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It might be too much to hope that the South Africa-New Zealand Test series is hard fought, but both teams have little and big goals to pursue

Firdose Moonda01-Jan-2013Both and the blog list the Ashes among their top ten international sporting rivalries. Other inclusions are India-Pakistan clashes on the cricket field and the Bledisloe Cup rugby between New Zealand and Australia. South Africa does not feature at all.They will not be happy about that.South Africa consider themselves some of the fiercest, toughest competitors around even when they finish second best. They reserve specials spots for their southern hemisphere opponents, against whom two of the most hotly contested battles are fought. South Africa and Australia’s cricket teams have produced the gems that are the 438 ODI and the 47-all out Test, while the All Black and Springbok rugby teams made history on numerous occasions, most notably at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final.When the All Blacks play in Cape Town they have a healthy local support base. Mixed-race communities who have seemingly never felt represented by the Springboks have chosen to vocally support New Zealand rugby. You see them at Newlands rugby stadium, dressed in the New Zealand kit, waving the New Zealand flag and cheering on the visiting them as if it were their own.Unfortunately for the New Zealand cricket team, they can expect none of the same support probably because, unlike their rugby side, they do not have the reputation to match the big talk. In fact, the current tour was considered such a non-event that the administrators were willing to cancel the Boxing Day Test and schedule three Twenty20s instead, in the hope of coaxing interest out of the locals.They did better than that. All the matches were sell-outs; the South Africans now want to watch their own team. With the Test mace housed on Corlett Drive in Johannesburg and a proud unbeaten run on the road, there is belief that the South African team will now produce the same at home. Locals want to be there to see it.That could be the saving grace ahead of what is expected to be a one-sided Test series. The facts make that statement realistic rather than disrespectful: New Zealand have only won three of the 21 Tests they’ve played in South Africa, two of those before readmission. The last time they won a Test series was the one-off against Zimbabwe in January 2011. Before that, they had success in a series against Bangladesh in 2010 (also one match) and twice in 2008, home and away.If you’re looking for a team they earned a series win over that is not Bangladesh, you have to go back to 2006, when they beat West Indies. They have never won a series against South Africa, with their best result a draw at home in 2004.With that in mind, this series could have very little to do with actual competition between the two sides. It will rather be a case of two teams running their own races. For South Africa, it will be about justifying their ranking and securing it. For New Zealand, it will be about surviving.South Africa want to extend their lead at the top of the Test rankings and beating New Zealand will go a very small way to ensuring that. Even if they win the series 2-0, they will only gain one point on the table but it will open up their gap over England to six points and to 10 over Australia.The series was also seen as a platform for South Africa to introduce new players, specifically a specialist wicketkeeper. The selectors, though, U-turned on giving Thami Tsolekile a tryout because AB de Villiers has changed his mind about taking the gloves permanently. Whether it exacerbates his chronic back conditions or not, de Villiers will keep in the series.

New Zealand will want some of their top six batsmen to reach three figures. They will want the bowlers to take 20 wickets, even if it’s in a losing cause. They may even just want to take both matches to day five, given that even their own expert, Simon Doull, suggested tickets would not be needed after day four. Hopefully that will have raised the New Zealanders’ ire enough for them to prove that wrong.

The only new player is batsman Dean Elgar, who made a pair on debut in Perth. He will replace Jacques Rudolph at No. 6 and be given an opportunity to see if his domestic form can translate on the international stage. Robin Peterson could also be considered in the new category as he only made a Test comeback less than a month ago. He will also have an extended run as the sole spinner in the XI. Rory Kleinveldt will play only if there is an injury to one of the premier seamers, although that looks likely at the moment with Vernon Philander nursing a hamstring strain.New Zealand’s goals will probably be smaller and more individual-specific. They will want some of their top six batsmen to reach three figures, especially since the lack of big scores from them has been identified as one of the main reasons the team does not win more. They will want the bowlers to take 20 wickets, even if it’s in a losing cause. They may even just want to take both matches to day five, given that even their own expert, Simon Doull, suggested tickets would not be needed after day four.Hopefully that will have raised the New Zealanders’ ire enough for them to prove that wrong. Brendon McCullum has the enormous task of being the only real senior batsman as well as leading the side. Martin Guptill is the other big hope, having had a good run of form last summer, and much will rest on the young shoulders of Kane Williamson. He will have to prop up the middle-order and resist South Africa even better than he did in Wellington in March.New Zealand’s bowlers, like any quicks around the world, may look forward to playing on pitches with more bounce and carry than normal. They will not be getting the spicy surfaces of SuperSport Park or the Wanderers though, and will have to adjust to the more traditional cricket track at Newlands and the usually slow strip in Port Elizabeth.Chris Martin has always done well against South Africa and he won’t want that to change. Doug Bracewell and Trent Boult have real opportunities to make a statement and if Mitchell McClenaghan is picked, he will want to show he belongs.But may not come into it for New Zealand. They will have to focus on what they to do to show that they have more character than was suggested in the lead-up to the tour. Although the Ross Taylor debacle was not the fault of any of the players, it reflected poorly on the state of New Zealand cricket as a whole. Perhaps unfairly, it is up to the team to change that.It might be too much to hope that this series puts southern-hemisphere contests in the spotlight or gives South Africa a reason to appear on respected lists of sporting rivalries. That job is left to cricket against Australia and rugby against New Zealand. What could happen through this series though is, just as rugby against Australia is looked forward to, so could cricket against New Zealand.

The glitzy T20 league will provide pressure but also the temptation for Ayub to change his game – he should resist in order to further his international chances

Mohammad Isam15-Jan-2013Marshall Ayub will go into this season’s Bangladesh Premier League with added reputation after he made a mammoth 289 in his last innings. He has seen plenty of ebb and flow the last seven years but for him to take the next step, which could see him promoted to international cricket as early as March, the next four weeks will bring precisely the pressure he needs to handle. The glitzy, televised stage provided by the BPL for every uncapped and discarded international cricketer from Bangladesh is one of its positives.The 2012-13 season has been easily Ayub’s most productive since making his first-class debut in 2005-06. He has averaged 67.11 in the National Cricket League for Dhaka Metropolis and 113.50 for Central Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League. In total, he has scored 1,058 runs in these two first-class competitions, including two double-centuries, respectively the highest individual scores in those tournaments, and he has done all this by January.Although it may seem notching up big scores has taken him time and he is a player more suited to the longer version, he has batted at a fair strike rate. He might still want to improve on the pace of his batting, as well as add a few more angles to his strokes, which are at the moment quite pragmatic and typical of a middle-order batsman from the subcontinent.Ayub, however, will be wary of changing too much of his batting method for a tournament like the BPL, which is essentially nothing more than three hours of work every evening. He will be asked to bat in a certain way, one that is followed by every other cricketer trying to make it big on the Twenty20 circuit but, for Ayub, it will be imperative to continue batting the way he has done for the last four months, and the last few seasons, to win a place in the Bangladesh squad for the Sri Lanka tour in March.Last season’s experience in the BPL should also serve as a warning for Ayub not to expect too much from Twenty20 cricket. He made 12 runs in three games and even though he took 4 for 20 against Chittagong Kings, he wasn’t given another game thereafter.The case of Enamul Haque jnr is also cautionary for players like Ayub, who are quite close to national selection or hoping to make a name for themselves in the Twenty20 market. Left-arm spinner Enamul hasn’t come close to the Bangladesh squad despite taking more than 100 wickets in all competitions for the last two years. He was a star performer in the first season of BPL as well, but didn’t get further than the Bangladesh A team.Ayub, however, has seen what bad times are like and has survived to tell the tale. Marked out as one of the talented youngsters in the age-group structure, he was impressive in first-class cricket and in the run-up to the Under-19 World Cup in 2008, before a debilitating knee injury ended his hopes and put his career back some way. He also suffered the ignominy of getting hit for six consecutive sixes in an over three years ago, but Ayub has fought through and the 2012-13 season has seen him scoring more runs than at any point in his career.In the grander scheme of things, the BPL is a hindrance for domestic cricketers, especially the younger ones. It takes up too much time in the already short cricket season, and moreover and more importantly, it takes up a lot of attention. Add to that the unpredictable payment schedule and it becomes a tournament of too much trouble.For many experienced domestic players, however, it is a stage that is very important, especially for those who have given up on Bangladesh selection. Essentially, they won’t be household names in the near future, so for players like Jubair Ahmed, Imtiaz Hossain and Nazmul Hossain Milon, it is the biggest stage in their cricket careers. Ayub however has far to go, so should be using the BPL as a stepping stone and not treat it as a medal around the neck.

The recent success of Moises Henriques and other cricketers from minority communities bodes well for the game Down Under

Adam Cooper27-Feb-2013From Hobart to India via Alice Springs, Australians might one day recall a remarkable week in mid-February 2013 as the moment the nation’s top cricket teams took a major step towards truly representing the many faces who play the game.Moises Henriques, Fawad Ahmed, Ashton Agar and Gurinder Sandhu are not quite household names in Australian cricket, but they have all made significant strides to becoming so in the past seven days. Together they personify a cultural diversity long absent from the national team.While Michael Clarke’s brilliant strokeplay and Australian allergies to spin bowling remained a constant, milestones notched by Henriques, Ahmed, Agar and Sandhu – complemented by Australia’s women, who in the same week won the World Cup, and indigenous teams at the Imparja Cup – made it a heady period for cricket’s minority groups in a game that still counts white males as its most ardent participants and followers.The achievements of Henriques in gaining a Test cap and showing he deserved it; Ahmed, who staked his claim with Victoria; and Agar and Sandhu, who earned places in national sides, were noted with significance by Cricket Australia, which is conscious of the need to have its sides better reflect the composition of the country.”The single greatest opportunity for us is to have a team that represents multicultural Australia,” says Matt Dwyer, Cricket Australia’s national game- development manager, “and the quicker we have that team to give kids that aspiration, the snowball effect from that will be significant.”Grouped together, the four players could form a handy bowling attack. Equally rich are the quartet’s personal stories, bound to be replayed over coming years.In Chennai, Henriques became the first Portuguese-born player to represent Australia in Tests. Born on Madeira, the island that Cristiano Ronaldo calls home, and the son of a professional footballer, Henriques could easily have sought sporting glory outside of cricket, had his family not moved to Sydney.It might have taken him longer to get to Test level than many thought, but Henriques immediately showed he belonged with a fine 68 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, an innings that helped Clarke turn a day that was headed out of Australia’s grasp.That same day in Hobart, Henriques’ fellow New South Wales quick Sandhu also looked assured at international level, admittedly in a match for Australia A against England Lions that carried just a skerrick of the focus on Clarke’s side. But at 19, Sandhu, who was born in Sydney but is of Indian heritage, has impressed those who matter: he was also selected for the Prime Minister’s XI last month to play West Indies.Agar, also 19, must shake his head at his remarkable past two months, which have comprised a debut for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield, a spot in the Perth Scorchers squad in the Big Bash League, and a passage to India, where he was instructed to soak up as much knowledge as he could.The left-arm spinner did so by playing both warm-up matches, proving his inclusion on tour was no token gesture. Clarke himself is Australia’s most effective left-arm orthodox spinner of recent times, so Agar’s progress is likely to be monitored very closely. The youngster, who is of Sri Lankan descent, will this year head to England to further his development at Hampshire’s international academy. Whether that posting is designed to coincide with the Ashes remains to be seen.Another spinner surely being considered for England is Fawad, following his most mature of first-class debuts for Victoria. The legspinner had played a handful of first-class matches in his native Pakistan before he fled to Australia in 2010, and continues to add chapters to his already wondrous story.Selected as a net bowler to help prepare Australia’s batsmen to face South Africa’s Imran Tahir, Ahmed earned a Big Bash contract with the Melbourne Renegades and turned out for the Bushrangers in domestic limited-overs matches before playing in the top-of-the-table Sheffield Shield match against Queensland at the MCG.Ahmed’s 5 for 83 in the Bulls’ second innings, with bounce, spin and variation, steered Victoria to a win and earned him plaudits from opposing captains James Hopes and Cameron White, who both rated him good enough to represent his new country. White himself was one of the eight frontline spinners Australia tried in Test matches between Shane Warne’s retirement from Tests and before the selectors settled on Nathan Lyon – until he came up against MS Dhoni.Ahmed’s arrival now has Cricket Australia lobbying authorities in Canberra to grant him citizenship in the sort of pursuit traditionally reserved for Armenian weightlifters the year before an Olympiad. Under ICC rules Ahmed could play for Australia in August, but a passport would expedite the qualification period. Really, the key date is July 10, the first day of the first Test against England, at Trent Bridge.England, of course, are no strangers to accommodating overseas players. In their last Test, in India in December, four in the line-up were born in South Africa, while Monty Panesar is of Indian heritage. But England teams have long reflected British society, as have South African sides (regardless of the quota system).

“Four in ten Australian households have got a parent who was born overseas. If we don’t become more diverse and welcoming to people of diverse backgrounds, we’ll be arcane in 100 years’ time”Matt Dwyer, Cricket Australia’s national game-development manager

But in Australia, the national side has been slow to truly represent its multiculturalism. Six members of the first Australian side to play a Test were born overseas, while in 1885, Sam Morris – born in Tasmania to West Indian parents – became the first black man to play Test cricket.But from there, the national side remained firmly Anglo-Celtic in origin, save for exceptions such as Len Pascoe (of Yugoslavian descent), Dav Whatmore (born in Sri Lanka), Kepler Wessels (born in South Africa) and Andrew Symonds, who has a Caribbean heritage. This week 20 years ago, for example, Australia fielded a Test team whose first names could be those of regulars: Mark, David, Justin, Mark, Steve, Allan, Ian, Paul, Shane, Merv and Craig.While cultural diversity has been reflected much better in sports such as Australian Rules football, rugby league and soccer, Australian cricket is trying to close the gap. CA figures show that of the 160,000 children who took part in entry-level programmes last year, about one-sixth were from non-traditional cricketing backgrounds. Initiatives such as Mosaic Programs, run in NSW, and Harmony in Cricket, its Victorian equivalent (in which Ahmed is a mentor), are designed to take the sport to newer communities, through schools and clubs.”If you’ve got a multicultural background and you walk into a traditional cricket club, it could be the last bastion of the stale, pale and male environment,” Dwyer says. “But now clubs are being encouraged to diversify and be more welcoming, to open their doors to the sort of opportunity this brings. The stats are clear: four in ten Australian households have got a parent who was born overseas. If we don’t become more diverse and welcoming to people of diverse backgrounds, we’ll be arcane in 100 years’ time.”But Dwyer acknowledges the most effective way of attracting attention is through those who light the fire for others. It’s why Usman Khawaja was celebrated when in 2011 he became the first Muslim to play a Test for Australia; why national selector John Inverarity highlighted the selections of Ahmed, Sandhu and Khawaja for the Prime Minister’s XI; and why Henriques’ Test call-up brought further encouragement.Sunshine Heights Cricket Club, in Melbourne’s western suburbs, is a remarkably progressive club, having welcomed people from South Sudan, Uganda, Vietnam, India, the Philippines and Afghanistan – many of them refugees – into the fold. Since adopting an open policy of encouraging diversity, dating back to the 1960s, the club has been recognised for the measures it has taken in making the club more inclusive.Club president Chris Hatzoglou says it represents 20 ethnicities across 15 sides (senior and junior), and that breakthroughs at higher levels give players from non-traditional cricketing backgrounds something to aspire to.”These sort of stories are really important. We’ve invested a lot of effort into cultural diversity at our club, and when it starts to penetrate at the elite level, when people from diverse backgrounds start to make it at the Australian level, that for us is an inspiration,” he says.Just as Henriques and his ilk encourage new Australians, the Southern Stars do their part for the women’s game. Their success in India, which followed winning the Twenty20 world title last year, is expected to increase female participation. CA’s records say 150,000 girls and women played in 2011-12, a 27 % jump from the previous season. While the Southern Stars boast a young outlook, they have one of their greatest advocates in Lisa Sthalekar, who retired last week in triumph in the country of her birth.Participation among indigenous Australians is also on the rise. The Imparja Cup, played in Alice Springs this month, had more than 500 participants, and research is underway to determine exactly how many indigenous Australians play the sport. Aboriginal players also have recent national selections to aspire to: Dan Christian made clear his pride when three years ago he joined Jason Gillespie as only the second acknowledged player of indigenous heritage to earn a national cap.When Khawaja was selected for his first tour with the Australian side in 2010, Waleed Aly, an academic and commentator on Muslim affairs, noted cricket still had obstacles at grassroots level among migrant communities, given cricket’s perception of as an establishment sport, its costs and complexities, and instances of racial vilification. The way the game is broadcast, he said, showed the sport is still directed at the white male.But, in an interview with the Wisden Cricketer, he hoped young players could eventually see a national team that reflected society. “You need to look at the field and feel ‘That could be me’, even if it couldn’t be,” he said. “I don’t have the talent but it’s nice to know that’s the only thing standing in the way.”Over the past week, Henriques, Ahmed, Agar and Sandhu have provided encouraging proof of that.

Commentator Munir Hussain devoted his life to the game, celebrating its magic and beauty

Saad Shafqat06-Aug-2013Pakistan may have won their ODI and T20 rubbers against West Indies last week, but the upbeat mood was quickly tempered by a major loss suffered by the country’s cricketing fraternity and fans.Munir Hussain, a pioneering commentator, groundbreaking publisher, Karachi City Cricket Association mandarin, and sagacious elder presence in the nation’s cricket circles, died of natural causes at his home in Karachi on Monday, July 29. There was a sense of heartfelt loss, especially for those who he delighted in his witty commentary, and had been regaled by his wildly popular Urdu cricket magazine .Hussain was 83 and, but for arthritic knees that were beginning to limit his mobility, had been in reasonably good health. Just hours earlier, he had watched the second T20 international between West Indies and Pakistan on television, lauding the commentary of Ramiz Raja as well as bemoaning – in characteristic style – what he viewed as unforgivably declining standards in the Pakistan team.Hussain’s life is an inspiration to people everywhere who dream big dreams and aspire to create an impact. Born in Amritsar in November 1929, he moved to Delhi while still very young and grew up in the Karol Bagh neighbourhood. In 1947 he migrated to Pakistan, taking a train from Amritsar, the details of which harrowing journey are part of his family lore.Movies and cricket quickly emerged as his favourite pastimes, but it was journalism that became his singular passion. This found expression through magazine publishing, column writing and, later, broadcasting.His earliest success was a magazine titled , devoted to the film industry in both India and Pakistan. During his Karol Bagh days, he had become friends with Mir Khalilur Rahman, who became a leading media baron and went on to found the Urdu newspaper , Pakistan’s largest-circulation daily in any language. In it, Hussain wrote an influential weekly cricket column that ran for four decades and commanded a huge readership.A diehard lover of the game, Hussain could not get enough of cricket and immersed himself in playing as well as administering it. As an administrator, he served the Karachi City Cricket Association over many years in various capacities, formal and otherwise, including two terms as president, and was regarded for most of his life as one of a handful of key figures in Karachi’s cricket affairs.As a player, Hussain was a club cricket regular and took pride in his ability get the ball to seam at pace. In 1969 he even appeared in a first-class game, representing Quetta (at the time called Kalat Division) and taking 2 for 64. According to a widely passed anecdote, during the rest day of a Test match sometime in the mid-1980s, Hussain once bowled to Imran Khan in the nets and was complimented by the great allrounder on his nip and direction.A pioneer of Urdu commentary•Munir family archiveHussain’s landmark contribution undoubtedly was the initiation of cricket commentary in Urdu. Even until the late 1960s, commentary on Radio Pakistan and Pakistan television was exclusively in English, unintelligible to the vast majority of the country’s cricket followers. When Hussain first proposed the idea of Urdu commentary, traditionalists were aghast. There was a strong feeling that English was the rightful medium for properly conveying the nuances of the game.Yet Hussain remained undeterred. He had no patience for pedants and felt certain he was on to something. In 1969, he convinced the organisers of a local tournament, the Jang Gold Cup – whose matches were to be broadcast on radio and television – to give him a chance. He proved an instant hit, and a new art form was born.The Urdu magazine , the other major source of Hussain’s cricketing fame, appeared in its cricket identity in late 1976. He had been producing it as a social-interest-and-current-affairs magazine for a while before his distribution agent suggested the idea of giving it a cricket flavour. New Zealand were touring Pakistan at the time, and Hussain published a cricket supplement on the occasion under the masthead. In keeping with his Midas touch, this proved an instant hit as well. Bubbling with clever opinion, sharp interviews, catchy images, and comprehensive reportage, it acquired iconic status among players and fans alike.Hussain is fondly remembered as a backer of unpopular causes, a supporter of the disenfranchised, and a nurturing humanist. He has left a remarkable legacy that lives on through his multiple endeavours. His son Iqbal Munir, an accomplished photojournalist who has attained his own rank and status as a cricket media figure, says his father was always keen to pass on his passion for advancement and innovation in the game, mentoring a new generation of commentators and journalists.Hussain’s enthusiasm for the game never dimmed until, literally, his dying day. He devoted his life to cricket, breaking some of its barriers and always celebrating its magic and beauty. The game is richer for it.

The day could hardly have gone more smoothly for Alastair Cook as England moved one step closer to a major achievement that has eluded them for so long

George Dobell at The Oval19-Jun-2013It was not, perhaps, the scenario spectators expected when they bought their tickets. The result was hardly in doubt by 11am; the result was decided before 5pm and several snoozed in the sun for long periods in the afternoon. For the impartial onlooker, this was probably a rather boring game.But from an England perspective, this was wonderfully, gloriously, beautifully boring game. After many years where success in ODI cricket has been a brief interlude in a general drama of pain, England secured their place in the final of a global ODI competition for the first time since 2004 and the second time since 1992. They may never have a better chance of shedding the embarrassing tag as the only team in this competition not to have won such a title.The uncharacteristic show of emotion from Jonathan Trott upon hitting the winning runs was telling. It has been an ambition of his for some time to play in the final of this competition at his home ground of Edgbaston and here he produced a typically calm innings to ensure it will happen.Nerveless and apparently unhurried, he still managed to score at close to a run-a-ball and, in his last 12 ODIs, has now registered one century, five half-centuries and been dismissed for under 37 only once. He has averaged 75.77 in that time. He will never win over all his critics but, in this situation, there is no more reassuring sight in English cricket than Trott scrapping his mark.It would be easy to take Trott’s runs for granted. But, when Alastair Cook and Ian Bell fell, England were 41 for 2 and only another wicket away from seeing their slightly vulnerable middle-order exposed. Pressure appears to bring the best out of Trott, though, and he led the run chase with the remorselessness of a hunter pursuing its prey. “It was quite a high pressure situation,” Cook said afterwards. “Trotty played a great innings,”But this was not a victory set-up by England’s batsmen. It was set-up by England’s excellence in the field and a woefully poor performance with the bat from South Africa. Winning the toss on a humid morning was, doubtless, an advantage and James Anderson, in particular, exploited it expertly. But there is no getting away from the fact that South Africa’s top-order folded with pathetic weakness.So England were fortunate. They were fortunate that South Africa were without Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis. They were fortunate to win the toss. And they were fortunate their opposition played so badly.One game away from “massive achievement”

Alastair Cook said England were “without doubt” capable of winning the final and suggested it would be a “massive achievement.”

“We just need one more performance from whoever is picked. We just need two of the guys to stand up and deliver a man of the match performance and we can win the trophy. That’s how close we are.

“At the beginning of the summer we had certain goals we wanted to achieve. One was to win the Champions Trophy and we’ve given ourselves a great opportunity to do that. It is in our own hands. If we turn up and deliver some good skills we’ve got a chance of winning.

“It would be a massive achievement. It’s taken us so long to get to the final. We got there in 2004 and hopefully this time we can go one better.

“Everyone has loved this tournament. Every game has meant so much, every game has been against high-quality opposition and you’ve had to be on your ‘A’ game to win. All the eight sides would say that. To be through with the quality of opponents we’ve played is a good achievement and hopefully we won’t stop here.”

But they were also fortunate when New Zealand dropped Alastair Cook three times on the way to his match-defining contribution in the previous game. And they were fortunate when Australia batted so poorly against them in their opening match of the tournament.Good fortune tends to follow when a team plays consistently good cricket. It tends to follow when a team applies consistent pressure. It exploits any weakness and forces mistakes. The very best teams may not always be beaten by such a tactic, but it is the best plan England have and they follow it with precision. They will not start the final as favourites, but there are certainly not no-hopers either.If Anderson were the sort to care about such trifles, he might consider himself unfortunate not to be named the Man of the Match. He bowled an excellent first spell that set the tone for the entire game.There has been precious little conventional swing available in this competition, but Anderson found just enough to account for Colin Ingram and Robin Peterson, both of whom were set up by out swing and trapped by deliveries that swung in amid a spell that threatened consistently and offered the batsmen almost nothing.While Steven Finn and Stuart Broad were disappointing, James Tredwell sustained the pressure with a spell that won him the match award. While only the odd delivery turned, it was enough to plant a seed of doubt in the minds of the batsmen and Tredwell, varying his pace subtly and bowling a tight line, benefitted as the ball sometimes turned but more often skidded on to batsmen playing without conviction.There were other impressive performers for England. Jos Buttler, who has enjoyed a fine tournament as a wicketkeeper to date, equalled the England record for the most dismissals in an ODI by claiming six catches – one an excellent diving catch down the legside; another a good diving catch to his right to dismiss Hashim Amla and a couple of neat efforts standing up to Tredwell – while Cook captained with ever increasing confidence and individuality.It would be premature to compare Cook to Mike Brearley or similar but, just as he improved as a Test and then ODI batsman, he showed here that he is developing into far more than a ‘captain by numbers.’ His decision to allow Anderson a seven-over opening spell was unusual, if hardly groundbreaking, while his use of three slips at times showed a welcome desire to attack when appropriate.England may face some tricky selection decisions ahead of the final. Tim Bresnan, his baby now safely delivered, will be available and may well replace Steven Finn, while Tredwell will be hard to omit even if Graeme Swann is fully recovered. They are not the worst issues with which to wrestle.

Plays of the day from the second day of the first Test between Pakistan and South Africa in Abu Dhabi

Firdose Moonda in Abu Dhabi15-Oct-2013The scene-setter Hashim Amla and the South African tail would have hoped to take the total as close to 300 as possible, but Pakistan put paid to any of those thoughts as early as the second ball, courtesy Mohammad Irfan. After showing how well he could use his feet yesterday, Amla was stuck in his crease as he prodded at one that only just left him and offered a catch to second slip. Younis Khan collected, to become Pakistan’s joint record-holder for catches, with Javed Miandad.The butterfliesTo take first strike against the attack lauded as being the best in the world is an anxious experience for any opening batsman, much less a debutant. The first ball Shan Masood faced might only have increased his nervousness. With Dale Steyn focused on pursuing a fuller length, Masood stepped forward and got an outside edge which beat third slip and gully. The result was four runs but the way it came would have served as an indication to Masood about what he would be up against.The chanceSouth Africa did not have many of these but Masood presented one in the fifth over when he edged to second slip. Jacques Kallis’ usually quick reactions were a milli-second slower and in taking the tiniest bit of extra time to move his hands forward, the ball dropped short and scooted through his legs to give Masood a run and a lifeline.The crack Forget tuk-tuk, Misbah-ul-Haq put his first runs on the board with the fire and fury of a sports car. With Morne Morkel trying to generate something special, like the delivery that caught Younis Khan offguard, he went short and wide and Misbah smashed the ball past point. Even from behind the glass windows of the press box, which seem to be insulated from most sounds, the crack was audible. In the field, no one moved, as though they had been stunned by Misbah’s aggression.The celebrationThis was only Khurram Manzoor’s third Test since making his comeback against Zimbabwe in August and he is quickly making the opening spot his own. He followed up his back-to-back fifties in Harare with a century here and had a fitting celebration to enjoy it. Manzoor lost two of his partners during the last 14 runs needed for his ton and had to slow down. But on 91, he punished Robin Peterson with two strong sweeps, and a push through cover later, he was punching the air as he completed the first run. The 4000-strong crowd were on their feet, applauding and cheering, and Manzoor gave them a prolonged arms-in-the-air pose, before kneeling down in and embracing his captain.

Bangladesh have failed to win a game in the last three editions of the World T20. Now as the hosts, this is their best chance yet to reverse that hoodoo in conditions that suit them best

Mohammad Isam15-Mar-2014OverviewThe nuances of T20 cricket have eluded Bangladesh, and that is reflected in their 10-match losing streak in the World T20 since 2007. Expectations, quite naturally, would remain modest, but Bangladesh should take maximum advantage of being the host nation.The known conditions in Dhaka and Chittagong, the mad support that this team possesses and the growing reputation of being a good team at home are positive factors. But they have to deal with a tricky format. Due to the new design of the World T20s, they will have to play the qualifying round against Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Nepal. On paper, Bangladesh are far ahead in terms of experience but they had slipped up against Afghanistan earlier this month in the Asia Cup, and their encounter, on the opening day, could be the group decider.The players have readily admitted their limitations in this format, particularly in the last 12 months when they have won just a single T20, against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. Their most recent T20s were against Sri Lanka in Chittagong in February, where they lost both games off the last ball.The team management and selectors have tried a few different personnel and plans in the T20s but it is quite similar to how they play in ODIs. Experience in the batting line-up and spin bowling will help them, but at the same time, they have to play in the moment, and not stick to an exact plan, a method that hasn’t worked in the past.The fact that Bangladesh hasn’t won an international match in 11 games in 2014 will also eat into their confidence but this team has done well in the past with their backs to the wall. They find themselves in that position at the start of the World T20.Key playerMushfiqur Rahim has batted at No.4 in the last 12 Twenty20s, and is as important as the start Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan will provide for the team. His captaincy has been lately criticised for looking too strait-jacketed, but it will be his handling of bowlers in the first six and last five overs that will be crucial.Surprise packageSabbir Rahman has only just made his T20 debut for Bangladesh in their last game against Sri Lanka, and gave a glimpse of how he goes about ramping the scoring rate in the last few overs. He tends to start off slowly, but he has a range of shots that would be effective for a team looking for a final flourish. He fields well too, and will be a handy addition if a space is made for him in the middle order.WeaknessBangladesh have usually started and ended poorly with the ball. They would have to find a way to stop the opposition’s onslaught in these two crucial times, and at the same time, look to end well with the bat too.World T20 historyBangladesh’s sole win has been against West Indies in 2007, in what was their first game. They were shocked by Ireland in 2009 and since then, have made early exits in the next two editions as well.Recent formThey have won just one out of their last five T20s. In 2013, they drew 1-1 in Zimbabwe but lost to New Zealand and Sri Lanka 1-0 and 2-0 at home. Unlike the lead-up to the 2012 tournament, Bangladesh hasn’t played any extra matches in this format, but their ongoing schedule should keep them well warmed up.

The hosts are into the Super 10s, but it was with a whimper as they suffered embarrassment at the hands of Hong Kong after an awful display with the bat

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong20-Mar-2014In 1981 when Norway shocked England in a football World Cup qualifier, so excited was the late Norwegian commentator Bjørge Lillelien that he beckoned four British prime ministers, an admiral, a press baron, a boxer and a member of the Royal family in a famous outburst.Hong Kong does not have a famous cricket commentator, nor cricketers. But they have handed Bangladesh an objective lesson in how not to be overconfident after crushing two Associate nations.Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim, like he has done a few times in the past, took a bit of the blame when clearly he was not the only one who played a shocking shot or showed a shocking attitude. Tamim Iqbal did not necessarily have to chop a ball homing in on off stump, neither was Shakib Al Hasan was required to slog one right into deep midwicket’s throat when Bangladesh were batting well on 85 for 3.Anamul Haque had struck three boundaries in a row but got out trying to play another attacking shot off the next ball. But Mushfiqur did not mention him, nor held Tamim or Shakib responsible.”I don’t think they were too attacking,” Mushfiqur said. “Tamim missed the line of the ball while trying to play a defensive shot. Shakib was the only set batsman in that wicket and he had the responsibility to not just keep the batting in shape but put up a competitive score.”So in that sense, he was playing well and nobody was supporting him that well. He played a good shot but it went to the fielder. I could have waited to play my shot for two or three overs. But I never expected the collapse that came after me. I was telling them in the dugout that we need a partnership in the late order. It is really disappointing because there is a way to get out. I think they are trying, but they should do it a little more willingly.”The full impact of the collapse was 7 for 23 in 5.5 overs. Bangladesh crashed from 85 for 3 in the eleventh over to be bowled out for 108 in the 17th. Mushfiqur laid the blame for the defeat on the collapse, but said Nasir Hossain was unlucky to have Al-Amin Hossain as a partner in the last five overs and suggested Farhad Reza will be dropped in the next game.Concern over Rubel finger injury

Bangladesh pace bowler Rubel Hossain will have an x-ray on his finger which he hurt while trying to catch Irfan Ahmed in the third over of Hong Kong’s innings.

He dropped the catch, and walked of screaming in pain as physio Vibhav Singh accompanied him out of the ground. Mushfiqur Rahim later said that Rubel was not in good shape.

“His finger isn’t good, he can’t hold the ball. He will have an X-ray tomorrow.”

“Nasir hasn’t been performing up to his potential but he didn’t have a batsman at the other end to support him at that stage. He could have batted naturally in the last three or four overs. He was having problem timing the ball so he was unlucky. The full blame is on the top and middle-order.”The team management thought that it would be better to pick the extra seamer in an evening game. Unfortunately he didn’t perform tonight and in the last few matches. Hopefully we will have a different combination in Dhaka where there will be different conditions.”Mushfiqur still had hopes of a turnaround in the Super 10s, to which they qualified quietly in the 14th over of the Hong Kong’s innings.”This is a very bad feeling, whether we make it to the Super 10 or not,” he said. “I could never expect such a poor batting performance from our team. But having said that, anything can happen in T20s, so I would say that we have a chance against all four big teams. If we play to our potential, we can win any day.”That day however wasn’t Thursday. With Lillelien’s spirit hovering somewhere over the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury media centre, moments after little-known Haseeb Amjad took a six off accomplished left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak to win Hong Kong the game, who could almost hear a version of the famous line 33 years ago.”We are the best in the world! We are the best in the world! We have beaten Bangladesh by two wickets in cricket!! It is completely unbelievable! We have beaten Bangladesh! Bangladesh, birthplace of minnows. Akram Khan, Aminul Islam, Minhajul Abedin, Naimur Rahman, Habibul Bashar, Mohammad Ashraful, Salma Khatun – we have beaten them all. We have beaten them all.”

Alastair Cook, the Lord’s groundsman, and Simon Kerrigan have all been ignored while the spat between James Anderson and Ravindra Jadeja takes the headlines

George Dobell16-Jul-20149:27

Chappell: Administrators let on-field exchanges go too far

Simon Kerrigan’s return to the England squad has been paid little attention•Getty ImagesIt tells you everything you need to know about the mood in the England camp that, during their captain’s pre-match press conference, the media officer stepped in to request questions on any subject other than the alleged altercation between James Anderson and Ravindra Jadeja. For the first time in many months, England would have preferred to talk about Kevin Pietersen, Shane Warne, Piers Morgan et al. than an incident that could result in the suspension of one of their players for up to four Tests.It is far from the first time that England have irritated their opposition to a disproportionate level. Maybe it is their sledging, maybe it is their media, maybe it is the perception of their hubris or maybe they are even innocent victims, but the England side is universally unpopular almost across the globe. Sri Lanka is the latest example of a team who were infuriated by their tactics. You might even call the latest issue a case of Jadeja-vu.To some extent, England may revel in such a reputation. They may claim that it unsettles their opponents and goads them into reckless moments.But there is equal evidence to suggest it goads them into career-best performances. Just consider Angelo Mathews at Headingley, George Bailey at Perth and Marlon Samuels at Trent Bridge. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that much of England’s on-field behaviour is not just posturing, but self-defeating posturing.It need not be this way. Don Bradman seemed to have managed to concentrate without picking a fight with the bowlers; Joel Garner seemed to have been able to maintain a tight line and length without sledging; Malcolm Marshall seemed to make the ball swing without whispering in the ear of the batsmen. It is a fallacy to suggest the best players need to engage in the orchestrated appeals, the theatrical displays of disappointment, the sledging and posturing. And it makes no difference and provides no excuse that most other modern sides do it. The game can be better than that.There were moments, towards the end of the Headingley Test between England and Sri Lanka, which showed this. Moeen Ali, apparently serenely calm despite the fact that he was batting to save a Test and his own career, never for a moment became embroiled in the argument between Joe Root and the Sri Lanka team. Moeen did not ask to change his gloves in an attempt to play for time. He did not ask for extra water breaks or pretend that he was distracted by movement behind the bowler’s arm. He played each ball on its merits, asked for no quarter and, when he had given his all and the match was lost, accepted and reciprocated the handshakes and congratulations. It does not make him weak. It is the way it should be.England have not always gained the credit they deserved. There were, for a couple of years around 2010-2011, a very fine team. But it would be nice if they could make their supporters proud not just with their results, but with the way they conduct themselves on the pitch. The two need not conflict.Alastair Cook’s form has endured little scrutiny ahead of the second Test•PA PhotosNone of this means that Anderson is guilty, of course. While he has often chuntered and growled, he has never crossed the line into physical contact. It may well be relevant that the stairs up to the dressing rooms at Trent Bridge are unusually narrow. Either way it is regrettable for the game as a whole that this matter cannot be resolved by the two men shaking hands and moving on. It is what adults do.But actually this whole incident – dis-Gracegate as nobody is calling it – might have been a welcome distraction for several people connected with the England team.For a start, Alastair Cook was not forced to spend the day before the game defending his grim run of recent form. Not once did anyone ask him to justify the fact that he has now had 25 Test innings since registering a century. Not once did he have to justify his average of 13.85 in 2014. He looked, as he looked at the end of the Trent Bridge Test, noticeably more relaxed than he has for some time.The groundsman, Mick Hunt, might also have enjoyed the relative lack of attention. After three Test pitches this summer that have done little to help the home attack, there is some pressure on Hunt to provide the surface his country requires of him. But Hunt is an independent fellow and usually provides the sort of flat, slow pitch that chief executives prefer to spectators or England fast bowlers.Though after the debacle of Trent Bridge, and despite all the usual protestations to the contrary, there are signs that England may have persuaded Hunt into something approaching a compromise. All recent evidence suggests the pitch will be flat but, as of Wednesday afternoon, it still had a relatively long covering of green grass and was not under the normal hover cover but a sheet. One conclusion would be that Hunt is trying to retain a bit more moisture in the surface to at least try and avoid a scenario where the pitch dries out too much. There will surely be a little more pace and carry than at Trent Bridge and little assistance to spin bowlers. It will still be good for batting.In the furore over Anderson and Jadeja, it might also have gone unnoticed that Steven Finn was back with the England squad. Finn, who has not played Test cricket for more than a year, is not a formal part of the squad, but was invited to bowl at the team in the nets to both encourage him along the road of recovery and to assess how he is bowling. Cook, whom Finn beat several times, can only have been impressed, though in truth, Finn still has some way to go before he recovers the confidence, rhythm and venom that briefly threatened to turn him into a top international bowler. But he is getting there.Most of all, the distraction allowed Simon Kerrigan, the 25-year-old left-arm spinner, a relatively quiet return to the England squad. Everyone knows that he endured a horrid Test debut. But it might also be remembered that he helped bowl Lancashire to a Championship title in 2011 and that, with his relative pace and turn, he has the weapons to succeed at the highest level. He did not do himself justice on debut and, if he plays at Lord’s, he may find it tough to shine on this pitch. But he will remain a viable prospect for the future.

Having worked on his action during his time out of the side, R Ashwin has achieved encouraging results with a more side-on release

Sidharth Monga01-Sep-2014R Ashwin didn’t get to play much part in this tour until the fourth Test. You could see him sitting in the balcony, reading a book, the earwig radio on, waving to the commentators acknowledging he is listening to them. When not in front of the camera, though, he spent a lot of time bowling in the nets. Not at the batsmen. Just at the stumps. Session after session. Dropped after India failed to win in Johannesburg late last year, he was a bowler on the mend. You got a feeling he was trying to rediscover himself as a spinner. He says he bowled without a batsman to better understand what the ball could do for him, and not “serve” the batsman. Long sleeves were gone, variations were gone, these were just pure offbreaks ball after ball.Ashwin got his chance in the last two Tests, where it was impossible to judge his comeback purely by results: India batted so poorly bowlers couldn’t have given a proper account of themselves. During the ODIs, with India in the contest, Ashwin has got five wickets for 77 runs at an economy of 4, and has a Man-of-the-Match award. It could be seen, though, that the ball was coming out all right in the Tests. There was some drift, some dip, but no runs or pressure to play with. On the eve of the fourth ODI, Ashwin said he could sense he was on to something even during the Tests.”Even at The Oval I thought I was bowling really well,” Ashwin said. “Initially when I started [the comeback] I was a little rusty. But there has been a considerable amount of work that has gone into it. Fifty-55 days of good work. Before that I was working with [Bharat] Arun [now the India bowling coach too] back in Chennai. It has been at least about two months of work on my bowling. We have been trying to get me sorted with my action. Thankfully results are happening, that’s the good thing.”R Ashwin says he has felt good about his bowling since the Oval Test•Getty ImagesAshwin said one of the most important changes he has made during his time out of the team is no not make big changes. “I used to make bigger changes with my action between formats,” Ashwin said. “Now I am trying to make it as subtle as possible. Chatted with my coach back home. With Sunil [Subramaniam, his initial coach]. What we thought was, this action could be efficient in all formats. We have been trying to move from being a little side-on to semi side-on, and being front on if the format demands.”Ashwin said earlier too that during the Tests the focus was on becoming more side-on, and thus more classical. In ODIs, though, he said he waits to feel good before moving more side-on. “I try to be [front-on] when I start [in the ODIs],” Ashwin said. “Then once I start pinning it down, and when I feel comfortable, I play around a little. Getting a little accurate as the format comes through and if the rhythm is all right try [to] move side-on as the spell goes on to extract more from the wicket.”An offspinner becomes more and more front-on when he starts to rely on too many variations. A doosra or a carrom ball is nearly impossible to bowl with a side-on action. It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation now. Has he reduced relying on variations now that he is more side-on or has he become more side-on because he has made a conscious effort to reduce his reliance on variations? Ashwin himself remains a touch sensitive when the topic of variations comes up.”Using variations is something very condition- or situation-based for me,” Ashwin said. “It is not like I put it back in locker and close it out. If it is something I feel like using I will use it. Sometimes it gets to me when people say, ‘Oh he overused it.’ For all you know I am someone who goes by the exact numbers and stats. If I know I haven’t used it and people go on and on about it, I get a little mad. That is not the case here.”Ashwin does feel he is in a good place mentally with his bowling now. “Feels really fresh,” he said. “Having worked on it, and it is a belief that I had to induce in myself. Which is quite easy for me when I am convinced with something. I got convinced quickly with what I was doing, and from there on it was about sticking with it. Sometimes the results come quickly, sometimes they don’t. I am someone who will persevere with it if I have bought into it. I did buy into this. What’s happened now is I am really confident of extracting as much as I can from the wicket.”