Stats highlights of Mark Boucher’s career of 100 Tests

Kanishkaa Balachandran11-Jan-2007

Mark Boucher will walk out for the 100th time in a Test when South Africa take on Pakistan at Centurion © Cricinfo Ltd

Mark Boucher shares an affinity with Pakistan. In October 1997, an injury to Dave Richardson gave him an emergency call-up to the tour of Pakistan. His debut at Sheikhupura was as unspectacular as the match itself, facing 11 balls before an Azhar Mahmood yorker sent his middle stump cartwheeling. With Richardson’s impending retirement, the search was on for a successor, and in the tour of Australia that followed, Richardson virtually warmed the seat for the promising wicketkeeper.The return series by Pakistan the following year made Boucher’s career, both as a batsman and a ‘keeper. Such was his impact on that series that he went on to play 75 consecutive Tests, a South African record. Against the same opposition nine years later, he has two milestones to look forward to, one of which is guaranteed. He will be the fourth South African to play 100 Tests, and is two catches away from breaking Ian Healy’s world record of 366 catches, the most by any wicketkeeper. In terms of total dismissals, including stumpings, he has 380, behind Healy (395) and Adam Gilchrist (381).He is also the third wicketkeeper to play 100 Tests – including the one-off Super Test against Australia in 2005 – after Healy and Alec Stewart. The table below lists Boucher’s progression, and his first ten games were indicative of his proficiency behind the stumps.

Road to 365

Catches	No. of Tests
1-50	10
51-100	13
101-150	15
151-200	14
201-250	11
251-300	16

Boucher’s first entry into the record books came as early as his second Test, sharing a world-record ninth-wicket stand of 195 with Pat Symcox at Johannesburg against Pakistan, rescuing the side from a precarious position at 166 for 8. He made the third Test of that series at Port Elizabeth his own, aiding South Africa’s revival with 52 and taking six catches in Pakistan’s first innings and nine for the match. He repeated the feat of six dismissals in an innings twice since then, against Sri Lanka in 1997-98 and against Zimbabwe at Centurion in 2004-05.

December 13, 1999, was a special day for Boucher as he held the record for the quickest to 100 dismissals in Tests, taking just 23 matches. He broke the previous record set by Australia’s Wally Grout, one which stood for 38 years. Gilchrist, who often competed with Boucher for the wicketkeeper’s spot in imaginary World XI and fantasy squads, overtook Boucher two years later.

Boucher’s aggregate of 3721 runs at an average of exactly 30 may not be earth shattering for a quality player, but statistics cannot measure the value of Boucher’s crucial knocks at No. 7, often bailing the team out of deep waters like an unsung hero. Among wicketkeepers, his 25 half-centuries places him behind England’s Alan Knott, who has 30 half-centuries to his credit. South Africa have won 10 matches in which Boucher has scored a half-century and his team has never lost a Test when he crossed 100.

South Africa’s fast men have Boucher to thank for pouching several edges, none more so than Shaun Pollock. The description of ‘c Boucher b Pollock’ has occured 79 times, while Makhaya Ntini has 57 wickets with Boucher’s assistance. Allan Donald finished his career with 53 victims with Boucher’s help.

Dileep Premachandran on the highlights of West Indies’ World Cup opening win

Short Cuts by Dileep Premachandran14-Mar-2007

Dwayne Bravo: a good day in the field © AFP
Fine leg? Try finer Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Smith may have had themdancing in the aisles, but Brian Lara was still a class apart. When ShoaibMalik pushed one down a little quicker, Lara made the deftest ofadjustments, paddling the ball so fine that the man stationed on the circlefor the stroke didn’t bother to give chase. The flat six offDanish Kaneria was stunning, but this was something way beyond the ambitof mere mortals.King of Comedy No, he doesn’t look like Robert De Niro, but Kaneria’sfielding is well worth a few laughs. The overthrow from mid-on that sailedway over Kamran Akmal’s head was hilarious, but just as funny was theattempted sliding stop while running across from third man. It appearedinfectious as well, with the usually reliable Mohammad Hafeez also doing adying-swan act over a ball that sped on to the fence.Doing an Andy Symonds may still be on the mend, but West Indies showedtoday that they possess some all-round quality of their own. Dwayne Smithfirst slugged 32 from just 15 balls, and then nipped out both MohammadYousuf and Inzamam-ul-Haq. The Man-of-the-Match adjudicators could havetaken a nap after that.What a beaut The ball that got Yousuf was a peach that held its line andbounced a little extra. The joyous celebrations in the stands were enoughto tell you that it was a game-turning moment.Fetch that There were some big hits towards the end of the West Indianinnings, but none as eye-catching as the straight wallop that Samuelsproduced off Rao Iftikhar. Rao had bowled three maidens by that stage,with Samuels struggling to work the ball off the square, but with oneelegant swish of the bat, the shackles were shrugged off.”Why did you have to throw a pie?” Presumably, that’s what Inzamam wassaying to Rao after the last ball of the innings. After summoning up asuperb spell of controlled seam bowling, Rao decided to test CoreyCollymore’s ability with a half-tracker. It was a rubbish delivery, andCollymore gave it the contemptuous treatment it deserved. Inzi’s outragedreaction said it all.Made in Jamaica Chris Gayle, of whom so much is expected, may havefailed, but there were other local heroes to cheer. Samuels continued therenaissance that started with a one-day hundred in Pakistan last winter,and there were probing new-ball spells from Daren Powell and JeromeTaylor. And with the stakes as high as this, it bothered no one that Smithand Bravo were from traditional rivals, Barbados and Trinidad.No cable, no wireless Cable & Wireless, who have spent millions on thisWorld Cup, clearly don’t have a good PR department. Just about everyjournalist covering the event has a grouse about the connectivity and therip-off rates. A day’s wireless connection at Sabina Park has been peggedat USD$30, about five times what the grounds in India were charging duringthe recent Champions Trophy. Most stadiums in the UK, Australia and Indiaoffer free access, and Cable & Wireless may need to rethink thisown-goal strategy.Wags’ day out No, we’re not talking about Victoria Beckham and friends,but about the West Indian fan who’s never short of opinion or wisecrack.The days of “Kill ‘im, maan” and “Knock his head off, Mikey” may be longgone, but there’s still no shortage of quips and innuendo. “Pakistan beout for 150 … Taylor and Powell blow dem away” said one of the press-boxvolunteers at the lunch break. Soon after, Jamaica’s finest came out andwalked his talk.Pump up the volume Indian fans may be more noisy, but no one doescelebration quite like the folk of the Caribbean. As the Pakistan wicketsfell, the noise levels built up slowly and by the time Bravo took asensational return catch to send back Umar Gul, the stands were rocking.As Lou Reed sang,

Dileep Premachandran comes up with the plays of the third day of the Lord’s Test between England and India

Dileep Premachandran21-Jul-2007

James Anderson got the wickets of India’s big three – Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar,and Sourav Ganguly © Getty Images

Thrice as nice: Having scalped Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar on
Friday, James Anderson completed a golden triangle of sorts with a
magnificent delivery to Sourav Ganguly. Pitched outside his off stump, it
swung late and crashed into off and middle. The five-for should breathe
life into a career that’s promised much and delivered very little so far.Temper temper: With India struggling to breakthrough in the second
innings, Sreesanth’s frustration boiled over and a wayward shy at the
stumps struck Andrew Strauss flush on the back of the thigh. As he ran in
for the next ball, Strauss backed away, and Sreesanth ran down the
pitch to mouth ‘Sorry’ before going back to his mark. And after the final
rain delay, he emerged from the pavilion practising his left-arm action.
Never a dull moment and all that.Catching practice: Having already steered one delivery in the
direction of the slip cordon, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s quest for perfection
resulted in the deftest of slaps into the hands of Ian Bell at third slip.
An appalling shot in a finely poised match, and Dhoni’s day didn’t improve
with some clumsy takes behind the stumps. When he did finally manage to
gather one down the leg side, he turned and bowed to the ground – showing
an ability to smile even as his world and a dozen ad campaigns crumbled
around him.That’s how it’s done, boys: When Chris Tremlett pitched one a
little too full, India’s nightwatchman leant forward and executed a
polished off-drive. Rudra Pratap Singh stuck around 40 balls for his 17.
Not bad for a man with a first-class average of 9.22, and an indictment of
some celebrated colleagues who could barely put bat to ball.Simply the best: As the hype was stripped bare
yet again, Michael Holding was asked how this Indian line-up compared to
the all-conquering West Indians of 1984, the team of Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Larry Gomes, Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd. He smiled diplomatically and said: “They haven’t really lived up to the reputation, have they?
Especially not away from home.” The numbers may be twisted to say all
sorts of things, but in reality, there’s no comparison. This Indian
line-up couldn’t even dream of scoring 342 for victory on the final
day of a Lord’s Test, and in 66.1 overs at that.Rest-room graffiti: Lord’s is too polite for there to be
spray-painted messages in the toilet, but next to the wash basins, there
are small placards with quotes on the game. The best one comes from Paul
Hogan, who played Crocodile Dundee in the cult movie. “Cricket needs a bit
of brightening up,” he says. “My solution is to let the players drink
before the game, and not after. It works in our picnic matches.”

Bangladesh scored 116 runs in boundaries to India’s 114, but they played out 38 more dot balls

S Rajesh12-May-2007Bangladesh finally fell short by 46 runs, but there was one aspect in which they trumped India: they scored 116 runs in fours and sixes – admittedly thanks to Mashrafe Mortaza’s blitz at the end – compared to India’s 114. That stat also means, though, that they fell behind in something more basic – and less glamorous – than dismissing deliveries over and beyond the ropes.The stats analysis after the World Cup had revealed that among all the teams that reached the Super Eights, Bangladesh played out the highest percentage of dot balls, and they repeated it today: of the 297 deliveries they faced, 190 produced no runs off the bat; that translates to nearly 32 overs, or 64% of total deliveries faced.

How India and Bangladesh scored their runs

Team Dot balls 1s/ 2s/ 3s 4s/ 6s Dot ball %

India 152 110/ 16/ 2 24/ 3 50.84 Bangladesh 190 77/ 11/ 2 14/ 10 63.97 The Indians themselves aren’t known to be the best runners between the wickets, but Bangladesh’s batsmen could start by taking inspiration from some of them: in the first game, Dinesh Karthik scored a 60-ball 58 with only 16 runs in boundaries, while Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s brisk 91 had 28 runs in fours. Today, Rahul Dravid’s 42 had just one four, and yet he scored his runs in 47 balls.In contrast, Bangladesh’s batsmen relied almost entirely on the boundaries to score quickly. Aftab Ahmed made 40 off 41, but with 26 runs in boundaries; Habibul Bashar wasn’t quite as successful with the big hits – and he admittedly batted after Bangladesh had lost lots of wickets which allowed India to attack more – and he struggled, getting to 43 from 88 deliveries, with 62 dot balls.Gambhir stands outFor India, the performer of the day was Gautam Gambhir. He has often frittered away starts in the past – in eight out of 21 innings he has fallen between 15 and 40 – but today he didn’t make that mistake, getting to his second ODI century. The feature of his innings was the manner in which he paced it – the first 25 runs came off 39 balls, the next 25 took 26, the third 25 came in just 18, while the last 26 took slightly longer – 30 balls – primarily because of the stifling heat. The knock also took his average against Bangladesh beyond 50 – he now averages 51 against them in four innings. The challenge will be to keep up this level consistently, and be among the runs against all kinds of bowling attacks. (Click here for Gambhir’s career summary.)More stats India’s 284 for 8 is their second-highest total in an ODI against Bangladesh. The highest is 348 for 5 at Dhaka in 2004-05. Enamul Haque, a former left-arm spinner and an umpire in this game in which Dinesh Mongia was smashed for 26 in an over, was himself at the receiving end in an ODI: Shahid Afridi smashed him for 28 in an over – including four sixes – at Dhaka in 2001-02. The 26 runs that Mashrafe Mortaza and Abdur Razzak scored off Mongia is the most runs scored in an over in an ODI between India and Bangladesh. (Click here for the list of most number of runs scored in an over.)

Yuvraj arrived in Australia as a proud prince. The swagger remains but the bat is no more the flashing blade that cut bowlers to pieces

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Feb-2008

A recurring theme this summer: Yuvraj Singh’s dejected look after his dismissals © Getty Images

Gary Kirsten thinks it’s about belief, Mahendra Singh Dhoni attributes it to pressure, Kapil Dev has called for more time, Michael Clarke feels a comeback is imminent, and some experts have said a break is the best option. A Bollywood actress’ name keeps cropping up. With every match, every new failure, the Yuvraj Singh conundrum is dissected further.Yuvraj’s slide has been one of the themes of the Australian summer, one where he has found new ways to get himself out. At the MCG last Sunday, with the game on a knife edge, he swung hard at a slow offcutter from Stuart Clark. The ball popped straight to Michael Hussey at short cover, who had been stationed in the position expressly for the purpose. A fielder had been brought in and Yuvraj played straight into his hands.It was déjà vu. Yuvraj arrived in Australia a proud prince, fresh off a scintillating century against Pakistan in the Bangalore Test. The swagger remains but the bat is no more the flashing blade that cut bowlers to pieces. Adding to the frustration is the fact that the bowlers have often been peripheral to Yuvraj’s downfall.Kirsten, a left-hand batsman who based his game more on graft rather than dazzling shots, talks of “high expectations and a fear of failure”. Few would be more qualified to talk about ploughing one’s way out of a rough patch, so diligently did Kirsten approach every single innings. “It usually requires a scratchy but determined innings to get the confidence and belief back,” he told Cricinfo. “And it also requires a bit of luck. I believe this comes from a really good attitude in training and in one’s preparation. Work as hard as one can in one’s physical and mental preparation and more times than not, things will turn.”There’s no doubt that Yuvraj himself has been dissecting his technique to bits, trying to figure out where the flaw lies. There has been talk of his vulnerability against the moving ball, his tentativeness against spin, his lack of footwork against both, and his faulty head position. Surely Yuvraj, on the cusp of his 200th ODI, has had enough time to find out what works best for him?The slump has seen Mahendra Singh Dhoni fielding a barrage of questions at the end of every match. At Canberra, where Yuvraj came in as late as the penultimate over, he scowled when asked about Yuvraj’s form. Dhoni is doing his bit to curb his own flamboyance, in keeping with the need to achieve his vision for a brave, adaptable team. He has knuckled down, brought out a more guarded front, and thrived on the responsibility. The ability to do likewise has often eluded Yuvraj.”Yuvraj is key and whether he is scoring or not doesn’t matter. At times when you are desperate to perform, the pressure mounts,” Dhoni said. “Personally, I feel Yuvi should come after the 20th over because the field opens up and that’s the main time when you build up your innings. The main emphasis for a team has always been on how you start the innings and how you finish in the final overs, but for me it is how you set up and how you perform in the middle overs – 20-39 overs is more important and that’s the key moment for your best batsman to be out there.”Last year he was our main middle-order batsman, who handled pressure and gave good stability to the side. He also contributes with the ball when we play an extra batsman, so he is an asset to the side.”Yuvraj, too, has cited his phenomenal run last year, where he came into his own as a one-day batsman and was unstoppable in the World Twenty20. After India’s World Cup debacle, he rattled up 1025 runs in 29 games up until the start of the CB Series. In 2007 he was the most successful Indian batsman in run-chases, ended with the best average, and was India’s second most prolific run-scorer after Sachin Tendulkar.

	Whispers that his frail knee has been playing on his mind are yet to be confirmed, but these are hard to ignore when he is seen at mid-on or languishing in the outfield instead of at his favourite position, point

Before the CB Series, Yuvraj spoke of his disastrous run in the Tests in Australia – he totalled 23 runs in five innings – and argued that it was only a minor blip that was being blown out of proportion. “It’s just two games, not like some ten-odd games.”Yet, ever since his debut in 2000, there has been a question mark over his consistency. Those who have played the game at his level point to his frequent inability to lean into a stroke completely – which various bowlers have exploited by placing an extra fielder at short cover or silly mid-off.The demons of self-doubt may have surfaced after his latest injury as well. It took a while for Yuvraj to rebound from the knee injury he sustained in 2006, and he was lucky to get away with a minor twinge this time around. Whispers that his frail knee has been playing on his mind are yet to be confirmed, but these are hard to ignore when he is seen at mid-on or languishing in the outfield instead of at his favourite position, point.It’s not so much the lack of runs that is worrying. Yuvraj has displayed little vitality in the field, and a distinct lack of leadership of the sort that one expects from the vice-captain. Harbhajan Singh, a long-time friend, reckons Yuvraj is one of the “top ten” batsmen at the moment. Yuvraj knows he has the resources to justify the claim. With other players one might have asked, “Will he, won’t he?” but this man, supposedly India’s next great batsman, has no option. He simply must.

Bowlers who’ve dismissed both opening batsmen in two innings of a Test, and nine centurions in a team

Steven Lynch29-Jan-2008The regular Tuesday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket

Bagging ’em in pairs: Paul Reiffel dismissed both openers in the same Test on three occasions © Getty Images
In the third Test at Perth, Irfan Pathan dismissed both Australia’s openers in both innings. How many times has this happened? asked Venkata Panabakam
Irfan Pathan’s performance in the recent Perth Test was actually the 63rd time that the same bowler has dismissed both openers in the same Test. The leaders in this field are England’s Graham Dilley and the Australian, Paul Reiffel, both of whom did it three times, but Pathan has done it once before himself – against Zimbabwe at Harare in 2005-06. What was more unusual about Pathan’s performance at Perth was that he only managed one other wicket: this is only the fourth time that a bowler’s five wickets in a Test included four openers. But two people have gone one better, dismissing just the openers and no one else in a Test: Reiffel against New Zealand at Hobart in 1997-98, and the Indian fast bowler Tinu Yohannan against England at Mohali in 2001-02. That was Yohannan’s Test debut, and he won only two more caps, capturing one more wicket – another opener, New Zealand’s Lou Vincent, at Hamilton in 2002-03.Was the Indian team in the Perth Test the first to contain nine Test century-makers? asked Vineet Malani from India
Actually that match at Perth was the sixth instance in all Tests of one team containing nine players who had all scored Test hundreds. India also did it in their recent series against Pakistan, at Bangalore, the match in which Irfan Pathan made his maiden Test century. Before that it was achieved by South Africa against New Zealand at Johannesburg in 2005-06, and – perhaps not surprisingly – by the World XI in the one-off Super Series Test against Australia at Sydney earlier in that 2005-06 season. What is rather surprising is the identity of the country that was the first to include nine Test century-makers in the same team: New Zealand did it against England at Lord’s in 1990, and repeated the feat against Australia at Brisbane in 2004-05.I was just wondering which team has taken the field with the highest total if you add up the highest scores of all 11 players? Just guessing, I would think it might be Sri Lanka in Australia recently with Atapattu, Jayasuriya, Sangakkara, Jayawardene and even Vaas with a century? asked Shaun Helsen from Australia
That’s a pretty good guess – the highest scores of the Sri Lankan team in the second Test against Australia at Hobart last November added up to 1859. That has been beaten three times by India – with 1862 in successive Tests against South Africa in 2006-07, and 1972 in the recent Perth Test against Australia. But the highest combined total is 2312, by the World XI in that Super Series Test against Australia at Sydney in 2005-06 – their team included three men (Brian Lara, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Virender Sehwag) who had made scores of more than 300 in Tests.There were eight half-centuries in one of last week’s one-day internationals between Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Is this a record? asked Akbar Masood from Lahore
The eight scores of 50 or more in that match at Karachi was indeed a new ODIrecord. The previous record of seven had happened three times – oddly, all in 2005-06: the matches between Pakistan and England at Lahore, South Africa and Australia at Johannesburg, and India and England at Indore. In reply to some other questions, Pakistan’s five half-centuries in that match at Karachi is also a new ODI record – there have been 27 instances of four in an innings, nine of them in 2007 alone.Are India and England the only two teams who beat Australia in a Test in which Adam Gilchrist played? asked Abdullah Farooki from Pakistan
Adam Gilchrist lost only 11 of the 96 Test matches he played – consecutively – since his debut in 1999-2000. Five of those defeats came against India, and four at England’s hands. The other two were to South Africa, at Durban in 2001-02, and in the famous match in Antigua in May 2003, when West Indies chased a world-record 418 to win.I see that Tatenda Taibu has taken a Test wicket – how many wicketkeepers have done this? Are these people the true allrounders? asked Nick Statham from The Netherlands
Tatenda Taibu’s Test wicket came against Sri Lanka at Harare in 2004. What was unusual about it was that he had started the innings as the keeper, but still took the first wicket of the innings. Mind you, Sri Lanka did have 281 for 0 at the time. Quite a few wicketkeepers have taken the odd Test wicket, usually when they came on to bowl at the end of a drawn game – I’m not sureif this necessarily makes them allrounders! Taibu is definitely one, though: he has quite often bowled in domestic matches and once took 8 for 43 with his offspinners. The best bowling performance by a man who started a Test as wicketkeeper is 4 for 19, by The Honourable Alfred Lyttelton of England against Australia at The Oval in 1884. England’s captain Lord Harris was getting desperate as the total passed 500: all 11 players eventually had a bowl (the first such instance in Test cricket). Lyttelton was the tenth one tried and, bowling underarm lobs while still wearing his pads, he took the last four wickets.And finally, to turn the tables, Steven Asks: what is this questioner, Nick Statham’s own footnote in cricket history?

India’s Under-19 World Cup winners may be barely old enough to drink but they’ve got big money chasing them. It’s important that they get help to stay grounded and make sure they don’t lose their way

Jamie Alter06-Mar-2008

Barely 19, Manish Pandey has been signed by Reebok, and the IPL George Binoy

“Nothing can be judged from Under-19 cricket,” Robin Singh, the former India cricketer, said after the 2004 Under-19 World Cup. “It is several notches below first-class standards. The most important phase in a cricketer’s development is between 19 and 24.”The sad part is, U-19 gets more hype than a Ranji final,” he added. His words ring truer than ever now as, a few days on from India’s victory in the 2008 edition of the tournament, in Kuala Lumpur, the nation toasts the young side’s success. There has been a parade through Bangalore, a grand ceremony at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and plenty of keen advertising agents ready to latch on to these young players’ success. The Indian board has announced a cash reward of Rs 15 lakh (US$37,500 approx) for each of the players, and brands like Reebok and United Breweries are eager to cash in on the young stars. Reebok already have Ravindra Jadeja, Manish Pandey, Iqbal Abdulla and Shreevats Goswami. Pandey, not yet 19, has also been signed on for US$105,000 by the UB-owned Indian Premier League Bangalore team. Other brands are reportedly interested as well.Too much too soon? Chandrakant Pandit, a former player with plenty of coaching experience, thinks the players need to keep themselves grounded. “The money will come later. What remains to be seen is what’s important for players,” he told Cricinfo. “Let us see how seriously they take the game. It depends purely on the individuals and how they handle their success.”Even Rahul Dravid, the only one from the U-19 class of 1991 to go on to play for India, has weighed in with a word of caution.The lost generation
Why the worry? Shouldn’t the side just be appreciated? Well, yes, but there are lessons to be learned as well – especially from India’s 2000 U-19 World Cup team. That side, led by Mohammad Kaif, included Yuvraj Singh, Ajay Ratra and Reetinder Sodhi. Pause for a moment to ponder these names who were also there: Manish Sharma, Ravneet Ricky, Venugopal Rao, Niraj Patel, Shalabh Srivastava, Anup Dave and Mrityunjay Tripathi.Sharma and Ricky were stars at the 2000 tournament but failed to register much success afterwards. Ricky once admitted he made the mistake of thinking he would definitely play for India. Sodhi played 18 ODIs but couldn’t make the cut in the long term. Rao (16 ODIs) and Patel ended up domestic giants but not much more. Ratra captained the U-19s to victory over England in a home series but became a victim of poor handling, and despite becoming the youngest wicketkeeper to score a Test hundred, struggled to find a Ranji team for a while. Srivastava was third on the wicket-takers’ list in the 2000 U-19 World Cup but wasn’t given his due. Disillusioned by the powers that be and unemployed, he switched to a Plate Group team last year, Railways, and subsequently joined the Indian Cricket League. Dave and Tripathi simple faded away. Only Yuvraj and Kaif made the step up.There will be transitional phases in the lives of the current lot, not to mention distractions. The ICL, which will conduct four additional tournaments in 2008, has attracted plenty of youngsters with lucrative contracts. The flip side? They have been barred from competing in any other form of domestic cricket. The BCCI has instructed junior cricketers to wait before signing with the Indian Premier League, but when huge sums of money are up for grabs for a two-month extravaganza, will these youngsters – at an age when decision-making isn’t the strongest suit – be able to resist? There are also plenty of agents monitoring talent who are eager to pitch the U-19 stars to IPL teams in order to influence their equity. These young players can earn sizeable packets from signing with brands, much like their role models, the senior cricketers.

	The difference between the Under-19 level and first-class cricket is huge. You can’t play the same way and expect to consistently excel. Bowlers around the country can sort you out in no time and within a few weeks all the players know your weaknesses. You need to constantly adapt your game, which most of these players are not used to at the lower levels Chandrakant Pandit

First-class first
Venkatesh Prasad, bowling coach of the India senior side, hopes the myth that the next step after U-19 success is the senior side is debunked. “When I was the coach, as soon as they played U-19 their next expectation was the Indian team, which I couldn’t understand. I don’t agree with that, unless a player is exceptionally good,” he says. “At that level it’s a learning curve. They need to be playing a minimum of two years of first-class competitions, and probably from there they could graduate to the next step, the Duleep Trophy. That’s the right approach.”Prasad believes four or five years of domestic cricket would do a U-19 player plenty of good if he is ever selected for India. “They would be more mature, they would understand what it requires to succeed at this level. They have to wait for the right time. That’s where it is very important the respective coaches in their states handle them and show them the right direction and don’t overload the players or burn them out.”Singh thinks it is the job of the state associations to nurture youngsters. “At 19 you don’t know much about what is right and wrong, and if they go astray the states should take care of them. What are the academies for? They need to make sure the players are making use of the various structures properly.”It is a view that Lalchand Rajput, who coached an U-19 team to successful tours of England and Pakistan in 2006, echoes. “The key is to get them mentally strong. It’s the responsibility of the coaches and the state association to monitor the same. If opportunities are not given at the right time then the player loses his appetite and gets frustrated.”It is in Ranji Trophy cricket that players really make the transition, say those who have been there.
“The difference between the Under-19 level and first-class cricket is huge. You can’t play the same way and expect to consistently excel,” says Pandit. “Bowlers around the country can sort you out in no time and within a few weeks all the players know your weaknesses. You need to constantly adapt your game, which most of these players are not used to at the lower levels.”Ratra agrees. “Ranji is where a player really learns and matures. You play tougher teams and older players and that matters tremendously. At 19 your body may seem ready, but mentally you still have a ways to go. These players need to play with seniors – and plenty in this side already are – to hone their skills.””Most of the youngsters are happy to perform at the U-19 level, but unless it’s an outstanding talent, those performances don’t matter much at the higher level,” adds Rajput. “I look for people who perform above their potential.Feet on the ground

The need for sound management seems to be the running theme. In the day of satellite television, brand endorsements and Twenty20 cricket, these youngsters need a firm hand guiding them and keeping them grounded.

Ajay Ratra started promisingly but has faded away since © Cricinfo Ltd

With the win comes an overdose of adulation and big bucks, and there are more distractions today than ever before, Roger Binny, who coached the 2000 winners, points out. Binny says market forces now virtually dictate the game and believes India needs to follow the Australian prototype. “In Australia the development of junior cricketers is based completely within the state programme. Playing in tournaments is then just a part of the process. Their young players are groomed, there are counselling sessions where specialists tell them how to conduct themselves and what to expect.”These players are too young to take big decisions. The management here should have similar training sessions for our stars. For example, have a marketing or media expert come in and conduct a seminar on how to handle money and all the excess attention.”Ravi Shastri, a member of the IPL’s governing council and chairman of the National Cricket Academy, recently said young players would be given much-needed financial advice. Shastri spoke of Dav Whatmore, the coach of the U-19 side, as an advisor, and even suggested that parents of cricketers be invited for counselling with their sons. Ian Chappell said on Cricinfo that with all the IPL money pouring in, what Shastri said about advising young players must be followed through with or the board runs the risk of players falling by the wayside.Whatmore may be the best man for a crucial role in this regard. In his first season in India he has displayed that he is an extremely hands-on coach, always participating in any exercise and training drill he conducts. His reputation as a skilled professional precedes him, and the results have been impressive. A couple of the players have said that Whatmore was more involved than any of the other coaches they saw during the World Cup, and how, even if someone had a bad day, he would never belittle or criticise them. The team respects him and believes in him. Whatmore could forseeably be a father figure.To counter the rising concern over young cricketers being paid so much money early in their careers, the BCCI has decided that U-19 cricketers will be eligible only for one-year IPL contracts. In the wake of the elaborate auction of the bigger stars on February 20, the IPL franchises have been busy trying to sign up their quota of Under-22 players and other local players from the catchment areas. The BCCI is said to be considering a rule to have U-22 players play for their home teams. Franchises are also advocating that there be a limit on the amounts that can be paid for junior players, but will all this come to pass?It’s difficult to tell what route India’s U-19 winners will take. Many, if not all, will have to decide between whether to pursue a cricket career or study further. Age may also factor in. If some cannot find places in their respective state sides, after a point they may just leave the game. At this point in time, you can only hope they use the wonderful platform they have and go further.

In its third edition now, Steven Lynch’s book is a reliable and readable quick-reference tool for cricket over the next year

Steven Price23-Nov-2008

It’s been a tumultuous 12 months for international cricket, and the following year promises to be no less dramatic as the Test game tries to ward off the increasing dominance of Twenty20. It is therefore comforting to find something where you know what you are going to get.The latest version of follows the format of the two previous editions, and gives a rundown of all the players expected to appear at the top level over the next 12 months. Compact profiles, allied with extensive statistics from Cricinfo’s huge database, make for a valuable, quick-reference tool for anyone trying to keep up with who’s who.Products such as this don’t offer huge scope for development – the basic premise is simple – but with Steven Lynch at the helm one can be assured of a readable and high-quality product. With a crystal ball in hand, it is interesting to see who is being tipped for international honours in the near future. Kent opener Joe Denly is the biggest punt, and is one of only four players included who didn’t have an international cap when the book went to print. The other three are all Australians – Bryce McGain, Doug Bollinger and Peter Siddle. Siddle has since played a Test, McGain would have done except for injury.At the opposite end of the spectrum are those clinging to the hope for a recall, such as Michael Vaughan. Some, of course, have already departed, including Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly. One notable omission is Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif, so perhaps there is some inside knowledge on his future.The element of prediction and the constraints of the print format means there is always the risk of it being caught off guard. For example, there is no entry for India’s latest legspinner, Amit Mishra, who will be giving England few sleepless nights in the weeks ahead. Looking at the bigger picture, it remains to be seen how long books of this style will survive in an age where information is readily available online.The honour of the English cover this year goes to Kevin Pietersen as he prepares for 12 months that will define his career, and he also appears on the Indian version, while the Australian edition carries Ricky Ponting. The battle between the two cover stars is the most eagerly anticipated clash of 2009, and whoever comes out on top will have a new-look profile next year.
The Cricinfo Guide to International Cricket 2009
edited by Steven Lynch
John Wisden £8.99; Rs350; Aus$19.95

Fewer scandals, but zero Test cricket – a more depressing year than 2007

Osman Samiuddin01-Jan-2009

The Kitply Cup win against India was a brief glimmer in a dark year © AFP
If ever proof were needed of just how hand-in-hand with life cricket is in Pakistan, 2008 provided it. Increasingly isolated from the rest of the world, tangled in a web of militant violence, severe economic upheaval and political and administrative ineptitude – it was difficult to differentiate the ills of cricket from those of the country.There wasn’t quite the quickfire succession of controversies, or the suicidal lust for scandal of 2006 and 2007, though there was still Mohammad Asif’s continuing descent into a fate reserved for rock stars. Instead, a much deeper, more rooted gloom took hold, one infinitely more depressing than any doping inquiry, any ball-tampering row, even perhaps the death of a coach.Nobody knew how to react, for example, to Pakistan not playing a single Test in the entire year, the first time since 1970. Mostly there was disbelief that such a thing could still happen in cricket’s bloated modern age. It wasn’t planned that way, of course, but it wasn’t planned much better: Officially Pakistan had just one Test series, against Australia, scheduled this year.It said all that was needed about the ineptness of not one PCB administration – for there have been so many – but the PCB generically. This FTP was arranged years ago, so why were there no foreign tours at all in 2008? Why was nothing arranged last year, or before?Even more depressing, of course, was the belief that had even 15 Tests been arranged at home, the situation in the country was such that no one would have visited anyway. Along with Australia’s tour, the Champions Trophy was postponed, and before the year was out, India had also bailed out. This much at least wasn’t in any board administration’s hands. Until the country can claw its way out from the many ills grasping it, from under this siege, there will be little any board can do. Save, of course, adopting a Middle-East neutral venue.It wasn’t just the lack of action. Paralleling the appalling administration of much of the country was Nasim Ashraf’s chairmanship of the country’s cricket. In a tenure pockmarked with u-turns, the feeling that no one really had a clue what was going on was never far.At the end of 2007 it wasn’t possible for Pakistan to sink further. As they faded away off the field and on it into virtual isolation, sadly, 2008 proved that impossible is nothing Time and money were wasted in legal wrangles against players and employees. The board workforce mushroomed (but 700 of them still didn’t remember to put up India’s flag in the National Stadium during the Asia Cup); they lied publicly about potential series and insurance deals – according to the new administration they bled the board dry financially, though the spate of cancellations didn’t help. In short, the administration was the anvil that broke the camel’s back. Fittingly, when the president of the country resigned, so too did Ashraf.On the field there was little to evaluate. Never have 18 ODI wins and three losses felt so shallow. Twelve wins were against the might of Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong. Paris Hilton serves greater purpose than these contests did.The Kitply Cup win, and three Abu Dhabi victories against West Indies were rare silver linings, but the Asia Cup wasn’t. And that was it really; nothing significant on which you could really judge anything, anyone – not the captain, not new openers or wicketkeepers, not the fitness of bowlers. Nothing apart from, apparently, Geoff Lawson.After the administration change, Lawson was sacked, a year into his contract – a year of little cricket. In appointing Intikhab Alam as a replacement, Pakistan went back to go forward. But neither the change in coach, nor the administration, was depressing in itself. More was the numbing inevitability of it: Isn’t this what always happens? Will it ever change? How?At the end of 2007 it wasn’t possible for Pakistan to sink further. As they faded away off the field and on it into virtual isolation, sadly, 2008 proved that impossible is nothing.
Security was the overriding issue that hung over Pakistan cricket in 2008 © AFP
New kid on the block
Like throwing spaghetti against a wall and waiting for something to stick, Pakistan tried many new faces early in the year. Many slid away but Nasir Jamshed stuck. Four boisterous fifties through the year were impressive, none more so than the one against India in the Asia Cup. He likes coming down the pitch – apparently a prerequisite for modern leftie openers – and may just be the solution to Pakistan’s opening problems in limited-overs cricket.Fading star
Of all the talent that has slipped through Pakistan’s hands, Asif is the one they can least afford to squander. The world’s most promising fast bowler suddenly became its most scandal-ridden. Barely recovered from testing positive for steroids in 2006, Asif was caught with a contraband item at Dubai airport, and detained for 19 days. Soon after, it emerged he had tested positive again for steroids, this time at the IPL. He ended the year breaking down on TV, in need of serious help.High point
The Kitply Cup win over India, for shock value, though the clean sweep against West Indies later in the year also had a good feel about it. Many may prompt for the Lahore Badshahs’ win in the ICL. The slim pickings indicate the poverty of Pakistan’s year.What 2009 holds
Ajantha Mendis and Sri Lanka come knocking early, in a potentially tasty battle before Pakistan go to Sri Lanka in the summer. The World Twenty20 may provide some joy before a trip to Australia at year’s end. It is another lean year, but at least there is cricket. And any competitive cricket will be appreciated, never mind the result.

If Michael Clarke wants to graduate as a true great of the game he must seek a promotion in the Australian order and aim to finish his career at No. 3

Peter English at Headingley08-Aug-2009If Michael Clarke wants to graduate as a true great of the game he must seek a promotion in the Australian order and aim to finish his career at No. 3. It’s the position for the team’s best player and if Clarke can replicate his form in this Ashes every couple of series he will soon be wrestling Ricky Ponting for that title.Whatever the result of this five-game contest, Ponting should be in no hurry to leave the set-up and will enter at first drop until he’s had enough, but Clarke’s rise has to begin to give the side extra strength early in an innings. During his first year as an international Clarke found himself at four after entering originally at six and was dropped after three matches. Since coming back in 2006 he has spent almost all his time at No. 5 and done extremely well, taking his career average to a formidable 50.58 in 51 Tests. The only asterisk comes with his position.It is time for the vice-captain to take on more responsibility as he prepares for a seemingly inevitable takeover of the leadership and major batting duties. Ponting is 34 and likely to continue patching his team together until the 2011 World Cup, when he will probably decide whether to wave the bat for the final time. Clarke will be 30 then, the ideal age for a captain as long as he has the support of his men.Currently he looks like he will be a leader by example rather than a man to provide psychological prods; a regular run-maker instead of a commander convincing his unit of the same way forward. In the form he has been in England there is no doubt over the quality of his stroke-play.The initial promotion to No. 4 is easy and involves a simple swap with Michael Hussey, who would benefit from the reduction in duties as he tries to regain the consistency of his first three years as a Test player. Clarke needs the extra stress to hone his mind for the future, when he will be required to enter as early as the second delivery of an innings, facing fresh fast bowlers with the first new ball instead of tiring quicks with the one offered after 80 overs.Clarke has been exceptional throughout this series, holding Australia together at Lord’s and Edgbaston and pushing them to the brink of leveling the rubber at Headingley. Today’s innings was a crucial display and he deserved a third hundred, but left with 93 after missing an inswinging full toss from Graham Onions. Until then he had splashed runs on the second morning, benefiting from England’s awful lines to drive, whip and pull, and showing no signs of the stomach problem which hampered him before the match.Steve Harmison dropped short early and was cross-batted to mid-on while James Anderson was struck straight with such force that the ball had already passed the bowler when he put his hand out. Clarke’s best shot was a flick from outside off stump to Anderson that sped through square leg. It was the sign of a batsman at his peak, someone who could do anything until that full toss arrived. He left with 445 runs in the series at 89.00, the best of the contest, and a convincing argument for promotion.Ponting’s career included an early elevation to No. 3 but it was not until England in 2001, six years into his career, that he made it his position. Clarke can follow a similar journey north when Ponting walks away.Valuing Clarke in this critical way is like examining a diamond to discover whether it’s medium or high grade. He’s undoubtedly a special jewel but has to decide whether he wants to become a national treasure.