Makhaya Ntini was special not just because he was the first black African cricketer to play for South Africa, but because he bore the responsibility with such grace that South Africans of all colour embraced him

Firdose Moonda at Moses Mabhida Stadium09-Jan-2011He ran out of the tunnel, cap raised in one hand, to the loudest cheer of his life. He saluted them – the people who had turned him into one of the best-loved sporting personalities in South Africa, the people who had arrived in their thousands to see him one last time, and the people who called him their hero. Then, with a wave and a bow, he said goodbye.Makhaya Ntini – ‘the darling of South African cricket’ – did not take a single wicket in his last hurrah, but no one cared. Most people were blissfully unaware of the cricket match going on and spent the entire Indian innings worshipping Ntini’s every move. It was his day after all and nothing else mattered. Not Rohit Sharma’s half century, not Morne van Wyk’s, not even that Ntini’s four overs for 46 may well have cost South Africa the match.Few people outside South Africa understand just how big Ntini the personality, and not just the bowler, is to cricket in this country. He was more than just an ultra-fit energiser bunny who could run to his mark after every delivery without tiring, more than the picture of dedication and commitment who managed to take over 300 Test wickets without mastering the art of the slower ball, more than a cricketer, actually. He represented something far more special, partly because he was the first black African cricketer to play for South Africa and partly because he bore the responsibility that came with that with such dignity and grace that South Africans of all colour embraced him.That’s why even a crowd largely made up of South Africans of Indian descent got behind him in such unified fashion. Ntini has an amazing understanding of how to engage with people and make them all feel equal in his eyes. He doesn’t put himself on a pedestal or behave with the aloofness of some celebrities. He makes people feel like a part of him and he allows himself to be a part of them. He rarely shows any emotion besides joy and it was unusual to see his fingers clenched tightly across his heart, his eyes shut, and a tiny hint of a tear as he started the formalities of his last game while singing the national anthem.It was fitting that he was tasked with opening the bowling and less so that he got carted around the stadium like a rookie bowler in his first few matches. Cricket South Africa must have intended for Ntini to go out in style, particularly since they chose the magnificent Moses Mabhida Stadium, which was built for the 2010 football World Cup, to be the scene of his last match, but they didn’t seem to have considered the short boundaries or the low bounce. Perhaps he was just overawed by the occasion, or his age finally caught up with him.He had an average first over and a disastrous second from the other end of the ground. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli laid into him and 20 runs resulted from the over. It didn’t matter. Every ball he bowled was still cheered. When he took the catch to remove Rohit, which was his best moment of the match, there was a glimpse of the Ntini of old as he high-fived his team-mates as he had done so many times before.Ntini’s last ball told the story of how much South Africa cherish him. The crowd clapped for him from his run-up to the point of delivery and then there was a collective hush. It was a millisecond of silence as they took in something they would never see again – Ntini bowling in the green and gold.He woke them up himself. He clapped, he bounced, he waved, he saluted. Goodbye. It wasn’t the real end as he still had to spend three overs in the field, in which he stood on all sides of the ground to warm applause. The show had to go on and while most had seen what they came to see, there was still a match to be played. That meant there was another innings to be played.A tribute video played out on the big screens during the innings break. It was timed to the Black Eyed Peas remix of the song ‘Time of My Life’. The first images were of Ntini taking and celebrating wickets. All the Ntinis were on display – the young one who made his debut in 1998, the fired up one who took the his best match-haul of 13 for 132 against the West Indies, the venerable one who took 10 wickets at Lord’s, the older one who battled to get a wicket in this 100th Test match. There were messages of support from fans, thanking Ntini for instilling belief in them, for being their hero, for showing them skin colour doesn’t matter. Mike Haysman and Jonty Rhodes congratulated Ntini on a fantastic career.It was an anticlimax of sorts when South Africa lost the match, but it was appropriate that Ntini was there at the end. There was an air of anticipation that Ntini would play one of his characteristic nudges to third man, but he swung first and then got an inside edge to fine leg. When it was all over, every India player on the field was at Ntini’s side, hugging him goodbye.There would be one last farewell. Ntini went around the field on a golf cart, not in it, but standing and hanging onto the back if it. The crowd’s appetite for him was insatiable. They lapped up every wave and waved back, every clap and clapped back and some of them cried. Ntini’s energy knew no bounds. He jogged to the podium to say farewell. It was a quick, painless and tear-free goodbye.”Hello Durban. I would like to take this opportunity to say to each and every one of you, thank you, thank you, thank you for all your support.” He had a message for the South African team. “My boys, I always salute you.” Then, he disappeared into a mass of confetti and fireworks. Hopefully he saw the thousands at Moses Mabhida salute back.

The match was anticipated like no other, and when it finally arrived, it was a cracker

Amrit Mathur01-Mar-2011Rahul Dravid faces the press at practice and tries to temper his comments and control the temperatures. “We see it as an important World Cup game. But it is like any other game of cricket, played with a bat and ball, played over 22 yards with 22 players.” The players are under stress, because they must they play well above themselves, yet keep their emotions in check. Inflaming passions either on the field or at home will not be looked on kindly.At a sponsors’ lunch that day, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag rib their captain and you can see the anxiety within the team release a little. The weight of the match is forgotten for a bit and everyone has a laugh. Sourav complains, with a smile on his face, that kids don’t respect their elders these days. “Nobody would have dared behave so freely with Mohammad Azharuddin.” Yuvraj offers up a fake apology with more laughter.Sourav, who has played in several India-Pakistan matches, says of the World Cup meeting: “One of these days, someone will have a heart attack.” We often hear tales of it happening amongst viewers, so maybe he is referring to the team.Pakistan manager Shaharyar Khan enquires about his cousin, Tiger Pataudi, and is surprised to know he is in Cape Town for a cricket show anchored by Mandira Bedi. Shahryar does not know Mandira Bedi (nor does Tiger, I presume) but the two will meet after the game, it is hoped. Wasim Akram, 500-plus wickets in ODIs, is told that he should go for a thousand, and laughs: “That is impossible. As it is I need a stretcher and an ambulance to come to the ground.”Like Sourav, coach John Wright too is a worried man. Neither Indian nor Pakistani, the stress visible on his face, he is somewhat weighed down by the huge impact this game could have on the World Cup. A win will inject enormous self-belief but a loss would be a crippling setback. The key, he says, is discipline, and the best way to confront an intuitive but unfocused Pakistan is, he believes, through controlled cricket. Be tight and professional, he says in the meeting the day before the game. Allow the opposition to self-destruct. Defeat them with both passion and precision.On the day of the match, the team is to leave the hotel at 7.50am but many players are early at breakfast, a sign that this is not “just another game”. Breakfast has been moved from the coffee shop to the special team room at the hotel, to keep the fans out of the players’ hair and their expectations out of the players’ faces. Breakfast is eaten in silence but there is lively action at the TT table. Mohammad Kaif routs computer expert Sriram with aggressive forehand strokes, then announces he is ready to take on No. 1 seed Sachin Tendulkar, who meanwhile is focused on his fruit and cereal.Once breakfast is done, the team make their way to the waiting bus, through a side exit to escape the crowd in the lobby. The kitbags are already loaded on. Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, Kaif and Sehwag arrive carrying their music players and match bats. What can players possibly do with their bats in hotel rooms the night before games? Play shadow-defence? Practise imaginary drives? Or just keep them next to their pillows? Much like soldiers, who never let go of their weapons.

At a sponsors’ lunch, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag rib their captain and you can see the anxiety within the team release a little. The weight of the match is forgotten for a bit and everyone has a laugh

The Pakistan team is already at Centurion. They appear nicely settled. There is loud music blaring from their dressing room. Akram notices the Indians getting off the bus and waves. Both teams quickly get down to business – quite literally, as they descend 64 steps from the pavilion to the ground. Supervised by respective physios/trainers, the teams go through identical conditioning and fielding drills. The Indians are not the most athletic team in the competition, but compared to the Pakistanis they look a cut above, fitter, faster. Saeed Anwar, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, all great players, belong to what one Indian player described the “slow-motion era of cricket”.Referee Mike Procter drops in to have a chat and first gently reminds players about completing overs in time and making sure batsmen cross on the field. Then he switches to the more serious business and delivers a subtle message. “This match,” he says in a grave voice, “is a huge opportunity to perform and also a great responsibility towards cricket and your country.”Then comes the next reminder. After the toss, the teams are asked to meet on the ground, shake hands and exchange souvenirs just before the batsmen go in. Ali Bacher was keen to make this sort of statement and both teams had in theory accepted it. There is a glitch, though: one of our senior players questions the wisdom of the gesture. His argument: if this is just another game, why must we make a statement? Why is the ICC behaving like the UN? There is a bit of a delay. The photographers wait, lined up near the bottom of the stairs to record the event.With time running out, the players decided to just get the thing done with, instead of obsessing over it. A sudden cancellation by India will be misunderstood as a deliberate snub to Pakistan. So Waqar and Sourav exchange ties, the players shake hands, an overflowing Centurion cheers enthusiastically. It is all over in less than a minute.When play begins, Saeed Anwar speeds off like a Ferrari, and when the runs pile up at rapid pace there is a complete collapse of body language among the Indian guests at Centurion. Raj Singh Dungarpur, in a state of deep despair, thinks the boys look tired and jaded. “Our players are not strong. They need rest, not nets, before a match,” he says. Raj marches off purposefully to the dressing room to tell John Wright he should ease up, not try to make Indian cricketers Olympic athletes.Pakistan march to 273, and most experts think this is too much of a mountain to climb. “Too many,” Raj says mournfully. One guest, completely distraught, wants to take an early flight back to India because he does not want to witness another defeat. Someone else, more militant, suggests the team should be thrown off Vijay Mallya’s jet without parachutes. Mallya, dressed in white linen, diamond studs in one ear, mobile phones in both hands, refrains from expressing an opinion.After lunch comes dessert: Sachin Tendulkar, launching an innings like a batsman at nets after the coach has announced “last round”. Ordinary batsmen may play each ball on merit but Tendulkar plays according to his will. We are all stunned by the ferocity and the audacity of his strokeplay. Here is a master on top of his game, ill-treating the world’s bowlers. It is edge-of-the-seat, riveting stuff.Shoaib Akhtar runs in from a mile, like Ben Johnson, but when the ball disappears quickly off Sachin’s bat, he takes an hour getting back to his mark. Waqar, caned mercilessly by Sachin, can only stare helplessly. Akram looks as if he cannot believe what is happening. Sourav is tense, claps excitedly for each run scored, holds his special (amulet), recites prayers, does every superstitious routine he knows.Stricken with cramps, Sachin is in pain. Physio Andrew Leipus gives him a rehydrating drink and stretches the hamstring but the pain persists. He falls on 98, fending a short ball, unable to get out of the way of one that leapt at his throat sharply. He makes the long walk back in slow motion, and pain. He is limping. In the dressing room he slumps onto a stool next to the food counter. He is sweating profusely, drained physically and emotionally, staring blankly ahead, his eyes looking liquid. Nobody goes near him.The fans bring the noise, and the pressure•Mike Hewitt/Getty ImagesNormally, after a match-winning innings, players celebrate, shout, scream with delight and rejoice when the batsman who has done the deed, returns. But not a word is said here. Sachin watches his dismissal replayed on the TV screen. After a long time, John Wright goes across and pats him on the back but says nothing. Someone helps him take off his pads. Sourav claps silently from a distance.After a few hiccups, India wins, and only then does the silence in the dressing room break. There are high fives all around, clapping, shouting, hugs and handshakes. Sourav sprints down to greet the not-out batsmen, Yuvraj and Dravid, as they come in. The Pakistanis, slowly walking up the 64 steps, reach across to congratulate the Indians. Abdul Razzaq and Saeed Anwar come into the Indian dressing room to congratulate the players. Sourav wants the entire team out for the presentation. Barring a tired Dravid, the boys go down to the field. Sachin, recovering from cramp, walks with a limp. He is greeted with a cheer so loud it could be heard in Pretoria, many, many miles away.Players hang around in the dressing room, to stay in the moment. John tells the boys to let the match and the thrilling win sink in. Some Amstel is passed around and is refused by most; some brave ones have a swig, grimace and move to Diet Pepsi. Sanjay Bangar and Sehwag, the most faithful teetotallers, are chided by a senior team-mate: “For how long are you guys going to be drinking milk and butter milk, boss?”Others are over the moon. John, usually underplayed, unemotional and unexcited, can’t conceal his happiness. Sachin calls home and is greeted by wife, Anjali, who holds the phone by the window so that he hears the crackers outside. There is more noise than Diwali, she says. Sourav receives a similar noise report update from his wife, Dona, in Kolkata. Kaif is in a daze, but reports of wild celebration and rejoicing in India leave him a bit cold. Extreme behaviour is not good, he says. What is this? Sometimes abuse, sometimes worship?Deep reflection can wait. The team knows they have destroyed clichés: about them lacking killer instinct, “crumbling under pressure”, “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory”. They won not by fluke or chancy umpiring but ruthless, professional play. Tendulkar rates his blistering innings as one of the best of his illustrious career. “This was my day,” he says, “From the beginning I picked the ball up early.” I ask him whether an inner rhythm determines his style of play. Batting is instinctive, he replies. “Sometimes you feel good from the start, sometimes you struggle, but today there was so much time that balls close to 150 kmph looked like 130kmph”.How important was the Pakistan match for him? I asked and he said, “I have been thinking about this for more than a year.”Eight years later, India still thinks about it.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the IPL game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings in Bangalore

Abhishek Purohit22-May-2011Gayle’s antics
Chris Gayle enjoys himself on the field and is always up to something. When MS Dhoni drove a ball back to him, he stretched out his right leg to stop it. He then bent towards the ball to pick it up but found Dwayne Bravo, the non-striker, in the way. He contemptuously shoved Bravo out of the way to get to the ball. Bravo, long used to his West Indies team-mate’s antics, just smiled.Albie cops it
Albie Morkel came on to bowl late, in the tenth over of Bangalore’s chase. He would have wished he wasn’t called upon at all. First delivery, Gayle bashed the ball straight back at him. Morkel was still going through the motions of his followthrough and took a crunching blow on the right shin. He went down in pain and there was a long break before he recovered enough to be able to bowl. There was no way Morkel was going to bowl another one in the danger zone though. He kept it mostly full and wide outside off stump, so that even if Gayle got to it, the bowler would survive.The bluff
Michael Hussey has had a fantastic tournament but there have been a couple of occasions where he has been worked over by the left-arm seamers. Against Delhi Daredevils, it was Irfan Pathan who did him in with one that did not swing away. Today, it was Zaheer Khan, who bowled four consecutive deliveries in the first over to Hussey that moved away outside off stump. The last one of those produced the outside edge that flew wide of slip as Hussey went for the drive. First ball of the third over, Zaheer bowled a straight ball much closer to off stump. Hussey tried to cover for the expected away movement while trying to drive, only, there wasn’t any. The ball clipped the inside edge and crashed in to off stump.The look
Like any other fast bowler, Zaheer likes to glare at and have an occasional verbal go at the batsman. He got an opportunity when Suresh Raina went for a slog-pull off a short ball that hurried on to him, only to top-edge to point. Zaheer initially stared hard in disbelief at Raina for attempting that kind of shot so early in his innings, and then let him know what he thought of it.The swerving one
R Ashwin bowls the carrom ball as a surprise delivery. It was AB de Villiers’ turn to be surprised today. The first ball of the Bangalore chase was tossed up, and swerved in the air like an outswinger to beat de Villiers on the drive. The third delivery was flighted too, de Villiers thought he could drive it again and tried to play it as a straight ball. But it moved away even further, and MS Dhoni completed the stumping.

Plays of the day from the 2nd ODI between England and Sri Lanka at Headingley

Andrew McGlashan at Headingley01-Jul-2011Carbon copy of the day
For one top-order batsman to be run out in a one-day international can be understandable, for two to go that way inside 10 overs is careless. Tillakaratne Dilshan had already been found short of his crease after misjudging a single to mid-on where Stuart Broad completed the dismissal, but Sri Lanka didn’t learn the error of their captain’s ways. Or, at least, Dinesh Chandimal didn’t. He tapped the ball towards the on side and raced off for a single, but this time James Anderson swooped from mid-on and hit the stumps direct with an under-arm flick. Chandimal, who has had precious few chances on this tour, was left with plenty of time to reflect.Drop of the day
England’s opening bowlers began well, keeping a tight leash on the openers in the early overs, but things started to go wrong in Bresnan’s third over. The most costly moment came off the second ball when Mahela Jayawardene top edged towards slip but Graeme Swann couldn’t hold onto a high chance and neither was Craig Kieswetter able to take a rebound (unlike in the World Twenty20 final against Australia). Jayawardene had 7 at the time and then off the final two balls of the over collected his first two boundaries. The first was an edge that didn’t carry to Swann, who couldn’t stop it, then Jayawardene played a silky cover drive to leave Bresnan less than amused.Milestones of the day
Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara have spent many hours batting together against England – although slightly less so on this tour – so it didn’t come as a huge surprise that the new third-wicket record of 159 they set surpassed their own partnership of 140 at Chester-le-Street in 2006 during the 5-0 whitewash. The statistics were remarkably similar as today as Jayawardene dominated with a hundred and Sangakkara played second fiddle with a cool half-century. Talking of Jayawardene, he also set himself a new career milestone in reaching 144. It surpassed his previous best of 128, made 11 years ago against India in Sharjah.Unfinished business of the day
Alastair Cook still has to convince many that he is suitable to be opening the batting in one-day internationals, so it will frustrate him hugely that he couldn’t build on a solid start and match Jayawardene’s earlier hundred. The signs were good as he kept the scoreboard ticking and kept his strike-rate as captain over 90. He’d reached 48 off 51 balls when he came down the pitch to Suraj Randiv but only managed to loft a catch to Angelo Mathews at deep cover. England needed more.Ball of the day
It’s meant to be Lasith Malinga who sends down the toe-crushing yorkers, but on this occasion it was Suranga Lakmal as he ended Jonathan Trott’s laboured innings with a superb delivery. He’d already removed Craig Kieswetter when he returned for a second spell and with his fifth ball back speared a delivery under Trott’s bat. However, for a while it appeared he may have done England a favour as Eoin Morgan and Ian Bell added a brisk stand. Trott had played one of those innings that raises more questions than answers, not hitting a boundary until his 27th ball, and putting pressure on other batsmen.Bad memory of the day
On Thursday, Tim Bresnan was asked to reflect on his tough day against Sri Lanka at Headingley in 2006. He was carted for 29 off two overs by Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga then didn’t bowl again in the innings. “We got nailed in that series but everyone has moved on since then,” Bresnan said, which is true on all counts, but he would be forgiven if he’d had the odd flash back. It was a frustrating day for Bresnan back on home soil as he watched Jayawardene be given an early life at slip and finished with 70 runs off his nine overs. However, unlike five years ago, at least he opened his wicket tally when Nuwan Kulasekara was caught at deep square-leg. The less said about his 2 from 12 balls the better.

After completely dominating India at home, England will look to seal an elusive ODI series triumph in India against a highly-depleted side

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan13-Oct-2011Before the Test series in 2001, Steve Waugh aptly labelled India as his ‘final frontier’ because Australia had failed to win a Test series in India for 32 years. Considering that England are yet to win a single ODI series in India since 1984, Alastair Cook may be prompted to describe India similarly. England, who have been outstanding in Tests in the last few years, have failed to transfer the form to the ODI arena. Their performances in the limited-overs format have been highly erratic. However, in between two 6-1 defeats to Australia in 2009 and 2011, they won six ODI series including two tightly-fought series against Pakistan and South Africa. The story was different, however, in the World Cup in the subcontinent, where they played exceptionally to defeat South Africa and tie the game against India, but shockingly lost to both Ireland and Bangladesh. Following a crushing ten-wicket loss in the quarter-final, England reversed their ODI fortunes by winning two home series against Sri Lanka and India.Since 2000, India boast an outstanding ODI record at home losing only four of 19 bi-lateral series (minimum three matches in series). However, given their recent domination of India and the fact that the hosts are plagued with injuries, this definitely represents England’s best chance to grab an elusive series win.Overall, India have the edge in head-to-head clashes winning 38 matches to England’s 33. India have by far been the better side in matches played at home since 2000 winning 14 and losing just four. They have also dominated England in global tournaments winning four of the previous five meetings. England, however, have the better win-loss record (10-6) in ODIs played since 2000 in England. The extent of each team’s dominance in home matches is reflected in the average difference and run-rate difference factors. While England have a positive run-rate difference of 0.42 and average difference of 9.65 in home ODIs, the corresponding figures are 0.40 and 10.65 in favour of India in matches played in India and neutral venues since 2000. Since 2007, the teams have played each other 18 times with England winning seven and losing eight. While England won both the home series by margins of 4-3 and 3-0, India cantered to a 5-0 win in their home series. In the only other match played between the two sides during the World Cup in Bangalore, the teams played out their first ever tie in head-to-head contests. Perhaps the best indicators of the close nature of recent ODIs are the extremely low values of the average difference (0.87) and run-rate difference (0.13).

England have improved considerably in their away record in most countries since 2007. Between 2000 and 2006, they failed to win a single ODI in Australia and had a similar record in Sri Lanka. However, since 2007, they have won four ODIs in Australia and three in Sri Lanka. In the same period, they also have a winning record in South Africa and West Indies. India, though, has proved to be a major hurdle for England. Between 2000 and 2006, they had a 4-9 record in ODIs in India but since 2007, they have lost five and tied one game. In the 2008 series, they went down 5-0 in the first five matches before the last two games were abandoned. When the ODI performance since 2000 in various countries is compared, their struggles in the subcontinent are evident. Their average difference and run-rate difference are the worst in Sri Lanka (-13.81 and -0.88). The corresponding numbers in India (-9.68 and -0.30) in the same period are also quite discouraging. England, who have won seven of their last eight bi-lateral series (three matches or more), will definitely seek to erase their abysmal record in India in the upcoming series.

Kevin Pietersen, who was not part of the England team that beat India 3-0 in the home ODI series, has had a horrendous run in ODIs in the last two years. He has managed only two fifties and averages just 22.86 since the beginning of 2009. However, among England batsmen, he has the best record in the subcontinent. He has scored over 1000 runs at an average of 41.75 and a strike rate of 88.98 with his only century coming in the last series in India. Jonathan Trott, on the other hand, has not had any issues whatsoever with his batting form. Since his debut, he has been England’s model of consistency in both Tests and ODIs. In just 35 matches, he has scored three centuries and 14 fifties including five half-centuries in the World Cup.Jonny Bairstow, who scored a crucial 21-ball 41 on debut in England’s win over India in Cardiff, cracked a century in the tour game to boost his chances of making the XI. Alastair Cook, who recently took over the ODI captaincy, has had a remarkable turnaround in ODIs. Between his debut and the end of 2008, he had an average of 30.52 and a strike rate under 70. However, since 2009, he averages 56.63 with a superb strike rate of 94.53.

Yuvraj Singh, the player of the tournament in the World Cup and the leading run-getter in the home series against England in 2008, was one of the casualties on the ill-fated England tour. Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, also nursing injuries, will be missing from India’s batting line-up. All three have scored over 1000 runs in ODIs against England and their absence will be a major blow to India who are seeking a quick reversal in fortunes after the drubbing in England. MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina, who had a very ordinary time in the Tests in England, found some form in the ODIs, and will undoubtedly be the key in India’s middle order. Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir, who are second and third on the list of India’s leading run-getters in the last two years, will be crucial at the top of the order in the absence of Sehwag and Tendulkar.

India has always been a challenging venue for overseas bowlers. The flat tracks and small size of most venues make it virtually impossible for any bowler to rein in the scoring rate. Australia’s bowlers have been the exception in ODIs played since 2007. Their pace bowlers have picked up 78 wickets at an average of 32.83. In contrast, England’s fast bowlers, however, have struggled picking up 23 wickets at an average of 48.82. Tim Bresnan, another in-form bowler for England in the home series against India, impressed with a five-wicket haul in the tied game in the World Cup in Bangalore. Jade Dernbach’s pace variations could be handy on pitches that are generally expected to favour the batsmen. The presence of Graeme Swann and Samit Patel does add an extra dimension to the squad although Indian batsmen are less likely to be troubled by spinners in home conditions.Zaheer Khan, India’s best bowler in the World Cup, missed the whole of the England tour with an injury sustained in the first Test. In his absence, the Indian bowling hardly posed a threat to England in the Tests and ODIs. In the upcoming series, Praveen Kumar will lead a highly-inexperienced bowling attack. Sreenath Aravind, who had the most expensive bowling analysis in the Champions League Twenty20, is one of the new faces in the squad along with Varun Aaron and Rahul Sharma. The England batsmen did face a few problems against R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the recent series and are likely to be tested even more on slow tracks that will favour the spinners.The Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Hyderabad, the venue for the first ODI, has hosted one day-night game so far. In 2009, faced with a huge target of 351, Sachin Tendulkar scored a remarkable 175 but failed to prevent Australia from sneaking a three-run win. Among the other venues, Mohali remains the one that has clearly favoured the team batting first. In nine day-night matches at the venue, six have been won by the team batting first. The record of chasing teams has been better in Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. Pace bowlers have found the pitch in Mohali most conducive (104 wickets at 26.77) and on the other hand, spinners have been most successful in Mumbai (23 wickets at 26.82).

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the CLT20 match between Mumbai Indians and New South Wales

Nitin Sundar at the MA Chidambaram Stadium02-Oct-2011The no-show
Kieron Pollard first burst into prominence when he butchered New South Wales in a match-winning 54 off 18 balls in the league stages of the 2009 Champions League T20. Expectations were high in the lead-up to the latest installment of the fixture – today’s game. “Will we see a repeat of Pollard v Henriques today?”, the CLT20 tournament CEO Sundar Raman tweeted, referring to the NSW seamer’s figures of 3.3-0-49-1 in that memorable game. There was no repeat though, as Pollard combusted to an atrocious stroke early in the piece. With the top order already back in the dressing room, against Patrick Cummins who was thundering in at speeds exceeding 145kph in the fifth over, Pollard chose to crouch back in the crease and swipe across the line. The ball took out middle stump, while also disturbing leg and off. Curtains.The sacrifice
Harbhajan Singh’s aim when he faced the penultimate ball of Mumbai Indians’ innings was to turn the strike over to James Franklin, at the very least. He tried to pull a short ball from Cummins, but was too early into the shot, and bottom-edged it to the off side. The ball had gone nowhere, but Harbhajan ran across in search of a fortuitous single, even as Cummins charged down the track to collect. Harbhajan didn’t even make the pretence of running at full tilt, and just ambled across hoping that Cummins would miss. He was out by a bunch of yards as Cummins’ throw crashed into middle stump at the bowler’s end. Cummins celebrated, Harbhajan nodded at Franklin and walked away, his job done.The late realisation
It was one of those rare occasions when neither the bowler nor the batsman knew that the latter was out bowled. Abu Nechim got his first ball to skid on from a length and smack a flat-footed Shane Watson palpably on the pads. Nechim was convinced he had his man, and writhed in anticipation as he went up in a theatrical appeal for lbw. Watson looked up slowly too, with the body-language of a man who knew he was in trouble. Umpire Shavir Tarapore, however, did not give it out lbw, since the ball had spun back off Watson’s pad and rolled through to hit the stumps.The pressure reliever
There was little to choose between the teams in the first 32 overs of play. Both had lost their best batsmen to reckless strokes against disciplined bowling, and New South Wales’ chances of a win depended on the lower order’s ability to handle pressure. For those 32 overs, not a single six was hit – a rarity in Twenty20 games in the subcontinent. Smith chose that moment to break the shackles, pouncing out of the crease to launch a flighted ball from Yuzvendra Chahal for the only six of the game. The stroke oozed intent, and proved to be the turning point in the match: Mumbai Indians’ shoulders drooped a touch, and Smith took NSW home without strife.

Cook may not be a natural at one-day cricket but he has worked hard to improve his game and carried his England team-mates to victory over Pakistan

George Dobell in Abu Dhabi13-Feb-2012Alastair Cook could be forgiven for wearing a smug expression after England’s ODI victory over Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. Not only did it end a grim winless streak – England had lost nine of their last ten international games and their last five ODIs – but he had proved a point to his army of critics.Cook is not a universally popular choice as England’s ODI captain. Some have criticised his somewhat one-paced batting; others his lack of feel for captaincy. In short, a host of former players – the likes of Sir Ian Botham, David Lloyd, Dermot Reeve and Mike Atherton – either questioned his place in the side or his position as captain.The point the critics missed was this: since he was made England’s ODI captain, Cook’s batting has improved immensely. Before he was appointed permanently, Cook averaged 33 in ODIs and had a strike-rate of 71.38. Since returning, however, he has averaged 52.64 at a strike-rate of 93.76. After being dropped – having led England in Strauss’s absence on the tour of Bangladesh in early 2010 – Cook returned to Essex, worked with Graham Gooch on expanding his array of strokes and has emerged a new man. He is a much improved limited-overs cricketer and now only Gooch, of England batsman, has a higher ODI score against Pakistan.The jury is still out on Cook’s long-term suitability for this format or this role. But, bearing in mind how poor the England side were when he was appointed captain, then progress was always going to take time. This was his third ODI century, his second since becoming captain and, as he suggested, it may have been his best.”I probably batted more fluently in that game against Sri Lanka [it was actually India, in Southampton], when I got 80 off 60 balls,” he said. “But as a whole innings, in the context of the game, I’m really happy with the way I played.”We all know the fickle world of cricket. In the summer when things were going really well, everyone was on our side. Then we had a bad tour … but as I’ve always said, as captain, you’re judged by results – and we didn’t play very well. I take responsibility.”But today was a really good day for the side. It was good to play to our potential, which I don’t think we had done so far on this tour. We did need this win and it was great to be able to contribute to it.”Here he was obliged to carry his team. While Kevin Pietersen, confidence seemingly ebbing away by the day, squandered the Powerplay overs by patting back Mohammad Hafeez’s offspin as if each delivery might spit like a cobra, Cook timed the ball with surprising ease. He found the gaps, swept hard, manoeuvred the ball off his legs expertly and, when the opportunity arose, drove nicely. His contributions are routinely dismissed as workmanlike and worthy but, on an evening where only one other man could reach 30, this was a high-class innings.Afterwards he reflected on his improved ODI form, reasoning that his original selection may have come too early. A stint in the county game had also proved beneficial.”When I first played ODIs, I hadn’t played that much for Essex,” Cook said. “In the two-and-a-half years I was out of the side, I just became more experienced. I went back to Essex, played a lot more one-day cricket, played T20 cricket and was able to work on my game away from the international stage.But one sand dune does not make a desert. England still lost all seven wickets to spin bowling with Saeed Ajmal again cutting through the middle-order. This suggests England’s troubles are not over and their long-term record in both ODI cricket and in Asia remains poor. Excluding Bangladesh, England have now won just once against an Asian team in Asia since 2007. This, however, might have been a step on the long journey towards improvement.

While Pietersen played Mohammad Hafeez’s offspin as if each delivery might spit like a cobra, Cook timed the ball with surprising ease

The performances of Ravi Bopara, Steve Finn and, to a lesser extent, Samit Patel, who played a selfless innings and with the ball reaped the rewards of Finn’s excellence, were also encouraging. Coming to the crease on a hat-trick, Bopara enjoyed some fortune early in his innings, before demonstrating his sweet timing and improved temperament. It was an important performance from a man who might well, had Jos Buttler been fit, have missed out on selection once again.”That was a really big knock for Ravi,” Cook said afterwards. “The way he handled the pressure was a real key moment. If we’d lost another couple of wickets it would have been ‘here we go again’. I hope he can build on that and play some really important innings for us – because we know how talented he is.”Finn, meanwhile, exceeded 90mph with the ball but, more impressively, maintained a perfect length. His four-wicket opening burst as good as decided this game and underlined the impression that, aged 22, he has an exciting future. It is a strong Test attack that cannot find room for a bowler of Finn’s ability.England’s poor batting in the recently concluded Test series hid one very significant factor: Pakistan did not always bat very well either. Here, faced with Finn’s extra pace and lacking Azhar Ali’s resilience, they buckled with surprising ease. England bowled well, but the fact that no Pakistan batsman scored more than 28 tells its own story. They lacked composure under pressure and adequate techniques to cope with Finn’s hostility and probing line and length.It was not the only disappointing aspect of their cricket. Their fielding was also lacklustre, while their seamers’ 15 overs cost 100 runs. It is their first loss in eight games, however, so judgement should surely be reserved. In Ajmal – who claimed the first five-wicket haul of his ODI career – and Shahid Afridi they have two champion bowlers who could yet decide this series.Afterwards Younis Khan was gracious in defeat. “England played much better than Pakistan,” he said. “Steven Finn looked very much improved. He is a fantastic bowler and really surprised me with his aggression. His body language and the way he banged it in were very good. The way they bowled the first ten overs outclassed us.”Cook played a wonderful knock and he was very positive right from the start. It was a very nice innings to watch and if a captain does well then the team is lifted. And it was a very good performance from Bopara, too. I said during the Dubai Test that England are a very good side and they could bounce back. Well, they have.”

Sharad Pawar completes his two-year term as ICC president on Thursday. A look back at some of the major events and decisions during his tenure

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2012July 1, 2010
Sharad Pawar, the former BCCI president, takes over as ICC president from England’s David Morgan. Pawar will lead the ICC for two years after having served as Morgan’s deputy for a similar period. Australian Prime Minister John Howard is nominated to be Pawar’s deputy but he was controversially rejected by the ICC board.August 9, 2010
The ICC approves the nomination of Alan Isaac, who was chairman of New Zealand Cricket, for the post of vice-president, after it had rejected Howard.August-September 2010
The ICC is forced to confront the scourge of corruption once again. The newspaper reports that a 35-year-old man, Mazhar Majeed, was caught claiming to have paid £150,000 to arrange a spot-fix at Lord’s involving Pakistan’s new-ball bowlers, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif. The paper also alleges that the team captain, Salman Butt, is involved. The ICC subsequently suspends Butt, Amir and Asif, the first time cricket’s governing body has suspended cricketers under its anti-corruption code. Lorgat, the ICC’s chief executive, says the governing body has enough evidence to charge the players.September 17, 2010
The Crown Prosecution Service considers whether there was a conspiracy to defraud bookmakers in the spot-fixing case after police turn over an initial file of evidence.October 13, 2010
The ICC approves the creation of a league-style Test Championship and redraws the lines of one-day cricket as part of an extensive restructuring of the international game, which also includes a reduced 50-over World Cup and an enlarged World Twenty20 event.November 9, 2010
The ICC asks its Full Members to sign a declaration showing support for the organisation’s new anti-corruption methods in a continuing bid to keep the game clean.November 21, 2010
The ICC asks its members to adopt, by April 2011, a domestic anti-corruption code in line with the international code.January 6, 2011
The ICC hearing of the spot-fixing case against Amir, Asif and Butt begins in Qatar.January 27, 2011
The ICC rules out Eden Gardens as the venue for the 2011 World Cup game between India and England on February 27. The ICC’s inspection team feels the stadium would not be ready in time. Despite an appeal by the Cricket Association of Bengal, the match is eventually moved to Bangalore.February 5, 2011
The ICC bans Butt, Asif and Amir for ten, seven and five years respectively after a tribunal found them guilty of spot-fixing in the Lord’s Test against England last year.Sharad Pawar and Haroon Lorgat with the World Cup•AFPApril 4, 2011
The ICC decides the next two World Cups will be ten-team events. The 2015 World Cup will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, and the 2019 World Cup will be played in England.April 19, 2011
The Associate countries decide to contest the ICC’s move to block their access to the 2015 World Cup after receiving advice from prominent sports lawyers. ICC president Sharad Pawar also requests that the tournament’s composition be reassessed in response to widespread criticism of the decision to limit participation to the ten Test-playing nations.May 11, 2011
The ICC’s Cricket Committee unanimously recommends the use of the Decision Review System (DRS) in all Tests and also says it should be used in one-day internationals and Twenty20. It also encourages cricket boards to use the pink ball in day-night first-class cricket to test its durability for the five-day game under lights.May 20, 2011
A court in London rules the spot-fixing trial will be held from October 4. The decision is made during a hearing into corruption charges against Pakistani players Butt, Asif and Amir, and the agent Mazhar Majeed, who were all named in the spot-fixing case.June 27, 2011
The ICC Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) unanimously agrees to make a modified version of the DRS mandatory in all Tests and one-day internationals. The mandatory terms and conditions that have been recommended to the executive board for approval consist of infrared cameras and audio-tracking devices but exclude ball-tracking technology, which was part of the ICC’s original list of compulsory technologies.June 28, 2011
The ICC reverses its decision on excluding Associates from the 2015 World Cup, which will now comprise 14 teams, including four Associates. The decision is made following strong criticism of the move to restrict the 2015 tournament to the Full Members.June 30, 2011
The ICC gives its member boards two years to become democratised and free from government and political interference in a bid to improve governance within the game. At its annual conference in Hong Kong, the ICC unanimously supports the proposal to amend its constitution for member boards to have free elections.August 4, 2011
Lord Harry Woolf, the former Chief Justice of England and Wales, is named chairman of the independent governance review of the ICC. Woolf will be assisted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the international professional services firm.October 11, 2011
The ICC announces that the top two teams in the Intercontinental One-Day Cup will go through to the 2015 World Cup. The six remaining teams will join four others from the World Cricket League in a qualifying tournament.October 13, 2011
With the England-India series serving as the catalyst, the ICC’s executive board goes back on the mandatory application of the DRS in Tests and ODIs, and makes it subject to bilateral agreements between the participating countries.November 3, 2011
A London court hands out jail terms in the spot-fixing case. Butt is sentenced to two years and six months, Asif to one-year and Amir to six months.November 14, 2011
The Test Championship will not be held before 2017, according to Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief-executive. The tournament was initially scheduled for 2013, but it will not be conducted before 2017 due to the ICC’s commitments to its broadcaster and sponsors.February 2, 2012
The ICC’s independent governance review, headed by Lord Woolf, calls for sweeping changes in the administration of cricket and the functioning of its governing body. It starts with a restructuring of the ICC’s executive board to make it more independent and less dominated by the bigger countries and also recommends a re-examination of the rights and benefits of the Full Member nations. It calls for measures to increase transparency in dealings by the ICC and its members. Ten days later, the BCCI’s working committee rejects the key recommendations of the report.April 16, 2012
The ICC’s Executive Board amends its constitution to alter the role of its president and create a new post of a non-voting chairman. The amendment aims to convert the presidency to a rotational one-year term from 2014, at which time the post of vice-president will cease to exist. The chairman, who will now head the Executive Board, will serve a maximum of three two-year terms.June 13, 2012
The ICC will not consider creating an official window for the IPL in its Future Tours Programme, according to Lorgat. The issue of clashing schedules has been apparent since the IPL began in 2008 and refuses to disappear.June 26, 2012
The universal application of the Decision Review System (DRS), which was recommended by the ICC’s cricket committee and by its Chief Executives Committee, meets an expected and swift end at the ICC’s Executive Board meeting in Kuala Lumpur. It is believed the issue was discussed at the meeting but was not put to a vote. The development comes a day after India publicly and unambiguously repeated its opposition to DRS, when most other countries are believed to support it.

The way the South Africa attack went about their work and applied pressure aggressively, without any let up through the first two sessions on Monday in Wellington, was a measure of how tough Test cricket could be

Firdose Moonda in Wellington26-Mar-2012There are very few accurate measures of how tough Test cricket really is. Sometimes it can be assessed by the man who prevails on a green top or a dust bowl, or the one who bends his back on a surface as flat as a highway. On Monday, a measure of it was the way the South Africa attack went about their work and applied pressure aggressively, without any let up through the first two sessions.Comparisons have already started with 1970s’ West Indies quartet of Croft, Garner, Holding and Marshall. They may be premature – after all South Africa’s attack has played together in this format for a period that has not even totalled half a year – but they may also soon be proved true. The attack showed more than a glimpse of that kind of form at the Basin Reserve.It reflects, to use one of Vernon Philander’s favourite words, obviously, in the collapse they effected when New Zealand lost 6 for 56 in 15 overs. The damage they did before that, though, in rattling the top order and refusing to allow any of New Zealand’s batsmen the chance to capitalise on a start, is probably more complimentary of their skill.Dale Steyn bowled an opening spell that could only have come out of the hands of the world’s top ranked Test bowler. He swung the ball at pace, beat the bat and found edges, although they did not go to hand. Morne Morkel backed him up with bounce from the other end. He roughed the batsmen up, twice appealing for catches off balls that came off uncomfortable areas – Daniel Flynn was the hip and Martin Guptill was close to the rib.Morkel made sure the batsmen knew he would come at them and if he did, it would be painful. Eventually, he felled one when he hit Ross Taylor’s on the forearm near the wrist. The New Zealand captain was in so much pain that he only managed to stay at the crease for one more ball and scans revealed that Taylor’s forearm is now broken.Just as New Zealand thought they could have a breather, the second wave came on. Flynn lasted only two balls before giving way to Vernon Philander’s usual mix of good line and slight away movement. Marchant de Lange is still learning but he continued the assault with raw pace and threatening lengths, as all of South Africa’s attack banged in the short ball against a New Zealand line-up they believed to be vulnerable.Occasionally, they allowed some slack and JP Duminy came on to give the quicks a rest. Graeme Smith rotated his bowlers well, so that none of the seamers tired and all of them had gas in the tank when they were brought back on. The onslaught was allowed to roll on, no matter who had the ball in hand. Against such sustained pressure, batsmen of any quality would feel worked into a corner and eventually may give way. New Zealand eventually did. “They’re at you the whole time, it’s a quality attack and there are no freebies out there,” Flynn said. “I think you’d find a lot of people would probably say they are the best seam-bowling attack going around in world cricket at the moment.”For that statement to come out after facing the attack on flat and fairly placid pitch in conditions that suit batting over bowling, in testament to South Africa’s prowess. Flynn said he would be hard-pressed to single one of them out as the most difficult to face but named the attributes of two who made it challenging. “Morkel gets that extra bit of bounce. Philander just hits consistent areas and he is consistently asking questions,” Flynn said. “They all complement each other well and they all come at you in a different way.”Smith has expressed his delight with the options available to him in the bowling department and the quality of the attack at his disposal. Philander added to that with an affirmation that the balance allows each bowler to operate at their optimum. “This attack gives me the freedom to do what I need to do,” he said. “We’ve got guys who can keep it tight. They keep a hold on the game and give me the chance to strike all the time and to put my skills on show. It’s a special squad and a special bowling unit that we have. It’s all coming together.”Philander has been the most profitable of the South Africa bowlers, becoming the fastest ever to 50 Test wickets for South Africa and the fastest overall in the last 116 years. His success, though extraordinarily, is not unexpected and comes on the back of two exceptional domestic seasons. His recipe for success consists mostly of keeping it simple, and being disciplined in his lines and lengths. “Bowling form is like batting form. If things go for you, make sure you keep doing it,” Philander said. “That’s what I’m doing. Obviously bowling form is on my side. Hopefully I can extend this run for as long as possible.”The bowlers will have another chance to show off their ability when South Africa declare and go in search of a win. That will mean bowling New Zealand out in less than a day. Does Philander think South Africa can do it? “I would like to think so,” he said. “The bowlers are confident but how the wicket plays and how we take our chances will play a part.”

The Plays of the day from the fourth ODI between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, in Colombo

Kanishkaa Balachandran in Colombo16-Jun-2012The over
When Thisara Perera came on for a new spell after the 40th over, Pakistan needed a very gettable 68 off 60 balls with six wickets in hand. Going by their experience against Perera at Pallekele, you’d reckon they’d be a bit cautious. A wobbly Younis Khan tried to fend Perera to the off side but edged it to Kumar Sangakkara. Pakistan needed Shahid Afridi to support a limping Azhar Ali at the other end, but he tamely chipped his first ball straight to cover. Perera became the fourth Sri Lankan to pick up an ODI hat-trick when he got Sarfraz Ahmed to edge to Mahela Jayawardene who took a sharp catch at slip. Perera wasn’t done yet. Sohail Tanvir tapped the ball to the on side, a cramping Azhar called for the run but sent him back on realising that he wasn’t going to be able to make it. Perera swooped down on the ball and in one motion under-armed the ball at the stumps. 176 for 4 became 176 for 8 after that over. Game, set and match Sri Lanka.Heads up
It’s not uncommon to see wicketkeepers wearing helmets while keeping to spinners. Sarfraz, though, seemed confident of his reflexes to not warrant any headgear. Until he faced Shahid Afridi. The ball was a touch slow through the air but bounced a bit more than Kumar Sangakkara expected. The inside-edge lobbed off the pads and knocked Sarfraz flush on the forehead. After a few seconds, which would have seemed like hours for the wicketkeeper, he was back on his feet. No nasty cut or blood on the pitch. Remarkably, he decided not to signal for a helmet.The direct-hit
The Pakistan fielders had several direct-hit opportunities but not all managed to hit the stumps. What hurt them especially was that a couple of those allowed Sri Lanka’s top scorer Sangakkara to get away. Umar Akmal failed to nail the target from point with Sangakkara on 10, and a short while later, Afridi too went off the mark, costing Pakistan an overthrow. It seemed like Pakistan’s best hope of hitting the stumps was by rolling their arm over, as Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Hafeez managed from 22 yards. However, Afridi redeemed himself when a flat throw from point which caught Lahiru Thirimanne short by the narrowest of margins.The bowling change
Pakistan’s need to beef up their batting meant that they had to leave out their third seamer, irrespective of Mohammad Sami’s fitness. After an accurate spell by the frontline seamers in the first Powerplay, Misbah-ul-Haq turned to the part-time option of Younis Khan – princely average of 86 with three ODI wickets. He has bowled 260 balls and conceded as many runs. He began inauspiciously with a wide, too far for Tillakaratne Dilshan to stretch the bat out to. However, in his second over, his gentle seam-up nearly cleaned up Kumar Sangakkara when an inside-edge sailed past the stumps. That wasn’t enough to reward him another over for the rest of the innings.