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Virat Kohli sledges, he celebrates aggressively, he stares, he gets angry – with his team and the opposition – but at the end of it all he’s scored a mountain of runs and refuses to be beaten by Australia

Jarrod Kimber at the SCG08-Jan-20153:52

Agarkar: Don’t think Australia have any answers to Kohli

Virat Kohli flexes his tattooed arms at the MCG. The Swami Army sings about the BCCI. “We’re so rich it’s unbelievable.” There is swearing at Kohli. There is abuse from Kohli. Balls are bowled at him. Balls are thrown at him. He kisses his bat. His movie-star girlfriend smiles at him.The Sachin Tendulkar era is behind us. We’re in Generation Kohli.**Adelaide. The crest. Middle of the forehead. First ball. The match stops. This was Kohli’s first ball as Test captain.First ball after lunch to Kohli was the sort of length ball wide outside off stump that Mitchell Johnson bowls a lot. Many of the world’s best batsmen have found an outside edge from the Johnson pace and slant. Kohli paints a cover drive. It is as perfect and beautiful as any of your past loves, grandkids or Audrey Hepburn. The ball leaves his bat like it’s been sent to an alternate universe.From that point on, Kohli bats in this out-of-world style, for two innings. In England just months earlier that ball would have probably beaten him or taken the edge. Now it beats up the fence. This is a different Kohli. He’s sure of himself again. He’s sure outside off stump. He’s sure he’s going to make runs.In Australia’s second innings in Adelaide, Kohli is still so sure of himself that he is now sending off Chris Rogers, getting into David Warner, and starting a fight with Steven Smith. He was so confident at this point he could have started a fight with a mirror.This confidence was all from Kohli. His bowlers couldn’t back it up; their 12 wickets in the Test had no impact on whether India would win. It was Kohli’s batting and a bit of rain that almost won India the match. When he finally mis-hit the kind of ball that he’s hit into stands around the world, all that confidence came crashing down. He didn’t even have the energy to leave the crease. For the second time in Adelaide, he was crestfallen.**India have finished an ODI at the Gabba on their last tour of Australia in 2011-12. The curator Kevin Mitchell jr. and his team are looking after the pitch. Mitchell sees what he thinks is a bunch of fans in India replica clothes playing with a shopping trolley by the race. One guy is spinning the trolley around, while another sits in it. Mitchell yells at them.When he walks up the race, the only two people there are Indian players waiting for their team bus. Kohli looks dizzy and out of breath, like he was just in a shopping trolley that was spinning around before making a runner when caught.The next time he was at the Gabba it was after being India’s Test captain. As Nas once rapped, “It’s like the game ain’t the same”.**The first ball of day four at the Gabba is faced by Kohli. It wasn’t a rip-snorting, toe-curling demon ball. It was a gentle delivery from Shane Watson. But Kohli should not have been out there. Shikhar Dhawan should have been.Both men had been hit in the temperamental Gabba nets. Dhawan had been retired hurt. Kohli had been sent in.At no stage did he look comfortable. At no stage did he look happy. And when he left a ball off the middle of his bat back onto his stumps, he was gone. Later he would be back, stationed in the slip cordon, dropping a catch that can’t be seen without hearing the clanging of cymbals in your head.In Brisbane he wasn’t cheered. He wasn’t booed. He wasn’t much.**Kohli was one of three Indian players to attend Phil Hughes’ funeral. That was on December 3. By December 5 he was retiring on 66 in a warm up game in Adelaide. Kohli is a passionate man, he’ll flip the bird, scream obscenities and laugh in the face of an outgoing batsman, but he seems to be able to put a distance between tragedies and cricket.In December 2006, Kohli had just turned 19. He was playing his fourth first-class match. Karnataka had made 446 in the first innings. Overnight Kohli’s father passed away. Kohli played on. He entered the wicket at 14 for 3. Dhawan left on the same score to make it 14 for 4. Kohli made 90. From 238 balls. And helped save Delhi from defeat.Virat’s mother said years later: “Virat changed a bit after that day. Overnight he became a much more matured person. He took every match seriously. He hated being on the bench. It’s as if his life hinged totally on cricket after that day. Now, he looked like he was chasing his father’s dream which was his own too.”**At tea on day five at the MCG, India had the draw in their grasp. The first ball after tea, Kohli was out. It was an effortless and mindless flick, the sort Kohli could play deep in REM sleep. The sort he probably first played when he was an actual spoilt brat. But he found Joe Burns at square leg and gave Australia their last chance of winning the Test.A couple of days earlier Kohli was felled by a Johnson throw and ended up in a heap on the ground. Johnson was throwing at the stumps and did apologise, but after a day of exchanging sledges, Kohli was not in the mood for an apology. He drove loosely twice, and then was dropped in the next over. Accidental bodyline looked like succeeding more than verbal diarrhea to get Kohli out.Virat Kohli triumphant after scoring his fourth hundred of the series, on the third day at the SCG•Getty ImagesKohli took on Johnson all day, refusing to take a backward step unless he was running away from a throw. And then just as the day was finishing, he let Johnson and Australia beat him. He gave away his wicket. He gave away any hope of the tail making runs.Then Kohli turned up at the press conference and kept playing his shots like he hadn’t just given Australia a big enough lead to boss the match. His press conference was given like he was not out, India were in front, and he’d just jumped out of his private jet having launched his new record in Miami. Not like he had wafted at a wide one while India were desperate for stumps.**When Australia are batting on day five at the MCG, Kohli walks over to talk to Mohammed Shami. An MCC member tells him to get on with it. Kohli looks back at him with the stare.If you’ve seen an IPL match, an ODI or a Test featuring Kohli, you’ll be familiar with the stare. It’s a face of such anger and coldness. Like in the ad for Sahara Q that was banned, it was the stare he used when he replaced a man’s shopping trolley with a wheelchair. Acting wasn’t needed, Kohli knows how to channel quiet rage.Kohli has used the stare on bowlers, batsmen, and fielders – both the opposition’s and his own. In Melbourne when he ran on the pitch, he used it on the umpire when he was warned. There is this righteous fury right beneath this cold, hard stare. It’s the stare of someone who doesn’t like to lose, who is on a mission, who is spookily focused. If he was to be in one of his partner’s films, he’d be better suited as the dashing villain than the charming lead man.**Sports fans are odd. When Kohli failed in England this year, some genuinely thought his girlfriend Anushka Sharma had something to do with it. It wasn’t as though Virat was spending his time trying to fund a Bollywood remake of . He was a professional cricketer, who had a girlfriend on tour.The satirical website handled it best when they ran this made up Anushka quote, “Kohli’s form dipped since last six months and suddenly I am responsible for it! Did anybody notice a drop in my acting abilities in last few years and tried to hold Kohli responsible for it?”When Anushka finally did announce their relationship, she said “We’re not hiding anything, we’re just being two normal young people in a relationship”. Just your normal movie-star-and-Indian-captain relationship.While he bats, she takes selfies with star-struck crowd members. She’s probably taken more than 600 of them as well; Kohli’s batted that long.**Brad Haddin comes out to bat in the first innings at the SCG. Kohli walks up to him. It seems like he is saying something at first, but another camera angle shows that Kohli is just staring that stare. He holds this for a long time. Even for Kohli, this is really creepy.Then Kohli moves back into the ring, the bowler comes in, and Haddin pumps him back over his head. As the ball is disappearing for six, Haddin turns his back on Kohli. Stare at this, Virat.**Dean Jones described Kohli as, “almost more Australian than he is Indian.” It has long been thought that one thing Australians can’t stand more than anything else is someone who plays like them.But that is not the reason Australian cricketers don’t like Kohli. A personal sledge aimed at an Australian cricketer during the 2011 tour cut very deep. It was a low blow.Sledging Australians when you are not Australian can be a tricky tightrope. They might call you a princess, a brat, a rat, a (insert swear here), but they also have limits. Limits that you need to grow up with to understand. If you break one of the unwritten rules, their secret code, they don’t like you.You can see how the Australians feel about Kohli every time they talk to him on the field. And they talk to him a lot. Australians talk to Kohli more than they talk to the press, more than they talk to Channel Nine, more than they see their families. When they’re not talking to him, they’re talking about him.Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann promised even more talk, despite Kohli seeming to love it. The next day they talked about boring him out, assuming with more inane, pointless chatter. Kohli seems to revel in getting under their skin, and that is where he has been since his personal sledge. Since that moment, Kohli has made four hundreds and two half-centuries in six Tests.And in that time he’s said more things on the field than MS Dhoni has in his entire life.**Shaun Marsh is on his knees, behind him a man smiles.Just before that, Marsh had shuffled, worried and hoped his way towards a hundred. It was horrible stuff. India stepped up when they saw how worried he was. Marsh had already tried to take off for a run that could have only ended in heartbreak. This time he knocked the full ball straight to mid-off, and just ran.The fielder moved in quick and sure. He cut off the angle. Got to his right side. Launched himself low. Threw as he flew. Hit the stumps. Marsh looked up at the umpire, who told him it was out.Kohli ran down the pitch to be adored by his team-mates. He knew. He often does.**The crowd boos when Kohli arrives on the SCG. The previous ball either spun more than any ball ever in the history of Nathan Lyon’s career or was dragged onto the stumps by Rohit Sharma. Kohli’s first ball does less. He half pushes forward. The ball either misses the edge, or takes it, and just misses off stump. Kohli’s head turns around to see the ball, as KL Rahul starts running, but Kohli calls no after a couple of steps. He regains his composure, and gets back in the crease.Behind him, in the middle of the pitch, his partner is facedown on the turf. Kohli composed, India face down. That’s this summer.**Kohli’s feet are wide apart. His hands are high above his head. His bat is clenched. His face has that stare. Some cheer, some boo. Kohli has his fourth hundred. Australia have beaten India. They haven’t beaten Kohli.The crowd is dressed in pink. They are raising money for breast cancer nurses. They start chanting, “Kohli is a w*****.” There is no higher praise you can be insulted with by an Australian crowd. “I know you guys hate me, and I like that”.Spoilt brat superstar.

Plays of the Day from the match between West Indies and Zimbabwe in Canberra

Firdose Moonda in Canberra24-Feb-2015The celebration Early wickets are a cause for celebration and Tinashe Panyangara has some of the best in the game. Against South Africa, Panyangara had gotten down on his tummy and pretended to have a swim, but with so much rain in the air he decided not to risk that this time. Instead, after he bowled Dwayne Smith with a with a delivery that nipped in and burst through the gate, he seemed keen to tango when he took a few steps into open space and began to dance, with most of the movement coming from the hips. World Cup watches are going to start wishing Panyangara at least a wicket a match to see what he comes up with next.The six Chris Gayle struck 16 in his innings, a record-equaling number, but the six he hit off Sean Williams in the second ball of the 44th over was a signature in suave. Gayle rocked back to meet the short-of-a-length ball and send it into the stands where a group of people were dressed as witches. They would have wondered what magic wand the Jamaican was wielding.The unraveling Almost everything seemed to go wrong for Zimbabwe in the last 10 overs as they lost their lines, lengths and even their strike bowler. Tendai Chatara was shown the proverbial red card in the final over when he was pulled out of the attack for delivering two waist-high full tosses. Although Hamilton Masakadza only had to deliver two balls to complete the innings, and it made little difference to the eventual outcome, it was yet another example of Zimbabwe lacking control when they needed it most.The review(s) Technology worked against Zimbabwe when Gayle was given not out in the first over and replays showed the umpire’s call would have stood – so if he had been given out, he would have had to go – but it conspired against them later on too. Marlon Samuels appealed for a caught behind off Brendan Taylor, which had both the umpire and the batsman unmoved. Even the review seemed in vain when replays showed the ball had brushed the forearm on the way through to the keeper. But the on-field decision was overturned and Taylor given out, to the shock of everyone except West Indies.The wicket As if scoring 215 was not enough, Gayle returned to prise out one of the most dangerous looking Zimbabwe batsman. Although a successful chase seemed unlikely, Craig Ervine was going well on 52 when Gayle had him playing all around a ball which turned in sharply and took out off stump. The Jamaican brought out his Madiba-dance, the slow-motion on-the-spot jog, in celebration.The celebration II After contributing with bat and ball, Gayle put in the complete showing with a catch as well. Elton Chigumbura gifted him a chance when he chipped a Jerome Taylor delivery straight to Gayle at extra cover. Gayle did not even have to move, only to stand and collect, but he wanted to make a bit of a show. After safely pouching the ball, he tumbled over and rolled on the floor dramatically, pretending it had been a lot more difficult than it looked. The acting thrilled the crowd, who did the opposite of Gayle by getting to their feet and applauding the man who set Manuka alight again.

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2015But Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc sent the openers back, reducing Pakistan to 24 for 2•Getty ImagesMisbah and Haris Sohail’s 73-run stand for the third wicket was Pakistan’s best of the innings•AFPHaris was dismissed for 41 just when he appeared to be settling in•Getty ImagesAaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell combined to remove Misbah and Umar Akmal and left Pakistan 125 for 5•AFPPakistan were kept on the back foot by Australia’s quicks…•ICC… and folded for 213 in the final over•Getty ImagesAustralia’s chase got an early jolt when both openers fell inside nine overs with the score at 49•AFPWahab Riaz struck to remove captain Michael Clarke for 8 in the 11th over•Associated PressShane Watson and Steven Smith joined hand to put on 89 for the fourth wicket, stabilising the chase•Associated PressRahat Ali dropped a sitter at fine leg after Watson was setup by some hostile bowling from Wahab, and it proved crucial•Associated PressWahab didn’t lose heart and kept egging on the Pakistan bowlers and fielders•Getty ImagesBut Pakistan had too few runs to defend with. Glenn Maxwell and Watson didn’t take long to finish off the match after Smith’s departure, handing Australia a six-wicket win•AFP

ESPNcricinfo looks at the dilemmas facing the England selectors in the coming weeks

George Dobell at Headingley01-Jun-2015To hear Joe Root talk, you would think it was England who had been thwarted by rain in Leeds. You would never think that England’s premier fast bowlers had spent the morning being thrashed around Headingley by New Zealand’s tailenders and that his side will have to set a new world record if they are to chase down their fourth-innings target.Root can hardly be criticised for his positivity. Or his confident approach ahead of a testing final day. But if his talk of “an opportunity to do something special” and “going out to win” are genuine – and it is more likely they are part of a marketing push from Yorkshire that sees last-day tickets priced at just £5 (and free for U16s) – then England have been sucked into New Zealand’s game far more than is sensible. While it might be fun to watch England attempt to win on the fifth day, the practical thing to do would be to bat for a draw. The game hasn’t changed much. England are one-up in the series, after all. A draw is all they need.Whatever happens on the last day – win, lose or draw – it should not mask the issues that England face ahead of the Ashes. While this young side looks to be progressing, there are still some issues to be decided. The England selectors have several dilemmas to face in the coming weeks.Spin bowling
Moeen Ali has endured a tough time with the ball since his recall to the side in Grenada. He suffered a side strain in the World Cup defeat against Bangladesh and was omitted from the original tour party to the Caribbean. But such was his success last summer and his own enthusiasm to return to the team, that he was drafted back into the side for the second Test in the Caribbean despite bowling just 12 overs in the County Championship. A lack of rhythm resulted in him bowling too many short balls and, after a disappointing fourth innings in Barbados, a drop in his confidence. While he scored 100 runs and claimed four wickets in the Lord’s Test, he again struggled in the fourth innings and was unable to offer the control his side required at Headingley.He needs to bowl. And, with that in mind, it may make sense to omit him from the limited-overs squad and allow him to return to red ball cricket with Worcestershire. He could play three Championship matches and rediscover some form ahead of the Ashes. Worcestershire, who will have Saeed Ajmal available, could be requested to ensure Moeen is given enough overs in return for making him available.Alternatives for Moeen are not obvious. James Tredwell, who performed admirably in Antigua, is not assured of his place in the Kent side – he has played just once this season – and Monty Panesar hasn’t played since April and continues to struggle with health problems. There is no chance whatsoever he could be selected for the Ashes.Of the younger spinners, Adam Riley remains highly-rated and may well have a future at international level. But he has taken four wickets this season at a cost of 78.25 apiece and the selectors will be unwilling to risk his long-term development by premature selection against an Australia side who will look to capitalise on his inexperience. Zafar Ansari, with 20 Championship wickets this season at an average of 32.55, may well win selection for the UAE tour but might be similarly exposed by premature elevation.Ian Bell has become a concern since his century in Antigua•Getty ImagesSimon Kerrigan, who has also taken 20 Championship wickets this season for Lancashire, remains a good long-term prospect. But, after his chastening debut against Australia, he seemed to feel he was not ready for a return to the fray when it was mooted ahead of the Old Trafford Test last year and is currently rebuilding his game with Lancashire. His time will come but placing him in the firing line against Australia once more could prove counter-productive.That leaves Adil Rashid. Rashid was taken to the Caribbean despite a poor Lions tour but failed to impress in the warm-up games and was left on the sidelines. While the interim coach, Paul Farbrace, remains a supporter of Rashid, there remains a view that he will need to bowl quicker if he is to be effective at Test level and that he continues to bowl too many release balls. But he might prove effective against the tail and with his good batting and decent fielding, remains a realistic candidate.In truth, though, there has probably never been a time when spin bowling resources were so bare in England.And that should come as no surprise. In recent seasons, the County Championship schedule has squeezed almost half its fixtures in before the end of May. As a result, there is little incentive for counties to produce first-class spin bowlers, with the emphasis more on limited-overs spoilers. While the situation has improved a little this year – counties play six Championship games before the end of May – if Andrew Strauss has his way, the situation will worsen. ESPNcricnfo understands that Strauss has recommended a schedule including just 10 Championship matches a season.Ian Bell
It was presumed, at the time, that Ian Bell’s series-defining batting in the 2013 Ashes could be the precursor to the finest form of his career. That the confidence gained from the success would push him to new heights. Instead, he has averaged 30.92 in 17 Tests since and has started to drop catches in the field. He has not reached 30 in his seven innings since making a century in Antigua and, in that time, passed 12 only once.His first innings dismissal, pushing at one he could have left, was oddly poor for a man so adept at playing the moving ball, while his failure to go for a slip catch on the fourth morning was most out of character. Confidence would appear to be the key issue. Facing the likelihood that his ODI career is over – he is most unlikely to be named in the ODI squad for the New Zealand series – and stripped of the vice-captaincy ahead of this series, Bell is looking less secure in international cricket than he has for many years.He is not about to be dropped. England need Bell at his best if they are to win the Ashes. He has the experience and technique to shield an explosive but slightly fragile middle-order and there are no obvious replacements (except Kevin Pietersen) in the county game. The selectors will hope a spell back with Warwickshire will help him recover his form, but it may be the England captain and coach need to underline to Bell how valued and integral to their plans he is. Even the most experienced and talented players suffer from doubts at times.Gary BallanceIt is only four Tests since Gary Ballance entered the top 10 quickest batsmen in Test history to reach 1000 runs. But, such is the media volatility in English cricket that, to listen to some experts, you would think all his runs had come against the Pitcairn Islands.Ballance has received three fine deliveries in the series to date – he was dismissed by a ball that kept low and moved sharply in the first innings at Headingley – and suffered three relatively modest scores. The predilection for the back foot – not dissimilar to Joe Root’s – may sometimes mean he does not smother the movement of the swinging ball, but it will also prevent him from pushing at it as often as some of his colleagues. That first-class average – 55 – does not lie: Ballance is a fine player who is adjusting to life at the top level against some very good new ball bowlers. There were always likely to be some bumps on the journey.Again, he is not going to be dropped ahead of the Ashes. England had many years of fickle selections – they used 29 players in the 1989 Ashes – and it took them nowhere. Ballance will be given time.England’s slip fielding does not inspire confidence•Getty ImagesCatching
England’s catching – or lack of catching – may well have cost them this Test. At one stage they dropped three chances in eight balls. If such errors are repeated in the Ashes, Australia will win with ease.Part of the problem may be that England do not have their best catchers in catching positions. Adam Lyth, an outstanding slip fielder, has not been utilised here, while Chris Jordan, an extraordinary catcher, was rarely utilised in the slips against the seamers in the Caribbean.While England’s reluctant to change is understandable – those in possession have practised against these bowlers – it is also self-defeating. Lyth, who is now assured of his place in the Ashes, should be drafted into the cordon immediately, with Jordan’s catching given due appreciation in selection meetings. It might even give him an edge over Stuart Broad.Jos Buttler also continues to struggle standing up. While Buttler was picked on the basis that he was a work in progress – and has improved greatly standing back to the seamers – he remains a concern going into such an important series. But England are committed to him and need to take a long-term view on the inevitable days when he misses a chance.Seam bowling
To see England’s opening bowlers thrashed around Headingley by tailenders – Stuart Broad has conceded 203 runs from 33.1 overs in this match; the second most expensive analysis (in terms of runs-per-over) in Test history for bowlers delivering over 30 overs – was not encouraging.Despite the promise of Mark Wood, the strength of Ben Stokes and the experience of Broad, England remain over-reliant on James Anderson. And, if the pitches in the Ashes offer him little, there could be some very long days in the field.Perhaps the selectors might have taken a look at Mark Footitt, the left-arm fast bower, ahead of the Ashes. Not only is he brisk and reliable, but his footmarks would be of benefit to Moeen. As it is, England are likely to rely upon four right-arm seamers – the four who played the second Test, plus the likes of Jordan, Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett – bowling somewhere between 80 and 90 mph. Each of them can be dangerous on their day but, as New Zealand’s tailenders showed, on a flat pitch they can be made to look worryingly bland.Captaincy
Alastair Cook’s return to form with the bat – and he is arguably batting with more fluency at present than at any stage in his career – has bolstered his position in the team. Few doubt that England’s strongest side contains Cook as opening batsman. But it has done nothing to improve his leadership in the field. To see Broad and Anderson forced into yet another spell on the fourth day, with fielders on the boundary and instructions to bowl short, was to see chaos reign.Cook has many positive qualities and remains a fine leader with the bat. But his side have looked flustered by New Zealand’s approach in this game and the bowling plans – for which he has to take some of the responsibility – have been wretched. England are committed to him for the Ashes, but it remains an area of concern and weakness.

Skill, speed, swing and a famously spicy attitude have put Dale Steyn among the top sportsmen of his generation. And he plans to stay there for as long as he can

Firdose Moonda30-Jul-20150:51

The stat that sets Dale Steyn apart in the 400-club

It’s not enough for Dale Steyn that he has become the joint second fastest bowler to 400 Test wickets, equalling Richard Hadlee’s 80 matches. It’s not enough that he became only the second South African to the landmark after Shaun Pollock. He is still 100 scalps away from where he really wants to be.”I hope he gets to 500 wickets because that’s what he wants to do. That’s what he said to me and if he does, that will be stupendous,” Allan Donald, Steyn’s former bowling coach, told ESPNcricinfo.Already, Steyn has achieved enough for Donald to call him an “all-time great.” Skill, speed, swing and a famously spicy attitude have put Steyn among the top sportsmen of his generation.”What separates him from the rest is his competitive edge. He has hunger,” Donald said. “When he gets up in the morning, his goal for the day is that he wants to be the guy who makes the biggest difference for the team.” Often, Steyn goes to bed having achieved that goal.South Africa have won or drawn more than three quarters of the Tests Steyn has played – 61 out of 79 matches. That statistic alone speaks of the way Steyn has stepped up to lead the attack, particularly when the senior statesmen moved on.”He answered the call,” Donald said. “He took on the responsibility after South Africa lost Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini to be the spearhead.”

The best Donald saw Steyn bowl

Allan Donald watched as Dale Steyn bowled England out at The Oval in August 2012, and set South Africa on course to claim the No. 1 ranking. Donald was also there when Steyn plundered Australia in Perth three months later. But the performance that puts the rest aside took place in Port Elizabeth, against New Zealand in January 2013.
“That was the quickest I have seen him [Steyn] bowl,” Donald said. “He had control, he was tight around off stump and he was nicking people off for fun.”
Steyn took 5 for 17 in the first innings to engineer an implosion as New Zealand were bowled out for 121, and then 3 for 48 in the second to ensure an innings victory.
“That attack, at that stage, was right up there as the best in the world,” Donald said.

Steyn has been steering South Africa to success since he stormed on to the stage. He took a seven-for in only his fourth game, against New Zealand in 2006, and nearly a decade later took another seven-for, against West Indies this January. That kind of consistency over that length of time does not come often, and for Donald it is a combination of discipline and dread that has made Steyn special. “When he is in top form, his accuracy combined with his aggression and skill, just makes for an awesome package.”And right now, even as Steyn has become the 13th member of the elite club of 400, he is, perhaps unluckily, not in top form. But maybe the milestone coming in what has been a difficult year for Steyn makes it more special. He has had to deal with World Cup heartache first-hand, being benched for most of the IPL, and then an international comeback from the cold. Some have even wondered whether he has lost his heat.Steyn was given more than a month off and missed most of the tour of Bangladesh. He still seemed to be loosening up during the first Test. Instead of his usual fire, he looked a little flat and Donald could immediately see why. “He is bowling a lot of cross seam and he might be undercutting the ball slightly. That happens in one-day cricket when he is bowling at the end of the Powerplay but in Test cricket, he tends to want the ball more seam up,” Donald said. “It might be a bit of a hangover from that or it might be a tactical move on a slow, low wicket but he will come into his own.”With 32-year-old Steyn being strategically managed, it may just take a little more time to get to the 500 mark, but Donald feels there is no reason to worry. “Once you are on the wrong side of 30, you have to work harder to stay on the field a lot longer. Both recent coaches, Gary Kirsten and Russell Domingo, have looked after him and his workload really well. We have to understand that after a period of rest, you need some time to get back to full swing,” Donald explained. “But Dale is fighting his way back. Top sportsmen always find a way and he will too. He has a lot left. He is so lean and light on his feet that he can keep going for a good while yet.”In the short term, Steyn will go to India, where he first established himself as a fast-bowling sniper even on subcontinent pitches. His ten-wicket match haul in Nagpur in 2010 was as ruthless a display of reverse-swing as they come. He will have an opportunity to repeat that later this year, when South Africa go back to Nagpur for their first four-Test series in India. “South Africa need Dale Steyn to be at his best in India because that’s where the real questions about the attack get asked and that’s the kind of situation that really gets Steyn going,” Donald said.That’s where, 400 wickets later, the magic of Steyn lies: in the way he manufactures theatre and the marvellous results that follow. “When you are aggressive and competitive, you can do that. He gets himself into that state. It comes naturally to him, it is not an act,” Donald said. “When those guys go large, you have to watch out.”

The careers of two vastly different bowlers from two vastly different cricketing cultures have followed a near-identical path: unplayable in helpful conditions and sometimes unselectable in unfriendly environs

Sidharth Monga in Mohali04-Nov-20151:02

‘Ashwin has been our go-to man in last two years’ – Kohli

If Vernon Philander was an offspinner, he would be R Ashwin. Or if Ashwin was a naggingly accurate seam bowler he would be Philander. None of their countrymen have reached 100 Test wickets faster than them. They both have phenomenal records in helpful conditions. Ashwin has 121 wickets in 19 Tests in Asia for an average under 23. Philander has 109 wickets in 23 Tests in conditions where the ball seams, in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Zimbabwe, at under 20 apiece.Take them out of their comfort zones, though, and you see completely different sets of numbers. Ashwin has taken only 24 wickets in nine Tests at an average of 57 outside Asia. Philander has bowled in six Tests in Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the UAE for eight wickets at 52 apiece. It was always expected that the great starts they had to their careers would be difficult to sustain, but not that the numbers will be so polarised based on conditions.They are twins separated by conditions. If they could play for the same team, that team could become unbeatable, lethal both on turning and seaming pitches. Unfortunately they don’t, and unfortunately they have this reputation of maximising whatever little help they get from the conditions but become totally ineffective when not.From the evidence so far, Ashwin has looked innocuous when the pitch does not offer turn. Outside Asia, he has not been able to show the magic of Shane Warne nor the persistence of Anil Kumble. From the evidence so far, Philander doesn’t have the swing in the air or the extreme pace for times when there is no movement off the deck.The Australians even went so far as to suggest Philander sat out a match that was being played on a flat pitch. In February last year, just before the start of a series in South Africa, Warner said of the Philander threat: “I would have liked to see him bowl at Adelaide in that second Test [an epic high-scoring draw] when he apparently hurt his back – and was bowling in the nets three days later.”Later during the series, with Philander pretty much negated, Peter Siddle said: “He’s probably a bloke that thrives on conditions, and obviously the batters made the most of it the other day and backed themselves to play with a bit of confidence. A lot of teams have sat back and let him build the pressure on them, which has got him wickets. The way the boys attacked him and approached him the other day, getting off strike and swapping left and right-handers, that puts the pressure back on him rather than him building all that pressure. The boys have learnt how to play him.”Similarly when there is no bite in the pitch, for a major part of Ashwin’s young career, batsmen have sat back and milked him. There has been no pressure on the batsmen either through wicket-taking balls or parsimony.Vernon Philander’s numbers show a sharp dip in conditions that don’t favour swing bowling•AFPTherefore, it is remarkable that the careers of two vastly different bowlers from two vastly different cricketing cultures have followed a near-identical path: unplayable in helpful conditions and sometimes unselectable in unfriendly environs. Ashwin and Philander average 28 and 22 in Test cricket respectively, they have broken many a record, but they are not certain picks in Tests overseas. Yet they are both crucial to their sides wherever picked.When India went to South Africa in 2013-14, Philander was under the obvious pressure of doing well when it was expected of him, but Ashwin, too, was supposed to play a big role for India. Be it the support act in the first innings, but also pick up the wickets when the match enters the final exchanges. When the opportunity arrived, when India had four-and-a-half sessions to bowl South Africa out for a historic win in Johannesburg, Ashwin bowled 36 overs without a wicket. India just managed to save the game, lost the next, and Ashwin was sent into exile. He counts this Test as his big disappointment, something he gave himself hard knocks for.Now the tables have turned. Ashwin will face the burden of expectation. He led India’s demolition of Australia in 2012-13. He was also Man of the Series in Sri Lanka earlier this year. He gives India the confidence to ask for pitches that will turn from day one. His absence was crucial to South Africa’s win in the ODI series. The pressure created by him makes Amit Mishra and Ravindra Jadeja look more potent. He is in the form of his life. South Africa are saying their contest with Ashwin will decide the series, but are at pains to state they have played him well even though Ashwin has got AB de Villiers the only two times he has bowled to this season. India are trying to deflect that pressure, saying the other two spinners could surprise them if South Africa focussed just on Ashwin.Similarly, if Philander plays and he should, because Kagiso Rabada is raw, and South Africa need the aggression of Morne Morkel. Philander will be expected to do the holding job with an occasional wicket-taking burst when the ball is new or when overhead conditions give him some movement. It will be a role just as important.Like Ashwin was expected to allow Zaheer Khan and Mohammed Shami short concentrated bursts, Philander will have to do the same for Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, South Africa’s main weapons. India, on the other hand, will want to make Steyn and Morkel bowl longer spells by not letting Philander bowl economically.Ashwin has also shown signs that he is on the mend in overseas conditions even though the figures don’t yet show it. His bowling in Australia this time was much better than his previous overseas tours. They both want to show they are not fair-wicket bowlers, like the numbers suggest. Ashwin’s next big test of proving to the doubters that he can do his job in unhelpful conditions will come later. Philander’s is here.

Australia’s marks out of ten after their 2-0 win in the Tests against West Indies

Daniel Brettig08-Jan-2016

10

Adam Voges
Having piled up 375 runs without dismissal in the first two Tests, Voges was not even required to bat in the third, and his main contribution was to appear on stage to receive the Richie Benaud Medal as player of the series. His assurance at the crease was near enough to total, building a stand with Shaun Marsh in Hobart that broke all manner of records, then complementing Steven Smith perfectly in Melbourne. No batsman in history has a better record against a single nation than Voges’ average of 542.00 against West Indies.

9

Usman Khawaja
A fine hundred in Melbourne on his return from a hamstring complaint confirmed Khawaja beyond doubt as Australia’s long-term No. 3. He has struck the richest vein of form this summer, his sequence of innings across all formats since the tour match against New Zealand in Canberra reading: 111*, 21, 11, 174, 9*, 121, 109*, 144 and 56. There will be tougher Tests abroad, but Khawaja’s hot streak will afford him greater confidence to tackle them than ever before.Nathan Lyon
With the retirements of Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson followed by a long-term injury to Mitchell Starc, Lyon found himself often in the position of prime strike weapon for Steven Smith. His response was an emphatic series of displays against the West Indies, showcasing all the flight, loop and spin of a top quality tweaker. A threat whenever he came on to bowl, Lyon is now just 15 wickets away from becoming the first Australian off spinner to reach 200.

8

Joe Burns
Having started with a hundred against New Zealand, Burns’ summer seemed in danger of trailing off after his first morning dismissal against West Indies in Hobart. However he was shown worthwhile faith by the selectors when they retained him for Melbourne, and he responded with a Boxing Day hundred to effectively seal the series. Burns and David Warner are developing a strong understanding at the top of the order, and his effectiveness at short leg has grown with each match, highlighted by a wonderful snaffle to give Steve O’Keefe his first wicket in Sydney.Shaun Marsh
A beautiful hundred in Hobart was not enough for Marsh to retain his place in the side after Usman Khawaja returned from injury, but at least ensured that he will be the first man on the minds of the selectors whenever another vacancy comes up. He showed against New Zealand the West Indies evidence of an improved technique to deal with the moving ball, and will doubtless be the reserve batsman on overseas tours this year.Steven Smith
By the end of the Hobart Test, the 26-year-old Smith was described as moving around the field like “he was 36” by the coach Darren Lehmann, as knee and hip niggles to their toll. However a rest between Tests enabled him to regain some freedom of movement and play with typical panache on Boxing Day. He also led the side with an increasing level of dash, culminating in his last day offer of a chase to Jason Holder in Sydney. The offer was declined, but Smith’s attacking intent was clear.

7

James Pattinson
Epitomised by the late outswinger that sent Carlos Brathwaite’s off stump cartwheeling at the SCG or the lifter that caught the shoulder of Marlon Samuels’ bat in Hobart, Pattinson has shown tantalising glimpses of his very best as he trudges back to rhythm and confidence after lengthy sequence of injuries. In the absence of Starc, he was able to get through three Test matches without any major fitness concerns, and that will likely breed confidence into more future success.Josh Hazlewood
Bowled better than his figures suggest. After a seven-wicket haul in Hobart, Hazlewood took only one more wicket through the Boxing Day/New Year swing, but maintained pressure throughout. He was showing some signs of fatigue towards the end of his first full summer as a Test bowler, and having turned 25 on the day after the West Indies series ended will be carrying that load for many years to come as the steady link to more fiery counterparts.Mitchell Marsh
Had little to do in Hobart and Sydney, but on the one occasion Smith needed Marsh to step up he did so with four wicket to close things out in Melbourne. That performance showcased how far he has come as a bowler, delivering his seamers at high pace, moving the ball and extracting bounce where others were struggling to find it. A hesitant appearance with the bat in Sydney showed that he needs to rediscover confidence in hitting the ball – a thumper worthy of Andrew Flintoff, Marsh is better off in attack than worrisome defence.

6

David Warner
An ordinary record against the West Indies was one of the anomalies of Warner’s career until he got to the SCG, where a dashing last day hundred boosted his average while giving a patient crowd something to at least cheer about. Also played well on the first morning of the series in Hobart before tickling a ball down the leg side.Peter Siddle
Did what he most reliably does as the steadier in an attack, until ankle soreness began to affect him at the back end of the Melbourne Test. A struggling opponent like the West Indies is not one where Siddle is actually of best use, for the pressure he can create is of the kind most valuable against higher ranked opposition. To that end, Australia’s selectors will be eager to see him fit in time for the New Zealand tour.Peter Nevill
Did not get a bat in the series until its final hour in Sydney, but Nevill did not let anyone down with another eight catches as his tally of dismissals steadily grows. He can now look towards overseas assignments where there is little doubt he will at some point be asked to play the sorts of innings his neat technique suggests are within his grasp.Steve O’Keefe
Figures of 3 for 63 in Sydney made O’Keefe the ideal counterpoint to Lyon, and should ensure he is chosen when the selectors deliberate on their squad for the tour of Sri Lanka later this year.

They began to dream, they began to hope, they even forced Sri Lanka to plummet to their lowest ever total against an Associate nation in T20Is. With another 15 runs, UAE could have had their first ever win against a Test nation

Alagappan Muthu in Mirpur25-Feb-2016No one would be surprised if Shere Bangla Stadium has sunk a few inches into the ground since the time it was built, bearing the weight of tens of thousands of people every time Bangladesh play. Today, though, there were vast pockets of empty seats and if the stadium could sigh in relief, it would have been heard as loud as thunder. It was perhaps the best representation of the kind of cricket expected from UAE against Sri Lanka.Most people were behind Afghanistan to make it to the main round out of the four-team qualifying group that included Oman, Hong Kong and UAE. Others were clamouring over Nepal’s absence from the entire tournament.But UAE slipped through under the radar, playing their best cricket since February 2014 when they finished second at the World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand. They swept the Asia Cup qualifying tournament and seemed to have found new batsmen who had the potential to take over key roles.

Aaqib wants more from ‘proper batsman’ Usman

UAE coach Aaqib is not worried about his team’s batting resources despite a debilitating loss to Sri Lanka in their first match in the main draw of the Asia Cup.
“No, no, no,” he said when asked if their 115 for 9 was as bad as their 100 all out against Ireland earlier in the month. “We have recovered a lot in the last three-four months. We are moving towards a settled team. We’ve found good, young batters like Mohammad Usman. Batsmen like him can replace Khurram [Khan] and Saqib Ali.”
Considering that, Usman’s dismissal was of some concern for Aaqib. “The role which we have given him is to play proper cricket, not run down the wicket and slog. So his wicket was disappointing. And Saqlain Haider, he’s a player who can nudge through, take singles and rotate strike, so these two batters, I would say were disappointing.”

They began to dream, they began to hope, they even forced Sri Lanka to plummet to their lowest ever total against an Associate nation in T20Is. With another 15 runs, they could have had their first ever win against a Test nation in 17 tries.”If you can restrict a good team like Sri Lanka under 130, you want to win that game. You want to create history,” UAE captain Amjad Javed said. “It was a really good chance.” He himself had been at the forefront, laying the foundation for an upset.Dinesh Chandimal was on a hot streak again, not quite Galle-ish, but still every ghoulish slog kept finding the boundary. He has lasted longer than 25 balls in only four of his 29 innings in T20Is, an indicator as to why his average is 15.96. UAE could only dismiss him after he got to 50 off 38 balls and Javed was the one who did the trick. Two more Javed abracadabras later, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Milinda Siriwardana vanished as Sri Lanka slipped from 79 for 1 to 105 for 5.As dramatic as that slide looks, it was fashioned from the simplest plans. Javed is known for getting extra bounce. In fact his height was the reason why then UAE coach Chandika Hathursinghe turned him away from offspin and towards fast bowling. The idea was to dig it in, the leg-side boundary was beefed up. Dilshan found deep square leg in the 10th over, Siriwardana found deep midwicket in the 12th.Having let Sri Lanka score briskly in the early stages to reach 68 for 0 after nine overs, UAE kept every batsman from No. 3 to a score of 10 or below doing nothing more than capitalising on mistakes. Angelo Mathews premeditated a reverse sweep and paid for it. Shehan Jayasuriya was bowled trying to scoop UAE’s fastest bowler Mohammad Naveed and Chamara Kapugedera was caught off a full toss.But none of that mattered to the eventual scoreline because of UAE’s inexperience at the top level. Lasith Malinga inspired his team with two wickets in his first over and they responded with four more by the time the chase was halfway through. UAE were 47 for 6 and Sri Lanka’s 129 for 8 suddenly seemed bulletproof.”We discussed [Malinga’s] bowling, his style and everything, but I think he is the kind of bowler, if you haven’t faced him, can hurt you really hard and that’s what happened,” coach Aaqib Javed told ESPNcricinfo. “We discussed it again and again and again, ‘just don’t give him wickets early, then we’ll be through’ but the way he varied the pace, first ball right on money, he’s so accurate.”Dejection was on the faces of the outgoing UAE batsmen. Sympathy on the incoming one as consolatory pats on the back were offered. Their top order had weathered the challenge posed by Oman’s seamers on a greenish pitch on Monday, but Sri Lanka were a completely different proposition.Rohan Mustafa was beaten by Malinga’s pace and swing first ball and Mohammad Shahzad for Malinga’s lack of pace and dip second ball. Then it all unravelled. Muhammad Kaleem was dropped in the second over, but popped a catch to mid-off in the fourth. Three balls later, Mohammad Usman hurtled down the track to slog at Nuwan Kulasekara and was caught at slip.Like a fashion show for amateurish batting, one after the other, with barely minutes in between, UAE’s top order came, saw, panicked and went.”When we expect our players to do well, it’s frankly at the Associate level,” Aaqib said. “I think on pitches like this, batting is so hard. Even players who have been in international cricket for more than 15 years were struggling here. You can’t criticise them more than what they deserve. I think it’s a morale-boosting game. Now they think, ‘oh, minus Malinga, we could’ve won this game’.”

Plays of the day from Sunrisers Hyderabad’s seven-wicket win against Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad

Karthik Krishnaswamy18-Apr-2016Two ways to dive homeIn the eighth over of the Mumbai Indians innings, Rohit Sharma pushed Bipul Sharma into the covers and hared out for a non-existent single. Sent back by Ambati Rayudu, Rohit had to dive to regain his crease as the throw came in. The decision went to the third umpire after Naman Ojha collected skillfully on the half-volley and whipped the bails off. Replays showed Rohit’s bat, landing on its shoulder, had bounced as he tried to scramble home, and was over the line but in the air when the bails lit up.In the seventh over of the Sunrisers Hyderabad innings, David Warner showed Rohit how it’s done. He made a similar misjudgement after working Jasprit Bumrah towards midwicket, and had to fling himself at the crease when Jos Buttler rifled in his throw. But Warner made sure his hand kept a loose grip on his bat handle as he fell on the ground, and as a result the bat remained grounded, flat side down, as it slid past the crease.The bridges of Mid-off CountyMustafizur Rahman finished his four overs with an economy rate of eight, but his figures were slightly misleading. He gave away only three fours, and all three were the result of misfields. First, Bipul let one slip past him at short fine leg in the sixth over. Then, when Mustafizur came back in the 15th over, he was twice let down by the fielders at mid-off.Second ball of the over, Ambati Rayudu drove him down the ground and David Warner ended up diving over the ball. Four balls later, the left-handed Krunal Pandya drove to the right of Ashish Reddy, and the ball sneaked under his diving body and ran away to the long-off boundary.Krunal’s self-mortificationKrunal’s follow-through, when he plays the big shots, is among the most expansive in the game. In the 14th over of the Mumbai innings, he clubbed the left-arm spin of Bipul for three successive sixes, and on each occasion his bat stopped just short of causing grievous injury to his own back.A couple of overs later, he showed another side of his game against a Bhuvneshwar Kumar yorker, opening his bat face with surgical precision to squeeze the ball past short third man. This shot did not involve any follow-through at all, but Krunal ensured he got his share of bodily harm by smacking himself repeatedly on the thigh as he ran down the pitch.Dhawan falls, and falls againMustafizur and Bhuvneshwar had bowled yorkers brilliantly in the closing stages of Mumbai’s innings, and when Sunrisers began their chase of 143, the blockhole ball had rubbed off on Tim Southee. His second legal ball was fast and full, and tailed in late towards Shikhar Dhawan’s feet. Trying in vain to get his legs away from this heat-seeker, Dhawan collapsed in a heap. Three balls later, he stayed on his feet, but fell in a figurative, cricket-scorecard sense, as another swinging yorker found its way through his across-the-line response and clattered into the base of his stumps.

Plays of the day from the first T20 between Zimbabwe and India at Harare Sports Club

Nikhil Kalro18-Jun-2016Winded through the solar plexusIn the sixth over of Zimbabwe’s innings, Jaydev Unadkat landed a good-length delivery on middle stump, but the ball jagged back in prodigiously and sprung off the pitch as it darted to Richmond Mutumbami, who shaped for a prod into the cover region. Did the ball hit a crack or the seam? Mutumbami wasn’t bothered because it thudded into his right hip, near the solar plexus, to leave him winded. Writhing in pain, Mutumbami hobbled off the field, having faced only four balls. He did not return to keep wicket, either.Full circle in seven daysIn the first ODI against Zimbabwe, KL Rahul, on debut, struck an unbeaten 100 to help India take a 1-0 lead. One week later, Rahul was taking guard on his T20 debut. Chasing 171, Donald Tiripano’s first ball was a full outside off. Rahul tried to open his bat-face, attempting a dab to third man. Instead, the ball swerved back enough to take Rahul’s inside edge and hit the stumps. Rahul chopped on for a golden duck.Baptised by EltonElton Chigumbura had sparked Zimbabwe’s innings with a sensational display of clean six-hitting. Bowling the penultimate over of the innings, debutant Unadkat missed his length. He erred by pushing one full on middle stump; Chigumbura would not have preferred it anywhere else. He cleared his front foot and smashed it over long-on. So clean was the hit that the ball landed on the roof and bounced out of the ground. Unadkat leaked 21 runs in that over and returned figures of 4-0-43-0.Axar v Dhoni to Axar and DhoniThe last time MS Dhoni batted, he blitzed 23 off the last over of Axar Patel to seal a tense win in Rising Pune Supergiants’ last game of IPL 2016. In the first T20 against Zimbabwe at Harare, both combined with the bat to bring the equation down to 8 off 6 balls. Neville Madziva, bowling the last over, did what Axar couldn’t earlier, by executing wide yorkers to keep Dhoni quiet. He also had Axar caught at long-off to help deliver Zimbabwe’s two-run win.