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He may lack the appeal but he has the numbers. Is it so sacrilegious to wonder if he’s greater even than Sir Garry?

Rob Steen27-Feb-2009

Being Jacques Kallis can’t be bad. Only the saintly would not envy his skill, his versatility, his discipline, his focus, his bank account. Many of us simply wish we shared that ability to run for five consecutive minutes without falling over, seizing up or throwing up. However, among those for whom the game is about the revelling rather than the living, who value style as much as – if not more than – substance, being Jacques Kallis also means personifying achievement at its driest, most colourless, most soulless. Or so runs accepted wisdom.It was Derrida, the philosopher Jacques, who made the following observation, one that should have the cricketing Jacques nodding his head in sombre, knowing assent: “No one gets angry at a mathematician or a physicist whom he or she doesn’t understand, or at someone who speaks a foreign language, but rather at someone who tampers with your own language.” Kallis’ most grievous sin has been to tamper with his own language, the language of sport, and in particular its definition of a hero.Until the past year, his 13th in senior South African colours, he had been the hero as a non-perspiring non-inspiration. As recently as last July, the main collective goals at the start of his career – a first Test series win in Australia, a first in England since isolation, a World Cup final, membership of the planet’s finest five-day XI – all remained stubbornly present and robustly correct. Moreover, there had always been a hint of selfishness, embodied by the resistance to changes of gear, especially in ODIs, a refusal to adapt that immaculately grooved, almost robotic, technique from the lure of statistical posterity to the needs of the we and the now. Hell, he hadn’t even hit a double-century. Even Jason Gillespie had managed that.Yet in terms of the barest essentials (net average, i.e. batting average minus bowling average), his Test figures as an allrounder were even better than Garry Sobers’. Which made him, by popular definition, if not recognition, the greatest professional cricketer there has ever been. And that was the greatest heresy of all. How could the Great Garfield possibly be trumped by a character so… characterless? More to the point, how could anyone tamper so fearlessly with received wisdom?Then came 2008, an annus mirabilis that saw South Africa achieve three of those four elusive goals, a burst of fulfilment to which, improbably, Kallis the bowler contributed more than Kallis the batsman. Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers had come of age, Dale Steyn was leading a pacy brat pack: now Kallis was wanted rather than needed. The king was now a knight.That he remained a batsman to reckon with, nonetheless, was emphasised in Perth, where he played a critical if largely unsung role in South Africa’s massive chase. Taking guard at 172 for 2, following Graeme Smith’s departure for 108, he saw Amla depart three overs later. True, he’d made a steadying, invaluable 63 in the first dig, only his fifth 50-plus score in Australia, but was that kangaroo hoodoo, the one that had haunted and circumscribed his entire career, preventing it from being given its due, about to reassert itself? Not now. Not this time. Certainly not against this attack. By the time he was next to go, for 57, a historic victory was barely 100 away.

The only other time he had reached 50 in each innings against chaps in baggy green caps, at the SCG in January 2006, South Africa had been walloped by eight wickets. Here was sweet revenge. Here too, at last, was self-affirmation, a counter-punch to those who pigeonholed him – whenever the going got roughest – as brittle, a bottler. How apt that today’s imperishable first should also have been at the expense of the opponents who have done most to keep him mortal.IF EVER A SPORTING CAREER has been defined by substance rather than style, Kallis’ has. The first man to emulate Don Bradman’s streak of hundreds in five successive Tests (and he came within 15 runs of doing it again), no international cricketer has ever attained such a consistent level of productivity with bat and ball, let alone across two such contrasting disciplines as one- and five-day cricket, let alone while remaining so resolutely unhuggable and, yes, anonymous.Great batsmanship is measured not by the weight of runs but by the indelibility of the impression those numbers leave, the instant internal replays they ignite, numbers inextricably linked to their author’s name. Bradman and Sobers both had their 254, but otherwise the links are clear. Bradman also had his 309, his 334 and his 452; Sobers his 365 not out; Tendulkar now has his 103 not out as well as his 136; Lara owns patents on 153 not out, 277, 400 not out and 501 not out. But what of Kallis? You might make a case for 2007’s masterly double of 155 and 100 not out in Karachi. Or the couple of six-hour hundreds against Australia in 2006, a precociously stoical maiden ton in Melbourne, and another exemplary lone hand in Kolkata in 2004. That only the Karachi effort resulted in victory, is only part of the problem; as worthy as those feats were, none of those numbers conjure up the name “Kallis”.What do we know about him? Not much. He’s very pally with the gregarious Mark Boucher, but private and unassuming is both the public image and party line. Maybe that’s why you can’t find an autobiography out there in Amazonland? Has any modern sporting colossus ever reached the latter stages of his career without such a dubious distinction?His website (www.kallis.co.za, note, not jacquesthelad.com or even jacqueskallis.com) informs us that he runs the Jacques Kallis Scholarship Foundation, whose stated aim is “to provide talented young cricketers from various backgrounds with the opportunity to reach their full sporting and academic potential”. It also reveals that he adores chicken pasta and Jack Daniel’s, is partial to driving Opels and on fairways, wears Armani and Adidas, denies reading newspapers, and admires Lance Armstrong (albeit probably not quite as much as he does the actress Neve Campbell).His perfect dinner guests? That would be Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, Ms Campbell and another fetching thespian, Denise Richards. Considerably more revealing is his “most valuable contribution to a team cause”, namely the match-saving century at the MCG in 1997, his very first Test ton. Even now. And then there are the “Morals that I live by”, namely “Control, Focus, Implement and Honesty”. Of which only the last can be considered a moral. But maybe he has the balance just right. Save yourself for the crease then walk away, as far and fast as you can.So let’s forget philosophies and aesthetics and artistic impressions. Let’s do it his way, the Kallis Way. Let’s crunch all those numbers and boil them all down to one definitive, inarguable stat, devoid of ifs, buts or context.Try this for starters. Of the other 46 batsmen who, up to January’s end, had amassed 10,000 runs in internationals, none could match his average of 49.11. Not Brian, not Ricky, not Viv. And no, not even Sachin. Never mind that Kallis averages 45% less in defeat in Tests than he does in victory (34.10 to 62.46): that’s only a shade worse than Tendulkar, and Bradman himself swooned by 67%. And don’t bother either, please, with all that rot about making such hay at the kindly expense of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe: they’ve only conceded four of his 46 hundreds.Now try this one. No bowler who has laboured through 4000 overs in internationals, nor taken as many as 450 wickets, has also racked up 10,000 runs, much less 20,000. And if you’re still not convinced, you’re probably the type who insists there’s no difference between LPs and CDs.

AND SO TO THAT KNOTTY SOBERS PROBLEM. That there is one at all may strike most as preposterous. There’s only one Garfield St Aubyn Sobers, right? Kallis shouldn’t be mentioned in the same breath, right? Nobody should. Kallis doesn’t bowl orthodox spin at Test level, much less chinamen, right? (True, he did put in two overs worth of leggies against New Zealand in 1999, on a glued pitch at Eden Park, but then, as Neil Manthorp reported, this did include “one delivery that bounced twice before reaching the batsman and another that bounced onto the upper tier of the main grandstand”.)Cheese and chalk, right? Black adventurer blessed with impossibly supple wrists versus white pragmatist with biceps on his insteps – no contest, right? Yet by any objective measure of achievement, this pair, as allrounders, as masters of all the essential cricketing crafts bar minding stumps, stand shoulder to shoulder on the sport’s Mount Olympus. In fact, they have done for quite some time, much as we might like to pretend otherwise.Quite simply, in terms of measurable achievement, the only two men to collect 6000 runs and 200 wickets in Tests, in the categories wherein they can be appropriately and gainfully compared, are too close to separate (Sobers, remember, played in but a single ODI). Indeed, their similarities and mutualities are far more numerous than a superficial pigeonholing might stipulate.Both took time to adjust from teenage over-achievement (both, eerily, reached 50 twice in their first 18 Test innings), failed to convince as leaders or strategists, reigned long as their team’s go-to batsman, then suffered gnawing declines (over his final 28 Tests, Sobers’ batting average drifted from 63.77 to 57.78; in his last 18 prior to proceedings in Johannesburg, Kallis’ had ebbed from 58.20 to 54.57, and he’d gone 16 innings since his last century, his worst trot since 2002). Both, furthermore, kept their bowling average pretty much constant, with Kallis’ 2.91 runs better (31.12 to 34.03). The net difference? Precisely 0.32 of a run, in Sobers’ favour. You’d have trouble getting a wafer-thin mint into that gap.On a broader level, moreover, both failed to meet the needs of the collective quite as regularly as they might. As Manthorp mused: “Just as South African fans long to see a more ruthless Kallis with a deadlier, match-winning instinct, there were times (though not as many) when West Indian fans would have enjoyed a shade more solid, dependable reliability.”So, who the more rounded allrounder? Let’s dig deeper. Let’s examine match- and series-winning capabilities. Both have combined a century and a five-for twice (Ian Botham, the leader in this category, did so five times). Sobers plundered 250 runs and 20 wickets in a series three times (equal top with Botham) to Kallis’ one, but then five-Test rubbers, a decided scarcity now, were the norm in the sixties and common in the eighties: Sobers played in 16, Botham 13, plus four that ran to six chapters; with next winter’s encounter with England now trimmed to four, Kallis may well not add to his seven.No universally accepted means of ranking allrounders has ever been nailed down, a curious void for a game so in thrall to statistical convention. Net average still seems the most valid and easily comprehensible method, and on that score, Sobers (23.75 to Kallis’ 23.45 at the outset of this match) gets the nod by a nose hair; six months ago, though, Kallis had a near-10% lead. On the other hand, if we alter the parameters to suit the times, the contrast is starker. Why not subtract bowling from batting average and call it Productivity Rate? Too many minuses. Even so, those numbers do say something. While none of the 51 men to have completed the 1000 runs-100 wickets double in Tests boasts a negative difference of under 20, Kallis (less than -12 to Imran Khan’s -16-and-a-bit) is much the closest to parity.On balance, net average remains the least contentious formula, and Kallis may yet have the final word. Whatever else, it is certainly a measure of his and Sobers’s overwhelming superiority as a duopoly that only 12 of the other 49 players who have gathered 1000 runs and 100 wickets have recorded positive net averages, among whom Imran (14.88) and Keith Miller (14) are alone in attaining double figures. That top four about right, too.

But distinguish we must, and the chief non-aesthetic, non-spiritual difference between Sobers and Kallis is that the latter’s load has been far heavier. Sobers averaged just over four-and-a-half Tests per year, Kallis almost 10. He also averages more than 20 ODIs per annum. Throw in the greater proliferation of tours, the interminable air miles and those constant flits between time-cricket and overs-cricket, and between daylight and floodlight, and it does not seem unreasonable to propose that, even though you might as well compare Dylan and McCartney, Kallis’ consistency has been even more admirable.THE NEXT TARGET is an eyelid away – two more wickets and he will be the first to couple 20,000 runs and 500 wickets in internationals. And now, helpfully, another gauntlet is lying at his feet. Fresh challenges don’t come too thickly for those in the closing furlongs of a sporting career, but Kallis has a couple of unfamiliar battles on his hands. One is to persuade the selectors that his right to Test selection remains automatic and divine; that they cannot live without him. Even more helpfully, being overlooked for Twenty20 duty irks far more than you might imagine. If he can somehow muster the wherewithal to meet those challenges, who knows what he might yet be capable of?Some, though, will still cling, come what may, to the view that, no matter how staggering the stats, they could never be enough for him to make the leap from admiree to affectionee. Ever.Jimmy Connors is the only practitioner of the competitive arts I can think of who pulled off that particular stroke of sorcery, and that was only because tennis crowds forgave his brattish, strutting arrogance as he faded, warming to the fallibility and the humanity rather than the invincibility. He may not have been much cop, but at least he kept turning up, kept grunting, kept trying. Even as canny a manipulator as Steve Waugh failed to make that leap. Yes, he possessed both the sense to quit while he was ahead and the steeliness to ensure he went out with a bang, but in so doing he denied himself the opportunity for redemption reserved solely for the visibly vulnerable. Outside Australia, he remains a subject of awe, not amour.Yet Kallis, because he’s still only 33, has a chance. As with Connors, this is partly because we have grown accustomed to his failures, have finally glimpsed the vulnerability, the humanity. But also because, like Connors, the only thing he has left to prove is that he is worthy of his audience’s affections, that he can touch hearts.Now Kallis is no longer the first name on the teamsheet, nor even the first batsman, will he – can he – finally shed those chains of responsibility? Can he give us, not the real Jacques (one suspects we know that one only too well), but a spanking new one? One freed and willing, at last, to let hair and guard down. One to whom surviving comes second, however marginally, to living. And, who knows, perhaps even revelling. Encouragingly, he has one more art to master, namely the game’s newest form. It could yet do the trick.

Sri Lanka are getting used to life without their legends and under a new captain; Pakistan are getting used to Test cricket again. An audio-visual look at the just-concluded Test series in Sri Lanka

27-Jul-2009

Four years on from his greatest moments, Andrew Flintoff was at it again with a match-winning performance

Peter English at Lord's20-Jul-2009Bloody Andrew Flintoff. Bruised, battered, triumphant Andrew Flintoff. One bad leg, another great home Test against Australia. There he is, raising his arms again in his parting-the-waters pose, leading England closer to the Ashes promised land.Minutes after the match Princess Anne was at the back of the pavilion, policemen clearing her way through the fans, but only a handful stopped to watch her pass. England cricket’s royal was on the field, spectators shouting and bouncing at his latest effort to prevent an uprising from the Dominions.He’s a man who, given the condition of his right knee, should be kept to five-over spells. Not interested, his mind says. After his fourth-ball removal of Brad Haddin, who was caught at second slip, he spoke at Andrew Strauss. “Just to let you know I’ll keep bowling until all the wickets are gone.” He did, taking 3 for 43 in ten overs and toasting himself by lunch. No weak link or cartilage here, just more tormenting of Australia.Everyone in England has 2005 tattooed on the brain, when England rode on Flintoff’s back and the visiting batsmen’s feet turned to concrete. The calendar says 2009 but perhaps time has frozen. Once again the Australians are trying to talk like they are still capable of dominating the contest; Flintoff is sitting back, lounging like he’s puffing on a cigar. He would be fun to be out with tonight.No wonder the home supporters don’t mention the excessive drinking and disappointment of 2006-07. Why stain his contribution by looking at his failures? Always look on the bright side of life, without the irony.He started with a fruity Sunday morning sermon to Phillip Hughes and finished with 5 for 92 the following day. Not the worst time for his third five-wicket haul in Tests. Despite the emotion and a twinging, throbbing knee, he is determined to make it to The Oval, bowing out with more industrial-strength noise.”I’d do anything to get out on the field and finish the series,” he said. “I bowled all my overs, I might have been in a bit of discomfort but I’ve been in discomfort most of my career. It’s encouraging I can come in and bowl as many overs as I have done, it bodes well for the last three Tests.”Strauss rated Flintoff in the top three bowlers that opposition batsmen hate to face, due to his “consistent hostility”. Ricky Ponting compared the potency of his top-class spells to those from Ambrose, Walsh and Akram, bowlers from an era few modern players can remember. Talk of Flintoff’s injury and the possibility of him not making it through the series are not being listened to by the Australians.”I think it’s rubbish,” Ponting said. “If Flintoff can bowl like that today I don’t think he’s in any danger of missing the next Test.”After taking care of both openers on the fourth day, Flintoff ended England’s fears of an Australian world record with Haddin’s edge. He followed up by bowling Nathan Hauritz and when an inswinger broke Peter Siddle’s stumps Flintoff dropped to his knee. Accepting the applause – “I milked the crowd a little bit” – he was swamped by his team-mates who hugged the air from him.On the Australian balcony there were glum, stubbled faces caused by a familiar foe. “We’ve always said that when he’s up and running and bowling as well as he can he’s as good as anyone probably going around,” Ponting said. “He gives his all. His spells have not got shorter through the game.”And Flintoff thinks he is becoming faster and smarter, the only thing hampering him being the trailing of strapping tape and pain-killers. “It’s quite sad in some ways that I feel I’m getting better as a bowler,” he said. “It’s just unfortunate I’m having to do what I’m doing with where the body’s standing up. I’m learning a bit more about bowling and how to bowl.”My length is naturally probably a little bit shorter and aggressive. Once you get the batters back, probably the full-length ball is a little bit more threatening. I’ve got an understanding of what to do, I’m going to have to apply that in the next three games.”He was talking less than an hour after the match but already his name was taped to the bowling honour board, his five wickets earning a spot six years after he made it on the batting list for a century against South Africa. That was “nice”, he said, but winning the Ashes means much more. A second grabbing of the tiny urn will be worth a retirement full of limping.

England’s hopes in this Test melted away under the scorching Cape Town sun

Andrew McGlashan in Cape Town05-Jan-2010England’s hopes in this Test melted away under the scorching Cape Town sun. They say that temperatures of this severity – it was 35 degrees in the shade – happen maybe once a year, so the visitors will rue their luck that it happened on a day that they had to field, but the upshot was a position largely of their own making. Slightly more judicious shot-selection yesterday would have meant they could have spent most of Tuesday making South Africa suffer.There haven’t been many completely one-sided days during the first three matches, but South Africa’s domination here makes it 1-1 on that count after England’s performance on the fourth day in Durban. However, England shouldn’t be castigated for this effort, which it would be easy to do when looking at the scorecard.Before the tour started many were predicting that this would have been the status quo throughout, so it’s a mark of England’s resilience that this was the first time the wheels were severely loosened. South Africa, too, were always likely to respond to their demise in Durban. They are a proud side with a strong captain on a ground that, except when playing Australia, has only happy memories.However, what this match has proved yet again is that you can’t allow a strong Test side – and South Africa are still that despite some current problems – a chance to fight back. England were so impressive at Kingsmead that they set a very high bar, but they have slipped way below that in this match.That was especially true in the batting effort. The first innings of a Test match is the time to make runs and, as well as South Africa bowled, England’s top order aided their dismissals. It’s a tough assessment, but Test cricket is a tough arena. “Of course there were soft dismissals in our first innings, there’s no getting away from that, and the guys know that,” England coach Andy Flower said. “When we bat second-time round we’ll have to restrict those.”It was left to the bowlers to try and keep England in the Test, but they were always up against it with temperatures soaring in the middle. Although Ashwell Prince fell to his nemesis, Graeme Swann, for the third time in the five balls he has faced from him this series, South Africa largely weathered the crucial new-ball period.This was a day when the problems of a four-man attack were exposed. England were spot-on in their selection for this game – when you’re ahead in a series in South Africa you don’t weaken the batting, especially after a performance like Durban – but it doesn’t leave much room for manoeuvre. With Swann being expertly countered by Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla, England couldn’t find a bowler to make something happen.That is one of the obstacles that will make the next step towards being a major world force hard work. England don’t currently have anyone to race in for that spell of express pace, and neither is there anyone on the horizon. South Africa showed the value of such a weapon, albeit in less oppressive conditions, with Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn both outstanding.England would have hoped for reverse-swing, but the quicks struggled to move the ball off the straight which was ironic given the fuss made over Stuart Broad standing on the ball in his followthrough. “This amazing amount of reverse-swing obtained by Stuart Broad standing on the ball obviously hasn’t worked,” Flower said. “The guys worked very honestly, they toiled hard, the South Africans played very well. Conditions for batting seemed to improve and know we are behind the black ball.”In many ways this was a good dress rehearsal for the Ashes in Australia at the end of this year. England are likely to encounter a few hot days and unresponsive surfaces in places such as Adelaide, and they’ll need to find ways of taking wickets. Swann has added an attacking element, but the fast bowlers still need conditions in their favour to be a constant threat.This is now a match-saving scenario for England if they want to keep their series lead intact heading into the final Test at the Wanderers. “We can attack with the new ball and look for early wickets, which is the trend of the game so far,” Flower said. “If we don’t get those early wickets we will have to bat superbly well.”There’s still hope for us. You’ve seen over the last 12 months our guys fight hard and they’ll fight hard over the next two days. The pitches over all three Tests have surprised people, both locals and us, so we’ll see how this one pans out.”

Sri Lanka scored more runs, lost fewer wickets, and made India sweat through most of the three matches

S Rajesh09-Aug-2010In terms of stats, Sri Lanka clearly outdid India in the three-Test series which finished in Colombo on Saturday. They scored more runs, lost fewer wickets, and made India sweat through most of the three matches. (It helped, of course, that they won all three tosses.) India, though, capitalised on the only opportunity they got of winning a game, leaving the series tied at 1-1, and their hold on the No.1 rank still reasonably secure.Sri Lanka’s huge totals in the first two Tests meant they averaged almost 60 runs per wicket in the series. They also lost ten fewer wickets than India, who averaged less than 45. Two batsmen from the Sri Lankan team, Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera, averaged more than 100, while two others, Tharanga Paranavitana and Mahela Jayawardene, had 50-plus averages. The only Indian with a 100-plus average was Suresh Raina, though three others – VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag – averaged more than 65.The glaring difference, though, was in the bowling stats. The best bowling average among the Indians belonged to Sehwag, who took seven wickets at 27.57. Among the specialist bowlers, Amit Mishra had the best average at 46.75, though that number clearly flattered him. Ishant Sharma, Abhimanyu Mithun and Pragyan Ojha, India’s leading wicket-taker, all conceded more than 60 runs per wicket. Among the Sri Lankans, though, three bowlers – Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga and Suraj Randiv – had sub-35 averages.

The average partnerships for each wicket also shows how dominant Sri Lanka’s top order was: their average stands for the first five wickets all exceeded 50, with the second-wicket partnership being particularly prolific. Their opening pair of Tillakaratne Dilshan and Paranavitana were consistent as well, with four half-century stands.India’s top-order stands, on the other hand, were patchy. Of the first four wickets, the average partnership was more than 50 only for the third wicket. India were saved by the partnerships for the fifth and sixth wickets, with Tendulkar, Laxman and Raina leading the way: each of them was involved in two century stands for the fifth wicket.

For the Sri Lankan batsmen, this series was a fine opportunity to boost their home record against India. In the seven home Tests that Samaraweera has played against India, he averages more than 130, with three centuries and as many fifties. Sangakkara and Jayawardene both average more than 70.

Among the Indians, Rahul dravid was the big disappointment, scoring only 95 runs in five innings. His overall average in Sri Lanka slips to 33.10, which is his lowest in any country. Laxman’s unbeaten matchwinner in the last Test is his first hundred in the country, while Tendulkar and Sehwag continued the fine run they’ve had in Sri Lanka.

Contrasting fortunes against RandivOne of the fascinating aspects of the series was the performance of debutant Suraj Randiv. He was hardly fazed by the powerful Indian batting line-up, and almost led his side to victory in the third Test. His stats against Sehwag are interesting: Sehwag scored 30 runs off 28 deliveries from Randiv – clearly the idea was to try to take the initiative against the debutant – but Randiv easily had the better of the exchanges, dismissing Sehwag three times. Dravid didn’t have a good time against him either, but most of the other Indian batsmen handled him well. Raina and Laxman faced more than 140 deliveries from him without getting out, while Tendulkar fell to him only once. Had Dilshan take that sharp chance offered by him on the last day in Colombo, though, Randiv’s final figures in the game, and the series result, could have been very different.

Their collective tenacity and professionalism has helped the visitors match up to the challenge of playing the world’s No. 1 team

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2010They were of varying length and in different guises but most of the questions put to Daniel Vettori after the Hyderabad Test was drawn were born from a common sentiment: one of surprise at how a team ranked No. 8, having been humiliated in one-day internationals by Bangladesh, had managed to hold the No. 1 Test side to a 0-0 scoreline after two matches. They sought to determine whether Vettori was relieved at the results, whether New Zealand felt a sense of achievement, and whether they would spend the hour-long bus ride back to their hotel feeling satisfied and contented. The more pertinent question, though, is: how has this come to pass?The bulk of the blame from the Indian camp, and the captain MS Dhoni is the primary finger-pointer, has been slathered on the unresponsive tracks prepared at Motera and in Hyderabad. A fair share of the criticism is justified since the pitches at both venues stayed unreasonably flat on all five days and made bowling as appealing as going to the dentist. A weaker reason is the injury to India’s primary wicket-taker Zaheer Khan on the fourth day of the second Test. He would have been dangerous, but not dangerous.To not credit this New Zealand team as a whole for their collective tenacity, and the individuals comprising it for their strength in overcoming unique challenges, however, would be to ignore the fundamental reasons for their success across time and formats: their whole has always been greater than the sum of the parts.A statistic bandied about in the lead-up to the tour was that the entire New Zealand squad had fewer Test runs than Sachin Tendulkar. At present, seven New Zealand batsmen have more runs in the series than him. And they have been made in adversity.In Ahmedabad, New Zealand were in strife during their response to India’s strong first-innings total when Jesse Ryder and Kane Williamson began their partnership. Ryder was returning to Test cricket after an injury layoff, Williamson was beginning his Test career. Failure at that juncture would have been a disappointment but it would also have been understood and forgiven. In Hyderabad, the heroes were a batsman who had just made a pair, another who had been dropped for the first Test, and a third who was new to the challenges of being a Test opener.Ryder responded by batting with a calmness that had traces of Inzamam-ul-Haq to it. He is unflustered at the crease, and he has all the shots. And speed. Tim McIntosh proved he possessed the temperament to handle a struggle and play aggressively once on the other side of it. Martin Guptill spoke of the preparation he had put in to cope with Indian spin, and though his test wasn’t of the highest standard, his efforts showed. Brendon McCullum used his attacking skills in his new role to wipe out New Zealand’s deficit quicker than most would have expected, and as a result they were under extreme pressure for a shorter duration. And Williamson, whose genial celebration of his maiden century won hearts in this age of aggression, exhibited his forcefulness by striking Sreesanth for three fours in the first over of the final day. Those boundaries effectively signalled the end of India’s victory aspirations, even before Zaheer trudged off the field.”The top order came here under pressure from what had happened in Bangladesh but they’ve responded exceptionally well,” Vettori said. “Particularly the two openers in this game, Brendon in his second Test match as an opener and Tim McIntosh coming off a pair, were outstanding and really set up the platform in both innings to allow us to score some pretty good totals. So the likes of Williamson and Ryder in the first Test, and McIntosh and McCullum in this one, have really allowed us to be at our best.”The batting apart, New Zealand were also expected to struggle to take 20 wickets. They managed it in Ahmedabad, and they’ve also bowled with rigorous discipline that disrupted the pace at which India are accustomed to scoring at home. Vettori didn’t grumble about the pitches either, despite bowling a total of 142.3 overs, the most in the series. He’s toiled manfully, like a captain should, bowling until his arm is sore and has 11 wickets, again the most in the series, to show for his efforts. He granted himself the luxury of a rest when India had a jolly hit during the final session of play in Hyderabad, but has otherwise been the crux of New Zealand’s campaign.

New Zealand haven’t complained about pitches and the lack of UDRS, or made too much about adjusting to Indian conditions. They’ve played the series in wonderful spirit – heartily applauding Harbhajan’s game-changing innings and not responding to Sreesanth’s prickly behaviour

New Zealand’s pace attack – led by Chris Martin and Tim Southee – has not attempted to overachieve on these deadest of pitches. They’ve bowled to well-set fields designed to save the single and worn India’s batsmen down. An inspired spell from Martin aside, during which India crumbled to 15 for 5 at Motera, they were unlikely to cut through the most-celebrated batting line-up in the world. Instead, they relied on a relentless accuracy and it has brought them steady results. The key to New Zealand’s bowling success, however, has been their fielding and that is one discipline no one expected them to struggle in. The flying Kiwis have taken sharp catches at slip and prevented countless boundaries with precise anticipation, agile movement and a well-timed dive in the in-field. McCullum provides the energy and is at the heart of the fielding effort. On his watch, few shots get past cover.The underpinning factor that has made all this achievable, however, has been their mindset and the utter professionalism with which they prepare and play. They haven’t complained about pitches and the lack of UDRS, or made too much about adjusting to Indian conditions. They’ve played the series in wonderful spirit – heartily applauding Harbhajan’s game-changing innings and not responding to Sreesanth’s prickly behaviour. Their approach has been one of understated grit.New Zealand have now held India to draws in their last four Tests. In two of them, India had to do the surviving. Vettori’s team will still be expected to lose in Nagpur, though. If they don’t, it will be a surprise again. That is the lot of this hard-working team that has punched above its weight.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Pune Warriors in Chennai

Firdose Moonda25-Apr-2011The slow runner
M Vijay seemed determined to get run out at the start of the innings. First, he took his time getting to the other end of the pitch when Michael Hussey had tipped the ball to Jesse Ryder at point. The very next ball, Vijay played the ball to Alfonso Thomas at short fine leg and was halfway down the track when he decided against the run. Both times, a direct-hit would have had him out. On the third occasion, Vijay steered the ball to short third man and was slow off the blocks to complete the run. He would have been well short but the throw was wide.The return
Manish Pandey made his comeback to the IPL after a four-match ban and although he only scored 12 with the bat, he announced his return in style on the field. He was standing on the long-on boundary when Michael Hussey sent the ball sailing his way. It looked destined to go over the rope and Pandey had to reach up to take the catch. Not only did he manage to snatch the ball out of the air, but he was well aware of his position in relation to the rope. He could easily have backpedalled over the fence but was in total control of the catch. Pandey made a name for himself with a century for Royal Challengers Bangalore in Centurion during the second season of the IPL.The wet spot
Jesse Ryder probably did not intend to sabotage Chennai’s bowlers but he did when he sent a six into a damp patch. R Ashwin was showing signs of turn but Ryder didn’t care. He came down the track, paid little attention to the turn and smacked the ball for six. He went over Ashwin’s head, over the sightscreen and into a puddle of water. Fans tried to coax the ball out of the wet spot and eventually did but it had got fairly damp. The slippery spot made no difference because the next ball, Ryder was bowled by Ashwin, who seemed to be gripping the ball just fine.The apologies
Ashwin wasn’t affected by the wet ball, but Albie Morkel, who had to handle it next, certainly was. He was enjoying showing off his bouncer, but accidentally bowled a beamer at Robin Uthappa, as the ball slipped out of his hand. If it wasn’t misdirected down leg it would have taken Uthappa’s head off. Dhoni could only get a brush of a glove to it and the batsmen took a bye. Dhoni apologised for not saving the single, Morkel apologised, to the umpire and to Uthappa, who accepted graciously.The flying fielder
Shadab Jakati was brought back for this match but his most memorable act was not while bowling. He summed up Chennai’s strong performance in the field with a diving catch. Yuvraj Singh picked up a length ball from Albie Morkel, which he should have put into the stands but only managed to stab at with the toe end of his bat. The ball was still on its way for four, through extra cover, when a leaping Jakati emerged to intercept its path. He had dived full stretch to his left, got both hands to the ball and ended Yuvraj’s time at the crease.

Yuvraj Singh has had to be strong to get past a difficult 2010; to get past a stomach bug that hampered him during his hundred in Chennai; to carry a failing middle order. It’s time for the rest of the team to hang tough too

Sharda Ugra at the MA Chidambaram Stadium20-Mar-2011Yuvraj Singh spent the best part of the last year climbing out of a trough. He was dropped from the Test and one-day teams, was struggling with fitness and injury, and found his career crash landing. Had he been younger, Yuvraj once said, he may even have considered giving up the game. Within the course of this last month, he is fast approaching what could become his finest hour as a one-day cricketer. Strangely, that does not even depend on how far the Indian team goes in the World Cup because if India looks around their dressing room to identify its most improved cricketer in 2011, it would have to be him.If the team were to pick their totem for the kind of cricketer they need as their sport’s biggest event goes into its most oxygen-depleting stage, it would also have to be Yuvraj again.Other than the opening game, every match won by India at this World Cup has featured their heavy-hitting, loose-limbed, floating middle-order man as Man of the Match. Ireland and Holland may not be the strongest of opposition, but without Yuvraj, India would have floundered, both with runs and wickets.Against West Indies, in the gorgeously renovated Chepauk, India needed an emphatic performance in their last group game, and their 80-run win was led by Yuvraj’s first one-day century since July 2009. The century did not contain Yuvraj’s signature big shots crashing around the ground like waves on the nearby Marina. It was a slow, long, quiet haul, the hundred buttressed by two dropped catches (at 9 and 13), 45 humble singles, stomach cramps, retching and the dehydrating demands of an intestinal bug.In the latter half of his innings, Yuvraj began to squat on his haunches; the hardships focussed his mind to a point where he found a way to push on. Two sixes in 123 balls is docile by his standards, but he clung onto the big picture: bat till the end.It meant keeping the ball on the ground and making the most of having come in at No. 4. “I wanted to get to the 100 mark because this was the opportunity, batting at no. 4,” he said afterwards. He began his media conference by sinking an entire bottle of Gatorade down his throat, and then making wisecracks. At No. 5, Yuvraj said, he never faced enough deliveries to hit his way to three-figures. “I just wanted to bat till the end today … I just wanted to get to the 100 mark, because it’s been a while.”Yuvraj must look around the dressing room and realise that, in this World Cup, it has been an alarming while since India’s middle order has showed up as a collective unit that can build from his singular performances in the tournament. With Sachin Tendulkar walking off early and Virender Sehwag sitting out the West Indies match due to a nagging knee injury, this was the best stage for the next clutch of batsmen – Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and the captain MS Dhoni himself – to treat this particular game as a stage on which to make a statement, rather than merely show off their skill.The batting order suited everyone in the line-up; the team didn’t have to choose between Raina and Yusuf Pathan in the XI, Gambhir could open, and Kohli could bat at No. 3 and have 49 overs in which to “express” himself. Kohli’s two-hour innings, in which he scored 59 off 76 balls, was promising. He built a 122-run partnership in which he gave Yuvraj large swathes of the strike. Yet Kohli’s departure, caused by a missed attempt at a cross-batted shot against the probing and incisive Ravi Rampaul, with 18 overs left to play and his older partner visibly struggling, was a moment that makes coaches want to bang their heads in bathrooms.Ever since they battered Bangladesh’s bowling attack in Mirpur, India seems to have picked the 40th over as the moment their line-up must go down in spectacular flames. In Mirpur, they added 94 in their last 10 overs for the loss of two wickets. After returning home though, they have gone in the opposite direction. In Bangalore against England, India scored 91 runs for the loss of seven wickets from the 40th to the innings close; against South Africa, they managed 28 for 8, and against West Indies, on Sunday, they got 56 for 7.In the previous three matches, it was believed India had taken the batting Powerplay too early; they took it from the 35th to the 39th over against Bangladesh, from 37 to 41 against England, and 39 to 43 against South Africa. Against West Indies, they left it for the very end, and still it trapped them, as they failed to bat out their full quota of overs. Little appeared to have changed since the weeks post Mirpur, yet one thing did: for the first time since the first match of the World Cup, India won big.Their flailing middle order must now realise they have run out of all room for what the tennis folk call unforced errors. Yuvraj was replying to a question about crowd support, but produced what could be a handy dressing room speech to his middle-order partners going into the knockout phase. “You are playing the World Cup quarter-finals for your country. This is the moment of your life. This is the moment you live for as a cricketer.”During his annus horribilius, he said he had hung onto an idea: that tough people outlast tough times. Well, at least now the batting around Yuvraj knows what they need to do to push this team through the World Cup. Be like him. Keep hanging tougher.

They aren’t playing enough cricket at the domestic level, so when players make the leap to internationals they flounder

Firdose Moonda20-Oct-2011The most noticeable thing about Brendan Taylor is his smile. It is not particularly radiant and his teeth are not quite pearly white, but even as Brendon McCullum was making a mockery of Taylor’s bowling attack in the Twenty20s in Harare, the smile stood out.After nine international defeats in three series, the fact that Taylor could muster more than a grimace was impressive. That he could show a cheeky grin seemed a sign that there is still belief in Zimbabwe cricket despite their stumble as they try to step up to the big stage.Their fairytale has not turned sour yet, since their sensational return to Test cricket in August, but it appears to be headed that way. For now they have reached a familiar plateau. With defeat piling upon defeat Zimbabwe have to look at their failures in context. Some of them are creditable losses and others just plain losses. The second T20 against New Zealand was one of the former: Zimbabwe batted to within 34 runs of their visitors’ total, with an intent that was missing from previous showings. The first T20 was the other kind, where Zimbabwe were inept in all three departments and were rightly crushed by 10 wickets.”We’ve shown we can perform, we know we can do it, but we just have to be more consistent,” Ray Price, Zimbabwe’s stalwart spinner, told ESPNcricinfo. It is not a groundbreaking thought, but it is exactly what Zimbabwe have to work on as they aim to become more than just the “Johnny Fontanes of cricket”, as one respected cricket journalist labelled them.Zimbabwe’s talent is obvious but it needs to be refined. In the domestic competition they have performers who excel. Gary Balance scored a double-hundred for the MidWest Rhinos two weeks ago. Michael Chinouya started the season with a five-for for the Rhinos. And Forster Mutizwa, who is in the national squad, got 164 for the Mashonaland Eagles, but his average needs improvement in international cricket. A persisting problem has been the gap players have to jump when they take the step up from domestic to international cricket.Price thinks Zimbabwe need to play more A team tours. “When I was coming up, I spent a lot of time on A tours, playing with guys who were much older than me,” he said. “I remember an A tour to Sri Lanka that we went on in the late ’90s. We lost every game. They had guys like Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera in the squad, and it was such an eye-opener. I wondered if I was good enough to play international cricket, and it made me work so much harder.”Zimbabwe played three unofficial Tests against New Zealand A in 2010 and two against Australia A this year, but lack of funds means they cannot send their A team to play in other countries. “Our A team don’t travel enough,” Price said. “But we were so happy to have New Zealand A play against us, not just from an on-field experience but off the field too. We could talk to them and learn from them.”Price is known for his engaging and interactive personality. During Pakistan’s recent visit to Zimbabwe, he was often spotted chatting to Saeed Ajmal on the sidelines and said he picked up a lot of tips. Though he is the senior-most player in the Zimbabwe squad, Price wants to keep absorbing knowledge so that he has more of it to give. “I think if you stop learning, you may as well stop playing. I am really close to all the bowlers in our set-up, not just the spinners. I even like to share ideas with Brendan, and sometimes I am chirping in his ear so much, he has to ask me to move away.”The one area Price cannot dispense any insight into is batting, and he feels that’s where Zimbabwe are struggling the most. “We’ve got a very young batting line-up. When you looked at Pakistan, for example, they had Younis Khan batting with Azhar Ali, and I could hear that he was helping him along. Our most experienced batsman is probably Tatenda Taibu, and he is only 28.”Zimbabwe’s batting woes have cost them more games than their bowling has, and they have often over-compensated for their tendency to collapse by crawling along with little purpose.

“We’ve never been a team that wins series. We’ve always been a team that beats sides from time to time, and so even just one victory will bring back a lot of confidence”Dave Houghton

Dave Houghton, the former Zimbabwe captain who coaches the local Tuskers franchise and Derbyshire, said the lack of Test cricket is one of the main factors for the side’s fragile batting. “We’ve been on a diet of one-day and now T20 cricket, and in those formats every aspect of your game is scrutinised. Usually you have to score off every ball. You are always under pressure. When that happens and you lose two wickets, there is panic. If batsmen had more time to get in, have a look around and settle, they could build confidence.”Although Zimbabwe play four-day cricket, and did even during their six-year Test exile, Houghton thinks it has not done enough for the batsmen to be able to adapt to international cricket. Franchises play eight matches a season, which Houghton says does not give them enough practice in the long run or help develop any sort of consistency.”If you look at batsmen like AB de Villiers or Jacques Kallis, when they have a good season, they score runs in almost every game,” Houghton said. “With one of our players, they may have one good contribution in a series. But we need more.”Lack of cricket appears to a problem throughout the set-up. Former New Zealand allrounder Chris Harris, who coaches the country’s Under-19 side, said even at the school level players are not exposed to the game often enough. “They play six to 10 games a season, so the administrators and I have tried to organise mid-week games and matches at local clubs to get more cricket in.”He is, though, heartened by the number of youngsters interested in the game and said Zimbabweans from all walks of life are taking up cricket. Harris worked with the senior national team on their fielding prior to the New Zealand series and said the attitude in the squad was upbeat and positive. “It’s exciting times in Zimbabwe cricket and there is a real feeling that people want to improve.”Motivation remains one of Zimbabwe’s biggest assets, and everyone from Price to Houghton agrees that it will keep them pushing to get better. “If you can’t motivate yourself to play for your country then you shouldn’t be playing at all,” Price said.Because Zimbabwe have usually been the underdogs, Houghton does not think their losing streak will dent them irreparably. “We’ve never been a team that wins series. We’ve always been a team that beats sides from time to time, and so even just one victory will bring back a lot of confidence.”

A lack of outright wins suggests a weakness in Tamil Nadu’s bowling. But, as their captain points out, they have taken 20 wickets three times this season; perhaps fielding and the weather are their real enemies

Kanishkaa Balachandran31-Dec-2011In the past few seasons, Tamil Nadu have been the Ranji Trophy’s nearly-men. A bunch of recognisable faces with varying levels of international experience have marked them out as title contenders. Yet, silverware has eluded them. The team that possesses one of the strongest batting line-ups on the domestic circuit has lacked the killer punch needed to produce more outright wins. While the batting has looked in rude health, the bowling has lacked the same kind of consistency, owing to the relatively inexperienced combination.In five completed games this season (their opening game against Baroda was washed out), Tamil Nadu managed just one outright win amid four draws. Their unbeaten run gave them a seat in the quarter-finals, where they will meet Maharashtra, who qualified from the Plate league. As they prepare for the match in Chennai on January 2, the team will be looking to redress the balance between bat and ball. Their new captain, L Balaji, has painted a positive picture of the team’s bowling resources, which he says have performed creditably despite the lack of outright wins.”As a captain we’re definitely looking at enforcing outright wins,” Balaji told ESPNcricinfo. “For that, you need 20 wickets. We have actually achieved that a bit (this season) and in the few matches we missed out, we missed it by a whisker.”Against Haryana, we took ten wickets on the fourth day and brought the game back, and we almost chased the target down. Against Delhi, we took 20 wickets but we lost out due to bad weather. There are positives. We achieved the 20-wicket mark in three games. As a captain, it’s a positive sign that the wickets are being shared by all.”Statistics can be misleading. Since the 2009-10 season, Tamil Nadu have played out 16 draws and managed only four wins. What that doesn’t reveal, though, is that at least four games in 2010-11 were affected by rain and their season opener this year, against Baroda in Chennai, was washed out. There have been times, though, when the side has fallen short in seizing crucial opportunities, as the former Tamil Nadu batsman VB Chandrasekar, now a leading commentator on domestic cricket, pointed out last season.WV Raman, who coached Tamil Nadu for four seasons before moving to Bengal last year, presided over the team’s rebuilding stage after the ICL defections. Raman said the bowling is a concern for his former team, which is missing its best bowler, R Ashwin, who has been on national duty since the Ranji season began. Balaji himself has been out of national reckoning for a few years now, but remains the team’s spearhead.”Ranji Trophy is all about a side being able to put runs on the board. But the fact that there is only one outright victory and five draws is an indication that their bowling needs to be looked at,” Raman told ESPNcricinfo’s audio show The Chatter (which will be published on January 1). “They’ve got a few youngsters in the side as well. In the past, there have been instances where Tamil Nadu haven’t been able to restrict the opponents even after scoring 450 or 500.”In Tamil Nadu’s defence, the new-look attack has as many as four playersin their debut season: medium-pacer J Kaushik, and spinners B Aparajith, M Rangarajan and Rahil Shah. Medium-pacer Yo Mahesh leads the team’s wickets-chart with 19, while Balaji, spinner R Aushik Srinivas and Kaushik have taken 15 each.None of those bowlers figure in the top ten wicket-takers this season, but Balaji said performances will improve with time. He singled out Kaushik for making a good impression in his debut season.”Kaushik and Yomi (Yo Mahesh) have shown a lot of character,” Balaji said. “They have shared most of the wickets. We’ve had quite a few youngsters and it adds a lot of variety. We’ve given opportunities to the youngsters who have done well in league cricket and they have risen to the challenge. We know that we should not stagnate, and instead look towards the next level.”Raman said the fielding was another thing that had upset the team’s progress. “The biggest concern for them will be their catching because it’s been very patchy from what I hear and from what I saw in the Bengal game,” Raman said. “If they get that right, their bowlers will be made to look twice as good as they are.”Balaji acknowledged that the team needs to sharpen their fielding. “We have a good fielding coach, M Sanjay, who has been working hard on close catching,” Balaji said. “I accept we need to improve. We know what aspects we are falling behind in and need to catch up on.”The re-laid pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai has often been on the slower side, which could be one of the reasons for the number of draws. However, Balaji was pleased with the pitch for the previous match, against Madhya Pradesh, which ended in a draw, with Tamil Nadu progressing thanks to first-innings points.”It [the pitch] was satisfying for me because it had all the flavours. It had a bit of moisture that helped the fast bowlers. We’re not asking for green tops but sporting wickets where there’s something for everyone. That will keep the momentum going. I was very happy with that pitch and that is good for Tamil Nadu cricket.”While the inexperienced bowling attack may still be a concern ahead of the knockout rounds, the fact that they have taken 20 wickets three times should give Tamil Nadu confidence. All they need is better cooperation from the weather and fielders.