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Plays of the day from the fourth day of the second Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Colombo

Kanishkaa Balachandran in Colombo03-Jul-2012Shot of the day
Kumar Sangakkara was in such ominous form that he managed to work around the defensive field placements for him against the spinners. Three men were placed in the deep on the leg side for Abdur Rehman and he bowled a full one outside the off stump, but the field and delivery made no difference. Sangakkara still got down on his knee, swept it firm and bisected the gap between fine leg and deep-square leg. Sangakkara couldn’t have timed or placed it better.Race of the day
With Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sangakkara both progressing towards their centuries at similar strike-rates, it was a question of who would get there first. There was little to separate the two as they reached the late 90s. Batting on 98, Dilshan decided it wasn’t time to hang around and took the fast lane to his 14th Test century. He charged Saeed Ajmal, launched him over wide long-on for a six and won the race to a hundred.Irony of the day
You don’t often get Mahala Jayaewardene and Thilan Samaraweera out cheaply at the SSC, as both average 77 here. Junaid managed to send Jayawardene back in an inspired spell of fast bowling with the old ball. Jayawardene made the mistake of padding up to a ball coming into him with the angle from round the wicket and was lbw. There was an element of doubt regarding the height, but it’s fundamental that if you pad up, you’re asking for trouble. Samaraweera was nearly dismissed in a similar manner to the same bowler. Trapped on the back foot, he failed to get his bat behind the line and a confident shout was turned down. Samaraweera failed to capitalise on that let off though, when he was caught on the back foot again, this time off Ajmal. Junaid could have had both, but he wouldn’t have minded as Pakistan had sent back two players who have tormented several bowlers over the years at the SSC.

The commitment of its players and coaches is helping the Zimbabwe club that produced several national players find its feet again

Liam Brickhill22-Jul-2012For a place that spent a good chunk of the last decade being an emblem of Zimbabwe cricket’s decline, Takashinga Cricket Club has a disarmingly friendly air to it.The cracks in the myth first began to show when, another journalist and I, having driven into the townships to visit Takashinga in a shiny silver Toyota Yaris with South African plates, promptly got lost and sought refuge beside a ramshackle collection of shops next to the main road. A man who had been sitting on a low wall and watching our flustered conversation walked slowly over to the car, greeted us with a warm smile and asked, with masterful understatement, if we might be lost. After giving us simple directions to Takashinga, he sent us on our way with another smile, adding: “Enjoy your time in Highfields.”That pleasant interaction set the tone for the morning. Under a baking hot cloudless sky, the ground was hosting an Under-16 tournament made up of a selection of teams from Highfields, Glen View and Chitungwiza – all poor, black suburbs – and so we settled in to watch a little of the cricket.Stephen Mangongo, the assistant coach of the national side and one of Takashinga’s founders, arrived some 20 minutes later, and it was clear from the moment he walked into the gates that he commanded the respect and admiration of all present. A father figure to a generation of Zimbabwean cricketers, he obviously felt some paternal goodwill to us too, having kindly turned up with ice-cream.”There’s been a real lack of exposure,” explained Mangongo as we walked around the ground between the boisterous youngsters on the field and older club cricketers honing their skills in the nets. “People don’t realise there are so many good things happening. It’s not all gloom and doom here.”Zimbabwe has certainly had its ups and downs since 1990, when a 20-year old Mangongo, who had been one of the first recipients of the then Zimbabwe Cricket Union’s scholarship programme, found two like-minded allies in Givemore Makoni and Danmore Padaro. Together they took the first steps towards creating the club.The club was first linked to Churchill High School in Harare until the facilities in Highfields were brought up to scratch, but in a post-colonial Zimbabwe that name was never going to stick, and in 2001 it was changed to Takashinga.”The major driving force behind the formation of Takashinga was the burning desire to make cricket a mass sport, to play the game at our own locality and make sure that those boys who did not have the funds for transport into the city could also enjoy the game,” explained Mangongo. “We wanted to take the game to the people and make it accessible.”It’s a hard life in the ghetto. For the parent who’s trying to get one dollar to go and buy vegetables or cooking oil to then give you 50 cents to go and play cricket, it’s a luxury. Those are the sorts of things I grew up watching and seeing, and I saw a lot of other players who were probably better than me quitting the game because they could not get money to go into town and play at Harare Sports Club and Alex and Old Hararians.”Mangongo singled out two people for their help in those early days: Dave Ellman-Brown, who was the Zimbabwe Cricket Union president at the time, and the much-maligned Peter Chingoka, whose parents still live in Highfields. The two helped secure the initial funds to build the clubhouse, and then sponsors were approached as an attempt was made to turn what was basically an open field into a cricket ground.

“A sense of ownership from the community becomes the binding force, and I believe that that’s the pillar of the growth of any investment. The community must feel part of it, and that’s exactly what is happening with our cricket here at Takashinga”Stephen Mangongo

“This place was really a jungle,” continued Mangongo. “There was no field here, there was nothing. So OK Zimbabwe [a retail company] helped us with levelling it, and we approached the British Council and they gave us a tractor, which helped us with our cutting. They also donated the first equipment, and we then started coaching the kids.”From there on, it was a case of us having the passion to become the best cricketing team, because we had the ground, we had the clubhouse. What was left now was just to try and work hard at our game.”They did just that, and having started off in the national fourth league, Takashinga were promoted to the third league, then up to the second, and finally to the first league. Andy Flower, then at the peak of his game, joined the team, and in their maiden first league appearance, they won the competition. “Andy Flower brought so much professionalism. He helped to shape so many of the youngsters you see today. People like Tatenda Taibu, Stuart Matsikenyeri, and Vusi Sibanda.”Everything else,” Mangongo said, “is history.”Speaking of history, Takashinga’s has, at times, been somewhat troubled. Sport and politics are always, arguably, inextricably entangled, perhaps more so in Zimbabwe than elsewhere.Takashinga’s name became increasingly linked to Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF as the political complexion of the country changed. The club was embroiled in the tumult in Zimbabwe cricket around the time of the rebel crisis in 2003-04. Henry Olonga was kicked out of Takashinga by Makoni after his black armband protest with Andy Flower at the 2003 World Cup (the Flowers had already ended their association with the club), and there were also allegations of preferential treatment, with regards to national selection, towards players who toed the club’s line.It appeared that Takashinga was the bad guy, a symptom of all that ailed Zimbabwe’s cricket. The truth was, of course, rather more complex, but as Zimbabwe’s political and economic turmoil has calmed, Takashinga has worked to change its image, just as Zimbabwe Cricket has.Image and PR aside, Takashinga has also had to survive – as has everyone else in Zimbabwe – a sustained period of political turmoil and economic decline. “Cricket equipment is very expensive, and you won’t believe how this club has struggled,” said Mangongo. “It’s a tight community, where you have people like Hamilton Masakadza and Prosper Utseya. When they go on tour, we always say, ‘Guys, let’s pool our little bit of extra, and buy a couple of bats for the club.’ So the kids come from the township, and they don’t have anything, but they get old equipment from the guys, the hand-me-downs. The guys remember where they came from and they put back into the community.”It’s that sense of community that seems to be at the heart of everything Takashinga has achieved. As we watched the tense denouement of a tightly fought, low-scoring game on the field, Mangongo introduced me to two of the club’s senior players: Tafadzwa Kamungozi and Sam Mwakayeni. Though neither was playing, both had turned up on the weekend to help with the organisation of the tournament and to mentor some of the younger players.”It’s a great honour to give back to this club,” explained Kamungozi, who played a handful of ODIs for Zimbabwe in 2006 and has recently forced his way back into the Zimbabwe A squad. “It’s a really good system I’ve come through. You have to give back. I’ve been playing at this ground since I was seven.””This is where I grew up,” added Mwakayeni. “This place is the grassroots of my cricket. I want to come back here and help the kids, and they can take the same route I’ve taken. It’s really helped me to develop my cricket. I’ll always be here, because I know this is my home. It’s always good to give back to the kids, give them a chance like the one I had.”Kamungozi and Mwakayeni, and men like Leonard Namburo, Tendekai Maposa and Alois Tichana – the three coaches standing at the boundary’s edge and shouting instructions such as “Push , push. [Push, child, push.]” and “Sweeper ? [Where’s the sweeper?]” every so often in the direction of the pitch – give freely of their time in Highfields, Chitungwiza and Glen View. Without them, cricket could not flourish in the townships.”The rolling of the square out there is done by the kids and the club guys,” added Mangongo. “It’s a community thing. With that comes a sense of ownership. It’s our club, we’ll roll the ground, we’ll do it. These umpires have all come through our systems, and they’re good umpires. A sense of ownership from the community becomes the binding force, and I believe that that’s the pillar of the growth of any investment. The community must feel part of it, and that’s exactly what is happening with our cricket here at Takashinga.”Plenty of support for the Highfields team•Lauren EdwardsThe Takashinga model certainly seems to work. The club currently has 35 cricketers playing franchise cricket across the country, and has nurtured a significant proportion of the current national side. The club’s membership continues to grow every year, and there are plans to expand the facilities to convert one of the nearby football fields to cricket.”It’s a simple concept,” insisted Mangongo. “Once you’ve got a facility, these kids, they die for sport. In high-density areas, in the ghetto, there’s not much entertainment, unlike in the nice, leafy green suburbs, where kids have got computers, they go on holidays, they’ve got this and that. These kids here have got nothing to do. So by tapping into them, you are just going to win. These kids are as good as anyone else.”As if on cue, an excited group of children gathered at the edge of the field to cheer their side on in the final over. They are part of one of the two Highfields teams playing in the tournament, and rose to support the other kids from their neighbourhood. As a nail-biting one-run victory was secured by the bowling side, they charged onto the field in joyous celebration. If their clear devotion to the game can continue to be nurtured by clubs like Takashinga, cricket has a bright future in Zimbabwe.

Andrew Strauss’ contributions for England go beyond the stats that he has achieved as an opening batsman

S Rajesh15-Aug-2012Statistically, Andrew Strauss’ career isn’t among the best of those who’ve played 100 Tests. After 99 matches, he has scored 7016 runs at 41.27, which is a fairly modest average in today’s age of 50-plus averages. In terms of runs, 20 other batsmen in the 100-Test club had scored more runs after the 99th, led by Brian Lara, who had 8833 in a similar stage of his career, and Kumar Sangakkara, who had 8572. Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain who played his 100th in the first Test of the ongoing series at The Oval, had 8042 runs after his 99th – 1026 more than Strauss – at an average of 49.64. In terms of averages, 35 batsmen had a higher number than Strauss after their 99th Test, led by two Indian batsmen: Rahul Dravid averaged 58.16 going into his 100th, with Sachin Tendulkar close behind at 57.99.But then, there’s more to Strauss than just his batting. There’s his man-management skills and his understated leadership style, which has probably played a significant role in him being one of the most successful captains that England have ever had. Under him, England won an Ashes series in Australia for the first time in 24 years, and then took over as the No. 1 side in Test cricket – though ironically, they might no longer be the top team after Strauss’ 100th Test is done. The Lord’s Test will also be Strauss’ 50th as captain, and in the overall context of his career, his contribution as leader has been as vital – if not more – to the team as his performance as a batsman.It’s true that Strauss’ overall numbers with the bat don’t compare favourably with the top names, but there have been periods when he has stacked up well with the best. Unfortunately, consistency as a batsman hasn’t been one of his virtues.The start to his Test career, though, was perfect. Against New Zealand at Lord’s, Strauss became the 15th England batsman to score a century on debut, and the first since Graham Thorpe in 1993. He was also only the second England batsmen to score a century on debut at Lord’s, and the first England opener to start his Test career with a hundred since Arthur Milton, way back in 1958. The dreamy start got dreamier still, as Strauss creamed another hundred – at Lord’s, no less – against West Indies in the same season, and then, even more impressively – scored three more in the five-Test series in South Africa. After 12 Tests, Strauss had struck five hundreds and averaged 56.63.Then came a prolonged slump, as in his next nine series, only once did he average beyond 40, against Pakistan at home in 2006. On the other hand, there were several low points, most noticeably on the Ashes tour in 2006-07, when ten innings fetched him 247 runs, and a highest of 50. After scoring five hundreds in his first 12 Tests, he could only manage five more in his next 28.Over the next couple of years, his form rose again, with an impressive Ashes campaign in 2009, and runs against New Zealand, India, and West Indies. However, since then he has been in a bit of a slump again, though he did score two hundreds against West Indies earlier this season. Those hundreds broke a spell of 25 consecutive Test innings without a ton, but despite those hundreds against West Indies, Strauss’ numbers since the beginning of 2010 are pretty ordinary. (Click here for Strauss’ series-wise averages.)

Andrew Strauss’ Test career

PeriodTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50s2004997160.684/ 4Jan 2005 – Dec 200734225235.746/ 7Jan 2008 – Dec 200926214451.048/ 7Jan 2010 onwards30164933.653/ 9Career99701641.2721/ 27While’s Strauss’ numbers after 99 Tests don’t compare favourably with the world’s best, his stats are pretty good when compared with England’s best. However, Strauss has also had the benefit of playing in an era which has been good for batting: the last column of the two tables below list the overall averages in the 99 Tests that each of these batsmen played, and it’s clear that the averages are higher in the last 15 years or so. For example, in the first 99 Tests that Dravid had played in, the overall batting average was 33.27; however, the corresponding number for Viv Richards in his first 99 Tests was 28.59, which means the average in the matches Dravid played was about 16% higher. Similarly, the average in Strauss’ 99 Tests has been higher by about 15% compared to the Colin Cowdrey’s matches, and about 12% higher than the first 99 Tests that Graham Gooch played.

Batsmen with highest averages after 99 Tests

BatsmanRunsAverage100s/ 50sOverall ave*Rahul Dravid849258.1622/ 4133.27Sachin Tendulkar835157.9930/ 3332.93Javed Miandad754956.7621/ 3631.12Jacques Kallis784056.4024/ 3831.07Ricky Ponting799056.2726/ 3232.12Kumar Sangakkara857255.6625/ 3532.12Mahela Jayawardene792652.8424/ 3230.58Allan Border765052.7623/ 3530.56Viv Richards726852.6722/ 3328.59Sunil Gavaskar839452.4630/ 3631.88

England batsmen with highest averages after 99 Tests

BatsmanRunsAverage100s/ 50sOverall ave*Geoff Boycott744148.6320/ 3930.21Colin Cowdrey694046.5820/ 3728.33David Gower698544.4914/ 3529.55Graham Thorpe667844.2316/ 3830.24Graham Gooch757343.7717/ 4129.04Andrew Strauss701641.2721/ 2732.53Though he has played in a batting-friendly era, Strauss’ job is still a relatively tough one – opening the batting, and often in England, where conditions can be quite favourable for new-ball bowling. Among England’s openers, Strauss is fifth in terms of aggregate; overall for England, he is in ninth place; in terms of Test hundreds by England’s batsmen, he’s just one short of equalling the record. Those are impressive numbers, even in this era.Apart from his individual contributions, Strauss has been one half of England’s most prolific batting pair (in terms of runs scored, at least). With Alastair Cook, Strauss has put together 5219 partnership runs, with 4677 of those being for the first wicket. In terms of partnership runs, they are well clear of all other England pairs: in second place is the Atherton-Stewart pair, who scored 3687 runs in 89 innings at an average of 42.87. In fact, Strauss-Cook is the only England pair who’ve batted together more than 100 times.Overall, this pair has the fifth-highest number of runs, the sixth-highest number of century stands, and the third-highest number of partnerships. Given that neither of the top two pairs who played together most often are still active – Greenidge-Haynes batted together 148 times, and Dravid-Tendulkar 143 times – Strauss and Cook have an excellent chance to become the leading pair in Test cricket in terms of innings batted.

Pairs with most partnership runs in Tests

PairInningsRunsAverage100/50 p’shipsDravid-Tendulkar143692050.5120/ 29Greenidge-Haynes148648247.3116/ 26Hayden-Langer122608151.5314/ 28Jayawardene-Sangakkara102562057.3415/ 23Cook-Strauss130521940.7714/ 21Strauss hasn’t had much success in the ongoing series so far, scoring 86 runs in four innings, but he’ll be pleased that the next game is coming up at Lord’s – it’s fitting too, that Strauss will bring up his 100th at the same ground where he started off with a century on debut. In fact, Lord’s has been particularly kind to him: in 29 Test innings at the ground, Strauss has scored 1541 runs at an average of 55.03. His second-best venue in terms of runs scored is The Oval, where he has scored only 554 runs in 17 innings. Only one batsman has scored more runs at Lord’s than Strauss – Graham Gooch aggregated 2015 runs in 39 innings. In fact, Strauss’ tally is in the top ten in terms of runs scored by any batsman at a single ground.

Highest run-getters in Tests at Lord’s

BatsmanTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sGraham Gooch21201553.026/ 5Andrew Strauss17154155.035/ 6Alec Stewart20147644.723/ 8David Gower17124144.322/ 8Kevin Pietersen14122861.405/ 3Geoff Boycott16118945.733/ 6Alastair Cook13107851.333/ 7And then, as mentioned earlier, there’s his immense record as captain. Only two England captains – Michael Atherton and Michael Vaughan – have led in more Tests, while only Vaughan, with 26, has more Test wins than Strauss’ 24. With a 30-Test cut-off, the only England captain with a better win-loss ratio than Strauss is Mike Brearley, under whom England had a 18-4 record in 31 matches.Among all captains who’ve led at least 40 times, only five have a better win-loss ratio than Strauss, with Steve Waugh way ahead of the rest. If England win at Lord’s, Strauss will move up to fifth place, ahead of Cronje’s win-loss ratio of 1.45. More importantly, England will stay ahead of South Africa as the top Test side. That’ll be a fitting way to celebrate Strauss’ 100th Test match, and his 50th as captain.

Captains with best win-loss ratios (Qual: 40 Tests)

CaptainTestsW/LRatioWin %Steve Waugh5741/ 94.5571.92Viv Richards5027/ 83.3754.00Ricky Ponting7748/ 163.0062.33Clive Lloyd7436/ 123.0048.64Hansie Cronje5327/ 112.4550.94Andrew Strauss4924/ 102.4048.97Michael Vaughan5126/112.3650.98Mark Taylor5026/ 132.0052.00Peter May4120/ 102.0048.78Imran Khan4814/ 81.7529.16Graeme Smith9343/ 261.6546.23

While the contest has been much more balanced in recent years, Australia’s extraordinary dominance between 1993 and 2006 had much to do with the presence of Shane Warne

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan05-Nov-2012In recent years, Australia-South Africa Tests have been the most enthralling contests with the teams splitting the last eight matches 4-4. Perhaps the best feature of the match-up is the relatively low percentage of draws (15.62% since 1993). With both countries producing result-oriented pitches and the teams playing aggressive cricket, a stalemate has been virtually out of question. In the last 20 Test matches played between the teams since the start of 2000, only one match has been drawn. Taking advantage of the transition Australia were going through in 2008, South Africa won their first series against Australia 2-1 with victories in Perth and Melbourne. Australia, however, hit right back winning the return series in South Africa 2-1. The previous series between the two teams (in 2011), which was restricted to just two Tests, ended 1-1 with Australia chasing a record 310 in Johannesburg after their inexplicable collapse in the first Test in Cape Town.Australia well ahead overall
South Africa’s recent display in England has seen them rise to the top of the Test rankings once again. Remarkably, their last series defeat outside home came in 2006. However, they have failed to dominate Australia similarly despite Australia’s form dropping considerably in the last four years. While the teams are locked 4-4 in their last three series, Australia have held the whip in home and away series between 1993 and 2006. The teams drew their first two series 1-1 with South Africa sneaking a stunning five-run win in Sydney (1994) defending a target of 117. Australia followed up an outstanding performance in South Africa (1997), where they went on to win the series 2-1, with a 1-0 win at home later in the year. The highlights of the series in South Africa included the record 385-run stand between Greg Blewett (214) and Steve Waugh (160) in Johannesburg and Mark Waugh’s brilliant 116 that enabled Australia chase down a tough target of 270 in Port Elizabeth. Between then and 2006, it was one-way traffic with Australia bossing each of the four subsequent series.In 2001-02, Steve Waugh’s team triumphed 3-0 at home and 2-1 in South Africa. The series in South Africa was dominated by Adam Gilchrist who scored 473 runs in the three Tests including 204 and 138 in the first two Tests. Ricky Ponting was in top form in the 2005 series in Australia as he led the team to a 2-0 win with two centuries in his 100th Test in Sydney as Australia overhauled the 287-run target with ease. The world-beating Australian outfit followed this up with a 3-0 whitewash in South Africa. Australia’s 10-1 record in the period 2000-2006 is comparable to their dominant run against South Africa in the years before the Second World War when they won 18 and lost just one of 24 matches. South Africa, however, proved to be a far tougher unit in the 1950s and 1960s winning 10 and losing 11 matches. South Africa’s finest moment came in their final series before the ban (in 1969-70) when Ali Bacher led a star-studded team to a 4-0 whitewash of Bill Lawry’s Australian team. Overall though, Australia are well ahead on the head-to-head front and boast a win-loss ratio of 2.52 (48 wins and 19 losses). Although the draw percentage across the 85 Tests is low (21.17%), it is still higher than the corresponding number since South Africa’s readmission (15.62%).

Australia’s record in Tests against South Africa

PeriodMatchesWinsLossesDraws% drawsW/L ratioOverall8548191821.172.52Pre World War 224181520.8318.001946-1970291110827.581.101992-present32198515.622.37In Australia (post 1992)1583426.662.66In South Africa (post 1992)1711515.882.20The Warne factor
Both Australia and South Africa have traditionally fielded top-quality pace attacks and the stats prove the same. South Africa’s bowlers have picked up more wickets in Australia (181) but have been far more expensive averaging 37.04 compared to Australia’s 31.66. In South Africa too, Australia’s pace bowlers have done better picking up 195 wickets at 28.78 while South Africa’s fast bowlers have managed 221 wickets at 33.04. South Africa’s pace bowlers have picked up more five-fors in Australia but have been upstaged in this regard in home Tests. The biggest difference between the two teams in the period since South Africa’s return has been the presence of Shane Warne in the Australian team. Warne, the most successful bowler against South Africa, with 130 wickets dominated the contests picking up seven five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket match hauls. He was equally prolific in home and away Tests though five of his seven five-fors came in Australia. South Africa’s biggest problem over the years has been the lack of a match-winning spinner. The gulf in the quality of spinners is reflected clearly in the bowling stats. While Australia average 31.18 and 26.13 in Australia and South Africa respectively, the corresponding averages are 48.92 and 41.00 for South Africa. While Australian spinners have contributed nearly 36% of the wickets (only wickets taken by pace and spin bowlers), the South African spinners are way behind contributing just 17.28% of the total wickets.

Pace v Spin for both teams in Tests since South Africa’s readmission (1992 onwards)

TeamWickets/avg (in Australia)5WI/10WM (in Australia)Wickets/avg (in South Africa)5WI/10WM (in South Africa)Wickets/avg (overall)5WI/10WM (overall)Australia (pace)133/31.663/1195/28.788/0328/29.9511/1South Africa (pace)181/37.046/2221/33.345/1402/35.0011/3Australia (spin)97/31.185/287/26.132/0184/29.797/2South Africa (spin)40/48.920/044/41.001/084/44.771/0Australia’s dominance near total
Since South Africa’s readmission, the two teams have played each other in 11 series with Australia hosting five and South Africa six. Australia have by far been the better team winning seven of the 11 series, drawing three and losing just one (in 2008-09). In the 1990s, the teams were more evenly matched with Australia managing two series wins to go with series draws home and away (in 1994). Australia’s dominance started with their away series win in 1997 (2-1) when they won the first two Tests by an innings and two wickets respectively. Six of the next seven series (2001-2011) have proved to be decisive with the only draw coming in the last series played in 2011. Australia won four successive series between 2001 and 2006 by margins of 3-0, 2-1, 2-0 and 3-1 before their run was brought to a halt in the 2008-09 series in Australia. The average difference (difference between batting and bowling averages) is a clear reflector of the grip Australia have had. Australia have an overall average difference of 6.86 (7.80 in home Tests and 6.10 in away Tests). The lower average differences for Australia (home 5.89 and away 4.70) in the 1990s point to closer contests in the decade. However, since 2000, when Australia lead the head-to-head tally 14-5, the corresponding numbers (9.00 and 6.81) are far higher.

Australia’s series record against South Africa since 1992

No of seriesSeries winsSeries lossesSeries drawsBat avg (Aus/SA)Avg diff (Aus)Overall1171336.92/30.066.86In Australia531139.38/31.587.80In South Africa640234.87/28.776.10In 1990s (Australia)210133.35/27.465.89In 1990s (South Africa)210133.14/28.444.70Since 2000 (Australia)321043.15/34.159.00Since 2000 (South Africa)430135.75/28.946.81Australia, who hold a 19-8 advantage in Tests played since South Africa’s readmission, have an even distribution of wins batting first (nine) and second (ten). South Africa’s story, however, is vastly different. They have won six Tests batting first but just two when they have had to bowl first. When these stats are analysed deeper, they reveal some interesting results. Australia have lost twice at home batting first with both the defeats coming in the 2008-09 series. They have an even win-loss record (4-4) when they have batted first in South Africa. South Africa, on the other hand, have won a Test each in Australia and South Africa batting first. However, they have suffered seven of their ten defeats (batting first) in home Tests. Australia have achieved wins by a margin of 150 or more runs on five occasions (three at home and two away) and triumphed by an innings three times including the second-biggest win in terms of runs (innings and 360-runs) in Johannesburg in 2002. South Africa beat Australia by an innings for the first time in the home series in 2009 after the visitors had taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Australia-South Africa matches has been the high number of 250-plus chases. Australia have done so five times overall (four in away Tests) and chased 300-plus targets on two occasions in Cape Town (2002) and Johannesburg (2011). South Africa, who successfully chased 335 in the third Test in Durban in 2002, won the first Test of the 2008-09 series in Perth by chasing a record 414.

Analysis of results for both teams (head-to-head matches since 1992)

TeamWins/losses (bat first)Wins (by innings)Wins (150 or more runs)Wins (8 or more wickets)Successful chases (250-plus)Australia (overall)9/63545South Africa (overall)2/101132Australia (in Australia)5/21331South Africa (in Australia)1/30011Australia (in South Africa)4/42214South Africa (in South Africa)1/71121Middle-order batting boosts Australia
Ponting, one of only three batsmen to score over 2000 runs against South Africa, has eight centuries in 23 Tests against them. He and Matthew Hayden aggregated over 1000 runs at 87.38 with four century stands in matches against South Africa. The Hayden-Justin Langer pair has also been among the most successful with 1030 runs at 57.22 (three century stands). For South Africa, the AB de Villiers-Jacques Kallis pair has been the most prolific averaging 95.71 with four century stands. Australia have comfortably outperformed South Africa in terms of the first and second-wicket partnership stats and extend the dominance to the middle-order stands too. For the third and fourth wickets, Australia average 39.75 and 44.69 while the corresponding numbers for South Africa are 35.34 and 41.10 respectively. The average third-wicket stand for both teams in Australia has not been high with South Africa in particular struggling (average of 26.14). South Africa’s woes against Warne are reflected in the middle/lower-order partnership stats. While Australia average 43.71 and 35.94 for the fifth and sixth wickets, South Africa have failed to stitch together too many useful partnerships and have corresponding averages of just 28.48 and 22.61. On more than one occasion, Australia have wriggled out of a hole with the help of some gritty lower-order stands. Against South Africa in the 2005 Boxing Day Test, Michael Hussey and Glenn McGrath added a crucial 107 for the last wicket to rescue Australia from a score of 248/9 and paved the way for Australia’s 184-run win. Twice in Johannesburg (2006 and 2011), Australia’s lower-order shared vital partnerships and enabled the visitors to chase down targets of 292 and 310.

Partnership stats for both teams in head-to-head matches (avg, 100/50 stands)

WicketAus (in Aus)SA (in Aus)Aus (in SA)SA (in SA)Aus (overall)SA (overall)144.07, 2/737.51, 3/338.50, 3/640.12, 2/841.05, 5/1338.88, 5/11251.96, 5/649.07, 3/1053.38, 4/1035.75, 2/552.73, 9/1641.96, 5/15335.28, 2/226.14. 0/643.35, 5/543.93, 5/439.75, 7/735.34, 5/10458.04, 5/750.85, 6/433.56, 2/532.33, 1/644.69, 7/1241.10, 7/10550.87, 4/626.23, 2/337.57, 2/430.43, 2/343.71, 6/1028.48, 4/6626.33, 0/524.72, 1/344.48, 3/420.79, 0/435.94, 3/922.61, 1/7731.52, 1/527.13, 1/133.88, 2/326.06, 2/432.77, 3/826.53, 3/58-1027.86, 1/721.96, 1/716.36, 1/318.21, 0/821.43, 2/1019.83, 1/10Surprisingly, this is the first time that Australia and South Africa will face off in a Test in Brisbane. The teams have played five Tests each in Melbourne and Sydney with Australia holding a 2-1 and 4-1 record at the venues. Along with Sydney, Johannesburg and Cape Town have been venues that have yielded results in every match. Adelaide, the venue for the second Test, has witnessed the highest batting average in the first innings (52.77) in Australia-South Africa matches. However, as has usually been the case with the venue, the average in the subsequent three innings drops remarkably. In the previous Test between the two teams in Cape Town, South Africa and Australia were bowled out for 96 and 47 before the hosts comfortably chased down the 235-run target. While the average in the first innings at the venue is just 25.96, the fourth-innings average is a high 63.08. Batting has also eased up in the final innings in Durban Tests (average 41.95) as compared to the first three innings. The first, second and fourth innings in Melbourne and Sydney have been more or less similar. However, while the third-innings average drops to 26.06 in Melbourne, it is a much higher 48.73 at the SCG. Pace bowlers have dominated the wickets tally at all venues picking up more than 100 wickets in Johannesburg, Melbourne and Cape Town. Spinners have played a major role in Sydney, where they have picked up nearly 40% of the wickets (bowler wickets only).

Venue stats for Aus-SA Tests since 1992(minimum three matches played)

VenueMatchesResult %1st inns (avg)2nd inns (avg)3rd inns (avg)4th inns (avg)Pace (wickets/avg)Spin (wickets/avg)Johannesburg610039.2931.9425.7131.97155/31.6749/31.75Melbourne56035.6839.5526.0634.05100/34.0032/42.37Cape Town510025.9637.4431.3763.08119/31.9936/32.38Sydney510038.8931.6948.7332.9592/34.3961/32.16Durban47532.6225.4828.2141.9590/35.9732/28.84Adelaide366.6652.7733.2332.9417.9267/34.5232/33.06

From Paddy Briggs, United Kingdom One of the Australian team’s sledges during England’s woeful last tour of Australia was the one directed at Paul Collingwood who had been awarded the honour of becoming a Member of the ‘Most Excellent Order of

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013Paddy Briggs, United Kingdom
One of the Australian team’s sledges during England’s woeful last tour of Australia was the one directed at Paul Collingwood who had been awarded the honour of becoming a Member of the ‘Most Excellent Order of the British Empire’ (MBE) for his innings of 7 and 10 and his 0-17 in the 2005 Oval Test match. Lovely chap Colly but, as the Aussies suggested, was this performance really worthy of a gong?This brings me to the subject of honours and cricket and an invitation to you to join in a discussion of the most surprising omissions from the cricketing gong list.Let’s start with a trio of England captains, Wally Hammond, Ted Dexter and Tony Greig. When I was a kid Dexter was referred to as ‘Lord Ted’ but I was disappointed to learn that (like Geoffrey Boycott’s knighthood) this was an honorary title. Boycs has an OBE but Ted remains not even a Member of the British Empire, let alone anything more distinguished. Greigy’s involvement with Packer perhaps scuppered his chances and Hammond did have some dodgy business dealings but their cricketing achievements are surely not in dispute?There are a fair number of batsmen in the gongless list who would be close to the top of a cricket fan’s list of England batting greats. Herbert Sutcliffe, Frank Woolley and Ken Barrington to name but three, and Allan Lamb and Robin Smith wouldn’t be far behind. Add all-rounder Wilfred Rhodes and you have the core of a pretty good side. Then the fast bowling would be lead by John Snow aided by Andy Caddick, Devon Malcolm, Graham Dilley and spinners Laker, Lock and Verity would be in the frame ‘how can they all never have been honoured?’But for me the biggest omission of all on the list of cricketers unhonoured in my lifetime is the man I regard as England’s greatest ever wicket-keeper Alan Knott. Now it may be that the shy and elusive Knotty turned down an honour – but if not it’s not too late is it? But what do you think, are there even more deserving cases than his?

There is a common strand to decisions taken by India’s current selection panel

Amol Karhadkar08-Mar-2013Suresh Raina dropped for the England Test series; Yuvraj Singh axed for the last Test against England; Virender Sehwag excluded from the Pakistan and England limited-overs series; Gautam Gambhir dropped for the Australia Test series; and now Sehwag left out of the last two Tests against Australia.Sandeep Patil’s selection panel has been making tough calls, and there is a common strand to these decisions: the players who are being dropped are effectively being dropped from the playing XI, which takes the potentially unpopular decisions out of the hands of captain and coach.In the first half of its one-year tenure, the new selection committee seems to have followed the policy: “If you don’t want a player in the team, don’t include him in the squad.”MS Dhoni and the erstwhile selection panel headed by Kris Srikkanth were hardly on the same page. As a result, R Ashwin, at the start of his career (he played only one of the 18 ODIs when he was a member of the squad then), the two Tiwarys – Manoj and Saurabh, and Rahul Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane were almost always left to carry drinks (and sometimes step in as substitute fielders).More importantly, whenever the selectors tried to impose their authority – Nagpur 2010, for example – the move backfired. With the selectors keen on S Badrinath getting a game, they didn’t name a reserve batsman in the squad. An injury to Rohit Sharma minutes before the toss meant Wriddhiman Saha ended up getting a Test cap as a specialist batsman.The primary reason for such a lack of co-ordination is the BCCI rule that prevents the captain and the coach from having a say in selection of the squad, and the selectors in finalising the XI. But Patil and Co. seem to have found a workable formula. “This policy minimizes the risk of being at loggerheads with the team management,” said a source close to the selectors. “It also increases the possibility of a reserve player getting an opportunity to play a few games.”It is not known what Dhoni feels about this strategy but it would fit in with his reluctance to ask senior pros to warm the bench in a Test match. Had it not been the case, VVS Laxman would have been dropped for the last Test, if not the third Test, in Australia after a poor run with the bat away from home. What happened in early 2012, ESPNcricinfo understands, was that Dhoni and Fletcher decided against provoking public outcry by dropping seniors.The unconfirmed story is that Patil had a discussion with Dhoni before leaving out Sehwag from the Tests. The captain is believed to have told the chief selector it “won’t be prudent” for Sehwag to be in the squad but not in the team.

After Murali’s retirement, the responsibility to win Tests has again fallen on the shoulders of a lone spinner

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo18-Mar-2013Before Rangana Herath’s 19th over of the day, Sri Lanka were drifting towards trouble. The pitch had begun to bite, and Bangladesh were edging ahead in the third innings with not much fear, for not much menace defied them.In two brutal balls, Herath reeled in the upper hand for his side again. Jahurul Islam, having ground a gutsy 48, stepped down the track to lay down his terms for Herath’s spell, but a dipping Herath ripper wouldn’t have it. Chandimal collected and stumped the batsman well out of his crease. Mahmudullah arrived, received a flatter one that gripped and felled off stump, and was back in the dressing room within two minutes. Later in his spell, Mominul Haque was dropped at mid-on, and Mushfiqur Rahim shelled at slip. Called in to make a breakthrough, Herath served up Bangladesh’s innings on a plate. The chance to shut the visitors out may have been missed, but Sri Lanka will sleep easier with only six more to get on day four.That spell, though, in its impact, raises a series of worrying questions. What if Herath was not playing? What if he had a bad Test? He took five wickets on the first day, and now has three of four on the third. Would Bangladesh have made 100 more in their first dig? 150 maybe? Probably. Would they be cruising towards a big lead in the second innings, as the pitch disintegrates? Also likely. Are Sri Lanka, in their home conditions, a worse Test team than Bangladesh, save for Herath?He has effectively assumed Muttiah Muralitharan’s mantle, only his body was shaped in a mortal’s mould, and he will perhaps never be a great, given he is on the brink of 35. Without Murali, Sri Lanka have won 11 Tests and lost 39. With him, they triumphed 54 times and were beaten in 41. Herath, who has taken five wicket-hauls in three of the four victories since Murali’s retirement, has not only inherited Murali’s responsibility, but his team-mate’s frailties as well. The team has slipped from one one-man-show to another.At present, Herath is at once sledgehammer and workhorse. When his side grows desperate for a breakthrough, Sri Lanka look to him. When an opponent is mowing bowlers down, Herath must be on hand to tamp the blaze. A long, tight spell, a sneaky wicket before day’s end, new ball, old ball, greentop, dustbowl, Herath is the man. The only man. How tiring it must be, though his cricket never seems careworn.On Sri Lanka’s recent walloping in Australia, not only did the other bowlers fail to contribute with notable hauls, they undid Herath’s fine work at one end with waywardness at the other. Worse, they spilled several chances that he created, as they have done again in Colombo. Besting Test batsmen is not a cakewalk for Herath as it often was for Murali. He grafts for wickets – spends eons setting them up. A dropped chance often means that a lengthy process must begin again. How cruel, for a man who gives far beyond his own ability in the field.There were encouraging patches for Herath’s support crew on day three, however. Shaminda Eranga had been one of those whose indiscipline set Sri Lanka back in Australia, but showed commitment to line, length and pace throughout his spells at the Premadasa, and removed Tamim Iqbal. Eranga still lacks the movement, in the air and off the pitch, to be a major Test threat, but Sri Lanka’s pace attack must walk before it can run, and control at least, is a step on that journey.”Eranga’s developing quite well,” Kumar Sangakkara said after stumps. “It’s just a case of day-in-day-out that you have a specific plan to work towards in practice and even in a match. Even if you take the most successful bowlers, not a lot of them are extraordinary bowlers. You’ve had a few like Murali who was a freakish X-factor, or you had Shane Warne, who was probably one of the unique bowlers that you get very rarely. But if you take the rest of the fast bowlers – Glenn McGrath, Wasim Akram, all of them had one thing in common. They were very accurate and they managed to put the ball in the right place. Other than that there was no magic in it.”For Eranga and all other fast bowlers, it’s just a case of understanding that and putting that ball consistently in a place that challenges batsmen and keeps making him play. You can’t try and bowl magic balls, you can’t try and get batsmen out. It’s just a case of bowling to a plan and if there’s swing, letting the ball swing and if there’s seam, letting the ball seam. Your job is to just hit that one spot.”After his five-wickets on day one, Herath said he hoped to have 50 wickets in Galle before he retired. He is only two short, but Sri Lanka’s next home Test there is not until 2015, when Herath will be 37. If he waits that long to call it a day, he may just buy his team-mates enough time to learn to hunt as a pack, and build, with heart, upon each other’s efforts. But, maybe not. Maybe another must emerge, to tread the lonely path Herath has trekked so tirelessly.

Plays of the Day from the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bangalore

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Apr-2013The doosra

Muttiah Muralitharan has become largely a defensive bowler since giving up the whites and embarking on a freelance Twenty20 career. He was economical again for Royal Challengers Bangalore, but he produced a spot of attacking magic reminiscent of the Murali of old, to take his only wicket. Parthiv Patel had begun well for Sunrisers Hyderabad, but Muralitharan went around the wicket to the left-handed batsman in the eighth over, and tossed up a slow delivery, on a driving length. Patel let fly with a big cover drive, but the ball dipped to pitch before the batsman had anticipated, and broke back in sharply to evade the bat and clip off stump.The prod


Chris Gayle generally puts so much power into his strokes that even mis-hits routinely sail over the ropes, but his first boundary against Sunrisers was fashioned in an entirely different method. Dale Steyn overpitched his first delivery on off stump, and Gayle pushed back at the delivery with an open face – almost in defence. He had timed the shot so well though, that the ball traveled wide of mid-off to the fence at a pace more befitting a full-blooded drive.The bouncer

Gayle may have scored the initial victory, but the best pace bowler in the world did not allow him to have his way in the fourth over, when he delivered a bouncer that would have challenged even the best Test batsmen. Worryingly quick, the ball reared up from short of a length, and though Gayle initially hung his bat in front of his body to fend it away, he soon realised the ball had bounced more than expected and that evasion would be a better course of action. He dropped his gloves at the last split second, and the ball hit him square on the shoulder, where his gloves had just been.The long hop


AB de Villiers is quickly gaining a reputation of the best batsman across all formats and has been particularly effective as a finisher. Despite contributing to a fine third-wicket partnership that put his side on course for a win, he will be disappointed at the manner of his demise. Virat Kohli had struck Cameron White for a six and a four earlier in the 12th over, but when White served up a short ball to de Villiers, he could only bludgeon it flat and hard to deep midwicket.

Over 440 runs in a day that included a daring declaration, a dramatic chase, lovely weather, fading light, an anticlimax, a presentation, fireworks and champagne – not a bad way to end the Ashes

Jay Purohit26-Aug-2013Choice of game
No one wants to miss the Ashes, and this was my last chance this year. Truth be told I was convinced during my trip to the Oval that this was a dead game. Thankfully I was wrong – what a thriller.Key performer
I think everyone would agree that today’s key performer was Michael Clarke. Not for his run-a-ball, unbeaten 28, solid as it may have been. Clarke deserves this purely because of his aggressive declaration. This actually made a game of it, and the sell-out crowd was grateful, although the booing following the anticlimactic finish may not have made this apparent.One thing I’d have changed about the day
The 30-minute delayed start due to the weather ultimately lead to the last four overs of the series not being bowled. Clearly the one thing I’d have changed would’ve been the weather before the start of play.The interplay I enjoyed
The spinners’ battle when Nathan Lyon bowled at Graeme Swann provided much entertainment. My shot of the day has to be Swanny’s six off Lyon over long-off, clearing the boundary rope by some distance.Wow moment
My wow moment was the first ball of Australia’s innings. It was an accurate ball from James Anderson following his warm-up with David Saker, yet David Warner pierced the gap between Joe Root and Kevin Pietersen easily. It must also be said Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen’s strokeplay was, as ever, a pleasure to witness.Player watch
Being in block five I was positioned at point/midwicket. All of the bowlers wanted some protection around there to prevent leaking runs. The only autograph signed during play in our stand was by the England debutant Chris Woakes. The Aussies received their fair share of banter. The standard Warner jokes were hurled out, and at one point he responded with a grin and jokingly plugged his ears with his index fingers. Mitchell Starc was also popular in our section of the crowd, with a crowd chant of “He’s just a better Mitchell Johnson”.Crowd meter
The morning session was notably quiet, but the place transformed by 5 PM. As the afternoon session progressed the crowd got notably louder and the moment the Aussie declaration was announced there was a huge roar, with everyone realising the prospect of a close contest. Some of the notable chants during the day were ‘Aussie Aussie Aussie, Out Out Out!’ and ‘We love you KP, we do!’ There was live music from the Barmy Army trumpeter, situated around the Peter May stand. One extremely loud roar came when Simon Kerrigan got off the mark which was nice to hear. I also noticed that once Anderson was dismissed he patted Kerrigan on the back as they crossed paths – a nice gesture. The loudest the crowd got was during the presentation.Fancy dress index
The fancy dress was again on top form. The best I saw was two men wearing dresses with fluorescent coloured flowers on them. If I recall correctly Lyon cracked a smile when he saw these two men trying to grab his attention.Entertainment
The entertainment was great by the Oval. In the morning there were free samples of Yorkshire tea and a live jazz band. With regard to other refreshments, a wine company had a promo going on which involved David Gower. Kia also had their own area in the ground where spectators got to race mini toy cars around a track using real-sized steering wheels. It was all a nice addition to a great day’s play.Overall
The quality of cricket today was at an extremely high level. It wasn’t your standard day of Test cricket. The fact that the two teams tried to create a contest for the crowd and for themselves enhanced the experience for everyone. The presentation, the fireworks, the champagne celebrations and the victory lap by England made the day even better. It was the first time I’d seen an Ashes victory celebration live, and that alone made it a 10/10 experience for me.

Fallen from grace but brimming with talent, Pietersen redeemed himself in Mumbai last year and got back on the pedestal of greatness

James Cory-Wright18-Nov-2013DOOF! A full-blooded cover drive first ball up. Thirty thousand voices roar their approval as the scuffed cherry scuds over the rope at 60 mph. Then a deft cut, as sharp as the batsman’s number two crew cut. – four behind square. Harbhajan groans. Down the wicket to the next one. BIFF! Slapped over mid-wicket – inches from being a six. The wild crowd jump and holler and cheer in a hot wave of sound. Then another. SMACK! Back foot, carved clean through the covers. Four. He’s up and running alright. BOFF! Then a hop and a skip, neat feet forward and drives with sweet timing wide of mid-off. Six of his first nine scoring shots are fours. He’s got to his fifty in 63 balls.A little blue-helmeted figure in the middle of a vast dusty amphitheatre raising his bat handle, gripped down near the splice acknowledging each cricket-crazed corner of the Wankhede stadium in turn. Loving it. And they love him. The tall South African who does it all for his adopted England. Record breaker. Innovator. The Decimator. They love the way he tears it up in the IPL and now on the biggest stage of all. Big shots, new shots. They love his swagger. His dominion. They love KP. 110%. KP. Legend. And that’s just his fifty.It’s quite amazing how things go. England and Pietersen had come into this match under enormous pressure, having been walloped in the first Test by nine wickets; a match in which he had failed miserably with scores of 17 and two, out both times to the 26-year-old left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. This cricketing ignominy had merely added to the off-field pressure Pietersen was already under to tittle-tattle:

‘…although the five-star Tower accommodation is good enough for everyone else, including Mumbai’s greatest, Sachin Tendulkar, KP has paid for an upgrade for himself and wife Jessica to the even more luxurious Palace rooms that were refurbished to their former glory after the terrorist attack in 2008.’

But at least on the pitch things are looking up. Back to the action. After tea on day two, with a chanceless fifty under his belt, the 6′ 4″ KP is getting into his not insignificant stride; in this case a neat angled shot off pace bowler Zaheer Khan for his ninth four to bring up the 100 partnership with Captain Cook who is on 84 not out. England 171-2, in reply to India’s first innings 327 and both players perhaps heading towards equalling the England Test record of 22 centuries.However, despite the inclination to the positive, if either of these two had been dismissed at this point in the proceedings, on a strip turning as wickedly as this one, then the Indian total would have looked daunting. After all, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann had taken nine Indian wickets the day before leaving Mahendra Singh Dhoni perhaps ruing his request for a turner from day one. But you could see the logic, especially in the case of England’s danger man, Kevin Pietersen, whose vulnerability to left-arm spin was his Achilles heel and maybe the key to the series. And it was precisely this weakness that had been exposed in the first Test – clean bowled twice by left-arm spinner Ojha which meant that, coming into the Mumbai Test, Pietersen had fallen an unlikely 25 times to this variety in Tests. Rarely has a cricketer attracted so much psychoanalysis or, for that matter, barely disguised equivocation: ‘Kevin Pietersen’s paranoia of left-arm spinners is destroying him,’ ran the Vic Marks headline in the , a latter-day Meursault whose lack of remorse or guilt confounds the judge at his trial?Certainly the questionable sincerity of his reintegration or any of the other regrets he may, or may not have had, about incidents in his career, such as being stripped of the England captaincy, put him in the existential frame; not to mention the insularity, and maybe even guilt, of his English paymasters and the press corps (less so the paying public) that also cast him in the role of perpetual outsider. But to be truly existential, Pietersen would need to exist in a godless universe and this is simply not the case. Cricket is full of gods! And perhaps deep down, despite his showbiz lifestyle, love of publicity, the website, tweeting, texting and tattoos – all the trappings of the thoroughly modern sportsman, perhaps what Kevin Pietersen has to say about himself, tells us that rather than being remembered for what he isn’t, ‘one of the greatest cricketers of all time’, he’d actually settle for being described for what he truly is: ‘A hell of a great cricketer’.