Shikhar Dhawan didn’t miss a moment during his ruthless century on debut to show up the Australian attack for what it was

Sharda Ugra16-Mar-2013For the better part of his turbo-charged, fireworks display of a debut century, which shredded records and caused a stir, Shikhar Dhawan showed no signs of nerve or panic. He raced through the 60s to his 90s in 15 balls as if he was weaving his way through traffic in his hometown Delhi, with music on top, thumping volume and the sunglasses on. On 91, Dhawan edged Peter Siddle past a diving gully’s hands, but his cool stayed unrattled.On 99, though, there came a flash. Of anxiety or desperation, of what looked like the stark hunger that must have kept him going through first-class cricket. Dhawan push-dropped one from Siddle, called for a run that never was and charged. It was a blind, suicidal mini-mission that had “oh-no” written all over it.For close to nine years following his stunning performances in under-19 cricket, Dhawan had waited for his Test debut. In Mohali, he couldn’t bear to wait even one more ball to do what, until today, he must have only dreamt of. As the throw was fired through, Dhawan’s full-length dive for the crease was less panther and more hopeful pilgrim. The ball shot past the stumps and Dhawan went from being flat on his face and onto his feet in seconds.The helmet was pulled off and from under it emerged a grin larger than the stadium. Dhawan threw his head back and arms into the air. No matter where his career goes from here, on this one afternoon, Shikhar Dhawan was, to himself and those watching, king of the world.On Saturday, his innings of 185 not out was India’s prime driver of what can only be called batting on speed. Dhawan’s own signature is now in the history books, the fastest Test century on debut, and the highest score by an Indian on Test debut. It has opened up possibilities for India in the Test, with time and a wearing pitch now on their side.Australia know that in the course of two hours, they were pushed on to thin ice by Dhawan and the best that they can do in Mohali is draw the game. Dhawan’s century, in its tempo and silken ferocity, also turned into an odd homage to Virender Sehwag, the Delhi senior man whose place he has taken.India ended the day on 283 for no loss in reply to Australia’s 408. For the second Test in a row, M Vijay, batting on 83, found a sedate, lower gear and allowed Dhawan to have his moment in the sun. After stumps Dhawan said that, despite his ear-ringed, poker face, he had in fact felt anxious, “No, I was nervous, but you didn’t realise it. No, I was certainly nervous, but I wasn’t as nervous as I used to be earlier.”Until today, Dhawan’s presence in the field had been virtually invisible. He misfielded the first ball that came his way on Friday and as non-striker, during the lone over India had to bat before lunch, had wandered out of his crease. The ball slipped out of Mitchell Starc’s hand, hit the stumps, with Dhawan a foot out of his ground. A smiling Michael Clarke had made some jokey third-umpire signs and the over then formally began. Had the Aussies appealed, Dhawan might or might not have been deemed safe by the umpires, but it would still have been a nervous start.*When his first run came, a single through covers, his partner Vijay came over to acknowledge and reassure. On television, Ravi Shastri’s voice was sardonic, “First for me. Never seen anybody being congratulated for scoring one run.”Over the next two hours, Dhawan settled in and produced an innings that ended up being a first in many ways for most watching. To the Australian bowling, his batting was a geometry lesson in contempt. He was assured on his front foot, had enough time to adjust his shots and find precise gaps in the field. When he was given a short ball, he played the pull efficiently, without hesitation. The off side was packed, but to Dhawan, the fielders were either woven through or zipped past.By the time he got to his century, Dhawan had scored 84 runs off boundaries, but his first shots in the air came only after he’d gone past 100. Dhawan stepped out to medium-pacers and spinners alike and carved up sections of the ground as if it were cake to be eaten. Even the unfailingly polite and considerate VVS Laxman couldn’t contain himself, saying Australia had an “average bowling attack.” Dhawan didn’t miss a moment to let it show. For all Australia’s good intentions and plans (and this is without homework jokes), Dhawan showed them their place in these conditions and on this pitch.He was severe on Moises Henriques, hitting cover drives on the up, walking out against a short ball before drilling it square. Xavier Doherty got the heaviest treatment, 18 runs in his fourth over, turning the bowler’s plans inside out. He was driven against the spin, then reverse-swept when Clarke moved out of slip, dispatched past three men through the covers and then paddle-swept to the boundary again.Dhawan’s Delhi team-mates are cackling with delight. Old pro Rajat Bhatia says he can tell how Dhawan’s innings are going to go from the first few balls. Immaculate defence, blocking and plodding is a bad sign. If he looks to get the strike moving, taking singles and playing strokes, things are looking good. In Mohali, Dhawan took three balls to get off strike and had hit his first boundary off Siddle off his sixth ball. It had to be his day.* 6.48pm GMT, March 16: The copy has been updated after reviewing the laws of the game.

The plays of the day from the IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warriors in Mohali

Sidharth Monga21-Apr-2013The pitch
This was not one for the gardening enthusiasts. “Patchy,” was a generous description at the toss. Almost in the middle of the pitch there was an island of green grass, slightly closer to one end than the other. It left teams a bit worried about how the ball would behave, but it turned out to be cosmetic: apart from the odd ball that hit the edge of that patch and kicked a little, not much happened.The entry
It meant dropping the captain, Angelo Mathews, but playing Luke Wright proved successful for Pune Warriors. It was a sensational entry, and just when Kings XI Punjab were sort of relaxing, having got rid of Yuvraj Singh before he could hurt them at the death. Wright walked in, and there seemed no way to stop him going at a strike rate of 400. The first ball he faced went wide of long-on, the second to deep cover, the third dead straight, and the fourth to midwicket. In the next over, after being hit for a boundary, Praveen Kumar managed to get Wright to hit to a fielder, but Parvinder Awana misfielded at third man. That’s 24 off six. Wright managed just two off the next ball, but set the strike rate right with a six off the one after. He fell for 34 off 10 balls, looking for the six that could have taken the strike rate back to 400.The entry, part II
How awkward it must be for team management when consistently ignored players come in and start doing better than the players they replaced first ball. After Wright, it was the turn of Ajantha Mendis, one of the best Twenty20 spinners in the world, to make immediate impact. Playing instead of Mitchell Marsh, Mendis took the new ball, bowled a carrom ball first up, Azhar Mahmood played across its line, it didn’t turn either way, and Mahmood was given lbw. The lesson: in Twenty20, specialists – even if they might not be good at other disciplines – are worth much more than bits-and-pieces players.The miss
The pursuit of the sensational means fielders hate to keep the ball in their hands. If you have fielded, you better throw it. Fast. On the odd occasion, you pay for it. As Wright did with the last ball of the first over he bowled. Wright swooped in during his follow-through as David Miller tried steal a leg-bye and was sent back. Miller was gone had Wright taken aim and hit, but Wright didn’t wait for that and threw in the same motion, and missed with time to spare.

Stats highlights from Sri Lanka’s remarkable seven-wicket win against England at The Oval

S Rajesh14-Jun-2013 Sri Lanka’s chase of their target of 294 is the highest successful run-chase in all Champions Trophy matches. The previous-best was South Africa’s 282 against England way back in 1998, which means two of the highest run-chases – and three of the top four – have happened against England. Sri Lanka’s previous-best in this tournament was only 201, against Pakistan in Colombo in 2002. This is also Sri Lanka’s seventh-highest successful chase outside Asia. England have a surprisingly poor record against Sri Lanka in home ODIs: since the beginning of 2006, they have lost eight out of 11, which is their worst home record against any team during this period. Kumar Sangakkara’s unbeaten 134 is his second-highest ODI score, and his highest outside the subcontinent. It’s also his first ODI century against and in England, but his ODI stats in England are outstanding: in 18 games he has scored 781 runs at an average of 60.07 and a strike-rate of 82.21. Among batsmen who’ve scored at least 750 runs in England only Viv Richards has a better average – 64.04, in 31 games. In five home ODIs this season, England’s bowlers have leaked 5.65 runs per over, and conceded 45.36 runs per wicket, making this one of their worst home seasons so far in terms of bowling performances. The only year when they had a poorer economy rate was in 2002, when they conceded 5.71 runs per over. For only the second time ever, there have been two scores of 125 or more against them in a single home season – Martin Guptill had earlier scored an unbeaten 189 in Southampton. The only previous such year was 2006, when Mahela Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya both passed 125. Stuart Broad’s economy rate of 8.20 (67 runs in 8.1 overs) is his second-worst in an ODI in which he has bowled at least eight overs. Against India at Headingley in 2007, he had figures of 1 for 84 from ten overs, his most expensive ODI figures. The last time Jonathan Trott was dismissed for a single-digit score was 20 innings ago, against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi when Shahid Afridi bowled him for a first-ball duck in February 2012. Since then he has averaged 58.86 in 19 innings, with six fifties and a hundred. Over his entire career, Trott has been dismissed for single-digit scores only ten times in 59 innings, while he has gone past fifty 25 times. England lost the game despite having three batsmen scoring 50 or more, the second time this has happened in the tournament – in the tournament opener between India and South Africa, there were fifties from Robin Peterson, AB de Villiers and Ryan McLaren. Out of 25 fifty-plus scores in the tournament so far, 14 have been in defeats and only nine in wins. There have been six 50-plus scores by captains in the tournament so far, but none of them in wins – five have been in defeats and one in the rained-out game between Australia and New Zealand.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the Group A match in Cardiff

George Dobell in Cardiff16-Jun-2013Drop of the day
Alastair Cook, who went on to top score for England with 64 from 47 balls, had only 14 when Nathan McCullum, at midwicket, put down a chance off the bowling of James Franklin. Cook had hit the ball pretty hard but it was, by the standards of international cricket, a straightforward chance. To compound the error, McCullum dropped Cook again – a juggling chance at midwicket again off Franklin – when he had 37 and, remarkably, once more at point off the bowling of Kane Williamson on 45; as easy a chance as you will see dropped in international cricket this year. It will have been of little consolation to Franklin or Williamson that McCullum finally held on to a chance to dismiss Cook off his own bowling.Toss of the day
When the toss took place, at 10am, there was still a chance that this could have been a 50-over-a-side game. But, after a lengthy rain break delayed the start until 3.45pm, the match was reduced to 24 overs each and decisions made earlier were rendered largely obsolete. With that in mind, might there be a case for annulling the toss and allowing a new one to be taken and for new sides to be selected?Record of the day
The wicket of Jonathan Trott gave Kyle Mills his 25th wicket in 15 Champions Trophy matches. That took him past Muttiah Muralitharan’s tally of 24 and made him the leading wicket-taker in the competition’s history. It was also Trott’s first single figure international score of the year and his lowest ODI score since February 2012.Review of the day
Joe Root was adjudged leg before by Rod Tucker off the bowling of Daniel Vettori when he had scored 28. While replays suggested that the ball may well have gone on to hit the stumps, Hot Spot revealed a thin bottom edge and saw the decision over turned. It made Root’s delay before calling for a review surprising; had he known he had hit the ball, he would surely have called for it immediately.Throwback of the day
The sight of the groundstaff clearing rain from the covers with brooms revived memories of a bygone age. There are no water-hogs (the tractor-like machines that absorb water) at Cardiff. While a club spokesman insisted that the machines cause as many problems as they solve – he claimed that they damage the covers and push water further into the ground creating boggy areas as it eventually seeps back to the surface – it is worth noting that just about every other international venue uses them. Money may well be a more relevant explanation for their absence. That having been said, the groundstaff deserve credit for ensuring that a game was possible despite substantial rain in the first half of the day.

Tiger costumes in the stands, lots of strokeplay and cheer, and a decisive squall of rain – in other words, a typical day in Mirpur

Madiha Khan22-Oct-2013Choice of game
Two of the lower-ranked teams playing against each other – I found that interesting. The smaller the difference in rank, the larger the promise of greater entertainment. Plus, Bangladesh were playing at home and I hadn’t enjoyed that in a while, I just had to be there.Team supported
If you are a Bangladesh fan, there are few places in the world where you can have as much fun as in the Shere Bangla National Stadium. There is nothing like being part of the crowd that gets behind their home team, every step of the way.Key performer
It was a fast-paced first day. More than 65% of the runs were scored in boundaries. Newbie Marshall Ayub played some copybook drives through the covers before losing his concentration. The in-form Mominul Haque started well too. But the key performer for the day had to be Tamim Iqbal, who seemed to regain some of his lost rhythm. He is often criticized for playing too many shots in Test matches, but I was happy to see him play his natural game. He played a variety of shots, including hooks, pulls and drives that were pleasing to the eye. Five more runs though would have made me a very happy girl.One thing I’d have changed
The rain poured down heavily during the tea break with no signs of letting up, as is often the case in Dhaka. As much as I disliked going home after only 54 overs of play, nothing beat the crushing disappointment I felt when Tamim got out at 95.Wow moment
There were some beautiful shots on display through the day, but the top one would have to be Ayub’s first boundary – a beautiful drive through the covers for four. It made me go “wow” because nothing is more exciting than seeing a glimmer of promise in a young player.Crowd meter
The stands were sparsely filled at the start of the game. But by the end of the morning session, the southern, eastern and northern stands were packed. It was a very impressive turnout for the first day of a test match.The day started with some fluid batting from the home team, and the lively Mirpur crowd started their party. Chants of Bangladesh and Tamim began in the eastern galleries and soon it caught on in the other stands. Every time a new batsman walked out to bad, the crowd roared. Shakib Al Hasan had only to score a boundary for the entire stadium to start roaring his name. Even when the run flow stalled for a while, the crowd was not quiet. Every now and then the Mexican wave and chants of Bangladesh went around.Every other person in the crowd had taken it upon themselves to critique the game and pass loud comments. Most of it however was hopelessly pessimistic. Bangladeshis love expecting the worst but in their hearts hold the highest of hopes for their tigers. As Tamim batted into his nineties, most of us went ecstatic but there were a few who spelt out the worst possible outcomes.Alas, the critics words came true when Tamim fell on 95, and the crowd’s overwhelming disappointment was palpable.Fancy dress index
Ever since the home series victory against West Indies, the tiger has become a popular mascot in the stands. The man who began the trend, Shoaib, was present as were many others who had started to follow his style. Some had painted their entire bodies in yellow and black stripes, complete with Bangladesh flag bandanas on their heads. They provide an entertaining sight, and a lot of people line up to take pictures with them.Overall
Considering some of the beautiful strokeplay that were on display today, I would like to say that the quality of cricket was high. But the truth is that there were far too many shots played and a few too many wickets lost. Test matches being a test of temperament, I would have to say that Bangladesh had fallen just a little behind. New Zealand bowled consistently, but it would be safe to say that their successes were mainly due to the follies of the Bangladeshis.The atmosphere however was absolutely wonderful. One could hardly ask for anything more on a weekday. The rain did spoil the party, but it was not too much of a disappointment for the average Bangladeshi, since rain in this country is never a surprise. I’ll give this day a rating of 7 on 10.

Plays of the day for the Champions League final between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Oct-2013The comeback
Shane Watson should have had Sachin Tendulkar out for 1 when he struck him mid-pad in front of middle and leg, but having survived that shout, Tendulkar seemed to hit form in Watson’s next over, the first two balls of which he sent to the fence. A full delivery on the pads was glanced to fine leg, before Tendulkar unfurled a commanding cover drive suggesting even more strongly that he was in good touch. Next ball though, Watson jagged one back in from outside off stump, and aiming another big drive on the off side, Tendulkar missed the ball by a distance to have his off stump removed from the ground.The innovation
Glenn Maxwell went some way to justifying his million-dollar price tag as he blasted 37 from 14 balls, and the most remarkable stroke in his innings was his four to third man off James Faulkner in the 19th over. In the age of scoops that plunder runs from yorkers and length balls on the stumps, Maxwell improvised a stroke that sent wide yorkers to the fence as well. Getting low with his arms crossed on the bat handle, Maxwell created a ramp almost two feet outside the off stump, and sent the ball over the infield.The pattern
Even in Twenty20 cricket batsmen often like to take a few balls to become accustomed to the pitch and the opposition bowlers, but four Mumbai Indians batsmen wasted little time before sending their first one into the stands. Rohit Sharma began the trend on his third ball, launching Stuart Binny’s slower one high over long-on, before Maxwell went one better, by depositing his second ball into the legside stand with a pick-up shot. Dinesh Karthik improved the pattern further, when he slogged his first ball into the deep midwicket stand, before Harbhajan Singh followed suit with his own first-ball six on the leg side, off a high full toss.The ball-watchers
Kusal Perera had been flown in from Sri Lanka as the injured Brad Hodge’s replacement just hours before the match, only to be given short shrift by his partner Ajinkya Rahane in the first over. Having hit two fours off his first three balls, Perera pushed one wide of cover and immediately called Rahane through, never taking his eyes off the ball to look at his partner. Rahane too was staring at the ball and though it was Perera’s call, he yelled “no” loudly, when his partner was about a third of the way down the pitch. Perhaps not hearing this though, and possibly pulsing with finals-adrenaline, Perera continued to sprint down the pitch, though Rahane remained stationary. It wasn’t until the bails were being removed at a vacant strikers’ end that the batsmen looked at each other, sporting expressions of anger and frustration.The battle
Shane Watson and Kieron Pollard engaged in a tussle of egos in the 13th over of Royals’ innings, and though Watson got the better of Pollard during the over, Pollard had the last laugh in the next. Pollard had run in to deliver the last ball of his over, but failed to release the ball although he went through the action. This prompted animated words from Watson, who went back to smash the next ball high into the stands behind midwicket, inciting more chatter between the players. Next over though, Watson’s slog off Harbhajan Singh flew high into the air off the top edge, and it was Pollard who advanced from long-on to take the chance.The inglorious finish
One of the most admirable careers of the modern age got the kind of ill-deserved ignominious end that only Twenty20 cricket can provide, as Rahul Dravid made his last act on a professional cricket field an awful swipe across the line. Having moved around the order to suit the team’s needs during his limited-overs, and even his Test career, Dravid demoted himself to No. 8 in his last match, and arrived at the crease at a time when plenty of boundaries were needed. He dug out a single first up, but when Nathan Coulter-Nile delivered the kind of humdrum yorker that Dravid would have patted firmly back to the bowler in all his years as ‘The Wall’, he instead aimed a slog to midwicket, and had his leg stump flattened.

The South Africa U-19 allrounder, who has been dismissed just once in three matches, handles pressure better than most, says Ray Jennings

Kanishkaa Balachandran in Abu Dhabi18-Feb-2014Bowlers are finding it hard to see the back of Yaseen Valli. The South Africa Under-19 allrounder has been dismissed just once in three matches and as a result his average has inflated to 208. As of Tuesday, Valli sits on top of the run charts in the Under-19 World Cup. But more than the runs scored, it is the manner in which he has deflated the opposition. His coach Ray Jennings summed it up with a fitting compliment, saying Valli “handles pressure better than most.”The reference pointed to the opening match against West Indies where Valli pumped fuel into a faltering batting performance. At 117 for 8, being the only specialist batsman around, he marshalled the tail to take South Africa to a competitive 198, contributing a priceless 53. The innings featured fearless strokeplay, with gentle dabs, nudges and the odd scoop to fine leg to throw the bowlers off their rhythm. He smashed an unbeaten 102 off just 98 balls against Canada and followed it up with an unbeaten 53 against Zimbabwe. Importantly, all three were in winning causes.The two 53s were played out in contrasting circumstances. The knock against West Indies in Dubai was the difference between South Africa being bowled out and batting out 50 overs. The pressure was of a lesser degree in Abu Dhabi against Zimbabwe, with South Africa losing two wickets off successive balls and needing a rebuild at 54 for 3 chasing 199. His innings was meant to be a supporting act for his captain Aiden Markram, who went on to score an unbeaten century.The soft-spoken Valli comes across as a calm individual, and it’s that calmness he hopes to permeate into the team, no matter what situation they are in. While it would suggest that he is a man for a crisis, he’d rather be perceived as someone who is dependable.”I like to see myself as someone reliable,” Valli said after his innings. “I like to keep the team calm. Just try to be myself as much as possible.”Valli, of Indian origin, was born and raised in Johannesburg where he attended the prestigious King Edwards VII school, which has produced Test cricketers such as Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie. Though his career is still in its nascent stages, being part of that assembly line is a humbling experience for him.”It inspires you,” Valli said. “You walk around and see the names on the board and it helps you set your standards high and motivates you to get there one day.”Valli’s breakthrough series with the national U-19s was the quadrangular tournament in Visakhapatnam last year where he finished as the leading wicket-taker for his team with nine wickets, including a five-for against Australia. Valli was entrusted with the leadership in that tour but it changed hands for the World Cup, with Markram leading. Jennings said the decision was taken with Valli’s best interests at heart, given his role as an allrounder.”I’ve monitored him for about 5-6 years and he goes to one of my old schools,” Jennings said when asked of his first sighting of Valli. “He captained the Under-19 side last year and we’ve taken away that responsibility from him because I think we needed to get more out of him, which I’ve done.”Being in the side purely as a regular player has coincided with his good form, having taken a four-wicket haul with his left-arm spin against Canada to complement his runs.Jennings says that one of Valli’s strengths is the ability to read the game. Studying the mind also happens to be Valli’s specialisation at the University of Johannesburg, where he is pursuing his psychology degree.”He reads batsmen very well and he can be a potential matchwinner with the ball too,” Jennings said. “He has a good brain. He reads the game well. He can play in any role I put him in. An organised, knowledgable cricketer.”Jennings adds that a coach can’t necessarily teach a player to deal with pressure. It has to come from within. “I think you need some sort of character to handle those situations,” Jennings said.”You can’t really teach that. It’s the opportunities and the experiences the guys get along their way and how they handle it. He is one of the guys who handles pressure better than most.”The pressure will increase with South Africa entering the knockouts. Valli will hope the team is as adept as him in withstanding the crunch situations.

The commanding performances of Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Trent Boult and Tim Southee against West Indies, with a little support from their team-mates, meant a dominant New Zealand showing. They’ll need more of the same when India arrive

Andrew Alderson23-Dec-2013New Zealand’s performance in the three-Test series against West Indies illustrated the value of a “core four”, who, with support from their team-mates, can reignite the country’s prowess in the longer format.The 2-0 series win is difficult to place into context given the calibre of a West Indies side missing Chris Gayle and a host of bowling options, one of whom, Shane Shillingford, was banned for an illegal action during the series.However, Ross Taylor, Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Kane Williamson demonstrated New Zealand’s capabilities. At the very least, it has heightened anticipation for February’s series against India, given India’s parity against South Africa in their Johannesburg draw.The reassuring thud of Taylor’s bat against West Indian deliveries will be the series’ abiding memory.He became the second New Zealand player to score centuries in three consecutive Tests. Mark Burgess is the only other to achieve the feat. Burgess did it over 27 months (November 1969-February 1972) against three countries (Pakistan, England, West Indies); Taylor achieved the feat in 19 days against one and finished with a series average of 247.50.Taylor achieved a scroll of statistical accolades. His average of 47.51 is the country’s best for those who have played more than 20 innings. He joined Nathan Astle on 11 Test centuries with only Martin Crowe (17) and John Wright (12) ahead of him. His 495 runs are the second-most by a New Zealand batsman in a three-Test series (Andrew Jones made 513 against Sri Lanka in 1991). Taylor’s 866 runs in a calendar year (from 16 innings at an average of 72.16) are the second-most by a New Zealand batsman (John R Reid made 871 across 24 innings in 1965).His consistency enabled New Zealand to negotiate a green pitch in Wellington and repel the troublesome spin of Sunil Narine in Hamilton. Add his highest Test score (217 not out) in Dunedin and seven slips catches; it represents the best series of his career.Williamson missed the opening Test due to a hand injury but completed innings of 45, 58 and 56 on return. Add 114, 74 and 62 from the series in Bangladesh and you have 409 runs at an 81.80 average since his productive county stint with Yorkshire.He anchored the final innings chase for 122 with surety of footwork and a high left elbow in defence. It minimised anxious moments for New Zealand fans.Boult and Southee headed the bowling operation. Evidence suggests the pair is capable of scything through talented batting line-ups. India – particularly Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma – could provide their steepest test. Throw in green tracks and it will be an absorbing contest.Boult’s 20 wickets at 15.40 and Southee’s 18 wickets at 18.11 in this series showed they have taken up the mantle of Chris Martin. Boult’s swing, movement, pace and accuracy, including his 10-wicket bag in Wellington, meant the 24-year-old rocketed into third for wickets taken this year (46 in 12 Tests) behind Stuart Broad (59) and James Anderson (48) who have played one more Test.Southee completed the year as the 12th New Zealand player to take 100 Test wickets. He took three wickets in his final over to finish with a tally of 101.Like in the 1980s era, with Sir Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe, the core four need backing. It was present against West Indies but becomes paramount with the arrival of India, the world’s second-ranked Test side.How do their team-mates stack up?

• Brendon McCullum produced a seventh Test century in Dunedin and 37 to support Taylor in Wellington. He appears to lead the team well but his form can’t afford to dip against India with Jesse Ryder accumulating three centuries and two 80s in five Plunket Shield matches.
• Corey Anderson is perhaps most vulnerable to Ryder’s resurgence but with a Test average of 37 in five matches and 11 wickets at 19.36, he has achieved. It would be a cruel and inconsistent twist to the selection policy to remove him from a winning side.
• Likewise Ish Sodhi has shown enough promise to be retained. It could depend on Daniel Vettori’s fitness but McCullum’s statement that Sodhi’s “looking forward to the India series” hints he’ll get picked. The only problem might lie with India’s accomplished techniques against spin. Sodhi’s skills will come under scrutiny, especially trying to stymie the boundary balls dished up in a legspinner’s search for control.
• Neil Wagner looks steady as the third pace bowler. He doesn’t get the glory of Boult and Southee but always does his fair share of grunt work in unfavourable conditions.
• BJ Watling keeps progressing as the wicketkeeper-batsman. His batting (average 42) impressed in three outings at No. 7, as did his keeping. Watling gave away six byes during a series where West Indies faced 2863 deliveries. The only ‘work-on’ (to use the modern parlance) might be up to the stumps against Sodhi’s legspin.

One area which could face selection scrutiny is the opening combination of Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford. They look competent on relatively flat pitches but have struggled technically (Fulton) or with discipline (Rutherford) when it comes to knuckling down on the seaming surfaces of England or Wellington. They had an opening stand of 95 in the first innings against West Indies in Dunedin but followed up with partnerships of 3, 14, 18 and 33 (series average 32.6). Rutherford’s 48 not out to see the team home in Hamilton earned him kudos.The pair might be under observation but an average opening partnership of 38.41 in 17 innings reads strongly. Compare that to the average of 31.82 in 56 innings between John Wright and Bruce Edgar, often cited as New Zealand’s best. However, in Wright and Edgar’s defence, they frequently faced West Indian and Australian attacks which, in the early 1980s, contained some of history’s quickest and most accurate bowlers. In contrast, Fulton and Rutherford have padded up against England, Bangladesh and the weaker West Indies of the modern era.

Beuran Hendricks proved his mettle as a death bowler in the domestic T20 competition. That should be enough to pick him over more experienced bowlers like Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Firdose Moonda31-Mar-2014South Africa are into the World T20 semi-finals in the most un-South African way: unconvincingly. They lost their first match, snuck through in the next two and were almost derailed in the fourth but hung on.With the knockouts looming, South Africa will have to guard against slipping back into old habits of succumbing to pressure and predictability. There is not much they can do about the first until game day but they can avoid the second in their team selection, specifically their choice of bowlers.The importance of being in the final four will present a temptation to return to the experience of Morne Morkel or Lonwabo Tsotsobe at the expense of Beuran Hendricks and that would be a mistake. “I’d pick Beuran Hendricks straight away,” Paul Adams, Cobras’ coach, told ESPNcricinfo. “He’s got a real feel for when to bowl certain deliveries and what happens at the back end of an innings.”Adams has overseen Hendricks’ development through the Western Province structures, but he is not simply backing his own horse. Hendricks has the form and the skill to justify Adams’ statement and merit a place in the semi-final.Hendricks finished the domestic twenty-over competition as the top wicket-taker, 12 scalps ahead of his nearest competitor. His 28 wickets were collected at an average of 10.28 but the numbers, as they often do, only tell half the story. Hendricks was instrumental in the Cobras reaching the final because of the role he played in defending totals the batsmen posted.The Cobras batted first in seven matches in the competition and won six. Four of those victories were by a margin of less than 20 runs, an indication of how close and tense the finishes were. That was when Hendricks was at his best.In the team’s opener, against the Knights, the Cobras set their opposition a target of 154. The Knights needed 15 off the last over. Not only did Hendricks prevent that with a selection of slower balls but he also took three wickets in the over to end with a match-haul of 6 for 29 – his career-best.Hendricks helped the Cobras defend 161 against the Warriors with a return of 1 for 15 in four overs. The Warriors needed 25 off the last over, a steep ask, but not an impossible one. Hendricks gave away six. Against the Lions, the Cobras’ 187 was always thought to be a safe bet but the Lions batted well enough to need 55 off the last four overs. Hendricks bowled two of those, conceded 17 runs and took two wickets. Even when the runs seemed insufficient, like the 129 against the Titans, Hendricks made chasing look a tall order. He took 3 for 18 in his four overs in that match to bowl the Cobras to a win.”He is really good at just focusing on what needs to be done and not getting too flustered,” Adams said. For a 23-year-old, who is only in his second full season of professional cricket, that temperament is rare. Adams explained it was honed in training. “Beuran understands that in twenty-over cricket you have to be on the button 90% of the time. So when he practices his yorkers, for example, he makes sure he hits the spot every time he bowls the ball.”His skills at the death got him picked for the South African squad because they were still searching for a last-over hangman. Dale Steyn has since made that role his own but Hendricks has a useful part to play in supporting him. He showed that against Netherlands when he was asked to bowl the penultimate over with the Dutch needing nine runs off 12 balls.They only had a wicket in hand but most teams would back even their last pair to get close. Hendricks gave away only two runs and took the final wicket. He was South Africa’s most economical bowler in that match, costing them less than 4.5 runs an over, against a team who were scoring at a rate of 10 runs an over at one stage.The going was a lot tougher against England. Hendricks’ recorded a half-century of the undesirable kind when his four overs cost 50. Despite that, Hendricks found the block hole and took pace off the ball, a vital ability on the tracks being used in this tournament.That should be the prime reason Hendricks plays ahead of Morkel or Tsotsobe. He may lack the experience both players have, but it may be worth remembering the experienced pair have each conceded 50-plus in a match on this trip as well.”The team management are showing confidence in Beuran, which is a good sign,” Adams said. “When it comes to performing in big situations, he knows how to get the thing done.” And that is all South Africa need.

Mirpur will provide more grip and turn for the spinners than the surface in Chittagong, which held together through most of the Super 10 stage. South Africa and Sri Lanka, therefore, will need to adapt quickly

Alan Gardner and Mohammad Isam02-Apr-2014As South Africa and Sri Lanka tread back to Dhaka for the final stages of the World T20, a lot of the focus will be on how quickly these two teams adjust to the surface at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. They have been presented with a perceptibly different set of conditions in Chittagong, which were challenging in their own right but didn’t resemble those in Dhaka all that closely.Both sides will play evening matches, which means they may have to contend with a bit of dew, but they can only guess the extent. What they can be sure of is that the surface will be dry and will become drier as the three hours progress. The pitches in Mirpur have been kind to spinners, affording them the luxury of considerable turn and some bounce.By contrast, the surface at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium was faster than expected, with little turn for the spinners. The brown clay differs from the soil used in Mirpur, where the clay constituent is black, and it keeps its character better throughout the day; during the evening, the behaviour of black clay can be quite changeable, as seen in how much the scores and results varied between the 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm starts.In Chittagong, leaving on a layer of grass helped retain a little extra moisture and further protection from drying came from a hessian cover used during the main part of the day. There were up to seven pitches on the square, with two main ones rotated for the fixtures at ZACS. Dew was a problem in some of the evening games, and it was unclear whether use of an anti-dew spray had any effect.Rain also whips in off the sea without much notice, in Chittagong. As summer arrives and temperatures rise – the extra heat and humidity are indicators of rain – brief storms, such as the one that curtailed the game between England and New Zealand, are fairly common. This also played some part in keeping the pitch fresh. The grass ensured the ball skidded on, generally aiding run-scoring.From a local point of view, it was confusing to see how the Chittagong pitch behaved. It has traditionally been a bastion of batting, and is a favourite of many Bangladeshi batsmen looking for a quick fix in their form. The Bangladesh team have often stated privately, and publicly at times, that the Chittagong pitches make them feel more at home, particularly in Test cricket. Recently, they drew Tests against New Zealand and Sri Lanka there, and their comfort level was quite evident.Sri Lanka and South Africa can still expect runs in Dhaka, though. There haven’t been too many low-scoring games here, apart from Afghanistan getting blown away for 72 or Australia’s 86 all out against India. There were ten 150-plus scores with Pakistan making 191 and 190 against Australia and Bangladesh. Five teams have won chasing in ten games, twice in the last over. But teams that have won batting first have mostly won by big margins – 16, 73, 50, 73 and 84 runs.Three of the top five wicket-takers in Mirpur have been spinners – Amit Mishra, R Ashwin and Samuel Badree – and that was along expected lines. Umar Gul and Al-Amin Hossain were the seamers with most wickets, but that was more due to their variations and diligence than the pitch.Teams batting second have made faster starts and hit more sixes (16 as opposed to 8) in powerplays than while batting first.At the start of the Super 10 group stage, New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum perfectly summed up the difference between the two venues.”In this set-up [Chittagong], I don’t anticipate spin will play a great role from the point of seeing the ball turn and bounce past the bat,” he said. “Good spinners still manage to play a vital role in T20 cricket but it just won’t be quite the same role that we’ll see up the road in Dhaka.”Only on the last day of competition at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury did the pitch begin slow and offer turn, as New Zealand finally lost out to the conditions. The absence of dew, possibly due to a spray used on the outfield, gave Sri Lanka the advantage, according to stand-in captain Lasith Malinga, and may have helped prepare them for the Dhaka leg of the competition.”We were worried about the dew factor but fortunately for us there was no dew on that day and it worked to our advantage because the spinners managed to get a grip on the ball and take wickets,” Malinga said.When asked about the difference between the two venues, early in the tournament, Sri Lanka’s regular captain Dinesh Chandimal had a succinct response. “We are looking forward to Dhaka.”