All posts by n8rngtd.top

Stats highlights from the first day’s action at The Oval

S Rajesh21-Aug-2013

• Shane Watson’s 176 is his third Test century, and easily the highest – his previous-best was 126 against India in Mohali in 2010. Since that Test match and before today, Watson had gone past 50 ten times in 46 innings, without once going on to a century: his highest during this period had been 95.
• The century by Watson was the first by an Australian No.3 batsman in nearly two years: the previous hundred was Shaun Marsh’s 141 against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in September 2011. In 48 innings since then and before this match, Australia’s No.3 batsmen had averaged 23.17, with a highest of 87. They were the only team whose No.3 hadn’t scored a hundred during this period.
• The last time an Australian No.3 batsman scored 150 or more in an overseas Test was at Cardiff in 2009, when Ricky Ponting made 150. In all there have been 20 instances of Australian No.3s scoring 150 or more overseas, of which Ponting and Don Bradman have contributed five each. Among those 20 instances is Jason Gillespie’s unbeaten 201 against Bangladesh in Chittagong in 2006.
• In just this one innings, Watson scored 34% of the total runs he had scored in 17 previous Test innings in England: in those 17 tries, Watson had managed 520 runs at an average of 30.58, with a highest of 68.
• The on-side was clearly Watson’s preferred scoring area in this innings: 115 of his 176 runs came in that region, and 91 of those in the arc between midwicket and the sightscreen. Fifteen of his 25 fours came on the on-side. The bowler who suffered the most at his hands was debutant left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan, who leaked 35 runs off 25 balls to Watson, and overall went for 53 in eight overs.
• Stuart Broad has been Michael Clarke’s nemesis in this series, but this time Clarke fell to James Anderson, another bowler who has had plenty of success against him in the past. Anderson dismissed Clarke for the eighth time, sneaking past Broad, Ishant Sharma and Dale Steyn, who have each dismissed him seven times. Broad still has the slightly better average against Clarke, though: his seven dismissals have cost him 163 runs (average 23.28). Anderson averages 27.50 runs per dismissal against Clarke.
• The 145-run stand between Watson and Steven Smith is the sixth century stand for Australia in this series, and the third-highest. Watson also added 107 for the second wicket with Chris Rogers, which makes this the first instance of two century stands in the same innings for Australia in this series. England have also had six century partnerships in this series.

If Sri Lanka win both their remaining matches, they are guaranteed a semi-final place. But first, Sri Lanka must sort their muddle in the middle order

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Jun-2013The Oval holds a special place in Sri Lanka’s cricket history. Still considered barely-better than Test minnows after their World Cup win in 1996, they were granted a one-off Test in England in 1998, and secured what remains their finest-ever away win.A 16-wicket haul for Muttiah Muralitharan heralded the brightest years of his blinding career, and Sanath Jayasuriya played perhaps his best Test innings – a first innings 213 which set up the victory.
Jayasuriya was one of two survivors from that team, when Sri Lanka played their most recent match at The Oval – an ODI in 2011.Then, Jayasuriya cut his final ball in international cricket to point and began a batting collapse that saw the side succumb to 121 all out, and lose by 108 runs. Meek batting surrenders have since become a worrying feature for Sri Lanka, particularly in ODIs. Since that match, Sri Lanka have been dismissed for less than 200 in 11 matches – over a fifth of their completed ODI count, and their record overall has suffered as a result. Their win-loss ratio of 0.76 in the last three years is significantly worse than the 0.98 ratio they had carved out before their poor run.Their last innings in Cardiff before the tournament had also been a woeful capitulation and in their last match against New Zealand, Sri Lanka finished with a total that was at least 100 short of what might have been an acceptable total on that pitch. Led by a ferocious Lasith Malinga, the bowlers almost salvaged victory, but as in so many recent matches, batting has been the prime cause for Sri Lanka’s downfall.”The whole batting unit – when it comes to the top seven especially – needs to take responsibility,” Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said. “We can’t really expect the bowlers to score runs for us. If we actually get to 240 or 250, the bowlers will actually do the job for us. More often than not they have done that.”Sri Lanka’s batting misadventures have not been brought on by sustained failures from the top order, but instead by the inability of the men that follow to rebuild on the occasions the top four do not prosper. The team had a mixed ODI run in 2012, but Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan were the heaviest scorers in the year, and maintained averages in excess of 40. It has often been said of recent Sri Lanka sides that they possessed a “soft underbelly”, and Nos. 5, 6 and 7 in their batting order are unlikely to inspire much fear among England’s bowlers.Sangakkara, Sri Lanka’s best batsman against the moving ball, was predictably the most successful at countering New Zealand’s seam bowlers in Cardiff, but despite the team fielding recognised batsmen down to No. 8, he could not find sustained support. The Oval pitch has so far had more bounce than the tracks in Cardiff and Birmingham, and Stuart Broad and James Anderson both enjoyed bowling to Sri Lanka on their last tour of England. The weather is expected to be conducive to swing as well, and if losses are sustained against the new ball, the middle order must respond powerfully if Sri Lanka are to have a future in the competition.Sri Lanka’s own pace attack is capable of exploiting helpful conditions, and with Malinga having hit form, the toss shapes as an important one. Either Shaminda Eranga or Nuwan Kulasekara will share the new ball with Malinga, the former in particular has proved penetrative when the ball has swung.”I always say Malinga is our premier bowler, but we’ve got a few others, as well,” Mathews said. “We don’t really bank on one bowler. We have the likes of Kulasekara, Eranga and Thisara Perera, so we’ve got those seam options. But I think Malinga is standing out, and he is one of those players who knows exactly what he has to do in these conditions. And also he helps the other bowlers quite a lot, which is very important”Having fought their way to an abysmal run rate in the nailbiter against New Zealand, anything less than a win against England will make Sri Lanka’s progression into the semi-finals almost impossible. But conversely, the no-result in Australia’s match against New Zealand has meant that if Sri Lanka win both their remaining matches, they are guaranteed a semi-final place. But first, Sri Lanka must sort their muddle in the middle. Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne and Mathews himself have got by on the promise of impressive isolated innings so far, but it is time they added fortitude and consistency to Sri Lanka’s batting as well.

The Indian team’s manager on the historic 1992-93 tour to South Africa looks back at his encountre with the most iconic leader of the late 20th century

Amrit Mathur06-Dec-2013Before the Indian team left for their historic tour of South Africa in 1992-93, the board president, Madhavrao Scindia, gave me, the team manager, only one instruction: the first thing the team should do is call on Nelson Mandela.This directive put that tour in perspective. From a cricketing standpoint the tour was a journey into the unknown. Practically nothing was known about South African cricket, about its grounds, conditions, pitches or players. It was, however, apparent that there was a political context to the trip, and the Indian team’s visit was a significant policy statement. In those days, South Africa was out of bounds for Indians. Our passports used to be stamped “not valid for South Africa and Israel”. The Indian government did not recognise the FW de Klerk regime because of its apartheid policies, and India had no official presence there in the form of an embassy or diplomatic personnel.The early 1990s, though, had been a period of profound change. The South African cricket board had “united” and was headed by African National Congress (ANC) leader Krish Mackerdhuj and driven by Ali Bacher, whose vision was to use cricket as an instrument of reconciliation, inclusion and peace. India was the first cricket team invited to end South Africa’s years of international sporting isolation.When we reached Durban, the Indian team was given a rousing welcome. The players rode from the airport to the hotel in open-top cars and attended a civic reception. When I met Bacher, I promptly put our request to him about the team meeting Mandela.An appointment was soon granted and a visibly excited team set out to meet the great man one afternoon in Johannesburg. But we had one major concern: what would be an appropriate gift to present to him? The team wondered if it would be proper to give him a BCCI tie, a team shirt, an Indian handicraft, or a silk scarf. After much debate, the “safest” option was chosen: a cricket bat signed by the team.The author, second from left, with Mandela and Ali Bacher during the Wanderers Test•ESPNcricinfo LtdAs the team manager, I had my own worries. On occasions such as this on tours, it is the manager’s responsibility to say a few words on behalf of the BCCI and the squad. At any other time it would have been a routine affair; you utter the usual polite words and the matter is done. But this was no ordinary occasion. It was my responsibility to say the right things to the world’s most iconic leader.I worked hard on my speech, making sure it included Gandhi, world peace and close ties between India and South Africa, memorised it and rehearsed it several times.Then it was time. The Indian cricket contingent was led into Mandela’s office after passing through several layers of security. We stood around in a hall waiting for him to arrive. He walked in, a half-smile on his face, serene and gracious, radiating warmth and goodness, charm and humility. There was no hurry in his handshakes, no sign of a world leader with the weight of the world on his shoulders. We were speechless with awe, thrilled at being in his presence.Handshakes done and introductions made, it was time to say my bit. Everyone gathered in a semi-circle. I took a deep breath, said a silent prayer and recited my practised piece adequately, without stuttering or stammering. Once it ended, there was an awkward silence. We waited for Mandela to speak but it seemed he was waiting for something. A little later an aide rushed in with a piece of paper containing points for his speech. He referred to them and spoke eloquently, his words simple and encouraging. He accepted the signed bat and said he appreciated the thoughtful gesture. Later, Krish told me the bat was displayed prominently on the mantelpiece in his office.During the Wanderers Test, we were delighted when, one afternoon, Mandela turned up to watch the match. Cricket and rugby had been seen as the white man’s sports in apartheid South Africa. To have the Indians over as the first cricket team was a big step, and Mandela’s presence at the Wanderers wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by any South African. I sat with him during his visit, answering questions about the state of the game and the players on the field. Being in his company was a privilege.Mandela thought sport had the power to change the world, and perhaps, in a tiny way, the Indian team had made a difference when it made that tour. Mandela had a gift of making things around you look better brighter and better. Part of it could be attributed to the awe we felt in his presence and for what he stood for, but much of it was because of the truth in his very long and eventful life.One of my most treasured possessions is a photograph with him, signed: “To Emrit, Nelson Mandela.”

South Africa’s win-loss record isn’t so hot in Port Elizabeth, and their batsmen have generally struggled here

S Rajesh19-Feb-2014South Africa’s most recent memory of playing a Test in Port Elizabeth is a pleasant one: in January 2013, they played New Zealand and put together an utterly dominant performance. Batting first, South Africa declared at 525 for 8, with centuries for Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and Dean Elgar. When it was New Zealand’s turn to bat, Dale Steyn switched on his most hostile self and took 5 for 17 as New Zealand were bundled out in quick time for 121. In the second innings, they fought harder, but could only manage a different combination of the same digits – 211. The result was a hammering by an innings and 193 runs, South Africa’s fifth-most comprehensive Test victory (among innings wins).The most recent memory is favourable, but many of the others are not. St George’s Park is South Africa’s least successful home venue: overall, their win-loss record here is 9-11; since their readmission to Test cricket, it’s 5-4, and in the last ten years, it’s 1-3. Before that comprehensive win against New Zealand, South Africa had lost their last three Tests here, against West Indies, Pakistan, and England.Australia have a 3-2 win-loss record here, but they’ve played only once at this ground since 1992. In what turned out to be a highly memorable Test, Australia overturned a first-innings deficit of 101 and went on to chase down a fourth-innings target of 270, with Mark Waugh scoring 116, winning by two wickets.

The pitch at St George’s Park is traditionally reckoned to be slow, but it hasn’t helped the home batsmen score too many runs. In 14 innings between them, AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith haven’t once gone past 60. De Villiers has three fifties in seven innings, but hasn’t gone on to bigger deeds – his last three knocks here have been 59, 60 and 61. Smith has two fifties in seven tries, but a high of 55. Before Amla’s 110 against New Zealand last year, he had scored 58 in four innings at this venue. And the clincher is that even Jacques Kallis, in 19 Test innings here, never scored a century – his highest was 91. Among all the home venues where he played more than one Test, this was the only ground where he didn’t score a century, even though he had six fifties.

The bowlers have generally had a better time. Steyn has 16 wickets from three Tests and an average of under 25, though in his first two Tests here he only had eight wickets at 41.75. Vernon Philander hasn’t played a Test here, but took 6 for 51 in his last first-class match here, against Warriors in 2010.

Despite the relatively slow nature of pitches here, fast bowlers have still been pretty successful, averaging 28.32 runs per wicket in the last four Port Elizabeth Tests, since 2004. During the same period, spinners have averaged 31.86.Going further back, South Africa’s fast bowlers have done well here. Allan Donald took 40 wickets at 18.20, Shaun Pollock’s 37 wickets cost him 20.27 each, while Waqar Younis, Curtly Ambrose, Jason Gillespie and Javagal Srinath had plenty of success in the only Tests they played here.Among the spinners, Paul Adams and Danish Kaneria, wristspinners both, have taken the most wickets, while Shane Warne took 5 for 82 in the only Test he played.

In three of the last four Tests here, teams batting first have scored more than 330 in their first innings. The second and third innings here seems to be more difficult for batsmen, with the average runs per wicket dipping into the 20s, both in the last four Tests, and since 1992. (Click here for the innings-wise scores in Port Elizabeth since 1992.) Three of the last four Tests here have also been won by the team which lost the toss, which could be an interesting one for the two captains when they walk out on Thursday.

With their players struggling to make a sustained impact, the management is struggling to nail down the best combination and have been guilty of making several strange calls during this World T20

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur26-Mar-2014Bangladesh made four changes heading into their opening Super 10 tie with West Indies and none of them clicked, and the painful defeat to West Indies underlined confusion among the management as to what their best XI is.The biggest casualty on Tuesday was Nasir Hossain, who has played across formats continuously since making his debut in August 2011. The stretch is both a tribute to his ability and fitness, but he hasn’t scored an international fifty since last May. The drop in form came into sharp relief when the specialist finisher struggled during run chases in the recent limited-overs series against Sri Lanka.On the surface, it looks the right call. Nasir probably needs a break from cricket, as was reflected in the amount of catches he has dropped this year, especially considering he is one of their best fielders. But if flagging performance was the reason for his ouster, then Mahmudullah’s retention is puzzling, even to casual fans of Bangladesh. He averages just four in T20s and 11 overall in 2014.He was picked as an offspinner, when Bangladesh had already recalled the specialist Sohag Gazi. If Bangladesh wanted to get the better of the opposition’s left-handers, West Indies only had three. Two of whom were No.9 Sunil Narine and No.11 Krishmar Santokie.Mahmudullah did prove useful enough to break the 97-run opening stand by picking up Dwayne Smith. But, he also dropped Darren Sammy twice off consecutive deliveries in the 19th over and was caught behind for one. His batting has been a distinct point of sourness this year, making 12 in three innings. His position at No. 7 means he wouldn’t normally have time to build an innings, but in period under scrutiny he had 12.3, 8.2 and 9.5 overs remaining to make an impact.Having been criticised for defending some of his selections, captain Mushfiqur Rahim finally said that Mahmudullah’s time may be up.”He hasn’t played up to the mark,” Mushfiqur said. “We have tried a new combination today [Tuesday], but we still thought that we can bank on his bowling if not batting. For our next selection, we will keep his performance in mind and if available, we will use a better option in the next game.”But there were two good calls taken too: favouring Ziaur Rahman as the seaming allrounder over Farhad Reza, who had a meltdown against Hong Kong.Ziaur should have been in original World T20 squad announced in February considering Farhad’s troubles at the international level. But at the time, Farhad, had taken 29 wickets in the earlier season’s Dhaka Premier League and averaged 39.71 with the bat. Ziaur had been groomed as a T20 specialist since before the 2012 World T20, but he had taken less wickets in the DPL while also averaging slightly less with the bat than Farhad in first-class cricket.Mushfiqur can be castigated for picking Mahmudullah ahead of Nasir and for underusing Ziaur, but he would be more concerned with Gazi’s ineffectiveness. The offspinner’s last substantial contribution was a thee-wicket haul in the series-clinching second ODI against New Zealand in late October. Since then, he has averaged of 81.11 in all formats, the second-worst for Bangladesh in the period, with only nine wickets.The handling of Shamsur Rahman and Mominul Haque cap the confusion that is dominating Bangladesh’s team management and selection committee. Shamsur’s BPL success brought him to the international T20 team nearly 12 months ago. He climbed into the ODI and Test team thereafter, and a few low scores in the Asia Cup lost his place to Anamul Haque, with Tamim Iqbal returning from injury.Mominul was picked for the West Indies game, a batsman who was benched for the T20s against Sri Lanka last month and all of the warm-up and first round matches of the World T20. Suddenly, he was pushed up at No. 3, a role which seems to be slightly out of his grasp in the shortest format, despite being quite competent in Tests and ODIs.More than changes to personnel, Mushfiqur and coach Shane Jurgensen have to finalise a batting order that reflects belief and positivity, and bring shape to the bowling attack. To the captain’s credit, he has backed himself publicly despite the follies. The hope is that he gets it right next time, then the defending wouldn’t be necessary.

As Angelo Mathews and Misbah-ul-Haq look across their battlements in Sri Lanka, they may meet each other’s gaze, and know they are a lot alike

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Aug-2014Sometimes in the cosmic journey, life contrives for kindred souls to cross paths: two people who may be separated geographically, ethnically, economically, even politically, but who are one at the most elemental, human level.As Angelo Mathews and Misbah-ul-Haq look across their battlements in Sri Lanka, they may meet each other’s gaze, and know they are a lot alike.The last time the two met in Tests, they could not have had more disparate days. Defending a 1-0 series lead, Mathews embraced an extreme form of conservatism and his team drowned in it on the final day in Sharjah. With no choice but to launch an unrelenting attack, Misbah kept his side in the match long enough, until after a whirl of bludgeoned drives and reverse-sweeps from way outside leg stump, he hit the winning run to complete a frenetic victory.Pakistan have been dormant in Tests since that day, but Mathews has had a busy six months, in which both he and his leadership have grown up, and grown old – grown a little more like Misbah. Now, when Mathews speaks or acts, he is defined by a sense of unshakeable calm. A lot has happened to him in the recent past, with a series win in England and loss at home against South Africa, but a short time after coming off the field, Mathews was no more delighted at Headingley than he was distraught at the SSC. Misbah is past 40 now. Though at times he still bats like he is 25, there is a timeless stoicism to everything in his every move. His words are delivered in grey baritone.Neither captain is an exemplary tactician, but both are natural leaders in other ways. Misbah’s batting average is almost 28 runs better when he is captain. In 11 Tests at the helm, Mathews has statistically been more than twice as good as he was before. They have each inherited a legacy of instability, with captains coming, going and occasionally coming again in the few years before they each took the helm. But since Misbah has had the reins, Pakistan’s road has been less rocky. Sri Lanka had been energetic and instinctive under Mahela Jayawardene, but since Mathews has helmed them, his iron resolve has seeped into his team’s cricket as well.There is no doubt who is the more talented cricketer. Misbah is routinely secure and imposing when he wishes to be. But in 2014, Mathews has been a complete batsman, on every kind of surface, in any situation. They both make dour beginnings; that first impulse is always “safety first”. But they are also equipped with the skill, and the will to quickly gather pace. For Misbah, the big blows often come suddenly, on the leg side, in the arc between wide long-on and square leg. Mathews, increasingly, just clobbers them where he likes.Neither are ungainly batsmen, but no one could ever mistake them for artists either. They are too sensible to fuss with aesthetics. Both hail from cricket cultures that celebrate flamboyance – more true for Misbah, perhaps, than for Mathews – but they leave the pretty stuff to their team-mates and take the utilitarian road themselves. Misbah is wise enough to know aggression is critical to the cricket some batsmen play, but Mathews is still learning that others cannot absorb pressure as passively as he can. “We threw away our wickets” is a common complaint. Rarely is Mathews among the “we” in that sentence. So many times he has been like the band that plays a sombre tune while the ship sinks in a panic around him. No one knows that feeling better than Misbah.There is also no doubt who has the tougher assignment. Eighteen months into his captaincy, Mathews has seen the entire spectrum of administrative bungling, from two contracts standoffs to seniors’ tussles with the made-men at Maitland Place. But beyond the spectre of match-fixing that Misbah has worked to leave behind, the board he reports to is in so much disarray, SLC seems like a Sunday afternoon book club in comparison. Every person Misbah meets could be PCB chairman in 20 minutes’ time. Or the next Test-match opener.Grim-faced and unflappable, it is also sometimes easy to cast Misbah as a sort of tragic hero. He is all the more likeable because of it. If the young players in Sri Lanka’s middle order continue to show they are poor replacements for the seniors about to bow out of the game, Mathews may well become a tragic hero himself, in years to come. He is perhaps the luckier of the two because if he carries himself with the grace and dignity Misbah manages, he is not likely to be accused of being too square, as Misbah often is.Their teams arrive in Galle, evenly matched and familiar with each other’s talents and points of weakness. Steady, courageous and possessed of a slow-burning charisma, the cricket Mathews and Misbah play over the next few weeks will be intriguing, not just for choices they make, but for the moves they elicit from one another.

With two gone early and a brittle middle order to come, Jayawardene played the kind of innings that grabs you by the collar, flings you on a train and sends you packing on an adventure

Andrew Fidel Fernando at the SSC24-Jul-2014A palm-lined beach, a curry swimming in coconut milk, and spiked with red chilli – though this Sri Lanka team enjoy their travel, there is nothing quite like returning to the comforts of home, they said, as they began their first assignment on the island this year.But so far, they have not made the best of being in Sri Lanka. They were undone in the ODIs, on a turner in Colombo, then at windy Hambantota. Then they banked on spin on a dry Galle pitch in the first Test, only for South Africa to exploit the conditions even better, only differently – through reverse-swing. In a must-win match in Colombo, Mahela Jayawardene played one of his last few innings at his beloved home ground. With 140 not out on the first day, he finally exerted the home advantage Sri Lanka had been expected to have since the opposition landed.

‘Spin trio may come in handy’ – Silva

Sri Lanka made the unusual choice of fielding three frontline spinners and only one seam bowler at the SSC, but Kaushal Silva felt the pitch could be conducive to that attack, particularly as the game wears on.
“Even in the last hour it started to spin today, so it’s a good thing to have three spinners here. Even though we have two fingerspinners, Ajantha Mendis is a completely different bowler who has a lot of variety and it’s a good combination that we have. Having a spinner like Ajantha that bowls quickly through the air, might be a good choice here.”
Sri Lanka finished on 305 for 5 at the end of day one, which Silva felt was a position of relative strength, after winning the toss.
“Looking at the pitch, it will look like it will spin more and it will be difficult for us. It’s much better to bat in the first innings when the wicket is new and the ball is coming on to the bat. Even as the day progressed today, the ball was slowing down and it was harder to score runs. In the first two sessions we scored over 100 runs – so that was evidence it was slowing down.”

The SSC is where everything in Jayawardene’s cricket falls into place. The cracks are patched up. The toxins purged. At times over the past few months he has seemed scrambled in ODIs and leaden-footed even in Tests. But at the SSC he is not so much walking on air as he is gliding about as if the air itself is guiding his every move.At this ground, his mind synchronises with every cell in his body. Head still, hands sure, he strokes the ball with languor, and so late. Yet, though Jayawardene is on Sri Lankan time, the ball bursts off his blade like a Cape Canaveral rocket ship, or a Tokyo bullet train. He was lbw to a full, fast one in the first innings at Galle. When Dale Steyn tried pitching the ball full and straight in the seventh over here, it zoomed through midwicket like it had an appointment with the fence.Some Jayawardene hundreds are built brick-by-brick. The late cuts and swivel-pulls are there, but they are the colourful flashes in innings otherwise strung together by grit. His century in Dubai, in January, was one of those. Not here. Not where he is practically Superman. Two wickets had fallen before the sixth over, and another collapse seemed almost inevitable, but like in so many of his best innings, the match situation seemed irrelevant. He had ten runs off his first five balls. Then 38 off 45.There was swing in the morning, and enough carry for Quinton de Kock to take a few at head height, but between the 15th and 25th over, Sri Lanka were hurtling ahead at a run rate of almost seven. South Africa tried bowling full, short and in the channel, but each new ploy seemed an opportunity for the batsman to unfurl a new shot. Morne Morkel tried to bounce him in the 21st over; Jayawardene just leant back and stroked it for four over slip.”From the first ball itself he was more positive and looking for runs,” said Kaushal Silva, who has seen more of Jayawardene than most at the SSC. “That was one thing I didn’t see him doing in Galle. He was determined to get a hundred today, and he was mentally prepared to score runs too. I saw that while batting with him.”There was no hiding loose balls from Jayawardene in this mood, and South Africa’s spinners quickly found no faults in length or line would go unpunished. He watched one full over from Imran Tahir first, but then his trips down the pitch were almost sadistic. Tahir attempted to outdo him in flight, but throughout the day, it seemed as if Jayawardene was on a conveyor belt to the exact spot the ball would pitch. Some were larruped through cover, others lofted straight. Occasionally, instead of looking to free his arms, Jayawardene sought to close the angle down and whipped Tahir through midwicket.He played the faster, flatter Duminy from the crease, getting back outside the leg stump to cut, then slinking to off to push him to through the leg side. In a chanceless 140, Dean Elgar came closest to getting him out. He kept firing it outside Jayawardene’s leg stump when he was in the late 90s, and Jayawardene finally mistimed one on 99, spooning the ball two meters wide of short fine leg.Even late in the day, as cramp and fatigue set in, the runs kept flowing from his blade. Steyn had been beastly with reverse swing at Galle, but in the 68th over, there Jayawardene was, sliding into a back-cut for four, almost treating him like a spinner.Almost a quarter of Jayawardene’s Test runs have come at the SSC. There is no denying it is, as Angelo Mathews put it before this match, a “batsman’s paradise”. But on Wednesday, with two gone early and a brittle middle-order to come, Jayawardene set out to attack. It was the kind of Jayawardene innings that grabs you by the collar, flings you on a train and sends you packing on an adventure. Along the way, his team took the second Test by the scruff of the neck as well.

Geoff Boycott’s latest autobiography is nuanced and rounded, and acknowledges errors, failings and regrets

Les Smith19-Oct-2014Geoffrey Boycott is, by his own admission, a changed man. On the evidence of there are three prime causes of the change: marriage, fatherhood, and a horrible disease.Strictly speaking, is neither entirely a cricket book nor an autobiography. Boycott has already done that, publishing his first memoir in 1987. That was an extended exercise in self-justification, focused entirely on his route into top-flight cricket and the highs and lows once he got there. Now we have a much more rounded and nuanced book, full of self-awareness and a willingness, even eagerness, to acknowledge errors, failings and regrets.The core of the book comes early. The third and fourth of 12 chapters relate Boycott’s discovery in August 2002 that he had cancer, and the gruelling route to recovery. It’s impossible not to be touched by the frankness and detail in these chapters, and by Boycott’s acknowledgement of and gratitude to the people, both professional and personal, who supported him through the process. Yet Boycott the cricketer is still here. Writing of his radiotherapy, he says: “I counted the 35 sessions off like I would my runs when I was batting. I always had a gift when I was batting for knowing my own score.”Boycott, until now, has always been fiercely protective of his privacy, but here he opens up about the impact on his life of marriage to Rachael and becoming, relatively late in life, the father of Emma. Rachael lurks in the background of these chapters, providing loving support while all the professionals go about their life-saving business. As usual in a book like this there is an Acknowledgements page at the end. Only one person is acknowledged. is structured in a way that allows Boycott to discuss matters, both historical and contemporary, that interest or bother him. The first two chapters will be of great interest to the Yorkshire nuts who don’t already know the story of the internecine conflicts within the Ridings during Boycott’s career, including the eight years he captained them, but might be hard work for readers who are not so concerned.These chapters do, though, allow him to reflect at length on Fred Trueman, and the Boycott’s regrets about the many years during which they had no contact as a result of the incredibly complex Yorkshire politics that led to Boycott’s sacking. They were eventually reconciled, but there appears to be little hope for a few other Yorkies, chief among them Richard Hutton.In recent times Boycott has been forthright in the commentary box about “the sledging curse”, to which he devotes an entire chapter. It is no surprise to learn who is to blame for the curse: the Australians. One of Yorkshire’s recent heroes, Darren Lehmann, “probably the best overseas player we ever had”, is taken to task for inciting Australian crowds to have a go at Stuart Broad. “I love Darren,” writes Boycott, before giving him a good telling-off.Two sportsmen of different eras receive chapters of their own. Boycott attributes his support of Manchester United to his admiration as a young man of Denis Law. Fair enough, fantastic footballer. But it’s still difficult to reconcile West Riding roots with a love of a team from over there. East of the Pennines a view south to Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire is more understandable, and Boycott’s chapter “Cloughie my friend” is a great read. If ever a piece of writing gave the lie to the notion that opposites attract, this is it. Here are two driven, talented men who forged a close friendship after being introduced in the pavilion at Scarborough by Brian Close when Clough was still knocking in goals for Sunderland.The last three chapters of concern the England team of the present and the recent past. Sandwiched between Boycott’s thoughts on last winter’s Ashes debacle and the future of the side is a chapter entitled “KP the enigma”. He tells the story of Kevin Pietersen’s England career, and bemoans the irresponsibility of some of his decisions, both on and off the field. The last two sentences of the chapter are the most intriguing though, given the identity of their author: “You can be an individual in a team, but you can’t just be an individual because it is a team game. It is that simple”.The appeal of is not limited to the stuff about cricket. This a complex, driven man, whom we all recognise and admire for his achievements, revealing aspects of his life and survival that have hitherto been kept close to his chest. There is no fancy prose but we all know Geoff Boycott’s voice and, despite assistance with the writing from his colleague Nick Hoult, it can be heard in every sentence.The Corridor of Certainty
By Geoff Boycott
Simon & Schuster
288 pages, £20

Harold Larwood was a great who was made out to be a villain – the perfect replacement for Robin Hood in the eyes of a young ten-year-old

Nicholas Hogg19-Jan-2015As a boy, I loved playing Robin Hood. If I wasn’t playing cricket and swinging a willow bat, I was bending willow branches into powerful bows and firing arrows. Although I actually lived in Leicester, home of the crippled King Richard III, rather than, like a dashing outlaw on the run, in Sherwood Forest, my father was from Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottingham – little more than a cricket ball’s throw from Harold Larwood’s house.My father would regale us with tales of Robin Hood and his Merry Men battling the sheriff of Nottingham. I loved hearing how this ragtag bandit took on the government, robbing from the rich to give to the poor. He was a true hero, whether he existed or not, and beloved by the common man. I read Robin Hood books, watched the swashbuckling Errol Flynn film, and never missed an episode of the hit 1980s TV series.Around the age of ten, when I put down my bow and started playing cricket more seriously, the fable of the Hooded Man naturally transformed into the folk tale of Harold Larwood.The teenage Notts miner, the skinny lad who walked the same soot-stained streets around the pit towns of Mansfield as my father and grandfather, would go on to be the most infamous England fast bowler in history. Once my father, a talented allrounder, realised I was developing a love for cricket, the legend of Larwood was lovingly passed down the Hogg family line.

I blame Larwood for any loss of control when I try to throw one down quicker than I can

My father’s Larwood chronicles, about how he was the quickest bowler of all time, how he tamed Bradman, and how he was hung out to dry by the MCC were perhaps lost on that ten-year-old boy. But I did understand the reverence in his tone, and how “Lol” – his nickname among locals – was a prince among men.A deeper fascination with “our” home-grown speed demon was piqued by , the TV miniseries that dramatised the 1932-33 Ashes in Australia – including the customary dodgy acting involved in recreating cricket matches. Hugo Weaving was imperious as the driven, manipulative and icy Douglas Jardine, alongside Jim Holt’s deferential yet gritty Larwood. Such was the influence of this show, I even began practising, just as Larwood had done, by bowling down the alley at a dustbin as rapidly as I could. For the next few years, and perhaps even now, on the cusp of my 41st birthday, I’m still told not to try and bowl too fast.I blame Larwood for any loss of control when I try to throw one down quicker than I can. England 1950s paceman Frank “Typhoon” Tyson put the need for speed most eloquently: “To bowl quick is to revel in the glad animal action, to thrill in physical prowess and to enjoy a certain sneaking feeling of superiority over the other mortals who play the game”.”Other mortals” – this is perhaps the source of reverence for the fast bowler: that here is a man who can physically dominate and intimidate at the wicket. There are big-hitting batsmen who impose their presence by thumping the ball back over the pavilion roof – England bowler Matthew Hoggard admitted to having nightmares about Australian bully Matthew Hayden – but none truly threaten like the express paceman.Born in 1974, I never saw Larwood play, or even met him. What I do have to flesh the ghost of my favourite cricketer is YouTube. The black-and-white footage is grainy, and with no zoom lens available, we see Harold running in to bowl from the distance of a spectator, or a boundary fielder. Still, the fabled “carpet-slippered” approach, the high left arm and absolute balance into the delivery stride, are evident. Certain clips you can’t follow the ball, the black smudge on the grey background. But there’s a beautiful slow-motion shot of one of his bouncers, still rising when it smacks into Les Ames’ gloves.In Duncan Hamilton’s William Hill prizewinner , he describes how Nottingham coach James Iremonger, “a hardened sportsman”, moulded the raw talent of the scrawny pit boy into a “weapon”. Stripping Larwood’s action down, Iremonger straightened his run-up, pulled his shoulders back, stressed the importance of balance, and instilled a sense of discipline that included sleeping with the bedroom window open, even in the depths of winter.What Iremonger did with Larwood in the 1920s would have personal relevance for me over 80 years on. Two seasons ago, when the Larwood fairy tale turned to hard fact when I read Hamilton’s touching and eloquent autobiography, I changed my bowling action. Hamilton, like Iremonger, stripped Larwood’s action – this time to the page. Once I put down the book I lifted up my arm higher, ran in on my toes, and relaxed my shoulders.Was I any faster? Probably not, but this was the action I bowled with on a bright August day at the end of 2013, when the Authors Cricket Club, a team of cricket-playing writers I revived with literary agent Charlie Campbell, played on Larwood’s old Nuncargate pitch. With that shiny red cherry between my fingers I strode in from the Larwood end, just as my grandfather and father had done before. I was the third generation of Hoggs to tread in Harold’s carpet slippers – although in his early days, before the Iremonger overhaul, the long-off boundary hedge had had a gap sheared through it so the young tyro could fit in his galloping run.Perhaps I’m letting my imagination get the better of me here, but as I ran in I could clearly picture the young Harold hurling thunderbolts. I wonder if this was his purest cricket. Before leg theory and Bodyline. Before the MCC pressed him to sign a letter apologising for bowling at the Australians, an apology that he refused to sign.Larwood wasn’t going to be the establishment’s scapegoat, and he never played for England again. In a late interview Fred Trueman asked if he ever regretted not apologising. “No,” Larwood replied curtly. “I had nothing to apologise for.”Banishment followed a jubilant homecoming. From a series-winning bowler to the owner of a failing Blackpool sweet shop, Larwood was an exile after his cricket life. Geoff Boycott describes the tale as “one of the saddest stories in cricket”, and it took an old enemy, Jack Fingleton, to pluck Larwood from sweet-counter obscurity by offering to help him and his family move to Australia. Here, in a quiet Sydney suburb, he grew old gracefully, just as he had bowled. He reminisced about the glory days with his collection of newspaper cuttings and memorabilia, and welcomed cricketers and journalists into his home like visiting pilgrims.Last time I travelled up to Nottingham my father met me at the station. Before he even said hello he told me that 20,000 people had met Larwood off the train after he returned from the Bodyline tour: 20,000 locals, working men who had finished backbreaking shifts down mines or in factories, had waited in a cold and damp night, clambering up walls and scaling gas lamps, for a glimpse of Lol, their hero.

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2015Knight Riders dismissed Aaron Finch, Aditya Tare and Ambati Rayudu for single-digit scores, leaving Mumbai at 37 for 3 after six overs•BCCICorey Anderson made amends after being dropped by Andre Russell at deep midwicket and provided the perfect support to Rohit•BCCIRohit made 98* while sharing a 131-run partnership with Anderson, helping Mumbai to 168 for 3•BCCIIt was Morne Morkel’s tight and pacy spell where he picked up two wickets at an economy rate of 4.50, that restricted Mumbai from getting too many•BCCIRobin Uthappa couldn’t replicate his form from last season and was out in the third over, edging one to Harbhajan Singh at first slip•BCCIGautam Gambhir was given at least two lifelines as he put on 85 runs with Manish Pandey, that anchored the Knight Riders chase•BCCIMumbai’s bowlers looked out of touch and even the devastating Lasith Malinga failed to threaten the Knight Riders batsmen•BCCIAfter Gambhir’s dismissal for 57, Suryakumar Yadav struck five sixes and a four on his way to a 20-ball 46 to finish off the chase•BCCIThe win gave Knight Riders their 10th IPL victory on the trot•BCCI