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In the third in our series of reports on the state of cricket in Zimbabwe, we look at first-class cricket in the country

Steven Price17-Feb-2008

If Zimbabwe are to resume playing Test cricket in the near future then much will depend on the strength of the first-class game which has to underpin the national side. While Zimbabwe have a long-established domestic structure, investigations show it is in a far from healthy state despite bullish rhetoric from its own board.Earlier this week the country’s Twenty20 competition was suspended at less than 24 hours notice without any real explanation from the board. It is unclear if the Faithwear Cup, the provincial one-day competition which is scheduled to start at the end of the month, will progress as planned. This is not the first time that Zimbabwe Cricket has scrapped tournaments. In 2005-06 the Logan Cup, the major competition which, aside from two World Wars, has run uninterrupted, was cancelled without reason. After months of bluster and stalling, and despite angry assurances to the contrary, it was quietly shelved.Locally, the word is that the poor standard on display in the B competition, which finished last week, has led to the latest decision. “The cricket was of extremely poor standard, and the logistics shambolic,” a reporter who covered the games said. “Umpires came late or did not turn up … the issue seems to be that ZC employees are not motivated because of poor remuneration and the like. Scorers also failed to turn up, and the scoring was obviously not accurate.”With the national side unable to take part – they are in South Africa – it seems to have been felt that there was nothing like the required strength in depth to allow a meaningful competition.The declining standard of provincial cricket is all too evident to anyone who has watched it in recent years. “There’s no chance that you can compare the game today to five years back,” one seasoned observer said. “There were more guys to chose from who were capable to play a game meeting the demands of Tests unlike some of the youngsters playing today. They don’t know the meaning of keeping their wicket for long periods, or how to bowl long spells, how to concentrate.”As is the case in club cricket, the provincial sides are often woefully inexperienced and based on players barely out of school. There are few with any experience and that, in turn, means that those coming through have to find their own way. The situation is worsened by the increasing lack of high-quality coaches. The gap between the better players and the rest can be huge. Some of the personal performances, which almost defied belief, in four and one-day competitions have highlighted the gulf.The situation has been further exacerbated by ZC’s decision to scrap the long-standing provincial structure. Many people feel that the reason for the move was to enable Peter Chingoka, ZC’s chairman, to purge the game of those administrators who were leading moves to oust him. Chingoka justifies the act by claiming that it has brought cricket to new regions. The reality is that provincial sides are less representative than over, strengthened by players bussed in from Harare in a bid to even things up.ZC has tried to up standards by bringing in foreign sides. Last season, Kenya sent an A side who were well beaten. But talk of sides and players from Asian countries have never materialised, and an ill-conceived plan between the Zimbabwe and South Africa boards to have the latter’s franchises take part in matches in Harare was quietly shelved when the South African sides refused to play ball. It highlights a bigger problem. Few people want to play inside Zimbabwe.While the board can only work with the tools available to it, what is unforgivable is the lack of professionalism in its own operations. Last season it took almost four months for ZC to furnish the media with scorecards from the Logan Cup, so disastrous were the operations of its media department. And, although ZC’s accounts are not made available to the public, it is believed that its media department is larger than that of any other Full Member board.South Africa appears to represent the best chance Zimbabwe’s cricketers have to take part in serious competition. Even then, there are doubts in some quarters. “It’s difficult to gauge the standard as the only competition is from provincial sides there,” one former administrator said. “There is also a transformation programme at all levels in South Africa. As a result it is difficult to judge the team performances as they are not necessary playing the best teams selected in South Africa.”Given all that is happening inside Zimbabwe, that the game is still being played to any degree has to be a plus. But nobody should be fooled that because a game is classified as first-class it means the standard is any good. The quality is poor and given the fragility of the infrastructure it is hard to see how, in the short term, it will get any better. All that anyone can hope for is that things limp along until the corner is turned.

Sidharth Monga in Karachi29-Jun-2008

Cricket has changed. And one of the most unwanted changes is that it is now littered with too many robotic, over-coached, mechanical players. It’s not hard to see why: technology is better than before, it’s easy to spot flaws in, say, a bowler’s action even before he makes it to the highest level. The stakes are higher than before, and a pursuit for perfection at times leads to homogenisation of skills. But even in this day and age, Sri Lankan cricket is a breeze of fresh air.There has to be something right with the system where Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Lasith Malinga all escaped coaches who would want to correct them. There has to be something good with the system that no-one went up to Ajantha Mendis, in his formative years, and asked him to make up his mind as to whether he wanted to be an offspinner, a legspinner, a non-spinner, or a medium-pacer, or whatever he wanted to call himself. Or we would not be fortunate enough to see the marvels of Mendis today. The freakiest part about his bowling is he doesn’t get into unnatural positions, doesn’t seem to make a lot of violent actions using his wrist and fingers; he just caresses them out of his hand.When Mendis came in to bowl today, Pakistan had scored 99 for 2 in 23 overs, and it was not beyond their middle order to pull the chase off. But in his second over of bowling stuff that not many know how to classify, he struck with a topspinner to get Mohammad Yousuf, no less. Then he got the well-set Shoaib Malik with a middle-finger-flicked legbreak, and finished up with two more wickets off straighter ones to quell Pakistan’s chances. Of all the various deliveries, the topspinner proved to be the most lethal today. On a track where the ball is spinning, a straighter one can be the most lethal, and so it was with Mendis’ topspinner today.”We don’t correct our cricketers,” Mahela Jayawardene said after Sri Lanka’s comprehensive win. “That’s something entirely wrong if you do that. We encourage them to be as natural as possible and just guide them in the right direction. That’s all we do.”We have a spinners’ clinic, and a fast bowlers’ academy. He [Mendis] was picked up when he was playing Division II cricket for the Army back home. When he was picked we knew he had a lot of potential. Even though he didn’t have control initially, he went through the academy for about a year or so. After then we knew he was ready so we picked him for provincial cricket. It was important to have him with Murali at the same time before he [Murali] finishes.”Captaining such a bowler, especially setting fields for him, can never be easy. Jayawardene, though, is taking it easy with Mendis. “He actually came up with six deliveries when he came to the spinners’ clinic,” Jayawardene said. “What we told him was to let us know what he had more control with. We have asked him to use that delivery more right now, and he will keep improving on the other ones.

“We have asked him to do what he is comfortable with. I have sat down with him, and have given him a few fielding set-ups where we can actually manage to cover all areas so that we don’t have to make changes for his different deliveries. We have a basic set-up where the batsman also is not sure what to expect.”And if the batsman has managed to unsettle him, it is not the eventual triumph for him. “Depending on the batsmen and where they are looking to attack him, we have a chat with him. That’s where the [Sinhalese] language comes in handy because the others [opponents] don’t understand what we are speaking.”Mendis is definitely another chapter in the art of spin bowling. So far in his career, Mendis, with his variations, has proved incredibly difficult to get away when the batsmen are looking to score quick runs. In limited-overs cricket, the batsmen come at him; he doesn’t have to lure them into throwing their wickets away, an essential part of a spin bowler’s arsenal – something he will definitely have to do in Test cricket. So far he has deceived batsmen who have been more adventurous; it remains to be seen if he can set up heists against more circumspect opponents.

Has Australia’s image of invincibility been dented in recent months? We asked two men who helped build the machine

Interviews by Nagraj Gollapudi04-Oct-2008

Do you think the current Australian side lacks the aura of invincibility that previous teams had?
Hayden The thing about aura is, it takes a lot of time to develop greatness or perceived greatness. The whole thing about aura is that it’s a perception and not necessarily reality.Obviously there has been a change in personnel. We are in a situation where we’ve got some younger players. We haven’t got a McGrath, a Gillespie, or a Warne, Langer or Martyn. It is a development of a new and challenging Australian outfit. It’s a matter of whether we are good enough to win series, to put Test match wins together. Buchanan I agree that the aura has somewhat been diminished by India’s performance in Australia earlier this year. And that’s why both teams will be a little bit uncertain of each other. This Australian side is different. There is no question about that. For this team, consistency will be defined by how it relates against other Aussie sides previously.Would you agree that the presence of the likes of McGrath and Warne helped build up that image and put pressure on the opposition?
Hayden It did. But there’s way too much made of legends. Legends can be broken down. In fact, Australian sides have been very good at breaking down legends. The thing about aura is, it will last 20 minutes and then the reality sets in, and that’s when you really have to put it together, ball after ball after ball after ball. That’s how you build pressure and affirm your position in the game.Have things changed under Ricky Ponting?
Hayden The feeling that Ricky is a different captain compared to his predecessors is completely false. Nothing has changed at all. The way this team goes about its business, no matter who’s at the helm, is the same, and that’s been the beauty. I’ve played under four captains and it’s been a seamless transition. Every side is the same: it’s got the same work ethic, it’s got the same delivery of skills, the same expectations among ourselves. That’s just the way this side is.The perception always has been that we play good, strong, aggressive cricket. You can twist that scenario as much as you like, by taking an incident in isolation and then taking out a perspective as to what it was – and there was a lot of that last summer, rightly or wrongly. Buchanan Ricky Ponting will remain the key. He is a determined man and has an unshakeable confidence, which will bring out the best from his team-mates.Is this side vulnerable?
Buchanan This team is definitely not vulnerable. It’s quite the opposite. Teams that go into a series thinking they are invincible and unbeatable are the ones that are vulnerable. The Australians are not going into this series as invincibles, but they do have the belief.Hayden I don’t think this side is vulnerable. It’s all about performances. Anyone who wears the baggy green has got belief. It’s not like you’re picking rookies to join the squad. You’re picking from a great pool of talent and within a great ethos that has had great success. The benchmarks of this side have been the best in the world for a decade or more and to get into this side you have to have some very special and unique qualities. I believe in our qualities, I believe in our presence, and I believe that as Australians we put up a great fight, and that has won us a lot of battles.

Why Lock was more than just a support act to Laker

Martin Williamson07-Sep-2008

In an age where we manufacture characters out of the blandest of individuals, Tony Lock would have needed no embellishment.A fiery, brilliant left-armer who reinvented his action twice during a long career, a truly great close fielder, and an inspirational captain, Lock was a lynchpin in the all-conquering Surrey side of the 1950s, and then in his twilight years an inspirational captain for Western Australia. That he only played 49 Tests for England can be put down to his – rightly – being labelled a chucker, and then, when he returned as a canny, imaginative and quite legitimate spinner, the ignorance of the selectors.It was Lock’s lot that he was overshadowed by the feats of his Surrey team-mate Jim Laker, most notably at Old Trafford in the Ashes Test of 1956, when he took 1 for 106 as Laker grabbed 19 for 90 at the other end. Alan Hill reveals in this book that the pair didn’t speak for some time after the match, although they later became good friends.Lock was much more than a back-up. He lived for the game, putting his body, willingly, through agonies. To even get on the field he often needed heavy strapping, and Hill’s description of Lock spinning his fingers raw helps explain why bowlers of that era reputedly got far more rip than their modern counterparts.Through the 1950s, Lock, who for almost all the decade bowled at virtual medium pace, was regarded as virtually unplayable in the right conditions. It was widely accepted that he threw his faster ball – leading Doug Insole to once ask the umpire if he had been bowled or run-out after having his stumps smashed by Lock’s quicker one – but it was only when Lock saw his action on film in 1959 that, flabbergasted, he went back to the drawing board at a time of life almost anyone else would have packed it in.In 1962-63 he received an offer to play for Western Australia, heralding a most successful and rewarding final third of his playing career. He led them to the Sheffield Shield in 1967-68, and back in England, left Surrey and captained Leicestershire to unexpected new heights.Lock had the temperament of a fast bowler but, despite a reputation for being difficult, stories of his generosity, especially regarding young players, abound. Much of his perceived prickliness seems to have stemmed from insecurity. He found contentment in Australia, and it was unfortunate that his life ended in sadness and under a cloud, which appears to have been quite undeserved.Hill’s book is sympathetic to Lock but does not gloss over his failings. Had he been less sensitive to his social background, and in modern thinking, more media savvy, then he might be regarded today as the great cricketer he undoubtedly was. As it is, he is destined to be remembered, in England at least, as the man who deprived Laker of all 20 at Manchester. And yet, he was so much more.

Cricinfo presents the team of the ICC World Twenty20 2009 comprising the best performers from the tournament

George Binoy22-Jun-20091 Tillakaratne Dilshan: 317 runs, average 52.83
Dilshan took over the mantle of Sri Lanka’s most dangerous opener from Sanath Jayasuriya, thrilling spectators and confounding bowlers with his innovative batting. He is one of cricket’s first 360-degree batsmen, using the paddle and the reverse-hit to play the ball through the toughest of angles. And then there was the scoop – an audacious shot, seemingly fraught with danger, played against the fast bowlers to send the ball over the wicketkeeper’s head. He combined flair with consistency and was the tournament’s top-scorer by 79 runs. His best performance was in the semi-final against West Indies, against whom his unbeaten 96 single-handedly gave Sri Lanka a defendable target.2 Chris Gayle: 193 runs, average 48.25
Gayle played a significant role in knocking Australia out of the competition. His brutal 88 off 50 balls at The Oval, which included monstrous sixes off Brett Lee on to Harleyford Road and on top of the Bedser stand, remains one of the spectacles of the tournament. He remained dormant during the next few matches, reserving his strong performance for the semi-final, but ended up carrying his bat against Sri Lanka after receiving feeble support from his team-mates.3 Shahid Afridi: 176 runs, average 35.20, 11 wickets, economy-rate 5.32
Afridi’s progress during the World Twenty20 mirrored Pakistan’s: both started disastrously but peaked at the right time. Afridi scored 5, 13 and 0 in his first three innings, though his hustling legspin remained a reliable asset throughout. Pakistan’s chances of making the semi-finals, though, appeared bleak until Afridi took a spectacular catch to dismiss Scott Styris in the Super Eight game against New Zealand. He was promoted to No. 3 in the batting order and saved his best performances – two half-centuries – for the semi-final and final. He was invaluable to Pakistan for his sensible batting, incisive yet economical bowling, and for his energy in the field.4 Kumar Sangakkara: 177 runs, average 35.40
Sri Lanka had the best batsman and the most dangerous bowling attack of the tournament but their unbeaten run until the final was presided over by the calmest of leaders. It was hard to believe that the World Twenty20 was Sangakkara’s first assignment as captain. He made astute decisions, promoting Dilshan up the order, and invested in his younger players – Angelo Mathews and Isuru Udana – by giving them responsibility. He even led by performance, scoring a half-century which prevented Sri Lanka from being crushed in the final. The team Sangakkara inherited had been through torment in the last few months but they showed little of those troubles on the field.Bravo played the role of back-up seamer successfully for West Indies, keeping the batsmen guessing with his mix•Getty Images5 Kevin Pietersen: 154 runs, average 38.50
Pietersen did not have a spectacular World Twenty20 but he made significant contributions whenever England played a match they had to win to stay in the competition. He scored 58 off 38 balls against Pakistan to ensure England qualified from Group B after losing to Netherlands, he top-scored with 46 off 27 balls in a crucial Super Eights game against India to keep semi-final hopes alive, and biffed 31 off 19 balls in England’s must-win match against West Indies.6 AB de Villiers: 186 runs, average 37.20
de Villiers took the opportunity against Scotland to blast 79 off 34 balls but also displayed the skill to thrive on the toughest pitch of the tournament. The surface at Trent Bridge for the game against India was slow and gave the spinners a lot of turn and bounce. De Villiers, however, thrived against India’s spinners, top-scoring with 63 off 50 balls, to lead South Africa to a match-winning total.7 Dwayne Bravo 154 runs, average 38.50, 10 wickets, economy-rate 8.76
Bravo played the role of back-up seamer successfully for West Indies, keeping the batsmen guessing with his mix of yorkers, slower balls and slow bouncers. He also stepped up when Gayle failed or was injured, making useful contributions in the middle-order. Bravo saved his best for India, taking 4 for 34 and scoring 66 off 36 balls to lead a superb chase.8 Wayne Parnell: 9 wickets, economy-rate 5.71
A little over a year ago, Parnell captained his side to the final of the under-19 World Cup and was tipped as one of the next big things in South African cricket. He did not disappoint and was their best bowler in the World Twenty20. Parnell bowled with pace and accuracy during the Powerplay and the final overs – the most difficult periods for a bowler in a Twenty20 game – and still finished with an economy-rate of less than six an over. He was outstanding in the high-pressure environment of the semi-final: having conceded 14 runs in his first over, he bounced back strongly to give only 12 off his next three.9 Umar Gul: 13 wickets, economy-rate 6.44
The highest wicket-taker of the tournament, Gul switched from operating at the start of the innings to bowling his overs at a stretch towards the end. It was a master-stroke for Gul was able to swing the old ball, something no one apart from Lasith Malinga could do, and was able to bowl yorkers at will, which made him extremely hard to score heavily off. His spell of 5 for 6 in three overs against New Zealand was the best in Twenty20 internationals but it was his second over against South Africa in the semi-final, comprising six yorkers, which underlined his value in the shortest format.Umar Gul’s spell of 5 for 6 in three overs against New Zealand was the best in Twenty20 internationals•Getty Images10 Lasith Malinga: 12 wickets, economy-rate 7.14
Malinga is another yorker specialist but he added several strings to his bow during this tournament by perfecting a slow bouncer and a slow full toss. Delivered with his side-on action, the slow full toss was often not picked by the batsmen and the ball swerved away in the air to beat the bat. Brad Haddin was the first victim to have his stumps splayed in Malinga’s first match and the ball brought him success throughout the tournament.11 Ajantha Mendis: 12 wickets, economy-rate 5.50
Mendis was one of three reasons Sri Lanka were able to defend modest totals throughout the tournament but he was probably the best one. He took wickets against all opponents, except for Pakistan, and was exceptional in his first-ever outing against Australia, eliminating them from the competition with 3 for 20. He struck timely blows as well and made a habit of striking twice in an over – against West Indies, Ireland and New Zealand – to wreck run-chases just when Sri Lanka appeared vulnerable.Twelfth men: Saeed Ajmal and Roelof van der Merwe

What was supposed to be a dream trip for 15 of America’s best young cricketers turned into an absolute nightmare over the month of January.

Peter Della Penna01-Feb-2010What was supposed to be a dream trip for 15 of America’s best young cricketers turned into an absolute nightmare over the month of January. They came into the Under-19 World Cup rated 15th in the world with the hope that they might pull off the near impossible by winning two games in Group B to advance to the Super League, thereby establishing themselves as a top eight team. They failed to do that.However, they almost managed to do something else that was believed to be nearly impossible before this tournament began: lose every single game in the competition to finish dead last. Only a rout over a diluted Afghanistan squad spared USA such embarrassment. Finishing 15th was the most tangible proof that no progress had been made by the squad in the four months since they qualified for the World Cup in Toronto.After starting the tour with a not so impressive four-wicket win over local Christchurch club Burnside CC, the team was in for a rude awakening two days later when they were trounced by a state youth team, Canterbury Under-17s. The scorecard might say Canterbury won by five wickets, but that was far more flattering to USA than what actually occurred.For the second match in a row, USA lost their first two wickets on the first two balls of the morning. USA couldn’t fall back on the excuse that it took place against a group of college-aged peers like their first opponents. This time, they had been rolled over for 96 by a bunch of pimple-faced teens who had only just reached puberty.The next day, alarm bells starting ringing loudly when USA lost to Hong Kong by six wickets. This was the same Hong Kong team that USA should have beaten with ease in their last game at the World Cup Qualifier in Canada, but only managed to scrape by with a one-wicket victory with a ball to spare chasing 210.This time around Hong Kong cantered to victory, passing the target of 183 with almost 18 overs to spare. Hong Kong captain James Atkinson notched 100 in only 86 balls. He was someone who scored a grand total of 46 runs in seven innings at the World Cup Qualifier and was out first ball in the match in Toronto against USA.The first official tournament warm-up fixture against India provided more growing pains. Mayank Agarwal was set to score a double-century had he not retired after the 21st over upon reaching his hundred.The next day, Papua New Guinea decided to rest their most incisive pace bowlers Raymond Haoda and John Reva, who took 7 for 34 against USA when the teams played in Toronto. After USA posted a healthy 286, PNG’s batsmen showed no interest in chasing the runs, rather only in getting some time out in the middle. The resulting victory by 116 runs imbued the USA squad with false confidence.They tried to build themselves up believing they had bowled India out inside of 50 overs and had beaten PNG soundly, but under the circumstances, it was hard to qualify those statements without placing an asterisk next to them.A flight to Queenstown left the team enamoured with the beauty of the surrounding landscape. It served only as a mirage though for the ugliness that followed in three Group B matches they played. They bowled Australia out for 262 with three balls to spare which, looking back, was a great achievement as USA was the only team to take 10 wickets against the eventual Under-19 World Cup Champions. However, USA was brought back down to earth when they were reduced to 28 for 7 after 10 overs of the chase. The silver lining on the batting card was Andy Mohammed’s determined 70.South Africa brought them more misery as another batting collapse was followed by uncharacteristically sloppy fielding in an eight-wicket defeat. Ireland inflicted more punishment in the form of Paul Stirling, who teased USA during his team’s chase by blocking and nudging singles before the second drinks break only to brutally assault them afterwards on his way to a century to bring the match to its end. It meant the Americans were traveling to Napier empty-handed in the wins column.The team morale was at an all time low. While there was plenty of blame to go around, a large portion of it belonged to the management staff that was in place on the first two qualifying trips to Toronto, led by Coach Sew Shivnarain. The staff’s lack of professionalism exhibited both on and off the field set the tone for the players, who were infected with a poor attitude in New Zealand.Despite the addition of a few very useful members to the staff for a December training camp in Florida and the World Cup tour, the damage was done back in July and September. The effect on the players was irreversible. At least one player who wished to remain anonymous said that the team did not mind losing because they did not want Shivnarain to get credit for any wins. They couldn’t be motivated, inspired or cajoled in any way into giving the requisite performance needed to reverse the trend.After fighting for their lives against Australia and South Africa, USA capitulated against Zimbabwe in the 13th place playoff match to be all out for 115. There were six ducks on the scoresheet against a Zimbabwean bowling attack that was hands down the weakest USA faced in the tournament.On the field, they seemed not to care that they had been beaten soundly in almost all of their games. They looked flat and devoid of emotion. Off the field, one would think that they had set the World Cup on fire. The image they presented was that they came to New Zealand to party first and play cricket second, which unsurprisingly resulted in a second place result in all but their last tournament game.The lack of a solid management team from the start of the journey in Toronto got to captain Shiva Vashishat more than anyone. Since July, the captain faced more pressure and had to take on more responsibility than he should have because of the ineptitude of the adults in charge. It clearly took a heavy toll on him until he finally started to crack. Of the seven players who played in every game for USA, he finished with the fewest runs at the World Cup.Despite the fact that he was one of only three players whose family flew to New Zealand to support him, his body language consistently showed that he couldn’t wait for the tournament to end. His confidence had hit rock bottom. It was a total shame as he is a very classy and respectful person, but he had been left on an island for the past seven months and this was what happened as a result.USACA CEO Don Lockerbie was present in Queenstown to witness all activities during the team’s Group B phase. It was no coincidence that he issued a statement before the tournament had concluded that he intends to hire a full-time professional coaching staff for the national teams in the near future. It is not so much the professional playing skills that USA’s players at all levels need. The talent was clearly not lacking judging by some of the impressive performances turned in by players like Mohammed, Saqib Saleem, Steven Taylor and Greg Sewdial.Rather it is vital that they develop a professional attitude and mental approach to the game, something that was completely absent on this tour. Hopefully, that is the biggest lesson learned for USACA and USA’s players, one of many lessons that need to be taken in if they hope to make clear progress in the future.

The Plays of the day from the Twenty20 between Chennai Super Kings and Warriors

Sriram Veera at Port Elizabeth22-Sep-2010Jump of the day
This catch had the most pressure on it. It was the catch to dismiss Davy Jacobs, who was threatening to mow Chennai out of the competition. He swiped Shadab Jakati high over the deep midwicket boundary. Or so it seemed. Michael Hussey, however, had other ideas. He leaped at the boundary line to bring the ball back to earth. And he landed safely, just inside the ropes.Catch of the day
Jehan Mubarak took a blinder in the first game of the day. It was Justin Kemp’s turn now. Ashwell Prince had dashed down the track to Ashwin but edged it low and well to the left of first slip. Kemp flew and somehow, incredibly, managed to pouch it with his outstretched left hand.Tease of the day
Bowled him! Err, not quite. Ashwin’s moment of agony came when he induced a hurried poke from David Jacobs and the ball rolled off the inside edge and headed unerringly towards the stumps. Only problem was the bails didn’t fall off.Ball of the day
Ashwin began his career as a pure offspinner but has developed variations like the carrom ball. On the day Ajantha Mendis featured in the other game, it was Ashwin who bowled the best carom ball. Justin Kreusch came down the track to lift the offspinner over midwicket, but the ball gripped and broke sharply the other way to leave him stranded.Forced sacrifice of the day
It was the third ball of the last over. Justin Kemp pushed back limply to the bowler and froze but MS Dhoni had rushed across to take the strike. Kemp was going nowhere, though, and Dhoni had to tell him to get across and sacrifice his wicket. “Yes I had to tell him. I was well-set, so felt I can hit out. I got some four runs in the end, which proved valuable I guess!”

ESPNcricinfo08-Feb-2011Join Jonathan Harris-Bass and the team for all the latest English cricket news and opinion. From the County Championship to the Test arena, the Switch Hit Podcast team chew the fat on all the action. .This week’s show: As England look set to become the number one side in the world, we discuss if the current side are better than the Ashes winners of 2005?Plus, a look at whether India can come back despite growing injury concerns.Jonathan Harris-Bass, Andrew Miller, Andrew McGlashan and Sambit Bal are this week’s Switch Hitters.To download the podcast to your computer, click here.To listen via iTunes click here.If you don’t have iTunes and would like to listen to the show on an RSS feed, click here.