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Plays of the day from the IPL game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils

Deivarayan Muthu10-Apr-2016In the thick of action
Manish Pandey made a fine stop at backward point, diving full length to his right, to create a run-out opportunity in the first over. The batsman Quinton de Kock was struggling to get to the bowler’s end, but he was saved as Pandey’s throw missed the target. And with no one backing up, it went all the way to the boundary. Redemption arrived in the sixth over as Pandey took a head-high catch to dismiss his good friend and Karnataka team-mate Karun Nair. The ball wouldn’t stop following Pandey though. In the seventh over, after a mix-up between Pawan Negi and Sanju Samson, Pandey took aim at the non-strikers’ end again but struck the frantically-running Samson.The first false dawn
Mayank Agarwal, who beat Shreyas Iyer to open the batting alongside de Kock, met the first ball of the match with a straight bat and a high elbow to find a four over extra cover. You bruise a big fast bowler like Andre Russell at your peril though, and the West Indian responded by knocking over three wickets in two overs, including Agarwal, who was caught at third man while attempting another loft.The second false dawn
Daredevils were 55 for 5 when Carlos Brathwaite walked in. The man who went six, six, six and six last week at Eden Gardens to become a World T20 champion opened his account in the IPL with a lusty blow over the wide long-on boundary. Two balls later, though, he failed to pick a googly from Piyush Chawla and was pinned lbw.Hogg’s wiles
Brad Hogg admitted that he was surprised by the bounce and carry offered by the Eden Gardens pitch. “I think I will bowl the same way I do at the WACA,” he told the commentators. That meant trouble for the Daredevils batsmen. Negi and Samson were teased with flight and confounded by wrong ‘uns, which led Hogg’s former Australia team-mate Matthew Hayden to say, “I always found him difficult to slog. He is deceptive through the air.” Negi learned that very lesson the hard way when he charged down the track, swung across the line and was stumped.The ram-rod straight drivesRobin Uthappa in full flow is a delight. He showed glimpses of that during his 33-ball 35. In the fifth over of the chase, Uthappa pressed forward and punchily drove Zaheer Khan, splitting mid-off and mid-on to perfection. Four balls later, he produced an even better version of the shot, this time off Chris Morris, and held his pose. By then Knight Riders had knocked off about half their target.The reverse-hit out of nowhere
When Colin Munro was picked ahead of Shakib Al Hasan, the Eden Gardens crowd would have expected the first instance of funkiness from the New Zealand basher. Instead, it came from Daredevils’ No.8 Chris Morris. He dared to go against the spin and swatted Hogg over point (or square leg if you like) for a boundary.

In the high art of Pakistani fast bowling, where the short ball is mostly used as a warning, Wahab’s uncomplicated, extreme pace is an indulgence that stands out

Osman Samiuddin11-Mar-2015I’m a sucker so it took only one ball to start believing in Wahab Riaz again. It was the ball of the series in that it is the one delivery I remembered vividly enough to want to see again. For a series in which Rangana Herath took as many wickets as he did, that says something. It didn’t even get Wahab a wicket; there had been two already in the over and so naturally he was pumped.Dhammika Prasad was the recipient, from around the wicket. There had been a flirtatious rumbling between them through the Test, nothing clever, and as subtle as Liberace. Two balls before, Prasad had responded to an extended Wahab stare by dismissively shooing him away, like he was a fly. There wasn’t much pace or bounce at the Sinhalese Sports Club, though that isn’t to say it was death for pace bowlers. Junaid Khan and Wahab took 11 between them (and Junaid didn’t even bowl in the second innings). Better to say subcontinental fast bowlers could find a way on it.This ball didn’t spit up off the pitch as much as rise gradually and ominously, like a giant wave, which, even as it gathers itself, feels somehow slower than it is. Travelling at 139.1kph it wasn’t slow and neither was it super-fast. But at its peak, its threat was all-enveloping, in that there seemed nowhere Prasad could go and nothing he could do other than jerk his head away, throw his bat in front of his heart and hope. It might be deemed his victory that the ball found the bat’s shoulder, looped over gully and fetched him two runs. But to most connoisseurs of fast bowling, the image of Prasad airborne in clumsy self-preservation was the victory, if not quite the “inverted cobra” of bouncer avoidance (see Smith, Robin or Stewart, Alec).Alec Stewart is turned into a comma by Wasim Akram•Getty ImagesIt brought alive the moment and jarred it, like how movies imagine bomb blasts and the camera does a movement between vibrating and outright shaking. Though he had taken two wickets and had bowled another worthy bouncer at Prasad in the first innings, this had a quality of suddenness. It’s like being assaulted by the stun-guitar and rolling ferocity of drums that begin this song immediately after a period of silence (solemn advice: turn it up loud).

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The Pakistani bouncer is under-celebrated. Nobody much bowled them till Imran Khan came along and his developed into a really nasty one, the kind that stalks batsmen, invading their personal space. Then even Sarfraz Nawaz – big, smart Sarf – got into it, never quick, waddling to the crease like a penguin on fire, but with the one crucial ingredient for bowling bumpers: personality.Wasim Akram’s was vicious mostly because his action was so difficult to pick and the angles with which he came at the batsman. Note the fabled ones, to Sachin Tendulkar, or to Lance Cairns, and to Ewan Chatfield in his second Test; in each case the batsman is blindsided by the ball, as if it shouldn’t be there.The most dangerous was probably Shoaib Akhtar’s, his extreme pace and hyper-extension doubling, tripling its threat. It felled Lara. It felled Kirsten. It pinged Sachin. It cracked Nasser Hussain’s fingers. On November 1, 1999, he bowled one so quick to Matthew Hayden in a game against Queensland, Hayden had time only to raise his bat in back-lift and perhaps see the first blurs of life flashing before him, before the ball struck his right shoulder. Shoaib’s bouncer was so frightening he frightened himself – at least that is what it looked like when he hit Lara and Kirsten.Shoaib’s bouncer frightened batsman and bowler•Getty ImagesThere’s even a magnificent Mohammad Sami
delivery to Sachin in Bangalore, rising into his left armpit, which he fended straight to Asim Kamal at short leg, only for the chance to be dropped. It was thrilling and summed up Sami’s life in two seconds.But the Pakistani bouncer is not the weapon it is for others, because it is almost a counter-intuitive impulse. It is impossible, for instance, to imagine a Pakistani fast bowler winning a series the way Mitchell Johnson did, or West Indian bowlers used to. Pakistani fast bowling, of fuller lengths, is generally high art. It has been known to beat batsmen for pace, sure, but it’s always accompanied by swing, some seam, and plenty of smarts. The bouncer is something they reduce themselves to when they are bored of being highbrow and fancy (at one stage, the Ws used to bounce only to make the ball older). Remember Indiana Jones resignedly taking out the gun on the sword guy? That’s Pakistan and the bouncer, although it also works as a little reveal occasionally: boy, don’t mess with us.Wahab has a terrific bouncer, and right now his ability to consistently bowl a mean, quick one is worth as much as anything else he bowls. It has a little to do with the air around us, heavy still with the feats of Johnson. Who, after all, wouldn’t want a low-arm, left-armed seriously quick bowler who sprays it everywhere but also gets it magnificently, unavoidably right?I don’t think I had actually stopped believing in Wahab per se. It was just that it was easier to believe more in others and, even, heretically, in other methods. Never has Pakistani fast bowling been higher art than in this last decade. It hasn’t been so much about how fast they bowl – though the national obsession remains – but how much they can do with the ball; Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan, even Umar Gul were not defined by the singularity of their speeds. Sami, in fact, did plenty on his own to shake the faith in pure pace.Waqar makes Nasser Hussain duck at Lord’s in 2001•Getty ImagesNever has it been higher farce either; every new genius, new waif has arrived as a clown, made of glass, and soon disappeared. Amid so many absences, and with smarter, slower bowlers around, Pakistan could do with someone as uncomplicated as Wahab. He is an indulgence, sure, but also a reminder that it’s never ever a bad thing to have a really, really fast bowler.This, at least, was the rationale of Waqar Younis when he returned to coach Pakistan last year. He had a few bowlers around, good ones too, but there was a kind of sameness, if not in method then in impact. These bowlers could work out and work their way through batting orders rather than explode upon one. His first stint as coach had produced a fairly productive period with Wahab, though Waqar’s worries over his wrist and release were never erased.But this time he stopped worrying excessively about the mechanics of Wahab’s action. Instead he chose to go about him the way you imagine Imran would have with a young Waqar. He had a gut feeling this could be his time. So he had a little life chat with him. He reminded him that he was 29 and that it was about time he started bowling like he was the man, like he was the leader.Perhaps in Wahab, Waqar saw a little of himself, the energy, the presence, the ability to strike. “For me, he’s always been a match-winner, the go-to bowler who you turn to when things are down,” Waqar had said just before the Australia series last year. “When you talk about having an X factor, he’s one of those. I haven’t taught him anything, do this, do that. I just told him, it’s about time, get your act right. I don’t think you can change much, but whatever resources you have – I mean he bowls 145kph and above, and he’s become smarter as well.”Imran Khan’s bouncer invaded your personal space•Getty ImagesHow hard is it really to believe in pure pace? Wahab stood out at the Champions League, and despite an injury that forced him out of much of the winter, he has been the central force in Pakistan’s attack during the World Cup. Here he has been the driving force, the one whose energy the rest have fed off, and the one, above all, who represents the durability of Pakistan’s pace resources. It is a period that has matched the verve of his Test debut, or the Mohali semi-final, one-off moments where it really felt that Pakistan had come upon a thoroughbred.The suspicion that he could still have days like that Asia Cup nightmare in 2012, when his day’s work read 4-0-50-0, is not entirely gone; that his action remains such a delicate, tightly sprung work of the human body that one tiny glitch could see him unravel completely. He still goes for runs. His ODI economy rate since July is actually up on his career figures. Some deliveries, with nothing to them, still look eminently hittable. But those days when he didn’t look like taking a wicket to boot haven’t come round that often: his wickets are coming much cheaper, much quicker.There has been nothing especially fancy. He has controlled and used lengths well, not overdoing changes in pace. The intent has been most visible in his run-up, rushing in with so much energy, so straight and direct it’s easy to see him – and not the ball – continuing down the pitch and clattering into batsmen. When he has got his lines straight most batsmen have had to think solely about protecting their wickets and not which of the ten attacking shots they can play; that inversion is a win. Mostly, though, I think it could just be the realisation that he is Wahab Riaz, a Genuine Pakistan Fast Bowler, and the force of that designation is seeing him through.

Stats highlights from the exciting final day’s action at The Oval

Shiva Jayaraman25-Aug-2013 With this, England have won 31 Ashes series and have drawn level with Australia. Playing at home, both England and Australia have now won 17 Ashes series. This was the third consecutive Ashes series win for England at home. The last time England won three consecutive series at home was between 1977 and 1985. England won the series 3-0 in 1977, 3-1 in 1981, and 3-1 in 1985. After 1977, when they lost by a similar score line of 3-0, this was the first instance of Australia losing an Ashes series without winning a single Test. This match ranks 13th in terms of the closest draws by runs remaining, in Tests. This was also the second closest draw in the Ashes, in terms of runs remaining. The closest draw in terms of runs remaining, in the Ashes, was this match at the MCG in 1974. A total of 447 runs were scored in the day, which is the most scored in the fifth day ever in an Ashes Test. The previous highest on the fifth day of an Ashes Test was 407 runs at Leeds in 1948. This was only the fifth instance of 400 or more runs being scored on the fifth day of a Test match. All these instances have involved Australia. Overall, the most runs scored on the fifth day of a Test was between Australia and New Zealand at Brisbane when 459 runs were scored. Click here for a list of most runs scored in a day in Tests. Brad Haddin’s catch off Ryan Harris to dismiss Joe Root* was his 29th of this series. With that catch he broke Rod Marsh’s record for the highest number of catches taken by a wicketkeeper in a Test series and also the highest number of dismissals collected by a wicketkeeper in a Test series. Marsh, Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist have collected 20 or more dismissals in a Test series five times in their careers, which is a record for wicketkeepers in Tests. For England, the record for most dismissals by a wicketkeeper is held by Jack Russell who collected 27 dismissals in a series against South Africa in 1995-96. Kevin Pietersen’s half-century off 36 balls in England’s fourth-innings chase was the fastest fifty by an England batsman in the Ashes. Pietersen took one fewer than Matt Prior, who held this record previously with a 37-ball half-century at Lord’s in 2009. The record for the fastest fifty in Tests by an England batsman is held by Ian Botham, who scored a half-century off 28 balls against India in 1982 at Delhi. The record for the fastest half-century in Tests is held by Jacques Kallis, who hit a fifty off 24 balls against Zimbabwe at Cape Town. Including the runs scored in this match, Kevin Pietersen has scored 897 runs at The Oval in Tests. He is averaging 59.80 at the venue and has hit four centuries and three half-centuries. He is now one of the seven batsmen to score 800 or more runs at The Oval. Jonathan Trott – whose strike rate in ODIs has been the topic of debate of late – did his bit for England in their chase by scoring at a strike-rate of 67.81, which was his second highest strike-rate in an innings of fifty or more runs. His fastest innings of fifty or more runs came against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, when he scored at a strike rate of 77.33. Alastair Cook scored 277 runs from five matches in the series at an average of 27.70. This was only the sixth instance of an England captain, and a recognised batsman, winning the Ashes series despite averaging 30 or less from five or more matches in the series. Mike Brearley won the Ashes twice, in 1977 and 1978, in spite of averaging less than 30 as a batsman in the series. Cook is also the third England opener-captain, after Len Hutton and Brearley, to win an Ashes-series while averaging less than 30 as a batsman in the series.*0600GMT, August 26: The article had said that Brad Haddin broke Rod Marsh’s record with James Anderson’s catch. This has been corrected.

Shakin Al Hasan’s removal of captain has raised questions about the precedent it sets while Mushfiqur Rahim is seen as the only candidate to replace him

Mohammad Isam06-Sep-2011The Bangladesh Cricket Board’s decision on Monday to sack captain Shakib Al Hasan and vice-captain Tamim Iqbal wasn’t the most unexpected, but the unprecedented haste of the dismissals has prompted some observers to question the reasons for the decision.Among some board directors, there is a feeling that BCB president AHM Mustafa Kamal’s hand had been forced into making the decision on the urging of a faction that did not want Shakib and Tamim to continue leading the team. There is also some concern that the sacking sets a dangerous precedent as not all the directors were consulted before the decision was taken and future captains could be undermined if they think they don’t have the support of the full board.What is clear is that with Shakib and Tamim having run out of the several “get out of jail” cards provided by the board, a new captain will lead Bangladesh against West Indies next month and it is also obvious who that would most likely be, given Mohammad Ashraful’s uncertain presence in the side and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s injuries: Mushfiqur Rahim.More than his leadership experience and his maturity, it is Mushfiqur’s assured place in the side that is his biggest advantage. Apart from Tamim and Shakib, Mushfiqur is the only other player who is guaranteed to be in the playing XI, although the names of Mahmudullah Riyad and Shahriar Nafees are also in the mix.If the 23-year-old Mushfiqur is made captain, he won’t be the first wicketkeeper to lead the side. Khaled Mashud was Bangladesh’s second Test captain and though he was the least successful, his leadership is still regarded highly, especially in the National Cricket League, where he shaped Rajshahi into the country’s top first-class side.It was in the Rajshahi side where Mashud first saw Mushfiqur seven years ago, a fresh face from the Bangladesh Institute of Sports, and Mashud believes Mushfiqur won’t have a problem earning the respect of the rest of the team.”I think everyone already respects Mushfiqur for the work that he puts in. He is a very disciplined person and I like that in a player,” Mahsud said. “Before a match, you’ll see how beautifully he’s set up in the dressing room. That says a lot about Mushfiqur and I’m sure he is respected within the team.”But the former national captain wants a strong setup around whomever is the new captain. “If the people around the team can handle the players properly, give them adequate mental support, it frees up the captain’s duty. Then he will only lead the team on the field and make sure he represents the country in the right manner.”I think Shakib has a huge role to play here. If he gives the necessary support, the new captain, if it is Mushfiqur, will feel more solid ground under his feet with the best player in the team with him. If he doesn’t get a supportive management, he will be busy putting his house in order. In that case, who will stand up as the country’s cricket captain?”Mashud, who has experienced life as a quality wicketkeeper, dependable middle-order batsman and captain, doesn’t think leading the team will be difficult for Mushfiqur. “I don’t think it is a difficult job. I say this under the condition that the new captain gets people within the team management who are good at man-management. Dav Whatmore used to do it very well.”Even if it someone else as captain, he mustn’t be bothered about the trouble that has already happened. He has to lead from the front and garner respect from all around. I would like to suggest that the board doesn’t name a vice-captain so soon. Frankly, Shakib, Tamim and Mushfiqur are the automatic choices and the rest, for reasons aplenty, are not.”So maybe they may have someone like Riyad or Nafees in touch with the management when holding meetings so that one of them can take over if Mushfiqur is injured but not in any official capacity, at least not now.”The absence of solid management was at the heart of Bangladesh’s woes over the past year, including the disappointing World Cup campaign. A better set-up can can only be put in place by the BCB, but they have shown less professionalism than the players and this week’s decision sets another harmful example. If they don’t get it right in the future, the captaincy could become a poisoned chalice that no one in the dressing-room would want to hold.

A look back at the magical, surreal summer that ended with Kapil Dev raising aloft the World Cup

Ayaz Memon24-Jun-2008Show me a person who gave Kapil Dev’s team any chance of winning the 1983World Cup: I will show you a liar and an opportunist.The story of how David Frith, then editor of , hadto literally eat his words after he wrote India off as no-hopers has been told far too often to be repeated here, yet is symbolic of the utter disdain with which the Indian cricket team was viewed before the tournament. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, the situation was “hopeless, but not serious.”My own belief in the Indian team’s prospects, too, tended towards zero. True, there had been some glimpses of excellence when Kapil Dev’s team beat mighty West Indies at Berbice in a one day game preceding the 1983 tournament, but India’s track record in one-day cricket, and especially in the two previous World Cups, had been pathetic to say the least.So while I was obviously privileged to be covering a World Cup, on the nine-hour flight to England in May 1983, two issues jostled for pole position in my mind: Did I really want give up law practice to pursue writing on cricket as a vocation? And secondly, did it make any sense to watch India play West Indies at Old Trafford first up when I could watch England play New Zealand at the Oval?By the time the plane landed at Heathrow, at least one issue had been resolved. The Oval it would be. This decision was not, as might be misconstrued, based on the kind of cynicism journalists are known to acquire over a period of time. I was on only my second overseas assignment, un-jaded and curious, but frankly, what logic in watching India play the best team in the world?I have lived to regret that decision. Watching the classy, elegant Martin Crowe was a delightful experience in itself, but not seeing India floor the mighty West Indies was such a bad miss that I was immediately chastened.The topsy-turvy nature of sport is something only the foolhardy would ignore. This lesson had been painfully learnt. For the next month and more, I followed the Indian team diligently across the length and breadth of the country, spending long hours on British Rail, making scores of trips on the London Underground, as the World Cup wound its way through that magnificent summer. The budget was modest, the travel itinerary intense but the experience was unbeatable – and there other attractions an English summer offers, like catching a concert by Dire Straits at Earl’s Court.India’s road to victoryJune 9/10: India 262 for 8 (60/60 ov) beat West Indies 228 (54.1/60 ov) by 34 runs. Yashpal Sharma 89, Binny 3-48, Shastri 3-26June 11: India 157 for 5 (37.3/60 ov) beat Zimbabwe 155 (51.4/60 ov) by five wickets. Patil 50, Madan Lal 3-27June 13: Australia 320 for 9 (60/60 ov) beat India 158 (37.5/60 ov) by 162 runs. Trevor Chappell 110, Yallop 66*, Hughes 52, MacLeay 6-39June 15: West Indies 282 for 9 (60/60 ov) beat India 216 (53.1/60 ov) by 66 runs. Richards 119, Srikkanth 80, Holding 3-40, Binny 3-71June 18: India 266 for 8 (60/60 ov) beat Zimbabwe 235 (57/60 ov) by 31 runs. Kapil 175*, Madan Lal 3-42June 20: India 247 (55.5/60 ov) beat Australia 129 (38.2/60 ov) by 118 runs. Madan Lal 4-20, Binny 4-29June 22: India 217 for 4 (54.4/60 ov) beat England 213 (60/60 ov) by six wickets. Yashpal 61, Patil 51*, Kapil 3-35June 25: India 183 for 4 (54.4/60 ov) beat West Indies 140 (52/60 ov) by 43 runs. Amarnath 3-12, Madan Lal 3-31Thatcherism was taking firm control of political and economic life in England in the early 80s, and Prime Minister and “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher was the undisputed Queen Bee. Only occasionally was she forced to share centre-stage with US president Ronald Reagan. In that sense, even the World Cup enjoyed miniscule importance, but for those weaned on cricket lore, England was still a dream come true.The grounds of Sussex spoke of the exploits of Ranji, and the two Pataudis, apart, of course, from CB Fry. At Lord’s, passing through the Grace Gates was like a pilgrimage in itself, though the good doctor himself was from Gloucestershire. But my personal favourite as a diehard Surrey fan was The Oval, home to Jack Hobbs, the Bedsers, and my childhood hero, Ken Barrington.The World Cup carousel took me to most of these historic grounds. When no matches were scheduled, I made day trips to soak in the history and nostalgia. Through the tournament I stayed at Surbiton, a few stops from Wimbledon. My host was a young engineer I knew from Bombay, who was on a work permit and who knew everything about cricket, tennis – indeed all the sport played in England. “For a sports buff, there is no place like this,” he would say. Oh, to be in England that summer!There were only six journalists (if I remember correctly) from India. The explosion in the Indian media, with its din, clamour and suffocating competition to grab soundbites, was nearly two decades away. In 1983 there was still easy access to players and the dressing room.I remember watching Dilip Vengsarkar get hit on the face by Malcolm Marshall from the dressing room. There was a flurry of abuse when the batsman returned retired hurt, and not from Vengsarkar, poor chap, who could barely open his mouth. When India played Zimbabwe in the historic match at Tunbridge Wells, I watched a fair bit of Kapil Dev’s memorable innings, sitting next to Gundappa Viswanath, from just outside the dressing room. Vishy, who hadn’t yet retired, had failed to regain his place after the disastrous tour of Pakistan, but was still an integral member of the Indian team.He was also the main source of hope, I realised, as the team tottered. When India were 9 for 4, he was to say with a sense of righteous belief, “Don’t worry, the match is not over yet.” He must have been the only man then to believe this. Talk of prophetic words.As the tournament progressed, the small media corps became almost like an extended family of the team, but this did not mean we did not look for “controversies”. The composition of the team showed a distinct north-west divide so to speak, and anybody who knows anything of Indian cricket knows how much these things mattered in those days. Did it influence Kapil Dev? More importantly, was Sunil Gavaskar dropped for the first match against Australia, or “rested”, as manager PR Man Singh insisted?All such doubts died by the time Kapil Dev had finished his business at Tunbridge Wells. Gavaskar was back in the team, despite his mediocre form; Vengsarkar was still out of contention through injury; but by a process of trial and exigency India had hit on the right combination.The academically inclined are still locked in endless debate about which has been the greatest ever one-day innings. In my mind there is no doubt that Kapil Dev’s unbeaten 175 that day stands supreme. There have been bigger scores since, innings with more sixes and boundaries hit, runs scored at a faster rate, but for sheer magnitude of impact (in a myriad ways) nothing quite matches up to Kapil’s innings. It not only helped India win victory from the jaws of defeat, but also dramatically altered the course of the tournament, and subsequently, the future of Indian and world cricket.In the context of the tournament, this innings was to be a rallying cry from a field-marshal to his troops, as it were. Remember, Kapil was in his first season as captain, having taken over from Gavaskar after the rout against Pakistan a few months earlier. This change had been contentious.Moreover, India had come into the World Cup on the back of a series defeat against the West Indies, and there were muted discussions on Kapil’s future as leader even before the tournament began. The pressure on him was to not only justify his reputation as one of the game’s greatest allrounders, but also to hold his team together, and thereby hold on to his captaincy.Examine the scorebook and you find that India’s performances till then had been modest — despite the first-match win over the West Indies – and not at all indicative of the heady climax that was to follow. There had been a couple of exciting 50s, some of the swing bowlers like Roger Binny and Madan Lal were enjoying the helpful conditions, and the fielding was much improved by traditional Indian standards. But nothing to suggest that this was a world-beating side.The next week flew past in a flurry of wins, banter and laughter as India knocked over Australia and England to earn a place in the final against the world champions. This was surreal stuff from a side which had now forged such enormous self-belief as to become unstoppable.Australia were a team in disarray, with Greg Chappell not available, and unconfirmed reports suggesting massive infighting between some of the senior pros and skipper Kim Hughes. Having lost their first game, against Zimbabwe, the Aussies were on the back foot when they met India at Chelmsford. As it happened, neither Dennis Lillee nor Hughes played that game, and the result was a massive defeat which was to culminate in Hughes surrendering the captaincy in tears a year later.The two semi-finals involved India and Pakistan. Could it be a dream final between the two arch rivals from the subcontinent? It was not to be, as Pakistan lost badly to West Indies. With Imran Khan unable to bowl, Pakistan relied heavily on their batting, but in this crucial match missed Javed Miandad who reported unwell. I happened to meet Miandad in his hotel room on the eve of the match. He was obviously suffering from influenza. I wondered, though, if he could miss such an important game; he did and that was that.Getty ImagesOn the same day, India’s players marched to Old Trafford like born-again gladiators, bristling for the kill. It was a surcharged atmosphere, and by the time the match ended in a flurry of boundaries by Sandeep Patil off the hapless Bob Willis, many fights had broken out between the fans of the two sides all over the ground. One placard captured the Indian performance and the result of the match tellingly: “Kapil Dev eats Ian Botham for breakfast”.So incredible had been India’s run of success and such was the disbelief that even the stiff stewards who manned the Grace Gates were completely nonplussed. “Oh, we now have Gandhi coming to Lord’s,” said one to his colleague in an obvious reference to Sir Richard Attenborough’s memorable film on the Mahatma when a few of us landed up to demand accreditation for the final. After some haggling, we were not to be denied accreditation for the match.On June 25, India took the field against the West Indies, and within a seven-hour roller-coaster ride, the cricket world had been turned upside down, a billion lives changed forever.At a personal level, the second issue which had dogged my flight into England had been resolved too: the law degree would find its place on the mantelpiece; writing on cricket was to be my lifeline.

The Mumbai Indians fast bowler recorded 132.1 kph in the game against Delhi Capitals

Vishal Dikshit05-Mar-2024South African quick Shabnim Ismail has breached the 130kph barrier for the first time in women’s cricket since speeds have been recorded. Ismail bowled a delivery that the speed-gun on broadcast recorded at 132.1kph in the WPL game between her side Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals on Tuesday in Delhi.It was the second delivery of the third over in the game which Ismail bowled full to Capitals captain Meg Lanning, who missed the delivery and was hit on the front pad. Mumbai appealed for lbw but it was turned down. When asked at the end of the innings if she was aware of the fastest delivery she had bowled, Ismail said she doesn’t “look at the big screen when I am bowling.”Ismail had also recorded a delivery at 128.3kph in the opening game of the tournament, also against Capitals. She, however, missed a couple of games for Mumbai with an injury and returned to action on Tuesday.In international cricket too, the fastest delivery recorded is by Ismail, when she bowled one at 128kph against West Indies in 2016 and had breached the 127kph mark twice in the 2022 ODI World Cup.Ismail was far from her best on Tuesday though. She opened the bowling once Mumbai chose to field and was erratic with her full deliveries and bowled on the pads. After her first two overs went for 14 runs, Shafali Verma smacked her for consecutive sixes at the start of her third before Ismail had her caught behind for 28 and gave her an aggressive send-off. She finished with 1 for 46 from her four overs in the top-of-the-table clash.Ismail, 35, retired from international cricket in May 2023, months after the home T20 World Cup to end a 16-year career. She played 241 international games for 317 wickets across formats, which included 127 ODIs, 113 T20Is and a Test. She is now a regular in T20 leagues around the world.

Inter have turned their interest to Lyon's Malick Fofana after failing to land Ademola Lookman this summer despite their personal agreement.

• Inter interested in Malick Fofana
• Lookman no longer wants Inter move
• Inter also had bid rejected for Ndiaye

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Inter invested a major portion of their summer trying to bring Lookman to San Siro but Atalanta's strict stance on not budging in their €50 million (£43m/$58m) player valuation resulted in the deal to fall through. Lookman is no longer interested in moving to Inter with the club now monitoring Lyon's Fofana, according to . The Italian club also made a deadline day move for Everton's Ndiaye, launching a €45m (£39m/$52m) bid, but were swiftly turned down in their pursuit.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Inter were pushing to sign Lookman for much of the summer but Atalanta were extremely adamant of not offloading the star player to a domestic rival, not at least until their demands were met. The situation turned messy further with Lookman's public transfer request which irked the Atalanta support and hierarchy. The 2024 Champions League finalist switched their interest to Ndiaye at the end days of the transfer window but it was too late by then. Reportedly, Bayern Munich also approached Atalanta to sign Lookman on the deadline day.  

• DID YOU KNOW?

  A Gent academy product, Fofana was signed by Lyon last year in deal worth €17m (£14m/$19m) plus €5m in add-ons. The Belgian club also inserted a 20% sell-on clause in Fofana's contract. The winger played a total of 41 games across all competition last year in which he scored 11 goals and registered six assists. Fofana has had an astounding start to the 2025-26 season as well, having already scored a goal and provided an assist in the first three games of the league.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR INTER?

  Inter are set to face Juventus next in the league before Cristian Chivu's side fly to Amsterdam to face Ajax in their opening Champions League fixture on September 18.

Alexander Isak is continuing to train alone as he maintains his bid to force through a move to Liverpool this summer.

• Isak wants Reds move
• Training away from Newcastle squad 
• Magpies value him at a British-record fee

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per, Isak is continuing to train alone as he bids to join Liverpool this summer. The Reds have already seen one bid, worth around £110 million ($149m), rejected for the Sweden striker, but he is continuing to show "no remorse" as he looks to force through his exit. 

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  The report claims that Newcastle value Isak at a British-record fee, but that manager Eddie Howe is keen for his negativity to be kept away from the first-team group. As a result, he is training with one coach, on his own, after his team-mates have left.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Newcastle are seemingly adamant that they will not allow Isak to leave on the cheap and Liverpool are expected to return with another bid, despite spending almost £300 million ($407m) on new additions, including Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong. They are also set to sign Giovanni Leoni from Parma.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Newcastle kick off their season this weekend against Aston Villa on Saturday, while Liverpool face Bournemouth on Friday. 

The fast bowler felt discomfort after the first Test against South Africa and scans showed a new injury

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-20242:11

Jamieson: ‘Last few days have been some of my most challenging’

New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson faces up to a year on the sidelines after being diagnosed with another stress fracture of his back.Jamieson felt soreness after the first Test against South Africa, where he took six wickets in the match, and was ruled out of the second in Hamilton, with subsequent scans revealing the injury.The latest injury is in the same part of the back as the one which he had previous surgery on last year although is a new fracture. He won’t undergo an operation on this occasion.Related

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“The last few days have been some of my most challenging but I am hugely grateful for the support I’ve received from my partner, family, team-mates, support staff and medical professionals,” Jamieson said in a statement. “I know injuries are part of life as a cricketer and at my age I am hopeful I still have many more playing days ahead of me.”Speaking at a press conference later, Jamieson said the challenge of the recovery was as much mental as physical.”I’ve got a bit of a roadmap as to how to manage it,” he said. “I know some of the hurdles I’ll have to overcome, probably more mentally and emotionally, the physical side is the easy part. You just rest and build back up. It’s almost autopilot in a way.”It’s more the mental hurdles, months on end, you are halfway through and a fair bit of time has gone and there’s still a fair chunk of time away. It’s tough because you don’t want to go through it again. You hope that each time is the last time but I’m also 6’8” and trying to bowl fast, so know it’s definitely part of the journey.”Jamieson indicated that when he returns from this latest injury there may need to be an evaluation of how he prepares for red-ball cricket.”There’s a couple of patterns over the last couple of years, which you have to have these setbacks to notice them as patterns around the way you build-up for red-ball cricket,” he said. “I’ve played professionally for 10 years and my back’s been pretty good. History suggests that when you get that process right there’s still a lot of cricket to be played. I get a huge amount of hope from that. There’s been no healing issues in the past, it’s not like I’m a slow healer or don’t heal, so I get hope from that.”New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said: “We’ve all seen how much work Kyle has put into returning to international cricket and for him to have a setback like this is tough news to get.””On the positive side we know how determined he is to keep playing cricket for New Zealand and we will be fully behind him on the rehabilitation road ahead. His resolve is undiminished.”New Zealand’s squad for the first Test against Australia will be named on Monday. Will O’Rourke took nine wickets on his debut against South Africa having come into the attack alongside Neil Wagner.

He steps down from the role after Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the 2024 T20 World Cup

Firdose Moonda20-Dec-2023

Dave Houghton has resigned as Zimbabwe men’s head coach, 18 months after accepting the job last June. After Zimbabwe’s failure to qualify for the T20 World Cup and their defeat in both the ODIs and T20I series to Ireland, Houghton told ESPNcricinfo he felt the players were “not responding to my voice anymore.”Walter Chawaguta, who coached Zimbabwe in 2008, will take over as interim coach for the tour of Sri Lanka in January. ZC announced that Chawaguta will lead a support staff that includes Stuart Matsikenyeri (assistant coach/batting coach), Steve Kirby (bowling coach), Erick Chauluka (fielding coach), Walter Karimanzira (fitness and conditioning trainer), Amato Machikicho (physiotherapist), Alistair Chambe (team doctor) and Mufaro Chiturumani (analyst).Houghton will remain with ZC and will be reassigned to a different role at the organisation as he hopes to stay involved in the development of the country’s cricketers.”I have always had Zimbabwe cricket at heart and, though my coaching of the national team comes to an end, I would love to be involved in other areas,” Houghton said in a ZC statement. “The talent base in Zimbabwe is enormous. How we move players from talented to performing well on the international stage is a great project to be involved in.”ZC also indicated that they have parted ways with Houghton on good terms and chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani called him a “legend of our game,” who the organisation “regrets,” to let go from this role. “While the past few months have been disappointing as we failed to qualify for both the 50-over World Cup and the T20 World Cup, they should not obscure all the work he has done over the past year to rebuild the foundations for long-term success,” Mukuhlani said. “Dave leaves the team with our sincerest thanks for his tireless efforts and we are looking forward to working with him in a different role as we seek to change our on-field fortunes.”Related

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Houghton slams 'embarrassingly bad' Zimbabwe loss to Namibia

Recent results are a major concern for Zimbabwe after they were defeated by Associate teams Namibia and Uganda at the recent T20 World Cup qualifier, where they became the only Full Member to miss out on the 2024 tournament. They also lost to Scotland at the ODI World Cup Qualifiers in July, which scuppered their hopes of participating in the recently concluded World Cup, despite winning the hearts of their nation. Zimbabwe had earlier in the competition beat West Indies and Houghton’s methods seemed to be working. While they did not take Zimbabwe to the 50-over World Cup, the highlight of his time in charge was the 2022 T20 World Cup, when Zimbabwe made it through the first round and into the Super 12s and players credited him with giving them the “freedom,” to express themselves.That tournament is the only World Cup out of a possible five that Zimbabwe have featured in over the last five years. They missed out on the 2019 and 2023 50-over World Cups and 2021 and 2024 T20 World Cups. As a consequence of not being at the 2023 World Cup, they will also not play in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which leaves their next opportunity for a men’s World Cup in 2026, at the T20 event. ZC has appointed a three-person committee, chaired by renowned lawyer Lloyd Mhishi, to look into the reasons behind the team’s failure to qualify for major tournaments and review the current structure.