Self-belief, brave selection and an aggressive mindset helped Pakistan bounce back from a loss to Zimbabwe to beating the No. 1 Test team comprehensively

Firdose Moonda in Abu Dhabi17-Oct-2013There is supposed to be some kind of certainty in covering the teams at the top and bottom of the Test rankings. You have a fair idea of who is expected to win and who is expected to lose. In the last month, that assumption has been twisted out of shape and it’s all because of Pakistan.It was barely believable that they lost to Zimbabwe in Harare and almost equally surprising that they dominated South Africa to earn such a comfortable win in Abu Dhabi. Misbah-ul-Haq put it down to conditions but there’s much more to Pakistan’s performance than just the comfort of a flat track.For a start, the pitch at Harare Sports Club would be flattered to be classed under the bowler-friendly category. Although conducive to quicks in the morning, especially on the first and second days, it’s closer to the harmless Natal green snake than the mamba it has been made out to be.Pakistan’s defeat was a result of carrying an unsuccessful opening pair, who were separated all too easily, having their younger batsmen frustrated by an inability to score runs through disciplined if not exactly scary seamers and three batsmen, Tino Mawoyo, Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor, who have developed as players of spin and have the temperament to bat out tough periods.Those who were at HSC may well say Zimbabwe won because they were the more determined side, or in clichéd, cricket-speak, the side which ‘wanted it more.’ And the same could be applied to describe the way Pakistan performed at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.They went into the game confident of their ability in the UAE. The insecurity of an unfamiliar surface was absent and so was their biggest weakness. Dropping Mohammad Hafeez robbed Pakistan of experience and an additional bowler, but it appears the bravest, and perhaps even the best decision, the administrators have made.Hafeez’s awareness of the off stump may have been better in these conditions but his form against top-class bowlers has been wanting and benching in him in favour of players with a more sound technique to man the opening slot was the right decision.That does not mean Khurram Manzoor or Shan Masood are the future. Not yet. They were both dismissed in Hafeez-esque ways in the second innings but they showed promise. They have a balance between patience and intent that saw Pakistan score at a rate between three and four runs an over, while giving them a base to build from and allowing the middle-order to bat without the pressure of survival is what set Pakistan up for victory.The quality of Pakistan’s innings was aided by a confused performance from their opposition, who misunderstood the length required of them. But it was also spurred on by a more aggressive mindset from Pakistan. Everyone from Manzoor to Adnan Akmal seemed to understand they score runs. In Zimbabwe and in South Africa earlier this year, Pakistan played as though they thought they could not.Since 2010, Pakistan have not lost in the UAE. It is not their home but they have come to think of themselves as having ownership here. They allowed themselves to drive Dale Steyn through the offside when he ventured too wide or pulled Morne Morkel if he dropped it short.It is also on these surfaces where they know their ability against spin can come to the fore, be it while bowling or batting. South Africa’s spin department for this Test was weak and Pakistan took full advantage. While Robin Peterson offered them too much flight and bowled too many full tosses, the South African middle order were easy targets for Saeed Ajmal and Zulfiqur Babar.South Africa are not bunnies against spin. They have decent records against the likes of Graeme Swann and even Ajmal from the last tour. But just as they have improved in their footwork and ability to read a turning ball, Ajmal has become more cunning. Faf du Plessis and most of the tail were troubled by him and because he can bowl all day, Pakistan used him in that capacity.Though, Pakistan did not rely solely on Ajmal. Babar was a more than adequate back-up and the two seamers were exceptional. Mohammad Irfan has worked on his stamina and can bowl longer spells without the fear of breaking down. Junaid Khan was described by Zimbabwe’s players – who will be quietly chuckling to themselves that they are now the yardstick – as the most improved bowler from the Pakistan of two years ago. He is dangerous with both the new and old balls and creates problems with his angle.With all of these elements working together, Pakistan put on an all-round performance they can be proud of. They were committed in the field as well, with Irfan showcasing many inelegant but effective methods of saving runs. This was the performance of a team who had something to prove, against one who may have felt their long unbeaten record on the road meant they had already shown what they are capable of.It is not like South Africa to take things for granted but with minimal preparation and a long absence from Test cricket, they still declared themselves ready to play, from mid-way through the warm-up match when some of their players said they would be able to walk into a Test match, “tomorrow.” Pakistan might have sensed that as over-confidence and they pounced on it.The importance of this result for Pakistan and their personnel was highlighted merely by watching Dav Whamore’s reaction. When Misbah launched Peterson for six, Whatmore was out of his seat almost before the ball had landed on the other side of the boundary and was on his way to shake hands with the South African support staff.He waited on the sidelines for Misbah, to whom he offered no outstretched hand. The pair were couched in a bear hug which said more than any words could. They were joined in relief and joy, knowing some part of the job is done but there is still more to do. Just a few weeks ago, they were united in embarrassment following the loss to Zimbabwe.Is this the same team who were humiliated in Harare? Some parts of it are and the parts that are not appear improved, infused with optimism and in touch with what they need to do to win.0:00

‘Pakistan will get stronger after win’ – Waqar Younis

India have lived up to their reputation of being profligate with the ball, but worryingly even their batting has begun to falter outside Asia

Abhishek Purohit in Wellington30-Jan-2014In June 2013, India’s ODI stocks were at a high. The selectors had just dropped several senior players and the young squad had done them proud by winning the Champions Trophy. With the World Cup only in February 2015, there was more than enough time for the immense promise shown in England to be further enriched by experience over the next year and a half.Come January 2014, and the stocks have suddenly plummeted. India have been unable to win even one of their last six completed ODIs away from home and had the Centurion match against South Africa not been washed out after India conceded yet another 300-plus score, a seventh game might have been added to this sorry run.India were blown away by Dale Steyn and co in South Africa but conditions were much more benign in New Zealand. Yet, it took a freak seventh-wicket partnership for India to avoid going down 0-4 to a side ranked at the other end of the ODI ladder.MS Dhoni has admitted he does not know which fast bowlers he could possibly take with him to the World Cup. The slower they come, the faster they disappear. The faster they come, the faster they disappear. They take the pitch out of the equation, in the self-damaging way. For, as Dhoni said after the series was lost in Hamilton, if you keep bowling short and wide, you cannot complain that there are only four men on the boundary.They all seem promising when they come into the squad. They all have varied, useful skills. But they are not able to sustain pressure, crack easily when put under it. You can keep talking about the finer points of seam position and release, but if you are not able to pitch successive deliveries in the same area close to off stump, such details are irrelevant. When they lose it, India’s fast bowlers often do so together. They have a bowling coach, but it is not clear if his remit also includes developing mental strength, for they often panic when attacked.It is not that India haven’t tried and tested different personnel. Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Praveen Kumar have all played a decent number of games, at least 20, since the 2011 World Cup. The revolving door has seen many more in that period: Varun Aaron, Munaf Patel, Ashok Dinda, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohit Sharma, RP Singh, Abhimanyu Mithun and Zaheer Khan.That last name is interesting as Zaheer’s last ODI was in August 2012. He returned to the Test team stronger and fitter, but should India bring him back for the one-dayers too? How effective will he be under the new rules? While he lasts, the others can at least resume leaning on his experienced shoulders. This is completely short-term thinking, but the World Cup is also not too far ahead anymore.Fast bowling is only one problem Dhoni is facing, but it is at least the usual one. It is the batting that will worry him, considering how over-reliant India are on it. It is rare that India’s batsmen fail to shut out chases after coming close.The openers, who were churning out century stands not too long ago, are now failing to convert starts. Shikhar Dhawan’s gold rush had to end sometime but worryingly, he insists on charging and pulling short balls without any caution. Rohit Sharma starts the same way. He takes too many deliveries to get going unless the pitch is dead, and does not rotate the strike enough. He is not a natural opener, and you can be allowed a certain leeway for that, but his approach also jacks up the pressure on the batsman at the other end, especially during the chases.

Shami, Ishant, Vinay, Bhuvneshwar, Yadav and Praveen have all played a decent number of games, at least 20, since the 2011 World Cup. The revolving door has seen many more in that period: Aaron, Munaf, Dinda, Unadkat, Mohit, RP Singh, Mithun and Zaheer

India are also attempting to look beyond Yuvraj Singh at No 4, and finding how difficult it is to develop a replacement. They tried out Suresh Raina briefly, but forget No 4, he’s become too unproductive to be carried even at No 5. Ajinkya Rahane is yet to impress in the few opportunities he’s had at the position.The load on Virat Kohli and Dhoni himself has kept on increasing. They have continued to get the runs, but two batsmen, however great, can’t plug the numerous leaks left behind by five bowlers. Ravindra Jadeja has finally shown encouraging signs of growing as an international batsman, but that is where another problem area emerges.Dhoni has little faith, to an extent justifiably, in his fast bowlers. But he is also a man who will not deviate from standard policy till the ship has almost sunk. The combination of that means two spinners are what India will most likely always stick to, be it in South Africa or New Zealand. Jadeja and R Ashwin are fine bowlers and decent batsmen, but it is unlikely either of them are going to run through a top side at the MCG next year.ODI cricket is changing slowly. The fielding restrictions have made aggressive captains realise they need to keep taking wickets to stay in the game. Containment, with only four deep fielders, is no longer the default option. With fewer boundary riders, release is always available to batsmen. Part-time bowlers have become a risky proposition. But for a man who has constructed an era based on stifling opposition batsmen with spinners and part-timers, it is not going to be easy to adapt.As always, Dhoni is not spoilt for choice. New Zealand have Corey Anderson. They have Jimmy Neesham as back-up seam allrounder. India, on the other hand, have a modest option in Stuart Binny. But on his debut, the captain does not let him bat even at No 7, and instead gives him just one over with the ball.Whichever area you look at, the picture appears bleak at the moment. There is just over a year left for the World Cup. India’s players will go into extended Twenty20 mode soon with the World T20 and the IPL following which there are long Test tours of England and Australia.On the evidence of the last two ODI series, India’s World Cup defense appears on shaky ground, and there is not much time left to strengthen it.

Vinay Kumar talks about Karnataka’s historic treble, how his bowling has improved, and his thoughts on making a comeback to the India side

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi25-Mar-2014You are the only captain to have won three domestic titles in the same year. How proud are you?
It feels really great. We did not know how big an achievement this is. Our success mantra has been to take one game at a time. After winning the Vijay Hazare we thought, let us now aim for the next: Syed Mushtaq Ali [domestic T20].At what point during the Ranji season did you grow confident that this was going to be a different year?
We lost to Mumbai in Mysore in the 2009-10 Ranji Trophy final by six runs and I could never forget that pain. The next year we lost in the semi-finals (to Baroda), and the following year we lost in the quarter-finals [to Haryana]. Last year we again failed to get past the quarter-finals, losing to Saurashtra.We asked ourselves some tough questions: whether we lacked in our preparations or whether we were not taking the responsibility. At the beginning of this season we told ourselves we had the team but we were lacking in some small areas. So we decided all of us needed to take some extra responsibility. The belief and faith became stronger with every match, and we kept winning from whatever position we found ourselves in.In one of our final league matches, Mumbai needed 282 for an outright victory. We were playing on our home ground. It was a low-scoring match. Before entering the final day, we had a chat. We were playing on the centre pitch, which can be dicey. The cracks open by the fourth day. If we wanted to win the Ranji Trophy we had to get them out within 180 – that was our target. The way we went about things and performed and got Mumbai all out, I realised that this season we could actually win the title.Karnataka were the only team to win seven matches in this season’s Ranji Trophy. What were the areas that you stressed on?
We stressed to the batsmen that they [needed to] take the team to safe positions. In the 2011 final in Mysore against Mumbai, Manish Pandey was playing with such freedom, and in the dressing room we were making jokes and thinking we would win the match easily. But as soon as he got out, we folded. I have never been tired of reminding him that only if he had batted for another 15 overs we could definitely have won the match. Such small factors play a decisive role.This year Robin [Uthappa] took more responsibility for helping the batsmen and making them understand the importance of playing according to the situation and how to battle different conditions. He stressed on playing one ball at a time, as he felt that would help regain the focus. It is in the mind that you can win or lose a game.In the quarter-final against Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka were one bowler short in the second innings after HS Sharath suffered a shoulder injury in the field. Abhimanyu Mithun, your fast-bowling partner, recollects the moment when you walked to him and said that for Karnataka to make the semi-final, he and you had to deliver.
That match was as big as the Mumbai match. UP were also one bowler short after RP Singh got injured early in the first innings. I told Mithun we have better bowlers than the opposition, considering both of us have played for India. If we bowl even 90% to our strengths, to our potential, then very few batsmen can tackle us. This is the day we need to deliver.He was bowling short and it was annoying him. It was important for me to point out to him to bowl to his fields. For example, take the wicket of Mohammad Kaif in the first innings. As soon as he came in to bat I got a short fine leg and square leg. I know Mithun, when he gets a rhythm, can bowl lethal incutters with extra pace. Kaif usually tries to jab at such balls. So I set a particular field, but Kaif left a ball that came in and was bowled.

“This domestic season I have learned a lot about myself and how to bounce back from difficult situations. I really want to come back to the Indian team”

In fact Venkatesh Prasad, the UP coach, says he was waiting for you two to get tired as you were bowling longer spells. He was impressed by your determination, consistency and accuracy.
That was a quarter-final. It was not a league match. If we had not performed in that match then again we would have been out of the tournament. I did not want that to happen. That day we were never going to be tired despite bowling long spells. If you have the hunger to want to get them all out, you will not be bothered by exhaustion.What about your own bowling? What did you work on this season?
I am at my best as a bowler. I have lost about 3kg. When you look fit, it adds to your self-confidence. It has helped me run quicker in my bowling stride. My rhythm comes from my run-up, so losing weight definitely helped in many ways.You said earlier that you have improved as a captain because you have become better at following your instincts. But you seem to have also got better at assessing conditions.
Possibly. In the semi-final, against Punjab, we were playing in Mohali in really cold conditions. I had a catch in my back, which hampered movement in my left shoulder. I was advised to take an MRI scan. But I did not want to take any chances. That was because during the Mumbai match we had conceded the lead by barely ten runs. At that point I was not on the field because I had felt a niggle in my calf and had to visit the hospital for a scan. I had sat out for more than three hours in the process. If I had stayed at the ground I could have stopped Mumbai from taking the lead.In Mohali, I asked the physio to do whatever and get me back on the field. It did not matter whether I bowled or not. I just wanted to be there in the middle. We had elected to bowl but Punjab’s openers were taking advantage of some wayward bowling by the likes of Ronit More. On a fast pitch More was bowling lengths one bowls on a flat pitch and leaking boundaries. I told him the ball needed to hit the handle. He immediately had one of the openers caught behind.After a while I decided to bowl off a short run-up. The first ball was good, even though I did not finish my follow-through. I got a wicket in a couple of balls. I got the feel-good factor soon. I was bowling at 80% but that was fine because my sole aim was to hit specific spots on the pitch that would help cut the ball. The pitch was damp in the morning session, so if you pitched the ball in the right areas it would leave some tiny marks. Once the pitch was dry you just needed to pitch on those spots. I managed to get five wickets for one run. It was a dream spell.Usually every captain has one or two go-to players in the team. In your case do you feel you are your team’s go-to man?
In bowling, I agree. If there is a difficult situation I will take the ball immediately, because I know if I take a wicket or two that will help the team. Take the crucial match during the zonal stage of the Vijay Hazare, when we tied with Hyderabad. In the Powerplay I got three wickets in two overs and that was vital. In the Irani Cup, Dinesh Karthik and Harbhajan Singh were playing really well for Rest of India. Their partnership was building fast. I had not bowled much in that phase and decided to come back, and took Bhajji’s wicket. Next over Robin took a superb catch to dismiss Karthik. The match was in our grasp soon.”The belief and faith became stronger with every match”•ESPNcricinfo LtdFitness is an important element of your game. Prasad points out a good example during the Challenger Trophy final: You ran out Virat Kohli midway into your follow-through. Do you remember that?
Virat had played [the ball] towards midwicket. I was into my follow-through leaning to my left, but midway I stopped, changed my body position, jumped across the pitch, intercepted the ball, and threw it in one action to break the stumps. I had run out Unmukt Chand against Delhi during the league stage in a similar fashion.If I do not do a fitness training session every day, I miss something. I start feeling guilty. It has become a routine, and probably that is because of the culture I have observed in Karnataka cricket. When I made my debut for Karnataka I would see [Anil] Kumble, [Sunil] Joshi, Rahul [Dravid], Venky [Prasad], [Javagal] Srinath train regularly. If I had to reach their level, I had to train.Are you disappointed not being part of the Indian team?
I would say yes. You can see, I am always striving to perform and take a wicket. But one bad match in Bangalore (against Australia)…What happened that evening?
When a batsman can score 200 runs, at least one bowler will go for 100. Most of the bowlers went for 80-85 runs. In hindsight I could have bowled more yorkers. Instead I stuck to pitching more back of a length, even if I was getting hit for a six. Usually I would bowl a slower delivery or a yorker the next ball. Ironically I had been doing that the whole series [bowling short-of-a-length deliveries], making breakthroughs in Powerplay overs. I think I was the highest wicket-taker among the fast bowlers.Has MS Dhoni spoken to you about your bowling?
Like I feel I am my team’s go-to bowler, I feel – and I might be wrong – he sees me as one of his go-to bowlers. He has thrown me the ball during the Powerplay and death overs. Only if a captain has confidence will he give a bowler such responsibility. Once, after the 2011 ODI series in England, he told me I bowl well and have variations but I can get predictable. He had asked me to work on that area. I always make sure I bowl against him during the team training because he is a dangerous batsman. If you can restrict him, that gives you extra confidence. So yes, I remain confident about my chances of making a comeback.I have matured enough to handle the pressure better now. This domestic season I have learned a lot about myself and how to bounce back from difficult situations. I want to really come back to the Indian team, so I’m waiting.You have played one Test. How ready are you now to take the opportunity whenever it comes?
My performances with the red ball in both the Ranji and Irani tournaments were very good. In Perth I played as a fourth bowler on my Test debut. Eric Simons, India’s bowling coach then, told me that my duty was to give less than three runs an over. Straight away I was on the back foot: I just needed to try and bowl dot balls.Next time I get a chance, I will enter the ground with a different mindset. I will bowl more like a strike bowler. In the ODI series I was a totally different bowler. Even Dhoni told me he sensed I had not bowled 100% in the Perth Test match.You will agree that pace is not your biggest weapon. Do you have to rely on consistency, accuracy and control instead?
I cannot bowl 140kph. I can’t do that. I have to perform within my limits. I can bowl between 130-135kph, but the margin of error is very less. I have to be consistent and move the ball both ways. I have now also developed the inswinger, so I can definitely trouble the batsmen. Hopefully I will be part of the Indian squad for the World Cup, since it is happening in Australia and New Zealand, where the pitches and conditions suit my style of bowling. These three to four years are my peak ones and important for me. That makes me positive.

After a tough winter, India must be lauded for putting in such a commanding performance all the way to the final that somewhere along the way, they became title favourites

Abhishek Purohit07-Apr-2014This was a team that had not won anything at all in any format on its two winter tours and was beaten by Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the Asia Cup. They had come close, of course, they had competed, but that winning feeling had last come for them against West Indies at home in November last year. Yes, Bangladesh is much closer to home for the Indians compared to South Africa and New Zealand – home is just a “forty-minute flight away” as MS Dhoni said – but a winless environment is not what you want to take with yourself into a world tournament. Yes, the conditions played a big part, but India have to be lauded for putting in such a commanding performance all the way to the final that somewhere along the way, they became title favourites.This after entering the tournament with only two wins – against Bangladesh and Afghanistan – in nearly four months. And with a World T20 record in the past three editions that suggested the format began and ended for them with the IPL – they are not allowed to play in any other domestic T20 league, and they couldn’t perform in the World T20. This time, not only did India win consistently in Dhaka, they won every game convincingly till the final, so convincingly that the victories started to look formulaic.Bowl first, bowl aggressive wicket-taking spin, restrict the opposition, and hunt down the modest target with ease. This approachworked to perfection in their first three games against Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh, and made them the first team in the tournament to qualify for the semi-finals. They wanted to bat first in their final group game against Australia, were put in and recovered to post a decent total before the spinners, led by R Ashwin, demolished the opposition.The batsmen, led by Player-of-the-Tournament Virat Kohli, took over in the semi-final against South Africa, hunting down 170-plus against the might of Dale Steyn and co with nearly an over to spare. India made this match appear like a typical subcontinent ODI chase, where their batsmen were capable and confident enough to surge past whatever their bowlers had conceded.India can take credit for showing in this World T20 that it is possible to play formulaic cricket in the shortest format in familiarconditions and develop a measure of consistency in winning, something thought to be nearly impossible in T20. Almost all their wins were one-sided. Their matches lacked the kind of chaotic thrill a crowd expects from a T20. This lack tells you a lot about their dominance in a format which, due to its ultra-condensed nature, produces nail-biters almost by rote.It seemed too good to be true, and things came unstuck spectacularly in the final, where the mighty line-up was hamstrung by its most experienced member and by a charged-up, disciplined opposition attack. The signs had not been encouraging from Yuvraj Singh in the first couple of games, where he fell short in whatever he tried to do on the field. When he came good in a no-pressure game – from the team point of view – against Australia, it seemed India had ticked the one final box on their sheet going into the knockouts. It was to prove misleading. Yuvraj’s struggles were back in the semi-final, and peaked in the final, where he had one of his worst off days ever, simultaneously draining whatever momentum Kohli was providing at the other end.That said, it is a reflection of the unbelievably extreme pressure under which Indian cricketers play, when reports come in that Yuvraj’s house was stoned after the final. Not only was it utterly disrespectful to the man who had won India the 2011 World Cup, it was also unmindful of the fact that it was the last hurdle at which the team had fallen, and not in the qualifying rounds. And before the final, they had won five successive matches, something they did not manage even when they took the title in 2007.The man who had fallen one match short of becoming the first captain to hold the World Cup, the Champions Trophy and the World T20 at the same time, was satisfied with how India had performed in Bangladesh. “Overall if you see the whole tournament we played really well,” Dhoni said after the final. “Right from the practice matches, and it was (also) evident from the fact that we didn’t have too many changes in our side as the tournament progressed. Spinners contributed when there was a bit of turn for them. Throughout the tournament, more often than not, they bowled well. And Virat has been brilliant for us for last one, one and a half years, even more. He is someone who has been very consistent. Yes, overall very happy with how everybody performed.”That is the conclusion Indian cricket’s well-wishers should take from this World T20. Bangladesh 2014 emphatically ended the disappointment of England 2009, West Indies 2010 and Sri Lanka 2012. The abiding image should be one of Kohli mastering the chase in the semi-final, although the chance is it will be that of Yuvraj bottling up in the final.

Dancing West Indians, impressive Associates, the mandatory Steyn special, power cuts and a good dose of dew, the World T20 featured all this and more

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Apr-2014The Associates are coming
Netherlands, Nepal, Ireland, Hong Kong. All delivered memorable performances in this expanded World T20, the opening round adding exotic new flavours to cricket’s rather narrow palate. Hong Kong’s defeat of the hosts provided the biggest early upset, while Netherlands’ outrageous win over Ireland gave them a place in the record books. As the only Associate to progress, Netherlands further enhanced their status with a one-sided thumping of England. All this without mentioning Afghanistan, considered among the most dangerous second-tier sides. T20 will doubtless encourage more such rabble-rousing.Steyn’s last stand
We are quite used to last-over finishes, often when a batsman will club a couple of decisive blows to deliver the expected coup de grace. Alternatively, the bowler will have 15-20 runs to play with and leeway to concede a few boundaries and still come out trumps. Rarely does anyone do what Dale Steyn did against New Zealand. With seven runs to defend, he took two wickets, bowled two dot balls and effected a run-out; the only scoring shot was a four. Steyn’s performance was the acme but, in Sri Lanka’s win over South Africa and Pakistan’s against Australia, death bowlers kept their teams alive.What’s up Chandimal’s sleeve?
As a young captain, Dinesh Chandimal is still learning his way on and off the field. One of the features of his press conferences was a familiar reference to Sri Lanka having “something up our sleeve”. What did he mean? Another mystery spinner, a cunning tactical ploy, something fresh from the unorthodox box? Whatever he was referring to, he certainly pulled out a surprise by dropping himself from the semi-final and final.All hail Hales
England’s World T20 managed to be both better and worse than most expected it would be. That they struggled in the conditions and failed to reach the semi-finals was not much of a shock. Defeat to Netherlands in their final group game then sent them home with solar-red faces. Their winter was an adventure in blunderland but some solace was to be found in beating Sri Lanka, thanks to Alex Hales’ dazzling hundred – the first in T20s by an England batsman. Hales was ranked No. 1 in the format until recently but still qualified for description as “an unknown England player” in one Indian newspaper ahead of the IPL auction. A flurry of cuts, pulls and slogs on the global stage to help England to their highest successful chase should mean he is easily identifiable from now on.Lost in statistics
Numbers have a powerful hold on cricket’s psyche but in these days of data-driven decision making their influence can become overbearing. In their TV coverage, Star Sports would flash up statistics such as “Pakistan win 100% of games when Ahmed Shehzad scores more than 40” (something he has done six times), while Faf du Plessis’ repeated mantra when asked why AB de Villiers didn’t bat at No. 3 was that the stats suggested he played best coming in after ten overs. During the warm-up games, meanwhile, Eoin Morgan claimed that “82% of games are won by the side who hit the most fours”. We are in danger of getting into “60% of the time it works all the time” territory here.Women’s runners-up England went through the tournament without hitting a six•Getty ImagesNo six, please, we’re English
Imagine a T20 tournament where one of the finalists didn’t hit a six. It happened in Bangladesh. Even though the boundary ropes come in by a few yards for women’s games, England went through the entire Women’s World T20 without clearing them once. Speaking before the final, Charlotte Edwards said power hitting may be something the team works on when they become full-time professionals but, for now, their lissom, dexterous strokeplay remains a joy to behold. Although, a couple of maximums might have helped against Australia.New spin required
The tactic of opening with a spinner hasn’t been fresh since Dipak Patel did it regularly for New Zealand at the 1992 World Cup but it can still be effective, as shown by Samuel Badree’s stellar tournament. Picking a non-specialist to do it is T20’s innovation on the subject, but just because this seems a bit out-of-the-box doesn’t mean it is always a good idea. England stuck rigidly to giving Moeen Ali the first over, with progressively worse returns, while JP Duminy’s effort in the semi-final between South Africa and India got the opposition off to a flier. New strategies are in order.– By Alan GardnerCarrom’s the game for Ashwin
R Ashwin took the carrom ball to another level in this tournament. The delivery that spun like a legbreak past Hashim Amla’s attempted flick in the semi-final may or may not be the Carrom Ball of the Century, but Ashwin tossed it up and regularly turned it big from outside leg stump, and bowled some pretty capable batsmen such as Glenn Maxwell and Faf du Plessis.Party like the West Indies
They may not have defended the title they won in Colombo but Darren Sammy’s men won over the Mirpur crowd with their spontaneous, vigorous celebrations targeted at the Australians. James Faulkner’s comments leading into the game had sparked plenty of needle, and West Indies dearly wanted to come out on top in this one. And when they did in a tense chase, there was no holding back, Chris Gayle leading a rather aggressive version of the Gangnam and whatever he could think of at that moment. Gayle brought out a more muted Gangnam when West Indies beat Pakistan to make the semi-finals, Sammy putting that down to the friendliness between the two sides.Dhaka’s not coming for the women
The Sylhetis came out in their thousands to watch the women’s games, but the residents of the capital of the country, with arguably the most wildly passionate following for cricket, could not summon enough interest to watch the women play their knockouts hours ahead of the men. Near-empty stands greeted England, Australia, West Indies and South Africa in their semi-finals. About a couple of hundred more turned up for the final between the Ashes rivals.Hail had the final say in the first men’s semi-final•ICCAll fear the hail
The wind roared, sending a cloud of dust into the stadium during the semi-final between Sri Lanka and West Indies. Then the roof started to clatter. Sammy would later say it felt as if someone was throwing stones. It was instead raining hailstones almost the size of golf balls. Brave were the groundsmen who took a serious pounding in the middle while placing the covers on the square, even as the outfield turned white around them.How many ‘over-boundary’ please?
When you hear it for the first time, you feel you haven’t got it right. The scorer in the Mirpur press box announces, “So-and-so 50 runs, three boundary, two over-boundary.” You then find out that a six is referred to as over-boundary by scorers in Bangladesh, in contrast to a four, which is called a boundary. It is confusing at first, but one of the quirky things you soon warm up to.Watching live cricket from a CNG
Just how much Bangladesh loves its cricket was demonstrated by the hundreds that sat wherever space was available to put up giant screens that showed the evening’s games live. Not only those sitting in front of the screens, even people stuck in the traffic nearby craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the action. Which is what I and my CNG autorickshaw driver did one evening. But then another CNG came and blocked our view, much to our irritation and the amusement of the lady passenger sitting in it. Once he noticed, though, the other CNG driver was gracious enough to take his vehicle forward by a few feet, so that our view was clear again. Sums up Bangladeshis’ love for the game.– By Abhishek PurohitThe mother of all blitzes
When Ireland went off the Sylhet ground after making 189 in 20 overs, nobody thought that Netherlands would – leave alone could – make a dash for the target and the Super 10s, leaving Ireland and Zimbabwe behind. But they did exactly that, with Stephan Myburgh and Tom Cooper slamming 13 of the 19 sixes hit during 13.5 overs. It was improbable, but the sixes kept coming and by the time the assault ended, the ball was lost.Khadka on fire
The Nepal captain made important runs, opened the bowling and hared around to grab half-chances, leaving everyone impressed mightily. There was not one person who could have not noticed Paras Khadka in the middle as Nepal came out on to the big stage for the first time. New teams bank heavily on their leader and Khadka is the perfect ambassador for his nation.Paras Khadka: Nepal’s proud flag bearer•AFPPower failures
There were power failures once in Sylhet and on three days in Chittagong, including the first day of warm-up matches. After the second instance, a BCB director said it as a local connection problem but when it happened for a third time, there was no explanation; power disruptions are commonplace in Bangladesh, reason enough for the BCB to be ready for such problems.Sylhet’s debut
The new stadium in Sylhet is Bangladesh’s eighth international cricket venue, and it was given the most matches this World T20. Sylhet hosted 30, including 24 (out of 27) of the women’s draw (while Mirpur and Chittagong hosted 17 and 15 respectively). And the locals turned up for every single game, be it a men’s first-round match or a women’s play-off. The ICC was pleasantly surprised by the turnouts, while the ground itself is stunning with a green, terraced hill the added attraction.Dew, and how to avoid it
England tried to train with wet balls, the ICC head curator brought in anti-drew sprays from India, but whenever it was clear during the day in Chittagong none of it helped much with the amount of moisture on the outfield in the evening. The ball largely stopped turning at the venue and was changed frequently during matches. None of the teams could say they mastered the dew and confirmation came from Stuart Broad who claimed it is impossible to bowl with a “bar of soap”, despite training with wet balls.Tamim catches, but not much else
The Bangladesh opener continued to do poorly in World T20s, having never aggregated more than 83 runs in five tournaments. This was a particularly bitter campaign for Tamim, with him having been embroiled in a vice-captain controversy four weeks earlier. He did take two catches against West Indies, though, both worthy of competing for catch of the tournament.Munir Dar v Farhad Reza
They fell out as team-mates in the 2007-08 Dhaka Premier League but none could have imagined the pair meeting once again at the world stage. But there was Hong Kong’s Munir hammering 15 off Bangladesh’s Farhad’s crucial over, reducing the target to a manageable 11 off 18 balls. The over cost Farhad the ire of his captain, coach, board president and of course, the fans.– By Mohammad Isam

In the last 50 years, four specialist English legspinners have played just 24 Tests. What’s behind England’s complicated relationship with legspin bowling?

Richard H Thomas 14-May-2014″Can he spin it?” we would ask amid rumours of a new legspinner. Usually
 he could. “Can he control it?” asked the selection committee; usually he couldn’t. Thereafter he was treated more suspiciously
 than an unexploded doodlebug. Fast bowlers are sweaty artisans with hammers. Medium-pacers are architects with precisely sharpened pencils. Contrastingly, legspinners are eccentrics in the garden shed. They might invent eight variations of the googly or blow the roof off.When the leggies come on, crowds are all nudges, elbows and eyebrows – ready, says Simon Briggs, for “what improbable feat might follow”. When Denzil Batchelor first saw Kent’s Doug Wright and his brisk, bouncy run-up he whistled like “a sailor whistles at a new wife in a new port”. But, as Stephen Brenkley observes, if some “chubby blond kid” can became one of the most influential cricketers of all time, legspin “can take you places”.Gideon Haigh after all, reminds us that it accounts for history’s two most famous deliveries – Eric Hollies’ googly to Bradman in 1948 and Shane Warne’s outrageous “ball of the century” in 1993. The incentive is developing
 a novelty batsmen may find unfathomable;
 the charges against are that legspinners are eccentric, erratic and unsuited to English greentops. With fame, fortune and diamond ear studs waiting, there will always be a few choosing to strengthen their wrists instead of their fingers.But who and where are they? Four specialist English legspinners have played just 24 Tests
 in the last 50 years. When a wrist
spinner last took a five-fer, notes Mike Selvey, 
Harold Macmillan was prime minister. Derek Abrahams describes them as common as “honest politicians”, their wickets, according to Lawrence Booth, rarer than “Australian sympathy for the Poms”. If England’s relationship with KP has been vexatious at least it was long-lasting; its relationship with legspin has been equally troublesome but far more fleeting.Charges of eccentricity are unfounded;
 leggies aren’t flaky, they’re optimistic and 
dogged. At Lord’s in 1900, Bernard Bosanquet’s newly-invented googly claimed its first victim: Leicestershire’s Samuel Coe was stumped off
 a delivery that bounced four times. Through dedicated resolution, the googly survived.
 Tommy Greenhough had his Lancashire contract cancelled after falling 40 feet in an industrial accident aged 16 – injuries to his wrists and ankles were so severe a cricketing career seemed inconceivable, yet he recovered to play Test cricket.Eric Hollies had an “innate cheerfulness” wrote Michael Billington, and Walter Robins epitomised the brotherhood’s pluck. “There was something about his cricket,” concluded RC Robertson- Glasgow, suggesting “half-holidays and kicking your hat along the pavement”. Ian Salisbury, for so long almost England’s only exponent, reports the value of having “a point of difference” but that during his apprenticeship it often occurred he might’ve picked “something a little easier… ” But he, like all the others, stuck to his task.The next charge is that when the wheels come off, the wagon doesn’t come meekly to rest on the hard shoulder. At Adelaide in 2012, South Africa’s Imran Tahir recorded excruciating match figures of 37-1-260-0. When Victoria posted their record 1107, legspinner Arthur Mailey took most of the tap – a jaw-dropping 4 for 362. On Bryce McGain’s toe-curling Australian debut at Cape Town in 2009, his first spell of 11-2-102-0 and match figures of 18-2-149-0 “did not flatter”, according to Vic Marks. It would be nice to report that he bounced back but when leggies implode bouncing is not the issue; they can’t stop bowling full tosses.

In providing the ultimate role model of Warne, Australia may have further indirectly damaged English legspinning. Salisbury contends that Warne made it fashionable but remains the unreachable bar

Of the ten most expensive Test match figures, legspinners account for all but two. Notions they are untidier than undergraduate dormitories are at least plausible. Most clubs have their own legspinning folklore, usually featuring discourses of profligacy. We knew one that suffered from a painful affliction called “legspinner’s neck” – a permanent crick caused by years of jerking his head to watch the ball sail into the next postcode. The “expensive” tag sticks; Arthur Mailey bowled like a “millionaire” and there is consensus, too, regarding Doug Wright – “unplayable” one day and “frustrating” the next according to Brenkley; “engaging” yet “exasperating” according to David Foot. David Frith describes Wright as “quiet” and “calm” with “a touch of genius”, but also describes his wickets as “costly”. Such was his occasional waywardness for Kent, Colin Cowdrey described it as akin to playing with ten men.Of those who took more than 100 wickets 
for England (there are 44) Wright’s are the second-most expensive. In his defence, he was unlucky. Batchelor recalled his best deliveries beating the batsman, but also “sadly missing the stumps”. Wright himself claimed in his finest ever over he beat Bradman twice. The rest went for boundaries. “Father” Marriott, also of Kent, took 11 for 96 in his only Test for England and was, according to Allan Massie, annoyed 
by “the fallacious notion that a wrist-spinner could not bowl as accurately as any other type
 of bowler”. The statistics suggest this may not have been as fallacious as he claimed, but they are not inherently expensive; England’s five-most successful wicket-taking Test leggies have better economy rates than Steve Harmison, Darren Gough, Matthew Hoggard, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee and Dale Steyn.They may be scarce nowadays, but until the ’70s, numerous county legspinners took bucketfuls of wickets and regularly dismantled batting line-ups – a generation of home-grown twirlers, says David Frith, with “long, productive county careers”. The biggest of these achievers was the smallest of men and another Kent bowler – 5ft 2in Tich Freeman. In a career straddling the First War, he dismissed an astonishing 3776 batsmen. In each of eight seasons between 1928 and 1935 he took over 200 wickets, and in the first of them, over 300 – the only bowler ever to do so. He claimed five in an innings 386 times and ten in a match 140 times.Shane Warne did those things 69 and 12 times, respectively. According to RL Arrowsmith, Tich was “the greatest wicket-taker county cricket has ever known”. Most agree that he wasn’t as deadly in Tests, but 66 wickets in 12 matches is none-too-shabby, especially with a strike rate, bowling average and economy rate all lower than Botham and Anderson, to name but two.Then there was Eric Hollies. Doing Bradman with a googly was no fluke; the week before he’d bowled him with a regulation legspinner but noticed The Don couldn’t pick the wrong ‘un. At least at Edgbaston there is a stand named after Hollies to reflect the two decades of toil before and after that single delivery. Roly Jenkins of Worcestershire would beseech the ball to “spin for Roly” as he released it. Mike Vockins suggests he probably talked out as many batsmen as he bowled but there were plenty of both; county colleague Martin Horton remembered a dedicated bowler always refining his technique. Disliking batsmen sweeping him, Roly once wished horrible things on Bill Alley’s chickens.In addition there was Tommy Mitchell, Jim Sims and a legion of others, sometimes expensive but wicket-takers all. To the doubters now shouting “helpful uncovered pitches” only two words are needed to counter: Mushtaq Ahmed. “Statistically, romantically and emotionally,” according to Chris Adams, “the best player to ever pull on a Sussex shirt.” He took 459 wickets between 2003 and 2007. Ian Salisbury concludes that Mushtaq found the right club and the right pitch: “A slow, low one at Hove”.Eric Hollies put in two decades of toil before and after the single delivery that he is mostly known for•Getty ImagesIn sum, it isn’t temperament, pitches or potency, and the case for habitual untidiness is moot. So why has our relationship with legspin never progressed further than smooching on the sofa? Between Salisbury’s last Test in 2000 and Scott Borthwick’s first in 2014, English legspin at the highest level comprised 18 wicketless overs from Chris Schofield. Collectively, Tich Freeman, Tommy Mitchell, Eric Hollies, Jim Sims, Peter Smith, Roly Jenkins and Tommy Greenhough took 12,920 Championship wickets, yet altogether appeared in fewer Tests than Monty Panesar. Since the ’60s, the art has all but disappeared and little wonder; seemingly selectors trust them less than a toddler with an iTunes password. As a youngster, Salisbury turned to wristspin despite having “no role models and no one to watch”.Goodness knows we’ve been taught enough hard lessons from Australia lately, but here we may have
 to take another. Aussie legspinners are as popular as beer in a barracks. Hordern to Mailey to Grimmett, O’Reilly to McCool to Benaud to O’Keefe to Higgs. This was a seamless, almost blue-blooded lineage. Then, the greatest of all – Warne, but overlapping with Stuart MacGill, who Frith suggests was almost Warne’s equal. One English legspinner took over 100 Test wickets; four Australians took more than 200. Australia’s top five leggies in the last 125 years took 1,524 wickets in 316 Tests, England’s top five took 327 in 91.Long-standing familiarity with the art has enabled Australia to develop their own and disarm England’s. Batchelor for example, reports that in Australia, Freeman was “all but powerless”. So used to such stuff were the Aussies, he wrote, “they’d developed footcraft” in self-defence “as fish developed gills”.There was no deliberate succession of Australian legspinners, suggests David Frith, “but they were there, one after the other”. His compelling explanation is that while traditionally English cricket is more hesitant, Australian confidence abounds. While the English look for the leash, Australia give it the lash. When Tiger O’Reilly claimed the English never understood legspin “so they killed it”, he implicitly suggested every circumstance was loaded against it. He would have also meant, suggests Frith, that legspin needs daring – from bowlers, captains and selectors. Daring indeed, like saying “have a fifth” to Warne after four wickets in his first four Tests. Frith’s compressed analysis is that legspin expresses character and “Australians are by nature more adventurous”.Moreover, in providing the ultimate role model of Warne, Australia may have further indirectly damaged English legspinning. Salisbury contends that Warne made it fashionable but remains the unreachable bar. He is an “outlier” and a “freak of nature”, argues Salisbury, and such was his uniquely sublime talent, he could bowl beautiful, controlled, legspin “ball after ball with his eyes closed”. It is unfair to measure everyone against the Warne yardstick, he suggests, noting that new batsmen are not instantly compared with Tendulkar or Lara.Education and preparation are key now, claims Salisbury, implicitly contesting Tiger O’Reilly’s advice that when legspinners see coaches approaching they should “run for their lives”. Salisbury would agree with Tiger though, that self-sufficiency is critical. With England finally investing – though perhaps not enough – in specialist spin bowling coaching, the emphasis is on self-diagnosis and independence. Young spinners construct their own development manuals, says Salisbury, transcending the numerous different coaches and clubs encountered during development. The self-made templates are personal portfolios including scientific metrics, biomechanics, and tactical planning so that adjustments are made on the field, “not in the dressing room two hours later”. Recognising the hard realities of professional cricket, without such personalised blueprints, “that kid may not be bowling spin next year”, warns Salisbury.In supporting every aspect of legspin, says Salisbury, bowlers become “their own best coaches” so that by their first Test matches all manageable performance elements are under control and heads are clear to focus on taking wickets. With 
the involvement of colleagues like Peter Such and Richard Dawson, Salisbury feels “things are heading the right way” but there is more 
to attend to than just wrists and fingers. Again emphasising English cricket’s underlying conservatism, he asserts that bowling coaches – most often pace bowlers – are generally nervous of legspin and should be more confident.England cricket is currently showing some conservative tendencies and a mistrust of mavericks, so immediate embracing of Australian-style audacity looks unlikely. But, despite legspinning heroes being more global than local, in bowlers like Borthwick, Will Beer at Sussex, and, as Salisbury keenly points out, young Matt Taylor of Northants, there are reasons to be chipper. You must be “brave” as a young leggie, observes Stephen Brenkley. It requires “patience and practice” says Intikhab Alam. Toss in investment, science and trust and we have the answer. Then England’s affair with the noblest of bowling arts can move from smooching on the sofa to something altogether more exciting.

MS Dhoni is possibly the best finisher limited-overs cricket has ever seen but he will have to answer questions after failing to trust his partner in the final over

Sidharth Monga at Edgbaston07-Sep-2014Just outside the Bullring mall in Birmingham there is a boxing equipment store called The Gloves. One of the most eye-catching items on sale is a T-shirt that says, “Don’t box ugly people. They have nothing to lose.” MS Dhoni has made a career being that ugly man. He takes hopeless situations, sometimes turning fair situations into hopeless ones, but somehow keeps answering those calls of 10, then reduces a game down to one man – him – against the bowler bowling the last over, and backs himself in that one-on-one contest. Rare are instances when he loses these one-on-ones.Dhoni might still be the ugly boxer, but he no longer has nothing to lose. He is possibly the best finisher limited-overs cricket has ever seen. When he turns down three singles in the last seven balls and takes a suicidal second – he all but sacrificed Ambati Rayudu – to keep the strike, with a specialist batsman for company, and India lose by three runs, questions will be asked. He has in effect not trusted Rayudu, who scored two half-centuries in the ODIs, to turn over the strike with six and three balls to go. Any other batsman would have taken at least the first two of those singles, but we are talking about Dhoni here.MS Dhoni did not trust Ambati Rayudu to help finish the job – but he was unable to do it himself•Getty ImagesTo debate whether it was selfish of Dhoni – wanting the spotlight of having won it himself – or too much self-belief, it is important to look at Dhoni’s method once again. Dhoni is so confident of his six-hitting skills he doesn’t mind chasing 15, 16, 17 in one over. In the final of a ODI triangular series in the West Indies last year, he turned 19 off 18 into 15 off 6 because he had Ishant Sharma for company, and then preyed on Shaminda Eranga. When you are batting out there, cricket is an 11-on-two game. Dhoni believes in reducing it to him against the bowler, as he likes to say, when the pressure on him and the bowler is the same. So here he was okay with not taking the single off the last ball of the 19th over, because he felt the pressure was the same on him and Chris Woakes.Once that pressure is the same, Dhoni likes to hit one six in the first two balls of the over. Not just any six. A big six. A six that demoralises the bowler. A six that tells the bowler he is on a highway to hell. In Port of Spain last June, he hit Eranga for a six over the top of the roof second ball of the over. Here, Woakes is warming up. Dhoni eyes him up. Taps the middle of the pitch for a long time. A boxer’s dance before the last round. The first ball is in Dhoni’s arc, he mishits it a little, but still clears square leg comfortably.Dhoni walks up to the middle of the pitch again. Keeps tapping the pitch. There is a swagger to his movement. Still it is not that big six that demoralises the bowler completely. We don’t know yet, but Dhoni will tell us later, that he made up his mind even before the start of the over that he was going to do it all by himself. He will say Rayudu has just come in, he is 3 off 5, he is not middling the ball, I am going to do it all by myself.At 11 off 5, the odds now look in Dhoni’s favour, don’t they, but still it was not the huge six to leave Woakes weak in the knees and sweaty in the palms. Woakes runs up, he bowls, Dhoni pulls, he has found the deep fielder, and this is going to be just a single. Wait a minute, though. Dhoni has started to hare back. Rayudu, poor Rayudu, doesn’t know what to do. His captain, possibly the greatest finisher ever, is charging at him. Does Rayudu have it in him to say no? He says a half no, Dhoni half stops, but this is where Dhoni shows genius that is beyond other batsmen. When the ball leaves deep square leg’s hand, Dhoni has almost stopped, is going to go back, but he looks at the throw and judges it is wayward, and knows there is no way it is going to catch him short. Dhoni is the quickest India cricketer over 20 metres. The stopwatch says so.Dhoni makes, it, Rayudu stumbles in, it is nine off four now. It should be easy now. One hit from Dhoni, and it is over. Woakes bowls a slower ball – the back-of-the-hand variety that Dhoni didn’t pick in Cardiff – and Dhoni bottom-edges it to midwicket. There is a split second for Dhoni to change his mind from his pre-over plan. Does he trust Rayudu to take a single fourth ball and make it seven off two? Does he not trust Rayudu to bat properly? Dhoni doesn’t change his mind. He thinks that ball that will be lost in taking the single can be dealt with much more harshly if he himself faces it. So he sends Rayudu back.Batsmen who have gone as deeply into the fabric of finishing, who back themselves as much as Dhoni does, can sometimes invite too much pressure. They trust they can push themselves. Possibly that is at play here. It is still just one shot off three balls. You’d expect Dhoni to do it. Dhoni expects Dhoni to do it. And he even gets a lucky break. He goes to pull, but somehow sends a short ball over mid-off for four.Five off two is a walk for Dhoni usually, but today he hasn’t looked at his best. He has been beaten by the slower short balls on numerous occasions, he has tried possibly only the third reverse sweep of his international career and nearly run himself out after playing the shot. He has seen Ravindra Jadeja get run out. And is there a reason somewhere why Dhoni hasn’t finished as many Twenty20 internationals as he has done ODIs? He doesn’t have a fifty in international T20s. Does he need to have spent some amount of time to get that swing right? Do tired brains and bowlers on the field help him?At five off two Dhoni hits to deep square but sends Rayudu back. He will be owed a lot of explaining from Dhoni. He is playing as a specialist batsman. He must be feeling awful right now. This is a team sport. But this is Dhoni’s backyard. The last over. And you have to give Dhoni elbow space when it comes to last over. He is prepared to take all the blame. Or all the credit. You have to trust that at the heart of it he wants to win this for India.It is one on one again. Dhoni loves it. He lives by this sword. This time he fails to connect. He will have to die by the sword. At the press conference he doesn’t make a big deal of not having taken those singles. It is a decision he made in the best interests of the team. He is more disappointed he has failed to connect three of those non-yorkers. If he had connected even one of them properly, the legend of Dhoni would have grown even further, and most of us – not all – would have forgotten the pain of Rayudu. Now we are questioning Dhoni. There is nothing wrong in questioning his tactics. It makes Dhoni the finisher a bit more human.

Plays of the Day from the Champions League T20 match between Chennai Super Kings and Perth Scorchers, in Bangalore

Karthik Krishnaswamy27-Sep-2014Statuesque Smith
Chennai Super Kings had just lost Brendon McCullum in the third over of the innings, when Dwayne Smith chopped a ball from Joel Paris towards short third man. Suresh Raina set off straightaway from the non-striker’s end, and with the ball going behind the wicket, he was the batsman running to the danger end. Smith was ball-watching, though, and by the time he turned around and sent Raina back he was halfway down the pitch, and the throw to the bowler’s end eventually caught him a good foot short of the crease. Two overs later, Smith was unmoved at the other end when Mithun Manhas nudged the ball wide of short midwicket and set off for a quick single. This time, only a wayward throw from the fielder saved Manhas as he turned and ran back from halfway down the pitch.The deception
Super Kings were struggling against the spinners, and Dwayne Bravo was barely able to pick Brad Hogg’s variations. A googly in Hogg’s first over had already beaten his attempted cut. Now, in his third over, Bravo came on strike having scored 15 off 20 balls. His eyes lit up when Hogg dropped it short, and he shaped for the full-blooded pull, possibly aiming for the stands behind the leg side fence. But the ball turned the other way, away from Bravo, out of his reach, and he was left frozen at the highest point of his backlift as the ball thudded into the keeper’s gloves. Bravo’s expression didn’t let on what he felt, but delight was scribbled all over Hogg’s face in a wide, childlike grin.Outta here
After a dry spell in the middle overs, Super Kings’ run rate was climbing thanks to Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni. Still, at the start of the penultimate over, they were only 115 for 5. Bowling what should have been the fifth ball of the over, Yasir Arafat delivered a high full-toss from around the wicket. Dhoni swivelled, met the ball with the meat of the bat, and sent it soaring into the top tier of the stands behind the deep backward square leg boundary. Next ball was another full-toss, not as high this time, but it travelled even further, over deep square leg, over the roof of the stands, and into the city beyond.The arm-ball
A proper, seam-up arm ball from the finger spinner is a rare sight in the modern game. Very often, commentators mistakenly say the bowler has bowled an arm-ball when the ball goes through with the angle either as the result of natural variation off the surface or because the bowler has sent down a topspinner or under-cut the ball. R Ashwin, however, sent down the genuine article to bowl Ashton Agar in the fourth over of Perth Scorchers’ chase. Agar had cut him away for four the previous ball, and Ashwin responded by bowling what would have been an outswinger if delivered by a seam bowler – seam upright, pointing towards fine leg (for the left-handed batsman), sent down with a bit of backspin. It pitched pretty much where the previous one had done, and Agar – not spotting the change in grip – rocked back to try and cut Ashwin again. Instead of turning away from him, the ball swung into Agar, cramped him for room and hurried through to crash into the stumps.

The allrounder’s early days of trying forge a professional career were not easy – his father would sometimes go without food – and now he wants to use his new-found status to help others follow his path

George Dobell13-Nov-2014In the week that we learned that David James, an England footballer with career earnings in excess of £20m, had declared himself bankrupt, it is probably no surprise to hear of another young sportsman splashing out with his new-found wealth.The difference on this occasion is that Moeen Ali, a few weeks after signing his first central contract, has bought a new car for his father and invested in the cricket academy they run together in Birmingham.Far from revelling in the trappings of success, it seems Moeen is determined to use his status and his money to ensure that other young cricketers from a similar background are able to follow him into the professional game.For it was not just Moeen’s talent and determination that brought him success. It was the determination and sacrifice of his family, and his father Munir in particular.In those early years, when Moeen required ferrying from game to game and trial to trial, it was far from unusual for Munir Ali to go without food to ensure he had the requisite petrol money. Munir, a nurse, used to work nights in order to ensure his availability in the day times. He wanted to give his sons – and Moeen’s bothers, Kadeer and Omar, both played to a decent standard – every opportunity.”I used to lie awake at night and worry that the boys might not make it because of my failures,” Munir told ESPNcricinfo. “I worried that, because I couldn’t afford to take them to a game or a trial, they would lose their place to another boy. I was so anxious about letting them down.”So when Moeen went through a period of nicking off to the slips, Munir hired Warwickshire batting coach Neal Abberley, the man renowned as Ian Bell’s mentor and a master at playing ‘in the corridor’ – to work with him. Whether the game was in Taunton or London, the family found a way to get Moeen to the ground. “I’ve no idea how he found the money,” Moeen says with a shake of the head.Such tales of parental sacrifice are not unique, of course. Indeed, they are probably recognised by almost anyone with a son or daughter in the game.But for every young cricketer that overcomes their impoverished background – and Ravi Bopara is another who owes much to his parents’ efforts – there are countless others whose talents are lost along the way. Who are unable to make the trails or afford the kit. Who feel, rightly or wrongly, that the traditional world of club cricket does not welcome those from their background.”There have been some very, very good players who have slipped through the net,” Moeen says. “I used to play with these kids but, for some reason, they fall in with the wrong crowd or they think it’s impossible for them to break through. They give up.”There was a spinner who was a lot better than me. He turned it miles. But he has given up. And there was a tall left-arm seamer, Zafran Ali [no relation], who was one of the best I have seen. Bet he felt he was never going to progress and he gave up. And there was a batsman, Shiraz Tahir, who had loads of talent. He was Naqaash Tahir’s brother [a former Warwickshire team-mate] and the guy I borrowed pads from when I had a trial at Warwickshire.”The names continue. The message – that English cricket is failing to capitalise on the enthusiasm and talent of its Asian communities – is obvious.Moeen and Munir want to put that right. They want to ensure that the next generation of young cricketers has access to the best coaching, the best facilities and discover a pathway into the professional game.The MA Academy, based at Edgbaston, has been operating for several years. It welcomes players from all backgrounds, with those that can afford it paying and those that can’t attending free of charge. More than a third of those attending at present will go on to county trials with an expectation that many will play representative age-group cricket in the coming years. Whatever their failings in the past, Warwickshire now relish the relationship and encourage players from the scheme.The difference now is that Moeen can help his father, who was obliged to give up nursing following a stroke, fund the academy. And perhaps he can use his status in the game and the community to attract more young players and sponsors. Along with his brother, Kadeer Ali, who represented three counties in his professional career and their cousin, Kabir Ali, the first of the family to win a Test cap, Moeen will – when available – be on hand to advise and inspire the next generation.

Hopefully, when they see people like me playing for England they will see that you can earn a living from playing cricket. That is what we are hoping: we are hoping to change people’s livesMoeen Ali on his aspirations to help others

“My dad’s academy is one of the best,” Moeen says with obvious pride. “I say that because the first thing he does it is to take people away from the streets and doing all the wrong stuff. The kids learn skills beyond cricket. Social skills.”There is a real mix of kids. You will see some very rich kids and some kids with nothing. No kit. It’s all different types of kids. This is why it is very good. It is white kids, Asian kids, black kids. It is really important for kids to mix like that and learn about other cultures.”Hopefully, when they see people like me playing for England they will see that you can earn a living from playing cricket. That is what we are hoping: we are hoping to change people’s lives.”My dad does everything off his own back. He doesn’t get any funding. He’s been doing it for years. If there was funding out there it would be fantastic because it would take a lot of pressure off him. He has to pay for coaches and for facilities and he doesn’t always charge. Some kids just can’t afford training two or three times a week. It is amazing and it is something that is really unique.”Which makes it all the more peculiar that, in the summer of 2014, in the city where he and his father were born and raised, Moeen Ali was booed by a crowd at Edgbaston.Moeen pauses before talking about it.”The only thing that really hurt me was the booing,” he says eventually. “Actually I won’t say it hurt me, it was more disappointing that I live 10 minutes away and I’m getting booed by people who I feel I’m supposed to represent. It is a big shame.”You can hear the different types of booing. Myself and Ravi got a lot of boos and I felt mine was much bigger. I don’t know why; maybe because my background is from Kashmir. But there was a big difference between the types of boos.”If you go to India – I have played in India for Under 19s – they cheer everyone. It’s different over there. In this case, I think alcohol played a large part. The boos got louder during the day and I think there were also people out there who just jumped on the bandwagon. I was just glad to field the last ball when we won.”People have the right to support who they want of course, but I’m hoping in the future maybe they or their kids will become England fans and players.”My dad was obviously very upset because it was the first time the family had come to watch me play an international game in Birmingham.”I know it’s a negative thing but I think there’s a bit of positive that can come out of something like that. Because of the booing and stuff there has been a lot of support. I have had a lot of Indian friends come up and almost apologise and say ‘we’re really behind you.’ There are people who have thought about it now and thought actually we are English, we are born in England.”And the solution?”I think players like myself and Ravi need to get out there and tell people that it is about playing for our country; playing for England. Sometimes in Asian homes it is all about where we’ve come from, which is important too, but it is about where you live and where you’re born and the people who are the same as you.”It didn’t taint it for me, it just made me realise that there is a lot of work that needs to be done. There is more that people like myself can do to promote the game and change minds a little bit to support England.”On and off the pitch, Moeen Ali has a role to play for England.Investec, the specialist bank and asset manager, is the title sponsor of Test match cricket in England. Visit investec.co.uk/cricket or follow us @InvestecCricket

By saying he he can still make the Gabba Test despite being ruled out of the warm-up game in Adelaide, Michael Clarke is effectively daring the Australia selectors to rule him out

Daniel Brettig24-Nov-2014Michael Clarke is playing a dangerous game. By declaring publicly that he is still in the running for the Gabba Test mere hours after he was scrubbed from a warm-up match the Australian selectors had stated as the only way he can prove his fitness, Clarke was effectively daring Rod Marsh, the chairman of selectors, to rule him out.There is no doubt that Clarke genuinely believes he can get himself fit for Brisbane. But equally there was no equivocation from either Marsh or his fellow selector Mark Waugh on Monday about the path Clarke must take to do so.He must show he can play cricket over multiple days – via the tour match against the Indians in Adelaide from Friday – to be considered. There was no hint of other options for Clarke in what either Marsh or Waugh said.First, Marsh on why he had to play in Adelaide: “I think that’s really important, because with his recent history we can’t have him breaking down in the first innings of a Test match … I think we all realise that.”Next, Waugh, on why a single day’s grade cricket would not be sufficient: “Ideally it would have been great if he played in the Shield match, but the timeframe just didn’t allow that with his injury. So we went for the next best thing and we feel he needs a couple days of cricket to prove his fitness – it’s a five-day game Test match cricket, so we felt that was the best way for him to prove his fitness in a two-day game.”As if to remove any remaining doubt, Waugh was asked if Clarke would play the grade game if he was ruled out of the Adelaide tour match: “I wouldn’t have thought so. No, I don’t think so.”So an open and shut case it would seem? Not so according to Clarke, who revealed the team physio Alex Kountouris had declared him unavailable for the Adelaide match but then stressed he could still prove his fitness by playing in a grade match on Saturday – the same fixture now under Cricket NSW investigation for the contrivances of day one that had Western Suburbs giving up first innings points in order to ensure Clarke could bat for them this Saturday.”My goal is to try and get myself fit to play whatever game’s available,” Clarke said. “The next game that I am available for, if I can be fit, is grade cricket on Saturday. So ideally if I can tick all the boxes along the way and play on Saturday, get through that. Hopefully I can make myself available then it is completely up to the selectors to work out what to do.”Clarke is desperate to play in Brisbane, and desperate not to hand over the Test captaincy, even if it is only temporarily to his vice-captain and longtime offsider for state and country, Brad Haddin. His desire to avoid too much time off the field has been proven and re-proven over the past two months.He returned too early from a hamstring strain in Zimbabwe, which turned into a tear when batting against the hosts. When his team was in danger of losing, Clarke made a snap decision to return to the field to try to conjure a win, even choosing to bowl himself despite the hamstring problem. He then carried the ailment through the UAE before injuring it a third time in Perth.There is something natural and logical about all this – no international athlete wants to miss matches, particularly not one as driven and focused as Clarke. His ability to shrug off a degenerative back complaint and only ever miss one Test match through injury in a career now into its second decade is a notable achievement.But the current episode, which has grown ever more dramatic and bizarre since its beginning in Zimbabwe, also demonstrates a dangerous tendency that comes to afflict many sportsmen in the latter days of their careers. Right now Clarke seems unable to see the wider picture, focusing utterly on the Gabba to the exclusion of all else.Similar scenarios have arisen in previous years. In 2001, Steve Waugh was lionised for breaking many a fitness rule to play in the dead fifth Ashes Test at the Oval with a torn calf. He made a hundred on one leg, but carried the injury home, beginning the decline that would ultimately see him dropped from the ODI captaincy in 2002 and retired by 2004.In 2009, Brett Lee insisted repeatedly that he was fit for the latter Tests of that year’s Ashes tour following a side strain. But having done so before – in India in 2008 and Melbourne against South Africa later that year – and been found wanting, Lee’s impassioned pleas were ignored by the selectors, and he retired from Test cricket soon after.Cricket Australia first raised the wider issue through the straight-talking voice of the team performance manager Pat Howard, who was quick to speak of World Cups and Ashes when summing up Clarke’s likely recovery time.”We are putting the World Cup and Ashes right up there and if he’s right for the Indian Test series so be it,” Howard had said. “I have talked about the priorities and what they are. Sometimes you have got to take a little bit of a long-term and a medium-term picture. If we do this well, we can get extra years out of Michael who is a world-class player, rather than thinking in days and tournaments.”Initially, Marsh and the coach Darren Lehmann were both unwilling to echo Howard’s sentiment, instead speaking positively about progress reports on Clarke’s hamstring and refusing to rule him out of Brisbane. But time has marched on, and goals have been set.Kountouris, who knows Clarke’s body and mind best of all, does not believe he can play in Adelaide. Marsh and Waugh, for their part, don’t believe they can choose Clarke if he does not make that deadline, because otherwise they have no hard evidence on which to trust the captain’s hamstring, as distinct from his word.Now Clarke, who has always insisted on “listening to the experts,” must acknowledge the expertise of the selectors as well as the team’s medical staff. To do otherwise would not merely be dangerous, but also quite foolish.