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Rahul Dravid retired from Test and domestic first-class cricket on March 9. We look back at eight of his best Test performances from his 16-year long career

Siddarth Ravindran09-Mar-2012180 v Australia, Kolkata, 2001
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One-half of a partnership that propelled India to one of their most memorable and famous Test victories. VVS Laxman’s record-breaking 281 at No.3 overshadowed Dravid’s contribution in a game, and series, turning 376-run stand that helped India bounce back and win – only the third time in 1535 Test matches that a team won a Test after following-on.Dravid’s failures in his previous three innings in the series had him under pressure when came out to bat at No.6* on the third day, a time when winning the game was far from Indian minds. Laxman set the pace and Dravid played the supporting hand. The pair took matters session by session until the plan developed to batting out the entire fourth day and building a lead sizeable enough for the spinners to play their part on the final day.Though there wasn’t much in the track for the bowlers on the fourth day, Australia bowled with intent only to run into a more determined pair, and they eventually tired. Dravid grew in confidence to shrug off his poor form early in the series and struck 20 fours in a stand that lasted more than 100 overs. “There were times that we were tired and were constantly egging each other on, especially after tea on the fourth day,” Laxman would say later about the stand. “In that situation, the talking between overs is really helpful. He [Dravid] would say things like ‘This is what we have worked so hard for’.”87 v South Africa, Port Elizabeth, 2001
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There was a lot weighing on India players’ minds in the wake of match referee Mike Denness’ decisions but the team needed to put up a fight on the final day after South Africa had set them 395. Needing to save the Test and keep the series alive, India lost opener SS Das in the first over. In conditions where the bowlers had just enough assistance, Dravid and Deep Dasgupta batted with plenty of patience and determination to help draw the game. The pair added 171, batting more than 80 overs, to keep the South Africa bowlers, who bowled with discipline, at bay. By the time Dravid fell, India had more or less achieved their aim.”It’s also nice, from a personal point of view, to bat with Rahul because my game is somewhat like his in terms of patience; when you have a Sachin or a [Virender] Sehwag at the other end, its easy to get carried away and try something that doesn’t come naturally to you,” Dasgupta said later.144* v West Indies, Georgetown, 2002
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Dravid helped India draw the Georgetown Test against West Indies after they were in early trouble in response to the hosts’ 501. India lost two wickets early and Dravid came in at No.5, with his team on 99 for 3. Dravid’s unbeaten 144 also helped India arrest a trend of defeats in the first Test of overseas series, and they went on to win the next Test in Port of Spain, their first in the West Indies since 1976.Dravid’s century came in testing circumstances – he was struck hard by a Mervyn Dillon bouncer on his helmet and was given a couple of pain-killing tablets; his goal was to carry on batting until India avoided the follow-on, but he batted on long after that was achieved. He batted for more than seven hours, and was involved in century stands with VVS Laxman and offspinner Sarandeep Singh, who gave him company as India averted the follow-on.148 v England, Headingley, 2002
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An innings that was critical in helping India win their first Test in England in 16 years and level the series. India took a gamble by opting to bat in conditions that were favourable for fast bowling but Dravid dug in, battled the elements and made a decisive 148, setting the foundation for a 600-plus score in a solid stand with Sanjay Bangar. The plan was to bat, taking as few risks as possible until tea, wait for the conditions to ease and then step up. It worked perfectly, as England lost steam after tea and a 170-run stand with Bangar provided the base for Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly to dominate the bowling. India, who played two spinners, won by an innings and Dravid deservedly won the Man-of-the-Match award for his 307-ball knock that was key in India taking first-day honours and dictating the flow of the Test from there on.Rahul Dravid’s 233 and 72 not out was the backbone of India’s first Test win in Australia since 1980-81•Mark Dadswell/Getty Images233 and 72* v Australia, Adelaide, 2003
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A pair of innings that did as much as any other to erase the “tigers at home, paper tigers abroad” tag that dogged Indian cricket. As the visitors’ top-order folded in Adelaide, it seemed Steve Waugh’s team would hand out another hiding, similar to the ones India suffered on the previous tour in 1999. Dravid and Laxman, though, brought back memories of the extraordinary 2001 Kolkata Test with a game-turning 303-run stand. Dravid wasn’t through yet. The epic double-century in the first innings was backed up with a four-hour 72, capitalising on a rare Adam Gilchrist drop, which took India over the line for their first victory in Australia in 23 years. Australia were left to wonder how they lost a Test despite making 556 in the first innings.270 v Pakistan, Rawalpindi, 2004
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It was India’s first visit to Pakistan in 15 years, and predictably the hype surrounding the series was feverish. India had never won a Test series in Pakistan and, worse, hadn’t succeeded in a Test series abroad for more than a decade. That blot was erased with Dravid’s 12-hour opus in the deciding match at Rawalpindi. It wasn’t his most fluent effort – the timing was off early on, and there were several chances – but, again, he highlighted his ability to persevere, carving out the longest Test innings by a player from India. He joked that six-day Tests would be needed for him to try break Lara’s record of 400, though his final 100 runs came at a run-a-ball. That gave India the luxury of more than two days to bowl out Pakistan, which they duly did to clinch a ground-breaking victory.81 and 68 v West Indies, Kingston, 2006
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A couple of minefield masterclasses to secure another path-breaking success for India. West Indies might not have been at their world-dominating best, but their fast bowlers proved unplayable to everyone but Dravid on a brutal track in Sabina Park. Every nuance of Dravid’s much-lauded defensive technique was on display as he weathered the pace and hostility of Jerome Taylor to make a first-innings 81, even as the rest of the specialist batsmen floundered. The next day, he proved a one-man bulwark as the batting crumbled again – hardly beaten on the day as he crafted another half-century. A series-winning hand that set the new gold standard for a captain’s innings.117 v England, Nottingham, 2011
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Even 15 years into his career, Dravid was shunted around from his favoured No. 3 spot. At Trent Bridge, he was pushed up to open on a perfect surface for fast bowlers, against the high-quality attack of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan. He was battered in the first hour, struck on the wrist and then had his fingers jammed by the bouncing ball.With the ball fizzing around, he played and missed innumerable times but he told himself “as long as I’m here, I’m going to make it count”. With another display of his enormous powers of concentration, he constructed his 34th Test century, drawing level with Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara. To counter the swing, he played as late as he could and shelved the extravagant strokes. It was only against the relatively less threatening off spin of Graeme Swann that he showcased the range of his shot-making. Despite his hard-working hundred, India weren’t able to take the advantage as their lower-order capsized dramatically. It was the last day in which India put up a fight in the highly anticipated series that ended in a humiliating whitewash.*15:17 GMT, March 9: The article had said Rahul Dravid batted at No.5. This has been corrected.

Plays of the Day from the first day of the first Test in Galle

Andrew McGlashan in Galle26-Mar-2012Record of the day
Now a complete Test bowler, James Anderson became the sixth England cricketer to reach 250 Test wickets when he had Lahiru Thirimanne caught at second slip in the third over of the match. Next ball he added No. 251 when Kumar Sangakkara played loosely and later trapped Prasanna Jayawardene lbw to go level with the most famous Lancashire fast bowler, Brian Statham, on 252 Test wickets. Anderson should have quite a few years ahead of him in Test cricket and can become the fourth Englishman to reach 300 scalps after Fred Trueman, Bob Willis and Ian Botham.Touch of the day
Another wicket also had Anderson’s name attached to it when he got a fingertip on Mahela Jayawardene’s straight drive shortly after lunch to deflect it into Thilan Samaraweera’s stumps at the non-striker’s end. It is an awful way for a batsman to be dismissed, but there is a school of thought that perhaps players are becoming lazy with the way they back up especially with the speed the ball races of the bat these days. Clearly, though, it wasn’t Samaraweera’s day.Statement of the day
Mahela Jayawardene was a class apart in Sri Lanka’s batting. He is one of the most elegant and graceful batsmen to have played the game and times the ball with barely a push, yet he isn’t afraid to take the attack to the bowlers when he feels the time is right. His slog-sweep for six off Graeme Swann’s third ball was a shot of intent, both to try and wrestle some initiative off England and also to target a slightly under-pressure bowler. There is just the odd murmur developing about how untouchable Swann is as England’s No. 1 spinner and Jayawardene was determined not to let him settle.Drop(s) of the day
Just when things were looking up for Monty Panesar, he gave people a reminder of his fielding reputation of old. Twice in the space of six balls he gave Jayawardene lives with catches that should be swallowed at Test level. The first was a hook off Anderson which Panesar spotted early at long leg but his hands were in no position and the ball burst through. In the next over, from Stuart Broad, Jayawardene tried to drive and gave Panesar another chance at mid-on. This time the drop was worse because he was completely steady under the catch. The bowlers were fuming, but at the end of the over Matt Prior offered a consoling pat on the backside.Sell-out of the day
The stadium was full for the opening day, with mostly England fans, but talk of a mass exodus over ticket prices did not materialise. There were plenty of England supporters on the ramparts of the Fort, but with the ground officially a sell-out that was a necessary alternative spot to watch the action. There were not many locals, although more did filter in during the day and a lively atmosphere bubbled up with music playing and trumpets sounding. Sri Lanka Cricket got their wish of making as much money as they could.

Stats highlights from the third day in Galle

S Rajesh29-Mar-2012

• If England do go on and chase down their target if 340, it will be their highest successful chase in Test cricket. Their highest to date is 332, against Australia way back in 1928. More recently, they scored 315 at Headingley in the Ashes Test in 2001. Their highest in the subcontinent is 209, in Lahore and in Dhaka. In fact, England have never touched 300 in the fourth innings in a Test in Asia: their highest is 285 for 7 – they survived 140 overs in that innings in Kandy in 2003 to achieve a draw.
• If England win, it will also be the first time a team has successfully chased a 300-plus target against Sri Lanka. The highest so far is India’s 264 for 3 in Kandy in 2001; India also chased down a target of 257 in Colombo in 2010. In fact, only twice has any team scored 300-plus in the fourth innings against Sri Lanka: New Zealand scored 397 but lost in 2009, and Pakistan made 337 for 4 in a drawn game in 2006. (Click here for the list of highest fourth-innings total against Sri Lanka.)
• Graeme Swann’s 6 for 82 are the second-best figures by an England bowler in Sri Lanka, next only to John Emburey’s 6 for 33 in Sri Lanka’s inaugural Test in 1982. Swann also joins a handful of overseas bowlers who’ve taken six wickets in an innings in a Test in Sri Lanka. Shane Warne is the only one with seven, but he did so in a Test against Pakistan in Colombo in 2002, when he took 7 for 94.
• Swann’s figures are also his best in a Test in Asia, and his second-best in all Tests, next only to his 6 for 65 against Pakistan at Edgbaston in 2010. In eight Tests in Asia, Swann has taken 43 wickets at 28.37, which isn’t much different from his career average of 28.54.
• Prasanna Jayawardene’s unbeaten 61 is his fourth 50-plus score in Tests against England. In 12 innings against them, he has scored 450 runs at an average of 50.
• Andrew Strauss’ dismissal for 27 means he has now gone 23 innings without a Test century, since the Ashes Test at the Gabba in 2010. In those 23 innings, he averages 28.52, with a highest of 87. In the last nine months, especially, converting his starts has been the problem: in his last 14 innings, seven times he has been dismissed between 22 and 32.

Yasir Arafat travels the world to play T20. When he’s not trying to memorise the names of his team-mates, he enjoys playing football and watching boxing

Interview by Jack Wilson04-Sep-2012You fly around the world playing T20. It’s not a bad life, is it?
I’m certainly enjoying it at the moment. T20 is a great format to play and test yourself in, and I’ve had a bit of success in it too. I became the leading wicket-taker in the history of England’s T20 competition, and in New Zealand I bowled the Super Over in a victory for Otago.So you’ve played for nine different teams now. Ever have any difficulty remembering your new team-mates’ names?

For the first two weeks when I go to a new team, I do find it very difficult. It’s hard to get to know everyone, but once you do, it feels like you’ve been there forever. I came over to play for Lancashire this summer and they were a great bunch.Where’s the best place in the world to play cricket?
That’s a hard one. I’ve enjoyed playing all over the place but for the last 12 years I’ve always had special times in England. I won the Twenty20 Cup with Kent and that was a great period for me.Tell us about the most memorable match you’ve played in?
It would have to be my Test debut for Pakistan. We were playing India in Bangalore and I ended up with five wickets in the first innings.Do you regret you only played three Tests?
I don’t think you can look back and regret anything. I’d have liked to have played more, of course, but just to play Test cricket is incredible enough. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved.Your five wickets in six balls for Rawalpindi against Faisalabad equalled a world record. How do you feel to always be in cricket’s history books?
To be honest, at the time I didn’t even realise it was a record. The wickets were taken over the course of two innings, so I didn’t know about it until I read a newspaper, and I was like, “Whoa.” It’s a great memory to treasure for me and my family.You played a lot with Shoaib Akhtar. How did you go about avoiding him in the nets?
Luckily I didn’t have to face him at full tilt! He used to take it easy whenever he bowled in the nets. I played with him when I was with Pakistan, Rawalpindi and Khan Research Labs. He’s a great friend and a massively talented player. What he could do with the ball was incredible, and the pace he generated was out of this world.Which one batsman from the past would you have liked to have bowled to?
I’ve bowled to some amazing players in my time but I never got the chance to bowl to Brian Lara. He’s a pure genius and it would have been an incredible test to go up against him.Who’s your all-time hero outside of cricket?
I like my boxing, so I’d have to say Muhammad Ali. He was a great person and a great fighter. I have a lot of admiration for how he dealt with the media too.What’s the secret to bowling the perfect yorker?
The biggest key is a lot of practice. It’s not something you can suddenly just do consistently. The aim should be to fire it in at the base of the stumps, so keep focused on them as you run in. Yorkers are a lot easier to bowl with an old ball rather than a new one.What’s your favourite shot?
It’s hard to beat a nicely middled cut shot.Rather take a five-wicket haul or score a fifty?
Nothing beats taking wickets, so it’d have to be a five-wicket haul.Which cricketer in the world would you pay to watch?
I’ve seen a lot of him, and the one man that stands out in my mind is Chris Gayle. I played with him for the Barisal Burners in the Bangladesh Premier League and he’s incredible. He hits the ball absolutely miles, and he’s a top man too. I wouldn’t have many complaints if I had to pay money to watch him.Describe yourself in three words.
Quiet, relaxed, focused.Baths or showers?
Baths beat showers, that’s for sure. Except if they’re ice baths. They are not so nice.Where do you store your tomato ketchup – in the cupboard or in the fridge?
() In the fridge, seriously? It has to be in the cupboard.Tell us something we didn’t know about you.
That’s tricky. I love playing football – does that count? I’m a green belt in karate too. No one will know that.

The Tests against West Indies could be the defining series for Bangladesh in what has till now been an up and down year for the team

Mohammad Isam12-Nov-2012In terms of performance and achievement, the Asia Cup was a watershed moment in Bangladesh cricket. The results since, in the limited opportunities Bangladesh have had, have not quite matched up. In the upcoming Test series against West Indies, they will have to play more than just the four days of consistent cricket to have shown real progress.It is the two sides’ second meeting in two years, giving the home side a chance to redeem the loss in the Test series last year. But it has been such a mixed bag of a year for Bangladesh that very little in terms of results would be the rational expectation.The team has had their share of problems. Two coaches have quit this year; though neither of Stuart Law and Richard Pybus left due to the team’s performance, their sudden exits have left the team without direction and proper planning for even the near future. Another among their issues is the long gap between Tests. In general, there has been a lack of cricket against top teams, a point that was bemoaned at the end of the Asia Cup. The only competitive international cricket they played between the Asia Cup and this West Indies series were the two matches at the World Twenty20, and they showed very little progress in that format too.Yet, Asia Cup still offers captain Mushfiqur Rahim a source of inspiration ahead of this series. When asked if he’d be happy with a draw or would target a win, he said he just wanted the team to show what they had in the Asia Cup. “It is not about a win or a draw. Our aim is to play well consistently, like we did in the Asia Cup,” Mushfiqur said. “At that time our plan was to maintain consistency, no matter how big the opposition. We decided we wouldn’t look at the result.”This is why we enjoyed success and won two matches. We have the same plan this time. We will go session-by-session, without bothering about opponents. We want to win every session and then the result will take care of itself.”Though it is still not a line-up that is well settled, Mushfiqur also sounded confident about the team’s batting: “All of our top seven batsmen have the ability to play big innings. They did it in the past, playing well against some strong bowling line-ups. So everybody is confident.”We have world-class batsmen in Tamim [Iqbal] and Shakib [Al Hasan]. If they can score some runs, and the others chip-in with them, hopefully we will get a good total.”Tamim and Shakib may be at the forefront, but the likes of Shahriar Nafees, Naeem Islam, Mahmudullah and Nasir Hossain have to make meaningful runs, even if for only themselves, to keep their places in the team.The bowling, too, will be in the spotlight. Shakib is set to lead another young attack with Rubel Hossain coming back from a long injury lay-off, Shahadat Hossain – who has the monkey of the Asia Cup final on his back – and a second spinner who will be playing to save his place in the team.Off-field issues could also distract the team: the current board’s tenure ends just after this Test series, so the air in Mirpur is thick with election fervour and, as is the norm in Bangladesh, the players will feel the heat or the odd cold shoulder, depending on who’s in power. But, as Mushfiqur said earlier this year, the team has to be thick-skinned enough to cope with external pressures as it is a part of the team’s culture.This series could define how 2012 would be remembered for Bangladesh and, with so much going on on and off the field, it will be a sterling test of the team’s mettle.

And the Indian hope that lies not in its fields but its stands

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013India had their best session of the series yesterday morning. They sliced through the England tail, then, with Sehwag, reprieved by another slip-clanger in a series amply festooned with them, in increasingly Sehwagian form, and Gambhir, always fidgety outside off stump but positive against the spinners, managing to resist the urge to run out India’s key batsman for the second time in the match just to see the look on everyone’s faces. At lunch, they were 121 behind, with all their second-innings wickets in hand, and England, as England generally are, defending deep in the field, allowing a comfortable flow of runs.One more session of Sehwag and the game would have been alive. One more session of both of them, and the game would have been fascinating. Instead, there was one more ball of Sehwag – insufficient time even for a fast-scorer such as the Delhi Now-Intermittent Destroyer to transform a game ‒ and 45 minutes of Gambhir, sufficient time for him to compensate himself for not doing the double on Sehwag by running out India’s best batsman of the series instead, flirt with danger a few times, then drive stupidly at a good away-reverse-swinger from the hostile and dangerous Finn.The game was in the bag. The rest of the Indian batting top seven promptly filled up the bag with bricks and dropped it into a local canal to put it out of its misery. Ravichandran Ashwin bravely dived it to save it, slapped it back into life, shouted “Stay with me, stay with me,” desperately at it whilst giving it an unusually elegant bout of CPR, and left the game overnight in a hospital surrounded by its family, all aware that there is no real hope for it, but relieved that they were at least able to pay their last respects to it in a dignified manner.England’s bowling throughout this match has been of the same high class that it was throughout their period of dominance in 2010 and 2011, and even in their difficult winter in Asia early this year. It has been significantly improved by the two changes made since Ahmedabad. Anderson bowled faster than he has for some time, and with all his considerable reserves of skill and craft, and Finn again looked like a bowler who will discomfort and dismiss good players for the next decade. Swann despatched India’s two remaining veterans with superb bowling, and Panesar, though not as good as in his previous three innings, continued to threaten and had some chances spurned. It was a searching cross-examination, and India cracked, admitted everything, and turned themselves in.They were unable to cope technically – Tendulkar, Yuvraj and Dhoni were out playing defensively to probing but not unplayable balls ‒ or temperamentally. Sehwag was lured by a classic perfectly flighted, teasing, come-and-hit-me offbreak by Swann with the first ball after lunch. The batsman was drawn into an injudicious, poorly executed half-drive, and the breach was made. Gambhir and Kohli were the most culpable. Both had played themselves in to an extent, then, like dieting gluttons on day three of yet another new regime, dived for the cookie jar hoping no one would notice, tempted into needless drives at ignorable swinging balls when the situation required stricter control of their attacking urges. It was a woeful display against superb bowling on a testing but playable surface.Indian top seven batsmen, in the 19 Test matches they have played over the 20 months since their World Cup triumph in April 2011, collectively average 33.99, and have scored 12 centuries in 246 innings (one every 20.5 innings). Over the previous 18 months, they played 18 Tests, jointly average 51.48, and scored 30 hundreds in 202 innings (one every 6.7 innings). Those numbers should be setting selectorial alarm bells clanging. Perhaps they are. Do the selectors know the security code to disable the alarm? Is there such a code lurking in Indian domestic cricket? Or do they like the sound of alarms, and are dancing along happily to its rhythmical honk?In the stands at the Eden, the mood was exultant amongst the eternally vociferous if not always entirely melodious travelling England support. The home spectators, who had turned out in good numbers again and stayed to the end despite the hopeless match situation, were downcast, but did not turn against their team, and as soon as the Ashwin-Ishant stand began to take shape, there was rapturous acclaim.When Ishant was out, he received a standing ovation more befitting a centurion than someone who had scored 10 off 55, but the crowd simply appreciated that someone had played with discipline and determination for them. When Ashwin brought up his half-century and spared India an innings defeat, the stadium roared as if there were 25 minutes remaining to save the match, not 25 minutes, dinner, a bedtime story, a snooze, breakfast, then 360 more minutes to save the match (assuming Mr Monsoon does not make an unseasonal one-day-only return to the city to do some media work or Christmas shopping).The crowd in Kolkata has been predominantly young, generous to the opposition, and desperate for Indian Test competitiveness. At times when they have been given that competitiveness, they have been loud. I can only imagine what Eden Gardens can have been like with three times as many people watching India beat Australia 12 years ago in one of the greatest cricket matches of all time. There has been little hope for Indian cricket on the field, but plenty in the stands.SOME STATS● Graeme Swann has now taken 70 wickets in 12 Tests in Asia, at an average of 26 – the third best average of the 16 non-Asian spinners to have taken 30 or more wickets in Asia, behind Richie Benaud (71 at 19) and Lance Gibbs (54 at 24). Of all the non-Asian bowlers to have taken 30-plus wickets on the continent, 16 of the lowest 17 averages are by pace bowlers, with Benaud, in third behind fellow Australians Alan Davidson and Graham McKenzie, the only exception.● As of the start of play on the fifth day, Pragyan Ojha has been dismissed five times in the 406 balls he has faced in Tests ‒ once every 89 deliveries. Which makes him 46% harder to dismiss than Virender Sehwag (average balls per dismissal: 61). Albeit that he scores at 18 runs per 100 balls, which is a little less threatening to the opposition than Sehwag’s strike rate of 82. Jacques Kallis’ average innings length is 124 balls, Shiv Chanderpaul’s 120 balls, and Chris Martin’s 12.● James Anderson in overseas Tests since the start of the 2010-11 Ashes: 13 Tests, 49 wickets, average 27, strike rate 59. In away Tests before 2010-11: 19 Tests, 52 wickets, average 43, strike rate 74.● This was the sixth time that India have lost two top-three batsmen run out in the same match, and the 13th Test in which three top-three wickets have fallen to run-outs.

From Nishad Jayasundara, Sri Lanka

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013
The tussle is on•AFPSixty years ago, Sri Lankan cricket used to be a gentleman’s game. Gentlemen used to be and had to be only English-speaking elite from Colombo. Wild-haired Malingas and wide-eyed Muralitharans were clinging on to metal fences outside prestigious cricket clubs watching men in white taking tea breaks.Times have changed for Sri Lankan cricket and cricketers. Since independence, if there is anything Sri Lanka has made a significant progress in, it is cricket. It has become a part of life, a topic of debate in the parliament and in the street corners. It has pierced through to the smallest village in the country, crossing socio-economic boundaries and defying ethnic barriers. Over the last two decades players from all corners have rallied together making an unorthodox yet very effective unit, ready to take on the world. And they did it in style in 1996.They named it the Sri Lankan brand of cricket; it is a blend of aggression of the Australians, efficiency of the South Africans, raw talent of the Pakistanis, passion of the Bangladeshis (now) mixed with a Caribbean flair. The Sri Lankan brand has been a treat to watch. In this World Cup, the Sri Lankan team looks more prepared than ever, with a mix of youth and experience in the likes of Mahela Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews coupled with the flamboyance and fortitude of Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samraweera.Unlike a few centuries ago, this time they are prepared for the Queen’s team. In their own backyard, playing against a team known for its weakness on spin-friendly surfaces and looks visibly tired from being on the road for the past six months, the Sri Lankans could not have asked for a better team to play against in a crunch match. Twenty million people are hoping for a re-enactment of 1996 quarterfinals – when the English were comprehensively beaten.Although a repeat of that act appears just around the corner, there is a hint of skepticism in every fan. There is something about the Sri Lankan outfit that creates a doubt in your mind. It might be the fact that Sri Lanka, barring New Zealand, haven’t yet beaten a significant opponent this tournament. Even against New Zealand, the Sri Lankan middle order faltered. Malinga has been wayward, except for one game against Kenya, Upul Tharanga looks a bit edgy and Tillakaratne Dilshan is due a big score.Compared to 1996, England have come a long way as an ODI team. They boast a group of utility players in Ravi Bopara, Paul Collingwood, James Tredwell and Tim Bresnan. Greame Swann looks threatening on spinning tracks, except when there is dew. More importantly, England are the only team in this World Cup to not to lose a game to a bigger Test-playing nation. No matter how tired they look, regardless of the battered psychological state of the English camp, when they are up against a formidable side, they seem to pull it off.Can they do it on Saturday on a tricky Premadasa track against the quality of Murali and Malinga? Would they be mystified by Mendis? A couple of solid performances from the top order, accurate bowling from Malinga and some late over fireworks from Mathews should be enough to take Sri Lanka through. We all know Sri Lanka can do it. But no one wants to say it, every one gulps the words when they appear to come out, because you just never know. After all it is against the Queen’s team, and they invented the game.

Headingley still evokes memories of Kevin Pietersen’s 2012 outburst but it now offers a further audition for his post-reintegration understudies

David Hopps23-May-2013England are back at Headingley, the place where less than a year ago Kevin Pietersen flipped his lid and delivered his infamous “it’s tough being me” lament. The reverberations of that were felt for months. England omitted him from their World Twenty20 squad in Sri Lanka and it was only after a triumphant Test tour of India that, as Matt Prior’s tweet put it, his reintegration was complete.Life has rushed on apace and this time at Headingley England are not bemoaning Pietersen’s behaviour, but regretting his absence. He is out of the Champions Trophy, but the assumption remains that he will be back for the Ashes.That makes the second Test against New Zealand an audition, with the batting understudy who most stumbles over his lines likely to be dropped when the distingué is back in town.Alastair Cook is not the first England captain to be wearied by the Pietersen analysis. But the debate is understandable. History cannot be waved aside so easily.And there seems to be tension between how many first-class matches England and Surrey would ideally like Pietersen to play before the Trent Bridge Test – three – and how much first-class cricket Pietersen wants to play, which is probably also three, except that he is counting in minutes. He has not wanted to play in the Championship since the days of the skunk hairstyle.”It’s unfortunate he is not playing in this Test match and in the Champions Trophy with injury,” Cook said. “He’s a world class player and in any line-up he will help. A lot of water has gone under that bridge from where we were a year ago.”He’s progressing well from his injury. There is obviously some more information over the next couple of weeks that we will receive. But chatting to him last week at Lord’s he sounded positive, and fingers crossed. With injuries you’re not quite sure how they’re healing but it sounded as if he was making good progress.”Pietersen has a right to be regarded as an automatic selection. His knee injury is just that, an injury, not yet worthy of MI6 investigation. No matter how long his Ashes warm-up, or how brilliant the stand-ins might be at Headingley over the next five days, Cook would not contemplate any debate over Pietersen’s right to an Ashes place.”I think we all know when, hopefully, Kevin comes back and he is fit, his record and his class demands that he plays for England pretty much,” he said. “His record allows him to do that. If any batter scores runs it’s very hard to leave him out. That’s how selection works.”So of course that creates competition for places and the guys in the changing room will be desperate to score runs. That’s good for us in this game because we need as many runs as we can. I don’t think it will give the batsmen any extra motivation because I don’t think you need any extra motivation when you’re playing for England, but we all know that’s the situation.”Kevin Pietersen made 149 at Headingley last August before suggesting that his England career could be nearing an end•Getty ImagesEngland have no intention of being pressganged into making room for Pietersen by dropping Nick Compton and moving Joe Root up the order. They have made their plans around Compton, even while recognising his limitations, Root is relishing his early Test cricket lower in the order, and Jonny Bairstow, the favourite to be omitted when Pietersen returns, has not done enough to challenge that preconception.”I’m sure down the line at some stage in the future of course you will see Joe Root opening the batting, because that’s where he bats, but Compo’s got the shirt at the moment and he fully justifies that selection,” Cook said. “We all know selection can change, of course it can. But Compo has shown us the determination and the talent he’s got at the top of the order and the character you need to fight there and he’s got to continue doing that.”The media cannot get through the day without considering the Ashes, so much so that the Champions Trophy – which brings the best eight nations to England next month for an ICC world event – might as well be taking place in Bolivia. England, meanwhile, have been accused of banning talk of the Ashes. Perhaps the players have a better sense of proportion.Cook dismissed suggestions that it extended as far as a ban: “We’ve got to make it quite clear the word has not been banned in the changing room, it’s just very important as a sports team and as cricketers that you stay in the present; that’s how you have to live your life.”We all know that’s how you have to operate in the here and now. So you remind everyone that’s how we operate and that’s how you get the best results, because if you start thinking about what could happen you can take your eye off the ball. I don’t think any of the guys have been doing that. I think we’ve been fantastic in this series so far.”For those of you who can’t concentrate over the next five days, the Ashes start on July 10.

Stats preview to the Champions Trophy Group B match between India and Pakistan

S Rajesh14-Jun-2013India v Pakistan used to be a fairly frequent occurrence a few years back, but in the last four-and-a-half years they’ve only played each other in seven ODIs, with India winning four and Pakistan three. Four of those seven games were in multi-team tournaments – two Asia Cup games in 2010 and 2012, a Champions Trophy match in 2009, and the 2011 World Cup semi-final. India won three of those four, but Pakistan beat India 2-1 in the bilateral ODI series late last year. Current form favours India, who have already qualified for the Champions Trophy semi-finals while Pakistan have been knocked out, but form hasn’t counted for much when these two teams have played each other. (Click here for a summary of their overall results.)Historically Pakistan have held the advantage, winning 71 matches and losing only 49, but it’s been much closer in multi-team tournaments involving five or more teams, with Pakistan ahead only by a 9-8 margin. India’s 5-0 World Cup advantage is offset only marginally by Pakistan’s 2-0 record in Champions Trophy matches, but the more interesting break-up is their head-to-head record in Asia and outside the continent.In 96 matches in Asia, Pakistan have a huge 57-36 advantage, but outside Asia, there’s little to choose between them – Pakistan have a 14-13 lead. The table below shows that Pakistan’s batting numbers drop significantly when they play outside Asia – from an average of 34.68 and run rate of 5.28 to 26.71 and 4.68. India’s drop, on the other hand, is far more marginal.That clearly suggests that in flatter conditions, Pakistan’s bowlers have the skills and the weapons to be more incisive – their fast bowlers generally have more pace and are better at reverse-swing, while some of their spinners are more crafty. The Indian bowlers tend to rely more on the conditions to help them cause some damage, and in the absence of that in India, they’ve tended to go for more runs. Outside Asia, the pitches and conditions often have more in them for bowlers, especially those who seam and swing the ball, and in those conditions Indian bowlers have been able to neutralise the greater natural flair of the Pakistanis. The better technique of the Indian batsmen has, on the other hand, enabled them to handle Pakistan’s bowlers reasonably well even in more testing conditions.

The two tables below, which compare the fast bowlers and spinners of the two teams in and outside Asia, confirm that theory. The difference in numbers for the Indian seamers in and outside Asia is especially stark. In Asia they’ve struggled to make an impact, averaging almost 40 runs per wicket and going at 5.16 runs over; however, outside the continent their average has improved dramatically to 26.95, which is in fact better than Pakistan’s 31.55. India’s seamers have also taken more wickets than Pakistan’s outside Asia, 154 to 100.The list of top wicket-takers among the fast bowlers highlights the skew: the list in Asia is dominated by Aaqib Javed, Wasim Akram, Imran Khan, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar – they are the ones with averages in the early and mid-20s. The leading Indian wicket-takers – Kapil Dev, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath – have much poorer averages, with Srinath and Zaheer averaging around 40 per wicket.However, Indian seamers dominate the list for leading wicket-takers in matches outside Asia. Javagal Srinath has 31 wickets at 23.87, Sourav Ganguly’s 25 wickets cost 20.24 each, while Venkatesh Prasad took 22 at 28.86. Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker among quick bowlers is Akram, and he has only 16 at 28.31. In nine matches, Waqar took only eight wickets at 39.12.Saturday’s match is at Edgbaston, but in most of the matches in this tournament so far the ball hasn’t swung or seamed the way it normally would in England. Given the way the numbers have stacked up over the years, that might be a good thing for Pakstan.

The South Africa thinktank is involved in a discussion around three areas of the team composition – the opening berth, a specialist wicketkeeper and what type of spinner to use

Firdose Moonda09-Dec-2013One of the secrets to South Africa’s Test success – they have lost only one match since becoming the No.1 ranked side last August – is not such a secret at all. “Consistency in selection” as former coach Gary Kirsten dubbed it has seen them using largely the same group of players in the longest format and has led to a settled unit which will be redeployed for the two-Test series against India.Convener of selectors Andrew Hudson said while the XI will only be decided on match morning, as is always the case, he feels there is “unlikely to be any changes”, which means South Africa will probably stick to their seven batsmen, four bowler strategy. But that does not mean there is no room for debate. A source confirmed the panel, along with other decision makers such as coach Russell Domingo and captain Graeme Smith, are involved in discussion around three areas of the team composition.The focus is spread between the opening berth, the question over a specialist wicketkeeper and what type of spinner to use.At the top of the order, Alviro Petersen’s place is in question. Graeme Smith’s partner has not gone past 30 in his last nine Test innings. A possible replacement for him is in the current squad.Dean Elgar, who has batted at No. 6 and 7 for South Africa and once at No. 3, when he replaced an unavailable Hashim Amla, is an opener by trade and is yet to play in his preferred spot at this level. Elgar has already enjoyed a good start to the current season, with a century for the Knights in the opening round of the first-class competition and his coach Sarel Cilliers believes he is “absolutely ready” to open the batting for South Africa.What may work against Elgar is that South Africa may not be in favour of a pairing with two left-handed batsmen, which would also make current Sunfoil series leader Stiaan van Zyl only an outside candidate, and Petersen may hold on to the spot with the knowledge someone like Stephen Cook is chasing him. Cook has scored two hundreds in two consecutive matches in the first-class competition, has led the run charts in the past and is knocking on the door once again.Another player, and one who has received the popular vote, who could be looked at in that position is Quinton de Kock. The 20-year-old has enjoyed a rich streak of form in one-day cricket, with three centuries, two against India in this month, but was overlooked for the longest format despite public pressure to pick him.”The question is where would we play him?” Hudson asked. “At the moment, he is doing really well in the shorter format but we want him to go and score big hundreds for the Lions before considering him for Tests.”De Kock has an impressive first-class record, albeit based on only 18 matches. He averages 55.70 and already has four centuries to his name but Hudson is hopeful he will add to that this summer. Developing his keeping, which has already shown significant signs of improvement, is the other area the selectors would like to de Kock to work on before picking him in the Test team.What de Kock has showed them in the shorter format is that freeing AB de Villiers from the gloves does wonders for his game. De Villiers has batted with more freedom in ODIs and made his presence felt on the field and they may look to unburden him in a similar way in Tests.For that, South Africa will need to play reserve wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile. ESPNcricinfo understands this is a sticking point with the current selection panel and has divided them. One half of it calling for Tsolekile to replace Faf du Plessis – who has not managed a half-century in seven innings in Tests – while the other wants the status quo.Either way, du Plessis is the other player under pressure to perform, as he was in the 50-over game. He was dropped from South Africa’s squad to play ODIs against both Pakistan and India but remains the T20 captain.The final area of scrutiny is which spinner South Africa will choose, having retained both Imran Tahir and Robin Peterson in the squad. Tahir has overtaken Peterson in the pecking order, since he replaced him for the second Test against Pakistan in the UAE. Tahir claimed a five-for against his former countrymen and has since been South Africa’s first-choice spinner in all three formats with Peterson left out of recent T20 and ODI squads.Hudson explained Peterson’s career is far from over and he could still earn a place in the XI, depending on the strategy South Africa opt for. “We definitely aren’t looking past Peterson,” Hudson said. “If you look at the last two years, it’s really been a ding-dong battle between them. If we go for an attacking spinner, Imran is our guy and [if] we need a more defensive spinner, then we will go with Robbie.”Tahir was less successful against Pakistan in South Africa than he was in the UAE, and has not played either of the ODIs against India. With pitches likely to be prepared with the seamers in mind, he may find conditions keeping him out of the XI, particularly for the first match at the Wanderers, and Peterson could have an opportunity to work his way back in.