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What happens when Sourav Ganguly comes home – on the opposition side – in the most awaited match of the year’s IPL?

Sidharth Monga07-May-2012Bengalis can be neatly divided along the lines of a few rivalries. They are either or . came from east to west Bengal at the time of partition, always lived in the west.Regardless of whether they are or , they like either Pele or Maradona. Their team is either East Bengal or Mohun Bagan, Brazil or Argentina. The twain do not meet. This is no laughing matter. Bengalis can spend hours debating these things at roadside , coffee shops and pubs. Support is absolute and stubborn, never-changing. It has to be either-or.Slightly less intense than the sports affiliations are the Amitabh Bachchan-Rajesh Khanna debates. Then there are certain non-negotiables – those for whom it is blasphemous to think worthy rivals exist, icons without parallels. Kishore Kumar. RD Burman. Manna Dey. Sourav Ganguly.Ganguly. .Kolkata was a great sport-loving city, selling out cricket and football matches long before Ganguly arrived. Once he did arrive, though, he took the mania to another level.He shares a special relationship with Kolkata fans. Arguably no other Indian player, not even Sachin Tendukar, has had such a bond with his home city. Form matters little. If you are not on the side of , you are on the wrong side of Kolkata.Rahul Dravid and his Indian team experienced that six years ago. Ganguly had been dropped, and he and the coach, Greg Chappell, were in the middle of a public spat. At such a delicate time India came to Kolkata to play South Africa in an ODI. A green pitch was rolled out, the crowd booed India, and though infamous for having stopped two international matches before this because they couldn’t bear to see India lose, they now applauded South Africa for thrashing the team that had no use for their . Dravid commented upon arrival in Mumbai that it felt good to be back in India.This kind of thing is not unique. When Bajan Anderson Cummins was not picked for West Indies back in 1992, Barbados almost rioted, and boycotted the match. A slogan at the near-empty stadium read, “No Cummins, no goings.” In the late ’80s in Perth, almost every Australian wicketkeeper on national duty was booed at the WACA, because Perth believed that place belonged to Tim Zoehrer. Hell hath no fury like love for a favourite sportsman combined with perceived injustice to said hero.May 3
The whole of last week has been one big build-up to match of this IPL, never mind that there has been no break from non-stop IPL games, merging into each other like the contents of one large multigrain . You might struggle to keep abreast with who is playing whom, where and why, but this match has been pencilled in.Ganguly no longer represents Kolkata in the IPL. The perceived injustice is conspicuous here. Kolkata Knight Riders, the city franchise owned by film star Shah Rukh Khan, first took away his captaincy, and then eventually, as they say in corporations, let him go. The new captain, Gautam Gambhir, had to struggle for acceptance at first, but time has passed since then, and he has been leading from the front this year. Knight Riders are not far from their second straight appearance in the knockouts.Ganguly’s wife has been quoted as saying she is sure the whole of Kolkata will come out to support “their “. Chain emails have been informing philistines that Warriors are owned by a Bengali and captained by a Bengali, as opposed to Knight Riders, who are owned by a Delhi Pathan who now lives in Mumbai and captained by a brash Punjabi from Delhi.

An email arrives from Google India with statistics on web searches over the last week. Ganguly leads the way with a whopping 41%. Only 11% of those searching for cricket have looked for MS Dhoni

You land in Kolkata on a hot, muggy afternoon and the first billboard you see outside the Dum Dum Airport stars Ganguly. Only further in towards the city do you see Knight Riders on billboards. In sets of three. Mostly advertising heavy . The message on those billboards is: “Play to earn your respect”. Somebody at the ad agency knows the dynamic between this team and its city.Knight Riders don’t stand a chance here, I think, if Ganguly gets anywhere close to getting on a roll. They could be playing against close to 70,000 people. The likes of Gambhir have benefited from it in the past, notably in a Test against South Africa when the visiting side just froze in the noise. Bear in mind the stadium was only half full then, because one part had been brought down as part of World Cup renovations.Times have changed. The first myth to be busted in Kolkata is that Bengalis are blind supporters of Ganguly. They understand that their is not a natural fit – at this age – for Twenty20. This format needs a constant attempt to convert regulation ones into twos. There is little time to play yourself in, much less to make up for it later. Ganguly has been going at a strike rate of under 105.Yet Ganguly created some hysteria with a Man-of-the Match showing against the strongest side in the league, Delhi Daredevils. Who doesn’t love them an underdog? What a celebratory run he went on after taking a wicket in that match. Surely that converted the doubters?In today’s age, though, that game, played 12 days ago, is already history. Half the people I talk to about Ganguly want to know why he is not letting Steve Smith bat. Smith, the Australian allrounder who went from being the next Warne to the white Ravindra Jadeja in no time, has been going at a strike rate of close to 150, but hasn’t – batting after Ganguly – had enough time in the middle to score even a fifty. What times, I say to myself, that Kolkata is questioning Ganguly’s batting ahead of Smith. Then again, such is the game, the format of it, that Ganguly has chosen to play at the age of close to 40.Then there are those who sympathise with how hard Ganguly is trying, but say the eye, the shots, are just not there. One of them, my host, a man who played cricket for Mohun Bagan, has followed Ganguly’s career from when he was an adolescent and nicknamed Maharaj (king), and watched his Lord’s century live. He doesn’t like Twenty20 because the contest, he says, is now between bat and bat, not bat and ball. Even he is interested in this match, though. He says Knight Riders have earned acceptance here, especially among youngsters. He is also of the view that Ganguly shouldn’t continue playing because he is clearly not half the player he was. “If you were to go to the game, who will you support?” I ask. “Sourav, of course,” he says without a moment’s thought. That’s Kolkata.I go to the office to meet a friend. We get to discussing Ganguly and his relationship with the city. An email arrives from Google India with statistics on web searches over the last week. Ganguly leads the way with a whopping 41%. Only 11% of those searching for cricket have looked for MS Dhoni. We discuss how irrational sport fans can be, and how understanding their behaviour and preferences is one of marketing’s biggest challenges.On my way out, not carrying a , a cardinal mistake in Kolkata, I am caught in a downpour – almost expected after the oppressive heat and humidity during the day. People on the street are worried about the game already. “?” [What if it rains?]May 4
The Saturday game is the event of the year. Four days ago, the Cricket Association of Bengal released 10,000 tickets for sale. More than 25,000 prospective buyers turned up. Hundreds of policemen had to maintain order, the obligatory charges were carried out, and the tickets were gone in no time.Shah Rukh Khan: win-win situation•AFPThe mind games begin. The Warriors’ CEO, Deep Dasgupta, says it is all on account of one man. Knight Riders’ Jeet Banerjee says it would be inaccurate to credit it all to Ganguly; Knight Riders, after all, have been drawing crowds too.For the last four days, the lead sports story in the newspapers – English, Bengali, Hindi – has been this match. One of the reports says how Jagmohan Dalmiya – how can you keep him down? – tried to install big screens all over the city for those who missed out on tickets, but the police have more than enough to handle at Eden, let alone more crowds outside the stadium. In the newspapers Ganguly is always Sourav on second mention, not Ganguly. Gambhir, Dravid, Kumble, Tendulkar are just cricketers. Sourav is theirs.Any discourse about Bengalis is incomplete without emotion and overstatement. Historian and cricket writer Ram Guha has been quoted thus: “I don’t want to sound hyperbolic, but Sourav Ganguly, for many Bengalis, has been without question the most popular icon after Subhas Bose. His being dropped from KKR last season was seen by many as a kind of repeat of Bose being driven out of the Congress by Gandhi.”How can politics be far away? I am told that Ganguly always supported Bengal’s former Communist government, and that he is not liked by the current chief minister, Mamata Banerjee. It has been noticed that Ganguly is not invited to as many government functions as he used to be earlier. Shah Rukh Khan is now the brand ambassador of the state. He is supposed to have been promised thousands will be sent for this match, dressed in purple, carrying purple flags. What intrigue, just for one man, one match.Bara Bazaar in central Kolkata is a typical Indian old-city marketplace. It is also the betting capital of Kolkata. The bookmakers here have Knight Riders – four wins in a row, stronger team, playing in familiar conditions – only at 60-40 against Warriors, who have lost four in a row.Elsewhere (sweet shops) are making special (sweets), pujas have been arranged, have been booked. The man himself is still in Pune, and will get to Kolkata later tonight. This match is going to be his third in five days – a gruelling schedule in May.I make my way to Eden Gardens, where the authorities have wisely, and unlike at some of the other Indian grounds, allowed the public to watch the players train. I go past the heavy police cover to find about a thousand people watching the Knight Riders train. Inside Eden Gardens you turn right for the home dressing room, and left for the visitors’ one. It’s the home viewing area where Ganguly sat shirtless, his upper body wrapped in a towel, for more than five hours when, 11 years ago, Dravid and VVS Laxman did the unthinkable against Australia. That’s the dressing room Ganguly has always used, but tomorrow he will turn left, and not many will be able to see how he reacts when he does so.I watch the Knight Riders train from the lower tier of the club house. The seat I am sitting in goes at Rs 6000 for IPL games. In the black market, it is now going at Rs 40,000.Part of the Knight Riders team are Bengal players Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Manoj Tiwary. Shukla last played against Ganguly 14 years ago, in a club match. Tiwary has never played against Ganguly. For his team-mates, Ganguly is , not . Tiwary has spent hours and days watching at Eden. “If I got to see one cover-drive, that made my day,” he says. Tiwary expects 70% of the crowd to support . That cover-drive, though, that thing of beauty, nowadays counts for just one run. You need slogs and switch-hits and whatnot.A day before the match Gambhir is asked what he thinks of the “away match”, and he doesn’t seem impressed with the line of questioning. Kolkata is free to support anybody, he says, before reminding them that it is Knight Riders who carry their name and who play for their pride. He is also unimpressed with how their bowling coach, Wasim Akram, has upped the stakes by calling this game as good as an India-Pakistan game. It is perhaps how Akram and the likes played. That was an era of showmen, and the higher the stakes the better they played. This era has enough pressures to deal with and always underplays everything.May 5

Match day, and what irony that another favourite son, an adopted favourite son, Mohun Bagan’s Brazilian striker Jose Ramirez Barreto should play his last game for the club tomorrow, against a team from Pune. Like Ganguly, he is not retiring, just amicably parting ways with Bagan. About 30,000 are expected to give him a send-off on Sunday, but the event of the year is today, with 70,000, including the police and other organisers, expected at Eden.Outside the stadium, replica Warriors jerseys are priced at Rs 50, Knight Riders ones at 40. Yet it’s Warriors shirts that are selling more. This could have to do with the fact that the home fans have already bought their share of jerseys earlier. The crowd seems split down the middle, with an equal number of purple and blue jerseys visible.The sight of Ganguly at the toss sends the stadium into raptures. In the half hour between toss and start, both parties get into a chanting battle. “Pu-ne, Pu-ne.” “K-K-R, K-K-R.” Knight Riders have won the toss and have elected to bat. Shah Rukh hasn’t arrived yet.Gambhir grabs the initiative and plays the crowd into his favour with a fifty on a slow surface. After his fall, though, Knight Riders lose their way, and add just 37 off the last 45 balls. The stands, though, are just as loud, cheering every dot ball, and every time Ganguly moves his arms to direct the field. The roof comes off when he catches Shukla.In the second innings, Knight Riders strike early. A man behind me begins to shout, “, Pune. [Go back home, Pune.]” A father and son in the same row as me argue over who is better. Son likes Knight Riders, father can’t forget what has done for India and Bengal. Most instructive too: son identifies with modern winners, father thinks it began with Ganguly.Two things happen in the fourth over: Shah Rukh finally arrives, and the second wicket falls. Girls, grown-up women, grown-up men forget cricket, grow weak in the knees and start waving at Shah Rukh. Whisper it: the cheer is louder than what Ganguly received at the toss.

As Ganguly approaches the dugout, someone shouts, “Lubhly, lubhly”, followed by which the ground gets on its feet. Seventy thousand people applaud as he walks off

I, and the shouting man behind me, are more interested in why Ganguly didn’t come in at No. 3, and if the crowd will pull their eyes off Shah Rukh now that Ganguly is about to walk out. Ganguly doesn’t. Finally, ironically, Smith does. People in my section of the crowd begin to smell a rat. “The owners have changed the batting line-up,” they say. ” doesn’t run away.”Smith falls. Another wicket falls. Then another. Still no . Somebody shouts from a few rows back: ” [ has gone home.]”He hasn’t. He comes out at the fall of the fifth wicket. Gambhir sees him get up and immediately asks for a helmet. A silly point is in, so are a slip and gully. Ganguly pokes and fumbles at Sunil Narine’s offbreaks. Four dot balls in a row. The crowd doesn’t know what to do. Silence for the first time. Confusion all around.In the next over, Ganguly hits Jacques Kallis over mid-off. Not well-timed but over the man. Then he upper-cuts. Kallis responds with a bouncer too high. Then he is in the ear of Ganguly. Eden boos as one. Gambhir takes Kallis off after the over.As Ganguly and Angelo Mathews go about rebuilding the innings, the running between the wickets begins to hurt Pune. There is no pressure on the fielders in the deep, nor are quick singles attempted. When Ganguly does call Mathews through for one, starting early, running as hard as he can, he is nearly run out. As we await replays, I think if this will be the biggest anti-climax: Ganguly run out at home, taking a single – just the thing to do in this format. What, though, would a potential climax be? Ganguly hitting a winning six perhaps.Sixes are coming off Mathews’ bat, though. Three in a row, which change the game’s complexion. It’s a straight chase now, except that five wickets have fallen. Ganguly has to mix attack and defence, make sure Narine doesn’t take a wicket. Only four runs come off Narine’s third over, the 17th. Thirty-one required off 18. Ganguly, the culprit in the last over, now hits Rajat Bhatia for a flat six. Shah Rukh sits still, but the rest of Eden erupts.Two balls later Ganguly mistimes a pull. Iqbal Abdulla catches it. Ganguly is gone. Shah Rukh still doesn’t emote. He is careful not to hurt any Kolkatan’s feelings. Eden is confused too. The KKR fans are subdued because they can’t cheer at the fall of . The man behind me, though, tells Ganguly to “go back home to Pune”. Just as Ganguly approaches the dugout, though, someone shouts, “Lubhly, lubhly”, followed by which the ground gets on its feet. Seventy thousand people applaud Ganguly as he walks off. He is moved, raises his bat to the crowd. “Class class [Class is class],” is the murmur all over my stand.Knight Riders are mighty relieved at having bitten this bullet. The same men who said it was just another game go on a lap of honour to thank the crowd for not making it an away match – except for a few moments. Shah Rukh doesn’t miss a good PR opportunity, and takes on a lap of honour. Shah Rukh in a white hoodie, in the Pune shirt he has reportedly been forced to wear by Shah Rukh.They all know, though, that the winners on the night have been those who packed Eden Gardens in the May heat, who have shown both their knowledge of the game by not booing the team that represents them, and their respect for their . Class toh class.

A match between France and MCC to mark cricket’s inclusion at the 1900 Olympics highlights attempts to grow the game across the Channel

George Dobell17-Jun-2012The scene could hardly have been more incongruous. In the gardens of a château, deep in the French countryside outside of Paris, Richie Benaud is watching a cricket match between France and the MCC. Occasionally the roar of a lion from the château’s wildlife park rises above the sound of bat and ball and birdsong.A press officer interrupts Richie: “Could we take you to the elephant enclosure for an interview about cricket in France?””Of course,” says Richie, with the good-natured, phlegmatic air of a fellow who had been interviewed about French cricket in elephant enclosures on numerous occasions. “Are we walking?””No, an antelope might attack you,” the press officer replies. “Or a lion might eat you. And that’s not really the sort of publicity we’re after.”Were an unicycling unicorn to take a turn at umpiring, the whole scene could hardly be any more odd. Or appealing. Château de Thoiry, the backdrop for this game, which was staged to commemorate cricket’s only appearance at the Olympics (in Paris in 1900) is an achingly beautiful place. The Count and Countess de la Panouse, who own the château, have welcomed cricket teams into their gardens for 20 years (“They keep the grass down beautifully,” the countess says. “It’s true that I could have bought goats, but cricketers tend to eat fewer flowers.”) and Thoiry Cricket Club has established itself not just as an idyllic venue for touring teams but a beacon of excellence in instilling a love of cricket in young people.Yet, beneath the beautiful but somewhat surreal surface, there is a real – and rather heroic – battle for survival in progress. Cricket in France is at a crossroads. Thwarted by a lack of facilities, particularly pitches, and its perception as the epitome of Englishness – and, round these parts, it is deemed better for your daughter to marry an axe murderer than an Englishman – the game has progressed little over the last 20 years; 50 years, even.There is hope, though. Inspired by a new general manager, Mark Moodley, and his group of volunteers, a new team and a new spirit is emerging. Indeed, Moodley might just be the architect of a quiet miracle.Unsurprisingly the French team is overwhelmingly (though not exclusively) comprised of first-, second- and third-generation Asian immigrants. A few, such as 17-year-old legspinner Zika Ali, who will shortly return for a second trial at Kent, possess extravagant talent. Just as they lost in the 1900 Olympics (they took silver to Britain’s gold), France lost the 2012 Olympic commemoration game – a T20 encounter – by 35 runs on Saturday to a strong MCC team containing Josh Marquet, who was once thought of as one of the fastest bowlers in the world, and Rob Turner, who was a key part of the Somerset team of a decade or so ago. France’s flaws were tactical more than technical and their commitment in the field bordered on the insane. There was plenty of talent.Next week France travel to La Manga in Spain to play games against Belgium (“Our bogey team,” Moodley says), Gibraltar and Austria. If they win all three, they will be admitted to Division 8 of the ICC’s World Cricket League (WCL). They would have taken a step on the road that leads, eventually to ODIs, World Twenty20s and, one day, perhaps even Test status.Elevation would bring its own challenges. Promotion to the WCL would not bring an increase in funding from the ICC, which currently provides around €250,000 ($315,000) per year, but would demand commitments costing around €800,000 ($1 million) per year. While Moodley insists that France would not – unlike at least one of their rivals – decline the invite into the WCL, cricket in France desperately requires extra funding. The search for a sponsor goes on.The Olympics presents one obvious solution. As is the case with many nations, the government provides funding for Olympic sports from seven years ahead of the event. It would also bring widespread exposure for a sport that often talks with self-satisfied pomposity of its global reach but can act with small-minded parochialism.There are several substantial impediments to cricket’s return to the Olympics. For a start, it seems unlikely that the ICC will even bid for cricket’s inclusion. Such is cricket’s reliance on broadcast revenues that the Future Tours Programme is packed for many years ahead. You may as well try to convince one of the lions at Thoiry of the virtues of vegetarianism as attempt to persuade some of the major figures within the ICC to compromise their short-term commercialism for some long-term vision.MCC beat France by 35 runs in a Twenty20 match to mark cricket’s appearance at the 1900 Olympics in Paris•Getty ImagesBesides, even if the ICC applied for Olympic inclusion, it seems unlikely that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would receive the application with warmth. Cost is one issue. It is unlikely that any cricket-playing country will bid for an Olympic Games in the foreseeable future and so a future host might be reluctant to put on a stadium sport like cricket, even T20, in addition to football, due to difficulties in finding venues. The Games are already unwieldy, containing 27 sports.What the IOC calls “gender parity” is another issue. In the London Games, the IOC hopes, for the first time, that there will be equal participation in all sports between men and women. The ratio was 42:58 in Beijing. Women’s cricket, though developing, has not taken root everywhere, and the IOC is unlikely to sanction a sport that would set back their efforts. Realistically, if cricket could not win inclusion at London, it will not win inclusion anywhere. The chances of cricket becoming an Olympic sport before 2032 are very, very slim.That is a shame. In France, as elsewhere, it would bring new sources of funding and new levels of exposure. If cricket is serious about developing into a global sport, it is exactly the sort of step the ICC should take.But there is still Moodley’s miracle. Preposterously unlikely though it sounds, Moodley has persuaded schools in France – well, 200 of them, anyway – to not just allow him to expose their children to cricket but to introduce it as part of the curriculum. By the end of this year, he hopes to have 3900 French children playing cricket. In three years’ time, he aims to have reached 200,000.At first glance that might sound surprising. At second glance, too. But football’s reputation – particularly among teachers – has waned considerably. It has developed – or regressed – into a sport where role models do not just question authority, they snarl and sneer and swear in its face; where fair play is seen – like penny-farthings and shire horses – as a charming relic of a bygone age. It is seen, by some teachers who have to deal with children copying the actions of their heroes, as ugly and disruptive.That is not the case in cricket. Despite the likes of Cronje, Butt and Westfield, the reputation of cricket is still synonymous with fair play and respect. Those are qualities that any teacher would like to instil. Moodley has recognised that and taken advantage. Given some investment, he could reap a rich harvest on soil that once seemed inhospitable to the sport.Relations between England and France will always be tinged with that love-hate dynamic that is inevitable in neighbours who have been to war over their boundaries. But amid the lions and limes of Thoiry, it seemed the was more than ever.”The English lead the world at three things: binge drinking, teenage pregnancy and cricket,” a French spectator said as the match came to a close.”Yeah, but we were expecting you to surrender as soon as the umpires called ‘play’,” replied his English companion.The pair laughed heartily and departed together for tea – pâté, brie and cucumber sandwiches. Wherever you find yourself – Los Angeles, the Caribbean, Afghanistan or Europe – cricket’s power to unite and heal remains quite remarkable.

Although history and form make Sri Lanka the favourites, West Indies’ power-packed batting line-up poses a major threat to the hosts’ chances

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan06-Oct-2012One need not look beyond the two semi-finals to understand the vagaries of the Twenty20 format. In the first semi-final, Sri Lanka clawed their way to a modest 139 but produced a fantastic bowling performance to defend the total against an in-form Pakistan. The second semi-final followed a completely different script. West Indies, who had provided glimpses of their hitting power earlier in the tournament, took apart a quality Australian bowling attack and registered a massive 205. In response, Australia hardly managed a fight and went down by a huge margin of 74 runs.Perhaps the only similarity between Sri Lanka and West Indies’ performance in the semi-finals was the fact that both teams scored heavily off the last over of the innings to put the game beyond the opposition. Sri Lanka have been superb throughout the tournament, losing only once in a rain-curtailed seven-over game against South Africa. On the other hand, West Indies have waxed and waned, alternating between the sublime and ordinary. The hosts will be confident against a team, whom they have never lost to previously, but will also be aware that the history and reputation matter very little if the powerful West Indies batting-line up clicks.Sri Lanka started slowly in the format and failed to make much of an impact in the first World Twenty20 in 2007. However, they turned things around very quickly and made the final in the 2009 edition where they lost to Pakistan. Along with Pakistan, they have been the most consistent team in the World Twenty20, reaching two finals and one semi-final in the last three tournaments. Overall, they have an excellent record in the format, winning 29 matches and losing just 18 (w/l ratio of 1.61). In contrast, West Indies have a win-loss ratio lesser than one (20 wins and 23 losses).In terms of recent form (since January 2010), too, Sri Lanka are well ahead of West Indies. In their four matches against West Indies, Sri Lanka have emerged comfortable winners on all occasions with the most recent one a nine-wicket win in the Super Eights. Sri Lanka, however, have an even win-loss record in the subcontinent and have won just once chasing in home T20 internationals. Given the history of clashes between the two teams and the hosts’ poor record in home chases, West Indies stand a much better chance if they bat first.

In the group stage, West Indies failed to win a single game but managed to qualify for the Super Eights due to a superior net run-rate. Against both Australia (group match) and England (Super Eights), they managed to post excellent totals. However, they collapsed to a below-par total against Sri Lanka and were lucky to get out of jail against a spirited New Zealand side in a Super-Over finish.Sri Lanka, however, have been the epitome of consistency in the tournament so far. They, too, scraped through against New Zealand in a Super Over but ran out comfortable winners against West Indies and England. West Indies’ run-rate is ahead of Sri Lanka’s but the hosts have been by far the most economical. The average difference (difference between batting and bowling averages) for Sri Lanka (14.35) is much better than the corresponding figure for West Indies (-1.00). West Indies, the team with the most sixes in the tournament, have comfortably out-hit Sri Lanka on the boundary front but have also conceded more boundary runs. While West Indies have more fifty-plus scores (6) than Sri Lanka (2), the hosts have had a six-wicket haul by Ajantha Mendis (against Zimbabwe) and a five-for by Lasith Malinga (against England).

With both Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan in good form, Sri Lanka’s average and run-rate in the first six-over period have been excellent. On the other hand, Gayle’s sedate starts and Johnson Charles’ inconsistency have brought down the corresponding numbers for West Indies.In the middle overs (7-14), West Indies have a higher average and scoring-rate primarily because of Gayle’s tendency to accelerate a little later in the innings. Sri Lanka have a top-heavy batting line-up and as a result, have found it much tougher to score quickly in the middle overs. In the final six-over period, West Indies have a lower average but a superb scoring-rate (10.30). Aided by a power-packed middle order, West Indies scored 63 runs off the last four overs in the semi-final against Australia.On the bowling front, Sri Lanka are well ahead of West Indies. In the first six overs, Sri Lanka have both a lower average (21.27) and economy rate (6.50). Sri Lanka’s quality spin attack has ensured that the hosts have excellent numbers in the middle overs (7-14). West Indies, on the other hand, have been inconsistent and expensive in the middle-over period. In the final six-over period, Sri Lanka have been outstanding. They were extremely economical in the first semi-final and stifled Pakistan’s scoring rate with their variety. In contrast, West Indies have lacked the necessary discipline in the final overs and have conceded over nine runs per over in the final six-over period.

Over the last three years, there has been very little doubt as to who the best Twenty20 batsman is. Gayle has dominated the format wherever he has played and made a mockery of the belief that it is impossible to maintain both a high average and strike rate. He has tops-cored in the last two seasons of the IPL and is also one among the leading run-getters in the World Twenty20.Among batsmen with 500-plus runs in the World Twenty20, Gayle’s numbers stand out. He has an exceptional average of 47.21 while managing a stunning strike rate of 157.38. His preference to score in boundaries is clearly illustrated by the remarkably high value of the boundary-run percentage (72.91). Following his unbeaten 75 in the semi-final, Gayle has the most fifty-plus scores (7) in World Twenty20 matches. Gayle has hit 43 sixes in just 17 matches in the World Twenty20. Shane Watson, who is second on the list of batsmen with the most sixes in World Twenty20 matches, is a distant second with 27 sixes in 16 matches.

Gayle, who has mastered the art of run-scoring in the Twenty20 format, has preferred to score slow in the beginning of the innings before opening up. This has meant that his scoring rate against pace bowlers (8.17) is lower than that of most other batsmen. His opening partner Charles has looked ill at ease against quality pace and averages just 22.75 (four dismissals) while scoring at a run-rate of 6.42. Both Marlon Samuels and Kieron Pollard have high scoring rates against pace bowling but have also been dismissed on three occasions each.Against spin, Gayle has been at his destructive best scoring at over 14 runs per over with nearly 85% of his runs coming in boundaries. Samuels has struggled to rotate the strike against spinners and as a result, has a low scoringrate (6.87). Pollard, who has been troubled by quality spin in the past, will draw some confidence from his last-over heroics against Xavier Doherty in the semi-final when he hit three consecutive sixes.In the first semi-final, apart from Jayawardene, no other batsman exuded any confidence on the sluggish surface. Jayawardene, the highest run-getter in the World Twenty20, has looked comfortable against both pace and spin. Among Sri Lankan batsmen, Jaywardene has the highest boundary-run percentage against pace and spin (70.68% and 59.77% respectively). Dilshan, who scored 96 against West Indies in the 2009 semi-final, has had his problems against pace bowlers (four dismissals) but has still maintained a high scoring rate (8.73). Against spin, Dilshan has been dismissed just once but has a very low boundary-run percentage (38.96). Kumar Sangakkara, who is yet to have a major impact in the tournament, has demonstrated consistently high scoring-rates against both fast and slow bowlers.

As expected, the bowling stats for Sri Lanka have been dominated by their spinners. Mendis, who started with a bang with 6 for 8 against Zimbabwe, was expensive against New Zealand but returned to top form in the semi-final against Pakistan. Malinga, Sri Lanka’s most successful Twenty20 bowler, bowled a brilliant Super Over against New Zealand and picked up 5 for 31 against England. Although the Sri Lankan pace bowlers have an excellent record (18 wickets at 24.22), they have been outperformed by the spinners. Overall, the Sri Lankan slow bowlers have 24 wickets at 13.25 but in the second innings, they have picked up 17 wickets at a scarcely believable average (9.29) and economy rate (6.32).In crucial contests against Australia and England, West Indies produced excellent bowling performances after they were given the cushion of a big score. Spinners have been more successful for West Indies, who have bowled second in all but one match. They have picked up 15 wickets at an average of 24.06 and economy rate of 7.31. In contrast, the pace bowlers have 14 wickets at an average of 30.85 and economy rate of 8.49.

A new book looks at the less-than-pleasant backdrop to England’s dominance in the post-war years

Rob Steen29-Dec-2012To look back at English cricket in the 1950s is to marvel. Those of a certain vintage could rewrite “My Favourite Things”:Small wonder no Test series was lost between mid-1952 and late 1958. The natural order had finally righted itself: after decades of Australian impertinence, Britannia ruled the waves anew. Trouble was, the ends did nothing to justify the means. The ensuing bumblings and humblings, concludes Tim Quelch, were a consequence of nothing more scientific than complacency, a vice echoed, he charges, in Abu Dhabi and Dubai last winter. The main title of his terrific tome refers to rank hypocrisy over chuckers and the “patriotic” pitches that facilitated victorious Ashes campaigns; it serves both a literal and figurative function.This is the second of two important recent books to address the shameful spills and conspicuous ills of post-war cricket in Blighty; both, helpfully, are the work of outsiders. Business guru Guy Fraser-Sampson’s skewered the snobbery, racism and class warfare that connected the D’Oliveira Affair to the Packer revolt. Quelch, a retired social services officer, offers a worthy prequel, examining the blind ferocity with which the old-school ties tethered themselves to the past as the Empire dissolved.Covering the decade and a half after the Second World War, Quelch skilfully sets the pitifully slow death of shamateurism and the Gents-Players divide against a backdrop of a country divided, one basking in glory yet lacking not only food and funds but acceptance of a less deferential, more meritocratic world. Imperial superiority died hard. The 1956 Suez crisis offers rich symbolism: “As a result of its reckless, abhorrent action, Britain not only bade farewell to its status as a global power, it shattered any pretension it once had of higher integrity. In short, Britain could no longer claim to be a credible arbiter of what was, and what was not, cricket.”Time and place are captured astutely. Between 1950 and 1970, Britain’s share of world manufacturing exports fell from over 25% to barely 10%. “I don’t understand my country anymore,” bemoans Colin McInnes in his landmark 1959 novel . “The English race has spread itself all over the damn world… no one invited us… yet when a few hundred thousand come and settle among our fifty millions, we just can’t take it.” Quelch contrasts such inhospitality with the Indian tourists of 1946, a mix of Hindus, Muslims and Christians, then plunders Sir Everton Weekes’ memoirs for evidence of how imperious and provocative Lord’s seemed to a poor colonial dreaming of a fairer planet.On the field, we are told, dominance was achieved despite “class snobbery, anachronistic fixations, an uncompetitive domestic game, unreliable playing surfaces and limited coaching opportunities for those from less privileged backgrounds”. Quelch finds it “amazing”, as should we, that so much talent still wriggled through: the renaissance was always destined to be brief.He also nails the ultimate contradiction. In seeking to revive the adventurous influence of the (sh)amateur, MCC repeatedly appointed as captain and tour manager Freddie Brown, who is painted in all his perplexing colours. To Fred Trueman, he was “a snob, bad-mannered, ignorant and a bigot”. Brown blew a gasket when Denis Compton had the temerity to pull out of a Test, yet empathised after Len Hutton’s deplorable negativity had denied Australia victory: the first was unheard-of, the second old hat. Brown’s treatment of the young Brian Close was merciless. How ironic, then, that the success of Hutton’s and Peter May’s sides should owe everything to “a contradictory, tough, combative, professional style of play that was practised as dutifully by its leading unpaid players as it was by its paid ones”.Quelch likes one quote so much he wheels it out twice, on the second occasion as the aptest of sign-offs: “Tradition,” as “Uncle” Joe Mercer, the kindly yet progressive former England football manager, asserted, “is a wonderful friend but a dangerous enemy”.Bent Arms and Dodgy Wickets – England’s Troubled Reign as Test Match Kings in the Fifties

by Tim Quelch
Pitch Publishing
253pp, £16.99

Was it Trott trying to recreate a scene from The Omen

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013Watching the Sri Lankan bowlers struggle in this series – 21 wickets at 61, aided by a late flurry of slog-induced dismissals as England cut loose in an attempt to make sure the game was at least 101% safe before declaring, rather than a risky 100% safe – it is hard to be optimistic about their team’s prospects as a Test force in the near future.Life after Murali is proving to be as difficult as everyone had thought it would be. It was, of course, obvious that Sri Lanka would miss the great tweakster very much, in the same way that a champion racehorse would miss one of its legs, or Sebastian Vettel would miss his steering wheel, or Michelangelo would have missed his paintbrush.In the seven Tests since Murali bid his spectacular and victorious farewell last July, bowling his team to victory and himself even further into statistical immortality, in Galle against India, Sri Lanka’s bowlers have dismissed their opponents for under 430 just once, and have collectively averaged 50. Four of those seven Tests have been against the formidable batting line-ups of India and England, on some fairly unforgiving pitches, but they are inauspicious figures nonetheless.ESPNcricinfo’s undisputed Jimi Hendrix of Stats, S Rajesh, compiled this excellent comparison of Murali and Warne when the former retired last year. The numbers suggest, strongly, that both men were very good at bowling a cricket ball.No team has ever been as reliant on one bowler as Sri Lanka were on the Kandy Konjuror. Over the course of his career, Murali took 41% of his team’s wickets, and bowled 33% of their overs – so he was bowling a third of the time that Sri Lanka were in the field. For nearly two decades. (By comparison, Warne, in a much stronger Australian attack, took 28% of Australia’s wickets, and bowled 28% of their overs.)Sri Lanka have played 190 Tests since being admitted to Test cricket in 1982. Murali played in 132 of them; and they won 54 of those games. He was his team’s leading wicket-taker in 43 of those 54 wins, including 37 of 41 between September 1996 and December 2007. Sri Lanka have won just seven of the 68 Tests that Murali has not played in. History suggests Sri Lanka were four times as likely to win with Murali than without him. And that the Sistine Chapel would have 25% of the current number of tourists visiting it if Michelangelo had had to paint it with his fingers.The closest equivalent in terms of importance to a Test team is probably Richard Hadlee, who over the course of his unstoppably moustachioed career bowled a quarter of New Zealand’s overs, and took 35% of their wickets. His country had won seven out of 102 Tests before he made his debut. They won 22 of the 86 in which he played, with Hadlee top wicket-taker in 16 of those. They won none of the 14 Tests he missed during his career, and only seven of the next 55 after he retired. Until a new generation emerged in the late 1990s, New Zealand without Hadlee were like steak and chips without the steak. And often without the chips.In all, it was a decent but ultimately unsatisfying Test match, decorated by Dilshan’s brilliantly ballsy 193, an innings of mental and physical courage against a strong if misfiring attack whose pace bowlers looked increasingly one-paced and one-heighted as the Sri Lankan skipper unfurled his masterpiece.Dilshan is a captivating player, a risk-taking strokeplayer who has become increasingly daring and attacking as he has become older and moved higher up the order. Since being shunted up to open two years ago, he averages almost 54 – the highest of any Sri Lankan opener – with a strike rate of 80. As a younger middle-order player, he scored significantly fewer runs significantly less quickly, which suggests that, by traditional standards, Dilshan is living his Test career backwards, a cricketing Benjamin Button. And also suggests that, when he is 75, he is going to be one hell of a player.ExtrasThe closing stages of the match, and indeed the entire modern history of Test cricket, were overshadowed by the Smashed Window Incident, which threatened to plunge the international game into a crisis from which it may never have emerged. Thankfully this seems to have been averted after a swift apology and an explanation that proved to be disappointingly mundane and suspiciously plausible.As soon as the sound of shattering glass was heard, the rumours abounded – had a passing Graeme Smith popped in for a chat with his English pals, casually picked up a bat, and watched himself play a cover drive in a mirror? Or was it Jonathan Trott’s attempt to recreate a rather grisly scene from the 1970s horror classic ? Or perhaps Steve Finn’s lucky pelican had escaped from his kit bag and flown beak-first into the window in an attempt to make it to the fish-and-chip van at the Nursery End before they had sold out of fresh herring? Or had a local burglar chosen an extremely inopportune moment to try to furtively break into the England dressing room?A story then emerged that Matt Prior had been so incandescent with rage at falling an agonising 96 runs short of becoming the first wicketkeeper to score hundreds in both innings of a Lord’s Test, that he marched up to the window and growled at it until it smashed itself in fear. Or put his bat through it.This was soon contradicted by the rather prosaic official explanation proferred by the England management, who blamed that convenient old scapegoat, Physics. They claimed that Prior’s bat had simply fallen down and broken the window in a freak accident.England’s numerous back-room team fortunately includes a glazier, who replaced the shattered pane with some very fetching stained glass depicting Alistair Cook nurdling a single to fine leg.(Incidentally, the last recorded instance of a window-smashing at Lord’s was when a hung-over Denis Compton was woken up from his traditional pre-innings snooze whilst in the middle of a dream about being attacked by a giant wasp. He attempted to swat Peter Parfitt with his bat, which smithereened the window. Compton then went out to the middle using a shard of glass as a bat, and promptly scored a brilliant century against a Yorkshire attack featuring Freddie Trueman, Johnny Wardle and Bob Appleyard. Compton later claimed he preferred playing with a glass bat to a wooden one, as “it gave me a great incentive to wait for ball and stroke it, rather than trying to hit it too hard”. Here endeth the lie.)

This week Brendon McCullum will lead his country’s team in the town where he grew up

Andrew McGlashan in Dunedin05-Mar-2013If it hadn’t been for the absence of a pair of boots, Brendon McCullum might have been representing New Zealand in a different sport.Like other southern hemisphere cricketers, McCullum could have chosen rugby for his career. And it would not have been the lesser option. He was once good enough to keep Dan Carter out of a South Islands schools team.There is a story told by those who know him from his days at Kings High School in Dunedin – which has perhaps been slightly embellished over time – that shortly after being selected for a rugby match at about the age of 20, McCullum was hurrying around trying to find a pair of boots to borrow. However, before he could find them, Richard Hadlee, who was New Zealand’s chairman of selectors at the time, was on the phone with the message, “Don’t give him those boots.”McCullum had already been involved in New Zealand age-group cricket, and Hadlee was understandably reluctant to let one of the sport’s most talented youngsters go. McCullum had a decision to make: All Blacks or Black Caps? He picked cricket.”He was a freak,” says Daryl Paterson, who worked at Kings High School during McCullum’s time there, and still does today. “I’ve no doubt he could have played rugby for New Zealand. But he stood out at everything: batting, keeping, scoring tries. I was only involved in his cricket for a short time because I coached Year 9, and Brendon scored so many runs he was soon moved up a level. He was only a little bit taller than the stumps and he was standing up to the fast bowlers.”Now he is New Zealand’s captain, a position acquired in a messy turn of events that exposed divisions in the side. On Wednesday he will lead his country on his home ground. He has previously captained in a one-day international here, but that was a far more subdued affair, against Zimbabwe. There are few grander occasions than a Test against England.McCullum isn’t the first New Zealand captain from Kings High School. Ken Rutherford, whose son Hamish is set to make his Test debut this week and is another alumnus, came from the school. “We are very proud about that,” says Paterson.McCullum’s mother will be in the crowd, although his father, Stuart, a former Otago player, will miss Brendon’s homecoming, as he is on business in Adelaide. But he will be keeping a close eye on his oldest son and speaks with great pride about both him and his brother Nathan, who is part of the one-day and T20 teams.”You always hoped that they would play for New Zealand,” he says, “but to captain them, it’s a wonderful honour, and hopefully he will do a fitting job. It will be a very proud day. He’s proud of his roots. Any game he plays is special but there’s some added significance [to this one].”Did it hurt to see his son caught up in the melee that occurred when Ross Taylor was sacked? “It wasn’t so much how it happened,” Stuart says. “Some people don’t understand Brendon, some have a false impression of what he is like. Brendon looks upon the captaincy as a privilege rather than a matter of course. He is a team man through and through. He never actively went out and sought the captaincy. He had nothing to do with the process. It took him a long time to decide whether he would accept it.

“He was a freak. I’ve no doubt he could have played rugby for New Zealand. He was only a little bit taller than the stumps when he was standing up to the fast bowlers”Daryl Paterson, who worked at Brendon McCullum’s school

“He has no beef with Ross at all – they are friends. It was disappointing to hear some people casting aspersions over his integrity, but you just have to sit back and listen to it. I admit there are times when you’d just like to get on the phone and ask if they actually know the facts, but it’s not for me to get involved. People seem to get the wrong idea of what he’s like.”Brendon, his father says, has always had drive and determination. There is also a combativeness about him, which stands out in a New Zealand side that can often struggle to impose itself. “He’s always been confident,” says Stuart. “He’s a ‘see ball, hit ball’ kind of batsman, but I don’t think anyone can play down his skill.”It was towards the end of Stuart McCullum’s first-class career with Otago that the cricketing future of the next generation of McCullums started to be forged. When aged about six and seven, Brendon and Nathan would accompany their dad to training, but he was never a pushy father. He didn’t need to be, really, as it was clear his sons would chart their own paths.”They were always around when I was playing, and used to take part in a lot of fielding practice when they were young kids. But it was very much a natural course of events. If they ever wanted extra time in the nets I’d happily go with them.”Paterson remembers Brendon as someone with vast self-confidence. “He has always carried himself that way,” he says, “but it never verged into cockiness. Everyone knew he was something special but he was also one of the lads.”At stages during the T20 and one-day series, it was very much Brendon McCullum v England. He struck three blistering half-centuries in the one-dayers, and a match-winning 74 in the Hamilton T20. If they are to compete in the Tests, McCullum will again have to lead the way.Do that he will. “He loves challenging himself against the best,” Stuart says. “He measures himself against the best. He’s never completely satisfied with his own performance, and that’s an attitude he has had all the way through his career. He never takes anything for granted.”

Plays of the day for the match between Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab in Delhi

Kanishkaa Balachandran23-Apr-2013The catch
After losing two early wickets, Delhi Daredevils needed to push on and build a partnership. Virender Sehwag was just starting to open up, but Harmeet Singh’s slower deliveries were starting to annoy him. Off the last ball of Harmeet’s second over, he made room and tried to improvise, looking to slap it over the off side. He ended up scooping it towards extra cover and the ball began to dip towards Mandeep Singh, who timed his dive well and hung on. Mandeep, though, didn’t claim the catch immediately, indicating to the umpires that he wasn’t sure. Sehwag too stopped in his tracks. Replays showed that he plucked it clean, leaving little room for doubt and Sehwag was on his way. Kings XI would have scored on the Fair Play points too, if they care about it, thanks to Mandeep’s honesty.The flop
With a top score of 26 in six games (including four single-digit scores), patience was running out for the ageing Adam Gilchrist to finally score big. Being a non-performing overseas captain only increased the pressure on him to perform. With a modest 121 to chase, Gilchrist came out with the intention of hitting his way into form. His first ball was an outside edge off Irfan Pathan that raced to third man for four, while the second was a mistimed loft that cleared cover. Gilchrist didn’t hold back the following ball despite his unconvincing start. Irfan angled it in, Gilchrist tried to clear the infield again but got a tame top edge that swirled to extra cover. Will Kings XI take a tough call on his place next match?The near miss
When Kings XI lost their fourth wicket at 70, Daredevils would have sensed they were at least another quick wicket away from a sniff. Four balls after dismissing Manan Vohra, Johan Botha nearly had another wicket for the over when he got one to straighten to the left-handed David Miller. The ball squeezed through the gap between pad and bat and for a split second it appeared as if the ball clipped the bails. It only just sailed over the stumps and sailed past the wicketkeeper Kedar Jadhav, who barely moved. To make matters worse for Daredevils, they conceded four byes.The run-out
Kings XI set a fine example in the field, keeping the target to a modest 121, but Daredevils had to be twice as good in order to be able to defend that. Mandeep Singh stepped on the gas with a breezy 24, but a promising knock was caught short thanks to a brilliant effort by David Warner. Mandeep rushed out of his crease for a risky single and was sent back by David Miller as Warner attacked the ball from square leg. Mandeep dived and there was a direct hit at the bowler’s end. Replays showed that Mandeep had only just raised his bat when the bails came off the groove. It was a tight call for the third umpire. The fielding effort perked up Daredevils, but only temporarily.

Sri Lanka was Russell Domingo’s fact-finding mission and he seems to have discovered how much South Africa has to do to become contenders for the forthcoming ICC tournaments

Firdose Moonda08-Aug-2013Like Russell Domingo, Gary Kirsten lost his first ODI series in charge of South Africa. It was not as dramatic a defeat: 2-1 to Australia at home with AB de Villiers out injured in his first series as captain and Hashim Amla reluctantly leading in his place compared to a 4-1 drubbing courtesy of Sri Lanka away with de Villiers looking as though he cannot handle being captain anymore and senior players such as Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn recovering from niggles.Unlike Domingo, Kirsten was all smiles in the aftermath. He said the series was merely about getting players “game-ready,” ahead of Tests, which was ultimately Kirsten’s major focus. Domingo wore a stern look and issued a surprisingly strong criticism of his team.Sri Lanka was his fact-finding mission and he seems to have discovered how much South Africa has to do to become a team that can realistically challenge for an ICC trophy in Bangladesh next year and Australia and New Zealand in 2015. Before anyone could ask Domingo about what he has learnt, he delivered a soliloquy answering questions about everything from the opening partnership to the inability to take wickets in the middle overs. The seriousness he showed was best-summed up in one simple statement, “We were found wanting in those conditions.”Apart from a brief visit to Sri Lanka for the World T20 last year, South Africa had not toured the island since 2006. The seven-year gap meant the only members of the squad to have played an ODI in the country prior to this tour were Robin Peterson and JP Duminy. Turning tracks, heat and noisy crowds are not new concepts to any cricketers but they were foreign to many of those on this tour and combined with inexperience, they proved intimidating as well.”Sri Lanka is a hell of a tough place to tour. The record shows that more experienced sides have gone there and been turned over,” Domingo said. “And it has highlighted shortcomings in that format that we need to address going forward.”In short: all of them. That would suggest a major overhaul of South Africa’s current structures but Domingo emphasised he did not want to dump his chargers onto the used pile. “All the players that are there are not bad players, they just had a tough tour,” he said. “I can’t see too many drastic, dramatic changes. Unless somebody does what Quinton de Kock did and smashed down the door, I’m happy with the group of players I’ve got.”De Kock caught the national selectors’ eyes with his form at Under-19 level and by finishing in the top five run-scorers in the 2011-12 domestic T20 competition and his ability to also keep wicket saw him fast-tracked into the South African side. While he has showed promise and even improved, it’s likely the “exciting player who is still learning his trade,” may be sent back to the franchise system to hone his skills.The 20-year old was one half of a problematic opening partnership that also rotated between Colin Ingram, Alviro Petersen and Amla in the ODIs and Henry Davids in the T20s. South Africa went the entire eight-match tour without a single first-wicket stand of 50-plus.Domingo identified not having Amla fit for all the ODIs and missing Smith as one cause for that failing. But he also blamed those that were used for not being able to grab their opportunities. “The players who did come in did not cement a place and did not make the impacts we were hoping for,” he admitted. Amla will retain his position there but it seems clear Domingo is hopeful of Smith’s return to add stability.Domingo did bring in a degree of consistency by sticking to a middle order throughout the series which saw JP Duminy at No.3, de Villiers at 4 and Faf du Plessis at 5 throughout the tour. The trio initially struggled for runs with Duminy coming good in both formats, de Villiers scoring a half-century in the final ODI and du Plessis doing the same in the last T20.They lacked fluency together which left the middle order at the mercy of Sri Lanka’s spinners. “It was a massive problem for us and the lack of experience was highlighted. There were times when our middle order was exposed against their quality spinners under those testing conditions,” Domingo said.De Villiers said he “does not have to panic,” about his lack of runs because he “felt in good form,” while du Plessis admitted he was weighed down by his inability to contribute with the bat. “I’m at that stage where I want to performing for South Africa consistently and it was a tough time,” du Plessis said. “We needed to pull each other through the tour.”The bowlers faced exactly the same dilemma. On surfaces which required a different set of skills to what they are used to – slower balls, cutters and spin as opposed to bouncers on spicy surfaces at home – they were unable to find lengths at first, never mind wickets. With 58 wides bowled in the ODIs, Domingo said that was one of the biggest disappointments. “As South Africans, we pride ourselves on being meticulous and in the way we plan. It was unacceptable the way we started.”But he was also concerned that they allowed Sri Lanka’s batsmen to settle in because there was an “inability to take wickets after the new ball had been used.” Domingo bracketed overs 15 to 35 in which South Africa took just ten wickets across the five matches.Their bowling improved in the T20s, with the inclusion of both Wayne Parnell and Imran Tahir and Domingo indicated both have made cases for consideration in other formats. “Wayne is an x-factor player and he is as strong as he has ever been,” he said. He added that the legspinner has “massive value to add.”Many critics questioned why Tahir did not play the ODI series but Domingo explained he had to “be fair.” With Peterson and Aaron Phangiso the most recent spinners to play for South Africa, Domingo said it would have been “grossly unfair,” to allow Tahir to usurp one of them, without giving them a chance to continue in the role first.His decision in that regard shows that under him, the players can always be assured they will get a decent run to prove what they can do but they should also expect a thorough critique of their efforts during their time.

The over-reliance on short-pitched bowling and lack of a penetrative spinner forced South Africa to endure their toughest day in the field in 11 months

Firdose Moonda in Abu Dhabi15-Oct-2013On pitches that do not facilitate bounce, like the one at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, fast bowlers need to be patient and disciplined. Their reserves of guts and imagination will be tested and the levels of intensity and mental focus needed are higher than normal. That’s what South Africa’s bowling coach Allan Donald said was required of his attack before the series began. However, with Pakistan on 263 for 3, ahead by 14 going into the third day, the challenge has seemingly proved more than what the bowlers could handle.South Africa endured their toughest day in the field in 11 months, since Brisbane 2012. On day four at the Gabba, they had conceded 376 runs for one wicket. It wasn’t as bad this time but the same issues remained: an over-reliance on short-pitched bowling and the lack of an attacking spinner.The problem with length can be fixed through technical adjustments, which Donald seemed certain his charges would make in time for the first Test. He said he had impressed on them that they could not simply, “turn up, bowl back of a length and expect to take wickets.” That is the default South African way of doing things as the coach Russell Domingo admitted, but Donald will have to strategise a plan B for pitches that do not have much in the way of bounce.Donald was looking for a slightly fuller length, a line that did not stray down leg side and early breakthroughs created by making batsmen play as much as possible in the first 20 overs. South Africa’s four quicks allowed Pakistan to leave more than six overs’ worth of deliveries, 37 to be exact, in the first 19 overs.Some of those deliveries were too far outside off stump to tempt Shan Masood and Khurram Manzoor, but the majority of them allowed the pair to duck underneath or watch them pass tamely over the stumps. There were 27 short balls in the first 114 deliveries. The surface did not suit the ploy and the openers, particularly Manzoor, displayed solid defensive ability on the back foot. As Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander discovered, the better plan was to bowl fuller and try to induce an edge. Steyn got it right against Masood but the chance he created was fluffed in the slips.Where the quicks, barring Steyn, did well upfront was in keeping the run-rate down. Morne Morkel and Philander were miserly and built pressure but could not sustain it because of their continued relapse into old habits. Domingo, however, did not regard the approach as a mistake even though it yielded so little. “Every time we play subcontinent sides, we always look to target them with short-pitched bowling and it’s definitely something we will continue doing,” he said.If that is the case, South Africa may only end up enabling Pakistan’s batsmen, who showed greater intent than they have done recently. Against Zimbabwe, albeit in completely different conditions and against a different kind of attack, they rarely scored at more than three runs an over. Here, that was their regular pace – a refreshing change from the mindset of survival they have had to employ in recent matches.Their scoring increased further against the slower bowlers. Robin Peterson was hardly threatening and expensive. For Pakistan, facing him was like asking a university graduate to write a high-school essay. They handled his flight with ease and brought South Africa’s selection policy into question, because they did have another option in legspinner Imran Tahir.Peterson was picked on protocol and sentiment. He has been South Africa’s lead spinner since late 2012 and displacing him was considered unfair, especially because he had not done much wrong. That policy worked when all South Africa’s spinner had to do was play a bits-and-pieces role in the shadow of the quicks, and it even helped lengthen their batting line-up.On a pitch that will suit spin, however, there is no legitimate excuse for not playing the person who can turn the ball most. Tahir is not the best spinner in the world and the practice match was evidence of that. His assortment of full tosses and needless variations bled runs in his first spell in Sharjah, but he caused problems once he got it together. In the circumstances, South Africa should have used him in Abu Dhabi.Domingo disagreed, and said Peterson had good enough performances over the last year to bounce back. “I am sure he will be the first to admit he didn’t bowl as well as he could have. We know he will get better.”Peterson’s performance will lead to deeper questions about the development of the available spin talent in South Africa – with Warriors’ offspinner Simon Harmer being bandied as a possibility for the future – but right now the situation does not merit such severe introspection.All that should be questioned is why South Africa did not use their best resource and whether they made the right decision in expecting JP Duminy to be the second spinner. Duminy has potential and was the better of the two slow bowlers today.This is not the first time they picked an XI not best suited to the conditions either. That day in Brisbane, South Africa were so convinced by the pre-match hype of a green top that they played four seamers and relied on Duminy to do the work of a spinner. The pitch was one of the flattest in recent memory, and Duminy was injured before he could play any part in the match, which was drawn after a day was lost to rain.There’s unlikely to be a similar reprieve in this Test so South Africa will have to rescue themselves, and before they can consider doing that with the bat, they have to rectify their shortcomings with the ball.”Having not played for a lengthy period of time, it always takes some time to get going,” Domingo said. “You have to go back and remind yourself why this side is No.1 in the world and how they got there.” They can start by remembering their rise up the rankings came through solid performances away from home, which were achieved by adapting to conditions quickly. They will need to do the same here.

Sanju Samson has shown a cool head under pressure and the skills to treat international bowlers with disdain, when given the chance by Rajasthan Royals. Come IPL 2014, he’ll have more such opportunities, having been retained by the franchise

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Jan-2014Sanju Samson recollects what happened one January afternoon last year precisely. He was in Jaipur, attending the selection trials being conducted by Rajasthan Royals. Sreesanth, the former India and Rajasthan Royals fast bowler, banned for life by the BCCI for spot-fixing in the IPL, had taken Samson to the trials.After IPL 2012, Kolkata Knight Riders, the first franchise to scout and pick Samson, had severed ties with him. Samson returned to Kerala, the state he plays cricket from, anxious.”I can never forget the day when I attended the Rajasthan Royals selection trials. Sreesanth took me there last January. After the IPL and Champions League in 2012, Knight Riders told me that the BCCI had asked the teams to trim the squads and they had decided to drop me and they were sorry about that. So I never expected another IPL team soon,” Samson told ESPNcricinfo last month, during the Ranji Trophy match between Kerala and Himachal Pradesh in Telicherry.However, Sreesanth had been impressed by Samson’s attitude and batting and wanted the 18-year-old to play for Royals. “One day I was batting in front of Rahul Dravid and Paddy Upton. I started playing strokes,” Samson said. “It was my day and I just expressed myself in front of a legend like Rahul Dravid.”Samson will always cherish what happened next. “He [Dravid] came and directly told me, ‘Sanju, you have a very special talent and I would really love to make you play in my Rajasthan Royals team. Would you play for us?’ He asked me like this. That question really shocked me. I was really surprised and excited, and wanted to record that moment in my memory. He had seen me for barely two days. So what he said to me, I never expected that,” Samson said, a big smile lighting up his face.Samson still cannot believe. But on Friday, he became one of the five players retained by Royals ahead of the 2014 season. Along with Stuart Binny (Royals) and Manan Vohara (Kings XI Punjab), Samson is one of only three uncapped India players to be retained among the 24 cricketers held back by the franchises. Samson is the youngest of them all.Before today, Samson hit the national headlines when he hit a fearless half-century, in only his second match for Royals, in an exciting chase against Royals Challengers Bangalore. Although that was the only fifty he could register in the 11 IPL matches, Samson raised his bat to three half-centuries during the Champions League T20 in September-October, where Royals finished runners-up. One of those half-centuries came in the final, which was against Mumbai Indians.Chasing a tall target of 202, Royals lost Kusal Perera quickly. It did not matter to Samson, who displayed temperament and an alert eye to pick gaps. He blazed eight boundaries in his 50. When Samson departed in the 12th over Rajasthan were 117, but they faltered. It was an evening when Samson turned franchises’ heads.

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Samson is the younger of the two sons of a former constable in the Delhi Police, who now runs a petrol station near Trivandrum – his father moved back to Kerala when Samson was 10. A friend of his father introduced Samson to Biju George, who has remained his coach since.Living in Vizhinjam, a harbour town south of Trivandrum, Samson and his brother Sally would commute roughly 25 kilometres every day, changing two buses to attend George’s camp, which is held at the Medical College Grounds in Kerala’s capital city. “We would travel almost two hours to get to the nets. It was not boring on the way there because we were excited to get there. On the return leg, though, it would be tiring,” Samson said. But he never shirked training.

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It is easy to see Samson is a hard-hitting batsman. But that is just one part of his skillsets. Samson plays strokes all around the wicket. According to Kerala coach Sujith Somasunder, Samson has become better with his shot selection. He is very decisive with his shot-making now, the coach said: “If there is a shot he thinks is on, he will play it.”Another factor that aids Samson, is his ability to stay in the present, which allows him to remain sensible at crucial moments. That was on show last week in the Under-19 Asia Cup final, which India won. Samson was one of his team’s two centurions.It is this cool temperament that has allowed him to play international bowlers in tight situations, without getting affected by the atmosphere and occasion. Remember, Samson has just turned 19. But in a one-on-one communication with him, you can plainly see his clarity of thought. He seems to listen to every word, but only respond to what is important.Last week when Royals sent him the offer letter for retention, Samson did not have any doubts. He signed it instantly. He explained why that is: “Within 20 days spent with Royals last year, I realised it was like playing for my home team. That is when I decided I was going to stick with them as long as possible.”