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A statistical rewind of Stephen Fleming’s Test career

Mathew Varghese25-Mar-2008<!–
Stephen Fleming ends his Test career as New Zealand’s leading run-getter © Getty Images
–>Cold numbers will suggest that Stephen Fleming may not have lived up entirely to his potential as a batsman, but he surely has been one of New Zealand’s best of all time, besides being an astute captain and an excellent hand in the slips. Fleming finishes his career with a Nelson of Tests, while the previous match against England also saw him go past the 7000-run mark, making him the first New Zealander to do so.

New Zealand’s leading Test run-getters

Player Matches Innings Runs Average 100/50

Stephen Fleming 111 189 7172 40.06 9/44 Martin Crowe 77 131 5444 45.36 17/18 John Wright 82 148 5334 37.82 12/23 Nathan Astle 81 137 4702 37.02 11/24 Bev Congdon 61 114 3448 32.22 7/19 Fleming had said he wanted to finish his career with an average of more than 40. Though his two fifties in Napier may not help New Zealand avoid defeat in the series, it ensured his average moved up to 40.06 – prior to the Napier Test, his average was 39.81, and he needed to score 113 runs in his final two innings, assuming he was dismissed in both – he managed to score 12 more than that.Most batsmen are more prolific in home conditions, but for Fleming the bigger challenge was to score in New Zealand. He averaged only 33.87 in 54 Tests at home, and 45.92 in 57 away Tests.

Fleming home and away

Venue Matches Innings Runs Average 100/50

Home 54 89 2947 33.87 2/21 Away 57 100 4225 45.92 7/25The away average of 45.92 reflects more favourably on Fleming’s contribution, especially when compared to other New Zealand batsmen.

Best away averages for New Zealand batsmen (min 1000 runs)

Player Matches Innings Runs Averages 100/50

Stephen Fleming 57 100 4225 45.92 7/25 Glenn Turner 21 38 1536 43.88 4/6 Mark Richardson 22 38 1582 42.75 2/11 Martin Crowe 45 79 3043 42.26 9/11 Bert Sutcliffe 29 53 1934 42.04 4/11 Fleming fared poorly against trans-Tasman rivals Australia – definitely the best team of his time – and the only countries against whom he averages over 50 – often a requisite benchmark for great batsmen – are Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Fleming averages over 100 in both the countries; his average of more than 100 in Sri Lanka – where he scored his best of 274 not out, besides an unbeaten 174 – is only matched by Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara among players having played more than one Test in the country. Fleming’s overall record in the subcontinent – he averages 35.70 and 50 against India and Pakistan – is surely something to be proud of. In fact, he is one of the leading run-getters in the subcontinent among players from outside the region, and in the company of quite a few distinguished fellow left-handers. (For Fleming’s career batting summary, click here.)

Leading visiting batsmen in the subcontinent

Player Matches Innings Runs Average 100/50

Allan Border 22 39 1799 54.51 6/8 Clive Lloyd 20 31 1629 62.65 4/7 Andy Flower 21 38 1614 53.80 5/9 Stephen Fleming 18 29 1571 65.45 3/8 Brian Lara 14 26 1530 58.84 5/4 Fleming also holds the unique distinction of being the only batsman in the 7000-plus club not to have scored at least ten Test hundreds. His nine centuries leaves him six short of the next-lowest tally of 15 hundreds by Stewart. Perhaps the slow start did Fleming in: his first century came in his 23rd Test. For a player who struggles to score centuries, he has done remarkably well after going past three figures – five of his nine hundreds have extended beyond 150.

Scores break-up for Fleming Score range Innings Percentage of total innings

0-19 81 43.32 20-49 53 28.34 50-89 38 20.32 90-99 6 3.21 100-1494 2.14 150+ 52.67 Fleming’s poor conversion rate from fifties to hundreds – 46 fifties to nine hundreds – is even worse in lost causes: he’s made only one hundred in the 41 losses during his career, in which he averages 28.93. He fares better in wins and draws, averaging 51.07 and 47.71. Five of his nine hundreds have come in drawn matches, and his conversion rate is best in those.

Fleming’s record by type of result

Match result Matches Innings Runs Average 100/50

Won 33 48 2145 51.07 3/15 Lost 41 82 2373 28.93 1/16 Drawn 36 57 2529 47.71 5/13He performs best in the first innings of a match, with an average of over 50. Eight of Fleming’s nine Test hundreds have come in the first innings of a match. However, his average drops to less than 40 in the second, and to 28.36 in the fourth innings. In the third innings of a match, Fleming has one hundred to show along with 11 fifties, while he has suffered from a century jinx in the second and fourth innings, with no hundreds despite scoring 22 fifties.

Fleming’s record by match innings

Match innings Innings Runs Average 100/50

1st 58 2980 53.21 8/13 2nd 50 1881 38.38 0/16 3rd 52 1602 32.69 1/11 4th 29 709 28.36 0/6Fleming has batted for most of his career between positions 3 and 5; however, it’s surprising that a majority of his innings are at the No. 4 spot, despite the fact that his average at No. 3 – 47.25 – is over ten more than what he has managed at either No. 4 or No. 5. Fleming has scored 26 fifties at No. 4, but only two centuries, while at No. 3 he’s managed only 12 fifties, but six scores of over 100.

Position-wise averages for Fleming Position in batting order Innings Runs Average 50/100

2 11 333 33.30 1/1 3 69 2977 47.25 6/12 4 82 2902 36.27 2/26 5 17 70233.42 0/4 6 1 8888.00 0/1 7 4 17042.50 0/2 Over 70% of the Tests played by Fleming have been as captain, with his 80 Tests in charge second only to the record of 93 by Allan Border. The 80 included 28 wins, 27 losses and 25 draws – only Geoff Howarth has a higher win percentage among New Zealand captains who have led in at least ten Tests. Fleming’s first Test as captain came when he was only 23, which still remains a New Zealand record. Captaincy, though, doesn’t seem to have impacted his batting. In fact, eight of his nine hundreds were scored when he was in charge.

Captaincy and Fleming’s batting

Role Matches Innings Runs Average 100/50

Captain 80 135 5156 40.59 8/31 Non-captain 31 54 2016 38.76 1/15Fleming also bows out as one of the leading catchers in the game; his 171 catches is only second to Mark Waugh’s 181 among non-wicketkeepers. Had Fleming not retired before turning 35, he could have perhaps wrested the record from Waugh. However, he would have in all probability been surpassed by Rahul Dravid, with Ricky Ponting and Mahela Jayawardene also catching up.Trivia:
1. Fleming has played 111 Tests without bowling a ball in Test cricket; he’s played the most number of matches having not bowled throughout his Test career among those who have not kept wicket. England’s Peter May previously held the mark with 66 Tests. If we include wicketkeepers, Fleming finishes second, bookended by two Australian wicketkeepers he’s played against – Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist.2. Fleming is the only player to fall in the nervous nineties during his Test and ODI debuts. Ricky Ponting managed nineties on his Test and Twenty20 international debuts – he was not out on 98 in the latter.

A year ago Simon Katich, 33, was unlikely to play another Test,but now he is the present and future of the top of the order

Peter English at the Gabba22-Nov-2008
Simon Katich made his fourth hundred in eight Tests since his comeback © AFP
As one Australian opener hobbles, another stands as firmly as his partnerused to. A year ago Simon Katich, 33, was unlikely to play another Test,but now he is the present and future of the top of the order. It is anunpredictable rise that is becoming complete.While Katich was scoring a record 1506 Pura Cup runs last season, Matthew Hayden and Phil Jaques were the opening pillars. Slowly events and formallowed Katich back into the Test set-up he had left in 2005, seeminglyforever. Hayden’s heel injury created a space during the West Indies tour in May and Katich ended the series with two centuries and a stronger hold than Jaques.When Hayden returned in India last month it was Katich who was his newpartner and as the Australian summer starts it is the New South Walescaptain who has the stronger chance to be on his third Ashes tour in 2009.With four centuries in eight Tests since his comeback, Katich owns a stable position in a team with a growing group of wonky ones.”The West Indies and India I treated as a bonus,” Katich said. “I wasn’tsupposed to play on either of those tours. I’ve been blessed to play thoseseven Tests when I was in form which is great, because there’s nothingbetter than being picked after playing well. Being picked back inAustralia, it’s nice to carry that form on.”Hayden’s touch entering his 100th Test is patchy, Brad Haddin’s gripbecomes looser by the innings and Shane Watson’s search for legitimateallrounder status continues, but Katich is steadying the team during thebest streak of his international life. His unbeaten 131 in the secondinnings made him the first Australian since Mark Taylor in 1998 to carry his bat and pushed his run tally for the year to 809, 11 behind Michael Hussey and 62 adrift of Ricky Ponting.”In the past I’ve batted down the order in Test cricket, but when thisopportunity came I was really comfortable with it,” he said. “As I’vegotten older, it’s better to get out there from the word go than sitaround and use up nervous energy. Before I got dropped last time, duringthe Ashes [in 2005] there were times when you sit around waiting to bat atsix and that probably didn’t help my cause.”There have been two versions of Katich on display since his re-elevation.The defensive model is capable of absorbing and deflecting for hoursbefore the attacking one emerges in an instant. After finishing the secondday on a comfortable and breezy 67, he started cautiously on the thirdmorning until he reached 90.”The way I batted in Nagpur [he scored 102] and the way I batted lastnight were the two best times I’ve hit the ball for Australia,” he said.”I felt really good. Today I was a bit scratchy in the first half an hourand it took me a while to get going.”A crisp straight drive off Tim Southee was followed by a fierce hook nextball that also raced to the rope. Seven balls later he tried a similarshot, didn’t quite get it, but achieved a similar result. As the ballpassed the rope at fine leg he raised his arms for his sixth Test century.Hayden’s touch entering his 100th Test is patchy, Brad Haddin’s grip becomes looser by the innings and Shane Watson’s search for legitimate allrounder status continues, but Katich is steadying the team during the best streak of his international lifeThe conditions had settled from the first two days but Katich’s displaywas the finest of the match. There were two dropped catches, on 70 and 86,and New Zealand needed to take one of the tough chances to stay in thegame. Instead Katich quickly took it further away and when the No. 11Stuart Clark drove to Daniel Vettori the lead was 326. “I was just happyto get a hundred when we needed it,” he said, “and to get a total that wasdefendable.”Katich was able to make up for the drifting performance of some of histeam-mates. Haddin looked comfortable, as he usually does, until making aterminal mistake to Vettori’s second delivery of the day. It is always aworry when a wicketkeeper struggles in the early stages of a spinner’sspell as they spend their life watching bowler’s hands.Haddin missed an arm ball and was bowled, leaving him under furtherscrutiny ahead of the second Test in Adelaide from Thursday. Hayden andHaddin will both be involved, but Watson’s place is likely to go to JasonKrejza following the selectors’ faith in Andrew Symonds for this game, andthe need for a spinner. Following Katich’s sustained excellence theselection debates can swirl around him rather than centre on him, althoughhe is not sure how long the peace will last.”That might not take long, if I nick a few,” he said. “At the end of theday I’m just making sure I play every Test as if it’s my last. I’ve hadthat approach since I came back in. That’s not in a negative way, I’m justgrateful for the opportunity and I’m going to make the most of it.”

England’s unexpected victory against Sri Lanka on Friday has thrown Group B wide open, with all four teams in with a chance of making the semi-finals

S Rajesh26-Sep-2009England
The win against Sri Lanka gives them some breathing space. If England beat South Africa, they will surely get into the last four, regardless of other results. On the other hand, if they lose the last two, they’ll definitely be out. If England lose to South Africa and beat New Zealand, they’ll want New Zealand to beat Sri Lanka. Else, three teams will be tied on four points (while New Zealand will have zero), and net run-rates will come into play.Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka are in a peculiar situation – they might make the semi-finals even if they lose to New Zealand, but on the other hand, they might miss out even if they beat New Zealand. Here’s how: if they lose to New Zealand, and if England win their last two matches, then England will have three wins, while the other three teams will finish with one victory each, bringing in net run rates to decide on the second semi-finalist.If Sri Lanka beat New Zealand, and if England lose to South Africa and beat New Zealand, three teams will again be tied, this time on six points, bringing run rates into play. Sri Lanka’s best bet is to beat New Zealand, and then hope that England either win both their remaining matches, or lose them both.South Africa
Like Sri Lanka, South Africa too depend on other results. If they lose to England, they’ll have to hope New Zealand have beaten Sri Lanka but lose to England, so that England finish with three wins, while three teams battle for the second spot.If South Africa beat England, and if England lose to New Zealand, then the home team will surely be through. However, if South Africa win their last game, and New Zealand lose both their matches, then three teams will be tied on four points.New Zealand
A defeat against Sri Lanka will knock them out of the tournament, regardless of other results in the group. If they beat Sri Lanka, New Zealand can make it even if they lose to England, if South Africa lose their last game against England (three teams on two points; NRR comes into play).If New Zealand win both their matches, they’ll definitely make the cut, along with the winner of the South Africa-England clash. New Zealand and England are thus the two teams who can qualify without depending on other results.

Stats highlights from the third ODI between Sri Lanka and Pakistan

S Rajesh03-Aug-2009In his 17 previous ODI innings Mahela Jayawardene had scored one half-century, four ducks, and averaged 15.11•AFP The 202-run partnership between Mahela Jayawardene and Upul Tharanga is the third-highest for the first wicket for Sri Lanka in ODIs, and their highest at home. Their highest overall is 286, against England at Leeds in 2006. Of the five 200-plus opening stands for Sri Lanka, Tharanga has been involved in three. It’s also Sri Lanka’s first double-century opening stand without the presence of Sanath Jayasuriya. Jayawardene’s glorious 123 ended a barren run in ODIs: in his 17 previous ODI innings he had an average of 15.11, with one half-century and four ducks. This was also only his second ODI innings as an opener. In his previous effort – against Zimbabwe in Harare in November 2008 – he had failed to get off the mark. Dambulla has traditionally been a difficult venue for batting, but in this game both Pakistan and Sri Lanka scored totals that hadn’t been scored at this ground. In 28 previous ODIs in Dambulla, the highest score had been 282, by Sri Lanka against India in 2004. India chased it bravely, but fell short by 12 runs. Those were the two highest ODI totals here before today. The win also ended a poor run for Sri Lanka in ODI series at home – they had lost their last three, against England and twice against India. (Click here for Sri Lanka’s results in home ODI series.) The pitch was so good for batting that even Muttiah Muralitharan leaked plenty of runs – in ten overs he conceded 64, which is the second-highest number of runs he has conceded in a home ODI. The highest is 66, against India earlier this year. In terms of economy rates, this comes in at third place among his most expensive spells at home. Click here for the full list. It was also a bad game for Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s most consistent spinner. He leaked 7.50 runs per over, his most expensive spell in almost two years. Against India in Kanpur in November 2007, he had conceded 57 in seven, a rate of 8.14 per over. Since then, in 30 ODIs before this one, only twice did he concede more than six runs per over.

England’s latest opener was meant to provide the early momentum, but instead he made his mark with a controlled and measured century

Andrew Miller in Chittagong05-Mar-2010It was rather like turning up to the cinema expecting a showing of Lethal Weapon III, only to be presented with a slow-burn epic. Craig Kieswetter’s first blockbusting performance for England ended up wowing the critics on levels that few had expected him to reach, as the direction of his maiden award-winning performance rather deviated from the pre-series script.Kieswetter’s arrival in England colours had been of the all-action variety. On his first full day after completing his four-year residency qualification, he produced a rough-and-tumble 81 to carry the England Lions to victory over their senior counterparts in Abu Dhabi, and he responded to his subsequent call-up to the England squad with a blazing 143 from 123 balls in the first warm-up match at Fatullah.Here, it was presumed, was the answer to England’s Powerplay prayers – a player with the skill and strength to muscle the ball to the boundary at will, and provide the side with a platform not seen since his Somerset colleague, Marcus Trescothick, took his leave of England duty in the summer of 2006.What Kieswetter actually produced was a performance that tapped into intense mental reserves, as he became, at 22 years and 97 days, the second-youngest England batsman (after David Gower and just before his current captain, Alastair Cook) to rack up an ODI century. That he did so in conditions entirely alien to his hometown of Taunton, in a style entirely at odds with his gung-ho expectations, and having failed rather frenetically in his opening two internationals, was an added testament to his resolve.”For me it was about being able to adapt mentality,” said Kieswetter. “In the first two games I wasn’t quite aware tactically of how I was going to pace my innings, [in terms of] helping the team win the game. Today I tried to pace myself a bit more, and try to get myself in more before playing big shots. It is nice to get a hundred under my belt early in my career, and it’s one I’m going to cherish, but the fact that we won the game and won the series also means a lot to me.””He played totally differently to the way he has been playing,” said Cook. “But to play the situation is probably what international cricket is all about, being able to adapt like he’s done there. It shows that he’s bright, and that he’s got a massive future in international cricket.”If Kieswetter’s call-up had been with the World Twenty20 in mind – and prior to the series, England’s coach, Andy Flower, implied that it had been – then it might come as a mild source of embarrassment to the selectors that the only player to have been omitted from their provisional squad of 30, Cook, outpaced his partner in each and every one of their three opening partnerships.For the third match running, Kieswetter started out like a dozing hare to Cook’s tortoise, as the captain’s graft and accumulation allowed him to amble into the 20s before his anxious partner had escaped single figures. Following on from his jittery 19 on debut in Mirpur, and his flashy 4 in the second match two days later, the signs for England’s newest recruit weren’t entirely encouraging.

I played second fiddle, and I kind of enjoyed that challenge, of trying to expand my game and let someone else play aggressively. It’s been an eye-opener out here, but whenever you go to different countries and different continents, you have to adapt your game

At least, that’s how it appeared from the sidelines. Out in the middle, Kieswetter was busy re-evaluating his strategies, and enjoying the experience of slip-streaming his fast-paced colleague. His maiden ODI half-century came from a stately 80 balls (which was still good enough to win a US$1000 “fastest fifty” award as no one else passed fifty in the match), but he rushed to his hundred from a further 40, as the benefits of bedding in came flooding out in the final 15 overs, and out came the shots with which he’s forged his young reputation.”Cooky took over my role,” said Kieswetter. “He was bashing them around while I played second fiddle, and I kind of enjoyed that challenge, of trying to expand my game and let someone else play aggressively. It’s been an eye-opener out here, but whenever you go to different countries and different continents, you have to adapt your game. Instead of rapid pace, you face some twirlers who are spinning it quite a lot. It was a mental change for me, but I’m happy with how it turned out.”As if Kieswetter didn’t have enough on his plate, having been teased by Bangladesh’s left-arm spinners to an extent matched only by the struggling Kevin Pietersen, he had to withstand another wave of unwelcome criticism of his credentials, following Michael Vaughan’s comments to the press about South African imports. As it happens, Vaughan is also a member of Kieswetter’s management team, ISM, which can’t have gone down well at headquarters, but fortunately Chittagong is a far enough corner of a foreign field to allow such furores to pass without much comment.”It’s something that I’m going to have to put up with for my whole career,” said Kieswetter – not for the first, and surely not for the last time in his career. “I was born with a British passport, I’ve done my four years, I am British, and I don’t see it as an issue. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but for me it’s about putting performances in on the park and helping England win.” And he certainly did that second part in style.Nevertheless, his success has created a significant headache for England’s selectors – as well as the man who was sat next to him in the press conference. For the return series in May, Andrew Strauss is due to resume his role at the top of the order, and three into two most certainly will not go, especially now that Kieswetter has demonstrated durability at the crease, as well as combustibility.Until Morgan’s matchwinning 110 at Dhaka on Tuesday, Strauss was one of only two England batsmen to make an ODI hundred in the past 12 months, so his place in the pecking order presumably has to be secure. Which can only leave Cook on the fringes once again, and braced for another abrupt omission from England’s limited-overs plans.”We can only score runs and put pressure on the selectors to make a decision,” said Cook. “I’d have liked to score a hundred, but I’m really pleased with my contribution to the top of the order. Selection is out of my hands, as it always tends to be, so I’ll just have to wait my turn, but Straussy is the captain of England, and he has to come straight back in.”

Plays of the day from the first day of the first Test between India and Australia in Mohali

Sidharth Monga in Mohali01-Oct-2010The reprieve(s)
You don’t expect to be so lucky on second ball of the day after the opposition has won the toss. Perhaps Virender Sehwag wasn’t expecting to when he dropped a simplish overhead catch from Shane Watson at gully. MS Dhoni, too, did Watson a favour, when on 37, dropping a thin edge off Pragyan Ojha. The beneficiary is yet to get out.The sixth sense
When Simon Katich shuffled too far across, and was hit in front by a Zaheer Khan delivery that swung in towards middle, Katich must have known he was adjacent. For, he didn’t even look up at the umpire. He just looked down, moved a bit towards leg, heard the happy noise from the small crowd, and walked off.The plan that almost worked
In the 10th over, Dhoni moved Sachin Tendulkar to a three-fourths deep square leg presumably for the Ricky Ponting pull. In the same over, Ponting fell over while clipping one off the pads, and ended up hitting the ball squarer and in the air. Tendulkar could have risked a boundary going for it, but he chose to play it safe. Silence all around. Not a single angry or questioning look from any of the team-mates.The Sami tribute over
Mohammad Sami, the holder of the record for the longest over in international cricket, would have watched in hope when Ishant Sharma started the 13th over of the day with two no-balls, and didn’t quite seem to be able to get around the problem. Later in the same over, to rub it in, Ricky Ponting nicked one of those no-balls down the leg side. If that wasn’t slat enough already, Watson hit him for back-to-back boundaries. Sadly, though, for Sami the over finished with 10 deliveries, seven short of his record. Better luck next time.The misjudgement
On a pitch with low bounce, and with the ball reversing madly, you need to be very brave to leave alone a delivery, no matter how wide or how short. Marcus North tempted fate when he did so in the 85th over, and almost lived to tell the tale. The ball swung back viciously, but managed to stealthily kiss the top of off on its way to Dhoni. The touch was so soft the ball hardly deviated, and accordingly Zaheer had hands on his head… until Dhoni pointed to the bail that belatedly came out of its groove. Joy to the reverse-swing bowlers.

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

Firdose Moonda at Newlands02-Jan-2011The toss
After losing 13 of his last 14 tosses, it was becoming more important for MS Dhoni to practice making the right calls at the toss, than to fine-tune his batting. Indian fans had begun to ask for the captain to send out a representative in his place as he was going through such a lean run of form with the toss. Then, as though by a miracle, he called correctly under cloudy skies. Having been inserted in similar conditions in the first two Tests, he had no second thoughts about asking South Africa to bat.The fear factor
Graeme Smith showed just how nervous facing Zaheer Khan made him when he opted not to take first strike and let Alviro Petersen see off his first two overs. When Smith faced Zaheer, in his third over, he could hardly wait to get off strike. Off the fourth delivery of the over, Smith worked the ball through midwicket and ran one, with a second run comfortably on offer. Harbhajan Singh, who saw Smith waiting at the non-strikers end ambled to the ball, backpedalled a little, stood around and offered the extra run. Smith didn’t budge, leaving Petersen to face the last two balls of that over.The act of caution
Jacques Kallis is not one to see if lightning can strike twice. When Hashim Amla drove a delivery straight back to Zaheer Khan at the Wynberg End, Kallis rushed back to his crease anxiously, fearing a repeat of his Durban dilemma. Then, Kallis was run out at the non-strikers end by Ishant Sharma in the first innings at Kingsmead and his extra backing up today was a sign that he has learnt his lesson.The glee
Sreesanth did not have much to celebrate in his first nine overs, having gone for 47 runs. Hashim Amla had taken a particular liking to him in the post-lunch session, having hit him for two glorious cover drives and an emphatic pull shot for six. His fourth boundary off Sreesanth was an outside edge that evaded VVS Laxman at second slip and the break-dancer’s blood was starting to boil. Two balls later, it was all over. Amla top-edged a bouncer and was caught at deep midwicket, an act that unleashed Sree’s glee. He charged around like an unrestrained border collie and it was up to Hrabhajan to rein him in before he ran right out of the ground.The light
It got too dark to play in the morning and afternoon sessions but Cape Town was saving the best for last. The Mother City revealed her best side as early evening approached. The clouds climbed their way up Table Mountain with blue skies finally unveiled. Bright sunshine soaked the ground and a day that could have been truncated by poor overhead conditions, and had eight minutes short of two hours lost to the elements, ended up having 74 overs of play. There are some benefits to the city technically being in the wrong time zone, it seems.

While both unorthodox batsmen have had a string of low scores, MS Dhoni’s position is under no threat while Shivnarine Chanderpaul will be wondering whether he’ll go the same way as Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan

Sriram Veera in Dominica05-Jul-2011You can’t take your eyes off Shivnarine Chanderpaul when he is batting. Watching him live at the ground is a disorienting experience; bowling at him must be even more disorienting. His stance reminds you of a batsman at a crowded park on a Sunday in India, where multiple teams jostle for space and where you will often find another batsman standing next to you but playing a different game, on a pitch that runs diagonally across your strip. The present scenario in West Indies cricket, in particular the outlook the board seems to have on the senior players in the side, has made it even more fascinating to watch Chanderpaul bat.He is at a crossroads in his career. “New direction” is the new buzz on the Caribbean circuit these days. There is a feeling in the region that there are people in power who are almost waiting for Chanderpaul to fail so they can dump him. It’s not a great time to be a senior player. Chris Gayle has been sidelined by the board, Ramnaresh Sarwan has just lost his place and the guns are now trained on Chanderpaul.A couple of months ago, Chanderpaul was involved in a spat with the board and the team management. Chanderpaul had felt his commitment had been questioned and retaliated with an angry outburst in which, among other things, he accused the selectors of asking him to retire, the board of not arranging adequate treatment for his injuries and the team management of trying to micromanage his batting. After meetings with the board, he was included in the team for the Tests against Pakistan and IndiaChanderpaul is also, according to people close to him, currently grappling with some personal issues. Overall, he isn’t in a great frame of mind. Ironically, cricket offers him the best escape from all his issues. He can shut his critics up with his bat, and earn himself some mental relief with runs. It’s the one thing that is under his control. In that context, he must have been gutted when he got a shocking lbw decision in the second innings at the Kensington Oval. He, however, did not throw a fit. He did not even linger at the crease. He just turned and walked away. It must have taken tremendous mental discipline.But then, discipline is what defines Chanderpaul’s batting. Abhinav Mukund, the young India opener, said he learnt a lot by just crouching at short-leg during the Barbados Test and watching Chanderpaul bat. “He was leaving deliveries that were so close to the off stump,” Abhinav said. “He always played late. I learned a lot. I also want to leave and play late like that.” The runs, though, aren’t coming for Chanderpaul. He has spent 852 minutes at the crease in his last six innings, but managed only 165 runs at a strike-rate of 29.41. Dominica may not be the last-chance saloon but it’s pretty important that he gets some runs.Another man struggling for runs is someone who, like Chanderpaul, is known for his unorthodox style of batting: India’s captain MS Dhoni. Unlike Chanderpaul, Dhoni is under no pressure. He has been winning everything as a captain and if he wins in Dominica he will be the first India captain to win 2-0 in the West Indies. In fact, India have won two Tests in a series outside the subcontinent only three times: in New Zealand in 1967-68, in England in 1986 and in Zimbabwe in 2005.Dhoni’s scores in this series read 0,16, 2, and 5, and though his position is under no threat it is still an issue he would like to address. He has this knack of coming up with a substantial knock just when you begin to notice his failures. He hit a 98 in November 2010 against New Zealand after going seven innings without a half-century, and followed it up with 90 in Centurion against South Africa. It has since been seven innings in which he hasn’t got a half-century.But these patterns are typical of Dhoni the Test batsman. He is impressively consistent in ODIs but in Tests he often slips into anonymity before coming up with a sparkling knock. He can surprise you sometimes with his poor shot selection: a cut straight to cover point, an uppish drive to mid-off, a tame, lunging push with the bat way ahead of the body. Then, on his good days, that same cut would just clear cover point, the uppish drive would fly past mid-off and the lunging drive would result in an edge past gully. And he would be up and running.Dhoni would probably take a team victory in Dominica, but some runs, ahead of the tougher England series, won’t hurt. Two batsmen, with unorthodox but effective batting styles, will set out on a hunt for runs in Dominica.

The Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 confirmed that cricket in Pakistan is not just about court cases, and dysfunctional players and management

Osman Samiuddin02-Jul-2011A better domestic final than that of the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 in Faisalabad is difficult to recall, certainly from recent memory. The favourites – Karachi Dolphins – didn’t win it, which is always a good script for finals to follow, while other big sides, like Sialkot, Lahore and Faisalabad, fell by the wayside. It was a berserk climax; Rawalpindi Rams lost wickets regularly but managed to stay alive till they entered the final over, needing nine to win with two wickets in hand.Umar Amin lofted Azam Hussain for six off the second ball and with two balls to go, the scores were level. The game should’ve been over, yet Hussain’s left-arm spin accounted for the last two wickets off successive balls – the last, deliciously and bravely floated up, spun away and produced a stumping – and a Super Over.In it, Rawalpindi took 16 off the tournament’s best bowler, Sohail Khan. Karachi’s chase against the left-arm spinner Raza Hasan began with a six, had a wicket go down next ball, a catch dropped third ball and a stumping appeal turned down off the fourth. Hasan’s final three balls were dots and amid crazy tension, the over lasted what felt like 20 minutes. Unfancied Rawalpindi, led by Sohail Tanvir, duly exploded in joy. The crowd, another packed house, joined in. Karachi – and they’ve lost enough Twenty20 finals now to be called chokers – were appropriately despondent.Nobody does a post-match presentation ceremony quite like the PCB and broadcaster , so there was a whole squad – 14 in all – of officials of all shapes, sizes and designations, lined up to hand out awards. They should’ve been the ninth team of the tournament. It was a memorable ceremony as well, single-handedly livened up by Sohail Khan’s honest confession that he dreaded returning to Karachi empty-handed to a possibly hostile reception, “” (faces blackened in disgrace).The presentations host Sikander Bakht, former fast bowler, TV personality, commentator and now father figure, then told Khan off on live TV – politely – and reminded him what a great game it had been and that no side had been disgraced. Tanvir’s shout out to his influential Rawalpindi coach Sabih Azhar, in its own way, was overdue acknowledgement. His response to Bakht’s query of how the players will now party was beautifully bewildered: “Errr … maybe not here.”It capped quite a wonderful tournament, as energetically organised as it was supported and played. A number of big name Twenty20 specialists were missing, but you wouldn’t have guessed it. There was enough feeling among the players involved, none more than in the Karachi-Sialkot semi-final. Though eventually one-sided, it was an electric, spicy game, fuelled by the feeling among Karachi players of being unfairly overlooked for national selection and by a Sialkot side that has lorded it over the domestic Twenty20 circuit for the last half-decade.The stands held even greater passion. They don’t just love their cricket in Faisalabad, they turn up to watch it. Previous Twenty20 tournaments in bigger cities have always pulled crowds on finals day, but evening matches through the week in Iqbal Stadium were near-full. Soon after the final ended fans managed to rush on to the ground, but it hardly felt like a security breach.

They don’t just love their cricket in Faisalabad, they turn up to watch it. Previous Twenty20 tournaments in bigger cities have always pulled crowds on finals day, but evening matches through the week in Iqbal Stadium were near-full. Soon after the final ended fans managed to rush on to the ground, but it hardly felt like a security breach

Significantly, a sponsor was found for each of the eight sides, indicating that if done right, the private sector is willing to invest in Pakistani cricket. It was tackily done, but at least it was done. The winner’s cheque of 2.5 million rupees wasn’t a piddling amount and all the teams were put up at the leading hotel in the city (though the reported that daily allowances were pitiably low).With Pakistan due to tour Zimbabwe for a full series and Mohsin Khan eager to explore new options for the national Twenty20 side, a number of players put themselves in the picture. Karachi’s Rameez Raja played two of the tournament’s most explosive innings and only scored less than 29 once. He bears a fair physical resemblance to Salman Butt but is a different player altogether, more direct, less delicate. And he is not named, incidentally, after the other Rameez Raja.It will also be difficult to ignore Khan, the leading wicket-taker, taking four in the semi-final and five in the final. He was much-hyped after his extraordinary debut season in 2007-08, when he took a record 91 wickets. In his first appearances for Pakistan he looked willing but limited, and fell away as Mohammad Amir took off. But over the last season he has progressed again, finishing with 69 wickets. He is smarter, more rounded now. He’s still quick and hits the bat hard and high, but he has better control over lengths and far more variety than before; his slower balls are genuine wicket-taking deliveries.There are others. Rawalpindi’s Jamal Anwar was unlucky to be dismissed for a duck in the final, but his batting and glovework have looked good through the tournament. Raza Hasan has been a Pakistan prospect for over a year now and 11 very economical wickets over the week will do his chances no harm. Sharjeel Khan’s batting here and for Pakistan A earlier mean the left-hand batsman could be one of the few players from Hyderabad to represent Pakistan.The subplot through the week was what this could mean for the return of international cricket. The honest, realistic answer is not much – that it is not in the PCB’s hands. But it is another timely confirmation that cricket here is not just about court cases, and dysfunctional players and management. It lives and it breathes. And to link it to international prospects is to belittle the domestic game, to imply that it serves no other purpose. Instead of worrying about when teams will tour Pakistan again, perhaps we should turn our attentions to the domestic scene once more and rejoice in it.

In bowler-friendly conditions, Sri Lanka have their task cut out against a strong South African team keen to win their first home series in three years

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan14-Dec-2011In seven years between 1997 and 2004, Sri Lanka and South Africa played each other in five series. But since then, the teams have met just once, in Sri Lanka, and it has almost been nine years since they played a Test in South Africa. Over the years, both teams have been vulnerable when touring the other country: Sri Lanka have poorly on pace-friendly pitches outside the subcontinent, and South Africa struggling on tracks conducive to spin.South Africa, who have historically done well in spin-friendly conditions in India, were comprehensively beaten on their two previous tours of Sri Lanka and failed to win a single Test. On the other hand, Sri Lanka have lost six out of seven Tests in South Africa. More recently, even their home stats have suffered, with a draw against a weak West Indies team and a defeat against Australia. Overseas, they’re still waiting for their first Test win in three countries – Australia, South Africa and India.Despite possessing a strong outfit, South Africa, surprisingly, have been unable to close out Test series at home in the last few years. They have lost one and drawn three of their last four home series against England, India and Australia. However, they will feel that they can regain their winning ways in this series.South Africa have won six of the seven Tests against Sri Lanka at home. The extent of their domination in these contests is reflected in the difference between the batting and bowling averages. South Africa’s batting average of 36.92 seems even higher than it is when compared to Sri Lanka’s 21.60. On the spin-friendly tracks of Sri Lanka, though, South Africa have a 2-4 win-loss record, and the batting and bowling averages are obviously in Sri Lanka’s favour. Overall, South Africa are slightly ahead with an average difference of 2.74.

South Africa’s record against Sri Lanka in Tests

PlayedWonLostDrawnW/L ratioBat avgBowl avgAvg diffMatches in South Africa7601-36.9221.6015.32Matches in Sri Lanka102440.5030.1737.50-7.33Overall178452.0032.5729.832.74Sri Lanka’s win-loss ratio in home Tests since 1990 is an excellent 2.15 and their dominance at home is reflected in the high value of the average difference (10.42). Although their overall away performance itself is poor (win-loss ratio of 0.47), their display in Tests outside the subcontinent is worse. Apart from the odd innings like Sanath Jayasuriya’s 213 at The Oval in 1998 and Kumar Sangakkara’s outstanding 192 in Hobart in 2007, there have not been too many notable performances.In England, Sri Lanka have been competitive, winning two Tests. However, Muralitharan’s bowling played a huge part in both wins and his absence was felt seriously on their latest tour of England, when they struggled to check the flow of runs. While the average difference of -12.55 in Tests in England is poor, it’s better than the performances in South Africa (-15.32) and Australia (-30.62). Their bowling averages in these countries indicate that their attack has been largely toothless in these conditions.

Sri Lanka’s contrasting home and away records (in England, South Africa and Australia) since 1990

PlayedWonLostDrawnW/L ratioBat avgBowl avgAvg diffHome924119322.1539.3728.9510.42Away (overall)861838300.4730.6138.09-7.48In England112540.4032.5445.09-12.55In South Africa70610.0021.6036.92-15.32In Australia70610.0027.2057.82-30.62South Africa are playing at home, but of late they haven’t been that good at utilizing that advantage. Since the 2-1 series win against West Indies in 2007-08, they’ve only beaten New Zealand and Bangladesh at home. In 2008-09, England drew the series 1-1 after holding on to draws in two matches with one wicket remaining. This series was followed by a 2-1 loss to Australia and 1-1 draws against India and Australia in the last two series. In the meanwhile, they have done much better away, winning in West Indies and drawing 1-1 in India.Sri Lanka’s fortunes have gone downhill since the retirement of Muralitharan in August 2010. Their strong home record was blighted recently by Australia, who secured a 1-0 series win and dominated the contests. In away Tests, the results have been familiar. After two heavy defeats in India, Sri Lanka lost the first Test against England after an astonishing collapse in their second innings in Cardiff. Even in the recent Test series against Pakistan, Sri Lanka were far from inspiring and went down 1-0. Sri Lanka’s overseas bowling stats are particularly disappointing – they average 61 runs per wicket since 2009.

Recent Test form of both teams (since 2009) excluding Bangladesh and Zimbabwe matches

TeamVenuePlayedWins/LossesBat avgBowl avgAvg diff100/505WI/10WMSouth AfricaHome124/535.8430.785.0617/259/0Sri LankaHome145/241.1734.476.7015/3610/0South AfricaAway83/246.3438.008.3413/183/1Sri LankaAway110/438.9061.08-22.1816/212/0Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have been the two outstanding batsmen for Sri Lanka over the last decade, but their stats outside the subcontinent present quite a contrast. The pair put on a record 624 against South Africa at the SSC in 2006, and Jayawardene has scored five Test hundreds against them, but he has failed to impress in South Africa. While he averages 105.27 in seven Tests in Sri Lanka (against South Africa), his average drops to just 31.40 in matches played in South Africa. In Tests played outside the subcontinent since 2006, Jayawardene has struggled, averaging just over 31 in 12 matches. Sangakkara has done much better scoring four centuries at an average of 51.35. Both batsmen have a fairly similar percentage distribution of dismissals against pace and spin but Sangakkara has a much higher value of balls-per-dismissal against the fast bowlers. Tillekaratne Dilshan and Thilan Samaraweera, two of the more experienced Sri Lankan batsmen, have also done much better against spinners but have found the going a lot tougher against pace.

Sri Lanka’s batsmen outside the subcontinent since 2006

BatsmanMatchesRunsAverage100/50% dismissals, balls/dismissal (pace)% dismissals, balls/dismissal (spin)Kumar Sangakkara11102751.354/485.00, 85.8215.00, 134.33Mahela Jayawardene1274631.083/187.50, 56.0012.50, 117.66Tillekaratne Dilshan755943.001/484.61, 60.007.69, 204.00Thilan Samaraweera843933.761/376.92, 60.1015.38, 117.00For South Africa too, lack of batting consistency has been a worry at home. The opening pair looks far from settled, though Jacques Rudolph deserves a longer run to prove his class. The middle order, although solid on paper, has been shown to be vulnerable especially because of the repeated failures of Ashwell Prince and Mark Boucher. Jacques Kallis, who recently went past Brian Lara’s Test aggregate, has by far been South Africa’s finest batsman at home. He has scored six centuries in hist last 12 Tests at home, including a hundred in both innings against India in Cape Town. His record against pace bowlers is excellent with a balls-per-dismissal figure of 101.50 but this is completely overshadowed by his stunning performance against spin. Kallis has been dismissed only once by spinners in the last three years while facing 617 deliveries.AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith complete a powerful top-order line-up and have a strong record in recent years. However, both of them, plus Prince and Boucher, have fallen to spinners fairly often, which is an aspect that should encourage Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath.

South Africa’s batsmen at home since 2009 (excluding Bangladesh and Zimbabwe matches)

BatsmanMatchesRunsAverage100/50% dismissals, balls/dismissal (pace)% dismissals, balls/dismissal (spin)Jacques Kallis12120867.116/388.88, 101.505.55, 617.00AB de Villiers1297951.523/678.94, 77.2021.05, 127.50Hashim Amla1294745.094/480.95, 84.4119.04, 88.25Graeme Smith1182648.583/370.58, 90.4123.52, 70.25Mark Boucher1249529.110/458.82, 63.2041.17, 38.14Ashwell Prince1042030.001/164.28, 80.3328.57, 37.00Dale Steyn was playing only his seventh Test when Sri Lanka amassed 756 for 5 at the SSC. In South African conditions, though, it’s unlikely that Steyn and Co will need to toil so hard for wickets. He missed out on becoming the fastest bowler to reach the 250-wicket mark after a below-par second-innings display against Australia in Johannesburg. However, in the company of Vernon Philander, who picked up 14 wickets in his first two Tests, and Morne Morkel, Steyn will be more than a handful for the Sri Lankan batsmen. The presence of Imran Tahir also provides the necessary variety in an otherwise pace-dominant attack.Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have very little experience to fall back on. Dilhara Fernando, who picked up six wickets in the close three-wicket loss in Centurion on the previous visit in 2002-03, has hardly been impressive in recent years, averaging 51.00 since 2007. However, considering that many South African batsmen do not have a great record against spin, Sri Lanka will bank heavily on their slow bowlers to create an impression.Centurion, the venue for the first Test, has generally been a result-oriented track with just one draw in the last six matches. The only team to win a match in Centurion after batting first in the last five years is South Africa, who beat New Zealand by 128 runs in April 2006. The first-innings average in Centurion is the lowest among the three venues for the Test series. Unlike Durban and Cape Town, where there has been some success for spinners, Centurion has mostly been a venue that has favoured pace bowlers (151 wickets at 30.60). Overcast conditions and a green pitch will make the task that much tougher for Sri Lanka.

Venue stats for the series (matches since 2006)

VenueWins/Losses/draws (South Africa)Wins (batting first)1st inns2nd inns3rd inns4th innsWickets, avg (pace)Wickets, avg (spin)Centurion5/0/1126.7946.8829.0724.86151, 30.6034, 41.20Durban2/4/0428.9336.6534.3627.20150, 31.2444, 30.18Cape Town5/1/3031.3434.2327.4045.03214, 30.3564, 39.04