All posts by n8rngtd.top

Stats highlights from the third day at The Oval

S Rajesh22-Aug-2015126.33 Alastair Cook’s batting average in follow-on innings: in three such innings he has scores of 118 (versus Sri Lanka), 176 (versus India), and 85.2 Batsmen who have scored three centuries in follow-ons – Martin Crowe and Michael Vaughan. Cook fell 15 short of becoming the third.0 Number of hundreds for Cook in 28 Test innings at home against Australia; his highest is 96, and he has six 50-plus scores, but an average of 29.60. In Australia he averages 49.53, with four hundreds in 27 innings.12.77 Adam Lyth’s series average, the second-lowest for an opener who has batted at least eight times in an Ashes series. The only opener who had a worse series, though, went on to have a great career: Graham Gooch averaged 12.12 in the 1981 Ashes, which was also a series England won. Michael Atherton did only slightly better in 1998-99, averaging 13.75 also in eight innings.16.33 England’s average opening partnership in the series. Only five times have they had poorer returns from their opening pair in an Ashes series, of which three were before 1900. The most recent such instance was in the 1989 series, when England’s average opening stand was 14.54, and their highest partnership 35. The highest for them in this series is 32.1 Number of times Michael Clarke has enforced the follow-on, in his 47 Tests as captain. There were five matches when Clarke had the opportunity the do so, but this Oval Test is the first time he has actually enforced it. Australia won each of the other four Tests when they didn’t, though. Among the recent Australian captains, Ricky Ponting enforced it four times out of 13 Tests when he had the opportunity to do so, Steve Waugh eight out of eight, and Mark Taylor three out of five.0.87 Peter Siddle’s economy rate, which is the fourth best by an Australian seamer in a Test in the last 40 years (with a 15-over cut-off). The best during this period is by Shane Watson, who had figures of 15-11-11-0 against England at Trent Bridge in 2013.332 Australia’s first-innings lead, their seventh highest in a Test against England since 1980. Their highest during this period is 453, at Headingley in 1993.

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2015Joe Root helped England recover with a rapid 32…•Getty Images…but Shahid Afridi’s star man celebration came out as he struck twice in an over inside the Powerplay•AFPJames Vince was struggling for timing but he was still at the crease•AFPHe was rapidly losing partners, however, as Mohammad Rizwan ran out Jos Buttler…•AFP…and Umar Akmal clung on to a high catch to remove Sam Billings and leave England 86 for 6•AFPVince found an ally in Chris Woakes and they put on 60 in quick time•AFPWoakes smashed three sixes in his 37, helping get England’s total up to 154•AFPDavid Willey bowled an eventful first over, featuring a wicket, four wides and then, from the last ball…•AFP…another run-out involving Mohammad Hafeez•AFPWilley then added another wicket when he removed Rafatullah Mohmand lbw•AFPShoaib Malik took Pakistan to the brink of victory with a superbly controlled innings•AFPBut Anwar Ali and Sohail Tanvir could only scramble a bye off the last ball•AFPEoin Morgan and Jos Buttler celebrate England’s Super Over success•AFP

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2016His opening partner Rohit Sharma, however, was unperturbed as he showed intent right from the start, scoring freely all around the wicket•Getty ImagesVirat Kohli, who joined him in the 7th over, built on the solid start as the the two brought up India’s 100 in the 22nd over•Getty ImagesKohli brought up his half-century with a superbly timed pull over fine leg. It came off 61 deliveries•Getty ImagesRohit then brought up his third ODI century in Australia off 122 balls courtesy seven fours and three sixes•AFPThe pair put on 207 for the third wicket; the mammoth stand studded with authoritative stroke play and fearless ball striking•AFPKohli fell in 45th over, caught at the long-on boundary, nine runs short of his century•Associated PressRohit continued his onslaught, powering India to 3 for 309 with an unbeaten 171 off 163 – breaking Viv Richard’s record of the highest score against Australia in Australia•AFPDebutant Barinder Sran got rid of Aaron Finch and David Warner in successive overs to give India a strong start in the chase•Getty ImagesBut Australia’s captain Steven Smith showed nothing had chanced since last summer and dominated the Indian bowling again•Getty ImagesGeorge Bailey, who could have been caught behind first ball, also had a grand time on a flat WACA pitch•Getty ImagesBoth batsmen reached centuries at rapid pace during their 242-run partnership for the third wicket•Getty ImagesR Ashwin dismissed Bailey (112) and then had Glenn Maxwell (6) caught at long-on, but Australia, by then, were in total control•Getty ImagesSmith held firm for 149 runs off 135 balls. All had seemed perfect for him to hit the winning runs, but he fell with Australia needing two runs off five balls. James Faulkner had no trouble taking care of that•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Stats highlights from the third ODI between South Africa and England, in which the hosts kept themselves alive in the series by chasing down 319

Bharath Seervi10-Feb-20162 Number of targets higher than 319 that South Africa have successfully chased down in ODIs: 435 and 328, both against Australia. This is South Africa’s third-highest successful run-chase, and their fifth chase of a 300-plus target in ODIs.10 Centuries for Quinton de Kock in ODIs, in just 55 innings and at the age of 23 years and 54 days. He is the quickest as well as the youngest batsman to score 10 ODI centuries. The record for fewest innings to 10 ODI centuries was previously held by his opening partner, Hashim Amla, who got there in 57 innings, while the youngest before de Kock was Virat Kohli (23 years and 129 days). This is the third ODI series in which de Kock has scored two or more centuries. His aggregate of 295 in the first three innings of the series is already the second highest by a South African batsman against England in a bilateral series of five or fewer ODIs.239 Runs added by de Kock and Amla, South Africa’s highest stand for any wicket when batting second. They beat the 206-run stand between de Villiers and Faf du Plessis against Australia in Harare in 2014, which was the last time they successfully chased down a target of 300 or more before this match. Overall, it is the fourth highest partnership in a chase in all ODIs; three of those have been against England. This is also South Africa’s second-highest opening stand in ODIs, and the seventh century opening stand between de Kock and Amla in ODIs since 2013 – among opening pairs, only Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, with eight century partnerships, have more.46.2 Overs in which South Africa chased down the target of 319 – their quickest chase of 275 or more in ODIs. It is also the second-fastest successful chase of 275 or more against England. Only Sri Lanka’s chase of 322 in 37.3 overs at Headingley in 2006 is quicker. South Africa’s run rate of 6.88 in this chase is the second-highest in a successful chase of 275 or more in ODIs in South Africa.0 Previous instances of both openers scoring 125 or more for a side in an ODI while chasing. Quinton de Kock’s 135 and Hashim Amla’s 127 produced the first such instance. The nearest that any opening pair got to this was when Virender Sehwag made 126 and Sourav Ganguly 117 not out against England in Colombo in the 2002 Champions Trophy. However, there have been four instances of both openers scoring 125 or more while batting first.7 Scores of 125 or more for Amla in ODIs – the joint highest for South Africa with AB de Villiers. De Kock, who made his fourth score of 125 or more in this match, is fourth in this list.6 Number of batsmen who have more ODI centuries than Amla’s 22. Three other batsmen have 22 ODI centuries: Ganguly, Chris Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Among the ten batsmen who have scored 22 or more ODI hundreds, Amla is the quickest to get there, in terms of innings: he has played only 126, beating Kohli’s record of 143.125 Runs by Joe Root in this innings – the highest for England against South Africa in ODIs. The previous best was 116 by Kevin Pietersen, also in Centurion, in 2004-05. This was Root’s seventh ODI century. Only three England batsmen have scored more ODI centuries – Marcus Trescothick (12), Pietersen (9) and Graham Gooch (8); David Gower and Eoin Morgan also have seven ODI hundreds.2 Number of ODIs in which three batsmen scored 125 or more: de Kock, Amla and Root did in this match. The only other such game was Johannesburg in 2014-15, when Amla scored 153 not out, Rilee Rossouw 128 and De Villiers 149 against West Indies.2 Fifty-plus scores for Ben Stokes in this series, batting at No. 6. He scored 57 off 38 in the first ODI, and 53 off 37 in this one. It is only the third instance of an England No.6 making two such scores in a bilateral ODI series.

There are remarkable similarities between the England side which won the World T20 in 2010 and the one in the final this time

Andrew Miller in Kolkata02-Apr-2016Paul Collingwood called it an omen, but the fact that England’s opening match of the 2016 World T20 was a defeat at the hands of West Indies wasn’t the only uncanny similarity between the team that won the trophy in 2010 and the one that has been gathering a formidable head of steam in the past couple of weeks.Collingwood, England captain then and England back-room presence now, knows better than almost anyone else in the current squad what makes for a successful campaign in this most intense of international tournaments.And the evidence of a relaxed but determined band of players is that the lessons of 2010 are sitting pretty with the current crop. Which makes perfect sense, really, when you consider just how uncannily alike the two campaigns are turning out to be.From the no-holds-barred power-hitting at the top of the order, to the depth and variety of the bowling options, England in 2016 have once again hit upon a line-up that not only covers all bases, the skills of the players over-lap and inter-link with one another, allowing a margin for error than translates into a licence to have a go.In 2010, this have-a-go attitude famously stemmed from an absence of long-term planning – England ditched their plans on a whim in the UAE in February, and by May they were reaping the rewards of a complete absence of expectation.A similar approach is paying off six years later – it wasn’t possible to get any lower than the 2015 World Cup last year, so once again England have been fuelled by a philosophy that more or less translates as “what could possibly go wrong?”What could possibly go wrong if England trusted their opening batsmen to see the ball and hit the ball, as Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb did to superb effect in 2010 and Jason Roy and Alex Hales have done in the weeks just gone?What could possibly go wrong if they opted for extreme variety in their front-line seam-bowling options? In 2010, that involved ditching the talented but, in T20 cricket at least, eminently hittable James Anderson as the leader of their attack, and trusting instead the left-arm curl of Ryan Sidebottom, a man whose ability to bend the ball back into the right-hander’s pads made him a devastating threat in the otherwise frenetic Powerplays.For Sidebottom, read David Willey, another man who didn’t seem to be foremost in England’s thoughts until a slightly low-key hat-trick in their warm-up match in Mumbai persuaded the management to trust his tenacious big-game attitude.And for Stuart Broad read the up-and-at-’em Liam Plunkett, whose aggressive straight lines and liberal use of the short ball are reminiscent of the middle-overs tactics that Broad put to such good use six years ago, peppering the middle of the pitch and demanding errors from well-set batsmen with accumulation on their minds.

Which just leaves the captain in both teams. Collingwood and Morgan would prefer not to have this particular trait in common, but unfortunately neither man has really been able to buy a run in their respective campaigns

And if Chris Jordan’s exceptional performance in the semi-final was anything to go by, then the value of a man who can bowl a yorker on demand remains as high now as it was back then. Tim Bresnan was England’s go-to man for the art of toe-crushing in that short but golden period of form which would culminate in his starring role in the 2010-11 Ashes and the 4-0 whitewashing of India.Ahead of the semi-final against New Zealand, Adil Rashid was described by Eoin Morgan as England’s “X-Factor”, an acknowledgement that a wicket-taking spin bowler with a propensity for claiming first-over breakthroughs a must-have for any world-beating side. Graeme Swann would doubtless agree.And though his batting is more sumptuous than that of Michael Yardy, Moeen Ali is likewise making a very fine career out of being that man that England need to do a job. And though Yardy memorably came in for a bit of tap in the final against Australia at Bridgetown, conceding 21 runs in his third over, then as now England do not simply rely on five bowlers bowling four overs each to get through their quota.There was a Plan B back then, and his name was Luke Wright, whose only over of the tournament came at the crunch moment of the final, when he conceded five singles and took the vital wicket of Cameron White.Six years on, the emergence of a genuine allrounder in Ben Stokes means that that role is now significantly more than just a fill-in option. But the mettle required to front up when the going gets tough, as Stokes did at the death against Sri Lanka, is every bit as critical.England’s gun batsmen in 2010 were an intriguing pairing. An unequivocal worldbeater with big-game savvy and a change-up of strokeplay that could take the breath away, and a young buck whose consistency was a critical factor, as so to was his ability to rotate the strike and manipulate the field.On the face of it, Kevin Pietersen and Jos Buttler have little in common, although to judge by his displays in the last two contests, Buttler’s self-effacing persona isn’t going to prevent him from becoming an IPL superstar when his stint with Mumbai Indians gets underway next week.And then there’s Joe Root, chipping, chivvying and occasionally astonishing, with a thrum of under-stated class that Morgan Mk 1 brought to his game back in 2010, at a time when his unique repertoire of nudges, nurdles and paddywhacks was as exotic and esoteric as the coming generations’ 360-degree strokeplay is now seen as commonplace.Which just leaves the captain in both teams. Collingwood and Morgan would prefer not to have this particular trait in common, but unfortunately neither man has really been able to buy a run in their respective campaigns.Morgan acknowledged as much in the pre-match press conference, saying it would be nice occasionally to survive a ball after two golden ducks in three innings. As for Collingwood, he limped to 61 runs in seven innings, with a highest score of 16 against Pakistan.And yet, such has been the unity and ubiquity of England’s performances from 1 to 11, there has been space in both teams to carry a captain who could bring nous, experience and calm in the crunch situations.And if, on Sunday evening, Morgan should emulate Collingwood in striking the winning runs in the World T20 final, you can guarantee that, now as then, the skipper will form the focal point of the cavorting to follow.

On his 80th birthday, we test your knowledge of the game’s finest allrounder

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2016

AB de Villiers’ autobiography delves into his pursuit of excellence, and the highs and lows of being an on-demand international cricketer

Firdose Moonda01-Sep-2016It reads like a volume of the , except that all the adventures happen on the sports field. is a romantic account of a boy with big dreams who becomes a man for whom so many of those come true.The story starts with what may be considered AB de Villiers’ finest moment as a cricketer, when he broke the record for the fastest hundred in an ODI, against West Indies in January 2015. We already know all the numbers: the fifty came off 16 balls, the century off 31, and the 16 sixes equalled the record for the most hit in an ODI, so perhaps the most startling fact is that de Villiers wanted David Miller to go in ahead of him after the openers posted 247 inside 39 overs.Selflessness has defined de Villiers’ career. He is often spoken about as the ultimate team man, and the reader gets a sense of how that came about when the story goes back to de Villiers’ childhood. As the youngest of three brothers, he was forced to carry drinks and field while his brothers did the real stuff. It taught him to be tough, although at the time it occasionally made him want to cry.De Villiers does not shy away from emotions in the book, most notably when he reveals his religious convictions. He recalls two incidents that brought him close to God – one as a schoolboy and one after South Africa’s 2008-09 victory over Australia. Both brought him to tears and the second one also changed him as a sportsman, he writes.By 2008, which merits its own chapter in the book, de Villiers had decided that it “wasn’t going to be enough for me to be just another run-of-the-mill international batsman with an average in the mid 30s”, and “promised myself I would become the best batsman in the world”.

De Villiers does not shy away from emotions in the book, most notably when he reveals his religious convictions

To do that he needed to give up his partying lifestyle, which he admitted was at one stage getting out of hand, perfect his technique, and professionalise. In a nuts-and-bolts section titled “Crossroads” he details how he assembled a support team around himself, which included an agent, a financial adviser and a personal assistant. It reads like a how-to guide to becoming a modern sportsperson, and will be fascinating for those who hope to follow in de Villiers’ footsteps.The results of those efforts saw de Villiers play major roles in South Africa winning in England and Australia for the first time since readmission, in their unbeaten run on the road that started in 2006 and only ended in 2015, and in their rise to No. 1. He recalls matches, some in elaborate detail, and makes regular reference to how South Africa’s success was founded on the strength of the captain, Graeme Smith. “We were privileged to play for such a captain,” de Villiers writes.In that time, he also watched the game change from a purely national sport to a multi-formatted beast, and to a club game, and he gives the sense that he is uncomfortable with the shifting ethos. In one passage he reveals how the childlike joy he once had was dimmed by the cluttered schedule and constant treadmill of life on the road.”The type of international tour that had once seemed such an adventure for a tight-knit group of 16 players, who were bonded by embracing so many different experiences in so many different places, had been transformed into some kind of military operation where, almost every day, someone would pack their bags and take a taxi to the airport and someone else would arrive, bleary-eyed, carrying their suitcase into the hotel foyer. It was increasingly difficult to predict who would be sitting beside you at breakfast the next morning,” he writes.Pan MacmillanThat’s not to say de Villiers does not support the growth of T20 leagues. Quite the opposite. He writes glowingly about the IPL and predicts it will only become bigger. “The Indian Premier League will surely continue to grow and develop, leading the evolution of the game in many respects and I hope to participate for a few more years.”But he remains nostalgic about the traditions of cricket as a national sport, and his optimism about the future of Test cricket is reassuring. “In my view, Test cricket will continue to be played for many decades to come, played in daylight hours, played with a red ball and played in white clothing. It will continue because it remains the preferred format of a strong group of spectators, whose numbers are not declining and whose passion is not diminishing. I count myself as a member of this audience and I will be watching Test cricket for many years after I stop playing.”So too is his admission that his desire for an ICC trophy has not dimmed. De Villiers has a recurring dream in which he takes a catch at cover to win South Africa the World Cup final and he suggests he will keep playing if he thinks he can achieve that.That pretty much sums up the man as we know him: an eternal optimist, a member of a band of brothers, a patriot. He spends a chapter explaining his hopes for South Africa as a country and praising its resilient spirit, revealing how he came to write South Africa’s team song, which they belt out after every victory. He writes with an innocence about how much he thinks can go right.Controversy barely crops up, with oblique references to the 2007 World Cup, when South Africa’s players were accused of drinking too much and cramping. De Villiers flatly denies that was the case. The 2015 World Cup semi-final selection is touched on but he is careful not to apportion blame.The timing of this book – while de Villiers is still a cricketer on the circuit – perhaps limits how much he could say about issues that concern him. In any case, those things may always remain unsaid because ultimately de Villiers is like a Famous Fiver who never ages – on a life of endless holiday and adventure.AB: The Autobiography

by AB de Villiers

Pan Macmillan
328 pages, R350

Selection meetings, scouting, sorting contracts – there’s a lot on the plate of Kent’s captain but he has taken it all in his stride

Will Macpherson17-Aug-2016It has been an odd season at Kent CCC. They could not make it past the group stages in the competition they were tipped to fare best in, the T20 Blast, but are right in the mix for promotion to Division One in the County Championship, and are preparing for a home quarter-final – against Yorkshire on Thursday – in the Royal London Cup.Equally, their players continue to reach for higher honours and the area’s deep well of talent shows no signs of drying: Sam Billings has been to the IPL and with England, while Daniel Bell-Drummond shone for the Lions.And yet, there’s been a quiet but constant state of turbulence at Canterbury.On April 18, Kent legend Robert Key returned from India, having taken to broadcasting like a duck to water during the World T20, and decided the hunger to reach 60 first-class centuries had dipped. The 54 he had, a bit of telly and a bucketload of golf would do just fine. His team-mates were shocked, and the beating heart of the dressing room and 18 seasons of experience (nine as captain) were gone, taking a roomful of laughs with it.Then, on May 23, Kent’s high performance director (and former wicketkeeper), Simon Willis, left to take up a similar role with Sri Lanka, under former Kent coach Graham Ford. Willis, as director of Kent’s newly-formed academy from 2003, had overseen the development of a charmingly homespun young squad, and six internationals. Off went another lynchpin.To top things off, on June 27, bowler Matt Coles’ behaviour during a trip to Cardiff was investigated by the club. He would not play for a month as he – not for the first time – addressed his relationship with alcohol. Were the first and third events linked? Certainly Key had been Coles’ mentor, and the man known for keeping him in check.At the eye of the storm sits Sam Northeast, Kent’s new captain, top run-scorer and full-time busybody. Batsman Joe Denly describes Northeast as “first in the nets, last to leave. Sam’s always trying to be better.” When arranging this interview, there are three delays. First, because Northeast is in a selection meeting; then he’s travelling to Hampshire to watch Kent’s second team; finally he’s looking at his squad’s contract situation for next season. Only James Vince is a younger county captain – Northeast is 26 – but few can be more hands-on.Such is life at a club like Kent, where the resources are stretched and the staff small. “We don’t…” he says, pausing, “have the luxury of millions of backroom staff and scouts and whatever. It’s a big effort from a small group of people, we pull together and from the academy, the youth structure, everyone. There can be benefits to this – everyone knows each other, it’s a family environment, and that helps. We have to put in a big shift. All of us.”

“I have a lot of sympathy for Alastair Cook when he does it. That’s pretty extraordinary. I look back and can’t believe I ever opened. It’s mad”On moving to the middle order

Northeast is as Kentish as Key; it’s where he grew up and his name is one that has been whispered since he scored 19 hundreds in a term at Wellesley House prep school aged 13. He played plenty for England Under-19, and his success leading Kent’s limited-overs sides last season meant his elevation to the top job, in time, seemed a given.”I’m learning on the job, just like anyone else. I took a lot from Keysy, both tactically and in work ethic. He was a great mentor, as well as having a pretty serious cricket brain, and all those runs. He pretty much ran Kent cricket for all those years…It’s been very different not having him around, for all of us. People look to you for inspiration and leadership because he did that for so long, and maybe we took that for granted. I only noticed when I stepped into the role how much of a big hole was left when he moved on.”What of those tough patches? “It’s been an interesting season, certainly,” he says, whilst swiftly citing the support of senior players like Denly, Darren Stevens and James Tredwell, plus Billings’ itinerant experience. Willis, he says, is a huge loss – not just a vital, visible cog at the club, with his pawprints all over the squad, but a key player in Northeast’s own development as a hands-off coach who never imposed himself on his charges.Denly has been mighty impressed. “He hasn’t let the pressure of captaincy bother his batting, and his on-field persona is very calm. He can be a bit fiery when he gets out, but who isn’t? He’s dealt with distractions well, and he has good people around him with lots of experience, and the powers that be at Kent are in pretty good shape.”Despite their losses, Kent in pretty good shape. Last year they earned headlines for not being able to afford an overseas player, but this year – one way or another – Tom Latham and Kagiso Rabada were recruited. Denly has signed a new deal and Northeast is confident they will not lose young stars and can, in Willis’ absence, with Min Patel at the helm, continue to produce talent.For the first team, starting against Yorkshire, it is business time. “We go in as underdogs,” says Northeast. “The pressure isn’t on us, they will have all the internationals which is great. It would be awesome to get a sellout, the club deserves a big day like this, and hopefully we get out on top. We are up there in Division Two because we have been pretty solid all season, but I think we are well suited – especially the bowlers, Treddy, Stevo – to 50-over stuff. But every game is massive now. We’re young, so inconsistent, but are learning fast.”Sam Northeast hopes the club enjoys a memorable day in the Royal London Cup quarter-final•Getty ImagesNortheast’s own form – not least 995 Championship runs, including four massive hundreds (the smallest being 166) – has been a vital factor in Kent’s rise. After some mixed seasons opening, he is settled in the middle order, and knows his game: “I have found a spot where I like to bat, especially with the captaincy, after however long in the field, it’s quite nice to have that little period where you don’t have to strap the pads on. I have a lot of sympathy for Alastair Cook when he does it. That’s pretty extraordinary. I look back and can’t believe I ever opened. It’s mad.”He uses former Kent team-mate Martin van Jaarsveld as inspiration because “he was a guy who just never settled and never stopped trying to improve.” Ahead of the 2015 season, he and Willis worked on making him a more adaptable batsman, particularly in the shorter forms, so he did not just hit to cow corner. The results were instant, as only two players scored more T20 Blast runs than him, and his century famously trumped Chris Gayle’s as Kent won a thriller in Taunton.Another run glut, this time against red balls, has flowed lately. “Across my career, I’m a guy who tends to make the most of my form. I’ve felt great recently, and when you feel a millions dollars it’s key to capitalise. Unfortunately I’ve been stuck in the nervous 190s lately.”Those big centuries have caught the eye, and Northeast is unashamedly ambitious, making no bones about being desperate for England recognition, having – surprisingly – never even made a Lions squad. He is aware, too, that “playing in Division Two naturally does hold you back in people’s perceptions, and there is a gap.” In the past, particularly in 2013, there were questions about whether he might leave, but he has remained loyal, even as the more eye-catching – but no less effective – talents of Billings and Bell-Drummond have created more headlines.So is he – as captain of a promising squad, building something (and sometimes holding things together), at his home club, team – left in a quandary?”At the moment, I wouldn’t leave to further my England case, no,” he says. “But can you ever say never? My heart is very much in Kent cricket and wanting to achieve something here. I want to play for England through Kent, and I want to get Kent into Division One and back up there as a force, one of the leading counties in England. It’s been an ambition of mine to captain Kent and take the club as far as possible. I’m very lucky.”So, you sense, are Kent.

Michael Clarke opens up about keeping it all in, living in the public eye, and making tough calls that lost him friends

Interview by Daniel Brettig03-Nov-20163:51

Clarke and Haddin on the problems of excessive sledging

There’s been quite a bit of fallout from the release of this book. Has that caused a further bit of reflection for you as its writing obviously did?
I don’t think so. Writing the book was a very good opportunity to stop and reflect, and the people who read it will see how self-critical I’ve been. There’s a lot of things in there people wouldn’t know because I wasn’t open about it. I kept it to myself because it was close to my heart: whether it was what my family was going through at the time I took over the captaincy, all the stuff on Hughesy, which I still get so emotional about. Being able to write about it has done wonders for me and my mind, to be honest. I feel a lot more at ease and comfortable with everything now.Do you wish in hindsight you could have been more self-reflective when you played?
I wish I smelt the roses more often. But in the same breath I think my dedication and focus was my greatest strength as well. I always wanted to try to become better and that’s probably why I achieved what I did. It’s hard to say whether I would change that, but smelling the roses is an important part of life. It’s my personality – it’s just me and who I am. When it was close to my heart I kept it in and didn’t talk about it.Maybe that’s one of the criticisms I’ve copped through my career that I completely accept, that I haven’t been as open as I could have been. Maybe if I was more open, the media or the public might have understood why I was angry in a press conference or why I was tired, or whatever else.You were very visible to the public and media but people felt they weren’t seeing your true self.
I was brought up in the old-school way, where if you say nothing it will just fade away. But that’s not how society works these days, especially the last half of my time playing cricket for Australia. It grows more legs because everyone has their say. If there’s an issue, a question or a rumour, you’ve got to front it straightaway and be open and honest about it, and that I didn’t do. I sat back and thought, ‘I’ll bite my tongue and cop the criticism and it’ll just fade away.’ Hence us eight years on still talking about Katto… for me personally I was done and had dealt with it the day after it. This is my story and my truth, obviously Simon feels differently and he’s entitled to that. But from my perspective, it was done the next day.

“I’ll always remember opening my big mouth on a couple of occasions, learning that it’s not what you say it’s what you do. If I had my time again, I wouldn’t have opened my mouth with Jimmy Anderson and Dale Steyn”

You mentioned press conferences – you talk specifically about the day before the Gabba Ashes Test in 2013 and why you were so terse that day, having a bad day physically but not wanting to let it slip?
I don’t have any excuses for the way I acted or what I said. The last thing I want is for people to feel sorry for me through that period. But with more understanding people will be able to say, ‘Oh now I get it.’And that was the hardest thing with my injury as well. Anyone who’s suffered with a bad back or chronic back problem, they understand the frustrations and pain that comes with that. It’s not just affecting you, it expands to your partner, your family, your close friends.That day was an example of something else going on in my life that I wouldn’t talk about. I didn’t want the opposition, my team-mates, the media or the public to know how bad my back was at that time. I didn’t want the team worrying about me or the opposition seeing a weakness, I didn’t want to give them a sniff with anything. I didn’t want that, so I’d try to hold it in, but sometimes the frustration would build up enough for you to let it out in ways that you shouldn’t – they’re not doing anything wrong, why are you taking it out on them?Off the back of that day, the whole 2013-14 period is viewed as very special by the members of that team. But as much as you were enjoying that, there was a power struggle off the field for control of the team?
The last 12 months were probably the hardest part of my captaincy tenure, regarding how I thought the structure had changed so much that the role [of captaincy] wasn’t suited to me anymore. I found that most difficult, but in regards to my enjoyment, that was there really until Phillip passed. That’s when I felt the game was never the same. I lost one of my best mates I loved travelling and playing cricket with. I also experienced fear for the first time in my career. Being a little kid growing up, everyone was bigger and stronger and bowled faster, but I was never scared of that. For the last two tours of my career I noticed that was there, the thought that you can die doing this. It was the first time that ever crept into my mind.”I didn’t know you had to do media every other day, I didn’t know you had to do public speaking in front of 200 people at a corporate lunch, or go meet and greet so many Cricket Australia staff. So many things I learned in front of the camera”•Getty ImagesDuring that period who did you confide in with those fears?
No one. It’s not like I didn’t open up to the media or the public – I didn’t open up to anyone. My family, my friends, my team-mates had no idea. In the West Indies, I think my team-mates would recognise I never went to dinner with them one night through that tour, but I was never the person during a Test match to do that anyway. A lot of the time I would have room service in preparation, because I knew I had to be up at 5am for treatment for my back while everyone else was sleeping. So me going to bed at 8.30pm was so I could get enough sleep to make sure my body recovered. But they still would have noticed not seeing me at all – every single night sitting in my hotel room watching and eating the same room service. They would have noticed that, but I don’t think they had any idea what I was going through. I hope they didn’t, because that was my goal, to not show anybody. Kyly saw through what I was feeling, but I wasn’t open about it. She was trying to talk to me about it and asking me why I wouldn’t talk about it. It was my personality to close up and try to deal with it on my own.There’s a certain similarity in all this to Martin Crowe’s book , in which he looks back very clear-eyed on his behaviour and obsession as a player. You two spoke quite a lot on the game?
He was a great man. I didn’t talk much to Crowey about what I was going through, but I spoke to him a lot through the back half of my career, whether it was by text or phone or when we saw each other. A lot of it was about batting, but also life as a professional cricketer. He was always very supportive and he watched my game from afar, on TV or online. He would look at things when I was batting and notice technical things that not too many people would notice and speak to me about that.Crowey respected my drive and ambition to be the best, he liked my style of captaincy and the aggressive approach to move the game forward. But I do also know he wanted the game to be played with the utmost respect and integrity, and piss off all sledging. The part of that I’ll always remember was opening my big mouth on a couple of occasions, learning that it’s not what you say it’s what you do. If I had my time again, I wouldn’t have opened my mouth with Jimmy Anderson and Dale Steyn.

“I was happy with the accountability and that’s why I accepted being captain. It might have cost me friendships or relationships, in this clear vision of how to get back to No. 1, but wasn’t that my job? My role was to win games of cricket, and I don’t apologise for the decisions we made”

There was a lot of personal difficulty and family difficulty in your life, particularly in the year 2008 when you took on the vice-captaincy. Did that contribute to you closing up?
It was more that I didn’t want to show weakness. Probably 90% of my life was so public and I never expected that. I didn’t know what came with playing cricket for Australia – I thought it was bat, bowl, field, go celebrate with my team-mates. I didn’t know you were going to become a role model, I didn’t know you had to do media every other day, I didn’t know you had to do public speaking in front of 200 people at a corporate lunch, or go meet and greet so many Cricket Australia staff. So many things I learned in front of the camera. I had to learn in front of Australia and the world, and you make mistakes.I lived in this world where I wanted to be the best I could be – particularly taking over the captaincy at No. 5 in the world in Tests, that was unacceptable to me and I was like, ‘Right, this train is going in this direction to take us back to No. 1’, and anyone who didn’t want to get on board was like a distraction. I was so focused on that and could have been a lot more caring and loving and listened more, especially to people close to me, to my team-mates. But I was so driven by success that I was going to knock down any wall to get there.Real walls or perceived walls?
There were walls, there were real walls. Look at four players being dropped in India. That’s something that won’t be spoken about – within two years we went from No. 5 in the world to No. 1 in the world. So something in that team was working. Making tough calls is leadership, whether it’s business, or sport or whatever it is. Some people like that decision because it helps them, some people don’t like that decision because it doesn’t. I was never scared of making that tough decision. I was happy with the accountability and that’s why I accepted being captain. It might have cost me friendships or relationships, in this clear vision of how to get back to No. 1, but wasn’t that my job? My role was to win games of cricket, and I don’t apologise for the decisions we made. You’d love to be best mates with everyone, but I don’t see any successful leader that has not stirred the pot or made decisions that have affected people. I played with maybe 100 different players. We heard from maybe three or four publicly – I’d like to think there’s another 96 players whose games got better under my leadership.Clarke and his wife, Kyly, at Phillip Hughes’ funeral: “My enjoyment was there really until Phillip passed. That’s when I felt the game was never the same”•Getty ImagesThere is a testy relationship with selectors over the course of your story. Even when you’re dropped in 2005, you tell Ricky Ponting you want to hear it from him rather than a selector. Does the Australian system need changing?
I’ve only ever known the Australian system. Through my career I think it was pretty good. You know what you’re going to get as a player. Picking the best XI with four or five selectors, everyone’s got a difference of opinion, but it’s your job, especially as the chairman, to select what you think is the best XI and back your judgement. As long as the communication is there with whoever the captain is, and the captain is as comfortable as he can be with the players that take the field – my mindset was the captain is always accountable if the team isn’t performing – then things should work okay. I had that communication with Andrew Hilditch, with John Inverarity, with Rod Marsh. Whether you’re a selector or not, you only have one vote out of five. Then not being a selector I don’t feel I had any less say than when I was officially on the panel.So many young athletes, as you were, rush to get out of school and get the sport started. Do you think, where you are now, that you’d have been a different person for finishing school and studying some more?
I think if I had my daughter younger I would have been a lot different. I’m a lot softer, more caring and more loving now than earlier in my life. My little girl has softened me like I wouldn’t have believed. But that drive that I had and that vision I had is a big part of why I was lucky enough to get selected for Australia in the first place. I’m proud of who I am. If you knew then what you know now, you would make some different decisions, but I’m proud of how it all turned out. I’m still mates with the same people I was when I was ten years old.The last chapter is called “Obsessive and Compulsive”. Some self-diagnosis to that. Have you heard from any psychology professionals about it?
I’ve had a number of different emails but I don’t need someone to tell me. I know what it is, I’ve known from a young age – Sundays were the day for mum to clean the house and my sister to clean her room, but mum never told me to clean mine because it was spotless. From the first time I packed my cricket bag or pack a suitcase to go on a holiday, my mum would pack my sister’s bag and try to pack mine. I’d say, ‘No, I pack my own.’ I like my clothes folded a certain way. I’ve known my whole life there’s a little bit of that obsessive-compulsive there. But I’ve tried to use it to help me. I love being organised, I love structure. I put a suit on today, this suit’s hanging on the coat hanger out of my wardrobe at 8.30pm last night, knowing I’m going to wear it today. That’s who I am.

BJ Watling has become an important cog in the New Zealand set up, with gloves and bat, but remains as inconspicuous as ever – and that’s how he likes to keep it

Mohammad Isam in Christchurch22-Jan-2017When Shakib Al Hasan was caught behind on the first day of the Christchurch Test, it was the 44th time BJ Watling – as wicketkeeper – and Tim Southee had combined to effect a dismissal, breaking the New Zealand record that had belonged to Richard Hadlee and Ian Smith.Their overall tally is actually 46, with Watling having taken two catches as a fielder off Southee, against Australia at Seddon Park in 2010.It’s not easy to draw emotion from Watling, but he looked pleased at the mention of the record shared with Southee.”I quite like that stat,” Watling told ESPNcricinfo. “It is quite a cool one. I am quite good mates with Tim. It is just a pretty friendly sort of a stat. It is good to achieve with a good friend in the team.”I have got a good relationship with all the bowlers. As a keeper, you are trying to give as much feedback from behind the stumps. I get a feel for what the pitch is doing, what sort of lengths to bowl on certain wickets. Talking to boys to make sure we are on the same wavelengths and trying to figure out ways to win games. It is an important role as a keeper to have that communication with the bowlers.”On television, however, Watling is not conspicuous, unlike some of the other more vociferous wicketkeepers. It does not faze him. “That’s fine with me. I think the general chat about a keeper is that if you are not noticed, you are doing your job all right.”He’s like the drummer of a band, a vital part of the spine of the New Zealand Test side but often behind the lead performers. Having made his debut in December 2009, Watling is playing his 49th Test. He has 160 dismissals, six hundreds, and has been part of two triple-century and double-century partnerships.”I am generally pretty quiet guy,” Watling said. “I like to do things with action rather than words. Staying positive as a keeper, geeing the boys up and making sure you set standard in the field; I like to go up to them at the end of the over with a good yarn.”BJ Watling has been part of the third and fourth highest Test partnerships for New Zealand•Getty ImagesWatling said he takes pride in getting New Zealand out of tight spots, like he did with the two 300-run stands against India in 2014 and Sri Lanka the following year.”I have obviously tried to contribute with the bat and make sure that I do a job with the gloves as well. There were couple of situations where we wanted to keep fighting and we didn’t want to fold,” Watling said of the 300-run stands. “The series was on the line in those two games as well. Those are the things that you play for. You are always trying to score runs. Those two innings are pretty special for me.”There’s always a temptation to glance at the hands of a wicketkeeper. Ian Healy’s battered pair has been shown on television numerous times. So how are Watling’s fingers after years of keeping to fast bowlers in seaming conditions?”My hands are pretty good. I don’t have any finger issues,” he said. “Couple of little bruises here and there. It is mainly the legs and the quads, which I make sure are looked after.”Southee, after his five-wicket haul in the first innings against Bangladesh in Christchurch, acknowledged Watling’s contribution to his success.”Obviously BJ and I have had a combination for a while now and it is nice as a bowler, knowing that you’ve got a good keeper behind the stumps and someone that grabs most things and does a great job,” Southee said. “It’s a good combination. It’s one of those milestones along the way that are nice to have.”Watling wouldn’t call himself a perfectionist but said he takes pains to not let his team-mates down. “You always have pride in what you do. You want to take every chance you get, be as tidy as you can. That’s generally because you don’t want to let the boys down. There’s no worse feeling than dropping catches in cricket.”In December 2015, Watling was written about as an accountant among rock stars, a description that sat well with him but one he did not want to elaborate on, in keeping with his humble but strong character who would rather collect a cricket ball properly more than anything else on the field.”I am obviously getting a bit older and mature. I guess I am seen as a leader within this group, and just trying to get the best out of the bowling group and fielding unit is my job,” he said. “Keep scoring some runs and contributing that way.”He does it regularly without anyone noticing. The way he likes it.