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Sri Lanka undone by inconsistency – Ford

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Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford said his side had positives to take from a 3-0
drubbing in Australia, but had ultimately been undone by inconsistency

Andrew Fernando07-Jan-2013Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford said his side had positives to take from a 3-0 drubbing in Australia, but had ultimately been undone by inconsistency, after Australia completed the whitewash with a five-wicket win in Sydney. Previously in the series, Sri Lanka had been close to achieving a draw in Hobart, where they were bowled out with only 10.4 overs remaining until stumps on day five, but had also sunk to their third-heaviest defeat in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.The visitors could not dominate Australia throughout the series, and also
conceded substantial first-innings deficits in each match. The batsmen
could only muster one score in excess of 300, and only once batted out a
session without losing a wicket.Sri Lanka were also sloppy in the field, particularly in Melbourne where
five chances went down in Australia’s innings, and did not sustain
pressure on Australia with the ball. Their poor use of the DRS also
contributed to their failure.”We’ve got to look at ourselves and accept there were areas where we were
short and consistency is an important thing,” Ford said. “There were
periods when we were every bit as good as the Australians, but we weren’t
able to sustain that. We had the odd session every now and then when we set
ourselves back quite badly.”Ford said Sri Lanka were encouraged by their performance in Sydney,
particularly as their batting in the last Test was driven largely by
contributions from the side’s young batsmen. Twenty three-year-old Lahiru
Thirimanne’s 91 was the highest score in the first innings, while Dimuth
Karunaratne, 24, top-scored in the second innings with 85. Dinesh
Chandimal, 23, then helped his side recover from a middle-order collapse,
as he batted with the tail to take Sri Lanka’s lead to 140. He made 62 not
out, having forged a 41-run partnership with Nuwan Pradeep for the last
wicket.”A couple of the young guys who have been given opportunities have shown
that they can play at this level. What I was happy with on the final day
was the pride and the passion and the way they went out and fought. A lot
of people didn’t feel the Test would continue for as long as it did. A chap
like Nuwan Pradeep going out and handling some nasty pace he wasn’t
equipped to handle – he really showed some character, along with young
Chandimal. The boys certainly never gave up in the field until the last run
was scored.”I think what’s been positive is that the young batsmen have handled their
time out of the side so well. They’ve kept working on their game and kept
talking about how they will be absolutely ready when they do get their
chance. Attitude is just so important in a touring group. They’ve showed
the perfect attitude and when the chance has come their way, they’ve really
grabbed it.”Ford also defended Thilan Samaraweera’s shot selection, after the batsman
had perished in the second dig to a top-edged swipe across the line to
Nathan Lyon, off the third ball of his innings. Samaraweera had struggled
for form throughout the series, and made 79 in six innings.”That’s the nature of the game. We see highly experienced players make
decisions that don’t work on the particular day. Looking at the bigger
picture, what was disappointing for me, and I said it after the press
conference, is that we could have perhaps squeezed out a few more runs in
that first innings. And we could have squeezed out a few more in the second
innings as well.”

Rohit ready should he be picked

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Rohit Sharma has said that he is mentally ready should he be asked to make his Test debut at the SCG on Tuesday

Sidharth Monga at the SCG01-Jan-2012Rohit Sharma has said that he is mentally ready should he be asked to make his Test debut at the SCG on Tuesday. If he is asked to play, it will be in the place of Virat Kohli, who has scored 107 runs in seven Test innings away from home. Kohli was dropped after a disappointing tour of the West Indies, and then scored two fifties against the same side when recalled for a home Test. In the first Test of this series, he scored 11 and 0.Rohit said he has to stay mentally prepared all through the tour, even if he doesn’t get a game. “Of course [I’m ready],” he said. “I don’t want to be unprepared. My preparation has to be 100%. It doesn’t matter if I am playing or not. Preparation has to always be the same. I have to be ready [to play] each and every time. Because you never know, somebody might get injured on the day of the Test. You have to be ready.”Rohit should know about injuries on the morning of a Test: one he suffered during the warm-ups cost him his Test debut in Nagpur, against South Africa, in early 2010. Under MS Dhoni, India have been known to given players a decent run before dropping them, if required. Keeping that in mind, smart money has to be on Kohli getting another chance.They haven’t been told either way as of now. “As far as the team combination is concerned, we have not decided anything yet,” Rohit said. “Maybe tomorrow we will have a better idea as to what the wicket will be like. Probably by tomorrow I will be told whether I am playing or not.”Rohit said the morale in the team is “very good” right now. “We really had a good time off,” he said. “We had a team get-together yesterday, which was nice. And we got back again today to see how we are going to take it forward. We don’t want to think about what has happened. We need to focus on what we have to do now. The process is still on. Hopefully things will turn around for us.”We spoke about what went wrong, and what we need to do, and stuff like that. Which always happens, whether you win or lose. That is nothing new for us. As I said, we need to keep doing the right things.”Rohit gave credit to the Australian bowlers for their performance at the MCG, but denied the notion that the Indian batsmen might be shaken up or intimidated. “Not shaken up,” he said. “They really bowled well, we need to accept that. Our batters also batted well in the first innings, but somehow we didn’t manage that in the second. Credit goes to their bowlers.”

Ferguson ton gets South Australia home

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An unbeaten century from Callum Ferguson delivered victory to South Australia and ended Tasmania’s eight-match unbeaten streak in domestic one-day games

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2010
ScorecardCallum Ferguson posted his second domestic limited-overs century•AFP

An unbeaten century from Callum Ferguson delivered victory to South Australia and ended Tasmania’s eight-match unbeaten streak in domestic one-day games. Ferguson finished on 101 and hit the winning runs to get the Redbacks to their target of 223 with 14 deliveries to spare, after one costly Jason Krejza over all but confirmed the result.The Tigers were fighting to stay in the contest when Krejza was handed the ball with 27 needed off 24 balls, but Daniel Christian quickly blew Tasmania out of the game with a powerful display. He blasted Krejza for three fours and two sixes to bring his team within three of victory, before blocking the final ball of the over to finish on 31 from 11 deliveries, ensuring Ferguson would have a chance to reach triple figures at the other end.Ferguson brought up his second one-day century with a pull for two through midwicket off James Faulkner, reminding the Australian selectors of his form after he was part of the expanded squad for the first Ashes Test. He combined with Tom Cooper (52) in a 122-run partnership that guided South Australia to their strong position, after they also took the one point for leading at the halfway point.Tasmania chose to bat but found the Bellerive pitch a little slow, and Peter George (2 for 37) proved especially difficult to get away. Ed Cowan guided the Tigers to 2 for 76 after their first block of overs, which wasn’t enough as Ferguson steered South Australia to 3 for 79 after their initial 20-over effort.Cowan finished with 62 but couldn’t see the innings through to its completion when he was caught in the deep trying to slice Chris Duval over point. A quick 40 from 26 balls from Luke Butterworth helped Tasmania force their way to 222, but Duval (3 for 33) and Christian, who took 3 for 55, troubled the lower order and dismissed the Tigers in their 45th over.

Queensland eye Kemar Roach for next season's Big Bash

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Queensland are keen on signing West Indies fast bowler as their overseas player for the Twenty20 Big Bash in 2010-11

Cricinfo staff27-Dec-2009Queensland are keen on signing West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach
as their overseas player for the Twenty20 Big Bash in 2010-11. The Australians were impressed with his pace during West Indies’ recent Test tour of the country and the state side wanted to sign him up for the upcoming Twenty20 season but the West Indies Cricket Board declined to release him due to concerns over his workload.Queensland chief executive Graham Dixon has confirmed that they were in negotiations with Roach’s manager over the last three weeks. They recently signed New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori for a short Twenty20 stint.”We’ve been talking to Roach for some time now,” Dixon told the . ”The definite feedback we’ve got from his manager, as recently as (Wednesday), is that Roach wants to play for us. Our talks heated up in Adelaide [during the second Test] and we had to wait for the Test to finish in Perth.”By then Kemar had some wear and tear and the WICB had some concerns about his body and we understand that. As a young guy, they want him for 10 years. Unfortunately, with the niggling injuries he’s had, we couldn’t get the clearance from the West Indies for him to come for even part of the [Big Bash] tournament, so we went back to Daniel Vettori. This time it hasn’t worked out, but we’ll see how we are placed next summer.”Dixon said he had acted on the recommendations by Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden, both Bulls players, who were impressed by Roach’s tearaway pace. Since making his international debut for West Indies during the home series against Bangladesh this year, he has taken 20 wickets in five Tests and 16 wickets in seven ODIs. He bowled a spectacular yorker to get rid of Shane Watson, first ball, during the Champions Trophy in South Africa.Roach also bruised Ricky Ponting’s left elbow with a brutal delivery and sent the Australian captain to hospital during the third Test in Perth.”Kemar would be a great drawcard,” Dixon said. ”His X-factor is his pace and he would be great in Twenty20. We’ve taken some advice from Andrew Symonds and Matt Hayden and they think Roach would be a great fit for our side.”The fast bowling aspect of Kemar really appeals to the coach, the players and the selectors. It’s rare to find a guy who can bowl 150 kmh. He would certainly give us an edge. The more that young man bowls, the more attractive he will be to six states, not just one.”Four West Indies players have been signed up for the forthcoming Big Bash, including Chris Gayle (Western Australia), Dwayne Bravo (Victoria), Kieron Pollard (South Australia) and Dwayne Smith (New South Wales).

Ward fifty sets up Sussex win, McAndrew haul finishes it

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Nathan McAndrew’s 6 for 21 seals Sharks’ second win over Glamorgan this season

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay14-Jun-2025Sussex Sharks completed a double over Glamorgan thanks to 6 for 21 from Australian international Nathan McAndrew to give the visitors a 27-run win at Sophia Gardens.A strong all round performance kept Sussex occupying an all-important top spot in the South Group of the Vitality Blast at the halfway stage.Harrison Ward set the tone for the innings for Sussex with 55 from 24 balls inside the powerplay despite appearing to pull a muscle in the innings which prevented him from fielding. All of Sussex’s top order contributed to send them to 199 for 7.Despite Dan Douthwaite’s quickfire 40 and Colin Ingram’s 21-ball 37 kept Glamorgan in the chase before they fell to 172 all out.Sussex began strongly after opting to bat first with the sun still beating down at Sophia Gardens. Ward’s season best despite being hampered came through a liking to Timm van der Gugten, taking 22 from the third over.Ward’s striking continued, particularly with destructive hitting straight and over deep midwicket, reaching a half-century in just 20 balls, his knock inside the powerplay thanks to van der Gugten getting his revenge with a bouncer.John Simpson found his rhythm for a well-managed 41 from 26 balls from five off seven. Similarly James Coles, who has helped the Sharks to three wins with two unbeaten half-centuries already this season, had a license to free himself, taking Mason Crane for 19 in an over on his way to a useful cameo.The Sussex scoring didn’t let up with 10-an-over the norm after the second over until the late fightback with three wickets in four balls courtesy of Glamorgan top wicket-taker Crane and Douthwaite in the 18th and 19th overs.Imad Wasim impressed on debut for Glamorgan and was pick of the bowlers, being the most restrictive in the powerplay, and he brought a wicket at an important time while the other spinners also played key parts with wickets and economy between them.In reply, Glamorgan struggled to string a partnership together when chasing their highest total so far this season.The hosts didn’t find the same destructive powerplay prowess as the Sharks did, however a free-flowing Ben Kellaway added to the newfound form of Ingram made sure run-rate was never an issue.Kellaway had to retire hurt when he reverse-swept a ball into his helmet after damaging internationals Ollie Robinson and Tymal Mills early in his innings with swats down the ground and exquisite cover-driving.South Africans Ingram and Chris Cooke kept Glamorgan afloat until Cook’s dismissal prompted Kellaway’s return. Shortly after though, Ingram and Kellaway were dismissed in the same over by McAndrew, conceding just three from the 12th over.Douthwaite entered with the equation: 93 from 8.3 overs, immediately after the mini-collapse. The all-action allrounder, together with Asa Tribe had already put on an unbeaten 64 partnership to see them home from an unlikely position in their T20 opener. Douthwaite’s five sixes in an 18-ball innings, left the equation at 41 to win from 3.5 overs.A collapse came once more with Glamorgan going out swinging in an unlikely attempt to chase after Douthwaite’s dismissal, giving McAndrew three wickets in the 19th and eventual final over.

Southee admits NZ bowlers 'did not apply pressure long enough'

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“There’s many things you can look back on and as a side, you’re just looking to improve and learn from this”

Mohammad Isam02-Dec-2023Lack of batting partnerships and accurate bowling for long periods brought New Zealand’s downfall in Sylhet, according to their captain Tim Southee, after the visitors went down by 150 runs for their first Test defeat in Bangladesh. The two sides went toe-to-toe at the end of their respective first innings, but the home side pulled ahead with a strong performance in the third innings, before bowling out New Zealand for 181 on the fifth morning.Southee said that Bangladesh were accurate for longer periods and praised his opposite number Najmul Hossain Shanto for striking an opportune century.Related

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“You look at the way that the Bangladesh bowlers were able to apply pressure for a long period of time. I think we did it in periods, but we probably didn’t do it for long enough,” Southee said.”You are always looking at partnerships as a batting unit. I think Shanto played a great innings. It was obviously a very timely one as well, given the situation of the game. There’s many things you can look back on and as a side, you’re just looking to improve and hopefully, learn from this and move forward in a few days.”I think the Bangladesh bowlers bowled well, and very accurate, and in the way they bowl and the style they bowl, we know that in this part of the world, it tends to get harder to bat as the Test moves on. It tends to take a little bit more turn and a little bit more variable bounce. You just need a couple of partnerships.”Southee insisted that New Zealand chose the best playing XI in Sylhet as the likes of Kyle Jamieson, Ajaz Patel and Ish Sodhi have been performing well recently, especially in the subcontinent.”You look at the conditions and you look at the squad you’ve got, and you pick your best XI. You look at the bowling group and KJ (Kyle Jamieson) has been a phenomenal performer for us.”Ish Sodhi was the Player of the Series in the last series that he played, and AJ (Ajaz Patel) has been a great bowler for us in this part of the world. I think you look at it at the start of the Test, and you pick your strongest side, which you think is going to win you the game.”New Zealand also batted at a slower pace than Bangladesh, which many felt bogged them down in pressure situations. Southee defended his batters’ style of play compared to Bangladesh’s attacking mantra.”I think it comes back to the nature of the play. I think Kane Williamson likes to absorb pressure in different ways to someone like Darryl Mitchell.”I think it’s about trusting your own style and the only way you go about it. If you look at Shanto’s method, it is different to someone like Mominul’s. So it’s about how you go about it and trusting your way,” he said.Southee, however, said that tiredness wasn’t a factor in New Zealand’s performance in Sylhet.”There’s been a number of fresh guys coming in. Three or four of them have been playing domestic cricket. We had a little bit of a break after the World Cup. I think as players, you know that it’s a busy schedule. You know what’s in front of you.”You’re trying to freshen up as well as you can. The guys were in good spirits before this. It’s been a long time on the road for some but that’s part and parcel of being an international cricketer.”

'We had warned her' – Deepti Sharma on the Charlie Dean dismissal

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Heather Knight, however, has said that the Indians hadn’t warned the batter and were “lying” about it

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-2022Was Deepti Sharma running Charlie Dean out at the non-striker’s end at Lord’s on Saturday a plan India had worked out in advance? Or was it an instinctive decision?According to Deepti, who stopped in her bowling stride and whipped off the bails at the non-striker’s end to complete a 3-0 sweep over England, it was a plan, but one that was formulated after a warning. Leaving aside the spirit of the game for a moment, according to cricket law, the fielding team is well within its rights to run batters out for backing up too much without any warning.Upon India’s return to Kolkata on Monday, Deepti was asked about the dismissal, and she said, “Nothing, it was our plan because she repeatedly… we had warned her also. We did it according to the rules and guidelines.”When pressed specifically about whether she had warned anyone about Dean leaving the crease early, Deepti said, “Yes, yes definitely we did say because we told the umpires. But still she was there so we couldn’t do anything.”Did India feel they had to win because it was Jhulan Goswami’s last game? “Every team wants to win and we wanted to win and give her a good farewell,” Deepti said. “So going by that, as a team we did what we could, we put that effort in.”That should have been that on the incident, but Heather Knight, England’s regular captain who has been out of action following hip surgery, added a twist by saying that Dean hadn’t been warned by the Indian players. “No warnings were given,” she tweeted on Monday, adding, “if they’re comfortable with the decision to affect (sic) the run out, India shouldn’t feel the need to justify it by lying about warnings”.

Deepti’s answers seem to contradict her captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s in the aftermath of the game on Saturday. At the post-match press conference, Harmanpreet was asked if she knew Deepti was preparing to run the non-striker out for backing up too far and she said, “No, I wasn’t aware. And that’s what I’m saying, I’m actually happy she [Deepti] was aware because she was bowling from both ends in the middle and she knew she [Dean] was going and I think it was her awareness.”A detailed analysis by ESPNcricinfo’s Peter Della Penna, who checked every delivery of England’s innings since Dean’s arrival at the crease, showed that she had left the crease early 72 times, before being dismissed on the 73rd occasion.

Dean’s dismissal, leaving England 16 short, triggered widespread spirit-of-cricket debates. Several prominent England cricketers, including Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Sam Billings, tweeted their displeasure at the dismissal. Others, like Alex Hales – currently on a comeback trail with the England T20I squad – backed Deepti’s act, saying, “it shouldn’t be difficult for the non-striker to stay in their crease till the ball has left the hand”.At the presentation, after she had led India to an ODI series win in England after 23 years, Harmanpreet told the official broadcaster that no “crime” had been committed.”Today, whatever we have done, I don’t think it was any crime,” she had said. “It is part of the game and is an ICC rule, and I think we just need to back our player.Related

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  • 'Part of the game' – Harmanpreet defends Deepti running out Dean

  • Reactions: 'Don't make the laws of cricket conflict with its spirit'

“I’m actually very happy she [Deepti] was aware of that, and the batter is taking too long a stride. I don’t think she has done something wrong.”On Sunday, the MCC, which is the custodian of the laws of the game, issued a statement saying, “The Law is clear, as it needs to be for all umpires to be able to easily interpret throughout all levels of the game and at all moments in the game.”Cricket is a broad church and the spirit by which it is played is no different. As custodians of the Spirit of Cricket, MCC appreciates its application is interpreted differently across the globe. Respectful debate is healthy and should continue, as where one person sees the bowler as breaching the Spirit in such examples, another will point at the non-striker gaining an unfair advantage by leaving their ground early.”MCC’s message to non-strikers continues to be to remain in their ground until they have seen the ball leave the bowler’s hand. Then dismissals, such as the one seen yesterday, cannot happen. Whilst yesterday was indeed an unusual end to an exciting match, it was properly officiated and should not be considered as anything more.”

Will Jacks cracks 70 from 24 as Surrey romp to London Derby victory

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Sam Curran stars with four wickets on return to action as Middlesex go down

ECB Reporters Network10-Jun-2021Surrey 223 for 7 (Jacks 70) beat Middlesex 169 for 9 (Stirling 58, S Curran 4-29) by 54 runsWill Jacks’ blistering half-century saw Surrey beat London rivals Middlesex by 54 runs at Lord’s in their first game of the 2021 Vitality Blast campaign.Jacks sent the hosts’ bowling to all parts as he plundered 70 in 24 balls with five sixes and nine fours in Surrey’s total of 223 for 7. Jacks’ half-century, in 15 balls, was English cricket’s third fastest in history. Surrey’s total was the highest ever achieved in a domestic T20 magtch at Lord’s.Paul Stirling, fresh from international duty with Ireland hit a spirited 58 in reply, but Sam Curran claimed 4 for 29 as Middlesex could only muster 169 for 9Faced with a Middlesex new-ball pairing of Ethan Bamber and Blake Cullen, with only one previous Blast appearance between them, Jacks wasted no time powering three boundaries from the former’s opening over.Bamber’s next saw Jacks hit him for six behind square, before launching a second blow into the Grandstand.The 50-stand with Jason Roy came up in the fourth over, Jacks celebrating by clubbing Cullen for a huge six. His fifty came in just 15 balls with three sixes and eight fours and two more massive shots into the stands followed.A century looked a certainty but a comedic mix-up caused him to be run out by Chris Green’s underarm throw.Roy went on to make 45 before being bowled by Nathan Sowter but Middlesex compounded their misery when Cullen bowled two head-high no-balls which Tom Curran despatched for six. The youngster was immediately removed from the attack by the umpires.Only Green with 1 for 25 and Sowter, 3 for 40, emerged from the carnage with credit.Tasked with chasing a target of 224, the hosts were looking to Stirling for inspiration and he soon responded with a huge straight six off Matt Dunn.Opening partner Stevie Eskinazi caught the mood taking three fours from one Sam Curran over as 50 came up in 26 balls.Stirling despatched Jordan Clark into the Mound Stand before striking Dunn for successive maximums to reach his fifty in 22 balls. But on 58 he suffered the same fate that befell Jacks earlier when he was run out by Tom Curran’s sharp return.Curran was in the action again when his stunning one-handed catch off the bowling of Dan Moriarty saw the end of Eskinazi for 36.As the required rate climbed, Eoin Morgan struck successive sixes, but when he holed out in the deep for 32 Middlesex’s hopes of victory fizzled out.

Tim Paine's performance the highlight of the summer for Justin Langer

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The Australia coach gave the Test team eight out of ten after they won every match by a big margin

Andrew McGlashan07-Jan-2020It was Marnus Labuschagne’s summer, David Warner hit a triple century, Nathan Lyon had a career-best season and Pat Cummins remained the No. 1 bowler in the world, but when pressed to pick his highlight of Australia’s 5-0 home Test campaign, coach Justin Langer singled out captain Tim Paine.On the back of retaining the Ashes and now leading the side to a sweep of the summer against New Zealand and Pakistan, Paine has gone from an emergency captain in times of crisis to a likely longer-term leader with visions of taking the side through to 2021.For Langer, it has been both Paine’s leadership and his work behind the stumps that stood out even though his performances did not produce the headline-grabbing feats of many of his team-mates. But in Melbourne, Paine had one of his finest all-round games too, with a bustling 79 and eight dismissals with glovework that remained almost faultless all season.ALSO READ: Marnus Labuschagne leads a summer for Australia to savour, but not for long“Highlight of the summer would be Tim Paine’s captaincy and wicketkeeping,” Langer said. “People will be going ‘what about Marnus?’. I could tell a story about the comeback of Mitchell Starc after playing only one [Ashes] Test match. I could talk about David Warner’s 300 and how well he’s batted after what’s happened in the Ashes. I could talk about Nathan Lyon again, what a role he plays. I could talk about Pat Cummins being the best fast bowler in the world. I could talk about Travis Head’s hundred. I could talk about Matthew Wade letting [Neil] Wagner hit him over and over again.”I could talk about every one of our players but I think Painey’s leadership, strategically and tactically, has been excellent. The way he took to the [focus of the] Test Championship, the way he kept wicket, a few of his innings, I thought Painey was brilliant this summer. And of course Marnus was great too.”Tim Paine was delighted with his work to stump Henry Nicholls•Getty Images

Langer said that the five Test victories by such convincing margins had “probably” exceeded expectations and gave the season an eight out of ten when asked to rate it. “After the Ashes, we needed to get better. We needed to get tougher,” he said, before explaining where the extra points could come from. “We dropped a few catches, a few run outs, a few of the boys got starts they would have liked hundreds. There’s always room for improvement.”Even during the difficult times Australia have had over the last 18 months, the bowling attack was rarely an issue. The biggest success of the season has been stabilising the top order through Warner’s run-glut against Pakistan and then the series-ending hundred at the SCG, his productive partnership with Joe Burns – even though Burns’ returns were more modest – and Labuschagne’s stunning output at No. 3. It meant that a more modest season for Steven Smith, who averaged under 40 and did not score a century, was barely noticed although some of Smith’s contributions against New Zealand were vital.”We talked about a couple of things when we came back from the Ashes. One was cementing our top three. I think we’ve done that. The second one was winning after winning. We had to get better after that. I think we did that right throughout the summer,” Langer said. “What [Marnus] has done is mind-blowing, really. It’s a great credit to his mental and physical endurance. It’s a great credit to his humility that he’s been able to stay so grounded through it all.”Don’t underestimate the impact Steve Smith had on this series. He didn’t get the big hundreds and the big accolades but he chewed up a lot of balls when it really mattered in the first innings. He was outstanding without doing the superhuman stuff he did in during the Ashes but he had a great series.”Australia’s next Test assignment is two matches against Bangladesh in June. Before then there is a return to limited-overs cricket with the one-day squad leaving for India on Thursday – a trip Langer will miss as he takes a break, handing over to Andrew McDonald – then a T20I and ODI tour of South Africa in late February. The men’s home summer splutters back into life for three ODIs against New Zealand in mid-March before a trip across the Tasman for three T20Is.

There was no pressure of scoring a Test hundred – Babar Azam

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For a man with a supposed inaptitude to Test cricket, Babar Azam does end up with an awful lot of big scores in the format

Danyal Rasool25-Nov-2018For a man with a supposed inaptitude to Test cricket, Babar Azam does end up with an awful lot of big scores in the format. In his last four Test innings, the 24-year old has managed 92, 62, 13 and an unbeaten 127 on Sunday. It was his fifth 50-plus score in 10 innings this year, in which he averages nearly 68 with the bat. What Test inaptitude?A quick glance through his run tallies across his fledgling career will answer that question, and explain his great relief at the innings he played on the second day in Dubai. For all of his prowess in 2018, Babar had never yet managed a three-figure score in this format, all the while scoring hundreds for fun in ODIs; he scored, remember, three of them in a row a couple of years back against West Indies. Besides, before 2018, his career average in Tests was under 24. It was nothing short of remarkable to see him struggle to get starts, given if you coloured the ball white and clad him in green, he would have surpassed that before your kettle had boiled.It is an obscene simplification, of course, but obscenely simple is what Babar makes batting look. It would be particularly self-indulgent to assume saying this adds to the weight of expectations on him, but Pakistan haven’t had a middle-order batsman so cut out across formats since Inzamam-ul-Haq hung up his boots. There was, for a short while, the false dawn of Umar Akmal, but Babar keeps showing, time and again, he is the real thing. This was a player, still a very young player, mind you, seeing his ability to be competitive in Test cricket openly questioned, repeatedly told, at the very least, he was drafted in too early. He has come out the other side, and insisted the lack of a Test hundred never once weighed on his mind.”There was no pressure [of scoring a Test hundred]”, Babar said. “I’d be lying if I say that not scoring a Test century was a burden on me. The difference is that I did the job today. My previous best scores will be counted as half-centuries. I had heard that scoring a Test century is special and that’s exactly what I experienced today. I was out on 99 against Australia. It’s definitely a relief to get over the line. I have gained a lot of confidence in the wake of scoring this hundred.”In the UAE, the wickets are on the slower side. You can’t play through the line, you need to take your time and be patient.”Patience would be an understatement. Babar, along with Haris Sohail, loomed large over the day’s proceedings, at the crease for over two sessions as they frustrated New Zealand while consolidating their position. All the while, they were aware one rash shot could see their work undone, but while Haris dug in, Babar took upon himself the responsibility of ensuring Pakistan had enough runs to declare before the end of the day’s play. One-twenty-seven runs off 263 balls doesn’t sound especially free-flowing, but other than Sarfraz Ahmed, who came in late with far less pressure, Babar had the highest strike rate of all. He was the one chiefly responsible for injecting some impetus into the innings, having his innings cut by a declaration short one ball after he smashed Ish Sodhi for a six and sought to get his team closer to 450.”Our plan was to build partnerships. We were trying to complement each other,” he said. “If I played a poor shot, Haris would come and counsel me and vice versa. Our plan was to dig in deep.”The ball isn’t coming onto the bat; it’s really slow. The spinners are getting purchase off the wicket. Hopefully our bowlers will benefit from the conditions as well. We are confident we’ll get them out cheaply.”This isn’t just the brazen confidence of youth; far too many young players have found the burden of Test-match cricket, and indeed the pressure of holding up a famously fragile Pakistan batting order, too heavy to bear. Babar, however, seems to be cut from a different cloth, and if he can sustain the hunger and confidence that has seen him rise to every challenge thrown his way so far, his path to becoming a modern all-format great seems inexorable.

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