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.

Who will win the Champions Trophy? How will the top players fare? Ricky Ponting answers

05-Nov-2012Who do you expect to be the star players at the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy?
The South African team, at the moment, are right up there. Amla is probably the best batsman in both Test and ODI forms. He’s played well in English conditions in the last few months and could have a massive tournament. Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina – although English conditions might not suit the Indian players – are hugely talented and could have a massive impact. Sangakkara is just getting better and better with each year that goes by. The last few years he’s been outstanding, and has done well in English conditions in the past. Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott stand out for England. Trott is just so consistent at what he does, and Bell, when he’s playing well particularly at the top, could be looking to bat through and make big hundreds.And the Australians?
Shane Watson’s going well now and, along with Michael Clarke, will be the two guys leading the way batting wise for Australia. And our young quicks should have a good time if they get favourable conditions – Pattinson, Starc and Cummins – they could play a huge part, all those guys are bowling close to 150kph and swinging the ball, so will be very dangerous. I’ve never seen a more exciting group of young fast bowlers in Australia since I’ve been playing. When you add in Siddle and Hilfenhaus, it’s a great attack. There’s another kid playing in the Champions League at the moment for New South Wales, Josh Hazlewood, who’s a very good bowler. The talent and stocks are very, very good. A couple are still finding their feet at the international level, but next summer and beyond, you’ll see these guys performing as very good bowlers.How do you rate Australia’s chances at the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy?
They’ve got as good a chance as any team, no doubt about it. I know they were very disappointed with results and their form in the UK recently, but England played very well and we were coming off a break from the off season. Come next summer, the boys will be ready to go. I’d single out Australia, South Africa, England, and New Zealand as being the main contenders, considering the conditions. New Zealand always seem to find a way to make the quarters and semis in big tournaments. England face Australia in Group A at Edgbaston. A good chance to gain the upper hand before the Ashes, perhaps?
I don’t think either team will be focusing on the Ashes – when you’re in the Champions Trophy, they’ll be focused on that. You can guarantee both teams will be out there to play the way they always play – with great rivalry and great respect for each other.Do you expect England and Australia to progress from Group A as opposed to New Zealand and Sri Lanka?
Tough pool, that one. England should know the conditions like the back of their hand, so yes, Australia and England should be the two favourites to progress, but in ODIs you just never know. New Zealand always find a way to progress!Who do you think will progress from Group B, among India, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies?
South Africa and India.Did you enjoy playing cricket in England?
I loved every opportunity to play in UK. It’s the one tour – whether it’s Ashes or not – that all young Australians want to be a part of. The history, the grounds… even little things like travelling around on the coach for a few weeks or months at a time is a great way to see the place and also to learn a lot about team-mates and friends whilst you’re away. Hands down, England is my favourite place in the world to tour and play cricket.What about the three Champions Trophy grounds – The Oval, Edgbaston and Cardiff?
I’ve got lots of good and bad memories of playing at The Oval – we’ve won, we’ve lost and drawn when we’ve needed to win, but it’s such a great place to play. Great ground, very good wicket to bat on, very fast outfield and a just a great vibe of playing in London.Edgbaston is probably the ground I’ve played the least at in England – last time round in the Champions Trophy in 2004, England beat us in the semi-final.I’ve not got too many fond memories of playing in Cardiff. We should have won the 2009 Ashes Test and we lost the ODI game against England comfortably, and lost to Bangladesh there too a few years before that. The ground is totally different to when I started playing in the UK, but when we played the games there in 2009, it was fantastic and had great crowds there.And could it be a big year for you personally, in 2013?
I’m not looking forward too far yet. I’ve got a few Tests left to play in 2012 first, and that’s what I’m focused on. Hopefully, I can continue to do enough to help Australia climb back up that tree to world No. 1.You enjoyed a short but successful spell at Somerset. Can you envisage another spell in county cricket in England at some stage?
Never say never. I really enjoyed my brief stint at Somerset. I arrived at the club and things weren’t going to plan. They hadn’t won a game in a long time. I got there and we managed to string a few wins together. I’m a cricket lover and cricket tragic, and to get a feel for what county guys do day in day out was a lot of fun. It’s a great club full of great people.

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.

English cricket isn’t in a crisis

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013Andrew Hughes, United Kingdom
Now, I have to confess that I started to watch England play cricket in the mid eighties so for me, the word crisis has rather lost its sting over the years. Indeed, to connoisseurs of spicy English cricket calamity, this latest pickle is rather tame. A captain who wasn’t very good has been replaced by a better one. Even Eyeore would struggle to work that one up into a crisis.But the c-word just will not go away. Why? Because though your average Englishman will always prefer gossip to investigation, he doesn’t like to admit it. This gives editors a problem. They solve it in the same way governments do when they want to throw large numbers of the populace into jail: by invoking a state of emergency. Old man crisis is brought out of retirement and under his puritanical gaze, we are free to carry on indulging in the soap opera that is the England cricket team. Is Daisy friends with Freddie? Is KP talking to Harmy? It’s all jolly good fun.Of course, should a chap be so uncouth as to suggest, after coughing politely, that the real problem we have is that the vast majority of players in the English game aren’t actually very good, he would be greeted with a stony silence. It would be the journalistic equivalent of telling a knock-knock joke at a funeral.Another English trait is our habit of slandering, mocking and generally abusing our leaders, regardless of their merits. The mendacity or incompetence of anyone in power is a given; they represent inanimate effigies that we can safely lay into over our lattes and bacon sarnies. In itself this trait is harmless, the information age equivalent of the man employed to sit behind Caesar and remind him that he was mortal.But we also have an unrealistically strong faith in the democratic system. Not happy about the state of English cricket? Don’t worry, there’s going to be an election. Get rid of tatty old Giles Clarke and get the new bloke in. Then things will be fine. Democracy of course, can be a blunt but powerful instrument, a savage hammer of justice falling heavily on the incumbent and tearing down the established structure.Unfortunately, the hammer used in ECB elections is made of foam. The upcoming contest for the leadership of English cricket is about as significant as two ducks squabbling over a piece of bread. In the red corner is Giles Clarke, a successful businessman and passionate defender of county cricket. In the other red corner is Lord Marland, a passionate defender of county cricket and successful businessman. Which of them will prevail? A nation is on tenterhooks.English cricket isn’t in a crisis. It’s in a coma. A one hundred and fifty year coma, to be precise; a deep and enduring state of unconsciousness in which we may occasionally bat an eyelid, but soon sink back into silent, uncomplaining numbness.Our game is organised in a way that would warm the cockles of Al Capone’s heart. Huge sums of money are extorted from a profitable national team in order to prop up a loss-making domestic game that no-one watches and which serves no discernable purpose. Meanwhile, members of the public who have the audacity to want to watch their national team must either pay £100 a time for the privilege of squeezing into poky little stadiums like Lord’s or shell out £500 a year for a Sky subscription.The eighteen first class counties run our game in a thoroughly English way, that is, ruthlessly, but out of sight, whilst being able to pretend that they have nothing to do with it. Think of the ECB as a large polished table, around which sit eighteen super villains, from Dr No to Darth Vader. From time to time they pick a new puppet to do their bidding. So who will it be this time? Clarke or Marland? Who cares.

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.

And how the BCCI control the food intake of their players via spectators

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013An intensely-fought first day in Mumbai even with India 266 for 6, and honours provisionally judged as “even, veering towards India” by the Confectionery Stall Momentumometer, a high-tech device which I have constructed in my hotel room, consisting of five budgerigars dressed in cricket kit, listening to commentary of the match on a bird-proof radio, and flapping up and down a miniature see-saw between porcelain figurines of Churchill and Gandhi.This is, I must emphasise, a provisional verdict. I forgot to feed the birds yesterday morning and when I returned after close of play they were pecking vigorously at both of the great men’s noses. (Here endeth the lie. Amen.) Whether or not honours are indeed even will not be known until later in the match. A first-day total of 266 for 6 might prove to be woefully inadequate, match-winningly massive, or precisely par for the pitch. I suspect it will prove above par for this particular pitch. The guilty verdicts returned in so many of England’s recent trials by tweak, and the presence of three Test novices in what had until recently been an almost immovable upper order, suggests that India hold the upper hand.However, they are not holding that upper hand in such a tight grip that it could not escape and slap them firmly in the chops. If Alastair Cook and Matt Prior play as they did in the first Test, if Jonathan Trott plays as he did in Galle, if Kevin Pietersen has one of his eenie-meenie-miney-mo good days, or even one of his randomly-allocated spell-bindingly amazing days, or if Monty Panesar finally builds on the promise of that sweep shot for six he hit off Murali in 2006, then the left-armer’s four excellent wickets could prove to have given England decisive control of the game. Time, the secretive and temperamental little witch, will tell. And she will start telling this morning.Yesterday’s play was notable principally for the continued emergence of a new Indian cricketing superstar in front of an increasingly adoring public, the stirring but one-Test-overdue return of Panesar (still entrenched as England’s second most successful spinner of the last 30 years behind Graeme Swann, after Samit Patel’s failure in Ahmedabad to magically transform from the useful county support bowler he has always been into the new Hedley Verity), and an innings of striking class by India’s No. 8 R Ashwin.Rather unfairly from an English point-of-view, Ashwin scored a rapid, momentum-shifting and often majestic 60 not out, batting like a laboratory Frankensteining of Wally Hammond, Mark Waugh and VVS Laxman, rather than like fellow Test No.8s such as Andy Caddick, Mohammad Sami, and Ajit Agarkar (who, excluding his bolt-from-the-extremely-blue Lord’s century, averaged 6.8 in 22 innings as a number at 8). One cover drive he eased melodiously to the boundary should have prompted the ICC to instantly revoke his licence to bat at 8.Cheteshwar Pujara was again the critical force in the day’s play. He has swiftly batted himself into (a) the hearts of the Indian nation, (b) statistical nirvana, and (c) the nightmares of the England bowlers and supporters. He again displayed flawless technique, 360-degree run-scoring options, the ice-cold temperament of a multi-award-winning penguin, and a deep-seated desire to avoid spending any more time than is absolutely necessary with his team-mates. There must be ructions in the Indian camp. Or perhaps Yuvraj Singh has started learning the trumpet. Maybe Gautam Gambhir has developed a new in-match superstition of reciting the lyrics of Celine Dion songs through a loud-hailer. It is conceivable that Pujara is terrified of Zaheer’ Khan’s lucky crocodile. I am speculating, but Pujara clearly hates being in the dressing room.He also displayed a perfect reading of the match situation in the pacing of his innings, cautious from the early loss of Gambhir to the dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar (17 off 57 balls, 13 in singles), more aggressive in a stand of 58 with Virat Kohli as he prevented the innings stagnating (39 off 65, 11 in singles), before anchoring the innings after Kohli and Yuvraj fell quickly, scoring 58 off the last 157 balls he faced, 30 of which came in singles. His judgement of when to attack and when to defend, and whether to play forward or back, was matched by the decisiveness with which he put those decisions into action.England mostly bowled well throughout the day, but forced barely a handful of errors from him, and were driven to some extremely creative thinking. When you have bowled more than 100 overs to one batsman without dismissing him, you must embrace innovation, and try to discomfort him with unorthodoxies and the unexpected.England almost achieved this successfully when Pujara had scored 94, when a planned training-ground move came close to paying spectacular dividends. A shortish ball goaded the impregnable Rajkot Rock into playing a well-executed pull shot, rolling his wrists in accordance with the holy scriptures of the MCC Coaching Manual, sending the ball downwards towards the ground. Lying there in wait was short-leg’s foot. The ball flew up, as minutely planned by the England strategists, and was caught – but replays showed it had bounced fractionally before striking Cook’s foot. A ricochet off the boot was clearly the most likely means of dismissing a man who, at that point, had negotiated 668 balls in the series undismissed and seldom troubled. Tragically for England, the foot was an agonising few millimetres away from being perfectly placed, and their strategic masterplan was foiled.The giant TV screen duly announced that Pujara was not out, the crowd roared like a stadium of Elvis fans after their giant TV screen announced that The King was not dead after all but had been tied up trying to get his internet dongle to work for the last 45 years. Trott politely enquired to umpires Aleem Dar and Tony Hill as to why it was not out. The two officials explained to the England No. 3 that the batsman cannot be out if the ball touches the ground before being caught. Trott responded, “Oh yes, you’re right, I remember now, you told me that in Ahmedabad, didn’t you? I’ll write it down this time.”● Yesterday was my first experience of watching Test cricket live outside the UK, and it was tremendous enjoyable, a compelling day of hard-fought high-skill cut-and-thrust, played out in front of a crowd that was enthusiastic and of a reasonable size. Once I had managed to get into the stadium. I queued for over an hour ‒ in a not especially heavily-populated queue ‒ to be processed through the almost surreally inefficient ground security, which, to be entirely fair to it, did succeed in its principal task of making sure that no one had any of their own drinks or snacks in the ground.I finally took my seat a couple of minutes before the start of play, in an almost empty stadium. Do people start queuing a week before an IPL game here? At least I, and the rest of the lucky few who had negotiated Gate C in time for the start of play, could settle down to watch Gambhir play brilliantly for one ball, safe in the comforting knowledge that no-one would be able to disrupt play by, for example, crunching on a crisp by the deep midwicket boundary and causing third slip to flunk a crucial catch, or slurping a glug of water too loudly in the top tier of the Sachin Tendulkar Stand just as the great man himself was taking guard and trying to hear the umpire telling him which way to move his bat.Drinks are available in the ground, but they are specially-formulated “quiet drinks”, which are scientifically unslurpable by anyone without a full proboscis. So they are fine.I know there have been instances in the past where a nice, tasty snack has been wrongly used as a nice, tasty projectile, and that, given the less-than-gymnastic qualities of some of the Indian fielders, the BCCI are anxious to control their players’ food intake. (In the past, the PCB had terrible trouble with the supernaturally classy but not-entirely-svelte Inzamam-ul-Haq, who was known to consume up to 8000 calories in a session just by grazing crowd-thrown nibbles in the outfield.) But is confiscating all food really necessary? Particularly when one of the foodstuffs most readily available in the ground is the samosa, the “easily-flingable” triangular snack with “superb ballistic qualities”, according to International Food Fighting Monthly magazine.”Perfectly shaped to fit between the thumb and forefinger,” continues the esteemed publication, “the samosa is ideal for both beginners and experienced food-fighters. It is widely used by professionals in the big-money American NFFL, and is a critical component in the arsenal of any serious mealtime pugilist, its aerodynamic crust enabling precision hurl-control, and its succulent payload of finely-chopped meat and/or vegetables rewarding the skilled comestible-combatant with a potentially bout-winning splatter-radius.”Cameras were also prohibited. But not mobile phones. Most of which contain a camera. Clearly, it is not that the authorities want to prevent paying spectators from having their own personal photographic memento of their day at the Test match. It is just that they want those photographs to be not particularly good. Unless the spectator has a high-spec camera-phone, in which case they have clearly earned the right to snap away like the Patrick Eagars they have always dreamed of being.

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.

That he was out drinking with senior players and was targeted by David Warner’s misfiring aim proves Joe Root is firmly a part of Team England

George Dobell12-Jun-2013It was always likely that the first blows of an Ashes year would be thrown in Birmingham over the weekend, but few could have predicted England would have prevailed so overwhelmingly.It was not just a comfortable victory in the Champions Trophy. It was not just the faintly ridiculous image of David Warner, the Australian opener, reacting so humourlessly to a novelty wig that he threw an unprovoked punch at an England player so fresh-faced and innocent looking that it was hard to avoid the vision of Warner as a buffoon who can’t handle his drink or the pressures of international cricket. And it was not just that Warner had done it so hopelessly. Warner, it seems, doesn’t just float like a butterfly, he stings and bats like one, too.It was not even that “Wig-gate” is a PR disaster for Australia. While the England camp have handled the incident with the ease of a Mitchell Johnson half-volley on leg stump – the perfectly worded statement from the ECB made their stance clear: they were innocent, the matter was closed and Australia have a mess to resolve.No, perhaps the most pleasing aspect from an England perspective is that is underlines Joe Root’s position at the heart of the England team.The Malvolios among us may disagree, but it bodes well for England that Root was out with his team-mates celebrating a victory. There were times on the tour to India when Root looked somewhat ill at ease in the England set-up; a man apart, spending his time at the party in the kitchen.But all that changed after his smooth debut in Nagpur. It wasn’t that the England squad were any more welcoming – that had never been an issue – more that Root finally knew he belonged in that company. He has grown in stature with every performance since. News that he is comfortable and popular enough to socialise with older colleagues should be welcomed. It is, in part, in such moments that bonding takes place and it is, in part, such moments that help young men mature and develop.England’s players were not disregarding any curfew, they had not over-indulged and they did not provoke or retaliate. Neither side, or third-party witnesses, refute any of that. Indeed, Root’s decision not to involve the police might be considered rather magnanimous. There is surely a time to allow sportsmen the opportunity to enjoy the sort of evening out that young men their age take for granted. Those who suggest that the midst of a major tournament may not be that time should take a look at England’s schedule: they are pretty much always on the brink of or in the midst of another major series.Alastair Cook made it clear he had no issues with the players enjoying a night out “within certain parameters we set as a team”.

Steven Finn is understood to have been understandably disappointed to be dropped against Australia but sometimes a little setback is just the stimulus required to encourage improvement.

“We didn’t have training for a couple of days,” Cook said. “If there’s a back-to-back game it’s a very different issue. We had a couple of days off and then a couple of days’ training. You don’t often get those positions in a tournament and it’s very important that sometimes you do let your hair down because to celebrate wins also builds team spirit.”We’ve investigated the matter and we believe we haven’t done anything wrong. Clearly our conduct, as international players, is vitally important. We are aware of the position we hold and how lucky and responsible we are to be wearing the England shirt. It’s a matter which we’ve taken seriously.”But Root’s central role within the England team extends far beyond the social. Not only has he nailed down a place in the Test side, but he has done a pretty decent job of securing a place in the ODI team too. His ability to adapt as a middle-order batsman has been the most noticeable aspect of his cricket, but his developing spin bowling has added a depth to the side that could prove crucial before the end of the Champions Trophy.With the pitches in this event providing far more help to spin bowlers than most had anticipated, the balance of England’s side has had to alter. The plan to field five specialist bowlers – four seamers and a spinner – has been shelved and instead England have selected allrounder Ravi Bopara with a view to strengthening and emboldening the batting. Bopara’s latest comeback has been quietly impressive.There must now be a temptation to play both Graeme Swann, now recovered from his back injury, and James Tredwell alongside just two specialist seamers. The two offspinners would surely enjoy the conditions. But that might also lengthen England’s tail and reduce their ability to damage opposition with their seamers’ ability to reverse swing the white ball.Root may well be the solution. He has taken important wickets in the last couple of ODIs and is quickly emerging as a spinner who can be entrusted with a meaningful number of overs in such conditions. He is not anywhere near the class of Tredwell as yet, but he is a decent compromise to the balance problem and, alongside Bopara, might now be considered something of an allrounder.With the sides using a new pitch against Sri Lanka at The Oval, it seems unlikely there will be the extravagant assistance available for spinners we have seen elsewhere, so England may well resist the temptation to play Tredwell, Root and Swann if all 15 of their squad are available.But that may not be the case. With Tim Bresnan’s wife now well overdue with their child, his availability could become an issue at any moment. Both Tredwell and Steven Finn are potential replacements for Bresnan, with Finn the more likely in the conditions expected at The Oval.Finn is understood to have been understandably disappointed to be dropped against Australia but that is not such a bad thing. Sometimes a little setback is just the stimulus required to encourage improvement. Besides, such competition for places is valuable. After a year of coasting, Stuart Broad is performing with pleasing intensity.It is pleasing, too, that England have demonstrated something of a Plan B. Their original plans for the tournament – to damage their opposition with the new ball – may have had to change after it became apparent the white balls will offer little conventional swing, but the ability to reverse swing the ball has proved valuable. The debate will rage about England’s strategy with the bat but, if England beat Sri Lanka, they are in the semi-finals.

A charming collection of essays that bring out several interesting facts, prompting a reader to research deeper into the subject

Suresh Menon18-Aug-2013Henry Ford might have thought that history was bunk, but here’s evidence that it can be fun. Most histories of sport tend to suffer from two handicaps: they tend to be centred around one region and thus miss the bigger picture or they are overly sombre and ignore the fact that sport is fun, and that digressions and distractions only add to its tale.When you set out to write a history in 100 objects (which means in effect, 100 essays), you acknowledge that being comprehensive is not part of the package, but what you gain – as this book does – is a lightness of touch, and a non-linearity that can be quite charming. You can dip into it anywhere and be guaranteed of an unexpected fact or a startling connection that traditional histories miss. is entertaining, the tone disguising the research involved. Some of the conclusions are provocative enough to send the reader rushing to a deeper study of the subject, which is as it should be. It is a book both for the specialist and the casual reader, especially when you consider that the latter is unlikely to read the tomes by Altham and Swanton or Rowland Bowen, or even more recent histories of the game.Despite (or perhaps because of) answers to the essential questions of origin and evolution of cricket lacking in historical authenticity, and thus our having to make do with the most likely theories and intelligent guesswork, the game is well served by its myths and legends, which have gained by repetition. Such words and phrases as “Hambledon”, “Nyren”, “Bat and Ball”, “Fredrick Louis”, “Christina Willes” and others evoke a set of responses that have solidified over the years, thanks to history books.In bringing these and other elements together and spreading the net beyond Hampshire and Lord’s and the MCC, the author has attempted to reflect the global nature of the game, which originated in England but is claimed by other countries as their own too.Thus you will find here Lord Hawke as well as Sachin Tendulkar, WG Grace as well as Hanif Mohammad, Lord’s as well as Eden Gardens, the first-ever international (US v Canada, 1844) as well as the IPL. Written in a chatty, informal style this is a history of the game for those who hate reading about the history of games.In keeping with the tone, chapter headings are not generic. Under “Sitar”, there is the story of Hanif – I couldn’t find a connection other than the exaggerated stereotype that everybody in the subcontinent is either a sitar player or has elephants as pets. Under the Beatles’ single “Love Me Do” is the story of the end of the professional-amateur divide in English cricket. The connection? The year, 1962. Under “Protractor” is the story of Muttiah Muralitharan, possibly because of a throwaway line in the essay about the bowler’s skill – “Pass that protractor, this could get complicated…”There is, too, the story of Charles Darwin arriving on the in New Zealand and being unimpressed until he saw a cricket match, which evoked England and cheered him up. The strength of the book is in details like that.A History of Cricket in 100 Objects
by Gavin Mortimer
Serpent’s Tail
&pound12.99, 317 pages (hardback)