Despite scoring three centuries in his first five Ranji Trophy matches, Rajat Patidar feels his first season for Madhya Pradesh has been an average one

Arun Venugopal05-Feb-2016Maiden first-class season, ten innings, three hundreds and one fifty. Rajat Patidar, the Madhya Pradesh No.3, still maintains it is an “average” start to his career. The sequence of his scores reads: 60, 101, 113, 40, 20, 5, 26, 9, 17 and 137. What irks him is the “flop” show in three or four innings – the unconverted starts and the single-digit scores.”I was expecting to score more,” Patidar says. “My thinking is when you get an opportunity you should not let go of it. [this hasn’t been a great season; it’s been ok. It could have been better]. Despite having scored a century that has effectively put Bengal out of the quarter-final, he was disappointed at not having made an even bigger score.Whatever his self-deprecatory tone may suggest there can be no denying his impact on Madhya Pradesh’s performances. On debut against Baroda in Vadodara, Patidar found himself at the crease in the first over after Aditya Shrivastava lasted only five balls. MP were soon down to 4 for 2, and Patidar, having replaced Udit Birla, knuckled down and eked out 60 off 154 balls to calm the team’s nerves.Having conceded a 27-run lead, MP had to make the play and set a target, and give their bowlers enough time to bowl out Baroda. This time a different Patidar turned up to hammer a 127-ball 101 and set Baroda a target of 262, which they fell short of by 87 runs. It was MP’s first outright win of the season, and they went on to another victory in their very next game against Railways, again due to Patidar.In the manner he puts a simplistic spin on his adaptability and the nonchalance in saying it – “I just practice in the nets” – he reminds you of Shikhar Dhawan from a few years ago. When you press him further, his answers suggest purposeful practice. “Whenever I practice I don’t let my mind drift. I give it 100%,” he says. “I try to create scenarios, and try not to think too much. I just play the ball.” Patidar is big on video analysis too, taking in information about his dismissals and trying to ensure he doesn’t get out in the same manner next time.Hailing from a fairly affluent family of businessmen who deal in manufacturing machines like pump sets, Patidar was encouraged by his grandfather and father to play competitive cricket. There was no indication of his batting prowess then, as he earned a call-up to the Under-15s Indore division side as a specialist offspinner. Despite Patidar having played as low as even No.11, his coach felt there was greater batting potential in him and promoted him higher up the order. With greater success, he continued to move up and evolved into a full-fledged batsman. Except for a few overs in the nets, he rarely bowls these days.Patidar’s learning received a further boost when he came in contact with former India batsman Amay Khurasiya at the MPCA Academy in Indore. “He has played a huge role in my life,” Patidar says. “He has been my main coach, and I have learnt a lot from him.”
When he goes back to talking about his “average” performances you get a better glimpse of how his mind works.”I set bigger targets than what is expected of me,” he says. “I have scored three centuries and a half-century but there has been a big gap between [innings]. My main aim is to be as consistent as I can be.” When asked if he expects to score a hundred every game, his reply is spontaneous: ” [yes, exactly].”Patidar says he has benefited from a “motivational” book he was recommended by his team-mates, but couldn’t remember the title when asked. However, there is nothing that has motivated him towards business or academics right from the outset.”I have always been interested only in cricket. I look up to Rahul Dravid, and a few of my team-mates like [Devendra Bundela] Bunde bhai, Naman [Ojha] bhai and Ishwar [Pandey] bhai for inspiration.”What is it though that contributes to his relaxed approach on the field? “Sleeping,” replies. “I like to chill out by sleeping. I don’t even like going out much.”

Stats highlights from the second day’s play of the first Test between Australia and New Zealand in Wellington, which was dominated by Adam Voges and Usman Khawaja

Bharath Seervi13-Feb-20160:34

Adam Voges’ record-breaking run

497 The previous record for most runs between two dismissals for a batsman in Tests, held by Sachin Tendulkar with scores of 241*, 60*, 194* and 2 in 2004. Adam Voges went past this record in Wellington: since he was last dismissed against New Zealand in Adelaide, he scored 269 not out against West Indies in Hobart, an unbeaten 106 in Melbourne, and 176 not out here. That’s a grand total of 551 runs – and counting – between dismissals.100.33 Voges’ batting average in Tests, at stumps on day two. His average is the highest among all batsmen who have played more than one Test innings.326 Australia’s highest first-innings lead in a Test in New Zealand, also in Wellington in 2005. Their current lead of 280 in this Test is their fourth-highest, but the three higher ones have all come when they have batted first and bowled New Zealand out cheaply. This is their highest in Tests while batting second in New Zealand. The last time Australia had a higher lead when batting second in an overseas Test was at Headingley in 2009, when they finished with a lead of 343.5 Centuries for Voges in Tests, the most by any player making his debut after 35. Dave Houghton had scored four centuries after his debut at the age of 35 years and 117 days. In his previous four centuries, Voges has been dismissed only once.2 Number of batsmen who have scored three consecutive centuries, with first two being unbeaten ones. Geoff Boycott scored 119*, 121* and 112 in 1971. Voges made 269* and 106* in his last two innings. If he remains unbeaten until the end of Australia’s innings, he will become the first batsman to score three consecutive unbeaten centuries.4 Centuries for Usman Khawaja in his last six innings. He scored 174, 9*, 121, 144 and 56 in five innings in 2015 at an average of 126 before adding 140 in this innings. He had scored 377 runs in his first 17 innings with only two half-centuries at an average of 25.13. In his last six innings, he has amassed 644 runs at 128.80.168 Partnership between Khawaja and Voges for the fourth-wicket – it is Australia’s second-highest stand for that wicket against New Zealand. Only the 184-run partnership between Justin Langer and Darren Lehmann at the Adelaide Oval in 2004 is higher.4 Instances of two Australia batsmen scoring 125 or more in a Test innings in New Zealand. The last such instance before the current match was in 2005 also in Wellington – Damien Martyn made 165 and Adam Gilchrist 162.2 Scores of 175 or more for Voges in Tests after the age of 35. Among Australia batsmen only Don Bradman has more (4), while Ricky Ponting also has two such scores after turning 35.

Mashrafe Mortaza doesn’t feel insulted that he was spurned till the very end of the Dhaka Premier League draft in April; instead, he is looking forward to playing for the unfancied Kalabagan Krira Chakra

Mohammad Isam17-Apr-2016Mashrafe Mortaza is “very excited” to be playing for Kalabagan Krira Chakra in this season’s Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League. He returned from a family holiday in Kashmir on Friday evening, and joined training the following day.He has done his recovery sessions in the gym as well as spent time in the nets. He doesn’t know many of his new teammates but he is already making an effort to get acquainted with them. As the Bangladesh limited overs’ captain, one of the most celebrated personalities in the country, and someone who has been playing at the highest level for more than 16 years, he really doesn’t have to be this way.But at the April 10 players’ draft, Mashrafe was spurned by almost all the Dhaka clubs before becoming the last among the guaranteed available players to be picked, eleventh out of the 13 cricketers in the icon and A+ categories. The next two players were Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman, who will be tied up with the IPL at least till the end of May.The late call wasn’t an insult to Mashrafe. At least he doesn’t see it that way. He knows it has happened before, as recently as the last BPL draft when Comilla Victorians picked him while maintaining that he wasn’t their first choice. In the end, Mashrafe dragged an often wobbly team to their maiden BPL title.”These things [not getting picked in a draft] always inspire me,” Mashrafe says. “I went unsold in the BPL’s first auction, if you can remember, and later Dhaka Gladiators picked me. In the last BPL, there was some talk when Comilla Victorians picked me. I wasn’t angry but I just wanted to prove myself on the field.”In last season’s Dhaka Premier League, Mashrafe took 18 wickets and scored 235 runs for Mohammedan, who ignored him for Mushfiqur Rahim in the players’ draft this time. It could rankle with Mashrafe to the point that he uses it as inspiration to do well for Kalabagan, but he is not one to talk about the disappointment directly.”This excitement comes from playing in a club other than Abahani and Mohammedan,” he says. “There is much enjoyment in overcoming a challenge, and this certainly is one for me.”Apart from playing couple of matches for City Club and a game for Indira Road Krira Chakra some years ago, I have always played for the big clubs like Abahani, Bangladesh Biman and Mohammedan Sporting Club.”Kalabagan is one of those unfashionable mid-table clubs that reside in every league across the world. They were decent in the late 1990s and were relegated to the Dhaka First Division League for a few years before recovering in the last decade. They narrowly escaped relegation last season. They usually don’t attract top players but since there was a draft this time, they could pick the likes of Mashrafe, Abdur Razzak and Mehrab Hossain jnr as well as promising young players like Shadman Islam and Tasamul Haque.Incidentally, Kalabagan had picked up Shakib after bagging the first pick in the 2013 players’ draft, but he played only one game for them. This time they are excited to have Mashrafe, his personality, vast experience and ability to bring a team together.”Mashrafe’s great role in bringing cohesion to teams is what we are looking forward to,” Kalabagan’s coach Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury says. “He will inspire the younger players. He is a team man so there is much to learn from him.”His presence in our club will also inspire other smaller clubs to believe that they can also have big names like Mashrafe. Plus, he will bring a lot of attention to our club.”Mashrafe says he is happy with Razzak and Mehrab in his team, and will work with the younger players to motivate them. “I am not going to say that we will become champions. Other teams will have two guys doing well to win a game but we will need four guys, for example. I have some senior guys like [Abdur Razzak] Raj, Mehrab [Hossain jnr] and Tanveer [Haider].The young players are also quite good. I will try to help them by telling them to dream of playing for Bangladesh in a few years. Shadman will be playing for the next 12-14 years. I want someone like him to be prepared to get into the national team in the next 3-4 years.”Mashrafe doesn’t set goals ahead of tournaments but he also doesn’t want to be labeled as a cricketer who takes advantage of his seniority. With his international career now nearing its end, he says he seeks one thing more than anything else, more than money or stature. It is one thing he has always given the game: respect.”What do you want after playing cricket for 16 years? It is respect more than the money. I was well respected in Abahani and Mohammedan, and I am getting the same in this team.”

Against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils chose to promote Pawan Negi ahead of Chris Morris and Carlos Brathwaite, a move that tied them down at a crucial stage of the innings

Arun Venugopal in Raipur23-May-2016Delhi Daredevils, asked to bat by Royal Challengers Bangalore in clash for a playoff spot in Raipur, were 80 for 3 after 11 overs. It wasn’t a bad platform, especially on a pitch with some inconsistent bounce, but the last three overs had produced only 18 runs. Quinton de Kock, batting on 45, had bedded in for the long haul and he had for company Sam Billings, who had thus far faced only five balls. The roles appeared clear – de Kock would ration his risks while Billings would try to ramp up the scoring. It was sound logic – Chris Morris, who had recovered from a niggle, and Carlos Brathwaite were lying in wait.

Quinton de Kock on…

Daredevils’ constant change in playing XI
We spoke about this at the beginning of the tournament as a team; a collective thought as a team that when it comes to it, we’re going to look at every game and play the XI that we thought that can take up an opposing team. With regards to their bowlers, to spinners because we had a lot of variety. We tried and mixed and matched to complement who we were playing against. I think it’s good that we mixed up. We’ve also learnt now combinations and stuff for the next season.
Daredevils’ takeaways from this season
Other people have now learnt that they can’t take us too lightly, especially as youngsters. We’ve put up a scrap always, as young guys, we’re not just here to keep throwing half-volleys to superstars. We’re here to compete. We’ve tried to make a name for ourselves for next year and years to come. Hopefully, we won’t be taken for granted in the future.

Yet, after Billings was undone by Chris Gayle’s one-handed diving screamer off Chris Jordan, Pawan Negi came out to bat, ahead of Morris and Brathwaite. Negi, the costliest player in the Daredevils side, came into the game with 51 runs from five innings at a strike-rate in the early 100s which would drop to 96.61 by the time his innings ended. He hadn’t batted or bowled in the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday, and before that had last played a game over a fortnight ago.With de Kock at the other end, the promotion flew in the face of the left-right combination that many teams have been so meticulously trying to achieve. The only plausible explanation for Negi’s elevation would be the presence of a legspinner and a left-arm spinner in Yuzvendra Chahal and Iqbal Abdulla. Negi’s first three balls off Jordan were dots, and the third delivery was an upper cut that was fluffed by S Aravind at third man. In retrospect, it was a dropped catch that unwittingly hurt Daredevils.Meanwhile, Virat Kohli countered the left-left gambit with a smart ploy of his own. He called upon Chris Gayle to bowl his offbreaks from one end, and had Aravind bowling a good mix of short balls, yorkers and slower deliveries from the other. While Negi was struggling to strike the ball with any force, Daredevils had to drastically scale down their projections from a possible 170-plus score to 140.Gayle’s first over to Negi was all about him following the batsman, who was backing away almost every delivery, with flat and fast darts. Gayle began the 15th over with a similar plan, and Negi, stifled to a point of no return, jumped out and swatted a catch to long-off. Carlos Brathwaite came in next and squirted his second ball to backward point. Gayle was doing a clumsy little tap dance, Royal Challengers might have metaphorically been doing the same too.Only 15 came in the 3.2 overs Negi was there at the crease, and he played out 12 balls with only 6 runs to show for. After Brathwaite’s dismissal, things went further downhill. De Kock perished for 60 in the 17th over even as replays indicated Chahal may have overstepped. Morris had to not just firefight but also pick up the scoring rate and despite his unbeaten 27 off 18 balls, Daredevils managed only 63 runs in their last 10 overs for a below-par total of 138.While there was help from the pitch, Royal Challengers did well with clever bowling changes – Kohli alternated between pace and spin between overs 11 and 20 – and smart field placements. Even in the early part of the innings, Royal Challengers sealed off de Kock’s strong zone – the area behind square on the off side – with fielders at short third man, a backward point and a gully.De Kock acknowledged Royal Challengers’ smarts and conceded the spinners had muzzled them into submission. “I think they put a lot of pressure on us; their spinners there in the middle,” he said. “There were some good bowling changes. It was hard to build partnerships. From there, we were losing wickets at the wrong time.”We lost wickets at the wrong time. We also had a couple of soft dismissals. I lost my wicket at the wrong time. We were under the pump. It could’ve gone either way though. If we had got 20 more runs, could’ve got 160, but we lost key wickets at the wrong time. They had good game plans in the death and it was hard to finish off. We didn’t have enough batsmen for that. Unfortunately, we lost wickets at the wrong time.”Chahal, who took 3 for 32, said he was looking to force the batsmen to hit down the ground with the long boundaries. “The ground is big and the wicket was a bit two-paced so we planned that when me and Iqqi [Iqbal Abdulla] were bowling we shouldn’t be giving the batsmen any room,” he said. “From the other end too, Chris [Gayle] came on to bowl and picked up those wickets in two overs. Run-scoring became hard for them because every time they tried to score they lost wickets. Otherwise, I think 150-160 was a good score on this pitch.”

Stats highlights from the second Test in Galle where hosts Sri Lanka wrapped up their first series win against Australia in 17 years

Shiva Jayaraman06-Aug-20168 Number of consecutive losses for Australia in Tests in Asia – the second-longest losing sequence for an overseas team in Asia after West Indies’ ten consecutive losses from 1997 to 2002. Australia’s last win in Asia came at the same venue, in 2011. Their current sequence of ten Tests without a win in Asia since then is their second longest. They had gone 12 Tests without a win in the subcontinent between 1979 and 1982.1999 Only time before this Sri Lanka had won a Test series against Australia, which was also at home. The hosts had beaten Australia 1-0 in a three-Test series on that occasion. This is the first time Sri Lanka have won the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy since its inception in 2007-08.3 Number of consecutive series losses for Australia in Asia. Before this, they had lost 0-2 to Pakistan in the UAE in 2014-15 and 0-4 to India in 2012-13. This loss against Sri Lanka is their fifth in the last six series in Asia.2 Number of times Australia have lost a Test in Asia by a bigger margin in terms of runs than their 229-run loss in this match. Pakistan had beaten them by 356 runs in Abu Dhabi in 2014-15, which is their biggest such loss. Their 320-run defeat in the Mohali Test in 2008-09 stands second in this list.501 Total legal deliveries faced by Australia’s batsmen in this Test – the fifth lowest they have faced in a losing cause in Tests since 1900. The last time they faced fewer deliveries in a loss was in Port of Spain in 1994-95 when they faced 499 balls.1988 Last time Australia scored fewer runs than this in a losing cause in Tests in Asia. They had lost the Karachi Test in 1988-89 after having scored just 281 runs. The only other such instance had also come in Karachi, in 1956, when they had made 267 runs. The last they scored fewer runs in a loss against any side was in Port of Spain in 1995 when they managed just 233 runs from their two innings.11 Number of Tests Dilruwan Perera has taken to complete 50 Test wickets. Nathan Lyon’s wicket in Australia’s second innings was Perera’s 50th of his Test career. Ajantha Mendis was the quickest Sri Lanka bowler to 50 Test wickets before Perera, having taken 12 Tests. Perera has taken 55 wickets at 26.78.0 Number of previous instances of a Sri Lanka player taking a ten-wicket haul for the match and scoring at least one fifty-plus score in a Test. Perera’s is only the fifth instance of a player from the subcontinent to achieve this. Shakib Al Hasan, Abdul Qadir, Imran Khan and Kapil Dev are the others to have done it.ESPNcricinfo Ltd84 Wickets taken by Rangana Herath in Galle – the highest any bowler other than Muralitharan has taken at a venue in Tests. Herath went past Heath Streak’s tally of 83 wickets at the Harare Sports Club with the wicket of Mitchell Starc in Australia’s second innings. Muralitharan occupies the top three spots in this list: he took 166 wickets at the SSC, Colombo, 117 wickets in Kandy and 111 in Galle.1 Number of time a Sri Lanka bowler has taken a better haul in Tests against Australia than Perera’s 10 for 99 in this match. Muralitharan had taken 11 for 212 at the same venue in 2004. Upul Chandana’s 10 for 210 in Cairns in 2004 is the only other instance of a Sri Lanka bowler taking a ten-for in Tests against Australia.1997 Last time a bowler took ten or more wickets in a Test against Australia at a better rate than Perera’s average of 9.9. Phil Tufnell had taken 11 wickets at 8.45 runs apiece at the Oval.1997 Last time when Australia’s batsmen didn’t manage a single score of 50 or more when all their batsmen have batted twice in a Test. Australia had managed a highest of 47 from Greg Blewett on that occasion. David Warner’s 42 in the first innings was Australia’s highest individual score in this match. This is the first such instance for them in Tests in Asia.

Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar analyses the various aspects of the first day’s play in Antigua

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jul-2016‘Gutsy Dhawan provided platform’Sanjay Manjrekar says the India batsmen negotiated the new ball and testing conditions well to come out top on the first day of the four-Test series in the Caribbean0:51

‘Gutsy Dhawan provided platform’

‘Kohli reminds me of Tendulkar’The ease with with Virat Kohli scored runs was the most striking aspect on his innings, similar to Sachin Tendulkar in his early days1:03

‘Kohli reminds me of Tendulkar’

‘WI attack one of the weakest you’ll see’West Indies used too many defensive tactics, beginning with their selection of Carlos Brathwaite and Jason Holder as frontline bowlers2:07

‘WI attack one of the weakest you’ll see’

‘Can’t disregard India’s lower-order batting’R Ashwin and Amit Mishra have shown their batting pedigree on numerous occasions, so India can look to make most of a strong first-day performance0:56

‘Can’t disregard India’s lower-order batting’

The former England No. 3’s autobiography is a compelling, raw account of a modern sportsman’s life

Jon Hotten09-Oct-2016Jonathan Trott’s book begins in a toilet. Not for him the glamorous surroundings of sun-streaked cricket grounds or open-top buses, instead the symbolic confinement of the smallest room. is about how he got there, and how he found his way out. His first page, set after his penultimate Test innings, a three-ball nought in Barbados, is unsparing. As he stares in the bathroom mirror he notes his lined face and chipped teeth: “My hair had gone, and somewhere along the way, the fun had too. Batting had become torture.”As with , published by Kevin Pietersen on his exit from international cricket, Trott’s account is a state-of-mind book. The exhaustion and frustration are fresh on the page. While this adds a certain urgency, I think it’s a book that Trott will look back on as a snapshot rather than a truly reflective and rounded vision of who he was and what he accomplished.It is far better than Pietersen’s book, which circled around the same subjects like a tongue on a rough tooth, to the point that it became unreadable, but that circularity of thinking is here. Trott’s preoccupations are with how he’s perceived, whether that is by his fellow players, by commentators and pundits or by the wider world. Perhaps George Dobell, his excellent collaborator, sensed as much. The decision to include some fairly long contributions gathered from Kevin Pietersen, Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower serve the dual purpose of mitigating Trott’s insularity and providing the reassurance that he is not just respected by his peers but held in great affection as a person too. He is a friend to everyone on that divided list.This is a book with the adroit structure of memoir, told in the voice of autobiography. The chapters are thematic, each set in a particular place and time, so we zig-zag from Barbados to Brisbane, touching down in the Cape Town of his childhood and The Oval of his triumphant first Test.

There comes a moment when the physical skills dip and decline and the emotional energy required to withstand the challenge changes and deepens, and you no longer feel young and indomitable; anxiety seeps like water through a ceiling

Dobell deftly sketches the cricket-obsessed kid with some warm vignettes; the young Trott and his father playing on adjacent pitches, leaning on their bats and smiling at one another; his driven mother laying into his bowling at a school parents v pupils match; the sports shop he grew up in, which left him unable to bear an untidy grip on a bat handle – as a Test player he goes through his team-mates’ bags and adjusts them while they’re not looking. It darkens as Trott is sent to a sports psychologist when he reacts violently to his first run of bad scores, and by the time of his Test debut, capped by an Ashes century, he is entirely defining himself by the game he plays: “It was everything I had ever wanted, and everything I dreamed it would be.”England, with Trott as their rock-solid, iron-hard No. 3, climb the mountain to world No. 1. It’s a high that lasts until the final of the Champions Trophy in 2013, when the disappointment of that game induces his precipitous fall.Fear is an unexamined, sometimes unacknowledged, subject in cricket and other sports, maybe because to do so implies a lack of courage. That is daft, not least because courage doesn’t really exist without fear. But its manifestation in cricket drives at the heart of Trott’s book. The professional batsman trains incessantly to resist and repel very fast, short-pitched bowling. They are not afraid of the ball in the same way that a boxer is not afraid of being punched. But like a boxer, damage accumulates, through a fight, through a career, through all of the unseen hours of sparring and training. There comes a moment when the physical skills dip and decline and the emotional energy required to withstand the challenge changes and deepens, and they no longer feel young and indomitable; instead anxiety seeps like water through a ceiling.In Trott and in many batsmen it begins as a kind of impugning of their masculinity. “I felt I was being questioned as a man,” he writes. “I felt my dignity was being stripped away with every short ball I ducked or parried. It was degrading.”SphereTrott is confronted by a truly fearsome opponent exactly as he arrives at this moment in his life. Mitchell Johnson hits him on the head with a bouncer during the ODI in Edgbaston in 2013 and the trickle of anxiety becomes a flood. He breaks down on the field before the next game in Southampton and Ashley Giles has to pull him out with a “back spasm”, an excuse that reinforces Trott’s perception that his anxiety is somehow shameful or weak. By the time the contest is transplanted to Brisbane, he is a sitting duck, his technique wrecked by an early movement across the stumps, his concentration disrupted by a headache, the anxiety manifesting now as a desire to crash his opponent out of the attack: “normal circumstances have left town… I want to hit it. I want to smash it. I want to prove I can play this stuff.”Johnson is the wrecking ball not just for Trott but for the storied team that is falling apart around him: Graeme Swann’s elbow has gone, Matt Prior is struggling, Kevin Pietersen too; and their coach, Andy Flower, is responding in the only way he knows, by pushing everyone harder. Trott’s account of the disintegration is urgent and moving, his voice and Pietersen’s harmonising on what went wrong (a minor theme of is how clear and true Pietersen’s vision of England was – and it is expressed far better and more concisely here than in Pietersen’s own book).Trott’s insecurities are deep in the bones of . At the times of his greatest anxieties you want to stop reading, put an arm around him and tell him it’s all going to be okay. As well as the journey in and out of a toilet, he begins a less steady one from a life and a personality defined by being a cricketer to the more rounded years beyond. I hope that he knows he takes many admirers with him, and this raw, sometimes visceral account of a modern sportsman’s life will surely bring him more.Unguarded: My Autobiography
By Jonathan Trott
Sphere, 2016
288 pages, £20

Plays from the fifth and final ODI between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town

Firdose Moonda12-Oct-2016Beating the masterIt’s not easy to confuse Hashim Amla, but Joe Mennie, playing in his just his second ODI, did just that. Mennie’s fourth ball pitched on middle and off. Amla, expecting it to come back in, looked to flick, but the ball straightened to beat the edge and clatter into the stumps. After a horror debut in which he conceded 82 without picking a wicket, Mennie would have felt a lot better about himself.Three figures… finallyRilee Rossouw didn’t hide his unhappiness about not kicking on to get a hundred the previous two times he went past fifty in the series. So when he pulled one deep square leg and completed the single that took him there, Rossouw let him off steam. He punched the air several times, leapt up and beamed through his helmet before removing it to warm applause from the Newlands crowd.Not Dale Steyn’s nightAfter going for 17 runs in his first three overs, Steyn had the opportunity to make an impact on the field, but shelled it. Steyn was at third man when Aaron Finch, on 17, got a thick top edge off Kyle Abbott. Steyn ran in and angled himself sideways, imaging the breeze would blow the ball that way. He got to it but the ball bounced out as he fell. Steyn offered Abbott an immediate apology even as he scolded himself for misjudging it.Or Kagiso Rabada’s As if it wasn’t enough that Rabada had one chance put down, when Quinton de Kock reprieved David Warner on 11, another chance was put down off his bowling. Mitchell Marsh pulled to a short ball to deep square leg where Kyle Abbott was stationed a little inside. Had Abbott been a touch further back, he would have gobbled up the chance. Instead, he palmed over to add to Rabada’s frustration.But it was Imran Tahir’s In what will be his last appearance for South Africa this year – they only have Tests to come and Imran Tahir is not part of that set up – Tahir made sure to have his say when it mattered most. Australia were on track on 72 without loss after 13 overs when Tahir was introduced and he immediately confused Finch, first with a flatter delivery, then the legbreak, then the googly and then the flipper. Finch went back to cut but was undone by pace as the middle stump was disturbed. Tahir set off to celebrate in front of the President’s Suite, with his team in tow. Two balls later, he deceived the Australian captain, Steve Smith, with a straight ball. Smith went back to drive, missed and was bowled. Tahir ran towards the oaks and the grandstand to give fans on that side of the ground an opportunity to share in his joy. As always, the team was in tow.Body language & banter Faf du Plessis had asked his team to use their body language to boss the opposition. Tahir tried. In the 38th over, after du Plessis agreed to review an lbw shout off Warner which replays showed had pitched outside leg, Warner and Tahir exchanged words. They continued their conversation even as the over ended. Tahir became more animated, while Warner only smiled. Tahir continued from his fielding position at short fine leg and had to be told to stop by his captain and then the umpires but in his next over, Tahir carried on. The umpires intervened and eventually Hashim Amla arrived to diffuse the situation. Tahir still had another over to bowl, which took place without incident. At the end of it, Warner put an arm around Tahir’s shoulder in what seemed a peace offering. Tahir responded and all ended well.

Peter Della Penna25-Aug-2016At this spring’s ICC Combines scattered across eight cities in the USA, close to 500 men in the junior and senior age groups took the field hoping to be noticed for a chance at inclusion in USA’s Under-17 and senior men’s squads. Such was the demand for competition that several hundred other male applications were rejected.Officials had been looking to encounter similarly enthusiastic participation from women, particularly since there had been few opportunities for them in the USA since 2011, the last time the USA Cricket Association held a national women’s tournament. Instead, there were approximately 45 women nationwide who signed up. About half came to the New York trials, while 16 came to San Francisco, leaving single-digit participation – or none at all – for the other sites.”We’re still learning how many women play the game across the US,” Tom Evans, the ICC Americas high performance consultant who coordinated the ICC Combines nationwide, said. “They’re a really passionate group, some of those girls, which is great, but it’s not a huge number at the moment from what we understand. There might be more out there that didn’t come to the combines and hopefully we can work them into some sort of talent ID process down the track.”Based on the numbers of that last USACA tournament in 2011, there were about 100 women playing across the country at that time. That has stagnated, or even gone backwards, despite initiatives such as the New York PSAL high school cricket competition, which welcomed girls to play as part of co-ed teams.”At junior level we’d love to see more girls take up the game and build up the depth of that talent pool,” Evans said. “But for the moment we’ll work with the girls that we’ve got and there’s some really talented and passionate girls in that group and I think with some good coaching and development work, that group could have some success.”Five years ago, the USA Women team was having its share of success and appeared to be on the rise. After taking two years to find its footing upon the women’s programme initiation in 2008, they defeated Canada in a best of three series in Canada during the 2010 summer to be the region’s representative at the following year’s World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh, something that would ideally lay the foundation to spur greater awareness and participation numbers.The following summer, a private donor wrote a six-figure check exclusively earmarked for USA Women’s preparation for Bangladesh. The men’s team had never received such generosity in all its years competing in ICC events and such financial backing, if done on a consistent basis, could open up all sorts of opportunities for women.However, that seed funding money had served mainly to sow discontent as petty squabbling between players and administrators broke out. The Bangladesh tour stipend offer to women players from the USACA was less than typically given to men players on tour. The USACA claimed that the lower stipend was tied to their destination, with the cost of expenses being lower in Bangladesh than a men’s tour of Dubai. The women’s stance was that it was discrimination.Separately, the women were also unhappy that coach Linden Fraser, who also led the dominant Tri-State Lynx club team from which most of the USA Women’s squad competed for locally, had been replaced as USA Women’s coach by Robin Singh shortly before the final 14 to tour Bangladesh was expected to be picked. A standoff ensued: give us our money – and our coach – or we won’t go.The USACA called their bluff, despite a stern warning from the ICC to come to an amicable resolution with the players. The end result was that eight Tri-State Lynx players, all in their 20s, stayed home, and were replaced by women in their 30s, 40s, and even 50s. Outside of a shock one-run win over Zimbabwe, USA Women were trampled in their other five matches.Former West Indies Women captain Stephanie Power talks to the players at the New York ICC Combine in June 2016•Peter Della PennaThe repercussions continue to this day. After the 2013 Women’s World T20 Qualifier, when Canada represented the Americas and finished tied for last in the eight-team event, the berth designated for the Americas region for the World T20 and World Cup qualifiers was withdrawn by the ICC. Despite announcements that it would stage women’s tournaments, the USACA never produced one after 2011. Only a dedicated but small group of players in pockets around the country have kept the dim flame of women’s cricket from being extinguished altogether, organising tournaments on holiday weekends in places like Atlanta, Georgia.A hastily organised pair of matches last November by USACA against a touring Pakistan women’s team were the first signs of life at the national level since 2012. However, the T20s were lopsided with Pakistan Women chasing a target of 57 in five overs followed by a 142-run win on Duckworth-Lewis. Mahika Kandanala, who was part of that USA squad but did not make the starting XI, says the experience highlighted how much work needs to be done to get USA competitive.”I learned that the international standard is very, very high,” Kandanala said. The 14-year-old, who plays in a boys’ academy squad in suburban Dallas, travelled to the New York ICC Combine to compete with about 20 other women. “In order to get to that level, you have to work a lot. You have to practice almost every day and you have to be willing to try new things and see what works best for you.”Kandanala is waiting to take up the baton currently being carried by players like Erica Rendler, who was USA’s second-highest scorer at the 2011 Women’s World Cup Qualifier. At 31, it was only Rendler’s second tournament for USA after the former NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) athlete had picked up the sport on a family trip to Australia two years earlier. Her future seemed bright, but last year’s games against Pakistan and this spring’s ICC Combine leading to the MCC tour next month are the first chances she’s getting at serious competition after losing her prime years to administrative indifference.”I was hoping to see a little more women participants out here,” Rendler said of the New York Combine. She had flown out from California to participate in the New York Combine after being unable to attend the one in San Francisco due to work commitments. “I think we had a group averaging about 20 and that’s the key takeaway, encouraging others to get involved and everybody bringing a cricketer out so that we can increase the talent pool and continue to build up the national programme.”Though she was one of the older players to show up at the combine at age 35, Rendler still comfortably had the best fitness of any of the women on the field and even beat former USA men’s captain Steve Massiah in a timed 2K run. However, most of the other female players were charted well below the targeted guidelines, highlighting the need for elevated standards and a more competitive player pool to pick from.The conundrum about participation numbers, though, continues to be a chicken versus egg scenario. Does there need to be greater investment to spur interest in terms of playing numbers, or will funding and fixtures increase only after the player pool rises? One way or another, players like Kandanala hope the commitment is there for women’s trials and competitive opportunities on a regular basis.”It was a good experience,” Kandanala said. “If we do this every six months, it’ll see this is how much I’ve done, this is how much I need to do.”

09-Oct-2016One of them, from Matt Henry, hit him on the side of the helmet•BCCIRahane couldn’t be budged from the crease though. He raised his eighth Test hundred•BCCIVirat Kohli, having been 103 overnight, kept going too. The pair’s partnership grew to 258 by lunch•AFPCounting the final session on day one, New Zealand went through three sessions without a wicket•BCCIRahane got past 150 and his 365-run partnership with Kohli became the record for the fourth wicket for India•BCCIKohli, also, became the first Indian captain to hit two Test double-centuries.•BCCIRahane missed out on a double-century of his own. He was caught behind, chasing a wide delivery from Trent Boult•BCCIRohit Sharma raced to an unbeaten 51 that lifted the total to 557 for 5, before Kohli called for the declaration•BCCILate in the day, Ravindra Jadeja was pulled up by the umpires for repeatedly running on the danger area, which meant New Zealand were awarded five penalty runs even before they began batting•BCCIMartin Guptill and Tom Latham saw off the nine overs to stumps as New Zealand finished on 28 for 0, trailing by 529•BCCI