Mitchell Johnson is struggling, and while it is not clear why, it could have something to do with his uneasy bowling action

Daniel Brettig in Colombo18-Sep-2011Mitchell Johnson runs up now, he bowls, it’s angled across the right-hander, left alone outside the off stump, no run …So runs a description of a typical Johnson delivery, one that has been on offer all too often lately. When Johnson is in full flow, the delivery is interspersed with regular wickets, gained through pace, occasional swing and a vicious, armpit-seeking short ball. Presently, though, he is not in full flow, and is increasingly mired in the sort of Test-wicket drought that no one would want to endure, especially not as they near their 30th birthday.Nine months have passed since Johnson caught lightning in a bottle in a Test match. At the time, his six first-innings wickets against England in Perth carried the whiff of a happy accident: having not swung the ball an inch in Brisbane, he was dropped for the second Test in Adelaide, before suddenly beginning to swerve it around corners. Regrettably, the next five Tests have proven that a freak event is precisely what it was. Across these matches, he has taken only 11 wickets at a cost of more than 50. When he walked off the WACA ground his bowling average was 29.00, it is now nudging 31.00. They are the sort of figures that get a bowler dropped, no matter how senior or potentially dangerous.In subsequent Ashes jousts in Melbourne and Sydney, Johnson was taken for four an over as he struggled for swing or even basic direction. His last contribution to the series was to lose his bails first ball to Chris Tremlett, as the Barmy Army sang mockingly from the stands. Aiming to make amends, Johnson appeared to do all the right things in the off-season that followed. He chose to forsake the Twenty20 Big Bash League to concentrate on Test matches, trained hard in the nets, and developed a relationship with his new bowling coach Craig McDermott – the enigmatic Troy Cooley had moved on to the Centre of Excellence. Rested from the tour match that preceded the Tests, Johnson even swung the odd delivery on the practice pitches at P Sara Oval, McDermott collecting them watchfully in a baseball glove.Yet, on the resumption of Test cricket against Sri Lank in Galle, Johnson’s bowling seemed curiously muted. Though he was no less accurate than usual, and played his part as a member of the bowling ensemble that secured a meritorious victory on a difficult pitch, a certain spark was missing. Australia’s fielding coach, Steve Rixon, had predicted that Johnson had the potential to run through the hosts on a pitch with uneven bounce, but he took only two wickets in the match. There was no swing discernible, even though Ryan Harris and Shane Watson gained enough to pose consistent problems for batsmen young and old.The pattern has continued on less helpful strips in Pallekele and Colombo, as Sri Lanka played him with some care but also took advantage of plenty of opportunities to score. His only wicket so far at the SSC involved a meaty drive intercepted at short extra cover by Ricky Ponting: not exactly the bowled, lbw or slips catch he has seemed to be looking for. Johnson’s offspinning slower ball is excellent, but even that could be delivered with more regularity, to provoke the sort of miscue that nearly ended the innings of Tillakaratne Dilshan on the third morning. By the afternoon he was being treated with some contempt by Angelo Mathews, and Ricky Ponting was offering frequent advice.Why Johnson has struggled for wickets is a matter of debate. He has not swung the ball, but that has not stopped him from discomforting and dismissing batsmen in the past. He is not bowling with the greatest control, yet, there have been times when he has bowled far worse. Johnson’s top pace here is around the 145kph mark, which is consistent with his upper register over the previous four years. And his mind and heart seem to be in the right space, as evidenced by a friendly, chatty visage across the tour.Johnson’s nadir took place during the first Ashes Test at Lord’s in 2009. At the time he was expected to be Australia’s best threat with the ball, yet over the course of that match he was the tourists’ greatest liability. Dirty family laundry aired in the press did not help. Ever since he has worked at being at once tougher and happier, and also a little thicker-skinned. No such problems have been evident in 2011, and so cannot be considered central to his present torpor.The answer, if there is one, may lie in the place where Johnson is most vulnerable – his bowling action. Johnson’s method has always had something to it, but something missing as well. It is inherently difficult to judge how well Johnson is bowling, simply because his action does not exist in the easy space between instinct and training that most quality international bowlers inhabit. Save for days like that one in Perth, every ball can seem a battle, and Johnson is in the habit of holding up his left arm in subtle rehearsal immediately after most of his deliveries.With the handicap of his technique, Johnson has often relied on the confluence of environmental factors for his most telling moments. He first emerged as an international bowler of note on a damp, humid night in Kuala Lumpur in 2006, skittling four India batsmen, including Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, in a handful of overs. The planets aligned then, as they did again in Perth. When they will next is anybody’s guess, not least the national selectors’. They must now decide how long is too long to wait between stand-out spells, and at the moment the gap is starting to yawn. One more series may be all he has left.For the moment, the location of that series is a source of hope. Australia’s next Test assignment is in South Africa. This, of course, was the scene of Johnson’s most triumphant performances. In 2009 he swung the new ball and dished out blood and thunder, proving the ideal spearhead as the tourists enjoyed an unexpected 2-1 victory. The effort was striking for both its swing and its hostility, and the consensus was that Johnson had formally arrived. He has been coming and going ever since.

The form of Andrew Strauss is starting to cause concern. While the rest of the top seven – with the possible exception of Eoin Morgan – have enjoyed a year of feasts, Strauss is enduring something of a famine

George Dobell in Dubai19-Jan-2012On a day bursting with batting ineptitude from England, it might seem harsh to highlight the failings of just one man. Particularly when that man might have just been the victim of an umpiring error.Andrew Strauss walked off shaking his head in disbelief after he was adjudged caught down the legside off Umar Gul, with the third umpire Steve Davis upholding Billy Bowden’s decision because the Hotspot technology was unsighted.But the form of Strauss is starting to cause concern. While the rest of the top seven – with the possible exception of Eoin Morgan – have enjoyed a year of feasts, Strauss is enduring something of a famine.The figures make grim reading. Since the end of the Ashes, Strauss has passed 50 just once in 12 innings. He hasn’t scored a century for 12 Tests and he has only made one in his last 26. Since the start of the Sri Lanka series in England, he averages just 23.41. That is less than Graeme Swann’s Test batting average. And he bats at No. 9.It would be disingenuous to consider Strauss purely a batsman. He provides far more than runs to the team cause. His calm leadership has been a key component in England’s rise to No. 1 in the Test rankings and he remains a reliable slip catcher. Those things shouldn’t be underestimated. If captaincy is just about tactics and field placements, then Strauss may be considered no better than average; if it is about leadership and uniting a team, then he must be considered very good indeed.Ultimately, however, runs are the currency that counts. Just as the days have gone when any Test side could accommodate a keeper who did not also offer runs, so have the days when a side could find room for a captain like Mike Brearley who compensated for his lack of runs with his astute leadership.Strauss has one big advantage over Brearley: the current England captain has proved that he has the ability to prosper at this level. In a 39-Test career, Brearley never scored a century and finished with an average below 30. Strauss has made 19 Test centuries and averages over 40. He’s only 34, too. There’s no reason to suspect that age is catching up with him.Let’s be clear: Strauss is not about to be dropped. In a different era – an era of panicking selectors and weak management – he may well have been looking over his shoulder. But under this regime? No chance. Not yet, anyway. Strauss will have the fulsome backing of Andy Flower and will be given more time to rediscover his form. That is surely the way things should be, too. Besides, the opening position is perhaps the only batting spot in the side for which there are not copious potential replacements in county cricket. There is no one pushing for Strauss’ place in the side and Alastair Cook is in no hurry to assume the captaincy.There is, perhaps, more danger that Strauss will feel he is not pulling his weight and resign. It will be increasingly difficult to lift a tired team – and there will be moments in the next year when this England team looks distinctly jaded – if he is consumed by worries about his own form. His personal pride, too, will not allow him to feel like a passenger.It’s not the first time Strauss has experienced a lean patch. On the tour to New Zealand in 2008 he was probably within one innings of being dropped. He had gone 15 Tests without a century and looked almost unrecognisable from the pleasing left-hand batsman who had scored a century on debut.On that occasion he responded with a century in Napier that revitalised his career. England will be hoping a similar revival is just around the corner. Otherwise someone is going to have some tough decisions to make.Ultimately, if England keep winning, Strauss’ form is easy to overlook. If they start losing, however, the pressure will begin to build.

It took a serious injury for Ravi Rampaul to understand his body and his bowling, and to come back stronger and more effective

Nitin Sundar25-Dec-2011The leader of the West Indies attack is a man of Indian origin. He doesn’t have a pronounced jump in his delivery stride, and prefers to run through the crease – more Waqar Younis than Curtly Ambrose. His default setting isn’t the fierce bumper sent down with the intention of knocking the batsman over. His disposition is mild-mannered, and he doesn’t readily convey menace to the opponent.When Ravi Rampaul started playing the game, such a prototype would have been laughable. Yet it has taken him only 13 Tests to assume charge of the Caribbean bowling unit, while defying several conventions along the way.Caribbean cricketers of Indian descent traditionally idolised Sonny Ramadhin and pursued spin, or took up batting, inspired by the likes of Rohan Kanhai and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Rampaul, however, charted a new trail for himself by perfecting what he loved while playing in the streets of Trinidad – sprinting in and bowling as fast as he could.”When I used to bat and when I had my mates bowl to me, they always tried to hit my head or hit me all over my body,” he recollects with a chuckle. “I just couldn’t hit the ball. So I thought to myself: if they can do this to me, I can do just as well to them. That’s why I took up fast bowling, just to get back at them! And I found a love for it, and continued it.”Growing up, I have always enjoyed having people a little scared of me. I just stuck with it and worked hard to be able to bowl fast at the highest level.”Rampaul’s unique style and effectiveness took him through the age-group systems quickly. Perhaps too quickly. He was handed an ODI debut at 19, a dodgy age for a fast bowler, since the core muscles are yet to fill out. The stress caught up with him, and after 17 ODIs, he was sidelined by shin splints, a condition that stems from overloaded muscles. His career went into standby mode.”I was playing Under-15 and U-19, and then suddenly I was playing for the senior team,” Rampaul recalls. “The impact all that cricket had on me – I was probably overloaded and the shin gave way. It took me two years to recover. I wasn’t able to train, run or do any gym work because of the great pain I was in, and my shin wasn’t working properly.”It was the sort of injury that could end a career but Rampaul wasn’t ready to give in. By the time he could resume training, he had visibly bulked up. “That period led to me putting on some weight, and it was a bit of a downfall in my career. After recovering, I started training hard and putting my life back together in the cricket field. The hard work I put in then has got me to where I am today.”Rampaul came back to the one-day side after exactly three years – fitter, wiser and more aware of his body and its limitations. He took four wickets against England in his second game on return, delivering West Indies a win in Birmingham. With Jerome Taylor fading away, and Fidel Edwards struggling with a spate of injuries, Rampaul found himself taking on more of a load, but this time he was ready for it.

“Fidel is our fastest bowler, so he attacks more and tries to be aggressive. I am a little different – I attack when needed, and I can also defend and bowl consistently to build pressure, if that is the requirement. The role changes from time to time and I just try to manage the situation properly”

“A lot of hard work has gone into my bowling,” he explains. “Because of my injury, it makes me aware that I need to train harder and be a lot fitter to reduce the chance of getting injured. Since my comeback I have been doing a lot of gym work and fitness, and I want to continue that discipline as long as I can carry on playing.”My fitness plan is to do the same amount of gym, cardio, running, and nets, and mix it up well. It is about maintaining the rigour till the point when you need it the most in the middle. Then, once you are in a match situation, you are ready since your body is already accustomed to that workload.”After 41 ODIs spread over nearly six years, a tough initiation to Tests came in Australia, in 2009. A return of four wickets in three Tests spurred Rampaul towards another round of self-appraisal. “In that series, I realised I still wasn’t where I wanted to be, to compete against the world in Test cricket,” he says. “I just went back to a lot of training and analysing. I watched a lot of videos and spoke to past players, who helped me through. I constantly talk to Ian Bishop. Ottis Gibson is a great support, and at times even Courtney Walsh. I ask them how they approach the game, how they react to, and think, in different situations, and how to prepare for a Test match.”All the hard work came together in 2011, starting with a match-winning seven-wicket haul against Pakistan in Providence. Rampaul hasn’t looked back since, picking up 24 wickets in seven Tests, a creditable feat considering all those games were on slow pitches at home and in the subcontinent.”The wickets in India are quite similar to Trinidad, so it wasn’t a new thing for me. If anything, there was more dew than back home, so it was a little bit better to bowl. It was a tough tour, but I learned a lot of stuff for the future. So the next time I come up to India, I will be even better prepared. The tours of Bangladesh and India did a lot for my bowling.”Rampaul believes his versatility allows him to bridge the diverse styles of Fidel Edwards and Kemar Roach. “Fidel is our fastest bowler, so he attacks more and tries to be aggressive. I am a little different – I attack when needed, and I can also defend and bowl consistently to build pressure, if that is the requirement. The role changes from time to time and I just try to manage the situation properly.”West Indies don’t have the results to show for their efforts on the India tour, but they ran the home team close in a few games. “As long as we keep playing together, maintain the team spirit and continue believing in ourselves, I am sure we will start winning soon,” Rampaul says.He won himself several fans in India, but by dismissing Sachin Tendulkar six short of his 100th century, some of that admiration was grudging. “It is amazing to play cricket in India, with the crowds chanting while Tendulkar is batting. It is an experience I will treasure for life,” he says.Was he subject to any banter when he returned to the Wankhede outfield after getting Tendulkar out “to a plan”? Rampaul laughs. “They were heckling me a little bit, but it is all good fun. Tendulkar is their hero so it was only natural that they were upset. But I am sure they will soon forget it and be okay with it.”

A scorching sun is no bother when the ground is lit up by a magnificent performance, is it?

Gaurav Kheterpal09-Apr-2012Choice of game
A hot sunny April afternoon in Jaipur may hardly sound like the best setting to watch cricket at the stadium. However, having missed the last game between the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, and the prospect of watching Jacques Kallis, Brendon McCullum, Brett Lee and once our very own Yusuf Pathan go up against the home team meant there was no way I was going to miss this opportunity.The festive atmosphere in the ground, with the Royals’ Army people wearing ” all the way irrespective of the result.Key performers
Brad Hodge, an experienced Twenty20 cricketer, gave us a batting master-class. He started off with singles, and once set, smashed the ball to all parts of the ground, by when it didn’t really matter who was bowling and where.The second key performer was that gigantic West Indian named Kevon Cooper. He came in with a big reputation in T20, and two matches into the tournament, he’s lived up to the expectations. His two wickets in two balls turned the tide in favour of the Royals at a crucial juncture in the game. And the best part – his wicket celebrations are a treat to watch, reminiscent of the golden days of West Indian cricket.One thing I’d have changed
I’d have liked to see Owais Shah and Cooper bat up in the batting order. Ashok Menaria and Shreevats Goswami batted well, but the innings nearly came to a standstill from the ninth to the 13th over, till Hodge let loose. I think the Royals could have got another 15-20 runs with a little more innovation in their batting order.Face-off you relished
Lee v Dravid – two match-winners who have been around for more than a decade. Lee is any coach’s dream fast bowler: fast and accurate, he steams in every time he’s asked to bowl. Dravid, meanwhile, is an encyclopaedia of batting. Though he’ll always be remembered as a Test specialist, it’s wonderful to see him bashing the opposition bowlers in the T20 format. He opened up by hitting two sixes and was going strong till he was run out, and my dream face-off ended abruptly.What an entry
By Amit Singh. Two big wickets – Kallis and Gautam Gambhir – in two balls of his first over put the Kolkata Knight Riders on the back foot in a tense chase. No one in the ground expected such wonders from this little-known player so it was the best possible way for him to announce himself on the big stage.Wow moment
Just when the crowd (including yours truly) was gasping for breath after Amit Singh’s two wickets in two balls, Ankeet Chavan had the danger man McCullum plumb off the next delivery. It was a team hat-trick, and barring any Pathan heroics, I knew the match was in the bag for the Royals.Close encounter
The crowd went nuts when Shah Rukh Khan was seen on the big screen posing with some pretty girls. He was right next to the Knight Riders’ dugout and a stone’s throw from my stand. Needless to say, the women in the stadium lost interest in the match after that and were busy trying to get a sight of King Khan whenever possible.Shot of the day
Dravid’s six off Lee was the best shot of the day. Dravid isn’t known for hitting big sixes, that too early on in the innings. The crowd had barely settled in their seats, when, in the third over, Lee tried to bounce out Dravid, who responded by sending the ball scorching past fine leg into the crowd.Crowd meter
The ground was nearly full, and there were no empty seats in sight. People wearing blue gave the ground a royal feel. The cheer girls’ (traditional Rajasthan attire) instead of their regular outfits were a huge hit with the crowd. There was plenty of support for the Knight Riders as well, especially for Pathan, who played an instrumental role in helping the Royals to their IPL title.Entertainment
The music during the over breaks was awesome. Popular Bollywood numbers kept people on their feet during the over breaks and the strategic timeouts. The cheerleaders were their usual best, entertaining the crowd by dancing to the beats of foot-tapping numbers.Overall
Superb game. There were some brilliant performances, and the better team on the day won convincingly. The Royals are looking to get back to their invincible ways of the first season. The crowd was fantastic, and despite the scorching heat, the atmosphere was thoroughly enjoyable.Marks out of 10
I’d reckon it was 9 out of 10. Despite being an avid Royals supporter, I’d have liked to watch a closer encounter – that’s the real thrill of T20 cricket. Once Pathan was back in the hut, there was no doubt about which team was going to win.

Despite being at the top of their game through the league stages, Delhi Dardevils ran out of steam when it mattered the most. They need to reward their consistency with trophies

Sharda Ugra26-May-2012Where they finishedThird place, at the end of everything with two deafening defeats in the playoffs to deal with. Yet, after their 2011 nightmare, their single big benefit from this edition would be a return to being one of the IPL’s more consistent teams. What they would want now with all this consistency are some trophies. At least their consistency in the league phase has rewarded them with a place in the Champions League T20.Key player
Despite the opening presence of Virender Sehwag and David Warner at the top, it was Morne Morkel’s venom that set Daredevils on its way to the playoffs at the start of the IPL. Height, pace, accuracy, the ability to generate awkwardness from batsmen and a calm persona helped Morkel signal the turnaround in Daredevils’ fortunes and saw them sail through the first six weeks. A team of quicks supporting him certainly helped but Morkel led the pack like he was meant to but ask batsmen facing him about the 160 dot balls in the 378 bowled. Umesh Yadav was a good partner and the reasons to keep Morkel out of the XI versus Chennai Super Kings will forever be debated. Team balance, he said. More foreign players in an XI, grumbled others. One way or another, more Morne anyway.Bargain buyFor all the cursing about a lack of spinners, Daredevils would believe that its uncapped left-arm spinner, Shahbaz Nadeem (bought for Rs 30 lakh), at least gives them a tidy option. He had an ordinary run in his last half of his 12-match IPL, taken to the cleaners by Jesse Ryder and Sourav Ganguly but surely that is a 22-year-old’s rite of passage. Of all the slow bowlers tried by Daredevils, it was Nadeem who got more wickets than anyone else and had a better economy rate than Morkel, Yadav and Varun Aaron. A place in the XI heading into the final week of the tournament could have been argued for.Flop buySurely $700,000 is match-winner’s money. It’s what Venugopal Rao cleaned up at the 2011 auction, so to have played only ten matches out of a season’s total of 18 with a return of 122 runs means that some numbers are not acting up. Rao turned up in the middle order, often at No. 3, ahead of Mahela Jayawardene and Ross Taylor on a few occasions, but was unable to return a strike-rate higher than 104. It is the new statistic that batting signings will be judged on in Twenty20 and by that count, Rao needed better numbers than he had this season.HighlightsWithout doubt, David Warner’s decimation of the Deccan Chargers’ hopes in the team’s chase of 187 in Hyderabad. Not because it was a batsman smashing bowlers all around – this was the Chargers minus Dale Steyn, remember – but because Warner brought to bear in splendor, abandon and just crazy hitting, his impact in the shortest form of the game and why his name had travelled far. Just like Warner himself who was playing in only his second IPL 2012 match having stepped off a plane and a Test series in Dominica just a fortnight ago. Often, matches in the IPL go past in a blur; Warner’s 109 not out off 54 balls, with seven sixes, was memorable for its aggression and the fact that he won Daredevils the game by nine wickets, with 20 balls to spare.LowlightNaturally the final-week qualifiers. Daredevils won both tosses and botched it twice. The quicks had given Daredevils much fuel all through the IPL but the omission of spinning options in Roelof van der Merwe or Shahbaz Nadeem to start with cost them on the slow-spinning Pune track against Knight Riders. To keep Ross Taylor back behind Venugopal Rao and 19-year-old left-hander Pawan Negi when the run-rate began to climb, had an explanation in theoretical tactics but on the field it just looked plain illogical. Then in the last-chance saloon versus Super Kings, Morkel, the tournament’s highest wicket-taker, sat out because of Andre Russell’s all-round skills. The result met a logical end: no wonder, the short cut to the final was cut short.VerdictAll the way to the final week, it looked as if Daredevils had got their mojo back or rather got the formula right. Two semi-finals in the first two editions followed by a narrow miss of the knockout through net run-rate in the third shows that they remain one of the more consistent teams of the IPL. Yet the bottom-placed finish in 2011 could be the blip that was needed to get their shape back. It may look like a love for quick bowlers – there are nine on their roster, including two of India’s fastest – or to keep looking for the allrounders perfect for Twenty20 or just the ability to identify batsmen who can do the business. The razzle-dazzle of Virender Sehwag, Kevin Pietersen and Warner was strengthened by the low-on-noise high-on-quality Mahela Jayawardene. It should have surprised no one that they marched through the first six weeks of the IPL with few who could them. This is what they need but all the way to the business end will require a rethink and maybe more trust in their own spinners.

The visitors suffered a number of self-inflicted blows that undid their fine recovery in the second Test and excuses won’t do

George Dobell at Trent Bridge26-May-2012It is the self inflicted injuries that will smart most. We all knew that this West Indies side was not the most talented to tour England. We all knew there would be days when the top-order came unstuck and the bowling looked a little thin. But we also expected a team that worked hard and made the most of their ability.It has not been so at Trent Bridge. While there have been periods of encouragement for West Indies – a feature of their recent Tests – this game may be defined by moments of sloppiness that have turned potential match-winning positions into match-losing positions. It rarely pays to take too much for granted in cricket but England, with eight wickets in hand and a batsman’s dream of a pitch upon which to gorge their hunger for runs, could – and should – have a substantial lead by the end of the third day. West Indies may well have to bat far better in their second innings if they are to avoid defeat.The galling aspect of that scenario is that West Indies could – and should – have been in a much stronger position.On the morning of the second day, they had a chance to establish a match-dominating first innings score. Resuming against a new ball 10 overs old, West Indies’ seventh-wicket pair saw off the opening spell from James Anderson – still irritable despite a night’s rest – and Stuart Broad and could look forward to a perfect day for batting. England’s bowlers were tired, the ball was becoming soft and both batsmen were well set.Instead, however, Darren Sammy fell for a sucker punch. Moments after completing a maiden Test century – a super, counter-attacking innings – he pulled a short ball from Tim Bresnan directly to Kevin Pietersen on the square leg boundary. It was a careless, unworthy end to a fine innings and it precipitated a decline that left West Indies at least 100 short of a par total.It will not do to say “that is the way Sammy plays”. His main role was to support Marlon Samuels. Sammy had to keep his adrenalin in check. Having clawed his side back into the game, he needed to make it count.

The return of Ravi Rampaul greatly strengthened West Indies’ attack. Despite his somewhat portly appearance, he can deliver long spells and the delivery he produced to dismiss Cook was a beauty

Worse was to follow. If the tourists were to have any hope of fighting their way back into the Test, they had to strike early. They almost did, too: twice Kemar Roach found the edge of Alastair Cook’s bat and twice Denesh Ramdin held good catches. But on both occasions it turned out that Roach had over-stepped and Cook was reprieved. While it might, as Oscar Wilde so nearly said, be considered unfortunate to bowl one no-ball, to bowl two in such circumstances must be considered carelessness.Most bowlers deliver the odd no-ball, of course, just as most batsmen play the occasional poor stroke. But Roach has made a habit of over stepping of late. He did so eight times in his 15 overs on the second day here. He did so 18 times at Lord’s. He did so six times in the Lions game at Northamton too. Indeed, he has delivered at least one no-ball in all but two of the 19 Tests in which he has played.Nor is he alone. Fidel Edwards was also guilty of over-stepping four times at Lord’s – Andrew Strauss was dropped at slip off one no-ball – and eight times against the Lions, while even Shane Shillingford, the offspinner, bowled three no-balls against the Lions.It is a statistic that tells of a lack of attention to detail and reflects poorly on the coach, Ottis Gibson. Such problems should have been eradicated in net sessions long ago.There were other self-inflicted blows: several mistakes in the field, some loose bowling from Sammy and Shillingford and, on the first day, the weak batting of the top order. West Indies are better than this and, when they come to reflect on this tour, they may well conclude that they did not make the most of their opportunities.It is a picture that could be expanded to take in other problems within Caribbean cricket. We know that the region continues to produce players of rare flair and talent, but we also know that they fail to make the most of them. Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine could all be available for West Indies in the third Test at Edgbaston if only there was a will from all sides to make it happen. Everything else is a detail.Kemar Roach had a day to forget as he struggled with his run-up•Getty ImagesIt is true that West Indies’ recent record, even with all their “star” players, is modest. But that only underlines the failure of successive WICB and team management regimes to make the most of the resources at their disposal. It is their role to create an environment in which the players perform to the best of their ability. There is little evidence they are doing that. Allen Stanford, before his involvement came to an abrupt end when he was convicted of a multi-billion dollar investment fraud, did something the board have been unable to do: he harnessed the substantial ability that exists within the region and produced a fit, unified team that excelled with bat, ball and in the field.”We didn’t bat as were supposed to this morning,” Sammy admitted afterwards. “The plan was for Marlon and myself to see out the first hour and to get a big score of over 450. We gave our wickets away at the end and Cook was very lucky – or we were unlucky – to twice be caught off the same bowler off no-balls. It’s disappointing. It is something Kemar and Ottis will work upon.”It was not all bad. The return of Ravi Rampaul greatly strengthened West Indies’ attack. Despite his somewhat portly appearance, Rampaul can deliver long spells (his first was 11 overs; two before and nine after lunch) and the delivery he produced to dismiss Cook – edging to the keeper for the third time in an hour at the crease – was a beauty. This may also prove to have been a breakthrough series for Samuels.It would also be a gross injustice not to praise the England performance. It is true that this pitch is so batsmen-friendly that, in years to come, the bowlers of both sides will wake up in a cold sweat having suffered flashbacks, but the batting of Strauss and, in particular, Kevin Pietersen was, at times, outstanding.Strauss produced arguably his best innings since the Brisbane Test of 2010. He outscored Pietersen for the first 100 runs they added and, cutting beautifully, pulling nicely and, crucially, also driving better than for some time, reinforced his return to form.”Sometimes batting feels difficult,” Strauss said. “With a few runs under your belt it’s easier. I’m delighted to be in form and determined to make the most of it. It’s nice to feel back in form and as a captain it’s great to contribute and lead from the front.”It is worth remembering one thing, however. By this time in May 2009, Ravi Bopara had already scored three Test centuries against this opposition in the first five months of the year. By mid-August he had been dropped. There are much tougher tests to come for Strauss and his team.

Marks out of ten for South Africa following their 1-0 win over New Zealand

Firdose Moonda28-Mar-20129.5
Vernon Philander
It does not get closer to perfect than this: Philander took 21 wickets, by far the most in the series, at an average of 15.47. He was Graeme Smith’s go-to man and every time he had the ball in his hand something seemed certain to happen. His disciplined lines and lengths frustrated the opposition batsmen while swing, reverse swing and seam movement troubled them. Philander barely put a foot wrong as he became the second fastest bowler to 50 Test wickets. His start to Test cricket has been dreamlike: the second innings in Wellington was the first time in his seven-Test-old career that he went without a wicket in an innings. He also displayed his ability with the bat, playing two important lower-order innings.8.5
Graeme Smith
Smith, the longest-serving current Test captain, was the leading run-getter in the series, with 282 runs at 56.40. He was outstanding with the bat and as captain. A century in Dunedin, to set up a tough chase for New Zealand, and two half-centuries, including a match-winning one in Hamilton, completed his return to form, which started with a hundred against Australia in November. In the field, he handled his attack with careful calculation, ensuring the quicks were never overbowled. Smith’s declaration in the third Test may be criticised for coming too late, but that is harsh. With South Africa leading the series 1-0, he had no reason to give New Zealand any chance of winning.8
Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel
Philander stole the spotlight but it would not have been quite as bright without Steyn and Morkel. Even though the pair, collectively, did not take as many wickets as Philander, without them South Africa’ attack would not have had the various dimensions it possessed. They ensured the pressure was always on.Steyn cranked the pace up as the series wore on, hitting speeds around 145 kph regularly in spells. In Hamilton, he helped Philander affect a New Zealand collapse of five wickets for no run. Steyn swung the ball, while Morkel put in his most disciplined performance in a while, extracting good bounce and ensuring batsmen knew he was capable of hurting them. Steyn and Morkel’s best performance as a pair came in the first innings of the Wellington Test, when they used the short ball to exceptional effect.7.5
AB de Villiers
The scorecards will show de Villiers’ two highest scores in the series as 83 and 68, numbers that do no justice to the value of those two innings. The 83 came with South Africa in trouble, at 88 for 6 in Hamilton. de Villiers sewed the innings back together and steered the side to a valuable lead. The 68 was an audacious innings in Wellington featuring a feast of daring shots as he put on quick runs to allow Smith to declare and give South Africa a chance of winning the third Test. His catching let him down in Wellington, where he dropped two at slip, but that was a small botch on a tour during which his usual creativity and spunk lifted the side when they were in trouble.7
JP Duminy
He only had one chance and took it, a sign that Duminy is ready to be a Test cricketer again. After two years on the sidelines, he made his point with a hundred in Wellington. Although he started off in one-day mode, he soon settled and showed a particular aptitude for dealing with the short ball, something that has troubled him in the past. Though usually one of the best fielders in the squad, Duminy took some of the sheen of his comeback performance with three dropped catches in the match.Alviro Petersen scored a century in the third Test•Getty Images6
Alviro Petersen
It took Petersen two Tests to find his feet but when he did he managed to stand, walk and run all at once. In his first four innings, he struggled to adjust to the pace of the pitches in New Zealand, tried to be too aggressive and insisted on moving across the stumps, resulting in him being dismissed lbw twice. In the first innings of the Wellington Test, his 156 served as more than adequate proof that he could make the necessary changes to play international cricket in foreign conditions. His ton was punctuated with pulls in its early stages and classic drives as it matured. His challenge in the future will be to put in big performances even when he is not under pressure.Hashim Amla
It was an unusually quiet tour for someone who has been prolific against New Zealand. Amla scored two half-centuries and did not convert either into a hundred. With his calm approach to the game, he steered South Africa through challenging periods without much fuss. His tour ended on a painful note when he was hit in the groin off an inside edge, a blow which hampered his movement. He managed to bat for an hour after the injury, but when he was dismissed he had to be taken for emergency surgery. Word from the team camp was that he was battling to walk by the time South Africa left New Zealand.Jacques Kallis
A sublime century in the second innings of the Dunedin Test put South Africa in a commanding position. Kallis was also used as an impact bowler, coming on for short bursts and swinging the ball at pace. He left another lasting impression on the series. His comment that “99% of cricketers” do not believe ball-tracking is as accurate as the technical team wants them to believe it is almost caused Ian Taylor, creator of Virtual Eye, to withdraw the technology from the series. A neck strain, sustained in training before the third Test, ruled him out of the match and served as a stark reminder of his importance to the South Africa side. They had to sacrifice their frontline spinner to include both a batsmen and a fourth fast bowler to replace Kallis.Jacques Rudolph
Rudolph had one very good Test and two ordinary ones. He showed that he can translate his stunning domestic form into international success in Dunedin. A composed half-century in the first innings helped South Africa recover from Chris Martin’s post-tea bust of three wickets in two overs, and a hundred sprinkled with some of the best drives in the game put the visitors into a dominant position in the second innings. He spent limited time at the crease in the other two matches but crossed an important bridge in showing his suitability for his new middle-order role.5.5
Mark Boucher
In what was quite possibly the penultimate tour of his career, Boucher provided material for both sides of the arguments about whether or not he should still be in the Test side. He put in some understated but important performances with the bat, building with Rudolph in Dunedin and helping de Villiers put South Africa in the lead in Hamilton. His best innings came in Wellington, when a gritty 46 increase South Africa’s total. With the gloves, though, he made mistakes that will annoy him, twice letting chances go between himself and Smith at first slip. He held on to every other catch that came his way, ending the tour on 999 international dismissals and setting the stage for another milestone to be achieved later in the year, in England.Imran Tahir
He was again unlucky not to have surfaces that suited him but made the most of what he had to work with. Crucially, Tahir showed he could act as the containing bowler if it is required of him by maintaining an economy rate of under three runs per over. He missed out on the Wellington Test because of a need to shuffle the make-up of the side after Kallis’ injury.4.5
Marchant de Lange
The young tearaway got a taste of how tough Test cricket can be. Three months after taking 7 for 81 in his first Test innings, he was the weakest link in South Africa’s pace barrage in Wellington, as he could not find the right lengths on an unhelpful surface. The pitch had flattened out by the time South Africa were bowling and de Lange had the challenge of bowling into the wind for the bulk of his 38.2 overs. He has raw talent but there is lots of hard work to be done. South Africa were also without bowling coach Allan Donald to offer advice to de Lange in the third Test.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from Sri Lanka v New Zealand in Pallekele

Andrew Fernando in Pallekele27-Sep-2012Catch of the day
New Zealand’s hopes were still alive after four balls in their Super Over, with eight runs required to win. A four would have kept them in the hunt, and a six would have turned it slightly in their favour. Martin Guptill got low and attempted a hoick off a full Lasith Malinga delivery, and though he got plenty on it, the ball ballooned high off the top half of the bat. It hung in the air for what seemed an eternity, but Tillakaratne Dilshan got under it at long off stretched his arms out and snatched the ball from beyond the boundary, where it would have landed, sealing the match for the hosts.Fumble of the day
After Lahriu Thirimanne’s boundary, Sri Lanka needed one to win off the last delivery. Having bowled almost two overs of nothing but pinpoint yorkers, Tim Southee surprised the batsman with a short ball, and it deflected off Thirimanne’s torso towards point. James Franklin swooped in, took aim and sent a bounce throw to Ross Taylor at the non-striker’s end, but Taylor fumbled the throw, and judging by Taylor’s headshaking and Thirimanne’s jubilance, Sri Lanka appeared to have got home. Not so. The decision was sent to the third umpire, who ruled after an eternity that although the ball had fallen out of Taylor’s hands, it had dislodged a bail on the way to the ground and Thirimanne was short.Pep talk of the day
Mahela Jayawardene has championed Akila Dananjaya’s inclusion in the World Twenty20 squad and had picked him for his Sri Lanka Premier League side as well, guiding the 18-year-old as he moves from tier-three school cricket to international cricket in under three months. Before Dananjaya’s first ball at the top level, Jayawardene made a trip to the bowling crease and spoke to the youngster at length, discussing field positions and seemingly offering encouragement. Three balls into his career, Dananjaya had Guptill caught at long off. Jayawardene, predictably, was the first person over to congratulate the beaming debutant.Blow of the day
Dananjaya’s debut wasn’t totally painless, and not just because Brendon McCullum tonked him for two sixes either. Rob Nicol drove the first ball of Dananjaya’s third over back at the bowler, and though Dananjaya got his fingers up, partly in an attempt to complete a caught-and-bowled but mostly to protect himself, the shot was too powerful and Dananjaya wore it in the face. He went down immediately, the physio came out, and after several hair-raising close-up replays, Dananjaya emerged from the huddle of concerned onlookers with cotton up his left nostril, and apparently, fine to continue bowling.Collision of the day
You would put your money on Nathan McCullum in a fistfight with almost anybody, but Tillakaratne Dilshan took him out in the second over, when the two collided near the bowler’s end. McCullum was moving in to collect the return throw from mid-on, but had moved into Dilshan’s way as he completed his quick single. The batsman ploughed on through, adding insult to injury, after he had carted McCullum for 16 in the previous over.Shot of the day
Jayawardene was typically serene as he unleashed carnage on the New Zealand bowlers, but his best shot was not the cover drive off Kyle Mills or the sweep off Daniel Vettori, but the six over midwicket played off the front foot to a length ball. In the hands of any other batsman, it might have been a filthy heave across the line, but when Jayawardene advanced and let the stroke fly, it seemed as graceful and correct as anything played with the full face of the bat.

Nothing warms you up better than a victory for your side over its arch rival. Though, a quilt would be welcome, Kotla authorities

Nikhil Jha07-Jan-2013Choice of game
One of the blockbuster fixtures of cricketing rivalry – India v Pakistan was coming to town, and there was no way I would have passed on an opportunity to watch it. The poor form of our team, the freezing weather or the perceptible pessimism amongst the fans were not enough to deter me from attending the match.The only thing that could have stopped me was the ticket availability. Thankfully that was taken care of by my generous friends, and we set out hoping for a match that justified its blockbuster status.Team supported
Although supporting India has been downright depressing during the past year, this is no time to discontinue the support. A test for us fans too.Team India all the way!Key performer
Saeed Ajmal’s mesmerising bowling performance stood out for me. I could not see how MS Dhoni won the match award ahead of Ajmal.An honourable mention must go to Ravindra Jadeja, the player we fans love to hate, for a decent batting performance considering the situation, a brilliant bowling spell and a super fielding performance.One thing you’d have changed about the day
If I am allowed to be really wishful, I would have hopped aboard a TARDIS and brought back the Indian team from the 2011 World Cup. That team had players who had passion, resolve and a lot of hunger.Other than time travel, I would have a liked to see a much better batting performance from India. I know we won, but it was only because Pakistan messed up an easy chase. It was a case of “whatever you can do, we can do worse”.And how can I forget the weather! The stadium authorities should have handed a complimentary quilt to all fans who braved the elements.Face-off I relished
I really wanted to see the Indian top order, especially Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli face Pakistan pace attack. Pakistan seamers won that contest hands down.Wow moment
We were seriously mulling on heading back after India’s abysmal batting performance, which, combined with the near-zero temperature made watching unbearable. But we chose to stick around and see India’s efforts in the field before taking a call. And what an effort it was! It was heartening to see the fielding compliment the tight bowling, adding to the pressure, which is critical while defending a low total.The moment that exemplified that resolve in the field was Rahane’s brilliant diving effort in the fourth over. He made a full-length dive inside the circle to cut off a boundary. All the fielders, especially Raina, came from across the ground to pat him on the back. The fielders were all charged up, and as you would expect, the result was electrifying.Shot of the day
In the last ODI I watched at Kotla, Kohli’s century and strokeplay had decimated England. Here, he started with a silken wristy shot that blazed to the midwicket boundary rope. Alas, that was the only spark we saw, as he flattered to deceive.Crowd meter
It was heartening to see people turn up in good numbers, even for a dead rubber. With all the naysayers and sceptics mocking India’s performance on social media and beyond, I had a sinking feeling that the stands may be vacant. Glad to be proven wrong!The stands were more or less full, and it was great to see quite a few neighbours from across the border make it for the match. We had a few Pakistan supporters in our stands, and the see-saw nature of the match meant a few friendly banters were exchanged, followed by acknowledging cheers from both camps.The Pakistan fans had a field day during the Indian innings and parts of the Pakistan innings, with their cheers heard all over the stands. But once India pulled up their act in the field, chants of “India, India” resonated across the stadium, making it come alive. The occasional Mexican wave also kept the spectators on their feet.The most recognisable India fan was in our stands, and he was given mini-celebrity status with people queuing up for a photograph with him. He had replaced the ever-present “Tendulkar” painted on his body with “Miss You Tendulkar”.Personally, I thought his chants were in bad taste. It is one thing to cheer for your team and another to jeer the opponents. That too, when you are like an ambassador for Indian fans across the globe.Accessories
I wish we had carried a portable heater.Overall
The weather was not the only thing that sent shivers down our spine. The Indian batting performance worsened the plight of the fans. India can learn from the quality of Pakistan’s bowling. Thankfully, the opening spells of Indian seamers showed that all is not lost. India’s fielding performance was really top-notch and helped increase the overall quality of the cricket. The crowd, cheering in spurts, came to life on seeing some heart put on the field. It was an enjoyable experience overall, barring the extreme cold weather.Marks on 10
7. One of the lowest totals to be defended and an exciting finish to the game. Points deducted for the appalling batting performances of both sides, leading to a lot of boring spells for the fans.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the third day at the Gabba

Brydon Coverdale and Firdose Moonda11-Nov-2012Hit of the day
Peters Siddle has given up meat but that hasn’t stopped his blood-lust. With complete disregard for the unwritten warning about what will happen if you bounce a fellow quicky, he banged one in short from around the wicket to Dale Steyn. It was aimed at the body but Steyn couldn’t get away in time and had to duck awkwardly. He was caught on the glove and then struck high on the arm as the ball looped high over Matthew Wade. No doubt Steyn would have noted that for future use.Reviews of the day
Hashim Amla was thinking about reviewing his lbw decision and even chatted to Jacques Kallis about it before walking off. Had he asked for it, he would have batted on because Peter Siddle’s delivery hit him too high, as replays later showed. When Dale Steyn was given out lbw to Ben Hilfenhaus off Asad Rauf, he did not make the same mistake. Steyn asked for the review immediately and was correct in doing so. Again, it was too high and Steyn batted on.Ball skills of the day
One of the most interesting side-shows in Australian cricket are the beach-ball games that take place in the stands. A blue-and-white ball made its appearance at the Stanley Street end and helped entertain the crowd while South Africa crept along. Michael Hussey, who was fielding at third man, got involved too and kicked the ball over the boundary twice. He wasn’t in place on the third occasion and the ball was taken away by security amid a chorus of boos.Drop of the day
It was hard not to feel for Nathan Lyon late in the South African innings, when in his 25th consecutive over – a spell from the Stanley Street End that started before lunch and finished after tea – he should have claimed his third wicket of the innings. Rory Kleinveldt skied a miscued slog and Ed Cowan at midwicket tried to position himself under the ball, but whether it was a swirling breeze or the glare of the sun, he started staggering around like a drunk as he struggled to judge the catch. Cowan never really looked like taking the ball and it bounced out of his hands and denied Lyon further reward for his monumental spell.Poignant moment of the day
After the umpires called for drinks in the first session, the players and officials came together and lined up for a minute’s silence. It was 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month – Remembrance Day, recognising the end of World War I on this day in 1918. An Australian Army bugler played The Last Post and for a short period, players and fans from both sides were united. It was a reminder that cricket might be a contest, but it is not a war.Real Morne Morkel of the day
Two days ago, Siddle did his Morne Morkel impression and had Kallis caught at mid-off off a no-ball. Today, the real Morne Morkel showed up. With Australia scoring at close to six runs an over towards the end of the day. South Africa were searching to stem the flow and make one more break before the end of play. Graeme Smith seemed to ask his three frontliners to throw their all at it at the end. Morkel followed instructions and in his last over, thought he had Cowan caught behind. Asad Rauf didn’t budge and Smith reviewed. Replays showed Morkel’s foot a fraction over the line and that Cowan had gloved the ball. What should have been a wicket was just another reason to ask why Morkel doesn’t take a step back before he runs up.