Wicket to Wicket

Dale Steyn: The deadliest of all

2011-11-18T23:40:00.000Z

Despite another impressive performance in the first Test against Australia, it escaped the notice of many that Dale Steyn was now sat atop of the charts in terms of the bowler who possesses the best strike rate in history* and ahead of some of the all-time greats:

*(Sample covering all bowlers who have taken 200 or more Test wickets - a threshold which ensures no anomalies are present.)

To highlight Steyn's performance even further, take Waqar Younis out of the equation and Steyn is taking a wicket on average more than an over better than any other bowler.

In terms of the best average, Steyn is in amongst the top ten as well - and only 1.89 runs per wicket behind first-placed Malcolm Marshall:

What generally differentiates Steyn from the rest of the bowlers at the top is that to date he has only played 47 tests, some way lower than others and has yet to really hit a period of time where the demands of the modern game in particular catch up with him.

To date though, his performances stand up with the best the game has produced, but with some years ahead of him yet can he continue this form throughout the remainder of his career?

Kallis passes 12,000 runs

2011-11-17T21:22:00.006Z

Around eighteen months or so ago I posted about the race between Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting to see which of the three batsmen would end up in first place in the all-time run scorers list when their Test careers were done and dusted.

Since then Tendulkar has continued his Indian summer (if not yet managing the fabled century of centuries) and has maintained a distance over Dravid (despite his solitary rearguard performance this past summer in England) and extended his lead over Ponting (with both Dravid and Ponting surpassing Brian Lara since that original post) and it is Tendulkar who looks to be the one that will finish atop the list when all is said and done.

With his recent innings though in the second Test against Australia, one player who is now - if not likely to pass Tendulkar - in the mix is Jacques Kallis. With his innings of 54, he has now passed the 12,000 Test runs landmark - putting him in the fifth place:

It is highly unlikely that Kallis will be revered as much as the quartet he is placed along with in years to come but in terms of consistency he has certainly posted some career, especially when you considered he is the only one of the five to bowl on a consistent basis over the course of their career:

It should also be noted that with forty centuries to his name, Kallis is second only to Tendulkar and currently he possesses the highest average having played significantly fewer games and having recently moved past Lara surely now has a fading Ponting firmly in his sights.

Graeme Smith: Best fourth-innings batsman in a winning run chase

2011-11-12T14:05:00.007Z

In posting an unbeaten century (101*) as South Africa comfortably chased down a total of 236 to defeat Australia in the first Test in Cape Town, Graeme Smith became the first batsman to pass 1,000 runs in victorious fourth innings run chases - extending his lead over second-placed Matthew Hayden:

In doing so, Smith has certainly set himself apart from other batsman on the list with only Ricky Ponting (some 200 runs behind), Sachin Tendulkar and Andrew Strauss featuring in the top ten.

Particularly impressive on Smith's part are his numbers in achieving this: just eighteen innings, an average of 85.83 and posting four centuries and five fifties, proving that if there was ever a player to lead fourth-innings run chase Smith is the man.

Also posting a century in the innings was Hashim Amla (his first century in such circumstances) and is now upto 21st position with 414 runs.

A look at Australia's second innings collapse

2011-11-11T22:22:00.006Z

With South Africa completing what ultimately was a comprehensive eight-wicket victory, the magnitude of day 2 can now sink in and particularly so with Australia's second innings performance.

We know it was the equal fourteenth lowest of all time (equal eighth if you exclude the 19th century) but in terms of the briefest test innings it was the fourth quickest of all time, with the three ahead of it occurring in 1902, 1896 and 1924:

What is interesting is given South Africa's own failure in their first innings was the lead Aussies had (235, by some distance the highest on the list) despite being bowled out for such a low total.

To put the eighteen overs in to some context (and don't forget the last wicket rally to even take them as high as that) Sri Lanka's collapse at Cardiff earlier this year was some 6.4 overs longer and made South Africa's own total of 96 compiled in 24.3 overs marathon-like in comparison.

Roll on the second test.

World Cup 2011: who plays who

2011-03-19T08:45:00.007Z

The group stages are now complete and the remaining eight sides are as expected at outset, although England made heavy work of qualifying to the quarter-finals.

There is change in the format to recent tournaments, with no super-sixes or super-eights but a straight knock-out. The quarter-final schedule lines up as follows:

Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Pakistan v West Indies, Mirpur, 08:30
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Australia v India, Ahmedabad, 09:00
Friday, 25 March 2011
New Zealand v South Africa, Mirpur, 08:30
Saturday, 26 March 2011
Sri Lanka v England, Colombo RPS, 09:00

A couple of observations:

1) Winning their group has given Pakistan possibly the easiest task, but there are enough question marks about them to indicate a comfortable passage through is not guaranteed. West Indies have shown flashes of talent with bat and ball, still it would be a surprise if Pakistan did not progress.

2) South Africa's defeat of India has swept aside one or two questions regarding 'that' tag and they look to be too strong for a New Zealand side that no-one has spoken much about. The South African's look to have plenty of depth in their side, but the feeling is that if Graeme Smith is not lifting the trophy in a week or so's time, the same old questions will remain.

3) The stand-out game is undoubtedly India v Australia, a re-match of the 2003 final. India's early batting has been outstanding yet they have faltered at times, meaning scores of 350+ have not been achieved, allowing both England and South Africa to get something from games. Australia's unbeaten run has gone and they look to have plenty of holes (particularly in their batting). Their best chance maybe to bat first and try and pressure the Indian's in front of an expectant crowd.

4) England may have scraped through, but have become adept at finding ways to win. They look over reliant on Strauss and Trott, and desperately need support from them to post winnable totals. Depleted by injury in the pace department, much will rely on Swann and Tredwell to contain a powerful looking Sri Lankan line up.

With the pre-amble of the group stages now behind us, the main event now begins, and there are some fascinating looking games that in just over a weeks time, may well produce a new World Cup winner to break Australia's stronghold on the tournament.

2nd Ashes test, day 5

2010-12-07T13:22:00.008Z

England, 620-5, beat Australia, 304 and 245, by an innings and 71 runs.

“It looked like we were playing good cricket and had a group
of players good enough to win the series. Now, it probably looks as though we’ll
have to be at our absolute best to work our way back in.
"Pressure is on players and coaches to give it our best shot. There’s nothing we’d change preparation, personnel wise. Everything was how we wanted it. Purely and simply, we’ve been outplayed.”

>>Ricky Ponting.

It is difficult to remember a time where England were so dominant from ball one in all aspects of the game, completely outplaying the Australians from the moment Jonathan Trott's throw broke the stumps with Simon Katich yards short of the crease.

Heading into Perth, England know that a victory will ensure the Ashes are retained, but they now have a fantastic opportunity to exorcise some of the ghosts of series past and notonly win the Ashes but deliver a resounding series win.

Where do Australia go from here though? It appears as though Simon Katich will be ruled out of the Perth test (if not the series) whilst they have already axed three bowlers - Nathan Hauritz, Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus - so far in the series, so do they have realistic options to come into the side?

Likely it will be Phillip Hughes who earns a recall, but he has far from impressed against England, whilst the changes Australia made in the bowling department made no impact and they appear incapable of bowling an England side - all with runs under their belts - out twice in order to win a Test.

Realistically, Australia have to win at Perth. Anything less will see the momentum England built in Adelaide continue and will fail to repair the clear damage caused to the psyche of the Australians who are not only struggling technically, but from a mental apsect as well.

It looks set to be a long week ahead for Ricky Ponting and the Australians.

2nd Ashes test, day 4

2010-12-06T19:44:00.005Z

Australia, 237-4 and 245 all out, trail England 620-5, by 139 runs.

"We're very confident, and if we could get Hussey early, it would be fantastic. We've played some good cricket since the fourth day at Brisbane, and if we can continue in that vein tomorrow, we're in the box seat.

"In an ideal world, we would have had them eight or nine down, but we're facing a very resilient Australia team. It's important I get the ball on the last day. It's a decent pitch so it will be a case of being patient."
>>Graeme Swann.

No doubts about it that Swann will be the match winner if England ultimately triumph on the final day.

There was plenty of evidence as day 4 progressed that the ball is beginning to spin more and more and weather permitting there is no reason for that not to continue.

The wicket from the final ball of the day was a big one for England and tilted the balance even further in their favour. With two left-handers now at the crease it would not be a surprise to delay taking the new ball that will be available and give Swann a sizeable spell from the word go.

Of course Australia can't get themselves out of it, but much relies on the two batsman who will resume - Michael Hussey and Marcus North - and the next man in, Brad Haddin. The tail appears to offer little in the way of resistance and a couple of wickets early in the day should see England wrap up the game and get one hand on the Ashes heading to Perth.

Should they take a 1-0 lead it is hard to see Australia recovering. The knives are already out and should they suffer an innings defeat to an England side so often dominated in Australia then things could get very ugly for Ricky Ponting and co.

2nd Ashes test, day 2

2010-12-04T08:18:00.003Z

England 317-2, lead Australia (245) by 72 runs.

What a day for Alastair Cook.

In batting throughout the day (once again) he became the new record holder for an English batsman in terms of minutes at the crease between dismissals.

Cook has now gone 1022 minutes without being dismissed, and there is nothing to suggest he won't extend the record significantly on day 3.

As dominant as England were with the ball on day 1, they were even more so on day 2 with the bat. Despite losing Andrew Strauss early to a misjudged leave off Doug Bollinger, England were untroubled for the rest of the day, building a nice lead with the prospect now of being able to leave Australia requiring almost 400 to make England bat again.

It was a ragged display from an Australia, who look very down. Once England became settled with Cook and Jonathan Trott at the crease, they took on the look of a desperate side, trying to make things happen rather than focusing on the fundamentals. Too often line and length was awry and the inconsistency from the bowlers clearly irked Ponting and allied with this was a poor display in the field; dropped catches and misfields throughout the day.

To compound Australian misery, Kevin Piersen (85*) also looked ominous at the crease, a fillip for England both in terms of this test and the series as a whole and with Collingwood, Bell and Prior still to come, it appears as though the Australians will be in for another tough day tomorrow.

2nd Ashes test, day 1

2010-12-03T10:05:00.007Z

England, 1-0 trail Australia (245 all out) by 244 runs.

"It was a good day and it turned out to be a good toss to lose for us. We knew there might be something in the pitch, there was a tinge of green for us so if we bent our backs we knew there might be something for us."

>>James Anderson.

A day that started horrendously for Australia and barely improved as the day progressed, leaving Australia reeling, having been the first side to be bowled out on the first day at Adelaide since 1997.

Both sides would have been seeking early momentum after the drawn test in Brisbane, but it was England who struck early. And then again. And again.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, concensus was that Adelaide was very much a pitch in the batsman's favour, but before the fans had made themselves comfortable Australia were three down. Poor running did for Katich (cruelly without facing), whilst the ability of Anderson to swing the Kookaburra ball (who'd have thought?) did first for Ponting first ball with a slightly loose stroke and then Clarke. 2-3 and Australia were reeling.

Like at The Gabba, Australia were indebted to the trio of Watson, Hussey and Haddin who made up the bulk (over 80%) of their total. Also like at The Gabba, England rolled through the tail in quick time once Hussey had been dismissed, a wicket that brought an end to a fascinating contest between the left-hander and Graeme Swann, Swann having the last laugh as he did for Hussey in the flight.

England swarmed around Australia all-day, bowled superbly and dismissed Australia for their lowest total at Adelaide in any Test since 1992. Australia need to hit back on day 2, and hit back early.

If they don't, and England take control, it could have ramifications not just for this Test, but the series as a whole.

Report: Johnson axed by Australia

2010-12-01T14:36:00.002Z

Per SportsNewsFirst:

Johnson, 29, is believed to have been told by Australia's chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch in Adelaide on Wednesday morning at training that he would be dropped.

Johnson is understood to have been furious at his omission and indicated that he would not train with the Aussies in the Adelaide nets in the beseiged team's last full workout before an optional session on Thursday, the day before the match starts.

Johnson will be replaced in the starting XI by another left-arm speedster, Doug Bollinger.

No official announcement so far of course, but it would be a big surprise if Johnson were to survive his wretched time at Brisbane, which The Telegraph summises nicely with their HawkEye look at quite how inconsistent Johnson's line and length were throughout the test.

Sangakkara reclaims top spot

2010-11-30T00:14:00.000Z

Per Cricinfo.com:

Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan captain, has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen, ending Sachin Tendulkar's short-lived stay at the head of the table.

Sangakkara's performance in the first two Tests of the ongoing series against West Indies coincided with Tendulkar's modest return against New Zealand, leading to a swap at the top.

The current top ten is now as follows:

ID	Rat.	Name	Career Best Rating
1	882	K.C. Sangakkara	938 v England, 01/12/2007
2	859	S.R. Tendulkar	898 v Zimbabwe, 21/02/2002
3	850	V. Sehwag	866 v Sri Lanka, 18/07/2010
4	806	J.H. Kallis	935 v New Zealand, 18/11/2007
5	793	A.B. de Villiers	793 v Pakistan, 20/11/2010
6	781	D.P.M.D. Jayawardena	883 v India, 20/11/2009
6	781	S. Chanderpaul	901 v New Zealand, 19/12/2008
8	775	I.J.L. Trott	775 v Australia, 25/11/2010
9	766	G.C. Smith	843 v England, 14/01/2010
10	763	T.T. Samaraweera	763 v West Indies, 23/11/2010

Australia call up bowling duo

2010-11-29T23:01:00.000Z

Per The Daily Mail:

Australia look likely to make changes to their bowling attack for the second Ashes Test in Adelaide with captain Ricky Ponting admitting no-one is certain of their place.

Australia's bowlers toiled in the first Test in Brisbane which finished today in a draw after England ovecame a first-innings deficit of 220 with an astonishing 517 for one: a fine achievement but the tourists were assisted by some woeful bowling from the home side.

Fast bowlers Ryan Harris and Doug Bollinger have been drafted in to the party with Mitchell Johnson, who finished with match figures of none for 170 - as well as dropping a catch and making a duck, looking particularly vulnerable.

You have to think that Johnson is going to pay for the price for a miserable test, in which he looked bereft of confidence and was barely trusted by Ricky Ponting throughout both innings. Bollinger, considered unlucky to miss out at Brisbane would be a like for like left-arm option, but Ponting was talking up the chances of Harris too and seemed to be suggesting changes post-game:

"I don't think any of our bowlers were at their best. With the inclusion of those guys in the squad, we have to work out which is the best make-up to take twenty wickets - regardless of workload up here.

I don't think anyone's certain. We'll have to see how everyone pulls up and decide on our best attack after that."

With Peter Siddle surely safe, and Xavier Doherty unlikely to be jettisoned for a North/Katich/Clarke combination, it could leave Ben Hilfenhaus likely to make way if the Australian selectors show a ruthless streak for Adelaide.

1st Ashes test, day 5

2010-11-29T22:46:00.002Z

Australia (107-1 and 481), drew with England (260 and 517-1).

"Our bowlers have been taken apart by an opponent that usually departs from Brisbane in a state of shock. Records were broken and the score rattled along till the head was spinning, a trait that eluded the local tweakers.

With the terrible logic of sporting supermacy, 300 became 400 and then 500 and still no sign of a wicket."
>>Sydney Morning Herald.

I have to confess to not seeing a great deal of the final days play. Four days of late nights and early mornings took their toll, and after seeing the first hour safely negotiated I retired safe in the knowledge that no spectacular collapse was forthcoming.

As well as Alistair Cook (235*) and Jonathan Trott (135*) (and before that Andrew Strauss) batted in their unbroken stand of 329, I didn't expect England to not lose a further wicket though, and in racking up 517-1 they broke several records along the way in overcoming the Gabbatoir.

Strauss did declare, setting an unrealistic total, but in the hope that a couple of blows could be landed along the way. Australia only lost one wicket however, but after a stunning day and a half at the crease the momentum heading to Adelaide is surely with England, with Australia facing plenty of questions over their bowling attack in particular.

1st Ashes test, day 4

2010-11-28T12:02:00.006Z

England (309-1 and 260 all out), lead Australia (481) by 88 runs.

"The game is still up for grabs. If we don't bat well tomorrow we will give Australia a chance to put their foot in the door and we don't want that to happen. By lunch we will be clearer where we are and where we are heading."
>>Andrew Strauss.

Some turnaround.

Starting the day staring down the barrel, England at stumps batted themselves into a position where, whilst all three results are still possible, an England defeat is the least likely.

It was a superb performance from Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook, continuing the trait of batsmen under pressure making important innings, and in doing so set a new opening partnership record for England openers - surpassing Hobbs and Sutcliffe now less as they posted a partnership that erased the considerable lead Australia had built.

A further positive for England is that as well as they batted, it highlighted that Australia's attack holds few fears; Peter Siddle's hat-trick an abberation from an attack that looked short of genuine menace, with Mitchell Johnson yet to prove he is over his Ashes demons.

Of course, an early morning burst from Australia could put the cat amongst the pigeons, but the likelihood is England forego an opportunity to dangle a carrot in front of Australia to tempt a late afternoon run chase, instead batting as long as possible to not only build some momentum but demoralise the Australian attack in the process.

Day 4 reports:

1st Ashes test, day 3

2010-11-27T17:04:00.005Z

England 19-0 and 260 all out, trail Australia (481) by 202 runs.

"In a drama-charged third day at the Gabba, West Australian streetfighter Hussey put Australia in a commanding position in the first Test by blasting a magnificient 195 that was hailed by legendary former Test captain Richie Benaud as his greatest Test knock.

The 330-masterpiece surpassed his 182 against Bangladesh at Chittagong in 2006 and Mr Cricket found a lethal ally in Brad Haddin, who clubbed 136 as the pair bludgeoned the old enemy to compile the greatest sixth-wicket partnership in Brisbane."

>>Courier Mail.

Pretty much sums up a day 3 that saw Australia finish in a commanding position, and likely a good session away from sealing the first test.

Starting the day with a slender lead England needed early wickets. The fact they didn't wasn't for a lack of effort; James Anderson was excellent and unfortunate not to make early inroads and was on the wrong end of two referral decisions. His opening spell saw just fourteen runs conceded from eight overs, whilst for the day he returned figures of 37-13-99-2.

As lunch approached however, both Hussey and Haddin opened up as England's total was surpassed and the afternoon session saw them post a number of records on route to establishing a healthy lead, with Hussey reflecting:

"It was a fantastic feeling. The Ashes is what you dream of, to score a hundred in the first Test is a dream come true."

England of course have much to do to save the Test, let alone in being able to set Australia a difficult target on the final day. Most of the batsman got starts first time round yet couldn't convert into the scores that Hussey and Haddin made.

To have a chance of saving the first Test, England have to perform to similar level.

1st Ashes test, day 2

2010-11-26T23:32:00.004Z

Australia 220-5, trail England (260 all out) by 40 runs.

"I have tried to stick to what I know has worked for me but I don't think my game has changed along the way.

"It's a time where my mind is a lot clearer and maybe I am seeing the ball clearer out of the bowler's hand.

"It also shows how much the game is a fine line. Even with that first one (ball) I was hoping and praying that it was going to fall short and thankfully it did, a foot more and I would have been gone for a first-ball duck as it turns out I'm still there at stumps."

>>Michael Hussey.

A decent day for both sides. England toiled away to get themselves back into the game following a steady opening partnership from Watson and Katich but Michael Hussey - Mr Cricket - quashed talk of his demise with 81* in an unbroken partnership of 78 with Brad Haddin to edge Australia within sight of England's first innings total.

Hussey made a career saving knock in the Sheffield Shield game ahead of the Test and appears to have bought himself time in the side with the knock yesterday. The same can't be said of Marcus North however, who fell for single figures and is seemingly once again an innings away from the axe.

It was a rare bright spot for Graeme Swann on a day where he struggled with his length, something he will need to rectify not only on day 3, but as a potential match winner on day 5 should England still be in contention.

With play finishing early (much to England's chargrin) it does set day 3 up to be the pivotal day in shaping the outcome of the Test: the first session crucial for both sides; particularly England who can ill afford to let Australia build a couple partnerships that would see them establish a lead of 100+.

The Siddle hat-trick

2010-11-25T20:01:00.003Z

I'm sure that everyone has seen the replays numerous times already, but here is Peter Siddle's hat-trick in all its glory:

1st Ashes test, day 1

2010-11-25T19:59:00.004Z

Australia 25-0, trail England (260 all out) by 235 runs.

"The hat-trick ball that got Broad lbw was a dream ball. It him full and there was a bit of shape on it. I was a bit nervous when he referred it but when I saw the replays, I thought I'd be safe."

What a birthday for Peter Siddle.

In many quarters thought to be fortunate to get the nod ahead of Doug Bollinger, Siddle responded in fine fashion with a stunning hat-trick to rock England and make it advantage Australia at stumps on day one.

Much was made in the build up of the importance of 'winning' the opening hour or session at Brisbane and after winning the toss and electing to bat, England were immediately on the back foot when Strauss was caught off Ben Hilfenhaus from just the third ball of the day.

England soon steadied though, first with Cook and Trott and then Cook and Pietersen but neither partnership really got away from Australia, but for all of the talk of England being bowled out cheaply they were in a relatively comfortable position at 197-4 before Siddle struck.

Take nothing away from him though; it was an excellent hat-trick: Cook caught in the slips before getting the ball to nip to dismiss Prior and then beating Broad for pace to win the LBW decision and etch his name into Ashes history.

Looking long term, England should not fear this attack though. Both Hilfenhaus and Mitchell Johnson rarely threatened, whilst Xavier Doherty looked no more dangerous than Nathan Hauritz. Ian Bell's form was a positive for England too and some early wickets later today could see their total a relatively competitive one.

The danger for this test though is that if Australia get away on day two, it will take some effort in their second innings to avoid going 1-0 down.

Day 1 analysis:

Smith released, reports state Bollinger cut

2010-11-23T22:11:00.004Z

Following Steve Smith's release from the Australia squad, The Australian is reporting that Doug Bollinger has been told he will miss out on selection for the first Test tomorrow:

Bollinger was clearly upset when informed by Andrew Hilditch and Greg Chappell.

The left-arm quick bowled 22 overs in the recent Shield game but had not played any first class cricket since breaking down in the first Test against India early last month.

With England's line-up set in stone, the only decision that remains to be made is whether Michael Clarke's back holds up; with Clarke himself tweeting that he is positive about making the game.

UPDATE: As expected, Clarke has been passed fit.

The importance of Brisbane

2010-11-22T21:59:00.000Z

With the build up to an Ashes series always intense, it is no surprise that plenty is made of the need to get off to a good start; the importance of the first Test, first day, first session, even the first ball of a series magnified and focused upon as giving either side an edge.

Much was made of aggressive start of England and Steve Harmison at Lords in 2005, with the complete opposite eighteen months later with the first delivery flying straight into the hands of Andrew Flintoff at second slip.

Previously to that, England have fared poorly at The Gabba: whether it was Hussain's decision to bowl first or Slater smashing de Freitas to the ropes to open the series, England have rarely begun well at Brisbane - as Scyld Berry illustrates in this piece in The Telegraph.

It is notable therefore that England's last series win in Australia was started on the back of a comfortable seven wicket victory in Brisbane en route to a 2-1 series win. Since then, however, Australia's record is imposing; Just one defeat in 23 years:

1987 v New Zealand: Won by 9 wickets.

1988 v West Indies: Lost by 9 wickets.

1989 v Sri Lanka: Draw.

1990 v England: Won by 10 wickets.

1991 v India: Won by 10 wickets.

1992 v West Indies: Draw.

1993 v New Zealand: Won by innings and 96 runs.

1994 v England: Won by innings and 184 runs.

1995 v Pakistan: Won by innings and 16 runs.

1996 v West Indies: Won by 123 runs.

1997 v New Zealand: Won by 186 runs.

1998 v England: Draw.

1999 v Pakistan: Won by 10 wickets.

2000 v West Indies: Won by innings and 126 runs.

2001 v New Zealand: Draw.

2002 v England: Won by 384 runs.

2003 v India: Draw.

2004 v New Zealand: Won by innings and 156 runs.

2005 v West Indies: Won by 379 runs.

2006 v England: Won by 277 runs.

2007 v Sri Lanka: Won by innings and 40 runs.

2008 v New Zealand: Won by 149 runs.

2009 v West Indies: Won by innings and 65 runs.

England and Australia head to Brisbane with contrasting fortunes; England with their best preparation (almost thought as too perfect in some superstitious quarters), whilst the weakest Australia side for some time go in with plenty of questions hovering over them.

The relative closeness and balance of the two sides has therefore made the importance of this first Test that much more important. The past two decades have realistically seen England with no chance of victory, even in 2006 they travelled more in (forlorn) hope than expectation with a hungry Australian side desperate to regain the Ashes after defeat in England. The margins in this series are expected to be as close game by game, session by session as they have been in the past two series here in England.

This time England are seen as slight favourites, with the advantage of home territory the reason Australia are still favoured in many places. Struggling heading into the contest, a win would not doubt galvanise the Australian side (and public), condemning England to a demoralising defeat that would shatter the confidence that has been built, but at this stage is not necessarily on strong foundations.

Countering this though, a win for England would make it difficult for Australia to come back and could exacerbate an already tough situation for Ricky Ponting and company, whilst boosting England's belief (much like after the Lords win at long last in 2009) that twenty years of defeat in Australia is coming to an end.

KP lands with Surrey

2010-11-22T13:40:00.005Z

From BBC Sport:

England batsman Kevin Pietersen has agreed a deal to play for Surrey in the 2011 domestic season.

Pietersen said he would leave Hampshire at the end of last season and, after the county stopped picking him as a result, he joined Surrey on loan. The 30-year-old, whose first English club was Notts, had five years at Hants but has now joined Surrey permanently.

Surrey are talking enthusiastically about the arrival of Pietersen, but given he will be on a full contract with England (with his Surrey deal mirroring the length of his central contract) it remains to be seen if he makes more than a few token appearances at The Oval as a crowd-boosting exercise; of course it also avoids the possibility of a centrally contracted England player without a county, however rare their appearances actually are.

de Villiers sets SA record

2010-11-21T16:35:00.002Z

From BBC Sport:

AB de Villiers hit a new South African Test record 278 not out as Pakistan continued to struggle on day two of the second Test in Abu Dhabi.

The 26-year-old hit 23 fours and six sixes in his 618-minute innings as he passed captain Graeme Smith's 277, set against England in Birmingham in 2003.

It was de Villiers' eleventh Test match century as he passed Smith's South African best, and cements the progress he has made in recent times since making his debut in 2004.

After averaging 53.05 in 2005, de Villiers struggled in the following two years, averaging just over 27 in 2006 and 2007. However, since 2008 he has now hit almost 2,500 runs averaging over 55 in each year and hitting eight hundreds and become one of the key components of the South African batting line up.

This increased success in his game has also seen him move just outside of the top ten in the Test rankings (not to mention second in the ODI rankings) as he has emerged as one of the talents on the world stage.

Australia trim squad, turn to Doherty

2010-11-20T17:29:00.000Z

In the wake of England's 10 wicket win over Australia A and the conclusion of the latest Sheffield Shield games, the Australian selectors have trimmed down their initial seventeen-man squad ahead of the first Test in Brisbane next week:

Australia will rely on Ashes x-factor after this morning naming uncapped spinner Xavier Doherty in their final 13-man squad for the first Test in Brisbane.

Doherty, who has a modest first class record for Tasmania taking his wickets at 48 apiece, was picked ahead of Nathan Hauritz, who was one of four players who failed to make the cut from the original Australia squad of 17.

With Michael Hussey's timely century helping his cause, it was no surprise that Usman Kawaja and Callum Ferguson were omitted after twin failures in their audition. Ryan Harris also failed to make the cut which left just one decision as to which spinner would be left out.

It is the omission of Hauritz though that is the biggest surprise, losing out to the untested Xavier Doherty, who now seemingly has the opportunity (unless the selectors opt for Steve Smith) to be succeed where Stuart MacGill, Brad Hogg, Beau Casson, Cameron White, Jason Krejza, Bryce McGain and of course Hauritz in being a permanent replacement for Shane Warne.

Hardly a youngster, Doherty is 28 on Monday and doesn't come into the side with a stellar first class career under his belt. A recent entrant to the international game with two ODI's under his belt, he averages a shade under fifty with the ball in state cricket with just three five-wicket hauls - hardly justifying a selection with the intention of the spin option providing more dynamism and wicket tacking ability than Hauritz; a steady option but lacking any real penetration in his career to date.

UPDATE: Peter Roebuck has a nice profile on Doherty in todays Sydney Morning Herald.

Bell finally belonging

2010-11-18T23:18:00.001Z

It is seemingly an English obsession with Ian Bell that however many times he frustrates and leads to a dead end at international level, there is always the feeling that around the corner there is one innings or one series that will be the making of him; when he comes of age at Test match level.

During the recent final warm-up game against Australia A, Bell sat with an unbeaten century at the end of day two, ending any doubts over his place in the side for the opening Test match next week.

Despite his obvious talent, evidenced with intermittent flashes of quality at Test level, Bell has struggled a times. In 57 Tests, Bell has averaged a respectable 42.92 with 11 centuries. However, this figure has been padded by an average of 158.25 against Bangladesh and 68.80 against Pakistan and the past two years have seen him out of the side through both injury but also lost patience from the selectors.

However, there is now a feeling that this time out has seen Bell improve his game, more specifically the mental aspect of it, with him being ready to finally convert the promise and potential into a genuine Test career.

Although he averaged 33.10 in the 2006/07 series Down Under, in 13 Tests Bell averages just 25.68 against Australia yet maybe Andrew Strauss aside, Bell looks to be in as good form as anyone in the squad. Likely batting at six when the Ashes kicks off in Brisbane, he will be an important pivot in the middle order (along with Collingwood and Prior) for England's hopes of posting the commanding first innings totals that will be required for the series to be win.

Still relatively young at only 28 years of age, Bell still has time on his side. It is a measure of his undoubted talent that he hasn't been discarded like others before him (notably Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah in recent times) but finally, could Bell be ready to put his stamp on the Test match game?

ITV4 secure Ashes highlights

2010-11-18T08:35:00.003Z

As per Lawrence Booth in The Mail:

Digital channel ITV4 will broadcast Ashes highlights from next week after securing a deal described by one industry insider as ‘quite a lot less’ than the £1million originally wanted by Cricket Australia.

With Sky holding rights to live coverage, the move means no Ashes cricket will be on terrestrial television, although ITV4 is available to 93 per cent of UK viewers.

It is understood there were no terrestrial bidders.

Good news of course, and not a bit outlay for ITV4 to secure the rights. It will be interesting to see the ratings that the highlights will attract as although they will be widely available will the viewing time of 10pm (due to Sky's contract) impact?

Ponting playing for his future

2010-11-17T11:27:00.000Z

With the Ashes but a week away, common thought is that Ricky Ponting is facing a must win situation in order to save his job as Australian captain, but could the repercussions of an Ashes defeat (on home soil no less) be far more serious?

Ponting has been in the Australian side for nigh on fifteen years and hasn't missed a Test match for some six years now. He is also closing in on two notable landmarks: two wins for 100 victories in Test cricket and three wins for 50 victories as captain, yet his position has never been more threatened.

A very even Ashes contest is anticipated, but the thought of England merely being in such a strong position in Australia is unheard of in recent times, posting a woeful record since a series was last won Down Under back in 1986/87. Yet, after two successive series Ashes defeat in England in 2005 and 2009 (with the 5-0 win in between appearing to provide little credit for Ponting in the grand scheme of things) defeat in the upcoming series would make him just the third Australian captain to lose three Ashes contests.

Mike Atherton made the observation in the The Times' Ashes preview podcasts that Australian captains do not tend to stay on the side once they are no longer in charge, and this is an interesting point. Think back to recent captains; Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor and Alan Border: each leaving of their own volition when they were ready to call it a day, fortunate that they presided over very strong sides that dominated the world game. Ponting of course does not have that luxury.

With the memory of the 'golden generation' becoming even more distant, Australia are in transition. They have lost three successive Test matches and have dropped to fifth in the ICC rankings (one place below England). Whilst never renowned for being a tactical captain, Ponting possesses plenty of fight and strikes as being more a motivational 'lead from the front' type of captain than a Brearley-esque figure.

In the modern game, Ponting's record is perhaps equalled by only Sachin Tendulkar, whose reinvigoration in the twilight of his career has seen the pair embark on a foot race to finish their career as the number 1 all-time in terms of runs scored: Tendulkar has 14,305 Test runs at an average of 56.54 and 49 hundreds, Ponting 12,225 Test runs at an average of 54.68 with 39 hundreds (28 of those scored in Australian victories), with, intriguingly, Rahul Dravid around 500 runs back from Ponting.

With Ashes defeat surely signalling an end to his captaincy, could Ponting, as one of the last of the old guard, also be cast aside from the team entirely? Even if not, it is difficult to see him continuing as an ordinary member of the side under a new captain. With his pugnacious and often abrasive personality, would Ponting - at this advanced stage of his career - want to drop down and become one of the rank and file again? What we know of him suggests not, even if it does mean the end of his chances of chasing down Tendulkar.

Ponting may well be fortunate that the does not appear to be an outstanding candidate waiting in the wings. Whilst Michael Clarke was annointed as the heir apparent, there are huge question marks over his candidacy, so much so that Marcus North - whose grip on a position in the side is fragile to say the least - is being touted in some quarters. For that reason alone there has not been a clamour to replace Ponting leading up to the Ashes series.

However, and as sad an end as it would be for a player of Ponting's quality, the very real fact is that the next five Test matches may not only bring an end to his captaincy but his playing days as well.

New IPL franchises announced

2010-03-21T08:45:00.005Z

Pune and Kochi have been announced as the two new franchises in the Indian Premier League.
Pune was bought by Sahara Adventure Sports Group for $370m (£246m) and Kochi went to Rendezvous Sports World Limited for $333m at a Chennai auction.
The two new franchises will join the IPL from 2011, taking the total number of teams to 10.

>>BBC Sport.

I spent a little of time working out in Pune a few years ago and am pleased they have been awarded a franchise as it is a cricket made city that doesn't get a lot of international cricket thrown its way. One of the disappointments when I was over there was I didn't get chance to see any live cricket, although my time there coincided with the first series between India and Pakistan for some years.

There is no doubt that this current IPL season really has been the most high profile one here in the UK, with viewing figures at their highest with ITV screening all but one of the games live.

Far from an irrelevance causing a minor irritation to the game at large, it appears the IPL is truly growing as a world presence.

Given the huge sums invested in the two new franchises it also shows there is no shortage of investment to keep it as one.

Younus and Yousuf banned for life

2010-03-10T20:06:00.003Z

Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf have been banned from representing Pakistan again after the recent catastrophic tour of Australia.

Pakistan lost the Test series 3-0, the one-day matches 5-0 and the only Twenty20 match.

The Pakistan Cricket Board's blamed infighting between Yousuf and Younus for the disastrous results, and recommended they "should not be part of the national team in any format. Their attitude has a trickledown effect, which is a bad influence for the whole team."

>>timesonline.

Whilst the PCB have always been known to headline grabbing and controversial decisions, has there been any as dramatic as this one?

Who knows quite what happened on the recent tour to Australia, but there were times when Pakistan were competitive and had opportunities to win games but faltered at critical points. The tour wound up being a disaster, which culminated in the bizarre incident involving Shahid Afridi. There has also been 'history' with both players, most recently with the captaincy position which both players have held of late.

The PCB though must have been convinced that there was serious breaches of discipline from their two most senior - and best - players, as they have also handed one-year bans for Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, plus heavy fines for Shahid Afridi and both Akmal brothers, Kamal and Umar.

Perhaps though, by trying to address what is perceived a problem at the very top, the PCB feel that in the long run this will be the correct decision for the benefit of Pakistani cricket.

They are of course due to play in England - facing six tests against Australia and England - in what is a widely anticipated pair of series this summer. They will now arrive, after attempting to defend their T20 crown, with a much depleted side mired in controversy.

IPL franchise unveiling delayed

2010-03-07T11:24:00.000Z

The IPL's unveiling of its two new franchises on Sunday ended in an anti-climax with the league pushing back the entire process by two weeks, in the process scrapping the existing tender procedure after bidders objected to stiff financial clauses.

The new process will also amend two existing clauses: One will be a reduction of the advance deposit from $100 million to a $10 million "performance guarantee", to be submitted 24 hours in advance of the bid being opened. Another original clause gave the IPL's governing council the discretion to seek from the winning bidder 100% of the amount with a minimum time-frame; under the new process, the winning bids will be expected to pay 10% of their bid within 48 hours.

>>cricinfo.com

England remain fifth in ODI rankings

2010-03-05T18:12:00.003Z

After wrapping up their series against Bangladesh with another impressive win, it meant that England retained fifth position in the ICC ODI rankings:


1	Australia	49	6497	133
2	India	49	5982	122
3	South Africa	29	3401	117
4	New Zealand	28	3155	113
5	England	36	3965	110
6	Sri Lanka	40	4336	108
7	Pakistan	33	3420	104
8	West Indies	26	1833	71
9	Bangladesh	38	1987	52
10	Zimbabwe	33	939	28
11	Ireland	6	152	25
12	Kenya	14	28	2

A series defeat (or even a 2-1 win) could have seen England dropped behind Sri Lanka and Pakistan, but whilst they can now look ahead at trying to catch New Zealand and South Africa of most importance was that they managed to string consistent play together in the ODI format.

Whilst it was 'only' Bangladesh they were facing - who have now lost all 11 ODI's and 4 Tests against in England - England have often flattered to deceive, failing to string successive performance together.

Particularly pleasing must be the batting performance. So often the achilees heel, England posted three consecutive 225+ scorelines- which they haven't achieved in the past year - and could even absorb the continued struggles of Kevin Pietersen. The batting looks a settled unit (with Andrew Strauss to return), with good balance in the key number 4-6 positions with the emergence of Eoin Morgan.

Perhaps too early to go too overboard, but could they be finally developing an ODI side which could be working towards having a legitimate shot at a World Cup tournament?

ITV to screen IPL

2010-03-05T18:06:00.003Z

Cricket coverage in the UK will return to free-to-air television with ITV getting rights to broadcast the IPL for the 2010 season. The broadcaster will show live all the matches on ITV4 - one of its digital channels - from the feed supplied by Sony and will employ its own studio experts.

>>cricinfo.com

An interesting announcement given the much publicised issue of free to air cricket coverage. This of course is a further coup for the IPL and comes on the heels of their deal to show all IPL matches on YouTube.

It is also interesting that ITV are on board given they have no real history in broadcasting cricket, but with the BBC still reluctant to bid for TV rights it could leave them well positioned if the decision to force the Ashes back to free to air.

England announce initial T20 squad

2010-03-01T17:33:00.004Z

Alastair Cook, England's Test and ODI captain, has been omitted from England's 30-man provisional squad for the World Twenty20 that starts in April in the Caribbean. Cook's new ODI opening partner, Craig Kieswetter, has been included, alongside Peter Trego and Michael Lumb, after their success on the England Lions tour to UAE.

>>cricinfo.com

Cook's ommission is the main talking point with the announcement of the squad. His performance in the recent ODI victory over Bangladesh was perhaps a sign of his becoming more accustomed in the shorter format of the game after being pigeon-holed as a Test player.

Three names in there which are a surprise are the trio of Sajid Mahmood, Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara, with the latter two cast into the international wilderness following the ICC Champions Trophy last year and particularly Mahmood, who failed to impress in South Africa after another recall.

There are a few interesting names in there; namely David Wainwright, Chris Woakes, Steve Finn and Peter Trego, but looking through the thirty at who the 'probables' will be, it is likely their inclusion is with an eye on the future as opposed to any real chance of inclusion in the final fifteen.

A day of contrasts

2010-02-28T21:55:00.003Z

Two very different Twenty20 internationals were played yesterday. In one, two confident sides went hammer-and-tongs at each other in a high-scoring thriller that was settled only after 441 runs had been scored and a super-over played.

The other was a nervy, jittery encounter with both sides afraid to take risks and one running out winners by 26 runs despite making only 105.

>>Patrick Kidd.

The aggregate total of 428 between Australia and New Zealand set a new match record and their respective totals of 214 are the sixth highest T20 scores.

Contrastingly, West Indies 79/7 was only 'bettered' by Bermuda's 70 against Canada in 2008 as the lowest total ever where a side bats the full allocation of 20 overs.

Tendulkar's Indian summer

2010-02-28T16:06:00.003Z

Much has been written about Sachin Tendulkar's renaissance over the past twelve months, with his recent ODI double century against South Africa capping this return to form.

It is worth noting however that this impressive spell is no recent thing but has been something witnessed since the beginning of 2007, in which he bounced back following a dismal couple of years in 2005 and 2006 where he scored only 811 runs and only one century.

Since then however, he is approaching almost 3,000 runs in Test cricket:

Year M Runs High Ave

2005	6	444	109	44.40
2006	8	267	63	24.27
2007	9	776	122*	55.42
2008	13	1063	154*	48.31
2009	6	541	160	67.62
2010	4	477	143	95.40

He has also shown this in the ODI format too:

Year I Runs High Ave

2005	16	412	123	27.46
2006	16	628	141*	44.85
2007	32	1425	100*	47.50
2008	12	460	117*	41.81
2009	20	972	175	54.00
2010	2	204	200*	204.00

I have posted previously on the race between Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting to be the number 1 by the time the trio all finish their respective careers and whilst Tendulkar may have been slipping at one point, the past couple of years have really put him in the driving seat to make sure he retires as the greatest - possibly of all time.

India's role in South Africa's readmission

2010-02-27T21:41:00.002Z

Coinciding with the current series between the two countries, there is an excellent in-depth piece over at Cricinfo from Kanishkaa Balachandran looking at the role India played in helping South Africa gain re-admission to the international arena:

Such was India's influence that Pakistan fell in line and West Indies eventually seconded the vote after India pushed for it. According to Majumdar, there was a sense of urgency to promote the new South Africa through cricket and not any other sport. Had it not been for the ICC meeting in July, South Africa would probably have made their official re-entry into international sport through the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, missing the cricket World Cup in 1992.

Well worth a read.

Afghanistan march on

2010-02-24T22:11:00.000Z

It was the ninth highest fourth-innings run chase in first-class cricket, which means Afghanistan now top the Intercontinental Cup table and can credibly lay claim to being one of the strongest Associate nations. That they would even be in a position to draw this match seemed unlikely after Canada racked up 566 batting first before rolling Afghanistan over for 264. It left Afghanistan facing a 302-run first-innings deficit, which, it turned out is the highest ever in a first-class game by a side batting second who went on to win.

>>cricinfo.com.

And the fairytale story from the Afghanistan cricket team continues.

It is remarkable to think how far they have progressed in such a short space of time since becoming an Associate member and their victory over Canada was stunning on so many levels.

They can genuinely lay a claim to be one of (if not the) strongest of the Associate nations now and they are potentially going to be the story of the forthcoming T20 World Cup.

Lee retires from Test cricket

2010-02-24T20:50:00.001Z

No great surprise given reports from the past few days and when he first suffered his injury:

"My reason for retiring from this form of the game is so that I can preserve my body and continue to represent my country in the other forms of the game."

The 33-year-old intimated last week he had been considering walking away from the longer format of the game as he faces a lengthy rehabilitation following elbow surgery in December.

Lee has described the injury as the "most painful" of a Test career that has yielded 310 wickets but has been undermined by injury in recent years.

The quick missed last year's Ashes series after suffering a side strain on the eve of the first Test and has not worn the baggy green since the 2008 Boxing Day Test against South Africa.

Lee would certainly be in contention for a place in the Australian ODI squad, but with age not on his side it wouldn't be a shock if the selectors decided to focus elswhere (particularly given the way players have stepped up for them this past season).

Much like his friend Andrew Flintoff, we could be set to see Lee become in effect a 'franchise' player and he is known to be a popular member of the IPL set up.

With a paucity of genuine fast bowlers around the international arena at the moment it is easy to forget quite how good a hostile and aggressive bowler Lee was over the early to mid part of the past decade.

How good is his Test record though? He leaves with an impressive record and his legacy cemented as the fourth highest Australian wicket taker, no meant feat considering the players ahead of him are Warne, McGrath and Lillee.

Player	Span	Mat	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	SR	5	10
SK Warne	1992-2007	145	708	8/71	12/128	25.41	57.4	37	10
GD McGrath	1993-2007	124	563	8/24	10/27	21.64	51.9	29	3
DK Lillee	1971-1984	70	355	7/83	11/123	23.92	52.0	23	7
B Lee	1999-2008	76	310	5/30	9/171	30.81	53.3	10	0
CJ McDermott	1984-1996	71	291	8/97	11/157	28.63	56.9	14	2

Tendulkar sets ODI record

2010-02-24T19:06:00.003Z

"I'd like to dedicate this double hundred to the people of India who have stood by me no matter what for the last 20 years."

>>Sachin Tendulkar.

I doubt that Tendulkar would be the first person you would have named when suggesting a candidate to be the first to score an ODI double century, with a list of the top ten as follows:

Player	Runs	4s	6s	SR	Opposition	Match Date
SR Tendulkar	200*	25	3	136.05	v South Africa	24 Feb 2010
CK Coventry	194*	16	7	124.35	v Bangladesh	16 Aug 2009
Saeed Anwar	194	22	5	132.87	v India	21 May 1997
IVA Richards	189*	21	5	111.17	v England	31 May 1984
ST Jayasuriya	189	21	4	117.39	v India	29 Oct 2000
G Kirsten	188*	13	4	118.23	v U.A.E.	16 Feb 1996
SR Tendulkar	186*	20	3	124.00	v New Zealand	8 Nov 1999
MS Dhoni	183*	15	10	126.20	v Sri Lanka	31 Oct 2005
SC Ganguly	183	17	7	115.82	v Sri Lanka	26 May 1999
ML Hayden	181*	11	10	109.03	v New Zealand	20 Feb 2007

Given all that he has achieved in the game though - he is already the leading run scorer in both Test and ODI cricket and will shortly move past Sanath Jayasuriya in possessing the most ODI appearances - is there a better player to have achieved the record?

Here's the moment it happened:

Australia go unbeaten

2010-02-23T22:02:00.000Z

So much for an Ashes hangover.

With another emphatic victory over the West Indies earlier today in the final game of their summer, the current Australian side replicated the side of 2000/01 by going unbeaten throughout a domestic summer.

What is impressive is that unlike the 2000/01 version, the current side will not go down as one of crickets all time powerhouses, and many thought the decline of Australian cricket was set to continue following their defeat to England in 2009.

Whilst the West Indies and Pakistan have not proved the stiffest of tests, yet they have managed to win 16 out of the 18 games (a draw and a no result made up with total) they played and overcame adversity on a couple of occasions to chalk up victories in the test matches.

They have also done this whilst assimilating the likes of Doug Bollinger into the side, getting more games under the belt from Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus (prior to their injuries) and seeing Shane Watson record a fantastic summer as an opener in all forms of the game. In addition, their ODI and T20 sides have also seen a number of new faces brought in, the seemingly seamless transition of players from State to Test level continuing (and something England can only marvel at).

They are warming up nicely for the T20 World Cup this spring, and dare I say it, look to be in good shape for the 2010/11 Ashes next winter.

Zimbabwe appoint new coaching team

2010-02-23T20:05:00.002Z

Some positive news for Zimbabwean cricket:

Alan Butcher, the former England batsman and father of former international Mark Butcher, has been appointed the new national coach of Zimbabwe, replacing Walter Chawaguta, who had been in the post since August 2008.

Butcher, 56, will be helped by Zimbabwe's coaching assistant Stephen Mangongo, batting coach Grant Flower and bowling coach Heath Streak. His first assignment will be the tour of the Caribbean next month. "In the past we have relied on one coach, but this time we have four individuals and are confident they will deliver," Ozias Bvute, Zimbabwe Cricket's managing director, said in Harare.

Butcher may be a surprise name to be handed the post, but it does appear a step in the right direction for Zimbabwean cricket - which has gone through some dark times the past few years - in appointing what appears to be a structured coaching set up, which includes Heath Streak and Grant Flower as bowling and batting coaches respectively.

Still in the Test match wilderness, they have some way to go before they are even close to being re-admitted, but will compete in the forthcoming T20 World Cup after withdrawing from the last tournament in England.

Small steps then, but positive nonetheless.

Tendulkar stretches his lead

2010-02-20T22:04:00.000Z

The recent series between India and South Africa has been another impressive one by Sachin Tendulkar, hitting two centuries to extend his lead as the leading test run scorer, almost as if he is aware of the presence of Ricky Ponting and Rahul Dravid right behind him.

Not to be outdone, Ponting ended a recent century-less in their win over Pakistan and has closed the gap on Brian Lara to be within a hundred of moving into second place. Dravid however was ruled out through injury but will also move ahead of Brian Lara soon enough.

Player	Span	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50
SR Tendulkar (India)	1989-2010	166	271	29	13447	248*	55.56	47	54
BC Lara (ICC/WI)	1990-2006	131	232	6	11953	400*	52.88	34	48
RT Ponting (Aus)	1995-2010	142	240	27	11859	257	55.67	39	51
R Dravid (ICC/India)	1996-2010	139	240	28	11395	270	53.75	29	58
AR Border (Aus)	1978-1994	156	265	44	11174	205	50.56	27	63

With all players in the twilight of their careers - Dravid is 37, Tendulkar 36 and Ponting 35 - it is building up to be a fascinating race to see who will end up as number 1 when all three players call it quits and end their test careers.

Steyn closes in on 200

2010-02-20T20:47:00.006Z

Not only did his side falter in suffering a late defeat against India in the second test with just nine balls remaining - thus missing an opportunity to regain the number one spot in the test rankings - but on an individual level Dale Steyn also fell short.

Heading into the test, Steyn had an opportunity to join an impressive list of players in reaching 200 test match wickets should he have taken five wickets. It was not to be though as Steyn could only record figures of 1-115 in India's total of 643-6.

Had Steyn achieved the feat, he would have joined both Dennis Lillee and Waqar Younis who reached 200 wickets in their 38th test, but sit behind the overall leader Charlie Grimmett (the first bowler to reach the landmark) who achieved it in his 36th test.

What Steyn can console himself with though is his impressive bowling average in India, historically a fast bowling graveyard that is particularly the case in the modern era.

In India, for bowlers who have taken a minimum of 20 wickets, Steyn sits 13th all time and is really the only bowler of late to make the list:

Player	Mat	Inns	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	SR
AK Davidson (Aus)	6	12	267.5	95	473	30	7/93	12/124	15.76	53.5
R Gilchrist (WI)	4	8	198.1	73	419	26	6/55	9/73	16.11	45.7
ND Hirwani (India)	8	13	292.5	78	748	45	8/61	16/136	16.62	39.0
H Verity (Eng)	3	6	157.5	61	387	23	7/49	11/153	16.82	41.1
BR Taylor (NZ)	5	9	130.4	27	381	21	5/26	8/102	18.14	37.3
R Benaud (Aus)	8	16	492.1	198	956	52	7/72	11/105	18.38	56.7
CA Walsh (WI)	7	13	278.0	55	798	43	6/79	9/94	18.55	38.7
AA Mallett (Aus)	5	10	298.4	129	535	28	6/64	10/144	19.10	64.0
GD McKenzie (Aus)	8	15	330.3	99	655	34	6/58	10/91	19.26	58.3
JK Lever (Eng)	8	14	265.5	50	731	37	7/46	10/70	19.75	43.1
AME Roberts (WI)	7	13	264.1	65	733	37	7/64	12/121	19.81	42.8
DW Steyn (SA)	5	8	149.5	19	526	26	7/51	10/108	20.23	34.5

Perhaps even more impressive is where he sits in the list in Asia as a whole, based on a minimum of fifty wickets:

Player	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave
R Benaud (Aus)	12	23	4399	1372	71	7/72	11/105	19.32
WW Hall (WI)	11	22	2373	1083	54	6/50	11/126	20.05
Imran Khan (Pak)	51	80	10022	4158	205	8/58	14/116	20.28
Fazal Mahmood (Pak)	23	36	6244	1930	94	7/42	13/114	20.53
CA Walsh (WI)	17	31	3485	1581	77	6/79	9/94	20.53
Waqar Younis (Pak)	47	85	8220	4438	215	7/76	13/135	20.64
DW Steyn (SA)	11	19	1979	1216	57	7/51	10/108	21.33

Steyn may well have suffered a little in terms of focus given that the past few years have seen batsman dominate the test arena, and the game doesn't have a huge amount of fast bowling 'stars', but to be closing in on 200 wickets in such a short space of time is impressive - and certainly comparable against James Anderson (156 wickets in 46 tests) who leads the way for England's current crop.

Steyn's record also holds up against all test nations, not failing to take a five wicket haul against any opponent:

	Span	Mat	Wkts	BBI	Ave
v Australia	2008-2009	6	34	5/67	27.79
v Bangladesh	2008-2008	4	22	5/63	17.18
v England	2004-2010	8	31	5/51	34.29
v India	2006-2010	7	32	7/51	20.00
v New Zealand	2006-2007	5	36	6/49	16.66
v Pakistan	2007-2007	3	13	5/56	23.76
v Sri Lanka	2006-2006	2	8	5/82	36.50
v West Indies	2007-2008	3	20	6/72	19.10

Whilst competition may not be as fierce as it has been over time in the fast bowling arena, Steyn is clearly a cut above all other candidates at present, borne out by his number one ranking. Certainly he is the quickest, has an excellent strike rate and his record stands up against all nations both at home and abroad.

The all-time wicket leaders in test cricket is a daunting one, but at only 26 years of age, Steyn has time on his side. Injuries permitting, it is likely that he will finish his career having overtaken both Makhaya Ntini and Shaun Pollock to be the leading South African wicket taker.

India hold on to top spot

2010-02-20T00:11:00.003Z

After winning a thrilling second test to square their series with South Africa, the 1-1 result means that India have held off South Africa to retain the top spot they gained back in December:

Team	Matches	Points	Rating
India	38	4719	124
South Africa	38	4572	120
Australia	39	4586	118
Sri Lanka	31	3574	115
England	44	4712	107
New Zealand	29	2337	81
Pakistan	25	2008	80
West Indies	29	2224	77
Bangladesh	22	264	12

Although it was a brief series, it contained some fascinating passages of play and really showed the value of test cricket at a time where it is constantly being done down.

After winning so convincingly in the opening game of the series, the South African's will be kicking themselves they couldn't quite hold on in the second test - not without a wonderful stoic performance from Hashim Amla, who did his very best to thwart the Indian's late in the day.

A wonderful advert once again for test cricket, and a shame that there isn't a third and final game to decide the series rather than the three ODI's that are now scheduled.

England set new T20 partnership record

2010-02-19T21:28:00.006Z

Although chasing a modest victory target of 130 in the 1st T20 match against Pakistan earlier today, at 18-3 a familiar wobble must have crossed the minds of everyone watching the game.

A return to form from Kevin Pietersen and a continuation of Eoin Morgan's good run of late was enough to see England convincingly home and in the process set a new T20 partnership record.

The list of England's previous highest partnerships is as follows:

Partners	Wkt	Runs	Overs	RR	In	Out	Inns
EJG Morgan, KP Pietersen	4	112*	14.1	7.90	3/18	3/130	2
PD Collingwood, OA Shah	5	102	10.2	9.87	4/76	5/178	1
RS Bopara, LJ Wright	1	102	11.2	9.00	-	1/102	1
PD Collingwood, KP Pietersen	4	100	9.0	11.11	3/51	4/151	1
PD Collingwood, EJG Morgan	4	98	9.1	10.69	3/61	4/159	1
PD Collingwood, MH Yardy	7	91	7.3	12.13	6/101	7/192	2
IR Bell, KP Pietersen	2	79*	12.0	6.58	1/48	1/127	2
RS Bopara, KP Pietersen	2	71	9.1	7.74	1/3	2/74	1
AD Mascarenhas, OA Shah	6	69*	6.0	11.50	5/104	5/173	2
KP Pietersen, OA Shah	3	66	7.5	8.42	2/62	3/128	1
P Mustard, LJ Wright	1	65	5.5	11.14	-	1/65	1
DL Maddy, VS Solanki	1	62	7.5	7.91	-	1/62	2
AJ Strauss, ME Trescothick	1	59	7.3	7.86	-	1/59	2
RS Bopara, KP Pietersen	2	56	6.2	8.84	1/8	2/64	1
MJ Prior, OA Shah	4	55	7.5	7.02	3/27	4/82	2
DL Maddy, VS Solanki	1	53	5.4	9.35	-	1/53	2
KP Pietersen, LJ Wright	2	53	4.1	12.72	1/9	2/62	1
PD Collingwood, OA Shah	4	53	7.1	7.39	3/25	4/78	1
KP Pietersen, IJL Trott	3	52	5.4	9.17	2/65	3/117	2
KP Pietersen, ME Trescothick	3	51	5.0	10.20	2/49	3/100	1

The partnership is also good enough to put Pietersen and Morgan in the top ten of all time in T20:

LL Bosman, GC Smith (SA)					170
CH Gayle, DS Smith (WI)					145
G Gambhir, V Sehwag (India)					136
ADS Fletcher, CH Gayle (WI)					133
BB McCullum, JD Ryder (NZ)					130
TM Dilshan, ST Jayasuriya (SL)					124
HH Gibbs, JM Kemp (SA)					120*
Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik (Pak)					119*
EJG Morgan, KP Pietersen (Eng)					112*
HH Gibbs, GC Smith (SA)					111

The impressive Eoin Morgan has pretty much made the number 5 spot his own over the past few months and if Pietersen returns to form the batting has a good luck to it in the middle order.

Now to sort out the top of the order, and I doubt it will be long before Craig Kieswetter gets a shot.

Pakistan players to miss out on IPL

2009-12-07T20:27:00.000Z

As confirmed by Lalit Modi:

"We have been informed by the PCB that they have not been able to obtain the visas as of now. So we are not able to extend the deadline," Modi told the Times Now channel. "Today is the absolute deadline for confirmation of Pakistani players [to take part in the IPL]. The exchange window [ends] the day after tomorrow.

"Unfortunately, the Pakistani players are out and they will not be allowed to take part in the next IPL because we are handicapped by the fact that the exchange window is the day after tomorrow. We are informing the teams that they now can go for the replacement of the Pakistani players."

A big shame for the tournament given there was sure to be a big Pakistani presence in the next tournament (and with Pakistan as the reigning World Twenty20 champions) with five players - Kamran Akmal, Misbah ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir already contracted to IPL sides.

India take top spot

2009-12-06T16:18:00.002Z

India has achieved the coveted number-one position in the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship for the first time after winning its three-Test series against Sri Lanka 2-0 on Sunday.

India is only the third team after Australia and South Africa to surge to the top of the ladder since the Test Championship was first introduced in May 2001.

>>icc.com

After being dominated by Australia for so long we are perhaps now beginning to see a levelling out at the top in Test cricket, something that will likely be reflected in the Test standings.

From their inception in 2001, they have been dominated by Australia who held the top ranking until earlier this year when they were deposed by South Africa. South Africa have an earlier opportunity though to grab top spot back if they win the forthcoming series with England by a margin of 2-0 or greater, although anything less would see India's lead extended.

Looking at the standings it is certainly tight at the top, and if Sri Lanka had triumphed in the recent series it would have been them, and not India, who would be ranked number one:

Country	Rank	Ratings
India	1	124
South Africa	2	122
Australia	3	116
Sri Lanka	4	115
England	5	105

Australia of course are currently in action against the West Indies, but even a series whitewash cannot send them back to the top.

Given the closeness at the top and the fact that Test series do not generally align themselves, we could be set for a period of much change at the top after so long with Australia dominating as sides have opportunities whilst others are inactive (India's 2010 schedule looks very bare).

The element of competition is one the main factors in advocating a Test cricket championship. Although not a direct competition, the fact that sides will go into series knowing that victory (or at least by a certain scoreline) will move them up the standings - or even to top spot - could be a shot in the arm for Test cricket given the criticisms levelled at it of late.

Lee's setback

2009-12-03T21:20:00.000Z

Lee, 33, had the procedure done to correct a damaged ligament in his right elbow which has seen him break down twice in the space of just three weeks.

The complaint initially flared up in the first one-day international of the seven-match series against India in Vadodara on October 25.
Lee could only bowl six overs of a possible 10 in that match and on November 15, he aggravated it again bowling for New South Wales in the Ford Ranger Cup.

>>telegraph.co.uk

And it may be that we are seeing the sun beginning to set on Lee's career.

He spoke recently of the possibility of retiring, and this latest injury is a big set back after a frustrating summer in which he was forced to sit out The Ashes before returning to fitness and form in the ODI series at the end of the English summer.

It has been a stop start past few years though for Lee as the toll of his injuries reduced his effectiveness and saw him struggle to regain the form he showed earlier in his career when for a time he was the most destructive quick bowler in the game.

Looking at his career though, his record is perhaps not as impressive as you would expect, and he has a return of 310 Test wickets in 76 matches at 30.81 and 324 ODI scalps in 186 appearances at 23.01. A solid return, but no more really and despite the threat he once possessed you suspect he will remain largely in the shadow of Warne and McGrath. In fact, Lee spent long periods unable to get back into the side through a mixture of injury and form and the likes of Kasprowicz and Fleming were often preferred to him at various times during the past decade.

Lee is keen to continue playing but the constant grind of injury and rehabilitation is not something a player can continually go through. With Mitchell Johnson establishing himself as the spearhead of the new look Australian attack, ably supported by Peter Siddle it is quite conceivable that we have seen the last of Brett Lee in an Australian shirt.

Sehwag dominates

2009-12-03T20:45:00.006Z

He ended the day 16 short of becoming the first man to score three triple-centuries in the history of Test cricket but he'd already broken a string of records - the most double-centuries by an Indian, the second-highest scorer of 250-plus scores, the most runs by an Indian in a day (breaking his own record) - and given India enough time to push for a huge lead and then an innings win.

>>cricinfo.com

One innings may not be able to save Test cricket, but Virender Sehwag today did his level best. There has been so much talk of Test cricket being on its knees and a fading force, but it is still capable of throwing up remarkable and spell binding play that no other form of the game can provide.

And it may be that no-one else but Sehwag could have played such an innings.

Certainly no other batsman in cricket today is capable of such a destructive innings, having the ability to devastate a bowling attack with such ease. After India mopped up the final wickets early in the day Sehwag took over. He dominated the days play finishing 284 not out off just 239 balls as India ended up 443-1 at stumps off just 79 overs as records were shattered.

He reached his century off 101 deliveries, but his second 100 was achieved in even more blistering fashion, coming off just 67 deliveries. The longest he went without a boundary was just twelve balls. No bowler was spared, and Murali's woe continued as he conceded 119 off his 20 overs.

Talk has now turned to Lara's record and with the form he showed today, and even though he is still some distance away, the phenomenal rate that he can score at it could be achieved midway through the day. Sri Lanka's bowling attack - if they weren't already - are surely a demoralised bunch as well and Sehwag will know he may not get a better opportunity.

India could also be set to post a huge total themselves (don't forget we have only just ended day two) with Tendulkar, Laxman, Yuvraj and Dhoni to come, but all eyes will be firmly on Sehwag as he chases the ultimate prize.

South Africa named uncapped quartet

2009-12-03T00:16:00.003Z

Young fast bowler Wayne Parnell and all-rounder Ryan McClaren, team-mates at Kent last season, in-form batsman Alviro Petersen and paceman Friedel de Wet are the quartet involved for the Centurion opener.

"We have chosen an enlarged squad to cover all our options," said selection convener Mike Procter. "Jacques Kallis is obviously a very big number in our Test side and providing cover for him requires more than one player.

>>telegraph.co.uk

Clearly there are big concerns over the likelihood of Jacques Kallis making the first Test, and selecting such a large squad has a definite air of a move England would make in trying to provide cover for Andrew Flintoff.

Parnell is an obvious selection given his form in ODI's over the past twelve months, whilst Petersen impressed in the recent series. McLaren is perhaps the most like for like replacement for Kallis - although it is stretching things to compare the two and South Africa will be desperately hoping Kallis is fit to play at least as a batsman.

Squad: GC Smith (captain), HM Amla, MV Boucher (wkt), AB de Villiers, F de Wet, JP Duminy, PL Harris, JH Kallis, R McLaren, M Morkel, M Ntini, WD Parnell, AN Petersen, AG Prince, DW Steyn.

FICA proposes Test Championship

2009-12-01T19:07:00.002Z

“We believe that the model of bi lateral ad hoc series that have been cricket’s structure for the past century (and again from 2012-2020) is fast becoming an outdated model, and will be unable to cater for the changing cricket landscape,” he writes.
“It is unusual for FICA to request the ICC and its member boards to review a decision of the ICC board, however, we are of the firm opinion that there are serious flaws in the proposed 2012-2020 FTP that will severely threaten the primacy of international cricket in future years.”

>>FICA chief executive Tim May.

There has seemingly been a plethora of ideas, formats and suggestions around the idea of a Test Championship of late, but this is the first concrete proposal put forward by the cricket asociations themselves.

The are proposing a radical departure from the Future Tours programme that is set to be put in place for 2012-2020, and is a radical departure from the current Test format - or indeed most of the proposals previously seen for a Test championship.

May’s suggestion, which follows an MCC plan to introduce a Test championship, is for the formation of two conferences of four teams each. Teams would play one series against each other side in their conference and one team from the other conference with a semi-final and final to determine the winners adding up to 12 Tests per year. A fourth year would be reserved as an Icon Year for series such as the Ashes and the World Cup.

It would be a surprise if this proposal was accepted outright in its current format - not to say there aren't merits to it, but the ICC are not known for radical decision making and have resisted the idea of a Test championship so far.

The weight behind the idea of a Test championship is beginning to grow however, with momentum building from a variety of figures and bodies within the game. The ICC have resisted change to date, but a change to the current set up in some format is looking increasingly a matter of when, rather than if.

ICC propose home advantage for World Cup

2009-12-01T18:52:00.003Z

The hosts of the 2011 World Cup will enjoy home advantage for the quarter-finals and semi-finals if a proposal to this effect is approved by the ICC board. It means India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will play at home if they make the knockout stage but, if two of them play each other, the higher-ranked side from the group stage will host the match.

>>cricinfo.com

The suggestion in the report is that the proposal is all but agreed, and that the proposal merely requires ratifying next February.

The format of the tournament has moved away from the Super Six format seen in recent tournaments to a straight knockout from the quarter-final stage, and whilst the schedule was recently announced the venues themselves hadn't.

Given there are three countries hosting fixtures during the tournament (after Pakistan was stripped as a host nation) the likelihood was that India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh (should they progress from the group stages) would get to play on home turf anyway.

Bond ruled out of series

2009-12-01T14:54:00.002Z

Bad news for New Zealand:

Shane Bond has been ruled out of the rest of the Test series against Pakistan due to a torn abdominal muscle. Bond was the Player of the Match in the thrilling win in Dunedin, where he took eight wickets for the game in what was his first Test in two years.

Bond suffered minor abdominal discomfort following the 32-run victory and scans on Tuesday revealed a one-centimetre tear in an abdominal muscle. The New Zealand team manager Dave Currie said Bond would be rested from the second and third Tests as a precaution.

Bond was a important of what was an impressive victory in the first Test against Pakistan, but his brieft return to the Test arena continues a run of injuries that restricted him to just seventeen Tests in six years prior to his spell in the ICL.

He will now aim to return to the Test line-up for the early 2010 series against Bangladesh.

England to use Gooch

2009-11-30T17:55:00.003Z

It was confirmed over the weekend that England will utilise the services of Graham Gooch following the current ODI series. Gooch flew out recently to help out the Performance squad who are also based out in South Africa and will team up with the full side ahead of the first Test starting in a couple of weeks time.

He has helped out the side on occasion before, and given his links to Andrew Flower it is no surprise that he has been called in on a short term basis again. The value of Gooch is likely to be less technical, and more on the mental aspect of batting - something that Patrick Kidd commented on:

Eight of Gooch's 20 Test hundreds were worth 150 runs or more, with his 333 against India at Lord's in 1990 being the pinnacle. But big hundreds have been beyond England recently. In the past decade they have made only five double-hundreds, the most recent being Pietersen's 226 v West Indies in 2007.

By Gooch's own admission, he is more concerned with 'how many' than 'how', and England do fare poorly in comparison to other countries in terms of the big hundreds. Whilst centuries can build a platform for a strong total, it is the big scores of 150+ that set up match winning totals.

During the 2009 Ashes series, England managed to win despite being heavily outscored in the century count. On paper, this winters series in South Africa is set to be a close one. England cannot afford a similar statistic if they hope to emerge with a series win.

They will be hoping Gooch's influence can pay off in this regard.

Strauss on Sports Personality shortlist

2009-11-30T17:15:00.000Z

The BBC Sports Personality of the Year top-10 shortlist has been revealed.
It features Formula One champion Jenson Button, cycling star Mark Cavendish, world champion diver Tom Daley and Manchester United great Ryan Giggs.
Athletics is represented by two more world champions, heptathlete Jessica Ennis and triple jumper Phillips Idowu.
Heavyweight boxer David Haye, England cricket captain Andrew Strauss, tennis ace Andy Murray and world gymnastics champion Beth Tweddle make up the 10.
The nominees will be put to a public vote on the night of the live show, which will be broadcast from Sheffield Arena at 1900 GMT, Sunday 13 December on BBC One.

>>BBC Sport.

Gayle bullish about captaincy

2009-11-30T12:05:00.002Z

In the wake of another disappointing test defeat, Chris Gayle spoke of his intention to continue with the captaincy:

"I've got a message for those people - I'm not going anywhere," he said. "I have been chosen as captain and it's a job I will continue to do to the best of my ability. My heart is in it and I feel really strongly that I am the right man to lead the West Indies through this challenging period."

Given some of his previous comments regarding the captaincy - not to mention Test cricket in general - it is a surprise to see Gayle so forthright with his intentions. A languid character at the best of times, his demeanour - perhaps unfairly - does not always transmit itself well upon a side that has often struggled to remain competitive in recent times.

Despite their heavy defeat in Brisbane, Gayle believes he has the backing of the side who were recently united in their stance against the WICB:

"Negative energy is the last thing we need right now because we are just starting to try to regroup as a team. With my captaincy coming under fire, the really heartening thing for me is to see how I have respect from each and every one of the players in our squad. It makes my job easier to know that each individual supports me and it helps me get the best out of the players."

It won't be an easy task to turn the series against Australia round. Even though Australia has dropped off over the past 2-3 years, they are still a strong side. Recent history is also not in favour of the West Indies as this article by S.Rajesh over at cricinfo shows, highlighting the decline in competitiveness in series between Australia and West Indies:


Period	Tests	Won	Lost	Draw	Bat ave/Run rate	Bowl ave/ Run rate
1980s	14	8	3	3	34.38/ 3.22	27.40/ 2.83
1990s	10	4	4	2	27.72/ 2.98	30.41/ 2.84
2000s	8	0	8	0	21.47/ 2.74	44.13/ 3.44

The primary difficulty for Gayle is the talent level in the West Indies is simply not good enough for them to be competitive on a consistent basis. Frustratingly, there is quality in the side; the likes of Gayle himself, Sarwan, Chanderpaul and the promising Barath with the bat, whilst the bowling has proved effective on occasions. Marrying this with the consistency shown by the likes of Australia, South Africa, India or dare we say it, England has been stumbling block which has hampered progress and seen them at the bottom end of the ICC rankings in both Test and ODI formats.

This is highlighted by the fact that during a two-year reign as captain, Gayle’s overall win-loss record as captain in Test cricket is three wins, five losses and six draws in 14 matches. They of course have the one series victory - in early 2009 when they hosted England, and two of the defeats were at the very start of the 2009 English season when they were called up as last minuted replacements at the tail end of the IPL.

A feature of the dominant West Indies sides of the past was strong leadership. This aspect has declined in recent years, mirroring the general decline in West Indies cricket. There is no doubt it is a difficult job, unifying the differing countries under one banner and countering the seemingly incessant infighting between the players and administrators.

Perhaps importantly though, Gayle has the stature within the side to be a leader. He is facing plenty of pressure (and criticism) in relation to his captaincy. If he does have long term ambitions for the job though, the current problems he faces could well be the making of his captaincy - and perhaps the start of a brighter era for West Indies cricket.

Strauss on getting the series lead

2009-11-29T20:13:00.004Z

We had a chat just to clarify our bowling plans to their batsmen and we got them right today.
"The key was to start well and it was a good toss to lose if I'm honest. But I was pleased with how the bowlers reacted to the conditions.
"Jimmy was outstanding with how he built pressure but also bowled wicket-taking deliveries, but today was a day for the bowling unit as a whole and they complemented each other very well."

England look to close out series

2009-11-29T19:46:00.000Z

Another positive today for England with Jimmy Anderson taking a five wicket haul to see England take a 2-1 lead in the series by a seven wicket margin with Andrew Strauss praising the bowlers for setting up the victory:

"They bowled in partnerships, they were very accurate and Jimmy in particular was able to combine that pressure-building accuracy with wicket-taking deliveries, which was absolutely invaluable. It was a great performance from our bowling unit and when you bowl a team out for 120 you're going to win, more often than not."

It has been a strange series so far, with England on the verge of continuing their recent dominance over South Africa if they are victorious in the fifth and final ODI this week.

That may be easier said than done though. The nature of this series (and the preceeding Twenty20 one) has been a see-saw one - two impressive England victories sandwiching the huge South African win.

The form book suggests a dominant South African win to finish the series and tie it at 2-2. Something that Strauss is all too keen to avoid:

"We've now got a brilliant opportunity to win a series out here on Friday, which would be a really good achievement. But the see-saw nature of this series so far suggests that if we expect to do that we will probably come unstuck. So we have to keep building."

This current series - even accounting for the defeat in the third match - has been England's most impressive in the fifty over format for some time. The bowling has by and large carried the side in recent times, with the batting bursting into life on the odd occasion.

The batting line-up now has a far stronger look to it though, evidenced by the fact England have not been hampered by the poor return from Kevin Pietersen. Jonathan Trott has settled in well at the top of the order, Eoin Morgan emerged during the Champions Trophy in the key number 5 spot and Paul Collingwood has proved capable of anchoring an innings.

There are signs therefore that England do finally have some promise after a lengthy time floundering and seemingly without a coherent plan in place. The talent is there then, but can they execute when required? Consistency has been a problem for England. They have shown flashes in recent times, but their record over the past few years highlights that putting a consistent run of victories together has eluded them.

Too often victories have been followed by defeats, often at crucial stages and to win lengthy series or tournaments you need to have a level of consistency that can carry you through. As yet, England do not have that but under Andrew Flower they do look a more purposeful ODI side - which could auger well with the next World Cup just over a year or so away.

BBC in Boycott apology

2009-11-29T16:54:00.001Z

The BBC apologised to radio listeners today after a foul-mouthed outburst from Geoffrey Boycott during its cricket coverage.
The outspoken 69-year-old commentator was overheard shrieking "fucking tosser" during the corporation's Radio 5 Live sports extra coverage of England's one-day international match against South Africa this morning.
His comment was understood to have been made after England took a sixth wicket as they bowled South Africa out for 119 in the fourth one-day international in Port Elizabeth. It was not known who the comment was directed at and Boycott was unaware comments were being broadcast, a BBC source said.
A Radio 5 Live spokesman said: "An off-air comment made by Geoffrey Boycott in a live broadcast was heard by some listeners which we apologised for as soon as we realised it had been audible."

>>guardian.co.uk

Murali contemplating retirement

2009-11-29T09:06:00.005Z

"I am 37 years old and I can't bowl as much as those days because I get tired after 15-16 overs. But I will try and play a little bit of one-day cricket - that's only 10 overs to bowl. If I find everything is not going well I might retire from both forms of the game before the World Cup. "Everything depends on how much my body can take. In Test cricket it's a little bit harder because I have always been a threat to other sides [but] at the moment it's not looking like that because others are playing me well. I think I made the right decision to retire from Test cricket at the end of the West Indies series next year. "Two to three years ago it was not like this. Now you have niggles here and there and my groin is not the same as it used to be. We got the worst bowling conditions in the last two Tests. We didn't have the bowlers, that was one of the factors. But that's the way cricket goes, everything won't work in your favour."

>>cricinfo.com

Whilst having not seen a huge amount of Murali in recent times, you do get the sense that the threat and potency he once held has slipped a little in the past couple of years, and his wicket return has dropped off both in 2008 and even more markedly in 2009.

He is struggling in the current series in India, having taken only five wickets at almost eighty and perhaps time is beginning to catch up with him with the rigours of constantly bowling out in Asia on unresponsive pitches is a tough ask.

Despite his comments it would be a surprise though were he to call it quits prior to the World Cup. Part of the tournament is being staged in Sri Lanka of course and I'm sure he would be keen to bow out on such a big stage as the World Cup on home soil.

Contrasting views on technology

2009-11-28T14:16:00.002Z

The recent first test at The Gabba that saw Australia comfortably beat West Indies inside three days by an innings and 65 runs saw the new ICC referral system called into action a number of times.

This led to very contrasting views from the two captains, with Ricky Ponting in favour:

"It's always going to be good for the game, whether or not every one is right is irrelevant I guess," he said. "We end up getting more correct decisions made."

Chris Gayle, however, did not share the same enthusiasm:

"I'm not a big fan of it, technology is part of the game, sometimes there are mistakes even with the technology, that's why I'm not a big fan of it," Gayle said. "Might as well just go out there with two umpires in the middle, they either get it wrong or right."

Gayle's view may well be influenced by the fact he was involved in incident in both innings, and subsequently lost both referrals. Ponting on the other hand survived a challenge in the first innings.

News agencies boycott Pakistan test

2009-11-28T13:34:00.004Z

Agencies such as AFP, AP and Reuters refused to sign the PCB's media accreditation terms and conditions and refused to cover the series after the first day of the Dunedin Test. Though both sides have been in negotiations, with a break in Pakistan for Eid until early next week and the second Test due to begin on Thursday, chances of a breakthrough appear slim.

>>Cricinfo.com

Although staged in New Zealand, the current series is classed as a home one for Pakistan - the series having been moved from Pakistan on security grounds.

The responsibility for media accreditation is therefore the responsibility of the PCB, who state that the policy is aligned with that of the ICC and the same conditions that were adhered to during the recent ODI series.

This report however suggests that news agencies are upset over provisions in the media accreditation agreement from the cricket authorities that prevent news content being sent to mobile phones, and that there are other contentious areas including the use and number of photographs on news websites.

Of course, this follows a similar path to that imposed by several news agencies dealing with Cricket Australia which has led to blackouts of recent series in Australia, including the current one between Australia and West Indies.

ICC referral system gets go ahead

2009-11-26T08:37:00.003Z

A watered-down version of the controversial referral system is to be used for the Test series between England and South Africa next month, but questions remain over the amount of technology in place to help the umpires, and who will foot the bill.

The ICC has told both teams that the Decision Review System will operate — including the predictive element to Hawk-Eye — but it seems unlikely that Hot Spot will be available.

>>timesonline.

An interesting development and one sure to irk and England side hardly in favour, and still sceptical from the use of it in last winters series in the West Indies.

You can't help but wonder if this is something ushered in by the ICC without full and proper investigation. To use some elements, but not others is not ideal - why use Hawk-Eye but not Hot Spot?

Mickey Arthur - generally in favour of the move - has also indicated reservations due to the lack of consistency around the world in the amount (and quality) of technology to support the decision, and equally, TV companies appear less than enthralled as to precisely who will foot the bill for this.

Technology to assist decisions is likely something that is here to stay, but surely if a system is to be used it needs to be one far more thought out and agreed upon by all parties than the hurried introduction of this latest format.

Bowlers toil again

2009-11-24T21:12:00.001Z

You have to feel sorry for the bowlers out in India at the moment. Hardly coming up against the worst batting sides, the second test between India and Sri Lanka looks to be going the same way as the first one:

Centuries from openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag left India in control on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Kanpur. Gambhir hit a superb 167 and Sehwag overcame a tentative start to clobber a typically blistering 131, the pair adding 233 for the opening wicket on a placid surface.
Rahul Dravid then pressed home the advantage with an unbeaten 85 as India finished the day on 417 for two. Sachin Tendulkar, who joined Dravid in the final hour, was 20 not out.

Not only faced with having conceded 417 on the opening day, Sri Lanka resume knowing both Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar are also set and primed for potentially big totals on day 2 and they will face only one front line seamer - not something that will frighten either given how effectively Murali and Ajantha Mendis were dealt with.

What total can they achieve though? Is 1,000 realistic? You'd have to think so, but ultimately will it matter? The odds are that when they go into bat, Sri Lanka will also post a huge total, rendering the Test as much of a non contest as the first one was.

Morkel called up

2009-11-24T20:45:00.000Z

And the selectors have responded by calling up the 25-year-old while talented young left-armer Wayne Parnell is on standby to return from an ankle injury should Charl Langeveldt be ruled out with a shoulder problem.

"Morne will join up with the squad in Cape Town on Wednesday," said chief selector Mike Procter. He has shown good form in domestic cricket this season and was also impressive in the 50 overs match for South Africa A against England a week ago.

"He will definitely form part of our plans for the Test series as well so the sooner we have him involved with the team the better."

>>telegraph.co.uk

South Africa look at attendance problems

2009-11-23T21:07:00.002Z

An interesting story over at Cricinfo suggesting all may not be well for South Africa in terms of getting people through the gate:

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has appointed IFM, a sports marketing company, to investigate the poor attendances at the early matches against England. The first Twenty20, played on a Friday evening at the Wanderers attracted only 16,600 fans, in a 34,000-capacity stadium, while under 8000 showed up for the second at Centurion on a Sunday.

Most of the problems associated with attendances are thought to be with Test cricket so it is interesting that CSA are concerned enough to take the measures they have.

Of course South Africa has seen plenty of sporting events in recent times; IPL, the Champions Trophy, rugby union's Lions tour and football's Confederations Cup during 2009 and the view is that the sheer volume of competition has resulted in many South African's picking and choosing the games they attend.

No doubt the numbers will be swelled for the Test series when the large contingent of English supporters begin to arrive ahead of the Christmas and New year period, but the remainder of the ODI series could see plenty more empty seats.

Nash on facing Australia

2009-11-23T20:51:00.002Z

There is a nice interview over at Cricinfo with Brendan Nash, set to line-up for the West Indies against Australia at The Gabba this week - his old home ground of course from his time as a Queensland player.

Nash even featured as a substitute fielder for Australia against the West Indies four years ago, but following his omission from the state side decided to follow his family heritage and try to make his way in West Indian cricket:

From a distance, people might think you had an easy ride into the Test team, but it was actually pretty tough.
It has been. There was a lot more to it. First of all I had to be accepted, which was the main thing, from the Jamaican people. They are a very proud cricketing nation, so to be invited to trials within the first few months I was there was quite a big step, and that's probably what made it more difficult. People didn't quite understand why I was getting offered these trial matches for Jamaica when some guys had been playing for five or six years at local level and not getting a go.

I performed pretty much straight away and I had probably had one shot at it. If I didn't perform in the first few trial matches then I wouldn't be here today, no doubt about that. I wouldn't be playing for Jamaica. I was playing a cutthroat game-by-game situation. Settling into Jamaica was a little bit easier, having the heritage there. Once everyone understood what I was there for and why I was there, it was a lot easier.

Nash has enjoyed a degree of success in his fledgling international career, averaging a shade over 38 with the bat (with one century) and providing some much needed stability in the West Indian middle order.

Gibbs called into South Africa squad

2009-11-23T20:41:00.000Z

South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs has been confirmed as Jacques Kallis' replacement for the remainder of the ODI series against England.

Gibbs will join the squad in Cape Town on Wednesday, ahead of the third ODI which starts two days later. He last played for South Africa during the Champions Trophy in September but failed to make the squad for the limited-overs games against Zimbabwe and England.

>>cricinfo.com.

Johnson on his Ashes troubles

2009-11-23T17:36:00.005Z

Some interesting comments from Mitchell Johnson, in which he acknowledged his struggles in the recent Ashes series and particularly the pressure that he felt.

"I think that I block things out pretty well normally. It was just the Ashes: the whole hype of it and the personal things that came out. It was mostly through Lord's where I felt that pressure. Obviously I was a little bit disappointed in some of the games I played in. I'm not always going to be at my best. I think I probably put a bit too much pressure on myself with how well I did in in South Africa. Coming into that series I probably relaxed a little bit as well."

He has shown flashes since the low of the past summer, but has yet to fully regain the form that propelled to him prominence.

A home series against notoriously bad travellers West Indies may well be just the thing he needs.

England open up with impressive victory

2009-11-22T19:09:00.000Z

Paul Collingwood put in a brilliant all-round performance as England won the second one-day international against South Africa by seven wickets.
Collingwood hit an unbeaten 105, took a superb catch off AB de Villiers and had figures of 2-24 from six overs.

>>BBC Sport

Not a bad way to celebrate becoming England's all-time capped ODI player.

It also continues a remarkable run of victories by England over South Africa since August 2008, a period in which they have generally struggled in ODI's; losing seven of eight to Australia and all five against India.

Of significant series, only a 5-2 record against the West Indies has been a winning one. West Indies have been poor during that time and two of the victories came in England where they particularly struggle.

This of course makes the dominance over South Africa all the more impressive given their standing in the ICC ODI rankings, and the margins of victory have also been significant.

With the washout of the first ODI, the series has now been reduced to four games. The addition of Eoin Morgan and more recently Jonathan Trott has added much needed steel to the batting line-up and the bowling compensated well for the absence of Broad and Swann.

Small steps perhaps, but could England finally be beginning to turn the corner?

Dilshan injured

2009-11-22T17:34:00.002Z

For a player known for playing risky shots of the front foot, perhaps this is not how you would expect Tillakaratne Dilshan to suffer a broken nose:

Sri Lanka's opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan has fractured his nose after colliding with one of his team-mates while playing football following the first Test against India in Ahmedabad on Friday. Brendon Kuruppu, Sri Lanka's team manager, confirmed the news upon arrival in Kanpur, the venue for the second Test starting Tuesday. Dilshan had to be rushed to hospital where an X-ray revealed the damage.

Panesar hits out at Northants

2009-11-21T12:04:00.000Z

Currently trying to rebuild his faltering international out in South Africa, Monty Panesar has spoken about Northants' decision to allow him to leave the county which paved the way for his recent move to Sussex:

"I felt Northants were no longer working with me to become an England player.
"The bizarre thing is that they have also lost Graeme White to Notts, so they have lost two England-qualified, locally-produced players in favour of Nicky Boje, a South African.
"It was down to money. They had budgeted for me being an ECB centrally contracted player. They also have Boje as captain. I thought that I needed to be playing a dominant role in the team's success, and being made to feel welcome is part of the process."

What Panear omits is that Boje is (rightly or wrongly) the Northants captain - and a feature in all formats of the game - so it was unlikely he was going to be the odd one out.

The problem for Panesar is given the contract he was on, there was no way Northants could absorb his contract once he lost the ECB central contract and wasn't even awarded a deal on an incremental basis.

After bursting onto the international scene, until 2009 he was hardly a fixture in the county side so his loss is not a huge piece of the jigsaw in the way that other departures on the county circuit have been.

By stationing himself out in South Africa this winter, Panesar may have been hoping to keep himself in the minds of the selectors but he was not even considered when uncapped James Tredwell was called up as cover for Graeme Swann, and at this stage of his career he appears to be as far away from the England side as he has ever been.

Hampshire looking at Warne?

2009-11-20T16:59:00.004Z

Minded by the success of the recent Champions League, and buoyed by the possibility of fielding up to four overseas players, there could be many county sides making a real effort to win the Twenty20 trophy in 2010 - and ensuring qualification for next years tournament.

Middlesex this week announced the signing of Andrew Gilchrist, and now Hampshire are reported to be keen on signing former captain Shane Warne:

"Warne is the biggest name we've ever had at the club and, yes, we have spoken to him," Hampshire's chairman, Rod Bransgrove, told the Daily Mail. "You can never rule out getting Shane Warne back to Hampshire."

Hampshire have already added Ajantha Mendis of course and 2010 could well see a number of counties loading up on overseas players in a bid to win the tournament and the riches qualification to the Champions League brings.

England bowling woes continue

2009-11-19T17:22:00.003Z

England's injury woes increased today when it was announced
spinner Graeme Swann will miss the first two one-day internationals against
South Africa due to a side strain.
Kent's James Tredwell has been called up
as cover and he will fly out to join a squad beset by fitness concerns.

>>independent.co.uk

The forthoming ODI series is looking as though it could be an ugly one for England bowling wise. With Swann definitely out and joining Stuart Broad on the sidelines, the attack could have a very unfamiliar look given there are also doubts surrounding Jimmy Anderson and Graham Onions, with useful contributor Paul Collingwood also struggling.

Whilst their batting has looked more solid in the shorter form of late, the bowling was anything but in the recent Twenty20 games n South Africa possess a strong and deep batting line-up that could really get on top of an under-strength line-up - especially one that looks to be lacking in confidence.

Middlesex add Gilchrist, aim for Tendulkar

2009-11-19T17:20:00.002Z

Middlesex have signed a contract with Adam Gilchrist, and
are in talks with Sachin Tendulkar, to play Twenty20 cricket for the county
during the 2010 domestic season.

Vinny Codrington, the Middlesex chief
executive, said he was "absolutely delighted" with the signing of Gilchrist.
"We've worked extremely closely with the MCC to ensure that Adam comes on board
with us next season," he said "and this signing is great testament to how well
our two clubs are working together to guarantee that Middlesex supporters and
MCC members alike are rightfully treated to the very best world talent that
Twenty20 cricket has on offer."

>>cricinfo.com

Plunkett drafted into ODI squad

2009-11-17T20:35:00.002Z

England have moved to ease their injury crisis by calling up Liam Plunkett to the squad as bowling cover for the first two one-day internationals against South Africa.The Durham seamer, who is in the squad for the four-match Test series, was initially due to join the team next week but will now link up tomorrow ahead of the opening match on Friday.

Fast bowlers James Anderson (knee) and Stuart Broad (shoulder) are both currently sidelined, although the England management do expect them to be fit for the first one-dayer. Graeme Swann (intercostal muscle) and Paul Collingwood (back) are also currently nursing injuries, while Alastair Cook is the latest player to have picked up a problem after coming down with a stiff back this morning.

>>indepedent.co.uk

No surprise that this move has been made given the current woes in the bowling department. A look at the attack in today's victory over South Africa 'A' shows a lack of depth due to the injuries in the squad and the decision merely accelerates Plunkett's arrival by a week or so.

Dravid moves up the list

2009-11-16T21:35:00.001Z

Rahul Dravid became the fifth batsman to reach 11,000 Test runs as India closed at 385-6 on the opening day against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad.
Dravid reached stumps on 177 not out having seen the hosts out of early trouble and into a position of strength in the first Test.
He shared a century stand with Yuvraj Singh either side of lunch after Sri Lanka's seamers exploited favourable early conditions to reduce India to 32-4 in the eighth over.

>>skysports.com

Dravid moves into impressive company in the top five and is right on the heels of Alan Border in fourth place:


Player	Span	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50
SR Tendulkar (India)	1989-2009	160	262	27	12777	248*	54.37	42	53
BC Lara (ICC/WI)	1990-2006	131	232	6	11953	400*	52.88	34	48
RT Ponting (Aus)	1995-2009	136	229	26	11345	257	55.88	38	48
AR Border (Aus)	1978-1994	156	265	44	11174	205	50.56	27	63
R Dravid (ICC/India)	1996-2009	135	234	28	11000	270	53.39	27	57

What is also set to be interesting is a little head to head battle with Ricky Ponting given Dravid could even catch Ponting during India's current series with Sri Lanka, which will see both players on the heels of Brian Lara for second place behind Sachin Tendulkar.

The consistency of Tendulkar

2009-11-16T21:03:00.006Z

It is strange to think that a year or so ago there were plenty of calls for Tendulkar to retire from the game, or at least to forego one of the formats of the game. There were even accusations that his continued presence in the India side was merely to pad his statistics and lengthen his lead as the leading run scorer of all-time.

Tendulkar though has shown no signs of stopping, and despite reaching the twentieth anniversary of his international debut (staggering if you think back to 1989 for some perspective as to how long he has been at the very top).

The graphic below from cricinfo.com also illustrates just how consistent he has been over this period, with his average never slipping below the 45 mark at any of the five stages of his career to date:

At 36 years of age time is clearly not on his side but one thing Tendulkar possesses is the same youthful exuberance that he displayed all those years ago and he could theoretically play for another five years at the top - and let's face it, when he does go it will be on his terms.

A look at combined runs scored in international cricket (combining Tests and ODI's) sees him just shy of 30,000 total runs, and leading the way ahead of Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara - his consensus rivals for the greatest batsman of the generation, and when he finally hangs up his pads he is certain to go down as the greatest since Bradman.

England's bowling woes

2009-11-16T21:01:00.000Z

England may struggle to raise a side to face South Africa A tomorrow after the all-rounder Stuart Broad was ruled out with a shoulder injury. Broad, 23, has had injections in his right shoulder in an attempt to make the first one-day international on Friday but will not feature in Potchefstroom.
England are even considering calling up an extra bowler to the touring party, such is the current injury blight on the limited-overs squad.
James Anderson (knee) played in yesterday's 20-over mauling despite not being 100% fit, while Graeme Swann has an intercostal muscle problem and neither will be considered for tomorrow. Paul Collingwood, another of the regular one-day bowlers, is also extremely doubtful with a recurrence of long-standing lower back discomfort.

>>guardian.co.uk

England are really in a hole bowling wise at the moment, with the spate of injuries coming on top of the some wretched form with the ball so far on the tour.

Looking at the players that are available, the bowling is likely to select itself based on the bodies fit enough to play and it could lead to some tough times ahead in the ODI series - ironically with the batting now showing a far more solid look after being carried by the bowlers so often during 2009.

Panesar signs for Sussex

2009-11-16T20:45:00.001Z

England spinner Monty Panesar today joined Twenty20 champions Sussex on a three-year deal.

Panesar, 27, endured a tough season with Northamptonshire and left Wantage Road despite having a year left on his contract.

The left-arm spinner's most significant act of 2009 came with the bat after he held out for a draw, alongside James Anderson, in the first Ashes Test.

>>independent.co.uk

Panesar has made the move as he was effectively jettisoned from Northamptonshire, who, having seen him lose his central contract, would have been on the hook for his full deal. This was somethin they were clearly not keen to stomach, given their captain - Nicky Boje - is a left-arm spinner and Panesar hardly tore up any trees during 2009 where he had virtually a full county season after he lost his England place following the first test against Australia.

Arguably Sussex (despite being in Division 2 after their relegation) should provide a more high profile platform for Panesar to launch a comeback to the England side and many eyes will be on him during 2010 during what is not far off a last throw of the dice for him as another poor season in the county championship coupled with further progression from Adil Rashid could well consign Panesar to the international wilderness on a permanent basis.

Langer joins Australia set up

2009-11-16T19:34:00.000Z

Retired opener Justin Langer rejoined Australia's Test outfit as a batting coach and mentor, describing the role as an "apprenticeship".
Langer, who retired in September, said he jumped at the chance to work with captain Ricky Ponting and head coach Tim Nielsen.

The 38-year-old stepped away from Test cricket in 2007 after 105 matches at a batting average of 45.27.

"Having just retired as a player I can think of no better apprenticeship in coaching than to work with Ricky and Tim and the Australian cricket team."

>>foxsports.com

England fined for slow over rate

2009-11-16T12:42:00.001Z

Alastair Cook's losing debut as England captain was today compounded by the loss of 20% of his match fee for a slow over rate.
South Africa posted 241 for six – the second-highest 20-over total ever – as the hosts secured an emphatic 84-run win at Centurion yesterday, with Cook deputising for the injured Paul Collingwood as England skipper.
The International Cricket Council today announced England would be fined for a slow over rate, with the players losing 10% of their match fees and Cook, as captain, fined double that amount.

>>guardian.co.uk

Surely the fact that the ball had to be retireved from the stands 17 times could have been used a mitigating factor?

Cooks chances damaged?

2009-11-15T21:53:00.002Z

Under this assault Cook did not revel in his first taste of England captaincy since Under-19 level. He had Paul Collingwood’s sore back to thank for his initiation, and it was the sort of experience which could scar a man.

‘I don’t think it comes much tougher than that,’ said Cook, who found out that he was in charge yesterday morning. Asked if he fancied another go at captaincy some time, he at least had the sense of humour to joke: ‘If it goes like that, probably not!’

>>telegraph.co.uk.

All joking aside, the scale of the defeat today could throw a serious spanner in England's captaincy succession plan given Alastair Cook - whilst not the annointed successor - appears to be lined up as next in line.

Twenty20 is a difficult one for even the most seasoned captains, so to be thrown in at short notice for your first taste of captaincy since junior cricket was perhaps asking far too much and given the way England bowled hardly helped Cook yet there is no hiding place.

It could also jolt the selectors into revising plans to rest Andrew Strauss for the Bangladesh tour in early 2010, and although clearly Twenty20 is a totally different environment thatn the Test arena if Cook was at the forefront of the selectors minds at the stand-in the doubts about his credentials will be even more apparant this evening.

Ashes to return to free to air

2009-11-13T13:04:00.000Z

Confirmation of recent rumours:

England's home Ashes Tests would return to free-to-air television from 2017 if a review panel's recommendations on protected sporting events are adopted.

The decision of course has generated plenty of debate already, but the reasoning for the decision to list the home Ashes series is very succinctly put forward by David Davies:

"On that night in August when England won the Ashes, the BBC One national news was led by cricket, the ITV news was led by cricket, Sky News throughout the day was led by cricket.
"Throughout that summer for five test matches, cricket figured prominently on the national news in this country every day."My only question is if that was not an event of national resonance, what was it? I was also uneasy about the fact that millions of children were unable to see it live.
"We are asking cricket that once every four years - and not until 2016, in six years' time - that 25 days of cricket are free-to-air in one summer."

Naturally, Giles Clarke, having tied the ECB so heavily into a deal with Sky naturally disagreed, seeing the £300 million extension recently agreed looking less secure:

"This report will have disastrous impact on grass roots funding for our sport. Particularly disappointing is the abolition of the B list. Now children can't even come home from school and watch highlights. I find it very disturbing.
"The Prime Minister has quite rightly said this will be a golden decade of sport. If Mr Davies' report is to be implemented this will be a decade of decay. "

The disparity in viewing figures is telling, and surprising to be honest. Channel 4's free-to-air coverage averaged just short of 3m people, and a triumphant 7.2m peak in the final quarter of an hour when the Test was won. Sky's Oval coverage (on the final day) attracted an average of 856,000 viewers, and a peak, at 5.45pm, of 1.9m.

There is clear evidence that during an Ashes summer, take-up rates for the sport amongst youngsters are at their highest. Theoretically, the fact that the sport will be on free to air TV should increase take up rates, and Giles Clarke's pronouncement that the decision will 'destroy' the grass roots game are superbly countered here by King Cricket.

Equally, the fact that counties are so heavily reliant on TV money is not healthy itself but could this not be offset by increased sponsorship revenues as a result of more widespread coverage?

Clarke is clearly looking after his and the ECB's interests, and there will no doubt be some very twitchy counties as a result, so it is no surprise to see him come out against the decision.

Strip away the issue regarding money though, and is there any real justification for not supporting the decision that has been made?

South Africa target Kieswetter

2009-11-13T12:39:00.000Z

South Africa will attempt to persuade Craig Kieswetter to change allegiance yet again and ditch England. It threatens to bring to a head the tension between the countries over who plays where and for whom.

Their captain Graeme Smith said yesterday: "Yes, I would like to have him back. It's up to him but he is certainly someone we'd like back."

>>independent.co.uk

An interesting development, and perhaps a pre-emptive strike from South Africa knowing that Kieswetter still has a period of qualification until he becomes eligible.

However, given the decision Kieswetter made in nailing his colours to the England mast it seems highly unlikely that there will be a volte face from him to return to the South African fold - perhaps in the main (and cynically) as Smith points out because of the 'value of the pound'.

Micky Arthur also spoke this week of the disappointment in seeing Jonathan Trott line up for England so it may well be that now marks a watershed moment for South African cricket in their attempts to stem the flow of players to England the side, and more widely to county cricket as a whole.

More on the Test championship idea

2009-11-12T08:26:00.006Z

The idea of a Test championship appears to have become the topic de jour, with the respected writer Dileep Premachandran writing a piece in today's Guardian that follows on from Michael Atherton's recent piece in The Times.

Whereas Atherton's piece was mainly concerned with how the format of such a championship would potentially work, Premachandran writes about how its introduction would give Test cricket a real defining purpose that it lacks in comparison to its counterparts in the shortened version of the game have with the World Cup tournaments:

What Test cricket lacks at the moment is context. Both one-day 50-over cricket and Twenty20 have a World Cup that represents the pinnacle of achievement in that form of the game. What does Test cricket have?
The Ashes have history and tradition, and the Frank Worrell Trophy was the game's ultimate contest for years. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy has gained lustre over the past decade, but which of the others really mean anything, to players or fans? Do New Zealand fans even know what they're playing for when they host Pakistan? What does beating Sri Lanka mean to someone in the Caribbean?

On the thorny issue of series of varying lengths, a topic that no doubt concerns England who would like to preserve the five-test series, he comes up with a solution that would solve the issue of premier series that the purists would prefer to see not reduced:

How then would you legislate for series being of different lengths? Again, the ICC cannot enforce standardisation. Australia and England will continue to play the Ashes over five Tests, while India may wish to play only two against Bangladesh. The solution lies in a table that gives a team five points for each series victory, and a bonus point for each Test match won. If teams finished level on points, the one with more away wins would go through.

The idea appears to be gaining momentum, yet you feel that for all the myriad of suggestions put forward, there are as many flaws as potential solutions.

I have been throwing the scenario around the past couple of days, yet have not been able to come up with a perfect solution in how a Test championship would work given the various interests, logistical and financial challenges.

But maybe that is missing the point. Perhaps there cannot be an 'ideal' solution and whatever ideas are proposed, they will all be slightly flawed.

What will be the issue then moving forward is will the powers that be be willing to introduce a championship that is not a perfect fit for all parties?

This should show quite how much support the idea has from the hierarchy in charge of the game.

SCG to lose Test rights?

2009-11-11T20:31:00.000Z

The last agreement, signed in 2004, expires at the end of 2010, creating an air of uncertainty over where the New Year's Test of 2011 against England will be staged. The very notion that major international fixtures could be relocated from the SCG will dismay the cricketing purists of Sydney, but Gilbert said he would keep all options open when negotiations with the Trust begin next year.

>>cricinfo.com

Much has been made of this today since the report broke, with most centering on the fact that such an iconic and historical cricket ground could see itself without an Ashes test next winter. There is still a little over a year until the current agreement ends, hardly a cause then for apocolypse, and it is likely that Dave Gilberts comments are at this stage little more than an initial warning shot to try and establish a strong bargaining position when negotiations begin in earnest.

That is not to say this position may not be a strong one though:

"ANZ is focused on getting a major cricket match to its venue," Gilbert said. "I know Test cricket will be a difficult one to do at this stage - and you have to weigh up tradition and history and the drama at the SCG - but when I was a kid growing up at the SCG, rugby league Test matches and union Test matches were only ever at the SCG. Not anymore.

Still, you imagine that a decision such as this would be avoided at all costs by the SCG Trust.

Australia extend ODI lead

2009-11-11T20:25:00.001Z

Australia have widened the gap between themselves and the rest of the teams in the ICC ODI rankings, extending their rating to 130, eight ahead of South Africa and India. Australia were the top-placed team at the start of the ODI series against India, who were No.2. But following the 4-2 win, Australia have surged further ahead while India have dropped two places.

>>cricinfo.com.

Younus opts out

2009-11-11T12:57:00.004Z

"I have taken this decision after giving it serious thought," Younis told AFP. "Since I am not in the best of form, I need rest and there is no personal grudge against anyone, that's for sure. I want to tell my fans that I am not finished, I will come back. My country comes first, more than my family and more than myself."

>>cricinfo.com

Mohammad Yousuf steps into the breach for the fortchoming Test series against New Zealand, and confirmation of his return to the side following a period in exile after playing in the ICL.

UPDATE:

There appears to be more to this than first released. Cricinfo is reporting that it is not merely R&R time Younus is seeking, but that he is the victim of a power struggle within the Pakistani set-up:

"I told him I feel as If I have no command over this team. And if a leadership has no command over its players, what is the point of continuing to lead? I also told him that the last 3-4 months have been very trying times for me, not just with the cricket but all that has happened outside it. I need time to get myself together now."

It was only a matter of a few weeks ago that Younus offered his resignation, which was subsequently rejected which led to him resuming control.

It seems though that he was an unpopular figure in the dressing room, with '8 or 9' players reported to be against him and his absence from the side may not be the short term one that was initially thought.

Atherton's idea for a Test championship

2009-11-10T22:45:00.000Z

The time is right for a World Test Championship. To that end, MCC’s World Cricket Committee (of which I am a member) has been meeting the ICC’s Cricket Committee this week in Dubai to persuade them of the merits of a championship to start immediately, based around a two-year cycle and on the present Future Tours Programme (FTP), so as not to disrupt television contracts. There is no reason to delay.

>>Mike Atherton.

A solid enough argument from Atherton - who is always an entertaining read - that it is not without flaw (which he admits), but yet what suggestion or format for a Test championship isn't?

The concept is a simple one. The FTP would continue in its present form, allowing, for example, five-match “icon” series between England and Australia to continue and allowing all the existing television deals to be honoured.

The difficulty Atherton has is that the proposal has to fit into the current Future Tours Programme, therefore there will be anomaly in the amount of fixtures played over the period that will count towards the standings, possibly leading to a confusing set of standings. Given the nature of Test match cricket, it is not something that lends itself to a tournament that can be played in a condensed period of time and much of the historical debate over the idea of a Test championship has centred around the length of time it should be contested over.

Four years is one often put forward, yet like Atherton I feel this is perhaps too long a period for a true judgement given the way a side can change so much over that length of time, with two years a fairer measure of a side, yet still allows for changes in form and personnel.

A huge problem with the suggestion could come with the nation who will be the 'odd one out', which initially will be Bangladesh who will not participate in 'official' Test matches, although they will continue to fulfill fixtures against test playing nations. This would, as Atherton argues see these nations potentially field shadow sides, although this in the short term may help their development:

The top eight teams would qualify, which would “relegate” Bangladesh, so their Test matches would not count towards the championship. (That in itself may encourage “rest” periods for top players and allow Bangladesh to develop at a slightly less rarefied level.) Bangladesh would play off against the eighth-ranked team after the first championship is concluded, to decide who would play in the next two-year cycle.

It does not offer much flexibility in terms of offering a future for Bangladesh and the idea would meet resistance from the sides in the lower reaches who could see themselves relegated into obscurity.

There also appears to be a block on potential progression for the likes of Ireland or even a return for Zimbabwe, so whilst there is much merit in Atherton's proposal, this could well be developed to incorporate a second tier (without official Test status) that would see the strongest Associate nations compete against one another for the opportunity to progress to the top table in Test cricket.

It is a good proposal as a starting point from Atherton though, raising plenty of discussion already and could well be the first step to the ICC sanctioning an official Test championship structure - something that is definitely gaining momentum and support.

Cricketer of the decade?

2009-11-10T21:12:00.000Z

An interesting question was raised in Andy Bull's weekly 'Spin' column in The Guardian, and so much so that they have put a poll up on their website.

Just who is the cricketer of the decade?

Bull narrows his selection (after much deliberation) to a shortlist of twelve and it is certainly a difficult one to call given how strong some of the candidates are. My own vote went for Ricky Ponting, for the superbly high level and consistency he has performed at throughout the decade.

He currently trails in second place to Sachin Tendulkar though. You can vote here.

World Cup schedule released

2009-11-09T22:38:00.001Z

Four-time winner Australia will begin the defence of its ICC Cricket World Cup title against Zimbabwe in Ahmedabad, India on 21 February 2011, it was announced today.

Australia, which defeated 1996 champion Sri Lanka in the final two years ago, will complete its Group A commitments in Colombo when it will take on 1992 winner Pakistan on 19 March.

>>icc-cricket.yahoo.net.

As for England, they will start with a fixture against recent Twenty20 Cup conquerors Netherlands, and do face what looks to be the tougher of the two groups. They also face India and Ireland before finishing against Bangladesh and West Indies in what look to be the two fixtures that will determine their fate.

Interestingly, following the group stages - where four sides go through from each group - there will be no second group stage, instead sides will progress to a straight knock-out stage which will see a far less bloated format than the previous tournament in the West Indies.

Group A: Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada, Kenya

Group B: India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands

Hoggard opts for Leicestershire

2009-11-09T22:13:00.003Z

Leicestershire have signed the former England seamer Matthew Hoggard, agreeing a three-year deal with the 32-year-old, who will also become the county's new captain.
The 2005 Ashes winner, who lost his Test place and his England and Wales Cricket Board central contract last year, was released by his native Yorkshire despite being the club's top wicket-taker last season.
Hoggard led Yorkshire's successful battle against relegation from Division One of the County Championship with 43 wickets but will now drop down to the second tier himself, with the Foxes desperate to improve on their bottom-placed finish in the 2009 campaign.

>>guardian.co.uk

Whilst the destination may not have been a surprise, the fact that Hoggard joins Leicestershire as captain was.

Not someone who instantly stands out as captaincy material, he will certainly have a tough job in trying to turn around the fortunes of a side which finished dead last in Division 2 in 2009, but alongside him will be Will Jefferson, James Benning and the Australian allrounder Andrew McDonald during 2010, and Hoggard sees good things ahead:

"I'm genuinely excited about the prospect of joining Leicestershire and taking charge of a young and talented squad. I was flattered by the amount of interest and support shown towards me from all quarters, but Leicestershire really stood out in terms of offering something different and at this stage of my career it will provide the new challenge I want.

"I've always wanted to test myself and I feel I still have a huge amount to offer the game. Working with Tim Boon I hope we can take Leicestershire onwards and upwards."

Although his Test career is over, Hoggard no doubt has plenty to prove. His split from Yorkshire was hardly on good terms which should provide plenty of motivation, but whilst his bowling credentials should not be questioned, the intrigue will be in how he performs in the role of captain - something that despite his vst experience will be a first for him.

Can Denly make the step up?

2009-11-09T08:32:00.000Z

England's warm-up ahead of the forthcoming ODI series against South Africa continue apace as they added a second victory in successive games.

Once again, the majority of the side performed well, and with Kevin Pietersen due to return, competition for places has increased.

Andrew Strauss again led the way, and he finished with an unbeaten 117, as he and Joe Denly led the way in posting a first wicket partnership of 175.

Pleasing for Denly then in that he finally posted a score of significance in England colours. Since arriving into the ODI side at the tail end of the summer, he has looked an assured player, at home in the England set up yet had struggled to really convert this into runs - averaging 29.77 in 9 ODI's so far. Denly has clearly been identified by the England set up though as one with a definite future, and like players before him appears to be serving an 'apprenticeship' in the ODI side to judge his capacity to step up to the Test arena.

With that in mind, it was a surprise to me that he wasn't also included in the Test squad (with no reserve opener in the party), at the very least to put some pressure on Alastair Cook who has struggled so far this year. With reports of Strauss not making the Bangladesh trip, this could see Denly given his opportunity then however.

Having a prolonged run in the side should only serve to increase Denly's confidence, highlighted perhaps by the report in The Independent:

Denly took a little longer to discover his timing but his 82 was eventually full of front-foot biffing. The competition for places in the one-day side – Kevin Pietersen arrives tomorrow – has been truly joined. There has been something about Denly since he came into the side at the fag end of the last English season, but it has been mildly irritating to see him give away solid starts. Yesterday, despite a few swishes at air, he embraced the task.

With their batting. England have in recent times operated a definite 'next in line' selection policy, and although there are other openers who may have got the nod ahead of Denly earlier in the summer, he has been given the opportunity and signs are that he by no means looks out of place in the set up.

What will keep him in their of course is runs. With a burgeoning partnership with Strauss no doubt adding to his confidence, the forthcoming series in South Africa could be the one to cement his place in the England set up.

Broad gets all clear

2009-11-08T00:17:00.001Z

Stuart Broad will be rested from England's remaining warm-up matches ahead of the limited-overs series against South Africa after jarring his bowling shoulder in England's 185-run victory against the Eagles at Bloemfontein on Friday.

Broad was sent for a precautionary scan which revealed no major damage but England's medical staff will continue to assess his shoulder and he won't be considered for Sunday's match against the Warriors or Tuesday's outing against South Africa A. He will receive further treatment ahead of the first Twenty20 international on Friday.

>>cricinfo.com

A look at the powerplay

2009-11-07T10:51:00.003Z

One of the talked about topics during the recent Champions Trophy were the use of batting powerplays, and specifically in England's case, when they were being used. Far too often in their games, England appeared to be too cautious in their approach, leaving the powerplay until as late as possible and as a result too often ceded the initiative and advantage to the opposing side.

England are not alone in their preference to take the powerplay in the final few overs though. S.Rajesh over at cricinfo has crunched the numbers in a number of different categories, and he shows that all sides have a preference for taking the powerplay in the final ten overs:

When teams have taken the batting Powerplay (only 50-over matches)
Team	before 25th	25th to 39th	40th onwards
Australia	2	13	19
Bangladesh	1	6	13
England	0	9	9
India	3	9	8
New Zealand	2	8	9
Pakistan	0	6	11
South Africa	0	3	11
Sri Lanka	3	4	15
West Indies	2	11	5
Zimbabwe	0	4	13
Total	13	73	113

Sides clearly fear the risk of losing vital wickets at the top of the order, and thus avoid the powerplay early on but it is perhaps surprising that in the middle overs of an innings when key batsman are likely to be set that more teams do not utilise it.

Despite the influence of Twenty20 cricket it does seem there is still a cautious approach from captains in general in the ODI game, and the desire to keep wickets in hand for the final ten overs to really push on is strong.

Ireland unveil grand plan

2009-11-05T19:03:00.000Z

The ICC have confirmed they have received a proposal from Ireland that would ultimately pave the way to them becoming a full member of the ICC:

"We have received a letter from Cricket Ireland expressing their intention to apply for full membership.
"In the event of them doing that the matter will be discussed at the next board meeting."

It is an ambitious plan of course but one that Ireland - whose stock is higher than ever - has to take in order to progress from their current Associate member standing. They have seen potential players (Ed Joyce, Eoin Morgan) decamp to the England set-up whilst others (Niall O'Brien for example) have left the Ireland set up to try their hand in the county game due to the limited financial and cricketing opportunity currently on offer.

It will not be an easy task to follow in the footsteps of Bangladesh, who achieved the feat back in 2000, and the struggle of the Bangladeshi side to impose themselves as a force could weigh heavily against Ireland.

The process is also an arduous one, something Warren Deutrom - Cricket Ireland Chief executive - conceded:

"Traditionally, applications have taken two, three or more years. There are clearly a large number of hoops we have to jump through. In terms of challenges that are facing us, yes, there is clearly an awful lot of work we need to do just to fulfill the compliance and existing criteria.
"It perhaps sets in motion a process that allows others to see the levels they need to reach in order to fulfill the same ambitions. It shouldn't be easy. Test cricket is regarded as the pinnacle of the game and it's quite right that those trying to ascend to Test cricket, or just Full Membership without necessarily involving Test cricket, have to ensure that they are coming up to some pretty rigorous criteria."

They would need to establish their own domestic first-class competition, something that proved difficult for Kenya, who saw their own application rejected, and whatever system was put in place you would imagine would struggle to compete across the water with the County Championship.

Likely counting against them however is - unlike Bangladesh - they do not have the commercial weight behind them to offer to the ICC. The difficulties encountered by Ireland's cricketing administrators were highlighted earlier this year when a television rights package could not be negotiated for the home ODI against England.

Perhaps as importantly allies in the 'Asian bloc' of countries to count on as support, but Deutrom hopes this will not be an issue:

"From a political perspective, I would regard many people on the chief executives' committee and the board as extremely fair-minded. I hope this doesn't come across sounding naive, but I think the decision should hopefully be made on its merits and not on the basis of any political alliances."

Great strides have been made by Ireland in recent years though, and they have proved to be a genuinely competitive side, but Test cricket is a different, more unforgiving arena (something I posted about in discussing the future of Zimbabwe).

Peter Roebuck makes a considered argument for the acceptance of Ireland:

Cricket needs to move beyond its tight little cartel of colonial and post-colonial countries. Otherwise it'll spend the rest of its history contemplating its navel and worrying about border disputes, despots, civil wars, religious and racial disharmony, suppression, patronage, rugby, soccer and all the other complications of contemporary and future life. The only way to avoid these internal battles periodically crippling the game is to widen its appeal, to turn it from an imperial relic into a world game. To that end the ICC has with increasing vigour and growing success been seeking to take the gift of the game to every possible nook and cranny of a shrinking world torn between tradition and Twitter. That is the way to breathe life into the game.

Roebuck also suggests that the doors could be opened to Ireland, and perhaps others, by adopting a two tier (to be further expanded) format in Test Cricket. This has of course been suggested previously, but not likely to garner support from those marginal sides who could find themselves suddenly on the outside looking in and potentially missing out on lucrative series against the likes of Australia or England.

To be successful, Ireland require 7 of the 10 member nations to vote in their favour. It is difficult to gage quite who would likely be supportive, but it would take some charm offensive for them to get such a majority body of support from a membership that has so often proved to be insular and self-serving over the years.

Flintoff signs new deal

2009-11-05T12:45:00.002Z

Good news for Lancashire, although reports that he set to also play in a number of Championship games were unfounded:

Andrew Flintoff has agreed a new three-year deal to play one-day cricket for Lancashire, ending speculation over his future in the county game after he opted to become a freelance player following the decision to turn down an ECB incremental deal.

Said Flintoff:

"This contract will also give me the flexibility to play other forms of one-day cricket around the world, which hopefully help me develop as a player and in turn, help Lancashire and England," he said. "I have felt part of Lancashire ever since I first played here as a schoolboy and I want to help them achieve success. I am looking forward to being around the Lancashire dressing room more now I have retired from Test cricket

"I have enjoyed many highs with England over the years, but I have not had the same success with Lancashire and that is something I want to address. I have a good relationship with Peter Moores and Glen Chapple and hopefully I can be of help to them both on the pitch and in the dressing room."

Zimbabwe hit new low

2009-11-04T23:03:00.000Z

Can there be a viable return to the full international arena for Zimbabwe?

You have to say it is very doubtful that there can be. There will be a lot of people wishing Zimbabwe well given the problems and upheaval that the players have been through in recent years, but the recent defeat at the hands of Bangladesh may just be a step too far for those supporters.

Having been cast out of the Test arena, they retain full ODI status (although they did step aside for the recenty Twenty20 World Cup earlier this year) which of course allows them a passage straight through to the World Cup finals. It is debatable though that if they had to qualify whether they would actually progress ahead of the likes of Ireland or Netherlands.

Given how the political situation has tore the country apart, it is little wonder cricket has also suffered, and no mean in some way that they are actually competing again on the international scene.

The current series in Bangladesh serves only to highlight just how far they have fallen since they were on the cusp of being a competitive side a decade or so ago. If questions persist over Bangladesh's continued participation then it does show the barriers Zimbabwe will have to overcome. There cause may not be helped either by Ireland's application to the ICC for full status, and if Zimbabwe were re-admitted to the Test arena ahead of them questions will of course be raised.

It does raise the age old argument though of how sides can progress if they are not exposed to the Test arena, and all sides historically have struggled before assimilating themselves at that level. Perhaps though is does strengthen the argument for a second tier in Test cricket - or at least a greater weighting in terms of fixtures between those sides, whilst also having the chance to still play against all other Test playing nations, allowing the opportunity to gain the necessary exposure to develop into competitive sides.

It is not something the ICC have shown a great deal of enthusiasm for though, and as matters stand, it offers little opportunity for Zimbabwe to make a real appearance back onto the world stage.

The long haul back for Bopara

2009-11-03T22:01:00.005Z

Bopara, 24, a veteran of 10 Tests and 50 one-day internationals, will play in all forms of the game for Auckland this season, including New Zealand's domestic first-class championship which starts next week.

The Essex batsman lost his place in the England Test team during last summer's Ashes series against Australia and is hoping that a stint with Auckland will help him recover his form.

>>telegraph.co.uk.

After seemingly cementing his place at number 3 with a superb pair of series against the West Indies in early 2009, it is fair to say things have gone horribly wrong for Bopara.

Expected to kick on and be a key part of the Ashes series, his form and temprament deserted him to the extent where he first lost his test match spot against Australia, before being discarded from the set up altogether.

It is not over for Bopara of course, and plenty of players have taken a step back before succesfully resuming their international careers.

The difficulty for Bopara is that the West Indies series aside, he has really struggled - posting mediocre returns against both Sri Lanka and Australia, but perhaps the toughest challenge he will have to overcome is the questions that remain over his temprament.

He can stack up all the runs he likes out in New Zealand and back in county cricket with Essex. but as plenty have found out before him, if questions remain over the mental side of your game it is going to be difficult to get another shot.

Kieswetter takes the first step

2009-11-03T21:50:00.002Z

Somerset wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter has been called into the England performance programme despite not being qualified for his adopted country.
Kieswetter was born in South Africa and represented them at youth level, but joined Somerset in 2006 and has been touted as a potential England player.
The 21-year-old will work with the EPP for eight weeks in Loughborough and South Africa before Christmas.

>>BBC Sport.

I can't confess to seeing a whole lot of Kieswetter so far, but he seems to be highly touted within the England set up and this move is the first rung on the ladder to him progressing through the ranks.