All posts by n8rngtd.top

India’s spinners came to the party on day three in Ranchi after their wicketkeeper dug them out of a hole

Valkerie Baynes25-Feb-20241:11

Manjrekar: Ashwin’s artistry on show once again

R Ashwin’s five-wicket haul, and Kuldeep Yadav’s four, spun India to an achievable target for victory in the third Test, and the series.On a day when two youngsters, each playing their second Tests, confirmed their arrival by exerting considerable influence on the match, it was the vastly experienced Ashwin who lit up India’s efforts to seize some control, with Kuldeep stepping in for an economical 4 for 22 from his 15 overs to help contain England’s advantage to 191.Ashwin followed two wickets in as many balls with that of first-innings centurion Joe Root as England slipped to 65 for 3, then sealed his 35th Test five-for late in the day to bowl England out for 145 in their second innings and give India’s openers a nibble at the deficit over the final 20 minutes or so before the close. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal negotiated that period safely, reducing their task to 152 runs.It came after 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel had posted his maiden Test fifty, falling just 10 runs shy of a ton to be India’s top-scorer as he pushed his side to 307 all out, closing the first-innings gap to 46 after they started the day 134 runs adrift with three wickets in hand. Shoaib Bashir, England’s 20-year-old offspinner who toiled through 32 overs – 31 of them on the trot – for his four wickets on the second day, became the second-youngest England bowler to take a five-for in men’s Tests behind Rehan Ahmed, whom he replaced for this match.England lost 5 for 25 in 21 overs after the tea break as the pitch began to grip and turn more frequently. They were 19 for 2 in the fifth over after Ashwin had Ben Duckett caught at short leg off a length ball which drifted in and found the inside edge, popping to Sarfaraz Khan for a regulation catch. Ollie Pope was out for a pair when Ashwin pinned him lbw next ball, one which didn’t turn as much as the batter had perhaps expected as he was rapped on the back pad in line with leg stump.Root shared a 46-run partnership with Zak Crawley before Ashwin struck again, finding some turn from around the wicket with a full ball that beat Root’s inside edge and rapped the pad. Adjudged not out initially, India reviewed with question marks hanging over whether the ball had pitched outside leg stump, with replays suggesting the ball had pitched marginally in line with leg and was going on to hit it.2:08

Did Kuldeep’s slower pace help him be more dangerous?

Crawley raised his 13th in Test fifty and third of this series, and settled into another stand with Jonny Bairstow, worth 45. Jurel missed a stumping chance off Bairstow when he was on 23 with England 106 for 3 but Kuldeep began to find appreciable turn which accounted for Crawley, bowled on middle stump for 60.Stokes couldn’t stifle a wry smile when he survived an lbw appeal off Ravindra Jadeja on umpire’s call, given his questioning of that element of the DRS earlier in this series, as Jadeja beat him on the inside edge with a delivery that ball-tracking suggested was headed for the top of leg stump.Jadeja and Kuldeep were getting the ball to turn more often late in the middle session on a pitch that was still behaving unpredictably and Kuldeep got Stokes with a gem that stayed low, slid onto the back pad, between the batter’s legs and into the stumps.That left England on 120 for 5 at tea, but Jadeja made it 120 for 6 with the first delivery after the interval, tossing one up off stump which turned away out of a crack as Bairstow jabbed towards Rajat Patidar for a simple catch at short cover.Kuldeep doubled his tally in his ninth over – an eventful one in which he had Tom Hartley well caught by Sarfaraz at mid-on, bringing Ollie Robinson to the crease following his first-innings half-century. Robinson had to call for a review immediately after he was given out lbw attempting a reverse-sweep with replays showing the ball struck his glove on its way through to the pad. There was no reprieve two balls later though, Robinson’s attempt to overturn another lbw decision failing when Kuldeep turned the ball in towards middle and leg, hitting the pad below the knee roll and he was given out umpire’s call on leg stump.Ashwin claimed his fourth with a return catch when Ben Foakes, who had just overturned an lbw decision off the same bowler, failed to pick the carrom ball and chipped straight back. He removed James Anderson for a pair three balls later when Jurel took an excellent one-handed catch behind the stumps.Earlier, Jurel and Kuldeep capitalised on the most favourable batting conditions of the day as they put on a 76-run partnership for the eighth wicket in a steady first hour.Jurel upped the tempo after Anderson bowled Kuldeep for 28 off 131 balls. With a maximum already to his name when he resumed the day on 22, Jurel smashed Bashir down the ground for six and four off consecutive deliveries. He struck two more sixes, off Bashir and Hartley, before he was last man out, bowled by an excellent Hartley delivery which angled in and spun past his defence, crashing into middle and off stump to end an innings of great maturity.Before his dismissal, however, came that of Akash Deep, who also struck a six off Bashir before he provided the spinner’s crucial fifth wicket, lbw for 9 in a decision which stood on umpire’s call despite his hopeful review.

Martin Williamson16-Dec-2005

Methuen, 237pp rrp £18.99

I approached this book with a degree of weariness – another book on Lord’s – there are almost as many as there are books about this summer’s Ashes – and one seemingly concentrating on the tenure of Tom Graveney as MCC president. I expected a fairly routine tale of the comings and going in St John’s Wood. I am happy to admit that I was very wide of the mark.Stephen Fay, the former editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly, has managed to produce an entertaining and informative behind-the-scenes account of a year in the life of Lord’s . Graveney’s one-year reign gives the book its frame, and he is a colourful character in his own right, but it is the daily machinations of a multimillion-pound business that really captivate.The last major book about life behind the scenes at Lord’s was by Geoffrey Moorhouse in 1984. In the intervening 21 years, the world has moved on, and even Lord’s has been dragged kicking and screaming from the 19th into the 21st century.Here I must declare an interest. As a member of MCC, perhaps this book appealed to me a little more than it might to some others. But while I thought that I knew a fair amount of what the running of the ground involved, Fay soon made me realise I didn’t really have the first inkling of what went on when the crowds had left.Lord’s does so much more than just stage cricket. MCC organises more than 400 out -matches against clubs and schools each summer as well as high-profile overseas tours to emerging countries. Its role running world cricket might have all but disappeared, but that has been replaced with the important one of being the ambassadors and nurturers of the game.It’s the characters that provide the colour. From the groundsman who would prefer that people stayed off his pitches, to the pride of the man responsible for producing the members’ passes, to the men who take more than 30,000 people a year on guided tours. All have their tales to tell, and to his credit, Fay gives them the space to do so.Graveney’s time at Lord’s also coincided with the beginning of the end of Roger Knight’s time as Secretary. That he has now also assumed the title of chief executive highlights that MCC has ceased to be a private members’ club and is now a business. And perhaps there is an element of regret over what has happened when he says: “We talk about cricket too little … there is a huge danger we become just a money-making machine.”The appointment of Graveney as president shows that it’s not all a smooth system. His son was asked about his father’s health – there were doubts whether, at 77, Graveney was up to the task. That query was mistaken as a formal invitation and it pre-empted any change of heart by the powers-that-be.The book is illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by the talented Karen Neale, the MCC cricket artist this year. While it would have been tempting to use well-worn photographs, Neale’s vignettes are a refreshing addition.All in all, this book would appeal to anyone with an interest in cricket, all the more so if they happen to be an MCC member or a regular visitors to Lord’s. Perhaps we will all be a little more attentive to the details on our next visit.Click here to buy a copy from Cricshop

The Ranji Trophy is set to kick off from November 23 and Cricinfo previews the Elite Group’s teams in bunches of three

Anand Vasu and Jamie Alter18-Nov-2006

Tamil NaduTamil Nadu have consistently fielded strong teams in the Ranji Trophy and yet they have won the competition only twice in the history of the tournament. WV Raman, the former Tamil Nadu and India batsman, is now their coach, and he was a member of the team that won in 1987-88, led them to the final in 1991-92 and was also in the mix when they reached the final in 1995-96. After reaching the finals in both 2003 and 2004, they were thwarted by Mumbai, and have since failed to make it to the knockout stage.Under Raman, a shrewd thinker of the game and a clever motivator of men, there’s every reason to believe that a change in fortunes is on the cards. Only the faithful – many of whom come to the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk year after year to watch their team – will expect instant results.”We’ve got a fair amount of strength in the medium-pace department. And the advantage is that we have a settled middle order,” Raman told Cricinfo. “If we fall short anywhere it is in the spin department, and the fact that there has been a lot of chopping and changing in the opening combination. They need a bit of time to settle down.”That said, Tamil Nadu, who play all but two of their games at home in Chennai – their away games being against Delhi and in Rajkot against Saurashtra – should have no excuse to fail to qualify for the knockout stage of the competition.What they did last seasonTamil Nadu won only one of their seven matches in the last season, and that was against Bengal when Hemang Badani made an invaluable 157 in the
second innings, supported by Sridharan Sriram (96) after both teams had collapsed in the first innings. Crucially they lost two matches outright,
to Mumbai and Maharashtra, and this hurt their chances badly, leaving them with only 11 points at the end of the league matches, and well behind
Mumbai’s 16. “The ability of players to raise their game when it comes to big matches is a key issue,” said Raman. “Also the team as a whole needs
to maintain focus for the eight-week period.” (Click here for Tamil Nadu’s batting and bowling stats last season.)Men to watchS Badrinath has been spoken about in hushed tones in Chennai circles for
years now but was only pitchforked into
the national mainstream last year. An outstanding fielder at point, or anywhere else
in the circle, and a batsman who has grown from being a grafter to one who
can express himself freely, Badri topped the Ranji averages in the last
season for anyone who had played five games or more, racking up over 600
runs at just under 80 with an unbeaten double-hundred in the bag.
Another key person to look out for in the forthcoming season will be Lakshmipathy
Balaji – how soon, and how strongly he comes back to full potency remains
to be seen. Then, there’s always Badani. Although his chances of playing for India
appear bleak, he is a vital member of the Tamil Nadu squad, and when he scores runs the team usually does well.HaryanaHaryana have never been a domestic heavyweight – they’ve only featured in two Ranji finals -but have produced Kapil Dev and two domestic stalwarts – Rajinder Goel, whose tally of wickets remains a record till today, and Amarjeet Kaypee, whose run-scoring ability is yet to be surpassed. They haven’t thrown up any stars in the past decade but two current players are creating a buzz – Mahesh Rawat, the young wicketkeeper-batsman, and Joginder Sharma, the allrounder who has represented India. Amit Mishra, the talented legspinner, was talked about as a potential national player but has since faded away. There’s a batting line-up capable of posting match-winning scores, but it’s in the bowling department that Haryana lacks penetration. What they did last season:
Haryana’s 2005-06 campaign read one win, one loss, and four draws. Sitting third from the bottom in the points table, they were a far cry from the big two in their group – Baroda and UP. Mahesh Rawat and Sachin Rana scored the bulk of the team’s runs, but only three batsmen made hundreds. The bowling was even more disappointing: Joginder topped the list with 34, followed by Rana with 23, but the next on the list was Mishra with 14. No back-up bowler left a mark, and to his credit Joginder turned in fine spells throughout the season. (Click here for Haryana’s batting and bowling stats last season.)Men to watch:
If pre-season form is a yardstick, Rawat and Joginder will be the men to carry Haryana. Rawat, who scored his maiden first-class hundred against Punjab last season, opened this year’s Duleep Trophy season with two hundreds – 115 against Central Zone and an unbeaten 104 in the title triumph over Sri Lanka A – and a half-century against East. Joginder has been Haryana’s most successful bowler over the past three years, and his batting has evolved significantly. With two successive hundreds and a ten-wicket haul at the start of the 2004-05 Ranji Trophy season, he won a place in India’s one-day squad for the tour to Bangladesh, and played three ODIs. In this year’s Duleep Trophy, he picked up hundreds against Central and East and a half-century in the final. Hopefully for Haryana, the buck won’t stop with these two talents.Rajasthan

A powerhouse in the 1960s, Rajasthan has faced a steady decline since and never been able to relive the glory years. Things are slowly looking up, though, as a promotion to the Elite Group suggests. The biggest news has been that of the overseas imports, Vikram Solanki and Kabir Ali, from England. The Worcestershire cricketers will turn out for Rajasthan in the Super League of the Ranji Trophy as well as in the domestic one-day competition. .The Lalit Modi-let Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) has seemingly changed the face of the state’s cricket, first remodelling the Sawai Mansingh Stadium and then installing state-of-the-art facilities at the academy. Still, without a large talent pool, Rajasthan will need to play out of their skins in the Elite Group.What they did last season:
Rajasthan made the jump up to the next level despite going down by an innings and 34 runs to Saurashtra in the division final. There were two outright wins, no losses and vital first-innings lead points in the league matches. Undoubtedly, Jadeja’s presence had a huge impact on Rajasthan’s season, both tactically and statistically. Barring Jadeja – who scored 684 runs at 97.71 – no batsman averaged more than 34.00 and there was just one other centurion, the former ODI batsman Gagan Khoda, whose stock has slipped over the years. How Rajasthan cope against more formidable opposition remains to be seen. (Click here for Rajasthan’s batting and bowling stats last season.)Men to watch:
Sanjay Gill is a senior right-arm medium-fast bowler who has been among the wickets for Rajasthan in the last few seasons, and if the side hopes to be incisive with the ball, Gill will be a key figure. He had a devastating spell against Orissa last season when he picked up career-best figures of 6 for 20 from 17 nagging overs and bowled them out for 94. Nikhil Doru, the wicketkeeper, and Rahul Kanwat are capable batsman and have bailed Rajasthan out of trouble more than once.

Stats highlights from the fifth ODI between India and Australia in Vadodara

HR Gopalakrishna and Mathew Varghese11-Oct-2007

Jenny Thompson descends on the stands at the Cathedral End where India fans are chanting ‘Sachin Sachin Sachin!’

Jenny Thompson in Adelaide24-Jan-2008

Don’t try to interview passionate India fans (as if there’s any other kind) when Sachin Tendulkar is batting. For one, they’ve barely got half an ear on the questions, while you have more stop-starts with the tape than a nervous sprint-race starter.You simply can’t hear anything other than a roar of “Sachin! Sachin! Sachin!” when he so much as touches the ball if you’re sitting anywhere near the three main 30-strong clumps of India fans at the Cathedral End, which should be renamed the Sachin Stand.All are based in Adelaide, most studying potentially lucrative IT, engineering or business. Even the majority of the Bharat Army, one of the three groups, have made Adelaide their semi-permanent home as students here, although these loyal followers have travelled throughout Australia following India since Boxing Day.”No-one else matches his class,” murmurs Gill, a Bharat Army member, over three takes of the tape. “I want to watch him just get a century.” Does Tendulkar love the support? “Definitely he does, he looks back over here when he gets a half-century,” he smiles proudly. “Keep a close eye.”Two overs later Gill’s proven right: Tendulkar clips a single through midwicket off Stuart Clark to bring up his half-century and immediately turns and points his bat to acknowledge the Bharat Army before anyone else, even his team-mates.Rajeed, another Army member, is not surprised. “He is a good man, very polite, and he has not changed,” he said, echoing everyone canvassed. “That’s why he’s so popular in India. He is like a God and he’s treated just next to the prime minister. I’m sure that if he participated in the prime ministerial elections he is going to be the next prime minister.”It’s not just that he’s the best in his field – “He is legend!” smiles Harish, “Legend is ultimate word,” adds Vamshi – it’s that he’s the best in cricket, too. “Cricket has murdered other sports in India,” says Lovepreet, yet another student, who also thinks Tendulkar’s appearance accounts for 25% of the Indian fans here. “He has done a lot for India, even his record doesn’t tell the full story. He’s been consistent.”Has Tendulkar unwittingly, albeit beautifully, massacred anyone else’s chances to be held so reverently in the future? “There will be no-one like him,” reckons Vamshi, but Lovepreet is not so sure. “People used to say when Sunil Gavaskar retired, ‘Who will bat for India now?’ but time goes on, people come and go, it’s not going to stop. I will still go on India tours when he’s gone.”Tendulkar has to retire one day and this could be his last Test in Australia. Most people are expecting this, but not Rajeed. “I think he is planning for a long time. He is saying that ‘I can play at least for four or five years’. The people are saying, he is not saying ‘I am retiring after this series’. I think he will play the next World Cup in 2011.”Regardless, while the Army has had t-shirts made to spell out one word if they line up properly, it’s not the word ‘Sachin’ emblazoned. It’s that of their country. And in among the joyous “Sachin! Sachin! Sachin!”, an equally infectious “India! India. India! India.” starts up and it’s impossible not to join in.Not everyone is in raptures over the man who has scored more than 11,000 Test runs. While most of the home fans undoubtedly respect Tendulkar – Australians loves a champion – some are indifferent. “I don’t rate him very highly,” says 26-year-old Andy. “He’s not really a phenomenon here. We just feel the ripple effects from India and through other Indians and expats here in Australia.”But when he hears that while Tendulkar was coming into bat, among the resounding cheers were jeers and boos and someone even shouted: “You suck, Tendulkar”, Andy is quick in response. “That’s disrespectful and offensive. You wouldn’t do it to anyone.”Later, Tendulkar brings up his century cover-driving Michael Clarke and the whole ground stands as one, Australian fans leading the bowing in fact. Tendulkar, it seems, has won yet another set of fans over.If this is his last Test here then he has picked his moment well, particularly as he came averaging 20.33 here, way down on his in-Australia average of 55.50. He more than surpassed it though, with an innings that will live long in the memory.

The curse is finally lifted, and the identity of the man who has delivered South Africa’s first series win in England for 43 years comes as no surprise

Andrew Miller at Edgbaston02-Aug-2008

The curse is finally lifted, and the identity of the man who has delivered South Africa’s first series win in England for 43 years comes as no surprise whatsoever. Graeme Smith’s irrepressible willpower was first demonstrated to the English public way back in 2003, when – as the most mature 22-year-old imaginable – he scored back-to-back double-centuries, at Edgbaston then at Lord’s, to announce a new chapter in his country’s sporting history.Today, however, he finally closed that chapter and looked forward to the next, after producing the innings that he declared, without equivocation, as his greatest yet. “I’ve had some really meaningful innings in my life, and the double-hundreds here last time have to go down among my greatest achievements,” he said. “But ever since readmission, we have really strived for victory in England and have always been disappointed. It’s bigger than just us, this victory, and so I have to say it’s my best.”The importance of a South African victory in England cannot be overstated. When the coach, Mickey Arthur, declared on Friday evening that his side was “desperate” to win, he was speaking not only for the eleven men on the field, but those back home in South Africa who recognised that, almost two decades on from their readmission to international cricket, the time was nigh for closure. For Smith, it was as if he had set his agenda on his maiden tour five years ago, and was now ready to cement his ambitions.”If you taken the whole bigger picture,” said Smith, “of all the players who’ve come before us, those who’ve come here and given it their all and had the disappointment, as well as the many who haven’t had the opportunity in the many years past, as well as the fans back home who can imagine what it’s like. For us this was bigger than a cricket game, it was a huge moment and something we’re really proud of.”South Africa’s transformation since apartheid has been a long and often traumatic process, and the country’s cricketing misfortunes have often been seen as a part of the healing. But under Smith the team has achieved a rare unity and consistency that, for the first time ever, has transcended racial politics. Their current series record reads seven wins and a draw in India, a run that ranks among the very best of all time.What is more, it has been delivered by a team that can no longer be accused of tokenism. From Ashwell Prince to Hashim Amla, via the fading but unyielding Makhaya Ntini, and all the way to the young white stars, AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel – all have been worthy members of a team whose next major assignment is a mouthwatering trip to Australia in December, where further ghosts await exorcism. It would have been unjust for them to fail, especially when you consider the turbulance that afflicted the England camp after their rout at Headingley.

And yet, for all the magnificence of the current South African team, their efforts would have come to nought had it not been for their imperturbable captain. The day began as the previous one had finished, with England in the ascendancy, stretching their lead through the efforts of Paul Collingwood and Ryan Sidebottom and then, after a relatively calm opening stand of 65, instigating a chaotic collapse of four wickets for 28 runs.Neil McKenzie and a steamed-up Jacques Kallis failed to pick Andrew Flintoff’s full length against the problematic pavilion sightscreen, and as the Edgbaston crowd erupted in recognition of the moment, Smith feared that the “hot-headedness” that can characterise South African sporting teams was about to come to the fore once again.Not that he was afflicted by the same emotions, however. Far from it. “I couldn’t control that,” he said. “I was just hoping that the right-handers could start picking up those low full-tosses. For me it was just about a real focus on my own game. Bat and hope someone could bat with me, because I knew if we could get a decent total on the board we could get close, England might get desperate and try a few things, and give us a few free deliveries.”In the final analysis, that is precisely what happened, as the combative Mark Boucher emerged to exorcise his own demons from the 1998 Test series, not to mention the World Cup semi-final on this very ground one year later. But there was nothing free about the runs that Smith accumulated. It was fitting that his final score was 154 not out, because there cannot have been a more brilliant and meaningful matchwinning century scored in England since Graham Gooch took down the West Indians at Headingley in 1991.Like Gooch 17 years ago, Smith batted through a barrage and, until Boucher’s late role, found only token support from his colleagues. And symbolically he too batted on into the gloaming when others might have called it quits and returned to complete the job in the morning. Instead, he claimed the extra half-hour on the stroke of seven o’clock, and hurtled to victory in five further overs.”I knew we had England tired because their seamers had bowled a lot of overs,” he said. “The new ball was at the back of my mind – if we’d lost a wicket we had a bit of a tail – but eventually I thought: ‘Let’s go for it. We’ve got England on the ropes, so let’s back ourselves.'”And to think Smith might not even have taken part in this match. He pulled out of training on the eve of the game after suffering a back complaint while batting against Bangladesh A, and admitted afterwards that the problem had never entirely gone away. “It’s been a bit sore, but I’m thankful I got on the field,” he said. “I’ve been on a few painkillers, but at the moment there’s a lot of adrenalin so I’m not feeling any pain.”Victory is always the best painkiller, but in South Africa’s case, it extends beyond the fitness of their captain. The capitulations of 1994, 1998 and 2003 can at last be forgotten, and by blotting the date “1965” out of their record-books, the final link with the apartheid era has been severed. South Africa are a team going forward at high speed, and for their captain, the journey has never been so pleasant.

In a five-part preview series, Cricinfo profiles the Super League teams

Cricinfo staff31-Oct-2008

Uttar Pradesh

The enigma boys are at it again. Champions one season, just about avoiding the relegation the next, and almost winning the Ranji Trophy in the next. It took a superlative rearguard from Delhi to deny Uttar Pradesh the title last year, but it will take a few more consistent seasons for UP to genuinely make a transition from being backwaters to powerhouses.Their contribution to the national teams – RP Singh, Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar and RP Singh – is an endorsement to the cricketing revolution in the state, and despite the state. Their captain, Mohammad Kaif, too, has been a close outsider to the Indian team. Like Delhi, they have a coach who has just retired as a player – Gyanendra Pandey.They would want to start off with a big win in their first game, against Andhra in Meerut, because after that their star players will be available to them sporadically, as this season clashes with big international matches – the England one-dayers start from November 14.As the case has been for the last three years, no one knows what to expect from them. In those widely varied results, the personnel had not changed drastically.What they did last season
Their last season was not dissimilar to their championship season. In 2005-06, they had four points from four matches, and were sitting pretty at the bottom of the table. Last season, they had eight from four, and again they were at the bottom of the table. Like in 2005-06, three big wins followed, and they were through to the semi-finals.In the semi-final, they got a green top in Vadodara, which worked to their favour. Sudeep Tyagi, their new pace sensation, and Praveen Kumar, their seasoned pro, combined well to shot Saurashtra out for 127 and 113. Kaif helped them to marginally more than that.They had a superb start to their final, too, at the Wankhede. After having scored 342, they had Delhi down to 36 for 4. Delhi recovered, but UP still managed a 52-run lead, only to squander it through some irresponsible batting in the second innings. A Gautam Gambhir special followed in a chase of 230 runs to stop the dramatic turnaround at its last step.Kaif was their leading run-getter with 687 at 57.25, followed by Raina with 683. They were Nos 4 and 5 on the overall run-getters’ list. But it was Tyagi who made the main difference, with 41 wickets at 21.63, in his debut season. Praveen, who was available for only six matches, made his contribution with 36 wickets at 16 apiece.Men to watch
As usual there are lots to watch out for, depending on their availability and form. Tyagi is one of the lesser known ones: after a promising debut season, when it came to taking himself to the next level – the zonal games, or the IPL money and fame, he got injured. He played a match against Australia A, which might suggest he is fit again, but it will be interesting to see if he finds the form that form that made him such a success last year.RP Singh, who has now become a frequent flier with the Indian team, might not be available for long. Raina would want to make Test claims, Chawla would want his place in the ODI side back, and Praveen would look to cement his place in the ODI side.

Punjab

Punjab clearly are yet to recover from the ICL exodus that saw 12 players defect to the unofficial league as they just about managed to avoid the relegation to Plate with an outright victory in their final league encounter. And to think they were the runners-up only three years back. Inthikab Alam was the coach then but subsequently, though, Punjab have had two more coaches. Arun Kumar, former Punjab wicket-keeper, will be the third coach in as many years and he replaces Gurcharan Singh who failed to provide any sort of impetus to a weakened team.Kumar’s familiarity with the players was the main reason behind his appointment, which probably might help in the team bonding. That and the presence of Yuvraj Singh, who is part of the squad for the first two games at least, should help Punjab start on a positive note in a tough season where they play a solitary home game.What they did last season
Despite having home advantage in five games Punjab won just one game in a must-win situation against Orissa. Uday Kaul’s two fighting centuries in the initial half of the season had gained first-innings points against Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Against UP, VRV Singh played a pivotal role with a seven-wicket haul in the first innings, which denied the visitors the lead. But even if the batsmen managed decent, if not huge, totals Punjab’s bowling failed to show any consistency. VRV only played four games and peaked in two of them; Manpreet Gony was more of harmless trundler and Gagandeep Singh toiled hard but sometimes without much luck. The bowling clicked against Orissa, reducing them to 50 for 4, but the batsmen failed miserably to hand over the advantage. However, VRV snatched it right back with a superb five-wicket haul to set up an easy target to chase.As for the performers Uday Kaul was the only batsman to cross the 500-mark (503). VRV Singh, in and out due to his injury concerns, managed to still bag the maximum wickets, 15, with Gagandeep and Manpreet sharing the second spot with 13.Men to watch
With VRV still recuperating from his ankle injury and not expected to play at least in the first half Gagandeep and Gony will be the strike bowlers. Not to forget Siddarth Kaul, who even if green, has a good enough pace to trouble the bat. He showed that during the Under-19 World Cup final against South Africa. India needed two wickets, their opponent needed 16 runs off the last over and Kaul cleaned them up without much trouble.

Andhra

A sixth place last year despite the loss of Venugopal Rao and Syed Sahabuddin
showed Andhra are no pushovers. They have gone in for more new blood this season: four new players and a new coach in MV Narasimha Rao have been recruited. And Rao is confident that his young bunch can do more damage this season.”We have many guys from Under-22 division, our fast bowling looks good with P Vijaykumar, Kalyankrishna, Israel Raju and Sharat Babu. Our batting too is in good hands with Hemal Watekar and the two young talent in AG Pradeep, and B Sumanth.” They have a tough start against Uttar Pradesh but as Rao says, and as the recent history shows, Andhra could give a good fight to any team on their day. The spin department is a worry, though, as Andhra have lost the services of Shankara Rao, the left-arm orthodox who picked 20 wickets last year, this season due to a accident. They will look to M Suresh, the legspinning allrounder to do the job.What they did last season
Watekar, the opener, hit two hundreds to get Andhra off to a comfortable draw against Punjab and his opening partner Prasad Reddy reprised that effort to earn another draw against Uttar Pradesh. They won their next game against Orissa but suffered heartbreak against Hyderabad in a
low-scoring thriller . They went on to draw against Baroda and beat Bengal but that loss against Hyderabad proved crucial in the final-four ranking.Men to watch
Watch out for the openers, Watekar and Reddy, who amassed 909 runs between themselves last season. Kalyankrishna and Vijaykumar, who grabbed 20 and 21 wickets respectively, will lead the bowling attack.

The combinations that have the best numbers in Tests against England

Cricinfo staff12-Aug-2009The performances of Michael Clarke and Marcus North have been one of the major pluses for Australia in their Ashes campaign so far. Batting at Nos. 5 and 6, they’ve been huge stumbling blocks for England’s bowlers. Not only have they been the only ones to score more than one century in the series, they’re also the only pair to put together more than one century partnership over the first four Tests. In six innings, they’ve managed partnerships of 143, 0, 8, 30, 185 and 152 – three century partnerships, and 518 runs at an average of 86.33. In fact they’re just 21 runs away from Australia’s record for the most runs by a fifth-wicket pair in Tests against England.The pair is just two hundred-run stands away from equalling Australia’s record for most century partnerships against England. Three pairs currently hold that record – David Boon and Mark Waugh, the Waugh brothers, and Michael Slater and Mark Taylor, who all have five hundred stands.The most prolific Australian batting pair against England (with a cut-off of 750 partnership runs), though, is Don Bradman and Bill Ponsford. In a mere six innings, they amassed 1012 runs, with two partnerships exceeding 380 runs. Bradman features in second place too, with Sid Barnes – in seven innings they added 756, at an average of 108. Bradman features twice more among the top ten, with Stan McCabe and with Bill Woodfull.Among the more current players, Allan Border and Dean Jones shared some excellent stands against England, averaging more than 80 in 14 innings, with eight partnerships of more than 50. Mark Taylor enjoyed a couple of profitable associations for the opening wicket, with Michael Slater and Geoff Marsh.

The table changes only slightly when the focus shifts to best Australian pairs in England: Bradman and Ponsford still lead the pack, with Boon and Mark Waugh third. Bradman has a new partner in this list though – with Alan Kippax, he made a formidable combination for the third wicket during the 1930 tour, putting together partnerships of 59, 192, 229 and 73 in four innings, for an average of 138.25. Ian Chappell was prolific with Keith Stackpole in all Tests against England; but in England, he had a partnership average of 111.20 with Ric McCosker, and three century stands in five innings. Clarke and North make it to the top ten too – their average of 86.33 puts them in eighth place, among those who scored at least 500 partnership runs.

Over the last 40 years, the stats for Australian openers against England is mixed. Taylor’s combinations with Marsh and Slater were extremely successful, but his partnerships with Matthew Elliott in 1997 weren’t as prolific, thanks largely to Taylor’s own poor form during that series. Some of the others struggled much more – in ten innings that Graeme Wood batted with John Dyson, they managed 186 runs at an average of 18.60. With Andrew Hilditch, Wood was only slightly more successful, averaging 25.33.

Among the non-opening pairs, the numbers are much better. Greg Chappell and Kim Hughes played together in only five innings, but put together century stands in four of those. The Waugh brothers excelled too, with 1249 runs in 22 innings, the most by any non-opening pair for Australia against England.

Stats highlights to the first Test between Australia and West Indies in Brisbane

S Rajesh25-Nov-2009For an Australian team which has struggled to impose themselves in Test cricket of late, the three-match home series against West Indies is an excellent opportunity to get back to their winning ways. On paper, the gulf between the two teams is huge: West Indies have lost each of their eight Tests in Australia since 2000, two by an innings and two more by 350-plus runs. Australia’s Test form has been patchy recently – they’ve lost three of their last five series – but they’ve won six of their last seven series against West Indies, and drawn the other. The last time West Indies triumphed was in 1992, when they edged to a 2-1 series win.Australia’s form at the Gabba, the venue for the first Test, is even more imposing. Since 1990, they’ve won 15 out of 19 Tests there, and drawn the other four. Most of those wins have been convincing ones – five by an innings, two by ten wickets, and three more by more than 250 runs. West Indies were one of the four teams to manage a draw, though they were lucky to escape: chasing 231 for victory, they struggled to 133 for 8.West Indies were also the last team to beat Australia at this ground, winning by eight wickets in 1988, but since 1990 they’ve lost three out of four times.

In fact, Australia have been more dominant at the Gabba than at any other home venue. In 51 matches they’ve won 31 and lost only eight – three of those to West Indies – giving them a win-loss ratio of 3.87. Their next best record is in Perth, the venue for the third Test, where they’ve won 20 and lost nine.

The table below shows the vast difference between the performances of the two teams at this ground since 1990. The Australian batsmen have an overall average of more than 45, with 31 centuries in 19 Tests. Their bowlers average almost half the batsmen’s average, which indicates Australia have been almost twice as good as their opposition at this ground. West Indies, on the other hand, average a miserable 19.26 per wicket with the bat, and more than 42 with the ball. That explains the margins of defeat in their last two Tests here – an innings and 126 runs, and 379 runs.

Most of the Australian batsmen in the current squad have pretty good numbers at the Gabba. Michael Clarke leads in terms of averages with 468 runs in five Tests, while Ricky Ponting has scored 1141 runs, the most by any batsman here, in 13 matches. Simon Katich and Michael Hussey have played pretty well too, but Shane Watson has only managed 22 in three innings.

Among the Australian bowlers in the current squad, only Mitchell Johnson has played Tests here. In two Tests he has taken 13 wickets, including a match haul of 9 for 69 against New Zealand last year.It hasn’t been such a happy venue for West Indies, though. Only three batsmen from the current squad have played Tests here, and none of them average 40. Shivnarine Chanderpaul has the best figures, with two half-centuries and an average of 37 in three Tests. Ramnaresh Sarwan bagged a pair in his first Test there, but managed 52 runs in two innings in 2005. In fact even Brian Lara couldn’t come to terms with the conditions in Brisbane – in eight innings there, he managed one half-century and an average of 22.

Bangalore’s sloppiness with both bat and ball eased Mumbai’s deserved path to the final

Cricinfo staff21-Apr-2010The heart of the matter is easy enough to locate. The Mumbai Indians, the only consistent team in this year’s IPL, deserved to be in the final. Bangalore, who lost six of their last nine league games after starting so strongly, didn’t. Bangalore never quite figured out what their strongest XI was, especially once Kevin Pietersen and Ross Taylor returned from international duty, and their sloppiness with both bat and ball eased Mumbai’s path to the final.As Anil Kumble was to say later, Bangalore did alright for two-thirds of the game. For 15 overs with the ball, they kept things under control, restricting a powerful line-up to just 107 runs, albeit on a pitch that was taking a fair bit of turn. Then, with the bat, they were well on course for nine overs. Two wickets in two balls though, and the game was pretty much up.In truth, they should never have had to chase 185. When Pietersen finished a tidy spell by conceding just four in the 15th over, the pressure was on Saurabh Tiwary and Ambati Rayudu, neither with any international experience, to inject some impetus into the innings. Tiwary rode his luck as 17 came from a Jacques Kallis over and the match was transformed when the miserly Kumble (1 for 13 from his first three overs) was taken for 17 in his final over punctuated by two no-balls.Dale Steyn returned to dismiss Rayudu in a 10-run over, but both he and Vinay Kumar were then hapless onlookers as Kieron Pollard freed those rangy arms and justified Mumbai’s spending on him at the auction earlier this year. Neither helped their cause by bowling full tosses or good-length deliveries to a man who clears the fence with ease even when he mishits the ball.Afterwards, Zaheer Khan, who captained Mumbai after Sachin Tendulkar went off with a hand injury, was asked how a bowler could respond to the kind of assault that Pollard unleashed. “You need to bowl your yorkers,” he said. “And you need to be very clear in your mind about what you want to do.”Chasing such a big total against such a well-balanced bowling attack was never going to be easy, but with Dravid holding up one end, Bangalore made a game of it till almost halfway. Pietersen was again outfoxed by Harbhajan Singh, but it was the dismissal of Robin Uthappa, caught in the deep off a slower ball from Pollard, that was really decisive.Bangalore also lost because their Indian players faded as the season went on. Praveen Kumar and Vinay, who started the season strongly, didn’t distinguish themselves in the later games, while Manish Pandey wilted after a promising first stint at the top of the order. Uthappa’s consistency and big hitting was a huge bonus, as Kumble was to acknowledge later, but the others didn’t chip in enough when it mattered.They now have a third place play-off and the possible consolation of a Champions League berth to contemplate. For a sweat-soaked Kumble, it was no consolation at all. “Every defeat hurts,” he said. “We are professionals. Maybe some of the other players have other things to look forward to. But I no longer play international cricket. This is all I have. I still haven’t got over losing in the final last year. This one will also take some time.”His team-mate of 18 years now faces an anxious wait to know if he’ll be fit for the final. For much of the tournament, Sachin Tendulkar’s runs piloted Mumbai’s challenge. Today, with next to no contribution from him, the others proved that they’re far from being a one-man show. Tiwary and Rayudu have both made huge strides during the course of this competition, and the fact that they didn’t crumble under the pressure of a knockout situation augurs well for the future.Both Sri Lankan pace bowlers did exceptionally well, but it was Pollard with his languid movements and awesome power that was the star of the show. They’ll take some stopping in the final, no matter which team they face.