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Chasing 262, PBKS reached their target with eight balls to spare on a night of unstoppable hitting

Himanshu Agrawal26-Apr-20242:07

Rapid fire: Is this the worst time to be a bowler?

Like temperatures across the whole of India, run-scoring and six-hitting in IPL 2024 are going only one way – up. In an unbelievably ruthless display of batting, Punjab Kings hunted down 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders to record the highest successful chase in all of T20 history, and got there with eight balls to spare. They hit 24 sixes, six more than what KKR managed, and the two teams together set the record for the most sixes in any T20 game.In the process, Jonny Bairstow roared back to form to smack his second IPL hundred. Shashank Singh, one of PBKS’ finds of the season, clubbed 68* from only 28 balls, eight of which disappeared over the boundary. Amid all that, Sunil Narine stood apart with figures of 4-0-24-1 for KKR.That came after he continued his dream season with the bat, pummeling 71 off 32 deliveries in an opening partnership of 138 in 10.2 overs. Phil Salt, Narine’s opening partner, also rode on his form – and some luck – to rush to 75 from 37. But all of that went in vain.Jonny Bairstow shellacked KKR to all parts and brought up his century in 45 balls•BCCIPrabhsimran dominates the powerplayEden Gardens had just taken in the enormity of the home team’s batting effort when PBKS replied in kind, pumping their highest-ever powerplay score of 93 for 1. And Prabhsimran Singh dominated this phase despite not getting to face a single ball of the sixth over. Coming on as Impact sub at the start of the chase, he hammered 54 off 20 balls, the highlight of his innings coming when he went after KKR debutant Dushmantha Chameera in a 23-run third over. There were five sixes in his innings, including a scoop over fine leg off Chameera.Bairstow then went 4, 6, 4, 4, 6 off Anukul Roy in the sixth over, before Prabhsimran, responding to the call for a quick single from the non-striker’s end, was run out off the last ball of the powerplay.Bairstow carts KKR all aroundBairstow was dropped by PBKS after managing just 96 runs in his first six innings this season. And he took his time finding his feet in his return game, scoring just 12 off his first 10 balls. But his assault on Roy gave a hint of what was to come. He found a bit of help in the ninth over, though, when Roy dropped him while flinging himself to his left at long-off, and failed to prevent the ball from going for six. That shot off Varun Chakravarthy brought up Bairstow’s fifty, off 23 balls.Bairstow went after Varun again in the 11th over, launching him for a six over long-off, chipping a four over the bowler’s head, and swat-pulling him for another six. When Bairstow got to his hundred off 45 balls to end the 16th over, PBKS needed 52 from 24.2:07

Rapid fire: Is this the worst time to be a bowler?

Shashank helps PBKS sail throughShashank came to the crease when Narine, who somehow conceded just two fours and a six in his four overs, dismissed Rilee Rossouw for a 16-ball 26 in the 13th over. It was the first time he had batted above No. 6 for PBKS, and he quickly made his liking for the promotion evident, hitting Varun for back-to-back leg-side sixes when he had just faced three balls.The game was tilting PBKS’ way when the last four overs began, and the 16th made them clear favourites, as Shashank thumped Chameera for three sixes – a swat, a scoop, and a pull – as PBKS’ required rate fell to less than two runs per ball. The match ended in a hurry, as Shashank clattered three more sixes, off Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh, and the crowd began to disperse even before the result was officially confirmed. Shashank was batting on 25 when Bairstow reached his hundred; the match ended with Shashank on 68 and Bairstow on 108.Phil Salt and Sunil Narine put on 137 off just 62 balls•BCCISalt, Narine set up daunting KKR totalPBKS dropped Salt twice and Narine once inside the first seven overs, and the two turbocharged openers ran away to 83 for no loss in that time. By the time KKR had reached the halfway point of their innings, they had added another 54 to their score. Narine reached his fifty in the eighth over, bringing it up 23 balls, and Salt got to his in the next over.At the 10-over mark, ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster predicted a KKR total of 282.PBKS finally separated the opening pair when Rahul Chahar got Narine to mishit a big shot and find Bairstow at long-on. Who knew then that Bairstow would have so much of a say later in the day?KKR promoted Andre Russell up to No. 4, and he entered in the 13th over. Facing his second ball, he upper-cut Sam Curran for four to deep third. Chahar then bowled a quiet 14th over, conceding just seven runs, but it was only a temporary bit of respite, as Russell, Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer – who hit Curran for 6, 4, 6, 6 to end the 19th over – joined hands to take 85 off the last six overs.KKR’s total of 261 for 6 would have been the second-highest in IPL history if it had been made before this season. As it happened, it was only the seventh-highest at the halfway point of this game, and the eighth highest by the time it was done.

Andrew Miller assesses the key head-to-heads in this summer’s Ashes

Andrew Miller16-Jul-2005By common consent, England have their best chance in a generation to reclaim the Ashes this summer. But for that to happen, certain key confrontations will have to go their way. Andrew Miller sums up the seven principal battles-within-the-battle that could make or break the summer

The Ashes ablaze: Michael Vaughan and Ricky Ponting will have key confrontations against Glenn McGrath and Steve Harmison © Getty Images
This is a contest that has never yet got past the first round. Trescothick’s disappointing returns in his first two Ashes series have been epitomised by the vice-like grip that Gillespie has had on his strokeplay. Seven times in ten Tests, Gillespie has used his buzzsaw line and length to climb across Trescothick’s bows and graze the edge of a limp defensive stroke. Caught behind four times, caught in the slips twice, and lbw once by way of a change. This summer, however, Trescothick has a chance for retribution. Gillespie is not the bowler he once was – he has lost a yard of pace and his confidence has been sapped during a dispiriting one-day series. And, as Trescothick demonstrated so amply against Bangladesh, he knows how to bully an opponent when he’s down. Verdict – England winEngland’s golden boy has made the most serene entry into international cricket since David Gower in 1978, but the recent one-day series marked the first real challenge to his confidence since that heady Lord’s debut in May 2004. And nobody did more to undermine his progress than Lee, for whom 2004, by contrast, was an annus horriblis. Axed from Tests since January of that year, all that is set to change after a series of turbo-charged performances. Strauss’s uncomplicated technique has withstood most opponents so far, but Lee is fast, furious and fully focused, and has clean-bowled him twice this summer already, for a total of five runs. Verdict – Australia winThe one world-class strokemaker in England’s top five versus Australia’s greatest fast bowler of the modern era. This could be the absolute clincher of the summer. Two winters ago in Australia, the pair were inseparable – Vaughan’s three sparkling hundreds couldn’t disguise the fact that McGrath claimed his wicket in half his innings, four times with the ball, and once with a stunning catch-of-a-lifetime in the deep at Adelaide. But Vaughan is the living proof that England have nothing to fear this summer, not even from Australia’s most fearsome predator. Verdict – honours evenNow this is going to be interesting. Pietersen is England’s brash young egomaniac, Warne is Australia’s wiliest winner of mindgames, and the pair profess to be bosom buddies. Something has got to give this summer. Warne has no doubt who will come out on top, and has already earmarked Pietersen as his 600th Test wicket; Pietersen, equally, is utterly cocksure, and claims to have seen everything that Warne has to offer during their time together in the Hampshire nets. This is going to be a formidable clash of egos, but ultimately, the duel could come down to that most humdrum of issues – technique. Pietersen loves to plant his front pad and swing across the line, which will suit Warne’s wiles just fine. It’ll take more than just mind over matter to cope with his full repertoire of trickery. Verdict – Australia winIf Gilchrist fails to fire, Australia will be vulnerable; if Flintoff is off-colour, on the other hand, England have no hope. That is the stark truth of this crucial match-up between the two genuine allrounders in the series. Batting-wise, Australia already have the edge. Gilchrist’s brutal century in the final NatWest Challenge match was a flawless and timely performance that ensured that England’s nerves will jangle when he walks out to bat at No. 7 in the Tests. Flintoff, by contrast, was edgy in the one-dayers, and at No. 6 in England’s order, he is arguably one batting slot, if not two, too high for such a crunch contest. Flintoff’s bowling, on the other hand, has improved beyond recognition in the past year. He has developed from a workhorse into a strike force, and whereas Gilchrist can only catch the chances that come his way, Flintoff now has the menace to make the incisions himself. Verdict – Australia winOne shot at Lord’s said everything one needs to know about Ponting’s intentions this summer. A stunning pick-up for six off Flintoff singled a return to his twinkle-toed best, after an early season spent toppling across his stumps and inviting lbw at every opportunity. Ponting possesses the best pull shot in the modern game, so length is going to be imperative when England take him on in the Tests. This is where Harmison comes in. He has the ability to extract steepling bounce where others just skid into the screws, and even Ponting will not be able to take his usual liberties – assuming the Harmison of April 2004 turns up at Lord’s next week, of course, rather than the lost soul who traipsed round South Africa this winter. Verdict – Australia winThis was an utter mismatch on the last Ashes tour, but times they are a-changing. Back in 2002-03, Hoggard’s stock delivery tended to arc onto Hayden’s pads and disappear over midwicket with alarming regularity. In recent months, however, he has tightened his line, recognised that his role is “to sweep the shop floor”, in Vaughan’s memorable words, and become a force to be respected. In South Africa this winter, he dismissed one opening batsman in each of the first eight innings of the series, including that other left-handed former England nemesis, Graeme Smith, on four occasions. What is more, Hayden’s stock has been slipping in recent months – since Australia’s tour of India last October, he has averaged 20 runs below his career average of 53.46. With his stiff-limbed technique, the last thing he needs is to have to come looking for runs. Verdict – England win

The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket

Steven Lynch28-Aug-2006

Umpires have never been far from the headlines during the past week © Getty Images
I was surprised to see that Darrell Hair had written anautobiography. How many other Aussie umpires have done this?asked George Thompson from Melbourne
Hair’s book was called Decision Maker, and came out in 1998. Itstarts with the story of how he no-balled Muttiah Muralitharan forthrowing in the Boxing Day Test atMelbourne in 1995-96 (“I feel his action was diabolical,” he wroteof an ODI in which he stood earlier that season). Before Hair’s bookcame The Umpire’s Story (1972), by Lou Rowan, who stood in the1970-71 Ashes series Down Under, followed in 1974 by BodylineUmpire, the memoirs of GeorgeHele, who stood in all five Tests of the fractious Bodyline series in1932-33. English umpires who have penned autobiographical books includeFrank Chester, Frank Lee and David Shepherd … and of course Dickie Bird, whose 1997autobiography was a huge best-seller. The New Zealander Steve Dunne hasalso written a book.What is the most lbws in a Test match asked David Shorten from Australia
The record for a Test is actually 17, in the first Test between West Indies and Pakistan at Port-of-Spain in 1992-93. For the record, the umpires were Dickie Bird and Steve Bucknor. There have been two Tests with 15 leg-befores, and three with 14 – and the match at Kandy that you mention is one of four Tests which included 13 lbws. The record for a Test innings is seven – five of them by Richard Johnson – inflicted on Zimbabwe by England at Chester-le-Street in June 2003.During the 1921 Ashes series, Australia’s wicketkeeper Hanson Carter apparently advised his captain Warwick Armstrong that the England captain was trying to make an illegal declaration. What was illegal about it? asked Chris France from Australia
This happened in the fourth Test of 1921 at Old Trafford, when The Hon. Lionel Tennyson, captaining England, wanted to declare late on the second day of what started as a three-day match. However, as the first day had been washed out, it had become a two-day match: and under the rather strange regulations in force at the time, any declaration had to be timed so that the side about to go in could have 100 minutes’ batting. Prompted by Carter, his astute Yorkshire-born wicketkeeper, Armstrong pointed out to the umpires that the declaration was illegal. After an interval of around 20 minutes, while the matter was discussed (Wisden‘s match report calls it “an unfortunate and rather lamentable incident”), England carried on batting, and declared first thing next morning. After the break, Armstrong mischievously bowled the next over, having bowled the last one before the interruption too.What unusual event delayed the start of the fifth Test between South Africa and England in 1930-31? asked Terence Frederick of London
This was the fifth Test of that series, at Durban, and the reason for the delay is one of Test cricket’s most unusual ones: the bails were the wrong size, and the umpires had to make a new set! It’s not as incompetent as it sounds – not quite, anyway – as the laws had recently been changed to increase the size of the stumps to the current size of 28 inches high by nine inches wide (previously it was 27×8). The stumps at Kingsmead were the right size, but the bails weren’t. Gerald Brodribb, in Next Man In, his excellent study of the evolution of cricket’s laws, reports that a new set of bails had to be made on the spot, and adds: “England, who had won the toss and put South Africa in on a drying wicket, made a strong protest at this annoying delay.”Inzamam-ul-Haq was out “obstructing the field” against India last winter. How often has this happened in Tests and ODIs? asked Rahul Shetty from Bangalore
Inzamam’s unusual dismissal in the first one-dayer against India at Peshawar was only the third instance of a batsman being given out obstructing the field in ODIs. The first was another Pakistani, Rameez Raja, against England at Karachi in 1987-88. He knocked a fielder’s return away when trying to complete the second run which would have taken him to 100 from the last ball of the match. Two years later, India’s Mohinder Amarnath was the second man to go this way. He kicked the ball away from the bowler to avoid being run out against Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad in 1989-90. The only man to be out obstructing the field in a Test match is England’s Len Hutton, against South Africa at The Oval in 1951. Hutton top-edged a sweep against the offspinner Athol Rowan, and the ball looped upwards. Worried that the ball would bounce onto his stumps, Hutton knocked it away, but in doing so prevented the wicketkeeper, Russell Endean, from making a catch. In a weird coincidence Endean, who was making his Test debut at The Oval, was also involved in Test cricket’s next peculiar dismissal: he was out “handled the ball” against England at Cape Town in 1956-57. Ask Steven will return fully on September 11.

From a plumber to a fast bowler, the story of Mitchell Johnson

Dileep Premachandran02-Oct-2007

Mitchell Johnson: “It’s a different level to your state cricket but you needn’t change anything because you’ve got to this mark for a reason” © Getty Images
A couple of months ago Mitchell Johnson packed his bags and got on a flight to Chennai. It was Australia’s off season, but after having spent the World Cup in the Caribbean sitting in the dressing room while his mates went through another undefeated campaign, Johnson was anxious to ensure that he started the new season fully prepared. After all, with Glenn McGrath having traded the 22 yards for the Hall of Fame, there was a new-ball place up for grabs.For Johnson, who can nudge the speedometer up to 150kph when his rhythm’s right, sharing the new ball with Brett Lee would be the culmination of a dream that almost had its requiem three years ago when he was axed from the Queensland squad. For a young man who battled so hard to come back from near-crippling back injuries, it was the most bitter of blows, and one that nearly forced him to turn his back on the game.For a while he drove a plumbing van for a mate but his heart and mind were elsewhere. “When I lost the [Queensland] contract, it was a very tough time for me,” he says. “I did think about what I was going to do with myself. I wasn’t sure if cricket was the answer. But I spoke to friends and family about it and they put me on the right path. I’m glad []. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”Within a year he had made his one-day debut in the Chappell-Hadlee series against New Zealand, and though he has yet to lay his hands on the cherished baggy green, there’s a feeling that the moment is nigh for a 26-year-old that Dennis Lillee referred to as a “once in a generation” bowler nearly a decade ago.With the pacy but erratic Shaun Tait out through injury, Johnson’s main rival for the new ball is Stuart Clark, and the two couldn’t be more dissimilar. In everyday life Clark wouldn’t be out of place in a pinstripe suit, whereas Johnson would blend in perfectly with the surfer boys who congregate on Australia’s Sunshine coast.”I’d love to bowl with the new ball,” he says with a grin. “That’s what I do for Queensland. If I get the opportunity, I’m going to take it. But if I don’t, there are a few things I can still work on with the old ball, like cutters and changes of pace.”Those old-ball tricks have been handed down by one of the masters of a generation past. Lillee and Troy Cooley, Australia’s bowling coach, accompanied Johnson to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai earlier this summer, and the work they did was mostly geared towards success on the placid pitches of the subcontinent.”The cutters were something I’d never really tried before,” says Johnson, looking back at his initial stints with Lillee at MRF. “I think that’s going to be important here. The pitches are flat, there’s not much bounce. There’s not a hell of a lot for the bowlers here, but if you have those tools, it helps.”His last trip to India, for the Champions Trophy in 2006, highlighted his potential. Against England at Jaipur, he had 3 for 40, and the dismissal of Kevin Pietersen was the perfect fast bowler’s set-up. A wicked lifter jolted Pietersen, and the next ball angled away to take the outside edge. For a while, he drove a plumbing van for a mate, but his heart and mind were elsewhere. “When I lost the contract, it was a very tough time for me. I did think about what I was going to do with myself. I wasn’t sure if cricket was the answer Those were not typical Indian pitches, with some grass and plenty of bounce, but Johnson insists that the short ball still has a role to play in these conditions. “I think it’s very important because you’re testing the pitch to see what it can do,” he says. “The one in Jaipur where I got Pietersen … that might not have bounced on another pitch. It can be a surprise for the batsmen if you bang it into the pitch hard and you get the odd one to bounce a bit more.” At Bangalore in the first game of the current series he got Sachin Tendulkar with a lightning-quick delivery that swung in.Johnson has given a lot of thought to how he’ll bowl in conditions that are vastly different from his stomping ground at the Gabba. “It’s harder to bowl on a flatter pitch, but it brings in your offcutters and your legcutters and your changes of pace,” he says. “But I’m also not going to forget about hitting the pitch hard and getting as much bounce as I can.”Lee is back after missing the World Cup, while Clark has slipped seamlessly into the void left by McGrath. Johnson himself managed a few games alongside McGrath, including in Malaysia last year where he rocked India with a stunning burst of 4 for 11 at the Kinrara Oval. What did he learn from the legend, and from the likes of Lee?”You’ve just got to be yourself,” he says earnestly. “You’re picked in the team for what you do. So just go out there and bowl like you do. Don’t change anything. It’s a different level to your state cricket but you needn’t change anything because you’ve got to this mark for a reason.”State cricket may be a notch below, but the early days at Queensland provided an invaluable education. Among his seniors were Michael Kasprowicz and Andy Bichel, and Johnson is well aware of the success that Kasprowicz had on subcontinental pitches [he won Australia the Bangalore Test in 1997-98 with a spell of 5 for 28].”I’ve spoken to Kasprowicz and Bichel about bowling when I started out with Queensland,” he says. “We’ve talked about India and they basically told me about reverse swing and cutting the ball and all that stuff.”Johnson is rarely without a smile these days, and says he’s “honoured and proud” to be here. And why wouldn’t he be? Instead of possibly installing jacuzzis and fixing leaky faucets, he has resurrected the dreams he had as a teenager. And in the days to come, it’s the batsmen who’ll get that sinking feeling.

Shane Watson’s performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is evidence that he possesses the quality vital to an allrounder – the ability to turn the match with bat and ball

Cricinfo staff30-May-2008
Shane Watson’s performances with bat and ball have made him one of the most valuable players in the IPL © AFP
Only last year Shane Watson was willing to go to any lengths for a remedy to the recurring hamstring injuries that had curtailed his blossoming career. His frustration was so extreme that he was even thinking of getting cow’s blood injected into his hamstrings to make them stronger.The Australian selectors, too, were getting edgy about the future of one of their promising allrounders. Watson missed the Ashes, both in 2005 and in 2006-07 and the frequent breakdowns left a perennial question mark over his future.But, finally, Watson seems to have turned a page. His performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is evidence that he possesses the quality vital to an allrounder – the ability to turn the match with bat and ball. Watson’s won four Man-of-the-Match awards for the Rajasthan Royals in 14 games – only Shaun Marsh, his countryman, has more with five – and he’s been his captain Shane Warne’s go-to man. Today, he delivered once again.Rajasthan were already in a strong position after the Powerplays at 58 for 0 when Watson arrived with the brief of maintaining momentum through the middle overs. “It took me a few balls to understand the wicket and the bounce but after that I got into the rhythm,” Watson said.He scored only 10 off his first 10 balls before deciding to target the inexperienced medium-pacer Yo Mahesh. He swung him for four to long leg and then carted two enormous sixes over the leg-side in the 11th over which cost 20 in all. He combined his muscle with adept footwork against the legspinner Amit Mishra, picking him from outside off stump and depositing the ball into the stands at deep midwicket.Watson’s innings – 52 off 29 balls – ensured that the momentum provided by Rajasthan’s openers was not lost even though both Graeme Smith and Swapnil Asnodkar fell in the same over from Farveez Maharoof. Watson aggressive innings helped set Delhi a target of 193 but it was his opening burst with the new ball that ended the match as a contest.Having gauged that the pitch offered bounce, Watson exploited it effectively, pitching the majority of his deliveries short of a length and beating the batsman with pace and bounce. So potent was his spell that Gautam Gambhir, the tournament’s second highest runscorer, struggled to lay bat on ball. He played and missed four consecutive deliveries before his innings was cut short by a splendid catch at cover off the fifth. Virender Sehwag too was done in by a bumper – top edging a hook – and Shikhar Dhawan pulled another short one to square leg.”We had set strategies and today we wanted to bowl short of length, bowl fast and bowl into the body,” said Warne after the 105-run victory. Watson’s spell of 3 for 10 off three overs was the result of the perfect execution of the plan – 67% of his deliveries (12 out of 18) were on the shorter side.”Throughout the series he has been superb,” Warne said. “He lost a bit of the edge in the last few games but today he was absolutely fantastic and showed his class. He’s a fantastic all-round cricketer and good enough to be in the Australian team.”For now, though, Watson’s immediate goal is another match-winning performance in the IPL finals on Sunday.

For 470 minutes over the last two days even the Feroz Shah Kotla’s garish stand at the Tata End didn’t look ugly. For 470 minutes, Laxman cloaked violence with grace and left Australia hopelessly spellbound

Cricinfo staff30-Oct-2008
Fielders don’t matter to VVS Laxman. Their placement and angles become superfluous © AFP
When VVS Laxman plays like he did today, there isn’t a worry in the world. For 470 minutes over the last two days even the Feroz Shah Kotla’s garish stand at the Tata End didn’t look ugly. For 470 minutes, Laxman disguised violence with grace and left Australia hopelessly spellbound.When Laxman plays like he did today, fielders don’t matter. Their placement and angles become superfluous. If there are men blocking his whip through midwicket, he can always hit the ball straight past mid-on – and sometimes mid-off – and time it just as well. Early this morning, Laxman had Michael Clarke, at short extra cover, staring him in the face. One typically crunchy push-drive went straight to him, and Australia’s plan seemed to be working. The next ball was of similar length but Laxman waited for that extra half a second and played the same shot. This time Clarke had no chance. The other fielders would have experienced the same helplessness at various times throughout the day.When Laxman plays like he did today, he is one of the most difficult batsmen to bowl to. Mitchell Johnson can bowl as full and wide as he likes, but Laxman will just flick his wrists and hit the ball from outside off to send it speeding to the long-on boundary. Clarke can come over the wicket and pitch it in the rough as much as he likes, but Laxman will either whip him against the spin or clear his leg and play inside out. Brett Lee can bowl as many bouncers and outswingers as he likes, but Laxman will roll his wrists to keep the pulls down or drive them wristily through the covers. Stuart Clark, the only bowler who managed to keep him quiet, admitted that Laxman, when on song, was the hardest batsman to bowl to. “He’s very wristy, hits to midwicket from outside off stump, although we did plan for that,” Clark said. “He played really well, got on top, and once the momentum went it was hard to get it back.”When Laxman plays like he did today, you leave the ground with memorable shots replaying in your head. He was on 13 yesterday when he played the first one: his front foot came out, his bat met the ball right under his head, and no flourishing follow-through was required. It was a decent delivery from Shane Watson and didn’t deserve the treatment it got.When Laxman plays like he did today, he makes audacious shots look classical. Johnson bowled one wide outside off stump and Laxman’s response – a flick to long-on boundary – would evoke awe, and not outrage, from the purists. The next ball was similar, but a touch shorter, and Laxman late-cut it for four. Two overs later, he picked one up from off-stump and whipped it to the square-leg boundary.When Laxman plays like he did today, he paces his innings superbly. He scored 17 off 19 balls out of the first 50 runs in his 278-run partnership with Gautam Gambhir. Then came the lean period against Clark during which Laxman took 34 balls to move from 50 to 55. And then he took off, reaching his century off 170 balls and scoring his second 100 off only 130, though he hardly ever looked like he was in a hurry. “I’m very satisfied because, after a long time, I got a score more than 150,” Laxman said. “I was getting hundreds but was unable to get big hundreds. Hopefully this will start a process and I’ll get big hundreds.”When Laxman plays like he did today, his opponents are usually Australia. This was his sixth century, his second double, and his fifth score of more than 140 against his favourite team. When he plays his 100th Test, in Nagpur, he would have played 24 matches but scored 33% of his runs against them. Often he has been asked what it is about Australia that brings out the best in him. And often he has said they are an aggressive side which allows him to play his natural game. It shows too, for nearly 36% of his career boundaries have come against Australia.When Laxman plays like he did, he often sets up matches for India, like he did today. The declaration came soon after Laxman’s double-century and then the hard work started in the field for India. Until then there wasn’t a worry in the world.

A look at how the stats stack up for Pakistan and South Africa ahead of their ICC World Twenty20 semi-final

S Rajesh17-Jun-2009The overall numbersAs you’d expect with a team which has won five games on the trot in the tournament, South Africa have excellent numbers with both bat and ball – they are marginally ahead of Pakistan in both aspects. Neither of the two teams are at the top of the tree in terms of batting stats – West Indies takes that honour – but with the ball South Africa and Pakistan are easily the two best sides in the competition. They have taken the most number of wickets in the tournament so far with 42 and 41, and are the only sides who have conceded less than seven runs per over.

Pakistan and South Africa with the bat in the ICC World Twenty20

TeamRunsBallsWicketsAverageRun ratePakistan7025593023.407.53South Africa7665902728.377.78

Pakistan and South Africa with the ball in the ICC World Twenty20

TeamRuns concededBalls bowledWicketsAverageEcon ratePakistan6475764115.786.73South Africa6005734214.286.28The Powerplay oversBoth South Africa and Pakistan have been among the more conservative teams with the bat during the first six overs, scoring at less than eight runs per over. South Africa, though, have been excellent at keeping wickets in hand, losing just three during the Powerplay overs all tournament, and averaging 77 per wicket. Their opening partnership of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis has been among the best in the competition. Pakistan, on the other hand, have lost nine wickets during the first six overs.

Pakistan and South Africa in the first six overs – batting

TeamRunsBallsWicketsAverageRun ratePakistan219180924.337.30South Africa231180377.007.70As bowling teams, South Africa have been far superior in the first six, taking 11 wickets – the second-highest, after England’s 13 – at an excellent average and economy rate.

Pakistan and South Africa in the first six overs – bowling

TeamRuns concededBalls bowledWicketsAverageEcon ratePakistan239180734.147.96South Africa1841801116.726.13Wayne Parnell and Dale Steyn have been exceptional in the first six. Mohammad Aamer is the most successful for Pakistan, but he has been relatively expensive, going at seven-and-a-half per over.

Pakistan and South African bowlers in the first six overs

BowlerRuns concededBalls bowledWicketsAverageEcon rateDale Steyn6260415.506.20Wayne Parnell4260410.504.20Mohammad Aamer9378423.257.15Abdul Razzaq3136215.505.16The middle overs – 7 to 14Pakistan have been the slightly stronger team overall in the middle overs, scoring at a better rate and taking four more wickets than the South African bowlers.

Pakistan and South Africa in the middle eight overs – batting

TeamRunsBallsWicketsAverageRun ratePakistan284235835.507.25South Africa269240833.626.72

Pakistan and South Africa in the middle eight overs – bowling

TeamRuns concededBalls bowledWicketsAverageEcon ratePakistan2512401615.686.27South Africa2472401220.586.17The star bowler in the middle overs has been Shahid Afridi who has done a remarkable job of taking wickets and keeping the runs in check. In 114 deliveries he has taking eight wickets, an average of less than 15 balls per wicket, at an economy rate of only slightly more than five per over.

Pakistan and South African bowlers in the middle eight overs

BowlerRuns concededBalls bowledWicketsAverageEcon rateShahid Afridi98114812.255.15Saeed Ajmal6060415.006.00Johan Botha7884419.505.57Roelof van der Merwe8290420.505.46Shoaib Malik5542155.007.85The last six oversSouth Africa have been the slightly better batting team in the last six overs, but both have been outstanding with the ball, conceding less than ten runs per wicket, and less than seven per over. That’s ensured that the batting teams have had little momentum towards the end of their innings.

Pakistan and South Africa in the last six overs – batting

TeamRunsBallsWicketsAverageRun ratePakistan1991441315.308.29South Africa2661701616.629.38

Pakistan and South Africa in the last six overs – bowlng

TeamRuns concededBalls bowledWicketsAverageEcon ratePakistan157156188.726.03South Africa169153198.896.62Umar Gul has taken the most number of wickets in the last six overs, but there have been several other star performers from both teams. Saeed Ajmal has been outstanding, both in terms of taking wickets and keeping runs in check, and the same applies to Steyn, Parnell and van der Merwe as well.

Pakistan and South African bowlers in the last six overs

BowlerRuns concededBalls bowledWicketsAverageEcon rateUmar Gul656988.125.65Saeed Ajmal526077.425.20Dale Steyn4942412.257.00Wayne Parnell5141412.757.46Roelof van der Merwe243054.804.80How the runs have been scoredThere’s little to choose in the manner in which the two teams have scored the runs in this tournament: the dot-ball percentages are almost equal, but Pakistan have, surprisingly, scored a higher percentage of their runs in singles, twos and threes.

How Pakistan and South Africa have scored their runs

TeamDotsPercentage1s, 2s, 3sPercentage4s, 6sPercentagePakistan20336.3128550.987012.52South Africa21235.9328648.479215.59The extras factorSouth Africa are clearly ahead in his area: they’ve bowled one no-ball and 17 wides, to Pakistan’s eight no-balls and 23 wides.

Ponting is wary of a repeat of the stress in this game, which is the most significant contest for all but the four players in the squad who were here for the 2-1 loss in 2005

Peter English at The Oval19-Aug-2009Ricky Ponting would love to cradle the original Ashes urn on Monday afternoon but it is staying behind glass in the Lord’s museum. This time it’s a wise decision from the MCC, who own the priceless and symbolic prize, because the Australians have a history of dinting trophies during their celebrations.”It would be nice to get a hold of the proper one once in a while,” Ponting said. “If they let it out of the box.”Still, Ponting will be hugely satisfied if his thumb and index finger are squeezing a replica at the end of the fifth Test at The Oval. It would certainly beat becoming only the second Australian captain behind Billy Murdoch to lose two series in England, an unwanted record which will occur if the hosts succeed in south London from Thursday.The significance of an occasion that will define his leadership is having an unfamiliar effect on Ponting, who has played 135 Tests and won three World Cups. “I spoke to the team before the first Test and told them I was excited about the whole series and how much it meant to me,” he said. “But this game now, I don’t remember being this excited for a game.”He has been waking at 6.30am, racing to breakfast and wanting to start the team meetings and training. “I can’t wait for Thursday to come around and I can sense that around some of the other players in the group,” he said. “We’ve all spoken about what the Ashes means.”Before Lord’s the Australians became over-hyped and their tense start turned into their first Test defeat at the home of cricket since 1934. Ponting is wary of a repeat of the stress in this game, which is the most significant contest for all but the four players in the squad who were here for the 2-1 loss in 2005.”That’s why I’ve tried to not necessarily downplay this week, but not talk about how big a game it is, just talk about how exciting it is,” he said. “It’s easy for us older guys to talk about it that way because we’ve been there before, whether it’s a World Cup final or other big Test matches that we’ve played, so we haven’t spoken much to the younger guys about it. We’ve just let them go about their preparation and let them trust what they’ve been doing over the last couple of weeks.”Ponting’s experience will be a crucial settling influence for the team and Michael Clarke, the vice-captain, believes he is England’s biggest worry because of his reliable performances in big games. “You see ‘Punter’ in World Cup finals or huge matches and he always stands up,” Clarke said. “That is probably one of his greatest assets as a leader, in big games he always does stand up from the front. That is certainly something that I think England should fear.”This should be Ponting’s last Ashes Test in England – he would be 38 and on his fifth tour if he returned in 2013 – but he has not started with the nostalgia. He played in the two-day game against England Lions at the weekend specifically to calm his young squad and keep them on track for the greatest occasion of their careers.”It’s a special series to all of us and look, it might be my last chance to get a crack at doing it here, but I’ll just prepare as if it’s any other game and hopefully go out and play as well as I can,” he said. “That’s all I can do and that’s all we can control.”Australia started the series strongly in Cardiff before a sudden trough, but since the final day of the third Test they have improved dramatically, hitting their peak in the innings-and-80-run win at Headingley. Ponting is highly satisfied with the way his side has progressed after the setback at Lord’s and said the squad was happy and upbeat.”Everyone is talking about this sudden transformation in the team, but it hasn’t necessarily been that,” he said. “We’ve played some really good cricket throughout the series and we’ve just had a couple of down periods that have cost us – the first morning bowling at Lord’s and the first-innings batting there. Other than that our cricket has been on a steep curve upwards.” A tiny urn is the reward for further improvement over the next week.

While Twenty20 riches can buy diamond earrings, gold chains, designer watches and lifelong financial security for West Indies’ players, they can’t guarantee basic cricketing sense

Tony Cozier07-Mar-2010It is founded on the premise that it is not really cricket at all and, more especially, that the mega-bucks paid out by Indian tycoons, Bollywood stars and a bogus American financier have given young West Indies players a false sense of their worth.It is not that Michael Holding begrudges the fees cricketers now earn. He joined Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket back in 1977 precisely because it offered him and others a proper wage as professional sportsmen.His concern is that most of those with bank accounts boosted into seven figures by Twenty20 now measure success more by the numbers on the cheques they collect for appearing in the IPL, Australia’s Big Bash, Stanford’s Super Series and England’s equivalent than on those alongside their batting and bowling averages.His theory was given ample airing in West Indies’ performance in two matches during the past week.Teams packed with millionaires, the wealthiest ever to represent the burgundy and silver, were acutely embarrassed by the supposed non-entities of Zimbabwe, first in the Twenty20 international at the Queen’s Park Oval, then in the first one-day international at the Providence Stadium.The reality is that most of the highly touted, and paid West Indians have international records, and experience, no better than their counterpart paupers of Zimbabwe, not one of whom is distracted by the fame and fortune of an overseas Twenty20 contract.Of the 11 West Indians on the field in the second ODI yesterday, only Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul had more than 50 ODIs on their CVs. Only three of the Zimbabweans had fewer.Kieron Pollard, whose earnings from Trinidad and Tobago, the South Australian Redbacks, the Mumbai Indians, the Somerset Sabres and West Indies, will bring in around US$1.5 million this year, averages in the teens in his 21 ODIs and 13 Twenty20 internationals. He is yet to play a Test or score an international hundred, whereas eight Zimbabweans have.Kemar Roach is less than a year into his international career and already has a US$700,000 IPL deal.Based on his reputation as big hitter, stiff medium-pace bowler and dazzling fielder, Dwayne Smith has been a Twenty20 specialist for Sussex, New South Wales, the Mumbai Indians and the Deccan Chargers. But his inconsistency has limited him to spasmodic appearances for West Indies in recent times.

It was West Indies’ 11th defeat in 12 ODIs, a stunning statistic. If it continues, the slide will carry on even further down the ICC rankings. The return of Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo, presumably for the last three ODIs, will bolster the strength but the truth is the cupboard of reputable reserves is all but bare

Andre Fletcher, who pocketed US$1 million from the Stanford Super Series win over England in 2008, has fewer ODIs and Twenty20s to his name than half the Zimbabweans.There were prime examples in Thursday’s ODI loss that, while Twenty20 riches can buy diamond earrings, gold chains, designer watches and lifelong financial security, they can’t guarantee basic cricketing sense.After that match, captain Gayle furiously identified the main offenders in the loss as Pollard, Smith and Denesh Ramdin. He might have also mentioned the ludicrous run-outs of Fletcher and Narsingh Deonarine and the fumbles in the field, but there was enough on his mind as it was.”Those guys were key for us and the way they went about it was a terrible display,” Gayle said of Pollard, Ramdin and Smith. “It is very disappointing and sad to see how they went about it.”Pollard, whose expensive status is based mainly on his power-hitting, casually stroked a catch to mid-on during the batting Powerplay when only three fielders are permitted outside the 30-yard zone. Ramdin was bowled for the seventh time in his last 12 innings for West Indies.Smith was the most culpable. When Nikita Miller’s six, four, and one off the first three balls of the final over left four to win off three, a usually straightforward task, he premeditated his well-known default shot – the across-the-line slog – and the match was effectively lost. It could be his last swing for West Indies.Ramdin, who had played every match for West Indies since December 2008, and Smith both paid for their indiscretions with their places in yesterday’s second ODI.Gayle’s censure was as strong as any captain gets. The language in the stands was far more direct and abusive.It was West Indies’ 11th defeat in 12 ODIs, a stunning statistic. If it continues, the slide will carry on even further down the ICC rankings. The return of Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo, presumably for the last three ODIs, will bolster the strength but the truth is the cupboard of reputable reserves is all but bare.The regional first-class tournament that ended last weekend was an exercise in futility. At the end of it, there was not a single new player the selectors could identify as ready for international cricket.Dwayne Smith may have played his last for West Indies.•DigicelCricket.com/Brooks LaTouche PhotographyIt is easier at present to be optimistic over an end of the drought than a turnaround of West Indies’ cricket woes. Yet board president Julian Hunte and chief executive Ernest Hilaire were upbeat back in January.”The season promises to be an exciting one and we are really looking forward to some tough, hard and competitive cricket on the field and positive support and enjoyment by the fans off the field,” Hunte said.It turned out to be a dud. It was poorly promoted, if at all, a host of top players were missing, either injured or away in Australia, the standard was as low as usual (against 11 totals over 300 there were 22 under 200) and crowds at most matches were in three, sometimes even two, figures.Ten of the 14 batsmen with more than 300 runs were the usual suspects who had already represented West Indies and all but two of the 13 bowlers with more than 20 wickets were run-of-the-mill spinners.One apparent success was the bold experiment of floodlit matches with the pink ball. All reports are not in but the general response from players and spectators was positive. When Tests are also inevitably played at night, West Indies can claim to have led the way.In contrast, the other innovation – to stage a round a time in the same venue – was a predictable flop. It limited Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the Leewards and Windwards to one home match each, Barbados and the so-called Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) to two.The arrangement was seen at its most ridiculous when Barbados and the CCC were despatched from their home base in Barbados to far-off Nevis for their match.And while Hilaire declared before it all started that the WICB would be “looking to utilise some of the wonderful facilities we have in the region”, only seven of the 21 matches were staged at the “wonderful facilities” that were the supposed legacy of the World Cup.You really have to wonder who sits in the WICB office in St John’s and makes such decisions.

Cricket in Denmark was at its strongest in the 1960s, but the national side, comprising journeymen, students and one pro, is hoping to spark a revival

Robert Forsaith06-Nov-2010Anyone doubting cricket’s reach should take a moment to consider how the recent spot-fixing controversy affected Copenhagen’s active population of proud Pakistan supporters. In a nation where football is entrenched as the national sport, pastime and obsession, cricket has a longer, if not quite as successful, history.English railway workers first brought the game to Denmark in the mid-19th century, but more recently Pakistani immigrants have helped ensure its survival. A wave of Pakistanis came to the nation in the 1960s and their devotion to cricket has stood the test of time. Their descendants now represent the vast majority of youngsters taking up the game.Thankfully there is nothing rotten in the state of Denmark. The children’s enthusiasm for playing the game is free to prosper, and it will survive despite the latest turmoil that has embroiled some of their former idols. It’s a good thing, too, as the country’s cricket board, the Dansk Cricket Forbund (DCF) could hardly afford a drop in participation.Cricket has endured a turbulent time in Denmark, with too many troughs and a limited number of minor peaks since the DCF was admitted to the ICC in 1966 as an Associate member. In those 44 years, the nation has produced a handful of first-class cricketers. The list is headlined by Derbyshire’s Ole Mortensen, who claimed 434 wickets at an average of 23.88, and more recently Amjad Khan, who obtained British citizenship and played one Test for England in 2009.The national side has been on the cusp of qualifying for the World Cup on a number of occasions, with a semi-final loss to Sri Lanka, a fellow minnow at the time, in the 1979 ICC Trophy arguably the most notable.Domestically the game was at its strongest in the 1960s. “There was more interest in cricket then, compared to the 70s and so on,” DCF president Thomas Kentorp said. “We were mentioned on the radio, you had scores from the various matches on the news. There were a lot of cricketers. There are different ways to measure the numbers, but we think we had about 4000 players in around 40-something clubs. Today we have about 2000 players in 32 clubs.” That figure represents roughly 0.04% of the population.Kentorp finds it hard to pinpoint a single reason for the game’s decline, although he makes special mention of the ever-increasing focus on academic pursuits. “The parents say to their children, ‘You have to focus on one sport from the age of 10.’ Once the children turn 18, some of them say, ‘Well, enough’s enough’ and they don’t play anything anymore, not even one sport. It’s a shame.”Understandably, “game development” features prominently in the DCF’s slim budget. The group receives roughly US$382,000 annually from the Sports Confederation of Denmark, and a little less from the ICC.Local clubs are able to sign one overseas playing coach each season, and the DCF provides limited assistance for this. The programme’s biggest success story is undoubtedly Bryce McGain, who carried the moniker “Glostup coach” long before he became “former Test spinner”. McGain moved his family to Copenhagen and even made his List A debut for Denmark in 2002, but tight residency requirements mean the DCF is unable to aggressively poach talented foreigners for the national team.Cricket’s low profile ensures that sponsorships are minor and rare, although the Danish Integration Ministry is currently funding a project that helps introduce schoolchildren to the game. The man spearheading the scheme is Simon Talbot, Denmark’s full-time national coach, who also oversees development and travels the country, selling the game.Talbot, an Englishman and a product of the county cricket scene, was appointed last year. The carrot of coaching a national side was too tempting for a man who was awaiting an Australian visa to work with the WACA in a development role.He first came to Denmark 20 years ago when he booked a youth tour while working for Surrey. Soon after, he found he had “fallen in love” with the Danes, especially those involved in cricket. The fact his wife Tina (who also doubles as the national side’s physiotherapist) is Danish suggests the statement is true literally. Talbot’s passion for Danish cricket is infectious.Denmark were recently relegated to World Cricket League (WCL) Division 3 when the side went winless at the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier in South Africa. Talbot was called in soon after and has persisted with a youth policy at the selection table.”I inherited an old team and cricket these days is a young man’s sport. I think the average age of the team was over 35, so there lay the problem,” Talbot said.The side consists of local amateurs, apart from gun batsman Freddie Klokker, who recently signed a contract with Dutch club Excelsior 20. Among the playing group is a postman, two IT professionals, an employee of Danske Bank, and plenty of students. The youngest of Talbot’s new-look team, Basit Raja, is still in high school and has made quite an impression on the coach.”He has got a trial for the MCC Young Cricketers next year, and I confidently predict he will be offered a place there,” Talbot said.Simon Talbot at the national cricket ground, Svanholm Park•Robert Forsaith/Robert ForsaithRaja was a standout performer at the European Under-19 Championships in July this year. The right-arm seamer’s next chance to shine is likely to come in January 2011, when Talbot’s charges will take part in the six-team WCL 3 tournament in Hong Kong. Denmark will be up against Italy, the USA, Oman, Papua New Guinea, and hosts Hong Kong. The stakes will be high. Two teams will remain in WCL 3, two will be relegated to WCL 4, and two promoted to WCL 2.The harsh Nordic winter will keep the side mostly indoors as they prepare for the competition, although they will be given the chance to acclimatise at a five-day training camp in Sri Lanka. The sub-zero temperatures are hardly ideal, as Talbot points out.”Your hands go soft [in the arctic weather]. You need hard hands to play cricket, ball-ready hands. So it would have been nice to go away and get some sunshine before we went to Sri Lanka, but obviously we haven’t got the funding to do that. We’ll have to make do with what we’ve got.”Considering the DCF’s limited budget, Talbot has an impressive number of coaching tools at his disposal – including video analysis, a fitness training program designed by Tina, who is an ex-Surrey physio, and a psychology program – and a set of very dedicated amateurs.”I reckon we will have 12 sessions together as a team to prepare for Hong Kong,” he said.”I’m really happy with all of it. They’re amateurs, but I can’t honestly think of anything else that we could provide for them, apart from a team trip to somewhere like South Africa or Dubai.”The ICC’s recent decision to trim the number of teams at the World Cup means Denmark’s task of qualifying has become all the more monumental. Furthermore, it is highly unlikely Twenty20 will be any kind of silver bullet for the Associates.Nonetheless Talbot is upbeat about his inexperienced side’s chances of climbing the ICC’s rankings in the next few years. “If my team performs the way I know they can [in Hong Kong] and performs the way I want them to, then we can compete with anybody.”