Having already qualified for the quarter-finals, South Africa showed a killer instinct by bringing in two hungry fast bowlers and then brutally dictating Bangladesh’s exit from the tournament

Firdose Moonda in Mirpur19-Mar-2011Eighty wickets in eight matches, including the warm-up games, and South Africa’s bowling can rightly be called the best in the competition to date. No team, except India on a batsmen’s paradise in Nagpur, has scored more than 250 against them.The wickets have come from everywhere: the two menacing fast bowlers who were rested in Mirpur – Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel – the offspinner Johan Botha, the left-arm spinner Robin Peterson, the new legspinner Imran Tahir and now even the reserve bowler – Lonwabo Tsotsobe.”I feel very chuffed about it,” Tsotsobe said of his 3 for 14 Man-of-the-Match performance against Bangladesh. “It woke me up and said to me that I have to work harder each day. I am still part of the team.”Those were the words that made Graeme Smith’s smile, already wide as the room itself, even wider. South Africa have been trying to build a team culture that stands out from the ethos they previously had – of being like a boarding school, where authority comes from the top and the rest must follow suit – to a more embracing one where every member of the team is important. The result of that is that when those on the fringes are called on to perform, they don’t feel as though they need to step into massive shoes; they simply get on with their job.”From the start we’ve always been a squad,” Smith said, when asked how pleasing it was that Tsotsobe had come in and performed with such aplomb. Tsotsobe was the leading wicket-taker in the recent home one-day series against India and, on the face of it, it looked as though he was being left out of side at just the wrong time, when he was trying to establish himself as the vital third prong in the seam attack. “It was very difficult for us to leave Lopsy out, he has been very good for us,” Smith said.Lonwabo Tsotsobe took 3 for 14 in his first match of the World Cup•Getty ImagesIt turned out to be somewhat of a stroke of genius to rest Steyn and Morkel and bring in Tsotsobe and Wayne Parnell, the two left-armers who sat on the sidelines for the first five group games. The hunger of the two pacers had been building for over a month. They had seen the way the West Indies pace attack had torn through the Bangladesh line-up and they knew that with a fragile confidence base they may be able to do the same, especially with the number of left-handers in the Bangladesh line-up.It was the ideal way to bring Tsotsobe and Parnell into the tournament, because with South Africa comfortably through to the quarter-finals, it would have been easy for the team to slack off. Bringing in two squad members who would not have thought of slacking off at all was the master move. Smith recognised the team needed to find that extra fire from within. “We could have easily gone through the motions when we had them five down,” he said. “But it was good to see the commitment of the guys.”Instead of releasing the brake when they had Bangladesh at 36 for 5, they slammed on it harder and that’s what Smith was proud of. “It was good to see the guys putting their bodies on the line.” The fielding was their way of squeezing the life out of the Bangladesh batsmen. It seemed like a brutal way to handle a team that were clearly under the cosh and that were going to surrender at any point. Instead of letting Bangladesh admit defeat on their own terms, South Africa wanted to dictate proceedings.That’s the best preparation for the quarter-finals, where South Africa’s real test begins. They’ve talked about taking it one game at a time and not thinking too far ahead of themselves. Now, the time they’ve been preparing for with small steps has come. It’s important that South Africa don’t change their approach too drastically, since it has served them so well. “We have to just carry on the way we have,” Smith said “We’ve met each challenge as it comes.”The Bangladesh challenge was met with the brute force that Smith said the team used to be about and the street smartness that he said they’d gathered in the last few years about playing sub-continent sides. South Africa are changing tactics and strategies with each game, not for the sake of it, but to be able to directly challenge the opposition. That’s why Smith is not concerned about who they meet in the next round. “I’ve said before that if you are to win this tournament, you have to beat whoever you play, so we are not thinking about it.”

Between them, New Zealand and Sri Lanka have made seven semi-final appearances in five World Cups since 1996. When the whole world is watching, they raise their game a notch

Sidharth Monga in Colombo28-Mar-2011The World Cup does something to these two teams, two teams that are not financial drawcards in an immensely closed-world cricket family. It does something wonderful to them, for they keep putting in inspired performances at world events, and often feature in the last two or three matches of these tournaments. Between them, New Zealand and Sri Lanka have made seven semi-final appearances in five World Cups since 1996, the year when Sri Lanka announced themselves as world-beaters. In the last five World Cups, New Zealand have missed the final four only in 1996 and 2003, and Sri Lanka in 1999. This is the second successive World Cup semi-final they are playing against each other; hardly ever are they miserable in other world events either. Except for Australia, no other big team has that good a record over the last 15 years.While the other bigger teams are often at the risk of being bogged down by expectations, or jaded and tired thanks to their tight schedules, or in certain cases not good enough, Sri Lanka and New Zealand often find their best cricket in World Cups, playing freely and purposefully. When the whole world is watching, they raise their game a notch; in New Zealand’s case, against much stronger opposition.There is often a message to be sent out. At least for Sri Lanka, who are still not considered a big team by many accounts. For England, Australia and South Africa, they are still the sideshows; whenever they invite Sri Lanka for a home series, it is usually before or after the main event of their home seasons, in a slot that is otherwise kept for Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. It is not that there is some discussion in Sri Lankan team meetings to this effect, but the feeling remains among the team.Mahela Jayawardene agrees. “What I see is we have produced some extraordinary players,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Yes, maybe we haven’t got the recognition, which is true. But it hasn’t deterred us or disappointed us. We have played consistent cricket for the last 15 years, ever since 1996; 1999 was probably the only time we didn’t do ourselves justice, but since 1996 everyone who has played for Sri Lanka has played with a lot of pride and passion. We have carried that through.” He agrees to there being the extra motivation at world events. That while their other good performances can go unnoticed, on the world stage they get the attention they deserve.New Zealand’s rising to such occasions is perhaps a bit more complex. They cannot claim to have enjoyed the kind of natural talent Sri Lanka do. They have a limited pool of players to draw from, which is further crippled by recurring injuries to some of their best talent. Except for 1992, when they became a threat only once Martin Crowe’s team started dominating in the league stage, they have never been favourites. As cricketers, they seem to like it when nobody gives them a chance, when people have to be proved wrong.And they don’t get to the semi-finals by just winning one knockout game, as the argument this time may be. In 1999 and in 2007, they went through rigorous league stages and Super Sixes / Eights and were genuinely one of the four best teams over those World Cups. Even in this World Cup, they beat Pakistan in the league stages, the only team other than New Zealand to have beaten two title contenders so far. Leading into this World Cup, though, New Zealand were sleepwalking through whitewashes at the hands of Bangladesh and India, at venues the World Cup would be played at.Somehow, as they have done in the past, New Zealand have found enough fire and will to make their sixth semi-final in 10 World Cups. There is nothing tangible that explains the transformation. Yes, the coach has changed, but to put it all down to John Wright and Allan Donald would be to do injustice to the players who have put recent disappointments behind them. As Daniel Vettori said, “Look, John [Wright] has been fantastic for us. The players took the blame for those losses, and I think they should get credit for the wins as well. It has to be a combination of the two.”Tomorrow one of these proud teams will bow out. It is a stage that should ideally get the best out of them. Sri Lanka once again will want the world to look at them when everybody is so engrossed in the other semi-final that they have to request journalists at press conferences to refrain from asking questions about the India-Pakistan game. New Zealand have even more people to prove wrong, for once again they are massive underdogs. More so than against South Africa, because Sri Lanka are likely to neither relent nor break. And they are at home.Whatever the result be, it is good to see the unusual usual suspects in the final four once again.

Foul weather disrupted the first day at Lord’s, but the overhead gloom also gave just enough encouragement to India’s seamers to make for an intriguing battle

Andrew Miller at Lord's21-Jul-2011At some stage in this benighted summer, the persistent rain will surely have to abate. Unfortunately, on a day that was intended as a celebration of all that is good in Test cricket, the heavens just couldn’t resist getting mixed up in the action once again. In the England-Sri Lanka series just gone, some 369 overs were lost in the course of three Tests, so today’s shortfall of 40.4 was typical of yet another frustrating day at the office.Nevertheless, the gloom still served a purpose, for the action that was possible – particularly in the hour-and-a-half before lunch – was a fine and timely tribute to Test cricket’s most compelling virtues. Lord’s, as they say, is a venue where you look up, not down, and sure enough when India won the toss and took their chance to bowl first, they quickly settled into an attacking rhythm that wasn’t seriously disrupted until Zaheer Khan left the field with an ominous twinge in his hamstring.The significance of that scare won’t be known until the morning. However, England’s batting line-up still displayed a diligence that befits a group of players in some of the most pristine form imaginable, and was all the more impressive given how hard they were made to work for their returns. Not since Pakistan’s pacemen were zipping the ball both ways last summer, before the spot-fixing zenith, had England been subjected to such an examination of their credentials. And whereas they wobbled on numerous occasions back then, this time they dug in like a side that has not been bowled out for less than 486 in five consecutive contests.Andrew Strauss played an uncharacteristically reckless shot to get out, hooking in the air out to Ishant Sharma at deep backward square•Getty Images”I think it’s pretty even,” England’s top-scorer on the day, Jonathan Trott, said. “The pitch looked good when the covers came off, and at Lord’s with the overhead conditions and a pitch that’s been under cover, most teams would bowl first. You obviously want to make inroads as a bowling unit, and we did well to combat that and played pretty well. We are pretty happy with where we find ourselves, and there’s a lot of hard work tomorrow.”From the moment Zaheer zipped his first delivery through the air, off the seam and into the upturned fingers of MS Dhoni behind the stumps, the ball did all the talking as England’s batsmen were subjected to the sort of interrogation in which the only appropriate response was “no comment”. Survival in those circumstances was England’s first and only objective, and though Alastair Cook – for once – was unable to do so, India’s end-of-day tally of two wickets was below par for the conditions. It left their coach, Duncan Fletcher, ruing a length that had given their quarry too much time to adjust and avoid the edge.All the same, after being bullied to all corners of Taunton by Somerset last week, this was a vital demonstration of India’s bowling credentials in traditional English conditions. Zaheer’s 0 for 72 spell in that contest could have become 3 for 9 in 12.4 overs today had Dhoni not ushered a regulation edge from Trott to the boundary, while the extravagance of Praveen Kumar’s outswing took the breath away at times. It’s arguable that they were bowling from the wrong ends for much of the day – a little less zip down the slope and Praveen could have snagged many an edge, but England now know the extent to which they’ll need their wits about them.India’s early strikes could have undermined a less composed outfit. When he played down the wrong line to Zaheer, Cook was sent on his way for his lowest Test score since the final innings of the 2010 summer against Pakistan. Moreover it was the first time he had failed to pass fifty since England’s Ashes defeat at the WACA back in December, six innings ago. However, the shock of the setback did not initially rattle his partner Andrew Strauss, whose eventual dismissal at Zaheer’s hands seemed a rare moment of recklessness, rather than anything more sinister to England’s series prospects.The hook shot hasn’t been a particular flaw in Strauss’s armoury since his grim run of form in 2006-07, when he stepped out of his comfort zone in a bid to fill the void left by his more forceful opening partner, Marcus Trescothick. He fell in that manner twice at Brisbane and again at The Oval against India nine months later, when Zaheer was again the bowler, but on this occasion, it did not seem indicative of anything other than overconfidence. The weather had been threatening to clear, and England sensed a chance to raise the tempo after a dour morning. Nevertheless, the fact that Ishant Sharma was still lurking at deep backward square was intriguing. Perhaps Fletcher knows his former pupil better than the batsman does himself.Kevin Pietersen is another man whose card will have been marked by India’s coach, but his initial foray was atypically cautious, not least when Praveen began operating with Dhoni standing up to the wicket. Against a lesser opponent, Pietersen might well have taken the bait and been left to regret it, but the manner in which he built up his form throughout the recent Sri Lanka series suggests he is back in the zone mentally. An overnight score of 22 from 73 balls is no more than a beginning, but he’ll take it.So far, Pietersen’s performance has had echoes of his determined century in this same fixture four years ago. He said back then he’d never had to work harder for three figures, and while it sounded at the time like standard KP hubris, by the time England had been beaten 1-0 in the three-match series, his assessment seemed far more justified. Zaheer was the thorn in England’s flesh then, as he was for 13.3 overs today. The speed of his recovery could hardly be more critical to the balance of the match.

Armed with reverse-swing, suffocating accuracy and a pace only mildly above medium, Shane Watson has transformed into a Test bowler of international class

Daniel Brettig in Galle04-Sep-2011Shane Watson has evolved into a Test bowler of international class by delivering the sort of stuff his younger self would have scoffed at. “Too slow,” the young Watson might have said, or “too boring”. Too good, in fact.In the first Test against Sri Lanka, aided by a devilish Galle pitch, Watson returned match figures of 5 for 30 from 19 overs, splintering the hosts’ middle order with a trio of lbws in the first innings then nabbing the critical wicket of Kumar Sangakkara with a brute of a ball in the second.He did it all with shrewd reverse-swing, suffocating accuracy and at a pace only mildly above medium, far removed from the faster but ramrod straight offerings he first exhibited for Australia. Watson now admits a more measured approach in his early days as an allrounder might have resulted in his avoiding the surfeit of injuries that seemed to have stunted his playing career.”I was trying to bowl at 170kph. And I got nowhere near it,” Watson said. “As a younger guy growing up, I just wanted to bowl as fast as I possibly could because that’s what I thought would get me success. Unfortunately I didn’t really move the ball off the square, and all I did was angle the ball in, so it wasn’t that effective.”I have learnt from my mistakes in the past. If I had my time again I probably would have been smarter at how I approached my bowling. I now realise how important moving the ball is and it would have made a little bit of difference on my body, as a younger guy, if I was a little bit smarter in how I bowled.”There was a period of time when my body didn’t allow me to bowl 100% every ball. I realised physically I couldn’t do it so I had to find another way to be effective and in the end its worked out better. I have had more success: I have been able to move the ball and conserve my body a bit.”Watson mark II first began to emerge for Australia on the 2008 Test tour of India. The visitors spent eight weeks in the country without winning a single match, but Watson’s use of reverse-swing far outstripped that of any of his fellow bowlers. He has continually worked on the art ever since.”It probably comes easier to me than some of our other bowlers,” Watson said. “I think it really comes down to a bit of luck at my release point, to be able to get the seam in the right position and how I release the ball. My action helps.”Reverse-swing can play a big part; this was probably not as flat a wicket as I have bowled on but on a normal flat wicket, if the ball is reversing, it can make [batting] difficult. It gives me an added dimension.”Missing from Watson’s game in the first Test was a significant score, as he was spun out in the first innings and then victim of a questionable choice of stroke in the second. An admirably frank character, Watson is happy to agree that he is less likely to be as effective with the ball in matches where he has batted for a long period.”I suppose it depends whether I get runs,” Watson said. “I didn’t get any runs this match so I had to try and have some impact and input into the game. Sometimes it’s not always going to be my day with the bat and that’s the great thing about being an allrounder.”I knew in this game I was going to be quite fresh because I didn’t get any runs. I knew I would have plenty in the tank to have a crack at bowling.”

Australia’s teenage fast bowler, Patrick Cummins, could make his Test debut at the Wanderers next week after a lacklustre display from Australia’s attack

Brydon Coverdale at Newlands11-Nov-2011Australia’s teenage fast bowler, Patrick Cummins, could make his Test debut at the Wanderers next week after a lacklustre display from Australia’s attack on the third day in Cape Town. Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle were disappointing, while Ryan Harris was unlucky to have an edge dropped off his bowling early in the day, and then leaked plenty of runs.Michael Clarke’s assessment of Australia’s bowling in the second innings was apparent when he was asked which members of the attack had stood up on the final day. A nine-second pause followed. He searched for an answer, but no names came to mind.”As a bowling unit we didn’t bowl anywhere near as well as we had to to beat South Africa today,” Clarke said. “I would have liked to see us fight a bit harder today and have a bit more of a crack and at least get into South Africa’s middle order.”He added that the batting was still the key reason Australia had lost the Test. And on both fronts Australia’s selectors – of whom Clarke is one – have concerns.The most likely scenario is a change to the bowling group, although Shaun Marsh’s back injury could force a tweak to the batting line-up. Three hours after the match finished, the back-up batsman in Australia’s squad, Usman Khawaja, headed to the Newlands nets for a hit.He was accompanied by Cummins and Trent Copeland, the two fast men who sat out of the Cape Town Test. The Wanderers typically offers plenty of assistance for the fast men and Cummins, 18, might be unleashed.The easiest thing for the selectors to do would be to leave out Siddle, who took one wicket for the game and was the third of the fast men chosen. Harris will not be axed while Johnson is considered a potential match-winner, although at Newlands he bowled badly, failing to swing the ball and sending too many deliveries short and wide.Johnson finished with match figures of 1 for 87 from 16 overs and narrowly avoided the second wicketless Test of his career, collecting the late wicket of Hashim Amla. In seven of his past 16 Test bowling innings, he has failed to make a breakthrough.”We need him taking wickets, there’s no doubt,” Clarke said. “I love having him in the team. I’ve said all along that he’s a match-winner. But we’ve just got to perform better. It’s hard: nobody means to get out and nobody means to fail. But at this level we as a team have got to find a way to be consistent. He’s no different to our top six or seven batters.”We’ve got to pick our best XI. Whoever we think our best XI is for the second Test match needs to be selected. If that means no changes that means no changes, if that means four changes that means four changes.”Ponting’s miserable form continued and his shuffle across the stumps is becoming a fatal flaw. He swore as he walked off the field after being adjudged lbw for a duck in the second innings when he missed a straight ball. It is to be hoped his anger was directed only at himself.

When Michael Clarke was asked which members of the attack had stood up on the final day, a nine-second pause followed. He searched for an answer, but no names came to mind

Ponting is 36 and in a slump, but it is hard to imagine Andrew Hilditch’s outgoing selection panel making the tough call on a veteran player, with John Inverarity’s new selection group to take over after this Test. In the case of Brad Haddin, one of the major culprits in the woeful batting display, there is no backup wicketkeeper on the tour.And the batting situation might be determined by Marsh’s injury, although there is a chance David Warner could be flown in as cover. Marsh hurt his back while changing direction running between the wickets on the first day, and he batted at No.10 in the second innings.Marsh’s fitness was believed to have improved on the third day, although he stayed at the team hotel and watched the defeat unfold on television. The team physio, Alex Kountouris, said it was not clear if Marsh would be fit for the second Test.”You usually have to wait the first couple of days once the original spasm and everything the acuteness of the injury settles down,” Kountouris said. “Once that settles down I’ll have a better idea of whether he’s more likely to get better in the short term or the longer term. He’s had this before though, he had this 12 months ago and got better reasonably quickly but every occasion is different so we’ll just have to wait and see how he goes.”Whatever the case, Australia’s selectors have some decisions to make. Forty-seven cannot be allowed to happen again.

ESPNcricinfo runs the rule over England following their first series whitewash to Pakistan, a series where England had a rude awakening following a trailblazing two years

George Dobell07-Feb-2012Andrew Strauss 5/10

England’s captain was never fluent but no-one battled harder with the bat. Hampered by his preference to play spin off the back foot, Strauss countered by attempting to use his feet against the spinners with partial success. But with only one century in his last 28 Tests and just two half-centuries in ten Tests since the end of the Ashes, doubts are beginning to grow. He deserves some credit for the excellent spirit in which the series – which had potential to become controversial – was played and for his honest assessment of Pakistan’s strengths and his own side’s weaknesses.Alastair Cook 5

No England player faced more balls in the series than Cook. There were times, using his long reach and infamous patience, when Cook seemed able to negate the spin threat, though run scoring remained problematic. He produced England’s highest score of the series – 94 in Abu Dhabi – but generally sold his wicket more cheaply than has been case in recent times, against spin and seam.Jonathan Trott 5.5

That he was England’s leading run scorer says little: this was a disappointing series by Trott’s high standards. He squandered two good starts in his first and last innings of the series and once gave his wicket away when not calling for a review that would have reprieved him. He played the spin as surely as anyone and still appears to have the technique to prosper. He was also the unlikely producer of a very good delivery that dismissed Younis Khan in the first Test.Kevin Pietersen 2

There were glimpses – the most fleeting of glimpses – of what might have been in Pietersen’s final innings of the series when he skipped down the pitch to hit the spinners back over their heads. No-one doubts Pietersen’s talent but in this series he was hamstrung by serious technical errors: a lack of balance causing him to lunge rather than press forward and a failure to play straight. He also missed a relatively simple run out that might have changed the course of the second Test. He is good enough to bounce back so long as he retains the appetite for the hard work required.Ian Bell 1

2011 suddenly seems a long time ago. A tally of just 51 runs at an average of 8.5 tells its own story of a gruesome series. Bell’s inability to pick Saeed Ajmal’s variations – he fell to the doosra four times in six innings – rendered the man who came into the series with a reputation as England’s best player of spin all but hapless. His dismissal in the second innings of the third Test – guiding a long hop to point – summed up a horrid tour.Eoin Morgan 2

Fragile against spin and seam alike, this was a series that dealt a serious blow to Morgan’s hopes of establishing himself as a Test cricketer. He was somewhat fortunate to retain his place for the last Test but responded with an improved performance. But a temptation to play across the line against spin and away from his body against seam is a dangerous combination.Matt Prior 7.5

A cricketer at the peak of his powers. The only man in the England side to average more than 30 with the bat, Prior played the spin as well as anyone and was twice left stranded without partners. He also kept well. While he has long been very good standing back to the seamers, he now appears almost as competent standing up to the spinners.Stuart Broad 8

Immaculate with the ball, Broad displayed stamina, skill and consistency in this series. His bowling, maintaining a probing line and length and generating just a little seam and swing movement, would have made the likes of Glenn McGrath proud. There is not much higher praise than that. He also produced a fine innings in Abu Dhabi that, but for an appalling batting collapse from his colleagues, might have shaped the second Test in Abu Dhabi. But he loses a mark for selling his wicket too cheaply on two occasions. He is already one of the world’s top bowlers. With just a little more application, he could be one of the world’s top all-rounders.Graeme Swann 7.5

Somewhat hampered by the lack of left-handers in the Pakistan line-up, Swann was obliged to play the supporting role to Panesar for much of the series. Swann still finished with the best strike-rate of any of the England bowlers – he claimed a wicket every 53 deliveries – and produced some useful contributions with the bat. Indeed, he averaged more than Bell, Pietersen or Morgan.James Anderson 8

Dangerous with the new ball – he may have caused permanent damage to Taufeeq Umar’s Test career – and now boasting supreme levels of control, Anderson’s labours deserved more reward from unresponsive pitches. Perhaps he has lost just a little pace but such is his ability to swing and seam the ball that he remains a reliable bowler in any conditions and a lethal one when conditions help. Anderson also battled hard with the bat, contributing more runs than Bell.Monty Panesar 8

Two Tests and two five-wicket hauls: the Panesar comeback can only be said to have been a resounding success. After a nervous start in Abu Dhabi, Panesar grew in confidence and revelled in his heavy workload. He will never be a bowler replete with variation and he does tend to offer a few more short balls than he would like but, generally, Panesar provides consistency, control and, in helpful conditions, can be very dangerous. He has improved with the bat and in the field, too.

Chris Tremlett 4

Wicketless in his only Test, Tremlett was subsequently forced to return to England with a back injury that will require surgery. It was wretched luck for a fine cricketer whose body seems unable to withstand the rigours of fast bowling. He bowled respectably in the first Test, too, albeit without much of the pace or devil he had shown at Perth, Cardiff or The Rose Bowl. Fears are growing that it may prove to be his last international appearance.

He couldn’t find a place in his South African first-class side, moved to Canterbury, then went to Central Districts, and got into the New Zealand XI through the backdoor. No wonder Kruger van Wyk uses the word “fight” a lot

Firdose Moonda in Hamilton12-Mar-2012The South Africa and New Zealand teams were on the same flight out of Dunedin. When the seating plan was drawn up Kruger van Wyk was put with the South African contingent, reasonably so, considering that his name is distinctly Afrikaans. He was placed in the same row as Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla, and had a good time catching up with Allan Donald, the current South Africa and former New Zealand bowling coach.A local reporter at the press conference asked van Wyk how to pronounce his surname. “It’s fan vyk,” he said, explaining the phonetics of his home language. “The v becomes an f and the w becomes a v.” He had clearly answered that question many times before.So, after all of that, does Kruger van Wyk feel like a New Zealander? “Yeah I do, I really do feel like a New Zealander,” he said, pronouncing the vowel “a” with a flatness that suggested he had adopted some of the habits of his new home. “I get the mickey taken out of me for my accent quite a lot but I love being here and I’m extremely appreciative of the opportunities New Zealand has given me. It was the proudest moment of my life to walk out and wear that black cap. This is where I belong.”Those words will sting those who are not in favour of the cricketing export trade which van Wyk joined six years ago when he moved from Centurion to Canterbury. Unlike some of the other travellers, like Kevin Pietersen, he did not do it because he felt deprived of opportunity, but rather because he realised he could not take the ones he was presented with in the country of his birth. “If I’m brutally honest, at that time I was probably not consistent enough to make the South Africa side,” he said. “I always knew that if I kept persevering and working hard that opportunity would come somewhere along the line.”When van Wyk left South Africa he was not even the first-choice wicketkeeper at the Titans franchise, with AB de Villiers doing the job in the limited-overs games and Heino Kuhn in first-class cricket. He had to actively seek a place where he could feature regularly in a starting XI, and New Zealand was it.It has taken longer than he may have liked to get a look in at international level; he had stints at two domestic teams, one of which he captained and was axed from, before being included in the squad to play Zimbabwe in January. By then, his prime age as a cricketer had probably passed and the younger BJ Watling was chosen ahead of him. A century from Watling in that match would have been a strong sign to van Wyk that his dream of playing international cricket was probably sailing past him.The backdoor is not a way anyone wants to get in by but van Wyk had to settle for it. Watling’s hip injury opened it for him and continues to hold it ajar. Had Watling been fit for the second Test, in Hamilton, it is likely he would have played despite van Wyk’s fighting 36 in the first innings in Dunedin, when New Zealand were on the cusp of a collapse. Instead, van Wyk gets a second chance to wait for that elusive first catch at international level and perform adequately with the bat.It’s a precarious position to be in, knowing that one wrong move will cost him his place and that, at his age, it will be tough to get it back, but van Wyk says he is up for the challenge. “Every day, I’ve had to fight. If I play 100 Tests or only one, I’ve got to get up and perform every day. I don’t find that difficult or different. Whether it’s my first Test or my last I’m just going to go out there and fight.”He used the word “fight” a lot. Some people may think that was because of the added incentive that accrues from playing against one’s former countrymen. van Wyk said that is not quite it, although there is some extra motivation.”There’s a lot of familiar faces there and guys I’ve played with since I was 10. We spent a lot of time together at the same school and spoke a lot about our heroes in cricket.” van Wyk was schooled at the Afrikaanse Hoer Seunskool, the same school attended by AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Jacques Rudolph, and he knows most of them well. “It was surreal playing against all those guys. They’re all extremely competitive; that’s one thing we do have in common. It was good playing against them and it would be better to get a win against them.”Again, there was a mention of competitiveness. In truth, it is something that is an important part of the whole New Zealand side. They have earned the reputation of being a feisty side, not afraid to say a few things on the pitch, and talk confidently off it. Hearing van Wyk echo that did not come as a surprise. Like any member of his team, he wants to show that New Zealand are better than their No. 8 ranking in Tests suggests. “There’s a massive amount of belief in our side. We have no doubt that if we play good cricket it will be tough for South Africa. There’s a lot of backbone and a lot of belief. We’ve got a lot of fight.”Edited by Dustin Silgardo

Plays of the Day from the fourth day of the first Test between Sri Lanka and England at Galle

Andrew McGlashan in Galle29-Mar-2012Moan of the day
England supporters have had a few grumbles during this match. On the opening day it was about being exploited by Sri Lanka Cricket, who charged between LKR 5,000 ($39) and LKR 7,500 ($59) for a ticket. In the end, the ground has been well populated throughout but plenty of fans have also taken to the ramparts of the Dutch Fort. On the fourth day they found that for one area of it they were being charged LKR 1,000 ($8) for the privilege. That might just seem good business sense – supply and demand – but one fan suggested that because the fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site it should be free for all.Drop of the day
Jonathan Trott was settling England after the early loss of Kevin Pietersen when he pushed forward at Rangana Herath and looped a catching opportunity back down the pitch. Herath moved to his left and lunged with one hand but couldn’t hold onto the chance. For a long while it appeared it could be a match-changing miss.Landmark of the day I
When Trott swept Herath through deep square leg to reach his hundred from 240 balls it was England’s first three-figure score in Test cricket this year. The previous best was Alastair Cook’s 94 in the second Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and it just highlights what a struggle it has been for the batsmen recently. Last year (and the one before) England could not stop scoring hundreds – and double hundreds – for fun.Landmark of the day II

With the wicket of Matt Prior – caught in fortunate fashion by Lahiru Thirimanne at short leg, but huge credit to the fielder for anticipation and not turning away – Herath collected his first 10-wicket haul in Test cricket. It was the 27th by a Sri Lanka bowler, but only the fifth by anyone other than Muttiah Muralitharan. It was also the first 10-wicket haul in by a left-arm spinner since 2007 when Monty Panesar starred against West Indies at Old Trafford.Fumble of the day

Thirimanne’s grab was not the only slightly lucky grab of the innings. Tillakaratne Dilshan, who showed what a fine fielder he is around the bat, almost gave Samit Patel a life. Patel drove inside-out against Herath and Dilshan palmed his first attempt to take the catch into his chest. However, he had the presence of mind to keep his eye on the ball and stuck out a hand to intercept before it hit the turf. As his team-mates rushed to celebrate him, Dilshan lay face down on the ground, soaking up his relief and joy.Edited by Alan Gardner

Dread, romance and cricket come together in this novel set in the time of the Taliban

Sharda Ugra16-Jun-2012The Afghanistan cricket team – yippee, we will be seeing them again in the World T20 in Sri Lanka – brings to a somewhat tired global community the fresh, bracing air of the mountains. The names Stanikzai, Mangal, Zadran, Hotak represent an unfamiliar part of the cricket world. Every man has a careering life story – taking to the game in refugee camps, learning from tolerant mates, teachers, coaches.is not kind of an Afghan cricket story. Its dominant mood is dread and gloom – which press down on the reader through to its final chapter. Its characters are trapped in a Kabul living under the heavy fist of the Taliban, from 1996 to 2000.Well before its story begins, two factors draw the reader into the book. The title, of course: cricket was the only sport approved of by the Taliban. In the book, Zorak Wahidi, the minister for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (aka Mr Bad Guy) explains that it occupies wads of time and “is modest in its clothing”. The real Taliban’s religious police did actually operate under the title of the Ministry for the Propogation of Virtue and the Suppression of Vice. Afghanistan applied for ICC membership in 2000, which was granted in 2001, after the Talibs had been driven out of Kabul.The second lure of the book has to be its beautiful cover photograph, of two women in the famous billowing blue “shuttlecock” burqas striding away from the camera, with them a girl of no more than ten, head uncovered, glancing over her shoulder. ‘s story is driven by its female protagonist Rukhsana, enduring a regime that believes women belong to “the home and the grave”.Rukhsana learnt to play cricket when living in Delhi. If she can teach her brothers and cousins the rudiments of the game in less than a month, they will have tickets to freedom: the team that wins Afghanistan’s first cricket competition will go to Pakistan with the Taliban’s blessings. A proposal of marriage from fifty-something Wahidi and Rukhsana knows she will have to make a run for it herself. In order to step outside and teach cricket, she disguises herself with a false beard (and some useful protective gear).Timeri Murari, a Chennai-based writer, spent some time in Kabul talking to those who lived under the Taliban, and through Rukhsana he details the wounded, up-ended lives of women and men. In an atmosphere of fear, cricket becomes a bastion of utter fairness, a standpoint for democracy and a romantic idyll.The threat of Wahidi and his cronies, particularly his menacing brother Droon, is on every page. Rukhsana’s lingering love interest from her years in Delhi makes a sudden, mawkish appearance to play in the life-or-death cricket match. (No more spoilers here.)Much of the cricket is all Victorian nobility, with an ICC observer called Markwick turning up in his MCC hat and tie. When Droon threatens to pulp Rukhsana’s brother, Markwick acts in character. “We’re playing cricket,” he said, in the stern voice of a schoolmaster…” we are told. “We must start the game. It’s half-past two.” is more about the Taliban than cricket. Its main characters are not layered, and the language can turn clunky, with “searing love” and “simple meals”, but Talib-ruled Kabul is sketched in careful and terrifying detail and the story moves along quickly. You find yourself willing the Taliban CC on to escape en masse. Besides, it will make a hell of a movie.The Taliban Cricket Club
by Timeri N Murari
Aleph Book Company
pp336, Rs 595

It will be a battle between Titans’ batsmen and Sydney Sixers’ bowlers in the second Champions League T20 semi-final in Centurion

Firdose Moonda25-Oct-2012Ask any of the members of the Sydney Sixers squad who the in-form cricketer in the shortest format of the game is and their answer will be the same: Shane Watson.Or like Peter Nevill, they will go one step further. Nevill labelled Watson “arguably the best player in the world” and, although Watson deferred to Chris Gayle on that score, many would agree.Watson’s all-round abilities have always been praised but his sensational World T20, in which he was named Man of the Series, heightened expectation off him at the Champions League. He did not disappoint. Watson scored 46 off 30 balls in Sydney’s 14-run win over Chennai Super Kings in their first match, took 2 for 27 in their demolition of Yorkshire and then delivered in both departments with 47 off 38 balls and two wickets against fellow semi-finalists, Lions.He was not the only contributor though. Moises Henriques has outshone some of the bigger names and the young bowling attack – Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in particular – has impressed. Even before the tournament started Brad Haddin maintained that to focus on individuals would be a mistake and he seems to have woven a strong team culture through the camp.It was needed too, because just as Watson turned in a prime all-round performance, he was recalled. Cricket Australia instructed him to return home early to prepare for the upcoming Test series against South Africa. What would Sydney be without Watto, we wondered?Just as good, was the answer.Despite putting on what looked like a below-par total against Mumbai Indians, Sydney kept their opposition line-up in check and were the only team to get out of the group stage without a single defeat. They have been called one of the “most complete” line-ups by many of the teams who are no longer in the tournament, including Perth, Auckland and Yorkshire.To have been able to remain that way, even without Watson, is something that Nevill said “gives the group a lot of confidence”. As a unit, Sydney have tried to motivate each other as much as possible and they see that as one of their biggest strengths. “There’s cohesion among the group. Everyone gets on very well and enjoys each others’ company off the field, and I think that makes a big difference,” Nevill said.They will have to rely on strength in numbers against Titans because, according to Nevill, a hostile Centurion crowd may prove as tough as the opposition itself. “That will probably be the biggest hurdle of all,” he said. “We saw it in the opening game and we know what to expect.”He warned Titans that Sydney have a key weapon of their own. Henriques is what Nevill calls the “danger man” and someone who can step into Watson’s shoes, particularly in the allrounder mould. “His form so far, in the domestic season and in this competition, has been outstanding,” he said. “He has done really well and we expect more of the same.”