The 24-year-old recalled the moment in which Pochettino won over the squad at the Gold Cup, also talked future in Columbus
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The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket:
Steven Lynch09-Jan-2006The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket:
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Graeme Smith declared twice in the Sydney Test – and lost. Has this ever happened before? asked Johan van der Knaap from Pretoria
It has only happened once before – in 1967-68, when Garry Sobers of West Indies declared twice at Port-of-Spain, and ended up not only losing the match to England, but the series too. There’s a case for saying it also happened in the infamous match at Centurion in 1999-2000, when Hansie Cronje of South Africa earned himself a leather jacket by declaring his first innings and forfeiting the second in a bid to ensure a positive result against England. On 22 other occasions a captain has lost a Test match after declaring one of his innings. The most recent before the one at Sydney last week was in 2004, when West Indies declared their first innings of the third Test at Old Trafford, but ended up losing. For Andrew Miller’s recent piece on declarations that failed, click here.How many batsmen have scored a century in their 100th Test, as Ricky Ponting has just done? asked Belinda Green from Melbourne
Ricky Ponting was the sixth man to score a hundred in his 100th Test – but the first to make two. The first one to do it was also the first man to play a century of Tests – Colin Cowdrey, for England against Australia at Edgbaston in 1968. Since then the feat has also been achieved by Javed Miandad, Gordon Greenidge, Alec Stewart and Inzamam-ul-Haq, before Ponting joined the club at Sydney. For a full list, including the matches, click here.Jeetan Patel, New Zealand’s supersub, won the Man of the Match award in one of the ODIs against Sri Lanka last week. Is this the first time the supersub has won the award? asked Ross Simmonds
Patel did indeed do this in the match against Sri Lanka in Wellington last week. But it was another New Zealander who was the first supersub to win a Man of the Match award: Shane Bond, who took 6 for 19 after replacing Nathan Astle against Indiaat Bulawayo in August 2005.How many Tests and ODIs have India and Pakistan played, and what are the results? asked Ali Baig from Canada
Prior to the series which begins on Friday India and Pakistan had played 53 Test matches – Pakistan have won eleven and India eight, with 34 draws (12 of them in a row between 1952-53 and 1960-61). Of those, 23 have been played in Pakistan, who have won six to India’s two. The two countries have also contested 101 ODIs, of which Pakistan have won 62 and India 35, with four no-results. Of those, 20 have been in Pakistan, who lead 12-6 in wins with two no-results.Who threw the rugby ball to Glenn McGrath when he got injured at Edgbaston? asked Timmy Chambers
The unfortunate man who might just have turned the destiny of the Ashes shortly before last year’s dramatic Edgbaston Test was Australia’s reserve wicketkeeper. Glenn McGrath explained at the time: “I was just standing there with Brad Haddin. I turned to chase a ball, and my first step planted straight on top of a cricket ball that was on the ground. I’d seen them laid out earlier and thought how neat they looked – it was just one of those things … I knew before I hit the ground that I was out of the match.”I have a question that has bothered me for a long time. Can you tell me the name of the ocean liner that took Douglas Jardine’s famous “Bodyline” team to Australia? asked David O’Keeffe
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Just about the definitive account of that infamous 1932-33 tour is David Frith’s superb 2002 book Bodyline Autopsy, so I had a look in there. He says: “On Saturday, September 17, 1932, the English (MCC) team gathered on the deck of the Orient Line steamship Orontes to be introduced to the captain by their captain, DR Jardine.” The voyage took 31 days: the ship stopped at Gibraltar, Toulon, Naples, Port Said, Aden and Colombo before berthing in Fremantle, near Perth in Western Australia, for the start of what – until 2005 at least – was cricket’s most dramatic series.
Remember that Makhaya Ntini is a man who bowls his heart out for a living, and rides his lungs out on a mountain bike for fun. But, at the age of 28, he has made the startling discovery that he is, despite all previous suggestions to the contrary, mortal
Telford Vice08-Apr-2006
Justin Langer found out the hard way that Ntini had got his groove back © Getty Images
Whoever that was pretending to bowl on a sultry Durban afternoon in the second Test against Australia, it sure wasn’t Makhaya Ntini. Yes, he tore into his run with the same bracing relentlessness. Yes, his shoulders seemed cleared for take-off as he loped hurriedly back to his mark, which made him look like Makhaya Ntini. But he bowled like Shaun Pollock Lite.There was no snap, crackle nor pop in his deliveries, and the ball seemed to ooze towards the batsmen at a limp 120kph. A week later in the third Test at Jo’burg, Ntini bristled with his full array of weapons. The Aussies’ tendency to lapse into dead-rubber mode has to be factored in, but he deserved his figures of 10 for 178.What gives? Ntini’s body, that’s what.”He tweaked a hamstring (in the first Test) in Cape Town, and he was just feeling the effects,” said South African coach Mickey Arthur. There’s more to it than that. Consider that until a few months ago Ntini had never – not once, at any level of cricket – missed a match through injury. For any fast bowler of comparative age and experience, that is remarkable. For one who plays the game with the throttle as wide open as Ntini does, it shouldn’t be allowed.In fact, it isn’t allowed. Ntini discovered that in December, when injured tendons behind his left knee ruled him out of the Sydney Test and the entire VB Series. Everything changed.”He is back to full fitness, but there have been signs that his body is taking a bit of strain,” said Arthur. “He is on the physio’s table more than he has ever been before in his career.” According to Arthur, Ntini’s enforced absence from the field is also part of the reason that he has roared through the second half of the summer. This is a man who bowls his heart out for a living, and rides his lungs out on a mountain bike for fun “I think his success comes down in large part to the fact that he had two months off when he left the tour of Australia because of that injury,” said Arthur. As if an indefatigable Ntini wasn’t a big enough worry for opposition batsmen, they have had to contend with a well-rested Ntini in the bargain.Remember that this is a man who bowls his heart out for a living, and rides his lungs out on a mountain bike for fun. The upshot has been a haul of 28 wickets at 24.60 in the five Tests that Ntini played against Australia in 2005-06. The next best South African average is the 32.50 that belongs to Jacques Kallis, and Andre Nel is second on the wicket-taker’s list with 20.But, at the age of 28, Ntini has made the startling discovery that he is, despite all previous suggestions to the contrary, mortal. “His injury in Australia was the first of his career,” says Arthur, “and even though he has recovered I think he’s a bit scared now because he’s not sure of the signs when things start hurting.”
Ntini has never been a believer in holding back © Getty Images
For Kallis, who captained South Africa in Johannesburg after Graeme Smith pulled out of the match with a finger injury, Ntini remains South Africa’s go-to bowler. “He’s the one guy you can turn to when the other bowlers are tired, and he knows what he’s doing so you leave him alone to get on with it,” Kallis said. “He’s pretty close to the ideal bowler.”Mike Procter, an Ntini from another age of South African fast bowlers, would no doubt agree. “His perseverance is incredible, he bowls as if every ball is the most important one to him, and of course he’s very fit,” said Procter. “He’s the sort of bowler who will have figures of nought for 60 at tea and five for 80 at stumps.”Procter reckoned that Ntini represented a third of South Africa’s attack. Imagine if they could find two more where he came from…
Under pressure to keep his place in the side, VVS Laxman produced an uncharacteristic but vital knock under pressure
On the Ball with S Rajesh25-Jun-2006To say that VVS Laxman was under pressure going in to bat in the third Test in St Kitts would be a huge understatement: in his three earlier innings in the series, he had scored 29, 31 and 0. It wasn’t just that he hadn’t got the runs; he had made it worse for himself by getting out in utterly irresponsible fashion. In fact, the pre-match talk was all about Laxman making way for an extra bowler.On the fourth day of the match, Rahul Dravid will be relieved he didn’t make that decision, as Laxman grafted a hundred that might have saved India from defeat. The way he went about his innings spoke of the pressure he was under: initially he was all circumspection, carefully defending deliveries he would normally have caressed quite emphatically to the fence, and letting plenty of balls go by. His first 50 runs took him all of 143 balls, a scoring rate of two runs per over. He defended or left alone almost 62% of deliveries, and even his 42 drives only fetched him 30 runs.Gradually, though, the rhythm returned, and his second 50 took him only 88 balls. His driving improved too as the innings wore on – he went on the drive 35 times, and scored 34. And even though he was dour and circumspect for much of his innings, his in-control factor was still a high 92% for the entire innings, indicating that his defence was sound. He never reached the heights that he is capable of, but for a batsman in the throes of a slump, this innings was a vital one, and it could be even more crucial if India end up saving the Test.
Cricinfo lists some of the statistical highlights of the match between India and West Indies
S Rajesh26-Oct-2006
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6 – The number of times India have lost to West Indies in their last seven ODI meetings10 – The number of runs India scored in the third powerplay (from the 16th to 20th overs)25 – The number of runs India scored between overs 31 and 406 – The number of times Rahul Dravid has been dismissed for 49 in international cricket (four times in ODIs, twice in Tests)78.46 – Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s scoring rate in his 51. It’s the slowest of his 11 fifty-plus scores12 – The number of extra deliveries bowled by each team – West Indies sent down 11 wides and 1 no-ball, while India bowled 12 wides14 – The number of times Harbhajan Singh has conceded less than four runs per over in his last 22 ODIs69.69 – Ramnaresh Sarwan’s ODI average against India. In 20 games he has made eight fifty-plus scores32.03 – Brian Lara’s average in 39 ODIs against India. He only has five fifties against them11 – The number of times Virender Sehwag has been bowled or lbw in his last 30 ODI innings. The corresponding number over his entire career of 155 innings is 40.
Voting has begun for Australia’s best commentator and to help you judge here are the leading tributes to the men and their microphones
27-Mar-2007
Michael Slater has been “a breath of fresh air” since entering the commentary box © Getty Images
Voting has begun for Australia’s best commentator and to help you judge here are the leading tributes. Channel 9 and ABC members polled highly in the nomination stage and there are 26 mouthpieces to consider. You only get one vote, so make it count. To choose go here and more reader praise is here.Ian Healy
Ian is an intelligent cricketer who demystifies the game for his audience. Cricket commentary is changing from the more descriptive to an insightful style. In doing this, Heals exposes the best of any situation, bringing to life the challenges and psychology the players face during battle. As a recent retiree of the game, he knows it and has played with and against many of the current players. Heals is competitive and passionate and his love for the game resonates with me. Cricket is much richer for his commentary. Jason Limnios
Mark Taylor
Ever since the introduction of new blood and youthful verve into what was becoming a stale team at Nine, Mark Taylor has shown to have a fine combination of flair for the dramatic and real-life knowledge of the intricacies of the game. I can still hear his voice as Cyclone Gilchrist peppered the Barmy Army during that fabulous knock in the third Test in Perth. “That sounds magnificent … and it IS magnificent!!!” as the camera shows Andrew Flintoff’s eyes upwards and backwards. And as much as they tried to manufacture Bill Lawry’s presence during that moment when Shane Warne reached the 700 mark, time ran out and we were not let down as Taylor captured the moment with all the drama it deserved. “He’s got it, he’s got 700.” It makes the hairs stand up. Andrew McGlynn
Ian Chappell
Ian Chappell has the best mix of knowledge of the modern game combined with a real presence with the microphone. He is controversial and opinionated, and his aggressive nature as a captain shines through in his commentating. Jake Robertston
Richie Benaud
I was introduced to the game through marriage to a cricket tragic. I’ve become a complete and utter tragic myself! My appreciation and thanks go to Richie Benaud. His careful analytical commentary of cricket has educated me to the nuances of the game. Richie has found the balance. He doesn’t need to speak every moment the game is in play, he is measured, careful, unbiased and a pleasure to listen to. He refrains from talking about his own experience (ad nauseum) and this sets him apart. Thank you Richie, you are a legend. Lilli Parsons
Tony Greig
Tony Greig is ahead of the rest by miles. Tony manages to capture the excitement out in the centre at a level that makes you want to watch cricket on TV. Dominic Goonawardena
Bill Lawry
Yes he’s got him! The crowd, the atmosphere, the excitement! It’s all happening! And now coming to the crease is a fantastic young Victorian, Cameron White. He’s young, athletic, fantastic in the field, a big hitter and quick between the wickets. He’ll do all of Victoria proud if he can win it from here for Australia. Should be more Victorians in the side but it’s hard to get in front of Symonds, Gilchrist, Clarke, Hussey, all wonderful cricketers. The crowd are on the edge of their seats, it’s 30 off 30, four wickets in hand. It has to be Bill. Matt Renwick
Mark Nicholas
Nicholas has it all. He’s as intelligent and as insightful as Benaud, but has the ability to get you fired up in the big moments in the same way Ray Warren can during the NRL or the swimming. Nicholas’ short monologue to finish the day-five covering of the miracle that was Adelaide left me counting the minutes to Perth. Evocative, intelligent, articulate, and obviously a cricket-tragic in the Michael Hussey mould, he’s been an absolute pleasure to listen to over the summer. I hope he returns next year. James Williamson
Michael Slater
Michael Slater is a breath of fresh air in the commentary box. His enthusiasm for the game makes his commentating entertaining, easy listening and he is a great “commentary coach” for us armchair players at home. In Slats Channel Nine has found the perfect balance between a recent player and a player who has been out of the game too long. He has played in the modern era, yet has been out enough not to be too closely connected to the players – he has bias but not too much! Joshua Habel
Jim Maxwell “moves with the rhythm” © Getty Images
Jim Maxwell
Blues legend B.B. King once said “it ain’t the notes, it’s the space in-between”. When Jim Maxwell levitates over the sound of the bubbling crowd and announces the bowler running in, he times his sweet timbre with the delicate panache of Don Bradman. Never too forceful or too bland, the audience feels the love of the game in his voice. “Caught,” we’ll suddenly hear, or “down to the boundary for four”. Then just the sound of the crowd, Jim lowers his voice, signalling to his commentary partner, it is his turn. Seamlessly, Jim listens to their expertise and never have I heard him answer without respect and intelligence. Rather, like an old blues master, he simply moves with the rhythm. Stephen Kanaris
Kerry O’Keeffe
He is insightful, warm, engaging and to put it simply he adds real flavour to the game. He is a far better commentator than he ever was a player. There has always been humour in sport and Kerry never takes either the action or himself too seriously. What really sets him apart from everyone is that he offers opinion before the event rather than after the fact. His eye, much like Ian Chappell’s, is always looking to inform, challenge and offer something different for the punter. He is a rare talent indeed. An afternoon listening to Kerry is as pure a joy as there is. Brett Kajar
Peter Roebuck
Peter Roebuck is unparalleled in his incisive, evocative and knowledgeable commentary of cricket, both on radio and in the press. Even the faster one-day form of the game cannot survive mere description of the on-field action. From a field including some very pedestrian pundits, Peter shines in his wisdom, his wit and his palpable love of cricket. He is able to give commentary a sense of occasion, to highlight the ebb and flow of the game, and to do so without resorting to unnecessary hyperbole or bias. Roebuck is a commentator for those who live and breathe cricket. Paul Carrington
Glenn Mitchell
Glenn Mitchell can make a dull game sound like a million dollars and what he doesn’t know doesn’t matter anyway. Peter Hart
Keith Stackpole
He has an easy-on-the-ears voice, uses precise and compact sentences and has second-to-none cricket knowledge. Stackpole is modest but has a complete understanding of his role as a cricket commentator. He realises that the viewers/listeners want to know what is happening at any given time. He is the sort of cricket commentator you would like to have a cup of tea with during a Test match. Billy Ibadulla
Mark Waugh
He is not in the Channel Nine camp, which reduces his exposure to listeners. However, he always commentates in an impartial and professional manner. He is not afraid to say what he thinks, but does so in an unemotional and forthright manner. His comments on batting techniques are always enlightening. The fact that he has played both forms of the game until quite recently means he can provide constructive opinions on up-and-coming players, which is refreshing. The commentator of the future. Bill Chesterman
He’s not McGrath but he’s getting there. Nagraj Gollapudi talks to Stuart Clark
Nagraj Gollapudi29-Sep-2007
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No two men can be completely alike, but Stuart Clark bears a startling resemblance to Glenn McGrath – when it comes to bowling, at least. One short of the ten-Test mark, 32-year-old Clark has unobtrusively slipped into the Australian fast-bowling saddle to purvey his trade in a manner that has the McGrath brand stamped all over it: he is consistent, accurate, nagging, tightening the noose around the batsman unerringly and untiringly.Like McGrath, too, Clark may not mind looking at the speed-gun from time to time, but he is not express like his new-ball mate Brett Lee, who also happens to be his partner at New South Wales. “It matters a little bit, everyone likes to see the speed-gun up nice and high,” Clark says, talking before the first game of the Future Cup, which gets underway at Bangalore’s Chinnaswamy Stadium today. “But I’d rather get it on the right spot than bowl 150kph.”But where McGrath singled out his prey before the fight began, and usually lived up to his threats, Clark is not your showman boxer who talks his opponent down at the weigh-in. Gamesmanship is not for him. He is happy to shrug his shoulders and turn back to his mark, rather than trade words with the batsman.He is happy also to make use of the highly researched and developed McGrath formula. “He always kept it very simple – didn’t matter what the conditions were, what the day was like; he was very basic. He knew what he wanted to do, never let anything get in his way.” Clark thinks that adherence to the fundamentals is what McGrath will be missed for most, if anything.The comparison with McGrath has been one that has increasingly been aired as Clark’s star has risen, but Clark is clear about what an ask it is to fill the void. “I don’t think it’s difficult, it’s almost impossible,” he says. “It will be a similar role, but I’ll only be able to do what I can, the best I can. I might offer something different but there’s the stereotype he has set and I’ll try and follow that.”On tour Clark carries with him books that will help him get a commerce degree from the University of Sydney. He may or may not have a head for numbers, but his cricket stats have been nothing short of impeccable so far: in his debut series, in South Africa, where he replaced McGrath who had to attend his ailing wife, Clark walked away with the Man-of-the Series award for his 20 wickets at just under 16, including nine in his debut Test at Cape Town. Then, in the much-hyped 2006-07 Ashes, he cemented his reputation as one of the leading bowlers around, grabbing 26 wickets at 17 – five more than McGrath and three more than Shane Warne.That Clark entered the coliseum of international cricket without being intimidated owes a lot to the hard yards he put in for more than a decade at NSW, where he once boasted an average of 120 with the ball, and had to work at finding ways to enjoy the game. What has come out of those years of toil is a quality that is his biggest strength today, an asset he thinks is the biggest weapon in any bowler’s armoury: consistency.”You always work on it”, explains Clark, pointing to Brad Hodge next to him. “Brad Hodge, Mike Hussey and myself, we had sort of 10 years of domestic cricket and we did this year-in-year-out before we got picked for Australia. So it is a skill that you to learn in domestic cricket because you won’t survive for a long period of time if you can’t hone your skills and practise them.”Did he think things would look up for him the way they are beginning to? “Not nearly,” he says. “I didn’t imagine this would happen. It was nice to play one game and it has been great ever since”.About six months before his Test debut, one day during an Australia A tour to Pakistan, Clark and Hussey were talking about how desperate they were for the baggy green. “Neither of us had played and we talked about it.” Clark recollects. “Now he has played 16 and I’ve played nine and it all feels surreal just to look back.”Clark’s latest milestone came recently when, in the World Twenty20, he missed out on becoming the most prolific bowler in the tournament by one wicket, to Umar Gul. He thinks the lessons learned in the shortest format will pay dividends in the 50-overs game. “It’s like the last 20 overs of a one-day game, where there is no fear of getting out, so whatever skills you execute, whether its slower balls, yorkers, bouncers, you need to be good at it. Umar Gul bowled good yorkers and that was his skill, [Shahid] Afridi bowled different changes of pace, I tried to bowl different changes of pace.”Clark knows that he is increasingly going to be Australia’s go-to man, and is aware of the pressure that entails. “I’m actually uncomfortable with the word ‘spearhead’. I don’t like it,” he says, after giving it thought. “I very much hate singling myself out. The media will always use the term spearhead, but we need to work together to be a successful team.
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I’m actually uncomfortable with the word ‘spearhead’. I don’t like it. I very much hate singling myself out. The media will always use the term spearhead, but we need to work together to be a successful team |
“There is a lot of truth to the whole bowling unit. If one bowler bowls well and the other three badly, you don’t have a good day. We hunt in pairs or fours or whatever it may be. You can’t bowl all by yourself, you need the other guys around you to bowl too. Like both Glenn and Shane bowled well together, and we need to do that without them now.”Not that Clark hasn’t made peace with the requirements of his new job. “As a spearhead of the team you need to go out there and set the tone for the game and do it well. There are a lot more expectations, but that’s fine. I expect a lot from myself and I want to get better and do better. New ball, first change, whatever it may be, that’s not an issue, but the expectations will be a lot greater and that’s something I’ll have to deal with.”Clark and Mohammad Asif of Pakistan are perhaps the two lone current flag-bearers for the McGrath-Shaun Pollock brand of fast bowling. Both men have, like all the great fast bowlers, stressed accuracy over speed. Clark says he has not had any chats with Asif yet, but on evidence, he believes they share the same credo. “We both have a very simple plan: to build as much pressure as possible. If you can build the pressure on the batsman or on the bowlers, then you’ll be more successful.”Clark may not have succeeded on as wide a range of pitches as Asif yet. His biggest successes have come on the bowler-friendly pitches of South Africa. What does he think of the challenge of bowling in India? “I played a Test in Bangladesh and in Pakistan [with Australia A],” he says. “The wickets tend to be generally harder for the bowlers to be successful. The challenge is more mental.”That’s half the answer. He comes back to his old virtue to complete his point, when he speaks of what the Indian bowlers need to do to adapt during the forthcoming series in Australia later this year. “The key to bowling on any wicket is consistency. If you are consistent over a period of time you’ll be successful.”Clark stepped into McGrath’s shoes, large or not, and whether he likes it or not. Merv Hughes, his selector, and former fast bowler had an important piece of advice when he presented the Clark with his baggy green. “The biggest thing he said was, ‘There’s an emu and a kangaroo, and there is something significant about those two animals – they don’t go backwards. I’m sure you won’t, but always remember that and good luck.'”
Off-field factors are not supposed to impact on Australia’s performance, but the lingering cloud of slow over-rates finally became a severe issue and the fall-out could cost them a world record
Peter English at the WACA18-Jan-2008
With Australia trailing by 118 in the first innings, Brett Lee and Stuart Clark attacked the batsmen as required but they were also responsible for the labouring between overs © Getty Images
Off-field factors are not supposed to impact on Australia’s performance, but the lingering cloud of slow over-rates finally became a severe issue and the fall-out could cost them a world record. Instead of building on their incredible revival with four wickets in the first session, Ricky Ponting was forced to use his part-time spinners for 21 overs between lunch and tea in a move that reduced India’s stress levels and increased the degree of difficulty of the chase.The tactic was successful in avoiding a team fine or suspension for the captain, but it altered the course of a gripping game that India continue to master. Sixty-nine runs were given away as Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds were worked with ease by the batsmen, and the mission to collect a 17th successive victory went from pretty-bloody-tricky to virtually impossible. By stumps Australia had lost two wickets and were praying even harder for a miracle.The unfamiliar requirements on the attack also disrupted their rhythm and when the innings was eventually shut down they were left with a goal of 413, nine more than the previous best Australian pursuit, which was achieved by Bradman’s Invincibles 60 years ago. There is no reason to feel sorry for them in the unlikely situation that the runs given away as they tried to reverse the tardiness cost them.Plodding through overs has been a feature of the series – both sides have been guilty – and Australia added to the weight by picking four fast bowlers. Each man has been quick with the ball but has switched to slow motion when walking back to his mark and between overs. A similar attitude was made famous by West Indies in the 1980s and led to tighter regulations, but the rules did not bother Australia until today.”It was just silly how far behind we got,” the coach Tim Nielsen said. “It was our own making and we couldn’t do much about it. We would have liked to have bowled the fast bowlers, but you’ve got to do something to make it up.”On the opening day they delivered 84 of the expected 90 and before lunch on day four managed only 22, eight fewer than required. Not even the time reductions for four wickets could help the argument and they were suddenly in a hurry to raise their pace.Australia’s main concern was a possible suspension for Ponting if they remained six behind at the end of the innings. “It’s something we’re very wary of,” Nielsen said. However, he does not want the regulations to result in pace quartets being phased out.”It’s something different and is really good to watch,” he said. “We don’t see it a lot in Australia and I hope it’s not pushed out of the game because of the conditions.”Brett Lee had kept Australia in touch with a committed eight-over spell in the first session, but he was limited to fielding duties for most of the second session and his penetration was badly missed. Stuart Clark started with Clarke after lunch before Mitchell Johnson was given three overs without creating the sustained discomfort that occurred before the break.While the slow men lifted the rate and VVS Laxman and Mahendra Singh Dhoni remained calm, Shaun Tait was sidelined in a match he will not remember fondly. Tait’s selection has grown worse by the day as the pitch has not offered the promised excitement and his lack of regular first-class action has been displayed. At least his 21 heavy-footed, wicketless overs – only eight came in the second innings – cannot be blamed for slowing the side too much.After being 118 behind on first innings, Ponting needed all his bowlers full of bounce and only Lee and Clark had the right amount of spring. However, they were also responsible for the labouring between overs and Australia will have to wait to learn the cost of the snail pace.
The second season of the ICL has been an improvement on the first, but the players have one big complaint
Sidharth Monga07-Apr-2008
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Almost a year since it was announced, and about eight months since the launch of the IPL relegated it to being the second best league of its kind, the Indian Cricket League is not down and out just as yet. Its second Twenty20 tournament has been an improvement over the first. They have managed to get three grounds to stage it on, and the move to get an all-international team, the Lahore Badshahs, has worked like a charm – in Pakistan, at least, where viewership for the ICL has soared. The contests themselves have been tighter, and followed by large crowds at the grounds – especially in Hyderabad. And next on the bill is an India XI v Pakistan XI v World XI tournament. There is a possibility there may be more teams with a core of players from Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa based on the Lahore Badshahs model.However, even after this moderately successful second campaign, the questions remain: will anyone actually watch the ICL once the IPL comes sweeping in? Does the Indian market have room for two similar leagues, one of them full of players who are fading from public memory by the day? It’s hard to see how the ICL can have made profits in its first year, but the good news for the participants is, its promoters seem to be in it for the duration. “We are into this long term. We are not here to organise one event, take the players for a ride and then forget about it,” says Kiran More, who is on the administrative board of the ICL.Be that as it may, there is one particular group of stakeholders that has already lost plenty: the young Indian recruits who are losing out on their chance to play first-class cricket. These players are already speaking of missing “real cricket”, the four-day version.The divergence of interests is plain to see. The ICL features, apart from players plucked from the Indian domestic scene, international cricketers who have had their time at the highest level, for whom the motivation is no more than making a quick buck from the shortest version of the game. (Shane Bond might be the only real exception in this category.) Not so for the young Indian players. Marvan Atapattu, the captain of the Delhi Jets side, sums it up well. “I am talking being 37 years of age. If I was 20-25, I would have loved to have much more cricket than I do playing just Twenty20. At this young age, it’s [about] nothing but playing cricket. But for unfortunate reasons they are not being able to do that.”From veterans such as Rohan Gavaskar, Deep Dasgupta and JP Yadav, to some of the younger players who were not even regular starters in their state XIs, it is a worry they all share. They may be enjoying the high-octane – compared to Indian domestic cricket at least – contests and the improved training facilities and support staff, but they know what they’re missing. “There is no greater joy than coming back to the dressing room really tired after having batted a day,” says Gavaskar. In his case, what makes it worse is having watched from outside as his former team, Bengal, was relegated last season after successive final appearances in the Ranji Trophy. “I followed Bengal’s progress – progress would be the wrong word. It was very painful, very disappointing. Bengal is a better team than the results showed.”I definitely miss that cricket. If you ask any cricketer here, the response will be the same.”It is an off day during the ICL tournament and teams are taking turns training at the LB Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad. It is the Jets’ turn to practise from 11.30am to 1.30pm. The players get along well with each other; new recruit Bond has already become “Bondy” to his team-mates. On the sidelines of the session, JP Yadav says: “Yes we miss the real cricket, but what else could we do? Look at our support staff – the physio, the trainer, the masseur, the practice wickets. We don’t have all this in domestic cricket, and we won’t get it in the next ten years.”Rewind to a day before the start of this year’s Deodhar Trophy in Bangalore. The main stadium was taken up by a TV crew shooting a promo for the Bangalore IPL team, the outfield looked clearly abused. The Deodhar teams were shunted out to the small National Cricket Academy ground, where they had to bat on underprepared wickets. Why, Uttar Pradesh even won a Ranji Trophy title and reached the final another year without any support staff to speak of, a ground to call their own, or any gyms to work out in.Later in the evening JP is to meet friends and former team-mates, among them Mohammad Kaif, who are in Hyderabad to play a Deodhar game for Central Zone. Surely the conversation would touch on the differences in their circumstances: both are now signed up with Twenty20 leagues, one very much a part of the establishment, the other an outcast.
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Gavaskar fumes at the ban. “It’s not like we have committed a crime; we are just playing another tournament. There are players who have come up and shown what they are capable of, against international players. These are the sort of players who, if you are sensible and little broad-minded, you might want to get involved with Indian cricket.”Atapattu shares the sentiment. “These players deserve to play the longer version. Hopefully people will understand this and things will be sorted out.”Not that the ICL is anywhere close to giving them some long-format cricket. The logistics, to start with, are stacked against it. “We need more grounds to start a four-day tournament,” says More. “We have put down a three-year plan which doesn’t include four-day matches,” says Atapattu. “Academies will certainly come up after this.”Not many of the players involved will disagree that they made the most important move of their careers by joining the ICL. The advent of the IPL has not given them reason for regret, exactly, just a new question to ponder: how does choosing one league over the other make them unfit to play four-day cricket?The BCCI for its part is likely smiling at the plight of those who “turned their backs”. The players, who will be judged variously as rebels, traitors or brave men who made their choices, are meanwhile losing out on something that will never come back: time.
Three bowlers talk about what they’ve gained from sharing a dressing room with Glenn McGrath
Interviews by Nagraj Gollapudi29-May-2008
McGrath: new format, same old formula © AFP
The light-hearted heavyweight
Maharoof It is never easy to approach a new person, but it was easy to gel with McGrath. Off the field he is an amazing guy, joking and making everyone relax. Outside the ring, the kid in him comes alive.He has been a hero for me, and I’ve always wanted to be as consistent as him. Lucky to have him, and he is always nice and helpful to share anything about cricket, or life in general.He is just an icon for the team – the way he reacts, the way he behaves, there’s always something to learn from him.Yo Mahesh He’s always friendly. He never makes you feel he is such a star. He is always joking around off the field. That releases all the pressure.I was a bit reluctant to talk to him when I first met him – I was in awe of him. But as days went by I started to ask him questions -about my bowling, his bowling, preparation …Asif I played my first game against Deccan Chargers. I was pretty nervous about playing in front of such a big crowd and with such legends in the team. He was at mid-on and sensed my anxiety, and he came to me and calmed me down and encouraged me throughout that over. That gave me a lot of confidence, a belief that I belonged over there, especially if a guy like McGrath comes up and chats with me.What they’ve learned
Maharoof He suggested a few technical adjustments about the variations and the grip when bowling the slow ball. Those should help. I have more control over my slower ball now. Cricket is all about doing the simple things right. If you get the basics right, you will succeed. That’s the biggest lesson he has taught me.Just watching him has been a big learning experience – the way he changes his pace, employs variations, his preparations before a game.That and all the advice he gave me about cricket and life – he spoke about the importance of taking a break once in a while, considering the stressful lives we lead – will be a treasure.Yo Mahesh I tend to get excited easily if I take a wicket or if I get hit. What I’ve learned from McGrath is that in those moments you’ve got to be really focused on what you’re supposed to be doing, rather than thinking about what has happened or what will happen.Once, I asked him how he prepares the day before the game. He said, “I just want to get a great feel. If I want to bowl here and if I do it, I feel good about it. I’m done for the day. I carry that to the next day for the game.” That helped me a lot.We discussed Aussie batsmen. Guys like Simon Katich move across the crease and make you bowl on the stumps. Effectively, he makes you bowl to his strength. McGrath pointed out that it is better to bowl just outside off stump in such cases. Things like that have helped me read batsmen better. He will say, “Outside off, he’ll leave the ball” and that’s what the batsman does. Then he’ll say, “Leg-cutter, middle and leg, batsman takes one.” And that’s what happens! Yo MaheshAbout consistency he said, “I try to keep things very simple as far as bowling is concerned. I don’t try much. I understand my own strengths, and I work on them rather than going way beyond myself trying to explore more things.” His strength is his bounce – he was never really quick – and he has stuck to that.He will say he is going to bowl a particular ball, and he goes and does that exactly. He will say, “Outside off, he’ll leave the ball” and that’s what the batsman does. Then he’ll say, “Leg-cutter, middle and leg, batsman takes one.” And that’s what happens!Asif He told me to hit the seam and that the bounce should come from the surface – that’s what the batsman is bothered by more than anything else.Like he was never away
Maharoof On the field he gives 100%. I had heard that about him but it was still surprising to see. He is 37 and most of us are in our twenties, but still we never felt the age difference.The first two games, he bowled right on the spot. It spoke volumes: this guy has been out for a year but is still so accurate. Normally a bowler who has been out for a while would tend to find it difficult to pitch it right, but this guy proved his star value. And this despite the fact that he said he wasn’t 100%!Yo Mahesh When I saw him pitch his first ball perfectly I realised what a legend he is. It does not seem like he has retired from international cricket. In the nets he is very consistent with what he does, always pitching the ball in the right areas.He is a class apart from other bowlers when it comes to bowling with the new ball in Twenty20. You see how many opening bowlers have been clobbered, and how he has mostly remained untouched. He reads the pitch early, in terms of what length to bowl.Asif Glenn has been in a different class and he has maintained that always. He bowls as if there is no pressure, and he keeps it simple, even in a game like Twenty20 where the bowlers are always under pressure due to the short boundaries and batsmen attacking them. Glenn has managed to put pressure on the batsmen.He is always open to talking. He asked me about subcontinental conditions, trying to understand the wickets here so he could bowl better on them.