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He’s got the height and the bounce, but staying on the park may prove to be a challenge he’ll need to work on through his career

Firdose Moonda27-Mar-2013The first pitch Mohammad Irfan bowled on in South Africa was the one Makhaya Ntini made his own. East London’s lifeless track offered neither bowler any assistance, so all Irfan could take from it was a lesson – and the man to provide it was watching from the sidelines.While Irfan went about his work, terrifying the South African Invitation XI batsmen in the first tour match, late in January, Ntini watched. He marvelled at the smooth action, the bounce extracted from the surface not even a grasshopper could spring off, and the testing length. But he did not like what he saw before and after each delivery.Irfan did not run, he lumbered. He got to his delivery stride with very little force behind him, and when he finished his follow-through he strolled back to his mark, although it only took a few steps. As the world’s tallest cricketer, he could afford to do that, but he seemed to rely overly on his height at the cost of other virtues.Ntini was known for steaming in and jogging back after each ball. Now retired, he remains exceptionally fit, and did not pick up any major injuries over his 17-year professional career. Ntini attributed his physique to his conditioning and advised Irfan to take note.”He is a very good bowler but he needs to get fitter and stronger, then he can use his height even more,” Ntini said. “He is someone who will make it. He knows what his role is and he is someone who can be a bit like Wasim Akram.”Many agree with that assessment of the seven-foot-one quick, who has just completed his first full tour. His ability is not in question, as proved by the 25 wickets he took in seven matches across all formats. He was Pakistan’s biggest (and some may say only) positive, taking full advantage of bowler-friendly surfaces, with steep bounce and impressive control.Irfan is naturally gifted but it must not be forgotten that even talent needs hard work before it can translate into success. Part of that grind is getting enough exercise to avoid picking up preventable niggles.Twice in the space of two months, Irfan has been injured. Both times it affected his participation in games. Misbah-ul-Haq, who agreed that Irfan “really needs to work hard on fitness if he wants to play in all three formats”, revealed on the team’s departure that Irfan may have played in the Wanderers Test but was ruled out because of a sore shoulder. Had he debuted then, on a spicy track, instead of on the flatter Cape Town pitch, the tone of Pakistan tour may have been set completely differently.He also picked up a hamstring strain during the second ODI, in Centurion, in which he could not complete his full quota of overs. Luckily for Pakistan, he had done enough damage by then for it to not matter too much. “With the kind of physique he has, you have to be careful with him,” Misbah admitted.Modern schedules and managed workloads means the latter half of that statement could apply to almost any player. Australia have introduced a rotation policy for their fast bowlers, and South Africa have placed restrictions on the number of overs Jacques Kallis bowls. Irfan may not need such strict guidelines if he gets fitter.

“He doesn’t come across as a spit-and-blood kind of guy. He seems to be quite placid, and as he plays more Tests he will learn when to get more in batsmen’s faces”Allan Donald

Ntini recommends learning how to run better. “He hasn’t got a very steady running mechanism. So he needs to find someone who can motivate him and help him to just run more. If he gets the momentum of running to the wicket, he can get his pace higher too.”Irfan already regularly bowls above the 140kph mark, which surprised the South Africans, because the reports they heard indicated he was in the mid-130s. If he gets even quicker, he could be more dangerous still, which Misbah is looking forward to.Irfan’s impact in the 50-over game was evident during the team’s tour of India, and he underlined it with his opening spells in South Africa. He troubled the openers consistently and when brought back to make breakthroughs later on, he did not disappoint even if the batsmen were settled.A player that reliable would be an automatic pick for a starting XI but it’s likely Irfan will not be on the team sheet every time Pakistan play. “He should only play selective matches because Pakistan need to give him plenty of rest to avoid long-term injuries,” Azhar Mahmood said, while emphasising that “he is good enough to play all three formats”.Ntini recommends Irfan does not play T20 but concentrates on ODIs and Tests. Allan Donald suggested even those be limited. “I wouldn’t play him in every Test but I would make sure to look after him for the World Cup in 2015.” Pakistan are scheduled to play Tests against everyone except India and England before that tournament and many more ODIs, so the challenge of managing Irfan cannot be ignored.Donald pointed to Irfan’s adaptability. “I’m not just talking about conditions but also about lengths,” he said. “He was able to come in and bowl that Test length, which is just a bit fuller for a tall man, right from the beginning. That’s difficult to do, especially with his height, but he did it well and made the new ball work for him.” Playing more Tests, will also hopefully “teach Irfan to be more aggressive”, a quality Donald has tried to instil in every attack under his command.”He is definitely not shy to get down the pitch and into the impact area, so it looks like he wants to get involved,” Donald said. “But he doesn’t come across as a spit-and-blood kind of guy. He seems to be quite placid, and as he plays more Tests he will learn when to get more in batsmen’s faces and when to try and provoke some sort of reaction.”South Africa’s line-up was often on the receiving end of a cold stare from Irfan, but not many verbal attacks. Apart from the obvious – that his English is limited – Irfan is also the epitome of a gentle giant. At the only post-match press conference he attended, after the Centurion ODI, he was wide-eyed, beaming at everything. He answered questions politely through a translator and soaked up the attention. Afterwards he patiently let the many people who wanted to measure themselves against him and take photographs enjoy the novelty of doing so.He came across as easy-going and unfussed, two important things to take onto a sports field. “I like his demeanour in that he doesn’t get flustered, and he just goes back and bowls,” Donald said. Misbah too has praised Irfan’s temperament, which he said remained level despite the various challenging situations he found himself in.Mentally there is almost nothing Irfan needs to work on, but in terms of technique, Mahmood suggested he put more effort into a certain type of delivery. “He needs to bring the ball back into the right-handers, the inswinger,” he said.Mastering that art takes time, which is not on Irfan’s side. A late bloomer, he is 30, which means he will probably only enjoy half a decade at the international level. Ntini said it could be more but it will be up to Irfan to make it so.”Age does not matter. He will get stronger after 30, but a lot will depend on his knees and ankles. It was only when I got to 30 that I started to understand my game better, and I bowled every delivery better,” he said.Ntini is not the only cricketer to say getting older did, in fact, make him wiser, but he is one of few who could benefit from that knowledge because he had the body to keep going. If Irfan takes only one thing from his tour of South Africa, that should be it.

ESPNcricinfo present the plays of the day from day five at The Oval

George Dobell and Jarrod Kimber at The Oval25-Aug-2013Record of the day
Brad Haddin entered this match needing four dismissals to pass Rod Marsh’s 1982-83 record of 28 in a Test series and he finished the first innings level with Marsh, having picked up three catches. That might have been that, had the match petered out to a dull draw but when Australia set England a target at tea it gave Haddin one session to pass Marsh. His opportunity didn’t take long. In the fifth over of England’s chase, Joe Root flashed outside off stump and tickled Ryan Harris behind, Haddin gloving the chance cleanly to register a world record 29th dismissal in a Test series. Marsh, the selector-on-duty for this tour, said: “I’m delighted for Brad, I just wish he had have broken it by plenty more which probably would have meant we also won the series.”Reception of the day
There is no disguising the fact that Simon Kerrigan has endured a horrid Test debut. But, rather than hounding him, the crowd at The Oval empathised with his pain and encouraged his every involvement in the game. Coming in at No. 11 in England’s first innings, he was afforded the sort of rousing reception usually given to greats of the game playing their last Test on the ground – which is a possibility in Kerrigan’s case – and, when he got off the mark with an almost involuntary jab to deflect a ball heading into his ribs into the legside, he was rewarded with the sort of ovation usually reserved for players reaching a century.Catch of the day No. 1
James Anderson has typified the England approach in this series. Despite looking distinctly jaded at times in the last couple of weeks, he has continued to give his all and here was rewarded for a fine piece of commitment and athleticism with the wicket of David Warner. The batsman, perhaps surprised by a bit of extra bounce, prodded the ball off the splice only to see Anderson, somehow changing direction in his follow-through, diving to his right and holding on to an outstanding, one-handed catch despite jamming his forearm into the pitch as he landed. For a fast bowler with many miles in the legs, it was an outstanding effort.Snub of the day
Australian indignities this series have been many and varied, but the Tasmanian debutant James Faulkner received a curt lesson in English “courtesy” to Ashes opponents when he went to collect a ball that had run away to the boundary towards the Vauxhall End on the final morning. A local spectator, wearing an egg and bacon MCC tie, had picked up the ball and shaped to offer it to Faulkner, before brusquely dropping it to the ground in front of him. It was an un-gentlemanly act, and the notably feisty Faulkner did well to contain his indignation.Tune of the day
As the realisation dawned in England’s second innings that a win really was a possibility, Billy Cooper, the Barmy Army trumpeter, summed up the mood perfectly when he played the Louis Armstrong riff from the song We Have All The Time In The World, from the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s secret service. It was a moment that perfectly encapsulated the feel of the ground as it became apparent that Kevin Pietersen was not in a mood to be denied. Cooper was not allowed to play in the first two Tests of the series (at Lord’s and Trent Bridge), but has been an amusing and sometimes calming presence in every game since.Catch of the day No. 2
Matt Prior finally found some form when the series was deader than Abraham Lincoln. Prior had been in hibernation this series. He hadn’t just failed to make a hundred, he had failed to make a 40. So he must have been happy to be smashing the ball around with confidence today, then he skied one that went straight up on the air. Mitchell Starc ran around to catch it as it swirled away from him. Eventually he dived and caught it with his mouth inches away from the sawdust. Prior was left half-centruryless.

Australia’s plan against left-hand batsmen in this series has been simple – Unleash Mitchell Johnson and pepper them with short deliveries

Sidharth Monga28-Oct-2013He might bowl to the left, he might bowl to the right, but in limited-overs cricket, especially against slightly suspect left-hand batsmen, Mitchell Johnson’s bowling is definitely not shite.Ask Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh, who have been hounded by him in this otherwise high scoring one-day series.Australia’s plan has been clear: let Johnson loose the moment Raina and Yuvraj come out to bat, even if it means bowling him for fewer overs with the new ball. Johnson to Yuvraj this series: five balls, one run, and two wickets. Johnson to Raina: 16 balls, 15 runs, and one wicket. These stats are consistent with the two batsmen’s overall record against Johnson. Yuvraj struggles against him: 76 runs off 129 balls for five dismissals. Raina hits out, but gets out: 51 runs off 47 balls, but he has got out every 12 balls.Before the ODI in Cuttack was washed out, leaving Australia a win away from taking the series, Shane Watson had spoken about getting these one-on-one contests right. “It’s important to get our match-ups right,” he had said. “When we are bowling against their batsmen, we have got our match-ups right. Mitch Johnson certainly provides a big x-factor for us. There are a couple of guys who aren’t as comfortable against the short ball when compared to some of their other batsmen.”The identities of these batsmen are no secret. Yuvraj’s first dismissal to Johnson was to a short ball outside off at searing pace. He fended and edged it, not dissimilarly to how he has done throughout his career. In the next, the ball wasn’t that short, but Yuvraj was caught on the back foot and just pushed at it away from the body. Raina just went for a big pull, and edged it.The bouncer works against these batsmen and it is a precise art. For one, it has to have Johnson’s pace. Then, he has to be fresh and ready when these batsmen come in. And then Johnson has to execute the plan with precision. George Bailey has astutely kept him ready, bowling him for only three overs at the top. Watson said it was a deliberate ploy.”It certainly has been [a plan],” Watson said. “No doubt. After seeing what happened in the Twenty20 in Rajkot, especially [with] Yuvi, when we didn’t get our plans exactly right to him … he is an extremely talented player. If we give him a chance to get away, he certainly hits the ball very sweet.”And also Suresh Raina, he is a high-quality, world-class player as well so we are very lucky to have Mitch bowling with the pace and the control that he has got at this point in time. Certainly a huge weapon for us. We know how important their middle order is for their success. You have seen it work so far throughout this series. Hopefully it can continue to work for a little bit longer.”For a team with two main batsmen suspect against high pace and bounce, India’s overall batting results haven’t been that bad. They even chased 360 successfully. Except in that game, in Jaipur, Raina and Yuvraj were not even required to bat. Watson can laugh about that. “We need to try to get to that stage,” he said. “Even in Jaipur, we didn’t get a chance to get to that middle order because the top order batted so well.”Struggling against Johnson in ODI cricket, if you are a left-hand batsman, is nothing to be ashamed of. Since he made his debut, Johnson has statistically been the best bowler to left-hand batsmen in one-day cricket. He is up there with the best overall too, but against left-hand batsmen, his 82 wickets at 17.24 are a cut above the rest.The two remaining games, with India needing to win both to win the series, are a big test for Yuvraj and Raina. Unless they come in to bat after the 35th over or so, they will have Johnson fresh and waiting for them. How they counter him might even have repercussions on how they are used in the World Cup in Australia.

Shaun Marsh entered the first Test in Centurion with barely any time to think. As he constructed a century that may yet provide the foundations of a famous Australian victory, it was possible to conclude it had been good for him

Daniel Brettig at Centurion12-Feb-2014Picked for Australia, ruled out by injury, rehabilitated in time for the Big Bash League final, flown over to South Africa after all, chosen to play on the strength of two training sessions, facing up to Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel on day one of the series at Centurion.That is a lot to fit into one sentence, let alone one week: the whirlwind left Shaun Marsh with barely any time to think. As he constructed a century that may yet provide the foundations of a famous Australian victory, it was possible to conclude that this rushed state of affairs had been good for him.All Marsh has been able to do is train, travel and play, living on the instincts honed by his years of batting at the similarly bouncy WACA Ground and passed on through the genes of his father Geoff and the instructions of his two coaching mentors for state and country, Justin Langer and Darren Lehmann.Described by the national selector John Inverarity as being “in a very good space” on the day he was first chosen, Marsh has not had the chance to move out of it, his sole focus getting fit and making runs.It was on this very ground two years ago that Marsh occupied a space as far from “very good” as can be imagined. He and his brother Mitchell were dropped from the Perth Scorchers team to play in a Champions League match following a pattern of drinking and poor behaviour that stretched most of the way across the team. He would later be dropped from the Western Australia Sheffield Shield side upon his return home, in the midst of an horrific slump that began during his previous spell in the national team when he cobbled 17 runs in six innings against India.At the time, it seemed inconceivable that he would return to Test cricket. But the ascension of Lehmann to the role of Australian coach last year opened up an avenue by which Marsh would again become a contender. They had worked together fruitfully at King’s XI Punjab in the 2013 IPL immediately before Lehmann was chosen to replace Mickey Arthur. Lehmann, like Inverarity, Langer and many other powerful figures in Australian cricket, was attracted by the purity of Marsh’s technique and the ease of his run-scoring when in form.Smith lauds jetlagged Marsh

Having shared an unbroken union of 199 with Shaun Marsh, Steve Smith was rich in his praise of the man who had only arrived in the country three days before.
“It took me a good week to get over [jetlag] and he’s only been here three days,” Smith said. “He’s certainly probably copping a little bit. Just the way he played today was sensational. He waited beautifully and when they got into his areas he capitalised on it he showed great maturity. The way he’s come back against arguably the best bowling attack in the world and the way he played today was just terrific. I’m really happy for him.”
As for his own burgeoning career, Smith said his game had leapt forward with the aid of greater reserves of patience. “I’ve tightened up my technique for a start, I’m a lot more patient,” he said. “They’re probably the two major factors. Just knowing where my off stump is and being able to leave a lot of balls and wait until the bowlers get into my areas when I want to score. I think that’s probably been the key to my success over the last little bit. Hopefully it carries into tomorrow and long into the future.”

They have had to ignore a record that has remained mediocre throughout a career now comfortably into its second decade. This hundred was only Marsh’s ninth in first-class matches, a tally that looks hopelessly puny when lined up against the 24 compiled by the 25-year-old Phillip Hughes. Like the similarly stylish debutant Alex Doolan, he has often flattered to deceive, including his hundred in Sri Lanka in 2011, when his first Test innings in Palakelle grew to 141 runs every bit as assured as those collected here. The evidence of the eyes conflicts enormously with that of the record book.Watching Marsh subdue South Africa at Centurion, it was easy to see why Lehmann was so taken with him. His simple but powerful method, footwork economical and bat unimpeachably straight, looks very much like that of the finest players. He is capable of judging the location of his off stump wisely also, and left a third of his first 100 balls on a pitch offering lateral and vertical movement. One drive down the ground from Steyn drew purring approval from spectators not always so generous to visiting teams – there are reinforced concrete columns in existence less solid than that stroke.If the chaotic circumstances of his return to the Test team were perversely of some benefit to Marsh, he was also aided by a few other circumstances and moments of good fortune. The faith of selectors and coaches would not have amounted to much had an early inside edge flicked the stumps instead of skating narrowly past them, had Hashim Amla held onto a chance in the gully on 12, or had a chipped drive on 57 floated in the direction of a taller man than Robin Peterson.South Africa, too, were some way short of their best. Electing to bowl first in expectation of the kind of quick kill they have invariably achieved at Centurion, the hosts were overexcited by the bounce on offer and pitched far too short on a regular basis, as evidenced by a conspicuous lack of edges or lbw shouts.Chris Rogers and Michael Clarke both succumbed to bumpers, the opener pinned by Morkel and the captain worried out by Steyn. David Warner and Doolan also perished aiming cross-bat shots to balls short of a length, but it was not an angle of attack that perturbed the WACA-raised Marsh.There would be few troubles either for Steve Smith, who joined Marsh at the uncertain juncture of 98 for 4 following Clarke’s exit. Moved down from his preferred spot at No. 5, Smith announced himself with a cracking square drive from the bowling of Ryan McLaren and went on to play with the kind of unruffled assurance he had exhibited against England on lively strips in Perth and Sydney.As a duo, Marsh and Smith made for a fascinating contrast of form and function. The younger man’s technique is far from smooth but it has become wonderfully effective over time, wrong-footing bowlers where it had once befuddled Smith himself.The only thing ungainly about Marsh was the slight limp he picked up during the innings, likely to be the aftermath of the calf problem that had first scrubbed him from the trip. A team spokesman later denied any calf trouble but said Marsh had complained of stomach muscle soreness. How that affects him over the rest of this match remains to be seen, and another poorly-timed dice with injury would be in keeping with the boom and bust narrative of his career.For now, though, Marsh can afford a moment’s reflection on the past week and what it has brought him. His natural instincts, and those of the selectors who chose him in defiance of much empirical evidence, have been richly rewarded. A very good space indeed.

The cricket world reacts to the ECB ending Kevin Pietersen’s England career

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2014″They’ve distanced him – he fielded at fine-leg for the whole [Australia] series. I thought he could have been managed in a better way. England lost 5-0 and need a huge scapegoat. He didn’t have a great series, by his own record, but the ECB need to explain what he does that they can’t manage any longer. You have to be able to manage mavericks. You can’t have clones around.”
“He was quite outstanding. Many people enjoyed watching him bat – a box-office cricketer – and now sadly it has all come to an end. When we were winning, we didn’t hear anything. When we lose, everyone is pointing fingers at KP – and I find that unfair and unjust.”
“[Alastair] Cook and [Andy] Flower haven’t been able to manage him and have to accept some responsibility. He was an individual; I was one [as well]. You can be an individual within the team but not an individual full stop – take it or leave it. They’ve taken it for long enough and now they’ve said they’ll leave it.”
“It’s time to move on. A line in the sand has been drawn. Captains and team directors have all suffered because of Pietersen’s behaviour. No man is bigger than the game and England have decided Kevin Pietersen got too big for his boots.”
“It’s a bold move when you go without one of your best players … so there must have been things that were happening behind the scenes that Flower and Cook weren’t amused with.”
“It was coming, I think. There was a unanimity of views there from the people that count, so ultimately I think Kevin Pietersen found himself friendless. He had no allies amongst the management, the hierarchy and the senior players as well because Paul Downton [the new ECB director] would have been taking soundings from them at the end of the Ashes tour. It was a pretty horrific Ashes tour and there have been a few victims along the way, but I think he just found himself friendless and with no allies.”
“Can’t believe what I’m hearing and reading tonight! Sad day for English cricket fans, Love or hate him, KP is still the best player we’ve got! The only people who are losing in this whole situation is the England fans! [Giles] Clarke statement yesterday and this today shows poor management!
“No KP for the Caribbean tour later this month against West Indies? That’s really sad for English/international cricket! Don’t let the fans suffer. Was really looking for the hype of having KP in the Caribbean, would be big tickets sales for us. #Sad – Learn to MANAGE Big Names!”
“That’s a big call regarding a big player, a big-ticket item. He is a guy who believes in his own ability as much as anyone I’ve ever come across and he outwardly expresses that unashamedly. That does divide opinion. Some people think that’s too brash and too arrogant and it’s not the way you go about being in a team sport. For me it’s a personality better suited to an individual sport, [but] there is a lot of those qualities and traits required in cricket.”
“KP no longer English property but will remain hot property on the T20 circuit around the world. #IPL #CPL #BBL #RAMSLAM to mention a few!”
“Can’t believe what’s happening with KP! Stay strong boss!”
“I think he is [a loss to international cricket], he was their highest run-scorer, a world-class player, but we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors and in their camp, so we can’t talk on their behalf … I know through playing with KP at Delhi, he likes to encourage the other guys coming through. His door’s always open if you want to ask him a question, or if you need to work out a plan for the next game, say you’re playing Malinga and you’re a young kid, he’ll give you advice on how to approach that. He’s always been helpful to me.”

Forty-two years old, and more than two decades into a journeyman career, Pravin Tambe is living the dream on the big stage

Nagraj Gollapudi28-May-2014For the first five years of the IPL, Pravin Tambe was the liaison manager for teams at the DY Patil Sports Academy ground, where he has worked since 2004. His kids would push him to get them autographs of their favourite players, and his friends would pester him to get them a picture with Sachin Tendulkar.He kept a notebook handy for the autographs. “But I would feel uncomfortable, because if a player refused I would get hurt,” Tambe says. “I am a touchy guy and tear up if people hurt me.” As for Tendulkar, Tambe did manage to get his friends pictures, but he said he could not utter a word in the batsman’s presence.Five years on, Tambe is the one signing autographs. He finished on top of the wickets table in last year’s Champions League T20. And in the current IPL season he has been Rajasthan Royals’ leading wicket-taker, with 15 at a strike rate of 19.6. He and team-mate Shane Watson are the only bowlers to have taken hat-tricks this season.Tambe’s success has gained the attention it has largely because of his age. Most people can’t believe a 42-year-old can find a role in a tournament and format designed for twentysomethings. Tambe has earned his place by taking wickets, tightening the screws in the middle overs, and being one of Royals’ go-to bowlers.Like the story of offspinner Nathan Lyon, who went on to play for Australia after working as a groundsman at Adelaide Oval, Tambe’s is a tale not written overnight, filled with two decades of hard work and passion.

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It has been 15 years since Tambe married his wife, Vaishali. When they got engaged, he made it clear to her that cricket was his passion. She supported him, but last year, before he was picked for Royals, she questioned his commitment.”We were watching TV after I returned from training,” Tambe says. “She suddenly burst out, asking how many more years I was going to carry on playing, and why didn’t I do something big. She hadn’t said anything like that before.” After he came home from the 2013 IPL, she said: “So you do accomplish what you say you will.”Tambe started playing club cricket in the 1995-96 season with Parsee Cyclists in the D division in Mumbai’s domestic league. He then moved to Parsee Gymkhana in the B division and finally to the top league when he joined Shivaji Park Gymkhana, one of the city’s oldest and most illustrious clubs, one that has produced many Mumbai and India stalwarts.In the course of his time in the game Tambe has bowled against all kinds of batsmen – the illustrious, the industrious, and mavericks. He started out as a medium-pace bowler and lower-order batsman in tennis-ball cricket, where he originally made his name, including in the once-prestigious Matchless tournament.Once, when playing for Orient Shipping in the Thosar Shield, his captain, Ajay Kadam, sensing the pitch was slow, asked if Tambe would try bowling spin, since he used to put some revs on his slower delivery.

“I was the highest wicket-taker in CLT20 and many did ask me to raise my base price to Rs 30 lakhs ($51,000 approx). But more than money, I wanted to play. My fear was: what if no franchise bought me?”

“The advantage of playing in [Take them on].” That gives me a lot of confidence.”Could this be his last IPL? “I don’t think so, because I don’t feel tired. I just want to play on.”Tambe knows his story is now a motivation for others to not give up on their dreams. Youngsters at the club where he coaches used to sulk when they were not selected for Under-16 and U-19 tournaments. “Now whenever a guy gets dropped he tells me he will get picked next time.”Ian Bishop, the former West Indies fast bowler who now commentates in the IPL, points out that Tambe has been successful because he plays every day like it’s his last match. That could be true, because Tambe is past the point of looking at his performances as a ladder to take him to bigger, better things. For him the joy of playing cricket alongside great, good and normal cricketers is his biggest dream achieved.People often ask him about how he managed his transformation. “I only tell them that if you love the game then continue playing. Don’t bother about where you will end up.”

Peter Moores admits England have to work fast ahead of the World Cup but there is an all-too-familiar sense of chaos about their planning

George Dobell01-Sep-2014It seems to be a characteristic of England cricket that, while other teams utilise the natural four-year cycle in the schedule to prepare their team for the next World Cup, the English react to the impending event like a long-married man who has forgotten his wedding anniversary.Oh, they may rush to the florist and scribble a card. But the end result still tends to look ramshackle and hurried with a sense that they are hoping, rather than expecting, that things will turn out all right on the night.The 2015 World Cup carries all the hallmarks, from an England perspective, of the five that preceded it. Six months out from the event, England are not sure of their tactics or their team. In a format of the game where role definition is so important, England do not know who will fill the allrounder positions – a month ago, you might have thought Ravi Bopara was a certainty. They do not know who will bowl at the death – the experiment with Chris Jordan may well be shelved. They do know who will bowl spin – Moeen Ali is likely to win another opportunity before the end of this series. And questions over the position of the captain will remain until Alastair Cook can start contributing more with the bat.Lagging behind? England have drafted in Alex Hales but Alastair Cook’s position at the top of the order continues to come in for scrutiny•Getty ImagesSuffice to say, after four ODI series defeats in five – and there is something of an irony in the fact that the series they won, in the Caribbean, came in a team sans Cook, when they were trying to provide extra opportunities to their T20 players ahead of the World T20 – they are not among the bookies favourites for the World Cup.Peter Moores knows all this. He knows that he did not inherit a hand bursting with aces, after the retirement of Graeme Swann, the banishment of Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott’s illness. He knows the team are not playing well enough to win a World Cup. He knows he is running out of time.”We’ve got to work fast,” Moores said ahead of the fourth ODI of the series against India at Edgbaston. “We’ve got to accelerate the development of the team quicker than might be normal to get ourselves really competitive by the World Cup.”It was noticeable that, while Moores unambiguously backed Cook to lead England at the World Cup – “Yes, I’m confident he will” – he offered far less security to other players. In short, his message was, there are still places to be won in this side.”What we’re doing is we’re trying to find a balance for our team,” he said. “That’s part of the process we’re going through. We’re creating opportunities and, if you play well enough and you show you can score consistently enough, you get to stay in the team.”Our goal is to basically try to draw this series but also to prepare for a World Cup. To do that we’ve got to identify the right people in the right slots to play a brand of cricket that players feel they can deliver and be successful against the best teams.”There’s still time for people to force their way in. We’ve had a lot of change and that creates opportunity. We need to get enough experience in there but also there’s a chance to try some different things. We’ve looked at different options and that helps you evaluate a side to play in that World Cup and win.”A substantial part of their problem is the form of the captain. While the value of England’s ODI tactics can be argued either way – and the depth of feeling against their somewhat old-fashioned game plan does little to appreciate the danger of two new balls or England’s success up to the end of the Champions Trophy – there is no avoiding the fact that, if they are going to field two technically correct accumulators in the top three, one of them has to go on and contribute a match-defining total.It is not only 37 innings and 26 months since Cook made an ODI hundred, he has not reached 80 in that time either. If a player is going to devour the number of deliveries, particularly Powerplay deliveries, that Cook tends to devour, they really do have to produce something at the end of it.Peter Moores on…

Using analysis: “The brain of a top-flight player is a fantastic bit of kit. It works fast, it takes bits of information, it sees things that sometimes a computer might not. We have to use that. The best players in the world have the ability to adapt quickly on the field, more than off the field. If analysis is being used to add clarity and help people develop their thinking, great. If it’s there to replace their thinking then it’s flawed.”
Eoin Morgan: “I’m not saying whose place is safe or not safe but Eoin is frustrated he hasn’t got a score. His skill, once he gets up and running, is that he’s hard to bowl dots to and he can attack pretty well any sort of bowling. I see him as a real key component as we go forward.”
Playing Moeen Ali and James Tredwell: “We could play both. Probably two offspinners in the same team wouldn’t normally be your absolute ideal. Moeen’s not had much opportunity yet. We saw him rapidly develop as a Test match bowler and we want to create opportunities for him at some point, to look where he’s at. We’ve seen always in international cricket some people grow very fast and that’s what we have got to find out.”

But despite Cook looking in wretched form at Trent Bridge, Moores insisted the captain was inching his way back to his best. “I think his form is going the right way,” Moores said. “If you come out of a Test match series averaging just under 50, you know you’re starting to get back into some sort of form.”He’ll be the same as everybody else, in that in the last two games – after we’ve got off to two good starts – he’ll be disappointed that he personally couldn’t push on and get a more significant score. But he’s hungry and his form is coming back. He’s starting to hit the ball better.”When he’s in form, he’s got his way of playing that can be effective in one-day cricket. It doesn’t mean he’s exactly where he wants to be, and I don’t think we are as a side.”That is true. But Moores remains confident that it is not England’s tactics that are flawed as much as their current failure to execute them. He remains unapologetic about preferring batsman such as Cook and Ian Bell to the likes of Jason Roy and James Vince.”When you bat in any one-day international, the second part of it is when you increase your scoring rate,” Moores said. “We have to score at the right rate for the pitch. There’s been lots of talk about scoring 300, but that doesn’t happen all the time. In different conditions you have to score what is a winning score on that pitch.”You’ve got to have a balance in your team of people who strike the ball and also people that rotate, that’s part of the job. You need to know you can create situations when some of your strikers, the Jos Buttlers of this world, have the freedom to play that sort of game.”We know we have people who can score at a very high rate. Alex Hales at the top, then Eoin Morgan and Buttler. But to get to that point, you’ve got to get in and build an innings.”The very best in the world are striking at 88, 89 in 50-over cricket. You can’t really go much above that, unless you’re batting in the bottom part and you’re whacking it from ball one. Fifty-over cricket isn’t quite the same as people just walk out and whack it. The best sides don’t do that either.”This pitch should suit England. It has not been used for 14 months and is expected to provide little assistance to spinners and a bit more to seamers. With a 10.30am start in a distinctly autumnal September, though, it may well prove to be a bowl-first surface. The large crowd – more than 20,000 spectators are expected – might want to arrive in good time to see what may prove the key passage of play.England’s safety-first approach might not be popular but, on a seaming pitch in Birmingham, it may prove ideal. You might ask whether that bears any relation to the conditions anticipated in Australia, in particular, at the World Cup. But a drowning man probably doesn’t worry about his pension.

Zimbabwe’s marks out of 10 following their disappointing series in Bangladesh

Devashish Fuloria17-Nov-20148Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor had vastly contrasting series•AFPHamilton Masakadza (356 runs, Avg 59.33)After hardly making a dent in the first Test, Hamilton Masakadza illustrated why Zimbabwe had pinned their hopes on him as he went on to score a career-best 158 and followed it up with two more half-centuries. With past experience of playing in Bangladesh, Hamilton was expected to be an important cog. He held one end together, and at times, was immovable. Additionally, he picked up three wickets with his part-time medium pace.Regis Chakabva (317 runs, Avg 63.40)Registered his maiden Test century during the Khulna Test. All through that innings, his quick footwork and range of shots helped him counter the spin threat. Frequently, he would use his feet to hit over the top or employ the sweep. The presence of Hamilton Masakadza perhaps helped him in pacing his innings and improved his confidence progressively. Playing on turning pitches for the first time, Chakabva was probably the biggest positive for Zimbabwe. He batted the most deliveries among the Zimbabwe players.Tinashe Panyangara (14 wickets)The lone seamer in the top five wicket-takers in the series, Panyangara announced himself with a ripper to Tamim Iqbal in the first Test. With the bounce in the pitch favouring his bowling, he went on to collect a five-wicket haul that put Zimbabwe in a position from which they could have controlled the Test. He played a support act in the second innings but was again crucial in keeping the match open. In less helpful conditions, Panyangara didn’t get the rewards but he remained disciplined.6Sikandar Raza (243 runs, Avg 40.50)Was comfortable against the Bangladesh spinners and registered three half-centuries, but he wasn’t able to convert them to bigger scores. His 51 in tough batting conditions in Dhaka was probably at par but Zimbabwe needed more from him in the next two Tests where batting was simpler. He picked up five wickets with his part-time offspin too.5Natsai M’Shangwe (7 wickets)Joined the team for the second Test. After a tough first innings during which he struggled to find the right length, he settled into a better rhythm in the second. Found more turn and bounce compared to Zimbabwe’s first-choice legspinner, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, and picked up four wickets in the second innings of the Khulna Test. Bowled the most overs in the series for Zimbabwe.4Elton Chigumbura (135 runs, 5 wickets)Another Zimbabwe player who had past experience of the conditions and was expected to play a role. Although he was impressive with the discipline in his bowling, he wasn’t able to pick up wickets. It was his batting skill that Zimbabwe needed, but unfortunately, his only innings of note came too late in the series.Malcolm Waller (6 wickets)Made regular strikes with his part-time offspin, including Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim off consecutive deliveries in the second innings. But he was disappointing with the bat, scoring just 10 runs in two innings.Tendai Chatara (3 wickets)Played the first two Tests and created a lot of pressure by keeping one end tight. He was the most economical of all Zimbabwe bowlers but his failure to pick up wickets eventually forced Zimbabwe to drop him from the XI for the last Test.2Tinashe Panyangara wrecked Bangladesh with a five-for in Dhaka, but his team was unable to capitalise•AFPBrendan Taylor (135 runs, Average 27)The biggest disappointment for Zimbabwe. Taylor, along with Hamilton Masakadza, has been the best batsman for his team over the last few years and just like Hamilton, he was one of the few players with knowledge of the Bangladeshi conditions. He scored a fighting 45 not out in the second innings of the first Test when Zimbabwe’s batting crumbled around him, but as the conditions improved for batting, Taylor’s form waned.Craig Ervine (112 runs, Average 18.66)Did not do justice to his position as a middle-order batsman. Four times in the series, he was dismissed for less than 20 and his highest score was 34.1The restThe experienced Vusi Sibanda was dropped after his twin failures in Dhaka. The young Brian Chari replaced Sibanda but appeared raw for Test cricket. Zimbabwe’s first-choice spinners – John Nyumbu and Kamungozi – failed to take advantage of conditions on which Bangladeshi spinners ran through their side. Nyumbu also dropped crucial catches and lost his place in the team.

ESPNcricinfo rates the Sri Lanka performance from the Test series against New Zealand

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Jan-20157
Kumar Sangakkara (215 runs at 53.75, 1 century)
Was swung twice cheaply by Trent Boult at Hagley Oval, but then he did what Sangakkara does. He went to the nets, took his game apart and came back with a strategy that produced an innings of outstanding value at the Basin Reserve, contributing 203 of the team’s 356. He was unhappy with the DRS decision that brought his overseas Test career to a close in the second innings. He was, at times, also poor in the field, particularly on the first day of the series, when he dropped New Zealand’s two top-scorers in quick succession.Dimuth Karunaratne (185 runs at 46.25, 1 century)
His 152 at Hagley Oval, against an attack smelling blood and a pitch that still had plenty in it, was a knock that should give him immense confidence in his defensive technique. But in Wellington, he returned to a pattern of getting in, then getting out, hitting 16 and 17. He has batted himself into a World Cup spot with that century however, and should now get a long run in the Test side, too. He was the only opener, from either side, to make more than 50 in an innings.6
Lahiru Thirimanne (111 runs at 37, 1 fifty)
Made two starts in Christchurch, including a three-hour 25 that gave Karunaratne vital support, but he saved his best for the final innings of the series. His 62 not out gave some credibility to what was effectively a Sri Lanka collapse. He is now a key member of the ODI middle order, so perhaps that innings was a timely return to form with the matches that are to come. Bowled a few tidy overs of seam as well.Angelo Mathews (139 runs at 34.75, 2 fifties; 4 wickets at 24.25)
This was the series in which Mathews’ average as captain finally fell from the stratosphere. He still averages 76.25 as leader, but will be disappointed at having not having played more impactful innings, particularly in Wellington. He used himself sparingly with the ball due to injury concerns, but his canny seamers were handy at times. The absence of lieutenant Mahela Jayawardene showed in this series. Mathews was a little slow to adjust at times and was guilty of easing off when Sri Lanka were close to a winning position at the Basin Reserve, but he still has plenty of time to learn.5
Suranga Lakmal (6 wickets at 44.33)
Menacing in the first innings of each match, but lacking threat when the ball grew old and the pitch got flatter, Lakmal perhaps was not as tight with his lines as he has been in the past as well. The Sri Lanka coaching staff see him as the spearhead of this pace attack, and will back him to own that title more than he has done in New Zealand.4
Kaushal Silva (92 runs at 23, 1 fifty)
Hit a fifty in the second innings in Wellington to salvage what was otherwise a poor tour. He got some outstanding balls in Christchurch, but although he is a manufactured opener (he batted in the middle order for SSC), he can’t use that excuse for long. Silva knows he needs to convert his half-centuries into big ones. Happily for him, the team trusts he will eventually begin to contribute big runs, just as he does in first-class cricket.Dhammika Prasad (4 wickets at 57.75)
Bowled a few very good deliveries through the series, particularly to right-handers, who were tested by his indippers. Mathews said he was largely pleased with the seamers’ performance, but on helpful tracks, Sri Lanka needed more wickets from their hit-the-deck quick.3
Prasanna Jayawardene (49 runs at 12.25, 5 dismissals)
Once the best keeper in the world, Jayawardene’s glove work has slipped in recent years, and his miss off Kane Williamson on the fourth morning of the Wellington Test proved costly for Sri Lanka. With the bat, he was not capable of handling the moving ball as well as he has done in the past either.One Test7
Nuwan Pradeep (7 wickets at 25.71)
Bowled beautifully to take four scalps in the first innings in Wellington, and it was in large part due to his penetration that Sri Lanka achieved a first-innings lead there. Pradeep bowled a fuller, more testing length than the other Sri Lanka quicks, and moved it enough to get rewards as well. However, he did drop a sitter off Kane Williamson, which probably cost Sri Lanka the match, and his batting could do with a little attention as well.6
Dinesh Chandimal (80 runs at 40, 1 fifty)
Hit an important 67 alongside Kumar Sangakkara in the first innings at Wellington, to help ensure Sri Lanka eclipsed New Zealand’s score. He appears to be batting more freely than he has in the past year, and has also worked out a better strategy against the bouncers that kept dismissing him in the middle of 2014.5
Tharindu Kaushal (2 wickets at 103.5)
Kaushal had a traumatic first day of Test cricket, when he was walloped to all parts of Hagley Oval by Brendon McCullum, and yet, there was so much to like about the 21-year-old offspinner. He kept tossing the ball up, even under duress, and encouragingly, got plenty of dip and turn on both his stock ball and doosra. He needs to work on his control, but he is a fine prospect.4
Shaminda Eranga (2 wickets at 51)
His omission from the second Test was a surprise, given his past performances, but he had been off-colour in Christchurch, and did not bowl as tightly as he did in England. Was whacked off his length by a rampant McCullum, and recovered from that only in the second innings.3
Rangana Herath (1 wicket at 161)
Accurate as ever in Wellington, but lacking the bite he gets when he is at his best. Did not work the New Zealand batsmen out as well as he has in the past either, but perhaps they have just learned to play him better. The lack of significant turn in the Basin Reserve pitch didn’t help, but then he was outperformed by Mark Craig.1
Niroshan Dickwella (6 runs at 3)
Dickwella’s first international Test went poorly, as Tim Southee and Trent Boult picked him up once each. He is being looked at as a long-term wicketkeeper batsman though, so will likely have more opportunities.

Steven Smith had a tough day as captain in Brisbane too, but there he maintained an outward calm at least; today, as Virat Kohli and KL Rahul gathered their runs, he was harried and did not handle things at optimum levels

Daniel Brettig at the SCG08-Jan-20151:41

‘Cannot afford to drop someone like Kohli’

Until Shane Watson popped up with his first return of more than one wicket in a Test innings since November 2011, the most indelible image of Australia’s third day at the SCG was Steven Smith sprawled on the pink sponsors’ logo at the Randwick End, pointing accusingly up at “the f****** wire”.Quite apart from the unnecessary complications of trying to take a catch through the wires of Spidercam, this was Smith’s most difficult day as captain since his first, also in the field at a sweltering Gabba. Wickets were hard to come by, chances were not taken, and in KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, Smith and his bowlers found a pair of Indian batsmen not prepared to bow to Australia’s gargantuan first-innings tally.In Brisbane, Smith had faced up to his first challenging day as captain with an energetic smile and only the occasional grimace. His visage remained largely calm, even though three bowlers succumbed to ailments of various kinds, and M Vijay set a strong agenda for the the match with a fine 144. Smith’s only transgression had been to allow the over rate to sag, leaving him with a fine and the threat of a suspension by the end of a match that would be turned around to a victory inside four days.But at the SCG Smith was harried and frustrated by events, both those conspiring against him and others he could have handled better.The Spidercam episode was clearly a case of the former – though Smith was shielding his eyes from the midday sun, the sight of the camera itself in his peripheral vision and the wires in his line of sight to the ball directly above him were a distraction no international cricketer should have to cope with when trying to claim a catch. His frustrations at that moment were obvious, and the Australians fumed through their lunch break as Cricket Australia and Channel Nine drafted up a joint statement that grudgingly conceded the operators’ error.Adversity is one thing, how it is handled quite another. As Darren Lehmann said of his words to the team at the interval: “Yeah just play the game, can’t change the past – if you could you’d be a millionaire wouldn’t you? So from our point of view it’s a case of getting on with the job at hand and bowling a lot better. I thought we bowled pretty well all day, and create more chances, then we obviously put down another one. So you can’t worry about what happens, you’ve got to try to create more chances.”Australian frustration at Rahul’s reprieve lingered into the afternoon nonetheless, and the critical chance went down at a time when the red mist had not yet lifted. As he did in Melbourne, Kohli offered up a brief period of vulnerability against the second new ball, which was used very well by Mitchell Starc in what has been an encouraging effort as the team’s nominal strike bowler this Test.There were moments on day three at the SCG when Steven Smith’s frustrations were all too obvious•Getty ImagesHis extraction of some useful swing in his first over was complemented by additional bounce in his second, and a perfectly pitched ball across Kohli drew an ideal edge. The ball traveled at a height and a pace, but Smith was ideally placed to take it over his head. Spidercam did not obscure his vision, but its memory probably clouded his mind. Smith’s hands were not sufficiently soft, and the ball burst through.Immediately his head bowed, and he stood motionless as Kohli gained an extra two runs on the way to a fourth hundred of the series. Smith had led by example with his catching in Brisbane, but now he had been unable to do so.Joe Burns was the other target for the ball, his long shift at short leg drawing no fewer than three shots from Rahul that reached him on the full. No chance was straightforward, but one of these would have been enough to lift the team. Short leg has not been a specialist position for Australia since Smith gained the captaincy, with Chris Rogers vacating after he was struck badly in Brisbane. It is not pleasant, but the likes of David Boon and Simon Katich have shown the value of a consistent posting.Once Kohli and Rahul had both made their hundreds, Australian shoulders were sagging. Rogers was off the field with a back spasm, and Starc responded to his return catch of Rahul with a tired non-celebration. At this moment of weakness, Watson responded with a nagging spell, enjoying the good fortune that had eluded him when he earlier coaxed Rahul into the stroke that flirted with Nine’s camera.A skidder thudded into Ajinkya Rahane’s back thigh, seeming to keep lower than it did and causing Richard Kettleborough to raise his finger. Suresh Raina had become well acquainted as a source of hope for opposition Test bowlers at the time he lost his place, and once again he did so, offering an open face at a ball going across him and edging into the hands of a suddenly gleeful Brad Haddin, who appeared to be grinning even before the ball reached him.These two balls served to even out the day somewhat, and in their huddle the Australians would have done well to remember that for all the travails of the technology suspended above their heads, they had also enjoyed a share of good fortune. Not least of this was the Nathan Lyon offbreak that shot through under Rohit Sharma’s bat to bowl him.Had Smith held that catch from Starc, the concerns about Spidercam would not have lingered anywhere near as much. The luck had evened out enough to conclude they had not, in the end, been more sinned against than sinning.