Mitchell McClenaghan’s primary duty is go all out for wickets and, like he showed in Napier, he has the knack of doing the job for his team at key times

Abhishek Purohit in Napier20-Jan-2014India needed 69 more off 46 deliveries to beat New Zealand in the Napier ODI. They had six wickets remaining, and Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni had already put on 95 in just 14 overs. A couple of overs more and the duo could have run away with the game. Brendon Mccullum handed the ball to his strike bowler.Mitchell McClenaghan delivered yet again, getting Dhoni caught behind on the hook with a sharp bouncer. Three balls later, McClenaghan had Ravindra Jadeja edging a lifter to the wicketkeeper. Facing an asking-rate of ten now, Kohli had no choice but to try and attack McClenaghan in the fast bowler’s next over; he ended up placing a full toss straight into the hands of short cover.Dhoni said that was where the game turned, and India lost a match they had seemed like winning at that point. McClenaghan ended with 4 for 68, the sixth time he had taken four or more in an ODI. He has played only 19 one-dayers, which means that almost every third match, he picks up a four-for. McClenaghan, with 47 wickets to his name, is set to become the second-fastest to 50 ODI scalps behind Ajantha Mendis, who got there in 19 matches. This ability to strike, and strike repeatedly, has given him the best strike-rate ever for bowlers who have taken at least as many wickets as he has.McClenaghan strikes at 20.4, which puts him way ahead of number two on the list – Junaid Khan with 27.1. Only 12 bowlers on the list have a strike-rate under 30.It is revealing to see that McClenaghan has the highest economy-rate of 5.80 among those 12. He has already developed a reputation of going all out for wickets without worrying too much about how many he concedes. His first-class average is nearly 40 compared to a List A one of 23.88, which also suggests that he is appreciably more effective with the white ball than with the red.Before the series, Brendon McCullum had said that New Zealand would target wickets rather than trying to contain India and would not hesitate to play both McClenaghan and Adam Milne, who can also be expensive as he strives for extreme pace. While Milne was unfortunate to go off the field with a side strain in Napier, he did work up hostile speeds consistently. But it was McClenaghan who did the job for his captain once more.”He does keep producing at key times for us and I can’t stress the importance of it,” McCullum said. “He is going to travel at times but as long as he is trying to perform in the manner that we have picked him for, then we are happy and he has to ride that wave because he has the handy knack of picking up wickets at key times.”He is not always going to do that but as long as he is always trying to do that, that’s the message we keep telling them. As long as he’s doing the right thing in terms of attacking and trying to take the wickets for us, then we know what we are going to get when he comes in to bowl. He did it again and he is certainly proving to have a pretty good knock out.”With the new fielding restrictions allowing only four men in the deep, containment is increasingly becoming difficult for captains. Bowlers such as McClenaghan, who combine accuracy and good pace, might become even more valuable assets as sides rebuild their strategies to suit the changed regulations. Of course, they will also need more attacking captains such as McCullum to back them.

Also, two fifties and a five-for in a Test, most runs before turning 30, identical scores by openers, and most fifties in an ODI

Steven Lynch13-May-2014Is Jonathan Trott the only player to score more than 3500 Test runs without a six? asked Kayvon Besharatpour from Nigeria

Jonathan Trott has scored 3763 runs in Tests so far, without ever hitting a six. This is a record for a complete career (and, sadly, I suppose it is possible that Trott’s is indeed over). The Indian batsman Vijay Manjrekar scored 3208 runs without a six, and Glenn Turner of New Zealand 2991. However, there is at least one man who scored more runs in Tests before hitting a six: the obdurate Australian batsman Ian Redpath had scored 4460 runs before, in the 65th of his 66 Tests, he lofted the West Indian offspinner Lance Gibbs over the fence in Adelaide. He liked the feeling so much he did it again a few overs later, this time off the fast bowler Van Holder.Has anyone ever got two fifties and two five-fors in the same Test? asked Mark Long from England

No one has quite managed this prodigious all-round feat in a Test yet. The closest was by the New Zealander Daniel Vettori, who did his best to stave off an embarrassing defeat by Bangladesh in Chittagong in October 2008, following 55 not out with 76, and taking 5 for 59 and 4 for 74 in a match New Zealand ended up winning by just three wickets. Twelve other people have managed two half-centuries and one five-for in the same Test, most recently Shakib Al Hasan for Bangladesh against West Indies in Mirpur in October 2011. For the full list, click here.Who scored the most Test runs before his 30th birthday? asked Manek Bhasin from Mumbai

You probably won’t be terribly surprised to discover that Sachin Tendulkar leads the way here – he had scored 8811 Test runs, including 31 centuries, before his 30th birthday. Next comes Alastair Cook with 8047, before a trio of distinguished South Africans: Graeme Smith (7457), Jacques Kallis (7337) and AB de Villiers (6966). Tendulkar also leads the way in one-day internationals, with no fewer than 12,219 runs before turning 30: next come Yuvraj Singh (8051) and Sourav Ganguly (7732), then Kallis with 7703.What is the highest score made by both openers in the same innings? asked Martin Clarke from England

The Test record changed hands relatively recently, in November 2011, when Australia’s openers Shane Watson and Phil Hughes were both out for 88 against South Africa in Johannesburg. Previously the highest was 77, by Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes (who was not out) for West Indies v England at The Oval in 1988. Haynes also has a share in the one-day international record: he made 72 not out and Richie Richardson 72 against India in Sharjah in 1985-86. The highest score for which both openers have been dismissed in ODIs is 64, by Mudassar Nazar and Rameez Raja for Pakistan v West Indies in Sharjah in 1988-89. The current T20 international record is, rather surprisingly, higher than the ODI one: Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt both made 73 for Pakistan against Bangladesh during the World Twenty20 in St Lucia in May 2010.At Kingsmead in 1956-57, Hugh Tayfield bowled 137 consecutive deliveries without a run being scored off him – is this still a record? asked Michael Arnold

The South African offspinner Hugh Tayfield ended the first innings of the third Test against England in Durban in 1956-57 with 119 successive dot balls (he finished with figures of 24-17-21-1) and added 18 more in the second innings before finally conceding another run, making a total of 137 dot balls in succession – that remains the first-class record. (Tayfield took 8 for 69 in that second innings.) Most of Tayfield’s dots were delivered to Trevor Bailey who, according to EW Swanton, “confronted him, almost regardless of length, with the dead-bat forward stab”. Tayfield’s record was threatened but not broken in Madras (now Chennai) in 1963-64, when the Indian slow left-armer Bapu Nadkarni sent down 131 successive dot balls during the course of his remarkable analysis of 32-27-5-0 in the first Test against England. I read recently that Nadkarni remains peeved that the sequence was ended by a misfield!In the famous 872-run match at Johannesburg in March 2006, there were seven individual scores of 50 or more. Is this a record? asked Dale Simpson from South Africa

The seven individual half-centuries in that astonishing match at the Wanderers – in which Australia made a record total of 434, only to be overhauled by South Africa’s 438 for 9 – equalled the record at the time, but it has been beaten since. There were eight half-centuries in the match between Pakistan (five) and Zimbabwe (three) in Karachi in January 2008, and this has happened twice more since – by India (three) and Australia (five) in Jaipur in October 2013, and by Bangladesh and Pakistan (four each) in Mirpur in March this year.

Trent Bridge has been one of the very best grounds for fast bowlers over the last decade, with James Anderson taking 49 wickets at 17.34. It is also a venue where England have won each of their last five Tests

S Rajesh07-Jul-2014In the 52 Tests that India have played in England, they have won five and lost 27. That is a win-loss ratio of 0.18, which is their worst in any country – worse than in Australia (5-26), and in South Africa (2-8). Most of that is admittedly because of their early results in England – before 1970, India were 0-15 in 19 Tests – but it’s also true that their most recent result there was a throwback to those early days: a 4-0 whitewash in 2011.India have plenty to prove after their recent overseas debacles – 10 defeats in the last 12 Tests – and it’s likely that their first test will also be the toughest, for Trent Bridge, the venue of the first match, is one of the best grounds for seam and swing bowling over the last decade. In 10 Tests played here since 2003, seamers have taken 292 wickets at an average of 27.11 and a strike rate of 53. Among venues which have hosted at least six Tests during this period – there are 37 that make this cut-off – only Sabina Park in Jamaica, has a better average for quick bowlers (24.31).

Best venues for fast bowlers in Tests since Jan 2003 (Qual: 6 Tests)

VenueTestsWicketsAverageStrike rate5WI/ 10WMKingston, Jamaica1023724.3149.012/ 1Trent Bridge, Nottingham1029227.1153.016/ 2Harare Sports Club1023727.7655.010/ 1Wanderers, Johannesburg1133828.0952.414/ 4Melbourne Cricket Ground1125729.1257.27/ 1Bridgetown, Barbados1124429.3157.86/ 2SuperSport Park, Centurion1230429.8353.117/ 4England’s leading fast bowler has enjoyed bowling here more than at any other Test venue in the world. James Anderson has 49 wickets from seven Tests at Trent Bridge, which is his second-highest at any venue: he has 68 at Lord’s but from 15 Tests, and at an average of 25.14; at Trent Bridge he averages an exceptional 17.34, which is his best at any ground. Six out of his 15 five-fors and both his ten-wicket hauls have come here, which indicates just how dangerous he can be at the venue.In fact, Anderson has as many five-fors in seven Tests at Trent Bridge as he has in 46 matches in all other grounds in England put together. The last time he played here, in the 2013 Ashes, Anderson took five-wicket hauls in both innings, and finished with match figures of 10 for 158. However, his worst figures here were against India, in 2007, when he had match figures of 1 for 157 in England’s seven-wicket defeat. Anderson needs only five more wickets to become the leading wicket-taker in England – he has 225 currently, four behind Fred Trueman’s 229. Given how he generally bowls here, the record should be his before the Test is over.Stuart Broad has been impressive here too, with 21 wickets from five Tests at 22.76. The only time he took more than two wickets in an innings here was in 2011 against India, when he claimed 6 for 46 in the first innings.

James Anderson at home, at Trent Bridge and at other venues

TestsWicketsAverageStrike rate5WI/ 10WMAt Trent Bridge74917.3437.26/ 2Other grounds in Eng4617629.7258.26/ 0With Anderson and Broad very effective at Trent Bridge, it isn’t surprising that the stats for England’s quick bowlers are impressive here: 166 wickets in ten Tests at an average of 23.43; overseas fast bowlers average almost 32, which suggests that England’s seamers and swing bowlers have been instrumental in winning them Tests here. Overseas spinners have done slightly better than England’s, but the home team have not relied much on spin here.

Pace and spin at Trent Bridge in Tests since Jan 2003

PaceSpinWicketsAverageStrike rateWicketsAverageStrike rateEngland’s bowlers16623.4347.22534.1270.4Overseas bowlers12631.9660.64231.7359.8Trent Bridge has been a venue that England’s fast bowlers have enjoyed over the last decade, but their batsmen haven’t enjoyed similar success. Alastair Cook has already been undergoing a miserable run as captain and batsman in Tests, and he won’t be enthused by his Trent Bridge stats: in 13 innings he has scored only one half-century, and averages 21.50. That half-century came in his most recent Test innings here, against Australia last year, when he scored exactly 50 in the second innings. In four tries against India here, he has managed only 73 runs, with a highest score of 43.In fact, all the specialist batsmen for England have struggled here over the last decade: Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and Andrew Strauss all average in the late 30s, while Jonathan Trott’s is less than 25. Stuart Broad has averaged more than all of these batsmen with three 50-plus scores in eight innings here.

England’s batsmen at Trent Bridge

BatsmanTestsRunsAverageStrike rate100s/ 50sStuart Broad531339.1264.400/ 3Kevin Pietersen854338.7852.611/ 3Ian Bell638338.3052.252/ 0Andrew Strauss850133.4045.501/ 2Matt Prior524831.5559.531/ 2Jonathan Trott417024.2855.010/ 0Alastair Cook725821.5038.450/ 1Trent Bridge has been a happy venue for quick bowlers, but teams batting first have still done well: in the last ten Tests, seven have been won by the side batting first, with England achieving it six times. One of the exceptions was India in 2007, when they bowled England out for 198 in the first innings after choosing to field, and then scored 481 to set up the win.Generally, though, Trent Bridge has been a difficult venue for teams batting last: Pakistan were bowled out for 80 in 2010, India for 158 in 2011, England for 190 against Sri Lanka in 2006, and South Africa for 131 in 2003. Even in the 2005 Ashes Test which England won, they managed to chase down 129 with only three wickets in hand.In the fourth innings too, fast bowlers have played key roles at this ground, taking 49 wickets at 20.79, compared to 17 wickets for spinners at 20.23. The fast bowler stats here in the fourth innings are better than in the first three innings: they’ve averaged 29.72 in the first innings, 27.09 in the second, and 28.34 in the third.With Zaheer Khan at the top of his game in 2007 – taking 9 for 134 – India exploited those conditions better than the home team to win by seven wickets; in 2011 too, the Indian seamers were superb in the first innings, bowling England out for 221, before being taken apart in the second. They’ll need a couple of their bowlers to step up again to prevent England from winning their sixth consecutive Test here.

Runs per wkt in each innings at Trent Bridge since 2003

1st inngs2nd inngs3rd inngs4th inngs32.5929.1030.0821.67

Murali Kartik was a complete bowler for every format and should have ended up with more than 300 Test wickets

VVS Laxman14-Jun-2014One of my favourite stories about Murali Kartik concerns his name. My wife would always address him as Murali. His response, delivered in that soft yet firm tone, would be: “Murali is my father’s name. My name is Kartik.”Kartik has this knack of getting close to certain people. I do not really know when and how we became such close friends. I guess a lot has to do with the common interests we share. Both of us are spiritual and religious. Both are devotees of Satya Sai Baba; Kartik’s father, in fact, does voluntary service at the Satya Sai Baba Trust in Puttaparthi. Over the years, from the time he made his Test debut in 2000, we have shared a good rapport.One big reason for me to open up to him and like him was that Kartik is a genuine person. He speaks his mind, not only on the cricket field but off it also. When that happens, you feel comfortable with a person. This feeling was mutual, as evidenced by this lovely tribute from him when I retired.Over the years, as we started getting closer, I saw that Kartik was a very likeable character who would do anything for his friends. He was one of the few people I would call for his opinion on various issues. He is a knowledgeable guy – not only about cricket – and that is why I always pick his brains to get inputs or a different perspective.Considering our relationship extends to over 15 years now, it is inevitable that we have shared several ups and downs. I remember the time in 2002-03 he was dropped for the ODI series in New Zealand. I cajoled him and asked him not to get disappointed. Soon afterwards, I found myself not picked for the 2003 World Cup!Both of us were obviously disappointed when we found ourselves on the India A tour to the Caribbean. I was the captain and we had a nightmare of a series. I told him I was never going to cajole him any more, since it was landing me in trouble too!As a player, my first impression of Kartik was how talented and skilful he was. This was in 1997, when we played against each other in successive tournaments – the Karnataka State Cricket Association tournament in Bangalore and then the Buchi Babu Memorial tournament in Chennai, with Kartik playing for India Cements and me representing Indian Airlines.His most outstanding characteristic is his confidence. From the first day I saw him till his last match his body language and his never-say-die attitude never changed. That is a great quality to have for any cricketer to succeed at any level. It becomes much more important for a spinner because the way the modern game has progressed, it is getting tougher for a slow bowler to leave his mark. There are not many orthodox spinners left in the game – people who are willing to flight the ball, deceive the batsmen in the air, don’t mind getting hit for a boundary, are always on the prowl, looking for a wicket. Kartik always possessed those characteristics and never compromised on them.He is an intelligent person, a quality he brought to his cricket too. He is a good student of cricket and read the game, batsmen and situations well. He is a complete bowler for every level and all formats.His primary strength is his skill. In my book, a spinner is dangerous when he is not defensive but always attacking and eyeing wickets. Kartik always had the desire to take wickets. And even if there were occasions when the batsman was on top, Kartik would never admit it. I never saw him bowl a bad spell. He might not have got wickets but he always had control; that and his variations allowed him to stay on top.

He is a good student of cricket and read the game, batsmen and situations well. He is a complete bowler for every level and all formats

In my eyes, the best spell Kartik bowled came during the Irani Cup against Mumbai in 2000, when he grabbed nine wickets in the second innings to win us the match. I was leading Rest of India and allowed Kartik to bowl unchanged on the fourth morning from the Tata End. It was unfortunate that he did not become the fifth bowler in Indian first-class cricket to achieve the feat of taking ten wickets in an innings. Kartik was always a wicket-taking bowler, someone a captain could rely on, and to me he was always a match-winner.While Kartik had the potential to become a match-winner, unfortunately during his heyday he underwent a lot of disappointments. In 2007 he had a very good ODI series against Australia in India. He finished as the second-best Indian bowler, including taking the Man-of-the-Match award in the final match of the series, in Mumbai. On the back of such a good performance he was looking forward to travel to Australia to play in CB Series. To his utter disappointment he was not even picked in the squad. I know for a fact that he was devastated by that experience.On the outside Kartik can come across as a bold and aggressive man. But he is very sensitive. And so it is just brilliant the way he has handled various tough experiences throughout his career. He always put up a brave face.Kartik has endured a lot, all through his career. Until you experience it, you cannot understand how tough it is to always carry on fighting. On the inside you are disappointed, you are frustrated, the pain is deep. And you think: Why does it always happen to me? I thought Kartik might occasionally feel bad, angry at the injustice; but he never showed it. Only to a select few did he reveal he could have been treated better. He never let the disappointments affect his game and the way he carried himself on the field. And that was the hallmark of his career.Kartik is a philosophical man. He learned through his experience that whatever happens does so for a reason. And he always took the positives – at least he played for India, played for Railways, played in county cricket, had the respect of his team-mates and opponents.One has to also understand that Kartik played for a team like Railways in the Indian domestic circuit where the facilities have always been sparse. But though he did not get his due at the international level, he always went back to domestic or county cricket without ever letting the disappointment discourage him from performing.He took a lot of pride in performance, no matter who he was playing for, or whether it was a competitive match or just a net session. He never let the batsman play with freedom.Once he realised that his chances of playing again for India had evaporated, he turned his focus to giving back what he had learned to his Railways team-mates. He fought for their rights with the authorities. He always had a soft corner for the team; last year, he took up the captaincy just so he could mentor the youngsters.I have relied a lot on Kartik to get inputs on domestic players when picking players at Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. It was he who suggested that I pick Karn Sharma and Amit Paunikar.Despite his disappointments, Kartik has remained selfless and has been open to sharing with youngsters his inputs and insights. Recently, Akshar Patel excelled during Kings XI Punjab’s run to their maiden IPL final. I am certain Kartik must have played some role in Patel doing well. It did not matter to Kartik that he was sitting on the bench despite being the more experienced spinner.When he called me earlier this week to tell me that his time was up, it was a sad moment. But I can understand his decision. Kartik was unfortunate that he played when Anil Kumble and Bhajji [Harbhajan Singh] were in their prime. But maybe when Anil retired, Kartik could have been given more opportunities. He is a bowler who should have taken more than 300 Test wickets. Indian cricket has missed out on a match-winner.

As Mumbai Indians lacked intensity in the field, and the home support equitably flagged, it became all too easy for Chennai Super Kings in the Eliminator on Wednesday night

Devashish Fuloria at the Brabourne Stadium29-May-2014In the last four overs of their innings, Mumbai Indians could add only 33 runs and lost six wickets, finishing the innings around 20 runs short of what they looked good for. Defending a below-par target on a true pitch, in a ground with short boundaries, against tough opponents, in a knockout match and without Lasith Malinga, Mumbai needed their bowlers to step up, along with their 12th man – their band of aggressive supporters in the stands. But around 10 pm, the crowd lost its voice and the bowlers their sting.Both of Mumbai’s grounds are in the posh neighbourhood along the Marine Drive, replete with art-deco buildings and home to the who’s who of Mumbai. Rules like the 10 pm ban on loudspeakers are best implemented in such parts. The rule gets countered to an extent when Mumbai bat second as every four or a six reverberates in the stands, making the home support real. Not when they bat first.On Wednesday night, the sudden dip in energy levels was infectious as Mumbai’s fielders were clumsy early in the second innings – Rohit Sharma dived over one at extra cover to let the ball run to the boundary before Ambati Rayudu and Harbhajan Singh let a skier drop between them. That a very confident and extended lbw appeal – which seemed pretty much out on the replay – from Praveen Kumar and the surrounding fielders didn’t go in Mumbai’s favour further sapped the spirits. By the end of six overs, around 10.20 pm, Chennai Super Kings were already running away with the match at 60 for 0.The first half had been anything but dull. Outside the ground, the street extending from Churchgate station to the Marine Drive was packed on both sides with people waiting to get inside the ground, the regular rush of commuters and hoards of hawkers trying to offload their IPL T-shirt stocks.The din continued inside the ground too. Mumbai batted, and after a slow build-up, Lendl Simmons and Michael Hussey got the innings going. The smoke generators hissed, the music blared, the cheerleaders did their routines, the stands – apart from a few specks of yellow – turned completely blue. Once in a while a bit of yellow mushroomed at the fall of wicket only to be consumed by blue as the home team’s batting giants strolled out one after the other. A young fan, sporting the blue and gold jersey, tirelessly pumped his air-piston horn. At about 9.45 pm, when the first innings ended in an anti-climactic implosion for the home fans, he broke the piston mechanism.Unlike their batting, which had underperformed before making a resounding comeback towards the latter half of the tournament, Mumbai’s bowling had lacked potency even when Lasith Malinga had been around. In their previous match, the bowlers had almost shut the door on their team by giving away 189 to Rajasthan Royals, but that was all overshadowed by an explosive response from their batsmen. The noise at the Wankhede Stadium that night had perhaps played its part in sowing the seeds of doubt in the opposition. On Wednesday night, it was the bowlers’ turn to mutually feed off that energy, but apart from Harbhajan and Praveen, no one posed consistent questions.Harbhajan bowled slower through the air and extracted some bounce from the Brabourne pitch that had also benefitted R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the first innings. The double-strike in his first over – both Dwayne Smith and Faf du Plessis fell lofting the ball to the fielders in the deep – was the injection his team, and the crowd, needed to wake up from their slumber. Apart from Sachin Tendulkar in the past and Lasith Malinga, the Mumbai crowd only really seems to connect with Harbhajan and Kieron Pollard. So Harbhajan striking early created a buzz. He bowled his four overs one after the other and gave away 27 runs. During his spell, the three overs from the other end only went for 22, slowing Super Kings down.Pragyan Ojha had played his part early on by picking up the wicket of Brendon McCullum with a cleverly flighted delivery. His first two overs cost 14 runs and it looked like he was set to play an important role after Harbhajan was done with his quota. Instead, it was Ojha’s third over – the 16th – that ended the contest as he was carted away for three sixes, the over costing Mumbai 20 runs. Suresh Raina and David Hussey, who did the damage, trotted out at the remaining runs with ease.As the ‘C-S-K, C-S-K’ chants grew louder, the counterbalancing ‘Ma-lin-ga, Ma-lin-ga’ would have been missed. So would have been Malinga’s ability to create opportunities and fire hope. With not much inspiration on the field from the home side, the young boy with the horn spent almost the entire innings trying to fix the mechanism. In the 18th over, an over before the finish, he walked out with the broken horn.

Bangladesh’s failures on their West Indies tour were compounded by outmoded tactics and timid selections born of insecurity

Mohammad Isam20-Sep-2014When they stepped out of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday, the Bangladesh contingent emerged in batting order. First out of the VIP gate was Shamsur Rahman, who couldn’t locate his car, followed by his opening partner Tamim Iqbal who smoothly got into his and left the scene. Next came Habibul Bashar, Bangladesh’s most prolific No 3 and their manager during the West Indies tour, alongside Mushfiqur Rahim, to speak to reporters gathered in the parking lot.Mushfiqur’s eyes were bloodshot while most of the other players looked mildly disheveled after the long flight from St Lucia that took off almost two days ago. The majority of these players have a week’s rest before they go to Incheon next weekend to defend their gold medal in the Asian Games.While there is enough prestige in the competition to add to the existent pile of pressure, the foremost concern surrounding the team is the tactical issues that cropped up in West Indies. They were found wanting with their selections, their toss decision, their reading of conditions, their reactions to situations and their over-reliance on outdated tactics.From a selection point of view during the West Indies tour, the benching of Abdur Razzak in the first ODI and the use of eight batsmen and just three bowlers in the first Test have confounded many. At the Dhaka airport, Bashar, who is also one of the three selectors, said the team management were trying a new combination in these two matches since the team wasn’t winning.There is some justification for a struggling team to rejig their combination but both selection calls ended up half-cooked. In the first ODI, Razzak’s exclusion meant Sohag Gazi was the only spinner – Bangladesh made him open the bowling. It seemed a strange move, since they were defending 218, more so since the seamers were troubling the batsmen early on. Later on, with not many overs left from Gazi, Mushfiqur’s rotation of his bowlers became haphazard.The decision to play eight batsmen in the first Test was much more lop-sided, especially once Bangladesh decided to bowl first on a batting-friendly pitch. The selection and the toss decision seemed to be based on their insecurity as a batting unit, and the batting failure in the first innings went on to justify them in a strange sort of way. Predictably, though, it also exposed the limitations of the bowling attack.When a team has a thin bowling attack and a batting line-up short of confidence, selections have to be decisive, with both eyes on the big picture. Half-cooked decisions, in such circumstances, can have a demoralising effect.Bangladesh’s mental shortcomings were also apparent on a number of occasions. They batted over-cautiously in the first ODI because they were unsure of the pitch, but in the same venue in the next game, they went to the other extreme, went for their shots and collapsed from 42 for 2 to get bowled out for 70. They lacked planning against Denesh Ramdin, and by the time they could react to his onslaught at Warner Park, with its short boundaries, the West Indies captain was hammering sixes at will.Bangladesh also let go of chances to redeem themselves. In the second Test in St Lucia, their decision to bowl first was praiseworthy. They had reverted to the 7-4 combination with four specialist bowlers, but the three-man pace attack bowled poorly when a green pitch was at its freshest, on the first morning. They were far better on the second day, but by then West Indies had done enough with the bat.Twice in the same match, Bangladesh’s batsmen could not brace up to a sustained attack of pace and bounce. It was mostly a cerebral battle, with the bowlers preying on their patience to reveal technical frailties. Shamsur Rahman’s approach in the second innings was a prime example of how Bangladesh often look to hit themselves out of trouble in such situations, and are unable to stop themselves from playing too many shots.Lastly, Bangladesh seem to be hell-bent on using left-arm spinners against right-handed batsmen and offspinners against left-handers, no matter the situation of the game. It has cost them momentum on many occasions, with Mushfiqur seeming to lack confidence in his spinners to exercise control even when they are turning the ball into the batsmen.Similarly in the case of rejigging the batting order to have a right-left combination at the crease. It makes sense if the batsman promoted has the skill level to do the job, but not otherwise. When Bangladesh sent in Taijul Islam ahead of Shafiul Islam and Robiul Islam in both innings of the second Test, it seemed as if they had become too attached to an archaic notion. Taijul more often than not backed away from of the line of the ball against the pace bowlers, and seemed afraid of getting hit. Shafiul and Robiul are tail-enders but possess far better technique.The lessons from West Indies have come the hard way – 3-0 and 2-0 defeats in the ODIs and Tests respectively. On the way, a large chunk of their confidence has ebbed away, and nine months have now passed without a significant win. To be proactive, a player needs assurance from the top that they will be persisted with, whether it is Mushfiqur as captain or any of the out-of-sorts batsmen and bowlers. But to be practical, they only have to look at their past mistakes and try hard not to repeat them.

Jonny Bairstow is just the latest cricketer to have injured himself playing football on the eve of a match

Timothy Ellis13-Jul-2014Jonny Bairstow’s football-related ankle injury in Pallekele is just the latest in a long and ignominous list of cricketers who have crocked themselves by swapping one ball-game for another. Here’s a list of XI of the most notableMatt Prior
Prior to his retirement in 2014, the former England keeper spent some time training with Brighton and Hove Albion on an “anti-gravity” machine in a bid to regain his fitness. Unfortunately, Prior couldn’t defy gravity in 2009 when he suffered a back spasm playing football minutes before the Headingley Ashes Test. England subsequently collapsed to 102 all out – the equivalent of a 6-0 thrashing.Joe Denly

One month after the Prior injury, England’s think tank deemed it a good idea to have a kickabout before the start of the ODI series against Australia at The Oval. Unfortunately, Owais Shah crunched opening bat Denly from behind in what Andrew Strauss described as “a bit of a clumsy challenge”. Denly was immediately ruled out with a twisted knee. Owais was barely seen in an England shirt again. And, until his remarkable second coming for this winter’s tour of Sri Lanka, nor was Denly.Yuvraj Singh

During a pre-semi-final World T20 practice session in Dhaka this year, Yuvraj injured himself playing barefoot football, an activity that was apparently advised by the team trainer Sudarshan to break the monotony. However, when someone asked the Indian captain the reason for playing barefoot, captain Mahendra Dhoni said with a straight face: “Paise khatam ho gaye [We don’t have any money left]”.Rohit Sharma

Rohit’s Test debut was delayed by almost three and a half years after he twisted his ankle while playing football ahead of the first Test against South Africa in Nagpur in February 2010. Rohit insisted it was a great way to unwind during a hectic schedule, but some may think he would be better off indulging in his other love – fantasy football. Much safer playing from the sofa.Mark Ramprakash

Never a man to do anything without maximum intensity, “Bloodaxe” was crocked for months before the start of the 2011 domestic season. “I was playing in a game of football on Saturday,” he told the Surrey club website. “And, quite early in the game, I managed to get tangled up with another player.” How very diplomatically put, Mark. The result was serious cruciate ligament damage. Ramps said: “It is a very common football injury.” Mmm. But you are not a footballer.Marlon Samuels

Samuels could so easily have been destined for the Jamaican national football team. “I was going to Kingston College and playing football, but I injured my left knee really bad. The doctor told me no more football. So I went across the street to Melbourne Cricket Club and started playing cricket.” Marlon certainly has the soccer temperament, to judge by his regular on-field run-ins with opponents – Shane Warne and Ben Stokes among them – and his shirt-off celebrations in the wake of the 2016 World T20 win in Kolkata.Ellyse Perry

The glamour girl of cricket, Perry plays for Australia six months of the year and also has a contract with Sydney FC. This has caused some level of jealousy with the women in the poorly paid Australian leagues, given her celebrity endorsements. After suffering a scything tackle in a game against Melbourne Victory, the opposition were reported to have “sledged” her, saying she was too soft for football.Ellyse Perry juggles a professional football career with a cricket one•Getty ImagesMichael Vaughan

The former England captain has probably the dodgiest set of knees in sport, crippled by his inability to stand up without falling down. He suffered a twist warming up for the fourth day of Yorkshire’s game with Worcestershire at Headingley in 2009. Soon after, he quit the game entirely. However, he did score during a charity football match between the British and Australian cricket media in December 2014, virtually the only victory of that disastrous Ashes tour. We’ll gloss over the missed penalty…Shaminda Eranga

Sri Lanka were losing Test matches and players at an alarming rate when Eranga decided to add to the growing list of casualties on the eve of the Sydney Test in January 2013. Already shorn of fast bowlers Nuwan Kulasekera and Chanaka Welegedara, Eranga couldn’t contain his inner footballer and did his ankle. Replacements were flown in off the sub’s bench, but the tour from hell continued at pace.Kieron Pollard

Big-hitting Pollard was ruled out of the West Indies squad for the ICC World T20 in Bangladesh in 2014 after injuring his knee in a ”charity” football game. He was suitably reticent. “Football has cost me six months, a major career-threatening injury, so some things you just have to put on the back-burner, and you learn from that. At the end of the day, I still watch football. I’m a Manchester United fan, so that will be enough.” Hopefully watching the Red Devils that season did not put back the rehabilitation.Ishant Sharma

Ishant suffered a purple bruiser underneath his left eye during a football practice session before the third Test match against West Indies at Windsor Park in 2011. Praveen Kumar jumped in the air to challenge for the ball, only to catch Ishant’s cheekbone instead. It was surely unintentional, although the fiery Praveen has previous. In 2013, the medium pacer head-butted batsman Ajitesh Argal in a Corporate Trophy match between ONGC and Income Tax. Zinedine Zidane would have been proud.This article was first published in July 2014

Stats highlights from the third day of the first Test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Christchurch

Bishen Jeswant28-Dec-2014Most runs in a calendar year |Create infographics152 Dimuth Karunaratne’s score, the highest by a Sri Lankan batsman when following on. It’s the fifth best by a Sri Lankan opener in Tests outside Asia and Zimbabwe, and the highest in the second innings in these matches.7 The number of Sri Lankan batsmen who have scored hundreds when the team has followed on. Two of the previous six helped draw the game: Sanjeeva Ranatunga’s 100 not out saved the Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 1994, while Mahela Jayawardene’s 119 saved the Test against England at Lord’s in 2006. The only other opener among these seven is Russel Arnold, against England at Old Trafford in 2002.3 The number of Sri Lankan openers with hundreds in New Zealand. The two others are Marvan Atapattu in Napier in 2005, and Asanka Gurusinha in Dunedin in 1995. Both were dismissed for 127.85 Karunaratne’s previous highest Test score, against Australia in Sydney last year.125 Overs that Sri Lanka have played in their second innings, which is already their second best in the 19 matches when they have followed on. Their highest is 199 overs, against England at Lord’s in 2006.2813* Runs scored by Kumar Sangakkara across formats in 2014 (only matches that started in 2014), the second most in a year after the 2833 that Ricky Ponting scored in 2005. Sangakkara needed 28 runs in this Test to go past Ponting’s record, but managed only 1 and 6 in his two innings. Sangakkara has been dismissed in both innings of a Test for 28 runs or fewer only 10 times in his 129 Test career.28 Runs scored by Sangakkara in his last five Test innings against New Zealand. His scores read 5, 0, 16, 6 and 1. In his last five innings against other teams, Sangakkara has scored 395 runs, with scores of 72, 221, 21, 22 and 59.4 Number of Sri Lankan batsman who have followed up a first-innings duck with a second-innings hundred. Apart from Karunaratne, who achieved this in the current Test, Mahela Jayawardene, Aravinda de Silva and Sangakkara are the other Sri Lankans to do this. In all, ten Sri Lankans have scored a century and a duck in the same Test.4 The number of New Zealand bowlers who have taken 30-plus Test wickets in successive calendar years. Trent Boult has done this in 2013 and 2014. The other New Zealand bowlers to achieve this are Iain O’Brien, Richard Hadlee and Chris Martin.

Also, most runs in boundaries in a Test innings, and ODI debuts in the World Cup

Steven Lynch09-Dec-2014There were 396 runs in boundaries in New Zealand’s total in Sharjah. Is that a record for a Test innings? asked Steve Rafferty from Hong Kong
New Zealand’s 690 against Pakistan in Sharjah recently included 66 fours and a record 22 sixes, a total of 396 in boundaries. It turns out that there have been four higher boundary-counts in all Tests: India hit 101 fours and a six (410 runs) in their 705 for 7 dec against Australia in Sydney in 2003-04; Pakistan’s 643 against New Zealand in Lahore in 2002 included 422 in boundaries; and Australia’s 735 for 6 dec against Zimbabwe in Perth in 2003-04 featured 434 runs in fours and sixes. But the record was set by Sri Lanka, in the course of making the Test-record total of 952 for 6 dec against India in Colombo in 1997: their batsmen struck 109 fours and two sixes, or 448 in boundaries. For the full list, click here.Thisara Perera is approaching 1000 runs, after 87 one-day internationals, and has already reached 100 wickets. What is the record for the fastest double? asked Ali from the United States
After 87 matches (I’m writing after the third game of the current series against England), Thisara Perera was 51 runs short of completing this double – he’s already got 108 wickets. He’s not going to beat the overall record: Shaun Pollock completed the double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in his 68th one-day international, Abdul Razzaq of Pakistan did it in 69 matches, and Pollock’s South African team-mate Lance Klusener in 70. Six other players got there in fewer than 87 matches. However, Perera should comfortably set a new record for Sri Lanka: currently their fastest double was achieved by Farveez Maharoof, in his 99th match. Of the 56 players who have done this double so far, the slowest was Sourav Ganguly, who completed it in his 311th and last match, in November 2007.Brendon McCullum’s triple-century against India earlier this year came in his side’s second innings. Has anyone ever done this before in a Test? asked Michael Phillips from New Zealand
Brendon McCullum’s 302 against India in Wellington earlier this year was only the second Test triple-century in a side’s second innings. The first was scored by Hanif Mohammad, who made 337 to stave off defeat after Pakistan followed on 473 runs behind against West Indies in Bridgetown in 1957-58. Someone who came very close was Martin Crowe, with 299 – New Zealand’s previous-highest Test score – in the second innings against Sri Lanka in Wellington in 1990-91. There have been only 32 scores of 200 and above in Test second innings. Only five of those have come in the fourth innings, in which George Headley’s 223 for West Indies against England in Kingston in 1929-30 remains the highest.Taijul Islam took a hat trick on his one-day international debut recently. Has anyone ever done this before? asked Cherise Asha Clarke from Trinidad
Slow left-armer Taijul Islam, playing against Zimbabwe in Mirpur last week, took the 36th hat-trick in one-day internationals – the fourth for Bangladesh – but the first by anyone on debut. The Pakistan paceman Jalal-ud-Din’s hat-trick – the first in one-day internationals – against Australia in Hyderabad in 1982-83 came in only his second match. Australia’s Anthony Stuart took one in his third ODI – against Pakistan in Melbourne in 1996-97 – and rather surprisingly never played another one. Three bowlers – Maurice Allom (England), Peter Petherick (New Zealand) and Damien Fleming (Australia) – took hat-tricks on their Test debuts.Is Mohammad Hafeez the first player to be dismissed in the 190s twice in Tests? asked Ibrahim Kamara from Sierra Leone
There have been 72 scores between 190 and 199 in Tests now, eight of them not-outs. Mohammad Hafeez – who followed 196 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2012 with 197 against New Zealand in Sharjah recently – is the 13th to register two, after Mohammad Azharuddin, Ian Chappell, Rahul Dravid, Herschelle Gibbs, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar (one not out), Marcus Trescothick, Michael Vaughan, Everton Weekes, Frank Worrell (both not out) and Younis Khan. But there are three batsmen who have three to their names: Mohammad Yousuf was out for 192 against England, then 192 and 191 against West Indies, in the space of four Tests in 2006; and Kumar Sangakkara was out for 192 against Australia in Hobart in 2007-08, then made 199 not out and 192 in successive Tests against Pakistan at Galle and Colombo in 2012.Are there any players who have made their ODI debut in the World Cup? I can’t think of any from India, asked Anurag Manke from India
There have actually been 194 players whose first official one-day international has come during a World Cup. Most of those are either from early on, when there weren’t many ODIs going on elsewhere – there were 39 debutants in the first World Cup in 1975, and 27 in the second in 1979 – or come from Associate teams, which didn’t have a programme of matches outside the World Cup until quite recently. Things have settled down now: in 2007, the only debutant from anywhere was the West Indian Kieron Pollard, while in 2011 there were seven – Devendra Bishoo, Kirk Edwards and Andre Russell of West Indies, the Canadian pair of Tyson Gordon and Karl Whatham, Imran Tahir of South Africa, and Holland’s Berend Westdijk. Overall, six players from India have made their ODI debuts in the World Cup, but none since 1992: Mohinder Amarnath, Anshuman Gaekwad and Karsan Ghavri in 1975, Surinder Khanna in 1979, Navjot Singh Sidhu in 1987, and Ajay Jadeja in 1992.

West Indies have been a pretty ordinary ODI team recently, and the absence of some frontline players – especially bowlers – could hit them hard in the World Cup

Bishen Jeswant02-Feb-20159 West Indies’ frontline batsmen (Nos. 1 to 7) have been scoring a duck every nine innings, on average, since 2013. This is the most frequent rate of scoring ducks for batsmen from Test-playing nations. Bangladesh and Zimbabwe batsmen only score a duck every 11 innings, while Indian and Australian batsmen score one every 18 and 16 innings respectively.4 West Indies players from the current World Cup squad who have played more than 100 ODIs each: Marlon Samuels (167), Chris Gayle (263), Denesh Ramdin (120) and Darren Sammy (119). Six of the remaining players have played less than 50 ODIs each, with Jonathan Carter and Sheldon Cottrell having played only five and two respectively.52 Percentage of West Indies’ total wickets since 2013 taken by Dwayne Bravo (53), Sunil Narine (36), Ravi Rampaul (27), Tino Best (15) and Kieron Pollard (6). They have taken 137 of 266 wickets taken by West Indies in this period, but none of them are part of the squad for the upcoming World Cup.45 Marlon Samuels’ batting average in 25 ODIs since 2013, the highest for any West Indian batsman. He has also scored three centuries, the most. However, Darren Bravo has scored the most runs (1098), having played nine more ODIs than Samuels.

Most runs by West Indies batsmen in the current squad since 2013

PlayerMatRunsAveSR10050DM Bravo34109835.4173.4929MN Samuels2594645.0473.0533D Ramdin2669941.1197.0823LMP Simmons1963333.3176.0805DJG Sammy3263130.0497.37041 Number of frontline West Indian bowlers in the current squad who have 100-plus wickets; Jerome Taylor, with 106 wickets, is the only one. Chris Gayle has 158 wickets from 263 ODIs bowling his part-time offspin. Among available bowlers, their highest wicket-taker since 2013 is captain Jason Holder with 37 wickets.

Most wickets since 2013 by West Indies bowlers in the current squad

PlayerMatWktsAveEconSR4JO Holder263730.215.5532.62KAJ Roach202432.704.7841.01DJG Sammy321656.254.6672.30AD Russell131438.356.3136.40NO Miller61024.204.4832.4118.7 Chris Gayle’s batting average since 2013, the poorest for any frontline batsman (Nos. 1 to 7) who has played at least 20 innings in this period. Each of the other 60 batsmen who have played at least 20 innings in this period average more than 20.1 Number of times West Indies have made it to the semi-finals in the last seven editions of the World Cup. Every other top-eight nation, except England, has played in at least three semi-finals. England have played in two (1987 and 1992), winning both, but going on to lose both subsequent finals.16-16 West Indies’ win-loss record in the last five World Cups. Every other top-eight nation has won more matches than they have lost.8 West Indies’ bowlers concede a boundary every eight balls, when bowling in the last ten overs of an ODI innings (since 2013). This is the lowest frequency at which bowlers from any Test-nation concedes boundaries at this stage of an ODI. England, Bangladesh and New Zealand concede boundaries most frequently.28.6 Average opening stand for West Indies since 2013, the second worst for any Test team after New Zealand (21.2). They have eight 50-plus stands in this period, with only New Zealand (5) and Zimbabwe (4) having fewer.