All posts by h716a5.icu

The veteran spinner’s dream spell against Australia in 2003 symbolised a brief golden period for Kenya, but since his retirement, the country’s cricket has nose-dived

Tim Wigmore30-Sep-2014Before the 1990 football World Cup, Roger Milla was playing out his career in Réunion when he received a phone call from Cameroon’s president urging him to come out of international retirement. At 38, he scored four goals in Cameroon’s run to the World Cup quarter-final. Aasif Karim is the closest cricket has come to an equivalent.As Kenya prepared for the 2003 World Cup, the board implored the 39-year-old Karim to return. It was not just for his guileful left-arm spin but also for his unifying presence in the dressing room. “There was a lot of acrimony and problems to be sorted,” he says. It was a forebear of the strife to come for Kenyan cricket.Karim had already enjoyed an extraordinary life. A scion of the great Karim sporting dynasty in Kenya (a DVD celebrating them will be released in December), he had juggled a successful business career alongside playing cricket for Kenya – he remained strictly an amateur even as the leading Kenyan players turned professional after the 1996 World Cup. Karim even had time to play Davis Cup tennis for Kenya.He retired from cricket at 35, after having captained Kenya in the 1999 World Cup. Few would have thought that his most famous performance was yet to come.The comeback began ignominiously. Thirteen hundred and fifty-four days since his last ODI, Karim was selected for Kenya’s World Cup opener against South Africa. But his two overs were thrashed for 17 and he was unceremoniously dumped.Kenya’s progress to the Super Six stage gave Karim the chance to end his career on a more triumphant note. Recalled after a month, his nine overs against Zimbabwe went for only 20 runs. Three days later he faced Australia in Durban.A powerful case can be made that this Australia side was the finest in ODI history. They would win all their 11 games in the 2003 World Cup. But for 50 glorious deliveries, Karim reduced them to a quivering wreck. After restricting Kenya to 174 for 8, Australia were hurtling towards their target with the force of a runaway train. They had reached 109 for 2 off 15 overs when Karim was handed the ball. Ricky Ponting was on strike. It did not strike many as being a fair contest.

“We’ve had an incompetent administration for the last ten years. The results are clear. Where is the cricket now?”

Karim thought rather differently. “With my second ball I saw that there was turn on the wicket and that he was a little bit shaky.” A classic left-arm spinner’s delivery gripped and bounced, and kissed the edge of Ponting’s bat. A sharp chance was put down by slip, diving to his left, but Karim was not to be deterred. “I kept putting the pressure on him and every ball he was struggling.” With his fifth delivery, Karim bowled a faster arm ball that went straight on. It thudded into Ponting’s back leg before he had time to get his bat down.So began one of the most enchanting bowling spells. A man in his 40th year, a long time retired from his part-time cricketing career, bewitching Australia.It was Barry Richards, commentating live, who provided a sense of Karim’s majesty that day. After Karim had fizzed a ball sharply in to the left-hander Darren Lehmann in his second over, Richards pre-empted what was about to happen next. “He’s got a slip in place for the one that goes on with the arm. You bowl one that really turns a lot and surprises the batsman. The next one goes on with the arm, he looks for the turn and nicks it to slip.”But Lehmann didn’t nick Karim’s next ball to slip: he edged it behind instead, deceived by a delivery straight across him from over the wicket.Three balls later, Karim bowled a slower ball. Brad Hogg was too early on his shot, and a leading edge back to Karim was snared with agility. Suddenly his figures read 2-2-0-3. No more wickets followed, but he continued to vary his flight, pace and turn with mastery. This was an Australian side for whom relentlessly attacking cricket was the first and last resort. But they were forced to make an exception for Karim: after eight overs, he had only conceded two runs.Kenya were still defeated, by five wickets, but Karim’s performance was established as one of the most remarkable in the history of the World Cup. “It was unbelievable,” he said. “After the game I must have done at least 50 interviews from CNN to Sky to all the Indian channels. I think any cricketer would dream of my performance against Australia. It came from nowhere. That is something that I treasure every day, including today. Whenever it comes up there is a smile.” Few better examples of the guile and skill of orthodox spin can exist.The World Cup semi-final was billed as Karim v India. Sourav Ganguly’s brilliance against left-arm spin meant that Karim was restricted to four overs, which went for 25. After Kenya’s defeat, Karim retired for good. He left international cricket with his team-mates believing that their opportunity to play Test cricket was imminent.Karim says that he would have relished the chance. But he was never convinced that Kenya were ready for Test status, owing to the board’s penchant for prioritising short-term success over the long-term establishment of cricketing infrastructure in the country.When Kenya reached the World Cup semi-final in 2003, they had proved themselves worthy opponents for Test sides over seven years. After beating West Indies in the 1996 World Cup, Kenya became a regular presence in triangular and quadrangular ODI tournaments around the world, twice beating India. And they beat Bangladesh in six of the first seven ODIs between the sides.Aasif Karim: “Whether it is the administration, the players or whoever it is, all stakeholders should never be forgiven for this missed opportunity [failing to qualify for the 2015 World Cup]”•ICC/Donald MacLeodBut Karim believes that, all the while, the foundations on which Kenyan cricket were built were collapsing. The development structure and domestic cricket “became weaker as we became stronger internationally”. As Kenya seemed on the cusp of Test status in the years after Bangladesh’s elevation in 2000, the board invested virtually all its funds into professionalising the national team and the national stadium in Nairobi. The capital hosted the ICC Knockout in 2000, and was awarded two games in the 2003 World Cup.Karim and his team-mates in the 2003 World Cup learned the game in the competitive Nairobi club scene in the 1980s. Test players including Sanjay Manjrekar, Kiran More and Sandeep Patil were all involved. But too little was done to bridge the gap between club and international games. “If you don’t have a good development structure, where are the Tikolos or the Odumbes or the other players to come from? You don’t find them on the street,” Karim says. “Unless you have a good structure it’s very difficult to produce quality cricketers on a regular basis.”The ICC and the Full Members could have done much more to nourish Kenyan cricket. After 2003, Test sides abandoned Kenya: from playing 18 ODIs against Full Members 18 months before that World Cup, Kenya played only 11 in the three years after. Karim apportions more blame to Kenya’s administrators. “Our own house was not in order,” he says. Riddled by corruption charges and infighting, the Kenyan Cricket Association was dissolved in 2006, replaced by Cricket Kenya.But administration was not Kenya’s only problem. “There was also greed among the players,” Karim says. “I always used to explain to them that don’t run after success, because when you are successful money follows you.” A year after Kenya’s appearance in the World Cup semi-final, their former captain Maurice Odumbe was found guilty of match-fixing. Coupled with the off-field turbulence, the Kenyan cricket moment had gone.Karim doesn’t envisage Kenya ever having a similar chance to join the international elite. They didn’t qualify for either this year’s World T20 or next year’s World Cup, and have even lost ODI status. “I am sure you can feel it in my voice, even now,” he says. “It is beyond sad and painful.”It is a great missed opportunity and they should never be forgiven for letting it pass. Whether it is the administration, the players or whoever it is, all stakeholders should never be forgiven for this missed opportunity.””Kenya cricket is dead,” Karim asserts. “It is dead and buried. Your intent can be good but if you’re not competent to do something, it doesn’t happen. We’ve had an incompetent administration for the last ten years. The results are clear. Where is the cricket now? My prediction is that from being an Associate team having ODI status we will become an Affiliate.”What can be done to reinvigorate Kenyan cricket? “The first thing I would do is say we are on ground zero,” he says. “Number two, I would call all the stakeholders, including the past administration – there were some competent past administrators who did a very good job – and bring the past cricketers in.”We would have a brainstorming session for a week or so to try and see how we could revive it. Then obviously the key would be to go into schools cricket, estate cricket, development cricket, and start again. If those things were done correctly and we had good, competitive cricket, we could bring back the crowd support. That would generate income because you could bring in the corporates. But minimum it would take ten years before any meaningful results could come.”During the wait, any young Kenyan cricketer seeking inspiration could do worse than recall Karim’s spell against Australia. He certainly intends them to: he personally uploaded his entire spell onto YouTube.

The Nepal board’s financial state and investigations against a few members has hampered its ability to extend Dassanayake’s contract, putting the administration “under turmoil”, though there is progress on certain fronts

Bishen Jeswant24-Jul-201410:39

‘Players should understand our problems’ – Tarini Bikram Shah

Tarini Bikram Shah, the acting president of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), has admitted that things within the board are “in a state of turmoil”. The financial state of the board and investigations against a few members has hampered its ability to extend Pubudu Dassanayake’s contract as coach of the national side, without a delay, Shah told ESPNcricinfo.After the World T20, CAN’s executive committee had said that Dassanayake would be given a year’s extension. After the tournament, however, the board came under investigation by the country’s Commission for Investigation into Abuse of Authority and could not endorse the executive committee’s decision. According to Shah, Dassanayake had asked for an increase in his salary from $5,000 to $12,000 per month. With the board unable to endorse the changes, due to the ongoing CIAA investigation, CAN extended his contract for three months, with enhanced perks and a bump in salary from $5,000 to $8,000 per month.The Dassanayake controversy took a new twist on July 22, when a press release announcing Nepal’s team for the 17th Asian Games was published, with Arun Aryal and not Dassanayake being named as coach. The Nepal government had itself granted Dassanayake a one-year extension at its own expense on July 1, with CAN not being informed officially about this appointment. CAN’s acting general secretary Uttam Karmacharya clarified that a significant reason for Dassanayake being passed over as coach could have been because certain ICC and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) funds are yet to be released. Aryal on the other hand, is already on the Nepal Government’s rolls, and CAN’s expenses in this regard would therefore be minimal. According to Karmacharya, “Dassanayake can join the team for the Asian Games in South Korea if the Nepal government is able to fly him down in time. However, he cannot be designated as the official coach, and may be part of the team in the capacity of a ‘senior coach’ or the like”.Nepal’s cricket captain, Paras Khadka, however remains unconvinced by the board’s claims. Khadka, who had threatened to quit soon after Dassanayake left Nepal said, “If we cannot hold on to a person who has brought us so much success, it means that we cannot hold onto anything that is good. Mr. Pubudu Dassanayake is the reason that we were able to make it to a World Cup and have T20 international status right now. Not only me but most of the team will agree that it was his vision and way of working that allowed us to reach a certain level. There are talks about issues around his payment and other such things, but I don’t think any of that was really a problem. People who are running cricket in this country have got to be more serious. Personal grudges cannot be allowed to impact a team.”Dassanayake left the country in early June with unresolved issues, with his extended contract expiring at the end of the month. Shah is unimpressed with the pressure being imposed by players like Khadka. He said: “Nobody needs to talk on behalf of Pubudu. He is capable of speaking for himself”. He further added: “Dassanayake was anyway due for a holiday back home in June. Everything is in turmoil right now, so once we are free from other commitments, especially those around the investigation, we will have a board meeting and decide on Dassanayake’s contract.”Tarini Bikram Shah, the acting president of CAN, will be hoping to repair some of the damage done to the image of the cricket association.•Travis Pittman/HKCA/Travis PittmanShah welcomed reports of the Nepalese government extending financial help to the board to bring Dassanayake back at the helm, but refused to commit to a time frame for the appointment. “He will definitely be considered a favourite due to his contributions in the past,” Shah said. “No one is in a position to guarantee anything until the investigation is completed and the court passes a verdict. We cannot commit a timeframe for the renewal of his contract because this depends on how the investigation progresses and what the court decides. We welcome the gesture from the government and need this kind of support, which was not forthcoming in the past. We hope this will encourage future commitments.”The Dassanayake tenure is only one part, to use Shah’s words, of CAN’s “turmoil.” CAN has fallen foul of ICC’s administration statute 2.1, which relates to having a full-time paid administrator on board. After being given a warning by the ICC at its Melbourne meeting, there appears to be progress on this front as the board has advertised for a chief executive and a finance manager. The board had received about 70 applications for the post of the finance manager and 30 for the position of CEO by June 20.”As requested by the ICC, these positions were advertised on their official website as well,” Shah said. Karmacharya said five candidates have been shortlisted for the post of chief executive and six for finance manager. “We will be checking in detail about their professional experience and qualification and carrying out an elaborate background check. Once their credentials are verified, members of the ICC and ACC have been requested to help CAN with the final selection. This will help avoid any future allegations of favouritism or bias”, said Shah.CAN has also had to deal with the general discontentment of its national team, which reached its peak when the players boycotted a national one-day championship over a dispute. Shah acknowledged there were delays in player payments, but said that CAN was always willing to honour its commitments to the players. He also said that when issues arose, players ought not to go the media.”Sometimes we are not economically sound,” Shah said. “There are times when the money that is supposed to come in, does not flow as it is expected to. We know the players’ problems, but they should also try to understand our problems. Whatever the issues, they can come and bang on our tables, but going to the media is not a healthy trend. I request the players to come and talk to us and not wash their dirty linen in public.”Shah, who attended the ACC meeting recently, said he was hopeful of support from the Asian body and the ICC, along with the BCCI. CAN had earlier asked BCCI for permission to use training facilities but the Indian board had still not taken a decision on the same. “We will remind the BCCI of their commitment made during the ACC meeting and I’m sure they will look at it very positively.”Shah also revealed that the new ICC chairman N Srinivasan had spoken strongly about promoting the cause of Asian Associate and Affiliate nations during the ACC meet, disclosing that out of the $90 million being disbursed by the ICC to Associate and Affiliate countries, $45 million would go to Asian nations.

Also, centuries at the Bradman Oval, batsmen with 125 Tests or more failing to pass 250, and Australia’s youngest captain

Steven Lynch25-Nov-2014Angelo Mathews hit ten sixes the other day against India. Was this a record for Sri Lanka? asked Richard Ayling from Switzerland
Angelo Mathews’ ten sixes in his unbeaten 139 against India in Ranchi earlier this month was actually one short of the Sri Lankan record. That was set by Sanath Jayasuriya, who belted 11 sixes in his 65-ball innings of 134 against Pakistan in Singapore in April 1996. There have now been 14 instances of a batsman hitting ten or more sixes in an ODI innings, headed by Rohit Sharma’s 16 in his 209 against Australia in Bangalore in November 2013. For the full list, click here.What was Don Bradman’s strike rate in Tests? And did he ever have a lean patch with the bat? asked Waqar Ahmed Afridi from Pakistan
Don Bradman’s batting strike rate isn’t shown on ESPNcricinfo, as the database doesn’t have full details for some of his innings. But BJ Wakley’s forensic examination of his career, in his 1959 book Bradman the Great, says the Don scored his 5028 runs against England from 8586 balls, an average of 58 per 100 balls – and scored at 36 runs per hour in all Tests (34 v England). As for a lean patch, one of the amazing things about Bradman’s career was that he never had what anyone else would recognise as a bad trot. The longest he went between Test centuries was 11 innings, spread over seven Tests in the 1932-33 Bodyline series and in England in 1934 – and he was feeling below par for much of that England tour, suffering with what turned out to be appendicitis. It didn’t stop him ending that mini-drought with an innings of 304 in the fourth Test at Headingley (and adding 244 in the final Test at The Oval)!How often have New Zealand lost a Test after posting a total of more than 400, as they did in Dubai? asked Cameron McDonald from New Zealand
New Zealand survived this time in Dubai, but there have been seven occasions when a total of 400 or more wasn’t enough to insure them against defeat. Their highest total in a losing cause remains 451, against England in Christchurch in 2001-02 – that was the match in which, after being set 550 to win, New Zealand were 333 for 9 before Nathan Astle, who hurtled to a rapid double-century, and Chris Cairns put on 118 for the last wicket in less than 11 overs. Another notable instance came at Trent Bridge in 1973, when New Zealand were set 479 to win by England and, led by 176 from captain Bev Congdon, reached 440.Rohit Sharma passed 250 in his 125th one-day international. How many batsmen played 125 Tests yet were unable to reach 250 in an innings? asked Randolf Perkins from Trinidad
Twenty men have played more than 125 Tests, and only six of them have managed a score of 250 or more – Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting. Of the others, three (all bowlers) never reached three figures: Shane Warne (highest score 99), Muttiah Muralitharan (67) and Courtney Walsh (30 not out). Five of them never reached 200, the specialist batsmen being Alec Stewart (highest score 190) and Mark Waugh (153 not out). And six of them made double-centuries, but didn’t quite crack 250: Steve Waugh (highest score 200), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (203 not out), Allan Border (205), Jacques Kallis (224), Sunil Gavaskar (236 not out) and Sachin Tendulkar (248 not out).Was Meg Lanning the first player to score a hundred at the Bradman Oval? And is she also the youngest player to captain Australia in international cricket? asked Maria Gibson from Australia
Meg Lanning’s 135 not out for Australia Women against West Indies Women earlier this month was the first century in international cricket at the Bradman Oval. The ground in Bowral has staged one women’s Test (in 2007-08, when Australia’s Lisa Sthalekar had a near-miss, being out for 98) and five women’s ODIs. There has been one senior men’s one-day game at the ground, in the ING Cup in 2002-03: Brad Hodge made 101 for Victoria, but was trumped by Simon Katich’s undefeated 136 for New South Wales. There was also one Under-19 ODI, in 1995-96, when Chris Gaffaney – now a Test umpire – hit 113 for New Zealand against an Australian side containing Chris Rogers and Brad Haddin. Lanning was 21 years and 300 days old when she captained Australia for the first time, in a one-day international against England inMelbourne in January 2014: that’s about eight months younger than the youngest male captain, Ian Craig, who died recently. He was 22 years 194 days old when he captained in a Test against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1957-58.Who has taken the most first-class wickets in a calendar year? asked Solaiman Palash from Bangladesh
I think the answer to this one is the Kent and England legspinner Tich Freeman, who claimed no fewer than 356 first-class wickets in 1928. A record 304 of them came in the English season – he played 37 matches, and took ten or more wickets in 15 of them, including five games in a row in June and July. Freeman also took 35 wickets on tour with England in South Africa at the start of the year, and 17 on the Ashes tour of Australia at the end of it. Over the eight English seasons from 1928 to 1935, Freeman took a mind-boggling 2090 wickets in first-class cricket.

Stats preview to the Pool A game between Australia and Bangladesh in Brisbane

Bishen Jeswant20-Feb-201513.3 Percentage of ODIs in Brisbane that have been washed out since 2001, the highest percentage for any Australian venue. Four out of 30 ODIs have been washed out here. The only other Australian venues that have seen washouts in this period are Melbourne (2.7%) and Sydney (9.5%), where there have been one and four no-result matches respectively.6-0 Bangladesh’s win-loss record against Australia, in Australia. Bangladesh’s overall win-loss record against Australia is 1-18, having beaten them once, at Cardiff during the 2005 NatWest Series.0 Number of times that Bangladesh have made a 300-plus score against Australia. Bangladesh’s highest score against Australia in Australia is 147, at Cairns in 2003. Overall, their highest score is 295, at Dhaka in 2011.3.6 Australia’s win-loss ratio since 2014, the best for any team. Australia have won 18 ODIs and lost five during this period. The only team that hasn’t lost an ODI in this period is Papua New Guinea, who have two wins in two ODIs.6 Number of consecutive ODIs that Bangladesh have won. Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe 5-0 in a bilateral ODI series and then won the opening game at this World Cup against Afghanistan. Bangladesh’s longest winning streak is nine ODIs, in 2006-07, with wins against Zimbabwe (7) and Scotland (2).19-19 Win-loss record for teams batting/bowling first in Brisbane in the last 38 completed games at this venue. Even more recent records provide no indication of whether teams prefer to bat or bowl first at this venue – the record is 5-5 in the last ten ODIs and 10-10 since 2003.775 Runs scored by Mushfiqur Rahim since 2014, the most by any Bangladesh batsman. Rahim has scored these runs at an average of 45.58, also the highest. His eight 50-plus scores in this period is also the highest for any Bangladesh batsman.

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-2015The youngster responded with 45 off 77 deliveries and contributed to a 91-run opening stand with Azhar Ali•AFPAzhar was a steadying influence in the top order, and his 98-run stand with Haris Sohail set Pakistan up for a big total•AFPAzhar scored his maiden ODI century – also the first by a Pakistan captain in almost five years – before his dismissal in the 39th over•Associated PressThat wicket triggered a farcical collapse as Pakistan lost their last eight wickets for 47 runs and were bowled out for 250•Associated PressRubel Hossain was one of four Bangladesh bowlers to take two wickets•Associated PressTamim Iqbal followed up his successive centuries in the series with another fifty-plus score, getting a brisk 64 off 76 balls•AFPBangladesh lost a couple of quick wickets but Soumya Sarkar kept the chase on track, scoring his maiden ODI hundred off 94 balls•AFPHis unbeaten 97-run partnership for the second wicket with Mushfiqur Rahim sealed the 3-0 series win for Bangladesh•AFP

His calm and assured innings proved once again that Pakistan’s batting, at least in Tests, will be in safe hands once Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan call it quits

Umar Farooq in Mirpur07-May-2015In a few months, Younis Khan, 37, and Misbah-ul-Haq, 40, will slowly be faded out. Pakistan have been well and truly in transition since the 2015 World Cup, but their future is not nearly as bleak as it was painted following the ODI whitewash at the hands of Bangladesh. It hasn’t reflected the true picture of their future prospects.Over the last year, Azhar Ali has averaged 64.53 while Asad Shafiq has been scoring at 62.72. Both players are likely to be key members in future Pakistan batting line-ups, and will be expected to take Pakistan cricket ahead. They have been around for enough time now, and they have duly stepped up. They made big scores in Mirpur, proving once again that Pakistan batting future, at least in Tests, is stable enough to look beyond the veteran hands of Younis and Misbah.Azhar’s maiden double-century may not have been delightful to watch, but it absorbed a lot of storm. For some time during his 428-ball stay at the crease, he had to play for a survival, especially in the opening hour of the day two after unexpectedly losing his captain Misbah at the other end. But just when it seemed as if Pakistan would collapse again, Azhar and Shafiq gathered themselves and laid a solid 207-run partnership in just 54.3 overs to ensure the visitors kept the edge. They not only set up a huge total, but also instigated a sense of calmness.When asked if he was ready to move out of the shadow of Younis, Azhar said: “The way Younis bhai played in the first innings, that is his class and how can you say that we can play like that? He has a special class and we youngsters can only make an effort to contribute according to our roles. Otherwise, we are not even close to him as a player.”We wish he remains fit and stays much longer and continues serving Pakistan because the more he stays around us, the more comfortable we feel in his presence. When he comes to the crease with you, things automatically started to ease down. Matching his class is just not possible, but yes we in the future, we have to step up and score like him. We need to make Pakistan win with such contributions.”As a batsman, it’s up to us to play our roles and the way Misbah and Younis bhai carried us through the years, it is time for us to rise. The focus now is to play big innings and lead the team form the front like they have been doing. We have learnt a lot from them, took a lot of time, and now it is the time to apply ourselves.”Azhar was named the team’s ODI captain following the 2015 World Cup to kick-start the PCB’s plans for transitioning Pakistan cricket. Those plans, however, were heavily dented following the ODI and T20 defeats to Bangladesh. On his part though, Azhar remained consistent with the bat. There were suggestions that had he failed in the ODIs, it might’ve pushed even his Test spot into uncertainty, but Azhar held a different view.”I always talk to myself that I have to focus on my game rather than thinking too much about the outside pressure. I had done well in the ODIs with an additional responsibility and it didn’t distract me as my focus was to carry on my form.”Pakistan are in strong position going into day three in Mirpur after posting a huge first-innings total and responding strongly to take five Bangladesh wickets, and Azhar lauded his team for pining down the hosts.”The good thing is that our batsman applied themselves and achieved the target of scoring a big score. But the important aspect was when we took five wickets in 28 overs, which was just like an icing on the cake and this will play an important role to take us ahead in the game.”

Plays of the day from the IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad

Mohammad Isam17-May-2015The seizingWicketkeeper Parthiv Patel ran in while the bowler Mitchell McClenaghan, the slip fielder and cover tried to get near the high catch offered by David Warner in the second over. Kieron Pollard, who was sauntering in from point, grabbed the ball almost from Parthiv’s gloves as they all started to converge towards each other.Pollard looked back at the wicketkeeper after avoiding the collision, but by then McClenaghan was already slamming the turf in celebration so there was no point mulling on the catcher.The teaseJ Suchith must have looked like a release point for Moises Henriques and KL Rahul as they struggled to pick up the pace in the Sunrisers Hyderabad innings after being 23 for 3 in the sixth over. Suchith, to his credit, seemed to expect that from the batsmen but kept bowling at a slower pace with teasing flight.Henriques’ first try by charging down the track cost him his wicket as Parthiv whipped the bails off, and on the next ball Naman Ojha softly pushed the ball to cover for a simple catch. It was all in Suchith’s air.The false dawnSunrisers’ innings continued to go directionless until Ashish Reddy gave them something to cheer about. In the 15th over, he slogged Harbhajan Singh over midwicket for a huge six. It reached the second level of the gallery, where it was caught by in the crowd.There must have been hope that Reddy and the rest of the lower-order batsmen would accelerate in the last five overs, like it usually happens even in stuttering T20 innings. But they could add only 33 runs, losing the last four wickets.The amateur hourPraveen Kumar was mindful of Lasith Malinga’s change of pace while batting, but his mode of defence was hilarious. As Malinga charged in, Praveen covered his stumps and the moment Malinga flung out another slower one, Praveen got in line and just dabbed the ball down the ground. It was as basic as any amateur would do in a casual match in any or driveway.It drew a laugh from wicketkeeper Parthiv and even in the dugouts where Sachin Tendulkar and Tom Moody couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the batsman simply shutting it down. When he later ran a single, Rohit Sharma seemed to take the mickey out of Praveen.

How ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball commentary called the tumbling of Australia wickets on the first morning at Trent Bridge

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Aug-2015Smith c Root b Broad 6 – What a start for England! Another beauty from Broad. Just back of a length outside off, Smith gets squared up and a thick edge flies comfortably to third slip. 10 for 2•Getty ImagesWarner c Buttler b Wood 0 – Three down! Unbelievable scenes. Back of a length from Wood, nips back off the seam and takes the inside edge. Wonderful bowling. 10 for 3•Getty ImagesMarsh c Bell b Broad 0 – This is outstanding bowling from Broad. Full outside off, brings him onto the front foot, seams away from the left-hander and the edge flies to Bell at head height. 15 for 4•Getty ImagesVoges c Stokes b Broad 1 – What a catch! Stokes flings himself to his right and takes the ball almost behind him! 21 for 5•Getty ImagesClarke c Cook b Broad 10 – Clarke has a horrid slash which finds first slip. Smart catch by Cook above his head. What was Clarke thinking? Counter-attack, I suppose, but it looked awful. 29 for 6•Getty ImagesNevill b Finn 2 – That’s a beauty, but no footwork from Nevill. Full at off stump, a challenging length, nips back off the seam and the off stump gets hammered. That ball had a very large gap to find. 33 for 7•Getty ImagesStarc c Root b Broad 1 – Root pouches it with no fuss. Good length ball in the channel, Starc is caught in the crease as he flirts and nicks it to third slip at a comfortable height. 46 for 8•Getty ImagesJohnson c Root b Broad 13 – Good length and nips away a touch off the seam. Johnson is crease-bound as he wafts and edges it to Root again at third slip. Broad has seven in seven overs. 47 for 9•Getty ImagesLyon c Stokes b Broad 9 – Phew, that was quick! Good length and swerves away outside off with some extra bounce. Lyon simply pushes his bat in the channel, does so with firm hands and edges it to sixth slip. 60 for 10•PA Photos

Plays of the Day from the third ODI between India and South Africa, in Rajkot

Firdose Moonda and Rachna Shetty18-Oct-2015The dance moves
This is a season for celebration: the festival of Navratri, spread over nine days and nights, is perhaps most colourfully celebrated in the state of Gujarat, with numerous events held across the nine evenings. Some of that fervor spilled on to the cricket field. Between overs, while Amit Mishra geared up to bowl the 13th over, Virat Kohli walked to his fielding position between mid-on and midwicket. The DJ started playing some tunes and Kohli, getting into the festive spirit, did some shadow moves, cheered on by the crowd.The overstep
India had not bowled a no-ball in the series until the 26th over of the third match, when Mohit Sharma stepped over the line. And he could not have chosen a worse time. The rest of that delivery, one of his typical slower balls, tricked Faf du Plessis into attempting an aerial shot down the ground, which he promptly miscued into the hands of Virat Kohli. The celebrations had to be stalled when replays showed that none of Mohit’s heel was behind the line.The under-reach
Six balls after Mohit’s mistake, du Plessis offered India a genuine chance when he tried to flick an Axar Patel ball over the leg side but was surprised by extra bounce and got a leading edge to short cover. Suresh Raina was stationed there and, being a man of fairly small stature, had to stretch as much as he could to reach the ball. He leapt, opted to stick out just the right hand and found his fingers grasping only air as the ball went over him and du Plessis survived again.The non-repeat
Faf du Plessis flirted with danger twice but seemed to be enjoying the risks and scooped Mohit Sharma over MS Dhoni’s head to display some innovation at a time when South Africa’s innings needed acceleration. Du Plessis liked the shot so much he tried to do it again off the very next ball but could not find the same balance and toppled over, skying the ball towards the third-man boundary, where Bhuvneshwar Kumar took a good running catch.The lightshow
When fans in Indore turned on their mobile torches to create a scene worthy of a rock concert, it was noticed by MS Dhoni and the Indian team, so Rajkot wanted to show they could do it too. In the eighth over of India’s chase, fans in all parts of the stadium turned on their flashlights, in support of the side. The tiny dots of light created a magical scene, once again. Will Chennai match up?The stand-in drop
AB de Villiers would not have thought he’d need to keep wicket in the ODIs, but after Quinton de Kock’s exhaustion after batting, he was forced to. And showed that even a man of his skill needs practice before being perfect. The first chance that went his way was a deflection off Shikhar Dhawan’s bat as he tried to defend a full delivery from JP Duminy. It was a tough chance but de Villiers has been known to take those; this time, he could not hold on.The premature celebration
Virat Kohli’s struggle for runs finally ended when he was promoted up the order to No. 3 and given plenty of time to get his eye in, sans the pressure of needing to push on too quickly. Kohli had worked his way to 48 and was facing Imran Tahir, who the Indian batsmen were dealing well with, when he skipped down the track and sent the ball to long-on. MS Dhoni thought there was time for two runs and ran from the non-striker’s end fist-pumping only to find Kohli was happy to wait a little longer for the fifty. Kohli got there later in the over and allowed himself only a subdued celebration.

ESPNcricinfo marks the New Zealand players out of 10 after they completed a 2-0 series win against Sri Lanka

Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Dec-20159Kane Williamson (268 runs at 89.33)
Top-scored and played the innings of the series, finished with five hundreds in 2015 (with at least one ton in each of the series he played), broke the New Zealand record for most runs in a calendar year, and fielded virtually flawlessly again. At this point, it would not be surprising if he began levitating at the crease. He is the top Test batsman in the world at the age of 25, so he has time to work on that.8Tim Southee (13 wickets at 16.30)
Last year, when Sri Lanka visited, Southee swung the ball viciously in both directions – and judging by the reactions of the batsmen – through undiscovered spatial planes as well. He wasn’t quite as brutal with the new ball in this series, yet was the most consistently menacing bowler of the series. Got a little reverse swing in Dunedin, and his bouncer wasn’t too shabby in Hamilton either.Martin Guptill (253 runs at 63.25)
An encouraging series for Guptill to follow a torrid one in Australia. His ton in Dunedin set New Zealand up perfectly in that Test, and his somewhat fortuitous fifty in the first innings in Hamilton won his team some important ground, before Dushmantha Chameera began bouncing people out. Took a terrific catch at leg gully to dismiss Dinesh Chandimal in the second innings of the second Test, though he had also dropped one in the slips in the previous game.7Neil Wagner (nine wickets at 26)
In a way, Wagner helped define the series, because he had been the first bowler to employ that short ball into the ribs, which later became a weapon for so many. He broke open Angelo Mathews’ considerable defence in Dunedin, and continued to trouble Sri Lanka’s middle and lower orders in Hamilton. Was called a “workhorse” by his captain prior to the first Test, but ended up having plenty of impact.Doug Bracewell (five wickets at 40, 82 runs at 82)
So many team-mates and New Zealand support staff spoke about Bracewell being unlucky this series, that you wondered if he had contracted some sort of rare disease. He bowled a terrific line throughout the series, but didn’t do a lot with the ball – which may explain his comparatively lighter hauls. Also had two catches dropped in Dunedin. In any case, he was brought on to bowl to tail-enders in Hamilton, seemingly as part of a “Get Doug A Wicket” initiative. Was effective at No. 8 when he was required as well.Tom Latham (163 runs at 54.33)
Scored a heartening first century on home soil in Dunedin, setting New Zealand up for their day-four declaration. Was the recipient of some good fortune in that innings, but batted sagely otherwise, riding out probing spells from Rangana Herath in particular. Was dismissed twice in the twenties, but as he appears to be developing series to series, New Zealand will not mind that much.Brendon McCullum (128 runs at 42.66)
Spoke about respecting the opposition before the series, then came out the next day and slammed 75 from 57 deliveries against them. In Dunedin, the visitors never quite recovered from that salvo. McCullum was less effective with the bat for the remainder of the series, but his captaincy always seems sharp at home. Had his bowlers switch plans when the usual edges to slip did not materialise in Hamilton. Is poised to retire from Tests now, but typically for the man, his tenure at the helm has been brief but dynamic.6BJ Watling (46 runs at 23, 15 catches)
Mousy, soft-spoken and expressionless, Watling took several outstanding catches in the series, and made them look almost mundane. His tally of nine dismissals in the Dunedin Test equals a New Zealand record. He was almost flawless with the gloves throughout the series. Not much was required of his other discipline, though he has now had two modest series in a row as a batsman.After a supreme performance in Australia, Ross Taylor managed just 58 runs in the two Tests•Getty Images5Mitchell Santner (54 runs at 18, four wickets at 31)
Much has been made of his T-Rex front arm in his bowling stride, but still managed to occasionally trouble batsmen on a flat surface in Dunedin. His batting did not impress in this series, but his fielding was excellent – the catch at the fine leg rope to dismiss Kusal Mendis in the second innings at Hamilton was a particular highlight.4Trent Boult (six wickets at 31.83)
Had back trouble in Australia, and didn’t appear totally recovered from that in this series. His pace was significantly lower than it had been on Sri Lanka’s previous visit, though he did bowl the occasional beauty.2Ross Taylor (58 runs at 14.50)
Has had a lean year apart from that 290 in Perth, but perhaps had some poor luck in this series. Got a terrific ball early in his innings in the first dig in Hamilton, and was also out to an excellent boundary catch in the second. He dropped two slip catches as well – one of them a sitter.