Stats preview to the first Test between New Zealand and England in Hamilton

S Rajesh04-Mar-2008
Jacob Oram: a bowling average of 19 at home and 59 overseas © Getty Images
For England, it’s an opportunity to get their overseas act back on track; New Zealand, meanwhile, have a chance to prove they haven’t forgotten the art playing Test cricket after playing just four matches in the last 14 months, and losing five of their last seven Tests against meaningful opposition.England are 16 rating points ahead of New Zealand in the ICC rankings, but the three-Test series could be closer than that. In their last 14 Tests overseas, England have only won one – against India in Mumbai in 2006 – but have lost nine, including six in a row. New Zealand’s performance as a Test team isn’t much better – they thrashed Bangladesh recently at home, but just before that were beaten handily in South Africa.In the 88 Tests that the two teams have played so far, England have the overwhelming advantage, winning 41 and losing just seven. Even in New Zealand, the numbers aren’t much better for the home team, with only three wins against 16 defeats.The last time England toured New Zealand, though, they only manage a drawn series, losing the third Test after winning the first. The home advantage for New Zealand is a significant one: in 31 home Tests since 2000, they have won 13 and lost ten; during the same period overseas, they have won just seven and lost 12.The huge difference for New Zealand when they play at home is their bowling attack: as the table below indicates, the difference between the batting average home and away is insignificant, but for most of the bowlers, bowling in familiar conditions has been a big plus.

New Zealand batting, home and away since 2000

Tests Average 100s 50s

Home 31 29.60 21 62 Away 29 30.91 27 61

New Zealand bowling, home and away since 2000

Wickets Average 5WI 10WM

Home 470 30.05 18 3 Away 384 37.43 17 2 A look at the stats for the New Zealand bowlers offers further proof: Chris Martin averages 28 at home, but each wicket costs him ten more runs abroad. The contrast is even more stark for Jacob Oram – an average of 19.45 at home balloons to 59.25 overseas, with just 16 wickets from 14 Tests. Daniel Vettori, has a slightly better average overseas than in seamer-friendly conditions at home, but even here the difference is only marginal.Among the batsmen, Stephen Fleming, New Zealand’s most experienced man clearly doesn’t relish facing the England bowlers at home: in 12 such innings he has only scored 288 at an average of 24. Mathew Sinclair hasn’t played England before, but unlike Fleming, he is a giant at home, averaging 43 in New Zealand and 28 elsewhere.For England batsmen, Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss are the two top-order batsmen who have played Tests against New Zealand, and they have had mixed fortunes. Vaughan has had a tough time, averaging less than 24 from nine innings against them, but for Strauss the experience has been far more pleasant: 273 runs at 45.50.Matthew Hoggard, England’s most experienced bowler in this line-up, is the only one from the squad to have bowled in New Zealand, and he has had outstanding success here, taking 17 wickets in three Tests at less than 24 apiece, and striking once every 42 deliveries. Steve Harmison is the only other bowler to have played New Zealand, when he played three Tests at home, taking 21 wickets at 22.09.England will also have to overcome the home team’s fondness for Hamilton, the venue for the first Test. In the last five Tests here, New Zealand have won three and drawn two. Their last defeat here was eight years ago, when Australia beat them by six wickets.

A stats preview to the seven-match ODI series between India and Australia

Mathew Varghese28-Sep-2007Australia would be looking to extend their 11-match unbeaten run in ODIs when they take on India in a seven-match ODI series. Australia’s last ODI was the win in the World Cup final against Sri Lanka, while India went down 3-4 in the last series against England.

Australia v India records

Record	Australia	India	NR
Overall	51	27	5
In India	15	12	3
Last 10 matches in India	7	3	–

Australia have an edge over the hosts especially since 2000, having lost only three of the last ten games. The series begins with the first ODI in Bangalore, where India have won all their matches against Australia barring the previous game in 2003.The Ponting factorRicky Ponting, the Australian captain, is still suffering from a hamstring strain that he picked up during the ICC World Twenty20. Since the start of last year, Ponting has missed 11 ODIs, with Australia winning only four and losing seven in his absence.

Australia with and without Ponting

Australia win/loss record since 2006	Won	Lost	NR
Ponting playing	34	7	1
Ponting not playing	4	7	–

BatsmenSachin Tendulkar has been India’s most prolific batsman against Australia, having scored 592 runs against them at home in the last ten ODIs, with VVS Laxman averaging above fifty as well. However, other than Rahul Dravid, no other Indian batsman in the current line-up has managed to hold fort against the Australian bowlers, even at home.

India’s current batting line-up at home v Australia (since 2000)

Player	Innings	Runs	Average	SR	100s/50s
Sachin Tendulkar	10	592	59.20	96.89	2/3
Rahul Dravid	9	340	37.77	78.70	0/3
Sourav Ganguly	6	130	21.66	66.66	0/1
Yuvraj Singh	5	96	19.20	105.49	0/0
Mahendra Singh Dhoni	1	28	28.00	121.73	0/0

The top three – Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting – have fired for Australia against India, all averaging above 40 in matches since 2000 in India.

Australia’s current batting line-up v India in India (since 2000)

Player	Innings	Runs	Average	SR	100s/50s
Adam Gilchrist	9	437	48.55	106.06	1/3
Matthew Hayden	8	413	51.62	87.50	1/2
Ricky Ponting	9	372	46.50	88.99	2/1
Andrew Symonds	6	91	15.16	73.38	0/0
Michael Clarke	3	48	48.00	129.72	0/0

BowlersAjit Agarkar, the highest wicket-taker for India at home against Australia, has been dropped for the series, while the other bowlers have failed to make an impression. Interestingly, Tendulkar is the only Indian bowler to take a five-for at home against Australia, in Kochi, the venue of the second ODI, and has picked up 10 wickets at 27.50 apiece.

India’s frontline bowlers at home v Australia

Player	Overs	Wickets	Average	Economy rate
Zaheer Khan	72.0	9	48.22	6.02
Harbhajan Singh	87.0	7	58.14	4.67
Sreesanth	8.0	2	21.50	5.37
RP Singh	13.4	1	77.00	5.63

Nathan Bracken will miss the first few ODIs of the series as he’s back home to attend the birth of his first child. Among the current crop of bowlers, he’s the most successful against the hosts in India, with 15 wickets from seven matches. The rest of the bowlers have limited experience of playing against India.

Australia’s frontline bowlers v India

Player	Overs	Wickets	Average	Economy rate
Brett Lee	128.4	31	17.70	4.26
Nathan Bracken	65.0	15	17.66	4.07
Brad Hogg	57.0	5	58.00	5.08
Mitchell Johnson	12.0	5	8.80	3.66
Stuart Clark	9.0	2	25.00	5.55

Australia’s part-time bowlers also have done well against India, with Andrew Symonds picking up 20 wickets at 35.70, while Michael Clarke has nine wickets at an impressive 23.66.PartnershipsAustralia’s domination since 2000 in matches in India can be attributed to the success of their batsmen, with the partnerships for the first three wickets averaging over 50.

Australia v India partnerships (last 10 matches in India)

Wicket	Australia average	India average
First	61.80	29.80
Second	52.10	73.00
Third	80.00	45.90

In the last ten matches against India in India, Australia average a high 44.30 against India, who manage 30.91.Batting first/second
Australia have a better record against the hosts while batting first in India, having managed to defend a target in four matches since 2000. In the six matches that they batted second, they have a 3-3 win/loss record, indicating India’s chances of a win increase while batting first. Following are the overall records for both the teams when they have played each other in India:

Batting first advantage

Australia batting first/second	Australia won	India won	NR
First	7	5	1
Second	8	7	2

Statistical highlights from the first Test between South Africa and New Zealand in Johannesburg

Mathew Varghese and HR Gopalakrishna11-Nov-2007

Dale Steyn had a great outing at the Wanderers © AFP
Dale Steyn finished with match-figures of 10 for 93, his first ten-wicket haul in Tests. His 5 for 34 in New Zealand’s first innings was his best in a Test innings. Steyn now has taken a five-for on five occasions, his first coming in the first Test of New Zealand’s previous tour of South Africa. He has 26 wickets in four Tests against New Zealand, averaging below 20 per wicket. The 358-run win is South Africa’s biggest [in terms of runs] in Tests, eclipsing their 356-run victory against England at Lord’s in 1994. It’s also New Zealand’s worst margin of defeat [in terms of runs]. They had lost by 299 runs against Pakistan in 2001. Jacques Kallis became the first South African and the eighth batsman overall to complete 9000 Test runs. Kallis is also the leading run-scorer in New Zealand-South Africa Tests, with four centuries, ahead of Jackie McGlew’s three. Kallis’s 186 is also the highest score by a South African at the Wanderers. With his unbeaten 174, Hashim Amla bettered his previous-best of 149, also against New Zealand, in Cape Town. Amla and Kallis added 330 runs for the third wicket, the highest partnership for any wicket in Tests involving both teams, 15 more than the 315-run stand between Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs in Christchurch in 1999. It is also South Africa’s highest partnership at the Wanderers. New Zealand’s first-innings total of 118 is also the lowest by a visiting team at the Wanderers. Four of New Zealand’s lowest totals in Tests against South Africa have come in Johannesburg. New Zealand’s openers managed scores of 16 and 12 in Johannesburg. The side has struggled in that aspect in recent years, having failed to get past the 100-run mark for the first wicket in 34 innings. The last time they did so was in June 2004 against England, when Stephen Fleming and Mark Richardson opened the innings. The two managed 94 in the second innings of that match; since then New Zealand’s openers have averaged 24.62 for the first wicket, with a best of 61. Daniel Vettori’s stint as New Zealand’s Test captain couldn’t have got off to a worse possible start, compounded by the fact that South Africa’s batsmen have done well against him. He has picked up 17 wickets at a whopping 70.17 in ten Tests against South Africa. Vettori went wicketless in South Africa’s second innings. He finished with 116 runs from 37 overs, the most number of runs he’s conceded and overs he’s bowled without taking a wicket in a Test innings. Chris Martin bagged a pair in Tests for the fifth time, which is a record. Martin has six ducks against South Africa in nine Tests, four of which has come in three Tests at the Wanderers. However, Martin more than makes up with his bowling against South Africa, with 42 wickets at a strike-rate of 45.

The next time people start talking about New Zealand as favourites, Daniel Vettori might just want to tell them to shut up

Andrew McGlashan at Old Trafford26-May-2008

	Daniel Vettori watched as the second Test slipped away from New Zealand.’It’s a pretty disappointing feeling in our dressing room at the moment’ © Getty Images

The next time people start talking about New Zealand as favourites, Daniel Vettori might just want to tell them to shut up. It certainly doesn’t seem to suit his troops to have their chances built up, even when they have secured a first-innings of 179 on a turning pitch. Vettori admitted that the six-wicket defeat at Old Trafford was “a tough pill to swallow”, as the dynamic, incisive cricket of the opening two-and-half-days was replaced by a horrendous batting collapse and ragged fielding display.Even with England 76 for 1 overnight there were positive vibes from the New Zealand camp that the pitch would offer them enough to force victory. However, the surface was far more placid and New Zealand’s bowlers couldn’t maintain their disciplines. “When you turn up on the fourth day and have high expectations of winning, to see the game dragged away from you it’s a pretty disappointing feeling in our dressing room at the moment,” Vettori said.This isn’t the first time in recent history that New Zealand put England on the ropes. It happened twice in the preceding series after the home side had taken a 1-0 lead in Hamilton. England were rocking on 136 for 5 in Wellington, before Paul Collingwood and Tim Ambrose turned the match around. Then, in Napier, New Zealand lost 9 for 65 against an inspired Ryan Sidebottom.After their equally rapid demise of 7 for 29 at Old Trafford, it is becoming apparent that they don’t know how to nail the opposition while they are down. The same charge has been laid at England’s door, too, but they have just been able to find that little extra, in three out of the last four Tests, when it has mattered.”Our third innings has let us down for a period of time, whether it’s with bat or ball, and unfortunately in this game it was with the bat,” Vettori said. “I’m not sure if you can put it down to being bad frontrunners. I think it’s down to not assessing situations. We talk quite hard about staying calm and not worrying about outcomes, just realising the more runs we put on the board the more pressure goes on England. Unfortunately we got caught up in losing a couple of wickets and tried to hit our way out of it.”The disappointment was clear in Vettori’s voice. This was a gilt-edged chance for an unfancied New Zealand team to cause a major upset. It was when that realisation dawned on them that the panic began to set it. Although 294 should have been a tough chase, England had already received a vital boost by rolling the visitors for such a small total second time around.”You always lose a little bit of momentum when your batting folds the way it did,” Vettori said. “To be bowled out for 114 hurts, but when we set out we thought with 294, if we could get through their top three or four, we knew there were some guys who hadn’t had runs in a while, and a tail we were confident of getting out. You sit back and think you can do it. But a couple of their guys stepped up and played really well.”Vettori claimed 5 for 66 in the first innings, ripping and fizzing the ball throughout his spell. However, there was far less joy for him second time around after England’s use of the heavy roller, while Vettori also didn’t seem to have quite the same spark. The captain knew New Zealand’s chances of success rested on his shoulders. “Yesterday’s conditions were almost perfect for bowling spin, it had sharp turn,” he said. “Today only towards the end of the second session did it start to liven up a bit. I think we have all acknowledged that was down to the heavy roller and England’s assessment of conditions. So you have to give Michael Vaughan credit for that.”I think we got a little carried away with the fact that the wicket was doing as much so we went searching. That’s not our strength, which is to bowl maidens, build up pressure and see what happens. We perhaps got a little frustrated that the wicket wasn’t doing as much today.”New Zealand weren’t helped by two untimely injuries during the match, the first sending Daniel Flynn off to hospital after a nasty blow in his mouth from James Anderson, and the second when Jacob Oram hurt his shoulder before the third day’s play. The batting order was altered for the second innings, but Vettori refused to make excuses. “It’s all on us, not the injuries.”Vettori now faces the task of motivating his players ahead of the final Test at Trent Bridge. They have a warm-up match against Northamptonshire first, and Vettori is grateful there is time to regroup. “I think if we rolled around into a Test three days later there would be some guys who are still reeling from this loss,” he said. “Hopefully that game will be a chance to get a few things out of the system and work on a few things. Then we can come to Trent Bridge and hopefully square the series. We still know that if we square the series it’s been a good result for us.”For the first half of this match New Zealand were in control, which is what makes the final outcome even harder to accept. Ross Taylor’s 154 was a thrilling innings and the captain himself showed what a craftsman he is with the ball. However, those thoughts were a long way from Vettori’s mind as he was left pondering what might have been. “We lost a game we should have won. Taylor was magnificent and the way Iain O’Brien bowled into the wind stood out, but I don’t think they matter to anyone at the moment.”

A new year comes with the same problems despite all the resolutions and promises of change

Peter English at the SCG03-Jan-2009

	Matthew Hayden’s self-belief is no longer enough when weighed down by slowing reflexes © PA Photos

A new year comes with the same problems despite all the resolutions and promises of change. Like giving up smoking on the first day of the year, the fresh start is often false. Australia’s opening hour was full of promise from Simon Katich and Matthew Hayden, but nothing was the same after the first stop for a drink.On a day when Cricket Australia’s chairman Jack Clarke defended his players by saying they “deserve and have earned our respect”, the most senior batsmen followed the pattern of the opening defeats to South Africa and left the side in increasingly familiar discomfort. A significant change in direction does not occur from talk, good intentions or a return to familiar patterns. So Matthew Hayden remains a selector’s headshake away from having his career ended and the first day of the team’s 2009 revival went the same way as the end of 2008, finishing at an insecure 6 for 267.Hayden has been great as an opener because he has refused to bow to opening bowlers and has stuck to his method when in form or out. At 37 altering the approach is impossible and he is suffering because of it. Old openers don’t do new tricks, especially against such a formidable opponent, and his self-belief is no longer enough when weighed down by slowing reflexes.If Hayden wants to play a shot he will. A couple of close fielders on the off side and a man at mid-off may put him off for a few overs, or a few moments, but he will still try to pierce the defence. It’s his will to beat the ball and the tactics. He drove at Makhaya Ntini before lunch and it fell short of mid-off. He was fortunate, as he hadn’t been in Perth and Melbourne, and continued attempting to hold on to his innings and his place.After lunch Hayden and Michael Hussey, another consistent performer suffering from a summer without spark, started more positively. Hayden stuck a firm boundary off the back foot in the first over back before Hussey followed with a sharp cover drive for four in the next. They were the shots of composed batsmen and the hope from the stands was that they had re-discovered their old selves. Then Hayden started attempting to play by leaning back without moving his feet, swinging through the off side without success. He tried it enough times to know he should stop, but didn’t.With Dale Steyn operating from around the wicket, a plan which has worked well against Hayden throughout the series, the batsman had another go at perfecting the shot. This time he hit it, but the inside edge went on to the stumps instead of in front of point. After almost three hours Hayden was gone for 31 and Australia were 3 for 109. Old players who waste their starts quickly become former players.Hussey, whose spot is not in danger even though the 30 was his highest score of the series, will be relieved that he was able to hit through cover and pull with confidence. However, his push at Paul Harris, leading to a catch at first slip, showed his tentativeness had not departed. It is a shame seeing Hussey in such confusion, but he is in a rut while Hayden is camped in a valley. What the dismissals could not hide was that Australia needed more from their most experienced batsmen after Ricky Ponting’s first-ball exit.Michael Clarke is in the processing of gaining the senior tag and the way he has varied his batting pace over the summer has shown a player who will soon average more than 50. Most of the time he knows when a flourish or a dead bat is needed and while it means the excitement of four years ago is reduced, the effectiveness has increased to the point where he can now save the side or speed it away.His unbeaten 73 took his summer collection to four fifties and a hundred, making him the side’s most consistent batsman. Clarke, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson, two other men for the future, lifted Australia from the damage caused by their elders. It is still not a strong position and if something isn’t working it is either fixed or a new model is sought. The sooner the selectors realise this with Hayden the quicker they are likely to gain some respect.

History is written by the victors and this year South Africa have madeso many alterations to the accepted version that the past is nowirrelevant

Brydon Coverdale in Perth21-Dec-2008
The chase was so well calculated that it even allowedde Villiers to reach his century in the dying stages and Duminy tofinish with an invaluable unbeaten 50 on debut © PA Photos
History is written by the victors and this year South Africa have madeso many alterations to the accepted version that the past is nowirrelevant. Their brilliant chase of 414, orchestrated by their twoyoungest batsmen, AB de Villiers and JP Duminy, proved again that notarget is out of reach these days and that despite what Australiawanted to believe, South Africa hold no demons from past failures.They are two matches from potentially climbing the biggest mountain inworld cricket. Apparently, 2008 is the international year of the frogand it could well finish with South Africa poised to leap overAustralia and into the top position on the world Test rankings. Wins inthe remaining two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney will get them thereand on the evidence displayed at the WACA, and with Australia to visitSouth Africa in February, it will be only a matter of time.The key difference in this South African side compared to the olderversions is their self-belief. Australia have daunted South Africa somuch over the years that had Mitchell Johnson’s eight-wicket haul comein a previous series the team’s confidence would have been shattered.But the calmness of the captain Graeme Smith and the coach MickeyArthur has rubbed off on this unit and the way they fought back torestrict Australia to 319 in the second innings was the key.”There’s only really one statement that stands out in the game,” Smithsaid. “If we didn’t rock up on the day after Mitchell’s spell and bowlas well as we did, put that statement in place that we’re here andwe’re not going away, then we wouldn’t be sitting here today.”Smith was the hero when his team chased down 281 to win at Edgbaston this year, which gave them their first series victory in England for 43 years. He again made a century in this triumph, the second-highestchase of all time, which he was still struggling to comprehend afterthe match.”We’ve had such an incredible last year and a half,” Smith said.”Victories in the subcontinent, in England, a really big victory atEdgbaston, which was very emotional. But I think the emotions that wefelt through this game, where we were and the way we came back,everyone has contributed so from that perspective it’s got to be agreat Test win for South Africa. It’s got to go up there with my bestwins ever.”Smith was underplaying the significance of the victory slightly. Avisiting South African journalist said the win would rank alongsideany of the nation’s sporting achievements and it’s hard to disagree.The enormity of the chase was one thing but defying the trend betweenthe two sides made it all the more exhilarating. South Africa’s mostrecent two wins against Australia had come in dead rubbers in Durban in 2001-02 and Centurion in 1996-97. Only once since readmission hadthey prevailed in Australia.
The key difference in this South African side compared to the older versions is their self-belief © Getty Images
It was the perfect chase, every bit as impressive as India’s 387 inChennai last week, not the least because it was away from home againstthe world’s top-ranked team. It began with Smith and Hashim Amlabuilding a platform, continued with de Villiers and Jacques Kallis reeling thetarget to within sight and culminated in de Villiers and Duminycompleting the order. It was so well calculated that it even allowedde Villiers to reach his century in the dying stages and Duminy tofinish with an invaluable unbeaten 50 on debut.Both men thoroughly deserved the milestones and it completed theirremarkable journey from the Under-11 tournaments they used to playagainst each other. They have taken different paths to the top, deVilliers being rushed into the side at 20 and being tried in justabout every position over 47 Tests; and Duminy waiting on the fringes andwatching enviously until a thumb injury to Ashwell Prince opened up aspot in this match.When de Villiers was last seen in Australia in 2005-06 he was beingtested as an opener and made a couple of promising half-centuries butwas still learning on the job. He has matured immensely since thenand, much like the string of brilliant catches he took during thematch, he wasn’t about to let this game slip through his hands. Therewas no streakiness and apart from a drive that just cleared mid-on,barely any half-chances.He had come to the crease with 235 runs still required and but thetarget wasn’t weighing on his mind. Small goals were set andpartnerships were built, first with Kallis and then with Duminy. Thecentury took care of itself and he celebrated enthusiastically when itcame, not so much because of his score but because he had helped histeam set up what by then was a certain victory.”It was never really an issue if I get a hundred or not against theAussies,” de Villiers said. “It was just important to get throughtoday. It’s more important to win a Test match over here than get myown hundred. But it’s done and it’s great to have gotten a hundred andwin the Test match in one game. It’s an amazing feeling and it’s adream come true for me.”At 24, the men are younger than all of Australia’s players bar PeterSiddle, who was born in the same year. That it has taken South Africaseveral years to build this side should not be lost on Australia, whoare battling to balance struggling stars with new men still findingtheir feet. Australia have written the script between these sides forso long that it is hard to imagine a new author. Within the nextfortnight, South Africa could write their own names into the historybooks.

A few errors aside, a tasty biography of the legspinner who discovered the flipper – and the cost of irking The Don

David Frith02-May-2009

The question: was Clarrie Grimmett as good as Shane Warne? Most of us at some stage have asserted that the outrageous Warne must surely be the greatest wrist-spinner of all, perhaps partly out of gratitude for his role in retrieving the golden art of spin bowling as it teetered on the brink of extinction two decades ago.Then came revised thinking: what about Bill O’Reilly and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar… and CV Grimmett, the New Zealand-born Australian who, already 33 before given his break in Test cricket, spun his way to a then unique 200th Test wicket, averaging six per Test match, until the selectors pensioned him off soon after he had taken 44 wickets in a series in South Africa? He was then 44 – and fit.This was the little chap who dismissed Bradman 10 times. He had also upset him with some frank remarks, which probably proved costly. Had “Grum”, “The Gnome”, “Scarlet” (take your pick) played as many Tests as Warne and maintained his strike-rate, he would have bagged 870 wickets.Grimmett deserves a biography. He himself wrote books concerned mainly with technical matters. Ashley Mallett, Australian offspinner from 1968 to 1980 with 132 wickets in 38 Tests, brings a broader approach to this reworking of his own earlier book. It is lavishly illustrated, thanks to Grimmett’s careful archiving (the files passed to his son), and the unconventional approach to the story makes for unpredictability in its telling. Obscure facts – such as the tale of the heavy battery box that fell and just missed him during his Test debut (11 wickets) at the SCG in 1925, and his Roman Catholic upbringing – keep popping up, and there are many departures from the main theme.If anything, the Test series are dealt with rather too superficially, the reports slightly marred by the author’s obsession with the expression “clean bowled”. Some of those dismissals might surely have been off the pad or bat’s edge?Mallett, who was coached by Grimmett in the 1960s for $6.50 an hour, believes nobody has ever pondered more deeply about his art or worked on it at the nets more intently. Among other things, Grimmett invented the flipper.Figures are not everything, but further reasoning, mainly about the batting opposition on offer in different generations, gingers up the debate. So too does the reiteration of Grimmett’s lack of respect for Bradman. He once called him a “bloody squib” after deciding that The Don had shown funk against the raging fast man Ernie McCormick in a Sheffield Shield match. People tended to pay the price for provoking or insulting Australian cricket’s supreme figure. Frank Ward became Grimmett’s Test replacement, and the debate will go on forever over whether Ward, as Bradman insisted, was a better bet than the veteran.Grimmett apparently never bowled a no-ball in his life, but the author and publisher have let a few slip through. It is hard not to wince when Ranji is confused with Duleep, Jack Hearne becomes “George” and the Trott brothers are mixed up. Nor did Claude Corbett originate the term “Bodyline” or Karl Schneider die from TB. As for “Charles” Fleetwood-Smith, the author must subconsciously have had a certain aviator in mind. Very tasty volume otherwise.Scarlet: Clarrie Grimmett – Test Cricketer
by Ashley Mallett
The Cricket Publishing Company, hb, 280pp, £18

How well Vettori performed, and how well his team followed

Sambit Bal in Johannesburg04-Oct-2009Like the team that he has fashioned in his image, there is nothing flash about Daniel Vettori. Neither is there any posturing. After leading his injury-ravaged team to the Champions Trophy final, Vettori said the value of captaincy was over-rated. “It’s about leading by the performance,” he said. “My team will follow if I perform.”How well he performed, and how well his team followed. New Zealand’s performance wasn’t as grand as Australia’s yesterday, and Vettori’s own didn’t have the epic feel that Ricky Ponting’s hundred carried, but the sum of his contribution was far more valuable to his team.Vettori doesn’t stir the senses, but there is air about him. It’s of self-assurance and poise. From his fingers, the ball doesn’t hiss, spit and turn extravagantly. He doesn’t bedazzle or spook his victims. But he is a crafty and subtle bowler, who has been among the most outstanding ODI spinners of his age. Only Muttiah Muralitharan among the current spinners has a better economy rate than him, and in an age of batting orgies, it can be counted by the fingertips how many times he has been taken for more than six runs an over.And in his relaxed, unfussy style, he was hard to get away again. As always, there were no magic balls, but an honest length and subtle variations in line and trajectory. Vettori was lucky with Umar Akmal’s wicket for the umpire failed to see the deflection off the bat. But he got his opposite number with a lovely one: the drift got Younis Khan trying to reach out to dab it on the leg-side, and the turn caught the leading edge. It looked like a soft dismissal, but the mistake had been induced.Vettori’s fast bowlers had started well, denying the batsmen width and keeping them pinned to the crease with bounce. Vettori made sure that the leash was never loosened. Pakistan had been in a similar situation against India earlier in the tournament, but had had found easy runs in the middle over. Only twice did Pakistan manage to touch a run-rate of five, in the first and the 12th overs, and never did they go beyond it. Almost unobtrusively, Vettori managed to get seven overs out of James Franklin as he held the strings at the other end.With the bat, his contribution was even more precious. Pakistan are the masters of breaking open the wall when they find a little opening, and Ross Taylor had provided them a huge one with a ridiculously ill-chosen cut to a full and hurrying ball from Shahid Afridi whom he had just clubbed for six. It felt that this was the moment Pakistan would siege.Vettori denied them cussedly. He had chosen to come out ahead of Neil Broom, a specialist batsman, and it was apparent why. He was the man with the nerve. Runs came in little dabs and cuts, but never did they dry up while Vettori was batting. Grant Elliott, playing with a broken and numb thumb, was struggling to put them away but there was never any panic. The asking rate crossed seven, but the batting Powerplay remained.

It wasn’t a very memorable 40, but it was an outstanding 75Vettori on Grant Elliott’s innings

When it was taken, Vettori was the one to lead the charge. Saeed Ajmal was swung past mid-on for four, Mohammed Aamer was driven down the ground for another and Naved-ul-Hasan was swung over midwicket. Then, out of nowhere, Elliott found an explosive release and a 16-run over from Umar Gul sealed the match. “It wasn’t a very memorable 40,” Vettori said about Elliott’s innings, “but it was an outstanding 75.”Perhaps the scorecard will tell us the story. That no New Zealand bowler went for over five-and-half an over and none of their batsmen were dismissed in single figures points to the fact the team never the let the match slip away from their grasp. Pakistan under-performed, and as Younis Khan, candid in defeat, admitted, that dropped catch when Elliott was on 42 might haunt him forever. But nothing should not detract from the fact that New Zealand did what they needed to. It was an utterly professional performance that has taken them, the perennial semi-finalists, to one match from their second Champions Trophy win.It was New Zealand’s third successive win, and Vettori spoke about the importance of entering the semi-final on a high. It was also the third time New Zealand had entered the match as the unfancied team and won comfortably. The final will be no different: Australia will be the favourites to win, but New Zealand will not beat themselves.”I hope we have one more good match is us,” Vettori said. That will be an apt finish to a tournament of delightful surprises.

The Kanpur win makes India the sixth team to win 100 Tests

S Rajesh27-Nov-2009There was plenty to celebrate for India after their comprehensive victory against Sri Lanka in the second Test in Kanpur. The win is their third-biggest in Tests (among innings wins), and they became the sixth team to record 100 Test wins. They’ve reached there in 432 matches, with 68 win in 221 home Tests. Their success factor overseas is much lower – 32 wins in 211 matches.

Home-and-away break-up of India’s 100 wins

TestsWonLostDrawnW-L ratioHome22168481041.41Away2113288910.36Total4321001361950.73Among the six teams, India’s journey has taken the most number of Tests. Australia’s first 100 wins took them only 199 games, while England got there in 241, but both teams had the advantage of being the early movers in Test cricket. West Indies, South Africa and Pakistan needed more time, but even Pakistan got there in 320 games, 112 fewer than India.

Tests taken forteams to get 100 wins

AustraliaEnglandWest IndiesSouth AfricaPakistanIndia199241266310320432The relative slowness of India’s journey is largely because they gathered winning momentum only in the 2000s – during the current decade they’ve won 39 out of 102 matches, a healthy 38%. It’s more than double their winning percentage in all the other decades put together – before 2000 India had won 61 out of 330, or 18.48%. The 2000s is also the first time India have won more Tests than they’ve lost in a decade – their win-loss ratio is 1.44. Their earlier best was 18 wins and 20 losses in the 1990s, and 17-19 in the 1970s.

India’s journey to 100 Test wins

PeriodTestsWonLostDrawnW-L ratio1930s & 40s2001190.001950s44617210.351960s52921220.421970s641719280.891980s811121480.521990s691820310.902000s1023927361.44An even bigger difference is the way India have performed overseas during this period. Before 2000 they had a miserable record of 13 wins in 155 Tests, and a win-loss ratio of 0.18. Since 2000, their record has improved dramatically, with a win-loss ratio of 1. During this period, they’ve won at least one Test in every overseas country.

India in overseas Tests

PeriodTestsWonLostDrawnW-L ratioBefore 20001551369730.18In the 2000s561919181.00The win is India’s sixth at the Green Park in Kanpur, which makes it one of their most successful venues.For Sri Lanka, on the other hand, it was an entirely forgettable game. They’ve suffered more comprehensive defeats four times, but this is the worst loss against India. Their record in India drops further, to nine defeats and seven draws in 16 Tests. Australia and South Africa are the other countries in which Sri Lanka are yet to win a Test.

Graham Onions had seen it all before as he strode out at No. 11 with a
Test match to save

Andrew McGlashan07-Jan-2010Graham Onions had seen it all before as he strode out at No. 11 with a
Test match to save, and duly guided England to a draw for the second
time in three Tests. However, Andrew Strauss admitted being less
confident in his last man, despite Onions’ heroics at Centurion three
weeks ago.”I was feeling pretty comfortable until Graham went in there,” Strauss
said, which brought a smile from his fast bowler sat opposite. “But he
did a great job again. I always feel that as batsmen we should
apologise to him for having put him in that situation.”One minute Onions was watching Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood guide
England to safety, the next he was the man in the firing line as he withstood
a hostile Morne Morkel. He came within a whisker of gloving the
penultimate ball of the match to the keeper, but TV replays confirmed it had
brushed his shirt after the South Africans reviewed in desperation.
The final ball then sailed harmlessly by off stump, before Onions punched the air and embraced with Graeme Swann.”I thought Ian and Paul Collingwood got us into a fantastic position
and with 10 overs to go I was thinking ‘I’m quite happy with my
trainers on and nothing to worry about’,” Onions said. “All of a sudden a
few wickets fell and I was next into bat.”Onions faced 11 balls in total as he and Swann survived the final 17
deliveries of a pulsating Test after South Africa had created a late
chance to level the series. Having survived the last over against
Makhaya Ntini at Centurion, Onions rated his efforts of fending off
Morkel a greater achievement.”It was a lot worse waiting to go into bat than actually being out
there,” he said. But it was just great again to eventually get that
draw, as it felt a lot tougher. I felt in control of the situation but it was
definitely harder than the one in the first Test.”A lot of credit should go to their bowlers, I’m a massive admirer of
Dale Steyn and I think he ran in and bowled so many overs. Hats off to
both him and Morkel. He’s a great bowler and I’m just thankful I
managed to block it out again.”Onions nickname within the team is ‘Bunny’, one of the more original
efforts going around as it relates to bunions, not batting ability. Which is just as well, because he is proving far from a rabbit with the bat and it makes all the extra work in the
nets worthwhile when a bowler can help save a Test. It’s not as if
South Africa will need any more irking at the moment, but they won’t
like to hear that Onions’ batting ‘buddy’ is none other than Jonathan
Trott.”I’ve been a lot of work with Phil Neale and my throw-down buddy
Jonathon Trott has been doing a lot of technical stuff with me and
just generally giving me a lot of confidence especially for days like
these,” Onions said. “I like to think I’ve prepared myself for days
like these. Obviously, I’m not going to lie – I’d rather not be in
that position, I’d rather see Belly see us through because he played
so well. But to get a draw is the most important thing.”Even though the series now can’t be lost for England, Strauss wants to
ensure that England don’t let South Africa off the hook in the final
Test at the Wanderers. Although the Ashes victory will retain a
special place in the hearts and minds of this squad, a win or draw next
week will secure their most notable success since the 2005 Ashes when
the Australians were near their peak.”It’s nice to know they can’t win it. But ultimately, we came here to
win this series and we’re in a great position to do that,” Strauss
said. “We’ll step on to that plane home pretty unhappy with ourselves
if we allow them back in now.”We understand we’ve got to be better than we were in this game at the
Wanderers. But we’re also quite buoyed by the fact we’re 1-0 up and
have a great opportunity to finish it off, come next week.”