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Batting first is the way to go at the Adelaide Oval but the opening exchanges at the venue can be more influential on the outcome of a Test than almost anywhere else in the world

Daniel Brettig22-Jan-2012For about 60 minutes on the first morning of every Test match at the Adelaide Oval, a famously benign pitch starts its life with delusions of a green-top. Like a teenager experimenting with wilder things before settling into sensible adulthood, the surface is briefly open to the suggestions of the fast bowlers, and far less agreeable to batsmen raised on the assumption that Adelaide is a place for harvesting runs, not edging catches.As the crowd files onto the Scoreboard hill and the members settle in their seats on the western side, the surface retains the merest trace of freshness left by the thoughtful ground staff, allowing the ball to briefly swing and seam. The pace and bounce off the pitch is more pronounced than at any other stage of the match. Given how placid the track can become for batsmen later on, once the dry heat of South Australia’s desert climate has had its way with the remaining moisture, Adelaide’s opening exchanges can be more influential on the final outcome of a Test than almost anywhere else in the world – ground lost in that first hour is seldom regathered without great, and sometimes futile effort.Michael Hussey has experienced the oval’s early life as an opening batsman for Western Australia, and also been called on to repair the damage it can cause from his berth in Australia’s middle order. He agrees that in Adelaide, an early stumble when the seam stands up can take days to recover from, if it is at all.”Yes I think so [the first hour is more important in Adelaide],” Hussey said. “It certainly does do a little bit in the first morning, maybe the first session, and then generally can be a very good batting pitch for a few days, so it is very important and England certainly exposed us in that respect. We started with a run-out but after that they got other quick wickets which put us under enormous pressure and stopped us getting to a good first-innings total. So it’s certainly a crucial time in the game, if the openers can get through that then good runs can be had. It’s a very crucial part of the game. I think any Test match, the first hour or the first session can shape how the match is going to go as well.”As Hussey recalled, Australia were reminded of this state of things in graphic fashion last summer, when it was possible to conclude that the second Test was lost to England inside the first 13 balls of its commencement. In that time the hosts lost 3 for 2, Simon Katich’s run-out followed by fretful edges into the slips by Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke at the hands of the artful fast man Jimmy Anderson. Both Ponting and Clarke pushed out firmly at deliveries that left them late, and would later stand solemnly in the field as nary another ball did quite as much for the rest of the match.Ponting knew the importance of the first few overs of an Adelaide Test, having played so many, and at the toss before had observed: “Like Indian conditions sometimes a lot can happen late in the games here, so you have to make sure you play really well at the start of the game and keep yourself in the contest right up until the end.” Australia’s failure to do so after Ponting had given them first use of the pitch would haunt them for the remainder of the series, and now serves as a reminder of how important it is to be vigilant at the start of the Adelaide Test.Initial curve and cut notwithstanding, there remains no question that the team winning the toss in Adelaide must bat. There are Englishmen who still cuss and mutter at the fateful decision made by Bob Willis in 1982-83 to insert Greg Chappell’s Australians upon calling correctly. Needing a victory to regain parity in the series, Willis gambled on a surface that had shown signs of dampness in the lead-up, but watched disconsolately in the field as Chappell crafted a century and the hosts tallied 438 – the platform for an eight-wicket victory. Bowlers may have the narrowest of windows in which to strike, but with the help of decisive footwork and good early judgement the batsmen can settle themselves in for the day, or more.Since Willis, the only other visiting captain to chance bowling first was Mohammad Azharuddin. India’s arrival for the 1992 Test coincided with the first match on a relaid square, which promised to offer a little more help to those delivering the ball after a soporific sequence of six consecutive drawn Tests. Chasing a victory to keep the series alive, Azharuddin fielded, and rejoiced as Kapil Dev, Manoj Prabhakar and a young part-time seamer called Sachin Tendulkar fetched seven cheap wickets between them to rumble out an inattentive Australia for 145. This was a rare occasion on which the reverses of the first day were to be atoned for, as the hosts ground their way back into the contest and ultimately squeaked a 38-run victory.Though the match was sullied by arguments about the respective lbw counts for both sides, and made notable by Allan Border’s refusal to take the field on the final morning after learning that Geoff Marsh was to be dropped for the final Test, it was the start of a far more enticing run of results. Since then only three of 20 Adelaide Tests have been drawn, and on each occasion the offer of first morning assistance has provided a critical element to the ensuing drama. Whoever bats first in Adelaide on Tuesday will have reason to be watchful, and whoever bowls will have cause to be hopeful … for about an hour.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the final day of the opening Test at Lord’s

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's21-May-2012Wicket of the dayShannon Gabriel has made a very positive impression during his first Test. After three wickets in the first innings he added the prized scalp of Kevin Pietersen on the final day to leave England wobbling on 57 for 4. And it was the manner in which he struck which impressed. Pietersen, trying to dominate, had just dispatched a dismissive pull to square leg but Gabriel did not shirk the challenge. He bowled another short ball, which did not quite bounce as much, and Pietersen could not resist another pull which resulted in a bottom edge to the keeper and a jubilant bowler.Collision of the dayThere has been some curious running in this match with most of it centred around Shivnarine Chanderpaul. This time, however, with Alastair Cook and Ian Bell in their crucial stand, Cook became tangled with Darren Sammy at the bowler’s end as he turned for a second run. Both players ended in a heap but Bell had time to sense the danger and get back into his ground. Cook and Sammy dusted themselves off and acknowledged each other in good spirits.Oddity of the dayIt was going to take a huge effort from West Indies to win the Test, yet at 57 for 4 there was more than a glimmer. So it was surprising to see some of Sammy’s tactics as lunch approached and England whittled down the target. Roach was not recalled for a second spell while Sammy and Samuels operated in tandem. A captain cannot bowl his strike man into the ground, especially with two more Tests to go, but sometimes an occasion demands going for broke. This felt like one of those.Futile review of the dayThe game had long since gone from West Indies but when Darren Sammy had a big appeal for lbw against Jonny Bairstow turned down the captain opted for a review anyway. No one really looked that interested and even less so when Hot Spot showed a thin edge from Bairstow. It was another excellent umpiring decision in what was a fine Test for Aleem Dar and Marais Erasmus.Perambulation of the dayAfter a slow start, the crowd grew during the morning session. It wasn’t quite a People’s Monday as against India last year but there are understandable reasons why – people needing to work and the amount of cricket being high up there. Those who were in the ground by lunch were given the chance to walk, or perambulate as they like to call it in these parts, around a portion of the outfield although a large section was kept well protected. It does not just host cricket this year, there’s the Olympic archery to come too.

Sunil Narine didn’t rely on mystery to defeat Ed Joyce, nor even on big turn. He cornered the batsman into surrendering his wicket – a hallmark of a maturing spinner.

Andrew Fernando in Colombo25-Sep-2012On a forgettable night fraught with soggy frustration for fans and disappointment for the exiting team, Sunil Narine produced a piece of cricketing brilliance that will linger with those who were watching closely.The first rain interruption had shaved two overs from the match, and as soon as play resumed, Darren Sammy brought Narine into the attack. Left-hander Ed Joyce was on strike and Narine opened with a menacing offbreak; whirring through the air unnervingly, dipping, pitching on leg stump and spitting beyond the batsman’s prod.The victory was twofold for Narine. He had the batsman groping already, but there was also turn here, plenty more than there had been on previous evenings. On Saturday he had shaken off indifferent form in the practice matches to send down two good overs against Australia. Had he not overstepped in his second over and the free-hit been sent into the stands, he might have traveled at less than a run-a-ball on a surface favouring batsman.Joyce didn’t come close to hitting that first ball and, like Narine, knew now that the pitch was pulling for the bowler tonight. He also knew that trotting down the wicket might be too big a risk. If the bowler sees him coming, a shorter delivery will take enough turn on this pitch to evade him. Even if Narine didn’t anticipate his advance, there would be no room for error. If the first ball was so charged with venom, maybe Narine will become even more difficult to judge in the flight as he warms to his work. Better to stay at home and play it off the turf.Smelling the batsman’s hesitance, Narine pitched another one on leg, only slightly shorter, to give Joyce an even better look at the deviation. The batsman prodded again, and again he did was beaten thoroughly. Ireland’s run rate was flagging. With the game shortened and rain in the air, boundaries became more imperative with every dot ball.Having ruled out going down the track to combat the turn, Joyce decided lateral movement would help him. As the bowler entered his delivery stride, Joyce shuffled towards off stump. This time, he might have hoped, he could get closer to the ball as it turned away from him and play it away through the off side.Only, it didn’t turn away. Perhaps seeing Joyce’s movement, or maybe having anticipated it, Narine had gone wide of the crease and pitched the ball outside leg. It wasn’t the off-break either, it just went straight on. Once Joyce realised this, it was already too late. His hurried sweep missed, and the ball zipped behind his pads to peg back leg stump.In three deliveries, Joyce had not been able to get near the ball. Narine was helped by the surface, sure, but when the batsman took measures to negate that turn, Narine was a step ahead. Having set him up with two big offbreaks, he made the batsman look inept with one that barely turned at all. Narine says Muttiah Muralitharan is his idol – and given how much he rips his offbreaks, it’s not difficult to see Murali’s influence – but that dismissal had a touch of Shane Warne about it. He didn’t rely on mystery or even just on big turn; he cornered the batsman into surrendering his wicket – a hallmark of a maturing spinner.”He’s a guy who has got a lot of tricks up his sleeve and always thinks he can learn new stuff,” captain Darren Sammy said of Narine after the match. “When you see him practice he’s always trying new things. New run-ups, new actions, he just looks to improve his game all the time.”West Indies now move into the Super Eights without having won or completed a full match. Their batting looks as powerful as that of any team in the tournament, but despite a good outing against Ireland, questions remain about their bowling against top opposition. Narine has already proved himself adept at this format, having earned the purple cap in this year’s IPL, and perhaps he can be the bowler who quells those fears and propels his side deep into the competition.”Narine loves when the batsmen are looking to attack him,” Sammy said. “With the scoreboard pressure, and the requirement to score quickly in Twenty20, it gives him the edge with all his tricks up his sleeves. The more we progress and the more we play on these wickets, the more assistance it will give him. These are good signs for us going into the Super Eights.”Pallekele will be Narine’s next test. It has perhaps been the least spin friendly of the three venues so far, and he will likely have to rely on more of that guile when the West Indies move there for all three Super Eight matches. For now, Narine may get by simply on turn and variations, but in future, opponents will grow accustomed to him. If he maintains his devotion to the spinner’s art of the swindle, he might be on track to emulate the longevity he admires so much in his favourite cricketer.

Anil Kumble believes T20 cricket can engage the American public, provided cricket administration in the USA can be streamlined

Peter Della Penna23-Aug-2012Throughout the 1990s, if someone shouted out “Jumbo!” in New York on a Sunday afternoon, it could only have been meant for John Elliott. The burly 6-foot 7-inch, 300-pound offensive lineman plied his trade plowing over defensive fronts for the NFL’s Giants and Jets for 14 years, winning a Super Bowl with the Giants in the 1990 season.On this day though, the streets of Madison Avenue are screaming “Jumbo!” for a different man, one who was a super bowler in his own right, burrowing through the defences of batsmen an Indian record 619 times in Test cricket. The chief guest at New York City’s India Day Parade is Anil Kumble and the parade route is swarming with people waving Indian flags to celebrate India’s independence and pay tribute to their hero.”It’s been fantastic,” Kumble says of his visit to the city where he showed off the ICC World Twenty20 trophy to more than 100,000 people lining the sidewalks of the parade route. “It really goes to show the prominence of the Indian community in the United States and also the appreciation and affection that cricketers have in this country, more so because of the Indian population and the support the Indian community has in all businesses. In economy and knowledge, I think India has contributed a lot to the United States.”Two days earlier, Kumble was in Times Square to ring the closing bell at NASDAQ, the second time in recent months that cricket was making headlines in the US financial sector. In June, MS Dhoni landed at number 31 in Forbes Magazine’s annual list of the highest paid athletes in the world with $26.5 million, the first time a cricketer has appeared in the top 50. Kumble says that in order for cricketers to continue to rise and sit alongside some of the names whose global popularity and sponsorships consistently place them in the top 10 like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Kobe Bryant and David Beckham, cricket needs to break into the US market in a big way.”I think the easiest and the quickest way is if the United States takes up cricket,” Kumble said. “That’s the quickest way of seeing cricketers in the top 10. If cricket really flourishes in the United States, you don’t have a better country to market a sport than is done here. I just recently went to a baseball game, the Yankees, and every second step you had to pay something or you would get attracted to something. I don’t mind picking up that stuff. That’s the way it’s being marketed and I guess this is the right place for cricket. I’m sure it will happen.”The first match happened between the United States and Canada so cricket started here. But then I guess the other sports have taken over in terms of prominence, television, sponsorship, marketing and everything else. It’s only left to the expats. From whatever I gather from talking to various people, cricket is very fragmented in the United States. It needs to come under one umbrella and have a proper structure like other sports. T20 is probably the right format to start with. Once it comes under that umbrella and people start playing the sport in a competitive way across the nation then I think there will be a lot of interest. The only way you can develop any sport is if the local population picks up that sport and that’s the challenge.”Kumble, who was elected president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association in 2010, says he entered Yankee Stadium to take in the experience more from an administrative mindset, taking notes on how things are done in New York with the goal in mind to help improve the stadium and fan experience at cricket grounds in India.”Just from what I saw at the Yankees game, the entire spectator experience is what we need to take back in terms of the comfort level and the hospitality. The marketing part like I just mentioned, every step you take there is something new they’d like to sell the fans. There’s a lot of merchandise and memorabilia for the fans which probably is something I’m sure will pick up in India as well in the cricketing scene because that’s not there at the moment. It’s not there in India in such a way where any store you walk in you can pick up whatever you want of your favorite player.”I think you have some great stadiums in India as well. The new stadiums, especially the one in Pune is a beautiful stadium, the recently built Wankhede Stadium in Bombay, in Chennai they have remodeled the old stadium. All these new stadiums are really good. The challenge for us, yes we are now putting in permanent cushioned seats for the important prized tickets and there’s hospitality in Bangalore. So that’s something which we’ll certainly do and you’ll see a completely permanent seated facility in Bangalore very soon so the spectator will have a seat at any given point in time, a reserved seat. Here what was very prominent was that there was no obstruction. There were no pillars. It’s an open stadium so you get the feel that you’re actually very close to the action.”Kumble: “Cricket is very fragmented in the United States. It needs to come under one umbrella and have a proper structure like other sports.”•Peter Della PennaHowever, Kumble says the overall energy and excitment at cricket grounds in India, especially during Twenty20 matches, is second to none.”Of course a cricket game is immense. If you come to an IPL game or a T20 or an international match in India, it’s extremely noisy in India and I didn’t see that noise level up other than maybe a couple of home runs and then suddenly everybody goes up. Otherwise in India for every four in a Twenty20, you get about five home runs in an over and if Chris Gayle is batting six home runs. There was no comparison in terms of the noise level inside the stadium but I certainly loved the stadium atmosphere at Yankee Stadium.”The ICC World Twenty20 is less than a month away and although this will be just the fourth edition since its inception in 2007, it has quickly turned into one of the premier events on the cricket calendar. Kumble doesn’t think that fans should be worried about Twenty20 swallowing up Tests and ODIs, but believes that changes need to be made to keep all three formats healthy for the future.”I strongly feel all three formats will be unique. Yes there will be certain modifications and a little bit of tweaking in all three formats because after a while even Twenty20 will get boring. I don’t think it will throw Test cricket off the pedestal but Test cricket certainly needs to adapt and I feel going forward that day-night Test cricket is certainly on the cards and I’m sure it will happen in the next six to eight months, if not earlier. I’m sure it will happen.”I can’t really predict in 10 years what’s going to happen because 10 years ago nobody thought that Twenty20 cricket would take over the world. Nobody predicted that there would be a threat from Twenty20 cricket to the other forms of cricket. I don’t see it as a threat because the 50-over format is quite challenging as well. There is a chance for a bowler to make a mark and there is an opportunity for a batsman to build an innings as well in a 50-over format. In a Twenty20 it’s not there but in Tests it’s much longer. I think all three formats will survive.”

Darren Sammy isn’t satisfied with West Indies’ recent success. He wants his side to hunger for more

Interview by Mohammad Isam14-Dec-2012″I knew somewhere around the corner, with all the criticism, the lord will shine on me and the team someday”•Getty/ICCThe last time you spoke to ESPNcricinfo was just after you had drawn a Test against Indiain Dominica . A lot has happened since then.
I was at a New Year’s party with my friends and family. They kept telling me to make 2012 my year. It’s funny because my birthday is on the 20th of the 12th month, so this year it will be 20/12 on 2012. This year I will [really] celebrate my birthday!It has been a good year for us as a team. The highlight of it was winning the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. We have taken baby steps along the way in Tests and ODIs, things like competing against higher-ranked opposition like Australia in Tests. I always thank and pray to the lord. We had a rough time but now we are seeing a little bit of success, so it is always good.You started the World Twenty20 as one of the favourites but made a slow start. What did you think when the Ireland match was rained off?
We believed that once we played to our full potential, we could win the tournament. The game against Ireland ensured we went through to the Super Eights and we reflected on the previous winner, England, who went through the first round without winning a game.The moment I really believed that we were going to win the World Cup was in the game against New Zealand. After we went through that game, I felt nothing would stop us from winning. I remember during that chase there was little difference between balls and runs. I was on the boundary where I closed my eyes and said a prayer to god. “This is not the way I had envisioned [it], there’s no way we are going home.” Slowly the game unfolded and we all know what happened.The coach has instilled discipline and professionalism, and the guys are making a conscious effort to work hard and play for the Caribbean people. It has paid off.Coming into the final, what did you feel when the scoring rate was slow at the start?
I think we were 42 in ten overs [32 for 2]. [Dwayne] Bravo and [Marlon] Samuels got ten runs in the following over [12th over] – the highest till that point. Our backs were against the wall but I was still smiling. The coach asked me why. I said I just have a strong feeling that we will win the game. The coach said if we score as much as we did against Sri Lanka in the first round, we would win the game. It so happened that we won convincingly.As I was talking to the coach, Samuels just took control of the show. I guess the XI that went out there on the field knew what everybody was capable of doing. It was a complete team effort.Was it also a vindication of your captaincy?
No, no, no. One of the mottos I live by is that everything in life happens for a reason. I knew somewhere around the corner, with all the criticism, the lord will shine on me and the team someday. He waited for the grand finale to shine upon us. We now have a new, revived belief. When we step out, we believe that we can not only compete but win against higher-ranked opposition.

“Captaincy has made me even more responsible, more aware of my surroundings. It has made me become a better man, exercising patience, become strong mentally”

What was your most cherished memory of the final
We know how to celebrate and party. Lifting the cup and seeing all my team-mates and the coaching staff smiling was the most important point in all the celebration.Having said that, the reception Jonathan Charles and I received when we returned to St Lucia was just amazing. Thousands of people came out to meet us at the airport, and as we drove into the city, every community came out to the street to cheer for us. It was something we needed in the Caribbean. For years and years, we have been craving for silverware. Cricket is the one thing that unifies the people, and the manner in which we won, with our backs against the wall, it was very important.I know the players will fall back on these memories whenever we are in a lull. These experiences will definitely make the team stronger. Daren Ganga said it is a matter of time that Trinidad & Tobago plays as a separate nation.
That’s his view. I tend to differ from that. People were probably disappointed in the way in which we were playing, but they still watch. Once we do well, you see them having fun, drinking in the rum shops. If you ask anybody now, cricket is the main sport of the Caribbean.You have now seen both bad and good times as a captain. How much has captaincy changed you?
It has made me even more responsible, more aware of my surroundings. It has made me become a better man, exercising patience, become strong mentally. The pressure that comes with being a captain – you still need to have a level head to go out there day in and day out to work and lead your team-mates; you have to be a strong person.It has made me a stronger individual, a stronger husband and a more family-oriented guy. It has made me cherish life even more. Things are slowly turning around but I know that nothing lasts forever. I still have to put in an honest day’s work and be consistent in what I do. The most important thing is that I know who I am. I understand myself. I accept myself for what and who I am. When I go out there, I could only be me.How has Chris Gayle’s return been for you?
I have never had any issues with Chris and he doesn’t have any issues with me. We all know what happened throughout the time he was out. It wasn’t my doing, [it was] a board decision. It has been dealt with and we are just happy to have him back and the team is doing well.Chris has always been a character in the dressing room. We all love to watch him bat and the youngsters have enjoyed batting with him.I am sure we have passed that stage in our cricket and we are building a stronger, united West Indies cricket team.And have you been enjoying Marlon Samuels’ second coming?
I am really happy for him. After being out of cricket for two years, he has carried the batting with [Shivnarine] Chanderpaul and the rest of the youngsters. He seems very hungry to go out and perform.There are more helping hands for you with the seniors coming back, the coach, and a manager in Richie Richardson, also a former West Indies captain. Has the captaincy burden become lighter?
I wouldn’t call it a burden. It’s good to have experience around you, have people who give you good advice and help you along, because they have been through certain situations. I have made it my duty to involve senior players in decision-making on the field. I am one who is never too big to take advice from any player.We still have a long way to go. The T20 win doesn’t mean West Indies is back on top. We have to beat Australia, England and South Africa. Once we start doing that consistently, the team will be heading in the right direction.How do you remain true to yourself with all that is going on around you?

I give a lot of credit for who I am to the way my parents raised me. I was raised in a very happy home, where I saw my father treat my mother very well. My mother is a fighter. Maybe she didn’t know where the next meal would come from, but she believed that god will find a way. She raised me in a god-fearing home.”We now have a new, revived belief. When we step out, we believe that we can not only compete but win against higher-ranked opposition”•AFPI have made so many mistakes in life but the good thing is that I am aware of what’s right and wrong. I question myself when I do the wrong thing. I got a few simple rules in life.One of them is what I spoke about post-match of the T20 World Cup final – I believe that no matter who you are and what situation you are in, if god knew you couldn’t handle it, he wouldn’t put you through it. When there’s all the talk in the media about me, I say this to myself. And no matter what you’re going through, there’s still somebody who’s going through more than you.I guess I am in a happy stage in my life. I will be 29 years old and I have done what I wanted as a little boy – to play for West Indies. Now I am something that I never thought would be – the captain. I must cherish that.I have a lovely wife who is carrying my child right now. I have two beautiful boys. My parents support me, I have great friendships. I got no reason to be angry at the world. I am just a happy lad and I’m just being me. I don’t let anybody steal my joy.Many captains in world cricket are going through a tough time. Do you have any advice for them?
() I would love to get advice from guys like Michael Clarke. He has batted so well throughout the year. Also Alastair Cook, the way he is batting. Once we ride the tough times and we believe what we are trying to do is the right thing, god will show us the way. Do it with a smile on your face. The more you do that, the younger you look, that’s what I know. People love the way I smile. But I smile only because I’m a happy guy.

Sri Lanka need to cultivate the strengths of these five cricketers who’ve made a mark in the opportunities handed to them so far

Andrew Fidel Fernando31-Jan-2013
Dinesh Chandimal should be awarded a regular Test place•Getty ImagesDinesh Chandimal

Perhaps the most impressive cricketer of the lot, and the batsman with the most robust defensive technique – particularly against fast bowling. He had trouble making it into the team in the latter half of 2012, but seemed to have used that time away wisely, fine-tuning scoring strokes that no longer need to be thrashed at as much as they once were.His biggest shortcoming, however, is that he has been wildly inconsistent at home and in Asian conditions, which is strange for a Sri Lankan batsman with a fine domestic record. His stats outline this malaise. He has not yet played enough Tests to provide a satisfactory sample, but in 50 ODIs, he averages 49.80 in Australia, 54.66 in England and 52.75 in South Africa – figures comprising an extraordinary away record – but at home, his average dives to an abysmal 16.84. Even in the recent series against Australia, he has been noticeably less comfortable against good quality spin bowling, and it is against the slow bowlers that he has most room to grow.He should now be rewarded with a regular Test place now, which is the format to which his cricket seems most suited. He can more than justify a specialist batsman’s spot.Akila Dananjaya
He bowled only one over in Australia, and although it went for plenty, his class still shone through, even in six deliveries. The rain robbed him of a second spell, but in the past he has come back strongly when batsmen have targeted him, and his five variations were at once dependable and menacing during Sri Lanka’s World Twenty20 campaign.Sri Lanka have tended to use him conservatively, and only when conditions are stacked in his favour. Perhaps that is a strategy that should be persevered with. It is difficult to imagine another international cricketer with as little professional experience as him, and as tenacious as he seems he is not ready for the training wheels to come off just yet. He will begin his first season of first-class cricket in the month to come, where he cannot just rely on his bag of tricks for success, and with any luck, he will always be encouraged to earn wickets using flight, dip and turn as well as variation.If Muttiah Muralitharan is appointed spin-bowling coach, Dananjaya will have a coterie of spinners around him who can each educate him on various aspects of his craft and spur him to improve. Perhaps no one in the game disguised variations and used them as wisely across all formats as Murali, while Rangana Herath’s career is built upon spin’s subtler arts and a sharp wit. Ajantha Mendis is the cautionary tale, and Tharindu Kaushal, a 19-year-old offspinner who has been piling up wickets in his first season of professional cricket, will in time provide healthy competition for a place in the Test team.Lahiru Thirimanne
One of only two centurions on the tour for Sri Lanka, and a batsman seemingly possessed of a steely temperament and a knack for holding the team innings together. He is adored by Sri Lanka’s batting pundits, and it’s rumoured that it was Aravinda de Silva who talked him into pursuing a career as a cricketer while he was still in school. He has since won over several other high-profile supporters as well.Thirimanne was once an opener before being moved into the middle order, but it seems he is now being groomed for the No. 3 spot that Kumar Sangakkara will eventually vacate. So far, it seems a good fit. Thirimanne starts slowly in limited-overs matches, but that is forgivable if he continues to make substantial contributions from the top order. He does need to develop the ability to rotate the strike with more ease and accelerate his scoring when the situation calls for it, but that should not come at the expense of the fine defensive mettle and judgment he showed in his 91 in the Sydney Test. He seems out of place in Twenty20s, and perhaps he should be asked to focus just on the longer formats – which will not only open up a place for a more aggressive player, but will also help foster the good habits he has already acquired.Dimuth Karunaratne
A Test opener in the aggressive mould, Karunaratne has the ability to pound an attack until their efforts wane, and the batting becomes easier for both himself and whoever is at the other end. Particularly powerful through the leg side, but not bereft of aggressive off-side strokes, his two half-centuries have been entertaining, but the string of low scores between them have smacked of wastefulness. Often, he starts quickly and with assurance, only to be dismissed when all seems set for him to push on. He perished thrice in Australia to the full, seaming delivery outside off stump, and as a left hander that is not a weakness he can afford to leave uncorrected for long.He has seemingly been afforded a long trot in Tests, and perhaps that is where his focus should remain for now. Tillakaratne Dilshan has hinted he may not play the longest format for long, and Sri Lanka have a much keener need for a good opener in Tests than in limited-overs matches, and Karunaratne’s defense could do with better precision.Kushal Perera
The most pleasant surprise of the tour, and the most exciting batting prospect in the shorter formats. Perera seems to have lifted his technique from the Sanath Jayasuriya manual on bullish batting, and like the old man, he has an impressive second skill too. Unlike Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews and Chandimal, Perera has not been shy of starting his innings quickly, and has been both bold and busy at the crease in his few short innings. At the Gabba, he saw Sri Lanka through to their target despite the clatter of wickets around him, and in both Twenty20s, his rollicking starts were instrumental to Sri Lanka’s success. He has not yet played an innings of great substance, but you feel that if more opportunities come his way, it may not be long before he tunes up his judgement and settles in for a long career.In the two matches in which he kept wickets, he seemed a more gifted gloveman than Chandimal, and if Perera’s batting flourishes, perhaps the selectors will be tempted to ask Chandimal to focus on his batting in the long term. A similar strategy has already worked well for Sri Lanka, when Sangakkara’s batting bloomed after he was relieved of the gloves in Tests by Prasanna Jayawardene

Plays of the day from the game between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai

Sidharth Monga07-May-2013The over
This might be Twenty20, but if you are going to have Sachin Tendulkar’s streaks it is going to be fours and not sixes. He did it to Ryan McLaren in this game, hitting him for five successive fours in the fourth over. First he went over mid-off, then pulled him through midwicket, then picked a slower ball and lofted it over mid-on, and then placed a full toss perfectly between cover and cover-point. Then came the touch of luck, when he looked to cut a ball that wasn’t too wide and edged it over slip.The timeout
When the teams took the first break of the evening, one of the flood-light towers at the Wankhede Stadium did too. For about 17 minutes we watched in the dark despite the Tendulkar fireworks that preceded it. Possibly one of the Mumbai cops thought the party had gone on too long, and began to flick switches off.The catch
It has become so ridiculously common that nobody even exclaims at it anymore. When Rohit Sharma pulled McLaren towards the midwicket boundary in the 18th over, Eoin Morgan set himself under the ball, at the edge of the field, caught it, saw he was going to go over with the momentum, coolly lobbed the ball up in the air, stepped out, came back, took it. The umpires didn’t even need to look at the replay.The ducks
Gold is for the helmets nowadays. When it comes to ducks, diamond is all the rage. Jacques Kallis bagged his first ever serious one during this IPL season. Ambati Rayudu is not content with one that he bagged against Royal Challengers Bangalore, and hoarded his second when he went for a non-existent second and was sent back. That was not enough for the night, though. Harbhajan Singh came in, ran off a bottom edge from Dinesh Karthik, but didn’t quite put the wheels on and was caught short by a direct hit from short fine leg.

For Sri Lanka, the blazing opening stand between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kushal Janith Perera in Hambantota was a welcome throwback to the days of Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Hambantota24-Mar-2013There was an age in Sri Lanka when everyone from captain to commoners summoned the notion of a “Sri Lankan brand of cricket”. Its definition would change from series to series and from one leader to the next. For some, it was a batting strategy founded on unfettered strokeplay. For others, the singularity of a varied and vibrant attack capable of contriving dismissals at unlikely times, in unusual quantities. On occasion, it was the ability to rally in the field, and launch a fierce offence on the back of a single, sprawling save.Like most things in the country’s cricket, though, the “Sri Lankan brand” has its roots in the 1996 World Cup. It was there that Sri Lanka’s modern sporting identity was born, and it is the benchmark every ODI side from Sri Lanka strives to achieve. Back then, the “Sri Lankan brand” meant two things: a breakneck start and fearlessness.Against Bangladesh in Hambantota, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kushal Janith Perera tore open a portal to that past. The first ball, short and wide, scorched a trail through cover point. Next over, the batsmen hit four fours, and upon mistiming one that was hauled in just short of the rope, Dilshan kicked himself for failing to make it five. In 4.1 overs Sri Lanka clocked fifty with ten boundaries having been struck. The openers had been made to sit around for 85 minutes while engineers scrambled to get the floodlights back on, but when the batsmen finally took guard, they batted as if they expected the power to give out again any second.That, between Dilshan and Perera, Sri Lanka possess all the attributes of the opening pair that revolutionised the format will not have been lost on Sri Lanka fans. There is a wicketkeeper-batsman, a leftie-rightie combination, a slow-bowling marauder and two ex-middle order men booted up the order. The components might be spread somewhat differently, but they’re all still there.What’s more, Perera can hardly have adopted Jayasuriya’s homespun technique more completely – the short-arm jab, the brutal bottom-hand, the punishing square blows. Only, Perera is a little more lightening than thunder. Swift bat-speed substitutes for bulging forearms, and fleet of foot for extraordinary hand-eye coordination. Jayasuriya bullied plenty to the fence through sheer power, but he can rarely have used the forward press as well as Perera did in the sixth over, when he rocked back to send Abdul Razzak screaming through the off side.

Dilshan opens up on-side play

Bangladesh’s 259 seemed a challenging total on a pitch showing signs of slowness, and Sri Lanka’s task became slightly stiffer when 238 became their target after nine overs were lost due to a power failure at the ground. Captain Angelo Mathews, however, said there were no concerns in the dressing room about whether the target was achievable.
“I didn’t think 238 was too big a total, because once you start thinking that way, it has a negative effect on the way you bat. There was no talk in the dressing room like that, and we wouldn’t speak in that way. We’re always looking to get a good start, and to get everything right when we chase.”
Tillakaratne Dilshan, who made his 15th ODI hundred in the match, said his innings benefited from technical adjustments he had recently made.
“I’ve hit through the off side well for the last few years, but some of the balls that came straight I was trying to hit to the off side as well, when I should have been playing them to the on side. I’ve been out a lot of times trying to hit those balls to the off side. I worked a lot with Marvan Atapattu to correct that and that, I think, is the biggest reason I was able to play the straight balls well today.”

“It was a good opportunity to give a young player a go, and out of the openers I’ve batted with, I feel like Kushal will be valuable for the team in the years to come,” Dilshan said after the match. “He hit the ball without making anything complicated, and that made it easy for me as well. That kind of start is terrific. When a new player bats like that, I feel that he will play for Sri Lanka for a long time.”By the end of the mandatory Powerplay, curtailed though it was, Sri Lanka had effectively made the result a formality. Their opponents’ effort had not been encouraging to begin with, but it sagged a little more with each new act of violence, and when it suited Sri Lanka to wind down the assault at 83 for 0 after eight overs, they had bloodied the visitors to a mental state from which a recovery seemed unthinkable. Seventeen years ago, Sri Lanka knew the value of an early blitz better than anyone, and with two hyper-aggressive men in the vanguard again, they may find themselves retreading the paths cleared by the 1996 pioneers.”The way these two guys batted, the Bangladesh bowling looked ordinary,” captain Angelo Mathews said. “They actually demolished the bowling attack, which happens. Any attack can fall apart when these guys bat like that – especially Dilshan. The opening stand was vital for us. After that start I thought, ‘We can’t lose from here.'”They put the team in control. We are in a transition period and it’s always better to find a good youngster like Kushal who is fearless and who wants to attack all the time.”Though Perera’s refusal to compromise on belligerence at the top level has brought his demise on several occasions already, mammoth first-class scores suggest he is possessed of astute judgement and a firm defence too. In his last three domestic matches, Perera has hit 203, 97, and a 336 from 275 deliveries. His time behind the stumps in Australia revealed him to be a sharp keeper as well, and given Chandimal’s importance to the side as a batsman, Perera’s second talent may be called upon in the years to come.Sri Lanka will face far sterner limited-overs challenges than Bangladesh at home but a stunning start in Hambantota, which harked back to years gone by, may light the path ahead as well.

It’s a tough life in the arid region of Matabeleland where Heath Streak runs his ranch, but it can also be idyllic and happy

Liam Brickhill06-Aug-2013″Heath’s not here,” explains Nadine Streak when we arrive at the Streak residence in the Turk Mine area 60km north of Bulawayo. “They caught a poacher this morning, so he’s had to go down to sort that out.” Poaching, we are told, has been a problem for a while on the ranch.From up here, though, the surrounding wilderness looks pristine and peaceful. Set atop a small hill strewn with stone , the Streak residence offers a clear view over several miles of scrubby savannah. Nadine, Heath’s wife, offers hot tea to take the chill off the morning and fresh homemade biscuits as we wait in an open-air thatched beneath the Streak house, that host tourists and other guests.The most recent visitors were the Indian cricket team, who spent a day at the ranch in between their matches in Bulawayo. “I told [Jayadev] Unadkat: ‘Before you’ve finished your career, this boy right here is going to bowl you out,'” says Streak with a grin, pointing at his son Harry. The boy is a certainly a chip off the old block, steaming in off his long run as he plays backyard cricket with Nel, Price’s sons and a friend from school. Suresh Raina made a gift of an India shirt and a pair of sunglasses on his visit, and Harry has barely removed either for the last three days, sleeping in the shirt. Cricket, it appears, is in the blood.It’s an idyllic, happy scene – a vision of what has been and what is to come – but one that we must leave if we are to complete the 450km journey back to Harare before nightfall. As we drive back out along the bumpy dirt road towards the main highway, we catch a glimpse of a duiker watching us intensely from beneath the shade of a thorny acacia. A small, deer-like animal, it is a bundle of nervous energy, all twitching wet nose, wide worried eyes and oscillating ears. In arid Matabeleland, life, both human and animal, finds a way to survive.

Stats highlights from India’s fifth consecutive Test-win, at the Eden Gardens

Shiva Jayaraman08-Nov-2013

• Mohammed Shami’s bowling in this match was a rare high in the annals of fast-bowling performances for India at home. His bowling figures for the match are the fourth-best by an India fast-bowler at home and the best since Javagal Srinath took 13 for 132 against Pakistan at the Eden Gardens in 1999. Before that, a better bowling performance than Shami’s by an India fast bowler came way back in 1983 when Kapil Dev took 10 for 135 against West Indies in Ahmedabad in 1983.
• Shami’s bowling figures for the match are the best by an India fast-bowler on debut and the second-best by an India bowler on debut.
• Shami’s five-wicket haul was only the third by an India fast-bowler on debut in Tests. Including him, only eight India bowlers have taken a five-for (or more) on debut in Tests.
• This is the first time that India have won five Tests in a row. This sequence started for them with the Test in Chennai against Australia earlier this year. Before this, India have had two sequences of four consecutive wins – against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in 2009-10 and against England and Zimbabwe in 1993.
• Rohit Sharma’s 177 in India’s first innings beat Doug Walters’ 155 against England in Brisbane in 1965, which was the previous highest by a No. 6 batsman on debut. Rohit fell ten runs short of Shikhar Dhawan’s 187 against Australia in Mohali, which is the highest score by an India batsman on debut.
• Rohit is only the fifth India player to win the Man-of-the-Match award on Test debut and the second India player this year after Shikhar Dhawan. Click here for a list of players who have won Man-of-the-Match award on debut in Tests.
• Shane Shillingford’s bowling figures of 6 for 167 in India’s first innings are the second-best at the Eden Gardens in Tests by a visiting spinner. Richie Benaud’s 6 for 52 in 1956 are the best by a visiting spinner at the Eden Gardens. Shillingford’s figures are also the best by a West Indies spinner at this venue and only the second instance of a West Indies spinner taking a five-wicket haul (or more) at the venue.
• This was Ashwin’s second hundred in Tests. Ashwin now averages 41.11 in Tests and has scored 690 runs at an average of 40.58 batting at No. 8. MS Dhoni and Mahmudullah are the only other batsmen to have scored 500 or more runs at an average of 40 or more in Tests at No. 8.
• Ashwin continued his good all-round form against West Indies in this Test. He has now hit a hundred and taken five wickets for the match against them in consecutive Tests. He had hit a hundred and taken nine wickets the last time India played against West Indies in Mumbai in 2011. Only four other India players have hit a hundred and taken five or more wickets for the match. Ashwin’s the only one to do it twice.
• The 280-run partnership between Rohit and R Ashwin is India’s highest in Tests for the seventh wicket, beating the unbeaten 259-run partnership between VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni against South Africa at the same venue in 2010. This was also the second-highest partnership for India against West Indies for any wicket in Tests. The Eden Gardens has clearly been a productive venue for India against West Indies as far as partnerships are concerned. India’s highest partnership against them, an unbeaten 344 between Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar, also came here in 1978. Also, four of the top six partnerships for India, against West Indies, have come at the Eden Gardens.
• There was hardly any resistance with the bat from West Indies’ lower middle-order and tail in this match – the 154 runs that West Indies added for their final seven wickets wickets in the match are their lowest ever against India in Tests.
• This was Dhoni’s eighth win in Tests by a margin of an innings as captain. He has equalled Mohammad Azharuddin’s record for most wins by an innings in Tests by an India captain. Sourav Ganguly is next in that list with seven wins. With this match, Dhoni has captained India in 48 Tests and is now second in the list of players to have captained India in most Tests. Only Sourav Ganguly (49) has captained India in more Tests than Dhoni.