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Darren Maddy stole the show with a thunderous display to take Warwickshire home in a tough run chase

12-Jul-2013
ScorecardDarren Maddy needed just 42 balls for his unbeaten, matchwinning 84•Getty ImagesVarun Chopra completed a match-winning double for the week as Warwickshire finally registered their first Friends Life t20 victory of the summer as they beat Worcestershire by seven wickets at New Road.Captaining the side in the absence of the injured Jim Troughton, Chopra made 65 from 52 balls in an impressive follow-up to his double century in overcoming Middlesex in the LV= County Championship at Uxbridge.Facing a Worcestershire total of 188 for 5 – built around by Moeen Ali’s 85 against his former county – Warwickshire got home with an over to spare as veteran Darren Maddy managed to outshine Chopra.The 39-year-old all-rounder, who retires at the end of the season, turned the clock back to his early career with Leicestershire in racing to an unbeaten 84 from 42 balls. He hit nine fours and three sixes, one of which hit a woman spectator on the head.Yet it could have been different but for a let-off when Chopra was on 10, wicketkeeper Ben Cox missing a clear opportunity to run him out when failing to knock off the bails. The cost mounted as the third pair put on 119 in 12 overs, a Warwickshire record for any wicket in the competition, before Chopra was caught at backward squad leg.The result was tough on Moeen after a superb knock, including nine fours and four sixes in front of a sell-out crowd of 4,200. He faced 42 balls in scooting to a competition-best score and was denied another six only when Laurie Evans pulled down an overhead chance at long-off.Even with Moeen gone, Worcestershire took 59 from the final five overs, largely the work of Andre Russell, the big-hitting West Indian dashing to an unbeaten 47 from 21 deliveries.Russell crashed five fours and three sixes in his best innings since joining the county for the tournament and in the field he gave his side an early boost when holding a superb running catch from William Porterfield.But Worcestershire could not contain the irrepressible Maddy and Chris Woakes finished the job with six fours in an unbeaten 28 from nine balls. The last 20 runs were cleared off in an over from Jack Shantry.

Allrounder James Faulkner could find himself shouldering extra batting responsibility in his first Test series

Brydon Coverdale26-Apr-2013First and foremost, James Faulkner is a bowler: 111 Sheffield Shield wickets in the past three summers attest to that. But depending on the balance Australia’s selectors want from the side during the Ashes, and contingent also on the form of the senior allrounder Shane Watson, Faulkner could find himself shouldering extra batting responsibility in his first Test series. There is even the possibility that at some point during the tour he could be used as a fifth bowler batting as high as No.7.That might seem a stretch, but based on his first-class batting for Tasmania in the past summer it is not an absurd scenario. As well as collecting 39 Shield wickets at 20.33 on his way to a third consecutive Ricky Ponting Medal as his state’s best player, Faulkner also finished the Shield season 15th on the competition run tally, having scored 444 runs at 34.15, including 89 in the final against Queensland.Consider the list of batsmen who could have been vying for Test selection, yet scored fewer runs at a lower average: George Bailey (256 at 18.28), Rob Quiney (295 at 26.81), Michael Klinger (330 at 19.41), David Hussey (358 at 23.86), Adam Voges (388 at 25.86) and Peter Forrest (395 at 19.75). That might say more about the parlous state of batting in Australia’s domestic competition than about Faulkner, who it must be said is yet to score a first-class hundred, but all the same his was a fine summer with bat and ball.”I’d definitely be comfortable to bat at No.7,” Faulkner said. “Whenever you can slot into an Australian team I think you’re pretty happy to play wherever you can. It was a reasonably successful year last year with the bat for Tasmania. Hopefully I can make a few big scores, that’s what I’m aiming to do at the moment.”Wickets, though, are Faulkner’s stock in trade. He has been consistent enough over the past three seasons to collect Shield wicket tallies of 36, 36 and 39, and although he might not have the express pace of some Australian fast bowlers, his movement of the ball and accuracy have made him a dangerous prospect, and not just at Bellerive Oval – his average is below 22 at five different first-class venues around Australia.”All the wickets around Australia are quite different,” Faulkner said. “I’m based at Bellerive and people say you’re bowling at Bellerive and there’s a bit more grass there and so you’ll take more wickets. But in fact if you look at all of our bowlers back home, I think all of us have been averaging the same at Bellerive as away from Bellerive.”I just sum up the conditions as they are and just be consistent. I have a lot more confidence in my body. I’m [nearly] 23 now and I have more confidence in my body and can get through longer spells.”The Australian selectors like not only Faulkner’s figures, but his attitude. The national selector John Inverarity this week referred to Faulkner as “a very competitive cricketer who gets things done”. Over the past few months that included not only giving Chris Gayle a send-off during an ODI in Canberra, which cost him 10% of his match fee, but also steering Tasmania to the Shield title with a Man of the Match performance.”I like to think I’m a pretty strong competitor on the field and off the field I’m a pretty relaxed sort of character,” Faulkner said. “Definitely when the game is on the line or the game is in full flight I like to think I’m pretty aggressive in the way I play and get on the front foot instead of being dictated to.”Although the Ashes tour will be Faulkner’s first trip to England, he has already gained some overseas experience thanks to his IPL duties for three different teams. A talented limited-overs player who has played T20 and one-day cricket for his country, Faulkner sold for $400,000 to the Rajasthan Royals this year but has not let the shortest format seduce him at the expense of first-class cricket.”I’ve always tried to be as consistent as I can in Twenty20, one-day cricket and four-day cricket and not specifically have a focus on any of the three,” he said. “I look at [the IPL] as a bit of an opportunity to progress my cricket on different grounds, different wickets, and in India it doesn’t get any harder. There’s lots of positives you can take away from playing in different countries. You gain experience pretty fast.”

A round-up of the Faysal Bank T20 matches on March 28, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2013
ScorecardMisbah-ul-Haq’s unbeaten 85 off 47 balls took Faisalabad Wolves to a seven-wicket victory over Karachi Dolphins at the Gaddafi Stadium. The victory ensured Wolves reached the semi-finals, while the Dolphins were ruled out of the final four.Batting first, Karachi lost opener Fakhar Zaman in the first over, but Shahzaib Hasan (51) and Khurram Manzoor (42) added 100 runs for second wicket to take Dolphins to a commanding position. Offspinner Khurram Shahzad broke the partnership, and the Dolphins lost three wickets quickly to be reduced to 157 for 8.In reply, Faisalabad began nervously, with Farrukh Shehzad and Khurram Shehzad out cheaply, leaving Misbah and Ali Waqas (39 off 40 balls) to do the repair work. The two added 67 for third wicket; Waqas smacked four boundaries, including two sixes, before being caught brilliantly at long-on by Anwar Ali, who dived forward to pouch a blinder.Faisalabad needed 69 off 45 balls. But Misbah kept his nerves to steer Wolves home safely with Imran Khalid (18); they added 73 runs for the fourth wicket. Azam Hussain and Akbar-ur-Rehman took one wicket each.
ScorecardSohail Tanvir’s all-round performance led Rawalpindi Rams to a 20-run victory over Bahawalpur Stags in a rain-affected match. Rawalpindi were put in to bat first in overcast conditions. Naved Malik (29 off 24) and Awais Zia (26 off 13 balls) put on 43 runs for the first wicket. Bilal Khilji (3-24) snapped two quick wickets to slow them down, but Umar Waheed’s run-a-ball 20, and Sohail Tanvir’s 28 off 16 balls helped Rawalpindi post an imposing total.Bahawalpur lost wickets regularly in reply. Besides Imranullah Aslam (15) and Kashif Siddiq (45), no other batsman scored in double figures. Seamer Hammad Azam was the most productive bowler for Rawalpindi, taking three wickets, as Bahawalpur were eventually bowled out for 96.
ScorecardIn a topsy-turvy contest, Lahore Lions limped to a three-wicket victory over Abbottabad Falcons. Abbottabad, after choosing to bat, lost wickets in a hurry. Besides Sajjad Ali and Hammad Ali, both of whom scored 20, the rest in the line-up didn’t provide much resistance, and Abbottabad were eventually bowled out for 94 off the final ball of the innings. Offspinner Adnan Rasool was the wrecker-in-chief, taking four wickets.In reply, Lahore lost an early wicket, that of opener Nasir Jamshed for 7, but a 51-run stand between Ahmed Shehzad and Umar looked to be taking them to an easy win. They then lost six wickets for 22 runs, but eventually reached their target in 17 overs.

Michael Hussey is one of cricket’s finest finishers, so it was only fitting that he ended his international career by steering Australia to victory and a series clean-sweep over Sri Lanka

The Report by Brydon Coverdale06-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Michael Hussey was warmly welcomed by the Sydney crowd•Getty ImagesMichael Hussey is one of cricket’s finest finishers, so it was only fitting that he ended his international career by steering Australia to victory and a series clean-sweep over Sri Lanka. Despite the best efforts of his partner Mitchell Johnson to dead-bat the ball with one run needed, Hussey was not able to hit the winning run, instead sprinting through for a single as the ball ran off Johnson’s thick edge and away to point off Rangana Herath.To Hussey, it barely mattered. The win – the 48th of his Test career – was what meant everything. And in a small chase of 141, he had done an important job of guiding Australia through some late jitters to complete a five-wicket victory. He finished unbeaten on 27 and ended his Test career with 6235 runs at an average of 51.52. He walked off to lead Australia in the team song one last time before he hands the job over to Nathan Lyon.Of course, the win was not all about Hussey. Ed Cowan, Phillip Hughes and Michael Clarke all played important parts in edging Australia closer to their goal. For the second time since Clarke took over the captaincy Australia completed a clean-sweep of an opponent – the first was last summer against India – and it was a positive end to a summer that began with two draws and a loss to South Africa.Smart stats

Australia’s five-wicket win is their 17th in 26 Tests against Sri Lanka. It’s the third time they’ve blanked Sri Lanka 3-0 in a series.

Australia’s win-loss record of 17-1 in Tests against Sri Lanka is the most lopsided between any two sides, excluding matches involving Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

In their last ten Tests in Sydney, Australia have won nine.

Dinesh Chandimal’s unbeaten 62 is his fourth half-century in ten Test innings. His 62 is also the fourth-highest Test score by a Sri Lankan No.7 batsman against Australia.

Rangana Herath finished with match figures of 7 for 141, only the fourth instance of a Sri Lankan bowler taking seven or more wickets in a Test in Australia. His series haul of 12 is the joint-highest for a Sri Lankan in Australia.

As the target was reduced with every gap pierced by Cowan and Clarke, the crowd at the SCG experienced the unusual feeling of wanting to see an Australian wicket fall. Hussey has been a favourite of the Australian fans over his seven years in the Test team and his absence from the one-day international squad announced earlier in the day meant this was certain to be his final match for Australia.With 37 runs still required, the moment arrived. Clarke prodded forward to Tillakaratne Dilshan’s offspin and lobbed a catch to short leg, and his home crowd cheered. This was no insult to Clarke, but a recognition of everything Hussey has done for Australia since his Test debut at the age of 30, and for one last time his team needed him. He walked to the crease to a standing ovation and settled down to business.After a nervous leading edge first ball, he was off the mark from his second delivery with a cover-drive for two, and even managed to get a reverse-swept boundary in there as well. The small chase of 141 could have been tricky on a fourth-day SCG pitch, especially when Australia lost David Warner in the second over for a golden duck when he edged to Mahela Jayawardene at slip off the bowling of Suranga Lakmal.But his opening partner Cowan set himself to guide Australia as close to their goal as possible and although he was in no hurry, he anchored two very important partnerships, a 45-run stand with Hughes and then a 59-run effort with Clarke. Hughes played some impressive strokes in his 34 from 49 balls but was flummoxed by Herath. When Herath trapped Hughes lbw it was a much-deserved wicket, even though the Sri Lankans had called for a review mostly to check on a bat-pad catch.At 2 for 45, Australia were not yet out of the woods, especially given their decision to play five bowlers in this Test. But Cowan did not lose his cool and gradually eked out the runs, while Clarke was a little more fluent. Their partnership was the one that took Australia from a slight danger zone to a position of comfort and after Clarke fell, Cowan was bitterly disappointed to follow him and miss out on the chance to see the chase home, trapped lbw on 36 by Herath coming around the wicket.Matthew Wade also lost his wicket when he was bowled attempting a sweep off Herath for 8, but by then Australia needed only another nine runs. The Sri Lankans, who have never won a Test in Australia, were left to wonder what could have been had they just scratched out another 50 runs in their second innings. Truth be told, they had done well to make a game of it after losing a string of wickets on the third afternoon.Dinesh Chandimal finished unbeaten on 62 and the 41-run stand he put on with Nuwan Pradeep for the final wicket was critical in giving Sri Lanka’s bowlers something to defend. Pradeep was dismissed nearly half an hour before lunch for 9, with Sri Lanka’s total on 278, and it left Australia’s openers a short period to bat before the break which Warner didn’t survive.Every run was important for Sri Lanka as they resumed the morning at 7 for 225. Only ten runs had been added when Herath played on to Jackson Bird while attempting to leave the ball alone, and when Lakmal was bowled for a duck trying a hefty swipe off Johnson it appeared that the innings could be over quickly. But Pradeep offered impressive support for Chandimal, who farmed the strike effectively.Chandimal immediately lifted his tempo and struck three boundaries off a Bird over and soon had his half-century from 75 balls with another boundary whipped through midwicket off Bird. Pradeep got in on the act with four down the ground but next ball was caught behind off Bird as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 274.It left Australia needing 141, the kind of target that has proven difficult at times in past years. It’s also the sort of target that meant Australia needed not only their openers, but their No.5 as well. And Mr Cricket delivered.

Chittagong Kings captain Brendan Taylor blamed a key misfield in the final over for his side’s narrow loss against Rangpur Riders

Mohammad Isam10-Feb-2013Chittagong Kings captain Brendan Taylor blamed a key misfield in the final over for his side’s narrow loss against Rangpur Riders, but defended hisdecision to use Rubel Hossain to bowl the over. Riders won the game by five wickets off the final ball in the BPL’s most exciting finish this season.With 16 runs needed off the last over, Kevin O’Brien blasted the first ball from Rubel down the ground towards long-off where Naeem Islam bungled up a straightforward stop by rushing towards the ball and pushing it past the boundary rope on his right.O’Brien carved the next ball past point for another boundary. After the next two balls yielded just one run, Danza Hyatt struck a straight six and took a leg-bye off the final ball to complete the victory.”No one means to misfield but we are all professional cricketers and weall understand that it is not good enough,” Taylor said. “At theend of the day we didn’t deserve to win that [game]. We were poor in thefield so the team that holds the nerves are the best and show characterwill get over the line.”Taylor’s decision to use Rubel in the final over also came undercriticism, especially given the bowler’s poor record inthe final overs. During this tournament, Rubel failed to defend nine runsagainst Sylhet Royals. But Taylordefended his decision saying that if the boundary was not conceded offthe first ball, it would have been a different story.”Yes it was [the right decision to let him bowl the last over] if we hadfielded properly. We had our chances earlier and in the over before.Misfields in the boundary should have been one run and it went for fourruns.”We backed Rubel the whole way and you can’t pinpoint that on him. If wehad supported him properly in the field, we wouldn’t be in this position,”he said.In the ODI series against West Indies in December last year, Rubel gaveaway 24 runs when the match was poised for a close finish. Instead, Marlon Samuels walked it home with 18 balls to spare. In another instance, Rubel had been hit for 32 runs in his last two overs in a tri-nation final against Sri Lanka.Rubel has had several international and local games where there was a big difference in the economy of his first and last spell. Taylor thinks he has to handle the pressure better to be successful in these situations in the future.”It’s not Rubel’s fault, we let him down on the field; maybe a bit ofnerves, pressure, can’t put my thumb on it yet. He is a guy who works hardand gives you everything that’s a guy you want in the team.”

Tino Best’s career has been more miss than hit, but on the rare occasion he combines his raw pace with control, he can be close to unplayable, as Bangladesh found today

The Report by Abhishek Purohit17-Nov-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Sohag Gazi took the best figures by a Bangladesh Test debutant•AFPTino Best’s career has been more miss than hit, but on the rare occasion he combines his raw pace with control, he can be close to unplayable, as Bangladesh found today. Best’s four-wicket burst either side of lunch on day five proved to be the final, decisive twist in a match that had burst open with possibilities late on day four. This morning, Sohag Gazi claimed the best figures by a Bangladesh Test debutant to leave the hosts chasing a target of 245, but Bangladesh undid all the hard work done by their batsmen in the first innings and by their bowlers in the second by chasing like a side that has now lost 64 of its 74 Tests.After Tamim Iqbal, the man best equipped to score quickly, had fallen early, the rest of the top order perished in trying to do the same. To Bangladesh’s misfortune, Best, who had been inconsistent with his direction throughout the game, suddenly found control. He already had the pace. The result was the key wickets of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, and the impressive debutant left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul claimed the next three to nip whatever resistance Bangladesh could have come up with.A look at the session-by-session details of this Test might give you the impression that the Mirpur pitch stayed lifeless till tea on day four, and started turning square afterwards. Just 15 wickets fell in the first 11 sessions; five fell after tea on day four, six more went down till lunch on day five and the post-lunch session claimed five. But the pitch was anything but unplayable. There was slightly more bite and uneven bounce on day five, but it was the pressure of good bowling, and in Bangladesh’s case, the added one of having to go for the target of 245, that led to the batsmen’s downfall.While West Indies succumbed to spin, it was pace that jolted Bangladesh; the pitch had hardly any role to play in both collapses. Both Best and Ravi Rampaul used the short and back-of-a-length balls to telling effect. Tamim was the first to go, in the fifth over, when he tried to slash one off Rampaul that bounced extra and edged it to the wicketkeeper.Best’s was an unwavering, brute effort on a pitch that demanded it from the quicks. He had hustled Bangladesh in the first innings with speed, but had too often sprayed it around. He had been unlucky not to break through with one of his several accurate yorkers, though. In the second, he concentrated on the shortish ball, and it brought reward immediately, in his second over. Junaid Siddique tried to steer one outside off and only guided it to the keeper.Smart stats

West Indies’ win is their fifth in nine Tests against Bangladesh. Four of these wins have come in Tests played in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s total of 556 is the joint third-highest score (team first innings) in a defeat. The highest is 586 by Australia in 1894.

The target of 245 is the lowest one that Bangladesh have failed to chase. The previous lowest was 353 against Zimbabwe in 2004.

Tino Best’s 5 for 24 is his best bowling performance in Tests and his maiden five-wicket haul. His previous best was 4 for 46 against Pakistan in 2005.

Best’s 5 for 24 is the second-best bowling performance in the fourth innings by a West Indies bowler in the subcontinent, behind Vanburn Holder’s 6 for 39 in Mumbai in 1975.

The game was still even when Bangladesh went to lunch needing 200 more with eight batsmen remaining. However, Best, letting it rip with both ball and lip, came harder at Bangladesh after the break. Shahriar Nafees got a mouthful, and heaved a top-edge off the next delivery, a short one into the body, for the bowler to take the catch. Best now had even more encouragement, as if he ever needed it. Three balls later, he had taken out Shakib Al Hasan with a beauty that squared the batsman up and took the edge to the keeper as it moved away from middle.Best went off the field for a while and returned to strike with his fourth delivery. After all the back-of-a-length stuff, Mushfiqur got one that swung in full and late, and trapped him in front. Best was now even more like a runaway locomotive than usual. He jagged one into Naeem Islam’s chest, and even as the batsman grimaced in pain, asked him to “come on”. Mahmudullah was hit at least three times by short balls that he could not avoid but showed guts when he hooked Best for six over deep-square leg.Amid all the pounding from Best, Permaul removed Naeem and Nasir Hossain in the same manner Gazi had deceived West Indies earlier – with deliveries that did not turn as much as the batsmen expected them to. Gazi and Mahmudullah fought for a while, but Permaul had the former holing out to mid-off.West Indies themselves had lasted less than ten overs in the morning as Gazi claimed all four wickets to fall, including Shivnarine Chanderpaul who came in at No. 11 due to an illness, and lasted four deliveries. For most of the game, the 21-year-old offspinner Gazi belied both his debutant status and his young age. He had taken three of the four West Indies wickets to fall in the first innings, during which he sent down as many as 47 overs. His control was impressive throughout, as was his use of flight. He intelligently made use of the straighter and quicker delivery as the surface started to wear and batsmen started to play for the expected turn. Four of his six wickets came that way.There was nothing deceptive about Best, though. He ended the game by crashing one full into Mahmudullah’s middle stump. After promising so much on days three and four, Bangladesh had failed to last even two sessions with the bat on the fifth.

Instead of focusing on his own range of misjudgements – not bowling the spinners out and batting too far down the order himself – de Villiers chose to focus on the half-full side of losing

Firdose Moonda28-Sep-2012South African captains’ reactions to shock defeats have changed recently. With Graeme Smith, it was always fire and ire. He would spit out words defending his team but his eyes would remain cold and empty. With AB de Villiers it’s giggle and grin.So far, de Villiers has decided not to take things as seriously as his predecessor. That may change if South Africa crumble when it really matters. For now, they have only been beaten in a group match and if they perform well enough in their next two, de Villiers’ response will look like a masterstroke.Instead of focusing on his own range of misjudgements – not bowling the spinners out and batting too far down the order himself – de Villiers chose to focus on the half-full side of losing. He used the word “proud,” to describe how he felt after South Africa’s performance. It was an unusual choice given the ultimate result but not too odd when considered in the context of the defeat.A South African side of old would likely not have come back into the game three times. They probably would not have been able to get to 133, because they may not have had the middle-order presence of JP Duminy. They probably would have been so spooked by not being able to pick Saeed Ajmal that they would have collapsed for less than 90. They would probably not have the spinners to make early breakthroughs or the gut and heart to take the match into the final few overs. For that, there is reason to be proud.From a position where South Africa could have lost by an enormous margin, they ended up losing by only two wickets. It may be simply because their opposition was as unpredictable as only Pakistan can be but it may be because they have made small progress, both in the skills department and from a mental perspective.Robin Peterson, who was one of the bowlers that shoved South Africa back into contention and has been part of the national squad for almost a decade, thinks so. South Africa fought from 28 for 3, to post 133 and that recovery gave them hope that they could win. “I think we had enough runs,” he said bullishly, despite South Africa’s below-par total. “We thought we had a good chance to defend it but it’s not every day that someone scores a special innings like that.”Robin Peterson: “I think we had enough runs”•Getty ImagesUmar Gul’s blitz put the contest back in Pakistan’s hands and South Africa could do nothing but acknowledge that he changed the match. That is something they have been unable and perhaps even unwilling to do in the past.What remains is to place similar importance on their own failings. The batting recovery was admirable but de Villiers may have made a difference if he came in higher up. That could speak to the concept of the floating line-up as a whole, which South Africa have stuck with under Gary Kirsten. Although it has worked for them so far, it adds a degree of unsettledness to the team and digressing from it, to a more traditional looking batting order today could have yielded a different total.The same can be said for the use of bowlers. They came back exceptionally after Pakistan were off to a flier and pegged them back. To ask that they did it a second time, after Gul’s onslaught may have been too much. But to ask that slower bowlers are used on surface that suits them would not be but it was a road South Africa weren’t willing to go down.”Hindsight is always a perfect thing,” Peterson said. “AB made the calls and he brought on bowlers that he thought were going to make an impact. It’s difficult to say who could have made an impact when but we stuck to our gameplans. Maybe we need to revisit one or two things.”An admission, at least, that some rethinking would not be wasted on them. That may be the third way of responding to defeat: with thought. Instead of anger or frivolity, genuine analysis.Some will say South Africa choked even though they did not. De Villiers seems to be able to recognise that this defeat was not catastrophic and how he responds will be telling as South Africa aim to map a different course at this event.It seems as though his players know that, too “We are at a different tournament and we’ve got another opportunity to get it right,” Peterson said. “We are doing things slightly differently behind the scenes and so hopefully things will go better for us.”

In a first-of-its-kind in the IPL, Rudi Webster, the renowned sports psychologist, has been appointed by Kolkata Knight Riders as their mental skills coach for the fifth season

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Mar-2012In a first-of-its-kind in the IPL, Rudi Webster, the renowned sports psychologist, has been appointed by Kolkata Knight Riders as their mental skills coach for the fifth season.Webster, who has influenced minds like Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, Greg Chappell, Brian Lara and Virender Sehwag, felt that there is a lot of value addition he can provide to the Kolkata players, especially in a pressure-filled Twenty20 environment where players “people tend to panic”.”A lot of people panic under these conditions. Usually, under pressure like that, people who stay calm and take step by step usually do better than people who panic and take bad decisions,” Webster told ESPNcricinfo, explaining the need for someone like to him to sit on the coaching bench and an “asset” to have.According to Webster, his primary job is to assist the coach and captain to get the best out of the players, and to help the players get the best out of themselves. The Barbados-born Webster, a former Warwickshire fast bowler with 272 wickets, had worked with the Indian team as a consultant during their West Indies tour in 2006 and briefly during the Champions Trophy later that year. It was in the West Indies where Sehwag, going through a slump in form and fitness, had a three-hour long chat with Webster, post which he admitted he had never chatted so “deeply with anyone.” The transformation was immediate and Sehwag thanked Webster to clearing his mind.The idea to get Webster came from Venky Mysore, the Knight Riders’ CEO. Mysore, who joined the franchise last year, realised that the tight scheduling in an IPL season and a short time window was a big challenge for a team to come together. He consulted the pair of Gautam Gambhir and Trevor Bayliss, Kolktata’s captain and coach, and the team management before calling up Webster.”There is very little time for a diverse group of players to come together and get to know each other and then focusing on the common goals and align the individual objectives, which is a huge challenge,” Mysore said.There was also the possibility, at times, of a young Indian domestic player being overwhelmed in the presence of more experienced international players. “For an uncapped Indian boy to find himself in the presence of legends like Jacques Kallis or a Brett Lee in the set-up suddenly and say ‘I am good enough’ and be confident, it is always easier said than done.”

Performance is built on four pillars: fitness, technical skill, strategy and tactics and finally the mental component. The first three of those components is controlled by the fourth – how well you express the skills and how well you set your strategy is controlled by how well you use your mindRudi Webster

Hence, Mysore felt the best way to groom young players was to get a professional on board, like Webster, who had the credibility and experience to interact individually with the players and that could bring comfort to the squad. “He is someone who can relate to the players and make a difference because of his experience of having worked with so many great players,” Mysore said.Webster said the reason he took it up was because it was a “different and new challenge.” According to Webster, the performance problems remain the same across all three formats, the only difference being the pressure is condensed into a smaller time-span. “It is much quicker. There’s a lot more pressure,” he said. “The pressure is compressed into a shorter time, so in some respects it is slightly different from the longer formats.”Asked how he aimed to bring about a change, Webster pointed out that everything in sport is linked to performance. “Performance is built on four pillars: fitness, technical skill, strategy and tactics and finally the mental component. You must be strong in all four of them if you want to play well,” Webster said. And most are inter-linked. “The first three of those components is controlled by the fourth – how well you express the skills and how well you set your strategy is controlled by how well you use your mind.”According to Webster, in any form of sport – shorter or longer version – it is the mental skill that determines how well the athlete expresses his physical skill. And that is where his role, as a mental skills specialist, comes to the fore.Because of the demands on the players in a pressure-packed Twenty20 match, dealing with pressure is more important than in the other two formats. And being mentally confident becomes vital in such a scenario, but players are not so well trained in that area. “It is the pillar (mental) that has been neglected,” Webster said.Edited by Kanishkaa Balachandran

Phil Hughes marked his return to county cricket after a two-year break by blasting a century in Worcestershire’s CB40 win over Middlesex

27-May-2012
ScorecardPhillip Hughes marked his return to county cricket after a two-year break by blasting a century on his Clydesdale Bank 40 debut for Worcestershire against former club Middlesex. Three days after flying into England, the Australian batsman led the Royals’ late dash to 235 for 5 and left-arm paceman Jack Shantry sealed a 56-run victory with three wickets in an over as Middlesex folded for 179.Hughes first played in England with Middlesex prior to a disappointing Ashes series in 2009 and he returned to England in the following season for a short spell with Hampshire. However his international career – which took off spectacularly with two centuries in a Test against South Africa – progressed fitfully up to his last appearance in December against New Zealand.Originally signed by Worcestershire for the full season, he had to delay his arrival when called into a Cricket Australia training camp in Brisbane, where he benefited from working in the nets against international bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Pat Cummins.There were understandable timing problems as he adjusted to English conditions and he also developed a noticeable limp in his running between the wickets but once he had found his range, seven of his 11 fours came in a second 50 from 35 balls. This was in line with Worcestershire’s overall tempo. They hit seven fours in the first 30 overs but then added 14 boundaries – including two sixes in Gareth Andrew’s 26 from 12 balls – while taking 104 runs from the last 10.Having kept wickets in hand, they were ready to accelerate as Hughes followed a stand of 52 with Vikram Solanki by putting on 116 in 18 overs with Daryl Mitchell. While Mitchell lost his leg stump, attempting to sweep Ollie Rayner after making a run-a-ball 48, Hughes went on to 111 before he was caught at deep mid-wicket off Steven Crook.In the reply, Joe Denly and Paul Stirling kept Middlesex up with the rate until spin pair Moeen Ali, who took 3 for 34, and Shaaiq Choudhry knocked them back to 93 for 5. Offspinner Moeen’s clutch of three wickets in his first four overs included Eoin Morgan for 2 when the England batsman was well caught by Andrew, running round the long-leg boundary in front of the pavilion.Chris Rogers (44) and Gareth Berg (28) launched a revival but with 84 wanted from the last 10 overs, Middlesex’s challenge evaporated as Shantry made a dramatic intervention for a return of 4 for 32, his best in one-day cricket.

MS Dhoni has said it was, and is, unfair to put the onus on the fielding captain when an appeal for mankading is made

Sidharth Monga in Sydney25-Feb-2012MS Dhoni has said it is unfair to put the onus on the fielding captain when an appeal for mankading is made, as it was against Lahiru Thirimanne during India’s match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. R Ashwin had spotted Thirimanne leave the crease well before the ball was bowled, he ran him out, and then appealed. The umpires asked Virender Sehwag, the captain then because Dhoni wasn’t playing that game, if he wanted to go ahead with the appeal, and fearing criticism Sehwag withdrew the appeal.Dhoni questioned the existence of the rule if the captain has to be asked every time. “I feel that [unfair] is what it [the act of asking the captain] is,” Dhoni said. “Either there should be rules or there shouldn’t be rules. Why are you asking the captain? Why are you putting him in a position? But I think the right thing was done. Because the captain was asked, we withdrew the appeal.”Dhoni said the right thing was done because India wanted to give Thirimanne the benefit of the doubt because these rules keep changing, and it is possible that players are not abreast with all the changes. “Because what happens is too many rules are getting changed,” Dhoni said. “Often what’s important is to give the batsman a fair chance, like a warning, saying, ‘Okay, please don’t do it.'”Sehwag, though, said that Ashwin had warned Thirimanne. “A proper warning always is, you get him out and then it’s a proper warning,” Dhoni said. “Nobody listens to you until you do it.”However, Dhoni showed a much better understanding of the rule than the other two captains involved in the triangular. Mahela Jayawardene said he wouldn’t even have removed the bails because he wants to keep the game “nice and clean”. Michael Clarke said he didn’t even like mankading, before saying only persistent backing-up would force him to contemplate it after proper warning. “I’m glad that nothing has come of it,” Clarke said. “It’s a part of the game I don’t like. I don’t like the mankad rule at all. I don’t think you should be able to mankad.”Dhoni, though, said he understood the rule was changed last year to keep the batsman in their crease, to prevent that unfair advantage of a head-start even before a ball is bowled. Dhoni said if any party could be accused of unfair play in this case, it was the batsman, and not the fielding side, as the convention of spirit of cricket would dictate.”It was important to appeal,” Dhoni said. “The reason being it’s in the law that the batsman can’t go out. Often it is put on the opposition captain. For example, on Virender Sehwag. Saying, you know, it’s wrong. If it’s part of the rule, it’s not wrong. Of course to take the decision or not the decision is something different.”Eventually if you are saying somebody was cheating – if I may use the word cheating, you can use some other word – in this case, then the batsman getting out is the one who is cheating, because he is not allowed to do that. So I think it was a fair thing to do. You can’t always have the batsman going so far ahead because he can complete the run if it goes to short fine or point or short third, he is in a better position to complete the run. I think it was a good decision. At the end that he was not taken out by our skipper.”Edited by Siddarth Ravindran