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Despite teams chasing down stiff targets far more easily this season, the absence of huge scores suggests a fairly even contest between bat and ball

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan18-Apr-2011Each of the four editions of the IPL has had one dominant trend. While the first one had a number of high scores, the second and third seasons were much more balanced, with spin proving to be a valuable wicket-taking and run-curtailing option. In this season so far, teams have been unable to make huge scores, but have chased competitive targets far more easily than in earlier seasons. Here is a look at some of the key stats from the first ten days of this tournament, and a comparison with the corresponding periods in 2008 and 2010, when the tournament was played in India. (IPL 2011 has had 17 matches in the first ten days. In the same duration, there were 16 games in 2010 and 14 in 2008.)Teams struggle to defend
From the results of the matches played in the first ten days, IPL 2011 has been the most successful one for teams chasing. Thirteen out of 17 matches have been won by the teams batting second, an even better record than the first season, when chasing teams won ten of the first 14 games. The 2010 season in India was far more even, with teams batting first winning eight and losing seven of the first 16 games. The IPL 2008 and 2011 seasons have been quite similar in terms of successful chases of 150-plus scores: in 2008 a 150-plus target was chased successfully six times in the first ten days, compared to seven in the current tournament so far; in 2010, this happened only three times in the first ten days. From the table, it can be seen that both the average and run-rate for chasing teams have been significantly better than those of the teams batting first in the IPL 2008 and 2011 seasons. The stats for the first and second innings are however much closer in the 2010 season.However, unlike in earlier seasons, teams in the 2011 season have not been able to post massive scores. There were seven 200-plus scores posted by teams in the first ten days of the first IPL season and five in the same period of the 2010 season. But so far, there has not been a single scores over 200 in this year’s IPL. This could perhaps partially be explained by the fact the average run-rate of teams in the first six overs of the innings (7.21) has been much lower than the corresponding figure in IPL 2008 (8.07) and IPL 2010 (7.98).Another surprise in the 2011 IPL has been the lack of close finishes. There have been only two wins by a margin of 15 runs or less, and one win with six balls or fewer remaining with the loss of five or more wickets. In contrast, there were five close games in the first ten days of IPL 2008 and seven (including a tied game) in the first 16 matches of IPL 2010.

Bowlers have their say
The overall run-rate in the first season (8.61) remains the highest among the three editions played in India. The run-rate in the 2011 edition (7.96) is the lowest and only marginally higher than the overall run-rate in the first ten days of IPL 2009 played in South Africa (7.76). While the run-rate for the first-six over period in IPL 2011 is the lowest, the average is much better. The percentage of runs scored in boundaries has also decreased considerably in the later editions when compared to the first season.In the first season, spinners bowled just five overs in the first-six over period of the first 14 matches. In 2010, they were extremely successful, bowling 26 overs in the same period and conceding just 6.23 runs per over. The performance of spinners in IPL 2011 has, however, been poorer: they have picked up just five wickets in the first-six over phase and have an economy rate of 7.44, which is higher than that of the pace bowlers (6.79). While IPL 2008 is still on top in terms of the scoring rate of teams in the last six, the run-rate in the 2011 season in the corresponding phase of the innings is 9.88, which is much higher than the figure for IPL 2010 (8.94).

Spin still a key
The role of spinners has steadily gained importance after the first season when they were ineffective and sparingly used. In IPL 2008, they picked up only 36 wickets and conceded 8.12 runs per over. Despite not taking too many wickets in the second season in South Africa, their economy rate (6.62) was far better than that of the fast bowlers (8.04). In the 2011 season so far, spinners have picked up 57 wickets at 33.87. Although spinners have a better economy rate (7.55) than fast bowlers (7.94) in 2011, their average and economy rate are much higher than their corresponding numbers in the 2010 season.

There were six centuries scored in the 2008 IPL of which four came in the first ten days. The number of centuries fell to two in IPL 2009 in South Africa, but was back to four in the 2010 IPL in India. While the 2010 edition had just one century and 27 fifties in the first ten days of the tournament, there have been two hundreds and 26 fifties in the same period of this year’s IPL. Interestingly, the first ten days of all three IPL editions held in India had the same number of 100-plus stands.

Of the 23 wickets to fall on the second day, four of them were given out with the assistance of DRS. Nine decisions were reviewed in total, six that were initially called not-out

Firdose Moonda at Newlands10-Nov-2011Some Test matches produce such compelling contests, are filled with intrigue or are simply so unusual that they need to be named. Test No. 2016 played at Newlands, the first in Cape Town in November in 90 years, is one of them. It will be called the Technology Test.Of the 23 wickets to fall on the second day, four of them were given out with the assistance of DRS. Nine decisions were reviewed in total, six that were initially called not-out. Cricket has not seen this many wickets fall on a day’s play in over a hundred years, and that number would have plummeted today had it not been for the presence of technology.The day’s play was remarkable for many reasons. For three hours and 45 minutes between between the morning and evening session, the Cape Town’s cricket field appeared to have been transformed into Johannesburg’s high-speed Gautrain. Wickets whizzed by at the rate of one every 11 and a quarter minutes. Every ball was at risk of being appealed and referred, no batsman was safe and anyone who could bowl would have backed themselves to try and add to the carnage.Then, technology had it say, turning deliveries that would have previously been judged as close but no cigar, into wicket-takers and showing why moving cricket into the modern age can only be a positive thing.It started when Hashim Amla was struck on the pad by Shane Watson and on first glance, the not out decision did not appear to be obviously questionable. The replays were comprehensive in showing that the naked eye can sometimes err in the worst way possible, and that Amla was not only struck in line but the ball would have gone on to hit middle and leg. The hackneyed expression about technology eliminating the obvious errors has found a way into this piece, largely because of that.It was the next two referrals that may become the DRS’ best case studies of why the system works and should be used. Neither Jacques Kallis nor AB de Villiers would have been given out had technology, and Hot Spot in particular, not been available.Watson was convinced that Kallis had got bat on ball when his attempt at a pull went wrong. At first glance, it looked as though the ball brushed his shoulder, which it did, and nothing else. Hot Spot knew better and the white mark showed a massive edge. It symbolises a major development for the equipment, which has now progressed to picking up when the ball has made contact with the bat, even when the bat is in rapid motion.”Our main problem, over the last year or so, has been the blur, particularly when the player swings quickly,” Warren Brennan, managing director of BBG Sports, the company who pioneered Hot Spot, told ESPNCricinfo. “On the dead bat shots, I don’t think we’ve missed many of those. That [Kallis decision] surprised me. It still was quite blurry but he obviously smacked the cover off the ball so there was a big Hot Spot. But on the ones where they swing quite hard and get a very small tickle are hard to pick up for us. We’ve been trying to improve that.” The Hot Spot camera was the only one at the ground that picked up Kallis’ edge, rubberstamping its worth in the game.de Villiers may not even have faced a review, had Australia not been in such a dominant position at that stage. The appeal for lbw seemed optimistic and it looked like South Africa’s No. 5 had inside-edged onto his pad. Hot Spot immediately dismissed all notion of that, leading to a decision an umpire would likely had been criticised for making if there was no evidence to back it up. “It was quite clear that it hit the pad before it hit the bat,” Brennan said.Mark Boucher, later, had questioned the height of the ball that would give Watson his fifth wicket after being hit above the roll on the back pad. That time it was ball-tracking and Hawk-Eye that showed that the ball was destined for the top of the stumps and so endorsed the on-field call. Brennan said that decisions like that show that, “if you are not going to technology [fully], don’t use all of it.” “Hot Spot with the ball-tracking covers most of it,” he said.The absence of ball-tracking had bothered Brennan, who covered the four Test series between England and India earlier this year, with only Hot Spot. The series resulted in a renewal of the BCCI’s suspicions about the DRS system as a whole and ICC U-turning on their decision for it to be a mandatory part of all Test and one-day series. It was a testing time for Brennan and his team, who felt Thursday’s play in Cape Town was vindication for their work. “In the UK, in the middle of the year, we probably had a couple of bad days where we missed a couple,” he said. Over the last three months, we have tried to do a lot of things to try and improve it like changing different settings on the cameras. There’s a lot of pressure on us to get everything right.”Now, there is also pressure on the players to know when and how to use the technology. Shane Watson could have avoided being the first Australia wicket to fall in their second innings had he reviewed his lbw decision against Dale Steyn – replays showed the ball was going over the stumps. Ricky Ponting asked for his to go to the third umpire, which turned out to be a waste of an Australia review. Vernon Philander called for a review when he thought he had trapped Shaun Marsh lbw, only to be turned down.With players from both sides appearing stunned at the sheer volume of events that took place on the second day of what will become a truncated Test, the one positive thing they agreed on was that the use of technology benefitted the game. “For the big inside edge or the big caught behind with Hot Spot, its working well,” Michael Clarke said. Jacques Rudolph, who had a catch he had taken checked by the third umpire, agreed. “I like it [DRS], because I think if you can bring technology into the game and maybe help the umpires a bit that’s a good thing.”

For half a day’s play, there was lots of action. Pity India didn’t out up a fight

Scott Hazebroek16-Jan-2012Choice of game
With the WACA only hosting (on average) one Test a year, I wasn’t going to miss a minute of the action. With India four wickets down and still needing another 120 runs to make Australia bat again, my prediction was Australia to close out the match before tea.Team supported
Australia.Key performers
Virat Kohli kept Australia out in the sun and provided some resistance, but Ben Hilfenhaus was great for Australia. He claimed three wickets in his second over after lunch, and cleaned up the tail who could have stuck around and made Australia bat again.One thing I’d have changed about the day
I would have changed the security post-match; it was too strict and over-the-top. Many people were waiting for signatures from the Australian players. However, after over half an hour later, they hadn’t come out. The security men rather forcefully said something like, “Action is over, out you go everyone”. However, I’d heard that the players came out later after previous Tests. There was also a ridiculous amount of security around a team bus on the way out.Enhanced viewing
Despite it being unlikely that the match would last the day, I came with lots of supplies. The seats are rather hard and uncomfortable, so a towel eased the pain. I also brought my iPad, radio and signature bat. On the food and drink side, I had a box of crackers, a Vegemite roll, a sports drink, some grapes and a fruit bar.Filling the blanks
During the one break, lunch, I headed down to the front row and watched the “In2Cricket” junior matches. One six was caught one-handed by a man in the crowd. The food outlets were busy and bar packed.Wow moment
Michael Clarke took a fantastic catch at first slip to dismiss Zaheer Khan and put Hilfenhaus on a hat-trick. Zaheer fended a bouncer above Clarke’s head. Brad Haddin dived across to try to catch it but Clarke kept his cool, jumped full stretch, and took it in both hands.Close encounter
I was sitting in the Lillee-Marsh stand, and I could see Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc signing autographs for many youngsters at fine leg. They were cheered when they obliged the children’s requests.Shot of the day
Kohli hit Hilfenhaus for a beautiful four through the covers. It was too little too late though, as R Vinay Kumar was at the other end.Crowd meter
The crowd was reasonable for a potential final day, and not much of a contest expected from India. However, there were still Indian fans in the crowd. The crowd got most excited when Hilfenhaus was on a hat-trick. He was clapped in and there was a loud groan when Ishant Sharma played and missed. Although the majority of the fans were Australians, there were polite claps whenever Kohli or Dravid hit a boundary.Entertainment
During the lunch break, the junior cricketers played and entertained us. There was an interview with an “In2Cricket” official, but apart from that, the entertainment was limited.Fancy-dress index
There were about six or eight men dressed up as umpires under the Inverarity Stand. I’m not sure, but I suspect that they were the same men who dressed up as Richie Benaud during the first day, as there wasn’t a sign of Richie anywhere. Whenever the umpires made a signal, these men would copy them. They were really good lookalikes!Tests v limited-overs
I definitely prefer Tests. Tests are what they are called: tests of all players’ bodies, minds and skills. During ODIs and Twenty20s, you have one go at batting, or a limited spell of bowling. In Tests, you can redeem yourself in the second innings. And, as David Warner proved, you can incorporate limited-overs into Tests to make them more exciting.Some people may find it hard to sit through seven hours in the blistering heat, with uncomfortable seats, and possibly boring play. Compare this to Twenty20, with short sessions and exciting performances… well, you can see why many people prefer to stay at home to watch Tests. But during Tests, anything can happen, and there are myriad records to set or break.Banner of the day
An Indian fan had a banner that said, “I’ve got the moves like Sachin”. The Indian fans seemed to like making banners, but there were very few Aussie signs.Stat of the day
The Australian bowlers took the same amount of wickets each in each innings: Hilfenhaus took four, Peter Siddle three, Mitchell Starc two, and Ryan Harris one wicket in each innings. Is this the first time such combination of wickets has happened twice, with the same bowlers claiming same amount of wickets? Who knows.Overall
There wasn’t much of a fight from India; at least, at 130-odd for four, they should have made Australia bat again. But one thing that was good was the umpiring: they were pretty much unnoticed, which is generally a good thing. The atmosphere was a bit expectant. The Aussie fans wanted a win and quickly!Marks out of 10
I’ll be generous and give it 6 for the Aussie win and Hilfenhaus’ over. But it wasn’t even half a day’s play and the Indians didn’t make a huge contest.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the opening day in Port-of-Spain

Daniel Brettig in Port-of-Spain15-Apr-2012Recall of the dayThe sixth ball of the match, delivered by Fidel Edwards, created a veritable trove of ambiguities and intrigues. Edwards moved the ball back into David Warner, the ball flicking pad, maybe bat and perhaps even stump on its way through to Carlton Baugh. West Indies appealed for caught behind and Marais Erasmus raised his finger, but before long Darren Sammy withdrew the hosts’ appeal because Baugh had not taken the catch. Had Sammy waited until the umpires resorted to television replays he may have seen Warner depart anyway, for the vision revealing the absence of any bat also showed that batsman could have been given out lbw.Introduction of the dayShane Shillingford’s first over of the Test caused plenty of eyes to narrow in on the Port-of-Spain pitch, to see how much spin and bounce would be on offer to the slow bowlers. Australia’s best judges reckoned it worthy of twin spin, and Shillingford would back up their summation of the surface by turning the ball appreciably. Warner has not been entirely comfortable against the turning ball so far in his Test career, and when Shillingford tossed his fifth ball higher, Australia’s opening batsman walked into a drive and snicked straight to slip.Afternoon greeting of the dayThe surface continued to assist Shillingford throughout a long and exacting spell. But his most notable delivery gave Ricky Ponting a fright on his return after lunch. Second ball of the afternoon session, Shillingford pitched an off break on a good length outside off stump. It failed almost entirely to bounce, forcing Ponting to jam down desperately in defence of his stumps and his pads, the edge trickling away and leaving all batsmen on both sides with an indicator of what they may expect later on in the match.Assist of the dayKemar Roach blasted out Ed Cowan and Ponting in a swift spell opposite the parsimonious Shillingford either side of lunch. But to dismiss Ponting, Roach required the help of two team-mates in the field. A delivery angled into Ponting and moving subtly way touched the former captain’s outside edge and flew through to Baugh, on the ground where he made his debut against Australia in 2003. However Baugh was unable to take it cleanly, the ball popping out of his gloves and rebounding to Sammy to claim it before it fell to the turf. Having been run-out in the first innings in Bridgetown then bowled by a shooter in the second, Ponting’s been a little short of luck in the Caribbean and here his run continued.

Australia’s all-round consistency clearly gives them an advantage over West Indies who have blown hot and cold in their matches against top teams

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan04-Oct-2012For almost a decade, West Indies have languished at the bottom of the Test and ODI rankings and struggled to pose a consistent threat to the top teams in these formats. However, in Twenty20 matches, West Indies’ explosive batting line-up and volatile nature have worked to their advantage. Despite not winning a World Twenty20 tournament yet, West Indies have managed to upset Australia (2009) and India (2009 and 2010). In this World Twenty20, West Indies’ form has fluctuated wildly. In the group stage, they batted superbly to post 191 against Australia but were ordinary with the ball and went down in a rain-curtailed game. Following a win and loss against England and Sri Lanka respectively, West Indies hauled themselves up to edge New Zealand in a Super Over and ensured qualification for the last four. Australia, who came into the tournament ranked shockingly low, have been clinical so far except in their last game against Pakistan. Given that they got the better of West Indies and came through a tougher Super Eights group, Australia are likely to start favourites in the fourth clash between the two sides in the World Twenty20.Before the tournament started, Australia were hardly given a chance considering they had tasted very little success in the matches after the 2010 World Twenty20. But the story in tournament has been completely different. Australia cruised through the group stage with wins over West Indies and Ireland before stamping their authority against India and South Africa. Overall though, Australia’s win-loss record in the format (30-26) is hardly awe inspiring. In the subcontinent, they have found it even harder winning five and losing seven matches. West Indies have lost more than they have won (19-23) overall and struggled to perform in the subcontinent too winning two and losing three matches.

West Indies ran out comfortable winners in the first two meetings between the two teams in 2008 and 2009. In the second game played at The Oval during the 2009 World Twenty20, Chris Gayle destroyed Australia’s bowling with a brilliant 88 off 50 balls. However, in the two subsequent meetings in the World Twenty20, Australia emerged on top. Although Australia hold the edge overall (5-3), West Indies will be buoyed by the fact that the teams have been level (3-3) in matches played in West Indies and neutral venues. While the average difference (difference between batting and bowling averages) has been better for Australia throughout, the run-rate difference (difference between batting run-rate and economy rate) has been in favour of West Indies in World Twenty20 matches and home games.

Shane Watson, who has won the most Man-of-the-Match awards, has been in superlative form in the tournament so far scoring three half-centuries in five matches. Such has been Australia’s dependence on him that in the only game he failed (against Pakistan), Australia lost by a big margin of 32 runs. Watson and David Warner have proved to be extremely dangerous in Twenty20 internationals and hold the record for the most century partnerships (3) including two in the World Twenty20. Their terrific run is reflected in Australia’s stats in the first six-over period. In contrast, West Indies have had problems at the start of their innings and average much lower in the same period. However, West Indies’ average and run-rate in the middle overs (7-14) are nearly as good as Australia’s. In the final six-over period, Australia are comfortably ahead of West Indies on the batting front.Australia’s pace attack has been responsible for giving them early breakthroughs. Their average (17.90) and economy rate (6.56) are much better than the corresponding numbers for West Indies in the first six-over period. As with the batting, West Indies have matched Australia in the middle overs (7-14) on the bowling front. Australia’s dominance extends to the bowling in the final overs too. In the final six-over period, Australia have an economy rate of 8.80 while West Indies have a much higher figure of 9.49.

In Watson and Gayle, Australia and West Indies have two of the most destructive openers in Twenty20 internationals. Both players have performed consistently in domestic and international matches with Gayle in particular leading the run charts in the last two IPL seasons. Overall, there is little to choose between the two players in terms of their average and strike rate. Gayle, however, is slightly ahead in terms of the boundary-run percentage (71.25%). The West Indian opener dominates the numbers in the first innings. He averages 42.21 batting first while Watson has managed just 26.93. Gayle’s scoring rate (9.11) in the first innings is also better than Watson’s corresponding number (8.65). The stats are however reversed in the second innings. Watson has been exceptionally prolific in chases with an average of 37.93 and scoring rate of 9.20. In comparison, Gayle has struggled averaging 28.18 and scoring at 8.15. Overall, Gayle has outperformed Watson in the World Twenty20 but the Australian opener has by far been the better batsman in this edition of the tournament with 242 runs in five innings at an average and scoring rate of 60.50 and 9.24 respectively.

Although the West Indies openers have been impressive in patches, they have been unable to maintain the consistency that Watson and Warner have. The Australian openers have aggregated 372 runs at 46.50 while maintaining a strike rate of 144.74. West Indies, on the other hand, have been moderately successful scoring 250 runs at an average of 31.25 and strike rate of 137.36. Hussey has scored 137 runs in four innings at No.3 while being dismissed just once. West Indies have a better strike rate and boundary percentage for positions 3 and 4 but have lost a higher number of wickets. With Australia hardly being stretched, the lower middle-order batsmen (No.5 to 7) have had very little to do. West Indies, however, have struggled losing eight wickets in four innings and average just 17.50 across these three batting positions.

Watson has clearly been the impact player of the tournament leading both the runs and wickets tally. Mitchell Starc has swung the ball at pace and picked up nine wickets at an excellent economy rate of just 6.60. Among all teams, Australia’s pace bowlers have been the most successful picking up 25 wickets at an average of 19.61 and economy rate of 7.61. The West Indies pace bowlers have had a tough time with just nine wickets at 41.44 (economy rate of 8.44). However, the West Indies spinners, led by Sunil Narine, have been more successful (nine wickets at 28.90) than the Australian slow bowlers (seven wickets at 34.14).

Back after the rousing success of season one, the stakes for BBL two are higher still

Alex Malcolm06-Dec-2012The Big Bash is back. Cue the excitement. Cue the fanfare. Cue the fireworks. Cue the chaos.And what chaos we have seen in the days leading up to opening night.First, Michael Clarke, Captain Australia, hero to the masses, world’s No.1 Test batsman, is withdrawn from his one and only scheduled appearance for the Sydney Thunder by Cricket Australia’s High Performance crew.Ben Hilfenhaus is likewise advised not to play for the Hobart Hurricanes as a precautionary measure with Test cricket in mind.In the same memo, injuries to John Hastings and Josh Hazlewood from their Test duties last week are outlined. Hastings is ruled out of the Melbourne Stars’ opening match. Hazlewood joins James Pattinson, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Marsh as non-participants in the entire tournament.Then came the saga of Usman Khawaja. Desperate to reclaim a Test berth, he is named to captain the Chairman’s XI team playing a three-day fixture against the touring Sri Lankans. But after Clarke’s withdrawal from the Thunder, Khawaja is to be withdrawn from day three of the Chairman’s match to represent the Thunder on Saturday night.Meanwhile, the most extraordinary scenario imaginable played out around the availability of Dale Steyn. Having signed for a one-off guest spot with the Brisbane Heat, the no objection certificate which the Heat obtained from Cricket South Africa was withdrawn when the Cape Cobras realised Steyn was available to play a limited overs semi-final for them on the same day.Each case brings its own complexities, all the while framing the all important second edition of the Big Bash League, which begins just five days after the completion of a compelling three Tests between Australia and South Africa, and less than a week before another vital series against Sri Lanka.BBL One began with similar doubts. No-one knew what to expect. No-one knew whether it would be constructive or destructive to Australian cricket. As it turned out it was a roaring success. It’s still hard to explain. Concocted teams, a cacophony of colour and sound, the constancy of games almost every night in prime-time for six weeks for some reason meant it was a winner. The crowd figures were not all that different to previous seasons but the television ratings were.Herein lies the importance of BBL Two. Cricket Australia’s current seven-year television rights deal with the Nine Network and Fox Sports is expiring in March of 2013. Fox Sports bought exclusive rights to the Big Bash last time around. Fox Sports paid well over the market value for domestic cricket in 2005, but well under the current worth in 2012. The BBL’s success has seen other networks clamouring for a slice of pie. The beauty of a successful domestic product is its reliability. The ratings of the international series scheduled during each Australian summer rise and fall with the quality and popularity of the opponent, as well as the quality and popularity of the Australian Test side.But the BBL is T20 cricket. It does not matter who is playing or where. Australians seem to love it. The facts back it up.The first domestic T20 scheduled in Australia in 2005 saw 20,071 pack into the WACA to watch WA and Victoria play a one-off match, for no rhyme or reason other than to trial a format no-one had ever seen before in Australia. Only 42,193 people attended a WACA Test match across four days a month earlier.Last season, 23,496 attended the MCG to see Shane Warne versus David Warner and Chris Gayle in the first Thunder v Stars showdown of BBL | 01. Yet nearly 5000 more turned out two years earlier when Victoria, without Warne, and New South Wales, without Gayle, played a T20 at the same venue. Work that one out.Ricky Ponting, widely lauded as the best Australian Test batsman since Bradman, played his final Test innings on Monday in front of less than 10,000 people in Perth. A month earlier he made a glorious, unbeaten 162 for Tasmania against Victoria in front of fewer than 100. Yet the crowd predicted at the Gabba on Sunday to watch Ponting in purple, in his least preferred format, will trump those figures comfortably.Fans show up for T20. It is the action-packed format for them. It is as predictable as night following day. Does it matter that Clarke has been withdrawn? He was not even on any BBL squad’s roster last year and the Big Bash was a huge success without him. Will the presence of Usman Khawaja, with his one T20 half-century and pedestrian career strike-rate of 101.13, add thousands to the crowd figures and television ratings? Imagine if he was 20 not out overnight in the second innings against Sri Lanka only to be pulled to play a T20.Will people care that David Warner has switched from the Thunder to the Sydney Sixers? Will they care that Shane Watson no longer plays for a Sydney team? Will they care that Dirk Nannes will line-up for his 10th different T20 franchise, not to mention his international caps with Australia and the Netherlands?Will fans recognise Faf du Plessis when he plays for the Renegades on Friday night for his seven-hour century for South Africa in the Test series? If the Renegades beat the Stars will anyone know the words to the team song, if indeed they have one, given Aaron Finch is the only player left in the entire squad who played in a Renegades win last year?Will the fans stay away because of the injuries to Mitch Marsh, John Hastings, Pat Cummins, James Pattinson, and Josh Hazlewood? Marsh was a star of last year’s tournament so he is a loss, but the other four managed two games between them for the entire BBL last summer, even if their currency has risen significantly in the interim.Will Brisbane Heat General Manager Andrew Blucher’s words ring true regarding Dale Steyn’s withdrawal?”[It] is terribly disappointing for the team and our fans and members, who were eagerly anticipating seeing Dale play.”If Brisbane fans missed his 30 overs in the Test match at the Gabba for South Africa three weeks ago will they really rue the four overs he could have bowled on Saturday night for the Heat?The frivolous postures being struck here, there and everywhere regarding the Big Bash League are not the major issues at play. It’s all just part of the fanfare. We will see big hitting, fast bowling, quality spin, great fielding, and close games throughout the tournament no matter the teams or the players. Australian domestic cricket has a reputation for it. The tournament will be successful again, and the only query is whether it can outstrip last year’s viewership records.

What if the Warne Muralitharan showdown in Melbourne on Friday night heavily outweighs the battle for the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy which begins in Hobart a week later? It is entirely conceivable that there will be more interest in the two retired (or are they?) champs than there will be in an Australia v Sri Lanka Test series

The broader concerns about BBL |02 are thus. How can Dale Steyn honour contracts with the Brisbane Heat, Cape Cobras, and the Deccan Chargers, at the same time, with all their competing interests, and yet all the while be prepared thoroughly for regular international duty? Cricketers today are not faced with the age-old club versus country that footballers are, they are now fighting franchise verses franchise arguments, tournament versus tournament debates. How can a player be a servant to four masters?At present, Steyn’s Cricket South Africa contract is lucrative enough to ensure national duties trump all others. What happens when it isn’t, like the cases of West Indian, New Zealand, Sri Lankan and Pakistani players? You can now see why many want a stand-alone window for the Indian Premier League. It would save the chaos that is occurring in Australia right now.Furthermore, Cricket Australia were not concerned about running last year’s BBL concurrently with the Border-Gavaskar Test series, as India are big drawcards and could not be dwarfed by the T20 League.But what if the Warne Muralitharan showdown in Melbourne on Friday night heavily outweighs the battle for the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy which begins in Hobart a week later? It is entirely conceivable that there will be more interest in the two retired (or are they?) champs than there will be in an Australia v Sri Lanka Test series.Hence the critical importance of this Big Bash League for CA. If they secure the television rights deal they want on the back of another successful tournament, then they secure their financial future at a time when cricket as we know it has never been more uncertain.But we should not concern ourselves with such deep philosophical questions. It is time to cue the lights, cue the cameras, cue the action. The show is about to start. The Big Bash is back.

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013

At last, the waiting is over. Again. A tortuous, seemingly endless five entire days with no Test cricket have finally wended their pointless way into the history books, and the long-awaited England versus West Indies rematch now marches towards its thrillingly decisive climax at the Riverside today. The Wisden Trophy is still literally anyone’s. The two captains have been at each other’s throats like two top surgeons in a one-on-one emergency tracheotomy competition. And the Ashes (not to mention West Indies’ forthcoming home clash with Bangladesh) loom with massively gargantuan enormity as the players strain every conceivable physical and mental sinew to touch the elusive heavens of cricketing immortality. Truly, the eyes of the universe are trained through excited binoculars on the green Durham sward, and it is hard to envisage that this will not prove to be the greatest match cricket has ever seen.Perhaps I am guilty of talking things up a little. The advance ticket sales suggest I may even be guilty of talking things up more than a little. Following three days of medium-to-low calibre action at Lord’s, and with the West Indian captain essentially proclaiming that he would rather be doing something else somewhere else than spending a long weekend standing outside in the north of England in the middle of May, the cricketing public is showing little appetite for this game. In fact, it is pushing this game around its plate. It may nibble the odd morsel, but it is clearly watching its weight and saving itself for a far more satisfying main course – Ashes pie.The first Test was an unsatisfying match, despite its nail-biting denouement. Admittedly, it was only nail-biting for the friend with whom I watched the evening session of day 3 – he had tickets for day 4, and would have missed out on his refund if the West Indies had resisted until stumps. The tension in his wallet was unbearable.England played well enough, but the startling ineptitude of their opponents in the field and with the bat renders judgement largely irrelevant. If the Australians are not quite quaking in their boots, it is at least partially because the Ashes remain sufficiently far away that they have not yet put their boots on.Here, then, are the official Confectionery Stall Conclusions To Be Drawn From The First Test:

• England’s main concern will be about Ravi Bopara. He is clearly a good player, and, on the evidence of his last two Test innings, a lucky one. However, questions must be asked about his temperament under pressure. He had a chance to carve himself a unique place in the history books – he could have been the 700th player to be out in the 90s in Test matches. No-one could ever have taken that away from him. Instead, he played himself calmly to a century, the 3281st century in Tests, yet another name on an overfilled honours board. He had the chance to make his mark by throwing his innings away to any one of the 20 balls he faced after passing 90 before reaching three figures. And he blew it.
• Graham Onions, after perhaps the most inept two-ball start to a Test career (100% bowled out by a full toss, then a long-hop demolished to the boundary), showed himself to be a decent bowler, and his giddy enthusiasm was magnificent to see. He prompted some slightly overexcited comparisons to Glenn McGrath. Other than a good action and a propensity for skittling teams out in Lord’s Tests, this may be a little premature. Onions’ first-class economy rate is 3.7, compared to McGrath’s 2.5. Onions has also thus far shown no capability for unleashing needless barrages of verbal abuse into batsmen’s faces. If he wants to match the Australian’s 563 Test wickets at 21, he will have to work on both of these aspects of his game. The McGrath-style batting is clearly almost there.However, the British media clearly do not consider Onions to be a long-term prospect. They blew every conceivable onion-related headline and wordplay at the first available opportunity, rather than pacing themselves over a 70-Test career. Already, journalists and sub-editors will be rifling through their recipe books trying to find more onion-based dishes in case the Gateshead Goliath transpires to be one of England’s greats.
• Tim Bresnan will never be a Test cricketer. Unless he stops (a) being given out lbw when the ball was not even contemplating hitting the stumps, and (b) not having to bowl very much.
• Those wickets in the West Indies really did flatter the batsmen and insult the bowlers. A boring five-day Test is much, much more boring than a boring three-day Test.
• History will never know whether Chris Gayle would have played better or worse had he arrived more than two days before the game began. He would certainly have played in the same way. Arguably, he would have been stroppier for having had to leave the IPL even sooner. In fact, it is possible that Gayle had too much acclimatisation time. If he had arrived just in time for the toss, he might not have had time to remember that he doesn’t like Test cricket much any more.

On then, to the Riverside, the mostly empty Riverside. During his entertaining to-and-fro with Gayle, Andrew Strauss said: “The important thing is that Test cricket gets the attention it deserves. And that means that people prepare themselves properly for any Test match you play. You don’t want Test cricket to be devalued in any way, shape or form.”These are noble thoughts, which all Test fans would support. But these words ring a little hollow before a Test at a ludicrous time of year against a team that had not been planning to be involved. Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game, but it is not always treated as such by its authorities. Teams (both home and away) are habitually underprepared, some are depopulated by the tedious political squabbling over the ICL, series are raced through at breakneck speed, and pitches are often designed to provide time-span rather than contest. Test cricket is increasingly often devalued in many ways, shapes and forms.Gayle’s recent mutterings to the media also proved what a phenomenal entertainer the man is, both on and off the pitch. After encouraging Strauss not to “sleep with Chris on his mind” (sage advice at any time, unless the Chris to whom he was referring was Chris Tavare, who was often prescribed as an insomnia cure by the NHS in the 1980s), Gayle bemoaned how the demands of captaincy force him to go through innumerable onerous tasks. “There’s always something you have to go and do, you know, extra,” said the Kingston Cavalier. “Lunch or dinner, some other thing.” These, of course, are meals of which Gayle would normally steer well clear. He is very much a breakfast, elevenses, teatime nibbles and bedtime snack man. The fact that he is prepared to alter his dietary timetable for the needs of the team is a mark of the man.England should win this game – they have beaten West Indies in 11 of the past 13 Tests in this country, and it seems unlikely that Gayle’s comments about wanting to give up the captaincy and not being particularly fussed about the future of Test cricket will serve to inspire his troops to follow their captain in a Test match. Let us hope it is a better game than Lord’s, however, and that Captain Chris enjoys it. He might not need Test cricket, but Test cricket needs him.

Was it visual? A shotmaking feast of such delicious complexity, that one could often taste it in layers? Was it vicarious? The lower middle-class, living its most vivid world-beating fantasies through an aberration within their ilk

Kali Kishore25-Feb-2013I’ve often wondered what the Sachin Tendulkar experience was? Was it visual? A shotmaking feast of such delicious complexity, that one could often taste it in layers? Was it vicarious? The lower middle-class, living its most vivid world-beating fantasies through an aberration within their ilk. Was it a lesson in values and a personal work-ethic? The need to remain rooted to your nature, and never allowing your desire and focus to dip. Was it, dare I say, an advertisement for the pedants? Strike-rate falling as the hundred neared, the obsession with the weight of the bat, the irritation with the slightest movement of the sight-screen.The Sachin Tendulkar experience may not be of a singular nature, but it does exist as a collective summation, having a nature completely of its own in the Indian cricket lover’s consciousness. Breathing collectively when he walked out, squealing at the straight drive, laughing at his commercials, using his innings as milestones and checkpoints in life (Where were you when Desert Storm happened?), and clinging on to hope when he was batting.This is, the quintessential, wholesome Tendulkar experience. I wasn’t satisfied with it, however. Call it the unsatisfactory feeling of being part of a crowd, or the refusal to accept that the whole is indeed greater than the sum of the parts.A huge reason as to why I’m demanding a unique Sachin experience for myself, is because I grew up a stone’s throw away from the MIG cricket club and Sahitya Sahawas, the colony in Bandra East that housed among other poets and authors, Ramesh Tendulkar. If I may be permitted to be foolish enough to cite proximity as a valid reason to count my Sachin experience as unique, I shall proceed.As a kid, I used to play cricket at MIG, and in and around Bandra East for almost the whole of the year, except during the monsoons. As a seven-year-old, I once noticed amidst the Chetaks and Vespas that were parked in one of the building compounds, a black BMW. I stupidly asked who it belonged to, and with a thwack on my head, I was told that it was ‘Sachin ka, aur kiska’ (It is Sachin’s, who else?).Trips to that side of MIG colony became more and more fascinating, because we hoped we’d get to see a silhouette in the window, or get an impromptu batting lesson, who knows? Especially when the Opel Astra from Desert Storm showed up, and we tried to observe from a distance all the dents and bumps from the jumping cricketers in Sharjah. Trying our best to figure out who dented what.A while later, it was all over the papers that he had bought a Ferrari, but it wasn’t parked in Sahitya Sahawas. Reet, whose father worked in customs, claimed to know of its whereabouts, and boasted that Sachin had even taken him for a drive. It became sort of an urban legend in Bombay after that, Sachin’s Red Ferrari, and I would pester my father for late-night rides on Marine Drive in the hope of catching a glimpse.It was then that I nurtured my first wish of actually meeting the man in flesh and blood, and not just in a flash of red. It was ironic, therefore, that when my wish was actually granted, he was in red racing overalls, tearing up a go-karting track. It was 2003, and we had moved to Chennai. MRF was hosting a go-karting competition, and had called in Sachin, Steve Waugh and Brian Lara to kick it off.My father was good friends with TA Sekhar, who oversees the MRF Pace Foundation, and got us tickets for the event. At the end of it all, we were taken to the back of the room where the press conference was being held. Steve Waugh came out first, and dismissed us with a “Fast, guys” as the photographer fumbled with the camera. Lara was next. He kept staring at a photograph of Sachin and himself that I had given him to sign. He was taller than I thought he’d be.Then he entered. I noticed the face first. We get so used to seeing the cheery or poker-faced Tendulkar behind shades, that we don’t often factor in the fatigue he experiences. It was written all over his cheekbones. The collective demands of the nation had manifested themselves as mere hollows in his cheeks. That impressed me thoroughly.Later, we moved to Hyderabad. I was in university in America, when Sachin launched into the Australian attack at Uppal, and my brother was triumphantly texting me from the stadium. It was then that I felt the entire weight of the Sachin Tendulkar experience. There was the breathtaking batting, the overdependence on it, and the eventual collapse after his wicket.But above all, there was the jealousy towards the sibling. Jealousy because he was witnessing something that I wasn’t, and something that I would appreciate in far greater measure. The same jealousy that I felt in Chennai, when the sibling’s cheeks were patted and pulled, and mine were ignored, although I had seen the world in Sachin’s cheeks. The same jealousy that I felt when the sibling was bought Castle Grayskull in a jiffy, because he was younger, whereas I had to beg and plead for a single He-Man toy.Then there was the hunting for the fake MRF sticker to stick on the bat, and the reliving of Chennai, Sharjah, Nottingham and Cape Town in the colony parking decks, and then remembering these names for the Geography exam. There were the family ice cream night-outs to Marine Drive, where eager eyes would look out for a red Ferrari, but would wander towards a bus stand with an Aladdin poster that was there for the longest time, replaying the entire movie with all the songs in my head, while the ice-cream melted insignificantly.My Sachin Tendulkar experience, I then realised, was the experience of my childhood. It is therefore, naturally different from the others, immensely special and the parts themselves, forget their sum, are certainly greater than the whole. It’s no fault of mine that I straddle between my life and his career. They are, but contiguous entities.Sachin himself has straddled between the image of the cherubic sixteen-year-old, and that of the elder statesman. It’s no fault of mine that I hold on dearly to my childhood. It was, but the happiest time of my life. It is, perhaps, no fault of mine that I see his retirement, (or at least the partial announcement of it) as the complete emergence of the elder statesman. I could be wrong here, and I hope to God that I am, but I think it’s time to finally grow up.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here

Most entertaining match-ups, most runs in boundaries, and other significant stats from the IPL

Shiva Jayaraman02-Apr-2013

• A total of 96,722 runs have been scored in the IPL in the first five editions, at an average of 25.61 runs for every wicket. These runs have been scored at a rate of 7.89 runs an over. An average of 5.87 wickets has been taken in every innings at a strike rate of 19.49 balls per wicket.
• The average 20-over score in the IPL has been 157.71. Quite predictably, the 2009 edition that was played in South Africa had the lowest average, of 149.60. The 2010 edition was the most batsman-friendly, with an average score of 166.
• A total of 3,086 sixes and 8,555 fours have been struck, with a four or a six every 6.32 balls, and a six every 24 balls. The opening edition was the hardest on the bowlers in terms of boundaries scored, with a four or a six every 5.57 balls and a six every 21 balls.
• Chennai Super Kings have scored the highest number of runs by a team in the tournament, 12,736, at an average of 30.18 runs per wicket – significantly higher than the tournament average of 25.61. Deccan Chargers have been the underperformers with the bat (among teams that have played all the seasons) with an average of 23.73 runs per wicket.
• Mumbai Indians have been the best bowling team in the IPL. Mumbai have taken the highest number of wickets by any team in the IPL – 485 at an average of 22.94 (best in the IPL). Mumbai also have been the most economical, conceding 7.34 runs an over.
• What won Chargers their only IPL trophy in 2009 was largely their bowling. Chargers took 110 wickets in that year, the most by any IPL team in a season, at an average of 21.70. The best bowling team in a season in terms of average, though, is Delhi Daredevils in 2009 – they took 106 wickets that year at an average of 20.35.
• IPL 2009 was the best edition for bowlers: they enjoyed the helpful conditions in South Africa, averaging 23.41 per wicket. This is significantly lower than the overall IPL average of 25.61. The bowlers had a strike rate of 18.77 in 2009, against the tournament average strike rate of 19.49.
• Matches between Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore have been the ones to watch out for, in terms of runs and wickets. Twelve matches between the two teams have produced 3750 runs, the most runs involving any two teams, and 150 wickets, again the highest involving any pair of teams.
• Teams batting second have won 53.87% (174 out of 323) of matches in the IPL. Super Kings have the highest win percentage (65.52%, 19 wins out of 29) for teams batting second. The highest number of wins batting second, though, have been recorded by Daredevils and Royal Challengers – 26. Mumbai have the highest win percentage (56.41%, 22 wins out of 39) batting first, with Super Kings winning the most number of matches batting first – 28.
• Scoring rates have been the slowest in over numbers one and seven in the IPL. The first over has gone for 3,834 runs at 5.96 and the seventh for 4,174 runs at 6.51 runs an over. Teams have scored the fastest in the 20th, achieving a run-rate of 10.46. Splitting the 20 overs into three parts, the average rate in the Powerplay overs (one to six) is 7.42, between seven and 14 is 7.34, and between 15 and 20 it’s 9.29. Daredevils score at 8.18 runs an over in the Powerplay overs, the highest for a team in the IPL, followed by Super Kings at 8.05 runs an over.
• The overall numbers for pace and spin are pretty similar. Fast bowlers have taken 67% of the wickets (2261 of 3363) to have fallen to bowlers, but they have also bowled an equivalent share (65%) of deliveries. Mumbai and Daredevils have relied heavily on their fast bowlers, with more than 75% of their wickets going to fast bowlers.
• The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai has produced the most runs by any ground that has hosted more than 15 matches in the IPL – 9920 runs at an average of 26.31 (also the highest). Batsmen have found scoring runs tough at the DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai; they have scored 4490 runs from 17 matches at an average of 20.78. The DY Patil Stadium has been the best for spin bowlers too – they have taken 69 wickets at an average 21.76.
• Of a total of 323 IPL matches, there have been 15 instances of teams chasing down targets off the last ball of a match. There have been four instances of teams winning by a margin of one run, while two games have been tied – between Super Kings and Kings XI in 2010, and Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals in 2009.
• Royal Challengers have scored the highest percentage of runs in boundaries among all teams in the IPL – 59%. They’ve scored 6506 runs in boundaries (1004 fours and 415 sixes). However, Super Kings have scored the most sixes, 449, and fours, 1075, in the IPL.
• Gautam Gambhir has the best win-loss ratio of 1.61 among captains who have led in at least 20 matches in the IPL. He is followed by MS Dhoni (1.48) and Sachin Tendulkar (1.42). Dhoni is the captain with most IPL wins – his 46 wins have come in 78 matches.

The IPL’s decision to not let Sri Lankan players play in Chennai this season because of political tensions has put the country’s cricketers in a difficult position

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Mar-2013The IPL’s decision to cut Sri Lankan participation in the league in Chennai following political tensions, combined with the public reaction to that at home, has left the players walking a political and professional tightrope a week before their scheduled departure for India.The worst affected players are Chennai Super Kings’ Nuwan Kulasekara and Akila Dananjaya, who were advised not to join their team in Chennai until further notice before the IPL’s decision on Tuesday evening. They had planned to travel to Chennai on April 1, along with several other Sri Lanka players, but will now put those plans on hold.The 11 other players from Sri Lanka will seemingly not, at this stage, be facing major disruptions to their tournament, apart from skipping the single game in Chennai on their round-robin schedule. However, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are both captains of their sides in addition to being key players and their absence could be crucial for their franchises.Sri Lanka Cricket has expressed confidence in the BCCI’s commitment to ensuring the safety of the Sri Lankan players. An SLC statement released this afternoon said, “SLC has written to the president and to the secretary of BCCI and received assurances that the BCCI will take all necessary steps to ensure that the players feel safe and action will be taken to ensure that the players’ safety is paramount.”SLC could hardly have reacted any other way, given the way its finances are linked to, and their plans shaped around, the IPL. The board cleared Sri Lanka’s international schedule – agreeing to do away with a Test tour of the West Indies – so that its players are available throughout the IPL. SLC is clawing its way back from huge debt after building two new stadiums and renovating a third for the 2011 World Cup, and can scarcely afford to lose the 10% cut of player salaries it receives for providing no objection certificates for their contracted players. The players’ 2013 contracts also allow SLC to cease salary payments to IPL cricketers, for the duration of their time with their franchise.In Sri Lanka’s public and political sphere, the recent increase in political activism in Tamil Nadu against the Sri Lankan government’s treatment of Tamils has largely been met with anger and cynicism. Some Sri Lankan politicians have accused the government of Tamil Nadu of disrupting the bilateral reconciliation process, while prevailing anti-India sentiment has been strengthened among parts of the populace. Reports of attacks on Sri Lankan Buddhist monks who were visiting Tamil Nadu have not helped the situation either, nor has India’s refusal to side with the Sri Lanka government in an ongoing UNHRC resolution in Geneva on the civil war.All this means the players are put in a somewhat difficult situation. They will want to play in the IPL, for themselves, and to some extent because the board has gone to such lengths to allow them to play a full tournament. On the other hand, they may risk being seen as disloyal mercenaries among some sections of the public. Sri Lanka fans have never really warmed to the IPL, and have been particularly vocal in their condemnation of domestic Twenty20 after two Test tours were removed from the 2015 schedule to accommodate the IPL and SLPL. For many fans, this latest episode will only add to their dismay at Sri Lanka’s internationals playing in India for two months.