A look back at key moments which took away time from the already truncated virtual quarter-final encounter

Sidharth Monga15-Jun-2013West Indies’ over-rate
It was abysmal for a side that knew that shared points in this match would do them no good. They should have been desperate to bowl their 31 overs in time, and make sure they got a game in. However, they took two hours and 34 minutes to bowl their 31 overs. That’s 154 minutes to bowl 31 overs. They should have ideally bowled 36.4 overs in this much time. The match referee, after making all allowances for injuries, unscheduled drinks and balls lost in the River Taff, found West Indies one over short. What they would give now to face that over.The innings break
Despite such long delays, we still had a half-hour innings break. The playing conditions make a provision for a shortened break, but only if the time had been lost just before the innings ended. They say: “(iii) Note: The prescribed interval timings above may be reduced further [from 30 minutes] by the ICC Match Referee taking into account the intention of not having a prolonged interval after a lengthy interruption close to the conclusion of the innings of the team batting first. However, the minimum interval shall not be less than ten minutes.”Here the match referee followed the book, but for once the ICC’s book, usually carefully and well-worded, seems to have made a mistake.The review
At the end of the 15th over of the chase, there was an lbw appeal against Devon Smith. South Africa reviewed it, and found that Smith was plumb. The decision was reversed. It is hindsight – as all is – but imagine if he had been given out originally or if South Africa had not reviewed it. This is not to say what happened was wrong – the DRS was used, and used well – but these were important seconds.The inconclusive delay
Immediately after Smith got out, a drizzle forced the players off the ground. It was 6.38pm then, and they were back on the field at 6.44pm. We had already and obviously been maxed out on time, but when they came back the target and overs remaining were unchanged. After a point of time, we lose an over every 4.2 minutes, and we were well beyond that time, but it turns out the umpires took off the drinks break that was imminent in 10 minutes to readjust the six minutes lost. Had they taken even one over off then, who knows things might have turned out differently?The referral
In the 26th over, four balls before the final ball was bowled, Kieron Pollard took a risky second run, but the throw from deep midwicket was wide. AB de Villiers, the wicketkeeper, hadn’t even collected the ball when he broke the wicket, and Pollard was anyway well past the stumps – forget the crease – by the time he did so. However, the square-leg umpire still went to the third umpire to confirm the obvious. Crucial seconds lost, but you can’t blame the umpires too much considering all the complex calculations they were putting in.South Africa’s over-rate
Despite being the team that could walk away happy with shared points, South Africa were not slow with their over-rate. They bowled 26.1 overs in two hours and two minutes, after making the adjustment for the six-minute rain break. The prescribed over-rate suggests they should have bowled 28.4 overs in such time. That’s only 2.3 overs short before making the same allowances for West Indies. It is entirely possible they got in those extra deliveries thanks to their quicker over-rate, which eventually kept them alive in the tournament.

With a complicated web to weave, the ECB may have identified the ultimate company man in charming, soothing Andrew Strauss

David Hopps13-Sep-2013Ever since he became captain of the England cricket team, there has been a sense of entitlement about Andrew Strauss. Suggestions he would be fast-tracked as a Conservative MP have so far proved unfounded, but whether it be as a summariser on Sky Sports, a motivational speaker, or, the role in sharpest focus, the next managing director of England cricket, he has no shortage of admirers.Bright, diplomatic and persuasive, you could also envisage him as a British High Commissioner in one of the nicer, trouble-free parts of the world, discussing trade deals and educational opportunities and slipping into the conversation at an appropriate time how something really must be done about this immigration problem. That Strauss will charm and soothe in whatever he commits the next phase of his life to is rather taken for granted.There will be other candidates, naturally, when the deadline for applications closes on September 25: Nasser Hussain, another former England captain, would keep the role focused and demanding; Clare Connor, former captain of the England women’s team and head of England women’s cricket, is mulling over whether to apply; and Angus Fraser, managing director of cricket at Middlesex and a former England stalwart, would also be an obvious fit if he moved offices across Lord’s.To further complicate matters, Andy Flower’s future as England team director remains uncertain, perhaps even to him. England split the coaching role to accommodate Flower’s wish to spend more time with his family, putting Ashley Giles in charge of the one-day set-up, but ESPNcricinfo first indicated last month that Flower’s appetite to remain as coach of the Test side might not extend beyond this winter’s Ashes series in Australia.In the middle of it all, Strauss had the luxury this summer of shadowing the former managing director of the England team, Hugh Morris, as he goes about his job. It has been quite a privilege, an invitation into the inner sanctum if ever there was one. There is no doubt who is seducing whom. It would be no surprise to find that the ECB quietly slipped a few of Strauss’s favourite wines into the office.The ECB has a complicated web to weave and, not for the first time, there is the danger of adding to an ever-growing bureaucracy. The more Flower retreats from day-to-day coaching, the more his role begins to overlap with that of MD of England cricket. A structure that has done much to improve the performance of the England cricket team is in danger of becoming bloated and confused to satisfy the individual aspirations of talented individuals.Senior officials have been known to disappear for years within the offices of the ECB – and that includes Morris, whose role became increasingly hard to define and who certainly distanced himself from media responsibilities as Flower asserted his own, highly-disciplined and protective approach. Quite what does the MD of England cricket do? This is a chance to re-examine demarcation lines.Strauss has been suitably discreet about his potential job application. “I’m looking into it,” he said. “But they’re decisions that need to be made over the next couple of weeks and I’ll think quite long and hard about whether it’s the right time and the right job for me. I haven’t decided one way or another but I’m certainly looking at it, as will a lot of other people be.”I’m very passionate about the game of cricket and want to contribute to it. In exactly what way that is, that kind of remains to be seen.”

It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that when it comes to the ECB, Strauss is the ultimate company man. He does not as much tick the boxes as employ others to tick them for him.

Not to be too distasteful, because Strauss would have politer sensibilities, but there is also the issue of money. Morris’s salary is thought to have been around £150,000, which for most of us would be nice if you can get it, but so soon after retirement Strauss can command considerably higher figures in other areas. Since retirement, he has also been in demand as a “brand ambassador”, and although anybody with a real desire to achieve can surely not feel satisfied with such a superficial existence for long, he has felt the attraction of easy money. Perhaps at the moment he is simply not affordable?It was intriguing to Strauss’s approach to his role for Sky Sports during the Ashes series. “I really enjoyed doing the Sky stuff,” he said, but at times he seemed cautious in the role – uneasy even – as his fellow commentators gently tried to tease out opinions about a dressing room of which he had so recently been such a dominant part.Every former England captain faces a difficult transition in moving to the commentary box. As a captain, the protection of team unity is essential. A successful captain builds a strong sense of loyalty and mutual support. Then comes the switch to the commentary box where tactics are debated, techniques are dismantled and strong opinions demanded.Time soon makes that transition more comfortable. Dressing rooms evolve, ties weaken, loyalties are no longer as strong. But some make the shift more quickly than others. For Michael Atherton, it was merely part of the intellectual process; his move from captain to analyst, whether on TV or in the written word, has been hugely successful. Hussain, driven by a wish to express strong, honest opinions, also benefited from an independent spirit.But there were times, when Strauss’s discomfort seemed to have a deeper source; the discomfort of a man born not to debate but to lead. Insights were hard to find, presumably because he did not always wish to offer them. His belief in the England project seemed absolute, his unwillingness to undermine it apparent. To some extent, he was still acting as a brand ambassador – for English cricket.His autobiography comes out next month and it is hoped that it is more deep and meaningful than many, but if it reads more like a job application than a dismantling of the system, nobody will be overly surprised.If Strauss and the ECB demur, what then? While the job specification requires “international playing experience”, David Collier, the chief executive of the ECB, has indicated that such experience need not necessarily be in cricket. Collier also went on to suggest that while “playing at international level is strongly preferred, consideration could be given to someone who has outstanding international cricket management experience with the senior national team.”That encourages all manner of names to be conjured up: Sir Clive Woodward, the former England rugby coach or Peter Moores, Lancashire and former England coach, would both qualify for consideration. According to the most informed sports gossip column around, Darren Gough and Nick Knight are also expected to be among the applicants.But it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that when it comes to the ECB, Strauss is the ultimate company man. He does not as much tick the boxes as employ others to tick them for him. One senior official has even been known to refer to him at times as “Dear Andrew”. Flower’s future massively complicates the issue. But we may be about to find out whether Dear Andrew is ready to answer the call.

The 18th over of Chennai Super Kings’ innings, bowled by Thisara Perera, cost 34 runs. Here’s how MS Dhoni did it

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-201317.1, 1 wide, starts with a wide down the leg side
17.1, SIX, pitches it up and where does it go? Straight into the stands over the sight screen. MSD took a step towards off and slammed it 92 metres away from him, the crowd erupts
17.2, 1 wide, well outside off and wide again. Pressure is showing on Perera
17.2, 2 runs, low full toss outside off, Dhoni doesn’t connect properly and a misfield at midwicket from Ishant gives them two
17.3, SIX, full toss and where does this one go? Over the fine leg boundary. Dhoni didn’t have to use much power their, he used the pace of the bowler to whip it towards a short boundary
17.4, SIX, this one’s on a length and Dhoni has played an inside-out slice over deep backward point for another six. He used his wrists to swivel this one and got the distance
17.5, SIX, on length outside off and CRASH BOOM BANG! This has gone over wide long-on for a huge six. It was a repeat of the six he struck to finish the World Cup
17.6, SIX, short outside off, third man in the circle and Dhoni reaches out for an upper cut and it lands on the rope for the fifth six of the over! Took some time to find the ball

Vote on our shortlist of classic Ashes moments that have taken place in England since 1981

30-Jul-2013To coincide with the 2013 Investec Ashes series, we are asking you to vote on our shortlist of classic Ashes moments that have taken place in England since 1981. You can watch each episode of our series and then vote for your winner.

Part 3 – most memorable bowling performance

We have chosen the following shortlist from the great Ashes contests in England over the past 30 years.Bob Willis (Eng) 8-43, Headingley 1981
Bob Willis went to Ian Botham’s barbecue on the rest day at Headingley in 1981 convinced he would never play for England again. Then he summoned one of Test history’s greatest spells.
Scorecard | Wisden reportCraig McDermott (Aus) 6-70, Lord’s 1985
Craig McDermott rarely looked more impressive in an Australia shirt than when he took six wickets at Lord’s in 1985, a summer in which his 30 Test wickets announced his arrival on the fast-bowling scene.
Scorecard | Wisden reportShane Warne (Aus) 6-48, Old Trafford 1997
Shane Warne began 1997 by storming out of a Madame Tussauds media conference when references were made about his expanding waistline. But he was no waxwork at Old Trafford as this display silenced his critics.
Scorecard | Wisden reportGlenn McGrath (Aus) 8-38, Lord’s 1997
England made only 77 at Lord’s when Glenn McGrath took advantage of ideal bowling conditions at a ground he always loved.
Scorecard | Wisden reportJason Gillespie (Aus) 7-37, Headingley 1997
Gillespie took his Test-best figures at Headingley in 1997 and had such fond memories of the ground that he went back there to coach Yorkshire.
Scorecard | Wisden report
Most memorable bowling displaysBob Willis (Eng) 8-43, Headingley 19810% Craig McDermott (Aus) 6-70, Lord’s 19850% Shane Warne (Aus) 6-48, Old Trafford 19970% Glenn McGrath (Aus) 8-38, Lord’s 19970% Jason Gillespie (Aus) 7-37, Headingley 19970%

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Two very different men will have the honour of captaining their countries in their 100th Test with the Ashes at stake

Jarrod Kimber12-Dec-2013Alastair Cook tweeting about his surprise wedding and putting up a picture of him leading his new bride on a white stallion would seem odd. As would a picture of Michael Clarke dressed in military fatigues or with a dead deer at his feet. Cook isn’t about to make much of his body a canvas or become an underwear model. Clarke isn’t likely to wear gumboots and tend to his livestock before dawn. Clarke and Cook are two very different human beings.A Google image search of Michael Clarke will come back with a man who has posed for as many cameras as any wannabe starlet. Red carpets, underwear shots, shoots for GQ, he has done them all. If you’re an Australian cricket fan under 20, you could be forgiven for thinking Michael Clarke has spent your entire life staring back at you in a sultry way or with a painted on smile.Cook’s image search is mostly made up on him looking stern or pensive. Generally on the field, or at a press conference. There are very few shots of him doing anything fun (painting nude girls and holding up a cricket bat in a naked shoot are the exceptions, not the rule). On the occasion he does pose, you often get a look at his hypnotising eyes, eyes that seem to trap you, and which would be better used by a dystopian dictator looking to instill fear into the population.Clarke’s image and game has been sharpened and pushed by a series of well-meaning people. Some who have made much money and great reputations from a stylish batsman. Like many working-class kids who find money and fame early on, he made the most of it. He bought showy cars, lived in the flashy part of town, ate at the cafes where the paparazzi hung out, and dated a C-grade celebrity.Slowly he grew out of that. At its worst, his hometown paper called him a tosser, he felt the need to tweet an apology for not walking, and he was booed at the SCG in his first Test as captain.Cook’s life has always been a bit more straightforward. He went to Bedford, a school with Nobel Laureates, Olympians and the school attended by Sir George Arthur Harwin Branson, Richard Branson’s grandfather. He was a chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral School. Two-and-a half years into his international career he had his first book out. In it he tried hard to distance himself from his middle class background, but a few paragraphs later talked of how his family often skied.He is barely seen off the cricket field, isn’t the face of many products and almost unbelievably for a professional sportsman of his age, isn’t on twitter. Cook left his wedding in a tractor.The off-field images of them are also pretty accurate of the way they play.Cook looks after himself, does what he has to do, isn’t always stylish or pretty, but is damn effective. Leads from the front at No. 1. Takes few chances. It has been written that if he had to, Alastair Cook would give birth. It wouldn’t be pretty, but he would get it done. Robotic and efficient, at his best he makes massive scores without a bead of sweat. The sort of leader his country has always respected.Clarke is stylish on and off the field (I’m sure that line has been used in the thousands of lifestyle pieces on him). When he started he was brash and aggressive, now he is smooth and reliable. Bats down the order, in part, to shield himself from the swinging ball. Willing to gamble, but never as much as people say. A nervous starter with pretty feet who once set, especially in his home country, is almost impossible to dislodge. A new leader for a changing country.But Cook and Clarke have had amazingly similar cricket careers. They even both married women they knew before they could realistically be presumed to be future Test captains.Clarke started in Bangalore with a blazing hundred. Baggy green on his head, he was the symbol for Australia winning their final frontier in India. Cook started in Nagpur, holding England’s top order together with a half century in the first innings. Then making a hundred in the second dig to push the game beyond India’s reach.Both had major obstacles to overcome once they had been in the side for a few years. Cook’s technique had never been textbook, but with a stagnating career average (it was roughly 42 for 30 Tests), and a sudden angled bat that kept nicking off, Cook had to do something just to get on the tour to Australia in 10/11. In the second innings of a game Pakistan were dominating, Cook made 110. Two Tests later he would play Australia at the Gabba.

Clarke not the tactical genius he gets credit for, nor the terrible man manager everyone assumed. Cook’s captaincy is predictable and safe. His team currently look a bit like him, out of answers, and unable to capture the magic they had previously

Clarke was the golden boy of Australian cricket. He had won in India. Taken on the English bowlers. And seemed indestructible. But he got trapped in a vicious cycle as the boy who didn’t want to be dropped. The worse his form got, the more the press talked about this once in a generation boy not being the missing link. It seemed like he could think of little else. Eventually he was dropped. But thanks to a gift that has happened to many Australian batsmen (a Shane Watson injury) Clarke was brought back, cleaned up his game, kept the ball on the ground and made lots of runs.They both know what it’s like to play in one of their countries’ most successful teams. Clarke came into the team in 2004, has won a World Cup, and enjoyed everything that goes with being the number one Test team in the world. Cook was a major part of England becoming number one, and producing a new, if albeit brief, golden era for English cricket.Both were also the apprentices for the top job well before they got it. Despite much psychological testing, a thorough interview process and England’s endeavour to do things by the book, Alastair Cook was only not getting the job if he shot Giles Clarke in a hunting accident.In the modern era no new Australian captain has been as hated as Michael Clarke was. Yet, there simply was not another option when Ricky Ponting stepped down. Strauss and Cook would appear far more similar than Ponting and Clarke, but the “break your arm” comment would suggest that both men learn from their seniors.As captains, both men have averaged more than their career average. Cook even managing to do so without the very constant daddy hundreds he made under Strauss. His overall average should still be higher, but despite this he will retire England’s highest-ever scoring Test batsman, unless a giant anvil lands on him within the next two years. Clarke is averaging a staggering 63 as captain despite the fact he took over after one of the worst summers of his career. In the summer of 2010/11 Clarke averaged 17 in seven Tests. Suddenly being called a tosser and booed wasn’t his biggest problem.They both changed their careers, and public perceptions, with Everest runs. Before Cook’s innings at the Gabba last Ashes, he was seen as a one-dimensional plodder who could score handy runs but wasn’t a game or series changer. That one innings, followed up with Adelaide, changed how everyone saw him. In two series against India he did it again. And suddenly the plodder became a batting monolith.Clarke had taken over as full-time captain for tours to Sri Lanka and South Africa. As is often the way, Australian tours, Ashes aside, are not really poured over the same way. Instead of 20 to 40 press in the box, it’s two to four. Instead of free to air, it’s cable. So, even though Clarke played one of his greatest innings in South Africa and drew an away series with a heavyweight, few noticed.They did notice when Australia managed only to draw a home series against New Zealand. So in his next series, against a rapidly declining India, he had to win, and win grand. The winning took care of itself when at Sydney he changed his public perception (probably forever) with a triple century whilst wearing the baggy green. Tosser pretty boy was gone; true Australian hero was born.As captains, both men lead much as they play. Clarke is attacking and stylish, yet still flawed. He’s not the tactical genius he gets credit for, nor the terrible man manager everyone assumed. He has survived two coaches being sacked, stood down from his selectorial duties and is currently running a team much in his own image. Not for the first time Australian cricket looks like it could be getting something right, but it’s fallen hard on its face in recent times after good series. Whether they are playing well or not, Australia still seems one massive collapse from a disaster, something Clarke’s batting will try to hold together.Cook’s captaincy is well thought out, predictable and safe. He took over a machine that had just started to show some wear and tear. Strauss, Hugh Morris and Geoff Miller are all gone or going, Andy Flower is the only one who remains from England’s amazing two years. When Cook took over, he fixed the broken Pietersen situation, defeated India from behind and then won the Ashes. He was on a roll.Now his team has run into Mitchell Johnson, every flaw they had has been opened up. His team currently look a bit like him, out of answers, and unable to capture the magic they had previously. But they are still the team that made it to number one, with most of the original playing parts still here. Cook and his team can still turn this around.Alastair Cook: down to earth (as the photo suggests)•Getty ImagesSomehow these two men with similar cricket histories and vastly different personalities have ended up playing their 100th Tests together. Thanks to Mitchell Johnson, the news is not really about them. And with Sachin clocking up 200, and many other players passing 150, 100 Tests is no longer the number played by the only the iron men of cricket. Clarke has brought his up in under 10 years, Cook in under eight.You could argue who is greater and who has achieved more, but such conversations are mostly useless and should be kept in bars or 2am twitter fights where they belong. They’re both pretty damn good. And they both have interesting futures as leaders.Clarke will hope this isn’t a fluke and Australia is finally back. Cook will be trying to work out what has caused this decline, and what to do next.Before this series Clarke had the Ashes loss and Ricky Ponting’s book to contend with. People had openly started questioning whether he was the right man to lead Australia forward. Mike Hussey’s book brought back the Clarke/Katich rift, and even the Hussey/Clarke rift, even if in both cases Hussey was trying to be nice. Alastair Cook just tended to his sheep and gave the occasional positive press conference.There are still many photos to be taken of them in their careers, or even in this series. Clarke’s current twitter avatar is one of him looking disappointed in the rain of Old Trafford. The promotional photos for the Ashes before the series have Cook with an easy smile on his face, next to a stern Michael Clarke. Right now, those photos could be reversed.

Dogged by back injuries, he’s past his prime. His selection to the A squad in India could mean that the selectors are giving him a lifeline for the New Zealand tour

Tony Cozier29-Sep-2013West Indies’ back-to-back tours of India (by the A team presently underway to be immediately followed by the seniors’ attendance at the hurriedly arranged celebration of Sachin Tendulkar’s 200th Test) offer a welcome return to the longer game for the top players and a chance for the reserves to stake their claims for promotion.If it is all but irrelevant as preparation for players and guidance for selectors for the altogether different environment encountered in New Zealand for three Tests and five ODIs in December and January, the focus can only be on the present.Given that, for one reason or another (player commitments to their domestic teams and to those in the Champions League), India A are not as strong as they were on their successful preceding A series in South Africa and at home against New Zealand, Kirk Edwards and Kraigg Brathwaite, each dropped from the West Indies Test team more than a year ago, have wasted no time pressing for a return.Nikita Miller, Veerasammy Permaul and Ashley Nurse have established that their spin is not only effective on substandard pitches back home. At last, Jonathan Carter, with bat and ball, has started to justify his repeated selections. Miguel Cummins, 23, a new fast bowling kid on the block with just six months’ first-class experience, has made an immediate impression.Above all, the team has again demonstrated character to overcome initial defeat to take the one-day contests 2-1. Yesterday they completed a resounding victory in the first of the three unofficial Tests. It was similar in their victorious series at home against Pakistan in 2011, India in 2012 and Sri Lanka last June.The one major disappointment is Sheldon Cotterrell’s knee injury that ended his tour even before it began. Aged 24, strong, athletic, fast and left-arm all in one, the Jamaican soldier is an exciting long-term prospect; there was no hyperbole in manager Lockhart Sebastien’s comment that it was “a devastating blow”.If there is an apt comment on the choice of Cotterell’s replacement, it is “mystifying”. There is little logic in Fidel Edwards’ call-up. Of those still active, he is West Indies’ top wicket-taker in Tests, with 165 wickets in 55 matches. At 31 and dogged by back injuries, his prime has passed.All his cricket this year has been of the Twenty20 variety in which he is still capable of a telling, but brief burst. Now he has been summoned to India with only two four-day matches remaining. Others with more promising futures were available (the 24-year-old Trinidadian Marlon Richards, for instance).The teams for the two Tests and three ODIs to follow presumably won’t be named until the selectors give themselves more time to assess the A performances. Even then, it is safe to assume that all the usual suspects will be retained.West Indies have had just two Tests so far in 2013, both at home against Zimbabwe, hardly a stern examination. With the A team’s four-dayers in India the only guide to current form, the same XI that defeated Zimbabwe at Kensington Oval and Windsor Park could well take the field against India in November.The abbreviated versions – 20 ODIs and five Twenty20s against Australia, Zimbabwe, in the Champions Trophy, in the tri-series with India and Sri Lanka and against Pakistan – present a different picture.The count in those matches was seven ODI wins (three over Zimbabwe), 12 losses, two ties. They are statistics that hint at the need for a shake-up, but cautious selectors are not disposed to shake-ups.Once the Indian adventures are over, it is straight on to New Zealand from December 3 to January 15. The competition is certain to be keen between two evenly matched teams, West Indies intent on maintaining their rise to fifth place on the ICC’s Test rankings, New Zealand eager to rise from their embarrassing position at No.8.New Zealand have the added incentive, before their own fans, of compensating for their trouncing in the Caribbean last year (defeats in both Tests, in four of the five ODIs and in both Twenty20s). The swift change of location takes some getting used to. Disparities between India and New Zealand, cricketing, climatic and cultural, are more pronounced than between any other Test countries. Players and selectors need to recognise them.In India, it is hot, the pitches are dry, slow and dusty and, as it is almost certain for the revered Tendulkar’s farewell, the stands will be packed with tens of thousands of his devotees.It is the land of spin. When West Indies were last there in late 2011, 44 of their wickets in three Tests were gathered by the Indian spinners. England’s surprise 2-1 triumph last year was based on the 37 wickets Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar pocketed between them; India’s slow men had 43 to no avail.In New Zealand, West Indies will find temperatures rarely above 25 degrees Celsius; in Dunedin, Test cricket’s closest venue to the South pole, they are likely to be no more than the mid-teens. The grounds, like the country itself, are lush green, the pitches grassy as they once were in the similar climate in England. And the sounds from the leisurely grass banks beyond the boundary will be muted hand clapping, a far cry from the cacophony in India that accompany every home appeal and boundary hit (Tendulkar’s merit near pandemonium).When England battled to a hard-fought draw in three Tests earlier in the year, they used one spinner, Panesar. He took a solitary wicket. The fast men, Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Steven Finn, did most of the work. New Zealand’s fast-slow wicket balance was 29-15.The statistical evidence is clear and not misleading. What works in India won’t work in New Zealand. So, as many wickets as Miller, Permaul and Nurse snare for the A team and Shane Shillingford and Sunil Narine in the Tests, the emphasis should be on the fast men, the pacy spearhead Kemar Roach, the towering Jason Holder, the skidding Ravi Rampaul once his fitness doesn’t let him down and perhaps Cummins.As far-fetched as it may seem, is there a hint in his recall to India that Edwards could go back to the scene where his pacy outswing accounted for his seven wickets in New Zealand’s first innings of the second Test five years ago? Stranger choices have been made by West Indies panels before and, in New Zealand of all places, it should be horses for courses.

New Zealand are keeping the faith in their opening pair and legspinner, but they are yet to prove their consistency at the top level

Andrew Alderson05-Feb-2014New Zealand enter the two-Test series against India with a level of confidence seldom seen. The pace bowling stocks of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner have coordinated well against West Indies; Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson have gorged themselves on runs most of the summer; Brendon McCullum looks astute leading the team and may be in his most natural batting position at No. 5; Corey Anderson appears a genuine allrounder in progress; and BJ Watling’s keeping and batting at No. 7 radiate reliability.Two areas of selection intrigue remain: How will legspinner Ish Sodhi bowl against batsmen seemingly born with a genetic code of dancing feet and supple wrists to decipher spin? And how strong is the foundation behind the fine statistical record Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford have fashioned as an opening partnership?Sodhi faces his biggest challenge against India after taking 11 Test wickets at 51.45 in his five-Test career. He has a useful googly and topspinner and his contribution of 5 for 29 to help Northern Districts defeat Canterbury on Sunday will boost his confidence. The 21-year-old also soaked up a nearly two-hour tutorial with Shane Warne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground nets during the Boxing Day Test. Sodhi returned realising raw talent alone won’t guarantee greatness in the sport’s longest form.”Talking to him about tactics, he came up with so many little things beyond what I’d ever thought about,” Sodhi said. “He was all about working batsmen out mentally and stressed it was about more than just how you bowled the ball. He suggested taking into account conditions, the strengths and weaknesses of your own fielders and creating a facade to keep batsmen out of rhythm. It was, without doubt, the best legspin session of my life.”Sodhi claims to have found other ways to intimidate, given a spinner can’t bowl a bouncer. “He [Warne] was the absolute master, using his entire body rather than his hand to put ‘work’ on the ball. We also spoke about subtle variations like using the angle of the crease. He agreed it can be a good idea to land the ball on the same spot most of the time but said it’s not the spot you bowl on but how the ball gets there through a different trajectory which is important. We bowled to a young up-and-coming Australian batsman and after ten minutes he [Warne] pulled us aside and said, ‘How are you going to try to get him out?’ He then described the batsman’s strengths and weaknesses. That awareness is the reason he is world-class.”Sodhi says he has also benefited from working with McCullum as captain: “Baz has an attacking mindset, which I love.” The faith is reciprocated. Speaking after the West Indies triumph, McCullum said: “I’m rapt with Ish. I know he hasn’t bowled a great deal but this [series] has been great for his development. The luxury of our pace attack allows us to have the type of [attacking] bowler he is. I’ve got a tremendous amount of confidence in his ability.”The only problem now lies with the spin-proof techniques of the Indian batsmen.Fulton and Rutherford are also under observation, but an average opening partnership of 38.41 in 17 innings compares well to the revered combination of John Wright and Bruce Edgar, who averaged 31.82 runs in 56 innings from 1978 to 1986. The incumbents deserve their spots on that evidence.Still, after a partnership of 95 to start the West Indies series, there have been question marks. They have not endured beyond the 13th over in their last four outings, with stands of 3, 14, 18, and 33. Fulton looks comfortable on relatively flat tracks (for instance, Eden Park, where he scored two centuries last summer against England, and Chittagong) but struggled against the seaming ball in England (36 runs from four innings). He returned to form with 78 not out against Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield last week.By comparison, Rutherford has passed 50 once in the 16 innings since his century on debut. He exudes left-handed elegance early but temptation seems to be triumphing after he gets a start. However, he impressed coach Mike Hesson with 48 not out to get New Zealand home in the final West Indies Test. He has backed up with 108 against Auckland and 96 against Canterbury in his most recent first-class fixtures.”Hamish doesn’t have a problem with conversion [into bigger scores] at first-class level,” Hesson says. “But in Tests he’s often got himself out after doing the hard work, particularly against spin. His innings in Hamilton was important against a high-quality spin bowler like [Sunil] Narine.”Rutherford and Fulton average 38.41 in 17 innings at the top•Getty ImagesMartin Guptill and Tom Latham are the pair’s immediate competitors. Guptill has an average of 26.53 opening in 45 Test innings, despite dominating the position at provincial and limited-overs level. He recently made first-class centuries for Auckland against Northern and Central Districts before scoring a white-ball ton against India in the tied third ODI.Latham is yet to debut in Tests but is seen as a contender if there are problems. His first-class record (average 42.22 in 35 matches) has risen rapidly in a season that has included his highest score of 241 not out against Wellington. As captain of the New Zealand A side, the left-hander made two half-centuries and averaged 35.40 in three unofficial Test matches against equivalent opposition from Sri Lanka and India on the subcontinent in August and September.”Martin and Tom have been discussed as options and they are pressing their claims, but we’re showing faith in Hamish and Peter,” Hesson says. “Hamish demonstrated good qualities in Hamilton to get us through, and we all know what Peter did last time at Eden Park [as the fourth New Zealander to score two centuries in the same Test]. It’s a hard side to make at the moment.”

The bowling of Chris Jordan has been a positive for England as they seek World Cup pointers from a demoralising one-day series

Vithushan Ehantharajah21-Jan-2014After two matches in three days, both of contrasting tempo and drama but both falling Australia’s way, the working week between Sydney and Perth provides England with a welcome break. Alastair Cook, who seems to have developed a dismay-induced twitch, could do with spending these days in a flotation tank pumped full of whale noises and opium.With the series already gone, the hosts are doing their utmost to ensure that any England victory at the WACA will be a hollow one, resting a host of their big guns. At a glance, George Bailey will captain, Matthew Wade will keep wicket and Prime Minister Tony Abbott could be asked to take the new ball. The fourth ODI will tell us more of Australia’s depth than England’s will to awaken from this defeat coma.If Ashley Giles and, potentially, Cook are to build effectively for next year’s World Cup, they will need to strip the absolutes of these first three results, in the games that mattered most, and look at what they have to work with.Cook and Ian Bell’s partnership at the top of the order in games two and three; Gary Ballance’s 79 at the MCG; Eoin Morgan’s century at the Gabba, coupled with Jos Buttler’s contributions in the last 10 overs to take England to 300. These suggest the batting is in a sound place.It’s a trickier task picking out positives from the bowling, but there are certainly some key points for reflection. They whittle down to the good (Chris Jordan), the fad (Ben Stokes) and the struggling (Boyd Rankin).Revitalised by moving to Sussex last year, Jordan has been the pick of the bowlers so far. His pace has been consistently high and he has relished the challenge of international cricket, even if he hides it well behind a serene exterior.Brett Lee, captain of the Prime Minister’s XI, was a fan after one viewing, as Jordan was unlucky to finish with just one wicket from his five overs in England’s rare victory in Canberra last week. “Someone who has got serious raw pace and can swing the ball away is destined to get a lot of wickets,” Lee said. He’d know. But those qualities did not come easy to Jordan.As a kid, Jordan indulged in all the bad habits young bowlers adopt in the pursuit of speed. His run-up was a lengthy 25 steps, which he would sprint through with an erratic stride pattern. At the crease, he would fall away and his wrist position left a lot to be desired. Any swing he did impart was coincidental and wayward.Not surprisingly, stress fractures of the back followed, and Jordan missed the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Then came clarity, through a desire to turn potential into something real.The run-up was shortened and his feet placement was made more precise to establish an optimum speed of approach. While he may now resemble a car spluttering on its final fumes of petrol, the benefits are there for all to see.His back issues were rectified by a gym programme rich in daily core work. “I just got strong,” Jordan said, in that Barbadian twang which makes everything sound effortless, when asked about how he maintained an extended period free from injury last season. Any excess strain on the left side of his lower back was removed by a taller presence at the crease, while a neat trick to lock his wrist into position, which involves placing his right thumb over just one half of the seam, has ensured a cleaner presentation and greater oomph.

“Mediocre, at best,” was Stokes’ own frank assessment of his limited-overs bowling last year

On the other hand, Stokes presents something of a conundrum with bat and ball. Coming in at first drop in Sydney was a good show of intent from England, despite Giles ruling out such a move a few days earlier, but Stokes struggled to get going before falling to a blinding catch by Michael Clarke. His best position is certainly down the order, as his domestic success as “finisher” for Durham suggests. At the very least he should be pushed ahead of Ravi Bopara, who has scored only 35 runs off 34 deliveries in the second Powerplay (the most faced by any England batsman).But Stokes’ work with the ball has been disappointing, with an economy rate of 7.00. Defending 243 at the SCG, Cook used Stokes as his sixth option, asking for only three overs from him. Stokes was impatient, varying his length unnecessarily and went on to concede 23 runs. His inability to nail his yorkers at the Gabba played into the hands of James Faulkner, who hit Stokes for five maximums in the bowler’s last three overs, which cost a game-changing 37.In truth, Stokes has been frustrated by his limited-overs bowling for the last 12 months. At Durham, it was his responsibility to bowl in the Powerplays and return at the business end to finish the innings off. His practice is always thorough and methodical, consisting of yorkers, slower balls and other variations, but his inability to replicate these skills effectively in a match irked him. “It’s mediocre, at best,” was his own frank assessment of his form in last year’s YB40 and FLt20 competitions.Then there is Rankin, the man sacrificed for Stuart Broad’s despondent return at the SCG. It was on ODI form that Rankin earned his spot in the Ashes touring party, yet four matches of carrying drinks and a grossly disappointing Test debut have seemingly robbed him of the malice he showed back home.In the second ODI, he was unable to complete his allotted overs after pulling his hamstring, casting further doubts about his fitness at this level. The international schedule is unrelenting and it seems to have already proved too much for Rankin. His fielding, for sure, is far from international class.It’s clear that Giles thinks highly of Rankin, who he coached at Warwickshire, but it is already clear that Rankin will need a good deal more work and continued management to coax further quality from him. Time is running out for Rankin to show England that he’s worth the hassle, and the worry for him is that he may not be afforded further opportunities to do so.

Plays of the day from Sunrisers Hyderabad’s home game against Kings XI Punjab

Alagappan Muthu14-May-2014The good fortune
The first time Sunrisers came up against Glenn Maxwell, they were quite gracious. He was dropped once and rescued when he holed out by the bowler overstepping. The same fortune followed him when Amit Mishra looped one on leg stump, and Maxwell went for a hoick. Dale Steyn chased the mistimed shot and beat the bowler to hold onto a difficult catch. Sunrisers were envisioning a turnaround when the umpire asked the batsman to wait. The third umpire was called to check the no-ball and as it happened Mishra had messed up. Maxwell added 20 more runs before he fell, and conscious of the kind of luck he has had this season, jokingly asked the umpires to check the front foot again.The chance
Sunrisers were trying their best to regain ground after a terrible first 10 overs. Pace off the ball seemed to be working and George Bailey was feeling the pinch. A cutter from Irfan Pathan was chosen to be dispatched down the ground. The shot seemed very forced, but it held no timing. David Warner hurtled in from long-off and dived forward to grab the ball inches off the ground. Or so it seemed. The umpires asked for a second opinion and replays usually tend to provide more confusion than clarity when such low catches are concerned. Bailey escaped with the benefit of the doubt and ended up finishing the match.The Steyn malfunction
Wriddhiman Saha has been Kings XI’s floater. Should an early wicket fall, he is pushed up to No. 3 to protect their big hitters down the order. Today though, he had a different mandate. And he did not sway from it even in the face of Steyn. The second ball of the second over was dug in short and the wicketkeeper-batsman shifted his balance back and pulled in front of square leg. The connection was so crisp that even Steyn’s body language conceded that he was impressed. Manan Vohra took his partner’s lead and biffed two sixes off the ace quick to hand him his worst T20 figures – 0 for 51.The twitchy front leg
Since his inclusion, Sandeep Sharma has used the new ball admirably for Kings XI Punjab. His nagging lines induced an outside edge from Aaron Finch in the fifth over. Glenn Maxwell ran back from point and dived full length behind him to complete a lovely catch. But Sandeep was not celebrating. His eyes were on the umpire who was signalling no-ball. So from thinking he had dismissed one of the most dangerous hitters in T20, Sandeep had to contend with the prospect of a free hit. At least, he got to bowl it to Shikhar Dhawan, who until then was in a struggle to find his timing.The dupe
Some say the prospect of a free hit liberates a batsman, especially one in a slump and Dhawan exemplified that. Sandeep chose the safe route and went full and straight, but was drilled down the ground. To make matters worse, the bowler had overstepped again. Dhawan faced up to another free hit and this time, he smoked it for six over midwicket. In his next 11 balls, he carted one more out of the park and also three fours. One was almost tempted to believe Dhawan had lured Kings XI into a false sense of security. That battering set the tone as Sandeep leaked 65 runs in his four overs – the joint second most expensive figures in IPL.The self-destruct button
Virender Sehwag has a knack for banishing the first delivery of the match to the boundary. He inaugurated the 2011 World Cup that way and more recently, Kings XI Punjab’s last three innings. A target of 206 grants all the licence he needs at the top of the order and the very next ball he loaded up to smash down the ground. Only this time he connected with the bottom of his blade and Bhuvneshwar Kumar collected a dolly of a return catch.

ESPNcricinfo picks out the plays of the day in the third T20 between South Africa and Australia in Centurion

Firdose Moonda14-Mar-2014Starc’s chin musicIn a tour that was billed as a battle of the bowlers, the batsmen would have known they were in line to get hurt. With extra bounce on offer in Centurion, pain was all but guaranteed. With the third delivery of the match, Mitchell Starc got one to rear up and seam away from Quinton de Kock and the youngster’s heart my have skipped a beat. He would have had it in his throat three balls later when Starc dug it in short and the ball bounced to hit de Kock just below the chin. His grille jammed against the lower part of his face and his collarbone appeared to have taken the bulk of the impact. De Kock received treatment immediately and took a few minutes to get his breath back before batting on.The mis-hit sixIt’s not often that AB de Villiers gets it wrong but even when he does, he manages to make it right anyway. De Villiers was two balls into his innings when Brad Hogg served up a half-tracker. The swipe over mid-wicket was not timed at all and, at first, it looked as though de Villiers had hit the ball straight up. He wore a pained expression even as he watched it sail over over the boundary for six and eventually offered a sheepish grin at his good fortune.The triumphant returnAlbie Morkel spent his comeback match doing nothing more than fielding and would have have been pleased to get some time in the middle in this one. With South Africa in trouble, he was quiet for six deliveries before Shane Watson presented him with an inviting length. Morkel cleared the front leg and swung hard, sending the ball over cow corner and many rows back into the stands to announce his big-hitting return.The toe-cruncherMorkel managed only one more cracking shot before he was undone by a delivery that needs to become more frequent in this format. Starc’s toe-cruncher was on target and Morkel could not keep it out. By the time he brought the bat down, middle and off stump had been disturbed.AB’s apologyIt wasn’t de Villiers’ night with the bat and it wasn’t his night in the field either. It was the fourth over of the chase and he was stationed at point when Aaron Finch hit the ball his way. Awkward bounce saw it slip past him and allow two runs. Later that same over, de Villiers was undone by bounce again. Cameron White’s square drive went over his head as de Villiers’ was on his haunches trying to stop it. When de Villiers looked to be fooled by the bounce off the next ball, his home ground could not help but jeer and de Villiers raised a hand in apology to them.The perfect cover driveBefore play, Aaron Finch joked that he did not just stand and swing but there was some method to the madness. He proved it by playing the shot of the match. Finch played the perfect cover drive off Wayne Parnell after slamming a couple of short balls with disdain. He inched forward to a slightly fuller one and caressed it through the covers. The timing was exceptional and would have satisfied most purists.