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Australia have been the bigger talkers in the build-up to the Test series, while South Africa have attempted to send a message with their relative silence

Firdose Moonda06-Feb-2014″We’re going to water that pitch right now.”Russell Domingo: “To beat Australia, you have to show a lot of character because if they get on top of you, they can be difficult to stop”•AFPRussell Domingo was in a jovial mood and obviously joking when he made the above suggestion at the end of South Africa’s three-day practice match against members on the fringes of the Test squad. Australia are going to use the surface for the next two days, in an intra-squad game of their own to make up for losing their tour match, and South Africa’s coach made his jab in jest.In the end, it would not have mattered what South Africa did to the surface. A typically fierce Highveld thunderstorm broke over Corlett Drive in the late afternoon. Management at the Wanderers warned on Monday that, because of the high levels of the water table given the previous days’ downpours, play would not be possible if any more rain fell.Illovo, the suburb in which the ground is located, remained dry throughout Tuesday and Wednesday and just as South Africa were done, the heavens opened. Whether Australia get on the field tomorrow will depend on how much drainage was able to take place and whether the clouds clear.The sequence of events, and its apparent bias in favour of the home side, is enough to make anyone chuckle, so it was no surprise Domingo was in such good spirits. His team had had a decent run around, his new No. 4 had scored a century, two of his three frontline seamers had been incisive, and the third, Dale Steyn, was “easing into it and showing the right signs”. There was nothing he needed to be concerned about, least of all the jabs coming from the other side.”We are fully aware a lot has been said and we’re fully aware that we haven’t said much and we’re happy with that,” Domingo said. “You can’t play all your shots before the Test match, you’ve got to wait for the game to start.”Australia have been the bigger talkers in the build-up to this series. Their captain declared their attack was the best in the world; one of their leading seamers, Peter Siddle, warned Graeme Smith he could come under attack; and arguably their most aggressive batsman, David Warner, indicated Robin Peterson should prepare for a pasting.South Africa’s responses have been limited to Smith saying they would sift through the “bull dot dot dot”, Allan Donald predicting Dale Steyn would be a factor, which is hardly anything new, and Domingo calling Peterson “mentally, one of the toughest cricketers I have worked with”.In their relative silence, South Africa have sent a message – that they will not be pushed around and that they are pretty amused by Australia’s attempts to try. “All the noise is coming from them. There’s no need for us to get involved in this kind of thing,” AB de Villiers said. “We know Australia have had some recent success…”Then, he stopped himself. “Now I sound like Michael Clarke, ‘did South Africa beat India? Really?'” he joked. The journalist who posed the question about the verbal slanging had to ask. “But you know the Ashes result was 5-0?””Really?” answered de Villiers with mock incredulity. “Yeah, of course. We’ve kept an eye but we’ve also been focused on ourselves. We will do everything we can and that’s it. I think we’ve really peaked in the last two years and we’ve started playing our best cricket.”South Africa have not registered a home series win against Australia since readmission, last losing to them in 2008-9, a series that de Villiers identified as having come “just before we started playing our best cricket”. Their record since then has been flawless. South Africa are undefeated across 14 series and, of those, they won eight. “When we got to No. 1 this time, we really thought we were at a level where we can dominate for the next five or ten years,” de Villiers said.To achieve that, South Africa believe they have to be above their competitors in all respects, including verbal slanging matches. Against Australia, watching their tongues is particularly important to them. “We’ve just got to have focus and calm,” Domingo said. “We can’t control what’s happening in their camp, what happened with their game or what they’re saying.”But what South Africa can do is come up with a plan of their own, which involves a mental strategy above anything else. “To beat Australia, you have to show a lot of character because if they get on top of you, they can be difficult to stop,” Domingo said. “They can be abrasive and quite cocky. We will have to show a lot of character under pressure because there will be pressure moments; it’s a big series.”So far, that demonstration of temperament has led to South Africa playing a silent role. But they have promised to do their talking on the field. Come Wednesday next week, it will become clearer whose voices are loudest.

Is it time for a Test captain who will be more authoritative in the big moments in overseas Tests?

Sidharth Monga17-Feb-2014Unless New Zealand make a generous declaration and India bat out of their skins on day five, India will have gone 14 Tests and three years without an overseas Test win. Only Zimbabwe have a poorer record over the same period. Admittedly 14 is not a huge number, but that only accentuates the lop-sidedness of the ICC rankings, which give no weightage to how well you have performed away.However, it is not like India haven’t had opportunities to win over the last three years. They shut down a chase in Dominica when there was no way they could have lost the Test; they had an outside chance at Lord’s; they were favourites to win Trent Bridge after two days; they had a good chance to put one past Australia at the MCG; and they had chances of their lifetimes at the Wanderers and Basin Reserve. Except for the Wanderers, there is a common thread running through these missed opportunities: a leadership group adamant that modern cricket is all about drying up runs, and a man signing autographs at the deep-point fence.These turning points have been mentioned before, but they are worth repeating. At Lord’s, England went into lunch on day four at 72 for 5, effectively 260 for 5. Ishant Sharma had just bowled a spell of 5-3-4-3, which included two great deliveries to get Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell out. The ball was only 31 overs old. Forty minutes later, MS Dhoni began the middle session with Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh. Yes, India had lost Zaheer Khan, but what was the harm in going down slinging if you were going down anyway?At Trent Bridge, India had England down at 124 for 8, but fearing an apocalyptic counter-attack from Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan, India went on the defensive again, losing all momentum. In the second innings they refused to take a bona fide run-out, a last moment of inspiration that could have galvanised them. The next two Tests were just a nightmarish daze featuring Alastair Cook and an unfit RP Singh.In Australia, India’s fight lasted only one Test, but what an opportunity it was. At the MCG, you have Australia down at 214 for 6 on day one, a real opportunity in front of you, and Brad Haddin has just arrived, but you bowl to him with a long-on, a deep midwicket and a deep fine leg. In the second innings you have them down at 27 for 4 but are almost coy about attacking, thinking about saving runs and thus getting wickets. After that the tour is a recurring reel of Ishant dropping Michael Clarke, and David Warner pulverising the four Indian horsemen of the apocalypse on the quickest pitch of them all.

There is a common thread running through these missed opportunities: a leadership group adamant that modern cricket is all about drying up runs, and a man signing autographs at the deep-point boundary

In Johannesburg, Dhoni had three fast bowlers who maintained the intensity, and he broke away from type, but something about the closeness of the match told you this was the last time in a long time that he would be risking it all. Sure enough, in the second Test he refused to take the new ball until he was forced to do so after 146 overs, preferring to sit and wait than to take wickets to slow runs down, a tactic that drew criticism from Rahul Dravid, a man who rarely criticises.Over to Wellington then. On the third morning, his quicks have nicked three men out, New Zealand are five down with about 130 required to make India bat again, the ball is about 45 overs old, and here we have Ishant bowling to Brendon McCullum with no slips and a 6-3 leg-side field. The dropped catch at silly mid-on will be pointed out, which is fair enough, in that an opportunity was created, but in the desire to place men to snap up that rarest of catches, India sacrificed the slips and not the boundary riders.Ravindra Jadeja bowled 24 unthreatening overs on the afternoon, many of them from over the stumps, just because he was keeping the runs down. He bowled with a long-on and long-off throughout for McCullum, who was happy to milk the singles. This is not to take away from McCullum’s effort, but Dhoni underestimated him, in that he tried to block his release shots, expecting a poor shot around the corner. In a marvellous innings, McCullum showed he had enough restraint and discipline to not hole out to those deep fielders. When a slip catch did arrive with New Zealand still less than 100 for 5, India had only one man stationed there, which, as William Shakespeare wrote, was neither here nor there.Ravindra Jadeja was tidy but posed little threat, and he was still persisted with for 24 overs in the afternoon•AFPIt’s not that this strategy hasn’t worked for Dhoni, but it has worked only in home Tests, where he has actually been able to build up pressure through his spinners. It has worked for him in ODIs. Nor have developments in modern cricket been lost on this space. The bats are heavier, the batsmen are bolder, they generally prefer hitting a slightly risky four to taking four risk-free singles, so captains make them pick up the singles, and boundaries early in the innings give them great confidence, etc. Nor can it be denied that Dhoni doesn’t have a Mitchell Johnson or a Dale Steyn in his attack. Or even Ryan Harris. Or even Neil Wagner.But how defensive is too defensive? Even the fourth day began with New Zealand practically 6 for 5. It was a tense time for the batsmen, who would have had to start afresh against bowlers who had had a night’s rest. A wicket in the first session would have reaffirmed India’s position as favourites to win the Test. The ball was only 19 overs old. The first ball of the day hit the shoulder of McCullum’s bat after seaming away a touch. Still it took India only seven overs to begin to resort to denial as a means of taking wickets. And if India struggled on day four, the seeds for it were sown on the third afternoon when McCullum was allowed to bed in amid strange fields.It became ridiculous at times. Dhoni once asked Ishant and Mohammed Shami to bowl from round the stumps with a 7-2 off-side field. As a bowler it is difficult to keep up with such fancies. When Rohit Sharma bowled, he had a slip stationed where one would be for fast bowlers. Sunil Gavaskar was so baffled he said, “This one takes the cake. No, this one takes the whole bakery.” Throughout, Dhoni kept following the ball, placing fielders wherever the shot went. Those who have watched many of these Tests at the grounds remember all too clearly how a fielder who goes to fetch the ball from the boundary rarely comes back: he is stationed there. Most memorably it happened when Jacques Kallis reverse-swept – yes, reverse-swept – Harbhajan Singh for a four at Newlands, and a deep point was placed instantly.It has been stated previously that Dhoni is a great ODI batsman, a very good ODI captain and Test captain at home, and that he was just the leader of men India needed after the fractious Greg Chappell regime, but in overseas Tests he always seems to lose the big moments.You can’t blame Dhoni alone, though. The other half of this leadership team is a coach who can be credited with giving Test cricket deep point. Dhoni already was a captain who thought New Zealand need to be set 617 to preserve a series lead. And he met a man who defended the idea that India could lose seven wickets in 15 overs if they went for a 2-0 series win as opposed to 1-0. Between the two of them, they will go any length to save boundaries and eliminate risk.India have been lucky that these last two “series” have each been only two Tests long. India were competitive in the initial parts of the England and Australia series too. Once they lost the big moments, the rest of those tours were a blur of defeats. India’s next two assignments won’t be so short. It will be imperative they win the big moments in the initial stages otherwise it is quite possible they will come back with a nightmarish haze. Have India reached the stage where they could do with a Test captain who will be more authoritative in those big moments?

Sixteen surprising similarities between two Rajasthan v Kolkata IPL ties that were played five years apart

Aashish Calla03-May-2014History has a strange, and often quite eerie, way of repeating itself.As I watched the tied match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders unfold in Abu Dhabi, it struck me that the proceedings were somewhat similar to what we’d seen when the same two sides played out a tie in 2009.When I sat down to list out the similarities, I was astonished. I ended up spotting 16 uncanny similarities between the two games. Have a look.ESPNcricinfoIf you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line

Chasing Chennai Super Kings’ 242, Dolphins opener Cameron Delport played nine action-packed deliveries in his innings. Here’s what happened ball by ball

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-20140.4 – [Ashish] Nehra to Delport, 3 wides, full and fast down leg side, Dhoni fails to collect cleanly but gets some glove on it.
0.4 – Nehra to Delport, FOUR, a cracking shot from Delport, he comes down the pitch and plays a lofted off-drive against a length delivery, he hit through the line and almost cleared the boundary at long off
0.5 – Nehra to Delport, SIX, another length ball disappears, Delport gets on the front foot and swings across the line, hitting the ball high and into the stands at deep midwicket0.6 – Nehra to Delport, FOUR, that’s gone so fast to the square leg boundary! Nehra banged it in short and Delport swivelled and pulled, hitting the ball ferociously2.1 – [Mohit] Sharma to Delport, SIX, Delport has teed off! Golf-swinging a full ball from off stump over the long-off boundary. He’s striking at 5002.2 – Sharma to Delport, FOUR, Delport moves outside leg stump to create room for a short and wide ball, he then slashes hard and cuts the ball flat over point for a one-bounce four. He’s hit five boundaries in five balls2.3 – Sharma to Delport, FOUR, six in six, Delport is cutting CSK to ribbons, makes room once again and carves the ball over point, sensational hitting against the angle into him from round the wicket. They have already got 50!2.4 – Sharma to Delport, 2 runs, makes room and lofts the ball over cover, he’s mis-timed it and no wonder! The bat has broken as he played the shot, he’s left holding the handle in his hand. Delport will hope the replacement bat hits the ball as well as this one2.5 – Sharma to Delport, FOUR, bang! Sharma delivers a length ball and Delport hammers the drive through extra cover, makes a bit of room by moving outside leg and hits cleanly through the line2.6 – Sharma to Delport, OUT, bowled him! Delport’s blaze of glory has come to an end via a slower ball that cut into him from outside off, he played too early and aimed for point and missed. CSK players – some look a bit shell shocked – converge in celebration. Delport’s made some IPL owners sit up and take notice for sure.

The young fast bowler’s sudden elevation to ODI captaincy is not surprising, for he showed leadership aptitude at school level

Tony Cozier23-Dec-20141:44

Holder: My biggest task is to build trust

At 23, Jason Holder has been thrust into the leadership of the one-day international team as the youngest of all West Indies captains – and, at 6ft 7in, the tallest.He comes with a flattering endorsement from West Indies’ most successful captain, Clive Lloyd, now head of the selection panel that chose him, and concern from others that the circumstances and timing of his elevation are too daunting to impose on a promising player entering his third year of international cricket.His first assignments are next month’s five ODIs against South Africa, the team ranked No. 3 against West Indies’ No. 8, followed by the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in February and March, the game’s most prestigious, intense and extensively followed tournament.That he succeeds Dwayne Bravo, captain and forthright spokesman for the players, who sensationally abandoned the tour of India in October over a contractual dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board, creates a contentious backdrop to the issue.Lloyd and the WICB did not make the connection between the two in the decision to change; they didn’t have to. It was clear that Bravo’s removal as captain and demotion, along with senior players Darren Sammy and Kieron Pollard, to the T20 squad alone was payback for their part in the dramatic exit from India. Their attorney, Ralph Thorne, a Barbadian Queen’s Counsel, was wary of the WICB’s “victimisation” of the players from the start; he maintains this is clear evidence that it is just that.Lloyd followed the team around India. He subsequently made his position plain in an interview on a Jamaican sports channel.
“I spoke to them on every occasion, I told them what was the situation,” he said. “They didn’t listen. I’m very disappointed they didn’t. It was just a dialogue that was needed. I told them to play and assess the situation [later]. I don’t think it was the intelligent thing to do. I am very disappointed.”Lloyd’s explanation for the change is that it is with “an eye on the future”.He describes Holder as “one of the good young players who we believe will form part of the long-term future of West Indies cricket”. “We know he will continue to grow and demonstrate leadership. He has a very good cricketing brain and has the makings of a very good leader.”Jason Holder’s cricketing acumen has been noted by West Indies’ greatest Test captain, Clive Lloyd•WICB MediaEzra Moseley, the former Barbados and West Indies allrounder, is coach at the St Michael School in Bridgetown. He recognised the certainty of Lloyd’s judgement as soon as Holder switched schools and came into his team.”His leadership qualities were so obvious I immediately made him captain,” Moseley recalls. “Last year, after he was already in the West Indies team, I told the St Michael scorer that he would soon become West Indies captain. I wasn’t joking.”Moseley’s initial opinion was that Holder was a better batsman than a bowler.”His height was an advantage for his quick bowling but my impression was that he would develop into a batting allrounder,” he said. “I can’t understand why those in charge concentrated more on his bowling than his batting once he left St Michael.”

“Last year, after Holder was already in the West Indies team, I told the St Michael scorer that he would soon become West Indies captain. I wasn’t joking”Ezra Moseley

Holder advanced into the Barbados and then West Indies team via the customary route of age-group cricket. He was among the leading bowlers in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in which Kraigg Brathwaite, his team-mate at Wanderers club in Barbados since coming through the junior programme together, was the second-highest run-scorer.Since then, he has worn the West Indies maroon against seven of the top ten ODI teams; South Africa will be the eighth. Only Zimbabwe is missing. He has had a couple of IPL stints with the Chennai and Hyderabad franchises.In his 21 ODIs with the senior team, he has batted no higher than No. 8 (twice No. 11); scores of 38 and 52 at No. 7 against New Zealand at Kensington Oval in June in his only Test were compiled with technical competence and a calmness that supported Moseley’s point about his batting.I know Holder as a fellow member of Wanderers and fully agree with the comments of Lloyd and Moseley on his cricketing acumen and his leadership aptitude. His method is likely to be more persuasive than assertive, more Richie Richardson than Viv Richards.Like several others, I’m also apprehensive over the immense task immediately confronting him.”I would have thought they would have given him a chance to develop as a player before they thrust upon him the responsibility of captaincy of a West Indies team that is really struggling,” former West Indies wicketkeeper Mike Findlay, himself a former head selector, says. “They have pushed him into the firing line too early. It’s bound to affect the young man. I hope he is strong enough to cope.”Bryan Davis, the former West Indies and Trinidad and Tobago opener of the 1960s, questions the timing of the appointment.”The young captain doesn’t have time to get experience on the field of play and bond with his team,” he says. “If you were thinking about a transition to youth, that should have happened after the World Cup.”Moseley has no such reservations. “From what I know of Jason Holder, I think he’ll handle the challenge pretty well.”Holder himself is equally upbeat. “It’s just about moving West Indies cricket forward and I think most of the guys can buy into what I’m about to put forward and what I think is best for West Indies cricket.”For all that, he is level-headed enough to appreciate how tough the going could be.

Stats highlights from the Pool A game between England and New Zealand in Wellington

Bishen Jeswant20-Feb-20154:35

New Zealand top order on top of its game

18 Balls McCullum took to reach 50, the third fastest in ODIs, and the fastest in World Cups. The record for the fastest ODI fifty was made earlier this year, by AB de Villiers, when he reached 50 off 16 balls against West Indies.7 Wickets taken by Tim Southee, the most by a New Zealand bowler in ODIs. There have been three occasions of a New Zealand bowler taking six wickets, two of them belonging to Shane Bond.2 Number of times in World Cups that a bowler has returned better bowling figures than Southee. Glenn McGrath (7 for 15) and Andy Bichel (7 for 20) did this during the 2003 World Cup, against Namibia and England respectively. This is the ninth instance of a bowler taking seven wickets in an ODI.6.4 Overs in which New Zealand got to 100, the fastest by any team in ODIs since 2001. The record for the fastest team 50 is also held by New Zealand. They scored 50 off 3.3 overs against Bangladesh in 2007.308 Brendon McCullum’s strike rate during his 25-ball 77, the second-highest strike rate for a 50-plus innings in ODIs. The only other batsmen to make a 50-plus scores at a 300-plus strike rate are AB de Villiers and Shahid Afridi.123 Runs scored by England, their lowest score in World Cups after choosing to bat. This is their third-lowest score overall in World Cups. 12.2 Overs in which New Zealand achieved their target of 124, making it the second-fastest successful chase of a 100-plus target in ODIs. The quickest such chase was in 2003 when South Africa achieved their target of 109 against Bangladesh in 12 overs.226 Balls remaining in New Zealand’s innings when they achieved their target of 124. This equals England’s heaviest loss in terms of balls remaining.

Fearless, flamboyant and elegant. Two matches in, UAE may have already found their first batting superstar

Daniel Brettig25-Feb-2015Two matches into the World Cup and the UAE may have its first batting superstar. Shaiman Anwar has carted the bowlers of Zimbabwe and Ireland, showing a fearless array of strokes and an impish, unflinching atitude that will endear him to many.Upon completing a brazen hundred at the Gabba against the Irish, to follow up his 67 against Zimbabwe, Anwar even struck a pose of the kind spectators have become familiar with from the West Indian Chris Gayle, arms aloft and chest puffed out. Anwar may not have been doing this to emulate Gayle, merely showing the sort of unbridled enthusiasm for hitting and scoring that is the preserve of genuine talents.Anwar’s partner at the other end for most of his century was Amjad Javed, who contributed his own spritely 42 in a stand that thoroughly frustrated Ireland’s captain William Porterfield. Knowing his team-mate and the confidence that ebbs and flows through his game, Javed expects that the world will see and hear much more of Anwar before this tournament is out.”He is very dangerous. Once he starts scoring he will score big runs,” Javed said. “[Shaiman] is one of the best players we have in our team. On his day he can really score quick runs for us, we have seen it. I told him we have to play our natural games, doesn’t matter that we have lost six or seven wickets. “Once we started a counter attack on them, they were leaking the runs. We kept going, eight or 10 runs per over, and it helped us.”The most vivid example of Anwar’s effect on bowlers took place against Kevin O’Brien, who found himself drawn into a duel outside off stump that was won conclusively by the batsman. Anwar’s movement across the crease had O’Brien spearing the ball ever wider, resulting in a series of wides and boundaries that had the allrounder withdrawn from Ireland’s attack for the final over of the innings.Shaiman Anwar has carted the bowlers of Zimbabwe and Ireland showing a fearless array of strokes•AFPWhile Ireland’s wicketkeeper Gary Wilson said O’Brien had not “taken a backward step”, Javed spoke frankly of the exchange and his delight at seeing Anwar unsettle an opponent in such a manner. “Last 10 overs we scored 100 runs so definitely he [Kevin O’Brien] was pissed off,” Javed said. “He is bowling at you, you are moving across to the offside, and he is not a bowler who has that much pace. He is not 150-plus, he is just 120-130. Shaiman was set and he was just trying to take runs.”Though the UAE could not finish off Ireland due to a few missed chances, and some fine batting by Wilson and O’Brien, Anwar’s display will linger in the memory. It provided yet another example of how the game’s second tier is catching up, and why moves to limit their opportunities would seem most unfortunately timed.”If we are getting good games against the Test-playing nations and good exposure, then definitely the boys will learn from their mistakes,” Javed said. “In a big tournament like this, suddenly you are playing in front of TV, and you drop a catch then suddenly the morale goes down.”I think ICC should see the performance of Associates in this tournament and then decide whatever they want to do. They have to introduce more teams to the World Cup. They should increase the teams.”Increase the teams, and encourage the Anwars.

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2015Kings XI raced to 60 in seven overs but then lost Sehwag and Glenn Maxwell in the space of seven balls•BCCIDebuant J Suchith and the experienced Harbhajan Singh tied down the Kings XI batsmen in the middle overs•BCCIDavid Miller struck three boundaries during his 24 but fell to Lasith Malinga in the 16th over•BCCIMalinga then dismissed Rishi Dhawan to leave Kings XI at 150 for 5•BCCIGeorge Bailey struck an unbeaten 61 off 32 balls, bringing up his maiden IPL fifty in the process and helped Kings XI to 177 for 5•BCCISandeep Sharma struck on the second ball of Mumbai’s innings to remove Rohit Sharma for a duck•BCCIMitchell Johnson and the Kings XI pacers shackled the Mumbai batsmen and picked a further four wickets, leaving them at a paltry 46 for 5 after 12 overs•BCCIAxar Patel chipped in with two scalps to all but seal the game. Miller had little trouble holding on to a simple offering from Kieron Pollard at long-off•BCCIHarbhajan Singh added some late drama, smoking six sixes during a 24-ball 64 for Mumbai’s fastest IPL fifty. However, he was left with too much to do in too little time, as the visitors completed an 18-run victory•BCCI

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-2015The hosts continued to lose wickets and stumbled to 126 for 5 after Mushfiqur Rahim was undone by a Yasir Shah legspinner•AFPWahab Riaz then had Soumya Sarkar caught down the leg side for 1 in the first over after lunch•AFPMominul perished to Yasir the next over with Asad Shafiq taking a sharp running catch•AFPShuvagata Hom and Mohammad Shahid only delayed Pakistan’s charge with a last-wicket stand worth 44•AFP

Hashim Amla explains his evolution as an international cricketer, the challenges of leading a side, how he deals with doubt and answers whether he can actually get angry

Interview by Mohammad Isam29-Jul-20152:47

‘Test cricket is not for the faint hearted’ – Amla

Captaincy came to you a year ago and you have made a good start. How do you see your development?
I have been playing international cricket for almost 11-12 years. The first ten years have been under Graeme Smith. He is probably the best captain that I have played under. He was not the only captain that I played under. There were guys like Dale Benkenstein, who was captain in my domestic team [Dolphins] and a few other guys along the way. I think, from a personal point of view, it is only natural for me to learn from everybody with whom I was involved. Last year the captaincy came up, and I was fortunate to be captain of this team.

During the age-groups, for some reason, I found myself in the captaincy position. I think that type of upbringing almost forces captaincy never to leave

Captaincy itself is not something that you can finish, like you read a book and finish and you know everything. I am sure if you asked great captains of the world they will tell you that you will keep learning as your career progresses. It has only been one year, seven Test matches. For me it has also been a learning experience. I have inherited a very well-polished Test team that has been doing well. Last year we managed to put in some good performances, notably Sri Lanka which is a difficult place to play. But we did exceptionally well. I think we exceeded expectations especially after losing Smith and Jacques Kallis.On this tour you are seeing, for the first time, the real effects of having lost three big guys – Smith, Kallis and Alviro Peterson. Now when you look at our Test team you see a lot of new faces. Many people around the world will probably put the TV on and say Simon Harmer, who is that? Dean Elgar, he’s played a couple of games; Stiaan van Zyl, who’s that? Temba Bavuma, who’s that? It is a very, very new team and in Test cricket when you have new faces, it is actually a big change. It is not as big a change in one-day cricket and T20s.Since we had such a settled Test team over the last eight-nine years, we are now in a bit of a transition phase. The challenge for us is to try and maintain winning performances and nurture these guys so that when we leave, they can keep going.You have led in age-group cricket and for Natal at the age of 21. Did it come naturally to you?
During the age-groups, for some reason, I found myself in the captaincy position. I think that type of upbringing almost forces captaincy never to leave. Even when Graeme was captain, I found myself giving him ideas many times. It is just what happens: the mind never stops thinking on the field. Before taking the captaincy last year, I resisted it. I was vice-captain for the ODI team. Graeme’s retirement was a surprising one, most of us didn’t expect it. And something in me said why not? This may be a good time to explore this avenue of my career.It certainly makes the game very exciting; lot more to think about and few issues to deal with, which at this stage of my career [I can handle] having [had] the experience of a batsman for 10 years. If there’s any value I would like to add as a captain, I would like to add it.I certainly wouldn’t like to leave South Africa cricket with a feeling in my heart that I have not given all that I have to offer. And I don’t know what I have to offer. As the years progress probably, it will become clearer to me and the team and hopefully we have a successful tenure from now on until I finish.Hashim Amla said batting has an element of luck involved, and the only thing he can do is concentrate on preparing himself as best as he could to take advantage of it•AFPYou refused captaincy in the New Zealand series. What was the thinking behind that?
I was vice-captain. I just felt like I didn’t want anything to do with captaincy. There were moments when, I remember, AB [de Villiers] who was captain didn’t play because he was banned or he was injured. I felt at that stage that ‘No, I didn’t want to take captaincy.’ Then it was a real thing. If AB gets banned again, you want somebody to take over, who is willing to take over. At that stage I wasn’t willing to be the captain. Now things have changed.How much has your batting evolved since the start of you career?
International cricket is a tough environment. I was 21-years-old when I started playing international cricket. Even now, I can’t imagine what I was thinking back then. It was 11 years ago. There’s no doubt that the longer you play international cricket, and if you have an open mind and a good support structure, it makes the transition from domestic cricket easier. I felt at that stage that the most difficult adjustment was not the cricket. It was understanding how things worked outside the cricket and how you fit in to a different team environment.Once I started working that out, my cricket also started to improve. As a batsman you will always learn when you are at the highest level. Your cricket will naturally improve because you are playing with guys who are wonderful cricketers like Kallis and you are playing against great cricketers like Tendulkar, Dravid and Ponting. Naturally you will improve.Batting has evolved because it is just a natural thing that happens in international cricket.You are one of the best at No. 3 for South Africa, and in history too. You’ve converted a lot of your fifties into hundreds. How does that work?
[Laughs] Batting is about just trying to stay at the crease and scoring runs. It is really such a simple thing. To implement it is the difficult part. You need a lot of things to go your way in a sense, that opportunities will fall on your lap and they won’t fall on somebody else’s lap. Those sort of things don’t bother me too much.What I can have some element of influence on is how I train and the mental energy I put into my batting. That’s what I concentrate on. Everything proceeds from there. I am grateful I have managed to get some runs in international cricket.Certainly at the age of 16 when I played my first first-class game, I never imagined that I will play for South Africa for 11 years. So I just try and conduct myself and my cricket in such a way that it gives me the best chance to succeed.But from the outside it looks like when you cross 50, you are certain to score a 100. What is the secret?
It gets easier, as you get more comfortable. Certainly, the more you do something, it gets more comfortable. Most cricketers have breakthrough knocks or something that happens that turns a switch in their head. I had, maybe, two. I think the first was when I got back into the team after being dropped. So this was my fourth Test match and I managed to get a hundred against New Zealand in Cape Town. It managed to sustain me in international cricket for a couple of Tests.I went through a tougher time after that. I felt I was in the verge of getting dropped again. Then thankfully New Zealand were touring us again (laughs), and I managed to get another hundred. Two hundreds in succession and from that moment, it snowballed. You have to have a lot of belief that you can play at this level. And like I said, understanding how to deal with success and failure as well.

I felt at that stage that the most difficult adjustment was not the cricket. It was understanding how things worked outside the cricket and how you fit in to a different team environment. Once I started working that out, my cricket also started to improveHashim Amla on the lessons he learned early on in his career

You have so many records in ODIs, you are the only South African to score a triple-century and you have also been Wisden’s cricketer of the year. Which one gives you more pleasure?
Which ones give me most pleasure? I think those that are Test-related give me a lot more satisfaction. Growing up, playing Test cricket was the dream almost. A real ambition. So I think being involved with a winning Test team for the last 5-6 years, is extremely satisfying. We have had big tours to England and Australia in 2012 and 2008. Not many teams can say that they have done what the South African team has done. So up until now those team achievements, I would consider as the highlights.You have surpassed Sir Viv Richards in ODI milestones. How do you feel about that?
Sir Viv will always be, to anybody who has watched him even remotely, the master blaster. I don’t think anybody can come close to him. I am quite happy to forfeit all my records and he can just keep his name on the top because that is what he deserves. One-day cricket has been wonderful. I was very fortunate I have played one-day cricket after playing quite a few Test matches. It helps having that international experience. When you play one-day cricket, you are a lot more settled in a team and in your thinking. One-day cricket is really enjoyable.There was once when people had doubts over your ability to bat in ODIs. But did you think you could break so many records in ODIs?
One of the things I was talking about in understanding international cricket, is that people will always doubt you. In South Africa, there’s a good chance people will doubt you even more. So when it comes to people having doubts about my one-day potential, you will never know until you play. I think growing up you can understand that it is not about people. It is about you and the cricket ball and whether you can sideline various issues, other people’s opinions and apply yourself as best as possible to be successful. That’s what I have tried.Does Hashim Amla get angry?
[Laughs] Of course you get angry. You get disappointed, sad, upset. Anger is a harsh word. I think everybody gets at some stage.
I don’t get angry at players. There’s no need to get angry at them. You have 15 guys in the team who I have no doubt want this team to win and want themselves to do well more than anything else. I find it absurd to get angry at anyone who I know is giving their best. You will get disappointed at losing and not performing, but everybody is trying their best.You had your ODI debut against Bangladesh. How do you see their evolution?
Certainly Bangladesh has improved over the years that I have played against them. It shows in their results, especially at home. Their challenge will be, and I am sure they will acknowledge it, results away from home. But the fact that they are winning at home is a great improvement for them.They have players in the Bangladesh ODI team who have a lot more experience than myself and the guys in our own team. If you look at the matches played, there are way more. As was my first point, the more you play international cricket it is only natural to improve and that’s what is happening. Now you see some of the players are maturing and understanding the game. I guess that’s why you are seeing them winning at home.