New Zealand headed into the final Test missing Ross Taylor, Trent Boult and Tim Southee, but they found unlikely heroes when no one gave them a chance

Firdose Moonda in Hamilton28-Mar-2017″No Ross Taylor, no Trent Boult, what chance?” asked the ahead of the Wellington Test. None, was the answer.New Zealand were defeated inside three days and it was hard to tell who they missed more. Although the batting collapse made the headlines, a bowler like Boult might have been able to break the Temba Bavuma-Quinton de Kock partnership that seized the advantage from New Zealand’s clenched fists and flung frustration in their face instead.Kane Williamson insisted that was just “one bad day” in a summer of 11 Tests, dating back to August, and that New Zealand could come to Hamilton with hope.But it seemed everything was against them.Six days before the match, it was confirmed that Taylor would not be available for selection because his calf tear had not healed. Two days before the match, Tim Southee joined him on the sidelines with a hamstring problem. A day before the match, Boult was also ruled out because his groin strain remained an issue. All five days of the Test were due to be affected by rain, three of them almost in their entirety.No Taylor, no Southee, no Boult, no hope for a full game. What chance?At first there was a fair chance for a repeat of the last match. New Zealand had South Africa under pressure at 190 for 6 and de Kock got them out of it, again. He was playing with an injured finger himself.Then it looked as though a draw could be the only result. Most of the middle session on the second day wasn’t played because a brief – but heavy – shower needed almost two hours to mop up. The third morning was delayed by the same amount of time after an overnight drizzle, and New Zealand were still playing their first innings. By the time they took the lead, it was so late that there were effectively only two days left to force something, but Mitchell Santner seemed happy to spend both of them blocking.Colin de Grandhomme had hardly justified his billing as an allrounder before his maiden Test fifty in this Test•Getty ImagesJust 30 runs came in the first hour and fifteen minutes of the fourth day, and even though it was Williamson, captain and centurion at the other end, New Zealand seemed in no mood to rush, mostly because South Africa did not give them that chance. For the most part, South Africa bowled well. With an old ball on a pitch that didn’t offer much, they could not really make things happen. They could prevent things from happening though, and they did. Their lines remained tight. Even with only a four-man attack at their disposal, they shared responsibility well, with the quicks rotating at one end and Keshav Maharaj operating at the other.It was only when the Kane pin fell – he was furious for top-edging a pull – when Santner’s stubborn stay ended the ball before lunch, and the lead approached 100, that an unlikely hero emerged: Colin de Grandhomme.When de Grandhomme took 6 for 41 on debut, he was knighted a working-class hero – a bowler who did not reach great speeds, get great swing or generate great bounce, but somehow had a great game. Usually those types do one amazing thing and then go back to trying hard. De Grandhomme seemed headed that way. He would be a workhorse, to be called on when needed and overlooked when not, no dramas. He was left out of the first Test, was asked to open the bowling and did it pretty well in the second, and was placed in the slip cordon in the third. He had hardly justified his billing as an allrounder though, with his batting hidden until this innings.Sure, he was batting against an attack that had spent nearly 140 overs in the field and would go on to spend another 22, so it was hardly the most fire he will face. Sure, he had reprieves when the likes of Dean Elgar and Bavuma were asked to relieve the specialist bowlers. And sure, he had the licence to attack. But he did it well. De Grandhomme accelerated at the right time, struck the ball cleanly and ensured New Zealand’s lead was enough to become troublesome.Then he opened the bowling with the kind of discipline that taxes any batsman who has spent 12 hours in the field. He tested their tired minds and Dean Elgar’s was spent. So too was Hashim Amla’s. The mix-up that caused the run-out of Theunis de Bruyn came the over after de Grandhomme was replaced by Wagner, who managed not to send down a short ball for an entire over to leave Amla wondering when the surprise was coming. No wonder he wanted to get off strike. And it was de Grandhomme who accepted the catch when Amla chased the width offered by Jeetan Patel.New Zealand will need more of their players to be like de Grandhomme on the final day. South Africa have been in situations like this before and not simply gone away. Faf du Plessis has been in situations like this before and batted out time, exhausting the opposition’s attack. De Kock doesn’t care what the situation is, he can change it on his own in a short space of time.As long as they are there, South Africa are in it. But even with no Taylor, no Boult, no Southee and perhaps rain, New Zealand have every chance.

The Champions Trophy has produced some captivating moments and storylines over the years. How many of these do you recall?

Andrew McGlashan29-May-2017When Sachin and Glenn sledged
These two titans of the game had many great encounters. This one, in the 2000 Champions Trophy, was a feisty little affair. Sachin Tendulkar’s final tally was 38 off 37 balls – useful but not in itself defining – but it was an enthralling battle while it lasted. In later years Tendulkar recalled how, in a rare example of him having a few words to a bowler, he told Glenn McGrath he would “hit him out of the ground”. McGrath responded with a chirp, then Tendulkar launched a thrilling attack. After skewing an edge over third man in the third over, he then twice waltzed down the pitch in the fifth – sending McGrath for a straight six and then a four. More was to follow in the seventh, when McGrath dropped a touch short and was dispatched over deep square leg. A trademark back-foot square drive completed the collection before Tendulkar fell to Brett Lee, but he wasn’t done. Tendulkar’s subsequent dismissal of Ricky Ponting would prove instrumental in a 20-run victory, as Australia, the reigning world champions, were eliminated in the quarter-finals.Yuvraj Singh made his debut in the 2000 Champions Trophy, and 17 years later is back again•AFPYuvraj’s beginning
It was a match with more than a few subplots. After the McGrath-Tendulkar joust, India slipped to 90 for 3 and the game was in the balance. Up stepped 18-year-old Yuvraj Singh, playing his second ODI but batting for the first time, having not been needed on debut against Kenya. He would go on to plunder 12 boundaries in a thrilling 80-ball 84. There was a chance offered when he edged through Mark Waugh at slip, but he went to his half-century with arguably the shot of his innings – a pristine on-drive off McGrath. Such was his dominance that he had been at the crease less than 20 overs and a century was beckoning when he fell to Shane Lee. However, Yuvraj’s day wasn’t done. In the 32nd over of Australia’s chase he pulled off a direct hit run-out to remove Michael Bevan. Seventeen years later, he is the only player from the 2000 event who will take part in 2017.Cairns downs India
The 2000 tournament – still called the ICC Knockout – provided New Zealand with their one piece of global silverware. The side that had competed strongly at the 1999 World Cup remained together, but victory in the final over against India was largely down to one man. Chris Cairns, who had missed the semi-final against Pakistan with a knee injury, came in at 82 for 3 chasing 265 and New Zealand were soon 132 for 5. Cairns and Chris Harris then added 122, skilfully keeping the required rate in sight while knowing they couldn’t afford further slips. Cairns struck two sixes, one a glorious straight drive off Anil Kumble, before reaching his hundred in the penultimate over. Although Harris fell next ball, victory was within New Zealand’s grasp and Cairns swung a full toss through square leg to seal it.The first victim of the early DRS
The review system is now an accepted part of international cricket – when money allows – so much so that even India have come around to it. These days, there is a multitude of technology (not all of which works perfectly) available to the umpire, but in the early days of expanding TV’s decision-making role, it was rather more rudimentary. The first tentative steps were taken at the 2002 Champions Trophy when on-field umpires – not the players – were given the opportunity to check lbws with the third umpire. A little bit of history befell Shoaib Malik when he was given out against Sri Lanka. Chaminda Vaas struck him on the pads and Daryl Harper went upstairs to ask Rudi Koertzen whether it pitched outside leg: only that and height were within the third umpire’s remit; there was no predictive element. After about 30 seconds, Malik was given out, when Koertzen relayed his decision back to Harper. The system took a while – and numerous trials – to evolve but the technological tide had turned.The scoreboard did not make pretty reading for USA against New Zealand in 2004•AFPAmerica come a cropper
Once a great hope for the game, USA are now more fragmented than ever, and seem on the verge of expulsion from the ICC. In 2004, they had their one moment in the global spotlight, having qualified by winning the ICC Six Nations Challenge on net run rate. The two matches at the Champions Trophy remain their only one-day internationals. Not unexpectedly, they were a sobering experience. USA opened against New Zealand, who piled up 347 for 4 – the fifth-wicket stand of 136 between Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan coming off 46 balls. An opening partnership of 52 in nine overs showed some gumption, but USA then collapsed to 137, with former West Indies opener Clayton Lambert top-scoring on 37. That, though, wasn’t a patch on three days later against Australia: USA 65 all out, and the runs were knocked off with 253 balls remaining. At 191 balls in total, it remains the shortest completed ODI in England or Wales.Ian Bradshaw and Courtney Browne wrested the Champions Trophy away from England in 2004•AFP / Getty ImagesWest Indies dance in the dark
The most famous day (and almost night) in Champions Trophy history. It had been a largely triumphant season for England, who won all seven of their Tests, and in the damp and chill of a autumn, they had shown enough nous to reach the final of this tournament. Although they could only muster 217 – Marcus Trescothick made 104 – Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood reduced West Indies to 147 for 8. A first global trophy was within England’s grasp, only for Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw to play the innings of their lives. As the evening closed in, a partnership that began as an irritant then turned the game on its head. Darren Gough struggled to revive his glory days, and with Michael Vaughan having thrown his lot in with Harmison and Flintoff earlier, only Collingwood and Alex Wharf (or the unbowled Ashley Giles) remained for the conclusion. By then, the West Indies pair were in and defying the conditions. Off the penultimate ball of the 49th over, Bradshaw flayed Wharf to spark wild celebrations.Thanks, Sharad, it’s time for us to celebrate•AFPAustralia get pushy
Australia had lost their opening match of the 2006 tournament against West Indies, but pulled themselves together – including an impressive victory over India – and gained revenge with a thumping victory in the final. As is often the case for events such as these, the presentation was not a swift affair. Australia wanted nothing more than to just celebrate, and when they were eventually handed the trophy, Damien Martyn proceeded to give Sharad Pawar, the president of the BCCI, a little nudge to urge him off stage. It didn’t go unnoticed. “They are supposed to be aggressive, even rude on the field. On Sunday, Australia showed they are not exactly polite off it too,” said the . Even Sachin Tendulkar had his say: “I was not watching the proceedings, but from what I heard, it was unpleasant and uncalled for.” Ricky Ponting, Australia’s captain, tried to calm tensions. “I’ll be doing the best I can to get my point across to the concerned people in India and let them know we were not trying to embarrass them or anything like that.”Run out: Graeme Smith was not impressed when he was denied a runner in 2009•Getty ImagesCramped up
England had flayed their way to 323 on the Highveld – their innings included 12 sixes, with Owais Shah making 98 off 89 balls and Eoin Morgan 67 off 34 – but in reply Graeme Smith forged a magnificent century that kept South Africa firmly in the hunt of a demanding chase. His hundred came off 104 balls and they began the last ten overs needing 94; steep, but certainly chaseable in the conditions. Then Smith started to struggle with cramp, and at the end of the 44th over – with him on 124 – he called for a runner. However, England captain Andrew Strauss refused, arguing cramp was a conditioning issue rather than one of fitness. This did not go down well with Smith, who eventually carved into the deep for 141. England won, and the ICC came out in support of Strauss’ stance, banning runners full stop from international cricket a couple of years later.West Indies were sent out of the 2013 tournament by the narrowest possible margin•Getty ImagesThe rain falls in South Africa’s favour
Rain has followed South Africa around global tournaments: they were stuffed by the weather at the 1992 World Cup, had only themselves to blame in 2003, when they misread the Duckworth-Lewis sheet and crashed out of their own event, and cursed the heavy shower in Auckland that interrupted their charge in the 2015 semi-final. In 2013, though, the calculations smiled on them. Kieron Pollard had taken West Indies to the brink of victory – which would have knocked South Africa out – when he fell to Ryan McLaren. The wicket meant that the teams were tied in the DL reckoning (like it had been for South Africa in Durban ten years previously). There was no chance for Darren Sammy to face before the players left the field. The two teams got a point apiece, and so South Africa progressed by virtue of their better net run rate.That’s done it: Ishant Sharma turned the tables at Edgbaston•AFPIshant Sharma’s trophy-winning double whammy
The Champions Trophy final was reduced to 20 overs a side due to rain. With Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara together, England appeared on track to chase 130, having been struggling on 46 for 4. The early damage was caused by spin, but then pace changed the game for India. With consecutive deliveries, Ishant Sharma had Morgan caught at midwicket, then Bopara was snaffled at square: c Ashwin b Sharma had derailed England. When Jos Buttler was bowled first ball by Ravi Jadeja in the penultimate over, there was too much left to do for the lower order. India, under MS Dhoni, had added the title to their wins in the 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup.

The squad to tour Sri Lanka hints that the selectors have understood the importance of wristspinners and attacking middle-order batsmen

Sidharth Monga14-Aug-20174:20

Dasgupta: Selectors looking ahead to 2019

India’s selectors have finally made the big call of leaving Yuvraj Singh out of the ODI squad. His experience had counted in his favour at the big event – the Champions Trophy – and though the door has not yet been firmly shut on him it is a lot more ajar for batsmen such as Suresh Raina, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer. Expect some rotation of personnel in one-day cricket, which India will see a lot of in the coming months.There are three ODI series during the home season, and one in South Africa in the new year. India hope to get a clearer picture of their World Cup squad by the time they travel to England next year, also the venue for the next World Cup.Apart from bringing back Manish Pandey and KL Rahul, who would have been in the Champions Trophy squad but for injuries, India have also left out R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for the ODIs in Sri Lanka. With confirmation coming that Ashwin is to play county cricket and Jadeja also looking for a county, this is more serious than their just being rested. All the top teams are starting to rely on wristspinners to take wickets in the middle overs of an ODI. India have often been exposed in this area, especially on flat tracks, which is what you get in limited-overs cricket.If their replacements – Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, both wristspinners – grab their chances the World Cup squad might just be too small for both Ashwin and Jadeja.Soon after a Man-of-the-Series performance, Ajinkya Rahane might be fighting for his ODI place•AFPIt will be more difficult for Yuvraj to force his way back, though. The competition for batting slots is intense. Even after winning the Man-of-the-Series award in the West Indies ODIs, Ajinkya Rahane will struggle to make the first XI now.Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are back as the first-choice openers, and Rahul is likely to be tried in the middle order and be present as back-up opener too. Rahane has performed similar duties, but he has a history of struggling to maintain a good strike-rate once the ball gets old. With Dhawan and Rohit back, and if Rahul can do adapt to the demands of a middle-order batsman, Rahane might be left without a role.Then there are Iyer, Raina and Pant, who are on the outside now but remain firmly in the scheme of things. ESPNcricinfo understands that India are keeping an eye on Raina’s fitness, and will test him in the A series against New Zealand later this year. If Raina is fit and in form, his experience and utility will make sure a player like Yuvraj is not missed. Had Pant done well in the A tour of South Africa, like Pandey and Iyer did, he would have put more pressure on MS Dhoni, who stays the No. 1 wicketkeeper.Performance in A tour has also got Shardul Thakur a chance as India have rested Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav. Jaydev Unadkat, who brings a left-arm variation, continues to be on the radar. The selectors are also keeping an eye on Krunal Pandya for the spinner’s job outside the two Test spinners and the three selected for this tour: Kuldeep, Chahal and Axar Patel. Krunal, though, is likely to be introduced in T20 cricket first.Overall, this selection shows that the selectors and the team management are aware of India’s issues in limited-overs cricket. They were perhaps aware of them even when they selected the Champions Trophy squad, but didn’t want to blood in Kuldeep in a big event or miss out on the experience of Yuvraj. It was strange then that many of the same players went to West Indies, but that might have been because of the uncertainty in the team’s leadership and a short turnaround between the two series. Now, you can see a clearer direction in the selections, and India still have time on their side.

While England, Australia and India need one more win to qualify, New Zealand and South Africa might need to win both their remaining matches

Shiva Jayaraman12-Jul-2017The five teams that are currently at the top of the points table are still in contention for a place in the semi-finals of the 2017 Women’s World Cup. As things stand now, five wins guarantee teams a place in the semis. While England, Australia and India need one more win to book a place in the last-four, New Zealand and South Africa might have to win both their remaining matches to guarantee a place in the knockouts – number of wins is the first tie-breaker after points, followed by NRR*. However, qualification on 8 or 7 points is still a possibility for teams – a more realistic one for some than the others.Assuming all the remaining matches end in a result, here’s what the teams have to do to book a place in the semi-finals of this World Cup.England
Still to play: New Zealand and West Indies
England are through to the semis should they win one of their remaining matches. Given their healthy NRR, they are the best-placed team to qualify for the last four on eight points too – that is, without another win – provided one of the other four teams in contention, preferably South Africa or New Zealand, lose both their matches.Australia
Still to play: India and South Africa
They will be assured of a place in the semis if they win any one of their two remaining games. Even if Australia lose both their remaining matches, they could qualify on points ahead of New Zealand if the latter ends up losing both their remaining games. They could also qualify ahead of England on NRR if England lose both their remaining matches.India
Still to play: Australia and New Zealand
A win in one their remaining games will assure them of a place in the semis. England’s win against Australia has drastically slashed the odds of India qualifying with just four wins. Nevertheless, it is still a mathematical possibility and could happen in one of the following two ways: South Africa lose both their remaining matches – an unlikely event considering that South Africa play their next match against the less fancied Sri Lanka – or, England lose both their matches by very heavy margins so that the teams are tied on 8 points and India’s NRR (number of wins being the same) manages to creep above England’s.New Zealand
Still to play: India and England
They could go through even with one win if one of the other four teams in contention lose both their remaining games. However, if South Africa also win only one of their remaining games and the all the three other teams in contention manage to win at least one match each, then it will be down to NRR between South Africa and New Zealand for a place in the semis. Provided they don’t lose their games by a very big margin, New Zealand are likely to come on top in the NRR battle.South Africa
Still to play: Sri Lanka and Australia
Their situation is similar to that of New Zealand’s. They could go through with only one win provided one of the other teams in contention lose both their matches. A tie for the fourth place on 9 points with New Zealand is a possibility for South Africa and they should make sure that they boost up their NRR as much as possible in their match against Sri Lanka. A tie for the fourth place on seven points with New Zealand is likely to not end well for South Africa as New Zealand currently have the healthiest NRR among all teams.*The tournament regulations stipulate that if teams are tied on equal points, then number of wins will be considered before NRR to decide who finishes ahead. In the unlikely event that both number of wins and NRR are exactly the same, head-to-head between the teams will be considered to break the tie. So for example if South Africa’s match against Sri Lanka is washed out and they lose to Australia, they will finish with eight points. Should India or England fail to win either of their remaining games and tie with South Africa on eight points, then the latter will be knocked out based on the number of wins.

Vidarbha’s senior-most statesman, who also played mentor to the side this season, speaks about what keeps him going

Vishal Dikshit in Indore01-Jan-2018It’s coach Chandrakant Pandit’s first season with Vidarbha and the team has won straightaway. What did he bring into the dressing room?
Vidarbha had the talent but I think he brought a lot of discipline, a lot of strictness, he brought the players out of their comfort zone – which was required I feel. These players have the talent but sometimes you need to push them; they don’t know their limits. So with me around, Subroto [Banerjee, the bowling coach] around and Chandu around, you can see what they can do. Even at the start of the season, when I looked around the squad, I could see that if everything fell into place… We had a good fast-bowling attack, we had a spin attack, I mean a player like Karn Sharma is sitting out of the team, so you can imagine the quality. So at the start of the season I thought we could do something special and here we are, winning the Ranji Trophy.Last season, Vidarbha won only two matches and you didn’t play…
I missed last season because of injury, I was obviously very sad about it because I missed almost all the season. So I was very keen to come back and play. Just play as much as I can, as long as I can. I was very keen and with Chandu around, I know how he operates, so it makes it easier.You made your first-class debut in 1996-97 and here you are in 2018. What keeps you going?
I think just about playing, to be honest. I don’t know anything other than playing cricket. I know I can do a bit of coaching and a bit of commentating, but it won’t give me as much joy. There’s always time to do a lot of these things. As long as I can play and I’m enjoying and helping these players with anything that I can, it gives me a lot of satisfaction. This is the joy that keeps me going and there’s not many years left in me, but currently I’m enjoying playing and I want to continue as long as I can – till my fitness allows me.Vidarbha captain Faiz Fazal and coach Chandrakant Pandit address the media after the victory•ESPNcricinfo Ltd/ Vishal DikshitYou have been the highest run-scorer in Ranji cricket for some time now. Are statistics important to you?
They are to some extent but you don’t need to play for the statistics obviously, you need to enjoy the game. You don’t need to put too much pressure [on yourself] through statistics. As long as you enjoy the sport, as long as you enjoy what you are doing and you are contributing to the team, you don’t need to be a burden on the side. I think that holds a lot more importance than statistics.How different is it to win the title for a side like Vidarbha, compared to for a team that is expected to win from the outset?
The answer lies in the question itself because, when you play for Mumbai, you are expected to win. With the side that Mumbai always has got, people are not surprised. But when a team wins like this, people are surprised, players get noticed. I think it’s the kick-start they probably need in their careers – that they can beat the best of the players, best of the teams, that’s going to take them forward. This is a stepping stone for them, it’s a start and they need to carry forward this position they have brought themselves into. They’ve got the quality, they have the belief, now it’s about keeping their consistency.How is it different for you, personally?
It is different. When we played against Karnataka, I don’t think many people gave us a chance. Even on the second day, when they were 80 runs ahead, myself and Chandu told the team that you need to believe that things can change, there are so many overs to play and the pitch is doing all sorts of things, we just need to keep the belief. We said that even if we lose, people won’t be surprised if we lose, but we need to lose fighting the battle, we shouldn’t give up. So that’s what we said and things changed and here we are. Even here [in the final] on the first day, they were 260-270 for 6 and then in the next session things changed completely. [Rajneesh] Gurbani took a hat-trick and that probably changed the scenario. So that belief is probably what they needed and it’s an amazing feeling. As I said, nobody probably believed that I’d play another Ranji final but here I am with my ninth Ranji Trophy title.

The outrage against Sri Lanka’s struggles on the field on Sunday seemed to ignore the fact that being more used to high levels of pollution should not be a matter of pride

Sidharth Monga in Delhi03-Dec-20171:15

How smog led to a stop-start day in Delhi

Sri Lanka are an unsporting cricketing nation. In fact they can put village cricketers to shame. There is no low they won’t stoop to just to deny the opposition a hard-earned milestone. You know Suraj Randiv, of course. He bowled that no-ball to deny Virender Sehwag an ODI century. They have even forced the ICC to outlaw sudden captaincy changes by executing a captaincy switch to save their real captain from an accumulated over-rate penalty that could result in a match ban. Why, even as recently as Kolkata, as Sri Lanka played for a draw, Niroshan Dickwella hypnotised Mohammed Shami and Virat Kohli into wasting their own time by going after him verbally.Coming to Delhi, however, Sri Lanka knew they would need something truly diabolical to prevent India from racking up more records. Well they were assured a record-free hour every day – 40 minutes of lunch and 20 minutes of tea – but what about the rest? Things were pretty grim when a few of the leadership group went out for dinner after the first day’s play when a Virat Kohli quadruple-hundred and a fitting reply to their 952 couldn’t be ruled out.What these gents saw on the way to their dinner was nothing short of an epiphany. They saw a young man wearing a pollution mask being derided for not being man enough to face the Delhi pollution unmasked. The guys doing the deriding drove a Mahindra Thar, an inscription on which said: “Real men die without airbags.”Over that dinner this Machiavellian plan was discussed in thorough detail. The mask and the macho bravado were the things they were going to play on. They were apprised of the pollution situation in Delhi. They learnt all about the rampant deforestation and unplanned urbanization, so a majority of their work was done. They were also told by their spies about possible triggers that could send the “very poor” air to “severe” levels. They decided they couldn’t cause dust storms in gulf countries – not yet anyway – but they immediately sent men with heavy bribes to make sure farmers burnt their crop stubble in Punjab and Haryana, and that there were fireworks at wedding parties in Delhi. Models were arranged to teach the players how to vomit on demand.Like all shrewd plans, this relied on the deep knowledge of the psyche of the opponent. They knew a majority of India would work itself into a lather seeing such a cowardly bunch of cricketers. The “loser” chants and the boos were par for the course. They knew India cricketers will forget that a recent India cricketer, Ashish Nehra, had moved out of Delhi because of the pollution. They knew India will not think that these cricketers come from a country where the Air Quality Index (AQI) hovers around 50, and that they will outrage at their inability to play when it is “only” 300 or so.Having failed at everything else, this was their final plan to get Kohli out, just by breaking his rhythm and frustrating him. In fact this plan sounded so good that a young star even berated Kumar Sangakkara for not coming up with similar trickery when Chris Gayle scored 333 against them. It was decided, however, to give it one more session before executing this plan. Kohli left them no option as he moved effortlessly to 225 by lunch. Twenty minutes after lunch, Lahiru Gamage kick-started the proceedings by doubling over and pretending to breathe uneasily. The play was stopped for 17 minutes, which meant Sri Lanka knew India would want to score in one ball all the runs that should have been scored in those 17 minutes. R Ashwin played at a wide ball, and gully took the resultant catch.BCCIThe details that the discussion went to are incriminating. It was decided nobody would carry a purpose-built mask to filter the Delhi air; instead they chose to look helpless and pitiable in those surgical masks that would be available with the medical staff at the ground.The plan worked like a charm. Kohli was blinded in rage and missed the kind of deliveries he had been clipping away for four blindfolded for two days. The final piece of the plan was to offer the Indian slips a copious amount of catches, which they were sure they would drop even in Switzerland, thus proving that the pollution did play a part in the day’s proceedings. As we speak, the scheming bastards are enjoying a celebratory drink on the rooftop of their hotel. Without a mask.The crowd at Feroz Shah Kotla, themselves a victim of this horrible situation in Delhi, chanted “losers, losers” and booed them. The BCCI president was quoted as having questioned Sri Lanka’s motives by saying the crowd didn’t have an issue with the pollution so why did the bowlers who had performed a highly demanding job for only four sessions complain? B Arun, India’s bowling coach who was Hyderabad coach when their match in Delhi was called off last year, albeit in much worse conditions, called the stoppages unnecessary because pollution is everywhere in India. Hindi commentators joked on air that the players were using masks to only hide their faces after having taken the beating of their lives. Prominent people on Twitter lauded Indian cricket team’s nationalism as they sacrificed their health to entertain the crowd that had turned up.In unison, the country took pride in being more used to “very poor” levels of pollution than players from an island known for its cleanliness. For once the joke is not on cricket.

Fast bowler’s confidence in conditions so absolute, he believes England would have had the measure of any line-up in the world

Andrew Miller at Lord's10-Aug-2018Age is just a number, but rather like his bowling stats, James Anderson keeps ratcheting his figures up to ever more daunting levels. “I’ve just turned 36, mate!” he protested when one journalist mistakenly added an extra year to his tally, but it’s harder still to keep tabs on the wickets column.Anderson’s final figures of 5 for 20 in 13.2 overs, harvested under brooding and occasionally demented skies, were a display of minimalist wizardry that evoked Sir Richard Hadlee in the final years of a career that he surely could have extended into a fifth decade had he felt sufficient hunger.Like Hadlee in those latter years, Anderson has become the master craftsman, capable now of perhaps longer spells than any previous stage of his career, due to a precised run-up that dispenses with any fripperies, and a confidence in his own methods so absolute that he believes he would have had the measure of any line-up in the world today, including his own team-mates.”I think that if we bowled like that today, with those conditions, we’d bowl most teams in the world out – because I think we were that good,” Anderson said.”We hardly bowled any bad balls, we didn’t give them much to hit at all – and when you build pressure like that all day, no matter who you are around the world, it is difficult.Anderson delighted for Woakes on comeback

James Anderson was full of praise for the manner in which Chris Woakes slotted back into the Test team after injury, as his probing spell of 2 for 19 in six overs helped skittle India for 107.
“He’s worked really hard, he’s still been around the squad the last few weeks, and missed out last week.
“But he’s a world-class performer on his day. We’ve seen it before, all round the world, one-day cricket, Test match cricket – he’s a brilliant bowler, a brilliant all-rounder, and someone who can do a fantastic job for this team.
“We’re just delighted for him. That first game back can always be tricky, especially when you’ve got world-class batsmen to come up against – but he handled the task brilliantly.”

“I think if we were bowling at our batsmen, we’d have the better of them [too]. We exploit those conditions as well as anyone in the world. I don’t think it’s just the Indian batsmen that would have struggled.”But on this occasion, they most certainly did. Anderson’s Indian scalps comprised two at the top, as India’s openers were bent from the crease like a claw-hammer evicting a pair of rusty old nails, and three at the bottom, as Ajinkya Rahane and the tail followed meekly in the final half-hour of an absurdly elongated day.And by the end of it all, he had booked his place on the Lord’s honours board for the sixth time in 23 appearances – leaving just two shy of the overall record of eight, held by another cricketing knight, Sir Ian Botham, whom he also trails by 26 to 27 in England’s overall five-wickets tally. He will go into the second innings with 99 scalps at this ground alone, and 549 in 140 Tests all told. No wonder people can’t keep tabs.”I don’t think about numbers or my age, I feel like … I won’t say 28, but 32?” he said. “I don’t feel old, I feel like I can still throw myself around in the field as well as anyone else, so as long as I feel like that, I’m just going to keep playing as long as possible. Hopefully the wickets will keep coming as well and I can help this team keep winning.”If Anderson gets presented with many more days like this, he’s unlikely to be denied either of those aims. After England’s early-season hiccup against Pakistan, Joe Root shelved the bravado after winning his second toss of the summer at Lord’s, rightly recognising that an extra day under the covers made bowling first a no-brainer. But even a man with Anderson’s experience was surprised by the assistance he was offered.”Honestly, I’d have been so disappointed if I’d messed up today because they were the ideal conditions to bowl in,” he said. “The rain yesterday certainly made the decision for us at the toss but we didn’t think it’d do that much. It looked a good pitch, dry with a bit of green grass on top, but not too much. It wasn’t particularly warm, but warm enough, and that moisture that’s in the ground just helped it move around.1:35

‘So much fun’ bowling in those conditions – Anderson

“Some days it hoops round – they’ve been quite rare actually – but for us, with the experience we’ve had of bowling on flat decks and the ball doing nothing, when you get the opportunity like that you lick your lips and try to show off your skills.”I find it so much fun when it’s like that. You don’t often get conditions like that in England anymore, when the ball does that much through the air and off the pitch – the biggest thing is not trying to do too much, do too many different things. You just keep your focus, try and bowl good balls and keep hoping they nick them eventually.”Rahane was one of those who eventually obliged – caught at first slip for 18 after surviving an earlier drop by Root at fourth – and afterwards he admitted that, with the combination of the Dukes ball, the weather and Anderson’s mastery (ably backed up by a resurgent Chris Woakes), India had just faced the most challenging conditions for batting that they could encounter.”He didn’t bowl one short ball,” said Rahane. “He was just bowling there and there – a four-five metre length. And that is really crucial on this wicket. If you’re bowling that length, you got to bowl consistently, then as a batsman you have to leave the ball or you’ve got to back your methods consistently. If you play three maiden overs, you’ve got to be ready to play another three maiden overs after that. It’s all about patience in these conditions and trusting your methods and backing your ability.”Anderson never wavered on that front. “We kept the pressure on and we didn’t let them get away all day,” he said. “That’s a really good sign for us as a team. You can’t build momentum with the rain around, but we came back really well at the end of the day.”If there was one slight regret for Anderson, it was that Virat Kohli eluded him for the third innings in a row. It was Woakes who landed the big fish in the end, caught by Jos Buttler for 23 at second slip, one ball after edging a similar delivery to the same man, but in the course of a 30-ball duel from which Kohli was able to take just 13 cautiously compiled runs, Anderson was once again able to relish a battle that is becoming one of the unmissable match-ups of the summer.Twice he beat Kohli on the drive as he was lured into playing his trademark outswinger – vindication perhaps for his comments at the end of the last India tour in 2016, when, after Kohli’s hefty haul of 655 runs in the series, he insisted that the balance of power would shift when the conditions were back in his favour.”I was thinking why can’t he edge them like everyone else?” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed the contest between myself and him. He’s No. 1 in the world for a reason.”For me, I love playing against the best players in the world, testing yourself and seeing whether you can get the better of them. It’s a really thrilling thing to be a part of and unfortunately I’ve not got the better of him yet, but I’ll continue to try my hardest throughout the rest of the series.”Kohli’s important because he’s captain, a leader and he’s their best player – No.1 in the world. But 90 percent of their top seven have scored runs against us in the past, so we can’t look just as Kohli as a big wicket.”All I think about is getting my body in as good a condition as it can be to cope with bowling out in the middle. I was delighted with how many overs I bowled at Edgbaston. For my body to get through that at this age I’m really happy with. I think I means I’m doing the right stuff off the field.”

It was Ashwin who promised to defy conventions in the IPL but it was his former franchise captain MS Dhoni who took things to a new level

Srinath Sripath20-May-2018What that Super Kings batting order about?It was R Ashwin who promised to defy conventions by opening with middle-order batsmen and playing openers in the middle order, and lived up to it to an extent by promoting himself to No. 3 earlier in the tournament. His experiment didn’t quite work out, but it was his former franchise captain MS Dhoni who took things to a new level against Ashwin’s side, first by sending Harbhajan Singh up at No. 5, followed by Deepak Chahar at 6. Both Harbhajan and Chahar are no mugs with the bat – the former has batted in IPL Powerplays in the past, while the latter has two first-class fifties and a T20 strike rate of nearly 127 before this game.

This Harbhajan promotion is basically Dhoni getting a kick out of everyone deeply analyzing this random move right?

— Sidvee (@sidvee) May 20, 2018

Super Kings’ main target was to get to 76 runs and seal the second spot on the table, while Kings XI had to restrict them to 100 or less to qualify for the playoffs. In conditions where the ball swung prodigiously and seamers regularly bowled with three slips, CSK’s top order slid to 27 for 3 after 4.4 overs. Dhoni, who has regularly pushed himself up the order, chose to send pinch-hitters who could play without the pressure of losing their wickets in these bowler-friendly conditions. This way, their specialist batsmen would be saved later on, for when Kings XI’s spinners came on to bowl.As things turned out, Chahar smashed 39 quick runs off 20 balls, at one point carting Ashwin for 19 runs in an over. Should his side need another big-hitter later on, there was a not-so-expected surprise package.

MS Dhoni with the logic behind Chennai Super Kings' unusual batting order. What did you make of it? https://t.co/49IdSJhNFX #CSKvKXIP #TalkingPoints #IPL pic.twitter.com/BDWpQ1lNE7

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 20, 2018

Kings XI middle-order’s night out, at long lastKings XI’s batsmen from positions 3 to 6 have played 52 innings between themselves, and their failure to fire throughout the tournament has been among the biggest reasons why they’ve exited after the league phase for a record ninth time.After Kings XI’s top three perished, Manoj Tiwary and David Miller went about repairing the early damage. Miller, playing only his third game of the season – after having got off to starts both previous times – went about settling their nerves with 24, after which Karun Nair, who came in at No. 6, then made a quickfire fifty to take them past 150. It was just the second fifty by a Kings XI middle-order batsman this season – their first since Nair himself made 50 off 33 in their first game of the season.ESPNcricinfo LtdHowever, despite their belated return to form, the lower order folded out without finishing their quota of 20 overs. And if 153 seemed defendable when their pacers made early inroads into CSK’s prolific top order, they failed to build on after the Powerplay.In short, that was the story of Kings XI’s campaign in May, as captain Ashwin pointed out after the game.

Australia’s new coach has made it patently clear already that he wants thoroughbreds capable of staying mentally sharp, with rigorous physical preparation a key part of his outlook

Daniel Brettig12-Jun-2018When Australia’s players sauntered in one after the other to complete their customary 2km time trial at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane last month, some got quite a shock when they were immediately asked to do a series of short sprints to test their endurance.This extra stretch of the players was no surprise to those from Western Australia, where Justin Langer’s insistence on higher fitness and training standards had been a hallmark of his work in the state ever since becoming coach in late 2012. But there were others who were not used to the extra exertion, and were quickly left in no doubt that things had changed from whatever they had been used to for state or country.”Over the past five years we’ve done a lot of that in Western Australia but to be fair that has backed off and he does work on the principle of common sense so we’re not going to be doing anything over the top,” Ashton Agar, one of the WA-based ODI squad members, has said of Langer. “I think being physically fit certainly helps your mental state and that’s what he’s all about. One of his biggest things for the players is discipline, and the fitness side of things certainly helps.”ESPNcricinfo has learned of at least one player being given a stern talking to by Langer about general fitness and the need to improve his endurance, as part of a wider theme that will doubtless be carried through all the way from Brisbane in May 2018 to England for the World Cup and Ashes double a year from now. Langer has made it patently clear already that he wants thoroughbreds capable of staying mentally sharp despite fatigue, with rigorous physical preparation a key part of his outlook.As he stated on the day he first addressed the team in Brisbane: “To me it is really clear. You need good athletes. You have to be able to field well and be really fit to run hard between the wickets. We have to take responsibility with the bat. We have probably got away from that the past year or so. Our ranking would suggest that.”While much has been written and said about the still evolving area of fast bowling fitness, Langer’s link between fitness and “taking responsibility” as batsmen was significant. Quite apart from the technical demands of batsmanship, which are also being addressed by coaches at the NCC, the physical hardness and endurance required of those who bat for long periods is an area getting plenty of attention.It is being backed up by plenty of empirical evidence, including the findings of GPS collections taken in recent times that indicated any batsman scoring more than 90 in an ODI is likely to cover anywhere between 11 and 13km between the wickets. Such a load is not dissimilar to a pace bowler getting through 10 overs while also fielding.One of the guinea pigs for the 2016 GPS data was David Warner, clocked at 12.6km for his innings of 109 against South Africa at Warner Park during the Caribbean triangular series that year. It is one of the ironies of the Newlands scandal that the bans for cheating have shorn Langer of three players in Warner, Steven Smith and Cameron Bancroft who were all noted hard trainers with plenty of endurance. The way Warner had changed his body shape and built his endurance between 2012 and 2018 was something that Langer, among others, had admired even if they did not always agree with other elements of his behaviour.”He’s a really good young bloke and he made a mistake,” Langer has said of Warner. “I love the way he plays his cricket. The way he runs between the wickets, the way he fields, the way he bats – they’re things that for the less-trained eye, you might not respect as much. Has he got areas to get better at? Yep … we’ve all got areas we can get better at.”Getting better was of course something at the forefront of Langer’s mind when he became the coach of the Warriors and the Scorchers in late 2012 amid plenty of indiscipline and disunity in the state. Among the lessons Langer took from his stint as an assistant coach for Australia over the preceding four years was the importance of not only a strong fitness base but also training for volume, as recounted by Alex Malcolm for Cricket Mentoring:”In the lead up to the first test at the Gabba Australia’s captain Michael Clarke was struggling with his ongoing back problems. The medical staff had advised him to limit the amount of batting he did in the lead up. Langer said Clarke ignored the advice and hit somewhere in the vicinity of 400-500 balls on each of the three days leading up to the test match, including the day prior to the game starting.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”What he had done in practice was train his body and his mind to bat for long periods. If you train in one-hour sessions all the time you will train your body and your mind to switch off after an hour. Is it little surprise then that you fail to kick on after batting for an hour in a match? It shouldn’t be. This was eye-opening to me. I would hit balls four or five times a week but never for more than an hour or 90 minutes. Most team training sessions batsmen generally only get 10 minutes in a net against bowling and have a few throw downs on top of that.”So I tried some two-hour plus sessions the following winter, hitting 10 buckets instead of four, 400 balls instead of 160. The result was six of my next eight 50-plus scores [for Subiaco-Floreat in Perth first grade] were hundreds.”For Malcolm, this sort of volume sat alongside physical training, based largely around the running of short repeated sprints to replicate running between the wickets. With WA, Langer emphasised a similar kind of regime with plenty of emphasis on personal responsibility. In many ways it replicated the sort of discipline Bob Simpson first brought to a then struggling Australian side, shorn of talent by the South African rebel tours, in the mid-1980s.Tom Moody has recalled the fact that ahead of the 1987 World Cup in India, the Australians arrived earlier than most and trained for the sort of endurance that was to help them outlast all comers and claim the Cup.”There were no prisoners,” Moody said. “He didn’t miss anyone with regards to practice and making sure it was done at a very high level. He had an enormous influence in where Australian cricket is now. Because we were so far ahead of our opponents in terms of how we prepared, how hard we worked, and he built a very strong foundation.”The WA foundation Langer set in terms of physical preparation was to be backed up by results, particularly in terms of the state’s ability to produce long innings. Over the five seasons from Langer’s first full summer in 2013-14 to that just completed, WA batsmen compiled 51 centuries between them, six clear of the next best in Victoria. The number of balls faced by WA batsmen, 49,119, was a wide margin ahead of the sixth placed state, NSW, with 45,936.More tellingly, the fruits of Langer’s demands were shown in a notable spike from season one (seven centuries) to two (18), before levelling out in seasons three (12) and four (10) and then finally dropping off last summer (five). Langer’s contract with Australia is for four years. Over that period, Adam Voges and Bancroft were equal most prolific centurions in the Shield with nine apiece, sharing the mantle with Callum Ferguson. Notably, South Australia employed the former Adelaide Crows fitness coach Stephen Schwerdt to raise the fitness levels of the Redbacks, reflecting a broader trend towards more exacting standards.Tasmania, too, has pushed this line, with the coach Adam Griffith – a former assistant to Langer in WA – requiring his players to turn up for the start of preseason training in the sort of trim they might have traditionally hoped to get into by the time Hobart’s winter began to thaw. This is not only about higher standards but also more efficient training: a player needing to spent less time in the gym or on the running track has more time to work on technique. And as the new Australian captain and fellow Tiger Tim Paine said in London, the Australian players’ realisation about the fitness component of the new regime is a recent development, even if the 2km time trial is not.”The style of cricket we want to play we realise we want to be a little bit fitter, for our little things, our running between the wickets, having a really high intensity for 50 overs in the field,” Paine said. “So we realise we have to be a little bit fitter than what we have been to play at the intensity for as long as we have. In terms of the 2km time trials and testing and all that stuff, that’s always been a part of our programs, it’s just that I think now guys actually buying into it and seeing that it is more important because of the style of cricket we want to play.”

For all the progress of their white-ball teams, it is hard to avoid the conclusion England have gone nowhere in Test cricket for several years

George Dobell at Edgbaston31-Jul-2018In the build-up to the first Test at Edgbaston, Alastair Cook admitted England were going into the Test series against India “a fair bit” away from the standards that took them to No. 1 in the world earlier in the decade.As a member of that England side that replaced India at the top of the Test rankings in 2011, Cook has a good idea of what is required to reach such heights. And he accepts the current team lack the consistency of their predecessors.”We’re a side which has been inconsistent,” Cook said. “And to win a five-game series, you need to be consistently good.”You go back to that side in 2011: it was probably the end of two or three years under Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower of playing really good cricket with the same 14 or 15 players. Everyone produced the goods over a period of time.”How far away from that are we? A fair bit. To become the number one side in the world takes two or three years of really good results and we haven’t had that. The team has been changing as we’re finding out different things about different players and different combinations”So we’re a little bit away from that. And that’s the challenge.”It’s true that England’s record now bears no comparison to the side of 2011. Going into this series, England have won none of their last three series and only two of their last eight. They are ranked No. 5 in the world for good reason.Going into the 2011 series, England were undefeated in eight series and had won seven of them including an away Ashes. They subsequently defeated India 4-0.Just as importantly, England had a settled side in 2011. The batting line-up was predictable, the bowling changes were predictable and the team selections were predictable.Those days are long gone. Not only are England still looking for an opening partner for Cook and a reliable spin option – they have attempted 12 players in each position since the retirements of Strauss and Graeme Swann respectively – but, twice this English summer, they have selected men who haven’t played any first-class cricket this year. Meanwhile they continue to rely upon two seamers with many miles on the clock. James Anderson, 36 on Monday, now has a shoulder held together by sellotape and the prayers of the England management team. Replacing him looks as difficult as ever.Almost wherever you look at the England line-up there are questions. Can Cook still prosper on anything but the flattest wickets? Can Keaton Jennings finally end the search for an opening batsman? Can Joe Root start to convert his 50s into match-defining innings and can England’s talented and exciting middle-order add the fortitude to their flair to turn their promise into big scores. Do England possess a Test-quality spinner or express fast bowler and is there any sign of replacements for Anderson and Stuart Broad?Swann v Moeen comparison•ESPNcricinfo LtdAll this hints at a side in transition. But the worry is they’ve been in transition since 2013. And when transit takes that long it starts to look like limbo. For all the progress of their white-ball teams, it is hard to avoid the conclusion they have gone nowhere in Test cricket for several years.It’s not going to get any easier, either. This India side, led by a vastly talented batsman who is hungry for success in the one nation where he has yet to taste it, has a well-balanced bowling attack including several who should be able to exploit England’s long-standing vulnerability against spin.The worry for England is that their home performances have, to some extent, lent a veneer of respectability to their Test record. So beating Australia in 2015 and South Africa in 2017 offered a feel-good sense that, at least in part, helped ignore the drubbings they experienced in India and Australia.But to lose a five-Test series at home to India would leave no hiding place. It really would expose the failings – the system that fails to develop spinners or fast bowlers and the lack of batsmen prepared to demonstrate patience and restraint – that have become apparent over recent years.The selection of Adil Rashid has provoked much criticism but it is not as unreasonable as some have suggested. Anyone who saw Jack Leach bowl at New Road last week saw a man well below his best and in need of a great deal more bowling before he returns to Test cricket. To have selected him here would have been to risk his long-term future and, after the experiences of Simon Kerrigan, that is a mistake England are unwilling to make.It is simply not true that Rashid retired from first-class cricket or that he cannot be bothered to play it. He has, instead, had a serious falling out with Yorkshire. While there may well be faults on both sides it was jarring to hear some at the club express “disappointment” in the selection of one of their players by England.The problem is there were few other viable options. Only one England-qualified spinner – Surrey’s 20-year-old Amar Virdi – has managed 20 or more Championship wickets this season and with very little red-ball cricket scheduled in mid-summer, there will be little further opportunity to impress until this series is at least three Tests old.So Cook is right. England really are a “fair bit” away from the standards they reached in 2011. Or, put simply, their red-ball cricket is in a fearful mess. And India are just the side to expose it.