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Laxman’s autobiography does not – among other things – shy from revealing the agonies he went through off the field

S Giridhar09-Feb-2019When asked if I would review VVS Laxman’s autobiography, I said yes immediately. As a young boy holding my father’s hand, I gaped adoringly at ML Jaisimha. As a teen and college-goer, Gundappa Viswanath held an appeal that went beyond his batsmanship or sense of sportsmanship. Then came Laxman and made sure that I enjoyed my cricket in the 2000s as much as I did when a kid. Sure, I wanted to read his autobiography.Everyone knows autobiographies are sometimes a let-down. Sachin Tendulkar’s was a prominent reminder of how prosaic they can be. On the other hand, the searing honesty with which Sanjay Manjrekar described his relationship with his father, Vijay, in made us realise what courage it takes to share with complete strangers things that are private in a home and family. Laxman’s (could there be a more evocative number in Indian cricket history?) is steeped in sincerity too.Who helps you write your story is critical. R Kaushik is the perfect foil to Laxman. One can sense his gentle hand, even as one discerns the story is told by Laxman and there are many passages where Laxman speaks to us from his heart.There are no flourishes, no clever phrases, hardly any humour. Inevitably some anecdotes and descriptions of passages of play are repeated. A few excruciating details are served up along the way. And one can see how Laxman and Kaushik were challenged trying to balance chronology and theme. But these are insignificant when you consider what Laxman chose to share with us. Let me list some of these without referring to my notes, for that is the best way to recall what made an impact.Laxman does not hesitate to say that his relationship with John Wright was never the same after he was ignored for the 2003 World Cup. And yet his admiration for what the coach accomplished and his gratitude for Wright’s mentorship remain unshaken. It is the same with Rahul Dravid, who perhaps did not back Laxman when Laxman thought it was most needed, but reading this memoir one guesses they share a good friendship. Throughout the book, Laxman shows it is possible to frankly call out negative experiences without corroding a relationship.The one person Laxman cannot forgive – and that is more from the perspective of Indian cricket at large – is Greg Chappell, but even here he says how much he admires Chappell the batsman.There are people Laxman is obviously fond of. He does not mind telling us that Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir, Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag are close friends, whose company and trust he enjoyed the most. There are anecdotes about Tendulkar’s generosity, laid out with complete affection, and it is clear there is a solid friendship there. From Laxman’s fulsome praise of Anil Kumble, the cricketer, the captain and the human being, he seems to be telling us Kumble was the finest leader he played under. Even if he is not, Laxman might not argue if we drew that conclusion.Laxman is not afraid to speak about his vulnerabilities and the tumults of his mind. That is courage. One feels for him when he says that that he wept in front of Andrew Leipus, the Indian team’s physio, fearing he might not play against Australia in Kolkata in 2001. That was at a time when his career was on the brink. But when as a member of the iconic “Fab Four” he sheds tears, consumed by self-doubt, he reveals how troubled the mind of an established star too can be. The insecurities and fears, the burden of expectation, the self-absorption essential to a performer from whom only excellence is expected – Laxman lays all these bare for us. Imagine a 37-year-old star, husband, and father of two, playing in his final series, refusing to take calls from his wife 6000 miles away because he is moping in his room about a run of low scores and crushing defeats. Dravid and Tendulkar had to bang open his hotel door at 1am to make sure he came out of his self-imposed grieving.WestlandThere is a message there for the millions of fanatical cricket followers in India: to remember what our young cricketers endure in their suffocating cocoon of stardom, affluence, unbearable loneliness, pressure to perform, and thoughts about the uncertainty of life after cricket. In telling his story Laxman is also encouraging current cricketers to seek counselling and professional guidance when required. His family and friends are his rock. As is his other pillar – God. One doesn’t know how atheists and agnostics will react to his frequent appeals for divine support, but he seems to be saying: if you believe, then ask Him for help; as much and as often as you need.Laxman is not coy about his batting. When on song, he tells you, he was among the best. He could hit the same ball to the boundary at cover, long-off or midwicket. He dissects his ability to play wonderfully with the tail, the simplicity of his explanation subtly letting us know that not everyone can shepherd the tail. He talks of the power of visualisation and how that is as important as all the practice one does before a game.Out there in the middle, he was not assailed by self-doubt, but was a calm, steely warrior. Ian Chappell, after watching one of his many effulgent innings, said, “VVS marches out to bat with the gait of a drill sergeant.” In this book, Laxman the batting gladiator and second-innings legend sits in perfect harmony with Laxman the self-absorbed, worried person off the ground.I must not forget to add that there is a vital chapter on slip-catching, as educative and informative as it is exhilarating.To do the right thing at all times, never be seen as selfish, swallow disappointments because it is a team game, cheer a team-mate who is a hero even while failing oneself, make sure one never lets family down, never lets country down – a bit burdensome, eh? No wonder cricketers have such trouble with their backs.281 and Beyond
By VVS Laxman
Westland, 2018
336 pages

While legspinners have been slightly more expensive than other bowler types, they have better averages and strike rates

S Rajesh18-Apr-201739 Wickets taken by legspinners this season, the most they have taken after 20 matches across all IPLs. It is also more than the tally for all other types of spinners put together: offspin, left-arm orthodox, and left-arm wristspin have combined to take 37 wickets. While legspinners have been slightly more expensive than other bowler types, they have better averages and strike rates. Legspinners have also bowled more overs than any other spinner type; they have sent down more than twice as many deliveries as offspinners.10.45 The bowling average for legspinners in the Powerplays – they have taken 11 wickets in the first six overs, bowling 18 overs at an economy rate of 6.39 runs per over, and less than 10 balls per wicket. The other spinners have together taken five wickets in Powerplays, at average of 53.2, an economy rate of 7.6, and a strike rate of 42 balls per wicket. Among legspinners, Rashid Khan leads with four Powerplay wickets in five overs, while Samuel Badree has three – during the course of a hat-trick against Mumbai Indians – in four overs, and Imran Tahir and Piyush Chawla two each in three overs.Legspin has led the way in the Powerplay overs this season•ESPNcricinfo Ltd9 The sum of all Powerplay wickets that legspinners had taken after 19 games in the previous nine IPL seasons. They have exceeded that tally in just this one season.1 Only one IPL game out of the first 19 hasn’t seen a single over of legspin – between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Lions in Mumbai.0 Wickets for offspinners in the Powerplays this season, the first time they have been wicketless in Powerplays after 19 games. In fact, their wickets tally in Powerplays has gradually been reducing since 2013 – they had four after 19 games in 2012, 2013 and 2014, two in 2015, and one in 2016. Harbhajan Singh has flown the flag for offspinners with some splendid bowling in the first six, going for just 20 across five overs, but he hasn’t picked up a wicket yet, while Sunil Narine has gone for 47 in seven wicketless overs.8.50 The economy rate for seamers in the Powerplays this season – they have taken 34 wickets at 43.79. Thanks to the legspinners, the overall numbers for spinners is much better in the first six overs – 16 wickets at an average of 23.75, and an economy rate of 7.16.

Bowler type Overs Wkt Ave Econ Pace 175 34 43.79 8.50Spin 53 16 23.75 7.16Teams batting first have scored at nearly ten an over in the third of their innings•ESPNcricinfo Ltd9.84 The average run rate in the third over, for teams batting first in the IPL. Teams have scored 187 runs off 114 balls in the third over, and lost only one wicket. Only three overs have fetched teams a higher run rate this season than the third – the 20th, the 19th, and the 17th. Last year, the third over produced a run rate of 6.55 for teams batting first, the lowest among all seasons; 16 wickets fell in the third over. Only two overs – the first and the second – had lower run rates than the third in 2016; from a rank of 18th in terms of run rates last season, the third over has jumped up to No. 3 this year. The eighth over has produced the lowest run rate this season – 8.52.7 Instances of bowlers conceding more than 10 runs in the third over, in the first innings of IPL games this season. The bowlers who have suffered are Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav (17 runs each), Ashok Dinda (16), Jasprit Bumrah (15), Bipul Sharma (12) and Mohit Sharma (11). In three of the top four cases – Milne, Southee and Dinda – the bowlers bowled economical first overs, but couldn’t repeat the act in their next over.8.36 The Powerplay run rate this season, the best among all IPL seasons; teams batting first have averaged 7.89, and teams chasing 8.83. Among the last five seasons, the next-highest, at a similar stage of previous tournaments, was 7.94 in 2016 (after 20 games). In fact, over the last five years, teams have been steadily increasing their scoring rates in the first six – from 6.75 in 2013 to 6.77 2014, to 7.14 in 2015, and 7.94 last year (after 19/20 games of the season). Teams have gone much harder this year during the Powerplay overs, and then taken a bit of a breather between overs seven and 12.The Powerplay run rate has been on a high this season•ESPNcricinfo Ltd11.2 Overs seems to be the actual halfway mark of the innings for the team batting first this IPL; they have, on average, doubled their score from this stage. The average score after 11.2 for the teams batting first is 85, and they have managed another 85 in the last 8.4 overs. It isn’t much different from last year’s numbers, when teams scored 83 in the first 11.2 overs, and 81 in the last 8.4.

There are wicketkeepers who fling their arms around and those who flap their gums wide. And then there is BJ Watling. Mousy, soft-spoken, expressionless and really really good

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Dunedin13-Dec-2015Some wicketkeepers are lieutenants, directing traffic and fine-tuning the field, in support of a captain’s grander vision. For much of his career, Mark Boucher was one of these, as was latter-day Kumar Sangakkara. Others are buzzing mosquitoes around a batsman’s face, occasionally venturing a stinger. Like Ian Healy or Brad Haddin, more recently.In New Zealand, thanks in part to Ian Smith, keepers are often referred to as “the drummer in the band”; the man beating out a tidy rhythm, whether the guitarist is descending into a riff sequence, or the singer is climbing into his falsetto. They are the overlooked constant. Keepers rarely control the cricket’s pitch or direction, but provide depth and set the pace.Mousy, soft-spoken and often expressionless, BJ Watling doesn’t really fit any of the above. He comes close to being a drummer, but even behind all the tom toms and cymbals, drummers have energy and presence. Watling is almost totally unobtrusive. He is somewhere even further behind the scenes. Backstage perhaps. Or in the office building beyond the concert hall. Watling is more like the band’s accountant.Latham thrilled at breaking a duck

New Zealand opener Tom Latham said he took particular pleasure in his century in Dunedin, for having come at home, and in the second innings. Latham had hit his two previous tons in the UAE, and had also had a huge disparity between his first and second innings average. Before his 109 not out in this match, he averaged 50.86 in the first innings and 19.71 in the second.
“To be able to get the first century on home soil is certainly pleasing,” Latham said. “And I haven’t scored a huge amount of runs in the second innings, so it was nice to do that in that sort of situation. Any innings you score a hundred it’s pretty satisfying, but to put the guys in the situation of being able to declare before lunch and have a crack at them was certainly our plan. It was nice that that came out that way.”
Latham said New Zealand didn’t expect the last seven Sri Lanka wickets to come easily. “The pitch is reasonably flat. We are going to have to certainly work hard for our wickets and there is a little bit of uneven bounce there. If we hit the right areas tomorrow, then hopefully we can extract a little bit of that uneven bounce and take a couple of early ones.”

There are no extravagant oohs and pained looks when the ball whistles past a flashing blade. Some keepers throw gloved hands to heads when batsmen play and miss. Many stand still with one arm crossed for a few seconds, looking gobsmacked. Watling makes those takes, and passes them off to the slips as if they were any other. He is just filing another tax return.Watling has been so prolific behind the stumps because he is so organised. The binders are all in the correct shelves. The files are all perfectly labeled. He begins to rise in sync with the ball, and his eyes are glued to leather until they are looking directly down at the rubber of his gloves. He has such soft hands, which come in handy when he is at the crease too. Brendon McCullum’s bat makes emits a crack, whichever shot he plays. Watling’s, some fans say, is noiseless when he is defending. He vacuums up opposition edges, but his own often fall short of the slips.Untouched by flair is also his footwork, which experts say is almost flawless. Watling moved quickly and dived nimbly to his right to pluck a tough catch on what turned out to be the last ball of the day, yet he failed to kick up his heels. The pose – outstretched on the ground the way he landed – was not held for long. Having made a spectacular take look almost mundane, Watling rose, a sheepish half-smile on his lips, and gave his team-mates limp high fives. It was the second time he had equaled the New Zealand record of nine catches in an innings.And what’s with the name? In typical accounting style, he seems an obtuse figure of light fun. He could go by Bradley, if he wanted, or even John, and barely anyone would think of the other initial. Instead he calls himself BJ. Does he know ribald jokes do roaring trade in New Zealand? Come on, guy. Just help yourself a little sometimes.Maybe the unassuming demeanour inspires trust from his team-mates. Behind the wicket is where this seam attack earns wages for their labour, and they all rate him highly. Tim Southee called him “arguably the best keeper-batsman in the world” after Watling had completed six catches in the first innings. Trent Boult has spoken glowingly about him in the past. With Watling covering so much ground, first slip can stand a little wider. Gully can be a touch squarer. “The keeper sets the fielding standard,” Southee had said, “and BJ has set a hell of a standard over the past two years.”On the occasions that he talks, Watling’s word isn’t taken lightly, and it fits that he is most outspoken in the discussions preceding DRS challenges – one of cricket’s least glamorous acts. The bowlers look to him for support. McCullum usually follows Watling’s hunch. “BJ will have logged the line and height,” they think. “He’s conscientious that way.” Everyone knows it would be more fun to go out drinking with Southee, or Doug Bracewell, but before you step out the door, you’d call Watling to come babysit your children.He is a refreshing point of difference, this industrious blank slate. It’s nice that as McCullum’s sparkle ponies jet around the world blowing rainbows out their backsides, they are anchored by a cricketing square, whose work is indispensable, even if it is unheralded.With seven wickets still to get in the second innings, Watling has a chance to equal the world record for most dismissals in a match. He needs two more. If he gets there, maybe Watling will show a little exuberance. More likely, there will be another half-smile; more limp high-fives.

Freddie Flintoff will always be a cricketing hero. As close as he came to conjuring up the NatWest Blast title for Lancashire, he was just a hero no longer in his time

Jarrod Kimber23-Aug-2014Freddie runs around to his right, he picks up the ball, he aims his throw, and then he holds the ball. There is no magic run-out chance. There is no need for the hero pose. This isn’t his time. This isn’t that Freddie.Freddie is still big. You can’t confuse him with any of the other Lancashire players in the warm up. That tree trunk body, that off kilter stance, the massive shoulders, the blonde hair, the rocking shoulder movement, the John Wayne run up and the heavy ball. Although, the heavy ball seems lighter in the warm up.Freddie is warming up in full reds. He’s shadow boxing with Adam Hollioake, hugging Charlie Dagnall, and giggling with Luke Wright. If he’s nervous, there is no sign of it. In the batting warm ups he’s playing straight drives, but misses the net by several metres on one. In the fielding practice he puts in the least effort he can without annoying the fielding coach.Freddie heads off for the final preparation of the game. He stops to chat to more friends. Everyone gets a chat and a soul brother handshake. As he hits the steps he signs autographs and poses for photos.Freddie is only playing because Kabir Ali, who was preferred in the semi-final, is injured. Kabir Ali was born injured. Kabir Ali will be injured after he’s dead. But this injury has given one last Hero Chance for Freddie. It is, for the occasion, a perfect injury.Freddie retired from Tests exactly five years ago, August 23, 2009. He still gets a bigger cheer than James Anderson when his name is read out. His cheer is even bigger than the boos Kevin PIetersen got. He might be old, he might be a semi-successful reality TV show host, he might be a media whore, but he’s still Freddie. It’s only a few kids under 10 who seem confused why this bloke who’s played two matches this season seems so popular.Freddie starts off in the slips. Where he did some of his best work. He walks up to the crease to do his run up in between balls. He does it gingerly with a tip-toeing pigeon step. As the ball is delivered, he jumps into a sumo wrestler pose waiting for the edge. Looking for that one-handed glory. So he can look nonchalant about it seconds later.Freddie only looks nervous when he’s about to bowl. Paul Horton talks to him about the field, but Freddie looks distracted. Varun Chopra tries to move some of the crowd, and Freddie just wants to bowl. Just get that first one under the belt.Freddie finally bowls. It is a slow ball on a decent length. Ian Bell hits it straight up in the air. Karl Brown races back at mid-on. Freddie watches on. Brown has a lot of time to cover a lot of ground. He gets there. Freddie’s arms go straight into his saviour pose. But there is no certainty to them; it’s just muscle memory. Instead of looking nonchalant, he looks surprised at how he’s ended with a wicket from such a slow, length ball.Freddie completes the over well, allowing only three runs from what is one of the slowest and most innocuous overs of the day. Freddie waves at the crowd, he plays with his cap over his face for someone. He’s enjoying himself. He’s no longer nervous.Freddie chats to Jimmy about strategy before the next over. But his first ball is a horror. It’s the ball Freddie was worried about bowling before his first over. A slow waist-high full toss no-ball that floats beautifully on to the bat and way over the rope. The next five balls only give up three runs. There are giggles and smiles between balls. It’s still slow, and his trademark heavy balls are very light but it’s good, canny, old-guy bowling.Freddie then ends with a half-volley on off stump. Porterfield puts it into the crowd.Freddie then travels from short fine to short fine. The old man position. He’s not consulted on team strategy. He’s just going from end to end. Picking up the odd ball off the thigh pad. Just a player that’s not needed often.Freddie does dive. He dives suddenly and athletically to his left. The ball has been flicked fast from outside off stump from Rikki Clarke, who did well to find Freddie’s short-fine hiding spot. It hits his hand. It would have been tough in his prime. The ball dribbles off behind him. He’s furious with himself. The next ball Clarke is bowled. Freddie shows more happiness at that than his wicket of Bell.Freddie warms up. But Horton doesn’t respond. His bowling has looked hittable and medium. It doesn’t seem like a plan, they just don’t think he’s the best option. The most movement he has after the drop is moving from short fine to long leg for one delivery.Freddie will bat at nine. Freddie has batted six for England in Tests. He has more sixes than any other English batsman in Tests. He has made a run-a-ball 142 against South Africa. He has made two better than run-a-ball hundreds in ODI cricket. When Brad Hogg made his comeback, he gave up any pretension of being an allrounder. But he was really old, not just old in the ankles and knees like Freddie.Freddie has a cameraman in front of him for most of the innings. This time it’s not for a one liner, TV stunt or boxing match, he is actually expected to be able to do this. This is why he is famous. The problem with being a hero is that people expect you to be the hero. His bat rests on his shoulder, it’s not his famous Woodworm. He looks nervous. He’s shaking. But it is cold. Very cold. He shakes as Brown gets Lancashire close.Freddie picks up his helmet before the bails hit the ground. It’s all business. There is no show. No put on. He holds the bat by the base, like a club. His helmet has tape over the logo. He just wants to get out there and face. He pokes at the pitch, briefly, barely takes guard, and then awkwardly nudges for one. There are other singles as well. He now runs like an old man.Freddie is three off three when Oliver Hannon-Dalby bowls a slow ball in the slot. Freddie times it. It jumps off his bat. It sails over the bowler. Over the long-off. Over the rope. Over the photographers. Over the fence. Over three rows. Row 4. Six runs. Next ball it’s a full toss, it’s slapped low and hard to deep midwicket. Through the hand of a fielder, and into the shoulder of a security guard. He chats to Hannon-Dalby after the six. He’s looking fired up now.Freddie now doesn’t look like a guy who has spent the last two weeks in the back of a fish and chip van. Freddie looks like a hero.Freddie steals a bye from the non-striker’s end. He doesn’t run quickly, he doesn’t dive well, but he manages to make it over the line. Chris Woakes laughs at him as he struggles to get up from the dirt. They need 13 runs off five balls. Freddie mishits twice. Both get him twos. Nine runs off three balls.Freddie times the ball. But it’s along the carpet and straight at a fielder. There is no six, four or even two. He’s now off strike. But he stops Woakes from bowling and chats to the umpire. He then relays the information to Stephen Parry, who’s on strike. It could have been important, but it looks like he is trying to put as much pressure on Woakes as he can without actually facing. Woakes bowls two good balls, Birmingham win.Freddie completes the single and shakes the hands of the umpire. For a man of his talent, it’s a modest bits-and-pieces game. And yet still, Freddie has almost won the game. He almost sucked the victory into his orbit. Just by being there.Freddie is a marvel, even when he isn’t. It was Finals Day, he wasn’t even supposed to play, and even on the losing side at the non-striker’s end, he is the story.Freddie is besieged by Birmingham players straight after their initial celebration. They’re not shaking the hand of an opposition player. They are shaking the hand of their hero. Freddie has almost won a game after five years out, against a bunch of kids who grew up watching him on TV. Every handshake confirms this more.Freddie doesn’t stand with his arms out as team-mates drape themselves across him, he stands to the side and claps the winning side off the ground.Freddie is still the hero. But it’s not his time.

They have a voodoo practitioner among their backroom staff

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013I am fairly confident that there were not any actual champagne corks popped in the England dressing room at the sight of Zaheer Khan limbering up in practice so gingerly that a Nottingham Chinese takeaway reportedly inquired whether they could use him in a stir-fry with some spring onions, or at the news that India’s lynchpin would, as expected, miss the second Test due to his misbehaving hamstring. However, England’s batsmen must have been mentally high-fiving themselves at the prospect of not having to face the man who tormented them on the same ground four years ago. Seven of England’s current team played in that series-deciding 2007 defeat, in which Zaheer took 9 for 134, with eight of his victims being top-six batsmen.Lord’s was a very good Test, richly speckled superb individual performances and driven by a fluctuating narrative, but it could have been a great one had Zaheer stayed fit (or at least not injured). England’s bowlers applied remorseless pressure, led by Broad’s extraordinary and brilliant renaissance – after 18 months of largely ineffectual toil, he found his 2009-Ashes-winning length, took 7 for 94 in the match, had three catches shelled off his bowling (including a Strauss blooper so simple that he could, should and probably would have taken in his sleep, as the ball would likely have lodged in his pyjama pocket), and had two lbw appeals refused that were so plumb they were last seen heading off in overalls with a tool-kit to fix some broken piping in the Lord’s bathroom. It was a startling performance, and vindication for England’s selectors. Slightly belated vindication, perhaps, but vindication nonetheless.Broad’s bowling might have touched perfection at times at Lord’s, but he still needs to do some major work to refine his appealing technique which remains a counterproductive caterwaul of almost Viking intransigence, and it seems a bizarre oversight that England have not invested in a backroom appealing coach. England are famously well prepared by their large and well-honed support team. Zaheer’s injury – to add to the ones suffered by, amongst others, McGrath in 2005, and Steyn in 2008 and 2009-10 – suggests that amongst that backroom staff is a high-quality voodoo practitioner, who has been working overtime to give England that crucial extra edge.India’s bowlers, by contrast, released England at crucial times in both innings, and ended up twiddling their thumbs until the declaration came, and generously donating runs to the Matt Prior Century Fund (a worthy cause, given how well he played at the start of his innings, but allowing him to negotiate the supposedly-nervous 90s against the fearsome two-prong attack of Dhoni and Raina was surely taking well-meaning charity a step too far).The current world No. 1 team habitually improve as series progress (none more so than Harbhajan Singh, as discussed in last week’s Multistat), but the lack of depth in their bowling is a concern. England may be without the outstanding Chris Tremlett, who has taken to Test cricket like a duck to a Chinese pancake. Should he fail to recover, England will replace him with either Steve Finn, their youngest bowler to take 50 Test wickets, or Tim Bresnan, who took 11 tight-fistedly cheap scalps in the final two Ashes Tests in Australia. India will have to replace Zaheer with either Sreesanth, who since his last tour of England has taken 33 wickets at 44 in 13 sporadic Tests, or Munaf Patel, who seemed to have given up on Test cricket, a form of the game in which he has harvested just 11 luxuriously expensive wickets in the last five years.It will be fascinating to see how India go about trying to retain their No. 1 status after such a disappointing defeat, in which they mixed penetration and listlessness with the ball, and dogged resistance and careless errors with the bat, into a bizarrely inconsistent cricket cocktail that few would order on a night out. It would have been more fascinating to see them try to do so with their best bowler in action, but such is the way of modern cricket. I think India will do well to win a Test. But then, I and many others thought the same after their first-Test griddling last winter in South Africa.Whatever happens in Nottingham, Lord’s provided further proof that one three-day game is insufficient preparation for a touring Test team. Of course, the days are long gone when a touring side would begin the first Test after a solid six to 12 months of warm-up matches, with various players having changed marital status since leaving home, or written epic novels.It should be said that, in days gone by, a long build-up was not always a guarantee of hitting the ground running in the Test series. Len Hutton’s ultimately victorious 1954-55 England Ashes side prepared for the first Test with six four-day matches, and promptly hit the ground stumbling like a drunken pensioner trying to go the wrong way down an escalator – they were hammered by an innings and plenty, before fighting back to clinch the Ashes 3-1 in the fourth Test. Two months after their Brisbane battering. They had fun for another month, drew the final Test, and then hopped on the boat home at the beginning of March, wondering whether their families would still remember them.Nevertheless, one warm-up match to prepare players who had either been playing somewhere else in completely different conditions, or not playing at all after a three-month binge of limited-overs cricket, was clearly insufficient. India at Lord’s reminded me of England in Pakistan in 2005-06, when, after scaling their greatest peak and achieving their ultimate ambition, and weakened by a couple of important injuries, they suffered a post-Ashes anti-climax, a disappointing fishfinger sandwich to follow some mouth-explodingly high-grade sushi.ExtrasThe one question on the south hemisphere’s lips this week has been: for their forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka, should the Australian selectors have recalled Clarrie Grimmett? The pre-war legspin legend has admittedly not been at his best since departing Test cricket in 1936, retiring from the first-class game in 1941, and dying at the age of 88 in 1980.However, in the absence of any cast-iron contenders on the Sheffield Shield scene, Grimmett was probably worth a selectorial punt. After all, as sports pundits – the wisest of all philosophers, according to the Massachusetts Institute Of Sports Punditry – often say: “There is no substitute for experience.” Before adding: “Form is temporary, class is permanent.” With 127 five-wicket hauls in first-class cricket, Grimmett is ahead of Michael Beer and Nathan Lyon by, respectively, 127 and 127 first-class five-wicket hauls. (Although both Beer and Lyon can boast superior Twenty20 records.) (And Grimmett was born and raised in New Zealand, so for Australia to select him now, after all the carping about England’s various imports over the years, would be to slug deep from the thermos flask of hypocrisy.) (The late great Bill O’Reilly was ruled out with a calf strain.)

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the IPL game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kochi Tuskers Kerala in Bangalore

Sidharth Monga08-May-2011The run-out
AB de Villiers had no clue there was no need for the spectacular, which is just as well. For if he knew that Parthiv Patel wasn’t coming for the single, we wouldn’t have seen this breathtaking run-out. Brad Hodge had started running after hitting straight to short third man, Parthiv stopped after a couple of steps, and that’s all de Villiers saw as he ran in to collect the throw. The throw was wild, way wide on his left, de Villiers made a dive for it, and even as he was coming down he flicked the ball – with the left hand – onto the stumps. It was athleticism and innovation at its best, and to think that it wouldn’t have happened had de Villiers known that Parthiv had given up early.The calling
Bangalore is known for its congested traffic, but with the communication skills that they showed today, some of their big players will manage just fine. It was one of those hits made to order for a collision: a thick-edged skier from Ravindra Jadeja that promised to fall at an equidistant point between backward point (Chris Gayle), extra cover (Daniel Vettori) and sweeper cover (Mohammad Kaif). Kaif came running in, calling for the catch, Vettori heard the call and started gesturing towards Gayle to stay away, and then Kaif – ideal man to catch it because he was running in – made the low catch without fuss.The catch
Cricketers have wonderful ball sense even if they might not be the most athletic of sportsmen. Zaheer Khan is one such, and he exhibited superb ball sense today at short fine leg. Hodge pulled one high to his left, and it seemed it was travelling for a four, but Zaheer stretched full length, and then stuck his left hand out to take this as if he was plucking a fruit from a tree. Later he said that it helped that he didn’t have any time to think about it.The sling
With Chris Gayle going the way he was, it would take something out of the ordinary to stop him. And playing at his home ground, albeit for the opposition, R Vinay Kumar came up with the extraordinariness. He went round the wicket, and tried his best impersonation of Waqar Younis, bowling low-arm – not as low as Lasith Malinga – and full and straight. And it squeezed under Gayle’s bat to take out off stump. Vinay was pumped up, he had earned himself him a moment of celebration.The over
Prasanth Parameswaran dismissed Virender Sehwag with a short and wide delivery in a Twenty20 match, and became an overnight hero. So big that he was now preferred to Sreesanth. Cloud 9 to depths of hell, it turns out, takes but one over. Gayle hit his gentle pace and length bowling for two sixes over point, one over cover, one over the sight screen, one four wide of midwicket, one past the keeper. All in one 37-run over. Game over.

Siddhartha Vaidhyanathan on Australia’s defiance of India’s spinners on a turning pitch

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan at the SCG 05-Jan-2008

Anil Kumble dismissed Matthew Hayden and Michael Clarke off successive balls, but Australia, led by both Hayden and Michael Hussey, ensured that they ended the day with their noses ahead © Getty Images
On a gradually wearing pitch, with showers occasionally sprinkling the field, the Test match turned into a tug-of-war. India’s spinners tugged first and threatened a dangerous pull at the end of the day but two workmanlike Australians held firm. The momentum shifted, ever so slightly, in Australia’s favour.It wasn’t a day for attack following counter-attack; neither was it one for gradual run-accumulation. A bunsen-burner of a pitch saw batsmen prodding, edging and surviving. Suddenly a ball would explode from the surface. A bit more fizz and the spinners might have won the day. Instead, through a marathon 57 overs, they were countered deftly in a show of batting that included innovation, gumption and plenty of patience.Anil Kumble could have done with a bit more bounce, Harbhajan Singh with a bit more turn. Both were unlucky with marginal calls. On another day one could have ended with a hat-trick and another with a five-for. It was a game of such fractions. Inside-out fields popped up, reverse-sweeps appeared and a drizzle kept interrupting the slow burn.It must have been a harrowing night for Harbhajan, seeing his batting exploits eclipsed by one controversial moment. Take out the 116th over of the Indian innings and he has had a good Test so far – extracting some bounce and turn in the first innings, sharing a “dream” partnership, and teasing in the second innings. He waited just an extra moment before bowling his first ball to Ricky Ponting, practised a couple of more twirls and lured a false stroke.The celebration indicated how desperately he wanted the wicket. Reacting like a footballer who had scored a championship winning goal, he sprinted maniacally towards the dressing room before rolling over twice. There was an unbridled joy in the celebration, ecstatic that he had nailed a familiar foe and relieved over the events that had gone before.”He is a competitor, he has a lot of quality in him,” Sourav Ganguly said of Harbhajan’s mental strength at the end of the day. “Quality players will always produce their best under pressure.”Both spinners had their moments against the left-handers but couldn’t find a way to break through. Michael Hussey’s exaggeratedly late strokes meant a few edges didn’t carry to the slips and Matthew Hayden’s lengthy front-foot stretches negated the turn. They varied their angles, changed the pace and switched fields. They appealed till their throats turned hoarse. Hussey ended the day on 87 – a bogey-number in Australia since it’s 13 away from 100 – but had dollops of luck along the way, reprieved of close calls on 22 and 45.Kumble, the bowler who missed out on an lbw appeal when Hussey was on 22, was later rewarded for not flagging in intensity. Starting after the third rain interruption, he forced Hayden into an ambitious reverse-sweep and outwitted Michael Clarke with a splendid topspinner. So unstuck was Clarke that he stood his ground, waiting for the umpire’s decision, despite having edged to first slip. The scoreboard will say it was caught out but those watching know it’s a case of embarrassed out.A hat-trick was on the cards. Andrew Symonds walked in to raucous cheers. Kumble brought in an extra fielder close in, wrinkled his brows, pursed his lips and took off bouncily. A faster one was the most obvious missile to expect but so sharp was the pace that a new batsman would always struggle to get bat on ball. The rest was a shriek.Kumble went up as if preparing for a back-flip, Rahul Dravid exploded into a double-appeal and the rest began the war dance. At first sight, Symonds was dead in the water but replays suggested it might have been marginally high. Steve Bucknor shook his head and the players took a while to recover from the appeal. It summed up India’s day: agonisingly close but falling just short.

Teams have to navigate through complexities of playing a five-day match for the world title barely a week after the IPL ends

Andrew McGlashan13-Mar-20232:44

What could India’s XI look like for the WTC final?

India are planning to equip their Test bowlers with the Dukes ball during the IPL so they have a chance to practice with it ahead of the World Test Championship with the crammed schedule providing challenges of how to prepare to face Australia at the Oval.The final will take place from June 7 for 11 (with June 12 as a reserve day) which means the game starts barely a week after the IPL final is expected to take place, but Test captain Rohit Sharma hoped his pace attack would be able to tune up.”We’re sending some new Dukes balls to all the fast bowlers as well to get them some time with that,” he said. “All of us have played in that part of the world so I don’t think it’s going be a huge problem. But, yeah, I believe in preparation, and preparation again is going to be key for us come the finals.”India were confirmed as Australia’s opponents when New Zealand secured a thrilling two-wicket win off the final ball of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Christchurch as the players were taking lunch in Ahmedabad.”I’m just being honest, we certainly did [follow it] today,” India coach Rahul Dravid told Star Sports. “More from the point of view it was getting really tight and close out there. It was really exciting to be following that in bits and pieces. We sort of followed it over the last four or five overs… it was lunch time for us.”Both teams will have to navigate the complexities of the calendar which will see the IPL dominate the two months of April and May, but it is accentuated for India with only Cheteshwar Pujara of their likely line-up not involved in the tournament. For the bowlers, meanwhile, operating with the Dukes ball that is used for Tests in England was adopted by the ICC for the first final in 2021 brings with it different challenges compared to the SG or Kookaburra.Related

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India qualify for WTC final after New Zealand beat Sri Lanka in Christchurch

India take series 2-1 after tedious draw on lifeless Ahmedabad pitch

Rohit also said there would be a close eye kept on bowlers’ workloads during the IPL and he hoped that any Test players involved in the teams who don’t make the finals would be able to travel to England early.”I think it’s quite critical for us,” he said. “We’re going to be in constant touch with all the IPL guys who are going to be part of that final to monitor their workload”Around May 21, there will be six teams who would possibly be out of the IPL. So, whichever players are available, we will try and find some time to see if they can reach the UK as early as possible and get some time there.”Australia missed out on the 2021 final, where New Zealand beat India, due to over-rate penalties and they have admitted in recent months that they have taken this WTC cycle more seriously. They secured their place with dominant home form – much like India – while picking up vital wins on the road in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and this tour.”The guys are really pumped by it, really excited,” Steven Smith said. “We saw India when they came back out on the field just after New Zealand had won…shaking their hands and what have you. So it’s going to be great coming up against India in the final.”The Oval wicket there can take some spin at times, particularly as the game wears on, so it could be interesting in terms of what sort of wicket we get. But it’s a great place to play cricket, there’s usually reasonable bounce and pace for an English wicket, it’s probably as close as you get to Australia potentially in terms of pace and bounce, so it’s going to be a great Test match.”With the final taking place in the first part of June, which is still reasonably early in the UK season, it would be a surprise if there was much on offer for the spinners and Rohit conceded conditions would need some adjustment but was confident they would not be too unknown. The reserve day was needed to complete the first final in 2021 because of rain in Southampton.”A neutral venue for both the teams, [but] both teams have played a lot of cricket in that part of the world,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it will be alien conditions for both teams. But, yes, compared to what it is like for India in India or Australia playing in Australia, it’s not going to be like that. It’s going to be slightly different from that which I’m pretty sure both teams will prepare for it.”

Rio Ferdinand has admitted Manchester United goalie Altay Bayindir "doesn't fill me with massive confidence" after his shaky outing against Fulham.

• Ferdinand takes aim at Bayindir
• Turk starting in goal ahead of Andre Onana
• Red Devils slipped to draw against Fulham

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Bayindir started a second Premier League game in a row on Sunday, with manager Ruben Amorim again opting for the Turkey international ahead of Andre Onana. After a difficult outing in the defeat to Arsenal, the 27-year-old was shaky again against Fulham, who earned a point when Emile Smith Rowe struck in the second half after Rodrigo Muniz's own goal, and the Red Devils look like they're trying to sign a new shot-stopper in Senne Lammens as they try to establish some solidity between the sticks.

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  Amorim has been non-committal when asked about his goalkeeping situation, with Onana's errors proving costly since his arrival from Inter Milan two years ago. Bayindir looks to have his manager's backing for now, but Ferdinand has revealed the area he needs to improve in if he is to be the long-term custodian at Old Trafford.

• WHAT FERDINAND SAID

  Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel: "We look shaky. The goalkeeper doesn't fill me with massive confidence. I've got to be honest with you, he made a great save in the game from Joshua King, when he came out with his feet, he did really well there.

  "But from set pieces, even outside of the goal, he's coming for things that are 50-50 and he's not sure. The whole backline doesn't look good in that area, not just the goalkeeper to be honest with you.

  "He [Bayandir] needs to liven up. I know that, definitely. I'll tell you what I'd do, I'd be getting him out on the pitch every day and smashing balls under the crossbar. 

  "He's got to get used to it, he's got to get used to contact and work out a way. Make sure the referee is aware by the way that there's going to be contact. Shout, get him aware to look at you so if there's any contact, like in the Fulham game, that you get the free-kick.

  "I don't think he talks enough, he doesn't make people aware of what's going on and then his decision-making in those moments hasn't been good enough. I don't think he's seen enough of that, Declan Rice whipping balls right under his nose. He's not on his own by the way in lacking a bit of confidence."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Belgian goalie Lammens was dropped from Royal Antwerp's squad for their most recent game and talks with United are thought to be progressing well. Should he arrive in the near future, it'll be fascinating to see which No.1 Amorim opts for during the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign.

Arne Slot agrees Liverpool are among the favourites for the Premier League title but says it would be "weird" to only include them because of their transfer activity.

• Slot accepts Liverpool are title frontrunners
• Reds have spent almost £300m this summer
• Have raised nearly £150m in player sales

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The reigning champions have strengthened significantly in their pursuit of successive league titles, with Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez all arriving for just shy of £300million this summer. And the Reds could still spend further as they continue to be linked with Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, despite having a £110m bid rejected.

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  However despite their heavy transfer outlay, Slot has called for more context to be applied when discussing this season's title favourites, citing Liverpool receiving almost £150million from the sales of Luis Diaz, Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher, Tyler Morton and Nat Phillips this summer.

• WHAT SLOT SAID

  When asked if Liverpool are favourites for the Premier League this season, Slot said: “If you won it last season it's quite normal that you are part of the favourites again for next season. For me it would not be normal if it's about spending, because the net spend of us compared to the other teams is not in our favour, if you look at the last two seasons. But it's completely normal that we are one of the favourites, because we won it last season. And we brought in good players, like all the other ones did, by the way.

  “So if we are only favourites because we've spent a bit, I would see that as weird, because we've lost a lot as well. But that we are favourites because we won it last season and we played so well, that's clear. And the ambitions haven't changed, because the ambition of this club is always to compete for every trophy."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR SLOT AND LIVERPOOL?

  Liverpool are next in action when they contest the Community Shield against Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. The Reds will then take on Bournemouth in their first Premier League match of the 2025-26 season at Anfield on August 15.