Kim Hughes could have been a hero, but fell short. Christian Ryan has the story

Alex Malcolm08-Mar-2009

Until now the most significant historical work on the darkest period in Australian cricket was the ABC television series Cricket in the 80s: Rookies, Rebels & Renaissance. The documentary featured unprecedented access to all the major characters and dealt with the shattering incidents: Packer, the ’81 Ashes, Kim Hughes’ resignation, and the rebel tours to South Africa.Hughes, the “establishment’s golden boy”, was captain for the England tour of 1981, when Greg Chappell did not go and Rod Marsh wanted the job, adding to the tense climate of Australia’s second successive fractious trip there. “[Hughes] was always, what’s the term, not so much picked on, but you could always feel there was an undercurrent there,” Allan Border said in the documentary.Christian Ryan did not have a line to the big-name players for Golden Boy, his meticulously researched, unauthorised biography of Hughes and the “bad old days of Australian cricket”. Hughes, his family and confidants all declined interviews, as did Border, Rod Marsh, Dennis Lillee and Ian Chappell.Without the era’s A-list stars it initially seemed impossible that Ryan could provide any insight into possibly the most tortuous tenure of any Australian captain. But the lack of access matters little. Gideon Haigh, a clear mentor of Ryan’s, proclaimed Irving Rosenwater’s 1978 biography of Sir Donald Bradman the best ever written about The Don, “paradoxically, because it is the one that had least direct input from the man himself”. Golden Boy is also a masterpiece, both wonderfully entertaining and a legitimate work of historical significance.Ryan wanted to create “an unairbrushed history of an era we remember fondly but hardly knew”. His interviewing and Haigh-like construction of narrative provide an untarnished classic not only of Hughes but also of Western Australian cricket, and those who did not benefit from Packer’s revolution.Seventy-five people were interviewed, including Hughes’ former team-mates, ex-selectors, board members, and characters from his youth. There are also numerous quotes from the past, including a revealing and surprisingly text-heavy interview Marsh gave . “I honestly would prefer to play under several other players, who I think would do a better job than Kim,” Marsh said. Similar comments have been plucked from books authored by Lillee and Marsh, two of the main protagonists in the anti-Hughes camp.The eyewitness accounts of Lillee’s version of Bodyline whenever Hughes stepped into a net – “‘Sorry,’ Lillee said. ‘Oh that’s OK,’ Hughes replied. ‘Sorry I didn’t f***in’ hit ya.'” – are combined with reports of physical altercations and Chappell’s unsubtle attacks. “Three months ago, [Ian] Chappell began [a post-toss interview with Hughes], you claimed Australia possessed no Test-worthy legspinner. So what is Bob Holland doing in the team?”

	Ryan wanted to create “an unairbrushed history of an era we remember fondly but hardly knew”. His interviewing and Gideon Haigh-like construction of narrative provide an untarnished classic not only of Hughes but also of Western Australian cricket, and those who did not benefit from Packer’s revolution

Marsh said in Cricket in the 80s that the perceived “undercurrent” was blown out of proportion. “There was Marsh and Lillee, and then there was Hughes. And that we hated each other? Further from the truth you couldn’t get. We were good mates that didn’t see eye to eye on the field some of the time. Not all of the time. A lot of the time? Maybe. And as a result, I mean, we just let our feelings be known.”It all adds up to a story of a man whose life became a living hell due to the actions of the men he admired most. However, three decades later everyone is mates. “Now Kim, Dennis and Rod will have a drink together,” Ryan writes. “Greg and Ian are Kim’s friends. ‘I am sure if I got into difficulty, financial or whatever, they are the first four blokes I would ring.’ Dennis says their differences were exaggerated. Kim does not say that. But he does say they are ‘great’ mates, ‘tremendous’ mates, ‘best’ mates, as if 15 years of his life never happened.” The group seems to have gathered together and vowed never to speak of what went on.To most people who remember Hughes, he is the captain who cried when he resigned at the Gabba in 1984. However, Ryan quotes two men who don’t believe he is soft or fragile. “Rodney Hogg thinks of courage, not a crybaby, when he thinks of Kim. Daryl Foster thinks of rubberman. ‘He had many shocking days. But he would bounce back. There was no weepin’ in your beer with Kim.'”The stories are gripping, rich in detail, and confirmed by those around the set-up. While versions will be denied, there are too many accounts – and they are too consistent – to ignore. Ryan never casts his opinion, but in painting this picture all evidence points to the tragic story of a man who could have been an Australian hero, yet remains the black sheep of a golden group.Golden Boy: Kim Hughes and the bad old days of Australian cricket
by Christian Ryan
Allen and Unwin A$35

Mumbai Indians’ hot new signing on the innings that made his name, his favourite player, his golf handicap, and his, er, blanket

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi06-Apr-2009Your heart-rate has been measured at 220bpm during a match. Are you an excitable person?
Yeah, you can say that. I guess I do have a fast heart-rate, but in reality it doesn’t feel that way. I mean, it doesn’t feel abnormal for me even if it does sound like that.If you could be any other cricketer from history, who would you be?
Brian Lara. Why? Just his ability to almost dictate how he wanted to play. He could play his game in any sort of situation – bad or good didn’t matter.What’s your favourite Lara innings?
The 277 at the SCG.What’s the first thing you will buy with your IPL money?
A new house in Cape Town. I would like to buy it by the beach, but I think that’s not enough cash probably. US$950,000 – the biggest paycheck of your life?
By far. I was very shocked when I heard it, but very grateful too.Tell us one thing we don’t know about you.
I have a favourite blanket that I have kept with me since I was two years old. It is something special, something I feel very comfortable with. I need to feel it between my fingers when I’m in bed back home.Who’s the best-looking sportswoman in the world?
Ana Ivanovic.Do you know any Hindi?
Nah, not really. I have seen a few Bollywood movies, but since I don’t understand the language, I can’t recollect anything.Who is your favourite Jean-Paul – Jean-Paul Gaultier or Jean-Paul Sartre?
The first one – I’ve got a t-shirt designed by him.Did you and AB de Villiers decide who would hit the winning runs in Perth at the change of overs, before you took those three runs that got you the 50?
No, we didn’t actually decide anything like that. We needed three runs to win, and I needed three to get to my fifty. Obviously it was a nice thing for me that it ended up in that fashion, where I achieved both targets. I was overjoyed.What was the most memorable thing about that victory in Perth?
Just the manner in which we won the game. For most of the match we were sort of playing catch-up cricket. Nobody gave us a chance to cross 414 in the fourth innings, and for us to get that was just memorable.What was the best message of congratulations you got after that win?
When I spoke to my parents, both of them were in tears. No one really expected me to play in the Test matches, and for me to part of such an amazing game was an overwhelming feeling for them.Was Nelson Mandela an idol for you, growing up? What would you say you’ve learned from him?
His story is an inspiration to a lot of people in our country, and it teaches us that anything is possible with hard work. To have gone through what he has, and to achieve what he has achieved, is a big thing.Do you ever get called “dummy”?
Strange that you ask that. When we were in Pakistan in 2007, we were enjoying the “golf day”, and the organisers were thanking us for participating in the event, and when my name was announced, it was read out as “JP Dummy”.What’s your golf handicap?
12Superstar, Mr Cricket, Mama’s boy – which do you prefer?
Mama’s boy. She has always been a big cricket follower and was fortunate enough to come to Australia and watch me in the Sydney Test.

Sixty years ago he was a prodigy who served notice to the world – before he went missing and later turned up as a brave old man against the West Indies firing squad

Alan Hill04-Aug-2009All those who watched the ferocious gladiator in his magnificent opening season testify to his thrilling command as a batsman. Brian Close’s power and supremacy at the crease provided onlookers with an early demonstration of the adventurous approach that always governed his cricket.Raymond Illingworth, a close friend and later an astute ally in Yorkshire’s championship years in the 1960s, remembers the confidence of the imperious young giant. “At 18, Brian was the finest straight driver I’d ever seen. He used to pepper the rugby stand at Headingley – and that’s a big hit.”One example of Close’s striking powers came in the match against Derbyshire at Park Avenue, Bradford. Close was in opposition to the fast bowling trio of Gladwin, Jackson and Copson, all of them England players. Illingworth recalls the entry of Close and the subsequent barrage of strokes, which produced near-delirium in the spectators. Copson conceded 45 runs in five overs. As Illingworth recalls, one of Close’s two sixes rose mightily to land on the roof of the stand. The correspondent enthused: “Close gave the Derbyshire attack a Jessop-like hammering, using his long arms to hit out with terrific swings.”Trevor Bailey has watched, played and written about cricket for over 80 years. He was present when Peter Smith, his Essex colleague, was subjected to another tremendous barrage of shots. Close was unbeaten on 88, with a hundred at his beckoning, when Yorkshire declared. “It was a magnificent performance,” says Bailey. “We were all astonished by his big hitting at Headingley.” Bailey still believes that Close was the best young player of his time and was unrivalled until Sachin Tendulkar displayed his own uncommon artistry.The gods smiled on Close in the momentous summer of 1949. He became the youngest player, aged 18 years and 149 days, to represent England in a Test match. He made his debut against New Zealand at Old Trafford. Other distinctions followed. He was the youngest Yorkshireman to gain his county cap, which followed national recognition, and the youngest allrounder to achieve the double, and he was the only player ever to reach this milestone in his first season.Sporting prodigies carry the burden of high expectations. Close in his cricketing infancy was praised as a wondrous talent. There were some among the Yorkshire elders who urged more sober consideration. Jim Kilburn, the historian and cricket correspondent, offered a typically measured response. “Close has the grace and balance of a natural player of games. Nobody would wish to withhold congratulations and hopes for a famous future.” Kilburn’s next words might have been a premonition; they certainly reflected the anxiety felt by other admiring bystanders. “Hero worship and success make for a heavy wine and it would be a cricketing tragedy if unbalanced enthusiasm were to lead a young player into a mood of complacence.”The buoyancy of the rough-hewn Yorkshire boy was crushed on an ill-starred tour of Australia in 1950-51. The failure to nurture an immature youth would deprive England of an allrounder who could have vied with the greatest in the game. Close became a lonely and disconsolate boy on the tour and was derided as a misfit by his captain, Freddie Brown. Brown was an amateur martinet of the old school. He had, in fact, overridden the objections of the Yorkshire committee to include Close in the touring party. That was the worst thing that could have happened to Brian,” says another Yorkshire veteran, Ted Lester. “The promotion was too sudden; he would otherwise have been in the England team for the next 20 years.”

“The promotion was too sudden; he would otherwise have been in the England team for the next 20 years”Ted Lester, Yorkshire veteran

The late Ronnie Burnet tells a revealing story of the impact of the demoralising experience in Australia, which had, he recalled, almost resulted in Close’s giving up the game. In one long conversation Burnet had tried to dispel the clouds of depression. “You’re wasting your breath,” said Brian, “I’m finished.”Close did linger on the brink of despair for some time afterwards, but he eventually emerged from his dejection to embark on an exhilarating new phase as Yorkshire captain in the early 1960s. He was then 32 and found assurance and peace of mind in a coveted leading role. Bill Bowes, another Yorkshire elder, was among those astonished at the impact of Close as captain. “Brian’s field placings were as intelligent and antagonistic as any seen in the county for 25 years,” says Bowes.Yorkshire won four championships and two Gillette Cups in an invincible decade. Close was now the hard man of cricket folklore. His courage as a batsman was notably displayed against the ravenous West Indies pacemen in 1963, and even more remarkably at the age of 45 when he was recalled by England for the last time against other marauders from the Caribbean in 1976.His swansong as a cricketer produced new tributes when he moved to captain Somerset. At Taunton he nurtured the talents of a player who was cast in a similar coinage to his youthful self. Close rescued Ian Botham from the clutches of disapproving coaches on the Lord’s groundstaff to help propel him to legendary status.Sir Ian today says: “Closey was a great leader and a remarkable man. We will always be indebted to him. He was the man who put us on the road and transformed a happy-go-lucky band, as Somerset was regarded, into the winning machine we became.”

A look back at how England’s players contributed towards regaining the Ashes

Andrew Miller24-Aug-20099Andrew Strauss
The supreme leader. At the forefront of everything good about England’s campaign, he batted with an insouciance that put his colleagues to shame, and exuded calm authority in the field and at the crease. His final-day run-out of Michael Clarke ensured he finished as the series’ leading run-scorer, the only one of England’s statistics that went any way towards explaining the result. Neither Len Hutton nor FS Jackson could have carried an Ashes campaign more single-handedly.Jonathan Trott
Only one Test match, but what a Test match. The first cricketer for more than 100 years to make his debut in an Ashes decider, Trott conferred an instant authority on proceedings with twin innings of 41 (unluckily ended with a run-out from short leg) and that magnificent stage-setting 119. His selection was a leap of faith, with changes essential after the humiliation at Headingley.8Matt Prior
A significant contribution with bat and, more surprisingly, with the gloves. Conceivably over-promoted at No. 6, but he was second only to Strauss among England’s run-scorers, and though he lacked a major innings, his series was packed with critical cameos, particularly at Lord’s where his second-innings 61 signalled the decisive tempo change. Behind the timbers he was as flawless as he has ever been, pulling off screaming one-handers and sharp-eyed stumpings, including a fantastic grab high to his left to extract Marcus North at The Oval.Stuart Broad
The big blond allrounder in whom England’s faith is now invested. And yet, for three-and-a-half Tests, Broad’s contributions were a confusion. His bowling was out of sorts as he struggled to identify his role in the five-man attack, while his batting – ever reliable – actually seemed to be clouding the issue, as it persuaded the selectors to keep the faith when logic suggested an alternative seamer should be called upon. Thank goodness for small mercies. Broad finally found his range with a meaningless six-for in defeat at Headingley and followed up with the spell that won the series on second day at The Oval.7Graeme Swann
Decisive contributions to each of England’s victories – four second-innings scalps at Lord’s, eight in the match at The Oval – and that is all you can really ask of a match-winning spinner, especially when he slaps so many lower-order runs that he ends up averaging more than any of England’s regular middle-order. But in between whiles he was anonymous – wicketless on an apparent spinner’s surface in Cardiff, and strangely insipid at Edgbaston even after producing the greatest delivery of his career to bowl Ricky Ponting.James Anderson
Derided as a “pussy” in Justin Langer’s leaked dossier, Anderson showed at Lord’s and Edgbaston that he certainly knows how to roar. When the ball was swinging there was no-one more deadly on show, although his returns faded when pure line and length was required. Nevertheless, his consistency is growing and his threat is always there. And though his heroic run of 54 duck-less innings came to an end at The Oval, his role in the Cardiff rearguard has already entered folklore.6Graeme Swann bowled crucial spells in England’s victories and scored valuable runs as well•Getty ImagesAndrew Flintoff
You just can’t keep him down. Insignificant in Cardiff, absent at Headingley, and a wicketless source of angst for a nation at Edgbaston, the ravages inflicted on his body meant that his entire summer revolved around three individual moments – with bat, ball, and in the field. His 74 at Edgbaston was his last hurrah as a strokemaker, his dead-eyed run-out of Ricky Ponting at The Oval was the death-knell for Australia’s Ashes prospects. But towering above them both was his rumbustuous bowling on the final day at Lord’s, when few batting line-ups could have withstood his force majeure.Ian Bell
To give credit where credit’s due, England’s most lampooned batsman fronted up in two of the three Tests he played, scoring a lucky but handy 53 at Edgbaston, and a first-day 72 at The Oval that was arguably the key innings of the match. In between whiles he vanished without trace in the Headingley debacle, but he wasn’t alone in doing that. His natural diffidence will forever undermine his contributions, and Johnson’s bouncer-yorker barrages will give him nightmares long after the hangover has passed. But the boy might just have become an adolescent this week.Paul Collingwood
Gains an extra mark for the ballsiness of his final-day batting in Cardiff, without which none of what transpired would have been possible. But the limp prod to gully that ended that innings of 74 with safety still far from ensured was a harbinger of his struggles to come. Tormented by even the subtlest outswingers, he fiddled where once he had left, and his form collapsed in the final three matches. Without Pietersen’s dominance to work off, his flintiness became a flaw.Kevin Pietersen
A picture of misery as he hobbled round The Oval with his right leg in plaster, several yards adrift of his cavorting, triumphant team-mates. No-one could have envisaged an Ashes win without a major KP contribution, least of all the man himself. Nevertheless, he top-scored in the first innings at Cardiff (before that pilloried dismissal) and played through clear pain to set up the Lord’s success. The ego will recover soon enough.Graham Onions
Hugely unlucky to be muscled out for the finale, his probing full length taught his senior colleagues valuable lessons. His wickets came in clusters, including two in two balls at the start of the second day at Edgbaston, and his partnership with Anderson showed signs of growing in stature. Inked in for the winter tours, and he’ll be around for a while.5Monty Panesar
One match, one wicket, but one unforgettable performance. Who’d have thought Panesar’s batting would end up winning the Ashes?Steve Harmison
Lurked all summer long, racking up the five-fors for Durham and waiting in the wings for a chance to claim his kills. His brutal bowling for England Lions in Worcester sowed the first seeds in Phillip Hughes’ demise, and though he disappointed at Headingley after threatening with the new ball, he finally cashed in at The Oval to scatter the tail in 13 balls. Forever frustrating, but Australia fear his presence.4Alastair Cook
Forever battling with his shredded technique, Cook collared Mitchell Johnson on that decisive first morning at Lord’s, but his 95 in that innings was nearly half his series contribution. His mental fortitude kept his neck off the chopping block when batting scapegoats were being sought after Headingley, but a tally of two 50-plus scores in ten Ashes Tests is not really good enough.3Ravi Bopara
Entered the series with a fanfare on one hand, after his three centuries in a row against West Indies, and a loud raspberry on the other, as Shane Warne among others queued up to suggest that cockiness was not the sole requirement for Ashes success. Mugged by Peter Siddle on the first day at Cardiff, Bopara spent the rest of the series with his feet hovering in no-man’s land, and the gullies queuing up to collect his conviction-less prods. He’ll be back, presumably the wiser.

Stats preview to the first Test between England and West Indies at Lord’s

S Rajesh05-May-2009The Ashes may be the showcase event of the season, but before England take a crack at Australia, they have the not-so-insignificant task trying to regain the Wisden Trophy after West Indies wrested it with a 1-0 series win a couple of months back. For all West Indian fans that win has raised hopes of a revival of West Indian fortunes, but for that to happen the team will have to perform well consistently overseas, a task they’ve struggled to achieve over the last year years. The last time they won an overseas series against meaningful opposition was in 1994-95, against New Zealand. The last time they won a series in England was way back in 1988; since then they’ve drawn two series and lost the last three. (Click here for all England-West Indies series in England since 1990.)England have their own house to set in order before the Ashes, and a comprehensive win against West Indies will be just the right boost for Andrew Strauss and Co before the Australians arrive.Historically, West Indies have won more than they have lost against England, but the gap is narrowing, especially in Tests in England: the Windies have had a dismal time here of late, losing ten of the last 13, including three out of four in their last series, in 2007.

Tests between England and West Indies

PlayedEng wonWI wonDrawnIn England78282921In England since 2000131012At Lord’s18747Overall143415349Most of the West Indian batsmen have struggled to cope with the swing and seam of England recently, but the one player who has been the glorious exception is Shivnarine Chanderpaul, with more than 1000 runs in England in 11 Tests, at a superb average of nearly 78. He has scored at least a half-century in each of his last five innings.The rest haven’t even managed half his average: Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan both average in the mid-to-late 30s.

West Indian batsmen in England

BatsmanTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sShivnarine Chanderpaul11109077.853/ 7Chris Gayle962038.751/ 4Ramnaresh Sarwan946535.761/ 2Devon Smith621519.540/ 0Denesh Ramdin412718.140/ 1England’s batsmen have fared much better against West Indies, which is exactly what you’d expect against a bowling attack which has lost much of its ferocity. The only batsman with disappointing stats is their captain, Strauss, who averages less than 35.

England batsmen v West Indies at home

BatsmanTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sKevin Pietersen446666.572/ 1Matt Prior432464.801/ 2Paul Collingwood435959.832/ 0Alastair Cook439856.852/ 2Andrew Strauss848534.641/ 2Among England’s bowlers in the current squad, only two have played West Indies at home. One of them, Monty Panesar, has especially enjoyed himself, with three five-wicket hauls in four Tests.

England bowlers versus West Indies at home

BowlerTestsWicketsAverage5WI/ 10WMMonty Panesar42318.693/ 1James Anderson3731.280/ 0The venue for the first Test will offer plenty of cheer for the batsmen: the last six Tests have all been drawn, with West Indies being involved in one of them, in 2007. (Click here for all results at Lord’s since 2000.)The innings-wise runs-per-wicket stats indicate how easy the conditions here have been for batsmen over the last three years: in the first innings teams average almost 60 per wicket, and while it drops significantly in the second innings, teams have managed to bat long in their second try as well, suggesting that the pitch stays excellent throughout the entire duration of the game.

Innings-wise runs per wicket at Lord’s since May 2006

1st innings2nd innings3rd innings4th innings58.3330.6846.8445.00As you’d expect, almost all the current England batsmen have relished playing here. Paul Collingwood averages 45.33, and his average is the lowest of the lot among the top order.

England batsmen at Lord’s

BatsmanTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sKevin Pietersen780280.204/ 2Matt Prior219063.331/ 0Alastair Cook654260.222/ 4Andrew Strauss1095959.933/ 4Paul Collingwood640845.332/ 1Among the bowlers, Anderson has been among the wickets, with two five-wicket hauls in five matches. Panesar has one five-for too, against West Indies in 2007, but Stuart Broad has found wicket-taking far more difficult here.

England bowlers at Lord’s

BowlerTestsWicketsAverage5WI/ 10WMJames Anderson52227.132/ 0Monty Panesar61839.161/ 0Stuart Broad2561.000/ 0As the table below indicates, there hasn’t been much joy for pace bowlers or for spinners during this period.

Pace and spin at Lord’s over the last three years

WicketsAverage5WI/ 10WMPace11744.112/ 0Spin4540.042/ 0

The flawed reverse-sweep will not stop replaying in Younis Khan’s head for a while. It will haunt

Sidharth Monga at the P Sara Oval14-Jul-2009Eat your heart out KP. Fret not, Misbah, you have company. For years to come, Younis Khan’s reverse-sweep will be discussed, debated, derided, and blamed for the final collapse that cost Pakistan the match and the series. By the time you read this, shot would have played thousands of times on the loop, reminding everyone of what could have been.Consider the circumstance: Pakistan staged a comeback in true original style. After getting bowled out for 90 on the first morning, they bowled incredibly well to keep the deficit down to 150 following which the debutant Fawad Alam, opening for the first time in first-class cricket, scored a big century. Along with Fawad, Younis had added 200 for the second wicket to stretch the lead to 135. The bowling seemed at their mercy, a big target was on the cards, and the momentum was theirs.Then the rush of blood to the head. Perhaps over-confidence against the spinners. It was the first ball of a part-time spinner’s spell, and Younis inverted his stance. Out came a full toss outside leg, which he chased and connected with. On many occasions it would have lobbed behind the wicketkeeper but today it ricocheted off his right shoulder and went straight to the wicketkeeper, much like Kevin Pietersen’s sweep off Nathan Hauritz in Cardiff last week. Pakistan duly collapsed, losing nine wickets for 35.”Yes [it’s replaying in my head]. I am still thinking if I hadn’t played that shot, we would have been in a completely different situation,” Younis said after Pakistan squandered all the hard work over the last two days.It didn’t answer the questions. Was he not thinking when he played the shot? Was he thinking too much? Did he feel he needed to dominate? Did he not know his undercooked team was prone to collapsing? The truth perhaps is that when you are batting in full flow these thoughts don’t cross your mind. This was after all the same shot that he had so effectively employed repeatedly against the same team during his triple-hundred in Karachi earlier this year. Only against a much better spinner – Muttiah Muralitharan.Still, Younis cannot hide. This shot will not stop replaying in his head and, for a while, it will haunt him. It will also probably hide the other factors responsible for the defeat. What, for example, of the rest of the batsmen, experienced campaigners most of them? For the third time in a row, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal were part of a collapse. That somehow will be forgotten when we look back at this Test two years from now.”I have been saying for the last four-five years that if one person commits a mistake, the others shouldn’t,” Younis said. “If we hadn’t added 200, then what would have happened? I don’t point fingers at anybody – I never blamed Salman Butt [for throwing his wicket away in Galle]. This is a team game.”Or what of Daryl Harper’s umpiring errors, which could make a case for hurrying in the era of umpire review systems? Or, for that matter, carrying reserve umpires on tours to replace a man in poor form. Harper didn’t have a special Test in Galle, and today two of his four lbw calls looked decidedly wrong, and two appeared to have enough doubt.It is also worth noting that the pitch did not have any monsters in it, which would mean that a set batsman didn’t need to take risks and could think of playing out the game. The other argument would be that the pressure had already been lifted and put on the opposition. Logic will also suggest that for once the other batsmen should have fought the momentum swing. Allowance will be made for the way Shoaib Malik got out – many stronger blows to the stumps than this flying kiss have failed to dislodge the bails. In the end, though, we will come back to the shot Younis played.We remember Sachin Tendulkar’s attempt at an inside-out shot off Saqlain Mushtaq at Chennai in 1999, not the last three wickets falling for four runs. Pietersen’s shot is still being talked about in greater length than England’s toothless bowling. It’s a cruel sport, and Younis will be reminded time and again of a task that he started so well but left unfinished because of a cute shot. One shot. No retake.

Sachin Tendulkar’s has become such a scientific art these days that he has managed to eliminate risk and has almost made batting appear a routine. It’s amazing how he has taken a capricious art and made it look a risk-free activity

Sriram Veera in Chittagong18-Jan-2010Watching Sachin Tendulkar bat these days is almost like watching a re-run of one’s favourite TV show. When the innings is over, one is hard-pressed to remember a single stand-out shot; not because there aren’t any but because, having been essayed so many times over 20 years, nothing screams out. That pull, that cover drive, the slog sweep and those punchy drives invoke a sense of familiarity, which in this case, breeds not contempt but respect.The match situation on Sunday controlled his style. Shakib was trying to trap him lbw but Tendulkar didn’t oblige. He went back, took care not to get the front leg across and played the ball late. Now and then, Shakib would drop his arm rounder or get it higher and try to surprise Tendulkar with a variation in trajectory but didn’t succeed. Time and again, Shakib would slip in the arm-ball and the one that would gently go on with the line outside off stump, Tendulkar played the former with the straightest bat possible and tapped the latter just past silly point.It’s not that his shots are risk-free, in the conventional sense of the term, but they rarely look cheeky or desperate. Yesterday, occasionally, he played the paddle shot and the slog sweep. When Tendulkar plays them, you realize they aren’t employed for the mere sake of exhibitionism, rather, they come out of an extremely calculating mind. You can predict what he is going to do but somehow you don’t think he can be stopped.There were two errors yesterday. The second one was borne out of the circumstance. In the company of the tail and needing quick runs, he top-edged a pull but it fell clear. The first one revealed more; it was a bouncing delivery outside off stump and Tendulkar edged his intended punchy back-foot shot but first slip couldn’t hold on to the tough chance.What happened next was interesting. Two balls later, Shafiul Islam almost sent down the same ball that had caused the error. This time, Tendulkar got his hands high, got himself in a better position for the extra bounce and upper cut it over backward point for a four. It didn’t feel like indulgence, neither did it feel like a statement. It just seemed as the ideal shot for that ball. There were no adrenalin-pumped moments that followed the shot as Tendulkar returned to cautious mode.You could have bet that Brian Lara would have continued to impose himself yesterday, even, and especially, considering the match situation. His ego wouldn’t have allowed him to bat out quiet periods against a Bangladeshi attack; he would have chosen to counterattack. Tendulkar’s seems to be more complex; he doesn’t like to fall prey to his ego. It’s a feature of the almost-maniacal, critical self-control that accompanies the Bombay school of batsmanship. They rarely indulge themselves.Tendulkar’s has become such a scientific art these days that he has managed to eliminate risk and has almost made batting appear a routine. It’s amazing how he has taken a capricious art and made it look a risk-free activity. It’s where he started to drift away from Lara.It was said, early in his career, that Tendulkar was a mixture of Gavaskar and Richards and at some point, he left the Richards persona behind and went the way of Gavaskar.On the way to his 44th Test hundred, he crossed 13,000 Test runs and by the end of the innings, he had reached 13,075. Later, he said about the crossing, “I was aware but not that I was counting.” You bet his fans are and they must be keeping a close eye on Ricky Ponting’s run counter as well: 11,859 runs and 39 Test hundreds. They used to fret about Lara before; its Ponting now. The more the things change, the more they remain the same.

Suresh Raina’s hundred in the tri-series final may not have resulted in victory but, given the context of his career and recent criticism, it is a significant effort on the personal front

Sriram Veera at the Shere Bangla National Stadium13-Jan-2010It wasn’t a match-winning knock, it certainly wasn’t a great innings but it is an effort that Suresh Raina won’t forget in a hurry. The match situation and his troubles in the recent past provided the context to make it an interesting innings to watch. Raina has been a marked man recently, slowly slipping towards anonymity even as another young man Virat Kohli was stealing the thunder. Nothing has gone right for Raina ever since the Twenty20 World Cup when he was grounded by the bouncers. Word caught on and even domestic bowlers started to serve the short stuff. Humiliation was at his door step. Raina went for advice to the likes of Rahul Dravid, sought out Gary Kirsten, faced throw-downs, faced balls blasted from tennis racquets, but it is not an ailment that vanishes overnight.Even today, his start wasn’t promising. He kept going back even as the bowlers kept it full and it seemed like he was expecting the short stuff – may be this one will be a short, may be this, surely this will rear up at least? It was almost painful to see the otherwise gorgeously fluent batsman retreat deep inside the crease on a flat track as if he expected a bouncer every ball. He looked a like a man walking the Green Mile.And there were curious little brain-freezes from time to time that made you question his temperament. Off the ninth ball he faced, he went for an ambitious shot, that had more than a tinge of desperation to it, and would have been caught had mid-off not be stationed slightly wide. India were 63 for 5 then. If it was an attempted counter-punch, it was a very lame one, something that was borne out of hope rather than conviction. Clarity of thought seemed to be missing as he teased short cover a couple of times with uppish push-drives. It was around this point that Sri Lanka should have tightened the noose but they failed to and Raina effected the jail-break. Sri Lanka ran out of steam, they pulled back, the bowling definitely lost sting and they let the game drift away. Raina went on to seize the day.Sri Lanka bowled less than five short deliveries at him through the innings. Only one climbed to a potentially disconcerting height. Perhaps the pitch wasn’t conducive; perhaps they wanted to hurt him with the thought of bouncers rather than actually unleashing them on him and perhaps, the bowlers were spent after the initial burst. Slowly but surely, Raina started to look the part.Even that signature shot over cover returned. In international cricket today, only Herschelle Gibbs’ hit over cover comes close to Raina’s but though Gibbs’ strike matches his in brutality, it lags behind, slightly, in beauty. It is a shot that shows that all is well in the world of Raina. It means he is not thinking about the short one, it means the weight transfer to the front foot has been completed quickly and confidently, and it means that the bat-swing has come through without any self-doubt lurking in the back of the brain. It is a here-and-now shot. The toughest bouncer of the day arrived almost immediately but by then Raina had turned the corner; the short-pitched lifter was upper-cut to the third-man boundary, the fifty was brought up, and Raina had turned the clock back to his good days.He lofted and swept Suraj Randiv for boundaries, played a delightful inside-out lofted cover drive against the same bowler, and sent Chanaka Welegedera to the cover boundary. The hundred came up and he celebrated with a hop, skip and jump for joy routine. It was a special moment for someone who had been haunted by his short-comings in the recent past.

Chittagong offers branded clothes for cheap, and great views for free

Tamim Iqbal03-Nov-2010Visit Bhatiary Sunset Point and Boat Club
Chittagong is getting busier but if you get out of the city and reach Sunset Point at Bhatiary just before the sun goes down behind the ships in the shipbreaking yard, into the Bay of Bengal, you have a sight to behold. The Boat Club there has one of the most relaxing settings. Take a boat ride through the dark waters of the quiet, hilly lake and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.Shop at Johur Hawkers Market
A shopper’s paradise if you are into street shopping. Be prepared to bargain hard and with perseverance you never know what gem you can come up with. Branded clothing at very low prices is there for the taking. You will be spoilt for choice – there’s all kinds of clothes for kids and adults, and although these are supposed to be rejects, you’ll struggle to find faults in them.Eat at GEC More
This is a “happening” place, with hotels, restaurants, bakeries, banks and shopping malls. Also, eateries to suit every taste. My favourite is Handi at Dampara. It has exquisite Indian dishes and is a hot spot. Be ready to wait for a table, though. For a nice Chinese/Thai experience, the Pavilion or the Meridian are good choices. The traffic jams can be annoying at times but this is where everyone wants to be after sunset, as eating out is a popular tradition in Chittagong. If you love sweets then a must-go spot is Well Food – the best cakes, pastries, doughnuts and sweet goodies in town.Visit the war cemetery, old Court House, and Master Da Surya Sen’s raided armoury
Even if you are not into history, a trip to Chittagong will not be complete without a visit to the World War Two Cemetery at Badsha Miah Road. It is hard to imagine that such a serene spot can exist amid the hustle and bustle of the city. The Old Court House is another British-era relic which people from all over the world come to see. Chittagong’s fighting spirit is epitomised by the preserved armoury near the old railway station junction, which the freedom fighter Master Da Surya Sen had raided during the anti-British movement.Go to Batali Hill, Foy’s Lake
When I was young I used to go up the rolling path of Batali Hill with friends to watch the city from the vantage point on top. Always a good idea to go in a group at dawn to watch the sunrise, and at dusk to see the glittering city lights. Foy’s Lake Resort is also a cool spot for many water sports, and staying at one of their lakeside motels can be a treat.

Inexperienced West Indies bowlers will find it extremely difficult to counter the powerful Sri Lankan line up in batting friendly conditions.

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan14-Nov-2010West Indies’ decline over the last decade has been so rapid that for the first time since the 1930s, their win-loss ratio in a decade has fallen below 0.50. Their away record fell away since 1996-97, when they lost their first away series after 17 years. Since 2000, they have won six and lost 38 of their away matches, including just two wins in matches not involving Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. An indication of the team’s instability is that they have had ten captains since 1997. West Indies last won an away series in 2003-04 against Zimbabwe and have lost all five Tests played in Sri Lanka since 2000.

West Indies’ declining Test record

	Played	Win	Loss	Draw	W/L ratio
Overall	465	152	154	158	0.98
1980s	82	43	8	31	5.37
1990s	81	30	28	23	1.07
Overall since Jan 2000	111	18	61	32	0.29
Away since Jan 2000	55	6	38	11	0.16

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are a much more formidable outfit at home than away. Their home record since 2000 is next only to Australia and England. Sri Lanka have lost only one series at home in the last five years and four since 2000. They have dominated West Indies completely in both the series played in Sri Lanka, winning all five Tests. In the 2001-02 series, they comfortably triumphed 3-0 despite Brian Lara scoring 688 runs, more than 40% of the West Indies’ total aggregate. They won 2-0 in 2005-06 against a weakened West Indian team, and will be firm favourites this time round against an inexperienced and unsettled team. They have won four of their last five series, with the sole draw coming in the most recent series against India.

Sri Lanka’s outstanding home record

	Played	Win	Loss	Draw	W/L ratio
Overall	195	61	70	64	0.87
Home since Jan 2000	56	32	12	12	2.66
Away since Jan 2000	43	13	20	10	0.65
Against WI at home since 2000	5	5	0	0	–

West Indian batsmen average just 28.21 since November 2007 and just over 26 in away matches. Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul will have to shoulder the bulk of the burden in the absence of Ramnaresh Sarwan, who made three half centuries on the tour in 2001. Gayle has been in good form since the last two years scoring five centuries including two hundreds in consecutive Tests in Australia. Chanderpaul averaged more than 100 in 2007 and 2008 before seeing a dip in form last year, when he averaged just over 35. He made a century in the Test series against South Africa and is undoubtedly the mainstay of the West Indian middle order. Adrian Barath had a fantastic beginning in Australia where he made a century on debut at Brisbane. He, together with Brendan Nash and Dwayne Bravo, will provide the much needed boost to the West Indian batting.

West Indian batsmen since Nov 2008

Batsman	Matches	Runs	Average	100	50
Chris Gayle	15	1203	52.30	5	4
Shivnarine Chanderpaul	14	968	50.94	3	5
Brendan Nash	15	889	37.04	2	6
Dwayne Bravo	6	342	31.09	1	2
Adrian Barath	2	139	34.75	1	0

Unlike West Indies, Sri Lanka have no problems on the batting front. All the main batsmen have been in exceptional form over the last two years and are even more dangerous in home conditions. Mahela Jayawardene averages nearly 75 at Galle in the last five years and Tillakaratne Dilshan nearly 69 at an impressive strike rate of 90. Kumar Sangakkara, though, has not had the best time at this venue averaging just over 37 with a single century. Thilan Samaraweera averages more than 80 over the last two years with three centuries and three fifties in eight home matches. Sri Lanka have had 24 century partnerships in home Tests since November 2007, the most by any team after India and Jayawardene has been involved in 11 of them. The Sri Lankan batsmen have consistently outperformed visiting batsmen and since November 2007; they average nearly 43 while visiting teams average 29.

Sri Lanka batsmen since Nov 2008

Batsman	Matches	Runs	Average	100	50
Thilan Samaraweera	15	1692	80.57	5	8
Kumar Sangakkara	15	1660	66.40	6	7
Mahela Jayawardene	15	1651	63.50	5	4
Tillakaratne Dilshan	15	1373	57.20	6	3
Tharanga Paranavitana	13	822	35.73	2	4

West Indies dominated world cricket for much of the 1970s and 1980s primarily because of their superior bowling attack. The quality of the attack has declined consistently since the mid 1990s and has proved to be the worst in the world over the last two years. The inexperienced bowling attack is led by Kemar Roach, whose pace troubled most Australians including Ricky Ponting. Darren Sammy, the new captain, and Dwayne Bravo will complete the pace attack. Sulieman Benn has been the best spinner and highest wicket taker for the West Indies in the last two years, but will be under high pressure to deliver against a top batting side in batting-friendly conditions.Muttiah Muralitharan’s retirement has definitely meant that Sri Lanka have lost a huge match winner, especially in home Tests. Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis, though, will be a challenge in spin friendly conditions for a West Indian team traditionally weak against spin. The pace attack is definitely weaker without Chaminda Vaas and while Thilan Thushara has been the pick of the fast bowlers in the last three years, Dammika Prasad and Angelo Matthews have struggled to make inroads.Galle has always been a venue with a fair degree of assistance to the bowlers. When compared to most of the other venues in Sri Lanka, it is the only ground where pace bowlers have been able to perform better than spinners. In the last three years, pace bowlers average 32.93 to the spinners’ 34.41 and have picked up more wickets than spinners.Sangakkara and Jayawardene have been the two best Sri Lankan batsmen for almost a decade now. They have figured in 12 century stands since January 2000, with eight of them coming in home Tests. During the same period, they were also involved in a record 624-run stand against South Africa. While Sangakkara averages 62.66 at home and 50.24 away, Jayawardene is much more prolific in home Tests, averaging 65.79 to 44.28 away. Since November 2005, Sangakkara has been equally successful against pace and spin in away Tests (Tests not involving Bangladesh and Zimbabwe) whereas Jayawardene averages nearly 20 less against pace bowlers. But in home Tests, both batsmen have been much more dominant against pace and spin. They average over 69 against pace and 85 against spinners. Perhaps the sole consolation for a pace dominated West Indies attack is that both batsmen are slightly less successful against quality pace.

Jayawardene and Sangakkara since Nov 2005 (teams except Bangladesh and Zimbabwe)

Batsman	Bowler type	Venue	Runs	Balls faced	Wickets	Average
Kumar Sangakkara	pace	home	1108	1752	16	69.25
Mahela Jayawardene	pace	home	1105	2045	16	69.06
Kumar Sangakkara	spin	home	1027	1925	12	85.58
Mahela Jayawardene	spin	home	1022	1964	12	85.16
Kumar Sangakkara	pace	away	961	1696	18	53.38
Mahela Jayawardene	pace	away	846	1597	19	44.52
Kumar Sangakkara	spin	away	485	944	9	53.88
Mahela Jayawardene	spin	away	707	1302	11	64.27