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The second of our four-part series of statistical analysis on the 2012 County Championship

David Hopps and Neville Scott06-Nov-2012Ashley Giles’ success in coaching Warwickshire to the Championship title was all the more noteworthy because the county had the lowest reliance upon cricketers who had learned their cricket overseas.The revelation comes in the second part of Neville Scott’s statistical analysis of the 2012 County Championship season, undertaken exclusively for ESPNcricinfo.Before the 18 first-class counties shred their close-season lists of potential overseas signings, it should be pointed out that Warwickshire’s record of fielding only 17% of players whose formative cricketing experience was overseas is equalled by Lancashire – and they were relegated after winning the Championship the previous year.Nevertheless, the impression that Warwickshire are a squad with a strong sense of tradition and togetherness is amplified by the data provided by Scott, a freelance cricket writer and keen analyst of the county game.The shock unearthed by Scott’s study concerns Middlesex, who over the course of the 2012 season fielded a staggering 52% of players who had not learned their cricket in England – nearly 20% more than any other county.As tenants at Lord’s, Middlesex play in an atmosphere parading English cricketing tradition yet their modern-day failure to produce their own players – a concern that their managing director of cricket, Angus Fraser, is bent on addressing – suggests there is a growing difficulty producing cricketers in London as grounds disappear and other interests take hold. Perhaps also the study reflects the nature of London life.But Fraser is also proud of the number of England players his county has produced in the time he has been with the county, first as a player and then as director of cricket. Many of those players who this survey shows did not have their formative cricketing education in England go on to qualify for – and represent – England.

CountyO/SOthers%1 Warwickshire13 (1)17 (3)17.052 Somerset8.5 (2)47 (5)31.533 Middlesex16 (1)76(8)52.274 Sussex15 (1)44 (5)33.525 Nottinghamshire9 (1)38(3)26.706 Durham0 (0)46.5 (7)28.187 Surrey12 (2)26 (3)23.038 Lancashire15 (1)15 (2)17.059 Worcestershire15 (2)17 (2)18.1810 Derbyshire15 (2)31 (3)26.1411 Yorkshire2 (1)34 (3)20.4512 Kent16 (1)17 (2)18.7513 Hampshire15 (1)29 (4)25.0014 Essex12 (2)24 (3)20.4515 Glamorgan13 (2)27 (2)24.2416 Leicestershire14 (1)29 (4)24.4317 Northamptonshire6 (1)27 (3)18.7518 Gloucestershire11 (3)25 (3)21.82O/S = official overseas players; Others = those whose formative cricket education (pre-16) was abroad. Table shows number of such players, in brackets, and their combined appearances. % = Percentage of total appearances by all imports. 0.5 = International players, and their replacements, involved in only part of a match. In all, 25 official overseas players and 65 others made 24.87% of appearances.Middlesex’s reliance upon imported talent is abundantly clear. Although foreign players were responsible for only 17% of their wickets, they scored more than 62% of their runs, with the Australian duo of Chris Rogers and Sam Robson leading the way. When it comes to cricketers produced outside of England taking wickets, Somerset are most reliant on imports, who were responsible for nearly 51% of their bowling successes.A total reliance on homegrown bowlers was not a route to success in 2012. Lancashire were scrupulously English, Worcestershire almost as much; both were relegated.For much of first-class cricket’s history, Yorkshire’s policy of fielding only players born within the county boundary gave them bragging rights when it came to the topic of homegrown players and the county still provides more professionals throughout the 18 first-class clubs than any other.That Yorkshire-only policy ended when Michael Vaughan, born in Lancashire but whose cricketing education was in Sheffield, signed an Academy contract for £80 a week in 1991. Sachin Tendulkar, then a 19-year-old Indian prodigy, soon followed as Yorkshire’s first overseas player as the county changed tack to reverse years of decline.As Yorkshire were promoted, at the first attempt, from Championship Division Two in 2012, the percentage of players whose formative cricketing education was outside the country was more than 20% – with five counties fielding a greater proportion of English-developed players. One of them, strikingly, was Northamptonshire, who belied their reputation as a repository for overseas players.

Official overseasOthersTotal%run%wkt%run%wkt%run%wktDivision OneWarwickshire3.2220.0812.460.7915.6820.87Somerset1.7219.6134.8830.9836.6050.59Middlesex16.280.0045.9817.0562.2517.05Sussex6.1324.5726.6218.5332.7543.10Nottinghamshire4.840.4627.7525.4632.5925.93Durham0.000.0027.2322.6527.2322.65Surrey5.3213.9222.129.2827.4323.20Lancashire18.590.006.900.0025.490.00Worcestershire16.920.0011.570.9728.490.97Division TwoDerbyshire16.910.0019.0717.8035.9817.80Yorkshire0.493.7824.760.0024.763.78Kent14.561.9111.640.9526.212.86Hampshire12.040.8819.7714.5431.8015.42Essex5.446.4010.6215.2716.0521.67Glamorgan11.239.4526.7918.9138.0228.86Leicestershire14.900.008.7330.1723.6330.17Northamptonshire0.303.3317.0720.5617.3723.89Gloucestershire10.876.2817.0114.6627.8920.94Official = designated overseas players; Others = players whose cricket education (pre-16) was abroad; % = percentage of a county’s runs from the bat and of wickets by bowlers supplied by such imports.Tomorrow: In the third of Neville Scott’s four studies of the county season, ESPNcricinfo reveals why the adage of “win the toss and bat” was not the way to succeed in 2012; and we also reveal the county that possessed the least-successful bowling attack in the land.

Uncertainty surrounds Angelo Mathews’ prospects of succeeding Mahela Jayawardene as Sri Lanka captain in all three formats

Andrew Fernando25-Jan-2013Two weeks ago, Angelo Mathews may have thought that Saturday’s Twenty20 international at the Sydney Cricket Ground would effectively be his first match as Sri Lanka’s captain in all formats. He might have dreamed of building his team in the coming years and made mental notes about how each young talent should be fostered. Perhaps he even looked forward to the Bangladesh tour in March as an opportunity to find his feet at the helm and begin shaping a side consistent with his ideals, attitude and identity. He will likely have to wait. The top brass at home have all but confirmed Mathews will not be entrusted with the Test captaincy.So embroiled is Sri Lanka’s politics in its cricket that before the selection panel who will choose the new captain has even been appointed, the sports minister has already declared that Sri Lanka will have a separate captain for Tests. As the minister appoints the selectors and authorises each team they name, there is little cause to doubt him on that. There is a chance too, that Sanath Jayasuriya, who is also part of Sri Lanka’s government, will be a selector, and perhaps their chairman.Through all this the minister has also voiced his discontent with players who “hug all three formats of the game” and called for three distinct teams for each format. Mahela Jayawardene’s souring relationship with SLC was played out in the papers in last month’s leaked letter saga, and his Test place now seems less secure than his form and record warrants. He had quit the captaincy with the intention of mentoring his long-term replacement but neither the man he expected to take the reins nor Jayawardene himself may be positioned in the way he had imagined in the months to come.It is amid all this uncertainty that Mathews must now pursue his first victory as captain. The two Twenty20s are almost a post-script at the end of a long tour but there is still plenty on the line for Sri Lanka, not just in terms of results but also in how Mathews comes off as a leader.A 2-0 victory would give Sri Lanka some consolation after a difficult tour. They were woeful in the Tests and failed to close out the one-day series and will be desperate to leave Australia with at least one trophy of their own. The bowlers in particular have played some excellent cricket in the past two weeks, and they will feel a shared ODI series was not a just reward for their efforts. Sri Lanka will be playing to keep the No. 1 ranking they earned at the World Twenty20 as well, and need at least a drawn series to hold on to it.For Mathews, the Twenty20s are about showcasing his capacity for leadership. His nerveless navigation of difficult ODI chases has made his stoicism plain but there is still immaturity about his game and, increasingly, the air of unfulfilled promise. It is perhaps why, two years after he was initially considered for the captaincy, there is still widespread hesitance about the prospect of him taking the reins. There is no doubt that he has the unequivocal support of the side’s seniors and the respect of the younger group as well, but his own game has not progressed rapidly enough to announce his readiness for the added burden. Each time he walks to the crease in Tests, he also drags an ever-worsening conversion rate behind him.Tactically, he is also something of a mystery. Rarely in his 20 months as vice-captain has he been seen weighing in on on-field decisions, and although he led his Sri Lanka Premier League squad to the final of that competition, he was blessed with one of the best attacks in the tournament who struck form early in their campaign. He does, however, deserve credit for coaxing good cricket out of them.A 2-0 victory in the Twenty20s is unlikely to be enough to change the minds of the men who call the shots in Sri Lanka’s cricket, but for Mathews it would be a decent start as he builds a case for the Test captaincy. He won Sri Lankan hearts as a youngster with a single innings at the MCG in 2010, but if he is to earn respect as a leader, it must come through consistency over time, with positive results for the team, as well as with the bat.

Why West Indies’ World Twenty20 win was mucho bizarro

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013The 2012 World Twenty20 final will go down in the annals of cricket as one of the oddest matches in the game’s history. Glorious, but odd. A magnificent triumph for a West Indies team that had comfortably avoided magnificent triumphs for most of the last decade and a half. But still odd. Few textbooks on How To Win T20 Matches would suggest not scoring a run off the bat in the first 16 balls of the match, or advocate the tactical merits of being 14 for 2 at the end of the six-over Powerplay, or sagely stroke their chin before strongly advising hitting only one boundary in the first 11 overs whilst limiting your score to 38 for 2.Fortunately for West Indies, they had access to the only copy of that book, and followed its masterful strategy to perfection. Even after Marlon Samuels’ startlingly brilliant outbreak, during which he hit Lasith Malinga – a bowler rated by no less a source than the renowned cricket website and source of all truth and knowledge, ESPNcricinfo, as the most effective bowler over the history of the IPL ‒ for five sixes and a four in eight balls, they still posted a score of just 137.The West Indian bowlers had been the least economical of any of the Super Eight teams until the semi-final stage (conceding almost eight runs per over), and they had never beaten Sri Lanka in a T20 international. In all T20Is between the top eight international teams, teams defending a first-innings score of between 130 and 149 had won just 12 of 41 matches, and on the ten occasions on which they had tried to defend a score of under 150 in a T20I, they had won only two, tied two, and lost six, the most recent of those defeats being when the same Sri Lanka side they now faced chased down 130 with nine wickets and almost five overs to spare just eight days earlier. And by chased down, I mean chased down in the manner that a police motorcyclist chases down an escaped tortoise on a pensioner’s mobility scooter.It was, therefore, a surprise that West Indies won. And an eyebrow-singeing surprise that they ultimately won at a canter. Having taken 19 wickets in their first five matches, in both the semi-final and final they bowled out their opposition in under 20 overs. If the success of Sunil Narine was not unexpected, the other lynchpins of the Caribbean constriction of the Sri Lankan batsmen had been keeping their economical run-saving powder drier than the Atacama Desert through the rest of the tournament.Captain Darren Sammy, who had taken 2 for 125 in his 15 overs in the tournament, took 2 for 6 in two overs in the heart of Sri Lanka’s innings in the final. Samuels had bowled eight overs in the first six games of the tournament – and taken a less than frugal 2 for 93 (2 for 110 from nine, if you include his almost-tournament-ending Super Over against New Zealand). In the final, he took 1 for 15 from 4. And conceded zero boundaries – those other nine overs had been spanked for ten fours and five sixes.This was a match that left the cricketing world’s flabber well and truly gasted. The most devastating T20 batsman in the world scored 3 off 16 balls. The format’s most devastating fast bowler took 0 for 54 in 4 overs. It all ended with Caribbean cricketers doing a South Korean dance. (Until Sunday’s final, the only appearance of “gangnam” on a cricket ground had been the noise Mike Gatting used to make when chomping into a particularly appetising chicken sandwich.)One of T20’s weaknesses as a format is that there can be a lack of narrative variety from one match to the next. This final had an unexpected destination, and arrived there via a completely baffling route, as if someone had spilt scalding hot chocolate over its cricketing GPS and said: “Right, fire her up and let’s see where this takes us.”It was a grand climax to a tournament, which, after a week of phoney-war group matches, provided a ten-day frenzy of drama. A World Twenty20 has that rarest of all sporting commodities – rarity. It happens for two and a half weeks every two years, and is the only international T20 that anyone (a) takes any notice of, or (b) genuinely cares about, and is the only T20 cricket where the teams have any meaningful identity. Even if you are not especially enamoured of the T20 format itself, these factors, plus the unpredictability of the results T20 generates in any given match, allied to the format of the tournament, combine to create a heady cocktail that has rapidly become one of the highlights of the world cricket schedule.● Why did West Indies triumph? Because ‒ and only because ‒ they followed the blueprint for World Twenty20 success, outlined in my podcast at the start of the tournament. They started badly. Perfectly badly. This historically flawless campaign strategy was established by India in 2007, and successfully mimicked by Pakistan two years later and by England in 2010.This time, Sammy’s men won only one of their first five matches – in their two rain-shortened group matches, they lost to Australia, and had to settle for a no-result against Ireland, then, in the Super Eight phase, beat England, were obliterated by Sri Lanka, and tied with New Zealand. It was a textbook, beautifully orchestrated campaign, involving doing as little as possible to reach the knockout stages, to the extent that they only squeaked into the semi-finals courtesy of Tim Southee’s “Oh Whoops” Super Over.The trophy was now inevitably theirs. They wrapped it up clouting the two teams who had foolishly dominated the early stages, and who had both beaten West Indies by nine wickets, stupidly rendering their own eventual demise utterly unavoidable. The group stages in Bangladesh in 2014 should be fascinating. And Southee has taken his place alongside the likes of Ambrose, Marshall, Holding and Wes Hall as one of the most important bowlers in West Indies history.● Marlon Samuels would be a contender for the 2012 World Cricketer of The Year award, if the 2012 World Cricketer of The Year award had not already been awarded in September, with three and a half months of year 2012 still in the pipeline, including a major international tournament.His Test performances against England and New Zealand were of classical elan, and some of the purest off-side strokeplay anyone could dream of seeing. He played with explosive power in the World Twenty20, and his innings in the final was one of the most influential in any major limited-overs match. When he was out for 78 off 56 (including 52 off the last 19 balls he faced), the rest of his team had scored 26 for 5 off 47. The next highest score in the match was Jayawardene’s 33, and the 31-year-old Jamaican scored more than the other ten Sri Lankans put together, whilst sweetly clobbering six of the eight sixes in the match. It was one of the great modern innings. What was he doing in his 20s?● A quick stat. Samuels’ innings was the 58th score of 70 or more in the first innings of a T20 International. Forty-six of those scores have resulted in wins (plus one in a tie, and 11 in defeat) – an 84% win rate. Twenty of the 30 scores of 70-plus in the second innings of T20Is have ended in victory (67%). Sixty-five per cent of first-innings fifties have ended in victory in T20Is; also, 65% of first-innings 70s in ODIs since 2005 have contributed to a win. So, in summary, scoring 70 or more in the first innings of an ODI is a good idea. Especially if your team-mates are going to score only 54 other runs between them.

A Pakistani superman, a Pakistani Panesar and Shahid Afridi lookalikes – the action was happening off the field at Birmingham

Abid Raza11-Jun-2013Choice of game
Taking an early lunch break on 6th May, I was bitterly disappointed to find that online tickets for the biggest game of the Champions Trophy had been sold out within two hours. But I did manage the next big thing – Pakistan v South Africa. After defeats for both in their respective opening games, this was a veritable do-or-die match.Team supported
The earliest memory that I have of my childhood is of my brother jumping off the sofa and landing on the glass table in front and shattering it when Miandad hit six in Sharjah. Ever since, it’s been Team Pakistan for me all the way.Key Performer
In my opinion Ryan McLaren clearly stole the show. In the absence of Dale Steyn and Albie Morkel, I thought the Saffers would have no steam upfront, but Mclaren put paid to such hopes. His return in the batting Powerplay, when Misbah-ul-Haq was shuffling restlessly in his crease to break free, ensured Pakistan wouldn’t pull off a late charge.One thing I’d have changed
Nasir Jamshed’s untimely dismissal. Misbah joined Jamshed at the fall of Shoaib Malik’s wicket and after a few careful overs, both began to middle the ball. Jamshed was looking especially good in his knock of 42. His mishit came at a crucial time in Pakistan’s chase and left Misbah a mountain too high to climb.Face-off I relished
Amla v Ajmal – two colossi of the modern game squaring off in a classic battle. Following a bit of cat and mouse gameplay, Amla went after Ajmal with some reverse-sweeps. Finally, Ajmal had the last laugh when he induced a false shot to deny Amla a well-deserved century.Wow moment
Misbah’s acrobatic catch late in Saffers’ innings was unbelievable. He had already had a splendid day in the field, saving a number of runs, and effecting two run-outs as well. But his blinder to dismiss David Miller off Junaid Khan’s bowling was simply amazing. Seeing a 39 year-old leaping to intercept, and pouching it with both hands was priceless.Shot of the day
For me this was AB de Villiers’ effortless flick off Malik for a six in his first over. For the first time ever, I almost touched an international cricket ball as it fell a few inches short of my out outstretched hands. If this was a fairytale I might have caught AB and lived to tell the tale. Alas, that was not to be.Crowd
Even crowds in Karachi and Peshawar are not as partisan as they were here in Edgbaston. Every wicket taken, every run scored and even Wahab Riaz’s glares at the batsman were greeted with deafening noise. Being in the same spectators block as Cricket meant a whole day of chanting and dancing to the tunes of ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’. We were the originators of a number of Mexican waves that were consistently doing the rounds. This kept us entertained even when the Pakistani batsmen were inducing major yawns in the crowd.Fancy dress index
Edgbaston was painted green today. A sea of Pakistani fans turned up in various interesting looks, in dresses to show their unmistakable affiliation. There was a Pakistani superman, a Pakistani Panesar and Shahid Afridi lookalikes.Entertainment
The party atmosphere was amplified by the official drummers all around the ground. Every wicket and every six was followed by heart-pounding drumming. It really knocked our socks off.Banner of the day:
A banner which at the start of the match read ‘V R Ready India’ turned to ‘V R Not ready India’ by the end of this woeful day for Pakistan.Overall
For me this was a great ODI experience. The wonderful venue, boisterous crowd and some quality cricket gave us much to cheer about. However the sad end to the Pakistan innings did dampen my enthusiasm, which is why I will award this game 7 out of 10. Too bad I chose the wrong game to bring the Mrs. along to make her a convert. Never mind, may be next time.

England’s squad looks impressive – especially when it comes to the height of their quick bowlers – but they are gambling on their plans working perfectly and have ignored some compelling domestic form

George Dobell23-Sep-2013The inclusion of Gary Ballance may delight headline writers, but it is the somewhat ironic lack of balance in the Ashes squad that may come back to haunt England.Size is everything in this squad. The inclusion of four tall, strong seamers – Chris Tremlett, Boyd Rankin, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn – underlines the preference of the current England management for bowlers of such characteristics above all other considerations. England are in the age of the giant fast bowler.There is some logic in the policy. On Australian pitches expected to offer more pace and bounce than those seen in the Ashes series in England, such bowlers could prove a handful. The limitations of traditional English seam or swing bowlers can sometimes be exposed on such surfaces.But there is no obvious Plan B available in this England squad. If James Anderson is injured – and the thought of it should be enough to send shivers down the spine of any England supporter – the England seam attack will have the subtly of a sledgehammer. Height, pace and bounce are valuable attributes, but they are not the only attributes and the inclusion of Rankin and Tremlett et al. looks like too much of a good thing.It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the selectors no longer have much regard for performances at county level. If they did, Graham Onions – who has taken 143 first-class wickets at an average of 18.39 in the last two seasons – would have been an automatic selection. Instead they have opted for Tremlett, who has been selected more due to memories of his performances in Australia in 2010-11 than any recent success, and Rankin, who is bowling with menace but has taken one five-wicket haul since May 2011. Onions, by contrast, has taken five this season.It is not hard to understand Onions’ disappointment. Indeed, writing on Twitter, he said “Disappointed is an understatement, absolutely gutted.”Onions has been, without question, the best English-qualified seamer in county cricket over the last couple of years. While it is true that pitches at his home ground in Durham offer more assistance than any England are likely to find in Australia, he has also taken wickets away from home. In Durham’s last two away Championship games, Onions claimed match-figures of 9 for 85 in Derby, which is generally one of the best wickets in the country, and first-innings figures of 7 for 62 at Lord’s. His qualities – accuracy and movement – are timeless, yet it seems they are outdated to the current England management.Being an England fast bowler is a big job these days•Getty ImagesWhile the selectors have ignored Onions’ excellent domestic record, they have also overlooked Michael Carberry’s modest form. Carberry, who has scored one Championship century in two seasons of Division Two cricket, has been preferred to Nick Compton, who has scored six Division One centuries and two more in Test cricket in the same period and is more than two-years younger. Character has, in Carberry’s case, been deemed more important than achievement.None of this means the selectors are wrong. They may well have identified skills that will be useful in Australia and ignored accomplishments that they feel are less relevant. But it is intriguing that the England management seem to have deemed, rightly or wrongly, the Compton experiment – that is the experiment of calling up a player from outside the youth teams or Lions programme on the back of excellent performances in county cricket – a failure. It may well be that they are reluctant to trust county performances again. It is a dangerous road down which to venture.The selection of Ben Stokes ahead of Chris Woakes for the allrounder’s position might be seen in the same way. While Woakes’ first-class record – a batting average of 38.04 and a bowling average of 25.91 – is a little better than Stokes’ – 36.23 and 27.19 respectively – the selectors have again decided that the latter’s extra pace will render him more dangerous at Test level. It is, in general, a reasonable assumption, though it is worth recalling the success of Chaminda Vaas, Vernon Philander and Terry Alderman. You might even question whether Anderson, if he was six or seven years younger, would be considered by this England regime.Ballance’s first-class record is excellent and his selection quite reasonable. He has a career average well in excess of 50 in both List A and first-class cricket and scored back-to-back centuries for England Lions against Australia and Bangladesh A only a month ago. He does not look the fittest but, aged 23, has time to improve that aspect of his game and has to be considered a genuine candidate to bat at No. 6 in the first Test at Brisbane.It is also worth noting that none of the three uncapped players were born in England or Wales. While there is nothing wrong in England utilising all available options and, as result of a variety of historical issues, they have more options than most, it is intriguing that players whose initial development occurred outside England and Wales seem to thrive disproportionately and raises questions about the English system that it would be sensible to reflect upon. To be fair, suggesting that Stokes – born in New Zealand but as much a product of the north-east as Steve Harmison or Paul Collingwood – is anything other than home-grown would be stretching a point.This is a squad that should be good enough to retain the Ashes. Australia are still in the early stages of their rebuilding operation and nine of the England XI for the first Test in Brisbane are likely to have been regular members of the team that won the series in England 3-0.But questions remain about England’s bench strength. Should injury befall either of England two key bowlers – Graeme Swann or Anderson – the gap between the sides will narrow substantially.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the sixth ODI between India and Australia

Sidharth Monga30-Oct-2013The no-ball
In the 10th over of the Australian innings, Umpire Nigel Llong no-balled Mohammed Shami, who couldn’t believe it at all. Llong didn’t signal for a free hit either. Turned out the short mid-on, Suresh Raina, had his left foot on the pitch. The umpires wouldn’t be as alert on the front foot later in the day, but they had replays to help them there.The no-ball, part II
In the 17th over of the day, Shane Watson went slogging at Ravindra Jadeja, and edged him to point. Umpire S Ravi, though, asked Watson to wait. Even as Watson shook his head at the poor shot he had played, the replays showed Jadeja had indeed bowled a no-ball. He landed on his toe, his heel was in the air, but had you drawn a straight line from his heel to the ground, it would have landed on the crease, and not behind it. How this would haunt India.The no-ball, part III
In the last over of the Australian innings, that man Jadeja was at it again. Immediately after getting George Bailey caught at long-off, Jadeja thought he had his 100th ODI wicket through a low return catch. However, Adam Voges, the batsman, stayed back to make sure the catch was clean. Satisfied Jadeja had taken the catch, Voges began to walk off only to be pleasantly surprised. This turned out to be an even bigger no-ball than Jadeja’s previous one.The hoick
Aaron Finch’s berating of himself as he walked back said it all. He had got off to a good start when R Ashwin came on to bowl the 12th over. From round the stumps Ashwin delivered, and for some reason Finch jumped out of the crease and heaved across the line, and down the wrong line. He had a fallen off stump to show for his efforts.The dig
In the third over of the chase, Mitchell Johnson speared in a near-perfect yorker into Shikhar Dhawan’s toes. The batsman’s reaction was to get his toes out of the way, but the bat came down so beautifully he timed it for three runs past midwicket.

A combination of having seen Mitchell Johnson destroy South Africa in the first Test, then his team-mate Morne Morkel bowl the speed of light early in the Port Elizabeth Test was just the motivation Dale Steyn needed

Firdose Moonda27-Feb-2014For a game still often associated with the genteel, cricket can be quite the opposite. On one side of a white picket fence people can sit sipping tea, on the other a man can, as Dale Steyn has put it in the past, “basically kill someone legally.” Not too many are interested in the first but in this series everyone is talking about the second.The South African and Australian attacks and their two spearheads have been a microcosm for the series so far and the Mitchell Johnson-Dale Steyn contest is still wide open.At Centurion Park, it was all Johnson. The flames from the Ashes had barely had time to cool down when he reignited them and sent the flares South Africa’s way. An off-colour Steyn could only look on with self-confessed envy.”I wasn’t feeling very well but I got through that game and thought I did okay. I got the wickets that I wanted but I was nowhere near as effective as Mitchell was,” Steyn admitted. “The guy just tore us up. He showed that when a bowler is in a purple patch how devastating he can really be. It was something to try and copy, I guess.”But when Steyn got to St George’s Park, he was not greeted with a green-tinged pitch which offered variable bounce. Instead, what lay before him was a sluggish surface on which the ball could barely carry through to the wicketkeeper. On that dead pitch, he saw only one person draw life from it in the first innings. “Morne Morkel bowled extremely well. On a flat wicket, he was basically taking people’s heads off. It’s a different Morne to what we are used to,” Steyn said.The battle lines were being drafted along unexpected parameters. Instead of Johnson versus Steyn, it seemed it would be Johnson versus Morkel. Steyn could not help feeling a little left out. “It’s great to watch fast bowling like that, but it’s difficult. Sometimes you watch guys bowling at 150kph like Morne was, and it’s something that you want to replicate,” he said. “I want to do that myself. I want to lead the attack and I want to bowl 150kph but you just can’t do it sometimes. Sometimes, you push your body and you can’t, and often when you push too hard you bowl a lot slower than you want to bowl.”That may have been what fuelled Steyn’s fire; the one Graeme Smith described as going from “very angry to extremely angry,” but Steyn played down the rage factor. Overall, he said, he just tries to up his concentration, even if looks a little like a stage act from the outside. “I’m not really angry, it’s more like focused aggression,” he said.With Steyn seething, even if he did not say so himself, and South Africa aging the ball quickly (and legally), his main weapon was being sharpened. Reverse swing plus a pumped-up Steyn and South Africa did not need much else. “I’ve got to be in that state of mind to be able to produce spells like that. If I was running in thinking of cuddly bears, I would be dishing out half volleys and hamburgers for guys to smash,” he said. “I’ve got to get myself into a fight – not necessarily go down and abuse the batsmen on the other end but I’ve got to get my body ready for a fight.”

I’ve got to be in that state of mind to be able to produce spells like that. If I was running in thinking of cuddly bears, I would be dishing out half volleys and hamburgers for guys to smash

He started winning the fight when he had Michael Clarke caught at second slip and brought out the chainsaw in celebration. It was vicious, it was violent and it looked a little manic, but that’s Dale Steyn. “I feel like when I am doing that I have these expression on my face and my veins are popping out and my celebrations – that’s when I am performing at my best,” he said. “It’s a little bit embarrassing when I am watching it on the news, but when I am doing it I am producing results.”With the next ball, Steven Smith was out lbw and the two overs later Brad Haddin was beaten by what may be remembered as the ball of the match. It dipped in and swung late to crack his middle stump in two. “When the ball is reversing like that, you can get anyone out,” Steyn said. “If you’re not moving your feet and you’re not ready for what’s coming, it’s going to get you out.”Australia are trying to get ready for a repeat by preparing for reverse-swing in Cape Town. Their bowlers roughed up a practice ball on concrete during Thursday’s practice session to try and generate as much reverse as possible and give the batsmen practice ahead of the series-decider. “They probably should have done that before the game in PE,” Steyn joked.”You have to prepare. I think that’s what happened to us at SuperSport Park. We knew what was coming but once we faced it – the short balls and the aggression – once we knew what it was about, we could prepare better for it. They’ve had two Tests against us, they know what we are about so they’ll be a lot more prepared for this Test.”With the dress rehearsals over and both sides equally well acquainted with each other’s strengths, it is set for an almighty showdown from Saturday. Steyn expects the finale to live up to the hype. “It’s crazy. There’s a lot of things to take into consideration. We’ve got a World Twenty20 around the corner, we’ve got tours coming up, there’s IPL, there’s this, there’s that and here in the middle of it, we’ve played two Tests and we are 1-1 and we are here to fight it all out,” he said.”It’s pretty crazy and it’s exciting all at the same time. And it goes too quickly. PE has come and gone. Those feelings are finished but they are great feelings. When you win, it’s amazing. That inspires you to try and have that feeling again. Hopefully, in a couple of days time when the last ball is bowled here at Newlands we can have those feelings over again because that is what we live for and play cricket for.” And what everyone wants to watch.

England’s most flamboyant batsman played an innings that showcased his less-obvious qualities and was more reminiscent of the man whose run tally he surpassed on day one in Melbourne

George Dobell at the MCG26-Dec-20130:00

Can Jonny Bairstow make the grade?

It was ironic that, on the day Kevin Pietersen surpassed Geoff Boycott’s Test run tally, he should provide a more than passable imitation of England’s famously patient batsman.Boycott, whose concentration and denial helped him to 8114 Test runs, had labelled the altogether more aggressive Pietersen a “mug” for the manner of his dismissals in this series and called for him to be dropped ahead of this game.But while Pietersen’s team-mates again struggled to withstand another wonderfully disciplined display from the Australian attack, Pietersen resisted for nearly 60 overs to help England bat throughout the day and retain modest hopes of registering a competitive first-innings total.While the rest of the top-order had their technical or temperamental flaws exposed, Pietersen showcased his less obvious qualities: his desire, his application and his determination. Without his contribution, England might well have been bowled out for under 200 in their first innings for the third time in the series.Only three men – Graham Gooch, Alec Stewart and David Gower – have now scored more Test runs for England than Pietersen and none have an average as high. He also surpassed Boycott’s run tally in 15 fewer innings. With such statistics, it is understandable that Pietersen might scratch his head and wonder why he receives so much criticism.This might, at first glance, have appeared an out of character innings. He scored well below his career strike-rate – 44 compared to 62 over his career – and found the boundary only five times (four fours and one six) in 152 balls at the crease. He resisted being drawn into strokes outside the off stump – he has scored only 19 of his runs on the off side – he did not take the bait offered by Nathan Lyon to hit the ball in the air and, though most of his runs came off his legs, he generally played straight and waited for the poor ball. He sometimes had to wait a very long time.But in reality, Pietersen has batted in similar fashion for most of this series. The manner of his dismissals – he has tended to be dismissed as a result of somewhat flamboyant strokes – may have given another impression, but he has scored his runs at a rate of only 49 per 100 balls and has battled long and hard for the few runs he has scored. Against an impressively tight attack and on a relatively sluggish pitch and outfield, it is not surprising that his run-rate dropped a little further.The main difference between this innings and those earlier in the series was simply fortune. Here, Pietersen, frustrated by the tight bowling and looking to relieve the pressure, was reprieved twice after aggressive strokes offered catching opportunities; on other occasions his momentary loss of concentration has proved more damaging.It would be easy to say that England were overly cautious. Easy and largely unfair. The truth is Australia bowled exceptionally well and England, in showing the application that has not always been obvious in this series, were forced to proceed with caution. Indeed, a strong case could be made to suggest they should have been more cautious. Alastair Cook and Joe Root were both lured into playing at balls they could have left.

When he plays his natural game, he is being reckless, but when he grinds out runs, he is surrendering the initiative. It really isn’t easy being KP.

It’s not hard to understand why Pietersen becomes frustrated with his critics. He can’t win: when he plays his natural, positive game, he is accused of being reckless and selfish, but when he reins himself in and grinds out runs, he is accused of surrendering the initiative. It really isn’t easy being KP.The most revealing moment of Pietersen’s innings might not have been his battle with a bowler as much as his battle with nausea. Moments after having been dropped for the second time, the result of a fierce pull that George Bailey was unable to cling on to at midwicket, Pietersen held up play for several minutes to call for a drink of water after appearing to retch just feet away from the pitch.Kevin Pietersen grafted out a score on the opening day in Melbourne•Getty ImagesPerhaps Pietersen really was unwell. Perhaps he had swallowed one of the many flies that are in Melbourne at present. The insect does not feature in England’s tour dietary guide, after all.But it may well have been that Pietersen needed to prove to himself that his rash stroke was not simply an error of judgement. Like a boxer convincing themselves of their invincibility, Pietersen may have required such a tactic in order to convince himself – and, perhaps, the record-breaking crowd – that the momentary loss of concentration was not entirely his fault. He may have required such a tactic to find the renewed energy and belief for the struggle that confronted him. Either way, he soon recovered.”He wasn’t at his most fluent,” Ian Bell, England’s new vice-captain now Matt Prior has been dropped, said afterwards. “But it’s great to see him scrap it out. The intent is always to score runs and put pressure on the bowlers. But Australia were very good and runs weren’t the easiest.”He is still there in the morning and if he has a good couple of hours then things can change very quickly. If you could choose one guy to go out there in the morning and get us to a competitive score, it would be him.”But it’s disappointing that most of our top six have made starts and not gone on. That’s been a trend for a while now.”It’s massively frustrating. As a batter, you can take it when you’re knocked over early as that can happen to anyone. But when you get in and you’ve done the hard work and then get out, it hurts a lot more. That’s the time you should kick-on. It’s been a habit for a while now and we need to score big runs.”Partly due to his dedication and partly due to some fortune, Pietersen survives to see England into day two. He will never win over all his critics but here, at least, his determination and desire to fight for the team cause could not be doubted.

Herschelle Gibbs on the infamous tag, the 438 match, playing golf with Viv, Tiger and Ronaldo, and his football World Cup predictions

Interview by Richard Sydenham21-Jun-2014What have you enjoyed most about being out of international cricket?
Not doing warm-ups every other day. The playing side of things was lovely but once players give up international cricket, most are quite happy to not have to do the warm-ups every day.What have you enjoyed the least about being out of international cricket?
I miss the buzz, the big crowds, the big stage, the big tournaments. You live for these things as an international player for so long, so when it’s not there any more, you miss it.Was there one thing you never got to do, individually, in your 90-Test and 248-ODI career that you would have loved to have done?
I wanted a Test triple-century – even a 250 would have been nice. But frankly I am happy with my two double-centuries (228 v Pakistan and 211 v New Zealand). I got bored at 200!How many times do you get asked about dropping Steve Waugh in the 1999 World Cup?
Happily not so much anymore, but on Twitter every now and again there will be a smart alec who will come up with that one, but fortunately it’s not very often now.And on that topic – did Waugh really say, “You’ve just dropped the World Cup?”
Adam Gilchrist told me that Steve Waugh didn’t say anything of the sort but he was quite happy to go along with that rumour!What did you enjoy the most – six sixes in a World Cup, or scoring 175 in a total of 438 to beat Australia?
Definitely the 175 against Australia; when I hit the six sixes, Sir Garfield Sobers had already done it, though not in international cricket, so it was nice to be the first in that sense. But from a purely enjoyment point of view, the 175 was probably on a day when my most complete talent was on display. It is satisfying when I think of the people that were there to see it and the people who saw it on TV. And to win the match also was the icing on top.Have you still got the bats from those innings?
I have never really been interested in keepsakes. The only thing I wanted was a World Cup winners’ medal. I gave the bat from the six sixes to Allan Lamb to auction but never heard any more. The only thing I have kept is my Proteas blazer. I have nothing else left.Who is the funniest cricketer you have ever met?
I would probably say Neil McKenzie. He is just a fantastic bloke, a great team man, and I’m sure the lads at Hampshire would agree with that. He is exceptionally funny. Very superstitious, but his humour is second to none.Who was the bowler you used to dread batting against?
I would say Shoaib Akhtar. Even though I enjoyed facing fast bowlers, his action made it really awkward. He wasn’t very nice to face at all – was awkward through the air and off the wicket. You couldn’t get any quicker than that. He always felt quicker than Brett Lee, though Lee was also as quick as hell, but his action was easier to track.And who was the bowler who made you think: “I hope this bloke doesn’t get taken off just yet?”
Daan van Bunge, obviously!I really took a liking to Mick Lewis in the 438 game. And because I scored a lot of runs against England I would probably say one of their guys but couldn’t possibly single one out!Who was the most uncomfortable to face in the nets: Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini or Dale Steyn?
I would probably say Allan Donald. I remember one of the first nets I had for South Africa in 1996. He hit me on the leg just below the thigh pad. I went down like a sack of potatoes and couldn’t walk for three days. I will never forget that day.Who is the one player you have shared a cricket field with and felt genuinely privileged to have done so?
Sir Vivian Richards, when playing for Lashings. Fortunately we were on the same team. Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting also, because they made everything look really easy. It’s almost like they were taking the mickey.Who was the one player you shared a dressing room with who you were proud to go into battle with?
Mark Boucher, because it felt like he was always putting his life on the line for the team.Does it annoy you that the media often labels South Africa as chokers, or do you think it has been justified down the years?
It has been justified. You can’t really stop the media from writing what they want and they have every right to call us chokers. In the 1999 World Cup semi-final, we should have won for sure. And in 2003 we underperformed. The fear of failure for a lot of the lads was the biggest issue. And it seems to have continued right up to this day.Was there a ground that always brought the best out in you?
I would mention two: The Oval and Wanderers, Johannesburg. I always seemed to score runs at The Oval and I played some fantastic innings at Wanderers. I remember my 143 against New Zealand in the 2003 World Cup, when I was in the form of my life. The coach, Eric Simons, said to me beforehand it would be nice if I could get a scratchy 50. That was his way of saying: “Don’t go all out blazing from the word go.” And I did scratch my way to 50 but went for it after that!Which country was your favourite tour?
Australia or West Indies. Beach every day in the Caribbean. From a physical point of view, when you play every day and can then go in the sea, you hardly ever get stiff. In Australia they love their cricket. It’s hard cricket but you get plenty of respect when you do well.We know you’re a keen golfer, so who would be your ideal four-ball companions?
Tiger Woods, Sir Viv Richards and Cristiano Ronaldo. They have been the best and to be with the best in the world as a sportsman would be the ultimate. I would love to share a few stories with these guys over a beer about their careers.Which team will win the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and who will they beat in the final?
This might shock a few but I feel the pressure will get to the South Americans. My last four would be Spain, Netherlands, Portugal – because of Ronaldo – and Germany. The winner could be any of those four.Is retirement from playing cricket close?
The hunger and passion is still there and I don’t want to call it quits simply because I didn’t have any opportunity anymore. But I still want to play and prove myself because I still love the game. There’s still plenty of runs in these old bones yet.

Plays of the day from Lahore Lions’ last league match against Perth Scorchers

Devashish Fuloria30-Sep-2014The jailbreak
Things had gone pear-shaped for Lahore Lions from the start. They had lost one of their key players, Ahmed Shehzad, to sickness, lost the crucial toss, lost Nasir Jamshed to the third ball of the afternoon, lost their other opener in the same over after a 43-minute rain break and showed no sign of recovery thereafter. At 11 for 4, things were looking rather bleak for Lions. That’s when Umar Akmal arrived and broke the shackles with successive boundaries off Yasir Arafat and finally got the innings in motion.The distraction
In the context of how low-scoring this match was, and the net run rate calculations that would determine whether or not they reached the semifinals, Lions would have welcomed the two extra runs. Saad Nasim flicked an Arafat delivery behind square on the leg side and it looked as if the fielder running in from deep square leg was set to cut it off. Just as he might have been looking to put in the dive, though, the fielder noticed the crane-mounted camera – it was a safe distance away – in his peripheral vision and stopped, covering his head, and let the ball slip through to the boundary.The field placement
Lahore Lions needed early wickets. They did not have the cushion of runs. The result: Test-match fields from the outset. As Mohammad Hafeez came in to bowl, he had a slip, a short leg and a silly point in place. And they were immediately into action. Hafeez got one to dart in from round the wicket and as Craig Simmons pushed outside the line, the thick inside edge was gobbled up by Umar Siddiq at short legThe howler
Sam Whiteman had walked to the crease at the fall of Simmons’ wicket and with close-in fields, he knew what to expect. Still, he made exactly the same mistake as Simmons had the previous ball, playing outside the line of an angled delivery from Hafeez. Simmons had been unlucky to be given out bat-pad though – the ball had not touched the bat at all. However, for Whiteman, there was a clear inside edge and Siddiq grabbed another smart catch at short leg. Lions had two wickets in two balls. Except umpire Rod Tucker completely missed it this time.