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During the apartheid years, playing on the county circuit was the only taste of big cricket many South Africans got. Circumstances have changed but plenty still make the annual trip north

Firdose Moonda20-Apr-2012Peter Kirsten and John Wright lived in a flat above a butcher’s shop in the early 1980s. Wright did most of the cooking.”He was a very good cook. So he ate New Zealand lamb and I ate South African lamb,” Kirsten says, with a smile in his voice that suggests the one-liner has been repeated for at least 25 years. Of course, the pair actually ate English lamb, and spent their time chatting about sport.”We both came from strong rugby cultures, so there would be a lot of banter about that,” Kirsten remembers. “And we thought about cricket the same way, so it was just good karma.”Their friendship flowered in Derbyshire, where they were both contracted as overseas players. They decided to share a flat on realising how well they got on and that they could cut costs that way. For both, cricket was a job as much as it was a passion, but there was one significant difference. For Wright, county cricket was simply what he did in the New Zealand winter. For Kirsten, it was the highest level of cricket he could play at the time.South Africa’s sporting isolation, which lasted in varying degrees from the 1960s to the 1990s as part of the worldwide movement against apartheid, meant at least two generations of sportspeople were unable to play sport at national level. For South African cricketers, England provided an opportunity to play with and against quality players from other parts of the world, and to make a year-round career in sport, which otherwise would not have been possible.”It gave me a chance to face bowlers like Malcolm Marshall and Wasim Akram – people we’d only ever heard about. That was an unbelievable challenge,” Jimmy Cook, Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1990, who scored over 7500 runs in three seasons at Somerset, says. “When we as a county used to play against international teams, that was like my Test match.”Brian Rose, Director of Cricket at Taunton, who recruited Cook, agreed that for South Africans there was markedly more meaning to their success in county cricket. “I think that’s true because their Test careers were finished before they even began,” he says.Rose took a keen interest in South African players because of his association with the country. He had taught and coached in Cape Town, at South African College Schools (known as SACS), and he first saw Cook in the 1975-76 season, playing at Newlands. People who Rose knew, like Clive Rice and Eddie Barlow, also spoke well of Cook. “Jimmy came highly recommended by everyone I spoke to,” Rose recalls. When Somerset needed an overseas player, Cook was an obvious choice.For Cook, the opportunity to travel to England was a no-brainer. He had stopped playing football, which had occupied him in the winter, four years before Rose called, and had “always wanted to give county cricket a try”. After checking with Rice that the deal was reasonable and the remuneration fair, Cook accepted.Kirsten got his chance in a similar word-of-mouth way. Barlow had a “sort of trial” for a few Western Province players to see who would be interested in playing in England and Kirsten, who came out on top, was put in touch with Derbyshire.Once in England, it was as though as the world had opened up. Both Cook and Kirsten recall learning and seeing more than they ever did at home. Perhaps more importantly for the counties, both enjoyed immense success in unfamiliar conditions. Even today, South African players sometimes struggle to adjust to the movement on English surfaces, but Cook took to it as though he had played there all his life.

“I see county cricket not only as a cricketing experience but a lifestyle one. They come out of school, they must learn to live without mom and dad and grow up a little bit”Jimmy Cook

Cook put it down to good timing, not with the bat but the year he first started in Somerset, 1989. “My home wicket at Taunton was, at the time, the best batting wicket in England and slightly faster than the other wickets,” he says. “It suited me down to the ground. Early on in my stint there, I managed to play some very slow but longer innings and got used to the conditions. Having played at the Wanderers for so many years, where the pitches were very bowler-friendly, I got to Taunton and found that pitches were batsmen-friendly. So I loved batting every day.”Another aspect of county cricket foreigners can be stumped by is the rigorous schedule. For Cook, that was something to be enjoyed. “To certain people, playing every day isn’t ideal, because they want breaks, but I just loved it,” he says.There was nothing about county cricket Cook did not relish. In his time there, he made Somerset a home, and his wife and two young sons spent time with him there as well. “They didn’t go to school because both my wife and I were schoolteachers, so we just got the work from the school. Mom did the work with them in the morning and they came down to the cricket in the afternoon.”Apart from the lifestyle, Cook says the most important thing county cricket did for him was that it allowed him to keep up with trends in the game. He would often bring home ideas on field placements or particular shots to apply in South Africa.The same went for Kirsten, who remembers seeing and copying the reverse sweep in 1979, and credits county cricket with improving his approach to spin bowling. He also talks about playing a version of cricket that he sees as one of the forerunners to 20-overs cricket. “We used to play ten-over cricket when it rained and our limited-overs games were cut short. We were playing that sort of cricket back then, you know,” he said, with a laugh.Cook, Kirsten, Rice, Stephen Jeffries, Barry Richards and Mike Procter all had opportunities to become better players in the top tier of the English game. But players of colour had to settle for lower levels of competition. League cricket was often where they sought out contracts, and many made a great success of it. Dik Abed was one of the most prominent professionals in the Lancashire League, while Omar Henry made a name for himself in the Manchester League.Mike Procter of Gloucestershire•PA PhotosIt was there that he got an offer from a Scottish businessman, who was also involved in cricket. “He read about me in the Manchester and asked me to go and play in Scotland,” Henry says. “I didn’t even know they played cricket in Scotland. When I got to Glasgow and I saw the cricket field with golf courses on either side, I thought, ‘This is not a bad place to be.'”It was an unexpectedly good result from a decision taken on the fly, to play cricket in the United Kingdom. Henry was 24 years old, lived with his parents and did not have many responsibilities when he took the plunge. “I gave myself three years, where I thought I could live hand to mouth and try to play overseas. It was just my luck that I made it,” he says. “I also saw myself as a bit of a pioneer for other players of colour who did not always have the same opportunities.”Henry was one of very few non-white cricketers who attracted the attentions of a major county, largely because of the lack of exposure players of colour had. South African Cricket Board (non-white) matches were rarely covered overseas. Kirsten thinks that if they were, many more South Africans would have made careers in England. “County scouts were often unaware of the potential of black players,” Kirsten says. “It’s unfortunate because many of those guys would have done very well there.”Since readmission, the South African connection to county cricket has expanded to include all players. Hashim Amla played for Nottinghamshire, Ashwell Prince for Lancashire, Alviro Petersen is currently with Essex, and Vernon Philander represents Somerset, having been handpicked by Rose to join them.Rose has maintained his links with South Africa. Cook coached there for six years and was in charge of youth development, until the role required a full-time employee, which Cook could not commit too. Cook also introduced Graeme Smith, who he coached as a schoolboy, to Somerset. The South African captain led the county to the T20 title in 2005.Cook regularly organises for boys who have just finished school to play league cricket in England, and says he would recommend it as a must-do experience for budding professionals. “If anyone got an opportunity, I’d tell them to jump at it,” he says. “I see it not only as a cricketing experience but a lifestyle one. They come out of school, they must learn to live without mom and dad and grow up a little bit.”Henry agrees, saying although the cricket education is important, it’s the bigger picture that matters more. “What was possibly more important than cricket is that I grew up as a human being.”Money may speak louder than this mantra, though. With leagues such as the IPL contracting players for significant chunks of time, cricketers dedicating time to play on the county circuit is becoming less common. Rose admits that counties sometimes struggle to secure overseas players. “It is much more difficult. The Future Tours Programme is a nightmare for domestic cricket,” he says, although he has found a positive for the local game. “It allows for the development of local young players, which could prove a great benefit for English cricket in the long term.”

The home side can have no arguments that they have been out-played by South Africa and if they have ambitions of reviving their Test fortunes will need to be honest about their problems

George Dobell at Lord's19-Aug-2012Just as summer inexorably turns into autumn, so England’s grip on the No.1 Test status is ebbing away as surely as night follows day. Like a desperate man losing their grip on a cliff face, England will, at some stage on Monday, fall from their perch. As Bob Dylan put it, it’s not dark yet, but it’s getting there.Few England supporters would dispute that South Africa have been the better side in this series. They would accept, too, that England, for all their improvements over recent years, have failed to justify their lofty ranking since defeating India about 12 months ago. What seemed, at the time, like the start of a journey, might have turned out to be the end. A record that may well read six losses from 11 Tests this year by the end of Monday tells its own story.It is a story which leaves England with some awkward questions to answer.Firstly, they need to look at why their catching, so impressive when they won the Ashes, has become so fallible. They have dropped nine catches in this series, including chances that might – such as the reprieve of Hashim Amla at The Oval and Alviro Petersen in Leeds – have defined matches. In South Africa’s second innings here, England dropped Amla on 2, AB de Villiers on 8 and Jacques Rudolph on 6. It is hard enough to beat South Africa without allowing their middle order an extra innings each.At present this is a question for which England have no answer. They are not lacking in hard work and good intention but, perhaps, lack the personnel to build an effective slip cordon. It may be that, if they conclude that their slip catching is costing them games – and there is increasing evidence that it is – they need to look at their team selection and ensure they are better covered in such respect.Stuart Broad’s reputation has also declined during this series. Despite one good spell at Leeds, he has been bowling with reduced pace and effectiveness throughout and can no longer be presumed an automatic selection. While the greater potential of his batting might be presumed to see him preferred to Graham Onions, Broad’s batting average in this series – 8.25 – hardly justifies that. The bowling average of 39.72 is hardly encouraging, either.That is not to say Broad should be dropped. He is only 26 and may well come to be regarded in time as one of England’s finest seamers. But England really do need to question – and correct – his loss of pace and hostility with the ball and his loss of form with the bat. He is too good to be allowed to go to waste.But perhaps the most awkward question concerns Andrew Strauss. No-one disputes that Strauss is a fine man with an excellent career behind him. But there are legitimate questions about his future. He has a highest score of 37 and an average of just 17.83 in this series. More to the point, he has hardly looked likely to score runs.Some of his tactical decisions – such as dropping Graeme Swann at Headingley and the leg-side approach to bowling at Graeme Smith – have been muddled and, by the close of play on Monday, it is likely that he will have presided over one series victory in four. The harsh might also suggest that a more sophisticated captain might have nullified any issues between Kevin Pietersen and the rest of the team before they reached the stage they have. They have been brewing for some time.It is true that it is not long since Strauss scored runs against West Indies. And they were not the easy runs some suggest. As Kemar Roach proved to Jonny Bairstow, the West Indian attack is not to be under-rated. But the fact remains that the South African attack is a class above and, if England really aspire to return to the top ranking, they need a man at the top of the order who can see off the new ball with more certainty that Strauss offers at present. The lack of alternatives for his position is a concern, but Jonathan Trott, Nick Compton, Michael Carberry and, perhaps, Joe Root are all possibilities.England’s success has been built – partly, anyway – on the principle of continuity of selection. But there is a line between a settled environment and a cosy environment and it remains to be seen if Andy Flower, for all his excellence in the role of England coach, can regenerate this side in the way that Sir Alex Ferguson has a series of Manchester United sides.Perhaps this series may prove something of a watershed. The emergence of Steven Finn and Jonny Bairstow offers substantial encouragement for the future. Both are young and both will endure some pot-holes on their journey, but they have shown they are men with a future at this level.Finn has claimed eight wickets in this match, bowling with a pace and hostility that would trouble any side. He concedes more runs per over than England would like in an ideal world, but the key is that he takes wickets. It is a skill that outweighs all negatives. He has time to work on his consistency.”I wouldn’t say I chase wickets,” Finn said after play. “I’m a young bowler. I’m not going to get it right every time. That’s part of being a young bowler. Everyone experiences that when they’re growing up. I’m only 23-years-old. I’m still learning a lot about the way I bowl. I don’t run up thinking ‘wickets, wickets, wickets’ every ball. It’s not the way I’ve been taught to operate and it’s not the way the team operates. I went at four-an-over in the first innings, but came back in the second innings and went for less than three-an-over and felt I bowled well.”Finn insisted that England could still win the game on the last day. But to score another 330 in 90 overs against this attack would be an awesome achievement. But perhaps the most damning statistic is this: England have never successfully chased more than 332 to win a Test in a history that started in 1876-77.”As a team over recent years we have enjoyed breaking records and defying people’s beliefs against us,” Finn said somewhat implausibly. “We really do believe in the dressing room that we can win this game. The older ball does a lot less than the new ball and tomorrow we’ll be playing against a ball 15 overs old. When the ball is softer there is no uneven bounce and when the ball is old and the sun is out, it’s a very good wicket to bat on. It’s going to be important to build partnerships and get our foot in the door. Then, later in the day, maybe we can smash through it and win the game.”Maybe. In truth England need a miracle of Biblical proportions to win this game and retain their No.1 ranking. And it is hard to see how even a plague of locusts can help them now.

Aaron Phangiso’s attitude and the natural break in his action has helped him grow quickly as a left-arm spinner

Firdose Moonda24-Oct-2012A decade ago, a team consisting of the likes of AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Neil Wagner established a reputation as the Australia of the schoolboy age. They were the hegemons.Most of that group went on to become fairly well-known professional cricketers soon after. Some slipped under the radar and re-emerged only later. Aaron Phangiso was one of the latter lot. His time appears to be now.Of all the players in the ongoing Champions League, Phangiso has been the biggest revelation. Like Kieron Pollard and Davy Jacobs before him, it seems predestined that he will be offered an IPL contract. Unlike the two of them, it will not be because of his feats with the bat. Phangiso’s left-arm spin is a not rare in India but his big-match temperament and wily use of what his former coach, Grant Morgan, calls the “natural pause ball” could make him a clever buy.”If you look at his action, there’s a slight delay before he delivers the ball,” Morgan told ESPNcricinfo. “That makes him very hard to pick because it’s difficult for batsmen to line him up.” Morgan compared the pause to the likes of Saeed Ajmal or R Ashwin, and said it was particularly unusual for a left-armer.As proof of how effective it has been, Phangiso has had the better of Shane Watson, Sachin Tendulkar, M Vijay and Gary Ballance. Those four significant wickets are part of Phangiso’s tournament haul of eight, which puts him third on the wicket-takers’ list. He is three wickets behind the leader Mitchell Starc and could overtake second-placed Azhar Mahmood, who took 10 wickets.But those are not the most impressive of Phangiso’s statistics. Of all the bowlers left in the competition, he has the second-lowest economy rate which stands at 4.43 per over. Ajit Agarkar has been more miserly, giving away only 4.37 runs per over. He also has the second-lowest average, 8.87, of the remaining contenders. Only Morne Morkel’s is better at 8.80.Perhaps the one that will stand out most, especially from the national selectors’ point of view, is that Phangiso has the best strike rate among bowlers in the two South African franchises. His sits at 12.0, which means on average he takes a wicket every two overs and two in every match. That may be why his captain, Alviro Petersen calls him the “banker” of the team who “never gets the credit he deserves but always performs”.In some ways that has been how Phangiso’s career has gone. He started off at Northerns, where he blossomed despite his humble background. “He was never a big turner of the ball but he had a lot of confidence,” Morgan, who coached him there, said. “He was part of that bunch of boys who were not scared to lose and who had a natural competitive instinct.”Roelof van der Merwe was his major competitor at the union and eventually Phangiso decided to seek a clearer path. He moved to the North West Cricket Union where he became one of coach Monty Jacobs’ favourite players. “He has a very dry sense of humour and always has something to say and is one of the best assets in our team,” Jacobs said.Phangiso also brought a wealth of knowledge to the side, which Jacobs could build on. “He is a very clever bowler and always thinking about the game. One of the things I’ve noticed is that he uses flight very well.”From there, Phangiso was picked for the Lions’ limited-overs sides and would return to the North West (one of the Lions two feeder amateur unions) to play first-class cricket. Even though he seems to be boxed in as white-ball player only, Jacobs said that is not the case.”I think it was even in his mind a little that he could only play one-day cricket, but he has more to offer. He is definitely smart enough to play the longer format. I will only see him again in January, because he will be playing in the one-day cup until then but when he gets back, we will keep working on his first-class game. Lions have a lot of spinners like Imran Tahir and Eddie Leie but hopefully he will get a look in.”Phangiso took a hat-trick for North West against Free State last season, which Jacobs said has become the stuff of legend at the union. After this Champions League, it seems they will have many more stories to tell about him.

It is difficult to pinpoint why New Zealand seem to have lost the ability to dig in, which was once their trademark characteristic. They must rediscover it to have any chance against Sri Lanka

Andrew Fernando29-Oct-2012Over the years, New Zealand had endeared themselves to a legion of overseas fans with their attitude and style. Almost always the underdogs, in the past they have competed with the top teams by striking a unity of purpose that has elevated the collective beyond the sum of its parts. Bowlers would find a way to make runs where the batsmen could not, part-timers would crack partnerships and turn matches, and the team would scrap their way out of adversity – if not always to victory. No longer. The spunk has left their game. It has been gone some years now.New Zealand’s recent record does not make for pleasant reading. They arrive in Sri Lanka less encumbered by expectations as a result, with fans at home becoming increasingly disenchanted with a cricket team whose shortcomings are made all the more stark by the All Blacks’ success. New Zealand have been trounced in their last two away series, and beaten soundly by South Africa at home. Their last Test series win against top-eight opposition was in early 2006. In ODIs, it has been almost three years since they have defeated a top-eight side. More recently, even their Twenty20 game seems to have slipped.Frustratingly, it is difficult to put a finger on a concrete reason for the slide, particularly in limited-overs cricket. They don’t lack for talent with the bat, boasting two of the hardest hitters in the game for their senior batsmen and a decent opener in Martin Guptill. The younger batsmen have some technical deficiencies – for it is difficult for a domestic talent pool as shallow as New Zealand’s to produce complete batsmen – but there are no glaring flaws shared by the group as a whole. Thirty-one wickets to Ravi Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha in the two recent Tests in India suggests a weakness against spin, but that has not been a theme in other series, or in the shorter formats.But there has been a marked dearth in that intangible quality that once made them such a compelling side to watch. There has been an inability to dig in and claw back at more highly fancied opposition. Numbers six to nine were once almost a failsafe top-order, but lately they have been fitting precursors to Chris Martin’s paper-thin blade. A middle order that once used to flourish under pressure now shrinks at the first sight of it. In the field, they have lost that ability to rally after a breakthrough, and to force a collapse through sheer bottle.It is that force of will that they must rediscover if they are to win in Sri Lanka. Their top order may not command the records Sri Lanka’s colossi do, but what they lack in numbers, they must make up for in desperation, as New Zealand sides of the past once did. The bowlers might not have the measure of the opposition batsmen through skill alone, but when a wicket falls, they must feed off each other’s energy to incite panic in the opposition. Fielding is the one discipline in which New Zealand’s standards have remained high, and yet they must find ways to exert pressure through presence. Improving technique and temperament is often a lengthy process, but regaining that hunger and killer attitude need not be.It is difficult to see New Zealand excelling in the Tests, especially at Galle and the SSC, which are not conducive to seam bowling, but to give themselves a chance in the longer format, New Zealand must begin the tour strongly in the limited-overs leg. They will perhaps take encouragement from a World Twenty20 campaign that was a not a disaster. New Zealand tied with both eventual finalists before being bested each time in the Super Over, and they know that an extra run here or there might have seen them qualify for the semi-finals ahead of the eventual champions. New Zealand also played all five World Twenty20 matches at Pallekele, where they begin the tour with a one-off Twenty20 and the first ODI. These may seem contrived sources of optimism, but with a recent record as dire as theirs, New Zealand must find positivity wherever they can.Sri Lanka is no easy place to tour for even the best teams, and the hosts will expect to trounce a New Zealand side at one of their lowest ebbs in the modern era. New Zealand need a breakthrough tour to end their torment and there is little to suggest that this tour will be it, but if they can rediscover the panache that once defined them, they may just catch fire like the sides of yesteryear did.

From TS Trudgian, Canada

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013
Doug Bollinger – big, tall, fast and bustling•AFPI was huddled over some remarkably fine streaming coverage of Australia’s tour to New Zealand when I saw some vintage Bollinger. That, I promise, will be the first and last of any champagne moments throughout this article. Anyway, Bollinger took a wicket (I forget whose) and in a classic bout of enthusiasm lowered his head and raised his shirt to kiss the Australian logo on his breast. But it was not the green and gold emblem of Cricket Australia, but that of Victoria Bitter which felt the force of his osculatory might. The smile produced from taking the wicket became even wider after this mis-matching of logos — almost as wide as the VB executives who enjoyed the constant replays and free advertising.But what a character: he does not have the latitudinal expanse of a Merv Hughes, but he is a big, tall, fast and bustling opening bowler. Perhaps Peter Siddle looks more intimidating than D.E. Bollinger (particularly when Siddle has the rather menacing zinc cream wrapped around his gnashing jaws). In any case, Bollinger is certainly an opening bowler’s opening bowler, none of these waving dandy-locks or Rexona advertisements shared by his English opening counterpart.More often than not he bowls over the wicket, but due to his near-vertical release (as opposed to, say, Johnson’s slight round-arm) he can generate a surprisingly wide angle. It is this angle to the right-handers and his pace with the new ball that will ensure he has a dominant part to play in the Ashes (sure, England will have at least four left-handers in the team at any one time … was it Keith Miller who said they shouldn’t be allowed to play the game? Ruining my analysis like that — the nerve).I shall leave it to others to talk about his expertise with the mystical arts of reverse-swing. That is, after all, something which only enters the game after the first session, and so many Tests are decided in the first session’s play. The Doug does not have the prodigious conventional swing of The Hilf, but one can easily adapt Richie Benaud’s oft-heard epithet that the ‘ball need only spin half the width of the bat’ to see that sheer magnitude of swing is not the whole box-and-dice. Indeed, it is in the contrasts of Australia’s opening pair (for it is safe to assume that Bollinger and Hilfenhaus will share the new ball) that make for such a strong start to our bowling. If Stuart Broad could determine his role in the side (that is to say, decide, much like Mitchell Johnson, whether he is best suited at opening the innings or as the useful ‘stock’ bowler), then England might have such a formidable opening pair. Perhaps this is why Steve Finn has been given a run to see whether he can join Jimmy Anderson at the start of the day. Although since Chris Tremlett has been working on his swing (a right hook I think it was), Anderson might not be a dead-cert for the ’Gabba Test.In any case, expect a huge cheer for Bollinger as he steams in, and an even larger one if, when batting, he manages to lay bat on ball.

Plays of the day from the match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils in Mumbai

Mohammad Isam09-Apr-2013The fizz outIt was billed as a fantasy league-type opening partnership, but the “Pondulkar” didn’t fire once again. Ricky Ponting holed out at mid-off in the first over before Sachin Tendulkar fell a long way short of the crease, unable to beat Mahela Jayawardene’s throw from mid-off in the next over. Two batting legends out in the space of four balls, and the hype took a backseat…The catch…but you can’t keep legends away from the action for too long. Off the first ball of Delhi Daredevils’ chase, Ponting slung himself full-length to his right to pluck a superb take off Unmukt Chand’s top-edge. The bowler was Harbhajan Singh, Ponting’s scourge in many a battle over the past decade. The hug to celebrate the catch was a spinmeister’s fantasy fulfilled.The shotRohit Sharma brings out the odd cliché from commentators, but he played to his talented tag perfectly. As he took the Mumbai innings towards the final over, there was the inevitability that he would finally open up his shoulders. After two sixes, he rocked back and pulled Nehra over square-leg off the last ball, effortlessly. It looked great, and it was a nice way to yank momentum from Delhi’s hands.The anti-climaxDavid Warner started off slowly, like Dinesh Karthik, before he began finding the boundaries. By the 10th over, though, the sixes started to come in and Daredevils were ahead of Mumbai. But soon after hitting 11 off three balls off Mitchell Johnson, Warner holed out to Ambati Rayudu at deep point. It shrunk the visitors’ chances of pulling off a famous run chase, as they quickly lost their way thereafter.

Hyderabad’s cricket is as rich as the city’s history

Devashish Fuloria21-Mar-2013Hyderabad, the city of Nizams, is now one of India’s information-technology centres – a reflection of the changing times. While a century ago it was home to one of the richest persons in the world, made famous by his collection of Rolls Royces, the city now hosts global giants like Google and Microsoft.Hyderabad has a rich cricket tradition – largely to do with the supple wrists of the batsmen it produces – but it hasn’t been a major international venue. The old Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium has now passed on the mantle of hosting all meaningful cricket to the state-of-the-art Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. The old ground has hosted two Tests, the new one, three.The new stadium boasts top facilities for both players and the 50,000-plus spectators that it can hold. However, a common gripe is the absence of shade. The cricket and the frequent appearances of popular local tennis star Sania Mirza at the ground are the only respite when the sun beats down.Ground page | Fixtures | MapGreat matches

India v New Zealand, 1999
Sachin Tendulkar, in his prime, smashed the ball around the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium to bring up 186 not out. Rahul Dravid, with a career-best 153, matched Tendulkar in aggression. Together, the two put on 331 for the second wicket – still the highest stand for any wicket in ODIs. After witnessing the blinding onslaught, New Zealand caved in and lost the match by 174 runs.Tendulkar has dazzled the Hyderabad crowd on more than one occasion•Getty ImagesIndia v Australia, November 2009

It could have been the innings that Sachin Tendulkar’s fans used as the clincher in an argument with those who doubt his ability in chases. Tendulkar single-handedly mastered the chase with an epic 175 while wickets tumbled around him. He brought the team to within 19 runs of the 351-run target. But his tame dismissal followed by the capitulation of the tail meant India fell three short.Major players
Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi | Mohammad Azharuddin | VVS Laxman | ML Jaisimha | Arshad AyubHome team
Hyderabad’s Ranji team has made five appearances in finals and won two titles, the last of which came in 1987.The city’s IPL franchise has had a rollercoaster ride. Deccan Chargers finished at the bottom of the table in the opening season in 2008, but shot up to win the title the following year. They caught the downward spiral after that performance, which ended with the scrapping of the franchise in 2012. The city has since acquired a new franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad, which won the title in 2016.

Australia’s Ashes performance wasn’t far off what was expected: a wholehearted, often impressive, bowling attack but an inconsistent batting order, although there are signs of promise

Daniel Brettig26-Aug-2013

9

Ryan Harris
Harris arrived in England as an ageing, injury-prone selectors’ gamble, but he leaves as Australia’s undisputed best fast bowler, and among the top handful in the world. Concern about whether Harris would last the distance during this series were underlined by his omission from the team for the Trent Bridge Test, but from the moment he nipped out Joe Root and Kevin Pietersen on the first morning at Lord’s he has been consistently the most vexing opponent for Alastair Cook’s men. Other memorable spells at Old Trafford and Durham should have been rewarded with victories. Harris also threw himself around the field and fought hard with the bat. Nearing 34, he looms as a pivotal player Down Under over the forthcoming Ashes bout; Australia will preserve him for as long as they possibly can.

7.5

Peter Siddle
There is nothing so reliable in Australian cricket as the sight of Siddle steaming in, giving his all for the national team and searching batsmen’s reserves of technique, application and courage. Unlike previous Ashes series, he has also done so with exceptional skill as well as persistence, his use of the crease a particular highlight. On the first day of the series it was Siddle who set the tone for Australia’s bowlers by plucking five wickets and showing England’s batsmen could be restricted. He has kept fighting every innings since, even if his returns have tailed off slightly due to the accumulated fatigue of five Tests. Among the pacemen, only the exceptionally durable James Anderson has bowled more overs. He can expect to more of the same this southern summer.

7

Chris Rogers
Handpicked for English conditions after waiting what seemed to him an eternity for a proper chance at Test cricket, Rogers has not let Australia down, placing the highest price on his wicket and consistently forcing the hosts into second and third spells to dislodge him. Save for a poor Test at Lord’s, his quality has been demonstrated by a range of innings from a startlingly fluent 84 in Manchester to a wonderfully dogged first century in Durham. Rogers has also been largely adept at his use of the DRS to escape close calls. Problems against Graeme Swann have been noticeable, and will be the major hurdle for him to overcome between now and the return series, where he will continue a remarkably late blooming Test career.Steven Smith
Not chosen in the initial squad because it was felt his technique would not stand up to English pitches and seam bowling, Smith found his way into the team via a combination of Michael Clarke’s dodgy back and his own strong scoring for Australia A. His contributions have been spotty at times, but have consistently improved, from a handy half century in Nottingham to a stirring first century at the Oval. Smith’s legspin provided three surprise wickets at Lord’s and he has fielded with typical enthusiasm. Most importantly, he has shown as a young player that he is learning how to cope with top quality bowling. A prospective leader now guaranteed to bat in the top six at the Gabba, Smith is the major long-term positive to arrive for Australia this year.Nathan Lyon did not start the series but his performances showed he should have done•Getty Images

6

Nathan Lyon
Took his omission from the first Test team with rare grace, a reaction that would look all the more admirable when he did finally get the chance to bowl in the third match of the series. With the help of Clarke’s empathy and tactical sharpness, Lyon has steadily developed into an offspin bowler of high quality, and to watch him duel with Kevin Pietersen at the Oval was to see that he is far from outmatched in such rare company. For his sake it is to be hoped that Australia’s selectors recognise this and cease second-guessing him, as they did in India and again at the start of the Ashes.Brad Haddin
Called into the team as Clarke’s best lieutenant and also an accomplished performer in each of the past two Ashes series, Haddin very nearly stole the Trent Bridge Test from under English noses with a fearless innings on the final morning. That he did not weighed heavily on the vice-captain, and his batting contributions were not so strident thereafter. However, he caught well with one or two exceptions, surpassing the selector Rod Marsh’s record for dismissals in a series, and provided a valuable leadership presence both on the field and off it. Towards the end of the series he stated his desire to keep playing until the 2015 World Cup; if he can keep scoring runs it is a realistic goal.

5.5

Michael Clarke
Whether cracking a century at Old Trafford, leading with typical alertness or catching most chances at slip, Clarke performed creditably at the head of a poorly performing team. But he has also shown signs that the batting mastery of 2011-12 has faded, as much because of an increasingly dodgy back as England’s considered plans for him. Stuart Broad was a consistent source of trouble, while James Anderson also saved his best ball of the series for him at Trent Bridge. A desire to bat at No. 5 forced numerous shuffles around him, and he ended the series at No. 4 anyway. Clarke has looked crestfallen at times on the tour, as he did in India, for he knows that however he performs individually, the team’s results will define his legacy. The home summer affords an opportunity to ensure it does not slip away.

5

Shane Watson
Even for a figure as polarising as Watson this was a more enigmatic series than most. Starting as an opening batsman, ridiculed for his lbw frailty, demoted to No. 6 while bowling steadily, injured and recovered then clattering his finest Test century at the Oval, he was never far from a headline. Despite that final innings, Watson’s series was largely disappointing because when the destination of the Ashes was still to be decided, he was nowhere, repeatedly betrayed by his ever-so-prominent front pad, more often than not by the undersung Tim Bresnan. But he has learned valuable lessons that he may be able to use during the return matches in Australia. Watson will start at No. 3 in Brisbane on the strength of his Oval knock, and Australia will hope he can repeat it with the urn on the line.Ashton Agar’s Test debut was a wonderful story, but his bowling wasn’t up to the task•Getty ImagesMitchell Starc
He may not appreciate it now, but Mitchell Starc is being steadily groomed for a long and fruitful international career. His bowling can be extraordinary at times and decidedly ordinary at others, and he retains the ability to remove the best batsmen. Australia have maintained a policy of playing him in alternate Test matches, something that has so far kept him from too much injury harm while also allowing him to grow gradually more consistent. The improvement has been more incremental than dramatic thus far, and he will hope to push on during the home summer, where he flirted with a match-winning display on the first morning against South Africa in Perth last season before losing his form dramatically in the second innings. Whether Starc does graduate from alternate to permanent next series or not, there is plenty to work with.Ashton Agar
An innings of a lifetime in Nottingham made Agar an instant celebrity, before his embryonic left-arm spin was shown to be a long way from the finished article. Given the loose-limbed elegance and poise he showed in the aforementioned 98, it was possible to wonder whether Agar is more likely to develop as a batsman rather than a bowler. Either way, he has plenty of talent, but it was fair to conclude that his call-up had arrived a little too soon. Agar is unlikely to figure in the return series, as he fashions his game in domestic competition and decides where exactly in the team his future may lie.Phillip Hughes
The curious selection decisions that have surrounded Hughes’ still young career continued when he was dropped a Test match after a most composed unbeaten 81 at Trent Bridge, in the Michael Hussey middle order role he had prepared for in the lead-up matches. While Hughes’ technical pops and ticks are well known, he thrives most of all on confidence, and having gained plenty in Nottingham, it ebbed away again as he sat on the boundary’s edge for three Tests. It remains to be seen whether he is still part of the selectors’ plans for the home summer, but Hughes has reason to feel a little hard done by on the flight back to Australia.James Pattinson
Before the series Pattinson was billed as the leader of Australia’s attack, his older brother Darren’s unhappy and brief England career a potent backstory. He seemed somewhat overawed by the task with the ball in his hands at Trent Bridge and Lord’s, bowling one or two excellent spells amid many rather more indifferent ones. But his desire to succeed could never be questioned, and his doughty batting at No. 11 in both matches won plenty of admirers. A back injury then curtailed his tour, but he remained a part of the squad on tour, and if fit will be a central part of the team to line-up in Brisbane.Another false start: Usman Khawaja finished another series outside the XI•Getty Images

4

Usman Khawaja
Finally granted the sorts of opportunities he had been waiting for, under the wing of a coach he admires in Darren Lehmann, Khawaja failed to take them. There was one horrible shot followed by a substantial knock at Lord’s and one ghastly decision to end his innings at Old Trafford, but the overall impression was of a batsman looking at home but then finding ways to get out. His departure at Durham, missing a straight ball from Graeme Swann, may be the last glimpse of Khawaja at Test level for some time, until he can regain the habit of making hundreds.David Warner
A pair of firm innings at the top of the order have probably shored up Warner’s position as Rogers’ opening partner when the Ashes contest resumes in Australia, but they served also to remind observers of what the tourists had lost with his hare-brained swipe at Joe Root in a Birmingham bar. He can never be so wasteful again or risk an international career that should be punctuated by the sorts of shots he reeled off in the second innings at Chester-le-Street, when he momentarily filled England’s bowlers with rare doubt.Jackson Bird
A worthy back-up to Harris, Siddle and Pattinson, Bird delivered some decent bowling stints in Durham but will be remembered most for being coshed for crucial runs by Bresnan on the fourth morning. His seam and swing is decent enough but he may need to find another gear in future – this may be provided in the short-term at least by the pacier pitches he will have to work with in Australia. He ended the tour complaining of back pain, but will remain part of the team’s impressive and important pace bowling depth.James Faulkner
Straining for a chance all series, Faulkner finally had one at the Oval where he did much as would have been expected. He batted unselfishly, bowled serviceably and spoke punchily, but overall looked fractionally short of the top rank. A little like Bird, Faulkner’s bowling record has been inflated by Australian domestic pitches malleable to his art, meaning he may be more dangerous to England at home than he was on the other side of the world.

3

Ed Cowan
One Test match, a bad stomach bug, a pair of heedless cover drives and a swift removal from the side was not how Cowan would have envisaged his Ashes. His hard graft in India seemingly forgotten, Cowan seems unlikely to be called upon again unless he can sway the selectors in the manner of Simon Katich by compiling record tallies of domestic runs.This feature is in association with .

Stats highlights from the third day’s play between Australia and England at Adelaide Oval

Shiva Jayaraman07-Dec-2013

Australia’s batting coach Michael Di Venuto wants his charges to adopt the persistent attitude shown by Chris Rogers in the Ashes to find the consistency of the great batsmen

Daniel Brettig30-Dec-2013A rapid, even impish century to deliver the Boxing Day Test for Australia brought much glory to Chris Rogers. What the national team’s batting coach, Michael Di Venuto, wants the rest of his pupils to learn from is how Rogers fought and scraped through the rest of the series to get there. “You don’t have to be in good form to score runs,” Di Venuto said. “That’s just a myth.”The Australian batsmen have looked somewhat vulnerable throughout the Ashes, despite their 4-0 margin over England. Di Venuto is seeking to instil the idea that scoring runs when feeling good about doing so is only a small part of the job. Far more important is the ability to do it when the bat feels more toothpick than sabre, the ball more squash than beach-sized. To borrow from golf, batting can be a game judged less by the quality of your best days than by that of your worst.”Sometimes you go out and the ball hits the middle of the bat and you are away. Other times it doesn’t happen,” Di Venuto said the morning after Australia’s eight-wicket win at the MCG. “What Chris does, and what he has done his whole career, is that no matter what sort of form he is in he scores runs. That is the name of the game.”There is no point scoring runs only when you are in top form and nothing when you’re not hitting them that well. He finds a way to score runs. He is a run scorer. When he is in top form like he was yesterday he hit a beautiful century. The best players average 50 and 60 because when they’re not in top form, they still get a score.”They might battle around and scratch around but they still contribute to the team and get into a partnership and then when they have their days they go on and get a big hundred. You don’t have to be in great form to score runs but the longer you stay out there you might actually start running into a bit of form.”Staying out there is what Rogers has had to subsist on for most of the summer, scrounging out handy runs here and there when others might have thrown it in with an early waft. Some of this is to do with his lifelong calling as a workaday professional, adept at putting in a solid shift whether it be at Melbourne in December or Northampton in May.It is not always easy. When Rogers concluded his first Ashes series in England earlier this summer, he played again for Middlesex within a few days of the fifth Test concluding. Fatigued by the mental strain of it all and heavy on his feet, he failed twice in a heavy defeat. So began a sequence in which Rogers struggled mightily for “form”, the often elusive marriage of technique and temperament.With Victoria at home, Rogers found it very difficult initially to find his batting rhythm. He dug in at the crease but without any real flow, eventually cajoling himself into some sort of touch with 88 and 117 against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield. But he was out twice cheaply in the final match before the Gabba Test, and fell rapidly again on the first morning of the series.At this point, there may have been the first murmurings about his place emerging in the more hyperactive corners of the media. On the second day of the Gabba Test, Rogers walked out with David Warner after Mitchell Johnson had torn a gaping hole in England’s batting. Early wickets were imperative for the tourists, who were not yet the listless lot that trudged around the MCG. Barely middling a ball, Rogers hung around for 94 key minutes to add 67 with a far more fluent Warner.There was a first innings contribution in Adelaide, despite fluency remaining elusive. A batting session with Justin Langer in Perth provided some impetus to move forward, then a hare-brained run out in Perth while looking strong stalled Rogers’ progress. Nonetheless, he persevered, with scores of 54, 61 and 116 reflecting the sort of upward curve any batsman would cherish.For Di Venuto, Rogers’ series is a pointer to the likes of Warner, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke and George Bailey that there is more than one way to make runs. A strong Australian first innings at the SCG, or in South Africa beyond, cannot come to pass without a few ugly 50s and 60s to go alongside the bristling century of the man who finds form on the day.”Our first innings definitely needs to improve and that’s something we’ve talked about regularly,” Di Venuto said. “All the batters are in form, all the batters are scoring runs, it’s just a matter of putting it together in that first innings, which is so important in the game. It sets the match up.”So we’ve been lucky this series where Brad Haddin’s been outstanding and come to the rescue of the top order in every first innings so far, but we don’t want to get into a situation where we’re relying on Brad Haddin to drag us out of trouble every time. Hopefully it’s a matter of guys going out there, building partnerships and getting runs on the board.”Whether he is in decent touch or well out of it, Rogers can be expected to contribute.