Kolkata were unable to put two big overs together after the Powerplay and Bangalore’s ability to bounce back from an expensive over and take wickets in the next proved instrumental

George Binoy at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore11-Apr-2010
R Vinay Kumar finished with figures of 3 for 23•Indian Premier LeagueThe first fightback was led by Jacques Kallis. Praveen Kumar, in the fifth over, had been blitzed by Sourav Ganguly and Chris Gayle for 21 runs. Kumble turned to Kallis and was rewarded instantaneously, when Gayle drove the second ball of the sixth to Rahul Dravid at extra cover. Kolkata, however, reached their best Powerplay score – 61 for 1 – and took another 11 off the seventh. Kallis then sent down a mix of slower balls and bouncers and conceded only four off the eighth. Kolkata plundered 42 runs between overs five and seven, but only managed 11 runs between eight and ten. It was a familiar script for Kolkata had endured periods of lull before: 30 runs between overs 12 and 16 against Delhi, and only 23 runs between overs six and ten against PunjabThe second fightback began after Brendon McCullum laid into S Sriram, hitting three fours and a six on the leg-side to take 18 runs off the 11th over. With Ganguly for company, McCullum had charged Kolkata to 101 for 1 when Kumble brought Vinay Kumar into the attack. McCullum tried to play the ramp shot, but Vinay outsmarted him with a straighter line that sent the batsman tumbling. He then dismissed Ganguly by cramping him on the pull and ended the over having conceded only two runs off it. Kallis followed up with another two-run over, which had a couple of intense short balls, one of which accounted for Manoj Tiwary. Kolkata were 105 for 3 after 13.The third fightback was the decisive one. McCullum threatened to cut loose again after Angelo Mathews had been dismissed off the first ball of the 14th over. He collected three streaky boundaries to third man and Kolkata moved ahead by 16, to 121, in the space of four deliveries. This time Kumble brought his experience into play. He varied pace, trajectory and length and conceded only three runs off each of his last two overs that sandwiched a nine-run over from Dale Steyn. In his final over, Kumble also induced a mis-timed pull from an unbalanced McCullum and had him caught on the square-leg boundary. Kolkata’s hopes of 180 ended there and Kumble finished with figures of 1 for 17.The final fightback was Bangalore’s coup de grace. Having scored only 19 in the previous four overs, Cheteshwar Pujara gave Kolkata a 15-run penultimate over by ruining Jacques Kallis’ figures with two sixes. However a steady stream of wickets – six in the space of eight overs – had left Kolkata with two tailenders to face the last six balls of the innings. Vinay Kumar bowled them and conceded only five, limiting Kolkata to 160.Kolkata were unable to put two big overs together after the Powerplay and Bangalore’s ability bounce back from an expensive over and take wickets in the next proved instrumental in winning a crucial game.

Piyush Chawla on his most cherished wicket, field restrictions he’d like to modify, and the advantages of being short

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi01-May-2010Have you taught Preity Zinta how to bowl a wrong’un?
Not really. She wants to bat, she’s not interested in bowling. Whoever starts to play the game wants to bat.Are the shorter boundaries in Twenty20 unjust?
Even the crowds don’t come to see a bowler getting a batsman out – they just come to see fours and sixes. So, yes, it is injustice.Has Sreesanth taught you anything?
I am a quick learner, but I am in no mood to learn anything from Sreesanth.What is your favourite Uttar Pradesh phrase?
, boss? (You teasing me, mate?)What’s one game you would pay to watch?
I would have loved to watch a Test – if not, then an ODI – where Sachin [Tendulkar] faced Shane Warne.You seem to be crazy about shades.
I have some 40-odd pairs. In the IPL I carried 15 around with me in a hard box.What is one thing you never did as a kid?
I never fancied autographs. When I went to the National Cricket Academy, some of the boys from my batch would ask for autographs from the Indian players who were recuperating or attending camps. I would tell the boys, “Just take my autograph. One day you will remember me.”What are you known as at home?
Paras – it is a stone that turns anything it touches into gold.Is there a game from cricket history you’d have liked to play in, as the player who turned the match?
Anil [Kumble] picked up 6 for 12 against the West Indies [Hero Cup final, 1993]. That was in an ODI and that turned the whole match.What is the best advice Kumble has given you?
I spoke to him after I was dropped from the Indian team. I was quite frustrated, those first three months. But he said, “Play your cricket, enjoy your cricket and just give it your best shot. Everything will fall into place.” I can never forget those words.Which batsmen do you not like bowling to?
Yuvi [Yuvraj Singh], Mahi [MS Dhoni], Viru [Virender Sehwag]. They hit so hard and you don’t have any place to run.Are there any advantages to being short?
As a legspinner it allows me to flight the ball nicely. And most of the greats are short – Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Sachin , Sunil Sir [Gavaskar], they all are short. I want to follow in their footsteps.What is one rule you would like changed in favour of bowlers?
In the Powerplay, I would like to have three fielders in the outfield in Twenty20.Tell us about a funny incident involving an umpire.
During a practice game against Australia in Hyderabad a couple of years ago, I deliberately did not deliver the ball this one time. I just went through the motions and turned my bowling arm over, but the ball was in my hand. I forget who the batsman was, but the umpire signalled a no-ball. I was surprised and pointed at the ball in my hand and he apologised immediately.What has been your best moment on a cricket field so far?
The one ball that changed my life: getting Sachin out in the Challenger Trophy. I was just 16 then and it will remain in my memory always.What is the best ball you have seen a legspinner bowl?
The ultimate would be the ball of the century by Shane Warne. There was another one from Warne to Andrew Strauss – he left it alone but the ball started outside off and went behind his legs to knock out the off stump [Edgbaston, 2005].Name one quality you have that Anil Kumble doesn’t.
I am very, very mischievous.

Plays of the Day from the fourth day of the second Test between India and New Zealand in Hyderabad

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2010Celebration of the day
When he had reached his maiden Test century in Ahmedabad, Harbhajan Singh reacted slowly, letting a few moments pass before breaking into celebration. There was none of that today. As he set off for the single that made him the only No. 8 to score back-to-back centuries in Tests, Harbhajan raised his arms aloft, roared and leapt in celebration as he completed the run. He continued running halfway to the boundary and one might have thought that India had declared. Harbhajan headed back to the middle, though, looked up at the sky and embraced his partner Sreesanth, acknowledging the multiple body blows the No. 11 had endured to ensure that this moment happened.Pose of the day
It happened at least twice. First when Sreesanth struck him on the pad outside leg and yelled vociferously, and then when Harbhajan hit him outside off and appealed optimistically. Both times, Brendon McCullum was a picture of nonchalance. He would stand with legs crossed, leaning to one side, resting on his bat with the other hand on his hip, giving off a distinct “You can’t be serious” vibe. His celebration on reaching his first Test century as opener was calm and measured as well.Crash of the day
Suresh Raina, India’s swiftest fielder, watched McCullum get down on one knee and sweep the ball powerfully. He set off immediately, sprinting from midwicket, in pursuit of the ball. As quick as Raina was, he wasn’t able to reach it before it went over the boundary. He wasn’t able to stop himself running either and tumbled over an advertisement hoarding, toppling it as he went over. He wasn’t hurt though, he had only created a small scene.Streaky start of the day
Tim McIntosh doesn’t like facing Zaheer Khan. He’s fallen to Zaheer all three times in the series and struggled to get going against the bowler during his first-innings century in Hyderabad. That hasn’t deterred him from taking strike first-up though. Today, McIntosh shouldered arms to his first two balls from Zaheer but decided to push forward at the next two. Both deliveries hit the outside edge and flew wide of the slip cordon for fours.Aggressive start of the day
McCullum had waited one ball before driving Sreesanth through cover in the first innings. He didn’t wait that long today, lofting his and Sreesanth’s first delivery over the infield to the cover boundary. When Sreesanth offered him a short and wide ball a while later, McCullum got under it and slashed over the slip cordon to collect another four and he was away.McIntosh moment of the day
McIntosh hit a six in each innings in Hyderabad. Both shots were off left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha and both cleared the boundary between wide long-on and deep midwicket. They were extremely different strokes, though. In the first innings, McIntosh had reached forward and played a flick-chip that sailed gently over the boundary. In the second, he charged down the track, got under the ball and heaved it with might. It soared high towards midwicket and cleared the optimistic boundary-rider.Drama of the day
Martin Guptill was out. He had edged Ojha to MS Dhoni and was walking off. And then word reached him that he should wait because the umpire Simon Taufel was checking whether the bowler had over-stepped. Deja vu. In the first innings, Guptill had crossed the boundary after nicking Sreesanth before he was called back by umpire Kumar Dharmasena, who confirmed late with the third umpire that it was a no-ball. Guptill wasn’t that lucky twice, though, for Ojha’s boot was a fraction behind the line.Consolation of the day
You had to feel for Daniel Vettori. He had bowled his arm off on the third day and his top-order strikes had kept New Zealand on par with India until Harbhajan Singh collared him as fatigue levels rose. The punishment continued on the fourth morning as Harbhajan skipped down and lofted over long-off. Vettori had his reward a while later, when he trapped Sreesanth lbw. It would have been little consolation but the wicket completed his 19th five-wicket haul in Tests.

An Australian fan takes in the sights and sounds of Test cricket and Tendulkar in India

Sean Kelly11-Oct-2010Choice of game
I chose this game as it pitted two fierce rivals with an unmatched recent record of high-quality and memorable cricket – a fact amply proved by the heroics in Mohali. My pre-match prediction was a high-scoring draw. This result was favoured by the pitch, the respective powerful batting line-ups and under-strength bowling attacks, and the fact that it would be enough to hand India a series win.The day began early, around 8am, with passage through the first of many security checkpoints at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Thoroughly patted down and waved over with a metal-detecting wand, I finally emerged onto the second deck overlooking the western square boundary. At this early stage the only people on the ground were security personnel, slowly lapping the outer edge of the boundary with various bomb-detecting high-tech devices.Team supported
I finally got to marry my patriotism with the natural desire to support the underdog. Nevertheless, I was often carried by the crowd’s fervour into cheering for the locals.Key performer
It remains to be seen whether Sachin Tendulkar can turn this match on its head, though the second day undoubtedly belonged to a patient yet powerful Marcus North. Ashes bound?Interplay I enjoyed the most
Early in the final session, Virender Sehwag took on the daunting riposte with typical flair. After sending Mitchell Johnson and his much-spoken-of bouncer barrage to the boundary and beyond, the aggressive opener sought to treat similarly the supposedly more sedate Ben Hilfenhaus. In the tenth over of the innings, Hilfenhaus struck Sehwag on the helmet as he attempted to duck in an ungainly manner. The next ball was short and straight and Sehwag duly crashed it to Johnson at deep backward square. The chants of “Sehwag! Sehwag!” that had previously engulfed the stadium were transformed into an absolute, eerie silence as he trudged off.Wow moment
In the 50th over of the day, Australia were 470 for 8 and eyeing 500. Hilfenhaus cut Sreesanth past point – or so he thought. The debutant, Cheteshwar Pujara, threw himself to his right, saved a certain four, picked himself up and threw down the single stump offered to him. The third umpire did not take long in adjudging Nathan Hauritz short and the stadium erupted. It was instinctive and just what Indian cricket needs. However, today it was not wow moment.Not for the first time did Tendulkar upstage all-comers. He became the first cricketer to surpass 14,000 Test runs. The countdown was directed by the big screen and began with 10 required. When he was within a boundary of the landmark, Tendulkar flayed the hapless Hauritz through the covers and into history. Tendulkar acknowledged the deafening applause and waited – for what seemed an eternity – for sufficient calm so he could resume his innings. Eventually the crowd subsided, but not for long, as the very next ball Tendulkar repeated the dose. The crowd was now delirious; it was not the medicine Hauritz required.Player watch
A great bulk of the typical spectator’s time is spent in eliciting an acknowledgment from a nearby fielder. Late in the day, Marcus North, perhaps on a high from his splendid innings, proved fertile ground. Not only did he wave to the thousands of faces every time he walked back to his position, he even bowled and drove imaginary balls into the adoring masses.Shot of the day
Sehwag’s ferocious upper-cut for six off Johnson, which perfectly bisected the fielders placed at deep backward point and third man. It proved a false dawn, however, as Sehwag departed shortly thereafter.Thus the “shot of the day” ought to go to North. He must have been nervous knowing that the innings was there to be saved, not to mention his place in the Ashes line-up, as he walked out this morning. The day’s first full over was delivered by the disappointing Sreesanth; first, North delightfully guided a hip-high delivery to the fine-leg boundary, then he firmly turned a ball from his pads for a brace behind square. They were not the most spectacular, brutal or delicate shots played today, but they had the biggest bearing on the match.Debutant woes
Peter George knew it was not just a dream when he ran into bowl to Tendulkar late on the second day for he had already been rudely introduced to Test cricket by Sehwag. Replacing the expensive Johnson, George proved no economical alternative as Sehwag punished him for a brace of boundaries straight down the ground. Welcome to Test cricket, indeed!Crowd meter
Being a Sunday with a high possibilty of India (read Tendulkar) batting, all but a few areas of the sizeable ground were packed. The only thing larger than the crowd today was its unceasing passion. The spectators were unbelievably exciting and excitable, and yet always appreciative of the tourists’ efforts. Every Australian milestone was applauded warmly, as was George when he readied himself for his debut over. Indeed, when Australia registered their highest score in Bangalore – a seemingly innocuous achievement – the locals resoundingly congratulated them.Sehwag fell into Hilfenhaus’ trap•Associated PressBanner of the day
Unlike in Australia, the dynamic Indian cricket fan brings blank poster paper to matches so as to permit instant updates to his/her banners. One read “Dhoni, please send Tendulkar this side” (interactive idol worship), while another proved that cricket fans might also aspire to poetry: “Tendulkar Twinkles, Aussies Wrinkle”.Tests v limited-overs
Today I witnessed Australia powerfully grind out a position of strength notwithstanding the odd mini-collapse, a possibly career-defining century, two debutants mix it with the best, a typically Sehwag-esque onslaught, and a seasoned master reaffirm his dominance. All must be well with Test cricket.Marks out of 10
9. My imagination inflated my expectations to such a degree that it would have been difficult for a day at the Chinnaswamy Stadium to match them. Nevertheless they were exceeded and more. The only letdown were the amenities. No outside food or water were permitted (for safety or business, I know not), and the invariably small plastic temporary seats provided very little comfort (though I suspect they are somewhat more accommodating then the cement slabs upon which they were placed).

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the day of the match between Pakistan and Kenya in Hambantota

Osman Samiuddin in Hambantota23-Feb-2011Catch of the day
Seren Waters’ effort to send back Mohammad Hafeez would’ve done the world’s greatest goalkeepers proud. Hafeez’s clip went well to the left of Waters at short midwicket, but a full length aerial dive saw him grasp on. Even then the job was half done; as he landed the ball bobbled out of his hand, bounced off his forearm, only for him to clutch it with his left. Less than a week into the tournament, it’ll be difficult to better it.Best Reverse ‘Graham Gooch World Cup 1987 semi-final’ impersonation of the day
In slightly less grand circumstances than the Wankhede, Misbah-ul-Haq reversed a leaf from Graham Gooch’s strategy of the day by reverse-sweeping everything that came his way or at least every six balls or so. In a 69-ball innings, he reverse-swept seven times and attempted four conventional ones as well. Given the opposition, he probably didn’t need to.Favourite school lesson of the day
Given the hosts’ absence and the fact that the stadium is as easy to reach as Atlantis, local authorities resorted to the oldest trick in the subcontinent, shipping in thousands of uniformed school children to occupy the tiered stands. A handy day off, bang in the middle of the week, beats geography any day. As the day progressed and the harshness of the sun lessened and the gates were opened for all, however, a handy trickle of older fans started coming through, including the arrival of Pakistan’s Chacha Cricket.Least attractive innings of the day
Extras. Pakistan’s innings had four half-centuries of varying aesthetics, but the worst was the 46 directly contributed by Kenya’s bowlers, of which a whopping 37 were wides. That is the joint-highest wides conceded in an innings ever, equaling the 37 the West Indies conceded, also against Pakistan in January 1989 in Brisbane. Forty-six is the fifth-highest score by extras.Worst hat-trick ball of the day
Thomas Odoyo’s wickets off two successive balls in the 49th over didn’t make much of a difference to Pakistan’s charge but a hat-trick would’ve been a nice, individual feat. Having had Umar Akmal caught at long-on and then a successful referral against Shahid Afridi for leg-before, things were nicely set up. In came Odoyo, glory in his eyes, and duly bowled a miserable wide two feet down the leg-side.

ESPNcricinfo looks back at a few of the memorable moments from England’s triumphant Ashes campaign, from a frenzied start at the Gabba to the decisive blow on Boxing Day at the MCG

Andrew McGlashan08-Jan-2011Cook lays his marker
The tension on the first morning of the series was immense and amid the frenzied atmosphere Andrew Strauss cut the third ball straight to gully. England needed calming down before bad memories came flooding back. Alastair Cook was called a ‘weak link’ before the series, unsurprisingly given his poor numbers against Australia, but he soon began setting the record straight. No one knew what riches would come his way during the series, and 67 pales in comparison to 235, 189 and 148, but in many ways it was the most important innings. It gave England time to breath and proved there was nothing to fear in the Australian attack. He left well, refusing to be drawn into the drives that previously brought his downfall, and the impact was that England reached the relative comfort of 4 for 197. Then came Peter Siddle, who began his hat-trick by having Cook caught at first slip and a few moments later the innings was spiralling again. Cries of ‘same old England’ could be heard from the fearsome Gabba fortress but this was nothing of the sort. This was a new England team, ready to prove doubters wrong. And none more so than Cook.Captain’s innings
Still, England were well behind after three days in Brisbane. Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin had added 307 to build a lead of 221 and it all looked set for a home win. Andrew Strauss, though, was determined that he wouldn’t be remembered for that first-day duck. For a moment it appeared he may have bagged a sickening pair when he padded up to Ben Hilfenhaus’s first ball; it was given not out, Australia reviewed and it was just going over the stumps. Strauss and Cook survived a torrid hour on the third evening and emerged primed for a famous rearguard the next day. Strauss stood up to play his most important innings for England. It was a statement of the highest order as he took the attack back to Australia with cuts, pulls and, in the clearest sign of his form, straight drives. He even used his feet to loft the spinners straight and suddenly England were past 100, then 150 and the deficit was nearly erased. Strauss’s hundred came up with a late cut off Xavier Doherty and although he was stumped off Marcus North England didn’t lose another wicket as they rewrote the record books with 1 for 517.3 for 2 or 2 for 3?
So who had the momentum after Brisbane? It took less than an over to find out despite Adelaide being predicted as a nailed-on draw. Rarely has a Test begun in such extraordinary circumstances. After three dot balls, James Anderson speared a delivery at Shane Watson’s pads which rolled into the leg side. He set off for a single, but Simon Katich didn’t move straight away. Jonathan Trott, one of England’s least mobile fielders, collected the ball and with one stump to aim at hit direct. Katich had a diamond duck, yet the drama wasn’t finished. Ricky Ponting prepared for his ball against Anderson; it was a perfect outswinger on off stump which drew Ponting forward and took the edge to second slip. Five balls, two wickets, no runs. And still more. In Anderson’s next over another fine outswinger lured Michael Clarke into a flat-footed drive and Graeme Swann took his second catch. The pitch was flat – as England later proved by making 5 for 620 – and the hosts were in tatters. Ponting’s world was starting to crumble.Good call
It wouldn’t have been an Ashes series without at least one insane fluctuation in fortune and it duly arrived at Perth as England were hammered by 267 runs to breathe life back into Australia. They were bullish heading to Melbourne – that word ‘momentum’ was as popular as turkey and stuffing on Christmas Day – but Boxing Day dawned cloudy, cool and damp. It was a home-from-home for England and Andrew Strauss won the toss. Four hours later – and it was only that long because of a rain break – Australia were humbled for 98. James Anderson made the ball talk, Chris Tremlett provided brutal lift and Tim Bresnan slotted perfectly into the holding role that Steven Finn struggled to perform. By the end of the first day England were 0 for 157. The Ashes weren’t going anywhere.Bresnan swings it
England finished the series with only half of their attack from the first Test. Yet it was part of the planning. Tim Bresnan had impressed against Australia A in Hobart but was always going to take a back seat early on in the series. England came with a plan to target Australia from a height with Stuart Broad, Steven Finn and Chris Tremlett. But they were also ready to adapt. Broad was already home injured and Finn had proved problematically expensive despite taking 14 wickets so it was Bresnan’s turn. He’d played just two first-class matches since September but settled straight into his task, claiming Phil Hughes and Brad Haddin. However, he really came into his own in the second innings when he reverse swung the ball with devastating effect on a surface that had lost its first-day greenness. On the fourth morning he claimed Ben Hilfenhaus to retain the Ashes but, as with the whole team, wasn’t finished yet. In Sydney his old-ball skills came to the fore again with five wickets in the match and England’s pace-bowling stocks were looking very deep.Beer’s no-ball
In the end Australia were hammered, yet for a time on the second day in Sydney they were clinging to the prospect of a scarcely deserved series draw. Mitchell Johnson had flayed 53 to lift them to 280 and when he bowled Jonathan Trott for a duck, to leave England 2 for 99, memories of Perth were emerging all round. Cook was standing firm, laying the foundation yet again on 46, when he faced the debutant Michael Beer. He came down the track but wasn’t to the pitch and lofted a catch to mid-on. Beer celebrated his maiden Test wicket and Cook was walking off. Then Billy Bowden signalled he wanted to check the frontline. Surely a spinner hadn’t overstepped? But there it was. Beer’s heel was fractionally over the white line. Emotions swirled around Beer’s mind and Cook wouldn’t depart for another 143 runs. The rest, as they say, is history.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the match between Pakistan and Canada

Osman Samiuddin in Colombo03-Mar-2011The flashback
Overcast conditions, empty-ish stadium, Pakistan batting first, a minnow on the other side. Ireland anyone?The over
Whether or not Harvir Singh Baidwan comes across such conditions often in Canada is not known first, but there could not have been a better use of them. From the very first over, in which snared Ahmed Shehzad, he hit the perfect length, allowing the ball to nibble this way and that like he was a Kiwi medium-pacer from the 1992 World Cup. The highlight was his fifth over, a maiden, so constrictive it could’ve been the hangman’s noose, with one surprise bouncer right at Umar Akmal’s throat, also slipped in. Deserved a wicket, but he got three anyway.The Powerplay
The one Pakistan didn’t take when Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal were set at the crease, or the one when Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq were briefly at the crease. Instead they took it with Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal. It lasted one over.The Dwayne Leverock moment
There are worse things to do in life than watch the, ahem, generously waist-lined Balaji Rao stroll in to bowl his leggies. Rao is one of cricket’s many ‘coulda been a contenders’. He bowled a nice spell as well, ripping the ball on occasion and giving it some air for two deserved wickets. But his finest moment came at slip, when Wahab Riaz edged Jimmy Hansra. Rao took it, watched it slip out, tried to grab it a few times thereafter before somehow he pouched it between his not inconsiderably-sized thighs.The System
Like any self-respecting celebrity, the DRS has rarely strayed away from the headlines in this tournament. With the BCCI it has enjoyed a particularly torrid hate-hate affair. But in Canada’s response its utility was there for all to see, especially with Daryl Harper and Nigel Llong in the midst of a shaky spell. First Pakistan reviewed a leg-before decision Harper turned down from Umar Gul, one which even from behind Ravindu Gunasekera looked full enough to be not pitching outside leg. Zubin Sarkari was then given out leg-before next over by Llong though the ball looked high: on referral it was, comfortably. In the eighth over, Harper again gave Ashish Bagai out to a ball that looked without replays to be hitting the stumps only if they were a foot higher. Bagai was reprieved by Harper eventually in the 18th over only to find, as it appeared to the naked eye, that he was pretty plumb. On referral, he was duly given. Just for good measure, Harper had another decision overturned later. When the umpire is having a shocker, is the answer to the question, what use is the DRS?

Muttiah Muralitharan’s final spell at home ended in fairytale fashion, much like his Test career in Galle last year. Just like back then, it would have been incredibly contrived had it not been for real

Sidharth Monga in Colombo29-Mar-2011″It would have been incredibly contrived had it not been for real,” this reporter wrote on July 22, 2010, just having watched Muttiah Muralitharan end his Test career with a wicket off the last ball, No. 800, also the last wicket in the match. At 792 wickets, Murali had announced the Galle Test would be his last. If 800 happened it would be good; if 800 didn’t happen, so be it. How could 800 not happen?At his beloved Galle International Stadium, a ground he had help rebuild after the 2004 tsunami had ravaged it, there was a cloud coming from the distance, Lasith Malinga was off injured, Sri Lanka were racing against time to finish India off, and the last wicket had frustrated them for 15 overs. In his 27th over of the day, Murali produced the final wicket.About a year later, having agreed to delay his ODI retirement for the World Cup, Murali had fought a hamstring injury, a side strain, a troublesome knee and groin when it was suggested that he be preserved for the final and not be risked in a home semi-final against New Zealand, not fancied to beat the hosts on a sluggish surface. Rubbish. There is no way you could keep Murali out of his last match at home. If he could stand straight, he would play. And play he did.The build-up, as expected, was not as big as Galle. Firstly ODI cricket doesn’t allow such elaborate farewells, and then Sri Lanka were just two matches away from a World Cup win, and this was just his last match at home, and not necessarily his last match. The relief around in Colombo was palpable when it was announced Murali was fit to play. Just enough, it turned out. For in the sixth over he went off the field, and came back in the 11th. Still Murali, clearly not at his best, even on one leg, is presence enough. As soon as he had spent the four overs on the field to become eligible for a bowl, Murali gave it a twirl.Round the wicket he started, and landed the first ball on the spot. In his third over, a big offbreak, not the best delivery he has bowled to take a wicket, bounced on Jesse Ryder, and New Zealand’s match-winner from the quarter-final was gone. The ascendancy gained, Sri Lanka went ahead to apply the squeeze, and once again it ceased being all about Murali. New Zealand rebuilt through Scott Styris and Ross Taylor, and then asked for the Powerplay in the 42nd over.Murali was brought back in the second Powerplay over. Now a 20-year-old kid, playing his 19th international match, served a reminder that a bad ball from Murali is still a bad ball. It was a levelling over actually. Kane Williamson employed the old trick on the master: came down and lofted him over mid-off one ball, and rightly guessed a short ball next and rocked back to cut it for four. Nathan McCullum hit him for a six in his next over, the ninth.Murali’s last match at home could not have ended in a whimper. He had one more over left, majority of which was bowled to the set Scott Styris. The Premadasa Stadium was awake to it. The Sri Lanka flags were raised in the stands, it seemed like a single long Sri Lanka flag, as long as the stadium’s circumference, ran across the stands. For old time’s sake, perhaps, Murali went back to bowling from over the stumps. For one last over at home, he started bowling the big offbreaks, reminiscent of the pre-doosra days. He even bowled a wide that turned too much down the leg side. The fourth ball of the over turned sharply into the pads, Styris tried to nudge it for a single, but there was no way a nudge was going to beat the two men square on the leg side. Same with the fifth ball. He knew he was bowling to his field, and knew Styris would need to take a risk to score off him.Styris, more experienced than Williamson, was showing more reverence; he would have experienced much more Murali wrath than Williamson. He just wanted to see Murali off, and would take the single if he got it in the process. Murali ran in for his last ball at home, and bowled a bit wide, turning it back in, and hitting Styris in front. LBW. A wicket that kickstarted a collapse of 4 for 4.It would have been incredibly contrived had it not been for real.

A combination of a wet start and a slow pitch meant a tough opening day for England

Andrew Miller in Cardiff26-May-2011Andrew Strauss said on the eve of the match that the time for a glorious homecoming had long since past, and sure enough, the start of the first Test since England’s Ashes triumph was a spectacular anticlimax, entirely befitting a team whose Sydney celebrations had been curtailed by a hungover coach trip to Canberra.The most glorious start to an English summer in generations was entirely lost on the weather in Wales, which started revolting, and slowly descended into cruelty, as the morning rain threatened to abate every once in a while, before returning with a vengeance to postpone the start again and again. The toss, when it took place at 2.15pm was a farce, with such a violent squall wafting in after Sri Lanka’s correct call that players, presenters and camera crews alike were effectively blown clean off the square, as play was delayed by a further 75 minutes.In the circumstances, therefore, to chisel 48 overs out of a day that was pushed back by four-and-a-half hours was a pretty impressive effort, as the late evening sunshine did its best to atone for what had gone before. For England’s bowlers, however, it was a tough and uncompromising workout, as they encountered on their return to red-ball cricket a pair of batsmen in Tharanga Paranavitana and Tillakaratne Dilshan whose own preparations had involved a double-century partnership against the England Lions in Derby.As Chris Tremlett and Graeme Swann discovered to their cost in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s batsman have a ball-by-ball mentality that translates across formats without a glitch. If there was an assumption that the disciplines of Test cricket would lure them into a rash of loose swipes, a la Umar Akmal and his Pakistan team-mates last summer, it was quashed by the steadfast approach of Paranavitana, whose unbeaten 58 contained 122 dot balls and just six boundaries, five of which were emphatic.The scalping of two late wickets ensured the day’s honours ended more or less even, while the frisson of controversy that existed when Kumar Sangakkara was adjudged caught-behind on review was quickly doused when Dilshan conceded that the edge had been conclusive. All in all, therefore, this first day had the feel of a dress rehearsal, albeit one that left little reason to doubt the stage-presence of either side.”I thought to be honest we started pretty well, considering that we spent most of the day in the dressing room,” said James Anderson, whose seven overs for seven before tea would might well have made dents in the Pakistan top-order last summer, although when you recall just how fragile their batting had been, that is hardly a ringing endorsement. He was waspish and energetic, and clearly refreshed after the travails of the World Cup. But for all three of England’s seamers, there was a certain snap still lacking.”It is sometimes hard to get yourself up for that start time, but I thought we did brilliantly that first hour, and we could have got a couple of wickets,” said Anderson. “We beat the bat a few times, but there a few bad balls, one too many in certain periods, and they put them away well. Generally I thought we asked a lot of questions of the batsmen, but they played pretty well, left well, and it will be a hard contest tomorrow and further into the game.”Still, there’s only so much to be read into this truncated first-day performance. As expected, the Cardiff wicket tended towards the docile, with Stuart Broad’s short-ball attack offering little prospect of reward, despite the aggressive intentions of three slips, a short leg and leg gully. Anderson reckoned there was more life than he’d expected, though having been put to the sword by Australia’s 674 for 6 on this surface two years ago, he came into the game with good reason to be pessimistic. “If you bend your back you get something out of the pitch,” he said. “It’s a good cricket wicket.”A crowd of roughly 6000 turned out to watch the team in their first match of the new season, with one in three of the pre-booked punters deciding it wasn’t a day for watching cricket. Better weather is in prospect for the latter stages of the game, so England – and their season – can aim to start again. “The crowd was pretty good considering the weather,” said Anderson. “It was a really good support out there, a good atmosphere considering it’s cold and wet, so we can’t complain.”

A teenage prospect a decade ago, Samuel Badree, with his arsenal of straighter ones and googlies, has found a measure of success in Twenty20 cricket

Siddarth Ravindran01-Oct-2011One of the charms of the Champions League Twenty20 is the opportunity it provides for fans to discover the talents of journeymen cricketers. Take the case of Trinidad & Tobago legspinner, Samuel Badree, owner of the most frugal economy-rate in Twenty20 cricket (4.58), whose day job is teaching physical education to teenagers at the Barrackpore East Secondary School in southern Trinidad.He doesn’t possess the gargantuan legbreak that makes leg spin such an exciting art to watch but a grab bag of straighter ones and googlies with the new ball have made him a knotty bowler to face. Ask Leicestershire, who after clouting his first ball for a boundary were only able to take three runs off his remaining 3.5 overs – resulting in the most economical spell in the tournament.So what’s his formula for Twenty20 success? “I try to use some variety because if you get predictable in this game it is easy for batsmen to pick you off,” Badree told ESPNcricinfo. “Some skidders, some wrong ‘uns, try to get some turn off the legbreak as well, main thing is to keep your eyes on the batsmen as long as possible, see what they are doing and try to out-think them.”Opening the bowling with a spinner is now almost standard practice in Twenty20s, and it’s a role Badree plays particularly well. “It’s always difficult to bowl in the Powerplay overs, new ball coming on to the bat, the batsmen are looking to capitalise,” he says. “I think I have been consistent in terms of line and length, I bowl to my field, things are just working out fine for me, I guess I’m a bit lucky as well.”Things have been working out well for the 30-year-old Badree over the past year or so, getting a regular place in a T&T side filled with spinners, giving away less than four runs an over during the Caribbean T20 in January, and having begun the CLT20 with four solid games. But it hasn’t been a trouble-free ride for him. His career began promisingly as he progressed from playing cricket at Naparima College with future T&T team-mates, Daren and Sherwin Ganga, to making his first-class debut while still a teenager. That was nearly a decade ago though, and his first-class career has sputtered since, with only a dozen caps, and his last match in early 2009.”Twenty20 is more of a defensive game, whereas in first-class cricket you need to take wickets,” Badree says. “I’m more of a defensive bowler than a wicket-taker that is why my first-class career hasn’t taken off as much probably as my Twenty20.”Even the Twenty20 career seemed to be in jeopardy when T&T made the world sit up and take notice at the inaugural Champions League two years ago. Sherwin Ganga and chinaman bowler Dave Mohammed, he of the outrageous celebrations fame, were the lead spinners in the side and Badree got only a few chances. His tournament ended after a pasting in the match against New South Wales, the match most remembered for catapulting Kieron Pollard to Twenty20 superstardom. In Badree’s only over in the game, David Warner clobbered him for 24 runs. When the two sides met in the CLT20 this year, Badree’s first over to Warner was a maiden.”The experience in 2009 really serves me in good stead, because I know what the pitches hold, how batsmen are approaching the game,” Badree says. “I use that to any advantage, I think bowling at the top you need a bit of luck, I think so far in these games I have been lucky, I hope that luck continues in the rest of the tournament.”Since then, he’s conceded little more than four an over in Twenty20s and has leapfrogged Mohammed to become one of T&T’s frontline bowlers. At 30, it may seem that an international career is out of his grasp but with West Indies looking beyond Sulieman Benn and Nikita Miller to fill the spinners ‘ spot, there might still be an opening for a Twenty20 place. He certainly hasn’t given up.”My childhood dream was to play for the West Indies, and hopefully I can do well in this tournament and make the selectors look in my direction,” he says. “As long as I am playing for T&T, the aim is to play for West Indies. The day that I do not feel that I do not want to play for West Indies is the day I will give up playing for my country.”Is there some aspect of his bowling he would like to improve? “If I could get the legbreak to turn a bit more, that will be an additional ball in my armoury. I would be much more effective, I have to keep working on that.”Even if the international career passes him by, the CLT20 puts him in the shop window for a chance at Twenty20 contracts in domestic leagues around the world, a well-trod path that the biggest names of T&T cricket have taken. “When you come on the world stage, a lot of teams are looking at you. I’m only trying to do my best , whatever comes my way I will consider it but I’m concentrating on T&T right now and my bowling. Whatever happens after that, we will think about after that. “