finished, as he had begun, with a century.But it wasn’t just his score that impressed. It was the manner in which he made the runs and, most importantly, the fact his batting has laid the platform for victory (barring a miracle, anyway) against the world’s No. 1 ranked Test side. If he has ever batted with such fluency, it can only have been on that 2010-11 Ashes tour. At times his cover drives bore a hint of David Gower. And there’s no higher praise than that.There will, no doubt, be those who look at the 218 runs he has scored in this game and conclude that he is retiring too early. He’s only 33, after all, and it’s not as if there are a throng of obvious successors pushing him for his place. But he’s having none of it.”It absolutely confirms the decision in my mind,” he said. “My decision was not just the culmination of three or four bad games. It’s been coming for 12 to 18 months. It’s not just about a bit of bad form; I’ve been through that before.”I’ve spent all my life trying to play for England so to give it up is obviously a big thing. Chasing my dreams and playing for England is all I’ve ever known. But it was actually a really easy decision for me. Over the last 18 months, things have started to creep into my mind. Once I lost that edge, which has definitely happened in training, that decision was made for me. It’s a bit like the captaincy: when you know it’s right, it’s right.”It’s just time. It’s time for me; it’s time for my family. It’s always nice when people want you just a bit more rather than kicking you out. To go out on my own terms makes it perfect.”Of all the ovations he has received during this game – and a conservative estimate is that he has had 15 standing ovations – there were two that he said stood out. The first was for that century. The other, in the last hour of the day, was led by the Barmy Army trumpeter, Billy Cooper and featured a succession of songs – notably their version of KC and The Sunshine’s Band ‘Baby Give It Up’ – reworked as a tribute to Cook. Lyrically uncomplicated (“Ali, Ali Cook, Ali Cook, Ali, Ali Cook” is about the sum of it), it nevertheless struck a chord for the man at whom it was aimed.Alastair Cook drives•AFP”Their support means so much to the players,” Cook said. “Hearing your song on one of those tough away days – where we might be in the dirt for 150 overs – is amazing. They know how much we try whether we have a good day or a bad day. I’ve had unbelievable support from the Barmy Army and those last few minutes were very special.”And that’s the key with Cook. Everyone knows there have been those days in the dirt. Months of them at times. Days when he couldn’t find a run; days when his team couldn’t take a wicket. Days when it seemed English cricket would rip itself apart in a civil war as ugly as it was unnecessary. And on them all, Cook went out first, scratched his guard and tried to lead the way. Cook wasn’t the most talented, he wasn’t the most flamboyant and he didn’t always succeed. But he was decent, hard-working, honest and loyal. He was the old man who never cheated, never doubted. And somewhere along the line, the cricket-loving people of England seem to have connected with those values.We live in an age when some celebrities hire PR firms to confect a public image; to create a short-cut to respect and popularity. When fame can be achieved by appearing on reality TV and success is measured in the number of Instagram followers. Cook’s not like that. He’s not on social media. He’s not seen at club openings – unless they’re cricket clubs – and he’s most unlikely to go on Celebrity Big Brother. He married his childhood sweetheart and, on their wedding day, drove her from the church in a tractor. He’s more about substance than style.And, on the ground where Boris Johnson had been soundly booed the previous day, Cook received the sort of standing ovation of which any politician would dream. This grand old ground has witnessed many heartfelt goodbyes to many fine cricketers. But this was special and probably unique. Nobody present will ever forget it.

From Ranatunga to Rashid Khan: Who's played with or against Herath?

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Has Rangana Herath played with Arjuna Ranatunga and faced off against young Rashid Khan too? Take our quiz to find out how well you know his career

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2018It has been over 19 years since Rangana Herath made his international debut for Sri Lanka, making him the last active Test cricketer to have debuted in the 20th century. He has played with legends spanning multiple eras, including in a format that did not exist when his career began. Which of these names has he played with or against at international level? Take our quiz to find out.

'The Australia-New Zealand tour has shown me that I can bat in any situation'

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Batting allrounder Vijay Shankar is part of India’s World Cup plans: he talks about his one-day debut at the MCG, learning to enjoy pressure, and the bowling advice he got from Dhoni

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi22-Feb-2019Do not mention March 18, 2018 to Indian allrounder Vijay Shankar. On that humid, muggy evening in heaving Khettarama, in Colombo, India needed 35 runs from the last 18 balls when Bangladesh left-arm quick Mustafizur Rahman came on to deliver his final over. It turned out to be possibly the worst over of Vijay’s career: he played out four consecutive dots, scampered to the other end somehow off a bye, and then saw his partner get out as the pressure mounted on India. Dinesh Karthik saved Vijay the embarrassment by sealing the match with a six off the final delivery.Vijay had not slept the night before, and he would remain sleepless for a few more as he faced the backlash from Indian fans. Now, nearly a year later, he is on the cusp of making the Indian World Cup squad, and kids chase his car on the streets of Chennai for autographs. He talks about how it all changed.Can you tell us about returning to your school after ten years?
It was a very special occasion for me. Everything started for me, including my cricket career, at Modern Senior Secondary School [in Chennai]. That was where I joined a cricket academy for the first time. It was my dream to go back to the school and thank my teachers who helped me to clear my Grade 10 board exams.They had invited me for the Sports Day function and also to felicitate me. I had so much I wanted to talk about, but the moment I entered the hall, I forgot everything because the noise the kids made was unbelievable. I did not expect that. When I parked the car, it was all empty and quiet, but as I entered I could hear the students shouting and screaming about my recent games for India. When I was giving away the prizes, kids told me how good it was to see me play for the country, and that I have to win the World Cup.When I was getting home, my friend who was with me pointed out that a couple of the kids were following me on their bicycles. They wanted to get autographs and were willing to pedal to the other side of the city. I did give them autographs.It’s a good example of how expectations are always high from an international player in India. At the start of this year, did you imagine you would be in contention for the World Cup?
To be honest, at the beginning of 2019, I never thought about making my ODI debut. I had a good tour with India A in New Zealand [in November] and returned to join Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy. After a Ranji game, I got a call asking me to be prepared to travel [to Australia]. To get into the Indian team is a dream for any cricketer. The intensity with which I have played the game has been the same and that has helped me a lot.ALSO READ: ‘Whatever opportunities he has got, Shankar has shown the skillsets required at this level’ – MSK PrasadWhat do you think made the team management and selectors think about you?
The indication I got when they sent me up the order during the series in New Zealand is that they were seeing me more as a batsman. Probably the [Wellington] ODI where I got the opportunity to bat more overs after we were 18 for 4, and I played reasonably well, gave them the confidence that I can handle any situation.Then, before the Hamilton T20I, I thought I would not be playing, but the day before the game, Rohit Sharma told me to be prepared to bat at No. 3. I was stunned because it has been quite some time since I played at No. 3. I was actually a top-order batsman when I played league cricket in Tamil Nadu. When I made my Ranji debut, I had to bat down the order.

“A week after the Nidahas Trophy, I told myself that if I sit by myself in my room, mostly I’ll get negative thoughts”

Was it a sleepless night?
No, I was clear that all I need to do is enjoy myself. Because I have made the mistake in the past, in the Nidahas Trophy. I had been a little harsh on myself back then. Before the game we generally visualise, but before the Nidahas final, I was too much into that: I am going to play like this, I am going to do this. My mind was crowded. I learned from that. I should look to enjoy myself a lot more.If I spend time visualising smashing someone, it’s good to a certain extent. But when I overdid it, it put me under pressure. I had sleepless nights before and after the Nidahas final. I learned to be calmer after that match.You have played four ODIs, but went in to bat only once, and made 45 in Wellington. You and Ambati Rayudu rescued India from 18 for 4 on a moist surface. How did you deal with that situation?
I was supposed to bat at No. 7 or 8, but when we were 15 or 16 for 3, I was asked to pad up. I went in, padded up and Mahi [Dhoni] got out. I had very little time to think of anything. I was blank. They say when you are blank you are at your best.The pitch had moisture but the bounce was variable. Initially the ball was moving a bit and they were also bowling good speeds. It was a good challenge – bat out a situation, have nearly a 100-run partnership, and eventually the team wins from that situation. I was reacting to the ball, and yet I was scoring at a decent clip without playing many dot balls.When I got that 45, I got the team to a position from where they could win. That 45 gave me the feeling that I was very compact and confident, even while defending. Sometimes the intent, even when you defend the ball, gives you confidence. If I can bat against someone who is bowling 145kph on a challenging wicket – that confidence is really important. I started believing in myself more.”Whatever I bowled recently in the ODIs, I was restricted in my mind and did not manage to express myself as well as I can. I can actually bowl a little quicker than I did”•Getty ImagesIn the Hamilton T20I you once again played an innings of impact, in a second-wicket partnership with Rohit. You were chasing a big score and India nearly won.
I walked in in the first over the game. Rohit asked me to bat for a few overs and then go for my strokes if the ball was in my zone. I was very confident of backing myself and taking the bowlers on. I had the opportunity to finish the game in the second T20I, where too I was batting so well, but I missed out on doing that. I was a bit disappointed. This [the Hamilton T20I] was another opportunity where I could have got a few more runs because I had hit two sixes and a four just before I got out. I got 43, but I could have doubled it and got the team much closer to the target.Do you long to be a match-winner?
Yeah, that has always been my dream. Whenever I play a game, I want to win it with bat, ball, or even with my fielding. I always feel I can create some magic with my fielding and the team can win due to that.You made your ODI debut in January, at the MCG. Who gave you your cap?
Rohit gave it, saying “good luck”. I had never played in such a big ground in my life. I was really exhausted after the game. It was because of the pressure. When I was bowling my second over, I was gasping for air. So I was under a bit of pressure, but I was economical, I think. [Shankar went wicketless for 23 runs in six overs.]

” I like to watch a game like a captain and think what I should do in a situation. I observe what an opener, a No. 3 or middle-order batsman is doing. I should be ready to bat at any position, any situation”

Last March you were criticised for slowing down the chase against Bangladesh in the Nidahas T20 final. How long did it take you to recover from the game and the criticism?
It took at least a week. I had sleepless nights. It was difficult to come out of it initially. This might have happened to many cricketers but not in their first game for sure. When I read some of the comments on social media, it was disturbing. After the final, I was reading everything. It was difficult for me to get over it.After a week, I told myself that if I was going to sit with that, I wouldn’t move ahead with my career. I should just train really hard and get really tired then I’ll just come home and sleep. If I sit by myself in my room, mostly I’ll get negative thoughts.ALSO READ: The problem of plenty for Indian selectorsEven when I joined Delhi Daredevils [now Delhi Capitals] last year in the IPL, I was very clear about one thing: I should not sit by myself in my room. I don’t go out frequently, but I made it a point to be with friends when I was not training and playing matches. The routine worked and when I did well in the IPL, it gave me some confidence. I had a couple of decent records last IPL: having the smallest dot-ball percentage, an average of 52, and a strike rate of 143. After that I also had a good A tour in New Zealand.Once in a while, even now, I do think it would have been great if I had finished the game in the Nidahas Trophy. But I have learned to not get influenced by negative thoughts.Do you watch the video of those last overs of the final?
Yes, I do watch, but I have learned from that experience. Now I rotate the strike and hit the odd boundary. My IPL performance showed that. In that final, I got a bit stiff overall and I was trying to muscle the ball, hit it really hard.In the IPL, I faced Mustafizur Rahman again. I got an edge and the ball went to the third-man boundary. It’s rare to not hit three or four balls in the row. It taught me not to put pressure on myself and to just react to the ball. I want to thank my coach, S Balaji, who has been with me for many years and who helped me relax.”Whenever I play a game, I want to win it with bat, ball or even with my fielding. I always feel I can create some magic with my fielding and the team can win due to that”•Getty ImagesYou played match-winning innings batting at No. 5 on the A tour to New Zealand. In the first one-dayer, you walked in in the 26th over, in which India lost two wickets, and needed another 150 runs or so to win. You chased it down against a bowling attack that had Doug Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson and Jimmy Neesham. It must have given you a lot confidence.
I was striking the ball beautifully. I had got fifties in the past, but to be there till the end and chase a target of 300-plus was a special feeling. It made me believe I can win matches on my own.Rahul sir [Dravid, the A team coach] told me I could manage both situations: if I need to hold the innings together, or if I need to go out and hit the ball. In the first two matches of that tour, he told me to take my time and get us closer to the target. I made a half-century in the second match, but I got out when we were about 25 runs short. In the third match, I got only 42, at No. 6, but the wicket slowed down. Rahul sir had told me the wicket was slow and asked me to get us within the region of 260. We ended up getting 275 and we won by 75 runs. So he had the belief that I could adapt to the situations and to do that was important for me.On the A tour to England you made only about 100 runs in the longer games and one-dayers. What corrections did you make between those two tours?
It was a more on the mental front. I was getting 20 or 30, batting well, but neither me or nor the team was getting anything out of it. It was important for me to take the game closer, play according to the situation. I have thrown my wicket away in a lot of games. I set myself the target to put a value on my wicket, to take the game deep.In the India A set-up you were the finisher in New Zealand. In the national team you batted at No. 3. What did the team management say to you about your role going into the Australia series?
Nothing, really. I like to watch a game like a captain and think what I should do in a situation. I observe what an opener, a No. 3 or middle-order batsman is doing. I should be ready to bat at any position, any situation. I cannot be fixed mentally about batting only here and doing only these things.

“When I was giving away the prizes [at my school Sports Day], kids told me how good it was to see me play for the country, and that I have to win the World Cup”

You have said that you would like to express yourself more with the ball. What do you mean?
Whatever I bowled recently in the ODIs, I was restricted in my mind and did not manage to express myself as well as I can. I can actually bowl a little quicker than I did. When I came on to bowl [in Australia and New Zealand], I just wanted to put the ball in the right space. Usually I use the short ball to good effect. Even in the Nidahas Trophy, I was using a lot of short balls. I did not bowl a single short delivery in the four ODIs I played in Australia and New Zealand. Such things might help me get wickets.I put myself under pressure. I never had pressure from the team. I might not have bowled in the T20I series in New Zealand, but if I keep working on my bowling, when the time comes, I can deliver.You have the privilege of playing with some of the best players. Have you had the opportunity talking to someone like MS Dhoni?
I had the opportunity in the Hamilton ODI, where both of us were not playing. He told me: “No one has any doubt about your batting or fielding, but I feel you can bowl much quicker than you are bowling now, with your physique. Then you will have some strength in your bowling, where you will able to move the old ball. If you can work on a few things and get better with your bowling, you will give the best combination for the team.”Usually, I believe in observing and learning from senior players rather than talking to them. I have learnt a lot from watching him.What have you learnt from watching Dhoni?
In the Australia games, where we chased down targets, the standout thing was how cool he was under pressure. Even if the asking rate was ten runs an over, it is just about one boundary, and not looking for boundaries all the time. If I put myself in that situation, I might have tried to hit a few boundaries. Take the Melbourne ODI, which was a must-win. He took his time and made sure he was there till the end and won the game, which is the most important thing.He made it look very easy, but he knew what he was doing. In the 44th over, against Adam Zampa, he and Kedar Jadhav just took one run. They were confident that they could definitely get ten runs an over, [but] they did not want to lose a wicket. Anyone else might have tried to take on Zampa and might have got runs but also might have got out. But the belief Dhoni had that even if I get one run this over, we can win it without any trouble is something else. For me, the learning is being calm and not hurrying things, enjoying the situation, enjoying the pressure.Do you pinch yourself about the way your career has evolved where you are now part of India’s World Cup plans?
(Laughs). I feel whatever I have been doing all this while, I have done with 100% intensity. I have been rewarded because of that. I have gone through a lot of injuries. I have been on five to six India A tours, and after every tour I have had an injury. This is the first time after an A tour [in New Zealand] where I came back without any injury and played in the Ranji Trophy the day after returning.

Which are the most bowler-friendly Test venues? And which ones have favoured batsmen most heavily?

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Using the Pitch Quality Index, we measure the true nature of a Test pitch

Anantha Narayanan20-Apr-2019In the mid-19th century, there was a terrifying roundarm bowler from Nottinghamshire named John Jackson, a giant who scaled 15 stone in his socks. It was said he was faster than Harold Larwood.

– Neville Cardus in

***Imagine an overcast June morning at Headingley well before the millennium. The English captain has put the visiting team in. The four-man pace attack is waiting for the kill. What can the batting team aim for? Two hundred would be a good score.Let us now travel down south-east a few thousand kilometres to Lahore in the 1980s. Despite the presence of a strong local bowling group, led by Imran Khan, there was a two-thirds chance that a match played there would end in a draw.Move south another couple of thousand kilometres to the beautiful hill region of Kandy in Sri Lanka, and the fourth day of a Test at Asgiriya. After three middling innings scores, the visiting team is set 200 to win. A trio of smiling assassins, masquerading as spinners, is waiting to have a go. A noted bookmaker offers odds of 25-1 against a batting win.Go westward, to the Caribbean, to Georgetown in Guyana or to St John’s in Antigua. It does not matter who wins the toss, who bats or who bowls: 500-plus will be met by 500-plus. The bowlers might as well go on a strike.The study of Test grounds is a fascinating one. Thirty years ago, when I started work on my first cricket simulation program, I set a Ground Index value of 1 for Headingley and Asgiriya and 5 for Bourda in Georgetown. That rating holds good even today, despite the fact that my database then was an infinitesimal part of what I have today. In 1988, I went by the Test results and computed RpW (runs per wicket) values.Today, I will dive into this fascinating area of analysis using the PQI (Pitch Quality Index) metric, one of my most powerful and solid derived measures. The PQI indicates the true nature of the pitch. Because the expected performances of the players is built in, PQI allows for normalisation across players at the ends of the spectrum, which means Bradman and Bashar won’t be dumped in the same basket, and neither will Barnes and Boje.First, a short primer on PQI.The PQI is dependent on five values: the runs expected from the batsmen (based on Career-To-Date-Location averages), actual runs scored by the batsmen, wickets expected from the bowlers (based on CTD-Location averages), actual wickets taken by the bowlers, and the actual runs scored per wicket.To start with, the following ratios are determined.- Actual runs to expected runs
– Actual wickets to expected wickets
– Actual RpW to Average RpWEach of these ratios falls in the range of 0 to 3.0. The sum of the ratios, which is the first-level PQI, has a range of 0.0 to 9.0. However, since the median of this distribution is around 3.0, it is mapped to a 100-based PQI. A raw PQI of 3.0 maps to 50.0. A low PQI indicates a bowler-friendly pitch and a high PQI indicates a batting pitch.In the last 142 years, the highest and lowest PQI values are 93.4 (India v New Zealand, Delhi, 1955-56 – 450 for 2, 531 for 7 and 112 for 1) and 14.1 (Australia v South Africa, Melbourne, 1931-32 – 36, 153 and 45). In addition to the match PQI, over the past few months I have developed PQI values for the first and second halves of each match.My analysis covers all 2351 Tests played, across three periods: 1877-1949, 1950-1989 and 1990-2019. These periods have been selected after careful consideration of all relevant aspects. I’ll be looking at the average match PQI; the change from the PQI for the first half, PQI 1/2 to that for the second half, PQI 3/4; and finally the result percentages.In order to show ground names on graphs properly, I have used the following names on the graphs. The accompanying text in parentheses refers to the more well-known ground names.Manchester (Old Trafford)
Nottingham (Trent Bridge)
Leeds (Headingley)
PSS (P Saravanamuttu Stadium – Colombo)
SSC (Sinhalese Sports Club – Colombo)
First, let me look at the complete set of Tests from the average match PQI point of view. The criterion for selection is that a minimum of 20 Tests should have been played at the particular ground. Only then do the average PQI values have some relevance. And I will not consider Tests in which fewer than 80 overs (approximately one day’s play) were bowled and fewer than five wickets were taken. Eleven such Tests are excluded.Anantha NarayananAs expected, Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy was the most bowler-friendly ground in the history of Test cricket. The average PQI for this ground, in the 21 Tests played between 1983 and 2007, was a mere 43.6. Just to give an example, the Sri Lanka-England Test in November 2018 at the SSC, with a match PQI of 42.3, had scores of 336, 240, 230 and 284. The low PQI also means that the result percentage is high. More about that later.The ground in Port Elizabeth, the Wanderers and the Old Wanderers had average PQI values around 45-47. Everyone knows that these are tough grounds to play on. In between them comes the Wankhede Stadium with a comparable PQI value. The third and fourth innings at the Wankhede were really tough to handle; more often than not, the spinners ruled the roost. Headingley also comes in around here, with an average PQI of 47.6. However, this is over a large number of Tests.At the other end of the spectrum, we have St John’s, which clocks in at 59.0. A comparable Test is the 1991 Ashes match in Adelaide, which had a match-PQI of 59.1, with scores of 386, 229, 314 for 6 and 335 for 5. It is no wonder that 12 of 22 Tests were drawn at St John’s.Bourda in Georgetown has an overall PQI of 56.7. Kanpur, Adelaide and Bulawayo have average PQI values exceeding 55.0. There is no surprise at seeing any of these grounds so far to the right in this graph.The overall mean PQI value is around 51. Many grounds fall into the middle area – PQI of between 48 and 54. This includes the four most famous grounds ever. Only these top grounds are identified on the graph. The others are just listed. There was no space to list four other grounds – Centurion (24 Tests), Bangalore (23), PSS (21) and Mirpur (20).Now let’s move on to analysis by period.Anantha NarayananThe first period spans 72 years, between the very first Test to the last one played in 1949, so it covers the careers of Don Bradman, Sydney Barnes, Jack Hobbs, Wally Hammond, Harold Larwood and Clarrie Grimmett. The cut-off is a minimum of ten Tests per ground.Only the Old Wanderers and Newlands fall into the bowler-centric domain. Headingley and Sydney are on the border. And only one ground, Adelaide, had an average match-PQI as high as 58.0. The other grounds were in the middle. How does one explain this congregation of grounds in the middle? Analysing result percentage during these years is a futile exercise since many Tests were played to a finish.My take is that the Barnes- and George Lohmann-driven bowler-centric early Tests (say, until 1920) were almost totally compensated for by the Bradman- and Hammond-driven batsman-centric inter-war years. This conclusion is confirmed by analysis. However, I cannot really split the period further since the number of Tests played is quite low.Anantha NarayananNow, for the period 1950-1989. One could call this the era of Sobers, May, Chappell, Gavaskar, Lillee, Holding, Bedi. Careful batting and wanting to avoid losses were the mantra during the first two decades of this period. But the style of play became more attacking in the latter two. The cut-off here is 15 Tests.Only Headingley falls into the bowler-centric area, with an average PQI of around 46. Lord’s just about manages to stay left of the line dividing the bowler-friendly zone from the neutral one. However, it is clear that batsmen dominated this period. This is proved by the number of grounds that appear in the batsman-centric group: no fewer than six, all but one of which are from India and the West Indies.Anantha NarayananThe graph above refers to the current period: 1990 to 2019. As we will see later, this is a result-oriented period. The cut-off here is 20 Tests.Two grounds each from South Africa and the West Indies are in the bowler-centric area. From the time they were admitted back into international cricket, South Africa have turned out pitches that produce results. Their own bowling strength gave them the encouragement to do so. For West Indies, the 1990s were still a good period, with stalwarts like Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh leading the attack.Sydney has been the most batsman-friendly track of the past 30 years. It is possible that the seemingly spinner-friendly tracks at the SCG ensured that first-innings scores were consistently above par. That may be the case with Bulawayo also, because of the general lack of bowling strength of Zimbabwe.In the next lot of graphs, I will use the newly developed PQI 1/2 and PQI 3/4 figures to show you how the PQI values changed during matches. This includes both types of changes: grounds in which the PQI deteriorated (more likely) as matches went on, and grounds in which it improved. The PQI values used are the averages across all matches.Anantha NarayananOver the years, the Wankhede has deteriorated the most. Teams were better off trying to score runs there in the first innings: the average PQI went down 35% from 51.1 to 34.1. It’s clear that this was caused by the wearing of the pitch and the spinners ruling the roost. Bulawayo moved from 57 to 43. It is possible that many of the high first-innings scores would have been by visiting teams and the low second-innings ones those of the weaker Zimbabwe sides. The other five grounds in the first group are all in the subcontinent, indicating clearly the influence of wear of the pitch and of spinners controlling the match in the latter stages.In Hamilton, the PQI 1/2 was almost exactly equal to the PQI 3/4 – a terrific symmetry, across 25 Tests.There were only three grounds in which the PQI improved as the match went along. Perth, Old Wanderers, and surprisingly, Kandy. The first two are good grounds that are maintained very well and hold their shape for match days. But Kandy: how does it not deteriorate? From an inspection of the scores, I see two reasons. One is that there are quite a number of Tests in Kandy with innings scores that read like 249, 198, 325 for 5, 307 for 7. And the other is that there have been some huge innings wins – in the early stages, Sri Lanka were at the receiving end, and more recently, it has been their opponents who lost by big margins.Anantha NarayananDuring the first 70 years of Test cricket, the two major English pitches deteriorated fast – understandable because of the weather and the uncovered surfaces. The Australian and South Australian pitches held firm and improved as matches went along. However, the greatest improvement came at Trent Bridge – of around 15%. At the SCG there were identical PQI figures in the first and second halves, across no fewer than 38 Tests.Anantha NarayananIn the middle period, Chepauk in Chennai deteriorated just over 30%. Enough for the spin quartet and other spinners to make hay while the southern sun shone. At three New Zealand grounds, the pitch deteriorated upwards of 15%. Adelaide maintained an almost perfect PQI through 29 Tests. At the other end, Lord’s and Eden Gardens improved as the Test went on, which brings to mind the spring of 2001 when VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid batted through the fourth day.Anantha NarayananNow we come to the current period. I have already talked about Bulawayo; Mirpur might be a similar case. In the early stages there were a few innings losses for Bangladesh. It’s interesting to note that at some famous grounds, like the MCG, Adelaide and The Oval, the second-innings PQI in recent times has dropped quite significantly. We have already seen Hamilton’s almost identical brace of PQI values. Only in two grounds in the southern hemisphere do we see a significant improvement of the PQI values as the match progressed.My third analysis is a BCG Chart that looks at the two key values – PQI and Result %.Anantha NarayananThe overall result percentage is around 67. Note the very high result percentages (80-plus) in Kandy and Port Elizabeth, and high result percentages at the Wankhede, Old Wanderers and Headingley. Understandably, these are grounds with low average PQI values. At the other end of the spectrum, note the low result percentages (sub-45) of Lahore, Kanpur, Antigua and Georgetown. As expected, the average PQI values of these grounds are rather high. Lahore has had 20 draws in the 35 Tests played there, while Antigua has had 12 draws out of 22 Tests.However, I am intrigued by the possible exceptions that can be clearly identified on the chart. There are grounds that have a high result percentage but with surprisingly high PQI values – Adelaide, the WACA and Brisbane. However, we should not be fooled by the high result percentage of a ground like Adelaide, which no doubt owes partly to the fact that most early Tests played there were timeless and were played to a finish.On the other hand, there are grounds like Bangalore, Karachi and Old Trafford that do not have very high result percentages and also have somewhat low PQI values. This is very intriguing indeed. With Old Trafford, there might be a valid reason: the significant loss of playing time because of weather. Is that the case with Lord’s also? Maybe one day I should do an analysis of the time lost to weather interruptions.An interesting and amazing coincidence: Trent Bridge and Chepauk have totally identical result percentages and PQI match values – 64.5% and 51.0. On the graph, the grey circle with a white one overlaid indicates that there are two grounds with exactly the same values.Anantha NarayananIn the first period, Adelaide stands out. It was a high-scoring, result-oriented ground. Seventeen out of 18 Tests played there ended in results. The SCG was even better – 37 results out of 38. The MCG was up there too – 36 results out of 39. But let us not forget about the timeless Tests at these grounds.At the other end of the spectrum, we have Old Trafford – only ten Tests out of 26 ending decisively, and Headingley (nine out of 16). And let us not forget that both these grounds had relatively low PQI values. The average result percentage during this period was a high 70%, not much of a surprise.Anantha NarayananThe second period was a dull one. The overall result percentage was only around 57%. The grounds that shone like beacons were the WACA and the Gabba, which had result percentages above 70%. Headingley had a terrific value of 77%; there were 28 decisive Tests out of 36 played there. Both the SCG and the MCG had high result percentages. Those two and Headingley had relatively low PQI values. Kanpur had the worst record, followed by Lahore and Georgetown. Only five out of 16 Tests played in Kanpur ended decisively. All three grounds had high PQI values. Despite low PQI values, Karachi and Eden Gardens did not produce many results. It’s interesting to note that Adelaide had a string of six consecutive draws in the 1980s.Anantha NarayananFinally, we come to the present era. The overall result percentage was an amazing 74%. Old Trafford continues to lead the table for Tests without non-draw results. However, with 13 results out of 21, the result percentage is a reasonable 62%. Zimbabwe playing for draws means that Bulawayo is also around that mark. Kingsmead, Trent Bridge and Hamilton have 72% results, but the low PQI values ought to have produced more results. The SCG matches this result value but at a much higher PQI. Headingley leads the table, with 88% results. The years either side of the millennium were golden ones, producing 15 consecutive results in Kingston, 13 in Centurion, and 16 at the MCG. Adelaide and The Oval are comfortable wickets for batsmen (PQI above 54) but also produce a high level of results.***From next month, I will move on to the ODI scene. My next three articles are briefly outlined below.- The long-awaited ODI Performance Analysis – for both bowlers and batsmen (May)
– A look at World Cup matches that proved to be turning points for the ultimate champions. These are not necessarily the best matches nor the most exciting ones. The has done an excellent job chronicling those. I will look at the matches that turned the tide, so to speak, for the winners (June)- A performance review of the World Cup 2019 (July)

New year, new plans for ever-evolving Kuldeep Yadav

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The wristspinner endured a tough run last year, but he has come back with better tactics

Deivarayan Muthu in Pune09-Jan-2020In the lead-up to the 50-over World Cup in the UK, Kuldeep Yadav had become one half of a wristspin combination that gave India’s bowling attack the cutting edge. Kuldeep enhanced his reputation further at the World Cup, when he stormed through the defences of Babar Azam with a dream delivery that drifted away and then spun back in through the gate. However, he was caught napping when England’s openers came hard at him at Edgbaston, where there is a 59-metre boundary on one side.Roy had dashed down the track to Kuldeep’s second ball and laid down the marker with a straight six. At the other end, Jonny Bairstow, too, flitted around the crease and even rolled out a variety of sweeps to mess with Kuldeep’s lengths and his head. He simply kept bowling into the swinging arc of England’s batsmen and kept copping punishment. There was no Plan B for Kuldeep – or Yuzvendra Chahal for that matter. Even as the batsmen kept lining him up, he bowled 34 balls on the stumps and leaked 46 runs.”It was a tough one,” Kuldeep said of the past year, when he had been dropped from Kolkata Knight Riders after a poor run in the IPL 2019 as well. “I learned a lot of things and the biggest positive was getting to know that I could have planned things better.”New year, new plans for Kuldeep. In Indore, Kusal Perera took a leaf out of Bairstow’s playbook and unleashed a rasping reverse-swat. When the left-arm wristspinner dropped one short on the stumps, Kusal jumped back and smoked him into the MM Jagdale stand. He knew Kusal was coming after him. So, he cut his pace, shifted his lines much wider of off, and asked Kusal to manufacture the pace for himself.Kusal charged out of his crease, but was deceived in flight and ended up dragging the ball to long-on. Before getting Kusal with a 78kph donkey-drop in his second over, he had dismissed Oshada Fernando in similar fashion.He invited Oshada down the track with a 79kph delivery, but the sharp dip created distance between the bat and the pitch of the ball and the sharper turn took it past the outside edge. Rishabh Pant did the rest behind the stumps. The double-strike – coupled with Navdeep Saini’s range – left Sri Lanka gasping for breath and allowed India the luxury of having a slip even in the 18th over.Kuldeep has largely been an attacking bowler and has a bag of variations, but his spell on a flat surface in Indore showed that he was prepared to bowl defensively and induce an error from the opposition.Defensive bowling has become a thing in T20 cricket, and Kuldeep acknowledged that on the eve of the third match against Sri Lanka in Pune.Kuldeep Yadav became the first Indian to pick up two hat-tricks in international cricket•BCCI”When you are playing at a small ground like Indore, we tend to plan something different compared to when you are playing at a big ground like Nagpur,” he said. “My plan was to keep the ball away from them, because of the size of the ground. I bowled a couple of balls near the stumps, but they were not effective. And I was trying to take the ball away from them and make them mistime some balls and that is how I got the wicket of Kusal [Perera]. So that was plan for the second game.”Going full and wide is Yuzvendra Chahal’s modus operandi against big-hitters – just ask Glenn Maxwell. Chahal’s tactical nous made him India’s premier wristspinner when the management had to pick between him and Kuldeep.Kuldeep is now getting there and getting a longer stint against Sri Lanka, partly because of the presence of a number of left-hand batsmen in the visitors’ batting line-up. Earlier, he regained some of the confidence he had lost in IPL 2019 and the World Cup by claiming a hat-trick against West Indies in the Visakhapatnam ODI last December.Washington Sundar, whose stock ball leaves the left-handers as well, has also been preferred over both Ravindra Jadeja and Yuzvendra Chahal for the Sri Lanka series. India captain Virat Kohli said as much after his side went 1-0 up at the Holkar Stadium.”It [the selection of spinners] was purely based on the number of left-handers they [Sri Lanka] have,” Kohli had told Star Sports, the host broadcaster, at the post-match presentation. “Kuldeep takes the ball away, so does Washington. It’s all about match-ups. If there are more right-handers, Jadeja and Chahal become more lethal.”Kuldeep and Chahal haven’t been reunited in the XI since game against England, but both the wristspinners have reacted well to pressure since. Chahal often bowled at the death against Bangladesh and took down their designated finisher Mahmudullah, when India had played just five bowlers, including Shivam Dube, in the T20I series decider in Nagpur. Kuldeep then dug deep into his reserves against West Indies and Sri Lanka on batting-friendly pitches in Mumbai and Indore. Kuldeep isn’t sure if Chahal will get a game on Friday, but they could be difficult to get away in tandem on the larger grounds in Australia at the T20 World Cup later in the year.

It's amazing how a couple of weeks can change things as England head in right direction

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Not so long ago, it seemed England had forgotten how to bat time, had few spin options and little idea how to strike with the Kookaburra ball

George Dobell in Port Elizabeth20-Jan-2020It’s amazing how a couple of weeks can change things.A couple of weeks ago, after defeat in Pretoria, it seemed England had forgotten how to bat time, had few spin options and little idea how to strike with the Kookaburra ball.Now? Well, you still suspect that, were this England side to arrive in Australia for an Ashes series tomorrow, they would struggle. Maybe they still will in 22 months. But it feels as if they are, at least, heading in the right direction.The basic statistics are these: an England team that has struggled to claim wickets in overseas Tests has now claimed 20 in three games in succession. An England side that has struggled to build substantial totals has now scored 391 for 8 and 499 for 9 in successive innings, while an England side that has struggled to win away from home has now won successive Tests in South Africa for the first time since 1956. And they’ve won an overseas Test by an innings for the first time since January 2011, too. These are significant achievements. They deserve credit for them.There are two key factors at the heart of this resurgence and, to some extent, the new coach, Chris Silverwood, deserves credit for them both. The first is the very obvious change of approach with the bat; an acceptance that all that talk of positivity and aggression that accompanied the previous regime’s efforts to build a Test side was naïve. This side, with Dom Sibley setting the tone at the top of the order, is much more inclined to take the old-fashioned approach to innings building: slow and steady, with an acceptance that the middle-order can accelerate far more easily if the shine has been taken off the ball and the bowlers are into their fourth or fifth spells. They are all the better for it.The second factor is the decision to trust young players. Four men aged under 25 have either scored a century (Ollie Pope and Sibley) or taken a five-wicket haul (Jofra Archer and Dom Bess) in this series to date. A couple of others, Sam Curran and Zak Crawley, have contributed important performances. In Pope and Archer, in particular, you would think England have found players who will represent them for years to come.Ollie Pope was player of the match•Stu Forster/Getty ImagesThis influx of new faces has had a secondary benefit. It has also challenged the more experienced players – the likes of Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow – to work harder to improve if they are to extend their Test careers. It has freshened up an England side which sometimes looked just a little cosy.Certainly the middle-order – from Joe Root at No. 4 to Ollie Pope at No. 6 – now looks strong and settled. You suspect Jos Buttler may need an outstanding Test at Jo’burg to prevent a change at No. 7 – there appears to be every chance that Ben Foakes could win a recall for Sri Lanka with Buttler’s future in white-ball cricket, perhaps as ODI captain – while Joe Denly needs a significant score to retain that No. 3 position. Bairstow made a century from there in England’s most recent Test in Sri Lanka, after all.Selection for that Sri Lanka tour will be intriguing. It seems, at this stage, as if England will rest several of their specialist seamers – including James Anderson and Stuart Broad – and leave the seam bowling in the hands of all-rounders such as Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes and Sam Curran. And while Dom Bess and Jack Leach, if fit, are assured of two of the spin positions, there are still decisions to be made about the other spot. Moeen Ali, at his best, probably still represents the best option England have – even though he, like Root and Bess, is an off-spinner – but Liam Dawson may come into the equation, too. Suffice to say, there are still issues with the development of spin bowling in England.We do have to acknowledge the modesty of this South Africa side, though. The weak state of the economy has led to a mass exodus of players from the country and, as a result, the international team looks as poor as at any time since readmission. And you could argue the words ‘since readmission’ are generous.There are no easy solutions to such challenges, but it might make sense to look at the costs associated with the Mzansi Super League – which isn’t especially super – and instead divert some of that money to better pay for players. One or two of those Kolpak refugees might well be ripe for return if South Africa can match their earnings in England or New Zealand or wherever else they may have flown. Either way, we have to accept this result has been achieved against a side in a state of something approaching crisis. Tougher opponents, much tougher opponents, lie ahead.ALSO READ: ‘It’s my team, guys are listening to my message’ – RootNone of that need concern England right now. Just as Australia or India or West Indies rarely paused for pity of poor England sides, it is now their turn to be ruthless. It felt as if the Stokes-Pope partnership was the tipping point of the series; the moment South Africa knew they were beaten. England have a great chance to seal this series in Jo’burg where South Africa will be weakened further by the absence of Kagiso Rabada and England may well be boosted by the return of Archer, possibly in place of the spin of Bess. An attack containing Archer and Mark Wood on one of the fastest pitches in world cricket is an attractive prospect for a team who have been crying out for a fast bowler for years. Suddenly they have two.Whether either man is available remains uncertain. Archer is bowling again in training but is not back to full pace while Wood last played back-to-back Tests in July 2017. He finished the second of them with none for a hundred and plenty. And if you had any doubt about the amount required of fast bowlers in these matches, just consider these statistics: Wood ran 38 km during this Test; that’s just under 24 miles. While his top speed was 30kph – somewhere approaching 19mph – he exceeded 25kph in 167 separate sprints and 3.4km was run at a speed of over 20kph. That’s beyond the maximum speed of most treadmills. The scheduling of back-to-back Tests is brutal and no doubt compromises the quality of fast bowling.On the subject of scheduling and administrative decisions, this was another Test that underlined the value of five-day Test cricket. Had this been a four-day game, the weather would have had the final word. Not for the first time, the thought occurred that those charged with a duty to protect and nurture the game’s future – in England, at least – are those most obsessed with embracing commercialism to the exclusion of other considerations.This England team will not worry about that. Not now, anyway. Many of them are still fresh to these experiences and are relishing every new challenge. Nobody is claiming they are anywhere near the finished article but they now have almost a year until the India tour and almost two years until the Ashes. They have something to work with and time to improve. Those might be the green shoots of recovery peeking through.