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

An evening free in Colombo? You won’t get bored

Angelo Mathews19-Aug-2012Colombo is known as the entertainment and arts hub of Sri Lanka. You’ll feel the buzz of the island here. The capital is known for its five-star hotels and we like to boast about its nightlife and top restaurants.I was born in the city and it is my home. I really enjoyed growing up here, and was lucky to study at St Joseph’s College, one of the leading schools in Sri Lanka. I spent my weekends and spare time playing soft-ball cricket – running around in the back streets with a bat and ball, going to friends’ houses where we would make up rules for street cricket games and then play them for hours.The Premadasa feels like our home ground, in terms of one-day cricket certainly, as we have a healthy win ratio there recently. I like to think of it as our fortress. We play so much there that we know what to expect and can prepare ourselves accordingly. The square was re-laid just a while ago, so the wickets are now more sporting and less dusty, with a little more in it for seamers, in terms of bounce and carry. The stands are steep and the stadium itself is more enclosed, so the atmosphere is always brilliant. But, as we saw in the 2011 World Cup at the new grounds in Hambantota and Kandy, whichever part of Sri Lanka we play in, the supporters follow us. The passion of the fans throughout the island is amazing.Eating out
Colombo is great for a meal out. I am a long-time regular at the London Grill in the Cinnamon Grand hotel, because the steaks there are awesome. Another good spot to eat out would be the Gallery Café for dinner. Among bars, I like to hang out and shot some pool at the Cheers Pub, also in the Cinnamon Grand.The recently converted Old Dutch Hospital next to the Colombo Fort is now a nice spot for food and drinks in the evening. I recently tried out Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara’s new seafood restaurant called the Ministry of Crab. I was very impressed! It is a really smart set-up right in the heart of the city.Shopping
When my friends come over to stay in Colombo, they go shopping at Paradise Road and Odel. Barefoot is good for gifts, with a little café that hosts quizzes and plays live jazz.Shop at Suriya and Gandhara for antiques for your home. There are local art fairs at Green Path that you could check out. For a more raw and hectic Sri Lankan market atmosphere, go to Pettah Market to pick up bits and pieces. Even if you don’t want to shop, I’d recommend a visit there, just for the experience.

For players in the middle order of a Twenty20 side there is precious little time to get settled, but for Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler that does not appear to be a problem

David Hopps in Colombo22-Sep-2012Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler faced only 12 balls between them against Afghanistan and, in the aftermath of a comprehensive victory, they barely warranted a mention, but England’s Twenty20 captain, Stuart Broad, was clearly excited that his two young batsmen had done all that was asked of them ahead of Saturday’s Group A tie against India.Broad’s tale of Bairstow’s arrival at the crease against Afghanistan with only 10 balls remaining, encapsulated the brazen approach of two unproven players who England hope will maintain the upbeat mood throughout the tournament.Luke Wright, who finished unbeaten on 99, rightly took the plaudits, but Buttler and Bairstow somehow found time to make an impact as England added 55 in the last three overs.”Jonny’s first ball yesterday, I was speaking to Wrighty about it last night,” Broad said. “Jonny said, ‘What’s it doing?’ Wrighty said, `It looks like he’s going for yorkers but he’s not quite got it right.’ Jonny said, ‘OK, I’ll have a look.’ First ball he hits him out of the ground, walks up to Wrighty and says, ‘Yes, you were right, he’s missed his yorker.’ “It was a good cricketing story, a rare thing in a media conference these days, and Broad deserved credit himself for sharing it with a wider audience. He thinks it has a deeper significance. “That confidence is what you want in a set up,” he said. “We have a youngish batting line up which at times might not come off, but we have a three-week period where it would be lovely if it did.”There had been question marks against us in these conditions and the Afghans had made a real statement against India. There were a few questions floating above our heads so for us to put in as powerful a performance is really pleasing.”Broad describes Bairstow as “a fantastic striker of spin.” He measures it up, keeps it simple and belts it miles. Buttler’s game can look more gauche, but his captain’s expectations are just as high. “Jos hasn’t needed to come in against spin in his short international career but I have never seen a guy hit a further ball in training. A slow languid swing and it goes miles. So I think they both go to the crease with confidence.”Buttler can score quickly even when he looks under duress. He attempted a reverse sweep against his first ball from Mohammad Nabi and was struck on the grille of the helmet, as ungainly an end it was possible to invent. Ah well, that’s just how it goes, he seemed to conclude. Next ball, he was fortunate not to be stumped off a wide when Nabi outfoxed him and slipped one down the leg side. He was dropped third ball; it could have been a horrible nought.Such niceties seem to wash over Buttler. It is his job; sometimes it gets messy. He possesses enough natural power to make light of the misconceived moments as long as he remains at the crease. When he fell lbw to the seam bowler, Izatullah Dawlatzai, he had made 15 from seven balls, three of which had thundered to the boundary.As Broad said: “Every time we play India in England, we are expected to do well and every time they play in their conditions they are expected to do well against us. We are out of our comfort zones. But we have beaten Pakistan and Australia in warm-ups and it’s important we continue that momentum.” It is doubtful that either Bairstow or Buttler have worried about such niceties.If England’s approach goes to plan then Bairstow and Buttler might have a few short innings to play. It does not matter how much you remove overs from a game of cricket, a statistician will eventually prove that preservation of early wickets is crucial. England certainly take that view in T20.”If you have a batsman in at the end you have a chance and that’s what we hammer home to the guys,” Broad said. “The statistics are quite clear that it is the team that loses the fewer wickets after eight overs that wins 80% of the games.”Obviously you don’t want to be 10 for 1, but it’s much better to be 40 for 1 than 70 for 3. Then you can really go at the end. If you look at the likes of Bairstow and Buttler, they can really go in the last five.”

Having reached two finals and a semi-final in the opening three editions of World T20, Pakistan will hope to continue their success in the shortest format’s marquee tournament

Umar Farooq22-Sep-2012

Overview

Unpredictability is the defining feature of the Pakistan team, but you still can’t shun the thought that they are one of the compelling sides in the format. Their notoriety for inconsistent performances was on show during their warm-up games: they botched a mild chase of 111 against England right after succeeding in chasing down 186 – a rare sparkling chase against India.Pakistan are always surrounded by off-the-field issues but presently things are relatively stable, which bodes well for the creation of a positive team atmosphere under a new captain, Mohamamd Hafeez, who has succeeded Misbah-ul-Haq. Although Hafeez’s Twenty20 form doesn’t warrant him an automatic place in the side, the PCB has taken a decision largely in the best interests of the team, deeming the allrounder a sensible leader in the longer-run. He has so far led Pakistan in five matches, losing two and winning three, including a Super Over victory against Australia in Dubai earlier this month.Pakistan enter the event as the world’s most experienced side in the format, having played most number of matches – 58 – winning 34 and losing 22 with two tied matches. They were the explosive starters in T20 cricket but have lost momentum since 2010, playing 22 matches and losing 11. In a bid to pick up momentum, the selectors have picked the country’s potent and hugely experienced Twenty20 specialists for the job.The squad is flexible enough to accommodate three explosive specialist openers in the top order, namely Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed and Kamran Akmal, followed by a mixture of skilful youngsters in Umar Akmal and Asad Shafiq and experienced men in Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi, to guard the middle-order. And they have an agile bowling line-up, strengthened by the return of Umar Gul – he is back at the World T20 after missing the previous event in the West Indies.Pakistan enter the tournament with the entire squad having accumulated ample practice in Sri Lanka. Pakistan had a full series against the hosts earlier this year and, later, players from the T20 squad featured in the Sri Lanka Premier League.

Key Player

The Pakistan bowlers have been dominating the T20 format, occupying the first three spots in the list of leading wicket-takers, with Saeed Ajmal leading the chart with 60 wickets followed by Shahid Afridi, 59, and Umar Gul with 58. The linchpin will be Ajmal, who has an exceptional economy rate of 6.03 in the format. He will be out to further stamp his authority as the world’s best bowler. His control over his spin and clever variations of his doosra certainly make him dangerous. Pakistan, expectedly, will look to capitalise on more spin options with Ajmal having a significant role to play in the coming days.

Surprise package

Pakistan have recently unleashed a 20-year-old rookie left-arm spinner: Raza Hasan, largely known as a death bowler, averaging 13.65 in 22 matches with 40 wickets. He is not a big turner of the ball but his fearless approach and decent variation contain the run rate and made him a prominent bowler on the Pakistan domestic circuit. He was first noticed in 2010 when Pakistan called him up for the tour of England, but he didn’t get a game. His wares were finally on show earlier this month in the three-match T20 series against Australia in Dubai. He is perhaps unlikely to play in every game but he has a definite future with the team.

Weakness

If the script runs correctly, you will barely find any flaws within the Pakistan set-up, but if not, the fragile batting could be rattled. Ensuring a blistering start through the openers is a problem, as Mohamamd Hafeez takes his time to settle in, while Imran Nazir is cautions at the crease these days. The lost form of Afridi is another definite blow for Pakistan and there is obviously a concern over the allrounder.

World T20 history

Pakistan have an impressive record in the World Twenty20 and their pedigree has been remarkable in the three editions so far. They have been the best side in tournament’s brief history. Had Misbah-ul-Haq not skied the paddle-scope to fine-leg in the 2007 final against India, Pakistan could have won the inaugural tournament. In 2009, Pakistan, led by Younis Khan thrashed Sri Lanka to lift the title. Pakistan were once again on course for another title in the Caribbean in 2010 but were undone by Australia’s Michael Hussey’s heroics in the semi-final in Saeed Ajmal’s final over. Their win-loss tally in World Twenty20 is 12 victories to eight defeats, including the bowl-out loss against India.

Recent form

Pakistan landed in Sri Lanka after intense preparation in a three-match ODI and three-match T20I series in the Dubai against Australia in the exhausting heat of the desert. Pakistan lost the ODI series but went on to win the T20I series 2-1.

A year ago they returned to Test cricket amid much optimism. Things seem to have gone downhill steadily since

Firdose Moonda26-Sep-2012Zimbabwe were not expected to win a match at the World Twenty20; they had accepted as much before the tournament began. At best, they knew that challenging Sri Lanka and South Africa for even a portion of a match, if not the full 40 overs, would be as close as they could come to victory.In the event, they did not get close. The tournament was three days old when Zimbabwe returned home, having failed to give any sort of reasonable account of themselves. As professional cricketers, they had had two of their worst days in the office, scoring and then surpassing their second-lowest T20 totals in the matches they played.The captain, Brendan Taylor, made no attempt to hide his disappointment, repeatedly telling the media that his side was “better” than they seemed to be at the tournament. Taylor’s belief is more than just false bravado, because the squad does include talented individuals who could blossom into achieving cricketers – though that talent goes through so much hot water that by the time it comes out, it can only be the limp, over-boiled vegetable we saw in Sri LankaThe future did not look this colourless just over a year ago, when Zimbabwe made their Test comeback. Their squad included a healthy mix of experience and youth, with players like Hamilton Masakadza and Taylor finally seeing their years in the game begin to count for something, and the emergence of a solid attack, led by Brian Vitori and Kyle Jarvis. The coaching staff was headed by a man passionate about Zimbabwe cricket, Alan Butcher, and included two former players, Heath Streak and Grant Flower, who had returned to the fold after walking away. The game was integrated, healthy, and seemed to be growing. The early results, which included a Test and ODI series win over Bangladesh, hinted at promise. The personnel are still there but the magic is not. Zimbabwe are fading into the sort of obscurity that has beset their African counterparts Kenya, who are now mostly only remembered for the 2003 World Cup, and for many of the same reasons that afflict Zimbabwe at present.Lack of regular international fixtures, the loss of some players and a worsening financial situation at board level have all contributed to the stagnation of cricket in the country. The World Twenty20 performance was a symptom, and a telling one, illustrating how much help Zimbabwe cricket needs and how soon.Before the tournament, Zimbabwe last played an international on February 14. Seven months passed between then and the day they faced Sri Lanka in the opening match of the World Twenty20. Had Zimbabwe not played some practice matches in that time, the margin of defeat could have been worse. An unofficial T20 tri-series between themselves, South Africa and Bangladesh, and a 50-over competition with South Africa A and Sri Lanka A kept them occupied but did not seem to do much more. South Africa sent an experimental side to that series, leaving out their best players, including Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Jacques Kallis. It was those three pacemen Zimbabwe could not stand up to in their second match of the World Twenty20.Streak, Zimbabwe’s bowling coach and former captain, said if the team had more practice against top sides, it may have fared better. “I know from when I was playing that the more we played international cricket against full-strength sides, the better we got,” he said. “It’s tough enough for us as a smaller team to play, and when we don’t get enough matches, it makes it even harder. We don’t need a lot of games but we need to be able to test ourselves.”Opportunities to do that appear slim. Pakistan have asked for their October tour of Zimbabwe to be postponed so they can play ODIs against India. This means Zimbabwe’s next international series will only be next March, in the Caribbean. They could have played Bangladesh in the lead-up to the World Twenty20 but the series was postponed by mutual agreement: Bangladesh wanted their national players available for the BPL, and Zimbabwe hid behind the excuse of needing to upgrade ground surfaces in Bulawayo and Harare, when it was actually financial problems that prevented them hosting the tour.

Lack of regular international fixtures, the loss of some players and a worsening financial situation at board level have all contributed to the stagnation of cricket in Zimbabwe

Monetary concerns have long been an issue for Zimbabwe cricket. The board confessed that it would take time for it to break even after the three incoming tours last year, but it did not give a full indication of how bad the situation was. Only Tatenda Taibu, who has since retired from international cricket, suggested something was wrong when he said that players had not been paid in the lead-up to the Bangladesh Test.ESPNcricinfo understands that even after central contracts were reintroduced for the 2011-2012 season, some players were not paid outstanding match fees. An insider said that the risk of losing players who are looking for more security is high because “there is little confidence among players that they will be treated well”.Already Zimbabwe cricket is feeling the loss of talented batsman Gary Ballance, who plays for Yorkshire and has been included in England’s Performance Squad to tour India. Ballance returns to Zimbabwe every summer to play for the Mid-West Rhinos but has no interest in playing for the country of his birth, especially as he nears the line for England selection.A source close to players in Zimbabwe said Ballance and Sean Ervine, who turned his back on Zimbabwe before the 2011 World Cup, could have been persuaded to play for Zimbabwe if the rules governing non-UK cricketers playing in the UK were different. Both players have committed to England because of the limits imposed on the number of overseas players a county can field. If these players could still play county cricket and have income security but remain available for Zimbabwe, they probably would.Zimbabwean players’ lack of exposure to top-level cricket elsewhere in the world is also minimal and has contributed to their lack of development. Taylor has played in T20 leagues in New Zealand, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but he is unique in that regard. Jarvis is the only other player to have plied his trade elsewhere. He was spotted by New Zealand’s Central Districts during Zimbabwe’s January tour there and represented them for six matches in the Plunket Shield and finished as the fifth-highest wicket-taker overall, with 31 at an average of 21.06.Experiences like Jarvis’ are what former Rhinos coach Jason Gillespie thinks will make better cricketers out of the current Zimbabwe crop. With county cricket not really an option for those who want to continue playing for their country, Gillespie suggested that Zimbabwe actively seek opportunities for players to get experience by playing club cricket in the UK. Ed Rainsford and Glen Querl have made names for themselves in the Birmingham league and with the Unicorns, and Gillespie is trying to facilitate the passage for more players to take that path. “I have been in touch with a few league clubs that are interested in having a Zimbabwean cricketer as an overseas player, so we will see how that pans out,” he said.He also suggested that Zimbabwe try to play in some of South Africa’s domestic competitions, specifically the T20 one. “Two franchises, Harare and Bulawayo, would be obvious choices,” he said. As Rhodesia, Zimbabwe was part of South Africa’s Currie Cup before the country gained independence, and Zimbabwe have played a few seasons in South Africa’s first-class structures. They last played in the 2007-08 season as Zimbabwe Provinces, although they participated in the amateur division, not the franchise tournament.Endeavours like that could, in Gillespie’s view, help Zimbabwean cricket, but only if ZC get more meaningful international fixtures for their players. “Playing Australia A and SA A in 2011 was excellent cricket for Zimbabwe, because after that they performed well against Bangladesh and New Zealand.”Those matches were played at a time when hope was still being invested in Zimbabwean cricket. Reality has now hit. For people like Streak, things must go on, and he has reaffirmed his commitment to the game in the country, coupled with a hope that all involved will do the same.”We were bamboozled by the mystery of [Ajantha] Mendis, and the South African attack had the better of us on a surface that suited them more than us. But we felt we should have been more competitive. Our next assignment is in West Indies next year, but before that we have our own domestic season. We need to be playing a lot of cricket from now on if we want to do well.”Before Streak could say what his expectations for the future were, Zimbabwe’s notoriously fractious phone lines cut him off. Hopefully the cricket will not follow suit.

Plays of the Day from the fourth ODI between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Hambantota

Andrew Fernando10-Nov-2012The run out
BJ Watling has been New Zealand’s batsman of the series so far, and he looked set to knuckle down for another good innings before Brendon McCullum caused his dismissal in the 12th over. McCullum knocked one into a gap on the leg-side and the batsmen took off with two on their minds. As he turned though, Watling saw that Nuwan Kulasekara was closing in, and protested. McCullum was insistent however, and Watling was forced to attempt the second run but was nowhere near completing it when the throw came in and the bails were removed.The double-strike
Jeevan Mendis’ legspin has been used sparingly in this series, but he ensured New Zealand would not rebuild after four top order wickets had gone cheaply, when he dismissed Kane Williamson and Nathan McCullum off consecutive deliveries, in the same fashion, with the same delivery. Williamson had played Mendis’ legbreaks comfortably, but did not pick the googly, leaving a gap between bat and pad for the ball to bisect as it broke the other way. McCullum failed to read the googly as well, and was also bowled through the gate next ball.The delivery
Tim Southee and Trent Boult were moving the ball viciously in the air and off the seam in their opening spells, and were unlucky to finish with just one wicket between them, having beaten the batsmen on numerous occasions. Southee’s best delivery came the second ball of his second over and, typically, it went unrewarded. Southee moved the ball in through the air, pitching it on a length on middle stump, before getting it to straighten dramatically off the seam. The ball beat Dinesh Chandimal’s prod and flew inches above the bails. Southee was so adamant that he should have something to show for that ball that he turned around to appeal raucously by himself, despite the fact that the batsman had got nowhere near it.The déjà vu
Upul Tharanga was dismissed by Southee after the bowler had had words with him in the second ODI, and so would have been desperate to get the better of Southee in the next match. But like in the second ODI, Tharanga hit a beautifully timed punch off Southee through the offside before throwing his wicket away, this time cutting straight to backward point. No words were necessary this time.The misfield
New Zealand pride themselves on their fielding, but in the 13th over James Franklin failed to make a regulation boundary stop. It was a slip-up that most backyard cricketers would be embarrassed by: sauntering around from sweeper cover, Franklin got down to intercept a Dinesh Chandimal cut shot, didn’t get his hands near the ball, and it duly rolled between his legs and onto the boundary.The umpires’ justice
Having worked hard to see Sri Lanka through the chase, Kumar Sangakkara was livid to have been deemed caught behind off Trent Boult in the 25th over, when the deflection had come off his thigh pad. Justice prevailed however, in a slightly complex fashion, as the third umpire ruled that Boult had overstepped, even though replays suggested a fraction of his boot had landed behind the line. In the end, two wrongs made a right, and Sangakkara finished unbeaten on 42.

The efforts of the England captain, with perhaps his finest innings, alongside Matt Prior may not save the opening Test but they will give the team belief for the rest of the series

George Dobell in Ahmedabad18-Nov-2012When a batsman as good as Graham Gooch lavishes praise on an innings, you know it has been special. Gooch, the leading run-scorer in England Test history, has, in his own words, “seen most things” in cricket over a long and illustrious career.But even Gooch was impressed by Alastair Cook’s rearguard innings against India. He described Cook as “one of the best players in the world” and described the mammoth innings at Ahmedabad as “as good an innings as I’ve seen him play.” Few would disagree.Cook is, in many ways, a remarkable cricketer. He plays few shots to make a crowd roar with excitement or sigh with pleasure. He does not have the range of Kevin Pietersen or the timing of Ian Bell. He can score a century without playing a single memorable shot.But if batting is just about scoring runs – and in Test cricket it pretty much is – then it is hard to define him as anything other than great. After all, on current form, Cook will have scored more Test runs than any other Englishman before his 30th birthday. He overtook Gooch’s record of 20 Test centuries during this innings and is set to break every England run-scoring record.Cook has made a virtue out of a vice. He knows he is not, in terms of hand-eye coordination, the most talented cricketer in this team. He knows he cannot emulate the strokeplay of Pietersen or Bell.But, by staying within his limitations, by knowing that failure beckons if he elaborates or complicates, Cook has found a method that works. While others prosper on strength and skill and bravado, Cook prospers on concentration, denial and efficiency.At his best, he leaves well, plays straight and is not drawn into pushing outside the off stump. Such is his patience, he either waits for the bowler to err, or he forces them to pitch short or bowl too straight. He plays few drives – he has scored just one run through mid-off and only two through mid-on during this innings – but pulls and cuts well and is good off his legs.And he keeps going. Such is his mental strength – his concentration, his huger, his patience – that it seems he can, at his best, wear down the wind.Perhaps his left-handedness was a help in this innings. Pragyan Ojha, by far the more dangerous of the bowlers, certainly looked more effective against the right-handers and R Ashwin was dealt with in relative comfort.”When you’ve been in the game as long as I have, you’ve seen most things that happen,” Gooch said. “We saw poor shots, poor decisions, bad mistakes, bad thinking, bad judgement and then you sometimes see the opposite.”It was great commitment from our guys and great fighting spirit. There was belief in their own ability and Alastair led from the front as captain.”That was as good an innings as I’ve seen him play because he was under great pressure after a poor first innings performance from the team.”He can do it because he is one of the best players in the world. It is not just physical skill I’m talking about. A lot of people have physical skill. You need skill between the ears. This lad has had a great temperament from when he first started and came here to make his debut.”He proved even then the priceless skill of knowing how to play. From the outset he knew what he could do and what he couldn’t do and he still has that skill today. He crafted a century. It wasn’t a flamboyant innings. He did the job that was necessary.”How typical that Matt Prior’s excellence should be overshadowed. Over recent years, he has developed into a wonderfully selfless player: reliable and positive behind the stumps and with the bat. His dismissal in the first innings was typical: left with the tail for company, Prior perished in sight of a personal landmark as he attempted an ambitious boundary hit. Many would have aimed for a ‘not out’ to protect their average.The turning point in his career came in 2008 when he was dropped. He had a choice, at the time, of railing at the selectors and the injustice, or taking responsibility himself. He decided on the latter course and determined to work as he had never worked before. He developed from a liability behind the stumps until he became, arguably, the best wicketkeeper in current Test cricket. He is likely to replace Craig Kieswetter in the England T20 team for the games before Christmas.His career has seen many ups and downs: the century on debut; the immense Ashes contributions; the unfortunate broken window at Lord’s and the ‘jellybean’ incident at Trent Bridge for which he was publically chastised but utterly blameless. But some of those close to Prior suggest that it was fatherhood, in early 2009, that changed him. They say it brought a maturity and contentment that allowed him to accept the cricketer he is. Before that he had, at times, perhaps tried to be something he was not: another Pietersen or another Adam Gilchirst. Now he has let such ambitions go and settled into the role as the ideal supporting character.If anyone had said, at the start of day four, that it would finish with India playing for time, you might have thought they had been in the sun too long. But, as Cook and Prior edged England into a fragile lead, the over-rate – excellent for so long – slowed and it became clear that India were as glad to reach stumps as England.India have, in most respects, outplayed England in this game. Their spinners have looked more dangerous, their batsmen – in general – more assured and their seamers have bowled with better control, gained more movement and, in the case of Yadav, generated more pace. There has not even been much to choose between the fielding of the two sides.But the one area that England have an edge on them is fitness. Long before the end of the fourth day, several of the Indian players looked exhausted: Ashwin, in particular, became less effective and even Ojha, who has been outstanding in this game, showed signs of weariness. With the next Test starting in Mumbai on Friday, there is little time to recover.But Cook, especially, never faltered. He did not even break sweat. He showed that India, just like England, can he ground down if the batsmen keep them in the field for long enough.India may feel unfortunate. It is true that both Prior and Cook might – should, even – have been adjudged leg before. But rather than blaming the umpires – good men having a bad day – they would be better directing their frustration elsewhere. We all know who decided that the DRS would not be utilised in this series.Whatever happens on the last day – and it is good for Test cricket that this game has, at last, become a contest – it should not mask the failings of England earlier in the game. They have been overly reliant on individuals in Ahmedabad and, even if they escape, know they will have to improve if they are to challenge in this series.They could do far worse than emulate their captain. As far as England are concerned, you cannot have too many Cooks.

Despite drifting into the wilderness, Ravi Bopara could still be the man England are looking for

George Dobell17-Jan-2013When he left the pitch after his dismissal in Pallekele with England’s defence of their World T20 all but over, it seemed Ravi Bopara may not represent England again.Devoid of confidence, Bopara’s record in recent games has been not so much modest as agoraphobic: his last eight international innings have yielded two double figure scores – the best being 22 – and three ducks. World-weary, diffident and even sad, he has looked unrecognisable from the carefree player who had once scored centuries in three successive Tests.But, as Bopara returns for Chittagong Kings in the next few days, it may be time for the England selectors to consider him once again for the ODI side.England require an allrounder to balance the side. With five specialist batsmen (Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan), four specialist bowlers (James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and Steven Finn) and a wicketkeeper (to be decided) all highly likely to feature at start the Champions Trophy in five months, it is clear that they require someone who can reliably provide another 10 overs and bat in either defensive or offensive fashion. Bopara may yet be that man.Samit Patel has made a decent claim for the position in the first two ODIs in India. His batting, in particular, appears well-suited to the role – he averages 37.00 in ODIs with a strike-rate of 95.62 – but concerns over his bowling linger. He has not taken a wicket in his last 10 ODIs and, in that time, has delivered 56 overs at a cost of 277 runs and only twice contributed a full 10-over allocation. While his ODI economy-rate, 5.42 overall, the effectiveness of his gentle left-arm spin on Indian pitches may well not be replicated on home pitches in June.Bopara offers a viable alternative. His ODI economy-rate is an impressive 4.63 – better than Anderson or Broad – which drops to 3.23 in his last 11 ODIs as his well-controlled medium-pace has improved and, while his batting average, 30.62, and strike-rate, 75.68, are inferior to Patel’s, it is worth noting that, at No. 6, Bopara’s strike-rate rises to 90.90. As he showed with unbeaten innings of 45 in 16 balls against Bangladesh at Edgbaston made from No. 7 and 37 from 22 balls against India in Cardiff made from No. 5, he has the power and ranger of strokes to add late impetus to an innings. The selectors will not have forgotten his cultured innings of 60 against South Africa in a low-scoring game in the 2011 World Cup, either. It led to a victory and was one of the higher points for England in a dismal campaign.

He will need to prove he has rediscovered the ability to focus on his game but Bopara is still only 27 and should have the best part of his career in front of him.

But there is a sense that they may have lost patience with him. It is true that he has been on the periphery of the England sides for several years – he has played 118 international games for England across the three formats – without ever nailing down a position. It is true, too, that younger men have passed him in the struggle for a Test place. There are those who have concluded that Bopara is the sort to go missing under pressure; not so much the sort you want beside you in a trench, but opposite you in the enemy’s trenches.But it would be wrong to judge Bopara on the form he showed in the last few months of 2012. Troubled by matters off the pitch, he was unable to dedicate himself fully to his work and his performance suffered. He is better than the shuffling mess that was, against all logic, promoted to bat at No. 3 at Trent Bridge in September. While he will need to prove he has rediscovered the ability to focus on his game, he is still only 27 and should have the best part of his career in front of him.There are other candidates. Chris Woakes, Luke Wright, Tim Bresnan and Ben Stokes are among those who might do a good job for England. The selectors may also decide that the wicketkeeper should bat at No. 6 and allow the inclusion of five specialist bowlers with Broad or Swann batting as high as No. 7. Bearing in mind that four of England’s current top five in the ODI side – Trott, Pietersen, Cook, Morgan and Pietersen – currently feature in the top five of England’s highest all-time ODI averages, then that may not be as big a risk at it appears at first glance. Bell and Patel feature in the top 16, too.But, in English conditions, a seam-bowling allrounder capable of batting in the top seven will remain the preference. If Bopara can prove he has put his troubles behind him, he is worth bearing in mind.Of more immediate concern to England ahead of the third ODI, for which Tim Bresnan will return to contention having recovered from bruising just above his knee, is how they bowl to MS Dhoni. England’s assistant coach, Richard Halsall, said the side were frustrated that they had let match-defining opportunities slip away from them in the second ODI, but it might be more accurate to admit that Dhoni wrestled them away.”At one stage they were 119 for 4, a great opportunity, and even when they made 285 we got to 60 for 1 after 10 overs and were thinking ‘we are going to win this’,” Halsall said. “The disappointment is that we created two very good opportunities to win a game of cricket in India, which is very hard to do, and we didn’t take them. It was a heavy defeat and the lads were disappointed they didn’t deliver.”

The glitzy T20 league will provide pressure but also the temptation for Ayub to change his game – he should resist in order to further his international chances

Mohammad Isam15-Jan-2013Marshall Ayub will go into this season’s Bangladesh Premier League with added reputation after he made a mammoth 289 in his last innings. He has seen plenty of ebb and flow the last seven years but for him to take the next step, which could see him promoted to international cricket as early as March, the next four weeks will bring precisely the pressure he needs to handle. The glitzy, televised stage provided by the BPL for every uncapped and discarded international cricketer from Bangladesh is one of its positives.The 2012-13 season has been easily Ayub’s most productive since making his first-class debut in 2005-06. He has averaged 67.11 in the National Cricket League for Dhaka Metropolis and 113.50 for Central Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League. In total, he has scored 1,058 runs in these two first-class competitions, including two double-centuries, respectively the highest individual scores in those tournaments, and he has done all this by January.Although it may seem notching up big scores has taken him time and he is a player more suited to the longer version, he has batted at a fair strike rate. He might still want to improve on the pace of his batting, as well as add a few more angles to his strokes, which are at the moment quite pragmatic and typical of a middle-order batsman from the subcontinent.Ayub, however, will be wary of changing too much of his batting method for a tournament like the BPL, which is essentially nothing more than three hours of work every evening. He will be asked to bat in a certain way, one that is followed by every other cricketer trying to make it big on the Twenty20 circuit but, for Ayub, it will be imperative to continue batting the way he has done for the last four months, and the last few seasons, to win a place in the Bangladesh squad for the Sri Lanka tour in March.Last season’s experience in the BPL should also serve as a warning for Ayub not to expect too much from Twenty20 cricket. He made 12 runs in three games and even though he took 4 for 20 against Chittagong Kings, he wasn’t given another game thereafter.The case of Enamul Haque jnr is also cautionary for players like Ayub, who are quite close to national selection or hoping to make a name for themselves in the Twenty20 market. Left-arm spinner Enamul hasn’t come close to the Bangladesh squad despite taking more than 100 wickets in all competitions for the last two years. He was a star performer in the first season of BPL as well, but didn’t get further than the Bangladesh A team.Ayub, however, has seen what bad times are like and has survived to tell the tale. Marked out as one of the talented youngsters in the age-group structure, he was impressive in first-class cricket and in the run-up to the Under-19 World Cup in 2008, before a debilitating knee injury ended his hopes and put his career back some way. He also suffered the ignominy of getting hit for six consecutive sixes in an over three years ago, but Ayub has fought through and the 2012-13 season has seen him scoring more runs than at any point in his career.In the grander scheme of things, the BPL is a hindrance for domestic cricketers, especially the younger ones. It takes up too much time in the already short cricket season, and moreover and more importantly, it takes up a lot of attention. Add to that the unpredictable payment schedule and it becomes a tournament of too much trouble.For many experienced domestic players, however, it is a stage that is very important, especially for those who have given up on Bangladesh selection. Essentially, they won’t be household names in the near future, so for players like Jubair Ahmed, Imtiaz Hossain and Nazmul Hossain Milon, it is the biggest stage in their cricket careers. Ayub however has far to go, so should be using the BPL as a stepping stone and not treat it as a medal around the neck.

Thilan Samaraweera’s ability to lift Sri Lanka out of a pit of the top order’s making was an emphatic endorsement for substance over style

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Mar-2013One of the most startling tales in Sri Lankan cricket is that of Thilan Samaraweera’s machine-gun celebration. In Lahore four years ago, he nestled his bat under his armpit and shot pretend rounds out of the handle for the first time in international cricket. As fate would have it, Samaraweera had a bullet travel 12 inches into his thigh the morning after the double-hundred that sparked that celebration.It is an odd thing to be remembered for. Thirty years from now, perhaps his ordeal will come up as a piece of cricketing trivia, and some long-toothed tragic will know the name of that fellow who was shot in the middle of a Test match. But Samaraweera deserves better than a grim footnote. That story is moving and his comeback compelling, but for much of his career, defiance drove him at the crease, and for that, Sri Lanka’s more beloved batsmen have owed him much.In his later years as an international cricketer, before the Australia tour that heralded his departure, Samaraweera’s ability to lift Sri Lanka out of a pit of the top order’s making was an emphatic endorsement for substance over style. Tillakaratne Dilshan might have manned the cannons, while Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara commanded pretty cover drives, but Samaraweera often went to work when walls were caving in, and most times, he dug his side through to the light, if not always to victory.As late as 2008, he was marked by some as a backyard bully, but Samaraweera spent the next few years proving that criticism misguided. Since 2008, his away record has been vastly superior to his team-mates’, and among the best in Asia. He began his domestic career primarily as an offspinner, and has 357 first-class wickets at 23.43, but he finished in internationals with the most robust technique against the moving ball of any present Sri Lanka batsman, and a better head for pace and bounce than many more talented men from the subcontinent.

Five of Samaraweera’s best

• 125 v West Indies, Port of Spain, 2008

• 102 v South Africa, Durban, 2011

• 115* v South Africa, Cape Town, 2012

• 83 v India, P Sara Stadium Colombo, 2010

• 100 v Pakistan, Faisalabad, 2004

His most memorable, and perhaps finest stretch, was the year-end tour to South Africa in 2011, where he was Sri Lanka’s best batsman in every Test. Against the fast men, Samaraweera piled on better numbers than any Asian had in South Africa since 2001, while his team stumbled to an innings defeat and a ten-wicket loss around him. Typically, he had produced his best work against the most hostile attack he has ever faced, in their own conditions, after he had been dropped for the previous series. Without his 102 in the first innings in Durban, Sri Lanka would likely still be awaiting their first win in South Africa.It is a shame that his last act as a Test batsman was the sickening swipe across the line in Sydney, when the team was in the sort of mire for which his cricket seemed created. In many ways it suited a man like Sanath Jayasuriya to cut his last ball in international cricket in the air to point, but Samaraweera’s demise did not fit him at all. On that tour, he had let the psychological beatings from previous innings dent his steel, where usually his strength only bloomed in adversity.Perhaps he will reckon it is better to go out this way, than have allowed a bullet to end his career, as it so nearly did. To have forged and re-forged his technique after being unfairly dropped from the top level, and hopes of a recall seemed slim, he must count a sunny disposition among his virtues.After Lahore, Samaraweera did not can the machine-gun century celebration, or think it an ill omen. Though his batting was dour at times, he was too good humoured for such superstition, at the crease, at practice and with the media. With little on the horizon for him in the next year, and with so many young batsmen beating at the selectors’ door, he has chosen the right time not to launch another comeback.