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At the scene of one of his finest innings, Michael Clarke is about to embark upon perhaps the most pivotal Test match of his career

Daniel Brettig at Lord's17-Jul-2013Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin, captain and deputy, were Australia’s last two men to leave the Lord’s nets on the eve of the second Test.Haddin was jovial as he walked for the pavilion, looking ahead to the chance of reversing the painfully narrow result at Trent Bridge. But Clarke was the personification of pensive. Lost in his own thoughts and staring straight ahead, he appeared to be steeling himself for a match that can be argued to be the most critical of his captaincy and career so far.It was a starkly contrasting image from that portrayed at his pre-match press conference and spoke more truthfully of Australia’s position than any amount of sunny rhetoric. Whatever good feelings emerged from the Nottingham Test, it was still the tourists’ fifth consecutive Test match loss, a sequence of under-performance last witnessed in 1984.And whatever confidence Clarke derived from a team display that showed far greater determination and unity than anything served up in India, it was also a match in which he wrestled unsuccessfully with two old adversaries – the No. 4 position and the patience of England’s bowlers.Australia cannot win this series, nor get close to doing so, if Clarke continues to be corralled in the manner he was at Trent Bridge. While in the first innings he was the victim of James Anderson’s very own fast-medium version of the ball of the century, in the second Clarke struggled for his usual sprightly timing and momentum. Much as they did in 2010-11, England succeeded in reducing Clarke’s scoring areas, forcing him to play straighter and sapping his patience. As Alastair Cook put it: “we were happy with the way we bowled to a lot of their batsmen.”For his part, Clarke said the swift starts that characterised many of his best innings at No. 5 had been largely reactive to the kind of bowling he had received, and indicated that patience was just as important as proactivity. At Trent Bridge he had been kept quiet, and did not wish to force the pace unnecessarily on a surface not amenable to fast scoring. But the sight of Clarke scratching around was a source of as much worry for Australia as Ashton Agar’s fearless first innings had been a tonic.”I think it varies because mainly as a batsman you’re reacting to what the bowler is doing, not the other way around and you’re not always in control so a lot is determined by where they bowl the ball,” Clarke said. “That determines how quickly I score, I guess. It looks to me that England certainly are working on a plan to dry me up because through my career there have been times when I got off to good starts.

Having glimpsed uncertainty in English eyes at times in Nottingham, Clarke and Australia must now go on to establish a foothold in the series.

“To me as a batter it doesn’t make much difference. To make 100 or 200 you’ve got to bat for long periods so whether you’re 10 off 10 balls or 10 off 50 balls, it doesn’t matter. I think it’s just about batting, enjoy batting. The longer you’re out there, the more chance you have of scoring runs. Patience and wait for that bad ball.”Four years ago at Lord’s, Clarke played a hand he still regards as close to his very best. Setting out in pursuit of an impossible 522 for victory, he punched and glided to 136, accompanied for most of the way by Haddin in a bold fourth innings counterattack against high quality bowling by Anderson, Andrew Flintoff and Graeme Swann. That day Clarke motored to 22 for 15 balls before settling in. He recalled the occasion dimly because it concluded in defeat, but noted motivation to make a score in the chase because he had failed first up. So it is again this time.”I remember losing the Test match,” Clarke said. “I remember not making any in the first innings and needing to make a score in the second innings. The reason you play is to have success as a team and we didn’t win that Test. If I can get a start hopefully I’ll go on to a big score.”A substantial tally from Clarke can shape the outcome of the match, which must be won if Australia are to maintain any serious hope of claiming the series. On a pitch not quite so dry as Nottingham but already showing some evidence of cracking, the need for a major first innings tally is critical, particularly after the Australians kicked away a chance to pressure England by slipping to 117 for 9 in response to their hosts’ mediocre 215 on day one of the series.Another such decline would almost certainly lead to a heavy defeat and set Australia on another ruinous path, no matter how much the unity of the team has improved in the days since Darren Lehmann replaced the litigious Mickey Arthur as coach. Having glimpsed uncertainty, if not fear, in English eyes at times in Nottingham, Clarke and Australia must now go on to establish a foothold in the series.Anything else will undo much of the team’s recent progress, damaging the newfound unity that contrasts so visibly to the poisonous atmosphere depicted by Arthur in his leaked compensation claim. Those revelations have not overly affected a team that has largely moved on from the divisions suggested by Arthur, helped in large part by the appointment of Lehmann and the return of Haddin. But no team’s foundations are so solid that they can withstand repeated doses of losing.In addition to “Mickeyleaks”, preparations for Lord’s have also been punctuated by the appearances of a quartet of luminaries from brighter days, as Glenn McGrath, Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne have blessed the team with their presence and the odd snatch of advice. In 1989 and 1997, Waugh and McGrath turned on defining displays at the home of cricket. In 2013, Clarke desires the same. His stony expression said as much.

The pitch for the final league game between India and Sri Lanka offered lateral movement and extremely uneven bounce, making shot-making virtually impossible

Aakash Chopra11-Jul-2013Fourteen wickets fell on the first day of the Ashes. Though the pitch was dry, the overcast conditions helped seam and swing bowling, and the movement in the air and off the surface encouraged the quick bowlers to run in hard, over after over. It made the batsmen watchful and the contest even. However, despite the assistance for the bowlers, if the batsmen made the right shot selection, there were runs on offer.Shift focus to the pitch that was prepared, or rather left under prepared, in Trinidad for the last league game of the tri-series, between India and Sri Lanka. It had plenty for everyone, except the batsmen. Not only was there exaggerated movement off the surface, but the bounce was so uneven that it bordered on dangerous. And if you thought batting would get easier against the spinners, you’d be wrong, because the ball played tricks for Rangana Herath and Ravindra Jadeja too.The pitches at Queen’s Park Oval have a reputation for assisting spinners. They are usually slow and without much grass. However, the surfaces for this tri-series not only have a lot of grass but also some moisture beneath. In fact, there are claims that this could be one of the grassiest pitches in the world at the moment.One could live with the grass if it was evenly cut but there are tufts of varying length spread unevenly among the brown patches. The theory is that the tufts are a result of an uneven surface underneath, which results in uneven bounce. There’s been a lot of monsoonal rain and the waterlogging on the ground could have raised the level of underground water. While the pitch is always covered to keep its surface dry, the rise in the water table ensures the soil underneath remains moist. It has made batting a painful exercise.Batting usually involves trust and some guesswork. The moment the eyes see the ball has been released, the mind processes information based on years of practice to gauge the line, length, movement off the pitch and the bounce. The batsman has to process several variables in a short span of time, less than a quarter of a second in case of a fast bowler.The ability to process such information quickly and accurately separates good players from the rest. But even the best batsmen get fooled now and then, for sometimes he either makes a mistake or the ball behaves differently. And if the ball starts misbehaving regularly, it makes a mockery of batting.During the game between India and Sri Lanka on Tuesday, not only did the ball dart around after pitching the bounce was also quite unpredictable. If the bowler can’t tell which way the ball going, what chance does the batsman have?A little discomfort and the occasional ball misbehaving shouldn’t be a matter of concern but if it happens frequently, it affects a player’s safety. However, the variable bounce from the same spot in Trinidad differed by more than a foot and a half, making it almost impossible to deal with.Imagine preparing to play the ball around the thigh but ending up fending it off the shoulder. Breaking fingers, wrist or elbow was a real possibility. No matter how tight the batsman’s technique was he wasn’t equipped to stay out of harm’s way. The lateral movement was enough to leave the batsmen completely befuddled. Even the bowlers weren’t 100% sure about what the ball would do.It hasn’t rained on the eve of the final and I hope the curator shaves off a little bit of grass. It’s never a pleasing sight if the balance between ball and bat does not exist.

Plays of the day from the second day of the second Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Mirpur

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur22-Oct-2013The trap
Brendon McCullum persisted with his first-day trap of keeping two fielders close together and it paid off on the second day as well. Mushfiqur Rahim was sucked into driving a wide ball outside off against Neil Wagner – his first such shot – but it took the edge and flew to the second gully, where Peter Fulton took the catch.The leave
Shakib Al Hasan doesn’t spin the ball much, but Peter Fulton didn’t seem to know that. In his second over, Shakib brought another ball into the batsman and Fulton replied by thrusting his front pad. The result was a lbw decision, and an easy one to make at that. Fulton had worked hard ahead of the series by scuffing up wickets in his hometown, and later in Chittagong for his two half-centuries in the first Test, so the dismissal would have rankled.The four
A rare event occurred at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in the 20th over of New Zealand’s innings – Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson took an all-run four. The venue has had a smallish ground over the last couple of years due to work in the outfield that has left some of the fringe areas unprepared. As a result, some parts on the southeastern side of the ground are still a little slow. Anamul Haque had missed the ball at backward point, but he chased hard and dived well to save the boundary. However, being a regular wicketkeeper, Anamul’s throw was weak enough to allow a fourth run.The hit
Kane Williamson has shown how good a player of spin he is, but what about against pace? Williamson failed to accurately predict how high a delivery from Rubel Hossain would bounce in the 24th over. He ducked far too soon, and the ball smacked into the side of his face. He fell over, and the physio didn’t pass him fit enough to bat on.The tumble
Later on, Rubel got hurt himself. When McCullum pulled Shakib to square leg, Rubel first misjudged the ball before striding back to take the catch. His fall was awkward, but how he finished when he rolled over on his shoulder as more awkward. The Bangladesh physio was called into action, and Rubel was taken off the playing area and given treatment. He was soon back in action and bowled the next over.

From not taking cricket seriously and facing fitness issues, to emerging as Railways’ leading wicket-taker and a key figure behind the team’s journey to the quarter-finals this season, Anureet Singh has come a long way

Rachna Shetty in Kolkata12-Jan-2014Railways’ Ranji Trophy campaign ended with a 48-run loss to Bengal at Eden Gardens on Sunday, but it was still one of their best seasons in recent times. Central to this success were batsmen Mahesh Rawat and Arindam Ghosh and the young fast bowler Anureet Singh.Anureet, 25, had a breakout season, bagging 44 wickets in eight matches at an average of 17.56 and a strike rate of 47.4. At the end of the quarter-final round, Anureet is the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament, behind Himachal’s Rishi Dhawan.For the Railways bowler, this success is the culmination of years of hard work and guidance received from the Railways coach, Abhay Sharma, who helped Anureet with various aspects of his bowling.”When I started out in first-class cricket, I was worked on by the coach,” Anureet told ESPNcricinfo. “My action was a concern, so that was worked out. I was also underweight, and so I was given a proper diet. The coach and I have been working on this for almost five years and I am seeing the benefits now.”Anureet made his debut for Railways against Karnataka in 2008, and took a six-for in the game that eventually ended in a draw. Prior to this season, the most number of overs Anureet had bowled in one Ranji Trophy edition were 210.2 in 2012-13, and the most number of wickets he had taken were 21.This season, he has bowled 348.1 overs, second only to Mumbai’s left-arm spinner Vishal Dabholkar. More importantly, he has been the strike bowler for Railways, which has often meant long spells. At Eden Gardens, during Bengal’s second innings, for instance, Anureet bowled 13 overs unchanged from the High Court end until tea on the third day despite suffering a groin cramp earlier in the match.According to Abhay, Anureet’s improved fitness levels were a result of specific pre-season work.
“Before this season, I paid special attention to his diet, liquid intake and momentum in the run-up,” Abhay said. “We worked on his action a bit, and this was done to improve his technique, because a correct technique means fewer injuries.””I also changed his fitness programme. Last season, he was a bit more muscular. You don’t need big muscles to bowl fast and it can also sometimes affect your action. Fortunately, whatever changes I have suggested, Anureet has absorbed and implemented them. That’s the biggest thing for a coach. The success he has enjoyed has given him more confidence.”That constant reinforcement was crucial to the development of the bowler who did not take up cricket seriously until the 10th standard.”I started out as a fast bowler and never really took cricket seriously before that because my family wanted me to concentrate on studies,” Anureet, who is from Delhi, said. “My father is a retired professional from the Railways and it was initially difficult trying to convince them to support me, but once he saw how hard I was working, he backed me completely.”He also got the backing of Abhay early on, who spotted his talent when the fast bowler was playing at the age-group levels. Abhay helped him get a job in the Railways, paving the way for the bowler to play in the premier domestic competition. “Anureet’s posting is in Mumbai so sometimes, the only way I get to work on him is when he comes to Delhi,” Abhay said.Since then, the pair have worked on keeping things simple. Anureet describes himself as primarily an inswing bowler. “I am most confident when bowling inswing,” the bowler said. “In terms of targeting the other areas, I prepare according to the plans and I have worked on bowling to certain lengths.”His ambitions of playing for the national team too are firmly in place. “Every cricketer who plays cricket at this level wants to play for India,” Anureet said. “I am also trying my best, I am working harder, and I am trying to improve.”Anureet’s performance in the second innings had prompted Abhay to say the bowler was ready for the international level, and he reiterated that opinion on Sunday. “At times during this season, he touched 140kph. He was not so fast last season, but he has been able to build up his pace well. He has shaped up really well, and he is ready.”On Saturday, after claiming his fifth five-for of the season, Anureet bent down and kissed the turf. It’s a ritual the bowler says he does every time he gets five wickets, as a means of respecting the pitch and thanking the Almighty. Railways may have been eliminated, but the bowler has plenty to be grateful for this season.

With over 200 Test wickets, including 50 in his last tenTests,Saqlain Mushtaq can rightly claim to be among the most successful, as well as revolutionary, offspinners of the modern era -yet he continues to be ignored

Interview by Osman Samiuddin05-Jun-2014

It’s been a long time since you last played for Pakistan. Where have
you been?
I haven’t been in the national team, but I have been playing for Surrey
consistently.Is it fair to say you had a tougher time this season, compared to
past ones, at Surrey?
Actually, the wickets were shared around this season. We’ve had
seamer-friendly tracks and people like Azhar Mahmood, Martin Bicknell
and Ian Salisbury have been taking a lot of wickets as well. But
overall, I don’t think I did too badly.You are one of the few big names who have been playing in the
Patron’s Trophy, for Pakistan International Airlines. How would you rate
your season so far?
It’s been OK. I’ve enjoyed playing here, although the facilities aren’t
great. They have improved, but there is still some way to go. The
standard of cricket is good, but we have to improve.You haven’t taken that many wickets in the competition so far this
season, and there have been suggestions that you have lost some form
over the last year.
I don’t know about that. I think that judgment was based mainly on the
only Test match I played against Bangladesh at Multan. I hardly bowled
in that match – I think it was three overs in the first innings and 20
in the second, over about three spells. It wasn’t really enough to get
into a rhythm. In any case, the pitch was seamer-friendly and the pace
bowlers, Umar Gul and Shabbir Ahmed, did so well that they bowled
throughout most of the match.Do you feel you have lost a bit of your mystery because you have
played so much cricket, especially at Surrey?
I don’t think so. The type of bowler that I am, I need to be playing
consistently and constantly, to get into that rhythm. I need to be
bowling long spells and I honestly don’t think I have done too badly. In
the series against South Africa, prior to the World Cup, I got a few
wickets, and before that, against Australia and Zimbabwe, I was the
highest wicket-taker. I had a few niggles, especially with my shoulder,
when I came back from Surrey. I had bursitis, and needed a few
injections in my shoulder before I played against Bangladesh. But I’m OK
now, I’m feeling looser in the shoulder and getting back to where I was
previously.Do you think that playing so many one-dayers over the years has
reduced your effectiveness, because your role is to contain as well as
attack?
No, and I think my record in one-day cricket speaks for itself. Over the
last two years, however, my position in the bowling order has been
shifted too much. Previously, I had a defined role. I would bowl three
overs in the first 15, then bowl at the death. Now I bowl all over the
place: in the middle, beginning, or the end – but never with a fixed
strategy in mind. Also, I haven’t played international cricket regularly
for almost 13 months – I played a game here and there, but not
continuously.Are you working on any new deliveries at the moment?
Yeah, I have a few things up my sleeve. It’s important that you keep
doing that – trying new things, experimenting with your skills and not
going stale. Most importantly, I am building up my overall fitness, and
am concentrating my energies on getting picked to play against India.Let’s talk about your future with Pakistan. Given that you have
taken close to 50 wickets in your last ten Tests, why do you think you
are not in the team?
In the last year or so, I have been among the highest wicket-takers in
Tests for Pakistan. I don’t really know why I’m not in the side. I
hardly played any one-day cricket last year – two or three games in the
World Cup, where I got some wickets, but after that I don’t really know.
I guess the new guys have performed well, and when I played against
Bangladesh, I was injured. I told them that before the game, but the
selectors insisted they needed me to play, so I did. And since then, I
haven’t featured in the team again.Do you feel that the selectors haven’t given you a fair
chance?
Yeah, they haven’t given me the perfect opportunity. I have served my
country for nine years now, and have done so well. If you look at my
career, I have performed consistently well and there isn’t really a
prolonged bad patch in there.Do you think there are any non-cricket factors keeping you out of
the team?
The newer players have been performing well so far, so maybe that’s it.
I hope I am in their plans, though, but I don’t honestly think there are
non-cricketing reasons involved. I am only 27 at the moment and I reckon
I am good enough to play for another ten years or so at the highest
level.

Are you looking forward to the India series?
I am. I have been successful against them in the past. It’s one of the
toughest series as a spinner, because they are by far the best players
of spin around – especially on subcontinental pitches. Then, of course,
there is the added pressure of playing against India.Do you usually bowl against the Indians with a set plan?
There is usually a set plan against any batsman, but against the Indians
you have to play tough, aggressive cricket. I got Sachin Tendulkar a
couple of times when we were last over there, in 1999, and you have to
look to attack them as a bowler.What do you think is your greatest weapon as a spinner?
I genuinely believe every ball I throw down is a weapon. I look to take
a wicket with every ball I bowl.Who is the best batsman you have bowled to? Who has impressed you
the most?
I try not to think in those terms, where someone is difficult to get
out. I back myself against any batsman in the world. I have bowled to
some great batsmen: the Waugh brothers, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting,
Sachin Tendulkar, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Aravinda de Silva.
But I never think, “Gee, they’re tough to bowl against,”
because I’ll never get them out thinking like that.What has been your most memorable wicket, and match, so far?
Undoubtedly Tendulkar’s wicket at Chennai in 1999 – because he is such
a good batsman and because it was such a great Test. Also, Steve Waugh
in a one-dayer at Adelaide in 1996. He tried to hit me over mid-on, but
got a leading edge to my straighter one and was caught by Mohammad Wasim
at mid-off. Then there’s Marcus Trescothick in a one-dayer at Lord’s in
2000, where I got him in the last over of the game and we won by a
couple of runs. As far as the match is concerned, though, it would have
to be the Chennai Test, just because of the pressure and how close it
got at the end.What exactly happened between you and Javed Miandad after the
Bangladesh series? There was allegedly a verbal spat between the two of
you over selection?
I don’t want to get into that.Finally, what are your future plans and aims now?
I want to play for at least another ten years for Pakistan. I want to
take 500 wickets in Tests, and the same in one-dayers. In the immediate
future, I want to get fit and ready, and selected, for the India tour.

Plays of the day from the fifth ODI between England and India at Headingley

Sidharth Monga at Headingley 05-Sep-2014The gully
In the previous ODI, on a slow and low Edgbaston track, MS Dhoni had moved his second slip to a fine and short gully for Alastair Cook, who steered Bhunveshwar Kumar straight to that man early on. On a quicker and bouncier pitch in Leeds, Dhoni tried to repeat that fine-gully trick, but twice – in the second and the seventh over – he saw Cook edge through second slip or thereabouts. Just to tease Dhoni a bit, when the gully moved back to second slip, Cook edged over where that fielder would have been.The near repeat
At Edgbaston, another field placement that worked for Dhoni was the leg slip, with Suresh Raina catching Eoin Morgan after the batsman had moved too far across and flicked one straight at him. In the 28th over of the innings at Headingley, once again when facing Ravindra Jadeja, Morgan moved too far across once again, closed the face again, but this time the ball flew a little too fast to the right of Raina at leg slip.The luck
It has been a bleak ODI series for England. If you are a fast bowler going through this and also making your comeback, you want to catch every break. Steve Finn should be so lucky. In one over, with India already three down for under 50, Finn created two opportunities, but no wicket. A thick edge from Ambati Rayudu was put down by Chris Woakes running in from third man. Then came what is a template dismissal for Suresh Raina: staying back and hopping to a ball that is not quite short, and edging it. But this time, Cook did not hold on to it at first slip. To rub in some salt, three overs later Raina creamed Finn through extra cover for four.The run-out
The end of an ODI innings is a hectic period unless you do not have wickets in hand. In this game, England had the wickets in hand, and they scored 143 in the last 15 overs. During that period of near domination, England did find a moment of comedy when Jos Buttler tried to reverse-sweep Jadeja. The ball hardly left the pitch, but in the mind’s eye of Buttler, the ball had hit the pad and was trickling away for more than one leg-bye. Until to his horror he found out, having reached the middle of the pitch, that Joe Root wasn’t moving, and that Dhoni had the ball in his hand and was waiting for him to turn back so that he could flick the bail off with him watching it.

Umpires are simply not watching for the no-ball closely enough and it is creating trouble for bowlers. When an umpire fails to call your foot faults, he is basically omitting to tell you all is not right

Sidharth Monga at The Oval16-Aug-2014In the tour game in Derby – it seems like an age ago for the hobbling Indian team now – Ishant Sharma bowled nine no-balls. Those sitting in the press box – dead square from where Ishant was delivering – spotted about as many no-balls not called.In the 64th over today, he got a tickle down leg from Ian Bell, which MS Dhoni failed to catch. Had he caught this, it still wouldn’t have brought Ishant a wicket, because he had overstepped marginally. A ball later, he produced the outside edge, which Dhoni accepted, but the umpire momentarily cut short his joy by asking for replays to check if this was a no-ball. It wasn’t. By a long margin. As was the case with another wicket earlier.Ishant Sharma’s no-balls, or lack of them, highlights a general umpiring issue•Getty ImagesLater in the day, Stuart Binny bowled a big no-ball, got an edge down the leg side, but the umpire missed it. Had this edge gone straight to Dhoni as opposed to the boundary, the umpires would have surely checked it with the third umpire.All this sounds right on the surface, but hasn’t Ishant been led into believing he is doing all right by an umpire who was only half alert to his no-balls? Had Binny taken a wicket next ball with a similar no-ball, wouldn’t he have reason to feel aggrieved that he wasn’t warned at his first indiscretion? When an umpire fails to call your foot faults, just because that ball has not produced a wicket, he is basically omitting to tell you all is not right. And he surely will go upstairs should you take a wicket. He will go upstairs even if you are not even close to overstepping.On his debut, in Adelaide last December, Ben Stokes was denied his first wicket when the third umpire called it a no-ball but he had landed in the exact same spot a few times before without the umpire calling him. Had he been called earlier, he would have delivered from six inches further back.The umpires have a big problem almost all over the world; hence there might be no point in naming Kumar Dharmasena as the main culprit here. Umpires are simply not watching the front foot closely enough. It can’t be the case that they operated similarly earlier, and it is just now that the technology has exposed them. The technology has been around for years, but the umpires didn’t miss the number of no-balls they do now. It just becomes all the more jarring when they go upstairs for wicket-taking deliveries even though half the foot might be behind the line.There is a general trend of falling umpiring standards, which the ICC masks by releasing misleading stats on the percentage of decisions the umpires have been getting right. For the purposes of these calculation, moving your hand parallel to the ground and around waist high for a straightforward four is also counted as a correct decision.Ishant, Varun Aaron and Binny – the three men involved in the no-ball dramas today – were not available for comment, but R Ashwin – a spinner, who is going to be involved in much fewer similar cases – took this quite sportingly. He basically said that while it might be unfair on the bowler who is going through this, you can’t have the umpires check every ball. But this state of affairs has all the makings of becoming ugly when in a tight match a bowler lands in the same spot with two consecutive deliveries, and is called only for the second just because he got a wicket.”This is one thing I have been conscious of,” Ashwin said. “It is very nervous moment when the umpire checks the no-ball. It has taken away the real quick happiness of taking a wicket. Once you have celebrated and all that, it is like a pinch on your backside. But it’s good, to use the technology to correct the errors. If we keep checking every tight one, we won’t get 90 overs in in a day.”There is no external solution to this problem. Checking no-balls is a welcome addition, which has an offshoot that is not quite desirable. There is no way someone can sit outside and check no-balls before a spinner has collected a forward defensive and bowled the next ball. The umpires will have to get their act together. There is no reason for them to not look at the front foot as closely as they used to.

Plays of the day from the second ODI between Pakistan and New Zealand in Sharjah

Rachna Shetty12-Dec-2014The roller-coaster
Matt Henry’s accurate first over had produced the wicket of Ahmed Shehzad, and New Zealand almost had another just two balls later, when Younis Khan was trapped lbw by Mitchell McClenaghan. Replays, however, brought an end to McClenaghan’s party, showing the bowler had bowled a huge no ball. His line strayed a bit in that over, but there was a happy ending to the tale after Younis poked at an angled delivery to give a straightforward catch to Ross Taylor at slip.The missed run-out I
Despite the assurance he showed at the crease, Mohammad Hafeez was lucky not to be run-out on a couple of occasions. In the 22nd over, Misbah-ul-Haq punched the ball back to Vettori. Hafeez was out of his crease and Vettori lobbed the ball between his legs towards the stumps to create a chance. Luckily for Hafeez, he made it back in time.The missed run-out II
That situation should have chastened Hafeez, then batting on 52, but he almost ran himself out again in the next over. Misbah defended a ball from Adam Milne on to the leg side and looked down the other end to see Hafeez charging halfway down the track. Milne got to the ball and threw at the stumps but missed, and the fielder at mid-on could only watch the ball race to the boundary.The missed run-out III
Pakistan were looking to get a lift in the run-rate at the start of the second Powerplay. With McClenaghan bowling, Misbah tapped the ball to the off side and it was swiftly picked up by Anton Devcich at point. Halfway done, Sarfraz hadn’t moved and as Misbah turned back, Devcich, who had time on his hands, hesitated between taking a throw at the stumps or returning the ball to Ronchi. He chose to do the latter. The New Zealand wicketkeeper, charging in towards the stumps, over-ran the lob and was left eventually exchanging embarrassed shrugs with Devcich.The run-out that actually happened
For all the uncertainty in the running between wickets during Pakistan’s innings, the first run-out of the game came in New Zealand’s chase. New Zealand were motoring along nicely when Kane Williamson, who had spent 22 balls in the middle, called Anton Devcich, batting on a well-set 58, for a single. Devcich wasn’t ready and started late, and the fielder at short third man didn’t miss the throw either.The climber
New Zealand’s fast bowlers made things uncomfortable for a few Pakistan batsmen with their bouncers and Mohammad Irfan added a few deliveries of his own to that list. Opener Dean Brownlie was at the receiving end of one in the fourth over that came at 145kph, rose up and caught the shoulder of the bat. Fortuitously for Brownlie, the ball ended up going for a four through gully.

Australia are expectedly No. 1. Who takes silver?

Bishen Jeswant28-Jan-2015Australia have won four World Cups, the most. They have won 55 matches in World Cups, the most. Their batsmen have scored 16,165 runs, the most. Their bowlers have taken 556 wickets, the most. They have had a 34-match unbeaten streak extending across four World Cups, by far the longest. It is inarguable that Australia have been the best team in World Cup history.However, which team has been second-best? England have been in three finals, without ever winning the title. India and West Indies have also been in three finals, winning two each. Pakistan have reached the semi-finals on six occasions, making the final on two, and winning once. New Zealand have got past the group stage eight times, more often than even Australia.Only the top-eight cricketing nations have been considered for the purpose of this analysis.Win-loss ratios
Two teams have won twice as many matches as they have lost. Australia have 55 wins with 19 losses, while South Africa have 30 wins and 15 losses. The only team that loses more matches than they win is Sri Lanka, who have 31 wins and 32 losses. However, Sri Lanka received Test status much after the other seven teams, and have only been a force to reckon with during five of the ten World Cups. During the last five editions Sri Lanka have in fact won twice as many matches as they have lost, 27 wins and 12 losses.At the other end of the spectrum are West Indies, who had the best win-loss ratio (2.4) in the first five World Cups (22 wins, nine losses), and the worst ratio (1.0) in the next five editions (16 wins, 16 losses).New Zealand have won 40 World Cup games, next only to Australia, who have 55 wins. However, they have also lost 29 games, the second most. As a consequence, their win-loss ratio (1.37) is the second-worst, next only to Sri Lanka.

Performance in knockout games
Australia have won ten of the 14 knockout matches they have played, including quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals. They have three losses and a tie. India have won seven out of ten, the next most. England and New Zealand have the most losses in knockout matches, seven each.

The only team that has never won a single knockout game is South Africa, who have no wins from three semi-finals and two quarter-finals. They suffered four losses in those five games, managing to tie the other, against Australia in 1999. However, South Africa, as the table below shows, have the best record in the group stages, even better than Australia. South Africa have 24 wins and eight losses, with a win-loss ratio of 3.0, significantly better than Australia’s ratio of 2.06, based on 33 wins and 16 losses. Another team that has a better win-loss ratio than Australia in the group stages is England, who have 33 wins and 15 loses, a ratio of 2.20.

Performance of the top eight teams against each other
Sometimes, the overall performance of teams in a global event such as the World Cup appear statistically inflated because a significant percentage of matches are played against relatively weaker opposition. Australia’s win-loss ratio of 2.9 drops to 1.9 when the assessment is restricted to their performance against the top-eight teams (34 wins, 18 losses). However, this too is far higher than the ratios for any other team. South Africa, who have only been playing in World Cups since 1992, are next best with a ratio of 1.3 (17 wins, 13 losses).The three teams that lose more matches than they win against the top-eight nations are India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. However, in the last five World Cups, both India and Sri Lanka have won more than they have lost against such opposition, while New Zealand still lose more.

Overall performance
The above segments set out the order of merit of these top-eight teams with respect to their win-loss ratios, performances in knockout/group games and their performances when playing each other. However, in the broader scheme of things, the success of a team’s World Cup campaign is assessed based on how far they progress in a certain edition of the tournament. Below is a table setting out the performance of the top-eight teams in the various World Cups. Points have been allotted based on where these teams have finished in each edition of the tournament. The allocation is as follows:Winner: 10 points

Runner-up: 6 points
Semi-finalist: 4 points
Super6: 3 points
Quarter-finalist: 2 points
Super8: 2 points
The proportionate allotment of points in the table below is comparable to other merit-based systems in which ranking points are allotted in global sports such as tennis and squash.

*South Africa’s points have been normalised to account for the fact that they could not participate in the first four editions of the World CupSouth Africa have been perennial underperformers at World Cups and the above table only reinforces that fact. South Africa are the best-performing team in the group stages. They have the second-best overall win-loss ratio after Australia. They have the second-best win-loss ratio against the top-eight teams. Yet, they have not won a single knockout game in five attempts, and therefore find themselves lingering at the bottom of the above table. Similar is the case with New Zealand, who are the only team to have gone past the group stage in each of the last six World Cups but have lost each of their six semi-finals, thus finding themselves just a rung above South Africa.Sri Lanka’s position on the table – last – does them no justice because they have been exceptional over the last five editions, before which they were merely making up the numbers. Sri Lanka have earned all of their 26 points since the 1996 World Cup, the second most in this period after Australia (36).Overall, India have the most points after Australia and it could be argued that they are therefore the second-best World Cup team. India seem to be the antithesis of South Africa. India’s overall numbers are not too impressive, whether in the context of win-loss ratios, performances in the group stage or against top-eight opposition. However, they do win 70% of their knockout matches. They have only lost three such games, the same number as Australia, whose win percentage in knockouts (71%) is not dissimilar to India’s.

His pace, swing, stamina and consistency has been a nuisance to batsmen throughout the tournament, and could well make the difference again in the semi-final

Andrew McGlashan22-Mar-2015In 1999, a New Zealand left-arm quick shared top spot among the World Cup wicket-takers alongside Shane Warne. However, until Warne’s late push, where he claimed eight scalps across the semi-final and final as Australia peaked to win the title, it looked certain that Geoff Allott would stand alone at the top.Currently, in 2015, another New Zealand left-arm quick stands top of the tally just ahead of an Australian. There could yet be another tie between two Tasman rivals but right now Trent Boult has taken the baton back after his four-wicket haul against West Indies. Somebody could sneak up on the rails during the final three matches, perhaps Mohammad Shami, but it appears like a head-to-head to finish at the top between Boult and Mitchell Starc. It could come down to the World Cup final at the MCG for the battle between the two men who lit up the group match at Eden Park.Allott’s 20 wickets remain a New Zealand record at the World Cup. Boult is currently one behind and it would be a surprise if he did not set a new mark, even if New Zealand’s campaign ends with the semi-final in Auckland. Recently, in an interview with Subash Jayaraman for the Cricket Couch series, Dion Nash said New Zealand “blew it” in 1999 when they lost to Pakistan in the semi-final at Old Trafford. Given the form of the 2015 unit, especially after the way they dispatched West Indies in Wellington, there would be a similar feeling if the final eluded them for a seventh time.Although this New Zealand side has been talked up as their greatest team, there are some similarities with the 1999 crop. In that side, there was a strong batting order and a varied bowling attack, led by Allott and also including Nash and Chris Cairns – well suited to English conditions. As an aside, that was also Daniel Vettori’s first World Cup but he did not play a match.Allott began that tournament with a bang, taking back-to-back four-wicket hauls against Australia and Pakistan highlighted by toe-crushing yorkers; after five games he had 17 wickets before tailing off a little which allowed Warne to equal his mark.In contrast, Boult has hustled up the wicket-taking chart after a merely steady start of five wickets in the opening three matches. Since then he has surged, and so has the team.Now he returns to the scene of his finest one-day performance, for the semi-final against South Africa. Last month, he toppled Australia with 5 for 27, bursting through their middle order with brisk swing bowling. While that remains the stand-out display, it has been his consistency throughout the tournament that has seen him top of the tree.Tim Southee’s returns have diminished since taking 7 for 33 against England – from that moment he has four wickets in 37 overs at an economy rate of 6.51 – but Boult has remained accurate and penetrative. He chipped out 3 for 34 against Afghanistan, 2 for 56 against Bangladesh, during which his first three overs were maidens, and then 4 for 44 in the quarter-final against West Indies.Boult bowled all 10 overs at a go against West Indies, fetching four wickets•Getty ImagesThe display in Wellington, although overshadowed by Martin Guptill’s record-breaking innings, encapsulated all that makes Boult a wonderful bowler. Pace, swing and stamina were on display as he bowled his 10 overs straight through at the behest of Brendon McCullum.Johnson Charles was cleaned up as he moved towards the leg side, before Lendl Simmons was lured by a full delivery and edged to slip the ball after driving a six. Marlon Samuels’ wicket should entirely be credited to Daniel Vettori after his gravity-defying hang-time at third man to pluck out an upper cut, but then it was all Boult’s work as he pinned Denesh Ramdin lbw to grab his 19th tournament scalp and jump back ahead of Starc.Amid the wickets there was also a pinpoint yorker that jammed into Chris Gayle’s boot. Boult is a bowler at the peak of his powers, the ball is doing exactly what he wants. It is a precious skill. And this, too, from a bowler who was only drafted into white-ball cricket shortly before the World Cup having been preserved for Test duty amid doubts whether he was versatile enough for the short format.He has made the most of home conditions, but the ball has not moved in the hands of all swing bowlers the way it has for Boult. Just ask James Anderson who could barely get the ball off straight. In the quarter-final, Jerome Taylor, who has been known to hoop the odd delivery in his time, was gun-barrel straight.Boult’s return to the one-day side, after a gap of 18 months, came against his next opponents, South Africa, during the early-season series which New Zealand lost 2-0. Boult claimed four wickets in the two matches he played, but conceded 70 runs in the second game. However, there is a more recent meeting where Boult’s memories of facing South Africa are far more positive.In New Zealand’s last warm-up match before the World Cup, he bagged 5 for 51, skimming through South Africa’s top order with the swing that has become his trademark. Scalps of Rilee Rossouw, Faf du Plessis, David Miller and JP Duminy were a handy quartet to dislodge regardless of whether their hearts were really in the practice contest. Do not put it past him producing a repeat performance in a match that matters a lot more.