India have never won a Test in Barbados, but will start confidently knowing that West Indian supremacy at the venue is a thing of the past

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan27-Jun-2011A proud record tarnished
Going by West Indies’ abysmal Test record in recent years, the fact that the Kensington Oval in Barbados was once an impregnable fortress for the home side would come as a shock to many. After a four-wicket loss in the second match at the venue in 1935, West Indies did not lose a single Test in Barbados for the next 59 years till the 208-run defeat against England in 1994. Between 1978 and 1993, in a period of extraordinary dominance, West Indies won 12 consecutive Tests at the venue. Following the defeat against England in 1994, West Indies lost the first Test of the series against Australia in 1995. This defeat was a precursor to their first home-series defeat in 22 years. Although they were no longer a force in Barbados, West Indies managed to squeeze out close wins against India and Australia in 1997 and 1999. While India, who were chasing only 120 in the third Test of the 1996-97 series, collapsed to be bowled out for 81, it was Brian Lara’s unbeaten 153 that helped West Indies achieve a one-wicket win against Australia in 1999.However, since the start of the 2000s, the record at the venue has been far from encouraging. West Indies have won only two Tests and lost six since 2000. While Australia, England and South Africa have asserted their superiority over West Indies in Barbados in recent times, India are yet to win a Test at the venue. In 2002, India went 1-0 up in the series after the win in Trinidad, only to lose the series 2-1 after defeats in Barbados and Jamaica. After a comfortable win in the first Test, a buoyant India will look at this as a perfect opportunity to erase a dismal record at a venue where they have lost seven out of eight Tests. West Indies, on the other hand, will look to draw inspiration from their record at the venue in the 1980s and 1990s, when they went on to win 14 out of 17 Tests.

West Indies’s record in Barbados over the years

PeriodMatchesWonLostDrawW/L ratio1930-1969113173.001970s7205-1980s7700-1990s107213.502000-2011112630.33All-round decline for West Indies
West Indies dominated visiting teams in Barbados Tests in both the batting and bowling departments for much of the 1970s and 1980s. While their batting average was very good in the 1970s, the bowling performance was still not very impessive. However, in the 1980s, the difference between the batting and bowling averages was nearly 18. In the same period, the figure was -26 for Australia and -21 for England. Only Pakistan, who had an excellent fast-bowling attack, came close to matching the performance of West Indies in the 1980s. In the next decade, the difference between West Indies and other teams was much more narrow. England and Australia, who won a Test each in Barbados during the 1990s, did much better than in previous years. India bowled superbly in their only game in 1997, but struggled with the bat against a quality West Indian attack. In Tests since 2000, Australia and England have been the outstanding batting sides among visiting teams while South Africa, who have a bowling average of just over 23, have been the best bowling side by far. The average difference of -7.88 for the West Indies is their lowest since the start of 1970.

Performance of teams in Barbados since 1970 (batting avg/bowling avg)

PeriodWest IndiesAustraliaEnglandIndiaPakistanSouth Africa1970s46.94/33.9032.87/40.7639.52/74.5028.20/58.4536.30/37.33-1980s41.05/23.2426.30/53.0018.35/39.3326.45/48.1830.05/31.88-1990s31.57/28.7327.26/29.4638.68/32.5620.00/21.9024.15/48.4024.65/27.252000-201129.64/37.4852.12/30.3759.90/36.7919.90/39.9028.51/36.6438.87/23.31Visiting teams dominate pace-bowling stats
Over the years, Barbados has proved to be a pace-friendly wicket. In Tests since 1970, fast bowlers have picked up 863 wickets at an average of 29.38 and strike rate of 57.9. Spinners have struggled to make inroads though; they average 43.16 at a strike rate of 94.1 in the same period. West Indian pace bowlers were at their dominant best in the 1980s contributing to 131 dismissals in seven Tests (average of 19 per match). Their bowling average (21.03) and strike rate (42.7) are well above those of the visiting teams in that decade. Although their performance fell away in the 1990s, only Australia had better numbers (min two matches played in Barbados in the decade). The stats since 2000 provide the perfect illustration of how poor West Indian pace attacks have become in recent years. Their average (35.55) and strike rate (68.2) are extremely poor, and have been surpassed by South Africa, Pakistan and England. A major deterrent to their success in the period has been the fact that the home fast bowlers have only managed to pick up under 11 wickets per game (119 in 11 Tests).

Pace bowlers in Barbados Tests since 1970 (Average, Strike rate) – min 100 overs bowled

PeriodWest IndiesAustraliaEnglandIndiaPakistanNew ZealandSouth Africa1970s27.71, 60.135.31, 74.4–30.58, 58.528.66, 59.4-1980s21.03, 42.744.44, 74.830.04, 52.545.33, 79.429.76, 51.2–1990s27.76, 58.325.78, 53.831.31, 55.221.33, 42.548.66, 68.849.30, 101.126.84, 48.32000-201135.55, 68.231.30, 68.433.86, 63.048.16, 100.034.88, 63.021.23, 43.321.30, 45.5Consistency issues for top-order batsmen
While the lack of bowling quality has been the biggest reason for West Indies’ struggles, inconsistent batting performances have also contributed significantly to their woes. For nearly 15 years from 1975-76, the prolific top-order of Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes and Viv Richards was responsible for setting up highly competitive scores which more often than not proved unassailable for most teams given the strength of the West Indian bowling. However, since their retirements in the early 1990s, the top-order performances have drastically declined. The contrast is most evident in the stats for the second wicket in Barbados Tests; in the 1980s, there were five century stands for the second wicket at an average over 90. In the 1990s, however, the second-wicket partnership averaged just 28 without a single century stand. In matches since 2000, the middle order (wickets 4-6) has done much better than the top order (wickets 1-3). While the top-order has featured in four century partnerships and nine half-century partnerships at an average of 29.28, the middle order averages 47.37 with nine century stands and nine half-century stands.

Partnership stats for West Indies in Barbados Tests since 1970 (Avg, 100/50)

Period1st wicket2nd wicket3rd wicket4th wicket5th wicket6th wicket1970s48.36, 2/279.70, 3/244.30, 1/143.80, 1/230.90, 0/184.77, 4/01980s46.90, 1/290.30, 5/332.11, 0/335.77, 0/353.88, 2/151.22, 2/21990s48.00, 2/528.00, 0/539.82, 2/154.35, 4/429.47, 1/134.00, 2/22000-201130.10, 1/327.15, 2/230.60, 1/456.95, 4/445.84, 3/338.84, 2/2

The warm and engaging life story of a man who accomplished the rare feat of playing cricket and football for England

Martin Williamson21-Aug-2011Arthur Milton occupies a place in sporting history that will never be usurped: he was the last of the 12 men who played cricket and football for England.Milton’s sporting career, which started in 1948 and lasted through to his retirement from Gloucestershire in 1974, began in an era when there was still a distinct divide between the summer and winter sporting seasons, and ended when playing both sports professionally was a dying concept. It was an indication of the importance of cricket in post-war England that Arsenal, one of the leading sides, happily allowed him to play for his county when the seasons did overlap.Milton’s one England football international came in 1951, after he had made only 12 league appearances for Arsenal (a largely forgettable draw at home to Austria), but he was good enough to win a championship medal in 1952-53.His record for England at cricket was slightly better; he scored a hundred in his first Test innings, against New Zealand in 1958, and in so doing became the first player to be on the field for every ball of a Test, and toured Australia that winter. But he failed to pass 50 in his remaining five matches, and by 1959 he had been dropped.Thereafter, he continued to ply his trade for his beloved Gloucestershire with great success. Although he officially retired in 1970, he kept being recalled until he quietly called time. He was an excellent close catcher – he equalled the world record for catches in one game – and an undemonstrative but very effective batsman. In retirement he coached for a time – but as he admitted, he did not believe in coaching.He was just short of being top-class in both his sports, and there is a sense that he was the kind of sportsman who was more comfortable in the familiar surroundings of his club or county rather than in the glare of the bigger stage.Oddly, he appears to have been at his happiest when he became a postman, serving the public and getting out and about in his beloved countryside. He also saw more of his family. Having missed seeing his boys grow up because of the relentless grind of the county circuit produced some rare bitterness.There is also an underlying sense that Milton, for all his sporting success, might have been happier in the world of academia. Clearly an intelligent man, he eschewed university for sport, and that seems to have been a matter of regret as he got older – not that such a delightful man would have ever let such a thing turn him resentful. He gained some solace when he was awarded an honorary degree by Bristol University late in his life.Mike Vockins has succeeded in getting a real flavour of Milton across in his book, even if he was hampered by the unfortunate death of his subject during the writing of it, and clearly he bonded with a genuinely decent man. Anyone expecting a warts-and-all book – not that they should, given the subject matter – will be disappointed, but Milton was not that kind of man.This is a warm and engaging look back on the life of the kind of sportsman who no longer exists, and in doing provides insights into a long-forgotten world.Arthur Milton: Last of the Double Internationals
Mike Vockins
Sportsbooks; £18.99

On the second day at Trent Bridge, Rahul Dravid and Stuart Broad shined. But what could be the decider in the series is the distinct difference in capabilities between India and England’s lower orders

Sambit Bal at Trent Bridge31-Jul-2011Perhaps the most incredible thing about this Test match is that it remains on an even keel even though India have won three-fourth of it. Any team that wins four out of six sessions in the first two days should expect to carry a natural advantage in to the third day, but so dramatically impactful have England been in the sessions they have owned that they remain another couple of good sessions away from gaining an unassailable lead in this series.Another monumental effort from Rahul Dravid, India’s greatest match-winning batsman, failed to win a decisive advantage for his team, as Stuart Broad, the most compelling performer of this series, intervened in the most spectacular manner possible. He has experienced the joy of a hat-trick before, but school cricket somewhat pales in comparison to the stage of Test cricket. That he turned the match England’s way in the space of seven balls, after Dravid had batted six hours to build India’s platform, was a tribute to Test cricket itself.It was the cruellest of twists for Dravid, who has been on the field for all but six hours and 20 minutes of the seven days during the series, and who had played one of the finest innings of his long and distinguished career. But Broad’s spell was the reaffirmation of the most fundamental truth about cricket: batsmen set the pace, but bowlers provide the decisive thrust.In the pre-series hype about the battle for the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings, few scriptwriters saw it boiling down to a shootout between the India and England’s tails. This Test is expected to keep turning, but one pattern has been incontrovertibly established: England have knocked the stuffing out of India in the matter of lower-order runs. In this Test, and consequently the series, that could end up being the difference.The numbers tell the story vividly and strikingly. England lifted themselves from 85 for 5 to 221 on the first day with the last two wickets adding 97 runs; India capitulated from 267 for 4 to 288 all out in a matter of six overs to provide a dramatic twist to this thoroughly riveting Test.The overall figures from the six completed innings in this series so far are even more astonishing. England’s last five wickets have amassed 547 runs so far as against India’s 220. And given that England declared twice at Lord’s, their lower order now has an average of 60.77 against India’s 14.67. As numerical evidence goes, nothing can be more damning.In their three innings so far, India have lost their last five wickets for 46, 36, and 15 runs. MS Dhoni has been outscored by a massive margin by Matt Prior and his dismissal on the second day at Trent Bridge was the outcome of a poor stroke; Harbhajan Singh, who has scored two hundreds and two half-centuries in his last ten Tests, has never looked like scoring a run here; only Ishant Sharma among the tail has looked inclined to get behind the line.Of course the conditions make a difference. Invariably, lower-order batsmen find it far more difficult to cope with unfamiliar challenges. Even top-order batsmen have struggled with the moving ball in both Tests, and it must be an advantage that Trent Bridge is Broad and Graeme Swann’s home ground. But Test matches are tougher to win when your batting line-up ends at No. 6.The series isn’t even halfway through yet, but plenty of comparisons have already been made with the 2005 Ashes. In that vein, it would be fair to put Broad’s performance in this series parallel to Andrew Flintoff’s six years ago. Broad does not quite have Flintoff’s presence or his menace, but apart from his first-ball duck in the first innings at Lord’s, he has always made things happen.For a man who cut a desolate figure against Sri Lanka only last month, the turnaround has been sensational. James Anderson has swung the ball more, and Chris Tremlett extracted more bounce than him, but Broad has provided the breakthroughs. That he was a fifty-fifty choice for the first XI before the series now seems staggering. With him batting at No. 9 and Swann at 10, England now have the deepest batting since South Africa had the luxury of Shaun Pollock at No. 9. It makes them a harder team to beat.Conversely, Dravid has run out of partners in both the Tests. His dismissal on Saturday, through a slice to third man, was uncharacteristic, but it was a stroke of desperation. For over six hours he had provided an exhibition of Test-match batting of the highest quality. For his innings to end with a wild flail was a travesty.Even though Broad conceded England were still behind in this game, the chase in the final innings will be tricky. The best possible way for India’s tail to avoid another embarrassment would be to ensure that there are not too many to chase in the first place.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the day from the second ODI between New Zealand and Zimbabwe, in Whangarei

Andrew Fernando06-Feb-2012The miss
In their first association of the day, Elton Chigumbura and Tatenda Taibu combined to cap off perhaps the worst all-round piece of cricket of the match. Having pushed to mid-on, Martin Guptill and Rob Nicol started, stuttered then started again, giving Chigumbura plenty of time to effect the run out. Despite a dismissal almost being guaranteed at Guptill’s end, the fielder threw to Nicol’s end. Zimbabwe should have still got the wicket, but Taibu fumbled a straightforward collection. Better fielding teams could have dismissed one batsman, and broken the stumps at the other end for good measure.The miss – II
Taibu and Chigumbura’s second bungled dismissal could have cut Jacob Oram’s devastating knock short. Hamilton Masakadza induced a top edge that flew high, and Taibu raced after it, calling for the catch as he did. Chigumbura hung back at mid-on after hearing the call, but Taibu, realising he could not get there in time, yelled for the fielder to take the catch. Too late. Chigumbura couldn’t lay a hand on the ball, despite having started metres from where it eventually fell.The plan
Rarely do promotions in batting work so well, not only in the context of the match, but as a confidence boost for the player being shunted up. Despite his batting prowess, Jacob Oram has been picked primarily as a bowler following a drastic decline in batting form over the years. His promotion yielded him a fifty at a strike-rate of over 200, and helped him reprise a few favoured shots from his early days, in what New Zealand will hope is a rediscovery of his batting talent. In 2003-04 Oram laid waste to the South African attack with a series of such stunning knocks. A week before they arrive in 2012, he seems hungry to do so again.The dolly
Having begun brightly, Zimbabwe’s fielding suffered a rapid decline in standards once the batsmen began to pepper the ropes. Perhaps the most woeful of their fielding misadventures was when Kyle Jarvis dropped a sitter off Brendon McCullum in the 37th over. McCullum mistimed a cut, and the ball looped to Jarvis, who only had to put his hands in front of his face to collect the ball. He dropped it cold, and an unimpressed Brendan Taylor repositioned him elsewhere for the rest of the innings.The belated boundary
After New Zealand’s 372 for 6 featured 45 boundary hits, Zimbabwe were expected to come out playing their shots. It was not to be. After three early losses, the batsmen began to treat the lifeless Cobham Oval pitch with respect, and shelved all their shots. With the batsmen dropping like Lady Gaga singles early on, one might have wondered if Zimbabwe would hit a boundary at all. But Malcolm Waller finally did the honours in the sixteenth over, slamming Andrew Ellis past point for four.The redemption
After having combined to ruin two simple wicket-taking opportunities, Taibu and Chigumbura found a dollop of respectability with the bat, as Zimbabwe’s top scorers. With five wickets down, and the target still miles away, the visitors were in danger of slumping to their worst one-day defeat ever. But Taibu and Chigumbura added 80 for the sixth wicket and provided some substance to the reply, ineffective though it was.

Man-love was blooming at the Basin

Trish Plunket26-Feb-2012Choice of game
Much like the climbers of Everest, I went along because it was there. Although after New Zealand’s dismal effort in the last Twenty20, I was quite tempted to stay home. But my need to see live cricket won out and I headed along to the stadium. And hey, winter is coming.Team supported
The often awful, always inconsistent, occasionally amazing Black Caps.Key performer
AB de Villiers. He managed to do what all the New Zealand players had not, and carry on to make a big score. Although one of my companions thought he was boring and really needed to get out, he quietly made a run-a-ball century and took South Africa home. And there were a couple of lovely sixes in that.One thing I’d have changed
I would have kept Brendon McCullum in. He was going well, thanks to the review system, until his nine lives ran out. I would have loved to see him go on to make a big score, as he’s well overdue.Face-off I relished
Tim Southee versus the World. He’s been growling and snarling at the South Africans, and while it hasn’t really improved his bowling much – he was rather wayward again – it was fun to watch him get in the faces of everyone he bowled to, as well as occasionally glaring at the fans who constantly yelled for him to give them a wave. However, we may have found the reason for his aggression – hunger. When a fan tossed a doughnut to him at third man, he picked it up off the turf and took a bite. Clearly the Black Caps support staff need to be feeding him more regularly.Wow moment
Nathan McCullum’s lovely six just prior to getting out. While we all thought it went much further than it did, it was a bright shot in what had been a rather dull innings.Player watch
We had seats right next to the dug-outs, which meant we were able to observe the players closely – we spied Ross Taylor looking almost recovered, Andy McKay looking after the drinks with a towel round his neck, and Tom Latham, who looks as though he should be off lobbing a ring into a volcano.Shot of the day
Faf du Plessis strolled down the wicket to Doug Bracewell and slogged him over midwicket for six. It was a brutal shot and marked the South Africans finally putting NZ out of our misery.Man-love meter
I note that it is no longer just the preserve of batsmen to offer a little congrats on good play. The NZ fielders have this thing of slapping hands, bumping fists or patting backsides after particularly sharp fielding efforts. I approve, a little more love never goes amiss.Crowd meter
The crowd was small but boisterous, with several stag parties, a bunch of kids cricket teams, and the Beige Brigade.Entertainment
The DJ at the stadium deserves a high-five. Although his abilities in finding rain-related songs were not needed today, playing Creed’s “With arms wide open” to celebrate one of Morne Morkel’s wides was brilliant.Fancy-dress index
While most of the stag parties had an unfortunate groom in drag, one had him all kitted out as a large, er, phallus. I don’t want to know where they bought the costume from.Look India, how happy they all are•Getty ImagesLost in translation
Sitting just down from me was an American bloke, who was extremely loud and charmingly obnoxious. Discovering that Andy Ellis wore his “football number” he began to chivvy and encourage Ellis in a booming voice. “Dig it in, three-three, dig it in!” “Good play three-three, didn’t come off but you’ll get it next time!” “Don’t slack off the play, Ellis man, you’re important!”I’m pretty sure the only other person to have ever been that encouraging to Andy is his mother. When the American fan began a freestyle rap on Ellis’ choice of water over Gatorade, I laughed so hard I cried. It was beautiful.Overall
It wasn’t really much of a game. It progressed along to the Black Caps’ demise in a sedate fashion, which would have been terribly boring if they weren’t an entertaining lot in themselves, especially in the field. With the low total South Africa didn’t need to go after it hammer and tongs, so we were starved of action in the chase too.Marks out of 10
8. That two off was because we lost, and we played pretty ordinary cricket doing it. But that American chap absolutely made my day. If you’re reading this, four for you my friend. Four for you.

He’s not naming any names, but all will be revealed soon, says Morne Morkel

Interview by Sharda Ugra28-May-2012Which dressing room is cleaner – Delhi Daredevils or South Africa? What would you like to borrow from any of them?
Oh, most certainly the South African dressing room. It is one of our policies to keep everything clean and tidy. What happens off the field you take onto the field as well. But actually everything is quite similar. We’re winning far ahead with the Proteas too. In South Africa we share so much time together and here we come together for a few weeks. At the end of the day we’re all there to play cricket and to win.If I had to take something, maybe it would be the food. I really enjoy the food they dish up at the grounds here – on the odd day, to have a bread and a curry would be nice.What’s your shoe size?
I’m a UK 12.Everyone wants to know if you have rescued cats from trees, using your height.
I have rescued a bird that was stuck once, but not a cat, no. There was something wrapped around the bird’s leg, and there were no ladders or anything. I was close and I had this big clipper thing, so I could climb into the tree and rescue the bird, luckily.Do you ever get angry? And shout?
I do get angry but I try not to show it to my team-mates, because that negative sort of thing can affect your team-mates. I go by the thing in the South Africa dressing room. WIN – when you write it down, it’s What’s Important Now. For me, it’s important to focus on those things and important for my team-mates not to pick up negative vibes inside of me. Batsmen nowadays are so good at picking up the language of a bowler, and they start to think they are on top. So for me, I like to just keep it calm and relaxed.Can you sense it when a batsman is panicking?
Oh yes, it’s like an instinct you get. You can definitely pick up a batsman’s body language from their eyes and their feet when you are running in. You notice it immediately.You got Dale Steyn’s wicket at the IPL and were actually embarrassed. What was that all about?
It’s the first time I’ve played competitive cricket against Dale. We go back a long way, and we are good mates as well, on and off the field. It was not the best ball I had bowled, and I was just surprised he hit it straight to Viru. It was nice to play against Dale. He didn’t say anything to me – we are mates, so we keep it clean. Between the two of us he has the shorter temper. He’s an assassin – Dale’s a very angry man at times.So when you guys get to England in the summer are you going to be in their ear about how many South Africans they have playing for them?
I don’t think it’s necessary to tell them things that they know. For all cricketers it’s going to be a new series. The main thing is to focus on the task ahead. The last thing you want to do is to get caught up in things like that. Always there will be heated moments and the team that is going to handle those moments best and with the most maturity is going to come out on top. We focus on our processes and not on the result, so we don’t need distractions like that.

“I don’t mind TV ads – it’s obviously something different. We don’t understand the work behind the scenes – why do you need so many retakes; if you get one shot just be happy with that! But I don’t mind, it’s good for me, so I do it”

Which of the Aussies are you friendly with?
From the current team, I’m close friends with Shaun Tait. We played for the Rajasthan Royals together in the first year. I enjoy guys like Michael Clarke – he’s a great leader for them and a quality player.How’s AB de Villiers’ music career going?
Since he released his first CD, AB’s under a lot of pressure to perform and sing at venues. He’s also the guy who wrote the team song for the Proteas. We try to keep that discreet – but AB’s the man with the voice, and things are going well for him.Do you sing? What’s the best song in your repertoire?
I wouldn’t say I’m great, but I enjoy singing in a team environment. There’s not actually one song, there’s so many; can’t name any one…Who would you say is your first bunny in international cricket then?
I’m playing against him soon, so I can’t reveal his name. I don’t want to get it out, but hopefully it can be seen soon and the guys can pick it up and let me know.And your best sledge?
I don’t really sledge a lot, but Albie and I sledged quite a bit. I’m trying to think of a clean one. Normally when Albie and I sledge, we do it properly.How much weight can you bench-press?
As a fast bowler, I don’t try to bulk up, so I focus on different things. But I think I’d get about 80-90kgs.What are Sehwag’s captain’s speeches like with the Daredevils?
He’s a man of few words, but it’s good, though. What’s nice, I think, is that he is relaxed when he goes about things. He is an experienced player and all his team-mates have a great respect for Viru. There’s a calmness that he brings to the dressing room which is unbelievable.Do you like doing all the TV ads? What have you done so far?
I have done a couple in India, but I don’t know if they featured. There was one for a hair gel, and I’ve done a couple of ads for KFC back home. They are our main sponsors. We do get some KFC vouchers because of that, which is nice – there’s a KFC near our house. But with KFC you need to put in a few extra hard yards.I don’t mind TV ads – it’s obviously something different. We don’t understand the work behind the scenes – why do you need so many retakes; if you get one shot just be happy with that! But I don’t mind, it’s good for me, so I do it. Often with voiceovers or if I need to read stuff out on strips, I struggle a bit, but other than that, I’m good.

New Zealand did away with their selection panel last year. Instead they have a selection manager who reads pie charts before drawing up a squad list

Firdose Moonda02-Apr-2012The Oakland Athletics baseball team did not have the most talented players in the US major leagues, nor the most money. What they did have was a strategy for “the art of winning an unfair game”. Unfair because other teams had the cash to buy up the most talented players, which Oakland did not. Oakland, though, had an edge in detailed statistical analysis, which allowed them to make best use of the resources available to them and, in the end, to punch far above their weight. New Zealand Cricket is aiming for something similar.The country has a population of just over four million, whose overriding sport of choice is rugby. Cricket is small in New Zealand, with a correspondingly small pool of players to choose from. In terms of cricket numbers, though, they are no worse off than some of the game’s powerhouses. Across the six provincial teams, with a group of Under-19s, New Zealand have about the same number of domestic players in their system as South Africa and Australia do, around 140.However, in real terms there is a marked difference. New Zealand’s smaller population means that the chances of less talented individuals making it into those 140 are greater. It results in a less competitive cricket environment, the effects of which are felt in the national team. Still, New Zealand compete, fiercely if not always triumphantly, with every other team at the elite level of international cricket. The problem facing John Buchanan when he was appointed director of cricket in New Zealand last May was how to turn that spunk into success. He started by revamping the selection process.It’s a theory somewhat similar to the one applied with Oakland in , and zones in on optimal use of the available supply of cricketers to ensure the national team is best stocked. “We are working towards getting the sort of skills that we need to play with in all formats,” Buchanan told ESPNcricinfo. “The selection system needed an overhaul and needed to produce something that everybody had confidence in, and we are moving in that direction.”It’s a clean-cut and clinical look at cricket, an idea that was born out of Buchanan’s eight-year tenure as Australian coach. “I always felt there were way too many people in and around the team environment, whether it is selectors, coaches, captains or team managers,” he said. “You hear them talk about a person and then they leave the room and say something completely different about that same person. There were too many confusing messages, particularly when you are dealing with selection issues.”Buchanan explained that selectors’ jobs are not only about managing players who already represent the national team, but also about dealing with those who are pushing for places. For that reason, he believes the system that selectors use should be as unbiased as possible, so every candidate who is deserving of a chance gets one. “Selection is not only about those who are in, it’s about those who are not in,” he said. “It’s important to try to streamline the whole system.”Buchanan’s approach is based on objectivity. The blueprint he has put in place relies heavily on statistical data to make selection as impartial as possible. New Zealand’s newspaper was leaked a copy of the selection policy in practice. Each player has a pie-chart drawn up for him, which is divided into slices of different sizes that stand for different aspects of his game, in order to create a total score. “The most important selection criteria is now significant performance at 35%, followed by consistent performance at 25%, contribution to the team, 15%, fitness, 10%, fielding, 10%, and least valuable, at 5%, is selectors’ intuition,” Jonathan Millmow, sports editor of the wrote.The pie-chart attempts to reflect how well and how often players put in notable performances. “Significant performances” are classified as centuries and five-wicket hauls, but they are worth less if scored against a part-time attack or if obtained when blowing away a tail. “Consistent performances” are judged on batting averages and on bowling economy and strike rates. If these numbers are maintained or improved in a season, a player is regarded as consistent. There is also a rating for the role the performances have in team success, with contributions that are key to victories rating higher than those that come in losing causes.Buchanan said the numbers in Millmow’s report were not entirely correct but the principles were. “There’s a range of things that go into making [the pie-chart] up. It makes selection far less subjective. Although there will always be subjectivity, hopefully it makes it more objective.”Kim Littlejohn, New Zealand’s selection manager, collects all the data from the provincial coaches, analyses it and presents it to John Wright, the national coach. Together they pick a squad and it is up to Wright to choose the XI who will play on any given day.

Buchanan’s approach is based on objectivity. The blueprint he has put in place relies heavily on statistical data to make selection a process that is as impartial as possible

Essentially it means if a player has performed well in the domestic season, irrespective of age or personality, such as Mark Gillespie, his chances of playing in the national side are almost guaranteed. It also means if someone has missed out, Littlejohn will be able to tell him exactly which area he needs to work on to increase his chances of being picked. It takes away the uncertainty of not knowing why someone was overlooked, which Buchanan thinks will improve relations between players and administrators hugely. “All the players are looking for is consistency and specific feedback. They need to believe somebody is watching and seeing what they are doing,” he said. “We are utilising a tool that is relatively objective and therefore consistent.”New Zealand do not have a selection panel, unlike other countries, because Littlejohn runs the department himself. Buchanan said they would gradually look at appointing a group of scouts who will assist Littlejohn in putting the information together, but for the moment all the work sits on his plate.”It is about placing a lot of responsibility on the provincial coaches to provide very good information on not just their players but other players that they see. The coaches are much closer to individual players than anybody else, so we are trying to utilise their information along with statistical information,” Buchanan said.After its first season the system is still a work in progress, Buchanan said, but he is pleased it is being applied at all levels, from the national team and women’s team to age-group levels. One of the glaring weaknesses it has highlighted is the need for greater depth in all aspects of the game, particularly batting, because not enough players are scoring as highly on the consistency index, so replacements for the current internationals are not easily available. “I wouldn’t say that if we lose two or three players we can immediately replace them,” Buchanan said, “but we are beginning to develop and increase that depth,”Kane Williamson was the team’s only centurion in the recently completed Test series against South Africa; the rest of the top five struggled. On the bowling side, when Tim Southee was dropped, New Zealand called up Gillespie and Brent Arnel. Only Gillespie was successful, leaving them with the same problem they had when Southee played, in that one of their four seamers was the weak link.Even without the pie-chart to assist them, New Zealand should have been able to isolate the shallow playing pool as their biggest concern. It is how he addresses that problem that will be a measure of Buchanan’s tenure. He insists it will take some time before he can be judged on results, especially after this summer ended with losses in all three series against South Africa. “It depends how you measure success. If you measure it by results in the field, you couldn’t regard it as a success,” Buchanan said, although he was able to take some positives as well. “If we look at systems and processes, then we are going along nicely.”

Analysis of individual batting and bowling performances so far in IPL 2012

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan16-Apr-2012Ajinkya Rahane, the leading run-getter in IPL 2012, has taken both the first and third positions on the list of top IPL batting performances this season. Following an extension of the recent ESPNcricinfo analysis of IPL performances to include the matches played this season, Rahane’s 103 off 60 balls in Bangalore finished comfortably on top. Rahane’s teammate Owais Shah finished second for his 60 off 26 balls in the same game. A stand-out performance in the top ten is Rohit Sharma’s 73 against Deccan Chargers – a knock during which he hit a last-ball six to win the game for Mumbai Indians. It is one of only three innings in chases to figure in the list of top-ten batting performances.On the bowling front, spinners grabbed the first two spots. While Ravindra Jadeja came out on top for his 5 for 16 against Chargers, the talented Sunil Narine finished second for his spell of 5 for 19 against Kings XI Punjab. Two other notable bowling performances include Dale Steyn’s outstanding 3 for 12 against Mumbai Indians and Muttiah Muralitharan’s 3 for 21 in a high-scoring game in which Chennai Super Kings successfully chased down a huge target of 206.Top ten batting performances in IPL 20121.
Rahane had missed out on a century earlier in the tournament falling for 98 against Kings XI. But this time, on an excellent pitch, he scored his century off 58 balls. His strike rate of 171.66 was far superior to the combined strike rate of the other batsmen in the game (122.34).
2.
Shah came in at 62 for 1 and along with Rahane, added 121 runs for the second wicket in just 50 balls. Shah scored his 60 off 26 balls at a strike rate of 230.76. In comparison, the rest of the batsmen scored at a strike rate of only 124.44.
3.
Rahane, in his first game of IPL 2012, scored 98 off just 66 balls at a strike rate of 148.48. The knock enabled Royals to register a comfortable 31-run win. In contrast to Rahane, the other batsmen managed a combined strike rate of 131.03.
4.
Bravo came in at No.7 with the score at 120 in 14.5 overs. He scored 43 off just 18 balls with five sixes and helped Super Kings add 73 runs off the last 31 balls. His strike rate of 238.88 is nearly twice the strike rate of the rest of the batsmen in the game (123.90).
5.
In a fairly low-scoring game (run-rate of 7.20), Gambhir’s 64 off 39 balls (strike rate of 164.10) proved to be the difference and set up a 42-run win for Kolkata Knight Riders. In sharp contrast, the combined strike rate of the remaining batsmen in the game was just 103.48.
6.
Rohit’s superb knock of 73 off just 50 balls (strike rate 146.00) helped Mumbai Indians snatch a last-ball win against Chargers. The rest of the batsmen managed a combined strike rate of 104.21.
7.
Pollard, coming in at No.5, blasted 64 off 33 balls (strike rate 193.93) scoring 48 runs in boundaries and helped Mumbai Indians add 96 runs for the fourth wicket in just 52 balls. The other batsmen also did quite well in a high-scoring encounter (combined strike rate of 142.92) which Mumbai Indians won by 27 runs.
8.
Faced with a huge target of 198, Royals were struggling at 7 for 2 when Shah came in to bat. He scored 76 off just 42 balls with fifty runs in boundaries but his dismissal ended Royals’ chances. Although Shah had a high strike rate (180.95), the strike rate of the other batsmen in the game was quite high too (143.36).
9.
After dismissing Super Kings for 112, Mumbai Indians chased the target comfortably with the help of Levi’s half-century. Levi scored at a strike rate of 142.85 in a low-scoring game where the rest of the batsmen managed to score at a strike rate of just 85.94.
10.
De Villiers’ knock helped Royal Challengers recover from early setbacks and post a competitive total. His strike rate of 152.38 during his 42-ball innings was well above the corresponding figure for the rest of the batsmen (111.11).

Top ten innings in IPL 2012

BatsmanTeamOppositionRunsPointsAjinkya RahaneRajasthan RoyalsRoyal Challengers Bangalore10354.25Owais ShahRajasthan RoyalsRoyal Challengers Bangalore6049.83Ajinkya RahaneRajasthan RoyalsKings XI Punjab9847.72Dwayne BravoChennai Super KingsDeccan Chargers4345.35Gautam GambhirKolkata Knight RidersRoyal Challengers Bangalore6445.13Rohit SharmaMumbai IndiansDeccan Chargers7344.85Kieron PollardMumbai IndiansRajasthan Royals6442.65Owais ShahRajasthan RoyalsMumbai Indians7642.49Richard LeviMumbai IndiansChennai Super Kings5042.09AB de VilliersRoyal Challengers BangaloreDelhi Daredevils6440.70Top ten bowling performances in IPL 20121.
Jadeja’s performance helped Super Kings comfortably defend 193. His haul of five wickets included three batsmen in the top seven and his economy rate of 4.00 was also outstanding in a game where the overall run-rate was 8.39.
2.
Narine, playing in his first IPL, ended with superb figures of 5 for 19 off his four overs as Knight Riders managed to restrict Kings XI to 134. His economy rate of 4.75 was impressive although the match was a low-scoring one (run-rate 6.65). However, his effort went in vain as Kings XI won a close game by two runs.
3.
Steyn produced an excellent display of fast bowling dismissing the openers and returning later to remove Dinesh Karthik. However, Mumbai Indians, led by Rohit’s 73 won off the last ball. Steyn’s economy rate of 3.00 was exceptional in a game where the run-rate was 7.00.
4.
Mascarenhas’ spell of 5 for 25 helped Kings XI restrict Pune Warriors to just 115 and secure a seven-wicket win. Four of his five wickets were top-seven batsmen. His economy rate (6.25) was almost on par with the match run-rate of 6.30.
5.
L Balaji’s spell of 4 for 18 proved crucial for Knight Riders as they successfully defended a total of 165. Not only were all four of Balaji’s wickets those of top-seven batsmen, his economy rate of 4.50 was also excellent in the context of a game where the run-rate was 7.20.
6.
Munaf produced an excellent performance to restrict Chargers to just 138. All four of Munaf’s wickets were those of top-order (1-5) batsmen. His economy rate of 5.00 was also impressive in a game where the run-rate was 7.00.
7.
Malinga, the best bowler across the four seasons (2008-2011) according to ESPNcricinfo’s analysis of bowling performances, returned at a critical juncture and dismissed the top scorer Shah and Johan Botha to end Royals’ resistance. His economy rate of 3.25 stood out in a high-scoring game where the overall run-rate was 9.25.
8.
After Pankaj Singh dismissed the openers, Trivedi ran through the middle order picking up the next four wickets to fall. Although his economy rate was 6.25, it was still much better in the context of the game where the run-rate was 8.31.
9.
In a game where both teams posted 200-plus scores, Muralitharan’s economy rate of 5.25 was an excellent achievement. His performance also stood out because of the fact that he dismissed the top-three batsmen.
10.
Cooper’s four-wicket haul helped Royals successfully defend their total of 191. Three of Cooper’s wickets were among the top five batsmen. His economy rate of 6.50 was also an achievement in a game where the overall run-rate was 8.77.

Top ten bowling performances in IPL 2012

BowlerTeamOppositionSpellPointsRavindra JadejaChennai Super KingsDeccan Chargers5/1659.08Sunil NarineKolkata Knight RidersKings XI Punjab5/1951.40Dale SteynDeccan ChargersMumbai Indians3/1249.66Dimitri MascarenhasKings XI PunjabPune Warriors5/2549.33L BalajiKolkata Knight RidersRoyal Challengers Bangalore4/1849.10Munaf PatelMumbai IndiansDeccan Chargers4/2048.40Lasith MalingaMumbai IndiansRajasthan Royals2/1347.06Siddharth TrivediRajasthan RoyalsRoyal Challengers Bangalore4/2546.87Muttiah MuralitharanRoyal Challengers BangaloreChennai Super Kings3/2146.38Kevon CooperRajasthan RoyalsKings XI Punjab4/2645.60

Australia’s openers have done a good job in shielding the middle order but now they need to covert useful partnerships into more substantial figures

Daniel Brettig at Queen's Park Oval15-Apr-2012Upon being chosen together to open the batting for Australia, David Warner and Ed Cowan were quickly dubbed, via the hackneyed parlance of the deadline journalist, the odd couple. Five Tests and one innings in, and the truth is Warner and Cowan have indeed made a quite odd start to their international union. There has been one mighty and match-winning stand, against India in Perth, a small fleet of handy starts, and a couple of all too brief ones.So far, their collective return as a partnership has been satisfactory, buttressing the innings against early losses more often than not, and keeping the strokemakers Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey away from the potential swerve, seam and bounce of the new ball. However the problem mounting over the course of nine innings is the fact that the loss of one opener has invariably been followed by the exit of the other.In Port-of-Spain, on a pitch that proved worthy of the mistrust built up among the visitors in the two days leading up to the second Test, Warner and Cowan added 53 before the former was confounded by Shane Shillingford’s first over of sharp spin and snicked an unsure drive to slip. Warner’s innings was less than fluent, punctuated by plenty of plays and misses and a few edges, while he evaded dismissal in the first over of the match due to an appeal for a catch withdrawn so quickly that the umpires were unable to consult TV replays that suggested he was lbw.Cowan, by contrast, looked sure-footed and firm in his judgement of what to play and what to leave. Twice he arrowed pull shots through square leg, and after Warner’s demise pinged one princely cover drive through the field. Yet he was not to make it to lunch, beaten for pace and line by the decidedly slippery Kemar Roach and given lbw. As befits a man who takes pride in knowing where his off stump is, Cowan queried whether or not he had been struck outside the line. But as in Sydney against Zaheer Khan at the beginning of the year, replays showed the call to be marginal, enough to uphold the umpire Marais Erasmus’ original verdict.A score of 65 for 2 was no disgrace on a surface as capricious as this one. Nevertheless, Australia’s advance as an international side requires opening batsmen capable of more than handy starts, and both Warner and Cowan have matters they need to address in order to be more consistently capable of doing so. Personal chemistry is not one of them – they have developed a decent rapport together. Cowan responds to Warner’s mix of brashness and humour off the field and a keen desire to succeed on it, while Warner has drawn strength from Cowan’s life experience, technical acumen and awareness of the wider world.Instead, Warner and Cowan have to look within themselves for answers to their problems. In Warner’s case it is a weakness against decent spin bowling; in Cowan’s, an inability thus far to clear his mind long enough to play the long innings he has shown himself capable of in first-class cricket. The answers to their questions may, in fact, be found in looking a little more at the ways of each other.First, to Warner. Since beginning in Test matches against New Zealand in Brisbane last year, he has demonstrated a sound method against the new ball, interspersed with natural episodes of aggression that result either in boundaries, edges or a collective “oooh” from the opposition slips cordon. Most of the time, Warner’s approach has been successful, harrying the bowlers into error while not giving them the impression that he may get out any ball. It reached its zenith in January at the WACA ground, where his sprint to a century with a star-burst of sixes would not have been possible without a handful of wonderfully crisp drives against Zaheer Khan with the new ball.However the fading of the shine and the introduction of spin has commonly created problems for Warner, bound as he seems to avoid the more outlandish tactics he resorts to against slow bowling in Twenty20 matches. Opening the batting in T20s, Warner wrong-foots spin bowlers by switch-punching with tremendous power and timing. He has previously stated that he would be unlikely to do so in Tests. As it is, his batting against spin lacks conviction, and it did not take long for Shillingford to find a way past him in Trinidad – five balls in fact.Warner could do worse than speak with Cowan about how he combated his own weakness against slow bowling while playing for New South Wales. Early on in his career, Cowan was left shotless and often hopeless against the off breaks of the onetime Australia Test spinner Dan Cullen, before finding a method that relied on close watching of the ball and the use of the sweep to break up a slow man’s line and length. So accomplished at the switch-hit, Warner may find himself a quite natural exponent of the more orthodox swipe to midwicket.Cowan, meanwhile, has added plenty to the Australian dressing room with his good humour and evenness of temper. As his state captain George Bailey has observed, Cowan thinks deeply about the game but does not allow that introspection to darken his mood around team-mates. That said, it is possible that the cerebral is impeding the instinctive when he bats. Cowan ascended to Australia’s Test XI after a run of first-class centuries that demonstrated an uncluttered mind and a sensible approach. Yet his appearances for Australia so far have not allowed him to quite reach that zone.Warner is a man of simpler pleasures, but had forged the right Test match approach with long hours in the nets, and the advice of luminaries including Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Virender Sehwag. Organised as he is, Cowan may need to go on a similar search between now and Australia’s next Test assignment against South Africa. As contrasting batsmen and characters, Warner and Cowan are ideally suited to Australia’s needs, but they must find a way to go from handy contributors to hefty ones.

Tim Paine looked destined to be Australia’s future wicketkeeper, but now he is just grateful to be playing any cricket after a serious finger injury which put his career in doubt

Paul Edwards at Edgbaston17-Aug-2012
ScorecardTim Paine has gained confidence during the Australia A tour of England•Getty ImagesTim Paine’s finger is swollen, and studded with the marks of five operations. Maybe it always will be.Since Paine, the Tasmanian wicketkeeper-batsman, broke his right index finger in the Australian Cricketers’ Association “All-Stars” T20 game on November 21 2010, he has had a plate inserted, the finger break again and the plates come loose. There have been five operations, and for the last two of them bone was taken, first from Paine’s wrist, then from his hip, in order to help the finger knit together.”There’s a plate and eight pins in there holding my finger,” said Paine, who played four Tests for Australia in 2010. “I still get pain but it’s nothing like it used to be. It was always in the way. It hurt when I was putting on a jumper or when I was grabbing a toothbrush or a pen without thinking. I’ve had plenty of issues with the finger.”All of which leads one to think that the abandonment of the last day of Australia A’s unofficial Test against the England Lions at Edgbaston does not come as too much of a disappointment to Paine, especially coming at the end of a four-match tour in which he has, at last, proved his fitness in a raft of ways including a fluent 59 off 78 balls.For since Dirk Nannes broke Paine’s finger in what some might regard as a “Mickey Mouse” event, the 27-year-old has played just seven List A games, two T20s and half a dozen first-class matches, four of them on the trip which ended in Birmingham this week. He has, to all intents and purposes, missed two full seasons of domestic cricket in Australia. Now he reckons he is back.”For me the whole idea was to come over here and play,” said Paine. “I’ve had no pressure on me from selectors or coaches. It was just about getting back into playing competitive cricket. I’ve started my innings pretty well and the last innings here was a huge boost to the confidence.”I’ve also got my wicketkeeping back to where it was in a pretty quick period. I got what I wanted from the trip and I can go home with some confidence that I’m back to my best for the start of the Australian summer. I’ve gained a lot of confidence from the trip and I’m going back in a completely different headspace to the one I was in when I came over here. I had a few doubts because missing two years’ cricket is a lot of time.”If there was a moment in which Paine proved both his mental and physical fitness, it came barely half an hour into the first day of the Lions match at Old Trafford. Mitchell Johnson, bowling fast and aggressively, speared a delivery into Joe Root’s body which he could only glove down the leg side. Paine dived across and pouched the ball.”To be taking catches like that where I just see the ball and throw my hand at it is a sign that I’m over any sort of scarring.” said Paine. “Things are happening without my thinking about them. I’ve just spoken with the coaches and we feel that my keeping’s back to where it was before I had the injury.”All the same, Paine still needs a guard, which is taped below the second knuckle of the index finger, and his gloves are specially reinforced. This is necessary to protect the new bone and it will have to be in place for a year or so. Then he hopes to remove either the guard or the padding in the gauntlet. Whatever is required Paine has made major progress in dealing with the psychological impact of a major injury.”There was mental scarring before I came here or attended the Australian Centre of Excellence,” said Paine. “I had some bad memories of playing with it or wanting to catch a ball that was coming at 150kph and not being able to do it.”These last six or seven weeks have been really good in getting that out of my mind. My keeping’s gone well and batting-wise I’ve probably got to the stage when I was just playing cricket for the first time in a long time. Even when I get hit it now, it hurts for a couple of seconds whereas before it would hurt for five or six overs.”And yet the most impressive thing about Paine’s long journey back to sporting fitness is that he is now able to put the game of cricket in its proper perspective as merely a glorious expression of humanity’s competitive spirit.”In a good way cricket’s become less important to me,” said Paine. “I love playing and I would love to come back to England and win an Ashes Test, but if I don’t, I won’t be too fussed as long as I’ve given myself the best chance of doing so. I’ve learned to take cricket a little less seriously.”So it’s interesting when people say you must be really struggling because you’ve had two years’ out with injury. I had a broken finger and in the whole scheme of things it’s not that big a deal. I’ve a long time left in the game and everything else in my body makes me feel like I’m 21.”I can sit around and feel sorry for myself, but ultimately, I had a broken finger, not a broken back.”