ESPNcricinfo presents Plays of the Day for the second day of the second Test between New Zealand and South Africa in Hamilton

Firdose Moonda in Hamilton16-Mar-2012Third-time-lucky moment of the day
Alviro Petersen broke a 21-ball run-less drought with a beautifully timed pull to square leg only for the ball to get a good wash in overnight dew. New Zealand’s bowlers were unhappy with the conditions of it and before the end of that over asked the umpires to have a look at it. Neither official felt it was serious enough damage for the ball to be changed. Mid-way through the next over, a committee made up of Chris Martin, Ross Taylor and Daniel Vettori all examined the ball for a few moments, hoping to convince the umpires that it was more than just a passing concern. Only two overs later, when Brent Arnel was brought into the attack and Petersen sliced a ball past gully, presumably for it to land in more damp, and the fourth umpire was asked to bring on a different ball this time.Wicket-less over of the day
On most days, such a headline would apply to most of the overs in the day, but in Mark Gillespie’s case it was unusual because his first four overs of the day contained a wicket each. His fifth one would also have yielded a scalp had Ross Taylor put a third slip in place for Gillespie’s movement away from the right-hander. He pitched one on off and got de Villiers to poke at it. The outside edge would have settled into a third slip’s hands but instead raced through the vacant area for four.Leave of the day
Vernon Philander arrived at the crease with something of a reputation for being an allrounder, after Ross Taylor said he is probably a better batsman that his Test average reveals. He showed the technique for it, too. The first ball he faced from Mark Gillespie was one that moved just a fraction away and while, in hindsight, good judgement had resulted in him leaving the ball, at the time it looked a risky thing to do. The ball danced dangerously close to his offstump as Philander shouldered arms to the oohs and aaahs of the fielding side. The next time Philander left it was to Doug Bracewell and it resulted in him losing his offstump.Clash of the day
While the biggest battle of the first half of the day was taking place between New Zealand’s bowlers and South Africa’s batsmen, once the sparring actually took place between members of the same side. Morne Morkel and AB de Villiers had a collision when batting together after Morkel drove the ball passed Doug Bracewell and set off a single. While scurrying through, he mowed into AB de Villiers and fell over on impact. Morkel made it to the other end with few worries but rubbed his knee, where de Villiers’ bat had hit him, with some concern.Misfield of the day
Brent Arnel was not having a good day. He bowled ineffectual, expensive spells and then cost the team even when he slipped to allow a boundary. Bracewell aimed a ball at Morne Morkel’s head but the South African No.10 had a plan. He pulled, although not with much power, to the deep square leg where Arnel was doing the work. He slid through, right arm outstretched and fingers scrambling for something. All they found was air as the ball escaped with Arnel desperately trying to get his body behind it.Misfortune of the day
Rob Nicol has found increasingly interesting ways to get out and his second innings dismissal was quite unfortunate. He tried to play a Vernon Philander short ball off the back foot but was hit on the arm and the pad instead. The ball’s subsequent path took it rolling towards the stumps and Nicol had thoughts of kicking it away, but they came too late because by the time he did anything, the offstump bail had been dislodged.

For one of Australia’s openers in their 2008 match against India at the WACA, it was the only Test he has played

Chris Rogers11-Jan-2012I’ve heard that many guys don’t end up remembering the first Test match they play – it becomes a blur in the excitement of it all. But when it turns out to be your one and only, you savour every moment in retrospect.It’s nearly four years to the day since I received an unexpected phone call from then chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch, telling me I had been added to the squad as cover for an injured Matthew Hayden. Australia were riding high on the back of a record-equalling 16 straight Test wins and had flown into my hometown, Perth, after beating India in an incident-packed game in Sydney, which featured the infamous Harbhajan-Symonds Monkeygate affair.Walking into that Australian change room, I wasn’t really sure what to make of it. On the one hand, my life had just taken off dramatically, and on the other all the talk was about how we had to be on our best behaviour. Throw in a team full of legends on each side, and uncertainty about whether I was even going to play, and it was a confusing couple of days. It wasn’t until after training two days before the game, when I watched Hayden limp through a fitness test and shake his head, that I realised a life dream had come true.All that awaited was a few sleepless nights and then the honour of pulling on that elusive baggy green in front of a packed WACA ground.The preparation seemed low key. Perhaps the players were a little jaded after four Tests and a number of flights, with two Tests to go. I don’t remember being summoned to any meetings, and I was left to my own devices the practice-free day before. On the eve of the game I even managed to have dinner with my parents. But not a minute went by when I wasn’t thinking of the challenge ahead.I can tell you it’s an amazing and humbling experience to walk into a change room that has Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait and Andrew Symonds, plus a few more in it. It’s easy to get caught up in star-gazing. And when they pat you on the back when you are presented your cap by Test legend Justin Langer, it’s positively daunting.As much as I loved every moment of it, there was an unmistakable current of tension running through the side. The fallout from Monkeygate, and Cricket Australia’s reticence to pursue it, were playing havoc. It seemed as though the cricket was a sideshow.It was almost a relief for me when we lost the toss and were made to field. I thought it might give me some time to adjust to the feel of Test cricket.Rod Marsh used to warn against playing Tests in Perth in January, and sure enough, it was a blazing 40-degree day and I spent most of the morning fruitlessly chasing Virender Sehwag and Co’s cover-drives out towards the practice wickets.A slow pitch, unlike any I had played on the WACA, plus the heat, combined to blunt our four-paceman bowling attack. During the off-season a decision had been taken to replace the top few inches of the pitch with sods, and all season it had been unpredictable. My WA team-mate Brad Hogg had been hoping to play a Test for the first time on his home ground but was made 12th man. I felt for him.Tennis-ball bounce and the lack of swing or seam took the sting out of Lee, Johnson, Stuart Clark and Tait. Both Lee and Tait were reaching the 150kph mark, but the Indians seemed to have time to spare playing them.A century partnership by Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar unfolded in front of me, and by the time we removed them, the heat had almost knocked us out.Taity, in his first Test in Australia, had bowled a horror last over before lunch. In trying to fit another in before the break, he overstepped and wided, and the confidence seemed to flow out of the big man on the cut strip – in front of 20-odd thousand people. He had gone into the match with an injured hamstring.By the end of the first day our backs were up against it, after we’d dismissed only six of the Indian batsmen. I don’t think I’d ever been so drained after a day. Not only had the heat been unbearable, the intensity of the contest and a bigger crowd than I’d ever played in front of made for a unique experience.The next morning turned out to be productive for us, and I even managed to take a decent diving catch at point. Then it was my turn to bat. Comments from the crowd when fielding, like “Get ready to bat Rogers” and “Don’t stuff up” were friendly, I’m sure. Shame they did nothing to ease my ever-growing nerves.A cover-drive out of the middle to the scoreboard boundary slowed my heartbeat considerably, and I thought I was ready to get stuck in and grind out some runs. An iffy lbw decision – I thought it was sliding down leg – put an end to that, and before I knew it, I was taking off the pads in extreme disappointment.

I will always remember telling my father that facing every ball was like a match in itself, due to the pressure that comes with that level of cricket. Michael Hussey said after the game that people who thought batting in Shield cricket was harder than Tests had rocks in their head

Suddenly we were in all sorts of trouble. The bland pitch that had blunted our quickies came alive for the Indians, and their medium-pace seamers had our batsmen in all sorts of trouble. In what seemed the blink of an eye we were back out in the field 118 behind – with Sehwag cutting balls for fun as we scrambled to limit the damage.My mood wasn’t made any better when standing next to the umpire who had given me out – Asad Rauf. He told me that if he’d had the benefit of the replay, he wouldn’t have given me out. It felt like a punch to the chest. But I wasn’t the first person to get a dodgy decision, and I won’t be the last. Still, I respected him for telling me that, even after Hawk-Eye had estimated the ball was angling crazily back to clip the leg stump.As with every time I’m dismissed, I analysed what I did wrong and saw I’d fallen towards the off side getting out in the first innings, and was determined not to repeat the mistake. I was in good touch getting to 15, and felt I was doing a lot of good things. Then Pathan produced a gem – directed at off, forcing me to play and moving away late, that I could only get an edge to – and my first Test was over.I will always remember telling my father that facing every ball was like a match in itself, due to the pressure that comes with that level of cricket. Michael Hussey said after the game that people who thought batting in Shield cricket was harder than Tests had rocks in their head. The pressure from the crowd and the media was almost suffocating.It would have been nice to be a part of a record-breaking side, but it wasn’t to be. I do remember the pure elation of being picked and the soul-crushing disappointment of failure and losing. What happened in the middle still feels like it passed in the blink of an eye.Shaking hands at the end, I prayed I would get at least one more chance to sing the winning song and prove to myself I belonged in Test cricket. “Get more runs,” I was told when I lost my Australian contract at the end of that summer.But I feel privileged to have squeezed into one of the best Australian teams ever, and to have had an experience at the very peak of my sport. And as all one-Test wonders must sing to themselves in the shower occasionally: “You can’t take that away from me…”

ESPNcricinfo runs the rule over the key battles that could decide the England v South Africa series

George Dobell and Firdose Moonda18-Jul-2012James Anderson v Dale SteynA glance at the statistics might convince you there is no comparison here: while Steyn, rated as the No. 1 bowler in Test cricket at present, possesses the best strike-rate for any bowler with more than 250 Test wickets (he takes a wicket every 40.9 balls, on average), Anderson’s Test bowling average remains above 30 and his strike-rate is 57.2. They have different styles, too. As Anderson put it, Steyn is “probably more aggressive, a bit quicker, he swings the ball late, probably a bit more attacking whereas my role is a holding job at times.”Yet, they also have much in common. Each will lead the attack for their side. Each will swing the new ball conventionally and reverse swing the old ball and each will pose huge problems for the opposition’s top order.Steyn is the quicker by some distance, but Anderson’s skills, though more subtle, are no less dangerous. He has excellent control, he has the ability to seam and swing the ball both ways, and he has become adept at working to plans and exploiting batsmen’s weaknesses. Over the last few years, Anderson’s bowling Test average has dropped swiftly: up until the end of 2007, it was 39.20, but since then it is 27.28. He is currently rated No. 3 in the Test bowling rankings.There is history here, too. At Leeds in 2008, Steyn gave Anderson a fearful barrage and hit him on the helmet with one bouncer. Anderson responded, unlikely though it sounds, by breaking Steyn’s thumb with a fierce return drive. How each batting line-up deals with the challenge of Anderson and Steyn may go a long way to shaping the series.Graeme Swann v Imran TahirOn the face of it, Swann looks to have a clear advantage in the battle of the spinners. Despite being just three days older than Tahir, Swann has played 37 more Tests and has an excellent record in pretty much all conditions. He is rated No. 8 in the Test rankings and has helped revive the dying art of conventional off-spin. Swann’s versatility is key for England. Even on pitches offering him little, he has the discipline and control to allow his captain to rest and rotate the seamers. His record against left-handers is exceptional.Tahir’s Test record looks modest. He has played only seven Tests and has yet to excel. While he his blessed with all the variations a leg-spin bowler requires, there are some doubts about his patience and ability to fulfil a containing role when required. His experience in English conditions should help, though. He has represented four counties and, as a first-class strike-rate of 47.5 shows, has a fine record as an attacking spin bowler. Given some help from the pitches – something he has not enjoyed so far in his Test career – he could prove a dangerous bowler for an England side with a chequered record of playing good-quality spin. If England can get after him, however, it will be interesting to see how Smith handles the situation.Andrew Strauss v Graeme SmithTwo experienced men who, as opening batsmen, lead from the front but also face their own struggles with the bat. Smith’s record in England is superb – he averages 72.20 in Tests here – and, as captain, he has already inflicted series defeats that played a part in the demise of two England captains, Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain. The Oval Test will be his 100th – his 99th for South Africa plus the ICC World XI Test in 2005 – and, while neither he nor Strauss are known for their tactical genius, they both offer leadership, stability and composure under pressure. Strauss will, injury permitting, play his 100th Test at Lord’s.Both have faced significant personal troubles with the bat though. Smith can struggle with his balance and, as a result, can be susceptible to the swinging ball early in his innings, while Strauss has recently returned to form after a long barren run that was beginning to threaten his place. How each of them weather the substantial challenges their opponents’ new ball attacks will throw at them will not just ease the burden on the middle order, but may also have an impact on the morale of the respective dressing rooms.Ravi Bopara v Jacques RudolphBopara and Rudolph both impressed early in their Test careers, but then suffered setbacks and have waited a long time for their second opportunity. It may also prove that neither have too long to cement their positions. Bopara, who scored three successive centuries in his fourth, fifth and sixth Tests, has been on the edge of the England side for 18 months only for injury to intervene. Now, on the back of several encouraging performances in limited-overs cricket and having remained one of the class performers in the county game, he has another chance to revive a Test career that was almost destroyed in the Ashes of 2009. Now he has the chance to answer all the lingering questions about his talent and temperament. While not in the same class of bowler as Kallis, Bopara is also an underrated bowler who will ease the burden on England’s seamers.Rudolph, meanwhile, returned to the South Africa side in November after five years developing his game in county cricket. Despite making a double-century on Test debut in 2003, questions remain about his ability to deal with the short ball, the moving ball and his concentration. He has only once passed 52 in his eight Tests since returning to Test cricket.AB de Villiers the batsman v AB de Villiers the ‘keeper It seems that for at least the first Test, de Villiers will face double the workload. He is set to bat at No. 5 and wear the wicket-keeping gloves. With a history of back problems, he has already started preventative physiotherapy to stop anything before it starts, but knows he will have to be extra careful. He has already done the job in ODIs and Twenty20s, including in the IPL, and it has aided rather than inhibited his batting. Doing it for prolonged periods of time, as he will have to in a Test match, is a different matter.There is some fear that de Villiers will not be able to maintain his form in a crucial position in the line-up, something he hinted at himself just over two years ago when he said his main goal was to be the world’s best batsman and that could mean abandoning ambitions of being a wicketkeeper as well. This time, he has no choice. With Mark Boucher’s enforced retirement and team management against rushing the specialist Thami Tsolekile into the starting XI, de Villiers will have twin responsibilities and how he manages them could be series-defining for South Africa. Vernon Philander v expectation Being up against it is nothing new to Philander. He was expected him to bomb out in his Test debut, he responded with 5 for 15 against Australia. He was expected to toil without success at the Wanderers, he responded with another five-wicket haul. He was expected to fizzle out against Sri Lanka but two more five-fors came and when he was expected to make less of an impact in New Zealand, he become the fastest bowler to 50 Test wickets in over a hundred years. Now, Philander is again thought to have a point to prove, this time against the world’s No. 1 ranked Test side and in conditions he has only known briefly. He isn’t fazed by the new challenge and insists that if he sticks to his line outside off and is able to make use of movement, the rest will come. Obviously.Slip cordon v slip cordon James Anderson said that a brilliant one-handed catch may be what decides the series. Jacques Kallis was more general and said “key moments” would separate the teams. The margins could well be in the slips, where England have let a few through and South Africa have been known to hang on. England put down three catches in the third Test against West Indies and have been questioned for the lapses in that department. South Africa’s trio usually consists of Graeme Smith, Kallis and de Villiers, but with de Villiers likely to take the gloves, Jacques Rudolph will probably move into third slip. It will mean a change from the norm but with Mile Young conducting the fielding drills, it is unlikely to mean any drop in the usual standards.Pietersen v Kallis The bowling attacks have dominated pre-series hype but for bowlers to achieve success, batsmen have to fail. Therefore whoever manages not to may well have the deciding say in the contest. Pietersen and Kallis are totally different batsmen, in approach, technique and mindset, but both are key to their sides’ chances. South Africa have identified Pietersen as the man to get out early not because he is capable of scoring bit runs but because he is able to do that quickly, which could throw the bowlers off their plans. Nothing fires him up like playing against the country of his birth and Pietersen will want to make a statement against them, again. Kallis has been South Africa’s immovable pillar for more than 15 years but his record in England leaves something to be desired. On what is likely his last visit to the country, he will want to leave having made an impact in the only way he knows how – with the bat.

The former India coach’s flaw was not that he was too Australian, as this book reveals

Suresh Menon05-May-2012Unlike Ian Chappell, who wore his heart on his sleeve, the middle Chappell came across most often as Greg the Reticent, and occasionally as Greg the Grouchy, but even his worst critics acknowledge that his views on the game are sound and worthy of attention. Too bad he needed to understand not just the mechanics of the square cut but also what made a Virender Sehwag tick.I thought initially that India handled Chappell badly as coach, till I realised that the reverse was also true. It was not a cultural thing; in fact, reading an alternative theory presents itself. It was not that Chappell was too Australian, it was that temperamentally he was too Indian. Once that is understood, everything else falls into place.That Chappell was one of the great batsmen there is no doubt; and although the Indian experience forms only a small portion of this book, it probably throws more light on his character than the rest.Chappell’s spats with Sourav Ganguly have become part of folklore. How a friendship fell apart is neatly described. Ganguly, who had a role to play in Chappell getting the India job, felt the Australian ought to be eternally grateful and back him no matter what. Chappell’s suggestion that Sachin Tendulkar should bat at No. 4 in ODIs in the interests of the team was not well received by that batsman, nor was his insistence on Sehwag doing physical work.It is in the casual throwaway lines that Chappell reveals his Indianness. When Dilip Vengsarkar took over as the chairman of selectors, “[his] loyalties were unclear…” That is a typical Indian reaction, placing loyalty above professionalism.In his last Test, admits Chappell, he was conscious of making the runs needed to take him past Don Bradman’s aggregate for Australia, as well as of taking the catch that would give him the record ahead of Colin Cowdrey. “I didn’t want to be tempted to play another year out, of a nagging feeling of leaving something unfinished. I wanted to end my Test career with all the loose ends tied up.” (an expression for the manner in which Chappell followed his concentrate-and-relax technique while batting) tells us much about Greg the player, and a little about Greg the man, without shying away from the controversies or the personal failings. That is the strength of the book.The story of the Brisbane wicket being remade in the middle of a Test against West Indies takes one’s breath away. For the Indian reader, there are the embarrassing stories of the way the cricket board treats its contracted professionals. Chappell’s predecessor, John Wright, has written about how when he returned after an Indian victory, he was greeted at the airport with a limousine, and if it was a defeat, he was left to fend for himself.Chappell writes about how the BCCI was “usually late in paying our bills” and how “wages were paid months late.” Yet he was never given credit for putting India on the road to the pinnacle as the No. 1 Test team in the world, or indeed bringing an element of flexibility to the ODI batting order, which was initially scoffed at but later adapted.His habit of sending text messages to trusted journalists was a way of countering Ganguly’s “backgrounder sessions” for his friends in the media. That was Indian fighting Indian, and the less experienced Indian lost out.Fierce Focus: Greg Chappell
by Malcolm Knox
Hardie Grant Books
371pp, A$45

With the top ranking on the line and both teams having different captains for limited-overs cricket this series should retain interest despite the forthcoming World Twenty20

David Hopps in Cardiff23-Aug-2012Alastair Cook admitted his surprise that he is in charge of an England side who find themselves officially top of the ICC one-day rankings. The surprise might be shortlived. If South Africa beat England in the first of five ODIs in Cardiff on Saturday, they will overhaul them.At least England’s reign as the No. 1 Test side lasted a year; their achievement in the one-day game might only last a day. When the usual crop of dignitaries present them with the Reliance ODI Shield, Cook would be well advised to accept the award with the most modest expression he can muster.”I don’t think we feel like No. 1,” he said. “It was something we were aiming for a bit later on. We’ve got such a long way to go.”If South Africa, who trail England by one-sixth of a rating point, win in Cardiff they will become the first country to hold the No. 1 rankings spot in all formats of the game, having deposed England as the top-ranked Test team at Lord’s on Monday. To retain that position, they would have to win the series by at least 3-2.For England’s one-day side to be seeking to improve on poor displays in the Test format is an uncommon feeling. Until this year, the assumption had been that England’s Test side was the stronger, winning back-to-back Ashes series while the 50-overs side was a poor relation, looking as far as ever from winning a major one-day tournament for the first time. Perceptions are changing. This series will go a long way towards showing whether the shift is more than a temporary aberration.Two replacement captains help to bring some significance to the series. AB de Villiers assumes command of South Africa, leaving Graeme Smith to spend time, between batting, with his wife and a new baby girl, Cadence, whose birth he returned to see in between the first and the second Tests. Smith spent so long grimacing and growling at England’s attack in the Test series that if he briefly forgets himself the new arrival in the Smith family could get a bit of a shock.New captains and fresh faces have their advantages. The threat to continuity caused by a change of personnel can be offset by a renewed sense of zest. A change is as good as a rest and, in international cricket, change is the best option there is because there is little chance for rest. “This is why three captains seems to work quite well,” Cook said. “Certainly I’m ready to go again with the challenge of leadership. When Broady steps in for the Twenty20s, he’ll really want to drive the team on.”In normal circumstances, it would be Stuart Broad’s Twenty20 leadership that would be observed most closely over the coming weeks. The World Twenty20 is less than a month away and three t20 matches against South Africa therefore hold more importance than usual for both sides, even allowing for the very different conditions that will face them in Sri Lanka.But these are not normal circumstances. Cook is regarded as heir apparent to Andrew Strauss as Test captain, although Michael Atherton, the former England captain, deservedly praised the leadership qualities of Matt Prior in on Thursday, not just because of his fighting on-field qualities but because he was the one person brave enough to ring up Kevin Pietersen – without permission as it happened – and try to bring some sense to a stand-off that has demeaned all who are involved in it.”After 18 months I feel more comfortable in the role, happier making decisions in the field and in selections with Andy Flower,” Cook said.He has eased himself into captaincy gradually, not as much groomed for the job as receiving a manicure, full facial and Ayurvedic massage; pretty much everything, in fact, apart from colonic irrigation. Naturally, he was asked about Pietersen’s part in England’s future and twice claimed the matter was “above my head.” It did not smack of leadership, but it a dangerous topic to show leadership on.There is no doubt that Smith runs South African cricket; de Villiers is a well-mannered understudy who knows the extent of his power and who has Smith in the background for advice should he need him. There is still not much doubt that Strauss runs England cricket. But despite the emphatic support he has received from his coach Andy Flower, who does not regard the matter as up for discussion, it is a dangerous time in a captain’s career when he reaches an age where he is most often praised for presentational skills rather than the runs he gets or the fields he sets.Depict Strauss as a successful England captain and he needs to be depicted as an influential performer in whites, not prized as a man offering calming and intelligent off-the-field guidance, however invaluable that might be. There again, ECB officials are open to so little public scrutiny these days that somebody has to be the public face of English cricket.Ravi Bopara returns for England after a tough personal time and the presence of Cook, an Essex team-mate, as captain, will help him settle back into the job. That his mind will be attuned to the task should not be assumed to be automatic. A planned return for England Lions against Australia A was aborted, a run-out for Essex against Netherlands in the CB40 brought a score of 1 and his guest appearance for Gloucestershire brought three wickets but little reward with the bat.South Africa have a different feel to the side that capitulated in the one-day series in England in 2008. Instead of familiar faces from the Test campaign, they have more new faces, some of whom have got into trim in a short tour of Ireland.De Villiers suggested that England might be a specialist batsman light. “It’s something we’ll be attacking,” he said. “They may be conservative up front because they are a batter light, they don’t have the wicket keeper at No.7 like most teams. But I can’t see them carrying a lot of scars from the Test series, maybe just a tiny little mental factor, but if we don’t start well that would soon be lost.”

She has three world titles under her belt, but Lisa Sthalekar believes women’s cricket on the whole still has a long way to go

Interview by Abhishek Purohit10-Oct-2012″I have had three moments now where I have been able to win a World Cup, and I wouldn’t change anything for the world”•Getty/ICCAs someone who has won so much, how does this title feel?
Each title and each win in a World Cup is very special. You don’t get to play very many in your life. I have been fortunate enough to win. This is my third. Each time it is with a different group of players. It is really special to win it with that group.You have spoken about women’s cricket being in a semi-professional state, where the demand for results is increasingly getting harder on you. How difficult is it to achieve results?
We have been training really hard. The girls have put in a lot of effort. We came to Sri Lanka about a month and a bit ago to get used to the conditions. Thankfully Cricket Australia put the money in towards that and you can see the results have spoken loudly. We are at a point where there is a lot of cricket to be played, which is what we want as players. Obviously there is a juggling act to be done for those who are studying or are working full-time jobs. At the moment we are quite happy to sacrifice all those things when you win a World Cup, and this is why we play the game of cricket.How difficult is it practically, considering you work full-time as well?
I work for Cricket New South Wales and over the next six-seven months, I have got 56 working days that I need to take off. My boss, David Thompson, is very pleased that I am representing my country and willing to juggle a few things. I think we are getting to a point where we have got to weigh it up – do we play more cricket, and if that is the case, financially we need the girls to be able to pay their rent and most other things… or, is this the right amount of cricket? That is for the administrators to figure out.Women’s cricket is an untapped market. To have the game [the final] go down to the last over, the last ball, 140-odd runs, shows we are playing some pretty exciting cricket. I think the crowd are enjoying it as well.The response from the crowd when you all ran out to the other side of the ground. For me, that was the moment of the tournament.
Yeah, to have these curtain-raisers really builds the profile. Thanks to the ICC for making sure that happens, and also the broadcasters. Also, it would be interesting to see how many people came in during the last innings because I felt out there in the field that they were cheering every run and every stop and every wicket. So they were appreciating good cricket, and that is what we want to do.You have been very honest about a lot of stuff, including depression, in your book. How big is this achievement in that perspective, since you have been through a lot in your career?
To actually write a book is never something I thought I would do. It was quite cathartic to go through and look back at my career. As a player and also off the field, I have had some difficulties – losing my mother to breast cancer. That has allowed me to put things in perspective. Obviously, I love this game and I am very passionate, but it is also just a game as well. I don’t take things for granted. I have learnt some hard lessons along the way, and maybe in writing the book, I have helped some young cricketer along the way.

“You look at this Australian team, there are a lot of girls from New South Wales I have coached at a young age, and to be playing alongside them and now to class them as some of my best friends is really special for me”

How hard is it to go along largely on passion? There must have been days where it would have all felt like too much?
Oh yes, there are days when you question what you are doing. But like I said, I have had three moments now where I have been able to win a World Cup, and I wouldn’t change anything for the world.I have seen a lot of players give up the game before their time because of career, or the fact that they were missing time away from family or their partners. It is sad to see those players not reach their potential in cricket. But everyone has a choice to make.Has it ever reached that stage for you?
No, I am still here. There have been points in my career where I have questioned when is the right time to go, when is the right time to retire. I am still passionate. I get white-line fever every time I cross the line. I love the contest of the game. I love playing against opponents and trying to out-think them. That is why I keep playing.Honestly, the friends I have within the team… you look at this Australian team, there are a lot of girls from New South Wales I have coached at a young age, and to be playing alongside them and now to class them as some of my best friends is really special for me.With the kind of rewards that the men get in comparison, how large do you think your achievement is?
It is very hard to compare us with the men. The guys play and train 11 months of the year. I don’t know how they do it. I got an experience week before coming here, training with the guys. There is a lot of downtime and you are away from family. I don’t begrudge them for anything that they do and how much money they get. They play some wonderful cricket. T20 cricket has really set the world on fire and good luck to them. We are trying to build our brand of women’s cricket. Both England and Australia are producing quality matches every time we get together.”Lots of the girls study, which is really great, because at the end of the day, cricket is not going to pay our bills. That probably allows us to be balanced”•Getty ImagesDoesn’t it help that the men are focused on just one task, cricket?
Yeah, but maybe we have got a life balance. That is the other way to look at it. Cricket is one aspect of our lives. It might take the majority of time but we still have time to have a career. Lots of the girls study, which is really great, because at the end of the day, cricket is not going to pay our bills. That probably allows us to be balanced, and we train hard when we are there because we don’t have a lot of spare time.Would you take this work-life balance that the semi-professional state of the women’s game forces you to be in or would you like to be as focused as the men are?
In the future, I think we would like to get to the point where we can dedicate all our time to cricket, or a large proportion. Just to allow the girls to choose if they want to… if they want to still study and do some work, sure, but if the option is that they could earn a decent amount of money and focus on their cricket, then that’s their choice. I’d like to see that in the future.How many more years for Lisa Sthalekar?
Well, these World Cup wins help but I know I am coming to the end of it. I am getting old. My body is telling me it’s time to go. I am going to enjoy every moment, take each tour as it goes, and I think I’ll know when the time is right.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the fourth day in Ahmedabad

George Dobell18-Nov-2012Landmark of the day
Alastair Cook’s assault on the record books continues. A couple of runs turned into the leg side off Umesh Yadav, a typically efficient, undemonstrative stroke, brought him his 21st Test century meaning that only Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey and Geoffrey Boycott of England batsmen have more. All of them scored 22. It also meant that Cook, aged just 27 with, perhaps, another decade of Test cricket ahead of him, became the first man to score centuries in his first three Tests as captain. Although this is Cook’s first Test since his permanent appointment as captain, he also scored two when standing in for Andrew Strauss in Bangladesh in early 2010. No England player has scored more centuries in Asia than Cook’s five, either, while he also surpassed Kevin Pietersen’s 144 in Mohali in 2008 to record the highest score by an England captain in India. No England player has ever batted longer in a follow-on.Shot of the day
Matt Prior’s flowing cover drive to level the scores and ensure India had to bat again. Prior, playing the ball on its merits but always looking to be positive, provided his captain with the support he needed and this stroke, off a flighted delivery from Pragyan Ohja, was a highlight. Whatever happens in the remainder of this game – and India remain overwhelming favourites to clinch the win – England have fought back admirably and should be able to draw confidence from that for the rest of the series.Let-off of the day
If England do go on to save this game, the BCCI may be under pressure to review their stance on the DRS. Had it been in place it is highly likely that Cook would have been given out leg before for 41 on the third day and Matt Prior for 65 on the fourth. The Prior let-off came he was beaten by Ojha and struck on the front pad. Aleem Dar, an excellent umpiring enduring a far from excellent game, but replays – and Hawk-Eye – suggested that India were most unfortunate.Ball of the day
The pitch has not, perhaps, broken up as was anticipated before the game. While Ojha, in particular, continued to find turn, it was generally slow. The delivery that defeated Jonathan Trott, however, was desperately difficult to play. Perhaps he could have come down the pitch, perhaps he could have played back, or perhaps he could have left the ball entirely but the delivery – the first since Ojha changed ends – was angled in from wide of the crease and turned and bounced sharply to take the edge of the bat. It was a fine delivery.Wicket of the day
It is not, perhaps, a huge surprise that England should struggle against spin in this series. More of a surprise was the impression that India’s seamers would out-bowl their England counterparts. Certainly the delivery from Umesh Yadav that swung back in sharply to trap Ian Bell, playing slightly across the line, was more incisive than anything England managed. Yadav, bowling at a sharp pace and generating late reverse swing, produced a passable impression of Waqar Younis in that spell and, the ball after dismissing Bell, accounted for Samit Patel in similar fashion.Error of the day
Bearing in mind all the fuss about his inclusion on this tour – the apology and the reintegration et al. – Kevin Pietersen has been something of an anti-climax so far. For the second time in the Test, he was clean bowled by Ojha, paying the price for premeditating his stroke against an apparently innocuous delivery. This time he attempted a sweep, but was both too off side of the ball and caught out by the slightly fuller length. It was, like Bell the day before, the shot of an anxious man who appeared to lack belief in himself; not a characteristic generally association with Pietersen. While some jumped on the fact that it was the 25th time he had been dismissed by a left-arm spinner in his Test career, it is worth remembering that he has been dismissed 145 times in that career. 25, in that context, does not sound so bad.

Qualification scenarios for teams in Ranji Trophy Group A

S Rajesh28-Dec-2012Group A
: Punjab are the only team from the group to have played all eight, and are sitting pretty on 32 points. However, most of the other teams are bunched together, with eight points separating the second-placed Gujarat (21) from the seventh-ranked Bengal (13).Punjab –
Punjab have played all their matches, and are the only team to win four games in the group stage. Not only have they qualified, they’ve also assured themselves of the top spot in their group, regardless of other results: Gujarat, the next-best team in the group, have only 21 points.Gujarat –
Gujarat are in second place, but only just, as two teams are on 20 and one more on 17. Gujarat’s last match is a tough one – they play away against Mumbai – but they are currently on a roll, having won their last two games, including most recently against table-toppers Punjab. With Mumbai being one of the teams on 20, their clash will be a key one in deciding the final standings in the group. A first-innings lead – and three points to go with it – will ensure Gujarat will progress without depending on other results, but anything less, and they’ll progress only if other results go their way. If Gujarat concede a first-innings lead, they’ll fall behind Mumbai, and could also slip below Saurashtra or Madhya Pradesh. Those two teams will play each other in what will be the other vital match in the group.Madhya Pradesh –
Despite the agonising seven-run loss to Mumbai in their previous match, Madhya Pradesh are still in the hunt for a place in the last eight. However, that defeat could prove costly if they don’t at least take the first-innings lead against Saurashtra. If they take only one point from the game, Madhya Pradesh might still qualify as the third team with 21 points. For that to happen, though, other results, and the quotient (runs per wicket scored divided by runs per wicket conceded) will have to go their way.Mumbai –
Mumbai’s narrow win against Madhya Pradesh was their first win of the season, and it gave them much-needed points to keep their qualification hopes alive. Their last match – a home game – is against Gujarat, who are a point ahead of them. To be sure of qualification, Mumbai need to take at least first-innings points from the game. That’ll push them up to 23 points, and reduce Gujarat to 22. With Madhya Pradesh playing Saurashtra, only one of those two teams can go past 23. However, if Mumbai take only one point from the game, they’ll be knocked out, as they’ll then finish with only one win in the season; Madhya Pradesh have 20 points as well, but with two wins. If those two teams finish with the same points, Madhya Pradesh will go through.Saurashtra – 17 points in 7 matches; last match v Madhya Pradesh
Saurashtra are currently in fourth position, and can move up to the top three only with an outright win. They’ll then finish with at least 23 points, and will be certain of a quarter-final position. Anything less, though, and they won’t have a chance of qualifying.Railways – 15 points in 7 matches; last match v Bengal
Railways must win their match, preferably with a bonus point, and then hope that other results go their way as well. If they win without a bonus point they’ll finish with 21, which can at best put them in joint third place if Mumbai lose to Gujarat and if Madhya Pradesh take only one point from their match against Saurashtra (in which case Saurashtra will have a maximum of 20). Then, the quotient of the two teams – Railways and Madhya Pradesh – will be the deciding factor. If Railways win with a bonus point and finish on 22, they can finish among the top three if two out of Gujarat, Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh and Saurashtra don’t go past 22 points.Bengal, Hyderabad and Rajasthan have no chance of qualifying. Bengal have 13 points, which can at best go up to 20, but Punjab and Gujarat already have more than 20. If Madhya Pradesh take at least a point from their game, they’ll go past 20 as well; if they lose to Saurashtra and take away 0 points from that game, then Saurashtra, currently on 17, will go past 20. However, there’ll still be the motivation to give off their best, as the bottom-ranked team will be relegated to group C.Group B
: Uttar Pradesh are on top with 27, while Baroda, the only team to have played all eight matches, are second on 22. However, only six points separates the third-placed Vidarbha from the eighth-ranked Haryana. Click here for details.Group C
: Services have a five-point lead over the second-placed Andhra Pradesh (26 points to 21). However, only eight points separate Andhra from the eighth-ranked Goa (13). Also, only two teams will qualify for the quarter-finals from this group. Click here for details.

Australia’s careful handling of Phillip Hughes conveys how desperately they need him to bloom into a batsman of quality, and longevity

Daniel Brettig06-Dec-2012Reborn. Renewed. Rejuvenated. Ready. Really?Phillip Hughes’ recall to Australia’s Test side to face Sri Lanka has been accompanied by plenty of noise to the effect that it will be a new man who takes guard in Hobart next Friday. To borrow Radiohead’s words, Hughes is fitter, happier, and should be more productive.Since the humiliation of last summer’s corresponding Bellerive Oval match, when Hughes completed a quartet of near identical dismissals at the hands of Chris Martin on the way to being dropped, the 24-year-old has gone on something like a journey of self-discovery.He stood back from the inaugural Twenty20 Big Bash League in order to work on his long-form methods, signed up to play for Worcestershire in England, and worked assiduously with his long-time mentor Neil D’Costa. While at Worcester, Hughes forsook New South Wales to move to South Australia, where Adelaide’s cosiness sat more neatly with his Macksville upbringing.All these moves resulted in runs, though spread across three formats, and what appears a more expansive game that features a better range of scoring strokes right around the ground. He even survived a brief but spicy spell from Dale Steyn when playing for Australia A against the South Africans at the SCG. The national selector John Inverarity feels that Hughes is now “cherry ripe” to play, having made a “compelling” case for Worcestershire and South Australia.But a closer glance at how Hughes has fared in first-class matches – the only truly relevant measure when pondering his readiness for the Test team – reveals a record not so much dominant as mildly presentable. Including the 158 he struck for South Australia against Victoria at the MCG during the Adelaide Test, Hughes’ batting digits are as follows: 1,135 runs at 40.54 in 16 matches, three centuries.They are hardly the sorts of numbers to have international bowlers quaking at the sight of the diminutive Hughes, nor the kinds of figures that suggest a quantum leap in the left-hander’s game. Instead they reflect a gradual improvement over the course of a year, after a dire home summer in 2011-12, both for Australia and NSW.At the time of Hughes’ exit from the Test team, numerous sage observers reckoned that he would need a good two seasons of consistent run-making and re-evaluation of his approach to be ready for a return to the international arena. Inverarity himself appeared to be of that view, and has often stated his preference for young players to be given a consistent run of matches for the one team rather than shunting them up to a higher representative level the moment they show evidence of a spike in batting or bowling form.Nonetheless, Hughes is now back into the Australian squad little more than 12 months after he left it, and in circumstances heavy with meaning. By replacing Ricky Ponting in Australia’s top order, Hughes may be seen as the embodiment of the team’s batting future. Of all the young players vying to be elevated to the national team, Hughes’ desire for runs and long innings is the most fervent, as demonstrated by his notching of 20 first-class centuries before his 24th birthday.But Hughes’ readiness for the major tasks to face Australia in 2013, first a tour to India then dual Ashes series away and at home, will remain open to question until he faces both opponents. The selectors’ curious decision to keep Hughes away from the line of fire during the South Africa series has already stirred plenty of debate, raising as it did questions about how ready they think he is to face the world’s best teams.

There can be little doubt that given the lack of standout batting options around the nation, Inverarity and his panel know they have to give Hughes the very best chance to develop into a Test batsman of quality, and longevity

The use (if not abuse) of Rob Quiney in Hughes’ stead was explained by the coach Mickey Arthur before the first Test in Brisbane with the reasoning that Australia needed a team of men, not boys, to face up to Graeme Smith’s team. “I wouldn’t want to disrespect any nation, but against a nation like South Africa right now, and we’d probably do the same against England and India, you want an experienced head to come in,” Arthur said. “You can’t blood a youngster against a team like South Africa. We want a guy who is very confident in his ability, a guy who knows his game backwards, and a guy that has got a little bit of experience. That gave Rob the nod.”How that reflects on Hughes is a matter for plenty of discussion, but there can be little doubt that given the lack of standout batting options around the nation, Inverarity and his panel know they have to give Hughes the very best chance to develop into a Test batsman of quality, and longevity. By holding him back until Sri Lanka’s arrival they are giving Hughes the chance to settle into the team, much as Ponting helped Michael Clarke to bed down as captain by resigning his commission ahead of tours to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, before the more difficult assignments against South Africa and India.Ponting’s sense of timing in relinquishing the captaincy proved to be exemplary, and the selectors will hope that they have done similarly right by their new No. 3 batsman. For his part, Hughes must continue the upward curve of the past year under the public gaze of the same television cameras that chronicled his unhappiest of Hobart Tests last year. Australia’s Ashes hopes may depend on it.

The home side enter the final in hope rather than expectation and need either a massive improvement, or a lot of luck, to draw the series

Sidharth Monga12-Dec-2012After India lost the Kolkata Test, the first time they have lost two in a row at home since 1999-2000, the first question MS Dhoni was asked at the press conference was: “How bad will it get before it gets better?” Dhoni has spoken to the press for close to 25 minutes since then, and all you can gather from his statements is he wished he knew how bad it will get before it gets better. For all you know, he might not even be there when it gets better.Dhoni is making all the right noises – about not running away from the responsibility, about this being a true test of character, about enjoying the struggle, about the high spirits – but around him the world is falling apart. A former selector is saying Dhoni had – despite failures – reached a stature in the BCCI that even all five of them couldn’t remove him based on performance. There are many unnamed sources besides, making many speculations about the team unity. It is difficult to lead a side at such times.And what a side he is leading. Two batsmen fighting for their career, one golden boy losing his shine, one debutant at No. 6, one limited-overs spinner finding it hard to lead a Test attack, a fast bowler whose “unluckiness” has become a matter of ridicule, and another debutant fast bowler or a spinner making his way into the Test side with a stellar first-class average of 54.30 this season.Between their last series defeat at home, in 2004-05, and now, India have been down in series, but it has hardly ever been this dire. The desperate part is that this is not a case of a good side being outplayed in consecutive Tests. If you are underperforming, there is hope you will come out of it. This is an ordinary side playing to its potential. Times are so bad even Suresh Raina is being reported to have offered his services as a Test opener. India will need to play extraordinary cricket – which it will find near impossible to repeat in the future – or England will have to play poorly for this series to be drawn.A day before the Test, Dhoni said it was good that there weren’t many options left. “In a way it’s a good situation to be in where we have nowhere to go. We have to do well in this game.” Which makes you wonder why they didn’t feel the same when series in England and Australia were slipping away. It is worse for Dhoni because this is a home series. Dhoni has never lost a home Test series. And home series is the last bit of pride India have left in Test cricket.What a time then for Ajinkya Rahane to be favoured for a Test debut. He has waited on the bench for months, when the going wasn’t this tough. He has seen India stubbornly go back to Test failures – first Raina and then Yuvraj Singh – when he was in line for a debut. Now he gets it when not winning the next Test will be India’s lowest point in Test cricket since they lost 2-0 to South Africa in 1999-2000.And if India play two quicks, there is another debut guaranteed – either Ashok Dinda or Parvinder Awana. Considering they, and Ravindra Jadeja and Piyush Chawla, were playing Ranji Trophy two days before the match, big risks are unlikely. Rahane and Chawla are frontrunners as replacements for Yuvraj and Zaheer Khan right now.A drawn final Test is not an option, and 20 wickets on a decent batting pitch a distant thought. Accordingly the pitch in Nagpur has received no water for two days. Despite what happened in Mumbai, a square turner with three spinners in the side remains India’s best chance. How they will love to win the toss and watch Virender Sehwag have one of his days.Sehwag aside, it will take a lot of painstaking improvement for India. Batsmen used to playing like millionaires might need to play like paupers, not going after boundaries. Sachin Tendulkar showed he can do it. Bowlers will need discipline and patience, and much more effort to turn the ball. Fielding will have to improve so much you rub your eyes in disbelief to make sure these are the same men as you saw in Kolkata.In short, Sehwag aside, India need a miracle over the next five days. Possibly even three. And they will know a miracle alone won’t be enough. It will have to be followed by honest introspection. After all, there is one Test series to come between now and IPL, when India will shine again.