All posts by h716a5.icu

The new Adelaide Oval is so good, it should be on your bucket list. But if the weather is going to stay this way, bring a jacket.

Peter Cirocco06-Dec-2013Choice of game
I picked this game because it’s the Ashes. It’s the Adelaide Oval – new and improved. It’s the world’s greatest sporting rivalry. It’s my home town. Oh and I got in for free. Before the series started, I honestly thought we’d lose the series 3-1. I had renewed hope after Brisbane, mind you, but I still thought the Adelaide Test would end in a draw.Team supported
When Michael Clarke won the toss and elected to bat, I backed Australia, but after losing 3 wickets for 19 runs, I thought that it was evenly poised from then on until stumps.Key performer
While Chris Rogers’ gritty 72 was influential, he by himself wasn’t the key performer. Jimmy Anderson’s tight bowling throughout the day kept the pressure on Australia and he kept tightening the screws. I felt his line, length and pace were far more consistent than any of the other bowlers.One thing I’d have changed about the day
The weather was absolutely shocking. Unfortunately for us Adelaideans, our weather is more temperamental than an Australian selector, with a cold front blowing through the day before and it hailing during summer. Furthermore, we had our coldest minimum for 18 years overnight, and a stiff south-westerly breeze made it freezing for cricket. It’s the first time I ever wore jeans and a hoodie to a cricket match.The interplay you enjoyed
One of the tactics that was a bit laughable was England’s penchant to consistently want the ball changed since it wasn’t swinging. The first time they did it was by the 4th over and about 10 times after that, and every time Umpire Kumar Dharmasena looked at it for a fraction of a second and told them to carry on.Filling the gaps
I had the chance to walk around the fantastic new surrounds. This change for the Adelaide Oval was sorely overdue, and should be a massive boost for our city centre and for us as a state. The new stands on all three sides are world-class, yet don’t take away a single bit from the rich heritage of this ground. Being able to enjoy a beer, while taking in the view from Level 5 of the Southern Stand is amazing.Wow moment
Shane Watson’s six off Monty Panesar to bring up Australia’s 100 was as much a wow moment as a pressure release. Australia had been stuck on 99 for a few overs and with Watson at the crease, you get the feeling he’s about to do something silly, like get out lbw or ping his hamstring again. The six woke everyone up and got the Australian supporters in song.Player watch
Stuart Broad seemed to attract plenty of boos for no apparent reason. Also, the crowd held it’s collective breath whenever Monty Panesar fielded a ball.Shot of the day
George Bailey monstering Stuart Broad’s bowling to bring up his half-century by whacking a six to the short square boundary was my shot of the day.Crowd meter
The lead-up to the test was all about how big the lines and the crowd would be as soon as the gates would open at 8am, but due to the rubbish weather, the crowd was hesitantly muted. Even the Barmy Army took a while to get into stride. The buzz, though, was full of praise for how fantastic the ground looked. Sure, the Eastern Stand was more of a construction zone than a spectacle, but it gave you all of the grandeur of the old ground, with even more impressive surrounds and comfort. The Australian support was led by respectful claps from the SACA Members – which I am a part of – but the Barmy Army was definitely well heard around the ground. The biggest cheer went around for when Michael Clarke came out to bat, and the biggest jeers when Broad was announced as the new bowler. The crowd had a noticeable grunt about it whenever the ground staff came on to the pitch, especially after the 1st over. The tension and buzz around the ground was starting to fizzle due to the inclement weather.Entertainment
The usual fare of over-fried potato chips, cold hot dogs and warm beer – to appease the visitors? – were all on offer. There were teething problems from the new stands, as beer and gas ran out in certain kitchens, much to the ire of dozens. I had my AM radio with me, to listen to ABS Grandstand while watching the cricket. I walked out with it too.Banner of the day
“Help needed: a Cook and a Root. Enquire within.”Overall
The quality of play was above average, with no real fireworks from bat or ball. The pitch is as flat as glass, and with no swing for the bowlers to take advantage of, the batsman got out due to overconfidence, and missed opportunities from the fielding team meant they weren’t fully taken advantage of.Having said that, the new Adelaide Oval must be on your bucket list. It’s amazing.Marks out of 10
9.5/10. Wear a jacket.

As England again wilted in the face of an Australia counterattack, inadequacies in the national team environment were laid bare

George Dobell at the SCG03-Jan-20140:00

#PoliteEnquiries: A bad Warne clone

Déjà vu is never so good the fourth time around. England may have juggled their squad, found a new allrounder, called-up a new fast bowler and taken a chance with a young legspinner, but it all came to the same end.For the fifth time in five Australia first innings this series, England earned themselves a decent position, only to concede it to a counterattack that had Brad Haddin’s fingerprints all over it. Mitchell Johnson may well win the Man of the Series award, but Haddin has enjoyed a magnificent campaign and will haunt the nightmares of this England side long after the tour is over. From an England perspective, it was as wearingly familiar as drizzle and slate-grey skies.The contrasting fortunes of the two lower-orders has been a feature of this series. While Australia’s first five wickets contributed only 16 more runs than England’s in the first innings of the four completed Tests of the series so far (612 against 596), their last five added an extra 624 (842 to 218). The value of Johnson against the England lower-order and the success of Haddin against England’s tiring bowlers has largely defined this Ashes.Once again, though, England will reflect that they had a hand in their own downfall. The side that dropped Steven Finn for his lack of economy conceded 4.28 an over throughout the Australia innings and during the key sixth-wicket partnership of 128 in 27.2 overs were punished for 21 boundaries.Hail Haddin – rescuing Australia’s first innings

First Test: 100-5, Haddin scores 94, Australia 295

Second Test: 257-5, Haddin 118, Australia 570-9 dec

Third Test: 143-5, Haddin 55, Australia 385

Fourth Test: 112-5, Haddin 65, Australia 204

Fifth Test: 97-5, Haddin 75, Australia 326

It should not be a complete surprise. When you call-up a 23-year-old legspinner who was 14th in his county’s bowling averages last year, a fast bowler who has not played in over a month and rely on a 22-year-old allrounder who admits he is still learning his trade as a seamer, then you are, in part at least, trusting to chance. The last time an England legspinner took a wicket in a victory for England was in 1968. The bowler was Ken Barrington and the batsman was Seymour Nurse. Scott Borthwick’s economy rate in his first innings for England was actually worse than Simon Kerrigan’s at The Oval in August.That even James Anderson was guilty of pitching short was also a reflection of some poor field placements. Lured into overdoing the short ball by the carry of the pitch, there were two men back for the hook throughout much of the stand, with the bowlers discouraged from pitching the ball as full as they might have done.And, if your attention to detail is going to extend to producing a cookbook, should it not also extend to ensuring there is a set of stumps at both ends in net sessions and ensuring that bowlers do not overstep or dislodge the bails as Ben Stokes did on several times on the first day here? As it is, England’s bowlers routinely overstep in practice and need only avoid a single stump.While Stokes, the silver lining in this gloomy series for England, impressed with his persistence and lively pace, his success was offset by the news that Joe Root had been dropped. For several months, Root has been touted as the future. To see him derailed, at least temporarily, has dimmed a ray of light at the end of this dark tunnel.England debutant Scott Borthwick conceded 49 runs from his seven overs•Getty ImagesBut the faults in the English system go back much further than that. If England really want to be able to dispose of lower orders in the way that Johnson and co have managed, then they could sorely do with a bowler of such pace or a match-winning spinner.But the system designed to produce them is actually holding them back. Not the county system – the environment which has given England Finn, Tymal Mills, the Overton twins, Stuart Meaker and many others – but the extended England environment.At an open day at the ECB’s National Performance Centre not so long ago, there was a presentation that talked with pride about the speeds achieved by some young English bowlers under laboratory conditions. Dig a little deeper, however, and you discover that fastest pace achieved was by Meaker, the Surrey bowler who deteriorated markedly for his exposure to the England environment this time last year, on his first visit to the site. On each subsequent visit, burdened by more advice from ECB specialists, he has become a touch slower.The experts there will also tell you, with barely concealed pride, that a bowler such as Saeed Ajmal, a man who has been proved to have a legal action, would not be able to progress in English cricket. The experience of Maurice Holmes underlines how hard it is for unorthodox spinners to develop in England.Around the counties, directors of cricket talk in exasperation of the damaging effects of exposure to the England environment on their players. Look at Finn, or Meaker or Chris Woakes. Even James Anderson, after he had lost his pace, his ability to swing the ball and developed a stress fracture, admitted that he progressed only by going back to what had served him well when he first broke through at Lancashire.It is hard to avoid the conclusion that all the money spent on developing the best players is, in part, holding them back.

England’s women continue to fly the flag for the country as they made short work of South Africa to set up another clash with Australia

Alan Gardner in Mirpur04-Apr-2014Most would say the last few months have been unremittingly bleak for English cricket but that would be to overlook entirely the continued excellence of the women’s team. Having beaten Australia in their own backyard earlier this year, England have now reached a third World T20 final. The manner in which they cantered past South Africa offered a signal of intent for their next opponents: Australia again.Was it a canter, or maybe a prance? Whichever, Anya Shrubsole, known to her team-mates as “Hoof” in part due to the way she carries herself, had a tight hold on the reins. Shrubsole’s inswinger is a thing of mesmerising beauty and twice in her opening two overs she struck timber to remove Lizelle Lee and Trisha Shetty (albeit you could probably have driven a coach and horses through the gap on each occasion).Shrubsole now has 12 wickets in the competition, the most by any bowler at a women’s World T20. This has been an expanded competition, with two more teams involved, but Shrubsole has taken on greater personal responsibility in the absence of the injured Katherine Brunt. Another thoroughbred performance set the tone at the top of the innings, bowling her four overs straight, as England extended their record of never having lost a T20 against South Africa.A capacity to make the ball swing, even in Mirpur where it has been rarely sighted, is Shrubsole’s main weapon. Bowling in the mid to high 60s mph, she was almost unerring in attacking the stumps, a seductive inward curve always threatening the front pad. Her front-on action and canny wrist position underpin the skill; although it was an inability to bowl the outswinger that led to her discovering it.”The conditions have been really good, the ball has swung,” she said. “Probably due to the humidity here, because of the lights while we were in Sylhet. Just keeping it simple, that’s pretty much what I try to do, get enough balls in the right area and at the moment it’s working.”I’ve just tried to bowl as straight as possible on pitches that are maybe a bit slower. I think bowling gun-barrel straight is the way to go. It’s something that has worked for me and for our entire bowling attack throughout the tournament.”The other factor that swung it for England was a typically consummate fielding performance. Shrubsole’s powerful arm was behind one of five run-outs and it took a belligerent innings from Chloe Tryon – including the only two sixes of the match – to lift South Africa to three figures. In chasing down the target, England continued to eschew rope-clearing (their sixes tally in the tournament stands at zero) but they give themselves extra yardage with such zealotry in the field.”It’s hugely important, we got five run-outs, which we were really pleased with,” Shrubsole said. “It’s something that we work really hard on, our fielding, and today it really showed. We were excellent in the field and that contributed to keeping them down to a total we were able to chase.”Success should not be taken for granted, even if it is expected, and Shrubsole’s on-message responses about taking each game at a time and controlling the controlables demonstrate England’s fibre even if they lack flavour. In the semi-final of a major tournament, this was a crushing win, but she said South Africa’s first appearance at this stage of the World T20 augured well for the future of the women’s game.”People are being challenged all the time, I think it would be unfair to say that England and Australia are dominating,” she said. “The last 50-over World Cup in 2013, West Indies got into the final. We’re probably a little bit further on than some of the teams but the standard of women’s cricket across the board is improving hugely. This is South Africa’s first semi-final and they gave a really good account of themselves, as they have done throughout the tournament and I’m sure we’ll see them in semi-finals and finals for years to come.”A few short months ago, Shrubsole was again at the heart of victory, taking seven wickets as England claimed the Perth Test and set themselves on the way to retaining the Ashes in Australia. Their old opponents came back to win both of the limited-overs series 2-1 and the fact that Australia have won the last two World T20s – the most recent in a tight finish against England – could give them an edge.”Potentially Australia go in as favourites, as defending champions, but I think it will be a really good match, we’re two evenly matched teams, as we’ve shown over past series against them,” Shrubsole said. “We’ve played so much cricket against them lately that there’s nothing we don’t know about each other, there’s not going to be any surprises, it’s just going to be who comes out and performs best on the day.”The runners and riders are familiar, it will come down to who clears the fences. In Shrubsole, England have a performer who may just run straight through them.

It was a nostalgic and emotional day out for fans who got to see Tendulkar, Lara, Dravid, Murali and Co all together at Lord’s

Fram Hansotia06-Jul-2014Choice of game
The Bicentenary Celebration match at Lord’s between the Marylebone Cricket Club and the Rest of the World, comprising of past legends and present superstars, was always going to be impossible to resist. The headline act was obviously Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan v Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, but the participation of tremendous cricketers such as Rahul Dravid, Adam Gilchrist, Yuvraj Singh, Saeed Ajmal, and Brett Lee, enhanced our expectations of the match to another level.Key performer
Although Yuvraj played extremely well for his 132, Aaron Finch’s unbeaten 181 was the stand-out batting performance. It enhanced his reputation within the international cricket community, as well as public opinion about his future prospects. He consistently scored at more than a run a ball, and was the cornerstone of the MCC chase. His innings was split into three portions: an initial assault (in tandem with Tendulkar), a period of consolidation in the middle overs after a minor collapse, and finally a spell of uninhibited, explosive, attacking strokeplay that sealed the game for his team. It was truly a masterclass in modern, attacking batsmanship, and was a joy to watch. Opposition bowlers across the world will be dreading facing an Australian opening pair of Finch and Warner!Saeed Ajmal was another MCC player who turned the game on its head – his first spell of four wickets for five runs was an outstanding display of the guile that has made him such a dangerous prospect to face. He slammed the brakes on the ROW innings, which had got off to an explosive start, when he ripped a doosra past an advancing Adam Gilchrist, followed by his dismissals of Tamim Iqbal, Kevin Pietersen, and his international team-mate, Shahid Afridi. Rest of the World collapsed to 68 for 5 in 12 overs, and large sections of the crowd did their best to remind Ajmal that they would like the match to last all day rather than finish around lunchtime. Tendulkar seemed to share their concerns, and duly replaced Ajmal with the rather more gentle spin of Aaron Finch!Wow moment
Today was clearly Tendulkar’s show, let there be no doubt about that, and he was in imperious form, stroking the ball to all parts of the ground as he motored along confidently, with cries of “Sachin, Sachin!” echoing around Lord’s. The crowd was convinced that he would finally join the pantheon of greats that have scored a century at Lord’s, and in an ideal situation he would have, but on 44 he under-edged Murali onto his stumps. Time seemed to stand still as a wave of shock washed over the crowd. Deafening silence. Then, every single spectator, regardless of their race, creed, or nationality, rose one last time to salute a living legend – the man who achieved everything that a cricketer could dream of.As live sport goes, that was one of the most emotional moments I have ever witnessed. The noise died down as the enormity of the event dawned on the spectators. Then, Brian Charles Lara strode out of the pavilion with his characteristic swagger, and the ground rose in unison once again to give the legend a standing ovation. In these precious moments, there was a real sense of: “the King is dead, long live the King!” These two men were the Colossus that bestrode the cricketing world for a generation and inspired millions of people. Today, they were reminded one last time of how much respect, love and admiration we have for them.Close encounter
For most of the first innings, the charismatic West Indian fast bowler Tino Best was fielding in front of where we were sitting in the Tavern Stand. He was immediately won over by the crowd when a group of young boys started singing “We love you Tino, oh yes we do”, to the amusement of the rest of us. As he turned around, laughing and waving at the boys, a witty group of lads took the opportunity to shout out, “Mind the windows, Tino,” referring to his infamous and extremely humorous exchange of words with Andrew Flintoff a few years ago! Cue widespread laughter, which only increased in magnitude after he comically misfielded the subsequent ball, and ended up in a tangled heap as the ball trickled under him into the boundary rope.Shot of the day
The fourth ball of Peter Siddle’s fourth over was a length ball that Tendulkar leaned into with an effortless grace, punching the ball straight back past Siddle with impeccable timing. As it crashed into the boundary rope at the Pavilion End, the crowd hoped it was a sign of things to come!Crowd meter
Quite simply, it was a brilliant crowd. Everyone seemed to understand the significance of the match – it was our last chance to see the players that we had grown up idolising, and everyone was determined the make the most of the opportunity. Emotions ran high, and we tried to show the players, notably Lara, Tendulkar, Dravid, Warne, and Murali, how much they meant to us. Dravid was given a standing ovation when he walked in, was bowled first ball, and was given a standing ovation as he walked off. Certainly, he seemed surprised by the ovation after getting a golden duck, and was a little unsure of how to react as he trudged off for the last time.Sensible umpiring
Although they took the players off for a short rain delay, credit must be given to the umpires for keeping the players on the field and allowing play to continue despite some consistent drizzling. It was a good example of sensible officiating, and was appreciated by everyone in the crowd.Overall
An outstanding match that had everything: exceptional batting, bowling and fielding. It was the perfect cocktail of young and old, and served as a very good reminder that although form may be temporary, class is permanent.Marks out of ten
9. I was very disappointed that Warne wasn’t able to take the field and bowl, which took the gloss off what was otherwise an extremely exciting and enjoyable day at the Home of Cricket.

Fearless, flamboyant and elegant. Two matches in, UAE may have already found their first batting superstar

Daniel Brettig25-Feb-2015Two matches into the World Cup and the UAE may have its first batting superstar. Shaiman Anwar has carted the bowlers of Zimbabwe and Ireland, showing a fearless array of strokes and an impish, unflinching atitude that will endear him to many.Upon completing a brazen hundred at the Gabba against the Irish, to follow up his 67 against Zimbabwe, Anwar even struck a pose of the kind spectators have become familiar with from the West Indian Chris Gayle, arms aloft and chest puffed out. Anwar may not have been doing this to emulate Gayle, merely showing the sort of unbridled enthusiasm for hitting and scoring that is the preserve of genuine talents.Anwar’s partner at the other end for most of his century was Amjad Javed, who contributed his own spritely 42 in a stand that thoroughly frustrated Ireland’s captain William Porterfield. Knowing his team-mate and the confidence that ebbs and flows through his game, Javed expects that the world will see and hear much more of Anwar before this tournament is out.”He is very dangerous. Once he starts scoring he will score big runs,” Javed said. “[Shaiman] is one of the best players we have in our team. On his day he can really score quick runs for us, we have seen it. I told him we have to play our natural games, doesn’t matter that we have lost six or seven wickets. “Once we started a counter attack on them, they were leaking the runs. We kept going, eight or 10 runs per over, and it helped us.”The most vivid example of Anwar’s effect on bowlers took place against Kevin O’Brien, who found himself drawn into a duel outside off stump that was won conclusively by the batsman. Anwar’s movement across the crease had O’Brien spearing the ball ever wider, resulting in a series of wides and boundaries that had the allrounder withdrawn from Ireland’s attack for the final over of the innings.Shaiman Anwar has carted the bowlers of Zimbabwe and Ireland showing a fearless array of strokes•AFPWhile Ireland’s wicketkeeper Gary Wilson said O’Brien had not “taken a backward step”, Javed spoke frankly of the exchange and his delight at seeing Anwar unsettle an opponent in such a manner. “Last 10 overs we scored 100 runs so definitely he [Kevin O’Brien] was pissed off,” Javed said. “He is bowling at you, you are moving across to the offside, and he is not a bowler who has that much pace. He is not 150-plus, he is just 120-130. Shaiman was set and he was just trying to take runs.”Though the UAE could not finish off Ireland due to a few missed chances, and some fine batting by Wilson and O’Brien, Anwar’s display will linger in the memory. It provided yet another example of how the game’s second tier is catching up, and why moves to limit their opportunities would seem most unfortunately timed.”If we are getting good games against the Test-playing nations and good exposure, then definitely the boys will learn from their mistakes,” Javed said. “In a big tournament like this, suddenly you are playing in front of TV, and you drop a catch then suddenly the morale goes down.”I think ICC should see the performance of Associates in this tournament and then decide whatever they want to do. They have to introduce more teams to the World Cup. They should increase the teams.”Increase the teams, and encourage the Anwars.

Cricket has witnessed Don Bradman, Garry Sobers, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara and AB de Villiers. Viv Richards, however, still stands as a cut above the rest

Zaheer E. Clarke07-Mar-2015He chews gum and strolls out to the middle amid deadening silence and wild cheers. His swagger and confidence grows with every step, instilling fear in the opposition ranks. The deadening silence is of his opponents questioning, why did we rid ourselves of Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge? The cheers are from eager fans waiting to see Viv Richards surgically dissect the opposition without any mercy.He takes guard rather unassumingly. He looks at the bowler in the eye. The fielders crouch timidly and the Master Blaster gets ready. With each stride of the bowler, the fielders’ hearts stutter.Arguably, Viv Richards is the most destructive batsman to have played the game. I wish T20 cricket had sprung up in his days.Viv would have made them ‘grovel’. Tony Greig had sounded a warning of how England wanted to make West Indies ‘grovel’ during the series. In the end, England were left crawling on their knees. Five Tests and three ODIs later, England had not broken the duck. Two draws, six straight losses and 0 wins.Viv Richards, 24 then, slammed three centuries and two fifties in seven innings for a West Indian series record of 829 runs and 145 short of Don Bradman’s all-time record. Bradman’s record would probably be Richards’ had he not missed the second Test because of injury or if he had got a chance to bat in the second innings of the fifth Test.Today, March 7, 2015 marks the 63rd birthday of Viv Richards. He was as destructive a batsman in Tests as he was in ODIs, perhaps even more. Test cricket has witnessed Donald Bradman, Len Hutton, Ricky Ponting, Garry Sobers, Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara. Viv Richards, though, still stands as a cut above the rest.Coming to ODIs, there has been none better then or since, the recent feats of AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli and Hashim Amla notwithstanding.Viv played the finest innings I have seen in ODIs. West Indies were reeling at 102 for 7 against England at Old Trafford in 1984. Viv took control and played a blinder – 189* off 170 balls – even as wickets kept tumbling. He struck 93 in a tenth-wicket partnership of 106 with Michael Holding as West Indies powered to 272 and went on to win the game by a thumping margin.A famous story is told of his days playing with Ian Botham at Somerset when Glamorgan seamer Greg Thomas beat Viv thrice in three balls. Thomas, being cheeky, reiterated a description of the ball to Viv: “that’s called the ball – its red, its round, and weighs about five ounces; you’re supposed to hit it, in case you were wondering”.Viv was fired up. He came down the track and smashed the next ball out of the park, some say it it went into the sea. He leisurely strolled down the pitch and threw a reply to Thomas: “Greg, you know what it looks like, now go find it.”Viv retired from the game with staggering numbers. He amassed 8,540 runs Test runs to add to 6721 ODI runs.. He is one of only four non-Englishmen to have scored a century of centuries in first-class cricket.However, Viv was not a man for records. His desire was to dominate the opposition. Here’s wishing the great Viv Richards a very happy birthday. Oh how I wish you were 24 again, strolling out to the middle like a god and making mortals quiver.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line.

New Zealand have kept a clean sheet, South Africa have made history with their first-ever victory in a World Cup knockout match. Now both of them will know they need to turn up for their biggest moment yet

Firdose Moonda in Auckland23-Mar-20151:38

Crowe: Eden Park familiarity gives NZ edge

A tournament that runs for six weeks and includes 49 matches seems like it should be about build up and progression but is actually about much less. Or much more, depending on how you look at it. When it gets to where this World Cup is now, it is about moments. Big moments, but moments nonetheless.Moments like Brendon McCullum’s, when he put his front foot forward and drove the final ball of the first over of the tournament for four against Sri Lanka in Christchurch. With that one shot, McCullum revealed his team’s attacking approach. They have not stopped since.But it took another 13 of those moments, four of which belonged to Martin Guptill, to show why that was a sound strategy. By then, New Zealand had posted an opening stand of 104 and untied the ball of nerves that had formed over several weeks of preparation. Some would have wondered if New Zealand were good enough, others whether they were capable of showing how good they really were with the burden of carrying an expectant home crowd with them. Those opening moments answered those questions.South Africa did not have a moment similar to that until Dale Steyn dismissed Tillakaratne Dilshan in the quarter-final. In that moment, with fire in his eyes, fury from his mouth and a committed fielder at his side, Steyn silenced the scornful sounds that have been made about South Africa at major tournaments. It was never about whether they were good enough, always whether they wanted it enough and whether their minds were strong enough. At this tournament too, South Africa had given people a reason to wonder about those two things.They were overawed by the moments against India long before those moments even arrived. When they got to the MCG, the madness of the moment engulfed them. India had lain dormant throughout an entire summer, saving up to string together moments at one tournament and South Africa ran into the sleeping giant just as it had begun to stir.Once they’d shaken off that moment South Africa went on to snatch others that were readily available. AB de Villiers greedily gobbled up the moment against Jason Holder when he could take South Africa to over 400 against West Indies, Faf du Plessis did it against Ireland. What mattered more was the moment against Pakistan and when South Africa botched that with a familiarly muddling middle-order performance, it was thought their moment had passed.That was the only game of the pool stage where South Africa were caught in a maze of pressure but they did not take a moment to figure out how to get out. Instead, they followed one moment of madness with another and in the worst moment of all, their captain said he had “nothing good to say” about them that day.That moment, where de Villiers went from disappointed to dangerously angry, was the moment South Africa found life in the tournament. They still had ten days and another game but they had been warned that failure to seize the next moment would not be acceptable. They mulled about and went through the motions but when the time came to make the moment their own, they did. It was in the fifth over of their quarter-final clash.New Zealand had more of a multitude of moments. Tim Southee punctured England, not in one moment, or two, or even three but seven times just to be sure. Or Kane Williamson struck the six that sealed victory over Australia in a game where New Zealand owned almost all the moments but Australia threatened to steal the most important one.They had moments of control – when Ross Taylor became the fastest of his countrymen to 5000 runs despite a strike rate which has been lower than his team-mates’ for much of the tournament – of courage – when Grant Elliott smacked the second ball he faced in the Bangladesh game for four to keep New Zealand steady – and commitment – when Daniel Vettori arched himself into a parabola to take the catch that dismissed Marlon Samuels in the quarter-final. Guptill had moments of all three of those things in his innings on Saturday, the likes of which the World Cup has never seen before.Both South Africa and New Zealand have let moments pass them by at every World Cup they have played before this one. Over the last five weeks and 14 matches they have got some of those moments back. New Zealand have done it by keeping a clean sheet, South Africa by making history with their first-ever victory in a knockout match in a World Cup. Now both of them will know they need to turn up for their biggest moment yet.

Also: players dismissed on the same score in both innings, oldest T20 players, and longest unbroken bowling spells

Steven Lynch05-May-2015Graham Gooch was lbw b Holding for 51 in both innings of a Test in 1986. Is this the highest score by anyone out the same way in both innings? asked Shriram Moharil from India
Graham Gooch’s double of 51 in each innings in Antigua in 1985-86 is one of 19 instances of a batsman making an identical score of 50-plus twice in the same Test. It’s unusual for the dismissals to be identical too – but the record in this regard (and the only higher double) is Frank Worrell’s twin 65s in the famous tied Test in Brisbane in 1960-61: Worrell was caught by Wally Grout off the bowling of Alan Davidson in both innings at the Gabba. The highest repeat score in any Test is Duleep Mendis’ brace of 105s for Sri Lanka against India in Madras (now Chennai) in 1982-83. He was out in different ways, though. There have been 37 instances in Tests of a batsman being out the same way twice for a pair: perhaps the unluckiest was the West Indian fast bowler John Trim, who was run out for 0 in both innings against Australia in Melbourne in 1951-52.Sussex’s Oliver Robinson scored a century on debut from No. 9. How many people have done this? asked George Murray from England
The Sussex fast bowler (or maybe allrounder) Oliver Robinson hit 110 on his first-class debut against Durham in Chester-le-Street last week. He’s only the seventh player to score a debut century from No. 9 in the order, the first since Ryan McCone hit 102 – still his only first-class hundred, after 39 more matches – for Canterbury against Otago in Christchurch in 2008-09. The highest debut score from No. 9 remains James O’Halloran’s 128 not out for Victoria against South Australia in Melbourne in 1896-97. Robinson, who’s 21 and the stepson of England’s assistant coach Paul Farbrace, shared a tenth-wicket stand of 164 with Matthew Hobden, breaking the 107-year-old Sussex record of 156, set by George Cox senior and Harry Butt against Cambridge University at Fenner’s in 1908.Is Brad Hogg the oldest man to play in a Twenty20 international? asked Lindsay Curtis from Australia
The Australian left-arm unorthodox spinner Brad Hogg does sit on top of this particular list – he was 43 years 45 days old when he played his most recent T20 international, against Pakistan during the World T20 in Mirpur in March 2014. Second at the moment is the UAE’s Khurram Khan, who was 42 years 273 days old when he played his most recent T20 international, also in that World T20, against Zimbabwe in Sylhet: if Khurram, who featured in the recent 50-over World Cup, were to play another one now then he would break Hogg’s record. In all, seven 40-year-olds have played official T20 internationals: the only one apart from Hogg from a Test-playing country is Sanath Jayasuriya, who was just short of his 42nd birthday when he played his last one for Sri Lanka, against England in Bristol in 2011.What is the longest spell in a Test in which the bowling was not changed at all? asked Michael Durbridge from England
I’m not sure whether this can be verified, because we don’t have full details for an awful lot of Tests. My suspicion is that it probably happened during West Indies’ tour of England in 1950, when Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine got through some marathon spells – they took 59 wickets between them in the four Tests, while the other bowlers managed only 18. In England’s long second innings in the second Test at Lord’s, Valentine bowled 71 overs and Ramadhin 72, the others only 48.3; and in the second innings at Trent Bridge, Ramadhin sent down 81.2 overs and Valentine 92 (a record at the time, broken a few years later by Ramadhin). A contender from a different series might be the fifth Test in Port Elizabeth in 1948-49, when South Africa’s spinners Athol Rowan and Tufty Mann did a lot of work against England: they both got through more than 40 eight-ball overs on the third day, although not entirely consecutively. The longest unbroken spell by one bowler is 59 overs (354 balls), by Narendra Hirwani for India against England at The Oval in 1990. If you mean the longest innings in which there were no bowling changes at all, that was in one of the earliest Test matches: in Sydney in 1881-82 the Australian opening pair of Joey Palmer and Edwin Evans bowled unchanged for 115 four-ball overs (460 deliveries in all) as England were dismissed for 133. In the second Ashes Test in Melbourne in 1901-02, there were no bowling changes at all until well into the third innings of the match.Bob Simpson converted his maiden Test century to 311 at Old Trafford in 1964•Getty ImagesIt’s been reported that England may award six new caps in next week’s one-day international against Ireland. Have they ever blooded so many players at once before? asked Daniel Harrison from England
Apart from the inaugural one-day international against Australia in Melbourne in 1970-71, when obviously all the players made their ODI debuts, the England record is six new players, which happened against West Indies at Headingley in 1973. The new boys were Mike Denness, Mike Hendrick, Chris Old, Mike Smith (Middlesex), Bob Taylor and Bob Willis. That was West Indies’ first one-day international, so they also had 11 debutants – including Garry Sobers, who never played another one. England had five first-timers (Robert Croft, Dean Headley, Nick Knight, Graham Lloyd and Alan Mullally) in the first one-day international against Pakistan at Old Trafford in 1996, and Adam Hollioake made his debut two days later, at Edgbaston.What’s the highest score to which someone has extended their maiden Test century? asked Aniket Singh from India
Two men have turned their maiden Test hundred into a triple-century: Garry Sobers famously made 365 not out for West Indies against Pakistan in Kingston in 1957-58, and not long afterwards Australia’s Bob Simpson – having taken a long time to reach three figures in Tests – made up for lost time in his 30th match by going on to amass 311 against England at Old Trafford in 1964. In third place is Reginald “Tip” Foster of England, whose 287 against Australia at Sydney in 1903-04 came on his debut – and remained his only Test century too. For the full list, click here.

Plays of the day from the first T20 between South Africa and New Zealand in Durban

Firdose Moonda14-Aug-2015Taking it on the chin
AB de Villiers was supposed to keep wicket in this game, which would have saved him from copping a ball to the chin, as he did at the end of the fourth over. Kane Williamson mishit a Morne Morkel delivery he was trying to carve over the covers to long on. De Villiers chased it and was successful in reigning it in, but almost at the expense of a tooth. As he dived to haul the ball in, he was surprised by the bounce, which saw the ball leap up and smack him in the chin. He still managed to grab the ball on the rebound and save one.Taking it in the air Had de Villiers been confined to a position behind the stumps, he would also not have been able to pull off the stunner at the heart of South Africa’s squeeze. New Zealand had just lost their second opener and Colin Munro was required to do a rebuilding job, which he began enthusiastically. Munro went down the track to hit the first ball he faced, a David Wiese shorter delivery, over the leg-side. He got enough bat on it to send it in the air to mid-on, where de Villiers leapt to his left, full-stretch, and snatched it to produce an effort only he can.Letting it through the hands To offset de Villiers’ brilliance, South Africa had to have a clanger, and Morkel provided it. George Worker pulled an Aaron Phangiso delivery his way at long leg and all Morkel had to do was accept, but as he put his hands out to claim it, the ball slipped through, bounced behind him and went for four.Juggling it South Africa had mixed results in the field and New Zealand seemed headed the same way. When Morne van Wyk sliced Doug Bracewell in the air, George Worker had to judge his position carefully to make sure he got under the swirling ball and stabilised himself to take the catch. Worker put himself in the right place, a few paces back from where he was stationed at backward point, and the ball dipped into his hands but then bounced out. Worker reacted quickly to take it at the second attempt and ensure the chance did not go begging in defence of a modest total.Going for glory Rilee Rossouw took South Africa within two scoring shots of victory with back to back boundaries in the 17th over. But then he hurried a little too much and went for the glory shot, a powerful pull that he thought would go over the wicketkeeper’s head but went straight up in the air. Rossouw was deceived by the change of angle from Mitchell McClenaghan, who slanted it across from offstump and made sure South Africa had to wait a little longer for victory.

An associate of more than 25 years remembers Jagmohan Dalmiya as a caring elder, a razor-sharp business mind and a genuine cricket lover

Amrit Mathur21-Sep-2015In moments like these, when death takes away someone you know, it is usual to remember the departed person fondly and remind ourselves of the great things he accomplished in his life. In the case of Jagmohan Dalmiya, there is no need for me to go down that path because his impressive cricket CV is already in the public domain.My association with Mr. Dalmiya stretched back more than a quarter of a century after I first joined the BCCI as a representative of the Railways cricket board to begin with. During that period, he always treated me with a kindness and fondness that bordered on indulgence.To me he was Jagmohan, a respected elder, our conversations largely in Marawri, a language we shared, except during official business meetings. Very early on our meetings, I realised he was an extraordinary person – a unique mix, of a visionary who saw the big picture and yet had a sharp eye for the small print. You would put a 40-page document in front of him and he would digest it at speed, grasping its nuances, and file away what was essential into the right folder in his mind, and those facts would re-emerge in some heated meeting, proof of the supercomputer nature of his mind.Mr. Dalmiya¹s brain was razor-sharp, studying and absorbing an issue from all angles, requiring very little of what business tycoons refer to as ‘briefing’. In many ways he combined the qualities of a seasoned lawyer and a successful surgeon: firm, decisive, driven and determined. He succeeded, I believe, because he just refused to accept failure – that was never an option.He kept a punishing daily schedule that started with work from his Shakespeare Sarani corporate office before lunch with the afternoons spent in his CAB office from where he would work late into the night, leaving for his residence in Alipore only when all business on hand was settled.Despite his multiple roles, Mr. Dalmiya never rushed; like a good batsman he had time, was always prepared and, in a way, was waiting for the ball to come to come to him. In meetings, I observed, he was always ahead of the game, and as others flipped through papers at the last minute, Jagmohan was relaxed, having done his homework in advance. With his business background he had an instinctive feel for numbers and nobody negotiated better than him, pulling off deals that others thought did not exist, extracting value higher than marketing wizards would have dreamt of. Whichever way you look at him one thing was certain: he meant business. He was Field marshal and foot soldier rolled into one, a leader who was willing to put in the hours.At a personal level he genuinely, passionately loved cricket. This was part of his DNA, and he was a deeply proud, self-respecting individual who knew who his friends were and also knew how to maintain friendhips. To me he was a large-hearted, caring elder, someone I could go to and freely express my opinion. He always gave me a hearing, often spurned my advice, but I knew I enjoyed his trust and had the liberty to speak my mind. Mr. Dalmiya had a presence when he walked into a room, a giant through his accomplishments in cricket, who dominated people around him.At times like these, moments like this, it is fashionable to say that the person just departed will be missed. In this instance, it is completely correct. Tigers like Jagmohan Dalmiya are a rare breed.