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It was not Vernon Philander’s fault that South Africa were badly beaten at The Oval with the batting, especially, under scrutiny

Firdose Moonda at The Oval31-Jul-20172:40

Moonda: SA batting not stepping up

Vernon Philander was properly ill. Not just a little under the weather, not just a sniffy nose and sore head, not just a I’d-rather-stay-in-bed-than-go-to-work-today attitude, but properly, properly ill. So ill that he spent the best part of two days in the toilet and then a night in hospital hooked up to a drip. A person that ill should probably not be playing an international match.But South Africa had no choice. Philander was their two-in-one and if they had to go in without him, they would have to make major adjustments to the XI which would probably have meant bringing in both Theunis de Bruyn and Duanne Olivier and sacrificing the spinner Keshav Maharaj. De Bruyn and Olivier have only played two Tests each, the pitch had a bit of juice in it and there was generous overhead cover so you can understand why South Africa wanted Philander. Even at 50%.Faf du Plessis explained that Philander half-fit “would still be better than most people” and South Africa had a plan to manage him. Bat first and bat big, so that Philander would have the day to rest and by the time he was needed, he would be feeling better. The plan backfired.When England won the toss, it turned out they also wanted to bat first so Philander, with an empty stomach and light head, not only had to get on the field but had to be at his best immediately. He delivered four overs of perfection upfront and that was all he could muster. And so it went.Philander would spend most of that day and the next off the field, even though he was able to return for three more spells. He bowled 17 overs in total, nine fewer than Kagiso Rabada, 11.2 fewer than Morne Morkel, and he still took two wickets and cost the team only 32 runs. If only he could have done more, thought du Plessis. “England scored 100 runs too many. It was a case of Vernon not being there and our other bowlers not being good enough.”By the time Philander was hospitalised, South Africa actually needed him to bat. They were 47 for 5 when he should have come in and 161 for 9 when he did. He had been given a conditional discharge from his sick bed, having been diagnosed with a viral infection. South Africa’s gamble to include him had not paid off and over the next two days, it was only going to look like more of a mistake.Philander soon needed to bowl again and though he beat Keaton Jennings’ inside-edge three times and had him dropped once, he was obviously not at his best. His six-over spell cost 30 runs.ESPNcricinfo LtdSouth Africa expected Philander’s condition to have improved significantly by the second day but on the fourth, he was still struggling. At one stage, he stopped mid-pitch, hands-on-knees, doubled over in pain. His face was twisted into an expression that said, “Get me out of here.” He finished the over but then slowly he took his jersey back from the umpire, walked towards long-on where he was supposed to field and realised he couldn’t. He gestured to the change-room. Aiden Markram bounded back on the field for the umpteenth time and gave Philander a friendly bump on the shoulder. Philander looked as though he would collapse from the blow.This is the same Philander who was last week talking about a maiden Test hundred “hopefully” being around the corner. There wouldn’t have been a better occasion for him to do it than in the second innings here and he been in full health, who knows what he may have been capable of. He has scored two impressive half-centuries on this tour already, has earned a promotion to No.7 and has become a player South Africa cannot replace, even if they have to.It’s not Philander’s fault that the attack conceded over 300 in bowler-friendly conditions in both innings of this match. It’s the rest of them that are to blame. While Morkel sent down some of the best spells of his career, Rabada still lacked rhythm and Chris Morris, who is only in his fourth Test, needs to find consistency. Sans Dale Steyn South Africa’s attack is still finding the best combination. All it really knows is that cannot function without Philander, ill or not, and that is not an uncomfortable place to be.**On the third evening South Africa’s assistant coach Adrian Birrell was giving de Bruyn a net as the last session was washed out. Birrell estimates that he throws between 50 and 70 overs per practice as he tries to prepare South Africa’s batsmen for their time in the middle. That’s between 300 and 500 balls. In this Test, only two South Africans faced more than 100 deliveries. You can understand why Birrell may be a little exasperated.Still, he was in good spirits that evening even though he was obviously concerned with the way the team had performed. His worry was the bowling, Morris in particular, but he still thought South Africa could salvage something. Asked if he was going to be the one talking to the press afterwards, he laughed. “I only talk to the media when we’re…. oh yes we are in the shit,” he joked. “Anyway, it’s not me today.”It was Temba Bavuma who had to explained how, yet again, he had kept his head when all around him others were losing theirs. He did it in his usual calm way and showed no signs of the slightest annoyance. He wasn’t getting the support he wanted but he hoped in time it would come.Twenty-four hours later, Bavuma was in exactly the same situation. He was batting with Dean Elgar, South Africa were in real trouble and it was Birrell’s turn to speak.It was a battle throughout for Vernon Philander•Getty ImagesOn his way to the press room, Birrell had walked past Elgar and saw him with one of his fingers in a cup of ice water. Birrell didn’t bother to look at which finger or ask how it felt. “Even if its broken, he will bat tomorrow,” Birrell said. “It doesn’t matter which finger it is.”It wasn’t broken, just bruised and Birrell wasn’t the only one who took such a casual approach. Asked after the match if he was considering having an x-ray on the finger before the Old Trafford Test Elgar dismissed it as a “waste of money.”He had been hit when bowling – yes, bowling because South Africa had run out of answers – by a Jonny Bairstow straight drive and then hit a few more times while batting but he was battling on. Elgar’s technique is not the smoothest, he can flashy outside the off stump and has the Graeme Smith style of slashing balls in an ungainly manner into the leg side. Now he may be starting to emulate Smith’s attitude in second-innings situations.Elgar’s hundred at The Oval was only his second in a second innings but both have come in the last nine months. In that time, he has also scored four of his eight hundred. South Africa have only managed 13, and just five by members of the current squad. Stephen Cook and JP Duminy, who are not playing in this series, have two centuries as do Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla has one. That leaves Bavuma as the only member of the top five who has not scored a century but we’ve already documented the situations he has found himself in. The bottom line is that South Africa don’t have enough Dean Elgars.They don’t have enough players who are able to tough it out in what they have all described as some of the most difficult conditions they have had to bat in against a high-quality attack and they have their reasons. Heino Kuhn is in his first series, Amla’s form has waned and waxed and waned again, de Kock is an x-factor that may or may not come off at No. 4 and now, South Africa are carrying a long-ish tail. But those reasons just don’t seem satisfactory enough to explain why South Africa have only scored two hundreds in their last six Tests, both of them by Elgar.Du Plessis admitted they are all a little to blame. In this Test, he was one of the worst offenders. Out leaving the ball twice, he acknowledged that, “the first rule of batting is to use the bat,” but didn’t say whether watching replays of his own dismissals made him feel as ill as Philander felt. That may have because Birrell let out that du Plessis hit the gym, and maybe a few things in it, in frustration shortly after his second innings lbw.”Bye, bye,” the assistant coach cheerfully said as he left the room on the penultimate night of the match, having said the team was “not overly expectant but still had hope” of doing something special to save the game. “I’ll see you all when we’re in trouble again.”South Africa will hope that’s the last time Birrell had to be put in front of the mic.

Australia’s marks out of ten after their 2-0 win in the Tests against West Indies

Daniel Brettig08-Jan-201610Adam Voges
Having piled up 375 runs without dismissal in the first two Tests, Voges was not even required to bat in the third, and his main contribution was to appear on stage to receive the Richie Benaud Medal as player of the series. His assurance at the crease was near enough to total, building a stand with Shaun Marsh in Hobart that broke all manner of records, then complementing Steven Smith perfectly in Melbourne. No batsman in history has a better record against a single nation than Voges’ average of 542.00 against West Indies.9Usman Khawaja
A fine hundred in Melbourne on his return from a hamstring complaint confirmed Khawaja beyond doubt as Australia’s long-term No. 3. He has struck the richest vein of form this summer, his sequence of innings across all formats since the tour match against New Zealand in Canberra reading: 111*, 21, 11, 174, 9*, 121, 109*, 144 and 56. There will be tougher Tests abroad, but Khawaja’s hot streak will afford him greater confidence to tackle them than ever before.Nathan Lyon
With the retirements of Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson followed by a long-term injury to Mitchell Starc, Lyon found himself often in the position of prime strike weapon for Steven Smith. His response was an emphatic series of displays against the West Indies, showcasing all the flight, loop and spin of a top quality tweaker. A threat whenever he came on to bowl, Lyon is now just 15 wickets away from becoming the first Australian off spinner to reach 200.8Joe Burns
Having started with a hundred against New Zealand, Burns’ summer seemed in danger of trailing off after his first morning dismissal against West Indies in Hobart. However he was shown worthwhile faith by the selectors when they retained him for Melbourne, and he responded with a Boxing Day hundred to effectively seal the series. Burns and David Warner are developing a strong understanding at the top of the order, and his effectiveness at short leg has grown with each match, highlighted by a wonderful snaffle to give Steve O’Keefe his first wicket in Sydney.Shaun Marsh
A beautiful hundred in Hobart was not enough for Marsh to retain his place in the side after Usman Khawaja returned from injury, but at least ensured that he will be the first man on the minds of the selectors whenever another vacancy comes up. He showed against New Zealand the West Indies evidence of an improved technique to deal with the moving ball, and will doubtless be the reserve batsman on overseas tours this year.Steven Smith
By the end of the Hobart Test, the 26-year-old Smith was described as moving around the field like “he was 36” by the coach Darren Lehmann, as knee and hip niggles to their toll. However a rest between Tests enabled him to regain some freedom of movement and play with typical panache on Boxing Day. He also led the side with an increasing level of dash, culminating in his last day offer of a chase to Jason Holder in Sydney. The offer was declined, but Smith’s attacking intent was clear.7James Pattinson
Epitomised by the late outswinger that sent Carlos Brathwaite’s off stump cartwheeling at the SCG or the lifter that caught the shoulder of Marlon Samuels’ bat in Hobart, Pattinson has shown tantalising glimpses of his very best as he trudges back to rhythm and confidence after lengthy sequence of injuries. In the absence of Starc, he was able to get through three Test matches without any major fitness concerns, and that will likely breed confidence into more future success.Josh Hazlewood
Bowled better than his figures suggest. After a seven-wicket haul in Hobart, Hazlewood took only one more wicket through the Boxing Day/New Year swing, but maintained pressure throughout. He was showing some signs of fatigue towards the end of his first full summer as a Test bowler, and having turned 25 on the day after the West Indies series ended will be carrying that load for many years to come as the steady link to more fiery counterparts.Mitchell Marsh
Had little to do in Hobart and Sydney, but on the one occasion Smith needed Marsh to step up he did so with four wicket to close things out in Melbourne. That performance showcased how far he has come as a bowler, delivering his seamers at high pace, moving the ball and extracting bounce where others were struggling to find it. A hesitant appearance with the bat in Sydney showed that he needs to rediscover confidence in hitting the ball – a thumper worthy of Andrew Flintoff, Marsh is better off in attack than worrisome defence.6David Warner
An ordinary record against the West Indies was one of the anomalies of Warner’s career until he got to the SCG, where a dashing last day hundred boosted his average while giving a patient crowd something to at least cheer about. Also played well on the first morning of the series in Hobart before tickling a ball down the leg side.Peter Siddle
Did what he most reliably does as the steadier in an attack, until ankle soreness began to affect him at the back end of the Melbourne Test. A struggling opponent like the West Indies is not one where Siddle is actually of best use, for the pressure he can create is of the kind most valuable against higher ranked opposition. To that end, Australia’s selectors will be eager to see him fit in time for the New Zealand tour.Peter Nevill
Did not get a bat in the series until its final hour in Sydney, but Nevill did not let anyone down with another eight catches as his tally of dismissals steadily grows. He can now look towards overseas assignments where there is little doubt he will at some point be asked to play the sorts of innings his neat technique suggests are within his grasp.Steve O’Keefe
Figures of 3 for 63 in Sydney made O’Keefe the ideal counterpoint to Lyon, and should ensure he is chosen when the selectors deliberate on their squad for the tour of Sri Lanka later this year.

Also, most brothers in a Test XI, and the fastest to 20 ODI centuries

Steven Lynch28-Oct-2014Ben Dunk scored 229 in a one-day game the other day – and lost. Was this a record? asked Sandeep from the United States

Ben Dunk’s 229 for Tasmania in that amazing match against Queensland in Sydney last week was the third-highest of 16 double-centuries scored in List A (senior one-day) matches – including three in one-day internationals – and easily the highest score by someone who ended up on the losing side. The only higher individual innings are Alistair Brown’s 268 for Surrey against Glamorgan at The Oval in 2002, and Shikhar Dhawan’s 248 for India A v South Africa A in Pretoria in 2013. The previous highest score in a losing cause was 196, by Namibia’s Gerrie Snyman, in a World Cricket League match in Windhoek in 2007-08 which the UAE managed to win by five wickets.There were 800 runs scored in the Matador Cup game between Tasmania and Queensland – how many higher aggregates have there been? asked Jack Warwick from Sydney

The 800-run thriller in Sydney also mentioned in the first question comes in sixth on the list of the highest aggregates in List A matches. Highest of all was the 872 runs scored in the head-spinning one-day international between Australia (434 for 4) and South Africa (438 for 9) in Johannesburg in March 2006. That beat the 867 runs piled up in the C&G Trophy match at The Oval in 2002 in which Alistair Brown hammered 268 for Surrey against Glamorgan. There’s another one-day international high in this table: India (414 for 7) and Sri Lanka (411 for 8) amassed 825 runs between them in Rajkot in December 2009. For the full list, click here.Did Virat Kohli become the fastest player to reach 20 one-day international centuries during the recent match at Dharamsala? asked Ian Hugo from Nigeria

Virat Kohli’s 127 in Dharamsala, in what turned out to be the final match of West Indies’ sadly truncated tour last week, was indeed his 20th century in one-day internationals. It came up in his 133rd innings in his 141st match, much quicker than the next man, Sachin Tendulkar, who got there in 197 innings (204 matches). Six other men so far have scored 20 or more ODI hundreds: Sourav Ganguly (who got there in his 214th innings in his 222nd match), Herschelle Gibbs (217/224), Chris Gayle (226/231), Saeed Anwar (243/246), Ricky Ponting (244/250) and Sanath Jayasuriya (350/359).Zimbabwe have selected the three Masakadza brothers for their Test series in Bangladesh. Has this ever happened before? asked Kyle Masters from Zimbabwe

They weren’t all selected for the first Test in Mirpur that started on Saturday, but if they do all subsequently appear together it will be only the fourth time in Test history that three brothers have appeared in the same match. WG, EM and GF Grace all played for England against Australia at The Oval in 1880 (the first Test ever played in England); three Hearnes featured in the match in Cape Town in 1891-92 – Alec and George for England, and Frank for South Africa – while Hanif (in his last Test), Sadiq (in his first) and Mushtaq Mohammad all played for Pakistan against New Zealand in Karachi in 1969-70.Is it true that West Indies have not yet successfully chased a target of more than 300 in ODIs? asked Azweer from India

Rather surprisingly perhaps, it is true – just about, since the highest score West Indies have made to win a one-day international batting second is exactly 300, chasing a target of 298, to beat South Africa in Centurion in February 2004. In all there have now been 52 instances of a team scoring 300 or more in the second innings to win an ODI, no fewer than 15 of them by India. For full details of West Indies’ biggest successful chases, click here.Dolphins scored 367 without loss in South Africa the other day. Is this a record total without losing a wicket in a one-day game? asked Saurav Jain from India

Dolphins’ total in their Momentum Cup game against Knights in Bloemfontein last week was indeed a new record for a team that didn’t lose a wicket during its innings. The unbroken stand of 367 between Morne van Wyk (who scored 175 not out) and Cameron Delport (169 not out) was also a new record for any wicket in List A matches, beating 331 for the second wicket by Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid for India against New Zealand in Hyderabad in November 1999. Knights made a good fist of their reply, reaching 342 for 7: Reeza Hendricks cracked 181. The previous highest first-wicket stand – and the old record for the highest completed innings without a wicket falling – was 326 for 0 made by Ghulam Ali (155 not out) and Sohail Jaffar (153 not out) for Pakistan International Airlines against Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan in Sialkot in April 2001. For the list of highest totals in List A matches, click here.And there’s an update to last week’s question about Vijay Manjrekar’s nickname, from Sreeram in India

“I have heard the nickname ‘Wanderer’ mentioned for Vijay Manjrekar in a quiz. The reason suggested was that he represented several different Ranji Trophy teams, which was rather unusual at the time. He played for Bombay, Bengal, Andhra, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan during his Test career, which lasted from 1951-52 to 1964-65, and for Maharashtra afterwards.”

From TS Trudgian, Canada

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013
Brad Haddin – much improved over the past two years•Getty ImagesThere is a gambling element to B.J. Haddin’s wicketkeeping. When Australia took on South Africa in Sydney 2009 he came up to the stumps while Andrew McDonald was bowling. McDonald is not an express bowler, but he is quick enough to make a wicketkeeper think twice. With the gloves Haddin is no Jack Blackham, nor is he Bertie Oldfield. The former stood up to even Fred ‘The Demon’ Spofforth, and took gave the quick man two stumpings; of the latter it is said that he exuded such grace and elegance that he would knock off just one bail when effecting stumpings off the quicks. But Haddin chose to approach the stumps and these were days before the Hannibal Lecter facemasks made popular by the World Twenty20 in 2009.By standing up he kept the batsmen back in the crease, and since McDonald bowls such a straight line, the slightest seam movement could have him in with a stumping wrought from a lazy South African back foot. As it was, Boucher played a flamboyant cover drive, producing a thick outside edge which would have flown comfortably Haddin’s gloves … if he had been standing back. Not the best advertisement for keeping up the stumps, sure, but at least Haddin was willing to put the burgeoning partnership under pressure, doing something. He almost affected a leg-side stumping several overs later — there is little better reward for a keeper.Rod Marsh — who should know a thing or two about keeping — says that a keeper should be judged on the number of catches he holds, not of byes he concedes. What a relief: ‘Bad Hands’ had a torrid time keeping a clean sheet in the start of his career. (It would belie Anglo-Australian rivalry if I did not make mention that the record for the most byes conceded in a match is 52, held by Matt Prior.) Of course, Haddin is no Gilchrist, but we must move beyond that. His keeping has improved steadily since his permanency in the Australian side. Plenty of give off the inside hip, the patented Ian Healy flick of the heels in leaping for overhead balls, and the odd bit of inspired play make him the pick of the possible keepers during the Ashes.He can bat too, although had he survived the second over at Lord’s back in 2009 — see Vol. II — then world-record run chases and my Dad’s pessimism could have been broken, and two-dozen schoolkids could have learned the lesson on which I was bred: Australia beat England at cricket — fact.

Over the course of six weeks, and with their victory in the final, India busted a few old theories while proving several of their own ones right

Sharda Ugra at the Wankhede Stadium03-Apr-2011Just before the Indians left their Ahmedabad hotel for their first knock-out match of the 2011 World Cup, six men spoke to the team. They were players from the Class of 2003. Each of them told their team-mates his own story about what had happened at the Wanderers that day, about the mistakes of eight years ago that should not be repeated. They had tried too hard, they had been too eager, they had allowed the situation to overwhelm them. It was a cautionary tale. Their words were few, short, and plain and they gave the younger, newer, less-scarred group in front of them a simple instruction: not again.It is how India have performed at the tail end of the World Cup, looking at how their group stage had gone and saying “never again”. So that in the last fortnight of this World Cup, they could find a way to ensure that their early mistakes would not be repeated.It is often believed that finals somehow never turn out to be the events that are expected because the high stakes make athletes go cold and freeze up. Much is also said about what captain MS Dhoni called “peaking” in an event, which works more smoothly with individuals than it does with teams.On both counts the Indians came off at the Wankhede Stadium, like the fireworks that lit up the Mumbai night seconds after Dhoni’s bold signature six sealed their triumph. The final was the time when all the incomplete notes of India’s World Cup performance fell into sync.Gautam Gambhir, who had three fifties in the Cup but had not seized a game by its throat, produced his most convincing performance to lift India from the shock of losing their openers. He was central to two partnerships that took India from 31 for 2 to a six-wicket victory.Dhoni, whose top World Cup score up until the final had been 34, strode out and did not leave the field until victory had been achieved. Of course Yuvraj Singh, the Player of the Tournament and the Indian team’s totem through the early rough stages of the tournament, had to be with him at the other end. After defeat to South Africa in the group stages in Nagpur, India’s biggest stumble in the World Cup, Yuvraj had told a friend, “I have to take us to the World Cup final. Just you watch. I’m going to take them there.”There they were. Not a familiar India, dependent on their batting, but a more secure, self-assured India, batting as if chases in finals were like having a net, except with a crowd cheering them on. This was India in their most accomplished situational batting performance of the event, chasing down 274 with 99 singles, 24 twos and even a three. In every knock-out game, India have, through sheer consistency of method, exposed the weakness of their opposition. They made the most of Australia’s uneven bowling attack, defended against Pakistan by pressing hard in the field and forcing their batsmen to fumble, and stunned Sri Lanka by letting the weight and experience of their batting bear down, by taking the barest minimum of risks but making sure to always keep the score moving.India’s danger signs for the opposition in this World Cup lay not in their attacking openers or any flood of fours but in what their weakest links were able to do. When Indian fielders start diving, their batsmen start taking threes or sprinting surprising singles, or their most medium of pacers begin to repeatedly beat the edges and hurry batsmen, it is time for the opposition to worry. Or as the old says goes, to be afraid. In a World Cup knockout, that should have read be very afraid.After the game at the Wankhede, Dhoni said that the World Cup win had ended a chapter in Indian cricket that had opened with the World Twenty20 win of 2007. “Right now we can close the chapter. We need to build a team again. Because of the amount of cricket we play, we need quite a few reserve players to come in and bowl. We need spinners and batsmen to be at their best because if we want to do well at the international level, we will have to try out quite a few players and not think about the result.”Two weeks ago the audience would have guffawed. Now it must nod in agreement. Today it is perhaps wiser to give Dhoni and India’s theories the time to be tried out. After all, over the course of six weeks, with their victory, they have busted a few old ones and proved several of their own right.- That home teams are jinxed in the World Cup and chasing in finals is only a prelude to a meltdown. The Indians managed both at the Wankhede, setting the benchmark for World Cup final chases. If playing at home meant enduring the growing weight of public hope, it was also about enjoying the familiarity of conditions.Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina were battle tested by the time India reached the final•AFP- That options exercised, whether in matches or training, can work if planned smartly. Dhoni said the Indians had known the group stages were going to contain “weak games” and they would need to keep their most seasoned players in prime condition going into the knockouts. “It was a big challenge, series by series we gave rest, or players opted for rest. And to be in a position where we were able to give 100% on the field, each individual throwing themselves around. They had a bit of reserve battery, which they applied throughout the tournament.”- That in a major event, covering the most trying of yards and being pushed to the edge is always more useful than coasting through to the final hurdle. In the final, Sri Lanka faced the heat for the first time in their World Cup and could not fall back into producing what their opponents know as their trademark move when defending a score: the mid-innings garotte. It begins with a few tight overs, the tap of runs suddenly shrinking to a trickle, moves onto a field closing in on the batsmen, and finally ends with one wicket and then another. On the contrary, the Indians had earlier survived several 31 for 2-like scenarios before. Had they lost Dhoni soon, the batsmen who followed – Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina knew how to resuscitate an innings because they had been there, done that. Yuvraj with Raina versus Australia, and Raina with the lower order against Pakistan.- That fielding can be lifted, no matter what vintage the players may belong to. All through the tournament Dhoni had constantly reminded outsiders that the Indians were not really good fielders, yet in the knockouts they stepped up a level with every game. No matter how clumsy or unpolished their techniques, the oldest and creakiest of the Indians were diving to stop boundaries.Had the India of the World Cup group stages, the India seen in Bangalore or Nagpur, been fielding at the Wankhede, the target could have touched 300, because the wicket had smoothed out towards the end of Sri Lanka’s innings. The dazzle of India’s batting is well known; the bowling, led by Zaheer Khan all through the tournament, had fought back to win territory in the early rounds, like they did against England.Where India were most astonishingly impressive during the knockouts was in cricket’s most “unselfish” art – in the field. All through the tournament Dhoni, who specialises in automobile analogies, had compared the Indian fielding to an old car engine trying to adjust to working with hybrid fuel. After the semi-final, he said that all he hoped for now was one more game. “After that, even if some of the cars fall down, it is okay.”Then there is this last theory: about India not really hacking it in recent ICC tournaments. Partly true. Not in the World Twenty20 after 2007, not in the Champions Trophy either. But in this one, the ICC’s biggest tournament, the Indians more than hacked it. When it came down to the rounds where both ability and nerve came into play, India became the team that refused to be beaten.

Stats highlights from the first day of the Boxing Day Test between Australia and India

S Rajesh and HR Gopalakrishna26-Dec-2007

Matthew Hayden has scored 19 of his 25 centuries at home © Getty Images
Anil Kumble brought India back into the contest after a poor first session, and his five-wicket haul was the second time in successive Boxing Day Tests that a spinner took five on the first day. Last year Shane Warne destroyed England, taking 5 for 39 to bundle them out for 159. These are the only two instances in the last 70 years of spinners taking five-fors on the first day of a Melbourne Test. Much has been said about Kumble’s reliance on a wearing pitch for his success, but he has now taken ten five-wicket hauls in the first innings of a Test. His first-innings average is 32.92, which isn’t a lot more than his career average of 28.56. This was also Kumble’s tenth five-for against Australia. Only Richard Hadlee (14), Sydney Barnes (12) and Tom Richardson (11) have more five-wicket hauls against them. When Kumble had Phil Jaques stumped, it was his 21st such dismissal, which is a record by an Indian bowler. Subhash Gupte held the earlier record with 20. Matthew Hayden’s 124 is his sixth century in nine Tests at the MCG, and his third in successive games. He averages 78.84 at this ground, well above his career average of 53.04. The innings also confirmed his penchant for the Indian bowling attack. In 12 Tests against them, Hayden averages 65.14, with four centuries – the most by any Australian batsman against India – and six half-centuries. Hayden has scored 19 Test hundreds in Australia, which is a record for any batsman at home. Don Bradman and Ricky Ponting have 18 each, while Brian Lara has 17. Hayden averages 62.01 at home; overseas, the number drops to 43.57. Rahul Dravid’s two catches in the Australian innings takes his Test tally to 159, which puts him fourth in the all-time list, after Mark Waugh (181), Brian Lara (164) and Stephen Fleming (161).

Jadeja is sidelined with a hamstring injury while Rahul suffered pain in his right quadriceps

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-202411:42

Newsroom: How do India replace Jadeja and Rahul?

Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul have been ruled out of the second Test against England starting on February 2 in Visakhapatnam.Jadeja suffered a hamstring injury on the fourth day of the first Test in Hyderabad, while Rahul complained of pain in his right quadriceps, the BCCI said in a statement. Middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar and allrounder Washington Sundar have been added to India’s squad.Related

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• Bumrah reprimanded for physical contact with Pope during Hyderabad Test

Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinner Saurabh, who has 290 first-class wickets at 24.41, has been part of the India Test squad before – he was picked for their tour of Bangladesh in December 2022 – though he is yet to make his debut. He comes into the squad in excellent form, having picked up a second-innings five-wicket haul in India A’s recent innings win over England Lions. That match also included a 160-ball 161 from Sarfaraz, who has been knocking at the selectors’ doors constantly over recent seasons with his prolific first-class returns; he presently averages 69.85, with 14 centuries in 45 games.The absence of Jadeja and Rahul leaves India significantly weakened in their bid to bounce back from their 28-run defeat in the first Test. Apart from the injured pair, they will continue to be without Virat Kohli, who withdrew from the first two Tests for personal reasons.Washington Sundar has scored three fifties in four Test matches•Getty Images

Jadeja, who pulled up in seeming distress after being run out during India’s fourth-innings chase, took 3 for 88 and 2 for 131 in Hyderabad apart from scoring 87 and 2. Rahul made 86 in India’s first innings. While it seems likely that the uncapped Rajat Patidar, who was added to the squad after Kohli’s withdrawal, will take Rahul’s place in India’s middle order in Visakhapatnam, India may find it trickier to replace Jadeja.Since the start of 2016, Jadeja has been one of the foremost allrounders in world cricket, averaging over 40 with the bat and under 25 with the ball over a span of 53 Test matches. Sundar comes closest to being a like-for-like replacement with his ability to bat at No. 6 or 7 and bowl fingerspin, but it remains to be seen if he can take on a bowling workload comparable to that of Jadeja, who sends down an average of nearly 44 overs per home Test. Sundar’s four previous Tests – the last of which came in 2021 – have brought him three fifties and a batting average of 66.25, but only six wickets at an average of 49.83.With India’s preferred XI also containing two other spin-bowling allrounders in R Ashwin and Axar Patel, it is likely India will look to replace Jadeja with a frontline spinner, in which case Kuldeep Yadav, the attacking left-arm wristspinner, is likely to come into the side. Kuldeep has an excellent Test record – 34 wickets at 21.55 – though he has been a sporadic presence in India’s attack thanks to the presence of Jadeja and Ashwin, only playing eight Tests since his debut in 2017. Kuldeep was Player of the Match in his most recent Test appearance, picking up a match haul of 8 for 113 in a 188-run win over Bangladesh in Chattogram in December 2022.

India’s squad for second Test against England

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Saurabh Kumar.

All three matches at the venue so far have produced 200-plus first-innings totals, so expect more fireworks

Alagappan Muthu28-Apr-20235:32

Muzumdar: Jason Roy has improved his spin game

Big picture: Will we witness Rinku magic again?
There isn’t a lot to talk about when talking about this game, is there? Just kidding. Where my Rinku fans at?Living up to that epic night three weeks ago is not going to be possible. 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 to win a game feels like a once-in-a-lifetime event.And in any case, both teams will want to focus on making the game as boring as possible. That sounds like a blasphemous way to build up to an IPL match, especially one that pits a side that kept defying the odds all the way to the title last year and one that has produced this year’s most outrageous result.But here’s the thing. Both Gujarat Titans (7 games) and Kolkata Knight Riders (8) have had enough of a go at this to figure out what their strengths and weaknesses are and how to play to them. In other words, their experience will help them manage difficult situations better, instead of letting them go so far that they end up needing a miracle.Form guide
Gujarat Titans: WWLWL (Last five matches, most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders: WLLLLTeam news
KKR’s Litton Das left the IPL on Friday to attend to a medical emergency in his family in Bangladesh.Shubman Gill batting deep into the innings could enable Titans to mitigate the KKR mystery spin threat•BCCI

Toss and Impact Player strategy
Kolkata has not been kind to fast bowlers, so Titans, who have barely had to use Rahul Tewatia’s legspin, might decide to give him a proper run here. They’re also likely to swap Shubman Gill for Josh Little or Alzarri Joseph when they have to bring in their Impact Player.Gujarat Titans possible XII: 1 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 2 , 3 Hardik Pandya (capt), 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 David Miller, 6 Abhinav Manohar, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Mohit Sharma, 12 KKR will be pleased to see Jason Roy finding form. With Venkatesh Iyer and Suyash Sharma settling into life as Impact Subs, they aren’t short on options. They’ll want their quicks to buck up, though. With just 13 wickets at an average of 55.5 and an economy rate of 11.5, they are the worst-performing seam unit in the competition.Kolkata Knight Riders possible XII: 1 N Jagadeesan (wk), 2 Jason Roy, 3 , 4 Nitish Rana (capt), 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Andre Russell, 7 David Wiese, 8 Vaibhav Arora, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Varun Chakravarthy, 12 Stats that matter Andre Russell is averaging 18 – his second-lowest in an IPL season – with five single-digit scores in eight innings. Not the best time to come up against Rashid Khan, who has dismissed him five times in 39 balls for 54 runs in T20 cricket. 3.6 vs 13.8. Those are Rinku Singh’s balls-per-boundary numbers against pace and spin this season. So if you’re the Titans captain, do the right thing. Don’t give him pace. Shubman Gill has an average of 59.2 and a strike rate of 143 against spin since IPL 2022. His batting deep into the innings might enable Titans to mitigate KKR’s mystery spin threat. Though right now one of them is not feeling so great. Sunil Narine has an economy rate of 8.9 in IPL 2023. Never in the history of this tournament has he been so expensive. Also, he hasn’t picked up a wicket for five matches straight. That’s another first for him in the IPL. Hardik Pandya has a strike rate of 102 against pace this season. This is the second-lowest among all batters who have faced at least 50 balls.Pitch and conditions
Eden Gardens, after hosting three matches in this year’s IPL, has produced an average first-innings score of 222. It is the highest out of all the grounds on show in the tournament. So expect a few runs. Spin has offered a bit of respite, though – 21 wickets at an economy rate of 8.7 (versus 10.9 for pace) and a strike rate of 15.6, which is another season-topping metric among the grounds this IPL.

Captain Pat Cummins clean bowled Babar Azam with a gem of a delivery during a spectacular spell late on day two to trigger a Pakistan collapse as Australia gained control of the Boxing Day Test.With the MCG surface seemingly flattening in sunny conditions, Pakistan had moved confidently to 124 for 1 before Cummins took over with three wickets as Australia look set for a valuable lead on the first innings.It was a disappointment for Pakistan having mustered a resolute performance for much of the day. After dismissing Australia for 318 by lunch, Pakistan responded well with opener Abdullah Shafique and captain Shan Masood building a 90-run partnership as they scored briskly after tea.Having batted watchfully through the second session, Shafique put the foot down with several superb strokes square of the wicket as he raced past his half-century.Masood before the series promised his team would play a proactive brand and he led from the front by charging at offspinner Nathan Lyon and hitting him down the ground to good effect.It was the type of domination rarely seen from Pakistan during more than two decades of misery in Australia, where they have lost 15 straight Test matches.But Cummins took it upon himself to change the game with a magical five-over spell where he accounted firstly for Shafique with a brilliant return catch in his follow through.Then he renewed his battle with Babar, who Pakistan desperately needed to stand up if they were to close in on Australia’s first innings. Cummins in Perth had worked over Babar before having him nicked off in Pakistan’s second innings.He produced an even better delivery with a pearler that had late inward seam movement to befuddle Babar and hit the top of off stump. Having removed Babar for 1, Cummins leapt in the air in celebration and Pakistan could not recover from the dispiriting dismissal of their talisman.Lyon exacted revenge when Masood, shortly after reaching his half-century, holed out attempting another big stroke. It was Lyon’s second wicket having earlier removed opener Imam-ul-Haq in his first match since taking his 500th Test wicket in the series-opener.In his 16th innings of a fledgling Test cricket, Saud Shakeel was dismissed for the first time under 20 when he was knocked over on 9 by a stellar delivery from quick Josh Hazlewood.Cummins returned to the attack shortly before stumps and was met by an extraordinary six from recalled Mohammad Rizwan, who flicked him audaciously over deep backward square in a shot more reminiscent of white-ball cricket. But Cummins was not to be denied and capped what might prove to be a game-changing performance by dismissing allrounder Agha Salman.Shan Masood scored an eventful half-century but could not carry on•Associated Press

Pakistan’s hopes of avoiding a hefty first innings deficit rest with Rizwan, who was in aggressive form in his return having been contentiously overlooked for the first Test with selectors sticking with incumbent wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed.Pakistan’s calamitous finish negated their earlier hard work having clawed back into the game with seven wickets in a prolonged first session after Australia resumed on 187 for 3 following a rain-interrupted opening day.Pakistan’s quicks were backed up by a much better fielding effort. After several shoddy dropped catches so far this series, they hung on to tough chances in the outfield while wicketkeeper Rizwan produced a spectacular one-handed take diving to his right to dismiss counterpart Alex Carey.But having enjoyed favourable bowling conditions, after Masood elected to field, Pakistan rued inconsistencies from their quicks while 52 extras bumped up Australia’s total.Spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi’s tough start to the series continued and he finished with 2 for 85 from 27 overs. He has been unable to consistently find the right length and his pace continues to be down in what has been a bane in recent times.Quick Aamer Jamal continued his strong start to Test cricket with three wickets, including Marnus Labuschagne who top-scored for Australia with 63 in the only half-century in the innings. Having entered the match averaging just 35 in Test cricket this year, marked by troubles outside the off stump, Labuschagne looked far more assured as he navigated the tricky surface.Labuschagne combined well with a confident Mitchell Marsh, who hit a quick 41 on the back of his twin half-centuries in Perth as he cements his position at No.6. But Australia lost their last six wickets for 68 as Pakistan’s momentum continued into their batting until Cummins’ unforgettable spell.