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Sangakkara and Jayawardene average 72.10 per partnership in Tests, which is the highest among all pairs who have batted together at least 50 times

S Rajesh13-Jul-2007

A series that has brought little joy for Bangladesh got even worse on the third day at Kandy, as Sri Lanka mercilessly hammered them into the ground, amassing a monumental 500 for 4 by close of play. The protagonists were, yet again, two batsmen who have made it a habit of getting together and making life miserable for opposition bowlers. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene celebrated their 50th stand together with a mammoth third-wicket partnership of 311, which is, quite amazingly, less than half their highest stand – an unforgettable 624 against South Africa at the SSC Stadium in Colombo last year. The 311 they added is also the second-highest partnership at Kandy, after the 335 that Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya added against Pakistan in 2000.Among all the pairs who have played at least 50 times together, Sangakkara and Jayawardene have now become the most prolific in terms of averages, edging past the Australian pair of Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting (which means that the Australia-Sri Lanka series later this year will be a battle of, among other things, the two best batting pairs in the game). As the table below shows, the gulf between these two pairs and the rest is huge – Jacques Kallis and Gary Kirsten, third in the list, average ten runs fewer per dismissal.

Sangakkara and Jayawardene have been especially unstoppable when playing at home – they average 88.60 per partnership, with five century stands. Overseas they haven’t quite turned it on in similar fashion, though the numbers are still very impressive – 1174 runs at an average of 53.36.Thanks largely to the two, Sri Lanka piled on 470 runs today, which is the second-highest scored in a day in all Tests in Sri Lanka, and the 15th overall. (Click here for the entire list, before today’s play.)Bangladesh could have been forgiven for experiencing a sense of déjà vu: five years back against Sri Lanka they had leaked 509 runs in a single day, though their misery was slightly mitigated by the fact that they managed nine wickets. They’ve now been involved in three instances where more than 450 have been scored in a single day – the third occasion was at Chester-le-Street against England in 2005, when 475 were scored on the second day. Instead of being hapless onlookers in the field, Bangladesh had contributed with the bat on that occasion – they scored 297 of those runs.

A short Test series has stirred Ricky Ponting’s attacking captaincy instincts. Since taking over from Steve Waugh, Ponting has enforced the follow-on only once before today and that was in a game where rain stole large chunks

Peter English at the Gabba10-Nov-2007

A short Test series has stirred Ricky Ponting’s attacking captaincy instincts. Since taking over from Steve Waugh, Ponting has enforced the follow-on only once before today and that was in a game where rain stole large chunks. Brisbane has been experiencing unpredictable weather, but the desire to crush a struggling opponent quickly and earn a series lead before next week’s final match in Hobart was stronger.Player preservation has been Ponting’s main excuse for batting again with substantial leads and he used the tactic to secure massive wins in the previous two season-opening Tests. This time he has challenged his new batch of bowlers to deal with the extra work and floor their opponents for a second time.It is a significant development for a leader who was unsure in the beginning of his reign and would stick to a plan whether it was working or not. As his comfort in the position grew, he followed hunches successfully and the loss of three stars has increased the power of his position. What Ponting achieves with this group will be how he is remembered as a captain and it will be a high-energy journey.The first three days of the new era looked eerily similar to the last one. A huge score swept the hope away from the touring team before its batsmen wilted under a sustained assault from a varied attack. All five bowlers contributed as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 211 in 81.5 overs, leaving them needing 341 runs to force a second Australian innings.Ponting rotated his fast men, overlooking the double changes he has favoured at times, and looked to Stuart MacGill for a long spell between lunch and tea. Apart from Chamara Silva, who seemed to think it was a one-day game; Sri Lanka’s batsmen were cautious and required considered extraction. Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson were consistently testing and fed early catches to Adam Gilchrist, MacGill threatened and Brett Lee was both a stock and wicket-taking bowler.The significance of the leadership position is not the only one to have increased over the past year. Lee is now the unrivalled force of the attack and he has embraced the new duties. After taking a couple of wickets late on day two, Lee started today with a frugal spell and returned after tea to remove the obdurate Prasanna Jayawardene. The reverse-swinging full ball was followed by some short ones to the tail-enders and when he gained Fernando’s wicket he had 4 for 26 off 17.5 overs. Australia’s No. 1 bowler had shown his captain everything he needed to send Sri Lanka back in.The second innings did not begin as easily for the dominant side, but they rarely do. Sanath Jayasuriya connected early, thrashing Lee for 14 in three balls, and with Marvan Atapattu, the rock of the first innings with 51, sprinted to a half-century stand that ended when Andrew Symonds’ delivery brushed past Atapattu’s glove. The speed of the partnership created some minor doubts over Ponting’s decision, but it was the right one even before Lee caught Jayasuriya’s edge in the shadows of stumps.Australia’s batsmen have no need to fear the surface on the fifth day – if the match lasts that long – and the bowlers have more opportunities to dent the morale of the tourists. The second game starts in Tasmania on Friday and there is little time for a turnaround. Rather than extend Sri Lanka’s misery by batting again, Ponting set his sights on a swift conclusion that would create more damage.

Naveed Nawaz, the coach of SSC, reviews a rewarding domestic season which included three titles

Sa'adi Thawfeeq07-Apr-2008

Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC), one of the oldest clubs playing in the Premier domestic cricket competition, achieved a unique treble when they won the 2007-08 Premier League Tier A championship last weekend by drawing their final match
of the season against defending champions Colombo Cricket Club (CCC).The title was their third for the season, having bagged the Premier limited-overs and the Under-23 competitions earlier in the season. The 2007-08 performance surpassed SSC’s previous best of winning the Premier league and limited-over titles during the captaincy of Mahinda Halangoda in the early nineties.The success of SSC in the championship was largely due to their batting where six of the top order batsmen scored a dozen hundreds, which included two double centuries and three scores of over 150. Tharanga Paranavitana, Thilina Kandamby and Thilan Samaraweera made three hundreds apiece. The other centuries were scored by Jeevan Mendis, Kaushal Silva and Shalika Karunanayake.Stating this fact, Naveed Nawaz, the SSC coach, said that in virtually every match the club had run up big totals which enabled their bowling to attack the opposition. In fact, SSC won six of their nine matches and drew three to top the standings with 129.99 points, a clear 28 points ahead of second-placed Moors SC.During the season, SSC was captained by three players. Avishka Gunawardene, the appointed captain for the season, led the side in only two matches before going over to join the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). Samaraweera then took over the reins and captained the side until he was called up for the Test series in the West Indies.The captaincy was then passed onto the 25-year-old left-handed opener Paranavitana, who had the distinction of leading the club on its final lap to win the championship. Paranavitana did it in grand style, scoring 177 in the penultimate match of the season against Bloomfield and then followed it up with a career-best 236 against CCC the following weekend which brought them the title after a one-year lapse. SSC last tasted success in 2005-06 and overall have won it outright on six occasions since 1988-89, when the Sri Lankan board recognised the tournament as first-class.This achievement, Nawaz concedes, is his finest as a coach since he qualified at Level II in Australia after he quit playing cricket with NCC in 2004-05. Last season, he was in charge of Moors SC. His 11-year first-class career as a top order batsman from 1993-94 saw him score 6892 runs at 36.27 with 12 hundreds for NCC and Bloomfield and also appear briefly for his country in one Test and 3 ODIs.”Taking on the SSC job was a new challenge for me,” Nawaz said. “The atmosphere was different and the work ethics also. The facilities were excellent and I came into contact with different types of players, all of whom helped improve my role as a coach.”There were a few things we had to put right at the beginning. Discipline was one area. Players turned up for practice at different times and once it was made known to them that there was a fixed time for practice they gradually fell in line.”What we tried to do was to try and change the existing club structure and bring in more intensity to practices and at matches on similar lines as the national team. This was one factor why SSC performed exceptionally well this season.”One player who benefited the most coming over to SSC was Kandamby, the former Ananda College and Bloomfield cricketer. As long as he was at Bloomfield, Kandamby never blossomed out to his full potential as a middle-order batsman. But at SSC in his first season, the transformation was stunning. He ended up with the second-highest aggregate of the season, scoring 822 runs at an average of 68.50 including three centuries and as many half-centuries and a career best 202.

Paranavitana was the leading run-getter
for the season with 893 runs at 74.41, also with three hundreds that included a career best 236 in the final game against CCC. Samaraweera topped the batting for the season with an average of 86.14, accumulating 603 runs from six matches.The batting was very well backed up by a bowling unit that had a lot of variety and penetration to take 20 wickets in a match. Spearheading SSC’s campaign was the 23-year-old offspinner Sachithra Senanayake who had an outstanding season with 50 wickets at a cost of 14.92 from nine matches. That Senanayake narrowly missed selection for the Sri Lankan one-day squad to the West Indies is itself a plus mark, given that he had been under consideration in the national selectors’ short list.The disappointment of being overlooked did not deter Senanayake as it only made him more determined. Against Bloomfield he was in terrific form with the ball, making it talk in the first innings with figures of 4-1-4-3. He followed it up with career-best innings figures of 7 for 81 in the second innings to reduce Bloomfield to a three-day defeat. It was also the first time in his career that Senanayake had taken ten-for in a match.Nawaz said Senanayake is one of the best offspinners going in domestic cricket today and added: “Sachithra may not have as much variety as Ajantha Mendis, but he uses his six foot height to advantage. He has tremendous control, is very accurate and bowls a good floater. He’s had a great season having been the top wicket-taker in the U-23 tournament with 46 wickets at avg. 11.41.”No other SSC bowler came close to his 50 wickets, the next highest being 29 by the left-arm fast bowler Thilan Thushara, who earned a recall to the national Test side after five years for the ongoing West Indies tour, performing impressively in the first Test in Guyana.

This result has showed Australia’s deficiencies cannot be covered unless a couple of the senior players carry the team, and one of those has to be a bowler.

Ali Cook21-Oct-2008

Until Ricky Ponting spoke after the game it felt like this Test was a throwback to the 20th century. Australia looked angry, upset and impotent on the field, and they were struggling again in India. Instead of showing his frustration, which has emerged a couple of times during the game, Ponting calmly outlined his plan for the rest of the tour.The players would rest, reflect and refocus for the third game in Delhi next Wednesday. On the form of the first two Tests it won’t be enough. The way India overcame Australia in Mohali was shockingly easy after the more competitive opening game in Bangalore. It looks like the teams have found their levels and the gap is significant – only the usual winners are losing.This result has showed Australia’s deficiencies cannot be covered unless a couple of the senior players carry the team, and one of those has to be a bowler. Ponting offered Brett Lee his support after the match following their on-field disagreements on Monday, when Lee was upset not to be used in the first session. But transforming from pedestrian to powerhouse in a week is unlikely to be helped by whichever holiday destination he chooses for the side’s mini-break this week.Fast bowling in India is one of the most difficult tasks and it looks like it will be beyond Lee in his first series in the country. None of the fast bowlers can expect help in Delhi, where the wicket will be made for spin, turn and more spin. It is where Australia are at their most deficient.The team arrived knowing this sector would be weak and it would have to rely on pace. If they could alter their outlook they would, but apart from Stuart Clark, who has an elbow problem, they played their best team in Mohali. The result was a 320-run defeat, the seventh-heaviest by runs in Australian history, and the side’s worst performance under Ponting’s captaincy.Australia’s best chance of revival revolves around them retaining their supreme self-belief. If that goes too, their first series loss since the 2005 Ashes could end in a 0-3 return. The arrogance was at its greatest when the batsmen swung like unmanned hoses in the second innings as they tried to prove the target of 516, almost 100 greater than any successful chase in history, was within reach. It was as out of touch as their wild attitude and 58 for 5 was a worthy result for the tactic. Not even Steve Waugh’s team would have done it that way.Matthew Hayden attempted to bash his way out of form but just looked like a man who had forgotten how to read a game. He has only 42 runs for the series – six more than Mitchell Johnson – and has been more like the player who turned up in England in 2005 than the hero of 2001. If Lee and Hayden are firing, Australia have a chance. Without contributions close to their career averages the team is likely to fold again. The spine is no longer strong and dreams of a reprise of 2004 should end.The inexperienced men have contributed usefully, particularly Shane Watson in the first innings and Brad Haddin in the second. It is too much to expect big centuries from these two, or five-wicket hauls from Cameron White or Peter Siddle. They are doing fine for men with such little experience in Tests or in India.When players enter a team they look to the top for guidance, but the new entrants have been let down by the on-field deeds of the senior men. Ponting knows this has to be fixed and after a couple of outbursts during the game he settled down at the finish. Cool heads work better than hot ones when teams are under pressure in India.

Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Stuart Clark all struggled at various junctures and, if not for a succession of muddle-headed strokes, Australia might have faced a more treacherous path over the coming four days

Alex Brown at The Oval20-Aug-2009It was a day on which England missed a trick, Australia got out of jail and The Oval pitch befuddled all. In this most unpredictable of series, Australia’s bowlers battled as much with themselves as they did the opposing batsmen, conceding boundaries (40) and extras (36, including 17 no-balls) with reckless abandon yet, somehow, almost managed to terminate England’s first innings in a day.Ricky Ponting will be quietly satisfied to have arrived at stumps with England stationed on 307 for 8. Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Stuart Clark all struggled at various junctures for accuracy, penetration and footing, and if not for a succession of muddle-headed strokes from the hosts, Australia might well have faced a more treacherous path over the coming four days.At least six England batsmen were left to rue the circumstances surrounding their dismissals, having again failed to convert solid starts into dominant innings. Not for the first time this series, loose strokes outside off-stump proved the downfall of many, eroding much of the foundation work laid by Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell in the first session.Precious little went right for the Australians on Thursday morning, beginning with the coin toss. Ponting called incorrectly for the fourth time this series, allowing England first opportunity to bat on a surface that proved far flatter than most had anticipated. The predicted pace and bounce lasted only as long as the lacquer on the Duke, and Australia may live to regret the decision to omit Nathan Hauritz in preference of an all-pace attack. Footmarks and clouds of dust were noticeable well inside the first session of play and Marcus North, a part-timer who had bowled just 13.3 overs in the series prior to the Thursday, immediately found sharp turn when introduced into the attack after lunch.England appeared well positioned for a final, glorious assault on the urn when Strauss and Bell headed to lunch with 108 runs on the board and only Alastair Cook back in the pavilion. Hilfenhaus, the rock of Australia’s attack entering the fifth Test, was guilty of straying both sides of the wicket in his first spell, but of more concern was the return of Johnson’s directional issues.Certainly, this wasn’t the Johnson of Lord’s, but neither was it the Johnson of Johannesburg. Eight no-balls and three wides indicated a general lack of rhythm, although his setting-up of the dangerous Matt Prior from around-the-wicket and wide on the crease was a worthy effort. Johnson rattled Prior with a shorter delivery, then coaxed him into a rash stroke to a wider, slower offering that flew to Shane Watson in the gully. His earlier bumper barrage to Bell was similarly entertaining, but for the most part,
Johnson’s 15 overs were notable for their errant lines and five-an-over scoring rates.Clark, too, struggled for impact, although he did succeed in drying up England’s scoring. Bowing a fuller line than his standard top-of-off-stump approach, Clark beat the bat infrequently and appeared down on pace, albeit on a pitch that hardly suited him. Still, with three of Australia’s four pacemen shy of peak form, and The Oval pitch flattening by the hour, all seemed in place for a day of English dominance.But, as has so often been the case in this series, conventional wisdom was not applicable. Careless batting, an indefatigable Peter Siddle, and the magnificent run-out executed by Simon Katich at short-leg steadily whittled away England’s advantage over the course of the afternoon. Siddle was an early beneficiary of several of the aforementioned loose strokes, but also produced one of the deliveries of the day – brisk, full and angling – to remove the in-form Bell. His dismissal set-up a final session in which Australia claimed 5-127, and removed their head from what appeared an ever-tightening noose at the lunch break.Undoubtedly the highlight of the day was Katich’s run-out of Trott – a manouvre that required the fast-twitch muscle fibres of Usain Bolt, and the precision of Phil “The Power” Taylor. By that stage, England were acutely aware that the day was slipping from their grasp, and only a dogged eighth-wicket stand from Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann restored parity to proceedings.

Stuart Clark on the question he least likes answering, the nickname he didn’t want, why sledging doesn’t work, and his other job

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi07-Oct-2009You turned 34 a week ago. Have you achieved all that you thought you could achieve?
Yes. I’ve achieved more than I thought I could ever achieve. Nothing beats putting on the baggy green.Are you as disciplined in daily life as you are with your bowling?
I am in certain things and in certain things I’m not. I’m very good with my time, but if I’m not interested in doing something then I find it very hard to do.Has sledging worked for you?
In my experience, no. Sledging is very much overrated. If people sledge me then I know I’m getting under their skins and I take it more as a compliment. Have you ever taken an IQ test?
I’ve never done a test. I don’t think my IQ is really high.What’s the most embarrassing thing that happened to you on a cricket field?
In the Brisbane Test against New Zealand in 2008, I was running for two but I slipped and fell. As I got up I slipped again. I ran down the non-striker’s end and dived into the crease. Then I realised the fielder had yet to pick the ball.Tell us something we don’t know about you.
I still work part-time at a bank.Is there a moment in cricket history which you wish you could re-enact, where you would be the player who turned the game on its head?
When Sarfaraz [Nawaz] got nine wickets in a spell at the MCG in 1979. If I’m able to do that that’ll be great.Have you ever met Sarfraz Nawaz? How did you get the nick?
I’ve never met him. It was given by Mark Waugh when I was young. He thought I bowled in a similar style. I didn’t really like it and I objected to it. And when you object to something it sticks.Who is the Australian batsman you’ve always got out in the nets?
I used to get Steve Waugh quite a few times. It must’ve been a fluke.What’s your favourite Greg Matthews moment?
Last year we were playing Phil Jaques in club cricket. I bowled the first over and Greg bowled the second. Greg got him out first ball and ran straight to square leg, celebrating, and said to the umpire, “Give me 10”. The umpire didn’t know what to do!What is the one question media should be banned from asking you?
Nobody is allowed to ask about Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. They retired years ago. Nobody should ask about the rebuilding process.What’s one thing you do that McGrath couldn’t?
I bat better.

“Sledging is very much overrated. If people sledge me then I know I’m getting under their skins and I take it more as a compliment”

What’s the most important thing a hotel room should have?
Beds. Big beds.Ever had a funny incidents with an umpire?
Once, during a domestic game in Australia when I bowled a bouncer and the umpire signalled a wide. I was like, “Are you kidding?” He just looked at me and asked me to piss off back to my mark. I started laughing and he started laughing. It was funny and calmed everything down.Who is the best character you’ve played cricket with?
Darren Lehmann. He was a fun guy who played the game hard but enjoyed himself as well.Who is your favourite athlete outside cricket?
Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Roger Federer. It is very hard to look past athletes who make the game look so easy. We’re all playing the game, but they were playing a different game.What’s the one thing you should never do in Australia as a tourist?
Never go and try and drink with the locals.Name one of your favourite cricketing moments.
The day Warne got his 700th Test wicket: I remember he bowled Andrew Strauss with a proper, big legbreak that drifted in and spun and he just took off in front of the 90,000 who erupted. The emotions that came out were unbelievable.

Tony Cozier recounts the memorable moments and phases in West Indies cricket during a decade of struggles

Tony Cozier03-Jan-2010For ages strong and dynamic, universally envied and admired, pride of the people of the small, scattered otherwise insignificant third world territories it represented, West Indies cricket had suddenly gone into sharp decline in the last decade of the 20th century. The first decade of the 21st century accelerated its degeneration as it plummeted inextricably towards irrelevance, even towards its eventual demise.The stories of doom and gloom, and the reasons for them, are well documented. They have generated arguments in bars and living rooms throughout the Caribbean, filled the pages of our newspapers and magazines, taken up hours of radio and television time.Yet, through it all, shafts of light occasionally broke through to lift the darkness and kindle the hope that somehow all was not lost, that the good days would eventually return. All were fleeting and illusionary but we embraced them just the same.Here are a few such instances that lifted my own spirits in following West Indies on their repeatedly futile travels the world over or else turning myself into a zombie watching their fortunes unfold through the night on television. There were others as well. Prominent among them were Jerome Taylor’s 5 for 11 spell that despatched England for 51 at Sabina last year and clinched a victory that was enough to regain the Wisden Trophy after nine years, the emergence of the allround ebullience of Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards’ pace and swing and, most recently, the promising debuts of Kemar Roach and Adrian Barath.But these are the ones that stick most in the memory.The Lara factor: Brian Lara had long since confirmed his credentials by the turn of the century but, within two months, he had relinquished the captaincy to take a break “to seek the assistance of appropriate professionals to rebuild all facets of my game”.He returned with all facets clearly rebuilt to fashion some of the most compelling performances of the era. Three especially typified the willpower and the sense of timing that accentuated his talent.He arrived in Sri Lanka late in 2002 with the publicly stated intention of scoring the 613 runs needed in the three Tests to lift his Test average, from below 48 where it stood to above 50. It was an unlikely goal but the magical left-hander reached his goal with an aggregate of 688 and an average of 114.66, utterly mastering the otherwise mystifying spin of Muttiah Muralitheran and swing of Chaminda Vaas.Within a year, his Test record score of 375, compiled against England at the Antigua Recreation Ground in 1994, had been surpassed by the Australian Matthew Hayden’s 380 against Zimbabwe in Perth. It was a jolt to his ego. Those who knew him were in no doubt he would trump Hayden. He required only 185 days to prove them right. In April 2004, on the same ARG where he eclipsed Garry Sobers’ mark ten years earlier and against the same opposition, he amassed 400, still unbeaten when he closed his, and the team’s, innings. The statistic and the circumstances of it were hard to comprehend.The following year, Lara marked what he surely realised would be his last Test in Australia with another grand, and statistically significant display. His 226 carried him past Allan Border as Test cricket’s leading scorer.The downside to it all was that such brilliance could not prevent 3-0 whitewashes in Sri Lanka and Australia. Even his ARG marathon simply ensured a draw that prevented a similar outcome.By April 2007, following the failed World Cup campaign, he was gone, with little fanfare. Whatever his other flaws, his batting left an indelible legacy.Chris Gayle has engendered an obvious loyalty among his players•Getty ImagesThe Chanderpaul follow-up: Once Lara made his final exit, someone was needed to fill the breach, a seeming mission impossible. Throughout his career, Chanderpaul was content to be in Lara’s shadow. Slim and frail, he constantly fidgeted at the crease and gathered his runs mainly from pushes and nudges rather than breathtaking cuts and drives.With Lara gone, Chanderpaul recognised his additional responsibility. He became the game’s most immovable object, his consistency evident in his 1933 runs in 22 Tests (seven hundreds, average 71.59) and his 1476 runs in 31 ODIs (three hundreds, average 73.80).Usually, he has either won or saved matches. His award of International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricketer of the Year for 2008 was a boost for West Indies cricket and a deserving honour.The Gayle development: For all his straight talking, anti-establishment defiance, his quoted indifference to Test cricket and his laid-back approach, Chris Gayle has engendered an obvious loyalty among his players and, without losing the awesome power-hitting on which it is based, brought a new maturity to his batting.Especially in Australia recently, he and his team revived waning respect for West Indies cricket. The first victory over South Africa (after eight losses and a draw) was achieved in his first match at the helm in 2007. Last season, he was in charge as the Wisden Trophy was regained from England.In 21 Tests since he took over on Ramnaresh Sarwan’s injury in England in 2007, he averages 46.73, with five of his overall 12 hundreds. His 197 against New Zealand in Napier just over a year ago and his unbeaten 165, batting from first ball to last, against Australia in Adelaide last month exemplified the term “captain’s innings”.He now says he is “the right man to lead West Indies through this challenging period.” At 30, he has ample time to prove it. The recent evidence indicates that he is up to it.The ARG run-chase: Emboldened by their team’s victories in the first three Tests in 2004, Australian supporters turned up at the ARG carrying brooms to mark the inevitable clean sweep. When they set West Indies more than any team had ever scored to win a Test, 418, the dust pans were at the ready.What followed wiped away the years of tears that had gone before, even if temporarily. Hundreds by Chanderpaul and Sarwan carried West Indies to within sight of the target but 46 were still needed when the seventh wicket fell. It proved no sweat for Omari Banks, a seemingly nerveless 20-year-old in his second Test, and Vasbert Drakes, a seasoned, travelling 33-year-old latecomer.Captain Lara called it “the zenith” of his career. Along with his unbeaten 400, it is one of the few remaining West Indies records.The two bold Bs: West Indies had not won a global tournament since the World Cup in 1979. They looked unlikely to do so when their eighth wicket went down in the final of the Champions Trophy, at the Oval in London, on a dank, chilly September day in 2004.They were 71 away from the modest target of 218 set by England when the two Bs from Barbados, No.10, wicketkeeper Courtney Browne, and No.11, left-hand seam bowler Ian Bradshaw came together.Beaten by England in all four Tests in the preceding series, it was surely the end of the line. But there was a rare tenacity in the ranks, generated by the desire to uplift the spirits of those in the Caribbean just devastated by hurricanes Ivan and Jeanne. Carefully at first and then with increasing confidence, the two advanced towards their objective.The outcome almost certainly hinged on their decision to decline the umpires’ offer to end play for the day in the increasing darkness. England captain Michael Vaughan’s jaw visibly dropped at the sheer bravado of it. At that moment, victory was assured.When it came, with Bradshaw’s Lara-like square-driven boundary, it was greeted by an invasion of the field by their hugging, kissing, flag-waving team-mates and similar celebrations among West Indians in the stands and in front of television and radio sets throughout the Caribbean.Within a month, the euphoria was doused by the renewal of the unrelenting feud between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), characterised by language more identifiable as North Korean and Iranian political invective.That, more than anything else, has been at the heart of the problem throughout the last distressing decade. Is it too much to hope for harmony and better days in the decade that started on Friday?

The tri-series is Yuvraj Singh’s first chance to steer the focus back to his cricket, away from the fitness issues, away from Page 3

Siddarth Ravindran in Dambulla09-Aug-2010At his best in limited-overs matches, Yuvraj Singh gives Indian fans and the dressing room a feeling of assurance few others can, and that is the reason he is integral to the country’s dreams of a World Cup victory at home.A case in point is India’s ill-fated campaign to defend their World Twenty20 crown in 2009. Having entered the tournament as one of the hot favourites, with the country’s love affair with the newest format burgeoning, India were staring at a humiliating early elimination during the second Super Eights game against England at Lord’s. The top-order was floundering to a bouncer barrage and after the youngsters, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma, fell cheaply, Gautam Gambhir and Ravindra Jadeja poked and plodded at one-day pace. With the asking rate touching double-digits and the title defence in tatters, Yuvraj walked out in the 11th over and gloriously lofted his first ball for a huge six, the first of the innings. There was another nonchalant hit for six more before a brilliant, quicksilver stumping from James Foster ended his 14-minute stay. India went on to lose but for those 14 minutes, irrespective of the odds, fans believed victory was possible.That is where Yuvraj towers over the gaggle of youngsters with whom he is now jostling for a middle-order berth. He has always been a man for the big occasion, whether it was the dazzling 84 in his first one-day innings after a top-order collapse against Steve Waugh’s Australians, the star-making turn in the NatWest series final in 2002 or the jaw-dropping 70 off 30 balls in a take-no-prisoners semi-final against Australia in the inaugural World Twenty20.There hasn’t been any addition to that highlights reel in 2010. A spate of injuries, a ballooning waistline, indifferent form and those never-too-far-away questions about his attitude culminated in his axing from the one-day side for the Asia Cup. That was meant to chasten a man who had perhaps taken for granted a spot in the ODI middle order after eight years of being a guaranteed starter. And it left Yuvraj in the peculiar situation of being in the Test side and out of the one-day team.Ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka, he spoke of the tough training his father put him through as part of a bid to regain full fitness. It seemed to have paid off as Yuvraj, more streamlined than the butt-of-all-jokes who turned up in the IPL, started with a flawless century in the tour game against Sri Lanka Board President’s XI and followed it up with a brisk 52 under pressure in the first Test.It started to unravel again when flu forced him to miss the second Test. Raina grabbed his chance to make a debut hundred that ensured the match was a draw and elbow out Yuvraj, bringing an end to his first extended run as a Test starter in a decade of trying. And, to make things worse, he responded to taunts from visibly drunk fans provoking a flurry of unflattering headlines which reinforced the impression of Yuvraj the brat.The tri-series is his first chance to steer the focus back to his cricket, away from the fitness issues, away from Page 3. It is his first chance to remind us of the man whom MS Dhoni calls “the main strength of our middle order”. It is his first chance to add to that highlight reel.As the most experienced player in the line-up, Yuvraj remains the proven performer India need in a middle order in which several players still have the learner’s wheels. It’s a middle order that looks particularly shaky if there is an injury to Dhoni, who has managed to so far steer clear of fitness troubles despite playing the triple role of wicketkeeper, key batsman and captain. It’s a trick Yuvraj will love to learn after an injury-filled year.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the World Cup, Group B match between India and Netherlands in Delhi

Sharda Ugra and Nagraj Gollapudi 09-Mar-2011Slip of the dayJust the ball before he trapped Wesley Barresi plumb in front, Yuvraj Singh had his butter-fingers moment (which would have made Netherlands’ shirt sponsors Amul guffaw). Funnily enough, he had gone through his bowling action but instead of the ball pitching in front, it lobbed out of his hands in the reverse direction and almost took umpire Steve Davis’ head off. Both men could only laugh at the freakish incident.Tendulkar moment of the dayRyan ten Doeschate lined up to bowl his first ball. Facing him was Sachin Tendulkar. The Dutchman immediately pushed the short fine leg, which was square originally, finer. Tendulkar glanced at the change and ten Doeschate pitched fuller. The ball seamed in towards Tendulkar’s legs. The aim was to trap him in front of the wicket. But Tendulkar had smartly moved in slightly and flicked the ball delicately, exactly past the point where the fielder was originally standing. Ahem.Shots of the dayIn ten Doeschate’s second over, Tendulkar skipped a step and then two steps forward to cream him in front of square. Even Yashpal Sharma, one of the Indian selectors, was so impressed at the master’s technique, that he started shadow-playing the straight arc of the bat that only Tendulkar draws while playing his stroke.Flop of the dayAll the buzz around Netherlands coming in to the game was to do with ten Doeschate, the only Associate player with an IPL contract; the only big fella among the little guys; the only one in a team of Bas Zuiderents and Peter Borrens worth watching. When he came to the wicket at 70 for 2, opportunity and the big stage called out his name. Less than half an hour into a brief, unremarkable innings, ten Doeschate was lulled by one of Yuvraj’s lollies, which dipped on him. His expansive strike down the ground carried only as far as Zaheer Khan on the long-off fence. When he bowled later in the evening, he was munched for 23 runs in his first two overs.Invisible men of the dayWho would have thought guys called Szwarczynski and Barresi could be anyone other than deep defenders for a 1990ish AC Milan? Who could foresee that at this World Cup, Szwarczynski and Barresi would belong to a tribe that includes the pairs of Watson and Haddin, Pietersen and Strauss, Sehwag and Tendulkar, and Tharanga and Dilshan? Netherlands openers Eric Szwarczynski and Wesley Barresi, both South African born, put together 56 in 15 overs. When they crossed 50, like Cold War spies exchanging briefcases, they met each other at the centre of the wicket, quietly tapped gloves, nodded and went back to their ends. No one noticed; no one applauded.Mess of the dayVirat Kohli steered a Peter Borren delivery towards an unmanned backward square leg and raced for what he thought was a possible double. His partner Gautam Gambhir seemed to have settled for a single. But at the behest of Kohli’s call, Gambhir turned back and set off for the second run while Kolhi, who had taken a few strides, suddenly stopped having noticed ten Doeschate’s swift charge from deep square leg. By then Gambhir was stuck halfway down the pitch. Unfortunately for Netherlands, captain Borren, standing mid-pitch failed to cleanly collect the throw, and his fumble allowed Gambhir to scamper home. Fortunately for Netherlands, Borren made quick amends in his next over, beating Kohli’s defence and hitting off stump.

Ricky Ponting’s eight years in charge of Australia brought miserable lows but also unparalleled highs. It’s those peaks that deserve to be remembered

Brydon Coverdale30-Mar-2011Two years ago in South Africa, Ricky Ponting led a touring party that was as green as the baggy cap to which the new players aspired. When they landed in Johannesburg, four members of the squad were yet to debut, while other newbies were still finding their feet after a home series loss to Graeme Smith’s men.Throughout that trip, Ponting stood in the umpire’s place during net sessions and monitored his younger team-mates, dispensing advice and encouragement. When the first Test arrived, he positioned himself in the slips with debutants Marcus North and Phillip Hughes on either side of him, where once Matthew Hayden and Shane Warne had been.Once upon a time, captain Ponting could steer the Australian ship through any conditions and rely on his experienced crew to help him find the way. Now he was teaching a new outfit, and avoiding the icebergs was naturally much trickier.Winning that series was a wonderful achievement. That Ponting didn’t lead Australia to more successes in the couple of years that followed was not a shock. It would have been a surprise if the victories pile up as they had when he could call on Warne, Hayden, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Justin Langer et al.Unlike Australia’s other recent captains, Ponting had to deal with two distinct eras of his reign – with champions and without. Will he be remembered for his unrivalled list of achievements as skipper? There were two World Cup triumphs, Australia’s first Ashes whitewash in 86 years, a record-equalling 16 consecutive Test victories, and a couple of Champions Trophies for good measure.Or will it be the fact that he was the first Australian captain in more than a century to lose three Ashes series? Will the mention of his name bring to mind the acrimony of the Sydney Test in 2007-08, when Australia’s slide was beginning? How will the nine-year, two-stage Ponting era be considered in years to come?He should be remembered as a fine captain with a wonderful record, though not without flaws. At the end of the 2006-07 Ashes clean-sweep, when Australia farewelled Warne, McGrath and Langer, Ponting had only endured three losses in his 35 Tests in charge. After that point, Australia played another 42 Tests under Ponting and won exactly half.Compare that to Graeme Smith, whose South Africans have won only 45% of their Tests under his leadership. In their day, Michael Vaughan and Hansie Cronje were highly regarded leaders, the latter’s match-fixing scandal notwithstanding, and they each only won 50% of their Tests in charge.After the champions left, Ponting’s team became normal. Not terrible. Not substandard. Normal. They could have plummeted into freefall, like West Indies after their dominant era came to an end. Instead, Ponting held them together well enough to enjoy away series wins over South Africa, West Indies and New Zealand, as well as home successes against India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and New Zealand.

After the champions left, Ponting’s team became normal. Not terrible. Not substandard. Normal. They could have plummeted into freefall, like West Indies after their dominant era came to an end. Instead, Ponting held them together well enough

And as great as the men surrounding him were in the opening years of his leadership, they may not have achieved what they did without an uncompromising captain, committed to complete domination. It was a trait Ponting learned under Steve Waugh, the master of mental disintegration. But unlike Waugh, Ponting eventually had a team that couldn’t always back it up.There were times when his on-field leadership lacked imagination. Like a horse wearing blinkers, Ponting was prone to bouts of tunnel-vision. The 2009 Ashes might have been different had he trusted his best bowlers in the final hour in Cardiff, instead of the spin of North and Nathan Hauritz, and in Nagpur a year earlier he had made similar strange decisions by allowing Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke to bowl when a victory could have been set up.But no captain is without his faults, and Ponting’s team-mates were fiercely loyal to him, the sign of a leader respected by his troops. Australia’s gradual slip from all-conquering to just all right did not happen because of Ponting. The retirement of stars, a decline in the standard of domestic cricket and the selection panel’s poor handling of the spin-bowling stocks were important factors.Even in the difficult Test times, Ponting managed to keep his one-day international team at the top of the ICC’s rankings, which was no small achievement. It was appropriate that his final act as captain was a fighting century in the World Cup, eight years after he lifted the trophy for the first time as leader, having made a brilliant 140 in the final.When he announced his resignation, Ponting nominated that 2003 World Cup, when a Warne-less team went through undefeated, as his fondest captaincy memory. Even more remarkable was the way he lifted his men to another perfect World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007, given the poor form his one-day side had displayed in the months prior.Achievements like that must be remembered. In Ponting’s nine years in charge, Australia’s low points were miserable, but their highs were unparalleled. Like Ponting the batsman, Ponting the captain deserves to be held in great esteem. His successor will be grateful to do half as well.