These are two very different teams, but they’re similar in how innovative they can be in tactical terms

Karthik Krishnaswamy15-Apr-20242:02

How can KKR maximise their advantage at home?

Match detailsKolkata Knight Riders (KKR – 2nd; P5 W4 L1) vs Rajasthan Royals (RR – 1st; P6 W5 L1)
Kolkata, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)Big pictureFirst versus second. Bowling versus batting. On Tuesday at Eden Gardens, Rajasthan Royals, the team with the best combined economy rate in the IPL (8.33) will come up against Kolkata Knight Riders, the team with the -best scoring rate (10.43 – , 7 Andre Russell, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Vaibhav Arora, 11 Harshit Rana, 12 .Rajasthan Royals
Jos Buttler and Ashwin missed Royals’ most recent match, against Punjab Kings on Saturday, with niggles. Both are expected to slot back in if fit, with Tanush Kotian – an offspinner who didn’t bowl and opened the batting in that game against Punjab – and either Rovman Powell or Keshav Maharaj, depending on the toss result, returning to the subs bench.Likely XII 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Dhruv Jurel, 7 , 8 R Ashwin, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 , 12 Yuzvendra Chahal.In the spotlightHarshit Rana was an unsung hero for KKR in their win over LSG on Sunday, his figures of 0 for 35 concealing how much of an impact he made by conceding just 16 off 11 balls to Nicholas Pooran despite their skirmish taking place during the 17th and 19th overs. Harshit’s changes of pace and use of the over-the-wicket angle to slant the ball away from the left-hander’s hitting arc were crucial to this, and he might need to call on those defensive skills again if he comes up against Shimron Hetmyer on Tuesday.2:35

How has Avesh Khan’s season gone so far?

R Ashwin is a master against left-hand batters, but he’s not enjoyed bowling to two prominent KKR left-handers. Nitish Rana has hit him for 108 runs in 58 balls without being dismissed, while Sunil Narine has tonked him for 60 off 22 while being dismissed once.Stats that matter Of the eight KKR batters to score at least 50 runs this season, six have 150-plus strike rates, and one has gone at 144.44. The exception to this rule of fast scoring has been Shreyas Iyer, whose 129 runs have come at 120.56. Yuzvendra Chahal has taken a wicket every 12 balls in IPL 2024, his best strike rate for any season of this tournament. Chahal needs three wickets to reach the 350 mark in T20 cricket. Avesh Khan has bowled the joint-most overs (10) at the death (last four) of any bowler in IPL 2024 alongside Mustafizur Rahman and Mohit Sharma, and his economy rate (9.30) puts him in the top half of bowlers who have sent down at least five overs in that phase this season. In two games at Eden Gardens so far this season, Sunil Narine has an economy rate of 4.50 across eight overs, and hasn’t conceded a single boundary. The other spinners in those games have gone for a combined 10.01 per over.Pitch and conditionsEden Gardens has only hosted two games so far this season – a run-fest in late March where KKR narrowly defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad, and a lower-scoring outing on Sunday afternoon when KKR brushed aside a diffident LSG unit. It’s not a large enough sample size to draw too many conclusions from, but by and large the ball tends to come onto the bat here, and the outfield is lightning quick.

Bob Willis, one of the heroes of Headingley 1981, wasn’t even in the original squad picked for the Test

Martin Williamson02-Sep-2005The exploits of Ian Botham at Headingley in 1981 are the stuff of legend, but Bob Willis’s last-day performance, grabbing 8 for 43 as Australia were bowled out for 111 would, in almost any other match, have made him the hero. What is less well known, however, is that Willis was not even in the original squad picked for the Test.At the end of the second Test at Lord’s, Ian Botham had been sacked as captain and replaced with his predecessor, Mike Brearley. Three days later the selectors – Alec Bedser, Brian Close, Charles Elliott, John Edrich and Brearley – met at Lord’s. Once it had been agreed that Botham would be retained, Willis’s fitness was the next subject up for discussion.By 1981 Willis was increasingly fragile. He had broken down before the first Test in the Caribbean the previous winter, and although he had returned for the first two Tests of the summer, taking 8 for 183, he had contracted a chest infection and was expected to sit out Warwickshire’s county match at The Oval that weekend and, according to Bernard Thomas, the England physiotherapist, would not be fit to resume training until the following Tuesday, 48 hours before the start of the Leeds Test.Brearley was concerned. In Australia in 1978-79 Willis had come down with a similar ailment and had been out of sorts for the remainder of the tour. There were also doubts about his general fitness and stamina anyway in what was a six-match series.An attempt to speak to Willis proved fruitless, although Thomas was contacted who suggested that training could be brought forward 24 hours to Monday. With doubts remaining, the decision was made to leave him out of the 12-man squad in the hope he would be fit for the fourth Test at Edgbaston. Bedser was given the unenviable task of breaking the news.The next day, Willis, who was watching Warwickshire at The Oval, was contacted by Bedser and was shocked to be told that he had been dropped. Even though Brearley had been adamant he did not want a half-fit bowler in the side, Willis was not going to take the news lying down. “Although it took me some while to convince Alec that I had little doubt about my fitness for the game,” he recalled, “I effectively talked my way back into the team.”Willis and England physio Bernard Thomas•Getty ImagesBedser eventually spoke to Brearley at tea-time and the captain agreed that Willis could be reinstated as long as he played in the next day’s 40-over match and also turned out for the second XI on the Tuesday. He also said that Willis had to bowl 12 overs flat out in the nets in between.”Mike Hendrick’s invitation to play was intercepted before it could reach him,” Willis explained. “My name was among those read out to the waiting world on the midday news the following day.”Even then, Willis almost missed out. Although he came through the three tasks set by Brearley without a hitch and joined the other 11 at Headingley on the day before the Test, Brearley was still leaning towards playing a spinner, John Emburey, at the expense of one of the seamers. “Bob, who probably imagined that Chris Old would be left out if Emburey played, opted – uncertainly – for four seamers,” Brearley reflected. “Finally, I too came down, with equal tentativeness, on the same side. The selectors inclined the other way, but let me have the side I preferred.”In Australia’s first innings Willis bowled well but without luck, finishing with 0 for 72 from 30 overs. In the second innings, with Australia needing 130, Ian Botham and Graham Dilley were given the new ball, although the wayward Dilley was replaced by Willis after two overs. Willis huffed up the hill into the wind for five wicketless overs before suggesting to Brearley that he switch ends. Brearley consulted with Bob Taylor and Botham and agreed. The rest is history.Original England squad Graham Gooch, Geoff Boycott, Mike Brearley, David Gower, Mike Gatting, Peter Willey, Ian Botham, John Emburey, Bob Taylor, Graham Dilley, Chris Old, Mike Hendrick.Is there an incident from the past you would like to know more about? E-mail us with your comments and suggestions.

Bibliography

Phoenix From The Ashes – Mike Brearley (Hodder & Stoughton, 1982)

Lasting The Pace – Bob Willis (Willow, 1985)

Wisden Cricket Monthly – Various

The Cricketer – Various

New-look India take on Sri Lanka in the opening match of the Indian Oil Cup in Dambulla

Charlie Austin29-Jul-2005

Upul Tharanga: something to smile about at last © Getty Images
Sri Lanka last played a one-day international seven months ago on December26, a day blackened in tragedy on an apocalyptic scale by the surgingtsunami waves that destroyed communities all around the Indian Ocean. It istherefore fitting that a young man that suffered more than most on thatterrible day, Upul Tharanga, is poised to mark Sri Lanka’s return with aninternational debut.Tharanga’s probable selection as Sanath Jayasuriya’s new opening partner hasbrightened an emotional tsunami-wrecked year. It won’t, unfortunately,repair the crushed walls of his family home in Amabalangoda, a small fishingtown on the west coast, and it won’t bring back all the belongings andmemories that were dragged out to sea in the debris-laden backwash. But itwill bring a smile to all his loved ones and celebration in his recoveringhometown.Fortunately, Tharanga and his family cheated death. Like Dick Whittingtonand so many budding first-class cricketers in Sri Lanka, he had left thecountryside to build a career in the city. He’d joined Nondescripts CricketClub and lived in a small room next to the club’s gymnasium. On Boxing Dayhe was safe from the waves that reduced his home to a salty pile of debris.His family escaped too and now live with kind relatives.His father’s fishing business was severely affected and it may take manyyears for financial security to return. Tharanga’s pockets were so emptyafter the tragedy that his mentor and friend, Kumar Sangakkara, dippeddeeply into his own wallet to give him the tools to rebuild his life: anEnglish willow bat, canvas pads, gloves, a helmet and more besides. Sincethen he has used those tools with dazzling success and is now poised on thebrink of every Sri Lankan schoolboy’s dream.Sri Lanka have been searching hard for a reliable opening partner forJayasuriya in recent years. During the past 17 months no less than five havegiven it a shot. But the main two contenders, Avishka Gunawardene and SamanJayantha, shared the bulk of the opportunities and failed to stake strongclaims. Both fired with an unacceptable inconsistency for a team thataspires to sitting at the top of the ICC’s ODI rankings and the search movedon. As Tom Moody told reporters: “The opening slot as been a revolving doorand time has now come to shut the door.”Moody has not seen a great deal of Tharanga, a wispy left-hander blessedwith natural timing, but he has seen enough to be impressed: “To me he is ayoung exciting player who is a natural striker and someone who times theball well. He suits the opening position in one-day cricket because he is anatural shot-player as does not need to go searching for the ball and he isalso athletic in the field.”Tharanga’s name first caught the eye during the Under 19 World Cup last yearwhen he cracked 117 against South Africa and then 61 in 42 balls againstIndia in the next game. Then, after a successful tour with the Under 19 teamto Pakistan, Sri Lanka’s cricket board sent him to play league cricket inEssex, where he starred for Loughton Cricket Club. He soon graduated to theA team and after accomplished performances against West Indies A earlier inthe month he was selected for the national squad last week.”I’m looking forward to the challenge and can’t wait to play if given thechance,” Tharanga said modestly when asked about his call-up. “I amcompletely devoted to this game and my ambition is to cement a place in theSri Lanka team.” Sri Lankan fans hope he is able to as well because a newtop-class opener is essential to the side’s long-term health. Just asimportantly, after such a harrowing year, he deserves a good break.

Matthew Engel reviews Mike Atherton’s

Matthew Engel02-Dec-2006Gambling: A story of triumph and disaster by Mike Atherton (Hodder & Stoughton, 328pp) £18.99

Buy this book for £20 from Cricshop

Ex officio, England captains write books. Andrew Strauss has lately joined the club. Andrew Flintoff already seems to have produced more volumes than Barbara Cartland. (We still await Marcus Trescothick, who might be more interesting than some.)”Write” is, of course, used here in the loosest sense. Few England captains bother writing their own books. Some, one suspects, do not even bother to read them.The two great exceptions have, predictably, proved to be Cambridge men. Mike Brearley learned the difference between academic essay and a rattling good read from his collaborator Dudley Doust, who was eventually able to stand back as Brearley produced .And Mike Atherton’s progress has been along similar lines. His early articles were as ponderous as some of his ‘we’re-in-the-cartagain’ captain’s innings. But he went on to produce an excellent autobiography. And now he has gone one better than Brears and written a book that has little to do with cricket.The surprise starts with the cover, with the author posing fetchingly in his DJ, in front of a roulette table. It looks like a Hollywood publicity shot: Shock Choice As New James Bond. It is less of a surprise that Atherton really did do the hard graft. He studied the history and literature of gambling; he walked both the streets of Las Vegas and the Kilburn High Road; he made a bit of a Charlie of himself in a poker championship and attended a Gamblers Anonymous meeting; he talked to a wide range of engaging eccentrics and proved himself a skilled and sympathetic interviewer.There is a load of good stuff in here – he even shares with us that in 1748 the betting book at White’s Club recorded that: “Mr Boone bet Mr Rigby that his penis was within an inch as long as Mr Halsy’s.” Oh, cricket? You want to know about cricket? It rates a chapter, centred on the matchfixing scandal, but I was a touch disappointed not to learn more. And overall my reservation about this fine book is that one is left with a slight sense of cop-out. One of the colour plates is captioned “Derek and Elaine Thompson look contented at their Dorset home, and why not? Wouldn’t you be with a couple of million salted away after picking six lucky numbers?” Maybe not.The anecdotal evidence is that many big pools and lottery winners end up losing their friends, their marbles and – often – their money. And I still wonder, as a punter myself, about the more mundane questions thrown up by gambling. Will Britain ‘s present liberal attitude towards gambling (bizarre from an otherwise authoritarian government) increase the sum of human misery? And can it ever be right to bet on cricket or will it inevitably corrupt the game?In the end, I felt, he could have stood back just a bit more. Now Athers has to take his own big punt. Clearly his celebrity opened doors during his research, just as it is used shamelessly on the cover. All of that is fair enough. But can he really stand or fall on his skill as a writer?For his next book I suggest he raises the bar again and tries something where his fame will not help at all: “Through Uzbekistan in a Burka,” perhaps. Mind you, the modern world being what it is, the first bloke he meets in Samarkand would probably be from Oswaldtwistle and say “Ee, Athers? Why you declare with Hick on 98, then?”

Being cricket’s leading prima donna turned workaday-superstar is no teddy bear’s picnic

Osman Samiuddin24-Jun-2006

Last October, I wrote about Shoaib Akhtar. He had turned 30 in August and the previous 18 months had been rocky. In April 2004, after the India series, he appeared before a medical commission, accused (by his captain and others) of lying about an injury. A new coach came, and issues soon did too. He went to Australia, lit up half the Test series, ignored the other half, and came back hamstrung, at odds with the establishment, and in a huff. He hadn’t played for Pakistan since the turn of the year, missing two tours, one with an injury and one because he wasn’t fit – wasn’t committed, if you were Inzamam-ul-Haq. There was no kissing but Shoaib and Inzamam did make up during the Afro-Asian Cup (it served some purpose).But Shoaib was about to be dissed as a disruptive prima donna mercenary by John Elliot, the Worcestershire chairman. He was about to be informed by Imran Khan that it was make-or-break time, he was about to be two days late for a training camp for the England series, Bob Woolmer was about to say of him, “If he wants to do it his way… he has to understand he might not get selected.” So yes, a piece was needed, a contemplative one, asking where Shoaib stood and where he went from where he was. Nothing clear emerged.Subsequently, he produced his most influential performance, against England, prompting Michael Vaughan to cite him as the difference between the two sides. I interviewed him soon after, at the start of the India series, a broader feature expanding on the original: Shoaib Akhtar at 30 – has he matured? He didn’t do much against India – the pitches didn’t help – but by series end he was stuck in another maelstrom of chucking. And he was injured again.Play this 21-month period on endless loop, varying only the duration of highs and lows, over the 111 months since his debut. Injuries, suspensions, ball-tampering, lawsuits, dalliances in the woods of Lolly and Bolly, chucking, brash statements, saving Australian kids, extraordinary sporting feats: on repeat, in no order. Forget Kevin Pietersen, Shoaib is cricket’s true rock star; how the f***, I asked myself, do you begin to comprehend him and his place?You’d think meeting him might help, but I left with more questions than I arrived with – never a promising sign for a journalist. After his England triumph, critics answered, he might justifiably have felt vindicated, enough to gloat even. Instead, he was prickly, brooding though not rude, and on the back foot. I asked him about his injuries at one point and before I finished, he interrupted, Punjabi twang via Bradford and Australia, “Who didn’t have injuries? Why am I always picked? I ask you – my answer is a question – who didn’t have? Imran sat out injured, Wasim had groin troubles, Waqar, Mohammad Zahid, Mohammad Akram, Lee, Gillespie, McGrath, everyone. Why people are picking me?”Injuries became commitment. “Eighty wickets in 14 Tests [77 in 17, actually] so I don’t know what people are talking about. What type of commitment do they want? You want me to get 100 wickets in 10 Tests, is that what you want me to do? Those who question should go through their records. How many Tests have they won? Ab mein kya karoon agar log bolte hain? (What do I do if people talk?)”I asked him about the obsession he had with speed in his early years and after he chided me for being loud (I was nervous), he interrupted again. “What do you mean? It’s what I do.””But there’s more…””Like what?””Slower balls, bouncers, new-ball outswing. You are more than just pace,” I defended him.”It’s not an obsession I have,” he half-laughed, half-sighed. “It’s a talent what I have. I don’t know why people want me to slow down. Cut your run-up, do this, do that – that’s the problem. I respect that people have an opinion and I don’t disagree, but this is my life and I like to do what I like to do and sort it out. What I think, that is just for me.” Chucking didn’t even get a look in; “as if,” he said with his eyebrows.Okay. But he was probably born on the defensive, I figure. He was born with flat feet, so he couldn’t walk till he was four. And since he began playing cricket, at 16, he has defended constantly; his action, his commitment, his attitude, his run-up (in June 1997, Peter Deeley wrote that Shoaib would learn the futility of a long run-up; eight years later, people still suggest as much), his fitness, his social life (in court for appearing at a fashion show), his statements (in court for saying Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis were past it in 2003 – which they were), perceived slurs against his honour (An ESPN-Star presenter had compared him to a dog’s tail – impossible to straighten), inquiries, commissions.I brought up what I thought would be, in this mood, a touchy issue – his 30th. He had only 36 Tests by that age, having missed almost half the Tests – 71 – Pakistan had played since his debut. Of the 21 series he played in, he completed only seven. At 30, he had an undercooked career, I suggested. Yet instead of defending his record, he introspected about his role. “It’s a heavy age, man. You wonder about yourself, life, what should be done, what shouldn’t, what should’ve been done, what shouldn’t have. It’s heavy. It’s not a life – people have better lives than this. They go through less pain than this.”He moved, unprompted, to responsibility, wistfully explaining his emergence as the Jason Gillespie of Pakistan’s lower order (85 crucial runs against England over 298 even more crucial minutes; 92 runs against India, including an innings-saving 106-minute 45 at Karachi). “I never took batting seriously before. The last Test against England was really difficult. I got hit, took bruises, and obviously it’s not my kind of job, but I wanted to set examples for youngsters – if I can do it then others can.”That transformation, albeit guarded, from maverick to role model of sorts, was the most significant aspect of his comeback; he was now one of the seniors, he was on the inner. His celebratory, winged run was into a team huddle rather than away from it. He cheered from long leg, he patted backs and offered tips. Rumour had it that he was praying with the team; he spoke publicly of how forgiving and united the side were; he refused to speak to the media. He described it like Morgan Freeman might, benevolent and wizened: “I can suggest; I can offer opinions; I can advise. If someone needs help, I am there – even without asking, I will help. I back up people going through bad phases. Ultimately you are the one who has to improve and prove yourself at the end of the day.”It may have been a rehearsed, clichéd introspection or it may have been spontaneous but in either case it caught me off guard and only illustrated how little we understand of Shoaib. This is not entirely our doing. Before I met him, I reasoned that either he hadn’t been able to articulate himself or that he had never felt compelled to. I’m still not sure which.We spoke of the turbulence before the England series, and of whether he needed to prove anything when he returned. Al Capone-style, he blurted, “I have nothing to prove to no one, apart from myself.” A few minutes later, still on the topic, he u-turned, “I just had to sort my fitness – I had nothing to prove to anyone, not even myself.”

Perhaps he doesn’t care if people get him. When I asked him, straight up, whether he was misunderstood and why, he regretted: “I am, I always have been. I don’t care what people say or think. It’s their life and this is mine. I’m not bothered and have never been. I don’t take advice or listen to people – I only listen to Imran or other senior players.” Is the reader getting a clear picture? No? Neither did I.At a stretch, Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s troubled hunk, heart-on-sleeve, good-and-bad-all-bared-for-public rogue evokes a compelling parallel to Shoaib’s popular persona. Besides the body-building, both claim they are misunderstood. Both are abhorrent to certain, haughtily discerning tastes (“Oh, he’s so cheap, just look at him”). The great unwashed, though, as Shoaib proves at stadiums and Salman at cinema halls, love them, warts and all. Their tragedies are lately synchronised (Salman’s jail sentence came soon after the latest Shoaib chucking-injury imbroglio).And following Shoaib’s career-life, I find, often arouses emotions similar to those that Mike Tyson did. In hindsight, Tyson’s melodramatic tale was destined for a sombre, tragic conclusion. People were hooked to the barbaric brilliance, the rapes, the assaults, the women, the championships. Watching Shoaib is similarly compelling, if only to see what drama he lurches into next, whether or not he emerges from it, whether or not he ever will.Certainly, few personalities in cricket fragment opinion as sharply – maybe only Sourav Ganguly recently. Like with Ganguly, Shoaib’s on-field career doesn’t yet provide the protection afforded to yet another “difficult” man, Shane Warne. As a cricketer, any assessment, passing or final, will be coloured by doubts about his action – with Warne there is no such doubt. Shoaib has been publicly reported thrice – and cleared – but questioned privately many times more. Greg Chappell sparked the most recent inquisition, calling his action “seriously different”, a coy comment for a supposedly straight-talking man. Michael Holding was less shy, suggesting that hyperextension was little more than babble that allowed the ICC to let big names like Shoaib get away with chucking.Innuendo clouds the situation. Umpires are unwilling to call Shoaib (though one expressed his concern privately during the Faisalabad Test against India recently – incidentally, just before Chappell’s comments). Batsmen are allegedly concerned about the danger of his faster – read chucked – deliveries, Indian reporters revealed, though only after Shoaib had bullied Sachin Tendulkar at Faisalabad. Also allegedly, the ICC sent a videotape to the Pakistan board after the India series, highlighting one passage in which they felt his action raised worries. “Get it fixed,” was their message supposedly, “before we call him.” Shoaib missed the ODIs against India, and the tour of Sri Lanka, ostensibly so that he could tend to his injuries. Many Pakistani journalists winked that he was getting his action fixed.The only problem is, of course, that all this is officially denied and nothing can be confirmed, which leaves Shoaib dangling between villain and hero, cheat and champ. A worse situation you cannot imagine and frustratingly – or admirably – he refuses to say anything. He does have a freakish elbow that bends both ways and he is officially, if ambiguously, cleared. Whether or not he is a chucker is, as ever with Shoaib (and the issue itself), not so simple to answer. Some combination of biomechanics, doctors and the ICC might do one day, but it will tar him forever.
For those who can – or care to – look beyond it, he is a special bowler, one who only conforms to Gideon Haigh’s description of “pantomime fast bowler” in the drama he can impart to any match situation. His career is startlingly thin – only 42 Tests over near nine years. He doesn’t have 200 Test wickets, which makes assessments a little rushed and incomplete. But his own analysis – that he has become more rounded and dangerous over the last three or four years – is key. “I look through more videos of my bowling, to see how I bowl best and how to bowl to certain batsmen. I make mistakes and not every ball is going to be right but I know my plans to batsmen, I know the pitch, how batsmen play. I’ve developed more in the last three years.”Matthew Hayden, whose happiness he messed with on Pakistan’s 2004-05 tour, before Flintoff and gang did likewise, will testify to this. Ditto Marcus Trescothick and the rest of his team, all outwitted. The slower ball? More misunderstanding, mate: “People don’t know me. They’re saying it’s new but I’ve bowled it for years; it’s just loopier now.” Alec Stewart, duped leg-before by a 30mph change in pace at Lord’s in 2001, says aye.Wickets weren’t forthcoming against India, but Shoaib lurked in their heads throughout, bouncing the great and good, intelligently picking up wickets at Karachi. By then, he had played two full consecutive Test series – a first. Despite “not playing for records”, he isn’t slow to point out an impressive one since 2001. It’s only 27 Tests, but he has taken 120 wickets, at under 22, with fabulous strike-rates (under 39). He’s done it against everyone – save India – and everywhere. Over his career, he has taken wickets every 45.3 balls, the 12th best ever – among those who have bowled 2000 balls or more. Of the 11 above and six below him, only Waqar Younis maintained it over more Tests.Ultimately he upholds what is the most challenging standard to bear in Pakistan – fast bowling. It can’t be, and hasn’t been, a stroll. We demand more from our fast men, for as a tradition it has been as much the preserve of Pakistan as of Australia and West Indies. To be the latest face of that brings its own pressures. Whatever he is or has done, his uniqueness warrants appreciation. He’s not Imran, Wasim or Waqar. He doesn’t do reverse swing quite so readily, and with his slingy action you wonder whether he chooses not to use such historically trademarked weapons. Maybe he can’t do it on demand; it’s hardly the most controlled science. Different methods have produced different results but, operating in his own time and space, Shoaib has scripted magnificence, turned matches; the 1999 World Cup, Colombo against Australia 2002-03, Kolkata and the big two in 1998-99, Wellington 2003-04, England 2005-06. There’s more and it’s not a poor tale to tell from 42 Tests.

Hero, misunderstood, freak, villain, loudmouth, , chucker, crowd-puller, match-winner; Shoaib is, and will be, many different things to many different people (and sometimes all of them to one person). All of it and none of it is true. For what it’s worth, above all the bullshit that it is my duty to record, I will remember him at Iqbal Stadium against England last winter. I tried hard to remain a journalist, an observer, but he sucked me – and others – in over a five-over spell, after lunch on the third day. The match, and 18,000 spectators with it, was dozing when he started. Instantly, the ambience switched. Suddenly, it became raw; people stirred as he bowled a spell where every ball demanded the utmost attention. He began with an old ball, 90-plus mph, and as he took the new ball, his run-up became a naked, burly sprint. He upped the pace, and the crowd their noise, with every step of his run.Two wickets were felled, and what wickets they were: last year’s most exciting player, Kevin Pietersen, hooked a six to reach his century but was beaten by a quicker bouncer next. Freddie “the world’s best player” Flintoff, had his bat cracked and then his stumps by one at 91mph. I thought then, and still do now, that that was Shoaib as originally conceived, scalping players big enough to matter to him, joking with the captain and players, rousing and jostling the crowd, chirping at batsmen, sending them off, all eyes only on him, at the centre of the celebrations, the stadium, and all attention. A brief glimpse, I think, of him in his element.

Cricinfo looks at some of the stats highlights from the second ODI between South Africa and India at Durban

S Rajesh22-Nov-2006

Jacques Kallis: an average of 68.75 in ODIs against India © Getty Images
0-4 – India’s win-loss record in ODIs against South Africa at Durban157 – The margin of victory for South Africa. It’s their most convincing win against the Indians when batting first, beating quite handily their earlier record of 80 runs, in Sharjah in 1995-9691 – India’s total at Durban. It is their lowest in an ODI in South Africa, beating the 125 they made against Australia in the 2003 World Cup68.75 – Kallis’s average in ODIs against India. In 23 games he has scored 1100 runs, with his unbeaten 119 being his first century against them76 – Kallis’s scoring rate in his first 71 balls (when he scored 54). In his next 80 balls, his scoring rate dropped to 63.753.66 – Sachin Tendulkar’s economy rate in his nine-over spell. It ranks fourth among his overseas spells in which he has bowled at least six overs. His most economical overseas spell was also in South Africa – at Cape Town way back in 1992-93, when he conceded just 25 in ten overs177 – Suresh Raina’s tally in his last 13 ODIs

Sriram Veera catches up with the Saurashtra team celebrating their passage to the Ranji semi-finals

Sriram Veera in Mumbai28-Dec-2007

Cheteshwar Pujara has been in irresistible form this season © Cricinfo Ltd
Even as the ball that ended Mumbai’s innings, and the match, settled into Jaydev Shah’s palms, Sandeep Jobanputra ran madly towards the pavilion. Jobanputra, Saurashtra’s left-arm seamer who bagged a five-for, stopped only after crossing the ropes, and gave Debu Mitra, the 59-year-old coach, a bear hug before running back to the field and joining his team-mates into a huddle celebrating Saurashtra’s passage into the semi-finals.Later, Jobanputra explains that celebratory dash: “Sir [Mitra] had told me at tea, ‘Don’t let them [Mumbai] get away. Just bowl your heart out and get me the wickets.’ We have worked hard on my bowling, getting my swing right, so it was just a spontaneous reaction to celebrate on reaching the target and thank him.”Back in the team hotel, Jobanputra enters Mitra’s room and touches his feet in homage. “So, 32 wickets in the season, eh?” says Mitra and Jolly, as he is known, beams.In the adjoining room, more celebrations. Shitanshu Kotak has been calling his younger room-mate Ravindra Jadeja a gadha (donkey), in jest, for the last two days; Jadeja got out, top-edging a slog sweep, 13 runs short of what would have been his maiden first-class hundred and Kotak has not let the young man forget. He doesn’t want Jadeja to repeat the blunder on the upcoming India Under-19 tour of South Africa.In yet another room, it’s time for self-appraisals. Cheteshwar Pujara, the season’s top scorer, is copying files on to his laptop. “Videos of my batting here,” he explains. Since Saurashtra don’t have the technology, he had asked the Mumbai videoexpert for a recording of his innings. Pujara was bowled by medium-pacer Mun Mangela for 63. “I didn’t expect the ball to cut in so much,” he offers by way of explanation.Pujara, a natural opener, has been batting in the middle-order for Saurashtra to strengthen that part of the team. Would it not be better for him to open, given that is the position he has mostly batted at for India Under-19 and India A? “The team needs me down and that’s my focus now,” says Pujara.Beside him, Jobanputra is deep in prayer and rolling a (rosary) in his hands. “I just finished mine,” says Pujara. Many players in the team say their prayers three times a day. Kotak frequently mentions God’s grace in conversation and many players greet each other with Jai Mata di (victory to the goddess).Yet the players know how to let their hair down. One of them has just scooted out to meet his girlfriend. “Hurry up and get to the station in time,” shouts Kotak as the boy runs out of the room. Kotak, himself, had just sauntered in with a bag of goodies for his friends back home; let’s just say it was stuff you wouldn’t get in Gujarat, where prohibition is in place.The view from the balcony is stunning. The sun is setting over the Arabian Sea and the sky is wrapped in a gorgeous orange hue. Inside the hotel, though, no one is watching the view. They have no time to indulge as they are busy packing to catch their 8.30 pm train. “We can celebrate after the semi-finals,” says one player, while Pujara says, “Maybe after the finals!”It’s this newfound confidence that is striking. “They no longer fear the good teams,” says Mitra. That, perhaps,is the single biggest transformation in Saurashtra this season. The nightmarish past, with frequent failures, is behind them. Critics say the real battle will start when they wake up next season and have to sustain this performance. Till then, they can afford to enjoy their fantastic run. They have earned it.

It’s time for another competition

Cricinfo staff30-Aug-2007********************************************************************************************

Something a bit different this time: an anagram for you to decipher.Up for grabs are the following juicy treats for some lucky winners:One UK reader will win a pair of tickets to the sixth ODI at The Oval on September 5, as well as a pair of tickets for the floodlit Surrey Pro40 against Somerset on September 11.Two other readers will win a mini-bat, signed by Harbhajan Singh among other Surrey players, and a Surrey cap.To get your hands on the freebies, which England player’s name is an anagram of ?The winners of the last competition are:Vikas Madaan, India
Alexis Smith, Scotland
Dave Deverick, England
They win a signed print of Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara and Danish Kaneria (one player per winner), tickets to Essex’s Pro40 match against Gloucestershire on September 3 (floodlit)
and a copy of Harry Thompson’s . Well done everyone.We asked which England bowler took a hat-trick when England played India at Trent Bridge in the NatWest Challenge in 2004 and who were the victims? The answer was: Steve Harmison, who scalped Mohammad Kaif, L Balaji and Ashish Nehra.

Like everything during the early stages of Kevin Pietersen’s captaincy, the speed of England’s one-day revival has come as a surprise.

Andrew McGlashan at The Oval29-Aug-2008
England are enjoying everything they do at the moment and it is showing © Getty Images
Like everything during the early stages of Kevin Pietersen’s captaincy career, the speed of England’s one-day revival has come as a surprise. After less than a month in charge he has secured his first trophy and if England go on and claim a series whitewash they will climb to second in the world rankings. Pietersen likes to do things quickly, but that would be outdoing himself.Of course, 5-0 is still two good performances away for England and with the series in the bag it remains to be seen whether they can keep the motivation levels high enough. South Africa have certainly found it difficult to rouse themselves after their main task was completed in the Tests. But the benefit of the upheaval England have been through since their Test-series defeat at Edgbaston is that it has given them plenty of incentive to perform. Not least because their new captain is constantly taking notes.”It puts extra pressure on us [searching for 5-0] because it takes us up to second in the world, which is very very interesting,” Pietersen said. “That’s the sort of pressure we want. Pressure, I believe, is a privilege. If we win 5-0, which is a goal, then it takes us up to the top with Australia. If we keep delivering there’s no reason why we can’t do it.”We are doing a real good job on South Africa at the moment,” he added with a sense of achievement. “I know South Africans really well. They wouldn’t have wanted to lose the series 3-0. They are very proud people and very stubborn people. I know them well, it’s definitely hurt them, but it’s the pressure we have applied over the three games.”Pietersen isn’t someone who accepts second-best and he won’t be shy of putting anyone in their place if they start to drift in the final two games. However, England are currently a very happy team – a term Pietersen spread liberally after the match – and there is a clear enjoyment in everything they are doing. It helps, no end, to be winning. “There’s no fear, playing with Kev,” said Samit Patel, who was Man of the Match after his vital 31 and 5 for 41. “It’s a freedom to play cricket and enjoy it. You can’t ask for any more from the captain. As a newcomer coming in it’s been great.”Contrary to some expectations, Pietersen seems genuinely thrilled by the individual success of his team-mates. “One of my goals was to get guys playing to their potential, loving playing for England and loving the badge. So far the guys have been brilliant,” he said. “The fortunate thing I have is that I have guys who bowl at 90mph and two guys who can bat as well – [Stuart] Broad and [Andrew] Flintoff.”In the space of three matches Pietersen has been able to form a side that looks like a winning ODI outfit and plays like one. Compare it to the team that finished with their second consecutive 3-1 defeat to New Zealand in July and the transformation has been stark. Only five players remain from the side that lost by 51 runs at Lord’s, compared to the one that won by 126 runs here. Pietersen’s attacking mindset – the desire for pace in the middle overs and a deep batting order – has been key.It has been Pietersen’s good fortune to have Flintoff and Steve Harmison firing, but he makes his own luck. He had the force of personality to persuade Harmison out of retirement and has given Flintoff the responsibility he relishes. The pair have been fundamental to England’s upsurge in form.As it was at Headingley, Flintoff’s batting was central to the success. When he came in at No. 5 there was the ideal platform of 146 for 3 in the 26th over, but that soon became 182 for 5 in the 35th. It was the tipping point of the innings. One more wicket and England’s lower order would have been exposed too early. He played the perfect innings. It started with a languid cover drive, then he made sure he played through the mid-innings wobble alongside the mature Patel. He waited until well into the final 10 overs to have a dip, trusting in his own ability.At the start of the 40th over Flintoff had 38 off 46 balls; then he took a nasty blow from Morne Morkel off his 50th delivery. But he refocused – in every sense – and cracked 39 off his next 27 balls. The authority is returning to Flintoff’s batting, a commanding presence that hasn’t existed since the heady days of 2004 and 2005. He has been given a huge vote of confidence by Pietersen and is repaying him.It is a long while since England have produced one-day cricket of this vibrancy in a run of matches (albeit just three games) against supposedly superior opposition. They had their moments against Australia in 2005 when they also had a side packed with fast bowling and a deep order. But the stand-out feature of these last three matches is that South Africa have either completely outplayed or, if they have momentarily had a sniff, England have come down hard on them.Although this doesn’t seem the moment, a word of a caution is worthy. When England had a major change of captaincy in 2003 a certain Michael Vaughan swept all before him in one-day colours winning his first two series, including thrashing South Africa in the Natwest Series final. Then, last year, Paul Collingwood beat India and Sri Lanka early in his reign. They were both false dawns, and the one-day side quickly slipped back to mediocrity. This time, you sense, it might just be different.