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There was just one problem for Australia – five spare bowlers, no extra batsmen – which meant there was no one to cover for an injured batsman

Brydon Coverdale in Cape Town19-Mar-2009

Doug Bollinger, Brett Geeves, Bryce McGain, Steve Magoffin and Nathan
Hauritz were the Australian squad members who watched on from the
dressing room in Durban. There was plenty of variety in the group: a
left-arm fast bowler, two right-arm seamers, a legspinner and an
offspinner. There was just one problem – five spare bowlers, no extra
batsmen.It didn’t matter at the Wanderers or Kingsmead but on the first day at
Newlands it came back to bite Australia when Marcus North was struck
down with a bout of gastro and spent the night before the match in
hospital on a drip. A team that had spent the first two Tests looking
so well-balanced it was like it had been set with a spirit level was
suddenly off-centre.In one sense it gave the selectors an easy decision as they had spent
the past few days trying to work out how they could squeeze the
legspinner McGain into the side while causing minimum disruption to a
successful team. But what it really did was expose a big hole in what
was otherwise a strong squad.The selectors were widely praised for the solid touring party they
picked for this trip and their good judgment was borne out in the 2-0
scoreline leading in to this match. But there’s no avoiding the fact
that they’ve been caught out by the lack of a spare batsman. An
appropriate touring group isn’t just about the starting XI; there
needs to be balance in the back-up tier as well.As it turned out Australia replaced North, a man with a first-class
batting average of 44.09, with McGain, a genuine tailender whose
average is 11.50. Brad Haddin was forced to move up to No. 6, a
position that his magnificent predecessor Adam Gilchrist rarely
occupied in Tests, and Andrew McDonald found himself at No. 7.And what happened? They battled to 209, which was their lowest
first-innings total since the 2005 Ashes. South Africa bowled well and
were at their liveliest for the whole series so maybe an extra batsman
wouldn’t have made a difference. But when Australia found themselves
on similarly shaky ground in Johannesburg it was North at No. 6 who
anchored the comeback.”Obviously the balance of the team is slightly different,” the opener
Simon Katich said after a day when he top scored with 55 and two of
the top five made ducks. “[North] has played really well for us at six
this series so him not being available due to being in hospital last
night was a big loss.”So while Geeves, Hauritz and Bollinger huddled on the boundary – Magoffin has flown home – with
nothing to do but run drinks and maybe dash away for an occasional
trundle in the nets, prolific scorers like Brad Hodge, Michael Klinger
and Callum Ferguson were at home in Australia with their feet up after
the end of the domestic season. Had the series been alive, it could
have been a costly error in judgment.The problem stems from the fact that when they left Australia,
McDonald was the incumbent No. 6 having filled that role in Sydney. He
has been a valuable member of the team in South Africa, where his
stump-to-stump bowling has troubled the home side, but he has not
looked like a Test-quality batsman. In Cape Town, not for the first
time this trip, he was outshone in the lower order by Mitchell Johnson
and a familiar tentative prod was edged to slip for 13.The selectors made a mistake. It hasn’t cost them the series and it
will be forgotten as soon as they leave South Africa with trophy in
hand. But in a year when Australia are considering cutting back the
numbers in their Ashes squad, it’s a situation that should serve as a
cautionary tale. Five spare bowlers don’t equal one batsman.

Even their captain didn’t look rattled at the staggering reversal of fortune, this tendency has become so predictable

Sidharth Monga in Galle07-Jul-2009How dull international cricket would be if not for Pakistan and West Indies. With any other team we would have walked into the ground with hardly any concern, seen two batsmen get half-centuries, had lunch, seen them get the required 97 runs, and gone our way. Not with Pakistan, though, who collapsed so spectacularly they didn’t even come close.As entertainers they might take it as a compliment, but as an international team they ought to take this as a condescending remark. These collapses are no longer unpredictable either. For three days they played exceptional Test cricket, that too for a team that has been playing so infrequently, but in less than one session of madness they undid it all. Even their captain didn’t look rattled; this tendency has become so predictable.Rather Younis Khan seemed resigned, both to the reasons behind the collapse and the implications of it. He thought this inability to handle pressure was a bigger concern than the lack of proper openers for a long time. “The worry is that when we are in control, we don’t keep a tight hold on things,” Younis said. “I know, at least I believe, we will definitely catch up with them, but why does this always happen? This needs to be addressed. International cricket is all about handling pressure. Look at Kumar Sangakkara, his captaincy was very good under pressure.”We had 1-0 within our grasp, and now we are minus one. We have to come to zero from here, and then plus one.”But why does this always happen? Younis is ready to make allowance for the inexperience of his side – there were three debutants, and others while vastly experienced in ODIs were generally new to Tests – but added they were not kids either. “The captain can’t always keep telling you, nor can the coach or the manager. You can’t hold a stick and teach them.”It has to come from them. The boys also have to do something about it. I can’t keep reminding them every time. When I am under pressure, I go back to my basics. They need to go back to basics too. Break it down into small-small sessions, be it batting, be it bowling, be it fielding. It’s only a six-hour day, it shouldn’t be that difficult.”

We had 1-0 within our grasp, and now we are minus one. We have to come to zero from here, and then plus oneYounis Khan

More than what happened today, the failure to take a huge lead in the first innings annoyed Younis. A typically bother-free innings from Mohammad Yousuf had put Pakistan in the position to get a big lead and bat Sri Lanka out, but the last four added only 48. Sri Lanka’s last four in the first innings, in comparison, put together 98. “That was the moment. If at that time we had taken a lead of 150, we would have won easily,” Younis said. “Yousuf looked hungry for runs, Kamran was looking good, but both got run-out. In Test matches it’s still okay to have one run-out, but if you have two run-outs it becomes very difficult.”Younis didn’t take away the credit from Sri Lanka, though. He was full of praise for Sangakkara’s tactics – bowling a spinner early and not giving away easy boundaries – and Rangana Herath. He acknowledged Herath’s performance in Faisalabad 2004, too, when the left-arm spinner took seven wickets. He also conceded that Pakistan batsmen could have a weakness against left-arm spinners, in that they tend to go a bit across at times and expose the leg-before dismissal.But it was unmistakable that this match was theirs to lose. That no amount of terrific bowling should have taken eight wickets for 46 runs on this pitch. That they shouldn’t have been chasing 168 in the first place. Knowing Pakistan, as Younis said, they could come right back with a completely confounding performance. It will be a spectacle if they indeed do so.

There weren’t too many Australians around in the IPL this year, but they still made their presence felt in no uncertain terms, with Adam Gilchrist leading the way

S Rajesh28-May-2009There weren’t too many Australians around in the IPL this year, but they still made their presence felt in no uncertain terms. One of them, Matthew Hayden, finished as the highest run-getter, but the one who took away all the honours was his long-time opening partner in ODIs, Adam Gilchrist. As a leader, he inspired a bunch of players who were basement dwellers last season to aim for, and reach, the summit. And as a batsman, he led from the front again, forming a superb opening partnership with Herschelle Gibbs and getting the Deccan Chargers off to excellent starts more often than not.Gilchrist finished as the second-highest run-getter in the IPL, falling just five short of 500. He scored three half-centuries, but his high point came in a high-pressure, knockout game, against the team which was the favourite to win the tournament. There were two centuries in the IPL, but for many, the best innings was Gilchrist’s 85 in the semi-final against Delhi, a knock which made a potentially tricky chase a mere formality. Among batsmen who scored more than 100 runs, only Dwayne Smith finished with a strike rate higher than Gilchrist’s 152.30.Looking at his stats against each opponent, it’s clear he saved his best for Delhi Daredevils, averaging more than 52 at a strike rate of almost 13 runs per over. Against the other teams his aggregate was less than 100, but against each of them his strike rate was superb.

Like most batsmen in the IPL, though, Gilchrist was less comfortable against spin than he was against pace (though Virender Sehwag, who gave away 23 runs in an over to him in the semis, might disagree with that assessment). Anil Kumble showed the way to nail him in the final, taking the new ball and dismissing him in the first over, while Amit Mishra, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina and Ramesh Powar were some of the other spinners who dismissed him. Overall, Gilchrist averaged almost 46 against pace, scoring at more than ten an over. Against spin, though, he was far less destructive, averaging only 16, at a rate of slightly more than seven per over.

Among the bowlers who bowled more than ten balls to him, Kumble was easily the most effective, conceding only 18 from 22 balls, and dismissing him in the final. Yusuf Pathan was pretty tidy as well, but the same can’t be said of Delhi’s two left-arm fast bowlers: both Dirk Nannes, who was taken apart by Gilchrist in the semi-final, and Ashish Nehra suffered at his hands, going at more than 14 runs per over. Irfan Pathan, Mashrafe Mortaza and L Balaji went at more than two runs per ball as well.

Thanks largely to Gilchrist and Hayden, their teams were also on top of the chart in terms of opening partnerships. The numbers for them are very similar – an average stand in the early 30s and a run rate of slightly more than nine per over. None of the other teams managed either of these feats. The run rates for these two teams, especially, was significantly more than the others: Delhi, the next best side only managed a run rate of 7.53.

Australians contribution in IPL 2009The 18 Australians who played in the IPL scored about 17% of the total runs that came off the bat, at an average that was better than the overall tournament average. It helped that apart from Hayden and Gilchrist, they also had Brad Hodge, who scored 365 in 12 innings at an average of more than 40, and Andrew Symonds, whose late entry added plenty of weight to a shaky Deccan middle order.

The bowling, despite Nannes and Sharne Warne, took less than 10% of the total wickets taken by bowlers, while their average was slightly higher than the overall tournament average.

Two decades of highlights: we look back at the jewels in Tendulkar’s crown

Cricinfo staff14-Nov-2009119 not out v England, Old Trafford, 1990
England pile up 519 on a benign pitch, and India reply with 432. England stretch the lead to 407, and though the pitch is still good and the bowling (Devon Malcolm, Angus Fraser, Chris Lewis, Edie Hemmings) not terribly menacing, India find themselves in deep water at 127 for 5 with only one recognised batsman left. And he’s only 17 years old. Tendulkar battles for nearly four hours, grimly but never dourly, and ends the day with 119. India lose only one more wicket, finishing with 343. With one more session, they might even have won.114 v Australia, Perth, 1991-92
The fastest pitch in Australia has been reserved for the last Test. India have been beaten already, only humiliation awaits. Batting first, Australia score 346. Tendulkar enters at a relatively comfortable 100 for 3, but watches the next five wickets go down for 59. Tendulkar is the next man out… at 240. He has scored 118 of the 140 runs added while he is at the crease, and has made them in such an awe-inspiring manner that commentators ask themselves when they last saw an innings as good.169 v South Africa, Cape Town, 1996-97
Batting first, South Africa make a match-winning 529.
Playing only for honour, India find themselves grovelling before Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Brian McMillan and Lance Klusener. Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin get together at 58 for 5, and start spanking the bowling as if they were playing a club game. They add 222 for the sixth wicket in less than two sessions, and Tendulkar has 26 boundaries in his score of 169. Donald, by his own admission, felt like applauding.155 not out v Australia, Chennai, 1997-98
Seventy-one runs in arrears, India start the second innings and despite Navjot Singh Sidhu’s 64 find themselves only 44 in front when Tendulkar joins Rahul Dravid. The duo has to contend with Shane Warne bowling from round the wicket and into the rough. Tendulkar, who has practised against Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and a few other bowlers on artificially created rough patches before the series, decides to take apart Warne. In a breathtaking assault, with the match hanging in the balance, he deploys his unique slog sweeps against the spin to steer India past Australia and snatch a match-winning 347-run lead.Twin centuries v Australia, Sharjah, 1997-98
India are chasing Australia’s 284, but more importantly they need to score 254 to beat New Zealand on net run-rate and make their way to the final. Single-handedly Tendulkar takes India close to the cut-off when sandstorms disrupt play. Just when India’s prospects of making it to the final look bleak, Tendulkar not only takes them beyond the target, but for a brief while lets them entertain hopes of a win.Twin centuries v Australia, Sharjah, 1997-98
It couldn’t have got better. It does. Two days later, at the same venue, chasing a similar total, 273, to win the final, Tendulkar decimates the Australian attack. By the time he is out in the 45th over, he has left India only 25 more to get. Shane Warne is so devastated he confesses Tendulkar hits him for sixes in his nightmares.141 and 4 for 38 v Australia, Dhaka, 1997-98
Six months after having destroyed the Aussie bowlers’ psyches, Tendulkar meets them again in a big-match environment: the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy.
And again, single-handedly he puts Australia out of the game with his third century against them in three matches. His 141 comes in 128 balls, and India are 280 in the 46th over when he gets out. To put the matter beyond doubt, Tendulkar kills an interesting contest by dismissing Steve Waugh, Michael Bevan, and Damien Martyn with 4 for 38.The first match-winning fourth-innings century, in Chennai against England in 2008•AFP136 v Pakistan, Chennai, 1998-99
Few Indian batting performances have been as heroic, or as tragic. Chasing 271 in the fourth innings of a low-scoring match, India experience a familiar top-order collapse, and are sinking fast at 82 for 5. Tendulkar finds an able ally in Nayan Mongia, and rebuilds the innings in a painstaking, un-Tendulkar-like manner. After helping add 136 for the sixth wicket, Mongia departs to an ungainly pull. Tendulkar, whose back is giving way, shifts up a gear or two and starts dealing in boundaries. But one error of judgment and it’s all over. Saqlain Mushtaq defeats the intended lofted on-drive with a magical ball that drifts the other way, catches the outer part of Tendulkar’s bat and balloons up to mid-off. The tail disgrace themselves, and India fall short by a gut-wrenching 13 runs.233 not out v Tamil Nadu, Mumbai, 1999-2000
It’s a Ranji semi-final against a strong Tamil Nadu, and Mumbai are looking down the barrel after their bowlers have given away 485 runs. A first-innings lead is crucial, and Mumbai look down for the count at 127 for 4 when old pal Vinod Kambli joins Tendulkar and they see Mumbai out of trouble. They are not anywhere near home when Kambli falls with the score on 266. Tendulkar then takes charge, and with the lower order, sees Mumbai just past Tamil Nadu’s total and into a final Mumbai go on to win. It is just the kind of against-the-odds match-winning knock that has eluded him at international level, which is perhaps why he ranks it among his best in all forms.155 v South Africa, Bloemfontein, 2001-02
On the first day of an overseas series, India’s plight is a familiar one – four down for 68, with all the wickets going just the way the South Africans planned – to rising balls. Tendulkar has a debutant for company, with another to follow. He takes 17 balls to score his first run, but 101 come off the next 97 deliveries. It isn’t the prettiest of Tendulkar’s Test tons, but it is one of the most savage, characterised by pulls and vicious upper-cuts. The South Africans have a plan for India, and Tendulkar makes a mockery of it. By the time his innings ends, India are reasonably well placed, though they go on to lose the Test.98 v Pakistan, Centurion, 2003
Tendulkar has been compelled to live this World Cup match against Pakistan for a year in advance. He does not sleep well for 12 nights going into the match. Faced with a target of 274, Tendulkar shows no anxiety whatsoever. Or is it that nervous energy? He finishes his hyped battle against Shoaib Akhtar in the latter’s first over with an uppercut for six, and then a flick and a straight block for two boundaries. Every bowler is dealt with with similar disdain. Tendulkar has not looked as pumped up before. And although he misses a century, he leaves the match sealed in the 28th over.117 not out v Australia, Sydney, 2007-08
Going into the first final of the CB Series, Tendulkar has not achieved many things: an ODI century in Australia, a century in 37 innings, a chase-winning century since 2001, a century in any chase since March 2004. In a 235-minute masterclass, he washes it all away, scoring 117 off 120 balls and leading India to the 240-run target on a difficult wicket just about solo. He dominates in the initial overs, shepherds the tentative middle order, and stays unbeaten to see the side home.37 and 103 not out v England, Chennai, 2008-09
Tendulkar has to his name every batting record worth having, except one perhaps: a fourth-innings century in an Indian win. Having struggled against the spin of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar in the first innings of the Chennai Test, India are left to chase 387 on a deteriorating pitch. The explosive start is provided by Virender Sehwag, and the final touches by Yuvraj Singh, but in the middle Tendulkar nurtures the chase, hardly ever looking under pressure, scampering through for singles like a teenager, breaking the shackles every now and then with the odd boundary. The last of those fours finishes the chase, and brings up the elusive century. It works a treat that it has come at the venue that was the scene of heartbreak nine years before, against Pakistan, and weeks after one of India’s worst terror attacks. With Tendulkar, India smiles again.175 v Australia, Hyderabad, 2009-10
Australia have amassed a massive 350 on a flat pitch in Hyderabad, and Tendulkar almost chases it down single-handedly. He displays through the innings how he has mastered the art of scoring quick runs without taking any risks. The only support comes from Virender Sehwag (38) and Suresh Raina (59). Tendulkar, who scores 175 off 141 balls, gives hardly a chance through the classic. When he does take risks, it’s worth preserving the shots in an album: stepping out to spinners, lofting straight down the ground; the unbelievably late flicks and the even later late cuts. It all ends in heartbreak, though: in Chennai in 1999, Tendulkar, having played an innings just as incredible, left the last three wickets 17 to get; on this night he leaves them 19 off 17. The rest choke like they did in Chennai.

Debutant David Miller played an important role in South Africa’s victory in the second Twenty20 against West Indies, but that didn’t surprise those who’ve been following his domestic progress

Firdose Moonda21-May-2010When David Miller hit his sixth ball on debut for South Africa for a smashing six, there would have been a few people nodding sagely and whispering, “I told you so.” The 20-year old was in the spotlight throughout the recently completed domestic season, ending as the Dolphins’ top run-scorer in both 40-over and 20-over competitions, and had many ex-players and administrators identifying him as a candidate for a national call up.Miller received that call last week, while he was playing for South Africa A in a tri-series in Bangladesh. “Andrew Hudson called me up and said congratulations, I had made the side,” he said. Miller admitted the chatter in the A camp at the time was about the inclusion of fresh faces in national squad, especially after South Africa’s World Twenty20 exit, but didn’t think he would be among those selected.”We were definitely talking about it, especially in terms of left-hand batsman being considered. The coach [Shafiek Abrahams] was telling us that we should use the tour of Bangladesh to put in good performances and show our faces.”Miller did exactly that, ending as South Africa A’s second-highest run scorer in the one-day series. He played five matches, scored 195 runs including a century, and averaged 65. That performance came after a domestic season where runs flowed despite a result drought for his franchise. Miller scored 366 in 11 MTN40 games, with an average of 40.66, and 159 in five Pro20s, with an average of 53.00.Form that good could not be ignored, according to prominent names in South African cricket. Hugh Page, a former selector, and HD Ackerman, a former Test batsman, both called for Miller’s inclusion in the national squad in the aftermath of South Africa’s second-round exit at the World Twenty20. They identified him as an explosive, clean-hitting batsman and someone who could add impetus to a batting order that lacked its usual forcefulness in the Caribbean.The chorus of calls for Miller’s inclusion was loud enough but that didn’t prevent the choristers from being surprised when their request was granted. Dolphins coach Graham Ford “didn’t expect it to happen as early as this” and Ackerman hoped Miller’s call up was not a “knee-jerk reaction.”The worry most have is that Miller would be treated as Juan Theron was. Theron, a death-bowling specialist, was included in the World Twenty20 side but did not get a game. Ford said he had discussed that with Miller because a lot of younger players, who were brought into the side simply to become accustomed to the feel of international cricket, ended up feeling like a spare tyre. “If that does happen, use it is an opportunity to learn, absorb information and see how the system works,” Ford told him.Ford’s fear was allayed when Miller made his debut earlier than expected in the second Twenty20 international against West Indies. That was the ideal place for Miller to be unveiled according to Ackerman, who believed there was less pressure on a player who made his first appearance in a Twenty20, compared to one introduced to international cricket in a one-dayer. “In an ODI if you hit two sixes and get out, people think you aren’t good enough, but if the same thing happens in a T20, people don’t really frown upon you.”Miller did hit two sixes but he didn’t get out immediately after, and ended up as South Africa’s highest run-scorer in the match. He made 33 off 26 balls and rescued the innings from a shaky 59 for 5 to a competitive 120 for 7. In doing so he achieved what he described as his ultimate goal, albeit for now. “It’s my dream to play a game and if I am given the opportunity, I will give it everything,” Miller had told Cricinfo on the night that he left for the West Indies.Miller also said he saw himself slotting in best in the middle order, which is where he was used, but that he was given no indication of what was expected of him until he arrived. He appeared to have no problems fitting into the set up, something experts would have told you they suspected would happen all along.Ford sees a long-term role for Miller in both forms of the limited-overs game. “He is very effective in the Powerplays and we also used him for some big hitting towards the end of the forty-over game. In T20s, I think he will be a real force upfront.”Ackerman hoped Miller would be managed properly, because he believed including him in the team is a long-term investment. “He has what it takes to make it at the highest level. He is a natural stroke player and I hope that never gets taken away from him.”

England’s Mr Dependable, Mike Hendrick, on the 1979 World Cup final and other career highlights

Duncan Steer06-Mar-2011Mike Hendrick, arguably the most reliable seam bowler of his generation, was around for plenty of English cricket’s most iconic moments: the 1974-75 Ashes thrashing by Lillee and Thomson and the 5-1 Ashes win under Mike Brearley four years later. He played in the 1981 Ashes side and, the following year, was one of Graham Gooch’s South African rebels. These days, he’s bowling coach to county champions Nottinghamshire.
But when SPIN speaks to him in early February, it’s his part in the 1979 World Cup final – one of the three times England have fallen at the final hurdle – that seems the best place to start to discuss his glittering if slightly unsung career. That day England were beaten by 92 runs by Clive Lloyd’s West Indians at Lord’s. But, as Hendrick recalls, it could all have been very different.”We were confident,” he says. “We had them 90-odd for 4. I’d just bowled Alvin Kallicharran and Viv [Richards] comes in. I nip one back at him first ball and it hits him in front of all three. Huge appeal. Umpire says not out. I could not believe it and neither could Viv. And Viv looked at me and I looked at him and he just pursed his lips. And as I walked back to my mark, the lads on the balcony have seen a replay and they’re all giving me the thumbs up. So he should have been out first ball. And then of course he got 138 and Collis King joined him and smacked it all over the place…”When England batted, chasing 287 off 60 overs, they started steadily. Very steadily. Geoff Boycott and captain Mike Brearley batted for 38 overs, the score ticking over to 129 for 0. Was there confidence in the dressing room at this point? “Yes, there was, up to a point,” says Hendrick. “But then as the overs went on we were saying, ‘Shouldn’t they be starting to knock it around a little bit more’ because we were slipping further and further behind the rate. Then they tried to up the ante and both got out… and, as so often happens, the batsmen further down had to force the pace and got themselves out. But you can’t take it away from the West Indies – they bowled really well.”With his easy, high action, the 6ft 3in Hendrick extracted extra bounce from a good length and was a byword for accuracy and economy in the 1970s England attack. He had an economy rate of 2.17 in 30 Tests and says that his action really was as natural as it looked. “I had absolutely no coaching at all. I had to learn on the hoof. I had one or two bits of advice from senior bowlers. Stuff like, ‘If you want to make it as a bowler, you want to cut the four-balls out’.” Sensible advice.”Nobody seems bothered about how many runs you give away now. It used to be a battle of wits between an opening batter and an opening bowler. A game of chess. Now both are trying to dominate the other and batters are playing big shots at balls they shouldn’t be hitting, and the bowlers pick up wickets with complete rank deliveries.”Turned down after a spell with Leicestershire, Hendrick made his county debut for Derbyshire at 20. “When I started I was like a matchstick with the wood scraped off,” he laughs. Winters working on sites helped build him up, and dedication perfected his craft: “I’d go in the nets on my own and try and bowl off stump out of the ground, until I could do it consistently.”Sixty-six wickets at 20 each in 1973 earned him an England tour spot and, in 1974, a Test debut, on which he took a wicket with his first legitimate ball. Hendrick would play 30 Tests over the next seven years, interrupted chiefly by a hamstring injury picked up on the 1974-75 Ashes tour. Given the destruction wreaked by the Australian fast bowlers Lillee and Thomson, he possibly got off lightly.”Thomson said he wanted to see English blood on the pitch, but to be honest the first innings of the first Test wasn’t anything startling. But the second innings – blimey, it was a different story. Thomson broke Tony Greig’s toe, Dennis Amiss’ thumb. There were loads of lads getting hit and I’m thinking: ‘Hang on.’ My pads were like a pair of Ryvitas and I didn’t have a thigh pad, so I’m scrapping round for extra protection. So I put a towel down my trousers and a handkerchief in my pocket. No helmets, no arm guard, nothing. When I got out there, Thomson’s first ball knocked my bat out of my hands! I was thinking: ‘I’ve got a wife and kids at home. What am I doing?’ After the second one, I went and shook his hand and said, ‘Thanks for the game’ and walked off.”

“So I put a towel down my trousers and a handerchief in my pocket. No helmets, no arm guard, nothing. When I got out there, Thomson’s first ball knocked my bat out of my hands! I was thinking: ‘I’ve got a wife and kids at home. What am I doing?’ After the second one, I went and shook his hand and said, ‘Thanks for the game’ and walked off.”

Four years later England and Hendrick had a happier tour – Hendrick took 19 wickets at 15 each and England ran out 5-1 winners. “I was physically stronger and probably mentally too. I knew what I was doing by then.”Hendrick was selected for Headingley 81 but when the selectors found out Bob Willis was fit after all, the invitation was withdrawn. Hendrick returned for the final Test, at The Oval but it proved to be his last.After retirement there was an abortive move into umpiring, where opportunities proved limited, forcing Hendrick to find his way in the real world. “I got a proper job. I sold cars – not very successfully. Other bits and pieces. Eventually I worked for Radio Trent, selling advertising, which was great fun. And they got me doing reports from grounds on Saturdays and I ended up doing some stuff for , which was fun.”Finally Hendrick found himself back in cricket full time, coaching Ireland, then Scotland, before working with Derbyshire, Zimbabwe’s new Twenty20 franchises and, now, county champions Nottinghamshire.Hendrick obviously loves working with one of the strongest rosters of seam bowlers in the country, at Trent Bridge. “I’ve been focusing on the lads in the wings, working with the Academy this winter: And we have Luke Fletcher and Andy Carter, who are both in the ECB fast-bowling set-up, and Jake Ball. I’m excited to be working with them; there’s some real talent there.”Hendrick sees the modern game close up and is well placed to compare it to his own playing days. “If I had a choice, I would play now – for the money. But for fun I don’t think it compares. We always had a lot of fun. Both teams would go for a drink at close of play. But as long as you performed on the field next day, no one was bothered…”I remember one pre-season as an 18-year-old I’d bowled for two and half hours in the nets and I was standing outside the dressing room with a pint of orange squash. And this senior fast bowler who’d never spoken to me before looked at me and said: “If you want to be a fast bowler, lad, get some ale down you.”He laughs at the memory. “Wise words,” he says.

A fan takes in the sights, sounds and sandwiches at Lord’s

Scott Collen05-Jun-2011The sun beat the brim of my battered wide-brim hat as I emerged from the St John’s Wood tube. “Tickets buying selling, tickets, buying, selling” accosted me. I had learned from last year waiting for my Dad by the touts could cause a small, accidental turf war.Searches at the North Gate discovered I had not packed anything I intended to. Sharp implements, excessive amounts of alcohol or a flag.Years of Lord’s-going dictated the routine. Programme, piss, pie, pint. Once all had been achieved with the minimum fuss – apart from the programme because I had to stop to get Tuffers to sign it – we moved up to our seats. Upper Compton, row Q.The northern boys seated behind gave us ‘”southerners” a thorough grounding on why it was good to shout “Gilbert” at Steven Finn and “put it on his half of the stick” to Stuart Broad.The Fat Lad in front commanded two seats with only one ticket and one rump. His friend routinely napped beside him, intermittently going to the bar to buy Pimms. Fat Lad, while geographically challenging the surface area of the chair, was himself geographically challenged. Trying to locate a curry house, he outlined his map of London on the clear blue sky and correctly placed Lord’s and Wembley on it. He went on to struggle with whether Brick Lane was south London and whether or not Waterloo was within walking distance. Apparently it was. Good luck guys – it’s not.An elderly couple to my left had come to the Test as a special treat for the husband who had had a stroke. This did not stop him giving billyo to the Sri Lankans and a sterling “cricket was better in my day” speech to a group of nonplussed children in front of him.While England batted, the crowd was taking its coffee, mulling over whether, like a kid on a school trip, to eat the sandwiches straightaway.By 12:30, most had decided to eat the scotch eggs and save the sarnies. Champagne corks had popped to mark the start of acceptable cricket drinking hours.Dad, a 30-year-veteran of Lord’s, attempted to broach the subject that I might like to go to some Twenty20. This is his way of saying, “I want to go to Twenty20 but your mother won’t let me spend the money unless you come”. I put my foot down. Twenty20 is frivolous, instant gratification which will only lead to the Americanisation of cricket. Not on my agenda to promote that. If the Yanks want in, learn to play properly, like a good former colony should.Praise for the players only extends to the batsmen, Tillakaratne Dilshan, who on a batting track did what he should do: score runs, though not as quickly as the crowd would have liked. Paranavitana or Piranha-vitananana (courtesy witty northerners behind) was the man guilty of lulling a 25,000-strong cricket audience into submission. The leave is not a shot. Nor is it fun to watch – unless someone cocks it up, which he did, but not badly enough to be dismissed.A special mention should go to Matthew Prior, who, in approaching his hundred, hit some of the ropiest and luckiest we saw; including several shots from the “if you’re going to flash, flash hard” school of thought, as he edged, tickled and flashed his way past a century.The afternoon session dragged as Piranha van (those northerners again) ignored everything that wasn’t going to hit his stumps. The England pacers didn’t help matters by agreeing with his plan and bowling outside off stump, although a fair few times it was outside leg stump too.As I realised I’d burnt the tops of my knees from a day in the sun, the only thing I felt had been missing was the chance to watch kwik cricket on the outfield. All batsmen have one shot at that age, and last year one little girl only had the reverse-sweep in her locker. It was brilliant to watch.

Despite coming with lofty credentials, and sacrificing opportunities to shine in domestic cricket, South Africa’s young brigade did not get a fair chance to make an impact in the IPL

Firdose Moonda08-Jun-2011Colin Ingram, Rusty Theron and Faf du Plessis would easily make the starting XI of most franchise teams. Rilee Rossouw, Robbie Frylinck and Jonathan Vandiar would come close too. These six men are among the most talented and best performing on the South African domestic scene, skills that won them IPL contracts, giving them a massive stage to show off their cricketing gifts. But, the curtain fell on that stage before it even opened.Theron, du Plessis, Rossouw, Frylinck and Vandiar did not a play single match and Ingram featured in only three of Delhi Daredevils’ 14 matches. His highest score was an unbeaten 13, and his stint did not provide IPL watchers a glimpse of the real Ingram, a classy batsman with a wonderful balance between force and flair, a big hitter who topped the run charts in both the twenty- and forty-over formats in the 2009-10 South African domestic season.All six players were rewarded with varyingly handsome sums of money, with du Plessis the highest earning bench-warmer, pocketing US$120,000 over three seasons, while Ingram was bought for US$100,000. It’s cash that can hardly be scoffed at, but even the heartiest of pay-outs can do little to stem the disappointment that comes with spending two months watching cricket when one would rather be playing. “I did feel a little left out and had to try and remind myself to stay sharp so that I would be ready when my time came,” Ingram told ESPNcricinfo. “There were times when it was frustrating.”Communication at the Delhi franchise did little to help and it was one of the areas that Ingram identified as an issue of concern during the IPL. “It wasn’t really spoken about; why certain people didn’t play, and it was something that became a bit of a problem. We [players and management] did discuss the communication and it was decided that that is an area that will be improved upon next season.”Delhi finished at the bottom of the table, something that would have further demoralised players, but Ingram was upbeat about the future of the franchise. “It was very encouraging to see how well the group of guys got on. There were a few dark days and when Viru [Virender Sehwag] was ruled out injured we lost a lot of momentum, but this is a young team with a lot of talent and I think we will do better next time.”Despite the tepid start to his three-year tenure in the glamorous competition, Ingram enjoyed the experience of being part of the tournament. A relative newcomer to international cricket – he has played 12 ODIs and five Twenty20s for South Africa – Ingram said the most important thing he took away from the tournament was “learning to deal with people from different countries”.Unlike some of the other foreign players, he travelled with the team to all their matches and said that he “tried to get involved wherever I could, whether it was to be 12th man or carry drinks”. Through that, he saw many different parts of India and “enjoyed learning about Indian culture”.Ingram says the season allowed him develop strong bonds with some of his team-mates, like Prashant Naik, Yogesh Nagar, Aavishkar Salvi and Varun Aaron. “Some of the time we would have our own training sessions and share with each other. I taught them a few techniques in dealing with short balls and they helped me work on my reverse sweep.”Ingram also used the time in India to gather information to transfer to his home franchise, the Warriors, who will play in the Champions League in India later in the year. “I wanted to learn as much as I could so that I could bring those skills back when I return with the Warriors.” The franchise finished last season’s Champions League as runners-up to the Chennai Super Kings and will be anxious to show that their success was not merely a fluke, especially because the tournament was played in South Africa last year.Ingram was luckier than the rest of the young South African contingent, which did not get a single opportunity in the IPL. Rossouw, a formidable batsman from the Free State, said his experience was a little less anxious than Ingram’s because he did not expect to be in the starting XI. “I was told that my chances of playing are slim and then we had a few injuries, I thought maybe I would get a game. But I had decided before the competition that even if I don’t get game time, it’s all about the learning experience.”Bangalore’s fortunes changed with the arrival of Chris Gayle, four matches into the competition. He single-handedly lifted them all the way to the final, and Rossouw enjoyed being in his presence. “The whole atmosphere changed when he arrived. We started winning. I spoke to him a little about how he prepares for games and I learnt a thing or two.”Rossouw only travelled to a handful of Bangalore’s away games and spend the bulk of his time training at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. He found the intensity and focus similar to what he experiences in South Africa, although there was a heightened emphasis on fielding, “always a bit of a hype with Ray Jennings”.Rossouw is looking forward to returning to the next edition of the competition and is hopeful that he will get a chance next year if he does will in the domestic season. Players like Faf du Plessis, who didn’t take the field for Chennai and Davy Jacobs, who was injured midway through Mumbai’s campaign may be thinking the same thing.The IPL was different for South Africans this time around because unlike in second edition, when Yusuf Abdulla was uncovered, or 2010 when Rusty Theron was contracted and even given games after a successful domestic season, only the players with a fair amount of international experience got regular game time. Big names like Albie Morkel, AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis were able to prove their worth, but fringe players who are either on the brink of international cricket, like Rossouw, or trying to establish themselves, like Ingram and du Plessis, were consigned to carrying drinks.In a worrying sign for South African cricket, they also missed the last round of first-class fixtures to participate in the IPL. It meant that the likes of Ingram were hidden away in a dugout in India, when they could have instead been showcasing their talent back home. Ingram may have become richer in the process, but what he lost in game time, is worth far more.

The fifth bowler continues to be a problem for Trinidad and Tobago

Siddarth Ravindran at the Chinnaswamy Stadium27-Sep-2011For the second game in a row at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, it went down to the last ball. For the second game in a row, it was two needed off the final delivery. For the second game in a row, the fielding captain chose to keep the field spread out, and the chasing side won.On Friday, Wayne Parnell broke Royal Challengers Bangalore’s hearts with a scuffed two to long-on. In that game, the defensive field for the final ball could have been explained by the high scores in the match and the fact that Parnell, a player with international experience and one accustomed to high-pressure situations, was at the crease and had just muscled his first ball for a boundary.On Monday, in a game where both T&T and Mumbai Indians found run-scoring exceedingly difficult, the final ball was to be faced by Yuzvendra Chahal, who at 21 has little exposure on the big stage and shown modest batting capability. Even as late as three deliveries into the last over, the No.11 Chahal wouldn’t have expected to be needed in the middle, only forced to stride out after run-outs on the fourth and fifth ball of the over.The T&T captain, Daren Ganga, had attacked with helmeted close-in fielders for significant parts of the innings, but decided to keep a deep-set field for the last delivery to be bowled by his brother, the offspinner Sherwin. On the leg side, only short fine leg was in the circle, with three men patrolling the boundary. On the off side, there were three fielders in the ring, and a sweeper and long-off deep.Perhaps the decision to not crowd the in-field and push for a win was a result of a lack of confidence in Sherwin Ganga. The fifth bowler has proved problematic for T&T so far in the tournament, with Ganga and Lendl Simmons going at nearly 12 an over in the two matches in the qualifying phase.The strategy nearly paid off as well, despite Ganga sending down a poor final delivery. It was a low full toss that was flailed toward midwicket. Adrian Barath had to come in from deep midwicket nearly all the way to the circle, but even as he collected the ball the batsmen had just taken off for the second. Even though Barath’s throw was several yards off the mark, wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin had the time to effect the run-out that would have prompted the super over T&T aimed for, but his underarm throw missed the stumps.Most of the T&T fielders sank to their knees in despair, and the others barely moved, still digesting the fact that their valiant attempts to defend the seemingly indefensible total of 98 had left them with nothing to show on the points table. Only Daren Ganga shuffled around, patting his team-mates on the back and lauding their efforts.After the match, Daren Ganga explained why he went for the tactic. “Whenever a team has got two runs to win, you first and foremost ensure that you at least get a draw,” he said. “Judging from the way we were bowling and the way we were fielding, it was very difficult for us to defend one run, we tried to have another bite at the cherry, so to speak, and play the super over.”There should be little criticism of Daren Ganga for the strategy, though T&T lost a match that Harbhajan Singh said Mumbai didn’t deserve to win. Given the fiendish difficulty in stopping the single even with the field brought in, the safety-first approach was probably the sensible option. It would have been fun, though, to see if Chahal would have batted for the super over if all the fielders were positioned in the circle or if he would have gone for glory by hitting over the top.

While India cannot possibly visualise an escape in Sydney as yet, Gautam Gambhir has the opportunity to fight his way out of a tight corner

Sidharth Monga at the SCG05-Jan-2012Gautam Gambhir wasn’t merely in jail – nor, for that matter, were India. They were in solitary confinement in the deepest, darkest corner of the jail. Now, for Gambhir more than India, there is a sliver of light, a hole in one of the four walls. Over the next two days, he will hope for – not think of or visualise – an escape.It began with his first forceful, horizontal-bat shot of the series. Until then there had been no respite. The Australian bowlers were bowling short of a length, around off, and he was poking at them. Not used to leaving off a length, not sure of the line because of the doubt caused by Ben Hilfenhaus’ swing back into him. Duncan Fletcher said two days ago that leaving those deliveries alone was not going to be the solution, that Gambhir needed to bat in his natural, positive way. He said when Gambhir is feeling good about his game, he scores off the same deliveries.Gambhir hasn’t felt good about his game on this tour. He has been nervous, pushing at balls in the hope they hit the middle of the bat. It is easier to say that being positive is the solution, though, than actually pulling off the transformation. How do you go about being positive when you don’t know where the next run is coming from?At such times, perhaps the best thing to happen is for you to feel that you have nothing to lose. Or very little. In the three previous innings, Gambhir had much more to lose. Today, not much. Yes, technically the Test can still be saved, but these journeys can’t be made with the destination in sight. Gambhir became a bit adventurous today. The second ball he faced was not too different from the ones he has been edging so far. He upper-cut it. Over gully it went, for four. He went at the next ball too. Again, it went for four.There was clarity of thought after that. He began to leave better. When he played at those testing deliveries, he drove. The number of those previously troublesome deliveries reduced. You could see he was feeling better. For a change, the sound of an Indian bat resonated at the SCG for a little while. It was the reflex of a man trying to save his name. Thinking of saving his career might be too drastic a thought, trying to save the match, too far away.As Rahul Dravid said, India were not thinking of drawing the match as of now. “We need to go out there and show some fight,” he said. “And bat as long as we can. Who knows what can happen? We have got quality batsmen who can bat long periods. It’s hard to think about two days from now right away. I am sure the guys will go out and fight and do the best they can. And we will take it from there.”Gambhir, Dravid said, just batted. If the ball was up there to be driven, he played the natural drive. When he saw the spinner, he stepped out and went inside-out with the turn, and picked up two boundaries off the last two balls before tea. He raced away to 59 off 65. We were getting into Gambhir territory now. He has shown he is more adept than a regular modern batsman when it comes to just batting, batting even when the runs aren’t coming and when there is no win in sight. Just the road.The road was revealed to him towards the end of day’s play. Australia set in-out fields to cut out the boundaries, and bowled outside off to see if he would continue pushing. Gambhir wouldn’t. He went 34 deliveries without scoring a run. Hilfenhaus, India’s nemesis, remained. One of Gambhir’s two false shots came off his bowling. Today, though, the edge wouldn’t carry. When it would carry, off James Pattinson, Brad Haddin would drop him. You need luck at times. Dravid said India would need every ounce they could conjure.”Part of the challenge is mental,” Dravid said. “Part of it is physical and technical. Physically you have to bat long period of times. Technically they have a good attack that is bowling well, so you have to counter them technically too. It’s a combination. If we are going to save the game from here, we need everything to work for us.”He sees hope in Gambhir, but nothing more than hope. “Happy for Gautam,” he said. “He has worked very hard. He’s been under pressure obviously. He wants to score runs. He is very keen to do well. It was nice to see him come out and play some shots, play positively and get going. Later on, towards the end of the day, when things were tough, he gritted it out and hung in there. Hopefully he can convert [the start] into a big one. We know he enjoys batting long periods of time.”One hundred and twenty-four balls is not a long period of time. Gambhir hasn’t scored a century in nearly two years. India have crossed 300 only once in their last 17 away attempts. Gambhir, though, might have taken the first few baby steps out of the rut he finds himself in.