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.

Australia’s selectors have rewarded form and chosen a good squad for the Tests against Pakistan but the real challenge will be finding a balanced XI

Brydon Coverdale08-Sep-2014It was revealing that only once during his press conference to announce Australia’s Test squad on Monday did Rod Marsh seem stumped. When asked who was unlucky to miss out, he let out a deep sigh, had a think, and said: “I dunno, I reckon we’ve got most of them haven’t we?”He was right. Fifteen men for two Tests. This was the first Test squad picked by Australia’s new selection panel of Marsh, Mark Waugh, Trevor Hohns and Darren Lehmann. It’s a good group, with plenty of options. But they’ve barely had to make a decision yet.So luxurious was the 15-man allocation that there was even room for a bloke who Marsh said hadn’t earned his place. That man was Glenn Maxwell, the most fortunate member of the touring party and the only real surprise selection. Deciphering Marsh’s comments on Monday was at times challenging, but never more so than when he spoke of Maxwell.”He hasn’t done enough to warrant selection”. “He is the x-factor”. “He has a very good record against Ajmal”. “Technically I think he’s a very fine batsman”. “Technically I don’t think he’s a fine bowler”. “He could play both Test matches”. “He could play no Test matches”.What it boiled down to was that Maxwell was lucky to be picked, but could be a match-winner, but might not even play. There are times when selectors know their starting XI before the squad is even picked. This is not one of those times.Marsh himself will be the selector on duty against Pakistan in the UAE, and that’s when things will get difficult. How many spinners, allrounders, fast bowlers, batsmen will actually make the XI?There are some certainties, barring unforeseen injuries. David Warner and Chris Rogers will open. Steven Smith will be in there somewhere. So will Brad Haddin. Mitchell Johnson will lead the attack. Nathan Lyon should be a certainty, but will these selectors make the mistake of their predecessors, who dropped him in India for Maxwell and Xavier Doherty?In the UAE, Steve O’Keefe is the left-arm spinner of choice. He thoroughly deserves his place in the squad, having been the Sheffield Shield’s top spinner for two years. If he plays, it must be alongside Lyon, not in his place. But Marsh noted that Australia would be unlikely to play two offspinners together, so how does Maxwell fit in if not alongside O’Keefe?And what of Mitchell Marsh? His first-class form for Australia A and one-day performances in Zimbabwe made him a natural selection, but how does he fit in? In place of Shane Watson? Alongside Watson? Rod Marsh said Watson was “in a good place” at the moment, and spoke highly of his credentials. He appears likely to play.”You can fit more than one allrounder in a Test team, yes,” Marsh said, “but whether it’ll happen remains to be seen.”One possible scenario is for Marsh and Watson both to play in the top six, giving pace backup to Johnson and Peter Siddle, an important function in the very hot conditions expected. That would create room for both Lyon and O’Keefe. Or they could do the same with Maxwell instead of Marsh. Either way, it would mean dropping the incumbent No.3, Alex Doolan.In that case Clarke, among others, could bat first drop in spinning conditions. But even Clarke’s selection remains uncertain as he continues to recover from the hamstring injury he picked up in Zimbabwe. When asked if he was confident Clarke would be play in the first Test, Marsh was equivocal.”No, you can’t be confident about Michael,” he said, “but I tell you what, he has only missed one in over 100 Tests he’s played. He’s got a great track record for getting up for Tests … No, I am sure he will be right, there is no more dedicated bloke in getting his rehab in than Michael.”And don’t forget Phillip Hughes is there too. And Mitchell Starc. Any closer to working out what the starting XI will be?”We’re not entirely sure of what we’ll get,” Marsh said of the pitch conditions in the UAE. “So what we’ve tried to do is cover all bases.”They’ve done that. And they’ve chosen a good squad, with no glaring omissions. Form has been rewarded and for that, Marsh and his colleagues are to be commended. But the true selection work has not even begun.

Our correspondent takes in experiences familiar and new on the first leg of India’s tour down under

Sidharth Monga23-Dec-2014November 30
“DO NOT USE cameras, sound recorders, mobile phones or electronic forms of communication in this area. Penalty $1000.”First thing of note seen in Australia. At the immigration counter. Wally Hammond would have said, “A fine f***ing way to start a series.” A timely reminder that Australia is a fine country. Take photo of the sign. That rustling sound is the rule book in the wind.December 1
Drive to Macksville, Phillip Hughes’ hometown, about 500km from Sydney. Hughes killed by a routine bouncer in a Shield game. Shock around Australia. Tests rescheduled. Funeral in Macksville in two days. Town’s population under 3000. Will receive at least twice as many visitors on December 3.Go past the Pub With No Beer Hotel, earlier called the Cosmopolitan Hotel, and widely believed to be subject of the Slim Dusty song “Pub With No Beer”. “But there’s-a nothing so lonesome, morbid or drear / Than to stand in the bar of a pub with no beer.” Named fifth-best Australian song of all time by the Australasian Performing Rights Association.Stop at the Star Hotel, by the Nambucca River, for a drink. Michael Clarke, Stuart MacGill and Hughes’ father, Greg, also there. Nice to see them smiling and laughing a little. Have a chat with two regular patrons who have never been out of town. Know Indians as Raj Koothrappali in and those who tell the weather at the Met department. Little do they know, but then they don’t look like folk who have computer problems.December 2
Spend the night in Port Macquarie. Reminded of being in Gosford, another New South Wales town, on the last trip to Australia. In New South Wales, you get stuck and spend nights in strange places. Port Macquarie replaced Newcastle as a penal settlement. Now a retirement destination. Accordingly, town is dead by 8pm.December 3
What have they done to good old Adelaide Oval? It has gone from an intimate ground to an almost intimidating stadium. Big stands all over. One over the top of the other. Cathedral not visible. Nor is the Torrens from the back corridors. Doesn’t strike you as much on this day because people have gathered to pay respects to Hughes and watch his funeral on the big screens. His brother has endearing stories of playing cricket with him in the backyard. Cousin Nino Ramunno has great anecdotes.”The only grumble Phillip had about school was in the final year. After the first day of school he came home and when he was questioned about how his day went, he complained that there were no girls there. We thought that the name Homebush Boys would have given him some indication, but no.”December 4
Bus it down to Glenelg Oval. Locals shocked I have figured out Adelaide buses. They say they have never managed to do so. Explains the empty bus.The Star Hotel in Macksville•Getty ImagesCricket back on after Hughes tragedy. Indians playing two-day tour game against Cricket Australia XI. Virat Kohli hasn’t yet made it back from the funeral, so Ishant Sharma starts as captain.Indians use Karn Sharma before R Ashwin. Bhuvneshwar Kumar not bowling or training, but team management says he is all right. Duncan Fletcher seen on the sidelines asking fast bowlers to go round the wicket. No qualms about bowling bouncers.December 5
Park 25 Oval. Watch Australia train for the first time since Hughes’ death. Nobody knows how they will react. They begin with fun and games. Dances. Brad Haddin and Ryan Harris waltz. David Warner pulls out the worm. Huddles done. Laughs shared. Warner goes into nets. Clearly not prepared for loneliness of batting. Pulls out after a few minutes of scratchy batting. Spends half an hour with team psychologist Michael Lloyd. There is a tear or three. It’s going to be a difficult summer for everyone involved.December 6
Good old Adelaide. Nothing has changed. Feels like coming back to a home town after having spent years away for work. Same friendly man at the Falafel House on Hindley Street still says “beautifuuuul” at every ingredient you ask for in your roll. Without looking up. Hookahs still being smoked all over Hindley Street as if it is rural Haryana. “Sitting in the same chair / As they were sitting in the last year / Talking about the crows / Crooooows,” sang Paul Kelly in “Adelaide”.Crows and Adelaide go back a long way. One of the footy teams is called Adelaide Crows. South Australians are referred to as crow-eaters – a term “first applied to some of the original settlers at Mount Barker who – whether from necessity or a desire to sample strange native fauna – killed, cooked and ate some crows disguised under the term ‘Mount Barker pheasants'”.December 7
One change in Adelaide, though, thanks to the new stands at the Oval. The view of the city from the statue of Colonel Light was obstructed, so it had to be raised.An inscription on the statue – an extract from Colonel Light’s diary – reads: “The reasons that led me to fix Adelaide where it is I do not expect to be generally understood or calmly judged of at present. My enemies, however, by disputing their validity in every particular, have done me the good service of fixing the whole of the responsibility upon me. I am perfectly willing to bear it, and I leave it to posterity and not to them, to decide whether I am entitled to praise or to blame.”December 8
Julius. Security guard at Adelaide Oval. Of Sudanese origin. Worked in the Australian army in the early 2000s. Served for three years in Afghanistan. Talks of his experiences there. How they used to wear x-ray vision glasses, and had to shoot people, no questions asked, if they were suspected of carrying bombs in their clothing. “Doesn’t matter if it is an old lady or a young child. Just shoot.” Julius quit the army after that experience. Doesn’t know much about cricket, but happy with a job that doesn’t involve killing.December 9
Emotional start to series. After all the tributes to Hughes, his mate David Warner scores a century. Batsmen pause on 63 – Hughes’ score when he was killed. They look up on 100. They all believe their little mate is watching over them.India carry through with indications seen at Glenelg Oval. Legspinner Karn picked over Ashwin. Aggressive intent but Karn has little first-class experience. Bowls flat. As do others. More round-the-wicket bowling. Warner scores plenty off it. Surely some independent thinker in the team needs to point out this is not working?If you possess a New Zealand ODI jersey from the early 2000s, tread carefully around Adelaide Oval•Getty ImagesDecember 10
Rain slows game down. Time enough, though, for Steven Smith and Michael Clarke to bring up hundreds. Three of Hughes’ best mates in the team have scored tons, although Clarke is playing in considerable pain.Big screen shows highlights of Chennai tied Test. Find Dean Jones in one of the commentary boxes and talk to him about the match. Fascinating to listen to him. Scandalous how two scoreboards had two different scores. Deano himself and Allan Border were under the impression India needed two to win when it was actually one, and were shocked Ravi Shastri had taken the single and exposed Maninder Singh a run short. Wisdom of taking that single still questioned by some, even if scores were level, but for a few moments Deano and AB thought they had won. Some others knew it was tied. At least one bowler thought they had lost, so fried was he by the heat and humidity.December 11
Mitchell Johnson scones Virat Kohli first ball. Opposition captain in Australia. Hit smack on helmet badge. First ball he faces in Test cricket on tour. Minutes to go to lunch. Normally Australia would be all over him. Johnson would bowl all out, and come back fresh after lunch to finish Kohli off. Not now. Here they all come up to check on the batsman. Kohli finds it all surreal and waves everyone away. Johnson goes a little soft. Kohli scores a hundred. Big moment on tour. Johnson comes back towards the end of the day to bounce Kohli again, and gets him on the top edge.December 12
Adelaide Oval has strange press-box dress code. Need collars on t-shirts. No thongs on feet. Struggle to get through Test with limited supplies of collared shirts. Wear New Zealand ODI jersey from early 2000s. Trouble is, it looks like a Port Adelaide jersey. Abused for wearing it at Crows’ home ground. Apologised to and hugged when said people realise it is New Zealand and not Port Adelaide.It takes only three days before unacceptable behaviour returns to the middle. Kohli starts it with his in-your-face send-offs. Warner gives it back when he discovers the ball that got him is a no-ball. Only gets uglier afterwards. Warner scores another century, India will need 364 to win on the final day.December 13
Mostly one-sided match has come to life because of twin declarations necessitated by rain on day two. India chase in spirited manner. Kohli scores another century. Only man other than Greg Chappell to make two on debut. M Vijay falls on 99. India collapse towards the end, but at 242 for 2 they had been a good chance to win. India can be proud of their batting, but need to remember they took only 12 wickets.Australia relieved. Been a tough week. Emotions pour out when they come out of their changing room hours later to sing the team song. Nathan Lyon, who has inherited song-leading privileges from Michael Hussey, has finally come into his own. Man of the Match with 12 wickets, his first ten-for.December 14
A certain sense of loss when leaving Adelaide. No ODI here on this tour. A certain sense of worry, too, for establishments on Hindley Street when India play Pakistan here in World Cup. Good job they have a police station right here.Cauldron-like at the Gabba in more ways than one•Getty ImagesDecember 15
Brisbane then. Third time zone entered already. Sydney is behind Adelaide, which is behind Brisbane. Neither does it make geographic sense nor do early dawns – as early at 4am – in Brisbane let you sleep in. Missing link here is day-light saving. Queensland doesn’t want to save daylight. Which makes it a butt of jokes. Reasons for its refusing to save daylight, according to rest of Australia: some fear cattle won’t give milk at unnatural times, some feel curtains will fade.Bananabender is to Queenslanders what croweaters is to South Australians. Because Queenslanders are supposed to be spending most of their time putting the bend in the banana.December 16
Kevin Mitchell Jr has been preparing the Gabba pitch for 34 years. Took over from Kevin Mitchell, his father. Remembers the days of the old hill. Old scoreboard wasn’t visible from all parts of the hill. Spectators would go over to the scoreboard and signal the scores to the rest as if playing dumb charades.December 17
A proper Brisbane stinker. Phone app says 42 degrees. Channel Nine says 36 degrees. India win toss and bat first. A flat Gabba wicket is anti-climactic. Can see why, though. One of Australia’s most unsure batting line-ups, considering Clarke is out with a hamstring injury.Hard work for all involved. Drinks breaks every 40 minutes, as opposed to every hour. M Vijay, who scores a century, cramps from the effort of sweeping. Mitchell Marsh tears a hamstring, Mitchell Starc has heat exhaustion, and debutant Josh Hazlewood keeps cramping. Hopefully Bill Bryson is watching. In his lovely book , the American writer calls cricket – because of its easy pace – a “nap with consciousness”.December 18
Before start of play, on air, Ian Chappell is worried about overnight batsman Rohit Sharma, who “bats like in a dream”, or “in a net with no focus on scoring runs”. A dreamy push at a wide delivery from Shane Watson triggers a collapse, and given India have scored runs at a fair clip, they haven’t batted Australia out despite scoring 408. Later in the day, Watson does a Rohit Sharma, and hits powerfully to mid-on without making an effort to keep it down or clear the man. Two men who won’t want this – and massive scores in ODIs and T20Is – to be the stories of their lives.December 19
“How many wickets have you got?” is the question Mitchell Johnson is asked before he is bounced by India. Johnson hasn’t got any, but the sledging seems to have woken the beast. He smacks 88 impactful runs to snatch the game clean out of India’s grasp. When he gets to 50, he looks around at every Indian player. None are sledging. Like a wrestler who has just cleared the field in the middle of a Royal Rumble match.December 20
A strange morning with injuries to two Indian batsmen in the nets. An unsettled side crashes to defeat but not without a fight after an initial collapse. India have shown much better resolve than on the last trip, but halfway into the series the scoreline reads the same: 0-2.Spend night at the Southern Cross Motel near the Gabba. Discover its in-house Italian restaurant, Spizzico, had a special visitor in 2011. To eat meatballs made by owner Angelo Di Bartolo’s mother Rosa. Headline of a news report about Jerry Lewis’ visit uses proudly the phrase Bris Vegas, originally an ironic reference to Brisbane’s lack of nightlife. Also see: Brisneyland.

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.

The Dilshan-Sangakkara show, Rangana Herath’s athleticism, the papare bands and the obstacle-course race during the mid-innings lit up the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka game at the MCG

Nishan Easwarapadcham27-Feb-2015Choice of game:
As an avid cricket fan, I could not miss out on watching my home country play in the World Cup in my adopted city. It was also Kumar Sangakkara’s 400th ODI game. My heart said Sri Lanka would win by 50 runs; my head said Sri Lanka would win by 2 wickets with an over to spare.Team supported:
Sri Lanka as has been the case for the best part of 20 years.Key performer:
Tillakaratne Dilshan started slowly but once he reached 50, he entertained fans with a wide range of strokes, including the famous ‘Dilscoop’. And when given the ball he took two vital wickets, including that of Shakib Al Hasan.One thing you’d have changed:
I would have liked to see a better standard of catching. Bangladesh started the trend by dropping Lahiru Thirimanne in the first over, and it continued with Sri Lanka spilling a few chances later on.Face-off you relished:
Shakib Al Hasan against the Sri Lankan spinners. Having had the experience of playing at the MCG, Shakib was going to be the key to get to the target. He struggled initially and was cut into half by Dilshan. He then unleashed some powerful strokes to take 16 off Rangana Herath in the 29th over but he holed out for 46.Wow moment:
Rangana Herath flinging himself to his left to off his own bowling to stop a certain boundary. It was breathtaking as one usually doesn’t associate him with such athleticism. Most were left questioning his age after the effort.Close encounter:
Sabbir Rahman, who was fielding near the fan zone, was given plenty of advice. Dimuth Karunaratne was a fan favorite and flashed a smile, which I am sure excited all the ladies in the crowd.Shot of the day:
Kumar Sangakara is such a pure batsman and he delighted his fans in his 400th ODI. The way he stepped back and lofted a six over long-off was jaw-dropping. It landed a few inches over the boundary with such precision that only he can achieve.Crowd meter:
The MCG had a good crowd of 30000 with all the lower decks packed. Sri Lanka had greater support if you would go on to count the flags. Sangakara’s reception when he entered was amazing and so was the support from the Bangladesh fans when the runs flowed in the second innings. Overall, the atmosphere was fantastic, considering it was a working day.Fancy-dress index:
This was a contest between the Lankan lions and Bangladesh tigers and there were plenty of zoo animal costumes on show. Some may have confused a lion with a monkey or even a reptile. And as with any Sri Lankan game, there were a lot of Malinga wigs on show.Entertainment:
There was not one but two sets of papare bands, which kept the crowd entertained. The biggest cheers were when the PA system played Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi songs. There was a rather amusing obstacle-course race where people in the main sponsor’s costumes had to compete to win the prize during mid-innings. Thus, we had the pleasure of seeing a human in a TV costume go through catching and fielding drills.Overall:
The game for the large part was one-sided. However, the support for both sides was wonderful. The low point of the game was fielding, but it did not dim the batting, which was on show, and Sri Lanka’s bowling.Marks out of 10:
8/10

New Zealand were not short on confidence coming into their World Cup opening game against Sri Lanka but to see Brendon McCullum take the game by the scruff of its neck was an uplifting experience

Andrew McGlashan14-Feb-20152:32

Holding: NZ will be pleased with Vettori

The toss was lost, drizzle was falling, it was time to go out and face the new ball. The Prime Minister was in attendance, there was pomp and ceremony. It was the opening match of a World Cup. All that would have been enough to break the resolve of a lesser man.Instead, there was a lesson in how to grasp a moment: Brendon McCullum style. He was on strike after four balls, preparing to face Nuwan Kulasekara with rain still hanging in the air. The bat hammered the popping crease then was raised like a battle-axe, his knees flexed and his eyes widened. A split second later, the ball was drilled over cover.From some players it could be questioned whether it was a release of nervous tension; that the batsman wasn’t really in control. But McCullum’s control was absolute, as it has been as a batsman and captain for the last 18 months. The next ball he faced, his first from Lasith Malinga, was punched sweetly off the back foot through the covers.McCullum’s powers are unlikely to stretch to parting the clouds, but as he started to unleash, the thick morning cloud cover, which had threatened to keep everyone in suspense a little longer, began to lift. Christchurch’s biggest sporting occasion since an earthquake in 2011 devastated the city took shape.Brendon McCullum’s innings was what New Zealand needed to prove they had not been overcome by the occasion•Getty ImagesWhile nothing could be taken for granted, inside the first 10 overs of New Zealand’s innings there was a sense that nothing was going to deny them their day. It rekindled memories of how Virender Sehwag launched the previous World Cup with a string of boundaries against Bangladesh in Dhaka.McCullum’s innings was just what New Zealand needed to prove both to themselves, and those watching (17,228 was the final count inside the ground), that they had not been overcome by the occasion. This team are certainly not short on confidence, but it was still an uplifting experience to see the captain take the opening exchanges of the tournament by the scruff of the neck.It was not as vast as some opening-day World Cup innings – 65 from 49 balls – and across the Tasman the first hundred went to Aaron Finch, but the value of an innings is not always in runs alone.”He has a massive calming influence on the dressing room,” Corey Anderson said. “We all know Baz; that when it’s a big event he turns it on. He spoke to us the day before the game but said he wasn’t going to give us a motivational speech. There was nothing we needed to hear.”Setting the agenda is becoming McCullum’s trademark and when he took 22 off Malinga’s fourth over there was the odd, hushed mention of his 195 here in the Boxing Day Test. That day he took Sri Lanka’s young spinner, Tharindu Kaushal, to the cleaners but on this occasion the wily Rangana Herath enticed him down the pitch again (although it does not take much to lure an attacking stroke) and he could not clear long-off. There was an audible sigh from the crowd, but there had been plenty of entertainment for them.What followed fed off McCullum’s lead, ensuring that the performance was as complete as he could have wished for, given the occasion. His electrifying start provided breathing space for his team when Sri Lanka belatedly found some consistency to their bowling through Herath and Suranga Lakmal. There was another fifty for Kane Williamson, albeit not his most fluent as he was dropped twice, then the innings was rounded off by Anderson’s highly mature 75 off 46 balls.This New Zealand side are so well-drilled in their one-day game plan that minor hiccups do not panic them, but if McCullum’s chest-thumping display stole the moment early on then the role of Anderson, after he walked in following the loss of two wickets in two balls, was also highly significant as it reinforced how responsibility is passed down the order.Then, in the field, New Zealand were pressed for a time as Sri Lanka made a decent fist of the early part of the chase. But, again, the confidence bred came to the fore. McCullum stuck with Trent Boult when others may have removed him from the attack and he was rewarded when Boult fired one under Lahiru Thirimanne’s bat while Adam Milne, who was clocked at 149kph second ball, responded to an opening four-over spell that cost 30 with six fiery overs later on.And, when McCullum – in a pre-planned move – brought Daniel Vettori back to bowl at Mahela Jayawardene the result was his wicket, fifth ball. Just the sort of moment that goes the way of a winning team.In 1992, delirious New Zealand fans invaded Eden Park when Andrew Jones caught Bruce Reid off Chris Harris to complete a victory. Such post-match displays of euphoria are now firmly in the past, courtesy of health and safety, although two brave men did decide to run on to the playing area and probably won’t be returning to Hagley Oval anytime soon.The rest of the crowd – those who did not want hefty fines and to be manhandled by half a dozen security guards – instead savoured their team’s effort from the stands. You are up and running New Zealand. Enjoy the ride.

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

On Friday at Sabina Park, Nathan Lyon passed Hugh Trumble as Australia’s most prolific offspin bowler at an age, 27, when he should only get better

Daniel Brettig in Kingston12-Jun-2015In September 2011, Australia and Sri Lanka were playing out time in a Colombo draw that would seal a rare subcontinental series victory for the tourists in Michael Clarke’s first series as captain.Following Clarke’s hundred that day to make the match safe, there was only time for two overs at the Sri Lankan batsmen. Trent Copeland took the new ball at one end and at the other Clarke gave Nathan Lyon the chance to feel the new cherry spin out of his fingers for the first time in a Test. The over was nondescript, but it was an experience, one of many Lyon would accumulate as he learned his spin bowling game on the job after the most minimal of first-class apprenticeships.Four years on and Clarke tossed the ball to Lyon in only the sixth over at Sabina Park. The Dukes logo and lettering were still visible on a projectile that commonly would have remained in the hands of pacemen for a while yet, but Lyon took on the task with all the relish of a confident and successful operator. Immediately he took advantage of the extra bounce and pace the ball afforded him, spinning past Darren Bravo in the midst of a tidy maiden.’Hopefully it’s just the start’

Nathan Lyon has spoken with pride about becoming Australia’s most successful off spinner, adding that he is very much looking forward to crossing paths with England’s bevy of left-handers in the Ashes. “I’m pretty proud, it’s a big moment,” Lyon said. “As I keep saying, and always say, I’ll look back at these things at the end of my career. I am proud of the achievement that’s for sure. It’s a big record to break. Hopefully I can add to it.
“I’m still learning. I feel like I’m learning each time I go out into the nets. Each time I walk out into the nets and in the middle I try to get better each and every day. I’ve got a lot of learning to do and I’m really enjoying it and hopefully it’s just the start.
“I want to keep getting better at my bowling. I want to keep getting a better stock ball. I’m really happy with where my stock ball is at the moment but I want to keep getting better. The day I stop learning and don’t want to get better is the day I’ll give it up. I just want to keep getting better, keep getting more consistent, work on a few different balls here and and there as I have been in the last couple of years with John Davison. I’m really happy and really confident with the way my bowling’s going at the moment.”
Lyon has come a long way in terms of form and confidence since he was left out of the opening two Ashes Tests in 2013 for Ashton Agar. There are now no questions about his place. “Oh yeah, it definitely gives you that confidence that you’re playing well,” he said of being among the first picked. “I’m confident in my skill to get the job done for Australia and I’m just really enjoying my cricket right now. I didn’t play the first two I suppose I’m a lot more confident now. I feel I can keep growing and stuff. With England having a lot of left-handers I’m pretty excited to be honest. It’s going to be a great challenge.”

Next over, another big offbreak eluded Bravo’s groping blade. Both these deliveries had been witnessed by Kraigg Brathwaite at the non-striker’s end, and when a single brought him on strike, Lyon used overspin to slide past the outside edge and into off stump – a beautiful piece of subtle variation. It was a suitably artful way to take Lyon past Hugh Trumble as Australia’s most prolific offspin bowler, at an age when he should only get better.Lyon’s story has been one of persistence. While it is true that he was fast-tracked into the Test team as one of the last acts of Andrew Hilditch’s harried selection panel, it must also be said that Lyon’s offbreaks were hardly a state secret guarded by the diplomatic corps in Canberra, where he combined club and second XI cricket for the ACT with a job on the ground staff.It took the faith of several men, notably the ACT coach Mark Higgs, then Redbacks coach Darren Berry, the national talent manager Greg Chappell and the spin bowling coach John Davison to grant Lyon the opportunity of a wider audience. His flight, spin and character were all in evidence as he graduated swiftly from South Australia to Australia A to the Test team, though it was acknowledged that he would have a long road ahead once he got there. A trail of broken dreams had been left by the 10 other spinners tried to fill the gulf left by Shane Warne in 2007.The path from a memorable debut in Galle – Kumar Sangakkara spun out with his very first ball, no less – to the Caribbean was far from smooth, taking in several periods of technical trouble and debates over Lyon’s best role. In late 2012 the softly-spoken Lyon complained of how difficult it was to adjust from nobody knowing his name to everyone offering advice, from former greats like Ashley Mallett to the left-arm “spinner” Mitchell Johnson.He was dropped from the team twice in 2013, first for Xavier Doherty in India after a mauling from MS Dhoni, then for the shooting star of Ashton Agar in England. Lyon handled all this with impressive equanimity. He remained unwaveringly committed to the team values espoused by Michael Hussey, who had first mentored him in Sri Lanka and later bequeathed him the team song.Equally, Lyon was finding himself as a bowler, striking a balance between the search for that perfect, wicket-taking ball and the consistency required to entrap batsmen over periods of several overs or more. His relationship with Davison was key to all this, as the former Victoria, South Australia and Canada tweaker offered a trusted conduit between Lyon and the counsel being offered by many others.Clarke, too, deserved credit for being the kind of captain sympathetic to the ear of a spin bowler. He encouraged Lyon to attack the batsmen, and gave him fields that not only made scoring difficult but also teased out wickets. Last but not least, Clarke served as the very best of slip fielders, clasping a succession of chances that others would have struggled to reach, let alone hold.If there was one area Lyon struggled to master it was the requisite combination of carrot and stick to excel in the fourth innings of a Test match. In a team synonymous with pace, his sense of a holding, pressure-building commission often stayed with him too late in matches, when he needed to be teasing and attacking batsmen compelled to defend. In Adelaide and Hobart in 2012, then Cape Town in 2014, Lyon was a frustrated figure.But catharsis arrived at Adelaide Oval last year, when on the final afternoon Lyon spun through India to clinch a match that meant so much in the weeks after Phillip Hughes’ death. That display seemed finally to cement Lyon’s place in the team in both the eyes of Australian cricket watchers but also those of the man himself – he sang the song extra loud that night.Now Lyon has passed Trumble, not to mention Mallett, Bruce Yardley, Ian Johnson, Tim May, Nathan Hauritz, Greg Matthews and others, and it is a moment to pause and appreciate his value. There was a providential nod to Lyon later on day two as Australia swarmed over the West Indies, Shai Hope’s outside edge lodging between the thighs of a slightly sheepish Brad Haddin, who along with Clarke has been a major help to Lyon’s development.For much of his career thus far, Lyon seemed to be labouring in the absence of good fortune, as edges and pads eluded him. This wicket may mark the start of another phase, as he sets out after loftier wicket tallies: the era of Lyon’s luck.