In a line-up of big-hitters in the Royal Challengers Bangalore line-up, Dinesh Karthik plays the role of a safety belt and he is eager to put his early failures behind him and succeed in his designated role

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Apr-2015For two hours on Wednesday afternoon Dinesh Karthik batted in the optional nets without taking a break. The Royal Challengers Bangalore wicketkeeper-batsman faced all kinds of bowlers: from the extreme pace of New Zealand fast man Adam Milne to the gentle yet cunning left-arm spin of Daniel Vettori and testing spells from the net bowlers. Karthik hit some, missed some and was often beaten by seam and spin.So far in this IPL, Karthik has lasted 19 deliveries in the two matches scoring only 15 runs at No. 3. On both occasions, Karthik played a stroke that was inappropriate to the context of the innings. In the first match, against Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers had got off to a decent start despite the early loss of their captain Virat Kohli and 47 for 1 after seven overs looked a strong enough platform to build on.Karthik had pulled Andre Russell powerfully for his first four on his fifth delivery. In the next over, having backed out too far down the leg side he tried to cut hard and was bowled by a straighter delivery from Yusuf Pathan.In Bangalore, against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers were 77 for the loss of Gayle at the halfway mark. Karthik attempted a slog sweep against legspinner Karn Sharma, but rushed into his stroke and the top edge was grabbed easily by Kane Williamson at point. It put pressure on Kohli and AB de Villiers as the Royal Challengers middle-order failed to settle down.The twin failures have affected Karthik, who admits he played those strokes instinctively. “Both were not shots I had programmed; they came out instinctively,” Karthik said. “And that can be a little disappointing – when you play shots instinctively and that turns out to be a bad shot. If you programme it and get out, that’s fine – it is in your control. But when you play it instinctively then it is not a good sign. So I was upset about that.”Still given a choice he would play the shots again, but with a better plan and mindset, and at an appropriate time. “When you’re playing shots in Twenty20, you are always bound to get out,” Karthik said. “You cannot be too hard on yourself. If you are too hard, you will stop playing shots and that is not going to help the team. It is about freeing yourself up to play shots mentally, and at the same time playing the right shots.”He put those words into actions in his training. Under the watchful gaze of Royal Challengers’ batting coach Trent Woodhill, Karthik worked to a plan, breaking the session into small intervals and specific challenges.According to Woodhill, the two shots that got Karthik out were not executed properly and it was important to revisit his strengths. “DK is 29, 2000 IPL runs. An important player so it is important to revisit what he does well,” Woodhill said. “It was about helping him bring out the gut instinct rather than thinking where I want to hit the ball.”Talking about the purpose of such a lengthy session, Karthik explained it was all about feeling positive: “I felt I can bat a lot and get a good feel. Rather than staying in the room and doing nothing, I feel it’s better to come out here and have a bat, talk to the coach. Even if I can improve a little bit, it’s always going to help my cricket. I don’t believe in over-training but if I can come out here, hit a few balls in the right areas and I feel good about it, that gives me a lot of satisfaction.”Having played for four franchises, Karthik has a wealth of experience and the dual role of a wicketkeeper-batsman has its perks. Karthik has remained one of the biggest earners in the IPL – for the second successive year, he was the most second-most expensive buy in the auction after Royal Challengers paid Rs 10.5 crore (about $1.75 million) in this year’s auction.Karthik’s best performance came in 2013 with Mumbai Indians, when he finished a close second to Rohit Sharma. He had an underwhelming IPL 2014 with Delhi Daredevils but still finished as the second-highest run scorer, even as the franchise was stuck in the lower rungs of the table.As a No.3 batsman, Karthik is the safety belt for Royal Challengers. He needs to bind together the start provided by the openers with the aggression of AB de Villiers and Darren Sammy. It is not an easy job.”At the top there’s Virat and Gayle and below me, there’s AB de villiers and Darren Sammy. They are power hitters. If I can just knock it around and give it to them, when my turn comes at the end of the innings, I can tee off as well. But I’ve been getting out too early for my own good and I’m not liking that. If I can stay there a little longer and if they can play around me and play their shots, that’ll be great for us,” Karthik said.Woodhill says his job is to help a player make the right decision regardless of his technique. “There are two things – there is decision-making and execution. You can make the wrong decision and execute well, or you can make the right decision but execute poorly and you are out. So, as a coach, you have got to make sure you are not moving the goalposts. You want players to review their decisions first. Then you load up that area of execution. So if somebody is playing the cut shots, let us make sure you are playing the shot when you are in form. At 2 for 30 your decision-making has to be spot on so that you don’t end up 3 for 30.”At the practice session, it was not an easy task. Karthik was beaten by the seam movement of the net bowlers, got bowled, played edgy drives and cuts. He was beaten by Vettori’s clever use of the bowling crease where he created angles, making it difficult for the batsman to dominate. And when he offered what seemed like a half-tracker, Karthik pulled unconvincingly. Woodhill kept shouting from the other end asking Karthik to maintain the tempo and not drift.”I wanted him to get stuck into Dan,” Woodhill said with a chuckle. “Players like (MS) Dhoni or (AB) de Villiers control the batting through their tempo. So I am making sure you are walking out to dominate bowlers through good decision-making and strong movements. (That) does not mean big movements (hitting a six), but strong positive movements. That way it is hard for the scoreboard to get in the way of what you are trying to achieve. Whereas if you slow everything down in terms of your tempo, it is hard to put pressure back on the bowlers.”At training on Thursday, Karthik showed the assuredness in his batting that has been missing in the matches. Karthik’s strokes had the sound of confidence, but he still needs to translate that into runs.

Shahid Afridi entertained us with his unique brand of cricket and surely left a lasting impression on the game. He was cricket’s greatest entertainer. Boom Boom is irreplaceable

Uzair Rizvi25-Mar-2015As I sat down to write a tribute to Boom Boom Afridi, I wanted my typing to match the speed at which Shahid Afridi played all his life, but unlike his cameos, my emotions and love for Afridi grew bigger and it took me a lot of time to pour out my heart and feelings as the charismatic allrounder bid farewell to ODIs.I am one of those from the generation of late ’90s, when cricket had gathered real pace and velocity. ODI cricket began scaling new heights in the 1996 World Cup with the Sri Lankan opening pair of Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana exploiting the field restrictions with aggression.This style of play really excited me and, as an Indian, I was looking for someone of a similar kind in my own team.And then a few months down the line something happened, something that changed the cricketing world, something that changed my life: an innings played by a 16-year-old unknown player from Pakistan. I personally did not see the match as I did not follow Pakistan cricket much in those days. However, the breathtaking knock in Toronto captivated me.It was a Eureka moment for me, I found my hero, I found someone in cricket that I could cheer for, and I started to keenly follow Pakistan cricket. Coming from a cricket-crazy Indian family, it was very difficult for me to single out one player from Pakistan and cheer for him even when he played against India. I was elated, so much so that I forgot that he actually scored a century against my country. Watching such a blitz in those days was enough for me to get drawn to Afridi.For me he was all hitting and power but for my elder sister he was more than that, I remember how she would often ask me to get his posters from sports shop and stick them in her room. Without a doubt, I could say that she had found her hero too. I also found another friend who would always accompany me to watch Pakistan play.I got more attached to Afridi and started to follow every move of his. I became a fan of his bowling too.Then came Sharjah – Afridi was on the rise – he was mesmerising. I would say it wasn’t just joy and thrill that drew me to an Afridi innings. It was the notion that this crude form of batting could succeed in international cricket, albeit sporadically, and that this player was being allowed to bat with unrestrained freedom. For purity I had Rahul Dravid’s drives, but for adrenaline it was always Afridi.Patience was never a virtue for Afridi. He liked speed and he thrived on entertaining fans with power. At the crease he was always in a hurry, whether he was batting or bowling.After many years the Pakistan team toured India in 2005. And Afridi was at it again. He simply blew India away in Kanpur. Mr Boom Boom came to open the innings and slammed 102 off 46 balls as Pakistan chased down 250 in less than 43 overs. I forgot that he was playing against my team, I forgot how storied the India-Pakistan rivalry was, because my love and passion for Afridi’s style of batting knew no boundaries.In 2008 I watched Afridi’s 37-ball ton on YouTube and the pain of not witnessing this innings subsided. The picture quality was grainy, but watching Afridi smoke six after six was exhilarating.And how could I forget the Asia Cup in 2014, with India at the receiving end again. I realised that there were several moments that gave me both pleasure and heartbreak whenever India and Pakistan played. Sometimes I was left frustrated and cursed the partition, dreaming that Afridi and Sehwag could have opened in the same team.He may be overrated, he may be impatient, he may not have the statistics on his side. But he is an explosive package.He remained a hero to millions, a reason for smiles and a crowd favourite. Perhaps he is the most-loved Pakistan player in India. I have seen the spark in our eyes whenever the he came to bat.I know he’s not done yet, he will ply his trade in T20s, so there’s something for me to look forward to, but I have always associated him with ODIs, and yes being stuck on 395 ODI wickets is unfortunate.For me he still is that 16-year-old lad, ready to take the opposition on. He entertained us with his unique brand of cricket and has surely left a lasting impression on the game. He was cricket’s greatest entertainer.Boom Boom is irreplaceable. Thank you for the memories, Lala.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line.

Stats highlights from the West Indies-UAE match in Napier

S Rajesh15-Mar-20152 The number of 50-plus scores by West Indies’ top four batsmen, before today. Chris Gayle’s 215 and Marlon Samuels’ unbeaten 133, in the same game against Zimbabwe, were the only innings. Johnson Charles and Jonathan Carter doubled that number today. In contrast, there have been six 50-plus scores from their batsmen batting at No. 5 or lower.50* Carter’s score, his maiden half-century in ODIs, in his eighth innings.107 The partnership between Amjad Javed and Nasir Aziz, which equals the highest for the seventh wicket in World Cup history. Javed had also added 107 with Shaiman Anwar when UAE played Ireland earlier in this tournament. Those are the only two instances of century stands for the seventh wicket in World Cup history.3 The number of instances of teams putting together a century partnership for the seventh wicket after being six down for less than 50, in all ODIs. The partnership of 107 between Javed and Aziz is the highest among the three.3 The number of times a No. 8 batsman has scored more than 60, which was Aziz’s score, in World Cup history. The only batsmen to achieve this are Heath Streak (72* v New Zealand in 2003), Abdul Razzaq (62 v New Zealand in 2011), and Deryck Murray (61* v Pakistan in 1975).2 The number of times West Indies have had the opposition five down for less than 30 in this tournament – they also had Pakistan at 25 for 5 in Christchurch. No other team has achieved this feat in this World Cup so far. The last time West Indies were in this situation before this World Cup was in December 2012, against Bangladesh.4 Wickets for Jason Holder, the third time he has taken four in an ODI. His figures of 4 for 27 are his second-best in ODIs: against Pakistan in Providence in 2013, he took 4 for 13 from 10 overs. These are also the best figures for West Indies in this tournament.6 The number of batsmen bowled in the UAE innings, only the fifth instance of six or more batsmen being bowled in an innings in a World Cup game. The last such instance was in the 1979 final, when six England batsmen were bowled.1 The number of times two of the last five batsmen (No. 7 and lower) have scored fifties in an ODI for one of the non-Test teams. The two fifties by Amjad and Aziz was the first such instance.3 The number of ducks for Krishna Chandran in this tournament, the most by any batsman. With the ball, Chandran has figures of 1 for 177 from 25 overs in this World Cup.

Lord’s this week will mark the 100th time England and New Zealand have faced each in Tests. We pick 10 notable clashes between the two nations

Andrew McGlashan18-May-2015Christchurch, 1930: A tale of two Englands
Test No. 186 was the first time the two sides met, the match beginning on January 10, 1930 at Lancaster Park. England – or MCC as they were officially called then when they toured – had previously visited New Zealand as tag-ons to Ashes tours, but now New Zealand had Test status, so this was a stand-alone trip. The Test itself, a three-day game, was low-scoring, and England won by eight wickets with 55 minutes of play remaining. There was not a fifty in the match; Duleepsinhji top-scored with 49. The match and the tour were remarkable for another fact, though. England were playing on opposite sides of world at the same time: a team was also in the Caribbean, and later in the series, there was a day of the fourth Test, in Auckland, when, for two hours, England were playing there and in Guyana as well.Trent Bridge, 1973: So near yet so far
At one stage on the final day, as they hunted 479, it appeared New Zealand would secure a piece of history with the greatest run chase. England had a healthy first-innings lead when the visitors subsided to 97 (with extras top-scoring), and although England’s second innings was an odd card, hundreds from Dennis Amiss and Tony Greig had seemingly set them up for a comfortable victory. However, New Zealand were given their scarcely believable chance by captain Bev Congdon, who played his finest Test innings to make 176 before falling late on the fourth day. Vic Pollard and Ken Wadsworth took them to 402 for 5 before John Snow, Geoff Arnold and Greig plucked out the lower order. New Zealand’s wait to beat England went on.Wellington, 1978: A win, at last
Forty-eight years into contests between the two nations, and the 48th time they met, New Zealand registered their first victory – and in some style, too. Richard Hadlee took 6 for 26 as they successfully defended 137. It was a remarkable turnaround. After the first innings the match was even, but Bob Willis took out half of New Zealand’s second innings and they crumbled to 123 all out by tea on the fourth day. However, in the remaining two hours of the day it was England’s turn to fold against Hadlee and Richard Collinge, and they ended the day eight down. Hadlee duly snared the final two the following morning; he and Collinge sent down all but one over of the innings. “The crowd gathered in front of the pavilion and sang ‘For they are jolly good fellows’, followed by three cheers,” reported .Gimme five: Derek Randall is dismissed off Richard Hadlee’s bowling in Christchurch, 1984•Getty ImagesHeadingley, 1983: Willis not enough this time
Two years after conjuring one of Test cricket’s most famous victories, Willis could not rescue England again, as New Zealand secured their first win on English soil. Lance Cairns’ seven-wicket haul had kept the home side to 225, and then New Zealand amassed a 152-run lead, with contributions throughout the order. Ewen Chatfield then claimed five and, despite David Gower’s hundred, the target was just 101. Images of Australia’s collapse in 1981 came to mind when New Zealand fell from 42 for 1 to 83 for 5, but with the help of 25 extras, the winning runs came when Jeremy Coney clipped Ian Botham’s only ball of the innings for four – Willis had refused to bowl Botham earlier after a poor first-innings display.Christchurch, 1984: All out for less than 100 – twice
England were not in the best shape leading into the match. They had been forced to call up Tony Pigott, who was playing for Wellington, and was due to get married, to an injury-hit attack. New Zealand, managed to post 307 on what was already a tricky surface. England did not come close to matching them over two innings. They fell to 10 for 4 in the first; nine of the wickets fell to Hadlee, Chatfield and Cairns, and Stephen Boock took one with his first ball in Test cricket for three years. Second time around, Hadlee took 5 for 28 and Boock claimed two in consecutive balls. “There weren’t often many wickets left to take when Hadlee was in this form, so I enjoyed getting Gatting and Botham,” Boock said. “It was also a good era for us. Almost every series we played, we started as underdogs, but we were also determined to stand up for ourselves.”New Zealand celebrate their victory at The Oval in 1999•PA PhotosChristchurch, 1992: Time running out
This was a period when overseas victories were like hen’s teeth for England, and they secured the spoils at Lancaster Park in the nick of time. They had dominated throughout, piling up 580 for 9, but although New Zealand could not save the follow-on, they batted stubbornly – Dipak Patel was run out for 99 – and began the final day one down in their second innings. At 182 for 2, safety looked within their grasp but Derek Pringle winkled out Andrew Jones before tea. Still, England needed seven wickets in the final session and New Zealand were closing in on wiping out the deficit. Then Phil Tufnell, who the previous English season had bowled out West Indies at The Oval, made his mark. John Wright, having batted more than six and a half hours, lost his cool and was stumped. Then Tufnell snuffed out the middle order with a delightful spell (“The fruit of flighted bowling of rare, old-fashioned craft,” said Wisden). Martin Crowe remained the final obstacle and knew if he could get his team level 10 vital minutes would be lost and a draw earned. He gambled, charged at Tufnell, lofted the ball… and found mid-on.Auckland, 1997: Last men standing

As so often, England were slow starters in a series overseas, wasting the new ball on the opening day. Stephen Fleming scored his maiden Test hundred, and New Zealand posted a competitive 390, but England batted confidently in reply. Alec Stewart’s stellar form continued, Mike Atherton found some touch after a horrid time in Zimbabwe, and Graham Thorpe’s century ensured a useful lead. New Zealand were three down, and still behind, at the close of the fourth day. Shortly after lunch on the final day, when Darren Gough bowled Simon Doull, they were 142 for 9 – just 11 runs ahead. What followed was one of the more extraordinary last-wicket stands: Danny Morrison, the holder at the time of the record for the most Test ducks, and in what would be his final Test, batted nearly three hours and faced 133 balls alongside Nathan Astle, who brought up his hundred off the final ball of the match, having taken New Zealand to safety.The Oval, 1999: New Zealand send England bottom
It had been a desperate summer for English cricket: crashing out of the World Cup before the official song was released then bumbling their way through the series against New Zealand, which reached a deciding match at The Oval, following the visitors’ first ever victory at Lord’s. England started well enough, reducing New Zealand to 157 for 8 on the first day before Daniel Vettori hauled them to 236. That proved enough for a substantial lead, after England subsided to 153 (crawling along for 80 overs); Chris Cairns claimed 5 for 31. Cairns wasn’t finished. New Zealand had crashed to 39 for 6, threatening to hand the game back to England, when he produced one of his finest Test innings, making 80. At 123 for 2 a target of 246 seemed within England’s compass, but a collapse was never far away. Thorpe fell to Shayne O’Connor, and then Dion Nash took three wickets in 12 balls. The end came swiftly, Roger Twose settling under the skied catch that sent England to the bottom of the unofficial Wisden world rankings.Monty Panesar scrambles to make his ground during the final moments of England’s rearguard in Auckland•Getty ImagesChristchurch, 2002: The double doubles
It was a quite extraordinary Test match, starting on a green, seaming drop-in pitch and finishing on a road. And featuring a world record. Nasser Hussain’s outstanding century came in the toughest conditions on the opening day, and Matthew Hoggard’s 7 for 63 secured a first-innings lead. Then things started to change. From 106 for 5 – and with the match in the balance – Graham Thorpe and Andrew Flintoff added 281 in 51 overs. Flintoff’s maiden Test hundred came off 114 balls and Thorpe’s first double off 231: at the time, it was the third quickest double ton in Tests. Much quicker was to come. When the ninth wicket fell in New Zealand’s chase, Nathan Astle had just begun to tee off: six of the previous nine deliveries he had faced had gone for four. An astonishing assault followed on Hoggard and Andrew Caddick, and Astle went to a ferocious double off just 153 balls – the second hundred coming in 39 balls. With an injured Chris Cairns at No. 11, England were getting nervous – until Astle edged Matthew Hoggard to end the carnage.Auckland, 2013: Prior’s epic, Monty’s dive
New Zealand were on top from the start of this game. Alastair Cook had inserted them but England managed just one wicket on the opening day, while Peter Fulton scored his maiden Test hundred. Where England’s bowlers barely moved the ball, in the hands of Trent Boult and Tim Southee it was far more dangerous: England were bowled out well under halfway to the visitors’ first-innings score. Fulton then become the fourth New Zealander to hit twin hundreds in a Test and England were left more than five sessions to survive. Kane Williamson struck twice late on the fourth evening, leaving England 90 for 4, and though there was better resistance on the final morning, they were six down shortly after lunch and seven down at tea after Ian Bell’s 271-ball innings ended. Matt Prior remained, though, and did not just defend: his hundred came from 148 balls, although he had had a huge stroke of fortune when a bail had refused to dislodge when he was on 28. The blocking came from Stuart Broad: 62 deliveries to get off the mark and 77 in all over more than two hours. But he and James Anderson fell in one over to Williamson and it was down to Prior and Monty Panesar. In the final three overs Panesar faced just five deliveries – and his dive back into the crease during a hairy run became iconic. He was on strike for the final over, but escaped after three balls. Prior did the rest.

Most runs between dismissals in T20s

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-2015Hamilton Masakadza (2008)
Runs: 288
Teams: Easterns (Zimbabwe), Zimbabwe
Innings: 101* (66), 34* (32), 50* (50), 82 (57), 21 (19) Team record: WWWWW•Associated PressJacques Kallis (2010)
Runs: 283
Team: Royal Challengers Bangalore
Innings: 65* (52), 89* (55), 44* (34), 66* (55), 19 (17) Team record: LWWWW•IPLKevin Pietersen (2015)
Runs: 283
Teams: Dolphins
Innings: 115* (66), 100* (45), 68 (44)Team record: WWW•Getty ImagesKieron Pollard (2012)
Runs: 272
Teams: Trinidad & Tobago,
Dhaka Gladiators
Innings: 56* (15), 21* (16),31* (23), 39* (13), 39* (32), 50* (34), , 36 (15)
Team record: WWWWLWW•Randy Brooks/West Indies Cricket Board

Opponents and commentators continue to underestimate Moeen Ali, yet he continues to score runs and take wickets. Perhaps it’s time he was shown the respect he deserves

George Dobell in Cardiff09-Jul-2015″There is,” said Lao Tzu, the Chinese philosopher, “no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.”But opponents keep underestimating Moeen Ali. And just as India learned in 2014, Australia will be reflecting now that it pays to treat him a little more respectfully.Moeen ended the second day of the first Investec Test with the wickets of two of the best players of spin in world cricket – the No. 1 rated batsman, Steve Smith, and the Australia captain, Michael Clarke – and a fluent half-century that helped England to a respectable first-innings score and inflict upon Mitchell Johnson the worst figures of his Test career. For a man who was the scourge of England in the last Ashes, that represents significant rehabilitation. Indeed, it may prove to be that Johnson’s scars that are more relevant than England’s.Moeen’s innings – pleasing though it was – should have come as little surprise. He earned his reputation as a talented strokemaker with time and class to spare. In 2007, aged just 20, he thrashed what was, at the time, the second highest List A century in games between first-class counties – it took 46 balls – and little more than a year ago, compiled a high-class century in just his second Test. We knew he could bat.Perhaps, putting him at No. 8, might have been interpreted as a lack of belief. But Moeen has chosen to interpret the move positively and feels that batting with the tail has given him licence to play his shots freely. Here he helped England add 137 for last four wickets, providing a reminder of the value of such depth in the order. England started the last Ashes series with Stuart Broad at No. 8 and never had the quality to rebuild after a poor start.

Trevor Bayliss has encouraged Moeen to vary his speed more often in an attempt to prevent batsmen from settling. It might be Bayliss’ first direct contribution to England’s cause

There will be surfaces where Moeen is tested far more by the short ball – this is a particularly sluggish pitch. But in among the pulls and sweeps were some gorgeously timed drives to the boundary that bore the hallmark of true class. There have been few better regular No. 8s in history and with him there, opponents’ bowling attacks will feel that they face a daunting task to kill off the England batting.But it seems to be with the ball that Moeen has to prove himself time and time again. Ahead of this series, a number of former England captains suggested he should make way for the legspin of Adil Rashid. He was, once again, dismissed as a “part time” bowler.Perhaps they had forgotten Moeen’s success against India last year or perhaps they had witnessed his rusty showing in Barbados – where he bowled particularly poorly – and concluded that the India series was an aberration.But either interpretation is harsh. Moeen claimed 19 wickets in that series against India – the fourth highest haul any spinner had claimed against India in a Test series outside the subcontinent and the best since 1967 when Ray Illingworth bowled 30 more overs and claimed one more victim – and dismissed some high-quality players.Indeed, he can now add Smith and Clarke to a haul that includes Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Kumar Sangakkara twice each. Repeated success cannot keep being dismissed as a one-off.While India, like Australia, lost their first few wickets against him as they attempted to thrash him out of the game – his first two of the eight career-changing wickets he claimed in Southampton came when Rohit Sharma and Rahane slogged innocuous deliveries to mid-off and mid-on respectively – such errors tend to boost the confidence of the bowler. In the second innings, he struck through his drift and arm ball.Moeen has not been at his best in his last few Tests. Recalled to the side in the Caribbean after recovering from injury, he was clearly rusty and, after a couple of modest performances, lost a bit of confidence. He has not had the overs he might have liked with Worcestershire, either, to rebuild such rhythm. They have Saeed Ajmal in the side and have played a fair bit of white-ball cricket in recent weeks.The “part time” tag is simply incorrect, though. Since the start of the 2012 season, Moeen has bowled more first-class overs than either Adil Rashid or a county stalwart such as Gareth Batty. In that time, he has also taken more wickets at a lower average than Rashid.But it is fair to think of him as a bowler in development. He did not start bowling regularly until the 2010 season – his sixth year as a first-class player – and, until 2012, had only taken one five-wicket haul. He is not the finished article and he admits he is not, as yet, bowling to the standard he reached against India. As he put it: “there will be lots of bad days ahead.”While he has similar weapons to Graeme Swann – the drift, flight, dip, turn and arm ball – he does not have Swann’s consistency. He does not have the ability to build pressure or maintain control. Only one of his 14 overs was a maiden and England were instead reliant upon James Anderson, who bowled four maidens in succession at one stage, and the impressively mature Ben Stokes, to bowl dry.Moeen Ali takes his second crucial wicket, Michael Clarke caught and bowled•Getty ImagesFor that reason, Australia’s tactics were probably wrong. There is, at this stage in Moeen’s career, no need to go after his bowling. He will bowl enough release deliveries – most pertinently the dragged down short ball – to allow batsmen to progress and give his captain some tricky challenges. Looking to hit him out of the attack just “brings me into the game more,” he said.And so it proved when Smith, intent on charging down the wicket, was wrong footed by Moeen’s decision to fire the ball down the leg side – perhaps in search of the stumping – and found himself in a horrible tangle and spooning a catch to short mid-on.If such a wicket was somewhat fortuitous – and you may equally well call it cunning – the wicket of Clarke was due to some old-fashioned guile. Holding the ball back just a little – it was four miles-an-hour slower than the delivery that dismissed Smith – he deceived Clarke just enough in the flight that the batsman was unable to reach the pitch of the ball with his drive and presented a sharp return catch.Moeen credited Trevor Bayliss for that wicket. While his bowling against India was notable for its pace – once he learned he could bowl faster at Lord’s he hardly bowled any other way – Bayliss has encouraged him to vary his speed more often in an attempt to prevent batsmen from settling. It might be Bayliss’ first direct contribution to England’s cause.Moeen’s problem may be simply that he is not a legspinner. Some commentators seem to have been seduced by the idea of fielding a legspinner in the belief that such a move is inherently aggressive. But anyone expecting Rashid to rip out top Test players or bowl tight overs all day has simply never watched him. He has many qualities but consistency is not one of them.If England go back to dropping players after a couple of poor games, they will go back to the grim years of the 1980s and 90s. Moeen might not have warranted selection as a specialist spinner in a richer playing age but, right now, he really may be as good as England have and his record – 35 wickets at 32.65 – deserves rather more respect than it is sometimes given.

ESPNcricinfo looks back on the four Tests in a fast-forward series which decided the Ashes with a match to spare

Andrew McGlashan09-Aug-2015First Test, Cardiff – England won by 169 runsJoe Root made the most of being dropped before scoring on the opening day of the series•Getty ImagesDay one – England 343 for 7Joe Root, taking advantage of being dropped on 0, dominated the opening day of the series with a counterattacking hundred which lifted England from 43 for 3. He and Gary Ballance added 143 for the fourth wicket, then Ben Stokes added a brisk fifty, although Australia kept chipping away to keep the contest reasonably even.Key moment Facing his second ball, having already come close to being lbw, Root edged a very full delivery from Mitchell Starc but Brad Haddin, diving one-handed to his right, could not hold on.Day two – England 430, Australia 264 for 5 England’s lower order, led by Moeen Ali’s 77, pushed England’s total to a healthy 430 but Australia started strongly in reply to reach 129 for 1 before Moeen played his part with the ball by removing Steven Smith and later Michael Clarke. Australia’s top order kept wasting starts and the late removal of Adam Voges tipped the balance in England’s favourKey moment It was clear from the outset that Australia wanted to attack Moeen and the mindset cost them dearly. It started when Smith, having eased to 33, came down the pitch and lobbed a leading edge to Alastair Cook at short mid-on after Moeen fired the ball down the leg side.Day three – Australia 308, England 289England’s attack secured a vital 122-run lead as they hustled through Australia either side of the second new ball. Shane Watson fell early, lbw to Stuart Broad, and James Anderson had the ball on a string against Haddin. England then batted aggressively for the rest of the day, led by 60s from Root and Ian Bell, although Australia were able to dismiss them by the close.Key moment England had stuttered to 22 for 2 in their second innings and could have squandered their advantage. However, Bell and Adam Lyth responded with a five-over period which brought 49 runs and from there it was never in doubt that England would set a demanding totalDay four – Australia 242An all-round bowling display with the wickets shared between Broad, Moeen, Root and Mark Wood secured England a comprehensive victory. Either side of lunch Australia lost 5 for 25, with Broad resuming his dominance over Clarke before the spinners went through the lower order.Key moment Shortly before lunch English tension was starting to grow as David Warner moved to a half-century. It appeared Australia would reach the break just one down when Cook recalled Moeen, who had earlier been flayed by Warner, for the final over of the session and he responded by trapping him lbw. The victory charge was on.Second Test, Lord’s – Australia won by 405 runsSteven Smith leaps on reaching his double-century•Getty ImagesDay one – Australia 337 for 1A day of complete batting dominance from Australia – save for one crazy shot from Warner – as Chris Rogers and Smith made the most of a docile pitch and an England attack that had lost a little zest from Cardiff. Rogers closed already on a career best, while Smith corrected a Lord’s record that previously read 1, 12, 2 and 1.Key moment Australia were handsomely placed on 167 for 1 when Smith edged Stokes low to Bell at second slip and the chance was spurned. Opportunities were few and far between and England did not get another until the game had drifted awayDay two – Australia 566 for 8 dec, England 85 for 4There had been an inevitable procession of Australia towards a huge total as Smith converted his score into a maiden Test double hundred although Clarke’s struggles continued. The contest really resumed in earnest when Australia declared, and in the blink of an eye England were in disarray at 30 for 4 as Australia’s quicks proved far more dangerous.Key moment England had become used to being three for not many, but often Root had come to the rescue. Not this time. Facing a fired up Mitchell Johnson, he tried to force off the back foot and only edged through to the keeper. This time Peter Nevill, on debut in place of Haddin who had withdrawn for personal reasons, grabbed the chance.Day three – England 312, Australia 108 for 0England fought hard with the bat, but such was the hole they were in it was always a battle against the tide. Stokes and Cook both fell short of hundreds while the lower order could not drag England beyond the follow-on, although it was not enforced. Early in Australia’s free-wheeling second innings Warner was dropped by Lyth as England became increasingly ragged.Key moment England were 15 minutes away from batting through the morning session without loss when Stokes, who had confidently reached 87, dragged on a delivery from Mitchell Marsh. The timing of the dismissal knocked the stuffing out of any fight back.Day four – Australia 254 for 2 dec, England 103It was a demolition job by Australia as England folded in 37 overs after being set an impossible 509 for victory. Johnson was at his searing best and Broad’s 25 was the top score in an horrendous innings which was summed up when Stokes failed to ground his bat. There was, however, a worrying moment for Australia earlier in the day when Rogers was forced to retire hurt after suffering a dizzy spell following a blow to the helmet on the second day.Key moment Batting more than five sessions was always likely to be beyond England, but one man who had the mental capacity was Cook. However, the effects of a draining match showed when he flapped at a wide ball from Johnson and edged behind.Third Test, Edgbaston – England won by eight wicketsSteven Finn struck in his first over on Test comeback•Getty ImagesDay one – Australia 136, England 133 for 3England needed a swift response and they got one. Clarke batted first on what proved a lively surface and, not for the first time, Australian technique against the swinging ball was exposed. Anderson did the bulk of the damage in a post-lunch burst of 5 for 33 in 8.4 overs after starting the day by pinning Warner lbw. Bell, who had been promoted to No. 3, then struck an aggressive fifty to keep England in controlKey moment Two years after his last Test appearance – and 18 months after being sent home from Australia – Steven Finn was back as a replacement for Wood. He could hardly have wished for a better start as he found Smith’s outside edge in his first over and the produced a wonderful delivery to bowl Clarke.Day two – England 281, Australia 168 for 7The day began dramatically as Johnson produced a fearsome over to bounce out Jonny Bairstow and Stokes, but England were settled by Root and then a priceless 87-run eighth-wicket stand between Moeen and Broad which earned a lead of 145. From 62 for 1, Australia then crashed to 153 for 7 against Finn and a two-day finish loomed before they limped to the close.Key moment Finn’s first over had gone for 14 as Warner and Smith attacked, but a change of ends brought handsome rewards as he lured Smith into an errant pull then claimed Clarke and Voges with consecutive deliveries. There was no way back for Australia.Day three – Australia 265, England 124 for 2Nevill and Starc showed fight for Australia as the lead was extended into three figures, but a target of 121 needed miracles to defend. Cook fell early to a beauty from Starc, but when Clarke shelled Bell at second slip Australian heads slumped for the final time.Key moment It can be tricky chasing small totals and England did not want to get caught in a prodding-around-mode. Bell responded to Cook’s early dismissal by taking three boundaries in four balls off Starc and England were away.Fourth Test, Trent Bridge – England won by an innings and 78 runsStuart Broad went rampant to collect 8 for 15•Getty ImagesDay one – Australia 60, England 274 for 4Rarely in cricket history, let alone the Ashes, has there been an opening day of such dominance. Having been sent in on a green-tinged surface under cloudy skies Australia were humbled inside 19 overs for 60. Broad took the scarcely believable figures of 8 for 15 in an unchanged spell that went down in Ashes folklore. Root then skipped to his second hundred of the series – adding 173 with Bairstow – amid heady scenes.Key moment When a captain inserts the opposition the pressure is squarely on his bowling attack. The new ball can’t be wasted. Broad ensured it wasn’t. With his third delivery he squared up Rogers for his 300th Test wicket. In the absence of Anderson it settled Broad’s nerves and from then on he was unstoppableDay two – England 391 for 9 dec, Australia 241 for 7England merrily flung the bat during the morning before Cook highlighted his evolution as a captain with a pre-lunch declaration. It was not all plain sailing after that as Rogers and Warner posted a hundred stand, riding their luck amid two dropped catches and a wicket off a no-ball. However, in a crazy 20 minutes before tea Australia’s lingering small hopes were shattered as Stokes claimed three wickets and Smith drove absent-mindedly to point. Stokes, with an outstanding display of swing, almost finished the game in two days as he completed a five-wicket haul.Key moment England were getting a little frustrated through a mixture of missed chances and Australian aggression when Stokes found Rogers’ outside edge which Root grabbed the chance acrobatically at third slip.Day three – Australia 253Thirty-nine minutes, 10.2 overs. That is all it took for England to take the final three wickets to reclaim the Ashes – 599 days since they were conceded. Stokes claimed his sixth wicket and Wood took the final two.Key moment The ball was quick from Wood – touching 90mph – it was on a length outside off stump, in the teasing channel that had troubled so many Australian batsman. Nathan Lyon was in two minds, made a late decision to try and leave and deflected it into leg stump. Lyon slumped to his knees. England’s party could start.

India find themselves a batsman short with modern ODI cricket calling for five bowlers, but Suresh Raina’s offspin could help them solve that conundrum

Rachna Shetty19-Oct-20151:39

‘Raina needs to give himself more time on the crease’ – Dhoni

Since the start of 2013, India have tried 10 batsmen at the No. 7 slot in the ODI line-up. Ravindra Jadeja has batted at No. 7 in 52 of the 78 ODIs in this period, while Stuart Binny has occupied the slot 10 times. Axar Patel has featured in just five matches in that role.It was a role MS Dhoni used to say Jadeja was being groomed for, one which suited him over time. Jadeja is not the most correct batsman around, but his ability to play the big shots gave the other six batsmen some freedom to play with. Now, Dhoni doesn’t have Jadeja, who has suffered a dip in his bowling form. No. 7 seems to be emerging as a clear problem area as the team tries to find balance between the needs and roles of its bowling attack and the amount of pressure the batting line-up can absorb in case India choose to play five specialist bowlers.Dhoni’s words are telling in this instance. Frequently in this series and the T20I series preceding it, Dhoni has brought up the side’s need of a bowler who can bat whenever he has faced questions about Amit Mishra’s exclusion. It came up again after India’s 18-run loss to South Africa in Rajkot, except this time the side had shuffled its batting line-up in a chase that became tougher on a pitch that kept getting slower.”As I said, I’ve explained it, we want Virat to bat at 3, but at some point we’d love to have a look at him at 4,” Dhoni said. “Usually the No. 4 batsman will get to play 30 overs, and 30 overs is a good number of overs to score a hundred. It also adds depth to our batting, not to forget we are still looking for somebody at No. 7 who can play the big shot and if that doesn’t happen, the extra pressure has to be absorbed by the top six batters. So you have to find people who fulfil that job. You also have to play with five bowlers because the part-timers find it slightly difficult to bowl full quota of 10 overs. So there are a lot of things that you have to manage and accordingly decide which person suits the position the best.”On Monday, when India’s selectors met to pick the squad for the remaining two ODIs, they made only one change. S Aravind, who made his T20I debut in Dharamsala, replaced Umesh Yadav. Jadeja, meanwhile, was recalled to the Test side.In December 2014, soon after Jadeja suffered a shoulder injury that ruled him out of the Australia series, Dhoni had spoken about the assurance Jadeja provided at No. 7. He is not available for the rest of this ODI series, which means India will go into these matches in the deficit, with one of their bigger combination questions still unresolved. Play a stronger batsman and the bowling side is weakened because of the lack of a part-timer who can relieve the frontline bowlers without letting the opposition run away too far. Play an extra bowler, and the top six are denied the cushion of a No. 7 to guide the innings at the finish or overcome a collapse.Compare that to South Africa, who have batting allrounders at numbers six and seven in JP Duminy and Farhaan Behardien, followed by their four frontline bowlers. Between Duminy and Behardien, South Africa manage to clean up their fifth bowler quota without too much damage. Their frontliners too can usually be counted on to finish their quota of 10 overs, which cannot always be said about the Indian attack.Duminy takes the lead here. In the 97 occasions he has bowled for South Africa in ODIs, Duminy has bowled five or more overs 47 times, consistently pitching in with seven to eight overs, with Behardien’s military-medium making up the rest. That has added depth to an already robust batting line-up.

Bolstering the side with a strong lower-order batsman at No. 7, and getting Raina to take on more bowling responsibilities could add more utility to the ODI side

The last time India opted for a four-bowler, seven-batsman combination on a consistent basis they had Yuvraj Singh’s left-arm spin available to make up a chunk of the fifth bowler’s quota. In the current scenario, however, if India do play an extra batsman at No. 7, Suresh Raina is the closest they have to a Duminy-like option, which would mean he would have to shoulder extra bowling responsibilities.Both Duminy and Raina have bowled in the same number of ODI innings – 97. The South African allrounder has pitched in with 449.3 overs, with growth in bowling duties over the last three years. In comparison, Raina has bowled 344.2 overs. Surprisingly over the last couple of years, his bowling duties have plateaued.On the recent Bangladesh tour, for instance, Raina bowled in all three matches, unlike the frontline attack, and ended up bowling more overs than Dhawal Kulkarni, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav, at an economy rate of 4.95, second only to R Ashwin’s in the series.Batting often at No 6, Raina finds himself in situations where he is required to find the big shots from the start and doesn’t often face as many deliveries as the batsmen preceding him. Despite those factors, his recent slump in form – his scores in this series so far have been 3, 0, 0 – has been worrying because it puts more pressure on the No. 7, who Dhoni has admitted is not the strongest link. Bolstering the side with a strong lower-order batsman at No. 7, and getting Raina to take on more bowling responsibilities could be a way of alleviating this problem.If India do persist with the bowler-who-can-bat option at No. 7 – and depending on their outlook towards Jadeja’s place in the ODI side – they might have to look at options other than Axar. Punjab’s Gurkeerat Singh presents one option in the current squad. He averages over 45 with the bat in List-A cricket and 31.10 with his offspin, with an economy rate of just under five.A couple of years ago, the four-fielder cap outside the 30-yard circle in the non-Powerplay overs forced teams to field five bowlers. The new rule changes which came into effect this June – five boundary fielders are now permitted in the last 10 overs – have somewhat restored parity for the bowlers, but made it harder for the No. 7 batsman. India need to find a way to cope.

The biggest impact of Australia’s decision to postpone their tour to Bangladesh will be felt by the young home side, but the BCB will also be left with financial and perception challenges

Mohammad Isam02-Oct-2015Australia are not coming to Bangladesh to play the two Tests so the excitement has quite easily drained out of the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Bangladesh’s home of cricket. Where there were supposed to be training sessions of two exciting young teams in the eastern and northwestern wings of the stadium, there is silence.Bangladesh cricket has not dealt with such a long silence from international cricket for more than 13 years and this will leave the average fans – millions of them – disappointed. The BCB, too, will suffer some form of a financial blow although it is unlikely to ask Cricket Australia for any compensation lest the chances of a future tour are ruined. In any case, when security is grounds for postponing a tour there aren’t many precedents of home boards claiming reimbursement. It also doesn’t help when you’re not the strongest voice among the Test-playing nations.More worryingly, the BCB has to deal with the awkwardness of a foreign team refusing to tour despite the assurances given in meetings it had arranged with the highest level of intelligence and security agencies in the country.Still, the most significant and immediate impact will be on the Bangladesh team that misses out on two very significant international matches. Test matches against Australia are rare for this team and none of the current squad has ever played one. The last Test between the two sides was held more than nine years ago.The start of the 2015-16 international season in Bangladesh was supposed to be an interesting contest between two teams facing wide-ranging challenges. One that has gone through many recent retirements and is standing at a critical juncture, and another that has a lot to prove as a Test team but was being helped along by its ODI credentials.The World Cup campaign, the continued success in the aftermath at home and the discovery of talented young players has made Bangladesh cricket a happy place in 2015. There was hope that they could crown the year with a strong performance against Australia in a format where they have shown signs of improvement. To be without international cricket for more than six months following the team’s most successful period – October 2014 to August 2015 – could set them back several steps.While the likes of Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan have had to adjust to breaks in international cricket, it will be a new challenge for players like Mustafizur Rahman, Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman, who are just starting out with their international careers.All the squad members will be playing in the National Cricket League first-class competition for their respective divisions from October 3. But a break this long from international cricket is bound to hurt a team that has finally become consistent in ODIs and is looking to extend that into Tests. Zimbabwe aren’t schedule to arrive before mid-January when they are supposed to play two Tests, three ODIs and three T20s. Bangladesh’s last such break was a day short of six months back in 2002, between January and July.For the BCB, the impact is multiple, too. Their media rights holders, Gazi TV, are sure to query the BCB about the financial implications of missing out on two Test matches. The BCB has also sold their in-stadia and other commercial rights to a company, which now sells those to third parties that get to buy the naming rights to each series. BCB is unlikely to be touched by those parties but it will nonetheless incur some financial losses.Their plan to host the Bangladesh Premier League from November and the scheduled Under-19 World Cup would now have to go through more security reviews, assurances and clearances. While the tournaments will not be of similar importance to the Australia series, foreign players will be involved and teams could ask the same questions about security. In a relatively peaceful period in the country, a foreign team’s refusal to travel due to security concerns could be a bigger problem for the BCB.Getting VVIP-level security assurances for every team that is scheduled to visit Bangladesh in the future will be a big worry for the board, which could end up in a position of having to restore confidence in the country’s security to visiting teams when its real job is to run cricket.While a successfully run BPL may bring back smiles to fans and the Bangladesh players may recover with a good performance against Zimbabwe in January, the impact of this postponed tour could be a long-standing headache for the BCB.

Whatever the end result, Sri Lanka’s young batsmen have some distance to go. They had a seaming pitch, and tried to pull a gun on India. They fumbled with the trigger and shot themselves in the kneecap instead

Andrew Fidel Fernando at the SSC30-Aug-2015

Sri Lanka’s day was saved a little bit by Kusal Perera’s feisty half-century, though he had also edged to slip in solidarity with his team-mates•AFP

In the last match, a skilful batsman took leave of the Sri Lanka side. In the first innings at the SSC, Sri Lanka’s batsmen took leave of their skill. This flaccid innings, this deflating circus tent of a collapse, deserves reliving. It needs to be savoured as much as any rollicking ton or enthralling spell because it was not just bad, it was so bad it was good.For so long outsiders had suggested Sri Lanka’s batting would be lost without Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. Though the team has protested, vociferously at times, on Sunday they went out to almost willfully prove that they were not just lost, they were like Tom Hanks on , holding on to the merest shred of hope that they will find their way back one day, but in the meantime going a little insane.There are so many gems to be uncovered in the post-mortem of the top order’s 47 for 6, but the decision to promote Upul Tharanga up the order is, I guess, as crazy a place as any to begin.Sri Lanka have for some time been planning to provide a green pitch for the SSC Test, partly because they feel they have managed to play the moving ball reasonably well. This line of thinking was not without merit. Sri Lanka had a series victory in England last year, for example, and the batsmen were also good in a recent Test in Pallekele, where both teams had felt compelled to field three quicks.But the logic veers off a chasm when the opening partnership that negotiated those new-ball spells in England is broken up, and Tharanga is promoted. He’s a batsman who could be of great use to Sri Lanka because when he is in flow, no one bats so serenely. But across formats, Tharanga has been consistently suspect against the moving ball.On Sunday, his bat seemed to be made only of edges. He was dropped by second slip in the first over, had another nick fall short, laced his only runs of the innings through the cordon, until an edge was finally caught in the fifth over. Ishant Sharma may have overstepped during that delivery, but the umpires may have seen that innings and decided being caught in the slips was Tharanga’s destiny. Who could blame them?Kaushal Silva is a man who would never overstay his welcome at a dinner party, because leaving is thing he is great at – the thing he seems to be born to do. Today he left the ball almost aggressively, throwing both hands in the air, wielding the bat like an axe that he is about to bring down on some firewood. Still, he somehow managed to play the ball, and have his stumps disturbed.Dinesh Chandimal came out at No. 4, having been relieved of the keeping gloves, and batted superbly for 23. He got a rough decision, with the ball that had him lbw probably heading over the stumps. Chandimal seemed annoyed at this, but when your greatest Test innings, had only been made possible by an umpiring blunder, it is probably wise to take the good with the bad. As an aside, it’s worth mentioning that as poor as Sri Lanka’s top order has been this series, the umpiring has been immeasurably worse, not least because match officials have gone out of their way to ruin spectators’ fun.0:34

‘Had to take calculated risks’ – Kusal Perera

Lahiru Thirimanne and Dimuth Karunaratne also pushed at balls and were both taken in the slips. The top six batsmen had fallen before the spinners – whom Sri Lanka had played poorly all series – could even be introduced. Sangakkara would at least have waited for R Ashwin to arrive at the crease before presenting his outside edge.You almost have to admire Sri Lanka’s implosion, because while India batsmen had poked and missed at plenty, Sri Lanka’s top order seemed to be in the zone when it came to getting just a touch of wood on the ball. They were sublimely effective at having it fly off in unintended directions. Scintillatingly good at being bad.The day was saved a little bit by Kusal Perera’s feisty half-century, though he had also edged a ball to slip in solidarity with his team-mates, and was reprieved by another drop, on 9. Sri Lanka’s two best players of the series saved it further, only this time, they did it with the bat, deciding to give themselves something to bowl at, since the batsmen didn’t indulge them.Dhammika Prasad, who had stampeded though the crease in 26 first-innings overs, sore shoulder and all, barely had time to put his feet up in the dressing room before Sri Lanka’s batsmen were stampeding right back at him. He was struck painfully on the hand first ball, but returned to the crease to collect more runs than anyone else in the top six managed. Rangana Herath swept and slashed his way to 49.As bad as Sri Lanka have been for most of Sunday, they are also capable of hurtling to the other end of the spectrum overnight. Sometimes they need a whiff of defeat to inspire them to victory. The scales were not quite even at stumps, but two wickets in the first hour on Monday could make the match interesting.Whatever the end result, Sri Lanka’s young batsmen have some distance to go. Even accounting for Angelo Mathews’ P Sara hundred, their first innings have been modest in this series. They were screwed by spin at Galle and the P Sara. With the seaming pitch here, they tried to pull a gun on India. They fumbled with the trigger and shot themselves in the kneecap instead.