All posts by h716a5.icu

Stats highlights from the first day of the fourth Test between India and Australia, in Sydney

Bishen Jeswant06-Jan-20154 Number of Australian openers who have made five consecutive scores of 50 or more. Chris Rogers has made back-to-back scores of 55, 55, 57, 69 and 95 in this series. The other Australian openers to do this are Mark Taylor, David Warner and Phil Jaques.0 Number of Australian openers who have made five or more fifties in a series without making a hundred. If Rogers does not get a hundred in the second innings, he will become the first Australian opener to have done this. The only openers to have done this across countries are Michael Atherton and Conrad Hunte, who made six fifties each in 1993 and 1965 respectively.200 The opening partnership between Warner and Rogers, the ninth-highest by any team against India. The last 200-plus opening stand by an Australian pair was between Warner and Ed Cowan, also against India, in Perth, in 2012. That was also the last instance of any team posting such a stand against India.4 Number of hundreds scored by Warner against India, including today’s. The only Australian opener to score more Test hundreds against India is Matthew Hayden, who scored six.33 Number of Test matches played by Virat Kohli, the most by any of the players in the current Indian team. The last time that India fielded a team with its most experienced member having played less than 50 Tests was against Sri Lanka in 2001. Rahul Dravid, 48 Tests, was the senior-most member of that team. India lost that game by an innings and 77 runs.1 Number of times that Australia’s top four batsmen have all made 50-plus scores against India at home before today. Australia did this against India once previously, away from home, in Delhi in 2008.79 Runs scored by Australia in the first fifteen overs of the first innings. Since 2001, this is the most runs scored by any team in the first 15 overs of the first day of a Test in Sydney. During this series, India have, on average, conceded 52 runs in the first ten overs of the first innings.

Did you know that if you bowl economically, you won’t win the World Cup?

Andy Zaltzman21-Jan-2015How do you win a cricket World Cup? The answer to that question has been troubling humankind since the very dawn of time. The great minds of the planet came up snake-eyes for millions of years, until eventually cricket evolved from the innate human desire to hit things with sticks. This was, clearly, a major breakthrough in the epochal quest to solve the “How to Win a Cricket World Cup” quandary.In the 19th century, in between working out how not to die of obvious diseases and wearing enormous underwear (and with a little help from the industrial revolution and British penal policy), this great species of ours developed international cricket. Another great stride forward, but the answer to the question remained frustratingly elusive for another 100 years, until cricket begat one-day cricket, which begat one-day internationals, which, in 1975, begat a World Cup.Finally, Clive Lloyd’s West Indians provided a deceptively simple answer – win all your matches. They confirmed their findings four years later, but in five of the eight tournaments since, the winners have lost one, two, or in Pakistan’s case in 1992, three matches, before emerging triumphant. Crucially those defeats have not occurred in knockout matches – an important aspect of failure-scheduling to which England have yet to adjust.Various victory methods have been employed by the ten tournament winners. Being clearly the best team has often proved a sound strategy (the fearsome West Indies in those first two tournaments; the untouchable Australians in 2003 and 2007), but has not been necessary. Staring into the abyss of group-stage elimination, then slapping yourself in the face with the caffeine-addled haddock of desperation and surging back to glory has worked on more than one occasion (India in 1983, when 17 for 5 against Zimbabwe; Pakistan in 1992, saved by the rain against England).Dhoni’s Indians in 2011 won by never failing with the bat (barring one major collapse, against South Africa, from 267 for 1, in a non-crucial match). Ranatunga’s Sri Lankans rode on the revolutionary cavalierings of Jayasuriya and the timeless genius of Aravinda. Waiting for Mike Gatting to play the stupidest reverse sweep in human history did the job for Allan Border’s 1987 Australians; Steve Waugh’s 1999 Aussies found their path to nirvana by spluttering slightly less hard than South Africa in one of sport’s greatest simultaneous chokes.However, in ten tournaments, one tactic no World Cup winner has yet taken has been: have the most economical bowling attack in the competition.The team with the most statistically parsimonious bowlers over the course of the tournament has never won the World Cup. Furthermore, only once in the last eight World Cups have the winners even had one of the top three economy rates (Australia, who were the second-most economical in 2003). And furtherfurthermore, only twice has the team with the most economical attack even finished as losing finalists (England, in 1979 and 1992).(The full list of winners: 1975 West Indies: third most economical out of eight; 1979 West Indies: seventh out of eight; 1983 India: third out of eight; 1987 Australia: sixth out of eight; 1992 Pakistan: fourth out of nine; 1996 Sri Lanka: ninth out of 12; 1999 Australia: fifth out of 12; 2003 Australia: second out of 14; 2007 Australia: fifth out of 16; 2011 India: ninth out of 14.)Clearly, bowling economy statistics in a single tournament emerge from a relatively small number of matches, and can be skewed by various factors such as:● One particularly good or bad match against one particularly good or bad team (and recent World Cups have had some properly bad teams).● An early elimination (India exited the 2007 tournament after just three matches, but ended up with the third highest batting run rate and the best economy rate, and could thus make a statistical argument for being the best side in the competition) (if they wanted to).● A very ropey pitch.● A very un-ropey pitch.● Kevin O’Brien; and● Chris Tavaré.Even more clearly, taking wickets is also a relevant factor in bowling. I do not think I am going out on too gangly a philosophical limb to argue that.However, I think it remains statistically unexpected that the most economical bowling attack has never trundled home with the trophy. By contrast, the fastest-scoring batting team has won four World Cups (West Indies in 1979, Sri Lanka in 1996, Australia in 2007 and India in 2011), and the last five tournaments have been won by either the fastest or the second-fastest scorers (Australia were second in both 1999 and 2003).The statistics wonks will no doubt be jumping all over this curiosity like a penguin penguining itself into a paddling pool full of herring. Bowlers in teams that find themselves near the top of the economy league in the latter stages in March will start plobbing down long hops and half-volleys in a desperate attempt to maximise their chances of winning. Perhaps. Or perhaps they will conclude that it is a statistical quirk of minimal relevance.From an England point of view, if Eoin Morgan’s men are to defy (a) the odds, (b) expectation, (c) their form of 2014, (d) the greater experience of most of their rivals, (e) their own nutty administrators, and (f) the precedent of two decades of World Cup rubbishness, they will, I think, need to break, or come close to breaking, this unnoticed niggardly bowling hoodoo. If a hoodoo can be a hoodoo without being noticed. Which it probably cannot.Other teams have the proven batting firepower to compensate for any bowling breakdowns. England have more batting firepower than they have traditionally trusted themselves with, plus a new skipper and new-look team, but their most likely recipe for success remains the bowling excellence that almost won them the Champions Trophy in 2013, and which, as I write, has just demolished India’s batting in Brisbane. Stuart Broad and James Anderson reunited for the first time in more than 18 months. Steven Finn taking more than two wickets in an ODI for the first time since early 2013. Bowling out a team for less than 160 outside England for only the third time this decade. Bowling out an opposing team in Australia for their lowest total since skittling Sri Lanka for 99 at the Gabba in January 1999, 38 matches ago. No captains sacked or autobiographies published for ages…Confectionery Stall prediction: Quarter-final exit.● Whether or not your bowlers are or are not economical matters little if one of your players hits 149 in 44 balls. The various records splattered by AB de Villiers’ scoreboard-melting onslaught on Saturday have been listed elsewhere.De Villiers’ statistics have become as spectacular as his strokeplay, his versatility as impressive as his consistency – he has played two of this millennium’s four slowest Test innings of more than 180 balls, including the longest recorded Test innings without a boundary.He currently has the highest average as a wicketkeeper-batsman in both Tests (58.2) and ODIs (70.5) (minimum ten innings as designated keeper). This decade, his ODI average of 67.9 from 82 innings is more than 10 ahead of his nearest challengers, Hashim Amla and MS Dhoni.AB de Villiers: if he was a Hollywood movie, he’d be directed by Michael Bay•Gallo ImagesHis strike rate is 106, the sixth best of the 194 players who have batted ten or more times in the top six in ODIs in the 2010s. None of the five men ahead of him has played more than 40 innings; of the other 11 players with a strike rate of over 95, none averages more than 40.Cricket literature’s founding romantic Neville Cardus and the undisputed Shakespeare of Stats Bill Frindall must be simultaneously exploding with delight in the celestial press box. A rare combination.What made de Villiers’ innings on Saturday slightly unusual (other than its comprehensive demolition of the record books, of course) was that if he has a relative weakness in ODIs, it is in the last ten overs. This decade, until adding his new chapter to the encyclopaedia of cricketing ballistics, he had averaged 36.7 in overs 40-50 (decent, and with an impressive strike rate of around 150, but behind several others, notably Dhoni, who averages almost 60 in the final ten overs since 2010).In overs 1 to 40, however, de Villiers’ numbers are properly Bradmanesque – he averages 97.3 this decade. Write that down. 97.3. And then write down how you would try to get him out without the prospect of a sandwich or the end-of-match presentation looming within ten overs’ time. Michael Hussey (69.9) and Amla (65.2) are the next best first-40-overs players. If de Villiers comes in early, he bats long. If he comes in late, he bats like a volcano. He is the ultimate 21st-century batsman – technician, artist, chameleon, magician. If only he batted for his average in the final few overs, he’d be clocking up some really tidy numbers.(These last stats exclude run-outs. Statsguru’s secret ball-by-ball facility simply won’t play ball on the run-outs. The flighty little temptress. But the points all stand.)

Virat Kohli, who has promised aggressiveness taking over as captain from the much-maligned MS Dhoni, has begun to realise the problems Dhoni faced

Sidharth Monga11-Jan-2015India’s top half averaged 52.57 per wicket to Australia’s 51.45 this series. Four Indian batsmen scored at least one century to Australia’s three. M Vijay left alone 234 balls, which is better than the next two put together: 230, between Steven Smith and Chris Rogers. No Indian batsmen other than Virat Kohli had played a Test in Australia before the series began. The Australian batsmen have been playing here all their lives. By all accounts India batsmen matched Australia in the batting department.Yet it all came down to India’s batting collapses and a bad session each in every Test. In Adelaide and Brisbane the bad sessions were horrible. In Melbourne and Sydney India managed to arrest those bad sessions. They lost Adelaide and Brisbane, and drew Melbourne and Sydney. To say that those sessions was where the Tests were lost or saved would a be a tad harsh on the batsmen. It is a fair criticism that India should have batted Australia out in Brisbane and Melbourne after the starts they got, but sometimes the batting can do with some support. Australia got that support, India didn’t.It can be argued that India were hurt more by their inept bowling on second day in Adelaide than the collapse on the final day. Same with letting Mitchell Johnson score all those runs before the batting came undone on the final day in Brisbane. Had India lost Melbourne it would be down in same measure to the poor bowling against Brad Haddin as the folding up that was avoided on the final evening. In Sydney, India should never have had to bat out 90 overs; it was only thanks to 251 conceded on the fourth day.The Indian hierarchy tried to talk up the bowlers before the start of the series, defended them through it, but the end of it they knew they had been let down again. Kohli, who has promised aggressiveness taking over as captain from the much-maligned MS Dhoni, has begun to realise the problems Dhoni faced.”The reason we have done well at home is we have taken 20 wickets,” Kohli said. “The spinners have bowled really well. The fast bowlers know how to bowl in home conditions with reverse-swing. They have a fair idea of the areas they have to bowl in. But when we come out, they get too excited with the bounce. Actually we need to figure out which are the best areas to bowl to each batsman and work on those areas.”You run up to bowl and you can pitch six balls on the same spot. Only then can you set the right fields as the captain to set up a batsman and get him out. The consistency bit is something we really need to work on.”4:39

Agarkar: Bowling has potential, needs direction

Lack of experience cannot be an excuse. Kohli saw Josh Hazlewood make his debut and know right away how to take Test wicket. “Certainly a lot to learn from the Australian bowlers,” Kohli said. “Especially someone like Josh Hazlewood who is playing his first few matches. He put the ball in the right spots in all three matches. That’s something we need to learn big time if we want to win Test matches. Eventually you have to take 20 wickets to win a Test match. That’s how simple and plain it is.”If Hazlewood knows what to do, why can’t India’s bowlers maintain any sort of pressure? Is it a lack of skills, fitness, or poor plans? Kohli’s answer was instructive. Possibly he hasn’t seen the same amount of effort in the bowlers’ later spells. “It might be a mixture of a lot of things,” Kohli said. “The skill is there. If it wasn’t, they wouldn’t be playing for India. That’s a given. You need composure and character to go out there and say, ‘I’m tired, but I need to take two wickets for my team, so I need to bowl at the same pace as my first spell.'”That’s where character counts. When you’re tired and you’re down and your team expects you to step up. That’s something we’ve not been able to do in the last couple of years. At Lord’s Ishant did it for us. We need guys stepping up with more performances like that to win Test matches. Those crucial moments after tea, at the end of a day’s play, we need to strike and we haven’t been able to. It’s to do with wanting to bowl that second and third spell for the team, and that’s something we need to consistently work on, tell the guys to step up and bowl their hearts out for the team eventually.”With what Kohli says, though, you get the impression he is less likely to change his captaincy style to suit ordinary bowling – something Dhoni did – than trying to force the attitude of the bowlers towards Test bowling. There are encouraging signs in what Kohli says.”The main criteria now would be to scout guys who we feel – along with these fast bowlers – have the potential to play in the future, and groom them and nurture them and monitor their fitness, their consistency and their skills. That’s how we want to develop our Test team, and that’s something we really want to do going ahead in the future.”Now begins the tussle. How long before the India bowlers break another captain down? Or will this captain’s ambition be able to bring about a paradigm shift?

Stats highlights from the third quarter-final, between Australia and Pakistan in Adelaide

Bishen Jeswant20-Mar-20155:20

Insights: Pakistan’s batting struggles in the World Cup

18 Wickets taken by Mitchell Starc, the most by any bowler in this World Cup. He picked up two wickets in this game to go past India’s Mohammad Shami who has taken 17 wickets.6 Number of times that 10 or more batsmen have been caught during a World Cup match. Four of those six instances have involved Pakistan, including three in the 2015 World Cup.3003 Runs scored by Misbah-ul-Haq as captain of Pakistan. He is only the second Pakistan captain after Imran Khan (3247) to score 3000 ODI runs. Overall, 16 players have scored 3000 runs when captaining their respective sides.11 Wickets lost by Pakistan in the first 10 overs of an innings in this World Cup, the second most for any Test nation. West Indies, with 13 wickets, are the only team to have lost more.Stretching it too far: Misbah-ul-Haq became only the second Pakistan captain to score 3000 ODI runs•Getty Images43 Instances of Pakistan being bowled out by Australia in an ODI, more than by any other team. Sri Lanka have done this 41 times while South Africa have bowled Pakistan out on 40 occasions.7 Number of times Australia have made the semi-finals of a World Cup, the most for any team. India, Pakistan and New Zealand have qualified for the semi-finals in six World Cups each.171 Shahid Afridi’s bowling strike rate this World Cup, the second-worst for any bowler in a single edition of the tournament (min. 50 overs). Afridi has bowled 57 overs this World Cup, conceding 282 runs and taking only two wickets.

The Chennai Super Kings batsmen never got going as Zaheer Khan and his colleagues denied them scoring opportunities. Here are five takeaways from the Delhi Daredevils’ win.

Alagappan Muthu13-May-2015Sugar rush cancelled
Twenty20 cricket has a tendency to lavish treats upon the batsmen. But Brendon McCullum is denied his down-the-track donuts. The leg-side lollies Dwayne Smith loves aren’t in stock either. And all Suresh Raina gets are back-of-a-length sour grapes. At the end of six overs of Powerplay, Chennai Super Kings are an anemic 16 for 1.Zaheer Khan and Shahbaz Nadeem are responsible for this prickly welcome in Raipur. A 36-year-old seamer ambling up to the crease, every measured step a guard against aggravating old injuries, and a wispy left-arm spinner with nothing mysterious about him – hardly the most threatening sights in cricket. But they can certainly be suffocating. Ball after ball, in the corridor or at the hips, at varying lengths to force the batsman to make his own pace and take undue risks.McCullum tries to disrupt this rhythm. The reverse scoop doesn’t connect. He does not want to charge as he is worried about the pitch’s two-paced nature. Five balls faced, no runs scored, final over of field restrictions. Scoreboard pressure encroaches into his plans and the final ball from Zaheer is tamely tapped into the hands of mid-off. Smith, meanwhile, is 5 off 15.The domino effect
An up-and-down pitch requires recalibration. The focus has to shift from boundaries to singles and twos. To exploiting angles and running fielders ragged, instead of overwhelming the bowler. Super Kings haven’t made that switch. They’ve lost Smith as well. Raina miscalculates and pulls the trigger too soon. They are 46 for 3 in the 10th over and can’t gather any momentum. Only frustration.MS Dhoni walks in. He is a good judge of situations. He knows this is a 140-150 game that needs to be set up by a 40-ball 50. So dinks and dabs and nudges get him going and he forms a 37-run association with Faf du Plessis, another player who can ignore pressure and play normal cricket. But they can’t outsmart the consequences of that slow start.Du Plessis drags on in the 16th over. Super Kings have to wait till the 18th for their 100. Dhoni’s 10 off 17 increases with a six and two fours but 27 off 24 doesn’t look much better.Zak’s attack
The gremlins that have raided the Daredevils batting haven’t been able to affect their bowling. Their 72 wickets is the second-best tally this season, and so is their economy of 7.8. Imran Tahir and Amit Mishra had worked round the clock to keep the team competitive early on, but neither were on show in Raipur. They did have Zaheer, though, who had no problems putting in some overtime. The most economical spell of the season – 4-1-9-2 – underpinned by his leading the death-overs squeeze.His first ball of a new spell, in the 19th over, removes Dhoni and puts him on a hat-trick. He concedes only four runs after that. His job isn’t over yet.Two-ODI old Gurinder Sandhu, who had cost 11 runs in his previous over, is given the ball to finish things off and Zaheer is by his ear, presumably explaining the plan for all six deliveries and pointing out loopholes in Pawan Negi and Ravindra Jadeja’s techniques. Short balls and yorkers ensue as the final over yields only five runs. The batsmen troop off, JP Duminy leads a group of his men and Zaheer has his hand around Sandhu’s shoulder with a proud smile on his face.The IPL curse
Raipur, which is over 1000 kilometres away from Delhi, hosting Daredevils’ games is odd. Seventh-placed Daredevils restricting table-toppers Super Kings to their lowest total in three years – 119 for 6 is odd too. Something that should follow in that trend, but never does in the IPL, is the inevitability of a catch being put down.R Ashwin bowls, perhaps, an entire spell while warming up. His rhythm is good once, the dip is there and the turn is mouth-watering. He begins his second over with one pitching on leg stump from around the wicket that nearly frisks Yuvraj Singh’s edge as it turns square.Daredevils had lost two early wickets. A batting line-up that has lacked in confidence is still 67 runs away from target. Ashwin lures the set batsman Shreyas Iyer into a hoick. The ball soars towards deep midwicket, where Mohit Sharma settles beneath it. He looks nervous about the height it has reached. The night sky is quite clear, though, so he shouldn’t have had much trouble tracking it. But he does. The catch isn’t taken, Super Kings lose their chance to smother the opposition and Shreyas makes an unbeaten match-winning 70 off 49 balls.The glimpse
Small chases require big hands too. Especially from an in-form top-order batsman. Shreyas obliged with his fourth fifty of the season that shut Super Kings out.Daredevils understood his preference for orthodox strokes and an uncomplicated gameplan and made him their opener. But the most striking aspect of his batting is his timing. Evidence for which are a caressed six over long-off and a nudge for four through midwicket in a 20-run over from Ishwar Pandey.He’s breezed past his original target of 300 runs this season, amended it to 400 and now has achieved that too. Mumbai’s highest scorer in the Ranji Trophy, 419 runs now in the IPL to justify his price tag – Rs 2.6 crore (approx US $433,000) made him the highest paid uncapped player of the auction. Expectations are already rising for him – Duminy sees him playing for India in the next two to three years.

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2015M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara led India to some stability with a 63-run, second-wicket partnership•BCCIDean Elgar’s part-time spin provided the breakthrough for South Africa, accounting for Pujara•BCCIKagiso Rabada then struck to remove Virat Kohli for 1 and India went in to lunch at a shaky 82 for 3•BCCIElgar’s strikes hurt India further and the hosts were soon struggling at 154 for 7•BCCIRavindra Jadeja, along with R Ashwin, added 42 for the eighth wicket to push India’s score towards 200. The home side was finally dismissed for 201•BCCIIndia’s spinners pulled things back – Ashwin dismissed Stiaan van Zyl and Jadeja bowled Faf du Plessis – to leave South Africa at 28 for 2 at close of play•BCCI

Sanjay Manjrekar looks back on a gripping fourth day’s play in Delhi, where South Africa blocked their way to 72 for 2 in the face of an imposing fourth-innings target of 481

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2015’Unbelievable that modern batsmen can also play like this’Set a target of 481 by India in Delhi, South Africa played a dour game on the fourth day, setting their sights on a draw. Sanjay Manjrekar was impressed with the technique that Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers showed on the fourth evening and said it was remarkable for modern batsmen – with their exposure to ODIs and T20s – to play this sort of defensive cricket for a prolonged period.1:40

Manjrekar: Unbelievable that modern batsmen can play like this

South Africa did not appear edgy or restless while defending
In the past, South Africa have fought their way through to combative draws and in Delhi, it’s their temperament that could trouble India on the fifth day. Manjrekar stated that both de Villiers and Amla were content to block and were not looking for a loose delivery and, with Faf du Plessis to follow, India will need at least two quick wickets in the morning session to thwart the visitors.1:24

Manjrekar: SA temperament a slight worry for India

Pitch has become more manageable
The first session will be crucial for India from the point of view of the track as well. Manjrekar stated that the pitch had become noticeably more manageable over the last two sessions of the fourth day, a sign that the track could be a slow turner. Some moisture in the track in the morning could give India’s spinners some bite.1:09

Manjrekar: Pitch has become more manageable

‘Ashwin should be proud of his two wickets’
With the track easing out and South Africa playing a calm defensive game, India’s bowlers were tested as they sought wickets in the second innings. Given the circumstances, Manjrekar felt that R Ashwin could be proud of the wickets he took on the fourth day – Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma.1:42

Manjrekar: Ashwin should be proud of his two wickets

‘Rahane one of the world-class batsmen of this generation’
That India were able to set South Africa a target of 481 was in no small part due to Ajinkya Rahane’s second century of the match, a feat only four Indian batsmen had achieved before him. Apart from Rahane’s adept handling of pace and spin, what impressed Manjrekar was the ease with which he could bring out the big shots, without making them seem contrived.1:58

Manjrekar: Rahane one of the world-class batsmen of this generation

The ICC has shifted the India-Pakistan match to Kolkata because of security concerns in Dharamsala, but the PCB has reasons for not yet clearing the departure of its teams

Umar Farooq09-Mar-20165:25

Ugra: Indian politics to blame for game moving

The PCB’s decision to defer the departure of its men’s and women’s teams to the World T20 in India pending “an assurance against specific threats to the Pakistan team from various political parties and groups during the tour”, is the end result of months of dissatisfaction over handling of India-Pakistan cricket ties in India.The PCB’s announcement came shortly after the ICC had conveyed its decision to shift the March 19 World T20 fixture between India and Pakistan from Dharamsala to Kolkata. The change of venue was expected to bring the controversy surrounding the match to an end; the PCB, however, said its teams would not travel unless they were given high-level assurances from India, following an adverse report by its security team which visited Dharamsala and New Delhi over the weekend. The three-man committee which assessed the security situation in Dharamsala described it as ‘unsatisfactory.’The delay of the Pakistani teams’ departures is not a trigger-happy response by the PCB to events of the last 24 hours. It has built up over several months, and reached tipping point when a scheduled meeting in October between the PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan and BCCI officials was cancelled due to anti-Pakistan protests in the BCCI’s Mumbai office. These talks had been arranged to discuss the possibility of a long overdue bilateral series, to be hosted by the PCB. Workers from the Shiv Sena, a regional political party, stormed into the BCCI office in Mumbai, shouting anti-Pakistan slogans. It led to an embarrassing departure for the Pakistani delegation led by Shahryar.BCCI unsure of PCB’s demand for assurance

The BCCI has admitted to being unsure of the nature of security assurances sought by the PCB and said it wouldn’t play ball unless the Pakistan board approached it with its specific requirement. “[We are] not sure what they want,” a BCCI source told ESPNcricinfo. “Let them ask us.”
Asked if the BCCI was losing precious time by waiting for the PCB to make the play, with the prospect of Pakistan boycotting the World T20, the source said: “That is their call.”

The incident led to the PCB losing confidence in BCCI’s handling of what is always a delicate situation as well as public support against pushing for matches versus India. It made headlines in Pakistan, with the PCB being severely criticised by political and cricketing quarters. Taking note of the fiasco, the Pakistan government asked the PCB to adopt caution in travelling to India and to do so only after a favourable prior advisory from the centre. In the case of the World T20, neither India’s central government in New Delhi nor the Himachal Pradesh state government were able to give any clear assurances about the security that would be put into place for the Pakistan teams.The state government of Himachal Pradesh in fact categorically refused to assure full-fledged security to the Pakistan team in Dharamsala, citing protests by ex-servicemen’s families following incidents along the border. Following that, the Pakistan security delegation’s visit did not appear to be taken seriously by the Indian government either.While the ICC had indirectly assured the PCB of full security, it was not accepted because the only direct word from any government in India had come from the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, about being unable to protect the team. When the delegation got to Dharamsala, no security plan was presented to them and they had to insist on a meeting with the deputy police commissioner of the region. There, it is learnt, the delegation found that the deputy commissioner did not have any special instructions from the home minister around security for the Pakistan team.In Delhi, no attempts appeared to have been made by the BCCI to arrange meetings with senior authorities in the central government. The Pakistan delegation spent two days in the Indian capital but were unsuccessful in attempting to establish contact with the Home Ministry to set up a meeting with the Home Minister.These incidents have further soured cricketing relations between the two countries. The PCB’s last two major dealings with the BCCI have been unsatisfactory and led to increasing mistrust. Towards the end of 2015, there was a lack of clarity over playing the bilateral series, with the series abandoned and the BCCI not responding to communiqués from the PCB. India’s silent ditching of the bilaterial series, the PCB say had cost them US$40m.The list of Pakistan’s disenchantment over cricketing relations with India stretches back beyond cricket over almost a year. The Shiv Sena’s protest in the BCCI office was preceded by the cancellation of concerts in India by two Pakistani singers, Atif Aslam and Ghulam Ali, in April and October 2015. A launch of a book written by former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, also in October, was disrupted by right-wing activists attacking one of the organisers with black ink. After more Shiv Sena protests, which occurred during South Africa’s tour of India, Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar and commentators Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram did not travel to Mumbai for an ODI and left the country instead.All of these events have led the PCB to be more stringent about its security demands on the BCCI and the ICC about the World T20. In such a scenario, if these demands are not met, there is every possibility the PCB may consider pulling both squads out of the tournament.

The left-arm spinner has been phenomenal for Sri Lanka in a knockout setting

Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Apr-20165 for 3 against New Zealand, World T20 2014, ChittagongRangana Herath spent the first half of Sri Lanka’s World T20 campaign watching the mystery spinners operate. Finally picked against New Zealand, he spent the first half of the virtual quarter-final watching his team-mates collapse for a woeful 119. Then he sprung off the dugout, ringed the opposition top order with catchers, and delivered perhaps the greatest spell of bowling T20 cricket has yet seen.Even now, two years on, Herath’s dominance of New Zealand that night is difficult to comprehend. Brendon McCullum was virtually bullied into a charge, then promptly stumped. Ross Taylor looked like he wouldn’t have made contact if he had been holding a door instead of a bat. James Neesham had the ball wriggle between bat and pad, and Luke Ronchi nailed by one that straightened.It is also difficult to underestimate the importance of Herath’s performance, because following an unconvincing run in the group stage, this was the spell in which flint struck metal, and Sri Lanka’s campaign caught fire. Eight days later, the team was receiving its triumphant open-top-bus welcome in Colombo’s packed streets.3 for 25 against Pakistan, World T20 2012 semi-final, KhettaramaThat Chittagong performance was not without foreshadowing. In the 2012 World T20, Herath had been left out in three of Sri Lanka’s five opening matches, then brought in for the semi-final, which he helped dramatically turn. Defending 139 on a dustbowl, Herath had Shoaib Malik bowled for 6, but it was in the 15th over that he provided a telling double blow. He had Pakistan’s top-scorer Mohammad Hafeez stumped for 42 and flummoxed Shahid Afridi with a carrom ball, which the batsman played onto his stumps. Herath finished that 16-run win with the game’s best figures. He was then dropped for the final, which Sri Lanka went on to lose.4 for 20 against India, West Indies tri-series final, Port-of-SpainHaving bowled himself into form through the back end of the one-day tri-series, Herath was both miserly and menacing through each of his spells in the final. He first had Dinesh Karthik caught at slip, then worked on the man who was leading India’s chase of 202. Rohit Sharma faced a maiden from Herath in the 27th over, and was bowled by the first ball of the 31st for 58.Herath’s final trip to the crease seemed to have swung the match for Sri Lanka. He had Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin trapped in front with successive deliveries, and at the end of that double-wicket maiden, India were 152 for 7. The other bowlers should have sewed up the tri-series for Sri Lanka, MS Dhoni provided one of his great finishes instead.3 for 36 against Australia in the CB series final, Adelaide In the third, and deciding, final of another one-day tri-series, Herath imposed himself on the match as soon as he was brought on. First ball, he had Matthew Wade caught behind, cutting. Next over, he got the ball to grip off a length, and took out Peter Forrest’s off stump. Through the day, he delivered 10 parsimonious overs, and conceded only three boundaries. Clint McKay holed out to deep midwicket off Herath’s penultimate delivery, and Australia were kept to 231, which Sri Lanka failed to chase down.1 for 23 against India, World T20 2014 final, DhakaThe figures may not seem all that impressive, but never let it be said that this big-match player didn’t contribute in the biggest match he has ever played. His first ball should have dismissed Virat Kohli, but his captain Lasith Malinga dropped the catch at midwicket.Herath moved on though, and began stifling Kohli’s team-mates. He had Rohit hopping about and mistiming the ball, before eventually having him caught at short cover. Even Kohli played out five dot balls in the 13 Herath bowled to him – though he did also advance and smoke two sixes. Despite those big blows, Herath conceded less than a run-a-ball, which is particularly impressive, given he only got to bowl three at Yuvraj Singh.

Imtiaz Ahmed, Pakistan’s oldest living Test cricketer, pays tribute to Hanif Mohammad

Umar Farooq13-Aug-2016″I am sad to hear about his death. He underwent his cancer treatment in England, but he later got better. He was not just a good player, batsman, but a great human being. I don’t remember how many times we batted together, but what I remember about him is his calmness and concentration batting at the other end. Being his team-mate, I really enjoyed watching him driving so delightfully and it was satisfying to see him scoring against the best bowlers.”He knew what exactly he was doing and there were a number of games he saved for Pakistan. Because of him, I played with freedom. He held one end with his composure, and that allowed the person at the other end to play freely. His mind was very focused, and his hand-eye co-ordination worked so well. His technique and judgement about the game were very accurate. He played very fine innings and made the country proud.”I left wicket-keeping after a couple of blows on the forehead and Hanif was the one who used to do it in the early days. However, because he had small hands and the ball was frequently slipping out of his hand, Abdul Kardar [the Pakistan captain] told me to do it. So I took over and after the Test with India in Madras, I kept wicket for Pakistan all the way.”Hanif not only earned his name in cricket, but he became the face of Pakistan and there were people who, regardless of nationality, loved him very much. His services will remain intact and will never be outdated in the history of Pakistan cricket. He will be remembered for long. I pray that his soul rests in peace.”I had a very good cricketing relationship with him. There was a good understanding about the game and while batting together. Otherwise, we didn’t develop any personal relations; we used to talk about cricket and nothing more. The relationship was friendly. I am touching 90s and my memory has gone down already, but there are a lot of good memories with him. I don’t know how interesting that would be for you, but I still remember him in good words. He was a soft-spoken guy and very polite.”That title ‘Little Master’ was well-suited because he was short in height and quite young. I don’t remember him objecting to it, which means he used to enjoy those words about him. His technique was so perfect. Once, the board sent four or five players to England to get coaching from Alf Gover (former England fast bowler), who said this man doesn’t need any coaching as he is perfect and there was nothing Gover could teach him. He was a normal cricketer but played the ball on merit, and his temperament and patience made him extraordinary.”