While others collapsed around him in the first innings in Brisbane, Sami Aslam held his own, relying on discipline and clarity over his role in the side

Osman Samiuddin in Melbourne23-Dec-20161:44

Brisbane has made us confident of conditions – Sami Aslam

For a long, long while in Pakistan’s first innings in Brisbane, Sami Aslam was threatening to construct that peculiar – but not unique – kind of mini-epic that emerges only in an innings as disastrous as that one. Its virtue was found purely in the prolonged act of its existence. The decision-making of others around him was frazzled by the bounce in the surface, so much so that it wasn’t actually the bounce that was doing for them. They were edging fuller-length deliveries to the cordon.Aslam stood at the other end and watched, impassive and still. It wasn’t that he was unaffected by the pace or bounce, or the lights and the pink ball, or the huge crowds. He was, but his judgement of what to play and what to leave, especially around off stump, was not polluted. That has been developed over years and years, mostly by simple methods: a new ball, hurled at him around his off-stump, from halfway down the pitch.Jackson Bird beat him twice on the outside edge, in one over, but those were genuinely good deliveries. Not once in 100 balls and 135 minutes did he chase or dab or poke at a ball outside off-stump that he didn’t need to. The only real misstep was an attempted sweep off Nathan Lyon that he missed and one that he top-edged onto his helmet.Josh Hazlewood hit him twice on the helmet, though the second time it looked as if Aslam allowed it to strike him, turning his back into it. The next ball was fuller and outside off, and Aslam watched it go by like he was Otis Redding on the dock watching the tide roll away. There were more bouncers and short balls, from Mitchell Starc, that he just swayed out of the way of. Aslam has a boxer’s nose and, in the unfussy way in which he reacted to the blows, perhaps a little bit of the disposition as well.Had Sarfraz Ahmed not come in later and made the runs that he did and taken Pakistan comfortably past three figures, Aslam’s 22 would have been a true mini-epic. It did look like the kind of an innings, however, from which he would have come out with a greater understanding not only of the conditions but also of himself and his game.”When we came to Cairns, the practice pitches were very familiar, with low bounce and even the match pitch,” he said. “When we came to Brisbane we got a lot of good practice on the practice pitches because they were bouncy like the match pitches. The coaches really worked hard with us. That helped us adapt to the conditions.”But a Test is a really different scenario so the first innings in Brisbane was a little difficult. It was a very different type of bounce and it was the first time I have played on a surface like this. But in the second innings, it was quite a bit easier.”Sami Aslam’s stoic 22 in Brisbane, in the midst of Pakistan’s collapse, was unfussy and highlighted his self-assurance•Associated PressThe hits on the head, he insisted, were not the result of misjudgments of the bounce but to do with the pink ball and its visibility under lights, as well as the skiddier bounce in the evening.There is an unusual self-assurance about him, unusual at least by the measures of recent Pakistani openers. He has been, for instance, one of the few batsmen on tour to not use the marble slab during nets. The method, which creates steepling bounce to mimic conditions in countries like Australia and South Africa, is a time-honored one for Pakistani batsmen.Javed Miandad’s use of the slab while coach during the 2003-04 home series against India is the first time it came to public attention, and was later employed by Bob Woolmer when he took over from Miandad. Younis Khan is a great believer in the method. At times, however, it can feel a little like that last, desperate and hurried cramming session before a big exam – Woolmer used it ahead of the Old Trafford Test of 2006, for example, only for Pakistan to succumb twice to Steve Harmison and his – wait for it – steepling bounce and pace.Aslam’s logic in not using them here – he does when in Pakistan ahead of such a tour – is sound enough. “Here the pitches themselves have so much bounce that I don’t feel I need to use a slab. But every batsman is different, some feel better after using a slab. I think it is just what you feel easy about doing in preparation.”The experience of Pakistani openers in Australia is not an illustrious one. Only three of 14 (who have played more than one Test in Australia) average 40 or more. It is an incongruous one: Salman Butt, for instance, has more runs than any other Pakistani opener in Australia.But the one lesson many have been unable to apply – and one that Sami has drilled into his game – is that leaving the ball, as unsexy a skill as it may be, is absolutely necessary here. Not that it will be easy; in the second innings, in striving for greater urgency Aslam edged to slip a delivery from Starc he usually would have left.”The first plan is always that the new ball is a little difficult, so the idea is to get the new ball a little older so that the others can benefit,” he said. “I don’t think that I’ve gotten out trying to hit shots to up my strike rate. I am still learning, gradually – in Test cricket you learn something every day.”In Australia, more than other places.

A look at MS Dhoni’s major achievements as India’s limited-overs captain, including the most runs in ODIs by a keeper-captain, and a staggering batting average in winning causes

Shiva Jayaraman04-Jan-20171 Number of captains to have won all the three major ICC limited-over tournaments. MS Dhoni is the only one to do so. Under Dhoni, India won the 2007 World T20, the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy. Dhoni’s four wins in the finals of limited-over tournaments involving five or more teams are the joint-highest for any captain. In addition to the three aforementioned events, Dhoni also led India to the Asia Cup title last year.110 ODIs won by Dhoni as captain – the second-most after Ricky Ponting’s 165. Allan Border is the only other ODI captain with at least 100 wins. Dhoni led India to 20 wins more than Mohammad Azharuddin, who is the next India captain on this list.41 Wins for Dhoni in T20Is – the most for any captain in the format. Darren Sammy comes second with his 27 wins as West Indies captain. Dhoni has also captained in 72 T20Is, the most by anyone.199 ODIs in which Dhoni has led – the most for an India captain and the third-highest overall. Only Ricky Ponting and Stephen Fleming captained in more ODIs. Among India captain, Azharuddin is next with 174 matches. He is the only captain to have led an international team on 50 or more occasions in each format.110-74 Dhoni’s win-loss record in ODIs; among India players to have led in at least 20 ODIs, Dhoni’s win-loss ratio of 1.486 is the best. Rahul Dravid’s win-loss record of 42-33 is the next-best.6633 Runs in ODIs for Dhoni as keeper-captain – more than thrice the number of runs scored by the next player on this list. Kumar Sangakkara is a distant second with 1756 runs. In T20 internationals, Dhoni is the only keeper-captain with over 1000 runs. Dhoni has played as keeper-captain in 271 limited-over internationals – the most by any player. No one else has played even 100 matches as keeper-captain in limited-over internationals. Sangakkara’s 67 matches are the next highest.53.92 Dhoni’s average in ODIs as captain – the second-highest for any batsman to have scored at least 1000 runs, after AB de Villiers’ 65.92. Among the seven captains who have scored at least 5000 runs, Dhoni’s average is more than 11 clear of the next-best – Ponting.7-4 Dhoni’s win-loss record in the finals of multi-team ODI tournaments – the best among India captains who led in more than one such final. Azharuddin is second with a win-loss record of 11-8.70.83 Dhoni’s batting average as captain in India’s ODI wins. Among the 32 captains with at least 1000 runs in winning causes, Dhoni’s average is the third-best. Only de Villiers and Sachin Tendulkar averaged higher. Dhoni made 3754 runs in India’s wins, including three hundreds and 29 fifties.12 Number of times Dhoni was unbeaten in successful chases as T20I captain. George Bailey is second with five such innings. In ODIs, too, Dhoni leads the list with 26 such innings.

Stats highlights from Australia’s first innings of the Ranchi Test

Bharath Seervi17-Mar-2017178* Steven Smith’s score – the third highest by an Australian batsman in India. The top two are Dean Jones’s 210 and Matthew Hayden’s 201, both in Chennai.5 Overseas captains with 150-plus scores in India, including Smith. Clive Lloyd made three such scores and Alastair Cook two. Alvin Kallicharran and Inzamam-ul-Haq are the others. The previous highest score by an Australia captain in India was Michael Clarke’s 130 in Chennai in 2012-13.361 Balls faced by Smith – the most he has faced in a Test innings. He had played 361 balls in his 199 in Kingston in 2015 as well. The unbeaten 178 is the fourth highest score of his career.1-4 Australia’s win-loss record after posting 400-plus in the first innings of a Test in India, in eight previous matches. Their only win was in Bangalore in 2004. They have lost four, drawn twice and tied once.26.71 Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling average in the first innings since the start of the England series – the best among India’s spinners. R Ashwin averages 39.08 and takes about 23 balls more per wicket.2 Australian players to score centuries in all three international formats. Glenn Maxwell became the second – after Shane Watson – to achieve this with his 104 in Ranchi.4 Fifty-plus opening stands for India in this home season, compared to nine such partnerships for the opposition. Australia have had three such partnerships in five innings so far. The 91-run stand between KL Rahul and M Vijay is their second 50-plus partnership in 15 innings.

South Africa are set to play 14 Tests in nine months soon, so both fast bowlers, despite being sent home from New Zealand, should not lose hope

Firdose Moonda21-Mar-2017South Africa went into this New Zealand Test series with six seamers in their squad. Less than halfway through, they released one, when Chris Morris was sent home on the second day of the Wellington Test. Two-thirds of the way in and they’ve let another go – Duanne Olivier returned to South Africa instead of traveling on to Hamilton.And now there are four.Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell remain, but that does not mean South Africa have established an exact order of preference for their quicks. It means the infant Test careers of Morris and Olivier, who have three Test caps between them, are not in danger if the pair are willing to be patient despite being dispensed with.Olivier may consider himself the unluckier of the two. Aside from an impressive debut at the Wanderers against Sri Lanka in January, he topped the first-class wicket-takers list with 52 scalps. For that reason, Olivier was thought to be in direct competition with Morkel for the third seamer’s spot at Basin Reserve but it went to Morkel despite a year-long, injury-enforced absence from the game.At the time, it was a gamble but South Africa took it after closely monitoring Morkel’s recovery and because captain Faf du Plessis is a firm believer in Test cricket being the arena for the experienced. He can’t be blamed for feeling that way. Du Plessis was witness to South Africa’s sobering summer in 2015-16, when they were without Philander and Dale Steyn, lost five of eight Tests – three in India and two at home against England – and fell from No.1. Morris was among the players they tried without much success that summer.Rabada provided some joy and has since then established himself in the South African side to such an extent that it is difficult to imagine a Test XI without him, which also means there is one less place for the likes of Morris and Olivier.However, workload is a constant concern for Rabada, especially as he is only 21. There was some discussion about resting him, with talk centering on the New Year’s Test against Sri Lanka after he appeared down on pace in the opener on Boxing Day or the upcoming Hamilton match where a spin-friendly surface may negate the need for three quicks. But even if South Africa are considering that, they have not showed their hand early by sending Rabada home and with New Zealand scrambling for morale, they shouldn’t. The longer the hosts think they will have to front up to Rabada, the better for South Africa.Duanne Olivier was impressive on debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year•Gallo ImagesRealistically though – and looking beyond this series – Rabada may not be able to play all the time. South Africa will want to save him for the important stuff and therein lies opportunity for someone else.Philander and Morkel are at their peak but they are also in their 30s and may only have a few years left. While they are fit, they are first-choice but that doesn’t mean the door is closed to anyone else. Not even to Parnell, who has not played Tests since January. He was seen bowling on the practice pitch before the Wellington Test and the signs pointed to his inclusion ahead of JP Duminy – which may yet happen in Hamilton. Parnell, being a left-armer, offers a change of angle, which South Africa may feel they need at the moment, but that does not necessarily put him ahead of Morris or Olivier. Not yet, anyway. He still needs to prove his consistency has improved before he can be trusted as long-form player.So, all things considered, there is a strong chance South Africa may end up using only half of the seamers they brought on this trip. But that doesn’t mean it is an elite club that will never accept new members. It can’t be that. They play 14 Tests in nine months from July – four in England and ten at home against Bangladesh (2), India (4) and Australia (4) and the last eight could be squeezed into 12 weeks early next year. They will need more than three quicks to carry that load.Steyn is targeting a mid-year comeback with the England series firmly in his sights but he will need to prove his fitness, as Morkel did, over a sustained period of time. Although Morkel came into the New Zealand Tests with just two List A games under his belt this year, he played practice matches on South Africa’s tour of Australia in October and November, and spent many hours in the Newlands nets, bowling to national players. That’s how du Plessis knew Morkel was ready.Whether Steyn will do the same in England remains to be seen. He may seek out a brief county stint in a bid to be match-ready. He may not manage that as soon as he would like. Whatever the case, South Africa will need other options.Morris and Olivier should know that well enough and it seems they do. Though eligible by virtue of their scant Test caps, both players have provided separate assurances that they will not consider the Kolpak route. They need to remember, now that their Test careers seem to have stalled, particularly Olivier, who is not part of the limited-overs’ plans like Morris, that the queue they are in could move very quickly.

There are not many vacancies in South Africa’s line-ups, but one of them could be opening in Test cricket. The 22-year-old Titans batsman might be the answer

Firdose Moonda22-May-2017It was by choice, not by design, that Aiden Markram became an opening batsman after he learned the only vacancy for him was at the top.No, this did not happen over the last season when Stephen Cook struggled to nail his Test spot but several summers before, when the national Under-19 side had a middle-order that could not accommodate Markram. At the time he was plying his trade at Pretoria Boys’ High School and excelling, but so were many of his ilk. Jason Smith (now contracted to Cobras) and Clyde Fortuin (Warriors) were among those who occupied the position Markram was eyeing so Ray Jennings, who was then in charge of the U-19s, suggested Markram move up the order if he wanted to make it.It worked a charm. Not only was Markram selected in the squad, but he captained it and finished as South Africa’s highest run-scorer in a victorious World Cup campaign. He returned home to massive praise but unlike some of his team-mates, did not immediately have the opportunity to put pen to paper in a professional deal. Instead, Kagiso Rabada and Andile Phehlukwayo were snapped up by Lions and Dolphins respectively, later Smith and Fortuin were signed but Markram could not catch a break. He went on to the University of Pretoria and a year-and-a-half later was offered a semi-professional deal at Northerns. Although there were twinges of envy, Markram was mostly happy to let the journey unfold.”When you are young and you watch other players excel, maybe it crosses your mind [why you are not getting contracted] but you can’t wonder why they are there and you are not. Those guys are real x-factor players – KG and Andile – and I just had to know my time would come,” Markram told ESPNcricinfo.” “I took the route the majority of players take, through the ranks, and it’s not a bad thing. I really got to know myself and my game in that time.”At the start of last season, Markram was contracted to Titans. His franchise deal coincided with the appointment of a new coach in Mark Boucher, who had a plan for Markram’s development which involved letting the young man do what he does best: open the batting across formats. “Mark put a lot of responsibility on me to set up innings well and then once I had done that, not to just think I had done my job as a youngster and so I could get out but to take things deep,” Markram said, admitting he took the task “very seriously.”The numbers tell some of the story of the success in entrusting Markram with such a key role. In the first-class competition, Markram finished as the 10th highest run-scorer with 565 runs from seven matches at 51.36, including two fifties and two hundreds. In the one-day cup, he was the third highest run-scorer with 508 runs from nine matches at 56.44, including two hundreds. One of them – his 183 against Lions – is now the record for the highest individual score in the South African 50-over competition.Markram credits his opening partner, Henry Davids – who topped the run charts – for aiding his performances. “Henry is a free-flowing player and he really took the pressure off so my plan was to take it as deep as I could alongside him and then if he got out, to try and stay there,” he said.

There is a lot to play for. I think I still have to do a whole lot more to put myself in contention, even if not now than in futureAiden Markram on his international ambitions

And that is the other half of the story. Titans are an outfit brimful with experience and talent, so for a young player there’s plenty to be inspired by and learn from. Markram had Test opener Dean Elgar or domestic stalwart Heino Kuhn to partner him in the longer format and Davids in the shorter one. He had Albie Morkel, Farhaan Behardien and occasionally even AB de Villiers in the same changing room. “Those guys are always one step ahead of the game and that helps you to be one step ahead as well,” he said.Now, only a season into his career, Markram has taken several steps forward. He is part of the South African A squad who are shadowing their seniors on a trip to the UK over the next month. The one-day side will play two warm-up matches and three one-day games against the England Lions while the four-day side, which Markram will captain, have two county matches and a four-day game against the Lions. That is where real opportunity lies.From a limited-overs’ perspective, South Africa are not really searching for anything. Their Champions Trophy squad is sealed and the next World Cup is two years away. Not even they plan that far in advance. But at Test level, there is at least one place up for grabs: the opening spot. Markram is the person is the best position to fill it.Cook was dropped for the last Test in New Zealand after a string of low scores – a second string on a second away tour – and selection convener Linda Zondi has gone on record saying Cook’s replacement, Theunis de Bruyn, will not open the batting in future. Early indications are that Cook will at least start the Test series against England – he has been nationally contracted and he has been playing on the county circuit in the lead up – but Cook’s form will decide whether he finishes it. And if he doesn’t, that opens a door for Markram.Stephen Cook’s form could be key as to when Markram gets his chance•AFP”I would really like to be part of the Test squad – no player will say they’d not want to be involved – and I guess you never really know how close you are,” Markram said. “There is a lot to play for. I think I still have to do a whole lot more to put myself in contention, even if not now than in future.”That’s why the next month is an audition for Markram, from both a batting and captaincy point of view. If he can show an ability to accumulate runs in tough conditions against quality bowlers – he identified Steven Finn who was left out of England’s Champions Trophy squad but included in the Lions group as one of them – it will do wonders for his reputation. “We’re expecting the ball to move around but we can’t have the mindset that because it’s going to do that, we must go into our shells. We have so many good players and good stroke-makers that we can’t let conditions take us out of our game.”But even if he doesn’t get the nod to stay on with the Test squad this time, he might look to the new home season, when South Africa will play 10 home Tests, and the local scene, where there may even be the possibility of taking more responsibility at Titans. Markram is being spoken of as a future leader and has discussed some options with Boucher. “We had a brief, informal chat about it and he wanted to know my thoughts on captaining. I really believe you can be a leader without the armband as well,” he said.Markram intends to show that in the UK, where among the men he will lead is his Titans team-mate Kuhn, the current replacement batsman in the Test squad de Bruyn and Test caps Dane Piedt and Duanne Olivier. He intends to use all of them in some capacity. “It’s going to be important to keep the senior players close so they can also lead. As a captain, you don’t always have to be the guy who speaks, because the guys can get tired of hearing the same voice. You can get the senior guys to do some of the talking for you.”It’s by design that Aiden Markram is a captain and with several senior South African players speaking about the 2019 World Cup as a swansong, Markram may provide the selectors with a choice they simply can’t refuse.

If more trust is placed on the youth, the transition from dependency on the Shakibs and Tamims to the Mominuls, Soumyas and Sabbirs will be much smoother

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur27-Aug-2017Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan didn’t start their 50th Test in any different fashion compared to the past. Not for the first time, they pulled Bangladesh out of a hole. By Shakib’s admission, they didn’t have to say much to each other. At 10 for 3, there’s not much left to say anyway.All they did was put freedom and boldness in the forefront as they switched smoothly between aggression and doggedness that have become their hallmark this year. The pair added 155 runs for the fourth wicket, a partnership that was more focused on avoiding a bad situation get worse than going on the counterattack.Shakib rarely played anything that posed a threat to his outside edge, but provided width, he whipped and slashed at the ball. Tamim had a more rudimentary mix of drives and dead defences. His inside-out strokes breathed life into a dressing room that didn’t give off a lot of confidence. He looked in control, especially to the deliveries that he left, hardly looking pushed by pace.Shakib later said the ball was turning from the start of his innings and it made them re-adjust a target in their mind. Australia losing three wickets in the last nine overs vindicated much of their prediction.”It was quite challenging to bat out there,” Shakib said at the end of the day. “Tamim and I had to apply ourselves to the situation. It was an important partnership. We may be in the driving seat but we need to take seven more wickets. They have some batting left too, so we have to focus well. Every day gives you a new situation in Test cricket.”The ball was turning from the start. We felt that it was going to be tough for them too. We wanted to get to 250, which we were able to do. I think Nasir [Hossain], [Mehidy Hasan] Miraz and Shafiul [Islam] added important runs.”Shakib and Tamim are the pinnacle of Bangladesh cricket, and one of the factors that helped them reach the stage was being allowed longevity. Both went through dips in form and there were question marks next to their names, none more so than for Tamim.But to provide them with some sanity in the mad world of Bangladesh’s selection policy, they were never asked to bat in different positions. Tamim has always opened, Shakib has always manned the middle order. Known roles have helped them for the last ten years. In fact, both batsmen can hardly be questioned currently despite adding to their list of dismissals in the seventies and eighties, and having an ordinary conversion rate.The same cannot be said for the other batsmen, however, despite what each of them project in different capacities. Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes and Sabbir Rahman were as much the victims of Pat Cummins’ skills as they were of being placed at the wrong time in the wrong place.The onus of transition from the senior hands to the young ones lies with the team management and selectors•AFPSoumya replaced Imrul in Christchurch earlier this year after the latter got injured. Soumya’s four Test fifties this year only provided quick bursts of runs for Bangladesh, never the type of longevity that is the prime requirement of a Test innings.Imrul has admitted that batting at No. 3 is difficult for him. Someone who has formed Bangladesh’s most successful opening pair shouldn’t be asked to bat anywhere else. It breaks the rhythm. Sabbir, meanwhile, also isn’t No. 4 material. He had a brace of forties in March but it was, like Imrul’s No. 3 stint, a makeshift role.Without laying too much blame on the batsmen, who still have another chance to amend themselves, it is far more relevant to see why they were put in that position. The team management clearly didn’t want to break the top four of Bangladesh’s last Test, in which they beat Sri Lanka in Colombo. But with Mosaddek Hossain and Subashis Roy already out, the combination was altered. But there were hardly signs of proactive decision-making. Instead, they dug up a hole.This particular hole, in which they lost three wickets in the first 20 minutes of the Test, was three unsettled batsmen being asked to take first strike against a top pace attack in the first match of the international season. It is not that they were ill-equipped or under-trained, but a more senior-centric approach early on would have probably avoided such a poor start.Mominul Haque and Mahmudullah were dropped more as a punishment for looking bad in Galle, but to keep them out in a crucial home Test series smacks of rigidity on the part of the selection committee and the team management. Mominul was ultimately restored in the squad, mainly due to public pressure, but he was never going to make it into the XI, at least for this game.Imrul has already said that he has been given no guarantees of a longer stint in the new role, which doesn’t send great signals to Soumya and Sabbir either.Soumya had to wait for his turn in the opener’s position but hasn’t settled in with Tamim yet. Imrul has a track record that shows that having him open the innings works well for Bangladesh. He has never been given a long run in the Test side despite playing Tamim’s supporting role quite well. If Soumya fails again, he could probably run out of luck with the team management. Will it be fair on him though?Sabbir must also be given a longer run, but down the order where he can use his natural ability to strike the ball. This was clearly on display on his Test debut last year when he nearly slayed England with a late charge during a tight chase. That’s what he does best. But as the Bangladesh team management showed him during the Champions Trophy, he is not a trusted No. 3 in ODIs despite being groomed to do the job for that particular tournament.If more trust is placed on these young talents, the transition from dependency on the Shakibs and Tamims to the Mominuls, Soumyas and Sabbirs will be smoother. There is still plenty of time left for these young batsmen but a short-term vision from the authorities can limit any fine career. Right now, it seems as if many of these youngsters are one innings away from being punished, putting a lot of pressure on them for the second innings which will direct the way Bangladesh go in this Test.

Toby Roland-Jones, who had a starring role on his Test debut, came through a scheme that is under threat

George Dobell at The Oval31-Jul-20174:17

#PoliteEnquiries: Does Moeen compare with Murali, Saqlain and Ashwin?

When a game finishes as dramatically as the Oval Test, it would be easy to overlook all the moments that led to the final outcome. Moeen Ali’s hat-trick – the first he has taken at any level of the game – was certainly a fitting ending to the ground’s 100th Test.It stretched a remarkable run of records Moeen is accumulating in recent times: already one of just three men to score 1,000 Test runs and take 30 Test wickets in a calendar year (Ian Botham and Jacques Kallis are the other two) after a strong 2016, he recently reached the milestone of 100 wickets and 2,000 runs quicker than Garry Sobers, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Botham et al, gained a place on the honours board at Lord’s denied the great Shane Warne and returned the best figures by an England offspinner at Trent Bridge since 1956. It can’t keep being dismissed as an aberration, can it?Now he has become the first man in history to take a Test hat-trick at The Oval and the first England spinner to take one anywhere since 1938. He has 18 wickets at a cost of 14.72 in this series. And, with the confidence to give the ball more air and attempt more variation, there is no reason to doubt there is more to come.But the seeds of England’s victory were sown long before Moeen claimed that hat-trick.Most crucially, they were sown on the first day when Alastair Cook negated a dangerous attack and some treacherous conditions to set a platform on which Ben Stokes was able to build. Then, after Stokes had contributed the most mature performance of his career to date, Toby Roland-Jones was able to exploit conditions which might have been tailor-made for him. An assured debut from Tom Westley and typically selfless half-century from Jonny Bairstow rammed home the advantage.While it is true Roland-Jones will rarely encounter Test surfaces offering as much assistance to his style of bowling as he found in the first innings here, his virtues – height, accuracy, an ability to hit the seam and adapt his bowling to the circumstances – will have value everywhere. That includes Australia. While he faces a huge fight to keep his place once the likes of Chris Woakes and Mark Wood recover their fitness, it would be a major surprise if he is not part of the Ashes squad now.Such was Stokes’ hostility and Roland-Jones’ accuracy, James Anderson was not called upon to bowl until more than an hour into the final day. He finished the second innings having bowled the fewest overs of the England attack; a scenario that has been unthinkable for much of the last decade, when a succession of England captains have turned to Anderson at the first opportunity.Is this an example of his waning powers?Up to a point, perhaps. There’s little doubt that Anderson’s pace is diminished and little doubt he is not too far from the end now. But it is only a Test since he claimed a five-for and, even here, he bowled 26 overs for 51 runs and claimed three wickets. At worst, he demanded respect and retained control.So he, too, will surely go to Australia. And if his diminishing role on the pitch is compensated by the wisdom and experience he provides to other bowlers, so be it. “There’s a reason he fields at mid-off,” Joe Root said afterwards. “Don’t underestimate what he brings to this team.”But it was, without doubt, England’s more disciplined and sophisticated first innings batting that set-up this win. After the laissez-faire nonsense of some recent performances, England showed a willingness to graft that will complement their natural flair. This was probably the most pleasing element of their performance.Could Toby Roland-Jones have been lost to the game?•Associated PressOther seeds were sown long before that.There were three men in this England side who had developed, in part at least, through the MCC system. Both Westley and Roland-Jones graduated through the MCC Universities scheme (MCCU), while Dawid Malan was an MCC Young Cricketer (MCC YC).Westley and Malan may well have ‘made it’ without the MCC’s assistance. Westley was already on the radar of Essex when he went to Durham University, while Malan had played first-class cricket in South Africa before benefitting from the MCC YC scheme that is designed to catch late developers and the best of those who are missed by the county system.But Roland-Jones? He had slipped out of the county scene when he went to university. Originally in the Middlesex system as a batsman, he benefited from a late growth spurt that bestowed new gifts upon him as a bowler. Had he not gone to Leeds-Bradford, he would probably have been lost to the game.The MCCU scheme is a remarkable asset to the English game. Set-up by former England opener Graeme Fowler in 1996, the aim was to ensure young people did not have to choose between education and cricket. By providing them with good quality coaching and playing opportunities at the same time as allowing them to gain a further education at one of six centres (Cambridge, Oxford, Cardiff, Durham, Leeds-Bradford and Loughborough), the scheme not only encourages some into sport who might otherwise be lost, but prepares those who do break into the professional for the life after their sporting retirement.The most famous graduate is probably Andrew Strauss, but there have been many more including Zafar Ansari, Sam Billings, Monty Panesar and Heather Knight of recent England players. At present, somewhere approaching 25% (the ratio has risen recently) of current county cricketers have come through the programme. Many more go on to coach at schools or in clubs. Nearly all finish with a degree to fall back upon when their playing career ends. It has one of the great, though largely unheralded, success stories of English cricket in recent years. It is doubtful anything has done more to avoid hardship in future generations of cricketers.But the scheme is under threat. Partly because some believe the games do not warrant first-class status – and it is true, they are sometimes uncomfortably one-sided – and partly because it is currently funded almost entirely by the MCC, it has recently been the subject of an extensive review by independent consultants, Inside Track. Now a working party (including Strauss and the MCC’s head of cricket, John Stephenson) has been formed to study the review and consider its recommendations.It is possible the universities’ first-class status will be rescinded entirely – which might well disincentive some students into attending university or pursuing a career in cricket – or, as an outside possibility, be left unchanged.A more likely option would see the university centres amalgamated – perhaps into something like MCCU North and MCCU South – for their first-class games against the counties and into a Combined MCCU team for the 50-over competition. That, it is argued, might concentrate the standard of the sides while continuing to provide the carrot of first-class cricket to prospective students. Whether it would encourage as many students into the scheme as is the case at present is debatable.There is another aspect to this. We do not have to look very far to find example of cricketers – sometimes highly successful cricketers – who have fallen on hard times after their playing career has ended. It has, at times, looked like an epidemic. While the PCA does tremendous work in helping players prepare for the challenges of life after cricket, little can help more than a good education and time to mature in a benevolent yet still high-performance environment. The one-sided nature of some MCCU contests might be considered a price worth paying when compared to such gains.While the example of Roland-Jones provides timely evidence of the cricketing merit of the programme, it is to be hoped that the working party gives proper consideration to the duty of care the game owes to the next generation of players by preparing them for more than cricket.Morally and practically, the MCCU scheme is working. Tinker with it at our peril.

In just a few years, the local rivalry between the Stars and Renegades has thrown up a number of memorable moments

Srinath Sripath06-Jan-2018#5Local boy Cameron White becomes MCG villain
When Cameron White made the switch to cross-town rivals Melbourne Renegades after being a key member of the Stars for four seasons, the MCG crowd made sure he copped some stick. Boos rang out through an 80,883-strong record crowd, and White was surprised about being meted out treatment usually reserved for defecting AFL stars. “I didn’t really know what to expect. But in the back of my mind I thought, ‘parochial Victorian supporters’. You see it in the footy a bit,” White was quoted as saying by the .Peter Nevill was run-out after the ball hit Adam Zampa’s nose off his bat before it hit the stumps•Cricket Australia/Getty Images#4Zampa’s “header” runs Nevill outThe 2015-16 BBL season’s viral video moment came when Adam Zampa took a nasty blow to his head from a meaty Dwayne Bravo drive off his own bowling. The ball crashed into his nose off a deflection from non-striker Peter Nevill and onto the stumps. Even as Nevill came over to ensure Zampa was fine, the bowler was appealing for a run-out – Nevill was way short of his ground.

Great run out tonight @zamps63 #FieldingFocus pic.twitter.com/KEZf3YDMP3

— Trent Woodhill (@TrentWoodhill) 9 January 2016

“I realised what had happened,” Zampa said. “As soon as it hit me I said it’s out, but it (my nose) was pretty sore.” In the middle of a bizarre scenario, Nevill had not realised that he was out. “Jeff Joshua (the umpire) had to tap me on the shoulder and say, ‘By the way mate, you’re out,'” he said of the incident.Zampa’s “header” won him admirers, including lifelong Chelsea fan Alec Stewart.

Transfer window is open. Who will sign up Adam Zampa after that great header to run out Nevill!  @tensporttv @SkyCricket #BBL05

— Alec Stewart (@StewieCricket) 9 January 2016

The Jumbotron hangs off the Docklands stadium roof•Getty Images#3Jumbotrons? In a cricket match?Jumbotrons, large-screen displays popularized in American stadia by the NFL and NBA, made their cricketing debut at the indoor Docklands Stadium earlier this year. At 22m above the pitch, a pair of them were placed beyond normal hitting altitudes, and they provided a behind-the-bowler’s-arm perspective for spectators sitting side-on in the stands. A record crowd at Renegades’ home ground packed in to view the spectacle, and no batsman managed to do damage to them on the day.Marlon Samuels throws his bat in the air after getting hit by a throw from Shane Warne•Getty Images#2Warne v Samuels and the aftermathWhile the idea behind the “one city, two teams” formula was to create an intense spectacle, tempers crossed acceptable limits when Marlon Samuels and Shane Warne clashed on-field during the Melbourne derby in 2013. Samuels had grabbed David Hussey as he was trying to turn for a second run during the Stars’ innings, angering Warne. During the second innings, Warne flipped the ball back at Samuels after he had driven Warne straight. Samuels reacted angrily to the provocation, throwing his bat over Warne’s head. A mic-ed up Warne then proceeded to grab Samuels’ shirt and ask him if he was planning to grab anyone else. He blamed Samuels for the incident, asking, “What are you meant to do when someone throws a bat at you?”Samuels was out of the tournament with an eye wound from later in that game, but nearly three years later, he reignited the fire and dedicated his World T20-winning innings in Kolkata to Warne.#1A BBL high, and a world recordWhen 80,883 people poured into the MCG for the Melbourne derby last year, it shattered the BBL record by a distance. The derby was among the best-attended franchise T20 games in the world. It was not the only record broken on the day, as the preceding WBBL derby became the best-attended women’s domestic game, with a turnout of nearly 13,000.

Forget the result for a second pls…WHAT A F…K..G unbelievable crowd this eve! The @BBL is insane & Melbourne – I <3 you xxx

— KP (@KP24) 2 January 2016

The cricket world reacts to Rohit Sharma’s stunning T20I century in Indore

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Dec-2017

Hitman at it again. Clean and powerful hitting at it's best. Take a bow brother. Double it up now. @ImRo45 #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/k3z00KqYNP

— Suresh Raina (@ImRaina) December 22, 2017

So This is Christmas … the lights are on in the crowd… Fireworks from Rohit and Rahul … and SL showcasing the spirit of giving #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/1R03pfqh65

— Russel Arnold (@RusselArnold69) December 22, 2017

First t 20 200 by an individual and the highest team score, both records in danger of being broken tonight!. @ImRo45 is just painting the big hits like an artist. #INDvsSL

— Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) December 22, 2017

Wow again @ImRo45

— Mitchell McClenaghan (@Mitch_Savage) December 22, 2017

There are a few in the world, but none in India who can catch up with Rohit when he is in this mood. #Rohit

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) December 22, 2017

What a stunning century it was from Rohit Sharma. 35 ball 100. May this purple patch continue. pic.twitter.com/1MsNKfJd0F

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) December 22, 2017

Rohilicious….first individual T20 double hundred is a real possibility. #IndvSL #Indore #DilMangeMore

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) December 22, 2017

Everytime you think you have seen it all, you see something incredible. Today, Rohit Sharma has shown us that. I admit I am gasping.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) December 22, 2017

Australia’s batsmen have spoken a lot about having a gameplan to deal with India’s spinners. On Saturday, they were undone by sticking to them so rigidly that they forgot to think on their feet

Arun Venugopal in Ranchi08-Oct-2017This could easily be an episode of Friends. Just trade Central Perk for Ranchi, remove Matthew Perry and Matt Le Blanc and throw Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch into the mix. The two Australian batsmen are perfectly suited to play Chandler Bing and Joey Tribbiani. Like the on-screen characters, they are excellent mates, and have even shared an apartment in Melbourne at one point. Now, they are out on a speed date with India’s bowlers and have to look out for each other.But, hey, who are we kidding? Finch needs little looking after. He has charmed his way into the such good form, and he has done it so very easily, that he was Australia’s leading run-getter in the ODI series, playing only three of the five matches. Maxwell, meanwhile, has tried everything only to be shot down.Facing his second delivery from Jasprit Bumrah, he cleared his front leg and hoisted his bat as if to hack someone. That violent prelude ultimately culminated in a jittery dab to third man for one. Later, against Bhuvneshwar Kumar, there were a couple of hopeful swipes that would have left the off stump he was supposed to protect cringing. Finch knew his partner needed help and so he showed how it was done.Hardik Pandya had stuffed the area between point and mid-off with five fielders, and unleashed the knuckle ball. The idea was to mess with the batsman’s timing and it would have worked if Finch had been throwing himself at the ball as eagerly as Maxwell. But he was a little more artful than that. Only after the ball had signalled its intentions, coming close to his body, did he gently lob it over the infield. The shot that followed was smoother than Joey’s catchphrase as Finch cut all along the ground and perfectly into the gap.Australia had got to 49 for 1 in six overs, and in light of that foundation, and with Finch as his wingman, it looked like Maxwell might finally prosper. But, India had what it took to spook him. Again.Yuzvendra Chahal is no Moriarty but Maxwell wasn’t Sherlock Holmes either. On this tour, he is just awkward, edgy and down-on-luck Chandler. The first ball of the contest was cut for a couple, the second for a four, and the third was a long hop which was pulled straight to a newly-placed short midwicket. In what was almost a self-deprecatory punchline, Chahal turned around, hid his face in his hands and smiled sheepishly. He had just dismissed Maxwell four times in four tries.And, that’s when the infamous unravelling of the Australian middle order began. Three overs later, Finch, who was sweeping compulsively and effectively, was bowled when Kuldeep Yadav adapted to the challenge in front of him with a fuller and faster delivery. A last-minute adjustment to offer the straight bat came too late, and Finch’s pick-up line fell flat for once.Glenn Maxwell prepares to reverse sweep•Associated PressAustralia have spoken all tour about having a “game plan” against spin but on Saturday they were undone by sticking to them too rigidly. Against a varied and potent bowling attack, and on a pitch that wasn’t really helping strokeplay, pre-match preparation amounts to little if the batsmen cannot think on their feet. They came in looking to either sweep – or like Moises Henriques, run out and slog – the spinners and neither worked.Finch disagreed with that assessment, however, and instead offered as explanation a word that had plenty of airtime during the Test series between India and Australia earlier this year – “brain-fade”.”I thought on that wicket, to Kuldeep, sweeping was a safer option than taking him over the top,” he said. “Some balls were spinning. It was hard to judge the bounce on a track that was quite difficult. I found sweep was the safer option. One, to get off strike, and [two,] to get a boundary as well if I could pick out a gap. But I kept picking out a fielder. The ball that I got out on was a little bit of brain fade, I went to sweep and just tried to chip him on the on side for one, and missed it. It happens in the games, in particular in T20s.”When he was asked if Australia could have approached the middle more cautiously, Finch said the presence of Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah at the death made batsmen take more risks in the middle stages. “When you look at the history of this ground, it suggests that 150 is a par score or the average score batting first on this surface. We wanted to make sure we were up and around that mark.”We knew with how competent their bowlers are at the death. Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah, in particular, are two of the finest going around at executing in the end. We felt we had to play a little bit more high-risk game through the middle overs to maximise. Unfortunately we just kept losing wickets.”Despite Maxwell’s poor run, Finch felt he wasn’t far away from a big score. “It’s always tough when someone gets dropped. I’ve been there, I know that feeling all too well,” he said. “Particularly on a tour, you tend to go into a shell, but he was the exact opposite. He was up and about around the group and doing everything to help anybody perform well on the day.”He has had a couple of unlucky dismissals. He batted well in the first ODI but it was a rain-shortened match. He is batting well in the nets and he is doing everything he can. Sometimes form just eludes you a little bit. But we’ve seen how dominant and destructive he is in these conditions before so I don’t think it is far away. Just a few game-plan tinkers here and there would go a long way in just taking the pressure off himself.”He probably feels that people expect him to score at 200 [strike-rate]. Batting at No. 3 is a different responsibility in this format for him. I know he’s opened a couple of time, but he is predominantly a middle-over player. It’s a tough position to bat; some guys love it, some guys don’t. It is one of those positions that can be such a swing type of position in the order.”