All posts by n8rngtd.top

Given the first set of conditions in this series that suit his gifts, Graeme Swann has tempted the great stroke-makers to hit against his classical brand of offspin with the deception of a cheeky expression

Sharda Ugra at The Oval22-Aug-2011At stumps on Sunday evening, Graeme Swann arrived at the media briefing, sat down, looked around the room and asked, “Right, who’s first?”When he takes the field tomorrow with only seven Indian wickets remaining between England and 4-0, it is a question Swann may ask himself again to work out how he should set about his day. The choice is between Sachin Tendulkar and Amit Mishra, batting titan and nightwatchman; with Swann’s love for centre stage as an indicator, it won’t be difficult to guess against whom he would like to weave a spell within a spell.Like he always does, Swann will bound in tomorrow; floppy hair, whirling arms, clean action, sunglasses, part skittish-schoolboy, part-performer. This, The Oval, is his element. A victory to push for, a pitch giving him the whole deal, eccentric turn, an explosive rough, lively bounce, even some skid, and a selection of the world’s best players of spin.Given the first set of conditions in this series that suit his gifts, Swann has gone seeking the truffle among his opponents. He has offered his brand of classical offspin, varying loop and pace with control and tempting the great stroke-makers to hit against his break with the deception of a cheeky expression.On the green deck of Trent Bridge and the quieter wickets of Lord’s and Edgbaston, the masters treated him with contempt; before this Test he had taken four of the 60 Indian wickets in the series.Now at the first sign of bite, Swann has dived into a feast. He accounted for Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina in India’s first innings. As they followed on, Swann came on in the seventh over with the new ball and sent back Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag in an uninterrupted spell of 15 overs till stumps.Dravid – Swann’s second Test wicket – faced him for 100 deliveries and when following on, was forced into defending far too much with men around him. Something had to give, and after almost seven hours of batting, it had to be Dravid. It was “very satisfying,” Swann said.”Dravid was the one wicket we were gunning for … we were happy to see the back of him.” The wicket came with another prolonged piece of debate about a referral over a not-out which was reversed. Dravid later said he had got “a bit of a feather” on the ball which went to Alastair Cook at short leg.If Dravid was resolutely trying to keep the ball away from the stumps, Sehwag was trying to settle into his longest innings on this tour so far. Everything that Swann threw at him, Sehwag tried to flay through the off side. Early on, one turned sharply and flew past bat, pad, stumps and wicketkeeper for four byes and Swann mournfully told his captain, “It’s not my day.” Strauss told him, “Stop being so bloody pessimistic.”A few overs later, one zipped through the gate past a loose drive to strike Sehwag’s middle stump. “It only happens three-four times a year if you are lucky so when it does turn up in front of you, it’s one to savour … especially when it’s a player of his (Sehwag’s) repute and standing,” Swann said. “When it comes out of the hand, you know it’s in the right place but when you actually see it go through the gap, it’s a wonderful feeling.”Graeme Swann has made the most of helpful conditions at The Oval•Getty ImagesHe wants more of that tomorrow, the quicker the better. Once soft, the ball actually sank on Sunday into a passage of play where between the 60th and the 80th over, the bowlers suddenly went flat and batsmen found run-making easier. “We’ve probably got 25-30 overs with it still spinning and seaming. Today, it did absolutely nothing for 15 overs. We need to be wary of that, we need to try and get the wickets early in the morning.” His aim was three-four before lunch. “Especially if we get Tendulkar. We don’t want him staying around for too long.”Swann also offered another option which England have: reverse swing in case of the ball staying dry and the wicket seeing enough sun. If it does pan out the way Swann wants, everyone could be home just after lunch. If it doesn’t, then the England bowling attack will have to show one another aspect of their considerable skill.The period when the ball went “dead” – around the 60th over – said much to the Indians about the opportunities they have squandered. India’s innings have got shorter and shorter in this series, like skirts in the Sixties. The past two days, twisted antecedents aside, are the longest England have bowled in the series, clocking 129 overs.When kept in the field for long, like all bowlers, England’s began to show a few fraying edges as well. A couple of misfields, a bad throw here and there, a missed run-out, the first signs of heavy-footedness in the field from an otherwise energetic pace attack. A possible stumping of Tendulkar off Swann, which was the topic of much debate, didn’t even reach the third umpire because no one appealed.Swann heard about the incident when he returned to the pavilion and offered one of his wisecracks. “What can I say, I can’t see, I’m only at the bowler’s end. There are only about 12 pairs of eyes all around the stumps. It’s not exactly the brains trust you field out there, so it’s no surprise none of them really picked up on it. Surprised Matty Prior didn’t appeal because he appeals for everything.”Many throats will be cleared before England go out tomorrow because their push for 4-0 will require seven more wickets and much appealing off Swann’s bowling to get there. “It’s going to be a hard day, make no bones about that, we have got seven more wickets. We need to get them fairly sharpishly, so we don’t end up in a situation where we might have to bat again. We need to crack on in the same vein where we finished tonight.”England have got to a 4-0 whitewash or beyond only twice in the post-war period: against West Indies in 2004 and in 1959 against India. Should India resist tomorrow, nothing will change in the scoreline that stands or in the ICC rankings, other than England sensing yet again how adeptly they have worked all their advantages in the series. Should India collapse in a heap, the sheer might of this result must be absorbed: unlike West Indies of 2004 – despite Brian Lara’s presence – and India of 1959, a much stronger adversary has actually been made to look decrepit.

ESPNcricinfo presents Plays of the Day for the match between India and Sri Lanka in Adelaide

Sidharth Monga at the Adelaide Oval14-Feb-2012The run-out
Angelo Mathews got a full toss in the 47th over. He missed it and for some reason even he might struggle to come up with, he went off for a run with the ball in MS Dhoni’s hands. Dhoni flicked the ball back onto the stumps for one of the more bizarre run-outs seen in international cricket.The bowling change
Throughout the summer Michael Clarke has been making bowling changes with immediate dividends. Today MS Dhoni stole some of that touch. In the 37th over, with Sri Lanka looking good for a score of over 270, Dhoni brought back Vinay Kumar. With his second delivery, Vinay removed Mahela Jayawardene with one that stayed a touch low. A collapse ensued, and Sri Lanka went from 3 for 173 to 9 for 236.The glance
In the 28th over of the India innings, Lasith Malinga bowled a full ball on Suresh Raina’s pad. Raina glanced it fine, a little too fine. It went off the face of the bat, a regulation catch for Kumar Sangakkara. Raina looked down at the pitch, up at the umpire, and then had to walk off.The block
Dhoni was new to the crease when he got a full ball outside off from Malinga. He blocked it defensively. A combination of the pace on the ball and the accidental sweet timing took it screaming away for a four through cover, all along the ground.The run-out II
It is impossible not to look at the background. In the previous match, Gautam Gambhir scored 92, and India made heavy weather of the rest of the chase. Today, Gambhir and Dhoni came together again with the chase a few overs from being a done thing. Then, with Gambhir on 91, Dhoni called him for a quick single to mid-off, and with Gambhir well on his way, turned him back. Gambhir missed another century.

Plays of the Day from the first day of the third Test between New Zealand and South Africa in Wellington

Firdose Moonda at Basin Reserve23-Mar-2012 Kallis moment of the day
South Africans are often of the view that Jacques Kallis does not get the recognition he is due and that his importance to the team is often undervalued. If they needed evidence that it is not, it came today. Kallis was forced to withdraw from the match because of a stiff neck, making it the first time since the Boxing Day Test in 2006 that he has missed a Test for South Africa.Usually, he plays despite his niggles. Against India in January last year, he batted with a side strain which the team doctor described as being as painful as breaking a rib every time he moved and scored a hundred in each innings. Kallis’ injury meant that South Africa had to reshuffle their XI to maintain balance. They were forced to sacrifice their frontline spinner, Imran Tahir, because Kallis needs two players to replace him. JP Duminy was named in the middle order and Marchant de Lange will do the bowling duties in Kallis’ absence.DRS decision of the day
Technology has come to play a starring role in this series and found its way into the spotlight again. Graeme Smith was given out by Aleem Dar after Doug Bracewell got one to nip back in as Smith attempted a cover drive. New Zealand were convinced bat met ball but Smith was not and asked for the review. Hot Spot did not reveal anything, although there was a noise but Billy Doctrove, who is the third umpire for the match, upheld Dar’s decision.Last week, Virtual Eye inventor Ian Taylor said the umpires should be able to use their discretionary powers to over-rule technology, if they felt they had enough evidence to do so, and this may have been the first application of that theory.Sign of the day
Officials at the ground took decisive action after a lengthy delay caused by too much movement on the grandstand end held up play when Mark Gillespie was bowling. The staircase leading to the stand was soon being manned by someone who had to tie a rope blocking off access every time the bowling changed ends. Printed posters were also made, which read “Please remain seated whilst bowling from this end.” The spectators who saw the suited man in their way sniggered as he went about his task while Dean Brownlie bowled. It turned out they belonged to the grammar police as one of them piped up, “Does Dean Brownlie know he should be seated now?”Drop of the day
When Alviro Petersen charged down the track to Daniel Vettori, the ball was headed the way of those sitting on the grass embankment at long-on. It travelled long and high, giving a spectator enough time to get under it and after running to his left, he let the ball slip through his fingers. He lost the chance to win $200, which he was reminded of as the big screen flashed the amount, and ducked his head in embarrassment at his mistake.

Zimbabwe were once a very tidy fielding side but their efforts in Hambantota left much to be desired

Andrew Fernando in Hambantota19-Sep-2012It has been a cliché among weaker teams that though they could not compete with the heavyweights in the batting or bowling, at least their effort in the field did not lack. Few will expect these sides to fire in direct hits from the edge of the circle on a regular basis, or to make too many stunning stops in the covers or point, but as long as mistakes are omitted the minnows can retain some credibility; at least they competed as equals in one aspect.There was once a time when this was true for Zimbabwe too – in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Occasionally spectacular, but routinely tidy, the team made a name for itself for being committed and disciplined, and this somehow gave weight to the notion that they were a team on the rise. If they were getting one discipline right, perhaps the others would soon follow.But as Zimbabwe showed in the World Twenty20 opener against Sri Lanka, those days are gone, and that good work undone. Brendan Taylor had urged his charges to “give it everything” before taking the field, and although the sins of the bowlers and batsmen against one of the tournament favourites are forgivable, their errors in the field cast aspersions on Zimbabwe’s diligence.Malcolm Waller had the roughest time in the field. Perhaps the first chance that came his way, running back from mid-on to chase down a top-edged pull, was a difficult one, but the catch he grassed at deep midwicket three overs later would have been expected to be held at a club cricket match. Shortly before that, a run-out chance had been missed, though it did require a direct hit.Then there were the myriad misfields to allow the batsmen to steal extra runs. Chris Mpofu loped around from short fine leg to intercept a gentle sweep shot in the ninth over, but let the ball slip through his fingers to allow a single. A few overs later, he did well to get a hand onto a powerful straight drive to kill some of the shot’s momentum, but the job still proved beyond Brian Vitori, who at long-on misfielded the slowing ball, and palmed it out of Prosper Utseya’s grasp and into the boundary rope. At other times, wild throws allowed more sneaky runs and and a shy at the stumps with no chance of running out the batsman, and no one backing up, surrendered four overthrows.”We felt 150-160 on a big outfield would be about par and if we fielded well we would’ve kept Sri Lanka to that much,” Taylor said after the match. “We let ourselves down on the field, leaked too many runs and dropped catches.”In Zimbabwe’s last international tour early in the year, the fielding had at times been even worse. In New Zealand, they dropped chances not even worthy of being called catching practice. In one ODI, four simple catches were spilt inside three overs. At some point, the poor tone in the field must affect the other disciplines too, and against the quality of opposition Zimbabwe faced in Hambantota, the batting and bowling needs all the help it can get.”In the past we have been a very good fielding side, but we are aware of the fact that we have let our standards drop, and that has been an issue for a while,” Taylor said. “It’s certainly something that has been talked about and looked at, and we are working on improving ourselves there and getting back to that level we know we can be.”Zimbabwe now know they must move mountains to avoid a first-round exit. Even if they somehow beat South Africa on Thursday night, their net run-rate following the 82-run first-up loss is likely to be the poorest among the three teams. The Super Eights might be a pipe dream, but Zimbabwe will know that every time they step out to play, their credibility is on trial. A clean performance in the field in their remaining match will reassure fans Zimbabwe deserve their place in the tournament, and might one day make a genuine lunge at the tournament’s second phase.

Plays of the Day from the fourth day of the first Test between Bangladesh and West Indies in Mirpur

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur16-Nov-2012Milestone of the day
Mahmudullah completed his half-century early on the fourth day, taking a single in the third over to score his first since March 2010. Not long after, he took the more important single to post Bangladesh’s highest team total, off the final ball of the 136th over. It overtook the 488 Bangladesh scored against Zimbabwe in Chittagong almost eight years ago.Payback of the day
It will be hard to forget Chris Gayle dispatching Sohag Gazi’s first ball in Test cricket for six. Today, Gazi returned the favour with the bat, almost. He skipped out of the crease and chipped Sunil Narine for a boundary, off his first ball in Test cricket. Two dot balls later, however, he played back to a sharp off-break and had his off-stump pegged back.Misfortune of the day
Nasir Hossain refused many singles during his 61-run ninth-wicket partnership with Shahadat Hossain, so it was clear how little he trusted the man from Signboard, Narayanganj (yes, that’s where he’s from). Nasir rushed through the 90s, hammering two boundaries to move to 96. Tino Best’s slower ball however had the better of him, the batsman edging a push into the hands of Chris Gayle at first slip, to become the tenth Bangladesh batsman to be dismissed in the 90s. His selflessness didn’t pay there.Effort of the day
Shahadat played his part in helping get rid of Gayle in the sixth over of the West Indies second innings. Off the first ball of the over, Gayle’s flick towards deep-square leg was boundary-bound but Shahadat saved the four, with a little flick of his leg while he was prostrate. Shakib helped out with a strong throw and it kept Gayle down to two and on strike. Two balls later, Rubel Hossain had him caught behind.Catch of the day
Gazi got one to bounce at Marlon Samuels, which he popped to short square-leg Shahriar Nafees. Replays showed that the catcher had in fact backed away slightly as the batsman shaped to hit the ball through midwicket. But Nafees, apparently despite not really planning to, held on somehow. This on a day when Junaid Siddique dropped two catches, and Shahadat one.Timely blow of the day
Gazi has shown many skills with the ball in his debut Test, including a delivery that goes straight on. Off what turned out to be the final ball of the fourth day, the offspinner bowled a beauty to get rid of nightwatchman Veerasammy Permaul, who went on to the front foot, groped and missed the straight one completely. It pushed West Indies to 244 for 6, ahead by 215 runs with four wickets in hand, going into the final day.

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013

As I write, Broad and Prior are launching a spectacular Headingley-81-style fightback – a blazing partnership that has so far brought 22 defiant runs in just 20-odd minutes. Whether this develops into the 350-plus stand that might give Graham Onions a chance to do a Bob Willis remains to be seen, so, with the game still poised so delicately in the balance, here is a statistic for you.England’s number 3, 4 and 5 have in this game posted the worst ever Test performance by and England 3-4-5. The worst. In 890 Tests. Even counting matches when nightwatchmen have broken up the 3-4-5. Even in 19th-century games when the wickets sometimes literally had snakes in them. Ouch. (Counting only games in which numbers 3, 4 and 5 have been dismissed twice, which seems fair in the circumstances.)Bopara, Bell and Collingwood mustered 16 runs between them in their six innings. Even by the most positive-taking of modern standards, this was ‘a bit disappointing’ and ‘something that needs building on’.In fact it was the equal third worst performance by numbers 3 to 5 in the batting order in all Test history (excluding South Africa at Melbourne in 1931-2, when they used a completely different 3-5 in the second innings, to spectacular effect – Bell, Mitchell and Cameron managed to double the 5 runs accumulated by Christy, Taylor an Viljoen in the first).South Africa can proudly claim both first and second place in this list of shame. They managed 12 in a Test in 1888-89, at a time when they still pretty much pitched up at the ground and asked passers-by if they fancied a game of cricket for a couple of days. And, least triumphantly of all, Keith, Endean and McLean – not the worst 3-5 in Test history by any measure – amassed 6 runs in the 1955 Oval Test. Scores of 5, 0 and 1 in the first innings paved the way for three second-knock ducks as Laker and Lock filled their spinny boots on a turning wicket.So at least Bopara, Bell and Collingwood can claim to have done 166% better than the 1955 South African 3-to-5. A small consolation as they take their place in English cricket’s slightly embarrassed history books.[A quick update – Prior is out. I daresay the odds are now even longer the 500-1 England defied 28 years ago. But Broad has just been dropped by Siddle. Could that be the crucial turning point? No. No. No. It could not.]For English masochists, those who dislike England for whatever reason, and those who simply love the statistics of failure, here is a list of the worst ever performances by an England 3, 4 and 5. Please ignore if you are of a sensitive disposition, or closely related to the three batsmen involved. Thanks be to Statsguru.

The Official Confectionery Stall prediction for the series in the UAE

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013As I write, Pakistan and England are hours away from resuming a rivalry that has sparked some of our great sport’s most cantankerous cricket and least savoury squabbles. This time, hopefully, tempers will be tempered, and the cricket will not be an incidental curtain raiser to the controversy.Provided that the Gulf pitches are not unremittingly somnolent ‒ and they have had a tendency to display the spritely vigour of a hypnotised and hibernating walrus ‒ the cricket should be compelling. Pakistan have been stable and steady, if not resurgent, and are unbeaten in six series since the legal blooper at Lord’s, although of those series, only one was against a team ranked in the top five in the world (a not-especially-thrilling nil-nil draw with South Africa in the Gulf late in 2010, the highlights of which have not been challenging the top of the DVD bestseller charts).England, meanwhile, have had a prolonged Test break after a nine-month period in which they annihilated two of their greatest rivals. For the previous couple of years, England had veered between brilliance and debacle, as if they had read Rudyard Kipling’s smash-hit poem “If”, taken on board his suggestion that they should seek to treat the two impostors Triumph and Disaster just the same, and therefore attempted to spend plenty of quality time with both of them in turn. They then decided that Triumph was the preferable impostor to hang around with, and have since scaled peaks of performance dominance untouched by English cricketers for generations.This dominance has been founded principally on high-class swing bowling ‒ which will be a less potent force in the billionaires’ sandpit that is Dubai ‒ supported by a batting line-up that has pulled off one of the most startling collective improvements of recent times, feeding off each other’s successes and confidence like lions at an all-you-can-eat zebra buffet.Some stats: In England’s three major series before last winter’s Ashes (v Australia in 2009, South Africa in 2009-10, and Pakistan in 2010), only Jonathan Trott averaged over 38, with Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen below 30. In England’s three major series after that (Ashes 2010-11, and against Sri Lanka and India last summer), five of England’s regular top seven have averaged over 50, with Cook and Ian Bell close to 100. Were they underachieving wildly before, or are they overachieving wildly now? Probably a little bit of both. This year should provide a reasonably reliable answer, and Pakistan in the UAE should offer a stern challenge for a side that is reaching for greatness.The official Confectionery Stall series prediction: England to win 1-0, provided they are not distracted by wondering how and why Dubai came to be full of so many empty skyscrapers. Or scuppered by the wiles of Saeed Ajmal. Or neutered by the heat and pitches. Or about to embark on a startling collective dis-improvement. Or possessed by a sudden urge to abandon the seven-batsman-four-bowler strategy that has served them so well. In which case, they will win 2-1. Possibly. Or it might be 1-1. Depending on what happens, and who does what, and when they do it.One to watch (England): Monty Panesar
He has been out of the England side for so long that it is easy to forget that Panesar was once much more than a bizarrely (and very intermittently) stylish No. 11 batsman, who in effect won the 2009 Ashes single-handedly. He was for a couple of years, against everyone other than India, a bowler of skill and penetration, and England’s most consistently effective spinner since Derek Underwood. He was then surpassed by the new England’s most consistently effective spinner since Derek Underwood, Graeme Swann.Panesar is 29, with 125 Test and 500 first-class wickets under his specialist belt. With away series in the UAE, Sri Lanka and India, 2012 is a good year for him to be entering his tweaking prime. (Although his record in Tests in Asia is hopeless.) (But those Tests were quite a long time ago now.) (And England might not pick him anyway.) (Predictive punditry is pointless.) (What am I doing with my life?)One to watch (Pakistan): Azhar Ali
Azhar Ali is a throwback, a one-man war against 21st-century batting fripperies, a defiant protector of the coaching manual. Of the 55 top-seven batsmen who have played ten Tests this decade, Azhar has the second slowest scoring rate, behind only Tharanga Paranavitana. Throughout his 18-Test career, Azhar has shown defiance, patience, and a willingness not to edge the first available outswinger to the slips that some more celebrated batsmen around the world would do well to emulate. He has the classical style and methodical approach of a 1950s cricketer (although it should be noted that his strike rate of 39 runs per 100 balls faced would, by 1950s standards, have made him something of a reckless cavalier). I find him quite fascinating to watch. I would not want all batsmen to play like Azhar Ali, but I do want some batsmen to play like Azhar Ali. Including Azhar Ali.(Warning for neutral spectators: four of Pakistan’s current top six are in the Eight Slowest Test Batsmen of the Decade list. Whether that is a negative warning or a positive warning is up to you.)Extras
I will write more about India’s statistically staggering disintegration next time. I have not enjoyed watching this cricketingly-macabre series, for all Australia’s excellence with the ball, and Warner’s thermonuclear innings in Perth. For a man recently viewed as a Twenty20 specialist, he has played two of the best innings of the decade in his first five Tests, which he, the baggy green selectors, and the whole of Baggy Greenland must be quite excited about. Maybe Pakistan should unleash Azhar Ali in their next T20s.Most players and teams eventually decline before finally departing the scene, but few have done so as precipitously as Dhoni’s India. A year ago they had won several Tests by chasing down testing totals with skill and resilience. They had won in England, drawn in South Africa, and beaten Australia twice. They were about to successfully withstand arguably the most-high pressure cricketing campaign of all time. They were a good team, and a tough one. Now they are neither of those. They have responded to adversity in England and Australia by fighting like cornered tigers ‒ but tigers which, once cornered, have been shot at point-blank range and turned into fetching fireside rugs.At least if India want to seek inspiration from a team that has emerged rapidly from an apparently long-term slump, they need only to knock on the home dressing room door and ask for a cup of tea and a chat.

Cyprus’ best-known cricketer doesn’t play for the national team, but the game soldiers on in the country

Scott Oliver09-Apr-2013Head west out of the bustling port of Limassol, Cyprus’ second city, along the old coast road to Paphos, and soon enough you’ll reach the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area (SBA). Pass the ancient Roman amphitheatre at Kourion, then funnel on through the barbed wire-topped mesh fencing of the Episkopi garrison and a couple of kilometres beyond that the gloriously named Happy Valley Sports Ground will appear below, an incongruous tongue of lush green amidst scrubland the colour of a Richie Benaud suit.Providing temporary sanctuary from the severe financial crisis that has recently threatened to engulf the country, this oasis of cricket, soccer, rugby, hockey, archery, athletics and equestrian facilities, kept verdant by a nearby water treatment plant, is the heartland of Cypriot cricket – its three grounds hosted the ICC European Division 4 Championship in 2009 – yet actually sits on British soil, as any soul wandering blithely in will be sharply reminded.This military presence – from the jets buzzing out over the stretch of sea from which Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, is said to have emerged, to the radio masts stuck in the landscape like pins in a cushion – has pervaded the country’s truncated cricket history. Britain leased the island from the Ottoman Empire in 1878 in order to protect its trade route through the then recently opened Suez Canal, and a scorecard from a game between King’s Royal’s Rifles and “Nicosia” from as early as 1886 appears in the journal : a certain Constantinidi bagged five cheap wickets as KRR were routed for 34. However, regular cricket wasn’t played until after the Second World War – by which time Britain was the full sovereign power, a role assumed after finding itself opposing the Ottomans during the Great War – and even then was confined to British armed forces, soon to be otherwise occupied.Armed resistance from Greek-Cypriot nationalists favouring union () with Greece led Britain to grant independence in 1960, on the proviso that two large SBAs were retained and Britain remained – along with Greece and Turkey, reflecting the ethnic split on the island – one of the new constitution’s three “guarantor powers”. However, following much political strife and communal violence, and amidst Cold War intrigue, an Athens-sponsored, pro-enosis coup in July 1974 prompted a Turkish invasion and a short-lived, bloody war, since when the island has been partitioned by the UN-monitored Green Line that cuts through the old Venetian ramparts of Nicosia, the world’s last divided capital city.The Cold War may have passed, but the island’s ongoing strategic and geopolitical importance means that this corner of a foreign field is likely to remain, if not England, then certainly so for a few more years. So it was that, for the season-opening T20 warm-up, the Akrotiri SBA – bolstered by a couple of ringers from the Combined Services side out on warm-weather pre-season preparations – faced a team of Indian software engineers employed by Israeli firm, Amdocs.The pitch is astroturf (there are no grass wickets on the island) and of variable bounce; enthusiasm is as high as the ability is mixed, attested by the number of grassed skiers – although this is perhaps mitigated by a swirling sea breeze that, at this time of year, barrels up the valley to send lofted shots over the 45-metre boundary and into the foliage beyond.The make-up of the two teams is broadly representative of domestic Cypriot cricket, which predominantly comprises subcontinentals (Sri Lankans CC are strong favourites in all competitions) and British servicemen. The island’s first civilian team, Moufflons, was founded in 1989 by a Welshman, then, over the following decade, waves of cricket-savvy expats of Greek-Cypriot heritage returned from South Africa, and this was supplemented by the fervour of students and migrant workers from Asia. Cyprus became an ICC affiliate member in 1999, and four years later, duly fulfilling conditions of membership, the national league and Cyprus Cricket Association (CCA) were constituted.Mike Kyriacou, the captain, is one of many South African-born players in the game in Cyprus•Andrew PepperThe undoubted cricketing high point thus far, as CCA Chairman Muhammad Husain explains, came at those Division 4 Championships, a six-nation round-robin won by the hosts on net run rate, when, in the final game, having scored 183 in 50 overs, they needed to restrict Finland to under 135 and duly skittled them for 99.Nevertheless, building on such success is far from straightforward and CCA faces a continual struggle to embed cricket in the wider culture. The transience of the playing base is the biggest of a clutch of problems.”Cyprus is like a conveyor belt”, laments Husain. “Nobody stays. We had 200 players five years ago and we still have 200 players”. Not only does this affect the domestic league – as does the strength of the army teams, which fluctuates with postings – but the four-year residency period for national team qualification means that no sooner are players eligible than they have graduated and likely migrated anew. Take Tahir Mohsin, player of the tournament in last September’s European Division 2 Championship in Corfu, recently departed for Pakistan.Of course, the long-term solution is to penetrate schools and build from the grassroots – Husain’s goal is that, by 2020, 0.5% of Cyprus’ 840,000 population (1.1 million with the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) will be playing some form of cricket (beach, Kwik, indoor, whatever) and that 5% will be aware of the game – yet this is no easy task given the sway football and, to a lesser extent, basketball hold.On top of that, CCA is not yet recognised as an official sporting body by the Cypriot government, which means that not only does it receive no central subsidy – $10,000 “admin funding” comes in annually from ICC Europe, with additional money (last year, an extra $10,000) dependent upon performance: team results; numbers of registered players, coaches, teams, umpires, etc – but also, crucially, that cricket cannot go on the state school curriculum. Husain freely admits that the financial crisis means money from Nicosia would in any event be unlikely (while also proudly pointing out that last year’s accounts show just a €141 loss, albeit helped by the national team paying €500 each toward the Corfu trip), yet is quick to underline that obtaining official recognition – a “governance issue” to do with the registration of players – and thus getting into more schools is “high on the agenda”.Meanwhile, however, independent schools remain an option. Phil Bell, a former Thames Valley policeman and CCA committee member responsible for training the small band of umpires and scorers, supervises after-school training and matches at Heritage and Foley’s schools in Limassol. An annual six-week coaching course attracting over a hundred kids between eight and 18 years old and of all nationalities is held there, with a handful of the city’s plentiful Russian expat children showing surprising aptitude for, and interest in, the game.The CCA is also prioritising the development of more coaches – at present, 20 of the 56 on the database are active – with programmes overseen by ECB Level 3-qualified national team coach Graeme Rickman. Hearteningly, given the island’s chequered history, three of the eight subscribers for the latest Level-1 course were from the English School in Kyrenia, north of the border (two Turkish Cypriots and a Frenchman). With 22 “Young Leaders” there also recently trained to assist with Kwik cricket-based PE lessons, CCA intends to send a junior team across the Green Line for informal matches.It is perhaps ironic that the stifling climate contributes to the difficulties in spreading the cricket bug. Cypriot parents aren’t keen to have their offspring out alongside the mad dogs and Englishmen under the midday sun. The cricket season takes a summer break, its players – many of whom will observe Ramadan – aestivating during the searing heat of July and August before the programme resumes from September to December.)The scorecard from the King’s Royal’s Rifles v Nicosia game in 1886Bell takes heart in the rapid emergence of another minority sport on the island – the Cypriot national rugby union team, founded in 2007, recently equalled the world record for the longest international winning streak. That embryonic sporting culture began with expat South Africans in Paphos, and it is Johannesburg-born Mike Kyriacou who currently captains the national cricket team, albeit himself lamenting that more locals aren’t yet playing. Formed in 2005, they have bi-monthly training, bi-annual tournaments, and play occasional touring sides such as the MCC team led by Mike Gatting that visited in 2007.The national side has not yet been graced by the biggest name connected with Cypriot cricket: Andrea Agathangelou, Lancashire’s 23-year-old top-order batsman, part-time leggie and “the best slip fielder on the staff” according to assistant coach Gary Yates. “I was born and raised in South Africa,” says English cricket’s second most famous “Aggers”, “but through my ancestral visa I’m actually Cypriot. I see myself as more Cypriot than South African. I have family in every city and town in Cyprus. My grandmother lets everyone there know all my achievements.”Though Cyprus is the country of both his passport and heart, he is at present deemed ineligible to represent the national team, ICC regulations stipulating that he must either spend a minimum of 183 days there each year or invest 800 hours of “cricket work” annually. Given the general bonhomie, mutual support and lack of real rivalry at this level, Bell is perplexed: “I think it’s outrageous. We know there’s good reason for it and we fully accept that. However, in the real world we’re European Division 2. We’re not seeking an advantage. We just want someone who’s Cypriot through and through to be able to play for us”.Bearing in mind the impact that the likes of Ryan ten Doeschate have had on European cricket, it is a cause for concern that a country that has suffered its fair share of upheaval, particularly lately, could miss out on such a potential boost, at all levels, to its cricketing culture. “He could teach Cypriot players so much about professionalism, about the standards required,” Bell continues. “And if you had someone like him playing, it would attract publicity, new players, perhaps others at a high level would want to play. As I say, I can understand the reason behind it, but is that fair to him? Is that fair to Cyprus?”

A few key numbers from the Champions Trophy

S Rajesh05-Jun-201312-5 – Australia’s win-loss record in the Champions Trophy, the best among all teams. They’ve won each of their last eight completed matches, starting from their second match of the 2006 edition. By contrast, in their first nine matches in Champions Trophy, they’d lost five and won four. The last time Australia lost a Champions Trophy match was in their first game of the 2006 tournament, when West Indies beat them by 10 runs in Mumbai. Australia are the only team with a win-loss ratio of more than two in the Champions Trophy – the next-best is India’s 1.67.12* – Matches won by West Indies in the Champions Trophy, the most by any side. Apart from winning the tournament in 2004, they also reached the final in 1998 (lost to South Africa) and 2006 (lost to Australia). However, West Indies have lost nine, which is also the highest by any side in this tournament. Zimbabwe have lost nine as well, and they haven’t won a single match.26 – The number of 50-plus scores by England and India, the most by any team in the Champions Trophy. Australia have 25, while South Africa and West Indies have 23 each. India, Sri Lanka and West Indies lead in terms of hundreds, with six each. Among the individual batsmen, Sourav Ganguly, Chris Gayle and Herschelle Gibbs have three each.12 – The number of Champions Trophy matches Australia have won under Ricky Ponting’s leadership, the most by a captain in this tournament. Australia have played only two matches when Ponting hasn’t been captain, and they’ve lost them both, against India in 1998 and 2000.695 – Gayle’s aggregate in Champions Trophy matches, the highest among all batsmen. Three others have scored more than 600, but none of them are playing the tournament this year – Sourav Ganguly (665), Jacques Kallis (653) and Rahul Dravid (627). Among those playing this tournament, the next-best after Gayle is Mahela Jayawardene’s 574.24 – Muttiah Muralitharan’s wickets tally in Champions Trophy, the most for any bowler. Murali took those wickets in 17 matches, at an average of 20.16 and an economy rate of 3.60. Kyle Mills is the joint second-highest along with Brett Lee, and needs only three more wickets to go past Murali’s mark.17 – The number of sixes struck by Ganguly, the most by any batsman in Champions Trophy matches. A couple of batsmen playing in the current edition could go past that mark: Gayle is second with 13 sixes, while Watson has 12.4 – The number of ducks for Watson in 12 innings in Champions Trophy games, the most ducks for any player in the tournament. However, Watson has also scored two hundreds and two fifties, thanks to which his overall tournament average is 52.37, at a strike rate of 84.98.13 – The record for most wickets in a single Champions Trophy edition, by Jerome Taylor in 2006. Farveez Maharoof took 12 in the same edition, while Wayne Parnell (in 2009) and Lasith Malinga (in 2006) took 11 each.210 – The biggest margin of victory, in terms of runs, in the Champions Trophy. New Zealand beat USA by that margin in 2004. The biggest margin in terms of balls remaining was also in that edition against USA, when Australia beat them with 253 balls to spare.252 – The biggest partnership in Champions Trophy matches, by Ponting and Watson against England in Centurion in 2009. The only other double-century partnership was also at the same edition and same venue – 206 by Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf against India.* June 6 2.45pm The matches won by West Indies stat has been corrected

Plays of the Day from the fifth ODI between Sri Lanka and South Africa in Colombo

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo31-Jul-2013The merciful end
One run off 22 deliveries constitutes a poor innings in almost any ODI, but in a chase of over 300, it is nearly unforgivable. Farhaan Behardien has had fine moments with the ball in this series, but his final innings in the series was one he’d hope the selectors were not watching closely. Uncomfortable against the pace of Thisara Perera and clueless against Ajantha Mendis, who dismissed Behardien for 2 and 0 in his two other matches in the series, he missed, prodded and left his way into a hole, from which escape grew less likely with every dot ball. Although South Africa were already four down inside 20 overs at the time, it seemed a minor blessing when he fell, attempting to loft Perera through the leg side.The anti-climax
If there is any batsman who is least likely to be nervous in the nineties, it’s one who scored three figures in the last match, but as the Premadasa crowd prepared to celebrate what would have been Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 18th ton, he hit a wall of doubt and gave his wicket away. Cleverly, Ryan McLaren aimed yorkers at Dilshan on 99, and though the bowler did not always hit the blockhole, a tentative Dilshan could not force a run in four deliveries. The fifth ball tailed into the batsman, who should have been equal to it given his longevity at the crease and his fluency before that over, but a half-hearted drive allowed the ball to slip past and strike middle stump.The skip
Dilshan doesn’t hold back when celebrating, whether it’s a hundred, a wicket or a fine catch. But his joy took an unprecedented form when he removed JP Duminy in the 11th over, to the amusement of the crowd. Breaking out in a synchronised double windmill with his arms first, Dilshan then moved into a dainty skip around the square, whooping as his team-mates trailed after him. Dilshan is so often a figure of aggression and machismo on the field, but pigtails and a picnic basket might have nicely completed the aesthetic for this jaunt.The finish
With 75 not out off 45 balls, Kumar Sangakkara completed the most profitable bilateral series for any Sri Lanka batsman, and his final stroke epitomised his present form and complete dominance over the South Africa attack. Walking down the pitch even before the delivery left Morne Morkel’s hand, Sangakkara received a back of a length delivery outside off stump – Morkel perhaps reasoning that length would prevent Sangakkara from making use of his forward momentum. It was not to be. In an instant, Sangakkara set himself for the pull, and arching his back, launched the ball flat over midwicket for four, bringing noise in the stadium to a crescendo.