Alec Bedser was an impressive figure of a man, and his feats with the ball were befittingly large

David Frith05-Apr-2010The first thing that struck you about Alec Bedser (who died on Sunday) was his mighty build. It was those huge feet and beefy shoulders that carried England’s bowling, usually with quite slim support, from the post-war resumption of Test cricket in 1946 through until the 1954-55 triumph in Australia. By then he was 36, brought low by shingles, and overtaken by the faster, younger Tyson and Statham in captain Len Hutton’s estimation.Bedser was medium-fast, accurate, and a master of variation in the SF Barnes tradition. The ball looked like a snooker ball in his giant hand. He could cut it and seam it, the most lethal delivery the one that curved to leg very late, then spat back to take off stump. That was the ball which, to groans from the stands, sank Don Bradman for a duck at Adelaide in 1947. Unburdened by false modesty, Alec readily spoke with justifiable pride at how he had taken the great Australian’s wicket in five consecutive Test innings, twice in the 1948 Trent Bridge Test with late induckers that resulted in catches to leg slip. His wicketkeepers – Arthur McIntyre for Surrey and Godfrey Evans for England – stood up to him because he was so accurate.My first sight of him was during the 1950-51 Sydney Test, when England had two bowlers out of action, and Alec toiled through 43 eight-ball overs to finish with 4 for 107. Given more favourable conditions, as at Trent Bridge 16 months later, he took 14 for 99 on a damp surface, the start of a record-breaking series (39 wickets at 17.48) with a perfect ending for Hutton’s England band: the recapture of the Ashes after 19 years.Bedser the Lionheart, who had begun his 51-Test career in 1946 with 11 wickets against India in each of his first two Tests, finished with a then world record tally of 236 (24.89). He was just as proud of this landmark as he was scornful of anything he perceived as substandard, either in terms of talent or behaviour. He could even get grumpy at a dinner if a speech didn’t meet his essential requirements.

He was scornful of anything he perceived as substandard, either in terms of talent or behaviour. He could even get grumpy at a dinner if a speech didn’t meet his essential requirements

A glance at some of his figures in his early Test matches reveals how hard he worked: 2 for 159 in Brisbane, 1 for 153 in Sydney, 6 for 275 in Melbourne during his first Ashes series (1946-47) – punishing experiences that left him undaunted, though he was to spare himself some of the winter tours. Had he not done so, it is unlikely that he would have lasted as long as he did. In old age he could not refrain from sneering at the large cash returns for bowlers who delivered four overs in a Twenty20 match. His viewpoint simply brooked no argument.Born in Reading, Berkshire on July 4, 1918, Alec Victor Bedser had an almost identical twin, Eric, 10 minutes older. They were practically inseparable through life, until the death in 2006 of Eric, who was a formidable batsman/offspinner for Surrey. They served in the RAF Police during the Second World War, sometimes swapping guard duty without detection. On the beach at Dunkirk during the evacuation in May 1940, had they been a few feet closer to each other in the sand as a German aircraft machine-gunned the helpless British troops, they would both have been killed. It was said that when Alec lost six pounds in body weight after toiling through a baking hot day’s play in Adelaide, Eric, who had been sitting in the stand as a spectator, sympathetically shed almost as much.The Surrey team of the 1950s was probably as strong a non-Test team as the world has known. With batsmen such as Peter May, Ken Barrington and Micky Stewart, bowlers Jim Laker, Tony Lock, Peter Loader and the Bedser brothers, wicketkeeper McIntyre, and the overpowering captain Stuart Surridge at the helm, the county took the Championship seven summers running. AV Bedser had much about which to feel proud.Later he wrote occasional tour books and newspaper columns in his no-frills style, and continued to devote almost every waking hour to cricket, serving on committees at Lord’s, for many years as chairman of selectors, and as tour manager. His knighthood brought with it the predictable wry remark that the last to be knighted had been Sir Francis Drake in the 16th Century.One of his last “public” appearances was at the 2008 Wisden dinner in London, where he presented Ryan Sidebottom with his special as a Cricketer of the Year. That thick looked quite small in the giant’s hand, but the voice was now quavering with age and the frail “legend” had to be helped to his feet. Nor was the voice as resonant as it had once been. But the old sergeant-major view of life showed yet again as he said, with a perceivable twinkle in that rheumy old eye, “I’ll let you have this book if you get yer ‘air cut!”

Use your bowlers well, pick the best batting line-up, and keep an eye on the time-outs and over rates

Aakash Chopra08-Apr-2010Adam Gilchrist said earlier this week that as the game gets shorter, the role of the captain is getting bigger. Nothing could describe the Twenty20 situation better.Why is leading a Twenty20 side different and more difficult than leading in other formats? Cricket played over five days or spread over two 50-overs innings should logically be far more taxing than the slam-bang three-hour Twenty20. Well, Twenty20 defies logic time and again, for it isn’t a thinking man’s game; which is not to say that you don’t need to be smart to play it.Not too long ago, just as this format was beginning to gain popularity, players tended to treat Twenty20s like ODIs. In the 50-over format the best bowlers are kept for the Powerplay and the death overs, under the assumption that batsmen are most aggressive during these periods. The other bowlers are reserved for the middle overs, when the batsmen are expected to go a little easy. But when applied to Twenty20, this strategy failed. With eight an over considered par, and the luxury of being able to lose 10 wickets over 20 overs, batsmen remain on the offensive all through.Bowling changes
It’s no longer mandatory to give your best bowler the first over. In fact, it’s often smart to start with a part-time bowler, since most batsmen take at least a couple of deliveries to gauge the pace and bounce of the track. But you must know the batsmen’s strengths and pick the bowlers accordingly. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to start with a spinner against David Warner, who is usually more comfortable against pace.Also, you need to not get carried away by an economical first over, because the same bowler can go for plenty in his next. Batsmen tend to size up the bowler in his first few deliveries and mark their scoring areas for the next over. More often than not, the second over is more important than the first, so that should be bowled by your best medium-pacer.Rotating your bowlers in the first six overs will work if your bowlers are comfortable bowling one- or two-over spells. Shane Warne does it successfully, often using up to five different bowlers in the first seven overs without letting the batsmen get away. Gautam Gambhir used Daniel Vettori and Amit Mishra to counter Bangalore’s overseas openers in the first six overs. It’s like a game of chess, where you try to preempt the opposition’s moves. At times you let the opposition score in the first six overs because you think it will be easier to pull things back once the ball gets old, and on other occasions you stifle the batsmen at the top to create pressure.There are no foolproof methods to succeed, so you have to go with hunches. One wrong choice can change the momentum of the game. Brett Lee went for 25 in an over against Bangalore and Cameron White 19 in his solitary over against Delhi. A captain makes more bowling changes in a Twenty20 than he would in a 50-over game. You can always recover from a bad over in an ODI, but in a Twenty20 it is 5% of the innings and can cost you the game.In terms of bowling, captains also have to keep in mind the hefty fines they can be slapped with for slow over-rates.Batting line-up
Deciding the batting order isn’t easy in Twenty20s. When do you send in your best striker? Warne uses Yusuf Pathan according to the demands of the situation and Tendulkar has done the same with Kieron Pollard. It’s tempting to give the big hitters the chance to get the most strike, but it may not always be the wise option. Bangalore have assigned Kallis the sheet-anchor’s role, and given the rest the licence to go berserk around him. Most other teams haven’t done the same. Kings XI Punjab tried to give Ravi Bopara the same role but he never had in-form hitters around him.

A captain makes more bowling changes in a Twenty20 than he would in a 50-over game. You can always recover from a bad over in an ODI, but in a Twenty20 it is 5% of the innings and can cost you the game

The captain also has to pick the right overseas players for every game. He’s usually spoilt for choice and it must be tempting to want players like Tillakaratne Dilshan or Sanath Jayasuriya in the XI even when they aren’t in form, and difficult to leave out someone like Dale Steyn.Changing the field
The captain and the bowlers need to work out the fielding positions for every delivery: get third man inside the circle for a slower one, have mid-off in the circle for a bouncer. Bowlers need to assume leadership and the wicketkeeper and the fielders must chip in too, because it’s hard for the captain to keep tabs on everything. The keeper is often assigned the role of getting the fielders in the right positions. In the match against Bangalore, Gambhir didn’t notice there were only three fielders inside the circle, but the keeper, Dinesh Karthik, stopped the game to get a player in.But there is still more to leading a Twenty2O side, particularly in the IPL. You have to know and remember the strengths of all your players, understand their temperaments, and how they will react to different situations in the middle.The time-outs
We have seen teams lose momentum and falter after the breaks. Fielding captains can use the time-outs to their advantage – as the batsmen tend to take a few deliveries to get back into the groove – and slip in an over from a part-time bowler.The teams that try to continue playing the way they did before the break often pay dearly. Mumbai lost two wickets against Deccan in the over after the break.I wonder if Yuvraj Singh and Brendon McCullum will really complain about having lost the captaincy of their sides. It’s certainly not an enviable job. Most captains will have aged a bit by the time the IPL ends.

England encountered more problems than they’d anticipated against Bangladesh, but the scoreline was emphatic in the end. Cricinfo assesses the team’s individual performances

Andrew McGlashan07-Jun-2010Andrew Strauss – 7
It was important for the England captain to reassert his authority on and off the field having watched the side claim the World Twenty20, especially having missed the Bangladesh tour. A brace of 80s at Lord’s showed his batting was in reasonable working order despite a slow start for Middlesex and the team appeared to have no problems reacquainting themselves with his leadership. He initially gave Steven Finn the wrong end at Lord’s, but that was more due to James Anderson’s preferences, and some of his field placings were too negative. As he admitted at Lord’s, he was a touch rusty after his break, but all the faculties still work.Alastair Cook – 6Having filled in successfully as captain in Bangladesh, Cook endured a strange start to the international season, as he received a couple of dodgy (but not shocking) lbw decisions in the first Test before edging softly to slip having look in decent touch at Old Trafford. Didn’t have much to do in the field, but was often seen consulting with Strauss as he dipped into the experience he’d gained during the winter.Jonathan Trott – 8Rarely can a player have hit a double century and gained such split reviews. A major criticism of England batsmen is a lack of big hundreds so Trott’s 226 at Lord’s was an ideal start to the summer, but his mannerisms and mindset dominated the debate. His process at the crease is extraordinary and annoyed the Bangladesh coach as it had the South Africans in the winter, but it was hard to argue with the end product even though he went into his shell after making 175 of his runs on the first day of the series. Received a good ball at Old Trafford, but the bowlers cottoned onto rushing him a little more. Will remain a talking point all season.Kevin Pietersen – 6This was always unlikely to be a series that would stir great deeds from Pietersen after his Man-of-the-Tournament performance in the Caribbean and the birth of his son. He twice fell to Shakib Al Hasan to make it 17 dismissals against left-arm spinners, but both times his departure owed more to his desire to dominate than any major technical failings. An important direct-hit to remove Tamim Iqbal at Lord’s showed the value of all England’s fielding work, but there is a sense that KP was saving himself for greater challenges.Ian Bell – 8Despite being England’s Test batsman of the winter there were still whispers about his place in the side, especially with Trott in form and Eoin Morgan’s emergence. He was scratchy at Lord’s, but the 128 at Old Trafford was Bell at his best as he timed and placed the ball to perfection on a pitch assisting the spinners. He finally looks the part in England’s middle order, and while No. 3 is still an ambition, he’d be better off staying where he is. Remains excellent at short leg.Eoin Morgan – 5Benefited from England’s rotation policy as Paul Collingwood was rested, but didn’t grab his chance with both hands. The selectors like him and he looked untroubled during innings of 44 and 37, which made it even more frustrating when he twice fell in loose fashion. Most left-handers have a weakness outside off when the ball is pushed across them and this is where high-quality pacemen will target him. However, when England take on Pakistan he is likely to be back in the ranks with Middlesex.Matt Prior – 8Another who has come under surprising pressure following England’s Twenty20 success. Despite turning himself into a high-quality keeper, Craig Kieswetter’s performances in West Indies have sparked another debate over who is best for the position. However, Prior should be assured of his spot in the Test line-up and the real question needs to be where he bats. His 93 at Old Trafford has pushed the average over 40 again – which is passable for a No. 6. Was hampered by a finger injury late in the second Test.Graeme Swann – 7Few would have bet on Swann going wicketless at Lord’s but a dead track meant it was hard toil for the offspinner as he adjusted from Twenty20 mode. Offered a helpful surface at Old Trafford he was back on song with his seventh five-wicket haul, and his first at home, as he ran through a line-up that should play spin well. His ball to remove Jahurul Islam, spinning through the gate, wasn’t far off the one to Ricky Ponting at Edgbaston or Hashim Amla at Durban.Ajmal Shahzad – 7A very encouraging debut for the Yorkshire allrounder who overcame a nervous start to produce a lively spell of reverse-swing. He pushed the speed gun to 90mph which won’t have gone unnoticed. Would be nice to see some more of him, but may struggle to get a game against Pakistan with Stuart Broad back.James Anderson – 7Was a bit off-colour for the first three innings of the series after missing out in the World Twenty20. However, he rediscovered some serious zip on the third day at Old Trafford and also located his outswinger which a few observers have suggested had gone AWOL. His second-innings burst in Manchester would have done for better batting line-ups, but he still isn’t totally convincing as an attack-leader in all conditions. Proved himself to be an impressive slip to the spinner as he stood in for Collingwood.Steven Finn – 9England have unearthed a potential star, but now it’s vital that some perspective is maintained alongside Finn’s success. Height, pace and bounce make for an intoxicating combination and Finn also appears to have maturity beyond his 21 years. The way he executed bouncer plans to Imrul Kayes was impressive to watch and he has the ability to extract life when conditions are flat as they were at Lord’s. Strauss and Andy Flower will have to monitor his workload, but with Angus Fraser as a mentor he won’t want for level-headed advice. Must stop falling over in his followthrough because the last thing England need is for him to be needlessly injured.Tim Bresnan – 4The major disappointment of the series because he’d advanced his game considerably in Bangladesh and at the World Twenty20. In hindsight he was probably hampered more than he let on by the foot injury that ruled him out of the second Test, but regardless of that he didn’t look a Test-quality new-ball bowler in a three-man seam attack.However, Flower is a fan because of the all-round package he offers, and he remains in Ashes contention.

The Sri Lankan bowling unit showed in one session that it is better equipped in these conditions than its opposition

Sidharth Monga in Galle20-Jul-2010Sri Lanka have done their best to keep this match, which has lost close to 114 overs of play in three days, alive. Even when India were threatening to come back to level terms in the first session, the hosts maintained a run-rate of four. Rangana Herath and Lasith Malinga provided some unexpected entertainment with the bat and, more importantly, ruled out India’s victory. Then they made an aggressive declaration, leaving Herath unbeaten 20 short of a maiden Test century. It was later that they did the most telling damage.The Sri Lankan bowling unit showed in one session that it is better equipped in these conditions than its opposition. It was a gripping session of play post tea, also facilitated by a poor attempt at a second run by Rahul Dravid.Lasith Malinga came roaring back into Test cricket, attacking the stumps, getting swing, bowling full, removing Gautam Gambhir with the second ball of the innings and obsessively chasing the toes and ribs of Virender Sehwag. Muttiah Muralitharan, who would have found it tough to not get emotional with the grand reception he got when he walked on to the field, put behind him the lean run of form and performed like a champion. If there was any fear that his farewell Test might be a distraction, it was squashed when he got Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket.The final 42 minutes of the day, after Dravid and Tendulkar were dismissed within 33 runs of each other, and India were still 320 short of saving the follow-on, brought drama with almost every delivery. Only 8.4 overs were bowled, but Malinga’s long run-up was full of promise.Virender Sehwag, already 67 off 73 including a majestic six off Murali, was made to dig out yorkers just to save his toes, forget his wicket. He was made to get the bat up in time to protect his ribs, but also keep the ball down, lest it flew to the accurately placed leg gully or short leg. Even when he managed to expertly bisect the keeper and the leg gully, he got just the single to the fine leg placed for the top edge. The one yorker Malinga missed, bowling a low full toss, Sehwag crashed it through the covers.Against Murali he fared better, reading the variations well, despite claiming to the contrary in his column. He even cut from in front of the stumps. In perhaps the most watchful 42 minutes of his batting since Adelaide, Sehwag scored 18 runs off 25 balls, at a mere mortal’s pace.Murali troubled VVS Laxman much more, who didn’t read the doosra at all. On one occasion Laxman left alone one that pitched within the stumps, expecting it to turn down leg, and then saw it bounce over his off and middle stump. Another doosra he played at, and was beaten by what was almost a legbreak. He was lucky it missed the off stump. Bowling with four men around the bat, he kept pitching it on around the same spot, turning it either way.Just as the clock approached the scheduled close of play at 5.45 pm, the sun peeped out of the clouds and shone as brightly as it had through the last week to heighten the drama. The play went deep into the evening, Yuvraj Singh must have waited anxiously, the Sri Lankans tried their darnedest to pick one more wicket before stumps, but India just about hung on. The series was alive, there was tension around. It can do with more of it.Rangana Herath later said Sri Lanka can force a result even if India avoid a follow-on. “They [Sehwag and Laxman] batted very well,” he said. “But at the same time, the bowlers were bowling really well, so if either of them had had done one mistake, it would have cost them their wicket. We expect to do the same thing tomorrow.” Amen to that.

ESPNcricinfo brings you the plays of the fifth day of the third Test between South Africa and India at Newlands

Firdose Moonda at Newlands06-Jan-2011The luckless bowler
When Lonwabo Tsotsobe bowls, the fielder’s fingers evidently start sweating butter. Today, he had another catch put down off his bowling in his very first over. Tsotsobe invited Sehwag to cut with a short, wide, ball and the Indian opener obliged. JP Duminy, standing at point, had to lunge to his left to grab what was admittedly a tough chance. Even though Duminy went with both hands, Tsotsobe was still out of luck, and the chance was spurned. It took Tsotsobe’s match tally of dropped catches to four, and his series tally to many more.The pain
The parade of the walking wounded continued when Gautam Gambhir came out to open the batting despite an injury to his elbow. He must have expected to experience some discomfort but probably didn’t think the hurt would come with the first ball he faced from the world’s springiest bowler. Morne Morkel was always going to be a threat because of the variable bounce on offer, and he showed that when the first ball he bowled bounced so sharply that as Gambhir tried to take his bat out of the way, it hit his elbow. The sore elbow. The ball flew over the slip cordon and gave Gambhir his first boundary, together with some treatment from the physiotherapist.The offspinner
South Africa needed a right-arm offspinner to make use of the patch of rough that Harbhajan Singh exploited to such good effect on day four, and Graeme Smith decided he was the man for the job. His first three overs were fairly tight, going for just 14 runs but when he returned for a second spell, it all went a little pear shaped. Three lollipop deliveries were dispatched to the boundary, the first two by Rahul Dravid and the third by Gautam Gambhir, and Smith suddenly had figures of 4-0-27-0. He then went back to fielding.The effort
Getting Gautam Gambhir out seemed to fire up Dale Steyn considerably and he even though he his next delivery wasn’t particularly quick, there was a lot of spark in it. A vicious bouncer that was aimed at VVS Laxman head sailed over the batsman and Mark Boucher to race away for four.The last hope
With the match clearly petering out to a draw, the captains could have shook hands on a draw with 15 overs left in the day. Instead, South Africa continued in the field and waited for the opportunity to take the second new ball. With ten overs to go, it was optimistic to think that seven wickets would succumb to the new ball. After just one over from Dale Steyn and one from Morne Morkel, enough was finally enough and the series was drawn.

The heat was sapping, the wind was nearly non-existent, but the home fans finally had reason to cheer

Dylan Copeland18-Dec-2010Choice of game
Nothing draws a crowd to the WACA ground like an Ashes Test. We joined the milling mob as they descended upon the WACA like ants returning to the nest. Despite the large number of people the line through the bag search area progressed quickly and smoothly and we were seated just in time for the start of the day’s play.Although the forecast maximum was only to be 33 degrees Celsius, the day was already hot by the start time of 10:30am. The lack of wind meant that there was no relief from the bright Australian sun. Despite the conditions, or perhaps unbelievably, because of them, many spectators had removed their shirts.Crowd meter
Judging by the respective cheering, it seemed that a large proportion of the crowd was made up of England supporters. The Australians outnumbered them slightly (at least in volume) but such equality is rare at international fixtures.The English certainly had more cause to make themselves heard at the beginning of play. Having dismissed Australia the day before for the seemingly low total of 268, each run scored by Cook and Strauss was warmly applauded.Each run disheartened the Australian fans, mindful not only of the lack of English wickets in the first two Tests, but also keenly aware that if England got away in the morning session then they would take with them any hope that Australia had of regaining the Ashes.Key performer
The heat was such that I was keenly watching the flags on top of the scoreboard for any indication that the sea breeze – known locally as the Fremantle Doctor – was coming in. The few gusts of wind there were, however, were coming from the complete opposite direction.Face-off I relished
With the conditions remaining still, Cook and Strauss scored at a brisk rate. The introduction of Mitchell Johnson into the attack did nothing to unsettle England initially. But then the flags stiffened in the breeze, not the much desired Doctor, but from the north-east. From the end which Johnson was bowling, the wind was blowing from left to right, helping Johnson move the ball away from the left-handed Cook and swing it into the right-handers, Trott, Pietersen, and Collingwood.Wow moment
Cook’s dismissal was met by cautious optimism but a couple of overs later with Trott and Pietersen back in the shed, the crowd could barely stay in their seats.Aye for UDRS
There has been much said about the decision review system but for a jubilant crowd the excitement and tension of watching a decision review on the big screens around the ground is an exquisitely involving experience. Everyone stands and cranes their neck, watching every piece of footage intently, cheering or otherwise in anticipation of official confirmation when they see something conclusive.Overall
Whether it was the heat, or a big first day, or simply because the day belonged to Australia, at any rate the famed Barmy Army were noticeably quiet, so much so that we saw no sign of them until the last session. Even then their singing was sporadic and short-lived.The second day at the WACA was action-packed, which, given the way the first two Tests unfolded, was much appreciated by the large crowd. The standout performance of the day was Mitchell Johnson’s six wickets. But runs also flowed and the highlight was the large number of hooks and pulls played, however unconvincingly. The crowd was good-natured and both sets of fans had plenty to cheer.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the IPL final between Bangalore and Chennai

Nitin Sundar28-May-2011The start
It took Chennai 7.5 overs to produce their first four of the day. It was a problem that had bogged them down in the league stage as well, especially in the matches against Kolkata and Bangalore. Unlike in those games, though, the four-drought did not bog down their run-rate tonight, as four sixes and innumerable well-run couples meant they were motoring along at well over eight an over when that first four came.The contest
Whatever M Vijay did, Michael Hussey tried to better, and vice versa. Vijay swung S Aravind majestically over midwicket off the last ball of the second over. Hussey responded by carting Zaheer Khan for a bigger six off the next ball. Hussey then trotted out to the last ball of Syed Mohammad’s over and lofted him for another six, only for Vijay to respond with a bigger six off the first ball of Chris Gayle’s following over.The overthrows and the outcomes
Chennai had played the first over quietly before Hussey steered the first ball of the second straight to Virat Kohli at point. Neither batsman was looking for a single, yet Kohli threw, missed and conceded the first of several overthrows. Vijay got strike, and played his first shot of assurance – the patented swat-pull – off the next ball. Three balls later, he perfected the shot and sent it screaming for his first six. He might not have even had strike for those balls, had Kohli resisted the urge to throw needlessly. Bangalore were sent on a leather hunt, but did not seem to learn from their mistakes as Syed Mohammad slung in another needless throw in the 15th over to give Hussey strike. This time, though, it resulted in a wicket as Hussey perished off the very next ball. Too little, too late.The Caribbean flair
When Dwayne Bravo walked out for the final ball of the innings, Chris Gayle was on a hat-trick, and had conceded only a single off the first five. Gayle fired the last one full, on a length that was almost impossible to get under. Not for Bravo, though, who stayed back in the crease, hauled the bat up in a high back lift, and managed to lever the ball over the straight boundary. Chennai went from 199 to 205, the Jamaican did not wince, the Trinidadian did not smile, and Chepauk swayed to a moment dripping with Calypso flair as the players walked off.The bravery award
Most bowlers have tried to hide from Gayle, but R Ashwin isn’t one of them. He nailed him for the second time in two games, luring him into a classic offspinner’s trap. “I was always confident to go up against Gayle and take him on,” he would say later. Ashwin’s nemesis, though, was the other big-built left-hand batsman in the Bangalore line-up – Saurabh Tiwary, who had smashed a ball straight into his head the other night. He bowled six balls at Tiwary in the final, conceded four runs and escaped without damage. It helped that Tiwary wasn’t in very good form tonight.The variations
Chennai have two specialist spinners, but between them they have the ability to bowl at least six different balls. Ashwin, classified as an offspinner, produced a legbreak to go with his bag of his sliders, offbreaks and carom balls. Jakati, who normally bowls orthodox left-arm spin, bowled a Chinaman to dismiss Luke Pomersbach. He tried it again off the next ball, but this time it slipped out and was no-balled for height.The finish
The closing scenes of the IPL were a lot like the tournament itself: long-winding and a touch contrived. Unlike last year, though, there was no gaudy closing ceremony featuring inflated, large-size replicas of batsmen and bowlers dancing to Bollywood tunes. There was also no passionate speech from Lalit Modi, who instead tweeted: “Atmosphere absolutely electric at the Wembley stadium. No comparison to the earlier game today.” What the final presentation did include, was prizes in several categories including one for the ground with the best outfield and pitch. It all ended in ironic fashion as N Srinivasan, in his capacity as BCCI secretary, presented the winners medals to players of the Chennai Super Kings, the team he owns. Conflict of interest, anyone?

Three years on the county circuit with Lancashire has toughened up Faf du Plessis’ game, making him ready for international cricket

Firdose Moonda in Dhaka21-Mar-2011When Faf du Plessis signed a Kolpak deal in 2008, it wasn’t because he didn’t want to return to South Africa. He left at a time when the player drain was not gurgling as fiercely as it had a few years earlier, when quotas were said to be driving white players away, and he left with an intention some of those players never had – to go back.”When I signed for Lancashire, I wanted to sign for three years and then not play county cricket again, because by that time I backed myself to be in the South African set-up,” he said from the team hotel in Dhaka on Monday. It was a calculation that paid off to the last decimal point as three years later, in 2011, du Plessis was picked for South Africa, the culmination of a journey that started when he was still in high school, with AB de Villiers as his classmate.du Plessis and de Villiers travelled a similar road, both went to the esteemed Afrikaanse Hoer Seunskool in Pretoria where they were in the same class, both played first-team cricket in their second year of high-school and both were spotted by the Northerns set-up. While de Villiers’ career skyrocketed from there, du Plessis hit a plateau and he had to watch while his friend soared into the big time as he was still plying his trade at domestic level, searching for the stepladder.The South African squad was virtually a lager, tough to break into and du Plessis realised that he would need something more to be able to get through. That was what drove his decision to head to England, where he would play much more cricket in a season that he ever would in South Africa. “In county cricket you play 18 four-day games a season, two one-day competitions and 18 twenty-over games, but in South Africa you play five or six of each. It’s a lot of cricket but as a batter you really do learn a lot from county cricket.”At 26-years old, du Plessis has played more than 70 first-class games, so even though he is a relatively inexperienced international player, he has a healthy chunk of match time under his belt. “I played as much as I can so I am more experienced than other 26-year olds. I know my game a lot better than most other guys my age do.”Besides the constant engaging in battle, county cricket also helped du Plessis refine his game against spinners, because of the conditions and the opposition. “In South Africa, it’s nice to face spinners because it generally doesn’t turn a lot and doesn’t get that slow. In England, there is more cricket played on the wickets and they deteriorate more.” It was on the latter type of surfaces that du Plessis had to face the likes of Mushtaq Ahmed and being a batsman in the middle order meant that had face those types a lot, and so became fluent in playing spin.He played alongside VVS Laxman and Mohammad Yousuf and was able to watch how they approach the tweakers. A naturally athletic player, du Plessis was able to fine tune his footwork because of the amount of spin he had to face, to polish his ability on the leg side, particularly with the sweep shot which World Cup viewers would have seen him execute with great success. du Plessis brought back that form and knowledge to the Titans franchise where he has consistently being among their top run scorers.He usually bats at No. 4 there but his role at the World Cup has seen him move down to No. 6, so that his skills against spin can be maximised. “That’s the reason I am here,” he said. “I proved that I am not scared of facing spin and I play spin quite well so my role is to get out in the middle order when it’s quite tough and the wickets are turning. I have to be solid then and try to keep the scoring at a run a ball.”du Plessis’ one half-century in this World Cup, against Bangladesh, came at that rate, not by chance but by careful planning, which involved taking very few risks. Despite having the ability to smash the ball, du Plessis often doesn’t unless he feels it’s absolutely necessary, and has self-presevation and strike rotation at the top of his agenda. “I try to score a single off every ball, by doing that I am are not giving the opposition the chance to get me out,” he said. “If they bowl a few good balls, I know will make up for it with a boundary.”It’s maturity alone that allows du Plessis to be able to have this approach and the county circuit gave him that maturity. It’s also why he has slipped into the South African side so seamlessly, because he brings an attitude of pre-existing professionalism and big-match temperament. “I never felt like I did not belong here.”

On Australia’s last tour of South Africa, Ricky Ponting seemed to have started building a successful team. Now it’s Michael Clarke’s turn.

Brydon Coverdale in Cape Town 08-Nov-2011It was in South Africa nearly three years ago that Ricky Ponting began to build a side that seemed like it would carry Australia into a new era. Four debutants played in the series, which Australia won 2-1, and after some shaky periods following the retirements of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, things appeared to be back on track.They even secured the Test mace, which ICC staff had feverishly polished as it toured the country, to be claimed by the side that won the series and took No.1 spot. Within six months, Australia had lost the Ashes. The downhill slide was briefly arrested with wins over West Indies, Pakistan and New Zealand, but last year’s calamitous Ashes campaign was the end for Ponting.Of the squad that visited South Africa in early 2009, the group that showed so much promise, Marcus North, Ben Hilfenhaus and Simon Katich are now out of the picture. Others, like Bryce McGain and Andrew McDonald, are long gone and forgotten. Now the time has come for Michael Clarke to build his own team. It started with success in Sri Lanka and will continue with a preposterously short two-Test series in South Africa.Clarke is confident leading in to this series. He is yet to lose a Test or one-day series as captain and his leadership is assured, attacking and appropriate. There is little awkwardness caused by Ponting’s continued presence in the squad. This week the former leader was floating around the nets offering advice when asked.He delivered throwdowns to Shane Watson at training on Monday, suggesting the opener was a few inches short when stepping out to drive. But Ponting is comfortable in whatever roles, on or off the field, Clarke asks him to perform, including his move down to No.4. This is unquestionably Clarke’s team; he is captain, selector and motivator.Two of his most important foundations for the future could be the No.3 Shaun Marsh and the teenage fast bowler Pat Cummins. Marsh, whose career is only two Tests old, is already one of the most important men in the team. Cummins is unlikely to play at Newlands in the first Test, starting on Wednesday, but by travelling with the squad he is gaining valuable experience.The offspinner Nathan Lyon can enhance his reputation, which was sealed with a wicket with the first ball of his Test career and five for the innings in Sri Lanka. The conditions at Newlands will assist him, but it is also the venue that destroyed any hope McGain had of playing Test cricket again, when he took 0 for 149 on debut there.But all is not lost from the class of 2009. Mitchell Johnson and Phillip Hughes starred in that series and while both have been dropped since, they now loom as critical men in Clarke’s future planning. Johnson especially holds the key to his captain’s fortunes. He thrived in South Africa last time, but showed his frustrating inconsistency with a horror Ashes tour a few months later.”I think him and Hughesy are two guys who are dying for this Test series to start, knowing how successful they were last time we were here,” Clarke said. “Every time I take the field I look forward to captaining someone like Mitch because he’s a match-winner. He’s going to have days when he’s going to get hit around the park, but he’s going to have other days where he’s going to win the game on his own.”I’ve made it quite clear to Mitch how I feel. He’s a vital member of this team. If he continues to work the way he’s working I see no reason why he won’t continue to have success. His record is as good as anyone’s for the amount of Test matches that he’s played. He’s swinging the ball back in to the right-handers, he’s bowling at good pace.”Johnson warmed up for Wednesday’s Newlands Test with nine wickets in the tour match in Potchefstroom. The pitch offered pace and bounce, but his wickets came largely through full, fast, swinging deliveries that had batsmen bowled, lbw or caught behind the wicket. It is the same sort of bowling Australia’s batsmen can expect to face against Dale Steyn.The similarities between the two sides, who each play hard, aggressive cricket, led to an enormously entertaining pair of tours three years ago. If the six Tests were taken as a whole, the result was a fitting 3-3 tie. While Australia have slid to No.5 on the Test rankings and are climbing back up, reaching No.4 after beating Sri Lanka, South Africa have remained steady in second position.”Both teams have a lot of similarities,” Clarke said. “They’ve got good fast bowlers, who aren’t afraid to stick it up the batsmen. And they’ve got batters who don’t really like sitting around batting all day for not many runs. Generally when we play South Africa, I think you see really good attacking, positive cricket from both sides. Generally that’s why there’s a result every time we play.”A two-Test series offers little scope for themes to develop or for contests to bubble away between individuals. But it does offer the chance for a result. And after Clarke led Australia to ODI series wins against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa, and a Test victory against Sri Lanka, this is his toughest challenge yet.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the first day of the second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia, in Pallekele

Daniel Brettig in Pallekele08-Sep-2011The failed reviews of the day
During the Ashes last year, Ryan Harris had the unfortunate distinction of being effectively given out four times in two balls for no score. In each innings in the Adelaide Test he was given out for a golden duck, and referred the decision only for the umpire to raise his finger a second time. Nine months on in Sri Lanka and Harris was again on the wrong end of the DRS. In the final over before tea he had two fervent lbw appeals against Suranga Lakmal turned down, and both were also refused on referral. The first would have been out had umpire Tony Hill raised his finger in the first instance, for according to Hawk-Eye the ball would have clipped the top of the stumps. But the second was missing everything, and Harris had to be content with three wickets rather than the four he might have had. No wonder the amiable Hill gave him a conciliatory pat on the back after further frustrations on resumption after the break.Father-son moment of the day
Australia’s captain Michael Clarke had a choice between two significant figures when he deliberated over who would hand Shaun Marsh his baggy green cap. On one side Tom Moody, in Sri Lanka as a commentator, is the coach Marsh credits with turning him from an undisciplined youth to a player of international claims. But on the other was Shaun’s father Geoff, the grizzled opening batsman who was Allan Border’s loyal lieutenant at the time Australia began to build the foundations for the great teams that would follow. Clarke went with family ties, and the sight of father and son together surrounded by the huddled Australia squad before play was a memorable one. Marsh senior played 13 of his 50 Tests before he experienced the thrill of victory, and he can only hope his son does not have to wait anywhere near as long.The tricky call of the day
Following the dust of Galle, both sides and the match-referee Chris Broad were glad to see a Pallekele pitch with decent grass coverage and a firm constitution. Neither side would have been game to bowl first in the circumstances, but Tillakaratne Dilshan’s confident call to bat did not account for the early assistance available through the air and off the seam in Pallekele, which is some 500m above sea level. A glance back at the scorecards from the last two Tests between these two countries in Kandy, which is near Pallekele, shows the top order is invariably in for a dicey start: in 1999 Steve Waugh’s tourists were a dire 61 for 7 at lunch, and in 2004 Ricky Ponting’s team reached the interval at 61 for 4. This time it was the local batsmen under the cosh as Harris and Trent Copeland seamed it around corners, and the lunchtime score of 76 for 5 was a significant nod to the early atmospherics.