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Batsman’s captaincy and run-scoring in the spotlight as hosts seek to close rankings gap with India

The Preview by Matt Roller27-Nov-2019

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If it wasn’t already clear that New Zealand are the closest challengers to India’s current dominance of Test cricket, then their comprehensive victory at Bay Oval last week came close to confirming it.While there are no Test Championship points at stake in this series, New Zealand do, at least, have the chance to close the gap on the runaway leaders of the ICC’s rankings with a win at Seddon Park, and assert themselves as the side best equipped to beat them in a one-off final in two years’ time.That status will only be confirmed with a competitive showing on their tour of Australia next month, but the Hamilton Test this week provides an opportunity for them to demonstrate a quality not always associated with a country so sparsely populated: depth.New Zealand coped perfectly well without Trent Boult on the final day of the first Test, but the news that he has been joined on the treatment table by prolific allrounder Colin de Grandhomme leaves them two key bowlers down.The likelihood is that Daryl Mitchell – the seam-bowling allrounder – will make his Test debut in a straight swap for de Grandhomme, but it seems that New Zealand are not willing to let Lockie Ferguson off the leash just yet. Instead, Matt Henry – whose bowling average in the high-40s does little service to his control and pace – is set to come in for Boult; some English fans will remember his devastating spell as Kent’s overseas player in 2018, which saw him take 75 Division Two wickets at 15.48 apiece.

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For England, the past week could hardly have gone worse. It quickly became clear as BJ Watling and Mitchell Santner ground them into the dirt while scoring at just over two runs per over that their hotly-anticipated new blueprint for Test cricket was little more than an attempt to play more like New Zealand, by batting long and bowling dry, and as Stuart Broad admitted on the final morning, the first-innings effort of 353 all out was anywhere up to 150 runs short of a good score on a flat pitch.Indeed, much of the post-match analysis has focused on Joe Root’s captaincy, and perhaps with good reason. No Englishman has captained as many overseas Tests as Root’s 14 with a worse win/loss ratio, and his ability to get the most out of Jofra Archer’s talents in particular has been up for debate ever since the fast bowler’s debut at Lord’s. The rest of the squad and the management have both publicly stood by their man, though Ashley Giles illustrated the hollow nature of that in his press conference this week. “I’m not quite sure what anyone is expecting me to say,” Giles said. “‘We’ll see how we go’? That’s not a great vote of confidence in a captain.”Add into the mix the sad news that Chris Silverwood will return home after the second day of the Hamilton Test due to a family bereavement, and the racist abuse suffered by Archer on the final day at Bay Oval – not to mention an injury scare to Jos Buttler* – and it is clear that any attempt to start afresh has been wracked with difficulty.The best way to remove the spotlight from Root before next month’s tour of South Africa would be to win convincingly and end England’s miserable record overseas under his leadership. But given they are winless in their last 16 games in Australasia – their last victory in this part of the world was the Sydney Test in 2011 – that is easier said than done.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)New Zealand WWLWW
England LWLWD

In the spotlight

Joe Root needs runs, and desperately. His batting average as captain has dipped below 40. He has slipped out of the top 10 of the ICC’s batting rankings for the first time since 2014. Since the start of the English home summer in July, he has scored just 371 runs in 14 innings, averaging 26.50, with almost as many ducks (three) as half-centuries (four). Root insists that his batting has “just clicked” in training, and that a return to form is “round the corner”; England will be desperate for him to demonstrate that those are not empty words.It scarcely takes one wicketless spell for a section of New Zealand fans to start questioning the purpose of Tim Southee, whose tight control over line, angle and seam position makes him the precision engineer to Lockie Ferguson’s boy racer. But his three wickets on the second morning were not far short of decisive in keeping England to 353 in their first innings, and his record at home in the past five summers – 84 wickets at 24.59 – is a fair reflection of his supreme ability in familiar conditions.

Team news

Mitchell is set to make his debut as the swing-bowling allrounder, while Henry is likely to edge out Ferguson and replace the injured Boult. The rest of the side is unlikely to change, though Jeet Raval’s spot might come under pressure ahead of the Australia tour with another unconvincing display.New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham, 2 Jeet Raval, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Daryl Mitchell, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Neil Wagner.The likelihood of England going into the Test unchanged took a hit on Thursday*, with news of Buttler suffering a back spasm while in the gym. If he is ruled out, that would mean Ollie Pope taking the gloves for only the sixth time in a first-class match. Zak Crawley would probably come in as batting cover, although England were pondering the use of Chris Woakes as another allrounder; Woakes could come into contention anyway, with Jack Leach’s place far from certain after taking 2 for 153 in Mount Maunganui.England: 1 Rory Burns, 2 Dom Sibley, 3 Joe Denly, 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Zak Crawley, 7 Ollie Pope (wk), 8 Sam Curran, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Chris Woakes/Jack Leach, 11 Stuart Broad.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch was very green on Tuesday – it looked as you’d expect a surface to look three days out, rather than two – but is likely to be cut. It has been hot in Hamilton, and the groundstaff have watered the pitch heavily. Seddon Park is one of the lower-scoring grounds in New Zealand, where the ball swings a bit more due to the humidity, and it is a typical ‘look up, not down’ surface.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand have won five and drawn one of their last six Tests at Seddon Park.
• Ross Taylor has made five of his 18 Test hundreds at Hamilton, and is 92 runs away from scoring 1000 at the venue.
• In his 12 first-class games at the ground, Daryl Mitchell averages 39.33 with the bat, and 23.60 with the ball.
• Dom Sibley’s strength off his pads is offset by a weakness outside his off stump. On his debut last week, he scored five runs from the 87 balls that arrived outside off, and was dismissed twice.
• England have lost five of their six internationals in Hamilton across formats, with their only victory a two-run win in a T20I in February 2018.

Quotes

“It’s fantastic opportunity for Daryl if he’s selected. I think he has the capability to do what Colin has [done] in recent times. We’re lucky we have Daryl to come in.”

New Zealand bowling coach Shane Jurgensen hopes Daryl Mitchell can fill Colin de Grandhomme’s big shoes“When they were 600 declared, we knew our first innings wasn’t quite good enough.”
Ben Stokes took longer than most to realise England were in trouble*0900 GMT – This story was updated with news of Buttler’s injury

The left-arm seamer was sidelined from the Test series against Bangladesh after sustaining a groin injury during the third ODI

Liam Brickhill28-Oct-2018Left-arm seamer Richard Ngarava has been ruled out of Zimbabwe’s two-Test series against Bangladesh after he sustained a groin injury during the third one-day international on Friday. Ngarava, 20, was in line to make his Test debut, but his injury means that Chris Mpofu has been called up as a replacement.

Zimbabwe Test squad

Hamilton Masakadza (capt), Brian Chari, Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Peter Moor, Regis Chakabva, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Brandon Mavuta, John Nyumbu, Wellington Masakadza, Ryan Burl, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu

“Ngarava sustained a groin injury and also complained of pain in the gluteal region after our last ODI,” said Zimbabwe national team physiotherapist Anesu Mupotaringa. “Even with aggressive treatment, he will not recover in time for the Test series.””Ngarava is part of our plan to deliberately inject youth into the team and he has worked hard on this tour, on the sidelines, readying himself for an opportunity to play,” said Zimbabwe convener of selectors, Walter Chawaguta.”We had plans to possibly rotate our seamers and rest those who have played all matches since the tour of South Africa and this would have presented an opportunity for Ngarava.”As part of their preparations for the Test series, the Zimbabweans will take on Bangladesh A in a three-day practice match starting on Monday at Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. The first Test begins on 3 November in Sylhet, while the second starts on 11 November in Dhaka.Chawaguta is confident Mpofu’s experience will prove useful in the series. The 32-year-old seamer has played 15 Test matches since making his debut against Bangladesh in Chittagong in January 2005. He has been on three further tours to Bangladesh since then.”Mpofu was with the team in the build-up to South Africa and, having toured Bangladesh before, he would know how to quickly adjust to conditions here,” said Chawaguta. “He is very experienced and would give us an opportunity to continue with our set plan of rotating our pace bowling department.”Zimbabwe suffered a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI series against Bangladesh, and Chawaguta said that they would look to make amends in the Tests with the senior players expected to lead the way.”The team was obviously saddened by our performance in the ODI series and we are looking to make amends during the Test matches,” he said.”It’s a different ball game demanding a specific set of skills. We have decent Test experience in the squad and are calling on our experienced players to carry the team and show the younger players how to play Test cricket.”

The coach also has outlined another goal for the team: keep excelling in Test cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2017India’s coach Ravi Shastri has prioritised fitness, and wants his side to be the “best fielding XI” at the 2019 World Cup. Shastri’s comments echoed those of India’s chairman of selectors MSK Prasad who, while naming the squad for the upcoming limited-overs series in Sri Lanka, stressed fitness would be the key parameter while picking the World Cup squad.”When the time comes for India to field a side for the 2019 50-over World Cup, we should have the best fielding XI in the world walking out,” Shastri told the . “Only the fittest of the lot will survive and thrive going forward and that’s right up there in the list of priorities.”India’s 3-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka in the recently concluded Test series was Shastri’s first assignment as coach since taking over the role from Anil Kumble. While admitting that the World Cup would be the focus going forward, he also outlined another goal for the team: keep excelling in Test cricket. Since the rain-affected one-off Test in Fatullah in 2015, India have won eight consecutive series and are only one short of equalling the world record.”The World Cup has its own space that needs to be respected. And while that remains the goal, a fact also remains that if India need to show their real might in the game, then achieving results in Test cricket is the pinnacle,” Shastri said.”Now, these are two different sets of goals altogether. Both need to be pursued with equal amount of zeal and yet, both require a completely different level of preparation. Look at countries like England and Australia and how they perceive the game. Playing top-notch Test cricket and excelling in it is what they want to do. World Cups keep coming every four years and of course, we all understand its importance from a global and fan perspective. But if this team really has to be tested, then it’s Test cricket and we have plenty of it coming up next year.”India’s most recent series win in Sri Lanka was their first clean sweep away from home in a series of three Tests or more. Shastri put that down to discipline and said that he was pleased with the effort from the team.”A disciplined approach is what counts,” he said. “For instance, look at this series. Barring the two no-balls in the second Test from Hardik and one in the third game from Shami, we’ve not faltered. How many catches did we drop? Two? Going forward, that is what we need to avoid altogether. It’s the effort that counts. If we have to look at the bigger picture, we’re taking away more than what the scorecard will convey.”

For the second season in a row, Nottinghamshire are at the uncomfortable end of the Division One table, looking like a team in need of inspiration. Last season, Peter Moores awakened ambition. This time Imran Tahir might make the difference

Jon Culley03-Jul-2016
ScorecardNotts will hope to see these sort of celebrations from Imran Tahir [file picture]•AFP

For the second season in a row, Nottinghamshire are meandering through midsummer at the uncomfortable end of the Division One table, looking like a team in need of inspiration. Last year, after being bottom at the halfway stage, they seemed to be find it in Peter Moores, the former England coach, whose addition to the staff at Trent Bridge coincided with a revival that saw them finish third.This year, evidently, they need something to spark them again, having won their opening match of the Championship programme against Surrey in April but not one since in an eight-match winless run that began, as it happens, with an eight-wicket defeat by Lancashire at Old Trafford.Perhaps this time the uplifting factor will be Imran Tahir. Back at Trent Bridge for a second spell after his first, last year, was curtailed early by injury, the South Africa leg-spinner began by conceding 13 runs in his first over, six of them before he had bowled a legitimate delivery, but thereafter produced evidence that the skills that have sustained him through an extraordinary career might be just what Nottinghamshire need, even in a summer as damp and miserable as this one.Although Lancashire, the Division One leaders, took a chance with the toss and decided to bat first, it was on a surface that had some grass left on and looked dark in colour after more heavy downpours on Saturday, one that surely had Stuart Broad and Harry Gurney licking their lips.Yet it was Tahir who proved Lancashire’s most troublesome opponent, offering few cheap runs, even when he was attacking, and having enough guile to snare two of his three wickets with his googly.At the heart of his contribution was an engrossing battle with the Lancashire opener, the left-handed Tom Smith, who was 40 from 95 balls as his side reached lunch at 109 for 1 but was thereafter so comprehensively pinned down by Tahir that of the next 46 deliveries he faced from the legspinner he managed to score off just six before he was lured down the pitch and stumped after the ball kicked past the outside edge.It had been the googly, too, that earlier bowled Luke Procter for 48. In between, Steven Croft was possibly unlucky to be given out leg before after taking a long stride forwards but Tahir’s 3 for 78 from 27 overs did not flatter him in any way.After his 7 for 45 against West Indies in Basseterre, in the process of which he became the fourth fastest bowler to reach 100 wickets in one-day internationals, he has arrived with form and confidence high. Nottinghamshire, who have managed thus far to stay out of the relegation places but have played more of their matches than those around them, will have their fingers crossed that it continues.Tahir was one of three changes in the Nottinghamshire bowling compared with the rain-affected draw with Warwickshire last week. He replaced the young off-spinner Matt Carter, with Gurney and Broad coming in for Luke Fletcher and Jake Ball, who is being rested after bearing a heavy workload in recent weeks.Ball, Nottinghamshire’s leading wicket-taker, is strongly tipped to make his Test debut against Pakistan at Lord’s next week and Mick Newell, wearing both his Nottinghamshire and England hats, wants him to be in peak condition should his chance come.Broad bowled a fine spell with the new ball without reward and was then rather fortunate after lunch to see Alviro Petersen given out to a legside strangle when he barely appealed. In the last of his four consistently-disciplined spells he held a brilliant return catch from a full-blooded hit to dismiss Jordan Clark before Liam Livingstone took a mighty swing at him towards midwicket and was caught at backward point off a steepling top edge.There was a scare late on when Neil Wagner ducked into a ball from Harry Gurney and took a blow on the back of the head. Happily, amid obvious concern among the Nottinghamshire players, who summoned help immediately, the New Zealand bowler was able to get to his feet and walk off.As it happened, he was also out, which seemed somewhat unfair, the ball dropping behind him as he dropped to his haunches and rolling on to the stumps with enough force to dislodge a bail and provide the in-form Gurney with a second wicket he deserved, if not by a route he would have chosen.

The Zimbabwe cricket team landed at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore at 1.45 am on Tuesday to become the first Full Member nation to tour Pakistan since March 2009

Umar Farooq in Lahore19-May-2015The Zimbabwe cricket team landed at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore at 1.45 am on Tuesday to become the first Full Member nation to tour Pakistan since March 2009. Zimbabwe will play two T20Is and three ODIs at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore between May 22 and 31 before departing on June 1.The visitors landed amid extensive security, with thousands of policemen deployed along the 14 kilometre route to a five-star hotel on the Mall Road, which divides the eastern and western parts of Lahore. The touring group – 16 Zimbabwe players, nine team officials and five board officials – was flanked by a large convoy of police commandos, after they had been received by two ministers from the ruling party, Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz, along with the top brass of the PCB.The streets leading into Mall Road were closed off to traffic, petrol stations along the route were closed, and even the police vehicles on duty had been authenticated to guard against impersonation.”Safe and sound in Lahore … time for rest and training begins tomorrow,” allrounder Sean Williams said on Twitter.Pakistan has remained a no-go destination for major international teams since March 3, 2009, when gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus while it was en route to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for the third day of the second Test. Eight people were killed during the attack – and some players were injured – at Liberty roundabout, located a kilometre and a half from the stadium.
The incident had occurred when there was political instability in the region, because the Punjab government had been dismissed and replaced by Governor’s rule in the province.Since then, the PCB has been pushing hard to convince teams to tour Pakistan, who have been forced to play their home matches primarily in the UAE. Pakistan invited West Indies A in 2013 but the WICB refused to send the team and asked PCB to host them in UAE, which did not happen.Afghanistan, who received Associate status from the ICC last year, had visited Pakistan several times but their fixtures were low profile. The PCB also had talks with Cricket Ireland last year but the tour was put on hold following terrorist attacks on Karachi airport in June.The PCB had, through the years, used diplomatic channels in a bid to win back lost confidence and there were frequent visits by the European Union delegation at the PCB headquarters. Kenya was the first country from outside the region to accept an offer to tour Pakistan and played five one-dayers last year in December against Pakistan A.However, after in-depth lobbying with Zimbabwe Cricket president Wilson Manase, PCB managed to convince them to play a short series in the country. “It’s their (Zimbabwe) trust and confidence in us which will strengthen our cricketing ties with them,” PCB’s chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed said. “We hope to change the perception of the world about Pakistan and build the confidence of other foreign teams to come here.”Zimbabwe’s arrival in Pakistan came after days of uncertainty over whether they would go ahead with the tour. In the end, Zimbabwe Cricket decided to proceed with the tour against the advice from their country’s Sports and Recreation Committee. The ICC also said it would not send its officials to stand in the games, and allowed the PCB to appoint its own officials.

Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies in July 2013 is likely to be split into two parts in order to accommodate the PCB’s plan of hosting India in August

Umar Farooq19-Dec-2012Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies in July 2013 is likely to be split into two parts in order to accommodate the PCB’s plan of hosting India in August for a series that is yet to be confirmed. Pakistan were due to play two Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20s in the Caribbean in June and July but now they will only play either Tests or limited-overs matches to create a window for India.According to the FTP, West Indies are scheduled to host Pakistan from the last week in June to the last week in July but they also have a tri-series against India and Sri Lanka during that time. To avoid the clash with Pakistan, the WICB had asked the PCB if their Caribbean tour could be rescheduled to August. That, however, would interfere with the PCB’s hopes of hosting India, so Pakistan’s West Indies tour had to be split.ESPNcricinfo understands that after the upcoming limited-over series in India starting on December 25, the PCB is hoping to invite India to play another series in Pakistan.”The limited-over series isn’t [just] what we wanted,” a PCB official said. “We wanted long-term bonding with India on reciprocal basis, and to extend our relationship we will invite India to play a series next year in August. We will find a way to at least keep the window open.”Cricket ties between Pakistan and India were put on ice following the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai and the upcoming series will be the first in four years.Pakistan had also sought a postponement of its scheduled tour of Zimbabwe later this month so that they can tour India. Pakistan were scheduled to tour Zimbabwe before their South Africa visit in 2013, but Zimbabwe Cricket agreed to put it off.

West Indies were in a fight to prevent a big loss at Eden Gardens, needing to bat close five more sessions with seven wickets in hand

The Report by Sidharth Monga16-Nov-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsUmesh Yadav picked up three wickets in the first innings•AFP

West Indies were in a fight to prevent a big loss at Eden Gardens, needing to bat close to five more sessions with seven wickets in hand. They imploded in the morning session to get bowled out in 48 overs, three more than what Devendra Bishoo bowled when India batted. Such capitulation was not forthcoming in the follow-on, but a patient Ishant Sharma chipped away at them and got rid of both half-centurions, Adrian Barath and Kirk Edwards, before stumps. West Indies still needed 283 to make India bat again with two days remaining in the match.What happened in the morning wasn’t entirely unexpected, in that spin began the slide and that once Shivnarine Chanderpaul got out cheaply there wasn’t much resistance. Umesh Yadav brought the surprise, removing the two batsmen who got involved in any sort of partnership, Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels.From the moment Pragyan Ojha pitched the first ball of the morning in front of leg and missed off, you knew from the evidence from Delhi that the batsmen would struggle. In his third over of the day, Ojha delivered the simple one-two of a big turner followed by the arm ball. Edwards neither read the arm ball nor came forward, and even though it was a marginal lbw, Edwards’ being caught on the crease did him no favours.Chanderpaul showed more intent, sweeping the third ball he faced for four. Ojha didn’t bowl the next over. And it took the replacement Ashwin three balls to trap the big fish in front. Chanderpaul always leaves the lbw open by shuffling across, and it is a huge credit to how he keeps scoring and rarely gets hit on the pad. This time, though, he missed an offbreak that didn’t turn as much as it held its line. Caught inside the crease, Chanderpaul provided the umpire no dilemma.Bravo and Samuels batted positively, doubling the score from 46 for 4 before Bravo played a lazy shot: a push at a ball just outside off, without getting close to the line. Yadav took the inside edge, and Bravo’s stumps were now only semi-furnished. A peach spread-eagled Samuels’ woodwork soon. This one shaped like it would swing in, pitched on a good length, hit the seam and then held its line. India were into the tail now, with fewer than 100 on the board.

Smart stats

• The lead of 478 is the second-highest conceded by the West Indies and the highest ever lead conceded by them since 1930 against England. Click here for matches where West Indies have batted first and here for matches when they have fielded first.

• India have registered 400-plus leads on four different occasions. On three occasions in the last four years, India have batted first. The only time they batted second and gained a 400-run lead was against Australia in Kolkata in 1998.

• West Indies’ total of 153 is their third-lowest in Tests against India. While they lost when they made their lowest total (106) in Kingston in 2006, they won despite folding for 127 in Delhi in 1987.

• Shivnarine Chanderpaul became the fourth batsman after Clive Lloyd, Javed Miandad and Ricky Ponting to aggregate 2000 runs in Tests against India. His seven centuries are second to Garry Sobers and Viv Richards, who have eight each.

• The 93-run stand between Adrian Barath and Kirk Edwards is the fifth-highest second-wicket stand for West Indies in Tests in India.

• Pragyan Ojha, who picked up 4 for 64 in the first innings, reached the 50-wicket landmark in his 13th Test. Five Indian bowlers including Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh have achieved the feat in fewer matches.

Darren Sammy hit Ojha for a six but Ojha responded with another flighted delivery. The extra bounce on that took Sammy’s edge on the cut. Quick singles have hardly been the thought on the minds of West Indies’ batsman, but for some reason Kemar Roach was caught backing up too far to replicate the Gautam Gambhir dismissal from Delhi. Just in case we didn’t notice this was some kind of a repeat of a show seen sometime earlier, Carlton Baugh fell lbw trying a big sweep off a full Ojha delivery.Fidel Edwards swung a few before the end, but all it did was deny India their biggest lead in Test cricket, which continues to be the 492-run difference they managed against Bangladesh in 2007.The batsmen did well to not carry the repetition of errors into the second innings after having lost their last 25 wickets for 368 runs. They were aggressive but judicious. Barath was clear in his mind. When he went after width, he did so hard, and resisted pushing defensively outside off. Kraigg Brathwaite, though, pushed half-heartedly, giving Yadav his third wicket of the day. Edwards’ arrival brought in Ojha, but this time Edwards was quick to come forward in defence, and also drove at overpitched deliveries. Barath welcomed Ojha with two fours in his first over, and then Edwards hit his fifth over for a four and a six.Like any self-respecting modern captain, Dhoni immediately spread the field, never mind the huge lead in hand. At one point West Indies batted with five fielders on the boundary, and kept picking the easy single. When Dhoni brought the mid-on in for Yuvraj Singh, Barath immediately lofted him over that fielder to reach 49. He spent six balls on that score, and then could easily push one to deep point for the single that would bring up his fifty.The ball had started reversing by now, and after tea Ishant bowled a testing over to Barath. After continuously pushing him back with short-of-a-length deliveries and inward movement, Ishant bowled the sucker ball wide outside off. Barath went after it, the ball moved away slightly, took the edge, and settled with the lone wide slip.Edwards and Bravo, both batting for a second time today, made sure an immediate wicket didn’t follow. Bravo hit Ojha and Ashwin for a six each to get rid of the extra catching men. Edwards was now reaping benefits of a similar approach earlier. His concentration wavered when Ishant came back, and he played across the line of a full delivery that straightened. Through a 34-run partnership, Bravo and Chanderpaul ensured there wasn’t further damage, but their job had only just started.

On a flat pitch that aided neither spin nor pace, India needed a spinner with a big of magic, but didn’t have one

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2010It might change character over the final two days, but so far the pitch hasn’t helped the spinners, it hasn’t helped the seamers, and the conditions weren’t conducive for reverse swing. There was turn, but it was slow. What it required, then, was a spinner who could produce a bit of magic.India’s leading spinner Harbhajan Singh hasn’t been in great form, though. It’s often been said by his critics – and there are quite a few of them – that he needs spin-friendly tracks to be really effective, like he showed in the Calcutta Test against South Africa in February. The last time he bowled superbly and consistently through a series, though, was not at home. It came in New Zealand in 2009. He got the ball to drift, turn, and bounce. He deployed over spin, side spin, and top spin and looked at the top of his game.A few months after that series, Daniel Vettori was asked to name the player he admired the most in the international scene. “I really enjoy watching Harbhajan Singh bowl. I think he’s my favourite bowler to watch in world cricket. I admire his skills and his repertoire, and he’s someone I always try to learn from whenever I see him bowl.”But it’s clear from the last 12 months that all is currently not well in Harbhajan’s world. Over that span, encompassing 10 Tests, he has averaged 42.47 at a strike rate of 86.1. In comparison, his career bowling average is 31.66 at a strike rate of 67.2. He rarely uses the doosra now; he perhaps didn’t bowl a single one in the series against Australia. He prefers the topspinner now. It is most puzzling. It’s tempting to use that to explain his decline, but even on that 2009 New Zealand tour he didn’t bowl many doosras. His bowling has lacked drift and bounce. He has been injured in the recent months and missed a few Tests. That could be a factor. His fans have pointed out that he is still the best spinner India has and he will overcome this dip in form.Throughout his career, Harbhajan has shown a tendency to push his deliveries on middle and leg on his bad days. That, though, hasn’t happened a lot in recent games. The lines have been better, the speeds have been relatively fine, but the lengths have suffered. Without a loop and dip, they often do. The result is that 42.84 average. Luckily for India, this has coincided with the rise of Zaheer Khan, who has been awesome with the old ball when it reverses. It didn’t today, and the New Zealanders marched along.The other spinner, Pragyan Ojha, averages 41.60. He is rarely used as a strike bowler and it’s clear that he doesn’t like one. He was quick to switch to over the stumps today – – perhaps because he was asked to by the team think tank. You could see why. There were rough patches outside leg stump and both McCullum and Ross Taylor like to sweep. Perhaps one would take the top edge? It didn’t, and he struck almost immediately on returning to bowling around the stumps with a beauty to remove McCullum. It dipped and turned to leave the batsman stranded. That’s the thing about Ojha that confounds. There were couple of deliveries today from the spinners that gripped, turned and bounced. All of them came from Ojha, though they seem to be exception rather than norm with him. His deliveries seem to land on a length and turn very slightly. It feels as if he doesn’t give them a good rip. It perhaps is the stock bowler in him dominating. Most probably, that’s his role.Ojha’s former Hyderabad bowling coach, Kanwaljit Singh, tells of a meeting with the bowler in what proved to be a turn-around game for him. “We [Kanwal and the captain VVS Laxman] told him, look you are our strike bowler. This is a wicket aiding spin and we are confident you can run through them. Show us you can.” Ojha took 6 for 84 and moved up a grade. Is what we see from him now at the international level his best, or is there a gear he has not tried yet? India might want to use him as their containing bowler, but that doesn’t mean he can’t attack at all. It would be good to know whether there is another gear to him at this level for Murali Kartik, who is clearly the better bowler, is still going strong at the county and domestic circuit.So far, the game has the look and feel of a draw. Even the usually ebullient Sreesanth didn’t sound upbeat.” It’s very flat track as usual in Ahmedabad. I worked very hard because it is not an easy track to bowl on, very slow track. We have to work very hard. I don’t think we could have done anything differently. Maybe we should have restricted a few more boundaries. It just happens – some days it clicks, some days it doesn’t. You have got to be patient. We will keep on giving our best shot.”Credit goes to their batsmen, they played well.” Of course, Sreesanth being Sreesanth, he couldn’t let it go at that. “I can’t wait to see the next game. I really want to see how they play on a turner; I think they are going to struggle.”

South Australia’s Peter George bowled himself into history with the best figures ever recorded at Bellerive Oval but the Redbacks still face a challenge to take first-innings points against Tasmania

Cricinfo staff25-Nov-2009
ScorecardPeter George collected 8 for 84•South Australian Cricket Association

South Australia’s Peter George bowled himself into history with the best figures ever recorded at Bellerive Oval but the Redbacks still face a challenge to take first-innings points against Tasmania. George finished with 8 for 84 in Tasmania’s innings of 389 and shared the star billing with the Tigers batsman Ed Cowan, who scored 225.George’s figures beat the previous best at Bellerive Oval, the 7 for 38 collected by Tom Moody for Western Australia during the 1995-96 season. It was the best analysis in the Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup competition since Stuart Clark grabbed 8 for 58 against Western Australia three summers ago.Adding to the impressive nature of the performance, it was the first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket for George, who was playing his tenth match. His victims included Cowan, who added 21 to his overnight score and finished with 57% of Tasmania’s total.In reply, South Australia had reached 4 for 220 at stumps with Cameron Borgas unbeaten on 34 and Graham Manou on 7. They had been well set up by the opener Daniel Harris, who scored 77, and Mark Cosgrove (49) but will need to rely on their lower middle-order to help them overtake Tasmania.