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Ashley Giles is seemingly team director-in-waiting and if he is the right man for Alastair Cook then, by default, he is absolutely the right man for English cricket.

Vithushan Ehantharajah in Melbourne31-Jan-2014As news of Flower’s departure from director of cricket and repositioning within the pyramid of English cricket unfolded in the UK, Ashley Giles, his odds-on successor, was half a world away, trying to keep body and soul together as England finally approached the end of their Ashes tour.Since Flower returned to England amid a cloud of rumours and suspicion, Giles’ authority naturally seemed to expand as he fielded questions about topics that were, ultimately, not in his purview.Kevin Pietersen’s future – one of the most pressing – was not so much flat-batted as nudged around the corner, as Giles called him a “million-dollar asset” before scampering through to the other end, unscathed.It is unlikely that Giles’ appointment in all three formats will be confirmed at a hastily-arranged media conference in Melbourne on Saturday morning as England’s coach in all three formats with expectations being that the ECB will give him temporary control while they embark upon a formal interview process.But upon confirmation of how England plan to move ahead, Flower’s successor would take over from a man who has changed the face of English cricket for the better: three Ashes wins, a first Test series win in India since 1984-85 and a first ICC trophy in the 2010 World Twenty20.If anything, now is the best time for a new Test coach to take over, off the back of a 5-0 drubbing which, as much as anything, has shown that Flower has taken this side as far as he can. Nobody can deny now that a major restructuring is necessary. Flower himself spoke about the pain that England will have to endure before things get better.Giles has big shoes to fill, of that there is no question, but watching him operate over the last month, the impression you get is of a composed individual who is more than capable of taking the reins.What has been most striking about Giles on this tour has been the way he has carried himself. Throughout a draining cycle of training, matches, press conferences and air travel, he has maintained a calm demeanour, embracing his role as figurehead of the latter part of this tour.Trips to Perth, Adelaide and Hobart have seen English and Australian players bumping shoulders with the general public in airport terminals no bigger than a school hall. While some turned to the haven of noise-cancelling headphones and i-Trinkets, Giles has relished the opportunity to talk shop with wide-eyed England fans, as well as browse duty free for presents for his children.For all the talk that “Team England” care not for county cricket, Giles’ appreciation of it runs deep. That Ben Stokes has yet to play a part in the Twenty20 series owes much to Giles’ reservations about his poor form with the ball in last year’s FLt20 competition, something that Stokes himself appreciates. The county game seems to matter again.

It is Giles’ effect on Cook that has been the most evident sign of his touch. His batting, particularly at Sydney and Perth, spoke of a rejuvenation that seemed beyond him

If, as many suspected, the role as limited-overs coach was a stepping stone for Giles before he would take complete control of the national set-up, it was treated as anything but. Upon arriving in Australia, he had a clear plan he wanted the players to adhere to.England’s losing run has continued, but for all that it nearly worked. Had James Faulkner woken up on the other side of the bed, England may have left the Gabba at 1-1 in the one-day series, only to fall instead to a remarkable burst of hitting with Autralia’s last pair at the crease.Twice England were able to set targets of 300 or greater, as a batting line up heavy with whitewash-weary Test batsmen summoned the sort of pluck that had been lacking in Tests. There was an irony, though, that as news leaked out that Flower was moving on, England were enduing under Giles their worst display on the limited-overs leg of the tour.Much like Flower at the beginning of his tenure, Giles enjoys a hands-on approach to training and, from the outside, it is clear he appreciates the nuances of player specific habits and preferences. The day before England’s ODI at the WACA, he took a backseat as Ian Bell chastised himself for leaving a ball in slip catching practice that was almost certainly his. Later, he would offer an almost continuous commentary of where Alastair Cook was going wrong, as the skipper tried to perfect a short-arm throwing technique.Indeed, it is Giles’ effect on Cook that has been the most evident sign of his touch. For all the woe that has been etched across Cook’s face, his batting, particularly at Sydney and Perth, spoke of a rejuvenation that seemed beyond him at that juncture.It is also important to look at the turnaround between those matches, when Cook went from doubting his credentials as ODI captain at the end of a series losing defeat at the SCG, to giving himself a vote of confidence before a ball had even been bowled at Perth.Publicly, Giles spoke frankly of getting Cook to reassess the matter at hand and that, to take the team forward, Cook needed to be at the helm. He mentioned that Cook was “very clear” on what needed to change going forward, before washing off the suggestion that he was a contributing factor to Cook’s U-turn.It is hard to believe, however, that he had nothing to do with it. Cook looked like a man on the edge, and Giles, no matter how he downplays it, coaxed him away from the edge.If Giles is the right man for Alastair Cook then, by default, he is absolutely the right man for English cricket.

Plays of the day from the match between Royal Challengers and Daredevils

Devashish Fuloria13-May-2014The hat-trick
Whose return to form has been the most pleasing, asked a poll question on television, and Yuvraj was the popular choice by a large margin, over Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. You could see why. Yuvraj hadn’t just scored runs like the other two, he had been explosive. His first six tonight was off a powerful sweep against Tahir. It landed a few rows back in the stands. He kept getting better and better. The next two deliveries sailed deep into the crowd too – the first one over cover and the second one into the second tier behind long-off.The hat-trick part – II
Shukla had bowled his first three overs for 14 runs and had dismissed Chris Gayle with the ball and Kohli with his fielding. But then he came up against a steaming hot Yuvraj in the last over. He tried to bowl a full and wide line to Yuvraj but was smoked into the stands over cover with imperious drives off consecutive deliveries. When he shortened his length for the third delivery, Yuvraj was ready for the pull and swatted the ball over fine leg, scoring his second hat-trick of sixes.The daze
After taking 27 runs off the first five legal deliveries in the last over of the innings, Yuvraj finally missed the last ball. But no one was ready to leave the field just as yet – Rahul Shukla went to the top of his run-up, Yuvraj readied himself to play the supposed last delivery and the fielders stayed where they were. Belatedly, the umpires realised the innings was over. It was another case of everyone at the ground being in a daze; yesterday, a Mumbai batsman incorrectly took strike after a time-out and no one realised the error till the end of the innings.The throw
Virat Kohli is an excellent runner between the wickets but his wretched run was extended by an excellent throw from the deep. Kohli got an inside edge down to deep backward square leg off Imran Tahir and looked set for a couple, but Rahul Shukla, who had earlier sent Gayle back, charged towards the ball, swooped low and fired a flat throw, without wasting time in getting in an upright position, right on top of the stumps. Kohli, the replays showed, was only a few inches short.The drops
That Chris Gayle cannot run is no secret. That means he has to be hidden in the field, in positions close to the bat. The only job he is needed to do then is to take catches – he is a dependable catcher – and stop the balls hit straight at him. Tonight was not a good night for him at the office though. First he dropped Mayank Agarwal at slip off Yuzvendra Chahal in the eighth over – a regulation chance, then, at point, he juggled a high chance before dropping it, off JP Duminy’s bat in the 17th over. The second one of those could have been a gamechanger, but luckily for Gayle, Duminy could add only six more runs.The turn
Today was not turning out as one of those happy days for legspinner Chahal, the find of the season for Royal Challengers, not at least in his first 17 balls. He had been hit for two fours and three sixes, a catch had been dropped off his bowling and 36 runs had been taken off him. But out of nowhere, he unleashed the ball of the day. Kevin Pietersen stepped out early knowing that Chahal doesn’t turn much. The bowler though spotted the move, slowed it down, got it to drift in and then turn a mile past the swinging bat to end Pietersen’s stay.

Shakib Al Hasan trained with his team-mates as the BCB directors held their meeting in Mirpur, unaware of the massive punishment he was about to be hit with

Mohammad Isam07-Jul-2014At 2.25 pm on Monday afternoon, Shakib Al Hasan came to the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur and met the BCB president Nazmul Hasan to give a final explanation of his side of the events, after which he went to the dressing room to join his Bangladesh team-mates for training.He was probably oblivious of what would transpire in the BCB conference room during the next couple of hours, as the board members decided to suspend the allrounder for six months, cancel his existing NOCs and not issue any new ones until the end of 2015.Shakib was seen walking with Abdur Razzak from the dressing room to the adjacent National Cricket Academy ground eating a banana and chatting with his team-mates. He then hit the gym, ran a bit and a couple of hours later, stood outside the dressing room again, perhaps waiting for the verdict. When he received the phone call conveying the news, Shakib apparently looked despondent. Later, someone close to him described him as being “devastated” and “numb”.As reporters gathered near one of the entrances to the corridor that led to the dressing room, two guards stood outside to ensure no one went too far. The wait continued, and soon, many Bangladesh players walked out after their training had ended.What next for the Bangladesh allrounder?•AFPThe captain Mushfiqur Rahim exited several minutes later, followed by Mahmudullah, Razzak, Sohag Gazi and the rest. They left the stadium soon after, but Mashrafe Mortaza stayed behind. The BCB’s media manager Rabeed Imam then entered the dressing room, and came out 30 minutes later to tell the remaining journalists that Shakib would not be speaking to them.Later, it emerged that Shakib had wanted to sit in the dressing room on his own. He had turned off his mobile phone, but spoke normally to whoever was near him. The overriding reaction of those who had seen him was that there was shock written all over Shakib’s face.Mortaza came out a bit later, saying Shakib was trying to take the decision in his stride, but it was too soon not to feel bad for him. “This is not the time to talk to him about this,” he said.Finally, Shakib emerged just as the sun had set. The time for was nearing, and he walked out of the premises with Rabeed Imam. He would not speak to the media, but put on a brave face and smiled. He walked to his car, and when a TV reporter asked him to at least say “no comment”, Shakib simply said “Khoda Hafez” (goodbye).The road ahead of Shakib leads into unfamiliar territory. It is unclear whether he will appeal the BCB’s decision, whether he had decided not to speak to the media, or whether the BCB had asked him not to. However, he did send out a series of tweets on Tuesday afternoon, thanking his fans for support and proclaiming his commitment to Bangladesh*.

In this moment of truth, please know from the very bottom of my heart that I am who I am because of your undying love and support

— shakib al hasan (@moina2) July 8, 2014

With so many unanswered questions, only time will tell how strongly the BCB sticks to its decision, and how Shakib recovers from this setback.*The story was updated with Shakib Al Hasan’s tweet from Tuesday

This Test couldn’t really start until a bowler hit the middle of the pitch, until that first bouncer was bowled aggressively and handled safely. Because the bouncer belongs to cricket

Jarrod Kimber at Adelaide Oval09-Dec-2014″There it is” – Ian Healy, 10:49, 09 December, 2014.Nineteen balls. That is how long it took. There had been yorker length. Full length. Length length. Back of a length. And then nothing. The pitch map just had this unofficial line in it, the Phillip Hughes respect line. Starting at roughly 63 inches from the batsman.You could start the day with anthems, 13th men, arm bands, the number 408 or whatever you wanted, but this Test couldn’t start until a bowler hit the middle of the pitch. Until that first bouncer was bowled in an aggressive way and handled in a safe way. The rest was fidgeting.Mohammed Shami started with six balls that never even hinted at noticing the middle of the pitch. It was clearly a plan that analysts had come up with. Full from around the wicket. The only player who was in danger was the short leg from a clip off the pads.At the other end was Varun Aaron, he is always a chance of an accidental bouncer. But he also stuck to the pre-boxed bowling plan. Around the wicket. Full. Very full. And wide, which may have been his own twist on it, or something that Warner had ordered. It wasn’t short, it wasn’t intimidating, and it wasn’t good.After five legal balls and three Warner boundaries, Aaron stood mid-pitch the way bowlers do when the over won’t end and the fielders are still collecting the ball. Fast bowling 101 suggests the next ball should be a bouncer. Escape the over, and let the batsman know you’re angry. Virat Kohli came up to see his bowler. One of the many fast bowlers he requested for the game. Was this the bouncer? Would it finally be unleashed? Could the crowd breathe more normally? Could the commentators pronounce the hex was over? Would cricket remain as we knew it?Aaron flew in and bowled a back of the length ball that was pushed into the covers for one.Six more bowling plan balls from Shami, full and non threatening.Then ball 19. Around the wicket. Quick. Angled straight at Warner. Full enough to hit something. Short enough to hit something precious. Warner is coming forward. He sees the ball late. His head hurriedly drops. His feet struggle for balance. The bat stays up. The ball flies over the right shoulder. Warner can’t see it. It lands in Wriddiman Saha’s glove. Safely, from a cricket and life perspective.Ian Healy almost sounds excited at the bouncer, the crowd ooohs. They were caught by surprise as much as Warner. Then they applaud. It’s a long applause, it’s not an ovation, no one seems to be standing. It comes from every part of the ground, and it sounds pure. There seems to be no bogans yelling, whistling or booing. Just sustained applause for cricket and a thank you to Aaron for delivering their cricket back.Warner twiddles his bat. Aaron steams back to his mark. The crowd start chatting. The replays are shown. The Test has started.Aaron follows up with another bouncer. Warner tries to smash it. It could be Richardson to Trumper. Larwood to Bradman. Adcock to Sutcliffe. Lillee to Richards. It’s just a bouncer, not even a good one.Sean Abbott comes on at the SCG, he bowls a bouncer fifth ball, it also goes through to the keeper.Shane Watson comes in and is bounced straight away by Ishant Sharma. It was only Sunday when Watson was talking about struggling against the short ball in the nets. Now he was facing one.You can see Watson takes his eye off it. You can see him turn his head. You can see the potential for disaster. You can see the back of his head. You can see the ball going towards the unprotected zone. You can see the ball going past. You can see the men on the hill who are cheering each bouncer. You can see Warner looking unfussed from the non strikers end. You can see that cricket goes on.Warner will stop on 63 to celebrate the new landmark. If 87 is the Devil’s number, then 63 is God’s number. The bouncer belongs to neither, it belongs to cricket.

Stats highlights from the fifth day of the fourth Test between India and Australia, in Sydney

Bishen Jeswant10-Jan-20155:04

How do India and Australia’s pace attacks compare?

5870 Aggregate runs scored by India and Australia in this series, the most ever in a Test series of four or fewer Tests. The second-most runs (5651) also came in a series between India and Australia, the 2003-04 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.692 Runs scored by Virat Kohli this series, the most by an Indian batsman in Australia and the third-most by an Indian batsman in any series. Sunil Gavaskar aggregated 700-plus in a series on two occasions, in 1971 and 1978-79, both times against West Indies.482 Runs scored by M Vijay this series, the most by an Indian opener in Australia and the third-most by an Indian opener in any away series. Gavaskar has aggregated more on two occasions: 542 against England in 1979 and 774 against West Indies in 1971.5 Number of 50-plus scores for Vijay this series, the most by an Indian opener in Australia. The next most is three, by Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth during the 1977-78 and 1985-86 tours respectively.2 Number of draws in Sydney in the last 20 years. There have been 22 Tests played in Sydney during this period, with Australia winning 17 of those Tests, losing three and drawing only two, both against India, in 2004 and 2015.6 Number of times that Nathan Lyon has conceded 100-plus runs in an innings this series, the most ever in a Test series. The last time that a bowler conceded 100-plus runs in an innings on six instances in a series was 56 years ago: Subhash Gupte against West Indies in 1958-59.5 Number of ducks scored by Suresh Raina in his last seven Test innings. He scored a pair against England at The Oval in 2011, a duck against New Zealand at Bangalore in 2012, and now a pair in this Test.1 Number of Indian top-seven batsmen prior to Suresh Raina who have made two pairs in Test cricket. Mohinder Amarnath made two pairs against West Indies in Kanpur and Calcutta in 1983.50 Test wickets taken by Mitchell Starc. He reached this milestone when he dismissed Raina for a duck. He is the 72nd Australia bowler to reach this landmark.

Plays of the Day from the Group A match between England and Bangladesh in Adelaide

George Dobell09-Mar-2015Turning pointIf England were to get close to their target, it was always likely that Ian Bell would have to contribute a major portion of the runs. He seemed to be on course, too, as he complied an untroubled half-century. But Rubel Hossain, generating good pace, produced one that was on to Bell quicker than he anticipated. His attempted square drive instead became a thin edge to the keeper. Bangladesh were elated, England were shell-shocked and they never really regained their equilibrium.Nail in the coffinThe decision to give Chris Jordan run out probably ended any lingering hopes England may have had. Jordan had over-committed to a run that was never there, but seemed to have regained his ground with a dive that beat Shakib Al Hasan’s throw. But replays showed that Jordan’s bat had bounced as it hit the ground and, while it was well past the line, partially in the air. It took the TV umpire, Simon Fry, an age to decide. Whether you agree with him or not might depend on whether you were siding with England or Bangladesh.Decision of the dayEngland’s decision to bowl after winning the toss may well have proved costly. While the logic – that there might be some moisture in the pitch after rain in the morning – was reasonable, it also meant they were guaranteed to chase under pressure. For a side that was low on confidence and knew that their World Cup future was at stake, it was an odd risk.Shot of the dayThere was not much wrong with the delivery. But, such was Mahmudullah’s form and confidence, that the full ball from Stuart Broad was driven, on the up, over extra cover for four with tremendous power. Taking a step back to give himself room, it was a stroke that bore the hallmark of real class.Boundary of the dayIn other circumstances, Mahmudullah’s stroke off Chris Woakes – a bludgeoned shot which saw the batsman skip down the pitch and pull through midwicket – might have presented an easy catch. But here, with a 54-metre boundary towards the west side of the ground, the shot carried for six despite traveling no more than 54 metres and a few centimetres. Sometimes the battle between bat and ball looks unequal.Run-out of the dayPerhaps, had Moeen Ali batted for 20 overs or so, England would have made such inroads into their target that their nerves would have eased. Instead, Moeen ran himself out in the eighth over of their reply as he pushed the ball to mid-on and skipped halfway down the pitch. Perhaps Ian Bell was guilty of ball watching, perhaps Moeen just presumed that Soumya Sarkar would not gather cleanly. Either way, by the time Moeen realised and turned to attempt to regain his ground, Sarkar had unleashed an accurate throw and Mushfiqur Rahim did the rest.Reward of the dayIt took only four deliveries for England to gain reward for a more aggressive approach. Whereas in recent matches they have tended to start with two slips, here they began with three and soon increased the number to four. James Anderson, bowling at a much sharper pace than he has in recent games, benefited in the first over when Imrul Kayes was surprised by the extra bounce and edged to third slip where Jordan, winning a recall in place of Steven Finn partly due to his superior fielding, claimed a smart catch.Mistake of the dayJust for a moment, the crowd thought that Mushfiqur’s marvellous innings had been ended on 78 as he thrashed a full toss from Woakes to long-on. They had not noticed the umpire’s call of no ball, however, as Woakes had over-stepped. It might well have been a no ball on the basis of being over waist height, too.Throw of the dayIt had seemed for some time that none of England’s bowlers would defeat Mahmudullah. Eventually, after becoming the first Bangladesh batsman to make a World Cup century, he was defeated by a direct hit from short third man. Reacting to Mushfiqur’s call for a sharp single – Mushfiqur had cut the ball late behind square – Mahmudullah responded quickly, but was defeated by Woakes’ direct hit.

The fires in Cape Town made it hard for Dale Steyn to focus on the World Cup, but the fast bowler is confident of finding his best form on South Africa’s road into the knockouts

Firdose Moonda in Auckland06-Mar-20152:32

‘I’m due to have a good game somewhere’ – Steyn

It was high noon in Canberra when Dale Steyn received a call that could have changed his life.”It was about 3:30 in the morning in Cape Town and the people looking after my house called me and said, ‘Listen, you’ve got five minutes, we’re evacuating. What do you want us to take out of your house?’ I’ve never been more scared in my life,” Steyn said. “I’m sitting halfway across the world, and everything that I’ve ever earned or gotten in my life, every wicket, every ball, every bit of clothing in my 31 years is in that house. So it was pretty scary to think, what do you tell this person? They’ve got five minutes to take everything out. I was pretty much shitting myself.”Bush fires that razed at least eight Cape Town homes were encroaching on Steyn’s. Faf du Plessis lives on the same estate and his wife Imari had been donating supplies to the firefighters who worked through four nights to put out the flames. Jacques Kallis, whose lawn had been set alight, also lives there. The allrounder was hosing it down himself. From afar, Steyn felt helpless.”If I was at home I’d dive straight into it and do what I can to help. It really is terrible. A lot of animals, pets, homes, nobody should go through that kind of stuff. It’s a pretty tough time back home right now,” Steyn said, admitting it hasn’t “been easy” to focus entirely on the World Cup. “There’s been a lot on my mind. My mind has been somewhere else the last couple of days.”Steyn house was unaffected in the end but even before the fires he did not look his usual self as he eased into the competition. Before leaving South Africa he had described himself as being “ready to knock these guys out,” and found that did not quite work on a dead track in Hamilton. “Against Zimbabwe I actually wanted to bowl quite quick and run in and try to knock them over, and I don’t think it was quite the right strategy on that wicket,” Steyn said. “It was a bit slow, and their bowlers proved to be a handful. Just by getting the ball in the right area, good use of the slow ball and so on, I just ignored that instinct and just wanted to run in and blast them where it didn’t work.”Dale Steyn: “It’s a pretty tough time back home right now … my mind has been somewhere else the last couple of days”•Getty ImagesSteyn concentrated more on containing against India and immediately had better returns and has since seen his curve move upwards, although his rewards have not. “It’s gradually just gotten better. I haven’t taken the wickets that I want to take, but that’s the World Cup,” Steyn said. “In a World Cup you don’t have anywhere to hide. You get criticised in every game that you play. If I was playing in a series back home, I would have been quite happy with the way things were going.”Treating the World Cup like just another series has been a catch phrase for South Africa and Steyn is applying the same to himself. As the “series” goes on, he believes his turn will come. “If we make it all the way to the final, I’m due to have a good game somewhere in there and we’re almost halfway there. I’ve got a couple more to go before a good one’s just around the corner.”Before South Africa can entertain thoughts of getting there, they have to get through two more group matches in New Zealand, where the size of the grounds add another challenge to the already difficult life of a bowler. Steyn’s immediate goal is to find a way to counter that.”It’s always tough to be a bowler, isn’t it?” he joked. “But great players find a way to take wickets, and it’s just something that we have to do. It doesn’t matter whether the track is green or flat or the field is big or small, we’ll find a way. The game will always evolve. It’s just the life of a bowler, I guess.”One of those ways has not been on show that often in the World Cup – the yorker. Although it is the go-to delivery for bowlers hoping to do damage control at the end of an innings, it has made only sparse appearances, especially in the South African attack. Steyn isn’t sure that will change at Eden Park against Pakistan.”It’s a difficult delivery to bowl. I think it’s even more difficult to bowl now because we’ve brought two new balls into the game, which is great because it does swing up front, but a couple years ago when you only used one ball, when you bowled a yorker in the 45th over the ball was 45-overs old,” Steyn said. “It was slightly softer, and not as easy to get away. Now the ball is 25-overs old, it’s still pretty hard and pretty new. If you missed your yorker by just that much, it travels a long way in the field like we’ve got out here today. If you missed your yorker bowling straight, the straight boundaries are 40-odd meters. That is a chip and it’s six. So bowlers tend to get nervous about using the yorker.”Instead, bowlers have to rely more on tactics than technique at the death. “A lot of mocking has come in – just trying to fake where you’re going to bowl. Set a leg-side field and bowl a wide yorker, that kind of thing,” Steyn said. “You’re trying to outsmart batters. We’re starting to realise if bowlers can go at eight runs an over in the last 10 overs, you’re actually doing a pretty good job.”Not half as good as the men and women who continue to fight fire on Cape Town’s slopes. “It’s just a tremendous job by all those firefighters and the volunteers that put their lives at risk,” Steyn said. “They have never met me before, never met most of the people. They were just kind of like throwing themselves at it.”

They may still very likely win the Test, but by not enforcing the follow-on, missed a great opportunity to make a massive statement of intent

Umar Farooq in Mirpur08-May-2015

‘Aslam needs time’

Mushtaq Ahmed on Sami Aslam
“He is new in Test cricket and if you take an example of Graham Gooch – he had a duck in both innings on his first Test, but he went on playing long for his country. So Sami’s two matches don’t define him, he is still a very good cricketer and a future of Pakistan cricket. He needs some time but as far he doesn’t repeat the mistakes, he is definitely going to play for Pakistan in the longer run.”
On Mohammad Hafeez
“He played a loose shot, but he is a natural stroke-maker and when he is in good nick he can be dangerous also. In his case he played a loose shot. Maybe he felt he is in good nick and can go after it, but the ball swung a bit which he could have left it easily, but he didn’t and paid the price.”

‘Ifs’ and ‘buts’ almost always follow Pakistan and Test declarations. On Friday, they opted against enforcing the follow-on despite having a lead of 354 runs. Even last year, against Australia in Abu Dhabi, Pakistan preferred batting again even though they held a healthy lead of 309.Pakistan may not lose this Test from here, but they have arguably blown a great chance to shake off their 25-day winless streak against Bangladesh in the most emphatic fashion and regain some honour. But as they often do, Pakistan chose a more conservative route and stretched the contest.Even Shakib Al Hasan was surprised after the game.”If we count the number of days, it is a slight advantage for us. I didn’t expect them to bat again,” he said. “I don’t know why they did that. I thought they were in a flow and had the best time to attack us. But hopefully it will be in our favor. I am sure they will think about their decision if we have a big partnership tomorrow. It would, even for a short time, give them some tension.”But according to Pakistan’s spin-bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed, the visitors were merely sticking to a simple plan.”The idea was to bowl them out within a certain time, and then to bowl again, but they lingered (longer than expected) and forced us to change our plan,” Mushtaq said. It was Shakib himself who resisted hard for his 89 off 91 balls and disrupted Pakistan’s plan.Pakistan’s bowlers actually started the day afresh and took just 90 minutes to wrap up Bangladesh’s innings for 203 in the first session. Pakistan didn’t use Junaid Khan and Imran Khan at all, and Wahab Riaz only bowled seven overs spreading into two spells. Yasir Shah bowled 9.3 straight overs, while Mohamamd Hafeez chipped in a quick four-over spell.On Thursday, the PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan took a swipe at his own team’s fitness levels. But according to Mushtaq, the fact that his one key bowler, Wahab, bowled a longer spell than expected was why they did not insert Bangladesh again.”This is Test cricket; you don’t have to finish the game in three days,” Mushtaq said. “You have got to be professional and see the limitations of the team and the bowlers as well. You still have plenty of the time left in the test and also you have to respect the game. It was a team decision and we have to stick with the decision.”We have still two days left and plenty of time, though we had planned to bowl them out within the first hour or so to bowl again but they lingered on a bit forcing our main bowler to bowl a longer spell. Also, the pitch may behave differently on days four and five, so all these elements played a role for not to enforce the follow-on. We respect the opponent and Bangladesh is a good team so we had to have enough runs on board to bowl them out again.”Pakistan now have six sessions and nearly 180 overs to effectively take eight wickets and win the Test. A target in excess of 500 has never been chased down in the history of Test cricket, but Bangladesh have been busy breaking records over the past three weeks, and nothing is quite beyond the realms of possibility yet.Pakistan last enforced a follow-on back in May 2002 at the Gaddafi Stadium, against New Zealand, a match which Pakistan eventually won by 324 runs. In the decade since, Pakistan never got into that kind of position again till the Abu Dhabi game against Australia last year.There is the possibility of rain washing out at least one or more sessions in coming days, though it is very unlikely to change the final outcome of the contest.”We have been tracking the weather report, which has been deceiving so you cant control the weather and whatever isn’t in your control you don’t have to worry about it,” Mushtaq said. “But you can’t tinker on an unpredictable aspect because we were expecting rain on day two but it didn’t happen so you have to go with the flow sometime.”Cricket is a funny old game, you got to focus on what you can do well. I can’t say that we are at the best position but apparently we are at top but still we have to bowl well, we have to catch well, we have to field well and have to play very smart cricket and we have to be professional. The whole point is that things can happen and a lot of records get broken, but we are on top of the cricket and have big chance to win this from here.”

Sri Lanka and Pakistan have always engaged each other in flavourful cricket. With Yasir Shah and Younis Khan leading the list of compelling performances, this series was no different

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Jul-2015On the eve of the Galle Test, Misbah-ul-Haq said Pakistan had arrived on the island having worked out “an answer for Rangana Herath.” This was greeted with mild bemusement in Sri Lanka. For years, visiting captains have claimed to have viewed enough footage, or pored over enough statistics, or hired the best witch doctors, to neutralise Sri Lanka’s top spinner. For years, at the end of these series, that spinner would be picking his teeth with the bones of his opponents, legs crossed, in a hammock.But as the match in Galle wound into its third and fourth days, Pakistan were slinking down the track to play Herath, or folding in the crease to sweep him. Herath, who has delayed surgery on both legs for so long his knees must resemble the cheese he legendarily loves, seemed to be pivoting more gingerly than usual in his delivery stride, and consequently, getting less bite out of a Galle pitch that has historically been kind.It was here, and in the second innings at the P Sara Oval, that Pakistan laid the foundation for their victory in Pallekele. On the fourth afternoon of the third Test Angelo Mathews discovered that even if he could do without Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, it may be even tougher to fit the Herath-sized hole in his team.Pakistan, meanwhile, had Yasir Shah’s melted velvet action, and his laser-level control. Sri Lanka’s batsmen have spoken of his accuracy in reverent tones, like they were quoting holy scripture. Yasir, the omniscient, so often appeared to know when a batsman would venture down the track, so he would pull the the length back, or slip in a quicker ball. Three Sri Lanka batsmen were stumped off his bowling in that fourth innings in Galle. On day one at Pallekele, two were caught trying to come down and lift him over mid-off or mid-on.So complete was his hold over Sri Lanka this series, that even when the tracks offered meagre turn, batsmen still tied themselves in knots playing him. Men who spoke bullishly about rotating the strike against him, or using their feet to put him off his length, went to the middle and promptly forgot all that.Some days batsmen committed to more bad lines than a Twilight film. Other times, they were so befuddled, it seemed like Yasir was bowling sudokus. Just as telling as his wicket tally of 24, is Yasir’s economy rate of 2.62. In the end, Sri Lanka only prospered against him by tiring him out on day three in Pallekele – a ploy that may not have worked had Yasir not already bowled close to 150 overs in the series, thanks in part to Wahab Riaz’s injury on the first day of the second Test.Younis Khan was as classy off the field as he was on it•AFPSri Lanka’s top wicket-taker, and second overall behind Yasir, was Dhammika Prasad, with 14 scalps. That all three matches comfortably produced a result despite the failure of the hosts’ great spin threat, is testament to the hard work and dedication of either team’s top cardboard top orders.Also, the curators deserve a little praise. Even Galle humoured the seam bowlers, before descending into its filthy dustbowl mood for the two final days. P Sara Oval did not discriminate, giving bounce and movement to all who bowled upon it. Pallekele was that unicorn of Asian pitches, where both teams strapped three seamers to the plow. Mathews said the surface had flattened a bit by the time Shan Masood and Younis Khan broke his attack on it, but it was gamely given to seam and spin throughout the match.Let’s also not forget these results were obtained despite torrential rains having fallen on most days of the series. For that, the groundstaff deserve special mention. The team at Pallekele was so efficient and so-well coordinated, you almost looked forward to the rain breaks. Their running on and peeling off of covers like watching a North Korean military show.Sri Lanka and Pakistan are not scheduled to play each other in Tests for some years. More’s the pity. Unlike the Sri Lanka-India ties of yore, these series have consistently bred flavourful cricket and compelling stories, without the behavioural hysterics that seem to litter Big Three cricket. Many will remember Younis’ sublime 171 to complete this famous chase. But not long after he took his pads off, he was sitting in dugout with Kaushal Silva, the opener lapping up wisdom at the feet of the old man.But, for all of Younis’ heroics, this was another man’s series. In the three-day rest before ODI preparation begins, it will be Yasir picking his teeth with the bones of his opponents, legs crossed, in a hammock.

At Galle India played the near-perfect Test, only to see their efforts come to naught with a late stumble. At the P Sara Oval, they went all the way in some style

Sharda Ugra in Colombo24-Aug-2015In Galle, India came excruciatingly close to the perfect Test: it began with their bowlers, was followed through by their batsmen in the first innings, and then they were as good as home with half the Sri Lankan line-up dismantled by the third afternoon. Then, however, they were hit by a dangerous cocktail: a batting performance out of an action comic, inexperience, and a brain and feet freeze in chase of 176. The match left the Indians clutching empty air, trying to work out answer a complex algebraic equation – how did seven sessions to India and three to Sri Lanka end up with three growing larger than seven?Within the space of five days, though, India found their moorings again and were able to restart and go on to efficiently finish what they had set out to do in Galle: play the perfect five-day game; win their hyperactive, energised, fellow “bro” of a captain his first Test as leader. If defeat in Galle was “heartbreaking”, as R Ashwin called it, victory at the P Sara Oval was sweet relief. This is India’s first win after the stunner at Lords in 2014, and will reconfirm their belief in what they think of as their “brand” of cricket – five bowlers, 20 wickets, aggression, intent, fearlessness.The five bowlers and 20 wickets part of the equation was never considered a problem in Galle, either by Kohli or team director Ravi Shastri, because from where they saw it, despite Dinesh Chandimal’s innings, their bowlers had given them the 20 wickets. It was for the batsmen to run with their side of the bargain. At the P Sara Oval, the roles were reversed: it was up to the batsmen to give the bowlers some numbers to bowl against and they did so, both times. Kohli said the victory was “satisfying especially knowing we came pretty close twice before – in Adelaide and Galle. We’ve spoken about that, if you win six sessions in a game, you expect your side to win the game. I think Galle hurt us in that way.” He complimented his side for being able “to get yourself together, put yourself in and play the same way again”.Play the same way again. This meant not wiping clean the memories of Galle, but two other things: finding a way to reduce the emotional bruising from that game, and performing a forensic analysis of the defeat and identifying the most useful clues as to how that particular cricketing accident occurred.One problem area from Galle identified and addressed by the batsmen in Colombo was their ability to keep the game moving along without risk or reservation. Moving forward and ahead, using their feet to scuttle length, and turning the forward defensive into singles. KL Rahul’s century in the first innings, in which he took on the Sri Lankan spinners, was one example, that too from a batsman who had scores of 7 and 5 in the first match. With reference to the bowlers, it was two things: drying up runs by holding their “shape” when it came to lines, and tackling a counterattacks by switching tactics quickly if Plan A wasn’t working. At one point on day two at the P Sara, there were no boundaries to be had off the Indian bowling across 113 balls – more than 18 overs.Also key to their strategy of being able to play five bowlers (or in this case, four and a half, as Ravi Shastri put it) alongside only six specialist batsmen, was the lower order contributing with the bat. At the P Sara, led by legspinner Amit Mishra, this was done. In the first innings, the final four Indian wickets added 74; in the second innings, when pushing for quick runs to enlarge the target, the lower five aggregated 63.There was another element in play at the P Sara. Kohli said he wanted to use the collective intelligence of his team and have his team-mates do the same. And this is what was behind the constant chatter between Kohli and his team, whether it was M Vijay stepping in with suggestions to the bowler or Rohit Sharma offering Kohli his opinions. “I want guys to be more expressive and I want guys to share their ideas with me. I want them to speak their mind because they are intelligent cricketers.” The single cause was, he said, winning: “By speaking their mind, some ideas strike me. I might not be able to think about them because there is so much going on. We want to make the guys feel more responsible and more involved in the game throughout. They are thinking about the game every over, which is a good thing for the team.”One of the most memorable parts of P Sara Test, though, was not about how quickly the Indians were able to claim the last eight Sri Lankan wickets – in the course of a session and a bit. It was about what they did afterwards. When the final wicket fell, the team’s celebrations were joyful but not overblown. A set of hugs and handshakes among each other, stumps collected as souvenirs, and the rapid realisation that their victory would mean a very painful defeat for the home side in Kumar Sangakkara’s final Test.Once they had acknowledged each other, as if the switch had been flipped, Kohli and his men retreated into the shadows. The Sri Lankans gave Sangakkara the farewell they wanted to and the Indians gave the occasion the respect it deserved. They stood to one side during his farewell function, Kohli presented Sangakkara with his shirt signed by the team. They returned to their dressing room and let him soak in his last few hours as a Sri Lankan player. No loud noise or wild celebrations there. Some of the players left for their hotel, others stayed back and played a few hours of badminton.The series-levelling victory will continue to give strength to the structure that Kohli wants his team to take, in terms of team composition and the choice of personnel. He has virtually announced that Cheteshwar Pujara will be drafted in as an opener for the third Test, and that the batting order will be shuffled. Kohli’s captaincy is minus any euphemisms about revival or rebuilding. He understands cricket in its simplest language. Runs and wickets, winning over losing.