On a crucial day, Kusal Mendis used his immaculate technique to find success where his team-mates failed, and it gave Sri Lanka some reason to celebrate after a recent bleak period

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Jul-2016Kusal Mendis’ first run after lunch takes him to 87. It is 13 short of a hundred. It is the number men in the opposition will say is unluckiest for a batsman. But Mendis doesn’t know that. Or at least, he doesn’t play like he does.Soon, he squirts a single to square leg. Soon after, he puts a Josh Hazlewood ball through midwicket with that homespun punch-pull. When he sweeps Nathan Lyon for six in the following over, he has moved clean through the nineties in eight balls. He owns 72% of the team’s runs. He is living out the fantasy of anyone to have held a bat. If at the time Mendis knows that, he doesn’t celebrate like he does.The defence has been immaculate since his amble to the crease. To the spinners, he pushes feet forward, sticks bat close to body, watches and waits. Here is a player who drags his feet at the non-strikers’ end. Who lets his blade trail along the ground when strolling to his partner, mid-pitch. In so much of his demeanour, he is the team’s kid brother – he is the youngest man on the field. But if a ball is to be blocked, Mendis is the Michelin-starred joint just as doors open for dinner service. He is the Special Forces unit, awaiting orders to move in.”He’s one of our guys who really has a technique,” coach Graham Ford had said of him last month. How rare that is in a nation where pure technique is a breakthrough, rather than a birthright. There were at least seven years in international cricket before Kumar Sangakkara worked out a set-up that satisfied him. Aravinda de Silva needed a summer with Kent to unlock his gifts. Yet, seven Tests in, and 21 years old, Mendis sees through the dip and away-spin from Steve O’Keefe in the morning. He milks the turn into his body from Lyon. He pushes away and picks off Hazlewood’s full length. Then in the afternoon, when the ball begins to reverse-swing, the drives come fresh and flowing, like a scent on the breeze. Hazlewood is drilled past his right foot. The straight drive off Mitchell Starc is more delicate, but as delectable – teasing fielders who nearly collide, and give chase all the way in vain.Only in the stroke to get to a hundred, and in one other shot in the day, was there violence. Starc had venom for him all morning, of the verbal variety as much as with ball in hand. But when the bowler went wide, Mendis upper-cut him behind point. Next ball, the overcorrection skidded past fine leg.Late in the day, there is that lofted on-drive flick too – the one that had the crowd sitting up and taking notice on a bleak afternoon in Leeds. Yet it was not Headingley, but Hyderabad that made a man of Mendis. Having led an unsuccessful Under-19 World Cup campaign in 2014, Mendis breezed to 156 in the little-loved Moin-ud-Dowlah three-day tournament last year, then suddenly found himself in the Test XI against West Indies, just one first-class hundred and a fifty to his name.If he has layered improbability upon improbability in producing this innings – defusing the spinners where others have lunged and groped, scoring quickly off the fast men who have had team-mates prodding and jerking, it is because he has stacked improbabilities all his life. The son of a Moratuwa three-wheeler driver, Mendis became Sri Lankan cricket royalty when he was named 2014’s Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year. Two years later, today, he put a three-hour frown on the captain of the world’s top Test team. He threaded balls through the gaps of a five-man leg-side infield. He turned the Test in a new direction, and along the way, the opposition’s mouthy spearhead into a mute.”Angelo told us that they come at you very hard in the first few spells and the main thing is to get them bowling into their third and fourth spells,” Mendis said after play. “So we stuck at the wicket in the best way we could. During the last couple of hours, they came with a plan to have more fielders on the leg side. We also knew that, and played the situation well.”By the time he went to stumps on 169*, the team 196 runs ahead, Sri Lanka fans had begun to hope Mendis is the man they have been waiting for. Following perhaps the bleakest seven months for this team since the turn of the century, there is a reason to fry up the fish cutlets in celebration, to break out the arrack for joy (Mendis brand, why would you even ask?).As composed after the day, as he was against O’Keefe, or Lyon or Starc, Mendis didn’t know he was playing one of Sri Lanka’s great innings. Or at least it didn’t seem like he does.

An analytical look at the important passages of play from the second day of the Kolkata Test between India and New Zealand

Aakash Chopra01-Oct-2016Matt Henry’s maintains his line
Matt Henry’s pitch map shows that he bowled a fifth-sixth stump line throughout and the beehive also suggests that majority of balls finished on the same line too. To constantly bowl a probing line outside off is likely to bring success. The reason for Henry’s consistency was his positioning on the crease close to the stumps and a strong, stable wrist.A beehive graphic shows the consistent line that Henry bowled•ESPNcricinfo LtdSaha fights with patience
The sight of batsmen battling tough sessions is becoming increasingly rare and therefore it was heartening to see the way Wriddhiman Saha fought through the tough phases on the first day and second morning. Saha is predominantly a front-foot player and scored only three times off balls that pitched shorter than the six-metre mark, which exemplified his patience more.A pitch map of seam deliveries faced by Wriddhiman Saha in his 54*•ESPNcricinfo LtdBhuvneshwar’s strong wrist
The first two balls that Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled showed the value of a strong wrist behind the ball for a swing bowler. The first ball came out of his hand with the seam tilted towards the first slip, and the second had the seam tilted towards fine-leg. To use these two variations in the first two balls of his first spell, on his return after missing the Kanpur Test, showed immense control and confidence.21.2 and 23.1 – The threat of low bounce
R Ashwin bowls a nicely flighted delivery pitched on a good-length spot that brings Luke Ronchi forward to offer a defensive shot. The ball takes a little piece off the pitch enroute, and finds the inside edge before thudding into Ronchi’s body. It could be the footmarks created by New Zealand’s left-arm seamers or possibly the first sign of the corners of the cracks disintegrating.A few deliveries later, the ball pitches at an almost identical spot but this time it goes through the pitch. The lack of bounce deceives not only the batsman but also the keeper. It is almost impossible to negotiate a ball that does not bounce even a few inches. Considering that it is only the second session of the second day, batting is likely to get tougher in the days to follow.The significance of Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s accuracy was magnified by a pitch that needed bowlers to be at the same spot consistently•Associated PressBhuvneshwar tweaks his length
The best part about Bhuvneshwar’s five-wicket haul was the way he adjusted his length. His natural length is to pitch the ball a lot fuller to induce edges or leg-before dismissals but on this Eden pitch, he needed to pull it back a yard. Whenever there is some uneven bounce in the pitch, one must bowl at a length that allows the ball to misbehave after pitching, which is a little bit on the shorter side. On dusty Indian pitches one must vary the length regularly but, on this pitch, Bhuvneshwar needed to be at the same spot ball after ball. His accuracy is his biggest strength and on this surface its significance was magnified.

Stats preview of the fourth Test between West Indies and India at Port of Spain where the visitors have a chance of registering a rare third win in an away series.

Shiva Jayaraman17-Aug-20163-3 West Indies’ win-loss record against India in Port of Spain; the last Test played between the teams at this venue was won by India by 37 runs. The hosts last beat India here in 1989 when they won by a huge margin of 217 runs. This will be the 13th Test played between the teams at this venue; six of them have been drawn.1968 The only time India have won three Tests in an away series. They had beaten New Zealand by a margin of 3-1 on that occasion. India are leading 2-0 in this series. Should they win the Port of Spain Test, it will also be only the sixth time that they win three Tests in any series, away or home. The last such win for them came against South Africa at home when they beat the visitors 3-0 in a four Test series.112 India’s ranking points if they win the series by a margin of 3-0, which will help them retain their newly acquired No. 1 rank on the ICC ranking system. Australia’s 0-3 loss to Sri Lanka has meant that India are currently at the top of the rankings, before they are updated again after the West Indies-India series. A 2-0 result or worse for India would leave the top rank with Pakistan.2-1 West Indies’ win-loss record at Port of Spain in the last ten years – their best at any home venue in Tests. They beat New Zealand by 10 wickets in their last Test here, in 2014. Their other win came against Sri Lanka in 2008. They drew their Tests against England and Australia, and lost to South Africa in 2010.5 Number of India batsmen who have scored at least 200 runs in this series at an average 50 or higher. Apart from Ajinkya Rahane, whose 243 runs in the series have come at an average of 121.50, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, R Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha are the other India batsmen to have done so. None of the West Indies batsmen have managed to aggregate 200 runs in the first three Tests. Should five India batsmen manage to finish this series with 200-plus runs at an average north of 50, that would be a first for India in an away series.46.11 West Indies pacers’ current bowling average in this series. This is only the eighth time that they have averaged 40 or worse in a series at home. Their captain, Jason Holder, has taken just one wicket from the 86.4 overs he has bowled and has given away 239 runs. Their only five-wicket haul came in the second innings of the last Test when Miguel Cummins reaped 6 for 48. Excluding that spell, West Indies’ fast bowlers have taken 12 wickets in the series at an average of 65.17.20.77 Batting average of West Indies’ top three batsmen in this series – their third-worst ever in a Test series at home involving three or more matches. They have scored a total of 374 runs from 18 innings in this series with a highest of 74. Kraigg Brathwaite averages the best at 28.00, among the four batsmen that have been tried by the home team, having scored 168 runs including two fifties from six innings.29.91 Shikhar Dhawan’s batting average in Tests outside Asia; he has made 718 runs including one hundred and three fifties in 24 innings. After the Test series in New Zealand in 2013-14 – when he made 215 runs at an average of 53.75 in two Tests – Dhawan’s average in Tests outside Asia has been 26.68. The career statistics for India’s other opening option Murali Vijay aren’t significantly better than Dhawan’s in Tests outside Asia: 1187 runs at 33.91. However, Vijay did well in India’s previous two series outside Asia: he made 482 runs at 60.25 eight innings in Australia and 402 runs at 40.20 in ten innings in England.1 Away Test venues at which India have played more matches than the 12 they have played at Port of Spain – they have played 17 Tests at Lord’s. India have played 12 Tests at three other venues – at the Oval, the MCG and Sabina Park in Jamaica.

Four Tests into their Test tour of Bangladesh and India, George Dobell provides a half-term report on the England squad

George Dobell23-Nov-2016Good:Ben Stokes:
Averaging 20.84 with the ball and 51.57 with the bat, it is hardly surprising that Stokes is rated England’s “golden player” by captain, Alastair Cook. He has looked England’s most dangerous purveyor of reverse-swing and at times troubled batsmen – he has hit several on the head or body – with his hostility even on slow surfaces. But it is his improvement against spin bowling that has been revelatory. More secure in his defence and more mature in his shot selection, he has a century and two half-centuries on the tour so far. This trip was always likely to offer one of the defining Tests of Stokes’ career: so far he has been deeply impressive. He is England’s best fielder in just about every position, too.Haseeb Hameed:
An impressive start. Described as “unflappable” by his captain, Hameed has taken to Test cricket with a sense of calm proficiency that bodes well for his future. Slightly unfortunate to miss out on a century on debut – he fell as England tried to set-up a declaration – he nevertheless demonstrated a sound technique and more scoring options than many had expected in registering the highest Test score made by an England teenager. While the short-ball remains an area of potential weakness, he has looked more secure against spin than several more experienced colleagues and promises to answer half of England’s opening questions for a decade and more.Stuart Broad:
Has bowled better than the figures (8 wickets at 26.37 apiece) show. Immaculate in conditions offering him little (he conceded fewer than two runs per over in Chittagong), he delivered 29 overs in the first innings in Rajkot (nine of them maidens) and has offered his side control even at times when the spinners have struggled. He was especially impressive in Vizag, where he demonstrated his mastery of the leg-cutter and gained just enough seam movement from the cracked surface to trouble all the batsmen. The only downside is the foot injury sustained in the opening moments of that Test. The manner in which he shrugged it off to produce by fair his best performance in Asia was though, in Cook’s words, “extraordinary.” He has gone a long way to answering the questions facing him in these conditions. Only judged as a bowler; the all-rounder days are long gone.Chris Woakes:
Proving the point that you can’t judge a player simply on statistics (he has taken four wickets in the three Tests he has played), Woakes has contributed heavily without personal reward. Impressively accurate – he conceded 63 runs from 35 overs in Rajkot – he has also impressed with his hostility on slow surfaces and troubled Cheteshwar Pujara, in particular, with his bouncer. Rotated out of the side for the Vizag Test, England missed his batting notably.Jimmy Anderson:
A controversial selection in this category, perhaps. But Anderson’s determination to regain fitness and play a part on a tour where conditions offer him little is reflective of his whole-hearted commitment to this side. Despite finding almost no swing, he was England’s best seamer in the first innings in Vizag – to bounce out an opener on that surface must have been especially pleasing for a man whose pace is questioned these days – and produced a peach of a delivery to bowl Pujara (set up by cutters, he was then bowled through the gate by a quicker inswinger) in the second.Adil Rashid:
Rashid has shown improvement after an undistinguished start. Slightly flattered by his figures in Bangladesh – he picked up some cheap wickets in Dhaka but conceded more than four-an-over in both innings and wasn’t trusted to bowl in Chittagong as the game built to a conclusion – he has bowled better in India. It is probably no coincidence that his improvement has coincided with Saqlain Mushtaq’s arrival. Encouraged to back himself and forget about previous instructions to bowl faster, Rashid has looked more confident, bowled fewer release deliveries (he conceded only seven boundaries – five fours and two sixes – in 34.4 overs in the first innings in Vizag) and claimed 13 wickets in the two Tests so far. He was referred to as “our best spinner” after the Vizag Test by the coach, Trevor Bayliss, and has contributed a couple of useful innings, too.Jonny Bairstow:
Standing up to the stumps used to define a keeper’s ability and Bairstow has generally kept well in demanding conditions. Certainly he has demonstrated that he has improved greatly with the gloves. While he does not have a substantial score to show for his good form with the bat – only once in seven innings on this tour has Bairstow failed to 24, but he has not passed 53 – he made key runs in both innings in Chittagong, rebuilt nicely at Vizag and fell selflessly trying to push on in Rajkot.Gareth Batty:
A bit unfortunate to be dropped after a one-match recall in Chittagong. He opened the bowling in both innings and bowled more than respectably – he looked to have the most control of the England spinners, though possibly lacks just a bit of pace for modern international cricket – but has paid the price for being a second off-spinner (Moeen is first choice) in India against a line-up stacked with right-handed batsmen.Could do better:Joe Root:
Only because of the high standards Root has set himself does he find himself in this category. He has once fluent century, albeit in fairly benign conditions, but has twice been out just after making a half-century – his dismissal in Vizag, caught at long-off was especially frustrating – and is averaging a relatively modest 38 from the four Tests. From most players, that would be fine. But England need more from Root.Alastair Cook:
Averaging 37 over the four Tests, Cook looked some way below until well into the Rajkot Test. Cook scored 89 in four innings in Bangladesh – 59 of them in the second innings in Dhaka – but, after a torturous start to his second innings in Rajkot, found his form with his 30th Test century. He followed that up with a typically defiant 50 in Vizag – his slowest Test half-century – and looked to be back in form. He has generally juggled his bowlers OK – he has a difficult task because of the modesty of the spin attack – but will surely regret the lack of a gully with the second new ball in Vizag and the failure to post one of his best catches at deep backward square when setting up a hook trap.Moeen Ali:
Only because of the high-standards that Moeen sets himself with the bat does he find himself in this category. While he made an important half-century in Chittagong and a typically pleasing century in Rajkot, those are the only occasions he has reached 15 in seven innings in the two series. Now batting at No. 5, more is required than a batting average of 30.28 over the four Tests. With 18 wickets at a cost of 27.27, his bowling has been better. He has looked very dangerous for left-handers but has found life against right-handers harder. Still not quite able to offer his captain the control he would like – 3.20 an over is not a disaster, though – his strike-rate of a wicket every 51 balls remains impressive.Steven Finn:
Bowled 11 overs in conditions offering him little in Dhaka. Too small a sample-size to make a judgement.Disappointing:Ben Duckett:
Dismissed in strikingly similar three times in the four Tests – with foot planted on leg stump he has been undone by off-spinners’ turn – this tour has so far suggested the elevation to Test cricket might have come a little early. One counter-attacking innings in Dhaka apart – his 50, either admirably uninhibited or oddly reckless depending on your point of view (there was probably an element of both) – took 61 balls – he has not passed 15 in his other six innings. Uncharacteristically, he missed a relatively simple chance in the field in Dhaka and is expected to be dropped ahead of the Mohali Test. Young and talented enough to come again it was, in retrospect, asking a great deal of Duckett to cope with a trial by spin at this level at this stage of his career.Zafar Ansari:
It’s harsh to put Ansari in this category. He has only played three Tests – all of them in demanding circumstances – and the last one of them saw him suffering from illness and injury. But a batting average of 9.80 and a bowling average of 55 leaves little alternative. He has also conceded more than four-an-over. After a nervous start in Dhaka – he bowled several full-tosses – he performed much better in Rajkot with bat and ball. He is up against fine players of spin, though, and the decision to introduce him before the other spinners in Vizag resulted in a release of pressure.Gary Ballance:
Dropped after four single-figure scores in Bangladesh. Conditions were demanding, for sure, but a batting average of six left the England management with little options.

The ball-tampering law is vague and – anecdotally at least – often flouted by players. Is it time for the game’s governing bodies to have a rethink?

Firdose Moonda22-Nov-20163:08

Too much being made of du Plessis episode – Gillespie

Whether or not Faf du Plessis applied an artificial substance to the ball in Hobart was “irrelevant”, David Warner said on Tuesday. And, to the series outcome, perhaps that is true. But that du Plessis was that evening found guilty enough of ball-tampering to cop a fine was anything but irrelevant to cricket’s bigger picture.Under the Laws of Cricket – Law 42.3, to be precise – players are allowed to “polish the ball provided that no artificial substance is used”. Du Plessis’ second conviction in three years – and South Africa’s third – is a warning to the rest that there will be a crackdown on this law, even though there is no clarity on what, for cricket’s purposes, constitutes an “artificial substance”.Broadly speaking, we all have some idea that shoe polish is synthetic and saliva is natural but what if the shoe polish is mixed with saliva? How much of the synthetic substance needs to mix with the natural one for all of it to be deemed artificial? And what if the artificial substance is food? Organic food? The wording of the law is too vague.As Jason Gillespie said in an interview on these pages, “It’s a tough one because in the laws of the game it says, technically, no one should be able to have anything in their mouth on the ground. You shouldn’t be able to have any lollies, chewing gum, anything. I mean how far do we want to go? You can’t have a Gatorade or whatever power drink they have because it’s got sugar in it. So everyone, just drink water. Where do you want to go with it?”Gillespie is one of several former players to support the “storm in a teacup” argument over the shining of the ball. “It is actually just accepted and isn’t a big deal,” Matt Prior said on Twitter, while Sourav Ganguly told ESPNcricinfo’s du Plessis, “is not the first person who has done it and I don’t think he will be the last.”That was what South Africa were hoping would get du Plessis out of trouble. They are understood to have used the “everybody-does-it” defense. They produced footage of several high-profile players, including Virat Kohli and David Warner, using saliva that could have come into contact with an artificial substance on the ball.Neither example is as blatant as du Plessis’: Kohli rubs something close to his teeth and for a split-second there seems to be gum visible, while Warner applies a lip balm and then receives the ball after the next delivery to polish. For the ICC to investigate those clips and lay a charge, the matter should have been brought to its notice within five days of the event*.Faf du Plessis leaves after the hearing at Adelaide Oval•Getty ImagesConsider the similarity to the seatbelt law. Hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of drivers and passengers choose not to buckle up and when they are caught, they are fined because they are guilty of an offense. Even if you’re an advocate for freedom of choice, or you fervently believe the seatbelt won’t save your life, or you just forgot to put it on, you are still guilty, and will be sanctioned, and so will everyone else who is caught.But perhaps the dossier du Plessis’ defence produced – and the comments from former players – will prompt a thorough enquiry. It may even lead to a realisation that a law becomes redundant if it is so openly flouted. Or perhaps it will just cause those players to become even more discreet, particularly the South Africans.They are only team to be caught in the past three years and every time, it has been by broadcast cameras. There is one school of thought that du Plessis would not have found himself charged if only South Africa hid their actions as well as other teams. “He has just been a bit stupid,” Ganguly said. “Maybe because he was ignorant that the camera was on him. He could have done it differently.”In this case, if du Plessis had had the sweet under his tongue, for instance, he would have got away with it completely. The on-field umpires, who check the ball after every over to assess its condition, did not detect anything amiss. However, it is interesting to note that all three umpires were strong in telling the hearing that had they seen du Plessis’ actions on field, they would have taken action immediately. At least the officials and the administrators are in sync, even if the players are not.All that leaves the ICC with a problem. One of their own laws is being flouted because players have found ways to skirt around it. Clearly, some players view it as a law that exists just for the sake of it. If players are happy to break it so long as no-one gets caught, there is obviously a problem. If the ICC is serious about enforcing its law, they need to make better efforts to clamp down, as they did with illegal bowling actions. Otherwise, they could accept that some form of working the ball will take place and make room for that within the laws.Perhaps that is the most reasonable solution. In any case, most players aren’t sure how an artificial substance actually affects the way the ball moves. “I’m no expert in the science of how a sugary sweet will impact on the aerodynamics of a cricket ball. I wouldn’t have a clue,” Gillespie confessed.So here is a left-field thought: someone could try to find out. Scientific research could be conducted into what substances have an effect on the ball, and whether such effects are significant enough to justify the law’s existence. Perhaps cricket would end up with a list of banned substances, as WADA does with doping. But that has its own problems in terms of practicality.The issue is a hazy one, but if this hearing brings any sort of clarity it will prove a landmark moment indeed.*1215GMT The piece has been altered to clarify the ICC process regarding the Kohli and Warner footage

Pakistan’s nine wickets in Hamilton was the fifth time a team has lost eight wickets or more in a session to lose a Test in 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-2016New Zealand v India, Indore
Target: 475
The collapse in a session: From 38-1 to 153 all out•BCCIEngland v Bangladesh, Mirpur
Target: 273
The collapse in a session: From 100-0 to 164 all out
•Getty ImagesAustralia v South Africa, Hobart
To avoid an innings defeat: 241
The collapse in a session: From 121-2 to 161 all out•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesPakistan v New Zealand, Hamilton
Target: 369
The collapse in a session: From 158-1 to 230 all out•Getty Images

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.

With Alex Hales nearing full fitness, Sam Billings knows he has limited chances to prolong his run in the side and stake a Champions Trophy claim

George Dobell in Antigua04-Mar-2017It is not easy being Sam Billings at the moment. Having waited months for another opportunity in an England shirt – his last three ODI appearance have come in three different series in three different countries – he has been asked to bat in an unfamiliar position and play aggressive, selfless cricket while knowing that he requires a significant score to retain his position.Furthermore, he has been asked to provide such a contribution on pitches that, if the first ODI in Antigua is any guide, render strokeplay desperately difficult.And if there was any doubt whether he could retain his place once Alex Hales is deemed ready to return, it was all but dispelled by Eoin Morgan’s post-match comments on Friday. “Hales is a very formidable player and has scored a lot of runs when we’ve won games,” Morgan said. “Whether Billings plays on Sunday depends on how Hales has pulled up after training.”Not that’s he complaining. Billings can see the bigger picture and knows that England’s depth in limited-overs batting is a considerable asset. It just doesn’t make life any easier for him. Besides, as he says, “I’m playing for England in the West Indies. What’s not to enjoy?”Realistically, Billings is playing for a place in England’s Champions Trophy squad. He has the ability to bat anywhere in the top seven and to keep wicket, which renders him an ideal inclusion, but it is hard to see how he squeezes into a full-strength side. Certainly not as an opener, where Hales and Jason Roy seemed nailed in, or in a top six which looks set to filled out by Joe Root, Morgan, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler. While there is a possibility he could play as an extra batsman at No. 7, England seem keen to have the services of a sixth bowler.That leaves Billings the second ODI in Antigua – if, as expected, Hales is not yet deemed ready to return – and perhaps the two games against Ireland in May in which to make his case. Jonny Bairstow, despite looking as good as anyone in training and the warm-ups, is even further back in the pack with Liam Livingstone making a late run thanks to his Lions performances. It could be Livingstone who replaces Ben Stokes, who will be at the IPL, in the side for the Ireland ODIs.”I can’t really afford to think about Hales,” Billings said. “He’s been in fantastic form over the past year and he’s a fantastic player. It’s a credit to the squad that we have that depth.”It’s professional sport and it’s good for the side that there’s so much competition. But as an individual I’ve really got to make these chances count. I have to really make it count and make three figures. I definitely feel like I’m in a good place to do that.”Of course it’s frustrating. I got one game in Bangladesh and I made 65. If I’d made 100 I would have really pressed my claim.”Billings admitted to some frustration after his innings on Friday, too. While he made a plucky half-century – his second in three ODI innings – he conceded he “gave it away” by driving to short midwicket when well set.

“Series on series we’re improving in different conditions. We want to play our brand of cricket but with an intelligent side to it”

Still, it was an intelligent innings in demanding circumstances. With Shannon Gabriel bowling, in Billings words ,”quickly and well” and the pitch offering seam movement and variable bounce, England were obliged to readjust their expectations of a competitive total and soak up a lot of dot balls before starting to accelerate. It was a pleasing sign of progress from a developing sign, albeit against inexperienced opposition.”You look at anyone who got runs and they started off pretty slowly, then built,” Billings said. “We were joking when we were out there. We really couldn’t hit the ball off the square to start with. That may be the way of it here. It’s a bit old-fashioned. You have to keep wickets in hand and really make hay towards the back end.”The pitch wasn’t that good, so you had to fight for your runs. Morgan’s hundred was as good as you’ll see, because the batting conditions weren’t there.”We adapted well. Our whole ethos is to attack and take the positive option. But here we had to fight for your runs. Series on series we’re improving in different conditions. We want to play our brand of cricket but with an intelligent side to it.”At first glance it might appear that such pitches – pitches that will do nothing to attract Caribbean spectators back to grounds – render this series little use as practice ahead of the Champions Trophy. After all, the expectation is that the tournament will be played on excellent batting tracks. That’s the ECB’s intention, anyway, and there seems no reason why it will not be fulfilled.But it is worth recalling the surface used for the final of the 2013 tournament. With the regulations forbidding the Edgbaston groundstaff to water the surface for some time before the final, it was played on a desperately dry, slow pitch. It won’t do England any harm to have some experience of adapting to such conditions.Liam Dawson is another man pushing for selection in Sunday’s second ODI. England’s spinners were out-bowled by West Indies’ on Friday and with the pitch likely to prove even slower and more spin friendly in the second ODI – the same strip will be used – there is a case for Dawson to come in either as a replacement (Adil Rashid appears most vulnerable) or as a third spinner. With Root also able to contribute a few overs of offspin – he bowled five on Friday – Dawson may be frustrated, though. The competition for places has to be for the greater good, but for the individuals involved it must be tough to take.

Pakistan will need every player to throw themselves into their fielding; every player to commit to a more positive approach with the bat; every player to remember they’re playing a team game

George Dobell in Birmingham06-Jun-2017It’s amazing how one defeat can change plans.Going into Pakistan’s opening match in the ICC Champions Trophy, Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur remarked: “We have a lot of faith and a lot of confidence in our opening pair. The two guys that we’ve been working with have done exceptionally. We’ve worked massively on our ball rotation, on our strike rates. It’s something we’ve prioritized in our preparation.”So what’s changed? Why is that, just one game later, Pakistan have abandoned that opening partnership? Or half of it, anyway, with Arthur confirming on Tuesday that Ahmed Shehzad would not feature in the game against South Africa.The answer is, in part, the nature of the defeat against India. So crushing was it, so overwhelming, that it left no room for doubt: something has to change in the manner in which Pakistan play ODI cricket.But it’s more than that. It’s also because of the way Shehzad played. It wasn’t just that he didn’t come off with the bat and mis-fielded a few times with the ball – these things happen – it was that he didn’t seem to have bought into the team culture.Maybe, at the start of the game, Shehzad was nervous. Maybe that explains why he was so slow to get down to the ball at point when Shikhar Dhawan punched his first delivery in that direction. As a consequence, the batsman was able to get off the mark immediately – something any batsman will tell you helps them settle – and, as Arthur put it later, the “tone was set”.Putting aside the fact that Shehzad seemed rattled by the big-match atmosphere – a worry in itself since it was his 79th ODI, meaning only two men in the side had played more – it was a forgivable error. Even the best fumble at one time or another; you don’t drop someone on such flimsy evidence.

It wasn’t just that Ahmed Shehzad didn’t come off with the bat and mis-fielded a few times with the ball – these things happen – it was that he didn’t seem to have bought into the team culture

But it wasn’t a one-off. Later in the innings, Shehzad failed to back-up a throw. He simply hadn’t moved into position and didn’t seem to be following the run of play in the detail you might expect. As a consequence, another run was conceded. It wasn’t an error as much as it was sloppy. It demonstrated not just human fallibility, but a lack of care. And that’s a lot harder to ignore.On both occasions, the unfortunate bowler was Imad Wasim. That’s relevant not just because it took a bit of the gloss off his figures, but because Pakistan’s team management was criticised for opening the bowling with Imad.Was the tactic wrong or was it the execution? Had Shehzad pounced on that first delivery, as he should have done, might Pakistan not have had a better chance of applying a bit of pressure on the India batsman? It was the only run scored off the bat that over, after all. But with Pakistan’s fielding porous as a colander, they had no hope of building pressure.Shehzad didn’t impress with the bat, either. While there was much pre-match talk about Pakistan’s new-found aggression, Shahzad barely played a shot in anger in his 22-ball stay. After cutting his second delivery for four, there were just eight singles before he departed at the end of the ninth over. The strut you see in training was replaced by an alarming timidity.Compare that to Azhar Ali.Azhar Ali is a trier in ODI cricket•Getty ImagesAzhar may well not have Shehzad’s inherent talent in this form of the game. He might not have his range of stroke or his easy timing. But you can feel Azhar trying to improve; you can feel him buying into Arthur’s desire to show more aggression at the top of the order. To see him driving Jasprit Bumrah, on the up, over mid-on or upper cutting him for four, or skipping down the pitch to Hardik Pandya and attempting to hit him over the top, was to see a man who has been prepared to develop his game; a man who was prepared to risk his wicket for the good of the team; a man who had bought in to everything his coach and captain had asked of him. He’s not the ideal ODI opener – of course he isn’t – but he’s trying his best. Coaches and captains respect that. Spectators, too.So disillusioned are Pakistan by Shehzad’s performance that he is to be replaced by an older man who has never played an ODI. Fakhar Zaman averages 50 in List A cricket, but it is asking a great deal of him to bring that form into an international match against the world’s top-rated ODI side.But if he buys into the team culture, if he is utterly committed in the field, if he risks his own average in a bid to make an important contribution for his side, he will be a man worth further investment. Pakistan’s limited-overs cricket has to change and if the likes of Shehzad won’t be part of that process, it’s hard to see how there will be room for him in the side.This being Pakistan, we cannot say he is at the end of the road yet. He is young, he is talented and, with the likes of Sharjeel Khan and Nasir Jamshed currently sidelined, he isn’t facing the competition for his spot he should be. But he’s been given a pretty clear warning about what is expected of him with this omission.We might have seen the last of Wahab Riaz•Getty ImagesThis may prove the end of the road for the injured Wahab Riaz, though. He is 32 later this month and, for all the pace, for all the excitement he generates, he takes few wickets and concedes too many runs. Since the World Cup his ODI bowling average is 47.08; in his most recent 14 ODIs – a period that dates back to November 2015 – it is 84.44 and he has conceded 6.47 runs per over. Pakistan may well look to younger men now.There is some reason for hope ahead of the South Africa game. With poor weather compromising pitch preparation, it has been decided not to use the fresh surface originally planned for this match and instead revert to the track utilised in the first two games at Edgbaston. As a result it is possible, just possible, that Pakistan’s spinners (and they will play four of them) will get just a bit out of the surface.They will also have Mohammad Amir in their side. Just for a moment, when he was hit on the shoulder while batting during training, it looked as if he was in trouble. But the team management insists the blow was not serious and he is expected to take his place in the side.With such players, an upset is always possible. But Pakistan will need every player to throw themselves into their fielding; every player to commit to a more positive approach with the bat; every player to remember they’re playing a team game. If they do that, they’ll have a chance. And they’ll be making progress.

In making their highest total in tournament finals and winning the Champions Trophy, Pakistan dished out new lows to R Ashwin and India

S Rajesh18-Jun-2017180 The margin of victory for Pakistan, the biggest in the final of any ICC ODI event. India were at the receiving end at The Oval, just as they were in Johannesburg in 2003 in the World Cup final against Australia, when they lost by 125 runs, which was the previous highest margin (in terms of runs). This is the fifth-highest margin in any final; the largest is 245, and India were at the receiving end there too, against Sri Lanka in the Coca Cola Champions Trophy in 2000.In the last two games, Pakistan were utterly dominant and thrashed two strong teams by huge margins•ESPNcricinfo Ltd73.71 The difference between Pakistan’s batting and bowling averages in the semi-finals and final of this tournament: they scored 92.16 runs per wicket, and conceded only 18.45 runs per dismissal. They scored 6.34 runs per over, and conceded only 4.59 per over. These numbers indicate their utter dominance in the two biggest games of the tournament, against two of the toughest opponents: they beat England by eight wickets with 77 balls to spare in the semi-finals, and thrashed India by 180 runs in the final.Pakistan have never made a higher total in a final•ESPNcricinfo Ltd338 Pakistan’s total, their highest in any tournament final, and their second-highest in an ODI against India. Their highest against India is 344, but that was in a chase of 350.6 Instances of both Pakistan openers passing 50 in a World Cup or Champions Trophy game. Two of those have been in successive games in this tournament: against England in Cardiff, Azhar got 76 and Fakhar made 57.Pakistan openers made the perfect start•ESPNcricinfo Ltd128 The opening stand between Azhar Ali and Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan’s first century stand for the first wicket against India in an ICC ODI event. The previous best was 84, between Aamer Sohail and Saaed Anwar, in the 1996 World Cup game in Bengaluru. It is only the second century stand for Pakistan against India in any ICC ODI tournament.114 Zaman’s score, the fourth-highest by a Pakistan batsman in a World Cup or Champions Trophy game, and the first hundred for Pakistan in the final of these tournaments.There was no doubt about who won the Fakhar v Ashwin battle•ESPNcricinfo Ltd13 Wickets for Hasan Ali, which makes him the joint leading wicket-taker in any Champions Trophy tournament. Jerome Taylor had also taken 13 in the 2006 tournament, which was held in India.6.33 Mohammad Amir’s average against Rohit Sharma in international matches. Rohit has scored 19 runs in 49 balls, and been dismissed three times. In ODIs, he has scored 18 runs in 42 balls for one dismissal, and in T20Is he has scored only one runs in seven balls, and been dismissed twice.45 Runs scored by Zaman off R Ashwin, the most runs scored by any batsman off Ashwin in an ODI. He went past Brendan Taylor’s 42 off 27 balls against Ashwin in the 2015 World Cup game in Auckland.