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The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket

Steven Lynch09-Oct-2006The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket:

Tatenda Taibu: allround star © AFP
Which Test player, in a domestic match in 2004, scored 175 not out and then took 8 for 43, both in the second innings? asked Amith Rao from India
That sounds like a quiz question … but the compiler missed out an even more amazing fact: the player concerned started the match as the wicketkeeper! The allrounder was Tatenda Taibu, the recent Zimbabwe captain, who was captaining Mashonaland in their Logan Cup match against Midlands at Kwekwe in April 2004. In the second innings Taibu made 175 not out, to help his side to an overall lead of 514, then decided not to keep wicket and bowl instead. He then took 8 for 43 with his offbreaks as Midlands crashed to 185 all out.What is the highest first-wicket stand ever in a first-class match? And a Test? asked Ewen McDonald from New Zealand
The Test record is 413, by Vinoo Mankad (who made 231) and Pankaj Roy (173) for India against New Zealand at Madras in 1955-56. That came under severe threat in January this year, when Virender Sehwag (254) and Rahul Dravid (180 not out) put on 410 for India against Pakistan at Lahore before Sehwag was out. The first-class record is a lofty 561, by Waheed Mirza (324) and Mansoor Akhtar (224 not out) for Karachi Whites against Quetta (who had been bowled out for 104 shortly beforehand) at Karachi in 1976-77. Just to complete the set, the highest opening stand in a one-day international was set in July this year: Upul Tharanga (109) and Sanath Jayasuriya (152) piled on 286 against England at Headingley as Sri Lanka sailed past England’s imposing-looking total of 321 with amazing ease, winning with 12.3 overs to spare.Has any batsman scored hundreds in both innings of the same Test match at the Adelaide Oval? asked Omkar Persaud from Canada
Five batsmen have scored two separate centuries in a Test at Adelaide – two of them in the same match, in 1946-47, when Arthur Morris made 122 and 124 not out for Australia, and Denis Compton replied with 147 and 103 not out for England. The following year Vijay Hazare made 116 and 145 for India there – but Australia still won by an innings. Rohan Kanhai made 117 and 115 for West Indies during the 1960-61 series that included the first Tied Test. The first instance was by England’s Wally Hammond, with 119 not out and 177 in 1928-29, and the most recent was by Dean Jones, who made 116 and 121 not out for Australia against Pakistan in 1989-90. For a complete list of batsmen who scored a hundred in each innings of a Test, click here.Who has scored the most centuries in one Test series? asked Ian James Bull from Surrey
The only man to score five centuries in the same Test series was the West Indian Clyde Walcott, who did it against Australia at home in 1954-55. Walcott, who sadly died recently, hammered 827 runs in that five-Test series, and his five centuries included two in the second Test at Port-of-Spain, and two more in the final Test, at Kingston. Walcott also made 108 in the first Test, which was also at Kingston – and yet despite his efforts Australia still won the series 3-0! Don Bradman (three times), Denis Compton, Sunil Gavaskar (twice, including his first series, in the West Indies in 1970-71), Walter Hammond, Neil Harvey (twice), George Headley, Jacques Kallis, Mudassar Nazar, Herbert Sutcliffe (twice), Doug Walters and Everton Weekes all scored four centuries in the same Test series.

Apart from batting in all 11 positions, Wilfred Rhodes shared record stands for the first and tenth wickets in Ashes Tests © The Cricketer International
Has anyone batted in all 11 places in the order in Tests? asked Jared Thorn from Australia
There are only three players who have batted in every position in Tests during their careers (this counts opening as both No. 1 and No. 2, as there’s some doubt about who actually took first strike in several early Tests). The versatile trio are Wilfred Rhodes of England – who famously shared in record stands for the first and tenth wickets in Ashes Tests – Australia’s Syd Gregory (who had one innings each at 9, 10 and 11, and managed eight runs in total from them), and Vinoo Mankad of India, who rather bizarrely went in at No. 11 in the first innings of the Barbados Test of 1952- 53, then opened in the second innings. Quite a few people just missed out on a full set, batting in ten different spots: Warwick Armstrong, Jack Blackham, Ian Johnson, Sammy Jones and Hugh Trumble of Australia, Farokh Engineer and Ravi Shastri of India, and Pakistan’s Nasim-ul-Ghani, Shujauddin and Wasim Bari. In ODIs six players have batted in 10 of the 11 possible spots: Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik of Pakistan, South Africa’s Lance Klusener, Mohammad Rafique of Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka’s Hashan Tillekeratne.I noticed that Ray Lindwall took 228 Test wickets without ever taking ten in a match. Is this the highest number of wickets taken without a ten-wicket haul? asked Vikram Ravi Menezes from India
Ray Lindwall’s 228 Test wickets without a ten-for is quite a long way off the record, as this table shows. Top of this particular list is Bob Willis, who took 325 wickets without ever quite managing ten, although he did take nine in a match four times – his best match figures were 9 for 92 against New Zealand at Headingley in 1983. The other bowlers above Lindwall are Joel Garner (259), Jason Gillespie (259 to date), Garry Sobers (235) and Darren Gough (229). Below Lindwall, Heath Streak, Brett Lee and Jeff Thomson all reached 200 Test wickets without the aid of a ten-for

An account of Rahul Dravid through his formative years

Satish Viswanathan17-Mar-2006

‘Consistent, persistent, focused are words freely associated with Rahul Dravid now butthese have always been his strengths’ © AFP
The year 1990 seems so far away but that¹s where we must begin. It was thefinal year of college for some of us, but it was the first year among thebig boys for Rahul Dravid. Then a slightly freckled, wiry lad, he is todaythe Indian captain and on the verge of playing his 100th Test. Then a shyintrovert, today he is perhaps the country¹s most articulate sportsperson.Then a murderer of spin bowling, today he wears down the best and fastest offast bowlers. It has been some journey.From St Joseph¹s School to St Joseph¹s Commerce College (SJCC) is a naturalstep for most Josephites in Bangalore, but for Dravid it was much more thanthat. Here was where he would get three degrees for the price of one. Itwas a great place to study; the college believed in creating well-roundedpersonalities rather than just bright students; and most importantly, SJCChad a fantastic cricket team, one of the hardest to break in to.Many a talented cricketer had made his way into the college after being astar in school cricket, only to then warm the benches for a year or twobefore getting a look in. But not Dravid: at 17, his special ability wasmore than apparent.I remember one incident vividly. Having gone away to represent Karnataka inan Under-17 tournament, Dravid returned with a broken arm and was forced tomiss a few college games. Just days after he had resumed practice, thecollege side was to play a three-day final. The team think-tank wasunanimous that Dravid must come into the side if only for his ability tokeep one end up and allow the otherwise predominantly attacking batsmen toplay their strokes freely. But this meant that we had to drop a batsman whohad scored a mere half-century in the previous game.To cut a small story short, Dravid justified his inclusion, but the lad whowas dropped simply walked out of the college. He didn¹t think for a momentthat Dravid was a better player than him and made his point rather tooforcibly. I met him a few years later, and I was relieved that he was nowable appreciate that Dravid had been more deserving.The other thing that I remember most about him is something he said aftermore than a modest tour of West Indies in1997. ‘My biggest fear is ending myinternational career as just yet another Test cricketer. I want to beremembered as a great Test cricketer.’ This was barely one year after hisTest debut, and coming from someone else it could have sounded boastful, oreven foolish. Not so with Dravid, who was earnest and completely focused onbecoming really good.Single-mindedness has always been his big asset, and this was something wewere exposed to pretty early. I remember a two-day fun-trip out of Banglaorein 1990. While most of the team drank the night away at a cool hill station,Dravid spent the night practicing. No, it wasn¹t cricket. He found out thatour wicketkeeper was a great dancer and decided it was time for somelessons.What the dance teacher didn¹t realize was that this was no ordinary pupil, who would go away after a while; the lessons went on for the whole night. You can see that his feet movement is near perfect on the cricket field these days and has been so for more than a while.Consistent, persistent, focused are words freely associated with him now butthese have always been his strengths. The one thing he has added inabundance is balance. Balance not just at the batting crease but life ingeneral.He does not fly back from an inconsequential series for the birth of hischild but willingly stays awake nights tending to him after that. His busyschedule allows him little time for old friends, but does not forget topersonally call them up for his marriage. While he does not like offendingpeople, it doesn¹t stop him from bringing on Anil Kumble, old friend andproven matchwinner, as third-change spinner on a spinner¹s paradise.On Saturday, Dravid will walk out in his Indian blazer for his 100th Testand may just be overcome enough by the occasion to lose a step or two andwill probably lose the toss too. But whatever happens from here, he hasalready earned the right to described as one of great batsmen in the world.

Wayne Rooney will be a part of the BBC's matchday coverage as a pundit for the FA Cup clash between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest.

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• Rooney joins BBC as pundit
• Covering FA Cup match between Man Utd and Forest
• Was sacked as Birmingham City manager two months ago

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Two months after he was removed as Birmingham City manager by Tom Brady and Co, Rooney has decided to make a surprise career move as he joins BBC Sport as a pundit. He will be a part of their match coverage for the upcoming FA Cup fifth-round clash between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest.

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• WHAT WAYNE ROONEY SAID

  After taking up the new role, Rooney said: "Watching the BBC’s coverage of the FA Cup every year was always very special growing up. I’m so excited to be joining up with the team to cover what will undoubtedly be an action-packed tie in this historic competition. Having played and managed in the competition, it’s great to be on the other side of the camera this time and hopefully, I can bring some of that FA Cup experience to the coverage."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The 38-year-old won just one FA Cup title in his illustrious career, which came in the 2015-16 season while playing for the Red Devils. Post-retirement, the former England international took up coaching roles at Derby County and D.C. United before joining Tom Brady co-owned Birmingham. At the Championship side, Rooney lasted just a couple of months at the helm as he managed to guide them to only two wins in 15 matches.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WAYNE ROONEY?

  While punditry is something that the United legend is excited about at the moment, he would love to return to coaching soon, as he had recently expressed his desire to work under Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

In the absence of AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis, South Africa will have to find a way to get past Virat Kohli and India to prevent the series from drifting away

Sidharth Monga in Centurion03-Feb-20185:28

Cullinan predicts Centurion runfest

Big pictureAs is the case with teams facing India, South Africa have been talking up the visitors’ reliance on Virat Kohli. Even after losing the first ODI of the series, South Africa’s captain Faf du Plessis said Kohli was India’s backbone, and that South Africa knew they could put India under pressure if they could go past him. What irony then that South Africa have lost AB de Villiers for three matches, and now du Plessis himself for the rest of India’s tour, trying to get Kohli out. De Villiers and du Plessis both injured their fingers trying to catch Kohli at slip. They now have a new captain, Aiden Markram, who will be playing only his third ODI.As if facing India’s wristspinners in the middle overs was not bad enough, South Africa are now left to do so without their middle-order bulwarks. In the first ODI, India laid down the marker. India do have arguably the best top three in the world, but they have been winning matches through the middle overs, which is when their spinners control the game. While Hashim Amla didn’t get to face the spinners in the first ODI, du Plessis looked the only one out of the top six comfortable enough against them. It was going to be hard enough in the short turnaround between matches to find a way past them, but to do so without their captain, who faced them for long enough will be a big task.Without the services of their middle-order mainstays, South Africa now need to go from 79 for 5 off the main spinners to 100 for 2 or so. It is not a good sign for any host side to be talking just about the pitches, but South Africa will hope the pitches are quicker in the rest of the series. South Africa started the series on a 17-match winning streak at home, and two days in, they are in a tough fight for the series. They need to make sure it is possible to win the series by the time de Villiers comes back, for the fourth ODI.India will enjoy the confidence in their ranks, and the confusion in South Africa’s. They are arguably the best ODI side in the world at the moment, with the variety at their disposal both in their batting and bowling. They came here with an ordinary record in bilateral ODI cricket in South Africa; now is their chance to correct it.Anesh Debiky/AFP/Getty Images

Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: LWWWL
India: WWWLWIn the spotlightWith du Plessis gone, the batting onus falls on Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock, but you can’t realistically expect them to bat through the innings. When the spin is on, JP Duminy and David Miller will somehow have to find a way if South Africa are to succeed. Neither of them carries a great reputation against spin, but their numbers against spin – even though they dip as compared to pace – are not bleak. Miller strikes at 6.67 an over against pace; it comes down to 5.4 against spin. The corresponding numbers for Duminy are 5.94 and 4.62. Their averages against spin are 39.08 and 39.93. If they can do what their averages against spin suggests, they should be fine, but India’s spinners are anything but average.Virat Kohli doesn’t offer too many chances in ODIs. In Durban, he offered one with no runs to his name, and South Africa had only one slip. What’s more, the diving first slip, du Plessis, even broke his finger going for the catch. Kohli was then involved in a run-out, but the genius of his ODI batting showed in how he never let the asking rate get big enough to put pressure on his side. He did so without so much as taking a risk. South Africa know they can put pressure on India if they get past Kohli, but it is the getting-past-Kohli part they don’t seem to know much about at the moment.Team newsAiden Markram, not a certain starter in the last match, will captain South Africa in du Plessis’ absence. Du Plessis’ spot could go to Khaya Zondo or Farhaan Behardien. While Zondo was there in the squad already, Behardien’s experience could count in his favour. After returns of 10-0-51-0, Imran Tahir will be under a little pressure, but he should keep his place.South Africa (probable): 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Khaya Zondo/ Farhaan Behardien, 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran TahirThe Highveld might not be the ideal place to play two spinners, but India have been confident in their ability to do well in any conditions. Expect them to play both Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. India could look to rest one of their quicks. Bhuvneshwar Kumar didn’t play the Centurion Test either so if Shardul Thakur comes in, it could be at the expense of Bhuvneshwar.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 Ajinkya Rahane, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/ Shardul Thakur, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalPitch and conditionsThe average first-innings score in Centurion in the last five ODIs is 332. However, they have all been day-night matches. The last day match played here was in November 2013, when Pakistan were bowled out for 179. In the last five day ODIs in Centurion, sides batting first have lost four times. Expect runs, but bowling first might be the way to go.Stats and triviaAjinkya Rahane has now scored five consecutive fifties in ODIs, only the third batsman to do so for India. Leaving out India’s wristspinners, South Africa lost only one wicket and went at 6.23 an over against the rest in the first ODI. Aiden Markram is South Africa’s second-youngest ODI captain, behind Graeme Smith.Quotes”I don’t necessarily see it as a problem. It’s just been one game. I believe there’s quality batsmen in our middle order, and it’s just about taking responsibility. Obviously we’ve had to adjust our game-plans just a touch going into this game, but it wasn’t addressing any sort of problem, I don’t think.””We all are confident about tomorrow. The way we played in Durban, especially our bowlers, those wristspinners did really well for us. It was a complete team effort but we want to start from zero because whatever happened in Durban is past now. This team is always living in the present.”

Both boards are in talks to play a Test as well, which Zimbabwe Cricket would prefer taking place after the World Cup qualifiers in March

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2017

Zimbabwe and Afghanistan have agreed to play five ODIs and two T20Is against each other in Sharjah in February 2018. The tour begins with back to back 20-over games on February 5 and 6 before moving onto the 50-over leg scheduled to take place between February 9 to 19.Tour schedule

Feb 5 – first T20I, Sharjah
Feb 6 – Second T20I, Sharjah
Feb 9 – First ODI, Sharjah
Feb 11 – Second ODI, Sharjah
Feb 13 – Third ODI, Sharjah
Feb 16 – Fourth ODI, Sharjah
Feb 19 – Fifth ODI, Sharjah

Afghanistan were in talks to play their maiden Test against Zimbabwe around the same time as well. The original plan was for both teams to compete against each other across all three formats in Sharjah before Zimbabwe would travel Bangladesh for an ODI tri-series in January-February. But with the World Cup qualifiers due in March, Zimbabwe Cricket suggested to the Afghanistan Cricket Board that it might be better for the players to concentrate on limited-overs cricket.”We are still discussing the proposed Test and looking at playing it after the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier,” a ZC official said. With Zimbabwe suffering a cash crunch, they may also prefer to play their Test matches away from home.Afghanistan have also announced a three match ODI series against Ireland to take place in Sharjah on December 5, 7 and 10.The ACB chairman Atif Mashal appeared happy that the team was getting good exposure at a time they will need it. “The two T20Is and five-match ODI series at Sharjah Cricket Stadium will give both sides [Afghanistan and Zimbabwe] a valuable opportunity to face each other for competitive cricket ahead of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in March.”The tournament features 10 teams, including West Indies and Ireland, but only the top two will get to go to England for the 2019 World Cup.

Karun Nair prepares to sweep•Associated Press

Karun Nair’s century delayed the inevitable for India Green as they lost to India Red by 170 runs in the Duleep Trophy opener at Lucknow’s Ekana International Stadium on Sunday.India Green, in pursuit of 474, were bowled out for 303 in the final session on the fourth day, with Karn Sharma, the legspinner, taking six wickets and finishing with his first-ever ten-for. Siddarth Kaul, the fast bowler, had four wickets, including that of top-scorer Nair, also the captain, for 120.Resuming on 98 for 2, India Green lost R Samarth early, after he’d added just 13 to his overnight 46. Ankit Bawne then became the first of Kaul’s four wickets when he was bowled for 17 shortly before the first session ended.Nair, meanwhile, battled on and forged a 49-run stand with Parthiv Patel, before Karn struck again. Parthiv, who became the 48th Indian to go past 10,000 first-class runs in the first innings, was caught by Rahul Singh for 26. At that stage, India Green were reduced to 213 for 5.Nair, who during the course of the day’s play was named captain of the India A team to play two four-day fixtures against New Zealand A, brought up his 10th first-class century, but his dismissal to break a 62-run stand with Mayank Dagar, who made 45, hastened India Green’s exit. Their inability to build on two strong partnerships during the course of the day eventually proved costly.India Red take on the Suresh Raina-led India Blue in the second fixture at Green Park in Kanpur on September 13.

Former Spanish FA chief Luis Rubiales has accused Spain's women's players of taking "revenge" on him after he refused to sack manager Jorge Vilda.

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• Rubiales accuses Spain players of 'revenge'
• Claims players wanted him to sack manager
• Alleges Hermoso lied about kiss response

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rubiales has claimed that Spain's players asked him to dismiss national team coach Jorge Vilda, a request he refused. The 46-year-old has argued that his own dismissal and the criminal investigation into his conduct were part of a revenge plot against him.

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  Rubiales caused outrage when he kissed Spain striker Jenni Hermoso – allegedly without consent – during the trophy presentation following Spain's defeat of England in the Women's World Cup final. After three weeks of widespread condemnation, he resigned from his position as RFEF president. Spain's public prosecutor subsequently launched an investigation into his conduct, after Hermoso alleged that Rubiales pressured her not to complain about the kiss.

• WHAT RUBIALES SAID ABOUT VILDA

  In a YouTube interview with Alvise Perez, Rubiales said: "We have been very alone due toblackmail that we have suffered from certain footballers, who told me to kick out [Jorge] Vilda.Whoever said that they did not ask for Vilda's head…they asked me directly in a conversation.They wanted his head and since I didn't give it to them, and with Jorge [Vilda] we have been world champions, because they saw the sky open with the opportunity andsaid, with this theater, we took down Vilda and Rubiales, it was revenge."

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• WHAT RUBIALES SAID ABOUT HERMOSO

  Rubiales went on to accuse Hermoso of lying in regard to his conduct after the kiss.

  He said: "Jenni lies about the fact that I put pressure on her after the kiss, and she knows she is lying."

Joe Root has praised a “fabulous” team performance as he started his reign as England captain in almost perfect fashion at Lord’s.”Everyone has played their part this week,” Root said after England completed a crushing 211-run victory. “It might not have been a six-for or a fifty, but there were crucial periods where guys showed character.”Everything I asked of the lads, they were very open to and responded to it. I wanted us to be proactive, to stay ahead of the game and when there was an opportunity, to take responsibility. Everyone at certain points did that and it’s important we continue to do that if we are to take this side forward.”England have already named the same 12-man squad for the second Test at Trent Bridge, which begins on Friday. Barring injury to any of the seamers – and the fact they were barely used in the fourth innings and have an extra day off now suggests they should be fine – an unchanged team is expected. While it would be unusual for England to play two spinners at Trent Bridge, they would argue they are playing only one – Liam Dawson – with Moeen Ali picked as a batsman.In truth, England’s surplus of allrounders – Chris Woakes will be pressing for a recall before the end of the series – leaves them with something close to a luxury position to fill as they see fit. At Lord’s, they could have chosen a legspinner, a specialist keeper, another batsman – perhaps a specialist in the top three – or even a match-winning but potentially unreliable seamer such as Mark Footitt.As things stand, they have chosen to go with Dawson. Though few would claim Dawson is the best spinner in England – he may well not be the best at Hampshire – he offers a good all-round package topped by his ability to offer his captain control in the field, a trait that complements England’s seamers, while his presence also alleviates any expectation upon Moeen to fulfill a holding role. It’s not ideal and it won’t always work as well as this, but as this was the first time two England spinners claimed 14 wickets in a home Test since 1972, it can only be considered a success.Root credited the presence of his two key allrounders – Moeen and Ben Stokes – for giving his side enviable depth with bat and ball.”That’s the great thing about our top seven,” Root said. “We have two really good bowling options with Moeen and Ben and that’s a real luxury.”There were two obvious standout performers in England’s win: Root and Moeen.Root’s batting was a level above anyone else’s in the match. He enjoyed some fortune in scoring his first 20 runs, but he took advantage in ruthless fashion. Before this match, Root had converted only one of his last seven Test half-centuries into a three-figure score but the captaincy seemed to add an edge to his game: a hunger; a determination to push on and register a match-defining total. While he modestly referred to his form as “nice” afterwards, it is telling that Moeen was the only other man in the match to reach 70.The statistics relating to Moeen are staggering. Having reached the double milestone of 100 wickets and 2000 runs in fewer Tests than Sir Garry Sobers, et al, on the second day of this match, he subsequently claimed the first 10-wicket haul by an England spinner at Lord’s since Derek Underwood in 1974 and the first by an England offspinner since Roy Tattersall in 1951. He also became the first England player to claim a 10-wicket haul and score a 50 in the same Test since Ian Botham in 1980. While Shane Warne was never able to earn a place on the Lord’s honours boards, Moeen – who has often been referred to as a part-time bowler by Warne – now does.These are great names and significant achievements. While nobody – least of all Moeen himself – would claim he was a spinner in the class of Underwood or Warne, or an allrounder in the class of Botham or Sobers, he has developed into a very valuable player nevertheless. The bowling average has moved below 40, the batting above 35 and there’s no reason why they should not continue to improve.Liam Dawson may not be the best spinner in England, but fills a key holding role for Joe Root’s England side to balance the bowling unit•Getty Images

Here, partly as a result of his work with Saqlain Mushtaq – for whom he dedicated this performance – he showed ever more cunning in his variations of pace. The delivery which bowled Temba Bavuma was significantly quicker than those that preceded it. At one stage, he threatened to equal Wasim Akram’s record of a wicket in six consecutive overs before falling one short.Rather typically, he described some of the attention surrounding his achievements as “embarrassing”, though he did concede that the match represented “the best all-round performance of my career.””Maybe in India I was trying to fire the ball in a bit,” Moeen said. “I learned a lot from that tour. My natural pace is quite quick anyway. Here I had a different mindset and I was trying to attack the batsmen more. It’s nice to do this at Lord’s. It means a lot.”There were other important contributions. Jonny Bairstow’s second-innings half-century shut South Africa out of the match, while some of his keeping was outstanding. The diving take down the leg side to dismiss Heino Kuhn was the most eye-catching moment, but the wicket of Kagiso Rabada – an edge held off an attempted cut – was impressive too. The hard work he has undertaken with Bruce French and others is clearly starting to pay off. A debut for Ben Foakes, which really might have been quite close a week or so ago, suddenly looks distant.And, as 19 wickets fell on the fourth day, the value of England’s obdurate batting the previous evening became more apparent. Alastair Cook, one of only two men to reach 35 in the third and fourth innings, made the most valuable contribution. But Gary Ballance’s second-innings 34 and Keaton Jennings’ 33 were worth more than a quick glance at the scorecard might suggest. Root reckoned they were “worth double.”There is a caveat to all this. South Africa, it has to be said, made some basic mistakes with their catching, their use of the DRS, the over-stepping of the bowlers resulting in no balls and, most of all, their batting against spin. It is improbable they will play as badly at Trent Bridge.But this was pretty much a perfect start for Root and his team.

Harbhajan Singh believes he still has enough left in the tank to play a role for India if he is selected in the squad for the upcoming tournament in England

Arun Venugopal07-May-2017Offspinner Harbhajan Singh believes he has done enough to merit a comeback to the India side for the Champions Trophy next month.Harbhajan, who will turn 37 in July, last played an ODI for India in October 2015, and his most recent international appearance in any format came over a year ago, against UAE during the 2016 Asia Cup T20. He did well in the Vijay Hazare domestic 50-over competition, claiming nine wickets from six games at four an over and though his performances dipped in the inter-state T20 tournament, he has been excellent in the IPL. Conceding only 5.82 runs per over, Harbhajan has the best economy rate among those who have bowled at least five overs.”I have played and enjoyed those 15-16 years of top-level cricket, playing with the greats. I am enjoying the IPL and I am looking forward to making a comeback by doing well,” Harbhajan told ESPNcricinfo on the eve of Mumbai Indians’ game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. “If I have to look at myself in the mirror, I will say: ‘Look, you have done what you could have done. Is that enough for you to be selected?’ I would say yes because it’s not just about what I am doing here [in recent times]. I am talking about all these years when I played one-dayers.”I was called to play against South Africa [in 2015] and I was the [second] highest wicket-taker for India. After that I never played for India in ODIs. I don’t know the reason. In T20s, I have been part of the squad, but never got to play a game. Every year I do well in the IPL and I don’t get into the scheme of things in the last two-three years”.Harbhajan’s waning fortunes have coincided with the success of fellow offspinner R Ashwin and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja. Amit Mishra, Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal pushing for back-up spin slots has made it even more challenging for Harbhajan to gain a recall. For the Champions Trophy, Ashwin, who appears certain to recover from the sports hernia that has kept him out of the IPL, and Jadeja are expected to be India’s first-choice spin options. Harbhajan doesn’t mind taking the difficult road back.”That’s always been there, no? That there is someone in the team and someone coming into the team,” he said. “My competition is with me – how I can better than what I used to do. What other spinners do… good luck to them, well done to them. If X, Y, Z is playing for India, and he is bowling offspin or legspin, if he is good, he should do it. Likewise, if I am good, I am good.”In picking Yuvraj Singh for the ODI series against England on the back of solid numbers in the Ranji Trophy, the selectors indicated that good performances in first-class cricket would be rewarded. Harbhajan, though, sat the season out and doesn’t regret doing so for it allowed him to soak in the joys of watching his daughter Hinaya Heer grow up.”Playing four or five games wouldn’t have changed my life. If that has to happen, it will happen even now,” he said. “Whatever level [of cricket] you are playing, you should look to enjoy, and that’s what I have been looking to do over the last year and a half.”I didn’t play the last season [of first-class cricket] because whatever joy or enjoyment I used to get while I was playing cricket, that joy was in my arms. I thought there’s no need for me to be travelling every four days because this time with my daughter won’t come back again. This is a beautiful time, and I wanted to be there each and every day, each and every moment. Now, she has grown up, and can travel with me.”It’s not like there has been a drop in my commitment, but now I have reached a stage where I won’t get disappointed even if I am not selected. If I am not selected [for the Champions Trophy], I will be selected for another series. I will be selected somewhere or the other because until that time I will keep knocking the doors. I feel if you keep on performing, you can’t be ignored.”While Harbhajan admitted it wasn’t easy to motivate himself to go through the grind of domestic cricket, he knew it was his only way to get back into the Indian team.”You feel that domestic cricket will get easier, you will go there and run through sides just because you played at the international level, but it doesn’t happen that way,” he said. “Even if you are motivated, you still have to push your limits because sometimes these domestic players are better players of spin bowling than what the international players are nowadays.”He has also assured the selectors of his availability in all forms of cricket. “That’s the reason I am playing all the one-dayers, domestic T20s and now the IPL. If the selectors feel I should be part of [the team], I am ready because I am doing as well as anybody. There is no way I should think that I don’t stand a chance.”The national selectors will meet on Monday to pick the squad to go to England for the Champions Trophy which starts on June 1. “The selection committee is convening just for me,” Harbhajan joked. “Hopefully I will be there, if not, that’s not the end of the world for me. I am young and doing what everybody else is doing, maybe even better. So why not?”

Captain Upul Tharanga said the choice of their openers in the first T20I will depend on the opposition’s plans and involve trying to neutralise the Bangladesh spinners

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo03-Apr-2017

After years of failing to find a partner for Tillakaratne Dilshan at the top of the order, Sri Lanka are currently faced with a logjam over the opening slots. While Niroshan Dickwella is unavailable for the T20I series against Bangladesh, the hosts have in their squad four men – each of them having trodden a different path – who can open the batting in the shortest format.Upul Tharanga – the oldest of the four – has usually been thought of for the longer formats, but has recently unveiled a more explosive avatar to his batting. By contrast, 26-year-old Kusal Perera, the only batsman who has tasted some consistent success as a T20 opener, has not been in the best touch of late. Though he was part of the victorious World T20 campaign in Bangladesh, his form in the recent past has been somewhat shaky.Dilshan Munaweera had an abortive first stint in the team, but has since found his way back into Sri Lankan colours via the global T20 circuit. As for the newest of their opening options, Danushka Gunathilaka has a reputation of being a live wire in the field, and can also double up as a useful part-time bowler. However, at the moment, he is trading more on potential than tangible results.Under normal circumstances, there would be little pressure for Sri Lanka to lock down their best opening combination immediately – considering there is no world T20 tournament on the horizon. However, with both the ODI and Test series having been drawn 1-1, there is little more at stake in this series than usual.Taking into account how the odds stack up against both teams ahead of the T20 series, Captain Tharanga said the issue of choosing the opening combination deserved a little mulling over.”We really haven’t decided on the openers, and we have to take the opposition’s plans into account,” Tharanga said. “They have the offspinner Mehedi Hasan, and he often opens the bowling – as we saw in the ODIs. So, that can affect the combination. And, we might also want a right-hand left-hand combination.”This suggests Munaweera is likely to open the innings, as he is the only right-handed batsman among the quartet, and as such, is best-equipped to neutralise Mehedi.According to Tharanga, the opening combination is not the only area where Sri Lanka have options. Thanks to their recent successes – albeit against depleted opposition – Sri Lanka may head into the T20I series with a little more confidence.”In the last two series, we beat South Africa in South Africa and Australia in Australia, which is never easy to do,” Tharanga said. “They were top teams at the moment in the T20 format. We are in good shape in the T20s, and we have a lot more experience, especially with players like Lasith Malinga coming back, and Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera being there as well.”We have explosive batsmen up the top of the order, but some firepower lower down as well in Seekkuge Prasanna and Chamara Kapugedara.”Though Tharanga revealed on Saturday that he had asked for an offspinner – Dilruwan Perera – to be added to Sri Lanka’s ODI squad after the selectors had initially failed to name one, he did express support for the selectors’ policy of stacking T20I sides with allrounders.”In T20Is, a lot changes with the situation. Sometimes, if you have players that can play a few big shots and contribute with a couple of overs at the right time, it can be an advantage.”As specialist bowlers, we’ve got Malinga and Kulasekara; Lakshan Sandakan as a spinner, and Seekkuge as well, who bowled all four overs in Australia. We’re just looking for one or two overs from the allrounders,” Tharanga said.