Their teams may have missed out on the knockout berth, but their bright individual performances left a mark on the tournament

Arun Venugopal16-Mar-2015William Porterfield, Ireland
275 runs, 45.83
Best performance: 107 v PakistanIreland kept the Associates’ flag flying high throughout the competition, and central to their plucky performances was their captain. Although Porterfield didn’t play a leading part in any of Ireland’s three wins, his leadership on the field and off it – where he passionately argued against the shrinking of the next World Cup to 10 teams – made an impression. Porterfield’s best performances came against two top teams: India and Pakistan. His century against Pakistan in a must-win encounter eventually proved futile.Jos Buttler, England
145 runs, 35.25
Best performance: 65 v BangladeshThere were a few eyebrows raised when Buttler was appointed vice-captain of the England side. His value as a wicketkeeper, apart from his work ethic and calm, were perhaps factored in. The stage, therefore, was set for him to showcase his utility in the lower middle-order in a tricky chase against Bangladesh.
Buttler played himself in and looked good to seal the game, but his dismissal culminated in England’s defeat and eventual exit from the tournament. Buttler had also made an unbeaten 39 off 18 balls earlier against Sri Lanka, again in a losing cause.Ed Joyce, Ireland
246 runs, 41
Best performance: 112 v ZimbabweEd Joyce has in the past spent considerable time switching between England and Ireland. He represented England in the 2007 World Cup before reverting to Ireland in the next edition. There was further vindication of that decision this time around when he was at the heart of two significant wins: after scoring 84 against West Indies in a match where Paul Stirling and Niall O’Brien also contributed substantially, Joyce struck a 103-ball 112 to set the foundation of a match-winning total against Zimbabwe.Brendan Taylor has played his farewell game for Zimbabwe•Getty ImagesBrendan Taylor, Zimbabwe
433 runs, 72.16

Best performance: 138 v IndiaIt’s impossible to gloss over the poignancy of Taylor’s two recent centuries coming in what were, for now, his last two innings for Zimbabwe. At the end of the league phase, Taylor had more runs than AB de Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan in the World Cup, and was the second-highest scorer after Kumar Sangakkara. His hundreds against Ireland and India came at a strike-rate of 125-plus. In the India game he came in after the fall of two quick wickets and counterpunched spiritedly. Zimbawe coach Dave Whatmore said Nottingamshire, with whom Taylor, 29, has signed a Kolpak deal, were “very, very lucky” to have him. Zimbabwe evidently not so lucky.Shaiman Anwar, UAE
311 runs, 51.83
Best performance: 106 v Ireland“Anwar’s doing very well in the team and he’s such a confident individual that we call him ‘Sir Viv’ in the dressing room – that’s his nickname,” UAE captain Mohammad Tauqir said after Anwar’s 62 against Pakistan. You can’t fail with a nickname like that. An employee with a shipping firm, Anwar was the highest-scorer at the halfway stage, and became the first UAE batsman to score a World Cup hundred.Sean Williams, Zimbabwe
339 runs, 67.80; 7 wickets, 40.85
Best performance: 96 and 3-72 v IrelandNot long before Taylor announced his decision to pursue a Kolpak deal, Williams, 28, was ready to walk away from Zimbabwe. In this tournament, he and Taylor have provided their team with runs and plenty of them. In Zimbabwe’s agonising defeat against Ireland, Williams chipped in with three wickets before partnering Taylor with the bat. There was an encore, against India, of the Taylor-Williams show, and Williams rounded off his campaign with his fourth half-century.Samiullah Shenwari, Afghanistan
254 runs, 42.33
Best performance: 96 v ScotlandBefore Shapoor Zadran set off on his delirious run, it was Shenwari who had set the base for Afghanistan’s first win in the World Cup, over Scotland. He ground out 147 balls before being the ninth man out. He played useful hands against New Zealand and Bangladesh as well, and finished as Afghanistan’s highest run-getter in the tournament.Josh Davey, Scotland
15 wickets, 20.73
Best performance: 4-68 v EnglandFor Davey, the step up from a little-known seamer of an Associate side to the highest wicket-taker in the World Cup – even if briefly- was as rapid as it was remarkable. It’s certainly good enough to update his Twitter bio that until now describes him as “Entrepreneur and chocoholic.” Davey’s first notable performance was a three-wicket burst as Scotland ran New Zealand scarily close. His performances thereon went north; an economical two-wicket spell in a gutting defeat versus Afghanistan was followed by a five-for against England and the wickets of Sangakkara, Dilshan and Jayawardene against Sri Lanka.UAE captain Mohammad Tauqir has charmed people with his humour•ICCShapoor Zadran, Afghanistan
10 wickets, 26.50
Best performance: 4-38 v ScotlandOne image is certainly likely to catch the fancy of TV production crews when they put together a World Cup montage as the tournament winds down: that of Shapoor, fists clenched, bolting at full tilt before spreading his arms and falling onto the ground in sheer elation after striking the boundary to accomplish Afghanistan’s historic triumph over Scotland. But there was more to the left-armer than his strapping build, shock of hair and Shoaib Akhtar-inspired run-up, as his four-for in the aforementioned game showed. Shapoor, who watches videos of Wasim Akram the night before every game, turned in sturdy performances against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, too. That he can perform the Attan, the Afghan war dance, fits in snugly with his rockstar persona.Hamid Hassan, Afghanistan
8 wickets, 32.62
Best performance: 3-45 v Sri LankaIf Shapoor features in the montage, Hassan’s ungainly cartwheels can’t be far behind. With a headband and Afghanistan’s colours smeared on the cheeks, Hassan’s Rambo avatar is the sort of thing television feeds on. It helps he can bowl fast, and has a big heart. He produced that sort of a performance against Sri Lanka, who were nearly stunned by Afghanistan. “If I’m doing something wrong in a match, I watch myself on the big screen and when I touch my face, I get paint on my fingers,” Hassan told cricket.com.au. “And I say ‘You’re playing for your country, think about what you’re doing here’.”Mohammad Tauqir, UAE
5 wickets, average: 46.20
Best performance: 2-38 v IrelandTauqir, at 43, became the oldest captain in World Cup history. While he wasn’t even the leading wicket-taker in his own team, his loopy off-spin made him the stingiest at 5.26 an over. Tauqir’s off-field success wasn’t insignificant either; the good-natured bluster sprayed with humour endeared him to many. Just look up his comments on having a “lot of cleaning of shoes” to do, or how UAE would avoid conceding 400 against South Africa only if they batted first. An investment banker by day, Tauqir, one of the two Emiratis in the squad, will go back to his “waiting employers” a more popular man.

Plays of the Day from the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Chinnaswamy Stadium

Karthik Krishnaswamy13-Apr-2015Gayle’s falling flick
It was the second over of the match, and Virat Kohli had already demonstrated how quick the Chinnaswamy Stadium outfield was, sending an on-the-up punch off Bhuvneshwar Kumar screaming to the extra-cover boundary. Now Chris Gayle was on strike. Seeing him advance, Bhuvneshwar bowled it full and straight, and found a bit of swing into the left-hander as well. Gayle’s head was nearly falling over, but he opened up his front foot just enough to make room for his bat to come down and dig out the near-yorker. He ended up timing the ball far better than he might have imagined, and it sped away between short midwicket and mid-on, giving neither fielder any chance to stop the ball.Warner takes flight
Ravi Bopara had struck a crucial blow off the previous ball, taking out a dangerous looking Kohli. He now sent down a fuller ball to Mandeep Singh, angling in towards middle and leg stump. Mandeep looked to work him with the angle, through the leg side, but the bowler had rolled his fingers over the ball and got it to grip and turn like a legbreak. It popped into the off side, off Mandeep’s leading edge, but it looked to be falling safely into no-man’s land. That was until David Warner appeared out of nowhere, flying full-length to his right from short cover to pluck the ball out of the air, one-handed.The near-collision
Wickets were falling around him, but AB de Villiers was batting beautifully. At the start of the 19th over, he was on 42 off 26 balls. First ball of the over, Trent Boult saw de Villiers jumping across his crease, presumably to play his favourite scoop over fine leg, and bowled a low full-toss wide outside off stump. ‘Where are you going to hit that?’ Boult seemed to be asking. De Villiers, as always, had an excellent retort. He swiped the ball with a powerful roll of his wrists, and sent it racing through straight midwicket. Two fielders converged on the ball, KL Rahul running full-tilt from long-on, Kane Williamson doing likewise from deep midwicket. The ball pierced the gap to perfection, producing a moment of theatre as both fielders, sliding desperately to try and stop it, came inches within crashing into each other.Boult’s lightning strikes
Next ball, Boult bowled full and wide again, and de Villiers, who hadn’t moved as far across his stumps, reached out to slice the ball over the off side. All he could do, however, was pick out Shikhar Dhawan at sweeper cover. With de Villiers gone, it felt as if Royal Challengers would have to lower their sights considerably. Boult hammered the point home. Next ball, seeing Sean Abbott making himself room, he banged it in short, and the left-armer’s angle forced the batsman to fetch his big swipe from wide outside off stump. Cover settled nicely under the steepling top-edge. Two balls later, Boult tested the middle of the pitch again, and Harshal Patel, cramped for room, top-edged an attempted pull and was caught at midwicket.Adding injury to insult
Sunrisers Hyderabad were cruising, with eight wickets in hand and 16 to get from 15 balls, and the bowlers were making it easy for them. Abu Nechim’s previous ball had been a wide down the leg side, and Dinesh Karthik, throwing himself to his left behind the stumps, hadn’t been able to prevent it from running away for four more. Now KL Rahul went on the back foot and worked Nechim into the leg side. De Villiers, chasing from midwicket, stretched out his right foot to stop the ball. He managed to do this, but landed on the outside of his foot after stopping the ball. He was clearly in discomfort, but hobbled around gamely for the rest of the over before finally deciding to go off the field.

In 1992, they were completely underprepared and had to face the ignominy of an early exit at home. A win on Sunday would go a long way towards removing the scars of that failure

Daniel Brettig28-Mar-2015As is typical of wicketkeepers, Ian Healy was always the most fastidious man in Australian teams of which he was a part. Always neatly dressed, he diarised his cricket with great detail, summing up thoughts, actions and words whether they be good or ill. He kept this up even in retirement, retaining all the shirts, caps and other accoutrements of his many series and tours.There was one exception to this, as Healy discovered upon being asked by Australia’s team management to speak to the 2015 World Cup squad. Rummaging around his Brisbane home, Healy could not find his gold shirt from the 1992 tournament – an extended search revealed only his sleeveless sweatshirt from the event.”It shows,” he said, “how little I wanted to remember it.”Like Healy, a generation of Australian cricketers look back on the 1992 World Cup as the major blot on an era of success and rejuvenation. Underprepared, panicked and playing catch-up against teams who had clearly thought more about the tournament than they had, Australia did not get themselves into gear until it was too late, and ended their contribution with a match against the West Indies that they won despite being eliminated earlier that day, by dint of Pakistan’s win over New Zealand.Under the leadership of Martin Crowe, New Zealand had made the 1992 tournament a priority, where Australia seemed to view it as rather a tedious adjunct to the summer’s annual World Series. The coach Bob Simpson was awarded a contract extension before the event, meaning his job was not on the line as it went wrong, and the captain Allan Border had long since been enshrined as a leader of sufficient standing to call his own time on playing.Nevertheless, the 1992 campaign has grated on Australian cricket for 23 years, as the current team has been endlessly reminded by the likes of Healy, Geoff Marsh, Border and the assistant coach Craig McDermott. The 2015 campaign has been plentifully informed by the lessons and ghosts of 1992, but there will be echoes of the elder team’s failure should Australia fall against New Zealand at the MCG.It was against New Zealand of course that Border’s men first tripped up, beaten comfortably in the tournament opener at Eden Park by Crowe’s batting and captaincy wiles. They have been far savvier this time, avoiding mistakes just as surely as the 1992 team made them.Australia’s ODI team has occupied a curious place in Cricket Australia’s planning over the past four years since the 2011 tournament and the Argus review that followed. Initially it was used as a proving ground for potential Test players, while teams were chosen on a match-by-match basis and looked entirely unsettled – the triangular series of 2011-12 being the only time one Ryan Harris was ever dropped for reasons of form, so anxious had he become about his place in the 50-over side.Though they won countless trophies afterwards, including three World Cups, 1992 has always cast a shadow over Australian cricket•Getty ImagesBut time, both its passing and its running out, as provided valuable clarity, the Cup drawing closer and the team growing more consistent in both its selection and its performance. The wresting back of the No.1 ODI ranking was an important moment, signalling that Australia were gathering strength leading into a World Cup, rather than having it ebb away as it did ahead of 2011.The dual captaincy of Michael Clarke and George Bailey has not always been smooth, but ultimately worked because of Clarke’s skills on the field and Bailey’s equanimity and maturity away from it. His running of messages out to the players during Thursday’s successful defence of 328 against India in the semi-final was a reminder of how Bailey has remained important to this team and squad even after his place was taken by Clarke’s return.Both men have been important in helping mould a style that works commandingly well in Australia, and also takes best advantage of the ODI playing conditions used at this tournament and first favoured by the CA chairman Wally Edwards. There is a mood for these – notably the two new balls and the restriction of only four men outside the fielding circle – to change after the tournament. They have been advantageous to an Australian side not placing much emphasis at all on reverse swing or spin bowling.Other players have also been managed nicely, not least the pace-bowling brigade of Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. The mere fact that Australia have a full squad of 15 to choose from for the final is a point of enormous credit to the physio Alex Kountouris, the doctor Peter Brukner and the strength and conditioning coach Damian Mednis in particular. This has been the longest and most draining of summers.They will be able to look on with some satisfaction on Sunday afternoon, having guided the team through a season of trials both physical and emotional. So too will the coach Darren Lehmann, an important source of advice but most critically the architect of an environment neither too taut nor too lazy. Lehmann won two World Cups in his career, and among the team Clarke, Shane Watson and Johnson all know what it is like to celebrate victory in the final.But there is not an Australian cricketer alive who can boast of winning the Cup at home, merely a group of older heads still shaking their heads and muttering about the opportunity missed in 1992. Australia won countless trophies in the years to follow, but they could never erase that stain. To win this time around would go some way towards doing so.

We asked readers for their favourite lines of legendary broadcaster Richie Benaud. Here are the responses we got

Siddarth Ravindran10-Apr-20153:07

Archive: ‘Will the real Richie Benaud please stand up?’

First up, his signature comment.

@ESPNcricinfo Marvellous

— Tabish Siddiqui (@mtabishs) April 10, 2015

His distinctive speaking style was often mimicked, and if two early wickets went down, fans hoped Benaud was on commentary, for him to say …

@ESPNcricinfo Its twooo for twenty twooooo

— Nikhil Daware (@nikhil_daware) April 10, 2015

Even his no-frills greeting as he began his commentary stint became a household phrase.

@ESPNcricinfo Has to be "Morning, everyone." I knew I was in for a good day, regardless of the result. #RIPRichieBenaud

— steveh11 (@steveh11) April 10, 2015

@ESPNcricinfo it has to be "Morning everyone beautiful day here at Trent Bridge"

— Peter Joy (@petermjoy) April 10, 2015

He was on the air for some of cricket’s most memorable moments

@ESPNcricinfo There are better ones, but "Jones! Bowden!" when England won at Edgbaston in 2005 will live with me forever.

— James Ash (@JamesAsh_89) April 10, 2015

@ESPNcricinfo "Allan Lamb has been cleaned up, perhaps, so too England" 1992 world cup final.

— Waqas ur Rahman (@WakasRahman) April 10, 2015

@ESPNcricinfo "You wouldn't believe it. He's done 'im between his legs." Warne to Basit Ali. THAT ball. In THAT voice. #RIPRichie

— Shamit (@thelittlechamp) April 10, 2015

His description of an Ian Botham six in the 1981 Ashes became the name of a blog on ESPNcricinfo

.@ESPNcricinfo #riprichiebenaud ‘ It’s gone into the confectionery stand and out again. Don’t bother looking for that’

— Robert Drummond (@robertd1981) April 10, 2015

There was plenty of dry wit in his understated commentary

@ESPNcricinfo "Glenn Mcgrath got out just 98 run short of the century"- Richie Benaud #RIPRichieBenaud

— Yashaswi (@yk_deepak) April 10, 2015

.@ESPNcricinfo Mike Atherton hit in the unmentionables. Hadlee: 'And that ball did bounce Richie' RB: 'Which one, Richard?'

— Daniel Brettig (@danbrettig) April 10, 2015

@ESPNcricinfo captaincy is 90% luck and 10% skill. But don't try it without that 10%.

— Soft Southern Jim (@Timbers_Jim) April 10, 2015

One of his rules on cricket commentary was …

@ESPNcricinfo Put your brain into gear and if you can add to what's on the screen then do it, otherwise shut up #RIPRichieBenaud

— Abhishek Dwivedi (@ABDW1987) April 10, 2015

Even the wisest man in the game – he covered and played in around 500 Tests – could sometimes slip up.

@espncricinfo – “The slow-motion replay doesn’t show how fast the ball was really travelling.”

— Vivek (@VivekGajjala) April 10, 2015

His voice was used in several video games as well, earning him another generation of fans.

@ESPNcricinfo From EA sports game commentary "That will be very very sore in the morning."

— Akshit Redij (@aks_gunner) April 10, 2015

We asked readers what’s their favourite ad featuring a cricketer

15-Jun-2015Jam, jam, JammyRahul Dravid may have taken on different responsibilities in his career, but nothing can match the range of the roles he plays in a span of 30 seconds. Seeing Dravid as a girl, Dravid as a monk and Dravid as a vampire makes you think if he was strategising a winning entry for a fancy dress competition. Before he earned the title of “The Wall”, the nickname “Jammy” was associated with Dravid: his father worked for a company that made jams and it’s said that Dravid always carried a jam jar with him.
The carrom ballShane Warne and Darren Lehmann are out roaming on the streets of Pakistan with a man in a suit, and they get challenged to a match by a bunch of kids for a soft drink. Who would you back?One of the kids smashes Warne in Tendulkar-like fashion. But neither that, nor the computer-aided fielding from the kids is what would surprise you: it’s the ‘finger spin’ that bowls Lehmann. Warne doesn’t seem to get a grip on post the loss, or else we might have seen a carrom ball years before the likes of Ajantha Mendis and Sunil Narine came onto the scene. And the man in the suit? Well, he’s one of our favourite commentators, isn’t he?
Tubby’s mandolinYou knew Mark Taylor had quick reflexes when you saw him in the slips but his work in this advertisement is absolutely outstanding. Taylor dazzles us with his nimble fingers – we wonder how many times they move in a second – playing the mandolin while rattling off the wonders of the product he’s trying to sell. And though it’s not an ad for a mandolin, it may tempt you to buy one.
Cricket crazyCricket is a rage in India, but this ad takes it to a whole new level: on the roofs of cars, buses and a container truck. With their bus stuck in a traffic jam, a couple of boys from a cricket team decide to get on with it. And where there’s cricket, everyone around has to be interested. In an ad that has a hen and an elephant, you could very well miss Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth had they not worn India jerseys.
A drawn arm-wrestleOn the field, Sachin Tendulkar may have overshadowed his school-mate Vinod Kambli, but in this ad, there is no clear winner. Actually, there is: Mohammad Azharuddin, who was India captain at the time.Ironman WarnieIn this ad:
1. Shane Warne appears to be romancing a clothes iron Bollywood-style.
2. Shane Warne makes more revolutions with an iron than what he managed to impart on his deliveries.
3. Shane Warne’s final expression suggests he realised the folly of throwing the iron given that he would still need to press his shirts.
Just for fun: Play the ad on another tab with the volume up and watch the ‘Ball of the Century’ video on mute.

Plays of the day from the match between Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi

Andrew Fidel Fernando01-May-2015The double-outWhen JP Duminy slid one past an advancing Shaun Marsh to hit him in front, the batsman was as preoccupied by the umpire’s reaction to the appeal as the bowler. A sharp Yuvraj Singh at slip though, was awake to opportunity. Seeing Marsh’s lazy return to the crease, Yuvraj collected the deflection off the batsman’s pads and removed the bails. The umpire would rule Marsh out by lbw, after a long pause, but even before he lifted his finger, Yuvraj was already appealing to the square-leg umpire, having run the batsman out as well.The comebackOn his return to competitive cricket after almost a year out of the game, thanks to injury, Zaheer Khan helped justify his high price-tag for this season’s IPL, with two wickets that sent the opposition into a nosedive. His first victim was former India team-mate Virender Sehwag, also 36 and making a comeback of sorts himself, after being benched for the last match. Zaheer had Sehwag caught at short point, before next over, he removed the other opener Manan Vohra as well.The least watchable momentThe fourth ball of Imran Tahir’s 20th over produced cricket none of the three players involved would be proud of. Tahir first floated the ball up well wide of off stump and turned it away. If batsman Anureet Singh had not made contact, it would probably have been deemed a wide. But the batsman did swing at it, and he connected poorly, sending the ball gently in the air towards Yuvraj at point. The fielder only had to take a few steps back and close his hands on the ball, but let it bounce out comically from his grasp. Of the three, Anureet made some amends for his part in the farce, hitting the final ball of the innings over cow corner for six.The poor introductionWith his list of recent Ranji Trophy victims running long, 23-year-old seamer Shardul Thakur arrived at his IPL debut with considerable hype around him. But he would proceed to make as inauspicious an IPL a start as possible, as Mumbai team-mate Shreyas Iyer scrambled his brains. His third ball, short and wide, was effortlessly lifted over wide-third man for six, and his fourth ball was almost identical, with Iyer’s response also being the same. His attempts to correct his line went horribly as well, as he first delivered a leg-side wide, then was clipped to the fence off the pads. His economy barely improved after that. He conceded 38 from three overs, though he did eventually get Iyer out.

The challenge facing administrators is drawing the majority Chinese population to cricket, which remains largely expat-driven

Tim Wigmore26-Jun-2015From the story of Afghanistan, whose first generation of players learned the game in refugee camps in Pakistan, to the development of Irish cricket across sectarian lines, and a tiny fishing village in Papua New Guinea which produced half the national side that earned ODI status, it is not hard to locate romance in Associate cricket. But it seems a little harder to find in Hong Kong, one of the world’s financial centre.”In Hong Kong, a city where everyone seems to be from somewhere else, just who is an expat, anyway?” the asked last year. The diversity manifests itself in Hong Kong’s cricket team.”I think the style of cricket is unique – and quite hard to explain,” observes Tim Cutler, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Cricket Association (HKCA). The team mixes “the wristy flair from the subcontinent with the traditional methods coached throughout western academies, with players who have learnt their trade all over the world – usually while attending overseas universities before returning to Hong Kong.”Cricket in Hong Kong has quite a history. During the first Opium War in 1841, the British Army decreed that cricket grounds would be constructed adjacent to all army barracks in the area that became Hong Kong. The following year Hong Kong became a British colony, and settlers there tried to replicate the aspects of British life they most missed. For many, cricket featured high up on this list: the Hong Kong Cricket Club was established in 1851.

“Our biggest challenge is having to explain what cricket is. Almost all local Chinese have no knowledge about cricket, or that cricket is played in Hong Kong”James Chan, HKCA cricket officer

One hundred and sixty-four years later, Hong Kong cricket is at its most exciting juncture yet. Last year was a seminal one. The side almost qualified for the 2015 World Cup, earned ODI status until 2018, and then defeated Bangladeshin their first appearance in the World T20.Yet while cricket is now the highest-ranked team sport in Hong Kong, many do not see the side as representing Hong Kong so much as Pakistani expats. Nine members of their 15-man squad for the World T20 Qualifiers, including Irfan and Nadeem Ahmed, two heroes from the toppling of Bangladesh in Chittagong, were born in Pakistan; but those who learned the game in Hong Kong increasingly dominate the squad. Six members were either born in Hong Kong or have Hong Kong passports; four others, including the teenagers Waqas Khan and Kinchit Shah, predominantly learned the game in Hong Kong.

****

The most fundamental question cricketers in Hong Kong face is where to play. It is one of the most densely populated places in the world, and flat land is scarce. Hong Kong has only three grass pitches. Most grounds use artificial wickets.”Access to grounds and quality of facilities are a perpetual battle for all sports in Hong Kong, and cricket’s ground requirements make it an even steeper task,” Cutler says, though cricket should benefit from the government building a new US$3.2 billion multipurpose sports complex. Still, cricket cannot be snooty about where to develop new grounds: HKCA is exploring if the sport can be played at former landfill sites and reservoir areas.It embodies the sense that cricket’s development in Hong Kong is still nascent. The playing base remains far too shallow: there are about 600 adult cricketers today, one-tenth of the number playing rugby union. Given this, Hong Kong’s recent achievements have been remarkable, but the sport needs to attract the Chinese population, who make up over 90% of Hong Kong, for the national team’s success to be sustainable. And historically the Chinese population has simply not cared for cricket.The Hong Kong Sixes was the city’s showpiece event for two decades. It is set for a revival this year, with Chinese commentary•AFPChanging this is a challenge Cutler embraced when he was unveiled as the first chief executive in HKCA’s history in April. The opening up of Higher Performance Programme funding, after Hong Kong gained ODI status last year, has created an opportunity to engage the Chinese population. It will not be easy, especially with the BCCI and ECB having vetoed the inclusion of cricket in the Olympics, despite its transformative potential.”We find ourselves having to split our limited resources between not only training our elite squads but also to edify a population that in its majority knows very little about the sport,” Cutler explains. Even after the success of 2014, Hong Kong must do it all with one-tenth of the ICC funding enjoyed by Zimbabwe: that explains why only nine players are contracted to HKCA.An amiable Australian, Cutler moved to Hong Kong two years ago, where he worked in marine insurance before turning his attentions to cricket administration full-time, and befuddles batsmen with his left-arm spin. Until he became chief executive, Cutler had an app on his phone counting down the days until March 16, 2017 – the day he becomes eligible for selection for Hong Kong.That dream has been put on hold, at least, while Cutler confronts a bigger job. Despite his youth – he is just 33, which seems rather young to hobnob with the Big Three in the boardrooms of Dubai – Cutler edged out over 100 other applicants, so impressed was HKCA by his local knowledge and vision for the sport.”Cricket has the perfect opportunity to embed itself in Hong Kong, not as something once thrust on its people by colonial rule, but [in a manner where] all Hong Kongers can have the opportunity to learn the game,” he wrote in his application. “Hong Kong is screaming out for something that can unite the region in defining its collective identity, beyond political proclivities. I believe that together we can make cricket that ‘something’.” Cutler’s ambition, he says, is “to make the sport fit the region, rather than the other way around.”And there are some encouraging signs. HKCA’s website is on the verge of becoming fully bilingual, and the board is rewriting the Chinese character cricket glossary to better reflect the game. The Hong Kong Sixes, which ran from 1992 to 2012, will return later this year; for the first time, commentary will also be offered in Chinese, geared towards educating viewers about the game.To engage the Chinese media and take the game to schools, HKCA employs three full-time Chinese development coaches; a further two are to be appointed later in 2015. Around 1000 local children in government schools received introductory cricket programmes this year, and 250 of those now take part in regular programmes; an all-Chinese Under-17s league will be launched when the new season begins in August. Two Chinese clubs already compete in Division Two of the Saturday league, and a Dragons team of fully Chinese players will make their debut in the more prestigious Sunday League next season. The women’s game hints at what is possible: over half the squad that played in the Asian Games last year was indigenous Chinese. And one member of the men’s squad, the left-hand batsman Mark Chapman, is half-Chinese.Cricket at the Kowloon Cricket Club. Flat land is scarce in the city, and grounds to play cricket on are not easy to come by•Getty ImagesOne Chinese cricket officer is James Chan, who learned the game in London before taking up his post in Hong Kong in February. “Our biggest challenge is having to explain what cricket is,” he says. “Almost all local Chinese have no knowledge about cricket, or that cricket is played in Hong Kong.”The fiercely competitive academic culture exacerbates the challenge. “With most forms of cricket taking up most of the day, parents pursue less time-consuming activities such as basketball and football,” Chan says. He is trying to combat that by presenting cricket as “like a chess game, a logic tool creating unique methods of problem solving which can be used and adapted in other aspects of life.”But he believes the most attractive aspect of cricket to Hong Kong parents might be its role within English culture: “cricket’s unique selling point”. The hope is that parents might see cricketing prowess as a tool to earning a sporting scholarship at an elite school in England.”Our responsibility is to spread the word that the Hong Kong Cricket Association is willing to help if there are candidates wanting to take this path,” Chan says. While he is not Chinese, Anshuman Rath shows what is possible: born in Hong Kong, he has earned scholarships with Eton and then Harrow, who gave him permission to play in Hong Kong’s ODIs against Papua New Guinea last year on the condition that he brought his textbooks with him. Four days after turning 17, he scored 55 at No. 3.Increased recognition of the value of sport in Hong Kong gives cricket a further opportunity to grow. Should cricket make progress in engaging Chinese children, it could engender a virtuous cycle, where the government (which paid for Hong Kong’s preparation tour for the World T20 Qualifiers) becomes more inclined to offer greater support. “The government is willing to support sports more who are better at supporting themselves in not only engaging local communities but also in establishing stronger controls and better governance,” Cutler says. The timing could not be better for HKCA.

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2015Australia were not too perturbed by that setback, however, as Steven Smith came out to strike a rapid fifty•Associated PressEngland did manage to remove David Warner before three figures and Moeen Ali also picked up Smith for 58•Associated PressMichael Clarke hit a few boundaries and then called the innings off after Australia’s lead went past 500•Associated PressEngland were set 509 to win and the openers survived a ten-minute spell before lunch. But Adam Lyth again fell caught behind for a single-figure score shortly after the resumption•PA PhotosMitchell Johnson then removed Alastair Cook to strike a huge blow for Australia•PA PhotosJoe Root was given a peppering from the short ball and took a blow in the helmet•Associated PressOops…Ben Stokes failed to ground anything behind the line as he tried to avoid Mitchell Johnson’s throw•PA PhotosJoe Root fell to Josh Hazlewood as England’s innings hurtled to a conclusion•Associated Press

Brian Close was one of the most courageous cricketers ever to take to the field, but he was so much more than that and not only in Yorkshire will his immense qualities be revered

Derek Hodgson14-Sep-2015Posterity’s memory of Brian Close is of a tall, balding, near middle-aged left hander taking a fearful battering from West Indies’ fast bowlers, without helmet or any other protection other than a box and pads, in a Test match at Old Trafford.His every ambition that day in 1976 was to demonstrate to the opposition that he could not be hurt; the following day the cameras were allowed to picture his bare torso, with a right side showing seven big ugly bruises.Yet Dennis Brian Close was much, much more than a gung-ho hero in a black-and-white movie. A prodigious exponent of all ball games (contracts with Leeds United and Arsenal; a single handicap golfer) he came from a family embedded in the uncompromising cricket of the Yorkshire leagues. Physically powerful, he was playing for Rawdon at 11 years, following his father and grandfather into the same club side.He made such an impression at the Yorkshire nets in March 1949, aged 18, as a powerful left-hand batsman who could bowl right-arm seam up or offspin that Bill Bowes pronounced him as a natural successor to the veteran allrounder Frank Smailes. Norman Yardley, his county captain, was impressed enough to include him, with two other trialists, in Yorkshire’s team to play Cambridge University at Fenner’s that May.An onlooker recalled: “We saw a young quick bowler called Trueman, who was erratic and an older opening batsman named Lowson who didn’t stay long enough to allow judgement. But we also saw a lad named Close who looked every inch a cricketer of promise. There was even a rumour round the ring that he could bowl both right and left-handed.”It was an auspicious day for Yorkshire and England. The bowler turned out to be world class, the opener developed so quickly he was referred to as Len Hutton’s shadow and Close, in his first season, had by mid July, scored 579 runs and taken 67 wickets (all first-class). Dazzled selectors chose him for a Test trial then for Players against the Gentlemen – he was the top scorer with 65 – and finally, still 18 years old, for the third Test against New Zealand at Old Trafford.He completed the double (1,000 runs and 100 wickets) at the Scarborough Festival and was then called up for national service in the Royal Signals which meant that, in 1950, he played only one match for Yorkshire. He was nevertheless chosen, despite Yorkshire’s appeal for caution, for the England tour of Australia the following winter and had a miserable time. He was twice injured and remembered little sympathy from the captain Freddie Brown and senior members of the side. Never an establishment man, that experience left Close a natural dissident for the rest of his life.For a spell, his career remained in the shade. A knee injury with Arsenal settled the argument of his career direction and he did achieve the double again in his second full season (1952) before another football injury, with Bradford City, left him convalescing for 18 months.Close was almost the forgotten man when in 1954, playing purely as a batsman, he volunteered to test his knee by bowling again, and finished the season with 66 wickets. The following summer, Close was in full glory again.He was a volcanic performer at his peak, a batsman of concrete defence, a spectacular hitter, a bowler of unquenchable optimism whether using seam or spin, possibly cricket’s bravest close fielder.In his 28-year career, he scored almost 35,000 runs at an average of 33, no mean feat in the days of uncovered pitches, took 1171 wickets at 26 and 813 catches as well as one stumping. Stories of injuries occurred and dismissed through his suicidal close-catching read like a Norse saga. “Be ready for rebounds,” he would advise Yorkshire’s wicketkeeper Jimmy Binks.One that got away – Brian Close, unhelmeted, at short leg•Getty ImagesHe was picked for the Old Trafford Test against Australia in 1961 only to be excoriated for the manner of his dismissal against Richie Benaud when his attempts to attack the legspinner went awry and England lost.Close was still regarded as an erratic genius when he was surprisingly named Yorkshire’s captain in 1963, one committee decision that must be described as brilliant. Under Close, Yorkshire won the Championship four times and added two Gillette Cups making him the third most successful captain, after Hawke and Sellers, in the club’s history.His record demanded a recall by England in the 1966 series against the West Indies, who possessed two of the world’s fastest bowlers in Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith. His outstanding innings came at Lord’s when Hall broke Colin Cowdrey’s arm and Close responded by advancing down the wicket to the pace bowlers to put them off their length. With West Indies 3-0 up in the series, he replaced Cowdrey as captain, immediately reinstated Ray Illingworth, his trusted lieutenant in Yorkshire, and won the last Test by an innings and 34 runs. He was thus the natural choice to lead against India and Pakistan in 1967, winning five and drawing one of six Tests.Close seemed invulnerable but he had been warned that the selectors were nervous about his aggressive style before the edgy winter tour of the West Indies. “Keep your nose clean,” he was advised. A furore after a draw at Edgbaston, where Yorkshire were accused of deliberately wasting time to prevent Warwickshire winning was followed by a newspaper allegation that Yorkshire’s captain had attacked a man in the crowd. Apologies all round, from Close and from the member involved, failed to prevent his removal from the England captaincy.Close then returned to Yorkshire to start rebuilding a side that saw the retirement of four England players in 1968-69 and the departure of Illingworth to Leicestershire. By 1970, Yorkshire had climbed back to fourth when, in November, he was stunned to be told “resign or be sacked”. He complied and drove away from Headingley in tears.Later that winter he told two members of the committee: “In the next 10 years, you will realise your mistake”. Indeed they did. Close’s dismissal could be accepted as the moment Yorkshire lost their status as the superpower of county cricket.Close, at 40, took himself off to Somerset where, in six years as captain, he inspired a whole generation of players, including the young Ian Botham, who regarded him as the toughest man he has ever met. He also passed 1000 runs on five occasions in those years. He even managed to win a recall for England, to take another hammering, this time from Michael Holding. He remained fit enough to lead a team against the New Zealanders at Scarborough when 55.The word legend has been so over-used as to become a cliche, but Brian Close will have tales told of him, especially in Yorkshire and the West Country, whenever cricket is talked about. Even as an old man, he undertook an operation for an artificial hip and was playing golf days afterwards.J.M Kilburn, the distinguished cricket correspondent of the , summarised his career thus: “Too much was asked of him too soon. He stretched his fingertips to clouds of glory and submerged in a morass of disappointments. He has enjoyed the highest distinctions and suffered salt in deep wounds.” He became a CBE but many felt he should have been at Agincourt and there knighted on the battlefield.He was proud to serve as Yorkshire’s cricket chairman and president in his later years, wounds with the county he treasured healed once more. He died at home in Baildon, Bradford, on September 13 after a long illness. He leaves a widow, Vivien, a son, Lance, and a daughter, Lyn.

Six months ago, N Srinivasan was a force in the BCCI. That has changed now as a result of legal trouble and the power struggles within the board

Arun Venugopal04-Oct-2015Shashank Manohar’s nomination as BCCI president – to be formalised at a special general meeting on Sunday – has left N Srinivasan, the current ICC chairman and former board president, an isolated figure. Manohar has of late been a vocal critic of Srinivasan and is likely to curb Srinivasan’s influence within the BCCI.The most striking evidence of Srinivasan’s waning influence came on Saturday, when Manohar was nominated for the post by all six East Zone members, most of whom owed allegiance to Srinivasan in the past. One East Zone official sought to downplay the issue, saying he was on “nobody’s side.” He also said he was not averse to either proposing or seconding Manohar’s name, because he was “one of the finest presidents of the board, a man of the highest integrity and most accessible.”An office bearer of a southern state association that had been a staunch supporter of Srinivasan in the past admitted members were wary of antagonising the new powers in the BCCI. “Everybody wants to be safe. I look at my association. Why should I look [out] for others? We want to go with the system.”BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, who won a close-fought election for his post against the Srinivasan camp last year, promised there would be no “vendetta” against anybody. “If you look at the last six months, there was no vindictive attitude towards any association,” Thakur told ESPNcricinfo. “And I can promise that, on behalf of Shashank Manohar as well, that we don’t have a vendetta against anyone. For us, the institution is more important than the individuals.”Srinivasan’s strength in the BCCI has been on the decline since the IPL corruption scandal in May 2013. Despite being rapped by the Supreme Court and ultimately forced to step aside as BCCI president, he had remained defiant and sought to protect his turf. However, the return of Jagmohan Dalmiya as BCCI president – a consensus candidate of the two factions led by Srinivasan and former board president Sharad Pawar – and, especially, the election of Thakur considerably eroded his base.Srinivasan’s plans for an alliance with Pawar and a proposed meeting with Amit Shah, president of the Gujarat Cricket Association and India’s ruling political party the BJP, which has significant influence in the BCCI, also fell through.While it is understood Srinivasan wanted to lie low during the current BCCI dispensation, his concern was his role as ICC chairman. The BCCI, which had nominated him for the post in June 2014, can change its nominee if it wishes to. Srinivasan’s term is scheduled to end in June 2016.It is understood that Srinivasan is not as upbeat about his ICC prospects as he was a few days ago. “It won’t be impacted by whoever takes over,” a source from the Srinivasan camp had said then. As the SGM neared, though, it became increasingly clear that Srinivasan had exhausted his cards.”Since he [Srinivasan] is not in the BCCI picture for two years, how does it bother him [who comes to power]?” the source asked. “He doesn’t have any such anxiety, and has learnt to remain detached from all this. His world doesn’t revolve around the BCCI alone. He has his cement business to look after as well. If one party wins, the other party has to get on with its work until the next election.”None of his supporters could identify what caused Srinivasan’s fall, despite his group holding the most important positions at the BCCI election in March. “That’s the biggest question mark,” an office-bearer said. “That’s what happens in board. Two members are enough … everything can change.”A BCCI official said Srinivasan’s legal battles took a toll on his reputation. “Nothing new has gone wrong. If he had come out clean from the court matters things would have been different. Unfortunately, nothing much is coming out of that. Secondly, things keep on changing as time passes. They normally change, with new combinations and new requirements.”However, a former board official considered close to Srinivasan, said he couldn’t be written off. “Jaggu [Jagmohan Dalmiya] was banned. Jaggu made a comeback as BCCI president. In cricket and politics, you can never write off a person. He might be lying low now. He is a strongman of cricket, and he knows how to play his cards.”