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Stats highlights of the second day’s play between India and South Africa at Johannesburg

Kanishkaa Balachandran16-Dec-2006

Sreesanth’s inspired spell caught the South Africans on the hop © AFP
84 – South Africa’s lowest total since readmission into Test cricket in 1991. It also happens to be the third-lowest total by any team against India in Tests, the lowest being 82 by Sri Lanka in 1990, followed by 83 by Australia in Melbourne in 1980-81. It is also the second-lowest in Tests at the Wanderers, next only to South Africa’s 72 against England in 1956-57.20 – The number of wickets which fell through the day. Of these, the fast bowlers accounted for 18 while Anil Kumble chipped in with two.401 – Test wickets taken by Shaun Pollock. He is the first South African to get to the 400-wicket club in Tests.5-40 – Sreesanth’s figures, which is the second best by an Indian fast bowler in South Africa, after Javagal Srinath’s 6 for 76 in Port Elizabeth in 2001-02. The best by any Indian in South Africa remains Anil Kumble’s 6 for 53 at the same venue in 1992-93, which was incidentally his first five-wicket haul in Tests.44 – India’s last-wicket partnership between Sourav Ganguly and VRV Singh, which is their second-highest last-wicket stand in Tests against South Africa, and their highest for that wicket in South Africa68 – Runs scored by the Indians in the third-man and backward point region in their second innings, which includes 14 boundaries.165 – India’s first-innings lead. It’s India’s highest first-innings lead in South Africa.294 for 8 – The highest fourth-innings total scored to win a Test at Johannesburg. Australia achieved it earlier this year, thanks largely to Damien Martyn’s 101. The next highest fourth-innings score in victory is only 220 for 6, by South Africa against New Zealand seven months ago.

Sri Lanka’s first win of any significance on this tour couldn’t have come at a better moment: it will lift the morale of a side that was seemed to be on the slide with one resounding defeat after another

S Rajesh12-Feb-2008
Tillakaratne Dilshan did a task he hasn’t always performed in the past – seeing his side past the finish line © Getty Images
Since October 2007, Sri Lanka have spent a month and a half, spread over two instalments, in Australia and apart from a couple of moments of individual brilliance, given their supporters little to cheer about. Their first win of any significance on this tour couldn’t have come at a better moment: it will lift the morale of a side that was seemed to be on the slide with one resounding defeat after another, and equally importantly, it throws open a triangular tournament that has seldom seen a three-horse race in recent times.It might be argued that the Sri Lankans were helped by the shortened game – it gave their batsmen, some of whom weren’t in form, the license to hit out from the start – but they comprehensively beat an opposition who are the world champions at the shortest version of the game. That can’t be a bad thing for a side which has had little to celebrate in Australia.Player for player, the Sri Lankan team has the skill and experience to challenge any opposition. The batting seems, on paper at least, to be the superb blend of experience and youth: the explosiveness of Sanath Jayasuriya complemented perfectly the class of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chamara Silva add a dash of pizazz. The bowing is, arguably, even more varied and classy, with Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan being helped along by a group of promising young fast bowlers. Despite all the individual brilliance, Sri Lanka’s results on this tour have been disappointing.Even in this victory at the Manuka Oval, the bowlers were less than convincing, leaking far too many runs at the end: add the 65 runs in the last six overs today to the 105 in the last ten against India at the Gabba, and Sri Lanka have conceded 170 runs in 16 slog overs against India. The batsmen, though, were up to the task: once the rain reduced the contest to a 21-over bash, they had no option but to launch an offensive from the start, which clearly simplified the situation for them.Mahendra Singh Dhoni made it a point to mention after the match that the mindset of the batsmen would have been different had it been a 29-over run-chase, but it’s unlikely Jayasuriya would have altered his style much. The Australians have worked out the way to bowl to him – just short of a length, into the body, to cramp him for room – but Sreesanth clearly hasn’t got the hang of that technique yet: in the 52 balls he has bowled to Jayasuriya in all ODIs, he has been spanked for 84 runs, with just one dismissal.It’s a match-up Jayasuriya relishes, even if he is out of form; the next time India take the field against Sri Lanka, it might not be a bad idea for Dhoni to hold Sreesanth back till Jayasuriya is out. His blitz gave Sri Lanka an early cushion, but they still had plenty to do when he left, needing 109 from 17.1 overs. Dilshan was largely instrumental in ensuring they reached the target without any hiccups.Since he made his debut in 1999, Dilshan has been seen as a big factor in the Sri Lankan middle order. He is 31, and has played 134 ODIs, but still hasn’t married consistency to the flair that he undoubtedly has – in 21 innings from the 2007 World Cup, he had only topped fifty twice before today’s effort. His tendency for expansive strokes could have cost him early on in this innings as well, but once he settled down, it was easy to see why he is so highly rated. Importantly, he did a task he hasn’t always performed in the past – seeing his side past the finish line.Sri Lanka’s win will have lifted their morale, but they need to ensure the momentum is maintained through the rest of the competition, in 50-over contests which will require their batsmen to pace their innings and bat longer, and for their bowlers to sustain their intensity over three-and-a-half hours. Their next challenge is a mighty one, against a team they haven’t challenged so far, on one of the newly laid pitches at Perth which promises plenty of pace and bounce. It’s a daunting task, but for inspiration they only need to look at what happened the last time a team from the subcontinent took on the home side in an international game at that venue.

Under Daren Ganga’s enlightened leadership, the team is all that counts – and the trophies are a testament to that ethos

Andrew Miller in Antigua28-Oct-2008
Trinidad continued its tryst with the Stanford crowns and it’s no surprise they are the powerhouse of West Indies cricket © AFP
Daren Ganga is becoming cosily familiar with Sir Allen Stanford’s largesse. In 2006, he was the recipient of the runners-up cheque when Guyana pipped Trinidad to the final of the inaugural Stanford 20/20. Earlier this year, he and his team-mates made handsome amends for that setback by winning the follow-up event and the million-dollar cheque that came with it. Now, by seeing off Middlesex in the most compelling match yet witnessed in the Stanford Super Series, he’s claimed a further substantial slice of Texan pie to see him through the economic downturn.It was Stanford himself who handed over the spoils, and he could scarcely have been more satisfied at the outcome. Though the match once again lacked the pyrotechnics usually associated with Twenty20 cricket, the end result was a vindication of the quality that Stanford would have the world believe he is fostering through his involvement with Caribbean cricket. Middlesex arrived in Antigua with pedigree and were the favourites for this contest in many people’s estimation, but on the night they were outwitted – brought low in a tactical battle that arguably had more in common with Test cricket than the biff-bang-wallop format that most people had turned up expecting to see.It certainly wasn’t the manner in which a West Indian side might be expected to make off with the loot, but under Ganga’s guidance, Trinidad have become a cerebral bunch of cricketers. They paced their chase to perfection, keeping themselves in touch with wickets in hand before locating a vein of aggression at precisely the right moment. The match was sealed with a six, a towering clunk over long-on from Darren Bravo, but it had been in the bag for several overs beforehand, during Bravo and Denesh Ramdin’s momentum-shifting stand of 67 in eight overs.”We came here switched on, and we totally deserved our victory,” Ganga said, whose stature as a leader continues to mushroom. Eighteen months ago, he was leading West Indies on a tour of England, and though that appointment unravelled through a debilitating loss of form, the reasoning behind it remains sound to this day. Not so long ago, Trinidad cricket was synonymous with Brian Lara, a consummate genius but a selfish and divisive character. These days, under Ganga’s enlightened leadership, the team is all that counts – and the trophies are a testament to that ethos.In the space of four years, Trinidad has become the powerhouse of West Indian regional cricket. In that time it has won two 50-overs titles, the four-day regional championship, consecutive Carib Beer Challenge Finals, and now two of Stanford’s crowns. “Trinidad & Tobago cricket has a bunch of young players eager to make their mark, who want to enhance their reputation, and our reputation as a team,” Ganga said. “We had everything to play for, and have relished the opportunity to compete against teams outside our region. Our planning has been spot on and it all came to fruition.”Not so long ago, Trinidad cricket was synonymous with Brian Lara, a consummate genius but a selfish and divisive character. These days, under Ganga’s enlightened leadership, the team is all that counts – and the trophies are a testament to that ethosGanga added that people might have questioned the thinking behind the team selection for this series, but sure enough there was no quibbling with the end product. Rather than fret about the vagaries of the wicket or the balance of the side, Trinidad concentrated on the dressing-room first and foremost. Three debutants were blooded in the Superstars match on Saturday evening – Justin Guillen, Kevon Cooper and Rishi Bachan – and all three acquitted themselves well in trying circumstances.For the money match, however, Trinidad delved deeper into their squad and introduced the greater experience of Amit Jaggernauth and Richard Kelly, not to mention the teenage fearlessness of Bravo Jr, whose love of the big occasion could prove every bit the equal of his brother, Dwayne.It all left Middlesex feeling rather bewildered. “When it came to the big occasion, we just weren’t quite up for it,” said their captain, Shaun Udal. “We didn’t bring our A game to the party, which I was confident about us doing. For some reason we were slow out of the blocks with the bat, had a dodgy spell and if it wasn’t for Neil Dexter at the end, we would have been lucky to get 100.”Ultimately the match was won and lost in six balls of bedlam at the end of the 16th over of Trinidad’s chase, which was arguably the first sighting of Twenty20 cricket as the world knows and loves it. With the hapless Neil Carter in the thick of the action, two sixes and two dropped catches marked a momentum shift which stayed till the end.”All the teams have struggled to hit boundaries,” said Middlesex’s opener, Andrew Strauss. “But the way Trinidad did it today was to stay in the game, keep wickets in hand, and then [attack] in the last five overs. This was an important game for us, we were representing our country as Twenty20 champions and it hurts we weren’t good enough. But these are very different wickets to England and we haven’t adjusted quickly enough.”In truth, Middlesex were not allowed to be good enough. The speedy legspin of Samuel Badree, who shared the new ball with the Man of the Match, Ravi Rampaul, left them groping for a response right from the start. Later, when it seemed they might start to reclaim the ascendancy with the ball, they were thwarted first by Ganga – whose unflustered style of accumulation has rarely been so suited to 20-over cricket – then by Bravo and Denesh Ramdin, whose spunky innings of 41 from 28 balls was the real difference between the sides.He was not able to make it to the finish, but as he trooped off the pitch with a satisfied waft of the bat after carrying his team to within two runs of victory, Ramdin offered another insight into why this match had been Trinidad’s to lose, rather than Middlesex’s to win. Three Trinidadians were named in the Superstars squad – Keiron Pollard, Dave Mohammad and Rayad Emrit. Ramdin, the incumbent West Indies wicketkeeper, was not among their number, and there’s no doubt it rankled. “Us players left out of the Superstars (squad) wanted to prove a point,” said Ganga. They’ve done just that, and in some style.

The confidence with which Yuvraj Singh batted on the fourth evening went a long way towards eliminating the slim possibility of an Indian defeat

S Aga22-Dec-2008
The run-flow had slowed to a trickle before Yuvraj injected some momentum © AFP
Yuvraj Singh’s year started ignominiously, with a sleepwalking performanceat the Sydney Cricket Ground. When he was dropped ahead of India’s famousvictory in Perth, no one raised a voice. One of the prodigals of theIndian game had been given his chance, and he had blown it. What adifference 12 months makes, though. With Sourav Ganguly now gone, and havingplayed his part in the most remarkable of run chases in Chennai, Yuvrajdoesn’t need to look over his shoulder, and the confidence with which hebatted on the fourth evening went a long way towards eliminating the slimpossibility of an Indian defeat.Home turf hasn’t meant happy hunting ground for Yuvraj. This is his thirdTest at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium and the 27 he made in thefirst innings was his highest score. When he came to the crease midwaythrough the final session, India were just 231 ahead, and the Englishbowlers had slowed the run flow to a trickle.After his repeated run-ins with Kevin Pietersen, who stood at leg slipwhile Yuvraj took guard, there was also the prospect of a few verbalgooglies being tossed his way. Yuvraj says he looked forward to it.”Sometimes it fires you up, sometimes it backfires,” he said. “When youare chatted to, it makes you stronger, more focused. I really don’t mindthe chat.”I actually look forward to it because I think it brings out the best inme. It backfired in the first innings in Chennai, in the second it made mestronger. It’s healthy competition out there, no bad-mouthing. Both theteams are trying to punch the opposition to win the game, so it’s healthycompetition.”Healthy or not, it spurred Yuvraj into playing some fine strokes. Therun-blockade was eased, and India finished the day in an extremelycomfortable position. “It depends on the weather tomorrow,” Yuvraj saidwhen asked about the prospects of an Indian victory. “There’s adisadvantage there because of the weather, we could lose a couple ofhours. Hopefully, we’ll get the maximum possible overs and we’ll be ableto get some runs and bowl them out.”Given the two stunning chases cricket has seen over the pastweek, there were no thoughts on what constituted a safe target. “On thelast day, any target is difficult to get,” he said. “For us in Chennai,387 was tough to get, and I’m sure we’ll set them a tough target.”Chennai was a huge innings for Yuvraj in more ways than one, though heinsisted that the gremlins of doubt hadn’t been keeping him awake atnight. “I never thought that I didn’t belong to this arena because I havethree Test hundreds,” he said. “It’s all media speculation, or I don’tknow what goes on. I never had a doubt and I just wanted to spend sometime in the middle and I knew the runs will come. If you work hard on yourgame, the runs will come. That’s what happened in the second innings.””I never thought that I didn’t belong to this arena because I have three Test hundreds,” Yuvraj said. “It’s all media speculation … If you work hard on your game, the runs will come”Following Virender Sehwag’s run-out soon after lunch, India appeared to havelost their way for the remainder of the session, but Yuvraj was adamantthat this was no one-trick team. “When Viru starts off and gets apartnership, we get into a very good position early on,” he said. “But ifwe lose a few wickets, we need to get a partnership. Gautam and I have hada good one and it has brought the game towards us.”We’re not depending on any particular person. Sometimes it’s Viru,sometimes it’s Gautam. Rahul has shown what a class player he is. Mahibatted so well in the first innings in Chennai. So it’s not anyoneparticular, it’s the whole team. It’s just that the team is gelling verywell, enjoying each other’s success.”I think with Gary Kirsten and Paddy Upton, the atmosphere in the team isgood. We enjoy what we do. If we’re under pressure, we know we have abunch of guys who can come up with match-winning knocks or spells. Ourbowling has been exceptional. Along with Harbhajan, Zaheer has been thefrontline bowler and Ishant is doing well, so we have a great all-roundbunch of players.”The man who leads came in for more than his fair share of praise. “First,he [Dhoni] is very cool-headed, that’s the best part about him. When hetook up captaincy, nobody knew that he could do a great job. He always hasa Plan B. Like when England were batting, we got a few wickets, andthen KP and Freddie got a few runs and he slowed down the game. The momentwe had two wickets, we pounced on the batsmen. He’s always thinking, he’salways asking for suggestions from everyone.”And what of throwing pies? Pietersen was far from amused when Dhonibrought Yuvraj on for the third over on Sunday morning, and he let hisfeelings be known after the day’s play. “When I got up in the morning, Iread the paper, and I said ‘what does this [pie-chucker] mean?’ So I askeda few people there what it meant, and they said it meant a ‘useless kindof bowler’. It shows KP hates getting out to me. Well, a useless bowlergetting him out many times would be because of useless batting, I’d say!But that’s okay.”He’s a phenomenal player and batted like a champion. He’s got 15 hundredsin 40-odd matches – that’s phenomenal. But he tried to get under my skinin the last game and that brought out the best in me. I tried the same andit brought out the best in him. So it’s good competition in the field. ButI don’t have a habit of washing dirty linen in the open, in public. But Ilike the name, eh?”If he can get a few more runs on Tuesday morning and play his part inanother Indian victory, Yuvraj, who cheekily offered Pietersen somebowling tips, won’t particularly care what the English call him. Whenyou’ve come back from oblivion and the team’s winning, nothing elsematters.

A statistical preview to the three-Test series between India and Sri Lanka

Siddhartha Talya15-Nov-2009Muttiah Muralitharan has much to make up for in what could perhaps be his last full tour of India•AFPThe teams have played 29 Tests, of which India have won 11 and Sri Lanka five. India have an unblemished record at home, winning eight of the 14 games and drawing six. Sri Lanka, on their previous visit to India, were beaten 0-2. In 2009, India have played just three Tests and won one, against New Zealand. Sri Lanka have enjoyed an unbeaten run this year, with five wins out of eight games, including three series victories.Tendulkar has the best average among Indian batsmen against Sri Lanka, with 56.32 for his 1408 runs. Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh also average above 50, while Rahul Dravid has managed 44.80 in 14 Tests. At home, however, Tendulkar experiences a significant blip while Sehwag, with an average of 18.66, and Gambhir, with 10.80, do far worse.The Indian batsmen tasted plenty of success on the tour of New Zealand. Gautam Gambhir was the most prolific, hammering two centuries and averaging 89. Five out of seven frontline batsmen averaged over 50, Sehwag and Yuvraj being the exceptions.For Sri Lanka, Thilan Samaraweera has been unstoppable. He’s the highest run-getter this year, taking full toll of favourable subcontinental conditions, and averages a staggering 83.30 in just eight Tests. Tillakaratne Dilshan has succeeded in his role as opener in all forms of the game, and has impressed with 849 runs this year with an average of 70.75 and backed it up with a strike-rate of over 85. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are also in good touch, with strong performances against New Zealand and Pakistan respectively.Jayawardene has been Sri Lanka’s best performer against India, with an average of 68.29, including four centuries and seven fifties. Sangakkara hasn’t done badly either, while Samaraweera and Dilshan both average above 50. Their record in India, however, has been below-par. Sangakkara (24.80) and Samaraweera (10.80) have struggled. Others, like Prasanna Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews and Tharanga Paranavitana are yet to play in India.Harbhajan Singh tops the wickets tally for India this year. But his performances in one-dayers have come in for criticism. Zaheer Khan, who has recovered from his shoulder injury, too, played an important role in New Zealand, taking 13 wickets at 30.76. Sreesanth makes a comeback after more than a year while the spin duo of Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra haven’t played a Test in 2009.Among the frontline bowlers in the Indian squad, only Harbhajan, Zaheer and Ishant Sharma have played a Test against Sri Lanka. All three average above 30; at home, Harbhajan’s the only bowler to have played them, and he’s done far better, taking 14 wickes at 22.28.Rangana Herath has been the foremost among Sri Lanka’s new stars. He’s grabbed 23 wickets at 26.65 this year, while their pace bowlers, Thilan Thushara, and especially Nuwan Kulasekara, have been highly effective. Murali’s not had his best year; he averages 35.52, and has limited success against India. He averages 39.58 in India and will want to make amends on what could perhaps be his last overseas tour. Ajantha Mendis’ form has declined rapidly while Dammika Prasad will have fond memories of his performance in the third Test against India last year, when he grabbed five wickets in the game on debut.(Click here for Sri Lanka’s bowling record against India.)Laxman has handled Murali particularly well, averaging 72 against him, while Sehwag has done better with 85. Murali’s had the wood on Tendulkar, whom he’s dismissed five times at an average of 16.80, as well as Dravid, who’s fallen to him seven times, averaging 28.85. Sehwag has dominated Mendis, scoring 77 in 84 balls without being dismissed and Tendulkar, too, has played him well, averaging 57. But the others have struggled; Laxman has been dismissed five times, and Dravid on four occasions – both average under 17. Gambhir, like against Murali, has been snared thrice, at 27.33Jayawardene has excelled against Harbhajan, averaging 83.33, while both Dilshan and Sangakkara average over 60. Harbhajan has had more success against Samaraweera, taking his wicket thrice at 37 but has troubled Prasanna Jayawardene the most, accounting for him thrice at 13. Zaheer has done better against the Sri Lankan top order, snapping Sangakkara on four occasions at 27.50. He’s dismissed Samaraweera twice at 31 but Jayawardene, again, has dealt with him comfortably, scoring 104 runs and being dismissed just once.India have played nine Tests at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, winning three and losing two. They played Sri Lanka here in 2005, and won convincingly, by 259 runs. They returned three years later and were bowled out for 76 on the first day against South Africa to lose by an innings.The statistics at the venue indicate the Test against South Africa last year was somewhat of an aberration. The trend has generally been that bowlers have derived more out of the conditions as the game has progressed. The first innings has been the most productive, with teams averaging 42.38 per wicket. It drops down to 30.32 in the second, 29.77 in the third and 23.14 in the fourth.Teams have opted to bat eight out of nine occasions in Ahmedabad, winning twice and losing as many times. The only time a team opted to field, it won, in the very first game to be held at he venue.

For a New Zealand side that is struggling to get some runs on the board, the McLean Park in Napier represents the best opportunity to regain their confidence and form

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2009For a New Zealand side that is struggling to get some runs on the board, the McLean Park in Napier represents the best opportunity to regain their confidence and form. The bad news for them, though, is that all those runs haven’t yet converted into a Test win for them at this ground – in eight Tests they’ve drawn six and lost two. Pakistan’s only Test here was the first one at this venue, way back in 1979. The match was a tame draw, with the most fascinating aspect being the battle between two outstanding allrounders: both Imran Khan and Richard Hadlee took five wickets in the match, and each got the other out.

New Zealand and Pakistan in Napier Tests

TeamTestsWonLostDrawnNew Zealand8026Pakistan1001New Zealand haven’t yet won a Test here, but it’s been their best batting venue at home. Since 2000, they’ve scored six centuries in five Tests, which includes one match when they didn’t get to bat at all. The last time they played at the McLean Park, against India earlier in 2009, three batsmen – Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum – got hundreds, but India saved the game thanks to Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman. Here’s another stat that will encourage New Zealand’s batsmen – they’ve scored more hundreds here in five games (effectively four) than they have in 15 Tests in Wellington, the venue where they were badly beaten by Pakistan in the second Test.

New Zealand’s batting stats at home venues in Tests since 2000

VenueTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sMcLean Park, Napier5248138.766/ 15Seddon Park, Hamilton8366531.3210/ 14AMI Stadium, Christchurch4199830.273/ 7University Oval, Dunedin3129830.182/ 7Basin Reserve, Wellington15615827.865/ 33Eden Park, Auckland6276825.163/ 15Among the batsmen in the current squad, Taylor, Tim McIntosh and McCullum all have excellent averages here. They’ve all scored hundreds here, while Daniel Vettori has a healthy average of 35.25 in his four Tests.Perhaps even more compelling than all those stats is Chris Martin’s batting numbers at McLean Park – he averages 14 here, his highest at any venue.

New Zealand batsmen in Napier Tests (Qual: > 1 Test)

BatsmanTestsRunsAverage100s/ 50sRoss Taylor327755.401/ 1Tim McIntosh215150.331/ 0Brendon McCullum532246.001/ 1Daniel Vettori414135.250/ 1The bowling stats, though, don’t look as impressive, with Martin and Vettori both conceding more than 40 runs per wicket. Tim Southee took five in his only Test, against England, but Jeetan Patel has been the highest wicket-taker here since 2000, taking 14 in three Tests at an impressive average of 33.71, suggesting he could replace one of the fast bowlers in the line-up. He has a strike rate of 79 balls per wicket here, which is much better than Vettori’s strike rate of 111. Overall since 2000, fast bowlers average 41.57 per wicket, which is relatively high but still better than the spinners’ average of 46.97.

New Zealand bowlers in Tests in Napier

BowlerTestsWicketsAverageStrike rate5WI/ 10WMTim Southee1527.8056.61/ 0Jeetan Patel31433.7178.71/ 0Iain O’Brien2936.1163.81/ 0Chris Martin41240.0873.00/ 0Daniel Vettori41145.72110.70/ 0The innings-wise averages further illustrates how good this pitch generally is for batting through the entire Test – the fourth-innings average is almost 44 runs per wicket. Not surprisingly, six out of eight captains have chosen to bat after winning the toss.

Average runs per wicket in each innings in Napier since 2000

1st innings2nd innings3rd innings4th innings46.4133.5550.1943.86

Bangladesh’s capital has produced several of its leading Test players, and has a thriving club culture

06-Nov-2010The capital and largest city in Bangladesh, Dhaka is the country’s cricketing hub. The Bangabandhu National Stadium was the city’s international venue for many years, before the action shifted to the Shere Bangla National Stadium (SBNS) in Mirpur, a suburb of Dhaka, in 2006. The SBNS is the new, proud home of Bangladesh cricket. It also houses the Bangladesh Cricket Board-operated National Cricket Academy which churns out several promising cricketers. The academy uses the facilities at the SBNS at present, and is set to get its own state-of-the-art centre very soon.The city has a number of private cricket academies, including the government-run Bangladesh Institute of Sports (BKSP) where cricket is one of its major sports.The venue
The SBNS is situated about 10 kilometres outside the centre of Dhaka. The move from the Bangabandhu to Mirpur was met with much resistance, but the BCB had decided they needed a stadium dedicated exclusively to cricket, and carried on despite criticism. The venue is more than just a cricket ground. The triangular space underneath the stands has been used to the maximum, rented out as shop space. It houses perhaps the biggest furniture market in Dhaka. The shops shut when an international match is in progress. The grassless plot next to the venue is used for several simultaneous tape-ball games every evening and morning. The most striking feature of the ground is the impressive drainage facility.The stadium is undergoing a renovation ahead of the World Cup. The city has the privilege of hosting the opening ceremony on February 18, as well as the first match, between Bangladesh and India. It will host three more Group B games, as well two quarter-finals.Ground page | Fixtures | Map | PicturesGreat matches (Only two ODIs have been played at the new stadium)
Bangladesh v Zimbabwe, 5th ODI, December 2006
Bangladesh were made to sweat chasing a modest 194 and it was left to their captain Habibul Bashar to show the way with an ice-cool knock. They were coasting to victory before a middle-order collapse, orchestrated by Gary Brent, pegged them back. Bashar marshalled the lower order and saw his team to a 5-0 sweep.Bangladesh v New Zealand, 1st ODI, October 2008
One of Bangladesh’s more special wins against a major nation. It turned out to be quite a cakewalk with them coasting home by seven wickets after restricting a sorry New Zealand to 201. Mashrafe Mortaza did the early damage with a four-wicket haul, while Junaid Siddique and Mohammad Ashraful were the heroes with the bat, hitting 85 and 60 respectively.Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, tri-series, January 2009
The match that brought out the best in Shakib Al Hasan, the batsman. The game was almost a non-starter due to morning fog and bad light, but the elements were kind enough to allow a shortened 31-over game. After restricting the Sri Lankans to 147, the hosts started poorly, losing three for 11. But Shakib unfurled some brutal drives and sweeps against the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan to score an unbeaten 92 off just 69 balls, giving the crowd plenty to cheer after a frustrating morning.Top performers in ODIs
Most runs Tamim Iqbal, 801 runs at 30.80 | Top score Salman Butt, 129*
Most wickets Abdur Razzak, 37 wickets at 24.56 | Best bowling Abdur Razzak, 5 for 29Major players
Shakib Al Hasan | Mushfiqur Rahim | Shahadat Hossain | Naeem Islam | Naimur Rahman | Mohammad Ashraful | Mohammad Rafique | Javed Omar | Shahriar NafeesHome team
The stadium is the home base of Dhaka Division, one of the leading first-class sides in the country. They have won the National Cricket League first-class competitions in 2001-02, 2003-04, 2004-05, and 2006-07. They also won the one-day competition in 2006-07.

Bangladesh had thrown away a chance of a victory. The crowd were leaving stadium. Then one man played the innings of his young life

Sidharth Monga in Chittagong12-Mar-2011In their hour of need at this World Cup, Bangladesh have had a 21-year-old, unassuming, short-for-a-fast-bowler fast bowler rise a notch above the rest and keep them alive in the tournament. However, the Man-of-the-Match adjudicators have, on both occasions, overlooked Shafiul Islam.Against Ireland, defending 205 on a good surface, when Shafiul produced swing in his 4 for 21, which included the dangerous Kevin O’Brien’s wicket, Tamim Iqbal bagged the match award for his flashy 44 and a crucial catch. When he produced the runs against England, 24 off 24 balls from No. 10, to fashion an unlikely win the more orthodox 60 from Imrul Kayes was the favourite.Thankfully the Pink City talent hunt didn’t miss Shafiul five years ago. The two traditional feeders to this Bangladesh team are Bangladesh Krida Shikha Protishthan (BKSP) and the various coaching centres run by former cricketers, but Shafiul has come through the alternate route. It has been a relatively quick route, but one that has called for hard work.Catching the eye of Hannan Sarkar, the Bangladesh batsman, at the talent hunt was just a start. Coming from Bogra to Dhaka was more difficult. The initial days were spent in dorms at clubs, but that was a small price to pay. That he had the natural ability to swing the ball made him a star in domestic cricket, and soon injuries to the international fast bowlers fast-tracked him to top-flight cricket.A clear head and an ability to learn fast have made Shafiul the team management’s favourite. They backed him even after he went for 69 off seven overs against India in the World Cup opener. They remember how he bowled slower ball to Jonathan Trott at Bristol. Trott was single-handedly killing Bangladesh’s dream of a famous win, and Shafiul produced that delivery with seven required off four balls. The mind and heart were both working at a time when both tend to malfunction. No, he wasn’t Man of the Match even then.”Self-belief is the key,” Shafiul said of this habit of proving to be at the game-changer at crucial moments. In tough times, and times have been tough for Bangladesh of late, Shafiul is one of the few players in the team whose game doesn’t look affected. The nerves from being under attack from Virender Sehwag are gone.Shakib Al Hasan might not have been that confident of Shafiul’s batting against the quicks, but his partner-in-crime last night, Mahmudullah, trusted him. “In domestic cricket, he has faced many fast bowlers, and has batted very well against them,” Mahmudullah said. “It was a matter of time he delivered in international cricket too.”The turnaround began against spin, though, when Shafiul swung the bat and took a four and a six off Graeme Swann in the 42nd over. That’s when Mahmudullah started believing. The momentum had changed and only sensible batting was required. Both of them found enough of that mix of sense and belief to take Bangladesh home to what was a one of their most important wins.”It was very important to come back if we wanted to go to second round, and also we had to prove ourselves after the West Indies match,” Shafiul said. That match award can’t be too far off if he keeps keeping his cool when the heat is on.

A stats review of the second quarter-final between India and Australia in Ahmedabad

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan24-Mar-2011India had never beaten Australia in a major tournament while chasing. Their last win over Australia in a World Cup was also way back in 1987. In this game, though, India’s strategy to rotate their bowlers throughout the innings did not allow any Australian batsman other than Ricky Ponting to settle down. Faced with a stiff target of 261, India pinned their hopes on their strong batting and the key to the victory was the way they constructed partnerships at the top of the order. While Australia had two decent stands in the beginning of their innings, they lost few wickets in the middle, which limited their score to 260. India, despite not having any huge partnerships, had stands of 44, 50 and 49 for the first three wickets and scored at a healthy run-rate throughout.With the dismissal of MS Dhoni, Australia had a sniff when India required 74 runs off 75 balls. What happened next was stunning. Yuvraj Singh hit three fours off a Brett Lee over and with Shaun Tait gifting five wides in his next over, India were back in the contest. Yuvraj and Suresh Raina scored 27 runs off the 40th and 41st overs, bringing down the equation to a much more manageable 41 off nine overs. The partnership featured seven fours and a six, but more importantly 22 singles and five twos. Yuvraj Singh made his fifth fifty-plus score in the World Cup. His tally in a single tournament is second only to Sachin Tendulkar’s seven in 2003.From the batting worm for both teams, it is clear that India started their innings at a higher run-rate than Australia and maintained the difference till the end. The crucial sixth-wicket stand between Yuvraj and Raina pushed the scoring-rate up at a point when it looked like Australia would control the game. India’s decision to open the bowling with R Ashwin was a brilliant move as it did not allow Shane Watson and Brad Haddin to get away to a flying start. Regular bowling changes throughout the innings produced wickets and slowed the rate of scoring. In contrast, the Australian attack was erratic and gave away 16 wides.

Partnership stats for both teams (runs, run rate)

Team1st wicket2nd wicket3rd wicket4th wicket5th wicket6th wicket7th wicketAustralia40, 4.0070, 5.4530, 3.8210, 3.5240, 5.1055, 7.1015*, 10.00India44, 5.3850, 5.0049, 4.7425, 5.1719, 4.5674*, 10.27-Australia’s decision to go with a pace-heavy bowling attack proved a little costly in the end. However, the performance of their slow bowlers on a track assisting spin was far from convincing. Australia’s spinners averaged 61.00 in the tournament, the highest among the eight quarter-finalists. Despite conceding less than five runs per over, the Australian spinners picked up only one wicket. The Indian spinners in contrast picked up four wickets in the Australian innings.Some of the other stats from the game are highlighted belowRicky Ponting scored his fifth century in World Cups and his sixth against India in ODIs. It was his first score over fifty in the tournament. Ponting’s century was only his fifth in an ODI defeat and his second in a World Cup defeat after his 102 against West Indies in 1996.Sachin Tendulkar went past the milestone of 18,000 runs in ODIs. He also made his 20th fifty-plus score in World Cups which is comfortably higher than the second-placed Ponting, who has 11. Yuvraj Singh became only the fourth player to score over 300 runs and pick up ten wickets in a single World Cup. Kapil Dev was the first player to do it when he achieved the feat in the 1983 World Cup.The win is India’s first in a major tournament against Australia in a chase. Their earlier six chases had ended in defeats.It is also the first time that Australia have failed to reach the semi-finals since the 1992 World Cup.India won their first game in Ahmedabad after four consecutive losses.

Stats highlights of West Indies’ 40-run win against Pakistan in Providence

S Rajesh16-May-2011Saeed Ajmal had match figures of 11 for 111, which are the second-best in a losing cause for Pakistan•AFP The victory is West Indies’ first in 18 Tests, since they beat England by an innings and 23 runs in Kingston in February 2009. In 17 Tests during this period, West Indies lost eight and drew nine.Meanwhile, Pakistan’s win-loss since 2007 isn’t much better: 5-15 in 30 Tests, with ten draws. The defeat also means Pakistan’s record of never having won a Test series in the West Indies will stay on a little longer. The highest score in the match for West Indies was Lendl Simmons’ 49, which makes it only the fourth time since 2000 that a team has won a Test without a single half-century by any of their batsmen. It’s the second such win for West Indies during this period – they’d beaten Zimbabwe by 35 runs in March 2000 when their highest scorer had been Shivanarine Chanderpaul with 49. The previous such instance was New Zealand’s four-wicket win against India in Hamilton in December 2002, when no batsman from either team touched 40. Saeed Ajmal’s match figures of 11 for 111 are the second-best figures by a Pakistan bowler in a losing cause, only a run behind Wasim Akram’s 11 for 110 against the same opponents in Antigua in 2000; in fact, it’s almost exactly 11 years since Akram’s feat. Akram also features three times in the top four such performances for Pakistan. The best figures in a defeat remain Javagal Srinath’s 13 for 132 against Pakistan in Kolkata in February 1999. The match average of 17.90 runs per wicket is the third-lowest in Tests in the West Indies since the beginning of 2000. The lowest is 15.32, in that Test between West Indies and Zimbabwe in Port of Spain in 2000. Darren Sammy’s match figures of 7 for 45 are his second-best in Tests, after his 8 for 98 against England at Old Trafford in 2007. In 12 Tests so far, Sammy has taken 36 wickets at an impressive average of 26.25. Ravi Rampaul’s 7 for 75 are easily his best match figures; in fact, in his previous five Tests he had taken four wickets, and had gone wicketless in his previous two matches. After being reduced to 2 for 3 in their fourth-innings run-chase, Pakistan fought back valiantly with an 81-run stand for the fourth wicket, which is only the third time they’ve managed a fifty-plus stand for the fourth after being three down for less than ten. In conditions in which most bowlers enjoyed themselves, Pakistan’s premier strike bowler Umar Gul had a poor game, finishing wicketless for only the third time in 35 Tests.