All posts by n8rngtd.top

On a tough day for Bangladesh’s quicks, Al-Amin Hossain suffered more than most

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur28-Jan-2014Four missed opportunities took the sting out of the Bangladesh bowlers’ workmanlike effort on the second day of the Test in Mirpur. Al-Amin Hossain suffered the most, though his efforts were notable, as the Bangladesh bowlers continued their struggle at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.Shakib Al Hasan’s three wickets at the end of the day brought relief to a bowling attack that looked flat for long patches. Al-Amin’s only wicket, of Kumar Sangakkara, came with the second new ball, but his morning spell could have had better returns.Al-Amin had Kaushal Silva dropped by wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim, who took the next chance, only to see the bowler had bowled a ‘Finn no-ball’ – hitting the stumps at the non-striker’s end during delivery. In the next over, Silva edged to gully where Shamsur Rahman dropped one that sped towards his right.”I was unlucky,” Al-Amin said. “Two catches were dropped and I had the caught behind off that no-ball. I felt bad, because I was bowling well today. I have never bowled that no-ball, this was the first time. I consoled myself that there will be further chances and I will take full advantage of those. But I kept trying to bowl the same way.”It resulted in Kumar Sangakkara’s wicket. I thought he had missed the catch but luck was in my favour on that occasion. But Mushfiq bhai and the rest supported me a lot which helped me get that wicket. Players like Sangakkara and Mahela [Jayawardene] play for long.”A lot better was however expected from Robiul Islam and Rubel Hossain, as well as Sohag Gazi whose bowling once again looked perfunctory at best. Robiul is at his fittest since returning from a hamstring injury but, while he was tight in spells, the zing he can produce was not to be seen. His tendency to flick the ball slightly wide of his intended line didn’t work as the chilly atmosphere did little to help the ball.Al-Amin possibly carried out his coach’s plans well. Shane Jurgensen, who doubles up as the team’s bowling coach, had asked the young bowler to keep Sangakkara honest outside the off-stump, and it resulted in the wicket, but not after he had cruised to 75. They have a plan for Mahela Jayawardene too, but that has not yet been fruitful.”Bowling in the right areas creates chances,” Al-Amin said. “Coach told us where to bowl to each particular batsmen. So I thought I would create more chances. I couldn’t do it with the older ball but once I had the new ball, I bowled better.”We are shown video footage, also on paper sometimes. Coach told us to bowl on the fourth stump to Sangakkara. We have plans for Jayawardene, and we will try that tomorrow. The wicket is not very helpful. We can call it batsman-friendly. We are trying to implement the plans the coach gave us, which is batsman specific.”Once again, Rubel doesn’t look like a pace bowler who is bowling to any plan. He looked compromised at times but he and Robiul have time in hand and the opportunity to bounce back quickly. Gazi bowled slower towards the end of the day, when his offbreak spun more.Shakib’s tally of 35 first-class wickets at this venue is the highest among Bangladesh’s current attack, while Gazi averages 27.17, having taken 28 wickets. Robiul has the most wickets among the seamers, with 15 scalps at an average of 37.33, while Rubel averages a whopping 120.66.There is much work left to be done in the Test but, as far as pace bowling is concerned, Jurgensen will have to be patient to see his plans work, with more sense applied by the quicks where necessary. It promises to be a long haul for Robiul, Rubel and Al-Amin.

Ramnaresh Sarwan talks about scoring six fours in a Test over, struggling to find a helmet that fit, and lessons from watching Brian Lara

Interview by Jack Wilson29-May-2014When you started out as a kid playing cricket in Guyana, could you ever have imagined you would captain your country?
As a young player, it’s always the ultimate honour to represent your country and perform for them. With the captaincy, as time goes by you gain experience and people look at you and assess your credentials. It was a great feeling for me when I was made captain. So many great players have captained the West Indies team through the years.You have played 286 times for West Indies. Do you think you will ever add to that?
Quite frankly, with the players that are about now, I think it will be difficult. I’ll just try to keep doing what I’m doing and scoring runs.On June 23, 2006, you wrote yourself into the history books. Do you know why?
Was I the youngest player to get to 5000 runs?No, you hit six fours in an over against India off Munaf Patel.
Yes, I did! Although, I got a bit of luck. One of them I got an inside edge past the stumps and another went past Yuvraj Singh, who dived. It was all done pretty instinctively.You used to wear a bandana under your helmet but now you don’t. Why?
Before I wore a bandana because the helmet was a bit too big for me. I could never find the right size to wear and the bandana supported me and made my head a bit bigger. When I found the right size I got rid of the bandana.What is the best innings you have ever played?
The 105 I made against Australia in 2003, when we chased 418 on the final day. The way I played made it the pick of my innings. It gave me confidence to kick on at that stage of my career.Where were you when you received your first Test call-up?
I’d just played a game in Guyana. They gave me a call on my landline to tell me I was in the squad.Where do you keep your first Test shirt?
Safely in the wardrobe.Which of your team-mates past or present has the best arm?
Dwayne Smith.Which one bowler did you hate facing in the nets?
Tino Best.Who was the messiest in the West Indies dressing room?
I’ve got to say myself. I have my stuff all over the place.Who is the biggest joker?
Chris Gayle. Everything he does in the dressing room is funny. He is so laidback and he makes everyone laugh. The “Gangnam Style” stuff is a typical example.We know the West Indies love a dance. Who has the best moves?
Dwayne Bravo.What is the biggest thing you learned from playing with Brian Lara?
Batsmanship. The way he goes about building an innings and the way he knows when to pick on bowlers.What is the worst injury you have seen on a cricket field?
Rahul Dravid got hit by Merv Dillon once [back in 2002]. It struck him on the helmet, which was pretty nasty.If someone came up to you and handed you a book, and you started reading it and realised it was a book about your entire life, would you read it until the end?
No way. There’d be too much stuff I wouldn’t want to know!How does a night out in Guyana compare to a night out in Leicestershire?
It’s very quiet in Leicestershire! The music is totally different. Back home in Guyana the music is better to dance to. There’d be a lot more dancing there.

A stats review at the end of the fifth Test between India and England at The Oval

Bishen Jeswant17-Aug-20147 Number of Tests India have lost by an innings and 200 runs or more. Four of them have come against England, with this innings-and-244-run loss at third on that list. India have lost by bigger margins against England in 1974 and against West Indies in 1958.36 Number of years since India lost three Test series in a row. Over the past eight months, India have been defeated in South Africa, New Zealand and now England. The last time they lost three consecutive series was between 1976-78, going down to England, Australia and then Pakistan.26 Number of times India have been routed for 100 or less in an innings. The last time India suffered the ignominy was against South Africa at Ahmedabad in April 2008. India have never won a Test after being bowled out for less than 100, but England have won six Tests, Australia four, New Zealand and South Africa two each, while Pakistan have won one from the same circumstances.134 Number of runs for Virat Kohli in this series, making it the second-lowest aggregate by a top-four batsman having played at least 10 innings. The lowest is also by an Indian, Chandu Sarwate, who scored only 100 runs against Australia in 1947-48.22.2 Cheteshwar Pujara’s batting average in this series. This is the poorest for an Indian No. 3, over a minimum of five innings in a Test series in England.97.12 Joe Root’s average in 2014. He has 777 runs, 518 of which have come in the five matches against India to be the top-scorer of the series.78 Number of years since a team has won the last three Tests of a five-match series after trailing at the end of the first two. England were at the receiving end in the 1936 Ashes, when they led the home side, Australia 2-0. Don Bradman made 810 runs in that series and was instrumental in the turnaround.5 Number of series in which India have been bowled out for less than 200 five times. The last instance was against England in 1976-77. The most times that India have succumbed for less than 200 during a series is seven, during India’s tour to England in 1959.177 Number of runs India have gained from extras in this series, exactly as much as Ravindra Jadeja has contributed. Some of India’s top-order batsmen have contributed fewer though – Kohli only managed 134 runs, while Dhawan had 122.29.2 Number of overs faced by India in their second innings at The Oval, the fewest overs needed to dismiss them in the last six years. India have only been bowled out in fewer overs six times, the least being 17 overs, when India were bundled out for 42 at Lord’s in 1974.380 Number of wickets for James Anderson in Tests. He is only four away from beating Ian Botham as the highest wicket-taker for England.17 Number of dismissals made by MS Dhoni, the most by an Indian keeper against England in a Test series. He had accumulated 16 in 2006 and 13 in 2011 and figures thrice in the top five

The best flat white in the world, and the watersports aren’t bad either

Iain O'Brien03-Nov-2014Feast your eyes
A visit to Lyall Bay and Maranui Café is a must, especially if you can get a window seat to sit in, eat, drink and enjoy the views. It’s my favourite café anywhere. The views include the beach, sea and surf, and planes landing and taking off from one of the more horrible places to land in the world. While you’re looking out over Lyall Bay, watching the surfers, wind/kite surfers (if wind conditions are right), you could also be eating some of the best NZ café food – and drinking the best flat white in the entire world.Take the Interislander
The Cook Strait ferries go across on their journey from Wellington to Picton (North Island to South Island). If you have a free day, and it’s not blowing from the south, a return day trip on the Interislander isn’t the worst way to spend it.Hang by a thread
Take a cable car from Lambton Quay to the top and walk down via the Wellington Botanical Gardens. Watch out for the cricket ground halfway up, with the big fountain – one of the prettier views in Wellington.Oriental Parade is a man-made beach situated inside the harbour, just a few minutes’ walk from the heart of the city. A family-friendly swimming beach, it’s a great place to sit on the sand and soak in the sun. When the wind is down, a fountain erupts like a seaside geyser.Chill at the mall
A wander and squander around Cuba Street Mall is a great way to get a feel of the more relaxed side of Wellington. From trinkets to tat, crafts to coffee, the bohemian to the famous Bucket Fountain, Cuba Street Mall has it all.Te Papa is NZ’s national museum. If the weather’s a bit iffy, it’s well worth spending half a day wondering and learning about NZ, its culture and history.Climb up to Mt Victoria Lookout
It offers views across all of Wellington. Look north across the harbour and you’ll see Petone, my hometown. On a good day, you’ll see the Kiakora Mountain range on the South Island. Visit Jackson Street in Petone – it’s where I’m from. And the coffee is great from any one of the many cafés. Oh, and look down – when you’re walking past the adult shop, you’ll see a plaque just past it with my name on it.

Plays of the day from the Carlton Mid Tri-Series ODI, between Australia and England in Hobart

Brydon Coverdale23-Jan-2015The recordIan Bell is 65th on the all-time list of ODI run-scorers but, remarkably, that is sufficient for him to be England’s leading run-getter in the format. When he drove a single down the ground to move to 98, he passed Paul Collingwood’s record of 5092. Bell finished on 5136, still well short of the record holders from every ICC Full Member except Bangladesh. Even Zimbabwe has three men – Andy Flower, Grant Flower and Alistair Campbell – with a higher run tally than any England player.The hat-trickThe runs really began to flow in the ninth over of England’s innings, when Moeen Ali pulled three consecutive sixes off Pat Cummins. Two cleared the rope comfortably but one had some help from Shaun Marsh, who nearly managed to catch it above his head but was carried back over the boundary by his momentum. The other three balls of the over were dots.The anticlimaxNearly four years Cameron White has had to wait for his comeback to ODI cricket. He last played on the tour of Bangladesh that followed the World Cup in April 2011, and already knew he was likely to be released from the squad after this one-off appearance in Hobart due to a number of absences. White walked to the crease for his first ODI innings in 1385 days, only to receive a fearsome inswinging yorker from Steven Finn second ball. All White could do was get his leg in the way, which was not enough to save him.The synchronised slidingIf cricket doesn’t work out for James Taylor and Chris Woakes perhaps they can form a dance combo. They were certainly well in sync when they chased an Aaron Finch strike towards the long-off boundary and both slid on their knees to make the save. Woakes was the one who got closest and reeled the ball in, flicking it back to Taylor behind him.

For the UAE players, a normal day involves waking up at 6 AM, working a 9 to 5 day job, and then driving back long distances for a four-hour training session; all out of their commitment to do well in only their second World Cup

Brydon Coverdale10-Feb-20152:13

Two ‘surprises’ the target for UAE

Khurram Khan is a man of willpower, and of determination. A purser with the Emirates airline, Khurram has been to Melbourne nearly a dozen times. He typically stays in a hotel that looks out directly at the MCG. You would think that Khurram, as a cricketer, would take a tour of the ground, or go to a sporting event there, get a glimpse at one of cricket’s most famous venues.But Khurram had other ideas. If he was going to see the ground at which Test cricket was born in 1877, he was going to do so on his merits, as a player. And on Wednesday, that patience will be rewarded. Khurram and his United Arab Emirates team-mates will walk onto the MCG to take on Australia in a World Cup warm-up match.”It’s a huge moment for me,” Khurram said. “For my work commitments I used to come to Melbourne a lot of the time. I used to stay across the road. I’ve seen the MCG many times, but I’ve never walked into the stadium because I wanted to play there.”It’s going to be my first time walking into the stadium, although I’ve been here probably 10 times. I always thought if I’m going into the stadium I should be playing there. Thank God, tomorrow it’s going to be fulfilled.”The World Cup is one of those rare times when the wider cricket world gets a glimpse of Associate nations. This year, Afghanistan are the romantic success story, Ireland the expected giant-killers, and Scotland the familiar faces occasionally seen before. UAE have slipped in without much attention, ready for their first World Cup since Sultan Zarawani led the side in 1996.On Wednesday, men like Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson, earning pay cheques with many zeroes, will take on opponents with day jobs, who play cricket for the love of the game. They learnt a little about that in Sharjah in October, when UAE wicketkeeper and bank worker Saqlain Haider used his day off to fill in for Brad Haddin in a tour game ahead of the Australia-Pakistan Test series.Khurram said that a normal day for most members of the UAE squad involved getting up around 6 or 7am to go to a day job, working 9 to 5, then heading to training, which for some players a is 100-kilometre drive. Then its three to four hours of training, drive back home, get to bed at midnight, and do it all again. This happens four or five days a week.”It’s a massive commitment,” Khurram said.But a worthwhile one, when the reward is to play in a World Cup. Khurram is 43, and describes his first World Cup as the icing on the cake of his career. UAE’s coach Aaqib Javed, who won a World Cup playing for Pakistan in Australia in 1992, could not speak highly enough of Khurram, who is in fact older than the 42-year-old Aaqib.”This guy next to me is a very special person,” Aaqib said. “I haven’t seen somebody playing like Khurram in their 40s. I think he’s the best 43-year-old batsman I have ever seen. Top commitment, the perfect role model for any youngster. What the coach can do is a pre-plan, but execution is there on the ground. When he’s there, I have no worries.”Khurram Khan – “It’s going to be my first time walking into the stadium. I always thought if I’m going into the stadium I should be playing there”•ICCLast year Khurram, who is now the vice-captain, became the first man to score an ODI century for the UAE when he made an unbeaten 132 against Afghanistan in Dubai. He is the heart and soul of the UAE team, but far from its only player of note. Aaqib said there were perhaps half a dozen UAE players who might surprise outsiders in this tournament.”Apart from Khurram we’ve got two really exciting openers, Amjad Ali and Andri Raffaelo [Berenger],” Aaqib said. “We’ve got quite a good balanced batting line-up, and one or two exceptional fast bowlers like Mohammad Naveed. I think people will definitely love him, he’s a very exciting fast bowler. We’ve got Nasir Aziz, a very useful offspinner. I think these are the five or six players people will love to see.”After their warm-up against Australia, the UAE play another practice match against Afghanistan at the Junction Oval in Melbourne, before their first game of the tournament proper against Zimbabwe in Nelson. They then face Ireland, India, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies, and Aaqib hopes his side might be able to cause one or two upsets.”We know the challenges we will face, facing the top teams – speed, bounce, it’s not very common back home in the UAE,” Aaqib said. “So we’ve worked really hard on that, on the fielding and fitness.”We’ve been doing really well at Associate level, but this is the next stage. We know there is a gap, but I think we can push really hard some of the international sides. There are phases in the game when the strongest teams give you a chance to sneak in and exploit the soft part of the game. This is the idea. We are here to play some hard cricket.”

Albie Morkel opens up to ESPNcricinfo about his plans for an international comeback, dealing with depression, and the difficulty of switching IPL teams every season

Arun Venugopal19-Apr-2015Albie Morkel has admitted that the World T20 in India next year is on his “radar”, should he produce strong performances in the domestic circuit this summer to catch the selectors’ eye.”Definitely, that’s on my radar if I can perform really strongly back home this summer,” Morkel told ESPNcricinfo. “Then I know I will have a chance, and I’ll really like to play in another T20 World Cup.”Morkel, who has played 58 ODIs and 49 T20Is apart from a lone Test against Australia, last put on a South Africa shirt during the World T20 in Bangladesh in 2014, where his team lost to India in the semi-final. He was picked primarily for his finishing skills with the bat, but he fared poorly, scoring 33 runs in four innings.There wasn’t much to show for with the ball either, as he picked up one wicket from five matches at an economy-rate of 9.20.
While Morkel missed the South African domestic T20 tournament last season with an ankle injury, he played a pivotal role in guiding Titans to the Momentum One-Day Cup title. Morkel aggregated 280 runs in six innings at an average of 93.33, including an unbeaten 134 in the final against Cape Cobras. His seam-bowling also reaped five wickets in the tournament at less than four runs an over.Morkel had said two years ago that he didn’t see himself playing for South Africa again, a statement, he said, was misunderstood. “When I said, ‘I don’t think I will play for South Africa again,’ it’s not that I said ‘I don’t like to.’ I am just being realistic.”Also I am at an age where the South Africa selectors are building for the future. That doesn’t necessarily mean I have no desire to play for South Africa. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to try or train harder or stay motivated. I think it was written about a couple of years, just flew a little out of what I actually meant.”Morkel has been an IPL regular, having represented Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the past. Turning out for Delhi Daredevils this year, Morkel’s counter-punching unbeaten 73 off 54 balls nearly got his team over the line against Super Kings. He hasn’t played another game since, having had to make way for Angelo Mathews.Morkel said it was a challenge to get used to different teams, given the limited time players spend with one another during the IPL. “Obviously I have spent time with Chennai so you get used to how things work with the team. And then RCB, it’s difficult to do it in one year. With the IPL being in Dubai and India [last year], it was a bit disruptive.”This time I have really had a good three weeks in Delhi in the training camp prior to the IPL. That helped us get to know everyone as a person and build relationships. And also I think Gary Kirsten and the support staff have done an outstanding job to create a cricket environment.”Daredevils had a familiarly worrying start, suffering two last-ball defeats, but have since reeled two successive wins on the road. Morkel said the positive vibes in the team had impacted the performance.
“Delhi has had two bad seasons where I think they have lost 10 games [11] in a row. It’s always challenging to step into an environment like that, but as players you can either just carry on like you have been carrying on or you can try and make a difference.”Every single guy that’s part of Delhi this year has made the decision to turn the ship around. I am sure you have seen in the performances you are getting to see a different Delhi side this year, they are upfront.”As someone who has played across the world, Morkel admitted life as a professional cricketer could be lonely at times, one that could seed depression.”I went through that phase when I reached the burnout stage. That was a case of overdoing it. I played the domestic season, I played in the IPL, Champions League, I played county cricket in England, and I played the Caribbean [Premier] League so it was just too much for me.”I think the key is just to find a balance between playing enough cricket and also having time for yourself and your family. If you are just playing cricket day in and day out there will come a stage where normally the first thing you see is a change in the attitude, body language and then the performance.””I am at an age where the South Africa selectors are building for the future, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I have no desire to play for South Africa”•AFPMorkel spoke of the importance of family structures and the strong bond he shared with his brother Morne. “We have got a very close relationship, myself and Morne. Earlier in our careers, we shared a house with AB de Villiers, so you know, we were always there for each other.”I don’t think we have ever competed against each other. We grew up in a house that obviously had a lot of sport with dad being a cricketer. [But] there was no pressure on us to do well in sport. That’s the way we were brought up. We started to realise at about 17 or 18 that we could possibly make a career out of it.”According to Morkel, being outside the framework of the national team for lengthy periods has never been a deterrent in motivating himself. “To get out to play to the cheer of the crowd, that’s the most honest thing, and that keeps us going. The personal pride and the adrenaline you get when you’re playing as a professional cricketer. You can’t replace that.””I also really enjoy chatting about the game with the younger guys. The young guys think so much differently than we thought about the game 10 years ago, so I think the roles are reversed. The older guys learn from the younger players.”T20 cricket has really lifted the standard of all formats. And as a cricketer if you don’t grow your game you will stay behind. It’s just trying to add something to my game every time I train.”Morkel is aware he is inching towards the end of his career, but retirement, he said, could be a while away yet. “I will take it year by year now. I said two years ago two years and my body still holds up,” he said. “For me it’s all about the enjoyment factor. Let’s give it two more years.”Morkel said there wasn’t much he could have done differently in his career. “When you are looking back you will always find things you will do differently in hindsight. Sometimes I wish I knew stuff that I know now, but I know that’s not possible. I played for some successful teams and have some great memories.”

Plays of the Day from the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai

Sidharth Monga28-Apr-2015The replay
It is one of the more legendary youtube clips. Shahid Afridi is on a rampage, Ashish Nehra creates his edge, and MS Dhoni and Rahul Dravid – keeper and slip – watch it fly between them. Nehra lets rip: “Can’t take a simple catch, $%^&* *&^%$.” These are his current captain and future captain.Dhoni just doesn’t go for that catch between himself and first slip. Anyone with basic knowledge of the game knows it is the keeper’s catch, and Dhoni just doesn’t go for it. Dhoni and Nehra have won a World Cup since then, but Dhoni still doesn’t go for those catches. In a similarly rampant start by Kolkata Knight Riders, Nehra produced an edge in the fifth over, and Dhoni and first slip again didn’t move. It’s 10 years on, Dhoni hasn’t changed much, but Nehra has matured and has learnt to keep the lid on. Or perhaps the reason for restraint is that Dhoni is no longer the future captain.The edge
Dwayne Smith raced away to 20 off 14, but he did so almost exclusively through edges. First he looked to force Pat Cummins through the off side, and edged over slip. Then, after struggling against Umesh Yadav’s pace, he finally went for a desperate pull, this time sending the top edge all the way for a six. A bona fide leg glance later, he was late on another Yadav full ball. This time the edge died and rolled between keeper and slip. Brendon McCullum, on the other hand, played three incredible shots to reach 19 off 13 when he inside-edged a straight delivery from Piyush Chawla. Given out lbw. IPL at its most typical.The leave
Robin Uthappa is not a specialist wicketkeeper, but coming to the land of the most street-smart limited-overs wicketkeeper of our time, he showed he had learnt a thing or two. Smith, as he tends to at times, was lazy with his running as a handcuffed Suresh Raina went for a single to short third man. Yusuf Pathan let rip a full throw, Uthappa looked to collect it in front of the stumps, but at the last moment he pulled his gloves out because he had figured out this was going to hit the stumps. Smith was caught short by that split second.The ping
It looked like a quick pitch or the Chennai Super Kings batsmen were generally late against the Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers, with Smith looking completely out of place against Yadav and Ravinda Jadeja wearing one flush in the head from Andre Russell, but the most telling body blow came from a slower delivery. Mind you, when Yadav bowls a slower short ball, it is still hard leather coming at you at close to 130ks. And this one, in the final over to Faf du Plessis, was aimed perfectly: at the chest, and way after du Plessis has swung the bat for the pull. It winded du Plessis so badly he didn’t even look up to take the easy leg-bye on offer.The running forehand
Cricket commentators abuse the term “forehand” when batsmen pull a ball over mid-on with both hands on the handle – only Fabrice Santoro can do that – but McCullum showed a proper forehand in the field. Uthappa tapped the first ball of the chase softly towards point and set off for a run. McCullum charged in, wound up with his right hand as if with an invisible racket in hand, and slapped the ball onto the stumps. He hit them direct, but Gautam Gambhir had made the run by then.

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2015Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews then added 87 runs to guide Sri Lanka out of a tricky position•AFPR Ashwin sent the crowd into silence when Sangakkara’s edge found a diving Ajinkya Rahane who took a one-handed catch•AFPMathews was then dismissed by Amit Mishra in the next over before Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal steadied things, adding 125 for the sixth wicket. Ashwin and Rahane combined again to get rid of Thirimanne for 44•AFPJehan Mubarak brought up his highest Test score – 49 – striking four fours and two sixes before edging Harbhajan Singh to Rahane at slip, as Sri Lanka took the lead past 100•AFPChandimal on the other side was proving to be the thorn in India’s flesh, racing to his fourth Test hundred at run-a-ball•AFPChandimal eventually finished on 162* not before helping Sri Lanka turn the tables and setting India a target of 176•AFPR Ashwin capped off his six-for from the first innings with four wickets in the second and ended with match figures of 10 for 160•AFPRangana Herath trapped KL Rahul lbw for 5 as Shikhar Dhawan and nightwatchman Ishant Sharma helped India finish on 23 for 1 at stumps on day three•Associated Press

Andrew Murtagh’s book about his legendary Hampshire team-mate is packed full of anecdotes, detail and research

Luke Alfred10-Oct-2015Written by one of Barry Richards’ former fellow professionals at Hampshire CC, this is a remarkable book. It is unique, first of all, for its generosity and warm-heartedness. What intrigues, secondly, is the fact that it is neither penned by the subject himself nor by a ghostwriter, journalist or writer. As a result it has a slightly strange perspective in relation to its subject matter, neither one of safe distance nor compromised proximity.Andrew Murtagh doesn’t stand to Richards as, say, David Walsh stands to Kevin Pietersen. Rather, he played alongside Richards, marvelled at his lazy audacity while on – fairly regular – 12th man duty at Hampshire, and generally occupied the same professional environment for several years. The book, then, is a paean, almost, to talent lost. For Murtagh, one of the motivations for writing seems to be to shore up the memory of Richards from history’s neglect. We are reminded of EP Thompson, the English left-wing historian, who once spoke of rescuing the croppers and artisans of the English working class from the “enormous condescension of posterity”. Murtagh’s project aims for much the same thing.Richards, we read, was an only child in a not entirely happy household. His father was professionally thwarted – and distant – his mother and grandfather kinder, more supportive. The family weren’t rich but they were nonetheless privileged in that contradictory way that characterised much of white South Africa in the 1950s and ’60s. So, for example, Richards, slept on the (the verandah) because the flat in which the family lived was too small to accommodate him elsewhere. Yet he was waited upon and grew up being domestically lazy. Murtagh tells a couple of good yarns about Richards’ digs in the early Hampshire days. Let’s just say that, as a cook, Barry wasn’t Jamie Oliver.Pitch PublishingRichards compensated for his loneliness while growing up by playing cricket and eyeing bikini-clad beauties round the local swimming pool. Enrolment at Treverton, a boarding school in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, was short-lived because he was homesick and, increasingly, lived only for cricket. Although there was the odd time when he treaded water, the passage upwards was irresistible. He went to England with a powerful SA Schools Side in 1962, and although he took frustratingly longer to make his provincial and Test debut, from his middle teens this seemed almost inevitable.Of the schoolboy tour Murtagh tells a lovely anecdote about the wide-eyed youngsters bumping into Muhammad Ali while walking around Piccadilly. When he found out where they were from, Ali wasn’t best pleased; naïve, protected colonials, they were confused at why they should inspire such Louisville Lip. It was something Richards was to encounter more of as the decade progressed.Like Gordon Greenidge, his one-time opening partner at Hampshire, Richards played county cricket before he played for his country. Richards didn’t have the best of starts, but plumped for Hampshire rather than Sussex because they paid more. Inevitably his county debut was against Sussex in Hove. John Snow was bowling quick, the pitch had a splash of green and it was still May cold. Richards had allowed himself to be quoted beforehand to the effect that he would score 2000 runs in the season, though he argued later that he’d been misquoted. Batting at four, he promptly found himself walking in at 15 for 2. It was soon 15 for 3; Mike Buss was overheard to say as the two passed: “Only 2000 more to go, then, Barry.”Richards’ county innings became the stuff of legend – a John Player knock against Bishan Bedi of Northants, one against a Yorkshire attack in all its pomp in Scarborough, a casually strutting 170-odd in April at Lord’s – but he became easily disheartened. Indeed, he was the prototypical slacker, often needing external motivation to stir his juices. Sometimes it was competition with Greenidge, or tourists, or the fact that there were cameras at the ground.With ennui loitering, Richards’ destructiveness had an unmistakable tint of solemnity. Watching footage of his 325 in a day for South Australia against Western Australia just after the end of his four-Test career, shows a player whose contempt seems without bounds pleasure. Such was the melancholy of his generation.For all the accuracy of Murtagh’s story, all the painstaking accumulation of detail and research, Richards the man is a pale shadow of his deeds. We never really get to know him. We read of a certain reserve, the ease with which he was bored, his aptitude for a deal, his love of squash and golf. He was restless, he drove a Ford Capri (number plate BAR 777J) when he first arrived at Hampshire, and seemed to gravitate towards extroverts. At the crease, with feet close together, hands high on the handle, he looked almost frail. The impression didn’t last for very long.Sundial in the Shade – The Story of Barry Richards: the Genius Lost to Test Cricket
By Andrew Murtagh
Pitch Publishing
256 pages, £18.99