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He has less than 100 runs in four Ashes innings – bringing to mind a number of England captains whose batting suffered when in charge

Rob Smyth29-Jul-2013For such a habitual success, Alastair Cook knows a fair bit about failure. Low scores are an inescapable fact of life for English openers and Cook has had plenty of leanish spells on his way to making 7607 Test runs and 25 hundreds. He is in one right now, with 83 runs in four Ashes innings. An average of 20.75 is slightly down on the 225 he was averaging after two Tests of the last Ashes.It would surprise nobody if Cook made a huge score in the next Test at Old Trafford. He had an even worse start to the summit series against India in 2011, with scores of 12, 1, 2 and 5 in the first two Tests. In the next match he hit 294 at Edgbaston.His Ashes mirabilis in 2010-11 followed the toughest summer of his career. However, the slightly absent-minded nature of a couple of his dismissals against Australia have induced the nagging and persuasive thought that Cook might just be starting to follow the pattern of England captains in the last 20 years: a spectacular start containing some of the best batting of their career – Cook was superhuman in India last year – followed by a slow decline as the incessant and varied demands of leadership take their toll.Cook’s overall average as captain is an outstanding 60.60. His average as full-time captain – since Andrew Strauss’ resignation – is 52.60, four above his career average, but in 2013 it is has dropped to 37.69. Perhaps the novelty is wearing off. Or perhaps it is just a common-or-garden lean spell. Cook does things differently to most batsmen, and he will feel a far more relevant precedent is that of his mentor Graham Gooch, the last Englishman to have extended success as a batsman-captain. Gooch’s improvement was extraordinary. When he took over in 1989-90, his Test average was 37.71. Over the next four years he averaged 58.72 before resigning the captaincy.Gooch was an exception, rule-proving or otherwise. For most batsmen, particularly in England in modern times, captaincy has been the grimmest reaper. Its all-consuming nature compromises a batsman’s relationship with his best friend: concentration. In , Graeme Smith – who has generally dealt extremely well with the twin demands – jokes he would like to lobby the ICC to extend the innings break from 10 to 15 minutes, such is the difficulty for captain-openers to leave the wider concerns at the pavilion gate. “You have so much eating away at you, so much still going on in your head.”

For most batsmen, particularly in England in modern times, captaincy has been the grimmest reaper. Its all-consuming nature compromises a batsman’s relationship with his best friend: concentration

Perhaps the best example of how the captaincy can affect a batsman came during the Ashes Test at Headingley in 2009. England’s build-up on the first day was frenzied. They had to stand outside their hotel for almost an hour in the early hours because of a fire alarm; Matt Prior suffered a back spasm during a game of football, which led to the toss being put back ten minutes; there was an ongoing discussion as to whether Andrew Flintoff would be fit; the masseur, Mark Saxby, was smacked on the head during Australia’s cricket practice. All this with the game due to start in less than half an hour. It was chaos, and Andrew Strauss could not focus on the smaller picture when he went out to bat. He should have been out lbw to the first ball of the match, and soon after, edged a loose drive to slip. The seam wasn’t the only thing scrambled that morning.That was an almost absurdly extreme example of how captaincy can impact, but it is always there. In , Steve Waugh wrote that captaincy “seemed to soak my spare time like a sponge”. In that sense it is almost an extreme form of sporting parenthood – extreme as you have effectively given birth to decuplets. A captain must look after his ten team-mates, with their myriad concerns.Then there are the toss, the media demands, the small talk with the mascots, the small talk with the Queen, the politics, the knowledge that your resting face and body language are being scrutinised at every moment, the angle of the man at fine leg. And that’s only about 0.1% of the demands. What starts as exciting and novel eventually becomes mundane and trying; it’s human nature. Changing your first nappy is one of the most memorable experiences of your life; changing the 2001st nappy is not. Then there is the pressure, the seeds of which are planted the day you take over and which grow over time.There is a school of thought the middle should be the safest place for a captain: his equivalent of a parent’s downtime, or a 22-yard sanctuary in which you can just bat, but it doesn’t always work like that. Cook is better at compartmentalising than most, and seems to be a master of clearing extraneous thoughts, but captaincy will challenge that in ways he could not have imagined. In modern sport everything is done to protect the body. It is much more difficult to take care of the mind; to keep it clear and sharp.That has been a recurring theme of England captains in the last 20 years. Most found the captaincy empowering rather than embattling at first. Mike Atherton, Alec Stewart and Strauss all had their most productive series leading the side in their first series as captain; Nasser Hussain’s average of 61.66 in his first full series was the best of his tenure. Even short-lived or stand-in captains such as Kevin Pietersen and Marcus Trescothick scored centuries in their first and second games as captain respectively, while Flintoff batted superbly in India in 2005-06.Most recent England captains, Andrew Strauss among them, have had productive times with the bat soon after taking charge, before the job began to take a toll•Getty ImagesThe exception is Michael Vaughan – but then he had no scope for improvement. When he assumed the captaincy he had scored seven hundreds in his last 12 Tests and had an average of 50.98. Vaughan was never the same player again; in 51 matches as captain he hit nine hundreds and averaged 36.02, a dreadfully unbecoming record for a man with a touch of genius. He resigned in tears, just like Hussain. It is inevitable that most captaincy careers will end in failure, and equally inevitable that most will struggle to maintain their output in the middle.”At the start of my captaincy, not being able to spend time on my own game was a benefit because it prevented me from being too insular,” wrote Atherton in . “Initially, also, the added responsibility and pressure were empowering and resulted in better personal performances. Eventually, however, as pressure increased over time, my ability to cope clearly decreased. Now, I needed extra time to put my game in order and the captaincy was a hindrance. I was not the only captain whose game suffered.”His mate Hussain’s certainly did. In his second year of captaincy Hussain could barely buy a run – he averaged 13.55 in a 12-Test period – and was increasingly obsessed with the idea that he was not worth his place. One night in Sri Lanka, when he could not sleep, he went to the hotel bar on his own at 1am.”The barman was just packing up,” he wrote in , “but I managed to persuade to him to hang on, ordered myself a rum and Coke, lit up a fag [even though I don’t smoke], and sat there, going through everything.” This is what the captaincy came to do a man. A century in the next Test changed Hussain’s life: he came to terms with it and had a second wind. Others were not so fortunate.The problem does seem to afflict England more than most. In the last 20 years, England captains batting in the top six average 39.98 – above only New Zealand, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and 10 runs behind Australia.”I always said I would be the only England captain not to go bald, but after days like today, it might not help that,” joked Cook after the Trent Bridge Test. England need him to buck the trend of recent history. These are relatively insecure times for a batting line-up that was hitting 500 in its sleep only a couple of years ago. England cannot afford to lose their best batsman.

Plays of the Day from the first match between Zimbabwe and India, in Harare

Liam Brickhill at the Harare Sports Club24-Jul-2013The googly
Zimbabwe have a crop of promising young legspinners at the moment, with Tino Mutombodzi, Natsai Mushangwe and Graeme Cremer all vying for selection, but none of them bowl the googly with nearly as much guile as Amit Mishra. Zimbabwe certainly had some trouble picking his variations, and it was Mishra who snapped a tenacious opening stand when he ripped one in past Vusi Sibanda’s defensive poke in the 22nd over. He was at it again later, dispatching an aggressive Hamilton Masakadza with one that went the wrong way and struck middle stump.The bowling change
A problem that plagued Kohli during his short spell as stand-in captain in the Caribbean, particularly on his captaincy debut against Sri Lanka, was effective rotation of his bowlers. There wasn’t nearly as much pressure exerted by Zimbabwe’s cautious batsmen in the opening ODI, but Kohli got his changes right and the tactical introduction of Suresh Raina’s offspin was particularly successful. Sean Williams, usually a deft player of spin, had handled Mishra’s offerings with aplomb but encountered the same problem that so many left-hand batsmen do when Raina came round the stumps to him. Williams played for turn, but there was none and he was bowled through the gate. It was the only over Raina bowled in the game, and the change worked a treat for Kohli.The costume change
India and Zimbabwe’s one-day kits could hardly be more different, in bold red and blue. When the match began this morning, Umpires Oxenford and Tiffin’s crimson shirts contrasted India’s outfits in the field, but had they remained in the same shirts in the afternoon they would have blended in a little too well with the Zimbabwe fielders, potentially confusing the batsmen. The similarity necessitated a costume change, with Oxenford and Tiffin officiating the second half of the game in sky blue tops.The drop
Sikandar Raza made a succession of starts in his debut series against Bangladesh in May, without ever being able to convert them, and he might have continued in the same vein had he not been gifted a life by Virat Kohli when he’d made just 28. A crease-bound Raza pushed his bat out at a flighted one from Ravindra Jadeja and the outside edge flew at knee-height to Kohli’s right. The India captain shelled the chance, and Raza made the most of the opportunity to reach a maiden international half-century.The set-up
The cover drive has served Shikhar Dhawan well in his short international career, and it appeared that he’d punish Zimbabwe’s bowlers for feeding him outside off stump when he flayed two boundaries through and over cover point in Kyle Jarvis’ third over. In Jarvis’ next over, Brendan Taylor tinkered with the field, moving Hamilton Masakadza from slip to gully and back to slip, adjusting Sean Williams’ angle at point and bringing Vusi Sibanda into a very short cover-point position. The set-up suggested that Jarvis would continue to plug away outside off, but instead he dug in a short, quick delivery that rushed Dhawan and was top-edged to Malcom Waller at fine leg.

Plays of the Day from the third day of the Chittagong Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong11-Oct-2013The forgotten markWhen Bangladesh moved past 269, the follow-on mark, on the third afternoon, there was no customary cheer from the Chittagong crowd. Even a couple of years ago, the crowd used to get involved whenever they got past the danger mark. This time when Mushfiqur edged the ball past slips, it was only noticed by a few and not celebrated. Bangladesh had a bigger target in their sights.The short celebrationMominul Haque is a man of few words. While no one expected a Michael Slater-style celebration from him, what he did after scoring his maiden Test century was amusing to everyone, even his teammates. He took the helmet off, raised his bat towards the dressing-room, and exchanged a few words with Marshall Ayub. That’s it. He then went back to take the again. It was batting as usual for Mominul.The dropBrendon McCullum handed Mominul his first life, by trying his luck with one-handed attempt at slips. The New Zealand captain jumped right in front of Ross Taylor at first slip, but dropped the chance. Mominul was on 172 at the time, and Trent Boult, whose delivery he edged, was left ruing his luck.The debutant connectionMarshall Ayub’s awkward dismissal to Corey Anderson was a case of one debutant taking the wicket of another. It was Anderson’s first major contribution in the game, after having scored just one in the first innings. Marshall innings was cut short on 25 after promising much solidity on the second day.

His technique would make a spider on skates look elegant, but how dangerous was he when it came to high-pressure chases?

Andy Zaltzman04-Mar-2014Australia are currently specialising in series of almost identical matches. The recent Ashes saw a recurring nightmare of Haddin-inspired recoveries, first-innings collapses, baggy-green second-innings thwacks, and a slide to inevitable defeat, all with Johnsonian moustaches roaring past in celebration. The monotony was broken only in the fourth Test in Melbourne, when England found a new and innovative way to lose. Albeit with many similarities, and another variation on the theme of early promise giving way to miserable annihilation. It was like a series of five particularly gloomy Rothko paintings, in which the fourth one was upside down with a willy graffitied onto it.In Australia’s current series in South Africa, three times the team batting first has taken a massive first-innings lead. In the first two Tests, a 90mph-denouement was administered by a champion paceman. South Africa, unlike England, remember at least to change which side was doing what within this pattern; unless they can stop the formula being applied again in the final two days, they will lose a series for the first time this decade.Australian habits have recurred – Johnson, obviously; critical, high-impact runs by Steve Smith; a Clarke century at a series-shaping moment; proactive declarations; Warner transmuting from a fist-flinging idiot with a seemingly endless collection of stupid things to say, into one of the most influential players in Test cricket with a seemingly endless collection of stupid things to say. And, in the third Test, we have seen once again Ryan Harris scalping the opposition captain/opener with a beauty; and one of the opposition’s most important players retiring. Perhaps Graeme Smith, like Swann, checked out of Hotel International Cricket anyway, but the way in which their games were dismantled by Australian brilliance has hastened (or at least, given the impression of hastening) their departures.The similarities may end there. Perhaps South Africa will find the resolve and luck to escape with a draw. Perhaps they could conjure a miraculous victory, especially if Clarke dangles his customary declaration carrot. Whatever happens, it is hard to imagine Hashim Amla or AB de Villiers being sacked for being too gobby. Australia have transformed the tenor and landscape of Test cricket in this 2013-14 season. If they can secure victory in the next two days, they will have obliterated the status quo, with eight Tests of occasionally vulnerable but bristlingly high-octane cricket.Smith’s retirement removes from the international game another of the towering figures of modern cricket. He has captained in a record 109 Test matches (including the pointless ICC World XI’s alleged “Test” at the SCG in 2005-06), and opened the batting in 108 of them – exactly twice as many as the highest number of Tests captained by any other opener (Mike Atherton).On an entirely personal level, I hated watching him bat. This was largely because he was irritatingly good against England, especially in England. He scored five centuries in 12 Tests here. Only one man this millennium has scored more – Dravid, who scored six, with rather more finesse and rather less rapidity. Smith’s first two were elephantine double-hundreds in 2003, when he became the second man ever to hit two 250-plus scores in a Test series. (A quick multiple choice quiz question: Who was the other? (a) Donald Bradman; (b) Monty Panesar; (c) Chris Martin; (d) Elvis; or (e) Donald Bradman. And… pencils down… The answer is (e). I will also accept (a).) As an England fan, both innings were massively irritating.He added to his catalogue of English frustration with two more decisive three-figure scores in the 2008 series – 107 in the follow-on at Lord’s to blunt England’s attack and lay the platform for an ultimately comfortable and opponent-sapping draw; and a series-winning, career-defining unbeaten 154 at Edgbaston, one of the finest innings of the millennium so far. As an England fan, both innings were massively irritating.His fifth hundred on these shores was at The Oval in the first Test of 2012. He and Amla laid the foundations for South Africa’s 637 for 2, grinding England’s previously-all-conquering bowling attack into a pulp in their wildly different styles, a good-cop-bad-cop combination that was like watching Margot Fonteyn dance with a rhinoceros. As an England fan, it was massively irritating. His record against England is the best of any Test opener of the last 50 years, and surpassed before then only by Bobby Simpson and Bruce Mitchell.He was, massively irritatingly, less dominant against the other leading Test nations of the era than he was against England, but still scored significant runs in South Africa’s two series wins in Australia, and his record outside his home country (17 centuries, average 55) stands comparison with the best in Test history.There were times when he was almost comically vulnerable to swing, as when Matthew Hoggard left him face down in Johannesburg, as if he was desperately searching for his lucky termite Nigel in a crack in the patch, whilst the umpire’s finger rose majestically skywards. As an England fan, however, these sporadic failings served only to make his triumphs against us all the more massively irritating. And all the more impressive. If Jacques Kallis was a one-man walking coaching manual, Smith often appeared to be the product of a rogue laboratory experiment to design a robot to teach young children what not to do whilst batting. Hands, arms, legs clodding off in all directions. Bat clumping down at mathematically unfeasible angles. Ball pounding the midwicket fence when it should by rights have been nestling in third slip’s hands.Despite his technique from the outer reaches of peculiarity, Smith’s extraordinary eye (he has also pouched of 169 catches, mostly at slip), and his even more extraordinary will, generally prevailed. He averaged 61 in South Africa’s Test victories, only fractionally less than Kallis, Amla and de Villiers (although, with fewer not outs, Smith scored more runs per innings in his team’s wins than any of his Protean contemporaries and most of his predecessors).He has been the undisputed statistical Caesar of the fourth-innings chase – 1141 runs (comfortably an all-time record) at an average of 87, with four centuries (Ponting, with three, is the only other player with more than two) and a total of ten scores of 50 or more (Ponting, Langer and Hayden are behind him, with seven each).As a batsman, he was cussed, dangerous, ugly and skilful, a master of the crux of a match. Yes, he batted with the elegance and refinement of a motorway pile-up. Aesthetically, for what that is worth, he was a Frankenstein’s Kirsten. But in terms of his transformatory impact on matches and series, he has been one of the great Test batsmen of the 21st century.* Graeme Smith may not be the only player bowing out of Test cricket in this match, if the lurid descriptions of Ryan Harris’ crumbling fruitcake of a knee are anything to go by. Hopefully, the wonders of modern surgery and/or some well-targeted witchcraft will ensure that this match will not mark the end of his belated Test career, but if it does prove to be so, he is likely to leave having carved an eternal statistical niche in the game. As I write (before the fourth day’s play), Harris needs one more wicket to become the first ever pace bowler to take 100 Test wickets having made his debut after his 30th birthday.Admittedly, this statistical niche is itself “niche”, and the Test-packed schedule of the last few decades has made such as achievement more likely than in earlier times, but it is still a remarkable achievement by the late-blooming, mountainously-shouldered craftsman of curve.(Previously, the closest any 30-something debutant had come to taking 100 Test scalps was Harris’ recent baggy-green predecessor Stuart Clark, with 94 wickets; few others have come close. Five spinners have done so – inter-war wristspin wizard Clarrie Grimmett, Bruce Yardley (both Australia), Dilip Doshi (India), Mohammad Rafique (Bangladesh) and Pakistan’s current tweakmaster Saeed Ajmal.) (Here endeth the stat.) (Some time after it might have ended.)Harris’ 99 wickets thus far have come at an average of 23.1. He would be the 24th Australian to reach the 100-Test-wicket milestone since Alan Davidson in 1960. The great left-armer’s average when he took his 100th was 20. Assuming Harris takes his 100th before conceding 58 more runs, he will become only the second of those 24 to reach 100 wickets with an average below 23.5. The only Australian in the last 50 years to take his first 100 Test wickets at a better average than Harris was Jason Gillespie (22.1). (Here endeth another stat.) (Are you still there?)* The ECB has announced that, in protest at Russian actions in the Ukraine, England are retroactively boycotting the 2013-14 Ashes. The unremittingly official ECB spokespersonage Harculian Javes explained: “What Putin is doing is completely unacceptable. Bang out of order. In the great tradition of politically motivated sports boycotts, therefore, we are withdrawing from the recent Ashes series, in order to send a message to Mr Putin that English cricket will not tolerate his flagrant disregard for international law. Nor would we have tolerated it last November, when the Ashes began. The series has now been ruled null and void. England therefore hold the Ashes once more. If Mr Putin does not withdraw Russian troops from Crimea immediately, we will be left with no option but to also boycott the 2006-07 Ashes. The time has come to take a stand.”

Resisting the popular idea of bringing in Samuel Badree, Chennai Super Kings opted for Ben Hilfenhaus and Ishwar Pandey and the move paid rich dividends on a responsive pitch

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Abu Dhabi22-Apr-2014It was one of those periods of play during which even IPL crowds are left to their own devices. The DJ’s console and the emcee’s microphone were enjoying a rare spell of rest, with no boundaries or wickets in the last 15 balls. Up in the South Panoramic stand, you could watch the cricket, from a spectacular, straight-on, bird’s eye vantage, as well as hear the faint chirp of crickets in the distance. It was just about audible, a susurrating accompaniment to the beat of a lone drum from somewhere in the crowd.Out in the middle, something slightly unusual was happening. Ishwar Pandey, who had taken the new ball for Chennai, was in the final over of his four-over quota. He had bowled unchanged from one end. From the other, Chennai had used Ben Hilfenhaus for one over before turning to Mohit Sharma. MS Dhoni had seen no need to turn to spin.The pitch had a green tinge to it, as had been the case right from the opening match of the tournament, and all three Chennai fast bowlers had been getting the new ball to nip around off the seam. This has also been a feature of matches at this venue, apart from the one afternoon game between Chennai and Punjab.Hitting the back-of-a-length ball through or across the line wasn’t easy, as Mayank Agarwal, M Vijay and Manoj Tiwary had found out, the hard way. Chennai’s fielders, meanwhile, were putting on an exhibition of high-quality catching, the first time any side had done so in the tournament.Off the last ball of the seventh over, the last ball of Pandey’s spell, Dinesh Karthik broke the gloom that had settled over the game, clattering a short-ish ball through point for four. Music, if you could call the Delhi team anthem that, filled the air once more. “” Roughly translated: Delhi’s boys play on the front foot.It would have helped JP Duminy had he kept that in mind when he faced the next ball from that end, where Dwayne Smith had replaced Pandey. It was full and straight, and it jagged back into the left-handed batsman, who was caught on the crease and trapped plumb in front. Delhi, chasing 178, were now 42 for 4 in 8.1 overs.At the same stage of their innings, Chennai had been 47 for 1. They had lost their one wicket, of Brendon McCullum, in much the same way Delhi were to lose their first three. McCullum had charged Jaydev Unadkat, gotten nowhere near a back-of-a-length ball angled across him, and toe-ended a catch to short third man. Apart from that, though, Chennai hadn’t played any really indiscreet shots.Delhi’s fast bowlers had also derived movement with the new ball. Mohammed Shami had had a close lbw shout turned down against Dwayne Smith, off a ball that had jagged away from the right-hander, and had beaten Suresh Raina a couple of times with balls that had left the left-hander. The ball before he dismissed McCullum, Unadkat had found his leading edge with one that cut away off the pitch, only for Duminy to drop a dolly at short cover.Delhi, though, had used spinners for four of the first ten overs, and taken Shami off after he had bowled two, and just when he was looking dangerous. They couldn’t be faulted too much for this, though; they had lost their quickest bowler three balls into the match, when Nathan Coulter-Nile injured himself while trying to stop a ball at square leg.Without Coulter-Nile, Delhi’s seam attack looked decidedly short on quality, apart from Shami, who started promisingly but ended up as their most expensive bowler after two shoddy overs at the death. By that time, though, their lack of options had hurt them badly. They probably wouldn’t have used Duminy for his full quota had Coulter-Nile not gone off the field, and they certainly wouldn’t have used Murali Vijay; that one over of Vijay’s less-than-occasional offbreaks disappeared for 13 runs, with Suresh Raina spanking him for three fours in four balls.Just as that one unfortunate incident upset Delhi’s balance completely, everything fell into place for Chennai. It started with their selection. They resisted the popular idea of bringing in the legspinner Samuel Badree and opted instead for Hilfenhaus, and they gave Pandey a go in place of Ashish Nehra. They won the toss and batted, and when their turn came to bowl the pitch was doing even more than it had done in the first innings. Whether by design or not, they had gotten their strategy pitch-perfect.First ball of Delhi’s tenth over, Hilfenhaus let slip, quite literally, a full-toss onto Ross Taylor’s pads. Taylor tucked it away to the fine leg boundary. Hilfenhaus ran to the umpire and reached for the towel stuck in his waistband. Had Delhi not lost so many wickets so early, they might have been in a position to think of exploiting the dew.Instead, Hilfenhaus bowled an absolute peach next ball, an away-curler that Taylor followed and edged to the keeper. Delhi were 50 for 5. Up in the South Panoramic Stand, the first wave of spectators began making their way to the exit doors.

A stats review at the end of the tri-series final between Australia and South Africa

Bishen Jeswant06-Sep-2014464 Number of runs scored by Faf du Plessis in this series, the most runs scored (max 5 matches) in an ODI triangular or quadrangular tournament. There are only three other batsmen who have scored 400-plus runs in such a tournament – Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva. No batsman has scored more than three hundreds in any multi-team ODI tournament, including World Cups – in the final, du Plessis fell four short of a record fourth century.27 Number of innings in which Aaron Finch got to 1000 ODI runs. This is the third fastest by an Australian. The joint Australian record is held by Greg Chappell and George Bailey, both of whom needed only 26 innings to reach that mark. Shaun Marsh and Michael Hussey needed 27, as many as Finch. The overall record is 21 innings, jointly held by Vivian Richards, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott and Quinton de Kock.71 Number of runs posted by James Faulkner and Mitchell Starc for the ninth wicket today. This is the highest ninth wicket partnership for Australia against South Africa. Also, this is Australia’s fourth highest ninth wicket partnership after losing the first eight wickets for less than 150. Across countries, there have been six century partnerships from this situation, four of those by India, and one each by England and Sri Lanka.220 The lowest score that South Africa have failed to chase in an ODI tournament final. This was in the Titan Cup against India, at Mumbai, in 1996. There have been seven instances of South Africa failing to chase down a total in an ODI tournament, three times against Australia, but South Africa cruised to the 218 run target that they were set today.1 Number of times before today that Wayne Parnell had batted above No. 7 in an ODI. The only exception in his 20 previous ODI innings being a game against New Zealand at Auckland in 2012, when he open the batting and scored 27, during an 80-run opening partnership with Hashim Amla. Today’s experiment was not as successful though, with Parnell only managing to score 6 off 24 balls.0 Number of times while batting first that Australia have scored 250 against South Africa after being five down for less than 150. Today was no different. Australia have been in this situation against South Africa on 10 occasions, and have finished up on less than 200 on five of those instances, with 240 being the highest score that they have posted.12 Number of years since South Africa have won an ODI tournament final. The last ODI tournament that they won was the VB series in 2002, also involving Australia and New Zealand. Since then they have lost two finals, the Morocco Cup to Sri Lanka and NatWest series to England, with the TVS Cup final against India being washed out.

Alastair Cook was under the greatest pressure of his career, but the Southampton crowd was determined to will him forward

George Dobell27-Jul-2014In the late 1960s, with flower-power and hippiedom at their peak, a large group gathered in central London determined to prove the power of positive thinking. If they all concentrated on the same thought at the same time, they believed they could move a building an inch to its left.It was a similar story at The Ageas Bowl on the first day of the third Investec Test. You could feel the goodwill for England’s captain around the ground. You feel the desperation among the spectators, among his teammates, among the coaching staff and even among the majority of the UK media, that Alastair Cook would end his run drought and register his first Test century since May 2013.Yet, just as the hippies were unable to move that building, so Cook was unable to complete his century. All the goodwill, all the desperation, all the positive thinking was unable to take him the extra inch.But this innings was no failure. There is too much emphasis on personal milestones in this team game and, just as an innings of 100 would have been celebrated as much as an innings of 105, so this innings of 95 still demonstrated many of Cook’s admirable qualities, not least his well-organised batting, his determination and his leadership skills.It was a brave decision to bat first. A weaker captain, a weaker man, might have seen the green-tinged wicket and used it as an excuse to delay his examination. Cook could easily have chosen to bowl first – as the captain had in the last 10 first-class games at the ground – and hidden behind the explanation that he wanted to give his seamers first use of the wicket. But he knew, deep down, that was the wrong decision for the team and, as ever, he put the team first.Then, despite a tangible lack of confidence and, as he put it, “under the greatest pressure he had ever been under” he produced the innings his side so desperately required. It was not pretty, it was not smooth and it was not without mistakes.There were times, with Cook thrusting his hands towards the ball as if trying to remember how he used to bat, when he timed the ball so horribly that you could almost feel the jarring sensation in his arms. And there were times, with the ball making a dead sound after a stroke, when it appeared he might be playing with a piece of driftwood rather than a finely-crafted bat. It was, for the most part, a desperate struggle.

Cook admits pressure never been higher

Alastair Cook has admitted he felt he had been “letting people down” after responding toi the greatest pressure he had felt in his career with his first Test half-century of the calendar year. Cook’s position as captain, and his place in the side, had been questioned after a spell of 10 Tests without a win for England and 27 innings without a century for Cook. H responded with 95, although he was dropped on 15.
“It’s been a tough six months,” Cook said. “And it’s still going to be tough. But I feel I have a good attitude to the job. The most pleasing aspect of that innings was that, under the most pressure I’ve ever been under as a player, with everyone telling me to stop doing it and that I’m not worth my place… this is a lovely place to be.
“I’d have loved that extra five runs. I have mixed feelings now. But if you had offered me 95 at the start of play, I would have bitten your hand off.
“It’s a sense of contributing to the team. I can’t tell you have frustrating it is as a batter when you keep not scoring runs. You sit back there in the dressing room and everyone is supporting you, but you still feel as if you’re letting people down.
“It was quite hard work, but it’s just a matter of grinding it. I’ve always fought throughout my career, but sometimes you need some luck and I have not always had much.”
Cook also paid tribute to the support of the crowd at the Ageas Bowl, saying he had “never experienced anything like it.” He added: “It was an amazing reception. You never silence everyone. But this innings has given me confidence that my batting is going in the right direction again.”

But Cook was never a batsman that you would fall in love with; he was a batsman you could rely upon. And it is reliance, not romance, that England need now.It would be wrong, though, to suggest this innings answers all the criticism of Cook. It has done little to prove him a good tactician; it has done little to prove him an inspirational leader; it has done little to suggest he is at the start of a golden run of form.Many county batsmen, if granted 28 consecutive opportunities, would contribute a sizeable innings every so often. The worth of a good Test batsman is contributing consistently. Cook still has to build upon this innings. It if takes another 20 innings for him to contribute, he will have failed. Only Mike Brearley has played more consecutive innings as an England captain and failed to score a century.There was enduring evidence of some of his technical frailties, too. On a quicker pitch, he might have been caught in the slips from his first ball; instead the edge dropped short. On another day, he would have been caught in the slips on 15; instead Ravi Jadeja put down a relatively simple chance. And on another day, on 29, he might have been caught off the thick edge that flew through gully to the boundary. Luck will always play a large part in this game and Cook also benefited from a slow-paced wicket, a slight off-day from India’s seamers and some modest fare from the support bowlers.But he earned the short balls and wide deliveries. By leaving better outside off stump, by playing straighter, by retaining his patience and composure despite the pressure, he forced the bowlers into attempting different methods of attack and, gradually, they began to feed his strengths. Not one ball was driven to the boundary in the V between mid-off and mid-on, but he cut and pulled often. He will always be a limited player, but when he plays within those limitations he is a mightily effective one.And, if the runs alone were not enough to remind onlookers of his worth, Cook also passed Kevin Pietersen and David Gower in the list of England’s highest run-scorers in Test cricket. He is just 29, remember, and only Alec Stewart and Graham Gooch have scored more than him now.This was not the end of Cook’s journey, but it was a step in the right direction.

Batsmen who have been around for plenty of time but haven’t played in cricket’s biggest show

10-Dec-2014Hamilton Masakadza
ODI runs: 3961
Debut: 2001
Maskadza has been out of form at just the wrong times when it comes to World Cups. He played in virtually all of his side’s matches for about a year in the lead-up to both the 2007 and 2011 events, but missed out on both. He was back in the Zimbabwe team for the very next match after the marquee tournaments, though. He was absent in 2003 for a different reason – focusing on his studies at the University of the Free State.Rohit has an unhappy knack of picking up injuries. If he doesn’t succumb to one this time, he could be one of the stars of 2015.•AFPRohit Sharma
ODI runs: 3752
Debut: 2007
Rohit wouldn’t have been without a World Cup game to his name this long if he had seized his chance in the South Africa series immediately before the 2011 World Cup. However, he floundered then, extending his World Cup wait by four years.No international ODI captain is struggling to justify his place as much as Cook, but he is strongly backed by the ECB•Getty ImagesAlastair Cook
ODI runs: 3151
Debut: 2006
Cook is yet to turn 30 but already has more than 8400 Test runs. His one-day record is less stellar, though, and the debate rages over whether he deserves a spot in the ODI side. In 17 innings this year, he has a sub-30 average and his strike rate is in the low 70s. Still, he is set to lead England in next year’s tournament.The presence of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir meant Dhawan had a long wait for his ODI chance•AFPShikhar Dhawan
ODI runs: 2046
Debut: 2011
Dhawan played only one ODI before the 2011 World Cup, getting a golden duck against Australia in 2010. He got another chance when the senior players rested after the victorious 2011 campaign, but it wasn’t till 2013 that he established himself in ODIs with a Man-of-the-Series performance in the Champions Trophy.Having fallen behind other contenders for the wicketkeeping slot, Chandimal might yet have a long wait ahead for a World Cup game•AFPDinesh Chandimal
ODI runs: 1962
Debut: 2010
Still only 25, Chandimal has already had a rollercoaster ride in ODIs. Two centuries, including one at Lord’s, in his first six ODIs seemed to signal the arrival of a player for the long run. Two years on, he was stand-in captain of the side. However, there have been no more hundreds since, and Chandimal is now on the fringes of Sri Lanka’s one-day team.

England’s recent ODI record in Australia leaves little room for optimism but a new team, encouraged to play with freedom, is desperate to perform well on the biggest stage of all

George Dobell in Melbourne12-Feb-20151:08

Shouldn’t strive for a formula that isn’t ours – Morgan

In an era when so much cricket of so little consequence is played, it is significant fixtures like this – Australia and England on the opening day of the World Cup – that separate the sheep from the goats.This is the sort of match that every one of these cricketers will have dreamed of playing in as a boy. It is the sort of match they will have acted out in childhood games with siblings and parents and friends. It is the sort of game that can define careers.To read the local media and listen to the local radio, you would think England are being thrown to the lions on Valentine’s Day. They are seen in these parts, like the villains in wrestling, as tools to be bullied and abused. It’s not whether they lose; it’s how much fun it can be beating them up in the process.You can understand why. England’s recent record here is so ugly – they have lost 13 of the last 15 ODIs here against Australia – that it should be kept away from the old, the ill, the pregnant and those with heart conditions. It provides little room for optimism.But they are a bit better than that. This new England – an England largely unscarred by the massacre of the last Ashes tour here – has been encouraged to play with fearlessness, with freedom and with joy. They have been encouraged to savour this country, to revel in the experience and cherish the moment. They are not dreading this match; they are desperate to perform on the biggest stage of all.That so little is expected of them – adverts around the city show two cricket balls with the slogan ‘Missing: a pair of balls. If seen please return to the England team’ – might well be an advantage. The crowd at the MCG – expected to be around 90,000 – will be hostile to England – unbelievably hostile by the standards of cricket crowds in the UK – but also expectant – demanding, even – of Australia. All the pressure is on the hosts. And the absence of James Faulkner, who has twice in recent games thrashed England’s bowlers around at the death, is probably just as significant as the absence of Michael Clarke.And even here, the result is not all-important. Such is the nature of the qualifying stages of this competition that England do not so much find themselves in the clichéd “group of death,” so much as they find themselves in the group of everlasting life. England can lose both their opening games and still progress to the quarter-finals. Whether their confidence can take such reverses, however, is another thing entirely.They have, at least, a settled side. Over the last few weeks, a familiar XI has evolved with a regular batting order and something of a formula to govern who bowls when. They have become, in a good sense, quite predictable.The one area of debate concerns the selection of Ravi Bopara. His twin roles are to provide cover in the bowling and to fulfil the role of finisher with the bat, but he is struggling to deliver in either department. He has taken one wicket in his last 15 ODIs and bowled only six overs in his last seven. Such figures do not suggest that his bowling is a major factor. Joe Root could, at a push, cover that amount of overs.

Bopara v Ballance

Ravi Bopara
Age: 29
ODIs: 119
Average: 30.62
In Australia/NZ: 16.36
Over eight years in England’s one-day side, Bopara has been shifted around more often than an unloved sitting-room ornament. He has batted everywhere from No. 1 to No. 8, while bob-a-jobbing as the fifth or sixth bowler (he has 38 wickets at 39.26). Currently back in the “finisher” role he occupies uneasily, his form is again being closely scrutinised, just a few months after he was dropped for the India series.
Since January 2014 he has averaged 23.95 with three fifties, only bowling more than five overs on three occasions; if England are not going to use Bopara as an allrounder, then they could almost certainly employ a more productive batsman at No. 6. Neither is a top score of 33 from 12 innings in Australasia encouraging. It was at the 2007 World Cup, against Sri Lanka, that Bopara first came agonisingly close for England, a valiant half-century in defeat setting the template in only his fifth appearance. More than 100 ODIs on, it does not feel like much has changed.
Gary Ballance
Age: 25
ODIs: 12
Average: 26.10
In Australia/NZ: 33.00
England’s coming Yorkshireman (via Zimbabwe) and the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year, Ballance slipped back into the one-day squad after Alastair Cook lost the captaincy but then suffered a broken finger while batting in the nets ahead of the tri-series with Australia and India. Asked to bat at No. 3 in the Test side last year, Ballance promptly set about hoarding more than 700 runs at an average of 70.40 and many feel he has the range in his game to do a similar job in ODIs – a List A career average of 51.68 does not leave many looking down on him.
A half-century in his first innings in since September, albeit in defeat to Pakistan, has once again raised the prospect of England trying to get him in the XI, most likely at the expense of Bopara, with James Taylor dropping down the order. But with Taylor having made a decent start to life at No. 3 and England keen for stability, the World Cup might have to wait for Ballance.
– Alan Gardner

Which means Bopara is being selected as a batsman. But with no scores over 33 in his last eight ODI innings and a top score of 65 against Full Member nations (he did score a century against Ireland) dating back to July 2012, he is struggling to justify the continuing faith in him. He is the Stansted of limited-overs finishes: he promises London, but delivers you 30 miles short.Gary Ballance, meanwhile, continues to impress. It was not just that he scored a half-century in the match against Pakistan. It was that he had the maturity and confidence to reason that the surface was not conducive to stroke play and concluded that a par score was closer to 250 than 300. He also held on to two tough catches that he made appear far more straightforward than they were in reality.He may have to wait a little longer for his chance, but Ballance is pushing Bopara hard for his place.The only other issues of concern is the form of the captain, Eoin Morgan. While England may find it convenient to interpret his recent form – two runs in his last four innings, five dismissals in his last 19 balls and one score above five in his last seven ODIs – as a blip, there is worrying evidence of a longer-term issue.Yes, he scored an impressive century against Australia only four ODI innings ago. But he has passed 40 only twice in 23 ODI innings – all of which ended in dismissal – dating back to January 2014. Nobody doubts his potential or his work-ethic, but England will require far more consistent returns from their No. 5 if they are going to threaten in this tournament.Morgan played down his form issues ahead of the game – of course he did – but there just a little uncharacteristic irritation in his replies that might suggest some tension. Asked to explain the shot that led to his dismissal in the warm-up game against Pakistan he replied: “I played a shot that I’ve played thousands of times and usually results in the ball going on the legside, but it caught the top-edge and went to slip.”I’m not really that concerned. I’ve had a couple of low scores, but it’s only four or five games since I scored a hundred. I don’t have to look back very far to reconnect what works for me. That was against Australia and this first game is against Australia, so I’ll take a lot of confidence from that.”I find it really easy to reconnect with the past and what I do well when the chips are down. I’ve done that in the past when I’ve had low scores and I’ve come out the other side.”He may find the pitch at the MCG more suited to his style. While England’s warm-up matches were played on a slightly two-paced seamer, this track is likely to be hard, true and offer a bit more pace. It will probably encourage quick bowlers, but it should also encourage batsmen who like the ball coming on to the bat.Most of all, though, Morgan reiterated the message that he wanted his players to perform in the dynamic manner that gained their selection in the first place. He wants them to play as they did in those matches when they were kids. He wants them not to defend and defy, but destroy.”The vibe around the camp is free-spirited and that suits the players,” he said. “It will allow them to go and play in the manner that got them selected.”The change in mentality that we’ve established [in the squad] – and it comes from the personnel involved, as well – is that it comes naturally for guys to play in that [aggressive] manner.”It’s important we focus on what we do best. In the past we’ve strived for a formula that isn’t ours. We’ve learned to adapt with what we do well, rather than what other people do.”Ian Bell is in great form; Moeen Ali scores at more than a run a ball; Joe Root and James Taylor are in form; I’ve had a score… I could run through the whole team. Jimmy Anderson is swinging it both ways and Stuart Broad’s aggression is key. Steve Finn and Chris Woakes have supported well and our fielding has come together.”It’s just about putting it all together and going and expressing ourselves. It’s about reinforcing what works and producing our skill on the day. We’re not worn down, we’re not intimidated. Our time will come.”The time for talking is almost over. Now we’ll see how much progress England have made.

West Indies’ inconsistency with both bat and ball lends India the edge ahead of the teams’ clash in Perth on Friday

Shiva Jayaraman05-Mar-20153 Number of World Cup matches played between the teams after the 1983 World Cup, when they played each other thrice. After their 1996 World Cup clash, West Indies played India in 2011 for the first time in four World Cups. West Indies have a 3-4 win loss record against India in the World Cup with India winning on the last two occasions. The last ten ODIs between the teams have gone 7-3 in India’s favour.4.23 Economy rate of India’s bowlers in this World Cup, the best, and two runs an over better than West Indies’ economy of 6.49. Only Ireland have done worse than West Indies. India’s bolwers have taken 28 wickets at an average of average of 17.75, which is the second best after New Zealand’s 15.90.102 Runs scored by Gayle and Samuels – West Indies’ top run-scorers – together in six innings against teams other than Zimbabwe in this World Cup. Gayle has 43 runs from his three innings with a highest of 36 against Ireland, while Samuels has 59 from his three with a highest of 38 against Pakistan. The two batsmen together scored 348 runs against Zimbabwe in that one game.333 Runs scored by Marlon Samuels in his last five innings against India. Samuels has hit two hundreds in his last three innings against them. His 1140 ODI runs against India are the most he has against any team, and 10 of his 33 fifty-plus scores have come against them.2006 The last time Chris Gayle hit a century against India in ODIs. In 19 innings after that, he has hit 450 runs at an average of 23.68 and has had seven single-digit scores including four ducks. In comparison, Gayle had scored 770 runs in his first 17 ODI innings against India at an average of 45.29 with four centuries and two fifties.

55 ODI wickets taken by Ravi Rampaul and Dwayne Bravo – both of whom haven’t made it to the squad – out of the 230 taken by West Indies bowlers against India in the last 10 years. These two together have accounted for almost 24% of the wickets by West Indies bowlers against India. Rampaul has taken 28 wickets against India at an average of 23.78. He has taken three four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul in just 14 innings against them. From the current West Indies squad, Chris Gayle is the leading wicket-taker against India with 23 wickets at 36.65 runs apiece.

5-36 Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling figures the last time India played West Indies in an ODI at a neutral venue, his only five-wicket haul in ODIs. Overall, Jadeja has taken 27 wickets against West Indies at an average of 26.00 and has an economy of 4.90. Against the current batsmen in the West Indies team, Jadeja averages even better, taking wickets at 20.45 runs apiece. However, Samuels has played him well taking 88 runs off him of 102 deliveries and getting out to him only once. Jadeja is the leading wicket-taker for India from the current team against the West Indies.

116.20Virat Kohli’s batting average against the current West Indies bowlers in ODIs. He has been dismissed five times in 658 deliveries and strikes at a rate of 88.30. Overall, Kohli has 1110 runs against West Indies in ODIs at an average of 58.42, with three hundreds and eight fifties. Kohli’s last 10 innings against them have produced two centuries and four fifties. He is the top run-scorer for India against West Indies.

211.50 Rohit Sharma’s batting average against the bowlers in the current West Indies squad. He has been dismissed only once in 518 balls by them and has scored 423 runs at a strike rate of 81.66. Overall in ODIs, Rohit has scored 823 runs in 19 innings against them with nine fifties.156.00 Mohit Sharma’s bowling average against West Indies. He has taken one wicket in 135 balls against them and has an economy of 6.93. In comparison, his overall career bowling average is 32.46 and he bowls at an economy of 4.76. Mohit Sharma has not taken a wicket in his last 119 deliveries against West Indies and has conceded 141 runs.150.00 Andre Russell’s strike rate against India’s bowlers in the current squad. He has taken 189 runs off the 126 deliveries he has faced off them and has been dismissed five times. Russell has hit 71 off the fast bowlers – Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami – including eight fours and six sixes in just 33 balls. Russell has hit 69 runs at a strike-rate of 237.93 batting at No. 8 so far in this World cup, including a 13-ball unbeaten 42 against Pakistan.