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Ian Chappell was a man to be reckoned with, as South Australia’s administration found out during the 1975-76 Sheffield season. A new book has the story

Greg Growden14-Oct-2017For those growing up in Adelaide during the 1960s and ’70s, Ian Chappell was the most captivating sporting attraction in the months when you impatiently waited for the next footy season to begin.South Australia is AFL-obsessed. Cricket season is when Croweaters catch their breath. That was not the case when Chappell led the South Australia Sheffield Shield team. Due to his charisma and combative nature, the frenzy often continued deep into spring, summer, autumn even, as he made the state team obligatory viewing. You were drawn to all that swagger.Under the guise of going to the State Library for supposed after-school study, I would often get off two bus stops early and veer left towards the Torrens.As long as the ground attendants had remembered to open the Victor Richardson Gates for the final Shield session, you could happily sit in front of the world’s best scoreboard and enjoy the best free entertainment in town.Sadly, I had moved to another state by the time of Chappell’s inspired season of tough-love leadership that saw South Australia win the 1975-76 Shield title. But every moment was avidly followed on a middle-of-nowhere farm via the endless glaring newspaper headlines and articles that he generated during a season rated by Geoff Armstrong, in his history of the Sheffield Shield, and on how Chappell, in what was supposed to be his final year as a player, rallied a diverse group of personalities, including Terry Jenner, Ashley Mallett, Rick Darling, Gary Cosier, Ashley Woodcock, Wayne Prior, Rick Drewer, Barry Curtin, Geoff Attenborough, Rodney Hogg, Dennis Yagmich and a bright, brash David Hookes into believing they could and would dominate.Clockwise from top left: Chappell faces suspension after the Victoria game in December 1975; South Australia’s players protest the dropping of Rick Drewer; Chappell decides to play the last two games of the season for the sake of the players•Sydney Morning HeraldChappell’s captaincy achievements are many, but he believes that season was his most satisfying. As he told Sexton: “It is probably the thing I am most proud of as a captain – that we went from last to first and won the Shield.”It also had something to do with putting cricket’s dithering hierarchy in its place.The season began in R-rated fashion when Chappell’s posterior appeared in newspapers around Australia. With his pants around his ankles, he was photographed adjusting his protective gear while batting against NSW in Adelaide. Then angered that NSW captain Doug Walters would not declare, Chappell in protest bowled an over of full tosses. The umpires cited five players, including Chappell, for unruly behaviour.At the inquiry, former state captain and then South Australian Cricket Association president Phil Ridings asked why he persisted in bowling full tosses. When Chappell explained his reasoning in trying to revitalise the game, Ridings asked what difference it made between being 46 runs behind or 150 behind.”Chappell exploded: ‘If you don’t know the difference then you don’t know much about cricket.'”Chappell told Ridings and Co that he “had had a gutful of what had been going on for the past two years”. “Why are you so angry about it? I finished last nine times,” Ridings said. “That is the f*****g difference between you and me, Phil: I’m not going to finish last nine years in a row.'”The friction lingered for the rest of the season, fuelled by a threatened suspension after umpires complained about Chappell’s behaviour during South Australia’s win over Victoria in Melbourne. On returning to Adelaide, he told journalist Mike Coward at the airport: “I don’t have any loyalty to the SACA anymore but I am loyal to the SA players who are trying so desperately hard at the moment to win the Shield.”Chappell was as infuriated with how poorly the SACA treated its players. He would point out that “the barman at the Adelaide Oval was getting $25 per day while the players were getting half that, plus a longneck and a carton of Benson and Hedges”.Then during the Adelaide match against Victoria, the ground announcer listed the 13 names of the touring party to play Queensland and NSW in the final two matches. It included Bob Blewett, while Drewer had been omitted.

Chappell “had no gripes” about Blewett being picked, but thought dropping Drewer ridiculous and a 13th player unnecessary. The selectors had also breached an agreement where they would notify him in advance of any team changes.A seething Chappell asked Ridings why he hadn’t been consulted. The skipper was told he couldn’t be contacted as he was batting at the time.”I thought that was my f*****g job,” Chappell shouted down the phone.
He then quit. He first told Mallett he wasn’t going to Sydney and Brisbane. “If you are not going then I am not going,” Mallett said.Jenner backed Chappell and Mallett, but wanted to take it further. Jenner called a team meeting. While Chappell said it was a personal decision, Jenner disagreed, arguing “If it was good enough for the captain not to go on tour then it is good enough for the rest of the team.”A secret ballot was organised. The vote was 8-2 in support of their captain – with Cosier and Hogg against striking. Jenner said it couldn’t be a split result. It was either all in or all out. Another vote was taken – and this time it was unanimous. The next day the local papers ran mug shots of the 12 players over a headline: “State cricketers quit.”The standoff only ended when one of South Australia’s most illustrious, rough and tough footballers, Neil “The King” Kerley, telephoned Chappell, urging him to play.Shortly after, Chappell and his men headed east to secure the Shield. reminds us, he stood, defied and delivered.Chappell’s Last Stand
By Michael Sexton
Affirm Press

With the World T20 is less than seven months away, the series against South Africa will test the readiness of Harmanpreet Kaur’s side for the big event, and show how much work remains to be done

Annesha Ghosh13-Feb-2018Starting from scratchWith less than seven months until the World T20, India are set to play their first T20I in more than a year, having not played a single match in the format in all of 2017. And therefore, despite beating South Africa 2-1 in the ODIs, they will start the five-match T20I series with a few questions to answer.

Goswami out of SA T20s with heel injury

Fast bowler Jhulan Goswami has been ruled out of India women’s five-match T20I series against South Africa that begins with the first game on Tuesday. Goswami suffered a heel injury, and her absence was confirmed following an MRI scan on Monday. The BCCI is not going to name a replacement in the squad.
Goswami has been advised a couple of weeks’ rest by the BCCI’s medical team to avoid further impact on the bone. She will begin her rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru upon returning from South Africa. Goswami played a huge part in India’s ODI series victory over South Africa, where she became the first women’s cricketer to claim 200 ODI wickets.

It won’t be the same team, in the first place, with the captaincy changing hands from Mithali Raj to Harmanpreet Kaur, with T20 specialist Anuja Patil reintegrated, and two 17-year-olds – Jemimah Rodrigues, who sat out the entire ODI leg, and the Baroda allrounder Radha Yadav – potentially making their international debuts.The series will test India’s bench strength ahead of a home season that features Australia and England, and also help gauge the merit behind the selectors leaving out Sushma Verma – who was until recently the first-choice wicketkeeper across formats – from the T20Is in favour of Nuzhat Parween and the uncapped Taniya Bhatia.Harmanpreet’s moment of reckoningAgainst a robust South African T20 side, and with a transitioning Indian 20-overs side to preside over, this series will test Harmanpreet’s mettle as captain at a time when she has scaled new heights in terms of stature, marketability and self-assuredness as an international cricketer.Harmanpreet’s T20I captaincy record is, on the surface, hugely impressive: India’s win-loss ratio of 2.250 under her easily dwarfs the figures achieved under her predecessors Raj, Jhulan Goswami and Anjum Chopra. Unlike those three, however, she is yet to win a match against a non-subcontinental side. The one time India have played a non-subcontinental opponent in Harmanpreet’s tenure, they were whitewashed 3-0 – at home that too – to West Indies in November 2016.Now she has an opportunity to correct that blemish in her record. She will want to lead by example, scoring consistent and quick runs with the bat, contribute a few wily overs of offspin, and inspire her side with her work on the field. The T20I series will test her reputation as India’s most explosive batsman, and ask her if she can establish herself as the fulcrum around which the team builds its plans for the World T20 in November.The batting-order challengeIt is unlikely the team would look beyond an opening combination featuring Raj and Smriti Mandhana, given Raj’s prolific returns of 49*, 36, 62 and 73* in her last four T20I outings and Mandhana’s established role at the top of the order. What comes after is less certain: there is a case for Harmanpreet to slot herself at first drop, to amplify her chances of getting her eye in before launching the big ones – a style of play different to potential No. 4 Veda Krishnamurthy’s gung-ho approach from the outset.All four of Harmanpreet’s T20I half-centuries, including two unbeaten 60s in losing causes, have come when she has walked in with 10 or more overs left in the innings. It is a fact that she should keep in mind while drawing up the batting order. Even in the WBBL, her returns this season, while batting mostly at No. 5 (107 runs at an average of 21.40 and a strike rate of 95.53), have fallen steeply from the heights she achieved with the Sydney Thunder in 2016-17 (296 runs at 59.20 and 116.99), when she typically batted at No. 4.Meanwhile, Krishnamurthy’s fifties in the last two ODIs and a boundary-laden 40 in the final game of an otherwise lukewarm maiden WBBL season, bodes well for the team. Her form, and Anuja’s versatility – she is capable of holding one end up in the event of early wickets or pinch quick runs with inventive strokeplay – could even allow India to promote Shikha Pandey from her usual lower-middle-order position. Recently, Pandey made two successive, unbeaten and match-winning half-centuries in the inter-state T20 tournament – 55 off 54 balls and 92 off 76 – while opening the batting. A promotion for the seam-bowling allrounder could turn out to be one of India’s most purposeful punts, particularly after she hammered 31 off 16 balls in the third ODI.Nerves, nerves, nervesThe batting capitulation in last year’s World Cup final may have been partially abetted by the never-experienced-before 26,500-strong crowd at Lord’s, but India had no such defence for their implosion on the field in the third ODI on Saturday in a near-empty stadium in Potchefstroom. Their sloppiness cost them the chance of completing a maiden bilateral-series whitewash against South Africa, and also some momentum leading into the T20Is. India’s lack of a plan against Dane van Niekerk’s innovations and Mignon du Preez’s discipline was exposed further by dropped catches, overthrows and shoddy wicketkeeping in the back end of their defence of 240.India will, therefore, need to work on keeping their composure in clutch phases during the T20I series. In a similar vein, they will need to switch their minds off the knowledge that the last three T20Is will be televised as part of double-headers with the men’s games. Unpleasant memories from similar situations during the 2016 World T20 at home should hold India in good stead in warding off the pressure that comes with a women’s team being on television and being watched by their male counterparts in the company of a likely decent turnout at venues such as the Wanderers, SuperSport Park and Newlands.

The 21-year-old quick has been fast-tracked into the national set-up, vindicating his decision to let go of AFL ambitions and pursue his cricketing dreams instead

Shashank Kishore in Bengaluru24-Aug-2018In 2012, a 15-year old Jhye Richardson fancied a career in the Australian Football League (AFL). Growing up in Perth, he wanted to play for the Fremantle Dockers. He took steps towards his first goal when he was picked for East Fremantle, a development squad of the Dockers that plays in the Western Australia competition, below the national level. But cricket caught his attention before he could take the next step.He didn’t live too far from the WACA, and the generous dose of cricket stories he listened to helped him make his mind up to trade football boots for cricket spikes. It wasn’t surprising that he chose to become a fast bowler. Six years on, it’s a decision he’s thankful for, having already played four ODIs and seven T20Is for the national team. Now, he’s on Australia A’s tour of India, trying to strengthen his case for becoming an all-format regular.”I didn’t watch a lot of cricket when I was younger, but the things that stood out were stories of Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee bowling bouncers at WACA,” Richardson says. “As a fast bowler, when you hear stories of how those guys hit sightscreens one-bounce, that’s just ridiculous. It’s awesome; I wish I could have been there to see that.”The one bowler he did see from close quarters was Mitchell Johnson, whose ‘Summer of 2013’ was as close as it got to what Richardson missed watching. Johnson, who was with the Perth Scorchers, took a special interest in Richardson after watching him bowl in a couple of net sessions. He took time out to chat with the rookie and even had good words to write in a newspaper column.”He played so much international cricket and had such a good name behind himself, so to hear good things from someone like him automatically gives you the confidence,” Richardson says. “I’d like to think I have a relatively good relationship with him now, just being able to learn off him at Scorchers, he’s been amazing. Just having him around the group, he’s a jokester, always good to have. He’s an awesome guy. Reading his thoughts on me then did make me feel good inside.”Johnson’s praise was particularly encouraging because all Richardson kept hearing when he switched to cricket was why he wasn’t cut out to be a fast bowler. At 178 cm and 72 kg, many said he didn’t have a typical “fast bowler’s frame”. Richardson didn’t let the naysayers dissuade him, but is honest enough to admit he is “a little surprised” at his fast-tracking.

“I know one thing that Justin Langer has brought in already is ensuring that you need to do what the team needs for this ball, this situation. He often says, ‘Your next ball is the most important thing in your life.’ That’s what me and the other guys are concentrating on.”Jhye Richardson

Richardson is a product of the Fremantle Club in Perth, which has produced a number of Australia players, most recently the Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitchell. It’s a club he is emotionally attached to.”That’s a great club, I mean we have so many Australian representatives go through that club,” he says. “We’ve got the Marsh brothers, guys like Ashton Turner, and every time I get to play club cricket, it’s awesome. Often those guys have played there. The environment is obviously a little more relaxed than national cricket, so you can take a step back, take a breath and have casual conversations that you may not normally get to do in the national squad.”I think that’s probably the main factor, of why I guess why I’ve probably exceeded people’s expectations and my expectations coming up, because I think it has been so fast-tracked. So just being able to learn off those guys from such an early age has helped.”Richardson’s maiden international tour to South Africa earlier this year was overshadowed by the ball-tampering fiasco. Then, in England, Australia were whitewashed in the ODIs – experiences that could scar even seasoned cricketers. For Richardson, though, these were life lessons he accepted and dealt with calmly.”I played football when I was much younger and before cricket,” he says. “The thing I learnt from football from an early age is being around the team environment, learning not to be selfish around the team, learning to put the team first, and what the team needs. Learning that from a young age has definitely helped me to really engage within the team.”This is Richardson’s first tour of India, and in the first one-dayer that his team got to play in, he singed India A’s top order with three wickets in a searing new-ball burst. He says it was all down to the lessons he’s picked up by chatting with senior players and watching his own team-mates prepare.”For me, it’s about being adaptable,” he says. “I know I’ve fallen into the trap in the last few years of trying to blow the batsmen into the water. You can’t just bowl fast and get away with it, you’ve to be really on the spot. For me moving forward, especially over the last few years, especially after getting the national call-up, that has been a major learning experience for me. If the wickets are going to be slow and low, that’s the way to get the pressure on.”A lot of the other guys I speak to to often say patience is the key in India. Wickets aren’t probably good for pace bowlers, so I think it’s about just not getting over-greedy and then staying patient with the bowling, hitting the top of off as much as you can and putting pressure on the batsmen.”Richardson knows how important this tour is if he wants to earn a national call-up for the tour of the UAE against Pakistan in October, but he’s determined to not get ahead of himself. “There’s a lot of hype on this tour about how important it is. If guys get carried away thinking about the future, then we’re not going to perform in the present,” he says.”For now in this group, we’ve talked about trying to stay as level-headed as possible and not thinking to the future. I know one thing that Justin Langer has brought in already [as the Australia coach] is ensuring that you need to do what the team needs for this ball, this situation. He often says, ‘Your next ball is the most important thing in your life.’ That’s what me and the other guys are concentrating on.”

Fast bowler’s confidence in conditions so absolute, he believes England would have had the measure of any line-up in the world

Andrew Miller at Lord's10-Aug-2018Age is just a number, but rather like his bowling stats, James Anderson keeps ratcheting his figures up to ever more daunting levels. “I’ve just turned 36, mate!” he protested when one journalist mistakenly added an extra year to his tally, but it’s harder still to keep tabs on the wickets column.Anderson’s final figures of 5 for 20 in 13.2 overs, harvested under brooding and occasionally demented skies, were a display of minimalist wizardry that evoked Sir Richard Hadlee in the final years of a career that he surely could have extended into a fifth decade had he felt sufficient hunger.Like Hadlee in those latter years, Anderson has become the master craftsman, capable now of perhaps longer spells than any previous stage of his career, due to a precised run-up that dispenses with any fripperies, and a confidence in his own methods so absolute that he believes he would have had the measure of any line-up in the world today, including his own team-mates.”I think that if we bowled like that today, with those conditions, we’d bowl most teams in the world out – because I think we were that good,” Anderson said.”We hardly bowled any bad balls, we didn’t give them much to hit at all – and when you build pressure like that all day, no matter who you are around the world, it is difficult.

Anderson delighted for Woakes on comeback

James Anderson was full of praise for the manner in which Chris Woakes slotted back into the Test team after injury, as his probing spell of 2 for 19 in six overs helped skittle India for 107.
“He’s worked really hard, he’s still been around the squad the last few weeks, and missed out last week.
“But he’s a world-class performer on his day. We’ve seen it before, all round the world, one-day cricket, Test match cricket – he’s a brilliant bowler, a brilliant all-rounder, and someone who can do a fantastic job for this team.
“We’re just delighted for him. That first game back can always be tricky, especially when you’ve got world-class batsmen to come up against – but he handled the task brilliantly.”

“I think if we were bowling at our batsmen, we’d have the better of them [too]. We exploit those conditions as well as anyone in the world. I don’t think it’s just the Indian batsmen that would have struggled.”But on this occasion, they most certainly did. Anderson’s Indian scalps comprised two at the top, as India’s openers were bent from the crease like a claw-hammer evicting a pair of rusty old nails, and three at the bottom, as Ajinkya Rahane and the tail followed meekly in the final half-hour of an absurdly elongated day.And by the end of it all, he had booked his place on the Lord’s honours board for the sixth time in 23 appearances – leaving just two shy of the overall record of eight, held by another cricketing knight, Sir Ian Botham, whom he also trails by 26 to 27 in England’s overall five-wickets tally. He will go into the second innings with 99 scalps at this ground alone, and 549 in 140 Tests all told. No wonder people can’t keep tabs.”I don’t think about numbers or my age, I feel like … I won’t say 28, but 32?” he said. “I don’t feel old, I feel like I can still throw myself around in the field as well as anyone else, so as long as I feel like that, I’m just going to keep playing as long as possible. Hopefully the wickets will keep coming as well and I can help this team keep winning.”If Anderson gets presented with many more days like this, he’s unlikely to be denied either of those aims. After England’s early-season hiccup against Pakistan, Joe Root shelved the bravado after winning his second toss of the summer at Lord’s, rightly recognising that an extra day under the covers made bowling first a no-brainer. But even a man with Anderson’s experience was surprised by the assistance he was offered.”Honestly, I’d have been so disappointed if I’d messed up today because they were the ideal conditions to bowl in,” he said. “The rain yesterday certainly made the decision for us at the toss but we didn’t think it’d do that much. It looked a good pitch, dry with a bit of green grass on top, but not too much. It wasn’t particularly warm, but warm enough, and that moisture that’s in the ground just helped it move around.1:35

‘So much fun’ bowling in those conditions – Anderson

“Some days it hoops round – they’ve been quite rare actually – but for us, with the experience we’ve had of bowling on flat decks and the ball doing nothing, when you get the opportunity like that you lick your lips and try to show off your skills.”I find it so much fun when it’s like that. You don’t often get conditions like that in England anymore, when the ball does that much through the air and off the pitch – the biggest thing is not trying to do too much, do too many different things. You just keep your focus, try and bowl good balls and keep hoping they nick them eventually.”Rahane was one of those who eventually obliged – caught at first slip for 18 after surviving an earlier drop by Root at fourth – and afterwards he admitted that, with the combination of the Dukes ball, the weather and Anderson’s mastery (ably backed up by a resurgent Chris Woakes), India had just faced the most challenging conditions for batting that they could encounter.”He didn’t bowl one short ball,” said Rahane. “He was just bowling there and there – a four-five metre length. And that is really crucial on this wicket. If you’re bowling that length, you got to bowl consistently, then as a batsman you have to leave the ball or you’ve got to back your methods consistently. If you play three maiden overs, you’ve got to be ready to play another three maiden overs after that. It’s all about patience in these conditions and trusting your methods and backing your ability.”Anderson never wavered on that front. “We kept the pressure on and we didn’t let them get away all day,” he said. “That’s a really good sign for us as a team. You can’t build momentum with the rain around, but we came back really well at the end of the day.”If there was one slight regret for Anderson, it was that Virat Kohli eluded him for the third innings in a row. It was Woakes who landed the big fish in the end, caught by Jos Buttler for 23 at second slip, one ball after edging a similar delivery to the same man, but in the course of a 30-ball duel from which Kohli was able to take just 13 cautiously compiled runs, Anderson was once again able to relish a battle that is becoming one of the unmissable match-ups of the summer.Twice he beat Kohli on the drive as he was lured into playing his trademark outswinger – vindication perhaps for his comments at the end of the last India tour in 2016, when, after Kohli’s hefty haul of 655 runs in the series, he insisted that the balance of power would shift when the conditions were back in his favour.”I was thinking why can’t he edge them like everyone else?” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed the contest between myself and him. He’s No. 1 in the world for a reason.”For me, I love playing against the best players in the world, testing yourself and seeing whether you can get the better of them. It’s a really thrilling thing to be a part of and unfortunately I’ve not got the better of him yet, but I’ll continue to try my hardest throughout the rest of the series.”Kohli’s important because he’s captain, a leader and he’s their best player – No.1 in the world. But 90 percent of their top seven have scored runs against us in the past, so we can’t look just as Kohli as a big wicket.”All I think about is getting my body in as good a condition as it can be to cope with bowling out in the middle. I was delighted with how many overs I bowled at Edgbaston. For my body to get through that at this age I’m really happy with. I think I means I’m doing the right stuff off the field.”

We’ve all been officially warned against jogging in Delhi in the first 10 days of November. Yet here we have a full-fledged cricket match on

Sidharth Monga in Delhi01-Nov-2018It took only a session and a half on the first day of Ranji Trophy cricket this season for a player to wear a mask out to the middle. On day one of the game between Mumbai and Railways, at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Aditya Tare, Siddhesh Lad and a few other players wore these masks. It’s time to take a step back and think carefully about the situation: is it wise – or fair – to subject the players to these conditions?To those who live in Delhi, November 1 was indeed one of the more pleasant days. The air quality was merely poor, but those who came from Mumbai complained of coughs, breathing trouble and dizziness after a day of athletic activity in Delhi. We in Delhi have become so desensitised – and indeed physically accustomed – that we actually celebrate days when the air is merely poor, but this is when it actually hits you.On October 27, a Central Pollution Control Board-led task force warned people against running or jogging in Delhi in the first 10 days of November. Yet here we had a full-fledged cricket match, which, if the pollution-caused poor light permits, goes on for six-and-a-half hours each day and over four days. Pollution in Delhi and the surrounding areas has been the cause of a crisis over the last few years. There are various man-made reasons for this, which are beyond the scope of this piece, but the fact remains: in November the pollution reaches its peak, with stubble being burnt in north India as farmers switch from rice to wheat crops in an extremely short window available to them; the smoke from the Diwali fireworks only exacerbates the matter.The solutions are not easy, but prevention is. This is not the first time cricket in Delhi has been affected. Even before the Test last year, play has been called off in Delhi with smoke chamber-like conditions making it dangerous to pursue any athletic activity in.November 1 was likely the cleanest day of this November. There are two worse categories than poor: very poor and severe. Severe was reached last November too. As Diwali approaches, the air will get worse. This match is being played on a flat pitch. Bad light and pollution shouldn’t cost this match crucial time because it seems like a one-innings contest. However, there is another Ranji match in Delhi on November 12, despite the knowledge and warnings that it is not healthy. This year’s half-marathon was held in October for these very reasons.It is unfortunate – the BCCI gets undeserved flak sometimes – but the buck will stop at the Indian board’s door step. On paper, according to the rulebook, it is the prerogative of DDCA (Delhi), the Indian Railways (Railways), and the Indian Armed Forces (Services) to decide where they play their home games. It is understandable they don’t want to lose home advantage. With a chaotic home season, what with all the new teams, the BCCI has its plate full already. But there is a duty of care towards employees that neither the state boards nor the BCCI should look away from.When Sri Lanka struggled in the pollution last year, a few BCCI officials said they didn’t need to worry right away because Feroz Shah Kotla is not up for an international match until 2020. Okay, practical. Let’s take a call in 2019. What about domestic cricket then? Does the wellness of these cricketers matter less? Or is it only an issue if we are shown up in front of an international audience?There is no point being cavalier about it. It is easy to beat a retreat and not indulge in athletic activities in Delhi on these days. With the combined financial strength, wisdom and might of BCCI, DDCA, Railways and Armed Forces, it should be even easier. It is an opportunity for Indian cricket to show the way, and not be passive bystanders, in the process putting the wellness of their biggest resources in jeopardy. They will have no excuses – but massive legal liability – if someone damages his health significantly playing in these conditions.

Mumbai Indians’ fast-bowling pair span the two ends of the age (and hairstyle) spectrum but their close bonds have made both better bowlers

Sharda Ugra29-Mar-2019Mali and Boom look like they have emerged from different sporting planets. Mali is chunky, lumbering and slowing down at 35. Boom posts Twitter pictures of his six-pack and, at 25, is a rocket heading into cricket’s stardom stratosphere. Mali has been there and done that, an adoring dad of two, who assiduously ensures that his curls are always gold-tinted. Boom, a bachelor of close crop, neat beard and zero visible tattoos, has said in public that he would rather go bald than do that.But contrary to what the eye can see is what the game of cricket – and the IPL – has created over six years. On Thursday night at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy, the uncommon friendship of Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah took centre stage and played its own part in helping Mumbai Indians win a nailbiter against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The last two overs were split between them and, with 22 to win, Boom ensured his friend had a good-sized 17 to defend.As Malinga got ready to bowl, he had captain Rohit Sharma and Bumrah in his ear. Bumrah was talking to the man who had taught him the nuts and bolts of death bowling and set him, then a raw 18-year-old, on the road to becoming the world’s best white-ball death bowler.In researching the life and times of Bumrah, the mention of Malinga kept popping up. Whatever their differences in outward appearance and, ostensibly, personality, the two have been united by their distinctive unorthodoxy. Malinga was not around when Bumrah turned up at the Mumbai Indians nets in 2013 two days before his debut. The two met for the first time only later at nets and it was Malinga who reached out to the rookie.

When I watched him bowl, I realised he was very keen to learn, but there might have been some nervousness in his heart, or a fear that he might not be able to do everything he needed to with the action he hadMALINGA ON BUMRAH

In an online interview to stand-up comic Vikram Sathaye, Bumrah says, “He (Malinga) himself came up and said ‘I’ll teach you stuff, don’t worry, I’m there’.”Malinga was to tell my colleague Andrew Fidel Fernando, “I met him first in 2013. When I watched him bowl, I realised he was very keen to learn, but there might have been some nervousness in his heart, or a fear that he might not be able to do everything he needed to with the action he had… I wanted to talk to him like a friend and find out how he sees cricket.”Like Bumrah, Malinga is a man of few words, but when Fidel called him to chat about Bumrah, Malinga turned unstoppable conversationalist. They spoke for around 11 minutes, in which Fidel needed to ask only two questions, and turned out a 1134-word transcript of pure gold.When Malinga saw Bumrah first, it was like listening to Champaka Ramanayake talking about himself in 1999. “(He said that) I didn’t have a textbook action but I was also fast. I thought he (Bumrah) was a bowler with natural talent.” It was like Malinga was seeing a younger, equally eager, hungry, slightly modified version of himself. Mali and Boom could be more alike than you imagine.Malinga assured Bumrah that his action could work and to not worry about injury. He says his first goal was to make Bumrah his own coach. “Teach him how to teach himself… When you come across an unorthodox bowler like that, what you need to teach him is self-awareness and an understanding of his own game. You have to be your own coach.”Bumrah had got to where he had with that very self-awareness and confidence in his own skills. At the most elite fast-bowling school a teenager could hope to find himself in, he was more than eager to be taught by an old master. His love for the yorker as a wicket-taking option had come from days playing tennis-ball cricket, much like Malinga.In each other’s corner•BCCIIn a BCCI video, Bumrah says he was told by Malinga, “You have to be consistent with the yorkers. One or two yorkers anyone can deliver. Execution is important… you have the yorkers but use it properly.” The smoothness of that execution meant drilling it into muscle memory and Malinga’s practice had involved the familiar boots placed on the blockhole. “I said, ‘Look, these are things I do with my bowling, these things have been successful for me, if you want, you can train with me.'”Did Bumrah ever. He soaked up whatever Malinga had to offer. If it meant a yorkers-only nets, he was happy to do it. Until his body was used to the action and had understood the load the constant repetition required and what it would feel like and how it could be adapted to.There were discussions about analysing one’s own bowling and giving feedback when required by coaches. “I didn’t try to teach him too much that was new. I just told him what I know and tried to light a fire in him for the things he already enjoyed doing.”One of Malinga’s strengths as an end-overs specialist is to read batsmen, their mind, their form, their plans and then ensure you had the bowling skills to challenge them. “This is what he taught me,” says Bumrah in the video, “you have to adjust according to each and every batsman, you have to use your yorkers properly, you have to be different with different batsmen, sometimes you have to bowl the wide yorkers, sometimes you have to swing the yorkers… This is what I have learnt.”Malinga was to tell Bumrah, “No matter how much we talk, if you don’t have the skill you need at the particular moment, you can’t do anything…” Whatever is to be used in the match, he said, has to be learnt in training to a degree of instinctive repetition, “Develop your bowling, your repertoire… then when you play, you will realise which situation demands which ball, when that situation comes, you will already have it in your arsenal. And you will know how to bowl that ball.”The fruits of that lesson in physical form are evident in the accuracy of Bumrah’s death-overs execution and, on Thursday night, in his 19th-over chokehold against AB DeVilliers and Colin de Grandhomme. Malinga’s instructions on how to handle pressure appear to have been drilled into Bumrah’s soul. Malinga’s methods are simple, “Don’t panic if there’s pressure. Take half a second. Take a deep breath. Think only about what you have to do.”In an October 2017 BCCI video, Bumrah is heard saying, “The main thing about death overs is to have clarity. Whichever ball you want to execute, have the field according to that… Go ahead and try to execute. Think simple and get the confidence to execute in the death.”Who knows what Bumrah was saying to Malinga at the Chinnaswamy on Thursday night? Maybe repeating the older player’s words back to him. Maybe it was merely a gee-up kind of chatter. This wasn’t a passing of the torch or anything of the sort – hell, there was a match on the line. Like there are always going to be over next six weeks in which Mali may have to walk over to chat to Boom. It’s what they do.Even after the IPL, the two men will remain in touch. Over the years, Bumrah has texted and called Malinga for tips and insight. Malinga is delighted at Bumrah’s rise, “I’m really happy when I watch him play…. He’s learned the game beautifully, he doesn’t separate Test and one-day cricket, he uses his skills in all of them.” It was his advice to Bumrah, “don’t think about the format – only about how you are going to get that wicket.”Malinga’s English messages on phone are famous among his Indian friends for being monosyllabic. After many days, all that could pop up is a cryptic, “how?” (It’s the English translation of the Sinhala shorthand kohomada, how are you?) Bumrah is now well-versed in the texting code. “There is a language difference between us but we communicate, however, wherever…”When trying to understand the friendship between these two unique players, between Mali of Rathgama and Boom of Ahmedabad, an equally short and sweet question and answer serves nicely.
“How?”
“Cricket – what else?”

RCB, it seems, did not know what their best XI was for much of this season and did not give players a long enough rope when warranted

Saurabh Somani in Bengaluru05-May-2019In the IPL auction for the 2019 season, Royal Challengers Bangalore spent a total of INR 15.85 crore in buying eight players. Almost 60% of that money was spent on two men: Shimron Hetmyer and Shivam Dube.Of the 14 games Royal Challengers played in the season, Hetmyer played five and Dube played four. Even without digging deeper, those seem like very limited opportunities for players a franchise seemingly has faith in, given they were willing to spend so much on them.Digging deeper, Royal Challengers had struggled in the middle overs, not getting enough momentum against spinners. Before Hetmyer launched into Rashid Khan and company on Saturday night, their middle-overs run rate across the last two IPL seasons was 7.6, the lowest among all eight teams. Against spin in IPL 2019, their run rate was 6.6, and they had also lost 20 wickets in the middle overs – both the worst figures for the season.But after he failed in his first four games, Hetmyer didn’t get a look in until the very last match, against Sunrisers Hyderabad. When he did get an opportunity, he showed the team management what they had missed. He was especially brutal against Rashid, taking him for 32 runs off 15 balls, four of which went over the boundary. Rashid was frazzled, and his lengths suffered. His googly, which batsmen have struggled to read, was landing too short and Hetmyer could hammer it away easily. His leggies were also all awry, and Hetmyer found the arc between mid-on and square leg a productive area.Shimron Hetmyer celebrates his half-century•BCCIHe had walked in at 18 for 2 and seen it become 20 for 3 with both Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers gone. The perennial complaint of Royal Challengers over the past few seasons has been that the batting seems to start and end with these two. Hetmyer, still only 22, offered hope that things could change.Where Royal Challengers need to ask themselves questions though, is what they offered him in return. True, he failed in his first four innings. But what of the nature of the failures? On IPL debut he lost his head in going for a run that wasn’t there, but many of his team-mates lost their heads too because they could only muster 70 all out. Two games later, he was part of another collapse, with Sunrisers smothering Royal Challengers in a 118-run victory. He batted at No. 5 in his first two knocks, was sent to open against Sunrisers, then came in at No. 4.That is perhaps the nature of the beast, with T20 cricket demanding flexibility from teams and players alike. But the flipside of the asking flexibility of a player should be a long enough rope where warranted. And Hetmyer’s international record in the past seven months warranted it.”The starting was a little bit tough for me I would say,” Hetmyer told the host broadcaster after his 75 off 47 on Saturday. “It’s just about getting used to the environment and getting used to IPL itself. Sometimes it gets in your head, but you just try to clear your mind as much as possible and just go out and execute.”Dube didn’t even get that opportunity. He was also part of the two horror batting games Royal Challengers had, against Super Kings and Sunrisers in the first week of the tournament. He did his part against Mumbai Indians in between, facing only five balls at the death but smashing a six to score nine runs – but his team couldn’t get over the line. He bowled all of 10 balls in the season, and in his first three games it was a mere four balls. Brought back in Royal Challengers’ last week, he made 24 off 16 against Delhi Capitals, and bowled one over while giving up five runs. None of these are spectacular returns, but then, Dube hardly had spectacular opportunities.In fact, bowling wise, without any consideration of minimum overs bowled, Dube had the best economy rate for the team. It was strange to see Royal Challengers lose faith in him so quickly, because the way they went after him aggressively in the auction suggested they saw great potential.On the eve of the last league match against Sunrisers, coach Gary Kirsten had spoken of how he was “a fan” of continuity.”You want to try and build your core of players and build a culture where you can keep coming back to the same players,” Kirsten had said. “I think the most successful franchises in IPL have done that. We’re searching for that in RCB… we need to really start building a core of players that we believe in, and back them. I think the franchises that do a lot of chopping and changing every year run into problems.”And yet, Royal Challengers used 21 players over the course of the season – the second highest among all teams. Crucially, they seemed to be unsure of what their best XI was – or not have enough patience to deal with the nature of T20 cricket, a format where a run of failures is common enough.Hetmyer and Dube are two examples of Royal Challengers’ underused resources, but not the only ones. This year, Washington Sundar played only three games, the first of which was more than a month after the tournament began. Last season, Navdeep Saini had spent all his time on the bench without getting a game, even as Royal Challengers struggled with bowling options. He has turned into a find for them this year, but last year too he was coming off an excellent domestic season.Hetmyer showed in their last league game, what might have been. As he walked off the park after being dismissed, there was a spontaneous standing ovation from the full house at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The fans had kept packing the stadium despite the defeats, and they were showing their warmth at getting something back in return. Hetmyer walked off with bat raised to all parts of the ground to acknowledge the applause.And perhaps that raised bat and the sight of a stadium on its feet held a message for Royal Challengers for the next season.

Tributes and condolences poured in from around the cricketing world for Abdul Qadir

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2019Abdul Qadir, who passed away at 63 on Friday, was an inspiration to a generation of cricketers from Pakistan, and legspinners from around the world.

Qadir's bowling statistics do not do justice to his genius. Had he been playing cricket now with the modern DRS system, where batsmen can be given out on the front foot as well, Qadir would have gotten as many wickets as the great Shane Warne.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) September 7, 2019

They called him the magician for many reasons but when he looked me in the eyes & told me I was going to play for Pakistan for the next 20 years, I believed him.A Magician, absolutely. A leg spinner & a trailblazer of his time. You will be missed Abdul Qadir but never forgotten

— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) September 6, 2019

Extremely saddened to hear the passing of my guru and mentor Abdul Qadir sir.He was someone who was always there for me to guide me not only in cricket but everything in life.He was a father figure for many and will be missed for his kind behaviour.May Allah grant him jannah

— Imran Tahir (@ImranTahirSA) September 6, 2019

His hand quicker than the eye, Abdul Qadir rolled over many a giants with a magnificent sleight of hand! Thank you for letting me watch it from short leg. The best legspinner of his era, he pioneered the art of leg spin in one day cricket. Bao ji, you will be forever missed.

— Ramiz Raja (@iramizraja) September 6, 2019

Hard to believe that Abdul Qadir bhai is no more.A great leg spinner and a wonderful human.Always full of energy and life.Will never forget that smile on his face.Its a very sad day for us and for his family.May Allah grant him highest place in Jannah.

— Misbah Ul Haq (@captainmisbahpk) September 6, 2019

Saddened to hear about the sudden demise of Abdul Qadir, a great exponent of legspin who revived the art. Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) September 7, 2019

Just heard the sad news about Abdul Qadir passing away. May he rest in peace. For us leg-spinners he was an icon, all those variations & tricks. The original master of the googly. Thoughts & prayers with him & his family.

— Shadab Khan (@76Shadabkhan) September 6, 2019

“Gone Too Soon” Cricket has lost a Legend today Abdul Qadir”Inalil a wa ina alha rajaoon” Very upsetting and disturbing news.He was a very kind and a humble man.May ALLAH grant him highest place in Jannat and give his family a sabr in this difficult time. #RIP Qadir Bhaipic.twitter.com/TBdGVOaS1R

— Waqar Younis (@waqyounis99) September 6, 2019

The legend of leg spin , Abdul Qadir left us today. Inna lilahi wa inna ilahi rajigoon. May his soul rest in peace.

— Yasir Shah (@Shah64Y) September 6, 2019

Legendary leg spinner Abdul Qadir sb passed away. Just got this sad news. The revival of leg spin in cricket is completely credited to him. He inspired a generation of bowlers to take up leg spin.
Inna lillahi wa inna elaihi rajaoon.#AbdulQadir pic.twitter.com/mhBZy2yVk9

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) September 6, 2019

Deeply saddened to hear the shocking news of sir Abdul Qadir sahab's passing away, may Allah grant him highest rank in jannat and the family be blessed with sabar. Ameen

— Mohammad Amir (@iamamirofficial) September 6, 2019

My heart goes out to the family of our legend Abdul Qadir bhai,nation will miss him. May Allah give him the highest level of Jannat Ameen

— Mohammad Yousaf (@yousaf1788) September 6, 2019

Absolutely shocking news to hear the sad passing Legend Abdul Qadir saab. May Allah SWT grant him the highest rank in jannah and his family the patience to bare the loss. #Ameen

— Sarfaraz Ahmed (@SarfarazA_54) September 6, 2019

We all belong to Allah SWT and to Him we all shall return. Deeply saddened to hear about Sir Abdul Qadir's death. May Allah meet his soul with a smile & keep him in His shade of love & mercy, Ameen.

— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) September 6, 2019

A legend of the game, Abdul Qadir left us today. Inna lilahi wa inna ilahi raajioon. #RIP

— Wahab Riaz (@WahabViki) September 6, 2019

Shane Warne, another legspinner who inspired a generation, paid his tribute from the Sky Sports commentary box.

Shane Warne "it's very sad news about Abdul Qadir. I had the opportunity to meet him in 1994 during my first tour of Pakistan and a lot of people who bowled leg-spin like I did, we looked up to him. He was a terrific bowler who bamboozled a lot of batsmen" #Cricket

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) September 6, 2019

Tributes poured in from across the border too, for a legend of the game.

Remember playing against Abdul Qadir, one of the best spinners of his times. My heartfelt condolences to his family. RIP. pic.twitter.com/iu03d45sJ0

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) September 7, 2019

Abdul Qadir is no more..RIP bouncy little Fella with a very big heart..Yur contribution to Spin will be long remembered in Cricket World..more so in Pakistan whom U served with panache & devotion..Allah REHM Kareh..Heartfelt condolences to the Family Of Late Abdul Qadir.

— Bishan Bedi (@BishanBedi) September 6, 2019

Abdul Qadir set the mould for all leg spinners that came out of Pakistan after him. All had a bit of Qadir in them. Such was his impact. #RIPAbdulQadir

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) September 7, 2019

Extremely saddened by the demise of Abdul Qadir the spin bowling stalwart from Pakistan. My heart goes out to his family and friends. #RIP

— Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) September 6, 2019

Shocked to hear Abdul Qadir passed away.met him two years back he was full of energy as always..A champion bowler,Great human being,you will be missed forever..condolences to the family.. #RIPabdulqadir pic.twitter.com/HmKVoIwCBU

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) September 6, 2019

Sad to hear about the demise of Abdul Qadir. Was always mesmerised by his unique style of bowling and he was one of the best leg-spinners to play the game. Heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) September 6, 2019

Abdul Qadir–The man who made leg-spin fashionable. Long curly hair…bounce in every step of a fairly long run-up. Rest In Peace. Condolences to the family and loved ones.

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) September 6, 2019

All tournament long, India’s top three had piled up the runs; yet, just as in the 2015 World Cup, they collectively failed at the first knockout hurdle

Sambit Bal at Old Trafford10-Jul-2019Just a heartbeat short. That may well be the enduring memory of this wrencher of a match for Indian fans. A million dreams had already died and been reborn, in a flicker first and then in a flame, but now it lay irretrievably in the ashes, with Martin Guptill having found the stumps from square leg to beat MS Dhoni’s lunging bat by just a few inches.Less than a foot and India’s World Cup hopes were now a farther four years away, and for Dhoni – whose resounding six to win the 2011 World Cup final, India’s first in 28 years, is imprinted on every Indian cricket fan’s heart – it’s probably forever gone. Dhoni, the maker of countless Indian dreams, the mightiest of finishers, for whom no chase has even been over until it’s over, but a man now raging against time and diminished physical – and possibly mental prowess – now makes his forlorn journey from the far end of the pitch with the stadium in near hush, head bowed. Possibly a bit slower than usual, not much emotion betrayed, not even a slight shake of the head, and he is gone, just like that, perhaps for the final time in Indian colours.ALSO READ: Kimber – a semi-final we didn’t think we’d haveA moment as poignant as any. The finish hadn’t been memorable, but it will always be a memory, an aching one, yet defining, because he had played the innings that had represented the final leg of his career. Battling, workmanlike, poised, and yet full of dot balls, with a solitary four and a last-gasp six. He had kept India alive, in the company of Ravindra Jadeja playing the innings of his life, but had failed to haul them over the line when all depended on him. His performance will divide Indian opinion tomorrow and in days to come.From 71 for 5 and then 92 for 6, India would have sunk rapidly without his steadying hand, and yet, despite the 59-ball 77 from Jadeja, the run rate had mounted to over 15 when Jadeja was dismissed. To that 116-partnership, Dhoni had contributed 32 off 45 balls with 20 dots that comprised, remarkably, a few leaves outside off. Without him, the chase would have been dead long before but the question that will linger is: did he not also make it nearly unachievable?But to remember the Indian chase only for Dhoni would be a disservice to Jadeja, who played with the spirit of a lion and the passion of man whose fire had been lit, with stroke-making skills to match. As Kane Williamson was to say later, it was as if Jadeja was playing on a different surface altogether. He hit four sixes, each a clean and emphatic strike, on a pitch where New Zealand had managed only one.

New Zealand found the perfect storm: overcast skies, a responsive pitch, some swing and two bowlers who didn’t put a ball wrong for nearly ten overs. And, as it often happens with a collapse, it feels like divine intervention

Not part of India’s plans till the last match of the round-robin stage, but a central part of a social-media storm that he himself ignited by reacting sharply to Sanjay Manjrekar’s suggestion that he shouldn’t be in the playing XI on account of being a “bits-and-pieces player”, he was, by some distance, the game’s best performer: the top scorer, the most frugal bowler along with Mitchell Santner, conjurer of as brilliant a run out as that by Guptill, and India’s best fielder. The cruelty of sport is that he will now be remembered as a side story: with a blow or two more, his would have been among the greatest-ever World Cup performances. And the unlikeliest.And to remember the chase by how it fell short will also obscure the real story, which is now part of an eerily familiar pattern that has followed India since the 2015 World Cup. Unbeaten till the semi-final that year, they fell to Australia in their first knockout match; this time, they topped the league stage with only one defeat. In between these, there was the loss to Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final. The common thread: the top three batsmen stomp through the league phase as if the stage belongs to them, but fail to turn up in the final.The numbers couldn’t be starker. Put together, the top three contributed 3378 runs in these tournaments at an average of 73 but in the three matches that India needed to win, their total contribution was 109 at 12.1.In 2015, the chase of 328 was derailed when Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were dismissed in the space of 15 runs after a bright start; Rohit and Kohli were gone by the third over in the final of the Champions Trophy, and Dhawan joined them five overs later to leave India at 33 for 3. And here, perhaps in congruence with the relatively smaller target, the top three contributed three runs jointly. No one has scored more runs in chases than Kohli, but his scores in three of India’s biggest matches have been 5, 1 and 1.ESPNcricinfo LtdMohammad Amir found two perfect balls for Rohit and Kohli in the Champions Trophy final, and today, New Zealand found the perfect storm: overcast skies, a responsive pitch, some swing and two bowlers who didn’t put a ball wrong for nearly ten overs. And, as it often happens with a collapse, as indeed it happened to New Zealand against Pakistan in the group game, when the dice turns for or against you, it feels like divine intervention.Rohit had been dropped three times and survived a run-out chance during four of his five hundreds. Here he nicked the first ball that tested him and it was caught; on another day, the lbw umpire’s call would have gone for Kohli, and the ball would have eluded’s Rahul edge; Dinesh Karthik, after defending resolutely against Boult, fell to a stunning catch by Jimmy Neesham. Neesham later dropped a difficult chance off Rishabh Pant, and both Hardik Pandya and Jadeja mis-hit balls in the safe areas. But the match had swung decisively in the first ten, when India had been reduced to 6 for 3, and then 24 for 4.The middle order was India’s known soft spot. At No. 4 to No. 6 today, they had a rookie who was drafted in as a replacement; an x-factor allrounder without demonstrated defensive skills; and the back-up wicketkeeper possibly at the end of an international career that hardly ever took off. All in their first World Cups. The young ones did the team no disservice, but that India remained in striking distance till the final overs was entirely due to a player who was very nearly an afterthought.This was the worst nightmare of Indian fans – a top-order meltdown exposing an unproven middle order and Dhoni, unable to, or unwilling to, shift gears – come to pass at the most inopportune moment. In reality, they were well short.

Nail-biters, rollercoasters, unexpected contests and sweet comebacks – our correspondents and writers pick their most memorable matches of the last ten years

02-Jan-2020India v Sri Lanka, World T20 final, Dhaka, 2014
By Sidharth Monga
This is nowhere near the most exciting match of the decade, or even the most exciting T20 match. It is remembered only during debates on whether batsmen should declare themselves out when struggling in a T20 innings. Yet it is also a tactical masterclass in defensive T20 cricket.In the final of the 2014 World T20, Sri Lanka gave lives to three of the most dangerous batsmen in the world – Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh – but managed to execute their defensive bowling long enough to keep India down to 130 for 4, still the third lowest score in a full T20I by a side that lost four wickets or fewer batting first.Three of the shrewdest brains in cricket at the time, Sri Lanka’s captain, Lasith Malinga, and former captains Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, came together to plan this heist against the heavy favourites. Two years before, in another final, they had had West Indies at 87 for 5 but failed to finish well. Now they knew wickets didn’t matter much if they could get their match-ups and execution right. Everything was spot on, Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara bowled superb wide yorkers at the death, and India were handcuffed.Where’s the human drama, you might ask. Yuvraj Singh, Man of the Tournament in the 50-over World Cup, beater of cancer, scored just 11 off 21 balls as he tried to fight his way through, not throwing it away, and denying Kohli the strike. Sangakkara and Jayawardene, losers in three World Cup finals before this, finished with a title in what they had announced was their last T20 international.Can’t rain on this parade: Angelo Mathews dares the skies to pour after his winning run•AFPPakistan v Sri Lanka, first Test, Galle, 2014
By Andrew Fidel Fernando
July and August are kite-flying months in Sri Lanka. When May’s monsoon has rained itself out and the wind begins to blow strong off the ocean, kites take over corner shops, beach sides and the sky.The one that blew above Galle’s 16th-century fort on day five of the 2014 Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was a kite – a fish – blue, green, red and yellow, with a diamond head and a flared bottom. It watched through the heat of the day as Rangana Herath shook a soporific Test wide awake, taking 6 for 48 to set up a tight victory push. In the evening the kite soared above a rapidly filling stadium, as locals poured out of homes, shops and bus stands. When the ground was full, excited squeals of thousands from the fort ramparts overlooking the ground rose up to meet the kite. And then on those ocean winds came a monumental dark cloud, growling thunder, flashing lightning.What seemed like broad daylight is reduced to proper dusk, and although Pakistan are bowling their quickest men, captain Angelo Mathews – in the midst of his greatest year – is more worried about the cloud than getting hit, and is flailing at everything. He hooks Junaid Khan for four, carves him through point, then launches him over cow corner. For Mohammad Talha he reserves his best shot, a hooked six into a joyous eastern bank to tie the game, the party, like the rain, on the brink of spectacularly breaking out.He nudges the next ball to midwicket, and he is no more than halfway down the pitch to the other end when the sky opens up. By the time Mathews raises his arms in celebration, he’s practically soaked. In the stands and on the fort, thousands whoop and holler and dance, uncaring. And then, finally, all soaked through, the kite sinks lower and lower, having presided over the perfect Sri Lankan day.MasterStokes: Ben Stokes put a crimp in Brendon McCullum’s plans of a “second wave of attack” by taking his and Kane Williamson’s wickets in successive balls•Getty ImagesEngland v New Zealand, first Test, Lord’s, 2015
By Andrew Miller
World Cup-winning hindsight has conferred a special status on New Zealand’s tour of England in 2015. This was Ground Zero for the ambitions of an England team that had stared into the void in the preceding 18 months – from the rancour following the 5-0 Ashes whitewash to humiliation at the 2015 World Cup. And in keeping with the sour mood that had enveloped English cricket that spring, the first home Test of the season began with an all-too-familiar crisis – 30 for 4 inside the first hour, as New Zealand’s seamers ran riot in spite of cloudless skies. And though Joe Root and Ben Stokes served notice of the team’s residual gumption with a pair of 90s, their fightback was put in context by a Kane Williamson masterclass. With 523 on the board in their first innings, New Zealand were not about to lose this one, surely? But then it started to happen.Alastair Cook, England’s beleaguered, one-paced, anachronistic leader, set about laying down an obdurate rhythm – at first, it seemed, with a view to saving the game, but the further his nine-hour 162 stretched, the more his speed-metal team-mates were able to riff to their heart’s content. Stokes took his shredding straight to the record books, his 85-ball century becoming the fastest ever witnessed in a Lord’s Test. For any ordinary opponent, a target of 345 would have been off the agenda, especially after their openers were gone for ducks in consecutive overs. But Brendon McCullum found ordinary boring – his plan had been to launch “a second wave of attack”. Stokes, blossoming as a game changer before our eyes, refused to let this happen. After he prised out Williamson in the gully, a searing inswinger bowled McCullum first ball, to put the result beyond doubt.It was in one-day cricket that McCullum’s Kiwis passed on the most telling lessons to a new generation of English ball-strikers. But the joyous endeavours in this five-day spectacle were precisely what the game needed to banish the pervading gloom, and pave the way for the frolics to follow.Swinging for the hills: Carlos Brathwaite hit England’s hopes for six, six, six, six•Associated PressEngland v West Indies, World T20 final, Kolkata, 2016
By Osman Samiuddin
Usually the context would have been enough. West Indies, still universally loved, against England, still universally not loved; West Indies, still in a pay dispute; West Indies still being written off; West Indies with some of the format’s most electrifying athletes; England, only now beginning to take the format seriously.Darren Sammy, the World’s Nicest Guy, calling out the West Indies board minutes after becoming one of only two West Indians to captain his side to two world titles; Marlon Samuels calling out Shane Warne in his post-match press conference, still padded, legs up on the table. With peripherals like these, who needed the actual sport itself?As it turned out, the game went really well. It was lowish-scoring but full of the little moves that data and analytics now shed clearer light on: Joe Root opening the bowling for just one over and picking up two wickets; Samuel Badree, so schoolteacherly in this team of detention students, bossing the opening overs.Then the finish, and there can never have been a more explosive one. There have been last-ball sixes to win or tie games, but four sixes in four balls to kill a chase? And to distil an entire strategy – dot balls don’t matter if you hit the other ones for six – to its purest, at this moment? Beat that.Jubilation for one, heartbreak for the other•AFPSri Lanka v Zimbabwe, only Test, Premadasa Stadium, 2017
By Karthik Krishnaswamy
You don’t show up for a Test match in the subcontinent with only three front-line bowlers, of whom only one is a spinner, and hope that you can make up for it with part-timers and batting depth. It won’t work. But for Zimbabwe in the Sri Lankan summer of 2017, pretty much everything seemed to work. Having won the ODI series 3-2, they assembled a mad scientist’s XI for their first away Test in nearly three years, and almost pulled off a miracle.That was mostly down to their captain, Graeme Cremer, who made their bowling combination look almost viable by getting through 87.3 overs – the most by anyone in a non-drawn Test match in this decade. His loopy, bouncy, threatening legspin accounted for nine wickets. That heroic effort was backed by a pair of outstanding hundreds: 160 by the tall, unhurried Craig Ervine, after Zimbabwe had slipped to 38 for 3 on the first morning, and a cathartic third-innings 127 by Sikandar Raza to turn 23 for 4 into 377 all out.That left Sri Lanka 388 to win. If they got there, it would be the biggest target ever achieved on Sri Lankan soil, and after Cremer had Angelo Mathews caught and bowled to make it 203 for 5, Zimbabwe probably should have wrapped it up. But they didn’t. Sri Lanka rode home on the back of missed chances, a controversial stumping decision, and the spunk and smarts of Niroshan Dickwella and Asela Gunaratne.It was an epic Test match full of epic performances, the two teams’ respective decades compressed into five riveting days: a wild rollercoaster ride for one, desperate heartbreak for the other.Hope for the best: centuries in both innings and a win no one saw coming•Getty ImagesEngland v West Indies, second Test, Leeds, 2017
By Alan Gardner
This was a match for which the script couldn’t have been clearer. West Indies, winless in England since 2000, arrived in Leeds on the back of an innings-and-209-run shellacking in the first Test, and seemingly set to take another round of punishment. But that wasn’t how things played out after England won the toss at Headingley, that most capricious of grounds. Centuries from Kraigg Brathwaite andShai Hope helped West Indies to a 169-run lead, only for the hosts to turn things around on the fourth day, enabling Joe Root to declare on 490 for 8. And then things got interesting.Asked to make 322, West Indies were once again spurred on by Brathwaite and Hope; and while the former fell five runs short, Hope’s unbeaten 118 made him, incredibly, the first man to score a hundred in each innings of a first-class match on Yorkshire’s home patch. A healthy fifth-day crowd had turned up in expectation of an England win, but dawning realisation saw the Headingley mood turn increasingly fretful. West Indies walked in as easy targets but walked off having chased their target with ease.The moment England became world champions•AFPEngland v India, final, Women’s World Cup 2017, Lord’s
By Nagraj Gollapudi
June 21, 1975. June 25, 1983. July 14, 2019.The avid cricket fan knows these dates: the first was when Clive Lloyd lifted the inaugural men’s World Cup; the second, nine years on, was when Kapil Dev kissed the trophy that denied Lloyd’s West Indies a hat-trick of ODI World Cup wins, and the third was this summer, when Ben Stokes (and his bat) helped England win their first men’s World Cup in an epic, epic final.Now, do you remember July 23, 2017?It was the day women’s cricket was catapulted firmly into cricket’s imagination. The day when England and India fought in the World Cup final, on a sun-bright Sunday, before a sellout Lord’s crowd.England were the best batting unit in the tournament, but thanks to Jhulan Goswami, India restricted them to 228. Challenging, but not insurmountable. At 191 for 3, India were close to the summit.Then they plunged swiftly, as Anya Shrubsole returned for her second spell and hacked away at India’s dreams, finishing with a six-for. Lord’s was awash with tears of joy and disappointment.An estimated 156 million people watched the final, with about 126 million from India alone. From Tendulkar to Dhoni to Kohli, Indian male cricketers have spoken about how the 1983 World Cup win inspired them to take up the game. Many young women, similarly, will one day recount the events of July 23, 2017. The day a dream was born.More picks from our correspondents and writers hereMore in the decade in review, 2010-19