A combination of technical deficiencies, temperamental uncertainties, and India’s predatory instincts rolled South Africa over again but this time the visitors were also left mentally shot

Firdose Moonda in Delhi04-Dec-20151:13

‘India deserve credit for their bowling’ – Domingo

Regardless of the outcome, this Test was always going to present South Africa with a selection of what-ifs. What if South Africa had got to Delhi with something more than pride to play for? What if they had picked Dane Piedt earlier? But, after they were left deflated on another day, they had to face the one what-if they would have hoped to avoid: what if they were not good enough to compete in this contest at all?After Hashim Amla dropped three catches in the slips, India pushed on and punished South Africa. They later struggled to deal with the quicks, an area where South Africa have been usually unflappable. At the end of the day, the only conclusion South Africa could reach was that they were not up to the standard. Their coach Russell Domingo seemed to be resigned to that reality though he was perplexed about the reasons behind it.”It’s not through lack of trying or lack of effort or lack of commitment. It just hasn’t worked for us. Things just haven’t gone well for us,” Domingo said. “And you also need to make your own luck. Things have gone well for India and they have made their own luck.”It’s true that more things have gone well for India than they have for South Africa but it is also true that South Africa have not justified anything going right for them. India have won every toss and made the right decision every time, which has allowed them to make better use of the conditions. That, however, had nothing to do with South Africa’s fall this time. Confidence, or the lack of it, did.South Africa let it slip midway through the first day, when they actually had some measure of control, having reduced India to 139 for 6. The visitors operated essentially with three bowlers – Morne Morkel, Kyle Abbott, and Dane Piedt – and they probably needed one more on the first day and perhaps two today, but they were hit by lack of resources.Even as Morkel and Piedt were inconsistent today, Abbott was exceptional as he kept it tight and found movement. But Ajinkya Rahane and R Ashwin combined well to keep the scorecard ticking, leaving South Africa drained. With every run conceded, South Africa seemed to take a step closer to the Emirates flight that will depart from Delhi at 4am on Tuesday morning. Domingo, though hoped that thoughts of home did not overwhelm the job that had to be done here.”It has been a long tour,” Domingo admitted. “But the talk before the game was all very good. We spoke about how important every Test is, how we know we haven’t played as well as we can so whether its subconscious that it’s one foot on the plane I can’t comment on.”Instead, he felt that Rahane and India’s lower order ground the attack and drained everything South Africa had in their tank. “We’ve been outplayed over two days. One guy scored a great hundred and their No.9 (Ashwin) had a lucky escape and went one to score fifty and then we capitulated under some good bowling, ” Domingo said. “Their batting was pretty average until Rahane’s 100 today. One guy has gone on and played a really good innings.”But it was more than that. While Rahane was the only one to get to three figures, he was part of three fifty-plus partnerships, the seventh and eight wicket stands yielding 157 runs together. Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin proved as menacing with the bat as they have been with the ball. What that realisation sunk in, the real difference between South Africa and India was highlighted.Hashim Amla was hiked to No.3 but fell for a painstaking 3, after dropping three catches•Associated Press”They’ve managed to bat better at the back end of their innings than we have. Once we’ve been under pressure we’ve fallen away badly,” Domingo said. “And the Indian bowlers have have continuously kept us under pressure. Every time it looked like getting better, someone got out or someone got a good ball. There were a few dismissals that could be deemed as soft, they were a few down to good bowling so it was a bit of both. They deserved a lot of credit.”Not only have South Africa’s been bundled out because of technical deficiencies and temperamental uncertainties but also because India have been able to prey on those. Jadeja identified that Bavuma often hung back in the crease and nailed the batsman with a skiddy ball. Umesh Yadav, who knew that he was getting good movement, surprised JP Duminy from round the wicket with one that straightened. Virat Kohli was smart to cramp the out-of-form pair of Amla and Faf du Plessis with close-in fielders to force an error. Not even switching places – Amla came in at No.3 while du Plessis dropped to No.5 – could help South Africa turn things around.A combination of these have skittled South Africa again. This time, they looked as mentally shot as they were physically, but Domingo managed some optimism.With India set to hammer their home advantage, what were South Africa’s chances? “We’ve got to keep believing,” Domingo said. “You’d be foolish to put money on South Africa winning now but if we can do something special, bowl them out for 120, end up chasing 320….” If. What if.

Plays of the day from the fourth ODI between Australia and India in Canberra

Melinda Farrell in Canberra20-Jan-2016Target practice – part one
Ishant Sharma’s first over was nothing if not eventful. His fourth delivery was driven powerfully straight by Aaron Finch. So straight, it deflected off the bowler’s hand, smashed into umpire Richard Kettleborough’s shin before ricocheting onto the stumps and dislodging a bail. Kettleborough battled through the pain but hobbled off during the drinks break, with the assistance of Australian medical staff, and was replaced by third umpire Paul Wilson. Incidentally, umpire John Ward chose to wear a helmet for this match, but even shin pads wouldn’t have been enough to prevent bruising from Finch’s booming drive.Target practice – part two
It was dangerous to be just about anywhere in the field with Finch and opening partner David Warner in monstering mood and sporting big bats and bulging forearms. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was next in the firing line when Warner clattered a fullish delivery straight back past the bowler. Bhuvi reflexively stuck out his hand and almost lost a finger, at the very least, as the ball rocketed through his grasp and down to the long-on boundary. The look on his face mirrored that of Kettleborough just a few overs earlier.The Switch Cut
Warner isn’t just about power, though, and demonstrated his ambidexterity and finesse with the most creative shot of the innings. Ravinda Jadeja saw Warner shape early for a switch-hit and adjusted his delivery accordingly, darting a flat ball down what would normally be the left-handed Warner’s leg side. Warner countered by playing a classy late cut down to fine leg. Or is that third man? Whatever. It resulted in single and plenty of appreciative applause.The #MaxwellBall
As good as Warner’s shot was, Glenn Maxwell is the Missy Elliott of cricket whenever he decides to put his thing down, flip it and reverse it. A brilliant innings was capped off in the 50th over when Maxwell pummeled Ishant for 18 off five deliveries and then fell to a brilliant catch by Manish Pandey on the final ball. The pick of the shots was an outrageous crouching reverse lap sweep over short third man for four. Much has been made of his “mature” match-winning knock in Melbourne. Hopefully, maturity will never completely erase entertaining stroke play like this.The Audition
Nathan Lyon had not played an ODI since Australia’s series against Pakistan in the UAE back in 2014. Australia selector, Rod Marsh described Lyon’s inclusion in the current side, as well as the T20 squad to face India next week, as an “audition” and captain Steven Smith wasted no time thrusting the off-spinner onto center stage. Whether or not Lyon expected to open the bowling in his first ODI in 18 months, the result probably wasn’t what he hoped for. His first two overs went for a total of 23 runs and he was quickly replaced by John Hastings. He was hardly alone though; India’s openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dharwan plundered 65 runs off the first eight overs.The one-handed catch
Rohit certainly looked in the mood for a massive score and he dished out merciless charge to Australia’s bowlers early on. Kane Richardson felt the brunt of Rohit’s brute force and paid for errors in line and length before eventually strangling the batsman down leg side. An earlier ball, also straying down leg, was dismissively flicked by Rohit off his pads and deposited 96 metres away at the back of one of the stands. A singlet-sporting fan held a cracking one-handed catch that put some of India’s fielding efforts in this series in the shade.

Tonked, walloped, steam-engined… A record-breaking innings as described by our commentators

Andrew Miller and Andrew McGlashan04-Jan-201660.2 Morris to Stokes, FOUR, on the pads, flicked firmly through the vacant midwicket. Sweet timing and good patience62.5 Piedt to Stokes, FOUR, tossed up and walloped. A rank loopy full toss and Stokes dropped to one knee to smoke it through midwicket64.6 Piedt to Stokes, SIX, spanked. Stokes treats that ball with the disdain that his detractors deserve. Butchered into the midwicket stands!69.4 Morris to Stokes, FOUR, thumping drive, Perfect weight transfer, and that travelled… all along the ground with minimal followthrough. Timing69.6 Morris to Stokes, FOUR, more bat behind the ball, another boundary. Timing and placement, through the covers this time72.6 van Zyl to Stokes, FOUR, that’s lovely, brings his bottom hand through the shot as he whips this from outside off wide of mid-on80.1 Morris to Stokes, FOUR, what a way to greet the new ball! Full outside off and Stokes responds with a textbook-perfect on-drive80.2 Morris to Stokes, FOUR, and now he flashes one over the slip cordon…all action. Some width outside off, Stokes threw his hands through a cut shot and it skimmed over the catchers to third man. Fifty for Stokes from 70 balls80.5 Morris to Stokes, FOUR, another edge, another boundary! Just the two slips in place now, Stokes drives at a full delivery outside off and the edge races through where a wide(ish) third slip would have been and beats third man82.1 Morris to Stokes, FOUR, he’s not slowing down, he tried to do this last over, this time picks up a delivery that was a touch short outside off and pulls it wide of mid-on84.1 Morris to Stokes, FOUR, another short ball, Stokes pulls it fine of long leg…was in the air for quite some time but well wide of the fielder87.3 Morkel to Stokes, FOUR, no loitering from Stokes! A touch of width and despite the change of angle, no compunction about flogging it to the fence!Stokes’ innings was replete with powerful strokeplay•AFP87.5 Morkel to Stokes, FOUR, width again and Stokes flings his hands through the line, pierces the cover field and brings up the hundred stand. He’s in a busy mood this morning…88.2 Morris to Stokes, FOUR, too wide, too full, too tempting for Stokes not to cash in. Another confident stride onto the front foot, and battered through the covers. Three fine shots88.3 Morris to Stokes, FOUR, he’s done it again! This was even wider, still nice and full for the drive. And Stokes just reached it and timed it. Dreadful start from South Africa, and Stokes is motoring88.6 Morris to Stokes, FOUR, short, wide, uppercut through third man! What on earth is going orf out there?! Stokes is one blow from a hundred and we’ve had just 12 balls this morning …90.4 Morris to Stokes, FOUR, dabbed through backward point but just look at the timing on that! Nothing more than a steer but Bavuma at third man merely ends up in a tangle of boundary sponges90.5 Morris to Stokes, FOUR, short, spanked through backward square leg. Dreadful bowling but what outstanding asset-stripping from Stokes91.4 Morkel to Stokes, FOUR, … but this time he offers just a modicum of width from a fuller length, and Stokes has nine-ironed him to the fence at long-off!92.3 Rabada to Stokes, FOUR, short … no, no, no, no, no, you can’t bowl there to a man in this sort of a mood. Battered through wide mid-on94.6 Rabada to Stokes, FOUR, whoomph! Just a modicum too short, and Stokes leans back and flogs this one violently through midwicket. Fetch that!98.2 Piedt to Stokes, FOUR, reverse swept, and superbly so! Turned full circle at the crease to deposit the ball through third man. Shot98.3 Piedt to Stokes, SIX, walloped, high and tantalising, over long off … there’s a man on the rope, backpedalling, will he get there ..? Will he heck! All the way, with the wind helping it over the line100.2 Piedt to Stokes, SIX, he just keeps going, this a wonderful lofted straight drive and what a way to reach 150 off 135 deliveries…takes a few steps down the pitch and drills him perfectly straight102.2 Piedt to Stokes, SIX, brute force! Took a stride down the pitch on a line outside leg stump and plundered through the line…wasn’t even that close to the ball. Over wide long off, with a little wind assist104.4 Piedt to Stokes, FOUR, down the pitch, heaved into the leg side and splits the gap between deep midwicket and deep square…neither moved very quickly. Stokes nowhere near the pitch again. It doesn’t matter104.5 Piedt to Stokes, SIX, this is into the crowd! Extraordinary batting from Stokes. Down on one knee and slog-sweeps into the stands at deep midwicket…100 runs in the session for him104.6 Piedt to Stokes, SIX, and now it’s straight down the ground! Brilliant stuff, skips towards the bowler and just effortlessly deposits Piedt into the stand behind him105.6 Rabada to Stokes, SIX, into the stands again! Running out of words to describe this innings, picks up a short delivery from outside off and pulls it over deep square legStokes celebrates his third Test hundred – but he wasn’t finished there•AFP107.1 Morris to Stokes, FOUR, plundered by Stokes! It’s a full ball outside off which he dismisses from his presence with a crunching drive over mid-off107.3 Morris to Stokes, FOUR, he didn’t really get hold of this but that hardly matters, a short delivery is butchered from outside off over mid-on108.6 Morkel to Stokes, FOUR, there it is! What a double hundred. The second fastest in Test cricket. He hammers a short delivery wide of mid-on, a trademark of the innings, and he jumps for joy for the second this morning. We have seen something incredible today114.2 Morkel to Stokes, SIX, utterly pumped into the stands at long-on! A decent full length, but Stokes extended his levers and powered through the line of the ball!114.3 Morkel to Stokes, FOUR, on the hip, and sweetly placed in the gap at square leg – two fielders converge but the timing is too true. That is, incredibly, the 300-run partnership!116.6 Elgar to Stokes, FOUR, down on one knee, one bounce through the gap at midwicket. The runs just keep on pouring120.2 van Zyl to Stokes, SIX, up, up, up, up, up and away! Tonked from outside off way over wide long-on, with the sweetest of followthroughs!121.4 Rabada to Stokes, FOUR, steam-engined through midwicket! Not a desperately bad length, but Stokes has forearms like pistons and that choo-chooed into the distance121.6 Rabada to Stokes, FOUR, outside off, climbing further from the bat, so Stokes leans back and wafts it through third man to bring up the 350 partnership!125.1 Rabada to Stokes, SIX, that’s 250…a short ball is pulled over deep square leg, that’s now the highest score by a No. 6 in Test cricket125.2 Rabada to Stokes, SIX, that’s humongous! He has thundered this length delivery almost out of the ground over long on with a golf-style swing of the bat125.3 Rabada to Stokes, OUT, chaos! Another catch is dropped but Stokes is run out as he’s ball-watching! He mowed this miles into the air, de Villiers, of all people, shelled the chance coming in from mid-on but then had the presence of mind to throw down the non-striker’s stumpsBA Stokes run out 258 (338m 198b 30×4 11×6) SR: 130.30

Stats highlights from an incredible New Zealand win in Christchurch

Bharath Seervi28-Dec-2015250 Balls left in the New Zealand innings when they completed the run-chase. The margin is the seventh-largest in ODI history.3 Times New Zealand have won an ODI with 250 or more balls remaining. Sri Lanka have done it twice, and England and Australia once each. New Zealand are the only team, though, to also win these games by ten wickets.14.16 New Zealand’s run rate in this chase, the second highest in any ODI innings. They had chased 94 in six overs against Bangladesh in Queenstown in 2007, at a rate of 15.83, which is the highest. The top four run rates in an ODI innings are all by New Zealand.17 Deliveries needed by Martin Guptill to complete his half-century, the second-fastest in ODI history. Only AB de Villiers has got there quicker, off 16 balls against West Indies in Johannesburg earlier this year. Guptill’s effort is the fastest for New Zealand, beating Brendon McCullum’s 18-ball effort against England in the 2015 World Cup.310 Guptill’s strike rate in his unbeaten innings of 93 off 30 balls. It is the second-highest for a 50-plus score in ODIs. The highest is 338.63 by de Villiers in his innings of 149 off 44 balls.39 Balls required by New Zealand to complete their 100, the fastest for any team since 2002. The earlier record was also held by them: against England in the 2015 World Cup, they got there in 40 balls. In this game, they reached 50 off 16 balls, which is also the fastest since 2002.20.50 Dushmantha Chameera’s economy rate in the two overs he bowled: he conceded 41 in those overs. There have been only two instances of poorer economy rates for a bowler bowling two or more overs in an ODI. The top four such figures have all been against New Zealand.19 The top score for Sri Lanka, their fourth-lowest top score in ODIs in which at least ten batsmen have batted.2 Totals lower than 117 for Sri Lanka against New Zealand in ODIs (in innings when they have been bowled out). Their lowest is 112, also in Christchurch, in 2007.5 Times Sri Lanka have been all out for less than 200 runs in ODIs this year – the most among the Full Member sides. Apart from the two instances in this series, they were also all out for 195 against New Zealand, 133 against South Africa and 181 against Pakistan.93 Runs scored by Guptill in his team’s first 50 balls – the most by a batsman in his team’s first 50 balls since 2002. Brendon McCullum scored an unbeaten 80, which is the second-highest, but in only six overs in the Queenstown ODI against Bangladesh in 2007.5 Number of four-wicket hauls for Matt Henry in ODIs. All of them have come against Asian teams – two each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and one against India on debut. He has taken 27 wickets in eight innings against these three teams and just nine wickets in nine innings against the other teams.

Aka the Nagpur Twirlageddon

Andy Zaltzman16-Mar-2016Positives India can take from day one of the post-in-tournament-qualifying phase of the World T20:1. They will probably improve with the bat as the tournament progresses.2. These things happen in T20. And other forms of cricket. But especially T20.3. India have selflessly assuaged the pain of the Associate nations, who have been so unceremoniously defenestrated from the competition. They do not, after all, need more exposure to high-level T20 to learn and improve. India’s performance showed that, if anything, they need less exposure, and fewer games. The Indian XI had collectively played more than 1700 T20 matches, including 400 internationals, yet contrived to bat with the calm, experienced, strong-headed technical and tactical assurance of a medieval granny in a Formula One race. A less experienced side would surely have coped significantly better.4. If you are going to get hammered in a tournament opener on home soil, do it against New Zealand. Everyone loves New Zealand.5. Everyone also loves a stat. Or, if they do not, they should learn to love a stat. Spinning India out in limited-overs cricket is not something that is often achieved. In their 68 previous T20I innings, India had never lost more than five wickets to spinners, and only once in 48 matches this decade had they lost even four wickets to slow bowlers.Pakistan lost their opening match of the 2009 World T20 to England, which was just the sort of kick a team needs to become a world champion•Getty ImagesIn 50-over cricket, they have lost nine batsmen to spin only once in almost 900 matches, when then world champions Sri Lanka tweaked them out for the significantly less rubbish score of 238, in Colombo, back in 1997.New Zealand had never taken more than five wickets through spin in T20Is before (and had not taken more than four since May 2010). In ODI cricket, the most wickets by Kiwi tweakers in an innings is six.The only previous occasions on which spinners took nine in a T20I innings were when Sri Lanka’s Mendis non-brothers, Ajantha and Jeevan, bamboozled Zimbabwe in Hambantota in September 2012, taking 9 for 32 in eight overs between them; and when Zimbabwe spun Canada out cheaply in King City in October 2008, in the third-place play-off of the T20 Canada competition (a tournament which, I humbly admit, had somehow escaped my attention until this stat).The Nagpur Twirlageddon was the first time India have lost all ten wickets to bowlers in a T20I. They had been all out on five previous occasions, but always with at least one run-out.It was also, by my reckoning, only the second T20 match to begin Six-Wicket, as Martin Guptill planked R Ashwin straight for six, before Ashwin trapped him in front (or nearly in front) next ball, given out by Umpire Kumar Dharmasena – the self-same Kumar Dharmasena who took two Indian wickets out of the nine pocketed by Sri Lanka’s spinners in that 1997 Colombo ODI.The only other previous T20 match to begin in such style – the 2013 Zimbabwean domestic T20 competition final between Mashonaland Eagles and Mountaineers. The No. 1 batsman who departed with six off two balls that day – Cephas Zhuwao. Yes, that Cephas Zhuwao – the self-same Cephas Zhuwao who, in his other role as an occasional spinner, took the final Canadian wicket in that unforgettable King City spin rout in 2008. Truly, it is a small world.Mithali Raj: a friend of the cricket ball since 1999•IDI/Getty Images6. When India triumphed in the inaugural World T20 in 2007, they were winless after three matches (a no-result, a tie and a loss), so a dreadful start would appear to be a non-negotiable part of India winning World T20s. They are not alone. The 2009 champions, Pakistan, lost their opening match by 48 runs – one more than India’s margin of drubbing by New Zealand. England, 2010 winners, began their ultimately successful tournament with an eight-wicket spanking by West Indies, who themselves lost their first game two years later en route to becoming champions. Only 2014 winners Sri Lanka began with victory; they lost their third match, to England, which proves that winning all your matches is a recipe for disaster in World T20s – champions always lose.7. Mithali Raj batted well. India ended with a Won 1 Lost 1 record after Tuesday’s cricket, after their women gave a dominant team performance against Bangladesh, becoming the first batting team to post four individual scores of 35 or more in a women’s T20 International innings (only three men’s teams have done so).Raj began with a surgically precise glide finessed between two cover fielders for three, an old-time late cut for four, and a back-foot force to the cover boundary timed so perfectly the ball probably did not even notice it had been hit. As Hashim Amla showed in his high-speed dismemberment of England’s attack in Johannesburg last month, when at one point he “hit” seven fours and a six in the space of 11 balls whilst appearing to engage his muscles as much as he would when opening a sachet of ketchup or stroking a sleeping cat, there is still a place for beauty amidst the carnage in T20.

Associate cricket is all about winning, said Scotland’s captain Preston Mommsen, and in a major tournament Scotland have still to experience what it feels like

Jarrod Kimber in Nagpur10-Mar-2016Second ball George Munsey tried to reverse sweep. Third ball as well. The fourth ball he smashed a reverse sweep. The fifth ball as well. Scotland were chasing 147. Scotland were trying to make some noise.The last ball of the first over Munsey came down the wicket. He looked lost the minute he left his crease. Whatever shot he had in his mind, whatever fantasy of destruction was playing, out on the field there was a confused batsman, way out of his crease, trying to invent a shot that would save him. It didn’t.For Scotland, nothing ever saves them.Twenty games. That is how many times Scotland have lined up in a major ICC tournament. One has been washed out. 19 have been lost. Twenty matches in 17 years, scattered around when they somehow qualify by overcoming years of amateur, shambolic administration, or when the ICC allow enough spots for them to claw their themselves into.Eleven of those were colossal smashings. Bowled out for 68 against the West Indies in the 99 World Cup. Making 136 against Netherlands, and having it chased in 23.5 overs in the 2007 World Cup. And losing a T20 game by 130 runs to South Africa.They have also gone close. In the ’99 World Cup they were chasing a low Bangladesh total confidently before they collapsed horrendously. They had Pakistan 116 for 6 in their first game of the ’07 WT20 before Pakistan regrouped. New Zealand only beat them by three wickets in the 2015 World Cup, and they made Bangladesh chase over 300 to beat them. And then there was Afghanistan in the same tournament.Their 210 total seemed safe when Afghanistan fell to 132 for 8. It felt safe again, after a small scare, when it was 192 for 9. It wasn’t. Afghanistan won their first ever match in a World Cup, and the Scottish changeroom went into the eerie silence they know too well.Their fans live with this, many of them travelling to these games. They are passionate, loud, and used to disappointment. Their off field organisation has improved so much in the last year that it’s like this is a different set up. They have never been closer to professional.And this may be the best group Scotland has ever produced. A group that since the last World Cup has played in one ODI. This is a proper cricket country, with a long history, hungry to improve and embarrassed to be the world record holders for the most losses without a win in a major ICC tournament.Kenya, Canada, Netherlands, UAE, Hong Kong and now even Oman have won matches. But Scotland just don’t win.In the first game of this tournament they were smashing Afghanistan around everywhere. Eighty-four runs without loss from 8.4 overs, chasing 160. Captain Preston Mommsen called it a “world class partnership”. The next ball they lost a wicket. It took them nine overs to hit a boundary after that; they ended up 14 runs short of a total they had almost broken the back of.Today Zimbabwe made it to 147. Scotland weren’t perfect in the field, they dropped Sean Williams which cost them. Matthew Cross, their gun keeper, let a ball go straight through his legs and fumbled another. Even their one great highlight, the catch of Michael Leask, came about because he dropped a simple chance.When batting, after Munsey’s wicket, Scotland kept attacking. Michael Leask, who’d been sent up the order to make some noise, moved down the wicket confidently, swung his bat beautifully, and stared straight down the ground hopefully, where he was aiming. Behind him the bails were taken off. It was almost as if he was staring at some alternate reality where things went Scotland’s way.Scotland lost four wickets by the 19th ball. The press scorer had no time to announce them one by one, and instead grouped all four of them together.But Scotland didn’t roll over. They kept fighting, and with Mommsen and Richie Berrington at the crease they got back in charge, and got themselves in a position to win. Even after Mommsen was out, even after Scotland had lost, Mommsen was still fighting. He laughed off thoughts that this was anything but a qualifying event. And then spoke about life as an Associate.”I don’t think people understand the pressure that comes from being an Associate team. Every time you take the field, no matter what kind of cricket, T20, ODI or four-day cricket, you are playing for something. You’re playing for money, you’re playing for funding, you’re playing for opportunity. Associate cricket is about winning at all costs, and that is the nature of the beast, and it is a beast.” He was right, but his comments won’t make much of a noise in this tournament.When he found cover, his team needed 55 off 35 balls with five wickets in hand. There was still some fight left and with Josh Davey hitting big, Scotland then needed 24 from 13 when Donald Tiripano bowled a slow half-tracker to Richie Berrington.A limp ball, a limp shot, and ultimately a limp finish.After the last wicket, when Ali Evans stumps were in random areas behind him, he just stayed on his knee. Staring. Not moving. Even when Mark Watt walked over to him he didn’t talk. They just shared the silence. Scotland’s silence.

Among the most well-balanced teams on paper, an over-reliance on Andre Russell and a late stumble in the league phase cost Kolkata Knight Riders a second shot at making the final

Akshay Gopalakrishnan26-May-2016

Where they finished

Fourth on the league table. Crashed out after a 22-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator.

How they got there

For a team that on paper looked supremely balanced, Kolkata Knight Riders slipped up at a critical point of the tournament, winning just two of their last five league matches. At one point, Knight Riders’ XI consisted of as many as 10 players who had played some form of international cricket, and yet, never once did they look like the most dominant or threatening force in the competition.Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa’s flourishing opening partnership was the dominant theme of the first half. But their alliance did not transcend to the next level, occupied by the likes of AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. The Uthappa-Gambhir combine had veiled Knight Riders’ frail middle order. But Yusuf Pathan’s timely return to form bailed them out once the duo cooled off in the latter stages.For an attack that is as spin-heavy as theirs, Knight Riders’ bowling numbers weren’t too skewed. Piyush Chawla, Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Brad Hogg and Kuldeep Yadav’s combined tally of 37 wickets was one short of what their pace quartet of Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav, Andre Russell and Ankit Rajpoot managed. Chawla, with a quicker, seam-up variation added to his arsenal, was Knight Riders’ best spinner, but Kuldeep, the 21-year old chinaman bowler, also made viewers sit up by smartly mixing up his length and pace.Usually a formidable side at their bastion, Eden Gardens, Knight Riders won four and lost three at home – a stark contrast to 5-1 in 2015 and 4-0 in 2014. That Knight Riders relied heavily on particular individuals became apparent when they struggled to cope with the absence of Manish Pandey when he was down with chickenpox. Their quest to find a suitable replacement at No. 3 even extended to trying Chawla out at that position. They were able to keep their head above water when Andre Russell picked up an ankle injury, and beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 22 runs in their final league match to seal a playoffs berth. But Russell’s absence was telling in the Eliminator when they lost to the same opponents by the same margin.

Highlights

A domineering presence in the middle order, Yusuf showed that opponents still had good reason to be wary of him. Yusuf’s purple patch began with an unbeaten 29-ball 60 against Royal Challengers Bangalore that fired Knight Riders to an improbable win. Yusuf followed that up with scores of 19*, 63* and 37* before he biffed an unbeaten 52 in their last league match that took his team through to the playoffs. In all, he crunched 361 runs – third behind Gambhir and Uthappa – at 72.20 and struck at 145.56.Russell was Knight Riders’ undisputed MVP. Brute force and an uncanny ability to clear the boundary with ease have made Russell among the most feared finishers in T20 cricket, and he provided an uninhibited display of that. While Russell was duly heralded for his prowess with the bat, it was with the ball that he made a greater impact. Russell worked his way to the top of his team’s bowling charts with 15 scalps, and among the main pacers – Morkel, Umesh and himself – was the only one with an economy rate of less than eight.

Disappointments

Suryakumar Yadav had enjoyed a rich vein of form in the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy, cracking three centuries and five half-centuries on his way to 788 runs. In the first real opportunity he got in IPL 2016, Suryakumar made it count, striking 60 off 49 balls against Rising Pune Supergiants to help Knight Riders chase down 161 in a last-over finish on a turning track. But Suryakumar wasn’t able to stay switched on thereafter, with a lack of opportunities and a failure to capitalise on starts highlighting his campaign. In all, he managed only 182 runs from 11 innings at a strike rate of 127.27.

Key stats

• Knight Riders used eight different batsmen at No. 3 – the most by any team in this IPL. Only Delhi Daredevils have used more players at that spot – nine in 2011 and 2013. Knight Riders themselves had used eight players in 2010.
• Gambhir and Uthappa added 566 runs – the second-most by an opening pair in this IPL after Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner, and the most ever by a Knight Riders pair.
• Knight Riders took 25 wickets in the Powerplay overs of the league stage – the most by any team.

Best win

After half-centuries from KL Rahul and Virat Kohli had lifted them to 185 for 7, Royal Challengers had Knight Riders on the mat at 69 for 4 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Russell joined Yusuf and the duo struggled to middle the ball, and with 81 needed from six overs, the home team was ready to apply the choke. That was until Russell and Yusuf launched a sensational assault, plundering 58 runs in three overs. Russell fell with 21 needed, but Yusuf sealed a remarkable come-from-behind win with five balls to spare.

Worst defeat

Before their match against Gujarat Lions on May 8, Knight Riders were the No. 1 team on the points table, and with a healthy net run rate, a win would have put them comfortably ahead of the rest and consolidated top spot. But an early wobble reduced them to 24 for 4 and it took half-centuries from Yusuf and Shakib Al Hasan, who shared an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 134, to lift them to 158. Dinesh Karthik’s half-century and contributions from the rest of the order helped Lions seal the chase in just 18 overs and Knight Riders were displaced from the top. The defeat also began a stumble that ended with Knight Riders having to settle for fourth place and losing an extra chance to make the final.

What they need to do next season

Cut out their dependency on Uthappa and Gambhir to give them a good start, and for Russell to provide the final flourish. Knight Riders need their middle order to take more responsibility. Knight Riders could also freshen up their line-up to avoid becoming predictable and making it easier for opponents to plan against them.Despite having had a decent season, Sunil Narine seems past his prime and isn’t a particularly unsettling prospect for opponents anymore. Knight Riders, therefore, may need to hunt for a new strike bowler.

Who makes it to the IPL XI for 2016? Here are ESPNcricinfo’s picks, keeping in mind the four-overseas-players rule

Alagappan Muthu30-May-201612:01

O’Brien and Agarkar’s team of the season

1. Virat Kohli – 973 runs, 152.03 strike rate
Runs against all kinds of bowling. Runs all around the ground. Runs all across the country. A lot of runs that stated Test-match strokeplay has a place in T20s. Not sure what more he needs to prove. Perhaps the existence of time travel.2. David Warner – 848 runs, 151.42 strike rate
The critics said his team’s batting was suspect. His single-handed efforts showed the rest how to do it. Sunrisers Hyderabad may not have become champions if not for his masterful 93 not out in the second qualifier.3. AB de Villiers – 687 runs, 168.79 strike rate
Scored IPL 2016’s fastest century from No. 3 and hunkered down to salvage a failing innings from the same position in a big-match scenario. Considering his reality-bending batting and the chemistry with Kohli, perhaps he should try bending space-time next.4. KL Rahul – 397 runs, 146.49 strike rate, five catches, four stumpings
Began his tournament trying to fit in among the sloggers, then realised his USP is playing proper shots. Provided Royal Challengers peace of mind with four fifties when Chris Gayle was misfiring. Had to deal with keeping wicket too.The best wicketkeeper-batsman in IPL 2016, arguably, was Quinton de Kock but he would be one overseas player too many in this XI. MS Dhoni made some fantastic saves, with his legs no less, but barring one innings in a dead rubber he didn’t do too well with the bat. So Rahul was the best choice despite a few lapses; his reprieve of Andre Russell may well have cost his team a game from a winning position.5. Yusuf Pathan – 361 runs, 145.56 strike rate
At one stage, he was averaging more than Kohli. Finished with 72.20, although eight not-outs in 13 innings helped. But that’s what is required of a finisher. Seeing a chase through. Did spectacularly in Bangalore, when he took a task of 120 in 11 overs and wrestled it to the ground with five balls to spare.6. Chris Morris – 195 runs, 178.89 strike rate; 13 wickets, 7.00 economy rate
Edged out Shane Watson and Andre Russell because of his range of skills. He made a fifty on Test debut, so he can bat properly, and he made a 17-ball fifty in the IPL, so he can bat crazily. Is a standout with the ball as well, courtesy his ability to rush batsmen with pace and bounce, and undo them with excellent yorkers.7. Krunal Pandya – 237 runs, 191.12 strike rate; six wickets, 7.57 economy rate
Most of his runs came up the order, including a blinding 86 off 37 balls against Delhi Daredevils. But his clean ball-striking could be effective down the order as well. His left-arm spin is rapid and accurate, so batsmen can rarely use the pace to their advantage. Dismissed de Villiers and Kohli in the same over. Dismissed de Villiers again in Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore’s next encounter.8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 23 wickets, 7.42 economy rate
Swings the new ball. Jams the old one into the batsmen’s toes. Trusted himself to execute yorkers – a ball which, if misplaced by an inch, could go a mile – at a time when bowlers prefer other options. Was Mr Dependable for Sunrisers – all the more impressive considering he bowled an over that cost 28 runs in his first game of the season.9. Yuzvendra Chahal – 21 wickets, 8.15 economy rate
The fact that he played most of his games at M Chinnaswamy Stadium – one of the smallest grounds in the IPL – and ended up the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament speaks of his knack for T20 cricket, and also pushed him into this XI ahead of Amit Mishra, who is arguably the better all-format bowler.10. Dhawal Kulkarni – 18 wickets, 7.42 economy rate
A T20 game is usually won or lost in the early exchanges. With his 14 wickets in the Powerplay, Kulkarni is an asset. It wasn’t often that he bowled in the slog overs but with Bhuvneshwar, Morris and the next man in, he doesn’t need to in this side. He made it here ahead of the Sharmas, Sandeep and Mohit.11. Mustafizur Rahman – 17 wickets, 6.90 economy rate
He kind of already makes time stop still with his cutters. Just ask any batsmen he has dismissed. He pitches the ball outside leg to tempt the slog and gets it to break off the deck towards the outside edge. And he has a mean yorker. The one that left Russell on the ground with his stumps askew provided one of the images of the IPL.Now, who should captain this XI? Warner took the trophy. He played with the added pressure that came with the knowledge that the Sunrisers middle order wasn’t performing and he had to provide the bulk of the runs. On the other hand, Kohli had to deal with losing Mitchell Starc and Samuel Badree – two of his spearheads – to injury, was imaginative with his fields and bowling changes, and raised his game when Royal Challengers needed to win four out of four to make the playoffs; the lowest score he was dismissed in that period was 109. So, flip a coin and choose.

M Vijay missed the second Test but is back to full fitness after his injury replacement KL Rahul scored 158 in Jamaica. Will Vijay come back into the XI at the expense of Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara… or not at all?

Karthik Krishnaswamy in St Lucia09-Aug-20161:11

‘We can only choose two between the three’ – Kohli

On Sunday night, Cheteshwar Pujara posted a group selfie on Instagram. In it, sharing a dinner table, were himself, Shikhar Dhawan, M Vijay and KL Rahul.”When we r together,” Pujara captioned it, “we make the most out of our time.”On Tuesday morning, the four of them will not be together on the team sheet Virat Kohli hands to the match referee. Three will line up at the top of India’s batting order. The fourth will find a place near the bottom of the list, among the substitutes.

Kohli expects pitch to whet bowlers’ appetites

Virat Kohli, India’s captain, feels bowlers will have a chance to pick up wickets “on all five days” on a St Lucia pitch that promises to offer consistent pace and bounce.
“I had a look at the pitch yesterday,” Kohli said on Monday. “It looks pretty similar to Antigua, [with] even grass covering. The surface should harden up. I think they didn’t have too much time to water it and roll it because of the rain. But it should become pretty hard.
“We’ve known this wicket to have a lot of bounce and carry. That’s a good sign for the bowlers. All five days you have chance to pick up wickets. It doesn’t slow down too much, which is a very good sign and looks like a wicket where a result is very much possible.”

“Cricket is a very uncertain game at times,” Kohli said when he was asked the inevitable question on Monday. “Injuries are not in anyone’s hands. Even in the IPL, I remember a game where Mandeep Singh was fit and set to play. While I was at the toss he split his webbing. KL [Rahul] got a chance and he hasn’t looked back since. We conveyed to Mandeep that unfortunately it was an injury and nothing can be done about that.”We need to look at the balance of the side. Good thing is all three openers are playing well. Bad thing is that you can only choose two between three. That is a call we need to take as management. We’ll sit down today and do that. These things are not in your control, getting injured when playing well. That’s why they say injuries can really upset people and bring them down. The good thing is Vijay has been in a good headspace. He’s back to the nets and back to fielding. We’ll take a call on that. We still have to discuss that.”Vijay is the equivalent of Mandeep in this situation. He injured his thumb during the first Test, and missed the second. Rahul replaced him and scored 158.But that is where the comparison ends. Mandeep and Rahul were more or less equal contenders for a spot in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s line-up in that match against Gujarat Lions. Both were young and mostly unproven T20 talents hoping to establish themselves. One got injured, the other played in his stead, and made the most of his opportunity. It must not have been too difficult for Kohli to tell a fit-again Mandeep he would have to wait a little longer.Vijay’s case is entirely different. Since the start of India’s tour of England in 2014, he has the best average among all of India’s Test batsmen. He has made hundreds in England, Australia and Bangladesh, and an important second-innings 82 in Sri Lanka, where he missed two out of three Tests with injury. In the home series against South Africa in November-December 2015, India’s last Test assignment before this West Indies tour, Vijay was India’s second-highest run-getter on pitches that were square turners by and large.You can’t easily leave out a batsman of that quality, with those numbers behind him, because he got injured and his replacement made a hundred. Kohli, of course, hadn’t actually said Vijay would sit out the St Lucia Test. He said India would still need to take a call on the situation. Going by what he said, though, it seems one of the three openers – Vijay, Rahul and Dhawan – will miss out, while Pujara keeps his place at No. 3.On Monday, anyone looking for clues in India’s training session at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium will have gone back disappointed. Vijay and Pujara were the first two batsmen in the nets, and they each spent more than half an hour batting there. Dhawan and Rahul were the next two batsmen in – they had been having slip-catching practice while Vijay and Pujara batted. There was no way to tell which of the four would miss out.Pujara has had a strange series so far, looking in good defensive shape in both innings he has played. He has spent a lot of time in the middle – helping India win a couple of crucial sessions before falling against the run of play – without being able to convert his starts into substantial scores.Ordinarily, without the intense competition among the openers, Pujara’s place would probably not have come under question just yet. India may have simply viewed it as a case of a player being on the verge of a big score. If they do retain Pujara, this may well be one reason for doing so. The other, obvious reason would be that leaving him out would force one of the openers to bat at No. 3. While it’s only one step down the batting order, it’s still a different role.If Pujara keeps his place, he will be under pressure to show he can overcome his tendency to get out after making promising starts, which has afflicted him more or less since that 2014 England tour. Dhawan too will be under pressure. He has made one substantial score in this series – 84 in Antigua – and could therefore consider himself unlucky if he happens to be the batsman dropped. But in his last 10 Test innings, including that 84, he has only scored 289 runs at an average of 32.11.Before that stretch of iffy form, Dhawan had scored back-to-back hundreds against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He may not have had the opportunity to play those knocks had Rahul not been ruled out of the series with dengue.Just over a year later, virtually the same scenario has played out all over again, with the same cast and the roles swapped around.

On his return from a long injury lay-off, Mohammed Shami has executed plans, induced edges and taken wickets. Ishant Sharma, meanwhile, still grapples with familiar concerns

Karthik Krishnaswamy08-Aug-2016Of the five bowlers India have used in the first two Tests of their West Indies tour, Mohammed Shami is the least experienced. He has also returned only recently from a long lay-off forced by a serious knee injury. But over the course of the series, he has become Virat Kohli’s go-to quick bowler in every situation, be it to execute a specific plan to a specific batsman, such as his accurate and hostile use of the bouncer against Darren Bravo, or to come on and bowl with the new ball or a reverse-swinging old ball, or, simply, as the likeliest man to break a partnership.He has become the leader of India’s pace attack, taking over that mantle from Ishant Sharma, a man who has played 56 Tests more than him.Shami on his comeback

Coming back after a long injury layoff: After the operation happened, there was definitely some doubt, but I spent 7-8 months at the National Cricket Academy, and after that all the doubt was gone, because I had worked so hard, put so much load on myself, that there was no tension over the load [workload] to come. It was just a matter of confidence. By the grace of Allah, I have started just the way I had left off, and I hope that this [bowling form] will continue for a long time.
The difficult road back to full fitness: My focus was just that I keep my weight down as much as possible. I was unfit for so long, so I my thinking was, the more I control my diet and my weight, the easier it will be for me going forward. I was in bed for two months, and I had put on 14-15 kilos, so I had to work really hard to lose that weight, and the result is in front of you.
Being part of a five-man bowling attack: As a fast bowler, you get a little more time [between spells], because it’s important to get time to rest after bowling your spell of four or five overs. If you have five bowlers, you get 10-15 overs more to regain your breath, and you come back with better rhythm, and put in more effort. It’s a big plus point for us to have two good spinners and three fast bowlers, and we have a good combination going.
Getting back into rhythm: There’s no secret. As you know, I was working very hard at the NCA. After putting a lot of [work]load, I told the doctors, the trainers, everyone, to put as much [work]load on me as possible, and try whatever they wanted to, because I didn’t want to have any doubt [about my fitness] going forward. After that, the team was also there, and I joined them. Whatever nets I could do, I did.
His use of the short ball: I’ve just tried to read the wicket as quickly as possible, which length is the ball flying from, which length should I bowl on, and which length is making the batsman uncomfortable. That has been the main thing, to keep bowling where the batsman is uncomfortable, and we have used the short ball in that manner.

Shami did not take the new ball in West Indies’ first innings in Antigua. That was understandable. He had not played Test cricket for over a year-and-a-half, and Ishant and Umesh Yadav were the incumbent quicks in the team.But Shami’s status in the attack changed almost as soon as he began his first spell of the series, in which he dismissed Rajendra Chandrika with an awkwardly rising away-seamer in the corridor. From that spell on, he has looked the most dangerous of India’s three seamers every time India have bowled.Of all of India’s bowlers in the series, fast and slow, West Indies’ batsmen have achieved their smallest control percentage – 77.05 – against Shami. While the number doesn’t paint anything like the full picture of a bowler’s effectiveness – West Indies have achieved a better control percentage against R Ashwin (81.25) than against Amit Mishra (79.47), for instance – it does suggest that Shami has kept asking them difficult questions.One interesting number is West Indies’ run rate against Shami when they have been in control. Against him, they have scored at 3.33 runs per over off the balls that have had them in trouble. Against Ishant Sharma, their not-in-control run rate is 2.66, and against Umesh, it is 1.96.This suggests that Shami has tended to find the edge where Ishant and Umesh have beaten it. In West Indies’ second innings at Sabina Park, Shami conceded 11 fours, of which five came off genuine edges and two others off near-edges, from Jermaine Blackwood playing away from his body and slicing the ball wide of gully.On that frustrating fifth day for India’s bowlers, Shami was probably unlucky not to have taken a wicket or two.Unless it’s his injury record that’s being talked about, Shami isn’t generally spoken of as an unlucky bowler. Ishant, on the other hand, has been called that right through his 70-Test career. His unlucky spells, however, are usually characterised by batsmen playing and missing rather than edging and getting away with it.Length has often been spoken of as Ishant’s major issue, and it has been said that he would become a far more threatening bowler if he pitched the ball half a foot fuller. But in many of his spells, his line has also been half a foot too wide of off stump, allowing batsmen easy leaves outside off stump.In this series, Ishant has seemed to bowl wider than ever. He probably isn’t, but it has looked that way because he has often had Shami bowling at the other end and forcing batsmen to play. They have each sent down exactly the same number of overs in the series – 59 – but where batsmen have left 131 balls from Ishant, they have only managed to leave 87 from Shami.Perhaps that is why Shami has eight wickets in the series, at an average of 24.62, and why Ishant only has four, at 45.00. Perhaps that is why Ishant, after 70 Tests, still averages 37.05.