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A day that began with a gritty batting display turned into a rare off day with the ball for Rangana Herath

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Dunedin12-Dec-2015

Southee hails ‘world-class’ Watling

Tim Southee lauded the efforts of wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling, who claimed six catches in the innings for the second time in his career. Ian Smith has the New Zealand record with seven catches against Sri Lanka in 1991, but no other New Zealand keeper has taken six or more on two separate occasions.
“Brendon speaks about fielding being an attitude. The keeper sets the standard and BJ has set a hell of a standard over the last couple of years,” Southee said. “He will try very hard at anything you give him – that’s just his personality. The keeper plays a massive part for a bowler. We get the accolades for the wickets but it’s quite often not only BJ, but the rest of the fielders, as well, who contribute.”
Southee also delivered a glowing endorsement of Watling’s batting, though he has been in modest form of late, making a top score of 32 in the series against Australia. “He’s turned himself into a world-class keeper-batsman. For someone who started his career as a Test opener to now be arguably the best keeper-batsman going around the world in Test cricket is no mean feat.”

Five overs before lunch, Rangana Herath, swaddled in wool, rib protector defining a little outline through all the layers, ducked into a Tim Southee bouncer that hadn’t climbed as it should have. Southee and the New Zealand fielders wore concerned looks. A few put caring hands on Herath’s back. Then, once the ringing from the blow on the back of the helmet had subsided, the hurling of balls at Herath’s head resumed.Hours later, standing at mid-on, another ball came Herath’s way. This one was off Martin Guptill’s leading edge and was dying through the air. You could almost hear a clunk as Herath’s leaden legs pushed off. He didn’t so much attack the ball as wade through molasses in its direction. Even a top fielder would have struggled to get to the ball, but they might just have done better than go into orbit around it, which is what Herath almost did. He ran a circular route, then trod over to the bowler with a half-apology.Not long after that, Herath was at the top of his mark, ball flitting between his hands. Martin Guptill slid back in his crease to crack the last ball of the over through point. Next over he slinked out on two occasions, first fetching a four over mid on, then a handsome straight six.Herath’s whole Saturday was made up of these little struggles. With bat, ball and in the field, he found himself in pressure situations – the team looking to him for something special, as they often do when the opposition becomes so dominant.The batting was the part he handled best. Herath survived for 74 deliveries, taking crucial time out of the match, with rain expected on day four. He shelved his slap-happy disposition, along with half of his shots, which is to say two of them. The reverse-wallop and sweep were not on show. The pull and drive brought him most of his 15 runs. New Zealand’s seamers tried taking out his stumps at first, sending swinging balls full and straight, but soon put two men behind square and a third catcher on the leg side, to test him with the short ball.”He was playing so well on the front foot we had to try something different,” Southee said. “We went with the short ball for a few overs. It’s never nice when you hit someone, but it’s nice to know he got through it all right and carried on batting.”He provided some stability with the bat, but the blows to Herath’s bowling sent Sri Lanka way off kilter. Even at the southernmost venue in the world, even on a green pitch, he is the linchpin of an even greener attack. Angelo Mathews relies on him in all situations, whether oppositions need to be reined in or ripped through. Today, they needed both, but Herath could barely provide one. His ball to get Guptill pitched on a good length, then shot towards middle stump, never rising more than two inches off the ground. Was it a new-fangled variation? Probably not. That wicket gave Sri Lanka a little respite, but the rest of Herath’s deliveries did not. He sent down eight overs, at an economy rate of 4.87. So rattled were Sri Lanka by this that they used seven bowlers to get through their 48 overs. New Zealand, in 117.1 overs in the field, had used one fewer.”He’s a great bowler, but these pitches are suited to seamers,” was Dinesh Chandimal’s assessment. “Unfortunately they batted really well against him.”That Herath has been Sri Lanka’s most consistent match-winner since Muttiah Muralitharan has rarely been in doubt, but in this game so far he has been like the leopard taking shelter from the monsoon. It is the drier Hamilton surface that excites him, and on which he thinks he might successfully hunt. Many others in the team seem to agree.If the rains materialise on Sunday, Sri Lanka have a chance of going to that Test on level terms. New Zealand are on 308 now, and Herath is the visitors’ best hope of delaying a declaration. Even if he can’t take wickets, Sri Lanka will hope he can lock up one end, and sharpen the menace of the man bowling from the other end. It is a lot to ask of a bowler, to be both spearhead and workhorse, but Herath has been doing both for so long it is jarring when he has an off day. They might need a little more of his grit with the bat as well.

Hardik Pandya made his way into the Indian team through strong performances in the IPL, where he was mentored by Ponting and Tendulkar. He talks about his journey this far

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi31-Jan-201610:09

Pandya: “I used to hear that after an IPL season a youngster can grow. That happened to me”

Let us go back to the day when Ricky Ponting, Mumbai Indians’ coach, gave you your first IPL cap before the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
It was amazing. I was expecting it every match. I was always the 12th man. But when I got the call I was expecting Ricky to tell me, “Hardik, sorry bro, you missed out.” But on this day he walked out of the dressing room with a cap in his hand. He just said: “Good luck, mate. Go and express yourself. I know you are going to do well.” And I did.You had already formed a good bond with Ponting by then. Can you talk about the first net session he conducted with you?
He walked up to me and said, “What do you want to improve?” I said: “[Facing] the short ball.” We did specific drills then. He explained the pull shot, upper cut, square cut, the hook.

“Before going into the IPL I was thinking: I am doing amazingly well in the domestic circuit, will I do the same in the IPL? I used to work out like anything. I drained myself out and lost three or four kilos”

Take the example of the pull. He asked me to pull the ball, after which he told me I was bending my leg too much and that in that position I could not pull properly. He told me my leg should be straight. Did Sachin Tendulkar tell you anything specific?
After a warm-up at the Wankhede Stadium, he told me: “The way you are playing, in one and a half years you are going to play for India. That capability you have.” I was like, whoa! That time I did not know I was going to play for India in seven to eight months. But when Sachin Tendulkar tells you that, I cannot describe what it felt like.He told me, “You can play shots, so you can take time.” Right now I am doing the same thing. I am not hitting sixes from the first ball. I am taking a good 15 balls before going for the big sixes. He used to tell me during the IPL that I can take time and cover up later. I did not understand what he meant then. Since I was batting at No. 7 the team would need something quick-fire, so I used to hit from the first ball. Now for Baroda, I am batting at No. 3, so I am getting a good amount of balls and time.On your IPL debut you played a role in Mumbai’s first win of the season, which came after losses in the first four matches.
Till the 18th over we had lost only three wickets. I was batting at No. 8. I did not expect I would even get to pad up. But then David Wiese took three wickets in an over. Rohit [Sharma] got out, Polly [Kieron Pollard] got out and then Rayudu ” (Enjoy yourself). He had watched me in the nets and was happy I was hitting big sixes. First ball: six. Bhajji pa, energetic and happy, said, “,” (You’re on a roll) he said. That shifted the momentum towards us.”I have been selected as a proper allrounder, so my aim is to fit that role. I can still improve my bowling. I have to work on my yorkers and slower balls”•Getty ImagesI remember Ponting saying after we won the final that people remember Hardik Pandya for the CSK game and the Kolkata one, but I still remember him for the RCB one, because we won the game by 18 runs.That eight-ball 21 against Chennai Super Kings had come in an away match when Mumbai needed 34 from the final three overs.
Before the match I did not want to play because I had a very bad catch in my neck. But the Mumbai trainer, Paul Chapman, said: “You seriously want to miss the game for this neck sprain? Who cares? Just have the painkillers and play.”Even 10 overs into the game I was not able to move my neck properly. But I had taken five painkillers. After the game I went to Chapman, hugged him and thanked him for pushing me and making me believe that pain does not matter. Imagine if I had not played that game. I don’t know what my future would have been like. That game was the turning point of my career.You took on Pawan Negi, Chennai’s left-arm spinner, quite easily.
[Dwayne] Bravo was bowling really well. We felt the game was getting out of our hands because the ball was gripping [the pitch] and Bravo was bowling slower ones. He had given only four runs in the 18th over. When we saw Negi come to bowl, Rayudu said: go for it. The first ball from Negi I hit for six over long-on. MS Dhoni immediately said: “Negi, ” (Negi, no, no, no). The next ball I tried to reverse-sweep and missed. Rayudu was shouting abuse at me in Hindi. I was laughing even while he was shouting. The next two balls went for sixes and the match was over.I’ve heard that Rohit Sharma, the captain, specifically asked for you to come in as the next batsman, instead of Harbhajan Singh, when he got out.
Bhajji first. I share a very good bond with him. My room was next to him and he used to walk in any time.After the match I was so excited at having won my first Man-of-the-Match award and the one for maximum sixes, I said: “Bhajji .” (Bhajji pa, I’ve got about Rs 2 lakh [US$3000 approx]). He and Nita ma’am [team owner Nita Ambani] burst out laughing. He said, you don’t get the entire money, you only get 20%.What were you hoping to learn from your first IPL season?
I wanted to gain confidence. Before going into the IPL I was thinking: I am doing amazingly well in the domestic circuit, will I do the same in the IPL? That is why I used to work out like anything. I drained myself out and lost three or four kilos. One day Ponting told me: “You are practising a lot, but take a day or two off and it will be good for your cricket.” I felt confident. I used to hear that after an IPL season a youngster can grow. That happened to me.How has your kit bag changed?
I am a bat freak. Even if I have one match bat I carry eight bats to make my kit look heavy. Same with gloves: seven to eight pairs. I used to borrow bats till two years ago. I did not have the money. I did not have a bat to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy before last year. I called Irfan bhai [Irfan Pathan] and he gave me two bats. Then last year I got a bat sponsor. Till then I was playing with whatever I had. You won’t believe but I used to make my bats last for at least two years, strapping them several times.Is it true that you were paid Rs400 ($6 approx) to play cricket till a few years ago?
Yes, two years back I was. There was no name for the tournament. It was just between villages. I would play for teams like Jhambuja XI. What was the fascination? Rs 400. My brother used to get Rs 500. For a week at least, life would be normal.Pandya’s innings against Chennai Super Kings turned his career around•BCCIDo you consider yourself a batting allrounder or a bowling allrounder?
A batting allrounder. Batting has always been my priority. Till last year I saw myself as 60% batsman and 40% bowler. But after that I worked on my bowling and now I focus equally on both.You have said you could be the batting allrounder India are looking for.
Definitely. I don’t feel shy to say that, but I have been selected as a proper allrounder, so my aim is to fit that role. I can still improve my bowling. I have to work on my yorkers and slower balls. I need to get stronger, which will help me bowl quick.Do you think people might think you are over-confident?
I back myself. You should be confident enough to go out there and express yourself. I don’t wear any mask. I am like this. But I was not like this four years ago. Back then I did not have the confidence to speak to people. But in the last two years I have started speaking more confidently and that’s because of WhatsApp. I have always wanted to speak in English. Even if I wasn’t fluent, I’d still speak. People used to make fun of me but I continued to speak. From those kinds of things I gained confidence.So Tendulkar was right in his prediction about you playing for India?
It’s only been nine months [since he said that]. I am sure I am going to make my debut. This is my first international trip. I made my passport about five years ago. This is the first time I’ll make use of it. I am well prepared. The challenge will be to get used to the bounce while batting. I am bowling good enough to make use of the Australian pitches. I am sure I am going to put on a good show.

Plays of the Day from the IPL 2016 eliminator between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Delhi

Shashank Kishore25-May-2016Warner’s finger-breaker
Yusuf Pathan’s slower-through-the-air mantra on a gripping Kotla surface caused a few flutters initially in the Sunrisers camp. But David Warner quickly realised the best way to combat that threat was to attack. And so he attempted to flat-bat one straight back. Yusuf instinctively moved to his right in his follow through and put his hand out to pouch the catch on offer. His eyes were closed for a split second, enough for him to lose a bit of direction, and the ball hit him on the hand, leaving him clutching his middle finger in obvious agony. Play was stopped for a couple of minutes, but Yusuf eventually went on to complete the over.Kuldeep’s never-popper
Kuldeep Yadav’s second over was quite dramatic to say the least. Most young bowlers would have tried to fire the ball in after being slogged down the ground for six. But chinaman bowler Kuldeep isn’t a big fan of the idea, or so it seemed. While his pace was slower through the air, he shortened his length off his next delivery. Henriques, expecting the ball to skid on, set himself for a heave over midwicket and was through with the shot when the ball lobbed high off the back of his bat. Kuldeep called, and held on to the skier. If he wasn’t already pumped, he sure was when he got one to clatter into David Warner’s middle stump off the next delivery. Warner tried to fetch a sweep from outside off, but failed to account for sharp turn as the ball ripped back in to beat his swing. “Come on,” Kuldeep roared repeatedly as his team-mates swooped in to ruffle his hair and calm him down. By then, it looked like his nerves had nearly popped out and his face was flushed in jubilation.Yuvraj’s boot-blocker
As far as a comedy of errors goes, this might be hard to top. Naman Ojha was ball watching as he chopped a delivery towards point. Yuvraj Singh, assuming there was no reason to not take a single, was halfway down the pitch when he realised his only way out was to get to the keeper’s end and hope his partner moved out of his crease. Robin Uthappa, the wicketkeeper, swiftly moved to his right to collect the ball. All good, relatively speaking, until this point. Then Uthappa removed his gloves and was on the move when he sent in a weak throw, which was still likely to make it to the bowler’s end and be the end of Yuvraj, but the ball hit Yuvraj’s boot – no, he was not trying to impede the throw. As the ball deflected away towards Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj turned around and made it back to the non-striker’s end. But even the final act was riddled with confusion as Ojha finally headed out in Yuvraj’s direction, before they each moved back to their own ends.

Stats highlights from the third day of the second Test between West Indies and India in Jamaica

Bharath Seervi02-Aug-20168 Consecutive Test series in which Ajinkya Rahane has made at least one score of 90 or more, starting from the 2013-14 tour of South Africa. He has scored centuries in six of those series, while scoring 96 in South Africa 2013-14 and 98 in Bangladesh in 2015. He is the only India player to do this in each of the last eight series. Monday’s century was Rahane’s third in four innings, after twin centuries against South Africa in Delhi and 22 in the previous Test.444 India’s previous highest total in Tests at Sabina Park, which had come way back in 1952-53. India’s 500 for 9 is the sixth-highest total for any visiting team at this venue and only the second total of 500 or more in the last 20 years. This was India’s fifth total of 500 or more runs in the West Indies, all of them having come since 2000.2 Number of times India have taken a first-innings lead of 300 or more in consecutive Tests. They had a lead of 323 in the previous Test, and 304 in this Test. The only previous such instance came in 2009-10 against Sri Lanka at home: lead of 413 in Kanpur, and 333 at Brabourne Stadium. This is only the fifth time India have had a lead in excess of 300 outside Asia.2008 The last time India made two or more totals of 500 or more in an away Test series – during 2007-08 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. India have never made more than two 500-plus totals in any Test series.70.28 India’s average partnership for wickets one to seven in this series – their best in an away series where they had ten or more partnerships. In two innings in this series so far, India have had ten 50-plus stands from the 14 partnerships for wickets one to seven.3 Centuries for Rahane in Tests outside Asia at No. 5 – joint-most by an India batsman. Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and Polly Umrigar also have three such centuries. Rahane is India’s first No. 5 to score a century in the West Indies since Rahul Dravid’s unbeaten 144 in Georgetown in 2002.1976 The last time a West Indies spinner took a five-wicket haul at home against India – 5 for 23 by David Holford in Bridgetown. Roston Chase, who took 5 for 121 in this innings, had gone wicketless in the previous match, his Test debut. In his four first-class innings at Sabina Park previously, he had taken just 2 for 84 in 24 overs.3 Number of higher totals for India, than their 500 for 9 in this match, with two or fewer centuries by batsmen. They had made 657 at Eden Gardens in 2000-01, 523 at Adelaide Oval in 2003-04 and 503 in Hyderabad in 2012-13 – all against Australia. In all three instances, there were two centuries, one of them being a double-century, unlike in this game where KL Rahul’s 158 was the highest.17 Sixes hit in this Test, at the end of India’s innings – already the most in a Test at Sabina Park. On two previous occasions, 16 sixes were hit. The most sixes in any Test in the West Indies is 22. India’s eight sixes in their first innings is their joint-highest against West Indies.3 Tests in the West Indies in which spinners from both sides took five-wicket hauls in the first innings. R Ashwin took 5 for 52, while Chase took 5 for 121. The first two occasions were: between the same teams at the same venue in 1952-53, and between Bangladesh and the hosts in Kingstown in 2014.2010 The last time three or more India batsmen were out for scores between 40 and 49 – versus Sri Lanka at Premadasa. In the first innings of this match, Cheteshwar Pujara (46), Virat Kohli (44) and Wriddhiman Saha (47) were all dismissed in the 40s. This was only their third such instance since 2000.

As one of their greatest batsmen of all time made arguably his last stand, Pakistan’s much-lampooned tail stood as one alongside him to set up a shot at glory

Jarrod Kimber13-Aug-2016Pakistan had a chance to lose today. It would have meant they not only lost the Test, and the series, but also their latest chance to go to No.1 in the world. It would have been a slap in the face to everything they have achieved, and to their hero, Younis Khan.When Sarfraz Ahmed fell, squandering another good start by nicking off for 44, Pakistan were only 69 runs ahead. Their lead was still short of the 103-run lead they had at Edgbaston, and that wasn’t enough. Now the Pakistan tail was coming in – and the best of them, Yasir Shah, had already done good work as a nightwatchman the day before. So it was left to the chaff. In the crucial last innings at Lord’s, 9, 10 and 11 had made one run between them.Right there, that is when it could have happened. The quick collapse, the shoddy bowling, the end of all hope. Younis Khan, walking off at the close of the day with nothing to show for it. Instead, Pakistan stood beside him.It was Wahab Riaz first – a man who can hit, and is not bereft of batting, but never a sure thing. At Old Trafford he was their second top-scorer with 39. Today he barely had to face a ball. The man at the other end did the work; all Wahab had to do was a face a couple of balls at a time and avoid doing anything stupid. For 11 overs he did his job as well as he could. Wahab made four runs, but the partnership was 37, and it took the lead beyond 100, beyond Edgbaston.Mohammad Amir can bat. He almost stole an ODI against New Zealand once. And although he has spent five years out of the game, it is fair to say he hasn’t spent the time getting throwdowns and working on his game. He hasn’t ever seen a ball he doesn’t want to slash through point. For 23 balls though, he was a monk, and only then, with the lead already at 130 and Younis already past 200, did he dare launch Moeen Ali over the rope. It was his first scoring shot, and England’s collective shoulders slumped at that moment.The tail that is a punchline has been standing up all series. Yasir’s innings at Lord’s gave Pakistan enough runs; 8, 9 and 10 outscored the top three in the second innings at Old Trafford, and Sohail Khan and Rahat Ali put together the second-biggest partnership on the last day at Edgbaston. Here Yasir batted for 17.3 overs, Wahab 11.3 and Amir 24.2 – a combined total of 43.2 overs.Younis Khan celebrates his double-century•AFPThe main difference here was they didn’t stand alone, they stood with a great of the game. Letting him down would be like letting down your father, your President, your King Khan. If Younis Khan tells you to block out a few overs and play smart cricket, tackle a bear family, or walk through a field of razor wire for 73 miles, you do it.Someone on commentary said this was the kind of innings in which you don’t remember a shot. If you can’t remember this innings, there is something wrong with your cricket emotions. Unless what he meant was that you didn’t have to remember it, you simply enjoyed it by osmosis, so all the shots – the cut off Finn, the quicksilver hands that swept Moeen, the sixes, all of them, of authoritarian glory and the sweet drives – were now just part of you having been in their presence.The six to bring up Younis’s 200 will be the shot that gets replayed for years to come. But it was the ball before that was Younis at his best. He should be in a commentary box, misremembering old cricket stories and mispronouncing current player’s names. But instead he keeps going into battle for his nation. Even when earlier in the series the game looked beyond him, he didn’t walk away, he stood and fought.So here was this old man, with all the fielders back, hitting the ball at the exact right angle, with the exact right weight, and then scampering through for two runs like a teenager trying to prove something. He has nothing left to prove, and he still keeps proving it. It was smart, it was skilful, it showed desperation, it had courage, and it was a testament to his fitness. The six, well that was just muscle memory, a spinner is bowling, he was nearing a landmark, why not hit this guy into row F, seat 27.At the press conference Younis dedicated this innings to Hanif Mohammad, a man of greatness like him. He didn’t have to dedicate it with his words; he had spent two days honouring Hanif with his bat. It was, in length, in importance, in style, in every single way, Younis Khan in Excelsis. This man who has played his games in empty stadia, outside his home, with people watching on illegal streams, was suddenly getting 25,000 opposition fans to stand up and celebrate him.The man who captained the World T20 triumph, the man who made a triple century the last time he was allowed to play at home, the man who has witnessed his team-mates being thrown in jail and his opposition being shot at by terrorists, the man who dragged Pakistan cricket up from its darkest times, and the man who just bats and bats for his country. That man deserves to go out knowing that his team did everything they could to fight for the No. 1 spot. That the thing he spent his whole life mastering, finally paid off.They all want to be the first Pakistani team to be the official World No.1. But they want to do it for Younis as well.By the time Pakistan’s bowlers had destroyed England’s top order, West Indies had already collapsed against India so their latest chance of going top had been delayed. But this time it wasn’t due to a Pakistan mistake. They were glorious, from first ball to last, they were as good as they could be. Pakistan had a chance to lose today; they have a chance to win tomorrow.Pakistan didn’t perform another ‘come from in front defeat’. They didn’t give up their chance of being No.1. Today they weren’t carried by Younis; they were as good as him. They stood with Younis. They were Younis.

Gordon Greenidge talks about batting, opening the batting, playing in the West Indies, and limping between the wickets

Interview by Crispin Andrews26-Oct-2016What were Barbados wickets like when you played?

Quick, with more bounce than, say, in the UK, where I played a lot with Hampshire. There would be a light tinge of green on the pitch, rolled in to bind it.In Australia, pitches were even bouncier.Guyana and Trinidad weren’t bouncy pitches. Antigua was. Barbados was the quickest of the West Indies pitches when I played. The ball steepled more, which mean a lot of back-foot play.Your second Test tour was the 1975-76 Test series against Australia, when West Indies lost 5-1? What did you learn from it?

It was a real eye-opener. The way the Australians played the game – verbals, bouncers, batsmen standing their ground until the umpire gave them out, which he often didn’t, sometimes even when it was pretty obvious that they were out… It was the sort of tour where either you crack and give up the game or you put your head down and say, no, this will not beat me.What was the toughest thing about playing against Australia back then?
The Australians were seasoned professionals, hardcore players who didn’t give an inch, whereas a lot of us [West Indians] were on our first or second tours. We’d been in India the year before, playing on slow, low pitches. We had to grow up pretty quickly. The feeling was that this lashing we got would never happen to this group of players again.How have Barbados wickets changed between then and now?

They’re much slower now. Some of them have been relaid, or the preparation is different. That hardness you used to see in the Caribbean has gone. Unfortunately, you haven’t really seen the batsmen making use of the slower pitches. That’s one of the main problems in West Indies cricket.What made Barbados cricket special when you played?
In years gone by, when teams toured the West Indies, they wanted to play in Barbados because they got good practice for the Test series coming up. The pitch was good to bat on but also good for bowlers. And Barbados had a team that was good enough to take on any touring side.

“A team can’t not manage to make 200 in either innings and then go about the place smiling. Every game should be played like it’s a final”

Why did you prefer opening to middle order?
I wasn’t one for sitting around waiting. If I had to wait to bat, I would have been a bag of nerves. Not sure if I’d have made it. I don’t think I could have just sat there watching the others. I wanted to get in and get started. I didn’t have the patience. I’ve never been a great watcher of this great game anyway. Not even now. When I got out, I had to find something to do or somewhere to go.How did you prepare for a big game?

I’d take my favourite bat, maybe one that I’d done some modifications to, put some extra rubbers on the handle, or [a grip] with more pimples to get a better grip. Then I’d sleep with it by the side of the bed because you didn’t want anyone to touch it. Before I went to bed, I’d play some shots in the mirror, start to think of the innings before the game begun. Gets you the feeling that you want to get the game started, get out there and be part of what’s happening. Then on the morning of the game you can’t wait to get out there.What did you learn from Barry Richards and Roy Fredericks about opening?
Barry was very quiet. Roy was, too. Unfortunately, no one got to see the best of Barry. At the end of his career, it was obvious he’d got pretty bored, not being able to play international cricket.Roy was a dashing player, would almost play a stroke at every ball he faced. He was very courageous. It didn’t matter who was bowling, how quick, he would challenge them. That was good to see.I liked to think of myself as someone who was going to take the fight to the bowler rather than the fight come to you. Challenge what is happening in front of you.”Desmond [Haynes, left] and I often shadowed each other. If things were going well for him, he took the lead. If it was my day, I pushed on while he dug in”•PA PhotosWho was the better opener, Fredericks or Desmond Haynes?
Totally different players. I only played for a short while with Freddo. He was the experienced guy coming to the end of his career. I was the apprentice, just starting out. Freddo was an individual, Desmond more controlled in the middle. He showed a lot of courage. Didn’t flinch. Very committed. Both accomplished players, very different.Why do you think you and Haynes had such a good opening partnership?

Desmond and I often shadowed each other. If things were going well for him, he took the lead. If it was my day, I pushed on while he dug in. Our communication was good. We’d chat well in between overs. Our running between the wickets got better the longer we batted together. Sometimes we didn’t even bother calling. We just knew when to run and when not to.Sunil Gavaskar or Geoff Boycott, who did you admire most as an opening batsmen?

Difficult to choose. They were both very dogmatic in their approach. Sunil was more attacking. His strokeplay and technique was spot on.A lot of people don’t appreciate Boycs, but I think he did a great job for England. Okay, England didn’t win many matches because of him, but you can say that often they didn’t lose a game because of how he played.Why do you think Gavaskar was able to score against West Indies when most other batsmen of that time struggled?
When Sunil played back, he stayed leg side, didn’t move across his stumps, back and across. It was very difficult to play against those bowlers if you moved back and across. Most of them brought the ball back into you, with pace and bounce. It was only really Malcolm [Marshall] who swung the ball away. Also, Sunil was positive in the strokeplay. Allan Lamb did the same.Why do you think West Indian batsmen of your era played fast short-pitched bowling so well?
Viv and Desmond did. I was a front-foot player, so you have to count me out of that. I didn’t play the short ball very well. It’s not a delivery that I enjoyed facing. It’s just that some have the game to play it better than others. In general, I don’t think people play it that well.Did it have anything to do with the amount of beach cricket you guys played growing up?
Maybe, yes. The bowler would wait for the waves to come onto the sand and make it harder, and then pitch the ball short so it skidded at you a lot quicker. You had to learn how to play off the back foot. I learned to play on a 12-foot wide concrete strip between two houses. If you hit either house you were out, so you had to play straight.

“I didn’t play the short ball very well. It’s not a delivery that I enjoyed facing”

Did your West Indies captains say much to you about tactics and strategy or just leave you to get on with it?
Clive Lloyd had a very good side. The bowlers had their own union and decided between them who would open the bowling, who would come on first- and second change. They would do the job according to how they wanted to do it, between them.Clive didn’t restrain the batters from being as aggressive as they wanted to. Yes, at times it was the downfall of a few of us. More often than not, he allowed the players to approach the situation as they wanted to without being inhibited.What was hardest to face, pace and bounce or swing and seam?

At the beginning it was the pace and bounce. I’d learned to play the swing reasonably well, so it didn’t trouble me that much. I would consider myself more a front-foot player.What was the key to playing the swinging ball?

Watch the ball very carefully. Play much straighter. Get a lot closer to the ball and cut down the swing. Don’t stand back and wait for it to swing. Sometimes I would stand slightly outside the crease to do this. Patience would help here. When you went to strike the ball, you did it with purpose. Strokeplay should be purposeful. If you’re going to hit the ball, hit it. Hesitancy was the downfall of loads of us.What’s the best way to learn about batting?
Watch someone who does it well. You can only get so far listening to someone tell you how to play this or that shot. Much better to watch someone playing it. The cut, for instance, was one of my trademark shots, but there are lots of batsmen who play it well, so watch a video clip of one of them. If you’re a coach, demonstrate, don’t just talk. It’s much easier if players see what to do for themselves.Best advice you received?

Be positive. If you’re forceful, it’s the opposition that have to change their plan of attack.How did you play the cut shot?
You rock back, make good contact, and come down on the ball as you strike it. If you flat-bat it, the ball will go in the air. Roll the bat face as you strike the ball. That way the ball will skid off the bat surface, past fielders.”If you’re forceful, it’s the opposition that have to change their plan of attack”•Getty ImagesFootwork is back and across, pivot on your back foot. Watch the video. You’ll see how it’s done.Why do batsmen sometimes get into trouble playing the shot?
They don’t pick the right ball. If it’s short and wide, that makes it easier to execute the shot well. You can free your arms, extend the bat at full length and strike the ball really cleanly.The ball doesn’t have to be that wide for you to play the square cut. You can back away, give yourself a bit of room. Stay balanced when you back away, though. If the ball is not too close to you, you might knock it back on to the stumps.How important is balance?
Ideally you’re on the balls of your feet, just beneath your toes. It’s important to have a balanced stance, so you can move into position. Some people can plant their foot and then adjust quickly and rotate when they see where the ball is. But if you’re too flat-footed it’s difficult to move quickly forward or back.Who taught you the most about batting?
My mentor was John Arlott. Many times I got invitations to his home in Hampshire. We would have lengthy conversations down in his cellar, about cricket, life in general, how to set yourself up in this great game, what you needed to do to be successful and play for a long period.John lived in an old, converted, pub. He used to tell me not to be so attacking. When I was younger it was ingrained in you that you sometimes just couldn’t resist trying to hit every ball for four or six. There were times when it was your downfall. So we’d speak about knowing when to be aggressive and when not to.Did playing on green English pitches help hone your defensive technique?
It helped all my techniques. You’d play on lots of different surfaces, on uncovered wickets, which I thought were unfair to the batsman. The bowler’s run-up was covered, so he’d have a dry spot to land on. Sometimes our bats had more mud on them than ball marks. And you had to score fast to set up a win inside three days. Those pitches made you think. Helped you develop the sort of technique that would bring you success when it was difficult.

“Strokeplay should be purposeful. If you’re going to hit the ball, hit it. Hesitancy was the downfall of loads of us”

What are young West Indies batsmen today missing?

They don’t have enough cricket behind them – first-class cricket, quality cricket. They come in without anyone in the team to tutor them, because everyone is of about the similar level of experience. It’s like they’re thrown into the deep end and either they swim or they sink. Makes it difficult for guys to speak to each other. I’m not sure that any one of them could give the other advice, because they’re all in the same boat.What needs to be done to set things right?

Regional cricket has to be stronger. At the moment it’s exceptionally weak, so it’s not going to produce the players you’re looking for for international cricket. How I’m not certain, but something needs to happen. If it doesn’t happen, we’ll continue to be the way we are. It’s sad to see, but that’s the reality of it.What’s the difference between how the champion West Indian teams you played in approached the game, compared to how today’s West Indian teams go about it?
I don’t see the intensity in players today. The drive to represent the West Indies. I could be wrong, but I don’t see it. To play in a Test match, in that arena, for the West Indies. That is the best, the thing you hope for as a cricketer. To see players with broad smiles after they’ve just lost a game. That’s not on. A big no-no. It’s like people are thinking, we’ve lost, never mind, on to the next one. A team can’t not manage to make 200 in either innings and then go about the place smiling. It’s like it’s no big thing to lose a match. Every game should be played like it’s a final. You win, then you move on.How did the teams you played in respond to losing?
When we lost a match, some of the guys wouldn’t even want to go out for dinner, we’d order room service. You’d sit there and discuss the game. We’d think: yes, the opposition played well, but we had everything we needed to win that game, had it well in hand at one point, so what went wrong? We’d wonder where we lost our direction.Did you really play better when you were limping or is that just a myth?
Definitely a myth. But it worked because people thought I did. I played with a chronic back injury for most of my career. I also perspired heavily when batting, which often gave me a stiff neck. Don’t know what I would have done without Dennis Waite [the West Indies physio]. He’d get me on the field, sometimes with cortisone injections, but that’s the sacrifice you make if you want to play.What are you doing now?
I’m hoping to raise money for Gordon Greenidge Primary School in St James, Barbados. Two schools, joined together and moved to a new site. It was the Barbados government’s idea to name it after me. I’m also going to be a tour guide on England’s tour to the Caribbean next March. There’ll be two ODIs in Antigua and one in Barbados.

Gujarat opener Samit Gohel broke a host of first-class records during the course of his big score in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Odisha in Jaipur

Bharath Seervi27-Dec-2016357* The previous highest score by an opener who carried his bat in first-class history. Bobby Abel achieved this for Surrey against Somerset in 1899. Gujarat’s Samit Gohel carried his bat during the 359 not out against Odisha to set a new record in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final in Jaipur. WG Grace (318* in 1876) and Bill Ashdown (305* in 1935) are the only others triple-centurions to carry their bat. The highest by an Indian who carried his bat prior to Tuesday was Dheeraj Jadhav, who made an unbeaten 260 for India A against Kenya in 2004.1 Number of scores higher than Gohel’s 359 in the second innings of a first-class match. Don Bradman scored 452 for New South Wales against Queensland in 1929-30. This was the third triple-century in the team’s second innings in the Ranji Trophy, after Vijay Hazare’s 309 (while following on) in 1943-44 and Cheteshwar Pujara’s 352 in 2012-13.3 Number of bigger scores than Samit Gohel’s unbeaten 359 in the Ranji Trophy. BB Nimbalkar’s 443 not out in 1948-49, Sanjay Manjrekar’s 377 in 1990-91 and MV Sridhar’s 366 in 1993-94 top the list. Gohel equalled Vijay Merchant’s score, made in 1943-44. Gohel’s score is the second-highest in a Ranji Trophy knockout match, behind Manjrekar’s 377 in the 1990-91 semi-final.

723 Balls faced by Gohel – the sixth-highest in first-class matches (where number of balls have been recorded) and third-highest in Ranji Trophy history. Punjab’s Bhupinder Singh faced 738 balls in his innings of 297 in 1994-95 and Himachal Pradesh’s Rajeev Nayyar scored 271 off 728 in 1999-00.964 Minutes Gohel spent at the crease during his mammoth knock, the third-longest in first-class history. The longest, and the only player to bat over 1000 minutes, is Rajeev Nayyar in his innings of 271 against Jammu & Kashmir in 1999-00.

641 Gujarat’s highest-ever total in Ranji history. They went past the 640 they made against Maharashtra in 1995-96. This was their second 600-plus total of the season, after their 624 for 6 against Punjab, in which Priyank Panchal scored 314 not out. Before this season, they had scored 600 or more only thrice. Prior to this season, no Gujarat batsman had made a triple-ton – there have been two such instances in this season.

South Africa got Sri Lanka where they wanted them and made sure there was no escape

Andrew Fidel Fernando at the Wanderers14-Jan-20177:09

#politeenquiries: The travel blues edition

Does it feel like your bats have no corporeal form? That the ball is phasing right through them? That’s how it starts out here. You are playing, and playing, and playing at balls, and missing and missing and missing.It’s going to get much worse, because listen, the band is in voice. Our fans are in. Best of luck fellas. This is the Bullring.A bouncer comes, and it follows you into your escape route and smacks you. It’s a better connection than you have made all innings. A louder sound too, but don’t be going just yet. We will get your wicket when it suits us – just feel what it is like to be out here first. Feel the sting of your welt. Hear the leather whistle as it passes you, like an overhead shell. What does the pitch smell like? Is it brimstone and hellfire?Along with the rearing short balls our bowlers throw you stares and the slips are throwing verbal shivs, so in almost every sense, you have become our walking dartboard. Did you think it was tough in Port Elizabeth? Was Cape Town a difficult four days for you? Watch our quicks bear down on you here, smoke pouring from their nostrils. This is always where we were going to nail you. This is the Bullring.The edges of your bats are blood red now, from the previous Tests, but maybe this is why the crowd thinks you are here to be our prey. Men dressed in bikini tops and grass skirts make exaggerated “oohs” when you flash at a ball and fail to hit it. Shirtless kids in paddling pools slap their knees when another ball scorches past your helmet grille. On good days, this ground, it feels like a cauldron. Today, when we are playing like this, we’re sure it feels for you like an inferno. What about that roar when a wicket falls? That’s wildfire making its way around the stadium.At home your pitches become more difficult to bat on as the game wears on. You probably thought it was the opposite here: things can only get easier after the first day. You couldn’t be more wrong. When the sun falls on this track, and the heavy roller does a few rounds, it will only become polished-granite-greased-lightning. Our quicks are firearms. They will make the ball feel like a bullet. You’re the target. No way could you hurt us. This is our range, the Bullring.And we know what you will say. You’ll say: “Come to Asia. See what you will get in Galle. Try your luck at Sara or the SSC.” Actually, we won there last time, but for the sake of argument we’ll say you are right. Maybe we are no longer the same team. You might have us groping, and sweating, and stumbling on your dusty pitches, but see, we’ll only ever fear for our wickets and our averages over there. Maybe the umpire’s finger as well.Here you are afraid for throats. You fear for your ribs. Your future progeny is at risk. The ball screams at you from a length, and makes a raid into your most personal space. You want to escape to square leg. All your innings are so short, multiple batsmen seem to be racing each other back to the dressing room. With such pace do you approach the boundary, it’s like you’re gathering speed to clear the jump on a rising drawbridge.Who could blame you, to be honest? Anyone would have done the same. You want to be on the other side – not out here. As far away as possible from the Bullring.The end is nearing now. We have bullied you into driving, and lapped up the resultant edges. We have cornered you into fending, and watched your bodies twist and spasm into shapes humans should not make. You have tried to charge us. You have tried to hook. You have sent catches into the air, and we’ve tracked them down with elastic bodies and Velcro hands.In Port Elizabeth we had ground you down. Beneath Table Mountain we had socked you. And then we brought you north, away from the sea, up into the Veld. To finish you off, we brought you to the Bullring.

England are in the unusual position of entering an ODI match against Australia as favourites. But their upsurge owes much to a common adversary

George Dobell at Edgbaston09-Jun-2017It tells you much about the confidence around the England team at present that, on the eve of a match against a foe that has caused them much pain over the years, they were asked about the danger of complacency.It is a remarkable state of affairs for a side without a global tournament victory in their history in the format, ranked No. 5 in ODIs, and playing an Australia team ranked No. 3. And it is true that it possibly says more about the hubris that haunts some aspects of England as much as it does anything else.There shouldn’t be even a hint of complacency from this England side. They are too hungry for that. Too hurt from the World Cup, too, in several cases. They know they have, as yet, achieved relatively little and that to be regarded as the best in the world, they have to be winning these games and these tournaments. Until they do, complacency should be the last of their worries. As Paul Farbrace, the assistant coach, put it on Thursday: “Our motivation is purely on keeping momentum going and playing well. We’re still learning.”Equally, there is no danger that England will feel any sympathy for Australia’s issues with their contractual dispute with their cricket board – “We’ll have a whip round,” Eoin Morgan joked – or their travails at the hands of the weather. Not once they get out on the pitch, anyway.There’s certainly no delighting in either predicament (“Of course you have sympathy for them,” Farbrace said in relation to the rain issue. “If the boot was on the other foot and it was us, you’d feel it was pretty tough, really.”) but the idea that England will in any way go soft on Australia was met by Morgan with the same look of incomprehension as a lion when asked if it had sympathy for the antelope whose neck it has in its jaws: blank eyes; a stare; maybe just the hint of a growl. England and Australia games, like India and Pakistan games, don’t need context. That this one has some is a bonus.But all the talk of complacency and sympathy does, perhaps, reflect the progress England have made since they were humbled at the World Cup. Farbrace had talked in some detail about the shock that caused to the team the previous day. Today, it was Morgan’s time to reflect upon it.In particular, Morgan spoke of the huge influence Brendon McCullum and his New Zealand team had on him and the way England played.Under Eoin Morgan, pictured with coach Trevor Bayliss, England have learned to smile in victory and defeat•PA PhotosIt wasn’t just that they New Zealand were good at the World Cup. It was they showed that a team could be good, could play hard cricket – ferociously hard in the case of McCullum – could be attractive to watch, positive in their approach, accessible to their supporters and still enjoy success. And, not least, that they could do all that and not strut and posture and sneer and snarl at their opposition.If that sounds obvious, it’s worth thinking back to the England team of three or four years ago. Think of the ugly saga that followed the alleged incident during the Trent Bridge Test against India in 2014; think how Sri Lanka turned on England after being riled by backchat during their series win earlier in the summer; think of the endless public washing of the team’s dirty laundry with the KP debacle and the way that magnificent team’s legacy was tainted. England were arguably the least popular side in world cricket. And while that might not matter and many might not much care, it didn’t make them the most attractive proposition when trying to sell the sport to a new generation of supporters.Compare that to the England team we see now. A team playing, arguably, the most exciting cricket in the world; a team who make time for every selfie, every autograph and just about every interview request. A team who have enjoyed improbable success and revived interest in their sport. A team who have put the smile back on the face of England cricket. These are not minor things for a game fighting for its place in the public consciousness.”Brendon has certainly been an inspiration for me,” Morgan said. “I had three years at Kolkata Knight Riders with him, in which we grew pretty close, and I learned a lot from him.”I watched him lead within a group and saw his tactical cricket brain and how he goes about things. He always has an alternative view regardless of whether it’s right or wrong, which makes things really interesting when you chat to him about cricket.”It wasn’t just New Zealand who played a different style of cricket to England at the World Cup, of course. It was, as Morgan said, the four semi-finalists (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India) who showed England the direction in which they must travel.”I always mention the top four teams that got to the semis in Australia and New Zealand,” Morgan said. “The brand of cricket they played was completely different to everybody else. They were aggressive. They could score 350 if needed and they always went for an attacking bowling line-up. Nothing they ever did was a step backwards.”But it was the sight of McCullum thrashing Steven Finn around Wellington, or hurling himself around in the field, or posting another slip fielder just as other captains would be removing one, that lingered longest from that World Cup. And, while other teams might have taken the opportunity to put the boot into a wounded opponent – think of David Warner talking about Jonathan Trott during the 2013-14 Ashes – McCullum went the other way when asked about Morgan mid-way through the tournament. “Tough times don’t last,” he said. “Tough blokes do. He’s a champion player.”Morgan, Farbrace, Andrew Strauss and Trevor Bayliss all deserve credit for the resurgence in England’s limited-overs cricket. Many others, too. But you could argue that the McCullimization of England cricket is as relevant as anything. If England win on Saturday, if they go on to win this tournament, it will be in part because of the deep impression he made upon them.

As New Zealand’s long Test summer nears its end, how New Zealand fares in Hamilton is likely to define Kane Williamson’s first home season as Test captain

Firdose Moonda in Hamilton24-Mar-2017While New Zealand’s top six batsmen were working on their techniques and their think-tank was trying to find ways to outsmart South Africa, Kane Williamson was brushing up an entirely different skill.”I’m practising my tosses,” Williamson joked on the eve of the Hamilton Test. “Hopefully that helps my chances tomorrow.”Since the T20I against South Africa five weeks ago, Williamson lost the toss in seven matches – five ODIs and two Tests – and not much else has gone his way either. His men remained competitive but succumbed meekly in the 50-over decider and gave up positions of advantage in both Dunedin and Wellington to go 1-0 down in the Test series. All of this while coping with the injury-forced absences of Ross Taylor, Tim Southee and now Trent Boult.Still, Williamson was in an unusually good mood for a captain who has faced such upheaval that he has had to re-organise his slip cordon to the point where it was unrecognisable. Who will stand where Taylor and Southee once stood? Or were New Zealand keeping that under wraps? “It’s not a secret, I am just trying to remember it,” Williamson answered neatly, without giving away the starting XI.It’s possible that Williamson did not actually know for sure, because New Zealand were going through what he called an “interesting process” in figuring out the best way to use their resources.Initially, their coach Mike Hesson explained that going with experience would be in the team’s best interests and their actions mirrored that. Jeetan Patel was recalled and Neil Broom, with 137 first-class caps, was preferred over Colin Munro, with 45, in Taylor’s No. 4 spot. But now New Zealand have run out of experience, especially in the bowling department, and are being forced to explore further.Although Colin de Grandhomme can’t be called young, except in terms of number of Tests, Scott Kuggeliejn certainly is. Even if Kuggeliejn does not debut in Hamilton, his time is not far away. “He’s certainly a player who was touted as one for the future in all formats,” Williamson said.And that’s why despite the troubles the team is in, Williamson can understand why this is a crucial stage in its development. In this time, a time of change, Williamson can cement his own stamp on the team he took over at the start of the summer.Kane Williamson may lack Brendon McCullum’s charisma, but makes up for it with wit and measured analysis•Marty Melville/AFP/Getty ImagesIn nine months, he has shown himself to be a thinking captain. He may not have the charisma Brendon McCullum did but his sense of humour is witty and well hidden. Williamson always has more to say after a match than before, preferring to analyse than pre-empt, and is measured in his musings.When he is angry – and he was after New Zealand’s collapse in Wellington – he does not over-react. “One bad day,” he called it. When he sees progress – and he has throughout the series in Zimbabwe, South Africa and India, and in the home summer – he acknowledges it and sees room for improvement: “We still want to make strides forward as a team.”And when he wants to show intent – not just with bat in hand – he can. “We want to go out and show fight, play a few shots, bowl the ball in the right areas, be nice and aggressive and leave it all out there in the field,” he said, in the first instance of proper fighting-talk in this series.Perhaps that’s because so much is riding on this match, not just because it is a must-win game to square the series. As BJ Watling explained, it could also define one of the busiest seasons New Zealand have had, and possibly will have at least until the end of the current Future Tours Programme. After Hamilton, New Zealand don’t play home Tests for the next nine months and have no away tours scheduled for more than 18 months.Williamson will not want his first summer in charge to be remembered for that hour in Wellington, which cost them the series lead. He will also not want it to remembered for the lost tosses, or for the injuries, or for the questions about the depth in his side. He will want it to remembered for how New Zealand fought back over the next five days.