Michael Clarke’s battling century in this game was a world apart from his glorious counter-attacking 2011 Newlands ton, and he will hope the result of the match has a similar disparity

Daniel Brettig in Cape Town02-Mar-2014Rain and wind buffeted Newlands on day two, almost as savagely as Morne Morkel had rounded on Michael Clarke 24 hours before, under sunny skies and the gaze of Table Mountain. Both the ground staff and Clarke were made to look decidedly uncomfortable, whether it was the former hanging on desperately to errant covers or the latter reeling from blows to the head. But neither were swept away either, holding on to secure the preservation of the pitch and the establishment of a total that virtually inures Australia from series defeat.By the time the weather forced him indoors, Clarke had soared to an unbeaten 161, which given his desire to pursue a Test match and series victory in the time remaining may not progress too much further. It was a performance of rare courage and wonderful depth, its layered construction containing a series of compelling chapters in the traditions of great literature. If not quite so visceral as his repelling of Morkel’s assault, Clarke’s 24-ball vigil on 99 was another passage to savour, ending fittingly with a crisp cover drive and a bat raised in weary, even groggy triumph towards the dressing room.Clarke had played a very similar stroke on this ground in November 2011 to reach his other century at Newlands, the spiky, counter-punching 151 that provided one of the first indications that the captaincy would serve to grow him considerably as a batsman. Before this match, Clarke regarded it as his finest Test hundred, taking into account a sporty pitch, overcast skies and a South African bowling attack even stronger than the one he faced this time – a fully fit Dale Steyn the difference. He had received a few blows that day too, before pouncing on the bowling.But there was a hollowness to that innings, a sense of empty achievement provided by the fact that when Australia batted a second time they were rounded up for a measly 47. Clarke was still ruing that innings, and his inability to hold back the raging tide himself, when he spoke about it a year later, ahead of the home series with South Africa in late 2012. Cape Town had come to mean something bitter to Clarke, despite his personal achievement.Michael Clarke had a tentative 24-ball vigil on 99 before reaching his century•Getty Images”Personally I think it’s probably the best hundred I’ve made for Australia,” Clarke said at the time. “I needed to make runs for the team, they had a very good fast bowling attack in conditions that suited fast bowling, and while I managed to get through my first 10 balls I think I got hit in the head three or four times, hit in the gloves another six times or so, and I managed to turn that around and score some runs.”But when I say that I think it’s my best Test hundred, it’s one of the most irrelevant Test hundreds because of how the game panned out. I was very disappointed in the second innings, I didn’t make many runs. I’d just scored 150 so I was the one player who was in form and I needed to make runs in that second innings.”If he had used his bat like a rapier in the first innings of 2011, there was considerably less swash in Clarke’s buckle when he walked out to bat at Newlands this time around. A lack of runs in the lead-up had been getting to him more than he would admit publicly. It was telling to hear Shane Warne speak of Clarke as a “worrier” ahead of the Test, and to say he had spent much of their dinner together reminding Australia’s captain of the progress made by the team even though their leader had not been raising the personal tallies he expected.While David Warner’s supremely confident century and a pair of top-order partnerships had cushioned Clarke from the new ball, and Steyn’s tender hamstring reduced the firepower of his opponents, the sense of personal expectation, the series scenario and the threat of Morkel all weighed heavily. Clarke did not shirk the fact that he would be battered by Morkel, nor that he would look ugly while doing so. Day one was as much about survival as scoring, and in this Clarke achieved his goal admirably while also breaking his sequence of outs.A new morning brought gladder tidings for Clarke, facing up to bowlers tired by earlier exertions and also handicapped by a sharp cross-breeze to rival anything at the WACA Ground in Perth. But he had one more obstacle to overcome before reaching three figures in the shape of a searching spell from Kyle Abbott, who maintained the most disciplined line to create pressure when the scoreboard indicated that there was none.Clarke would not force a shot that was not there, South Africa’s fielders became briefly tigerish where for much of the series they had been slothful, and three maiden overs ticked by. One Abbott delivery passed over Clarke’s stumps by millimetres. Steve Smith, making his own mark on the match with a jaunty contribution to test the will of any bowler, kept the scoreboard moving at the other end. Ultimately, Clarke was given a sight of Vernon Philander, and creamed a drive through cover to reach 103. It was the shot most resembling those of 2011.As two innings they could not have been much more different, and Clarke now hopes for a similar disparity in the final result. “That’s probably a better question asked at the end of this game because if we don’t get the result we’re after then it will sit alongside the other 150,” he said afterwards. “I will never, ever take for granted scoring a hundred for Australia. I’ve never scored an easy hundred, it’s always been tough, especially against a very good attack.”For the moment, the Cape Town of Clarke’s mind is one of clouds, rain and a hellish result, the kind that will always haunt him. But his century has opened up the possibility of Australia achieving a victory as glorious as the vista seen when the clouds roll away. Should it be done, Clarke will not look more fondly upon a single innings. The Cape Town Test of 2014 will allow the 2011 version to be forgotten.

Bangladesh have failed to win a game in the last three editions of the World T20. Now as the hosts, this is their best chance yet to reverse that hoodoo in conditions that suit them best

Mohammad Isam15-Mar-2014

Overview

The nuances of T20 cricket have eluded Bangladesh, and that is reflected in their 10-match losing streak in the World T20 since 2007. Expectations, quite naturally, would remain modest, but Bangladesh should take maximum advantage of being the host nation.The known conditions in Dhaka and Chittagong, the mad support that this team possesses and the growing reputation of being a good team at home are positive factors. But they have to deal with a tricky format. Due to the new design of the World T20s, they will have to play the qualifying round against Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Nepal. On paper, Bangladesh are far ahead in terms of experience but they had slipped up against Afghanistan earlier this month in the Asia Cup, and their encounter, on the opening day, could be the group decider.The players have readily admitted their limitations in this format, particularly in the last 12 months when they have won just a single T20, against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. Their most recent T20s were against Sri Lanka in Chittagong in February, where they lost both games off the last ball.The team management and selectors have tried a few different personnel and plans in the T20s but it is quite similar to how they play in ODIs. Experience in the batting line-up and spin bowling will help them, but at the same time, they have to play in the moment, and not stick to an exact plan, a method that hasn’t worked in the past.The fact that Bangladesh hasn’t won an international match in 11 games in 2014 will also eat into their confidence but this team has done well in the past with their backs to the wall. They find themselves in that position at the start of the World T20.

Key player

Mushfiqur Rahim has batted at No.4 in the last 12 Twenty20s, and is as important as the start Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan will provide for the team. His captaincy has been lately criticised for looking too strait-jacketed, but it will be his handling of bowlers in the first six and last five overs that will be crucial.

Surprise package

Sabbir Rahman has only just made his T20 debut for Bangladesh in their last game against Sri Lanka, and gave a glimpse of how he goes about ramping the scoring rate in the last few overs. He tends to start off slowly, but he has a range of shots that would be effective for a team looking for a final flourish. He fields well too, and will be a handy addition if a space is made for him in the middle order.

Weakness

Bangladesh have usually started and ended poorly with the ball. They would have to find a way to stop the opposition’s onslaught in these two crucial times, and at the same time, look to end well with the bat too.

World T20 history

Bangladesh’s sole win has been against West Indies in 2007, in what was their first game. They were shocked by Ireland in 2009 and since then, have made early exits in the next two editions as well.

Recent form

They have won just one out of their last five T20s. In 2013, they drew 1-1 in Zimbabwe but lost to New Zealand and Sri Lanka 1-0 and 2-0 at home. Unlike the lead-up to the 2012 tournament, Bangladesh hasn’t played any extra matches in this format, but their ongoing schedule should keep them well warmed up.

Plays of the day from the game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians in Cuttack

Siddarth Ravindran14-May-2014The jaw-breaker
Few IPL innings go by without a sitter being put down. When Mumbai Indians were batting today, it was Yusuf Pathan’s turn to be butter-fingered. Mumbai Indians were struggling for runs on a tricky surface where the ball kept low at times, and when Rohit Sharma was 11 off 23, he swung hard. The ball soared a mile up, but didn’t get far enough and Yusuf settled under it, preparing to take it Australian reverse-cup style. Not only did the ball slip through his fingers, it also hit him on the chin – an instant rebuke to his shoddy fielding.The grubber
With two decent scores in his past two innings, Lendl Simmons was promising to be the opener Mumbai had been searching for all season. There was not another substantial score today, though, as Simmons was undone by a Shakib Al Hasan arm ball that refused to rise above shin height. Simmons was down the track looking for a big hit, but the ball scooted well under his cross-batted effort to knock over legstump.The variation
Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa had just posted their fourth consecutive half-century partnership, putting Knight Riders on course for a victory. Harbhajan Singh started the seventh over, and got the first delivery to rip a long way outside off. Gambhir smiled ruefully seeing that the umpire hadn’t called it a wide. Perhaps expecting the next delivery to fizz away as well, Gambhir went for the cut, but this time the ball didn’t turn much and a cramped Gambhir could only inside-edge onto the stumps.The free-hit
Morne Morkel was closing in on the 150kmph mark in the early overs. One of the rare chances the batsmen got to swing at the ball was when there was a free-hit in the third over. Morkel responded with a quick bouncer, but the umpire deemed it too high and ruled it a wide. Morkel’s answer this time was the perfect yorker, which Ambati Rayudu could only tuck away for a single.

Also, the oldest IPL player, the first Test triple-century by a captain, Test caps in the 90s, and keepers with no wickets

Steven Lynch27-May-2014Is Muttiah Muralitharan the oldest player in the IPL? asked Jamie Stewart from Canada

Muttiah Muralitharan was 42 last month – he was born in April 1972 – but he’s not the oldest swinger in town at IPL 7. Pravin Tambe, the surprise-packet legspinner unearthed by Rajasthan Royals last year, was born in October 1971, so turns 43 later this year. Tambe had never played a first-class match when called up by Rajasthan in 2013, although he did play a couple for Mumbai after that. Earlier this month Tambe took a hat-trick against Kolkata Knight Riders – an unusual one in that the first victim, Manish Pandey, was stumped off a wide – so the hat-trick actually came from two legal deliveries.Is it true that Jack the Ripper was a cricketer? asked Paul Wheldon from England

The identity of Jack the Ripper, who specialised in gory murders in London’s East End in the 1880s, has never been discovered. It’s true to say, however, that one of the names often mentioned as a suspect was a cricketer – Montague Druitt, an old boy of Winchester College who played several matches for MCC, and took 7 for 18 for Dorset against Wiltshire at Trowbridge in August 1883. Druitt’s body was found in the River Thames in December 1888 – shortly after the last of the Ripper murders – in an apparent case of suicide. A 2004 book, Montague Druitt: Portrait of a Contender examined the possibilities of Druitt being the Ripper, but the author, DJ Leighton, concluded that it was unlikely.Who was the first Test captain to score a triple-century? Was it Don Bradman? asked Keith Powell from England

Don Bradman’s two Test triple-centuries – both at Headingley, in 1930 and 1934 – came while he was still in the ranks: he did not take over as Australia’s captain until 1936-37. The first skipper to score 300 in a Test was another Australian, Bob Simpson, who amassed 311 at Old Trafford in 1964. Since then there have been seven further triples by Test captains: Graham Gooch’s 333 for England v India at Lord’s in 1990; Mark Taylor’s 334 not out for Australia v Pakistan in Peshawar in 1998-99; Brian Lara’s 400 not out for West Indies v England in St John’s in 2003-04; Mahela Jayawardene’s 374 for Sri Lanka v South Africa in Colombo in 2006; Younis Khan’s 313 for Pakistan v Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2008-09; Michael Clarke’s 329 not out for Australia v India in Sydney in 2011-12; and Brendon McCullum’s 302 for New Zealand v India in Wellington earlier this year.How many people have won 90 or more Test caps without making it to 100? asked Suresh Maneckji from India

Fifteen players have finished their careers with between 90 and 99 Test caps. The closest to three figures was Mohammad Azharuddin, whose career ended under a cloud with him stuck on 99. Curtly Ambrose played 98 Tests, Adam Gilchrist, Nasser Hussain and Rod Marsh 96, Alan Knott 95, Aravinda de Silva, Arjuna Ranatunga and Garry Sobers 93, Godfrey Evans and Gundappa Viswanath 91, and Marvan Atapattu, Herschelle Gibbs, Mohammad Yousuf and Bob Willis 90. This excludes five current players who should yet make it out of the nineties: Chris Gayle (currently 99 caps), Ian Bell (98), James Anderson, AB de Villiers and Zaheer Khan (all 92).How many times have both captains scored fifties in each innings of a Test? asked Siddhartha from India

There have been a total of 171 instances of a captain reaching 50 in both innings of a Test – but of those, only four have involved both skippers in the same match. The first time it happened was in Georgetown in 1967-68, when Colin Cowdrey scored 59 and 82 for England, and Garry Sobers 152 and 95 not out for West Indies. Sobers was involved again in Adelaide in 1968-69, hitting 110 and 52 while Bill Lawry made 62 and 89 for Australia. In Melbourne in 2008-09 Australia’s Ricky Ponting scored 101 and 99 while Graeme Smith made 62 and 75 for South Africa. And finally there was a Taylor-fest in Bulawayo in November 2011 – Brendan hit 50 and 117 for Zimbabwe, and Ross 76 and 76 for New Zealand.Alec Stewart figured in 133 Tests without ever taking a wicket. Who holds the corresponding record in one-day internationals? asked Juan Castro from Argentina

The holder of this esoteric record in one-day internationals is Kumar Sangakkara, who has so far (as at May 22) played 370 one-day internationals without taking a wicket (indeed, he has never bowled). Next come Mark Boucher (295 matches) and Adam Gilchrist (287), before the first non-wicketkeeper, Marvan Atapattu of Sri Lanka, who played 268 ODIs without taking a wicket. The current leader in T20 internationals is Brendon McCullum (68 matches, no wickets), ahead of his New Zealand team-mate Ross Taylor (59 matches). Alec Stewart (133) does hold the record for Tests, although he’s only just ahead of the first non-wicketkeeper, Brian Lara, who failed to take a wicket in 131 Test appearances. Sangakkara has now played 548 international matches across all three formats without taking a wicket, ahead of Gilchrist (396), McCullum (381), and Herschelle Gibbs – the first non-keeper – with 361.

The last year has not been kind to Matt Prior but that should not diminish what he achieved for England and, if his career does prove to be over, he can be remembered as a key part of the period of sustained success

George Dobell22-Jul-2014So another pillar of England’s glory years is washed away.Matt Prior’s decision to take the rest of the summer off to recuperate from injury almost certainly ends an international career that has encompassed some of the brightest moments in England’s recent Test history.When England became the first side to win three Tests in a series in Australia by innings margins, Prior averaged 50 with the bat and claimed 23 catches. When England whitewashed India, at the time rated No. 1 in the Test rankings, in 2011, Prior averaged nearly 70 with the bat and again kept tidily. And when England came from behind to win in India in 2012, Prior again averaged 50 and held his own as keeper despite the workload demanded by two spinners and turning wickets.The statistics are good – 4,099 Test runs and an average of 40.18 suggest he could probably have made it as a specialist batsman – but it was Prior’s selflessness that rendered him one of the most valuable players of his generation. His first Test century, on debut in 2007, was typical: it provided the acceleration England required before a declaration. His final Test century, in Auckland in March 2013, was a masterful display of restraint and determination and saved a series that looked lost.One image will endure: when Prior was informed he had been dropped from the Ashes team for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne at the end of 2013, he immediately congratulated and hugged his replacement, Jonny Bairstow, before giving him catching practice. You can tell a great deal about people from the way they react to disappointment. In such circumstances, Prior shone.There were some hiccups along the way. His struggles, particularly with the gloves, towards the end of 2007 saw him dropped and he was rarely, by the very highest standards, as happy standing-up to the spinners as he was standing back to the seamers.But it was often in adversity that Prior’s ability came to the fore. And just as he responded to team crisis with his best performances, so he responded to his own failings by working harder than ever and coming back a better player. Until a recent dip, his keeping since his return to the team in late 2008, had been reassuringly sound.For that reason he should probably not be written-off completely now. Like Jonathan Trott, he could return. But he will be 33 by the start of next season. It may well be, in time, that he is included – alongside Graeme Swann, Trott and even Andy Flower – in a list of those crushed by the remorselessness of England’s schedule and the intensity of its environment. 32-year-olds should not be so broken.So a return is unlikely. England need to find a replacement now and, if they decide the time is right to select Jos Buttler, need to give him a lengthy run in the team to allow him to develop. He, too, will have grim days. But he will benefit from the experience and needs to feel that he is more than Prior’s deputy. England must not go back to the days when they selected highly promising young keepers – the likes of James Foster and Chris Read – and then abandoned them after they struggled to adjust.This is the right decision, though. The Prior of 2014 threatens to compromise the reputation of the fine cricketer that represented England with distinction. He is clearly not as agile with his keeping and that lack of confidence has fed into his batting, where his shot-a-ball mentality was never going to succeed in Test cricket. Some of the chances he has put down have been desperately tough; several have not been. Many of the byes he has conceded have been no fault of his; but an uncomfortably large amount have been. He deserves credit for acknowledging that. He deserves credit for putting the team before himself.Prior’s comments raise questions about England’s backroom operation, though. How was it was a man so palpably unfit, a man who had kept in only one Championship game in the season ahead of the first Test, selected for four Tests in succession? How was it that, despite the army of medics, the apparent professionalism of a system that scans and measures and monitors everything players do, a wicketkeeper was allowed to play when he had a quad injury and required an operation on his Achilles?And why was it that, even after a Test in which Prior’s performance was clearly inadequate, England’s captain should suggest his selection was all but guaranteed should be want to continue? Has the England dressing room become so cosy a place that even the injured can be accommodated? Loyalty is a wonderful quality. But when it becomes blind, when it is to an individual and not a cause, then it becomes a weakness.It is understandable that Cook wanted Prior around, though. With Trott and Swann gone, he is missing the trusted senior players he once had and needed Prior’s experience in the field, in particular. James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who looks little fitter than Prior, need to answer their captain’s call now.There has been talk of a new era in England for some time now. And that is only right: the team must renew and refresh.But that old era, the era of Prior and Cook and Anderson and Swann and Trott and Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen… it was quite something. There is no guarantee England will ever see the like again.

South Africa have played 12 away series since 2007 and haven’t lost a single one. Their last away series defeat, in 2006, was against Sri Lanka

Bishen Jeswant15-Jul-201421
Number of years since South Africa have won a Test series in Sri Lanka. They had achieved it on their first tour there in 1993, when the hosts were beaten 1-0. In their three subsequent tours, they only managed to win one Test, losing two series and drawing one.53.34
Bowling average of South African spinners in Sri Lanka, the only country in which they average over 50. Their economy rate of 3.36 in Sri Lanka is also their worst in any country. In the rest of Asia, South Africa’s spinners average 32.83 at an economy rate of 2.96 and a strike rate of 66.4.0
Number of Tests South Africa have won in Sri Lanka after the 2000 series. They have lost three and drawn one. Sri Lanka are the only nation in which South Africa have not won a single Test during this period. During the same years, South Africa have an 8-5 win-loss record in the rest of Asia (4-5 excluding Bangladesh).10
Number of hundreds scored by Mahela Jayawardene at the SSC – the most by a batsman at a single venue. Don Bradman and Jacques Kallis, with nine hundreds each at the MCG and Newlands, are next on this list. Jayawardene has 2698 runs at the SCC and 2284 runs in Galle (the two Test venues for this series), the top two aggregates in the list of most Test runs scored by a batsman at a venue.27.90
The mean batting average of South Africa’s batsmen in Sri Lanka post their readmission. Sri Lanka is the only country where South African batsmen average less than 30. They have only six centuries in 10 matches here.2-4
South Africa’s win-loss record in Sri Lanka, the only country apart from Australia and England where South Africa have a negative win-loss record. South have done significantly better in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, where they have win-loss records that read 5-5, 2-1 and 4-0 respectively.4 Number of home series Sri Lanka have lost since 2000, and only one since 2006. Sri Lanka have played 26 home series since 2000 and only lost to England, Pakistan and Australia (twice). Of the remaining 22 series, Sri Lanka won 17 and drew five. South Africa have lost five of the 25 home series during this period.8
Number of teams South Africa have beaten in an away series at least once in the period from 2000 to 2014. Sri Lanka is the only country South Africa have not beaten in an away Test series. South Africa’s 2-0 loss to Sri Lanka in July 2006 was their last away defeat.7
Number of years since Upul Tharanga’s last Test, in December 2007 against England in Galle. Only two Sri Lankans have had longer intervals between Tests – Malinga Bandara and Dulip Liyanage. Liyanage played his penultimate Test in January 1994, but had to wait till August 2001 to play his last game. In Bandara’s case, after playing his first Test in May 1998, he had to wait till December 2005 to play his second.

Australia picked Ashton Agar as a left-arm spinner when they first selected him, but his evolution since then suggests his batting potential might be as much of a factor in his latest selection

Daniel Brettig01-Jan-2015Ashton Agar’s selection for the final Border-Gavaskar Test has not just left certain members of the Australian pace bowling attack looking over their shoulders at the possibility of a second spinner for the SCG.Even if Agar does not play on January 6, Joe Burns and Shane Watson each have reason to ponder Agar’s return to a national team squad for the first time since the 2013 Ashes tour. So too does Glenn Maxwell.When Agar first toured as an intern in the early weeks of the 2013 India tour, and was then named for his debut against England at Trent Bridge later that year, it was as a left-arm spinner. His enchanting 98 in that match from No. 11 came with all the glorious revelations of a new love, but proved just as fleeting as that can sometimes be.In the 18 months since, including a somewhat less memorable second Test match at Lord’s, Agar has worked assiduously at restyling himself as an allrounder. The road has not always been straight and steady, and the empirical evidence of his development is only subtle. Nevertheless, he returns to the national set-up at a time when the selectors are looking more urgently around for youth and a broad set of skills to balance their teams.”I like to think of myself as an allrounder yes, more a bowling allrounder but some days you bat better than you bowl … it’s not a bad problem to have,” Agar said, following his selection. “I felt like I batted well in the one-day tournament for WA and my last few Shield innings have been reasonably good, and I’ve been doing a lot of work with Justin Langer with my batting, on my stance and everything really, trying to become a better batter, so if I’m picked to bat as well I’d be comfortable with that.”Langer has watched Agar’s growth with interest and plenty of helpful advice. He has been the knowing observer of a comedown that followed Agar’s Ashes exploits, a wrestle to regain the former fluidity of his bowling action, and a yearning to improve as a batsman not yet fulfilled by any scores to match that knock in Nottingham.”You could write a novel about that innings, it was one of the best things I’ve seen on TV since Gladiator I reckon, it was fantastic,” Langer quipped. “But it’s all part of the journey as a young player … he’ll be much stronger for the experience of last time. It’s very tough when you’re dropped for the first time, you can’t see past the end of your nose and sometimes it takes a while but he’s fought back, he went through the mourning period and now he’s back playing really good cricket.”I don’t think he handled it very well, but that’s not an Ashton Agar thing, that’s like most young players. You’re there and all of a sudden it’s taken away from you. But you go back in time, our best players have all been through it, Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, Matthew Hayden, so many good players get it, they have their dream then it gets taken away. So everyone deals with it differently, he probably didn’t deal with it as well as he’d have liked, but that’s all part of his journey to becoming a mentally tough, strong Australian cricketer.”Agar’s return has come about at least partly through the lapses of others. Steve O’Keefe cannot be blamed for falling prey to injury at the wrong moment – not for the first time – but Maxwell’s misadventures in the UAE and since then have left Rod Marsh’s panel to wonder whether their two-year dalliance with the excitable Victorian have had the desired effect on his game.They have the experience of Steven Smith to tell them that it is very possible for a talented young player to come back to international cricket after an early taste with a better plan for coping with it and an increased appetite for the hard work required. They may be about to test whether Agar’s time away has done this, while also reasoning that it is time for Maxwell to spend some months on the outside, looking in.Another question for the asking is the balance of Australia’s World Cup squad. Nathan Lyon gave a decent audition in the UAE against Pakistan, and Xavier Doherty is the eminently serviceable incumbent. But the elevation of Agar into the limited-overs side for the triangular series that serves as a prelude to the main event is also a possibility currently under consideration.Whatever the format, it is Langer’s belief that Agar should be given a commission where he is expected to offer runs as well as wickets, as required of him for his state where he has commonly batted at No. 7 in recent times. Such a move at the SCG would leave Watson and Burns as two of the men most likely to make way for the sort of experiment occasionally tried in dead Tests – Mitchell Johnson batted seven against Sri Lanka here in the first week of 2013.”It’d be almost unlike the Australian way to go with two spinners in a Test match. They might play him as an allrounder like we have. So if they go that way it might be a bit different,” Langer said. “We bat him in one-day cricket, T20 and Shield cricket at No. 7, so we’re trying to give him every opportunity to develop into a really good allround player.”He’s a brilliant fieldsman and as natural a talent I’ve seen with the bat since Adam Gilchrist, so when he learns how to make runs and stats thinking like a batsman rather than a tail-ender he’ll be a fantastic talent there.”The Gilchrist comparison is not made lightly, and it is the kind that enthuses the selectors. It is also something Agar is better prepared to wear this time around, for no longer is he the shooting star of Trent Bridge. “I’ve got no doubt I was ready for it when I was picked and I’m definitely better for it coming into Sydney if I play,” Agar said. “I’ve had the first Test, that’s done and dusted, so I’d be confident coming into it.”

Stats highlights at the end of the second day of the first Test between Australia and Pakistan at Dubai

Bishen Jeswant23-Oct-201480 Number of balls in which Sarfraz Ahmed got to his century, the fourth fastest by a Pakistan batsman. The record is held by Majid Khan who scored a hundred off 74 balls against New Zealand in 1976. Shahid Afridi has scored two 78-ball hundreds. Across countries, this is the 18th fastest century in Tests (where balls-faced data is available).1 Number of wicketkeepers who have made a faster Test hundred than Sarfraz. Adam Gilchrist scored a 57-ball hundred versus England at Perth in 2006. Safraz’s innings was the 12th time a wicketkeeper posted a 100-plus score at a 100-plus strike rate in Tests, with seven of those being by Gilchrist.5 Number of consecutive 50-plus scores by Sarfraz. The Pakistan record is six consecutive innings, jointly held by Zaheer Abbas, Mohammad Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq.6 Number of consecutive 50-plus scores for David Warner. His last six Test scores are 75*, 145, 135, 66, 70 and 115. The record for the most consecutive 50-plus scores is seven, jointly held by Andy Flower, Everton Weekes, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Kumar Sangakkara.454 Number of runs that Pakistan posted in their first innings. This was their second highest score against Australia in the last 20 years. The only time that Pakistan scored more was when then posted 580 for 9 declared, at Peshawar, in 1998.25 Number of years since all five of Pakistan’s batsmen from Nos. 3 to 7 made 50-plus scores in a Test innings outside Pakistan. In all, Pakistan have done this four times.97 The partnership strike rate during Pakistan’s sixth wicket stand, of 124 from 128 balls, between Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed. This is the fourth quickest 100-plus partnership, in terms of strike rate, for any wicket, for Pakistan.7 Number of 100-plus opening partnerships for Australia over the last two years. No other team has more than three. Australia have three such stands in 2014, which is also the highest for this year.67 Number of wickets cumulatively taken by the Pakistan bowling attack at the start of Australia’s innings. The Australian attack had taken 619 wickets by the end of Pakistan’s first innings.

ESPNcricinfo’s correspondents travelling around Australia and New Zealand pick their best moments from the second week of the World Cup

28-Feb-2015George Dobell: Remembering Christchurch past

As chance would have it, England’s match against Scotland was the day after the fourth anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake. Christchurch is the place my family comes from. My grandfather nicknamed me Hadlee, after one of the city’s most famous sons. My parents were there when the earthquake struck. I probably should have been aware of the enormity of the disaster that struck this pretty little city.I wasn’t. Until you’ve walked through the empty city centre, stopped at the memorial to the dead, seen the condemned Lancaster Park stadium – the Hadlee Stand has already been pulled down at New Zealand’s first Test venue – and understood that homes and offices and shops once stood where all these vacant blocks now lie, it is hard to fully take in the extent of the tragedy. The centre – once beautiful – has simply gone. Most of the people who lived and worked there have gone with it.It’s incredible that the city has recovered enough to host a sporting event of global significance, albeit in a park setting. In years to come, I’m pretty sure I won’t recall who won or even who played. But I’ll remember – and be grateful – that sport, and something approaching normality, returned to Christchurch.Brydon Coverdale: Russell gets in gear

Andre Russell walked to the crease with 2.5 overs left against Pakistan in Christchurch. He faced 13 balls, including two he didn’t score runs off. He still managed to finish unbeaten on 42. With hair and beard trimmed to look like Mr T’s Clubber Lang character from , Russell decided to club ‘er long. Strong down the ground, Russell smashed four sixes and hit the ball with ferocious power. He had walked out at 259 for 5 after 47.1, and walked off with the total at 310 off 50 overs. The fastest ODI fifty was on the cards, had he not run out of time.Andrew McGlashan: The Hamid Show

The spirit of Afghanistan’s quick bowlers is infectious. Shapoor Zadran, his flowing locks and steaming run-up, has commanded much of the attention but Hamid Hassan – flags on his face, heart on his sleeve – stole the show against Sri Lanka. In Dunedin, he ripped a delivery through the defences of Kumar Sangakkara, pegging back middle and off stumps, and then celebrated with a cartwheel that probably left the physio in a state of panic. It would have struggled for top marks from any Olympic judges, but the Afghanistan supporters will not have cared at all that he ended up flat on his back.Jarrod Kimber: Hot streak

Public nudity can go wrong. And pitch invaders are some of the most horrendous bores of all time. But every once in a while one shows such daring, such speed, such everything, that you have to be on their side. The Hagley Oval invader for the England-Scotland game actually improved the entire game of cricket just by his naked jiggle-running. When he faked right, went left, and left behind a puddle of sweaty security guards, he became a beautiful naked streak. He jumped the ground fence, ran through the media zone, past the nets and then over another fence that could have, on another day, ended in some of the worst pain imaginable. But as they say, if you are going to slash, slash hard. Somewhere in Hagley Park, north or south, where there used to be a pop-up cricket stadium, a naked man roams. May he never go home, may he never be clothed.Chris Gayle: reminding the world he’s still relevant•ICCDevashish Fuloria: The joy of slow

A race is on at one end of the bowling spectrum among a bevy of faster men to bowl quick, hurry batsmen, test their eyes and reflexes. At the other end, one man stands alone. In Scotland’s match against Afghanistan, a delivery from Majid Haq was clocked at , surely one of the slowest ever recorded. And that was with the wind behind him. Each delivery hung in the air for what seemed an eternity, leaving the batsmen to fight their instincts and wait. If records haven’t been maintained, they should now, for a man with the gall to bowl that slow, to mess with the heads of batsmen in this era of batting madness, must be celebrated.Andrew Fidel Fernando: The swap

Sri Lanka are often the flag bearers for amateurism in world cricket but not at this World Cup. Hamid Hassan was halfway through his fifth over in the match against Sri Lanka, when he felt something wrong with his boot. He stopped, redid his laces and bowled another one, but on his walk back to his mark, he was clearly unhappy again. As soon as Shapoor Zadran saw this, he jogged over from cover and asked what the problem was. When the two discovered they were the same shoe size, without thinking, Shapoor offered his own boot to his team-mate. This is a team playing on the biggest stage their sport has, but in spirit as well as in name they are representing children all over their nation. Children who will be swapping shoes and balls, and bats, and shirts as they play cricket into the Afghan sunset.Firdose Moonda: The Gayle carousel

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Chris Gayle has seemed to be on his knees since the series in South Africa and had struggled to buy a run, as one fan put it and the WICB president reminded. The ups and downs continued at the World Cup. His double-century against Zimbabwe was one part hard work, one part heartless. But he showed what the knock meant to him when he got on his knees in celebration. Two days later, he had been struck down again. AB de Villiers was the man with no mercy, who hit a stupendous century which left Gayle in the dust. Watching the ebb and flow has been fascinating.Abhishek Purohit:

Indian fans love to celebrate individual player landmarks. Expectation starts building up from the time the batsman enters the late 80s. In the 90s, each ball is an event. At the MCG, the match seemed like one raucous, extended event, with close to 90,000 filling the stadium. Having watched a large part of the game from the stands, I was on my way back up to the media box when I changed my mind and decided to hang on longer. The reward was three near-celebrations and the big, actual one. For Shikhar Dhawan played three dot balls on 99, and if the crowd could have had its way, he would have reached the landmark three times before he finally did. And when he did, four packed tiers of gigantic stands gave him an ovation he will probably never forget.Andy Zaltzman: Cross sizzles

The post-Moeen phase of England’s innings against Scotland was a masterpiece of failing to capitalise on a perfectly laid platform, as Scotland’s bowlers found some control and England’s middle order took the team strategy of avoiding roughing up the ball on the boundary boards to curious extremes. It was enlivened by a sizzling piece of glovework by Scotland wicketkeeper Matthew Cross, standing up to the medium-pace of Josh Davey. James Taylor skipped down the wicket to no discernible purpose, Davey bowled a wide half-volley way outside off, beating Taylor’s ungainly smear, reminiscent of a drunken waiter swiping breadcrumbs off a table onto the floor whilst hoping no one was watching. This ugly duckling of a delivery was transformed into a glorious cricketing swan by Cross, who took the ball a good two feet from the stumps, swivelled and sprang back stumpwards in a predatory blur to clatter the timbers with Taylor still stranded, and his breadcrumbs still mid-air. A twinkling stumping to gladden the hearts of long-dead specialist glovemen from the wicketkeeping past. Bert Oldfield must have been high-fiving himself in his grave.

The South Africa team left for the 2015 World Cup amid a merry celebration and words exhorting them to win the title

Firdose Moonda04-Feb-2015Thousands of people gathered at the piazza of a popular shopping complex in Johannesburg for South Africa’s World Cup send-off. In addition to a moving rendition of the national anthem sung by Grammy Award winners, the Soweto Gospel Choir, this is some of what they heard:”Greatness. We’re all capable of it.This is the moment where you find out who you really are.Beyond the ball lies your destiny.It’s time for you to look within yourselves and what you will realise is that you are more powerful than you can ever begin to imagine.You have to hate losing more than you love winning.You have to control the situation, don’t let the situation control you.Be true to the game and the game will be true to you.Success is often the result of not being afraid of accomplishing anything you want to because anything is possible.”
“I am very scared because I get the feeling the Proteas are going to win the World Cup.”

“The closest we came was 1999 and I think after that is now. We’ve got the make-up, the ingredients of a team that is totally all-round. If they all perform to their true potential and skill, they will win.”

“Forget about the final but win each and every game until the end of the tournament. You represent more than 50 million hearts. These hearts deserve to be given hope.”

“Every World Cup has expectation. It’s nice to know we’ve got a quality side going there. We are confident. We understand the expectation. We want to go there and do well.”

“I am part of history. It’s just about going down and giving it horns.”
“We have always had a lot of support but in the last two months we can feel a support we’ve never experienced before. I cannot guarantee to you the cup but we can guarantee you we will fight for every single inch. We will fight for every run, for every wicket. We owe a fight out there. To my boys: it’s not going to be easy. We are going to have to overcome a few obstacles. Forever we will keep the fire burning.”
“I couldn’t fall asleep last night. I was so excited. I’m ready to knock these guys out. I’m extremely nervous, extremely excited. We are going to do everything we can. We will fight ’til the very end.”
“We’ve got a reputation as one of the best bowling attacks in the world. It’s important for us to put that aside and really focus on doing well.”
“This is the best send-off ever. The guys can feel the fire, the enthusiasm, the energy.”
“This team is primed to do something special. I think they are ready to do it. It’s going to be a collective effort.”
“We got it right. We will only be judged after the World Cup but we think we’ve got it right.”
“We’re excited to get on that plane now. It’s a long tournament. A lot has to happen before we get to the knockout stages. All our focus is on the first game. We’re looking for some big fish while we’re over there.”
“You represent the soul of this nation. Sport is not a useless business. We call it the RDP of the soul – reconstruction and development program of the soul. Please win it for us. South Africans are accustomed to winning because we are the children of warriors. Nelson Mandela. Kepler Wessels.We don’t want you in the World Cup to add numbers and just become a bunch of losers. You are not going to be playing with robots, you are playing with people. You are the special ones. You are the chosen ones. It does not mean you are irreplaceable but all of you are capable of doing the duty for us.Forget about 1992. Forget about what happened in Bangladesh. When Allan Donald and Lance Klusener could not get us over the line [sic]. To AB and your bunch of winners: you are not playing against cows. You are not playing against donkeys. Don’t undermine any of them. Go and win it for us. Winning is a statement of courage. We are releasing you to go and win it for South Africa. (Beat them/Smash them up).”
No Pressure.