South Africa have made the heat and humidity sound bigger than the opposition but you only need to look at their desperation to cool down at drinks’ breaks to have some understanding

Firdose Moonda in Galle18-Jul-20142:00

Donald: SA should great resilience

In spite of Sri Lanka’s photogenic sunrises and sunsets, inviting island lifestyle and the hospitality that oozes out of every corner, there is something which can make this place seem like a drag: having to play professional sport here.”This is a tough place to play cricket,” Dale Steyn said.South Africa have made the heat and humidity sound bigger than the opposition but you only need to look at their desperation to cool down at drinks’ breaks to have some understanding.The umbrellas come out to provide brief respite from the scorching sun. Sri Lanka think they are such a good idea they have started using them too. Then the towels come out. And as many plastic chairs as the reserves can carry to rest tired legs. Today that number was three. When Quinton de Kock did not get a seat, he made do on the lap of the person who did. The litres of energy drink come out and overheated fingers cling on to them as though they contain a miracle juice.Dale Steyn: “Sometimes bowling on a green top is just as hard because you are expected to get wickets but bowling here is tough but I enjoy the challenge”•AFPAll that can only last five minutes before they have to turn their attention to the real task at hand: tough conditions. Sri Lankan pitches are barren when compared to the parklands South Africa’s seamers get at home. They are designed to keep them for as long as needed to defeat them – mentally first, physically second.”Bowling in the subcontinent is the hardest place to bowl,” Steyn said. “Sometimes bowling on a green top is just as hard because you are expected to get wickets but bowling here is tough but I enjoy the challenge.” That is also why Steyn enjoys the successes.Having fun is actually what South Africa’s cricketers tend to do on a tour. On their current Sri Lankan visit they have gone on nature walks in Hambantota, had their hair cut at local barber shops which offer every style from Cristiano Ronaldo to Virat Kohli and been and to eat dinner with members of the opposition – Steyn, Quinton de Kock and JP Duminy were guests at Thisara Perera’s a few days ago.As they showed in England two years ago – one of their activities included a dress-up party – off-field entertainment often translates to on-field unity, which is what they showed during the one-day series. “Hashim said he just wants us to play with a smile on our face no matter what happens,” Steyn said. “We enjoyed playing in the one-day series and we’re enjoying it now. We want to play because we love the game. and then afterwards, we will share a powerade or whatever and enjoy each other’s success, even if we didn’t have any success.”But success is ultimately the way South Africa will be judged, especially as they are under a new captain. Steyn is just one of the players determined to play for his leader and admitted if Sri Lanka had not reached the follow-on target and Amla asked the bowlers to finish the job – which seemed a possibility at one stage – he would have been up for it.”As a new captain, I think he wants to win. If he had said lets go out there and get them three more down, guys would have been up for it,” Steyn said.South Africa allowed the lower-order to get away after Steyn’s post-tea spell, in a period in which Imran Tahir was ineffective and the old ball was persisted with. Despite that, Steyn believes there is enough time left for South Africa to force the result to go their way even though they will bat again because the surface will bring their spinners into play.”There’s still two full days to play. We’ve got some of the most attacking aggressive batsmen out there – AB, Hashim,” he said. “If the wicket keeps deteriorating we should be fine. JP is bowling well, Imran will come into play more and Dean Elgar could even be a factor. And then the quicks always stand a chance of taking wickets with the swing. We know that in the sub-continent, the first couple days are really slow and then day four and day five, play speeds up.”What will make South Africa’s task seem even little less arduous is the knowledge that Steyn is fully fit even though he suffered a blow to the same hand which was injured in the ODI series. “I was hit on the finger but it’s fine,” Steyn confirmed. As fine as Sri Lankan sunset.

The more things change, the more they proudly remain the same at the SCG

Mike Coward04-Nov-2014Sydney is unabashedly ballsy and brassy and it seduces in a trice. Visitors to this sprawling hedonistic, multicultural city are dazzled by its natural beauty, the iconic landmarks of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House and the ethnic diversity of its population, rapidly approaching five million.As is the case in Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Cape Town and Vancouver, life revolves around a spectacular, sparkling harbour fringed by glorious national parks and the spectacular homes of the privileged. Before the arrival of Europeans in 1788, the four clans of the Eora (Sydney) Aboriginal people hunted and gathered around the harbour, which their legends say was created when the black whale swam through the land mass from what is known today as the Tasman Sea.Now it is the sounds of hunters and gatherers of a different kind that reverberate across the harbour and its historic Rocks region and Circular Quay – the movers and shakers of the corporate world closing deals or butting heads with governments ritually accused of kowtowing to developers or trade unionists.While the city takes pride in its vibrant modernity and ever-changing skyline, showcasing, among others, the vision of renowned international architects Frank Gehry, Sir Norman Foster and Renzo Piano, not all of the imposing structures of colonial days have been demolished in the name of progress.Indeed, two of the most majestic are to be found four kilometres from the central business district at the Sydney Cricket Ground – the Members’ Pavilion, built in 1886, and the Ladies’ Stand, which was completed in 1897, five years before Federation. These two wonderfully creaky buildings give the ground its distinctive character and unique atmosphere. Such is its allure that the game’s greatest batsman, Sir Donald Bradman, and Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar, an honorary member of the Order of Australia, are among a galaxy of players who have called it their favourite ground.While all has changed around them, these splendid monuments have stayed the same. Players change in the same dressing room in the Member’s Pavilion as did Trumper, Bradman, Hobbs, Compton, Mankad, Pataudi, Worrell, Sobers et al and, beneath the Ladies’ Stand, a museum preserves the rich history of cricket in the state of New South Wales and beyond. And it is a truism that Australian cricket is only as strong as the game in New South Wales, the current holder of the prestigious Sheffield Shield for domestic first-class competition. The Blues, as they are called colloquially, have won the title a record 46 times since 1892-93.Spectators at the SCG in 1969•George Lipman/Getty ImagesThe ground was just the third (behind the Melbourne Cricket Ground and The Oval in London) used for Test matches, when it hosted the sixth Test between Australia and England in February 1882. Ninety-six years later, it was the floodlit stage for a limited-overs match between Australia and West Indies that relaunched media mogul Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket movement and presaged the colourful, frenetic, commercial entertainment that we have today.Cricket was first played on the site of the SCG from the early 1850s, when a ground was developed behind the Victoria barracks. Taking its name from the military clubs that played there, it was first known as the Garrison ground, and by the 1860s as the Military and Civil Ground. The New South Wales Cricket Association secured the ground in 1875, and after a significant upgrade, the first match took place two years later.From 1877 a public trust has run the SCG and, since 1988, the adjacent Football Stadium (now Allianz Stadium). These grounds are at the heart of a pulsating sporting precinct that houses the administration of cricket, rugby league, rugby union and Australian Rules football.If work is to schedule, access to the area will be significantly improved for the World Cup with the construction of a pedestrian and cycleway over Anzac Parade, an arterial road that runs adjacent to Moore Park, the extensive green space leading to the SCG.To the unbridled delight of the cricket community and the Returned and Services League (RSL), the walkway is to be named in honour of Albert “Tibby” Cotter, who at the age of 34 was killed in the First World War while serving at Beersheba, Turkey, in 1917. A tearaway fast bowler renowned for splitting the stumps of hapless batsmen, he played 21 Tests from 1904 to 1912.The walkway will provide spectators and, indeed, local residents safer access to the precinct – especially those making the 25-minute walk along Foveaux and Fitzroy streets from Central Railway Station. Special buses also ply between Central Railway Station and a dedicated bus stop adjacent to the ground, and buses from the CBD stop on Anzac Parade. Taxis are available but public transport is the better option. Pubs, cafés and restaurants offering fare from Turkey to Nepal and Vietnam to Greece and then some are dotted throughout the nearby cosmopolitan suburbs of Surry Hills and swish and more expensive Paddington.The Cotter walkway will provide a wonderful and evocative introduction to the SCG, which within its mighty portals boasts a Walk of Honour recognising the greatest of Australian sportsmen and women, whose legendary status was at least in part defined by their achievements at the ground.Furthermore in recent years the India-born businessman and philanthropist Basil Sellers has sponsored the erection of 11 sporting sculptures in the precinct, including those of cricketers Richie Benaud, Stan McCabe, Fred “The Demon” Spofforth and Steve Waugh. And for good measure there are grandstands named to remember always the mighty deeds of Don Bradman, Monty Noble, Bill O’Reilly and Victor Trumper.A portrayal of the 1897 Ashes Test at the SCG•Getty ImagesThere is a sculpture that attracts just as much attention from the thousands of visitors who undertake the official tour of the ground every year. It is the brilliant bronze of Stephen “Yabba” Gascoigne, the rabbit seller from working-class inner Sydney. Yabba is propped at the foot of the Trumper stand, where the notorious People’s Hill was once located and for a time banners in the name of local hero Doug Walters and idiosyncratic English broadcaster Henry Blofeld were displayed.For more than 40 years, Yabba famously, loudly and wittily yabbered from the Hill. He was known to generations of cricketers as the world’s greatest barracker until his death at 64 in 1942. “Leave our flies alone,” he roared at England captain Douglas Jardine as he waved away insects during the infamous Bodyline series of 1932-33. “They are the only friends you’ve got here.”Such was his fame that he gained an entry in the – further testimony to the egalitarianism of Australian cricket and the Sydney Cricket Ground in the alluring NSW capital known as the Emerald City.

Eoin Morgan’s appointment is a risk. But England had little to lose. Under Alastair Cook they were sleepwalking to almost certain failure. At least, this way, they should go down fighting

George Dobell20-Dec-2014Finally, this feels like the start of a new era for England cricket.The decision to appoint Eoin Morgan as England’s ODI captain – and it would be no surprise if he was also appointed T20 captain in due course – means England will go into the World Cup for perhaps the first time ever with a captain with a natural affinity for this format.Whereas Mike Brearley, Mike Atherton, Andrew Strauss and the like were marathon runners attempting a sprint, Morgan is as close to a specialist short-form format player as England have allowed to captain for several years. The sort of captain Adam Hollioake or Dermot Reeve might have been had they ever been trusted to lead a World Cup campaign.But England were always too cautious for that. Even now, they have only made the decision to change when it had become painfully obvious to everyone (except Alastair Cook, it seems) that change was required.Yet, just as they stumbled upon the Andrew Strauss-Andy Flower leadership era (they were the last men standing after Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores had been sacked), it may be that they have stumbled upon the solution to their limited-overs failings.Whereas Cook was reactive, Morgan is dynamic. Where Cook was cautious, Morgan is bold. And where Cook is tongue-tied, Morgan is direct, articulate and unafraid to trust his instincts. He has, after all, ignored the advice of Flower and played in the IPL and he has been prepared to publically support Pietersen at a time when others feared to do so. That cannot have been easy within the current culture of the ECB.Cook has his qualities, of course. In Test cricket, his ability to lead from the front, his determination, his stubborn refusal to know when he is beaten, helped England to victory in India. If he never achieves another thing in the game, he should be remembered with respect for that alone.

Morgan symbolises a new start, though. He is not tainted by some of the political manoeuvring that saw Pietersen sacked and he is not tainted as being characterised as ‘the ECB’s sort of man.’ Both issues weighed heavily on Cook in recent months

But those qualities are not so useful in the shorter format. It is not about denial and discipline so much as flair and flamboyance. Just as Morgan will probably never bat for four sessions in a Test, Cook will never blast a 30-ball half-century. It is more likely he will use his new-found free time to help with lambing on the farm than he will feature in the IPL. He was the wrong horse for the course.Doubts remain about Morgan, too. For a start, his form this year is little better than Cook’s. If you exclude a good week in January (he scored 50, 106 and 54 in successive innings), it is actually worse. Since the start of March, he has averaged just 16.35 in 18 ODIs. They are not reassuring figures.England will take comfort – or desperately cling – to the fact that, in his two games as captain in that period, he scored a decent 40 against Sri Lanka in England and then an encouraging 62 from 47 balls against them a couple of weeks ago. It is less encouraging that England lost both games and, in the first, were bowled out for just 99.Cynics might also wonder if Morgan was appointed so as not to threaten Cook’s Test leadership. The longer-term view would have been to appoint Joe Root to lead the ODI side but, had they selectors done so, there may have been calls for Root to lead in all formats. Morgan, some way from the Test side these days, offers no similar challenge. Even in sacking him, the selectors remained loyal to Cook.Morgan symbolises a new start, though. He is not tainted by some of the political manoeuvring that saw Pietersen sacked and he is not tainted as being characterised as ‘the ECB’s sort of man.’ Both issues weighed heavily on Cook in recent months.And Morgan is reflective of a bold, young side. A side that contains the likes of Jos Buttler, Alex Hales and Moeen Ali. A side that might, on its day, thrash any attack to ribbons. An exciting side.You might even say it was a side in Morgan’s image. There will be, no doubt, days when it crashes and burns in spectacular fashion. Days when they yearn for Jonathan Trott’s technique and Cook’s calm. Days when Ian Bell, retained in the squad to add solidity, has to play the anchor role.But under Morgan, England will be encouraged to play bold, fearless cricket. Under Morgan, the bowlers will be encouraged to attack as much as the batsman. Under Morgan, aggressive players will have a captain who understand high-risk cricket and appreciates the backing required to encourage it. The side will have a clear, positive message. Under Cook, the foot was always poised over the brake.So Morgan’s appointment is a risk. But England had little to lose. Under Cook they were sleepwalking to almost certain failure. At least, this way, they should go down fighting. And, with a young side, they have the opportunity to build for campaigns long in the future.And there’s the rub. For here we are, once again, a few weeks from a World Cup and the selectors have changed everything. It appears, yet again, as if England go into a World Cup building not for the current event, but for the event in four years.Morgan has not been dealt a handful of aces. But, all of a sudden, England look a more dangerous side. And a lot more entertaining. The World Cup campaign might not bring success, but it should bring some fun.

Plays of the Day from the match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at the MCG

Andrew Fidel Fernando at the MCG26-Feb-2015The spill-and-chaseThere were several dropped catches, but the spill in Sri Lanka’s 42nd over and its aftermath verged on farce. Kumar Sangakkara cut a ball straight to Mominul Haque at point, but though the ball came at chest height, Mominul couldn’t hold on. He then became aware of a run-out chance at the bowler’s end however, and he shied at the stumps unsuccessfully, only to find there was no one backing up. Taskin Ahmed at long on had his attention elsewhere and didn’t see the ball heading towards him. On most other grounds, that overthrow might have crossed the fence, but thanks to the MCG’s dimensions, Taskin was able to eventually wake up and keep the batsmen to three.The best laid planYou can spend hours watching videos, dissecting, and planning against opposition players, but none of this matters if opportunities are not taken. Most teams will know Lahiru Thirimanne is vulnerable outside off stump early in his innings, and though Mashrafe Mortaza bowled two perfect deliveries to exploit this weakness in the first over, Bangladesh were still left empty handed. He beat Thirimanne by angling his third ball across the batsman, but when he pitched closer to take a thick edge next ball, Anamul Haque at slip grassed the simple chance. Thirimanne continued to give chances throughout his innings, but when he was eventually out for 52, Sri Lanka had a fine foundation.Rangana Herath might have surprised even himself by holding on to a reverse-cup grab•Getty ImagesThe grouchesPerhaps no player complains as much to umpires as Mahela Jayawardene in recent years, but this time he had some friends come with him. Mominul seemed to play and miss at a Suranga Lakmal delivery in the seventh over, but despite a lack of an initial appeal from Sri Lanka, they later asked for a review. The replay was not conclusive, but when the not-out decision was upheld without snicko’s input, Jayawardene led a group of Sri Lanka players who crowded the umpire for an explanation. Snicko, it appeared, was unavailable due to technical reasons. As a result, Sri Lanka’s review was eventually reinstated.The reverse-cup surpriseSri Lanka players never practice the reverse cup catch – with the fingers pointed upwards. From school to club to national team, Rangana Herath would have been taught the conventional method of taking catches, with palms and fingers forming an upturned cup. But at the same ground he took perhaps his most sensational catch, in the Boxing Day Test of 2012, Herath shocked even himself when he pulled off a reverse-cup grab – by necessity, rather than choice. Mahmudullah top-edged a pull shot off Thisara Perera in the 21st over, and Rangana Herath scurried in from fine leg, tracking the high ball. He had his hands forming the conventional cup, but at the last second realised he had slightly overrun it. He stopped dead, instantly formed the reverse cup, and snaffled the ball, falling forward, relief writ on his face.

AB de Villiers returned to give West Indies another hammering, this time at the SCG

Bishen Jeswant27-Feb-20154:19

Insights: De Villiers, the best since 2010?

19 Number of balls by which AB de Villiers broke the record for the fastest 150 in ODI history. He got there in 64 deliveries. The previous record was 83 balls, by Shane Watson against Bangladesh in 2011.162Runs scored by de Villiers, the second highest score by any South African batsman in World Cup history and the fourth-highest by a South African in any ODI. The highest score by any South African batsman in a World Cup match is 188, by Gary Kirsten against UAE in 1996.52 Balls in which de Villiers got his century, the second-fastest in World Cup history. This is also the third fastest century by any South African batsman. De Villiers has scored three of the four fastest hundreds by a South African, including the fastest in ODI history, off 31 balls, also against West Indies earlier this year.9 Number of ODI hundreds for de Villiers as captain, the most for a South African captain. Graeme Smith has scored eight ODI centuries as captain. The only three captains to score more ODI hundreds than de Villiers are Ricky Ponting (22), Saurav Ganguly (11) and Sanath Jayasuriya (10).6 Number of batsmen who have scored four or more World Cup hundreds; de Villiers is the sixth. The only batsmen with more World Cup hundreds than de Villiers are Sachin Tendulkar (6) and Ponting (5).257 South Africa’s margin of victory, the biggest in World Cup history. India also beat Bermuda by exactly 257 runs in the 2007 World Cup.408 South Africa’s score, their highest in a World Cup and fourth-highest in any ODI. It was also the second-highest score by any team in a World Cup, after India’s 413 against Bermuda in 2007.0 Dot balls during South Africa’s Batting Powerplay. They scored 72 runs in the Powerplay without losing a single wicket. South Africa’s batsmen hit seven fours and two sixes during this period.104 Runs conceded by Jason Holder, the most ever by any West Indies bowler and the second-most by any bowler in World Cups. No bowler has previously conceded 100-plus runs when captaining their side in an ODI.76 Runs scored by De Villiers off Holder, the most by any batsmen off a single bowler since 2001. De Villiers hit seven fours and six sixes off the 21 balls he faced from Holder. The previous record for the most runs scored was 61, by MS Dhoni off Upul Chandana’s bowling in Jaipur in 2005.24 The run-rate during the partnership between De Villiers and Farhaan Behardien. They scored 80 runs off 20 balls, the best run-rate for any 50-plus partnership in ODI history.222 Runs scored by South Africa in the last 15 overs of their innings, the second-most in an ODI since 2001. The most runs scored in this period is 230, also by South Africa against West Indies, in January this year.3 Number of times that West Indies have conceded 400-plus runs in an ODI innings, the most for any team. Sri Lanka and South Africa have conceded 400-plus twice each.

We asked readers where they were when Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL last season. These are their replies

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2015Alan James Holland
I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was with my cousin Dennis and we were at a pub called ‘Stirling House’. It was a lovely hot day and we were very excited to see our favourite team in the final. We requested the pub to put cricket on the television as we were the only people who wanted to watch it. By the time the game had finished we had converted the whole pub into KKR fans. The atmosphere was amazing. Hopefully they can do it again. Come on KKR…Amit Kamboj
Last year during the IPL final, my college was about to start. I was travelling from Delhi to Trivandrum on a train. Due to the weak telephone network, the last update I could get was that KKR had to chase a score of 200 and that they had lost Uthapppa. I was not happy. I had dinner and went to sleep. The next day I woke up to see KKR on the front page of every newspaper they provided on the train. There was the big smile on my face. That was my happiest moment on the train.Soumya Sarkar
When KKR won the IPL last year, I was at my biology tuition during the whole first innings and was checking the scores on Cricinfo after every five minutes!Shreyes Shekhar
I am a CSK supporter, but my mother is a KKR fan–the household is divided, starting today–and we were actually in Ettayapuram, which is a panchayat town in the interior of Tuticorin district in Tamil Nadu, attending a religious function. The KXIP innings was largely followed on the Cricinfo app at the temple itself, as a result of surprisingly effective 3G. And, we made it back to hotel just in time for watching the last 6 overs or so of the KKR innings!Shetanshu Dikshit
I still remember I was flying from Mumbai to Delhi flight was about to take off. My mobile internet data pack wasn’t working. There was a person sitting across and my attention was more towards his phone as he was using live cricket updates to check the score. Both of us sat for 10 minutes discussing the match until the last call was made!!! Match + Moment + Memories = Memorable.Prasun Shome
Well I was in Jaipur, eagerly waiting for the IPL to start. Being a KKR fan however, I was little wary of how things would go on as the first leg was in the UAE. And being a KKR fan since the inception, memories of the tour when IPL moved outside for the first time haunted me like anything. Those memories flashed back again as the first leg couldn’t have been more disastrous. Five losses and with our skipper’s first four scores over there being 0,0,0,1, it couldn’t have been worse. Yet kept faith on Gambhir’s determination for things to turn around. And turn around we did. Nine consecutive wins (14, if I include the CLT20 as well) to clinch our second IPL trophy in three years. Boy oh boy, wasn’t I excited. More so being in land of ‘ROYALS’ and after seeing my team succumb to two losses against them (lesser said about second one the better), nothing could hide my “On your face, We are the CHAMPS” expression when Piyush Chawla hit the winning runs. Oh boy those were the days… Wish the men in Purple and Gold recreate that memory again!

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2015After scoring 47 runs in the first Powerplay, Ireland suffered another blow when Wahab Riaz dismissed Ed Joyce for 11•AFPCaptain William Porterfield kept the innings going, but Niall O’Brien and Andy Balbirnie also fell for low double-digit scores•Getty ImagesPorterfield and Gary Wilson gave Ireland some stability with a stand of 48 for the fifth wicket to take them close to 200•Associated PressPorterfield brought up his seventh ODI hundred during the Powerplay to put Ireland in a strong position ahead of the death overs•Getty ImagesBut Sohail Khan removed both Porterfield and Wilson to peg Ireland back•AFPThe Pakistan quicks continued with a flurry of wickets in the death overs and Umar Akmal took four catches in all to restrict Ireland to 237•AFPAhmed Shehzad and Sarfraz Ahmed gave Pakistan a solid start with an opening stand of 120•Getty ImagesShehzad raced to his fifty off 52 balls, his second of the tournament•Associated PressIreland struck twice within two overs. They first removed Shehzad for 63…•Associated Press…And then had Haris Sohail run-out for 3•Associated PressJust when it looked like Misbah-ul-Haq and Sarfraz would take Pakistan home, the captain accidentally stepped on his off stump•Getty ImagesWith a bit of drama in the end, Sarfraz completed his maiden hundred in the 46th over and Umar sealed Pakistan’s quarter-final berth with the seven-wicket win•Getty Images

After a strong start to the World Cup, Afghanistan lost steam in the closing matches, and will be especially disappointed that they couldn’t push a dispirited England harder

Daniel Brettig at the SCG13-Mar-2015Early in this World Cup, a conversation with an ICC official articulated one of the motivations for a 10-team tournament at the 2019 edition. It concerned the game’s developing nations, but it was less about the opportunities they were afforded than the way they handled tournament play. Many Associates have made a stirring starts to a Cup, the official said, but many had also faded towards the finish of the pool phase.So it has been for Afghanistan at this tournament. After a strong start, pushing Sri Lanka and then outlasting Scotland, they have indeed lost steam in the closing matches. Hidings at the hands of Australia and New Zealand were perhaps expected, but they were disappointed to be beaten comfortably at the SCG by an England side already eliminated and playing with precious little confidence.The coach Andy Moles had stated that Afghanistan needed some good fortune and also some poor play from England to sneak a victory in their last appearance of the competition. First of these criteria was not to be fulfilled when Eoin Morgan won a fortunate toss. England could scarcely have ordered better conditions than those they found in Sydney. Overcast skies, a cool temperature and a pitch covered more generously with grass than most strips for this tournament was made to the orders of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Jordan and Ravi Bopara. There was even a modicum of turn for James Tredwell.’Our top order didn’t click’ – Nabi

Afghanistan’s captain Mohammad Nabi is hopeful his nation will be seen again on the World Cup stage in 2019, and believes the experiences of this year will aid his team, particularly their young batsmen.
While the likes of Shapoor Zadran, Dawlat Zadran and Hamid Hassan impressed greatly with the ball, they seldom had enough runs to defend as exemplified on a gloomy night at the SCG against England. Nabi reckoned experiences against the best, including facing Australia on a Perth flier, would help inform his team over the next four years.
“We have four years’ time and we have a lot of talent back home,” Nabi said. “We will try our best to come back strongly. Our top order didn’t click in the whole tournament and we missed some players.
“All the time we are playing the Associates not the Full Members, so if you go from the lower stage to the top stage it’s a little bit difficult to play against the top ranking bowlers and batsmen. Against Australian Perth it was difficult to play in those conditions, in the whole tournament that match was the most difficult.”
The coach Andy Moles reiterated his feeling it would be “a shame” if the Cup was reduced in size, and noted the contribution made by numerous players from outside the top tier. “Hamid Hassan is a person who everyone in world cricket will be grateful to have seen bowl,” Moles said, “and as a character.”

However, the mediocrity of England’s bowling was actually noticeable enough that Afghanistan’s top order might have made a better fist of the early conditions. While the new ball swung, it was seldom pitched up in the optimum area. Anderson’s opening wicket came from a wide half-tracker that Nawroz Mangal could barely reach, while Javed Ahmadi flayed at a Broad ball he might also have left.Anderson and Broad bowled better after their rare wickets, and Jordan found the right length to extract some movement. Bopara also struck the right length with his wobbling medium pace, while Tredwell was typically effective, leaving many to wonder why he had not been chosen earlier in the tournament. Even so, Afghanistan’s batsmen were collectively poor.Entering into this tournament, Moles and the captain Mohammad Nabi had overseen the injection of a more youthful group of batsmen to the team, figuring that the likes of Afsar Zazai and Ahmadi would fare better in Australia and New Zealand than the likes of Karim Sadiq, a combustible but inconsistent opening batsman.This decision was an investment in Afghanistan’s cricketing future, and the youth of the batsmen in the squad is a major reason for the somewhat underwhelming displays they have put on. The most frustrating element of it all has been that the splendid Hamid Hassan has seldom had enough runs to bowl at: even in Sydney he was hurrying Ian Bell and Alex Hales, looking nothing quite so much as Ryan Harris with a headband.The most frustrating element of Afghanistan’s World Cup has been that the splendid Hamid Hassan has seldom had enough runs to bowl at•ICCDefending only an even 100 after rain calculations, Afghanistan did have the chance to unsettle what had to be a jittery England viewing area as they contemplated their measly target. Hassan’s offsider Shapoor Zadran bowled usefully early on, and twice coaxed Hales into drives at the line of the ball that did not make adequate adjustments for its length or bounce.Outside edges skewed from Hales’ bat to backward point, where Najib Zadran got two hands to each chance but spilt them both. Najib’s hands were hard each time, the ball bounding away as though it had struck a block of concrete. The misses came to exemplify a night where Afghanistan’s fielders fumbled the ball over the boundary more than once – by the time Hassan dismissed Hales, only a further 18 runs were required.Hassan’s pace and quality have not flagged across this event, and it would be a an enormous shame were he not to be seen on the World Cup stage again. Afghanistan have treated this tournament as not only a shop window for their team to the world but also an investment in the future. Their younger squad members will be better for this experience, and more likely to last the distance next time around.But of course the whole question of “next time” is wide open. Afghanistan have not quite confounded the view of that ICC official, their defeat at the SCG rounding off a tournament that has concluded in a more mediocre manner than Moles or Nabi had hoped for. They must now wait to see what form their pathway to 2019 will take, whether it is a narrow road or a wider highway.If there was any consolation to be taken from the evening, it was that victory for England represented less than the minimum expected of arguably the cricket world’s best-resourced and most amply staffed high-performance system. Afghanistan, with nothing like the same backing, had won only one fewer match. Even amid the gloom of the SCG, this stood as an achievement worth remembering.

Plays of the day from the match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab in Mumbai

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Apr-2015The celebration
Mitchell Johnson and Aaron Finch had shared a dressing room and a World Cup win just over two weeks ago, but on opposite sides now, Johnson did not dial down the intensity for Finch, whether with the ball, or in his celebration. Having rapped Finch on the pads first ball and then made a mess of his stumps the next, Johnson sped down the edge of the pitch and leapt as he passed the batsman – his face a contortion of ferocity and joy.The triple blow
Mumbai Indians’ chase seemed dead even when Harbhajan Singh arrived at the crease, but when he slammed Anureet Singh for three consecutive sixes in the 17th over, perhaps he opened up a sliver of hope for the hosts. The first six was clobbered over long on, when Anureet overpitched attempting a yorker. The bowler pitched the next one short, only for Harbhajan to swat at it like he would an insect, to send the ball sailing over deep midwicket. The next ball – another attempted yorker, this time too full – would be launched into the stands in the same area too.The hand shake
Glenn Maxwell is a hitter that moonlights as an offspinner. Harbhajan is an offspinner who moonlights as a hitter. When the latter outdid the former for outrageous batting on Sunday night, Maxwell made sure to communicate his appreciation of Harbhajan’s 24-ball 64. He approached Harbhajan as the batsman departed the field after being dismissed by Anureet, and said a few friendly words as the pair shared a soul-brother handshake.The welcome
Ravi Shastri has been absent from television commentary since mid-2014, thanks to his role with the India side. But like a man released into the world, Shastri overdosed on exuberance on Sunday night, yelling “Hellooo Mumbaiii” into the microphone at a volume that would have blown television speakers all across South Asia, and triggered avalanches in the distant Himalayas.

Plays of the Day from the match between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils

Andrew Fidel Fernando03-May-2015The accidental dogpile
Delhi Daredevils’ catching had been woeful most of the evening, and their most farcical moment came in the 17th over when Amit Mishra and Zaheer Khan failed to lay a finger on a descending ball, and finished up in each other’s embrace. Ajinkya Rahane’s top-edge flew high, in the direction of cover, and Mishra began to give chase, running back from inside the circle. Just as he was lining up the catch, though, he saw Zaheer steaming in from the deep, and both men stalled, expecting the other to commit to the catch. Mishra realised Zaheer had stopped too, and made a vain, belated dive. The two men tumbled to the floor, Mishra positioned on top of Zaheer’s stomach.The botched bluff
Rahane was batting so sublimely towards the end of the Rajasthan Royals innings, Zaheer resorted to a little sleight of hand in an attempt to get him out. Having been driven down the ground for four in the 18th over, Zaheer pushed square leg back to the boundary and asked long-on to come into the circle, suggesting his next delivery would be short. He went full and slow instead, but Rahane was unperturbed. He lofted Zaheer back down the ground again, and that ball sped to the fence even quicker than the previous one.The catch
Yuvraj Singh has not had a reputation for dealing with the short ball well recently, but having middled a pull off James Faulkner in the ninth over, he was stunned to have to depart. Faulkner’s chest-high bouncer was cracked over square leg, but Stuart Binny ran around from the deep, leapt to his left and caught the ball high above his head. He slid after his dive and stopped about a foot short of the boundary, as a disbelieving Yuvraj began to trudge off.The double dive
Rajat Bhatia didn’t have a lot to do in this game, as he was not required with the bat and only bowled two overs. He did have one industrious moment in the match, even if it was to save one run. Running to his right after JP Duminy pulled Tim Southee towards deep square leg, Bhatia put in a full-length dive to intercept the ball just before it hit the boundary, but found he had not got enough of his hand on the ball to scoop it back infield, and he had just parried it square, where the curving boundary would meet with it a few metres away. Quickly he rose, gave chase a second time, and dove again to haul it back just in time.