All posts by h716a5.icu

Bowling coach Chaminda Vaas believes that Sri Lanka’s pace quintet can thrive in New Zealand conditions

Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Dec-2014Somehow, Sri Lanka snuck them through customs. No part of their convoy was delayed or detained. Not even New Zealand’s biosecurity officers – a more fastidious breed than most – were wise to their transit. As of Tuesday afternoon, all five specimens had arrived intact in Christchurch ahead of the first Test.Though their official names are long and unpronounceable to most in the country, their wrangler, Chaminda Vaas, believes they can thrive in these conditions. They hope to do as well as the other invasive breeds to make New Zealand’s shores. Like the possum or the European rabbit, Sri Lanka’s pace quintet of Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep and Dushmantha Chameera are well-placed to raise hell when set loose, Vaas said.”All five seamers on tour have a lot of ability,” he said. “It’s very rare that we get five guys together who can all bowl 140kph. The conditions in New Zealand are great for quicks, and as a seamer you are overjoyed when you see tracks like what you have here, because you don’t get that in Sri Lanka. The pitches give you swing, and then if you bowl well, you can trap batsmen.”Vaas knows plenty about prospering in New Zealand. Of the nations he played in, he was most efficient in New Zealand, taking 36 wickets at an average of 22.55. Sixteen of those scalps came in 1995, when Vaas led Sri Lanka to their first-ever away series win, and as on that tour, he was largely the sole seam threat through his career. With a core cordon of quicks of roughly equivalent age and ability now having developed, the new group has an opportunity to become the best pace attack Sri Lanka have fielded, he said.”Being a fast bowler is all about learning and adding to your game. We share a lot among the group, and that’s when we develop together. What I try to tell the guys is to think about how you can be better than the other bowlers. That’s not to encourage jealousy or disunity – but to try and help us as a group to raise our standards. You have to be thinking that when someone else gets five wickets, you also want to get five. When you have that mentality and that competition, it’s easier to get wickets on any pitch.”They all have a responsibility to look after themselves, in terms of diet and discipline, because the demands of the international game are high. Their fitness has to be at an optimum level all the time, and their mental approach has to be the same. That’s what they need to do to get the best out of themselves, and the rest is up to their ability and the conditions.”Sri Lanka have been reliant on Rangana Herath’s left-arm spin since Muttiah Muralitharan’s retirement, but have this year begun to bank on their quicks as well. Their three overseas Test wins in 2014 – in Dubai, Dhaka and Leeds, have all been largely forged by the quicks. With the exception of uncapped Chameera, each of the other fast bowlers have played key roles in Sri Lanka’s recent Test successes.”In England we didn’t have Suranga, and now that he is back, it is a big strength,” Vaas said. “After Lasith Malinga, he is the guy who is in a similar place. His rhythm is excellent, and the other bowlers have something to learn from him.”Control and modest movement have been the Sri Lanka quicks’ hallmarks this year, but Prasad’s inclusion for the Headingley Test injected some hit-the-deck intensity that paid dividends on the fourth afternoon when he claimed four top-order wickets in one spell to set up that victory. No fast bowler in the attack has yet played more than 21 Tests, but Sri Lanka pose a varied threat nonetheless, Vaas said.”Suranga gets swing at pace and is a wicket-taking threat all the time. Eranga is very similar. None of these bowlers are very experienced, which is why it’s imperative that they improve every time they play. Dhammika Prasad has been in the team for a while, but he has only recently been able to play at a stretch because of his injuries. Thankfully he has been able to get his body 100%, and is at a very good fitness level.”They all have minor differences, but in key criteria, they are the same: they all bowl 140, they can all do something with the ball, and they have good control. Dhammika is a little different, because he hits the deck and then gets movement, while Suranga and Eranga move it more in the air.”Chameera, 22, took 3 for 13 in the warm-up match on a Queenstown greentop, but is unlikely to be in the XI on Boxing Day. Described by some coaches as the quickest young bowler in Sri Lanka’s domestic circuit, Vaas believed him to be an outstanding prospect.”He’s very talented and quite raw. Even though he doesn’t have much experience, he bowled very well in the last match. In a year, I trust he will be able to hit that 150kph mark. He just needs to take good care of his body, his rest, his diet and his mental approach.”

Northamptonshire’s veteran batsman David Sales is to retire at the end of the season due to recurrent injury problems

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jul-2014Northamptonshire’s veteran batsman David Sales is to retire at the end of the season. The 36-year-old, who made his debut for the county in 1996, had signed a one-year contract after Northamptonshire’s promotion in 2013 but a succession of injuries have curtailed his involvement this year.Sales was never capped by England, despite being called up to the A side, but scored over 14,000 first-class runs, as well as another 8000 in limited-overs cricket. He made an unbeaten 210 on debut against Worcestershire and passed 200 another seven times during his career, including his highest score of 303 not out against Essex at the age of 21.A stout strokemaker rather than a grafter, “Jumble” passed 1000 runs in each season between 2004 and 2008. His output was thinner after missing the whole of 2009 with a knee injury that required surgery but there was a return to form last season, with three hundreds, including another unbeaten double, as Northamptonshire returned to Division One.”I have had a fantastic time in cricket, but unfortunately picking up this serious ankle injury and to retire in this way is not how I planned it,” Sales said. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my career and the last 20 years at Northants Cricket, and whilst disappointed that I didn’t play at the very highest level, I will look back with pride at my achievements.”Many thanks to the many friends I have made, on and off the pitch, and all of the supporters who have been fantastic to me throughout my career. I wish Northants Cricket and all the lads every success moving forward.”Having missed the start of the season with a calf injury, Sales hurt his ankle in a T20 match. He has only featured in three Championship fixtures, making 103 runs in six innings, as Northamptonshire have struggled to unglue themselves from the foot of the table.Northamptonshire’s head coach, David Ripley, who played alongside Sales for several seasons said: “Jumble’s retirement signals the end of an era at Northants. An international class batsman, top slip fielder, astute cricket brain and humorous contributor to dressing room banter, he will be sadly missed. I was fortunate to be playing in his debut match, and have witnessed most of his match-winning innings since then. I would like to thank him personally for his support and friendship and on behalf of everybody at Northants Cricket all the best in his future coaching career.”

Michael Clarke will fly to the UAE a week before the rest of the Test specialists as Australia do everything they can to ensure his fitness for the Test series against Pakistan

Brydon Coverdale17-Sep-2014Haddin to captain if Clarke misses Tests

Brad Haddin will become Australia’s 45th Test captain if Michael Clarke is ruled out of the upcoming series against Pakistan. Clarke’s hamstring injury will keep him out of the ODIs against Pakistan in the UAE but Australia are hopeful he will recover in time for the two Tests, although that is far from a certainty.
Haddin was named as vice-captain ahead of last year’s Ashes tour. Cricket Australia’s website reported on Wednesday that coach Darren Lehmann had confirmed Haddin would lead the Test side if Clarke was unfit.
“We talk about that [a contingency plan] behind the scenes as a selection panel,” Lehmann said. “The thing is we want our best player playing. He’s been a fantastic player for us for over 100 Test matches now and we need our No.4 playing and making runs.”

Michael Clarke will fly to the UAE a week before the rest of the Test specialists as Australia do everything they can to ensure his fitness for the Test series against Pakistan. However, the team physio Alex Kountouris said that Clarke was “not a sure thing” for the two Tests in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, although he was hopeful that if his recovery continued as planned he would be available.Clarke has already been ruled out of the ODIs against Pakistan but Kountouris said that whenever he returned to the side, there would be a risk of a recurrence of the hamstring problem he sustained in Zimbabwe. Australia believe that managing Clarke’s travel will be a key factor in ensuring his ongoing fitness, after he has twice in the past 18 months struggled with injuries immediately after long-haul flights.”He’s coming to the UAE about a week before the Test side is, now that he’s not playing the one-dayers,” Kountouris said on Wednesday. “He’s coming a day or two after the one-day team. He’ll be there well before he needs to be doing stuff over there. Part of that will be continuing his rehab with myself and the doc, and part of that will be to make sure we get him there [for the Tests].”We’re planning that he’s not going to miss [the Tests], but he’s not a sure thing either. He’s definitely missing the one-dayers but we’re definitely doing everything we can to get him up. But he’s not going to play unless he’s right. That’ll involve him getting back to full training, running at high speed and giving us the confidence that he’s okay.”There’s never a good time. If we wait until the second Test, or wait until the first one-dayer against South Africa, whatever we wait for it’s going to be a risk. We’re going to have to play him at some point. We think the time-frames to play the first Test are realistic. He seems to be tracking [well] and he’s likely to be okay and available for that series.”Managing Clarke’s fitness problems looms as a major task for Kountouris and the rest of Cricket Australia’s medical staff over the coming years as he becomes more susceptible to soft-tissue injuries. Clarke has had issues with the hamstring muscles of both legs, which Kountouris believes is partially a byproduct of his ongoing back trouble and in part a result of getting older.Notably, Clarke’s hamstring pain appeared at Australia’s first light training session in Zimbabwe after the flight from Australia, just as back soreness plagued him in England last year when Australia had just arrived for the Champions Trophy. Adjusting Clarke’s recovery programmes – from both travel and matches – could become a growing challenge.”That’s probably the thing we’re going to try to change the most,” Kountouris said. “What do we do about his recovery post-travel, post-games and post-tours? He got off the plane to Zimbabwe and all he was doing was a light recovery session, and he felt his hamstring grab a bit. At that level of activity we think there has to be other factors involved, not just the traditional fatigue and lack of strength.”Prior to Zimbabwe, Clarke’s most recent significant hamstring injury had come when he retired hurt in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Hobart in December 2012. He did not miss a Test, but nursed hamstring soreness through the Test tour of India that followed, eventually being ruled out of the final Test in Delhi due to his back injury.For the time being, Clarke’s time-frame for recovery is open-ended, and Australia’s major concern is not to rush him back before he is ready. The fact that the injury has affected the tendons in Clarke’s leg is expected to mean a longer recovery time than if the injury was to the muscle only.”He’s about to start jogging some time this week,” Kountouris said. “It’s been ten days or two weeks since it happened. We anticipate the way we’re planning his rehab and the importance of getting these tendons to heal that it’s going to take another two or three weeks before we’re really testing him at any sort of intensity with his running.”

Tamim Iqbal, the Bangladesh opener who has endured a torrid 2014 averaging just 12.53, has said that he is confident of getting back to his best

Mohammad Isam12-Jun-2014Tamim Iqbal cannot help but end almost every sentence of his the same way. “I believe strongly that sooner or later I will be back to my best,” is the gist of what he is saying. By his fourth such mention in ten minutes, you can see just how convinced he is of breaking free of the poor run that has dogged him since the start of this year.The Bangladesh opener has now played 13 innings in 2014, averaging 12.53 and has not made more than 31 in any of them.His last fifty came in the second ODI against New Zealand last October. He was just as poor in the World T20 at home, scoring just 83 runs from seven innings; a fruitless run which eventually led to his place in the line-up being questioned at least once.Five years ago when he went through 25 innings without scoring a fifty, there were very few people who doubted Tamim’s ability. A comeback was not anticipated as he kept giving good starts with the bat, enough to keep everyone satisfied.In his current run, however, he has had just three scores of 30 and above. In what turned out to be his highest innings in 2014 so far, Tamim was looking in control in the second Test against Sri Lanka when part-time legspinner Kithuruwan Vithanage snuck one through his bat and pad after continuously drawing him out for expansive drives. The two other 30s were made with a neck injury against Sri Lanka and against Nepal, where he threw his wicket away.Tamim got out of his biggest rut with a Test century against West Indies, which flowed right up to his best year, 2010, when he produced tons against England both home and away. The innings in Lord’s and Manchester in particular stand out.Tamim does not talk about such highs now, but said he is doing exactly the same thing he did during his last long dry spell- to punch above his weight.”I used to bat a lot back then [2008-09] and I am doing the same now. I mean, I am batting a lot,” Tamim said. “If it was something that could be fixed off the field, I would have done it by now. But it has to be done inside the field. I am preparing myself in every way, and trying above my capability. I believe strongly that sooner or later I will be back to form.”When asked if his place in the team being questioned riled him, Tamim was adamant that he would not let the criticism get the better of him. “I don’t think I should answer this question,” he said. “Those who are questioning my position, they can tell you whether questioning my position is right or wrong. People can say what they like, I don’t get bothered. I have to accept it positively. I won’t come out in the media and ask people why they are writing such and such.”Tamim’s first innings of the year was a mess. Sri Lanka strangled him for 40 minutes before he hooked Shaminda Eranga down at fine leg for just 6. In the second innings, he couldn’t resist having a swipe at Rangana Herath late in the third day, and was caught after toeing the ball. He would be caught six more times afterwards, either slogging (twice), driving straight to mid-off (twice) or giving catches to deep point and slip. He had also been bowled four times- on one occasion even losing his off-stump to little-known Tanwir Afzal of Hong Kong while trying to chop down to third-man- and was trapped lbw once.Tamim insisted that he had not made any big technical changes to his batting, hinting that his current slump had perhaps more to do with the fact that batsmen get lesser time to recover in T20s as opposed to ODIs.”I have not made any technical batting changes, and I have performed well with it. It is also not right to change everything just because I haven’t scored in four to six games. I have made mistakes subconsciously, which is why I am now reviewing footage of my batting, and watching more videos in the nets.”During the World T20, nothing was working. Afterwards, when I took the break, I really used it to sit back and realise what has gone wrong. When you do well in T20s, you are sure to be in top form. Everything goes right. But when you’re not in form, there isn’t enough time in T20s. Like everyone else, I went out and attacked, and it didn’t work. In ODIs, however, we will get the time, and I will try to spend more time in the wicket.”Despite working very hard to climb back into form, Tamim is aware that these are times when he can also afford to simply take a step back and make sure his mind is alert and not cluttered with bad thoughts.”I am a good student of the game. I try to learn from everyone. Mahela Jayawardene once told us that when nothing is going well, do less and do the basics. When you’re playing well, do the maximum. I have gone back to my basics, and I am working on each and every shot.”I personally feel that nobody would want to play with extra pressure. Why would anyone even want more pressure when there is already a lot of pressure? This is usually said about me after the 2012 Asia Cup when I was under a lot of pressure, and I scored four fifties. Just think what would have happened if it was the opposite?”People close to Tamim have talked about how isolated he had felt the moment he was not considered as the stop-gap captain for the T20 series against Sri Lanka, despite being named vice-captain for the series. He was passed on for Mashrafe Mortaza, and also suffered a neck strain at the same time. Tamim played the very next game despite the injury, making 30, but was ruled out of the next two ODI tournaments. The neck injury turned into a tear and if luck had deserted him, could have put him out of cricket for a much longer time.Tamim polarises opinion among cricket fans with his forthright views and batting style, but he has made it work from the start of his career. There have been dips in form, be it 25 or 13 matches long, but Tamim has always figured out a way to get back in amongst the runs. Bangladesh will be hoping that he can quickly negotiate his way out of this current drought as well.

Ravindra Jadeja has said batting with aggression was his best chance to score runs in the Lord’s Test

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-2014Ravindra Jadeja has said batting with aggression was his best chance to score runs in the Lord’s Test. Jadeja came to the crease with India in a tricky position but smashed his way to a 57-ball 68 – his first Test half-century – that tilted the scales firmly in India’s favour.Jadeja had scored 25 and 31 runs in the first Test in Nottingham using two different methods: while he dashed away in the first innings, hitting two sixes in his 24-ball stay, he appeared uncomfortable during the 98-ball 31 in the second innings. He scored only 3 in the first innings at Lord’s.”I started thinking how I was going to play today and decided that the best way for me is to play my game,” Jadeja told . “If I play any differently I won’t get runs. So I decided that irrespective of the situation I will back myself and go for my shots. That’s the only way I can score runs. When I went in to bat, the team also needed runs.”India had been reduced to 235 for 7, with a lead of 211 soon after the new ball was taken, but Jadeja’s counterattack surprised the England bowlers. Sixty-five runs were scored in the first eight overs after lunch with the new ball. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had two fifties in the first Test, continued his good form and stuck around with Jadeja as the two added 99 runs for the eight wicket.”The good thing about our partnership was that both of us were scoring runs fluently and so we didn’t let them build pressure from one end,” he said. “Bhuvi is in very good form and all his four innings so far have been very important for the team and personally for him. We hope that he continues to score runs throughout the series.”The elaborate celebration – the twirl of the bat – after Jadeja reached his fifty signified the importance of the innings. Jadeja explained later: “It has got to do with a tradition that we have among the Rajpoots. During festivals and special occasions, we have professional sword-fighters perform with a sword in each hand, moving them in that fashion. It’s called . I only had one bat with me so I did it with one hand. I wanted to have a different celebration and so I had decided whenever I get a fifty, I will do that. MS must have seen it and realized what I was doing. So, he was mimicking me.”The pitch, having roughened up, also afforded sharp turn and variable bounce, forcing MS Dhoni to use Jadeja for 16 out of the 46 overs India bowled on the fourth day. With a few scooting along the floor, Dhoni chose to stand further away from the stumps while keeping to Jadeja. “It was because of the foot marks, it was very difficult for the left-hander, as the odd ball was taking off, a few kept low and some turned square,” he said.”We thought it would be a good idea for the keeper to stand back because in case there was a nick, it would be an easy catch for him standing back. And that’s exactly what happened in the second last over but then MS was standing up to the stumps.”

The India coaching staff, comprising the trio of Duncan Fletcher, Trevor Penney and Joe Dawes has received the “wholehearted” support of the BCCI in the wake of raging criticism in the media recently

Nagraj Gollapudi14-Mar-2014The India coaching staff, comprising the trio of Duncan Fletcher, Trevor Penney and Joe Dawes has received the “wholehearted” support of the BCCI in the wake of raging criticism in the media recently. In the wake of India’s defeats on the overseas tours of South Africa and New Zealand and their early exit from the Asia Cup prompted critics to point fingers at the trio, including former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who said he would give Fletcher a rating of 1.5 on a scale of 10 for his coaching acumen.”We deny all reports about Fletcher’s job being in danger,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel told ESPNcricinfo. “Everything will continue as it is. No difference (with regards to the coaching staff). Duncan wanted to continue, and he has our whole-hearted support from BCCI.”Fletcher, who took over as the head coach in 2011 after Gary Kirsten left the position, had signed a one-year extension to his contract last year. Although his contract comes to an end on March 31, both he and the BCCI had mutually agreed earlier to continue till the end of the World T20. Despite the BCCI insisting that it had no plans to oust Fletcher, the speculation in the media has persisted about his future.But when Fletcher did not land along with the rest of the Indian squad in Dhaka earlier today, and instead went to Chennai to meet BCCI president N Srinivasan and Patel and few other senior board officials, the doubts grew louder about the coach’s fate. However Patel silenced all the doubters, denying all claims of the BCCI deciding to sack anyone from the coaching staff.Asked if the renewal of the coaching staff’s contracts were discussed, Patel said it was a routine meeting where the BCCI wanted to take stock of the situation. “It was a normal meeting. Unfortunately due to a busy schedule we could not meet the coaches. Normally what happens is during our one-on-one meetings we (BCCI and coach) discuss what their requirements are and if they need any extra support and all such things. Since we had not met for a while, we decided to call the coaches,” Patel said.An annoyed Patel rubbished speculation brewing in the media and even questioned certain reports. “Who are we to give an ultimatum? And will a person like Duncan listen to us giving any ultimatum? There was no discussion about any such thing,” Patel said. “People are using words like summons issued to coaches. Are they culprits to be issued summons?”However, India captain MS Dhoni had to face the question about Fletcher when he landed in Dhaka for his first press conference ahead of the World T20, having skipped the traditional pre-tour press conference . Asked about the coach’s absence, Dhoni refused to answer. The Indian team’s media manager even said they were not aware of any meeting between the coach and the BCCI.

Kevin Pietersen will captain Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League this season, while Dinesh Karthik has been named vice-captain

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2014Kevin Pietersen will captain Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League this season, while Dinesh Karthik has been named vice-captain.The pair were the most expensive purchases for Daredevils at the IPL auction last month. Pietersen was bought for Rs 9 crores ($1.5 million) in the auction in February, after the franchise used its Right to Match card. Karthik was purchased by Daredevils for Rs 12.5 crores ($2.08 million).The season will be Pietersen’s second stint as captain of an IPL franchise – the England batsman had captained Royal Challengers Bangalore for a brief period in 2009. Pietersen, who transferred to Delhi Daredevils from the defunct Deccan Chargers in 2012, has scored 305 runs in eight matches for the franchise. Overall, Pietersen has 634 runs in 21 IPL games at 42.26.He missed the last season due to injury was but was seen promoting the franchise during the tournament. Pietersen was one of the marquee players at the auction, after Daredevils decided not to retain any players, and was expected to attract interest in spite of the abrupt end to his international career earlier in February.In 92 matches across six seasons, Karthik – who was part of the Daredevils’ squad for the first three seasons of the IPL before moving to Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians – has scored 1741 runs and was one of the leading run-getters for Mumbai in their title win last year.Gary Kirsten, who was appointed the Daredevils coach in September last year, said the two players would have a positive impact on the team.”I am looking forward to working with Kevin Pietersen as the captain of the Delhi Daredevils,” Kirsten said. “It will be great to have him with us for the full duration of IPL and I have no doubt that he will have a positive and significant impact. Dinesh Karthik, who has been appointed as vice-captain, will also form part of the leadership team. He has a lot of experience of playing the IPL and he will offer valuable inputs into our game plans and strategies during the tournament.”

Extremely excited about leading Delhi Daredevils this season. We want to have a hard working and fun… https://t.co/1YpnMBdqvi

— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) March 18, 2014

A round-up of matches on the opening day of the Under-19 Asia Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Dec-2013Afghanistan Under-19 pulled off a three-wicket victory, after Zia-ur-Rehman’s five-for restricted Sri Lanka Under-19 to 191 for 9. Sri Lanka had made a steady start, with opener Hashan Dumindu scoring 61, but the innings faltered after the first-wicket stand of 64. They lost wickets in clutches, with Rehman jolting the top and lower order while Sharafuddin Ashraf, who took 2 for 30, hurting the middle. Rehman finished with 5 for 33 in ten overs. Afghanistan’s chase also slipped after a steady start: they went from 63 for 0 to 78 for 3 and then limped to 165 for 7. The asking rate was never an issue, though, and the captain Nasir Ahmadzai scored an unbeaten 28, and Ashraf hit 15 off eight balls, to take Afghanistan to victory with 15 balls to spare.Bangladesh Under-19 made short work of Malaysia Under-19 in their opening game of the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi, winning by nine wickets and 39.4 overs to spare. Malaysia lasted only 25.2 overs after they chose to bat and were dismissed for 50. Ahmad Tajudin Ismail was their top scorer with 15 and the only batsman to score in double figures. Bangladesh left-arm seamer Abu Haider finished with figures of 8-4-8-5. The Bangladesh top order did not waste time in the chase, achieving the target in 10.2 overs. Opener Shadman Islam was unbeaten on 25 off 26 balls.A hundred from Akhil Herwadkar and rapid half-centuries from Sanju Samson and Ricky Bhui led India Under-19 to a match-winning total against UAE Under-19. After India won the toss, Herwadkar made 101, while Samson scored 65 off 47 balls and Bhui 54 off 38 to amass a score of 320 for 4. UAE’s chase never got going and eventually only two of their batsmen made it into the 20s, and neither of them passed 30. Seamer Deepak Hooda took 4 for 21, while spinners Aamir Gani and Kuldeep Yadav took three and two wickets each for India. UAE were dismissed for 131 in 40.1 overs, giving India victory by 189 runs.Pakistan Under-19 batsmen Sami Aslam and Hasan Raza scored centuries to sink Nepal Under-19 by 132 runs. Aslam made a run-a-ball 108 while Raza contributed 100, and the innings was given boost by Zafar Gohar, who scored 50 off 26 balls to lead Pakistan to 311 for 6 in 50 overs. Nepal’s openers added 76 but they took 22.4 overs to do so and the asking rate soared. The innings fell away after Amit Shrestha’s 60 and Nepal were restricted to 179 for 7. Pakistan trialled as many as eight bowlers and left-arm spinner Kamran Ghulam was the best of the lot, taking 4 for 36 in ten overs.

MS Dhoni, who will captain India for the 50th time in Tests, highlighted the importance of knowing one’s limitations and their strengths

Sidharth Monga in Johannesburg17-Dec-2013When he walks out for the toss at the Wanderers on Wednesday, MS Dhoni will have achieved a rare feat: having captained in 50 Tests a team that always plays under the scrutiny and pressure of expectation that the England football team or the All Blacks usually face. Only 32 years old, he often jokes about how he has greyed with the captaincy. There is a reason why no Indian has led in 50 Tests. Rahul Dravid, possibly the best on-field captain India have had, could manage the job for only 25 matches before resigning. Dhoni has obviously done some things right, one of which is that he might not even know that he is going to walk out for a 50th toss in whites.When Dhoni had the seniors – Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag gave him some of their best innings – he did the job perfectly for the most part. He knew all he needed to do was make sure they were in a good space and the performances would be delivered. He managed the off-field stuff well, which captains will tell you is equally important, if not more – remember Ian Chappell’s improvisation of a Bill O’Reilly line that even a collie dog can arrange a batting order and make bowling changes? Towards the end of the seniors’ careers, Dhoni perhaps trusted a good thing for too long, but largely he could do his job staying in the shadow and under the radar.Now, though, begins a new challenge for Dhoni. This is the first time he is captaining a side without any of his big guns. Even Gautam Gambhir is missing. India’s six specialist batsmen have a combined experience of 42 Tests, only three of them in South Africa. Dhoni knows he needs to be more proactive without being overbearing.MS Dhoni’s 50th Test as India captain is the beginning of a whole new challenge•BCCI”It will be quite different,” he said on the eve of the match. “When all the seniors were part of the side, you didn’t really have to worry much about how preparation is going because once you have played international cricket for a long time you know your game. At the same time you know how to prepare well in different conditions. Many of them had toured the same venues quite a few times, be it England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand.”But with the new set of players, at times you have to guide them as to what needs to be done, and what are the areas where they need to improve,” Dhoni said. “At the same time not getting too technical is also very important. Because you can’t change your technique in five-six-seven days. What’s important is to know your limitation, and at the same time know your strength.”An ideal scenario would have been a gradual phasing out of the seniors, so that some of them were around to take the new batsmen through their paces in away Tests. However, not for nothing is the India captaincy difficult. There are few ideal scenarios. Now all these young batsmen will have to go through this as newcomers. A newcomer, though, will find what Dhoni says reassuring. He is not imposing demands, he is not going to sit and say things would have been better with Tendulkar or Dravid or Laxman around. He is going to guide newcomers on how to prepare, he is going to leave technical matters to Duncan Fletcher, and he will ask that they give their best on match day.Dhoni is also going to ask his bowlers to pull their weight, a demand sometimes not made because the senior batsmen used to clean up after them. “One of the most crucial things to do is to bowl well, because to win Test matches you have to score runs but at the end of the day we need to take 20 wickets,” he said, when asked of the importance of batting well in the first innings. “So I think it will be very important to bowl in the right areas. [You need to] get used to the conditions really well. Try to hit the top of off stump because that’s the ideal length irrespective of where you are playing. It’s a bit of both, but of course we need to bowl really well. If we start well with that, we will carry off the confidence to other departments.”Dhoni will live with his bowlers not having the pace of Dale Steyn or the bounce of Morne Morkel, but he will want them to hit the top of off with the seam upright more often than not.It’s possible Dhoni doesn’t let things such as legacy play on his mind too much. However, after the last two horror away tours put a downer on his good work as captain, his 50th is almost a fresh start for Dhoni when it comes to leading a Test side.

Northamptonshire claimed their first major trophy since 1992 by winning the Friends Life t20 with a thumping defeat of Surrey in the final at Edgbaston.

George Dobell at Edgbaston17-Aug-2013
ScorecardDavid Willey made the fastest half-century of the season before taking a hat-trick to seal a memorable evening•Getty ImagesNorthamptonshire claimed their first major trophy since 1992 by winning the Friends Life t20 with a thumping defeat of Surrey in the final at Edgbaston.Having won just three of their last 27 T20s before this season, dating back to their quarter-final defeat in 2010, Northants went into the campaign as rank outsiders. But there was nothing fortunate about this success.After winning seven of their 10 group games – by contrast, they won just one out of 10 in 2012 – they produced commanding performances in the quarter-final, semi-final and final against clubs which, on at least two of those three occasions, boasted significantly larger playing budgets.Indeed, this final pitted Northants – one of the smaller counties with a turnover of around £3.4m a year – against Surrey, the undisputed financial giants of English cricket, with a turnover that was £23.8m last year.But this was far more than a heartening tale of an underdog enjoying their moment in the sun. For so long a county sliding into irrelevance, Northants are providing a fine example of what can be achieved by smaller counties with sound financial management, astute coaching and a refusal to accept a place among the also-rans. Having changed their coach, captain and chief executive in the last 18 months, Northants have also changed the culture of their club. It is surely more than coincidence that David Ripley, who took over as coach in August 2012, was a member of the Northants side that won the NatWest Trophy in 1992.Whereas Northants used to be a cosy club content with its own mediocrity playing in front of dwindling numbers of spectators in a weary ground, they are now a club demonstrating the enduring value of team spirit, unity of purpose, wise recruitment and the development of local talent. Here, in front of a fine-spirited crowd and on an excellent T20 surface, they played cricket bursting with confidence and joy, reflective of a side enjoying their game and each other’s successes. Here they completely outplayed Surrey.David Willey will, quite rightly, take the plaudits. A product of the club’s own system – his father, Peter, was a stalwart of the club for two-and-a-half decades – Willey not only thrashed the fastest half-century of the season, but also claimed a hat-trick to finish the game. Aged 23, his form has recently won England Lions recognition and, with England looking for a left-arm seamer to replicate the role once performed by Ryan Sidebottom, it may not be too long before he goes a step further.But this success was built around an innings that contained three half-centuries. After Willey, only opening the batting due to a wrist injury sustained by Kyle Coetzer in the semi-final, Cameron White and Alex Wakely added 107 in 56 balls to take Northants to the highest total in an English T20 final. Bearing in mind that the innings was reduced to 18 overs by rain and that is some achievement.Northants actually started relatively sedately. Perhaps taken aback by Zafar Ansari opening the bowling with his left-arm spin, Northants scored only one off the first over and six off the second.But a break for rain instilled new urgency. Willey, who scored only one from his first four balls, then thrashed 50 from his next 15 to reach a 19-ball half-century. It was a blitz that included 20 off one Jade Dernbach over – “I don’t particularly like the bloke,” Willey said by way of explanation, “he made an idiot of himself out there” – and 17 off another from Azhar Mahmood.Even when Willey was out, slicing to deep cover, Wakely, the team captain and another product of the club’s own system, took up the challenge, pulling strongly and reaching his 50 off 25 balls. While White was, initially at least, more cautious, he accelerated in the dying overs and completed his own 39-ball 50 with a six off the final ball of the innings.Surrey’s bowling wilted in the face of such an assault. Two international seamers conceded 108 in eight overs as Mahmood, so frugal in the semi-final, was plundered for 53 in four overs, while Dernbach, offering a variety of full-tosses and half-volleys in an oddly off-colour performance, went for 55. Perhaps the damp conditions rendered it tough to grip the ball, but it was a disappointing performance in the field from Surrey.They never threatened to go close in pursuit. While Glenn Maxwell hit an aggressive 29, the required run-rate demanded greater risk-taking than Northants’ well-disciplined attack would allow. Having stuttered to 70 for 4, Surrey lost their last six wickets for 22 runs including their final four without the addition of a run. In the end, it was a rout.But, amid the rubble of a chastening defeat, Surrey should take some confidence from their journey to the final. After a grim 18-months, this was a step in the right direction and suggested that brighter days lie ahead.This was a good day for English cricket, too. In front of a good-natured, full-house crowd and on a pitch ideal for such a high-profile encounter – full of runs and offering encouragement to good batsmen and good bowlers – it was a day that showcased talent and provided a fine advertisement for T20 cricket.