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Plays of the day from the first ODI between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Christchurch

Andrew Fidel Fernando11-Jan-2015The change-up
Pushing a batsman back with a bouncer then nailing him with a yorker has been a fast-bowling strategy for many decades, but Mitchell McClenaghan ended up being struck for two fours attempting that most reliable of tricks. His first four balls of the match were dots, then banged in the fifth one for Mahela Jayawardene to climb into an upper cut, which flew over the slips. The next one was full and fast and was punched crisply to the cover fence.The slip
A nervy runner at the best of times, Angelo Mathews knocked a ball into the leg-side in-field in the 23rd over and took off immediately, adamant there was a run. Jayawardene disagreed, however, given the man swooping on the ball was Brendon McCullum. Mathews was a third of the way down the pitch when he registered that Jayawardene was sending him back, but slipped and fell in his haste to change direction. McCullum had pulled off the perfect pick-up-and-throw from short midwicket though, and Mathews was still on his knees when the bails were whipped off.The comeback
McCullum had terrorised a Sri Lankan offspinner at Hagley Oval as recently as last month, and when he began to wallop another today, the match was at risk of ending quickly. He slammed Sachithra Senanayake over wide long-off as soon as he came into the attack, and the first ball of the bowler’s second over went even further, over long-on. Undaunted, though, Senanayake kept flighting the ball, and extracted enough turn from the pitch to beat an advancing McCullum, leaving Kumar Sangakkara with a simple stumping.The catch
Sri Lanka had dropped several simple chances in the Test series, but the arrival of their most prolific catcher and best fielder for the ODIs, prompted some improvement. Kane Williamson had been Sri Lanka’s chief tormentor in the Tests, and it took a special catch from Jayawardene to dismiss him in this match. From around the wicket, Senanayake pushed a ball across the right-hander, who got an edge to it, and though Jayawardene was unsighted by both Williamson and wicketkeeper, he dived low to his left to collect the ball on the third juggle.

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2015Finch’s opening partner, David Warner, though, was bowled for 22 by Stuart Broad•Getty ImagesShane Watson came…and went, nicking one behind first ball•Getty ImagesSteven Smith, too, didn’t last long, as Woakes shattered his stumps•Getty ImagesStand-in captain George Bailey rediscovered his touch, putting on 146 runs along with Finch•Getty ImagesFinch became the first centurion of World Cup 2015 as Australia, aided by Glenn Maxwell and Brad Haddin, ended with 342•Getty ImagesSteven Finn picked up five wickets, including a hat-trick off the last three balls of the innings•Getty ImagesEngland’s chase took off slowly, and just as Moeen Ali was starting to find his groove, Mitchell Starc removed him•Getty ImagesMitchell Marsh dismissed Gary Ballance, and then Ian Bell to reduce England to 66 for 3•Getty ImagesHe also removed Joe Root the very next delivery, and sent back Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler in quick succession, claiming his maiden five-for in ODIs•Getty ImagesStarc bowled Broad; the three Mitchells – Marsh, Starc and Johnson – claimed nine wickets among them•Getty ImagesJames Taylor was left stranded on 98 after James Anderson was run-out under controversial circumstances. The ICC later admitted that it was an error. The decision, however, didn’t alter the outcome of the game, Australia thrashing England by 111 runs•AFP

Inconsistency is perhaps what separates the otherwise indistinguishable Kusal Perera from Sanath Jayasuriya, but the batsman’s recent form seems to have put him back on track

Sa'adi Thawfeeq01-Jun-2015It is nearly four years since Sanath Jayasuriya last played for Sri Lanka. His final game – against England at the Oval – ended a glittering career that was capped with a World Cup win in 1996.The last two years has seen a cricketer almost in the Jayasuriya mould hammering the bowlers to all parts of the outfield and playing shots reminiscent of the man himself.Kusal Perera has all the makings of another Jayasuriya but it has been his inconsistency at the international level that has prevented him from cementing a place in the senior team.The recently concluded series between Sri Lanka ‘A’ and Pakistan ‘A’ brought the best out of Perera in both formats – the four-day game and the 50-over one, where he scored over 300 runs and averaged well over 150 in each series. He emerged as one of the the stand-out batsmen from either side.A left-hander like Jayasuriya, Perera proved to be unstoppable as he piled up scores of 114*, 110 and 87 in the three unofficial ODIs and scores of 119*, 23, 90 and 102* in the three unofficial Tests which reflected in impressive averages of 155.50 and 167 respectively.The national selectors who followed the series were impressed with Perera’s performances and have earmarked him for the upcoming series against Pakistan starting later this month.”We are keeping a very close watch on him. We are impressed the way he batted and we have him in mind for the upcoming series against Pakistan,” said head selector Kapila Wijegunawardene.”We made use of the series to experiment on certain plans we had in mind and Perera was one of them. We are currently in the process of assessing them,” he said.Romesh Kaluwitharana, the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team coach said, “Kusal was hungry to show what he is capable of, he was really keen on playing and performing despite an injury to his hand.”Perera aggravated an injury on the side of his small finger and wrist while keeping wickets during the ODI series against Pakistan ‘A’, but he did not let that hinder his progress. “He displayed a strong head to play and perform,” said Kaluwitharana.Perera opened the batting in the ODI series but batted lower down at No. six in the unofficial Tests. However, it made no difference to his approach as he thrashed the Pakistani bowlers to all parts of the park.”If he is going to keep wickets for Sri Lanka in Tests the wisest thing to do is to bat down the order. The national selectors also think that if he is to play as wicket-keeper in Tests he has to bat lower down. That is the best position for him,” Kaluwitharana said.”Kusal showed he had the patience to adjust from ODIs to Tests, he knew how to shift gears. It’s not only his batting performances but the way he batted was brilliant. I think the selectors are very convinced about his performance,” he said.”I am very happy the way he has performed. I hope he will break into the Test team soon. It’s upto the selectors to decide.”Did Perera effect any technical changes to his batting that turned him into a run machine?”I was looking at him in a different way because he is very different to some of the players,” said Kaluwitharana – a hard-hitting opening batsman and wicket-keeper who was a member of Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup winning squad.”There were a couple of minor adjustments that was done which was good for him. It’s all about hitting the ball with a lot of timing that is the key to the batting. If you look at him, his hand speed with the bat is brilliant and with his talent he can do more wonders.”For me he is something special. He has the ability to take the bowlers apart. Cricket is a game which gives a batsman the edge to dominate the game; when you do that the bowlers will always take a back seat. They’ll try to stop the runs from flowing and go on the defensive which gives them very little chance to take wickets.”When you bat positively and aggressively with a solid defence then the chances of getting your wicket becomes very slim. That’s the key to Kusal’s performances.”

With international cricket being played in the country for the first time during July and August, one of Bangladesh’s biggest challenges will be to cope with the demands made on their players’ fitness

Mohammad Isam01-Jul-2015With Bangladesh set to host international matches for the first time in July and August, the packed schedule will challenge players to cope with the sustained fitness demands of a long season and an unpredictable climate.Bangladesh have had hectic seasons before – there have been five previous instances when the team has played more than 30 international games in a year – but 2015 has been a particularly intense year for the side.After completing the highly competitive Dhaka Premier League in early January, they went straight into World Cup build-up, first at home and then in Brisbane. They played four practice matches before making it to their first knockout stage match in the World Cup, after more than four weeks of intense scrutiny, travel and cricket.The post-World Cup phase comprised the Bangladesh Cricket League one-day tournament, the Pakistan series and a draining series against India, which was capped off by an exhilarating maiden ODI series victory. They now have to prepare for an equally formidable adversary in South Africa.Despite the scenario, Mario Villavarayan, Bangladesh’s strength and conditioning coach, believes the players are well prepared for the workload and have made strides in the awareness required to take care of themselves.”Most of the preparation has been done,” Villavarayan said. “Now it is about maintaining [fitness] and topping it up whenever time permits. In between series there’s hardly any time. During times like the rain-interrupted Fatullah Test, we got chance to work on the players. When they don’t have too much workload on certain days, we top it up in the gym or some running or cycling.”It is a challenge for anybody, for that matter, in Sri Lanka or India. We have got to learn to play in those conditions. We have trained when it was hot. These guys played the BCL game [in late May] in hot weather.”The team has pulled through a gruelling season well despite a string of injuries. Tamim Iqbal said before the India series that he had to remove a malignant tumor in his knee while Shakib Al Hasan is reportedly playing with an injured finger. Mushfiqur Rahim has recovered from a finger injury while Mahmudullah is on the mend after a fracture to the left index finger. Taskin Ahmed, too, is likely to be ruled out of the South Africa series with a left side tear.In spite of the injuries, Villavarayan believes the bigger picture is looking better for Bangladesh. When he joined last year with head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, the perception was that the players were not keen on fitness. Within a few months though, Villavarayan saw an example of the Bangladesh players’ commitment in trying circumstances.’When they don’t have too much workload on certain days, we top it up in the gym or some running or cycling’ – Villavarayan•BCB”When I was coming here, I was given this impression that guys are not that keen on fitness,” Villavarayan said. “The biggest thing that hit me was that last year in July during Ramadan, we were doing running sessions at 3.30 pm in the afternoon.”These boys were fasting but they were running and pushing themselves. Those first few weeks proved I was given a wrong impression about the boys. From that point they have gone on well.”Villavarayan also said he has seen progress in attitudes and training habits of players, particularly in their commitment to fitness during the time spent away from the team.”A month ago I said that I have seen improvement in their attitude and training habits. That’s within one year,” he said.” If they keep going on the same track, we will see progress. They can’t change quickly. It is slow progress. From what I have seen over the last year, it has improved a lot.”I look after them here. When they go home, they have to look after themselves. That is what I have seen improved. They get into good habits and they are doing it at home. It is the main thing. This is the professionalism coming in. If they are not going to do it when I am not around, they are not going to help themselves.”Villavarayan now has to ensure that the team can face its toughest period without too many fitness issues. The series against South Africa is the last one before a break in August and September.”We did our fitness testing before the India series. I have given them individual targets,” he said. “If I have seen a weak area, we work on those. We can’t make massive fitness improvements in between these two series. We need to keep topping up on the weak areas and maintaining the good areas.”

England’s limited-overs captain has not played for a month and says he feels “twice the man” after the break as he prepares to face Australia

George Dobell30-Aug-20151:04

Morgan has his eye on World T20

As English cricket tears itself apart once more, searching for the perfect domestic and international schedule to appease all the different agendas and priorities, the message coming from their limited-overs captain is clear.After a month away from the game, Eoin Morgan described himself as “twice the man” he was. He described himself as “fresh” and “raring to go” and his “attitude, mind and body a lot better.”It is an intriguing message as the review into the structure of English cricket continues. While the traditional view has been that players benefit from several matches ahead of an important series, Morgan will go into the T20 at Cardiff on Monday having not played a match since August 1. And, in that match, he was dismissed without scoring.Morgan has never made much effort to hide his view: the county schedule – the quantity of matches, the travel and the lack of time for rest, recovery and practice – hinders the progress of England players. The domestic grind, with its priorities more towards consistency than flair, has rarely brought the best out of a man who appears to thrive on adrenalin, excitement and the big crowd atmosphere. There are echoes – albeit extreme ones – of the PCA’s recent survey of their members in Morgan’s views.And to some extent, that is great. There have been many players who have excelled in county cricket only to wilt under the pressure of the big occasion. If Morgan is to be the other way around, it could well benefit England. David Gower was not so different.So, a month ago, enduring a wretched run of form in County Championship cricket, Morgan approached the Middlesex director of cricket (and England selector) Angus Fraser and spoke about his need for a break. He was helping neither himself or his team by attempting to fight his way through his modest form – he had suffered a pair in his last Championship match – and concluded that a fresh mind would be of more benefit than more work. It is the sort of decision that might have benefitted Jonathan Trott at one stage.

He dismissed the idea that he will not return to red-ball cricket, but the thought is not so outlandish. There may be merit in him dedicating his future wholeheartedly to limited-overs cricket

The original idea was to take only two weeks away from the game. But as the deadline for a return loomed, Morgan decided that a full month off would be, in his words, “ideal” and thanked Fraser for his ability to see the bigger picture and put England ahead of Middlesex. “I can’t imagine there are many county directors that would have taken English cricket as a priority over possibly Championship or one-day games,” Morgan said.He dismissed the idea that he will not return to red-ball cricket, but the thought is not so outlandish. He has averaged just 10.16 for Middlesex in first-class cricket this season – lower than Steven Finn or Tim Murtagh – and has not made a half-century. There may be merit in him dedicating his future wholeheartedly to limited-overs cricket.That might seem like quite a sacrifice for a man who has always said he left Ireland in the hope of playing Test cricket, but increasingly it looks as if that chapter in his life is over. He does not have a bad record in his 16 Tests – he averages 30.43 and was good enough to score two Test centuries; one of them an excellent innings against Pakistan in demanding conditions – but there are many younger men ahead of him in the tussle for a place now and, if a fresh body and mind is key to his best form, there seems more benefit in concentrating on becoming exceptional in the shorter formats than trying to be decent in all three.And, if England are true to their promise to award equal priority to the shorter formats, there should be no stigma attached to the decision to specialise. England’s record at the last couple of World T20s and the last half-dozen World Cups is wretched. Perhaps having a captain who is not compromised by the demands of Test and county cricket would go some way to changing that.Morgan insists that England’s priority has now turned to “the World T20 and driving our one-day cricket forward.” But even now, those priorities are compromised. Joe Root, arguably England’s key batsmen in all three formats these days, has been – quite sensibly – rested to preserve him for winter tours against Pakistan and South Africa and four of the 13-man squad were involved in T20 Finals day on Saturday.It will be intriguing to see which fare better: those who have recently played or Morgan, who feels refreshed and renewed. The problem for Morgan is that, if he fails, he opens himself up to the charge of having not prepared properly.With only five T20 games to go before they pick their squad for the World T20 (they will play two in South Africa after the squad is announced), England have limited opportunity to look at new players.James Vince, who looks in sublime form and top-scored in the NatWest T20 Blast season, is one man pushing for opportunity, while Reece Topley, the tall left-arm swing bowler who has been the subject of interest from nine counties and is quite certain to leave Essex, is also an intriguing option. Moeen Ali looks set to return to the side, probably in the top three, in place of Root.”The ideal scenario is that we don’t change the ODI team that much to the T20 team,” Morgan said. “That’s Plan A at the moment. We want to get a formula together before the World T20.”I’m hoping we can add five or six more names to the group of players we saw in the last one-day series and then stick with over the next two or three years to build something.”In the last two World T20s, our skill level hasn’t been good enough to string enough wins together. We have, I think, the players to do that, but we need them in good form and to form the right plan to suit the players that we have.”Part of that plan has to accept that several of the squad that travel to India for the World T20 in early March – certainly Root, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Finn and quite possibly Adil Rashid and Alex Hales – will have already had busy winters.The tour of the UAE to face Pakistan, which starts at the beginning of October, ends at the end of November. The tour of South Africa – which starts in less than two weeks later – ends in the final week of February. The benefits of rest may be illustrated by Morgan, but it is hard to see a way that the rest of the squad can be accommodated in the same way.

After a difficult week in which his very place in the team was being questioned, he answered back with an innings of hope, skill and defiance

Alagappan Muthu in Indore14-Oct-20153:14

‘If I can’t take pressure, no one can’ – Dhoni

Indore was in pandemonium. At least a kilometer around the Holkar stadium was cordoned off. The four-way junction at Janjeerwala Square – the final turn before reaching the media persons’entrance – was teeming with people, not traffic. India were playing here after four years, and every bird in the know has been tweeting about a possible run-fest. Finally, the curtain lifted, but India were in pandemonium. At the centre, however and absolutely unaffected, was MS Dhoni. Hopeful. Skilful. Defiant. Tall.”A lot of people wait with open swords and want you to make mistakes,” he said at the presentation ceremony. That number would have grown and their restraint would have waned quickly with India at 124 for 6 and 20 overs left to play. Dhoni is the India captain, and India has a demanding press corps. He has to answer for everything – his poor form, the team’s poor form, death-bowling complaints, and possibly even why the chicken crossed the road. Clearly a lot to handle, and he was frank about it in the post-match press conference.”Even when you score hundreds, the expectation level keeps going up,” Dhoni said. “So we only move one way. The expectation level keeps going up and it definitely puts a lot of pressure on the individual. You can’t really get away from it. I played a lot of international cricket, a lot of different opposition, but I have never played a game where we were not under pressure.”Even if we are playing teams ranked below us, then also we are under pressure. And if we have not done well the media put a lot of pressure on us.”The scrutiny has gotten far more profound in the last few years, and peaked during this series with questions raised over his place in the side, let alone his captaincy. That he could not win a last-over showdown with a 20-year old novice – Kagiso Rabada is clearly talented but he has played only a handful of international games – in Kanpur sharpened the spotlight. Indore could have been the scene of a meltdown. Almost half the innings to play and only Nos. 8, 9, 10 and 11 for company.But Dhoni was hopeful. He couldn’t not be. From 18 off 20 balls in the 31st over, he dabbed and dinked and sliced and glanced to get some runs on the board amid the chaos. Some kind of a launchpad. Then he needed to light the fuse himself because India had no one else. Nine, 10 and Jack can not belt the ball around against Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Rabada.Now for Dhoni’s skill. It seemed like he was barely on strike from the time he got to the crease till the end overs. But then on, Dhoni was everywhere. He would deny singles, hurtle up and down for twos, and pull the leather off the ball for boundaries. South Africa did not get any shot at the tailender. He usually calls finishing a gamble, and this time he did everything in his power to make sure it paid off. Dhoni had come in during the 19th over, and faced only 35 balls by the 35th. So out of the 90 that were left, he took strike for 51 and finished with 92* off 86 balls. The rest made 142 off 215.

Dhoni is the India captain, and India has a demanding press corps. He has to answer for everything – his poor form, the team’s poor form, death-bowling complaints, and possibly even why the chicken crossed the road

Defiance. Of his limitations. Dhoni’s big-hitting ability has decreased. A younger Dhoni used to say he did not need too many balls before putting one into the crowd. At 34-years old, he can not quite deliver on that. Besides, no player at the top of his game would commit to retirement, but Dhoni had mentioned he might have to take a call after the 2016 World T20. That is only five months away. And he is an honest man. He would not express a desire to bat higher on a whim. He must have felt his value to the team would be greater at No. 4 because he would get in early and with time, gain access to his full range of shots. Here, he had the time, and he spent it carefully. No big shots until absolutely necessary. Only two boundaries – both on the leg side when the bowler erred – until the 40th over, and then six fours and three sixes.Let us not forget his defiance of a very fine captain in charge of a very fine team either. “We tried everything in the book to break that partnership,” AB de Villiers said “And I thought we did pretty well to get down to No. 9 and 10 there, but unfortunately he managed it very well and rotated the strike really well and paced his innings really well.”Dhoni was tall. Very tall, especially in his team-mates’ eyes. Every one of them was willing their captain on as he neared a century. It did not matter that the score was far lesser than what they had hoped. They wanted to celebrate Dhoni for taking it all on himself. To show Dhoni the world might criticise him, but they were firmly in his corner. He could not get to triple-figures, but “It doesn’t really matter if I get a hundred or not,” he said. “Definitely it will help the stats, I have more 90s than hundreds. There are not many batsmen who have that so I can proudly say I have more 90s than hundreds.”The impact Dhoni’s 92 had on his bowlers and fielders was stark. India were predatory in their defence of 247. Only 20 times since 1986 have India managed to do that at home. This one was all down to their captain, MS Dhoni.

ESPNcricinfo marks the India players out of 10 following their 3-0 series win against South Africa

Sidharth Monga08-Dec-20155:41

The emergence of a stronger R Ashwin

10R Ashwin (31 wickets at 11.12, 101 runs at 25.25)Man of the Series for a fourth time out of the six series he has played in India. Continued on from the good work in Sri Lanka on pitches that were more helpful and more familiar. The ball came out beautifully, loose balls could be counted on the fingers, and the psychological hold was never released. Contributed valuable lower-order runs for good measure.Ravindra Jadeja (23 wickets at 10.82, 109 runs at 21.8)Unfortunately, there could be only one Man of the Series. Was the perfect foil to Ashwin’s artistry with his high pace and accurate bowling, and with his use of subtle changes of pace and crease. Was a constant thorn for South Africa with the bat. Scored crucial runs from 102 for 5 in Mohali, 125 for 6 in Nagpur and 139 for 6 in Delhi.8Amit Mishra (seven wickets at 17.28)Did not get as many wickets or overs as the two leading spinners. Was the disposable spinner too. But when he played, he picked the big ones. In Mohali he got AB de Villiers twice, in Nagpur he ended the resistance offered by Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis. Captain Kohli was asked if he missed Mishra in Delhi when South Africa frustrated India.7M Vijay (210 runs at 35)In a series dominated by the ball, he gave India the important runs in Mohali and in Nagpur. Did not cash in when it might have been slightly easier in Delhi, but his 75 and 40 in Mohali and 40 in Nagpur set the tone for India’s wins. He will be a little disappointed he did not convert one of them into big runs.6Ajinkya Rahane (266 runs at 53.2)The one man who converted the starts was Ajinkya Rahane. The only man to score a century in the series, he went ahead and got himself another, both in the last Test. That he did not get a start on turning surfaces in the first two Tests will be a little bother.Rohit Sharma came in at No. 3 in Delhi, but his luck did not quite change•BCCICheteshwar Pujara (202 runs at 33.66)Similar to Vijay but just a notch below in quantity. Gave India the runs in Mohali and Nagpur after shaky starts. Looked good for a hundred in the second innings in Mohali. For a man who was not the first choice in Sri Lanka, Pujara has shown his worth to the team for good.Wriddhiman Saha (five catches, two stumpings, 83 runs at 16.6)Not quite MS Dhoni, but began to come into his own as a pure wicketkeeper. Was dogged with the bat, surviving more than 100 balls on the Nagpur minefield. Was the rock in the lower order, which frustrated South Africa.5.5Virat Kohli (200 runs at 33.33)His failures were similar to Rahane’s in the first two Tests that he batted in. When he looked really good, in Delhi, he got out in a freakish manner. Was vigorous as captain. His demand for turning pitches shows a certain selflessness, in that he did not care for his or his other batsmen’s numbers as much as he did for Test wins.5Umesh Yadav (Five wickets at 12)There was not much for him to do in the series, but when there was, in Delhi, he did so with aplomb. He reversed the ball, bowled at a good pace, and provided India the breakthroughs when needed badly on the final day of the series.Shikhar Dhawan (150 runs at 25)Had a horrible start to the series with a pair in Mohali, but showed remarkable application in the remaining five innings that he had. He made the bowlers or the pitch get him out, but the big score is still missing. Might have earned himself another chance, but needs to find a big one soon.3Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron and Stuart BinnyWas not much in there for them in the pitches or the match situation. Ishant remained economical, Aaron produced a superb delivery to get Amla out in Bangalore, and Binny took a special catch.2Rohit Sharma (26 runs at 6.5)India’s big disappointment of the series. They have invested so much in him that he must feel under tremendous pressure in Tests now. What will hurt more is not that he didn’t score runs, but the way he got out on three of the four occasions.