ESPNcricinfo looks at the Plays of the Day for the third day between West Indies and India

S Aga16-Nov-2011Shuffle shuffle
Shivnarine Chanderpaul was the key to West Indies avoiding the follow-on, but he had barely got his eye in after the early-morning start when R Ashwin pushed through a straighter one. Chanderpaul shuffled right across his stumps and tried to work it to leg. As soon as he missed, the Indians knew they had their man.The joy of pace
Umesh Yadav has improved with every innings in this series, but it won’t be often that he bowls a delivery as good as that which sent back Marlon Samuels. Pitching on middle, it shaped away to take out off and middle stumps. The speed gun timed it at 143.3 km/h.Six and out
When a spinner gets walloped for a straight six, the natural instinct might be to bowl a flatter one. Pragyan Ojha did nothing of the sort. He tossed one up outside off stump that turned and bounced more than expected. Darren Sammy’s cut went off the top edge into MS Dhoni’s gloves. The perfect riposte.Putting the boot in
When Carlton Baugh smacked one straight back at him, Ojha was a little slow to respond. He couldn’t get his hands to it, but the ball deflected off his boot on to the stumps. Kemar Roach, who had backed up too far, didn’t stand a chance.Unsettled by tea
Adrian Barath had batted superbly for 62 before tea, but four balls after the interval, he went for an expansive drive at an Ishant Sharma delivery that was well outside off stump. The ball flew off the edge, and VVS Laxman took a smart chance to his left. Another batsman undone by a break in play.Shades of the master
They may be battling to save the game, but Darren Bravo isn’t going to withdraw into a shell. When Ojha pitched one well up soon after he had arrived at the crease, a fluid swing and flourish sent the ball soaring over long-on. It was a shot Brian Lara used to play particularly well.

Fighting adversity together is a great bond. With their sacked, intermediate and future captains all part of the set-up, Sri Lanka will look to do that over the coming weeks

Sidharth Monga in Perth07-Feb-2012Had he not travelled to Brisbane to watch his sons play in a shield game, Geoff Marsh, the recently sacked Sri Lanka coach, might well have put an ironic spin on the legendary line from , and said: “Of all the cricket grounds, in all the towns, in all the world, they walk into mine.” Had this been a Test match and the badass days of WACA, the crowds might have sold out the ground to boo the Sri Lankan team, to display their displeasure over the shoddy treatment with one of their own.This, though, is an ODI, and that too not involving Australia. Moreover, the team – the cricketers that will be on the field – are going through much worse than Marsh did during his brief stint with the Sri Lankan team. They haven’t been fully paid since last year’s World Cup, they have had four different coaches since then, the captain who led them to their first Test win in South Africa is sacked, and the players say they don’t even know the reasons behind the changes.”It was a bit of an unfortunate situation where the cricket board took a decision, and I think, as players, we need to just concentrate on our cricket, and that’s all we can do,” their vice-captain and the man touted to lead the team into the next era, Angelo Mathews, said. When asked if the players were consulted at all before Marsh was sacked, Mathews said, “We were not consulted. It’s just the board [that] took the decision, and we have to bear with it.”They have been caught at a time where they have sacked Tillakaratne Dilshan but don’t think Angelo Mathews is ready yet to be the captain. That has meant they have brought back the reluctant captain, yet a shrewd strategist, Mahela Jayawardene.”They have been speaking to the players regarding the captaincy, and they asked Mahela whether he wanted to captain,” Mathews said. “To steady the ship I think Mahela took it. He has mentioned he is not going to captain for so long. It’s the correct decision from Mahela. He is a very good captain, he is a seasoned campaigner, he reads the game well, he knows what has to be done to steady the ship. It’s a good call from Mahela.”There is another school of thought that sees Dilshan as the fall guy. He opened to balance the team, he kept wicket when Kumar Sangakkara was captain and the other keeper was injured, he agreed to lead the side to the tough assignments, and is now sacked. “He is a great character,” Mathews said of the former captain. “He can cope with all the pressure, and can handle situations. He is all ready and set to go for tomorrow.”Then there is a small matter of the millions of dollars they haven’t been paid. The deadline given to the board is February 29, but it has to be difficult to concentrate on the game at such times. “We are playing for the love of the game,” Mathews said. “Eventually we will get paid. The cricket board has been trying to sort out the situation. Hopefully they will come up with a good solution in the near future. Right now we are concentrating on our cricket.”There have been a few hiccups lately. Now, I think, as a team, our job is to concentrate on our cricket and not anything else. We are here to play cricket, and we will purely concentrate on our cricket, and the game we play.”Concentrating just on cricket is the refrain among all Sri Lankan players. Sometimes these situations can galvanise teams if they are united. They won the Durban Test, which was the last place where one would have expected a fractured Sri Lankan side to win. They are coming off tough cricket in South Africa, by the end of which they successfully chased 300-plus on successive occasions. Fighting adversity together is a great bond. Sri Lanka will look to do that over the coming weeks.It is going to be tough because the sacked captain is still part of the team, as are the intermediate and future captains. It is also going to be fascinating to see what the crisis brings out of this team.

New Zealand had South Africa reeling at 88 for 6 but their bowlers were unable to deliver the fatal blow, allowing South Africa to steal a first-innings lead

Firdose Moonda in Hamilton16-Mar-2012New Zealand’s bowlers do not deserve the blame for their team’s current position. To stub out a South African line-up that boasts of Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, plus a lower-order that has the ability to stick around, for just over 250 is an effort most attacks would be proud of.But having reduced South Africa to 88 for 6, they would have had hopes of doing much better. Instead, they conceded at least 68 runs too many, underlining the difference between a merciless attack, like South Africa showed in the first innings, and one that can sometimes veer on the side of pedestrian.Chris Martin made use of some early inswing while Doug Bracewell immediately found a good length, but they did not create any real wicket-taking opportunities. What they did create was pressure, giving away only 35 runs in 22 overs, but they lacked the cutting edge South Africa displayed on day one.Fortunately for New Zealand, Mark Gillespie found that extra gear on his return to Test cricket. His four wickets in four overs was not quite as spectacular as South Africa’s five wickets for no run on the first day, but it did almost the same job. He bowled at good pace, reaching the 140s consistently and was able to extract movement away from the right-hander. His bad balls – and there were some – were more than counterbalanced by wicket-taking ones. The short ball that Kallis top-edged for six didn’t matter when Gillespie had him caught two balls later, neither did the full one on the pads to Alviro Petersen that was flicked for four, because he was out lbw four balls later.It was at this stage that New Zealand should have been looking for ways to apply more pressure. Having taken four wickets in four successive overs, Gillespie could have had a third slip in place, which might have yielded a fifth. Only after AB de Villiers edged in the vacant third-man region was a man put there and no edges went his way. It was the sort of situation that called for the balance between attack and defence to be shifted, something John Wright his team is still learning about.After Gillespie’s burst, Ross Taylor seemed to have a fairly good plan. He used Daniel Vettori to plug up one end and alternated between Doug Bracewell and Chris Martin on the other. What failed then was that neither of his strike bowlers, struck. Bracewell’s pendulum swung from too full to too short and Martin was accurate but not incisive. What may have had them on the back foot was AB de Villiers’ positive approach. He came forward to Vettori and played his shots despite the situation to blunt New Zealand’s intent.New Zealand also allowed the tail to wag once Gillespie removed Mark Boucher. Their lack of consistency in hitting the right areas, particularly from Brent Arnel but occasionally from every other bowler as well, cost them. They seemed to have forgotten that the pitch was still good for batting and that de Villiers was a top order batsmen. When Bracewell strayed on the pads or banged one in too short, de Villiers knew that if he got it through the inner ring, on a quick outfield, he’d collect four.Philander and Morkel stayed with him for long enough to give South Africa the lead. Occasionally it was lack of thoughtful enough field placings as Taylor insisted on bringing his men in when the tail ender man was facing and spreading them when de Villiers was on strike. Against a competent lower order, the result was unnecessary runs, mostly in the form of boundaries, as South Africa went at almost six runs to the over at one stage.At other times, it was lack of thought from the bowlers, such as when Gillespie opted for the short ball instead of the yorker when he was brought back on to bowl at Morne Morkel. He did the same against Imran Tahir, perhaps letting ego get in the way of action towards the end. Philander and Steyn can sometimes be guilty of the same. The difference is that their egos have been built on results that New Zealand’s attack still has a long way to go to match.

Plays of the Day from the final day of the Wellington Test

Firdose Moonda in Wellington27-Mar-2012Audacious shot of the day
AB de Villiers occasionally gets so daring with the bat, it’s hard to tell whether he thinks he is playing a Test match or a club game. He unleashed one of his manic spells as South Africa looked for quick runs to give themselves enough time to bowl New Zealand out. de Villiers was puncturing the leg-side with boundaries but then improvised to reach his fifty with a bold move on the off-side. Mark Gillespie sent down a good length ball, de Villiers had backed away to his left and reverse paddled the ball over both gullies for four. It was so good, it may become known as the “AB scoop” in future.Drops of the day
South Africa were not up to their usual standard in the field in this match. Duminy put down three chances on the fourth day and another four were grassed today. Kane Williamson was let off by Alviro Petersen at gully when he was on 10. He was given a second life when de Villiers put him down on 22 at second slip. Dean Brownlie survived a chance when Graeme Smith had his body in an awkward position at first slip and could not hold on. By tea, fielding was obviously South Africa’s main concern and because the break was spent practicing slip catches, but by the wrong people. Gary Kirsten was doing the catching while assistant coach Russell Domingo offered the chances. Perhaps de Villiers should have been taking catches because he dropped Doug Bracewell on 8 at second slip as the day drew to a close.Words of the day
Vernon Philander usually does his talking with the ball but when he was at risk of finishing the innings without a wicket, he gave vent to his frustration. Kruger van Wyk was on the receiving end. Two balls after van Wyk got a thick outside edge over the slips off Philander, the fast bowler walked towards the batsman, stared him down and had a few words. The next ball was short and van Wyk defended. More words from Philander. Then, he had the ball to back up the words. A good length delivery that nipped away and beat the outside edge had van Wyk in no doubt about who had won the war of words. Philander did not have to say anything more. The battle was over as soon as the match was, though. Philander and van Wyk hugged and shared a joke as the players shook hands.Incomplete over of the day
South Africa took the new ball to bowl the last over of the match. They had to take four wickets with it and Philander was tasked with the job. Off the second delivery he had an appeal for lbw against Bracewell that was clearly going down leg. And after the third and fourth balls were defended, Graeme Smith pulled the plug on the series and the draw was called. The small Basin Reserve crowd had become more vocal as the day wore on and New Zealand hung on, and they were on their feet at the end – applauding both their batsmen and South Africa bowlers with the same gusto.Visitors of the day
Entry was free at the Basin today but the ground was not very full – an indication of what the hard-working people of Wellington were up to instead of being at the cricket. There was at least one notable figure in attendance though. American rugby player, Eric Fry, who represented the USA at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, was at the ground. Fry is a prop forward and is currently training with the Hurricanes franchise, who are based in Wellington. The other unexpected, but welcome, visitor came in the form of traditional caramel Anzac biscuits, provided to the journalists by one of the local reporter’s wives.

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan08-Jul-2012
Chris Gayle went past Brian Lara’s West Indian record of 19 ODI centuries•WICB Gayle’s century is his 20th in ODIs. It takes him past Brian Lara on the list of West Indian batsmen with the most ODI centuries. While Lara scored 19 centuries in 295 matches, Gayle has surpassed him in 228 matches. The century is only his fourth in home matches. It is his second century at his home ground (Kingston) after the 123 against India in 2006. Gayle now has an equal distribution of centuries in the first and second innings (ten each). Gayle’s 125 is the fifth-highest score by a West Indian batsman against New Zealand. Brian Lara holds the record with 146 in Trinidad in 1996. Gayle’s 125 is also the third-highest score in Kingston. Imran Nazir leads the way with 160 against Zimbabwe during the 2007 World Cup. Gayle hit nine sixes during his knock of 125. It is the third-highest number of sixes hit by a West Indian batsman in an ODI innings after Xavier Marshall (13) and Kieron Pollard (ten). Only Matthew Hayden has hit more sixes in an ODI against New Zealand (ten). West Indies’ score of 315 is their highest total in ODIs against New Zealand. The previous time they had scored over 300 against New Zealand was in Guwahati in 1994. It is also West Indies’ third-highest score in ODIs played in Jamaica. Marlon Samuels’ century is his third in ODIs and his first since his century against Pakistan in Multan in 2006. Samuels has now scored three centuries and 22 fifties at an average of 30.62. For the eighth time in ODIs, two West Indian batsmen scored a century in the same innings. The last time this happened was in the Champions Trophy game against England in 2006. It is also the eighth time two centuries have been scored in a team innings against New Zealand. The previous occasion this happened was against Australia in Perth in 2007. The number of sixes in the first innings (13) is the joint second-highest on the list of most sixes hit by West Indies in an ODI. The record is 14 against Canada in 2008. However, there have been three other matches when more sixes have been hit in an innings against New Zealand. The 129-run stand between Gayle and Samuels is the third-highest third-wicket stand for West Indies against New Zealand. It is also the third-highest third-wicket stand for West Indies in Jamaica and the highest such stand since 2000.

The 2014 World Twenty20 will be Bangladesh’s most challenging hosting assignment. Nothing but the best hospitality will be expected, and whoever is in charge will have to plan well and more importantly plan early

Mohammad Isam08-Oct-2012On July 1, 2010 the ICC announced the names of two countries that would host the 2012 and 2014 World Twenty20s; it hardly created a ripple in either one of them. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were busy preparing for the next event on the horizon, the 2011 World Cup, while it was also in the middle of the football World Cup, not many Bangladeshis would have noticed it. But two years on from the announcement, with both having co-hosted the 50-over tournament, one of them has just completed the enormous task of hosting a global event solely. Bangladesh will host a bigger event, but as they have shown in 1998, 2004 and 2011, infrastructural limitations have been trumped by an abundance of hospitality and fervour.The 2014 World Twenty20 is likely to be held in March and April of that year, a largely dry weather period towards the end of the winter with spring taking over, as opposed to the constant threat of rain during the 20-day event in Sri Lanka. It is also a time for celebrations in the country, starting from Independence Day to the Bengali New Year’s Day in mid-April.The number of participating teams in the men’s event has been increased to 16 (the number for the women remains unchanged) and the tournament is likely to host a minimum of 60 competitive men’s and women’s matches. Forty-four such games were held in four venues in Sri Lanka with 16 practice matches – played at club grounds in Colombo – included. In Bangladesh, however there isn’t the luxury of excellent facilities in smaller venues which could host practice sessions, let alone practice matches. Instead, stadiums will have to cater to every team’s needs.The Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka hosted the 2011 World Cup opening ceremony•AFPThe Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium has the facilities to host three teams’ training sessions at a time while those in Fatullah, Chittagong, Khulna and Sylhet have been earmarked for the 2014 event. Drainage facilities are being constructed in Fatullah and Chittagong while the grounds in Khulna and Sylhet are ready to use. Khulna still awaits an ICC inspection to be cleared for the West Indies tour as it replaces Chittagong for the season, while Sylhet has hosted England A earlier this year.The real test for cities other than Dhaka is the quality and quantity of accommodation it can provide to the teams, match officials, broadcasters, journalists, volunteers and fans. “From an organisation perspective, the biggest challenge is to accommodate the teams in terms of hotels and practice facilities,” says BCB media manager Rabeed Imam. “When it comes to Bangladesh, and it has happened in 1998 and 2004, it somehow all comes together at the right time. If you tell me to pinpoint, it won’t be possible to say what’s ready. This problem isn’t faced in other countries.

The real test for cities other than Dhaka is the quality and quantity of accommodation it can provide to the teams, match officials, broadcasters, journalists, volunteers and fans

“The World Twenty20s have a very packed schedule and ever since the 2007 tournament, the schedule has gotten shorter. It has been squeezed. The biggest challenge is to arrange all these things in such a short time. The existing facilities will have to be upgraded or created, that’s another challenge.”Bangladesh have already hosted a 16-team international competition when they hosted the 2004 Under-19 World Cup, 54 matches played in eight venues though the vast majority of domestic cricket was postponed that season. Six years earlier, before it had become a Test-playing nation, Bangladesh hosted the 1998 Wills International Cup (later day Champions Trophy) which was a knockout competition held solely at the Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS) in Dhaka. The 2011 World Cup is perhaps the nearest model for what is to be expected in 2014. Seven tournament matches and four practice matches were held in Dhaka, Chittagong and Fatullah, as well as the opening ceremony held at the BNS. The organisers can expect a lot more pressure on their ability to coordinate all aspects of a tournament of such scale.A competition such as the World Twenty20, especially since it has to be spread out across the country, will leave a legacy for the game in Bangladesh. One look at Mirpur, where the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium is located, says much about the improvement in amenities and roads in the area. Because of the 2011 tournament, the locality received a facelift it needed for decades. However, it is hard to tell who will be in charge of the Bangladesh Cricket Board in 2014, though an election is supposed to take place later this year.Nothing but the best hospitality will be expected, and whoever is in charge will have to plan well and more importantly plan early. The passion is ever-present, as organisers like Imam have found out over the years. Bangladeshis are keen to prove their worth, whether it is the government or at the private level or the public in general.

Our correspondent experiences the moods of victory and defeat, courtesy the captains’ press conferences

Abhishek Purohit09-Oct-2012October 1
“School time.” The tuk-tuk driver explains away the heavy early-afternoon traffic. Vans and mini-buses transporting children have choked the road leading to the Colts Cricket Club in Colombo, where Gary Kirsten, South Africa’s coach, is going to hold a press conference ahead of his side’s game against his former side, India. The Indian media still look upon Kirsten as one of their own, in a way. He makes them wait. Even the South Africa team bus has to wade through the same school-time traffic. Kirsten is asked about his opinion on MS Dhoni leaving Virender Sehwag out against Australia. “I am not going to comment on that,” Kirsten says, even before the question is over.Dirk Nannes, from Australia, one of the BBC’s experts for the tournament, arrives carrying a Royal Challengers Bangalore bag to bowl to the South Africa batsmen in the nets. Cricket is truly globalised.October 2

Pakistan are through to the semi-finals. India have been knocked out. You can’t make out anything from Dhoni’s blank face at the press conference. The catch in his voice gives his hurt away, though. Call him defensive, call him whatever, but he is a proud and successful man as well, and tonight he is sorely disappointed. The calls for removing him as captain have already begun back home. Funnily they were not remotely as strident when India were thrashed in eight consecutive overseas Tests in 2011-12.Hungry. It is after midnight. Stop at the luxurious Cinnamon Grand, one of the team hotels, for a bite. I ask for a vegetable sandwich. It takes an age to arrive, and I get two slices of bread with a quarter of a sliced tomato between them. It is the lot of us poor vegetarians.October 3
Have slept for two hours. Can’t be late to record the show with Ian Chappell, Harsha Bhogle and our UK editor, David Hopps. Chappelli is not around. “You are the producer, you are young, though not necessarily fitter. Go find him,” Hopps orders and sledges at the same time. Thankfully Chappelli is not hard to find. And, of course, an absolute riot as he rubbishes modern methods of training, such as playing football.It is boiling hot and humid today in Colombo. Fortunately, an air-conditioned taxi is available. It is a Tata Nano, the famous low-cost Indian small car. Does not take long to get cooled. It’s a breeze to the Premadasa, at a slightly pricier rate than the tuk-tuks. Who needs them? Today, at least.October 4
Farooq and his friend are sitting glumly, heads on hands, elbows on knees, on the grass near the pavement close to the Cinnamon Grand. Farooq has come all the way from Toronto to watch Pakistan play. “We could not even make 140,” he says of Pakistan’s defeat to Sri Lanka in the semi-final. We discuss the frailty of Pakistan’s batting and India’s bowling. “You had Praveen Kumar lead your bowling in England [in 2011]. How on earth did you expect to win?” Farooq admonishes me. He respects Virat Kohli immensely but says it is difficult to like the man. “I want to, but I am unable to,” he says, and repeats Kohli’s choicest Hindi abuse words. We spot Mitchell Starc walk past. Farooq and his friend momentarily forget their disappointment to have snaps clicked with the fast bowler.October 5

Wait at the Cinnamon Grand again, well past midnight, for the teams to arrive after the second semi-final. Miss West Indies. Australia arrive close to 1am. A group of half-drunk Australian fans is waiting, Australia flags and bottles of beer in hand. They cheer every player loudly. Most of them walk past with nods of acknowledgment, some with disappointed faces. Brad Hogg, 41 years young, walks up and high-fives each of the fans. They go inside the hotel, speak to him, have photographs taken. Their night is made. Hogg is still grinning broadly. The man is full of life.”Come join our party”•ICC/GettyMahela Jayawardene walks casually to the entrance of the hotel. Nobody scurries up to him. Nobody clamours for autographs or pictures. Nobody thrusts a mike in his face. There are just quiet glances. Sri Lanka, unlike the rest of the subcontinent, knows how to respect and admire their heroes and not smother them at the same time.October 6
Final round of pre-match press conferences, before the finals. Jodie Fields, the Australia women’s captain, has this endearing half-hopeful, half-worried expression most of the time. Charlotte Edwards, the England captain, is statesman-like in her demeanour. Jayawardene is inevitably asked about the three successive world-event finals Sri Lanka have lost. Darren Sammy talks about getting a motivational message from Clive Lloyd, the only West Indies captain to win a World Cup.Birthday today. Perfect evening to sit in the open-air restaurant of the Galle Face Hotel. Sea Spray, it is called. Aptly named, for it begins right where the waves of the Indian Ocean end. Dark rum and ocean spray. Some combination. There is even an old stone staircase that takes you a few steps down to the waves.October 7
Even after winning the World Twenty20, Fields has the same half-hopeful, half-worried expression at the press conference. Edwards looks spent.Rush to the balcony on the third level of the media building in time for the national anthems. A packed Premadasa stands absolutely still and “Sri Lanka Matha”. Memorable moment.A stunned-looking Jayawardene, articulate always, has no words to explain why Sri Lanka keep losing finals of world events. “It hurts a lot, it really does,” he says in a low voice. Got to feel for the man. “One more thing, guys,” he says at the end of the press conference, and you are reminded of the way Sourav Ganguly announced his international retirement in Nagpur in 2008. Thankfully, Jayawardene only announces he is quitting the T20 captaincy.Sammy looks spent as well, from West Indies’ celebrations. Clutches the trophy proudly. Points to the West Indies crest on his shirt.A decent crowd waits for both teams to arrive at the Cinnamon Grand. They arrive almost simultaneously. Lots of cheering for both. The Sri Lankans walk past quietly. Phillip Spooner, the West Indies media manager, is jumping in the team bus, trophy in hand. He continues in this manner to the hotel. The players are largely subdued. Sunil Narine has a glow on his face. After the wild celebrations at the ground, Chris Gayle has found his expressionless face again. Journalist after television journalist accosts him. He answers everything patiently. Sammy comes along, and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Gayle. “They must already be drunk,” Sammy says of fans back home. Gayle breaks into a wide smile. “Come join our party,” Sammy tells a journalist. West Indies, this party has been long overdue.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from Uva v Yorkshire in the opening Champions League T20 match

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers09-Oct-2012Body blow of the day
Yorkshire’s chase was setting up for a thrilling climax when their chief hope, batsman David Miller had to leave the field with an injury. Miller was attempting a pull off an Umar Gul short ball in the 13th over but edged it into his face, between the grille and peak and immediately went down. The Uva players were at his side, Gul with his arm around Miller, who was bleeding from the nose. He received treatment but had to leave the field with Yorkshire needing 60 to win from 46 balls. Miller sat with an icepack on his face while Dan Hodgson partnered Adil Rashid to take Yorkshire to the brink. Miller returned in the penultimate over to blast Yorkshire to victory with three superb boundary.Head count of the day
It may have been too much to expect South Africans to turn up at the Wanderers to watch a match between an English and a Sri Lankan team on a Tuesday afternoon. Work, school and cricketing fatigue were all contributing factors. But the turn-out was still hugely disappointing. As the teams stepped onto the field, there were more dancers than spectators and it remained that way for most of the afternoon.Surprise tactic of the day
Even though both teams were likely to know very little about each other, Yorkshire decided to throw up an additional curveball as soon as the match started. After choosing to field on a hard, green surface, they handed the ball to Joe Root to open their campaign. Root has been used regularly to bowl Yorkshire’s first T20 over but with little success – an economy of nine-an-over and only two wickets. Bowling on a non-turning surface to accomplished players of spin also did not prove too successful as Bhanuka Rajapaksa drove him through the covers for four. Root did not bowl again.The perfect response
Rajapaksa’s treatment of the Yorkshire bowlers did not end there. He greeted Adil Rashid’s long-hop with a glorious pull over the midwicket boundary which was hit so hard that the ball was found to be out of shape. Rashid responded with a flat, straight delivery that Rajapaksa backed away to hit to the off side but moved too far found his leg stump pegged back.Namesake of the day
This year’s CLT20 is one of the few 20-over competitions which does not feature Chris Gayle. Although he is not here, the qualifying teams still found a way to conjure up his reputation. Andrew Gale had comments about his name circling the press box (which was also fuller than the stands) and the enthusiasm grew when he hit Jacob Oram for back-to-back fours. But unlike Gayle-with-a-“y”, he did not last much longer and was stumped after charging Sachita Senanayake in the next over.

All South Africa’s plans had worked beautifully for first half of the series, but one stunning innings left them searching for answer they couldn’t find

Firdose Moonda at Headingley04-Aug-2012Finally, the see-saw has tipped. After one indifferent day and six during which South Africa dominated, England have arrived to ignite to a contest that has simmered, spluttered and even sparked into life, but only in one direction.On Saturday, which marked the middle of the middle Test of the series, that changed. In the wider context it could be decisive because it was day England snatched some control back. It was also the day South Africa had to deal with being under actual pressure, not irritation, not frustration, but the kind of pressure that requires teams to have to rethink plans.Previously, Jacques Kallis said South Africa have a plan A, B and C for every batsman. What they needed for Kevin Pietersen was a plan D – for defence. Wave after wave of attack crashed off his bat and, as it did, it also drowned out the strategy South Africa had for him.They started with an obvious plan: one close catcher on the off-side to block off that avenue and two in the deep on the leg side to wait for the pull. The short ball worked at The Oval and South Africa thought it would work again. All the bowlers had to do was tempt Pietersen into playing a rash shot. They tried, with a barrage of bouncers that would have ruffled a batsman of lesser quality but did not have the same effect on Pietersen.”We wanted to rough him up,” Allan Donald, South Africa’s bowling coach, admitted. “But it came off for him today. He was aggressive, even with the aggressive field that was set. He kept on pulling off hook and pull shots. The thing with plans like these is that sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t work.”It did not work because Pietersen had prepared for it. “It’s South Africa, I grew up there, I know it’s an aggressive country, they are aggressive people and they bowled aggressively to me,” he said. Dale Steyn, in particular, was the bowler Pietersen was ready for. He said he knew the world’s No.1 quick had been instructed to run in hard and bowl fast but Pietersen also knew Steyn was tired and so he was able to take a run-a-ball off him.South Africa knew the plan was not working, so they resorted to their next options. Those included going wide outside off stump to try and bore Pietersen the way they did Jonathan Trott or full on it, to limit the damage. They spread the field to try to get the debutant James Taylor on strike as well, but Pietesen was alert to it. “They did defend, they went out wide on a 6-3 field for a while. They tried to get me off strike. Those guys are fighters,” he said.Again, it did not work. Instead, Taylor’s debut was made easier because he was allowed to push for singles and the bowlers’ job was made harder. They had to continually change their lengths to adjust to the tall and the short of the England line-up, Pietersen and Taylor, and in so doing did not conquer either, until Taylor played on.

South Africa knew that test would come and they knew it would come hard. Maybe they even knew that the one person who could provide that test would be Pietersen

“He was very watchful and technically sound,” Donald said of Taylor’s first Test innings. “England hung in there and hung in there and now they are back in this Test match. We’ve got to make the perfect play in the morning, we’ve got to come out swinging.”Donald is usually one for bravado not bashfulness. He will first point out what the South Africa attack did right before highlighting areas in which they would prove. This time he did not do either. Instead, he dedicated his time to a total acknowledgement of Pietersen’s feat, an indication that he knew South Africa’s bowlers had erred, probably for the first time in the seriesSome may argue that the first day at The Oval was their previous mistake, but it was not as revealing as this one. Although South Africa were not in control then, neither were England. Alastair Cook and Trott had ground the visitors down, slowly and painfully but not angrily.Neither had charged with the force or fury of Kevin Pietersen. They could not, partly because of the pace of the pitch and partly because they do not have the same swagger as Pietersen. Cook and Trott change games delicately, Pietersen does it brutally. Although he was emphatic in saying he did not think he had turned the game, Pietersen may have flicked the switch of the series.Add to that his acrimonious relationships with the country of his birth and it is not hard to understand why he is capable of unravelling their carefully woven plans. South Africa knew that test would come and they knew it would come hard. Maybe they even knew that the one person who could provide that test would be Pietersen.That is why how they react now matters. It is not how easily a lion can feed when antelope are freely available, but what she does when there are none left and the only option is to attack the elephant. For so long and for so many different reasons that elephant in the room has been Pietersen.This time he stands between them and something they believe they are deserving of – the No.1 Test ranking. England may have seemed willing to give that up before today, but Pietersen has made it clear that if South Africa want it, they will have to rip it away.

The year is set to begin with accolades for two of South Africa’s favourite cricketing sons. Having got to the top of the rankings, the team’s goal is to ensure they stay there

Firdose Moonda at Newlands01-Jan-2013When Graeme Smith drove into Newlands Cricket Ground in his white BMW X5 shortly after 9.30am on New Year’s Day, he looked like a man who had enjoyed his festive break. The effects of relaxation were written all over his usually serious expression because for the first time in over a decade, Smith spent Christmas Day with his family.While Smith took the opportunity to enjoy rare time off in the summer, he also used it to reflect on what more he wants to achieve as Test captain. The conclusion he came to was the same one he hinted at from the day he lead South Africa to the top of the rankings: he would not be satisfied with that alone.In a time when the cricket power base has shifted significantly over small periods, Smith eyes an opening for South Africa to establish an era of dominance. Other members of the squad have said the same and the impression coming out of the camp is that they have their lenses fixed on the bigger picture.”It’s great to sit in team meetings and listen to the guys talk about how they’re approaching the year. There is real motivation to be better and not just to sit on our laurels and say we were part of something special and that is enough for us,” Smith said. “Everyone wants to be a part of more.”For two players, some of that “more,” is likely to come in this Test match. Dale Steyn is one wicket away from joining the prestigious ‘300-wicket club’, of which three other South African bowlers, Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini are already part of. And Jacques Kallis is 20 runs shy of becoming the fourth batsman in the world to amass 13,000 Test runs.While Steyn is the spark in South Africa’s bowling, Kallis is the very heart, mind, stomach and head of the Test team. His own body has begun to feel the effects of 17 years of international cricket but he has achieved more than most ever will in that time.When the 13,000 comes up, Kallis will be the fastest to the mark in terms of number of matches. Cape Town will be his 159th Test, while Rahul Dravid got there in 160, Ricky Ponting in 162 and Sachin Tendulkar in 163 matches. Kallis would have played more innings than Tendulkar in reaching 13,000 and it seems Tendulkar is the only one Kallis cannot catch. With both Dravid and Ponting retired, there is every chance Kallis could pass them both and finish his career as the second highest run-scorer of all time.Add to that that Kallis is the only one of the top 20 leading batsmen in the world who can be labelled a genuine allrounder and his status as one of the legends is unquestioned. He has often sailed under the radar with pundits reluctant to call him the best allrounder to grace the game but for Smith and South Africa, he is that and more.”Everywhere we go now he is starting to get the due that he deserves,” Smith said. “We hope that he gets even more. He is an incredible player. I don’t think many people understand how immense getting to 13,000 runs is. South Africans will hopefully be very proud of him because he has put South African cricket on the map in a big way. He will go down as an all-time great and we can be proud of that.”That Kallis’ major milestone will come on his home ground is fitting. Steyn has reason to feel the opposition is a chosen one. He announced himself as a major force on the international stage against New Zealand more than five years ago when he took 20 wickets in two Tests against them in 2007-08. In perfect synergy, Donald, the current bowling coach and one of Steyn’s heroes, also took his 300th wicket against New Zealand.If Steyn nips out his first victim at Newlands, he will become the joint third-fastest to the milestone. Dennis Lillee achieved the feat in 56 Tests and Muttiah Muralitharan in 58. Steyn will play his 61st match to put him level with Richard Hadlee and Malcolm Marshall.Although Steyn has copped some criticism in recent times over what some see as waning powers, he maintains that it’s more a case of him saving the savage spells for when they are most needed. His ability to swing the ball at pace is still unmatched and Smith will continue to rely on him to step up in pressure situations.”Dale is our go-to guy and he always seems to make an impact for us,” he said. “As a captain, he is a real asset to have because I can throw him the ball and I know he will make a play somewhere in the match. When he gets that bit between his teeth, you really start to see things happening and other guys feed off him.”Though the opposition are unlikely to pique the interest of England, Australia or India, the first two days of the match are sold out and Smith said it’s this fixture his men most look forward to. “For us, Newlands is the marquee Test match of the year. It’s a great atmosphere and we love playing here. The support that we get here is terrific. People wanting to be a part of this Test match is important to us,” he said.