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Andrew Symonds’ ill-discipline gave Watson the chance to show he could be a fully-fledged international batsman. In his fifth Test, he took it

Ali Cook19-Oct-2008
Shane Watson: “It’s great when the things you’ve been working on come off and I can bat for long periods of time” © Getty Images
Mark Twain said three weeks were required to prepare a good impromptu speech, but for Shane Watson it took eight years of first-class studying to become a Test batsman in a day. Watson, 27, achieved the upgraded reputation on Sunday with a classy innings in the most examining conditions.It was not because the 78 almost doubled his previous best in Tests, but because of the poise and sense he showed in a crisis. Australia were in a disastrous position and with each hard-earned run, forward push or back-foot pull, he dragged them closer to India’s distant total. Australia have Watson to thank for giving them a chance to save the game over the next two days.Seeing Watson relaxed yet committed for so long was strange. For most of his international career he has been the one-day man trying to blast late or early runs in a muscular style. In first-class matches in Australia and England he has scored 12 centuries, including two doubles. He knows how to bat. This was his chance to prove it in Tests.Watson walked out to start the day with Australia 102 for 4 and shortly before lunch the situation was a dire 167 for 7. Mostly because of his fragile body, Watson has also had to put up with regular murmurs of mental weakness. This innings showed he is a cricketer with fight.”I’m learning a lot, I learnt a lot from the last innings in Bangalore and was able to take that into this innings today,” he said. “It’s not as tough as it’s going to get, but it’s one of the tougher innings I’ll play.”When the ball wasn’t swinging, it was spinning from the hands of Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra. With every over, Watson was scrutinised and for more than four hours and 155 deliveries he succeeded. Only when he went back to Mishra and the ball stayed low could India remove him. A century was out of reach – there were only two tailenders for company – but he deserved to remain unbeaten.Showing surprisingly soft hands for a player brought up in pace-friendly Queensland, Watson countered the spinners in comfort. Once settled, he was happy to go down the pitch, but he was quick to step a long way back when given the opportunity, like Damien Martyn four years ago. Sometimes he was so sharp it was like watching the footwork of Michael Clarke.To Harbhajan – and, at times, to some of the fast men – he took guard on off stump for extra protection. “I find it gets me in line with the ball a lot more, especially with the ball turning into me,” he said. “It’s just something I’ve been working on the last couple of years.”In his stance Watson is so regimented, like an amateur golfer trying to remember four coaching tips at once. Then the downswing starts and everything becomes natural. He was pleased his technique held up so well under such heavy testing.”My batting has evolved a lot over the past three or four years,” he said. “I’ve had a couple of really good batting coaches, working on a few things to the quicks and spin. It’s great when the things you’ve been working on come off and I can bat for long periods of time. It was such an enjoyable, challenging day.”Over the past couple of off-seasons Watson has spent thousands of hours in the nets working on a method that will gain him this success. Andrew Symonds’ ill-discipline gave Watson the chance to show he could be a fully-fledged international batsman. In his fifth Test, he took it.

Mitchell Johnson is like a wind-up toy. He’ll tear in at the same speed all day but he has to be pointing in the right direction when the string is pulled

Brydon Coverdale at the WACA18-Dec-2008
Mitchell Johnson’s effort to be a bit more aggressive has worked wonders © Getty Images
Mitchell Johnson is like a wind-up toy that sets off at the same speed every time but he has to be pointing in the right direction when the string is pulled. If he’s slightly off line he might go flying off the table but if he’s on the right path he could run through any obstacle in his way. With help from Dennis Lillee, Johnson set himself on the straightest course possible at the WACA and demolished South Africa’s batting line-up and their spirits with a brilliant late spell of 5 for 2 from 21 balls.It was one of the most devastating Test spells in recent memory and it brought back memories of some of the finest WACA fast-bowling efforts. Curtly Ambrose crashed through Australia at the same venue in 1992-93 with a spell of 7 for 1 that set up Australia’s most recent series loss at home and Glenn McGrath mauled Pakistan in Perth in 2004-05 with 8 for 24. But the fast man most associated with the venue is the local bowler Lillee, who is now the president of the state’s cricket association.Lillee also happens to be the man who discovered Johnson as a 17-year-old and called him a once-in-a-generation bowler. Fittingly, when Johnson left his trail of destruction on the second day he did it while running in from the end of the WACA dominated by the Lillee-Marsh Stand. Johnson sought Lillee’s counsel in the lead-up to the game and the advice was short and to the point. “He said at the WACA you probably want to be a little bit straighter,” Johnson said, “try and get the guys to play a lot more.”It took a little while for the technique to kick in after Johnson began the day with a few of his familiar sprays well wide of the batsmen. He readjusted his radar and picked up Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith, and late in the day he displayed the precision of a master craftsman. The aim was to use the Fremantle Doctor, the afternoon sea breeze in Perth, to help bring the ball back into the right-handers and then slip in one of his more standard deliveries angled across the bat.It worked. AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis, both of whom had scored 63 and appeared to be guiding South Africa into an advantageous position, succumbed to the trap and edged behind to fall to sharp catches from Brad Haddin. The collapse that followed left South Africa at 8 for 243 at stumps and handed Australia the momentum they had been missing all day.The other factor that worked in Johnson’s favour was aggression. Once the two established men were gone, he made the debutant JP Duminy uncomfortable with a bouncer that popped up off his gloves and then Morne Morkel succumbed to the bouncer/slower-ball combination. The fire is a relatively new part of Johnson’s psyche – in his younger days he seemed too nice to be a fast bowler – and he said he had made a conscious effort to become more hostile.In an attack missing Stuart Clark, still trying to find its way in the post-McGrath and Warne era and fighting off a challenge from the world’s No. 2 team, Johnson’s form spike is superbly timed”[I’m trying to] bowl that bouncer, bowl the ones up into their ribs and then try and get that ball to cross the right-handers or other way round for the left-handers,” Johnson said. “I’m trying to be a little bit more aggressive, be a bit more in their face, be a bit more confident.”It’s easier when you’re pumped up after a couple of wickets. Johnson’s rampage lasted 33 minutes and if Australia’s first half hour on the opening day, when they lost 3 for 15, harmed their plans then South Africa’s finish to the second day almost killed theirs. Johnson’s demolition ended with the penultimate over of the afternoon and while South Africa were pleased to have a night’s rest that might quell Australia’s spark, Johnson had pushed himself as far as he could and suffered cramps when he bowled his final ball.He finished the day with a career-best 7 for 42 and he provided an irresistible period for the spectators who had stuck around on a day of South African grit. Johnson moved to Western Australia from Brisbane during the off-season because of the lure of his Perth-based girlfriend. He has not yet played for his new state but by the end of the day the fans were claiming him as their new “local” hero.”I was copping a bit of flak earlier, they were still calling me a Queenslander,” Johnson said. “I just let that run off my back and I started getting a few wickets and the crowd were right into it. It’s a crazy feeling when the crowd’s standing up and applauding you and you almost don’t know what to do. But you just appreciate it and take it all in.”It was his first game at his new home ground since making the switch. He ended up with his second five-wicket haul in Tests after collecting his first at his home venue, the Gabba, less than a month ago. Since he completed a disappointing tour of the West Indies, Johnson has picked up 34 Test wickets at 21.08. It is a period that has thrilled his mentor Lillee, who said: “It’s very pleasing to see the coming of age of any fast bowler, and Mitchell on his new home ground stepped up to the mark today to show that he has definitely come of age as a Test bowler.”In an attack missing Stuart Clark, still trying to find its way in the post-McGrath and Warne era and fighting off a challenge from the world’s No. 2 team, Johnson’s form spike is superbly timed. If he keeps pointing in the right direction whenever that string is pulled, his master Ricky Ponting will have a big smile on his face. And it’s not even Christmas yet.

Dhoni and Kirsten have turned out to be just the partnership India needed at the helm

Ajay S Shankar11-Dec-2008
India’s captain and coach are different as men, but they’ve come together well and built and intuitive understanding © AFP
“I would call one the facilitator, I would call the other, well, just fantastic to work with.” It was a throwaway line from a key member of the Indian cricket team, but it managed to capture in a nutshell what others before had struggled to pin down.That one line – simple, direct and to-the-point – also contained all the qualities that players, officials and team associates insist is the secret behind the captain-coach combination that is currently steering Indian cricket through an incredibly confident phase.Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Gary Kirsten have won all three Tests they have combined in so far, against top-class opposition – South Africa in Kanpur this April, and Australia over the last two months, in Mohali and Nagpur. They have not done too badly in the one-day game either, except for an early, embarrassing loss to Pakistan in the final of the Kitply Cup in Dhaka last June. They also reached the final of the Asia Cup in Pakistan, showed the way against Ajantha Mendis in Sri Lanka, and swept England away last month.Now, as they prepare for their first full Test assignment together, against England, the coming together of Dhoni and Kirsten is being described as an “intuitive partnership” between two diverse men with common ideas and ideals.It is said that both want to win at any cost, have a lot of respect for each other, prefer to be low-profile, and come across in one-on-one interactions as refreshingly humble. Interestingly, and some say importantly for Indian cricket, both can be brutally honest too.”There are some of us who have been close to Dhoni, spending a lot of time together before he became captain,” says a former Indian team member. “The way it goes in India, some of us have expected Dhoni to carry over that friendship when it comes to team selection, or while taking decisions on the field, but have ended up disappointed. He is not an angel and still does the funny things that he used to with his gang, but he has made it clear by his actions that when it comes to his team, winning is all that counts. He is selfish that way, and also ruthless.”Kirsten is no different. “Don’t get fooled by that smile,” a former coach who worked with him in South Africa warns. “He knows when to step in and draw the line. In fact, that is what I feel has worked for him in India where he is managing superstars – keep a low profile, but make your presence felt within when it matters.” Kirsten’s stress has been on making the coaching approach as broad as possible, allowing some to go on gut instinct and others to pay more attention to planning and strategy, if that is what works for them From the time they got together in Australia early this year for a few “tentative chats” before Kirsten flew down to India for the Test series against his home team, Dhoni and he have clearly identified their areas of authority.Kirsten and the support staff – Venkatesh Prasad, the bowling coach; Robin Singh, the fielding coach; and Paddy Upton, the mental conditioning coach who also doubles up as physical trainer – are the facilitators. Together they ensure that they don’t stand in the way; that they talk to players, not down at them; most importantly they “aggressively ensure” that each team member is fully involved and participates in discussions.A clear-cut division of roles
Dhoni is the executioner, completely in charge of what happens on the field, reading the game like a card sharp, operating on instinct, often dumping elaborate plans without a second thought. He has been described as a patient listener, soaking in inputs and “taking support from everyone within the team, as long as he is sure that they are giving him 100% and more”. What really works for him, a team-mate says, is his uncanny ability to spot match-winners for every game and even for specific match situations.Kirsten, meanwhile, is a believer in personalised interactions with players, and knows that in the case of somebody like Sachin Tendulkar it is not a matter of batting tips but more of ensuring that the master is mentally in the right space. He believes in handing out responsibilities, doesn’t over-react, and ensures he gives the players their space. The stress has been on making the coaching approach as broad as possible, allowing some to go on gut instinct and others to pay more attention to planning and strategy, if that is what works for them.In short, what Kirsten does off the field is a mirror image of what Dhoni does on it – remember the way the captain let Zaheer Khan set the field for Ishant Sharma during the crucial batting Powerplay against England in Bangalore last month? Like Dhoni, Kirsten allows players to take on responsibility, and apparently the players have responded. “What Gary and Dhoni have repeatedly suggested to the players is, ‘It is not about us, it is about you’,” a team official says. “The message that has repeatedly been underlined is that the coaches are not there to boss the players around, an approach which is destined to meet with more resistance than not.”
Paddy Upton’s area of focus is the team’s overall mental and physical well-being © AFP
Both captain and coach have largely similar long-term goals too. For instance, Kirsten and Dhoni, like Anil Kumble earlier, are committed to a rotation policy to prevent fatigue, injury, and subsequent loss of form. “It won’t be easy – it never is,” Kirsten wrote in June about implementing such a policy, “but I’m sure there is a sufficient level of maturity and understanding among the players to accept that there is simply too much cricket for any single player to perform at his best all the time.”One month later, after the idea failed to gain much ground within the Indian board, Dhoni decided to show the way by pulling out of the Test series against Sri Lanka. Since then the team has rested its two strike bowlers, Zaheer and Ishant, in a “planned manner”.Modus operandi
Dhoni’s idea of a team-bonding session often is to plonk himself down in the team hotel corridor, order tea, and catch up with his team-mates as they join him one by one for a chat on everything under the sun, including, of course, cricket. Kirsten may not be quite so informal, but he can be innovative when he wants to: he once asked his staff to bring along to a meeting anything that caught their eye which captured their character best. One of them brought along a bottle of water, to indicate that he would fit in anywhere. Crucially, both captain and coach are each comfortable with the other’s methods.Dhoni has exceptional leadership qualities, Kirsten told the recently. “He’s a very street-wise cricketer and likes to think out of the box. That’s lovely, because I like to think out of the box too.” Both apparently seem to agree that every person is an individual, with unique gifts, strengths and dislikes, and so the approach would be to accommodate these as far as possible while remaining with a common team framework.The support cast
It has helped, of course, that Prasad, Robin and Upton are on the same page and are proactively involved in the support role, each playing his well-defined part.Upton looks after “the mental and physical well-being of the team as a whole” and organises “team activities”. “During the pre-Australia series Test camp in Bangalore, he took the team to a nearby resort, divided the boys into groups of three, and got each group to make its own version of popular Hindi movies,” a team member reveals. One group had Virender Sehwag, in a wig, as its heroine. DVDs of the exercise, with mock titles, were distributed later and acting awards handed out. “It was hilarious, but it also set the team in the right frame of mind before an important series.”Prasad works individually with the bowlers and talks to them separately, listening more than talking, taking the time to understand their mindset. The rehabilitation of the temperamental Munaf Patel is a case in point.In fact, a large share of the credit for the Dhoni-Kirsten chemistry goes to the base that was laid by Robin and Prasad, who took over the team’s training after India’s disastrous World Cup last year. Equally important was the role played by Ravi Shastri, the interim coach, in settling the nerves of the team that flew to Dhaka for a Test and one-day series barely a month after the Caribbean misadventure.Dhoni’s idea of a team-bonding session often is to plonk himself down in the team hotel corridor, order tea, and catch up with his team-mates as they join him one by one for a chat on everything under the sun The team was in tatters after reports of a divide between senior and junior players under Greg Chappell, the previous coach, and Shastri, a former captain, who is close to many Indian players, began the tour by delivering an intensely personal speech, asking players to bury their differences and get to know each other. “That was the beginning,” a team regular says. “From there, the team went on to win the Test series in England under Rahul Dravid, and the Twenty20 World Cup under Dhoni.”Crucially, we beat Australia in Perth under Anil Kumble. In fact, Anil was instrumental in taking team unity to a level never seen before. So there were a lot of important contributions down the line and things were falling into place when Gary took over full-time. But the key was, he knew exactly where to pick up from.”Kirsten for his part was quick to acknowledge, on arrival, the differences in the way the game is played in the subcontinent. “They play with enormous flair, and they’ve got great hands on the ball. We’ve got to encourage that. When people talk about me being a foreign coach, I don’t feel like a foreign coach because I’ve integrated my thinking, my philosophies and my style of coaching, along with Paddy’s, into how the Indians go about their business.”With the team on a high, Kirsten’s main focus was to understand what was working well and to keep those things going – the first tentative step was a low-key two-day workshop in March before the South Africa Test series. The next step was to identify areas of improvement, build relationships with the players and gain their trust. It was only much later that the actual coaching began.A break with the past
The subtle differences in the approaches of Chappell and Kirsten present important clues to what is going right this time. Kirsten would admit that Chappell possesses a superior cricket brain, but where Kirsten seems to have scored is in his understated man-management skills, his ability to be a “good listener”, and his aversion for the limelight. While Chappell aggressively promoted his vision through the media – which ultimately backfired – Kirsten, after a few early mistakes, has shut the door on the hundreds of cameras and microphones that are now part of the Indian cricket caravan.
Venkatesh Prasad has played a vital role in ensuring continuity between eras © AFP
It’s quite the same in the case of Dravid and Dhoni too. Dravid, from a public school background, was not a big fan of open displays of emotion, not given to theatrical flourishes, and preferred to talk to his team in his language, not theirs. Dhoni, by all accounts, has a finger on every pulse, employs a flashy Bollywood style that is popular within, and is prone to emotive gestures, like, for instance, letting Sourav Ganguly captain the team for a few overs on his last day in international cricket.When it comes to handling the increasingly soundbyte- and controversy-hungry Indian cricket media, Dhoni has learned to adapt quickly. Unlike Dravid, as captain he doesn’t fret over what has been written about him or his team, and has quickly learned the art of coming up with inane comments that say nothing. Why, you could say that Dhoni’s “Well, of course, it’s good to win” has now upstaged Dravid’s “To be honest, the boys did well.”After the honeymoon
Yet the new regime has its share of doubters, many of whom point to a similar euphoria during the first half of the Dravid-Chappell partnership. That was when Team India, under “Guru Greg”, could do nothing wrong, having blown away the Sri Lankans, and coincidentally, England too. Then, a historic series win against West Indies was followed by India’s first-ever Test win in South Africa. But we all know how that story ended.Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, has already sounded a gentle warning, suggesting that while Dhoni’s tendency to operate on instinct, and his aversion for theories and processes seems to be working fine for him, there may be others in the team who might need the help of a more structured set-up. As two former India players point out, all the talk about Dhoni and Kirsten sounds new and refreshing now, but it’s simply too early to take a call.Obviously the real test is when the team starts to lose. As Chappell and Dravid will testify, that’s when words like “vision” and “gut-feel” begin to start sounding hollow; when the media and the fans switch off the smiles and snarl for blood; when the pressure builds within and cracks snake across the façade; when whispers become scandals, and friends begin to sharpen the knives. It will be no different for Dhoni and Kirsten too, but till then, as their team will tell you, let’s just worry about the next ball.

Dungarpur was highly opinionated, terribly impractical, a cricket romantic and Indian cricket’s unofficial ambassador. A pity his memoirs remain unwritten

Ayaz Memon12-Sep-2009With Raj Singh Dungarpur’s death, Indian cricket has lost perhaps its most ardent well-wisher.For almost half a century, Dungarpur was a prominent fixture in the country’s cricketing firmament, looming larger than life not just because he stood six-foot-three in his shoes, but also because of his opinions and decisions, some of which were path-breaking or diabolical, depending on how you looked at them.For instance, as chairman of the selection committee in 1989, he elevated Mohammad Azharuddin to the captaincy, to stymie the rising tide of player power. His poser to Azhar, “? [Will you be captain?]” is now a part of Indian cricket lore. It left not just Azhar flummoxed, but the entire country.It was assumed that Azhar’s appointment would be temporary and a different captain chosen after the incipient revolt led by Mohinder Amarnath, Kris Srikkanth and Dilip Vengsarkar – among others – was quelled. But Azhar’s reign continued for almost a decade, in which time he found unstinting support from Dungarpur at every stage, including during the match-fixing scam.Azhar’s elevation, as it transpired, was part of a grand plan by Dungarpur to create a “Team of the 90s”, driven by youth, in which the precocious Sachin Tendulkar was to play the central role. While his grand vision see-sawed subsequently and then settled for a mix of the new and the old, it was responsible to some extent for the emergence of players like Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble.Dungarpur’s clout in the BCCI began to wane after he finished his term as president. He failed to find a firm footing in the administration in the 2000s, being content to guard his fiefdom, the Cricket Club of India (CCI), with extra zeal. Over the last couple of years, plagued by illness and controversy, he lost control of the club too.Hailing from a princely state, Dungarpur was weaned on cricket in his childhood, and as he grew into manhood became obsessed with the game. His skills as a medium-fast bowler were extremely modest, but his passion was gigantic. He lived, ate and slept cricket.His privileged background gained him not just a firm footing in Indian cricket, but also easy access to the sanctum sanctorums of the game worldwide, and he used this to his great advantage to acquire deep knowledge and a network that would serve him all his life. Tall and patrician, for many years he was the unofficial ambassador for Indian cricket, hobnobbing with star players and administrators across the world.There were those who accused him of being snobbish and pompous and of throwing his weight around, but personally I found this exaggerated. He was highly opinionated, loved an audience, and could at times be terribly impractical. But at his core he was a complete cricket romantic, in many ways a denizen of some other world – one in which cricket was not just a game but life itself. Among media persons in India, he was called cricket’s Majnu (Romeo), so transparent was his love for the game.I experienced this passion often, after he decided that I would ghost his book. We chose as the working title for his memoirs. This was circa 2000, in Indore, where I had been invited by him to meet several members of his family and old school associates who would fill me in on his early years. He had recently finished his term as president of the BCCI, and I could sense that his resolve to remain in the power grid of the country’s cricket politics – for which he was terribly ill-equipped in any case – was waning. He was still supremo of the CCI, and his one vote was still priceless, but he was clearly losing his grip over how the game was being run.The BCCI was undergoing a cultural upheaval, as it were. Indian cricket was starting to become the financial Godzilla it is today, and talk in the corridors of power was more about moolah and marketing than about talent and matches. Dungarpur would go on to guard his fief, the CCI, with greater flamboyance (which earned him many enemies subsequently). Wanting to write his memoirs was, I suspect, subliminal resignation to the disorientation he was experiencing then.”I don’t know if that’s the right title, though,” he said with the guffaw that was his trademark. “As it is, many people think I am a relic of the Raj in any case, and they’ll think I am only furthering that agenda.” I brushed aside his objection, saying it was the most appropriate title because these were to be his personal experiences, which as anybody who has spent any time with him would vouch, were richer than several hundred books put together.

I had occasion several times to visit his bachelor pad, opposite the Wankhede Stadium. He would show off his memorabilia with pride: 8mm films of old matches and masters, rare photographs preserved with the care of a manicurist, scores of books, many of them out of print, and hundreds of ties and miniature bats

I had occasion several times to visit his bachelor pad, opposite the Wankhede Stadium. He would show off his memorabilia with pride: 8mm films of old matches and masters, rare photographs preserved with the care of a manicurist, scores of books, many of them out of print, and hundreds of ties and miniature bats.His knowledge was encyclopaedic because he was a seeker. But it was the personal touch he brought to his anecdotes that was the more compelling. From Bradman to Bedser to Borde – so to speak – he could speak about cricketers with an authority that was not just bookish but in many instances gained by personal interaction.From his father Dungarpur learned of the deeds of CK Nayudu and Mushtaq Ali (“India’s lions”, he often called them), and they remained iconic for him throughout his life. He met Duleepsinhji in his youth, and gained rare insights into Ranjitsinhji from him. He saw enough of Lala Amarnath, Vijay Hazare, and particularly Vinoo Mankad, to become a die-hard fan. He rated Sunil Gavaskar 10 on 10 for technical perfection (even if he disagreed with him on several issues), was an unapologetic fan of MAK Pataudi, and was completely besotted with Tendulkar.But Dungarpur was also often guilty of hasty judgments. His dropping of Amarnath in 1989 was clumsy and earned him a lot of flak. In the late 90s, he became strangely disdainful of Dravid as a one-day player (“he can’t hit the ball off the square”) and later had to eat humble pie. He also became overly critical of Ganguly towards the latter half of his captaincy, which in some ways I suspect was because of his resentment of Jagmohan Dalmiya.But I am digressing from the memoirs. We met in Pune (where he had relocated), or at the CCI (where he still had his room), or the Willingdon Sports Club, whose ambience he loved. We discussed issues old and contemporary, and worked out a list of chapters, from the Merchant and Hazare era, through the Bedi-Gavaskar imbroglio, to the Team of the 90s and the way ahead for Indian cricket.Midway through this decade, the historian Ram Guha was once privy to a small conversation between us and remarked that ought to be completed while Dungarpur’s memory was still intact; for by this time Raj was beginning to lapse into forgetfulness. I made haste, but illness and disillusionment had begun to dog him.A little less than two years ago, having heard that he had Alzheimer’s, I went to the CCI to meet him. He stared back at me vacantly. “Who are you?” he asked in a low voice.The many bitter battles in the CCI had seemingly taken their toll. Moreover, his closest friend, Hanumant Singh, had passed away suddenly. Dungarpur’s disconnect with the world seemed complete.I am now left with enough memories to write a book on him, but , alas, must be stillborn.

Australia have played each of their three games so far against teams from the subcontinent, and the short ball has served them well against batsmen who don’t particularly like these deliveries

S Rajesh07-May-2010Australia have played each of their three games so far against teams from the subcontinent, and the short ball has served them well against batsmen who don’t particularly like deliveries which are aimed at their chests. The match against Pakistan was at the relatively slow St Lucia pitch, but even there Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson got a wicket each with the short-pitched ball. Bangladesh were completely clueless as well on the bouncy track in Barbados, while India’s numbers look slightly better only because of Rohit Sharma’s late charge. From the 14 short balls that were bowled to him by Australia’s fast bowlers, Rohit scored 21 runs, including two fours and a six. Exclude his numbers, and India’s stats tell a rather sorry tale. His knock still couldn’t prevent India from suffering their worst defeat, in terms of runs, in a Twenty20 international.Australia, meanwhile, have matches against Sri Lanka and West Indies to follow, and with the Sri Lanka game to be played in Barbados, it’s likely there’ll be another show of short-pitched stuff in that game.

Short ball against the subcontinent teams

Bowling teamBatting teamShort ballsRunsDismissalsAverageRun rateAustraliaPakistan141226.005.14AustraliaBangladesh332939.675.27AustraliaIndia3348316.008.72Rohit’s unbeaten 79 boosts his average in World Twenty20s to 74.50 – in nine innings he has three half-centuries and a strike rate of 139.25. Among those with 250 runs or more in these matches, only Matthew Hayden has a better average. Rohit’s 79 made up 58.52% of India’s total, which is the fifth-highest contribution by a batsman to a team’s score.Most of the records from this game, though, went Australia’s way: their 16 sixes is the second-best in a Twenty20 innings, next only to the 17 that South Africa managed against England in Centurion last year. Dirk Nannes’ three wickets, meanwhile, took his overall wickets tally in all Twenty20 cricket to 94, making him the highest wicket-taker in this format; Albie Morkel has 93.

The sheer longevity of WG Grace’s career was remarkable, and some of the records he set might never be equalled

S Rajesh01-Aug-2010Comparing WG Grace with other modern-day greats is a near-impossible task – at least statistically – due to the period in which he played. His international numbers hardly look imposing, but that needs to be judged in the context of the period he played in. While his first-class record was superb, what stood out more than anything was the sheer longevity of his career: Grace began his first-class career when he was 16, and finished at 60, for a remarkable career that stretched 44 years – a time span that is mind-boggling in today’s age.His impact on the game obviously went far beyond the stats, but he didn’t do badly on the field either. His overall first-class numbers were outstanding: he finished with 54,211 runs at an average of 39.45, and a wickets tally of 2809 at 18.14. Apart from the sheer number of runs and wickets, what’s also remarkable is that his batting average was more than twice his bowling average, a feat few have managed to achieve in the last 50 years. And if his overall batting average doesn’t seem as impressive as some of the more recent batsmen, remember that he played his entire cricket on pitches that were hardly as well laid out as the tracks we’re used to.Over his four-and-a-half decade first-class career, Grace had several highlights. Here’s a list of his amazing achievements, some of which might never be equalled. In 1871, aged 23, he scored 10 centuries and 2739 first-class runs at 78.25. The next best average was 37.66 with just one hundred. Even 31 seasons later, he scored 1187 at 37.09, while Victor Trumper, at age 24, averaged 48.49 (Trumper’s best season). In 1876, he scored 839 runs in a mere eight days, with a sequence that read 344, 177 and 318 not out. It was a season when only one other batsman topped 1000 runs. His 344 was also the first triple-century in first-class cricket. Between 1868 and 1880, he topped the first-class averages 10 times, including seven times straight till 1874. Between 1868 and 1876, he scored 54 first-class hundreds; the next highest didn’t even manage 10. In the decade 1871 to 1880 he averaged 49, a period during which nobody else averaged more than 26 or scored even a third of his runs. He also took 1174 wickets in the 10 years, which was the second-best in the country after Alfred Shaw. In 1895, as a 47-year-old Grace reeled off scores of 288, 52, 257, 73 not out, 18 and 169 – the last bringing him 1000 runs before the end of May (the first man to reach that landmark). His 288 was also his 100th century, making him the first player to the milestone. Grace played 870 first-class matches in his career, which is the third-highest on the all-time list, after Wilfred Rhodes (1110) and Frank Woolley (978). His tally of 54,211 runs is the fifth-highest, while his haul of 2809 wickets puts him in 10th place.

Most runs in first-class cricket

BatsmanMatchesRunsAverage10s/ 50sJack Hobbs83461,76050.70199/ 273aFrank Woolley97858,95940.77145/ 295Patsy Hendren83357,61150.80170/ 272Phil Mead81455,06147.67153/ 258WG Grace87054,21139.45124/ 251Grace played only 22 Tests – all of them against Australia – but he had some noteworthy achievements in that format too. At the time of retiring he was one of only six batsmen to have scored more than 1000 Test runs; in his first Test he scored 152 at The Oval, making him only the second batsman – after Charles Bannerman – to score a century on debut. In the first innings of that match, he added 120 runs for the second wicket with Bunny Lucas, which was the first century partnership in Test cricket. (Click here for all century stands before 1900.) The only other century Grace scored was in his eighth Test, when he made 170 at the venue where he started his Test career. In 14 matches after that he topped 50 five times but never managed to go past 75; in his last seven innings, his highest score was 28.

Highest run-getters in Tests before 1900

BatsmanTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sArthur Shrewsbury23127735.473/ 4George Giffen31123823.351/ 6Joe Darling18113935.593/ 4Alec Bannerman28110823.080/ 8WG Grace22109832.292/ 5Syd Gregory24109628.103/ 4Andrew Stoddart1699635.572/ 3Tom Hayward1597644.363/ 3Ranjitsinhji1297053.882/ 6Percy McDonnell1995528.933/ 2Grace also led England in 13 Tests, winning eight and losing only two. The last time he captained the team was in the summer of 1899, when he was all of 50 years and 320 days old – no other captain has come within five years of matching that feat. It’s a record that, like several of his other first-class feats, will probably never be equalled.

They didn’t have many opportunities in Test cricket but in 2010 Sri Lanka shaped up nicely for the World Cup

Siddarth Ravindran30-Dec-2010For a year that included three tri-series titles, a first-ever one-day series victory in Australia, and a respectable showing in the World Twenty20, there was a strangely flat feeling about Sri Lanka’s performances in 2010. The main reason is the lopsided FTP, which hasn’t provided enough Test cricket – there were no away Tests this year for Kumar Sangakkara’s men. Of their two home series, one was a result of the BCCI’s new-found love of the long form, and the other was the rain-ravaged contest against West Indies, during which more time was spent watching the weather forecast than the cricket.In the Test cricket that was on offer, they were patchy. Their first five-day game came as late as July and was dominated by the retirement of their talisman, Muttiah Muralitharan. Fittingly Sri Lanka’s greatest match-winner won them one last game before bowing out. It turned out to be their only Test victory of the year. That series against India ended in a draw as Sri Lanka lost the P Sara Test despite Thilan Samaraweera’s best efforts. The matches against West Indies could have been a good indicator of how Sri Lanka will fare in the absence of Murali, but torrential rain through the series frustrated fans.The supporters won’t be complaining about Sri Lanka’s one-day form, though. Winning every series they played in 2010, barring the Asia Cup, where they dominated the league stage before faltering in the final, Sri Lanka enter the World Cup year as a formidable outfit. Their tri-series triumphs may be quickly forgotten but what will remain in the memory is the back-from-the-dead victory against Australia in Melbourne, where Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga produced a world-record 132-run ninth-wicket stand to deliver an improbable win.What has made Sri Lanka so dangerous is that they aren’t over-reliant on one or two stars; match-winning performances have come from a number of players. Few people will be able to guess who their highest wicket-taker of the year is – 21-year-old allrounder Thisara Perera. Another young allrounder, Mathews, continued to show he has the talent and temperament for a long international career at the top, while offspinner Suraj Randiv has also made a bright start.The new talent supports the big names who were part of Sri Lanka’s run to the 2007 World Cup final. Tillakaratne Dilshan didn’t quite hit the heights of 2009 but made match-winning centuries in the finals of two tri-series, Mahela Jayawardene and Sangakkara remain prolific, Malinga continues to befuddle batsmen, and Murali is still around for a final tilt.In the only global tournament of the year, the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, Sri Lanka again made it to the knockout stages before losing to the eventual champions. This time Sangakkara’s side ran into England, who turned in a supremely composed performance to knock Sri Lanka out in the semi-finals.

What has made Sri Lanka so dangerous is that they aren’t over-reliant on one or two stars; match-winning performances have come from a number of players. Few people will be able to guess who their highest wicket-taker of the year is

Fading star
Perhaps the most pathetic sight of the World Twenty20 was that of 40-year-old Sanath Jayasuriya, once an unstoppable marauder, scratching around for 15 runs in six innings. He hasn’t played international cricket since, but remains hopeful of making next year’s World Cup after finding a place in the 30-man provisional squad.New kid on the block
With Murali’s career nearly over, and Mendis’ star still struggling to reclaim the lustre of 2008, Sri Lanka slow-bowling options were looking thin. Suraj Randiv stepped up. He lacks extravagant turn but his extra bounce and discipline soon made him the first-choice spinner across all formats. In an eventful year, he was at the forefront of Sri Lanka’s push for a series win over India at the P Sara Oval, involved in a controversy over a deliberate no-ball, and was electric throughout in the field.High point
There was a maiden one-day series win in Australia, but the uplifting farewell to Murali in Galle was a heart-warmer in a year in which the game was awash with dispiriting headlines. It was sweetened by the win set up by Murali’s eight wickets, the last of which carried him to the milestone of 800.Low point
Surrendering to a weakened India in a deciding Test will hurt, though losing to the world’s top side isn’t as disappointing as having virtually the entire series against West Indies washed out – in a year when Sri Lanka were starved of Test cricket. Sangakkara called it the “worst series of his life”.What 2011 holds
Sri Lanka have two big-ticket events in the first half of the year: first, the World Cup at home, for which they among the favourites, and then the challenge of a full tour of England, which will test how far Sri Lanka have progressed as a Test side.

Weakness against spin, two collapses and losing the key moments – these are the key issues that have dogged South Africa in their last two ODI defeats against India

Sidharth Monga20-Jan-2011In both their close defeats of the last week, South Africa can identify common failings that they desperately need to work on. The two collapses in Johannesburg and Cape Town are the obvious ones, as are losing key moments. The way the Indian lower order finished off the tight chase in Cape Town was in contrast to how the South African batsmen froze in Johannesburg.The less obvious problem that South Africa had, and one that should concern them given they are playing at home, is how they struggled against the spinners. In the previous two games, they managed only 167 runs in 42 overs of spin. Only 19 of those overs were bowled by India’s specialist spinner, Harbhajan Singh, off whom they scored only two boundaries in two games.All these will be termed by many as South Africa’s traditional problems, much to their dislike. Not only to stay alive in this series, on what is usually the slowest pitch in the country, but also in the World Cup to come, they will have to overcome their troubles against spin, and their habit of not winning tight games.Graeme Smith chose to focus on the issue of losing key moments, rather than the spin problem, on the eve of the must-win game. “Harbhajan has bowled extremely well,” Smith said. “The nature of the wickets also [has played a part], they haven’t been easy to bat on. India, too, have struggled to bat on those wickets.”I thought if we could have got 20 more runs [it would have made the difference] … we were well set up to get those 20 more runs … [but] the disappointing thing for me is that we have [lost] 5 for 30 and 6 for 20 in our last two games. If you probably take that out of our game, we would probably be 3-0 up. Otherwise, we have played decent enough cricket throughout the vast majority of the games. We just haven’t handled those moments where we needed to kick on or make the right decisions well. Those are the lessons that we can learn, and hopefully we can come out tomorrow and play with a good spirit and get those things right.”Smith also hinted that the announcement of the World Cup squad, which was always around the corner, might have had a thing or two to do with the younger players being slightly tense. “Now that the World Cup squad is announced, the tension has kind of lifted on the players and the way they play the game, so hopefully tomorrow we can play with a bit more freedom.”Smith said it was better for the young side to lose now and learn its lessons rather than experience it in bigger events. “Losing is never a nice thing, but there are some important lessons for us in the last two games,” he said. “It’s a good time for us to learn from those lessons now – take those lessons forward, keep a good positive and attacking frame of mind.”Smith looked more relaxed than he has done during press conferences on this tour so far, even though rain on the eve of the match meant his side couldn’t train at the ground. That should hardly make a difference, though, because teams play so much these days that they don’t need switching on before every game, especially at the fag end of a tour.South Africa can draw confidence from playing in Port Elizabeth, where the side often gets strong and vocal support from the crowd. “PE fans in particular are great supporters of the team,” Smith said. “We have got some of the most vibrant crowds in the country here; the guys really do enjoy playing here. The Warriors have been very successful at their home ground over the last period of time, and to have Lopsy [Lonwabo Tsotsobe], Colin [Ingram] and Johan [Botha] with their knowledge of the ground is crucial. We will certainly tap in to that.”It is a proud record that South Africa need to defend. They have never lost a home ODI series to teams other than Australia and England. Before the start of the series, they had lost to India at home only on three occasions. The tally could be doubled and South Africa will have to prevent that to keep the series alive. “It’s exciting, it’s an opportunity to perform,” Smith said. “I don’t think it’s a time where you look at it and say, ‘I have to perform tomorrow, I have to make a difference.’ There will be 11 of us on the field tomorrow, and we have got to trust each other that each of us will perform our roles and we have got to be good enough to get us over the line.”

Plays of the day from the 2011 World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka in Mumbai

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2011Move of the Day
Sri Lanka were wise to send Nuwan Kulasekara to bat ahead of a recognised allrounder like Thisara Perera. It was a critical moment in the match when Chamara Kapugedera disappointed by failing to read a slower ball from Zaheer Khan. At 182 for 6 with ten overs to go Sri Lanka needed another partnership before they could utilise the batting Powerplay to their advantage. Kulasekara might not be a specialist batsman but is a gritty character and he managed to rotate the strike with his senior partner Mahela Jayawardene and put the pressure back on the Indian bowlers. Eventually, their 66-run partnership allowed Sri Lanka to assume a commanding position, which was further strengthened by Jayawardene and Perera in final five overs, that fetched 63 runs.Theatrics of the Day
There were plenty of Sreesanth moments on the field today. His first ball itself was full of theatrics. It pitched outside leg and straightened to catch Tillakaratne Dilshan on the pads, prompting an appeal so primal and so prolonged that it earned him a prompt rebuke from Aleem Dar. But it was in the 13th over when it all boiled over for Sreesanth. On the second ball, Kumar Sangakkara shimmed down the wicket and lofted over mid-off; the next one was driven straight back him and he splayed his legs to make room for the ball to pass through; on the fifth, he was warned for running on to the danger area; the sixth was a no-ball, and the free-hit was edged past the wicketkeeper for four. From 39 for 1 in 12 overs, Sri Lanka jumped to 54 in the course of these six balls, and Sreesanth walked off looked heavenwards, pondering divine injustice.Mahela’s Moment
The passage that captured how Jayawardene had gone about his stunning century involved not so much a shot but what he did after it. He smacked Zaheer over mid-off for a boundary and ran down the pitch pumping his fist and waving his bat everywhere he could see his country’s flags. Then came the moment. He put down his bat, took off his gloves and helmet, and placed them on the ground. There were 13 balls to go but it was as if this was a Test match where he needed to take a breather to re-mark his guard and start again. He re-adjusted the bandana he wears before picking the helmet up again and strapping it all up. Zaheer was at the top of his run, arms on his hips, wondering waiting to bowl the next ball. The whole stadium, somewhat numbed by the Sri Lankan Powerplay acceleration, was waiting. Having controlled the entire innings, Mahela would not be rushed and more than anything else, who else could have taken their own time.Catch of the Day
The third-wicket partnership between the two Indian Turks was beginning to build and had gone past 50 when Dilshan found his one chance. The Sri Lankan fielding had begun to flatline and then it happened. Virat Kohli tried to drive one over Dilshan but found neither direction and all that Dilshan saw was the ball coming to his right. He flung himself towards the non-striker Gautam Gambhir, and as it flew past, snatched it just in time. It was secure in his hand by the time he hit the ground and when he got up, he let out a shout of joy as his teammates crowded around him. The partnership had been broken and Sri Lanka then lifted themselves in the field.Rearrangement of the Day
Zaheer and World Cup finals have an interesting relationship. In the ill-fated 2003 edition, he went for 15 runs in a wayward nervous first over after India had put Australia in. Today seemed set for perfect redemption when he started with three consecutive maidens and took Upul Tharanga’s wicket, too, in his first spell. Cricket, though, can be cruel, and in his last spell, Zaheer realised just that. Mahela and Perera took 35 off his last two overs to send his figures from 5-3-6-1 at one point to 10-3-60-1. A lot can change in two hours.Drop of the Day
Gautam Gambhir was on 30, looking ominous. Along with Kohli he had begun rebuilding the Indian innings after the early loss of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar. Suraj Randiv was bowling only his third ball of the World Cup. It was a well-flighted delivery, but Gambhir danced out of his crease to loft Randiv wide of Kulasekara at long-off. But the fielder failed to take a start, then charged abruptly and dived forward as the ball was falling down but could not pouch it. It proved to be a costly error as Gambhir eventually played a match-winning knock.

ESPNCricinfo presents plays of the day from day one at Centurion

Firdose Moonda at Centurion15-Dec-2011Irresponsible act of the day
It usually does not take as much as a green pitch, a menacing bowling attack and a batsman under pressure to convince a cricketer that Test cricket is about playing mature, conscientious innings. But when all of those factors are at play, the need for sensible strokeplay is even more pressing. Not for Tillakaratne Dilshan. The Sri Lankan captain may as well have thrown his name away with his wicket because the shot he played to end his innings on six was a shocker. Dilshan said he would enjoy playing his shots on a fast, bouncy track but he seemed to want to get into it too soon. His first boundary was a crack through the covers and then he was tempted to go for a hoick over mid-on. Alas, he confused the Centurion of now with the one he played on during the IPL and top-edged to Vernon Philander.Berating of the day
While Dilshan should have been more unhappy with himself after that, he simply walked off the field with little emotion but some of the other Sri Lankan batsmen showed more annoyance. Tharanga Paranavitana repeatedly scolded himself after playing and missing at a Philander delivery but it was former captain Mahela Jayawardene who was the most disappointed. After seeing off the initial assault, being beaten and surviving an appeal for caught behind, he looked set to score the 46 he needed to get 10,000 Test runs and many more. But when he drove a ball he could have left and was caught by Graeme Smith at first slip, he was furious. He slapped his bat against his leg, in what seemed a painful gesture of dissatisfaction.DRS of the day
Vernon Philander has shown a liking for DRS – using it to claim the wicket of Shaun Marsh last month. In that match, the mad Test of Cape Town, he called for a review without consulting anyone else on the field and was proven right. This time, he did the same, for an appeal for caught behind against Thilan Samaraweera. Normal replays did not show any edge but Hot Spot revealed a tiny white mark that signaled the end of Samaraweera’s innings. The very next ball, Philander stifled his appeal, again for caught behind, but Smith decided to review it, having now developed trust in Philander’s instinct for when something is out. Again, he was correct. A smaller white smudge showed that the ball feathered Kaushal Silva’s glove, giving Philander two in two. His next ball was anticipated to be the first DRS hat-trick but Thisara Perera turned it around to square leg to avoid creating a technological milestone.Uber-casual shot of the day
South Africa had it pretty easy against the Sri Lankan attack and strolled to 72 without loss when Graeme Smith hit the ball down the ground as though it was rolling on a piece of silk. He timed it to perfection, sprinkled with touches of class and brought up his 30th Test half-century with it. Smith was the dominant partner in the stand between himself and Rudolph and led South Africa’s reply with patience and composure.Most sought-after cricketer of the day
Every year, on the first day of a Test match at Centurion, it’s ladies’ day. For R450 (US$60) a ticket, women get pampered with food, drink, massages and a special visit during the day. This time, it was the turn of young quick Marchant de Lange, who is only 21 has been known to call some of the older journalists, “Oom,” (uncle). With close to 300 ladies to impress, de Lange had to turn on the charm, while trying to hide his blushes. His schoolboy looks left the ladies confused as to whether to pinch his cheeks or flutter their eyelids but we were assured a good time was had by all.