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A close encounter between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore turned several times before a number of decisive blows from Chris Gayle won it for the visitors. ESPNcricinfo plots the various twists in the tale

Nagraj Gollapudi in Kolkata11-Apr-2015Gambhir reprieve takes heavy tollFor the second time in two matches, Gautam Gambhir utilised the life granted to him by the opposition. In the tournament opener, Mumbai Indians paid dearly for letting off the Kolkata Knight Riders captain when he was just on 1 and the team on 5. Gambhir subsequently helped the defending champions set up a dominating victory with a lot of time to spare.Today, it was the turn of Royal Challengers Bangalore. Helped by wayward bowling and terrible fielding, the Knight Riders’ opening combination of Robin Uthappa and Gambhir had raised a quickfire 53 in the Powerplay overs. Having seen Gambhir dominate spinners, Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers’ captain, asked his fast bowlers to bowl short and aggressive. Gambhir did hit and miss on a couple of occasions, but he was not unsettled.Then, batting on 31, he pulled Abu Nechim reacting to a short delivery. The ball went straight towards AB de Villiers at deep square leg. It was a straightforward catch, but de Villiers seemed to have moved in a wee bit quickly as the ball, to the South African’s utter shock, jumped out his hands. Knight Riders were 61 for 0 in the seventh over and by the time Gambhir got out six overs later, the team score had peaked to 103.Kohli’s opening gambit failsOn the eve of the match, Kohli said that this season, the trio of Chris Gayle, de Villers and himself would express themselves more freely in the batting order. Kohli walked the talk when he came out to open along with Gayle. This move was a gamble. If Kohli failed, the opposition would immediately score a big psychological point. Chasing a strong target of 178, Royal Challengers were 4 for 0 after two tight opening overs from Morne Morkel and Sunil Narine. In Morkel’s second over, Kohli pulled him strong on the front foot for the first six of the innings. But in the South African’s third over, going for another pull to a leg-side delivery, Kohli gloved into the hands of Uthappa behind the wicket. Royal Challengers were 29 for 1 after five overs.Yusuf’s double strike keeps the match in balanceIn the immediate over after Kohli’s departure, Gayle slammed debutant KC Cariappa for a straight six and then a four to help Royal Challengers to 41 for 1 after six overs. Now, the visitors needed a partnership. Dinesh Karthik, the most expensive player bought by the franchise at this auction, was the next man in, and due to his vast experience, Royal Challengers would have been hopeful for a promising stand. However, Karthik tried to cut Yusuf Pathan away from the body and was bowled before he even faced 10 balls. Mandeep Singh then hit a first-ball six to make a bold statement, but he followed it up with a rubbish reverse sweep against Yusuf’s off break that went on to his leg stump. Royal Challengers stood precariously placed at 56 for 3 after eight overs.A dropped catch, a manic 13-ball 28, and a stumping off a debutant mystery spinner – all in a day’s work for AB de Villiers•BCCIAB de Villiers raises hopes, kills it next ball Unlike in the past, de Villiers had ample time to build an innings having come to bat in the ninth over. And there was Gayle for company. Gambhir and Knight Riders were aware it was still anyone’s game with 10 overs left. Knight Riders needed another 101 runs from the final 10. Gayle was on 32. De Villiers had hit a four against Andre Russell in his first over and then charged Yusuf to loft a six to get into double digits. Then came Cariappa, the X-factor for Knight Riders. De Villiers did not care. If there was mystery about Cariappa’s spin, it was whether he actually could spin the ball big.Using the pace that Cariappa was adding to his deliveries, de Villiers cleverly hit two fours in three balls and then a straight six, powering Royal Challengers to 93 by the 12 over. But the next ball, de Villiers stepped out to attempt another straight six, missed it miserably and Uthappa whipped the bails in a flash. De Villiers walked back swiftly in embarrassment.Morkel drops Gayle once, twiceGayle was on 33 when de Villiers left. First ball of the next over, delivered by Yusuf, Gayle flicked a full toss to deep square leg. Morkel was positioned there, but fluffed the catch. Ninety-three for 4 could have become 93 for 5 and Knight Riders would have secured the match with eight overs still to go. Instead, Gayle hit a six off the last ball of that Yusuf over to keep the match in balance. In Yusuf’s following over, having taken 10 runs with a four and a six, Gayle swept the offspinner but once again waiting in the deep was Morkel. This catch was not straightforward and Morkel had to lung forward, but he still could not pick the ball up successfully. Gayle had been looking for Morkel wherever he fielded and accordingly hit his strokes. He was now on 64.The Narine over, Gayle seals itIn contrast to his team-mates, Gayle had been content playing the waiting game. He was making sure he would hit at least one big four every second over, if not every over. Now, with the match entering the final five bracket, he upped the ante. He hit consecutive sixes off Shakib Al Hassan to reduce the margin to 31 from the final three overs. Gambhir then straightway went to his master key: Narine.So far in the match, Gayle had not bothered his Caribbean team-mate. In fact, he had been beaten on a few occasions by Narine’s turn. Gambhir had specifically left Narine for the end. This was the most crucial over. But Narine started with a loose, short delivery, which Gayle pulled between the wide long on and deep mid-wicket fielders. When Gambhir moved deep mid-wicket to his right, Gayle hit another four in the exact spot where the deep mid wicket was standing previous ball. When Harshal Patel jumped out of his crease to hit Narine for a straight six, Royal Challengers needed 14 runs from the final two overs.Gayle virtually sealed it with a first-ball six from Morkel. It did not matter that he got himself run out the next ball. He had got Royal Challengers across the line. If he had failed, it was falling short of a century by four runs. Even the partisan Kolkata crowd which was only chanting “KKR, KKR” throughout the first innings eventually changed sides and started screaming “RCB, RCB” after Gayle’s measured assault.

We asked readers what their favourite season of the IPL is

29-Apr-2015John Dallman
The very first season was my favourite simply because it was new and strange. One didn’t know what to expect, and Brendon McCullum’s 158 in the first match answered that: spectacular, dramatic play. The subsequent seasons have not had the same drama. They’ve been good, but they’ve been within the pattern set by the first one.Freddie Wilde
The IPL 2012 was the season when the cricket outgrew its Bollywood stimulant. Kolkata Knight Riders, a team in turmoil in the early seasons, placed cricket first, embraced Moneyball, and won. The IPL was about cricket, and the cricket was serious. The most successful teams on the pitch are now the most popular teams off it.Pranam
IPL 2010 for RCB! We had a bunch of great people in our squad. Legends like Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Jacques Kallis; veterans like Kevin Pietersen, Dale Steyn, Mark Boucher, Ross Taylor; local talents like Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Vinay Kumar (Dravid and Kumble too); and some Indian non-locals like Virat Kohli (we still have him), Praveen Kumar and many more.Abhijeet
I think the 2009 season of the IPL was the best. The conditions in South Africa made it an equal contest between bat and ball and there was no added advantage to either side. It was also a keenly-contested season and the sheer brilliance from Gilly [Adam Gilchrist] made it even better.Abhishek Reji
IPL 2012 was my favourite. Most matches going down to the wire, the most deserving players got the Orange and Purple Caps (Chris Gayle and Morne Morkel). It was simply stunning to see Sunil Narine baffle batsmen in 2012.Nishant Dogra
My favourite season of IPL was 2008. It was something new for the audience to see Sachin Tendulkar open with Sanath Jayasuriya for Mumbai Indians, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag for Delhi Daredevils, and some foreign flavour in a domestic tournament. We had unexpected champions in Rajasthan Royals. New stars began to rise: the likes of Yusuf Pathan, Pragyan Ojha, M Vijay, R Ashwin, and the list go on.Maroof Fajandar
My favourite season of the IPL till now has been the third one because until then the growth of the IPL was upwards. We saw innovation and creativity: every edition had something new coming until then. However, after that it has become the same thing over and over. It’s run very much like how the ICC operates world cricket. It is not ‘cricketainment’ anymore.Afnan Junaidi
My favourite IPL season was IPL 7. The first leg was in the UAE. Players performing in the desert, tickets being sold out and Maxi’s [Glenn Maxwell’s] raining sixes. We want the first leg of every IPL season to be in the UAE.Prajval J
My favourite season was 2013 because the legend of cricket – the one and only Sachin Tendulkar – played his final IPL for the Mumbai Indians.Parag Jain
My favourite season of the IPL is the first season because the excitement was at its peak as it was the first time something like this was happening in India. Another reason is the performance of the winners, Rajasthan Royals. Before the tournament started, Royals looked the weakest, but one foreign captain took the trophy away from seven Indian captains. It was amazing!Venkatesh Ramachandran
2011 is my favorite IPL season because it had more IPL games and teams.

Kagiso Rabada has gone rapidly from 6 for 25 in the Under-19 World Cup semi-final to 9 for 33 in a first-class innings to 6 for 16 on ODI debut. Who knows how much better is to come

Firdose Moonda10-Jul-2015If anybody thought Kagiso Rabada’s best was on display when he took 6 for 25 in the Under-19 World Cup semi-final against Australia last February, they were wrong. The young man had better in him.That much should have been obvious when the triumphant U-19 side returned home to be presented to fans at a Test match at Newlands. Their seniors were being flayed by a buoyant Australia – the seniors of the men Rabada had torn apart just a few days before – so the U-19s were a welcome distraction for South Africans looking for something to be cheerful about and Rabada an immediate hero. Even his team-mates thought so.”Do you know he has a franchise contract lined up?” the likes of captain Aiden Markram, who was the team’s top-scorer in the World Cup, and Corbin Bosch, the all-rounder who starred in the final, were whispering among each other, within earshot of the media.”Does anyone else have a franchise contract they are discussing?” I remember asking. “No, just him,” the bright-eyed boys said. They were obviously in awe.So were the suits at the Johannesburg-based Lions franchise, who made sure they secured Rabada’s signature before anyone else.Ten days after Rabada was presented to the crowd at Newlands, he made his first-class debut for one of their provincial affiliates – the teams that feed into the franchise squads – Gauteng. He took 3 for 28 in the first innings and went wicketless in the second. The next week, he had a match return of 4 for 66. Neither performance was particularly spectacular, but the week after that, Rabada was promoted to the franchise side. Clearly, big things were expected of him.”I knew about Kagiso from the time he was at school and I knew he was a player to keep a close eye on and I wanted him in my team,” Geoffrey Toyana, the Lions coach, told ESPNcricinfo. “His reputation was that he was fast, so fast that he didn’t take as many wickets as he should have at school level. He was actually too quick for the guys he was playing against – they couldn’t even nick him off.”At professional level, the batsmen were more capable of handling the pace but equally flummoxed by Rabada’s guile, which was remarkably well developed for a young man. “From the beginning, he had a lot of control but it’s also something he really worked at,” Toyana said. “He spent a lot of time at the Wanderers, in the nets, with (bowling coach) Gordon Parsons, with the other bowlers.”Rabada consumed cricket and it consumed him. Shortly after the domestic season ended, he was picked for the South Africa A squad to play in Australia and before that could even happen, was also included as a non-playing member of the national team, which went to a triangular series in Zimbabwe. In three months, Rabada had gone from schoolboy to sporting sensation.When the next summer began and Rabada’s U-19 team-mates were contemplating things like whether to begin tertiary education or whether they may be picked up by a provincial side, Radaba made his international debut in a T20 series against Australia. He only took one wicket in three matches but impressed Allan Donald, who was then South Africa’s bowling coach and gave Rabada a glowing review.”He is a young pup. He asks great questions. I am blown away by the knowledge he has got at 19,” Donald said. “He wants it badly. He is a great athlete, he has got immaculate work ethic and he has got some gas. He is built like a race horse, a thoroughbred and that’s exciting.” Donald predicted Rabada’s “time will come,” but he didn’t know how quickly the clock was ticking.Rabada returned home to find himself a full-fledged member of Lions’ pack and in his 10th first-class match, he became their leader. Against Dolphins, Rabada took a record off none other than the leader of South Africa’s attack Dale Steyn. He claimed 5 for 72 in the first innings and 9 for 33 in the second, to finish with 14 for 105 – the best bowling figures in a first-class match in the franchise era. Steyn had produced 14 for 110 seven seasons earlier.”What was so amazing about that performance was the way he kept coming back,” Toyana said. “Sometimes when a bowler takes a five-for, he thinks his work is done and then he relaxes but after he did that in the first innings, he wanted more. He ran in hard in the second innings and just kept taking wickets.”But if anybody thought Rabada’s best was on display that day, they were also wrong. The young man had better in him.There were glimpses of it during the first T20 in Bangladesh, Rabada’s first full international tour in which he features in the squad for every format. In conditions which are supposed to be tough for seamers, Rabada put on an impressive short-ball display and although he was expensive, his aggression would not have gone amiss. Still, he was not picked for the next match.”Dropped” is not a word South Africa use too freely, “rotated” is more like it, but whatever it was, it seems Rabada does not want it to happen to him again. When picked for the first ODI, he made himself undroppable with a jaw-dropping performance that included only the second hat-trick on debut and the best figures by a bowler on ODI debut. Ever.If anybody thinks Rabada’s best was on display during his 6 for 16 in Dhaka on Friday, chances are they are wrong too. Who knows how much better is to come.

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2015However, Trent Boult produced a moment of magic to dismiss Steven Smith with an unplayable delivery•Cricket AustraliaUsman Khawaja kept going, easing his way to 150•Cricket AustraliaAdam Voges provided able support from the other end with a brisk 83•AFPKhawaja was finally out while reverse-sweeping Kane Williamson on 174, and Smith declared at once with the hosts at 4 for 556•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesThe New Zealand openers began with a 56-run stand but then Martin Guptill edged Josh Hazlewood to third slip•Getty ImagesJust when it looked like Tom Latham and Kane Williamson were set, New Zealand lost a clump of wickets, reduced from 1 for 102 to 5 for 118•Getty ImagesWilliamson stayed firm though, making an impressive fifty, and in the company of BJ Watling took the visitors to 5 for 157 by stumps•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Dec-2015Matt Henry picked up four of the first five wickets as the visitors were reduced to 27 for 5 by the tenth over•Getty ImagesMilinda Siriwardana then staged a fightback for Sri Lanka…•Associated Press… And found an able partner in Nuwan Kulasekara•Getty ImagesBoth batsmen completed fifties as they added 98 for the seventh wicket to take Sri Lanka past 150•Associated PressSri Lanka, however, were limited to 188 in 47 overs after both batsmen were dismissed in consecutive overs•Getty ImagesBrendon McCullum and Martin Guptill gave New Zealand a blazing start in their 189-run chase•Getty ImagesMcCullum completed a 23-ball fifty in the eighth over, as the pair added a 108-run stand in a little more than 10 overs•Getty ImagesGuptill was eventually dismissed for 79 and New Zealand sealed a seven-wicket win in 21 overs•Getty Images

A day after Shahid Afridi said that his side has to cut down on their small mistakes, Pakistan committed one too many in a must-win match against New Zealand

Sidharth Monga in Mohali22-Mar-2016A day before this match, in a familiar state of needing to win every match, Shahid Afridi said it is not miracles that work at such times; it is the little things. Afridi has spent two decades in international cricket, we should be listening to him. But based on their performance in Mohali, it seemed like neither he, nor his team, took heed of those words.Pakistan did not get the little things right and reposed all their faith in miracles: a whirlwind start from Sharjeel Khan where almost everything was in the slot, and Afridi promoting himself, hoping against hope that he can keep hitting for long enough. The little things were all wrong. An exhaustive list might be too long for this space, but you can take your pick from what sums it up best.Almost every Twenty20 team puts its best fielders on the fence, but either Pakistan have too many to hide or they are yet to get the memo. Umar Akmal would often be in the circle with Sharjeel or Mohammad Amir or Mohammad Irfan allowing easy twos that New Zealand don’t when they are fielding. Afridi himself kept misfielding at extra cover.In the 18th over, with Ross Taylor on 13, Irfan bowled him a good bouncer, it induced a massive top edge. Sharjeel was at square leg, and Amir at fine leg on the boundary. Neither of them picked it early, neither of them looked keen to go for it. New Zealand fielders might have risked a collision, but here the two were so slow to the ball – which fell at long leg – it allowed Taylor to take three runs. He ended with 36 not out, including 15 off the last over.Somehow there was a window left with New Zealand reaching only a par score. Mohammad Sami bowled a good 19th over, keeping New Zealand from getting to 200. There was still hope. For a miracle. It began with Mitchell Santner bowling a rare full toss. Sharjeel got going. New Zealand then got the attack all wrong. Everybody knew Sharjeel struggles outside off, but they kept bowling at his body, trying to cramp him up. Sharjeel loves it there; he can pull and heave. The platform was laid with 47 off 25, a team score of 65 in 5.3 overs.All that was needed after that for somebody to trust his game – keep pinching the ones and twos regularly, and get the boundaries when New Zealand try too hard for a wicket. They got exactly that kind of over soon after the Powerplay. Ahmed Shehzad cut Grant Elliott for four first ball, followed by a couple and four singles. They could have afforded a quiet over even if it was followed by some gentle accumulation. The quiet over came from Ish Sodhi, the eighth, which went for three. The response was panic: Khalid Latif came down the track looking for a miracle. He found long-on.Shehzad and Umar Akmal then began to play the big shots and big shots only. Shehzad, in particular, didn’t trust his own game to keep scoring at a little over a run a ball without taking risks. Not once did he attempt a chip, just the miraculous boundaries that would get Pakistan home without having to go through the grind once the pitch slows down, the ball gets old and the field spreads. From 20 off 14 balls, Shehzad finished on 30 off 32.Afridi moved ahead of Shoaib Malik and Sarfraz Ahmed once again. Sarfraz, in particular, was just the man to put spinners off their length with his sweeps, just the man to bring energy into the middle, just the man to look for those twos. But Afridi was hoping for a serious miracle with an innings played purely on pride. It didn’t last long enough and Sarfraz, as against India, came in to bat once the game was over.In the press conference Waqar Younis said the batsmen were not good enough, that they couldn’t hit any boundaries in the middle. He was partly right. They hit just three fours and a six since Sharjeel got out, and Umar Akmal, who couldn’t hit even one, was a big culprit. He is the one batsman in the side expected to keep hitting the odd boundary mixed with singles and twos. That was the only big thing gone wrong. Everywhere else Pakistan expected a miracle. Didn’t Afridi tell us miracles don’t happen if you get those little things right?

Carlos Brathwaite’s stillness, the smooth flow of his bat, the ball struck sweetly beyond the ropes – again and again and again. Four balls that wiped out all that had gone before

Sidharth Monga at Eden Gardens03-Apr-20160:57

‘Ben Stokes is an absolute legend’ – Brathwaite

Twenty20 matches are more often won or lost in the 19th over. Fielding captains bowl their best bowler in the 19th so that during the chaos of the 20th they have more to defend.Chris Jordan has had a great tournament with his yorkers. He has a wet ball in his hand. England have 27 to defend. Jordan bowls an ordinary first ball, which goes for four, but comes back superbly, conceding just singles off the next four balls. For West Indies’ sake, they need a boundary off the last ball because they don’t want to find themselves needing three sixes off the last over. Marlon Samuels, 85 off 65, is on strike. He has been brutal on everything that has been not a yorker of late. Jordan – 3.5-0-36-0 – has to secure this match for his team right now. He runs in, Samuels backs away as he always does to open up the off side, and Jordan slips in a wide yorker.This is a dot. The next best thing to a wicket. Now England have a last over at Carlos Brathwaite, in his eighth Twenty20 international. It’s simple: they have to deny West Indies three boundaries. Even if they get three boundaries at least one of them has to be a six. Michael Hussey chased 18 in the last over against Saeed Ajmal in the 2010 World T20 semi-final. In the 2014 World T20, James Faulkner made it difficult for West Indies with two dots at the start of the 20th over, but Darren Sammy took the required 12 off the next two balls with sensational, brutal sixes.This is different, though. This is the World T20 final. The final. West Indies are playing this for much more than just the final. They need three boundaries, at least one of them has to be a six, and they have a rookie on strike, against an allrounder who will be one of the best of this era. He has won England Tests and ODIs, but this is the World T20 final. The final. Also, like Faulkner, West Indies just don’t like Ben Stokes.Written word will never be able to do justice to Sammy’s narration of that final over, so it is over to him.Bowling his first over of the night from the High Court End, Stokes has three men on the leg-side boundary. Long leg, deep midwicket, long-on. The idea is to cramp him. Bowl yorkers. Stokes runs in, Samuels is not backing up, there can be no mankading, there are to be no pinched singles. Stokes fails to execute the plan. He bowls length, and on the pads. Brathwaite doesn’t hit the ball hard. He just flicks it. In the air. All night England have been running their boots off after balls hit in the air or along the ground. You look at Moeen Ali at midwicket. He doesn’t move. He knows it. Long leg doesn’t move. He knows it. The ball has bisected them. It has gone for six. Just six. Not a big six. Doesn’t even go into the stands, but does the job. Samuels goes and hugs Brathwaite. Later he says he told Brathwaite Stokes is a “nervous laddie”, that he will err.Over to Sammy again.Stokes now knows the plan is right, but not the execution. He needs to execute it better. Just bowl the yorker. Don’t let Brathwaite get under it. But Brathwaite has also shown earlier that he is capable of playing the cute ramp over short fine so he can’t get too full on the yorker.Those who know MS Dhoni say one of his tricks in final-over heists is to send the first or second ball for a six. Not just a six. A huge six. It doesn’t matter where the ball goes because the bowler doesn’t look behind to see where it has gone. It has to sound big off the bat. That sound has to completely demotivate the bowler. A flick doesn’t make that sound. For that you need a straight six. Brathwaite hasn’t done that yet.Now Stokes runs in. Brathwaite stands still. The front leg cleared slightly. He holds the bat high. He doesn’t move. Nothing to tell what he was going to do. Bowlers look for that sign, and perhaps bowl a bouncer or a slower ball. There is nothing here. So Stokes tries the yorker. This is not quite a yorker, but if a batsman is moving forward there is no way he can get under it. This is that full.Brathwaite is expecting this, he is deep inside his crease, and when the ball dips on him, it is like everything has slowed down. You don’t know if Stokes hears the demoralising sound, because this is not a powerful hit. This is just a caress. The long powerful arms of Brathwaite hold the bat right at the top of its handle, giving him leverage to lift these balls high. The long-on is in place. There has never been a fielder more redundant. This lands in the crowd. Samuels comes and hugs Brathwaite again. Ian Bishop says on television commentary: “You think he will be a player in the future, Carlos Brathwaite. You think he has talent. It ain’t over yet, but this is a glimpse into the future.”Kidding us, Bish. He is the present. And this is over bar the shouting.Over to Sammy.Stokes will continue to win matches for England, but you can see it on his face. He even looks at the ball sail away. Brathwaite’s job is done. Bowlers usually just turn up to take their punishment after two such hits from these modern bats. Stokes has some life in him yet. He runs in with the same plan, looking for that yorker again. The length is similar again. He has erred but not by a lot. But Brathwaite stays beautifully still. The high back lift, waving the bat about chest high.And everything slows down again as the ball dips on him. The high grip on the bat, the bat coming down in a smooth motion but with the momentum from such a high back lift. He has timed this perfectly even though it looks like just a slice. The only difference is, unlike the last ball which he took from outside leg, this is on middle and off. This time he clears long-off. None of the sixes has drawn a wild reaction from the press box. It is the largest “ho ho ho” ever in unison. There is marvel at the cleanness of the strikes, the lack of nerves, the brutal but smooth execution.Stokes is down on his haunches. He has tears in his eyes. Samuels, who has been sledged by him earlier, is giving it to Stokes now. He is also running circles around Brathwaite. A match that is lost is almost won back.Over to Sammy.It is not over yet. Even before we evoke Bangladesh, there is a small matter of separating Samuels and Stokes, and retrieving the ball. The ball has to be changed. For a while, as they wait for the ball, the fielders don’t come in to defend the single. For a while it seems that England, just like India against Bangladesh, are going to play on the hero factor. They don’t think West Indies will look to nurdle a quiet single. That can perhaps explain the lack of urgency in the fielders moving in. But as the ball is replaced, the field moves up.There is no reason now to not end it with a six. Why? Because you can. Without stretching yourself. Stokes runs in again, he errs a little again. Bowls the line outside leg. In slow motion again Brathwaite lifts this over long-on. “Carlos Brathwaite,” goes Bish. “Remember the name.” Only now does Brathwaite let out a roar.Stokes is inconsolable. Kumar Dharmasena leaves his cap on his shoulder. The celebrations are wild. Twenty20 is brutal on the vanquished, but these are four of the most non-violent sixes you might ever see in a cluster. The absolute stillness, the smooth flow of the bat, the timing, it is enough to make you forget a messed-up chase. The party has begun. West Indies have risen again. Like a raging fire.

As South Africa’s slump gets deeper after the triangular series exit, ESPNcricinfo looks at three areas that need special focus and could possibly salvage them

Firdose Moonda25-Jun-2016For South Africa, the tri-series in the Caribbean ended in the same sorry way it has so many times before. With “a lot of disappointment.” AB de Villiers said that after his team was knocked out after the round-robin stage.In the bigger picture, this series did not really matter. The next major 50-over event is a year off. But after South Africa had tumbled from No. 1 to No. 6 in the Test rankings, and were booted out of the World T20 before the semi-finals, 50-over cricket was the only thing going right for them. Until now.”It’s difficult to put a smile on your face after a horrible performance like that,” de Villiers said after their 100-run loss to West Indies on Friday. “There’s definitely a belief in the camp that we can win from any position and make it work from anywhere. It’s sad that we couldn’t do that today and in this series. When it mattered most, we couldn’t pull through. That’s very disappointing.”A new season looms, with 11 Tests, including tours to Australia and New Zealand, and a Champions Trophy next July. Considering South Africa are back on square one of their rebuilding phase, here are three things they need to focus on to put things right.Coaching staff Though de Villiers threw his support behind Russell Domingo, calls for the sacking of South Africa’s head coach have only increased.Under Domingo’s tenure over the last three years, they had to settle for an 8-8 win-loss record in Tests but enjoyed have had a better time in limited-overs cricket – 39 wins from 65 ODIs and 20 wins from 35 T20Is.But the wins that really mattered can be counted on two hands: the final of a tri-series in Harare against Australia, the 2015 World Cup quarter-final against Sri Lanka, the three in October to beat India in India, and a hat-trick of victories over England in February to bounce back from 0-2 down.Despite the addition of specialist coaches, South Africa seem to lack for both confidence and a cohesive game plan. Domingo has with him former Test cricketers as fast bowling, spin bowling and batting coaches in Charl Langeveldt, Claude Henderson and Neil McKenzie respectively. So there is no shortage of experience at the highest level.Is it just a matter of change then? CSA has the option to replace Domingo before his contract expires at the end of April, but for a lasting solution, they need to also find a way to incorporate an outsider’s perspective. South Africa no longer have a sports psychologist or motivational guru like Mike Horne in their ranks. And since Michael Hussey’s short stint as batting consultant, they have not had the benefit of working with someone who hasn’t come up their own system.The declining Rand makes it more difficult to attract overseas coaches, but with CSA recently adding a new sponsor, Standard Bank, to their books, it may be worth spending some of the money for this purpose. Though there may be danger of too many cooks, South Africa’s broth seems to need whatever spice it can get.CaptaincyAs good as de Villiers is, captaincy seems to weigh on him, especially in the shorter format. His disappointment over a loss is often nothing more than raw emotion, which is touching, but not problem-solving. The number of times he admits to just not knowing what went wrong is enough to suggest South Africa may need someone more astute.De Villiers is so often assisted by Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla that it is fair to say South Africa captain in committee, which would mean any of the three could assume the label. But Amla has asked not to have it attached to him too often to make him a viable candidate and du Plessis has had issues with injury and form.So it seems the only way forward for South Africa is to find a way to take better care of de Villiers. They could appoint a mentor for him – Graeme Smith, perhaps – or send him to some form of leadership training.They should also groom a successor, because it may not be too long before de Villiers walks away. There was suggestion in some local media that he was so distraught after the 2015 World Cup semi-final loss that he considered stepping down. His own utterances about needing rest throughout the previous season have led to questions over his commitment, and with Test captaincy also thrust on him, there is a danger that he might consider winding his career down under less stress. Like playing T20 cricket around the world.Selection clarityThe worst kept secret in South African sport is that the four codes that were sanctioned by the minister – cricket, rugby, athletics and netball – have signed memorandums of understanding to confirm their commitment to change. That means they have agreed to put transformation targets close to the top of their agendas, which is not inherently a bad thing, but it will have wider implications that can no longer be ignored.For South Africa to meet the target – 60% representation – they need to field seven players of colour. And they did on two occasions in the tri-series. They even had eight players of colour once. But in their remaining three matches, that number came down to six, which is likely to have a major impact on whether their ban to host major tournaments is lifted.CSA have made clear their aim to comply with the minister’s requirements as far as possible. It is also worth mentioning that the players of colour selected into the XI for the tri-series merited it. Even JP Duminy, who has not scored a fifty in 10 completed innings, was as out of form as de Villiers.The question now is how the team plans to meet transformation targets without compromising on its balance. South Africa were a batsman short in the Caribbean. Their reserves – first Rilee Rossouw, and then, Dean Elgar – were both white and including them would have come at the cost of Duminy or Farhaan Behardien – both players of colour. South Africa could have sacrificed an allrounder, perhaps even the in-form Chris Morris, to lengthen the batting line-up, but that would have left them short in the bowling department.Morne Morkel was benched for two legs of the series – when South Africa fielded more players of colour – and only included for the Barbados games – when they fell short of their transformation targets. His bounce may have been wasted on the slower surfaces in Guyana and St Kitts anyway, but the upshot was he was short on game time and could not find rhythm when it was needed.This is the reality facing South African sport at the moment, but it might help them if there was greater openness and honesty about team selection, which in turn could help the understanding of what is trying to be achieved.

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2016West Indies’ top order were put under constant pressure by the Pakistani quicks•AFPWhich led to some reckless shots…•AFP… and spectacular catches. Mohammad Amir had gone 20 Tests without one.•AFPYasir Shah had Marlon Samuels lbw for a duck•AFP…and a wild swing from Jermaine Blackwood left West Indies struggling at 68 for 4•Getty ImagesBut opener Kraigg Brathwaite was determined to spend time in the middle•Getty ImagesHe found support in Roston Chase, who scored 50 off 89, and Shane Dowrich, who scored 47 off 90•Getty ImagesBrathwaite put on 83 runs with each of them for the fifth and sixth wickets•Getty ImagesPakistan were left frustrated as the placid track didn’t aid them after their early breakthroughs in the day•Getty ImagesThey tried the short-ball tactic, but Brathwaite was impenetrable•Getty ImagesAt stumps, he was unbeaten on 95 off 206 balls, and West Indies were 244 for 6, only 37 behind Pakistan•Getty Images

Pakistan had six Test captains in the six years before Misbah-ul-Haq took over. He gave the team stability and his numbers are indicative of his success

Bharath Seervi29-Oct-201649 Misbah-ul-Haq’s Tests as captain – the most for Pakistan – when he walks out to toss against West Indies in Sharjah. Imran Khan had led Pakistan in 48 Tests between 1982 and 1992. Among Asian captains, only MS Dhoni and Arjuna Ranatunga have led in more Tests than Misbah.24 Misbah’s wins as captain – ten more than Pakistan won under Imran Khan and Javed Miandad.55.38 Misbah’s average as captain, the best among 11 Pakistan captains to have batted in at least 20 innings. The next best is Saleem Malik’s 52.35. Misbah has made the most runs and centuries as well among Pakistan captains. Of the 20 captains to have played 75 or more innings, only Brian Lara (57.83) averages more than Misbah.

Misbah’s numbers as captain and player

Mats Inns Runs Ave 100s/50sAs non-captain 19 33 1008 33.60 2/4As captain 48 83 3766 55.38 8/31Career 67 116 4774 48.71 10/3521.78 The difference between Misbah’s average when captain and not captain. He averaged 33.60 before becoming captain in November 2010 – scoring 1008 runs in 33 innings with two centuries and four fifties. He began his captaincy career in terrific form, scoring six consecutive fifties in his first seven innings.48 All of Misbah’s Tests as captain came after he was 35 years old; no one over 35 has led in more Tests. Clive Lloyd is second on the list with 45 matches as captain after age of 35. Misbah has led in 21 Tests after turning 40, which is eight more than WG Grace.1.714 Pakistan’s win-loss ratio under Misbah – won 24 and lost 14 out of 48. In the six years prior to Misbah taking over, their win-loss ratio was 0.545 in nearly the same number of matches – won 12 and lost 22. Pakistan had six captains in those six years and only one of them led in more than 10 matches. Misbah missed only once match after becoming Pakistan’s Test captain, because of a suspension for a slow over rate.

Pakistan before and after Misbah became captain

Mats Won Lost Drawn W/L ratio6 years before Misbah 48 12 22 14 0.54Since Misbah took over 49 24 14 11 1.7110 Misbah’s series wins as captain – the most by an Asian captain. MS Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly had nine series wins (in which they captained in all matches). The next best among Pakistan captains is eight by Javed Miandad. Graeme Smith led South Africa to 22 series wins.39 Misbah’s scores of 50 or more as Pakistan captain. Only one batsman, captain or not, has made more 50-plus scores over the same period – Alastair Cook has 45 such scores, but in 134 innings compared to Misbah’s 83.3557 Runs scored by Misbah at No. 5 as captain – the most among Test captains, with Steve Waugh being the only other one with more than 3000. Misbah scored those runs at an average of 57.37.