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Plays of the Day for the third day of the second Test between Bangladesh and Pakistan

Siddarth Ravindran19-Dec-2011The missed stumping
On Sunday, Shakib Al Hasan had been within sight of breaking the record for the highest individual Test score by a Bangladesh batsman but didn’t after being run-out due to a poor call from his captain Mushfiqur Rahim. He had shuffled off yesterday after several angry glares at Mushfiqur. There was more reason for him to be displeased with Mushfiqur on Monday. Shakib had Taufeeq Umar, on 56, playing for the arm ball when it actually spun past the pads. Mushfiqur collected and was so sure then was an edge that he jumped up-and-down in appeal without accepting the stumping chance on offer.The bouncer -1
It had been a tough day for Shahadat Hossain, repeatedly overstepping as he strived for pace. He couldn’t get the ball to jag around, and the batsmen dealt with him comfortably despite the high-decibel grunts that showed the effort he was putting into each delivery. He finally got one ball to lift sharply, a perfectly directed bouncer at Taufeeq. Even though Taufeeq was well past 100, he couldn’t get out of the way, and the ball struck his helmet just above the ear, before trickling away for a four towards third man. And to Shahadat’s dismay, it was a front foot no-ball, which meant a total of five runs against his name.The bouncer-2
While Nasir Hossain is a handy bowler in one-dayers, he isn’t quite as effective in first-class matches. He normally bowls offspin, and when he was tossed the ball in the 72nd over, the move nearly worked as the in-form Younis Khan whipped a catch towards deep midwicket, only for it to be dropped. When the second new ball was taken, the quicks had it seaming around, prompting Bangladesh to call on Nasir again, this time to try some medium-pace. The speed was nowhere near express, but when Misbah-ul-Haq casually drove him past mid-on for four, Nasir responded with the usual fast bowlers’ retort – a bouncer. Misbah evaded it, and grinned at the impudence of attempting a 116kph bouncer.The breakthrough
By the third session, Bangladesh’s fielding was ragged, the bowling flat and Pakistan’s batsmen looking forward to a pile of runs. They were buoyed though through a testing spell of quick bowling from Nazmul Hossain. The high point was the wicket of the well-set Taufeeq. First Nazmul had Taufeeq searching for the ball outside off as it nipped away off the seam, and two balls later he induced the outside edge to second slip, ending Taufeeq’s innings on 130.

Is the world’s top allrounder trapped in the wrong sport? Hear it from the man himself

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi21-May-2012What is the secret to being the best allrounder in the world?
Keep working hard, keep doing the right things, and try and contribute to your team.You spent a lot of your teenage years at boarding school. What are the advantages of staying away from home?
You become independent because you have to do lots of things by yourself. If you are home, your family will try and do it all for you.Did you ever cook for your parents when they came to visit you in Dhaka?
I can only cook omelettes. That is the best I can do.Tell us something we don’t know about you.
I always say what is in my heart. I try to control myself but on certain occasions I can’t hold it in. I am very emotional.Has there been a time when you lost your temper while captaining Bangladesh?
I remember during the 2011 World Cup, I made some comments against some former Bangladesh players who were critical of me. I reacted strongly. I do regret that now. At that moment it felt like the right thing, but I have grown up now, I think differently.Five-for or a hundred?
When I got the seven-wicket haul against New Zealand in Chittagong, I was ecstatic. But I will always put a hundred over a five-for because I do not need to work hard on my bowling. That is not the case when it comes to batting.Do you have a hobby outside of cricket?
I like football more than cricket, seriously. I am football-crazy. I would stay up late to follow soccer in Europe. Barcelona, always. If the team hotels do not have football on TV, I will follow it on the internet. I have never been to Camp Nou yet. Maybe next year. I would like to watch Barca play Real Madrid.Your nickname is (after the bird, the mynah). Who gave it?
I was at the High Performance Centre, where most players graduate into the Bangladesh team. Once, during a camp, Naeem Islam, one of my senior Bangladesh team-mates, started calling me for no particular reason. Tamim Iqbal ( – paunchy) and Mushfiqur Rehman ( – short) have funnier nicknames than mine.Recently you came to an Asia Cup press conference in a clown hat. What was that all about?
Someone from the crowd threw me the hat after we made the final. The press conference came immediately after the victory ride. The next match, there were so many fans with similar hats in the ground.Do you agree the Bangladeshi fan is the most emotional in the cricketing world?
Both India and Bangladesh have highly emotional fans.What’s the one question the media should be banned from asking you?
What will happen in tomorrow’s match?What is one thing you can teach Shahrukh Khan?
Perhaps I can teach him how to spin the ball. But I am a little shy in his presence because I don’t know what exactly to say.Is it true that your fans have sent you marriage proposals in blood?
It has happened once or twice. I thought the woman must be really mad. Once, I was in a restaurant, and a lady fan sent me a love letter on a piece of tissue. I did not know who she was, as I did not see her.Is there a match from the past where you wanted to be the player who turned the game on its head?
Either of the innings played by Gautam Gambhir or MS Dhoni for India during the 2011 World Cup final in Mumbai against Sri Lanka. The occasion was such that you couldn’t express it in words. They absorbed the pressure and showed they were capable of playing such an innings. I would have loved to perform in such a situation.What’s the one thing tourists should always do in Bangladesh?
Never leave before tasting , which is an amazing fish dish.What Olympic sport would you buy a ticket to watch?
The 100 metres final. I don’t have any tickets yet for the London Olympics, but if I go there I know someone will help me get in.

Mustafa Kamal’s over-reach was the most controversial feature of his tenure as BCB president

Mohammad Isam22-Oct-2012AHM Mustafa Kamal’s elevation from the position of Bangladesh Cricket Board chief to the ICC vice-presidency is an unprecedented rise for a Bangladesh sports administrator. It also means his time as the head of the country’s cricket is up. During Kamal’s three-year tenure as BCB chief, the senior team won series and matches against top teams and the country co-hosted the 2011 World Cup. Kamal can also take credit for the creation of the Bangladesh Premier League, being one of the few board chiefs in the country trying to take a step towards the decentralisation of the game, and helping the board’s coffers multiply four times than what they were worth at the time he took over.These should be enough for a cricket-board president to be hailed, not merely be described as successful, especially in a country in which the game is highly popular and such achievements are necessary. But there are negatives. A scenario of frustration and confusion, the by-products of Kamal’s leadership, could take years to mend.Kamal’s style of functioning was to assume total control of all matters concerning the board. From matters as minor as the type of grass to use on the Mirpur outfield, to something as crucial as handling Bangladesh’s cricket diplomacy, nothing went past Kamal during his tenure. While he would readily accept his “failure” to bring professionalism to the administration side of the game, his assertive nature did not drive change.That change could have started with the governance structure of the BCB, an archaic one that empowers sub-committees comprising councillors from different parts of the country. Professional executives as councillors, not merely those who’ve qualified on the basis of being attached to a club or an institution, could have been the answer. But it became clear fairly early that Kamal was not going to reform the system.In fact, he went a step further than letting sub-committees or executives function: he did everything himself. The 65-year-old apparel businessman, during these three years, became the most powerful man in Bangladesh cricket.This hands-on approach from a board president may have won some admirers, but it lost its charm when, in only his fourth month in charge, he criticised the team in front of the media with both parties sitting next to each other. Kamal took a swipe at the national team at an award ceremony during the series against India in 2010, taking everyone by surprise. He asked for the team to be “habituated with triumph” saying it would “not be acceptable” if a victory was followed by defeat the following day and asked players to “fine tune their own expectations.” So much so that it gave Shakib Al Hasan, then stand-in captain, an opportunity to stand up and reply to Kamal’s criticism on behalf of the players.The other issue concerned selection which before Kamal took over, had already been a grey area with national selectors being questioned by a working committee. But well into 2010, there were murmurs about the president himself asking for team changes. The selectors were found holding at least three meetings before the team would be approved, and would themselves be unsure when it would be announced. It soon became clear the selectors would reluctantly let the working committee and Kamal have a say in what choices they were making; the Rafiqul Alam-led selection committee had, by then, it was feared, become pliant.Shakib, too, became disenchanted after being only named captain for a single series, asked to lead the side in the absence of the injured Mashrafe Mortaza. At the start of 2011, however, Shakib had his way but soon enough, Kamal struck back. The battle for one name in the World Cup squad went on for several days leading up to the announcement on January 19. When it was time for the press conference, Alam was still in Kamal’s room fighting over the inclusion of a senior batsman, who would end up not playing to expectations.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Kamal explained his style of functioning: “I never thought that my job was to only complete formalities. I wanted to be involved with matters that would help the BCB. I didn’t meddle with internal issues like team selection, selection of playing eleven or even coach selection.”Immediately after Akram Khan replaced Alam as the new chief selector, the former national captain called for greater independence in selecting teams. The practice of meddling with the selectors’ choices, however, it seemed, had been put in place and allowed to proceed.

Kamal, one of the most powerful cricket financiers in the country and a successful businessman, apart from being influential among the powers that be, didn’t give his all when it came to correcting institutional wrongs.

There were questions raised about the squad picked for the 2011 tour of Zimbabwe, as it was announced two days after the selectors had submitted to the president. It was suggested by a number of board directors that an influential, politically-connected board director had pushed for a player, though Shakib later complained that he wasn’t consulted before the naming of the team. Two weeks after the team returned from Harare, Shakib and his deputy Tamim Iqbal were unceremoniously sacked. Kamal maintains he never took the decision on his own. “It was not my own decision, I can’t sack a captain on my own,” he said.The issue over selection came to a head before this year’s Asia Cup, when the chairman of selectors Khan snapped as soon as he saw a team-sheet without Tamim’s name after he had submitted one with it. His resignation was prompt, but Kamal insisted Tamim wasn’t dropped and that he only wanted to question the player’s fitness at the time.”I think these issues were for the board president to deal with,” Kamal said. “For instance, when they sent me a team for approval, I had to consider their recent performance and fitness. But I discussed with the selectors before they made the team, not after.”I am telling you, Tamim Iqbal (before the Asia Cup) was never dropped. I just wanted to give him a message: ‘Behave yourself’. It always seemed as if I was interfering but I never did.”On the cricket diplomacy front, tours to India and Pakistan eluded Kamal. His handling of the proposed tour of Pakistan, which ultimately didn’t happen, hurt many, in both Bangladesh and Pakistan. Kamal maintained the Bangladesh government knew about his intention to see the proposal materialise, but when the tour was ultimately blocked by a petition placed in the Dhaka High Court, it was an embarrassment that could have been avoided.Kamal also drew criticism over the appointment of a national coach, as Vincent Barnes from South Africa turned down an offer, before the board finally chose Stuart Law. In areas where the president’s attention was most required, however, Kamal’s assertiveness was found wanting. He did appoint Manzur Ahmed as the permanent CEO less than a year after he took over, but since Manzur’s death, the board went back to Nizamuddin Chowdhury, who is currently the acting CEO, a post he’d also held in the past.Kamal is willing to admit to some failures: “There’s no professionalism in the cricket board. I have failed in this regard. We are running cricket the way we have in the past. We needed a CEO and a CFO, we should have involved more professional people.”The directors will direct and the executives will execute, only this can bring professionalism. It is not possible according to our constitution; the functional activities is decided by committees, that’s what it says now.”Kamal, one of the most powerful cricket financiers in the country and a successful businessman, apart from being influential among the powers-that-be, didn’t give his all when it came to correcting institutional wrongs. Instead, he tried to be, as much as he could, in the media glare (naming candidates for coaching appointments, and off-the-cuff quotes). After the series against Pakistan last year, Kamal was lucky to not be quoted as he poked fun at one of the Bangladesh players’ fitness issues in front of a group of journalists in his office at the BCB headquarters. Though, one could wonder if he’d be pleased to have his “bold opinion” come out in public.Nazmul Hassan, the new BCB president, would do himself much good if he avoids such brinksmanship, and opt for a more pragmatic, calmer approach. His immediate issues would be to handle the senior team’s head-coach appointment, (if Richard Pybus can’t be convinced to stay for long) the investigation of a Bangladeshi umpire’s involvement in a sting operation for which he was subsequently suspended by the BCB, and find a new broadcaster after the West Indies series in December. Kamal has said he’ll try to solve the coach issue before he leaves.Not many would argue over Kamal’s his influence in starting a new Twenty20 competition, taking strides in regional cricket and ultimately moving to a greater higher position in cricket administration. But some precedents he has set will be hard for Hassan to remove. He would have to be diplomatic, sensible and exercise self-control, something his predecessor fell significantly short of doing.

The Bangladesh Test squad for the West Indies series is likely to be announced next week, and the selectors have plenty to ponder

Mohammad Isam01-Nov-2012Bangladesh could stick to tried and tested players for the two-match Test series against West Indies that begins on November 13, despite question marks hanging over several positions in the team. The national selectors are expected to pick a 15-man squad on November 6, a day after the National Cricket League’s second game ends.”Eighty per cent of the team is confirmed, so we will watch the NCL matches starting on November 2 and name the team the day after this round ends,” chief selector Akram Khan told ESPNcricinfo. “We will look at some players as we will pick options for some positions. Our job is to select the fifteen and the team management picks the XI.”Interim coach Shane Jurgensen however believes that several places are up for grabs as Bangladesh will be playing Test matches after eleven months, a period which has seen some of those regular players losing spots due to injury, poor form or even, in one case, controversy.”I think there is a possibility for a number of players to make their way into the team. We haven’t played Test cricket for a long time. So it might be a tough call for the selectors. But at the moment I can’t comment on selection,” Jurgensen, who has been Bangladesh’s bowling coach before being thrust into the bigger role of head coach after Richard Pybus’ resignation, said.He said he firmly believes match practice is the best way to prepare for a Test series, and the Bangladesh players have some scheduled ahead of the West Indies series instead of the long preparatory camp in Mirpur. “We are doing the best preparation we can by playing four-day cricket. We played a game in the [first-class National Cricket] league and we have seen some very good performances in the first game.”Some young guys played very well and their names might be up for selection as well. That’s what we want to see. There are more four-day games coming up. They will play two four-day games and then they’ll play another game (a three-day warm-up match) against West Indies. So they’ll basically be playing three games in the long version. That’s good enough preparation for me.”Consequently the selection panel’s plate should be full: a new opener, a stable No. 4, a second spinner and a revamped pace attack may be on the cards. The selectors wouldn’t be too stressed if they go in for 12 players who have been regulars in the Bangladesh line-up since the Asia Cup and the Twenty20s from June. But some of those players have delivered sub-par performances, which should make Akram look for new faces. The difference in quality of domestic cricket in the country and the international game, however, prevents a new face from making it directly to the Test team. More importantly, the lack of Test cricket doesn’t allow selectors much of a yardstick by which to judge how – and if – the players have progressed.Hence, Tamim Iqbal is likely to open with either Imrul Kayes or Nazimuddin since both have featured in Bangladesh’s five Tests in the 2011-12 season. At the moment the call is tilted slightly towards a return for Kayes, who was dropped for the Pakistan Tests. Nazimuddin’s weak Asia Cup performance would play a part in Kayes’ return, and since he was picked specifically to balance Tamim’s aggression, a continuation wouldn’t be unlikely.The No. 3 position is also unlikely to see a new face if Shahriar Nafees’ last Test performance is taken into account. But he is not a centrally-contracted player and moreover has a controversy hanging over his head though he continued playing for Bangladesh A last month. Despite the mediocrity expected these days from Mohammad Ashraful, his stability in the Twenty20 team as an opener has probably won him a place in the middle-order. Mahmudullah, who has batted at every position from four to eight, would slot in after Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan, at seven. That would leave Nasir Hossain batting with the tail and Bangladesh playing with eight batsmen.

“There is a long-term plan for Mashrafe Mortaza. He is following a process for his return to international cricket. “He plays the one day internationals and has performed quite well. Unfortunately the longer version of the game is still a bit of a stumbling block. It’ll take some time for him.”Bangladesh’s interim coach, Shane Jurgensen

“I think the middle-order is fine at the moment. Shakib and Mushfiqur will bat at five and six and Mahmudullah will come in after them,” Akram said.Due to the stretched out batting order, the bowling attack will again be heavily dependent on Shakib, who bowled 92 more Test overs than any of his team-mates last year. The selectors are also pinning hopes on Rubel Hossain completely recovering from a shoulder injury. Jurgensen, who has worked closely with the pace bowler, thinks he is in shape after the long lay-off. “I think Rubel Hossain is one of the bowlers who has been performing well before his injury. He had improved a lot,” he said. “At that point of time, he could bowl well no matter what kind of a wicket it was.”Personally as the bowling coach of the team, it was a very sad day for me when he got injured. He is fit now and is bowling in the nets. Now we have to wait and see if he can make it to the squad.”With such thin prospects on the bowling front, Akram still has left-arm spinner Enamul Haque jnr, who has taken more than a hundred wickets in all forms of the game since last season’s NCL, in mind.”This is one spot where everyone performs. I wish I had that luxury in the other areas too. Enamul has been bowling well but it is still early to say [if he’ll be picked],” Akram said. “We are hopeful of Rubel, he bowled well in the first-class game for Khulna.”The team will certainly be without Mashrafe Mortaza as the seamer’s debilitating knees are still not strong enough to withstand the rigours of the longer format, though he has regularly played ODIs and Twenty20s for Bangladesh after recovering from his latest surgery late last year. Jurgensen, who helped Mashrafe in his latest rehabilitation by tweaking his run-up, said the management still has the former captain in their Test plans. “There is a long-term plan for Mashrafe Mortaza. He is following a process for his return to international cricket.”He plays the one day internationals and has performed quite well. Unfortunately the longer version of the game is still a bit of a stumbling block. It’ll take some time for him.”Nineteen players were picked for the five Tests last year and a carry-over of such numbers is expected in a season that has Bangladesh playing Tests in three different countries and varied conditions. Given the trend of selection and form and fitness of some of the players, the selection committee is likely to delve more deeply into first-class cricket.

With the series under India’s control, one of the few questions confronting them is whether the opening combination needs to be rejigged yet again

Sharda Ugra04-Mar-2013The Hyderabad Test is going India’s way even with Australian passages of resistance. If the match threatens to change course – Australia’s best batsman is yet to turn up – there is enough time in the game for India to stem that tide.The series is under India’s control and the “turn and bounce” in the pitch is producing the requisite cocktail. Unlike in Chennai, in this Australian second innings, Bhuvneshwar Kumar opened the bowling, ahead of the more experienced Ishant Sharma. His was a precise, targeted burst of six overs, in which he induced chances from the openers but had both catches put down.If there is still any question mark left lingering from India’s performances in Chennai and Hyderabad, it would be whether the opening combination needs to be rejigged yet again with a call taken on Virender Sehwag’s form.The selectors will meet after the Hyderabad Test to pick the team for Mohali and Delhi and Sehwag will be debated. The selectors are said to have an eye on India’s next away Test tour to South Africa coming winter. Performances against Australia are being studied, it is said, with that tour in mind. In theory, a meeting with Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander without at least a couple of experienced batsmen would appear fatal. Who are the openers in the running to travel that far then?The Sehwag riddle arises from his form, or the lack of it. Starting from the tour of Australia, Sehwag has scored one century and two fifties in his last 21 innings. After the century against England in Ahmedabad, his scores read: 25, 30, 9, 23, 49, 0, 19, 2, 6. In the last five years, his best innings outside the sub-continent has been 67 in Melbourne in December 2011. Outside conditions of comfort, he averages 22.73.M Vijay will definitely get another two Tests following his century and the 370-run partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara that should seal this Test. Should Sehwag be spoken to quietly, the other opening option is left-hander Shikhar Dhawan, who was pulled in following an excellent domestic season. Dhawan is a left-handed replacement for Gambhir, who has gone away and scored 44, 69 and 5 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day tournament for Delhi.Giving Sehwag the nudge may appear the logical thing to do, but who replaces him? There are two choices: one could be to bring back Wasim Jaffer, who has ended feasting on another mammoth domestic season. Jaffer has played 20 of his 31 Tests overseas: in England, West Indies, South Africa and Australia. India won series in the West Indies and England with him. The choice of Jaffer apparently runs contrary to the unwritten “BCCI’s youth policy” whispered to the selectors, a policy which is ruled, it seems, by selective application rather than long-distance vision.On the side of the youth policy, however, there is another silent, not spoken-of candidate who cannot be ignored any more. Ajinkya Rahane has been waiting in the dressing room for more than 12 months since he got drafted to tour Australia.Chief selector Sandeep Patil may have declared that Rahane has been picked as a middle-order batsman, but the middle-order berths in the Indian line-up are full. Dhoni has already said he will go in at No.6 to make room for Ravindra Jadeja in the XI. While India’s middle order is always jammed, the demand for openers never ends, particularly when travelling overseas: Rahane is, at the very least, ready to be tested. The only time to do so between now and South Africa will be the last two Tests against Australia. To stand up against James Pattinson and Peter Siddle in the first session at Mohali won’t be a bad way to check footwork and stomach.Just like this series against Australia has produced both performances and results that will renew the team’s essential faith in itself, the tour of South Africa must act as a laboratory where the imbalances wrought by the tours to England and Australia can be redressed.One more thing: for all the happiness and back slapping from Chennai and Hyderabad, India had another hiccup they would do well to take note of. India lost its last eight wickets for 116 runs once the Vijay-Pujara partnership ended. The Hyderabad pitch has been blamed for much of the problems and questions it poses to fresh batsmen and the importance of set batsmen to stay stuck in. Pujara said on Monday that he thought there was, “a bit of help for the spinners.” The pitch was, “turning a little more and the odd ball is jumping. It’s good for spinners and you have to apply yourself to bat well.” Kohli and Dhoni did put up 56 for the sixth wicket, but the last six wickets fell for 43.Now while 9 for 116 is not the most breathtaking collapse by India at home in the 2000s – that is 9 for 52 against South Africa in Ahmedabad – it is the third time in two years they have gone down such route. In November 2011, it was 9 for 109 versus West Indies in Delhi and a year later, 9 for 105 against England in Mumbai. It says more about the batting than the opposition.

England beat New Zealand comprehensively, but that doesn’t mean we can’t quibble about some of their tactics, which brought domesticated animals to mind

Andy Zaltzman29-May-2013England emerged from the Headingley Test with a thumping win, a series whitewash, a new batting star confirmed after a century of striking quality, and a bowling attack brimming with its old menace. It also emerged with more criticism ringing in its ears than a team with those four things would traditionally expect to receive. Much of it was justified, some a little excessive. They played some spectacular cricket. They also played some baffling cricket. They played much more of the former than the latter, which served to make the latter stand out all the more.New Zealand were completely outplayed, the spirit of their admirable seam attack finally broken by the failures of their own batsmen in the face of a relentlessly demanding technical examination, which they failed as convincingly as a drunken donkey in a driving test. “It is supposed to be ‘Mirror, signal, manoeuvre,’ Mr Donkey. Not ‘hoof through windscreen, bray, graze on the steering wheel’. No, you have not passed. Yes, you may have a carrot.”After an 18-month period in which England have often fallen well short of the high standards to which they aspire – they lost badly in two series, and were saved from a third defeat, in New Zealand, largely by a set of Auckland bails that refused to obey (a) the laws of physics and (b) the traditions of cricket when reprieving Matt Prior early in his match-saving hundred – Cook’s team have, since that crackpot final morning at Lord’s, begun to resemble the team that dismantled their opponents in 2010 and 2011, and crushed India in Kolkata. They ultimately steamrollered their opponents, as the rankings and form-lines suggested they should, albeit that, at times in Leeds, the steamroller was moving almost indiscernibly slowly, whilst the driver had a bit of a snooze.Were England’s tactics “vindicated” or “justified” by the result? Perhaps. Perhaps not. They almost certainly made no difference to the result. If they had enforced the follow-on, England would have won anyway unless something truly, epically extraordinary had happened, and they would have won by a similarly massive margin, probably without so much anxious cloud-gazing. England playing in England in May are, by all measures, a significantly superior side with significantly superior players than New Zealand playing in England in May. To update a stat from a couple of weeks ago, England have now won 26 and lost two of their 36 early-summer Tests since 2000, and the Kiwis have now won two and lost 26 of their last 32 Tests against top-eight opposition since 2004, including seven out of eight in England.”There are many different ways of skinning a cat,” said Alastair Cook in a post-match interview. Cook has a background in farming, and still dabbles in the agricultural arts, so I am prepared to bow to his superior knowledge of animal-skinning. But the point remains that, by the end of their largely woeful first innings, New Zealand were a dead cat. England could choose a number of methods of skinning that cadaverous mog. The fact they ended clutching a successfully skinned cat does not necessarily mean that they chose the most efficient one.A team can win a match convincingly despite having passages when they play moderate-to-unimpressive cricket – and Jonathan Trott’s batting on Sunday evening was pointlessly ineffective, particularly given that he is such a high-class, established and experienced Test player. Personally, like many others, I found England’s strategy and caution to be at best curious, but, given the team’s dominance in the match by that stage, the only influence that their periods of negativity had was to increase viewing figures for the weather forecast.As a Test captain, Cook’s on-field strategy is likely to be less significant than his ability to maintain a unified, focused and determined dressing room, as Andrew Strauss did so effectively during his wildly successful first three years in charge. He also has an arsenal of attacking bowlers that enables him to exercise restraint and patience, safe in the knowledge that, often if not always, their qualities will force a breakthrough.He did not need a great deal of patience in this series, given that England’s bowlers took a wicket every 32.5 balls. This was the third best team strike rate England have achieved in the 229 series (including one-off Tests) they have played since 1896, and the eighth best by any bowling attack in the 582 series of two or more matches that have been played in that time.The only two series in which England’s bowlers have taken wickets struck more frequently since Queen Victoria was still parking her enormous royal bloomers on the throne were the 1912 series against South Africa, when England struck every 30.8 balls, and the 2005 series against Bangladesh (strike rate: 29.3). For fans of irrelevant historical precedents, England also played an Ashes series in both of those summers – and won them both. Whether Australia are more concerned about this curious coincidence, or the form of Anderson, Broad, Finn and Swann, who all averaged under 21 in this series just completed, is none of my business.We should also remember that Cook was heavily criticised for a tactically bold decision in the Auckland Test, when he inserted New Zealand on a flat batting pitch in an effort to give his bowlers the greatest opportunity to take 20 wickets. The match ended with England hanging on grimly, and luckily, for a draw, not because the strategy was wrong – I think it was a good decision, and an aggressive one – but because England bowled and batted limply, and New Zealand played an excellent match.In that game, McCullum decided not to enforce the follow-on, with his side 239 ahead. As with Cook’s similar decision in Leeds, his choice further reduced the possibility of defeat from barely discernible to almost non-existent, and slightly increased the likelihood of failing to win. Bell, Prior and Broad, a hopelessly inert surface, and lashings of luck saved England in Auckland. Cook’s bowlers, a more sporting Headingley pitch, and some meteorological good fortune condemned New Zealand in Leeds.● In his post-match chats, Cook also mentioned the “one-percenters”, those marginal improvements sports teams and individuals seek to make in the hope of tipping the balance crucially in their favour. Perhaps this 1% figure explains why the follow-on was not enforced. By my calculations, in company with my old buddy Statsguru, who is a little less forthcoming on follow-on-related issues than with most other matters, the follow-on has been enforced 298 times in Tests. The enforcing team has lost only three of those matches – 1.007%. They have won 228 of those games, and drawn 67.I could not tell you, without a more time-consuming research foray than my children’s school half-term has allowed, the results for teams which have not enforced the follow-on, but I could find only one instance of a team losing after electing to bat a second time rather than stick their opponents in again. That was the Durban Test between South Africa and Australia in January 1950, an extraordinary match in which South African captain Dudley Nourse, after having the entire rest day to stew over the “to bat or not to bat” quandary, chose not to put Australia back in, and saw his team skittled for 99. He then watched in horror as Neil Harvey scored 151 not out to help Australia recover from 95 for 4 to reached their victory target of 336 with five wickets and 25 minutes to spare. If Kolkata 2001 preyed on Cook’s mind, Durban 1950 clearly did not. Understandably.● Some more on England’s bowlers… Graeme Swann became the first England bowler to return three ten-wicket matches in Tests since Ian Botham, who took his fourth and final ten-for at The Oval in 1981. The only other England bowler of the last 50 years (since Freddie Trueman in 1963) to take three or more ten-wicket hauls is Derek Underwood, who had six ten-wicket matches between 1969 and 1974-75.● Stuart Broad now has 195 Test wickets. He will turn 27 by the time he plays his next Test, leaving him five scalps short of becoming the 11th bowler to take 200 in Tests by the time of his 27th birthday. Only Botham has taken more Test wickets for England in his first 26 years on the planet – 251, in 55 Tests, at an average of 23.6 – and, Broad is the fifth-highest 26-and-under wicket-taker amongst pace bowlers, behind Dale Steyn (211), Botham, Waqar Younis (267) and Kapil Dev (281).● It is likely that, at some stage during the Ashes, barring injury (or the rapid resurrection and cloning of Bradman), Broad, Swann and Anderson will become only the second trio of England bowlers to take the field in a Test with 200 or more wickets under their belts. The only previous time England have had an attack containing three 200-plus-scalpers was when Botham, Bob Willis and Underwood played together in six of England’s seven Tests in the winter of 1981-82. Flintoff, Harmison and Hoggard came close – they last played together in Melbourne in 2006-07, at the end of which they had, respectively, 196, 187 and 235 career wickets.● James Anderson took the last wicket in both innings, his only two wickets in the match. He thus managed to maintain a sequence of having taken at least one wicket in his last 36 innings in home Tests, dating back to his wicketless performances at the Leeds and the Oval in the 2009 Ashes. Anderson does not generally specialise in tail-mopping – 154 of his 307 Test wickets have been top four batsmen.

The Bangladesh top order seemed intent on sticking to their natural games rather than playing to the situation in the Zimbabwe ODIs; maybe it’s time to shake things up by playing only six batsmen instead of seven

Mohammad Isam09-May-2013If Zimbabwe’s 2-1 ODI series victory was fashioned by a collective effort, Bangladesh’s loss could be put down to a collective failure. Most of the Bangladesh batsmen could not decide whether to stick to their own game or play according to the situation. A pragmatic approach would have been suited to the early morning conditions, but even when one of the batsmen headed down that road, it was not wholeheartedly.In all three games, instead, the batsmen played their natural games. It started off well when Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful added 65 for the first wicket in the first match of the series. They went after a rusty bowling attack, but later both were dismissed to deliveries on leg stump. The rest of the batting order didn’t make much use of the start, as they went thrashing about. Soon it was 94 for 4, as they played one bad shot after another.Not much time was spent dwelling on these dismissals or the general lax attitude towards the Zimbabwe bowlers, it seemed. The theme continued in the second match, which was against a better bowling attack that included the pace of Kyle Jarvis. The visiting batsmen kept on playing their shots, and sooner or later, they fell prey to their own attitude rather than the conditions.One would have expected a bit of sobering up in the third game, but once again, nothing changed. This time, admittedly, Bangladesh were first forced into a corner by Brian Vitori’s initial burst, but then three of their most experienced batsmen just gave it away. Captain Mushfiqur Rahim’s slog sweep was caught at deep midwicket after he resurrected the innings. Shakib Al Hasan suddenly lost his composure as he too went for the slog and, in between, Tamim’s heave only took an edge and ended up in the wicketkeeper’s glove.Of the three, to his credit, Tamim did slow the pace purposefully. Two early wickets had had an effect, and for a while he was content at grinding the bowlers rather than playing his own game. Soon enough though, he needed a release and out came the slog. He forgot to shift through the gears one by one, and instead went from first to fifth at one go.He and Shakib have been nondescript performers on this tour, the latter probably still a bit out of touch due to the long injury break. Tamim is the type of batsman who decides for himself how to approach each game. He has been found out in this series, and has to find out a way out of mediocrity.Ashraful had a series to forget, and it will put him under some pressure, he having made a comeback mid-season in Sri Lanka. He played one too many shots in the first two innings, before being knocked over by Vitori’s bounce in the third game.Inability to curb natural instincts apart, there are a few more theories as to why such talented batsmen failed so miserably over three ODIs. One of the popular ones is that that they were complacent, and that notion was backed by Mushfiqur’s affirmative reply when asked about the same after the third game.There was definite complacency to the Bangladesh batting, and that they play seven batsmen probably contributes to this relaxed approach in their shot-making; maybe these top-order batsmen are prone to play their shots when there is batting security in the dressing-room. For example, Nasir Hossain bailed Bangladesh out on three occasions, Mahmudullah also helped out, and even Abdur Razzak managed to carry them to a 250-plus score in the second game.If the talk is about complacency, perhaps there is a need to make the batting line-up more efficient by playing six batsmen instead of seven. There will be more competition for places, and it could solve the problem of the No. 3 position as more batsmen will battle for that spot. By playing seven, the team management maybe courting lethargy, as now everyone in the top order seems to believe there is always someone at six or seven who can clean up their mess.

Recent batting collapses have shown just why West Indies need the dour Shivnarine Chanderpaul in a line-up full of T20 stars

<b>Roger Sawh, Canada</b>15-Jul-2013″Chanderpaul in one-day cricket? He’s too old, man! Brethren, he doesn’t score fast enough, he needs 150 overs! He’s been in so many losses man! Brotha, we’ve got to move on from him!”In the above few lines lies a modern-day cricket mystery that I struggle to comprehend.The West Indies’ one-day international cricket team of 2013 is the personification of the phrase ‘all flash and little substance’. Blessed with a galaxy of stars of the Twenty20 arena, it’s a group that would command an IPL owner’s highest bids with ease and, given 20 overs of operation, would most likely deliver breathtaking results. Sadly for them, T20s and ODIs are entirely different endeavours.On the spectrum of cricket formats, ODIs are thought to be in the middle while T20s and Tests lie at their respective extremes. A closer consideration, though, gives a better idea of things as ODI cricket is closer to Test cricket in nature than T20. Batsmen are required to build innings in ODIs, hence the format necessitates patience, soundness of technique, deep consideration, concentration, and conditional awareness. In T20s, a ‘wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am’ fifty in no time at all is a game-changer, but in ODIs, its effect is not quite as prolific – a steady and calculated approach bears greater fruit in a 50-over war of attrition, as the value of an innings lies not just in the shots and runs, but also in the negotiation of bowlers, spells, fielding restrictions and playing conditions.In the West Indies’ set-up, the vast majority of batsmen either completely lack or inexplicably suppress the rare talent of building an innings. It is a talent that Shivnarine Chanderpaul, an evergreen batsman of close to 300 ODIs who has been producing runs across formats despite approaching the age of 40, has bursting forth from his anti-glare eye patches. It is a gift that the powers that be in West Indies team selection are willfully blind to and, as collapses continue to litter modern-day West Indies cricket history, it is a boon that has been simply deserted.Recent history bears testament to the need for a Chanderpaul-like presence. Throughout the course of the Champions Trophy, when Chris Gayle or Marlon Samuels failed to provide a platform for an innings, the team’s batting would generally be lost at sea. In the just concluded tri-series with India and Sri Lanka, fireworks in Jamaica only temporarily hid the batting unit’s frailties, as the team eventually failed to make their own home series final. Fast forward to Sunday, when Pakistan surgically dismantled the West Indies batting approach on a minefield in Providence, Guyana, and you could see the tumour just grow.After pinpointing the ineptitude of the West Indies batsmen against pressure, and recognising the gaping need for an anchor man, Pakistan simply did what their team has the ability to do – they bowled a consistent and threatening line and length to allow the mentally fragile batsmen to whither in the South American heat. If only there were a stabilizer, a thorn in opposition’s side, a Trott-like gnat to hover annoyingly despite the predator’s fiercest swipes. If only substance had not been jettisoned for style and if only conditional awareness had come into play when the squad was being picked to select a player, any player, who could dig deep and tackle the demons of the pitch and the opposition. Chanderpaul is renowned for prizing his wicket like no other – more often than not, he would have found a way to tough things out.Those who support Chanderpaul completely understand the argument against his inclusion. Quite frankly, though, it doesn’t hold when compared with the need that exists. Across the cricketing world, ODI nations have their best Test batsmen in their line-ups because they recognise that the format requires a chutzpah that great Test batsmen possess. From Amla to Trott to Misbah, there is the knowledge that you need a backbone in an ODI batting line-up, regardless of the lack of glamour. Unless another batsman in the current line-up steps up to do the dirty work, the selectors have to plug the enormous hole in their order.Chanderpaul never retired from ODI cricket – he was a victim of a post-World Cup 2011 purge that placed the blame at his feet for the team’s unsuccessful campaign. He was a scapegoat, and he was thrown away in ODIs for the wrong reasons.Chanderpaul is often described as a ‘crab’ at the crease. Crabs don’t make great entertainers. They don’t drive with elegance or pull with panache. They claw. They scratch. They exist in perpetual commotion with themselves, lacking suave but forever battling against all challenges. For the West Indies, there needs to be a survivor among the showmen; not only to see out the difficulties, but to help them develop strong shells of their own.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line

Many South Africans battled apartheid by continuing to play cricket during the isolation years, refusing to join teams that were based on policies of segregation

Sidharth Monga16-Dec-2013About 35 kilometres south-west of Johannesburg, a metal board with bullet holes welcomes you to Lenasia. Back during the days of apartheid, Indians – mainly from Fordsburg – were forced to settle here. The oppressors didn’t want the oppressed to mingle, and thus possibly unite. Blacks, coloureds and Indians lived separately. The Indians were sent near the Lenz army base, and thus the name Lenasia.This is where Mahatma Gandhi lived, on an unassuming farm far from all population. This is where the first real protest against racial segregation began, where the pass – a document you needed to get to the main town if you were not white – was first burnt. This is where sport became a vehicle of protest, an identity, a reason to live, a cause big enough to risk facing death for.Sport, though, was not black and white in those days. You wanted to play the sport, but you wanted your country to be isolated from international competition. You made sacrifices to play, but you couldn’t join a white team because you would then let the struggle down. You couldn’t allow the establishment to make you the trophy coloured person in the team and parade you to the world. You were a sell-out if you did.Was Solly Kathrada a sell-out? A light-skinned Muslim, Kathrada once tied to enrol for a karate class and was turned down. His Jewish boss enquired about his long face, and then asked him to take his last name, Joffe, because Kathrada had the skin tone to carry it off. Ebrahim Momla, a boxing champion, used to pose as a Lebanese man so he could enter competitions. Essop “Smiley” Moosa, the footballer, played in a whites team under the name Arthur Williams, a garb that didn’t last for more than a game.Cricket was more organised. There were times when Transvaal would be playing Western Province at the Wanderers, and on the same day the same two teams would be playing each other in a non-racial match in an open field in Lenasia, which had four grounds: Turfs 1, 2, 3 and 4. There is a fence around these turfs today, and the grass in the outfield is overgrown. Back in the day, the outfield would be gravel, stones, broken glass, and the pitch a coir mat. When Rohan Kanhai played for Transvaal, the whole of Lenasia would turn up with their baskets of food and thermoses of tea. Basil D’Oliveira was their hero: they were ready to spend any amount of money to be able to send him to play in England.The Lenasia Stadium, situated in Rainbow Valley, was a better facility. Abdul Latief “Tiffie” Barnes scored the first century here. Kanhai scored two. Graeme Pollock’s on-drives broke many a window. Haroon Lorgat, a young chartered accountant back then, began his cricket career here, having moved from Western Province. He was once part of a 400-run partnership. This is where Abbas “Papad” Dinath would go out to bat with poppadoms in his pocket, which he would eat during the innings. This is where Amien Variawa came after he left his sick bed, because he had to beat the white team in a rare match against them. His century helped Haque’s XI beat John Waite’s XI, which had four Springboks, including Ali Bacher.This stadium too was taken away by the city council. Bang in the middle of the Indian settlement, this ground could now be used by white teams only. So one day, knowing full well they would get arrested, with money kept aside for bail, cricketers from two clubs – Pirates and Crescents – “invaded” the field. They didn’t get arrested. It surprised them.Sidharth Monga

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Aslam Khota, now a commentator, was a 21-year-old risking arrest that day. Despite being such an enthusiast and a provincial player in non-racial cricket, Khota first got to see Newlands when he began commentating. Listening to him talk about how big a moment it was to visit Newlands, you wonder how the current Indian team will react when told these stories.Khota and other people of colour had a small segregated enclosure in most grounds – most banned them completely – to watch cricket from. They would go there and obviously support anyone but the Springboks. Their own cricket hardly got any coverage. Khota used to double up as a journalist. He remembers how he once had to struggle for a week to a get a piece published when Hussein Manack, his colleague in the commentary box now, possibly broke a record by taking ten wickets and scoring a hundred in a match in Scotland. He got his break in commentary after many a tape was “lost” after auditions.There has been a case made for how the legends of the Dadabhay Trophy, more famously known as the Howa Bowl, didn’t quite cut it in unified cricket. However, it was not so much about quality as it was about equality. It was about spirit in the face of oppression. Lenasia helped keep the protest alive, by continuing to play, by refusing to join teams based on policies of segregation.Lenasia has its own challenges today. There’s crime on the outskirts and metal boards with bullet holes in them. Inside, it’s peaceful, although the population is still mostly those of Indian descent, which cannot be ideal. You listen to Khota and his friends, and story after story of struggle flows out. And not just from Lenasia or Indians or cricket. It’s about sport, about life, about the struggle to live with dignity. You can listen to these all day. They must be preserved. Even though that struggle is over, kids must be told these tales in their mothers’ laps. Lest freedom be taken for granted.

The 1-0 series win over India embellished South Africa’s strengths and reputation. The team, however, needs to find a lead spinner and adopt a forward-thinking outlook to prepare for life without Jacques Kallis

Firdose Moonda in Durban31-Dec-20130:00

Steyn and de Villiers stand out

If the South African Test team believed in omens, they may have been concerned about the one staring them in face before this India tour. Before the tour, they had been undefeated in 13 series. Fortunately, they don’t need lucky numbers to keep winning.Instead the figures worked in their favour. One is the most important number, because that’s the margin by which they sealed the series victory, but there are many others for them to take heart from as they extended their lead at the top of the Test rankings. They took their count of Test wins in this calendar year to seven with only one defeat, and gained two points in the Test rankings to widen the gap between themselves and their nearest challenger, India, to 16.That distance will come in handy because South Africa have a dearth of Test cricket in the next 12 months. February’s series against Australia is their biggest challenge, followed by matches against Zimbabwe away and West Indies at home. At least they know they are almost fully equipped for those tussles.From this India series, South Africa regained the form of the two batsmen in their batting line-up who were lacking it, reconfirmed the value and skill of their pace trio and reclaimed as their own the one ground in the country that was considered an away venue. Those gains will go some way in offsetting the questions that still exist over who their best spinner is and the loss of their greatest-ever player.Faf du Plessis and Alviro Petersen ended as South Africa’s highest and joint second-highest run-scorers of the series. Du Plessis’ century in Johannesburg illustrated the arts of patience and determination and proved that what he did in Adelaide 13 months ago was not a once-off. Importantly, it came with him batting at No.4, which will be an indication to South Africa that he is the best candidate to step into the gap Jacques Kallis has left. Du Plessis has the technique and temperament to anchor an innings so others can bat around him.Faf du Plessis’ gritty knock in Johannesburg has shown that he has the potential to fill in the No. 4 spot in the Test team•AFPPetersen went into this series with a string of sub-30 scores to his name. In nine innings before the Johannesburg Test, he had failed to cross 30 once. In his first knock at the Wanderers, he scored 21. Under pressure in the second innings, with South Africa in the red, he composed a careful 76 and shared a century stand with Graeme Smith.He followed that up with another hundred-run partnership with the captain in Durban, in which Petersen also raised his bat to a half-century. Although India’s attack did not pose the same challenges as Pakistan – the latter’s variations make them tougher – that he came through the India series unscathed will have bought him time in the team. Du Plessis and Petersen were South Africa’s main worries in their line-up before this series and for both to have proved themselves again sets them up well for 2014.Kingsmead was the other concern. Located in the heartland of the largest Indian expat area in South Africa, it has gained a reputation for favouring opposition. South Africa’s two most recent defeats there were against subcontinental opposition and, with India visiting this time, it seemed the conspiracy would continue.The pitch was not a typical home surface – on appearance and in the way it played. It was slow, sans much pace and carry, offered little for the seamers and was difficult to score freely on. Despite that, South Africa found a way. Dale Steyn helped himself to what he has called one of his best five-fors in the game and notched up his 350th wicket – in the same year he also took his 300th – giving yet another demonstration of why he is the most highly-rated bowler in the world. Vernon Philander showed he has the ability to adapt to surfaces of this nature while Morne Morkel continued to be miserly, quick and extract bounce.

More pressing will be adjusting to life without Kallis. South Africa need only look at India, who played their first series without Sachin Tendulkar, to see that it can be done but they will have to think carefully about how they’re going to go about it.

There are no problems in South Africa’s pace department, with plenty in reserve, which will set up an intriguing battle of the bowlers against Australia, but there is a worry in their spin cupboard. Neither Imran Tahir nor Robin Peterson is the answer. The former’s confidence took a knock on an unhelpful surface at the Wanderers and he returned to bad, old habits of offering full tosses. The latter ended the Durban match with four wickets but that can be considered flattering.Peterson was largely unthreatening – two of his scalps were off terrible shots, another one went to a sterling catch and the fourth was not out. Sometimes that kind of luck is what it takes to spark a run of good form, so he may have that on his side, along with his contributions with that bat, but South Africa still need to keep looking. They have Simon Harmer and Eddie Leie knocking on the door, but may not want to introduce either against Australia, although they could be called on later next year.More pressing will be adjusting to life without Kallis. South Africa need only look at India, who played their first series without Sachin Tendulkar, to see that it can be done but they will have to think carefully about how they’re going to go about it.Kallis’ worth was evident more in his last Test than it had been throughout the year. He scored a typically circumspect century to lay the platform for the win and bowled his share of overs in the first innings. The balance he adds to the team will take some re-strategising to maintain in his absence.Allrounders, especially pace-bowling ones, are hard to come by and while Ryan McLaren is one option, South Africa will have to sift through a few other ideas. Du Plessis should move to No. 4. They could then bring an extra batsman, specialist wicket-keeper or bowler in at No.7.Apart from the changes in personnel that will take place, South Africa will also need a change of mindset. As Smith said, the person who comes is not Kallis’ replacement because there is no such thing. That cricketer will simply be another player trying to fulfill a certain role.That’s the right approach – a positive, forward-thinking mindset, which South Africa were accused of lacking after the Wanderers Test. They came within eight runs of the highest successful chase in Test cricket history and chose to play for the draw because they did not want to lose. Giving up on a chance to make history was seen as too conservative and defensive.It was also seen as a fear of failure. After Durban, South Africa did not have reason to regret not going for broke in Johannesburg. Even though it will not stop people wondering whether a lingering fear of failure still exists in the South Africa change-room, surely after 14 unbeaten series, there is not much to be afraid of.