What a bummer when a highly anticipated match between two heavyweights turns out to be a dud

Mihir Gosalia17-Apr-2012Choice of game
Both the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Daredevils have a lot of star players, like Sachin Tendulkar, Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Richard Levi, Virender Sehwag, Kevin Pietersen, Mahela Jayawardene and Ross Taylor. I thought the match would be an exciting contest between two evenly balanced teams, with loads of hitting, fours, sixes and wickets.Also, this was the first IPL match I watched live in a stadium. I went with 12 friends to make the experience more exciting and enjoyable.Team supported
Mumbai, because they are my home team.Key performer
Man of the Match Shahbaz Nadeem, the Daredevils’ left-arm spinner, bowled a tight spell opening spell in which he took two wickets and ensured Mumbai never got to a start. Another standout performer was Mumbai captain Harbhajan Singh, for while he was at the crease, it looked like Mumbai would put up a competitive total.One thing I’d have changed
I’d have played both Tendulkar and Malinga. Mumbai didn’t look like the champion team they are supposed to be without their two star players. Tendulkar’s presence makes a huge difference to the team and the spectators. Get well soon, Sachin. We want to see you playing for Mumbai in the next match.Wow moment
The Mexican wave around the stadium was exciting.Close encounter
For the Daredevils, Morne Morkel and Pietersen fielded near the boundary where I was sitting. And for Mumbai, it was Levi. It is very easy to recognise these tall players even from a distance.Levi ran to his left and dived to save what looked like a certain boundary from a Sehwag cut shot, keeping it to a single. That was the fielding save of the match.Shot of the day
Only one shot went skywards in the match, played by Sehwag, and it ended up being a catch at long-on for Levi.Crowd meter
The stands were packed and the support for Mumbai was excellent. A spectator seated a few rows ahead of me seemed to be enjoying every moment of the match irrespective of which team was doing better. He was blowing on the bugle every now and then and dancing on his seat. He celebrated boundaries as well as wickets, and it was nice to see him enjoy the match that way.Entertainment
The DJ tried to cheer up Mumbai and boost their morale by playing “” from the movie During the mid-innings break, some fans got the opportunity to take catches off Mumbai batsmen and to keep the ball they caught.ODIs or Twenty20s
I prefer Twenty20s because the game is completed in three hours, unlike ODIs and Tests which occupy your whole day. You can watch a T20 after office hours, and thus enjoy a good evening out too. And there is entertainment guaranteed in T20 via hits to the fence.Banner of the day
There was a banner that looked like a dartboard. It said a prize of Rs10,000 will be given to anyone who hits the target. It was probably an incentive offered to Mumbai’s batsmen to go out and play their shots and hit the target. But unfortunately, that didn’t happen.TV v stadium
I’d recommend watching in stadium any time, especially if you go with a big group of people. You cannot relive the excitement, the buzz around the ground, the energy, the crowd’s enthusiasm, the wacky humour associated with a certain player or a team if you are watching the match on TV. A three-hour match in a packed stadium is as good as watching a blockbuster movie in a theatre.The low-scorers
It’s probably too early to judge, but after this match I recalled the words of IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla before the tournament. He said the fifth season of the IPL was probably going to be the best so far because the governing council had instructed stadium curators to prepare 160-run pitches so that the crowds will get entertained by all the fours and sixes. Perhaps the curators are sending him a message to not tell them what to do.Marks out of 10
6, mainly because of the experience of watching the match live in a stadium. I would have scored it better had the match been more competitive, had Mumbai scored more runs, and had Sachin and Malinga played.

Current and former players react to the situation that has led to the omission of Kevin Pietersen for England’s third Test against South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2012″Frankly, as players, all this has been a distraction we could well do without as we approach a massively important final match at Lord’s, one we must win to retain our hard-earned status as the No 1 ranked side in world cricket … Kevin talked about having issues within the dressing room. What’s frustrating is that this was, literally, the first we knew about it. Kevin has mentioned nothing to us.”
“Over the last week, Kevin has acted like a child who does not know what he wants and, as any teacher will tell you, you only need one unruly kid in the class and the whole structure of the classroom can come crashing down.”

“The message to Pietersen is clear: he has to be a team man, fully committed and nothing less.”
“What I’m hearing is that England players are now sick and tired of hearing about Kevin Pietersen in what is one of the biggest series England play.”
“Kev speaks his mind a bit and you’d like that to be refreshing but it often falls the wrong way for him.”
“Much depends how Pietersen reacts to this. If he takes his punishment and keeps quiet, then there is a chance he will come back. If he reacts badly to this and he has a history of falling out with people then there may be a permanent falling out and breakdown in relationships.”
“Put simply – cricket lovers around the world will miss watching KP’s serious talent and skill on the international stage.. Also… If KP didn’t play second test v SA the score line would read SA 2 ENG 0.. SA ranked number 1 test team in the world, need I say more..”

A full house will be on hand at the Wanderers to cheer the Lions as they bid to entire a long trophy-less spell

Firdose Moonda27-Oct-2012Little over three weeks ago, brightly coloured sashes were being put up over the Wanderers in preparation for the Champions League.Then, the Lions were holding one of their first practice sessions ahead of the tournament and happily shared their nets with Auckland. There was a quiet sense of anticipation among them which was eclipsed by feelings of great resolve. Had they been told then that one of them would qualify to the main draw and then cause a major upset and the other would spring an even greater surprise by making it to the final, they might have only smiled knowingly — such was the confidence in both camps.It is the Lions’ achievement which has resulted in the stadium gaining its latest accessory: ‘Sold Out’ signs which adorn the office gates of the grand old lady, who will once again welcome over 30,000 people. Given that it’s the Sydney Sixers who will be contesting the final against them, most of those people will cheer for the Lions.The last time that many people packed into the Bullring to cheer on their domestic team could have been before the CSA bonus scandal broke over three years ago, the economic collapse of 2008 or maybe even before twenty-over cricket had its own World Cup in 2007. It really is difficult to remember when that was.For five seasons, the trophy cabinet on Corlett Drive has not had reason to be opened because nothing came in. The Lions reached the final of the 2008-09 season domestic T20 competition and did the same last season. Both times they ended up empty handed.Very few people would have tipped them to get this far in the CLT20. Even fewer will expect them to give the administrators reason to dig out the key for that accolades cupboard. But Lions’ captain Alviro Petersen does not mind. Commentators have compared him to MS Dhoni in his icy mannerisms and he is not an easy man to read. When is he tense, when does he smile? Who knows?When he posted the only single figure score in South Africa’s emphatic Test victory over England at the Oval in July (Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis also batted in that match and all scored centuries), he met unjustified criticism with a stony glare and nothing else. Then, he went on to score a big hundred in the next match. That’s Petersen and although he has not contributed much with the bat, his unfussed leadership is one of the Lions’ best assets.Their other strengths are more obvious to identify. Gulam Bodi has turned into the most reliable opener in the tournament, Neil McKenzie is the sage in the middle order and Quinton de Kock, the fire, although he hasn’t set the stage alight every time. Sohail Tanvir and Dirk Nannes lead the attack with experience, Chris Morris ignites it with pace and Aaron Phangiso is the silent assassin – who gives away little and always ends up with much reward. They rely on unity to succeed and it’s taken them to the final.

The last time that many people packed into the Bullring to cheer on their domestic team could have been before the CSA bonus scandal broke over three years ago, the economic collapse of 2008 or maybe even before twenty-over cricket had its own World Cup in 2007

Sydney, on the other hand, were always seen as one of the favourites to go far in the tournament. With a pace attack that reflects Australia’s depth, they have scared as well as dominated batting line-ups. Although hype has been built around Pat Cummins, who will now return to the scene of his spectacular Test debut, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have jostled for space under spotlight. Both have displayed maturity and control and add that to their natural skills and you have two highly competent and dangerous bowlers.It does not end there for Sydney though. Even without Shane Watson, their so-called other bowlers provide more than adequate back-up. Moises Henriques is enjoying the form of his life, having done well in the lead up to the tournament and then used it as a vehicle to showcase his all-round skills.The contest could be decided on whether Sydney’s young trio can outbowl the Lions’ varied attack. It may also lie in whether the batsmen on either side can withstand. Perhaps the same battle lines will define the upcoming Test series between South Africa and Australia but for now the focus is more micro. The Lions’ batting, with some national presence in Petersen, has looked fragile but somehow has only been broken once. That was by Sydney in Cape Town ten days ago.Conditions at the Wanderers will be markedly different though with pace and bounce playing more of a part. Most notably, the Lions will have thousands behind them, something Sydney thought would be intimidating enough at SuperSport Park. Peter Nevill described beating a team at home as the “biggest hurdle” and Sydney already managed that against the Titans.Despite massive support, the Titans’ could not use what Matthew Maynard called their 12th man to post a victory. But they have added their voices to the cheers for the Lions. It is a rare message of support from one to the other, especially because the rivalry between these two South African sides has been fierce. “We came close but I hope they go one better,” Martin van Jaarsveld, Titans captain said.

The World Twenty20 final proved that the shortest format is worthy of attention, and that cricket in the Caribbean is alive and kicking, says David Hopps as he soaks in the atmosphere at a Colombo café

David Hopps in Colombo07-Oct-2012There was a celebration after this World Twenty20 final, but it was not on the streets of Colombo. The thousands of people who streamed into the centre of Sri Lanka’s capital to dance the night away largely turned around and went back again. Instead, the carnival was in the Caribbean as West Indies kept their promise that their cricketing regeneration had begun. , and a bit of Bob Marley, washed down by a dark rum or two, long into the night.Even those traditional cricket supporters most resistant to the attractions of T20 must concede that if it helps to reawaken Caribbean cricket after two decades of decline then it will have had a positive impact on the world game. And while they are in conciliatory mood, they can concede, too, that there was no better man to spark the rebirth than Darren Sammy, West Indies’ big-hearted, congenial captain, a man who has followed their slogan of “One Team, One People, One Goal” to the letter, and whose unbeaten 26 off 15 balls, to follow Marlon Samuels’ 78, dragged West Indies out of inertia to what proved to be a matchwinning 137 for 6.Never say again that Twenty20 does not matter. Never say again that it is such an entirely inferior game that is not worth your attention, that it demands no intellect, creates no tension, bares no souls. If it is not a worthy addition to Test cricket, how can you explain the despair tonight for Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, two players who have offered Sri Lankan cricket wise counsel and stirring deeds for the past decade and who have failed yet again to win a major one-day trophy? They will fear that they may now never leap the final hurdle.Never say again that Twenty20 does not matter, that it is all a bit of fun, that it is a bad game best disguised by cheerleaders and loud music. If you think that, how do you explain why Chris Gayle, the most destructive batsman around, went into his shell to make 3 runs in 16 balls in the face of insistent Sri Lankan bowling on a mediocre surface when the time had come to fulfil his prediction that the final belonged to West Indies. The tension in the early overs of West Indies’ innings was of Test match quality and there is no finer accolade than that.And how do you suppress your recognition that Marlon Samuels, the Yohan Blake to Gayle’s Usain Bolt, played an innings of substance by any definition, launching a spectacular assault on Lasith Malinga, in particular, to drag West Indies’ angst-ridden innings out of the mire?This World Twenty20 tournament, run with a professionalism beyond anything that Sri Lanka has ever produced, has emphasised that T20 cricket must have a future in the international game and that those who have suggested it should be left only to domestic franchise leagues have been entirely misguided.Properly played, this is a game that carries many of Test cricket’s tensions, a game that also possesses its own strategy, its own quick-wittedness, its own moments of immense skill, the only difference being that they reveal themselves only seconds rather than hours.A West Indies win had not seemed likely earlier in the evening. There was a man dressed as a ghost in the crowd at Premadasa, shown briefly on TV, and on a night when, as it turned out, Sri Lanka were unable to revive the ghosts of their 1996 World Cup win, it seemed appropriate to this onlooker to watch the game from the Cricket Club Café, which to the travelling cricket supporter at least has become the spiritual home of cricket in Colombo.

Properly played, Twenty20 is a game that carries many of Test cricket’s tensions, a game that also possesses its own strategy, its own quick-wittedness, its own moments of immense skill, the only difference being that they reveal themselves only seconds rather than hours

Months after Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup win, James and Gabby Whight sold up in Australia, opened a cricket-themed bar in Colombo and hoped for the best. They partly funded it on the proceeds of a good wine collection and they were down to their last couple of cases when people finally began to come through the door. Two decades of civil war struck Sri Lanka cruelly, the 2004 tsunami brought further tragedy, but the café, like Sri Lanka cricket itself, withstood the hard times. They will find it hard to believe tonight, but the future is brighter.As Samuels recovered West Indies’ innings in brilliant fashion, his innings developing with an assault upon Lasith Malinga, and as Sammy biffed West Indies out of range, the walls of the café carried memories of a bygone era. Yellowing newspaper cuttings told of some of Don Bradman’s great knocks, of how the crowd at the Trent Bridge Test booed Keith Miller for bowling a bumper and hitting Len Hutton on the shoulder, and how Sri Lanka – in the words of the Colombo Daily News – “climbed Everest” the day Arjuna Ranatunga’s team changed the nature of cricket in Sri Lanka by winning the World Cup.That cutting, too, is history now – and there will be no cutting to replace it. Sixteen years of Sobers Stir- Frys and Ganguly Grills have been served to cricket supporters while Sri Lanka have waited in vain to follow up their greatest moment. Gabby promised to seek out some new cuttings if Sri Lanka overcame West Indies; she will have no need to search out the scissors.Keith Miller, had he been born in the modern age, would have loved T20; Bradman might have privately thought it beneath him but pride would have probably persuaded him to adapt and become masterful at it. Both, though, would have had to be weaned off their lightweight bats. One of the framed displays on the café’s wall shows The History Of The Cricket Bat and it has to be said the Early Curved Bat of the 1730s might not have been much use for clearing the ropes. Memories of another age.Sri Lanka, who coming into the final had struck 17 sixes to West Indies’ 42, seemed at times to be using the Early Curved Bat as they forgot the skills that had brought them to the final and tried to go big with disastrous effect. As for Jayawardene, Sri Lanka’s top scorer with 33, he felt a spot of drizzle, sensed the advent of the October monsoon and promptly got out trying to get ahead of Duckworth/Lewis. It never drizzled again. “You can’t see the skies, only feel the drops,” Jayawardene said.As Sri Lanka squeezed West Indies, and West Indies squeezed back in return, a new generation of cricket fans, unable to get tickets for the game, watched in expectation at the café, oblivious to the faded photos around them. As they came into the bar, one of them glanced at the TV screen, spotted Gayle, and shouted “six, six, six”, but it was not that kind of night and the ball dribbled no more than a few yards. The X-man was having a few z’s, but his understudy was wide awake. “It was a slow wicket, but I knew if I hung in there it would be okay,” Samuels said. “Today was a different mindset – I decided to attack their best bowler.” No international player has come to fruition so markedly this year.With one over left of West Indies’ innings, it was time to grab a trishaw to Galle Face Green, in search of a celebration that never took place. Sixteen years ago, as Ranatunga’s team made history, it was a happier place. This must have been the only tuk tuk in Colombo with an in-built TV, the driver certainly claimed it to be so. Long before the end of the night, though, he had probably reached for the power-off button.

If you’re covering a global cricket event, there will be plenty of running around, dodging cricket balls, flattering the hotel staff and walking uphill

Abhishek Purohit23-Sep-2012September 16
Flying back to Colombo from Mumbai barely a month after covering India’s mandatory annual Sri Lanka pilgrimage in July-August. Got to dislike these late-night flights, or “young man’s flights” as Harsha Bhogle, who wisely takes a day connection from Mumbai via Chennai to Colombo, calls them. Run into a serious-looking Dirk Nannes on the plane. He puts on his most grave expression as he says he is going to Sri Lanka as an expert analyst for the BBC. Where? Hamban… Hambak… he gives up. “You’ll find it,” I tell him. “In the middle of nowhere.” Dirk does the Dirk grin.It is a Sunday and from Bandaranaike airport to the hotel is a breeze. Meet our UK editor David Hopps at the Cinnamon Grand, which has been overrun by cricketers of all sizes and nationalities. Spot Javed Miandad chatting with an Indian journalist. Of course, Javed does all the talking.Watch Pakistan practise at one of the many picturesque grounds in Colombo, the Moors Sports Club. Pakistan have a player hitting high catches to a few fielders on the boundary. Shahid Afridi walks over, takes the bat and starts hitting catches. Except he hits the ball way beyond the boundary. He grins and takes a few steps back. No use. He has too much power. He backs up even further and manages to hit some with less venom to the fielders.September 17
Go to the Sri Lanka Cricket office adjoining the Sinhalese Sports Club ground, where a fellow journalist tells me Australia are playing England in a warm-up match. There’s still time to go for India-Pakistan. Decide to watch a few overs of Australia-England. “Wait, I was wrong,” fellow journalist says. “It is not at SSC but at NCC.” Disappointment? Dismay? Nothing of the sort. A boundary wall separates the two venues. The Nondescripts Cricket Club is anything but. It has a lovely old wooden-floored bar that opens out into a comfortable roofed verandah. Square-leg view, though. I stick to standing beside the sightscreen, which is more than a hundred feet of solid whitewashed wall. Has to be covered with dark black sheeting to provide contrast for the white ball.Not even a couple of thousand people at the Premadasa to watch India play Pakistan. Disappointing. After R Ashwin has done his job, Kamran Akmal shows India how poor the rest of their bowling is. Rohit Sharma, who has made some runs after a long time, walks into his first press conference in a long time. After half an hour of waiting, the media are told no one from Pakistan is coming. Doing non-mandatory pressers is not Pakistan’s style, you see.September 18
India are practising at the NCC. Afghanistan scheduled to come in later in the afternoon. This time I make use of the roofed verandah to watch MS Dhoni swat the India bowlers into the trees beyond the rope. He doesn’t seem to be using a lot of power. The ICC’s Sami-ul-Hasan is supervising the setting up of the media’s equipment for Dhoni’s press conference. ” [Since you are standing there, you might as well start asking questions],” Dhoni jokes with Sami, and walks up to defend his four-bowler combination. Does he keep count of how many times he has to do that?After two hours, learn Afghanistan’s practice has been pushed back by about four hours. And the venue is the Premadasa now. Lots of groaning all around. The Premadasa is no next-door neighbour of the NCC. And no one fancies Colombo traffic in the evening.Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal sounds very confident. The effect is enhanced because the language he speaks, Pashto, has very crisp-sounding pronunciation.September 19
Rush to catch the England-Pakistan warm-up game at the P Sara Oval, the easternmost of all these Colombo grounds, and also the one on which Don Bradman played in 1948. Charming pavilion. Wooden pillars, wooden benches, wooden floor. Old mates Mohammad Akram and Mushtaq Ahmed, both bowling coaches now, sit together outside the Pakistan dressing room. Umar Gul joins in. Dashes with a bottle of energy drink to the middle, then rejoins the duo.Up in the press box, old hand Abdul Rasheed Shakoor of the BBC’s Urdu service has a story a minute on Pakistan cricket’s past and present. Pakistan are chasing 112. Should be a steal, surely. Shakoor knows better. “We know our team,” he drawls, and turns around in vindication every time a Pakistan wicket falls. Pakistan lose by 15 runs. “The Pakistan dynamite,” shouts a fan as Kamran walks towards the team bus.Back at the Premadasa, where a near-empty stadium watches Australia outclass Ireland. A semblance of a crowd emerges as India huff and puff to victory against Afghanistan. In the press conference, Virat Kohli “hopes” India’s bowling improves as the tournament progresses. “Hope” is the right word. Afghanistan have earned the right to be confident after their performance, and coach Kabir Khan says they will look to target England’s “condition bowlers”.Nawroz Mangal: speaks the language of confidence•ICCSeptember 20
Off to Kandy for the toughest group on paper – Pakistan, New Zealand, Bangladesh. The surroundings get greener as the car winds up the hills. Driver’s name: Jayasuriya. Driving style: defensive. Talks about official speed limits and follows them dutifully. Stops the car immediately if he sees even one person at a pedestrian crossing. They do the exact opposite in India, I tell him. They increase speed as they see pedestrians are about to cross. He is stunned. Repeats what I have said a few times. No change in his style, of course. Laughs when the vehicle behind honks. “Where will you go to?” he asks philosophically. I give up hopes of an early arrival in Kandy.Walk down the hill from hotel to an Indian restaurant. Path goes along the lake and by the Temple of the Tooth. Absolute calm, despite the heavy traffic on the other side of the water. Wonder why the journey back up feels draining. Could be the couple of onion .September 21
Go to the Asgiriya Stadium, venue of many Tests but now in visible decline, for Pakistan practice. No security issues at all. Car is waved in after a glance at the media accreditation pass. Fat chance of this happening in India. Hardly a soul to watch a top international team’s nets session. Fat chance of this happening in India. Dangerous decision to stand straight down the ground from the nets. Fail to spot a big hit against the sky. Ball whooshes past close.Drenched in sweat, Mohammad Hafeez speaks to a Pakistan journalist about what he perceives to be baseless criticism back home. Tenuous relationship, the one India and Pakistan players share with their respective media.Apart from the cutouts of the players in some places, and a few boards, nothing else signals there is a world event in town. Pallekele Stadium is like a bedecked bride patiently waiting for some attention. None is forthcoming.Brendon McCullum whacks all perceptions and predictions against New Zealand into the largely empty Pallekele grass banks. Mushfiqur Rahim is flooded with questions on his decision to bowl. “We would have done the same,” says McCullum.September 22
Hotel staff extremely polite, so much that you almost feel sorry for making them work. “Who will win?” asks the one who brings my tea. “Sri Lanka?” I am moved to answer. In the evening, South Africa thrash the hosts in rain-hit Hambantota.”We’ll start with questions in English and I am sure there will be one or two later in Urdu,” says the ICC’s Lucy Benjamin as Hafeez sits down for the press conference before Pakistan’s opening game against New Zealand. The Urdu session lasts four times as long as the English one. Benjamin smiles helplessly. Hafeez answers everything patiently, as if explaining concepts to a class. What was his nickname again?

Thilan Samaraweera throughout his cricketing career has proved himself a fighter; more so than any of the decorated men he bats below

Andrew Fernando at the P Sara27-Nov-2012One of the most startling stories in Sri Lankan cricket is that of Thilan Samaraweera’s machine gun celebration. In Lahore in March 2009, he nestled his bat under his armpit and sprayed pretend bullets out of the handle for the first time in international cricket. He had capered thus many times before in first-class cricket, he says, but as even the old man and his dog have long since taken their leave of domestic cricket in Sri Lanka, only his team-mates and maybe the groundstaff would have witnessed his hijinks before Lahore. As fate would have it, Samaraweera had a bullet travel 12 inches into his thigh the morning after the double-hundred that sparked that celebration.It is not a celebration he has had chance to bring out yet at the P Sara, for he is still 24 runs adrift of a fifteenth hundred, but it is one he has earnt already in the second Test. It is also a fitting way for Samaraweera to enjoy his milestones, for throughout his cricketing career, but especially in recent years, he has proved himself a fighter. More so than any of the decorated men he bats below.Tillakaratne Dilshan may man the cannons while Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara command heavy cavalry, but Samaraweera does his work in the trenches. Today, he went to work injured. He split the webbing on his bottom hand attempting a catch at slip on day two, but despite the pain, he has lifted Sri Lanka beyond the follow-on total and have them now striving for a draw or better. No one will say his defiance was pretty – it rarely is – but on a day when Tim Southee had the ball moving as much as it has in this Test so far, and with Trent Boult and Jeetan Patel also threatening, New Zealand will feel they should have had more than 3 wickets in almost 70 overs.Samaraweera stood with Suraj Randiv for 97 unbeaten runs. Rescuing his side from a mire of the top-order’s making is a craft in which his aptitude seemingly increases with each series. In Sri Lanka’s most celebrated Test win in recent years at Kingsmead, Samaraweera came to the crease at 84 for 3, then saw Jayawardene depart to leave Sri Lanka 117 for 4, but still managed to wrestle his side to 338 alongside a debutant and the tail to set up the first-innings total that let Sri Lanka establish a large lead. In the next match 98 for 4 was his lot, and he guided Sri Lanka with an unbeaten 115 to at least ensure South Africa would have to bat again, if only for two balls.At the P Sara, he was the only batsman in Sri Lanka’s top six not to be troubled by New Zealand’s fast men, and Southee’s movement in particular. While others peddled wafts outside the off stump, Samaraweera’s judgment was defined by parsimony. Though he left plenty alone, when Southee threatened the stumps, Samaraweera adjusted for the movement and middled almost everything.

Tillakaratne Dilshan may man the cannons while Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara command heavy cavalry, but Samaraweera does his work in the trenches.

It is strange that he is now perhaps Sri Lanka’s best batsman against the moving ball. For three years now, his average has been above 50 – the figure which supposedly distinguishes the very good batsmen from merely the good – but Samaraweera has been accused of making cheap runs to qualify. Nothing about his innings at the P Sara was cheap, and those who have watched him bat in the last year can no longer question his true worth to the side. He has overcome that perception, just as he overcame a gunshot wound, and the inability to break into the national side as an offspinner. It should not be forgotten that he was not born with bat in hand. He had taken most of his 357 first class wickets at 23.43 before realising he would not play as a slow bowler in the national side while Muttiah Muralitharan was there, and transformed himself into a Test batsman. The traits that served him on that journey characterise his innings as well.Sri Lanka’s coach, Graham Ford, confirmed after day three’s play that Samaraweera was battling through pain in his injured hand, and hoped his fortitude was instructive to the youngsters in Sri Lanka’s squad.”It hasn’t been comfortable for him, but it goes to prove how tough the man is both mentally and physically,” Ford said. “Sometimes batting is not fun, but lot of hard work. There are lot of players who work really hard and reap the rewards, and Thilan is a fantastic example. Any youngster who is aspiring to play Test cricket needs to have a look and understand that even though it’s tough, even though it’s painful, you’ve got to dig deep and fight hard for your team.”Samaraweera has plenty yet to achieve in this match to make Sri Lanka comfortable, and in a few weeks, he will again be tested in Australia, where the improvements to his technique against fast bowling will get a thorough work-out. On Colombo’s evidence, his innings’ will have to serve as Sri Lanka’s ladder out of trouble there as well. He has become his team’s man-for-a-crisis, and if Sri Lanka are to fight their way out against New Zealand, and in the ambushes that are to come, you suspect his machine gun will need more use.

Graham Ford knows his players won’t have enough preparation time on the tour of Australia, but he is confident of the talent and determination they will bring to the field

Interview by Andrew Fernando26-Nov-2012You came on board after a period of tumult for the team. What was the mood like in the dressing room when you came in?
We went off to Australia [for the 2012 CB Series] as soon as I got started, and possibly there was a bit of uncertainty and instability, but that was hard for me to really gauge. I can only say good things about the group of players I had with me, as to how they applied themselves and stuck together as a group. If anyone had brought in any problems from the past, it might have had a detrimental effect, but no one did.Maybe it was a good thing that we were touring away from Sri Lanka and the group had to stick together. I was very fortunate in that the senior group of players were highly knowledgeable, and knowledgeable of Australian conditions. They passed on lots of advice and they all took it on themselves to contribute.The assistant coaches helped a great deal as well, in making my sudden arrival to a very important tour a smooth one.Has your coaching style changed over the years?
When you first start coaching, you’ve kind of got your own one style. As you get involved with more and more teams and coach at different levels, you adapt your style to the group that you’re working with. A group with a lot of older players requires a different approach to a young team.It’s the first time that I’ve ever coached with a full support staff – batting coach, bowling coach, fielding coach, etc. That’s made the role a bit different but it’s allowed us to give the players the ideal back-up that they require. The language barrier comes up from time to time. Some of the guys understand English better than others, and that’s where the assistant coaches are valuable.I don’t think there has been a huge change to my style of coaching. I’ve always shown huge respect to the players and their ability. I’ve not only passed on knowledge but I’ve learnt a great deal from the players along the way.When you coached South Africa, you had a few older players in the team and you were bringing in younger players with an eye to the future. Has that experience helped you coach Sri Lanka, who are in a similar place?
It’s a good situation to be in, to have that senior core and to have the younger guys learn off them. As coaches we can use those senior guys to help pass on certain messages and reinforce certain messages. And the senior guys are also able to make us aware of the difficulties in a certain situation. For any young guy in a pressure-cooker situation, to have an experienced guy batting with him or next to him when he’s bowling, makes a huge difference. The learning happens that much quicker.Have you found that Sri Lankan cricketers require a different approach?
Not really. It’s just a group of cricketers coming together to perform as well as they can, and that’s what you’ll find anywhere around the world. What I do find with Sri Lankan cricketers is that they have an incredible amount of fight on the playing field. No matter how tough the situation gets, or how badly the chips are down, they are always in for the fight. I’ve seen some magnificent fights out there, when the game has been really hard and they’ve fought and showed character and turned the match. That comes through to me as a special feature of Sri Lankan cricket.What have you made of the cricket philosophy in Sri Lanka, where uniqueness is encouraged and over-coaching is strongly avoided?
I’d like to see a bit more of that. I just think that is one of the great strengths of Sri Lankan cricket. Players have found slightly unorthodox and slightly different ways to do things and they’ve proved to be huge weapons. There’s a wonderful amount of talent within the country, and we’ve got to make sure that those natural players are developed and they use whatever it is that’s slightly different to give us the edge.The team is going through a shift in leadership at the moment and Angelo Mathews is at the centre of that. What would you like to see from him in the immediate future?
He’s a very natural leader, and we saw that in the Sri Lankan Premier League. He’ll gradually get the chance to take over the leadership reins. Mahela [Jayawardene] is brilliant at passing on captaincy advice to him. [Mathews] is already quite a way down the line to being a captain because he is a natural leader.

“I’m told that a lot of the pitches in the domestic competition are still pretty much the traditional Sri Lankan wickets. I don’t think at the moment it’s going to assist the development of slightly different players that we would like to have”

He has quite often shown himself to be a very mature cricketer and has a very cool head. He seems to be the guy for the big pressure situations, which is a huge asset. You’re looking for a captain to be a guy who leads from the front all the time. He does that with bat and ball. He has huge respect from the younger guys, which is also a crucial element to leadership.He’s quite young for a Sri Lankan captain. Is he being phased in at the right time? Are there concerns the captaincy could hinder his development?
I think there has been a lot of consideration of that. Yes, he is young, which, on one hand, is quite exciting. But on the other hand, if you look at the amount of cricket he has played, not just international cricket but with IPLs and the other things going on, he’s played a lot, swapped thoughts and ideas with a lot of huge international stars, so he’s well down the line in terms of acquiring knowledge and experience and probably has a much wiser and more experienced head than his age suggests. I don’t think that’s a problem, and I certainly don’t think he’s the kind of guy that will let captaincy affect his own performances.Dinesh Chandimal has played very well in England, South Africa and Australia, but not so well at home. Is there a reason for that?
He has performed superbly, and some of the good performances away have maybe raised expectations back home. He is a young guy developing his game. Marvan Atapattu works very closely with him in developing his game. It is a tough world out there and he’s not always going to be successful. Sometimes the 20-over cricket and the 50-over cricket does depend on the kind of opportunity you get, and you can’t get everyone a perfect opportunity. He’s maybe missed out once or twice in getting a decent go where he might have been able to build an innings. But he understands and the coaching staff believes he has the credentials to become a batsman who can play in all formats of the game and play for Sri Lanka for a long time.Sri Lanka have now lost four World Cup and World Twenty20 finals. Do you see a common theme in those losses?
The one thing that’s going to be hard for Sri Lankan cricket is that the passion for cricket and the passion for winning is so great and what comes with that is massive disappointment when success is not achieved. The whole nation felt those losses very heavily. With that happening, the pressure does mount up. If I think back to when Sri Lanka won the World Cup for the first time, the expectations weren’t nearly as high. Just getting to the final was seen as a major achievement. Now the expectation is very real. If we get into a final again, that’s going to be something that is addressed.Other teams have sports psychologists. Is there any merit to Sri Lanka following suit?
I don’t know whether it’s required for a long-term involvement, but I think for specific little projects, such as a final, where we know now that there is this real pressure, and major drama when the success doesn’t come, it might be worth addressing some of those issues and talking about them.Sri Lanka hurts more than most other countries in the world do when success doesn’t come. Going down this road isn’t necessarily going to win you the game. You’ve still got to go out onto the field and play. If you look at what did happen – Marlon Samuels had an absolute blinder [in the World Twenty20 final] and turned the match on its head. You can prepare and have someone working with the emotions of the team, etc. but that’s not going to guarantee victory. But it should clear some of the pressure from the minds of players.”You’re looking for a captain to be a guy who leads from the front all the time. Angelo does that with bat and ball”•ICC/GettyThe international pitches in Sri Lanka have changed over the last 18 months, and there are a few tracks around now with a bit of pace and bounce. Do you see this helping produce different kinds of cricketers than those Sri Lanka have had in the past?
I think the concern at the moment is that we need those sorts of pitches at the first-class level. I haven’t been around the domestic situation to assess it, but I’m told that a lot of the pitches in the domestic competition are still pretty much the traditional Sri Lankan wicket. I don’t think at the moment it’s going to assist the development of slightly different players that we would like to have. I do know that the board is very aware of the importance of quality pitches at first-class level and I think they’re putting plans in place to try and improve those pitches to help bring on players of various disciplines.With a tour of Australia on the horizon, fast bowling becomes important. Sri Lanka’s pace attack has been in some flux. What are they missing at the moment?
Unfortunately what we’ve had are injury problems, and we haven’t had a settled unit. We’ll go into these Tests hoping to try and develop a settled unit – one that can bowl with good discipline. We’re probably not going to blow sides away with express pace. If we bowl with good discipline and with the tactical awareness provided by Mahela’s captaincy, we can surprise sides, and it doesn’t have to be in home conditions.What does Sri Lanka need to do in the longer term to develop fast bowlers who are a threat in the faster, bouncier conditions?
I think the importance of developing good fast bowlers has become even more crucial now in limited-overs cricket, with the two new balls and the two bouncers coming in. The tighter fielding restrictions will make it more difficult for spinners as well. It gets back to getting some decent surfaces in our first-class cricket to ensure fast bowlers get a decent workload in first-class cricket and are of real value there. If they perform well, that’s also going to sharpen up our batsmen travelling abroad.The fast-bowling coaches and the board are very aware of the challenges of bringing on fast bowlers and there are a few plans in place to start trying to set up some emerging player programmes which would focus on the types of skills we need.Sri Lanka only play one warm-up match in Australia after having played at home for a while. How difficult will it be to adjust to the conditions?
Ideally, if you’re going to Australia, you’d like to have a month or so – perhaps even longer – of preparation, set up some camps and some conditions that are going to be similar, and really work on what’s going to be required. Unfortunately modern itineraries don’t allow for that. Once we get there we’re going to have to work very, very hard. The coaches have been keeping an eye on certain skills and techniques that are going to be important in Australia, and we’re touching up on those as we go along. But the schedule that we’ve got is not ideal, and we’re well aware of that.

South Africa are undoubtedly the best Test side at present but they still have much to achieve to be considered among the all-time great teams

Firdose Moonda at Newlands17-Feb-2013One way of judging how much a series victory means to a team is perhaps by the scale of their celebrations. South Africa’s recent ones have involved singing the team song on the pitch. They sang it at Lord’s, they did it in Perth and at Newlands, after beating Pakistan. They did not do it in Port Elizabeth, after their resounding triumph over New Zealand.Success over Pakistan is highly valued, as was evident when the squad emerged two hours after the winning runs were scored, dodged the sprinklers that were watering the outfield and formed a huddle on the pitch. They did their thing and left to the sounds of the occupants in one of the hospitality suites chanting, “Happy Birthday,” to AB de Villiers, who turned 29 today.The result gave South Africa breathing room at the top of the Test rankings, a sixth consecutive series win, a 14th unbeaten Test match in as many months, and Graeme Smith a fifth consecutive Test win, the longest such streak in his captaincy. Those numbers make it sound like the start of a dynasty but to call it that would be premature.

How South Africa see themselves now

Graeme Smith: “This is one of the more rewarding victories we’ve had. We want to keep producing these types of results. We don’t sit in the change-room believing the stuff of invincibility. It’s nice to know we are a team that can perform in different conditions. We were speaking about recognising the moment and that’s what we did in this match.”
Robin Peterson: “The guys are maturing and there is a good mix of older heads and younger players. Graeme has matured as a captain, Gary [Kirsten] has made a big difference and Jacques Kallis is there for experience. We’ve got exciting bowlers and good batting depth. It’s mentally draining to play a Test match like this but good to come out of it like we did.”

South Africa are a worthy No.1 side and of the three teams to have had that honour recently – England and India being the other two – they seem to have the right mix of personnel and personality to stay on top for a period of time. South Africa’s batting line-up has been described as among the best at the moment, but it is the bowling that has been the centerpiece of their success.The pace pack of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, and the added value of Jacques Kallis, has been compared to the greats of old – the 1980s West Indians, although South Africa lack the same terrifying pace in every one of their bowlers, or the Australian attack of Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie, but South Africa don’t have the equivalent of Shane Warne.Their first-choice spinner at the moment, Robin Peterson, had a massive impact on this Newlands Test but by his own admission you had to “deal with what you have.” He does not turn the ball prodigiously, and doesn’t often get favourable conditions at home, and he has learned to work within these boundaries.So how close are South Africa to establishing their reign as an era? The mighty West Indies went 29 series without defeat. The closest anybody came to that was Australia, who did not lose for 16 series. South Africa just completed their 12th without losing. It puts into perspective how much more there is to achieve before they can consider themselves among the all-time greats.They are, however, giants in their own country. This is their longest unbeaten streak, beating the 11 between 1998 and 2001. They are also close to completing seven years of being unbeaten away from home. They are part of an environment that is more competitive because the top teams are not far apart. This match was an example of that.South Africa were made to work for their victory. Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq’s twin centuries along with Saeed Ajmal’s ten wickets gave South Africa’s their first strenuous workout of the summer.Ajmal really made them sweat. The world’s premier spin bowler proved difficult to pick on a surface that suited him far more than the one at the Wanderers. It will give South Africa’s batsmen something to think about, for the next Test in Centurion and for the test after that, in the UAE.There is territory Smith’s team has not conquered. They haven’t won in India, Sri Lanka or the UAE. They have the opportunity of crossing the Emirates off the list later in the year. Until then, parties on the pitch will have to do.

Steven Finn’s habit of knocking the stumps at the non-striker’s end as he delivers cost England a vital wicket against India

George Dobell23-Jan-2013An irritation that has plagued England for months flared up once again as Steven Finn’s propensity for dislodging the bails in his delivery stride cost his side an important wicket – who knows, perhaps even the series – in the fourth ODI of the series against India.Finn thought he had dismissed Suresh Raina only to see that the umpire, Steve Davis, had signalled dead ball on the basis of Law 23.4(b)(vi), which states that the batsman should not be dismissed if he has been distracted while preparing to receive a delivery.It was one of the defining moments of the game. Raina was on 41 at the time and India, with four wickets down, still required another 80 runs to win. He went on to contribute an unbeaten 89 and help India to a five-wicket win which secured a series victory with one game left to play.England may feel they have been unfortunate. Certainly precedent suggests that umpires will allow Finn one such indiscretion before calling dead ball for the second occurrence in a game, a policy which was introduced during World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September.That was a point that Alastair Cook, a none-too-happy England captain, made to Davis in the immediate aftermath of the incident. England might also have good cause to enquire whether a dead ball would have been called if Raina had hit it for four, or if any other bowler other than Finn had been responsible.Davis explained that a warning had been issued that Finn would be called immediately, a warning which it later transpired had been issued by Andy Pycroft, the match referee, after the opening ODI in Rajkot. A warning which had previously been presumed to apply to the same match now seemed to have a longer lifespan, a test for cricketers’ memories everywhere. This regulation seems to have a life of its own.Cook still sounded bemused. “There was a little bit of confusion,” he said. “Apparently we had been told that because he knocked them over twice in one of the previous games he was a ‘serial offender’ and that he was going to get called straight away. The umpires were pretty clear that they had told us so I must have been deaf when I was listening to them.”Do I think it’s fair? At the moment, with emotions running quite high, probably not. I know umpires have a tough job but it’s obviously frustrating.”It is worth noting that it was Davis who called dead ball in the Headingley Test in August when Finn thought he had Graeme Smith caught in the slip on 6. He went on to score 52. Australia had earlier complained about Finn dislodging the bails during the one-day series against England last June.In the aftermath of the Smith incident, the MCC, the custodian of the Laws of the game since their formation in 1787, admitted the episode had highlighted a grey area in the Laws and stated that they would review them. At present Law 23.4(b)(iv) states that either umpire should call and signal dead ball when: “The striker is distracted by any noise or movement or in any other way while he is preparing to receive, or receiving a delivery. This shall apply whether the source of the distraction is within the game or outside it. The ball shall not count as one of the over.”The Laws could be clarified. If all such incidents resulted in umpires automatically calling a no-ball it would remove any element of doubt or argument. It would also end the injustice of a batsman being denied a boundary following a bowler’s error. No runs can be scored off a dead ball.From an England perspective there is an even more simple solution: Finn has to stop dislodging the bails in his delivery stride. Just as bowlers have to learn the discipline of not over-stepping or pushing the ball down the leg side, so he has to eradicate the fault from his game.To do it once or twice might be forgiveable, but to continue to do it in important situations several months after the problem became apparent appears unnecessarily profligate. Finn and England really only have themselves to blame.

Besides their patience and ability, what helped Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay, was the bowling group chosen by Australia’s selectors which did not appear to be the kind of attack that could roll India twice.

Brydon Coverdale03-Mar-2013To paraphrase Glenn Maxwell’s namesake Maxwell Smart: India, at this very moment you are surrounded by a crack five-man team of highly-trained spinners and quicks who make Dennis Lillee and Shane Warne look amateur. No? Would you believe a solid four-man attack with proven first-class records? How about two wearying fast bowlers, a one-day specialist and a couple of batting allrounders? With a bowling line-up like that, it is hardly surprising that chaos, if not KAOS, prevailed on the second day in Hyderabad.But first, respect where it is due. Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay batted superbly in compiling a 294-run stand, an Indian second-wicket record against Australia. In the first session, they were patient and added only 49 runs. They assessed the conditions and took their time. After lunch they more than doubled their rate and scored another 106. They were used to the pitch and the bowling. After tea they upped the ante further and put on 151. It was textbook Test-match batting.Besides their patience and ability, two other factors helped Pujara and Vijay in their near full-day partnership. One was the failure of Australia’s top-order batsmen, who gave the bowlers nothing to work with. Secondly, the bowling group did not appear at the toss to be the kind of attack that could roll India twice. After two days, it looked like they would struggle to do it once. Reassessing the bowling line-up after the loss in Chennai was natural, but the five-man attack assembled for this match seemed the result of confused thinking.Certainly Nathan Lyon had to find a way to be more economical but it is important to remember that apart from the thrashing that MS Dhoni dealt out, perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, Lyon did some good things in Chennai. He ripped an offbreak through the gate to bowl Sachin Tendulkar and got rid of Virat Kohli and R Ashwin, and then deceived Virender Sehwag in the second innings. He was far, far too expensive but there was a base there to work from.Mitchell Starc offered less in the first Test and it was not a surprise that he was left out. But they were replaced by Xavier Doherty, who played two Tests in the 2010-11 Ashes series for figures of 3 for 306, and Glenn Maxwell, who is gradually developing as an offspinner but whose batting is his strength. It meant that Moises Henriques, the allrounder who batted so well in Chennai, suddenly became the third frontline seamer behind Peter Siddle and James Pattinson.John Inverarity, the national selector, has made no secret of his desire to choose what he calls multi-skilled cricketers. There is merit in the idea if it means asking the batsmen to work on their bowling, or the tail-enders to get their batting up to scratch. But a jack of all trades, master of none is a luxury and surely no more than one can be squeezed into a Test team. After his work in Chennai, that had to be Henriques as a No.7 and fifth bowler.Maxwell is a supremely talented cricketer but giving him a baggy green this early in his career was a gamble. After two days in Hyderabad, it had not paid off with bat or ball. Anyone coming in at No.8 in a Test line-up should be either the wicketkeeper or a frontline bowler and Maxwell’s offspin is no more than handy. His selection was reminiscent of the inclusion of Cameron White as a No.8 batsman and legspinner in India in 2008, a mistake that Andrew Hilditch’s panel sustained for four Tests.On his first day of Test bowling, Maxwell started with a maiden as the Indian batsmen surveyed him. Evidently they liked what they saw. Once they realised he had no real tricks, they pounced. They drove him through off, flicked him with the spin, worked him through gaps. It all built up to Vijay and Pujara taking 15 runs off Maxwell’s tenth over, leaving him with figures of 0 for 55 from ten overs at stumps.Doherty at least was reasonably economical. He finished the day with 0 for 85 from 26 overs and created the occasional nervous moment when a ball ripped and turned past the edge. They were few and far between, and apart from a Vijay steer that clipped the hands of Michael Clarke at slip, no other opportunities were created. While he didn’t leak the kind of runs Lyon did in Chennai, Doherty was easily milked for ones and twos.After play, the coach Mickey Arthur explained the selection of Doherty for this tour by saying that he had bowled well in the ODIs that preceded the squad announcement. Leaving aside the fact that the selectors didn’t even bother including him for four of the one-dayers against West Indies, it was a flawed concept. They chose a one-day bowler and they got a one-day bowler. Except that in limited-overs cricket a batsman is eventually made to take risks.In this Test, Doherty bowled in his usual one-day style – full and straight and forcing the batsmen to play – but there was no pressure on Vijay and Pujara to force the issue. They could milk him for as long as they wanted and then put away the bad balls. It was the same problem Doherty faced in his previous Test incarnation. To be a serious threat he had to spin more deliveries, really rip them, and create some doubt in the batsmen’s minds.But it was all too easy for Pujara and Vijay. In the first session the fast bowlers provided a few challenges and found some swing. Pattinson tailed in a couple of yorkers and Siddle got the odd ball to move away, as did Henriques. But once those dangers were negotiated and the fast men tired, Australia needed more from the spinners.That India scored 306 runs for the loss of only one wicket in a day’s play was not the fault of Doherty or Maxwell. They were thrust into a situation for which they were not equipped. It is easy to feel sorry for Doherty, for he is a fine one-day bowler. Last time he played Test cricket, against England in Adelaide in 2010, he was part of an attack that let England score 316 in a day for the loss of only two wickets. Australia lost by an innings and their series never recovered.Inverarity, Arthur and Clarke must hope the same does not happen this time. Inverarity, a former teacher, is quickly learning that selection is not as easy as it once seemed. At the start of his tenure everything turned to gold. Not any more. Chaos has crept in where control should rule. Sorry about that, chief.