Bangladesh’s fast bowling once again stepped up in a match-winning effort, with Tanzim Hasan Sakib becoming the latest source of their joy. The 21-year old snatched the momentum from a dominant Sri Lanka in the first ODI, taking three wickets in his first spell after the visiting openers got off to a rapid start in Chattogram.Tanzim removed Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando and Sadeera Samarawickrama in successive overs, to reduce them to 84 for 3. Sri Lanka couldn’t recover from that cluster of early wickets, with Shoriful Islam and Taskin Ahmed each going on to match Tanzim in picking up three-fors. It was only the third time in Bangladesh’s history that the fast bowlers totaled nine or more wickets in an ODI innings. It is no surprise that all three instances are from the last 12 months, a period considered to be Bangladesh’s pace revolution.Taskin and Shoriful made impressive comebacks in the match after getting a bit of tap in their first spells. Taskin is considered the natural leader of this fast-bowling group, identified first by Ottis Gibson when he was the bowling coach. Later Allan Donald, too, regarded him as the best of the lot. Shoriful has also come of age, particularly after he was briefly dropped last year.Related

• Bangladesh tail swings against Sri Lanka to bring relief

• Taskin Ahmed: 'I told myself, whether I break or I die, I will wear the red and green jersey again'

• Mushfiqur lauds Shanto's leadership qualities: 'It was a one-man show tonight'

• Shanto, Mushfiqur and bowlers headline Bangladesh's comfortable win

• Liyanage: 'We never expected there to be so much dew'

They are more established than Tanzim, who was playing in his sixth ODI. On top of that, he was replacing Mustafizur Rahman, the most established fast bowler among the current lot but whose form took a dip during the BPL and in the T20Is against Sri Lanka. Tanzim had, however, taken three wickets in Bangladesh’s previous ODI, in New Zealand, when the visitors won by a big margin. It was their first win in New Zealand soil, too.Mushfiqur Rahim, who took two of the catches off Tanzim’s bowling in his first spell, observed a disciplined young fast bowler, someone he feels has already fitted himself into Bangladesh’s team environment.”Sakib’s desire and work ethic is right up there among the fast bowlers,” Mushfiqur said. “I am not talking about the outcome, but he maintains his diet and fitness very well. He bowls with a lion heart. He doesn’t look for wickets. He tries to bowl in the right areas. He has the aggression and determination. It is a huge plus for any team when a young player has this attitude. When you come with a good habit into this environment, you don’t have to teach him. He will inspire others.”This attitude is exactly what the rest of the fast bowling group has brought about in the last three years. Taskin’s comeback story has inspired many in Bangladesh, but it has also brought much-needed discipline and performance among fast bowlers. Previous bowling coach Donald oversaw huge changes in attitude and fitness within the group. It yielded results in the form of their maiden ODI series win in South Africa in 2022.Tanzim is a fast-tracked graduate from Bangladesh’s trophy-winning 2020 Under-19 World Cup campaign, where Shoriful was his team-mate. His foundations are supposedly strong also because he is from Sylhet, regarded as Bangladesh’s new pace-bowling hotbed. Ebadot Hossain, Abu Jayed, Khaled Ahmed and Rejaur Rahman Raja are also from Sylhet.But Tanzim will have to adjust to the new reality that he won’t play regularly. Such are the fast-bowling stocks and the team management’s plan for home Tests, that he is unlikely to be a first-choice in the Test series against Sri Lanka coming up later this month. It could stunt his growth somewhat but, like his fast-bowling colleagues, Tanzim will hope to keep his discipline and performance intact for the T20 World Cup coming up later in the year.

The wicketkeeper-batter has been advised rest for ten days

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Apr-2024

Azam Khan is in the mix for the T20 World Cup squad•Pakistan Super League

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan has been ruled out of the ongoing five-match T20I series against New Zealand after picking up a grade one tear in his right calf muscle. After radiology reports confirmed the injury, Azam was advised rest for ten days.A statement from the PCB said that Azam will now leave the Pakistan squad and report to the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, where he will “commence his rehabilitation process under the supervision of the PCB medical panel”. The statement added that the problem was first noticed when Azam was training ahead of the first T20I on Thursday, which was washed out after just two balls.Azam has so far played eight T20Is, the last of which also came against New Zealand this January. But, despite a big reputation as a hitter, Azam has tallied just 29 runs across seven innings with a highest score of 10. In the latest PSL, for example, although Azam got just 226 runs in ten innings for Islamabad United, they came at a high strike rate of 171. United won the tournament.That reputation, plus a good showing at the last edition of the CPL – where he scored 224 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 155.55 for champions Guyana Amazon Warriors – have put him in contention for a spot in Pakistan’s squad for the T20 World Cup, which will be played in June in the Caribbean and the USA. Pakistan have recently brought back Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim, two players with CPL pedigree who were out of the picture but have come back into the mix.After the series against New Zealand concludes on April 27, Pakistan are scheduled to play another seven matches in the lead-up to the World Cup, three in Ireland and four in England.

Allrounder takes over at Taunton from Tom Abell, who stepped down last summer

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2024Lewis Gregory will lead Somerset in the County Championship this season after captaining them to the T20 Blast title in 2023. Gregory takes over as club captain from Tom Abell, who stepped down in November after seven seasons in the role.Gregory has captained Somerset’s T20 side since 2018, though handed over to Abell in 2022. He led Trent Rockets to the Hundred title that year, and has captained a handful of games in first-class cricket, including one for England Lions against the touring Australians in 2019.Abell said that he felt stepping down was “in the best interests of the team and the club” when he resigned the captaincy last year, following a quiet year with the bat in red-ball cricket. Somerset have never won the Championship and finished sixth in Division One last season.Dean Elgar, who had spells with the club in 2013 and 2017, was linked with a return to Somerset as club captain in the South African media but has instead signed for Essex as a replacement for Alastair Cook. His deal was also confirmed on Friday.”I’m lucky enough to have been here for a while now and played under a number of great captains,” Gregory said. “To be able to lead the boys in the four-day format is a massive honour and it’s something that I’m very proud to be able to do.”Captaincy makes you feel more responsible for what goes on in the game and I think that the added responsibility brings out the best in me. We’ve got a lot of leaders in the dressing room and out on the field and it’s exciting to think about what this group can achieve.”Andy Hurry, Somerset’s director of cricket, said: “Lewis has thrived under the captaincy in T20 cricket. He is a natural leader and is held in the highest regard by his teammates and the staff at the club. He is highly regarded across the whole changing room, has extensive experience, has a natural ability to gain the followership of others and is the natural choice to take on the prestigious role.”Craig Overton, who will not play overseas this winter after an operation on his back, has been named vice-captain. “Like Lewis, Craig has a wealth of experience and is a genuine match-winner,” Hurry said. “He has really developed his leadership attributes over recent years, has led the side on a number of occasions and plays a big part in shaping how we operate off the field.”

He replaces Travis Head and Jake Lehmann after another disappointing season for the men’s team

Andrew McGlashan04-Apr-2024Nathan McSweeney has been named the new South Australia captain as the state’s men’s set-up goes through significant changes after another disappointing season.McSweeney’s elevation is the latest move up the leadership ladder after captaining Australia A, the Prime Minister’s XI and Brisbane Heat in the last 12 months. He also led South Australia in the latter part of their recent Marsh Cup campaign.Related

Jason Sangha and Mackenzie Harvey sign with South Australia

Sheffield Shield team of the season: Webster, Davies, McAndrew… and who else?

'Blank page' for Australia's Test batting reserves and Agar's strong World Cup chance

Gillespie to resign as head coach of South Australia and Adelaide strikers

South Australia, who have taken the Sheffield Shield wooden spoon in 10 of the last 15 seasons, finished fifth in the 2023-24 campaign having not won the title since 1995-96. They also finished last in the Marsh Cup.McSweeney replaces Travis Head as the state captain, although Jake Lehmann had been installed as captain for the 2023-24 season due to Head’s heavy international schedule.Ryan Harris, who will act as interim head coach following Jason Gillespie’s decision to stand down, said that McSweeney had all the qualities needed for the role.”McSweeney is a natural leader who inspires confidence in those around him,” Harris said. “He has a deep understanding of the game and a strong work ethic; both will be invaluable assets in his new role. We know Nathan is the right person to lead this team forward and we are delighted to appoint him as state captain.”McSweeney has regularly been name-checked by national selector George Bailey as one of the emerging batting talents in the game. He averaged 40.10 in a bowler-dominated Sheffield Shield season with three centuries.”I’m incredibly honoured to be named captain of the South Australian Men’s Team,” McSweeney said. “This is a team with a rich history and passionate fanbase, and I’m excited about the challenge of leading the group forward, especially as we return to our proud South Australian identity.”The South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) announced last month that the men’s and women’s teams would drop their monikers Redbacks and Scorpions, which have been used since the mid-1990s, from next season and be known as South Australia Men and South Australia Women.Meanwhile, it’s understood that Jason Sangha is close to agreeing to a deal to move to South Australia from New South Wales.

Sri Lanka have been out-thought and then outplayed by India and the stats tell the tale

George Binoy13-Nov-2005

Irfan Pathan’s 70-ball 83 at No. 3 at Nagpur set the tone for the rest of the series © Getty Images
With a scoreline of 6-1, it’s pretty obvious that one team has received a shellacking. Sri Lanka have been out-thought and then outplayed by India and the stats tell the tale.For Sri Lanka, only Kumar Sangakkara averaged over 40 whereas Rahul Dravid and Mahendra Singh Dhoni had skyscraping averages of 156 and 115 and three other Indians scored more than 50 per innings. Among the regular bowlers, only Sreesanth went for more than six an over while the others conceded less than 5.5, but for Sri Lanka, only Muralitharan gave less than 5.5 and most of the fast bowlers went for over six.A look at the way the teams took advantage of the Powerplays further magnifies the gulf between the sides. Sri Lanka scored at more than a run a ball in just three of their 20 Powerplays while India managed it 11 times.

Sri Lanka in Powerplays

Powerplay Overs Runs scored Wickets lost Run rate

170357 11 5.10 235142 11 4.06 3 301344 4.47

India in Powerplays

Powerplay Overs Runs scored Wickets lost Run rate

170466 10 6.66 235202 4 5.77 3 352145 6.11The crippling blow was the ineffectiveness of Sri Lanka’s key players. Before this series, Sanath Jayasuriya averaged 40.26 against India but he could only manage a paltry 14.16 this time around. Chaminda Vaas normally averages 26.03 while playing India at 4.45 per over but in seven matches Vaas could only eke out four wickets at 76.25 apiece while leaking runs at 6.03 per over. Even the wily Muttiah Muralitharan was below his high standard, taking just six wickets in five games. Sri Lanka’s spinners, who are experts at administering the slow death at home, were countered effectively, and after their fast bowlers were carted everywhere, this was the killer punch.

Fast bowlers comparison

Country Overs Runs Wickets Econ. rate

Sri Lanka 169.3 1084 226.39 India 188 984 375.23

Spinners comparison

Country Overs Runs Wickets Econ. rate

Sri Lanka 117 656 115.60 India 123.4 594 164.80Throughout the series, India have built their innings beautifully. In almost all the matches the top three batsmen got off to quick starts and the middle order set the innings up perfectly for the slog where India drove home the advantage. In Sri Lanka’s case, the top order failed repeatedly and it was left to the middle order to salvage the innings. India’s flexible batting order worked marvellously and their No. 3 contributed 342 runs at an average of 57 while his Sri Lankan counterpart could only manage a meagre 140 runs at 20 per innings.

Partnerships for each wicket

Wicket India runs/avg SL runs/avg

1 297/42.42 129/18.42 2 372/53.14 208/29.71 3 234/39 258/36.85 4 344/68.8 234/33.42 5 220/55 162/27 6 24/8 352/70.4 7 119/59.5 30/6

Yesterday’s co-ordinated explosions in the British capital will have alarm bells ringing everywhere major events or meetings of any kind are to be staged

Fazeer Mohammed08-Jul-2005

Will excessive security dampen their enthusiasm? © Getty Images

What a wake-up call, and not just for Londoners. Yesterday’s co-ordinated explosions in the British capital will have alarm bells ringing everywhere major events or meetings of any kind are to be staged.Not that they need to be reminded of the potential dangers, of course, but the organisers of the 2007 Cricket World Cup must see these incidents, apart from all the other more immediate considerations, in the context of their security arrangements for the biggest event of any kind ever to be staged in the Caribbean.Early expert opinion suggested that the bomb blasts were targeted to coincide with the opening day of the G-8 summit further up north in the Scottish town of Gleneagles.Yet that should be little consolation to organisers of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, who have barely had time to celebrate the announcement in Singapore less than 24 hours earlier that London had edged out Paris in one of the closest contests ever for the right to host the Games.Here, in these sun-drenched territories where every nation has its own version of Trinidad time, a general indifference to safety and security issues on a large scale persists.It may therefore be a bit of a culture shock when the World Cup comes around in less than two years’ time for fans accustomed to parking halfway up the pavement or dragging in coolers as large as small cars into the ground.Rising crime and the increasing threat of kidnapping may have many people much more aware of their personal safety and that of their families, but it is another matter to get people to accept repeated searches at various points approaching the Queen’s Park Oval and again upon entering the ground.To tell some hardened soul accustomed to being dropped off almost at the front gate that no vehicular traffic is allowed within a mile of the match venue is to invite strident vocal resistance, if nothing else.All of this has obviously become necessary within the past four years, and given the proximity to the United States, there is the fear that those bent on sending some sort of message to our minders up north will use the opportunity of the Cricket World Cup to make their mark. It was therefore not all that surprising when the proposed venue in Florida was turned down by World Cup organisers a year ago.The prospect of thousands of cricket fans from countries whose citizens are viewed with suspicion trying to get through US customs is a logistical nightmare in itself.My understanding is that an even greater, and more costly, challenge was adapting the American satellite television format to work with the general format to be used for World Cup coverage.There is little doubt, though, especially given America’s increasingly interventionist policy across the globe, that World Cup organisers are grateful they at least don’t have that particular headache to deal with.There is the danger, however, of making security so much of an overriding concern that cricket matches in such idyllic settings with so many visitors from so many parts of the world would actually become a suffocating exercise of shuttling from airport to hotel to ground to sanitised tourist spots.Much of the effort and expense by most Caribbean governments for World Cup 2007 is intended not just to make the guests happy, but so satisfied with everything that they would like to come back again and again.Freedom of movement-within each territory and from island to island-will be an essential aspect of the ideal experience, hence the much-talked about Sunset Legislation that Caribbean leaders are supposed to ensure is passed into law and ready for implementation in the weeks before the first ball is bowled at the redeveloped Sabina Park in 18 months’ time.For anyone who has to endure the long lines, perennial delays and lost luggage every season when there is just one visiting team in the Caribbean, the consequences of thousands of fun-loving but impatient fans travelling through the region are almost frightening.But given our innate tendency to do our very best to please our guests, even at the expense of the natives, I expect that everything would be put in place. You wouldn’t want to stop these cheery folks from spending their wads of foreign currency, now would you?Actually this year, in covering the series first with South Africa and then Pakistan, I often opted for the “Visitors” line rather than the “Nationals and other Caricom Citizens” queue.Mr Smith from Newark and Miss Jones from Cardiff always seemed to have to endure fewer questions than Tantie Doris from Vieux Fort or Akbar Mamoo from Rosignol.As usual with our part of the world, much of the physical infrastructure in preparation for the World Cup is behind schedule, although, as the Greeks did in pulling off a superb Athens Olympics last year despite similar challenges, there is too much at stake not to get it done right and just in the nick of time.In preparing for the event, information is just as important as steel and concrete, and the World Cup Organising Committee must see it as a priority that, while security can never ever be completely guaranteed, no effort is spared to make everyone aware of the need to abide by the rules, regulations and restrictions in the hope of avoiding anything remotely like what happened in London yesterday.

Autumn brings many things: vibrant colours; falling leaves; conkers. All these are “traditional autumn delights”. C&G Cricket Year is not among them, to judge by the 2006 edition

Will Luke07-Jan-2007C&G Cricket Year edited by Jonathan Agnew (A&C Black, hb, 319pp, £24.99)

Autumn brings many things: vibrant colours; falling leaves; conkers. All these are “traditional
autumn delights”. C&G Cricket Year is not among them, to judge by the 2006 edition, despite what Ian Whittaker, head of marketing at Cheltenham & Gloucester, asserts.Whittaker is afforded a generous two pages to express his opinions on the game. This annual compendium has always been a sponsored publication and a corporate message
from the benefactor is a depressing trend as well as a dull introduction.Things could only get better after that and the depth and breadth of the coverage are
impressive, chronicling every Championship match of the summer, plus C&G Trophy, Pro40
League and Twenty20 Cup, and every England international of the year. Potted scorelines and a
generous sprinkling of photographs relieve the density.Aside from writing all the Test reports Jonathan Agnew, the editor, profiles Monty Panesar, the
fourth recipient of the C&G Man of the Year Award. Disappointingly Agnew’s profile offers little that is not already known, wasting too many words lamenting his fielding and justifying his selection.
As this is a special 25th anniversary edition, the contributors look back at the last
quarter-century of each county – and country. Although each
review is short, there is enough to gain a reasonable idea of the sides’
fortunes in that period.However, the overwhelming sense is of a book so keen to please everyone that it may fall short of thrilling anyone. And critically, unlike the unmatched grandfather of annuals, Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, it lacks authority.At best it may be an enjoyable book to flick through or dip into
– one to trigger memories of the summer’s games and fill in the
details that scorecards cannot manage alone. To that extent, it may
just be a delight.

Jenny Thompson catches up with Doug Bollinger ahead of Australia A’s tour of Pakistan

Jenny Thompson30-Jul-2007

Doug Bollinger: “I started when I was 15 and played my first season when I was 21” © Getty Images
Freak floods in England haven’t dampened Doug Bollinger’s enthusiasm for cricket, especially now he’s been recalled for Australia A. He may not be excelling for Worcestershire in his first county season – and the poor weather can’t have helped – but his reputation and previous experience have earned the call to tour Pakistan in September.”I’m very excited,” he said. “I’ve tried not to think about it. I’m really excited, very happy, and I’m just going to try to grab it with both hands.”He’s the type of man to make the best of any situation. Take the floods, for example. “I lost my whole kit in the changing room, but then I’m a bowler so it doesn’t really matter! All the guys have been really good, they’ve offered to lend bats and shoes, just been a typical team.”A recommendation from his New South Wales team-mate Phil Jaques landed him a spot at New Road, while his 22 wickets at 24.68 in five Pura Cup matches in 2006-07, and a good word from Glenn McGrath, helped too. “He’s had a couple of good years at home and he’s done really well,” Jaques said.He may not have set Worcestershire alight – his eight first-class wickets have come at 61.75 – but overall the experience has been a positive one. “It’s been good and I’ve learned a few things I can take back to Australia – bits and pieces about my bowling, different lengths and areas, which is good.”Bollinger, 26, will use the knowledge in Pakistan, where it will be a massive help having his friend Jaques with him. Jaques, almost paternally, answers some questions for him when I’m talking to both; he even broke the news to him of his recall to Australia A.The promotion is part of his swift rise, but he takes it in his stride. He only picked up cricket at 15, despite professing a love for the game from being a youngster. “You grow up watching it, saying: ‘Yeah, I want to do that’.”I wasn’t in the New South Wales Under-19s. I started when I was 15 and played my first season when I was 21, after one season of grade cricket back home. I’ve had a really quick upbringing.” Jaques interjects: “You were playing with your friends, weren’t you?” Bollinger nods.”I played one season of grade cricket, then the next I was playing Shield cricket against the likes of Jimmy Maher and Matt Hayden, and playing with Steve and Mark Waugh. It was a dream come true.”It was only once he had played with the big names and had a taste of first-class cricket that he began to hone his skills – until then everything was a whirlwhind. In the last four years he’s had more structured attention, having been to the Academy a few times. “I’ve learnt a lot more now as everything’s slowed down a bit. It’s been great.”The left-arm fast man is nicknamed ‘Eagle’ because of his hairline. He shrugs it off. Still, his team-mates hold back on the champagne jokes, although they did try one name that they quickly had to discard: “A fast bowler called Bubbles didn’t really work,” Jaques laughed. The bubbles are on hold at the moment, but he’s bursting with enthusiasm, and his eye is on doing well in Pakistan.

Four batsmen scored fifties in the fifth ODI at Trinidad, and the factor that won the game for West Indies was that they had three of them, whereas India had only Virender Sehwag

George Binoy28-May-2006Four batsmen scored fifties in the fifth ODI in Trinidad and what won West Indies the match was that they had three of them, whereas India had only Virender Sehwag. Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo scored contrasting half-centuries: Gayle provided a blistering start with a flurry of boundaries, Sarwan tided over the middle overs patiently before Bravo accelerated during the slog.For India, however, Sehwag played the roles of both Gayle and Sarwan. He got the run-chase off to a rapid enough start after India lost two early wickets, and held fort in the middle overs. His inability to stay until the finish, like Bravo did, was what swung the game for West Indies. The graphic below shows the percentage of dot balls, singles, doubles and boundaries in the four fifties.As you can see, Gayle and Bravo played very different innings. Gayle’s first seven scoring shots were fours as he took advantage of the hard new ball. He hardly ran any singles and kept trying to find the fence even though Rahul Dravid chose to delay the Powerplays. Bravo, however, entered when boundaries were hard to come by. He made up for this by dabbing the ball into gaps and running like wildfire. Bravo’s first 37 runs took just 31 balls but included just one four. The most telling stat as to how effectively Bravo adapted to the conditions is his dot-ball count. Bravo played just six dots in his 44-ball innings while Gayle had 44 in his 61-ball innings. Bravo’s tendency to take a run off every ball and convert ones into twos at the slightest fumble put immense pressure on the Indians, and they cracked. Throws were wide, tight run-outs were missed, and crucially, Bravo was dropped when he had made just 24.Sarwan’s solid innings ensured that West Indies had wickets intact for Bravo to up the tempo at the death. Though Sarwan’s 52 off 97 balls could be regarded as slow, he did what the Indian batsmen couldn’t – bat patiently on a slow pitch without losing regular wickets. Sehwag’s riposte was fitting: he scored 11 boundaries, one more than Gayle, and comfortably outpaced Sarwan. But for a single person to accomplish what three batsmen had done was asking too much.

Though the tour ended in disappointment for India, there were a couple positives for them to go home with, namely the aggressive intent displayed by Sreesanth and Dinesh Karthik, who did not back away from a contest

Dileep Premachandran08-Jan-2007

More dharma, less drama: Sreesanth was the pick of the attack, but has to watch those emotions © Getty Images
9
Sreesanth
Was outstanding in the opening two Tests, bowling with pace and immense control. The experts raved about his use of the seam, and he got wonderful shape on the ball leaving the right-handers. A couple of entertaining knocks with the bat, including six off Andrè Nel, but he has to watch his emotions on the field if he isn’t to invite excessive attention from officials who would rather not have characters in the game.8
Zaheer Khan
Was an excellent foil for Sreesanth with the new ball.Hostile, accurate and unlucky at times, he finished with 13 wickets, including three on the final day when he alone looked like making things happen. Showed plenty of heart with the bat. An excellent comeback from someone whose international career could have been over after a wretched Pakistan tour.8
Dinesh Karthik
Combined beautifully with Jaffer at the top of the order in Cape Town, and showed an excellent range of shots when moved down to the middle order for the second innings. Never took a backward step and was always energetic and efficient behind the stumps. Even if Dhoni takes back the gloves, a place has to be found for such combative characters in the Test side.7.5
Sourav Ganguly
They promised to target him with the short ball, and they did. But though he looked distinctly ungainly at times, Ganguly never shied away from the contest. His unbeaten 51 at Wanderers got his tour off to the perfect start, and though he had a nightmare in Durban, he finished strongly with 66 and 46 at Newlands. If only he could stop steering the ball to gully.

Sourav Ganguly never shied away from the contest, and topped India’s run tally © Getty Images
7
Wasim Jaffer
After a disastrous start at the Wanderers, Jaffer got his tour back on tracks with two composed 20s in Durban. The shot that he played to get dismissed on the final afternoon might have earned him the sack in another time, but he made full use of the team management’s faith to register a superb century at Newlands. Needs to improve his alertness on the field.7
Anil Kumble
Bowled the most overs on either side, and finished with 14 wickets, but flunked his biggest test, on the final day at Newlands. Didn’t appear comfortable bowling into the rough from round the wicket, and failure to sparkle in Cape Town will rank alongside Mohali 2005 in his list of disappointing performances. There haven’t been too many of them.6.5
VVS Laxman
Scored a vital 73 in the second innings at the Wanderers, and had to bat well with the tail again in the second Test. But crucial second-innings failures followed, though he was extremely good in the slip cordon.6
Sachin Tendulkar
Made a crucial 44 at the Wanderers and his first half-centuries in over a year at Kingsmead and Newlands. But on both occasions, he failed in the second innings when it was imperative that he didn’t. Took some good catches at slip, but the crucial drop of Ashwell Prince at Durban had a huge impact on the series. His spin bowling was perhaps underutilised.6
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Kept bravely at Durban despite very sore fingers, and showed plenty of gumption with the bat despite his technical shortcomings against the bouncer being all too apparent. Spoke of cutting out the cover-drive that kept getting him out, and showed a willingness to adapt to alien conditions.4
VRV Singh
Acquitted himself well enough at the Wanderers, but wasn’t effective at Kingsmead, where his lack of experience was all too apparent. Certainly has the raw pace to trouble the best, but a little variety wouldn’t go amiss.

Rahul Dravid left his good form of the past couple years somewhere else © Getty Images
4
Rahul Dravid
Got a couple of poor decisions, but his failure to replicate the run-feasts of the past few seasons was the main reason for India’s failure to clinch the series. The broken finger from the one-day series prevented him fielding at slip, and his captaincy was ordinary on the final day with the series up for grabs. A series destined to be remembered for his slow crawl with Tendulkar on the fourth afternoon at Cape Town.3
Virender Sehwag
Took some superb catches, chanced his way to 33 at the Wanderers and then made 40 from the middle order in Cape Town. The rest of the time, he was a sitting duck against the new ball, a far cry from the intimidating and unflustered batsman who terrorised opening bowlers not so long ago.3
Munaf Patel
An ankle injury ruled him out of the first two Tests, and he looked well below peak fitness in Cape Town, where he bowled only one over in the second innings. Nothing less than a liability on the field, he needs to do some intense work on the fitness and athleticism side of things.