Virender Sehwag’s shrewd cricketing brain does not show much in his cavalier strokeplay. Instead, his intelligence emerges when he’s bowling

Cricinfo staff31-Oct-2008

	Virender Sehwag dismissed three Australian batsmen after they were well set © AFP

Virender Sehwag’s cavalier strokeplay masks a shrewd cricketing brain. It’s an asset better revealed when he’s bowling, where his offbreaks are superior to those expected of a regular part-timer. He has a classical action, gets the ball to turn, and can bowl the straighter one, but hitherto has made only guest appearances with the ball.Sehwag’s cameos have, however, played important parts in famous Indian wins. Two of his most memorable wickets are of Adam Gilchrist in Perth and Graeme Smith in Kanpur earlier this year. On both occasions the match had started to drift away from India but Sehwag, brought on to give the other bowlers a break, took classical offspinners’ wickets. Both left-handers were bowled around their legs with deliveries that drifted before breaking off the pitch to hit the leg stump.Today the circumstances demanded more than a brief spell from Sehwag. An ineffective Anil Kumble had become an injured Anil Kumble and, with Australia’s confidence growing, Sehwag the part-timer answered the call in a manner befitting a specialist. He was economical (66 runs in 22 overs), he made the batsmen play, and he got the most out of a wearing pitch.”Anil was injured, so someone had to bowl spin on this pitch,” Sehwag said. “So I got an opportunity to bowl. It’s not often that I bowl 20 overs in a day. I was mainly trying to contain, and if you do that, wickets generally come.”Brought on to bowl just before lunch, Sehwag looked the most dangerous spinner on show. Amit Mishra produced a few rippers, turning the legbreaks across the right-hand batsmen, but he bowled two loose balls for every unplayable one. Kumble tried to fire his deliveries into the rough outside the left-hander’s off stump but his lack of variety was reflected by his figures – 0 for 53.Four Australian batsmen scored gritty half-centuries to blunt India’s attack, and it was Sehwag who managed to break three of them. Hayden, well set on 83, was hit on the pad with the arm ball that came in with the angle. Ricky Ponting’s wicket was an offspinner’s delight: the flighted delivery drifted and drew the batsman into the drive, before pitching and spinning through the gap between bat and pad. Facing the second new ball three overs before stumps, Michael Hussey came forward to defend one that pitched around leg stump but watched the offbreak turn past his bat and clip off stump.Hayden testified to how effectively Sehwag made up for Kumble’s absence. “He utilised the conditions as well as any other bowler,” Hayden said. “He had variation, he had spin, and some of the balls he bowled would have struck Dhoni on his face if he didn’t have a helmet on. That was how aggressively the ball was turning from his hand. He is not an enormous turner of the ball like Harbhajan, but in those conditions he was very challenging pretty much from ball one.”Sehwag’s response to the challenge points to the depth and variety of India’s attack as he bailed India out on a difficult day. Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan bowled superb spells with the old ball after tea without any luck. Earlier in the day, too, Ishant had induced edges from Hayden and Ponting, who hadn’t even opened his account then, but the ball passed through a sparsely populated slip cordon.Those three wickets from Sehwag ensured Australia have not batted themselves to safety and the pace at which runs have been scored has left time for a result. The pitch is deteriorating with every delivery, which means India will fancy their chances on the final day. “The game’s in the balance right now,” Sehwag said. “But the way the wicket is playing, and if Anil comes back and bowls tomorrow, we can perhaps bowl them out quickly and even make them follow on.”

	Virender Sehwag bowled a ripping offbreak to beat Michael Hussey’s forward defence and hit off stump © Getty Images

Sehwag has reason to believe in the possibility of an Indian win for he was unplayable at times during the last session. “I think it did affect them [Australia] a lot because they didn’t know which ball would spin, and which would go straight,” he said. “They were playing every ball for spin.”So if we had got one more wicket, or if the umpire had given the lbw to that Amit Mishra delivery [Shane Watson looked pretty straight against a slider from Mishra two overs before stumps], the situation would have been very different.”I think we have every chance, whatever lead we get. For them to score 200-250 runs on the final day will not be easy,” Sehwag said. “The wicket will break further, it will help spinners more. As of now the ball is not turning from the middle of the pitch, the rough is only on the edges. But on the fifth day the ball will spin from the centre too, so it won’t be easy at all.”The words might sound gung-ho, coming from a team that conceded 288 for 4 on the third day, but Sehwag knows that it is his perseverance that has given India a chance to wrest the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

Allen Stanford was caught on camera getting rather close to some of the England players’ partners

30-Oct-2008
Ladies man: Stanford gets himself some gal pals © Sky Sports
“One of the wives of the England players nearby said she cringed when she saw what was happening and another onlooker said it was ‘hide behind the sofa time’ because it was so unbearable to watch.”
Independent”When the pictures came up on the big screen there were a lot of gobsmacked people in our side. Matt Prior was in state of total shock, especially as his wife is pregnant.”
“The mind boggles at what might happen when Stanford, brash Texan entrepreneur, comes face to face with the MCC and all its history… Will he sit in the pavilion and perch one of the members, complete with bacon-and- egg tie, on his knee? Now that really would be an image to behold.”
Daily Mail”We went to bed laughing about it. He phoned KP and Prior to apologise, and it’s water under the bridge. I don’t think there was any genuine ‘Let’s go home and not play’ feeling.”
“The Stanford Wives!”
Sun”It was pretty harmless, to be honest, and the wives must remember that their husbands are potentially earning a fortune by being here and they are in a lovely place having a lovely time in the sunshine. If the man who is putting up all the money wants to give them a quick cuddle for the cameras is that really a big problem?”
“If that was my wife he’d put on his lap I would have wanted to punch him.”
“Allen Stanford hasn’t travelled much on British public transport, so perhaps the Texan billionaire was simply confused about etiquette when he invited the wife of the England wicketkeeper to sit on his lap… Perhaps an aide told him to offer the pregnant woman a seat and, not understanding that he had to rise, Stanford played the role of Southern Gent, spreading his legs and patting his thigh to offer her a perch.”
Times”He understood that the players were not particularly pleased with the incident and as a result of that he apologised.””The ECB has pawned the national team off for little more than a rich man’s ego trip. English cricket has become Stanford’s WAG.”

Sri Lanka’s captain has begun to infuse his side with his own brand of competitiveness, and the results seem to already be starting to show

Jamie Alter01-Sep-2009Two qualities, determination and perfectionism, define Kumar Sangakkara, and he is trying to get Sri Lanka to use the one to attain the other. With four wins and a draw from five Tests this year, Sangakkara’s job as captain has been rather smooth and rewarding, and the cherry on the cake has been Sri Lanka’s elevation to No. 2 on the ICC Test rankings – for only the second time.As soon as Sri Lanka moved to No. 2, though, Sangakkara was quick to point out it meant they weren’t No. 1. His aim is to win every time Sri Lanka take the field “in the right spirit and compete for every minute”. The road ahead, to first try and hold on to second place and then take the step up, is going to be very tough, owing to their international assignments – or lack thereof. But they have the right man to lead them into a new era.Sangakkara has clutched at every opportunity that’s come his way, and his intellect and hunger to sweat it out have given him a cutthroat edge. And though he won’t say as much, he has managed to some extent to transfer this drive to the team as well.Some of the moves have been subtle, some obvious; they have been made on the field and in the back room. Under Sangakkara’s leadership Chaminda Vaas was dropped from the Test side. It clearly signalled a shifting of focus. Behind Sangakkara’s talk of Vaas’ quality and importance to the team lay a strong message: that investment in youth was the way forward. At the same time, the youngsters were put on their toes.Ajantha Mendis, the flavour of 2008, was dropped for the final Test against Pakistan. Mendis was taken out of his comfort zone, and Sangakkara has since turned the heat on him by saying Rangana Herath could be Sri Lanka’s top spinner after Muttiah Muralitharan’s retirement. Having Tillakaratne Dilshan open in Tests proved a smashing success.During the one-day win over Pakistan recently Sangakkara sledged Younis Khan and Umar Akmal, even getting involved in a heated spat with Younis. Sangakkara tried to play it down but there was no denying the mood.Not all of Sangakkara’s on-field moves have worked. At the SSC he was too conservative in his declaration, which was clearly postponed to allow Jayawardene to reach his century. As Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, and even an average Test captain like Rahul Dravid will attest, personal landmarks matter not a jot in the attempt to become good Test sides. Sangakkara was unimaginative with his field placement against New Zealand on days four and five at the SSC, looking on as Jesse Ryder and Jacob Oram went aerial down the ground. He had plenty of runs to work with and could have easily put two men back. On the final day he chopped and changed his bowlers and didn’t allow them to settle. Because Sri Lanka won, such instances may easily be forgotten.

Sri Lanka’s bid to get to No. 1 in the Test rankings is seriously hampered by the number of matches they have scheduled. According to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme, Sri Lanka are scheduled to play only six Tests between now and May 2011

Sri Lanka’s next Test tour is India in December, and Sangakkara’s goal is to turn his side into world-beaters. Traditionally Sri Lanka have been bullies at home but unconvincing overseas, as 18 wins from 94 away Tests indicates. They have never won a Test in India, so improving their overseas record starts with the odds stacked against them.There are internal challenges too. Amid the recent success it has been difficult to ignore how the runs are all coming from four batsmen. Sri Lanka have managed to hide a shaky opening combination for some time due to the runs churned out by Jayawardene, Sangakkara, Dilshan and Thilan Samaraweera.Samaraweera’s last few years have been excellent but he has played 30 of his 54 Tests at home and has struggled in Australia (average 22.66), in England (4.25), and in India (10.50). Sri Lanka have also not found a reliable No. 6, while runs from Prasanna Jayawardene have not been forthcoming.Sri Lanka’s fast bowling is arguably the healthiest it has ever been but Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara will face a big Test in India. The development of this promising new-ball pair is of paramount importance to Sri Lanka in their quest for No. 1. Six of Thushara’s nine Tests have been in the subcontinent; Kulasekara was hammered in England in 2006, in conditions expected to suit him. His bowling average outside home is 223. These are a few of the worries Sangakkara faces as he attempts to lead Sri Lanka into a new era.According to Sangakkara, Sri Lanka are just scratching the surface with their Test performances. “Test cricket is about playing tough teams and trying to win against tough oppositions. If you don’t challenge yourself against the best and if you don’t go out of your comfort zone, you are never going to improve as a side,” he said. “If you are going to stay sheltered and protected and just going to play in conditions that suit you, I don’t think that’s going to do us any good.”Sri Lanka’s first trip to No. 2 came under Marvan Atapattu’s captaincy, and since then they’ve stayed in the top six. “We can’t think we won anything by the performances we’ve shown,” said Sangakkara. “We’ve done really well but the key is to do it consistently day in day out against every side we face. In about two or three years if we keep doing this then we can turn around and say that we are a very good side.”Thilan Samaraweera has been in the form of his life, but the acid test will come away from home•Associated PressThis brings us to Sangakkara’s second massive challenge. Sri Lanka’s bid to get to No. 1 in the Test rankings is seriously hampered by the number of matches they have scheduled. According to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme, Sri Lanka are scheduled to play only six Tests between now and May 2011, three in India over the new year and three against West Indies at home in November-December 2010. Compare that to what top-ranked South Africa have lined up in the same time-frame: four Tests against England at home later this year, three in India in early 2010, followed by four in the West Indies, three against Pakistan, and three more when they host India in late 2010-early 2011. India, just behind Sri Lanka on the table, at third place with an equal number of points, have the home series against Sri Lanka, two Tests against Bangladesh, the three against South Africa, three when they host New Zealand in late 2010, and then the trip to South Africa.How can Sri Lanka possibly hope to keep their spot at No. 2? “It’s a shame we don’t have sufficient Test matches to go up to No. 1 in the rankings,” said Sangakkara, “We would like more Test matches […] if we can get it up to about eight it will be great.” That, however, is unlikely, given Sri Lanka Cricket’s tendency to go for limited-overs arrangements.Jayawardene, Sangakkara’s good friend, has predicted Sangakkara will make his mark on Sri Lankan cricket history as captain. Sangakkara has an acquisitive mindset, which he has attributed to the influence of his first captain, Arjuna Ranatunga. After that magnificent World Cup win in 1996, Sri Lankan cricket peaked but then nosedived, and they have failed to replicate that summit since. Times have changed, but like Ranatunga, Sangakkara has the difficult task of ensuring Sri Lanka don’t rest on their laurels.How well he imbues his side with his own sharp edge won’t depend solely on his own volition, but you can trust Sangakkara to try his hardest. He just doesn’t know any other way.

Kings XI Punjab’s leading wicket-taker’s summer really took off only after it was almost over

Firdose Moonda30-Apr-2009As the sun began to set on the South African summer this year, Yusuf Abdulla was preparing to play his last cricket of the season. His schedule would see him compete in three more matches – all of them first-class four-day domestic fixtures for his franchise, the Dolphins. Thereafter, he could look forward to a mild Durban winter of rest and recovery. Little did Abdulla know that his summer would stretch on for a few weeks longer.His fine domestic Pro20 form, which saw him claim 10 wickets at an average of 17.10, earned him a call-up to the South African Twenty20 squad to face Australia. He was given just a single bite at the cherry, and only featured in one of the two matches against the Aussies, but he made sure he bit hard. His figures of 1 for 16 in three overs included the prize scalp of Ricky Ponting. That was enough to get him noticed by the people who matter.”I thought my season was going to end, but Tom Moody saw me in that game and the next day he called me up asked if I would be interested in playing for Punjab in the Indian Premier League”, Abdulla recalls. The speed at which he had gone from being just another domestic player to a part of cricket’s
premier 20-over tournament still shocks him. “I still can’t believe how quickly it all happened. By that stage I knew the tournament was going to be held in South Africa, and it couldn’t have worked out any better”.The IPL has given many little-known Indian players their 15 minutes of fame but how did South Africa’s stocky swing bowler get in the frame?Abdulla is from a Muslim family and grew up in Lenasia, a largely Indian suburb in the south of Johannesburg. He spent some of his high-school career in Gauteng, before his family moved to the coal-mining town of Dundee in KwaZulu Natal (KZN). At 18 he was selected for the KZN academy and taken under the coach Yashin Ebrahim’s wing.”I always knew he had potential because of his natural ability to swing the ball,” Ebrahim says. Abdulla spent his time with the Dolphins priming himself for the big time. After a solid 2006-07 season, in which he took nine wickets at an average of 12.00 in the Pro20, Abdulla was picked as one of 20 amateur players to attend the national academy based at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria. While the academy’s only competitive cricket was against Zimbabwe A, Abdulla saw it as an opportunity to learn everything he could. “I had already been coached by Graham Ford and Phil Russel, so I had a lot of good mentorship. I still wanted to work on my weaknesses and the academy gave me the room to do that”.His performance in the season that followed was testament to his hard work. In the 2007-08 season he took 10 wickets at an average of 13.40 in the Pro20. Besides being the Dolphins’ main strike bowler in the shorter form of the game, Abdulla also refined his Twenty20 technique. He learnt to disguise his slower ball well, and to fire it in fast from a low and wide angle outside the off stump.Ebrahim says that apart from the minor adjustments to his technique, Abdulla’s success can be largely attributed to his strong will. “When he started to back himself, it came together. He worked hard on his mindset even more than his technique. It was no surprise when he was selected for the national side.”Despite his sterling performances in the shorter version of the game, he has only managed to record one five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. His fitness has also often come under question because of his rotund build. “Ideally we would want him to lose some weight, but he has passed all our tests,” says Ebrahim.While Abdulla is looking to improve his form in the longer version of the game, he has one eye on being selected for the World Twenty20 in June and has emerged as one of the few Twenty20 specialists in South African cricket. “He is immensely competitive and seems to thrive on limited-overs cricket. In that form of the game, he is the go-to man for wickets and is as good an opening bowler as anyone in the country,” says Ahmed
Amla, the Dolphins captain.Ultimately it was these factors and local knowledge that swung him into favour with Punjab. With the team playing six out of their 14 matches in Durban, and Jerome Taylor ruled out injured, they opted for a South African bowler to assist in leading the attack.Their first two games were rain affected, and Abdulla’s performance could hardly be judged on those lines. He was flogged for 19 runs in the solitary over he bowled to the Delhi Daredevils. That baptism of fire exposed him to batsman he rates most highly. “Even though I only bowled the one over, I can tell you that Virender Sehwag is one of the most difficult batsmen to bowl to in the world”. Punjab lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders in their second match, with Abdulla being clobbered for 20 runs in two overs.A change in the Kings XI’s fortunes has been followed up with a change in fortunes for Abdulla as well. He’s notched up figures of 4 for 31 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, among them the wickets of Kevin Pietersen and Jacques Kallis. His return of 3 for 21 against the Rajasthan Royals catapulted him into the top five leading wicket-takers in the tournament. And he went to joint second with a stellar last over in Punjab’s victory against the Mumbai Indians last night.Eager student: Abdulla is keen to learn from his more experienced Punjab team-mates•AFPMany credit his success to the softer wickets of the coast, which tend to favour swing bowlers, and say the real test will come when the IPL moves inland. Abdulla himself says it hasn’t been that easy. “Everybody says the wickets in Durban and Cape Town will suit me, but it has been tough. These wickets are being played on for anything like three matches in a row and by then they are behaving differently to what I am used to. It all depends on what happens on the day and how well I bowl.”Abdulla is still overwhelmed by the leap from provincial cricket into the IPL. He says the immense quality of players in the IPL still mesmerises him. “The main difference between the IPL and domestic cricket is that, for example, when I play against the Lions I am bowling to an opening combination of Alviro Petersen and Jean Symes, but in the
IPL it’s to Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum. So even though I am not saying domestic cricket isn’t challenging, the IPL is a step higher and there’s one quality player after the next”.That exposure to players of the highest calibre is also affording Abdulla the opportunity to absorb advice from international players. “I believe in learning wherever I go. The best thing about the IPL is that I am learning from more than one guy all the time. I get advice from players like Yuvraj Singh, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Irfan
Pathan.”At 26 he is not ashamed of seeking guidance. “I am quite close to Hashim Amla, not just in cricketing matters. I talk to him about all sorts of things, and I’d say we are the best of friends”.Abdullah says he couldn’t be happier about his extended summer. “There has been absolutely no strain on my body at all and I am really happy to be a part of this. I am just really enjoying it.”

Cricinfo takes a look at the history of contract rows

Nishi Narayanan09-Jul-2009In November 2004 the West Indies Players’ Association asked the players not to sign letters of invitations by the board for a tour of Australia claiming some of the clauses “represent an attempt to exploit the players for commercial purposes.”The dispute originated in a turf war between telecom rivals Digicel and Cable & Wireless. In July 2004 Digicel signed a five-year US$20million sponsorship deal with the WICB in London, becoming the official sponsors for the Test and one-day teams, event sponsors for all home and away Tests and ODIs played by West Indies. Two months earlier Cable & Wireless had signed up to become one of the official sponsors of the World Cup in 2007 and along with Brian Lara, added Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Omari Banks, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul and Dwayne Smith to its individual endorsements list.Justice Adrian Saunders, an independent adjudicator was appointed to find a solution. In December just days before West Indies’ scheduled departure for Australia, Saunders said the tour would go on after the board and WIPA accepted his decision. But the sponsorship dispute was not solved.In March 2005 the West Indies selectors announced a 22-man squad for two series, against South Africa and Pakistan, on condition the players sign fresh contracts with the board. The seven players signed by Cable & Wireless were not included in the squad.The war of words between the WICB and WIPA continued, with Dinanath Ramnarine, the president of the players’ body, demanding an open inquiry into the board’s administration. In June the board invited 13 players to sign contracts and make themselves available for the tour to Sri Lanka, while it tussled with the WIPA over the contentious Clause 5 – that covered players’ individual endorsements and central team sponsorships. Only three of those 13 signed the contracts. The following month WICB picked a second-string squad just a day after it seemed it would reach a temporary agreement with the WIPA on including Clause 5 in binding arbitration.In August Teddy Griffith was replaced as the board’s president by Ken Gordon who promised a solution to the dispute by the end of the year but soon after that the board refuted the findings and imputations made by the Justice Anthony Lucky-led Sponsorship Negotiations Review Committee report that its contract with Cable & Wireless was “null and void” and “legally flawed”.In October the board and WIPA agreed a full-strength squad would be sent to Australia in December. But Clause 5 remained unresolved over the next 11 months before the two bodies reached an agreement shortly before the 2007 World Cup hosted by West Indies.However fresh trouble erupted soon after the World Cup, as players demanded extra payments for a tour of England which, they argued, was outside the ICC’s Future Tours Programme. The board maintained it was part of the FTP and covered under existing contracts. The players eventually signed the contracts and toured England but an arbitration panel later found in their favour.In September 2007 the new WICB president Julian Hunte invited Ramnarine to join the board as a director. Ramnarine accepted but the time of peace was short. He quit his post in March 2009 as a new contracts row broke out. Domestic players across the Caribbean went on strike. Among the more critical and outstanding issues were retainer contracts and first-class fees, scheduling of regional and international tournaments, injury payments, the long overdue updated anti-doping policy and the provident fund for cricketers. The national side threatened to boycott the final ODI against England in St Lucia but in the end in went ahead as scheduled. The board agreed to look into pay hikes for first-class players.In July two days before the start of the first Test against Bangladesh, the WIPA announced the squad would boycott the match since the players had gone five series without contracts. WIPA claimed the board had not responded to its submission of retainer contracts and had instead penalised players for not signing those within the deadline. The board vice-president Dave Cameron said the contracts had not been signed because of WIPA’s “unreasonable behaviour”. WICB named a second-string squad which included nine uncapped players.

Plays of the Day from the first semi-final between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the DY Patil Stadium

Cricinfo staff21-Apr-2010Kumble’s winning move: As soon as he realised Dale Steyn was getting ample movement away from the bat, Anil Kumble removed the second slip and got a short cover for Sachin Tendulkar. With the pitch hard, there was always the intention to play the cut shot. But to cut the swing Tendulkar tried to play on the up, away from his body, and ended up offering a simple catch. It was a lame dismissal and Tendulkar bit his lip on his way. Steyn and Kumble couldn’t stop giggling.Kohli hits bulls-eye: Shikar Dhawan tapped a slower ball from Steyn towards the leg side and charged for a single, but Abhishek Nayar sent him back. Simultaneously, as Dhawan scampered back, Kevin Pietersen failed to pick the ball cleanly but just about managed to flick the balls onto the stumps. As the ball rolled on to knock off the bails, Nayar screamed for an overthrow. But an agile Virat Kohli, charging from point, picked and released the ball in one motion to catch Dhawan yards out of the crease at the non-striker’s end.Dravid goes down sliding: Robin Uthappa had his mouth gaping at an off-break from Pietersen which beat Nayar fair and square, and rolled towards the third-man boundary. But Rahul Dravid sprinted hare-like and a couple yards before the rope he went down sliding like he was on some ice rink to deflect the path of the ball and haul it back in the nick of time.Mind your feet: Mumbai had started to put the hammer down by the time Kumble brought himself back on towards the end of the innings. It worked a treat too, with Ambati Rayudu miscuing one and Virat Kohli taking a superb catch on the run from long-off. Unfortunately, Kumble had overstepped the bowling crease. Later in the over, he did it again, and looked ready to blow a fuse.No Cinderella story: He may have come from relative anonymity in Jharkhand, but Saurabh Tiwary’s strokeplay is so devoid of aesthetics that there are unlikely to be any Cinderella comparisons. In that eventful Kumble over, he struck what was a candidate for the ugliest shot of the competition, a smear down to the sightscreen. Off balance, no timing, just maximum force.Tendulkar, the marksman: He knows Dravid’s strengths as much as the man himself. So when Dravid took guard for the first time Tendulkar rushed to the gully area, marked the patch where he wanted Dwayne Bravo (substituting for Kieron Pollard) to stand.KP, what have you done boy!: Perhaps Bob Willis, if he was watching IPL anywhere, might have moaned that, watching Pietersen dance dumbly down the pitch against Harbhajan Singh. Harbhajan, bowling from round the stumps, smartly guessed Pietersen would take him on and hence pushed a straighter delivery down leg. Having blindly stepped out, it was too late for Pietersen to correct his folly and Rayudu dived acrobatically to knock off the bails.Jennings, the card player: Akin to shuffling a pack of cards, Ray Jennings sat on his favourite seat, the ice box, banging the ball hand to hand as he watched the his batsmen choke. There was no trump card for Bangalore today, as Jennings continued staring intensely with hopes of a second successive final berth flickering to death.

Stats preview to the Hobart Test, where Australia have never lost in eight Tests and Pakistan have lost two in two

Cricinfo staff12-Jan-2010For a team struggling to recover from a shocking defeat in Sydney, it won’t come as pleasant news that the last Test of the series will be played at a venue where Australia have never lost in eight Tests – they’ve won six and drawn two, both against New Zealand. Even worse, the last time Pakistan played a Test here, they let slip a similar golden opportunity to win: chasing 369 to win, Australia were languishing at 5 for 126 when Adam Gilchrist joined Justin Langer in a stunning partnership of 238 – aided, admittedly, by a couple of dodgy umpiring decisions – which snatched victory from Pakistan’s grasp. Since then, Pakistan have lost nine more successive Tests against Australia, taking the overall losing streak to 11.

Australia and Pakistan in Hobart

TeamTestsWonLostDrawnAustralia8602Pakistan2020Hobart has only hosted three Tests since that memorable game against Pakistan in 1999, which explains why only three batsmen from their current line-up – Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke – have played Tests here. Hussey has been the most prolific, scoring hundreds in each of the two Tests – 137 against West Indies and 132 in 2005 against Sri Lanka a couple of years later.Among Pakistan’s current squad, Mohammad Yousuf (then Yousuf Youhana) is the only one to have played a Test here, and he didn’t have a match to remember in 1999, scoring 17 and 2.

Australian batsmen in Hobart

BatsmanTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sMichael Hussey2334167.002/ 0Ricky Ponting526252.401/ 1Michael Clarke27638.000/ 1Digging a little deeper into the numbers, it isn’t surprising that Hussey has plundered so many runs here – the Bellerive Oval has been particularly kind to Australia’s left-hand batsmen over the last couple of decades. Mark Taylor, Langer, Matthew Hayden, Gilchrist, Phil Jaques, Allan Border and Matthew Elliott all average more than 55 here, with three of those names averaging more than 100. In fact, the overall average of Australia’s left-hand top-order batsmen in Hobart over the last two decades is a whopping 89, which is much higher than at any other venue.It isn’t such a happy venue for Australia’s right-handers, though – they average the lowest of any home venue during this period, which means the difference between the averages of the right and the left-hand batsmen here is almost 50. The success of left-handers should be good news for the struggling Marcus North – he has scored only 186 runs at 23.25 in five Tests this summer, but this could be an excellent opportunity to work himself back into some form.

Australia’s right- and left-hand top-order batsmen (top 7 only) at each home ground since 1990

VenueLeft- Average100s/ 50sRight – Average100s/ 50sDiff in aveHobart89.009/ 640.304/ 1048.70Sydney48.6115/ 1841.5717/ 267.04Adelaide48.479/ 2846.7621/ 271.71Brisbane49.6014/ 1655.3117/ 29-5.71Melbourne40.4711/ 1946.4013/ 31-5.93Perth42.767/ 2148.9413/ 34-6.18Hobart is also a rare Australian venue where spinners have traditionally done better than fast bowlers. In eight Tests here, spinners have managed seven five-fors, with Shane Warne himself taking three. In terms of wickets at the venue among slow bowlers, three legspinners lead the way, which suggests Danish Kaneria could be a player to watch out for.Fast bowlers average 40 runs per wicket here, but that’s largely because overseas pace bowlers have been totally toothless here in the face of Australia’s batting prowess. The Australian fast bowlers average 27.37 per wicket, which is only slightly more than their spinners’ average.

Pace and spin in Hobart

WicketsAverageStrike rate5WI/ 10WMPace14640.6475.43/ 0Spin8028.4160.07/ 0

Australia’s pace and spin in Hobart

WicketsAverageStrike rate5WI/ 10WMPace8727.3760.12/ 0Spin4823.2753.54/ 0

Home conditions could give Sri Lanka the edge in the Asia Cup, a tournament in which they have been the best team in the last 15 years

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan14-Jun-2010Sri Lanka have by far the best recent record in the Asia Cup, winning three of the last four tournaments, including the last two in 2004 and 2008. They also come into the tournament fresh from a victory in the triangular series in Zimbabwe. India have won four times too, but the most recent of those wins came in 1995.The table below summarises the overall tournament performance of the four participating teams. Sri Lanka have won 12 of their 16 games in the Asia Cup since the start of the decade, followed by Pakistan who have won 11 of their 14 games. India, on the other hand, have been ordinary, winning eight and losing seven of the 15 matches played.

Performance of teams in the Asia Cup (excluding matches involving Hong Kong and the UAE)

Team	Matches Played	Matches Won	matches lost	W/L ratio
Sri Lanka	34	24	10	2.40
Pakistan	26	15	10	1.50
India	30	17	12	1.41
Bangladesh	24	0	24	0.00

Traditionally, Sri Lanka have been a tough side to beat in their own backyard, but over the last five years India have had a fair degree of success there. Since the beginning of 2005, India have a 11-7 win-loss record in Sri Lanka, which is better than the home team’s 20-16 ratio. Sri Lanka, though, won the last time the tournament was hosted in their home country, in 2004.

Performance of teams in Sri Lanka since Jan 2005

Team	Matches played	Matches won	Matches lost	W/L ratio
India	19	11	7	1.57
Pakistan	8	4	3	1.33
Sri Lanka	38	20	16	1.25
Bangladesh	6	0	6	0.00

Despite an ordinary showing in the triangular series in Zimbabwe, India have been the best subcontinent team in one-day internationals since January 2008. Pakistan have played just 46 matches, which is the lowest among subcontinent teams, but have a good win-loss record.

Team performances in ODIs since Jan 2008

Team	Matches played	Matches won	Matches lost	W/L ratio
India	72	42	24	1.75
Pakistan	46	26	20	1.30
Sri Lanka	64	33	28	1.17
Bangladesh	55	19	36	0.52

In the absence of Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka go into the Asia Cup without the top run-getter in the tournament. Jayasuriya is the only one to score more than 1000 runs in this competition, and also has the most hundreds (six). India will miss Sachin Tendulkar, who is the second-highest with 799. Unlike Jayasuriya, though, Tendulkar has struggled to score hundreds in the tournament, getting only one century despite making it past 50 seven times.Pakistan will be boosted by the return of Shoaib Malik, who has been an extremely consistent performer in the Asia Cup, scoring 528 runs at an average of more than 75. Muttiah Muralitharan’s return to the squad will be a huge plus for Sri Lanka considering he has been the leading wicket-taker in the tournament. They will miss Ajantha Mendis, though, who was in terrific form in the previous edition of the Asia Cup.All the matches are going to be played under lights at the Rangiri Stadium in Dambulla. This venue has been the toughest to score in among all venues in Sri Lanka. The table below summarises the batting stats at the three major venues in Sri Lanka. The number of runs scored in boundaries per match is the lowest in Dambulla, thanks to the big ground and relatively slow outfield. If that continues to be the case in this tournament, the emphasis will be on swift fielding and running between the wickets, where Sri Lanka will have an edge. The overall strike rate and average is also the lowest at this venue, which suggests the tournament could be a low scoring one. Teams that have batted first in day night games have won seven games and lost six, which does not indicate any major advantage.

Batting stats for various grounds in Sri Lanka since Jan 1 2000

Ground	Matches played	Average	Strike rate	100	50	Fours	Sixes	Boundary runs per match
R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	59	26.00	72.34	23	127	1984	157	150.4
Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo	25	23.76	67.72	8	34	829	72	149.9
Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium	29	22.44	62.75	3	41	862	71	133.5

Both fast bowlers and spinners have performed similarly at this venue as summarised in the table below. The spinners have a slightly better average and strike-rate when compared to the pace bowlers. Muralitharan is the leading bowler at this venue having picked up 39 wickets in 18 matches followed by Farveez Maharoof, who has 18 wickets from nine games.

Pace vs Spin at Dambulla

Type of bowler	Matches played	Overs bowled	Runs conceded	Wickets taken	Average	Economy rate	Strike rate
Pace	29	1548.0	6207	229	27.10	4.00	40.5
Spin	29	1063.0	4318	165	26.16	4.06	38.6

Les Favell was an inspiration to many – one lad in particular

Mike Coward04-Sep-2010These words, like so many before them, are being assembled at an old Blackwood desk beneath a portrait of Les Favell.In a sense, I suppose the striking, weather-beaten countenance of my favourite cricketer in oils is something of a shrine. Mind you, no bells are rung, incense burned or performed. There is no need for ceremony. It is what is carried in the heart that matters most.Les may be a muse, I don’t really know. Certainly he has been an inspiration and always will be. That he has been dead nearly 17 years now doesn’t change things.It is 32 years since I covered my first Test match for Australian consumption, and in that time I have had the good fortune to see and meet, and in many cases get to know, some fine men who have also been wonderful cricketers. Indeed, some are quite famous and boast records of extraordinary distinction. Fond as I am of some of these men and the memories they have provided, they will never supplant Les in my affections.Leslie Ernest Favell is my favourite cricketer, for I came to cricket because of him. He was that great. Born in Adelaide, South Australia, immediately after World War II, I have no recollection of cricket without Les Favell. It is simple as that.Of course, there have been greater cricketers than Favell. After all, if Test cricket is the gauge in such matters, he made only 19 appearances for Australia for 757 runs at 27.03 with one century and five fifties.It is true that as an adolescent I was incapable of an objective observation or a reasoned argument about Les. He was without peer and that was that. Even now, as retirement beckons, I will not give ground. Indeed I still haven’t quite forgiven Norm O’Neill for running out Les for 45 in the tied Test in Brisbane in December 1960. Les had just struck Alf Valentine for successive sixes and was at the height of his powers.Three Test matches later he was dropped, and he never played for Australia again. I was there for his last Test and how I wished that Gerry Alexander had not held on to those catches. How I still wish that he had not held on to those catches off Frank Worrell and Wes Hall.Les was, first and foremost, a good bloke with an abiding affection for cricket people whether they were players, administrators, journalists, spectators. He was principally an entertainer, and it is no coincidence that his autobiography was entitled . He was the people’s cricketer and when he died from cancer of the kidneys in June 1987, more than a thousand people placed flowers on his coffin.Alongside the coffin was a table on which was placed a photograph of him wearing with customary pride his South Australian blazer. Resting against the table was the Les Favell Stuart Surridge bat by which he had lived and died.While it was always a joy to worship Favell, doing so was not always easy. As an opening batsman and gifted captain, his impulsiveness often tested the faith of his devotees just as it did the tolerance of the national selectors and the patience of the critics.Like his good friend and ardent admirer and supporter Sir Donald Bradman, Favell began his career with the St George District Club in Sydney before moving to South Australia to pursue a first-class career in the summer of 1951-52.In the foreword to Les’ book, Sir Donald wrote: “Throughout his long career Les set an example as a player and as an individual which can only be the envy of others. His vast accumulation of runs in first-class cricket are a record of his prowess, but they do not tell of the personality and character which were stamped on those performances. He never scorned a challenge, rather did he welcome it. The most frequent criticism heard of Les during his career was that his batting was too risky. What a pity all players didn’t have the same fault.”Les’ first-class career lasted from November 1951 to February 1970, and in all he amassed 12,379 runs at 36.62 with 27 hundreds and 67 fifties. He captained South Australia on 95 occasions, leading them to the then Sheffield Shield in 1963-64 and 1968-69, and was skipper of the Australian Second XI to New Zealand in 1967.His one Test century came at the Corporation Ground in Madras in January 1960 when, with commendable if somewhat uncharacteristic patience, he batted throughout the first day.I’m certain that it is the rich recollections of Les and his humour and generosity of spirit as well as his daring batting and intuitive, aggressive captaincy that help to keep me young at heart and passionate about the glorious game.I remember as a schoolboy jumping from moving trams and running through the heart of Adelaide, across the elegant city bridge spanning the River Torrens and into the Creswell Gardens on the south-eastern side of perhaps the most beautiful Test-match ground on earth. Breathing uneasily, I would look through the heavy, bending boughs of the Moreton Bay fig trees to see if Les’ nameplate was at the bottom of the lovely old scoreboard and a dancing white light beside it. If it was, I would burst with joy much as I do now at the many wonderful memories of my favourite cricketer – Leslie Ernest Favell, MBE, 1929-1987.

ESPNcricinfo brings you the plays of the fourth day of the third Test between South Africa and India at Newlands

Sidharth Monga at Newlands05-Jan-2011The kindness
It was a hot day with the temperatures reaching 36 degrees Celsius, and Jacques Kallis was struggling with bruised and contused ribs. When he collapsed with pain, waiting for the physiotherapist to arrive, he was flat on his back looking straight at the sun beating down on him. Umpire Simon Taufel provided him some relief, using his hat as a shield between the sun and Kallis.The easily movable object
Hashim Amla was batting in front of the same stumps that refused to let go off the bail on the third day when he tried a premeditated sweep off Harbhajan Singh, who bowls at about 55kph slower than the unfortunate bowler Dale Steyn. More pace was taken off the ball as it ricocheted off the pad onto the arm and then softly rolled into the stumps. And lo, down came the bail. Sometimes, when it is not your Tuesday, it isn’t your Wednesday either.The shot
How many times have you seen Jacques Kallis reverse-sweep? Not often. He is such a correct player he hardly ever needs these frills. Today, though, with two batsmen before him struggling with the orthodox variety of sweep, and with strong leg-side fields, Kallis reverse-swept in a calculated manner. Cutting was not easy with the rough outside the off stump, and behind square on the off side was the one vacant area. So, the third ball Kallis faced from Harbhajan he shaped up for the sweep, then turned the bat the other way around, and got four for it. The desired response was instant as India stationed a deep point, and the 16 runs that Kallis got through 10 reverse-sweeps remained the highlight of the innings.The boundary rider
Sreesanth hasn’t had much fun fielding at the boundary during this series. Harbhajan Singh, though, earned some friends in the crowd on Wednesday. He was seen chatting, posing for photographs, and signing autographs. He even borrowed a fake moustache from someone in the crowd, took it with him when he was going to field inside the ring, and brought it back only when he was sent back again. High fives all round. A completely different vibe from the one he drew from the Australian crowds three years ago.The breakthrough
India were out of inspiration, ideas and imagination during the partnership between Kallis and Mark Boucher when MS Dhoni handed the ball over to Sachin Tendulkar. In his second over, Tendulkar produced one that stayed low and trapped Boucher in front. It was his first Test wicket since April 2009. That didn’t provide India with much inspiration, though, as a 54-run eighth-wicket stand between Kallis and Steyn followed.