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Douglas Jardine, Len Hutton, Ray Illingworth, Mike Brearley, Mike Gatting… Andrew Strauss. In almost 80 years of Ashes combat, only six England captains have been able to win in Australia

Andrew Miller at the MCG29-Dec-2010Douglas Jardine, Len Hutton, Ray Illingworth, Mike Brearley, Mike Gatting… Andrew Strauss. In almost 80 years of Anglo-Australian combat, only six England captains have been able to pack their bags at the end of a trip to Australia, and include in their mental baggage all of the triumph and joy that, almost since the dawn of the sporting age, has been invested in the legend of Ivo Bligh’s little urn. Almost every other campaigner of the 20th and 21st Centuries has endured a return journey accompanied by despair, regret, recrimination and anger. Such is the hold of the Ashes, arguably the most storied trophy of them all.For that reason, the achievement of Strauss’s men is one that not only deserves to stand the test of time, but is already ensured of doing so – no matter that Australia still have the chance to square the series at 2-2 and restore a modicum of pride. As Shane Watson conceded on the third evening of this contest, possession of the urn is the only thing that counts, and the manner in which that prospect was shredded as early as the first afternoon at Melbourne was formidable to behold. Regardless of what happens at Sydney, Australia have been beaten by the better side; thrashed by an innings in half of the matches of the series.It might be claimed in mitigation that the Aussies are not what they used to be – what team could be, given the losses of such champions as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer? – but to tar the series with any such caveats would do a gross disservice to the ruthless, meticulous nature of England’s preparations. Not since Illingworth was chaired off the field at Sydney in 1970-71 has a campaign been more brilliantly orchestrated, and not since Jardine made a mortal of Bradman in 1932-33 has a strategy been more perfectly conceived and carried out.Australians right now will doubtless feel all the more wistful for the days of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne – in the 24 Tests in which both men were at his disposal, Ricky Ponting never lost a match and averaged 78.73; since their retirements he’s lost 13 out of 42, and his average has plummeted to 41.03. But as Ponting himself conceded after the match, sport is cyclical – it is the seizing of opportunities as and when they arise that defines the greatness of a team or a player.History has demonstrated that an Ashes victory in Australia is a once-in-a-generation achievement, and the general perception in the build-up to the 2010-11 Ashes was that this was England’s moment – because if not now, then when? That in itself created a burden arguably greater than anything felt by Graham Gooch, Mike Atherton, Alec Stewart, Nasser Hussain and Andrew Flintoff, the five most recent England captains to try their luck in Australia and depart with ambitions crushed.With the exception of Gooch in 1990-91, who arrived in the batting form of his life and with the memories still burning of the exceptional challenge that his team had posed to the great West Indians the previous winter, each of those squads were written off almost before they had unpacked. Injuries and ineptitude undermined them from the off – the loss of key bowlers such as Devon Malcolm in 1994-95 or Darren Gough eight years later; the loss of respect through dreadful performances either in the bear-pit of Lilac Hill, or thrashings at the hands of the Australian Academy.No such pitfalls were permitted on this trip, or rather, the pitfalls that did exist were not allowed to consume the campaign. The loss of Stuart Broad after two-and-a-half innings, for instance, was not only budgeted for, but actively anticipated, with each of the three reserve seamers earmarked a specific Test match in which their skills would come to the fore. Chris Tremlett’s height was duly unleashed at the WACA, Tim Bresnan’s stamina was set loose at the MCG, and by all accounts, Ajmal Shahzad would have featured on the reverse-swing-friendly Adelaide Oval, had it not been for Steven Finn’s six wickets at the hit-the-deck Gabba.And likewise, losses of the result variety were also expected, because this is Australia, and Australians can never be discounted, no matter how lowly their expectations may be. The Gabba, as it happens, was the venue where the England management had initially anticipated defeat, because of the fearsome reputation of the venue, and because of the danger of stage-fright at the start of such a hyped campaign (which, as they proved on that fretful first day, was a very real factor indeed), while the WACA had been earmarked for victory. But either way, the likelihood of resistance was encoded in England’s planning, and with it the challenge and expectation of a weeble-like response to adversity.Andy Flower’s unparalleled record as a player who triumphed over adversity provided the squad with a director who demanded absolute respect, while David Saker’s knowledge of Australia’s venues armed his bowlers with intimate insights that enabled them to make the best possible use of their warm-up matches, in particular their reconnaissance trips to Adelaide and Melbourne, the scenes of England’s two crushing victories.The influence of Richard Halsall, the fielding coach, was seen in any number of galvanising moments – from Monty Panesar’s flying catch in Hobart to the direct-hit run-out that Jonathan Trott pulled off in Adelaide – and he was deemed sufficiently integral to the squad to take over as head coach when Flower’s skin cancer scare briefly took him out of the dressing-room in Brisbane. And then there was Graham Gooch, attached to the team only in a consultant role, but whose personal protégé, Alastair Cook, is now on the brink of 600 series runs. Kudos is due in every department, because it’s not often that England get it this right.The net result was that Strauss and his cohorts arrived in Australia with an intent that was the equivalent of Allan Border’s invasion of England in 1989. Then as now, Border sensed the changing of an epoch – Ian Botham, the Warne of the 1980s, still endured as a personality, but his last hurrah had been at Melbourne two-and-a-half years earlier – and the challenge he put to his squad was to confound expectations. They did so with a ruthlessness that went on to establish a dynasty, which in itself is the challenge that now confronts England.Strauss and Flower have said on many occasions that their true goal is to be the No. 1 team in the world. It’s an ambition that is very much there for the taking, if the team can maintain its focus and drive on to the next level with the singlemindedness that eluded Michael Vaughan’s men in 2005, when the sheer emotional overload of ending Australia’s hold on the Ashes proved too much to kick on from.The first clue that things can and will be different this time came back in 2009, when England’s reaction to their home Ashes victory was a quiet night of revelry and an early flight to Belfast for a one-day international. The circumstances of that itinerary were far from ideal, of course, but they nipped in the bud any prospect of over-indulgence. England’s celebrations were instead kept to a 6-1 ODI trouncing at the hands of the vengeful Aussies, an instant reality check which reminded the players of that old sporting truism, you’re only as good as your last result.Those are the mantras that keep the great teams grounded. “I think while you’re still involved in the England side, if you’re not still looking to keep pushing forward, there’s something wrong there,” said Strauss. Throughout history, for England to triumph Down Under has indeed been a once-in-a-generation achievement, but this squad is so well drilled, they actually believe they can make it a habit. Starting at Sydney in the New Year, of course.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the IPL game between Chennai Super Kings and Deccan Chargers in Chennai

Abhishek Purohit01-May-2011White’s contagious form
Cameron White has been struggling to get bat on ball for quite some time now. Even a forward defensive appears like an achievement at the moment. In such a frame of mind, there can be days when the contagion with the bat spreads to other areas of a player’s game. Two deliveries after M Vijay’s dismissal, Michael Hussey pulled a long hop from Pragyan Ojha straight to White at square leg. It came at a catchable height, White got both hands to it, and dropped it. Hussey went on to add 36 more in a 60-run stand with Suresh Raina that laid the foundation for Chennai’s innings.Morkel goes massive
Despite a late flourish from Chennai, Deccan had managed to keep them to 139 with nine balls to go. Ishant Sharma had conceded 23 off 21 deliveries and would have looked to end on a tight note against new man Albie Morkel who had faced just three deliveries. But Deccan were taken aback by what came next. Morkel smashed the next three deliveries, all on a length, into orbit over long-on. Each six was bigger than the previous one, and the last two were the biggest in the IPL, at 109 and 114 metres. Chennai surged to 165, and tellingly, their winning margin was 19.The comedy of errors
What happened off the last ball of Doug Bollinger’s first over is something that would have had few parallels even on a school ground. Shikhar Dhawan cut towards point and trotted out of his crease. Sunny Sohal, meanwhile, had assumed that there was a single, and rushed towards the other end. Dhawan was ball-watching, and Sohal had almost crossed him before he realised what was happening. He turned back, and both batsmen were now aiming to make the same crease.The point fielder, in his haste, went for the striker’s end. Had he hit, both batsmen would have been caught short, but he missed. The man backing up at midwicket, fumbled while trying to collect the ball as well. He recovered, and seeing one batsman try to make his way to the non-striker’s end, lobbed the ball to Bollinger, who was some way from the stumps. Bollinger gathered cleanly but his first attempt to disturb the bails did not find them. Panicking, he threw the ball at the stumps, but astonishingly, missed again from close range. At that moment, Chennai wouldn’t have found a needle in a haystack full of them. Sohal was on 13 then and went on to add 43 more.The one-trick show
Right from the start, Sohal had made his intentions clear. He was going to back away outside leg stump, and hope to clear cover. Sometimes he missed, sometimes he connected, and mostly the results were hilarious. On either side of a six and a four in a Morkel over, Sohal played two shots that made the big screen flash: “You can’t teach that.” He made lots of room only to find the ball eating it up and hurrying on to him. One the first occasion, he fell away and managed to edge the ball wide of Dhoni. On the second, he got it in the same direction, this time off a delicate dab. Both times, he collected boundaries. Morkel went for 20 in that over, and Chennai weren’t finding Sohal’s effort funny at all.

Zimbabwe enjoyed a charmed return to Test cricket, but as the series against Pakistan showed, their are several issues that need to be sorted to prevent their fairytale from turning sour

Firdose Moonda15-Sep-2011After almost two months of wowing the cricketing world with their headline-grabbing comeback into the premier format of the game, with stories of their spirit and survival through barren cricketing times, Zimbabwe cricket’s midnight hour has come. And their days of remaining cricket’s prince charming are rapidly dwindling. They knew the fairytale would not last forever and that things would get more difficult. Pakistan are tough opposition and even though they regarded the tour of Zimbabwe as a way to introduce new players and change combinations, they were also careful not to approach it too lightly. As a result they succeeded in scalding Zimbabwe even on medium heat.Their loss in the one-off Test was probably expected but the clean sweep of the one-day series was not, and Zimbabwe will feel aggrieved that in one Sunday afternoon of lethargic bowling, they let an entire series slip. That they went down fighting in the first match and threatened in parts of the third does not reflect on the results sheet. What is printed there is merely a record of them being outplayed with bat and ball, a purely objective summary of the events that took place on the field.”We are better than that,” Brendan Taylor said after the whitewash. “We know we can play better cricket than what we displayed in the last three ODIs.” It’s a defiant statement but it’s also a plea to his own players to prove him right. Taylor is not simply spouting sentiment – Zimbabwe have already showed signs of improvement, although those signs did not translate into results.They scored over 220 runs in each of the three matches, totals they were not able to reach through an entire World Cup. That they scored too slowly, often without intent or purpose, were bogged down in the middle overs of both their chases and never really got going when they batted first, are issues that need to be addressed. It’s likely that fear of collapse is holding them back, as coach Alan Butcher indicated, something that can only be solved with greater self-belief in their ability to build a competitive total without imploding. “Our batters need to be more aggressive and harsher on themselves,” Taylor said.Vusi Sibanda, despite his tendency to get out playing the pull shot, is an example of this aggression. Sibanda has a fearless attitude in the time he spends at the crease. He is as sublime a driver of the ball as he is a puller and he showed improved shot selection as the series went on. Sibanda is a naturally attacking batsman and so, unlike some of his counterparts, he does not disappear into a shell when the bowling looks too difficult to take on. Younis Khan, Pakistan’s man of the ODI series, singled out Sibanda and said that, “he performed in every game, even though he did not make a big ton, but in future he will be their star.”Some of the inhibition shown by the top order could also be because Zimbabwe’s No. 6 and 7 spots are still too uncertain. Malcolm Waller and Elton Chigumbura have been used in those positions and, on the two occasions that Zimbabwe chased, were left with too much to do. Both are capable of hitting the ball a long way but they also need to be allowed to settle in and assess how to polish off a big total, something that has been lacking so far. Zimbabwe have to be careful not to over-rely on a burst at the end and so, have to pace their innings better in future. It was something both Taylor and Chamu Chibhabha have isolated as an area of concern. “When the spinners came on, there were too many dots balls,” Chibhabha, who scored his first half-century in the third match, said.Zimbabwe’s inexperience is actually more prevalent in their bowling and Brian Vitori and Kyle Jarvis were lucky to escape any scathing criticism from their captain. Against quality batsmen, they took time to find the correct lengths, something they can’t afford to do in future, when they will be required to be accurate from the first ball. “They [Pakistan] got off to a flier and that put us on the backfoot immediately,” was all Taylor would say about Pakistan’s start after Thursday’s match, preferring to focus on the “character” Chigumbura and the spinners showed to rein Pakistan in.In the field, they have got better, with the fielding improving gradually over the course of the series. They managed to fluff some simple chances, take some blinders and add some buoyancy to their game in that department. They still didn’t get it entirely right and that’s what concerned Taylor as Zimbabwe look ahead to a home-and-away series against a New Zealand side that is reputed for its discipline. “All three departments have to be spot on if you are going to compete and win,” Taylor said. “We seem to get two right and forget about the third one but, in time, things will come right for us.”They have done the right thing by not being impatient and overly harsh on themselves, because improvement will only come with experience. Younis said that he saw signs of a bright future for Zimbabwe. “If they play regularly against tougher sides they will improve, they have the capability to be successful in international arena.”Although Zimbabwe are willing to bide the time necessary to build up the experience to challenge on a global stage, they also have to be more critical of themselves, something that started after the clean sweep. For the first time, Taylor showed genuine annoyance and admitted that he expected more. “We’re definitely good enough to turn things around,” he said.It’s a tricky scale that Taylor will gave to balance between applying pressure gently and offering enough support so that Zimbabwe don’t collapse under the strain of losing. They need to be scolded gently and cajoled with a hint of force so that they understand that while they will be given the necessary space to improve, they have to make some haste in doing so, so that the fairytale doesn’t come to an abrupt end.

The young West Indies batsman is learning lessons from his first year in international cricket, and is eager to pick up tips, especially from Brian Lara

Interview by Daniel Brettig21-Jun-2012″I’m someone who really wants to perform every single time. So in that case the opposition will be planning for me, and I have to do my homework as well”•AFPYou’ve said in the past you want to be the batsman other teams plan for. Against Australia and England this year you seem to have had to face up to that reality after your successes against India.
I’m someone who’s worked very hard on my game and it is very important for me to continue working hard. I had a good series against India and I haven’t started off the year the way that I wanted, but I’m keeping the faith. As you said, I’m someone who really wants to go out there and perform every single time. So in that case the opposition will be planning for me, and I have to do my homework as well. Australia and England this year, both teams came to me with plans and I wasn’t able to counter-act it. I had decent scores against Australia, but I guess the experience over here in England will serve me well in the future. It is just a matter of me continuing to believe in myself and working hard. I’ll use this experience as a motivation for the future.What did you find most challenging about facing up to the Australian and English bowling attacks?
I believe that Australia comes at the batting line-up really hard. They don’t really relax and let things happen. They’re very proactive. In England it is very difficult to get a start and it is very important when you get a start to carry on the way Marlon Samuels did in the series. So that’s something to look at. They’re very challenging bowlers and the conditions as well are very difficult. I’m sure I’m going to learn from it. How did you prepare for England and what have you learned from the series about batting here?
I played with Nottinghamshire last year and I was grateful for the opportunity. I thought that then I gained some experience. But when I came up against the likes of Anderson and Broad, who are world-class bowlers, as well as Bresnan, it was a challenge in itself. I guess the main thing up here is to try your best to leave as many balls as possible. Sometimes you think that you’re to the pitch of the ball and you’re not really there, so that is something you have to ensure – that everything is in the right place, your feet are in the right place, and stuff like that. It is very important that you play the ball as late as possible.It is very important as well to speak to players who have performed in those conditions and understand how they went about things, and when you put all that together, you’re going to reap the rewards in the end.Speaking of advice from older players, there is your technical resemblance to Brian Lara and your relationship with him. Were you in touch during the England Tests?
I speak with Brian nearly every day, through BlackBerry Messenger – he is always there motivating me and always inspiring me to go out there and perform. I’m really grateful for that and he is someone I hold very close to my heart, along with my brother. He knows I haven’t had the best of times [against England] but he is supporting me, so I’m grateful for that and I’m sure as long as I keep believing in myself that I’m going to make each and every one of them proud. We all know what Brian did and he’s someone I have looked up to ever since I was a child. The sort of information that he’s passing on to me I’m really grateful for, and I’m sure I’m going to use it in my game and go on to reap the rewards.It is quite striking the passion you have to play for West Indies. Was that something that has grown from speaking to past players like Brian or was it always there?
To be quite honest I’m someone who always likes to talk cricket. If I see one of our legends or someone like that passing by, I will quickly stop and ask questions, get to learn the game as much as possible. So I think the West Indies legacy is something I have close to my heart. Obviously there is a reputation that the legends set for us, and I want to try my best to walk in their footsteps and bring back West Indies cricket to the way it once was.You’re the only West Indian player contracted to the IPL who chose to play in the Tests against Australia instead. How did you reach that decision?
When I looked at the West Indies schedule, I thought it was a bit difficult to play in the IPL, because I believe that Test cricket is the ultimate. I want to take part in the IPL sometime in the future and I was grateful to Deccan for giving me the opportunity to represent the West Indies. They were quite happy to allow me to play the Test series against Australia, as well as over here in England, and we have a very good understanding. I was really happy to be able to play against Australia, and hopefully next year I can be available for Deccan in the IPL.Were you conscious that you were setting an example as a West Indian player, placing Test cricket notably above a club competition?
I wouldn’t say I set an example, but I believe Test cricket is the ultimate. I want to take part in the IPL, but it is just a matter of understanding where you want to be and what you want to achieve. I want to be known as a Test cricketer, and I’m grateful for that opportunity to play in the Australia series as well as in England. I really want to establish myself as a Test cricketer first and then we’ll see how things go in the future.

“We all know what Brian did and he’s someone I have looked up to ever since I was a child. The sort of information that he’s passing on to me I’m really grateful for, and I’m sure I’m going to use it in my game and go on to reap the rewards”

How do you feel the West Indies team is developing, after the lost series against Australia and England?
I believe the team has shown a lot of character. We’re taking Test matches into the fifth day, which is something we haven’t done in the past couple of years and something we’re working on together as a team. We’re very inexperienced as a team at this point in time, but I think if we continue to play together and gel as a team and continue sharing information and helping each other out, I think we’re going to reap the rewards in the future.You made a succession of starts against Australia and England and were unable to go on to the big scores you managed against India. Has that been a concentration issue?
I believe so. When I get a start, it is very important for me to buckle down a little more and concentrate, play the ball on its merits, don’t think too far ahead.It depends on who I’m batting with and understanding their game as well as understanding mine and how we can go about building a partnership together. I think that will help me. When you get a good start and you cross the century mark or something like that, you must take it as far as possible, so it is very important that you reap the rewards from a good start.In which innings recently did you feel you should have gone on to something greater?
I believe the second innings at Lord’s and the second innings at Trent Bridge I got two decent starts but wasn’t able to carry on. But I can’t really be too negative about it. Very important I stay positive. There are a lot of games in the future, and hopefully I can go out and represent West Indies in the best possible way.Going back to your childhood, was cricket the only thing for you or did it have to compete with anything else?
Cricket was there from the beginning. My dad used to play a little club cricket, and my brothers too, and obviously Dwayne was the one trying to pursue his dream. I was always just behind him, playing a little cricket in the road and behind the house and stuff like that. It started off at a very young age and was just a matter of me continuing on. I went to a Queen’s Park coaching clinic and that’s where it all began.Apart from Lara, were there any other heroes of yours or players you took after?
To be quite honest I was just about Lara alone and that was it. But when I looked at the West Indies team I was inspired by all of them, growing up as a kid, and Lara was my role model. Every time he was at the [Queen’s Park] Oval and the West Indies were there to practise sometimes, I’d skip school just to look at him practise and stuff like that. If he was playing for Trinidad and Tobago in a first-class game I’d try my best to get there and watch. I had photos all over my room of Lara and stuff like that, so that can paint a picture for you. I’m really happy to have a close relationship with him now.Playing for Queen’s Park club seems to have been an influence. It offers as much tradition and structure as any club environment in the region.
Their history speaks for itself. A lot of the Trinidad and Tobago greats who represented the West Indies played for Queen’s Park, and for us who represent the West Indies now, we came from there as well, so it’s a great feeling to be part of that institution, and I’m sure we’re making them proud as well.I started with a coaching clinic there, so as a kid growing up you learn the basics with all the coaches and stuff. There’s an Under-19 team that goes to the Sir Garfield Sobers school tournament in Barbados. There’s a lot of developmental cricket played there, and the guys are coming through the ranks and making a start for themselves.”I believe Test cricket is the ultimate. I want to take part in the IPL, but it is just a matter of understanding where you want to be and what you want to achieve”•Getty ImagesDid the club help instil in you the importance of representing your country and your region?
Definitely. One thing I must say is that the cricket administrator there, Bryan Davis, whenever we got selected for Trinidad and Tobago, he’d always call us to have a chat in his office and explain to us that we’re representing Trinidad and Tobago and that we’re ambassadors for the Queen’s Park cricket club as well, so we must know how to carry ourselves and stuff like that. There are ways and means by which they do things and we’re very grateful to be part of that institution. There’s a lot of history there.Another influence you had there was, of course, Runako Morton, who died earlier this year. What are your memories of him?
It was a really unfortunate circumstance of his passing, so may he rest in peace. Runako and I had a very good relationship, as well as other members of the club and the T&T national senior team. When he was around, he made sure that everyone was happy. If he went to buy lunch for himself, he’d buy it for every single player in the team. That’s the sort of person he was – he was really loving and caring. He brought about a never-say-die attitude in the club, the way he played his cricket, obviously, but also the way he motivated the players to go out there and give every single effort. He’s someone we all hold close to our heart. We’re all missing him and we dedicated this year’s club cricket back home to him, and thankfully we won all tournaments. But it was a sad passing. Most of us were really hurt by it, but as we say, life goes on.Now you have played 19 Tests, you’re no longer the youngest or most inexperienced cricketer in the team. Do you think you’re starting to set an example as well as looking for advice from others?
I think it is very important that as a team we help out each other as much as possible, no matter who is representing the West Indies. When we come here it is about building a team and we go out onto the field to represent the region. As long as we continue to do that, then everyone will learn from each other, and everyone will take a page from each other’s book, and that’s going to be a very good sign for us.

The visitors suffered a number of self-inflicted blows that undid their fine recovery in the second Test and excuses won’t do

George Dobell at Trent Bridge26-May-2012It is the self inflicted injuries that will smart most. We all knew that this West Indies side was not the most talented to tour England. We all knew there would be days when the top-order came unstuck and the bowling looked a little thin. But we also expected a team that worked hard and made the most of their ability.It has not been so at Trent Bridge. While there have been periods of encouragement for West Indies – a feature of their recent Tests – this game may be defined by moments of sloppiness that have turned potential match-winning positions into match-losing positions. It rarely pays to take too much for granted in cricket but England, with eight wickets in hand and a batsman’s dream of a pitch upon which to gorge their hunger for runs, could – and should – have a substantial lead by the end of the third day. West Indies may well have to bat far better in their second innings if they are to avoid defeat.The galling aspect of that scenario is that West Indies could – and should – have been in a much stronger position.On the morning of the second day, they had a chance to establish a match-dominating first innings score. Resuming against a new ball 10 overs old, West Indies’ seventh-wicket pair saw off the opening spell from James Anderson – still irritable despite a night’s rest – and Stuart Broad and could look forward to a perfect day for batting. England’s bowlers were tired, the ball was becoming soft and both batsmen were well set.Instead, however, Darren Sammy fell for a sucker punch. Moments after completing a maiden Test century – a super, counter-attacking innings – he pulled a short ball from Tim Bresnan directly to Kevin Pietersen on the square leg boundary. It was a careless, unworthy end to a fine innings and it precipitated a decline that left West Indies at least 100 short of a par total.It will not do to say “that is the way Sammy plays”. His main role was to support Marlon Samuels. Sammy had to keep his adrenalin in check. Having clawed his side back into the game, he needed to make it count.

The return of Ravi Rampaul greatly strengthened West Indies’ attack. Despite his somewhat portly appearance, he can deliver long spells and the delivery he produced to dismiss Cook was a beauty

Worse was to follow. If the tourists were to have any hope of fighting their way back into the Test, they had to strike early. They almost did, too: twice Kemar Roach found the edge of Alastair Cook’s bat and twice Denesh Ramdin held good catches. But on both occasions it turned out that Roach had over-stepped and Cook was reprieved. While it might, as Oscar Wilde so nearly said, be considered unfortunate to bowl one no-ball, to bowl two in such circumstances must be considered carelessness.Most bowlers deliver the odd no-ball, of course, just as most batsmen play the occasional poor stroke. But Roach has made a habit of over stepping of late. He did so eight times in his 15 overs on the second day here. He did so 18 times at Lord’s. He did so six times in the Lions game at Northamton too. Indeed, he has delivered at least one no-ball in all but two of the 19 Tests in which he has played.Nor is he alone. Fidel Edwards was also guilty of over-stepping four times at Lord’s – Andrew Strauss was dropped at slip off one no-ball – and eight times against the Lions, while even Shane Shillingford, the offspinner, bowled three no-balls against the Lions.It is a statistic that tells of a lack of attention to detail and reflects poorly on the coach, Ottis Gibson. Such problems should have been eradicated in net sessions long ago.There were other self-inflicted blows: several mistakes in the field, some loose bowling from Sammy and Shillingford and, on the first day, the weak batting of the top order. West Indies are better than this and, when they come to reflect on this tour, they may well conclude that they did not make the most of their opportunities.It is a picture that could be expanded to take in other problems within Caribbean cricket. We know that the region continues to produce players of rare flair and talent, but we also know that they fail to make the most of them. Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine could all be available for West Indies in the third Test at Edgbaston if only there was a will from all sides to make it happen. Everything else is a detail.Kemar Roach had a day to forget as he struggled with his run-up•Getty ImagesIt is true that West Indies’ recent record, even with all their “star” players, is modest. But that only underlines the failure of successive WICB and team management regimes to make the most of the resources at their disposal. It is their role to create an environment in which the players perform to the best of their ability. There is little evidence they are doing that. Allen Stanford, before his involvement came to an abrupt end when he was convicted of a multi-billion dollar investment fraud, did something the board have been unable to do: he harnessed the substantial ability that exists within the region and produced a fit, unified team that excelled with bat, ball and in the field.”We didn’t bat as were supposed to this morning,” Sammy admitted afterwards. “The plan was for Marlon and myself to see out the first hour and to get a big score of over 450. We gave our wickets away at the end and Cook was very lucky – or we were unlucky – to twice be caught off the same bowler off no-balls. It’s disappointing. It is something Kemar and Ottis will work upon.”It was not all bad. The return of Ravi Rampaul greatly strengthened West Indies’ attack. Despite his somewhat portly appearance, Rampaul can deliver long spells (his first was 11 overs; two before and nine after lunch) and the delivery he produced to dismiss Cook – edging to the keeper for the third time in an hour at the crease – was a beauty. This may also prove to have been a breakthrough series for Samuels.It would also be a gross injustice not to praise the England performance. It is true that this pitch is so batsmen-friendly that, in years to come, the bowlers of both sides will wake up in a cold sweat having suffered flashbacks, but the batting of Strauss and, in particular, Kevin Pietersen was, at times, outstanding.Strauss produced arguably his best innings since the Brisbane Test of 2010. He outscored Pietersen for the first 100 runs they added and, cutting beautifully, pulling nicely and, crucially, also driving better than for some time, reinforced his return to form.”Sometimes batting feels difficult,” Strauss said. “With a few runs under your belt it’s easier. I’m delighted to be in form and determined to make the most of it. It’s nice to feel back in form and as a captain it’s great to contribute and lead from the front.”It is worth remembering one thing, however. By this time in May 2009, Ravi Bopara had already scored three Test centuries against this opposition in the first five months of the year. By mid-August he had been dropped. There are much tougher tests to come for Strauss and his team.

Richard Pybus is not returning to coach Bangladesh. He told ESPNcricinfo that issues with his contract and interference from administration were among his reasons for quitting

Firdose Moonda24-Oct-2012What made you interested in the Bangladesh job at the beginning?
A sports management group brought it to my attention. They’d had an inquiry from Bangladesh, and I was told Bangladesh wanted me to put my CV forward. I did so and then I got an offer to take the job. I replied that I wouldn’t take a job without meeting the administration. Although I wasn’t actually looking for this job, I thought out of respect for them that I should go out to Bangladesh and hear what they had to say.Can you explain your current position with Bangladesh cricket?
I won’t be continuing as head coach. I’ve been fulfilling my role in good faith, given that I haven’t had a contract for nearly five months. But everybody’s patience has limits and my position has been made completely untenable.Why is that?
The board, in the form of Nizamuddin Chowdhury the chief executive, approached me earlier this year on three occasions to become head coach. I turned them down twice, as I couldn’t commit to the amount of time they wanted me to be with the team and in Bangladesh, which was 320 days a year. I explained that I had family responsibilities that stop me from being away for this amount of time. The third time they approached me, I explained again, in detail, what the issues were. I said I could prepare the team in camps, tour with them and be there for all series, but I needed to get home between tours for my family. If they were happy with that, then I could do the job for them. That was when they agreed that I would be able to go home between tours. That is the heart of the matter.Did you have this agreement as both written agreement and verbal?
No, their agreement was never made explicit in the contract they presented to me in Dhaka so I refused to sign it. I tried repeatedly to resolve it. I initiated more than six meetings and discussions to make the terms of the contract negotiation transparent and offer solutions but to no avail. That is why I have decided I will not go back.Because you didn’t [have it in writing], why did you decide to go in the first place?
I felt we could work it out. My conscience is completely clear. I could not sign a contract that is different from the agreement I made when I accepted the job. I got on with the coaching but when details of my contract where leaked to the media and discussed in the public domain, I felt the BCB had made their position clear. They fundamentally undermined the principles of confidentiality and they went back on their word.Did you try to resolve the issues?
After seeking resolution on the contract problem for over three months, I spoke to the [BCB] president again about it after the WT20. I wrote up the meeting in an email to the president, CEO and director of cricket. I gave them solutions to the issues that had not been included in the contract. All of this I of course expected to be confidential.A few days later, I was contacted by Bangladesh journalists who said my contract had been leaked to them by the BCB administration. This was followed by a press statement from the BCB, saying I hadn’t signed my contract and that I’d gone away without submitting plans for the upcoming West Indies tour. This wasn’t true. The plans had been submitted nearly three weeks earlier and then rejected by Cricket Operations. They took a confidential contract discussion into the public domain and proceeded to give press statements on it, breaching the privacy and confidentiality expected in contract discussions.Are there any issues besides leave that led to your decision?
I asked for the mandate of authority and responsibility to run the national side without interference from board directors and was given that assurance by board president [Mustafa] Kamal. In reality that was never the case. My position was undermined consistently by interference from the board, some of whom were not only obstructive, but seemed to be completely ignorant of cricket.I’ve learnt in over twenty years of coaching professionally that if you don’t have full accountability and responsibility for your work, then those boundaries will be interfered with. You sink and swim with your players and coaching team. When we get it wrong we lose our jobs, that’s professional sport, we understand that. Administrators don’t lose their jobs, but when you win everyone wants ownership of it.Richard Pybus said the lack of information on the opposition compromised Bangladesh’s World Twenty20 preparation•Bangladesh Cricket BoardCan you give examples of the interference?
Definitely, there were a few times I couldn’t make any decisions as a coach without getting permission from the cricket operations department. I couldn’t even get the board to sign off on providing healthy sandwiches for the players after training. Players were going down with food poisoning during camps, so I wanted to offer them something better than a fried egg sandwich. I was told I couldn’t, because that was all the budget could afford.In our preparations for the World T20, I flagged three months earlier that our game analysis system wasn’t giving us access to detailed information about the opposition. It was a license you would not use for a schoolboy team, never mind a national team. The board dithered for weeks on this, and they still haven’t made a decision on it. Our primary opportunity to do well at the T20 World Cup was to prepare better than the opposition sides, because we had the time in our schedule, which they didn’t. The analysis was only granted to us by the time we arrived in Sri Lanka, by which time it was virtually worthless. We must have been the only side at the World T20 who hadn’t had access to basic opposition analysis.I had highlighted the issues with interference, having board directors acting operationally on tours as head of the tour delegation, when in fact that is the team manager’s job. They wanted to sit in on team meetings, the team bus and the dressing room.The captain and I left out two senior players when we were in Trinidad for a T20 competition prior to the WT20. They were carrying niggles and we wanted to rest them so they were fit for the World Cup. These players were called at 1 am in the morning after the game, with the captain, team physiotherapist and team manager. The players were given a dressing down for letting the country down and told that they could be sent home if they weren’t fit. Conveniently, I was not invited to this meeting.It was recently suggested that I hadn’t put forward preparation plans for the upcoming series against West Indies. This is quite untrue. I had done this last month, but they were rejected nearly three weeks later by the cricket operations department. Apparently, they know how to prepare better for Test cricket than the coach.When you first went to Bangladesh, you said you were excited by the challenge. Did that change at all in the course of your time there?
I’ve always been driven by winning and excellence as a coach. I knew when I took the job that the team hadn’t had a lot of ‘winning’ success, so the focus was going to be on building on the progress they had made, and focusing on getting excellence in our individual and team preparation. I took the job because I was excited about helping an emerging nation develop. I didn’t look at it as a career move. I’ve been fortunate to have achieved many of my coaching goals, and I really saw it as an opportunity to help Bangladesh to grow in cricket terms.Do you see promise in Bangladesh cricket and will you miss the players and the opportunity to help them improve?
There is promise, but they have to get their feeder structures right if they want consistent success. Richard McInnes (the National Academy director) and I proposed a streamlining of their player production system, but it was rejected. Cricket Operations refused to work with Richard in running the feeder teams to the national side. They have an exceptional young man in their captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, and genuine international potential in Shakib [Al Hasan], Tamim [Iqbal] and others. There is a core of genuinely passionate administrators, but they seemed to be swamped by politics.Is there a danger that administration of the BCB will affect the playing side of things?
They need to make changes in their corporate governance: it is vital that the operational staff are able to do their work. At present they can’t act without seeking permission from board of directors. It’s the only way to clear a path for the cricket side to be able to move forward.

The MCG pitch was quick and Australia’s attack assured, but neither were the menace Sri Lanka’s batsmen made them out to be

Andrew Fernando at the MCG26-Dec-2012On the eve of the fixture, Mahela Jayawardene was asked to recall the biggest Test crowd his side had ever played for. “Lord’s,” he offered, “and maybe Mumbai and Madras. Tomorrow might be a special day.” None of those stadia can even seat the number that stepped through turnstiles on Boxing Day in Melbourne. In Sri Lanka’s 30-year Test history, they have never had a greater crowd than the 67,138 that saw them stripped of their fight and bullied out of their senses at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.Even on a difficult tour of South Africa, spiced with green pitches and against the best pace attack in the world, Sri Lanka had not succumbed so woefully in the first innings. The Melbourne surface may have been faster than Sri Lanka had expected, but as David Warner illustrated with a boisterous 62 from 46, it was also tempered with a good deal of the benign. Likewise Australia’s attack was intense and assured, but it was hardly the menace Sri Lanka’s batsmen made it out to be.Sri Lanka had spoken of how critical stability from the top order would be to any hope of victory, but in recent Tests, the most experienced group in the team have given the most flight to failure. Sharp swing bowling might have been their downfall in the home Tests against New Zealand, but at the MCG, they fashioned a collapse from indiscipline.Tillakaratne Dilshan can cite his sparkling Hobart ton as justification for a hyper-aggressive approach despite the presence of swing, but even the “that’s how I play” defense will be stretched thin by the baffling swipe across the line that allowed a Mitchell Johnson inswinger to disturb his stumps. There is a grey area between audacity and imprudence that players of Dilshan’s ilk are allowed to tread, but there is a limit to talent, and fetching a straightening delivery on a fast surface with as wild a stroke as that is perhaps task beyond any batsman.Mahela Jayawardene was out wafting at a delivery that was never threatening the stumps early in his innings. It is a manner of dismissal that has almost defined his career outside Sri Lanka, and severely frustrated his claims to batting greatness. Deliveries of that line trouble most batsmen early in their innings, but for a man of Jayawardene’s talent, he has been staggeringly incapable of overcoming that weakness. In the last two years, he has averaged under 18 outside Asia, in eight Tests.Thilan Samaraweera was out hooking – a rarity for him, which makes his dismissal so puzzling it is almost unfathomable. Angelo Mathews then drove hard at a wide one, when Sri Lanka’s innings was already in tatters. There is occasional merit in launching a counterattack, especially on a pitch as good as this for batting, but having seen three of his team-mates out to loose strokes already, perhaps Mathews would have been better served by the resolve he has so often proved himself capable of. He is saved from the most exacting scrutiny by the shortcomings of the seniors above him, but he will likely be Test captain soon and he will then find moments of such incaution will attract far less generous assessments.It is difficult to suggest a method of improvement, because as coach Graham Ford noted after play, Sri Lanka’s collapse was no major fault of technique. It has been the case throughout their last few innings, where various batsmen have looked in form at different times but they have stumbled collectively. Much of the talk from the Sri Lanka camp before the match had been about staying grounded despite the significance of the Boxing Day Test, but perhaps that is a mental feat they did not quite manage.”Some of it could be as a result of it being such a big occasion and the boys have been looking forward to it for such a long time,” Ford said. “I think the desire to do well is extremely high, which at times can create a little extra pressure. It’s not a technical thing, and I certainly know it’s not a work ethic thing. The guys have worked unbelievably hard on skills that are required in these conditions. Once you get out there though, you’ve got to have a clear mind and you’ve got to make good decisions. I think Kumar showed just how important that is.”The capitulation was all the more disheartening because the day could have been one of celebration for Sri Lanka’s greatest batsman. Kumar Sangakkara batted with the poise and skill entirely befitting a man who confirmed himself statistically among cricket’s batting elite by crossing the 10,000-run threshold. He struck a trio of sublime boundaries off Johnson a few overs before an immaculate cover drive brought up the milestone just before lunch, as the biggest crowd he has ever played for roared their appreciation. By becoming equal fastest to the mark alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, and one innings ahead of Ricky Ponting, Sangakkara’s achievement is Sri Lanka’s second-best individual success after Muttiah Muralitharan’s wicket tally, but his day’s memories will be marred by the meekness of his colleagues. He deserves better than that from the team he has served so consistently, for so long.Sri Lanka’s bowling attack now finds itself having to bring the team into a match that may already have slipped away, when it was that batting that ought to have hidden the attack’s inadequacies with a big total. Sri Lanka have stressed that this is a bowling attack in transition throughout the tour, but judging from the scorecards so far, you would think it was their batting that has been weak, green and ineffective.

From Doug Perrins, United Kingdom
I write regarding the state of English cricket and what, in my opinion, should be done before Australia arrive next summer

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013Doug Perrins, United Kingdom
I write regarding the state of English cricket and what, in my opinion, should be done before Australia arrive next summer. Firstly, the announcement of Michael Vaughan stepping down from the captaincy was premature by one match. He should have seen the series through at The Oval before blooding the next captain. Alastair Cook (former Under-21 captain!) should be the next Test captain and he would have learnt a great deal having Michael Vaughan on the field next to him giving instructions at The Oval, he won’t even be there let alone advise.Have a look at how Michael Clarke is being prepared by Ricky Ponting in the Australian set up, always listening and being included in the decision making with the other senior players. Kevin Pietersen is not a captain, a talent but not a captain. His decisions in certain situations in this series have let England down badly, not to mention his captain. There has been suggestions that he should be either dropped or made captain, both of these are wrong, keep him at four and teach him how to play “team cricket”.The another strong candidate is Andrew Strauss, he has won a series, has respect and is playing very good cricket. He must be slightly confused as to how he is not on top of the pecking order, considering he was covering Vaughan in the last test at certain times.The selectors have mis-managed this team with some daft selections. Dropping Collingwood for a game due to form was sensible, so he went back to his county, played a couple of limited over matches and failed. So there was no basis for him to be re-instated to the test team, not a very good message being sent out to players in waiting (Bopra, Shah etc.). The selectors got lucky with his second innings hundred, very lucky. Stuart Broad was told he was tired and that he needed a break (he wasn’t, he was dropped), so he goes back to his county and was bowling quick, getting wickets with no signs of fatigue.If you’re good enough, you’re old enough. Ryan Sidebottom is injured, so why play him? England cannot continue to carry Monty Panesar, a good bowler but terrible batsman and fielder. On a wicket that was supposed to of “aided” him as the match progressed, he returned with the match figures of 40-3-116-2 (ave 58 rpw!), scored 1 run and dropped catches. Sorry but he should be “rested” and Rashid from Yorkshire given a go at The Oval for the experience. My Oval test team should be: Cook (C), Strauss, Bell, Pietersen, Bopra, Collingwood, Flintoff, Foster (WK), Rashid, Broad, Anderson.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that many international Test sides are experiencing batting fragility; a solid technique is often sacrificed in limited-overs cricket, in favour of a bit of extra power and the subsequent higher likelihood of boundaries

Jacob Astill25-Feb-2013I recently read an article from ESPNcricinfo’s assistant editor, Sidharth Monga, entitled “Why pay lip service to Test cricket?”, where he listed his very strong viewpoints about the possibility (or lack thereof) of successful coexistence between Test matches and Twenty20 cricket, specifically the IPL. Honestly, I found this article fascinating. As an Australian, I’ve never understood the IPL. I’ve never watched it, never had any interest in it, and genuinely could not even tell you if it’s televised in Australia or not.To hear an Indian vilify what many fanatical supporters consider to be the cricket world’s entertainment centrepiece, though, made me sit up and take notice. Sidharth made many points that I inherently agreed with, specifically that Twenty20 cricket has ruined what are considered ‘classical’ cricketing skills. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that many international Test sides are experiencing batting fragility; a solid technique is often sacrificed in limited-overs cricket, in favour of a bit of extra power and the subsequent higher likelihood of boundaries being scored. The consistent line and length valued in Tests, meanwhile, supposedly makes bowlers easier to hit in these shorter games.Sidharth then went further than I thought I’d ever see any Indian fan go when speaking of the IPL: he showed insight in stating that “Twenty20 is killing Tests”, while also comparing the competition to a parasite, stating “the IPL is taking from Indian domestic cricket and is giving back nothing.To end, Sidharth said with a hint of sarcasm that rather than ‘pretending to care’, we might as well let Test cricket ‘die with dignity’. But why should the original format of cricket, the game from whence all other games stemmed, be the one to step aside? I liken this to asking the sophisticated, cultured, eternal genius of Sachin Tendulkar to step aside in favour of a brash, aggressive 17 year old who can plonk the ball over the pickets a couple of times a season, but who is ultimately is an unsustainable attraction.For those of us who have an unblinkered view of the world of cricket, Test matches, when played properly, are the ultimate cricketing contest. The skills, stamina, and concentration levels of 22 players are tested to their fullest extent for five days. A close Test match (of which there are many examples if you know where to look) can be more exciting than a dozen close finishes in Twenty20 cricket.On the reverse, the boundary rainfall that we inevitably see in Twenty20 cricket ends up becoming, well, boring. The bowlers end up looking like bowling machines for batsmen to have their way with, in what no one can deny is a lopsided contest between bat and ball. And while a last-over finish in Twenty20 may be exciting when taken individually, when you consider that the teams only have 240 balls in which to find a difference between themselves, then it’s not surprising that these close finishes are a dime a dozen.Now all this is not to say that Test cricket is faultless. There are boring Test series, but that has more to do with the quality of pitches than the bowlers. The Edgbaston Test match in England against West Indies has featured some interesting management of the playing-light situation, but we’ve still managed to see some enthralling cricket between a team looking to instil itself as the best in the world, and a West Indies side that is a genuine underdog.One-day cricket has no potential to bring in new markets like Twenty20 does, nor does it have the gravitas of Test cricket•AFPOne thing Sidharth neglected to take into consideration is that outside India and the West Indies, the vast, vast majority of Test cricketers would sacrifice their pay-packet from the IPL to be allowed to fulfil the highest honour: to represent the country in Test cricket. Yes, nearly every player ‘desires’ to play the IPL. But this desire is not a ‘want’, it is often a ‘need’.The West Indies and New Zealand boards seemingly don’t pay their international players a decent wage, and therefore they need to play in the IPL. Australian cricketers don’t play in the IPL because it has been a lifelong dream, but they do it because they can get a few hundred thousand dollars for eight weeks’ work. Just because Virender Sehwag and some other Indian cricketers don’t set any store in Test cricket that doesn’t mean the rest of the world doesn’t either.While the IPL remains popular, Twenty20 cricket is most likely not going anywhere. And Test cricket should not be made to go. If the manufactured clash between these two forms of the game is not an ideological dispute but a genuine concern for player workload and welfare, then I present a compromise. We need to remove 50-overs cricket from the international schedule.I consider the fact that the one-day form of the game has been neglected in the conversation about player workload means that it has been forgotten, because 50-overs cricket is absolutely not the format that is “here to stay”. As I write this, the Australian side are preparing to head to England and Ireland for a few weeks, for six one-dayers in a four week period. No Test matches, just another meaningless one-day series. And this is after England play three one-dayers in a week against West Indies following the Tests. Nothing like England playing eight one-dayers in a month to lessen the oppressive workload on their players …This upcoming period is not the only example over the last few years of international teams neglecting the Test matches and playing just one-dayers. And don’t think showpiece tournaments like last year’s World Cup are untouchable. Yes, India won and they did very well to put all the pressure from their home fans aside, and it made us all feel warm and fuzzy deep inside. But the tournament took six weeks to conclude. Meanwhile, this year’s Olympic Games will host approximately 300 events, packing them into just two weeks.Australia’s end-of-season tri-series seems to take twice as long as the World Cup, and what is the Champion’s Trophy (which, mercifully, will be scrapped after the 2013 edition) but an excuse to try and get more cricket on the calendar every two years? All this and yet Australia and South Africa have to square off in a two Test series (predictably finishing 1-1).Wise men like Kevin Pietersen have seen the writing on the wall, with the naturalised Englishman saying that he quit 50-overs cricket because he feared “falling out of love with cricket”. He’s still going to play Test cricket. Of those players who decide to pick and choose international formats when nearing the end of their careers, you don’t see anyone opting not to play Test cricket if they actually believe they’d keep getting picked.Since the commencement of Twenty20, the 50-overs version is no longer the cool younger brother to Test cricket, the format you take your girlfriend or your kids to while the national board sits back and counts the money. It has no potential to bring in new markets like Twenty20 does, nor does it have the gravitas of Test cricket, the traditional game for lovers of cricket.In short, the 50-overs format is irrelevant, and it should be treated as such. Test cricket does need some work, with some experimentation with night-time Test matches hopefully coming soon. But those who consider the IPL be brilliant and faultless and the only way to entertain the cricketing public should remember there are others out there who still love their Test cricket. So why get rid of it?

The IPL bandwagon comes with bells and whistles to the ambitious capital of Chhattisgarh

Rachna Shetty in Raipur27-Apr-2013The signs of the great Indian cricketing circus greet you in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.Mostly there are large hoardings of Delhi Daredevils stars, and a few also feature Chhattisgarh’s chief minister Raman Singh. Some Pune Warriors cricketers attended a showroom inauguration in the city, which was enough to gridlock some of the roads as fans waited outside with mobile phones in their hands. In between commenting on how good-looking a few of the Warriors’ foreign players were, a group of young girls discussed whether Shah Rukh Khan would make it here for the Kolkata Knight Riders’ match on May 1.Raipur was allotted two IPL games in January after the chief minister invited GMR, the owners of the Daredevils franchise, to host some of their home matches here. Following inspections and a few meetings, the approvals came in, and in February the state’s public works department swung into action to spruce up the ground in time; they completed work on the interior in less than two months.”We decided to play here to honour an invitation from the government of Chhattisgarh, which wanted to showcase their stadium and its facilities to the world, and this is a great platform to do that,” a Daredevils spokesperson said.There is talk also about a power plant that GMR is supposedly setting up in the state, near Raipur, but the connections between the business and cricket are for now mostly tenuous.The long road that separates the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium from the city of Raipur is flanked by vast stretches of farms, grazing pastures, and the odd concrete structure. This road connects Raipur to its new twin city, Naya Raipur, the planned administrative capital of Chhattisgarh, where the state government’s functionaries will be housed.Two structures stand out: the stadium and the Swami Vivekananda Airport, a swanky structure of glass and chrome, both gleaming edifices of modernity.The stadium is a hive of activity as the local association’s officials prepare for their first big show – the Sunday game between Daredevils and Warriors.Raipur’s first IPL match is as much a testimony to political will as it is to cricket’s mass following. Much of Chhattisgarh’s cricket history is shared with Madhya Pradesh, the state from which it was carved in 2000. Raipur’s selection as an IPL venue may have been baffling – the city is more than 1000km from Delhi, and was not seen as a catchment area or a cricketing outpost for the Daredevils franchise – but now, a few days before the game, the doubts are dispelled. The stadium looks every bit the picture of the modern sports arena it was intended to be. The media facilities have been redone, the corporate boxes are plush, and roofs cover the rest of the ground, giving the ordinary spectator enough comfort from the stifling heat.This is a big test for the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Association, which has been an associate member of the BCCI for the last five years. A couple of smoothly organised games will strengthen their case for full-time membership. In the five years that it has been a member, the association has organised age-group tournaments and inter-district tournaments, but this is its first brush with the real big time.In an interview with a local newspaper, the chief minister spoke about how the IPL would pave the way for Raipur to host Ranji games, ODIs, and perhaps even a Test match, a sentiment echoed by Rajesh Dave, secretary of the cricket association. “This is the first time a match of this magnitude is taking place in Raipur and we have had a great response from the crowd. It is an important match for us,” he said.And yet, in the midst of all this modernity and talk of planning, there are quaint reminders of the recent past. Open fields near the stadium have been converted into parking lots; match day brings the promise of unrivalled chaos on the road.The ordinary fans are more concerned about things like getting into the stadium rather than the association’s ambitions. Tickets for both matches are nearly sold out but people are still lining up in the hope that they may get lucky.Umesh Marwah, a salesman at a local store, was one such, keen to take his children to the game. “I’m definitely going to try and buy some tickets for the Kolkata game [on May 1]. I may even get to see Shah Rukh Khan,” he said.At a local ice-cream parlour, 20-year-old Dinesh Mishra was thrilled when asked about his plans for the match, for which he booked tickets as soon as they were available online. “A group of us are going to cheer for Delhi at the ground. We are planning to visit the team hotels so we get to see some cricketers up close.”The chief minister on a billboard, in whites, to promote the matches•Rachna Shetty/ESPNcricinfo LtdClose to the ground, a couple of men were waiting at a safe distance from the lathi-bearing policemen and traffic barricades to see the team bus. One of them said he was there to catch a glimpse of Irfan Pathan and Yuvraj Singh. The tickets, starting at around Rs 850, were too expensive for him, he said.At the ground, which is cordoned off with tight security, a group of policemen craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the cricketers arriving or leaving the ground, awestruck and momentarily oblivious of their law-and-order duties.If you leave the politics and the business aspects of it aside, Raipur presents solid reasons why the IPL can think of moving a couple of games every season away from the big cities and into the smaller towns. Matches can be used as incentives to spur local associations to bring their cricketing infrastructure up to the mark and to maintain these facilities and conduct local matches. For the franchises, it opens up new fan bases, and in terms of cricketing investment, helps create a pool of local players. And there is, of course, the bigger cricketing reason: of just taking the game to places where it is loved and appreciated.