Responding to their captain’s call, Denesh Ramdin and Shivnarine Chanderpaul lifted West Indies to respectability on the first day in Hamilton. However, their fightback didn’t hide the flaws in the West Indies batting

Andrew McGlashan in Hamilton19-Dec-2013’We might have been ahead of ourselves’

Corey Anderson has admitted New Zealand may have taken their eye off the ball after reducing West Indies to 86 for 5 on the first day in Hamilton before the 200-run stand between Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin.
“I think we might have been just been a little ahead of ourselves,” Anderson said. “Obviously we thought for a wee while there, when they were 90 for 5, that things might happen as fast as they did in Wellington, but they didn’t and we’ve got to peg it back a bit.
“We’re still in a good position and it’s a good cricket wicket. We won the toss and knew we had to bowl in good areas, and we got a bit lost during that middle session and they capitalised. They batted well; Chanderpaul and Ramdin are both classy players so it was nice to break that partnership then come back tomorrow and hopefully roll through them.”
Anderson particularly enjoyed the challenge of bowling to Chanderpaul, but hopes he is not there much longer after ending the day unbeaten on 94.
“I watched him when I was younger so that’s quite exciting to get to the top of your mark and run in, and have a chance to get him out.”

In the lead-up to the final Test, Brendon McCullum noted how wickets can fall in batches at Seddon Park. He was proved right on the opening day, during a 40-minute passage of play after lunch which appeared to have put the Test beyond the point of no return for West Indies.That they remain with a chance of levelling the series is down to Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin, who formed a sixth-wicket stand of 200. It was a last-ditch rescue mission; although Darren Sammy is a capable batsman, West Indies’ last four all made ducks in the Wellington first innings and did not go much better in the second.That Chanderpaul was part of the bailout needs no further explanation or expansion. That Ramdin was his partner was just the response West Indies needed from their vice-captain and a player with 56 caps. Despite having had a consistent 18 months at Test level, with three of his four hundreds in that period and an average of 45.93, he had been a little anonymous in the series, with limited returns in front of the stumps (although victim of a stunning catch in Wellington) and untidy behind them.However, this was a superbly constructed fourth Test hundred. It was the most significant of his four centuries. His first came in a high-scoring draw in Barbados (albeit West Indies were not safe when he came to the crease), his second in a dead Test at Edgbaston and his third on another flat one in Dhaka. This ton arrived with West Indies in disarray.Ramdin had two lives, on 57 and 92, but crisply put away the loose deliveries. When he carved Trent Boult over the slips to bring up his hundred, he leapt, David Warner-like, in celebration. There was no note being pulled from his pocket this time in the style of Edgbaston in 2012, when he had a message for Viv Richards. He has learned from that error, instead there was more measured satisfaction.”It’s a little more relaxed now,” Ramdin said of the dressing-room feeling after the fightback. “We were under some pressure, first day of a Test match and 80-odd for five. We needed a partnership. The legend, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, guided me through that period. I had a couple of chances, he just told me to tighten up and keep going. We worked in little partnerships. I enjoy batting with him and I guess today is an even day.”It was a day where West Indies needed senior players to respond to their captain’s rallying call for hunger. Darren Bravo had been ruled out with an injured arm suffered in the nets yesterday and Shane Shillingford suspended for his action. Two of the seniors did, one of them let the side down.Marlon Samuels has not had a good year in Test cricket. His average for 2013 is now 25.90 compared to his career mark of 35.84 and a 2012 return of 86.60. He has appeared distracted on this tour, distant when West Indies needed him to help cover for the absence of Chris Gayle.He’s had the cloud of his bowling action hanging over him – and his quicker ball has now been ruled illegal – but it is as a batsman that he has made his name and, in the broader picture of his career, it should not define him if he ever bowls again. West Indies aren’t short on those to fill in with a few overs of spin. What they are short on are experienced Test batsmen.Although he made a half-century in the first innings in Wellington, he was then all at sea against Tim Southee in the second. The feet were stuck. They weren’t moving very well again here. Facing his ninth ball, he threw his hands into a drive away from his body and skewed a catch to gully, which Kane Williamson grasped at the third attempt.At any time, the shot would have been loose but, to compound matters, it came at a bad time, too, shortly after Kraigg Brathwaite and Kirk Edwards had fallen in the space of 13 deliveries. Whatever a batsman’s natural inclination – and wanting to counter-attack is not without merit – it was a time just to leave a few deliveries alone.Two overs later, when Narsingh Deonarine fell to one of those marginal lbws that often seem to go against a losing team, West Indies were facing embarrassment. Although they had been put in – the 10th Test in a row in New Zealand where a side had been inserted – conditions were the most benign they had been on a first day in the series. Enough factors really pointed towards it being a bat-first occasion, but McCullum likes to unleash his bowlers. However, unless New Zealand build a huge first-innings, it means they’ll be chasing against West Indies’ spin.Either side of four wickets falling for nine runs in 34 balls, there was little to discomfort the batsmen. The bowlers began trying to force things to happen and but the pitch did not have the swing, seam or pace of Wellington. Ish Sodhi created the occasional moments of unease – and West Indies, having picked a spin-heavy attack will not have minded seeing a couple turn – but there were enough loose deliveries to keep the batsmen ticking.It also showed how careless that period after lunch had been. It almost cost West Indies the Test on the first day. It may yet prove a key period, because this is a good batting surface but, for now, the contest remains alive after a partnership that helped restore pride in West Indies cricket.

Stats highlights from Australia’s emphatic Test win in Brisbane

S Rajesh24-Nov-2013

• The margin of victory, 381 runs, is Australia’s sixth-largest in terms of runs in a Test against England. Four of the five previous wins by higher margins were before 1950.
• England averaged 15.75 runs per wicket in the Test, which is their fifth-lowest in a Test against Australia in the last 60 years; all of those have happened since 1990. On the last tour to Australia England also had one horrendous Test, when they were bowled out for 187 and 123 in Perth and lost by 267 runs. (They averaged 15.50 runs per wicket in that match.) However, on that occasion the defeat only levelled the series, after England had won by an innings in Adelaide.
• This is the second time since the beginning of last year that England have been bowled out for under 200 in both innings of a Test. In Dubai against Pakistan last year – also the first Test of the series – they made 192 and 160. That was also the last time they had only one 50-plus score in the entire match. Overall during this period, they’ve been bowled out for under 200 nine times, all of them in overseas Tests.
• Since the beginning of 2012, England have lost four out of five first Tests in an away series, and averaged 24.05 runs per wicket in these matches. After the first Test, they have a 4-2 win-loss record, and have averaged 36.67 runs per wicket through the rest of those series.
• Mitchell Johnson had an outstanding match with both bat and ball, scoring 103 runs, and taking 9 for 103. It was only the seventh instance of an Australian scoring 100-plus runs and taking eight or more wickets in the same Test: the last such instance was more than 50 years ago, by Alan Davidson in the tied Test at the same venue in 1960.
• England’s total partnership runs for wickets five to eight over both innings was 25 runs, which is their lowest ever in Test cricket. The previous-lowest was 31, in 1888.
• Australia’s fast bowlers took 16 wickets at an average of 14.31 in this Test, their eighth-best in a Test since 2000.
• Australia’s win ends a sequence of nine Tests without a victory, a period during which they lost seven and drew two. The last time they went nine Tests without winning was in 1985-86: between November 1985 and December 1986, they went 14 Tests without winning, drawing nine, losing four and tying one.

Two days after being dropped from the list of contracted players, Dean Elgar demonstrated the technique and composure needed to face down Mitchell Johnson and co

Firdose Moonda in Port Elizabeth20-Feb-20140:00

Cullinan: SA gifted wickets to Australia

After surviving a hostile first spell from Mitchell Johnson, who bowled the first 12 balls he faced, waiting 20 deliveries and 42 minutes to get his first run, seeing Faf du Plessis accelerate past him but not caring as he perfected his own timing and placement and finding the space to bat with relative freedom, Dean Elgar finally ran out of patience. Who could blame him after the week he has had.On Sunday, Elgar would have started dreaming of a Test recall after hearing Ryan McLaren was ruled out of the Port Elizabeth match. By Monday, he may even have sent his whites to get washed in anticipation of playing when he heard Andrew Hudson, the convener of selectors, say the No. 7 position could be filled by an extra batsman and that person would come from within the squad. Elgar was the only extra batsman in the original 15.On Tuesday, he would have shelved all thoughts of that, or of playing for South Africa in the near future. That was the day he learned that from April, he will no longer receive a salary from Cricket South Africa. Elgar was one of two players in the Test squad, the other being Thami Tsolekile, who were cut from the contract list.

Elgar makes most of good news

Shortly after Dean Elgar found out he was cut from CSA’s central contract list, he was told he would probably play in the Test match. “It was the bad news first and then soften the blow with some good news,” Elgar said. “It was disappointing news ahead of a big Test but there was added motivation to show people that maybe they made the wrong choice.”
Elgar was even more pleased that his Test comeback allowed him to bat where he is most comfortable. “I’m more at home opening the batting, I’ve done it for 90-odd first-class games,” he said. And he focused on that rather than his record against Australia – a pair on debut. “That wasn’t at the back of my mind. A lot of positives came out of what happened. I have a learnt a lot and developed into a more experienced cricketer.”
His absorbing of pressure was the clearest sign of that and Elgar said he expects the pitch to become tougher to bat on as the match goes on. “At one stage, it was like I couldn’t get sand in the desert,” he said. “It was hard graft. PE plays like this – low and slow. It’s a patience game. This is the slowest I’ve seen PE play in a while but it’s also credit to the Australian bowlers. They identified the conditions and adapted.”
South Africa’s total, while not substantial yet, could still be handy. “First innings runs are golden at St George’s,” he said.
Almost as valuable as a central contract? Elgar wouldn’t say other than that he is certain he will find some employment from April. “I’m sure some franchise will sign me up,” he said.
Before that he has another job to do with the ball here. “Smithy likes to use a few pie-chuckers like myself,” he said. “I will definitely put my hand up to do a job.”

On Wednesday morning, Elgar would not have known what to think. Graeme Smith appeared worn down by the timing of the contracts announcement, called it a “curveball” and said if a player had been left off it and got the opportunity to play, they should use it to prove they are worthy. By the afternoon, Elgar would have known he was playing and may have thought the captain’s words were an instruction to him to show defiance.But it was only much later in the day that Elgar would have been sure not only that he would be in the XI but that he would be batting in his preferred position at the top of the order. He would also have known that the only other time he has played against Australia in a Test, his debut, he recorded a pair and that just last week he dropped David Warner when he came on as a substitute fielder in Centurion. It was a chance he should have taken. So was this one, which is why it was so important that he did not fumble.Even if Elgar’s confidence was at its highest, he would still have been nervous given that he was tasked with the most difficult job of the day: to see off the man who decimated the top order at SuperSport Park. Elgar may not have thought it would be that tricky when the first delivery Johnson served up was off target and went down leg.From the next one, he would have been sure what he was up against. It was full and straight and although not very quick at 137 kph, Elgar instinctively tried to flick it away on the leg side and hit it to short leg. The traps were all set and Elgar would have known the only way to win the battle was to stay patient.For the next three-quarters of an hour, Elgar showed what it takes to see off Johnson and proved he has the temperament to play Test cricket. He fronted up the way a Test opener should, got behind the line of Johnson’s deliveries and defended with the determination of a man whose livelihood was on the line.The St George’s Park surface did not offer Johnson as much in terms of bounce and carry but he was still quick, his bouncer was still fearsome and his fuller delivery threatened to sneak through Elgar’s stronghold at any moment. Elgar didn’t let it. He kept out the ones that looked like they would break his toes, left anything wide outside off and slowly trusted himself to start moving forward to deliveries instead of hanging back in his crease.After five overs, which included Smith’s dismissal, he had a ball trickle away off his hip for a leg bye. After two more deliveries, he saw Hashim Amla pinned on the pads by one that, on first glance, looked like it had pitched outside leg. Amla was given out and went to consult Elgar about reviewing. Given the stature of the man at the other end, there might have been pressure on Elgar to encourage Amla to seek a second opinion, but he stuck to his guns. Elgar told Amla he thought it was out. He was right.Dean Elgar’s composure showed how the Australia attack – Mitchell Johnson included – could be dealt with•Getty ImagesAll this happened before he had scored a run. South Africa were two down with only 11 on the board. None of those runs belonged to the two men at the crease. Things could have unravelled very quickly but Elgar ensured they did not.Du Plessis tried a few things, Elgar did not. He just presented his best impression of an impenetrable wall and left it there. When du Plessis got a short ball, despite the square leg in place, he pulled. When Elgar did, he either left it or ducked. When du Plessis got a half volley from Peter Siddle on the pads, he put it away. When Elgar got a similar length from Nathan Lyon, he defended.And then, after 11-and-a-half overs that seemed like a lifetime, Elgar brought out his slog-sweep. He sent Lyon over midwicket in a moment of aggression that took everyone by surprise but announced Elgar’s arrival. Then he disappeared back into his concentration zone and kept going.His concentration was impeccable despite the chirping from the Australians, which may have been about his employment status, and the one he wore on the shoulder from Johnson, which raced to him at 145kph and thundered into him as he realised he was in a bad position to do anything other than get hit. He did as AB de Villiers said and did not show any fear.He valued his wicket enough not to make any mistakes and with his caution came confidence. Elgar is a classy player with a range of elegant shots that he brought out as the afternoon went on. He played a little more away from his body to drive through the covers, pushed another one wide of mid-off, beat the cover fielder later on and tucked one off his hips to square leg.Although his half-century came up with an edge past the slips, other than that, he looked a man in control of what he was doing. He placed the ball where he wanted it to go, he threaded the fielders, he was on his way to a hundred and he should have got there.And then all that hard work disappeared when he decided to hit Lyon over midwicket and skied it. His magic number is 83 now. On Friday morning, Elgar will still not have a national contract but he has given those who issue the documents a reason to wonder whether they made a mistake.0:00

‘Patience game key in PE’ – Elgar

Going by form and experience, Bangladesh and Ireland are the likely teams to qualify for the main tournament

Shiva Jayaraman15-Mar-2014After their spirited showing in the recently concluded Asia Cup, Afghanistan have captured the imagination of the cricketing world as no other Associate team has in recent times. Their recent performances have put them behind Ireland in the pecking order of Associate teams that are closer to laying their claim on playing at the Test level. Come Sunday, Afghanistan will get another opportunity to show that their win against Bangladesh was no flash in the pan as they play the hosts again in the opener of the qualifying stage.However, Afghanistan’s record in T20s does not do justice to their recent form. Their win-loss ratio of 1:1 in T20s (including non-international matches) is lower than those of Ireland and Netherlands – the other Associate teams in this tournament that have played T20 internationals. But Afghanistan’s head-to-head record against these two teams shows how rapidly they have come up to speed with them. They have won two of the three T20Is they have played against Netherlands. Against Ireland, Afghanistan have managed two wins in five T20 internationals, with Ireland managing to trump them on the last couple of occasions.In T20 matches against the Test teams, Netherlands have the best record of the three, having registered two wins – against England in the 2009 World T20 and Bangladesh – in four matches. While Afghanistan have lost all the five T20Is they have played against Test teams, Ireland – who won the World T20 Qualifier last November and are the top Associate team – have managed only two wins out of the 14 T20 internationals they have played against Full Members.

International T20 record of Associates

TeamMatWonLostNRWin-lossIreland34181331.38Netherlands2212911.33Afghanistan22111101.00

Associate teams against Test teams in T20 internationals

TeamMatWonLostTiedNRWin-lossNetherlands422001.00Ireland14210020.20Afghanistan505000.00Afghanistan’s loss to Ireland in the final of the World T20 Qualifier last year has put them in Group A where they join Bangladesh, Nepal and Hong Kong. While their unbeaten record against Nepal (3-0) and Hong Kong (1-0) suggests that Afghanistan are likely to outshine them, they should find the going tougher against Bangladesh – a team that would be keen to set the records straight after their loss in the Asia Cup.Bangladesh themselves are not new to being upset in this format, having lost once each to three of the four Associate nations they have played against. They lost two of the last three T20s they played against Associate nations. Nepal, who were the third Associate team after Ireland and Afghanistan to qualify for this World T20 are fresh from their win against UAE in the playoff for the third place in the qualifier tournament. Hong Kong were the sixth-placed team in the qualifier tournament. Barring any unlikely upsets, the first match of the qualifying stage between Bangladesh and Afghanistan should decide who goes through from Group A. The fact that Bangladesh have lost their last 10 games in the World T20, and have an ordinary record overall in T20s, should not amount to much given their experience and the weaker oppositions they are up against.

Group A, T20 records

TeamMatWonLostTiedNRWin-lossAfghanistan422715001.80Nepal19118001.37Hong Kong201010001.00Bangladesh36927000.33Ireland, UAE and Netherlands join Zimbabwe – who are yet to play a T20 match against these teams – in Group B. Zimbabwe’s ordinary record in T20s could mean that Associate teams have a better chance of qualifying from this group. Since their first T20 international win against Australia, in 2007, Zimbabwe have managed only three wins – one each against Canada, West Indies and Bangladesh – in 26 matches. Overall, in T20s (international and domestic), Zimbabwe have won only six out of 37 matches. Their win-loss ratio of 0.20 in all T20s is the second-worst among teams (international and domestic) that have played at least 30 matches. In spite of their rather bleak record in T20s, they will pose a formidable challenge to the other teams in the group: the last time Zimbabwe played an international game, they beat Pakistan in a Test in Harare last September.Ireland haven’t played Zimbabwe in T20s but have an unbeaten record against UAE and Netherlands. They have played UAE in four T20s and have won all of them. Against Netherlands they have won two of the three games, with one ending without a result. UAE are no push-overs either, having beaten Netherlands in both the matches they have played against them. Ireland look the likely team to qualify with only Zimbabwe – in keeping with their reputation of being a Test team – capable of upsetting their plans.

Group B, T20 records

TeamMatWonLostTiedNRWin-lossUAE22157002.14Ireland553418031.88Netherlands412317011.35Zimbabwe37630100.20

For almost two months, Sri Lanka have been successful in a number of high-pressure games in Bangladesh. It indicates that they are developing the knack of taming those pressure moments to their advantage

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur05-Apr-2014Given how the tour of Bangladesh has gone for Sri Lanka from February, a fitting end would be clinching the World T20. Their poor track record in tournament finals has been discussed at length, but this “winning feeling”, as described by their captain Lasith Malinga, has the ability to alter history when they take on India in the final on Sunday.They have repeatedly said that they would do anything to win, particularly after the designated T20 captain Dinesh Chandimal stood aside from the playing XI due to poor form. The decision itself says much about their psyche, but there have been progressive signs.For almost two months now, they have played a number of high-pressure games, and come out successful in all of them. It started with the two last-ball wins in the T20 series against Bangladesh back in February. They had come back from the dead in the ODI series too, and enjoyed an unbeaten run in the Asia Cup.”We have the winning feeling among everyone – batsman, bowlers and support staff,” Malinga said. “We are trying to play our best cricket, and we are winning. We are looking forward to giving our best tomorrow.”We won the Asia Cup here, and tomorrow is a good opportunity for us to prove ourselves once more. Everyone trusts us to give our best. If we do that, given that we’re used to the pitches and the conditions here, we should have a good chance.”In the World T20 so far, they overcame New Zealand in a low-scoring final group game to make it to the last four, where they put pressure on West Indies in a rain-hit game.Sri Lanka have been carried by contributions from several players and haven’t relied on just a few individuals. Kusal Perera and Mahela Jayawardene have been in good batting form while Angelo Mathews and Rangana Herath have stood up when needed. Herath’s spell against New Zealand stood out while Mathews made important runs in the semi-final, just when West Indies were looking to restrict them.What has stood out for Sri Lanka is their aptitude at handling the tough situations and ensuring they see it through till the end.They were slightly lucky to start off with in the first T20 against Bangladesh, when Thisara Perera’s waist-high full-toss off the final ball was miscued by Anamul Haque, giving the bowler a return catch. Two days later, Sachithra Senanayake hammered Farhad Reza behind square-leg for a boundary when two was needed off the last ball.Those two successive last-ball wins invigorated the team, who fought back from a sorry 67 for 8 in their next match. The allrounder Perera again made the difference with a counterattacking 80, after which the bowlers squeezed the game out of Bangladesh’s grasp. That game alone demoralised the home team, and it was inevitable that Sri Lanka wouldn’t be pushed in the next two games.The momentum carried over to the Asia Cup, where they won close round robin games against Pakistan and India, before cruising past the former in the final. These wins indicate that Sri Lanka are starting to enjoy the tight moments a little more, and having won so many of them here in Bangladesh, they are quite prepared for it. Their most remarkable turnaround has been winning the first ODI against Bangladesh after slipping to such a precarious position.Perera and Senanayake were helped by dropped catches but since you make your own luck, Perera ensured it worked in their favour. Having a team like Sri Lanka 67 for 8 should have been enough for the captain Mushfiqur Rahim to stifle them further. But as Perera attacked, Bangladesh backed off, to the point that the momentum had shifted quite forcefully by the time Sri Lanka ended their innings.At the start of the Asia Cup, when Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal led Pakistan’s fightback in a big chase, Sri Lanka stayed calm and somehow managed a tight over here, a crucial stop there, producing a breakthrough finally, and winning that opening game.Against India, it was Kumar Sangakkara who stayed cool with a superb century, but Perera and Senanayake once again ensured that Sri Lanka finished the game, shortly after he got out in the closing stages.With the attention on Sangakkara and Jayawardene playing their last T20 for Sri Lanka, what matters is how the team’s journey ends this season, and they have had a successful last two months in the country, taming the pressure moments.

Plays of the day from the match between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad

Devashish Fuloria19-May-2014The catchOn top of having probably the biggest hands, Kieron Pollard is unquestionably also the fielder with maximum reach. In the eighth over, he leapt a couple of feet in the air at the long-on boundary to grab on to a floater from Kevon Cooper with his right hand. His momentum though was taking him out of the boundary. He took three tumbling steps, avoiding the boundary skirting narrowly, before going out of the playing area. In the process, he had also tossed the ball back in to the playing area, seemingly, too far away. But he took four big leaps back into the field before diving full length to complete the catch one-handed.The chanceYou don’t give Pollard chances. Not when your team has already given away 122 runs in the first 15 overs. Pollard was on 1 when he was sent back by Rohit Sharma after dabbing the ball to midwicket. Dhawal Kulkarni, the fielder, did his part right, firing in a flat throw right on top of the stumps. Sanju Samson, though, only did half of his correctly. He whipped off the bails but had failed to gather the ball. Pollard smashed the next ball for a six over cow corner.The changesBoth teams made a spate of changes but while Shane Watson was on top of all the names at the toss, Rohit Sharma wasn’t. Rohit struggled to remember the third change in the side for a couple of seconds, before the eureka moment. However, by the time the name could travel down from his brain to his lips, it was gone again. It was Michael Hussey.The slow-motion diveApart from befuddling the batsmen and messing with their timing, Rajat Bhatia’s slower deliveries are also capturing the public imagination in ‘Bhatia is so slow..’ jokes – a measure of his increased popularity. At 34 though, Bhatia is no spring chicken in the field. In the third over, as Hussey played a paddle shot to the left of Bhatia at short fine leg, Bhatia went down in slow motion, making a mess of a regulation stop and giving away two extra runs.

So what if the home team wasn’t playing?

Nibras Maisha Taifur 18-Mar-2014Choice of game
It was a day we, the people of Sylhet, had eagerly been waiting for – the first international match at our stadium in Lakkatura. Although I had initially thought about watching the match from the comforts of home (and obsessing over what the commentators say about the stadium), a last minute cancellation by a friend’s relative presented me with something that is unheard of when it comes to World Cups – a spare ticket. Cricket had finally arrived at our beloved city and I rushed to the stadium to join the celebration.The stadium
Like many concerned Sylheti fans, I had visited the stadium many times while it was under construction and to see it finally transform into an international venue swelled my heart with pride. The Sylhet Divisional stadium is not in the middle of a chaotic urban jungle; in fact it is happily situated in the middle of a tea garden making the walk from the gate to the stadium itself nothing short of pleasant. As I took my seat in the stands I couldn’t help but admire how unique and amazing the Green Gallery looks, although I doubt whether anyone will be able to see a patch of grass during any of Bangladesh’s matches.Key performer
As it turns out keeping your focus on the match, where your own team is not playing, is actually quite difficult. Even Billy Bowden walking along the boundary lines was a huge distraction. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed Paul Stirling’s innings. The opening stand between Stirling and William Porterfield basically took the game away from Zimbabwe and if Ireland hadn’t made it harder for themselves, they would have won the game easily.Filling the gaps
In T20s there’s hardly much time between innings however, the ground staff managed to squeeze in a hamster race which ended with the contestants having to hit the stumps. Very innovative. The DJ kept us entertained throughout with songs, a few dance numbers and our very own Sylheti folk music.One thing I’d have changed
Ever since I’d heard that Jonty Rhodes will be commentating on the qualifying games in Sylhet, I was over the moon. So naturally I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the fielding legend. But no, it was not to be. Sigh.Shot of the day
My friend and I were discussing Kevin O’Brien’s innings against England in the 2011 World Cup. A few seconds later he whacked one for a six. Remember the pink hair?Banner of the day
There were many people holding up banners demanding matches of Bangladesh be played here in Sylhet but the one that caught my eye was the one that said ‘Welcome to 2nd London’. Bethnal Green or Whitechapel would have been more appropriate.The last over
Ireland had pretty much sealed the match, or so we thought. I sneered at my friend when she mentioned the word hat-trick, but by the fourth ball of the over she was the one who was laughing. A large section of the crowd was cheering for Ireland while the others opted for more patriotic chants of Bangladesh or Sylhet. Even the last ball was quite eventful with the non-striker colliding with the bowler and Brendan Taylor failing to hit the stumps.Overall
I didn’t go home with the jubilation of winning or with the disappointment of losing. Yet I felt wonderful and thoroughly satisfied to have been able to witness the spectacle of cricket so close to home. I would like to convey my gratitude to everyone who made this possible. I look forward to the two games to come in the men’s qualifying round and the many games left of the Women’s T20.

Plays of the day from the match between Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi

Siddarth Ravindran26-Apr-2014The single
“Gambhir, please open your account,” read a banner as the Kolkata Knight Riders captain walked in to bat after three ducks in a row. He was nearly dismissed first ball again as a leading edge was almost taken by the bowler Sandeep Sharma, who dived to his right and got a hand on the ball but couldn’t hold on. There was a Mitchell Johnson bouncer to survive soon after, and then Gambhir guided one to fine leg to score his first run of the season. The relief was short-lived for Gambhir, though, as he chipped a catch to short extra cover without adding to his score. At least he will be spared the “Audi” nickname Mark Waugh earned after scoring four ducks in a row against Sri Lanka in 1992.The run-out
Cheteshwar Pujara has played some lengthy innings in this tournament during which he struggled so much some of his fans wished for his dismissal. He didn’t last long today, but it was still a struggle. He wafted at his first delivery and was beaten, on his fifth he needed a big stretch to get home in time to complete the second run. After the first ball of the second over, the umpire raised his finger, when Pujara gloved (though his hand was off the handle) a Morne Morkel bouncer to the keeper only to be reprieved as replays showed the bowler had overstepped. Pujara heaved at the free hit and gave a catch to mid-off for a single. He never got the strike back, as he was run-out attempting a quick single three balls later. His luck had run out.The yorker
Morkel has been fearsome with the new ball this season, and was causing havoc with his bouncers. However, it was a pinpoint yorker that brought him what is currently the most prized wicket in the tournament. Glenn Maxwell has been laying bowling attacks to waste so far, and it was perhaps the confidence from those knocks which prompted him to move across the stumps and attempt a brash flick against Morkel. Even in this form, though, it was a tough shot to pull off against a 149kph yorker. Maxwell missed, and the ball lasered in to leg stump.The googly
It was the googly that first brought Piyush Chawla fame nearly a decade ago when he dismissed Sachin Tendulkar with it in a Challenger Series match. He showed why it remains a potent weapon in limited-overs cricket, when he confounded a well-set Virender Sehwag, the most destructive player of spin in the Kings XI side, with one that spun in to sneak between bat and pad and take the top of middle stump.The comeback
When Mitchell Johnson came out to bat, he was made to look clueless by Sunil Narine. The ball spun in between the big gap between bat and pad, handing Johnson a golden duck.The match was virtually over as a contest when Narine came out to bat in the 14th over with Knight Riders at 65 for 7. That didn’t prevent Johnson from firing a full, fast ball that that took out Narine’s offstump. If that wasn’t enough, Johnson also screamed in joy as though he had turned the game around, and not just taken a tailender’s wicket. Perhaps a reminder to Narine that Johnson too can make batsmen look clueless.

Plays of the day from the third ODI between West Indies and Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam25-Aug-2014The repeat offender
Mushfiqur Rahim missed a straightforward stumping chance off Abdur Razzak’s first over, the tenth of the innings, with Darren Bravo having jumped out of the crease and nowhere near within his ground. But the wicketkeeper had fluffed the ball too badly for a second go at the stumps. It was his second error in as many games, having missed Denesh Ramdin off Mahmudullah.The chaperone
Whether it was because of that missed stumping off his bowling or not, Razzak looked completely out of sorts in the rest of the game. In the 20th over, Ramdin had miscued a lofted shot off Mashrafe Mortaza. The ball looped up over Razzak at mid-on but he didn’t get under the ball, and by the time the camera panned on him, it looked as if he was merely ushering the ball.The six-hitter
There was no point in his innings that Ramdin looked uncomfortable, but there was a point when he just looked invincible to Bangladesh. He struck Mashrafe for two successive sixes in the 38th over and then off the last ball, made it three in a row with a belter down the ground. It was obviously hard to measure which of his 11 sixes was hit the hardest but this had an immediate impact on the viewer.The non-wide
Amid all the six-hitting, Sohag Gazi had a moment of bright thinking when he slipped one past Darren Bravo in the 41st over. He couldn’t even reach the ball, beyond the white mark, but the umpire did not signal wide.The catch
Having stretched his legs for four hours, Kemar Roach stretched the rest of his body in an acrobatic manner to take an outstanding one-handed catch in the second over. Imrul Kayes was the victim of his brilliance, having pulled the ball of Ravi Rampaul’s short delivery. It was hard to tell who was more stunned by that catch, Roach or Kayes.The act of charity
Towards the end of the match, Mashrafe Mortaza and Sohag Gazi were involved in a mix-up, one that could have proved fatal considering the stumps were thrown down with Mashrafe’s bat in the air. But umpire Richard Kettleborough didn’t go to the third umpire because, well, no one appealed. As Ravi Rampaul prepared to bowl the next ball and the replay shown somewhere in the ground, Chris Gayle shouted something at the umpire but it was too late.

Plus, Test wins after losing the fewest wickets, and the fastest to 100 ODI scalps

Steven Lynch07-Oct-2014In the match in 2012 in which Hashim Amla scored a triple-century, South Africa effectively beat England by 18 wickets. Was this a Test record? asked Chris Butters from Norway
The match you’re talking about was the first Test of 2012 at The Oval, when South Africa (637 for 2) beat England (385 and 240) by an innings and 12 runs. That was one of only five Test matches won by a side that lost only two wickets. The previous instance was also by South Africa – against Bangladesh in Chittagong in 2002-03 – while the first three were all by England: over South Africa at Lord’s in 1924, against New Zealand at Headingley in 1958, and against India at Edgbaston in 1974. For the full list, click here.Parvinder Awana took a hat-trick in the Champions League T20 recently. How many hat-tricks have there been in T20 matches? asked Amit Kumar from India
That hat-trick by Parvinder Awana for Kings XI Punjab against Chennai Super Kings in the Champions League T20 semi-final in Hyderabad the other day was a pretty high-quality one – it comprised the wicket of Suresh Raina with the last ball of the sixth over then, in his next spell, the wickets of Pawan Negi and MS Dhoni with the first two balls of the 17th. Awana’s hat-trick was actually the 65th in all T20 matches worldwide – three of them were taken by Amit Mishra. For the full list, click here. Three of them – by Brett Lee, Jacob Oram and Tim Southee – were in T20 internationals.Stuart Binny did not score a run, bag a wicket or take a catch on his one-day international debut earlier this year. Is this unique? asked Chris Bloore from Zimbabwe
Stuart Binny’s unproductive ODI debut came against New Zealand in Hamilton in January 2014. It turns out this was far from unique: Binny was actually the 294th player to make no obvious contribution in his first ODI (and there have been two more since: Haseeb Amjad of Hong Kong and the UAE’s Mohammad Shahzad). It’s rarer to go through your debut Test without scoring a run, taking a wicket or a catch, but it has still happened 59 times – most recently to Sohail Khan of Pakistan, against Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2008-09.I noticed that Morne Morkel reached 100 ODI wickets last year in his 59th match. Has anyone done it quicker than this? asked Kevin Nel from South Africa
Morne Morkel is equal fourth on the list of the fastest bowlers to 100 wickets in one-day internationals – Irfan Pathan and Waqar Younis also took 59 matches to get there. Brett Lee reached 100 in 55 matches, Shane Bond in 54… but the quickest was the Pakistan offspinner Saqlain Mushtaq, who took his 100th wicket in his 53rd one-day international. Saqlain was also the quickest to 200 wickets, in 104 matches to 112 by Lee, 117 by Allan Donald and 118 by Waqar.MS Dhoni has scored more than 8000 runs in one-day internationals. Has any wicketkeeper scored more? asked Shanthy Noronha from Argentina
MS Dhoni has now scored 8127 runs in 247 one-day internationals, all of them as the designated wicketkeeper. He is actually third on this particular list at the moment, with quite a way to go to move up: Adam Gilchrist scored 9410 runs in ODIs, while Kumar Sangakkara is stretching his lead at the top – he currently has 11,951 runs in 336 ODIs in which he kept wicket. There’s a big gap behind Dhoni, though – Andy Flower scored 5845 runs and Mark Boucher 4680. Brendon McCullum is currently next with 4057.The Australian bowler Tom Veivers bowled 95.1 overs in the first innings of a drawn Ashes Test in 1964. Has anyone bowled more overs in a Test innings? asked Cherise Asha Clarke from Trinidad and Tobago
The Queensland offspinner Tom Veivers toiled through 95.1 overs in England’s marathon innings of 611 in the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford in July 1964. Only one bowler has sent down more deliveries in a Test innings: at Edgbaston seven years earlier, the West Indian Sonny Ramadhin wheeled down 98 overs as England stonewalled their way to a draw. However, if you stick to the exact wording of your question, two other men have bowled more overs in a Test innings. Against Australia in Melbourne in 1884-85, the England slow left-armer Bobby Peel sent down 102.1 overs, while at The Oval in 1886, Australia’s Tom Garrett delivered 99. But these were four-ball overs, so they actually bowled many fewer deliveries than Ramadhin’s 588.