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

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

Daniel Brettig15-Jan-2015You’ve been away from the Australian team but are now back in time for the World Cup.It’s great to be back. I’ve been looking forward to this ever since I got the call. I’ve been up in the north woods and actually the day I left it was 20 below zero Fahrenheit and there was 15 inches of snow following me as I drove to the airport six hours back to Chicago. Then I got out here and it’s 90 degrees out here – that was a wake-up call.When did you get the call to come back to the team?It’s been about a month I knew. Darren (Lehmann) called me and said get involved with the tri-series and the World Cup, so very pumped up about that.This will be your fourth World Cup campaign with Australia. Winning the trophy in 2003 and 2007, and knocked out in the quarter-finals in 2011, which was not so good. What do you take out of those campaigns?First of all let me comment on the not so good. Playing in India we made it to the knockout round and we played pretty well and almost beat India. What I take out of them is experience. Every World Cup game is important. I can pass on a few little things here and there from those World Cups but these guys know what they’re doing.In 2013-14 you worked with the team through the home summer and in South Africa and fielding standards were very good but then you didn’t continue. Why was that?Darren was just moving the staff around, making some changes. I’d been with the team and I’m back for now. Greg Blewett I know very well, he’s doing a great job, he and I talk every day. It’s good to inject new people – the coaching projection, to be quite frank, is if you’re doing a good job you want to make yourself redundant. It sounds crazy and people don’t like to hear that about most of their work, but there comes a time when they need to have another injection of a different personality to keep players sharp. I think what Boof’s done here is a really good job.

“Nobody on this planet in cricket respects how hard it is to catch a cricket ball more than me, because I didn’t play. When I got into the game I was amazed. These guys are the best in the world – you’re going to drop some balls, you’re going to catch some.”Mike Young

What have you made of their fielding performances this summer?I was in America, I followed it and read some things and I take offence to some of those things because there’s a lot of facts, and nobody on this planet in cricket respects how hard it is to catch a cricket ball more than me, because I didn’t play. When I got into the game I was amazed. For years in America on they’ve got the top 10 plays of the day. I called up New York City and said ‘that was a nice play baseball-wise, but I see two of those every match in cricket that are better than that’. All of a sudden I’m watching , they’ve got top 10 plays and there’s a cricketer on it. I was happy about that because they have no idea how hard it is. These guys are the best in the world – you’re going to drop some balls, you’re going to catch some.Catches win matches in any sport, but in a World Cup it’s even more important to hold those?The worst thing to do is to say it’s more important, honestly. Because why put the excess pressure on somebody when it’s already hard enough. You’re going to have good games and bad games – what I consider a drop and what other people consider a drop can be different – I see guys diving for a ball, it hits them one-handed and it’s labelled they put it down. Come on, it’s not that easy. I think that [the fielding problems] has been overplayed a bit.Darren has spoken about how it’s not an issue of training volume but more confidence dropping after a couple chances have been missed.Confidence is everything. But to their credit they’re so resilient, they’ve been through so much, they bounce right back. You’re going to drop a catch, no big deal. I’m going to go public on one thing – I’ve been around coaching for 30 years, I read something the other day and it doesn’t matter who wrote it, but I have a problem with people calling me a lucky charm. I have a problem with that as a professional. I’m not a lucky charm, I’m not a horseshoe. They don’t need a lucky charm, they’re good enough. I’m here to impart anything I can to help. My job is to help Blewey.Ricky Ponting wrote a column recently in which he said one of your qualities is that when later in a season guys are getting tired or have sore hands, they will still want to train with you because of how you operate.Ricky was the best thing for me because he loved fielding training. Being Ricky Ponting the superstar and the captain, if he’s going to do it people will follow. That made my job so much easier, and let’s not forget the talent. I just take a different approach, I come from a different background. This is my coaching style. Some guys might not like it, I don’t know, but I’m just there to help.Do you know what you’ll be doing after the World Cup?I have no idea. If they wish for me to continue I’ll happily do it – I’m an Australian, don’t let the accent fool you – I’d love to continue on but that’s not my decision and whatever it is I’ll support it.

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

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

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

Something about a World Cup final brings out the A-game gene in the Australian team’s DNA

Sharda Ugra at the MCG29-Mar-2015There is an aphorism in football that holds true across regions, decades, events, big-game nights: 22 men go out to play and the Germans win. Here’s the cricket version: 22 men go to out to play a World Cup final and the Australians win.On a resplendent night in the biggest ground in world cricket, 93,013 people and a flock of curious seagulls, under a black-inked sky, watched Australia win their Penta, their fifth World Cup. They have made seven finals in 11 World Cups. Never mind football, which has had a far longer World Cup history, not even field hockey – whose World Cup started in 1971 – has one country that has been a part of their event’s grandest night so often across three decades.The 2015 World Cup final game ended at 9:02pm, more than an hour before the scheduled close, New Zealand done and dusted in 33.1 overs on the back of a total that would have been hard to defend in Twenty20. Indian fans had a sentimental laugh over 183 but that was about it. Yes, New Zealand’s bowling had been formidable and yes, a month ago, they had got Australia out at Eden Park for way less.Australia at a World Cup final, however, are completely different beasts. Once they get there – and this is a post-1999 brand of Australian ODI cricketer – some A-game gene springs to life in their DNA. In their last four World Cup finals – 1999, 2003, 2007 and now this – Australia enter the game and shut the door on their opposition. No matter how they get to the big game – whether by the skin of their teeth or knocking the rivals out – on finals day, they reach into their kit bags and pull on their you-can’t-mess-with-us game face. It overrides conditions, weather, wickets, opposition: they have won World Cups in Asia, England, South Africa and the West Indies. And now at home.Tonight, New Zealand were the misty-eyed favourites for this final – an amenable, much-liked team whose cricket contained steel, discipline, daring without any ugly edges. They had a bowling attack of venom and discipline, a quality spinner and a clutch of watchable batsmen. So what, said Australia. Ours have venom, discipline and pace and our spinner takes wickets, we bat down to eight and our No. 9 is not half-bad. Think you can do an Eden Park again? Think you can handle us in a World Cup final? At our home? Dream on.The last final was also won by the home team but in very different circumstances; Wankhede 2011 was a wall of sound, building, building and then erupting in a paroxysm of what could only be called overjoy. There was more than one lap of honour, including one featuring Tendulkar on his team-mates’ shoulders, as fireworks went off for what seemed like forever. The incessant racket of cars tooting horns on the road around the Wankhede Stadium could be heard inside the stadium. The police tried, unsuccessfully, to chase spectators who were climbing over the barricades and into the ground, running wildly around the field, only to climb over the barricades onto the other side and escape. Others were happy to leap over barriers and dive onto the field in ecstasy like celebrating footballers. It was chaotic, rambunctious, disorderly. Like the Indian campaign had been.MCG 2015 had twice the number of people and an ebb and flow of volume and emotion. As Steven Smith and Shane Watson wolfed down the remaining runs required, rock music began to play over the speaker system and the crowd began singing the chorus of Jimmy Barnes’ at top volume. The totally admirable Smith pirouetted about with joy, after producing a pull that would have made VVS Laxman proud, and leapt into Watson’s arms to a waving, clapping mass of Australian supporters. The sight screen threw out regular flames, the players were drowned in a profusion of golden glitter (had New Zealand won, would the glitter have been black? Or beige?). The crowd listened to the speeches and the ceremonies in respectful silence, cheering at appropriate moments, close to 70,000 waiting to partake in the lap of honour.When it was over, the crowd went home walking towards the car parks or the tram and train stops, happy, chatty, satisfied. Within an hour of the celebrations ending, the drop-in pitch was being rolled up and readied to be taken away. Footy season is due to begin in four days. The ground was being put back to what it was – minus the pitch of course – before the first ball was bowled. Like Australia at a World Cup final. Who arrived with a sense of purpose and mission, cleaned up the opposition and performed like they always knew what they were meant to be: world champions.

Despite the nervousness caused by the weather, Australia’s professional victory secured their preferred route for the knockouts

Brydon Coverdale in Hobart14-Mar-2015At 6.02pm, the rain blew in over Bellerive Oval, the sky darkened and so did the faces of Australia’s cricketers. Washed out against Bangladesh in Brisbane, surely it would not happen against Scotland too? The consequences would have been severe: finish third in their group, face South Africa in a quarter-final, take on New Zealand in Auckland in a semi-final. There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but that one would be prone to avalanche.A nervous hour-and-a-half ensued, Australia still needing 39 runs to overhaul Scotland’s total of 130. The rain eased up, the covers were removed, and then the weather turned once more. Only 13.2 overs had been bowled, 40 balls short of what is required to constitute a match and bring Duckworth-Lewis into play. When play resumed at 7.35pm, 12 balls was all David Warner and James Faulkner needed.The overwhelming feeling amongst the Australians was relief. In their quarter-final in Adelaide they will now face the winner of Sunday’s game between Pakistan and Ireland, and should they reach a semi-final it will be at home, at the SCG, against India or Bangladesh. It must certainly be their preferred side of the draw, given their success against Asian teams at home.Australia’s desperation for a fourth victory was apparent from Michael Clarke’s decision to send Scotland in. Pragmatism is not always a strength of the bullish Australians, but Clarke read the forecast and sniffed the breeze. The Hobart crowd jeered his choice to bowl first, but this was not a day for a 400-plus score. This was a day to get the job done, and get it done quickly.The first ball of the match was a bouncer from Mitchell Starc, keen to immediately put Scotland’s top order on the back foot. The slip cordon stayed in place for the fast men through the whole innings. Wickets fell, the Australians moved quickly back to their positions. The drinks break was an obstacle; with time of the essence, they waited in their places for Scotland’s batsmen to have a sip and return.Eyes constantly glanced above the new Ricky Ponting Stand on the west side of the ground, nervously waiting for the rain. When it came it was light, but Ian Gould and Richard Illingworth were taking no chances. Play was suspended with Scotland eight down. The Australians dawdled, miffed by the decision. They could have played on, and probably should have. But there is no DRS for rain interruptions.When play was set to resume, the Australians were all in their fielding positions before the umpires or the Scotland batsmen made it onto the field. They wanted a quick kill, and through Starc they got it, the last two wickets falling in four balls. Part one of their job was done, Scotland were skittled for 130 in the 26th over. Part two required beating the rain again.But still there was a chance to ensure their second priority could be achieved as well, getting some batting time into Clarke, Shane Watson and James Faulkner. Criticised for not batting against Afghanistan in Perth, Clarke here took the opposite route: for the first time since 2009, he walked out to open in an ODI innings.There were scratchy moments. He copped one in the groin and another in the shoulder when he missed his pulls and hooks. Watson came out at No. 3 and struck a few boundaries but was notably grumpy, bickering with Scotland bowler Rob Taylor. Clarke too had been terse at his pre-match press conference: Australia wanted this pool stage over, and over on their terms.Their Brisbane match had seemed more like the swimming pool stage, not a ball bowled due to a deluge. In Hobart the rain was just frustrating. After Australia went off with 39 runs needed, Duckworth-Lewis calculations began. They already had the runs required for the 20-over mark, they just didn’t have the 20 overs.It was not out of the question that they could have lost overs, had the target reduced and have play nominally start but with their new target already reached. In the end, no overs were lost, just a few fingernails. After the win, Clarke was a relieved man.”There was obviously doubt about getting a result,” Clarke said. “There was rain forecast and it didn’t look great. There was always a fair bit of wind so we had confidence that would continue and blow the rain away – but it could also blow rain in.”The fact we already knew we’d qualified for a World Cup quarter-final was positive. It’s just that we wanted to win this game to finish second, rather than third or fourth. That was our main focus, on making sure we did everything we could to win this game.”I think we did whatever we could. We made the most of our opportunity. Most importantly, everyone in the squad mentally is ready to go. I still felt a little bit rusty there with the bat. I don’t think Watto would’ve played that shot if he wasn’t putting the team first, and Jimmy Faulkner came in and tried to smack it at the end there. We made the most of it. All three of us got a bat, so it’s better than it could have been.”The whole day was much better than it could have been, despite the nervous moments. Australia won as comfortably as they could have under the circumstances, in only 41 overs of cricket. It was pragmatic and professional, a quick kill, if an interrupted one. Crisis averted.

Albie Morkel opens up to ESPNcricinfo about his plans for an international comeback, dealing with depression, and the difficulty of switching IPL teams every season

Arun Venugopal19-Apr-2015Albie Morkel has admitted that the World T20 in India next year is on his “radar”, should he produce strong performances in the domestic circuit this summer to catch the selectors’ eye.”Definitely, that’s on my radar if I can perform really strongly back home this summer,” Morkel told ESPNcricinfo. “Then I know I will have a chance, and I’ll really like to play in another T20 World Cup.”Morkel, who has played 58 ODIs and 49 T20Is apart from a lone Test against Australia, last put on a South Africa shirt during the World T20 in Bangladesh in 2014, where his team lost to India in the semi-final. He was picked primarily for his finishing skills with the bat, but he fared poorly, scoring 33 runs in four innings.There wasn’t much to show for with the ball either, as he picked up one wicket from five matches at an economy-rate of 9.20.While Morkel missed the South African domestic T20 tournament last season with an ankle injury, he played a pivotal role in guiding Titans to the Momentum One-Day Cup title. Morkel aggregated 280 runs in six innings at an average of 93.33, including an unbeaten 134 in the final against Cape Cobras. His seam-bowling also reaped five wickets in the tournament at less than four runs an over.Morkel had said two years ago that he didn’t see himself playing for South Africa again, a statement, he said, was misunderstood. “When I said, ‘I don’t think I will play for South Africa again,’ it’s not that I said ‘I don’t like to.’ I am just being realistic.”Also I am at an age where the South Africa selectors are building for the future. That doesn’t necessarily mean I have no desire to play for South Africa. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to try or train harder or stay motivated. I think it was written about a couple of years, just flew a little out of what I actually meant.”Morkel has been an IPL regular, having represented Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the past. Turning out for Delhi Daredevils this year, Morkel’s counter-punching unbeaten 73 off 54 balls nearly got his team over the line against Super Kings. He hasn’t played another game since, having had to make way for Angelo Mathews.Morkel said it was a challenge to get used to different teams, given the limited time players spend with one another during the IPL. “Obviously I have spent time with Chennai so you get used to how things work with the team. And then RCB, it’s difficult to do it in one year. With the IPL being in Dubai and India [last year], it was a bit disruptive.”This time I have really had a good three weeks in Delhi in the training camp prior to the IPL. That helped us get to know everyone as a person and build relationships. And also I think Gary Kirsten and the support staff have done an outstanding job to create a cricket environment.”Daredevils had a familiarly worrying start, suffering two last-ball defeats, but have since reeled two successive wins on the road. Morkel said the positive vibes in the team had impacted the performance.”Delhi has had two bad seasons where I think they have lost 10 games [11] in a row. It’s always challenging to step into an environment like that, but as players you can either just carry on like you have been carrying on or you can try and make a difference.”Every single guy that’s part of Delhi this year has made the decision to turn the ship around. I am sure you have seen in the performances you are getting to see a different Delhi side this year, they are upfront.”As someone who has played across the world, Morkel admitted life as a professional cricketer could be lonely at times, one that could seed depression.”I went through that phase when I reached the burnout stage. That was a case of overdoing it. I played the domestic season, I played in the IPL, Champions League, I played county cricket in England, and I played the Caribbean [Premier] League so it was just too much for me.”I think the key is just to find a balance between playing enough cricket and also having time for yourself and your family. If you are just playing cricket day in and day out there will come a stage where normally the first thing you see is a change in the attitude, body language and then the performance.””I am at an age where the South Africa selectors are building for the future, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I have no desire to play for South Africa”•AFPMorkel spoke of the importance of family structures and the strong bond he shared with his brother Morne. “We have got a very close relationship, myself and Morne. Earlier in our careers, we shared a house with AB de Villiers, so you know, we were always there for each other.”I don’t think we have ever competed against each other. We grew up in a house that obviously had a lot of sport with dad being a cricketer. [But] there was no pressure on us to do well in sport. That’s the way we were brought up. We started to realise at about 17 or 18 that we could possibly make a career out of it.”According to Morkel, being outside the framework of the national team for lengthy periods has never been a deterrent in motivating himself. “To get out to play to the cheer of the crowd, that’s the most honest thing, and that keeps us going. The personal pride and the adrenaline you get when you’re playing as a professional cricketer. You can’t replace that.””I also really enjoy chatting about the game with the younger guys. The young guys think so much differently than we thought about the game 10 years ago, so I think the roles are reversed. The older guys learn from the younger players.”T20 cricket has really lifted the standard of all formats. And as a cricketer if you don’t grow your game you will stay behind. It’s just trying to add something to my game every time I train.”Morkel is aware he is inching towards the end of his career, but retirement, he said, could be a while away yet. “I will take it year by year now. I said two years ago two years and my body still holds up,” he said. “For me it’s all about the enjoyment factor. Let’s give it two more years.”Morkel said there wasn’t much he could have done differently in his career. “When you are looking back you will always find things you will do differently in hindsight. Sometimes I wish I knew stuff that I know now, but I know that’s not possible. I played for some successful teams and have some great memories.”

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2015Cook reached his fourth fifty in seven innings…•Getty Images…and Trott his first since The Oval in August 2013•AFPDevendra Bishoo broke the opening stand when Trott edged to second slip…•Getty Images….and Cook could not end the near two-year wait for a hundred when he dragged on against Shannon Gabriel•Getty ImagesIan Bell fell in similar fashion to his captain, dragging on against Gabriel on a sluggish pitch to give West Indies a life•AFPHowever, Joe Root once again added impetus to the innings with a sixth consecutive Test fifty – equalling an England record…•Getty Images…and he converted that into a sixth Test hundred, his first overseas•Getty ImagesGary Ballance helped Root add 165 for the fourth wicket before dragging on against Marlon Samuels•AFPSamuels was the focus, again, when Ben Stokes departed but for this salute rather than an active role in the wicket•Associated PressRoot ended a warm day’s work unbeaten on 118 despite a back that was “stiff and sore”•AFP

Flashing advertisements on the sightscreen behind the batsman causes bowlers and umpires to be unsighted leading to dropped catches and possibly even injuries

Sidharth Monga in Ahmedabad24-Apr-2015In the 10th over of the Rajasthan Royals innings, Karun Nair offered legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal a return catch. It was not a powerful blow. More of a push that popped back to the bowler at an easy pace. Chahal stuck a hand out, but couldn’t hold on. His impatient captain Virat Kolhi let his disappointment known, but Chahal had other things on his mind. He had hurt the little finger on his spinning hand, and immediately gestured to show he didn’t pick the ball.How could he have? On the sightscreen behind the batsman was an advertisement. Not just a static advertisement, but a glowing, electronic one. Trying to pick a white ball in the white advertising is worse than trying to pick a red ball in a static-but coloured background. On air, two former India bowlers who have played in the IPL, called it immediately. Left-arm quick RP Singh was the first to point out Chahal seemed to have lost the ball in the lit sightscreen. Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik responded, “I don’t know about you, RP, but I often had trouble picking balls hit back at me in the IPL.”Two of the refreshingly sharp young commentators spoke from experience, and made an important observation. A catch had been dropped, and Chahal had to go off the field with only one ball bowled in the over, which meant he would miss out on bowling 21% of his quota even if he was to come back after repairs. If you went by Chahal’s reaction, and by the instinctive comments of two Test cricketers who have played in the IPL, the advertising on the sightscreen played its part.Which should raise the question: if the batsman gets the right to a clear background when facing the ball, why shouldn’t the bowler enjoy similar privileges? Of course not every ball is hit back at the bowler, but the ones that are have a lot riding on them. The reaction time for a bowler when the ball is struck at him is little. And while the other fielders don’t get a sightscreen to catch the ball against, they don’t have to contend with a glowing advertising in white font either.More than the return catch, though, the safety of the bowler and the umpire should be important to the authorities. Neither of them wears a helmet although the day is not far when an umpire might. With modern bats and freed minds, batsmen are hitting balls harder than ever before. An umpire died last year of a ricochet off the stumps at the non-striker’s end. A sudden freakish spate of on-field injuries has made us suddenly realise that ours is a dangerous sport, and safety – apart from the batsman’s – has not been given the attention it deserves.Those who have played cricket consider it a miracle there hasn’t been an accident yet. “Sooner or later a bowler or an umpire is going to getting seriously hurt,” Ian Chappell said at ESPNcricinfo’s recently. “Because the ball is getting back so quickly they have got no time to react. They have got a similar problem in baseball, another game that I follow. It has got to a point where last season they were offering pitchers padded caps. Even if we don’t believe that the balance [between bat and ball] is out of whack because of the depth of the bat – and if they don’t believe that they are out of whack – there is this danger aspect, and they [authorities] have got to seriously look into that.”It will take time and deliberations to regulate the thickness of the bat, but in the mean time do we really want to impede return catches in the already full-of-dropped-catches league and also put the bowlers and umpires at more risk ? And for what? The extra buck after about 240 degrees of the boundary is already sold to the advertiser? Not worth the cost, be it a dropped catch or an injury.

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Aug-2015… before Mark Wood claimed the dangerous David Warner with his second ball•Getty ImagesMichael Clarke’s dismissal deepened his personal sense of gloom•Getty ImagesBen Stokes pulled off the moment of the day to grab a one-handed catch off Adam Voges•Getty ImagesBroad was incredulous at the quality of Stokes’ catch•Getty ImagesIt was grim viewing on the Australian balcony•Getty ImagesEngland’s slip cordon accounted for nine of Australia’s ten wickets•Getty ImagesClarke watches the capitulation from the dressing room•Getty ImagesBroad saluted the crowd as he left the field with his best Test figures of 8 for 15•PA PhotosThe scoreboard was as disbelieving as the crowd•Getty ImagesJoe Root’s second century of the series cemented England’s command•Getty Images