Statistical analysis of Michael Vaughan’s Test career

Siddhartha Talya30-Jun-2009Michael Vaughan’s retirement from all cricket is a reflection of sport’s inherent cruelty. England’s most successful Test captain, who led his team to victory in the Ashes after 18 years and oversaw a phase of prosperity rare for recent England teams, Vaughan endured a tearful resignation from captaincy following a poor run, was dropped, and quit the game after failing to win a spot with Yorkshire. Nevertheless, Vaughan triggered a resurgence in English cricket and his batting has been almost peerless for its grace and consistency.In terms of just numbers, Vaughan had a relatively quiet start in Tests but soon earned a reputation for contributing in crunch games. He scored his first half-century in that infamous match against South Africa at Centurion in January 2000, and contributed a valuable 41 in the fourth innings in his team’s two-wicket win over West Indies at Lord’s the same year.Vaughan’s Test career can be analysed in three phases. In his first 19 Tests, Vaughan averaged 36.50 with two centuries. His 20th Test, against India in England’s 170-run win at Lord’s in the summer of 2002, brought him into the limelight – he finished the year as the highest run-scorer – and sowed the seeds of his success in Australia later in the year. Vaughan averaged 102.50 in the series against India, and in his 41 Tests since the start of that series, a period spanning three years, he remained England’s highest run-getter, and the fifth-highest overall.However, his last 22 Tests, despite the euphoria of an emotional century against West Indies at Headingley in 2007, which marked his return to international cricket after an injury that ruled him out for more than a year, were his least successful, and eventually proved his undoing. Scores of 16, 2, 0, 21, 0 and 17 in his last six innings, coupled with a series defeat to South Africa at Edgbaston in July 2008, his last as captain and for England, culminated in a break from the international circuit.

Vaughan scored the most when he opened, but adapted well to his role at No.3. As opener, he formed one of the world’s most successful opening combinations with Marcus Trescothick. The pair averaged 48.76 and is currently in fifth place in the list of top opening combinations since 1999 in terms of runs scored, and fifth for England overall. He favoured playing at home, scoring 13 of his 18 centuries in England, and averaging 46.07 – a difference of almost ten compared to his average overseas. (Click here for his career summary.)Despite the blip in figures outside of England, Vaughan’s career overseas has included some notable performances that have displayed his ability to challenge the best in the world, in both pace and spin. His 183 against Australia in Sydney laid the foundation for England’s solitary Test win in the 2002-03 Ashes, but probably his best outing with the bat came against Sri Lanka in Kandy in December 2003, when he scored 52 and 105 to help England fight out a draw on the final day. His unbeaten 82 and 54 in Johannesburg in 2005 proved crucial in England’s first series win in South Africa for almost 40 years -in fact, Vaughan, before the lay-off due to injury towards the end of 2005, was England’s second-highest run-getter both home and overseas since he made his debut.However, Vaughan was not as prolific as some of his competitors while he was enjoying the most fruitful phase of his career. He was one of the top run-getters in the period, but was at No.7 in the ranking list of batsmen based on averages.

Vaughan took particular liking to India, against whom he averaged 72.57 – the second-highest among England batsmen who’ve scored 1000 runs or more against India – in nine Tests with four centuries. Three of them came in that one series in 2002, but the final one was perhaps the best among them, as he battled to 124 in a losing cause after England had conceded a massive first-innings lead at Trent Bridge in 2007. The defeat eventually resulted in Vaughan’s first series defeat at home as captain, and spiralled a run that ultimately led to his resignation. (Click here for Vaughan’s series summary as captain.)Vaughan’s greatest contribution to England, though, was his captaincy. England have won more games under his leadership than any other captain, and he is one of only 13 captains to have led their team to more than 20 wins in the longest version. Thrust into the role after Nasser Hussain’s resignation during the home series against South Africa in 2003, Vaughan began poorly with an innings defeat at Lord’s, but recovered well with victory at Trent Bridge and a series-levelling win at The Oval.

But the golden phase kicked off with series wins against West Indies both home and away, whitewashes against New Zealand and Bangladesh, a historic 2-1 win in South Africa and the ultimate prize, the Ashes in the summer of 2005. Vaughan had led England to six consecutive series wins in over a year including seven successive Test wins, which, added to a win against New Zealand under Trescothick, turned out to be England’s best run of victories in Tests.

However, his second phase as captain was disappointing. England faltered in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and suffered their first series defeat at the hands of India at home since 1986. An unprecedented home loss to South Africa was decisive in Vaughan’s exit, and though his batting average in the second part of his tenure was only slightly lower than the first, a torrid final series where he managed just 40 in five innings compounded his woes. (Click here for Vaughan’s batting record as captain.)

A century after his birth the debate about Bradman and Australian identity rumbles on

Stephen Fay09-Nov-2008
The myth of Sir Donald Bradman is still potent enough to persuade an Australian publisher to bankroll an updated version of to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth. The myth is of an infallible cricketer who survived a dark imperial plot to destabilise him (Bodyline), and then led a team of Invincibles whose brilliant exploits helped to forge a national identity. Graeme Wright, the editor of the collection, argues that the myth is redundant. “[It] no longer applies in an Australia able to assert its own identity as a nation,” he writes. But it is taking an unconscionable time dying.The Bradman shining through these pages is a sensational batsman (a report of each of his innings is plucked from and he gets a hundred every three visits to the crease). He was fastidious about his image when he was alive and his admirers, known as Bradolators – led by the former prime minister John Howard – kept the protection intact after his death. RC Robertson-Glasgow, who watched Bradman play, had fewer illusions: “There are no funny stories about The Don. No one ever laughed about Bradman. He was no laughing matter.”Australians still find it hard to make an unsentimental historical assessment of their hero. Professor Carl Bridge heads the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies at King’s College London. “The prevailing hagiography does not do Bradman’s life and character justice,” he writes. “He needs to be rescued from the naïve nationalist reductionism of the Bradolators.”But Professor Bridge concludes with a streak of pure Bradolatory: “Whatever the odd revisionist might unearth, [he was] without doubt Australia’s greatest son.” Hold on a minute. What about General John Monash, who led the best-organised army on the Western Front in 1918, or Charles Kingsford Smith, who piloted the first flight from the United States to Australia, or the Nobel Prize winners Howard Florey, who developed penicillin, and Patrick White, the epic novelist? Or even Rupert Murdoch? After all Don Bradman was only a cricketer. Bradman in Wisden
edited by Graeme Wright
Hardie Grant Books £19.99

India’s young batting star dropped his pants on debut, missed the team bus countless times, and has an obsession with a certain number

Nagraj Gollapudi04-Jun-2009<!–So, what did you buy with your IPL prize money?
I haven’t got the money yet, but I will be investing it in buying some real estate in Mumbai. –>Tell us something we don’t know about you.
People think I’m quiet, but that’s not the case.Are you lazy?
Yes. I love to sleep.Have you ever missed the team bus?
Quite a few times. I even did it during the IPL, with Deccan Chargers. And I’ve been penalised many times. At times I have ended up paying my day’s perks for the entire day’s meals [for the team] whenever I’ve missed the India bus.Talking about food, we’ve heard you love eating eggs?
Yes, once I ate 25 fried eggs at one go.Who’s a batsman you would pay to watch?
Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh. I enjoy watching left-handers.You’re an avid collector of t-shirts, apparently?
I picked up 10 Ed Hardy t-shirts on my last trip to Australia, two years ago.Do you have any autographed souvenirs?
I got two of my bats signed by every team member after we won the 2007 World Twenty20 and the CB Series in Australia in 2008. Both were amazing victories and I wanted something to remember them by.What’s the one thing you never forget to pack when going on a tour?
My boxers!Is it true you have this thing about the number five?
It is my lucky number. I like to stay in rooms whose numbers add up to five, for example.What’s the one thing you always take with you wherever you go?
I was gifted a small idol, and I always keep that close.Do you have any treasured mementos from early in your career?
I still have the Vampire bat with which I scored the first century of my life. That was when I was 12.When you were younger, was there anything you wanted to own when you were grown up?
I like BMWs. I even used to collect posters and stickers of them. As a teenager I would tell my friends that one day I would own one. Luckily, I now own a white BMW 5 series.What do hotel rooms need to make them more enjoyable?
They should have big bathtubs, not just showers.What has been the most embarrassing moment of your career?
On my first tour, in Ireland, I had to slide to stop the ball on the ropes. But in the process my trousers slid down too and the crowd had a good laugh. I was all red behind the ears with my pants down.Describe yourself in a few words?
Tough and easy going.What’s the drink you celebrate victory with?
Champagne.What’s been the best compliment you’ve received?
Adam Gilchrist said during this IPL: “You are one of the big talents, not only for India but in world cricket. You are going to be one of the brightest stars in the future.” I couldn’t stop feeling nice.

As Michael Vaughan prepares to call time on his illustrious on-field career, Cricinfo looks back on six moments when his character was fully on display

Andrew Miller28-Jun-2009A daunting debut – Johannesburg 1999-2000It’s hard to imagine any tougher introduction to Test cricket than the one that befell Vaughan against South Africa in November 1999. As Kevin Pietersen would testify five years later, the Johannesburg Bullring in full voice is one of the game’s most forbidding venues, never mind on a damp opening morning of a seismic Test series, with two of the greatest bowlers of their generation, Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock, in full cry.On a seething greentop, Donald demolished Mike Atherton’s stumps with an absurdly prolific inswinger, and before the match was three overs old, three fellow England captains – Nasser Hussain, Mark Butcher and Alec Stewart – had all departed with a paltry two runs on the board. It was left to a future England captain to restore a shred of respectability. He made only 33 in a minute shy of two hours, but it was a personal triumph nonetheless.The win that changed everything – Lord’s 2000For Donald and Pollock, read Ambrose and Walsh. West Indies were a fading force in the summer of 2000, but so long as their two great champions were allowed to dictate the terms of engagement, England knew that the Wisden Trophy, last recaptured in 1969, would remain way out of their clutches. Vaughan did not play in the series opener at Edgbaston, where Walsh’s eight wickets delivered a crushing innings victory, but he was right in the thick of a topsy-turvy second Test at Lord’s. England, pitifully, had trailed by 133 on first innings, but when Darren Gough and Andrew Caddick skittled the Windies for 54 the second-time around, the stage was set for one of the most agonising run-chases in English Test history.Needing 188 to keep the series alive, Vaughan and Atherton ground desperately towards their goal, against a pair of legends inspired by the full weight of Caribbean history. Walsh claimed the first six wickets to fall, Ambrose conceded 22 runs in 22 overs. Vaughan’s contribution was a mere 41, but by the time he’d been extracted, West Indies’ support act of Franklyn Rose and Reon King simply lacked the class to keep England at bay. The win, incidentally, was the first significant result of Hussain’s partnership with Duncan Fletcher. Who knows what might have happened if they’d gone two-down with three to play.A summer sensation – England v India 2002
By now, Vaughan’s temperament had stood up to innumerable tests, but somehow his runs had arrived only at a trickle – he was made to wait for a regular berth while Graeme Hick ran out of opportunities, and when he did get a run in the side, accidents seemed to single him out, for instance his handled-the-ball dismissal in Bangalore. But then, all of a sudden, he allied his style to unprecedented substance, and there was scarcely a bowler in the world who could contain him. After launching the summer of 2002 with a second-innings century against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, Vaughan waited for the arrival of the Indians to showcase his full repertoire.An even 100 at Lord’s was followed up with a magical 197 at Nottingham, and a no-less astonishing 195 at The Oval. In all three instances, his judgement of length was superlative, with cover drives to anything full, and flowing pull strokes on the regular occasions the bowlers dropped short. Factor in a dismissive paddle-sweep to nullify the spin of Harbhajan Singh, and all that was missing, peculiarly, was a head for heights. Twice he got to within a boundary of a double-hundred, but he’d never get so close again.The death rattle at Trent Bridge against India which eventually resulted in Vaughan’s first home series defeat as captain•Getty ImagesThunder Down Under – The Ashes 2002-03
The performance that really sowed the seeds for the miracle of 2005. Australia’s first sighting of the man who had swept all before him in England that year was inconclusive – in Brisbane, he collected three fours in ten balls to get under the skin of Glenn McGrath, but scores of 33 and 0 were no indication of what was to follow. On the first day in Adelaide, however, Vaughan took it upon himself to atone for England’s first-Test hiding. He cavorted to 177 on the first day alone, clattering 22 fours and three swivel-pull sixes, before falling in the final over of the day to leave England – somehow – precariously placed at 295 for 4.Nevertheless, though the series was slipping away, Vaughan’s determination to capitalise on his glorious form did not waver. He alone found a response as the Boxing Day Test slipped away, delivering a personal chastisement to Stuart MacGill, whom he swept, drove and pulled for 79 of his eventual 145 runs. And then, a week later in Sydney, deliverance finally came, as Vaughan’s charm-like 183 at last proved sufficient for England to force victory. His tally of 633 runs was the most by any England batsmen Down Under since Geoff Boycott and John Edrich anchored the triumph of 1970-71, and more than double the tally of the next most prolific in the side.The captain makes his mark – Old Trafford 2005
You could never tell it from his aura and detachment in the field, but the England captaincy took its toll on Vaughan. One minute he was ploughing his energies into the art of Test-match opening, the next he had transferred his attentions to the needs and requirements of his team-mates. Though his personal performances fell away dramatically, England’s record of 14 Test victories in 18 matches leading into the 2005 Ashes was a very welcome trade-off. Nevertheless, with the Australians not only targeting the captain but the man they regarded as the star batsman in the line-up, the need to land a blow for the leadership was overpowering.Sure enough, after three single-figure scores in four innings, Vaughan delivered in style at Old Trafford. He needed some luck, a lot of it in fact, as Glenn McGrath found his edge on 41 only for Adam Gilchrist to spill the chance, and then one delivery later, McGrath compounded the error by overstepping as Vaughan’s off stump went cartwheeling. He needed no further invitation to cut loose. On the bounciest track of the summer, Vaughan caressed 20 fours and a six in a brilliant 166. The captain had laid down his gauntlet.The last hurrah – Trent Bridge 2007
Michael Vaughan’s second coming as England’s captain was a sadly unfulfilled affair. After 18 months of rehab on his knee, the team to which he returned was flaky and unfamiliar, and he struggled to recapture the intensity of 2003-05. He did have his moments – not least an emotional century in his comeback Test on his home turf at Headingley, although the hopelessness of his West Indian opponents took a sheen of gloss off the achievement. And he later added a sixth century in 12 Tests at Lord’s to see off New Zealand.But neither of those performances truly replicated the memory of Vaughan in his pomp – instead, it was his magnificent but futile 124 against India at Trent Bridge that can really be regarded as his farewell performance. As if enraged at the prospect of surrendering his first-ever home series defeat, Vaughan launched into a deficit of 283 with balletic intensity, and with 18 fours all round the ground, drew England level with six wickets still standing. Who knows what might have happened if he’d piled on through to the close. Instead, he tried to work Zaheer Khan off his hip, and as the ball deflected off the under-side of his thigh-pad into his stumps, England’s series hopes evaporated with him.

May’s history of the rebel tours to South Africa does not make for easy reading, but that’s largely because apartheid itself was so appalling

Martin Williamson05-Dec-2009As England’s tour of South Africa continues without incident, it is easy to forget that, two decades ago, a side of English players led by Mike Gatting was trudging a similar route across the country. While Andrew Strauss’s team can concentrate on the cricket, that was almost incidental to Gatting’s collection of cricketing mercenaries. Vilified internationally, his team was in the wrong place at the wrong time during the dying days of the despised apartheid regime.It is too easy to forget how the spectre of South Africa haunted international sport through the 1970s and 1980s. Increasingly isolated as the stranglehold of sanctions tightened, the authorities in the republic used money to attract sportsmen who were willing to turn a blind eye to what was going on. The idea was to bring sport to an entertainment-starved (white) public and to give the impression to the world that things weren’t so bad after all. Cricket, a predominantly white sport in the country and one in which the South Africans probably had, for much of that time, a world-class XI, was at the forefront of the PR offensive.Peter May’s book looks at the seven rebel tours between 1982 and 1990, starting and ending with the two by England XIs, with a brace each by West Indies and Australia and a lamentable one by Sri Lanka in between. It does not make easy reading, but that’s largely because apartheid itself was so appalling.Even though at the time the tours were front-page news and briefly threatened to rip the game in two along racial lines, the rebel tours have had almost nothing written about them. They are cricket’s forgotten skeleton, hidden in the attic, which everyone would prefer to pretend didn’t exist. Given the sheer volume of books on cricket, the silence is even more bizarre. One of the reasons soon becomes clear. While some of the South Africans were willing to talk to the author, most of the tourists were much happier to forget.Put simply, those who went did so for the money. Some are honest, others less so. What is truly sad is the fate of those who were perhaps exploited more. While the English and Australian players escaped with fairly light punishments (John Emburey was twice banned for three years and both times returned to play for his country), the West Indians and Sri Lankans had a far more wretched time. Banned for life and socially ostracised, for some it destroyed their lives.There are also surprises. I had always assumed Sir Ian Botham had not gone because, as was often said, had he done so he could not “have looked Viv [Richards] in the eye”. May claims that Botham was all for taking part until his agent explained the financial realities. It also emerges that the South African government indirectly bankrolled the tours, exposing them for the political stunts everyone suspected them to be.The cricket itself is well-described. What is interesting is to read how the South African players and public quickly saw the tours for what they were: decent-standard exhibition cricket, but certainly not the “Tests” the South African board insisted they were. But it’s the machinations surrounding the tours that form the heart and soul of the book.The Rebel Tours: Cricket’s Crisis of Conscience
by Peter May
SportsBooks
£17.99

When in Sri Lanka: listen to local music, skip Colombo, go to Galle and enjoy the laidback lifestyle

Sidharth Monga27-Jul-2010July 11
Colombo. First thing about the city is the heat just outside the airport. Catch the city on one of those still, stifling days. Don’t like the number of buildings – offices, hotels, restaurants, shopping complexes – blocking the sea breeze on Galle Road. Down the coast, past Galle Face, is the beautiful town of Galle. Open from all sides. Will get there only next week. Can’t be soon enough.July 12
Football World Cup final night. My third big final outside India, following the two Wimbledons before this year’s one. Delirious man jumps into pool as soon as Iniesta scores in the dying minutes. Reaction in Sri Lanka nothing in comparison with former coach Jose Camacho’s while doing live commentary. On the BBC, a man in Spain says the win will let them forget the economic crisis and depression therewith for the next six months. Think sport shouldn’t mean so much.July 13
Colts Cricket Club in Havelock Town. One of many first-class venues in Colombo. Quaint little ground, trees all around. Big red Ferrari saunters in. Out comes Aravinda de Silva, dressed as if going to work in a bank. Loves his fast cars. Doesn’t like talking about them. Wild side duly wrapped up.Read of Jennifer Abegoonewardene. Asked in the UK to cancel flight booking to Cyprus because name is too long.July 14
Tour game, second day. Dilhara Fernando is fielding at a three-fourths midwicket. Kids come into the field to take autographs. Obliges. Nearly gets a mate no-balled. Inhabitants of No-ball Junction would approve.Yuvraj Singh plays a beauty to rescue the Indians from 80 for 4. Uses his feet against spin. Is picking Mendis’ googlies. Is hitting cleanly. Launches the ball twice onto the road. Has to fight cramps in a two-and-a-half hour innings. A test of physical conditioning and strength will be this tour.July 15
Hatton National Bank has the best ATM of all time. Of all time. Doesn’t give money until the card is taken back. Not even I can forget my card in the machine now.Run into Tommy Simsek, the Sri Lanka physio, who sprints onto the ground whenever needed, at the Sinhalese Sports Cub. Is walking peacefully. Shouldn’t be allowed to. The gall.

Wait for a local band, presumably baila, to play at our table in a restaurant. Band hijacked on its way by Indian tourists, who make them play Bollywood music. Why come all the way to Sri Lanka to make a local band play Indian music?

July 16
Get a five-rupee coin as part of some loose change. Specially minted for the 1999 World Cup for the defending champions. Trophy looks good, a relief from all the gaudy ones cricket somehow has to suffer. Wonder if a similar coin will be minted for 2015. Sri Lanka definitely have the side to do it, especially with more than a few games at home.July 17
Galle. Peaceful. Wild mangoes, lychees with thorny skins. Old-style hotel, one of the few buildings to have survived the tsunami despite being next to the sea. Laidback waiters, simple rooms, no TV or intercom. Gentle, sometimes choppy, sound of the sea through the day. Not the place to be working in. Sit in the balcony and enjoy the sea.July 18
Galle is full of Murali. Banners, posters, cutouts, countdown to 800 wickets, the works. Sad that all pictures of Murali have sponsor logos on them. Can do better for farewell to the greatest cricketer of the country.Rain has the first word, reducing the first day of the first Test to 68 overs. Tharanga Paranavitana and Kumar Sangakkara grind India with centuries.July 19
Rain. Torrential. No play. Free lunch and tea. India don’t turn up at the ground until late afternoon. They have to hurry when the sun comes out. Perhaps surprised by the good work done by ground staff; there is a chance play might start. More showers as soon as they arrive. Can’t be blamed. The team hotel is 40km from the ground. Unfair on players from both sides.July 20
Wait for a local band, presumably , to play at our table in a restaurant. Band hijacked on its way by Indian tourists, who make them play Bollywood music. Why come all the way to Sri Lanka to make a local band play Indian music?Indian music popular in Sri Lanka. They don’t know the meaning but they know the words. And tunes and notes.July 21
Murali and Malinga produce special efforts to kept hopes of a result alive. The pitch hardly matters to either man on this day. Reminded of Waqar with those irresistible yorkers and swing either way.Upasena’s auto-rickshaw has messages written in Dutch. In gratitude to a Dutch lady who helped him repair the vehicle after the tsunami. He remembers the nights after the tragedy, the fear of the sea coming into their houses.The view from the Galle-Colombo train•ESPNcricinfo LtdJuly 22
Perfect finish for Murali. Takes a wicket with his last ball in Tests, like Richard Hadlee, to set up a famous Test win. President of the country shortens lunch because he has to shake hands with every player. The ICC’s CEO also exploits the occasion to have a press conference. The man himself is unaffected. Is thankful he is through all this, relieved. Wonder how the next morning will feel.July 23
Time to pack up and leave Galle. For big-city hotel with room service, TV and laundry bags. A day in the life.Ignore advice from both locals and Indians and take a train to Colombo. Best decision of the tour so far. Start at 7.30am. Indian Ocean on one side, villages on other. Air conditioner not required. Lets you into so many lives for fleeting moments: children getting ready for school in one house, women putting clothes out to dry in another; an old man reading a newspaper, young men getting ready to climb coconut trees.July 24
Meet Ajantha Mendis’ coach from Army Sports Club, Saman Hervavitharana, in Colombo. Studious-looking man. Doesn’t know how Mendis developed the carrom ball, just marvels. Says Mendis shouldn’t rush through his run-up, and should get closer to the stumps when delivering. Will be watching how Mendis does in the Test.

The first two editions of the IPL made heroes out of players without reputations – Yusuf Pathan, Manish Pandey and Swapnil Asnodkar to name a few. Cricinfo looks at the dark horses to bet on during IPL 3

Nitin Sundar11-Mar-2010Thissara PereraThissara Perera is fresh to international cricket, but is already looked upon as Sri Lanka’s batting Powerplay specialist. In his third ODI, against India in January, Perera showed exactly why he is held in high regard by the Sri Lanka think-tank. Walking into a tight chase that needed a further 54 off 39 balls to reach fruition, Perera’s 15-ball 36 sealed the match with two overs to spare.That is the kind of explosive impact that Chennai Super Kings could do with in their middle order, which in past seasons has struggled to capitalize on the momentum provided at the top, by Mathew Hayden and Suresh Raina. Perera’s handy seamers, which wreaked havoc in the recent Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament where he picked 9 wickets at 13.11, provide MS Dhoni the option of a strike bowler in the middle of the innings. Given Albie Morkel’s poor form, Andrew Flintoff’s absence and Jacob Oram’s injury woes, Perera could well emerge the key allrounder for Chennai this season.Mitchell MarshHis IPL captain Adam Gilchrist has been raving about him recently. Many in Australia hold him as the best young player in the country. Mitchell Marsh, brother of Shaun, is a powerful batsman and a medium pacer who recently led Australia U-19 to victory in the World Cup.In 2008-09, at the age of 17, he became the youngest ever player to feature in Australian domestic one-day competition and was also the youngest debutant for Western Australia in 70 years. He announced himself the following summer with a a 29-ball 60 against NSW in an FR Cup game. Expect sparks to fly in this IPL.Michael LumbShane Warne has the knack of unearthing heroes from the most unexpected quarters and Michael Lumb could be his next surprise discovery. A hard-hitting batsman from South Africa, Lumb made his way through the junior ranks in Transvaal before moving to England. After an initial high, his abilities seemed to have plateaued and he was dropped by Yorkshire in 2005.A couple of uneventful seasons later, Lumb moved to Hampshire in 2007, and thereafter the stars aligned perfectly. He found his calling in the youngest format of the game, and peaked in 2009 with 442 runs in 11 games, a performance that caught the eyes of Warne as well as the national selectors. An England Lions call-up followed, but Lumb’s biggest break yet could be the Rajasthan Royals’ contract. After the heroics of Yusuf Pathan and Kamran Khan in past seasons, Lumb may well emerge as the new poster boy for a side that regularly punches above its weight.R SatishAt the age of 29, R Satish’s journey to prominence has been one full of dead-ends, detours and determination. Hailing from a modest background, from the town of Trichy in Tamil Nadu, Satish had to cycle 20 km everyday during his formative years just to have a chance to play the game. Despite breaking into the Tamil Nadu team in 2000-01, he was unable to become a permanent fixture in the side and migrated to Assam in 2003. Playing for a relatively weaker side, he averaged over fifty through two strong seasons, the highlight being an unbeaten 204 against his earlier team. He later broke away from the mainstream and joined the Indian Cricket League where he made waves with the Chennai-based franchise, and as the captain of the ICL India XI.He returned to the Tamil Nadu side after BCCI’s offer of amnesty to the ICL players and his second wind has been pivotal in the state’s ascendancy in the domestic scene. A hard-hitting batsman who can hold his own with the ball, Satish is also a livewire in the field. He shone in all three facets of the game, as Tamil Nadu clinched the recently-concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy, and goes into the IPL in the middle of a purple patch.Eoin MorganMichael Lumb smashed 442 runs in 11 games last year•Getty ImagesPurchased by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for $220,000, Morgan is undoubtedly the biggest steal of the 2010 auction. An Irish import to England colours, he brings to the table the rare ability to play innovative, yet risk-free, shots under pressure. He announced himself on the international stage with a breathtaking 67 off 34 balls that eliminated South Africa from the Champions Trophy in 2009, followed by a mauling of the same attack in a Twenty20 fixture in Johannesburg.While those knocks proved that he could come up trumps against the best bowlers in the world, his contrastingly calm and collected century in an ODI chase against Bangladesh epitomised his ability to adapt to the situation. The stand-out feature of his innings was the ability to manufacture shots, such as the powerful, yet carpet-bound, reverse-sweeps in front of square, through packed off-side fields. Such innovation will come in handy for Bangalore, who have their share of correct batsmen in Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid.Mohnish MishraMohnish Mishra is a hard-hitting batsman who made a name for himself as a T20 opener while playing in the ICL. He rejoined the BCCI fold last year to play first-class cricket for Madhya Pradesh. In six T20 games for Madhya Pradesh, he averages 41.80 at a strike rate of 155.97 and from 16 List A games, he averages over 50 at a strike rate of 97.Gilchrist, his IPL captain, has already said he is really impressed with Mishra’s batting prowess but it’s to be seen whether Mishra gets a chance to make a name for himself in this IPL.R AshwinIn 2009, R Ashwin’s role in the IPL was limited to one excellent spell against Punjab, but circumstances suggest he could be crucial to Chennai’s campaign this year. While his bowling has crossed the barrier that separates adequate from effective, he has improved immeasurably with the bat. The highlight of his domestic season was the Duleep Trophy semi-final where he struck two fighting half-centuries apart from contributing six vital second-innings scalps.While Ashwin is at the peak of his powers, it helps his cause that there may be a slow-bowling vacancy in the Chennai ranks with their first-choice spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan, not in the best of form. Shadab Jakati stepped up well last season with his incisive left-arm spin, which could be complemented by Ashwin’s off-breaks delivered from a high trajectory. If Ashwin is included ahead of Murali, it will also open up an overseas slot for Chennai.

India’s batting line-up and spinners give them a distinct upper hand in the two-Test series against Australia

S Rajesh29-Sep-2010A two-Test series does scant justice to a rivalry which has been the most consistently compelling of the last decade, but Australia and India will have to make do with just that over the next two weeks. That still gives India a chance to further strengthen their hold on their top position, and they’ll fancy their chances against an opposition they beat 2-0 the last time they toured. For Australia, on the other hand, it’s an opportunity to avenge their convincing defeat of 2008, and take their first step towards regaining the top spot. For both teams, this will also be the beginning of a crucial period of Test cricket – Australia host the Ashes later this year, while India host New Zealand and then travel to South Africa.Australia still lead the overall head-to-head record comfortably, but over the last ten years India have held their own against them, winning seven out of 19 Tests. In the last five series between the two, both teams have won a couple, while the 2003-04 series in Australia was drawn 1-1.

Over the last couple of years more teams have challenged Australia’s dominance, but India is the only side which has won more than it has lost against them since 2001. In this period, Australia have beaten India six times and lost on seven occasions, giving them a win-loss ratio of 0.85. Against all other teams, their ratio is at least 2.50; England have won a couple of home series against them, but despite that they only have a 6-15 win-loss record during this period. South Africa is the only other team to have won more than a Test against them.

The biggest problem for Australia on their tours to India has been the inconsistency of their top batsmen. Among those who are in the current squad, most average lower in India than in other countries. For some batsmen the difference is small, but for others it’s huge.The one batsman who has plenty to prove in India is Ricky Ponting. He has toured India five times, and played 12 Tests, but he has struggled almost every time. His first Test century in this country came on his previous tour, in 2008-09, when he scored 123 in the first Test in Bangalore. Even that, though, didn’t translate into sustained momentum, as his next six innings in that series fetched him only 143. His average in that series was 38, which, while not meeting his lofty standards, was still comfortably higher than anything he had managed on previous tours, and a huge improvement on his average of 3.40 in 2001. Michael Clarke started his Test career with a delightful century in Bangalore, but he has scored only one more hundred in his next 14 innings in India.

Most of the Indian batsmen, on the other hand, have excellent home records against Australia. VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar have consistently done well, while Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni have excellent numbers too: Gambhir has two hundreds in four Tests, while Dhoni averages more than 60. The only major disappointment has been Rahul Dravid: the 180 he scored in that unforgettable Kolkata Test in 2001 remains his only century at home against Australia in 26 innings, and his average of 35.52 is well below his career average of almost 53. His last two home attempts against them have been particularly disappointing – in 14 innings, he has scored a mere 287 runs. With this certain to be his last home Test series against Australia, it’s his final chance to make amends.

There are question marks over Harbhajan Singh’s fitness, and it will be a cruel blow to India if he misses either of the two Tests. In home games against Australia, Harbhajan has been outstanding, averaging seven wickets per match – against a career average of 4.2 – and less than eight overs per wicket. He was truly astonishing in 2001, but even in the last two series Harbhajan has done pretty well, taking 21 wickets at an average of 24 in 2004 and 15 at 28.86 in 2008. Zaheer Khan is the other big threat, but he has generally been more effective overseas than at home, averaging 37.30 in 29 Tests in India, and 30.93 abroad.

The venues for the two Tests, Mohali and Bangalore, are also interesting choices given India’s recent records there. Mohali has been excellent for the hosts – India have won three out of six since 2000 and drawn the others – but Bangalore has been equally dismal, with three defeats and no wins in six games during this period. (Click here to see India’s Test record at all home venues since 2000.)Australia will look forward to playing in Bangalore too – since 1990, they’ve won two out of three Tests here, and drawn the other. In Mohali they’ve lost their only match, in 2008, by 320 runs.

Most of the current Indian batsmen have performed well in Mohali, which is the venue of the first Test. Gambhir, Sehwag, Dravid and Laxman all average more than 55 at this ground, but Tendulkar has been below par, scoring only one century in 14 innings. Gambhir’s last four Test innings here – two each against Australia and England – read 67, 104, 179 and 97. With both Sehwag and Gambhir among the runs at this ground, the opening partnerships have blossomed too: in six innings, these two batsmen have put together two century and two half-century stands, and average 81. Their highest came on Australia’s previous tour in 2008, when the pair added 182 in India’s second innings.

Mohali used to be a venue which helped fast bowlers, but over the last decade, spinners have done much better, as is illustrated by the table below. The only fast bowler to take a five-for in six Tests during this period is L Balaji, while Zaheer has taken eight wickets in four Tests at an average of 59. (Click here for the full list of fast bowlers at this ground since 2000.)Spinners, on the other hand, have fared quite well. Apart from Harbhajan and Anil Kumble who’ve had plenty of success here, legspinners Amit Mishra and Danish Kaneria have been among the wickets too. (Click here for the full list of spinners since 2000.)

Pataudi brought to Indian cricket a dash of hauteur and a touch of heroism

Mukul Kesavan21-Aug-2010When I was growing up in the sixties, the Nawab of Pataudi Jr was more than my favourite cricketer; he was my hero. He was the captain of India in 1963-64, when MCC toured with a second-rate team led by MJK Smith. That was the first cricket series that I actively followed with the help of running commentary on All India Radio and pictures published in . Pataudi did nothing noteworthy either as captain or player. All five Tests were drawn, and the Nawab’s contribution as a batsman was one double-century and not much more.But it didn’t matter. I knew about Pataudi before I began to follow Test cricket, in the way that I knew of Dara Singh and Milkha Singh. India was a brand-new country in 1957, the year I was born, and in its enthusiasm for mascots it fashioned heroes out of some pretty eccentric material. I knew, for example, that Dara Singh was India’s first world champion and that he had got there by wrestling King Kong to the ground. This was a fact; the older boys I played gully cricket with had told me. Just as they had told me that Pataudi had only one eye.Looking back, it’s hard to believe the hours we spent debating the state of Pataudi’s eye. There was a colour picture of him in the souvenir album that Esso published in 1964 to mark the MCC tour. It was a spiral-bound album and each player had a page to himself, with space for a picture and a short biography on the right. You bought the album from the petrol pump and each time your parents filled up, you collected some photos and stuck them in the marked spaces. As a marketing ploy, it was brilliant: no Burmah Shell pump sold my parents a drop of petrol till I had filled in the whole album.As a result, I knew more about Jim Parks and Phil Sharpe than anyone needed to know, but Pataudi’s bio was frustrating because it didn’t settle the matter of his eye. Was it a glass eye, or a normal one that didn’t work? It was hard to tell from the photo. Still, it was a dashing picture, with Pataudi looking vaguely rakish, as a Nawab should. The bio let you know that he had captained Oxford and played for Sussex, which didn’t hurt the image. Forty years ago these things mattered.

Pataudi was the best expert commentator I’ve ever heard: sharp, sardonic and rude, but I’m glad he didn’t make it a living because it left my memories of him intact. I didn’t have to watch him age into a professional hack

A part of his mystique was the romance of him being a Nawab, multiplied by the improbable fact that he was the son of another Nawab of Pataudi, who had also captained India. To complete the fairy tale for seven-year-old fans like me, just about two years before the MCC tour, he had become, at 21, the youngest captain in the world, when he was given the job in the West Indies after Charlie Griffith broke Nari Contractor’s head. And there was more: he wasn’t just the Nawab of Pataudi – he was Tiger. For us it wasn’t just a name, it was an attitude. I remember him fielding in the covers against the New Zealanders at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi, chasing balls down, well, tigerishly. I think the reason we worshipped him was that at a time when Indian Test teams ranged from mediocre to terrible, he still managed to lead them boldly, with panache and without deference. It didn’t hurt that he was born and raised in privilege; ironically, the citizens of republican India were delighted to be led by a debonair prince.So did his batting matter? Of course it did. There were the two fifties he made against Bob Simpson’s Australians that helped us win the Bombay Test in the three-Test series played immediately after the MCC tour. There was the fifty and the hundred in a losing cause at Headingley in 1967. India lost every Test in that series, but listening to on the BBC’s World Service I was content that my hero had top-scored in India’s first innings and then hit a wonderful 148 out of a total of 510 to avoid a follow-on (India lost respectably, by six wickets).Listening to John Arlott and Brian Johnston speculate about the batting heights Pataudi might have scaled with two good eyes, I forgave him all the innings when he scored nothing and hadn’t seemed to care. Best of all, there were the two fifties he hit against the Australians in the Melbourne Test of 1967-68, where, literally hamstrung, he hit 75 and 85, “with one good eye and on one good leg… ” (Mihir Bose, ). We still lost by an innings, but I was used to finding individual consolation in collective failure and the thought of Pataudi, hobbled but heroic, hooking and pulling his way to gallant defeat, was enough.I didn’t actually see him play that many innings. There was his top score of 203 not out in Delhi in that dull dead rubber against Smith’s MCC, and the hundred, also in Delhi, against the New Zealanders the following year, which, for once, was in a winning cause. But I can’t really remember his strokeplay in the way I can for Gavaskar or Azhar or Laxman, or any batsman made familiar by live telecasts. I saw more of Pataudi after he retired and turned up on television as an expert than I did when he was a player. He was the best expert commentator I’ve ever heard: sharp, sardonic and rude, but I’m glad he didn’t make it a living because it left my memories of him intact. I didn’t have to watch him age into a professional hack. Listening at Richie Benaud on Channel Nine, it’s impossible to believe he ever played cricket. Pataudi was my hero from a time before television, through a childhood where I followed cricket by hearing it described; in a golden age where I didn’t have to see to believe.

There was no upset in Sharjah as Afghanistan were comfortably beaten, but they did enough to show they deserve more chances at the top level

George Dobell in Sharjah10-Feb-2012If anyone feared that Afghanistan might wilt in the spotlight when they stepped up to the bigger stage, their concerns were soon dispelled in Sharjah. True, Afghanistan did not win their first ODI against a Full member nation. But they were not out of their depth, either. They showed that, with a bit more experience and a bit more help, they could be a major force in world cricket. Perhaps more importantly, Afghanistan did the cause of Affiliate and Associate cricket the power of good with a performance that showed that good quality cricket extends far beyond the ten Test-playing nations.The defining moment of this encounter came within the first hour. Saeed Ajmal, the scourge of England – the No.1 rated Test team, remember – was called into the attack. While some players – some nations – might have taken a cautious approach to the challenge of facing one of the world’s great spinners, caution is not the Afghanistan way.Instead Mohammad Shahzad, a pugnacious cricketer somewhat in the mould – physically and mentally – of Arjuna Ranatunga, produced an audacious reverse-sweep and carted Ajmal’s third delivery over the cover boundary for six. It was a stroke that spoke volumes for the fearlessness of his side and exemplified their positive approach. It was also in stark contrast to the timidity shown by England against the same bowler in their recently concluded Test series.It was the moment that summed up the match and, for that, matter Afghanistan cricket. Some teams might have chosen to ease their way into such a high-profile encounter, but not Afghanistan. Despite being the first Affiliate nation – that is a nation on the third tier of ICC membership – to play an ODI against one of the Test-playing nations, they elected to bat and, within the opening overs, waged an audacious assault upon the Pakistan bowling that saw respected international bowler Umar Gul thrashed for a six back over his head and Wahab Riaz plundered for three fours in succession. Ajmal, used to running through England with unbecoming ease, went wicketless.We should have known that the pressure of this occasion would not bother the Afghan team. After dealing with war and displacement, the bustle of sporting contest holds few fears. As Keith Miller, Australian cricketer and war time bomber pilot so memorably put it: “pressure is a Messerschmitt up your arse; playing cricket is not.”It would be hard to exaggerate how important cricket is to the people of Afghanistan, though. In a recent history littered with division and despair, the sport has unified the nation as perhaps nothing has before. A minister in the Afghanistan government suggested that as many as 80% of Afghans, both living at home and abroad, followed this game. In a country that has experienced more than its fair share of grief, cricket has brought joy. There will surely be more to come, too.In the end it took contributions from a pair of vastly experienced international cricketers to defeat them. Younis Khan, with a high class innings, and Shahid Afridi, with an excellent display of bowling, ensured that Pakistan were not to stumble.

It would be hard to exaggerate how important cricket is to the people of Afghanistan, though. In a recent history littered with division and despair, the sport has unified the nation as perhaps nothing has before

Afghanistan are far from the first side to fall victim to Afridi’s mixture of top-spin, googlies and out-right pace. Muttiah Muralitharan is now the only spinner to have taken more than Afridi’s 338 ODI wickets. This was the eighth five-wicket haul of Afridi’s ODI career. Only Brett Lee, Murali and Waqar Younis have taken more and, after the game, when Misbah-ul-Haq hailed Afridi as one of the “best one-day bowlers in the world” it was hard to disagree. Younis Khan passed Viv Richards’ ODI run tally in this game, too. It is no disgrace to be beaten by a side containing such players.There were, however, numerous tell-tail signs of inexperience in the Afghanistan performance. The enterprising sixth-wicket stand between Samiullah Shenwari and Mohammad Nabi was ended when the latter, batting very well indeed, let his enthusiasm get the better of him and was run out after backing up too far. Later Dawlat Zadran followed a no-ball with a slower ball so obvious that Asad Shafiq might have had time to read a book before it reached him. He pulled it for four with something bordering on disdain. Four overthrows gifted via a wild and unnecessary throw and a few dropped half-chances did not help, either.But such flaws are inevitable in a side as raw as this. With more exposure to this level, they will surely improve. This was a first step. And, as first steps go, it was better than most could reasonably have expected. Pakistan won with seven wickets and 77 balls to spare. It will be no surprise if they beat England by such margins, either.And remember, Afghanistan were without their top strike bowler. Hamid Hassan injured his knee while fielding for the Associate and Affiliate XI team that played against England at the start of their tour of the UAE – he was unable to stop after pursuing a ball to the boundary; a typical example of his enthusiasm – and required minor surgery. It is anticipated that he should be fit for the World T20 qualifiers to be played in the UAE next month.Where next for Afghanistan in ODI cricket? They play two more ODIs against the Netherlands at the end of March, before travelling to Ireland for two more. At present, there are no more games scheduled against Full Member nations, though ESPNcricinfo understands that talks are on-going with Bangladesh and, as Tim Anderson, the ICC’s global development officer, puts it, this match against Pakistan will be “the first of many” games between the sides. Afghanistan are also taking part in the World T20 qualifying tournament in the UAE next month.Shahid Afridi ran through Afghanistan’s batting, but they aren’t alone in that•AFPTheir potential – and the potential of Associate and Affiliate cricket – should not be doubted. It will surely have escaped the attention of few that, while this game attracted a full house of 14,000 spectators, the Tests series between Pakistan and the No. 1 rated Test team, England, was, on the whole, played in front largely deserted stadiums. In the longer term, the ICC and leading Test nations may need the Associate and Affiliate as much as the affiliates and associates need the ICC now.This match should also have served as an incentive to other nations. If Afghanistan, divided by war for decades, can achieve so much so fast, why is progress so minimal in the USA, for example? As Anderson says, if USA had the governance and administration of Ireland and the raw talent and enthusiasm of Afghanistan, their development would be rapid. The promise of elections in USA cricket next month should be the stepping stone to more accountability and more progress.”We want to pay special thanks to Pakistan Cricket Board for giving us this opportunity,” Nawroz Mangal, the Afghanistan captain said afterwards. “Now we request that the ICC present us with similar chances to play against other experienced sides. If we play against them, we will learn.”Mangal suggested the run-out of Nabi was the crucial moment of the match and suggested that, had he been able to bat for another eight overs, Afghanistan would have achieved their target of a score of between 240 and 250.”There are lots of teams out there watching this,” Anderson said. “And it will show them that, if Afghanistan can do it, so can they. Just walking into the stadium made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Afghanistan are flying the flag of Affiliate cricket. They are showing the huge potential that exists beyond the Test nations.”Pakistan, meanwhile, move on to Abu Dhabi where they will face England in the first of four ODIs on Monday. They have now won their last seven ODIs and 13 of their last 14. It remains to be seen whether England can test them any more than Afghanistan.