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With both the bat and in the field, age seems to have forgotten Tillakaratne Dilshan, or he it.

Andrew Fernando07-Nov-2012At some stage in a cricketer’s career, age, not opposition, becomes the greatest obstacle to success. As the grey hairs bloom one by one, time begins to erode the faculties that served batsmen in their youth; the reflexes, the power in their shoulders, the fleet of foot.Bowlers often have their decline laid out unmistakably – even empirically. The lighter hauls correlate with less generous assessments on the speed gun, or a reduction in revolutions and turn. But batsmen, who are more tightly tethered to the vagaries of form, are less sure which is a temporary slump and which is a permanent one.Many trade in panache for consistency, and stave away father time that way. Men who once commanded vast arsenals of punishing strokes smelt their techniques down until only a few well-chosen weapons of torment remain.Last month, Tillakaratne Dilshan turned 36. It is strange to think of him as the oldest member of the Sri Lankan team because age seems to have forgotten him, or he it. In the Powerplays, he fields at backward point, where the sharpest earn their keep. In the middle overs, he ranges the deep, square of the wicket, where only the quick survive. At the death, he is found guarding the straight boundaries, where he recently made a stunning take, leaning over the ropes, clinching Sri Lanka victory where they would have had defeat if the ball had hit the ground. Where are the cushy positions at short fine leg or mid on for Dilshan? He is doing the work of young men.His batting continues to be defined by its chutzpah. He had watched the new ball move off the seam appreciably from the non-striker’s end, yet when he saw Kyle Mills pitch the ball in the corridor on the first delivery he faced, Dilshan sent it screaming through the covers, despite the away movement. It is the same cover drive he played when he first appeared for Sri Lanka, a whirr of arms, wrists and blade. The attitude, if anything, has grown bolder.He continued to flash at the balls he fancied, and almost always, they resulted in fours. The dilscoop had gone out of his game for a while, triggering talk of ailing reflexes, but it has been restored the same as ever. He didn’t play the one that flies over the keeper against New Zealand, but he scooped Jacob Oram square of short fine leg once. He had tried that shot twice already, but two failures were not enough to deter him, even for a stroke as high in risk as that.But his batting is not without its own method. Even the freest spirits need some semblance of structure within which to knead their talent. Once the field goes out, the dasher in Dilshan gives way to the opportunist. The gaps are mined, often and exhaustively. Every chance to eke a second is grasped. He scored more runs in twos than any other batsman in the match, and that is not a statistic he is a stranger to.Moreover, hittable balls almost invariably end up at the fence. The stream of runs into the outfield give the impression that Dilshan has wound down his aggression, but he snaps at the poor balls so readily and viciously, it is as if the wild Dilshan was always just lurking beneath that composed veneer, awaiting the first chance to let rip. Having not hit a boundary in nine overs, Dilshan spotted a rank full toss from Nathan McCullum in the 19th over and was down the pitch in an instant to blast it over extra cover. A few overs later, Trent Boult overpitched, and Dilshan bludgeoned it back at him so savagely, the bowler gave no thought to completing a return catch as he ducked in self preservation. As an opener, Dilshan has 13 hundreds to his 14 fifties. Conversion rates like that don’t materialise without a formula.He also has every shot in the playbook, so manoeuvring the field, as he did today alongside Angelo Mathews, should prove easier for him with the new rule allowing only four men on the fence. “It’s much easier with the new rule, because the bowlers must bowl better than they used to,” Dilshan said after the match. “Even if they make a small mistake, it’s easy to score runs because there are only four men out. We planned to conserve our wickets at the start so that we could score quickly later. If a batsman gets into a good position, it’s easy to exploit the new rule.”In the 30th over, Sri Lanka only had 13 to get to win the match, but Dilshan needed ten more for a hundred. In two balls, he smote a four over cover and a six over square leg to get to triple figures. Later, he was asked whether pulling that delivery onto the bank was an unnecessary risk in pursuit of a personal milestone.”Why shouldn’t I play the pull?” was his response. “It’s my favourite shot and I have made a lot of runs with it. I don’t think it’s a risk for me.”In almost every way, Dilshan’s lustre remains undimmed by experience. He is as free, confident and warlike as he has always been. In a dressing room and a batting order where even the youngsters tend to be thoughtful and measured, the fire in Dilshan’s bones is refreshing.

From Alfred Moore, Ireland
Sometimes it takes an outsider to show you what ought to be obvious

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013Alfred Moore, Ireland
Sometimes it takes an outsider to show you what ought to be obvious. My wife is American, and since falling in love with Matthew Hoggard in 2005 she has become an extremely knowledgable observer of the game. You might say this is like a cat who plays tennis: It doesn’t do it very well, but you’re amazed it can play at all. In this case, however, her clarity of vision puts many an Englishman to shame.She made a very sharp point about England’s wicket-keeping conundrum. First, though, a few background facts. The way the English media tells it, the rest of the world have a different class of batsman-wicketkeeper. Newsflash: They don’t.We must stop beating and breaking our wicketkeepers with massively distorted and unrealistic expectations. Rather like the desperate wannabe model who starves herself in the mistaken belief that the photos on her wall actually represent real people, English cricket is damaging itself by trying to live up to an ideal that everybody else ignores. Gilchrist was a one off. Stewart was exceptional. Sangakkara is arguably a better batsman than either, but he has recently given up the gloves. His replacement, HAPW Jayawardene, after 21 tests, averages a mere 27. And by current global standards, that’s pretty good.Let’s take a look at the current keepers of the main test-playing nations. India’s Parthiv Patel is one of the better batsmen. He averages 30 from 20 games. Pakistan’s Kamran Akmal is a shaky stumper but makes 32 each time he comes to the wicket. West Indies’ Denesh Ramdin has the lowest average, a mere 22 from 27 games. Of the antipodeans, Brendan McCullum, considering his fearsome reputation, has a surprisingly modest record: He averages a mere 31 from his 35 games. Brad Haddin, the man with the most illustrious predecessor in the history of anything, averages a respectable 30 from his 3 tests. Time will tell whether he can keep it up. From the candidate with the least experience to the one with the most. From Mark Boucher’s 118 tests he averages just 31.By now it should be clear that if England’s keeper averages 25 it’s far from being a national disaster. It would actually be par for the course. Ambrose’s head is on the chopping block despite averaging only 6 runs fewer than Boucher. Rough justice. Matt Prior averages an outstanding 40, though by one calculation he has dropped more runs than he’s scored in an England shirt. And Chris Read, England’s forgotten man, is still one of the stronger candidates. In his brief run of seven tests in 2006-7 he averaged a thoroughly respectable 27, a considerable improvement on his first eight tests. Which brings me back to my wife.She put it more simply than anybody I’ve heard in England’s cricket commentariat. The ‘offence’ sets the total. The ‘defence’ defends it. Of course, all the bowlers are also part of the offense, and all the batsman play a part in the defence, but this black and white scheme captures an essential truth about the game. And the wicketkeeper, she points out, is obviously part of the defence. He’s a key part of the wicket-taking unit. That’s his primary job. So my wife’s advice? Pick the best keeper. If he can average between 25 and 30 with the bat, then he may not be a new Gilchrist, but he’ll be as good as all the real wicketkeepers in the real world today. And that comes from my wife.

Plays of the Day from the second day of the Auckland Test between New Zealand and England

Andrew McGlashan in Auckland23-Mar-2013Milestone of the day
It was not a flowing cover drive, or elegant clip of the pads but when Jonathan Trott sent a leading edge flying past Bruce Martin, and away to the short boundary, to move to 23 it was significant for more than the near miss. It took him to 3211 Test runs, the most by any batsman who has not hit a six, overtaking Vijay Manjrekar. If there was any ground where he could have ended his six wait it was this one, but Trent Boult’s inswing was too much for him.Stall of the day
At no stage did Peter Fulton get the scoreboard racing; for a time on the second morning it almost went into reverse. In the first hour he added five runs to his overnight score, although when he nudged to 131 he did secure himself a minor record as New Zealand’s highest scorer against England in a Test at Eden Park.Catch of the day
England bowled far too leg side against Fulton, but that was eventually the route that dismissed him. However, it was more catching than bowling skill that ended his marathon innings. Fulton glanced the delivery from Steven Finn down the leg side and Matt Prior leapt full-length to his left to pouch the chance with one glove, clinging on as he tumbled to the ground. He knew it was a good catch and sprinted in celebration towards deep square legDead balls of the day
No, it wasn’t Finn kicking the stumps, although he did to that and was given a warning. Monty Panesar was preparing to bowl to Brendon McCullum but twice the delivery was aborted because Jonathan Trott, stood at slip, was waving his right arm about. McCullum did not appear to notice, but the umpire, Rod Tucker, was having none of it and twice called dead-ball. The suggestion was that Trott had noticed something in McCullum’s stance and was trying to indicate to Panesar where to bowl.Wicket of the day
It used to be said that for a partnership breaker, Paul Collingwood did not break many partnerships in Test cricket. The same is true of Jonathan Trott. But on this occasion he struck a very important blow, having McCullum caught behind – another smart catch by Prior – to end a threatening stand of 68 with Dean Brownlie. It was his fourth wicket, to go alongside the scalps of Jahurul Islam, Tharanga Paranavitana and Younis Khan.Review of the day
It was a good day for the DRS. McCullum overturned an incorrect decision by Paul Reiffel to give him caught behind second ball and later the system worked in England’s favour. Prior was convinced that BJ Watling had edged down the leg side but Reiffel did not agree. Prior immediately told Alastair Cook he should use a review and Hot Spot showed a clear edge. It continued Prior’s good day and gave Finn his five-wicket haul.

Australia were always going to lose this Ashes. A victory in this Test wouldn’t change that. But just by winning this Test they could have proved something to themselves

Jarrod Kimber at Old Trafford05-Aug-2013Michael Clarke is a man with a smile. Whether it’s standing beside his wife on her wedding horse, in his tight underwear on a billboard or as he makes an iconic innings at his home ground, he lights up a picture. In real life, he seems to smile even more. He very rarely looks angry, or upset. He’s composed, calm and happy.None of those descriptions could be used as he barked and pleaded with Marais Erasmus to stay on the ground at the end of the fourth day at Old Trafford. Clarke had carried his team on day one and two. His bowlers had backed him up on day three. On day four they had put themselves in a position to win the Test. Clarke knew it as much as England did. All they needed was time. But when time was taken from Clarke, he exploded.Clarke knew coming off the field that he couldn’t regain the Ashes, and that Cricket Australia’s #returntheurn hashtag would have discarded. It was a culmination of poor preparation, random cricket logic and a team that wasn’t as good as the opposition. Australia were always going to lose this Ashes. A victory in this Test wouldn’t change that. It would have prolonged it.But just by winning this Test they could have proved something to themselves. That they could win a Test against England. That the incompetence of Lord’s and the streakiness of Trent Bridge were only part of their story. That they could compete and beat England when it mattered. And they did everything they could to do it.Chris Rogers’ first innings was the sort of knock that not even Rogers would have expected to play at Test level. It surprised England as well, while setting the scene for Australia. He drove the ball like an eager teenager, not a crusty old opener. He scored freely against a quality attack. He handled Graeme Swann well. As a 34-year-old you only get so many chances, and he may not have cemented his spot, but he will get at least all five of this Ashes based on an innings of that quality.The second innings situation was perfect for David Warner. No matter where he batted in the order, the need to score quickly and not have all the fielders up couldn’t have been more perfect for him. His 41 was not a massive total, or one that will rock your world, but he did his job, looked comfortable doing so and looked like the David Warner Australia want him to be. With the press, Barmy Army and Aussie Fanatics he played with his new pantomime villain status. To use the lexicon, he is definitely a positive to be taken.Steven Smith is a rough batsman. On skill and technique he is not in Australia’s best six. On fight and confidence, he might be. He is a perfect flawed batsman for a flawed team. He scores quickly, believes in himself, and when he plays spin it’s hard to believe he is really Australian. His wickets at Lord’s were handy and his fielding is going to live with us forever on Youtube highlight reels. If this team was better, they wouldn’t need him. He should have got a hundred in the first innings at Old Trafford. And a proper Test batsman would have converted it. Or at least got out in a nicer way. But as a No. 6, or even a seven, he is the sort of junkyard dog cricketer a team like the current Australia can really use.

Ryan Harris’ spell this morning proved yet again that he is one of the best Test bowlers on the planet. He’s quick enough to hurry anyone. He’s smart enough to out-think quality players

It some ways, Brad Haddin is not needed by Australia. His selection in this team was more about team bonding and attitude. Something that Warner’s punch and Arthur’s sacking fixed much quicker. His first innings hitting was exactly what Australia needed. Haddin saves his best cricket for the Ashes, and in two innings he has shown good form and timely runs. His wicketkeeping is not going to get any better – keepers’ hands and knees don’t get better – and Mitchell Starc is not an easy man to keep too. Or on some occasions, even reach. But he’s in form, and clearly is desperate to stay in this team. If nothing else, he’ll force Matthew Wade to improve.Ryan Harris’ spell this morning proved yet again that he is one of the best Test bowlers on the planet. He’s quick enough to hurry anyone. He’s smart enough to out-think quality players. And he does enough with the ball beat anyone. At his best he’s a carnivorous force that will stalk you until you are head. At his worst, he is injured. There is little Australia can do about that. When he is fit, he should be given the new ball and the best medical treatment they can afford.Merv Hughes was a decent Test-quality bowler who helped keep the flame alive between Lillee and McGrath. Hughes’ job was mostly to try hard, bowl the dog spells, bounce out batsmen on flat tracks and use the conditions when they suited him.Peter Siddle also averages 28 and takes four wickets a match. In almost every Test he is used in a different way. He’s bowled with the new ball, come on third change, and will bowl into the wind or with it. But no matter what you do with Siddle, he tries very hard, hits the pitch very hard and makes you beat him. It’s hard to hate a man who went to Euro Disney between series and gave up bacon and steak to be a better player.Starc is capable of amazing feats with the ball, and even the bat. Playing him is a chance that Australia sometimes likes to take. Shane Watson’s comeback at the top of the order might already be over. He also only has one wicket. But his bowling has been very handy, and he deserves more. No cricketer in this series has the ability to improve more than Watson. Usman Khawaja doesn’t look a Test No. 3 right now, but it’s hard to believe a man who bats with that much time can’t make runs at this level.Nathan Lyon is not Graeme Swann. One is a fridge that cools things, and the other an American style fridge freezer that will give you water and ice on demand. Everyone wants the bigger fridge, but life doesn’t work that way. Lyon bowls good dipping offspin outside off stump spun well toward the stumps. But Swann’s straight ball is far more devious. Swann gets more spin. Swann is smarter. Swann is a top fielder and a handy slogger. In some ways, the difference between the two teams is summed up in the spinners. Lyon tries hard; Swann has 19 wickets in this series.Every player in this team has something holding them back including age, consistency, injury and skill. Clarke is their best cricketer. But his back is a problem. When he fiddles with his back, takes a pain pill, or does a stretch, there is little smiling. And while he might have lost the anger he had when screaming at Erasmus, that won’t be replaced with smiles knowing they have already lost their chance to retain the Ashes.This team is not perfect, and it’s not going to be for a while. But they came into this Test as gruesome victims on a hotel bathroom floor, and they outplayed a better opposition for the entire Test. It’s not a win, but it is something to smile about.

The numbers of BJ Watling and Mominul Haque’s innings offer an insight into the mindset as both batsmen reacted quite differently when faced with a similar kind of pressure

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong10-Oct-2013The striking contrast between BJ Watling’s second Test hundred and Mominul Haque’s highest Test score was evident in their boundary count. Watling struck six fours and two sixes in his four-hour stay at the wicket. Mominul already has 13 fours in a 71-ball 77, which is rather uncharacteristic of his natural game.The numbers said much about their mindset at the crease, which played a key role, as they gathered knowledge of the conditions and reacted to the situation of the match.Mominul arrived with the score at 8 for 2 in the fourth over, with Bangladesh still 461 runs behind. He also had to contend with the possibility that a failure here might mean his exit from the XI with Naeem Islam waiting in the wings.Watling only had tailenders for company since the seventh ball of the day’s play. He had every option to attack, since he had little to lose from that point, and since he would have been forgiven for trying to up the tempo and grab what he could as their innings was starting to slide downwards.Instead Watling chose to grind like the top-order batsmen on the first day, making sure the bowlers came to him rather than him chasing after them. A sound strategy on a slow wicket, considering the majority of the bowler’s successes would revolve around the batsman making a mistake.It came when Watling was on four as he flung at a Rubel Hossain delivery way outside off-stump and Nasir Hossain taking the catch at gully. But it was a no-ball, as revealed by the later TV replay, and Watling tightened his game.”I am obviously feeling rather lucky today,” Watling said. “It happened to one of them [the Bangladesh batsmen] too. It’s great to get that opportunity to keep going and make it count and try to make a decent contribution.”I just tried to switch back on and start again really, learnt from the mistake that I made. It was a pretty rash shot so it was good to get a chance to redeem myself and try to score as many runs as possible.”The 127-run stand for the tenth wicket with Trent Boult was more down to Watling’s doing as he farmed the strike cleverly in the first hour and let Boult free in the second half of their stay at the crease.For Watling, who was playing only his third Test innings in the sub-continent, it was only a matter of getting used to the pitch. The one in Chittagong is a typical Bangladeshi wicket which offers very little bounce to play any horizontal bat shots or any pace to work the ball.”I wanted to be patient and wait for them to bowl some bad balls,” he said. “I think if you bat a lot of time on that wicket you can get used to it and you can score runs when the bowler starts to tire.”For Mominul, this was the sort of innings that would answer some of the questions on his ability to play Test cricket. He has scored two fifties in four matches but he found things difficult in the only Test he played in Zimbabwe, and in the ODI series where they experimented with him at No. 3 for a while. He had also averaged just over 28 on Bangladesh A’s tour of England, which was disastrous for most of the tourists.However, Mominul benefited from some ill-directed bowling. He didn’t have to go out of his way to strike three consecutive fours off Bruce Martin’s first over. It was the same story against Doug Bracewell in the next, and as he moved to a half-century off just 36 balls.Mominul’s innings transferred the pressure back on New Zealand as he and Marshall Ayub added 95 runs for the unbroken third wicket to take Bangladesh through till end of day’s play.The overnight batsmen’s first task is to see out the first hour, whatever the quality of bowling is, especially considering Bangladesh have more often than not lost wickets early after a promising overnight score. Mominul and Ayub should take a leaf out of Watling’s book, for he displayed patience when he could have easily taken the safer route of batting for himself.

Pakistan’s marks out of ten for the series against Sri Lanka

Umar Farooq23-Jan-20149Misbah-ul-Haq (364 runs at an average of 91.00)
Misbah-ul-Haq led by example in the batting department. His unbeaten 68 off 72 balls, scored in the final session of the fifth day in Sharjah, led Pakistan to an astonishing victory and helped them square the series 1-1. His scores of 137, 1, 97, 63, 68* reflect his consistency and the innings in Sharjah showed he could step up the run-scoring when needed. As a captain, he was occasionally conservative.8Junaid Khan (14 wickets at 28.71)
Pakistan’s bowling spearhead put in another good performance. His five-wicket haul in Abu Dhabi gave the side a significant first-innings advantage. He was economical throughout and finished as the joint leading wicket-taker, along with Rangana Herath, on pitches that were not helpful for the bowlers.7Azhar Ali (111 runs at 55.50)
His match-winning 103 in Pakistan’s chase in Sharjah was the best knock of his 32-Test career, making up for the wasted review in the first innings. He was dropped for the first two Tests but bounced back to strengthen a claim for the No. 3 position.6.5Sarfraz Ahmed (134 runs at 33.50)
A makeshift wicketkeeper-batsman who replaced the injured Adnan Akmal, Sarfraz made the best of a sudden chance. His 48 in the second innings in Sharjah played a vital role in Pakistan’s victory and a half-century in Dubai helped the side put up a fight. His glovework, however, was mediocre.6Younis Khan (285 runs at 57.00)
One of Pakistan’s most seasoned contenders, Younis often steadied the innings after a top-order collapse. He began with a century in Abu Dhabi and also scored a fifty in Dubai, but was largely unable to cash in on the flatter tracks. His contributions to the win in Sharjah were limited.5Ahmed Shehzad (273 runs at 45.50)
Made his Test debut for Pakistan in the series and showed promise with a hundred in Sharjah. He won the Test cap on the basis of his ODI form but his patience was often worn down by Sri Lanka’s bowlers. He still needs to work on his temperament in the longer formats.Khurram Manzoor (181 runs at 30.16)
He shrugged off poor form in the Abu Dhabi Test with 73 and 52 in the Dubai and Sharjah Tests respectively, but there are questions over his technique. He was unconvincing in the series and, as a result, the slot for the second opener in the Pakistan Test side is still open.Saeed Ajmal (10 wickets at 42.10)
Played his most disappointing series of the last three years. Ajmal picked up two wickets in Sri Lanka’s first innings in Abu Dhabi and then had to wait 77.2 overs to take another one – a new low for the bowler. The match haul of five wickets in Sharjah came at the cost of 173 runs and he finished as Pakistan’s most expensive bowler in the series.Mohammad Talha was impressive on his return to Test cricket after nearly five years•AFPMohammad Talha (6 wickets at 27.33)
He last played a Test for Pakistan in March 2009 at the Gaddafi Stadium and on his return to international cricket after nearly five years, he showed promise. He spent the first two Tests on the bench but replaced Rahat Ali in the third, and found success in spite of an inconsistent length.Abdur Rehman (5 wickets at 31.40)
With Pakistan opting for Ajmal as their lead spinner, a Test opportunity for Rehman is rare and he made it count this time. Prior to the Sharjah Test, Rehman had last played for Pakistan in September 2013 against Zimbabwe. He took 4 for 56 in Sri Lanka’s second innings in Sharjah, which helped restrict the visitors to 214, setting Pakistan a target of 302.2Rahat Ali (2 wickets at 146.50)
Brought into the side in place of the injured Mohammad Irfan, Rahat Ali toiled away but had little success. He bowled 101.3 overs in two Tests, with a strike rate of 304.5 and was dropped for the final Test.Mohammad Hafeez (113 runs at 37.66)
Recalled to the Test squad on the basis of his ODI form, Hafeez had a poor series. Was dropped for the third Test after scores of 11, 80*, 21 and 1 in the first two matches.1Asad Shafiq (61 runs at 15.25)
One of the most promising young Pakistan batsmen, Shafiq was disappointing. The series was a chance for him to maintain his place but scores of 13, 6, 23, 18, 1* did not help his cause.

Herschelle Gibbs on the infamous tag, the 438 match, playing golf with Viv, Tiger and Ronaldo, and his football World Cup predictions

Interview by Richard Sydenham21-Jun-2014What have you enjoyed most about being out of international cricket?
Not doing warm-ups every other day. The playing side of things was lovely but once players give up international cricket, most are quite happy to not have to do the warm-ups every day.What have you enjoyed the least about being out of international cricket?
I miss the buzz, the big crowds, the big stage, the big tournaments. You live for these things as an international player for so long, so when it’s not there any more, you miss it.Was there one thing you never got to do, individually, in your 90-Test and 248-ODI career that you would have loved to have done?
I wanted a Test triple-century – even a 250 would have been nice. But frankly I am happy with my two double-centuries (228 v Pakistan and 211 v New Zealand). I got bored at 200!How many times do you get asked about dropping Steve Waugh in the 1999 World Cup?
Happily not so much anymore, but on Twitter every now and again there will be a smart alec who will come up with that one, but fortunately it’s not very often now.And on that topic – did Waugh really say, “You’ve just dropped the World Cup?”
Adam Gilchrist told me that Steve Waugh didn’t say anything of the sort but he was quite happy to go along with that rumour!What did you enjoy the most – six sixes in a World Cup, or scoring 175 in a total of 438 to beat Australia?
Definitely the 175 against Australia; when I hit the six sixes, Sir Garfield Sobers had already done it, though not in international cricket, so it was nice to be the first in that sense. But from a purely enjoyment point of view, the 175 was probably on a day when my most complete talent was on display. It is satisfying when I think of the people that were there to see it and the people who saw it on TV. And to win the match also was the icing on top.Have you still got the bats from those innings?
I have never really been interested in keepsakes. The only thing I wanted was a World Cup winners’ medal. I gave the bat from the six sixes to Allan Lamb to auction but never heard any more. The only thing I have kept is my Proteas blazer. I have nothing else left.Who is the funniest cricketer you have ever met?
I would probably say Neil McKenzie. He is just a fantastic bloke, a great team man, and I’m sure the lads at Hampshire would agree with that. He is exceptionally funny. Very superstitious, but his humour is second to none.Who was the bowler you used to dread batting against?
I would say Shoaib Akhtar. Even though I enjoyed facing fast bowlers, his action made it really awkward. He wasn’t very nice to face at all – was awkward through the air and off the wicket. You couldn’t get any quicker than that. He always felt quicker than Brett Lee, though Lee was also as quick as hell, but his action was easier to track.And who was the bowler who made you think: “I hope this bloke doesn’t get taken off just yet?”
Daan van Bunge, obviously!I really took a liking to Mick Lewis in the 438 game. And because I scored a lot of runs against England I would probably say one of their guys but couldn’t possibly single one out!Who was the most uncomfortable to face in the nets: Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini or Dale Steyn?
I would probably say Allan Donald. I remember one of the first nets I had for South Africa in 1996. He hit me on the leg just below the thigh pad. I went down like a sack of potatoes and couldn’t walk for three days. I will never forget that day.Who is the one player you have shared a cricket field with and felt genuinely privileged to have done so?
Sir Vivian Richards, when playing for Lashings. Fortunately we were on the same team. Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting also, because they made everything look really easy. It’s almost like they were taking the mickey.Who was the one player you shared a dressing room with who you were proud to go into battle with?
Mark Boucher, because it felt like he was always putting his life on the line for the team.Does it annoy you that the media often labels South Africa as chokers, or do you think it has been justified down the years?
It has been justified. You can’t really stop the media from writing what they want and they have every right to call us chokers. In the 1999 World Cup semi-final, we should have won for sure. And in 2003 we underperformed. The fear of failure for a lot of the lads was the biggest issue. And it seems to have continued right up to this day.Was there a ground that always brought the best out in you?
I would mention two: The Oval and Wanderers, Johannesburg. I always seemed to score runs at The Oval and I played some fantastic innings at Wanderers. I remember my 143 against New Zealand in the 2003 World Cup, when I was in the form of my life. The coach, Eric Simons, said to me beforehand it would be nice if I could get a scratchy 50. That was his way of saying: “Don’t go all out blazing from the word go.” And I did scratch my way to 50 but went for it after that!Which country was your favourite tour?
Australia or West Indies. Beach every day in the Caribbean. From a physical point of view, when you play every day and can then go in the sea, you hardly ever get stiff. In Australia they love their cricket. It’s hard cricket but you get plenty of respect when you do well.We know you’re a keen golfer, so who would be your ideal four-ball companions?
Tiger Woods, Sir Viv Richards and Cristiano Ronaldo. They have been the best and to be with the best in the world as a sportsman would be the ultimate. I would love to share a few stories with these guys over a beer about their careers.Which team will win the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and who will they beat in the final?
This might shock a few but I feel the pressure will get to the South Americans. My last four would be Spain, Netherlands, Portugal – because of Ronaldo – and Germany. The winner could be any of those four.Is retirement from playing cricket close?
The hunger and passion is still there and I don’t want to call it quits simply because I didn’t have any opportunity anymore. But I still want to play and prove myself because I still love the game. There’s still plenty of runs in these old bones yet.

Called up to the Test side out of nowhere, Niroshan Dickwella showed there was substance to the hype that followed his schoolboy career. His challenge now is to sustain that level of performance

Andrew Fidel Fernando at the SSC25-Jul-2014A call-up from the blue. On the plane at Heathrow. Off it with less than 36 hours to go. One practice session before the match, then in to face the second new ball, bearing down at 140kph before the day is out.Niroshan Dickwella had dreamed of Thursday for years. Newspapers predicted it when he was sitting in classrooms, wrapping his head around differential equations. At family weddings, which seemed to happen every other month, uncles and aunts meant something else entirely when they asked him “When do you think the big day will be?” Co-workers wanted to know how close he was. “Has Sanath called you yet?” His coaches were hopeful, but kept warning him: “It won’t come easy. Work hard.”Then it all happens in 72 hours and 2012’s Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year is there, taking guard with the flag on his left breast. The best bowler in the world has not had much luck that day. He is leaving a trail of smoke behind him as he charges into the crease in his final spell. Before long, Dickwella is slapping Dale Steyn over the slips. He is punching Vernon Philander through the covers for four. Balls are being left on length, others defended beneath the eyes. If he is nervous, there are no outward signs. He has replaced Dinesh Chandimal – the more senior wicketkeeper-batsman at his club, Nondescripts Cricket Club, and a Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year as well, in 2009. It is all a little surreal for those who had followed his career, let alone for Dickwella himself.Even before the boundaries, South Africa had raised a mighty appeal when an advancing Dickwella was struck on the pad, and the umpire’s finger went up. He had only faced 16 balls at a level where reviews exist, but he had the presence of mind to immediately ask the umpire what he was out for. Catch or lbw? When Nigel Llong told him he was out bat-pad, Dickwella referred without a second thought. Three Sri Lanka Tests before this, Rangana Herath, a veteran, had gloved the ball after his hand had come off the bat, and walked, to leave his side on the brink of defeat. At SSC, Dickwella knew that this far down the track, a review might not overturn an lbw decision, but surely the cameras would show he had not hit it.”It just shows the maturity in the guy,” said Mahela Jayawardene, who batted alongside Dickwella for most of the debutant’s innings. “He came to bat yesterday to face 10-12 overs, and he handled that. I played a game against him last year and he batted against us and he played well. He looked a composed player that knew his strengths and weaknesses.”On day two, Dickwella was batting alongside the centurion, but it was he who enlivened the morning. The on-the-up cover-drive off Morne Morkel was sublime. The lofted shot over mid-on off Vernon Philander bold, but safe. Then later, he ran at JP Duminy to collect him at the pitch of the ball, and cash in his first Test-match six.He does not have the manic energy of a Chandimal behind the stumps. He’s not clean, quick and clinical like Prasanna Jayawardene. His A team coach Romesh Kaluwitharana had given much of the cricket world its first exposure to Sinhala with (nice one) and (catch it), but Dickwella has his head down, focusing too intently to chirp. That’s Ajantha Mendis whipping them in from the other end. The main reason Mendis plays is because he is hard to pick. Dickwella has never kept to him in a match before. Herath is a little easier, but even he has a carrom ball, and turns it different amounts each ball, pitching some up, firing others in.He lets a hard chance off Hashim Amla through, but when Dickwella snaps to his left to take a superb catch down the leg side, he is still bouncing up and down in an appeal, long after the batsman has begun to walk. Debutants – the younger the better – are almost impossible not to like, and when teammates flock to ruffle Dickwella’s hair, this one is at his most lovable.Earlier in the day, he had dispatched Morkel clinically in successive balls, either side of the pitch, then waltzed dozily into the bowler, as he watched his second shot. Morkel shoved him grumpily out of the way. No Colombo edition of Ravindra Jadeja v James Anderson here. Dickwella looked up, embarrassed. He apologised, then walked back toward the crease.”Dickwella has improved a lot in the last two years, since he’s left school,” Jayawardene said. “If he’s got the attitude and the appetite to improve, then that’s something we’re looking for in the national team. He’d be a great asset.”Debutants often come in to the public consciousness with a clean slate. But there are a few like Dickwella in the Sri Lanka camp, who have been in the public eye since since their teenage years. If he wants a career blueprint for talented youngsters, then the man he shared a 100-run stand with has laid one out. Seventeen years ago, Jayawardene had hit a fifty on his debut too. Dickwella lit up the SSC on day two. Bold, compact, brimming with ability, his challenge now is to burn bright and long.

Nineteen-year-old Kuldeep Yadav wanted to become a seamer, but his coach felt he lacked the pace to be successful. He however noticed the bowler’s penchant for left-arm wrist spin, and encouraged him to try a different route

Amol Karhadkar04-Oct-2014Just like he always does before leaving for a game, Kuldeep Yadav called his coach Kapil Pandey on Saturday afternoon before Kolkata Knight Riders departed to Bangalore for the Champions League Twenty20 final. Besides just seeking the coach’s advice and blessings, Kuldeep asked Pandey to “distribute sweets to all the players at the academy” on his behalf and organise a lavish party once he returns home.”That’s the way he is. Down to earth, well-mannered and caring,” Pandey said of his favourite protégé, who earned a maiden call-up to the national side after being named in India’s squad for the first three ODIs against West Indies. “He was obviously excited but at the same time was focused on tonight’s big match.”Kuldeep, who is an exponent of a rare art – chinaman bowling, was the star of India’s campaign at the Under-19 World Cup in the UAE earlier this year, where he also became the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in the junior World Cup. Still, barring eight Twenty20 games – four each for Uttar Pradesh and Kolkata Knight Riders – Kuldeep does not have any experience of playing senior competitive cricket at a higher level.Though he was a part of Uttar Pradesh’s squad for the zonal one-day competition last season, he could not get a game. Pandey, the coach who transformed Kuldeep into a spin bowler from a wannabe pacer, admitted that the India call-up came much sooner than he expected.”I was always confident that Kuldeep had the potential to be a world-class bowler and had no hesitation in him playing for India soon, but this has come a little earlier than expected,” Pandey said. “I was thinking that once Kuldeep would prove himself in the Ranji Trophy and continues to trouble top batsmen, he would be selected. I am glad that the selectors are convinced he is ready to take the next step.”Pandey said as a matter of fact that it was he who asked Kuldeep at a tender age to start bowling spin, but he does not brag about converting him into a chinaman.”A few days after his father enrolled him into my coaching centre, I noticed that he was too slow to be a successful pacer, so I asked him to try spin,” Pandey said. “He was unhappy, wept for a few days but then realized he had this uncanny ability to bowl wrist spin with left hand. That was natural. But he was so consistent that I decided to give more attention towards him.”Pandey then studied the actions of various great spinners across different eras, but was particularly fascinated with Shane Warne’s legbreaks.”I noticed Kuldeep had the vital ingredient to be a quality bowler, which was to keep things simple and tight. Then we started working on the variations by watching Shane Warne’s videos. And he is such a fast learner that it’s remarkable he has added so many deliveries to his armoury at such a young age.”Son of an entrepreneur, Ram Singh, who owns a brick kiln, Kuldeep used to live with his family in Unnao, about 20 kilometres away from Kanpur. However, once he son started showing promise in street cricket, they decided to move to Kanpur, the home of Uttar Pradesh cricket.Pandey stressed that had it not been for his father’s encouragement, Kuldeep would have never been able to make a mark on the field. With cricket taking centre stage, Kuldeep’s education has unsurprisingly taken a backseat, as he is yet to appear for his higher secondary exams.
In 2012, Kuldeep was signed by Mumbai Indians in the IPL and got the first taste of top-quality cricket. Till then, he was only playing age-group cricket for Uttar Pradesh. Though his ability impressed everyone in the Mumbai dressing room, the coaching staff felt he was too slow to deceive senior batsmen and advised him to work on his fitness.Pandey said the IPL experience made Kuldeep richer and he started putting in extra yards in the gym. Then came the successful stint with the Under-19 team, which gave Kuldeep the confidence that he could be the best even at the highest level. He subsequently grabbed the CLT20 opportunity with both hands, which has given him the big break.Going by his track record, Pandey has no doubts that Kuldeep will excel in international cricket whenever he gets an opportunity to prove his worth.

Returning from injury, with his favoured spot at the top of the order under threat, Rohit Sharma emphatically ended the opening debate

Abhishek Purohit13-Nov-2014Rohit Sharma reached his fifth ODI century with a single to deep square leg. He raised his arms, pointed to the sky and went down on his knees to complete an extended celebration. He was soon driving his 25th four of the innings to the deep extra cover rope to become the first man in the world to make two ODI double-centuries. This time, the celebration was a roar that went on and on. Both celebrations spoke not only of the landmarks, but also in what context they had been achieved, and how important they were for Rohit.Rohit’s timing with injuries has been as bad as it is good with the bat. He hurt himself on the morning of what would have been his Test debut in 2010, and had to wait three more years for another chance. Then, on successive tours to England, in 2011 and 2014, he got injured again. This August, Ajinkya Rahane replaced him against England and made his maiden ODI century. Even as whispers grew about whether Rohit should drop down to the middle order on comeback, he kept saying that it was opening that got the best out of him.When asked in an interview whether there was a healthy rivalry between him and Rahane now for the opening slot, Rohit retorted by asking whether the same question was put to Sachin Tendulkar on his injury comebacks. The opening slot has made Rohit. No wonder he is so keen to retain it. No wonder that roar lasted so long.Rohit Sharma’s last eight innings in completed ODIs at home have included two double-centuries, one big hundred, and two half-centuries at an average of 113. Since the start of 2013, when he was moved up to open, Rohit has made 1765 runs in 38 innings at 53.48. For openers with at least 1000 runs, only Hashim Amla averages more in the history of ODIs. Before 2013, he had a middling average of 30.84 which has now shot up to a very respectable 38.19.This was Rohit’s first international match since August, when he broke his right middle finger in the second ODI against England. It was only around October 20 that he started batting again in the nets, wrist taped heavily. For about a week or so, he could not sense the ball properly on bat.But when he scored 142 off 111 for India A against the Sri Lankans in the warm-up game in Mumbai, things fell into place. There was still a need to guard the finger while fielding, but the feel had returned with the bat.Feel is crucial for an instinctive, flowing batting style such as Rohit’s. It didn’t seem to be with him at the start at Eden Gardens, when he was on 4 off 16, and Rahane was cracking boundary after boundary at the other end. “I am coming back after an injury so, I will be a little nervous to see how I bat,” he had said.Then he charged out at Shaminda Eranga and was dropped at third man. He wasn’t giving another chance till he had gone past the double.He got to his 50 off 72 deliveries, 100 off 100, 150 off 125, 200 off 151 and 250 off 166. The Bangalore double had been a late explosion of sixes – 96 of his 209 then had come that way. This was a case of a batsman who had found his touch immediately on comeback, and was just refusing to give it away with a rash shot, his desire to reclaim that opening position an added motivation. After he went past hundred, there was a kind of inevitability in Rohit’s approach that told you this was going to be a really, really big one.To bat more than 18 overs till the end of the innings after you have reached your hundred in a one-day match requires some application, and fitness. Even as his boundary count and strike-rate was going berserk, there was still a certain safety to Rohit’s game. There were no high-risk strokes like reverse-sweeps or scoops.He kept exploiting the field intelligently throughout his innings. When there was no deep midwicket, he swung safely in that direction. When there was no sweeper, he lofted repeatedly over cover. When there was no mid-off, he lofted cleanly down the ground. He made sure he hit the gaps with his drives and cuts.”I have worked on the mental aspect (during the injury break) and that will hopefully help me not just for the next five months but the next five years,” Rohit had said. At this rate, an ODI triple-hundred does not seem impossible any more.