Kevin Pietersen has been England’s best batsman in the last 30 years, and one of their biggest matchwinners ever

S Rajesh20-Nov-2013Kevin Pietersen the person tends to divide opinions, but there’s no doubting the class of Kevin Pietersen the batsman. On Thursday he’ll become the 10th England player to appear in 100 Test matches, but in terms of achievements he has already surpassed many of them. Only four England batsmen have scored more Test runs than him, and only one – Alastair Cook – has more Test hundreds.More than just the sheer number of runs, though, it’s the ability to influence the results of matches that has been the stand-out aspect of Pietersen’s Test career so far. Mark Nicholas had mentioned in his article that Pietersen “is close to being regarded as a truly great cricketer, England’s first since Ian Botham”. A batting average of 48.38 doesn’t necessarily bear that out, especially in this era of so many batsmen breaching 50, but here’s a stat which reflects Pietersen’s ability to turn games: he has won ten Man-of-the-Match awards in his Test career, which is the second-highest among all England players; only Botham, with 12, has won more.The first of those awards came in his very first series, and in his fifth Test, against Australia at The Oval, when his 158 in the second innings helped England save the game and clinch the Ashes. In the next home season, he won his second for scoring 142 at Edgbaston against Sri Lanka; by the end of the 2007 home season, he had four awards in 30 Tests, scored ten hundreds, and averaged almost 53.It was an outstanding start to his Test career, but the next two-and-a-half years weren’t as prolific, as his average dipped to 42.80 in his next 28 matches. Of the nine series he played during that period, three times his average slipped below 30, two of those being on tours to Sri Lanka and South Africa.The next 20 Tests were outstanding again, and included the 2010-11 Ashes – when he averaged 60 from five Tests – and the four-Test home series against India, when he scored 533 from six innings. However, since the beginning of 2012 the average has dipped again, to 41.24 from 21 matches. The highs have been there during this period as well, including three stunning innings in Colombo, Leeds, and Mumbai, but there have been lows too, including the series against Pakistan in the UAE, when he aggregated 67 in six innings.

Pietersen’s Test career so far

PeriodTestsRunsAverageStrike rate100s/ 50sTill Aug 200730289852.6965.4910/ 10Sep 2007 to Jan 201028192642.8057.756/ 6Feb 2010 to Dec 201120153759.1164.203/ 9Jan 2012 onwards21152641.2460.794/ 8Career99788748.3862.2723/ 33Problems in Asia, and v left-arm spinnersWhile he has played some memorable and matchwinning knocks abroad, overall Pietersen has been more consistent in England, averaging almost 53 at home compared to 43.51 in overseas Tests (including those at neutral venues). Specifically, he has had his problems in Asia, averaging less than 40 in four out of eight series. However, even in conditions he hasn’t been comfortable with, Pietersen has played a couple of matchwinning innings on the last two tours, in Colombo and Mumbai.

Pietersen in Tests, home and away

TestsRunsAverageStrike rate100s/ 50sHome53453752.7566.1815/ 18Away46335043.5157.678/ 15Asia22157340.3362.664/ 6The Asian problem has something to do with left-arm spin, but, more surprisingly, Pietersen doesn’t have a great average against right-arm pace either in Asia, scoring only 34.20 runs per dismissal. Overall, his average against right-arm fast is 50.24. Against left-arm spin, he has less-than-impressive numbers all around the world.The individual bowlers who’ve dismissed him most often, though, aren’t left-arm spinners. Peter Siddle has got him out seven times (average 21 runs per dismissal), while Brett Lee and Muttiah Muralitharan have dismissed him six times each (at averages of 38.16 and 28). Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne dismissed him five times each, but their averages differed hugely: McGrath conceded only 27 per dismissal, but Pietersen won many of his battles against Warne, averaging 61.60 against him. The bowler who has troubled him more than any other, though, is Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal: his five dismissals have cost him only 12.80 runs each.

Pietersen against different bowler types in Tests

OverallIn AsiaBowler typeDismissalsAverageRuns/overDismissalsAverageRuns/ overRight-arm pace7750.243.661034.203.61Right-arm spin3660.864.251448.284.45Left-arm pace1741.523.32341.662.97Left-arm spin2937.483.411235.833.31Among England’s finest, at No. 4 and overallPre-1970, England had several batsmen who ended their careers with 50-plus averages – Herbert Sutcliffe, Ken Barrington, Wally Hammond, Jack Hobbs, Len Hutton and Denis Compton all belonged in that club – but since then the list has dwindled. Among all the England batsmen who’ve scored at least 1000 runs since the beginning of 1970, only one batsman has a 50-plus average during this period: Geoff Boycott averaged 50.50 in the 67 Tests he played since 1970, though his overall career average was 47.72.In the 1980s and early 1990s, England played against West Indies far too often for any of their batsmen to average in the vicinity of 50, but even in the 2000s none of their batsmen breached that mark. Pietersen’s average of 48.38 is the highest among England batsmen who’ve played in the last 30 years, and the third-best since 1970.

Highest Test averages for England since 1970 (Qual: 1000 runs)

BatsmanTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sGeoff Boycott67550550.5016/ 29Dennis Amiss45348749.1111/ 11Kevin Pietersen99788748.3823/ 33Alastair Cook97780147.8525/ 32Jonathan Trott48374447.399/ 18Ian Bell93648746.6620/ 37Graham Thorpe100674444.6616/ 39David Gower117823144.2518/ 39Marcus Trescothick76582543.7914/ 29Robin Smith62423643.679/ 28Graham Gooch118890042.5820/ 46At No. 4, Pietersen is already England’s leading run-scorer by a distance, already having scored 1965 runs more than Compton, though Compton had a better average. In the all-time list for all teams, Pietersen is in seventh place, after Tendulkar, Kallis, Jayawardene, Lara, Miandad and Mark Waugh.

England’s highest run-getters at No. 4 in Tests

BatsmanInningsRunsAverage100s/ 50sKevin Pietersen130619949.5919/ 25Denis Compton86423453.3913/ 20David Gower91322338.363/ 20Wally Hammond66299750.797/ 15Nasser Hussain82287737.368/ 17Graham Thorpe73271241.724/ 18Peter May49238358.127/ 12Ken Barrington44236759.177/ 12Allan Lamb67234038.368/ 7Robin Smith49183439.865/ 10Pietersen at No. 4 by point-of-entry scoresThe table below lists Pietersen’s batting stats at No. 4 sorted by the team totals at which he has come in to bat. When he has come in early – with the score reading less than 25 – Pietersen’s average has dropped to 32, which is well below his career average. He has scored a couple of centuries in 20 innings – 144 against India in Mohali coming in at 1 for 2, and 129 against New Zealand in Napier coming in at 4 for 2 (which soon became 36 for 4) – but 12 times in 20 innings, he has been dismissed for less than 15, which brings his overall average down to 32.The average increases to 41.03 when he comes in with the total between 25 and 49, but he has been at his most productive at No. 4 when he has come in to bat with the team total between 50 and 99. In 37 such innings he has scored ten centuries, and averages nearly 65. Two of his double-centuries were scored in this point-of-entry range, as was his matchwinning 186 in Mumbai last year (when he came in at 68 for 2). When he’s come in after 100, his average has dropped, though it’s still an impressive 50.66.

Pietersen at No. 4 by point-of-entry scores

ScoreInningsRunsAverage100s/ 50sLess than 252064132.052/ 325 to 4929114941.033/ 650 to 9937233264.7810/ 5100 to 1492288444.201/ 6150 or more22119356.813/ 5Comparing with the best of his timePietersen is the fastest to 4000, 5000, and 7000 Test runs in terms of days, but that’s also partially because of the amount of Test cricket England tend to play. Since Pietersen’s Test debut, in July 2005, England have played 106 Tests, the most by any team. Australia are next with 94, India 89, South Africa 76 while Pakistan have managed only 65 Tests. (Click here for the full list.) This unequal distribution has helped Pietersen and the other England batsman, but his overall average of 48.38 isn’t as good as some of the others.This is clearly an era in which 50-plus averages are nowhere near as exclusive as they used to be: since July 2005 (when Pietersen made his debut), nine batsmen have scored 4000-plus runs at 50-plus averages, while two others have marginally higher averages than Pietersen. It’s true that Pietersen has played more than half his Tests in England, where run-scoring has been relatively difficult during this period: the average runs per wicket here since his debut is 31.30, compared to 35.35 in the same period in India, and 33.09 in Sri Lanka. However, Pietersen has had more problems scoring runs consistently in Asia.

Highest batting averages in Tests since Pietersen made his Test debut (Qual: 4000 runs)

BatsmanTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sStrike rateKumar Sangakkara70698663.5026/ 2453.84Shivnarine Chanderpaul63493157.3314/ 2643.00Younis Khan49434956.4813/ 1651.92Hashim Amla68585154.6820/ 2752.70Jacques Kallis71580353.7322/ 2150.69Michael Clarke85698753.3322/ 2555.94Michael Hussey79623551.5219/ 2950.13AB de Villiers76567051.0814/ 2954.35Mahela Jayawardene70586950.5918/ 2351.51VS Laxman70482048.6810/ 3449.02Sachin Tendulkar77578748.6317/ 2753.84Kevin Pietersen99788748.3823/ 3362.27Though Pietersen isn’t among the top ten in terms of averages, he is clearly among the most impactful players during this period. Since his Test debut, only Kumar Sangakkara has more Man-of-the-Match awards (11) than Pietersen’s 10.Already, Pietersen is the fifth-highest run-scorer in Tests for England, 1013 behind the leader, Graham Gooch. If he stays focussed and hungry for Test cricket, he should cruise past that landmark and become the first England player to score 9000 runs. (It’s a tad surprising that of the 12 batsmen currently in the 9000-run club, none are from England.) However, more than the sheer number of runs, it’s his ability to turn games that will probably remain Pietersen’s biggest selling point.

Plays of the Day from the Asia Cup clash between Bangladesh and India

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Fatullah26-Feb-2014The collisionThe stumps weren’t the only thing Varun Aaron knocked over on Wednesday•AFPHaving opened Shamsur Rahman up with a back-of-a-length delivery that straightened and bounced, Mohammed Shami’s eyes were fixed on the ball looping up off the leading edge. So glued were his eyes to the ball that Shami didn’t notice Ambati Rayudu running in from cover to claim the same catch. The two collided, but Shami’s focus had been so unwavering he came out of it clutching the ball triumphantly. Both bowler and fielder were unhurt.The yorkersIndia have seldom used Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the death. Two days before this match, though, he had been spotted diligently aiming yorkers at a dummy batsman in an open net. All of that practice showed when he came on for the 47th and 49th overs of Bangladesh’s innings and fired eight out of those 12 balls into the blockhole.The forehand swatAnamul Haque had already jumped down the track and smacked Varun Aaron for a six. Seeing him leave his crease once more, Aaron banged the ball in short. It rose shoulder high and on an off-stump line, but Anamul didn’t care, and went through with the shot, swatting the ball hard and high over the deep midwicket boundary.The beamerAaron wasn’t having a good day. He was going at over nine an over, and Mushfiqur Rahim had smashed two fours and a six off his last four legal deliveries. His radar had been all over the place. But now, Aaron’s waywardness went beyond merely line and length. The ball slipped out of his fingers, and struck Mushfiqur Rahim on the chest, on the full. Aaron had already bowled one waist-high full-toss at Anamul. The second meant he could play no more part with the ball.The yorkers (part two)In his fourth over, Rubel Hossain uprooted Shikhar Dhawan’s leg stump with a superbly directed yorker. Unfortunately for the bowler, this was a free hit. Rubel’s efforts would get their reward in due course, however, even if it was too late in India’s innings to make any difference to the result. In his final over, Rubel bowled his second unplayable yorker of the day, a ball good enough to bowl Virat Kohli out for 136.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from Bangladesh’s opening World T20 match against Afghanistan

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur16-Mar-2014The startMohammad Shahzad often goes after the bowling as early as the first ball, but this gamble didn’t come off today. Mashrafe Mortaza bowled a wide delivery, which Shahzad must have thought could be smashed anywhere. He toed the ball, it climbed a fair distant up in the air and travelled only as far as mid-off where Mahmudullah caught it.The one-sided exchangeShahzad has a reputation of being a talkative wicketkeeper, particularly skilled at needling batsmen. When Tamim Iqbal was taking guard and with a cameraman loitering around the wicket, he said something to Tamim. The batsman looked as if he didn’t first understand what was being said. Tamim seemingly asked someone to translate what was said, and called for the umpire Nigel Llong, who shooed away the cameraman and calmed Shahzad down.The second chanceSabbir Rahman’s first act in the field was to drop Naib at long-on. It was a simple chance off Shakib Al Hasan, but Sabbir could not hold on, just like a lot of Bangladeshi fielders in the last two months. Soon, however, Sabbir turned it around, running 10m to his right to take a good catch.The first blowWith the six being romanticised, trivialised and everything else in the World T20, the first one of the tournament was a miscued shot. Gulbadin Naib, a strong hitter, didn’t make a good connection, but the ball went over the long-on fence. It was also the only six of the Afghanistan innings.The return shotTamim hadn’t played for Bangladesh for more than a month due to a neck strain, so when his name was read out, there was an understandable cheer from the Mirpur crowd. His first shot of intention in his return innings was to give Shapoor Zadran, Afghanistan’s best fast bowler, a charge. He found the gap easily, and the ball thudded on to the electronic advertising boards.

Scotland will aim to take advantage of England’s vulnerability in a fixture that does little to aid the long-term planning of Peter Moores and Alastair Cook

George Dobell in Aberdeen08-May-2014Win and it is only to be expected; lose and it is a humiliation. Peter Moores’ second stint as England coach begins with as close to a no-win fixture as is possible.England should prove too strong for Scotland. Despite recent setbacks, England are No. 4 in the ODI rankings and reached the final of the last global ODI tournament. Their players enjoy every advantage of modern professionalism and several of them have played more than 100 ODIs. Some of Scotland’s players have to fit cricket in around their day jobs.But this game has many of the ingredients for an upset. Scotland, highly motivated and resurgent having recently qualified for the World Cup, have nothing to lose and know that, after a chastening winter, England cannot be high on confidence. It would be stretching things a bit far to say they smell blood, but they certainly sense vulnerability. Netherlands’ victory over England has shown what is possibleEngland, meanwhile, have not played any white ball cricket this season. They have never played an ODI so far north – Kyle Coetzer, Scotland’s captain, proudly described it as the most northerly ODI venue in the world – and, in doing so in early May in a match starting at 10.30am and incorporating two new balls, know that batting could be something of a lottery at times. Poor weather could also intervene – it would be a surprise if it didn’t – increasing the prospect of a shortened run chase, bowlers struggling to grip slippery balls and Duckworth-Lewis inspired frustration.It would be wrong to decry the pitch, though. New Zealand scored 400 here in an ODI in 2008 and seven men have registered ODI centuries on the ground. But the boundary is small, the outfield on Thursday surprisingly wet and the sell-out crowd likely to be heavily partisan. It all faintly evokes memories of first-class sides being embarrassed at the home of minor county teams in the Gillette Cup.One thing England should not be is complacent. Indeed, after the shock of the Netherlands defeat – a defeat that might well have cost Ashley Giles his job – and the thrashings in Australia, it remains to be seen if England’s scars have healed. It was a lack of confidence, not a surfeit of it, which was their main weakness in Bangladesh.There is a sense that Moores, at the start of this new era for England, is keen to help the team rediscover the simple pride and joy of representing their country and playing a game they love for a living. As Alastair Cook admitted, there were times in Australia, in particular, when they forgot that.”You have to remember how lucky we are to wear the shirt and play for your country,” Cook said. “Sometimes after a long period away, you forget that. Last winter is probably a reminder of that. When you lose games of cricket it becomes very hard.”Now we’ve all had bit of time away from the game, it’s been a good time to reflect and realise how special it is to be playing for England. We have to remember that at all times. Chatting to a few of the guys who are no longer playing, they say it’s the best days of your life even in tough times.”

Coetzer evokes England’s winter turmoil

Kyle Coetzer, the Scotland captain, has called on his team to “bring back some bad memories from the winter” for England in Aberdeen.
Coetzer, born and raised in the city, used his pre-match press conference to remind England of a chastening few months, which included a whitewash defeat in the Ashes and an embarrassing loss at the hands of Holland in the World T20.
“England didn’t have the winter they would have liked,” Coetzer said, “so hopefully we can bring back some back bad memories. They have some fresh faces, a new coach and a few players trying to prove themselves.
“No one’s place is cemented, so they may feel under a bit of a pressure to prove themselves. Hopefully we can prey on that and bring back a few bad memories.”
Coetzer is also relishing the opportunity to prove the strength of Scotland and Associate cricket.
“A game of this magnitude is great for the whole of Scotland,” he said. “We would like to see more games of this level, so it is hugely important for us to make most of days like this. We are always trying to prove a case for Associate cricket and we want to show what a high level it is. The progression we have made over the last 12-18 months has been outstanding and now is our time to prove ourselves.”

Furthermore, with 21 ODIs to play until the World Cup starts, places are at stake in both sides. This England team has only been assembled for this game so performances here will influence selection for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, which will be named on Tuesday.Most urgently, England need to find some reliable ‘death’ bowlers – not a strong area in county cricket at present – and decide on their top-order batting tactics.Harry Gurney, a left-arm bowler of sharp if not express pace, might be one answer. He has developed a good record in domestic white-ball cricket and could partner James Anderson or Stuart Broad in Powerplays and at the end of an innings. Ravi Bopara, who Alastair Cook revealingly named as one of two colleagues (Broad was the other) he consulted before deciding to continue as captain, is another underutilised ‘death’ option. Chris Jordan, who has looked the most dangerous new-ball bowler in England this season, rarely does the job for Sussex and struggled when pressed into service in the role in the Caribbean.There is a sense that England would like to take a more aggressive approach to the first 15 overs of their innings. The argument for such a tactic is that, on the batsmen-friendly tracks anticipated for most of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, England’s traditional steady approach will not generate the huge totals that may be needed to prevail.But Aberdeen in May is not the place to experiment with aggressive top-order batting. It may well be that the games played against Sri Lanka offer little more help, either. England continue to be hindered by their scheduling.Besides, Cook believes that the best players have the ability to adapt. So those players who are suited to seeing England through the new ball in Aberdeen should, if Cook is to be believed, also prove the men to get them off to a flyer in Perth and Brisbane.”One of skills you need as an international cricketer is the ability to play in different conditions,” Cook said. “You’re challenged wherever you play in the world. The best players adapt and find a way of delivering results. The wicket here looks good, but it won’t be an absolute belter, so going hard would be foolish.”But preparing for a World Cup in Australia and New Zealand by playing in Aberdeen in May is like preparing for a sprint by going ice-skating.All of which begs the question: why is this game taking place? The politically correct answer is that the ECB and ICC want to provide some encouragement to an Associate neighbour. But the fact that England have played only two of their previous 616 ODIs against Scotland, does not suggest that encouragement is especially effusive.If the ECB really wanted to support Associate cricket, it would lobby the ICC to push for cricket to be accepted as an Olympic sport. Until it does, matches like this are little more than a perfunctory sop.

To be considered one of the best teams in the world, New Zealand must play spin with more surety on the subcontinent

Andrew Alderson09-Apr-2014The shadow of a ball whirring at myriad rpm from the hands of Rangana Herath and Sachithra Senanayake loomed large over New Zealand as they exited the World T20.The wiles of spin struck again, just as they had on recent tours to the subcontinent against India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. New Zealand need to return to the laboratory and formulate an antidote before venturing to the United Arab Emirates to play Pakistan later this year, and West Indies in June.Herath and Senanayake were accurate and probing, but the New Zealand batsmen – Kane Williamson apart – acted like the bowlers were hurling chainsaws in Dhaka. The New Zealanders played French cricket around their pads, fended forlornly, or in Brendon McCullum’s case, looked to heave an imaginary six somewhere near the Ganges Delta.A boom summer hasn’t suddenly turned to bust. Achievements at home against West Indies and India outweigh being shunted from the World T20. However, playing spin under pressure creates contagion in the dressing room. To be considered one of the best teams in the world, it’s imperative New Zealand play spin with more surety on the subcontinent.New Zealand Cricket has taken initiatives. Last year a New Zealand A team went to India before the Bangladesh tour in October. New Zealand subsequently drew the Tests and lost the ODIs, followed by a drawn ODI series in Sri Lanka.Their record in the subcontinent is poor, even since coach Mike Hesson injected his brand of composure, determination and pragmatism from July 2012. Since then, in six Tests away against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India they have won one – courtesy Ross Taylor’s batting in Colombo, in his final Test as captain. In eight completed ODIs away against those sides they have won one; in six T20Is they have won three. The struggle against spin is constant.Dramatic steps might be required, like cricketers committing to subcontinental working holidays. That way batsmen and bowlers can get better, which in turn could improve the quality of spin in New Zealand domestic competitions.Perhaps the country’s emerging talent could forsake the time-honoured tradition of English leagues and pints of best bitter to head for a cocktail of maidans and masala. Such adventures would introduce players to quality spin at an early age, with the long-term benefit of representing New Zealand more competently.

Achievements at home against West Indies and India outweigh being shunted from the World T20. However, playing spin under pressure creates contagion in the dressing room

NZC could establish links through former national players and coaches like David Trist, John Wright, and Stephen Fleming, who have forged solid contacts in the subcontinent. Intrepid cricketers could experience a local club for a couple of months, perhaps forgoing plush hotels for the “character-building” surrounds of a quality youth hostel or billet. Tuk-tuks rather than air-conditioned buses would be the choice of transport. NZC could offer scholarship assistance.Donning a cap in humid mid 30-degree temperatures and practising your craft on the dustbowls of an expansive maidan on a Saturday afternoon, just like Sachin Tendulkar did a generation ago in Mumbai, must hold allure. Alternatively, players could make their name among the plethora of clubs in the Colombo suburb of Cinnamon Gardens.Australia’s Matthew Hayden exemplified the benefits of immersion when he prepared against spin for a month in India ahead of the legendary 2001 Test series that the hosts came back to win 2-1. Hayden’s average of 109.80 was more than twice that of his next-best team-mate (Steve Waugh, at 48.60).A sustained spell in a club competition is ambitious. Another option could be schooling players at one of numerous academies, particularly in India. Relationships could also be struck with a local association to face quality young spinners in net sessions.Trist acclimatised to the culture by visiting Pune regularly over 12 years to assist with coaching and developing the game. He also went on subcontinental tours as a New Zealand player (1969-70) and coach (1999-2001).”It’s totally logical to send players for sustained periods, because unless you conquer at the homes of four Test nations you’re seldom going to be in the money on the world stage. I’ve never fully understood why NZC has not established a relatively cheap base there. Once airfares are paid, the costs are not huge. I think the issue is, New Zealand has a hangover from the days when going there was equivalent to a death warrant, with the state of food and hygiene. Today, as a burgeoning middle class develops in India and Sri Lanka, it’s more doable.”Mike Hesson says spinners have to adapt to subcontinental conditions by bowling more into the wicket•Getty ImagesTrist says a mindset exists where touring the subcontinent equates with drudgery. “That’s why we see pre-tour camps held in Australia or ‘somewhere more convenient’. Those environments [simulate] the heat but not the culture shock. You’ve got to take a pragmatic approach to bridge the gap if New Zealand are to be an outstanding, rather than promising, international side.”Embrace the vagaries of pitches, heat, and the challenges to preparation. Play spin constantly; India’s not exactly short of quality net bowlers. It’s all very well going to England and playing county or league cricket in similar conditions to home where you can head to the pub afterwards and feel familiar in the company of the locals. You can’t afford to ‘be a New Zealander’ in India. Show a willingness to cope by immersing yourself in the culture and you’ll come out a better person.”Hesson says they can’t treat the World T20 crumble as an epidemic. “We’ve scored a lot of runs in the last year or so against spin, like 600-plus against Shane Shillingford and Co [in Dunedin]. Our high-performance plan to play spin occurs before the Black Caps, like through our A team programme. By the time they get to the Black Caps, they should have had an abundance of cricket to build defensive screens and be in a position to put those training hours into practice.”Last year, we sent the likes of Anton Devcich, Jimmy Neesham, Colin Munro and Tom Latham to the subcontinent as examples of players who needed experience there. It is not difficult to build relationships with academies and associations. It’s more about finding the necessary resources and finance and finding a space to fit it into the month a player has off each year.”Hesson says spinners also need to visit the subcontinent. “They have to adapt to the conditions by bowling more into the wicket because the variation comes more from skidding and turning on the surface rather than in the air.”

A look at the stats highlights after England and Sri Lanka played out a thrilling draw at Lord’s

Bishen Jeswant16-Jun-2014The biggest total that Sri Lanka have successfully overhauled in the fourth innings of a Test is 352, which they did when they beat South Africa at Colombo in August 2006. The target of 390 that England had set them was always going to be an uphill task. Sri Lanka had once scored 391 in the fourth innings of a drawn game against Pakistan. Sri Lanka’s only score of 400-plus in the fourth innings of a Test came against Australia, when they were bowled out for 410 in a chase of 507. However, they could have taken inspiration from the fact that it came overseas and that Kumar Sangakkara, currently in great form, scored 192 in that game.During the chase, Sri Lanka lost their first wicket quite early, and that brought Sangakkara to the crease. This was the third time that Sangakkara was coming out to bat in the fourth innings at Lords’s; he has never had the opportunity to bat in the last innings of a Test at any other English venue. His highest score in his previous two fourth-innings outings at Lord’s was 12. During the 98-run third-wicket partnership with Sangakkara, Kaushal Silva scored his second fifty of the match. He became the first Sri Lanka, and fifth subcontinental, opener to achieve this feat. The man at the other end, Sangakkara, scored a confident and determined 61. This was only the third instance of a Sri Lanka batsman scoring a century and a fifty at Lord’s. Among overseas teams, Sri Lanka batsmen have achieved this feat the most number of times.During his stint in the middle, Sangakkara put on a brief, 36-run partnership with Mahela Jayawardene for the third wicket. They put on 126 runs together in the first innings as well and, during this match, went past Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer to go third on the all-time list of most partnership runs by a pair in Test cricket. They have put on a total of 6151 runs together and are one of five pairs to have posted 5000+ runs together in Test cricket.However, Sangakkara and Jayawardene couldn’t see their team through to safety because both of them were dismissed by James Anderson during a devastating spell where he bowled six overs for two runs, including four maiden overs and, most importantly, three big wickets. The third wicket that he took during that spell was that of Lahiru Thirimanne. Thirimanne has now been dismissed by Anderson six times in eight Test innings. He has not been dismissed more than once by any other bowler in Tests. Anderson, with this near match-winning performance, has now taken 68 wickets at Lord’s and is only one behind the great Ian Botham, who has the most wickets at this ground.Sri Lanka had a good Test overall, with their batsmen going past fifty on six occasions and going on to reach a hundred on two of those instances. This is only the second time that Sri Lanka have done this outside the subcontinent. They may have made heavy weather of it towards the end but their batsmen did play out 90 overs to secure the draw. Among overseas teams, only Australia and India have played out more overs to draw a Test at Lord’s. This was the 22nd instance of a team managing to eke out a draw with only one wicket in the bank. The last instance of a one-wicket draw also involved England, but they were the ones staving off defeat on that occasion, in Auckland last year.

Also, most keeping dismissals on debut, seven-for at HQ, and youngest ODI centurions

Steven Lynch29-Jul-2014Matt Prior often seemed to let through a lot of byes. Who is Test cricket’s worst wicketkeeper by that yardstick? asked Andrew Martin from England
Matt Prior was fourth on the overall list before last week’s Test against India at Lord’s – but the 36 byes he conceded in his 79th match pushed him to a career total of 771 byes, past Jeff Dujon (767 in 79 matches) and Ian Healy (740 in 119). Only Mark Boucher, who conceded 966 byes in 147 Tests, lies ahead. MS Dhoni (713 in 85 Tests) comes next, having gone past Godfrey Evans (703 in 91) at Lord’s. Of course, this particular list is dependent on someone playing a lot of matches, and a more reliable way to judge is to look at average byes per match. Prior averaged 9.75, which puts him well outside the top ten, given a minimum of 20 matches played. The name of the man on top is a surprise: the Australian Don Tallon conceded 13.90 byes per match, despite being rated one of the greats (Don Bradman chose him as the wicketkeeper for his all-time XI). Tallon, though, had to do much of his keeping in the era of uncovered pitches, which were far more unpredictable than today’s. Next come two old South African glovemen, Tommy Ward (13.60) and Percy Sherwell (13.46), who had to do much of their keeping against a phalanx of tricky legspinners. If you drop the qualification to ten Tests, the old Warwickshire and England keeper Tiger Smith takes over at the top, with 19 byes per match, with the recent Indian keeper Dinesh Karthik next on 14.87. If you change the qualification to byes per 100 balls, which is probably the fairest of all, Smith (2.71), Ward (1.60), Sherwell (1.52) and Karthik (1.48) still lead the way, just ahead of the 19th-century Australian legend Jack Blackham (1.38). Prior (0.96) comes in 19th on that list, just behind his Ashes rival Brad Haddin (0.97).Was Ishant Sharma the first Indian bowler to take seven wickets in a Test innings at Lord’s? asked Toby Freeman from Zimbabwe
Ishant Sharma’s 7 for 74 at Lord’s last week was indeed India’s best innings return in a Test at the venue. Three other Indians had previously taken six in an innings there, including Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 6 for 82 in the first innings. Amar Singh claimed 6 for 35 in 1936, while Bishan Bedi toiled away for 6 for 226 as England amassed 629 in 1974. The best Test figures by anyone at Lord’s are 8 for 34, by Ian Botham against Pakistan in 1978 (he also scored 108 earlier in the same game); Glenn McGrath took 8 for 38 in the 1997 Ashes Test.Liam Plunkett’s half-century in the Lord’s Test meant that 21 of the players in that match had scored at least one. Is this a record? asked Nair Ottappalam from India
That’s a good spot: the batting successes of Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Binny and Bhuvneshwar Kumar at Trent Bridge, and Liam Plunkett and Ravi Jadeja at Lord’s, meant that 21 of the 22 players had Test fifties to their name by the end of the second Test – the one exception was Ishant Sharma, whose highest score remains 31 not out. I was surprised to discover that this had happened only once before: 21 of the 22 players in the fourth Test between West Indies and India in Bridgetown in 1982-83 had scored at least one fifty, the odd man out then being Malcolm Marshall (his highest score at the time was 45, but he made 92 against India in Kanpur later in the year). The record for centurions is 16, which has happened six times now – first in the match between Australia and New Zealand in Perth in 2004-05, and most recently in the Ashes Test in Brisbane in 2010-11.Has any wicketkeeper made more dismissals on Test debut than Quinton de Kock? asked Radu from Romania
Quinton de Kock’s nine dismissals for South Africa against Sri Lanka in Galle would have been a record – but for the annoying fact that he had already played a Test, against Australia in Port Elizabeth earlier this year. He didn’t keep wicket in that game: his nine dismissals is indeed a record for someone doing the job for the first time. The overall record for a debut, though, is eight dismissals – set by Brian Taber for Australia against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1966-67, and equalled by Chris Read for England against New Zealand at Edgbaston in 1999.Bhuvneshwar Kumar scored a fifty and took a five-for in the second Test. How many others have done this at Lord’s? asked Shashidar Reddy from India
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s achievement – he followed 6 for 82 in England’s first innings with 52 in India’s second at Lord’s last week – was the 13th instance of this double being performed in a Lord’s Test. Ian Botham was responsible for four of those: no one else managed it more than once. The big Australian Jack Lyons was the first to achieve it, in the 1890 Ashes Test, while the last one before Bhuvneshwar was Vernon Philander, for South Africa in 2012. Bhuvneshwar was the fourth Indian to do it, after Lala Amarnath (1946), Vinoo Mankad (1952) and Kapil Dev (1982). For the full list, click here.Is Usman Ghani the youngest batsman to score a century in a one-day international? asked Azweer from India
Afghanistan’s new opener Usman Ghani made 118 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last week, at the age of 17 years 242 days. The only younger batsman to hit an ODI century is Shahid Afridi, who was only 16 years 217 days old when he blasted a 37-ball hundred for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in October 1996. For the full list of the youngest one-day international century-makers, click here.

Plays of the day from the first ODI between Pakistan and New Zealand in Dubai

Karthik Krishnaswamy08-Dec-2014Sohail, yet so farHaris Sohail had bowled a total of 80 balls in all recognised forms of cricket before this game, but Mohammad Hafeez’s bowling ban meant he had to double up as Pakistan’s fifth bowler. He almost struck with his second ball. Anton Devcich ran down the track and looked to work him with the turn from outside off stump. The ball turned past his inside edge and found a faint deflection off his pad to elude Sarfraz Ahmed’s gloves behind the stumps.Who, me, old?Younis Khan is 37, and his suitability for ODI cricket has come under a lot of scrutiny over recent months. None of that has anything to do with his fielding, though, and he gave Pakistan another reminder of his undimmed athleticism in the 25th over of New Zealand’s innings. Ross Taylor dabbed the ball into the off side and called his partner Tom Latham through for a quick single. The batsmen hadn’t contended with Younis, who sprinted in from short cover, swooped down on the ball, and flicked it underarm – a la Jonty Rhodes – into Sarfraz’s gloves. The wicketkeeper had the bails off in an instant and it was bye bye Latham.Who, me, old? (part two)Luke Ronchi had only just pulled Mohammad Irfan for four. Looking to repeat the stroke two balls later, he went after one that bounced a touch extra, and got a top-edge that spiralled over midwicket. It was falling somewhere near the 30-yard circle and the man chasing back from short midwicket was Younis. Once again, Younis’ agility defied the march of time, as he sprinted back and dived, with the ball dropping from behind him, to take the catch inches from the ground.Who, me, old? (part three)Vettori was already having a good day. His 25-ball 27 had played a big part in New Zealand taking 78 runs from their last 10 overs, and his guile had been on full display while he dismissed Ahmed Shehzad and Younis. Now, fielding at mid-on, where he might have expected some low-intensity work befitting a 35-year-old, he was called upon once more. Miscuing a slog off James Neesham, Misbah-ul-Haq spooned the ball in the air. Vettori had to turn around and run towards the boundary to intercept the ball, and even as he got closer he never quite seemed to have it covered. That’s when he strained the last remaining sinew in his body and leaped in the air, left arm at full stretch. Having managed to pluck the ball out of the air, he also managed to hold onto it through the awkward tumble that followed, and rose with his trophy held aloft.

In the two games of the World Cup, with a little help from the batsmen, India’s bowlers have shown discipline and focus to break a trend of profligacy

Abhishek Purohit in Perth26-Feb-2015On a 250 pitch, India need 300. On a 300 pitch, India need 350. Because of their famously profligate bowlers, goes the accepted wisdom. On the tour of New Zealand last year, after India had lost the one-day series, MS Dhoni had admitted that he did not know which fast bowlers he could take with him for India’s World Cup title defence. For he had no confidence in anyone. He had even lamented about what he could have done if he had had the pace of someone like Varun Aaron. But if you bowl short and wide at 145 kph, as the Indians were doing then, it only disappears faster.A year later, backed by dominating batting performances of course, India’s attack has bowled them to successive big wins over Pakistan and South Africa, their toughest group opponents in the World Cup. They have used six bowlers in each game. Revealingly, none of them has gone at more than run a ball. All five frontline bowlers picked up at least a wicket against Pakistan. Four of them did so against South Africa, and Umesh Yadav was unfortunate not to strike, with a few edges flying over the wicketkeeper.There has been little release provided by the Indian bowlers so far, in contrast to the Test series against Australia, where Ishant Sharma’s patience and discipline were regularly frittered away by a lack of those virtues at the other end. When a batsman is dominating and his partner is struggling, he can at least try to keep the strike and score. A bowler in rhythm needs the pressure to be maintained from the opposite side of the pitch, otherwise batsmen can play him out and attack the other.Refreshingly, India’s bowlers have not allowed that in their first two games. Umesh has been at the batsmen with his pace; his deliveries have often hit the defensive bat hard while it is still on its way down. Mohammed Shami has been a lot more potent and tighter with the white ball than he was with the red. His bouncer to nail Younis Khan early must have been a sight for Indian batsmen used to the same treatment from Pakistan fast bowlers over the decades.Mohit Sharma has filled the role of a third seamer well•Getty ImagesMohit Sharma wasn’t even supposed to play this World Cup originally, but he has been a superb third seamer. Mohit’s natural length, marginally short of good, is difficult to drive on the up on these pitches with his usual accuracy, unlike back home in India. And while he may be the slowest of the three, he has used the short ball well, visible in the dismissal of Hashim Amla.”Mohit has been really consistent with his line and length, which I feel is the key for him,” Dhoni said. “He has that variation of pace. He uses the bounce so well. So far he has proved himself.”India’s bowling against Amla was a good example of how disciplined and focused they have been. Amla likes to stay beside the line of deliveries and punch them through the off side. He can walk across to the same ones and whip them through midwicket. But India had a man at short midwicket, and seemed to be bowling according to how Amla shuffled in the crease. He could not get going, and was forced to hook a bouncer with a man at deep square leg.The role of the spinners has been crucial, too. Ravindra Jadeja went for a few late runs against Pakistan, but played his part in tying South Africa down. It is the performance of R Ashwin that has stood out. Ahmed Shehzad and Haris Sohail had worked up a partnership when Ashwin came on. The offspinner had played only once during the preceding tri-series as India tried various combinations. He started with a maiden. His third over was a wicket-maiden, with the left-handed Sohail caught at slip with a classical offbreak. It was the only wicket for Ashwin in that match, but its importance, and the offspinner’s approach, was not lost on Virat Kohli.”He is a very skillful bowler, and I think he’s at his best when he wants to take wickets, and he was really aggressive in that game,” Kohli said. “And those maidens were game changers to be honest. He got only, what, one wicket, but the way he bowled was absolutely outstanding, especially when you take into consideration you have five fielders in the ring and their spinners could not contain us so much. He will be a key factor for us as long as he can be in that same mindset that he was in the first game, which is to take wickets and be on top of the batter.”Taking wickets is the way to go in this World Cup, Misbah-ul-Haq had said earlier during the tournament. For it is hard to stop batsmen otherwise on these grounds. Australian outfields are usually too big for twos and threes to be kept down, while New Zealand ones are often too small for the boundaries to be cut off. When India head to New Zealand, the size of the outfields will be a bigger worry for Zimbabwe and Ireland, but for now, and for once, Dhoni won’t be fretting too much over his bowlers.

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2015Trent Boult did not disappoint them, striking twice in his first over•ICCIt was not long before Tim Southee joined the party and Scotland were reduced to 12 for 4•Getty ImagesMatt Machan then restored some sanity to the innings, compiling 56•ICCRichie Berrington gave him good company, with a steady 50•Getty ImagesThe duo combined well in a 97-run partnership for the fifth wicket•ICCHowever, Corey Anderson dismissed both the set batsmen in successive overs and another collapse ensued•Getty ImagesDaniel Vettori also sparkled, ending with figures of 3 for 24, as Scotland were skittled out for 142 inside 37 overs. Four Scotland batsmen bagged golden ducks, the first such instance in World Cups•Getty ImagesThey did go down but not without making a fist of the challenge. Iain Wardlaw removed Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill cheaply•Getty ImagesKane Williamson, however, lent some stability to the innings, before stepping down the track to nick one to Matthew Cross•Getty ImagesJosh Davey ably assisted Wardlaw to shut out the hosts’ middle-order•Getty ImagesGrant Elliott, though, scored 29 to take New Zealand to the brink of victory•Getty ImagesAfter he succumbed to Davey, Vettori completed a rickety chase in rickety fashion – an edged four over the slips. New Zealand won by three wickets, even as the Associates continue to make the right noises•Getty ImagesBoult, who had picked up an IPL contract worth US $633,000 overnight, claimed the Man-of-the-Match award•Getty Images