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Stats preview of the Test series between West Indies and Australia

Bishen Jeswant02-Jun-20153 Number of times West Indies have beaten Australia in a Test match since 1998, all at home. In the same period, West Indies played 11 Tests in Australia, losing ten and drawing the other. West Indies were whitewashed in two of the three Test series in Australia (in 2000 and 2005) but did not suffer this fate a single time in four home series against their opponents.

West Indies’ record against Australia in Tests since 1998

Host country Mat Won Lost Draw Loss %West Indies 14 3 9 2 64.29Australia 11 0 10 1 90.9147.9 Batting strike rate in Test matches played in the West Indies over the last 10 years, the lowest for any Test nation. The only other countries where batsmen scored at a strike rate of less than 50 in this period were Zimbabwe and UAE.31.6 Bowling average of spinners in the West Indies over the last five years, the best among Test nations. Spinners have taken almost 15 wickets per match in the West Indies in this period, the most in any country outside Asia. They have also taken 15 five-wicket hauls in the West Indies over this period, again the most outside Asia.

Spin bowling in various countries over the last five years

Host Country Mat Wkts Ave Econ SR 5 10 Wkts/matWest Indies 23 311 31.59 2.86 66.0 15 3 13.5Zimbabwe 8 106 31.83 2.82 67.5 3 1 13.3India 20 385 31.85 2.90 65.7 24 4 19.3U.A.E 18 302 34.64 2.85 72.9 13 2 16.8Sri Lanka 22 356 34.87 2.93 71.3 24 5 16.2England 36 254 37.74 3.20 70.6 11 1 7.1Bangladesh 15 281 39.87 3.28 72.8 16 1 18.7South Africa 21 137 40.20 3.14 76.5 5 1 6.5Australia 26 168 48.98 3.41 85.9 5 1 6.5New Zealand 16 86 49.27 2.80 105.5 1 0 5.428.7 Batting average of West Indies’ players at home over the last five years, the poorest for any top-eight team at home. Their batsmen average 30.02 in away Tests over the same period. West Indies are the only team whose batsmen, over the last five years, have a better average and strike in away Tests.

Team-wise batting – Home and away – last five years

Team Mat (H) Ave (H) SR (H) Mat (A) Ave (A) SR (A) Avg diff SR diffAustralia 26 39.17 58.51 26 28.81 49.84 10.36 8.67Bangladesh 15 33.56 53.58 8 24.84 48.51 8.72 5.07England 34 37.59 52.43 25 30.63 47.34 6.96 5.09India 20 40.50 55.41 30 28.40 50.24 12.1 5.17New Zealand 16 36.06 52.65 26 27.75 49.40 8.31 3.25Pakistan NA NA NA 43 32.67 47.79 NA NASouth Africa 21 37.64 54.40 19 41.50 48.95 -3.86 5.45Sri Lanka 22 36.33 50.28 21 31.70 48.48 4.63 1.80West Indies 23 28.71 47.27 21 30.02 51.12 -1.31 -3.85Zimbabwe 8 27.48 43.72 6 18.44 46.75 9.04 -3.033 West Indies batsmen who have scored 1500 Test runs over the last five years, the fewest for any top-eight nation. They are Shivnarine Chanderpaul (3198), Darren Bravo (2548) and Marlon Samuels (2068). Chanderpaul is not playing the first Test. Seven Australia batsmen have scored more than 1500 runs in this period, the second-best for any team after India (8).

It does not make money, but the CPL has blended the flamboyance of the Caribbean cricketer with the enthusiasm of the locals to create a product that has brought back smiles and opportunities in the region

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Jun-2015″They are looking forward to the party, the music, the sexy ladies coming out to watch the game, the cheerleaders. You have a beer or you have some rum – you can choose which one you want. Everyone will be drinking something for sure and then after the game it’s a big party.”Know the teams

Barbados Tridents
Captain: Kieron Pollard, Coach: Robin Singh
Overseas players: Shoaib Malik, Robin Peterson, Jeevan Mendis, Dilshan Munaweera
Guyana Amazon Warriors
Captain: Denesh Ramdin, Coach: Carl Hooper
Overseas players: Brad Hodge, Tillakratne Dilshan, Thisara Perera, Marchant de Lange
Jamaica Tallawahs
Captain: Chris Gayle, Coach: Junior Bennett
Overseas players: Daniel Vettori, Mahela Jayawardene, Chris Lynn, Rusty Theron
St Lucia Zouks
Captain: Darren Sammy, Coach: Stuart Williams
Overseas players: Kevin Pietersen, Ross Taylor, Henry Davids
Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel
Captain: Dwayne Bravo, Coach: Simon Helmot
Overseas Players: Jacques Kallis, Johan Botha, Cameron Delport, Kamran Akmal
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots
Captain: Marlon Samuels, Coach: Eric Simons
Overseas players: Shahid Afridi, Martin Guptill, Sohail Tanvir, Tabraiz Shamsi
Past winners
Defending champions: Barbados Tridents
2013: Jamaica Tallawahs

Chris Gayle is not inviting you to a party at his favourite bar in Kingston, Jamaica. He is inviting you to the Caribbean Premier League, which starts on Saturday. It is not just the organisers, even the players are hyping up the tournament unabashedly.That it is no empty hype can be evidenced from the fact that Hollywood and Bollywood actors have started investing in franchises. In the inaugural year, 2013, Mark Wahlberg bought a stake in in defending champions Barbados Tridents, while Scotsman Gerald Butler bought a stake in the Gayle-lead Jamaica Tallawahs.But the biggest shot in the arm for the CPL came at the outset of this season, when it was revealed that Shah Rukh Khan and his Kolkata Knight Riders co-owners were in the process of owning the entire Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel franchise.That deal came close on the heels of another big Indian name, Hero Group, deciding to become the title sponsor for this year’s tournament. For the upcoming season, the tournament’s reach has extended with major global broadcasters beaming the CPL worldwide: Sony in India, BT Sport in the UK, ESPN in the US, Fox Sports in Australia.Little wonder then that Damien O’Donohoe, the CPL chief executive, is quietly gushing about the popularity of his tournament.”That is the biggest compliment of all to us that in year three,” O’Donohoe said while on a promotional visit to London days before the start of the CPL. “We have one of the biggest brands like KKR, similar to what Man City are doing in football, they want to develop their brand around the world, and, in terms of the first step towards doing that they have come to the CPL.”Learning from mistakesO’Donohoe, an Irish man, has a background in entertainment and sports, having worked with major concert promoters, and as an agent for some of Ireland’s big-name sportsmen, including Brian O’Driscoll, Robbie Keane and Damien Duff. Although he believes the CPL has come a “huge way”, O’Donohoe conceded that “we can never compete with the IPL and even with the Big Bash League, but we create and deliver an experience.”CPL chief executive Damien O’Donohoe has no doubt what the tournament really is: “We’ve always built this as the biggest party in sport”•Getty ImagesAs a business venture, the CPL continues to be an investment model. O’Donohoe is open about not having made any money so far. but he is not worried.”In year three we have the CPL where we hoped to be in year five. So if not this year, definitely next year the CPL will be a profitable organisation. Now, it won’t be the IPL. It won’t even be the Big Bash in terms of the money they make because of the broadcast issue. However we have changed our model slightly and governments have now seen how important the CPL is and the impact it has.”In 2013, when the tournament started, there were serious question marks over CPL owner Ajmal Khan, a rich businessman passionate about cricket. A Barbados bank had issued a public alert: do business at your own risk with Ajmal’s company Verus International, which had bought the ownership of CPL from the WICB in 2012.Having burnt its hands with businessman Allen Stanford, the WICB was edgy. However, the ownership structure was reshuffled after the first edition and the Irish telecommunications company Digicel bought the rights to run CPL exclusively from the WICB. O’Donohoe said Digicel owner Dennis O’Brien signed a cheque of US $20 million when Ajmal was listed as a founder. Since then, it is O’Donohoe and Peter Russell, the CPL chief operating officer, who have managed the tournament.”With the history of what has happened, there was a lot of suspicion,” O’Donohoe said. “From the franchise owners’ perspective people probably wanted to see is this going to work? Is it going to be a success? Is what they are promising going to be delivered? I think it’s been delivered and delivered to an extent over and above what we ever promised.”Just like any start-up, with time, the CPL too has learned from its mistakes. Player feedback always stressed on retaining as much of the Caribbean flavour as possible.”Year one, we played all night-time games. There was a huge buzz, massive excitement. The people in the Caribbean, they absolutely love to party – when they come out they want to stay out for the whole night,” O’Donohoe said.The Caribbean Premier League: Fireworks on and off the field•Getty ImagesBut the organisers understand the single biggest challenge for the CPL is that it is played at a time when the majority of the world is still asleep or just waking up, especially big cricket markets like the Indian subcontinent. “So we said, right, our product has really worked in the first year. It is really important from an international perspective in terms of building our brand so let us play some games in the afternoon which will be prime time in India.”O’Donohoe admitted he made a mistake in the second year by moving some matches to the afternoon slot to please the overseas audience.

We cannot alter our product to keep other markets happy. At the end of the day it is a Caribbean product

“We’ve should have foreseen this. The problem was you just cannot get that same atmosphere at 12’o clock on a Saturday or a Sunday because the Caribbean fans want to party.”Although the challenge to broadcast CPL in overseas markets still remains in terms of the timings, O’Donohoe says the prime factor for him is the Caribbean fan.”We cannot alter our product to keep other markets happy. At the end of the day it is a Caribbean product. That is what we need to make sure: the fans have the best time, it is an incredible atmosphere, the best experience players can have, fill the stadiums. Once we do that everything else will come.”A good innovation – SobersThe biggest impact the CPL has had is it has brought the fans back to the grounds. The progressive decline of West Indies in first-class and Test cricket alienated one of the most passionate set of fans, who were deeply hurt and dismayed by the disappointments on the field. But the CPL has once again put smiles back on their face.The fans are the biggest driving force behind the success. O’Donohoe believes the tickets have been priced at accessible rates and more importantly, 40% of the audience has comprised women and children. “You never see that at a Test match. This is a family package. If you are at the gate you can see granny, grandad, mum, dad, three kids.”Like it or loathe it, O’Donohoe believes the CPL has taken cricket to a “whole new level and a whole new audience.” Even Garry Sobers, who remains a critic of the T20 format mainly because it can harm a young cricketer, agreed that the CPL has brought the fan back in the ground.”It (CPL) has given a lot of people an opportunity to play at that level against or with some of the top players in the world,” Sobers, who is an ambassador for CPL, told ESPNCricinfo in an interview last month.”It is a good innovation for West Indies cricket because not only does it bring new players in but it also goes into various islands so that people in those places can see cricket. And it is bringing people back through the turnstiles who one day might start coming in for Test cricket too.”No empty seat in the house: The CPL has been instrumental in bringing Caribbean fans back to the stadiums•Getty ImagesAs a fan, he might have become a convert, but Sobers’ biggest concern is the negative impact CPL can have on the region’s youngsters, who can easily pick up bad habits. O’Donohoe did not want to contest Sobers, but pointed at the amount of exposure a Caribbean youngster gained from the tournament.”You look at (Jason) Holder and what it has done for him. You look at the Under-19 players – they have been given an opportunity to hopefully play on a stage, in a packed stadium, with and against some of the best players in the world,” O’Donohoe said.”Sir Garry is much better qualified to speak about that (cricket). But I can only say from a sporting perspective: for you as a 19-year-old, you may not have ever had the opportunity to leave your country and suddenly you are playing at a stadium with thousands of people. You are playing with Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen, with Sir Viv Richards as a mentor.”If you are a 19-year-old, that is a dream. You just sit there like a sponge and absorb everything. And how can that not benefit cricket in the region?”Cricket matters, and O’Donohoe believes the CPL can plant the seed of desire in a youngster’s mind.”Cricket, especially in this country and other countries, too, can be seen sometimes as elitist,” he said. “We want the tickets to accessible to everybody, so even if you are a kid from a very, very poor region in Kingston, we have those tickets to be accessible to you. You can come as a five or six-year-old, come and see your heroes and that is going to inspire you to say, ‘you know what if I work hard, if I train hard, if I eat right if I am disciplined, I can see a future’.”Calypso drummers get the crowd going•Getty ImagesThe party goes onCricket in the Caribbean has always been a unique experience. The quality of West Indies cricket might have dropped in the last decade, but the desire to sit and lime in the stands at the various famous grounds remains one of most appealing things to do for a global cricket fan.In 2013, Ajmal sold the CPL as the “ultimate cricket carnival.” The party is back in town and will be played between June 20 and July 26. It’s not just the fans, even the players seem keen to let their hair down.Kevin Pietersen, playing for St Lucia Zouks, told O’Donohoe he could not wait to be in the Caribbean. “He told me, ‘I cannot wait to get on that plane because I am going to playing consecutive cricket of five weeks. I’m going to be drinking a lot of rum, lying on the beach and playing in atmospheres you cannot create anywhere else because the people come out to absolutely party.’ That is what we are trying to deliver. We’ve always built this as the biggest party in sport.”

A look at the doubtful umpiring decisions over the first three days of the Galle Test between Sri Lanka and India

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2015The mistakes began with the first real decision the umpires had to make in the match. Kaushal Silva went to hook Varun Aaron on day one, and was given out caught off his arm guard.Soon after reaching his hundred on the second day, Virat Kohli was beaten while playing a sweep by an offbreak that pitched on middle and turned. This would have comfortably missed the leg stump, but he was given lbw.Ajinkya Rahane’s dismissal for a duck might look straightforward, but only if one did not keep the turning pitch in mind. The ball pitched outside off, turned in sharply to hit Rahane, who had a stride in, in front of middle. ESPNcricinfo’s Hawk-Eye projection suggested the ball would have missed the leg stump comfortably.In a decision similar to Silva’s, Wriddhiman Saha was given out caught off the helmet after being beaten while attempting a hook.Early in his knock in the second innings, Dinesh Chandimal top-edged a sweep onto his helmet and was caught at backward short leg. He wasn’t given out, and went on to score a counterattacking hundredShortly after Chandimal’s chance, Lahiru Thirimanne survived a clear bat-pad catch, a decision – like at least three others – that may have been overturned by basic and reliable technology

After making his maiden Ranji Trophy appearance for Haryana, Virender Sehwag spent a day at the Sehwag International School. While offering tips to youngsters, he recalled some memories of his first Ranji match

Amol Karhadkar07-Oct-2015Sometimes I get confused about which exactly should be treated as my first Ranji match. I made my first-class debut in Chennai, against Tamil Nadu, but didn’t get to bat when the match was abandoned in controversial circumstances. So I had to wait till the next season to bat in a Ranji game for the first time, so I shall talk about both the matches.Well, it was in January 1998 that I returned from playing the Under-19 World Cup and soon after coming back was selected for Delhi’s Ranji Trophy Super League match against Tamil Nadu. Those days, Ranji Trophy used to be played on a zonal basis followed by a Super League. I had missed the North Zone league due to Under-19 camp so was excited to be making my Ranji Trophy debut, alongside some of the stalwarts who were up against quite a formidable Tamil Nadu team.We fielded for one-and-a-half days. I bowled, I got one wicket – a prize scalp of WV Raman. He was well set, past his fifty and set for a trademark big hundred, so somebody told our captain why not bowl Virender Sehwag, he bowls decent offspin. Since the bowlers were tired, they too felt it would be a good idea to let me bowl five-six overs. He was batting on 60-odd runs, Ajay Sharma let me bowl with long-off and long-on in place. Raman took me on, hit over my head but it wasn’t timed well and Mithun Manhas dived and took a good catch at long-on.Then when we started batting and I was waiting for my turn. We were four or five down, I was padded up and then something happened. On the third evening, somebody tampered with the wicket and our captain Ajay Sharma and Mithun Manhas were batting. After that the Delhi captain refused to bat on. We complained against the Tamil Nadu team that they had tampered the pitch and because of that we were not going to play the remaining match.As a youngster, I was only waiting for my turn to bat. I really didn’t know what all was happening. I was sitting outside and I was talking to Mithun because he was my age and he told me there were footmarks on good-length area. He said the marks will help the offspinner, if he lands it there, he would be very difficult to face. I told him, “Why are you worried about an offspinner, just step out and hit a four or a six. Let’s go out and play.” He told me that it wasn’t in his hands and the captain and coach would take the decision.Unfortunately for me, Ajay Sharma and the coach, Maninder Singh Jaggi, refused to play the next morning. It was followed by the BCCI banning both the teams for the rest of the tournament, so we couldn’t play any more matches that season.My dream was still a dream, I couldn’t bat in the game. I was still waiting to bat in first-class cricket. This happened in February and I had to wait till October or November for the next season to start to have a bat in Delhi’s whites. I played the first game against Haryana. I was still batting at No. 7 and scored a hundred in my first innings.What I remember is I batted with the tailenders Rahul Sanghvi, Amit Bhandari and Robin Singh. When Rahul Sanghvi got out as the eighth man, I was batting somewhere around 40 and when the last man, Robin Singh, came out to bat, I was somewhere around 60. He hung around and I didn’t let him face many balls. Most of the time I was facing the balls and then taking a single off the last ball.The Haryana bowling attack was pretty good, including Pradeep Jain, Vinit Jain and Pankaj Thakur. Ajay Jadeja couldn’t play that game because he was playing ODIs. It was quite a decent attack. Since the last man was in, I was in a sort of hurry so I started playing more shots. I remember I hit a couple of sixes off Pradeep Jain and Thakur. And then Vinit Jain came and I finally completed my hundred.It was as exciting as it could have been for any youngster to score a hundred in his first innings.

On Tuesday, the two new IPL franchises, Pune and Rajkot, will pick up to five players each from the two suspended teams, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, in a draft. ESPNcricinfo explains how it will work

Arun Venugopal14-Dec-20153:19

The hot picks among Indian and foreign players

How many players go into the draft?A pool of 50 players from Super Kings and Royals will be made available to Pune and Rajkot. After the two franchises have made their choices of five players each, the remaining players will go into the auction pool. Pune and Rajkot will be allowed to pick a maximum of four capped Indian players each, in accordance with the existing retention rule.Which franchise gets to pick the first player from the draft pool?New Rising, the owners of the Pune franchise, will get to pick the first player since they made the most successful bid at the franchise auction. The Rajkot franchise, owned by Intex, then picks its first player, and then the two franchises will take turns to pick the remaining eight players.What is the purse available to the teams?Each of the two new teams will have a minimum of Rs 40 crore and a maximum of Rs 66 crore to assemble their squads from players available in the draft and at the auction in February. In theory, the franchises can opt to buy fewer than five players at the draft or not pick anyone at all, but that appears unlikely.A franchise official said it wouldn’t make sense for the franchises to not pick anybody. “The idea of the draft is to give the teams a comfort level of five core players around whom they can build the team,” he said. “If you go to the auction, it [the price of players] could be more.”What is the price band for the shortlisted five players in each franchise?The BCCI has stuck to the same contract structure that was put in place two years ago when the franchises were allowed to retain five players. The first player gets Rs 12.5 crore, the second Rs 9.5 crore, third Rs 7.5 crore. fourth Rs 5.5 crore and the fifth Rs 4 crore. An uncapped player stands to earn Rs 4 crore, if picked.The figures, however, are deductions made from the team’s total purse, and are not necessarily indicative of the players’ actual earnings.Will the players earn the same salaries that their contracts with CSK and RR guaranteed?In the current situation, the existing contracts of players who go into the draft will be protected. “For example, if MS Dhoni’s contract with CSK was worth, say Rs 15 crore, the franchise signing him up as the first player from the draft will have to pay him that much,” the franchise official said. “He can’t officially be paid more than what he earned at Super Kings, but only Rs 12.5 crore will be deducted from the franchise’s purse.”Player contracts are normally tripartite arrangements involving the player, the franchise and the IPL.Who are the players likely to be on the franchises’ wish-list?There has been much speculation about MS Dhoni being the automatic first choice for the Pune franchise, which has the right to make the first move. Some of the others considered to be hot properties are the Indian quartet of R Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane, and Steven Smith, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson.The Rajkot franchise could make an early grab for Jadeja, who could be a big draw as a local player. The foreign players are likely to be attractive propositions given that they are likely to be available for the entire tournament. Only England and Sri Lanka have any international commitments in April and May, as of now.

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2016But the teams and spectators had to wait for a long time as persistent rain delayed the start•ICC/Getty ImagesThe contest was reduced to six overs a side, eventually, and Netherlands opener Stephan Myburgh collected a few boundaries despite seeing wickets fall at the other end•ICC/Getty ImagesThe three batsmen after Myburgh didn’t score much, putting up scores of 0, 2 and 8…•ICC/Getty Images…Before Peter Borren, at No. 5, scored 14 off 9 to help them to 59 for 5 by the end of the innings•ICC/Getty ImagesIreland struggled to get partnerships going right from the start despite numerous swings from the batsmen•ICC/Getty ImagesAhsan Malik conceded only five runs in the first over to build the pressure…•Associated Press…And Paul van Meekeren struck on consecutive deliveries in his first over to wobble the Ireland line-up•ICC/Getty ImagesIreland never recovered as van Meekeren took two more wickets and Ireland stumbled to 47 for 7 from their six overs, to end their campaign without a win•AFP

Plays of the day from the World T20 Group A match between Bangladesh and Netherlands

Mohammad Isam09-Mar-2016The quick’s recoveryPaul van Meekeren didn’t take too long to make up for his dropped catch in the first over of the match, which gave Soumya Sarkar a reprieve. Sarkar miscued a slog that looped high to third man but van Meekeren let it slip through and the ball went for four. Van Meekeren, however, countered by dismissing the batsman with his first ball.
Asked to bowl the fourth over, he got Sarkar to cut a ball that was too close to his body, edging it to the wicketkeeper. Mudassar Bukhari, who had kicked the turf in disappointment after watching van Meekeren’s spill off his bowling, exchanged high fives and smiles with his team-mate. Later, the pair combined for a wicket – Bukhari took the catch of Nasir Hossain, off Meekeren’s bowling.The chaseNetherlands’ fielding is one of their strengths so the van Meekeren drop was an exception. Their skill in the field was on display in the third over when Ben Cooper brilliantly chased down a big hit from Sarkar. Most fielders may have given up seeing the elevation on the ball and the cheer of the crowd but Cooper ran full length, slid and managed to pull the ball back.The missRoelof van der Merwe bowled a much fuller delivery after Tamim Iqbal hit him for a straight six at the start of the 13th over. Tamim, charging down the track, missed the full ball, which turned out to be too full for wicketkeeper Wesley Barresi, too. Van der Merwe was livid at the miss. Tamim had given up and, had the chance been taken, it would have been a waste for the batsman, who had batted well to make 46 at that stage.The appreciationAt the start of the 20th over, Tamim Iqbal flat-batted Logan van Beek for a six over wide midwicket where Tom Cooper was stationed. The fielder turned to see someone in the crowd take the catch one-handed. Cooper applauded the effort with a smile, before returning the ball back to the bowler.The sticky bailsTom Cooper inside edged Mashrafe Mortaza onto the stumps but the bails did not come off. Wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim had his hands on his head, and informed Mashrafe of what had happened. But the bowler simply turned around and, later in the over, removed Roelof van der Merwe with a thin edge through to the wicketkeeper.Aggressive captaincy with the batWith his side’s best hitter just back in the shed, Netherlands captain Peter Borren could have chosen to take a bit of time and slow down the game. But he did just the opposite, taking a high-risk approach to keep the run rate up. Borren reverse-swept Nasir Hossain for two fours in the same over, using the offspinner’s relatively quick pace to get the ball past third man for four.

Moeen Ali’s unbeaten 155 was the sort of innings to make hearts beat faster, as well as a reminder that statistics only tell half a tale

George Dobell at Chester-le-Street28-May-2016Do you remember the moment you fell in love with cricket?Everyone will have a different experience but, for those of us of a certain age, the sight of David Gower playing a cover driver was the gateway drug to a lifelong affair that has endured long after other loves have dulled or departed.Gower didn’t really drive the ball. He didn’t even persuade it. With the most gentle forward movement, he more suggested the ball might like to speed to the boundary and, as enamoured with him as everyone else, it seemed only too happy to oblige. If you judged Gower by stats you missed the point; you judged him more by the purrs of pleasure he generated. Was he great or very good? Who cares: he was beautiful.But there is a danger, in the business of analysing a day’s cricket, that we forget such fundamental pleasures. There is a danger that, with our caveats and our context, we crush the joy out of the moment and lose sight of the bigger picture: cricket is entertainment; it’s meant to be fun.Moeen Ali reminds us of this. It is perfectly reasonable that critics look at his statistics – a bowling average approaching 40 and a batting average that was, before this match, under 30 – and presume he is, by the lofty standards of Test cricket, a relatively mediocre player.But then he plays like this. He drives and cuts and pulls with such sweet timing, he brings up his century with a gloriously uncomplicated lofted drive for four over mid-off, he brings up his 150 with a flicked six over midwicket. And he tells you afterwards with a bashful grin that “it was nice”.His first fifty, coming with England in danger of being dismissed for somewhere between 300 and 350, took 109 balls. His second took 43 and his third just 41. Despite eight men on the boundary, despite turning down singles, he played with such overwhelming dominance, timed the ball so crisply and demonstrated such an array of strokes that it seemed preposterous that he has scored so few Test runs.

“I am quite loose but I don’t really care”Moeen Ali

Yes, he was dropped twice. Yes, on this docile pitch he was hardly tested by the short ball that has caused him discomfort in the past. And yes, there are probably quite a few batsmen in county cricket who, given 25 Tests, might score a couple of centuries.But not many of them would have taken 65 wickets with their offspin. And not many of them would have lit up a dispiritingly uncompetitive day’s cricket – Moeen rated Sri Lanka’s tactics as both “strange” and “perfect” for England – in a dispiritingly uncompetitive series with such a glorious display of strokeplay. On an increasingly sluggish pitch on which nobody else can time the ball, Moeen evoked memories of Gower. There isn’t much higher praise.And, just as you don’t want to be person at a wedding who mutters “40% of these things end in divorce, you know; the rest of them end in death,” so you don’t want to be person who applies reason to rainbows and sunsets and Moeen’s batting. Modern sport hasn’t become so results oriented that all the joy has been driven out.His fragility is part of the charm of Moeen. Oh, yes. It will infuriate at times. But, what’s that line about never feeling more alive than when you’re on the brink of death? Well, there’s an element of that to Moeen’s batting. He will probably always have a weakness outside off stump in the way that George Best always had a weakness for a night out. The slip cordon will always be in business; the bowler will always feel he has a chance. As he put it: “I am quite loose but I decided today, I don’t really care.”Can you imagine Alastair Cook saying that? But while Cook is all about the bottom line and practicalities, Moeen is all about feel and touch. He is the DeLorean to Cook’s Volvo. His batting offers charm more than security; joy more than insurance. In a pragmatic world, he bats like an artist.He doesn’t mean to, of course. When he made a century in his second Test, he impressed with his discipline outside off stump. Steeped in the skills of a top-order batsman from the moment he was old enough to pick up a bat, he batted like the No. 3 he is for Worcestershire.But, somewhere along the way, he has learned some bad habits. Knowing he will often be left with the tail, knowing he has limited time to make runs, he has lost the rhythm that defines so many good batsmen and instead started searching for the ball. Often he has not given himself time – or circumstance has not given him time – to build an innings. So instead of the elegant drives or effortless pulls, he has fallen to some ugly heaves and unworthy hacks.He believes the mentality of batting at No. 8 has been responsible for his decline. That and the decision to demote him in the limited-overs side after he had scored two centuries as opener. Confidence undercut by batting with men who grew-up as bowlers, he has increasingly batted like a tailender. Just as Ben Stokes was backed for the No. 6 position in the belief that he would react positively to the extra responsibility, so Moeen has reacted negatively to the lack of responsibility. The promotion to No. 7 for this match “definitely” helped him, he said. “It’s just not the same.”A lot may be made of his average at No. 7 – an eye-watering 276.00 – compared to his average at No. 8 of 29.33 from 18 innings. But he has batted just three times and been dismissed only once at No. 7. It is too small a sample size to draw conclusions. Besides, he averages just 21.00 in 11 innings at No. 6.Moeen Ali’s second Test hundred left England in complete control•Getty ImagesThere is little scope for promoting him at present. Jonny Bairstow looks a more complete batsman and Ben Stokes is a special cricketer who can win games with bat or ball. His average may never show it but then Stokes is a far from average cricketer.Realistically, Moeen has to get used to batting at No. 8. While it might not help England get the best out of him, it is a team game and individuals have to compromise for the general good. Perhaps, in Asia later this year, he may move up the order again to make space for another spinner. But, generally, this isn’t such a terrible dilemma for England. They have wrestled with far more troubling problems in recent years than a surfeit of good middle-order batsmen.It may pain Sri Lanka supporters to know that Moeen credits watching Kumar Sangakkara for his improved form. Struck by Sangakkara’s high back lift and “rhythm” of his trigger movements earlier this season, Moeen went home that night and practised in front of the mirror using the same technique. “I watched two balls and just tried to copy him, really,” he said.”I feel like I’m getting it back,” he said. “I owed the team a score. But, coming in at No. 7, you can put your batting mind on and contribute with a big score.”He is quietly putting together a decent career. During the day, he became the fifth-fastest England player to reach the milestone of 1000 runs and 50 wickets in Test cricket. All four of those who did it quicker – Ian Botham, Tony Greig, Trevor Bailey and Ben Stokes – are widely respected allrounders. He’s in pretty good company.Cricket isn’t just about winning. And it’s not just about stats. It’s about joy and feeling and pleasure every bit as much. And, one day way in the future, long after they have forgotten the scores, the drops or even the result, those fortunate enough to have been at Chester-le-Street on Saturday will look back and be glad that they saw Moeen Ali bat.

He has been searching for rhythm and admits to being too hard on himself but Steven Finn has been buoyed by the words of an impressive backer

Andrew Miller15-Jun-2016At the end of the third day at Lord’s, having endured an at-times laborious search for form and rhythm, Steven Finn fronted up for the Sky cameras following his best performance of the series to date. Two quick wickets, in addition to his earlier dismissal of Dimuth Karunaratne, had helped to derail Sri Lanka’s promising first-innings position and set England up for a healthy lead of 128.What had started out as a piece of technical analysis on the outfield turned, towards the end, into an unabashed pep talk, as Michael Holding, one of the game’s great fast bowlers, encouraged Finn to let go of some of his inhibitions and just trust that fact that, with 120 Test wickets at a very healthy average of 28.33, he had done it before at the highest level, and would continue doing it in the future.”You have done it in the past Finny,” Holding said. “You’ve taken wickets on numerous occasions, so you should rely on that past success and just go out and relax. No one can question your ability, no one can question that you deserve to be out there, so go out there, relax a bit and get the job done.””I wasn’t expecting that actually,” said Finn during an event in London ahead of the Royal London ODI series. “I left that interview with a massive grin on my face because one of the best bowlers there has ever been thinks I’m a good bowler.”I’ve actually not had that much opportunity through my career to talk to Michael Holding. That’s probably my own fault for not going and seeking him out.”I know he’s enjoyed my style of bowling from what I’ve listened to on the TV. And so to actually have someone who is a great of the game, done what he’s done and watched as much cricket as he has, saying nice things about you, and just pumping your tyres up a little bit, it’s a great feeling.”Holding’s nickname, famously, was “Whispering Death”, on account of his soundlessly smooth approach to the crease and ferocious pace from one of the most classical actions ever to grace the game.Finn, by contrast, has rarely made the act of fast bowling look so effortless: “Galumphing Mayhem” might be a fairer reflection of his well-documented struggles to align his limbs to his talent.Even when his rhythm has been absent, his threat has remained – he has never gone wicketless in any of his 32 Tests – but on those occasions when everything has clicked, such as the second innings at Edgbaston in last summer’s Ashes, he has ranked among the most hostile and incisive bowlers in the game.Would he go back to seek Holding’s advice in the future? “Yeah. It would be interesting to hear as well,” Finn said. “My approach to the crease, obviously I’ve had issues with that over the years that have caused me numerous frustrations I suppose.

“I’ve got a burning desire to get better. I don’t want to just be as I am now. I want to learn new things as a bowler”Steven Finn

“He arguably had the most beautiful run-up there has ever been, to be called Whispering Death, that shows quite a bit about your approach to the crease. So it would be interesting to see what he saw and what he felt about that, most definitely.”For the time being, however, Finn will settle for that fresh air in his tyres, following a frustrating winter in which his return to the Test side for the tour of South Africa was cut short by a side strain that – much to his chagrin – caused his subsequent omission from the England squad that reached the final of the World T20 in India in April.By his own admission, he was feeling his way back to form in the early weeks of England’s Test series against Sri Lanka, but now, with a five-match ODI campaign looming against the same opponents, Finn feels ready to reclaim his role as the spearhead of the one-day side – especially with the incentive of England hosting two world events, the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2019 World Cup, in the not-too-distant future.”I’d say I’ve got a good record in one-day cricket for England – 60 or 70 ODIs,” he said. “But again that doesn’t count for anything when you go into a series. Obviously I want to be a part of those squads for 2017 and 2019. It would be a massive thing to be able to play in a Champions Trophy and World Cup on home soil. I’m probably the most experienced bowler in the squad going into this series, so there is responsibility on me, but I think I’ve handled that well before and I’m looking to do so again.”In between his injuries and technical set-backs, Finn has been England’s go-to strike bowler in one-day cricket for several seasons now – and with neither James Anderson nor Stuart Broad selected for the forthcoming series, the chance to emerge from the formidable shadow they cast in Test cricket is one that he appears to relish.”I really enjoy it,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed the responsibility in the past of bowling the first over of an ODI, of trying to take an early wicket and making inroads early on. I love that pressure and responsibility of going out there and having to set the tone. In the Test matches you try to dovetail behind Broady and Jimmy, because a lot of the time they’re leading the line, [but] hopefully it will bring the best out of me.”The fresh and positive attitude around England’s one-day set-up will doubtless help to bring out the best in a bowler who admitted, during an off-colour display in the second Test at Chester-le-Street, that he could at times be too hard on himself. Though he missed England’s uplifting performances in their march to the World T20 final in India, he’s well aware of the vibe around the squad and ready to immerse himself back into it.Steven Finn preparing food at a Sri Lankan-inspired cooking event•ESPNcricinfo Ltd”The manner in which the guys have played – with a carefree, free-spirited attitude – has served us well,” he said. “If we start looking upon ourselves to force these things and make them happen, that would be a bad place to go to. If we just go out there and try to show off and show people what we can do, that will stand us in good stead.”That’s what the guys did during the World Cup. It’s the mantra Trevor [Bayliss] and Eoin [Morgan] are trying to instil into this side, with all these youthful, exuberant players. It’s served us very well at the moment. If we don’t get too ahead of ourselves, we don’t put too much pressure on ourselves, I think we could be a force to be reckoned with.”There’s a few examples in our team,” he added of the new-found showmanship that England have brought to their cricket in recent months. “Ben Stokes, the way he’s developed over the last 18 months as an allrounder and international cricketer. He goes out there and tries to show off what he can do.”And if you fail and make mistakes that’s fine, you learn from it and you try not to make those mistakes again. That’s the mantra that we have as this one-day team, that there are no wrong decisions.”If you take a positive option and it doesn’t come off, so be it. You learn from it and try to put that into play in a better way next time.”There’s no blame culture, there’s no finger pointing or anything like that. If someone comes in after trying to lash a spinner for six the first ball of their innings, that’s fine, they took the responsibility to try to do that.”Everyone in the dressing room’s okay with that, and as a side that’s an important place to be, and exciting as well. Because we have people who are capable of doing freakish things, and if they’re allowed to go out there and try and do those things then it serves us well.”As to his long-term ambitions in all forms of the game, however, Finn admits that he needs both to work on his game and not let it eat him up in the process. It can be a tough balance to maintain, but confidence gleaned in the coming ODI series should stand him in good stead for the arrival of Pakistan and his return to Lord’s for the first Test on July 14.”I probably can be [too hard on myself],” he said. “I need to accept that I’ve got a very good Test record and have confidence and belief that what I do with the ball and how I get people out are enough in Test match cricket.”But also I’ve got a burning desire to get better. I don’t want to just be as I am now. I want to learn new things as a bowler. People like Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad have shown, all the way through their career, they’ve developed and got better and found new toys and skills, because it’s fun as a bowler when you’re doing these things. I can be hard on myself, but I’m learning to be a bit more realistic now.”Steven Finn was speaking at a Sri Lankan-inspired cooking event hosted by Royal London, proud sponsors of one-day cricket

Plays of the day from the fourth ODI between India and New Zealand in Ranchi. Also featuring Amit Mishra’s troubles in the field

Deivarayan Muthu26-Oct-2016Dhoni runs Taylor out – without looking
The day before the Ranchi ODI, MS Dhoni left Ross Taylor and Tom Latham gawking by driving past the New Zealand team bus in his hummer, with sunglasses on. On Wednesday, Dhoni left Taylor smiling wryly after running him out with a cunning back-hand flick, with sunglasses on. Taylor had just heaved a length ball to the left of Dhawal Kulkarni at fine leg. The fielder swiftly collected the ball and threw it at chest height to Dhoni, who nonchalantly deflected it back onto the leg stump – as he often does – his back facing the crease. Cue in massive cheers from Dhoni’s home crowd.

Watch the Mahi magic on loop #INDvNZ https://t.co/btMoJF0xC3

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 26, 2016

The Mishra drop I
Amit Mishra is the second-oldest member in India’s squad, behind Dhoni, and probably the least athletic of the lot. Mishra’s issues in the field were put in the spotlight in the seventh over. Martin Guptill, who was in the mood to hit out, had looked to shovel an Umesh Yadav slower ball straight down the ground. The lack of pace meant Guptill dragged it in the air to the left of mid-on. Mishra lumbered in, dived, but the ball merely grazed his left hand and bobbled onto the ground. Not a straightforward chance by any measure, but Mishra could have had a go had he reacted quicker.The Mishra drop II
The day would get worse for Mishra in the field. After dropping Guptill on 29, Mishra botched a much simpler catch at long-off when Guptill was on 62. Seeing a short, wide delivery, Guptill belted it down the ground. It could have been a regulation catch for Mishra had he stayed on the edge of the long-off boundary. Instead, he ran in. Realising he had misjudged the ball, he did not leap as he stretched his hands upwards to intercept the ball. It wasn’t enough. The ball went over his head and then plonked behind him for a one-bounce four. Scott Styris, who was on TV commentary at the time, quipped: “Guptill picked out the right fielder.” Guptill went on to make 72.Latham shows them how it’s done
Latham plucked two sharp catches, which highlighted the gulf between the two teams in the field, towards the end of the chase. When Manish Pandey unleashed a fierce bottom-handed shovel against a Tim Southee slower ball in the air in the 33rd over, Latham timed his jump to perfection and took with catch with both his hands over his head at mid-on. Mitchell Santner, who was at midwicket, also leapt in his position in a neat synchronised routine. Three overs later, Latham ran to his left from wide long-off to track down a loft from Hardik Pandya with precision.