He arrived with a huge reputation but Mitchell Johnson’s performance at Lord’s has left him under pressure for his place

Alex Brown at Lord's18-Jul-2009From the loungerooms of Launceston to the Long Room at Lord’s, no single issue has dominated discussion quite like Mitchell Johnson’s plummeting fortunes in England. The conquistador of South Africa has been reduced to an erratic, unreliable bit-part player this week, placing tremendous pressure on his fellow bowlers and greatly reducing Ricky Ponting’s options.The world’s third-ranked bowler was the third best paceman in the Australian attack on Saturday, and a distant one at that. Too short, too wide and too easily dominated by England’s openers, Johnson left Ponting with few alternatives other than to withdraw him from the attack after just three overs in the hope Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus would prove less wasteful with the new ball.Johnson was eventually redeployed in the 27th over, and hardly inspired confidence by spearing the second ball of his second over towards the slips cordon and only just within reach of an outstretched Brad Haddin. A burst from around-the-wicket went some way to straightening his trajectory, however, and Johnson, for the first time in the series, managed at least to contain England’s batsmen over the course of a ten over spell.That Australia was satisfied with Johnson merely tying up an end indicates the extent to which the situation has deteriorated. Johnson was brought to England to provide vigour and menace, not contain, and his lack of direction and form continues to be the most pressing concern for Ponting entering the final three Tests of the series.So what precisely is the problem? How has a man who broke Graeme Smith’s hands twice in three Tests become a bowler whose performances are best viewed through barely-splayed fingers? Is the slide reversible?Three recurring themes have emerged from conversations with sources close to Johnson on both sides of the Australian camp. They are, in no particular order, a lowering of arm height, an attempt to bowl too quickly and a domestic situation in which Johnson’s mother has publicly harangued his fiancée in the Australian tabloids.The last of these issues is the most difficult to gauge in terms of its impact. A sensitive soul, Johnson has rarely, if ever, had personal issues aired in public, and his mother’s inflammatory letter to a Melbourne newspaper just days out from the Cardiff Test can hardly have helped his state of mind. Johnson was, until recent years, known as much for his shy demeanour as his express bowling in Australian cricket circles, and the combined effect of a public squabble and the pressure of “spearhead” status in his first Ashes series cannot have been easy to manage.The mechanical aspects of Johnson’s bowling are easier to identify, though not necessarily to fix. Troy Cooley, Australia’s bowling coach, has worked at length to restore Johnson’s arm height over the past 18 months, and despite success in recent series in Australia and South Africa, a more round-arm release has set in.A lower release point, even by a degree or two, can substantially reduce a left-armer’s margin for error. A taller, more orthodox delivery arm should offer a paceman greater control of length, and lessens the likelihood of the ball spraying laterally. And in attempting to live up to his reputation as Austalia’s bruiser-in-chief, Johnson has sacrificed swing for pace. Or so the theory goes.

The Australian captain is in desperate need of a bowler who can penetrate the defences of England’s best batsmen, and build pressure in partnership with the likes of Hilfenhaus and Nathan Hauritz. Johnson has failed in both regards to date

These are not necessarily new problems. On tours of the West Indies and India last year, Johnson struggled for consistency, but in neither case was he bridled with the responsibility of leading the Australian attack. His man-of-the series effort in South Africa and elevation to the role of spearhead for the Ashes series – in which every triumph and failure is magnified – has delivered him to a plinth he has never previously occupied, and one that has left him exposed as form and confidence have deserted him. Anonymity is no longer a luxury he can count on.But such discussions are of little help to Ponting in the immediate term. The Australian captain is in desperate need of a bowler who can penetrate the defences of England’s best batsmen, and build pressure in partnership with the likes of Hilfenhaus and Nathan Hauritz. Johnson has failed in both regards to date. Figures of 3 for 200 from 38.4 overs – including no second innings wickets – tell the tale of a man struggling for control over his game, and Johnson’s body language has too often resembled that of a downtrodden trundler rather than the modern day gladiator Ponting had counted on.Assuming England declare their second innings closed early on Sunday, there is little Ponting can do to rectify the unmitigated disaster that was Johnson’s outing at Lord’s. Edgbaston is another matter, however. Despite stubborn attempts to maintain the fast bowling unit from South Africa, Australia’s selectors will now be sorely tempted to reintroduce the reassuring presence of Stuart Clark and/or Brett Lee into the attack, but just who would make way remains a sizeable point of contention.Without doubt, Hilfenhaus has been the pick of Australia’s pacemen while Hauritz, playing through the pain of a dislocated finger on his spinning hand, has grown in stature with each innings this series. Peter Siddle has not been as evident in the wicket-column as his peers, but has interspersed several blistering spells between occasionally wild ones. On intimidatory grounds alone, he is worth persisting with.That, then, leaves Johnson, who has done less to justify his place in the starting XI than Australia’s other three frontline bowlers. Demotion from spearhead to outcast in the space of three Tests would be both stunning and difficult to envisage, given the faith placed in him by Andrew Hilditch’s panel over the years, but in these desperate times little can be assumed.

England’s latest opener was meant to provide the early momentum, but instead he made his mark with a controlled and measured century

Andrew Miller in Chittagong05-Mar-2010It was rather like turning up to the cinema expecting a showing of Lethal Weapon III, only to be presented with a slow-burn epic. Craig Kieswetter’s first blockbusting performance for England ended up wowing the critics on levels that few had expected him to reach, as the direction of his maiden award-winning performance rather deviated from the pre-series script.Kieswetter’s arrival in England colours had been of the all-action variety. On his first full day after completing his four-year residency qualification, he produced a rough-and-tumble 81 to carry the England Lions to victory over their senior counterparts in Abu Dhabi, and he responded to his subsequent call-up to the England squad with a blazing 143 from 123 balls in the first warm-up match at Fatullah.Here, it was presumed, was the answer to England’s Powerplay prayers – a player with the skill and strength to muscle the ball to the boundary at will, and provide the side with a platform not seen since his Somerset colleague, Marcus Trescothick, took his leave of England duty in the summer of 2006.What Kieswetter actually produced was a performance that tapped into intense mental reserves, as he became, at 22 years and 97 days, the second-youngest England batsman (after David Gower and just before his current captain, Alastair Cook) to rack up an ODI century. That he did so in conditions entirely alien to his hometown of Taunton, in a style entirely at odds with his gung-ho expectations, and having failed rather frenetically in his opening two internationals, was an added testament to his resolve.”For me it was about being able to adapt mentality,” said Kieswetter. “In the first two games I wasn’t quite aware tactically of how I was going to pace my innings, [in terms of] helping the team win the game. Today I tried to pace myself a bit more, and try to get myself in more before playing big shots. It is nice to get a hundred under my belt early in my career, and it’s one I’m going to cherish, but the fact that we won the game and won the series also means a lot to me.””He played totally differently to the way he has been playing,” said Cook. “But to play the situation is probably what international cricket is all about, being able to adapt like he’s done there. It shows that he’s bright, and that he’s got a massive future in international cricket.”If Kieswetter’s call-up had been with the World Twenty20 in mind – and prior to the series, England’s coach, Andy Flower, implied that it had been – then it might come as a mild source of embarrassment to the selectors that the only player to have been omitted from their provisional squad of 30, Cook, outpaced his partner in each and every one of their three opening partnerships.For the third match running, Kieswetter started out like a dozing hare to Cook’s tortoise, as the captain’s graft and accumulation allowed him to amble into the 20s before his anxious partner had escaped single figures. Following on from his jittery 19 on debut in Mirpur, and his flashy 4 in the second match two days later, the signs for England’s newest recruit weren’t entirely encouraging.

I played second fiddle, and I kind of enjoyed that challenge, of trying to expand my game and let someone else play aggressively. It’s been an eye-opener out here, but whenever you go to different countries and different continents, you have to adapt your game

At least, that’s how it appeared from the sidelines. Out in the middle, Kieswetter was busy re-evaluating his strategies, and enjoying the experience of slip-streaming his fast-paced colleague. His maiden ODI half-century came from a stately 80 balls (which was still good enough to win a US$1000 “fastest fifty” award as no one else passed fifty in the match), but he rushed to his hundred from a further 40, as the benefits of bedding in came flooding out in the final 15 overs, and out came the shots with which he’s forged his young reputation.”Cooky took over my role,” said Kieswetter. “He was bashing them around while I played second fiddle, and I kind of enjoyed that challenge, of trying to expand my game and let someone else play aggressively. It’s been an eye-opener out here, but whenever you go to different countries and different continents, you have to adapt your game. Instead of rapid pace, you face some twirlers who are spinning it quite a lot. It was a mental change for me, but I’m happy with how it turned out.”As if Kieswetter didn’t have enough on his plate, having been teased by Bangladesh’s left-arm spinners to an extent matched only by the struggling Kevin Pietersen, he had to withstand another wave of unwelcome criticism of his credentials, following Michael Vaughan’s comments to the press about South African imports. As it happens, Vaughan is also a member of Kieswetter’s management team, ISM, which can’t have gone down well at headquarters, but fortunately Chittagong is a far enough corner of a foreign field to allow such furores to pass without much comment.”It’s something that I’m going to have to put up with for my whole career,” said Kieswetter – not for the first, and surely not for the last time in his career. “I was born with a British passport, I’ve done my four years, I am British, and I don’t see it as an issue. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but for me it’s about putting performances in on the park and helping England win.” And he certainly did that second part in style.Nevertheless, his success has created a significant headache for England’s selectors – as well as the man who was sat next to him in the press conference. For the return series in May, Andrew Strauss is due to resume his role at the top of the order, and three into two most certainly will not go, especially now that Kieswetter has demonstrated durability at the crease, as well as combustibility.Until Morgan’s matchwinning 110 at Dhaka on Tuesday, Strauss was one of only two England batsmen to make an ODI hundred in the past 12 months, so his place in the pecking order presumably has to be secure. Which can only leave Cook on the fringes once again, and braced for another abrupt omission from England’s limited-overs plans.”We can only score runs and put pressure on the selectors to make a decision,” said Cook. “I’d have liked to score a hundred, but I’m really pleased with my contribution to the top of the order. Selection is out of my hands, as it always tends to be, so I’ll just have to wait my turn, but Straussy is the captain of England, and he has to come straight back in.”

A statistical review of the ICC World Twenty20 2010

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan17-May-2010After the first couple of matches in their campaign, it didn’t look like England would go much further in the World Cup. They were unlucky to lose to West Indies, and then struggled a bit in getting past Ireland. Once into the Super Eights, though, all aspects of their game clicked superbly, especially in the final where they overwhelmed Australia, who had until then looked like the best team in the tournament. England’s openers and Pietersen were fantastic in the big games and the bowling attack didn’t have a weak link. The table below shows how England’s performance improved from the early stages to the second half of the tournament.

England’s batting and bowling performance during Group stage and after Group stages

Matches playedRuns ScoredRun rateBatting AverageWickets takenEconomy rateBowling AverageDuring Group stage23117.7723.9237.9224.66After Group stage57528.2031.33377.0718.91The two most impressive aspects of their game were their top-order batting and the varied bowling attack. England’s opening batsman Craig Kieswetter and their No.3 Kevin Pietersen were prolific throughout. England’s superiority in this regard was a major factor in their victory. Australia had a patchy tournament with some good starts, but the openers missed out in the big games. The absence of Indian and South African batsmen in the list shows how poor the top orders of these two teams were in the big games.

Batting performance of openers and number 3 batsmen in the tournament after Group stages

BatsmanInningsRuns scoredBalls facedScoring rateAverageKevin Pietersen42151429.08107.50Craig Kieswetter51831596.9036.60Salman Butt41351147.1045.00Kumar Sangakkara41321047.6133.00Mahela Jayawardene4121749.8140.33David Warner5108729.0027.00Chris Gayle3107728.9135.66Unlike most teams, England did not have any weak link in the bowling attack. The fifth bowler of most teams went for plenty, and more often than not, this proved to be crucial in the overall context of the match. Shane Watson and Mohammad Hafeez proved to be a major liabilities in their team’s otherwise strong bowling attack. Ravindra Jadeja had a forgettable tournament and his bowling figures were ruined in the game against Australia. Michael Yardy, on the other hand, had a very good tournament even though he went for plenty in the final.

Performance of the fifth bowler for various teams in the tournament (minimum qualification 36 balls bowled)

BowlerTeamRuns concededBalls bowledEconomy rateWickets takenAverageMichael YardyEngland1361206.80434.00Mohammad HafeezPakistan123848.78261.50Ravindra JadejaIndia117729.75258.50Shane WatsonAustralia1639610.18281.50Kieron PollardWest Indies774211.00177.00Apart from England’s strong performances, another pleasant surprise was the display of the fast bowlers throughout these two weeks. Before the tournament began, it was anticipated that they would struggle on the slower tracks, but the pitch, especially in Barbados, offered plenty of pace and bounce, and the fast men did pretty well in other venues as well.Compared to the last two editions this tournament was a better one for fast bowlers. Spinners enjoyed a successful time, but not as much as in the previous tournament. Saeed Ajmal and Steven Smith did well, while Graeme Swann bowled with excellent control and had an economy rate of less than seven runs per over.

Performance of fast bowlers and spinners in ICC World T20 2010

Bowler typeRuns ConcededBalls BowledWickets takenAverageEconomy ratePace4251339020221.047.52Spin2841236811025.827.19

Performance of fast bowlers and spinners in ICC World T20 2009

Bowler typeRuns ConcededBalls BowledWickets takenAverageEconomy ratePace4683352818425.457.96Spin2541230212520.326.62

Performance of fast bowlers and spinners in ICC World T20 2007

Bowler typeRuns ConcededBalls BowledWickets takenAverageEconomy ratePace5533426122125.037.79Spin187714427923.757.80The table below summarises the overall batting performance of teams across the three World Cups. The batting average has gone down a touch and the scoring rate also has fallen slightly over the three tournaments. More helpful bowling tracks and bigger grounds have contributed to better bowling figures in the 2010 edition.

Overall batting performance in the three T20 World Cup tournaments

Tournament yearRuns scoredBalls facedRun rateWickets lostAverage2007788161707.6634822.642009762562087.3633722.622010741361527.2234621.42The batting performances during the Powerplay overs in the three editions of the T20 World Cup is summarised below. The 2010 edition has seen a drastic fall in scoring rate and the number of wickets falling in the first six overs has also increased.

Batting performance in Powerplay overs across the three World Cups

Tournament yearRuns scoredBalls facedRun rateWickets lostAverage2007232619857.038627.042009251420277.448330.282010216720296.409622.57In the last six overs the run rates and batting averages were pretty similar to the last two editions. Australia were the exceptional team during this period, scoring at the rate of 11.13 per over in the final six overs.

Batting performance in the last six overs across the three World Cups

Tournament yearRuns scoredBalls facedRun rateWickets lostAverage2007242516668.7315215.952009232916518.4614316.282010239416368.7714516.51Of the three grounds in which the tournament was played, St Lucia produced the highest run rate, of 9.03 runs per over. The Kensington Oval in Barbados provided excellent support to fast bowlers, but also assisted batsmen who were willing to play the horizontal-bat shots. The matches in Guyana were mostly rain affected and the pitch there was not quite conducive for run scoring.

Statistics for individual grounds

GroundRunsBallsRun rateWicketsAverageKensington Oval, Barbados10647348.695818.34Beausejour Cricket Ground, St Lucia9896579.036315.69Providence Stadium, Guyana3412458.352414.20Despite both the semi-finals and the final being won by the team chasing, batting first was more productive overall in the 2010 tournament. Most of the games in the group stages and the Super Eights were won by the team batting first. Both India and South Africa lost the two games when they chased in the Super Eight stages and were eliminated from the tournament.

Batting first and chasing in the ICC T20 World Cup 2010

InningsRunsBallsRun rateWicketsAverage1st415033227.4917723.442nd326328306.9116919.30

Can’t bat, can’t field – Pakistan, just accept that verdict

Nagraj Gollapudi at Edgbaston06-Aug-2010Shoaib Malik was shaking his hands in pain having failed to take a difficult, though manageable, catch at point. Imran Farhat was trying to invent a new form of asana yoga by trying to get his head between his legs after he dropped a dolly from Jonathan Trott. Umar Gul, at mid off, was surprised by Kevin Pietersen’s charge against Saeed Ajmal, and could only deflect the lofted drive he should have pouched. Debutant Zulqarnain Haider rightly followed Pietersen’s inside edge and dived full-stretch to his left, but the ball hit his wrist. When Ajmal surprised Pietersen with a quicker ball, the intended cut flew past a clueless Umar Akmal, standing too wide at slip. Can’t bat, can’t field – Pakistan, just accept that verdict.Let’s stick to the fielding for now. A basic tenet to succeed at any job is to enjoy it. Look at the example of the two Mohammads – Asif and Amir. You can sense, feel and celebrate the joy with this pair of Pakistan quicks as they unravel the art of fast bowling in front of your eyes without the sleight of hand. When they smile, you understand exactly how they are working out the batsman.Even in the nets the pair is rehearsing the murder of their opponent. Every ball has a meaning, a sweet-something tipped with poison, an improvement over the previous effort. And even if it always does not work out the way they intended, their minds are always busy scripting the obituary of the batsman. There is a genuine enthusiasm to excel.If only the Pakistan players could adopt the duo’s zeal and apply it to the fielding. At each and every training session whenever Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s coach, has screamed “let’s go fielding boys” the players have responded like a kid who has been ordered to do homework on a holiday. At times a peeved Waqar has had to force players to go for the fielding drills, usually imparted by his two deputies – Ijaz Ahmed and Aaqib Javed.”Oye, Azhar, kya kal pahunche ga fielding karne (Azhar, will you reach tomorrow for the fielding practice!?),” Waqar shouted at Azhar Ali on Thursday afternoon when the player was busy doing nothing after his batting session. It is not to single out one player, but most of the Pakistanis have failed to show the same enthusiasm to fielding as they have shown lining up to bat or bowl.Probably the mistake lies in the method of the coaches. If there is a method in the first place that is: just lining up players and hitting some hard catches as if you are on a conveyor belt cannot exactly be called the right way forward. It is an archaic method.The best fielders have always maintained that fielding cannot be taught. It needs to come from within. Awareness, anticipation, agility are the three As missing form Pakistan’s fielding cabinet. If you watch Ijaz hitting catches towards the close-in fielders – slips, gully and point – one thing that stands out is the discomfort a fielder has about where he is standing. Constantly the player is seen shuffling around, trying to measure the distance from his partner by stretching his arm and still he is never sure.This weakness revealed itself recently at Trent Bridge last week when both Kamran Akmal, the wicketkeeper, and the slips were reluctant to stand up a few yards against the quick bowlers despite having grasped the nature of the pitch was slow and dry. Some catches were dropped, some were missed altogether. Bowlers were left furiously kicking dust.It was an encore in Birmingham and Pakistan’s comedy of errors will continue for the rest of the tour if they fail to act now. The visitors cannot keep ignoring the fielding issue with a shrug and say it has always existed. Thankfully Salman Butt, their captain was in no mood to find excuses. “It is something hard to contend with,” he summed his fury in short.On the day when Pakistan’s fielders were biting lips, nails and sweaters as the cold Birmingham breeze persisted, England showed the anticipation and skills to turn the advantage in their favour. “The fielding has been sublime as well, which always helps,” said Stuart Broad, who took four wickets. “We’ve got slip catchers who are practising no end to improve themselves, because they know how important it is,”Broad, tellingly, had no sympathy for the opposition – not even his fellow fast bowler Asif, with whom he used to play at Leicester. Pakistan’s problems, he said, had nothing to do with the side being down on its luck, and were instead due to a lack of willingness to put in the necessary hard work. “As an England player, I don’t mind,” he said. “As a bowler you are always going to have human error, with catches put down, but that’s okay, as long as you know the boys are practising as hard as they possibly can.”I think confidence is built from practice, to be honest,” he added. “Our lads have been practising hard, getting in close, and we’ve got some world-class fielders in there – Colly, for instance, would get into any slip cordon in the world. It’s really nice as a bowler knowing that your slippers are practising day in day out to take that one chance. You’re not just practising for that day’s play, you’re practising for the final Ashes Test, to take that one-hander that wins you the game. It’s all about those key moments in series and games that, with the more practice you put in, you can try and claim.”All summer Pakistan’s fielders have been trying to hold on to their catches as kids try to hold on to snow flakes – in vain. It is time they grew up.

A wait-first-and-capitalise-later approach did the trick on the second day for the home side

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2010India are well placed for “moving day.” It’s what their bowling coach Eric Simons called days three and four, when the Test takes large strides towards its conclusion. And it was a patient wearing down of New Zealand, rather than a concerted attack, that allowed India to control the pace of the game and reach a position from where a strong batting performance on Sunday will give them command of the match.To achieve that, India used fields that weren’t popular. Harbhajan Singh began spells, even his first of the day, with a deep point and a long-off. In what appeared to be reactionary tactics, MS Dhoni sent fielders to protect the boundary immediately after Jesse Ryder or Tim Southee slogged Pragyan Ojha in a particular direction. Zaheer Khan had a third slip at the start of the day but watched an edge from Ryder fly wide of second slip in the seventh over.On Friday, the fields for Tim McIntosh had not been attacking either and singles were easily available as the batsman nudged and pushed his way through the nineties to his second international century. Martin Guptill, who was fighting to secure a Test berth, even spoke of his relief at some of the fields set because they allowed him to “just push it around and get off strike here and there.”India always had men in catching positions, though – a permutation of a couple of slips, a short leg, a silly point and a leg slip, waiting for the edge. But between them and the men in the deep, there were expanses of grass with singles for the taking. These in-and-out fields are the vogue and, on pitches where assistance for bowlers is minimal and shot-making is easy, they are effective because they keep the bowling side in the game for longer by controlling the run-rate, even if the wickets aren’t forthcoming. So despite India’s struggle for breakthroughs on day one, New Zealand managed only 258 and were only an early wicket or two away on the second morning from falling behind.And fall they did. Zaheer struck two momentum-wresting blows in the first half-hour after which Harbhajan capitalised to finish with four wickets. Everyone was caught at the wicket, lbw or stumped. Persevere for the breakthroughs, but let’s also keep New Zealand’s scoring in check, was the formula. New Zealand lost six wickets for 92 runs and ended with 350, a total Ryder felt wasn’t enough. “I think we are a good hundred runs short from what we wanted after the start we had yesterday,” he said at the end of play.

We are a good hundred runs short from what we wanted after the start we had yesterdayJesse Ryder

India’s wait-first-and-capitalise-later approach didn’t end there. Perhaps wary of the havoc Chris Martin had caused in the second innings in Ahmedabad, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir fought through a testing period with the new ball. Both batsmen struggled as Martin swung the ball in and Southee moved it out from tight lines and lengths. The openers attempted a few shots and were beaten but they stuck it out until the bowlers tired in the heat and their discipline wavered.Sehwag, who had pottered to 2 off 23 balls, got going soon after a change of bat in the eighth over. Gambhir, in the middle of a slump, attempted to emulate his partner with an unsuccessful waft outside off stump. Sehwag met him mid pitch immediately after and spoke while his partner listened.In the 16th over, after he had struggled to 16 off 48 deliveries, Gambhir played his first convincing shot on the off side – a cover drive against Southee – after which he looked up at the skies and said a few things to himself. Soon, his feet began to move smoothly, he began to place balls in gaps, and though he never matched Sehwag’s fluency, Gambhir had fought his way through a rut and was part of a century opening partnership for the first time since Dhaka in January. When Sehwag brought up India’s 100 with a drive through cover off Vettori, the batsmen met mid-pitch and punched gloves to celebrate. They would do so again a while later, when Gambhir steered Southee to the third-man boundary to reach his fifty.Gambhir and Sehwag eventually fell in successive overs – the 41st and 42nd – but because India had already knocked 160 off New Zealand’s total, the visitors will need a few more quick strikes on moving day to bring the Test back into balance.

Like fellow Associates Ireland, Netherlands play as a team and have belief, however, unlike Ireland, they do not have definite plans, as is evident from the number of dot balls they face while batting

Nagraj Gollapudi at the Feroz Shah Kotla09-Mar-2011Even Netherlands will wonder how they could have been so good while defending and so terrible while batting. The contrast between their attitude and play in the afternoon and evening was black and white. If they defended a small total sturdily, a complete meekness had enveloped their batsmen while setting up the target. All the pre-match talk of being brave got lost in the Delhi smog. In the end, Netherlands were left rubbing their eyes.Yet there was more clarity when it all began. As soon as Peter Borren called heads and opted to bat, it seemed Netherlands had a plan. There must have been a target too (Borren said in the end they fell short by 60 runs). But in the middle, Netherlands lacked direction, grew confused by the minute, and in the end even a late fightback from Borren was not enough to mount a challenging total.All three batsmen in the top order got starts but none progressed to take charge. There was a new opening pair in Eric Szwarczynski, who was playing his first match of the tournament, and Wesley Barresi after the original pair of Alexei Kervezee and Barresi had failed to raise a platform in the previous three matches. The Szwarczynski-Barresi combination showed intent and character to survive the initial spell from Zaheer Khan and India’s spinners, who were brought in immediately. Playing with utmost caution the pair had raised 58 runs in the first 15 overs. It was not an embarrassing thing, as even teams like South Africa had made slow starts on the same ground during the tournament. The key was to steadily multiply the gains from then on.That is when the inexperience kicked in. Both openers perished trying to force the issue. The middle order was no better. Not one batsman showed any urgency. Not one batsman could take charge. All batsmen comfortably forgot that rotating the strike was mandatory. As a consequence, the run-rate scarcely climbed to much over three runs an over, until the 40th over after which 55 runs were scored in 6.4 overs.Out of the 277 deliveries Netherlands faced, there were 181 dot balls. Eighty four of their 189 runs had been scored in boundaries and sixes. That pattern has been carried forward from their previous three matches.Essentially, the inability to adjust the gears hurt Netherlands badly. Here is where Ireland are heads and shoulders above the rest of the Associates. Of course, compared to the 9-to-5 bunch that makes up Netherlands’ squad, Ireland have more professionals in their ranks who ply their trade on the English county circuit; a stable support structure that supports the game helps too.One big reason Ireland put up a much stiffer fight against India was because they had a definite plan. They understood very well that runs would not come easy but they found a way out by pressurising India’s fielding, easily one of the worst in the tournament. Also, for Ireland, there is never only one man standing. Many hands have worked together to keep Ireland a competitive side. Of course, a freakish innings like Kevin O’Brien’s definitely helps, but Ireland now enter a contest with a hope that they spark off an upset. Opponents can no more ignore them.That is not saying that Netherlands don’t have any of those qualities. In fact, many were evident in their first match against England. Ryan ten Doeschate cracked a magnificent century, but he had many men behind him. Later, in the field, Netherlands showed the spirit of Ireland to give England a scare. Sadly, in the next two matches, they were annihilated by South Africa and West Indies.Pieter Seelaar now has Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen among his list of scalps•AFPUnfortunately for Netherlands, on Wednesday, their star player ten Doeschate perished to silly shot selection and later was targeted by India’s opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, going for 23 runs in his first two overs. Netherlands showed courage, and Pieter Seelaar, their young left-arm spinner, who had watched his Ireland counterpart George Dockrell bowl against India, was brave to challenge the India batsmen, and came out on top with the prize wickets of Sehwag, Tendulkar and Yusuf Pathan.”We were brave to come back with the bat from where we were,” Borren said after the match. “We were also brave to come back from where we were after Tendulkar and Sehwag’s onslaught. It was a little bit of a rollercoaster ride really throughout the match.”We started really well. We had a solid foundation. We lost our way pretty much completely in the middle of the innings but managed to make up a few runs at the backend of the (batting) Powerplay. Then, when India came out, Tendulkar and Sehwag got off to a flier. We dragged them back to 99 for 4 at which stage we backed ourselves of having a good chance. But Yuvraj [Singh] and [MS] Dhoni batted really well.”Borren said at no point were his side overwhelmed, even when India were in a delicate position at 99 for 4. “I don’t think we were overwhelmed by the occasion at 99 for 4. We did not lose our discipline. We lacked the firepower if anything. I am very proud of the way we came back after they were something like 65 for none after probably … one over,” he said, managing to keep his wit intact despite his team’s fourth straight loss in the tournament.Sitting next to him, Seelaar was all smiles when asked to pick his favourite dismissal. “Tendulkar, mate. Who else?” he burst out laughing. “It is very good to get their wickets. Usually I don’t bowl to that calibre of players. I thrive on it. It gets the best out of you.” Seelaar can add the three scalps to a list which includes Kevin Pietersen.But Netherlands need more performances like Seelaar’s in order to scratch off wasted opportunities like today.

Today Virender Sehwag gave a glimpse of what can happen if he bats 50 overs in an ODI, and on evidence, the bowlers need to be afraid. Very afraid.

Sidharth Monga at the Shere Bangla Stadium19-Feb-2011To intimidate people, Al Pacino’s character in Scarface made them “say hello to my little friend”. Somehow six other words from Virender Sehwag, which sound completely non-violent by his standards, are having similar impact in the cricketing world. Cricket’s Tony Montana just said, “I want to bat 50 overs.” It is a simple thought, something every opening batsman says by rote, but when Sehwag says that it becomes scary. When Sehwag says he wants to bat 50 overs, you shudder when you think what if he actually bats 50 overs?What if the man – his average innings lasts 32 balls but he has still managed to score more than 7000 runs at a strike-rate over 100 – decides to try and play anything close to 150 deliveries in a match? What if he regularly starts lasting till batting Powerplays? Before today, while batting first, Sehwag had faced 100 balls only on two occasions. What if he starts doing it more often? He has never stayed not out batting first. What if he does that often in completed innings?Today Sehwag gave a glimpse of the possibilities, and on evidence the bowlers need to be afraid. Very afraid. It was fitting that the new Sehwag came out in the same country where four years ago he was trying to figure out just what his role was as a batsman, when he was a confused man after being dropped from Tests, a format in which he has never merited a drop. That was soon after the World Cup debacle. On that tour he got off to two starts, but threw his wicket away on both occasions. Four years on, now one of the most feared batsmen in Test cricket, Sehwag’s intentions of making a larger impact in ODIs too have begun in Bangladesh.The ease with which Sehwag did it today made it seem like all he had to do was tell himself he needed to bat longer. You could see he was fighting boredom in the middle overs when all that was available was singles. He even went 30 balls without a boundary, considered the oxygen of his batting, but that had little effect on him. You could see from his itching to hit that he still didn’t think spinners ought to bowl in international cricket, but he showed restraint when Abdul Razzak came on to bowl in the fifth over. He played out four dots in that over before taking the single. Razzak’s time would come later. The first time Sehwag tried to clear the infield today was in the 15th over, a six over cow corner to reach his fifty… off Razzak.All this after he had got the World Cup off to a smashing start, with a punch through the covers first ball and a drive for four through the same region in the same over. You watched with interest just how he would rein himself in after such a start. How would a batsman who knows no boundaries limit himself? Not that he hasn’t done that before. He did so to save the Adelaide Test, but then he had a challenge in front of himself, a larger cause of drawing the Test. He did that during a chase in Dambulla last year, scoring 99 not out when every other batsman failed under the lights, but then the conditions provided that extra challenge.One-day cricket on flat tracks, like today, doesn’t present that kind of multi-faceted challenge. It was the kind of track and bowling where the only man that could have got Sehwag out was Sehwag himself. He wasn’t going to do that today, not until he had reached the back-end of the innings. In the middle overs, he fought the boredom with chips over extra cover for twos. He stayed alert to quick singles; on one occasion he ran a bye, and then the overthrow off a ricochet off the stumps when the ball had hardly gone far.Once he reached that back-end, once he called for the batting Powerplay in the 35th over, every bowler bar Rubel Hossain – who used the bouncer well on a slow pitch – got the clip. Shafiul Islam was swung for six over long-on. Razzak he treated like a club bowler, leaving his crease every ball, and then deciding which boundary to clear. Powerful shots, late-cuts, lofts, all came back.With the World Cup upon us, so is Sehwag 2.0. If he can continue doing what he did today, more games will be decided by the end of the first innings.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the IPL game between Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warriors in Mohali

Sriram Veera08-May-2011Robin has a shy and a miss. Again
Robin Uthappa just can’t find the stumps. In the game against Mumbai, he missed running out Sachin Tendulkar. Tonight, he failed to get Dinesh Karthik. David Hussey tapped very close on the off side – last time Tendulkar had tapped on the leg side – and Uthappa did nearly everything correctly. He sensed the possibility of a run out, took off his right glove as he dashed across, picked up the ball and fired. Yet again, though, he missed the stumps from close quarters. Last time he sunk to the ground, this time he just yelped in agony.Wonder what momma thought – I
When Shaun Marsh faced up to his first delivery from his younger brother Mitchell, he received a bouncer which he promptly pulled to the midwicket boundary. Shaun didn’t look at his brother as he ran across before he turned and got back to his crease. The camera panned to the dad Geoff who winced. His loyalties lay with his role as the Pune coach. Wonder what the mother thought about it on Mother’s day.Wonder what momma thought – II
The Marsh family had one more shared moment on the big screen. The IPL pulse asked which Marsh would taste the most success in his career and the big screen flashed the result: Younger son: 7%, Elder son 80% and the dad polled just 13%. The camera panned to the Pune dug-out and caught huge giggles from the camp. A smiling Geoff, who has four Test hundreds and nine ODI tons, just shook his head.Cheeky Yuvraj

It was a very full delivery and until the last instant Yuvraj Singh gave every impression that he was going to play a paddle sweep. He went down on his knee and the bat was almost coming from off to the on side when he suddenly changed his mind. He opened the bat-face and played a delightful steer through the vacant slips to collect a four.Shake your head, Ryan
Ryan Harris didn’t have a great day. He swatted a waist-high full toss to covers and was caught by Yuvraj. The umpires told him to wait as they checked on the height. Would it have gone over his waist if he was in the regular stance position? Or was it just about waist high? The third umpire believed that it was a legal delivery. Harris shook his head as he went back. Later, while bowling, he bowled a few wides and when he sprayed another delivery down the leg side, he again shook his head. He even tried sledging Uthappa and got sledged back. Nothing was going right for him but towards the end, he got a wicket when he had Uthappa top-edging a bouncer. Finally, he had a reason to smile on a dreadful evening.Bounce it up baby
In a sluggish game there was a rare moment of comic relief, provided by a ball that bounced twice. In an over in which he leaked 22 runs, Bhargav Bhatt’s release went awry on one occasion. The ball bounced middle of the pitch and then again bounced just before the bat of Yuvraj who reacted like a golfer hitting a stationary ball, whacking it to cow corner. Bhatt’s misery was complete.

Reactions from former players to the fallout of Gautam Gambhir’s shoulder injury

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2011″It is hard for the players to say no. Each game is important. As a professional cricketer, it is one’s responsibility to play. IPL has value for the BCCI as it is not a competition that is played in off-shore. It is a genuine cricket tournament and it is important to the Indian landscape.”
.”Gambhir’s shoulder injury will actually catch BCCI on a sticky wicket. Gambhir was playing in a BCCI-sanctioned tournament and was only honouring his commitment towards his franchise, who had bought him at a record price.”
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“One has to be realistic and understand that in the practical world, franchisees that pay huge sums for players would try and get the best returns from them in terms of performance and leveraging their star value. Therefore, it is important to realise that the player here is a professional worker like any other professional in other fields of work, who does not have a choice!”
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The Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 confirmed that cricket in Pakistan is not just about court cases, and dysfunctional players and management

Osman Samiuddin02-Jul-2011A better domestic final than that of the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 in Faisalabad is difficult to recall, certainly from recent memory. The favourites – Karachi Dolphins – didn’t win it, which is always a good script for finals to follow, while other big sides, like Sialkot, Lahore and Faisalabad, fell by the wayside. It was a berserk climax; Rawalpindi Rams lost wickets regularly but managed to stay alive till they entered the final over, needing nine to win with two wickets in hand.Umar Amin lofted Azam Hussain for six off the second ball and with two balls to go, the scores were level. The game should’ve been over, yet Hussain’s left-arm spin accounted for the last two wickets off successive balls – the last, deliciously and bravely floated up, spun away and produced a stumping – and a Super Over.In it, Rawalpindi took 16 off the tournament’s best bowler, Sohail Khan. Karachi’s chase against the left-arm spinner Raza Hasan began with a six, had a wicket go down next ball, a catch dropped third ball and a stumping appeal turned down off the fourth. Hasan’s final three balls were dots and amid crazy tension, the over lasted what felt like 20 minutes. Unfancied Rawalpindi, led by Sohail Tanvir, duly exploded in joy. The crowd, another packed house, joined in. Karachi – and they’ve lost enough Twenty20 finals now to be called chokers – were appropriately despondent.Nobody does a post-match presentation ceremony quite like the PCB and broadcaster , so there was a whole squad – 14 in all – of officials of all shapes, sizes and designations, lined up to hand out awards. They should’ve been the ninth team of the tournament. It was a memorable ceremony as well, single-handedly livened up by Sohail Khan’s honest confession that he dreaded returning to Karachi empty-handed to a possibly hostile reception, “” (faces blackened in disgrace).The presentations host Sikander Bakht, former fast bowler, TV personality, commentator and now father figure, then told Khan off on live TV – politely – and reminded him what a great game it had been and that no side had been disgraced. Tanvir’s shout out to his influential Rawalpindi coach Sabih Azhar, in its own way, was overdue acknowledgement. His response to Bakht’s query of how the players will now party was beautifully bewildered: “Errr … maybe not here.”It capped quite a wonderful tournament, as energetically organised as it was supported and played. A number of big name Twenty20 specialists were missing, but you wouldn’t have guessed it. There was enough feeling among the players involved, none more than in the Karachi-Sialkot semi-final. Though eventually one-sided, it was an electric, spicy game, fuelled by the feeling among Karachi players of being unfairly overlooked for national selection and by a Sialkot side that has lorded it over the domestic Twenty20 circuit for the last half-decade.The stands held even greater passion. They don’t just love their cricket in Faisalabad, they turn up to watch it. Previous Twenty20 tournaments in bigger cities have always pulled crowds on finals day, but evening matches through the week in Iqbal Stadium were near-full. Soon after the final ended fans managed to rush on to the ground, but it hardly felt like a security breach.

They don’t just love their cricket in Faisalabad, they turn up to watch it. Previous Twenty20 tournaments in bigger cities have always pulled crowds on finals day, but evening matches through the week in Iqbal Stadium were near-full. Soon after the final ended fans managed to rush on to the ground, but it hardly felt like a security breach

Significantly, a sponsor was found for each of the eight sides, indicating that if done right, the private sector is willing to invest in Pakistani cricket. It was tackily done, but at least it was done. The winner’s cheque of 2.5 million rupees wasn’t a piddling amount and all the teams were put up at the leading hotel in the city (though the reported that daily allowances were pitiably low).With Pakistan due to tour Zimbabwe for a full series and Mohsin Khan eager to explore new options for the national Twenty20 side, a number of players put themselves in the picture. Karachi’s Rameez Raja played two of the tournament’s most explosive innings and only scored less than 29 once. He bears a fair physical resemblance to Salman Butt but is a different player altogether, more direct, less delicate. And he is not named, incidentally, after the other Rameez Raja.It will also be difficult to ignore Khan, the leading wicket-taker, taking four in the semi-final and five in the final. He was much-hyped after his extraordinary debut season in 2007-08, when he took a record 91 wickets. In his first appearances for Pakistan he looked willing but limited, and fell away as Mohammad Amir took off. But over the last season he has progressed again, finishing with 69 wickets. He is smarter, more rounded now. He’s still quick and hits the bat hard and high, but he has better control over lengths and far more variety than before; his slower balls are genuine wicket-taking deliveries.There are others. Rawalpindi’s Jamal Anwar was unlucky to be dismissed for a duck in the final, but his batting and glovework have looked good through the tournament. Raza Hasan has been a Pakistan prospect for over a year now and 11 very economical wickets over the week will do his chances no harm. Sharjeel Khan’s batting here and for Pakistan A earlier mean the left-hand batsman could be one of the few players from Hyderabad to represent Pakistan.The subplot through the week was what this could mean for the return of international cricket. The honest, realistic answer is not much – that it is not in the PCB’s hands. But it is another timely confirmation that cricket here is not just about court cases, and dysfunctional players and management. It lives and it breathes. And to link it to international prospects is to belittle the domestic game, to imply that it serves no other purpose. Instead of worrying about when teams will tour Pakistan again, perhaps we should turn our attentions to the domestic scene once more and rejoice in it.