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Stats highlights from the Nagpur Test where India handed South Africa their first away-series defeat in nine years

Shiva Jayaraman27-Nov-20152006 The last time South Africa lost a Test series overseas, whitewashed 2-0 by Sri Lanka. Between then and now, they had remained unbeaten in 15 consecutive away series. That streak is only bettered by West Indies’ 18 consecutive series from 1980 to 1995.7/66 R Ashwin’s figures in the second innings. They are his best in both Tests – beating the 7 for 103 he took against Australia in Chennai in 2012-13 – and first-class cricket. JP Duminy, in South Africa’s second innings, became Ashwin’s 300th first-class wicket. He added three more to that tally and averages 26.90.15 five-wicket hauls for Ashwin – equalling the most taken by any spinner in their first 31 Tests. Australia’s Clarrie Grimmett had been the sole record-holder until today, while South Africa’s Hugh Tayfield is third on this list with 14.169 Wickets by Ashwin – the most by a spinner in his first 31 Tests beating Grimmett’s tally of 164. A broader search including all kinds of bowlers indicates only two have been better wicket-takers than Ashwin after their first 31 Tests. England seamer Sydney Barnes with 189 wickets (in 27 Tests) tops the charts while Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis took 180 wickets at 18.78.55 Wickets for Ashwin in 2015, the most by any bowler. It is also only the 12th time an Indian has taken 50 or more wickets in a calendar year, Harbhajan Singh was the last to the mark with 63 wickets in 2008. Ashwin’s six five-fors this year also equals the most by an Indian in a year.17.81 Ashwin’s bowling average in 2015 – currently the third-best for any spinner with at least 50 wickets in a calendar year. Only Muttiah Muralitharan, who averaged lower in two separate years, has done better. Muralitharan took 55 wickets at 17.80 in 2002 and 90 at 16.90 in 2006. Ashwin’s strike rate of 34.20 this year is the second-best for any bowler who has taken at least 50 wickets in a year. Only Waqar has done better: he took 55 wickets at 29.50 in 1993.1 Instance since 1900 when a Test ending with a decisive result had an individual top score lower than the 40 scored by M Vijay in this Test. And it had come quite recently: Rahul Dravid had top-scored with 39 in the Hamilton Test in 2002-03 that New Zealand won. Overall, this was only the 14th Test without an individual fifty to end in a result.1 Instance when a bowler has returned better match figures against South Africa since their return to Test cricket than Ashwin’s 12 for 98 in this match. Muttiah Muralitharan took 13 for 171 in Galle in 2000.1912 The last time South Africa’s batsmen averaged worse in a series involving three or more matches. Their average on this tour of India has been 14.32, with only two fifties from 55 innings, but they had averaged 11.30 in three Tests against England 103 years ago. Overall, batsmen from both teams have together have averaged just 16.90, which is also the third-worst in any series involving three or more Tests.8 Batsmen who were dismissed for scores between (and including) 30 and 40 in this Test. The last Test that had eight or more such scores was the Ashes Test in Sydney in 2010-11. Overall, there are only eight such instances.13 South Africa batsmen who were dismissed for single digits in this Test, which makes it the fourth time that at least 13 batsmen fell between 0 and 9 since their readmission to Test cricket. The last time was against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2004.14.85 Runs conceded per wicket by India’s bowlers against South Africa so far – the best they have averaged in a series with more than one Test. Their previous best was against New Zealand in 1995-96, when they had averaged 18.51. India’s bowling average is also the fifth-best for a team in a series with at least two Tests since 1950. The last time a team did better was in 2012-13, when West Indies’ bowlers had averaged 14.47 against Zimbabwe, taking 40 wickets in two Tests.2012 The last time a South African pair lasted more deliveries in an away Test than the 278 by Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis in the Nagpur Test. Du Plessis was there again, with AB de Villiers in Adelaide, when they faced 408 deliveries for 89 runs. This was South Africa’s fourth-longest fourth-innings stand in away Tests (since balls faced information is available for partnerships). This was also the longest stand of the series bettering the 184 balls by Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay in the second innings of the Mohali Test.

An absence of hype in Dubai has marked the lead-up to the inaugural Pakistan Super League but there is little doubt over its importance in Pakistan’s cricket set-up

Nagraj Gollapudi in Dubai03-Feb-2016Sachin Tendulkar smiles at you as you disembark at the opulent Dubai International airport. As you zip your way through the spacious lanes into downtown, and take in the vertical delights of the Dubai skyline, you notice players featuring in the Masters Champions League (MCL) staring out from the billboards.You walk through the opulent malls, listen to the morning radio, watch local television, drive in city taxis – nowhere is there a sign, an indication, a banner that tells you that the inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL) starts on Thursday in Dubai. It actually starting tomorrow.The five franchises – Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators have been working hard over the past few days, getting ready for what former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram calls the “biggest thing to happen” in the country’s cricket scene.The outsider will see the PSL as just another league in the conveyer belt of franchise-based Twenty20 competitions that have populated the cricket calendar in the past five years. Yet, for Pakistan the PSL holds a lot of meaning. It is not just about thumping your chest and declaring: Look, we, too, now have a league with global T20 superstars like Chris Gayle, Kevin Pietersen, Shane Watson, Andre Russell and, let us not forget, Shahid Afridi.It is also, as Afridi says, about “” [prestige], with the cricketing world waiting to see how the PSL performs. According to Afridi, captain of the Peshawar Zalmi franchise, the main reason the PSL is being organised is to see if any new talent emerges: “A new Wasim Akram, a new Waqar Younis, a Javed Miandad, a Shoaib Malik should emerge. That will only be good for Pakistan cricket.”Luckily Pakistan have always been blessed with precocious talent, but that is not enough in modern cricket, especially in T20s where pressure is a constant. That is why the experience of interacting with international players who have been successful in different situations, in tight and big matches, is handy.”Most Pakistanis say the PSL should be happening in Pakistan, but obviously for unforeseen reasons it is not happening, but the long-term plan is it will,” Akram, who has the dual roles of the tournament ambassador and the Islamabad franchise director, says. “But all the young cricketers would be rubbing shoulders with some of the greats of the modern game like Shane Watson, Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle, Brad Haddin, Andre Russell, living with them, watching them for 20-odd days, watching their training drills, what is their psyche. All this is not part of our first-class structure. This is a learning curve for the Pakistan youngsters.”The PSL also presents an equal learning opportunity for franchise owners. Akram believes both the league and the franchises will need to be more professional, focusing on the smaller things if the PSL has to grow into a global brand.”At the moment, things like timings for the matches, the nets are flexible. We should have a chart and we should stick to that,” Akram says. “There are little hiccups like not getting the kit on time, not having the caps and small things like that. The PSL said they would make all the kits, but they have taken too much on board. So it is a learning thing for both PSL and the franchises.”The PSL might have missed a trick by not adopting the formula used by the IPL to garner sell-out crowds in the two weeks the Indian league was played in the UAE in 2014. The IPL had to move to the UAE after its schedule clashed with the general elections in India but, as an established league, the tournament created promotional packages, invested in big advertising, organised matches over the weekends and flew in fans from India.Atmosphere and creating the right kind of noise is an important part of the T20 spectacle. Although the title song for each of the five franchises has a catchy tune, it remains to be seen whether the music will be played to an empty or full house.Najam Sethi, the PSL chairman, says he had limited budgets and hence could not indulge in marketing as widely and loudly as he would have desired. On ticketing, however, he remains unperturbed. “I would not say it is an obsession with us. We do want as many people to come. We want people to demonstrate their nationalism, their support and affection for the PSL. But to say ticket sales are going to be critical to our financial model is not correct.”Despite all the teething issues and a few embarrassing false starts, the PSL is finally a reality. It is, as Sethi says, ready to take off.

Always in the background in a team of rockstars, Samuel Badree has got a solid case for being West Indies’ player of the tournament

Swaroop Mamidipudi02-Apr-2016When one of Jasprit Bumrah’s trademark missiles homed in on Chris Gayle’s offstump on Thursday night, I could almost hear the roar in my neighbourhood. My phone – with ESPNcricinfo alerts and various cricket-mad WhatsApp groups – beeped non-stop. It was like India had averted a disaster. But this game was not about Gayle. In fact, the West Indies T20 team has never really been just about Gayle. Look down that team sheet, and you’ll find the names of Samuels, Simmons, Russell, Bravo and Sammy. Gayle is only the frontman of a band of rockstars all capable of devastating one-man shows.There’s one player, though, who goes unnoticed in this line-up of behemoths. He’s of average height and average build, bordering on rotund. He cannot take gymnast-catches on the boundary-line, he cannot clear the ropes with a bat in his hand (in fact, he has never done so in international T20s). You can never find joy, hope, sadness, anger or frustration on his face, whatever may be his team’s fortunes. In this respect, he out-Dhonis Dhoni.In a team of dreadlocks and mohawks, he sports a haircut straight out of a strict boarding school. He does not have a stripper pole in his house – even if he does, he doesn’t post about it on Instagram. His Twitter photo has him in a white formal shirt and trousers. Looking at it, you might think he’s the team’s accountant. Still, he has been, ahead of all of those big names, Windies’ best player this World Cup.Samuel Badree is the anti-West Indian. He’s not a one-man show; why, he’s not a show at all. He thrives on the fact that no one notices him and no one plans for him. He bowls in the first quarter of an innings, does an efficient job and hides in the field for the rest of the time. His bowling revels in being completely ordinary. He doesn’t turn the ball much, but finds a length and line hard to hit and mixes it with changes in pace and flight. He bowls the occasional googly, but you won’t find him ever advertising any of those novel deliveries that Warne or Saqlain announced every once in a while. Still, his career economy rate is 5.44 and he has an average of 15.05. (Yes, better than Sunil Narine.) He is a mystery bowler only in the sense that no one realises he is effective and even the ones who do, don’t get why.Badree didn’t play either of the warm-up games. A surprising fact considering he last turned out for West Indies in 2014. He does not have much experience in India either – he has never played a T20 international here, and he has only bowled a handful of overs in the IPL. It showed in the first game against England. He bowled three bad balls in his second over – that’s usually his quota for three games – and Alex Hales duly despatched them to the boundary.But in the next game, he sank Sri Lanka with three top-order wickets for 12 runs in four overs. Of course, Fletcher won the Man of the Match for his one-man show with the bat and Badree’s performance, as always, merged into the scenery. He had a quiet game against South Africa where his three overs went for 22, but even in that disastrous outing against Afghanistan, he removed both Shahzad and Stanikzai and ended up with 3 for just 14 off four overs.Against India, his four overs for 26, when every other bowler went for over 9 an over, kept the score from ballooning beyond 200. He got the wicket of Rohit Sharma just when he was teeing off. He bowled only one bad ball – that was duly sent to the boundary – and conceded just one more boundary, off an outside edge. On a flat pitch on a small ground, this was an extraordinary performance. At the end of the day, Simmons, Russell and Charles took the honours for a thrilling chase, but Badree, as ever, quietly did his part with the ball.There is a video of Bravo and Sammy doing the “Champion” dance after yesterday’s game. They get down from the team bus at their hotel, Sammy has a Bose docking station in his hand, “Champion” is playing on it, and they are putting on a spectacular song-and-dance routine for the crowd waiting at the hotel. Gayle, to the delight of the audience, joins in. This is a bunch of loveable bros telling the world that “hey, it’s a game, you’re supposed to have fun”.Somewhere in that video, there is Samuel Badree, uninterested in the whole thing, peering into his cell phone, probably asking his family what they had for breakfast. That’s Samuel Badree, the man who never fails, indispensable to the team (and so he had to be in that video), but the man who forever remains anonymous.

Having come close to an international debut once before only for rain to thwart it, Jon Holland is ready to make the most of his second chance after earning an unexpected call-up

Daniel Brettig02-Aug-2016An expired passport, replaced in a hurried 24 hours before flying to Sri Lanka, says a lot about how much Jon Holland has thought about playing for Australia in a Test match lately. But canny displays in training for the tourists, ahead of a game they must win, spoke equally loudly for a level of ability the selectors have always rated.The call from chairman of selectors Rod Marsh to tell Holland he needed to travel to Galle to replace Steve O’Keefe and partner Nathan Lyon in the second Test necessitated a journey from Brisbane back to Melbourne for a hurried renewal of documents. It is seven years since Holland last made an Australian tour, an ODI sojourn to India in 2009.”Rod rang me when I was up in Brisbane, getting ready for Australia A, and told me that SOK was not good and I had to get over here,” Holland said. “It was a bit of a surprise, so much of a surprise that I didn’t have a passport ready, so I was a bit nervous.”I went back to Melbourne, I had to renew it, it had expired. Getting over here, just being around the group it hits home a bit more.”I will be a little bit nervous if I do get a chance to play, I have worked hard on my bowling the last couple of years. I am pretty comfortable with where my bowling’s at. Hopefully, if I do get a chance, I can get myself into the game and get a couple of results.”On that previous tour, Holland was so close to a debut that he had “the chat” with then captain Ricky Ponting informing him he would play in the final match of the series in Mumbai. But rain began to fall almost as soon as Ponting spoke those words, and so, Holland returned home without playing.”It was the last game, we’d already won the series,” Holland said. “Ricky told me on the bus after training which was the next day, and as soon as he told me, it started raining and it didn’t stop until we got on the plane to come home, so unfortunately I missed out, but that’s the way it goes.”I guess it was in the back of my mind that time was getting away from me, but I really enjoy playing cricket for Victoria. They’ve stuck with me through three shoulder injuries and supported me and given me the chance to play cricket, I have to thank them. It’s here now, it’s all a bit surreal still and I will just have to wait and see if I do get the chance to play.”Usefully, Holland is dropping into the Australian side in a manner he has become familiar with for Victoria. The selectors’ preference for Fawad Ahmed as the No. 1 spinner has meant Holland only plays on spinning pitches, and has harvested 22 wickets at 16.41 from his past three Shield games, spread over two seasons. Eight wickets in the Shield final piqued the selectors’ interest ahead of this tour.”I would like to play every game for Victoria but that hasn’t been the case,” he said. “Fawad has bowled extremely well for Victoria and it’s been hard to get in there, and especially in Australia – playing two spinners doesn’t happen too often, but my opportunities for Victoria have come and I enjoy playing for Victoria.”The Shield final was a big game for me. I’d missed out on a couple, one through injury and one not being selected the year before. It was a big dream of mine to play in a winning Shield for Victoria, and to get the opportunity and do well was a really great week for me.”In watching the first Test of the series on television, Holland was reminded of the left-arm spinner’s art by the clever variations of Rangana Herath. There has been evidence of similar skill from Holland in training, varying his pace and degree of spin to beat Australian bats on numerous occasions. Cricketers rather than athletes, Herath and Holland share an instinctive understanding of deceit.”He knows the conditions extremely well here,” Holland said of Herath. “He just bowls on the spot and knows how to subtly change his spin and variations and pace and that sort of thing. I think just about every time he bowls the ball it’s hitting the stumps, which is a big positive. I try to take a bit of that on board and try to do the same as that.”If Holland’s passport was unready, he has at least got in his kitbag a handful of good relationships with Australian team-mates from days gone by, whether it be Under-19 tours or his Academy intake.Most critical of all, he shares a good rapport with Steven Smith. Captain and spinner must stay close this week. “I’ve known Smithy since he was pretty young,” Holland said. “I guess we have got a pretty good relationship, so, hopefully, he backs me in and looks after me.”

He became the second-oldest man to reach 300 Test wickets – and possibly the least fit – but Rangana Herath’s story is the best of what sport has to offer

Andrew Fidel Fernando at Chester-le-Street28-May-2016Just after lunch, when Moeen Ali was gunning for a double-ton, he made a waddling dartboard out of Rangana Herath. Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka’s brick wall on the last tour, had begun to captain like one. Herath was one of seven fielders on the boundary, but it was him that Moeen picked on repeatedly. Moeen thumped the ball to Herath’s left and ran an easy two. He sent it skidding to Herath’s right and took another couple. At times it felt like Herath would be quicker if he rolled horizontally towards the ball. Just after lunch, when Moeen was gunning for a double-ton, Herath was a liability.

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There was a time when cricket was a liability to Herath. In the decade since his Test debut, his nation was besotted with mystery spin. For Muttiah Muralitharan, this was island love that ran deep, long and true. For Ajantha Mendis and his delicate fingers, Sri Lanka fizzed at first, then let infatuation slowly fizzle.Through all this, Herath found himself perpetually on the fringes. He was in some ways the modern progenitor of the carrom ball, but easily the least subtle proponent of it. The extended pinky finger when he delivers it might as well have an unfurling banner attached.So he subsisted on irregular A team tours, domestic matches in one of the most archaic first-class tournaments in the world, and on payment that was more like pocket money than a living wage. There was the job at a bank that he still holds dear; the brief stint in an English league that he still fondly remembers.In the decade since his Test debut, Rangana Herath was line-and-length black-and-white in a technicolour age. He was a slow-bowling nation’s surplus spin.

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One of Herath’s great strengths has been the ignorance batsmen have shown towards his craft. He is a disciple of flight and dip, yet when the ball meets the pitch, the deviation is modest and such bite as he gets is slow, not leaping and fizzing. Murali left top orders broken, of course. But even bowlers such as Graeme Swann or Saeed Ajmal have inspired more fear and reverence from opposition, who labelled them “world-class spinners” or “genuine matchwinners”. Herath has more wickets, with less fast-bowling support than both, but is more often awarded only second-rate appreciations. He is a “tough customer” and a “wily operator” they say, and though he is “always at you”, he might not quite be “incredibly difficult to play”.And Herath guards his secrets like a magician, even if he is not everyone’s version of a spin-wizard. “Just tried to put the ball in the right spot,” is all the explanation he ever gives. But if he doesn’t get extravagant turn, it is the batsmen he manoeuvres around the crease. They draw forward to the round-arm ball that drifts. They jam bats down on the dart at off stump. They play back to the lazy slider on the pads. They dance to Herath’s beat, though mostly they don’t know it, and hypnotically they are lured into traps, over cliffs.The selectors have not always understood this either. When long, wicketless spells come, they begin to doubt. Even after he became Sri Lanka’s most-consistent matchwinner since Murali, they have been quick drop him. In July last year, Sri Lanka left Herath out and failed to defend 377 in the fourth innings, against Pakistan. Upon his return in the next Test, he claimed 7 for 48 in an unbroken spell, and defended 176 from India.In a 17-year career in which only 68 Tests have been played, Herath has had several downfalls. Among them has been his own selectors’ seeming ignorance of his craft.

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Like his action, Herath’s appeals are generally gentle. He turns on his heels, holds out his arms like wings on a biplane, and backpedals towards the batsman. Other spinners have demanded wickets of umpires. On the hunt, Murali’s eyes used to implore. Herath has rarely yelled at teammates, and perhaps has never asked the question when he has felt it shouldn’t be out.When batting, he has been no different. In 2014 at Lord’s, he even famously walked when the match was there to save, and he wasn’t even out. Team-mates will say that though he is quiet, he is among the most generous in the dressing room. When he speaks about them in public, Herath bears this out. Like his action, so the man is gentle, keen and honest. Such virtues don’t always help sportsmen out.

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Rangana Herath finally notched his 300th Test wicket•Getty ImagesWhen the ball took the top edge of Steven Finn’s bat and Herath took the catch, he became the 30th man to 300 wickets. He became the second-oldest to the milestone, and possibly the least fit to it as well. But why mire ourselves in such pathetic details?If on some level sport is about the triumph of spirit over odds, if it is at all about life’s trials playing out in microcosm, then who better than this kegful of a Kurunegala man to lavish with admiration? His are 300 wickets are wrung from dry circumstances, and wrenched from a mean-spirited system. They are prised from cricket’s closed fist.Let Herath waddle in the outfield as long as he likes, I say. Let batsmen take the twos. To watch him bowl is to see the best of what sport has to offer. And who knows when we will see his like again?

In every decade since the 1970s, teams have set new records for ODI totals, breaching the 300-run and then the 400-run mark.

Andrew McGlashan01-Sep-2016England’s latest brutal display at Trent Bridge extended their record for the highest-ever ODI total. In the first ODI, staged after the 1971 Melbourne Test was washed out, Australia chased down 191 in 34.6 eight-ball overs and there was a slow, steady progression of scores rising into the 200s until, in 1975, during the 19th ODI, England broke through the 300 barrier. ESPNcricinfo traces the rise of the highest ODI total.1:22

The journey from 334 to 444 in 41 years

England 334 for 4 (60 overs) v India, Lord’s, 1975The first day of the first World Cup – men’s that is, the women were two years ahead of things. Dennis Amiss made 137 and England’s innings was rounded off by Chris Old’s Buttler-esque 30-ball 51. The final total of 334 was a big leap on the previous best of 266. Controversy then ensued as Sunil Gavaskar batted through India’s 60 overs for 36 off 174 balls. “Dejected Indians were pathetically pleading with him to die fighting,” reported the . “Their flags hung limp in their hands. It was a perverse moment of self-inflicted shame.”Pakistan 338 for 5 (60 overs) v Sri Lanka, Swansea, 1983Two World Cups later, the record was broken as Pakistan enjoyed the Welsh air against a Sri Lanka side still young in their full international days. After Mohsin Khan and Zaheer Abbas – with 82 apiece – had laid the platform, the acceleration came from Javed Miandad (72 off 52) and Imran Khan (56 off 33) with what termed a “violent assault”. Sri Lanka were never in touch, but weren’t embarrassed as they made 288. Arjuna Ranatunga was part of the middle order: his, and Sri Lanka’s, time would come.West Indies 360 for 4 (50 overs) v Sri Lanka, Karachi, 1987What would Viv Richards have done in the current era? It doesn’t really matter, because he was immense when he did play. He had already produced an innings, his unbeaten 189 against England, at Old Trafford in 1984, that remains one of the greatest in ODI history but, in terms of runs, nearly surpassed it in this match as his 181 off 125 balls carried West Indies to dizzy heights. Richards’ innings began on a hat-trick ball; by the time he departed he had the highest score in a World Cup at the time. His last 81 runs came from 33 balls.England 363 for 7 (55 overs) v Pakistan, Trent Bridge, 1992A quirk of fate meant that the record England set in 2016 was a carbon copy of how they held it 24 years ago. Before the the team built under Eoin Morgan, this was their finest one-day side having reached the World Cup final a few months previously only to be toppled by Imran Khan’s team. It was little consolation, but back on home soil they comfortably beat Pakistan in the one-day series. In this contest runs came throughout the order. Of the top six, only Allan Lamb did not contribute significantly. Robin Smith led the way with 77 off 72 balls but the real flourish was left for Graeme Hick who clubbed 63 off 42 deliveries, his fifty coming off 34. Pakistan’s frontline attack was formidable – Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aaqib Javed and Mushtaq Ahmed – but the fifth-bowler combination went for 106 in 11 overs.Sri Lanka 398 for 5 (50 overs) v Kenya, Kandy, 1996The record wasn’t edged past, it was smashed, and not surprisingly by the Sri Lankans who were in the course of reinventing the one-day game. Aravinda de Silva got a huge personal score of 145 as it quickly became clear there would be no repeat of Kenya’s historic victory over West Indies a week earlier. Ranatunga added the finishing touches with a 29-ball fifty although Kenya’s left-arm spinner Asif Karim ended with the highly respectable 1 for 50 in his 10 overs. 400 was close, who would be the first there?Australia 434 for 4 (50 overs) v South Africa, Johannesburg, 2006It would take another 10 years for the milestone to be crossed, and it came on the most remarkable of days at the Wanderers. Ricky Ponting slayed 164 off 105 balls, on the ground where he had dispatched India during the 2003 World Cup final, and Michael Hussey scored 81 off 51, as Australia marmalised South Africa’s attack on the Highveld. Ponting’s hundred came from 71 balls and the last 20 overs of the innings brought 225 runs early in the T20 era. Astonishingly, though, a few hours later the record-books were being re-written again…Herschelle Gibbs’ astounding 175 set up one of ODI cricket’s most memorable matches and wiped out a record total that was set mere hours earlier•Getty ImagesSouth Africa 438 for 9 (49.5 overs) v Australia, Johannesburg, 2006“They are 15 short, lads,” is the apocryphal line attributed to Jacques Kallis as the shell-shocked South Africans made there way into the dressing room at the interval. Yet the miracle happened. Herschelle Gibbs responded to Ponting’s epic with 175 off 111 balls and Graeme Smith plundered 90 off 55. Such was the early onslaught that South Africa were on track from a long way out, it was a question of the wickets they were shipping. In the end it came down to the final over from Brett Lee and with two needed Andrew Hall picked out mid-on. But Makhaya Ntini managed to squeeze a single, levelling the score amid delirious scenes in the crowd, before Mark Boucher thumped the winning boundary.Sri Lanka 443 for 9 (50 overs) v Netherlands, Amstelveen, 2006There must have been something in the water during 2006 because South Africa’s record lasted barely three months, although this record wasn’t exactly in a fair contest as Sri Lanka overwhelmed Netherlands. Neither were there any TV cameras present to record the moment. Sanath Jayasuriya butchered 157 off 104 balls and Tillakaratne Dilshan 117 off 78. The only danger that could stop Sri Lanka from setting a record was being bowled out. They were still 31 short when the eighth wicket fell, but Dilshan was still there.Need a last-ball boundary for a record total? Call Jos Buttler•Getty ImagesEngland 444 for 3 (50 overs) v Pakistan, Trent Bridge, 2016Another 10-year gap, another record. After Alex Hales’ England-record 171, the side appeared to be cantering towards a record total when the 48th over – bowled by Wahab Riaz – went for 24. But Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali belatedly made life tougher. After Jos Buttler swung and missed twice at Hasan, four runs were still needed off the last ball. If there’s a man who can find the boundary when needed it’s Buttler and he duly drilled the final delivery over the off side. So, where next? As Australia went ballistic in their chase against Sri Lanka in Dambulla – 68 after five overs, 100 in 8.1 – the thought of 500 did not seem quite so outlandish.England 481 for 6 (50 overs) v Australia, Trent Bridge, 2018Two years later, on the very same ground, England didn’t just break their world record, they utterly marmalised it. Hales was once again England’s top-scorer on his Nottinghamshire home ground, but his 147 from 92 balls shared top billing Jonny Bairstow’s 139 from 92 – his fourth ODI hundred in the space of six innings. Bairstow had added 159 for the first wicket with Jason Roy, who ran himself out for 82 from 61 balls, but the coup de grace was applied by the skipper Eoin Morgan, who slammed an England record 21-ball fifty to turn on the afterburners for an already turbo-charged innings. Australia actually did well to deny England that elusive 500 total, but it was scant consolation, particularly for the hapless Andrew Tye, whose nine overs went for an even 100.

MSK Prasad, India’s chairman of selectors, talks about keeping track of upcoming talent, and being clear with players about what’s expected from them

Interview by Arun Venugopal20-Dec-2016A number of youngsters have made a mark in the Ranji Trophy this season. Did you expect them to do as well as they have?
This season has thrown up some fantastic talent. The fundamental thing this selection committee is looking at is to develop good bench strength, considering the number of injuries happening right now. If our supremacy in different formats of the game has to last long, we need to have good bench strength.What are the selectors doing to ensure domestic performances aren’t missed?
We have always had two selectors travelling for the international games while the other three [remain here]. Now, during the Ranji Trophy season this year, we decided that only one selector will travel for international games. The other four will be watching domestic cricket.The BCCI has also been kind enough to accept and support our cause by saying that the match referee could play an important role in the matches we are not watching. They [match referees] are playing the role of the TRDO [Talent Research Development Officer] now. The BCCI gets their reports by the end of the game and forwards those to us.There was a discussion and we have to come to a conclusion that this is the right way to go. That is why we are not worried that we will miss out on anyone. There is a back-up ready.

“I take the responsibility to talk to the senior cricketers and tell them the reasons why they have been picked or why they have not been picked and what the committee is expecting of them”

Can you recall an instance of the match referee alerting you about an important contribution this season?
There are quite a few instances. Priyank Panchal and Rishabh Pant; one of the knocks Ishan Kishan played – our selectors missed that game, but we got a detailed report about the match from the match referee.Players like Jayant Yadav and Hardik Pandya seem to have been picked on the back of good performances on India A’s recent tour of Australia. Did you make your picks based on the fact that it was a difficult tour and that whoever did well would obviously be good enough, or were your selections guided by how some players came to the fore in crunch situations?
It’s a mix of both. That’s why you should prefer India A tours to countries like Australia, South Africa, England and to an extent even New Zealand, where the conditions are really tough. That’s where you are really tested. Otherwise, when it comes to playing in the subcontinent and against subcontinent countries for an A tour, I don’t see much difference between them and our domestic cricket.The best part about these A tours is, more than half the players in the opposition would have represented their countries already. If you look at our own team, we had guys who had represented the country. South Africa had David Miller and Dane Vilas. Australia had Peter Handscomb, who got a hundred against Pakistan in this Test [in Brisbane], James Pattinson and Kane Richardson. That’s the beauty of these tours. I think it adds a lot of value.Will there be more A tours this season?
The BCCI is working towards having two or three India A tours, not just one per year. If somebody is injured, we have ready-made products with a bit of quality international experience. The issue is the itinerary. You have the domestic season, too, for six months, so where do you slot the A tours? The BCCI is still working out the details.What is your committee’s approach to selection?
When we select somebody, we think four to five times. We give him enough experience in the domestic circuit and get him into the team. I don’t know how it was earlier but our selection philosophy is simple. We have to look at a player who performs well in domestic cricket, select him, groom him and see to it that he goes on to become a match-winner, which will eventually help Indian cricket. Our philosophy is not to select a player, get a back-up ready and chop that fellow and get another back-up. This way neither the players nor the team will get confidence.”Picking Parthiv or Jayant, and giving Karun Nair an extended run, are debatable issues, but we stuck to them. Hence the selection committee should be appreciated for their strong views on grooming and nurturing talent”•Associated PressWhen we pick them, we should give them sufficient chances. We never know which Marvan Atapattu [who started his Test career with scores of 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0 and went on to score more than 5000 runs] is around in Indian cricket. In smaller countries like Sri Lanka, with fewer first-class teams, you still get a chance to make a comeback. But in a country like India, to make a comeback is very tough. You’ll suddenly be left in oblivion and you don’t know where you stand.Tell us about the kind of communication you have with some of the younger players, like Rishabh Pant, who are on the verge of selection?
We are very clear in our thought process and communication. We took permission from the board and now we walk onto the pitch and talk to the players. The committee has taken responsibility to go and speak to youngsters like Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan. We tell them what we expect of them and ask them not to get carried away by the media hype they are getting. They need to come through the ranks. Suddenly someone asks why is Rishabh Pant not in the Test team yet, and there is a lot of hype around him. The player might have a false opinion: “I deserved a chance and never got it.”We are trying to identify a person’s talent, which is suited to a particular format. Rishabh is an attacking cricketer. We should know how to bring him into the team – from the shorter format to the longer format. When we need somebody like Abhinav Mukund or Priyank Panchal, they have to come from the longer format to the shorter format. We feel this is the right way to groom and nurture talent.How do you approach the selection of players who you think have extraordinary talent but not the weight of runs or wickets behind them?
Anybody who comes through the ranks has a better scope of settling down in the team and eventually developing into a match-winner. But in odd cases, where you find an exceptional talent, it can be considered. But it is always good to come through the ranks, so that the player has better sustainability.What’s the nature of information flow between the selection panel and the coaches of the senior and junior teams – Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid?
This selection committee is quite approachable and adaptable. We take suggestions from Dravid, Kumble, Virat [Kohli] and [MS] Dhoni, but we take the final decision on the players to be picked in the squad. The playing XI, of course, is decided by the team management, along with the selector at the venue.Does it make things easier that members of the selection committee have played in more or less the same era as Kumble and Dravid?
That’s one of the best things that has happened. The five members in the selection committee have all played together along with the team management, so the levels of understanding are very, very good. More or less, we are always on the same page.

“All the members of our committee make extensive notes of the matches we watch. When we sit at the selection meeting, everything is tabulated and each of us has the same data. We discuss at length and leave no stone unturned”

Talk us through some of the slightly left-field selections, like Jayant Yadav for the England Tests.
We have seen quite a bit of Jayant Yadav in Australia because Gagan [Khoda] and me were there. This selection committee has an international spinner [Sarandeep Singh], a middle-order batsman [Jatin Paranjpe], two openers [Khoda and Devang Gandhi] and a wicketkeeper [Prasad]. We cover all the disciplines of the game. When we pick a keeper, maybe I have greater input. When it’s a spinner, there may be more inputs from Sarandeep.Was bringing back Parthiv Patel difficult to explain to the team management?
The team management and the selection committee have a fantastic rapport, so if we raise something, they immediately accept it. If they have a requirement, like an opener or a middle-order batsman, we give them a ready-made solution. This is the understanding. Picking Parthiv is what the selection committee did, but if the requirement comes from the team management, say, if [Wriddhiman] Saha is not fit, they will ask for a keeper. We discuss among ourselves, pick that name and forward it to the BCCI.The more difficult aspect of your job probably is to tell a senior player that he is not good enough to be a part of the squad. How do you handle a situation like Gautam Gambhir being picked following some good performances in the Duleep Trophy and then being dropped after four innings?
Senior players, like Gautam or Yuvraj [Singh] or Shikhar [Dhawan], have all done exceptionally well and they are the country’s legendary cricketers. So, on behalf of the selection committee, I take the responsibility to talk to the senior cricketers and tell them the truth about what exactly is the mindset of the committee, and place the reasons and facts about why they have been picked or why they have not been picked and what the committee is expecting of them, and that if they match up to these standards, they will obviously be looked into.I spoke to Yuvraj, Shikhar and Gautam. I think I have spent 30 to 40 minutes with all of them. They were extremely happy and receptive and said: “This is the highest honour your committee has given to us. You were very clear in your thought process at a time we were in a dilemma about whether you guys are looking at us or not.”We made it clear that these are the parameters, these are the changes that have come into the game, and to be picked you need to match these standards. They are very clear now about what they need to do to come back into the team.It’s a universally accepted fact that senior players are expected to deliver immediately when they come back into the team. They might not get the same number of opportunities a youngster will be getting. Youngsters get a long rope because they deserve it and they are the future.Is that something you have told the players as well – that you are not going to be ignored because you are 34 or 35?
We have never ignored an Ashish Nehra or anybody else. The selection committee has no right to say to any player that enough is enough, because every cricketer has a right to play. Nobody has forced them to come into the game and now nobody can ask them to retire. Every cricketer has the right to play. This is their profession and this is what they live for. Retirement is purely the personal choice of the player.”The five members in the selection committee have all played together along with the team management, so the levels of understanding are very, very good”•AFPHow do you deal with the criticism that this selection committee comprises men with limited international experience?
I am very happy that everybody has come out with that because everyone is concerned about Indian cricket. I agree that we have played less international cricket, but we are working hard day in and day out to select players, groom them and make them match-winners and see that they have very good international careers, which we missed in our life.There are no egos, no airs among our colleagues. If they are asked to go to any place in the country, they are there the next morning irrespective of wherever they are. They talk to the players and understand their mindset. There is a lot of discussion that keeps going on between us on a daily basis.Picking Parthiv or Jayant, and giving Karun Nair an extended run, are debatable issues, but we stuck to them. Hence the selection committee should be appreciated for their strong views on grooming and nurturing talent.What has the experience of being a member of the previous selection committee, led by Sandeep Patil, taught you?
The best part about the last committee and this one is that they are impartial. We don’t talk about players from our own state or zone. That’s why there is something called a “neutral policy” that we have adopted. We don’t watch the matches of our states – for example, I don’t watch an Andhra game and Jatin [Paranjpe] won’t watch a Mumbai game. When we pick players, Sarandeep, for instance, won’t ask for a player from Delhi. But I would have seen those matches and I might raise the issue of selecting that player. The neutral policy is a very good one and it worked well with the previous committee. We are continuing that and I am sure in the coming days, with the kind of openness we have, things will only get better.How have your interactions with the two captains – Dhoni and Kohli – been so far?
Fantastic. The three qualities we associate with both Virat and Dhoni are integrity, passion and patriotism. It is very easy to communicate with them because our thought processes are along the same lines.Believe it or not, both of them keep track of all the youngsters in domestic circuit. When we talk about some domestic players in the selection committee meeting, they even know the current stats of these players.How much say does the selection committee have when it comes to workload management and determining how much rest a player needs, especially given the number of injuries recently?
All of us are equally concerned and worried about the number of injuries among the players. As of now, we don’t really have a concrete policy, but we will definitely sit with the team management and the BCCI and design a policy for workload management.With so many overseas tours coming up in the next two seasons, are there certain plans you want to put in place?
That’s the reason I am saying we are working on bench strength and on slot-wise selections, so whenever there is a requirement, we know what fallback options are available. All the members of our committee make extensive notes of the matches we watch, and in the evening we exchange notes. When we sit at the selection meeting, everything is tabulated and each of us has the same data. The meetings are no longer five- or ten-minute affairs. We discuss at length and leave no stone unturned.We have players in our radar according to the slots available. That’s how we depute selectors to a certain match. If we are looking at a spinner, Sarandeep is already there. If we are looking at an opener, Devang [Gandhi] and Gagan go there. That is how we determine which selector goes to which matches.This current Indian team is more or less settled and we are eagerly waiting for our overseas tours. Our boys have done really well in Sri Lanka and West Indies, and all of us are waiting to do well in South Africa, England and New Zealand. This team has all the flavours to do well – good spinners, medium-pacers and good batting strength.What, according to you, have been the most satisfying decisions made by your committee so far?
We can say that this committee has done a good job by picking Parthiv, Jayant and sticking with Karun Nair – and giving them a good run.
We are early into our term. We can’t really take the credit for whatever this team is doing right now, because the previous selection committee has really done a good job by investing in these youngsters. Our real challenge will be about developing good bench strength, picking the guys who are really doing well at domestic cricket right now, inducting them into the national team, and seeing that they grow into top-class international cricketers. Maybe three or four years down the line, when those boys keep doing well and win matches, that will be the best indicator of what we have done.

For four young players who made a big splash last season and all the other unheralded Pakistani talent in the tournament, the PSL once again offers a platform for international recognition

Charles Reynolds in Dubai10-Feb-2017Experienced pros, statesmen, old hands – whatever your cliche of choice, the law of averages states that it has probably, at some point in recent years, been applied to members of the Pakistan cricket team.With the ‘old warhorse’ Misbah-ul-Haq at the helm and the ‘grandmaster’ Younis Khan as first mate, not to mention the odd cameo appearance from the seemingly never-ageing Shahid Afridi, Pakistani cricket has been somewhat synonymous with ‘veteran’ cricketers.Before its debut last year, one of the stated aims of the Pakistan Super League was to usher in a generation of future international stars, the mandatory inclusion of one emerging player in each starting XI a clear indication of the desire to nurture some much needed fresh talent.It was then a relief that on this front the tournament delivered handsomely, with at least a handful of young players making quite a first entrance onto the global stage.The first man to grab to the spotlight was Mohammad Nawaz and in the most dramatic style possible, picking up the man of the match award in the inaugural PSL match, his figures of 4 for 13 scuppering Islamabad’s innings before it ever really got going.For Nawaz, who it should not be forgotten was one of Quetta’s emerging players, it was just the beginning of a year to remember, he ended the tournament as the third-highest wicket taker, picking up 13 scalps at an average of 18 and an economy rate of 6.56, and chipping in with some useful lower order runs as well.The rewards for such a strong tournament were quick in coming, with Nawaz earning a T20I debut against the UAE less than a week after Quetta were defeated in the final. Before the year was out or he’d even celebrated his 22nd birthday, he had also received ODI and Test caps for Pakistan – a poster boy for what exposure at the PSL could do for your career.Another of the emerging players to make an immediate impact at last year’s PSL was Mohammad Asghar, the then 17-year-old also snagging a man of the match award on his tournament debut, his 3 for 20 spinning Peshawar Zalmi to victory in their tournament opener against Islamabad.The left-arm spinner finished the competition as its joint fifth-highest wicket taker, his 11 victims coming at an average of 18.45 and an economy rate of 6.54. Strong performances for Pakistan A followed and he earned himself a call up to the full international side for their tour of Australia, still before the age of 18.Former Test spinner Iqbal Qasim is a big fan, labelling Asghar “a natural talent like Wasim Akram,” adding “Asghar has all the ingredients to become a lethal spinner in international cricket. His greatest weapon is his self-confidence.”While Nawaz and Asghar were the two real big breakout stars of last year’s PSL, the tournament also showcased the talents of some other promising Pakistani youngsters, notably Usama Mir and Rumman Raees both of whom undoubtedly benefited from the exposure and the chance to mix with established internationals from around the globe.The young leg-spinner Usama, who picked up six wickets in the tournament, in fact considered it his PSL highlight.”The best thing about the tournament for me was interacting with the foreign stars,” he said. “Ravi Bopara told me he thinks I’m a fantastic bowler and this gave me a lot of confidence. I’ve since kept in regular contact with Ravi.”Raees, one of Islamabad’s emerging players, and another in a seemingly never-ending production line of left-arm fast bowlers from Pakistan, might not quite have picked up the same number of wickets as some, but his performances caught the eye nonetheless and earned him praise from coach Dean Jones.”I thought he was a really good kid, he was under some pressure, he showed a lot of composure at times, but I think there’s a real good future for Pakistan cricket,” Jones said. “Because we are forced to play emerging players, we’ve got a kid like Rumman Raees who’s bowling beautifully, isn’t it amazing when you give kids an opportunity?”It is this last comment that is perhaps the most telling and a positive example of much of what the PSL set out to do, promote young talent and prepare it for the international stage – something Rumman might well have seen more of but for injury, a solitary T20I against the West Indies his only Pakistan cap so far.So what does the second installment of the Pakistan Super League hold for this quartet? For Nawaz and Asghar there is no longer the benefit of relative anonymity; both now carry a heavy weight of expectation and it will be interesting to see how they cope. Usama will be hoping to build on his showing last year and continue to attract plaudits, while for Rumman it is a chance to rediscover the form that first marked him out as a talent in the first iteration of the tournament.Ultimately though the best thing for these four and the many other promising young Pakistani players taking part in the PSL, such as Lahore’s Ghulam Mudassar, is that they now have this opportunity to show off their skills, to test themselves against some of the best players in the world and to try and become part of the next generation of Pakistan cricket stars.

ESPNcricinfo is inviting readers to send in videos of themselves imitating their favourite IPL stars

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-20170:45

Participate in ESPNcricinfo’s Playalike Contest

What is the Playalike Contest?
It is your chance to prove just how closely you watch the IPL by sending in imitations of your favourite stars. Shoot a video of you replicating a shot, a bowling action, a trademark celebration, a hairstyle, a moment from the IPL, an expression or anything else that has grabbed your attention and send it to us. The best entries will be featured on our site.How do I participate?
All you need is a smartphone or a digital camera and some creativity. Send in your videos, pictures, Boomerangs and even Snapchat videos to +91 99005 90636 on Whatsapp or email them to [email protected]. You can also send your videos to the ESPNcricinfo Facebook page.Who and what can I imitate?
You can send in imitations of any person involved in the IPL. It could be a player, a coach, a franchise owner or anyone else who will be instantly recognizable to fellow fans. You could mimic something the player is famous for, such as a shot or a celebration, or something he has done just once but has gained a lot of popularity for, such as a particular expression or a fantastic catch. The subject of your imitation could be something that has happened in previous seasons of the IPL or this one. You can even mimic a former IPL star.
You could even involve friends and imitate several players at once. If you find a particular moment from past seasons or this year’s tournament goes viral, you could enact the entire scene along with your friends.What will the videos be judged on?
Creativity, humour and effort. If you put in the work to accurately replicate a shot or a bowling action, that’s great. But if you can’t, then you can use your wit to send in imitations that may not be completely accurate, but are entertaining all the same. For example, you could do Brendon McCullum’s scoop shot and then keep rolling on the ground, exaggerating his roll after the shot. You could use Snapchat filters to mimic the way a player talks. Or you could follow Ishant Sharma and do your own version of Steven Smith’s side-to-side head nod. But please be safe. Don’t, for example, try doing Ravindra Jadeja’s sword celebration with an actual sword.What are some example of videos that would qualify?
MS Dhoni’s helicopter shot, David Warner’s leap after he reaches a landmark, Shivil Kaushik’s bowling action, Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle’s celebratory handshake, Lasith Malinga’s hairstyle – these are all things you could try imitating. As the tournament goes on, we will keep releasing prods on what you can imitate and events from the IPL that are worth replicating.Is there any particular format the videos need to be in?
We will consider all videos shot on a smartphone or digital camera that are clear. Please ensure the videos you send in are of good quality, so we can display them on our website.Where will these videos be seen?
The videos will be displayed on the Playalike contest page on ESPNcricinfo, and we will also be posting the best ones on social media from the ESPNcricinfo handles. In addition, some may make it to our live IPL show. If you’re lucky, the star you are imitating may actually see your imitation and react to it.Terms and conditions

• The Playalike Contest is organised by ESPN DIGITAL MEDIA INDIA PVT LTD (herein after referred to as ESPNcricinfo.com). The decision of ESPNcricinfo.com will be final & will be binding on all and is non-contestable.
• The Playalike Contest is valid till May 21. All entries must be submitted before that date.
• ESPNcricinfo will not be held responsible for any accidents or damage or loss to goods incurred while shooting videos for the Playalike Contest.

The left-arm seamer has struggled since returning from a shoulder injury, but a break and two first-class outings may have rekindled his success

Mohammad Isam at P Sara Oval18-Mar-20174:05

Isam: Mustafizur bowled really well to the right-handers

There were oohs and aahs, along with a bit of head-holding, in almost every over bowled by Mustafizur Rahman on the fourth day, especially in the second session. And not only from the slip cordon but also from people in the stands, the press box, and in all likelihood from those watching on TV too.Kusal Mendis pressed forward to drive, but saw the ball wobbling around and played it softly. He resisted the temptation to drive off the next delivery too, and left the third outside off as well. Another defence and a leave followed, and one ball remained in the 45th over from Mustafizur. The last delivery came into the right-hander with the angle from around the wicket before curving away ever so slightly. Mendis played at it.The wicketkeeper and the slip cordon appealed, but there was nothing more than a polite inquiry from Mustafizur. The umpire said not out and, after Bangladesh reviewed, replays suggested nothing decisive. But the TV umpire heard a noise as ball passed bat and overturned the decision. Mendis was unhappy on his walk back and Mustafizur had given Bangladesh a big breakthrough.***Mashrafe Mortaza says a captain doesn’t need to be in Mustafizur’s ears all the time because he believes it could affect the bowler’s thinking. For someone who has a bagful of tricks, Mustafizur uses variations quite tactfully, but things haven’t been as smooth as they were before a shoulder surgery in August last year.The Mustafizur who burst through against India in 2015 wasn’t to be found in New Zealand, and the team management gave him a break after he complained he wasn’t feeling fine. There were whispers that ‘IPL fever’ had got to him, with the T20 tournament slated to begin in the first week of April. It was all hearsay.After Mustafizur was essentially dropped for the one-off Test in India in February, he played two first-class games and took four wickets. One umpire remarked that the batsmen had found it tough to negotiate Mustafizur’s pace, a trait he isn’t known for. Was he ready for another tour?***During the first Test in Galle, Mustafizur showed glimpses of the bowler he was when he first emerged in 2015. But in these times the opposition sorts you out quickly. He finished his first Test in 18 months with three wickets, but bowled a late spell that may have gone unnoticed. The pace wasn’t striking because he had found his groove through his delivery stride, pivot and release to bowl his cutters.Here at the P Sara, Mustafizur’s run-up looked less ginger, his action less hesitant, and his delivery stride more powerful. Most indicators signalled a return to form. All he needed was a performance.***After taking Mendis’ wicket, Mustafizur kept forcing Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal to drive by bowling full and straight. Chandimal was sucked into one and was caught behind, reward for pressure that had been built up through the spell.He bowled even better to Asela Gunaratne, but Shakib Al Hasan reaped the reward at the other end. Dhananjaya de Silva looked to play Mustafizur on reputation and gave him respect, but fell to the drive anyway, perhaps because he was caught in two minds.Mustafizur’s spell read 7-1-24-3, and it was as effective as it was fun to watch. He literally made the ball dash around like a yo-yo. Even more astonishing was the manner in which he got the ball to reverse, a factor that could be key on the final day against a lower order that will have to start from scratch.Another effective, and fun, Mustafizur spell could be the difference between a fairly comfortable chase and a nervous one.