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Over the past two decades, Jacques Kallis’ world-class batting and energetic bowling allowed South Africa enviable depth in both departments

Firdose Moonda25-Dec-2013Nobody even noticed Jacques Kallis earlier today. He walked down the stairs at the back of the change-rooms at Kingsmead, as he may have done 18 years ago, with casual indifference. He had a sandwich in one hand, an energy drink in the other, a jaunt in his step and a faraway look in his eyes. If he was hiding any nerves, reservations or second thoughts, you would never have known.An hour later his plan to retire from Test cricket within a week was made public.It was announced with no fuss, frills or fanfare but via a prepared statement. Graeme Smith’s twitter message confirmed it was a decision that was made a few days ago. No doubt Kallis would have spent much longer thinking about exactly when, where and how he wanted to leave Test cricket. He could choose that because he picked his moment correctly.Timing has been the hallmark of Kallis’ career – from his cover drives to the way he paces an innings to the fact that at the age of 38, he can still bowl above 140kph. His is not a headline-poaching style of play but a patient, persistent one that appeals to those who prefer fine dining to fast food.That was evident as early as his seventh Test, when he scored a match-saving century at the MCG. His innings then displayed as much about his ability to occupy the crease and wear an attack down – he spent three minutes short of six hours and faced 279 balls for his 101 – as it did about his strength of mind. When Australia couldn’t bowl Kallis out, they tried to sledge him out but he was resolute in ignoring their verbals. In frustration, they resorted to asking him if he was deaf.Kallis looked a run machine starting up that day and he hasn’t slowed down for 18 years. In that time, he never went more than 13 Tests without scoring a hundred with the biggest gap between his 29th and 30th ton. Twice in his career, Kallis scored five centuries in successive Tests, the first time in the summer of 2003-4 with four against West Indies and one in New Zealand and the second in 2007 with three in Pakistan, including two in the same match, and two against New Zealand.He racked up centuries everywhere except Sri Lanka. As the runs piled up, and the reputation for being for a silent genius grew, one milestone remained elusive. It took Kallis 143 Tests before he reached a double-hundred, a duration of time which he said never really bothered him but had obviously become a sticking point for some supporters.Kallis was eventually promised lifetime membership to the Leopard Creek golf estate by businessman Johann Rupert if he achieved a double hundred. Kallis needed no further motivation. With golf being his second love and Mark Boucher egging him on, he celebrated joining the two-ton club against India in Centurion with a golf swing.His friendship with Boucher is the most human side to Kallis outsiders have seen because everyone understands what it’s like to have a best mate. Their shared love for the outdoors and golf and their business in a wine label has made them both more accessible to the average cricket fan. Boucher remains the more approachable one, Kallis the more aloof but when they are together, Kallis’ personality sometimes peeps through.The perception of Kallis as distant may have been driven by necessity. An outlandishly outstanding player, it may simply have been his way of coping with his success. Kallis is not simply a batsman. He is a cricketer in every sense of the word.His bowling is one of the less talked about but more celebrated parts of his game. He stands eight wickets away from 300 and performances with the ball have illustrated his worth as a team man. A Kallis bouncer is often a partnership breaker. He has accounted for some of the best batsmen in the world, including Adam Gilchrist, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ricky Ponting six times each.Kallis had the measure of Ponting as recently as Adelaide last year. He felled the former Australian captain with a delivery Ponting said left him “embarrassed” and prompted his retirement. Ironically, a year later, Kallis has been left looking out of sorts by playing late to deliveries that swing into him and being caught on the pad.Even though his reaction time may have slowed, he still reaches speeds most would he envious of. He bowls much less now than he used to but still provides an extra bowling option which, coaches have said, makes them feel they are playing with 12 men instead of 11.Jacques Kallis gobbled up everything that came his way at slips, and is now one short of 200 Test catches•Getty ImagesHis slip catching is an asset too. With 199 grabs, there is very little that evades Kallis’ bucket-like hands. It is also a testament to his concentration. Mike Young, the former fielding consultant, marvelled at Kallis and Smith’s ability to stand in the slips, sometimes all day with nothing coming their way, and then instinctively pouch the only chance they get.The only thing Kallis hasn’t done for any great length of time is captain. He led South Africa only twice in Tests, both times against Australia. In March 2006, he was asked to do it in his 99th Test, when he stood in for an injured Smith. Then, Mickey Arthur admitted it was only a stop-gap because South Africa did not want to overburden their best player with additional responsibility like other teams sometimes do.On the second occasion, Kallis stepped in again. Smith was injured again but Ashwell Prince was due to lead but refused because he was not permitted to bat in his preferred position. Kallis took over and scored one of three centuries in a match South Africa won by an innings and 20 runs.The match also was, especially in the early stages of Kallis’ career, a rare victory over the all-conquering Australians. In the latter phases, Kallis was involved in series wins across the cricketing world, including back-to-back triumphs in England and Australia. He regards those, particularly the most recent, as being part of the two most special years of his career.In that time, South Africa have gone to No.1 in the world with Kallis playing an important role. His all-round ability and AB de Villiers’ wicket-keeping allowed South Africa to lengthen their line-up to seven batsmen and field four bowlers, with Kallis acting as the fifth. It was also in that time that the signs Kallis would not be around forever started to sound.Wear and tear peeped through in New Zealand in March last year. Kallis had to be left out of the Wellington Test after suffering a stiff neck. That was also where South Africa had their first taste of what missing him would mean. Rather than simply replace him, they had to alter the composition of their XI to cover for both his batting and bowling absence. JP Duminy and Marchant de Lange were brought in, forcing South Africa to sacrifice a specialist spinner.After that series, Kallis was injured in three of the next four series South Africa played. In England last year, a sore lower back immobilised him for a day at Leeds. He could not bowl and spent time off the field as a result but was still able to bat in position. Later in the year, in Australia, he suffered a hamstring injury which left him unable to bowl after 3.3 overs and he was forced to bat at No. 7. He recovered in time for the next match.He played both home matches against New Zealand injury free but had to sit out of the third Test against Pakistan at Centurion because of a calf injury picked up at an optional training session. Kyle Abbott featured in his place but again, South Africa had to confront reality without him. Faf du Plessis was moved into Kallis’ position at No. 4 and will likely slot into there in future.What became clear that day was that the luxury of a two-in-one player would not always be there. With few seam-bowling all-rounders around, South Africa may have to rethink their strategy next year. Kallis will not be around then.Many have asked why Kallis did not stay on to play Australia at home – a series that has all the makings of a classic – and retire at his home ground, which is also the venue of the final Test, Newlands. Only Kallis knows the answer to that. Chances are he could feel he would not be able to contribute to the standard he expects of himself in that contest. Kallis is stern on himself and demands peak performance. That he could step away when he knew his body could no longer cope with Test cricket, is the greatest testament to his commitment to South African cricket.He also knows he may not make it to the 2015 World Cup and if the look in his eyes at Kingsmead on Christmas Day could reveal anything, it would be that he is at peace with that too.Kallis knows he will be just fine. He has his scholarship foundation, a wonderful initiative to educate promising cricketers at top institutions, to keep him busy and golf to keep his sporting skills sharp. He said once that on retirement he would also be able to digest all the numbers that have been thrown at him over the years and enjoy them, including the debate on whether or not he is a better allrounder than Sobers.South African cricket will be fine too, because of the 18 years of service Kallis gave. On his back was built much of the current success and through his inspiration the next generation can be expected to thrive.

The pitch has not been the seam-friendly surface Alastair Cook might have anticipated but it stretched his captaincy as England’s bowlers strived to find a way through

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's14-Jun-2014There was a power cut at Lord’s on Saturday – apparently caused by too much weight on the Nursery Ground – as Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were building their 17th century stand in Test cricket. It prompted Russell Arnold, the former Sri Lanka batsman turned TV commentator, to say on air: “It’s so like Colombo – sun shining, power cut in media centre and a 100 partnership by Mahela and Sanga.”The pitch was docile, too, if not quite in the league of the SSC in Colombo. England did not want the ball to scuttle through at ankle height, or not even reach the keeper. They did not want the pitch to sap the life out of deliveries hurled down by their four fast bowlers. Not that it should always be about what England want (although what is wrong with home advantage?) but there was certainly no early helping hand for the beginning of England’s era where pace bowling will need to dominate for them to find success.In the days leading up to this Test, Alastair Cook said he had never seen a pitch so green at Lord’s and England would have been encouraged by what they saw. However, it is not so much the colour of the grass that matters – although English quicks will never bemoan a nice emerald surface – but the pace and carry which means edges carry and techniques are tested, especially for Asian sides.The MCC, as the independent arbitrators of the game, do not see it as their role to offer any side a particular advantage but they want to produce pitches that are good for Test cricket. It remains debatable whether this is leaning too far one way.England’s end result of six wickets in the day was a commendable effort, reward for unstinting toil, and leaves open the possibility of a result if Sri Lanka’s tail folds quickly on Sunday. James Anderson was superb, especially in his first spell of 7-3-12-1 and then his working over of Lahiru Thirimanne, but it was the stamina of Liam Plunkett and Chris Jordan, particularly the former in a nine-over spell late in the day, which was praiseworthy.A look at Plunkett’s figures without seeing the context of the day could easily lead you to question the value of his effort: 30-2-113-1 is hardly flattering. However, he performed the role Cook asked of him.Either side of lunch he targeted Jayawardene’s gloves and ribs from around the wicket – there was barely a delivery in Jayawardene’s half of the pitch, although he said he was “quite happy” with England’s tactics instead of pitching the ball fuller – and on a surface with a touch more pace it would have been harder for Jayawardene to withstand the assault. In his final over the day he was still pushing the speedgun to 90mph.Liam Plunkett continued to charge in and battle a moribund surface late into day•Getty Images”We were saying to the bowlers just now what a good effort it was, they’ve run in and kept going,” Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, said. “I think Liam’s performance at the end there, a nine-over spell, and in his last over clocking 90-93mph sums up the performance of the day. It is an unresponsive pitch but the key today is making sure that we don’t get into the frame of mind of talking about no pace, no bounce, just maintaining a good plan. We talked about using the short ball well and got our just rewards tonight.”

There was a late, much deserved, wicket for Plunkett as Prasanna Jayawardene flicked to leg slip. Luck was involved, yes, but Cook had the man in the right position

Last season England were happy, almost gleeful, at grubby, slow pitches that would offer turn for Graeme Swann and scuff up the ball for reverse swing. That was good for England, but not always good for the cricket on display. In theory, the switch of modus operandi to a pace-heavy attack, forced by Swann’s retirement, should encourage the production of pitches with more life: it could be mutually beneficial.”Bowlers always want more pace and bounce,” Farbrace said. “The key is it’s what we’ve got and we’ve got to get on and play. We’ve got to make sure we bowl according to the surface you have. You will have different surfaces around the world. You don’t always get what you want. There’s been no moaning, they’ve just got on with it.”To be fair to Mick Hunt, the groundsman, draws at Lord’s have been a rarer species of late (and, who knows, this might not be one yet) after a period of six consecutive stalemates from 2006 to 2008. The previous one was in 2011 when Sri Lanka previously visited. There are notable similarities to what has emerged here: England made a big total, 486 on that occasion, after being in some bother at 22 for 3 and 201 for 5 before the lower order rallied, then Sri Lanka replied with 479, which virtually killed off the contest although a delayed declaration by Andrew Strauss also played a part.If England do secure a handy lead the way they play their second innings will be another good test of Cook’s captaincy. The side as a whole, from the moment they went at four-an-over in the first session of the match, have played with positive intent in this match. It was instructive to watch Cook in the field today. Occasionally a deep point was in place – some habits die hard – but neither was he afraid to think more out-of-the-box.There was not a line of attack that England did not try and Cook tried plenty with his field, too. He certainly got funky at times, although whether being off the field when Sangakkara edged Moeen Ali can qualify is probably stretching things.When Plunkett came around the wicket after lunch there was one man in front of square on the off side and that was the captain himself at silly point. Elsewhere there was a slip, a leg slip a short leg, and two men out on the hook. When Sangakkara was on strike, there were three men in a line from short leg to deep square-leg.In the last over before tea there were six men on the leg side, no conventional slips and Cook wandered backwards towards a deep fly slip. Then there was Plunkett’s late, much deserved, wicket as Prasanna Jayawardene flicked to leg slip. Luck was involved, yes, but Cook had the man in the right position. Whether it was funky captaincy or not, he will need some more of it to conjure a victory.

Kane Williamson talks about his journey so far, his approach to spin, and his thoughts on captaincy

Interview by Subash Jayaraman03-Jul-2014You had been tabbed the great batting hope for New Zealand for quite some time, right from when you were 16 or 17. Who were your early mentors?
Firstly, I wasn’t aware of that. I always enjoyed my cricket. And I always aspired to be better. While growing up, I had a lot to learn. I guess my father got me into cricket. Then, as I started getting older, through intermediate and college, it had a lot to do with Ben Williams, who runs a coaching academy, and also Dave Johnson, and more recently [getting coached] in the professional set-ups.You made your Test debut in 2010, scoring a century against India in Ahmedabad. You seem to be more adept at playing spin than a lot of New Zealand batsmen. How did that come about?
No, I don’t play it easily at all. I would say that I’ve got my own methods of how I like to play spin and that may be different from other players in my team, perhaps. They have their methods. I like to use my feet and I believe footwork is a part of my game. So I guess that is something I tried to improve from time to time. From a young age, I have had that drawn into me – using your feet to spin when you can.You began your Test career at No. 6, but within a space of 14 Tests, you were the permanent No. 3. Were you of the opinion that your game was best suited for the key No. 3 slot?
No, not really. Growing up, I have always batted at No. 3 in age-group stuff. For me, you start enjoying perhaps, or start wanting to bat in that position. But I am enjoying No. 3 and am very much looking to improve my game in that area. I am enjoying batting at the moment, along with the challenges that come with it.What is that challenge that comes with batting at No. 3? What sort of change in approach does it take to go from No. 6 to No. 3?
I didn’t spend a lot of time at No. 6. I batted in the top order most of the times. The natural difference is that you are probably expected to play the new ball. You can also be sitting with your pads on for hours after play gets underway. So I guess being flexible in that position is important because you are not quite sure when you are going to come out.From the technical aspect, is there any substantial change?
Ideally you want your technique to remain similar wherever you are batting. I want to be relaxed and calm at the crease. Your options of how you play at a top-order position can be quite different with the ball possibly being new and fresh as opposed to the middle or lower order where the ball tends to be a little bit older. Ideally, if the top order is doing their job, then the bowlers get a little bit tired. The biggest change is how you approach it mentally and not much technically.

“My personal average is not that important when I am trying to contribute to the team as much as I can. That is not the concern”

Your presence at the crease is that of a seasoned veteran. You have played more than 30 Tests already, but your batting average is still in the 30s. Is there a particular reason why you are not in the 40s yet?*
Yes, I haven’t scored enough runs. That is the obvious answer. It is something that I want to keep improving on and try to become a better player, and do it day in and day out. People may want me to average in the 40s or whatever, but for now, I just want to keep improving as a batsman. [After the recent Test series against West Indies, Williamson’s average was 40.28]Are there any goals as to where you want your average to be when you hit 50 Tests in your career, and beyond?
No, not at all. It will be nice to hit 50 Tests. That will be great but I don’t really have goals like that. I would want to keep improving with my game and make an impact. [If] averages are getting high because of that, that will be great. But if not, still contributing while playing in the Tests – that is more important.You have a very classical, orthodox batting technique. Someone like Rahul Dravid struggled initially in the limited-overs format. However, you are averaging close to 40 in ODIs. Was there any particular tweaks that you had to make going from Tests into the limited-overs format?
Like I said, my personal average is not that important when I am trying to contribute to the team as much as I can. That is not the concern. But coming to the limited-overs game, adapting is important. You have to know where you are getting your singles and also know your boundary options. I don’t try to change the game very much. I just try to look at the situation and act accordingly. That is how I like to play it.You hadn’t played international T20s for nearly two years, but you were brought into the squad for the World T20. Was that recall a surprise?
Yes, certainly. As you’re growing up, and as a very young cricketer, you always aspire to represent your country and a call-up like that always comes as a surprise, no matter how well you are doing. I got a call, and was very surprised to be in the big stage.Since we are talking about the World T20, I have to ask you about the close loss at the hands of South Africa. Where did you think the game turned?
We were frustrated, obviously, that we couldn’t bring the game home from the position we were in. But, as you know, T20 cricket can be a bit like that, and small margins can change the game around. Obviously, their big players really stood up. And if you perhaps look at the innings of [JP] Duminy – he played, under pressure, an outstanding innings, a match-winning one. And also the way Dale Steyn bowled, the death overs in particular, and all through the innings, was world-class. And we didn’t stand up in those moments.What was the mood afterwards in the dressing room?
It’s not a nice dressing room when you lose, especially from a position where you believe that you should have won. And the dressing room wasn’t as cheerful as it would have been had we won it.Speaking of South Africa, you played one of the best rearguard innings in the recent years in Wellington in 2012, your second Test century. Steyn and [Morne] Morkel were on fire that day. You were hit a few times and broke your box once. Can you briefly take us through that innings?
If you try to be calm and be in the moment and not worry about things too far ahead and focus on the task at hand, you can handle those sort of challenges. During that game, we were up against such a stiff challenge that you knew you had to take your chances and stick together as a team. It was nice to come up with those runs and draw that match and show that our team can do it day in and day out.Williamson on his match-saving hundred in Wellington in 2012: “To me, it was surviving each delivery as best as you can”•Getty ImagesWhat does that sort of an innings do to a young player like you who is making his way into the international arena?
Going into that Test, we had lost the earlier game and we knew that the South African attack was a bit tough. I had played in the past mainly in the subcontinent. To come up against South Africa was a huge learning curve and a lot of guys in the side felt the same. There was a huge amount that I learnt during that period. Facing quality pace bowlers like that also improves your game. It is something that I will never, ever forget. I want to keep building on that as well.What does it do, in terms of your self-belief, when put in an impossible position? A win was basically out of question – so South Africa were going to go all out.
When you are up against things like that, you try to simplify things as much as you possibly can. There were a lot of runs up on the board and we were up against it. To me, it was surviving each delivery as best as you can, knowing that if you did that then it gave you a big chance; through your methods and your basics, it would give you a big chance for some success. I guess that is how I tried to play and it was nice to come off along with the boys who really contributed in that innings.You have been a fabulous catcher standing at gully, pulling off some absolute blinders. Is there any particular catch that is a favourite?
It is probably the one in the recent [home] Test against West Indies, the catch of [Shivnarine] Chanderpaul. It was when, I suppose, we didn’t get the runs that we liked in the first innings and then we rolled them and the way we took our catches was a great feeling. It was nice getting catches there at the gully position and I suppose I do enjoy that. I do see it as a good challenge.What are some of the key aspects for a fielder standing in that position?

Certainly better catchers than me are out there. What I try to do is stay low and as still as I can, watch the striking area and react. I suppose some catches are easier than others. There are ones that you might remember, but often you are just reacting. Those are the little things that I do while at gully.You have captained New Zealand a few times. Do you have goals and personal ambitions to lead New Zealand in all formats some time in the future?
I don’t really have a goal to do that, but it certainly would be a great honour if the opportunity were to come. A few times that I’ve led, I felt that you want the players in your side to come up to you, accepting you as a leader, and also you cannot come up with your own agendas. That is what I believe. It will be a huge honour to lead New Zealand, but in the meantime, I will just try and contribute to the team’s performances. Ultimately, that is what it is all about.I want to talk a bit about the New Zealand team itself. You have a great set of fast bowlers, and also a very good set of batsmen. Currently, the team is ranked seventh in the ICC rankings. Where do you see it going?
This is a positive and a good young group – a group that can win a lot in the coming years and ultimately move higher and higher in the rankings. That would be, without a doubt, the goal for us. We have got the talent there, we know that. Our fast bowlers have been great. Most of us are very young. And we have some very talented batsmen. We have to get good experience at this stage and move everyone’s game forward. Then we can do well in the future.Finally, the World Cup is coming home next year. The last time it was there, New Zealand were in the semi-finals. Is there any pressure on you guys to equal or better that performance?
Yes, naturally, playing in your home conditions, it probably brings a bit more expectations. The nature of the tournament is pretty cut-throat and you want to be at your peak as soon as you hit the tournament. We know our conditions, and we have played really good cricket recently in World Cups. If we can do that, we will be positive and confident going into the tournament.*This interview was conducted during the World T20 in Bangladesh in April

Daren Ganga24-Dec-2014The guys had played some T20s in South Africa and won in Port Elizabeth so by the time the Test players like I joined them we felt very confident that the team would be competitive. We knew from our experiences in 1998-99 that the PE track was quite fast but over the years it had become batsman-friendly. We analysed it well so we were not too worried when we were put in to bat even though our past record may have led the South Africans to believe that they would beat us.We felt their bowlers were a bit off their usual form and there was some indifferent bowling upfront. Myself and Chris Gayle were able to put on an opening partnership two short of 100 and that really set the tone, especially through Chris’ contribution.Back then he was at that stage between being carefree and maturing and it really showed how he was developing. He was also our leader on the tour so he had the responsibility and he really took that on.At the end of the first day, we were in a good position. Marlon Samuels had scored 94 and Shivnarine Chanderpaul was still batting, but there was still a lot to do. Only after Shiv took us over 350 and then over 400 did we really feel we could take some control.Our first-innings total set the precedent but we knew we had struggled to get 20 wickets in the past, especially against better teams. But our attack seized the initiative. They operated in partnerships. They were aggressive but disciplined and at the end of the second day we had South Africa five down.After we bowled them out cheaply on the third morning, we followed up with a solid batting performance in the second innings too. Not great but solid. That’s when it started to seem like we could win. When we broke it up session by session, we could see that every day we had taken more control. First we put ourselves in a position from which we couldn’t lose the game and then we went for the win. We were very hungry for the victory.On the final day, our bowlers picked up early wickets again and we were smelling victory, especially since we could see the tension on the South African faces. I was fielding at forward short leg when Fidel Edwards bowled one into Graeme Smith’s ribs and he fended it off. I took the catch basically on the pitch. I could just see the anxiety and that South Africa knew we could win.Jacques Kallis was the only guy who looked like standing between us and victory and when Edwards had him caught behind, we thought we could get through the rest. And we did, even though AB de Villiers batted well and there was some resistance at the end.We really wanted the win so kept at it because we knew how much it would mean to us. In previous series, we had struggled to start well and we knew if we started well it could give us a psychological advantage for the rest of the series.Afterwards there was definitely some rowdiness in the dressing room. The victory bonded us together as a team. We knew it was no easy feat to beat South Africa at home and we knew we had a win against a top quality team.But then we settled back into the mindset we have struggled to get out of for so many years. Gayle got injured in the second Test and that really changed things. Psychologically, we were not prepared for that. We were batting one short – we were 10 against 11. Dwayne Bravo had to take over and we really battled. That’s where things went downhill. We never recovered.For this match, I am optimistic but also realistic. We have an inexperienced side in all aspects – batting, bowling and even in leadership because Denesh Ramdin is still feeling his way into the captaincy.The other problem we have is that some of our players are technically limited and don’t have the same kind of experience as the South Africans. Look at Stiaan van Zyl as an example. He made his Test debut after playing 96 first-class games so he understands his own game inside-out. Our players have not had that kind of experience. Our infrastructure does not allow players to develop in that way. It’s a combination of things that we need from good coaching to exposure to international conditions. We need our A team to be playing consistently against strong opposition.I would like to see fight and sustained intensity. Beating South Africa will be really difficult. It’s asking a lot but we must not roll over and be better than we were in the game before.

When he could go after the bowlers at Newlands, AB de Villiers did; when he had to rein it in a bit, he did that too, and that was enough to push South Africa ahead in the game

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town04-Jan-2015We already know AB de Villiers steals eyes with his strokeplay, stops hearts with his fielding, and can switch gears at a rate that would worry most mechanics. But just as we always stop to capture the sun’s rays as it dips under the sea and smell the springtime garden after a shower, we remain captivated by a de Villiers’ century every time he conjures one up.”The man is a master,” Richie Richardson, West Indies’ team manager, said. “Even though we like to see him bat, we don’t want him at the crease for too long.”Perhaps Marlon Samuels does.His first delivery to de Villiers seemed the final toss on a trail of litter left behind. He dished up his third full toss in as many balls and de Villiers treated it with the disdain it deserved. He swung dismissively to send Samuels and his pride sailing over midwicket and signal South Africa’s attempt to end this match early.De Villiers played along with the conservative batting tactics on the second day and faced 51 balls for his 31 runs but decided against it on the third. His next 19 runs came off 19 balls as it became obvious he did not want to hang around. When de Villiers wants to get moving, he shows it. He fiddles through his feet. Like a goalkeeper waiting for a penalty to be taken or a boxer sussing out his opponent, de Villiers shifts his weight, runs on the spot and seems to makes false starts but always follows through.That was what he was doing in the morning, when he hurried Hashim Amla into taking a single, tested the point fielder with an aerial drive, and chased a half volley but didn’t get enough meat on it. But de Villiers was only willing to take calculated risks like those ones when a batsman of the experience and aura of Amla was at the end the other end.As soon as the captain was dismissed, a newcomer Temba Bavuma, was at the crease and the new ball was lurking, de Villiers reined it in to help the youngster settle against an improving Holder. He greeted Bavuma with movement that jagged of the seam, kissed the outside edge and then just flirted with it. Even de Villiers had to be wary and he quietened down while keeping watch. His next 22 runs came off 39 balls as he saw off the second new ball and rebuilt with Stiaan van Zyl. All the edginess of the first hour disappeared as the focus shifted to grinding out until there was an opportunity to get on top.AB de Villiers: ‘From 120 to 148 I felt pretty comfortable. Before that, my hundred was hard work. The bowler was always in the game’•Associated PressOnly after van Zyl has negotiated the second new ball – and that he did it so well augurs well for a possible move up the order for him in future – did de Villiers open up again, throwing himself at a wide Jerome Taylor delivery and shuffling the feet in that signature style which suggested it was time to get going. He was helped by Denesh Ramdin’s decision to use spinners early on with the second new ball, which broke the pressure being applied by the seamers.By then, de Villiers was in the late 80s and picking up speed. He only needed one over to convert that to a century, taking 16 runs off a Samuel over, which included two reverse-sweeps that went for four. “It was a part-time spinner bowling to me,” de Villiers said with a chuckle. “You’ve got to take your chances.”In that passage of play, de Villiers and van Zyl added runs at the fastest rate South Africa had throughout their innings, scoring at a shave under four and half to the over. After “counting down the deficit”, they took South Africa into the lead and it was that partnership that de Villiers hoped would balloon. “It’s easier when you have a partner who feels in. The moment a wicket falls, you have start again,” de Villiers said. “When you have a set partnership, that’s when the runs come.”But, like all the other stands in this match, it did not manage to reach a century and when it gave way, South Africa’s tail was exposed for the first time this series, this time by one of their own. De Villiers found the speed he was happy with and there was no slowing him down even when Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn joined him.The hustle was back again. De Villiers tried to sneak one past midwicket but Philander was not quick enough for Holder, then he called Steyn through for one to cover but Leon Johnson had the ground covered. All that while de Villiers was adding to his own tally and the runs he scored then were the ones that he found came easiest.”From 120 to 148 I felt pretty comfortable. Before that, my hundred was hard work. The bowler was always in the game,” he said. Eventually even the part-time bowler was in it too.De Villiers holed out to Samuels in an effort to accelerate and ended the innings with South Africa short of the lead they wanted. That meant de Villiers was less pleased with his innings than he should have been and more concerned about the overall situation. “I would have liked us to get some more runs towards the end.”But as he left the ground to chants of “AB, AB, AB…” from the fans who remained behind well after stumps, he should have known that the 148 he contributed were enough for some.

Roger Harper remembers West Indies’ one-wicket defeat to Pakistan at the 1987 World Cup

Alagappan Muthu20-Feb-2015When you log in to Facebook from a new computer or a new country, you might be given a security check. The site asks you to prove you are who you say you are before granting access and one way to do that is by recognising your friends/adversaries/competitors from a set of pictures.The World Cup put West Indies through its version of that test and they are struggling to prove they are who they say they are.Kemar Roach just about picked out Scotland in the warm-ups but, in their first group game, a leprechaun disguising himself in a new fluorescent green outfit (minus the shamrock) confounded everyone. By the time Darren Sammy and Lendl Simmons got the hang of it, West Indies were locked out.So maybe it is good that they play a more familiar face on Saturday. They have met only one team more often than Pakistan in 50-over history (and that is Australia). More pertinently, West Indies have won 68 of those 128 matches against Pakistan and an even healthier six out of nine at World-Cups. As comforting as that is, Jason Holder and his men might be better motivated by pain and the urge to not feel it again.Perhaps they should remember 1987. Roger Harper sure does.Lahore. Imran Khan captaining in Imran Khan territory. The hosts were favourites. The visitors were a fading power, at least in one-day cricket. Partisan crowds. The World Cup like never before.The match see-sawed wildly. An Imran special to start. A Viv Richards counterattack for flavour. An Abdul Qadir six for kicks. A dash of controversy from Courtney Walsh and Saleem Jaffer. West Indies had only 216 to defend, but they did it like it was 116. Pakistan needed two runs off the final ball. Nails were torn off, nerves jangled but the noise never ceased.Two taken. A classic. And a heartbreak. Twenty-eight years later, Harper still retains that feeling of disappointment.”The team had just come back in the dressing room,” he said. “Some things were shared about the importance of the match and what it meant to our chances of progressing in the tournament. It was a World Cup and we had fought our way back into a winning position and then just fell short.”As it turned out, they could have made the semi-finals with one more victory; instead, England and Pakistan progressed from Group B.

“We felt that we had a competitive total, a defendable total. And it would have been had we taken our chances”Roger Harper

It might be jarring to inspect those wounds, but West Indies’ class of 2015 does mirror their seniors. Like Sunil Narine, Malcolm Marshall had pulled out of the tournament. Michael Holding and Joel Garner had run their last. It was a new side; a young side seeking to establish their identity and keep up with their history. The 15 men in Christchurch right now preparing to face Pakistan again might empathise with that.”We weren’t as good as we used to be,” Harper said. “But at the same time we had guys who had been around for a couple of years or so. I still thought we had enough talent. Youth was blended in with the experience of Richards, [Desmond] Haynes and [Jeffrey] Dujon. We were confident of getting the job done.”Pakistan were not lacking talent, either, all the way down to No. 7 Saleem Yousuf. It didn’t matter that he was facing Walsh with his tail up. It didn’t matter that he had walked in with his side 107 runs off their target. It didn’t matter that until then he had worn an ODI average of 14.45 with no fifties. It is understandable that West Indies felt “more in control”, according to Harper, but Yousuf’s 49-ball 56 began creating problems. They were compounded by a deafening home crowd and the noise only escalated when he was dropped.”We were looking to get close to 250. Though we fell short, we still felt that we had a competitive total; a defendable total,” Harper said. “And it would have been had we taken our chances. Yousuf was dropped at, I think it was long-on, off Walsh in the 48th over or something like that and it took Qadir in the end to get them through.”West Indies had squeezed out the ninth wicket in the penultimate over and 14 runs were still needed. Then Qadir defied his position at No. 9 by belting Walsh over the long-off boundary midway through the final over. Blood pumping, breath heaving, field closing in on him, Qadir sliced the final ball of the chase – an attempted yorker – to third man and raised his bat in glory even as he was completing that second run.A half-century for a helmet-less Phil Simmons on debut gained a bitter aftertaste; the way he had milked Qadir and took on Imran and Wasim Akram to very nearly match Richards’ strike rate became consolatory praise. Walsh received more press for choosing not to run out a rapidly backing-up Jaffer at the non-striker’s end as he pulled out from bowling the last ball, than for the spell that returned West Indies’ hopes. Four crucial wickets that cut through the middle order and nearly turned the game around. Nearly.

Three games in, 19-year-old Deepak Hooda is already his team’s biggest hitter and most economical bowler. Those familiar with Hooda’s career, however, aren’t surprised by his meteoric rise

Arun Venugopal in Vizag15-Apr-2015This joke was coming, given Rajasthan Royals’ fondness for pushing hitherto unknown talent onto the big stage. When Deepak Hooda made his IPL debut in Royals’ opening game, against Kings XI Punjab, social media had a field day with his name, including the south Indian-flavoured ‘Deepak who-da?’By the end of the game, the jokes were replaced by that familiar admiration for another successful Royals discovery. Hooda, who spent Royals’ entire 2014 campaign on the bench, scored 30 off 15 balls, and counterattacked with James Faulkner after Royals were reduced to 75 for 5. It was enough for him to be declared the next gun player.Premature as that might have been, it was as much testimony to the talent radar of Royals as it was to the current trend of snap judgment. But there was more compelling evidence of his potential in the next match, against Delhi Daredevils, where, coming in at No.6, Hooda smashed 54 off 25 balls to help his team complete a tight chase of 185. This, after sending down four overs of offspin for 20 runs.His 13 runs off the four balls he lasted against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday, including two enormous sixes, took his average in three games to 32.33, scored at 220.45, the highest among his team-mates. With an economy-rate of 4.60, he has been the most miserly of them with the ball, too.For those familiar with Hooda’s career, though, none of this was unexpected. “I am not very surprised by what he is doing right now,” B Arun, who was coach of Hooda’s India team at the Under-19 World Cup, told ESPNcricinfo.”He was one of the biggest hitters when we went on the Under-19 tour. One thing he really practised was big hitting. He is a very good bowler as well in limited overs, and was one of the best fielders in the Under-19 World Cup. All combined, he was an exciting all-round package.”Hooda was India’s second-highest run-getter at that tournament, scoring 235 from six games at an average of 78.33. With 11 wickets, he was next only to Kuldeep Yadav. Arun, who is now assistant coach with Royal Challengers Bangalore, said he had mentioned Hooda to Royals’ mentor Rahul Dravid early last year.B Arun – “When challenges are thrown at him, he will be one of the first guys to put his hand up. He would come up with his own ideas and there would be discussions”•BCCI”I had told Rahul about him. We [the Under-19 team] had been on about four tours before that World Cup. I did mention Hooda, so that might have helped. I just mentioned all the names who could come good in T20. Royals must have weighed their combinations before approaching Hooda.”Hooda, according to Arun, is fearless at “any given point.” “When challenges are thrown at him, he will be one of the first guys to put his hand up. He would come up with his own ideas and there would be discussions,” he said. “He used to work a lot on his yorkers; though he is an off spinner he bowls a pretty good yorker.”Arun said it was too early to predict his future in the longer format. “All we know is he has got the potential. He is a good batsman and it’s a question of whether he is technically good, but he has got runs in the four-day format.”Hailing from Haryana, Hooda, the son of a former kabaddi player, relocated to Baroda a few years ago following his father’s transfer. Making his first-class debut last season, Hooda had a good run for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy, notching 557 runs, including two hundreds, at 50.63. Munaf Patel, his team-mate there, vouched for his appetite for long-form cricket.”He isn’t someone who is happy with instant success, or taking a short-cut to fame like many youngsters today. If practice is scheduled for an hour, he will spend three hours. He enjoys playing in the IPL but his focus is on playing at the highest level,” Munaf told .Munaf also referred to Hooda’s tendency to constantly pick the brains of senior cricketers. “Deepak will keep asking you questions. (even a journalist doesn’t ask so many questions).”Hooda apparently maintains a diary, much like Unmukt Chand, the former India Under-19 captain. Arun said he didn’t know if Hooda wrote one, but the practice was encouraged within the Under-19 team.”I tell them the benefits of writing diaries, but I don’t force them,” Arun said. “I tell them that, If it helps players like Tendulkar, Jordan and Tiger Woods, why shouldn’t it help you?”

Plays of the day from the match between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in Chennai

Devashish Fuloria10-May-2015The scoop that worked
A few years ago, the scoop-shot was a novelty; now, there are a million versions of the shot. Brendon McCullum added one to it. In the eighth over, he got into the position early but was made to wait for the slower ball from Rajat Bhatia. Instead of going towards the ball, though, he stayed beside the line, let the ball pass him and just before it was about to reach the wicketkeeper’s gloves, he shovelled it over Sanju Samson’s left shoulder.The scoop that didn’t
By the 17th over, McCullum was exhausted in the Chennai heat. He tried to play a scoop, but the length was a bit too full from Shane Watson, and the ball went in front of the batsman rather than behind him. As Faf du Plessis charged down the pitch, he should have known McCullum was not going to run. By the time he got the message, he had come too far. Watson, the bowler, picked up, turned back and hit the stumps direct.The defensive punch
Watson found his timing in the fifth over of the chase as he hit his first boundary – a crisp cut shot. The next ball confirmed it. As he defended the length ball solidly, the connection was so sweet that the ball bounced on the sluggish pitch and leapt so high that by the time the bowler got to the ball and threw at the non-striker’s end, the batsmen had sneaked a comfortable single.Jadeja’s wait
Ravindra Jadeja’s wait for a wicket was on its 15th day. Since taking three wickets against Kings XI Punjab, he had drawn a blank for five games. He hadn’t been scoring runs either. To top it all, he had also dropped a catch in Super Kings’ previous match. Then, just when he thought he had beaten Steven Smith’s sweep and hit the leg stump, the umpire’s made him wait some more as they checked with the TV umpire. To Jadeja’s delight, the finger was raised.Bravo’s leap of faith
Dwayne Bravo loves to dance for the crowd. And invariably, he does something every match to give himself an opportunity. When Watson drove Jadeja towards the sight-screen, he would have not expected Bravo to come in between. Even Bravo, moving to his left from long-on, did not expect to intercept it. But he jumped up a couple of feet anyway, stuck his right hand out and came down with the ball. He ran towards long-off, eyes on the crowd, then pulled off his favourite moves.

The Delhi court’s decision to drop the charges against Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan has not only indicated that the case against the cricketers was weak but also that spot- and match-fixing cannot be punished under the Indian penal code

Suhrith Parthasarathy29-Jul-20155:45

Can the players challenge BCCI’s ban?

On 25 July, an additional sessions judge in Delhi discharged 42 individuals accused of having been involved in a systematic racket to bet on, and fix, cricket matches during the sixth edition of the IPL. The list of those acquitted included three cricketers who had participated in that season’s IPL: Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan. The trio has now been exonerated of all criminal charges levied against them, including those under the draconian Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 [MCOCA]. Their prospects of returning to cricket, while unclear, are certainly enhanced by the judgment.Even in 2013, when the Delhi Police first charged the three cricketers under the MCOCA, its intentions appeared extraordinary. The MCOCA is a special law enacted to counter the dangers of serious organised crime. To think that a cricketer, even one who might have taken money to throw matches, could be involved actively in a criminal syndicate that included, among others, notable underworld dons Dawood Ibrahim and Chota Shakeel, was fanciful, if not incongruous. But that, in substance, was the primary claim of the Delhi Police. Now, more than two years after these allegations surfaced, Judge Neena Bansal Krishna’s judgment has not only lifted the charges against the cricketers, but has also brought to light a void that prevents the Indian state from effectively punishing those guilty of match and spot fixing.In all, Judge Krishna’s ruling makes three telling points. First, even assuming the three cricketers were involved in spot-fixing, there was no evidence on show to establish their nexus with bookies and brutes, as was alleged. Second, the offence of spot fixing – and, for that matter, match fixing – is not specifically punishable under any Indian penal law. Third, it was impossible to conclude based on available evidence that the three cricketers had, in fact, taken money in exchange for performing any specific feat on the cricket field. Each of these findings is instructive.Though the allegations against the three cricketers are distinct on facts, a common thread runs through all of them: a woeful lack of corroborative testimony, which ultimately crippled the prosecution’s claims. In Chandila’s case, the state relied almost entirely on a confessional statement by an individual, Sunil Bhatia, who was purportedly a henchman with links to a number of gangsters involved in the business of fixing cricket matches.Bhatia had claimed Chandila had been gifted money with specific instructions to underperform, at least, on two separate occasions. Both these times, not only did Chandila fail to flounder to the satisfaction of the bookies, but he also returned the sums allegedly paid to him. According to Judge Krishna’s judgment, the prosecution had produced very little evidence to show that Chandila had actually received, and had later returned, these sums of money from the bookies. Their only proof was Bhatia’s statement, which, extraordinary as it was, was later retracted by him. What’s more, there was no evidence offered showing any direct link between Chandila and Dawood and Shakeel, the alleged masterminds of the criminal syndicate.Chavan’s case was based on similarly tenuous ground. The prosecution had claimed he had received INR 60 lakhs to perform poorly in a match involving his team, Rajasthan Royals, and Mumbai Indians on May 15, 2013. But, according to Judge Krishna, there was no direct evidence that was produced, to show that Chavan actually received this sum of money. Additionally, she ruled, the claims made by his team, the Rajasthan Royals, that they felt cheated by Chavan’s actions were incapable of being considered as any proof that he truly underperformed against Mumbai Indians. The entire case against Chavan, therefore, the court held, was conjectural, and completely unsupported by any corroboration.In the court’s opinion, the allegations against Sreesanth were also equally unfounded. The prosecution’s case against Sreesanth was built on a series of intercepted phone calls between the cricketer and an individual, P Jiju Janardhan, and between Janardhan and various alleged bookies. According to the police, Janardhan was a close friend of Sreesanth and had convinced him to accept money in return for conceding 14 runs in a specific over. But, the court held, none of the evidence that the prosecution had presented pointed towards Sreesanth’s guilt.The only fact that was even remotely incriminating, according to Judge Krishna, was a conversation between Janardhan and a bookie, Chandresh Patel. Here, Janardhan tells Patel: “[Sreesanth] is a little stubborn about this. He is playing after a long time and he is risking time … maine usko samjha diya [I’ve explained to him,] but he did not want to take risk.” This conversation, according to Judge Krishna, showed, if anything, that Sreesanth had refused to partake in any form of spot fixing. What’s more, none of the conversations between Janardhan and Sreesanth, according to the court, established any direct link between the pair and Dawood and Shakeel.The future remains uncertain for Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan with respect to their involvement in cricket•BCCIIn spite of these acquittals, the path back to active cricket for Chandila, Chavan and Sreesanth is far from assured. The bans imposed against the trio by the BCCI represent actions independent of criminal prosecution. They are sanctions that flow from the board’s own internal rules and regulations, including the IPL’s Anti-Corruption Code. Unlike criminal law, the standard of proof required to establish wrongdoing under these bylaws is far less onerous. The BCCI would not be required to show beyond all reasonable doubt that the cricketers had indulged in prohibited acts, but would merely have to prove that a preponderance of probabilities points towards such illegality.A reading of Judge Krishna’s judgment appears to suggest that even such minimal evidence, demonstrating any potential offence, might be absent in these cases. The cricketers, therefore, might be in a strong position to approach the BCCI with new petitions to have their bans overturned. Though the BCCI has stood by its original decision, its secretary Anurag Thakur has now confirmed that if a request is made by any of the three cricketers, the BCCI would be willing to consider his case afresh.Such a review would no doubt be conducted under the various internal rules and regulations that bind the board. The board, unlike the criminal court, would merely have to find that a preponderance of probabilities points towards a violation of its Anti Corruption Code. But any decision by the board upholding the life bans is unlikely to be final. Given that the Supreme Court, in January, confirmed that the decisions of the BCCI might be subject to the jurisdiction of the high courts under Article 226 of the Constitution, the cricketers could even conceivably challenge their bans as tantamount to a violation of their civil rights. However, any such process is unlikely to be swift.Though the Delhi court was unable to find any evidence that could have established beyond all reasonable doubt that these three cricketers indulged in spot fixing, the court also thought it necessary to point out that, in any event, it might have been difficult to sanction the trio under the criminal law. This is because both spot and match fixing are not specifically delineated as offences under any legislation. What’s more, according to Judge Krishna, such acts would also not fall within any other general offence, such as cheating, which required a specific transfer of property interests between the accused and the victim, in this case, the spectators. Therefore, it’s arguable that the Delhi police was entirely misplaced in its decision to charge these cricketers of any offence, given that their acts, even if proven, were simply not punishable under Indian penal law.The legalisation of sports betting is often recommended as a potential panacea to the menace of match fixing. The real problems, though, as the failed prosecution of these three cricketers shows us, is a reliance on the criminal law to punish cases of cheating in sport. Even if spot and match fixing were to be specifically criminalised, to burden an already flailing criminal justice system to solve a muddle that was created by cricket’s own maladministration appears to be imprudent.What cricket needs, on the contrary, is a more organised and accountable domestic regulation. Perhaps, the Lodha Committee’s recommendations, when they eventually arrive, will allow cricket the opportunity to clean its own house, and, in the process, to establish a stronger mechanism to counter instances not only of corruption and conflicts of interest, but also offences of match and spot fixing, which strike at the core of the sport’s integrity.

The Porbunder All Rounder at the CCI in Mumbai is a throwback to old-school English-style clubs. But it’s not only about cricket

Firdose Moonda02-Nov-2015Just the description should be enough to put you off a gentlemen’s club. Then, when you consider that the establishment in question actually stands for what can essentially be categorised as elitism, it may drive you to campaign to turn the place into a public square so it can be redeemed. I know I do. And it’s why I am a little embarrassed when I have to admit that I find old-school English-style gentlemen’s clubs quite quaint. I could not escape the charms of Mumbai’s Cricket Club of India (CCI), though it did its best to convince me otherwise.It is a place that was born of racial discrimination, when the Maharaja of Patiala was aggrieved he could not sit with the Europeans at the Bombay Gymkhana and decided to build a place of his own. It has since evolved into a place of class difference. The CCI carries the weight of old money. You can see it in the clubhouse. Spiral staircases, thick columns, heavy curtaining, lots of wood. And then there are the people.All straight backs, swift strides and stiff suits: the mercury has no impact on the dress code. These people need to look the part and they do. They also have the unique ability to see through anyone who doesn’t. An unfamiliar face is not even met with a curious side-eye to try and see if there is the possibility of a stranger dropping in. All the members know each other without needing to look; maybe they communicate by the sound of their footfalls.They’re usually headed in the same direction – to one of the dining rooms, which looked inviting, but as a non-member, I was uninvited. The only one I really wanted to get inside was the Porbunder All Rounder, admittedly because of the name. My family traces its history back to Porbunder, in Gujarat, and I was intrigued that there would be a reference to the place in the middle of Mumbai.Restricted: the entrance to the Porbunder All Rounder•Firdose Moonda/ESPNcricinfoAt the first opportunity I got to ask someone about the name, I did. One of the senior administrative staff, a middle-aged lady, who said she wanted to be a journalist when she was younger but was told by her father it was “not a profession for women”, told me the Maharajah of Porbunder had been one of the many funders of the club, and so had had a room named after him. The All Rounder bit was just a random cricket reference.In fact, cricket can seem secondary to the club overall. There are stories of members complaining that when a match is on it prevents them from taking their walks. On some match days if play overflows past the scheduled time, the members line up at the boundary rope with their cane chairs, agitatedly waiting for play to end so they can set up for their bridge games.Even if they wanted to forget about cricket, they couldn’t. The club exists because of it and if the walls could talk, the only language they would speak is cricket. Every one of them tells a different story, with pictures of Indian teams of the 1930s, to a history of Don Bradman, to a photographic display of all ten wickets Anil Kumble took against Pakistan in 1999. Kumble himself is only in two of the pictures. When I see him, I’m going to ask him what he thinks of gentlemen’s clubs.