All posts by n8rngtd.top

Bangladesh’s collapse on the first day highlighted an ingrained problem in their Test batting, where they have failed to get to 100 without the loss of four wickets in 91 instances out of 161 Test innings

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur27-Jan-2014Bangladesh have a top-order collapse roughly once every two innings. When Mominul Haque was dismissed, Bangladesh were 59 for 4 in the 18th over, and it became the 91st time out of 161 Test innings that Bangladesh’s first four wickets fell before the score had reached hundred.The easy assumption after the latest collapse would be to call it complacency, particularly after having a decent 2013 batting-wise and an even better previous Test series against New Zealand three months ago. The worst batting performance last year was in the first Test in Zimbabwe last April, when everyone surrendered to seam and the threat of a shorter length.The same theme followed in this first innings as Shaminda Eranga and Suranga Lakmal bowled a shorter length and produced bounce from the Mirpur wicket with more wrist-action on the ball. All of the batsmen tried to play shots, but weren’t manufacturing them, to their credit.But the day’s scorecard is dismissive enough of their batting approach. Monday’s collapse was the result of bad habits, proper planning from the opposition and impetuous strokeplay, though the current top-order contains batsmen with more ability than it did in the past. Tamim Iqbal’s hook shot didn’t connect well, Marshall Ayub missed a ball that moved in just a bit, Shamsur Rahman played away from the body – his natural reaction to anything pitched up – and Mominul pulled the ball when he shouldn’t have.Bangladesh weren’t too troubled by the bounce till they started pulling and hooking. Tamim is a naturally aggressive batsman, and could have taken the tougher route of hanging back and waiting for the bad ball. But as an opener who likes to go after the bowling, he thought the best way to answer Sri Lanka’s stifling length would be attack the short ball. The result was a catch at long leg, but he would have tried it on most occasions.Marshall is in need of runs at No. 3, Bangladesh’s newest entry into that crucial spot. He is a natural middle-order batsman, but due to his technique and domestic runs, he was selected to plug this gap. He has the second innings left in this Test to prove his credentials, and that innings will be pivotal for his future.Shamsur started off with edges, timed the ball for a while before he edged once more. For a debutant opener, he deserves more time to showcase his attacking approach at the crease.These four wickets were followed by the routine recovery act. Shakib Al Hasan and captain Mushfiqur Rahim added 86 for the fifth wicket stand but when you start from 59, ending on 145 doesn’t offer much help. The pair’s approach should be followed however as they only went after short and wide ones, and batted within themselves during the partnership. This was the sort of discipline that Mushfiqur would have expected from the top four. Shakib started off quickly before reining in his strokes for the rest of the afternoon, until missing a sweep shot off Rangana Herath.Mushfiqur got a borderline call when the ball appeared to take an inside edge, but replays proved inconclusive. His exit confirmed that Bangladesh would not have a lower-order resurrection, and when they were bowled out for 232, the blame laid squarely on the misfiring top-order.Luckily, none of the Bangladesh top-order batsmen give excuses. Tamim is in a quest to achieve greater heights as a batsman while his new partner Shamsur has made 267 earlier this month, and is a heavily experienced domestic batsman. So is Marshall, while Mominul’s recent record gives some assurance that he has the knack for a big score.Most importantly, they have to make sure a second collapse is not repeated, and ensure that the short ball is handled a lot better the next time around.

Also, twin hundreds in South Africa, T20’s leading run scorer and wicket-taker, and more on innings hoggers

Steven Lynch18-Mar-2014Rohit Sharma hit 30 sixes in one-day internationals in 2013 (most of them in his innings of 209). Is that a record for a calendar year? What’s the record for Tests? asked Vikas Vadgama from India

Rohit Sharma’s 30 sixes in one-day internationals in 2013 – 16 of them in his 209 against Australia in Bangalore in November – put him in joint 11th place on that particular list (along with, among others, George Bailey who also hit 30 sixes in 2013). On top of the pile is Shahid Afridi, who struck no fewer than 48 sixes in 2002 – out of a total of only 743 runs, meaning that 39.5% of his runs that year came in hits over the boundary. Shane Watson hit 42 sixes in 2011 (15 of them in one innings against Bangladesh in Mirpur), and Sachin Tendulkar 40 in 1998, the year he scored a record 1894 runs in all. Shahid Afridi pops up again with 37 sixes in 2005, then come Sourav Ganguly (35 in 2000), Matthew Hayden (35 in 2007), MS Dhoni (34 in 2005), Yuvraj Singh (33 in 2007, and 31 in 2008), and Ricardo Powell (31 in 1999). The most in a calendar year in Tests is 22 sixes, by Adam Gilchrist in 2005 and Virender Sehwag in 2008. Andrew Flintoff struck 21 in 2004.AB de Villiers made at least a fifty in 12 consecutive Tests before he was dismissed for 14 and 43 at Cape Town. Is that a record? asked Adarsh Chopra from Belgium

It was indeed: AB de Villiers’ run of 12 Tests with at least one score of 50 or more broke the old record of 11, set by Viv Richards in 1976, and later equalled by Gautam Gambhir (2008-09) and Virender Sehwag (2009-10). It’s a slight surprise not to find Don Bradman’s name on this sort of list, but his best run was seven Tests in a row with at least a half-century. However, between 1936-37 and 1946-47 he did have a run of scoring at least a fifty in each of 13 Tests in which he batted, but that sequence includes the Oval Test of 1938, in which he broke his foot in the field and couldn’t bat at all. For the full list, click here.Was David Warner the first visiting player to score two hundreds in a Test in South Africa? asked Mauro Freitas from the United Arab Emirates

David Warner, who made 135 and 145 in the recent third Test in Cape Town, was actually the sixth visiting batsman – but the fourth Australian – to score two hundreds in the same Test in South Africa. The first two to do it were Englishmen: Jack Russell made 140 and 111 in Durban in 1922-23 (in what, oddly, turned out to be his final Test) and Eddie Paynter 117 and 100 in Johannesburg in 1938-39. Then the Aussies took over: Jack Moroney scored 118 and 101 not out in Jo’burg in 1949-50, Ricky Ponting 103 and 116 in Durban in 2005-06, and Phillip Hughes 115 and 160 in Durban in 2008-09. Rather strangely, only one South African has managed this feat at home: Jacques Kallis hit 161 and 109 not out against India in Cape Town in 2010-11.Who is the leading scorer in T20 internationals? asked James Burgess from New Zealand

Going in to the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh, there’s a clear leader in this list. New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum is just 41 short of becoming the first man to reach 2000 runs in T20s, and he is over 600 clear of the chasing pack, which is led by a trio of Sri Lankans – Mahela Jayawardene (1335 runs), Tillakaratne Dilshan (1320) and Kumar Sangakkara (1311). Next comes Australia’s David Warner, with 1260. For the full list, click here.How many bowlers have taken 100 wickets in T20 internationals? asked Colin Reed from England

At the time of writing no one has – but that may change quite soon. Saeed Ajmal currently leads the way with 81, but he is not far in front of two of his Pakistan team-mates – Umar Gul with 74 and Shahid Afridi on 73. Going in to the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh there are four other bowlers with 50 or more wickets: Ajantha Mendis (62), Stuart Broad (61), Lasith Malinga (60) and Graeme Swann (51). For the full list, click here.Regarding last week’s question about the highest percentage of runs by one batsman in an ODI innings, what about Shane Watson? He scored around 80% of the total in one match against Bangladesh… asked Brad Michaelson from Sydney

The list on the ESPNcricinfo records page regarding this feat includes (as the footnote says) only innings that are all-out or in which the full allocation of overs is used up. This means that the case of Shane Watson – who hammered 185 not out in a total of 232 for 1 against Bangladesh in Mirpur in April 2011 – is not included on there, as Australia used up only 26 of the 50 available overs. I admit this is a bit harsh on Watson, although he still isn’t top if you include all innings which ended when the victory target was reached: Brendon McCullum smashed 80 not out in New Zealand’s 95 for 0 as they zoomed past Bangladesh’s modest 93 in only six overs in Queenstown on New Year’s Eve, 2007. That’s 84.21% of the total, compared to Watson’s 79.74%. If you take all innings into account, there’s even a case of 100%: during the 1992 World Cup, in Mackay, India made 1 for 0 off two balls before rain ended their match against Sri Lanka – and Kris Srikkanth scored the run. I was sorry to see that Mackay was not on the list of venues for the 2015 World Cup, so Harrup Park won’t be adding to its grand total of two international deliveries just yet.

Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders have met three times this season, but the IPL is yet to witness a genuinely explosive meeting between its two best sides. That might well change in Sunday’s final

S Rajesh31-May-2014The overall numbersThe final of IPL 2014 will be played between the best batting team and the best bowling team of the tournament. Kings XI Punjab have scored 2788 runs, including 117 sixes and 245 fours – all of these are the highest among all teams this year. Their run rate of 9.03 per over is also by far the best – the second-highest is Chennai Super Kings’ 8.53. In terms of win-loss ratio also, Kings XI have been the top team in the competition, with 12 wins and four defeats.Their opponents, Kolkata Knight Riders, haven’t been as impressive with the bat: they’ve struck only 65 sixes and 208 fours, and their batting run rate is 8.10, the third-highest among all teams in this tournament. However, they are on an eight-match winning streak, and their bowling has been the major reason why they are in the final (though the top-order batting has picked up significantly as well). Knight Riders have taken 91 wickets – third among all teams in the tournament, after Kings XI (106) and Super Kings (98), though both have played an extra match. However, Knight Riders have an economy rate of 7.57, easily the best – the next-best have been Mumbai Indians with 8.02. Since the tournament moved to India, most bowling sides have struggled but Knight Riders have still kept their economy rate down to 7.73, while the next-best is Mumbai’s 8.26.While Knight Riders have struck only 65 sixes in the entire tournament, they have also been frugal in terms of conceding sixes – only 67 of them have been hit against their bowlers, again the least in the tournament; Kings XI have conceded 96.Subtracting the run rate from the economy rate for both teams, Kings XI are marginally ahead, 0.72 to 0.53. They are again the top two teams on that yardstick, ahead of Super Kings’ 0.19. Also, Knight Riders’ win-loss ratio is next only to that of Kings XI, so in every way it’s only fair that these two teams have made it to the final round.

The middle-over kingsIn terms of batting numbers, Kings XI have been particularly strong in the middle overs: between 6.1 and 15, their run rate has been 8.77; the next-highest are Knight Riders at 7.97. In the middle overs, Glenn Maxwell has scored 426 runs at a strike rate of 189; next on the list is Robin Uthappa with 298 at a strike rate of 131. (In the Indian leg, though, Uthappa leads with 239 runs, followed by Mawell’s 216.)In the opening overs, too, Kings XI have scored considerably quicker than Knight Riders, but the return to form for Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa has lifted Knight Riders in the Indian leg: the team has averaged 52.44 at a rate of 7.86 since returning to India, compared to Kings XI’s 43.14 and 9.15. During this period, Uthappa has scored 558 runs from ten innings at an average of 62 and a strike rate of 144, while Maxwell has 252 from ten innings at an average of 25.20 and a strike rate of 175.However, while Kings XI have been strong at the start with the bat, they have also conceded plenty with the ball in the first six: their economy rate of 8.70 in the Powerplays is the worst among all teams; Knight Riders have an economy rate of 7.12, the best among all sides. In the last five, too, Knight Riders have by far the best economy rate – 8.39, while the next-best are Sunrisers Hyderabad at 9.14. Kings XI, meanwhile, have conceded 10.02. Knight Riders’ success is largely because of Sunil Narine, who has bowled 156 balls during the last five, and taken 14 for 156. Gambhir has kept about two of his overs for the end, and that tactic has worked superbly throughout the tournament – no other bowler has bowled as many balls during the slog overs. (Click here for the tournament batting and bowling stats for Knight Riders, and here for Kings XI.)

KKR’s spin advantageKnight Riders have the obvious advantage in terms of bowling firepower, especially in the spin department. Their spinners have taken 43 wickets at an economy rate of 6.58, compared to Kings XI’s 29 wickets at an economy rate of 7.41. Twenty of the 43 wickets belong to Narine, at an economy rate of 6.01.Kings XI’s quick bowlers have taken 69 wickets, 15 more than the seamers from any other team, but they’ve also leaked 8.58 runs per over. In the Indian leg, they’ve been even more expensive, going at 9.32 to the over.

The Narine factorAnd finally, a look at how Kings XI’s current batsmen have fared against Narine. Sehwag has gone after Narine, and done it fairly successfully, while George Bailey has been more circumspect, scoring at a run a ball. Maxwell has done well against him too, scoring 42 from 33 without being dismissed (16 from 13 in this tournament). How these batsmen – and David Miller – go against Narine in a big game could well decide the result of the final on Sunday.

While Zimbabwe coach Stephen Mangongo’s uncompromising approach that will keep people on their toes is something to be lauded, the question remains, does Brendan Taylor’s recent run of form justify him being left out of the eleven?

Firdose Moonda22-Aug-2014To speak of Zimbabwe cricket and certainty in the same breath is to speak of white Christmases in Africa: they just do not happen. The former sways between changes to the structures, payment delays and a fixture list that can make the shifting sands of the Arabian desert seem stable when compared with cricket in the country, but one man changed that. Brendan Taylor.Since making his debut in April 2004, Taylor has been involved in almost every ODI – the format Zimbabwe play most often – his country has taken part in. Almost, because in 2008, he missed out on 17 ODIs after making himself unavailable because of a dispute with the board and a year before that he was dropped for the last match of a series in Bangladesh and the return home series after notching up scores of 1, 1 and 4 in the three games prior to his axing.Apart from those games where Taylor was left out, poor form had never accounted for his place in the XI until Thursday. With Zimbabwe 2-nil down in a three-match series and batting their broken element, their most experienced top-order player, Taylor, was left out. He was not injured, he was not being rested, he was dropped.The disbelief resonated from the commentary box to social media platforms were questions over whether a return of 20 runs from the two matches that preceded the final fixture was reason enough to bench the man who put on 93 in a Test a week earlier and scored a half-century and a 43 against Afghanistan in the last month’s contest. Zimbabwe’s coach Stephen Mangongo believed it was.”It’s a professional sport, there is always pressure. It is not Boozer’s XI,” Mangongo said. “It is a privilege to be selected, it is not a right. Whether you get one game or 20, there is always pressure and if you are professional and you get paid to do the job you must go and do the job.”The truth is that almost no one among Zimbabwe’s specialist batsmen were doing their job. Although their margins to South Africa defeat got smaller as the series went on, their methods of getting to those results grew worse because of their batting. Mangongo acknowledged that the efforts were lopsided with the tail wagging the dog quite literally.”The lower order batted with a lot of courage, a lot of determination, a lot of pride and dignity. They put runs on the board more than the top order,” he said. “Obviously we’ve got our work cut out for us in terms of the top order. It has been a perennial struggle and we’ve still got that problem on our hands. We’ve got to confront the demons and deal with them and get it right at some stage if we want to compete, let alone beat international sides.”In attempting to piece the puzzle together Zimbabwe trialled different combinations, all unsuccessfully. The Vusi Sibanda-Richmond Mutumbami pair yielded 16 runs before Hamilton Masakadza, who came in at No. 3 steadied things. When Masakadza was promoted into Sibanda’s spot for the second game, he put on 21 runs with Mutumbami but Sikandar Raza who was installed at No. 3 did not score at all. On their second go, Masakadza and Mutumbami were out in the first two overs and while Raza showed promise, it was up to Elton Chigumbura, promoted into Taylor’s spot, to give the innings a backbone.Exactly what Zimbabwe gleaned from all that is probably only that Masakadza should not be opening. Although he has scored most of his runs at the top, he has admitted to being more comfortable at first-drop. Sibanda’s talent has bought time often in the past but whether it will continue to do so with both Raza and Mutumbami around is doubtful, unless Mutumbami moves down. There may be a case for Chigumbura being given more time at the crease but there is doesn’t seem to be any for leaving Taylor out, something which seems to be happening increasingly.Taylor was stripped of the ODI captaincy after the Afghanistan series as part of a plan to unburden him. He was also taken off wicketkeeping duty, which Mangongo explained before the South Africa series. “I’m looking at a specialist role. I don’t believe in part-timers,” he said. “Wicketkeeping is a key role and I need the best man for the job, not a part-timer and that is the route we are going to do. BT is going to specialise in his batting, not keeping. That’s his role. We will look at a specialist keeper to do the job.”Mangongo promised to be equally harsh on other players who did not pull their weight. “Nobody is safe. We are coming from bruising encounters with Afghanistan where we have slid to our lowest levels – losing to an Associate member. It just tells you that there is something wrong here and we need to fix it,” he said. “This is part of the roadmap to fixing it and making sure we are competitive against the top teams and we thrash the Associates. Nobody is safe because we haven’t done well.”Sibanda experienced that recently and now, so has Taylor. Although his dropping is proving more difficult for Zimbabwean fans to stomach. Taylor’s decade with the national team has included acts that have made him a hero to people of varying backgrounds.Taylor refused to join the white-player walkout because he felt he was too young to involve himself politically and wanted to play for Zimbabwe. Although he had a dispute with the board in the years when chaos reigned, his was shortlived. On Test return, he led from the front. When more players walked away, he remained and that is not for lack of opportunity to follow them.As recently as the eve of the South Africa Test there were whispers that Taylor was contemplating a Kolpak offer. He denied that and confirmed he had resigned with ZC for the next year. Following his axing, he posted on Twitter: “I can’t wait to represent my country again. I will be back,” he posted on Thursday.”Mangongo’s uncompromising approach that will keep people on their toes is something to be lauded in an environment where mediocrity has been accepted too often. That said, Taylor has seldom been the protagonist of those middling times and so he has probably earned some time to remain flat-footed. The tri-series will tell.

The cricket world reacts to MS Dhoni’s retirement from Test cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-20143:48

Favourite Dhoni Test memory

well done on a wonderful career in test cricket @msdhoni. Always enjoyed playing together. Next target 2015 WC my friend!!

— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) December 30, 2014

“A great competitor, and someone who I think Indian cricket owes a lot to.”

Valiant while you led. Valiant in your departure. #Respect @msdhoni pic.twitter.com/w6xdnebG3s

— Suresh Raina (@ImRaina) December 30, 2014

A huge congrats to @msdhoni on a fantastic Test career. Not only a tremendous player but one of the nicest guys I have played against.

— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) December 30, 2014

@msdhoni retirement from test cricket is a surprise but he knows what's best for him and the country. Fantastic player

— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay) December 31, 2014

Love the way @msdhoni plays the game … But it's now the right time for @imVkohli to take the Indian Test team in a new direction…..

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) December 30, 2014

Congratulations on a wonderful test career, You have made INDIA proud, thanks for the memories @msdhoni pic.twitter.com/8cID1zlQF3

— cheteshwar pujara (@cheteshwar1) December 31, 2014

congrats @msdhoni on a fantastic test career.an outstanding leader,a match winner&a inspiration.it was a pleasure playing with you;) @BCCI

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) December 30, 2014

Chennai 2 G, Great career MSD @msdhoni retired as captain. Way 2 go! Well done buddy on a fantastic test inning! Good luck! @BCCI #AUSvIND

— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) December 30, 2014

Congratulations @msdhoni on your test career! We all know ur captaincy skills but 200 at chennai was one of ur best May God bless u

— yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) December 30, 2014

Congratulations @msdhoni on your test career.stay happy.God bless

— Harbhajan Singh (@harbhajan_singh) December 30, 2014

My best wishes go with u..may u have days full of laughter and happiness.we will miss u in test cricket captain cool pic.twitter.com/sjWzS0wwIQ

— Umesh Yaadav (@y_umesh) December 30, 2014

Just seen #MSD has retired from Tests. What a leader! Captain Cool! Never looked flustered! Only did good things for Team India!

— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) December 30, 2014

Congrats Dhoni bhai on your wonderful journey of test cricket.. You will be surely missed

— Vinay Kumar R (@Vinay_Kumar_R) December 30, 2014

@msdhoni Test Cricket will miss your unique persona, your calm presence blended with your playful spirit and exceptional skill #WellDone

— Matthew Hayden AM (@HaydosTweets) December 30, 2014

When a players time is up,it’s up. Those that slammed Swann for going mid series will pile into MSD? Well done on going on your terms MSD.

— Iain O'Brien (@iainobrien) December 30, 2014

Well played @msdhoni ! Ur contribution 2 Indian cricket both as captain n player was immense ,perfect stage set 4 new leader @ImViratkohli

— Mohammad Kaif (@KaifSays) December 30, 2014

New era for India starting in the New Year… Full of surprises MSD but the right decision. Well Done MSD !!

— Russel Arnold (@RusselArnold69) December 30, 2014

Congrats to @msdhoni on a wonderful test career. It was a pleasure to have played against U. #MrCool from India.pic.twitter.com/E3CQWyRCch

— Darren Sammy (@darrensammy88) December 31, 2014

Once a leader always a leader #Dhoni.One of the great success stories of Indian cricket am sure will be missed.#Performer #matchwinner @BCCI

— Anjum Chopra (@Anjum__Chopra) December 30, 2014

Feeling Sad about the Retirement of Dhoni from Test Cricket.He deserved a big farewelle too Neway world cricket will Miss You #DhoniRetires

— Dimuth Karunarathne (@IamDimuth) December 31, 2014

MS Dhoni showed India what a tough man from a small town could dream and achieve. He has been a role model. Respect. #DhoniRetires

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) December 30, 2014

Afghanistan’s bowlers showed potential with a few good overs but the absence of consistency helped Australia bully their attack in Perth

Abhishek Purohit in Perth04-Mar-20152:18

‘We ran into a freight train’ – Moles

From high in the uppermost tiers of the Prindiville Stand, it feels like you are suspended over the WACA outfield. You are not close to the action, but you feel like you are hovering above the players, a bit detached, able to watch the game in its entirety and all its dimensions. Afghanistan do not seem to be bowling particularly badly. Then you glance at the old manual scoreboard. David Warner is on 77. You strain your eyes and check again. Yes, 77. The game is barely 17 overs old.True, Warner has had the bulk of the strike but Afghanistan definitely have not bowled that badly. Dawlat Zadran’s second over has been too good, in fact. He has set Aaron Finch up beautifully with a few away swingers followed by one that moves in. The last ball of the over moves away once more, and this time, Finch is suckered into a drive. It is a sharp catch, too, at first slip.Dawlat bowls a good third over, too. He is trying to draw Steven Smith into pushing at outswingers, but the batsman lets a couple go, and gets off strike with a single. Dawlat beats Warner off the next two deliveries.

Clarke throws weight behind inclusive cricket

Michael Clarke has said that he wants to see as many countries as possible participate in events such as the World Cup so that the game can spread far and wide.
“How the next World Cup is run is completely up to the ICC and I’m sure they’ll make the right decisions for that. My personal view is I love seeing as many people, as many countries playing in major tournaments as possible,” Clarke said. “I think it’s great for the sport. I think this is a wonderful opportunity today for us to play against Afghanistan, for both teams.
Clarke’s comments came after MS Dhoni had advocated that cricket should look beyond commercial factors to grow the game globally.
“I’m all about trying to grow the game as much as we possibly can,” Clarke said. “I think that’s a big part of our role as professional athletes: to try and grow the sport so once you leave the game you can sit back and look at how much the game has improved while you’ve been involved in it. As many boys and girls as possible playing cricket in any country in the world is what I would love to see, so the more opportunity these countries get in major tournaments… it can only be a positive for the game of cricket.”

Those two overs are sparks that will be forgotten, perhaps already have been. The big boys of Australia have all the big numbers – Warner 178, Smith 95, Glenn Maxwell 88. Fifty boundaries in fifty overs for a total of 417 – the highest in a World Cup.Sparks. That is what Afghanistan were all about in this game. You don’t compete against Australia with mere sparks of potential or brilliance, slipping into the average in between.Average. Shapoor Zadran’s first ball of the match was average. No doubt he and his fellow fast bowlers would have been looking forward to bowl on the WACA pitch. Shapoor ran in from his long run-up and dug it short. It was a neither-here-nor-there kind of short ball – the kind you bowl when you want to bowl a short ball, but are not too sure about it. Warner dismissed it for four with the ease of a batsman who has pulled such deliveries since he was a kid.Two balls into his next over, there was an appeal for a catch down the leg side, but replays showed it came off the pad. Shapoor came up with another weak short ball next. The absolute comfort with which Warner smashed it over midwicket was scary.You can be as tall as possible and have as long a run-up as possible. You can wear your headbands and war paint. You can be genuinely quick too – and the Afghan bowlers were, as Warner himself acknowledged later. But Warner’s strokes were saying that you cannot get away with being average against me. Or against Smith. Or Maxwell.Short was not the plan against Warner, as coach Andy Moles said later. The plan was to be too short. But Shapoor saw bounce and pace in the WACA pitch, and got carried away. He was not the first visiting fast bowler to have done so. He was not the first visiting fast bowler to have been taken apart by Warner.Sometime after enormous damage had already been done, Afghanistan remembered their plan: They had to keep it up to Warner. But it was too late. The only thing that would have stopped Warner was a yorker each ball, and even some of them would have gone over the rope. And although Afghanistan got a lot of them in, they also missed plenty. Warner and co helped themselves to a few more sixes.Shapoor followed Warner with a superb yorker in the batting Powerplay. Inside-edge for four. The attempted yorker became a full toss next ball. Walloped over square leg for six.After a 260 run partnership in 207 balls, came a man who is such a freak that he takes balls from outside leg stump and reverse sweeps them over point for boundaries. When he can easily hit the same ball for six over midwicket. He does that, too.Shapoor fired in a yorker to Maxwell. But the batsman was in such control that even before he had dug the ball out to vacant midwicket, he was already prepared to run. Legs wide apart and still primed to take off. Easy two by the time the fielder ran in from the deep.In between these two forces of nature was Smith, who was driving sixes off the quicks on the up.As Moles said, Afghanistan were outbullied by Australia. Their three fast bowlers may have terrorised lesser line-ups at a lower level, but this was the No. 1 ODI team in the world. You may have pace and the ability to bowl yorkers but it had to be combined with a lot more consistency, which Afghanistan were not able to summon. They had plenty of spark, though.

Plus, players who signed off with World Cup finals, Sydney’s ODI record, and Bradman’s highest average

Steven Lynch31-Mar-2015How many people have finished their international career in the World Cup final, as seems to be the case for Daniel Vettori? asked Keith McAlpine from New Zealand

Before 2015, there had been eight players whose last international match of any kind came in a World Cup final. Four of them finished on a high with a winners’ medal: Rohan Kanhai (1975), Imran Khan (1992), Paul Reiffel (1999) and Glenn McGrath (2007). The other four finished on the losing side: Faoud Bacchus (1983), Javagal Srinath (2003), Russel Arnold (2007) and Muttiah Muralitharan (2011). For three others a World Cup final was their last one-day international, but they subsequently played more Test matches: Ross Edwards (1975), Thilan Samaraweera (2011) and Sreesanth (2011). Of those, only Sreesanth finished with a win.Michael Clarke didn’t quite manage it, but has anyone scored a century in their final one-day international? asked Dean Bainbridge from Australia

Eight players have signed off from one-day internationals with a century, starting with England’s Dennis Amiss, who made 108 against Australia at The Oval in 1977. The following year another Englishman, Clive Radley, scored 117 not out against New Zealand at Old Trafford. In 1993-94 the great West Indian opener Desmond Haynes marked what turned out to be his final ODI with 115 against England in Port-of-Spain; like Amiss, he’d made a hundred in his first one-day international as well. In Netherlands’ last match of the 2003 World Cup, against Namibia in Bloemfontein – their country’s last for a while – Feiko Kloppenburg made 121 and Klaas van Noortwijk an unbeaten 134. Sticking with the Dutch, Ryan ten Doeschate signed off from ODIs with 106 against Ireland in Kolkata in the 2011 World Cup; in between, New Zealand’s James Marshall had clattered 161 against Ireland in Aberdeen in 2008. There are three current players who made a century in their most recent innings, two of them during this World Cup: Zimbabwe’s Brendan Taylor signed off with 138 against India in Auckland, while Ireland’s captain William Porterfield hit 107 against Pakistan in Adelaide. Before that, Lea Siaka made 109 for Papua New Guinea against Hong Kong in Townsville last November. These last two will presumably play again.The best performances in a World Cup final are pretty well known. But who has the highest score in a semi-final? asked Jayantha de Silva from Sri Lanka

Steven Smith’s 105 against India in 2015 was the fifth individual century in a World Cup semi-final. The highest score in one is Mahela Jayawardene’s 115 not out for Sri Lanka against New Zealand in Kingston in 2007, which just shaded Graham Gooch’s 115 (out) for England v India in Mumbai in 1987. Saeed Anwar hit 113 not out for Pakistan against New Zealand at Old Trafford in 1999, while Sourav Ganguly made 111 not out for India v Kenya in Durban in 2003. The best bowling in a World Cup semi-final remains Gary Gilmour’s irresistible 6 for 14 for Australia against England at Headingley in 1975. Craig McDermott (1987), Shaun Pollock (1999) and Wahab Riaz (2011) have also taken five-fors in World Cup semi-finals.The World Cup quarter-final between South Africa and Sri Lanka was the 150th one-day international at the SCG. Has any ground staged more? asked Pascal Bounin from Australia

With Australia’s semi-final against India to add, the Sydney Cricket Ground has now staged 151 one-day internationals, more than any other venue apart from Sharjah, which has now hosted no fewer than 219. Melbourne lies third: the 2015 World Cup final was the 143rd ODI played there. There are two other grounds which have staged more than 100 ODIs: the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo has held 116 so far, and the Harare Sports Club 114. England lags well behind on this list: The Oval has staged 57 ODIs, and Lord’s 56.David Warner’s 178 against Afghanistan in Perth in 2015 was Australia’s highest score in World Cups•Getty ImagesI don’t think it got much coverage at the time, but was David Warner’s 178 against Afghanistan Australia’s highest score in the World Cup? asked Kerry Johnson from Australia

David Warner’s 178 against Afghanistan in Perth was indeed Australia’s highest individual score in the World Cup, beating Matthew Hayden’s 158 against West Indies in Antigua in 2007. Aaron Finch’s 135 against England in Melbourne comes in sixth on this list, behind Adam Gilchrist’s 149 against Sri Lanka in the 2007 final in Bridgetown, Andrew Symonds’ unbeaten 143 against Pakistan in Johannesburg in 2003, and Ricky Ponting’s 140 against India in the 2003 final in Jo’burg. The only higher scores for Australia in all ODIs are Shane Watson’s 185 not out against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2010-11, and Hayden’s 181 not out against New Zealand in Hamilton in 2006-07.What was the highest average Don Bradman ever had in his Test career? asked Dhanushka Edussuriya from Sri Lanka

The highest average Don Bradman ever achieved was 112.29, after his undefeated 299 against South Africa in Adelaide in 1931-32. He was out first ball in his next innings, against England during the Bodyline series in Melbourne, so the average went down a little. Before his final innings – that famous duck at The Oval in 1948 – The Don’s average was 101.39.

Mumbai Indians crushed Chennai Super Kings in Kolkata to win their second IPL title

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2015It was one-way traffic from there on as Rohit Sharma tore into Super Kings’ bowling•BCCILendl Simmons continued on his excellent run in the tournament to become the third player to cross 500 runs this season•BCCIDwayne Smith struck off his first ball of the tournament, but Mumbai Indians, on 120 for 2 in the 13th over, were waiting to explode•BCCISuper Kings never really challenged the total and lost way once Suresh Raina was stumped off Harbhajan Singh•BCCIMS Dhoni’s wicket confirmed what had seemed inevitable•BCCI

The results of our social media poll on Sri Lanka’s greatest Test cricketer saw Kumar Sangakkara voted as #SriLankasBest. Here are some of the best comments we received

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2015

All legends produced in a tiny war torn island, but there's no doubt in my mind that Murali was #SriLankasBest https://t.co/8tb42zQFQv

— K Sanjane (@ksanjane) August 12, 2015

As a cricket-fan born in the late 90s, the title #SriLankasBest is undoubtedly deserved by @KumarSanga2. A role model for todays generation!

— Soyam Khanal (@S0yam) August 12, 2015

Cricinfo article on #SriLankasBest describes Muralitharan as Sri Lanka's greatest match winner. There, you answered the question yourself.

— Mahesh De Silva (@CharterKubiya) August 12, 2015

#SriLankasBest Legendary Kumar Sangakkara. Elegant Left Hander, Technically Sound, Composed and a great thinker of the Game! Kudos to him.

— Sidharth Acharya (@sidharth667) August 12, 2015

Unsung hero… Aravinda DeSilva is hands down #SriLankasBest! @ESPNcricinfo

— Heisenberg (@pankito09) August 12, 2015

#SriLankasBest Muralitharan is by far the best player, even though the batsmen might be greats at batting, this guys is a wizard. #Hogwards

— Cod (@CodPahul) August 12, 2015

#SriLankasBest Aravinda De Silva. Leaving the stat aside, he was fearless against any attack. Played all strokes in the book.

— හේතුහාමි සරණපාල (@shethuhami) August 12, 2015

@MahelaJay is the #SriLankasBest Test player, he batted well with Sanga and caught well off Murali's bowling @ESPNcricinfo @andrewffernando

— Daniel Alexander (@daniel86cricket) August 12, 2015

@ESPNcricinfo #SriLankasBest has got to be Murali; I'm unable to list out all 800 reasons in a tweet.

— Nitin Sundar (@knittins) August 12, 2015

@ESPNcricinfo Aravinda De Silva. The way he batted against McGrath on Australian soil was a true reflection of his genius. #SriLankasBest

— Utsav Bavisker (@utsavbavisker) August 12, 2015

@ESPNcricinfo @OfficialSLC #SriLankasBest : Muralitharan is the best spinner that Srilanka has gifted to the international cricket.

— Alok Mehta (@mehalok) August 12, 2015

@ESPNcricinfo @OfficialSLC #SriLankasBest Chaminda Vaas. Never got the credit he deserved

— Mihir Ahiya (@mihir_ahiya) August 12, 2015

@ESPNcricinfo @OfficialSLC Muralitharan for me, the smiling assassin #SriLankasBest

— Amey (@ansurkaramey) August 12, 2015

Statistically @KumarSanga2 is the best test player since Bradman. So undoubtedly Sanga is the #SriLankasBest too. https://t.co/8IlMgSMitv

— Ricky Boy™ (@Im_Rishad) August 12, 2015

@ESPNcricinfo @OfficialSLC Kumar Sangakkara – a fine leader on the pitch and a gentleman who plays the gentleman's game. #SriLankasBest

— Chelston D'souza (@chelston_dsouza) August 12, 2015

Of the many Sri Lankan cricketers who have brought me great joy as fan, no one was a greater player than Murali #SriLankasBest

— Nadeeka De Saram (@NadeekaDS) August 12, 2015

Aravinda De Silva, he catapulted SriLanka from mediocre competitors to World Champions!!! #SrilankasBest @OfficialSLC

— Ahtsham Cheema (@ahtsham_cheema) August 12, 2015

#SriLankasBest Murali has to be SL's best Test cricketer, probably the best spinner to play the game

— Arvind Iyengar (@iyengar_arvind) August 12, 2015

@ESPNcricinfo #SriLankasBest Kumar Sangakkara without a doubt … The man is a living legend and he is the master of a cricket field!

— Neo 'Lanny' Felane (@NFelane10) August 12, 2015

Without a doubt Murali was the best test player from SL and Sanga the No. 2. #SriLankasBest

— Birendra Katugampola (@aka_Bira) August 12, 2015

#SriLankasBest That's easy. Murali. Then daylight. Then Vaas. Then daylight. Then the others. @ESPNcricinfo

— cricketingview (@cricketingview) August 12, 2015

First of all Aravinda was the path breaker for Sri Lankan cricket but in both statistics and longevity he is below all of the other four. Now Murali was definitely the leader of the attack in the early 2000s so it can’t be Vaas. While in terms of MJ and Sanga one struggles to decide but Sangakkara was also a wicketkeeper and his stats are much better than jaya. Finally it comes down to Sangakkara and Murali and here one simple fact seperates them, Murali is one of the greatest bowlers in history, while Sangakkara is unfortunately not in mine or most people’s top 10 batsmen list. Thus Murali was greater at what he did.
– Abhyudaya Tyagi

Chaminda Vaas is the unsung hero of Sri Lanka…One of the most underrated cricket players of all times. Him and Murali lead the fearsome bowling attack for so long…..This hero will always be in every true Sri Lankan’s heart.
– Mayoouran Gnanasampanthan

For me, Muralitharan is the best Sri Lankan cricketer. It was his prowess that led the Tigers’ resurgence in world cricket. He simply outmaneuvered and outwitted the opposition every single time.
– Ashutosh Jha

Aravinda de Silva, as he was the first of the great Sri Lankan batsmen. Sanga and Mahela had the benefit of de Silva’s shoulders to stand on. de Silva stood out at a time when Sri Lanka were still minnows in international cricket, he saw his team through a transition phase and into an era where they believed they could win consistently. That is an achievement that cannot be quantified like average, strike rate etc. But definitely not one that should be ignored.
– Abraham Abhishek

Aravinda is the Greatest for sure! By reading comments of most, I feel that most have not seen even A glimpse of Aravinda who by far the best ever produced by Sri Lanka. It’s a pity he played during mid 80s & 90 s when we did not have many games like nowadays. He was matched with likes of Lara & Tendulkar as among the greats & faced more quality bowlers than those of present era.
– Rondy

Kumar Sangakkara, as I am not more knowledgeable about cricket till 2009. Thereafter Sangakkara made huge contribution to Sri Lanka cricket team. I watched every SL match, because of Sangakkara. No one needs to talk about him, his figures stand for him. Salute Sanga. #SRILANKASBEST
– Aneeq Ahmadh

It was tough to select between Sangakkara and Muralitharan. But Sangakkara will win the battle because he has never been criticised for his batting whereas Muralitharan throughout his career had to face remarks like illegal bowling action and all.
– Man007nashik

TBH all of them are legends. I love the batting style of Aravinda De Silva, even I use to ape his batting style during my childhood days. Vaas lacked speed in his bowling but extremely clever bowler, Murali was no doubt a genius of a bowler. It’s difficult to pick any one, it’s like asking do you love chocolate more or ice cream? But I would rate Aravinda highest because he is the one who changed the face of Sri Lankan cricket..and he was gem of a batsman and true gentleman. Love from Indian Fan
– Datta Abhijit

Really a Tough call!!! I am following SL cricket for past 18 years and have been fortunate to watch all these greats reaching pinnacle of their career. Be it home series or playing overseas, all these SL stalwarts have been outstanding. But since its about voting “The Greatest”, my vote would go for Muttiah Murlitharan. He has been prolific all through his career and the best part is his performance outside subcontinent. Mr. Hair no-balled him 7 times in 1995 and it looked like the end of his journey. He fought, hard, and bounced back with a bang,served SL cricket for another 15 years, scalping five-fors a whopping 67 times and 10-for a record 22 times. Hats off to this great ambassador of the game who is unarguably the greatest match-winner for his country!!
– Mayank Agarwal

For those old in the tooth there is only one answer and that is Aravinda. You need to understand that Sri Lanka rarely even got 3 test series. Also, too even compare the bowlers that Aravinda had to face in comparison to Sanga and Mahela will give you an idea of what he had to contend with.
– Wijeya

Muttiah Muralitharan: A player’s greatness is defined by his ability to win matches. Muttiah had the ability to win matches single handedly. No other players has won so many matches for Sri Lanka. So in my opinion, there is no comparison.
– Malik Aftab Ahmed Awan

Not only is Muralitharan the best test cricketer Sri Lanka have ever produced, but he’s also the best Asian test cricketer of all time
– Sanoj Boteju

.

I’d arguably go for Aravinda, despite his stats being significantly lesser than Sanga or Mahela. Aravinda was the standout batsman in an era Sri Lanka were thriving to be a formidable force, as well as the higher class of bowlers in that period and his steely performances when the chips were down contributing to my choice.

Stats highlights from the third Test between Sri Lanka and India at the SSC where India completed a rare away series win

Shiva Jayaraman01-Sep-20154 Number of Tests Sri Lanka have now lost at home this year, this is the most they have lost at home in a calendar year. The last time they lost more than two home Tests in a calendar year was in 2003-04, when they lost three Tests.1993 Last and the only other time Sri Lanka lost two home series in a calendar year. Sri Lanka had lost two of their four Test series in that year, to India and South Africa. In 2015, they have played two and lost two including the one against Pakistan earlier this year.1988-89 Last and the only time before this India bowlers took all the 60 wickets of the opposition in any three-Test series. On that occasion, India spinners Arshad Ayub and Narendra Hirwani had combined to take 41 wickets in three Tests against New Zealand. Overall, this was only the 11th time that bowlers took all 60 wickets of the opposition wickets to fall in a three-Test series.1 Number of times India had won a Test series in Sri Lanka before this. That win had come in 1993 when they won the three-Test series 1-0. India’s last win in an away series came in 2011 when they beat West Indies 1-0. Between the two wins India had played seven away series and had lost six and drawn one, against Bangladesh.2004 Last time India won two away Tests in a series against oppositions excluding Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. On that occasion India had won the series 2-1 in Pakistan. Overall, this is only the fifth time that India have won two or more Tests in an away series that have not been played in Zimbabwe or Bangladesh.0 Number of times India had come back from 1-0 deficit in an away series to win it before this one. Overall, this was the third time India had come back from such a situation to win in any series. The last such instance had come in 2001, when India lost to Australia in Mumbai before winning their next two Tests at Kolkata and Chennai. The first ever such instance for India came way back in 1972 when India beat England 2-1 in a five-Test series. The last time a team came back from a 1-0 deficit in an away series to win it was in 2012 when England beat India 2-1 after losing the first Test in Ahmedabad.4 Number of Sri Lanka captains to get a fourth-innings hundred including Angelo Mathews in this Test. The last Sri Lanka captain to do this was Kumar Sangakkara – also at the SSC – who got an unbeaten 130 against Pakistan in 2009 to earn a draw. Mahela Jayawardene and Duleep Mendis are the other captains to do this.240 Balls faced Mathews in his innings of 110 – equal the fifth highest in the fourth innings of a Test at the SSC. The last time a batsman batted 200-plus deliveries in the fourth innings at the SSC was in 2006, when Kumar Sangakkara faced 303 deliveries to help Sri Lanka force a draw against Pakistan.3 India fast bowlers to take 200 or more Test wickets before Ishant Sharma who took his 200th wicket when he dismissed Angelo Mathews in Sri Lanka’s second innings. Kapil Dev (434 wickets), Javagal Srinath (236) and Zaheer Khan (311) are the India pacers. Overall, among 65 bowlers to take at least 200 wickets, Ishant is the fifth-slowest bowler in terms of innings bowled in to the milestone having taken 114 innings. Among India bowlers, Zaheer, who took his 200th Test wicket in his 116th innings, is the slowest.1 Number of times before R Ashwin an India spinner had taken 20 or more wickets in an away series from three or fewer matches. Anil Kumble had played three Tests in the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2003-04 and had taken 24 wickets at an average of 29.58. Ashwin’s 21 wickets in this series are the most by an India bowler in a Test series between India and Sri Lanka, beating Kumble’s 20 wickets in the 2005-06 home series.37 Number of wickets by India’s spinners – equal the most they have taken in an away Test series with three or fewer matches. Before this, they had taken 37 wickets in a three-match series England in 1971.1985 Last time before this as many as 27 wickets fell to fast bowlers in a Test at the SSC. On that occasion as well, the same two teams were involved. The only time when a Test at the SSC had more wickets taken by fast bowlers than this one was in 1983-84, when the hosts were playing against New Zealand. The 27 wickets taken by fast bowlers in this Test equal the fourth-highest in a Test in Asia since 2000.18.09 Ashwin’s bowling average – the best for an India spinner to take 20 or more wickets in an overseas series. Earapalli Prasanna, also an offspinner, had taken 24 wickets at 18.79 apiece in a four-Test series in New Zealand which was the previous best. Including Ashwin in this one, there are only 12 instances of an India spinner taking at least 20 wickets in an away series.2 Number of wicketkeeper-batsmen to make two fifty-plus scores on debut before Kusal Perera in this Test. The last one to do this was also from Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal got two fifties against South Africa on his debut in Durban in 2011. The first one to do achieve this was India’s Dilawar Hussain against England in Kolkata in 1934. Kusal is also only the second Sri Lanka batsman after Chandimal to get two fifties scores on debut.125 Runs by Kusal in this Test – the fifth highest in a match by a batsman batting at No. 7 on debut. Romesh Kaluwitharana had made 136 on debut against Australia, the highest for Sri Lanka. The highest such score by any batsman was also made against India: Moises Henriques got 149 runs on debut for Australia in Chennai in 2013.135 Runs added by Kusal and Mathews for the sixth wicket – the second-highest partnership in the fourth innings of a Test at the SSC and only the 11th century stand in the fourth innings at this ground.2 Century stands for Sri Lanka’s sixth wicket in the fourth innings of a Test before the one in this match. The last such stand also involved Mathews: in 2011 Mathews and Mahela Jayawardene had added 142 runs in Galle against Australia. The first and the highest such partnership was between Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga against Zimbabwe at the SSC in 1998 when they added 189 runs in an unbroken stand.