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New Zealand coach Mike Hesson talks about his long association with Brendon McCullum, whose leadership helped New Zealand cricket grow

Melinda Farrell 19-Feb-2016Brendon McCullum walks into an indoor cricket centre in Otago. He is six years old and he has something to prove.He has tagged along with his brother, Nathan, and his father, Stuart, a respected wicketkeeper-batsman. They practice on the periphery of a match and catch the eye of one of the players, a slightly built 13-year-old. The teenager notices the two small boys and watches with interest. They are younger and smaller than everyone else but their competitive spirit sets them apart, particularly the little brother. He refuses to be intimidated by the size of those around him. He throws himself into everything he does, he clearly has talent, and he wants to win.The thoughtful teenager doesn’t realise as he looks on, but in years to come he will form a partnership with this boisterous little boy that will transform cricket in New Zealand and influence the game across the globe.The teenager’s name is Mike Hesson.

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Hesson is the Felix Unger to McCullum’s Oscar Madison. The neat, quiet, bespectacled band manager to the popular, swashbuckling, entertaining rock star. And he’s about to lose his frontman.He leans back and smiles as he remembers seeing the McCullum boys for the first time.”They just got stuck in,” Hesson recalls. “Regardless of who they were up against, they were highly competitive people, and Brendon, obviously, being the younger brother, was probably the epitome of that. You’re a younger brother, you’re always trying to prove yourself, and you’re competitive in everything you do.”Nine years after that indoor session, McCullum was again demanding the attention of Hesson, who was by then the director of coaching at Otago. The same traits that had singled him out as a small child were still evident. He was playing with others who were older and more experienced, and as a 15-year-old was being selected for Under-17 and U-19 sides.

“I’ve been lucky enough over the last 14 years to grow up from a 20-year-old quite brash person to hopefully what I am today, which is, I believe, a better person”Brendon McCullum

“He was sort of ahead of his time,” Hesson said. “He was playing with kids a lot older than him, so I always felt he had a bit of a point to prove. He was obviously good enough. I just loved the fact he got stuck in.”But the thing I always really liked about Brendon is the fact that he always played to win. He wasn’t the conservative Kiwi who would try not to lose first, and then, if there was a chance of winning, try to win.””His attitude was certainly ‘Let’s look at how we’re going to win this game from here’ rather than the other way around.”That mindset was a key factor when Hesson, New Zealand’s coach, made the difficult, and at the time controversial, decision to replace Ross Taylor as New Zealand captain. While McCullum had proved himself as a wicketkeeper-batsman, there were many who couldn’t see past the tattoos, the brashness, and what they perceived to be a certain recklessness. McCullum didn’t look or sound the way people expected a traditional New Zealand cricketer to look and sound. But Hesson, after watching him develop through the years, felt he was the player and the man to lead the team out of a culture he now describes as “consumed by losing”.”At the time you appoint a captain, you like to think that his performances will improve but not necessarily straightaway,” said Hesson. “But I guess you make change for a reason.”I felt the team was ready for Brendon’s style of leadership and he certainly grew into that role, and he brought a real change in mindset into the team. No longer are we consumed by losing. We’re actually looking at things differently.”It took others a little longer to come around, and McCullum still attracts criticism for the mode of his dismissals and what some perceive to be his inconsistency. Hesson points to the fact that McCullum has been unselfish in moving up and down the order, giving up keeping and taking on any role the team required him to fill.Not your everyday New Zealand cricketer•AFP”As a batsman, when you stop keeping and you bat higher up, you need to contribute in different ways,” Hesson said. “And he’s certainly found a tempo during a two-year period there where he was able to really maximise his skill. Prior to that he was shuffled around and asked to do many different jobs that he perhaps wasn’t best equipped to deal with.”He’s taken on every role the team has required. Whether that’s keeper-bat or whether that’s opening the batting, which in Test cricket I don’t think has ever really suited his game. I think where he is now is right for the way he plays and he can still dictate a game batting at five,” he said. “His record in Test cricket is outstanding. For a keeper-batsman it’s world class. For a No. 5 his average is world class. The stuff in between, maybe not so much.”I think whenever you have someone who puts themself out there and is not consumed by losing, a lot of people almost treat that as a threat and he can become an easy target. Throughout his career he has been a target of many because he’s capable of brilliance, and with that you do get dismissals that at the time look carefree, but I can assure you they’re not carefree.”When he came in and he was a keeper-bat he would stand out because he could turn a game quickly. There were times when he’d get out and people would think that was reckless, but he was always trying to win the game and was playing the way he felt gave him the best opportunity.”And I think over the past few years he’s actually changed a number of the other players in the group as well to think in a similar fashion, not a matter of playing like Brendon but actually starting to think that ‘Hey, we can not only compete with these guys, we can actually beat them.’ So, rather than look at a puzzle and ask, ‘How can we not lose this?’ we’re actually turning it 180 degrees around and asking, ‘How can we actually win this game?’ And that is a major mind shift.”Hesson believes McCullum truly came of age as a captain during the first Test against India at Eden Park in 2014. New Zealand had lost three wickets for only 30 runs when McCullum joined Kane Williamson at the crease. Their 221-run partnership and McCullum’s innings of 224 were instrumental in the eventual victory.

“He wasn’t the conservative Kiwi who would try not to lose first, and then, if there was a chance of winning, try to win”Mike Hesson

“He came out and first of all sucked up all the pressure and then counterattacked in the way we know he can. The sign of a leader is not just about your actions around the group. It’s whether you’re able to step up on the park when you are in trouble, and I think in Test cricket that was probably the catalyst for him and he went on to make three scores over 200 that year. “The next one was, of course, the famous triple-century at the Basin Reserve. The memories of that innings were thick in the Wellington air last week during the first Test against Australia, making McCullum’s dismissal in the second innings difficult to stomach.”Everyone believed it was possible and that’s the beauty of the group,” Hesson said. “We’ve been in far worse positions than we were heading into day four before and we’ve managed to find a way to get out of it and Brendon, Kane [Williamson] and BJ [Watling] have been part of it. When Brendon got out in the last over of day three it was really upsetting because he’d done it before and I think we all believed he was capable of doing it again.”Whether or not Hagley Oval provides the setting for one last innings of derring-do, it seems fitting that McCullum’s international career will end here, with him wearing the “rancid” cap he has carried for 14 years.Plenty of eyebrows were raised when one of the world’s most explosive T20 batsmen announced he would retire just before his country’s campaign to win a World T20 – and Hesson admits he would dearly like McCullum to be there – but in light of the romance of some of those feted matches, it shouldn’t be surprising that McCullum has chosen the Test arena for his final appearance.”It’s nice to be able to go out in the purest form of the game, a game that means so much to cricketers who’ve played for New Zealand over decades,” said McCullum on the eve of his final match. “And to be able to do it in your home town, there’s an element of romance there as well and it’ll be nice. Hopefully we can get the result we want as well and go down to the local pub and have a few beers afterwards.”It is encouraging for New Zealand that Hesson, along with team manager Mike Sandle, will provide some continuity in the environment that has allowed McCullum to develop and thrive.Hesson on McCullum’s 224: “He came out and first of all sucked up all the pressure and then counterattacked”•Getty Images”[Mike Hesson] has been instrumental in the turnaround of this team,” said McCullum. “And Mike Sandle as well, who probably doesn’t get as many accolades as he should. Those two guys have reinvigorated cricket in New Zealand. They’ve allowed us to go out there and just focus on playing cricket and getting good structures and processes in and around the team.”I think their greatest tribute, not just in terms of their organisation, is the freedom that they give guys to go out and just try and push the envelope of their skills sets and try and reach the abilities each player has when they started growing up. Those guys have been phenomenal and the great aspect is they’ll be around for a while longer as well, and allow the next group of leaders to come in and have good solid support around them as they try and take this team to the next level, which I’m confident they will be able to do.”Hesson agrees that the next group of leaders is ready to step into the void left by McCullum but he admits he will miss the stability and equilibrium that the captain brings to the environment.”Every day he’s incredibly positive about where to from here,” said Hesson. “He’s very consistent in how he operates. Whether he’s got a hundred off fifty balls or he’s missed out, you won’t know the next day. He’ll turn up, he’ll train just as hard as he has previously and he’ll expect that of everyone else around him.”His influence over the past few years, in particular in New Zealand but also in other parts of the world too – it’s the smile on the face, the get stuck in attitude. The positive approach to the game in terms of doing things differently and trying to find a different way. His innovation.”McCullum has often expressed a view that international cricketers are merely “custodians” of the game and should leave the sport in a better place than it was when they found it. But it is perhaps a two-way street. Cricket has left its mark.”I’ve been lucky enough over the last 14 years to grow up from a 20-year-old quite brash person to hopefully what I am today,” said McCullum. “Which is, I believe, a better person. Everyone within the group, they would say the same thing about themselves as well.””You look at all the kids around in New Zealand now playing the game,” said Hesson. “And so many of them have been influenced in some way by Brendon. He’s had a huge influence on the game in this country.”

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It is a glaring, hot afternoon in Christchurch. The infectious noise of raucous laughter filters across Hagley Oval as the New Zealand players and staff play the game of kickabout – they call it spot – that precedes any training session.It’s just like the start of any New Zealand training session. McCullum – still smaller in stature than most of the others – is an irresistible presence. The tattoos spill out from under a T-shirt that seems to struggle to contain powerful arms. The cap is worn backwards, the sunglasses scream “cool”. He has a smile on his face. He is getting stuck in. He no longer has anything to prove but he still wants to win. This one, last time.Hesson is there, too, his slight frame almost dwarfed by a long-sleeved shirt that’s topped by a traditional white cricket vest. He wears his cap the right way around. The band manager and the rock star.It’s just like the start of any New Zealand training session but it’s also nothing like those that have gone before.The next time they train, the rock star won’t be there.You sense the void left behind will be huge.

Our correspondent goes on a culinary bender through Kolkata, Bangalore and Delhi, no thanks to the taxi and rickshaw drivers of the land

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Apr-2016March 13
When I come in from the airport on a Sunday, Kolkata residents are spending the late afternoon on the streets. As the taxi goes through a residential neighbourhood, three children are in heated argument over their cricket match. We turn the corner and a group of old men are sitting on a mat on the pavement, in heated argument over their card game. There is an infectious buzz about the city. The old Raj-era buildings are in various states of disrepair, but that just serves to bring them to life.March 14
Almost anyone who has lived in or hails from Kolkata still refers to it as Calcutta. It is a city that industrialised rapidly as the capital of the British Raj during the second half of the 19th century, so perhaps it is understandable if it wishes to hold on to a fragment of what some perceive to be glory days.The reluctance to use post-colonial names, however, extends to street names as well, which makes Kolkata a slightly confusing place for visitors. The map on my phone tells me my hotel is on Shakespeare Sarani, for example, but cab drivers furrow brows and shake heads until I say “Theatre Road”, which is what the British had called it. I can’t say I blame the cab drivers. Not only does it seem odd to take the name of a famous Brit in a name-changing exercise that purports to reassert a local identity, but “Theatre Road” is also so much easier to say.And I can’t say I am surprised by the continued use of old names either. In fact, as a resident of Colombo, I find the new names underwhelming for their relative usability. At home, we have a former Albert Road, which is now officially known as Sri Dharmakeerthiyarama Road. And a Church Road that is more recently Sir Mohamed Macan Markar Mawatha.Where the streets have new names: it’s only tourists who use official road names, and to no avail•Andrew Fidel Fernando/ESPNcricinfo LtdNice try, Kolkata, but when it comes giving streets names that no one will ever use, Colombo will not, and cannot, ever be beaten.March 15
Though it’s thought the Sinhala people have their origins in East India, the two cultures have diverged substantially when it comes to food. A lot of southern Sri Lankan cuisine is loosely defined by roaring flavours and heat. From the admittedly little I’ve had of it, the strength of Bengali cuisine seems to be subtlety and relative simplicity.The fried river fish at Suruchi – a low-key Bengali restaurant run by a women’s group – bears flavours of mustard and turmeric. The Kolkata biryani at Zeeshan is also far milder than the better-known Hyderabadi equivalent, and features flavour-soaked potatoes.March 16
Many of the cabs in Kolkata are beautiful old Ambassador cars, painted yellow with a navy blue stripe running horizontally just below the window. Almost all these cabs also have “No Refusal” printed on the side, which naturally leads me to believe that the drivers would not dream of refusing me a ride.I approach one and ask if he can take me to Eden Gardens for the Pakistan v Bangladesh match. He shakes his head and drives on. I approach another with what I feel is a very generous fare, but am again rebuffed. This happens at least twice more. I wonder if they forgot crucial punctuation on the “No Refusal” signs. They should instead have read: “No! Refusal!” because in peak hours, that seems to be what potential customers can expect.Raavana: demon to one, king to another•Andrew Fidel Fernando/ESPNcricinfo LtdMarch 17

A sublime mutton curry at a dimly lit Kolkata institution called Peter Cat, and in the afternoon, my colleagues and I head to the India Coffee House, off College Street. The place can’t have changed much in the last half-century at least. A portrait of Rabindranath Tagore looks over patrons, as rows of ceiling fans whirr overhead. There is even a mezzanine floor above, and the yellow walls are a trove of local art. One line drawing in the corner, which seems to have been done by a Kolkata artist, features a man with a Maori facial tattoo.March 18
The first sign I see as I walk into Bangalore airport reads: “Pollution ” (Stop the Raavana of pollution, change the air). This is a public service announcement from the Indian government, which vilifies Raavana – a mythical king from the drop-shaped island south of the Palk Strait.Way to make a Sri Lankan feel welcome, Bangalore.March 20
Where Kolkata cab drivers gave fairly straightforward refusals, some Bangalore auto-wallahs are wonderfully theatrical about it. I stop a three-wheeler going roughly in the right direction and ask if he would mind taking me to the stadium. He shoots me a look of emphatic disdain, which asks who the hell I think I am and how dare I ask him to go to the Chinnaswamy, crinkles his nose, and without a word drives on.March 22
Nine days into the tour, halfway through a heavenly meal at a restaurant called Junior Kuppanna’s, I get just a tiny bit homesick. The place serves South Indian food, on banana leaves – just like they do in joints all over Colombo or Anuradhapura or Jaffna. And the flavours – of ground coriander, cumin and curry leaves – are close to those encountered in the north of Sri Lanka, just without Sri Lankan touches like cinnamon or and leaves.Humayun’s Tomb: the inspiration for the Taj•Andrew Fidel Fernando/ESPNcricinfo LtdMarch 23
I had been thumped at squash by former colleague Devashish Fuloria during last year’s World Cup, but I fancied that in the intervening time I had improved enough to match him. This was delusion. My match went about as well as Sri Lanka’s World T20 campaign, except that I couldn’t blame my showing on a bad knee or board politicking. Playing with a broken racquet, Devashish wins six sets to three in an inferno of a squash court. Then perhaps out of sympathy, he books and pays for my Uber back to the guest house.March 24
The man running the small hotel next to our Delhi Airbnb apartment has a good bouncer. I find this out, as I have nothing to do but join the game of galli cricket taking place in the street.My colleague Andrew Miller has gone to a Holi party some way out of town, and without him vouching for me, the security guard will not let me through the gate. I plead with him to at least let me put my luggage in the property. I try to explain that I had had to catch an early flight and hadn’t slept. He looks me up and down with narrowed eyes, then delivers a blunt “no” and shakes his head.Eventually Andrew returns, doused in red and purple dye from head to toe. It is maybe the second time I have met him, and I don’t tell him at the time because it would have been weird, but I’ve rarely been gladder to see another human being.March 25
There is a Delhi bar called Odeon Social that is definitely worth the visit if you like good beer, decent food, and hearing loss. A few of us have come here to watch the West Indies v South Africa match, and though the music is already quite loud to begin with, it becomes progressively more offensive as the match goes on. We are not far apart from each other, but by the end of the evening, smoke signals would have been more efficient than any verbal communication. I am quite certain several frequencies have been lost to my hearing forever.We eventually leave and cross the road to a rooftop bar that is much more relaxed, and affords a nice view down into the street. If only it had shown the game.A view of Delhi from the Jama Masjid•Andrew Fidel Fernando/ESPNcricinfo LtdMarch 26

My wife is visiting for the long weekend, so we decide to see a few of the sights. First stop is Humayun’s Tomb – one of the first Mughal garden tombs on the subcontinent, and a precursor to the Taj Mahal. The ponds in the causeway leading into the main building are drained when we visited, but the tomb itself is arresting nonetheless, the marble dome shimmering when sunlight strikes it. There are as many as 100 tombs in the same complex, leading to it being called the “dormitory of the Mughals”, though no one seemed to be bunking.In the afternoon, we visit the Jama Masjid mosque. The highlight of this trip is the climb up the southwest tower, below which the captivating old Delhi neighbourhood stretches out. We can see as far as the bright floodlights of the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, which is hosting the Australia v Ireland Women’s match.March 27
We are staying very near Connaught Place, a zone of three concentric circles that is home to one of the most important business districts in India. At the centre of Connaught Place is an Indian flag about twice as big as any single piece of fabric I have ever seen. It would take a proper hurricane to fully unfurl it.Delhi auto drivers commonly refer to the area as CP, but when they venture the full name, seem to pronounce it “Cannought Place”. This is both endearing and profound, because: “Can you take me to CP please?” In this traffic, “No, I cannought.”March 28
Back to Old Delhi and through the bustling, centuries-old warren of a bazaar, where everything from sarees to meat to electronics to holidays are sold on lanes each as wide as a tree trunk, and shops the size of thimbles. One of the many culinary highlights of the trip is the chicken tikka at Karim’s, which is just through an alleyway near the Jama Masjid. The man behind the counter tells me Karim’s has been in the same family for five generations. There must be a hundred places of business in stone-throwing distance that could make similar claims.March 31
Through the tournament some Sri Lanka fans have theorised the ICC is out to get their team since so many bad decisions have gone against them. In Bangladesh, a number of people had protested the “unfair suspensions” of two key bowlers. A few New Zealand fans have groused their side had to play at five separate venues, in comparison to England, who only played at two. There have been familiar Twitter whinges from Australia about Asian bowlers with dodgy actions.Back in a Kolkata bar for the second semi-final, R Ashwin is shown to have overstepped upon review, and a man at the table next to me bellows: “Why are they only checking no-balls for India? They just don’t want India to win the cup!” It is thought that the Big Three rules cricket. Victimhood must be a close second, though.

With his effervescent character and homespun technique, Dinesh Chandimal embodies something of the island spirit – as well as the fight his team had lost

Andrew Fidel Fernando at Chester-le-Street30-May-2016″Sri Lankan players have a lot of fight,” said coach Graham Ford of the team he had been desperate to return to. “Sri Lanka generally fight hard,” an England player said through the course of the series. “We fight till the last ball,” Angelo Mathews occasionally used to announce when his team were struggling. Recently it has become all he says.And in a way, Sri Lanka’s batsmen had been in the fight of their lives in the first three innings this series. They had practically declared war on their own averages. Professional reputations were left bloody and twitching in two different north-of-England cities.But in five batting sessions at Chester-le-Street, when a more traditional Sri Lankan fight took shape, it was no surprise that Dinesh Chandimal was the man most effective at getting his team back on brand. He was lively. He took on risks. He wrung runs out of the lower order. Thanks to Chandimal, Mathews even got to say the words “Sri Lankan fight” at the post-match press conference, and for the first time in the past month, his words were not speculative.Chandimal is a quintessentially Sri Lankan cricketer. In his background are details that island novelists transpose on their protagonists – the hard beginnings, the tsunami, the fortuitous scholarship to a big Buddhist school, his subsequent success as Ananda College’s captain. In his technique are glimpses of the coastal curve he hails from – the beach cricketer’s booming bottom hand, the loose drives and fluttering homespun cuts that somehow pass through cover.

Mathews pleased with fight

“We talked about everything possible to get back on track. We talked about our character and the fight. We’ve been talking a lot about it, but unfortunately we didn’t show it on the field. I thought we started showing it in the second innings while we were batting. We had a brilliant first day. We caught all our catches. But unfortunately started off day two by letting Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes off the hook. Then we had a really bad day and we had to fight really hard. I thought all the batters worked really hard in the nets every single day before the start.”

Coaches attempted to iron out his crinkles in 2013 and 2014 and, like any good Sri Lankan boy, he paid heed. He changed his grip and discovered he could no longer face the short ball. He had exclusive lessons with the batting coach, and found himself having trouble facing team-mates. When he turned down a $100,000 offer from the IPL to focus on his training, Chandimal was becoming something of a company man.It was only when he changed tack that runs began to flow again, yet in his cricket, the lessons lapped up in youth survive. He is easily the most effervescent on the field when he keeps wickets. He scoops up the helmets and sprints from end to end while others are flagging after a long day or a large defeat.At Chester-le-Street, as his team stared at another humiliation, Chandimal produced the kind of innings Sri Lankan players are told Sri Lankan players produce. When Alastair Cook set traps for him on the leg side, Chandimal didn’t avoid those areas of the ground. Instead, he kept shuffling across his stumps and backing himself to beat the fielders. Another England captain had put men on the leg-side fence for Duleep Mendis in Sri Lanka’s first match in the country. Mendis kept hooking bowlers into the stands until he had a triple-figure score. These stories, dressed up and embellished, have passed into lore for fans, but have become the manual for players such as Chandimal.At the other end, another Sri Lankan battler kept England out, and Chandimal company for 116 runs. After Chandimal struck the 162 not out that saw Sri Lanka turn around a 193-run first-innings deficit against India last year, it was Rangana Herath’s spin that closed out that manic Galle victory. Here he provided an example for his batting colleagues.”Absolutely, the other batsmen can take lessons from Rangana,” Mathews said. “He’s become a proper No. 8 for us over the past one-and-a-half years. He’s been scoring and hanging in there. If I recall, a couple of years ago at Headingley, once again he batted with me and got 49. He’s been giving his best with the bat and ball for us over the last couple of years. Every day he’s been trying to get better.”The partnership only delayed the defeat. It merely dressed up what was in fact another Test thumping for a struggling team. But in the reclaiming of a cricketing identity – real or imagined – Chandimal repeatedly leads the way. For a few moments on the fourth day, in the north of England were snatched peeks of a tropical island.

Stats highlights from the first day’s play in Pallekele, where the hosts were bowled out for 117 in just 34.2

Bharath Seervi26-Jul-201634.2 Number of overs that Sri Lanka’s first innings lasted, which is their shortest after electing to bat. Before this, they had lasted 38.4 overs, bowled for 95 against South Africa in Cape Town in 2000-01.1 Number of lower totals for Sri Lanka against Australia at home, than the first-innings 117. They were bowled out for 105 in Galle in 2011. Tuesday’s total is the lowest total by any team in Pallekele. Sri Lanka themselves had previously made 174 against Australia in 2011.22.30 Test average of Sri Lanka’s top three batsmen at home since July 2015, which is the lowest among all teams. In 36 innings, their top-three has managed only two centuries and one half-century.10.50 Sri Lanka’s average opening partnership in home Tests since July 2015 – again, the worst among all teams. In 12 innings, only once have their openers put on more than 50.2003 The last time Sri Lanka fielded two or more debutants in the same Test. Sri Lanka handed out debut caps to Dhananjaya de Silva and Lakshan Sandakan on Tuesday. Against New Zealand in Colombo (PSS) in 2003, Kaushal Lokuarachchi and Prabath Nissanka made their Test debuts. De Silva’s first scoring shot was a six, which makes him the first Sri Lanka player to start off his Test career with a six.

1 This is the first Test in Sri Lanka in which both teams’ openers were dismissed for single-digit scores in the first innings. Overall, there have been 19 such Tests, the last of which was at Wanderers in 2006-07 between India and South Africa.2006 The last time Sri Lanka’s top five were all dismissed for 15 or fewer runs in a Test innings at home, against Pakistan in Colombo (PSS). This is the sixth such instance for Sri Lanka in home Tests.19.16 Angelo Mathews’ average in his last six Test innings against Australia, with a highest of 35. In his first six innings against them, he averaged 87.25 – he remained unbeaten twice – with a century and three half-centuries.2 Consecutive ducks for David Warner in Tests against Sri Lanka. Warner was dismissed for a duck in the first innings of this Test, as well as in the second innings of the SCG Test in 2012-13. Incidentally, in the other four innings against them, he has made half-centuries. Sri Lanka and India are the only teams against whom Warner has two ducks.

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2016Blackwood fell to Rahat Ali’s reverse swing in the seventh over of the day•Getty ImagesDevendra Bishoo took 20 balls to get off the mark, and made 20 off 66 balls before falling to Sohail Khan•Getty ImagesRoston Chase and Shai Hope avoided further damage, and West Indies scored just 45 runs in 27 overs in the first session•Getty ImagesChase fell to Yasir Shah after the break, chasing a wide one and edging it to second slip•AFPYasir cleaned up Hope in his next over with one that kept low; West Indies were reduced to 178 for 8•AFPJason Holder farmed the strike and scored 31 quick runs•AFPBut Yasir struck again to dismiss last man Shannon Gabriel. He finished with 4 for 86 as West Indies were bowled out for 224, conceding a lead of 228•Getty ImagesSami Aslam scored a half-century and put on 93 for the opening wicket with Azhar Ali as Pakistan tightened their grip•Getty ImagesShannon Gabriel ended the association, but Azhar raised a fifty too and took Pakistan to 114 for 1 at stumps for a lead of 342•Getty Images

The tiring Vizag pitch threw up wild variations in bounce and confounded other batsmen, but not the Indian captain

Alagappan Muthu in Visakhapatnam20-Nov-20162:32

Compton: Kohli’s confidence stands out

The ball had solemnly sworn it was up to no good. Then it was given to a redhead.It is the 16th over of India’s second innings. Ben Stokes came charging in and hit the deck with considerable force. The batsman picks the length up early. He prepares to get on top of the bounce by shifting his weight back and standing up taller at the crease. He has no idea he is in the worst possible position for what was about to happen. The back- of-a-length delivery turned into a grubber. Mischief most definitely managed.Virat Kohli should have been in trouble. He could even have been bowled off the inside edge. His best case scenario was if he was beaten – the line was quite wide – or if he could somehow keep the ball out. Those watching the third day’s play in the Visakhapatnam Test were introduced instead to the bizarre case scenario. Kohli smeared a four behind point.There were a few things that helped him pull that off. The original shot he was trying to play was with a vertical bat. So adjusting to the lack of bounce was easier than if he had attempted to play a cut, where the backlift gets bigger and therefore has a longer distance to travel. He provided himself with the same advantage in the 34th over, when the legspinner Adil Rashid produced a grubber. Kohli eased onto his backfoot and it came to rest slightly across onto off stump so that his head would be right in line with the ball. The inherent risk here is the possibility of lbw. But by playing the flick with a straight bat, and waiting to roll his wrists until he made the connection, not only did the Indian captain negate the chance of his being dismissed, he found another boundary.Free-flowing batsmen find difficulty keeping up on slow and low pitches. The lack of pace means hitting through the line is difficult and even maneuvering the ball into gaps requires a great deal of effort. Kohli seems to be setting the template to prove that obsolete although if you want to follow it, you’d best hope you have hands as quick and a work ethic as strong as his. The thousands of balls he hits in the nets, the visualisation he does, the tweaks to his technique, all of it is in an effort to make sure he is equipped to make tough runs; to make sure he has a game he can trust when the pressure is high; to make sure he can not only tackle high-class bowling but dominate.Kohli faced more than 100 deliveries on a third and fourth day surface with wild variations in bounce and finished with a strike-rate of 74. No one that had lasted as long in this match has even come close to scoring that quickly. You have to want to be there, he often says, and watching him be there is a lot of fun. There are the bat twirls. The fiddling with the grille. The re-strapping of the gloves. The tapping of the pitch. He just doesn’t want to be idle. He doesn’t want his concentration levels to drop because that’s when he knows he may not read the play as quickly. He barely spends any time away from the stumps. No trips to square leg to slow the game down. He’s ready in his stance, looking at the bowler with the impatience of a child waiting for their parent to take them to the park.It must be draining to be so switched on. But that’s why both his physical and mental strength are high. At stumps yesterday, he had made more than half of India’s total – 56 out of 98. He finished with 81, only because of a spectacular catch at slip, stabilising India from an early wobble and giving them the chance to set a target never before achieved in the fourth innings of a Test in India. Kohli is a fantastic beast and everyone knows where to find him. At the heart of of a fight.

Mason Crane has already prompted much excited chatter, but the young Hampshire legspinner is putting in the hard yards to take the next step up

Will Macpherson17-Feb-2017Mason Crane is only just 20, yet it is 18 months since he was first touted for a Test call. Ten wickets in his first two Championship games for Hampshire left usually sage pundits weak-kneed and predicting an autumn with England. Crane found it funny, knowing that this was the lot of the legspinner, that rare cricketing fetish item.”It was peculiar,” he laughs. “Legspin is weird like that. A young bloke comes on to the scene and you just instantly get people shouting their name about. It’s nice to hear, but you know stuff like that is a fair way down the line.”Well, it is happening again. “At this rate we will be seeing Mason Crane on the next Ashes tour,” chirped Gordon CC, Crane’s Sydney grade club, on Twitter at the start of February. This followed his third consecutive seven-wicket haul – putting him top of the Sydney first-grade wicket-taking charts in what is proving a very productive first winter down under.The county cricket stripling’s stint in the grades is, of course, a well-worn path. Crane is making the most of it, but he arguably needed it more than most, too. He still lives with his parents in Worthing (although he is quick to say he’s trying to move out) and this is the first time he has spent more than a tour’s length away. “I’ve been doing stuff for myself for the first time,” he says. “You go on tour and it’s great, but that’s with 15 other guys you know and a load of coaches. This has been five times that length, and I didn’t know anyone. It’s been great socially and it’s proved a really good match.”It was Will Smith, his Hampshire team-mate, who set the move up, having played for Gordon himself. Peter Such, the ECB’s lead spin coach (in regular contact via email), put him in touch with Stuart MacGill, with whom Crane has worked plenty. While there have been minor technical tweaks, their work has largely been tactical. MacGill knows Crane – a wicket-taker who gives it a rip, with a very fine googly and solid topspinner – can bowl legspin; what he needs is to understand to bowl legspin. “There can’t be many better blokes to talk about that with,” Crane says.

“Legspin is weird like that. A young bloke comes on to the scene and you just instantly get people shouting their name about”

Crane has enjoyed the bounce in the pitches and the time afforded to work on his game, bowling and batting. He sounds utterly thrilled that, having started the season batting at No. 9 or 10, Gordon now trust him to bat at No. 7. “That’s a big thing for me and I’m pleased my hard work has paid off,” he says. Having been an allrounder growing up, he feels he has not pulled his weight with the bat at professional level.Two summers ago Ollie Rayner memorably wrote for ESPNcricinfo that if he had tips for a young spinner, the first would be “learn to bat”, and while Crane would like to end up as a No. 8, he will not allow that to happen at the expense of his bowling. “Bowling is my main thing, I have to remember that,” he says. “I don’t want to become a bits-and-pieces player. What’s important is that with the bat I can serve the team the way it needs – the kind of guy who can score quickly from the lower order to set up a declaration or dig in to save a draw.” As a result he has worked on his batting with Trevor Chappell, Gordon’s head coach, and the first-grade batsmen at the club. Two fifties in eight two-day games, and an average over 30 suggests it is working.There have been eight hauls of seven wickets or better in first-grade cricket in Sydney this season, and three are Crane’s. No bowler has more than his 37 wickets in two-day games. What he has relished most, though, is the opportunity to plough through overs. “I’ve bowled nearly 500 match overs out here, and there’s really no substitute for that,” he says. “I’ll leave here very cricket-fit, and in great rhythm.”In the second of his seven-fors, he bowled 43 overs straight: “The skipper tried to take me off a few times, but I just kept wanting another. I had all the wickets after 25 overs, but their last pair blocked out as it got slower and flatter, and it was a great challenge in stinking heat.”Crane’s name has been doing the rounds in Hampshire and Sydney cricket circles•Getty ImagesLast July, after Smith bowled Crane for 51 overs as Surrey racked up 637, England veteran Gareth Batty said the young spinner had been “thrown under the car”. But this, it seems, is just how Crane likes it. “I now know I can get through 30 overs, still getting loads on the ball, with ease. I always want the ball in my hand.”Crane was brought over to Southampton by his coach at Lancing College (which he captained for almost three seasons), former Hampshire spinner Raj Maru, after his native Sussex turned him down at Under-14 level, and he was soon a name on the lips of members. His ascent was inevitable, but as that innings against Surrey showed (he ended up with 3 for 210), first-class cricket hasn’t come entirely easily to Crane since he took the first five Warwickshire wickets in his second game. “It’s a seriously tough competition,” Crane says. “Four-day cricket is brutal, especially if you have one long stint in the field. A couple of days’ rest, a bit of travel, and you’re doing it all again.”With 31 wickets at 45 in 12 games in 2016 (only three Hampshire players played more and only Ryan McLaren, with 32, took more wickets), Crane does not immediately look to have been a beneficiary of the adjusted toss regulations that saw the rejuvenation of Rayner and emergence of Jack Leach in a minor spin revival. “I definitely played more games because of the changes,” he says. “But I’m not sure it was actually easier to bowl spin. Apart from at Taunton, where it spun and bounced beautifully, pitches were generally slow and pretty flat.”An interesting season looms for Crane. In the wake of their survival-by-default after the demotion of Durham (the team that had originally relegated them in the final round) and subsequent exploitation of the Kolpak market, it will be easy to cast Hampshire as the Championship’s villains this summer. Despite some brash comments from chairman, Rod Bransgrove, in the wake of the Durham brouhaha, Hampshire are under no illusions as to how fortunate they are. “For a guy my age, it’s enormous, and we are very lucky,” Crane says. “It means I carry on bowling against the best in the country.”

“Bowling is my main thing, I have to remember that. I don’t want to become a bits-and-pieces player”

For all their notable imports, Crane is one of a number of talented homegrown youngsters at Hampshire. They include Tom Alsop (21), a favourite of England Lions, who scored a superb hundred at The Oval in September; Joe Weatherley (20), who has been pulling up trees in Adelaide this off season; and Brad Taylor (19) – looking to follow Liam Dawson and James Vince into the national set-up. The arrivals of Rilee Rossouw and Kyle Abbott will undoubtedly have a knock-on effect but neither is a spin-bowling alternative to Crane, and he will hope pitches continue to be helpful, so that he and Dawson – who bats in the top five and serviceably holds up an end with the ball – can play together.”It’s a difficult one,” he says. “You can look at it two ways. There might be guys around the country who don’t get a game. But on the other hand, guys like Kyle and Rilee will improve the standard massively, so when you do play, facing and playing with guys like that is huge. We will learn loads from them. Mainly it’s just a massive shame they can’t play for South Africa. I don’t fully understand the politics there, but they are here and it’ll be great to play with them.”That can wait, though. From Australia, Crane heads to the UAE, where he has been selected to play in the North v South and Champion County pre-season curtain raisers. There will be opportunities to firm up his county spot but also, perhaps, join Sam Curran, Joe Clarke and Tom Helm as candidates for England’s Ashes bolter, just as Gordon’s Twitter account predicted. Either way, he’s a leggie with nerve and verve – and definitely a name to remember.

Dinesh Karthik on his productive domestic season, and how he has improved his batting and keeping

Interview by Deivarayan Muthu06-Apr-2017You had a bumper List A season – 854 runs in 12 innings.
I am definitely happy with the season. I am in a good space mentally and when I am on the field. I just ride with the wave. I am just as positive as I can be and do the best as I can.Your confidence as a batsman stood out during the Vijay Hazare games, particularly in the final. You were driving fluently on the off side, despite fielders being placed at point, backward point, cover point and extra cover.
I am hitting the ball well and getting into good positions. When you are doing that, you tend to look at the gaps a lot more and play your shots. The difference between batting well and not that well is that you generally find gaps. I have been lucky that way this season.What’s the difference between the in-form Dinesh Karthik and the Dinesh Karthik of old?
This Karthik prepares well off the field. That has been the difference. Training helps you get physically stronger and a lot of times it helps you push the bar mentally as well. The way we trained at the Vijay Hazare and before the Ranji Trophy, it helped us. You might have spoken to [Hrishikesh] Kanitkar [the Tamil Nadu coach]. The practice situations were like match situations. It was definitely hard – the body is pushed far more than it used to be, and the result showed in the way we played in the last couple of tournaments.From a small sample size, it seems like your bat comes down a lot straighter now. Have you worked on your technique recently?
In the last year I have been working on the technical aspects with Apurva Desai [a former Gujarat first-class batsman who is now an NCA Level C coach]. I can relate to what he says. Before that I had been working with Pravin Amre. I got my backlift corrected. Such things are helping me in playing in different conditions and different wickets. The backlift used to be rounded, it used to come from almost gully in an arc. It is much straighter now and helps me play the ball a lot better.”The difference between batting well and not that well is that you generally find gaps. I have been lucky that way this season”•PTI What is your assessment of your shot selection this season? Kanitkar was critical of a scoop you played in a low-scoring Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai, and you reached the Vijay Hazare hundred with a reverse sweep. You play your shots, but the execution looks better these days.
I have been pretty free-flowing in my batting. I have not let situations change my batting around too much. I have just changed a bit, depending on the situation here and there. I don’t go harder than necessary at the ball. I try to maintain an even tempo in all the games. Sometimes you play well and sometimes you get out. When you get out, you feel it is a wrong shot. Most players in tough situations play shots that could be out, but over time you refine that and give yourself the best chance of performing, the more you play in such situations.Are you consciously looking to build on your starts now?
Yes, after playing so many games it is important to absorb pressure in the middle overs and play at a certain tempo without disrupting the run rate. You will have to find the safest manner to keep going consistently over a period of time before you can launch. I think you need to have a lot of instinctive shots to play that kind of a game. I can understand situations better at this point of time.Your 854 runs – the fourth highest in a List A season in India – will be hard for the selectors to ignore when they pick the squad for the Champions Trophy.
I am not thinking that far ahead to the Champions Trophy. The key for me is to play the IPL as well as I can.With MS Dhoni as India’s one-day keeper, do you see yourself as a specialist batsman if you are picked?
Yes, I believe I can contribute to the middle order as a specialist batsman, like I did in 2013. I have always believed in my batting abilities. I have always put my hand up as a pure batsman and have enjoyed fielding as well. My ultimate aim is to play all formats as a batsman. I have done it before. When Dhoni was there as keeper, I played as a specialist batsman. I keep telling myself there is no reason why I can’t repeat it.Keeping is an accessory. It is always there with me. If somebody is injured, I can always keep. But I am looking at myself primarily as a batsman who can play all formats.”[As a keeper] I am comfortable against fast bowlers, I am athletic. Against spinners you will have to anticipate [the turn] and make sure the hands are not stiff”•BCCIHow have you improved as a batsman and as a keeper?
As a batsman, I respond to situations much better. Experience has helped me be in a lot of different situations, and a lot of that experience and knowledge is coming into play now.Coming to keeping, I need to give a lot of credit to Sameer Dighe [the former India keeper Karthik trained with]. I could not keep for four or five Ranji Trophy games and it was hard on me mentally. The doors opened [when India’s current Test keeper Wriddhiman Saha was injured and Parthiv Patel was picked as his replacement] but I could not keep then [due to injury]. That did not help. Then I started keeping and I am enjoying it.Keeping is like a work in progress. The more hours you spend, the better you get. A keeper sometimes takes five or six catches. It is not about taking the straightforward ones, but it is about the best keeper you can be to spinners and fast bowlers overall. Whenever I find a break, I go and work with Dighe on my keeping. I have got into the groove after the injury. I am naturally comfortable against fast bowlers, I am athletic. Against spinners you will have to anticipate [the turn and bounce] and make sure the hands are not stiff. I am working on it. Keeping, like batting, is a subconscious process.Where do you see yourself in the wicketkeeping pecking order – there’s Saha, Rishabh Pant, Naman Ojha and Parthiv.
I don’t look at the pecking order. Competition is always there. There are 27 states and 27 different keepers. They are all vying for the national spot. What I can do is focus as much as I can and believe in my abilities.What’s your role going to be with the Gujarat Lions in the IPL?
Hodgy [Lions’ coach Brad Hodge] has given me straightforward plans of what I should be doing with the bat in the middle order. I would like to stick to that and do the best that I can for the team.

They lit up their country’s first match at the home of cricket, against MCC, with blaring music, echoing chants and vibrant outfits

Peter Della Penna at Lord's12-Jul-2017When Afghanistan joined Ireland as the 11th and 12th teams to receive Full Member status last month at the ICC annual conference in London, the most commonly used phrase to characterise proceedings was that a glass ceiling had been broken. The old, traditional corridors of ICC boardrooms had welcomed new blood; the motion approved on the backdrop of one of cricket’s great symbols of tradition, Lord’s.For the Afghanistan administrators, breaking that glass ceiling on June 22 had been a very delicate process. Tuesday, though, was for the Afghanistan fans, and they left no doubt about the state of that glass ceiling, stampeding their way through the Lord’s turnstiles to make sure it was reduced to itty bitty granules.”We don’t ever get this for other games,” one of the Lord’s stewards said through a cacophony of Afghan fan excitement building at 9am, two hours before the start of play, on Wellington Place outside the North Gate. “This is brilliant, though I doubt the neighbours living in NW8 will be too thrilled with all the noise.”Noise. The theme of the day. Fans singing, music blasting, chants echoing. Every bit of it pure and loud. And so were the outfits. The richest, most vibrant shades of red and green: printed on shirts, painted on faces, rippling on flags in the wind. It was a sensory assault.”This means everything to Afghanistan,” Massom Shirzad, a father of two, now living in Birmingham, said. Shirzad has been living in the UK for more than 15 years and today was the first time his two Birmingham-born daughters, Nabeela and Saima, 11 and eight, were getting the chance to see the heroes of their ancestral home for the first time. They had left at 6am for the drive down and along with two cousins were five of the first group of fans that began gathering from 8:30am outside the entrance gates.The story was repeated throughout the day. Members of the Afghan diaspora living in Coventry, Manchester, Wales, Germany, France, Norway and beyond. Almost every single one interviewed had never seen Afghanistan play in person, and had never been to Lord’s. In a pocket of the Compton Stand sat a hoard of 100 men clad in blue polo shirts with “BIRMINGHAM” printed in white block letters on the back and “AFG” in black, red and green on the front.”We support Afghans, we support cricket,” Jan Shinwari, originally from Kabul but now based in Birmingham, said. He helped organise the two coaches chartered to drive everyone in this particular fan group down from the West Midlands, beginning 7:45am. “This is a new game in Afghanistan after only 13 or 14 years because of the war in Afghanistan. We want to show peace to the world and that we can do anything.”Peace. A recurring theme throughout the last decade of Afghanistan’s cricket journey. During the early years of Afghanistan’s pathway to Test status and a day at Lord’s, Hamid Hassan used to cross the rope onto the battlefield, his face painted like Rambo. He was Afghanistan’s most photogenic warrior, a warrior of peace. Each stump uprooted, every bail dislodged with one of his heat-seeking yorkers was another strategic victory to thwart the stereotype of Taliban terror.”They are our peace ambassadors,” Qudratullah Ibrahimkhil, another member of Shinwari’s traveling band, who grew up in Maidan Wardak province before migrating to Birmingham, said. “Recently they got the Full Membership and every Afghan is very proud because in Afghanistan for the last four decades there has been war, conflicts and everything. The Afghan national cricket team brings happiness, optimism to people in Afghanistan and around the world.”They unite Afghans in Afghanistan and around the world. In here, the atmosphere is amazing. There are people who have come from all over the world. They have come here to support their team. We are very proud of our national heroes for their remarkable achievements and accomplishments in a very short period of time. With very limited resources, they have achieved so much and made history.”History. Today was not just for Afghan fans, but for the genuine cricket lover who has seen his fair share of cricket over the years and has an appreciation for what Afghanistan has acquired in status and skill.”Listen to that, this is what it’s all about isn’t it?” shouted 69-year-old Bob Blake over the roar of the crowd from his seat in the Mound Stand after the fall of the fourth MCC wicket. A Trinidad native, Blake came to London in his teens before settling in Luton. He has been coming to Lord’s for nearly 50 years, ever since his beloved West Indies, led by Clive Lloyd, claimed their first World Cup at Lord’s in 1975.They might not be on par with Lloyd’s feared pace quartet, but Afghanistan’s pace attack has been the envy of the Associate world and left-armer Shapoor Zadran bared his teeth with the new ball for Brendon McCullum and Misbah-ul-Haq to see.”I’m very impressed with the opening bowler, Shapoor,” Blake said. “It’s great to see Afghanistan today. They’re a Full Test Member. I’ve never seen them live but they look pretty useful. I was aware they were a decent team over the years especially in one-day cricket. You can’t take them lightly. If Ireland got Test status and Ireland’s a good team, they’re a better team than Ireland.”It was only last month that Afghanistan had drawn an ODI series in their maiden tour of the Caribbean thanks to Rashid Khan’s destructive seven-wicket haul in the first game. It was a match that further dented the West Indies dwindling reputation and Blake said he hasn’t decided if he wants to buy tickets to see the West Indies when they tour the UK later in the summer. The old calypso magic may have faded but remnants of it were evident in the Afghanistan side that was on the park in front of him.”There are definitely similarities because the West Indian supporters really were noisy as well,” Blake said. “We would back our boys to the hilt. We loved it when something went right so it’s very very similar really. The enthusiasm is virtually the same.”They’re noisy, they’re enthusiastic. They obviously love their players. They’re behind them all the way and they’re showing it. The atmosphere is pretty terrific really, especially at Lord’s you’re not accustomed to this atmosphere. It’s more of an Edgbaston atmosphere here today. This is not a Lord’s atmosphere, which is great. Lord’s is too quiet.”Atmosphere. It was one-of-a-kind for Lord’s on Tuesday, in part because, as Blake said, it was the antithesis of a typical Lord’s crowd. Compared to the measured responses emoted by England fans during the Test match over the weekend, Tuesday was symbolised by the raw spontaneity from the Afghanistan fans.”I think it’s exciting because we’re getting to see the Afghan team play,” British-Afghan Sadaf Nader, 31, from Richmond, said. “I mean it’s a pretty standard answer, but is exciting.”Nader’s husband Jawed, 34, was taken aback not just by the size of the crowd, which hovered near 8000, but by the off-the-wall antics of fans from their vantage point in the Edrich Stand.”It’s also overwhelming to see so many Afghan youths here,” Jawed said. “I’ve seen Afghans at our own gatherings, but not in this number. It is such a big number and they’re really enjoying themselves… and breaking all the MCC rules!””Breaking every rule!” chimed in Sadaf.The slippery slope began well before the start of play at the entrance gates. Afghan fans are renowned for their flag-waving enthusiasm and perhaps uninitiated to the Lord’s protocol, scores showed up with flags in tow, fashionably draped around their necks. The Lord’s stewards who greeted them at the North Gate repeatedly asked: “Is this a scarf or a flag? Because flags are not allowed inside Lord’s.” Every streetwise Afghan duly assured: “Scarf! Scarf!” in reply. Initially they were shy about stretching out their “scarves” but they couldn’t help themselves once Shapoor starting taking wickets, unabashedly heaving the tri-colour flag with merry abandon.The ubiquitous flag infringements were relatively minor compared with what was to come in the 25th over of MCC’s innings. When Dawlat Zadran pinged Shiv Chanderpaul on the left arm off the first ball of the over, a lengthy delay ensued as the batsman pondered whether to retire hurt. The fans were beginning to grow somewhat restless after having sat through a 105-minute rain delay following the 18th over.In an attempt to placate his growing legion of worshippers, Rashid walked over to the railing of the Mound Stand to sign autographs and pose for selfies. Within 30 seconds an overly exuberant supporter leapt over the fence to hug Rashid. A dozen more imitators followed as the under-manned stewards were overwhelmed. Afghanistan’s fans have a long-held reputation for storming the field after a landmark win, but charging the pitch for this mid-match show of affection may have been a first for them.”It’s just a good thing they had their clothes on,” quipped Sadaf Nader.When one fire was put out, another started as a couple of fans jumped the Tavern Stand railing. One headed for fine leg where Gulbadin Naib was casually standing, while the other made haste with a flag-turned superman cape towards a crowd of seven players gathered near Dawlat Zadran’s run-up mark. When one steward finally caught up, the fan hid behind statuesque captain Asghar Stanikzai, shuffling back and forth in an absurdly impromptu game of hide and seek that had the fans – then Asghar and Dawlat – cackling with uncontrollable laughter.By the time Chanderpaul walked off five minutes later to be replaced by Samit Patel, order had been restored. As has been the case at other events where there is a large Afghanistan turnout at odds with established etiquette, Afghanistan team manager Hamkar Shiraha got a hold of a microphone and diplomatically gave an announcement in Pashto over the Lord’s tannoy. The gist of it, according to the Naders, was that the fans need to show they are good and respectful cricket fans by obeying the MCC rules, which drew thunderous applause. As ever, Hamkar ended his speech on a positive note, rallying the fans by shouting, “Afghanistan Zindabad!”The rain could hardly dampen the mood of the day, but if there was one blemish it had to be those who were absent from the squad to take part in the day’s festivities. Nawroz Mangal got the red-carpet treatment in January at the Desert T20 Final. Mangal received a fitting send-off for his services to Afghanistan cricket, but the real star of that day was Mohammad Shahzad, who became the first player to score two T20I fifties in a day. Countless fans at Lord’s were pining for Shahzad, disappointed he could not entertain them with some holding signs pleading with the ICC to “forgive” him for testing positive earlier this year for performance-enhancing drugs.Jan Shinwari (front) helped organise more 100 fans to come down together from Birmingham•Peter Della PennaThe other forgotten soul was Hamid Hassan. Rashid may be the box-office drawcard of the moment but for those who were around to see Afghanistan first surface on the ICC’s major tournament stage, Hamid was the original Afghanistan rock star. Hamid floated through the team hotel, training sessions, warm-ups and fiery 145kph reverse-swing bowling spells like a Greek god. But now it’s as if those spells held a Prometheus trait. Injuries continue to ravage his body.Chants of “Shah-POOR! “Rah-SHEED!” and “Nah-BEE!” were heard ringing around the Lord’s stands early and often throughout Afghanistan’s time in the field, but there were no such shouts for “Hah-MEED!” It’s a cruel fate that someone who played such an instrumental role in Afghanistan’s early fortunes has not been able to reap the adulation and rewards of his peers on days like this. Not only was Hamid not in uniform at Lord’s, but it’s unknown when or if the 30-year-old will ever suit up again.Still, there was far too much to be joyous about. Who would have predicted after decades of war and devastation at home that there would come a day when peace and salvation would be ever-present in the happy and carefree smiles of the thousands of Afghanistan faithful who made their way to northwest London. Following a lengthy nomadic existence, they have worked to establish their roots once again. The seeds planted through a bat-and-ball sport over the last decade had sprouted up and were on full view on Tuesday at the Home of Cricket.”It’s a proud moment,” Jawed said. “Afghanistan is often associated with all the bad superlatives, like the poorest, worst corruption, worst in opium production, but to see Afghanistan being one of the best in sports, that is unique and good.”It’s an extraordinary positive story about Afghanistan. When we have victories it unites the nation as a whole and that’s very good. I hope that we have more sportsmen like Rashid Khan, like Mohammad Nabi at international level so that they also are inspirations for youngsters back in the country.”

In other news, Faisalabad end their season with just one point, Salman Butt’s hopes of an international recall diminish, and Fawad Alam’s patchy form continues

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-20171:22

Highlights – Umar Akmal’s blistering century for United Bank

Group stage concludesIn April this year, Misbah-ul-Haq featured in grade 2 cricket for his native Faisalabad side and helped them regain first-class status. A nine-wicket victory against Multan promoted Faisalabad to grade one, allowing them to return to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier
first-class tournament. They had been out of it since being relegated at the end of the 2014-15 season.Their time in the top tier, however, has been disastrous, with the side losing six out of seven games, the final game being abandoned due to fog that has gripped much of the country.And so Faisalabad, now led by the offspinner Saeed Ajmal, finished rooted to the bottom of Pool A, managing just one point. SNGPL remained unbeaten, winning six matches, while SSGC, Lahore Blues and WAPDA qualified for the super eight round.From Pool B, UBL, HBL, KRL and Lahore Whites went through to the next stage with FATA ending up bottom, losing five games and winning one. Pakistan Television, a department side that qualified for this year’s tournament, also lost five out of six games, finishing just ahead of FATA. The next round will kick off next month and the final will be played on December 16.Feast or famine for Umar AkmalUmar Akmal’s troubles of late have garnered significant media attention, the 27-year old losing his central contract and being ordered to return to domestic cricket and prove himself all over again. His Quaid-e-Azam Trophy season with United Bank (UBL) didn’t begin happily either, with scores of 47, 6, 11 and 12 in his first four innings.So when he was dismissed by Habib Bank bowler and fellow former international Umar Gul for a first-ball duck, it appeared he was
continuing his downward spiral of the last few months. However, he stormed back in the second innings to play one of the innings of the season so far, smashing 116 off 144 balls in a reminder of the quality he can offer to any line-up he adorns. It helped his side amass 309 in the second innings and defeat Habib Bank by 142 runs. It may prove nothing, however; people have waxed lyrical about his talent for ages anyway. But if he can add consistency and discipline to the mix, he could plot a route back to the international team for the fresh start he clearly believes he deserves.Salman Butt strugglesSalman Butt had pinned his hopes of returning to the international side on this year’s first-class performances, but that call-up now seems a distant prospect. After a couple of stellar seasons, runs have dried up for the former Pakistan captain. He has only managed 264 at 20.30 this season – a performance that fell far short of the standards he would have set himself.During the season, he came under the spotlight after he raised a question about sportsmanship following a close finish in which his side lost by four runs due to No. 11 batsman Mohammad Irfan being mankaded. It invited, given his past background, considerable derision. His national selection almost became a reality earlier this year before Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies, but plans had to be shelved in the wake of the PSL spot-fixing saga.Fawad watchAfter a half-century last week, Fawad Alam stuttered again with the bat in what has been an inconsistent season for the SSGC captain. The slow pace of the game – only 15 wickets fell over the four days – meant he only got to bat once. He couldn’t capitalise on the opportunity, and was out for 6. However, having qualified as the second-placed side from Pool A, Fawad should get the opportunity to showcase his class in the knockouts, and thereby continue to plug away at the ever-receding prospect of an international recall.