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Stats highlights from a day dominated by Australia’s openers, and Kane Williamson

S Rajesh07-Nov-20154 Number of consecutive century stands for the first wicket for Australia; David Warner and Chris Rogers had put together century partnerships at Trent Bridge and The Oval in Australia’s last two innings of the 2015 Ashes series, while Warner and Joe Burns added 161 and 237 in this Test. It’s the first time in Test history that any team has managed four successive century partnerships for the first wicket. It’s also the first time any team has had two 150-plus opening partnerships in the same Test, and the first time Australia have had two century stands for the first wicket in a Test.3 Australian opening pairs who have had century stands in each of their first two partnerships in Tests. Warren Bardsley and Herbie Collins, who opened in the 1920s, got 123 and 116 in their first two partnerships, while Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer started with partnerships of 158, 224 and 223 in their first three innings.2 Instances of the same pair getting two 150-plus stands in a Test. The only previous instance was in 1938, by England’s Paul Gibb and Eddie Paynter, who added 184 and 168 against South Africa in Johannesburg.3 Batsmen who have scored a century in each innings of a Test three times. Before Warner, only Sunil Gavaskar and Ricky Ponting had achieved this. Warner had a scored a century in each innings twice in 2014 – against India in Adelaide, and against South Africa in Cape Town.398 Runs added by Warner and Burns in this Test, the fourth-best by an opening pair in a Test.479* Runs scored by Australia’s openers in the match, which equals the third-highest by the openers from a team in a Test. The highest in any Test is 550, by Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs against England at Edgbaston in 2003, while Graham Gooch and Michael Atherton added 536 at Lord’s against India in 1990. England’s Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe also scored exactly 479 against Australia in Melbourne in 1925.4.75 Australia’s run rate in this Test, their best against New Zealand, and their seventh-highest against any team.8 Number of Australian batsmen who have brought up their maiden Test hundred with a six. Before Burns, the others to achieve this were John Benaud, Ian Davis, Greg Mathews, Andrew Symonds, Phil Hughes, Mitchell Johnson, and Steven Smith.1 Number of New Zealand batsmen who have scored more in a Test innings at the Gabba than Kane Williamson’s 140. In New Zealand’s famous win here in 1985, Martin Crowe made 188.8 Number of different opposition teams against whom Williamson has scored at least one Test hundred. The only team missing from the list is Zimbabwe, against whom his highest in three innings is 68. Of his 11 Test hundreds, he has two each against India, Sri Lanka and West Indies, and one each against the others, excluding Zimbabwe.2077 Runs scored by Williamson in all international matches this year, which puts him on top of the list. Joe Root is next on 1934, followed by Steven Smith on 1923. In 2015, Williamson has scored 616 Test runs at an average of 102.66 (with three hundreds in seven innings), 1317 ODI runs at 57.26 (SR 90.32), and 144 T20I runs at 36 (SR 165.51).73.57 Williamson’s Test average since the beginning of 2014. Among batsmen with at least 1000 runs during this period only Smith has a higher average (74.96), while Root is next with an average of 71.20.38.07 New Zealand’s average partnership for each of the last five wickets, in Tests since the beginning of 2014. It’s easily the highest among all teams, and almost 35% better than the next-best, England’s 28.25. For each of the first five wickets, New Zealand’s average stand is 39.48, which is seventh among ten teams.* Nov 8, 1010GMT: This stat has been corrected to include two instances of more runs being scored by openers from a team in a Test.

Stats highlights from the second T20I between South Africa and England at the Wanderers where the hosts won the series 2-0 after chasing 172 in just 14.4 overs.

Bharath Seervi21-Feb-20161 Number of successful run chases of 150 or more in T20Is that have been faster than South Africa’s 88-ball chase in this match. Netherlands had chased a target of 190 in 13.5 overs against Ireland in Sylhet in the qualifying round of the 2014 World T20. South Africa have three of the five quickest such chases. They had chased 169 in 15.5 overs against Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein in October 2010 and 174 against New Zealand in Hamilton in February 2012.4 Consecutive bilateral T20I series without a win for South Africa at home, before this 2-0 win. They had last won against New Zealand by 2-1 in 2012-13. In four series before this, they had lost two and drawn as many. Overall, this was their fourth consecutive unbeaten T20I series played in any country.0 Number of higher successful chases in T20Is losing one or no wickets than South Africa’s win in this match. Only once has a team won a T20I losing one or no wickets when chasing 150-plus: New Zealand’s win against Pakistan in Hamilton earlier this year when they chased down 169 without losing a wicket.88 Runs scored by South Africa in the first six overs – the third-highest in T20Is. The top two in this list are: 91 by Netherlands against Ireland in Sylhet in 2014 and 90 by New Zealand against Scotland at The Oval in the 2009 World T20. Netherlands had to chase the target of 190 in 14.2 overs to qualify for the league stage of World T20 2014 and New Zealand’s was in a seven-over game of which only two were Powerplay overs..21 Number of balls required by AB de Villiers to complete his seventh half-century in T20Is – the fastest for South Africa. The previous record was also by him, in 23 balls against the same opposition in Chittagong in 2014. This is the second-fastest fifty against England in T20Is after Yuvraj Singh’s 12-ball effort in Durban in the 2007 World T20. De Villiers’ opening partner Hashim Amla also completed his half-century in 27 balls and got to his highest score in T20Is; only his second fifty in the format.134 Runs by South Africa in the first ten overs of the innings – the second-highest in T20Is. New Zealand had made 147 against Sri Lanka in Auckland in January this year which is the highest in any T20I in the first ten overs. New Zealand had chased a target of 143 in 10 overs in that game.18 Chris Jordan’s economy in 2.4 overs – the second-worst for a bowler to bowl at least 15 balls in a T20I. He conceded seven fours and two sixes in the 16 deliveries and went wicketless. The previous worst for England was by James Anderson when he conceded 64 runs in four overs – at an economy of 16 – against Australia at the SCG in 2006-07.14 Runs by England’s last six wickets – third-lowest in T20Is. They collapsed from 157 for 3 in 16.2 overs to 171 all out in 19.4 overs. They lost seven wickets in the last four overs of the innings. Only once has a team lost more wickets in the last four overs. Australia lost eight wickets in the last four overs against Pakistan at Gros Islet in the group match in the 2010 World T20.11 Sixes by England in this match – joint second-highest by them in a T20I. Their batsmen hit 15 sixes against New Zealand in Auckland in 2012-13. This was the fifth time they had hit 11 sixes in a T20I. England’s No. 3, 4 and 5 hit 10 sixes combined – two sixes by Joe Root and four each by Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler. Only twice have there been more sixes hit by batsmen at those three positions for a team in T20Is.

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Apr-2016Warner, however, did not cash in and chipped a catch for 13 in the fourth over•BCCIHis opening partner, Shikhar Dhawan, had fallen to Morkel for 6 in the previous over•BCCIKolkata Knight Riders’ seamers built on the early strikes, and reduced Hyderabad to 50 for 4 by the tenth over•BCCIEoin Morgan, however, revived the innings with his first T20 half-century since August 2015•BCCIWicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha contributed 37 in a 67-run partnership with Morgan•BCCIThe stand ended when Ojha mis-hit one to long-on, Andre Russell…•BCCI… and Chawla combing at the edge of the boundary for a spectacular catch•BCCIThe pair then set off on a celebratory run to toast their athleticism•BCCIMorgan eventually fell for a fighting 51 as the hosts posted 142•BCCIComing off a fifty against Mumbai Indians, Gambhir extended his good form•BCCIRobin Uthappa soon settled down and added 92 for the first wicket with his captain…•BCCI…but Uthappa was trapped lbw for 38 and Russell was floored by an inch-perfect yorker from Mustafizur Rahman•BCCIGambhir, though, went to make his 28th IPL half-century, the most by any player in the tournament’s history. He stayed unbeaten on 90 to see his team home•BCCI

Or how to infuse extra meaning into Anderson’s five-fors and Sri Lanka’s sub-100 total

Andy Zaltzman02-Jun-2016For the first Confectionery Stall post of the summer, a statistical stat-quiz on the first two Tests. Prize: a bonus stat, if you get all the stat-answers correct. No cheating or conferring please. Without prior written permission.1. James Anderson (2016 v Sri Lanka), Monty Panesar (2007 v West Indies), Angus Fraser (1998 v South Africa), Ian Botham (1981 v Australia and 1978 v Pakistan), Bob Willis (1977 v Pakistan). These men are the only England bowlers since 1970 to have done what?
(a) Bowled an entire wicket maiden whilst holding their breath.
(b) Recited a complete Shakespeare sonnet during a press conference.
(c) Taken three or more five-wicket hauls in a home series.
(d) Clean-bowled Misbah-ul-Haq.
(e) Celebrated a wicket by breakdancing.
Answer: (c)Anderson joins an illustrious list of bowlers with three or more five-fors in a series in England. The overseas bowlers to have achieved this since 1970 are Shane Warne (2001, 2005), Glenn McGrath (2001), Allan Donald (1998), Waqar Younis (1992), Terry Alderman (1981, 1989), and Malcolm Marshall (1984, 1988).The last England bowler to take three five-wicket hauls in any series was Ryan Sidebottom in New Zealand in 2007-08.If Anderson takes another five-for at Lord’s, he will become the first fast bowler to take four five-fors in any series since McGrath in the 2001 Ashes, and the first England seamer to do so since Fred Trueman against the 1963 West Indians. Since 2001, three spinners have taken four five-fors in a series. Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan each took four five-fors in the Sri Lanka v Australia series in March 2004, and R Ashwin has done so twice in home series in India, against Australia and South Africa.2. In the first Test in Leeds, England became the first team since 2002 to win a Test match despite failing to do which two of the following things?
(a) Any practice whatsoever.
(b) Have Danny Morrison’s commentary streamed into their helmets via special headphones whilst batting.
(c) Sacrifice a goat in their dressing room, to bring good luck from the gods of Mount Olympus, before the first session on day one.
(d) Score 300 runs in the match.
(e) Eat.
(f) Yoga.
(g) Have any runs scored by their Nos. 3 and 4 batsmen.Answer: (d) and (g)England’s 298 runs in their only innings at Headingley was the lowest match-winning aggregate since New Zealand scored 94 all out and 160 for 6 to defeat India in Hamilton in the second Test of a startlingly low-scoring two-match series in December 2002, 13 and a half years and 570 Test matches ago. The Kiwis had also won the first Test with a sub-300 match total, making 247 and 33 for 0 to win by ten wickets, as India – with Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman – failed to score more than 161 in any of their four innings. One of Test cricket’s odder series.England’s win was the tenth Test victory with a sub-300 match total since the 1950s, a tough batting decade that featured 13 such low-scoring triumphs. (I am not counting England’s Hansie-Cronje’s-magic-jacket-effected victory in Centurion in 1999-2000, when England declared their first innings at 0 for 0 off 0.0 overs.)England were also the third team ever to win a Test despite their Nos. 3 and 4 scoring zero runs in the match. Australia beat Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 1998-99 though Justin Langer and Mark Waugh both bagged ducks in their only innings, and England beat the hapless 1957 West Indians at Lord’s, by an innings, with Tom Graveney and Peter May contributing nothing whatsoever with the bat. Joe Root’s and Nick Compton’s noughts at Headingley followed in this glorious tradition. The exciting news for the under-pressure Compton is that the other five batsmen involved in this stat have all gone on to score at least nine Test hundreds, and average over 40, so Compton’s apparent failure in Leeds should, if the selectors are on top of their numbers, have booked his place in the team for the next five or six years at least.3. Also in Leeds, James Anderson became the seventh bowler in Test history to take five or more wickets for less than 30 runs in both innings of a Test. Which two of the following never achieved this rare feat?
(a) 1950s England spinster Tony Lock.
(b) Post-war Australian left-arm medium-pacer Ernie Toshack.
(c) Occasional Indian medium-pacer MS Dhoni.
(d) Aged inter-wars baggy-green tweakmeister Bert Ironmonger.
(e) Early 20th-century Kent and England all-round cricketing artwork Frank Woolley.
(f) SF Barnes, pre-First-World-War bowler extraordinaire.
(g) Johnny Briggs, very much the 19th-century Morke Morkel (but English, a foot shorter, left-handed, and a spinner) (and with a Test century to his name).
(h) Former North Korean despot and loonster Kim Jong Il.
Answer: (c) and (h)The others all took two sub-30 five-fors in a Test, most recently Lock in 1957 against a West Indian team that struggled horrifically against a great English bowling attack, despite featuring, among others, not one, not two but three of the three Ws, plus a young Garfield Sobers and Rohan Kanhai.Dhoni managed a pair of creditable sub-30 nought-fors at Lord’s in 2011. Kim Jong Il claimed to have golfed his way to an all-time universe record round of 38 under par, and would no doubt have taken two single-figure ten-fors if he had ever played Test cricket. Sadly cricket was never lucky enough to see him do so. Just as golf was never lucky enough to actually see him ever hit a golf ball.Wicketkeepers now hunt in pairs•Getty Images4. Pakistan in 1954, New Zealand in 1958 and 1973, Zimbabwe in 2000, and now Sri Lanka in 2016, all made what strategic mistake at the start of their Test series in England?
(a) They were bowled out for under 100 in their first innings of the series, the only touring sides in England since the war to suffer that indignity.
(b) Due to an administrative mix-up, they went on a pre-match team-bonding scuba-diving outing in their cricket kit, and had to bat in wetsuits and flippers on day one of the Test series.
(c) Their captain called “tummies” at the first toss of the series, instead of “heads” or “tails”, thus automatically forfeiting the choice of whether to bat or bowl.
Answer: (a) Sri Lanka were also the first team to be bowled out for under 120 twice in the same Test in England since the hapless New Zealanders of 1958 (and before them the hapless 1957 West Indians), and the first anywhere since the hapless 2005 Zimbabweans, against New Zealand. The 14 runs scored by the Sri Lankan Nos. 7 to 11 in Leeds was the equal third-lowest sum contributed by a team’s 7 to 11 in a completed Test, behind the 13 runs anti-amassed by the West Indies lower order when being unceremoniously horsed by Australia in the first Test in Trinidad in 1999, and the seven runs stockpiled by those hapless 1957 West Indians at The Oval, although they were haplessly without captain John Goddard, who was injured and couldn’t bat at all, let alone haplessly.5. Why have people been comparing Moeen Ali to David Gower?
(a) Because people like to compare people to other people. It is just the way we are as a species.
(b) Because of their luxuriant left-handed strokemaking, and a throwback elegance that must have Neville Cardus stroking his typewriter in his grave.
(c) Because both men are on the list of 29 Bowlers Who Have Taken Wickets In Their Only Over Of A Test Match.

(d) Because neither is as good an offspinner as Graeme Swann was.Answer: All of the aboveIn Leeds, Moeen, with a match analysis of 1-0-2-1, joined an illustrious list of sole-over wicket-takers, including not only Gower but Len Hutton, Ian Chappell, Viv Richards, and Sachin Tendulkar (twice), plus recent additions Chris Gayle, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson.6: Which six of the following rare, or relatively rare, occurrences happened in the Durham Test?
(a) Pterodactyl laid egg on outfield during tea interval.
(b) A spinner bowled the first ball of a Test innings in England.
(c) A team that followed on improved by more than 350 runs in its second innings.
(d) Seven of a Sri Lankan top eight scored 25 or more in the same innings in a Test outside Asia.
(e) An England batsman scored his 10,043rd Test run.
(f) England’s Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 all scored at least 35 in the same innings.
(g) Scouts from all 20 Premier League football teams snuck into a Test ground to watch the teams warm up with a pre-play kickabout.
(h) A team registered its second score of 150 or more by a No. 7 in the same year.

(i) TV umpire asked for the footage of a referred lbw appeal to be “jazz-funked” instead of “rock-and-rolled”.

(j) A wicketkeeper became the second gloveman to score a century in the series.Answer: (b), (c), (d), (f), (h) and (j)Explanations:
(a) Never happens any more. Health and safety. Thank you, Brussels.
(b) In England’s second innings, Rangana Herath became the first visiting spinner to bowl the first ball of a Test innings in England since Mushtaq Mohammad did so for Pakistan in 1967.

(c) Sri Lanka’s 374-run improvement was the fifth biggest by a team that had followed on, although it was well short of the record of 551, set when Hanif Mohammad went block-crazy and batted for an eternity in Barbados in January 1958. Pakistan, bowled out for 106 in their first innings, then made 657 for 8 declared in 319 overs. Second place is held by the 486-run upgrade wrought by the Laxman-Dravid miracle in Kolkata in March 2001 (171 all out; 657 for 7 declared).

(d) Had never happened before.

(e) Has never happened. Yet. Will probably happen. Sooner or later.
(f) Fourth such occurrence in Tests by England, and 25th in all by any team.

(g) A matter of time.

(h) Moeen Ali’s 155 not out (the second highest by a Seven in England, after Joe Hardstaff jr’s 169 not out in England’s 903 for 7 declared Oval run-fest in 1938) followed Jonny Bairstow’s unbeaten 150 in Cape Town in the first week of January. No team had previously posted two 150 scores by Sevens in one year.
(i) A matter of time.
(j) Chandimal and Bairstow became the 14th pair of keepers from opposite sides to make hundreds in the same series, and the third to do so in England (after Prasanna Jayawardene and Matt Prior in the 2011 series between these same two countries, and Godfrey Evans and Clyde Walcott in the England v West Indies series in 1950). Five of the 14 instances worldwide have happened this decade, including in England’s previous series, when Bairstow and South Africa’s Quinton de Kock scored hundreds. Five happened in the previous decade, two in the 1990s, one in the 1980s, and the 1950 occurrence was the only one in the first 100 years of Test cricket.If you answered all of the questions correctly, you win a bonus stat. Here it is:● Since the Oval Test last August, English batsman have reached 80 on 13 occasions. Seven of these innings have ended in the 80s (54%; in Test history, 18% of batsmen who have reached 80 have been out before reaching 90). Five of the other six innings have reached at least 140 (the historic rate of 80s converted into 140s is 26% [excluding all not out innings between 80 and 139]). Lesson: do not let England batsmen get into the Nervous Nineties.

Also, declining the follow-on, most away hundreds, and stumped twice in a Test

Steven Lynch02-Aug-2016Have England – or anyone else – ever had a bigger lead than the 391 they had against Pakistan, and not enforced the follow-on?! asked Jared Kingsford from Australia

England have declined to enforce the follow-on on two occasions with a bigger lead than the 391 they had at Old Trafford last week. In Kingston in 1929-30 they led West Indies by 563, but still didn’t make them bat again, instead setting a target of 836. This was a timeless Test, so there was some logic behind the England captain Freddie Calthorpe’s apparently inhumane decision – although he still didn’t win, as West Indies had reached 408 for 5 when the match was left drawn after nine days as the England team had to catch the boat home. In another timeless Test, in Brisbane in 1928-29, England batted again despite a lead of 399 – and went on to win by a record 675 runs. The other two instances of a team not enforcing the follow-on despite a lead higher than 391 were both by Australia against England in recent years: in Brisbane in 2006-07 they led by 445 but batted again, while in Adelaide in 2013-14 they went in again despite being 398 in front on first innings. Australia won both Tests comfortably.Is R Ashwin the first Indian to score a hundred and take seven wickets in an innings in a Test? asked Sunitha Shetty from Bangladesh

With 113 and 7 for 83 against West Indies in Antigua last week, R Ashwin was indeed the first Indian – and only the third man from any country – to ally a seven-for to a century in the same Test. Ian Botham actually did it twice: he made 108 and took 8 for 34 against Pakistan at Lord’s in 1978, then in the Golden Jubilee Test against India in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1979-80 he claimed 7 for 48 (and 6 for 58) to add to an innings of 114. The only other instance was by the old Australian allrounder Jack Gregory, with 100 and 7 for 69 against England in Melbourne in 1920-21. There have been several further instances of a bowler scoring a century and taking five wickets in an innings: Ashwin had done this before, against West Indies in Mumbai in 2011-12, and followed Vinoo Mankad (against England at Lord’s in 1952) and Polly Umrigar (v West Indies in Port-of-Spain in 1961-62) in achieving the feat for India.All ten Pakistan wickets in the first innings at Old Trafford were out caught. How often has this happened in Tests? asked Chris Goodwin from Italy

This isn’t terribly rare: as this list shows, there had been 68 previous occasions when all ten batsmen in a Test innings were caught. The first time it happened was in Australia’s second innings against England in Melbourne in 1903-04. The record number of catches in a single Test (both sides) is 33, by Australia (18) and India (15) in Perth in 1991-92.Sachin Tendulkar has scored 29 Test centuries away from home•Getty ImagesHas anyone been stumped in both innings of a Test? asked James Bourne from England

There have now been 19 instances of a batsman being stumped in both innings of a Test match. The most recent case was Kemar Roach of West Indies, stumped twice by Kusal Perera off Rangana Herath in Galle in October 2015. The one before that saw Zimbabwe’s Chris Mpofu collect a pair, also against Sri Lanka, in Harare in 2005. Those last two were at least tailenders: rather surprisingly, there have been two opening batsmen who were stumped in both innings as well! They were England’s Tom Hayward (against South Africa at Headingley in 1907) and Bert Sutcliffe of New Zealand (against West Indies in Christchurch in 1955-56).Who has scored the most centuries in Tests away from home? asked Mubbashir Hassan from Pakistan

Not surprisingly perhaps, the leader here is Test cricket’s overall leading run (and century) scorer, Sachin Tendulkar, who made 29 of his 51 Test hundreds outside India. Next come Rahul Dravid with 21, Jacques Kallis with 20, and Sunil Gavaskar with 18. Of current players Alastair Cook has scored 15 hundreds away from home, and Younis Khan 14 (this counts the UAE as home territory for Pakistan). Don Bradman made 11 centuries in just 19 overseas Tests, all of them in England, putting him ahead on percentage (just to compare, Tendulkar played 106 overseas Tests and Dravid 94). Given a qualification of 20 innings, Bradman averaged 102.84 in away Tests; Ken Barrington comes next with 69.18, then Wally Hammond with 66.32. After the first Test in Sri Lanka, Steve Smith averaged 59.78.Yasir Shah conceded 266 runs in the second Test at Old Trafford. Was this any kind of record? asked Stewart Allan from England

Yasir Shah comes in well down this particular table, the 266 runs he conceded at Old Trafford putting him equal 24th overall on a list headed by another legspinner, the West Indian Tommy Scott, who finished with match figures of 9 for 374 (5 for 266 and 4 for 108) against England in a timeless Test in Kingston in 1929-30. Only two Pakistanis have conceded more runs than Yasir’s 266 – Saqlain Mushtaq took 5 for 286 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1996-97, while Haseeb Ahsan, another offspinner, claimed 3 for 275 against West Indies in Georgetown in 1957-58. Only two bowlers have conceded more runs while taking only one wicket: slow left-armer Chuck Fleetwood-Smith took 1 for 298 (the record for one innings) as England ran up 903 for 7 against Australia at The Oval in 1938, while India’s Rajesh Chauhan finished with 1 for 276 in Colombo in 1997-98, as Sri Lanka broke that 1938 Test record by scoring 952 for 6.Send in your questions using our feedback form.

Indore has a rich cricketing history and a ground right in the middle of the city. Both factors are expected to contribute to healthy crowds when the Holkar Stadium makes its Test debut on Saturday

Sidharth Monga in Indore05-Oct-2016The October heat of Indore is considered to be cruel. It is the second wind to the Indian summer, but it is certainly no Indian Summer. The heat can turn a deer black, it is said. So when it rains during this period, it is usually welcomed. However, the couple of hundred people working inside the Holkar Stadium here want it to rain as much as it wants now but not during the weekend or early next week.Madhya Pradesh is often referred to as , India’s heart. Literal translation of the name of the state is central province. The jungles of MP provided Rudyard Kipling fertile ground for his imagination of . The state’s street food alone is worth the travel. The Gond tribe’s eponymous paintings are recognised the world over. This state has given India such musical geniuses as Tansen and Kishore Kumar. India’s first Test captain, CK Nayudu, and their first centurion in an away Test, Syed Mushtaq Ali, came from here. From the mid-40s to mid-50s this state’s team, then known as Holkar, made it to 10 Ranji Trophy finals, winning four of them. More than 60 years on, Indore is gearing up to host India’s second-largest state’s first Test match.It is ironic that what could prove to be the cricket-ruling elitists’ final move is to take Test cricket away from the elite venues. It can be argued it is already a belated decision, but no ground deserves a Test debut more than Indore’s Holkar Stadium. Walk in three days before the Test, and you will see every seat in the stands being washed with soap. Yes, actual soap. To wash plastic seats and wooden benches for the common public, not the members area. In an Indian ground. Some of the other grounds fail to provide soap in the toilets. Holkar Stadium could do without this final touch-up because it is arguably the cleanest stadium in India. No cigarette butts, no stains, no litter. Walk into some of the other, more legendary grounds, and you have to sit with nose covered even on match days.Indore is a good idea because it is lucky enough to have its cricket ground bang in the middle of the city. The Holkars, the Maratha kings who ruled over this area since the mid-18th century, were patrons of the sport, and donated this land, which now belongs to the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association. There is a tennis complex in the vicinity, and various other sports associations are housed in this area too.The ground has all the facilities Test cricket needs. It is known for a pitch with good bounce in first-class cricket. Good seamers and good batsmen do well here, but for Test cricket replace spinners with seamers, as is, fairly, expected.The curator, Samandar Singh Chauhan, is the answer to the trivia question, “Who rolled out the two pitches in two different cities for the first two double-centuries in ODI cricket?”, but he is more than that. Team innings in this Test might not be too much bigger than 200. Outside international cricket, though, this is considered to be one of the best pitches in India. It offers good bounce despite being composed of black clay, but the moment Chauhan came to know that this year’s Ranji matches would be played at neutral venues, he provided two red-soil pitches for Madhya Pradesh to prepare on should they have to play many games in the West Zone.There are nice touches to this ground. Sanjay Jagdale, a long-time BCCI administrator who is reluctantly into another – and final, he says – term as MPCA president, started working on this ground in the late 1990s. In the mid-2000s this stadium was ready for action. Before Chennai did it, this stadium had an Adelaide Oval-like roof. Before Mumbai did it, this stadium provided an unobstructed view from the stands. With a natural slope downhill from the centre, extensive covers, and two Super Soppers, this ground should prove to be one of the best-draining venues in India.Being a new ground, its clean slate offers nice personal touches. One half of the stands are named after India legends – Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Vijay Hazare and Ajit Wadekar. Local legends such as Nayudu and Chandu Sarwate have stands named after them in the other half. Dressing rooms are named after two greats born in Madhya Pradesh: MAK Pataudi and Rahul Dravid. The gates are named after Madhya Pradesh stalwarts Narendra Hirwani, Rajesh Chauhan and Amay Khurasiya. The commentary box is named after the Hindi commentator Sushil Doshi. Umpire Narendra Menon’s name adorns the umpires’ room; his son Nitin will be the fourth umpire for this Test. At 32, one of the younger umpires from India, he will walk out of the room named after his father come Saturday and will take charge of the ground once the curators hand it over to the match officials.Should there be any doubt, as created by the BCCI threat on Tuesday to not go ahead with the series, a visit to the ground will dispel it. The broadcasters are installing their cables as per schedule, which is a big indicator that no such pull-out is going to happen. There was momentary nervousness – the ground has hosted ODIs and IPL before, but Test cricket is the big thing – but Jagdale is too experienced an administrator to not know that this threat wasn’t going to be carried out. While at the BCCI, before he resigned on moral grounds during the IPL corruption scandal, he was one of the early proponents of the idea of taking Test cricket to smaller venues. He says upwards of 18,000 season tickets have already been sold. The stadium can hold more than 25,000. If half the ticket holders and those who have to be obliged with complimentary passes turn up every day, it will be a success.If Indore turns out to be a success, it won’t necessarily stand for the larger success of taking Test cricket to new venues. This just happens to be a centrally located, clean, and welcoming ground. The real test for non-traditional venues will arrive when people will be asked to travel for upwards of half an hour outside Pune, Rajkot and Ranchi, with poor public transport and parking facilities.

The former Mumbai captain on his recovery from a traumatic car accident how a spell that caught Dilip Vengsarkar’s eye made the difference

Sairaj Bahutule14-Dec-2016I lost hope of playing cricket after being involved in a tragic car accident in July 1990. I was badly inured, but also lost a friend of mine [Vivek Singh, son of singers Jagjit and Chitra Singh]. I had broken my femur, and had a major fracture on my right leg, and needed to have a steel rod inserted in my leg. I also slipped into coma. It was very, very tough.Somehow I persisted, and my parents’ influence helped me. My father Vasant, who played Ranji Trophy for Maharashtra, kept supporting me and believed I could get back to playing cricket. Recovering physically is one thing, then playing cricket is a different thing. One has to be stronger than normal to overcome such an accident, and that’s where my parents came in to the scene.That situation made me a determined player and a person. Every day I would wake up and just wanted to work extremely hard and achieve something. The steel rod was removed a year after my accident as as it used to hurt my glute area, and then I joined BCA-Mafatlal camp headed by coach Frank Tyson. That was a turning point; that camp was where I got my physical fitness levels high and got stronger.During running and training, my leg used to hurt, but I overcame it. I used to train for about seven hours in a day; we used to have practice in the morning and then later in the evening. In the evening, I used to make the extra effort of going to the gym to get stronger.The turning point was an Under-19 tournament in Mumbai, where I picked up 19 wickets in three matches, including a seven-wicket haul against Maharashtra Under-19s. Dilip Vengsarkar was impressed, and was very headstrong in making me play for the senior Mumbai team straightaway. By that time, I recall I was picked in the India Under-19 squad against New Zealand as well.Shishir Hattangadi was my first captain when I joined the Mumbai senior team. I was in Podar college, and Hattangadi was also from Podar college, so it was comforting to have his presence. His encouragement was very helpful.I was very nervous, and my Ranji Trophy debut didn’t sink in till much later. It was surreal to share the dressing room with the same stalwarts who players of my generation grew up watching. We batted first and made 500-plus runs against Gujarat in Surat. Jatin Paranjpe who was also from Podar college, and Vinod [Kambli] hit hundreds. Jatin was my senior at college, and we practiced a lot together. The Podar nets was the best in Matunga, and we were more than happy to make our debuts together for Mumbai.I knew Vinod from schools cricket. We had played a lot of matches opposite each other. I played for St Xavier’s School, and Vinod and Sachin made that famous 664 partnership against our team in the Harris Shield. Then I played together with Vinod on Under-17 and Under-19 tours; he was a tremendous player.I took four wickets in my first Ranji match, and remember Zubin Bharucha taking a very good catch at mid-off from my bowling. It came off a top edge. Once I got a couple of wickets, I settled down. Gujarat managed to hang on for a draw in the end.When I sit back right now, I will have to say the Ranji debut was a dream come true.To wear the Mumbai cap, the lion on the Mumbai sleeve is an amazing feeling. So many greats have played for Mumbai. Sometimes you wonder whether you really deserve it, but something in me struck Vengsarkar sir.God has been kind to me. After that accident, I had a good first-class career, and went onto play for India too. Now, I am able to help youngsters as a coach. I have no regrets at all. It has been an amazing journey.

A cricketing profile of the Australia allrounder who nearly pulled off an incredible chase of 287 in Auckland, after chipping in with three wickets

Brydon Coverdale30-Jan-2017A top-order batsman
He might have scored his remarkable ODI hundred from No.7 in the batting order, but Stoinis is a batting allrounder who has spent most of his domestic career near the top of the order. In his first two first-class matches he opened the batting, and since then has generally slotted in at No.3. In fact, the only times he has ever batted outside the top four in first-class cricket have come when playing for Australia A.A Western Australian
Victoria is where Stoinis has made his name, but he began his career in Western Australia, where he was born and raised. He debuted for Western Australia in 2009, but never really held down a spot in the state side and moved to Victoria, where he earned his first contract in 2013.A man who learnt to believe in himself
When Stoinis moved to Melbourne, he signed with the Northcote Club and strong performances there earned him a call into the Victoria side. In 2015, the Northcote Club president told the of Stoinis: “Really he struggled from a mental approach more than a cricket thing. Now it’s his biggest asset. His focus is phenomenal. It gets back to belief. He just believes there is no one in Premier Cricket who can get him out.”A consistent performer
Since the start of 2014, only four men have scored more Sheffield Shield runs than Stoinis: Adam Voges, Michael Klinger, Cameron Bancroft and Peter Handscomb. In that time, Stoinis has made 1855 at 40.32, with three hundreds and 15 half-centuries.One of a good crop
Stoinis was part of Australia’s team at the Under-19 World Cup in 2008. They might not have won the tournament but they certainly blooded a few future stars. Steven Smith, Phillip Hughes, James Faulkner, James Pattinson and Josh Hazlewood were also in the squad at that World Cup.An allrounder recalled
Before this Auckland match, Stoinis had played two internationals for Australia – an ODI and a T20, both during the 2015 tour of England. There was no evidence from those two matches to suggest an innings like this was on the cards, though: his aggregate in the two games was just 14 runs.An IPL player
Stoinis might only just have made his name in international cricket, but the Kings XI Punjab were happy to sign him for INR 55 lakhs (approx. $82,000) last year. Stoinis played seven matches in the tournament and scored 146 runs at 36.50 and collected eight wickets at 24.25.

Younis Khan talks about Misbah-ul-Haq, and how they forged Pakistan’s most iconic partnership in recent times

Younis Khan12-May-2017Misbah and I go a long way back, to before the time he became captain. In the 2006 Champions Trophy, when Inzamam-ul-Haq was banned and I went as captain, I had wanted Misbah in the team. I knew his background, I knew he was doing well domestically and I was a big believer in him.Then in 2007, he made that really strong comeback at the World T20. It was a really difficult decision for the selection committee to drop Mohammad Yousuf and bring Misbah in. That must have put a lot of pressure on him, but the way he came in and played, on unfamiliar South African pitches – and won matches for us – was amazing.He told me at the time that he had worked really hard, not just for a few months but over the previous three years to get back into the Pakistan side. He had been going to the National Cricket Academy every day, he said. It was his bad luck that we had such a strong middle order at the time; that’s why he didn’t get many opportunities. But, as they say, whatever happens does so for the better.So I wasn’t surprised when he came back as captain against South Africa in 2010. It wasn’t easy, that series. When we were playing that last day in Dubai, I remember talking to Misbah in the dressing room and on the pitch. We knew that this was a very new, inexperienced side and if one of us got out, then South Africa could win the Test. Even when the last hour started, they wanted to play on a little, so it was pretty tense. That partnership to save the Test set the tone for us, allowing us to put together many century partnerships.The partnership in Dubai against South Africa in 2010 set the tone for Younis and Misbah•AFPWe were successful together because of the way we are as people. My batting style is quite different to his but we complemented each other well. The experiences that have shaped us are similar -­ his background, his career playing first-class cricket, the fact that we both struggled early on, and that was always with us when we batted: the fact that we had come through it. The other thing that was in our minds is that we wanted to serve the team. We were the seniors and we wanted to lead from the front.I learnt from Misbah that if I wanted to get a performance out of someone, I had to let them do it – to give them independence and not interfere, especially the younger players. Misbah did that. If a player was making mistakes, he would go up and chat a little, but mostly he would let them do what they need to do.We have a healthy respect for each other. The way Misbah respects Younis Khan, I want to respect him and his family even more. If you watch my Sydney Test hundred then you can see his son cheering. The way he got happy, how he celebrated for my hundred; that is that respect and I’ve tried to return that respect to him and his family.I’m not surprised he did so well as captain. He is a very strong character. At his age, to be able to maintain fitness, and to be able to keep performing, you can see his commitment. We could not say often that he was out of form. Whatever else happened, he kept performing with the bat, leading by example, right from the front. That is the most important thing for a leader. His attitude has been very important. He is very calm.Sometimes people say aggression is everything, but I think the calmness Misbah has shown, towards the Pakistan Cricket Board, his game and the team, has been vital to his success. We are humans, of course, and a leader is under a lot of pressure. On the ground or in the dressing room, off and on, he does get angry, but the calmness is there for everyone to see.Out on the field, I have never tried to impose myself on him. I am a strong believer that the leader, whoever he is, should take decisions by himself. That is why he is the leader. Misbah is not a young leader. He has led departments, associations and Pakistan A. If he called on me on the field, I always gave him my honest opinion and advice. That element of trust has been very important.Off the field, we’ve been fishing together a few times. We did it in New Zealand last year. He really enjoyed it as well. In 2008-09, we had a home series and held a camp – we did a lot of fishing then as well.Read Misbah on Younis here

Alastair Cook gobbled up several more records during one of his most memorable Test knocks – suggesting there could still be plenty more to come

George Dobell at the MCG28-Dec-20171:53

‘Never write off a champion’ – Hussey

When Brian Keenan, the Irish writer, was finally released after four-and-a-half years as a hostage in Beirut, he famously said he was going to celebrate by “making love to every woman in the world”.Alastair Cook must know that feeling. Well, maybe not that feeling. But if you substitute Keenan’s lust for Cook’s desire for runs, you probably get the picture.Cook has, over recent times, become familiar with a sense of famine, drought and frustration when it has come to his Test career. And, having gone 10 Test innings without reaching 40, having reached 50 once in 14 innings and made one century in his last 27, the hunger had grown to a ravenous extent.That famine is over. Here he gorged and feasted until the runs were stuck in his teeth and dribbling down his chin. He will be belching and sweating them for days.In the course of this innings – an innings that could yet see him become the first man to carry his bat for England in a Test since Mike Atherton did so against New Zealand in February 1997 – he passed numerous milestones. The highest score by an overseas player at the MCG (surpassing Viv Richards): check. A fifth double-century (of England players only Wally Hammond, with seven, has more): check. A rise into the top six run-scorers in Test cricket: check. In this innings alone he went past Mahela Jayawardene, Shiv Chanderpaul and Brian Lara on that list.If he plays for another 18 months – and really, why wouldn’t he? – it is likely only Sachin Tendulkar will remain ahead of him. He has been on the pitch for every over of this match to date – that’s all 263 of them – and was still running threes deep into the final session. He wasn’t going to let a scrap go to waste.Alastair Cook moved up to sixth on the all-time Test runs chart•ESPNcricinfo LtdMore importantly, he has given his side an excellent chance of avoiding the whitewash that, at lunch on the first day, had loomed into view. He might even have given them an outside chance of forcing a win though, on a slow pitch that looks as if it will not break up, that may prove tough. More than that, he has given England’s long-suffering supporters some reward for their time and expense (or for staying up all night) and, yes, he has probably extended his own career.Cook was, he admits, in danger of being dropped. This is his 149th match in succession (and 151st in all), closing in on Allan Border’s record of 153 consecutive caps. But, as he put it, he “hadn’t delivered” of late. And the doubts that always linger in the shadows were beginning to gather and circle.”I’ve always felt as though I have the backing of the selectors,” Cook said. “But you’ve still got to deliver the goods and I hadn’t done that on this tour.”Could I have been dropped? I don’t know. They would have been entitled to drop me, just because I literally hadn’t scored a run since Edgbaston.”Did I doubt myself? 100%. I’ve doubted myself for 12 years. I’ll probably continue to doubt myself. The longer it [the poor run] goes, the harder it gets. It’s not much fun when you don’t know where your next run is coming from.”But that’s why I’m proud now. That century was one of my more emotional ones from where I have been on this tour. It meant a lot and I’m quite proud to back it up again today.”

I did have nothing to lose. You have less to lose when your highest score has been 30. So yes, I played a bit more positively

Of course, the caveats that applied to the praise of Cook on day two, apply on day three. This pitch is slow and this attack, without Mitchell Starc, is significantly impoverished. He was dropped twice – though both chances were fiendishly tough – and, for most of the first half of the innings, Pat Cummins was under the weather and below his best. The Ashes have gone, too, and with them just a fraction of the intensity of the Australia performance. As Cook put it: “It’s a shame this innings has come three or four weeks too late. I’ll have to live with that for a long time. It’s very frustrating.”But only three men in either innings have reached 30. And only one other has reached 80. It would be churlish in the extreme to begrudge Cook the praise and respect his achievements deserve. The debate over whether he is a great player will probably last forever – it’s true he doesn’t look like one for extended periods of time – but that record (no regular opening batsman has scored more runs in the history of Test cricket) demands respect.And, if he might well be the least naturally talented of the top 10 Test run-scorers (in terms of his range of stroke or the ease with which the game seems to come to him, anyway; there’s plenty of talent in his mental strength, his resilience and his determination), isn’t there something quite incredible and demanding of respect about the way in which he has achieved so much with so little?In some ways this was a most untypical Cook innings. While a couple of his previous Test double-centuries have been notable for the lack of attractive or even especially memorable strokes – the epic against India at Edgbaston is a case in point – this one contained some lovely batting. The lofted drive over the head of Nathan Lyon, a shot Cook played a bit in India in 2012 but one that he had mainly reserved for white-ball cricket, was especially pleasing, while the stroke that brought up his 200 – a straight drive back past the bowler (the luckless, flightless Jackson Bird) was a thing of beauty. And you don’t say that about Cook very often. If he has made a more attractive Test century, it is hard to recall it. “Most of my runs are pretty ugly runs,” he said. “It’s quite hard work.”He put this performance down to a sense of freedom gained from an understanding that, as Bob Dylan once sang, “when you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose”.Alastair Cook takes the applause as he leaves the field•Getty Images”I did have nothing to lose,” Cook said. “You have less to lose when your highest score has been 30. If you keep doing the same stuff… So yes, I played a bit more positively.”You get a few times in your career where you get into a bit of rhythm at the crease where time flies by. On this tour, batting for half an hour has felt like two hours. For some reason, the last 10 hours have gone quickly.”It may be relevant that he was given free-flowing support by Stuart Broad, too. With the Australia bowlers seemingly overly fixated on the short-ball approach to Broad, he was given an opportunity to premediate his strokes. He was a bit lucky, for sure, but he also hit a few sweetly. It was the first time he had been involved in a century partnership since July 2013, a year before he was hit in the face by a bouncer from Varun Aaron – and only his second half-century since then. It may well prove to have been the stand that took the game out of reach of Australia. Cook and Broad came together with England just 46 ahead; by the time they were parted that lead was 146. And the fact it barely took 20 overs served to irritate and dispirit the Australia attack a little more.They may face more work on the fourth morning, even with just one wicket standing. There is a case, at least, for batting on not just for the extra runs but the chance to force Australia’s bowlers into another morning of warm-ups and another session where they have to pull on their bowling boots. It might, too, disturb the preparation of Australia’s openers just a little, if they are forced to field for a few minutes in the morning. They won’t relish it, that is for sure.They won’t relish seeing more of Cook, either. One innings doesn’t save his series or prove that he can still prosper in tough circumstances and on quicker pitches. But it does suggest his hunger for the game remains undimmed. England would be delighted to see more of such gluttony in the months ahead.