He may not be able to play for his Ranji side often, but follows them closely even when on tour and is encouraged by the upturn after they hit rock bottom

Sidharth Monga01-Dec-2011″Yes, yes I follow them very closely. I follow them so closely I exchange messages with one of the coaches every half an hour and check how they are doing. Even now I know we are around 260 for 6, and we bowled them out for 147.” VVS Laxman is aware of events in Goa, even as he works on his fitness at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. Laxman is already preparing for the Australia tour, slowly starting to visualise the challenge, the Australia bowlers, the crowds that adore him there. An eye, though, always remains on how Hyderabad are doing in the Ranji Trophy. “I follow Hyderabad cricket, and I am very passionate about it,” he says. “It’s unfortunate I don’t play for them that often but I really think a lot about Hyderabad cricket.”Laxman owes Hyderabad cricket a lot, and vice versa. It is not just the supple wrists he has inherited. He says he learned to play well under pressure because of his early days in Hyderabad. He was their main batsman when Mohammad Azharuddin was away on India duty, and he says he learned to be responsible for the team. Hyderabad, in turn, gave him seniors he could look up to, and local competition he could relish.Because of the Australia tour and the BCCI’s decision to send the Test specialists there early, Laxman can’t play for his home side this year, but the phone rarely stops buzzing when Ranji matches are on. The past few years have not been an easy time to be a Hyderabad supporter. Last November, Laxman helped save a Test with a second-innings 92 after India had been 15 for 5; three days before that Test began, Hyderabad were bowled out for 21, the lowest-ever Ranji Trophy score. This November he helped India win the Delhi Test against West Indies with 58 not out in the second innings, only to watch Hyderabad fold for 54 against Maharashtra the next day.Laxman is positive while talking about Hyderabad’s match against Goa, which they eventually won on the third day. But Goa is cricketing backwaters well and proper, and that succeeding against Goa, and Assam before that, makes Laxman feel the state is doing “much better”, says all that needs to be said of the depths Hyderabad cricket has plumbed. Two years ago they were relegated to the Plate League for the first time, and they seemed to have built themselves a home there with the dismal performance last year.The Indian Cricket League had caused disruption – Hyderabad were one of the most-affected sides in terms of the number and quality of players lost to the rebel Twenty20 tournament – but Laxman sees deeper problems with Hyderabad cricket. “Even after the ICL players came back, we have been doing well only in patches,” he says. “I feel that the quality of cricket while I was growing up was very high in Hyderabad. This is something that has to be addressed. The quality of league cricket has deteriorated to an extent where a lot of teams give walkovers, and they don’t even turn up for matches.”The administration dropped the ball too, failing to retain the talented Ambati Rayudu, who went to play for Baroda after the 2009-10 season, something Laxman dubs “a huge loss; [Rayudu is] one of the most promising and talented cricketers in our country”.However, Laxman, ever the optimist, sees some positives this year, at least at the top level, despite the 54 all out. The two big reasons for that, he says, are the new coach – Sunil Joshi, the former India spinner – and the identification of a group of young fast bowlers.”It’s much better than two years ago,” Laxman says. “The cricketers playing now are all young and eager to learn. Potentially, they could be very good players in the years to come. I am very impressed with the way Sunil Joshi has been coaching the side. He has done a fabulous job in terms of developing a bond within the team, and creating a positive atmosphere and environment for the players to excel in.”That’s very important. When the team is going through a tough period, it is very good to create an environment in which everyone can relax and concentrate on doing well instead of adding excessive pressure. If you do that, they will go into their shell. I am sure things will only improve.”A day after Laxman said that, Hyderabad made their second step towards recovery. They had followed up their innings defeat against Maharashtra with an innings win against Assam, and topped it up with one against Goa. “I was very impressed with how he [Joshi] reacted after we were bowled out for 54 against Maharashtra,” Laxman says. “Still he maintained the positive attitude within the team. It was very critical for the team to bounce back, which they did against Assam. After being beaten by an innings and getting bowled out for 54, going into the next match and winning by an innings was a huge improvement. That showed a lot of character within the team. There are a lot of positive signs for Hyderabad cricket.”The young bowling unit has caught Laxman’s eye. “[Earlier] we didn’t have enough talent as far as the bowling is concerned,” he says. “Even though our batting is strong on paper, we haven’t been able to convert that into strong performances. Now we have a young group of fast bowlers who have been identified and also some young spinners. All these guys are performing. It’s just a matter of time before we come back to the position we were in three or four years ago.”With one league match to go, Hyderabad are in the top two in their group in the Plate League. Almost assured of a spot in the Plate semi-finals, they are now one good match short of making it back to the Elite League. More importantly, if they can win the Plate semi-final, they will get to play the main knockouts too. In that case, Joshi, or one of the other coaches, will run a high ISD bill. Someone in Australia will be pretty interested in half-hourly updates.

In the past eight months, the humiliation England have heaped on their two highest-profile opponents has been devastating

Andrew Miller at The Oval19-Aug-2011Under cloudless skies and with their expectation levels at rock-bottom, India somehow opened the second day at The Oval with their best hour of cricket in approximately 21 sessions – dating back to Stuart Broad’s seminal spell on the second day at Nottingham. By the end of it, however, they’d been condemned to another unquantifiable nadir, as England’s punishing discipline and gargantuan appetite for runs made a mockery of that Test ranking that has long since been relinquished.If India cannot pull out of their tailspin and claw something back from this game, they will have slipped to No. 3 in the world, with the prospect of facing the newly chastened Australians in the winter – who, if today’s far-reaching Argus Report is anything to go by, have at least licked their Ashes wounds and set about the healing process with clean bandages. Whether England can sustain their current intensity will be a question for future Tests on different continents – and on this showing why shouldn’t they? – but in the past eight months, the humiliation they have heaped on their two highest-profile opponents has been devastating.It can now be said, without equivocation, that English cricket has never had it so good, for the stats they’ve amassed are simply incapable of lying. Last week at Edgbaston, Alastair Cook made a career-best 294 as England passed 700 for the first time in 73 years; today at The Oval, Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell battered their way to an English third-wicket record stand of 350, the 14th triple-century stand in England’s 915 Tests, and yet their third in the space of 13.And what of tomorrow, when Bell will resume on 181 not out, with a chance of posting England’s seventh double-century in the past 15 months, and beyond that, potentially something even more extraordinary? With seven wickets in hand and, tellingly, a nightwatchman at the crease, it’s safe to assume that a declaration flurry is a long way off yet. “Bat once, bat deep” has been the motto all summer long, and there’s precisely no reason to tinker with that formula with nine sessions remaining.Pietersen was a self-satisfied man at the close, and with every imaginable reason. The angst that surrounded his long and laborious return to form has been forgotten, now that he’s amassed three of his four highest scores in the space of 15 knocks. “I don’t think we’re surprising ourselves,” he said, “because if you look how hard this team has worked in the last two years, the wheel has to turn and we’re very lucky to all be dovetailing. If someone misses out, someone else gets the runs and that’s what good teams do.”Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen in a 350-run stand combined to put England in complete command again•AFPThe one troubling performance of England’s day was a plod of an innings from their only misfiring batsman, Andrew Strauss, who nudged two runs in an hour before swiping a drive to the keeper. However, as any Indian who is currently longing for the days of Sanjay Bangar will testify, there are several ways to build towards a Test victory. By the time Strauss departed with the morning drinks break looming, that new ball was 38 overs old, and ripe for a hammering from two batsmen who love nothing better than raising the tempo of an innings.”One of the principles our team lives by is using up as much of the new ball as possible,” said Pietersen. “We aim to get opposition bowlers into their third, fourth and fifth spells, because then we know we will end up with some opportunities for big scores.” He didn’t actively name-check Strauss in his explanation, but the inference was clear enough. This is a team with a plan, and right now it’s all coming together.Stopping England scoring runs at the moment is like catching custard in a sieve. It can happen occasionally, but eventually it all floods through, and today it was the turn of the two most aesthetically pleasing players in the team to scoop their fingers into the bowl. Whereas Cook’s incredible 294 at Edgbaston prompted Shane Warne to tweet he’d never seen anything so dull, no such accusations could be flung in Bell and Pietersen’s direction, as they thrilled a sun-soaked crowd with the purity of their performance.With their contrasting heights and complementary approaches, Bell and Pietersen simply love batting together. That much was apparent way back in Faisalabad in 2005, when both men combined to score their second Test hundreds, but in the past five alliances – 116, 71, 110, 162 and now 350 – their returns have gone through the roof. At Adelaide during the Ashes, Bell’s quick feet provided the perfect foil for a newly carefree KP, as Australia were butchered past the 600 mark; at Southampton in June, they provided a rain-dampened fixture with one of the sprightly stands of the summer.In the past it could be said that Bell tended to shadow his more demonstrative partner, not least during their 286-run stand at Lord’s in 2008, when Bell slipped along to his highest Test score of 199 while South Africa were pre-occupied with the performance of their former countryman. Since the injury to Jonathan Trott, however, Bell has had no place to hide at No. 3, and crucially, nor has he sought to for an instant. He outgrew No. 6 with incredible speed during the Ashes, and now, with two 150-plus scores in his last three innings at first drop, he’s letting it be known that No. 5 is beneath him as well.”Belly’s been magnificent over the last 12-18 months,” said Pietersen. “He’s grown as a person, he’s matured so much, and I love the fact he’s scoring his runs so fluently. He’s so pleasing on the eye when he’s batting, and it’s just nice that he’s gone to his 16th Test hundred. The hard work he’s put in since [being dropped on] the Windies tour is paying dividends.”We have contrasting styles,” he added. “I’m taller, he’s shorter, and I batted pretty successfully with Paul Collingwood in the same way. Balls that he drove were really full balls for me, balls that I drove were nice punchy balls for Colly. It’s a pretty similar story, and long may it continue.”England’s current onslaught is relentless. In their last 20 Tests, dating back to the tour of Bangladesh in March 2010, they have amassed 33 hundreds – 21 of which have either been undefeated or in excess of 147 – and on only two occasions, at Edgbaston against Pakistan and during Mitchell Johnson’s Test at Perth, have they failed to reach three figures. India, by contrast, have yet to amass a team total in excess of 288 in six attempts on this tour.”There’s lots of swing, lots of seam, and it’s going to spin miles tomorrow,” said Pietersen. “In the first couple of sessions it’s going to be flat, and then when we bowl it’s going to be all over the shop.” He said it with a smile, but the scary thing is he almost certainly believed it. The confidence of this outfit knows no bounds right now.

Everyone’s out to enjoy the sunshine and the cricket in Welly

Trish Plunket01-Dec-2011Choice of game
Well folks, here we are again – a sunny day two at the Basin Reserve, where Wellington have, almost in spite of themselves, posted a decent first-innings total. Well done to Luke Woodcock and Jeetan Patel for saving the day there. I was supporting Wellington and I had expected us, quite simply, to lose because we haven’t done much else so far this season.Key performer
It’s a team game and the Firebirds played like a team. Andy McKay, Scott Kuggeleijn, and Patel bowled well, and everyone fielded poorly. The number of dives that went over the ball was rather impressive from both sides. Maybe it’s just the ground. Otago only had one player though, and that was Neil Wagner.One thing I’d have changed
The Firebirds have half a team on the bench. I’d have waved a magic wand and resolved the injury woes for The Blog himself, Iain O’Brien. Cos I’m nice like that.Filling the gaps
I spent my time with the girls catching up on the latest gossip, or basking in the sun, attempting to write. I now know who has gotten married, had a baby or broken up over the winter. I also have another hundred words and epic sunburn on my neck. (Yes! Sun!)Wow moment
What a catch! Stephen Murdoch took a blinder at third slip to dismiss Neil Broom. Suddenly the Otago innings looked very shaky and the Firebirds looked like they could field. This facade could not last, however.Player watch
Look! Steven Finn! He makes everyone appear very short. The most memorable moment came from a recently dismissed Otago batsman who just made it inside the pavilion before he let everyone know what he thought of the decision. New bat time.Shot of the day
How could I pick just one? The seven sixes that Neil Wagner smacked at the end of the innings were beautiful, in a very painful way. More painful when he had been dropped on four.Crowd meter
The sun brings all the fans to the yard. People came in their lunch breaks, and there were more than a hundred in the last hour. The sun was out, the breeze was light, the fans were either pasty white or burny red. Ah, the glories of summer.Entertainment
No. No food, no drinks, no entertainment… no security. The beer from the store down the road went very well with the sun.First-class v T20?
What’s the difference between a day’s play in a four-dayer and a Twenty20? Apart from four or so hours? I love first-class cricket because of days like today. There’s space to stretch out on the bank, I can pick my own music on my iPod, and the players we never see on TV are out there doing their thing. It’s much more chilled, and I like it that way.Accessories
For once I brought the necessary sunscreen, hat and sunnies. Also, a sign saying ACTUAL SIZE! For a photo op with Steven Finn, which I sadly did not get.Overall
Just lovely. Wellington did much better than expected, the weather was much better than expected – what else could a fan ask for out of a day at the cricket?Marks out of 10
8. Points off for everyone’s inability to field and for the sunburn on my neck.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the third ODI between South Africa and Australia, in Durban

Firdose Moonda at Kingsmead 28-Oct-2011Punishment of the day
A soft-spoken and gentle man, Hashim Amla is not the type to inflict harm on anyone but, after a lean patch with the bat, he found form in violent fashion. Patrick Cummins got a second lesson in the hardships of international cricket – he was pasted in the second ODI in Port Elizabeth – when he came on to open the bowling from the Umgeni River end. Amla stroked the first ball through the covers and played an almost identical shot off the second. Cummins recovered with a shorter ball that Amla left alone but when he went short again, Amla cut ruthlessly. To end a forgetful opening over, Cummins was flicked through midwicket when he strayed onto the pads and with that Amla was among the runs again.Cat-astrophe of the day
Graeme Smith needed as little distraction as possible as he tried to bat his way back into South African fans’ hearts. After he had stuttered to 18 off 30 balls, and watched Amla rolling along at one end, his innings was interrupted by a cat that had wandered onto the Kingsmead field and dashed around the boundary looking for a way to get off the playing surface. It tried to jump over the advertising boards but its legs were not long enough to help it over. When the cat’s fourth attempt to dive over failed, Michael Hussey trotted over to lend it a hand but it scurried along and crept out of sight. Smith was clearly distracted and two balls later miscued a drive that fell just short of Hussey at mid-on. He was out sweeping three balls later.Slower ball of the day
Australia’s change of pace was the hallmark of their bowling effort as they made the Kingsmead pitch look a far more difficult surface to bat on than it actually was. Cummins has already shown great maturity in his use of the slower ball and provided an example of that with the delivery that dismissed Faf du Plessis. du Plessis has been under pressure to perform, and after breaking South Africa’s boundary drought with back-to-back fours tried to thread one through the off-side but played too early. The ball came through at a little more than 105kph and after it made contact with du Plessis’ bat it went swirling into the hands of the deep square leg fielder.Straight drive of the day
Shane Watson executed two, perfect straight drives off Lonwabo Tsotosobe in the fifth over but saved the best one for Morne Morkel. Three balls after Watson had an lbw decision overturned, he rubbed salt into Morkel’s wound, dispatching him with disdain. It was full and on off stump and Watson simply went forward, placed his bat on ball and laced it back past the bowler.Golden arm of the day
JP Duminy’s struggles with the bat made the Kingsmead pitch look like more of a snake-pit than anyone thought it was, but when he came on to bowl he showed the Australia batsmen that things were more tricky than they thought. His first ball, a full delivery from around the stumps, had Michael Clarke attempting the drive and found its way onto the stumps, via Clarke’s inside edge. When Duminy returned after the drinks break, he bowled Shaun Marsh with an arm ball that was aimed straight at middle and struck it.

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli have had significantly different, if not contrasting, fortunes coming into the Asia Cup. But their partnership has remained solid as ever

Siddarth Ravindran at the Shere Bangla National Stadium13-Mar-2012The previous time Gautam Gambhir scored an international century, he was leading India in the absence of the regular captain MS Dhoni and the usual stand-in Virender Sehwag. It was his first assignment as India captain and everything went right for Gambhir – New Zealand were blanked 5-0, and Gambhir was named Man of the Series for his runs and leadership.At that time, Virat Kohli was just one of the many young contenders for a place in the one-day middle order. A century against Australia in Visakhapatnam had given him a foothold, but it was the three substantial scores to begin the New Zealand series that firmly established him in the team.In the 15 months since, Kohli hasn’t missed a single ODI, became the leading run-getter of the format in 2011, and also took over the long-contested spot vacated by Sourav Ganguly in the Test middle order. Gambhir hasn’t had as stellar a time. While his one-day record remains solid, the bruising Test tours of England and Australia have dealt his standing a bit of a hit.That was firmly confirmed when, days after a magical century in Hobart, the 23-year-old Kohli was named vice-captain for the Asia Cup ahead of Gambhir. The reversal of roles was highlighted by the manner of their celebrations on reaching their hundreds against Sri Lanka in Mirpur.Kohli got to a century first, pushing the ball towards long-off and raising his hand to signal the milestone as he ambled a single. That was followed by an almost half-hearted leap and a wave of the bat. No screamed obscenities, no over-the-top antics which are usually associated with a Kohli hundred. It was more the celebration of a man who routinely made centuries – eight in one-dayers over the past year and a half.There was much relief for Gautam Gambhir, who ended a long wait for an international century•Associated PressGambhir got to his century two deliveries later, with a pull to square leg. The reaction from Gambhir was unexpectedly strong. An impassioned punch of the air, followed by some shouted abuse, and then pointedly gesticulating towards the dressing room. It was a reasonably good impression of the typical Kohli reaction.It might just have been relief at finally completing a hundred, after several near misses. A historic century at the World Cup final was his for the taking but he fell short, and there were a couple of nineties in the CB series as well. There was also a jittery moment today, when on 94, he set off for an ill-judged single and was nearly run out.Add to that the frustrations of a tough and long recent tour of Australia, with the pasting in the Tests and the controversial rotation policy of the three senior openers due to which he was sidelined for several matches. Then there was the loss of the vice-captaincy. Still only 30, he went from being a likely candidate for the top job in the future to being demoted below a much younger and inexperienced player.The innings itself was typical Gambhir. There were plenty of drop-and-run singles, he advanced down the track to both spinners and quicks, and though the number of boundaries was low, the strike-rate didn’t flag. With the bowlers not providing much width for the batsmen, and generally maintaining tidy lines in the middle of the innings, both Kohli and Gambhir dealt largely in singles – collecting 117 ones between them.It was their third double-century stand in one-dayers, to go with their most important one so far, the 83-run partnership that stabilised India in the World Cup final after the loss of Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar early. “It’s always special batting with him,” Kohli said. “We understand each others’ games well, we run well between the wickets when together, we know when to step it up and I knew that we could put together another big partnership for India.”The current vice-captain doesn’t think his elevation to the post changes much. “It’s an honour, but I have not thought that my position in the team has changed. I haven’t seen myself any differently after the announcement. I’m not thinking too much about it.” Whether Gambhir’s celebration means he sees it differently remains open for debate.

With a disciplined performance, Sri Lanka pulled off a remarkable win in Durban and compounded South Africa’s recent miseries at the venue

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan29-Dec-2011Sri Lanka’s 208-run win is only their sixth outside the subcontinent (not involving Zimbabwe) and their maiden win in South Africa. Before this, they had two wins each in England and New Zealand and one in the West Indies. It is also their first win since the victory over India in Galle in July 2010. In 16 Tests since Muttiah Muralitharan’s retirement, Sri Lanka have won one Test, lost five and drawn ten. South Africa were beaten in a Durban Test for the fourth consecutive time. Their previous losses came against Australia, England and India. It is also their fourth consecutive loss in a home Boxing Day Test match. Their win-loss record at the venue since 2000 now stands at 5-5 with five defeats coming in the last seven Tests. The 208-run defeat margin is the fourth-largest (in terms of runs) for South Africa in home Tests since their readmission and the second-highest in Durban in the same period. They have lost three times by an innings (twice to Australia and once to England). The win is also Sri Lanka’s fifth over South Africa. Rangana Herath’s match analysis of 9 for 128 is the second-best for Sri Lanka in South Africa after Muralitharan’s 11 for 161 in Durban in 2000. It is also Herath’s best match bowling performance surpassing his 8 for 133 against Australia in Galle earlier this year.Dale Steyn picked up his 17th five-wicket haul in just his 50th Test. Among South African bowlers, he is behind only Allan Donald and Makhaya Ntini, who have 20 and 18 five-wicket hauls respectively. This is only the third occasion that South Africa have lost a Test despite Steyn picking up a five-wicket haul. The previous two matches were against Sri Lanka at the P Sara Oval in 2006 and India in Durban in 2010.Jacques Kallis fell for a duck in both innings. It is his first pair in Tests and his third duck since the beginning of November. His previous three ducks came in a span of almost three years.Hashim Amla became the third South African batsman to make two fifty-plus scores in a match against Sri Lanka after Daryl Cullinan and Kallis. It is also the sixth time that Amla has managed two fifty-plus scores in a Test.The 99-run partnership between AB de Villiers and Steyn is the second-highest stand for the seventh wicket for South Africa against Sri Lanka.de Villiers, with his 27th half-century moved to fifth on the list of South African batsmen with the most Test half-centuries.Jacques Rudolph, who made a comeback after five years, last scored a half-century in 2006 in Colombo. Since that innings, he has scored 187 runs in nine innings at an average of 20.77.Steyn’s 43 is his third-highest score overall and his second-highest in Tests in Durban. All three of his top scores have come in Boxing Day Tests.

Marlon Samuels has been through a lot in his career, but after his unbeaten hundred against England at Trent Bridge the West Indian batsman is beginning to look the real deal in Test cricket.

Nagraj Gollapudi at Trent Bridge25-May-2012Nine runs short of his fifty, Marlon Samuels suddenly checked his off stump even as Tim Bresnan was mid-stride in his run-up. It was the first ball after tea. Samuels wanted to make sure he was not out of his comfort zone, which he had built painstakingly and patiently in the previous session and a half. Next delivery, Bresnan pitched short, wide and outside the off stump. Samuels stood tall to unleash a powerful cut which went crashing into the point boundary. He repeated the same stroke to end the over and bring his second fifty in successive innings.By the end of the day, Samuels would go on to raise his bat and celebrate his third Test century, something he said he had wanted to achieve here “because England are the No. 1 team.” His was indeed the pièce de résistance at Trent Bridge on Friday.”No need for sweaters. No need to jumpers. No need for jackets,” Michael Holding happily described the atmosphere at the ground. Yet, instead of enjoying the day in the sun, the West Indies batsmen seemed to be in a hurry to take refuge in the dressing room with the first six wickets falling even before the ball was 50 overs old.At least at Lord’s, in the second innings, Samuels had Shivnarine Chanderpaul for support. The pair had stifled England’s march on the fourth day with a record partnership, but Samuels had missed out on a deserved century in the second innings, as he went chasing a delivery he should have left alone.Today he started rusty, playing either too early or at times too lazily to survive some close calls. England’s plan was to keep Samuels rooted to his crease. But Samuels, too, had a plan: he wanted to make sure all the right things he did at Lord’s were continued with and not repeat the mistakes.Without being harsh it was apt that Chanderpaul was not around to chaperone the Jamaican. In any case, Samuels now believes he is his own man. During his the two-year ban, he said, if there was one thing he learned, it was to trust no man. So he only had to trust himself.Luckily Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, has shown a lot of faith in Samuels, by giving him a long-enough rope to make his comeback. In the interim the team management has been working hard on Darren Bravo and Kirk Edwards, expecting the pair to strengthen the top order. But Samuels remained unaffected. He returned from the IPL and after scores of 32 and 44 against England Lions he walked into the Test series confidently.It was fascinating to watch him duel with England’s fast bowlers and Graeme Swann through the day. Early on a James Anderson short-pitched delivery missed his face by inches as Samuels ducked away in the nick of time, but in the process lost his footing and rolled over on his back. But before the umpire could start the count, Samuels, like a spirited boxer, bounced back on his feet.During tea, the crowd was introduced to Lucian Bute and Carl Froch, two men who will contest in the boxing ring on Saturday for the IBF super middleweight crown. Speaking about how he aims to beat the undefeated Bute, Froch, from Nottingham, said he would like to “render him unconscious,” although he had immense respect for the Romanian who has held the title for five years.

Samuels now believes he is his own man. During his the two-year ban, he said, if there was one thing he learned, it was to trust no man. So he only had to trust himself

Perhaps Samuels and Darren Sammy had listened to Froch’s words, which had even drawn a smile from Viv Richards whose childhood hero was Joe Frazier. The second session had been hard grind for the visitors as they tried to get back into the match, but that changed in the evening. Instead of slowing down the run rate and playing time, Sammy believed in pressing the accelerator.That served a dual purpose. It conquered whatever nerves there were after Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s departure and simultaneously pumped up the scoring rate. At tea West Indies were stuttering at 154 for 6. By stumps, they had added 150 runs in the final session in 33 overs, including 70 in the first hour. Contrast that with the same period after lunch: the first boundary came after 74 deliveries and 70 minutes when Chanderpaul played an unattractive off drive off Broad.England were on the back foot. Andrew Strauss wore a furrowed brow throughout the last session as his bowlers became more and more frustrated and vented their fury in the form of exchanging words with the batsmen, who quietly enjoyed a smile with a bowed head.But with Sammy at the other end, Samuels had to be alert. He did well to temper Sammy’s exuberance at times. Like when the West Indies captain aimlessly charged Swann an hour after tea, slogged over midwicket and wanted to take a second. Samuels refused to budge. He was well aware of the strong streak of casualness Sammy possesses with the bat and guarded it well.Sammy did improvise in Swann’s next over when he lofted him for the first six of the series. Both men did not speak much only because Samuels, in the Chanderpaul mould, likes to stick to his plan. But Sammy complimented Samuels nicely. As he reached 80, Samuels slowed down as he took 35 deliveries to move from 80 to 90. In that time Sammy had galloped from 29 to 79.Sammy’s hardened attitude to take whatever Anderson and his team-mates threw at him not only motivated Samuels but allowed him to steer West Indies in the right direction. This is the second innings in a row Samuels has now been involved in long and strong partnership that has kept West Indies alive. Twice in a row now, the visitors have not lost a wicket in an entire session. And Samuels has been the architect of that resistance.He has already spent 631 minutes at the crease in the series and has a strong desire to cross Chanderpaul’s 756 minutes. He has also announced to England that he wants the double hundred and if he gets there he will reply in earnest to all the words they gave him.”James Anderson should know I am batting for the team. A lot of balls that could’ve been hit for the boundary I left them alone. But when I get a double tomorrow, I would like James Anderson to say something to me,” he said afterwards with a big smile, as the England Player of the Year stood in the background.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the second day of the third Test between New Zealand and South Africa, in Wellington

Firdose Moonda at the Basin Reserve 24-Mar-2012Tease of the day
New Zealand’s rain has had enough of a say in this series already and is now just poking fun at the players. After coming down through the night, and washing out the entire morning session, it held off for long enough to allow the ground to dry, and play was scheduled to start at 2pm. The outfield was ready, the covers were off, the players had warmed up and were in their whites. Then, a soft drizzle began two minutes before play was to start. Everything came to a halt and play was delayed for a further 25 minutes.The northerly strikes
The fierce northerly came as predicted and the gusts of wind were so harsh, at times, they put the bowlers off, forcing them to restart their run-ups. Mark Gillespie suffered the most, as he was bowling at the time when the gusts were at their nastiest. On a few occasions, he had to pull out after making it all the way to his final stride. When he was forced to restart his run-up at the end of his first spell, he could not hide his frustration and pulled a face of ultimate annoyance.Missing slip of the day
Ross Taylor seems to have an aversion to third slips. Not for the first time in the series, he would have had a wicket had there been one in place, as Alviro Petersen edged two balls into the third-slip region. The first was off Chris Martin in the third over of the day, a thick outside edge that brought up Petersen’s half-century. Sixteen overs later, Petersen did it again. He followed a Doug Bracewell short ball and edged it to second-slip Martin Guptill’s right. Guptill got a hand to it but could not hang onto a tough chance, letting Petersen off the hook a second time.The African forest arrives in New Zealand
The weather did not make South Africa feel at home but the Wellington crowd did their best to change that. A dozen of them brought a bit of the African bush to the Basin Reserve by donning outfits that would keep them warm and provide some entertainment. Three zebras, two baboons, two lions, two elephants, one warthog, one giraffe and one monkey took their places on the steps leading down from the William Wakefield Memorial, and cheered on Alviro Petersen and JP Duminy’s century partnership.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

With a pace attack including Lasith Malinga and Mitchell Johnson, Mumbai Indians have a pairing that can lurch from the sublime to the ridiculous but coach Shaun Pollock is excited what they could produce

Firdose Moonda13-Oct-2012When Shaun Pollock knew he was going to be Lasith Malinga’s coach at Mumbai Indians, he made a serious effort to understand his newest charge – by trying to copy him.”I spent some time trying to bowl a few different deliveries with my arm in the same position as he does,” Pollock said. “I couldn’t really do it.”Pollock admits that the differences between his action and Malinga’s are so vast that, “from a technical perspective, there’s not too much I can offer him.” But he has still forged a working relationship with Malinga, who is Mumbai’s premier bowler. “There are a few basics that don’t change no matter what your action is like,” Pollock added.Much is expected of Malinga at the Champions League T20 and Pollock thinks he will deliver despite his performances at the World Twenty20. In fact, Pollock expects Malinga will still be smarting after the way he was taken apart by Marlon Samuels in the final and could have some anger to release on the players in this tournament.”He will be keen to make a point and he definitely can,” Pollock said. “The international guys who play a lot more against him may have figured out a way to keep him away but even then, there are domestic players who have never seen him before. He is still a seriously good strike option. I would still always give him the ball in the last over, especially if I had to defend 10 runs or less.”Pollock is particularly looking forward to the combination Malinga could form with Mitchell Johnson. Mumbai bought Johnson ahead of IPL5 but he was unable to take part because he had not recovered in time from surgery on his toe. This tournament will be his first appearance for the franchise and, in a country where he has seen success before, he will be a key man for Mumbai.”Mitchell has been an exciting player for Australia for many years. Most importantly, he is a fast bowler and on South African wickets, he can have a big impact,” Pollock said. Although it is still early season in South Africa, a time where Pollock said the Wanderers and Centurion don’t have that much activity he thinks “spring growth” will ensure that conditions are “more in favour of the fast bowlers.”Despite Johnson’s prowess, Pollock warned that he is not guaranteed a place in the starting XI. “We’ve also got Thisara Perera so we’ll probably go for Malinga and one of those two. It’s great to have those attacking options.”Although Pollock’s main focus is on bowling, he has also taken an interest in the batting side of things. One significant concern to him is the form, or rather lack of, of South African opening batsman Richard Levi and Pollock hopes to do his bit to get Levi back to his best. “We’ll work with him in the nets to star and try and discuss his role and see how he is feeling. Sometimes it could be something small that is affecting a player,” Pollock said. “It may also help that he will be back in conditions he knows and has had a bit of a break.”Levi may not play every game for Mumbai with Ambati Rayudu also competing for the spot, but they still want him firing. “In 20-over cricket, you can’t hide anyone,” Pollock said. Mumbai have had one man in hiding, though: Robin Peterson. He is not in their squad for the tournament but has been hanging around the camp to provide insight and local knowledge.Creating a positive atmosphere is one thing Pollock hopes will set the tone for the title defence. In particular, they hope to feed off the spirit of Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Smith who were part of the victorious West Indies side at the World T20. “Their confidence is high so any advantage we can get from them playing well, we will take,” Pollock said.

As Twenty20 cricket evolves a pattern of batsmen surviving and thriving, like in ODIs, could be emerging and Brendon McCullum has grasped this

Abhishek Purohit in Pallekele21-Sep-2012Watching Brendon McCullum annihilate the Bangladesh bowlers in Pallekele on way to his second Twenty20 international century, this question came to mind – how do batsmen make hundreds in a format where an innings lasts 120 deliveries? Twenty20s are strange contests in which time is squeezed so tight that one of the basic rules of the game, that of a batsman having to balance risk and reward in order to preserve his wicket, is compromised. Due to the scarcity of time, losing a wicket does not harm a side as much as inability to score quickly does. That is why even VVS Laxman is moved to slogging to cow corner in a T20. Yet somehow, centurions in this format have managed to do both, not lose their wicket as well as score rapidly.What does it come down to? Is it merely ‘one of those days’ when a batsman connects with everything he attempts to hit for a reasonably sustained period of time? The way T20 is largely viewed, as a hit-and-giggle format, probably the majority would say it comes down to a batsman going bonkers, and getting away with it, for about an hour or so.But as the format evolves, and players gain experience in it, a pattern similar to ODIs could be emerging, as far as batsmen surviving and thriving goes. Taking some time to get in – something Chris Gayle does now, sizing up your scoring areas, working out which bowlers to target and which to respect, knowing when to go for the big shot and when to knock it around. Of course, it will all be crunched into 20 overs, and planning and implementation will be that much sharper. Who better than McCullum – the man with the most runs, the most sixes, the most fours, the most centuries in T20Is – to talk about it?”It’s a game which does suit my style of play and temperament,” McCullum said. “I always want to try and be aggressive. I am fortunate enough to have played enough T20 games now to get the pattern of how to play. It is not going to come off always, but when it does you have got a reasonable script in your mind about how you are to pace your innings and when you are required to go after the boundary and when you need to make sure you just turn it over.”McCullum started cautiously, New Zealand having lost Martin Guptill to the second ball of left-arm spin, a variety of bowling with which Bangladesh beat them 4-0 the last time the two sides played in 2010. He showed utter respect to Abdur Razzak, and only a misfield at mid-on allowed him to get off the mark off his third ball. Even in Razzak’s second over, McCullum just nudged the ball around for singles.

Twenty20s are strange contests in which time is squeezed so tight that one of the basic rules of the game, that of a batsman having to balance risk and reward in order to preserve his wicket, is compromised

He went after every other bowler, scoring at least two runs per ball against each of them. He carted the left-arm spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Elias Sunny for 45 runs between deep-extra cover and deep midwicket.Of course, the innings was full of strokes that probably only McCullum can pull off. The way he manages to retain control over a shot despite so much charging and heaving is commendable. Bangladesh tried bowling short when they saw him stepping out. But McCullum was able to adjust and flat-bat sixes.He later explained his approach, particularly against the left-arm spinners: “I guess from the right-hander’s point of view, it’s trying to attack that short boundary [on one side of the ground in Pallekele] when you get the opportunity, try and make sure you use your feet, put pressure on them and be efficient in picking up the ones and twos.” McCullum ran 26 singles and three twos. His innings had just nine dot balls out of the 57 faced before he fell off the final one of the innings.McCullum also gave credit to James Franklin. The allrounder opened the innings and made 35 off 36 deliveries in a 94-run second-wicket stand with McCullum. “Technically we were smart by sending Franklin up the top of the order. I thought that allowed us the freedom of the left-hand-right-hand combination inside the top three and while James didn’t score at a strike rate of 200 he played a very important part in the partnership [with] his ability to chop and change the angles they [the left-arm spinner] would have bowled.”McCullum, who one Bangladesh reporter called the “Sachin Tendulkar of T20s”, was asked to rate his knock. “This one is really up there among the best Twenty20 knocks that I have played. Especially because of the uncertainty around only playing two [group] games… you need to turn up and play incredibly well in your first game to give yourself the best opportunity of qualifying. To be able to get a performance under those circumstances, I was pleased with. Also the fact that the left-arm spinners have posed us with some problems in the past. It was nice to put them out to pasture for a while.”Already hampered by the format, who knows how many more bowlers will be put out to pasture as more and more batsmen learn how to pace a T20 innings.