An attempt at examining why they bottle it in major tournaments

Firdose Moonda09-Mar-2013One of the chief selling points of most sports books is that they tell stories of achievement and triumph. If the tale has not reached that point, you could consider it premature to pen pages and pages about a subject. That, however, is what Luke Alfred has chosen to do.After the 2011 World Cup, the former sports editor of the South African was left wanting to understand why major tournaments are an Achilles heel for South Africa, and whether, in dissecting the reasons for the losses, it would lead to the discovery of an ideal approach to winning. is an in-depth look at all six World Cup campaigns South Africa have participated in and examines the reasons for their shortcomings.It begins with the blunt words, “This is a book about failure.” And goes on to: “It is also a book about ghosts and about how ghosts tend to haunt even the brave and strong-willed, the courageous and noble.” South African cricket purports to be the entire latter quartet; still it is troubled by an inability to cross the finish line.Only halfway through the book does the first argument for sub-standard performances at crucial moments make an appearance. That stands to reason because before then South Africa had played in just three World Cups and only one of them, 1999, was an event they should have won.The chapter on the 2003 World Cup sees the introduction of a psychologist, Clinton Gahwiler from the Sports Science Institute. He discusses, in general terms, how South African coaches are not honest enough with their players and how the type of cricketers bred in the country are not always the sort who can think for themselves.But that does not mean the sections preceding do not have value. They are necessary to establish a pattern and track the development of South African cricket since readmission. They also feature colourful, intimate anecdotes that have not been published before.The narrative begins with an insightful look at the politics of re-entering the global sports stage and how that affected the 1992 squad. The recollection of that World Cup is gently spiced with details that put sport in the context in which it was played, against the background of the country’s political referendum. Had the outcome of that vote, which asked whites only whether apartheid should end, been no, the team may have had to return home mid-tournament. Details about which players voted – there were only three – and how Alan Jordaan, the manager, handled the situation will be new to most readers.The section is spoiled somewhat, as is the rest of the book, by match details, which tend to get tedious. Some may disagree, but in an age where scorecards are available with a few clicks, recalling them in specific detail breaks the flow of what is essentially a human story.The first-hand anecdotes make the book. Steve Palframan remembers replacing Dave Richardson in the 1996 World Cup squad and arriving at the pre-tournament camp at the team hotel with his wife and one-day old baby, who “had his second bath in a basin at the Fish River Sun”. Cassim Docrat, now the chief executive officer of the Lions franchise and manager of that campaign, explains the dietary challenges the South Africans, who had hardly travelled to the subcontinent before then, faced, and the joys of shopping there.While the failure to progress in those first two tournaments was put down to inexperience, the exit of 1999 was far more significant. The event is built up to in a chapter of its own, with the emphasis on Lance Klusener. The tournament itself is covered in two more parts, with interviews from Derek Crookes, Neil Johnson of Zimbabwe, and Herschelle Gibbs, and a link is drawn between the UEFA Champions League final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich, and South Africa and Australia.Similar key player interviews are missing on other occasions, though. Allan Donald is a glaring example from 1999. None of Shaun Pollock, Eric Simons or Mark Boucher feature in the 2003 section, Graeme Smith and Mickey Arthur are absent from 2007, and only Corrie van Zyl, Paddy Upton and Morne van Wyk feature for 2011, where one of the more experienced players could perhaps have explained the hurt better.The common thread is how South Africa have responded to pressure: with undue aggression and internal combustion. Two eye-opening incidents, one to do with how a project to film a television documentary on World Cup campaigns was aborted, and the second an altercation between team management and a journalist after South Africa’s loss to England in Chennai 2011, shed light on that point.Despite the absence of some of the main characters, Alfred offers up varied, thought-provoking reasons for South Africa’s lack of silverware. He questions whether it is a product of the schooling system, with a close look at the context in which the country’s cricketers have been educated, and discusses Malcolm Gladwell’s essay dealing with the difference between choking and panicking.He does not fully answer the question on the cover: about why the Proteas choke at the cricket World Cup. Instead he presents a range of reasons. In that respect, the work is a new concept in South African cricket writing, which is often coloured only in black and white as it aims to underline itself with certainty.Alfred’s narrative is coloured many shades of pastel, and it subtly opens the door for discussion and debate. Whether he has succeeded may only be known after the next limited-overs campaign, in a few months’ time.The book was launched late last year, after the author had begun working for CSA as a consultant, and immediately ruffled feathers because of its title. In keeping with the old adage of not judging a book by its cover, however, its contents are not as inflammatory as the name suggests.It may have been ill-timed, especially with the Test side enjoying their most dominant phase and the next World Cup two years away, but there is a Champions Trophy in a few months’ time, and South Africa’s current limited-overs struggles illustrate many of the themes in the book, which may become more relevant if silverware continues to stay away.The Art of Losing
by Luke Alfred
Zebra Press, 2012
296 pages, R220

There are plenty of things to dislike about the IPL, but the cricket certainly isn’t one of them

Peter Miller, United Kingdom03-Apr-2013When Conrad wrote those immortal words in , his masterpiece deriding cultural imperialism and all its ills, he was without doubt predicting the arrival of T20 cricket, and more specifically the Indian Premier League. The IPL is like a crazy ex-girlfriend. You never want to see her again, but you still check her Facebook status when no one is looking.I don’t want to know the shirt sponsor of the Chennai Super Kings, but I do. I wish I had no idea how much Glenn Maxwell is earning, but it appears in my mind anyway. Like Alcatraz, there is no escape. You want to be able to tell people, “Oh, I never watch it, it isn’t proper cricket.” But to do so would be lying.As time goes by, I find myself more in tune with the cadence of Twenty20 cricket. While it doesn’t have the ebb and flow of Test cricket, it has moments of the most intense drama. That these periods of high tension are hidden amongst games between two teams where someone finishes third makes them all the more exciting when they do happen. While a Hashim Amla Test innings is finesse and beauty, a Chris Gayle innings is power and bravado. Both have their place, they are two sides of the same ceremonial IPL coin, which is also available to purchase via auction on the IPL site.So why am I embarrassed about watching the IPL? Why do I hide behind snobbish mockery? For the same reason I would not like to be seen reading a Dan Brown novel on the train – it does not fit in with the picture I have of myself. I like to think of myself as a cricket connoisseur. If you asked me about my favourite innings of all time, I would tell you it was Michael Atherton’s marathon 185 not out at Johannesburg in 1995 – a full 645 minutes and 492 balls of gritty determination.Where the IPL never fails to annoy is the way that those who promote and commentate on the event talk of it as the most important thing to happen in the field of sport. It is a hit and giggle tournament that is there to entertain. It is not an Ashes test, the Wimbledon final or the 100 metres at the Olympics. To give it the same hype as something that a sportsman has worked his entire life for is to patronise the viewer and demean the player.The thing about the IPL that I find hardest to stomach is the relentless commercialism of the event. If you stand still long enough at an IPL stadium you will have 14 different sponsors bedecking your shirt. There are sponsored sixes, sponsored catches, sponsored “moments of success”. The only thing that gets more screen time that Sachin Tendulkar is the car on the boundary that the players are competing for. If the sponsors believe that a newly made millionaire in his twenties is looking for a reliable family car they may be sadly mistaken.I long to live in a world where sport takes place in a vacuum, where commercial realities are a grubby necessity confined to other fields. This is a dream about as likely to come true as the one I regularly have involving Angelina Jolie, Emma Stone and a hot tub.So I will watch the IPL. I will make jokes about MS Dhoni and N Srinivasan’s relationship and about Tendulkar getting bowled. I will be made nauseous by the commercialism and the faux sincerity. But more than that, I will enjoy the all-too-rare moments of pure drama and try not to feel too superior. I might fail at the last bit.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line

Angelo Mathews’ career is in transition, and he is steadily coming to terms with his new role with both Sri Lanka and Pune Warriors

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Apr-2013He smiled at the question. After a moment’s consideration, he spoke about Sri Lankan players not being allowed to play in Chennai during the IPL. “There is a bit of a situation in Chennai and we have to refrain from going there. Politics and sport don’t mix. We need to concentrate on our cricket and not worry too much about things happening around. If this was an issue between the two countries we wouldn’t have been playing in the IPL,” the Pune Warriors captain Angelo Mathews said.Mathews’ response wasn’t as thoughtful as what his Sri Lanka team-mate Kumar Sangakkara expressed. But neither was it a casual response to what was a serious question. Had he been just a player, he may have shrugged off the question. But since he is captain, Mathews spoke responsibly.For Mathews, 2013 has been a year of transition as a cricketer. After Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara decided to pass the baton to a younger cricketer, Mathews was picked as the man to replace them as leader. He was a long-term choice, who could provide stability. These were the key factors the selectors had in mind while appointing him ahead of Tillakaratne Dilshan, who had led Sri Lanka briefly a couple of years ago.Mathews led Sri Lanka in the Test and ODI formats during the home series against Bangladesh. He did not disappoint, despite Sri Lanka losing their first-ever game to Bangladesh on home soil in the drawn ODI series.Mathews blamed his bowlers for the defeat, but signs of his inexperience were evident when he showed impatience with bowling changes during the preceding Test series. But Mathews is willing to accept his and his team’s shortcomings, and that’s a good sign. On Friday, after the dispiriting defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mathews admitted his batsmen had played “too cautiously” and “choked” chasing a small target. So how does he rectify the error? How does he tell the senior trio of Yuvraj Singh, Marlon Samuels, and Ross Taylor that they need to play more responsibly?”You’ve got to stay calm as far as possible. You need to gel with the boys because they are the ones who will make you a good leader. You have to listen to the boys because it is important to get all things on board. And then you take the positive stuff out of what they have said,” Mathews said.Desperate to rise from the bottom of the IPL table, where they finished over the previous two seasons since they became part of the tournament, the management appointed a new coach in Allan Donald, the former South African fast bowler. For Donald, aggression is the . At the same time, he believes in the player understanding his role clearly. In that regard Mathews could be the ideal man to communicate the coach’s message to get the job done.Reading situations correctly, identifying the right go-to men, and keeping back-up plans ready, are what Mathews believes make a good leader. For him, Sangakkara ticks all those parameters, as witnessed on Friday evening, when Sunrisers won by 22 runs despite scoring just 126. His rival captain’s strategy on the field, Mathews agreed, was good homework for him. “He has been a successful captain in the past for Sri Lanka and Deccan and Sunrisers now. He stays calm all the time and the way he handles the guys is amazing. There is a lot to learn from him. The way he carried out the bowling changes, the way he thought through the game, the way he read the situations was really learning stuff for me,” Mathews said.In January this year, Mathews led Sri Lanka successfully to a 2-0 victory in a two-match T20 series in Australia. Sangakkara had returned home due to injury, but Mathews displayed the right temperament to make sure he did not look out of place as a captain.An impact player himself, Mathews recognised the primary priority for a player in Twenty20 was to retain focus at all times. “We need to have the focus right through the 20 overs. We can’t just give in to the situations because we need to play some really good cricket to win against quality teams.”Mathews shows an aggressive spirit, especially evident at times in his batting, and is steadily coming to terms with captaincy. There is a long way to go, but just like Sri Lanka, the Warriors, too, might have chosen the right man to lead the team.

Plays of the day from the third day of the third Test between New Zealand and England in Auckland

Andrew McGlashan in Auckland24-Mar-2013Welcome wicket of the day
It had been a long time since Tim Southee was able to celebrate a wicket, with his last one coming from the third over of the series, when he bowled Nick Compton. Since then he had gone past the bat plenty of times without reward. So no wonder he was insistent on a review against Compton, almost before Paul Reiffel began shaking his head. It was the perfect call, the ball had struck the pad before bat, and was heading straight for middle stump. New Zealand were celebrating before confirmation came, and none more so than Southee.Near-miss of the day
At the height of their problems, with five wickets down, England were struggling to keep the scoreboard ticking over. In a moment of near desperation, Matt Prior pushed the ball towards mid-on and thought there was a single on offer. It was a grave misjudgment. Fortunately for Prior, Doug Bracewell, on the field as a substitute, could not hit direct, and Prior was able to dust himself and carry on.Boundary of the day
There are few players around who adjust their tempo between formats as well as Joe Root. His innings on the third day was a reprisal of Ahmedabad, where he faced 229 balls on debut, with the dead-bat making a regular appearance. He gained his first boundary off his 19th delivery, then had to wait another 107 deliveries to double that tally, when he tickled Bruce Martin through short fine leg.Predictable dismissal of the day
Stuart Broad’s brief innings could not really have gone more to type – a few edges, a driven boundary, a crunching pull over midwicket for six, then a brainless drive next ball that picked out cover. He has become little more than a hit-and-hope batsman, yet he should be so much better than that. A Test No. 8 has to be able to have a decent defence, which appears to have deserted Broad in the last 12 months. Since his unbeaten 58 in the second Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in early 2012, his highest score was 37 against South Africa at Lords.Decision of the day
The follow-on is out of fashion nowadays. Alastair Cook would not have enforced it last week if it hadn’t been for the weather forecast in Wellington. This time it was Brendon McCullum’s choice, and he decided to bat again, presumably to rest his bowlers, and allow Bruce Martin the last innings on the pitch. It also meant that a unique occurrence remained. The only time New Zealand have enforced the follow-on against England is the 1983-84 Christchurch Test when they rumbled the visitors for double figures twice. At 8 for 3, McCullum may have been feeling a little less sure of his decision.Review of the day
It was another busy, and good, day for the DRS. However, one occasion where its use was wasted, came when Ross Taylor was given lbw. Broad, as he occasionally does, did not really turn around in his appeal, as he was sure it was out. Initially, too, Taylor looked happy to walk straight off, but eventually asked for a review. He only needed to see it once on the big screen to know he was gone, and had almost reached the boundary by the time he decision was confirmed.

Pakistan found a home away from home at The Oval but only Misbah-ul-Haq seemed to appreciate it

Andrew Fidel Fernando at The Oval07-Jun-2013Not long after Misbah-ul-Haq became captain of Pakistan, he spoke candidly of the challenge he had been saddled with. “It is bad for Pakistan cricket when people taunt us at home and abroad,” he said. “It is a mental torture to go through such things.”There was torture at The Oval for Misbah, as his team-mates abandoned him one after another, like an incompetent conga line, stumbling over every piece of furniture in the room. But there were no taunts from the Oval crowd – only adoration. As each new batsman drove their innings nose-first into the dirt, the zindabads did not abate, and cries of “Misbah, Misbah” grew louder.The ground is located in a part of town that is heavily settled by West Indians, and twenty nine years ago, they had packed it out during the Blackwash series. Today, maroon shirts only speckled the stands like bits of driftwood heaving in an ocean of green. The weather was cloudy and crisp, and there was no Karachi sea-breeze or Lahore dry heat, but a team that hasn’t played in their country in four years with a home-town reception, as they so often do in England. Among the Pakistan batsmen, only Misbah seemed to appreciate it.At times he would acknowledge their fervour. The Oval roared at every Pakistan single like a batsman had just blazed a hundred, or Saeed Ajmal had conjured a hat-trick – perhaps to make up for the cheers from Punjab or the Sindh, that this group of players may never hear. When there was a moment’s relent from the clatter of wickets, Misbah would look up into the stands from the non-striker’s end and breathe in the flags being flown around him. Only he can say how much the sight steeled his resolve, but how could it not? As a leader of nomads, he must find sustenance where he can get it, and today, Kennington was his oasis.”When you’re not playing at home you feel for it,” Misbah said after the match. “It’s always like that. You want to play at your own home grounds in front of your own crowds, but here, there was a big support for Pakistan wherever you looked in the ground. It looks like we were playing at home. It’s a great feeling to be playing in front of your own crowd.”There was emotion in those words, but when he takes the field, Misbah has no interest in the flamboyance that has so often titillated and frustrated a nation. Foremost a pragmatist, he rarely played a stroke that ill-fit the circumstance throughout his innings.Nasir Jamshed had perhaps set himself fifty for a target, and planned to counterattack thereafter, and two balls after reaching the milestone, he attempted to hit his first six and perished. Perhaps on another day, that stroke might have heralded a surge, but it was a high-risk strategy from Jamshed, who had looked untroubled for the last 50 balls of his innings, and did not need to throw away Pakistan’s recovery. Misbah continued to graft securely, hoping that each new arrival could stay and do the same, and it was only when it became absolutely necessary for him to hit out, that he changed his stance, and his approach. The same hankering for safety sees him maligned when he refuses to pursue a Test win, with Pakistan sitting on a series lead. It is often said there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity, but Misbah may never be one to approach it.The pitch did not warrant such a low-scorer, but although West Indies should have made short work of 170, Pakistan managed a bowling performance worthy of the love flowing from the stands. Perhaps at another venue, Kieron Pollard might never have been kept scoreless for his first 17 deliveries. Maybe Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels would not have been scuttled, just as they had begun to sail smoothly after early losses. In the field Pakistan drew from their fans, and gave them plenty too, when the attack began to show why it had come into the tournament so highly rated. But it so often happens in cricket, that the fight begins when the battle is almost lost. Every time Pakistan made a breakthrough late in the match, it seemed ten runs too late.Misbah should have made his first ODI hundred today. Instead he was left stranded on 96, when Mohammed Irfan fended the ball to Dwayne Bravo. After the game, he spoke of how special that first hundred is, and how the feeling stays with a batsman forever, but at the end of the innings, he affirmed Irfan for surviving so long with a pat on the back. It is not like he had really attempted the milestone anyway, turning down singles to throw his bat early in each over. When he left the field, he raised his bat to a standing ovation. Perhaps in their next match in Birmingham, others in the top order will add their own efforts to the labour of Misbah and his “home” crowd.

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.

Mushfiqur Rahim regrets his hasty resignation from captaincy, but despite the pressure of the job and the fixing scandal, he is satisfied with the team’s consistency in the last six months

Interview by Mohammad Isam15-Jun-2013The six months between November 2012 and May 2013 have been eventful for Bangladesh. They had major wins against West Indies at home and made significant progress in Sri Lanka. But there was also the disappointment of losing to Zimbabwe, of Mushfiqur Rahim’s impetuous decision to resign as captain, and the match-fixing scandal that followed. Mushfiqur looks back at the highs and lows of the 2012-13 season, and the overall change in Bangladesh cricket, in terms of performance and attitude.How was it captaining Bangladesh in the last six months?
It was a tough period. We started well against West Indies, winning the ODI series. We were without some key players in Sri Lanka, but we still did well in those challenging circumstances.In Zimbabwe, probably their conditions were a huge factor, especially in the first Test. Losing that game had an effect on our confidence. We fought back in the second Test, but we were again up against the conditions in the ODI series. The facilities were not good enough, plus some of our main players were coming back from injury, like Tamim [Iqbal] and Shakib [Al Hasan].We lacked a bit in our application in Zimbabwe, but overall in the last six months, we have played a lot of consistent cricket.Are you a glass-half-full or half-empty sort of person, because there are two ways to look at this season.
We had a lot of positives this season. But there is a lot of talk if we lose one out of ten matches against lower-ranked sides like Ireland and Zimbabwe. Everyone expects us to win. We did fight back in the Test series, won the first ODI, and also fought back in the T20 series. If the finishing was better, we would have felt great, but yes, there have been many positives.Bangladesh’s international season began with you employing offspinner Sohag Gazi as an opening bowler against Chris Gayle. Was it a sign of your changing mentality as captain?
Traditionally, opening batsmen have started off comfortably against our pace bowlers. So we planned to do something different. Obviously they would have expected a left-arm spinner starting off. I was confident about using Gazi, and I will do it again if it brings the result for the team.Was it a victory for you, especially seeing how Gazi troubled Gayle later on?
I don’t know if it is my victory, but any captain will tell you that if their decision pays off, it’s great. The credit goes to the bowler, because Gazi was a huge part of that plan. He got hit for a six off his first ball in his very first international match, and that too by a batsman of Chris Gayle’s calibre. When Gayle was going after him, I kept telling everyone in between overs that Gazi will take his wicket. The way Gayle was going after him was not natural. He was trying to get Gazi out of the attack. I told Gazi, “Let Gayle hit you for four sixes, I have no problem. I know you will get him out if he makes one mistake.”In that first Test, Bangladesh made 500-odd in the first innings but couldn’t win the game. Does the nothing-to-lose mentality help you?
Even if we have nothing to lose, we are playing in front of our home crowd, so there’s pressure. But you look at our Test record – we are not a consistent team. We don’t do well against bigger teams, but we are growing up.Our on-field attitude has changed a lot. Our batsmen are scoring more runs, bowlers are taking five-fors. These are signs that our attitude is turning towards a match-winning one.Bangladesh beat West Indies in the second ODI with 90 minutes to spare. How did it feel? You are always on the wrong end of such a drubbing.
It was a dream game for us. They had just won the World Twenty20, and they had ten batsmen. We never thought that we would beat them so easily, but we had the confidence from the first ODI, which we also won.We can beat anyone in our home territory, in all three formats, if we play to our potential. Everyone has this confidence, and I must give credit to all the young players. They supported us throughout that ODI series. We were without Shakib, so the likes of Anamul Haque, Mominul Haque, Nasir Haque and Gazi really helped us.

“Now when Bangladesh play, nobody can tell what will happen until the last ball is bowled, whether against Australia or Ireland”

How was the Sri Lanka tour in March different from the previous ones there?
From the beginning of this tour, we tried to create a different environment in the dressing room, because Sri Lanka is one team that has been dominant against us. We have lost by an innings, lost inside three days.My message to the team was to change this attitude against them, whether we win or lose. We just wanted to play competitive cricket for five days. It was our minimum goal, and I am happy the players took it that way. We often did well in one session but gave away the next. We reminded the players at every session that our goal is not yet fulfilled. The coach and I kept telling everyone that the team has to do well, not just the individual.What did the double-hundred mean for you as a batsman?
I never actually thought that I would score a double-hundred. [Mahendra Singh] Dhoni had scored 200 against Australia the month before, and I thought that if he can score a double in such a short time, why can’t one of us? If they can score 200s so easily, when will we score these runs? I tried to give this message and fortunately, I made the 200. I was very excited at every landmark I was reaching. There was a session break in which I was waiting on 198. I told [Mohammad] Ashraful said that he slept in his room. If [Ashraful] is guilty, he should be given punishment. Our younger players should know this is a big crime. You cannot betray a nation. It doesn’t matter how big or small a player you are. At the same time, I hope he returns to cricket quickly.What does the immediate future hold for Mushfiqur Rahim, as a batsman and a wicketkeeper?
I have some personal goals but I don’t want to disclose them. I want to stay consistent, and being captain has helped me in that regard. I think I bat better under pressure, I enjoy it. Our next three series are all at home, and hopefully we can play at our best. As an individual player, I want to reach all my goals for this upcoming season.

The fate of the Ashes, and the jobs of numerous senior figures at Cricket Australia, may now hinge on the enigma that is Mitchell Johnson

Daniel Brettig12-Nov-2013Would you bet your house on Mitchell Johnson performing in the Ashes series? Australian cricket just has.It is no overstatement to say that by recalling him to the Test team for the series opener in Brisbane, Cricket Australia have staked the farm on Johnson bowling with more reliable speed, consistency and sustained menace in the forthcoming matches than at any other time in his career. Every spell Johnson bowls may swing not only the fate of the Ashes but also the jobs of the team performance manager Pat Howard, the national selector John Inverarity, the coach Darren Lehmann and perhaps even the captain Michael Clarke.James Sutherland, CA’s chief executive, will not be watching Johnson’s bowling in the Ashes with quite the same level of trepidation, after the chairman Wally Edwards guaranteed his job even in the event of a 5-0 drubbing. But for a series that Australia must win to provide solid evidence of progress on the field two years since the release of the Argus review, an enormous amount now depends on Johnson conjuring his very best.This, of course, is something he has struggled to do consistently throughout a Test career that effectively began with 12th man duty throughout the 2006-07 summer, when he watched the last gleaming of the great sides led by Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. Johnson’s best stands comparison with the most exhilarating displays of any of those teams, typified by the Perth spell during the last Ashes bout down under when he tore England’s batting limb from limb in the space of little more than an hour. But his worst is risible, and has been glimpsed more often in Ashes contests than those against any other nation.No one was more aware of the Johnson enigma than Ponting, who wrote of the aforementioned Perth spell in his autobiography. It is a telling passage among many. “There were days like this when Mitch was as lethal a bowler as any in my experience; at other times, however, he was so frustratingly erratic and ineffective,” Ponting wrote. “I never questioned his work ethic and commitment, but for someone so talented, such a natural cricketer and so gifted an athlete, I found his lack of self-belief astonishing.”Hence the Barmy Army’s considerable repertoire of Johnson song material, and also his non-selection for the earlier Ashes series in England. At the time, the selectors sought the ability to wear England’s batsmen down with consistency and accuracy – “be prepared to be boring” was a frequent catch-cry among the bowlers at the Brisbane camp that preceded the tour – and also favoured the younger Mitchell Starc. But now Starc is injured, and Australian grounds and pitches are hoped to provide the sort of atmosphere and turf that Johnson can thrive upon.

“I said a couple of days ago if Mitch was selected in this squad, it wouldn’t surprise me if in a couple of months’ time you see Mitch being Man of the Series.”Australia captain Michael Clarke on Mitchell Johnson

Much has been made of the fact that George Bailey’s selection for the Gabba has arrived on the strength of ODI batting form in a different country, against different bowlers, on pitches in no way relevant to the Ashes. Yet the same is true of Johnson, who has convinced Lehmann, Inverarity and Clarke he is in the sort of confident, relaxed frame of mind for five-day battles on the basis of limited-overs form alone. His only first-class appearance since a muted display in the Delhi Test in March took place against South Australia at the WACA ground last week, and while five wickets and sundry other chances were created, he leaked 4.5 runs per over throughout.A similar scoring rate for England against Johnson during the Ashes would release a considerable amount of the pressure imposed by the likes of Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle and Shane Watson, should he be fit to bowl. It would undo much of the good, diligent work done by those same bowlers in England, causing Clarke to spread his fields and resort to other options more quickly than he should need to. There would be a toll in terms of fatigue as well as runs conceded. In James Faulkner’s retention in the Gabba squad can be seen not only a reward for a smart and feisty young cricketer but also a potential insurance policy for Johnson’s bad days.Mitchell Johnson’s consistency has improved in recent one-day matches, but can he transfer that form into the Ashes?•Getty ImagesClarke and Lehmann have acknowledged that Johnson had been chosen at least partly on faith that he can demonstrate greater control across the series. Lehmann said that while Johnson can be unplayable when swinging the ball at speed and pitching it right, “he knows he needs to do that and do that more often”. When pondering the scenarios that might await him on the field this summer, Clarke admitted that the upward trend of consistency he saw in England and from afar in India needed to continue.”I think he’s bowling a lot more consistent at the moment,” Clarke said. “His pace is certainly high, which is a great start. But it doesn’t matter how fast you bowl, if you don’t know where they’re going it’s always easy to face as a batsman. I think Mitch has that control. He showed that in the one-day format. I said a couple of days ago if Mitch was selected in this squad, it wouldn’t surprise me if in a couple of months’ time you see Mitch being Man of the Series.”It is this thought of Johnson’s capability, of the damage he can inflict at his best, that has ultimately swayed the selectors. Inverarity, Lehmann and Clarke all saw Michael Carberry, Jonathan Trott and others hopping about when faced by Johnson during the ODI series in England, and have not forgotten it. As Inverarity put it, Johnson “really unsettled two or three of their batters”. Harris, not averse to peppering the odd batsman with short stuff himself, spoke with typical frankness about Johnson’s ability to plant fear in the mind of an opponent.”He hasn’t put too much pressure on getting back in there [the Test squad], he’s just wanted to get his game right, get his mind right, work on a few little technical things – he’s gone and done that and come back beautifully,” Harris said. “Watching him bowl in the one-dayers in India and speaking to Brad Haddin who was talking about how quick they were coming through. So he’s back to his best, he’s moving the ball a bit as well, so if he gets it right he’s going to take a lot of wickets. Bowling at that pace, speak to the batters – no one likes to face it. If he gets it right we’re in good shape.”If.

Ross Taylor’s search for a long awaited Test hundred is over, and the manner in which he applied himself to score a maiden double-ton will benefit New Zealand in the future

Andrew McGlashan in Dunedin04-Dec-2013When Brendon McCullum finally called a halt to New Zealand’s mammoth innings – the fourth-highest in their Test history – Ross Taylor strode off University Oval to another standing ovation. He had received a few over the last couple of days.New Zealand’s history is not littered with a vast array of double hundreds: Taylor’s unbeaten 217 was only the 17th score of above 200 which have been spread among just 13 cricketers. The previous one had been Brendon McCullum’s 225 against India in 2010.In a neat piece of symmetry, the closure of the innings left Taylor with an average of 45.36 – exactly the figure of his mentor, Martin Crowe, with whom he had shared a pre-Test conversation that Taylor acknowledged after the first day. There is just one New Zealand batsman with a higher Test average: John Reid sits 46.28 over a career of 19 matches.Taylor had ended his year-long wait for a hundred the previous evening but he had spoken of his desire to not waste the chance to build an even more substantial contribution. After the early-morning losses of McCullum and Corey Anderson, it was important Taylor took control of the innings if New Zealand were to obtain their target of a total in excess of 550.If Kieran Powell had been sharper at short leg, Taylor’s innings would have been ended on 131 when he inside-edged Shane Shillingford into his pad, but it was the only chance of his lengthy stay.Tino Best, who caused Taylor the few other uncomfortable moments he did have, was happy to acknowledge the performance. “The fella is a class act,” Best said. “He’s a very humble person. I’ve always admired him for a long time. I’m happy for him. The last year or so he’s been going through a tough period in New Zealand and to come and score a double hundred, I know the wicket is a little placid, but he showed a really good attitude and his concentration was immense. We were a little unlucky not get him early but he showed the temperament of an international batsman in his prime.”His previous highest score in Tests was a coursing, unbeaten 154 against England, at Old Trafford, in 2008 when he repeatedly took England’s attack into the stands over midwicket. He has the ability to move into a higher gear when the mood takes him, but this innings was made at a relatively consistent pace throughout, the four fifties coming from 66, 84, 81 and 64 deliveries. The slog-sweep, often seen off the spinners (and even medium-pacers) by Taylor did not make an appearance as he left the lofted shots mostly to his team-mates.Such had been the pace of scoring on the first day that there was no pressure to accelerate beyond what came naturally against a West Indies attack that, although more consistent than yesterday, remained limited and lost the services of their captain, Darren Sammy, with a leg injury during the first session.Darren Sammy injury update

West Indies remain confident that their captain Darren Sammy will be able to play a significant role during the remainder of first Test despite leaving the field with a glute strain at the start of his 24th over. Sammy had felt the twinge in his 23rd over, and was in noticeable discomfort when an edge from Ross Taylor fell just short of him at gully. He later returned to the field but did not bowl for the rest of the innings and hobbled between his fielding positions. Under the new ICC regulations, he will not be allowed a runner. A West Indies spokesman, using a phrase unlikely to be heard from many Test nations, said: “He’s our warrior.”
Sammy’s absence puts extra onus on the remaining bowlers and Tino Best remained wholehearted in his efforts. He sent down the most overs he has bowled in a Test innings, 34.1 overs, and said West Indies had improved from their first-day showing. “Six-hundred, it’s not a reflection on how we bowled today. The first day was the problem, 300 and more runs on the first day of a Test is not good enough. It’s something we have got to look at as a team and a bowling unit. To be honest my mother always said to me, ‘Tino, as a professional you can’t worry about looking for excuses’. We are a little tired, I am a little jet-lagged, and today is the most I’ve ever bowled in a Test innings. You’ve just got to run in and bowl.”

Briefly, Taylor unleashed against Shannon Gabriel, taking 18 off an over with four lacerated boundaries, but that did not signal a blitz towards two hundred as he nudged his way there against a deep-set field, with Shillingford and Narsingh Deonarine operating in tandem. Shortly before tea, he then skipped out to drive Deonarine through the covers, and the following delivery he tickled towards fine leg.He had kept his emotions in check when he reached the hundred, and the double did not see the extravagant celebration that some players unfurl for such landmarks. There is a sense that after the mental battles he went through a year ago, with the loss of the captaincy, he is trying to find a level to his emotions whether in good times or bad.Neil Wagner, who was at the other end when the double was reached, said: “It’s a massive milestone, something awesome and he batted really well. I jogged over to him and he was very calm and quiet and all he said was, ‘Thanks for batting with me’. I’m stoked for him.”While the quality, or lack of, in West Indies’ attack did not provide the sternest of tests, Taylor’s success is notable given that his preparation for this series was hampered by a knee injury and included a solitary first-class match for Central Districts which brought scores of 10 and 0.Although he provided more than a third of New Zealand’s runs it was a collective effort with the bat from the home side. While no one else dominated on the second day, BJ Watling, Ish Sodhi (whose lively innings suggested he should be above Tim Southee in the order) and a merry dash from Wagner all contributed to keep West Indies off the field until after tea.It was an innings of rare plunder for New Zealand. Only Wellington 1991 (671 for 4 dec against Sri Lanka), Mohali 2003 (630 for 6 dec) and Napier 2009 (619 for 9 dec against India), have been bigger. Taylor was around in 2009, where he also played a considerable part with 151, in concert with Jesse Ryder’s 201 and a hundred for McCullum.Having spent more than five sessions in the field, the loss of two early wickets for West Indies was predictable. The fulcrum of their order is Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. This is a surface they should relish batting on and the ball is already 24 overs old, but they will need to channel the spirit of Taylor.

Saeed Ajmal made a relatively late entry into international cricket but didn’t play his first Test till he was almost 32. He is 36 now and is doing his best to make up for lost time having been a key player for Pakistan for many years

Umar Farooq in Dubai10-Jan-2014Pity Saeed Ajmal. Since May 2011, he’s bowled the most overs in international cricket (1914.1 overs, far ahead of Graeme Swann’s 1619.3 and James Anderson’s 1640.1 overs). And he’s missed only six international matches out of the 122 Pakistan have played since becoming a permanent member of the team across all formats. A relatively late entrant to international cricket, at the age of 30, he played his first Test when almost 32; now 36, it seems he’s doing his best to make up for lost time.He’s been a key player for Pakistan for all this time. And now the strain is showing.The Abu Dhabi Test took its toll on Ajmal. He has never waited so long for a wicket in a Test innings: his previous longest wait was 41.1 overs, in the first innings against England at Lord’s in 2010 and he ended with figures of 2 for 126 from 44 overs. He remained wicketless in the second innings of the first Test with 49 overs, conceding 115 runs, and had to wait another 28.2 overs in Dubai to take his first wicket, making the stretch 77.2 overs.There was a debate of sorts in the dressing room of the Sheikh Zayed Stadium before the first Test over resting Ajmal but captain Misbah-ul-Haq voted out the other spinner Abdur Rehman and insisted on sticking with the veteran. By no means has Ajmal been the wrong pick but he didn’t fire in time. Probably, he wasn’t given much support from the other end, or as Ramiz Raja suggests, he was “neutralised” well by the Sri Lanka batsmen.Ajmal doesn’t want to rest, he has barely asked for it. He wants to play every match and Pakistan don’t want to drop him because he has been doing well. He was supposed to be rested with his suspected hernia last year but doctors cleared him with a week’s rest before the ODI series in Scotland in May.Saqlain Mushtaq, on the other hand, made his Test debut at 19 and became the quickest to 100 one-day-international wickets. His career was damaged by knee injury and in nine years – in which he played 49 Tests and 169 ODIs – his career was over. He made a final unsuccessful attempt in 2004 to force his way back into the Test side, against India in Multan, only to concede 204 runs in 43 overs. Disappointed with Ajmal’s workload, Saqlain advised him to take a break to avoid getting fatigued.”He [Ajmal] is a quality spinner and has proven himself in every format but he looked tired against Sri Lanka and perhaps he needs to be given a break from the sport so that he can refresh himself and come back fresh,” Saqlain said. “He can still play for some more years and is our match winner.”Ajmal is an automatic selection in every format for Pakistan and dropping him could be the hardest thing for the selectors who normally adopt a safety-first policy. Rotation doesn’t work in Pakistan, players are insecure, selections are inconsistent and players have no guarantee if they will be recalled after been rested.Cricket is money in Pakistan and for Ajmal it’s no exception. He wants to earn as much as he can before he walks away. He has been one of the best spinners in the world in the last three years but he is missing out on the IPL money. After a late entry and with age not on his side, it’s uncertain how long he will manage to play. He would want to play the 2015 World Cup but Pakistan would prefer an in-form and fit Ajmal who can contribute with his performances.