Cricinfo got a ticket to find out what sort of buzz the IPL generated

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan19-Apr-2008
Hardly any partisan crowd at the IPL so far © Getty Images (file photo)
Anticipatory buzz: The Anil Kumble circle outside the ground was the beehive of most of the buzz. It became tough to navigate through the area at noon and by 5pm, Queens Road was partly blocked. It was obvious the numbers would match any one-dayer though itwas also evident that there wasn’t going to be too much of a partisan element to the cheering.Twelve years ago few Bangaloreans would have even imagined a day which could rival the excitement that surrounded the India-Pakistan World Cup clash but the response here was threatening to approach it. Not many had their faces painted, fewer carried the tri-colour. Signsshowing fours and sixes, though, were generously distributed.Entry time: It’s usually not too much of a hassle entering the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The queues are well set out and very few security men rough you up. Mobile phones aren’t a problem and the frisking is usually nothing more than a quick run-through. What all this means isthat the smart ones can sneak their cigarettes in.Exit time: A no-contest meant people gradually trickled out of the stadium, reducing traffic hassles. Less than half the crowd was left at the end of the match and it meant a far smoother flow of people. There was parking available right next to the stadium at Cubbon Park and the road connecting the two was turned in to a pedestrian one for the night. A few corporates had arranged buses for their employees but there was no arrangement by the organisers as such (something they could probably think of with 11pm finishes.)What the fans got: Vijay Mallya might have been gutted with the show his side put up but the alcohol sales would have brought a big smile. The sale of liquor – mostly around the corporate boxes – was something regular cricket fans were not used to and the scenes there appeared out of an American sports movie.It was difficult to get water but the beer flowed at a McCullum-esque rate in the more expensive stands. The security personnel around these stands had it good and were often seen stationed right next to the liquor booths with glasses in hand. Priced reasonably, it was set out in stalls, along with wine and vodka, behind the stands, though it required some to walk some distance before they could get back to their seats. The best part was the clear signboards at every corner. A hot day ensured plenty of sales and also had the spectators heading to the restrooms. Though they seemed to have been set up in haste, the restrooms were occasionally inadequate but largely useable. The women’s sections were relatively cleaner and had large mirrors placed in them as well. A scuffle broke out in one of the stands and more of those could see the alcohol sales being more closely monitored.The higher-priced tickets had food included in their charge and spectators were able to enjoy a good quality buffet-style dinner. The caterers started serving food – which included three types of rice, roti, vegetable and chicken curries and kebabs – during the first innings, which somewhat lessened the rush at the break, and most spectators returned to their seats to cheer for their side while shovelling into their stomachs.Atmosphere: Bangaloreans used to the slew of rock concertswould have hoped for a better sound system but the intensity levelsmatched the big nights at Palace Grounds, where the bands play.Bollywood numbers blared out frequently but the crowd really got goingwith a few Kannada songs that played later in the day (interestinglycoinciding with the home team’s dismal show). The quality of fireworks- dazzling the audience for more than five minutes – matched the onesthat light up the Sydney skyline on New Year’s day and the lightingsat well with the grand scale of the event.Crowd support: European football teams talk of the distinctedge they get in home games (with the crowd acting as the extraplayer) but it will take a while for these teams to develop such afollowing. Only once, when Sunil Joshi came on to bowl, did the crowdactually egg him along fervently on a night when the home side weren’treally distinguishable from the visitors.
The Washington Redskins’ cheerleaders weren’t always sure when to cheer the Bangalore side © Getty Images (file photo)
McCullum’s sixes were applauded (much more than they would have beenif New Zealand were playing India) and Sourav Ganguly received bigcheers after his wickets. So cosmopolitan is Bangalore’s crowd thatvisiting teams are bound to find pockets of support every time andnothing symbolised it more than a group of fans who took their shirtsoff and swirled it above their heads the moment Ganguly was on strike.No dull moment: Unlike in a Test match, though, the spectatorshad plenty of chance to get involved. Every good move by the Bangaloreside was followed by the Redskin girls twirling their hips (andpom-poms). It took a while for them to realise when to cheer (thespontaneity came only towards the end) and it was hilarious to seethem jiving to Kannada numbers. The crowd, though, swung with them allnight. The girls cheering the Kolkata side had much more work on thenight (McCullum ensured that with 13 sixes and 10 fours) andsome even got the fans to synchronise with their movements.Score? What score? Somebody needs to ferret out the digitalscoreboard that’s usually installed at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Themanual scoreboard was hardly visible and the giant screen stoppedworking mid-way through the second innings. This was hardly a matchwhen the scores needed to be closely monitored but come a nail-biterand the crowd may just be a bit confused.

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.

Ali Cook looks back at what contributed to Australia losing its tag as the undisputed Test champion

Ali Cook11-Nov-2008
Jason Krejza took 12 wickets in the fourth Test but the selectors made some poor choices in their slow bowling department © AFP
That over-rate decision
There were many things that contributed to Australia’s 2-0 defeat, but the most recent mistake remains the freshest, and most significant. Two days later and it’s still difficult to believe that Ricky Ponting used his part-time bowlers to improve the over-rate when the match and the series were in the balance. With India 166 for 6, Australia had the chance to chase less than 300 to level the contest, but with Cameron White, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke being used along with the highly effective Jason Krejza, India were able to extend their lead to 381, costing the tourists their opening.Ponting faced suspension if the over-rate didn’t improve and defended his choice as a “spirit of cricket” issue. Allan Border wasn’t the only one who couldn’t believe what was happening, and Ponting was accused of putting his own interests above the team. At the end of the game he was fined 20% of his match fee, but will be free to play against New Zealand in Brisbane next week. It will be interesting to see if there is any backlash by the supporters following the captain’s part in the departure of one of the game’s most important trophies.More spin
The selectors don’t need to be criticised for not calling on Krejza until the fourth Test, but they do deserve a reprimand for their slow-bowling choices in the tour squad. Even before the legspinner Bryce McGain went home with a shoulder injury the side looked strange without the inclusion of the incumbent Beau Casson. Then White, who apparently told Bishan Bedi he was a batsman when offered spin help in Delhi, was called in and used in the first three games.White doesn’t rate himself enough to bowl often for Victoria, the side he captains. What happened over the past five weeks is not White’s fault, and he performed better than anybody expected. But it was unfair on him to be given such a big role and for that the selectors must take blame. The only reason Krejza, who struggled so early in the tour, was given a chance in Nagpur was because the tourists had no other slow-bowling options. Krejza starred with 12 wickets, but it should not be seen as a selection masterpiece. He bowled courageously and attackingly, showing what might have been if Australia had phoned a specialist spinner before the first Test.Too many coaches spoil the players
On this trip the head coach Tim Nielsen had, at various times, the help of Troy Cooley (bowling coach), Greg Chappell (batting coach), Mike Young (fielding coach), an analyst and a batch of support staff. Three years ago England surprised the Australians with reverse-swing and the same thing happened in India. This time Cooley, who was with England three years ago, was the one looking on as his bowlers could not match India’s curve.What was more surprising was that with all the video analysis, nobody spotted India’s opening bowlers delivering across the seam early in an innings over the previous year. Being in the dark over the wicked movement cost Australia throughout the series, but particularly in the first two Tests. It’s hard to believe that with so many resources and so much technology that they couldn’t spot the development until it was too late.Another area of concern was Australia’s regularly shoddy fielding. Watching a team’s fielding is the way to judge the overall mood of the outfit, which was sloppy and inconsistent. There were overthrows, regular misfields, wild throws and only two run-outs in four Tests. Like the players, the coaches seem to do well when the team is on top, but aren’t sure how to lift when they’re down.Chappell’s time with the squad coincided with the Mohali Test, where Australia batted awfully in both games and the Indian sledging went along the lines of “he ruined us, now he’s ruining you”. It’s an entertaining line, but it’s hard to blame Chappell, who popped in for a look before heading back to run the Australian academy.
Brad Haddin needs to improve both his keeping and his batting if he is to be a regular in the Test side © Getty Images
Not the next Gilchrist
Brad Haddin has a difficult job being the next man after Adam Gilchrist, but his standards during this series were low. India is not an easy place to keep wicket, but Haddin made it look particularly hard. It seemed that in every innings he was taking his glove off and shaking his hand in pain due to a fumble, which can’t give the bowlers much confidence.In the first Test he let through 39 byes, but improved significantly, not giving away more than 10 in a match for the rest of the series. However, the fumbles didn’t stop and, as the wicketkeeper sets the tone, they spread through the side. In the last game Haddin made a strange error when he threw his glove at the ball to stop it going past him, costing the side five penalty runs. It wasn’t the kind of move expected of a man who captains his state and has been waiting for years for a full-time promotion.Haddin’s batting was always a worry, especially his poor shot selection, and he battled to 163 runs at 27.16. Like Gilchrist, he is desperate to attack, but is much better at picking the wrong ball to hit. The Indians knew he would get himself out and he did. In Mohali he drove wildly at Harbhajan Singh’s first flighted offbreak outside off stump and was bowled. On Monday he chipped Amit Mishra limply to mid-off. They were the shots of a one-day player, not those of a Test No. 7. It was only Haddin’s second series and he should have some time at home to show what he can do, but he must improve in both disciplines if he is to be a regular in the side.Too green
One of the long-term repercussions of the retirements of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz and Shane Warne was that none of Australia’s bowlers had played a Test in India before this series. It was expected to be a setback rather than a series-turning development, but that changed once the Brett Lee-led attack could not dismiss India on the final day in Bangalore.Only in the final Test did they manage 20 wickets, and more than half of those came from the new boy Krejza. Lee entered the series slightly under-prepared and suffered, taking only eight at 61.62. In Nagpur he was sick and bowled bravely, but it was already too late to cover up his lack of impact. Mitchell Johnson started strongly but tended to bowl too wide, too often. His 13 wickets in four games led Australia’s list, but Shane Watson’s 10 at 32.10 came at the best price of anyone except Krejza. Inexperience in India is a big deal, unless you’re a debutant offspinner.So who’s defensive now?
Australia thought they were attacking because they were always trying to win. India thought they weren’t defensive because they were being successful. The tit-for-tat became as tiring as hearing the tourists talk about being aggressive in deed, and then being unable to match it on the field. Australia will have to turn into a more defensive-minded outfit because it is no longer capable of attacking in every situation.For long periods Australia set suffocating fields to India’s batsmen and waited for wickets that didn’t come. When India posted an 8-1 field on the fourth morning in Nagpur it was almost a spirit of cricket incident against the Australians. Neither tactics were those of a team that was attacking.
Ricky Ponting didn’t have much luck with the toss © Getty Images
Unlucky Punter
Ponting won the toss in the first Test in Bangalore and Australia delivered their best performance in the series. In the next three games India batted first and the tourists were basically out of the game by the end of the first day. Part of this was to do with Australia’s poor bowling, but they were also unlucky at the start.This is particularly crucial in India. “Losing three tosses in a row, if you don’t actually get yourself back in front after the first innings, it’s very hard to win here,” Ponting said. He even practised his calling at training, but couldn’t will the coin to fall his way.When Hayden’s gone, so are Australia’s chances
Only once in the series did Matthew Hayden pass 20 in the first innings of the series and it was the only time the batting order looked really solid. Starting the series with 0, 13, 0 and 29, Hayden escaped some patchy form and umpiring decisions to post 83 as Australia almost matched India’s 613 for 7 declared in Delhi. Along with Ponting, Hayden is the last great batsman of the previous era, and his side needs his muscular contributions at the top. Without consistent starts on the opening days, Hayden, now 37, may soon find the selectors feel it is time to consider a younger model and continue the side’s evolution.

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.

A few errors aside, a tasty biography of the legspinner who discovered the flipper – and the cost of irking The Don

David Frith02-May-2009

The question: was Clarrie Grimmett as good as Shane Warne? Most of us at some stage have asserted that the outrageous Warne must surely be the greatest wrist-spinner of all, perhaps partly out of gratitude for his role in retrieving the golden art of spin bowling as it teetered on the brink of extinction two decades ago.Then came revised thinking: what about Bill O’Reilly and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar… and CV Grimmett, the New Zealand-born Australian who, already 33 before given his break in Test cricket, spun his way to a then unique 200th Test wicket, averaging six per Test match, until the selectors pensioned him off soon after he had taken 44 wickets in a series in South Africa? He was then 44 – and fit.This was the little chap who dismissed Bradman 10 times. He had also upset him with some frank remarks, which probably proved costly. Had “Grum”, “The Gnome”, “Scarlet” (take your pick) played as many Tests as Warne and maintained his strike-rate, he would have bagged 870 wickets.Grimmett deserves a biography. He himself wrote books concerned mainly with technical matters. Ashley Mallett, Australian offspinner from 1968 to 1980 with 132 wickets in 38 Tests, brings a broader approach to this reworking of his own earlier book. It is lavishly illustrated, thanks to Grimmett’s careful archiving (the files passed to his son), and the unconventional approach to the story makes for unpredictability in its telling. Obscure facts – such as the tale of the heavy battery box that fell and just missed him during his Test debut (11 wickets) at the SCG in 1925, and his Roman Catholic upbringing – keep popping up, and there are many departures from the main theme.If anything, the Test series are dealt with rather too superficially, the reports slightly marred by the author’s obsession with the expression “clean bowled”. Some of those dismissals might surely have been off the pad or bat’s edge?Mallett, who was coached by Grimmett in the 1960s for $6.50 an hour, believes nobody has ever pondered more deeply about his art or worked on it at the nets more intently. Among other things, Grimmett invented the flipper.Figures are not everything, but further reasoning, mainly about the batting opposition on offer in different generations, gingers up the debate. So too does the reiteration of Grimmett’s lack of respect for Bradman. He once called him a “bloody squib” after deciding that The Don had shown funk against the raging fast man Ernie McCormick in a Sheffield Shield match. People tended to pay the price for provoking or insulting Australian cricket’s supreme figure. Frank Ward became Grimmett’s Test replacement, and the debate will go on forever over whether Ward, as Bradman insisted, was a better bet than the veteran.Grimmett apparently never bowled a no-ball in his life, but the author and publisher have let a few slip through. It is hard not to wince when Ranji is confused with Duleep, Jack Hearne becomes “George” and the Trott brothers are mixed up. Nor did Claude Corbett originate the term “Bodyline” or Karl Schneider die from TB. As for “Charles” Fleetwood-Smith, the author must subconsciously have had a certain aviator in mind. Very tasty volume otherwise.Scarlet: Clarrie Grimmett – Test Cricketer
by Ashley Mallett
The Cricket Publishing Company, hb, 280pp, £18

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.

The lack of quality manpower is affecting Chennai’s progress, primarily in the bowling department and lower order

Sriram Veera at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur10-Apr-2010Why leave out Murali?
“It’s not the best eleven but the best possible eleven,” said MS Dhoni at the toss. He might have to change that thought and he probably did by the indication of things at the post-match ceremony. “We were lacking a spinner or a bowler who could take the pace off.” It was a pitch where Muttiah Muralitharan would have, in theory, bowled well. R Ashwin, who conceded just 13 runs and picked up two wickets, including that of Adam Gilchrist, and Shadab Jakati impressed but Murali was sorely missed. But that’s one of the selection challenges in the IPL. With just four foreign players available, it’s a really interesting selection headache as to who to pick and who to leave.If the other Indian seamers in the squad were bowling well, Dhoni could have rested Thilan Thushara, but as it turned it out he could only use the erratic Sudeep Tyagi for just one over. Who else has he got? L Balaji has leaked runs in the past games, Manpreet Gony has been mediocre and Joginder Sharma doesn’t inspire confidence as well.Why Hussey?
Is Michael Hussey the answer for Chennai’s middle-order blues? They were 64 for 1 in 7.4 overs but they reached only 138 in the end. And Hussey is not helping the cause much, especially when you club him with S Badrinath. Runs don’t come at the pace required and the pressure increases on the other batsmen like Suresh Raina. Since neither Dhoni nor Matthew Hayden are batting with any sense of fluency, it’s getting more difficult to hide the inefficient middle order. Will they replace Hussey with Albie Morkel and get in Murali for Thushara? Hayden’s lack of form is really hurting Chennai, but you sense his spot won’t be tinkered with.Why not Badani?
Will Hemang Badani be a better choice than Badrinath? In theory, he can hit the ball harder and longer than Badrinath and can even play the role of part-time spinner. Has he not impressed enough in the nets to deserve a chance? Perhaps it’s time to give Badani a go. Why did you run, Vijay?
M Vijay had just hit an imperious six and witnessed Raina hit four boundaries in quick succession. Everything looked hunky dory at that point: Chennai were sitting pretty at 64 for 1 in 7.4 overs when Vijay had a brain explosion. Raina hit it wide of deep midwicket and Vijay called for a second run and as it turned out, didn’t even get half-way when the bails were removed. An innings that promised much terminated prematurely and more importantly, it exposed the middle and lower order.Why the crawl post Vijay?
Chennai added only 73 runs in 12.2 overs after Vijay’s exit. Deccan Chargers, who have been struggling in the end overs, gave away only 28 runs in the last five overs. Dhoni got out after plodding around for 13 deliveries, Hussey was struggling to get it off the turf, Badrinath was out cheaply as well and there were no batsmen or allrounders left. And you can sense that the entire pressure was on Raina who couldn’t handle it today. Chennai tried Thissara Perera, Morkel, Justin Kemp (out injured now), and George Bailey but no one apart from Albie has had any success. There is no one in the lower order who can steal a few runs under pressure.

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.

England have never played limited-overs cricket of any form with this verve and
conviction

Andrew McGlashan in St Lucia13-May-2010England continue to raise the bar. It was already set pretty high after
three consecutive Super Eight victories, but they produced a clinical
display against Sri Lanka to secure a place in their first global final
since 2004. They bowled with intelligence and skill, fielded with their now
customary athleticism and knocked off the runs with barely an alarm. England
have never played limited-overs cricket of any form with this verve and
conviction.The standard reaction after each victory has been for Paul Collingwood to
target areas for improvement, but this time it’s difficult for even the
harshest critic to pick holes. Tim Bresnan’s last over which contained three
wides and cost 15, and Michael Lumb’s attempt at a catch which then went
for four were about the only errors.”Let’s be honest, there aren’t too many areas we can improve on,”
Collingwood said. “We just need to keep the same mentality – and that’s
going to be the hard thing, going into a big game. But the boys keep
responding; every time we talk about it off the pitch, we analyse the
opposition strengths and weaknesses and we keep executing our plans. The
batsmen at the top of the order keep doing it at well, and we’re not going
to go too far wrong.”The tone for a Twenty20 innings is often set in the first few overs and on
that count England were always ahead of the game. Sri Lanka fell to 47 for 4
in the ninth over and England replied with an opening stand of 68 in eight.
Ryan Sidebottom’s inclusion in this side has sparked plenty of debate with
James Anderson left on the sidelines, but he has justified his selection at
both ends of the innings. On this occasion it was a new-ball wicket as
Sanath Jayasuriya edged limply to second slip to complete a wretched
tournament.The man who was playing in Twenty20 style before the game was invented has
been a shadow of his former self with a top score of 6 in this tournament.
The end must be nigh. He began the tournament batting as low as he ever has
at No. 8, but, with Tillakaratne Dilshan struggling for form, was promoted
back to opening. Sadly it looks like an occasion where an international
career has been dragged out a little too long. A player like
Jayasuriya shouldn’t be remembered for prodding and poking.Jayasuriya is already an MP in Sri Lanka and his appearance at this tournament
caused some controversy. Kumar Sangakkara refused to be drawn on the
opener’s future, but said the team should have been able to cover for
Jayasuriya’s lack of form. “Unfortunately he didn’t have a great run but to
his credit he stuck with the team through a difficult period and the team
stuck with him. He showed a lot of support and we made sure he felt wanted,
unfortunately he didn’t deliver but we still had more than enough quality to
do better than we did today.”England, though, have had too much pain at the hands of Jayasuriya to feel
any sympathy in the middle of a crucial semi-final. Their opening stand of
Lumb and Craig Kieswetter in the run chase was a bit of payback.
Jayasuriya’s onslaught in the 1996 World Cup quarter-final left deep scars
and was one reason why England’s one-day game stood still for many years.
They tried and failed (with the exception of Marcus Trescothick and maybe
Nick Knight) to find someone who could consistently replicate that type of
hitting.Even with the creation of Twenty20 players who cleared the ropes on the
domestic scene, England openers were left flapping when promoted to the international
stage. That has lasted until this tournament when the performances of Lumb and
Kieswetter have given England much-needed impetus. The asking rate in this
chase was never tough, but it pays not to get behind against Sri
Lanka’s spinners and the openers ensured that didn’t happen.”Sometimes there are finishing pieces to a jigsaw. We had some very good
players among other players but what we needed was a spark at the top of the
order,” Collingwood said. “Maybe everyone has seen it as a gamble but we
certainly selected them on potential and we knew what they could do. They
have come and batted fantastically well and really helped the middle order
overcome totals.”Their overall tally of runs won’t set pulses racing but it has been the
intent which is vital. The same was true when Jayasuriya formed his
era-defining partnership with Romesh Kaluwitharana. Often it wasn’t how
many, but how quickly. Sri Lanka had the mindset that it didn’t matter if
they were 70 for 2 after eight overs, the middle order would rebuild.
Translate that to Twenty20 and England are quite happy being 50 for 2 after
five – it’s much better than 25 for 1.It can be dangerous for a batting unit to approach a small target with less
conviction than a tough chase – Lumb and Kieswetter didn’t get close to
falling into the trap. They milked Ajantha Mendis, knowing he was the main
threat and didn’t have enough runs to play with, and went hard at everyone
else. These are long boundaries in St Lucia; the openers hit three sixes
between them whereas Sri Lanka had one all innings. Kevin Pietersen added two
more for good measure, finishing the match in a flourish to show he had no
jetlag. But they could have won this one without him.