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Stuart Broad was England’s hero after an epic but under-rewarded spell from Graeme Swann had sparked them into life, as South Africa’s bid to hunt down a mediocre total of 171 collapsed in a heap of wickets and dot-balls at Chennai

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan06-Mar-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJames Anderson put England back on track with the key wicket of AB de Villiers•Getty ImagesWhat a World Cup England are producing. From a thrilling tie against India to the shock of losing to Ireland they have now conjured a stunning fightback to beat South Africa by six runs in a gripping contest on a tough pitch in Chennai. They took all ten wickets for 102 through a combination of spin, reverse swing, perseverance and the never-say-die-attitude which is such a trait of this team, with Stuart Broad sealing the victory with two wickets in four balls after Dale Steyn’s 31-ball 20 had taken his team close to the winning line.It showed you don’t need 600 runs to create an epic one-day international and the celebrations when Morne Morkel was caught behind proved how important it was for England spirits. Without it they would have faced the real possibility of heading home early, but can now approach the clashes against Bangladesh and West Indies with much greater heart. What will please Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower is that it was the much-maligned attack that won the match – after the batting struggled to post 171 – as Broad took 4 for 15, James Anderson produced a devastating burst of reverse swing shortly before the 34-over ball change and Graeme Swann bowled with guile and craft to set up the prospect of victory.Despite the tricky pitch, South Africa had broken the back of the run-chase after an opening stand of 63 between Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla. However, they suffered two slumps; the first as three wickets fell for 19 – with Broad claiming the vital scalps of Amla and Jacques Kallis – then the more significant slide from 124 for 3 to 165 all out as Anderson produced some wonderful reverse swing, Ian Bell pulled off a fine piece of fielding at short leg to run out Faf du Plessis, and Broad cleaned up the tail.Swann could have dismissed Smith almost half a dozen times with spitting, turning deliveries until one finally bounced and brushed the thumb although it needed the DRS to overturn Asoka de Silva’s on-field not out decision. Amla had moved along serenely despite the testing surface until he became a little lazy against Broad and chopped into his stumps. Kallis then edged a drive and, in a rare sight, accepted Prior’s word on whether it had carried without asking for the umpires to check.AB de Villiers, who began the tournament with back-to-back hundreds, and du Plessis are normally free-flowing batsman, but they decided to consolidate rather than attack during their 42-run stand. It wasn’t a major problem for South Africa at the time with the asking rate remaining comfortable, but it conceded the momentum and when the breakthroughs came England still had runs to play with.Anderson produced his finest spell of reverse-swing since the Ashes as he trimmed de Villiers’ bails and then clattered JP Duminy’s stumps two balls after he’d been reprieved by the DRS having been given caught down the leg side. It had been a controversial moment because there didn’t seem enough evidence to overrule the on-field umpire, but Anderson soon made it irrelevant. In between those two wickets, Bell showed brilliant alertness at short leg as he stopped du Plessis’s shot and flicked it to Prior in time to complete the run out.Smart Stats

The 171 is the ninth time England have been bowled out for less than 200 in World Cups. Their lowest remains the 93 against Australia in the 1975 World Cup semi-final.

Imran Tahir’s 4 for 38 is his best bowling performance in ODIs surpassing his 4 for 41 in the game against West Indies. The bowling performance is also the second best by a spinner against England in a World Cup game behind Abdul Qadir’s 4 for 31 in 1987.

Robin Peterson’s 3 for 22 is his best bowling display in ODIs surpassing his 3 for 42 against Pakistan in Dubai.

From a position of 124 for 3, South Africa lost their next four wickets for an additional three runs including three wickets with the score on 124.

Stuart Broad’s 4 for 15 is the best bowling performance by ean England bowler in World Cup matches against South Africa and the seventh best by an English bowler overall in World Cups.

The 99-run stand between Jonathan Trott and Ravi Bopara is the second highest for the fourth wicket for England in World Cups.

Trott continued his excellent ODI form with his ninth half-century. He has now scored 1080 runs in 22 matches at an average of 54.

England’s six-run win is their closest margin of victory in a World Cup match when thry have batted first. Their previous closest win was the nine-run win over India in the 1992 World Cup.

The 172 is the lowest target that South Africa have failed to chase in World Cups and the third lowest in ODIs.

England were buzzing, having taken 3 for 0, and the scoring remained at a standstill for the next three overs as Morne van Wyk and Robin Peterson struggled against spin. Michael Yardy, the weak link in the attack, then had Peterson caught behind trying to cut but the mandatory ball-change at 34 overs meant the threat of reverse swing was momentarily removed.Andrew Strauss opted to keep Swann back for one over and used Yardy and Kevin Pietersen in tandem. Both were given one over too many as Steyn took advantage, driving Yardy through the covers and lofting Pietersen straight down the ground. Slowly but surely he and van Wyk chipped out 33 tension-filled runs.However, because of the extensive use of the spinners Strauss was able to return to his quicks at the death and with 12 needed Tim Bresnan found van Wyk’s inside-edge which crashed into the stumps. Then it was over to Broad who trapped Steyn lbw with his first ball and Morkel had clearly decided to try and finish the game quickly when he got the final edge.Despite proving to be yet another thriller, the match could not have been a greater contrast to the two run-fests England were involved in Bangalore. It became abundantly clear this wouldn’t be a 300-match when Peterson stunned everyone by removing both openers in his first over. The value of South Africa’s rounded attack was again on show as the frontline spinners took seven wickets and were backed up by Morkel and Steyn with England losing their top three for 15 and last six for 37, but their failure to cross the line will raise old concerns.Smith isn’t known for out-of-the-box captaincy but it was clever to hand Peterson the new ball. Strauss tried to take an attacking approach by using his feet, but could only pick out de Villiers, who took a fine running catch at deep midwicket. If that was a bonus for South Africa they could barely believe what happened three balls later when Pietersen pushed forward and got a regulation edge low to first slip. Bell soon became Peterson’s third as he pushed a return catch back to the bowler after being beaten in the flight.Ravi Bopara, back in the side at the expense of Paul Collingwood, set about the recovery with Jonathan Trott, who was saved by the DRS after being given lbw against Imran Tahir on 20. Bopara nearly ran himself out on 26 – it wouldn’t have been the first time – but a dive just saved him, then he broke a run of singles with a handsome straight drive for six before Trott reached fifty from 87 balls.Having used up considerable time Trott needed to up the tempo but Tahir pulled off a fine return catch after deceiving his former Warwickshire team-mate in the flight. Prior had the chance to build an innings after previously needing to slog from the start but was undone by Morkel.Bopara’s 60, his first ODI fifty since November 2008, remained the top score and will have given him huge confidence for the rest of the tournament as he showed he could adapt to conditions. The lower order couldn’t build momentum against Tahir and failing to use up 26 deliveries looked like being costly. However, once again England dug deep when all seemed lost and gave the World Cup another memorable finish.Match Timeline

Pakistan’s tour of West Indies is an opportunity for youngsters in the squad to establish their career, team manager Intikhab Alam has said

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2011Pakistan’s tour of West Indies is an opportunity for youngsters in the squad to establish their careers, team manager Intikhab Alam has said. While Pakistan have it in them to be successful on the tour, discipline, he said, will be key.”We’ve brought some youngsters with us and I think it’s a golden opportunity for them to make a name for themselves, to make a career in the sport,” Alam said. “Umar Akmal has special talent. The people of the Caribbean will like the way he plays because he’s so entertaining and hits the ball exceptionally.”Now [after the semi-final finish at the World Cup] the expectations are even higher for this tour, because we have never won a series out here before. Overall all the boys need to put in the hard work, commitment and discipline for us to leave the Caribbean happy.”It was a long journey from Pakistan but we travelled well and the boys are well,” said Alam, who played the last of his 47 Tests at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad in 1977. “We enjoy touring the Caribbean. I personally have spent a lot of time here and cherish the friendship of greats like Sir Garfield Sobers, Clive Lloyd and others.”Pakistan, who arrived in the West Indies on Friday, had their first training session in St Lucia on Saturday and will play their first tour game there on Monday, against Vice Chancellor’s XI led by Combined Campuses & Colleges captain, Omar Philips. The first ODI is on April 23 in St Lucia.Vice Chancellor’s XI squad: Omar Phillips (capt.), Miles Bascombe, Nkrumah Bonner, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Kyle Corbin, Keron Cottoy, Fidel Edwards, Kevin McClean, Gilford Moore, Kjorn Ottley, Shervon Penco, Raymon Reifer, Chadwick WaltonPakistan squad: Shahid Afridi (capt.), Misbah-ul-Haq (vice-captain), Abdur Rehman, Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq, Hammad Azman, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Salman, Sadaf Hussain, Saeed Ajmal, Tanveer Ahmed, Taufeeq Umar, Umar Akmal, Usman Salahuddin, Wahab Riaz

James Middlebrook hit 109 – his highest score for Northamptonshire – as the visitors established an iron grip against Gloucestershire

12-May-2011
Scorecard
James Middlebrook hit 109 – his highest score for Northamptonshire – as the visitors established an iron grip on the County Championship Division Two clash with Gloucestershire at Bristol. Middlebrook and Niall O’Brien, who extended his overnight score of 123 to 166, took their seventh-wicket stand to 187 before being parted, and helped their team to a massive first-innings score of 557 for 9 declared.By the close of the second day, Gloucestershire had replied with 172 for 7, having been 31 for 5 at one stage after Jack Brooks (4 for 30) took three wickets in the space of seven balls. Chris Taylor (54) and Will Gidman (72 not out) led a spirited recovery with a stand of 115 but the hosts trailed by 385 runs with just three wickets remaining.Northamptonshire began the day on 381 for 6, having been in trouble themselves at 125 for 5, and were soon piling on the agony for a largely-inexperienced home attack. From his overnight score of 24, Middlebrook moved confidently to a half-century off 88 balls, with eight fours.O’Brien was dropped on 147 by David Payne at long-off as he skied a deliveryfrom Kane Williamson, but otherwise the pair made untroubled progress. O’Brien finally perished shortly before lunch, 10 short of his career-best score, top-edging a pull shot off 16-year-old seamer Craig Miles and being caught at fine leg by Jon Lewis. He had batted for more than five hours, facing 206 balls and hitting 20 fours and a six.Middlebrook went on to reach three figures off 184 balls, with 12 fours, finding more solid support from David Lucas, who finished on 34 not out. The centurion fell to a catch at mid-off, driving at the off-spin of Taylor and Lee Daggett’s second-ball duck brought the declaration.Gloucestershire’s batting problems began when Ian Cockbain was bowledshouldering arms to Lucas with the score on 15. Without addition and in the sameover, Williamson fell for a duck, caught in the slips by David Sales.Brooks then accounted for Richard Coughtrie, Alex Gidman and Jon Batty in rapidsuccession as the home side’s top order was blown away. But Taylor and Will Gidman were in no mood to surrender meekly. They took the score to 61 for 5 at tea and then counter-attacked with relish as the ball went soft.Taylor was first to his fifty off 78 balls, with eight fours, and Gidman’s statistics were similar when he got to his half-century off 80 deliveries, also with eight boundaries.It was 146 for 6 when Taylor was caught behind cutting with no foot movementand Brooks struck again to remove Ian Saxelby, leaving Gidman defiant, but withonly the tail to bat in the morning.

Mark Pennell at Whitgift School18-May-2011ScorecardChris Tremlett was hostile with the new ball and also removed England team-mate Alastair Cook•PA PhotosThe press marquee at Whitgift School’s leafy ground in Croydon has rarely been so busy, particularly for an County Championship Division Two encounter played out in front of a modest opening day crowd of 800.There was a clamour for seats, team news and wi-fi access at the start of a cloudy day as no fewer than three tabloid newspaper correspondents and a couple of broadsheet deputies enjoyed a rare look at four-day cricket. In reality, they were all here on ‘England watch’.With Kevin Pietersen, now fully recovered from his close-season hernia surgery, making his season’s Championship bow for hosts alongside fit-again paceman and international team-mate, Chris Tremlett, it was hard to know whether the national press corps wanted to report on pre-Test successes or write about injury breakdowns.For added spice, England’s opening batsman Alastair Cook was lining up in opposition and making his sixth successive championship start for Essex in a quest for early-season form ahead of the three-match series against the Sri Lankans.Lap-top keyboards were soon chattering when, after electing to bowl first, Surrey made an early breakthrough through Tremlett. Extracting good pace and bounce with the new ball from the Chapel End, he nipped one back off the seam in his third over of the day to graze Jaik Mickleburgh’s front pad and fell the right-hander’s off stump.Test prospect Stuart Meaker should have dismissed Mark Pettini for 5, only to see deposed England keeper Steven Davies drop a regulation chance behind the stumps with the total on 50. Meaker changed ends and got his man 10 overs later however, when Pettini’s involuntary push at a leg-cutter took a thick edge through to second slip where Rory Hamilton-Brown pocketed a sharp chance near his left hip to make it 88 for 2.Having played and missed on a handful of occasions, Cook reached an 89- ball half-century just before lunch with seven authentic and crisp boundaries, but he went soon after the resumption for 63. A leaden-footed push at a lifting in-ducker from Tremlett took the inside edge and this time Davies made no mistake.Normal service was resumed thereafter as, with Cook gone and Tremlett out of the attack, the bread and butter county pros went about their work. Matt Walker, the burly yet gifted left-hander from Kent, dug in with rookie and slightly built right-hander, Adam Wheater, to add 131 during an enterprising fourth-wicket stand that lasted 31.2 overs either side of tea.In the process, Walker went past 12,000-runs for a first-class career that has generally failed to live up to the promise of its England Under-19 beginnings. In only his third Championship start Wheater clubbed sixes off Tremlett and Gareth Batty, then lent back and opened the face to a short one from Yasir Arafat that sailed over the third man ropes on his way to a 71-ball 50. It was his maiden half-century for Essex.Walker joined him after 85 balls at the crease, but his was a more robust innings, full of trademark cuts and glides through backward point with six fours in his 50.After a swashbuckling 64, Wheater’s only half-hearted shot of the day sailed meekly into the hands of mid-on soon after tea then, to the third delivery with the second new ball, Walker aimed a push drive at a full-length one from Yasir Arafat and only succeeded in dragging itonto the base of off stump. Six overs from the close James Foster went leg-before for 30 to a Stuart Meaker full-toss, but it remained advantage Essex.”We would have bowled first,” said Essex batting coach Graham Gooch at the start of the day: “But it was a toss you didn’t mind losing.” How right he was.

Virat Kohli was always ambitious, but now he has added maturity to his game.

Sriram Veera in Port of Spain09-Jun-2011Virat Kohli comes to meet the press in a sleeveless shirt. An image of a Japanese samurai warrior with a sword raised screams out in a tattoo on his left shoulder. He looks relaxed; the musk he is wearing is called confidence. He was once brash but he was always ambitious. For a while he was living on the edge, struggling to come to terms with early fame, but his ambition has roped him in.It was during an inane tri-series in Bangladesh in January 2010 that he first showed signs of maturity in public. It made you sit up and notice then. These days he wears it lightly. The clarity of thought is striking. He seems to be at peace with himself. It’s no coincidence that his cricket too is flourishing.Today’s knock was yet another one from the stable of Kohli. He seemed always under control. The bowling wasn’t too testing, the pitch had eased up and he rarely let the opposition into the game. Later, he said the right things. These days he always says the right things with a smile. The confidence hits you. The once brash brat is now almost likeable. Times they are changing.”I was always determined to do well,” Kohli said. “Probably what I was doing off the field was not on at that time. I probably got carried away. Someone or other always tell you that this has been spoken about you at this place. I decided to change. I decided myself. No one can force myself to change. I had to do it. It was time to change.”I have been given a chance to play for India, which is not a small thing because you have 20 others with same talent are waiting for that kind of a chance. So why waste the opportunity given to me. I got the odd game here and there in 2009. I was a replacement player then. I was very determined to do well at each opportunity.”Virat Kohli was back to his old habit of anchoring chases•AFPIn the early days, the lack of consistent runs devalued the swagger that he always seemed to have. It made him look arrogant. Brash. Wild. Unlikeable. And even made you forget that he was just a young boy, learning to deal with things that not many at his age are forced to deal with. The bad press accumulated. The bad karma continued. Kohli was living in the headlines for the wrong reasons. A talent was on the verge of self-destruction. Then something happened.”It’s about realising that every opportunity is as important as the next one or previous one,” he said. “Not everyone gets an opportunity to play for India. It’s a big honour for me. I have realised that massively in the last one and half years. I want to give 100% and make use of every opportunity. Initially, in my ODI career, I have made rash mistakes with my rush of blood at important times. If you keep doing it, you are not going to get the opportunity. I enjoy my batting these days. Especially during a chase I know what I have to do, rotate the strike.”Questions about his attitude have dogged him for a while. Has he got bored now? “I think I have answered that too much,” he said with a smile. “But I have enjoyed answering that question every time. I feel good with myself for having changed what people did not like initially and then transform into that performances. I feel good about it but it’s not something I want to be too proud of and get relaxed. I don’t want to get complacent. The whole point in changing from that kind of attitude to this current attitude to perform consistently. I want to keep going.”It’s not going to be easy. It will take a constant vigil over oneself. The danger of relapse is going to be there. But Kohli continues to not only say but also do the right things. Sample this answer to a question about whether he strives to ape a Tendulkar or a Sehwag. In his own mind, he has translated that question to mean whether he is striving to be as famous as them.”It was never in my mind that I had to be at the level of them in fame or whatever. Those guys have been there, done that. It has taken a lot of time to reach where they are. There is no point in comparing oneself to them. Everyone has their own style of batting. I have realised that in the last one and half years. I admire them but there is no use batting like them. Take the first match of the World Cup. If I had tried to bat like Viru , I would have perhaps ended up scoring 40. They have a special ability that has made them legends of the game. There is no point in doing what is not my strength.”The answers were perfect. The cynics will say they were too perfect. His fans will say they come from a man who is in a hurry to mature. He won’t say it publicly but one gets the impression that he thinks he can become India’s captain one day. Kohli has always struck you more ambitious than a Rohit or even Raina for that matter. A scribe put it to him that he has a wonderful ability to talk and express, and asked if he works on that skill.”I don’t think I work on that ability (to express myself),” Kohli said. “It’s about being honest.”Does he think it’s a leadership quality?”I can’t say anything about it being (leadership quality). I am honest in whatever question is thrown at me at every press conference. I don’t really work on it.”Virat got up and left the room. Ambition floated in the air.

The results of the five-day meeting are not as bad as they could have been for the board

Osman Samiuddin30-Jun-2011Few boards had as much riding on the ICC’s annual conference in Hong Kong as the PCB. A change to the rotational policy of appointing ICC presidents would have deprived them of a potential nomination for 2014. The Pakistan Task Team’s (PTT) first report was due to be released, a state of affairs report on the game in the country after a period of extreme turbulence. The proposed constitutional amendment to remove government interference from boards and introduce elections was also under discussion, an amendment which pushes far-reaching, but difficult changes on to the PCB.The meeting was also held against a backdrop in which increasingly over the last couple of years the PCB has found itself isolated in boardroom matters. They have had few allies, and an ongoing cold war with the BCCI has been particularly damaging on and off the field. In this context then, the results of the five-day meeting are not as bad as they could have been for the board. “The meeting has gone extremely well for us,” Ijaz Butt, chairman PCB, told ESPNcricinfo. “There were a couple of main issues for us and we are happy with the developments on those.”A more reasoned assessment came from Subhan Ahmed, the board’s chief operating officer. “It was a reasonably good meeting for us,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “We obviously didn’t achieve 100% of our objectives but overall the meetings went well for us.” The deferment of the change to the rotational policy of appointing presidents was, according to one member of Pakistan’s delegation, “a big victory” and built on “hectic corridor diplomacy”. Officials were surprised with the support they found among Full and Associate members; three other Full Members backed Pakistan’ opposition to the change, on the “principled basis that every country should have a right to appoint a president”, according to the official. The deferment, the official believes, is as good as it being struck off the agenda entirely, which means that Pakistan and Bangladesh are expected to put up their nomination by December 31 this year.The PTT report has also, according to Ahmed, expressed its satisfaction with the work the board has put in, particularly on the integrity issues that arose in the aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal last summer. “They’ve appreciated the work we have put in to accomplish the tasks they had set us last October,” Ahmed said. “That integrity chapter of the PTT and PCB is now concluded.” But the body was set up before the spot-fixing scandal, in January 2009, to help Pakistan combat the lack of international cricket in the country; following the Lahore terror attacks in March that year the body’s mandate grew and over the last year it has taken on governance issues as well. The report has made 63 recommendations on a whole host of matters, macro and micro.For example, the PTT has recommended constitutional changes to the board to make it more democratic – a recommendation that now overlaps with the ICC’s governance amendments. But the PTT has also suggested that the board should appoint a long-term manager instead of on a series-by-series basis. Some of these are likely to not go down too well with the board. Butt said some had gone “beyond the mandate” originally intended for the body. “We will now go back and look at the recommendations that have been made, review them and give our feedback to the PTT. We have some observations on the recommendations,” Ahmed said. It is believed – and the board sought to clarify this – that the recommendations are just that at the moment, and not directives or binding in any way.The trickiest issue on the agenda was the ICC’s proposed constitutional amendment, which called for the removal of government interference from cricket boards and the holding of elections for senior officials. The PCB’s patron-in-chief is the president of the country – in theory a non-political post, anything but in reality and historically – and he appoints the board chairman. There are no elections either and failure to make the changes could result in suspension.Here victory is a relative one, for the ICC has gone ahead and implemented the proposed changes – despite the threat of legal action by the PCB – but has given them, effectively, two years and possibly more to do this. That, too, came from meetings Butt, Ahmed and the PCB’s legal advisor Taffazul Rizvi had with the ICC in Dubai in the run-up to the AGM. “We had discussions with the ICC about this before the meetings and it was there we agreed to set this deadline and that is what has been decided here,” Butt said.Even the results of the FTP negotiations are not as bad as initially expected. Between now and April 2020, Pakistan have 88 Tests scheduled which is considerably lower than the big guns of England, Australia and India but alongside Sri Lanka (88) and ahead of West Indies (84), South Africa (82) and New Zealand (80). This, officials said, was the result of increased efforts over the last year with other boards, an indication that relations with a few members might be improving, albeit tentatively.In March 2012, they are even scheduled to tour India and getting that inked into the FTP is being considered an achievement by the board. If political relations improve, there could be more tours which will add considerably to Pakistan’s schedule.

Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of the second Test which begins in Nottingham from Friday, MS Dhoni has said

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2011Gautam Gambhir is likely to miss the second Test at Trent Bridge that starts today, adding to India’s injury woes after Zaheer Khan was already ruled out with a hamstring injury. Gambhir was hit on the left arm while fielding at short leg during the Lord’s Test and did not train on Wednesday. He did show up at the nets yesterday with his elbow strapped and batted for ten minutes, repeatedly flexing his arm and being stretched by the physio.If Gambhir does not recover in time, India will be left with only one fit opening batsman in the squad, since Virender Sehwag is not expected to be match fit until the third Test. That will mean either Rahul Dravid or Suresh Raina will probably have to play the role of makeshift opener to partner Abhinav Mukund, while Yuvraj Singh could return to the middle order.There had been doubts about Zaheer’s availability for the match after he pulled up while bowling on the first day of the Lord’s Test. “It’s always good to have him in the side because he is our most experienced bowler,” Dhoni said. “Especially when it comes to England, he has played a lot of cricket over here for counties and the last time India were here he bowled really well.”Dhoni said that while not having Zaheer was disappointing, it gave the other bowlers a chance to prove their mettle in international cricket. “Overall it’s a win-win situation for us because we can’t really sit and say Zaheer is not there. We have to look at the positives, which is that some of the other bowlers will get to have a look at international cricket.” India have Munaf Patel and Sreesanth as seam options along with Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma who played in the Lord’s Test.Dhoni was optimistic when asked whether Zaheer would recover before the third Test which begins in Birmingham on August 10. “We are expecting that. He started light training yesterday but again it is something we can’t be 100% sure about; but most likely it seems he will [be fit].”India go into the Trent Bridge Test 1-0 down in the four-match series; England will go to No 1 in the Test rankings if they win the series by a two-game margin.

Former India players react to their team’s 4-0 loss to England in the Test series

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2011India’s drubbing in the just-concluded Test series in England has signalled the urgent need for youngsters to be blooded into the Test team, according to former India captain Anil Kumble. Kumble said that while it could take time for India to return to their best, players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh needed to be given an extended run to allow the rebuilding process to take place.”They have to be given a long rope,” Kumble told . “You may not see India come back to the top in quick time. But we have to ensure that with these youngsters, we remain in the top three and climb to the top spot after a few years.”Arun Lal, the former India batsman, echoed Kumble’s view. “You cannot go on with 35 or 38-year-olds till eternity,” Lal said. “We need to infuse new talent. What happened in England was in a way good. We needed an awakening.”India’s 4-0 loss is the their first whitewash since the three-match series in Australia in 1999-2000, and the first by a four-game margin since the 1967-68 tour of Australia. Since Sourav Ganguly took over the captaincy in 2000, India’s overseas record has shown marked improvement – India have won 24 away Tests in the last 11 years as compared to only four between 1980-99.However, the players responsible for several of these wins have already gone – Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly – or are close to retirement, while the likes of Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, who were part of these wins, have been dogged by injuries recently.Kapil Dev, another former captain, said several of these players would be hard to replace, making India’s task that much harder. “We were fortunate to have such good players all at one time, but they can’t go on forever,” Dev said. “It won’t be easy to replace them.”Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said, during commentary, that while England were the better side, he had not expected India to cave in so meekly. “Losing is part of the game but for a top-ranked side to lose so badly is inexcusable,” he said. “England were magnificent, they were much superior to India and much better prepared. But I did expect India to show more fight than they did in the four Tests.”With the Don Argus-led review of Australian cricket getting a lot of attention over the last week, there has been speculation over whether the BCCI will commission a similar appraisal in the aftermath of the England series. Former captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi said he didn’t anticipate too many changes coming into place. “The BCCI is not going to show a great deal of vision,” Pataudi said. “Cricket will continue [in India] the way it is, but I sincerely hope that some sense does come in.”Ravi Shastri, another former captain, said it was time to look at different players for the different formats, with an emphasis on Test cricket. “It’s time for Indian cricket to identify players who are specifically suited to the different formats of the game,” Shastri wrote in the . “A way has to be found to encourage those cricketers who want to give Test cricket priority. There ought to be superior remuneration or compensation.”

Michael Clarke believes Trent Copeland’s lack of pace can aid the tourists in against Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle from Wednesday

Daniel Brettig in Colombo28-Aug-2011For a long time Trent Copeland’s lack of pace was held against him. Australia’s captain Michael Clarke now believes this very quality can aid the tourists in their pursuit of pressure and wickets against Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle from Wednesday.Clarke and Greg Chappell, the selector on duty, have often spoken of “combinations” as they seek to establish the best XI with which to trouble the Sri Lankans. Copeland appeared an unlikely addition to the Test team when he departed from Sydney, considered behind at least Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle in the order of preference.But a match haul of 6 for 61 from 28 overs against Sri Lanka Board XI at P Sara Oval, while Siddle went wicketless and Johnson was rested, has all but vaulted Copeland into the team for Galle, and Clarke said the seamer’s tightness and lesser velocity would ideally complement the faster men.”It is very important, because what it allows you to do is build pressure from one end and attack a little bit more from the other,” Clarke said. “It’s a huge string to his bow to be honest and I think for the team, and I say this with the ultimate respect, it’s nearly like his lack of pace could be a really good thing for us.”He just nibbles and just wobbles the ball enough [so] that it doesn’t come onto the bat like Sidds, Ryano and Mitch, who are bowling 140kmh, [and] kiss the wicket and come on quite quick. There’s just enough nibble there; in this game, the attack we had, he complemented it very well I thought.”In February, Chappell had suggested there were players in the Sheffield Shield, who felt Copeland “might struggle to back it up this year” for New South Wales, a reference to the fact that few bowlers of medium pace can keep asking questions of opponents without being brazenly attacked. However Copeland’s lines have not wavered, proving that bounce and movement, as much as speed, are the keys to troubling good batsmen.”He did his thing, nothing more, nothing less,” Clarke said. “He managed to find the edge a few times, which is really nice, and as a captain it feels comforting to set fields to that type of bowling.”He got a few of the players out, who are going to be playing in the first Test, so that obviously helps. And I like that he hasn’t come in and tried to do too much. He’s done what he’s been doing for NSW for the last few years now. I think that takes courage, as a first-class player, when you come into the Australian team to not try and do anything different.”Difference was a more prominent theme as Clarke observed his slow bowlers Michael Beer and Nathan Lyon. Clarke spent considerable time shuffling his fields as he developed ways to attack and defend with two spinners he is not overly familiar with, and said he and the selectors had to decide which qualities they preferred.”They’re completely different bowlers,” Clarke said. “Lyon probably bowls with a lot more loop and gets a lot more shape. Beer bowls a bit faster and gets it into the wicket, so they’ve both got strengths. I thought Beery bowled really well when it started to spin a bit, especially to the left hander.”He could throw it into the rough and as we saw, a few balls went through the gate. I’m impressed with both of them. As a combination they’re very good together because they’re two completely different bowlers. If we have to pick one it’s going to be a tough selection.”Though Beer and Lyon were patchy in their performances and though Copeland, Harris and Johnson would all appear to have enough quality and adaptability to ask questions on Sri Lankan pitches, Clarke refused to rule out playing two spinners in Galle.”No way, I think it was good for both of them to play this game,” Clarke said. “I thought they bowled really well as a combination. You’ve just got to see the conditions, I think that’s probably the fairest way.”I need to see what the pitch is like and we the selectors need to work out what’s our best XI to try and win the game. That’s what is important to me – my goal is not to come here and have three draws. We are here to win the series so we’ve got to pick the best eleven players to win the game.”

Two centuries – an aggressive, substantial one from Shikhar Dhawan and a solid, unbeaten one from Ajinkya Rahane – almost ensured that Rest of India couldn’t lose the Irani Cup outright

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2011
ScorecardAjinkya Rahane was one of two centurions for Rest of India on the first day•ESPNcricinfo LtdTwo centuries – an aggressive, substantial one from Shikhar Dhawan and a solid, unbeaten one from Ajinkya Rahane – almost ensured that Rest of India couldn’t lose the Irani Cup outright. They scored quickly on the opening day against Ranji Trophy champions Rajasthan, lost only three wickets, and amassed 400 by stumps in Jaipur.Dhawan scored 177 off 165 balls, an innings that contained 32 fours and one six. Having been dropped from India’s one-day squad after the tour of West Indies, Dhawan did not waste this opportunity to stake his claim again. He added 190 runs for the second wicket with Rahane, who adapted smoothly to the change in format. Having impressed during the limited-overs games in England, Rahane switched into five-day mode and batted with patience to end the day on 117 off 212 balls. He will have to revert to one-day mode against England after the Irani Cup tie is settled.Rajasthan’s bowlers struggled, with last season’s hero Deepak Chahar going wicketless for 120 runs in 21 overs. His new-ball partner Aniket Choudhary also conceded more than four an over in 17 overs.Dhawan began to attack as early as the day’s fifth over, when he hit four consecutive boundaries off Chahar. The first two were driven through mid-off, the next two pulled and cut as the bowler dropped short. The other opener, Abhinav Mukund, wasn’t as quick, his first fours coming in the 12th over when he drove and glided Choudhary down the ground and through gully. Dhawan reached his 50 off the first ball after drinks, off 51 balls.Rajasthan’s first bit of relief came in the 19th over, when Mukund edged medium-pacer Sumit Mathur on to his stumps. Rest of India were 77 for 1. Choudhary should have dismissed Dhawan, on 80, in the final over before lunch but Chahar misjudged the top-edge at long-leg. The Dhawan-Rahane stand took Rest of India to lunch on 122 for 1.There was little joy for Rajasthan in the second session. Dhawan got to his century off 119 deliveries, sweeping offspinner Madhur Khatri for two, and celebrated with a six over midwicket next ball. He and Rahane added 145 runs to their partnership and only shortly before tea were they separated. Dhawan had clouted Chahar down the ground for three successive boundaries but in the next over, from Khatri, he missed a slog sweep and was bowled. Rest of India went into tea on 280 for 2.Choudhary began the final session positively for Rajasthan, trapping Manish Pandey lbw for 16. The dismissal cut short a bright start, for Pandey had struck four boundaries during his brief stay. Rahane then led a period of consolidation for Rest of India, moving steadily towards his century, which he reached with a straight drive to the boundary off Chahar. He had a solid partner in Parthiv Patel, who was unbeaten on 55, and they added 113 runs for the fourth wicket before stumps.