All posts by n8rngtd.top

As the Dukes cherry gains popularity for its hardiness, its makers are looking to spread to markets outside of England

Scott Oliver25-Nov-2015They say the best form of advertising is word of mouth. If those mouths happen to be in front of a TV camera or microphone, then so much the better.For cricket ball manufacturer Dukes, the fallout from the summer’s Ashes was pretty good. First Ricky Ponting – lifelong user of Kookaburra kit, whose balls are used in Australia’s domestic first-class cricket – proposed that the Dukes should be used in all Sheffield Shield games. Then Shane Warne weighed in: “The Kookaburra ball goes soft, it’s no good, it doesn’t do enough. We need to use the Dukes ball, it does more. It swings more and it seams more, so why aren’t we using it?”Of course, it was all music to the ears of Dukes owner, Dilip Jajodia, although he is keen to proffer an important caveat: “It’s nice of Shane to suggest that, but I would add [that the balls need to be] produced to cope with the general playing conditions in a given country. It can’t be the same surface finish for all countries. We do have the ability to adjust the surface protection according to what’s required.”These comments appear especially pertinent now, with cricket on the cusp of its brave new world of day-night Tests and with concerns over the durability of the pink Kookaburra ball on abrasive Australian pitches.Jajodia believes that for day-night cricket, the white ball is best for visibility, as opposed to the pink variant•Scott OliverTwo years ago, Jajodia attended a set of tests conducted by Cricket Australia under lights in Melbourne, the upshot of which was that an orange ball with a black seam that he provided was deemed the best by the players involved in the experiment, although it was ultimately rejected due to “a myth that the orange ball leaves a ‘comet trail’ on the monitors of cameramen”. Even so, he believes neither pink nor orange is optimal for day-night Test cricket. “You cannot dye the cricket ball any other colour than red for it to be effective for cricket,” he points out. “When you dye the ball orange, you lose the fluorescence when it goes into the pores. It becomes a ‘dirty’, burnt-orange colour.”If you want a ball that’s really visible in day-night conditions, obviously white is proven to be the best. The traditionalists say you can’t wear coloured clothing for Test cricket. I think that’s over-exaggerated.”Jajodia is trying to get his products into more umpires’ rooms, to increase his market share (currently, his Dukes County Grade A red ball is used for all Tests and first-class cricket in England and the West Indies; boxes have been sent to the boards of Sri Lanka and India for testing; he supplies balls for grass-roots cricket in Auckland, Gauteng, Queensland and elsewhere).Jadojia moved to England from Bangalore as a qualified insurer in his twenties, and started his own sports mail-order firm, Morrant, in 1973. His success selling balls to league cricket led to an invitation to do the same at Dukes, and Jajodia bought the brand outright in 1987 when “it was at a low ebb”. By then, with the skilled workforce retiring or dying off and no one willing or able to replace them, the factory was relocated from Tonbridge in Kent, where it had been established in 1760, to Walthamstow in east London. Experienced stitchers from the subcontinent were brought in on six-month contracts, until visa restrictions were tightened in the wake of 9/11: “The Home Office said they needed a university degree. I said: ‘No, these blokes are craftsmen. They haven’t been to college!'”James Anderson: a fan of the Dukes ball, but only if it swings straightaway•Getty ImagesAlthough the “skilled part of the manufacturing process”, the hand-stitching, is now all done abroad, there is still a great deal of native know-how and discernment brought to bear on the UK side, beginning with the selection of the hides in the tannery: “You use the middle four strips of leather from the back [of the animal] – the middle two for the Test balls – and when you cut the four quarters, you ensure they’re consistent for density and strength. If you didn’t have a factory that went into so much detail – if you were just cutting out strips and knocking out quarters – then you could have three quarters from the back and one from the belly, which is weak and stretchy. They look pretty similar but the composition is different. All the natural pressure will be pushing that quarter out, separating it. After a while, the ball will be out of shape.”We’re dealing with natural materials: the leather, the cork and latex used in the centres. They could all vary slightly – What did the animal eat? Was it sick? – and they could all react slightly differently to different conditions. We have to try and be as consistent as possible, but no two balls are exactly the same.”Of course, given all the interacting variables in the selection, cutting, dyeing, stitching and moulding (or “milling”) of the leather, and in the subsequent stamping, lamping, greasing and lacquering, standardisation can never be absolute. In fact, a ball’s individuality extends to “tolerances” in its dimensions: a circumference of between nine and eight-and-thirteen-sixteenth inches, with the weight between 156 and 163 grams. Jajodia’s personal feeling is “that a cricket ball isn’t a product where you can just mass-produce it at the top level. That personal magic can’t be put into it.” Not only does the hand-stitched seam keep its proudness for longer, helping maintain the rudder effect, the quarter-seam is always closed tight, giving the ball a smooth surface, both of which assist swing.While Jajodia claims he can spot who has stitched a ball from the thread on the seam – “It’s like a person’s handwriting: each guy has his own technique” – he cannot say exactly how he comes to pick out the sets of 12 balls – each of which takes four hours of craftsmanship – that are set aside for a Test match. “I’m a self-appointed feeler of cricket balls, but don’t ask me how I choose. There’s no precise formula. It just has to feel right, as Jimmy Anderson would tell you. He’s just got to feel happy about it. He can be a little moody about it if it doesn’t behave exactly how it wants it to. If he gets a wicket in the first over, he’s the best ambassador I’ve got, but if it doesn’t swing straightaway, well…”A craftsman at work in the Dukes factory in Walthamstow, east London•Scott OliverJajodia is grateful for the feedback from the likes of Anderson, much as he seeks the feedback of batsmen, to be sure the ball has the right feel on the bat. Yet the individuality of each ball, and the variability within each model, means the testing process is imprecise. And there’s the rub with handmade balls: you never know how good an instrument they are until a virtuoso such as Anderson starts to play them.”The problem with a cricket ball is, it fails in use,” Jajodia says. “You can’t test it. You can’t bounce it like a tennis ball, then put it on the market. If you bounce it a couple of times, it’s second-hand. Despite that, you’ve got to try and produce perfection – and that includes deterioration.”Ultimately it’s the widespread sense of a skewing of the balance between bat and ball – cricket administration’s eternal problem – that motivates Dukes to get their white ball introduced to international limited-overs tournaments, to be ready to provide a ball for day-night Tests, and to drop their red leather cherry into more and more Test-playing territories.That said, Jajodia remains mindful that there is no perfect balance. “The ICC and the MCC are expressing concern with the balance between bat and ball, but I couldn’t get out of them what the concern was. Was it that the ball was too effective? Or is it that the bats are too good and the ball’s being whacked out of the park? If you had a Test match that goes on for five days, they’d say, ‘Oh, this is boring. Nobody wants to watch them anymore.’ If you had a game that was over in three days, they’d say there’s something wrong with the ball: the game’s over early, and they’re losing money. You can’t tinker all the time. You’ve just got to accept that the odd game will be finished in two days, and the odd game will be a boring draw. It’s not always about the ball.”

Stats highlights from a run-fest on the third day at the WACA

S Rajesh15-Nov-2015235* Ross Taylor’s score, the highest by a New Zealand batsman in Tests against Australia – he went past Martin Crowe’s 188 at the Gabba in 1985. Kane Williamson’s 166 is the third-highest. Five of the nine highest scores for New Zealand against Australia have been in Perth. Taylor’s current score is also the joint fifth-best by an overseas batsman in Australia.1 Double-centuries scored by an overseas batsman in a Perth Test – Taylor is the first to achieve this feat. The previous-best was 196, by Hashim Amla in 2012. Australian batsmen have scored five double-hundreds in Tests here. This is also the first instance of two double-centuries being scored in a Test match in Perth, and the first instance of three 150-plus scores in a Test in Australia.265 The partnership between Williamson and Taylor, the highest for New Zealand against Australia. The previous-best was also in Perth, in 2001, when Nathan Astle and Adam Parore added 253 for the eighth wicket. It’s New Zealand’s second-highest for the third wicket in all Tests, and the fifth-best for this wicket by any pair against Australia.262 Runs scored by Taylor in ten previous Test innings in Australia, with a highest of 75 and an average of 26.20.105.12 Williamson’s Test average in 2015 – he has scored 841 runs in nine innings, including four hundreds. Among all New Zealand batsmen who have scored 750-plus runs in any calendar year, Williamson’s average is the best.6 Instances of two 250-plus stands in the same Test – David Warner and Usman Khawaja had added 302 in Australia’s first innings. All of these six instances have happened since 2005, and three of those Tests have been in Australia – the other two instances were against India in Sydney in 2012, and against England at the Gabba in 2010.4 Pairs who have put together two or more 250-plus stands for the third wicket*. Before this partnership of 265, Williamson and Taylor had also added 262 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2012. The other pairs to achieve this are Hashim Amla-Jacques Kallis (three times), Mahela Jayawardene-Kumar Sangakkara, and Mohammad Yousuf-Younis Khan (twice each).5 Tests in Australia where both teams have topped 500 in their first innings. This is the first such instance at the WACA. Three of those five games have been in Adelaide, and all three in the period between 2003 and 2008.3 Instances of two New Zealand batsmen making 150-plus scores in the same Test innings of an away game (including neutral venues). The two previous instances were in 1972, in Georgetown, and last year in Sharjah. Also, the number of New Zealand batsmen who have more than one Test century in Australia: Martin Crowe, Andrew Jones, and Williamson (two each).1 New Zealand batsman who has scored hundreds in successive Tests against Australia – Williamson is the first. Glenn Turner, though, has scored a century in each innings of a Test against Australia, in Christchurch in 1974.2302 International runs for Williamson in 2015, the highest ever in a calendar year by a New Zealand batsman; the next-best also belongs to Williamson – 1933 in 2014.5030 Test runs for Taylor – he is the fifth New Zealander to top 5000 runs in Tests.38.17 The average runs per wicket in Tests in Australia since the beginning of 2012. Among all countries, it’s second-highest, after the average in Bangladesh (41.29).* Nov 16, 0400GMT: This has been edited to include partnerships for the third wicket only.

Like his idol Shane Warne, Sandeep Lamichhane appears to have the full repertoire. With a hat-trick against Ireland to seal Nepal’s place in the quarter-finals, he couldn’t have asked for a better start to his career

Mohammad Isam30-Jan-2016″I have leg-break, googly, flipper, top spin and zooter.”Sandeep Lamichhane’s idol is Shane Warne so it is hardly surprising that the Nepal spinner says that he has the full repertoire. On his Twitter page, Lamichhane describes himself as “RIGHT ARM LEG BREAK GOOGLY BOWLER”. So, now you know.Lamichhane took a hat-trick in his five-wicket haul against Ireland, who were soundly beaten by eight wickets in Fatullah. The win meant Nepal have now booked a place in the last eight of the Under-19 World Cup for the first time. It is hard not to imagine the madness back home in Nepal, where cricket is now considered the No.1 sport.In his first spell, Lamichhane removed Gary McClintock with a full delivery that the batsman drove straight to long-off. When he was brought back in the 32nd over, Lamichhane turned the game on its head with his hat-trick. The first of those wickets was that of Lorcan Tucker, who was caught by Dipendra Singh Airee at midwicket.Next ball, Adam Dennison edged to the wicketkeeper and captain Raju Rijal before Fiachra Tucker became the hat-trick victim after he missed a straight ball. Lamichhane later added the wicket of William McClintock in the 34th over as Ireland slipped to 83 for 7, with Nepal’s maiden quarter-final place nearly sealed.It is likely that Lamichhane’s hat-trick was the fifth in the Under-19 World Cup, after Jermaine Lawson (West Indies vs Zimbabwe, 2000), Kamrul Islam Rabbi (Bangladesh vs Ireland, 2010), Harry Conway (Australia v Nepal, 2012) and Kuldeep Yadav (India v Scotland, 2014). Lamichhane, who is from Chitwan in Nepal, however said that the win was more important than the hat-trick, which he was confident of grabbing after picking up the first two wickets in the 32nd over.”It was awesome,” Lamichhane told ESPNcricinfo. “When I got my third wicket, my single focus was on taking the hat-trick. This is my first time that I took one actually.”What was more important than the hat-trick was that we won an important game and qualified for the quarter-finals. I hope we can continue the same way in other matches.”Lamichhane first heard of cricket before actually watching it on television. He had earlier taken 1 for 41 against New Zealand in the first group stage match, having already taken five wickets in the warm-up games.”When I was young, I heard news of cricket in radio. And watched a lot of matches in television. My coach, the management and everyone in Nepal helped me in my cricket,” he said.In the space of two days in this competition, legspinner Lamichhane, left-arm spinner Mahipal Lomror and offspinner Wesley Madhevere have taken five-fors. It is as clear a sign as any that spin will slowly be more dominating in the tournament. Lamichhane, having got into the habit of taking wickets on Bangladeshi wickets, will no doubt be one to watch out for in the rest of the tournament.

Sulieman Benn rates his team-mates on dancing, dress sense, football skills and more

Interview by Jack Wilson24-May-2016How does it feel to be a T20 World Cup winner?
Incredible, amazing, tremendous. To win the World Cup at my age is just the pinnacle of my career. It feels so good to know I’ve contributed so much to a winning cause. I don’t think it will get much better than that.And what was the party like after?
Not good, actually! There were issues with the security at our hotel after the game, so we couldn’t have a real good party. The best ones happened before the final. I’ll never forget them.You are 6ft 7in tall but bowl spin. What happened?
I always enjoyed watching quick bowlers but that’s it. I never had the passion to be a quick bowler. I never thought about it. I enjoyed the art of spinning far more. I feel us spinners are the artful side of the game.Who is the most naturally talented player you have ever played with?
I have played with quite a few. A guy called Martin Nurse for Barbados was a very, very naturally talented player with both bat and ball. He didn’t push on for whatever reason but he could really play.What would you be if you were not a cricketer?
I’d love to be a footballer. Failing that, a singer.Who is the best footballer in the West Indies warm-ups?
Marlon Samuels is very good.And the worst?
Darren Sammy. He never passes the ball!Who is the best captain you have played under?
Kirk Edwards. He just got things done effectively and was a real good man manager. He did some very good things for Barbados.

“If I was stuck on a desert island with Tino Best, he would drive me up the wall and I’d probably end up killing him”

Who is the worst sledger you have ever seen?
Trent Boult. He just made me laugh! He’s too nice to sledge.Which player have you seen who is destined for a big future in the game?
Dushmantha Chameera. He really impressed me bowling for Sri Lanka in the World Cup against us. He looks like a good talent.As a big Manchester United fan what would you like to say to Louis van Gaal?
Thank you for bringing the young players through… now it’s time to move on!Whose wicket celebrations are the best in the game?
It has to be DJ Bravo.Which of your team-mates is the best dancer?
That one has to be, by far, Sulieman Benn.Which ground does the best teas?
Lord’s. It’s all so nice there and comforting – except for the weather.What would the average cricket fan not know about you?
That’s a tough one. How about the fact I sing? I’m a solo singer in my spare time.Which of your team-mates would you least like to be stuck on a desert island with?
Tino Best. He would drive me up the wall and I’d probably end up killing him.Who is the most vain?
Darren Sammy.Who has the worst dress sense?
Kirk Edwards. Most of his clothes are pretty questionable.What is the best piece of coaching advice you have ever been given?
To go and enjoy it. Enjoy the game and express yourself.

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2016And with his second ball in Test cricket he had a big lbw, which went to review, but was not out•Getty ImagesChris Woakes made the first breakthrough when he had Shan Masood caught behind•Getty ImagesAnd Woakes claimed his second when Mohammad Hafeez top edged pull•Getty ImagesJonny Bairstow claimed both catches during the opening session•Getty ImagesBall claimed his first Test wicket when he pinned Azhar Ali with a yorker•Getty ImagesMisbah-ul-Haq stabilised the innings in the company of Younis Khan•Getty ImagesYounis was playing his first Test at Lord’s since 2001•Getty ImagesStuart Broad broke through with the wicket of Younis, caught at midwicket•Getty ImagesAfter some early luck, Misbah carried on to a serene half-century•Getty ImagesBroad vented his feelings after an edge from Asad Shafiq failed to go to hand•Getty ImagesAsad Shafiq made an elegenat fifty as he supported Misbah•Getty ImagesMisbah’s sweeping, both reverse and orthodox, dominated Moeen Ali•Getty ImagesMisbah-ul-Haq, at the age of 42, celebrates a hundred on his first appearance at Lord’s•Getty ImagesAnd, for good measure, he marked the moment with a set of push-ups•Getty Images

Stats highlights from the second day in Mirpur

S Rajesh29-Oct-20164 Spinners who have taken five-wicket hauls in each of their first two Tests; Bangladesh’s Mehedi Hasan became the fourth bowler in this list when he took 6 for 82 in England’s first innings, after taking 6 for 80 in the first innings in Chittagong. The others in this list are India’s Narendra Hirwani, who had 24 wickets in his first two Tests, Australia’s Clarrie Grimmett, and England’s Nick Cook. Grimmett and Hirwani took three five-wicket hauls in their first two Tests.13 Wickets for Mehedi in his first two Tests so far. With one more innings to go, Mehedi already has the most wickets by a Bangladesh bowler after two Tests. Mahmudullah and Sohag Gazi had both taken 12 in their first two matches.99 The partnership between Adil Rashid and Chris Woakes, England’s highest for the ninth wicket in Asia. The previous best was 83, by Keith Fletcher and Norman Gifford, against India in Chennai way back in 1973.3.72 The economy rate for England’s spinners so far in this series – they have leaked 603 runs in 161.5 overs, compared to Bangladesh’s 599 in 236.4 (econ rate 2.53). Bangladesh’s spinners have also taken more wickets – 28, to England’s 19 – at a much better average – 21.39, to England’s 31.73. In the second Test, England’s spinners have leaked 4.11 runs per over, compared to Bangladesh’s 2.64. In comparison, England’s fast bowlers have an economy rate of 2.37 in this series.

2 Instances of Bangladesh spinners returning better figures than Mehedi’s 6 for 82 when opening the bowling in a Test innings: Gazi took 6 for 74 against West Indies in 2012, while Mehedi himself took 6 for 80 in the first Test of the ongoing series.13 Fifty-plus stands between Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes, the second highest by any Bangladesh pair; only Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan, with 16 such partnerships, have more. The Tamim-Imrul aggregate partnership runs of 2213 is easily the highest by any Bangladesh pair.

Stats highlights from the first day’s play of the second Test between India and New Zealand in Kolkata

Bharath Seervi30-Sep-20165 Scores of 50 or more by Cheteshwar Pujara in first-class matches in September 2016, in six innings. He had made 166, 31 and 256* in the Duleep Trophy and 62 and 78 in the first Test of this series before making another fifty in this Test. Before this, he had made just one 50-plus score in ten first-class innings.86.55 Ajinkya Rahane’s average in the second Test of a series, the best for any batsman to have played 10 or more innings. He has made four centuries and four half-centuries in the 11 innings in second Tests of a series. Click here for his scores in second Tests of a series. 1999 The previous instance when three or more wickets fell in the first session of a Test at Eden Gardens. Pakistan had lost six wickets against India in February 1999. Since then India’s first innings against New Zealand, in which three wickets fell in the morning, was the first such in 10 Tests there. However, India did not lose any wicket in the second session and then lost four wickets after tea. 141 Runs added by Pujara and Rahane for the fourth-wicket, most by any pair for that wicket at Eden Gardens. The previous highest was 140 runs between Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in 2011-12. 3/35 Matt Henry’s figures, as at the end of the first day. are his second-best in Tests so far. His best is 4 for 93 at Lord’s in 2015. This was only his second haul of more than three wickets in nine Test innings.7 Number of times Pujara has failed to score a century after reaching 50 in his last eight fifty-plus innings. The century came in the Colombo Test. Incidentally, he had converted six of his first nine fifties into centuries.87 Runs scored by Virat Kohli in his last six Test innings, since his double-century in Antigua. He made 44, 3 and 4 in three innings in West Indies, and 9, 18 and 9 in the three innings of this series so far.31.53 Kohli’s average in Tests in India since March 2013 when he last scored a century on home soil – second-worst among the seven India players to play 10 or more innings in this period. Only R Ashwin averages (31.30) lower than Kohli. Kohli has scored three fifties in the 16 innings. Interestingly, he had an average of 56.54 in his first 13 home innings which included three centuries and four fifties. 23 Shikhar Dhawan’s average in home Tests since his 187 on debut in Mohali in March 2013. He hasn’t made a single fifty-plus score in 10 innings since then and his highest score has been 45 not out. His average is the lowest among all India players to play 10 or more innings in this period and second-lowest among 22 openers who have played 10 or more innings in their home country since March 2013. 12 Wickets for Jeetan Patel in Tests in India, including the two he took on the first day in Kolkata. This is his most against a Test team in any away country. He has played four Tests in India.

Mitchell Starc has made taking wickets in the first over of an innings a regular habit, the latest being Stephen Cook on the opening day of the WACA Test

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-201619 Wickets in the first over of an innings across all formats for Mitchell Starc, the most for any bowler since the start of 2015. Next on the list, with seven wickets each, are Lasith Malinga, Dawlat Zadran and David Willey.11 First-over dismissals in 27 ODIs during this period for Starc. In Tests, he has taken seven in 23 matches and one in three T20Is.13 Right-hand batsmen Starc has dismissed in the first over of an innings.8 Batsmen caught, six bowled, and five lbw.3 Consecutive Tests in which he has struck in the first over of an innings. He had removed Dilruwan Perera with the fourth ball in Sri Lanka’s second innings in the third Test in Colombo and Dimuth Karunaratne with the first ball in Sri Lanka’s first innings in the second Test in Galle.

Nuwan Pradeep may come across as meek more often than not, but he has the ability to make the world take notice with his bowling, the way he showed on the second day

Andrew Fidel Fernando at the Wanderers13-Jan-2017If Nuwan Pradeep has ever had a word with a batsman, it is possible his voice did not carry to the other end of the pitch. Chances are, it has never happened anyway. Not only is Pradeep perhaps the most withdrawn man in international cricket (he has played 23 Tests, but how many times have you heard him speak?), he is also a sporadic presence in this XI, and so, rarely capable of building himself up to some professional confidence.

Why Mathews took the new ball

Angelo Mathews bowls with the new ball ahead of some frontline quicks because Sri Lanka are more confident in Mathews’ ability to hit the right length, bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake has said. Mathews has routinely been the first-change bowler this series, and had also taken the second new ball in the first innings of the Johannesburg Test.
“Well what we think is that we need to hit the right length with the new ball,” Ramanayake said. “Angelo is one of the guys who hits right length consistently. That made us think to give the new ball for him and he has been successful. Lahiru Kumara tends to bowl shorter and he likes the bouncer a lot. But with the new ball we are looking at someone who could bowl that good length.”
However, of the seamers who have played at least two Tests this series, Mathews has the worst wicket-taking record by a distance. He averages 64.50 for his two wickets, while Kumara and Nuwan Pradeep average 26.45 and 43 respectively.

That he’s injury prone is not even slightly his fault. Pradeep comes from difficult circumstances, and coaches have suggested there was a lack of protein in his diet during adolescence.But however the problems have come about, Pradeep’s hamstrings now almost audibly twang with each bouncing step towards the bowling crease, so perpetually close are they to snapping. Such are the travails of Pradeep’s life. Even when he is fit, he sometimes does not make the XI, especially at home, where Sri Lanka sometimes only deploy seam bowlers in order to protect themselves from nastier questions about the state of the pitch. Pradeep comes to us intermittently, and sometimes unexpectedly, like a substitute teacher in high school – never really sure about his position, but grateful for the chance to be there.Sometimes he is so mild mannered, by the end of the period kids are hanging off the ceiling by their underpants, and have tattooed rude pictures on each other.But on other days, such as this one, Pradeep picks up the pointer, slams it on the desk and makes the world take notice. The Sri Lanka staff room remains an unhappy place, as it has been throughout the series, but thanks to the bowlers – Pradeep and Lahiru Kumara in this innings – they will avoid being sacked en masse when they face the higher ups.Nuwan Pradeep claimed four wickets for one run in the space of 18 balls•Gallo ImagesHe had begun on day two as meek as ever – short and wide to Faf du Plessis, and duly thunked to the square fence. He’d concede another four that over, but upon his return to the bowling crease, Pradeep was strikingly changed. The first ball of his second over pitched on off and veered sneeringly away from du Plessis’ bat. The next one was almost as good. The third delivery squared him up to take his edge, and suddenly, while Pradeep’s larynx remained as still as ever, but man, had his bowling had found its voice.In an 18-ball burst beginning with that du Plessis wicket, Pradeep was transformed from subdued substitute to the kind of headmaster that has a nose which smells contraband chewing gum from miles away, and a stare that makes students wet themselves. There were cynical, threatening, whispers from the ball, as it beat edge after edge; his co-faculty members in the slips howling their appreciation of the dressing down this unruly South Africa batting order were receiving. These batsmen had run amok this series. Pradeep took four wickets for one run, bowled a brute that pounced off a length at Vernon Philander, and gave Sri Lanka some satisfaction, short-lived though it turned out to be.But as it so often happens in the teaching world, after lunch Angelo Mathews came in like a school director attempting to piggyback off Pradeep’s excellent work, opening the bowling from Pradeep’s end. When Pradeep finally got the ball in hand and tail-end batsmen to bowl at, he found himself completely under-resourced – he squared Wayne Parnell up and took his edge, but only one slip was in place to a bowler in sublime rhythm. The diving man at first slip couldn’t hold the chance.”I was hoping Pradeep will take five wickets in an innings, because he hasn’t done that before in Test cricket,” bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake said. “He bowled pretty well in the last game also, though he didn’t pick up any wickets. Today morning he hit the right length consistently. Hopefully he will get more wickets in the second innings.”There may not be much of a second innings, of course, with Sri Lanka 80 for 4 already, and South Africa’s quicks smelling blood on a pitch that is still very quick. But at least before the mandatory collapse set in, Pradeep’s 18 balls provided a sliver of Sri Lanka dominance. It was probably their best patch of play in the series, and all the sweeter for having come from the mellowest man on the staff.

Kane Williamson is the spine of New Zealand’s batting, and the glue in the middle-order, but he can’t always be the solution

Melinda Farrell in Cardiff06-Jun-2017It may be unusual for teams to breath a sigh of relief after losing a vital match in a major tournament but New Zealand can take some comfort out of their loss to England: at least they’ll have their captain for their final group game against Bangladesh, a game they now must win to have any chance of progressing to the semi-finals.Kane Williamson narrowly avoided suspension for a slow over-rate but was fined 40 percent of his match fee after officials ruled New Zealand were two overs short of the target. Considering they had bowled just 45 overs by the stipulated interval, it was hardly surprising that, immediately after the match had finished and before the ruling was announced, Williamson admitted to having his “fingers crossed” and joked he would “avoid the umpires for a couple of days”.Should New Zealand progress, Williamson must also avoid another slow-over offence in this tournament; a second will be met with a two-match suspension. He was fortunate there were enough time allowances in this match – which included a minute’s silence for the victims of Saturday’s terrorist attack in London – to reduce the offence to two overs.While Williamson’s team-mates were fined 20 percent of their match fees, it’s easy to imagine they would rather take a hit to the hip pocket than lose their best batsman, leader and talisman. With a well-rounded bowling attack, sharp fielders and ODI batsmen of the calibre of Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor, no one could accuse New Zealand of being a one-man team. But the fact his dismissals in both matches have precipitated a batting collapse (7 for 37 against Australia and 8 for 65 against England) shows just how important Williamson is to a batting line-up where the middle order appears somewhat brittle.Partly because of injury, partly because of form, New Zealand have shuffled and tinkered with their batting line-up in the past six months – in the 12 ODIs leading into the Champions Trophy, eight different players have batted at five, six and seven – and the overall batting order has changed for virtually every match, hardly an ideal lead-in for a major tournament.And in fairness to players such as Neil Broom, Jimmy Neesham and Corey Anderson, it was fiendishly difficult to get in as England’s bowlers exploited variable bounce in the pitch with some excellent cross-seam bowling.It was this very combination that accounted for Williamson: Mark Wood, hitting the deck hard and catching the edge of the seam, extracted extra bounce and the ball grazed the glove of a surprised Williamson as he tried to adjust his shot.When Taylor departed three overs later, picking out midwicket when he tried to take on Jake Ball, a difficult chase quickly became impossible.”It would have been nice for Ross and myself to be able to take it further and maybe sort of bring it down to that 10-an-over mark where anything can happen,” said Williamson. “A credit to the way England bowled. They got a lot out of the surface. They bowled a very good area, very consistent, and made life difficult for us with the bat.”It looked difficult, even for the sublime talents of Williamson, who could probably make a dirty slog look handsome enough to ask out on a date. The batsmen were not only contending with a bowling attack offering little respite on a challenging wicket – both Williamson and Taylor were struck on the helmet in one Liam Plunkett over, the ball to Taylor spitting up off a back-of-a-length delivery – the blustery winds added another level of discomfort. A bail blew off the stumps twice, the boundary rope was blown askew in two corners of the field and, several times, the electronic advertising hoardings clattered over, one by one, like cascading dominoes.But no matter the conditions, New Zealand will struggle to go all the way in this tournament if the middle-order topples in a similar fashion. Williamson may be the glue, he may be the spine, but he can’t always be the solution.”I guess that’s kind of what Kane comes with,” said Corey Anderson. “Obviously he can do his thing and he’s one of the best players in the world but, if he has that day when he does fail, then we’ve got to make sure we stand up as a team and try and get around him.”Even though it’s great to have Kane scoring runs, we’ve got to make sure we stand up on the day if he doesn’t as well. It gives other guys the chance to step up as well.”Of course, even if the entire team performs brilliantly against Bangladesh, and wins easily, it may not be enough to go through to the semi-finals. New Zealand would then have to rely on England beating Australia in their final group match at Edgbaston on Saturday.But thoughts of that match are premature. Bangladesh are the first obstacle to overcome, a team that beat New Zealand – albeit without several key players – in Ireland last month.There could hardly be a more opportune time for New Zealand’s middle-order to click into place behind their captain.