For the first time since making their Test debuts, the two hugely impressive swing bowlers squared off against each other. And what a convergence it was

Brydon Coverdale in Auckland28-Feb-2015All the talk in the lead-up to this match was about Eden Park’s tiny straight boundaries. One observer joked that 400 might be a par score. At centre-wicket training on the outer oval, Australia’s batsmen clubbed six after six down the ground during the week. At times it looked more like a home-run derby than cricket practice: swing, batter batter, swing, batter batter.If only the batters paid more attention to the other kind of swing. It is one thing to punt throwdowns from batting coach Michael di Venuto into the stands, quite another to do so off hooping 140kph deliveries from Trent Boult. But Australia’s batsmen weren’t alone: the New Zealanders also fell victim to high-class swing bowling from Mitchell Starc.What many people expected to be one of the World Cup’s highest-scoring matches became one of its lowest. And yet, one of its most thrilling. For the first time in this tournament a large, packed stadium was treated to a contest worthy of the hype. For the first time in this tournament, two Full Members played out a match that went down to the wire.That was largely thanks to two men of similar ilk. Boult and Starc are both 25. They both emerged around the same time, making their Test debuts in the 1-1 series draw in Australia in late 2011. But whereas Boult has made his name as a Test bowler and only recently become a one-day regular, Starc has been a limited-overs fixture for Australia while struggling to hold down a Test spot.Here, they converged in an international match for the first time since their shared debut Test series. And what a convergence it was, both men controlling the swing of the white ball, moving it into the right-handers and away from the left-handers, keeping the occasional one straight to keep them guessing and jamming in perfect yorkers.The results? Boult: 10-3-27-5. Starc: 9-0-28-6. That one remaining over of Starc’s might well have been the difference in the match. Brendon McCullum and Michael Clarke are both renowned as attacking captains. When McCullum sensed Boult was on top of the Australians, he bowled him out, his last five-over spell bringing 5 for 3.Clarke did not do the same when Starc was dictating terms, having picked up 3 for 24 off his first six overs. After the match Clarke said he took Starc off because it is hard to ask a fast man to bowl ten overs straight, yet Starc’s first spell was split in half by the innings break. He built the pressure, Clarke and Mitchell Johnson relieved it.Johnson had found no swing in his first spell and his first four overs had leaked 52 runs. Nothing changed when he came back on to replace Starc: 16 came off his first over back, and New Zealand were in control again. When Starc returned, he continued swinging the ball and forced Australia back into the match with three wickets in his next three overs.Starc became the first Australian to take six-for twice in ODIs, having done it last month against India at the MCG. It was somehow fitting that the result really came down to Boult having to survive the final two balls of Starc’s ninth over, which he negotiated successfully, and which allowed Kane Williamson to hit the winning runs at the other end.Starc had just claimed two wickets in his last over, with New Zealand one clean strike from victory. As the final momentum swings took place, belief gave way to serious misgivings among the home fans. Then Williamson hit the winning six.The buzz when Boult had the ball in his second spell was almost as electric. There were 40,053 spectators in Eden Park and it is hard to imagine that any of them let their eyes wander as he swung his way through Australia’s middle and lower order. It felt as though something would happen every ball.He had Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh chopping on in one over, Johnson and Starc deceived in another. In amongst it, the New Zealanders set a trap for Clarke, with a short cover in place. Boult delivered the wicket, drawing the Australian captain into a drive on the up. A couple of times his swinging yorkers were millimetres away from getting under the bat.Earlier in the week, Boult and Tim Southee were rated by Richard Hadlee as New Zealand’s finest ever new-ball combination, and it was hard to argue based on the evidence here, although Southee gave away a few too many runs. But this was a day that proved ODI cricket need not be all about sixes and fours. Here, 19 wickets fell for 303 runs, in 55.3 overs. Most importantly, it was a .Before the World Cup began, Aaron Finch was asked about bat sizes and field restrictions and the balance between bat and ball. He said that while viewers often liked to see boundaries cleared and 300-plus totals, he enjoyed low-scoring encounters. “When you’re defending 180 and you’ve got nothing to lose,” he said at the time, “they can be really exciting games.”The same goes for 150.

How Twitter reacted to Afghanistan and Scotland’s nail-biting clash at the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2015Afghanistan’s one-wicket win over Scotland, while striking another blow for the Associates, would count among one of the more heartwarming stories of this World Cup. Relief and vicarious elation were, understandably, the dominant emotions on Twitter.

Congrats to #Afghanistan for their win over #Scotland in the Cricket World Cup #CWC15 #AFGvsSCO

— U.S. Embassy Kabul (@USEmbassyKabul) February 26, 2015

That was fun. I think that's what it's meant to be. #AFGvSCO #CWC2015

— Mpumelelo Mbangwa (@mmbangwa) February 26, 2015

They will be dancing in the streets of Kabul all day and all night. Come on, Big Three of the ICC: invite Afghanistan to tour your countries

— Scyld Berry (@scyldberry) February 26, 2015

I feel for Scotland but that was another most compelling cricket match. Associates nations are providing so many highlights @ this CWC2015.

— ian bishop (@irbishi) February 26, 2015

I don't care how long the tournament is, if it means more results and matches like that, play on Associates, play on…

— Derek Alberts (@derekalberts1) February 26, 2015

Stallone should definitely approach Shapoor Zadran and Hamid Hassan for the next Expendables! The Rocky n Rambo duo fit the bill #AFGvSCO

— jatin sapru (@jatinsapru) February 26, 2015

Three journos and an ICC official in the Sydney press box reduced to behaving like 12-year-old fans. Felt brilliant. #CWC15 #AFGvSCO

— Dileep Premachandran (@SpiceBoxofEarth) February 26, 2015

For places like Afghanistan, even if its short-lived, moments like this erase the pain and bring hope. Thank you #BlueTigers #AfghanCricket

— سميرة (@SamiraaSR) February 26, 2015

2:42

Social Dugout: Stan and Deliver

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Apr-2015Rohit Sharma, having pushed himself down to No. 4 again, held steady and then accelerated to make 50 off 31 balls•BCCIHarbhajan Singh was promoted to No. 5 and assisted Rohit in a 45-run partnership off 35 balls•BCCIBut 57 for 4 had been a wobbly position to be. Kieron Pollard changed all that with his 64 off 30 balls and powered Mumbai to 183 for 7•BCCIDwayne Smith provided Super Kings with a blazing start, scoring 62 off only 30 balls•BCCIBrendon McCullum wouldn’t be left too far behind as he struck 46 off 20 balls•BCCIAn opening stand of 109 in 44 helped Chennai Super Kings run down their sixth target of 180 or more with 20 balls to spare•BCCI

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2015Daniel Vettori picked two wickets in two balls reducing Afghanistan to 59 for 6 in the 20th over•AFPSamiullah Shenwari scripted a rearguard, adding 86 with Najibullah Zadran for the seventh wicket•ICCShenwari needed attention after being hit on the helmet by a Corey Anderson bouncer•AFPAfghanistan were bowled out for 186 in the 48th over•Associated PressBrendon McCullum got New Zealand off to a flier, scoring 42 from just 19•Getty ImagesNew Zealand then went about the chase calmly before Martin Guptill was run out in the 27th•Getty ImagesNew Zealand had suffered a minor blip when Shapoor Zadran got the wicket of Kane Williamson•Getty ImagesRoss Taylor and Corey Anderson saw New Zealand home for a six-wicket win with 13.5 overs to spare•Getty Images

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-2015…the second was handed to Durham seamer Mark Wood. He would get to put his feet up, however, as England lost the toss and were inserted. New Zealand also included a debutant in Matt Henry while Martin Guptill was recalled after two years out of the side•Getty ImagesDickie Bird rang the bell on the start of England’s Test summer at Lord’s•Getty ImagesLyth’s debut did not last long as he fell caught behind for 7 to Tim Southee•Getty ImagesGary Ballance also made a single-figure score, well taken by the diving Southee at slip off his new-ball partner Trent Boult•Getty ImagesHenry then claimed his maiden Test wicket as Alastair Cook edged a bouncer…•Getty Images…and England were in trouble at 30 for 4 when Henry produced a snorting ball to hit the top of Ian Bell’s off stump•Getty ImagesBen Stokes was soon taking the attack back to New Zealand, in partnership with Joe Root•Getty ImagesStokes and Root made the bowlers toil during a 161-run stand, during which they scored at more than five an over•Getty ImagesWith a second Test hundred in sight, Stokes misjudged a delivery from Mark Craig to be bowled for 92•Getty ImagesRoot also failed to convert, caught behind off Henry two runs short of his century•PA PhotosMoeen Ali and Jos Buttler then consolidated, adding another hundred stand for the seventh wicket•PA PhotosButtler recorded his fourth Test fifty, though he couldn’t quite see out the day, falling lbw to Boult from the final ball as England closed on 354 for 7•PA Photos

Plays of the Day from the second T20 between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in Lahore

Mohammad Isam24-May-2015The oldies’ collision
Pakistan’s two old-timers Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Sami were trying to cut off a whip by Vusi Sibanda but as they got closer to the ball, they banged into each other. Precisely, Malik headbutted into Sami’s knee and the two collapsed.Sami had enough presence of mind to throw the ball back to the bowler Shahid Afridi but Sibanda and Sean Williams had taken three runs. The physio made his way out and after a few shakes of the head and some cold water, Malik was up. Ahmed Shehzad checked if Malik was fine before the two, Malik and Sami, hugged it out. No harm done, it seemed.The slippery slower one
Bilawal Bhatti was struggling for a proper length when he started to dish out slower deliveries in the sixth over. The first one went down the leg side and the second one was comical.The ball, released from the back of the hand, reached the ducking batsman high on the full. However, it wasn’t as bad as Abdur Rehman bowling the three successive high full tosses that got him barred from the attack in the Asia Cup against Bangladesh last year.The stare’s short stay
Imad Wasim, making his international debut, was introduced into the attack in the fifth over. He readied himself quickly and bowled the first ball, a full delivery, which was driven back by Hamilton Masakadza.Wasim stared at Masakadza, before turning back to bowl the next delivery, which was blasted over his head for a boundary. There wasn’t much of a stare as he quickly walked back to his mark.The comeback in the stands
Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan announced on Twitter that he would be present at the Gaddafi Stadium to watch the second T20. He said this would be the first time since the 1996 World Cup final that he would be at the ground.He perhaps forgot that he had vented his anger at Pakistan’s losses to India in the ODI series in 2004, while near the press box. This time, he wanted to watch a thriller as it was his “day off”, and he had his wish fulfilled.The catch
Sikandar Raza saw Shahid Afridi sky one and ran in, and so did Vusi Sibanda who had taken three catches in the game.As the ball came down near the advertising mats behind the bowler, close mates Raza and Sibanda nearly collided, but Raza clung on to the catch. He screamed in delight, turned and gave Sibanda a big smile.The floored appeal
Chris Mpofu has a few dance jigs for wicket celebrations but couldn’t find a reason to bring them out until the 17th over, when his celebration was by accident and not choice.When he hit Umar Akmal’s pads in the 17th over, Mpofu turned around and appealed. So earnest was his shout that he fell on his back. The umpire took his time and gave it out. Mpofu celebrated on the floor.

Plays of the Day from the match between Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians

Rachna Shetty23-Apr-2015The welcome
In the sort of identity crisis that only a tournament like the IPL can spur, Unmukt Chand came out to bat for his former team at his home ground Feroz Shah Kotla decked out in a Mumbai Indians jersey. The folks manning the big screen at the ground had their wordplay polished and ready. (My friend has come from Mumbai) was the message on the screen, also a doff at a popular Bollywood ditty.The carve
Mitchell McClenaghan had taken a wicket in his first over and had given away just two runs off the bat. He was getting good bounce and carry but at the other end was Shreyas Iyer, Delhi Daredevils’ leading run-scorer this season. The early wicket didn’t throw the young batsman off and he struck two successive boundaries in McClenaghan’s second over – the first of those was a slap through wide mid-on for four. The next ball was short and wide outside off. Iyer stood up and helped it along its way for a flat six over backward point.The shuffle
Despite a few edges that went to the boundary, the only way Mumbai Indians looked like getting Iyer out was if the batsman triggered the dismissal. That’s exactly what happened in the 17th over when Iyer, attempting an AB de Villiers-like lap shot, shuffled across his stumps, only to find his leg stump uprooted by a Lasith Malinga yorker.The painful slide
JP Duminy did his bit for Delhi Daredevils with an unbeaten 78 that steered the side to a formidable 190 and he followed that up with great commitment on the field. First, a slide near the boundary that saved a certain four off Parthiv Patel’s bat but left the Daredevils captain wincing in pain as he jarred his knee. Then, he got under a skier off Lendl Simmons and held on despite the tumble to end a promising opening partnership.

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2015Shannon Gabriel struck in his first over as Jonathan Trott fell to the short ball and collected his third duck of the series…•Getty Images…but Alastair Cook made a solid start for the tourists•Getty ImagesJason Holder then produced a beauty to take out Gary Ballance’s middle stump…•Associated Press…and Holder followed up with a caught and bowled to remove Ian Bell for a duck•AFPEngland recovered steadily but were pegged back again when Joe Root edged Veerasammy Permaul behind•AFPCook remained firm and went to his latest half-century looking in good touch…•Getty Images…and in league with Moeen Ali, England moved into calmer waters, Moeen going past his own fifty•Getty ImagesBut Moeen was run out and Ben Stokes caught in the gully as West Indies fought back•Associated PressCook went through to his first Test century since May 2013, and roared his relief, only to fall in the last over of the day•Getty Images

Can a cricket team “bounce back” from a defeat by a margin of 405 runs? Logic and history suggest not

Bill Ricquier28-Jul-2015Can a cricket team “bounce back” from a defeat by a margin of 405 runs? This is the task facing England as they prepare for the third Investec Ashes Test at Edgbaston. Logic and history suggest not.A team can fight back from a defeat by 169 runs. This was the margin of England’s wholly unexpected triumph in Cardiff. Australia’s sensational turnaround at Lord’s could be explained by a number of factors but central to their achievement were the performances of their two best players, Steven Smith and Mitchell Johnson, neither of whom seemed to have much to offer in Cardiff.At Lord’s, Smith, as eccentrically busy at the crease as a squirrel gathering nuts for the winter, gave a masterclass on the first two days, batting Australia into near invincibility with a peerless double-century. On the fourth morning he compounded England’s problems with a whimsically insouciant innings of 58 from 48 balls.Johnson gave the Lord’s spectators – champagne corks, hampers, pink hats and all – more than a hint of what England had had to contend with in Australia 18 months ago. In a thrilling display of fast bowling on the second evening, England were reduced to 30 for 4; Johnson, exuding menace as he ran in from the Pavilion end, removing Gary Ballance and Joe Root. Johnson took six wickets in the match but his influence went beyond that. England’s best players, Root and James Anderson, contributed 24 runs and two wickets – both taken by Root – between them.This was the ninth-heaviest Test defeat, in terms of runs. It can come as no surprise that the winner of each of these nine games was also the winner of the series in each case, usually by a country mile. In the two instances in this millennium Australia beat Pakistan 3-0 in 2004-05, getting the ball rolling with a win by 491 runs in Perth in the first Test – Glenn McGrath took 8 for 24 as Pakistan were rolled over for 72 in the second innings – while Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh 2-0 in 2008-09, wrapping things up with a 465-run win in Chittagong.The closest-fought series in which such a massive victory has occurred was the Ashes series of 1934 when the sides went to The Oval for the fifth Test all square. The game was scheduled as a timeless Test but Australia needed only four days to beat England by 562 runs, with Bill Ponsford and Don Bradman putting on 451 for the second wicket in Australia’s first innings.Oddly enough, Alastair Cook’s side’s defeat is not England’s heaviest loss to Australia at Lord’s. In 1948, they lost to Bradman’s Invincibles by 409 runs.But at least England can claim to have landed the heaviest punch in all Test history, winning the first Test against Australia in 1928-29 – the first to be played in Brisbane – by 675 runs. This was an interesting game for a number of reasons. Bradman made his Test debut; he scored 18 and 1 and was dropped for the next game. When England’s captain, Percy Chapman, declared England’s second innings closed with a lead of 741, he became the first man to make a declaration in a Test in Australia. And Harold Larwood, the England fast bowler who was to become famous, or infamous, depending on one’s point of view during the Bodyline series four years later, achieved his best Test figures of 6 for 32.Of course an innings defeat can be just as humiliating as a big runs margin. There has been only one innings victory with a bigger runs margin than 405 and, as it happens, that was achieved by England too. This was the famous game at The Oval in 1938 when England made 903 for 7 (Len Hutton 364) and won by an innings and 579 runs. Neither Bradman nor the Australian opener Jack Fingleton batted because of injury. This was the fifth Test, and Australia had already secured the Ashes.Minimal loss of wickets by the victor can also be a cause of significantly hurt pride. A good recent example was South Africa’s defeat of England at The Oval in 2012. South Africa won by an innings and 12 runs which does not sound much but they only lost two wickets in their one innings to England’s 20 in two.To find a real rub your nose in it victory of that sort you have to turn to county cricket. The match was a three-day game between Lancashire and Leicestershire at Old Trafford in 1956. The first day was lost to rain.The scorecard tells the story. Lancashire 166 for 0 (Wharton 87*, Dyson 75*) and 66 for 0 (Wharton 33*, Dyson 31*) beat Leicestershire 108 (Statham 4-32, Hilton 3-19) and 122 (Hilton 5-23, Statham 3-36) by ten wickets.Ouch.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line.

Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan teamed up to take Bangladesh past a few small milestones on the third day. Shakib shepherded Liton along the way, but the youngster may have to do the same on his own, very soon

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong23-Jul-2015When Bangladesh’s 82-run, sixth-wicket partnership ended with a skier caught easily by JP Duminy, no one in the ground was more distraught than Shakib Al Hasan. The bowler, offspinner Simon Harmer, reckoned Shakib was trying to reach his fifty; the skier he offered two balls earlier strengthens that claim. Such dismissals can be derived in various ways but what Shakib had done in that moment does not really give away what he had done in the preceding two-and-a-half hours: he helped keep Bangladesh and Liton Das stay afloat.The final assessment of their innings was almost similar to how Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes and Mahmudullah applied themselves on the second day but got out after getting settled at the crease. Shakib and Liton ensured that Bangladesh took the first-innings lead, got to their longest innings, and secured their highest score against South Africa. They were also at the crease when Bangladesh completed 100 overs in the first innings – their first time against South Africa. Bangladesh have now batted 100 overs against all Test playing nations. These are tiny factoids for many, but this is how a Test side builds confidence.Liton was at the other end batting on 39 off 84 balls when Shakib got out. He faced 17 more deliveries and 7.1 more overs to reach his maiden Test fifty. He watched as Mohammad Shahid plundered four fours and a six in 28 minutes and got out trying another big hit. Though Liton’s dismissal was perhaps a result of getting influenced by who he was batting with, Harmer deserves more credit for the wicket.When Liton did have the guarantee of Shakib at the other end, he batted with more purpose. He had walked in with Bangladesh still 53 runs behind South Africa, and captain Mushfiqur Rahim just done in by Dale Steyn’s mastery; he had made Mushfiqur drag towards a mentality to play leg-stump glides before making one dart back in from a short angle, trapping him plumb. Liton had to face arguably the world’s most skillful fast bowler in addition to Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, with the knowledge that things had not gone to plan since his international debut in June.Liton was asked to keep wickets in this game as Mushfiqur felt his finger injury from April had not healed enough. The team combination kept Soumya Sarkar, the Man of the Series in Bangladesh’s historic ODI series win over South Africa less than a week ago, out of the playing XI. After his 44 on Test debut against India, Liton scored just 100 runs in six ODI innings and 32 runs in two T20s. In a batting line-up where everyone was grabbing their chances, Liton knew he was walking the tight rope.He made just three runs in his first 54 minutes at the crease, consuming 40 balls. He faced more of Stiaan van Zyl and Harmer, but there were testing overs from Steyn, Morkel and Philander. Shakib, during this period, added 19 runs off 31 balls. He also kept most of his shots to himself until cutting and driving van Zyl in the 81st over. At the end of the 85th over, Liton finally got his first four, past a diving square-leg. Morkel set up the bouncer trap, knowing that the youngster liked to pull and hook. Liton, though, saw it a couple of times and did not flinch. He only ducked and kept the bat out of harm’s way.When Shakib took a single off the last ball of the 88th over, he made it Bangladesh’s longest ever innings against South Africa. Remember, they had lost all eight of their previous Tests against South Africa, seven of which were innings defeats. Liton opened up a few overs later, driving Steyn absolutely straight with a high elbow to bring up Bangladesh’s lead. This was only the fifth time in their Test history that they had gone past a team’s score in the first innings, batting second. Liton stood still as he watched the ball go past Steyn’s boot, the stumps and the mid-off and mid-on fielders.Shakib Al Hasan dropped an attacking approach in favour of calming his partner at the other end•AFPThat Bangladesh went to lunch losing just one wicket and batting at 2.61 was unusual, but in a good way. Shakib kept South Africa at bay when he could have easily favoured a more attacking approach knowing that Liton was the last recognized batsman. After the rain, Shakib was in his element with the two pulled boundaries, but he was largely calm, trying to play Liton in once again.”Our plan was to cross their score and then take it from there. A batting partner is a batsman’s friend. We were helping each other,” Liton said. Since coming back from his suspension, Shakib has averaged 51 with the bat and is batting at a slightly higher strike-rate, too. He has scored three fifties and a century during this period of six Tests, and has often shown far more responsibility than he did till 2012.Liton struck a boundary in the 99th over to give Bangladesh their highest score against South Africa, and the pair ensured they batted past the 100-over mark. Liton was happy with his contribution, but said that he had eyes on a bigger score.”I wanted to make a bigger score. I was the only regular batsman at the time, the rest were lower-order batsmen,” Liton said. “I think I played quite well, as long as I batted. I wanted to play the maximum number of deliveries with the bowlers. I tried to bat for the team. I think the 50 runs would help the team. I think maybe I made a wrong decision with the shot that got me out.”Liton came into Bangladesh’s picture after a stellar 2014-15 domestic season. He was the top scorer in the National Cricket League and No. 2 on the scorer’s list in the one-day Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League. With his style of play, he has blundered several top domestic attacks over the last 18 months.. Of course, the gap between Bangladesh’s domestic scene and international cricket is huge, but Liton said that he still tried to replicate the way he scored in the domestic competitions last season.”We get a lot of loose balls in domestic cricket, but it is the opposite in international cricket,” Liton said. “The wicket was slow so it wasn’t also easy to play shots. I had to be careful. There is a different need everyday so today the demand of the situation was for me to play this way. I am trying to play the way I play in domestic cricket. There’s more pressure in international cricket.”Liton would not get to play many such innings in the future where the man at the other end bats with such care to ensure his partner’s longevity under pressure. He should take help as much as he can because a time will come – it could even be in the second innings of this game – when he will have to bat as the senior, and shepherd the tail-enders through choppy waters.