Category Uncategorized

In Sri Lanka, he is relentlessly looked down by the spinners, banished to some corner of the field. In Christchurch, Suranga Lakmal was a different beast

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Dec-2018To be Suranga Lakmal on Sri Lankan tracks is to be more or less relentlessly looked down upon by spin bowlers.Spinners to Lakmal: “Yes, we know you’ve played more Tests than most of the remainder of the attack, and of course your seam position is nice and your cutters are cute. But , look. You’re a ‘fast’ bowler. These are dry tracks. We’re all are glad that you ran in so hard and tried your best with the new ball. Oh, you got a little swing also? Really? Aney nice. But you run along now. Off to deep midwicket, . And don’t you worry your seam-bowler’s head – the big boys have got it from here. We’ll call you back if we need you. We’ll call you. We’ll call you.”Spinners amongst themselves: “Poor fellow, no, that Suranga? Must be thinking he will get another bowl in this innings. Anyway, what to do? Seam bowler, no? Not clever like us.”Over the five most recent Tests in Sri Lanka, Lakmal bowled a total of 63.3 overs. That’s roughly six overs per innings. In the vast majority of those occasions, he bowled a new-ball spell, and was virtually never heard from again. Imagine that. Being one of only four frontline bowlers in the XI, and yet, feeling like your main job is to bowl long enough to scratch up the leather on the ball to make it softer for the spinners’ delicate little fingers to comfortably hold. You are basically a utensil. Human sandpaper. Cameron Bancroft might have used Suranga Lakmal in Cape Town, if only he had been able to surreptitiously stash Lakmal away in his undershorts.What is truly remarkable, though, is that for four of those five Tests, Lakmal was himself the official captain, with Dinesh Chandimal either suspended or injured. In two of the eight bowling innings that Lakmal led, he did not bring himself on at all. In another, he bowled himself for a measly two overs.It is almost as if the spinners have taken him captive, and so long has he been under their dominion, that he has developed a warped admiration for his captors. A bowling Stockholm syndrome. “There’s not much point in me bowling myself on pitches like this,” he has said at more than one press conference. “Especially not when we have so many quality spinners around.”But on a Hagley Oval greentop, on Boxing Day, Lakmal broke the spell. He rediscovered self-worth. He puffed his chest out. He took ownership. He played as if his own bowling was much more macho work than a spinner’s could ever be, which it absolutely is. He even did what those self-important Sri Lankan spinners routinely do at home: bowl unchanged from an end through the duration of an entire session.Twelve straight overs of Lakmal just plugging away on that good length, some balls darting this way, others jiving in the opposite direction. Lakmal’s haul, before lunch, was four wickets for 18 from 12 consecutive overs. A full quarter of those overs were wicket maidens. He would later go on to complete a second career five-wicket haul.

In Sri Lanka, Lakmal is basically a utensil. Human sandpaper. Cameron Bancroft might have used Suranga Lakmal in Cape Town, if only he had been able to surreptitiously stash Lakmal away in his undershorts.

“With the start I got, I wanted to bowl even until they were all out,” Lakmal said after play. “I didn’t want to give anyone else the ball when I’m bowling that well. There are times when I almost forcefully kept the ball. And that’s what we talked about before the game – that like we give the spinners a chance in Sri Lanka, they also have to give us a chance in a place like this. If they can do it at home, we have to do the job away. The fast bowlers have to look to get the 10 wickets.”Soon as I got on the field today, I told Chandika Hathurusingha that I’d get five wickets in this match. So glad I was able to get there.”Two of the most devious deliveries in that opening spell got rid of two in-form left-handers: Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls. Latham got an away-seamer that he pushed at, and edged to second slip. Nicholls got one that connived the other way, surging between bat and pad to rattle the top of off stump. For the majority of his career, Lakmal has been a move-it-in-one-direction-only kind of guy, which sort of explains the career average (which is still above 40), and perhaps also the shortage of self-esteem.”Moving it both ways is not something I’ve always been able to do,” he said. “It’s what I’ve been working on in the last four or five months. I can put extra pressure on the batsman now, because he now has to think about two different balls. That really helped me get five wickets.”There will of course be more Tests in Lakmal’s career in which he is surplus to requirement. When the spinners will smile their condescending smiles and banish him to some corner of the field. But right now, at the front end of this long away season for Sri Lanka, Lakmal is experiencing something unfamiliar: the feeling of being desperately needed. On a pitch that suits him completely, he has responded well.If Sri Lanka’s batting collapses as dramatically as it threatened to do against the new ball on the first evening, perhaps Lakmal will be desperately needed again very soon.

England were the better team in the drawn Rajkot Test, but the series is still 0-0 and India are still playing at home, on a Visakhapatnam pitch that looks likely to favour their strengths

Alagappan Muthu in Visakhapatnam16-Nov-2016Is momentum in cricket real?Captains talk about it in earnest. Commentators go one step further, looking for the actual tipping point. It becomes part of the answer to why a player is in form and can even lay out why he isn’t. It impacts a side’s performance no matter the format. It even supersedes arguments such as conditions being different or that not all people tend to be affected by something in the same way.Clearly, physics was never big enough to hold momentum all to itself and having transcended into the sporting arena, it has become a buzzword that nobody can escape.In Rajkot, Virat Kohli said momentum “sort of defines if you have an advantage of a disadvantage as a team”. By that logic, can England consider themselves as being on top going into the Visakhapatnam Test? They made more runs in Rajkot. They took more wickets. They even took the awards. Assuming momentum is as powerful as everyone says, perhaps.Only, before the series began, India had crushed New Zealand, a team that seemed well-equipped to handle spin-friendly conditions. They hadn’t lost a Test in over a year and the last time they did so at home was in 2012. If momentum was such an irresistible force, Kohli and his men shouldn’t have been given the scare they were. Besides, they’ve insisted it wasn’t a scare. That tense situations like being six down with 10 overs left on a fifth-day pitch are a learning experience. You can imagine how desperately disappointed they must have been as kids when school was out.Momentum seems to have a tendency to vary with points of view as well. Alastair Cook is buoyed by the strength of England’s performance in the opening Test of one of the toughest series of his career. Kohli believes he will get a track that is conducive to India’s strengths so he is barely bothered about the events in Rajkot. Ask them who has the momentum, both men, would likely say they do. Makes sense. Not.Look at the things that have changed. India have brought back their first-choice opener. KL Rahul comes into the second Test on the back of a first-class century which not only points to his form but importantly establishes that he has recovered well from a hamstring injury. On the other hand, England are worried over the availability of Chris Woakes, who has been among their best performing players since the start of their home summer.Then there is the surface, which may start out better than hoped but would certainly deteriorate a lot quicker than the one at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Ground. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have exploited such conditions in the past. All they need is one to spin big. That combined with their ability to undercut the ball and make a few go straight has led many a batsmen to confusion. It is not an easily replicable skill. A spinner hoping for as little deviation as possible has to avoid the seam hitting the deck. Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali and Zafar Ansari may have made a fine start to the series, but can they match the Indians’ tricks? None of them is experienced enough in this format to carry a bowling attack.Finally, the batting. It is never black and white in touch conditions, which arguably, neither of these sides has had to deal with so far. Visakhapatnam – from day three onwards – appears set to remedy that. So defensive techniques need to be tight. Partnerships become crucial for any time a new batsman comes in, the likelihood of him getting out quickly may as well be a blaring red light on top of his head.Even if someone is in form, he has to be mindful of the ways in which the bowler is targeting him. Just because he made a hundred in the last innings doesn’t give him the right to pass go and collect 200 the next time. Monopoly rules sadly don’t apply in cricket.All these factors – the pitch, each team’s plans, each individual’s plans, the outcome of the toss – dispute the impact momentum can have across matches. Within a match then. Does one team pulling ahead immediately set them up in a match? Four years ago, in Ahmedabad, Cook made a resoundingly defiant 176 while following-on which forced the Indian bowlers to tire themselves out and may even have had a bearing on their potency in the next Test in Mumbai.Hard work, skill, and just that little bit of chance, make up a cricket match. Momentum – whatever it is – is a far weaker influence.

Stats highlights from a day completely dominated by Australia’s batsmen

S Rajesh05-Nov-2015389 Runs scored by Australia, the most ever on the first day of a Gabba Test. The previous-best was 364, also by Australia against England in 2002. It’s the third-highest on any day of a Gabba Test: the highest is 459, on the fifth day of the 2001 Test against New Zealand, while the second-best is 404, on the last day against India in 2003.161 The opening partnership between Warner and Joe Burns, which is Australia’s fourth-highest for the first wicket in a Test innings against New Zealand. The highest is 224, also at the Gabba, between Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer in 2001. That was also the last instance of an Australian opening pair putting together a century stand at the Gabba. The partnership of 161 is also the highest by a new Australian opening pair since Ian Redpath and Bill Lawry added 219 against South Africa in Melbourne in 1964.2 Instances of partnerships of 150 or more for the first two wickets for Australia in a Test innings. The only previous instance was at Lord’s in 1930, when Bill Woodfull (155) and Don Bradman (254) made merry against England. This is the 12th instance of century stands for the first two wickets in an innings in Australia’s Test history. The last time it happened was also against New Zealand, in Adelaide in 2004. Three of the last four such instances have been against New Zealand.3 Number of successive century stands for Australia in Tests: in the 2015 Ashes, Warner and Rogers added 113 in the second innings of the fourth Test at Trent Bridge, and 110 in the first innings of the fifth, at The Oval. It’s the first such instance for Australia in Tests.13 Test hundreds for Warner, which puts him in joint fifth place among Australian openers, along with Bill Lawry. Hayden leads with 30, which is well clear of Mark Taylor, who is next on 19 hundreds.2 Fifty-plus scores for Warner in eight Test innings at the Gabba – on both occasions he has gone on to convert them into hundreds. In 2013 against England he scored 124 in the second innings, after being dismissed for 49 in the first.57.78 Warner’s Test average when he opens the batting but doesn’t take the first ball – 12 of his 13 centuries have come in the 60 innings when he has started at the non-striker’s end. In the 20 innings when he has faced the first ball, he has averaged only 24.50.102* Usman Khawaja’s score, his first Test century, in his 18th Test innings. In 17 previous innings he had gone past 20 ten times, but his highest was only 65.4 Instances of two of Australia’s top three batsmen getting hundreds in a Test innings against New Zealand. It happened twice in the 2001 home series, and once in the 1993-94 series. Each of those Tests have been played in November.

Ravindra Jadeja’s drop of Alastair Cook was indicative of the challenge India face in establishing a reliable cordon

Sidharth Monga at the Ageas Bowl27-Jul-2014It is early in the morning, the pitch is fresh, the ball is seaming around a little, Alastair Cook is uncertain, he pushes at a wide delivery from debutant Pankaj Singh, and the edge is taken. Yet another failure for Cook, yet another early entry for No. 3 Gary Ballance, yet another early breakthrough for India.Hold on, though. The ball has gone knee high, to Ravindra Jadeja’s left at third slip, and has spilled out of his hands. Cook, who was only 15, goes on to score 95, India take only two wickets in the day, and you are left to wonder how the day would have panned out had India taken that catch.This is not the first time a catch has been dropped in the slips, nor is this the first time the reprieved batsman has made a team pay, but India have now dropped eight in the slip in their last seven matches. And that’s only off the fast bowlers. Spinners have suffered too. Losing four big batsmen around two years ago, almost all in one go, was a big challenge for India. This new breed of batsmen has been impressive with the bat, but that slip cordon still looks bare.It has been 19 Tests since Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman retired. India have tried five different first slips over that period, which means the cordon has been rejigged at least five times in 19 Tests. Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, R Ashwin, M Vijay and now Shikhar Dhawan have spent time at first slip. That they are being changed so often is clear indication there is something wrong.It will obviously take some time for those who are not natural slip catchers to get used to fielding there, but there haven’t been clear signs of improvement. There have been some really good catches taken: Ashwin almost turned 90 degrees to adjust to a late swerving catch at the Wanderers, Dhawan dived to his right to send back James Anderson in Nottingham, but there have been some glaring errors.Kohli failed to stay down for long enough when at leg slip to spin at Trent Bridge. When MS Dhoni chose to not go for one between him and first slip at Lord’s, Dhawan made no effort either. It was the keeper’s catch all right, but good slip fielders are always diving behind the keeper on these occasions to be there, just in case. Pujara once stood there with shin pads on, and couldn’t get to a low offering from Cook in Kolkata. Cook then scored 190. Jadeja, who got up too early today, will be thankful he got Cook out for half that score.There is no fixed right way to go about slip catching, it is mostly about what you are comfortable with, but there are wrong ways. One of the wrong ways is to have legs too far apart in your stance. Mark Taylor says shoulders’ width is ideal with the knees pointing in, almost like a skier. Jadeja’s stance is at least twice as wide, which makes moving difficult. Another wrong way is to get your hands too far between your legs because than they can get stuck in your knees when you are going for a catch to your side. Jadeja does that. And, obviously, the India slip fielders are getting up too early.India’s slip cordon are mostly excellent athletes and thus very good outfielders. Slip catching, though, is completely different, and much more crucial. You want your bowler to feel confident when running in that all he has to do is just produce the edge. Right now the India quicks can’t be confident of that.The challenge for Trevor Penney, the fielding coach, is huge. The Dhoni-Dhawan no-go is a clear sign of a raw cordon, which is still feeling its way in. They practise really hard during training sessions and take a lot of catches almost every day. They take some sensational catches too. However, it is different when someone is throwing full tosses at Duncan Fletcher from 10 yards and he is opening the face towards the fielders.We don’t know whether India have locked in on a combination now or if there will be a change soon. We don’t know if India think they are headed the right way. We don’t know if the fielding coach is happy with the cordon’s technique and their positioning vis-à-vis each other or if he is struggling to get it right. India don’t like to, or are not allowed to, discuss these things. Bullishly Joe Dawes, the bowling coach, said he is happy with the progress, and that Taylor and Mark Waugh used to drop catches occasionally.What India wouldn’t give for a couple of slips men who are half as good as Taylor and Waugh, even at their current age.

Ricky Ponting exhausted and exasperated many a bowler during his career. Four of them look back at their battles with him

Interviews by Nagraj Gollapudi03-Dec-2012Darren Gough: “He wanted to bully you”
v Ponting: Tests 9, dismissals 8, avg 32.12
You surprise me there when you say I got Ponting eight times, because I always found him really hard to bowl at. The most difficult batsman I bowled to was Adam Gilchrist, and that was purely because he would come in as No. 7, when the ball was old, and he would score so quickly. But there were two top-order batsmen I always found difficult: Michael Slater and Ponting. They wanted to bully me and I wanted to bully them. So as far as the contest goes, those two were the best. I had good duels with Mark Waugh, too, but I knew I could get him if I bowled back of a length. With Ponting and Slater, I never knew where I stood.The one thing that was always on my mind against Ponting was to try and not bowl short at him, because he was so quick on that pull shot. I knew he was the player we had to get out, because he was a batsman who could accelerate the run rate quickly. Gilchrist did that down the order but Ponting did that early on.My plan to him was quite high-risk: start with an early dose of pitching a foot outside off stump, which tempted him. In most of my dismissals, if you notice, he was caught at second slip as he was going after balls which any other guy would not have chased. But once he got in, he would murder me all day. Most people looked to bowl straight at Ponting, but I didn’t. I knew he wanted to get on with it, hit me for a four, bully the bowlers. So I just tended to bowl full and wide at him, and that is how I did him so many times – nicking it.He played some wonderful innings [against England], including his maiden Test century, which came at Headingley in 1997. It was a pretty flat pitch, but he just destroyed anybody in his sights.For a batsman to be great in my eyes, he needs to be able to score off both the front and back foot. That is vital. I knew if I bowled back of a length and shortish to some batsmen, they were never going to affect my bowling figures. But Ponting could score quickly against me. No bowler likes to go for runs, especially being hit for boundaries. Ponting was a run-getter and he got them quick. He always wanted to get on with it. He was in the top three batsmen of all time, for me.In 2005 I had the opportunity to be on the same team as Ponting during a charity match for the tsunami victims between the ICC World XI and the Asia XI. It was the first time I watched him go about his business and how he prepared. And, oh my word, what an innings he played. It was amazing to see how he prepared, compared to the other players you played with.Even at a young age he was a powerful character and that is why he became the leader he became, earning a lot of respect. Ponting was part of a great Australian batting order, but it was his attitude, his determination, that made him tower above everyone else. For someone who is quite a small guy, he carried so much power. He was an unbelievable competitor.He never smiled at you, really. You never knew whether he liked you or hated you. That just sums him up.Shoaib Akhtar: “He had no fear”
v Ponting: Tests 9, dismissals 3, average 4.66
On his day, even a demon would be scared to bowl against Ponting. This is a guy who never stepped back. I never enjoyed bowling to him because if I could not get him out in the first few overs, then he would make sure I would have to stay on the field for another 50 overs.He had no fear. The final Test of Pakistan’s tour of Australia in 1999-2000 was held in Perth, and I remember bowling at my fastest. It was a good WACA pitch and I was bowling at about 97mph consistently. Justin Langer, Ponting’s partner at the other end, was literally laughing, since Ponting could not connect. Ponting made use of my pace to let the balls go by easily. I think I bowled some of my fastest bouncers, which were flying over the wicketkeeper’s head, and Ponting just stood there. It was my most unfortunate day, I felt at the time. He took apart a bowling attack that consisted of myself, Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq and inflicted huge damage with a big century [197].He was one of the toughest batsman I bowled against. There were three or four batsmen I felt I should be scared against: Ponting, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Brian Lara and Adam Gilchrist. Ponting’s ability to finish games was amazing. But his ability to face fast bowlers like myself and score runs was equally praiseworthy. He was a batsman who could play as well as win games, no matter what the match situation was. A fearless and ruthless batsman. Always a match-winner.Chris Martin: “I would sit down and follow him bat”
v Ponting: Tests 12, dismissals 4, avg 51.50
As cricketers we don’t actually sit down and watch other players play other than when playing against them. So the ultimate compliment I will give Ponting is that even when I was not playing, he was the one batsman in the last decade I would follow on TV.He had a full array of shots, and that always put the bowler under pressure. In an Australian team full of legends he was the one man you wanted to get out, and a lot of thought went into figuring out ways to do so – not just as a bowler; as a spectator, I would watch how other people bowled at him.As a top-order batsman he was the most difficult one to bowl to. With the new ball in hand, when you have the most energy to tackle your opponent, you fancy your chances, but Ponting was always capable of picking up lengths incredibly quickly, and he tried to put me on the back foot just as quickly. Guys like Ricky and Sachin Tendulkar, and to an extent Jacques Kallis, always get the best out of the bowler when they are scoring runs. And it was fun to stand up to the task.In the Christchurch Test in 2005, the ball was reversing and I kept bowling him outswingers. I was successful in keeping him quiet for a couple of overs but I was getting heckled by Merv Hughes, the former Aussie quick, who was leading a tour group. Hughes kept saying I did not deserve to be on the same pitch as Ricky and that basically I was wasting everybody’s time. But I eventually turned the ball around and managed to bring it back sharply towards his off stump. It didn’t bowl him, but the next ball, similar in line and length, went straight through and forced an edge on its way into the gloves of the wicketkeeper.When you get someone like him out with a little bit of savvy and nous, you feel good about yourself. But that was an exception to the rule – Ponting was a batsman who definitely had the better of most of our battles.Harbhajan Singh: “The kind of cricketer, who could win matches on his own”
v Ponting: Tests 14, dismissals 10, avg 22.30, ducks 3
Ponting the batsman did not change much, at least in the first decade of his career. He was a quality batsman, but somehow I always held an edge over him.Our first duel occurred in our first series together – the 1998 Sharjah Cup ODI series. It was my debut series and I got Ponting stumped after he hit me for a six. Both of us were charged up. I made some gesture and he responded aggressively. The match referee imposed fines on both of us and I sat out a match. It was the first of our many run-ins.In the 2000-01 Test series I got him in all the three Tests, and also in the first warm-up match, in Nagpur. He went for a drive and was caught at short midwicket.In the latter part of his career, he tried to do something different compared to how he batted on his first few tours of India. In those early days he would tend to play across and get out a lot caught at short leg or other close-in positions. Later he looked to step out more and play towards the mid-on and midwicket areas rather than towards cover and mid-off, which were the areas where I wanted him to play. He was not only playing more on the front foot but had also started waiting a lot on the back foot, like in the 2008-09 Bangalore Test, where he got a fine century.Ponting will be in the top five Test batsmen I have played against. He was the kind of cricketer who could win matches on his own. He was an aggressive captain and had the ability to lift the team from difficult situations. He was the kind of batsman who played all round the wicket and scored runs quickly on any track. He developed the aura of being among the greatest because he performed consistently over the years.

For the past two decades Australia has provided the benchmark of, and framework for, success. England heeded the lessons but have now crafted a method that can lead them to the top

Sahil Dutta09-Jan-2011After racking up three innings victories and a dazzling collection of statistics over the last five Tests, England have a side that can rank, in the record books at least, alongside the best in Ashes history. Their true standing will be revealed over the next few years and though they have some distance to travel before they can claim to be world No. 1, Andrew Strauss and his team of unwavering pragmatists might just have forged a modern formula to challenge for the title.England are the golden generation without the glitter, the champions without the swagger and the Ashes heroes without the talisman. Unlike even 2005, there was no ‘Freddie’ figure in this series. Alastair Cook was no less gargantuan but, despite spending over 2000 minutes at the crease, it was difficult to remember even a single stroke. The two players most naturally suited to the starring role – Graeme Swann and Kevin Pietersen – had their moments, but never stole the show.Instead, a team built on the earthly qualities of hard work and patience quietly etched their way into history. In part, the conservatism that filters down from Strauss and Andy Flower is a response to their own resources. Good as they are, James Anderson and Swann are not yet Glenn McGrath and Warne; Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan hardly Joel Garner and Malcom Marshall. But it runs deeper than that. On that heady fourth evening at the SCG, with the Barmy Army in full voice and England marching to victory with an end-of-term sparkle in their step, Strauss would still not part with his mid-on run-saver. And that with Tremlett on a hat-trick and Australia’s No. 9 in his sights.In the equivalent situation it’s difficult to imagine Steve Waugh operating with much less than an eight-slip umbrella. For Waugh the show of bravado was crucial to instilling that all-important ‘aura’ of invincibility. But it’s just not England’s way. Strauss and the rest of the team have entirely bought in to the strategy of ‘bowling dry’. The gaping space between third slip and gully may infuriate former fast bowlers in the commentary box but Strauss does not waver. Suffocate, rather than intimidate, is England’s route to success.In an era where batsmen’s egos and averages have been fattened on a diet of flat pitches and fat bats, and their patience thinned on a conveyor-belt of instant cricket, England’s instinct for caution could be what separates them from the pack. Four years ago England came to Australia wanting to recreate the drama of 2005 and went looking for wickets in rush. They were dispatched at almost four runs an over (3.83) and lost five-nil. This time they’ve stacked up 178 maidens and conceded almost a run an over less (2.99). That kind of thrift demands that each bowler toes the party line (and length), shunning the self-interest of the headline ball for a greater team purpose.Fittingly it was Anderson who provided the model. As recently as a year ago he was more likely to rattle the scoreboard with boundary-balls than he was with wickets. But now he’s a poster-boy for austerity. Gone is the search for the start-leg-hit-off magic-balls and down too is his pace, which barely touched 90mph all series. In bowling within himself he protected both his economy rate and his body and it’s a formula his team-mates followed.Tremlett learned the hard way that saving his hulking frame by sacrificing fire for accuracy is a better strategy – both for surviving the congested fixture list and also for taking top-order wickets. Bresnan too has gained, finding stardom that never looked possible a year ago, simply by piling up dot balls. In doing so they have proved that winning in Australia doesn’t need mystery wrist-spin or 95mph thunderbolts. Instead common endeavour and a demon ring of cover fielders will suffice.The comparison with Australia’s bowlers is revealing. They suffered from having to chase the game and in their desperation to amend their batsmen’s mistakes leaked well over three an over (3.41). Worse still the harder they strove, the more they lost. Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris both hared in, only to limp off with injury. The one time England were forced off their own pace – trying to recover an 81-run first-innings deficit at Perth – the bowlers disappeared for 3.59 an over.That they had the luxury of hefty scores behind them at Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney was again down more to prudence than panache. It’s notable that England’s leading run-scorers in this series – Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott – are their two most risk-averse players, both absent from the side of World Twenty20 winners. Compared with the magnetism and inspiration of the stars in past great teams – be it Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Adam Gilchrist or Matthew Hayden – England’s caution may not feel like the recipe for domination but allied to the togetherness instilled by Flower and Strauss, they have landed on a combination that will yield results.For the past two decades Australia has provided the benchmark of, and framework for, success. England heeded the lessons but have now crafted a method that can lead them to the top.

After two weeks of action and entertainment in the ICC World Twenty20, the staff at Cricinfo nominate their Twenty20 XI

Andrew McGlashan25-Sep-2007

Matthew Hayden showed no signs of rustiness as he finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer © Getty Images
Matthew Hayden
At the ICC Awards prior to the World Twenty20, Hayden collected theOne-Day Player of the Year award and, despite a five-month break from the game,continued his form in South Africa. He didn’t have to adapt his normalapproach too much and thumped the ball as hard as anyone in the game.He appeared to be sending Australia into another final with 62 off 47balls in the semi-final against India, but his dismissal was theturning point. However, he still finished as the tournament’s leadingscorer with 265 runs at an average of 88.Gautam Gambhir
A quiet achiever throughout and his superbly crafted 75 in the finalleft him in second spot overall among batsmen. Often overshadowed byhis more illustrious colleagues, Gambhir went about his task in workmanlike fashion. He played second fiddle to Virender Sehwag inblazing starts against England and New Zealand, but his most importantinnings was saved for the final. On the most sluggish Wandererssurface of the event, Gambhir held India’s innings together andensured they reached a target that proved defendable. Just.Yuvraj Singh
Produced two of the most destructive innings of the tournament and,unlike Chris Gayle’s century, both were match-winning ones. He will beremembered for hitting six sixes in an over off Stuart Broad on hisway to a 12-ball half-century in a match India had to win to keeptheir tournament alive. The shots weren’t slogs, and each maximum almost wentto a different part of the ground. Following that would be hard, butYuvraj managed it with a 30-ball 70 against Australia in thesemi-final and his celebrations in that match – and latterly the final- showed what team success meant to him.Shoaib Malik
A captain who led by example, though ultimately he couldn’t carry hisside to the title, Malik is slowly building an exciting team inpartnership with Geoff Lawson. He showed great maturity with the bat,particularly in the run chase against Australia, and rarely reverted tougly strokes. Considering he took over the captain’s job in theaftermath of the World Cup, his early performances have spoken volumesfor his character. His offspin provides a useful option and he is astrong fielder.

Misbah-ul-Haq was the surprise package, finishing as the third-highest run scorer © Getty Images
Misbah-ul-Haq
Came into the tournament under huge pressure after controversiallybeing selected ahead of Mohammad Yousuf. But, at 33, he made the mostof his recall to end as the third-highest run scorer. He struck amatch-winning, unbeaten 66 against Australia, spurring Pakistan to avictory that made them believe they could go all the way. Although histournament will be clouded by twice falling short in chases againstIndia, his team wouldn’t have got close in either the group game orthe final without him. How he must wish he could undo that lap shot.MS Dhoni
In his first significant appointment as Indian captain, one oftoughest jobs in the game, Dhoni showed himself to be an astute andcharismatic leader who instilled a self-belief in his team to playwithout fear. He finished as India’s second-highest run scorer despite atop score of 45 and played the correct innings for each, except for awild mow during the final. But we all knew what Dhoni could do withthe bat, his leadership skills were less obvious. He broughta relaxed air to the team which responded to his flair and also showedacute tactical awareness, particularly towards his death bowlers inthe crunch games against Australia and Pakistan.Shahid Afridi
It was meant to be a tournament made for Afridi’s batting, but it waswith the ball that he made the biggest impression. He bowled in anattacking vein, but was rarely taken to pieces. Tellingly, his two mostexpensive performances came against India, but his spell of 3 for 18against Sri Lanka was one of the best spells of spin bowling duringthe two weeks. However, despite earning the Man of the Tournament prize, Afridinearly lost his place in this XI after his careless batting in thesemi-final and final, which completed a disappointing time with thewillow as he made 91 runs at 15 (although the strike-rate was 197,topping that list) and Pakistan needs Afridi to contribute with batand ball.Daniel Vettori
Although Vettori said he hoped Twenty20 wouldn’t detract from thetraditional forms of the game, he was New Zealand’s stand-outperformer with the ball in his first major tournament as captain. Henever conceded more than 25 runs – finishing as the most miserlybowler – and consistently picked up wickets, using subtle changes ofpace and flight to show that guile has a place even in the shortestformat. His 4 for 20 against India, at Johannesburg, was amatch-winning spell, while he out-thought Kevin Pietersen.Umar Gul
Without Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan needed someone to stand up and becounted. Gul proved to be a revelation, performing a new role as aspecialist death bowler in the latter half of the innings to finish asthe leading wicket taker. Despite bowling when the ball was meantto be flying to all corners, Gul finished with an economy rate of 5.60to go alongside his 13 wickets. In the semi-finals and final heproduced outstanding spells of controlled swing and didn’t deserve tofinish on the losing side.Stuart Clark
After a World Cup where he was a late inclusion and played one match, Clark showed that line and length has a place in Twenty20. Hebenefited from playing four matches in Cape Town, a wicket that suitshis back-of-length bowling, and ended Sri Lanka’s hopes with 4 for 20in the Super Eights clash. But he also showed added variety, includinga clever slower ball and a useful yorker. Clark appears ready to fillGlenn McGrath’s boots in all forms of the game.RP Singh
Followed up his impressive performances in England with an outstandingtournament, Singh’s displays in the semi-final and final proveddecisive. He didn’t go for more than 33 in any spell and showed nervesof steel against Australia in the semi-final. Then came the final,with India defending a middle-of-the-road 157 and Singh struck early withthe new ball. His 4 for 13 against South Africa, at Durban, was hismost lethal spell of left-arm swing and sent the hosts crashing out.12th man – Morne Morkel
Narrowly missed out on one of the fast-bowling slots, but Morkel’stournament confirmed his potential to be a key figure in SouthAfrica’s attack as he collected nine wickets including four againstNew Zealand.

His 206 runs during the Bangladesh series take him past Virat Kohli, Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma, among others

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2023Harry Tector has moved up to a career-best No. 7 spot, which is also the best for an Ireland batter, in the latest ICC men’s ODI batting rankings following his 206 runs during the three-match series against Bangladesh.Tector registered scores of 21*, 140 and 45 across three ODIs. While it wasn’t enough to prevent a 2-0 loss for Ireland, it saw him gain 72 rating points and take his tally to 722, which is also the most for an Ireland men’s batter. The previous best for them was Paul Stirling’s 697 in June 2021.Tector’s performance took him past Virat Kohli, Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma, among others, who are currently at No. 8, 9 and 10 respectively on the table. Babar Azam continues to be the top-ranked ODI batter with 886 rating points .Full rankings tables

Click here for the full team rankings

Click here for the full player rankings

Since 2022, he has smashed 769 runs in 13 innings – including four centuries and as many half-centuries – at an average of 76.90 and a strike rate of 90.89. The next best tally for Ireland in this period is Paul Stirling’s 352 from 12 innings. Tector will get a chance to further improve his ranking when Ireland take part in the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe in June.Tector’s team-mate Mark Adair also made giant strides in the latest update, jumping 30 spots up to No. 31 on the bowlers’ list and 33 spots up to No. 33 on the allrounders’ list. Adair took seven wickets, and scored 40 runs from two innings, during the Bangladesh series.

Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal, who has been compared to Lionel Messi, has been told what he must do in order to hit “dizzy heights”.

Made senior Blaugrana bow at the age of 15Signed lucrative contract & taken No.10 shirtAdvised on how to fulfil exciting potentialFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The teen sensation has been likened to Argentine GOAT Messi since stepping out of the same La Masia academy system in Catalunya as the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. Many are tipping him to go on and land Golden Balls of his own.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Positive progress is being made down that path, with Yamal already winning La Liga and European Championship titles. He has signed a lucrative contract after turning 18 and inherited the No.10 shirt at Barca that Messi once wore with such distinction.

DID YOU KNOW?

Yamal’s every move, on and off the field, is now being dissected in minute detail. He is having to learn quickly how to handle that attention while avoiding the kind of distractions that could knock the most promising of careers off course.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT DE LA FUENTE SAID

Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has told FIFA’s of Yamal’s exciting potential: “He’s earned it all through his own hard work and commitment. At the tender age of 16, the teenage sensation was already ripping it up for the senior national team. We need to give credit where credit’s due. A 16, 17, or 18-year-old player is under constant scrutiny and pressure from the media. He has to work his socks off to meet people’s expectations of him, as well as set an example both on and off the pitch and keep developing.

“He still needs our support because he’s very young. He is very mature for his age, but he still needs to develop his game and mature further. It’s all part of the process. Here, you never stop improving and developing your game. That’s why we need to be there to support him.”

De la Fuente added: “He’s an exceptional player, with bags of natural ability and extraordinary talent. He’s completely switched on, and I think it’s important to point out that he knows that without hard work and commitment, he won’t achieve the dizzy heights many people have tipped him to reach.

“The harder you work, the better you become. He works tirelessly. He puts the graft in every day to keep improving. We need to support him in his development, but he’s a clever player and latches on to things very quickly, just like the very best.”

Stuttgart have turned down an offer from Bayern Munich for the third time this summer, prompting Nick Woltemade's advisor to voice blunt criticism.

• Woltemade's advisor tears into Stuttgart
• Latest offer turned down on Wednesday
• Stuttgart now demanding €75m

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Woltemade's advisor, Danny Bachmann, was absolutely furious after Stuttgart turned down the latest offer from Bayern. Bachmann confirmed to the media that the Bundesliga champions tabled a bid worth €60 million (£52m/$70m). Stuttgart, in response, have apparently demanded €75m (£65m/$88m) to let the striker leave.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  There seems to be no end in sight in the transfer saga involving Woltemade, Stuttgart and Bayern. After seeing two bids turned down by last season's DFB-Pokal winners — with the second bid worth a reported €50m (£43m/$58m) plus €5m in bonuses — Bayern sporting director Max Eberl confirmed that a deal for the 23-year-old was "off the table." Later on, the Munich outfit were handed a deadline until this Saturday by Stuttgart if they wanted to make another approach for Woltemade. The Bavarians obliged but, as has been the case all summer, Stuttgart's stubbornness has prevented the two German sides from reaching an agreement. 

• WHAT DANNY BACHMANN SAID

  Speaking to the , Bachmann said: "The solution demanded by Mr. [Alexander] Wehrle this week within a questionable deadline was delivered today with the total package from the interested party and the player's side totaling more than €60 million plus a share of the resale.

  "The supervisory board's response regarding a demand of €75 million, which is outside the market, for a player who came on a free transfer but with a lower mid-range salary classification is not only completely unfounded – especially for a domestic transfer – but is in blatant contradiction to the aforementioned agreements.

  "In March 2024 and most recently in mid-June, VfB made a clear commitment to a solution-oriented approach as soon as the next career step is possible. In the fast-paced world of football, such a step would now be possible, becoming the German record champion and a permanent Champions League participant. For an ambitious German international, this is a tremendous opportunity."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• AFP
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Stuttgart's stance on letting Woltemade leave has only toughened since the second offer from Bayern arrived in July. At the time, Die Schwaben remained adamant on not entertaining any offers less than €65 million (£56m/$75m). Interestingly, they are now demanding €75m for the player.