Two former South Africa convener of selectors have their say on who should be the team’s next captain

Firdose Moonda28-May-2014South African need a leader who can unite the team as it heads towards its biggest transition in more than a decade, according to two former conveners of selectors.If Mike Procter, who headed the committee from 2008 to 2010, was still in charge, AB de Villiers would get the job. But if it was up to Rushdie Magiet, who was at the helm from 1999 to 2002, Hashim Amla would be the man. What both men agree on, though, is that Faf du Plessis has faded from contention ahead of next week’s announcement.”AB is such a good team guy and people look up to him. If you are the captain, you need to be able to lead from the front and he will do that,” Procter told ESPNcricinfo.But Magiet had a different opinion. “Apart from a very sound knowledge of the game, Hashim is very well liked and he will bring the team together which is what they need at this time,” he countered.Neither Procter nor Magiet have overseen a new captain during their tenures because they were both in office during Smith’s reign. However, both men recognise that Smith’s retirement, coupled with the exit of men who formed the core of his squad in Mark Boucher andJacques Kallis, means that South African cricket is set for a change in ideology regarding the selection of the next captain. De Villiers’ brand is likely to be brave and creative, while Amla’s is more measured and polished.Magiet believes the latter is what South Africa will need to overcome the challenges they will face in the near future. Wresting back the No.1 Test ranking from Australia by taking on the only team they have lost to away from home in the last eight years, Sri Lanka, is the first of those. Maintaining their ruthlessness in a year where the only fixtures are against West Indies and Bangladesh in order to prepare for an incoming tour from England next season, is the other.”AB will probably also make a good captain, but I would keep him behind the stumps. Character would be the main reason I would go with Hashim,” Magiet said.Procter, though, is not convinced by the personality of Amla, who only made himself available for consideration as the next Test captain recently after months of shying away from leadership. “It is surprising that Hashim changed his mind because he didn’t want the job initially. Captaincy is either something you really want or something you don’t want,” Procter said.For most of his career, Amla had made it clear he felt the latter. He stepped down as captain of his franchise, the Dolphins, after a season and gave up the vice-captaincy of South Africa’s limited-overs sides last year. Amla credited his change of heart to feeling a responsibility to “add value,” at a time of need, now that Kallis and Smith are gone. But sources close to CSA have indicated Amla was persuaded to put his name in the hat, particularly as pressure mounts to pick a captain of colour.Magiet said it did not matter why Amla had made a U-turn, simply because people should be allowed to change their minds. “I don’t know what happened or why Hashim changed his mind but I don’t think that’s a problem. If he is available, I would give him the job,” Magiet said. “And the recent reports have said Hashim wants to do it which I think is a good thing.”Equally keen on the role is de Villiers who in an interview with ESPNcricinfo, declared himself “ready” to take over and even indicated that he would be willing to give up the wicket-keeping job if appointed. Procter was heartened by those comments because he thinks that is the best way for de Villiers to lead without being overburdened.”If AB is captain, he should not keep wicket,” ” Procter said. “His fielding is superb and he seems to enjoy fielding more. If he is in the field, he will also be able to manage bowlers better.”De Villiers has already handed over the gloves in both Twenty20s and ODIs to concentrate on batting and leading in the fifty-over game. Although de Villiers no longer captains in the shortest format, which is du Plessis’ domain, Procter believes if he takes over in the Test arena, he should also be given back the T20 captaincy so that South Africa have some consistency.”AB should captain in all formats. There is no need to split responsibility,” he said. “He is a special player and arguably the best batsmen in the world in all formats. What really makes a good captain is experience so that’s what AB needs. He will learn, just like Graeme Smith did.”

Plays of the day from the first ODI between Zimbabwe and South Africa in Bulawayo

Firdose Moonda17-Aug-2014Turn of the day The Bulawayo pitch was described as being for the bowlers what Lake Kariba can sometimes be for fishermen. With still waters, all there is to be done is sink the line and wait for something to happen rather than make it happen. That appeared to be the case when the seamers were in operation in the opening passages of play, but there were ripples on the surfaces when the spinners came on. With the first ball of Sean Williams’ second over, there was turn and bounce which surprised Hashim Amla and was taken by Richmond Mutumbami at shoulder height. There would be bite for the tweakers, but Zimbabwe struggled to make use of it.Drop of the day Amla has made teams pay for putting him down in the past and Zimbabwe became the latest to learn that lesson. After Amla had played watchfully to get to 62, he played inside the line of a Shingi Masakadza delivery. He tried to drive it straight down the ground, but only managed a leading edge. Shingi stretched to his right to reach across the pitch and grasped desperately, but he could not hold on. Amla went on to almost double that score.AB invention of the day The AB de Villiers textbook of stroke-making includes gems like the paddle sweep and reverse scoop. Today, he showed what happens when you put those two together. Off the sixth ball he faced, de Villiers adopted a switch-hit position and combined the half-swept, half-scooped the ball over his right shoulder. Had the shot come off properly it would have sailed over third man but de Villiers only managed a leading edge for two runs. Probably one to work on in the future.Pony-tail pull of the day Usually this headline applies to schoolgirls on a playground, but there was a place for it in cricket when Wayne Parnell claimed his first wicket. The left-armer struck in his second over when Vusi Sibanda followed one that just moved away and edged to Quinton de Kock. The celebrations included David Miller tugging at the Parny-tail in jubilation of South Africa’s first wicket.Missed Milestone of the day Hamilton Masakadza has made such improvement on his use of the reverse-sweep that it was also the shot he used to bring up his fifty. Or so he thought. When Hamilton placed a JP Duminy delivery that pitched just outside off into the gap at short third man for four, Masakadza was on 45, but the scoreboard operator though he had one more. The numbers “5,” and “0,” were placed next to his name. When he saw it, Hamilton hesitantly raised his bat in acknowledgement but the expression on his face said he knew he needed one more. Luckily for him, he drove the next ball to long-on to ensure he had secured his third consecutive half-century in this format. For real.Disappointment of the day Williams has not had too many opportunities to convert his fifties into something more, but in this match, he had a golden chance to produce a hundred. He reached his half-century with more than 20 overs left to go in an innings in which Zimbabwe still needed 167 runs and he was facing South Africa’s weakest link. Imran Tahir, who had bowled poorly throughout the innings, sent down a short, wide ball that asked to be cut past point and that was what Williams tried to do. However, he cut it straight to du Plessis instead. Williams knew his placement was completely wrong and after the catch was taken, stood in his crease for what seemed like minutes, blinking in disbelief and head moving backwards in despair. He had thrown it away and he knew it.

England’s decline has been the subject of fevered debate. But not for Ian Bell

David Hopps26-Jul-2014Theories surround losing teams like flies gathering on a cow pat. Ian Bell, one of the England senior players who have been under-performing this summer, now finds himself the oldest in the team, never a good look, but that does at least qualify him to consider these theories with a certain amount of wisdom. He doesn’t agree with any of them.There is the theory that England’s senior players have been broken by their Ashes whitewash, a proposition that is likely to be favoured by psychologists with a few hourly sessions still to fill.Then there is the theory that the departure of Andy Flower, a domineering coach, has left a vacuum in the dressing room. This one does not delight defenders of democracy, who prefer to believe that decisions are reached by group discussion, but plays well with video games obsessives who know how things can go wrong if the tyrannical ruler is ever obliterated.How about the suggestion that the pace of change has left senior players unsettled? People who love that one tend to grow roses and run the village fete: always more content in an unchanging world. As for the one that England’s players are spooked by the short ball? That appeals to those who have felt physical pain.And so the theories go on. As far as Bell himself goes, there is the premise that his batting form has deteriorated because he is feeling the pressure of Kevin Pietersen’s enforced departure, which has landed him with the need to play the role of crowd-pleasing star in the middle order. “I’ve never heard that one,” he ventured. These people suspect the shallow age of celebrity and prefer BBC Radio 4.Of those who wonder whether Bell himself would secretly quite like the captaincy, or that the captaincy would scare him to death, there is no hope. These people are politicians and not to be trusted.It was fun to watch Bell dismiss all these theories in turn. It was a beautiful innings: he drove some exquisitely through the covers, cut one or two, and pushed a couple back. He played them in his sleep.As he shook his head graciously, it was possible to imagine Bell time travelling through history, shrugging off the more outlandish theories of the age in inoffensive fashion. On balance, he would have known instinctively that the planet Vulcan did not exist, that the earth was not expanding, that there were not canals on Mars, that people were probably not born with a “blank slate” personality, that cold fusion was not possible, and that it was best to avoid the internet site that claims you can achieve a six-pack in seconds while watching TV. There again, when he was a kid trying to make his way he did own a Bullworker.In denial mood, he would also dismiss a few truthful ones. In this mood, he could be a government information officer.Ten debunked theoriesIndia are bowling differently:
“I think we know that India have probably been bowling in better areas than we have – they have bowled very well – hats off to them. But I don’t think they’ve done anything differently. It is Test cricket – you expect periods where it is going to be hard work. The important thing is taking our opportunities.”The last four games we have actually been in positions to win all four of those and we haven’t taken them. And at this level that hurts you. We need to get back to being ruthless. When those opportunities arise we have to win those key periods. Last summer against Australia, we didn’t necessarily play our best cricket but we did win the key moments and you have to do that against world class sides. “Matt Prior’s departure now leaves Alastair Cook isolated:
“There has been a few of us for Cookie to go to – I have been lucky enough to be VC for a couple of games and I have enjoyed that. I have enjoyed being part of the discussions and making plans.”But we have guys there with 250, 300 Test wickets – they know what they want to do in the field. There is plenty of experience – and a lot of guys with good cricket brains. There are a lot of people out there to help.”England’s side has changed so quickly it has been disturbing:
“How it has changed is surprising and it’s a massive change and whilst we are in a bit of difficult place it’s also an exciting place – there’s a lot of very good young players.”England’s struggling players are suffering the fallout from an Ashes whitewash:
“I don’t really buy that – the senior guys have been on tours before to Australia where we have lost and we have all come out the other side okay. After 2006-07, it was the same result and we went on to have one of the best periods of success in English cricket.”I believe you can learn a lot from bad times – it has had no effect on what’s happening to me now. I just love playing for England.”Bell would love to be captain:
“I’ve not really thought about it – I’m just focusing on my batting. If I am scoring runs it is good for the team.”Bell wouldn’t love to be captain:
[Same answer really]Pietersen’s departure has saddled Bell with the role of entertainer:
“It has been different since KP left – when you have relationships in the middle it becomes instinct and now I am having to learn about batting with Gary Ballance and Sam Robson and others. We are doing this for the first time. We are learning very quickly. These things take a bit of time”I have never really thought about whether I am now the entertainer in the top six. I just want to be myself. Actually, for the last couple of years I’ve gone the other way. I am not bothered about a glorious cover drive, I just want to score runs.”Bell can’t concentrate any more:
“It doesn’t feel like that. Sometimes it happens like that. The series before last year’s Ashes – the NZ series, I was doing the same thing – getting to 30 and then getting out. Sometimes getting to 30 takes a lot of energy out of you and sometimes the game goes nicely for you but there are no excuses.”I have had a couple of leaves which have gone to first slip which is odd for me. Some strange dismissals. At Trent Bridge, I was flying – I was 25 off 30 balls, I felt like everything was going perfectly but I am finding ways to get out.”The departure of Andy Flower has left a vacuum in the dressing room:
“There have been a lot of changes so it’s always going to take a bit of time. It does feel different in the dressing room but not in a bad way. Peter Moores has a different style to Andy Flower. Paul Farbrace has a different style to Richard Halsall.”Andy was a hard-working, tough guy as a player and he was exactly like that as a coach. He was very honest with you, either praising you or bollocking you. But, yeah, he was a tough guy. That is what allowed him to be number one in the world as a batter. That shows he’s a ruthless guy. He brought that to England.”England are spooked by the short ball because of Mitchell Johnson:
“No, I don’t think so. But it isn’t the ideal way for us to be getting out – three guys caught on the hook. They will throw that challenge at us again this week, no doubt, but we have to find a method of either getting out of the way of them or keeping the ball down.”In England, you expect people to pitch the ball up and challenge your forward defence, not so much bounce you. We have spoken about it now and it should never be a shock in Test cricket if someone goes round the wicket to you and tries the short ball on you.”The Bell conclusion? “Stick to your guns, work hard and things will work out.”It is not a theory that will start a revolution. But then revolutions have never really been Ian Bell’s style.Investec, the specialist bank and asset manager, is the title sponsor of Test match cricket in England. Visit investec.co.uk/cricket or follow them on Twitter @InvestecCricket

Plays of the day from the third ODI between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Dambulla

Karthik Krishnaswamy30-Aug-2014The run-out
Misbah-ul-Haq and Fawad Alam were just about giving the innings a semblance of shape when a piece of poor judgment landed Pakistan right back among the croutons. Misbah pushed the ball to the right of Tillakaratne Dilshan and immediately set off. It was on Dilshan’s natural side, and the ball bounced at a perfect height for him to pick up and throw without crouching too low. The direct hit caught Misbah well short at the bowler’s end, and it was the third run-out for Pakistan’s captain in his last seven ODI innings.Six and out
Umar Akmal had only faced seven balls when Thisara Perera ran in to start the 19th over. First ball was on a good length, on off stump, and Akmal dumped it over the long-on boundary with a clean, pure swing of his arms. It was the kind of shot that makes you wonder why he isn’t one of the undisputed stars of world cricket. Next ball, Akmal answered that question himself. It was a short, rising ball outside off, and he was in no position to play the pull. Pull he did, anyway, and the top-edge looped into the hands of Lasith Malinga, who took a fine tumbling catch after making good ground to his right from mid-on. It was nearly identical to Thisara’s dismissal of Akmal in the first ODI.The snorter
Sohaib Maqsood has looked in glorious form right through this series, and he gave evidence of the extra fraction of a second he seems to have with an extra-cover drive off Thisara that simply purred to the boundary. The ball before that, though, Thisara had tested the batsman with unexpected pace and bounce from just short of a length, forcing Maqsood to duck at the last moment. In his next over Thisara bowled a better delivery, and this time Maqsood tried to move across to the off side, out of the line, and lift his hands out of the way. He wasn’t quick enough, though, and the ball kissed his glove through to the wicketkeeper.Saved by a frame
The incident may have caused a lot more debate in a less one-sided game. In the third over of Sri Lanka’s chase, Upul Tharanga inside-edged the ball into his pad and set off for a single. Responding to his call, Dilshan had to stretch to beat the sprawling Fawad Alam’s underarm flick to the striker’s end. Replays of the direct hit suggested Dilshan may have been a couple of millimeters short when the bail came off. But the dust that the bottom of his bat dragged up off the pitch obscured the picture somewhat, and this, in all probability, led to the third umpire ruling him not out.

With his controversial autobiography about to be released, Kevin Pietersen talks about where things went wrong with England and why he needs to defend himself

Interview by George Dobell08-Oct-2014Are you missing it?
The big stuff: definitely. Absolutely.You said in the book that, for a while at least, you hated playing for England?
I did. Some of the stuff that was going on in the dressing room meant I didn’t want to be there. I still produced the results on the field, because I felt incredibly free when I was batting. I loved it; I loved batting.Should we be thinking of you as a former player?
I’m 34 and my knee has had a brilliant rest now. So I’m ready to play again. I’m sure people will refer to me as a former player, but I’m still playing tournaments around the world and I will continue to do so for a good few years. I’m still young and fresh and I still love batting.How is the knee now?
It feels 100%. It feels amazing. I haven’t played a Test on it, of course, but I don’t have any pain on it.If you had really wanted to force your way back into the England team, wouldn’t you have played a bit more county cricket last summer?
Two things: it’s been brilliant for my knee that I’ve had the opportunity to rest. And another thing: if I’d scored 10 million runs for Surrey this summer, would I have been selected?”I need to sit down and discuss what direction my cricket goes in next year … I have to commit to four-day cricket and being around cricket a lot more if I want to be successful”•Getty ImagesNo, but you would have increased the pressure on the ECB.
They’ve been under pressure for a lot of things, but they haven’t buckled. They still might, I suppose. Look, maybe, it’s a fair argument. I can see your point. I do need to sit down and discuss what direction my cricket goes in next year. Because I didn’t play well for Surrey this year. Playing once a week just doesn’t work in T20 cricket. It might if it was Championship cricket, but I’m not going to play T20 just once a week. I have to commit to four-day cricket and being around cricket a lot more if I want to be successful. And I set myself such high standards. I felt I let down Graham Ford, I let down Surrey, I let down the lads in the dressing room, and I was heartbroken about it.Surrey remain first choice?
Absolutely. My mentor is at Surrey. I love the guys in the dressing room. They’re a brilliant club and I have such a great relationship with all the players. If I wasn’t playing this summer, I would pop down there with my little boy. I’d play cricket on the outfield, I’d go and see the lads in the dressing room. It’s such a great environment. I love that place. But I have to discuss what my future holds in the next month or so.If you had your time again, would you leave South Africa?
() Well, I look at it like this: I came to England as an offspinner who didn’t know how to bat and I became England’s greatest ever run scorer. So I live in hope.Look, Kallis retired at 38-39. Now that my knee is okay, I feel I can play well again. I didn’t play well because of my knee. It played on me for months and months and months. I really struggled because of it.Is there any possibility that the knee was a physical symptom of mental exhaustion?
No, it was an issue. You don’t talk about micro-fracture surgery unless you really need it.Have you been the architect of your own downfall to some extent?
Maybe, yes. I’ve made some mistakes. I’ve said some things I shouldn’t have said. And yes, I’ve been too honest. But should I have been sacked for it? Michael Vaughan wrote a good piece, a balanced piece which isn’t just pro-me, about man-management. English cricket wouldn’t be where it is today if it had been managed well in the last five or six years.But that includes England’s most successful periods.
Success papers over a lot of cracks.Surely Andy Flower deserves praise for his role in that?
The Mood Hoover? He had a fantastic team. But he used to walk into the room and it was like “Uhhh”. He would walk into breakfast and it was like “uhhh”.But yes, of course he did good things. He has his numbers and he is very proud of his numbers. And he should be incredibly proud of what he did in Zimbabwe. It takes a brave man to do what he did and nobody should question that. It was fantastic.We all do good things. But this is my side of the story and the guy didn’t like me.He would have to go if you were to have any hope of a recall, wouldn’t he?

Yes. Though he isn’t actually coach now.But he works for the ECB. Doesn’t he still pull the strings?
Yes! One of my questions to Paul Downton is: if I seemed disinterested, why did I?Downton complained about me fielding on the boundary. Do you think I enjoyed fielding on the boundary in Australia? Where people abuse you all the time? Ridiculous. My surgeon had told the ECB doctor that if they wanted me to play all ten Tests there was no way I could field at gully all series. He has to be on the boundary so he is not squatting every delivery.So I did the hard yards for England. I took the shit from the crowds. My knee wouldn’t allow me to field at gully. Downton really should have known that.Pietersen’s knee continued to give him pain in Australia•AFPI heard you say on the radio that you had a great relationship with the current team. Define “great”?
No, no. I said I a great relationship with them. I did. I had a great relationship with Alastair Cook. We were open and honest with each other and I had no issues. We had a discussion before the Sydney Test and I said, “Cooky, you know that I’m here to help you. But I’ve played over 100 Tests and I’m allowed an opinion.” And he said “Absolutely”.So when did you fall out?
I’d love to ask him that. I’ve messages on my phone from him saying we’ll hook up when he got back from Australia. But it never happened. The next time I saw him was in that meeting where he was staring at his feet.I don’t blame him. He’s not in the position he wants to be in. He is not a confrontational person.Has it been difficult to deal with the prospect of never playing international cricket again?
It’s been hugely difficult to deal with. I’ve trained my brain to accept that everything happens for a reason. I was probably in mourning for a while, but I’m pretty much at peace now. I still play, I still travel and have fun. I drop off my kid at school.What was the motivation behind the book?
This was not a life-changing sum of money for me, it wasn’t about that. I deserved a chance to give my side of the story. My character has been assassinated for years and I have never defended myself. Under Andy Flower’s regime, if you did anything that wasn’t the way he liked it, he came down on you hard. I wasn’t allowed to defend myself.Do you think he ever forgave you for your part in Peter Moores’ sacking?
Never. It was never okay. Not even on that first tour. I really did try. But I always knew he had it in for me.How would you have captained you?
Well, I did captain guys like me in the IPL. Free spirits. My theory is, you set out the guidelines of the team and you find out how individuals like to run. And there are certain individuals that need to be treated differently to others. Some need to play warm-up games and spend time in the nets. Some need to be put under pressure; some need to be taken away from pressure because of the amount of pressure that is thrust upon them in the international environment. You have to understand those players and manage them carefully and to your advantage. Don’t use them against you.So, to me, I would have said: I know how hard you train. Continue to work. I know you will make mistakes when you bat, but you will come off next time. Keep doing it! Ask Duncan Fletcher or Matt Maynard or Michael Vaughan: they will tell you how hard I trained. And if I screwed up, they backed me to come off next time. And I kept on delivering for them. I was riding the crest of a wave, but then it was all taken away from me by a guy who had it in for me.Do you think of yourself as a thick-skinned person?
You have to be. After the level of abuse I’ve had, you have to be. I have a close circle of friends. I have my family. I’ve been bombarded for about five years and now I am totally cool about it.Let’s clarify the captaincy issue: there was no ultimatum against Peter Moores?
No, there wasn’t. The ECB gave me a letter with questions on it about my thoughts about the team. I spent a long time drawing up answers. We were due to have a board meeting, but it was leaked and I was sacked. I thought I had the majority with me: Strauss and Collingwood were in my corner. But what I said – that I couldn’t take the team further with him as coach – didn’t go down very well. And that’s where the spiral started.What comes after playing for you?
The most exciting thing I have going on at present is my foundation and academy in Dubai. I have a really exciting programme for the kids: it will be the best cricket academy in the world. I will be hands-on. I’ll be there at least four times a year and I’ll be giving masterclasses. I have friends such as Chris Gayle and Yuvraj Singh coming to give masterclasses too.Look, I’m probably never going to be director of cricket at Derbyshire, but I love coaching. I love helping youngsters. I helped out the bowlers with their batting on the last Ashes tour. They said they were just abused when the coaches threw balls at them. I gave them a technique that I thought would help them defend themselves. I said to Jimmy Anderson at T20 Finals Day: “Hey, what about your batting this summer?” But nobody leaked that, did they? It didn’t suit the agenda of the ECB to leak news that might have been positive about me. It never suited the ECB to say that I was trying to help my team-mates. Draw your own conclusions.KP: The Autobiography, published by Sphere, is out on October 9

Perhaps it is the death of Phillip Hughes, perhaps it is the heat, perhaps it is the absence of Ryan Harris, but Mitchell Johnson is not as scary as he used to be

Jarrod Kimber at the Gabba18-Dec-2014Last time he was here a No. 8 was feeding time for Monster Johnson.This time R Ashwin was playing him as if he was just another bowler. A full and straight ball slipped down the leg side. There was no menace. No fear. No explosion. Just a leg bye.Mitch was mid-pitch, shrugging, looking at his hands, wondering where the magic went.At the top of his mark, he was sweating so much in his first spell of the day, he had to throw the ball to someone else to shine it.The next delivery is a half volley, MS Dhoni cover drives it for three. The last ball of his morning spell is pushed through the covers by India’s stylish No. 8, without fear of injury or loss of wicket. Mitch just stares down the pitch for a while, before eventually turning to see where the ball has gone.Mitch wanders off to fine leg. Warner runs over to tell him where Ashwin is standing in the crease, oblivious to the fact Mitch is going to be taken off. Mitch stands at fine leg, by this point last year, he was winning an Ashes and destroying an era of English cricket.Now he is sweating uncontrollably, no one is screaming his name, he’s wicketless and fiddling with a bandage around his finger. Around him there are many empty seats.The Gabba has blue seats, but scattered among them are gold and maroon chairs. It seems like a ploy to trick the mind into thinking there are more people in the ground than there actually are. It also does the opposite. When the Brisbane heat kicks in fully, the ground goes quieter. Vocal chords melt. People disappear to local bars.Today, they just never seemed to turn up at all. The Gabba can’t intimidate with coloured seats. Seats don’t scream.Last year as Mitchell Johnson bounced out Trott and KP, it felt like an angry, drunken, rockin’ coliseum from hell. For M Vijay’s boundaries, it was more an amateur Lawn Bowls over-70s event.There are many differences from this time to last year, but nothing is more noticeable than Mitchell Johnson’s bowling. After one innings. After three. It’s different. This time it is 0 for 81. Last time it was 4 for 61. The time it is 4 for 228. Last time it was 16 for 143. This time it is okay. Last time it was terrifying.This was the start of Mitchell Johnson’s run of eight Tests for 59 wickets at 15 apiece. Hellfire. Brimstone. Armageddon. Cook. KP. Trott. Smith. Amla. It was one of those amazing stretches of bowling in Test cricket history. It was Syd Barnes’ wickets with Thommo’s pace.There was no way Johnson could keep that up, especially as not all wickets are Australian and South African. In the UAE, he was okay – six wickets at 29. He was not a fire-breathing dragon from space, just a fast bowler on unresponsive wickets.Then he came home. Back into the bosom of fast tracks and good times. Adelaide might be known as a bowling graveyard, but not for Mitch. He bowls as well there as anywhere. It might not bounce and have as much movement as the Gabba, bounce as the WACA, or as much of either as the G, but he always finds what he needs there.Not this time.Like in the UAE, Mitch was not hopeless, he was just okay. His working over of a well-set Vijay was beautiful. But that was the only time he was that good. That awesome. That monster.There have been glimpses of aggression from Mitchell Johnson in this series, but it has not been sustained for any period of time•Getty ImagesThis Test he is also without Ryan Harris, as he was in both UAE games. Mitch Johnson does miss Ryan Harris. It’s hard not to, he has gravitational pull. Harris is fast, accurate, cunning and relentless. He’s essentially the human version of the truck from . Bowling at the other end to him must be a dream. Having him at mid-on or off would be like having an on-field bowling coach. In three of Mitch’s last four Tests, there has been no Harris.In Brisbane, when it got hot and quiet, what would have been better than Harris standing next to Mitch?A scientific study of Mitch’s bowling speeds show he is down on pace. As scientific as ball speeds can be. Not to a career low, but to a new era Monster Johnson low. Two kilometres lower on average. That’s not a yard of pace, that’s a handful of inches. Maybe those inches of lost pace are that nip people are always talking about. But is 88 mph so different to 89.5?It would seem like regardless of a fraction of a nip, or Ryan Harris’ injury, there is something else. Last time there was also the build up. It was the Ashes. And the last one hadn’t healed yet. Words were said in the media. The started newspaper bodyline. Mitch was raring to make a comeback. He’d missed a whole Ashes. The Test was all anyone in Brisbane wanted to talk about. He started by smashing runs in it to save Australia. The crowd was practically foaming at the mouth before Trott was out. They were whipped into a carnivorous frenzy.This time there was a funeral.It’s been said that deep in the bubble of the Australian Cricket Team no one took the news harder. Then to compound it was the bouncer that struck Virat Kohli on the crest. And maybe it’s too easy to say that it was that that changed Mitch, but no one else in that Test looked as shaken as he did on that walk down to Virat.When Umesh Yadav was facing Johnson, there was no feeling of impending doom. Like every time a South African or England tailender faced him. In one full over, Mitch bowled one bouncer. Yadav twirled away from it for survival. It wasn’t followed up. There were no leg gullies. No one walked up from slip. The crowd wasn’t getting worked up. Mitch just bowled the last two balls full. One of which Yadav played from near square leg as he assumed he was going to be under attack. He wasn’t.In this series Mitch has bowled bouncers. But there has been no sustained fire-breathing. The quickest ball in the match was from Umesh Yadav, not to him.When the new ball was taken yesterday, Mitch took it. He bowled wide down the leg side. Then got his line right. Then got his line wrong, four. Then got his line right. Then got his line wrong, two. Then got his line wrong. Full and wide. The speed gun said 90 mph. Rahane played it like a kid had flicked down a lollipop. It was a long wide half-volley, one of a huge number.Johnson then turned and walked very slowly back to fine leg. Warner came up to him and gave him a rub on the shoulders. Johnson didn’t even seem to notice. His hips looked sore. He was hot, or cooked.When he got to fine leg, he had to tape up his own injured fingers. There he stood, wicketless. This time Mitch was the one putting on bandages. Last time it was the others.

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2015Bangladesh opted to bat, but Mirwais Ashraf kept the runs down and dismissed Tamim Iqbal for 19 off 42 balls•Getty ImagesShapoor Zadran dented Bangladesh further when he had Soumya Sarkar trapped lbw and Mahmudullah caught behind•Getty ImagesShakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim steadied the innings with a 114-run fifth-wicket stand•Getty ImagesBangladesh’s lower order didn’t last long as their last five wickets could only add 34 runs. They were all out for 267•Getty ImagesBut Bangladesh’s pacers floored Afghanistan, who were reduced them to 3 for 3 in the third over•Getty ImagesMashrafe Mortaza picked up three wickets and kept the Afghanistan middle order from settling into a rhythm•Getty ImagesAfghanistan managed to make a slow recovery with a 62-run fourth-wicket stand which ended with Samiullah Shenwari’s run out•Getty ImagesBangladesh pressed that advantage further and beat Afghanistan by 105 runs, their biggest win in the World Cups•AFP

Make your way to the suburb of Kensington to see where the Don made his home for six decades

Aaron Owen07-Feb-2015Born August 27, 1908 in Cootamundra, New South Wales. Raised in Bowral. Hundred on first-class debut for NSW. Scores 18 and 1 on Australia Test match debut aged 20 at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground in 1928-29. Dropped. Reselected. Not dropped again. Plays 52 Tests; 80 innings, ten not-outs, 6996 runs, highest score 334 at Leeds in 1934, averaged 99.94 runs per innings… blah blah blah. Of course, I’m referring to Don Bradman.Bradman facts, stats and stories have so often been spouted, and are usually so well-worn, that now it might take bits of DGB trivia a little less-known to keep the interested cricket fan interested when it comes to the Don.For instance, did you know he took two Test wickets bowling neat legbreaks – both of which were snared at Adelaide Oval? And did you know that from the mid-1930s until his death in 2001, Bradman made that same city of Adelaide – South Australia’s capital – his home?And so cricketing pilgrims may well begin their Adelaide journey by heading along Sir Donald Bradman Drive from the airport to the city centre. And later, by travelling to the former Bradman residence at 2 Holden Street, Kensington Park.Wandering along the Parade soon reveals local Kensington Oval, which Bradman called his home ground while playing district cricket for Kensington Cricket Club (KCC). Man, what a blast to be able to go to a local Adelaide suburban ground, free of charge, and watch Bradman bat.The Bradman residence at Kensington Park•Aaron OwenAnd to think you’re now walking around streets and places where for so long the man described, in 1998 by then serving Australian Prime Minister John Howard (cricket tragic and awesome bowler), as “the greatest living Australian” lived.While he may well have found bowling conditions favoured him here, it wasn’t because of ripping, legspin-aiding turn in the pitch, or even for the runs he could make on batting-friendly Adelaide Oval strips that inspired him to move from big Sydney, and playing Sheffield Shield cricket for New South Wales, to Adelaide. It was for work.Today soccer players, for example, can command immense fees on transfer. So it’s remarkable to think that – even in the 1930s – an athlete of Bradman’s already proven freakish talent and massive fame could move to Adelaide without any trade (feeble though it could only have been) or without any financial compensation going New South Wales’ way. What a coup for the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA).It was well before Kerry Packer’s well-funded World Series Cricket and its overdue addressing of proper player remuneration, and also long ahead of abundant endorsement opportunities (ask Michael “KFC” Clarke). Bradman played in an amateur era, and as brilliant as he surely was on the field, he was able to be enticed over the border by the lure of being able to learn the stockbroking trade with the backing of local Adelaide businessman and Australian Cricket Board of Control committee member Harry Hodgetts of Hodgetts & Co stockbrokers.The Rex and Basil Sellers Stand•Aaron OwenIn 1934, Bradman and wife Jessie then made the move to South Australia, settling in the pleasant, shaded suburb of Kensington Park in Adelaide’s east. Local architect Philip Claridge designed the Bradmans’ new home. Claridge’s firm had long-term responsibility for maintenance work at Adelaide Oval and this connection led to his working on the Bradman house.For the architecturally minded, the building is considered neo-Georgian, not modernist. Either way, the two-storied but simple and humble – considering his fame – Bradman home of 65 years or so, is easily located and can be viewed without invading privacy.Claridge later designed a billiard room extension – perhaps (with tongue in cheek, I offer) an attempt of Bradman’s to practise for a challenge to contemporary Australian and also in a class all his own, world billiards champion – Walter Lindrum, after whom rules were changed in an effort to curb his dominance. Something akin to Douglas Jardine’s Bradman-restricting Bodyline tactics, perhaps.Even if Bradman wasn’t pursuing elite billiards, his move to Adelaide saw the previously talented junior tennis player take up squash in 1934. And by 1939 he was a South Australian champion. Maybe no Jahangir Khan, but not too shabby.Playing at nearby Kensington Oval with KCC, Bradman didn’t quite match his performances in bigger cricket – but really, would any recruiter today be sacked for snagging this: 3377 runs at 84 in the understandably paltry number of just 37 games between 1935-36 and 1948-49.And perhaps his “form drop” in district cricket can be best illustrated with reference to the average number of innings he took per century. He peeled them off at better than one hundred every three innings in Test cricket, compared to 14 tons in 46 (one every 3.2) district cricket innings. Perhaps he was an early example of the big-game player?Kensington Oval, originally known as Shipster’s Paddock, was once owned by a local private school, and for decades was used as an athletics track-and-field venue. It provides the viewer a choice of the quaint old-time sophistication of the Rex and Basil Sellers Stand, or perhaps the gentility of picnicking on the mounded and gum-tree-studded surrounds while spectating.The view through the gum trees•Aaron OwenKCC are known as “The Browns” (the name creatively derived from their brown caps). And the caps might possibly and unsurprisingly be referred to by the players as a ? Similar to every second Australian team of any age or ability who baggify their caps (without milliner approval, mind you). But I wouldn’t know about the coveted down under baggy experience – I’m a collar-up, long-shirt-donning, wide-brimmed-hat wearer, you see.KCC has been a club in its current form since the 1920s, and the delightful oval dates back even further to the 1870s – with a history of also hosting sports other than cricket, such as Australian Rules Football, soccer and high-level athletics.KCC representatives who have played Test cricket include late bloomer Clarrie Grimmett (another brilliant steal from over the border, this time from New Zealand via NSW and Victoria), Terry Jenner (yet another import, this time from the west), and finally a couple of locals of more recent times: Greg Blewett and Tim May.Coming to Adelaide can easily provide a Bradman-honouring discovery tour – from spying his residence (from a street view, albeit), to investigating Kensington Oval and its cricket club, and not forgetting the Bradman items on free display at both Adelaide Oval and the State Library. There’s enough for any Bradmaniac to get their teeth into in Adelaide.

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Apr-2015JP Duminy was bowled when the ball hit the stumps after ricocheting off his forearm•BCCIManoj Tiwary was involved in two 30-plus partnerships, with Iyer and Yuvraj Singh, before he was dismissed for 32, leaving Daredevils at 95 for 4•BCCIYuvraj wandered off after missing a sweep shot and Robin Uthappa had enough time to stump him off his second attempt•BCCIPiyush Chawla became the fourth bowler to pick 100 wickets in the IPL after he dismissed Yuvraj, leaving Daredevils at 103 for 5 after 15 overs•BCCIFew meaty blows towards the end from Angelo Mathews and Kedar Jadhav took Daredevils to 146 for 8•BCCIDomnic Joseph jolted Knight Riders by picking two wickets in the fifth over of the chase, leaving them at 31 for 2•PTI Gautam Gambhir steadied the chase and put on 48 with Suryakumar Yadav for the third wicket•PTI Daredevils managed to dismiss Suryakumar but just didn’t have enough runs to defend•PTI Gambhir brought up his third fifty of IPL 2015 as he combined with Yusuf Pathan for a 65-run fourth-wicket partnership which put Knight Riders on the brink of victory•PTI Yusuf Pathan remained unbeaten on 40, even as Gambhir fell, to guide Knight Riders to a six-wicket win with 11 balls to spare•PTI

Bringing a bugle out of hibernation and donning face-paint for a unique hat-trick of India’s World Cup quarter-finals

Sudhindra Prasad20-Mar-2015Choice of game
After watching bits and pieces of most tournaments, it was my dream to achieve a 4-2-1 – watching all four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and the final of the World Cup. The way the Indian team turned itself around after the tri-series, and the schedule – which made it impossible to travel from Adelaide to Wellington before the fourth quarter-final – made me settle for a 3-2-1.Team supported
India. My first World Cup game was the second quarter-final of the 1996 World Cup – against Pakistan in Bangalore. Between that match and Melbourne, India have played only one other quarter-final game – during the 2011 World Cup, also the second quarter-final of that tournament. I was present at the Motera stadium on that amazing day in Ahmedabad, when Australia were knocked out. By planning to be in Melbourne, I was hoping to extend my (and India’s) unbeaten (second) quarter-final record.Choice of attire
The standard ODI fare – 1999 World Cup jersey, flaming hair-do, face-paint and the works. With most Indian and English grounds banning the use of musical instruments, my poor old bugle was in hibernation since the 2013 Champions Trophy final. Given the leniency of the Australian ground authorities, it made a deserved comeback on my accessory list.Wow moment
Virat Kohli’s wicket. Rubel Hossain ran in hard in his first spell and hardly gave away runs. No sooner had Kohli edged the ball behind to Mushfiqur Rahim, one saw a huge contrast among the two sets of fans: the Indian supporters faces’ dropped in despair, while the Bangladesh fans belted out their chants and waved their flags, as an opportunity to fell another big team beckoned.Crowd catch
In the 46th over, Rohit sent a ball sailing over long-on. Positioned bang behind the Bangladesh team bench, an Indian supporter took a step to his right and took an excellent two-handed catch. He was so overjoyed that he held on to the ball, fist-pumping and celebrating for almost half a minute.A thin line
The review of lbw decision against Suresh Raina was interesting. When the big screens showed slow motion replays of the ball hitting the pads, it appeared to pitch in line with the stumps and the decision seemed inevitable. However, a closer look at the pitch map showed that the ball had pitched outside leg by the thinnest of margins. If the outcome of that appeal were different, the Indian total would have likely been much lower and could have given Bangladesh an opportunity to provide a stiffer fight.Crowd meter
With over 51,000 fans on a week day, one could call this game a success in crowd terms. Though a majority of the crowd was Indian – and they also won the volume stakes hands down – the excitement of the passionate Bangladesh fans was visible during my journey from the Sydney airport all the way to the MCG. It was good to see the Bangladesh team provide some joy to their loyal fans during the course of this tournament.Close encounter
Being seated quite close to the Bangladesh bench, I could see Heath Streak make his way repeatedly to the fine leg and third man fielders for quick chats. On one such occasion, it seemed like the request was to attack more and get men in catching positions. Though the request came in the middle of the over, the third-man fielder immediately relayed instructions, and a second slip was put in place before the next ball was bowled.Shot of the day
Raina’s six to long-on off Shakib’s first ball of the 37th over. It sailed over the ropes and confirmed that India’s charge was well and truly onFancy dress index
With two sub-continent teams in this contest, it promised to be a very colourful occasion. The Indian fans sported different shades of blue to go along with the tricolour making an appearance in paint, on dresses and even contact lenses! The Bangladesh fans displayed tigers in many forms – soft toys, face-paint, small tigers stuck on caps etc. The standout for me was the headgear of a few cricket tourists from Mysore.The drive
During the presentation ceremony and well after the match, a man in the No. 84 jersey made his appearance often. Stuart Binny went jogging around the MCG after the game was over. He kept going, for five or six rounds and this provided a glimpse of the drive MS Dhoni, Ravi Shastri and the team management have instilled in the squad.Marks out of 10
8. It was a good win for India, but not clinical by any means. If Raina or Rohit had fallen before the 35th over, the final score may have been lower and the game itself would have been much closer. The atmosphere at the G was fantastic.