Sarul Kanwar shook off his early stage fright and took on the Cape Cobras bowlers

Nitin Sundar at the Chinnaswamy Stadium01-Oct-2011The Champions League Twenty20 games begin with a pre-match routine that underlines just how much tournaments like these are made for theatre. The emcee booms out a series of couplets that highlight the real or imagined feats of the teams, after which the players stride out on a red carpet and exchange pleasantries, choreographed to pop music blaring from the PA system. Experienced players who have witnessed the commercial transformation of cricket, and career freelancers like Kieron Pollard, know they are a part of a charade, and go through the motions without over-indulging in the gimmickry.Today, however, there was one wide-eyed youngster debuting for the Mumbai Indians who was taken in by the lead-up to the game. Sarul Kanwar looked every bit the excited youngster savouring his first feel of the limelight, both nervous and eager as he took in the ambience and shook hands with his opponents.One could sense the nerves when he took strike, and nearly edged his first ball – a 138 kph outswinger from Dale Steyn. In the next over, Charl Langeveldt beat him for pace with a sharp bouncer. Kanwar went for the pull, but the ball was through him before he played the shot. Another Indian kid without an answer for pace and bounce?To Kanwar’s credit, he shook off his stage fright quickly. The moment Langeveldt bowled it in his half, he produced an audacious pick-up shot that sailed over square leg. Langeveldt tried the short ball again in his next over, but this time Kanwar was ready, and pulled it emphatically in front of square for four. Langeveldt’s response was length again, and Kanwar rolled the bottom hand viciously to cart another six over the leg side. Kanwar was belatedly at ease, and seemed to have convinced himself that he belonged.Sarul Kanwar made 45 from 21 balls to help propel Mumbai Indians to their highest total in this year’s Champions League Twenty20•Associated PressHe went on to produce a bright innings that propelled Mumbai Indians to their first good batting performance of the tournament. The shot that stood out was the inside-out loft with which he welcomed Robin Petersen to the crease. Kanwar fell off the next ball, but his 45 from 21 balls had given the MI middle order the rare luxury of being able to take their time getting in. James Franklin did just that, while Pollard expressed himself in pressure-free circumstances. MI surged to 176 for 5, but rain denied their bowlers a first chance to defend a total in the tournament.”We had discussions on who was going to play, a couple of days ahead of the match,” Pollard said. “We did take into consideration that Sarul hasn’t played any game before. This was an important game for us, and he got the opportunity to go out and express himself. It was a surprise to them and it worked in our favour.”Robin Peterson admitted that Kanwar’s spirited blitz threw the Cape Cobras off their game-plan. “It is never easy to plan against someone you don’t know,” Peterson said. “We were expecting someone else to open and all of a sudden they threw in another guy, a talented Indian player, so it was obviously harder to plan. The next time, though, it will be tougher for him, since people will know where he hits the ball but he is definitely a player to watch out for Mumbai Indians.”With their regular top-order batsmen either injured or out of form, MI were probably forced to experiment with Kanwar. They may have chosen to gamble in a game they could afford to lose, and Kanwar cashed in memorably. On a day when the “injured” Suryakumar Yadav took Man-of-the-Match honours in an age-group game, Kanwar’s cameo reiterated that Indian talent is capable of delivering results that a fifth overseas recruit might not always produce.

Besides the many tussles the WICB is involved in, West Indies are also hampered by the loss of Ravi Rampaul and Lendl Simmons

Tony Cozier04-Mar-2012As they gathered in Barbados on Friday for two weeks of what the WICB described as “fitness testing”, Ottis Gibson and his new assistant, Toby Radford (presumably an official explanation for David Williams’ replacement is to follow), had to go beyond such a narrow remit and, as well, concentrate their players’ minds on the imminent task of confronting the powerful Australians.Such preparation would have been compromised by two familiar issues-the recurring off-field distractions that are potentially more disruptive than ever and the loss of key players through injury or illness (not counting Chris Gayle, through mutual intransigence).The Gayle affair, in which Gibson himself is a central figure, continues to consume more attention than any other subject with no indication of whether the imposing left-hander will return to West Indies colours and, if he does, when.In the interim, inexperienced youngsters. like Adrian Barath, Kraigg Brathwaite and Kieran Powell, charged with the daunting mission of somehow trying to fill Gayle’s opening spot, find themselves in doubt over their immediate future. It’s all the more reason for the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) to succeed in the latest attempt at mediation it has scheduled later this month.While this conflict has dragged on, Guyana’s players are now caught in the middle of the political fight that led to the government’s disbandment of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and its creation of an Interim Management Committee (IMC) in its place. The WICB predictably backed the GCB, one of its long-standing shareholders.These, and other contentious squabbles, mainly between the WICB and the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA), can only serve to distract players whose focus should be strictly on the opponents on the field.As if such irresponsible conduct by those in positions to lead is not enough to undermine the focus of team camps, such as that now in progress, the no-show of the West Indies’ two leading ODI players of last year is another serious blow.Lendl Simmons cracked a finger in Trinidad and Tobago’s match against Barbados two weeks back. The prognosis then was that it would take four to six weeks to mend. At best, that would carry him up to the first ODI against Australia, at Arnos Vale in St.Vincent, on March 16; it is more likely that he would have to miss all five ODIs.A shoulder injury kept Ravi Rampaul out of T&T’s first two matches of the first-class season since when he has been stricken with dengue fever, hence his absence from the “fitness testing”. It is a debilitating illness from which Rampaul, a fast bowler, is unlikely to sufficiently recover in time for the Aussie ODIs.Replacements, especially for Simmons as opener, are not readily identifiable. While Simmons, now into his fifth year of international cricket, still hasn’t cracked Test cricket (he averages 17.37 from eight matches), he has been far more comfortable in the shorter format where his shot-making has a freer rein.In 17 ODIs in 2011, he averaged 49.50 at a strike rate of 79.75 runs per 100 balls and scored his first hundred for West Indies, 122 against Bangladesh. Added to his batting, his sharp fielding, his useful medium-paced wobblers in a pinch and his ability to keep wicket make him the identikit limited-overs cricketer. If he is unavailable, the selectors would be seeking such variety.The name that springs to mind as an unconventional choice in the circumstances is Dwayne Smith, a player with Simmons’ aggressive approach to batting who recently opened for Barbados in the Caribbean T20 and went in No.4 in the Bangladesh Premier League, a fleet-footed fielder and a capable medium-pacer. But selectors tend to be more conservative than that.There is a host of fast and medium bowlers at Cave Hill from whom the selectors can chose (Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Shannon Gabriel, Nelon Pascal and the returning Dwayne Bravo and Tino Best). Any would be pleased to match Rampaul’s 2011 return.Such setbacks are somewhat moderated by the homecoming of Dwayne Bravo from his T20 exploits across the globe. An ebullient all-rounder who has clearly refound his groove (he opted out of the team last June stating he wasn’t happy with his game and needed time to “rest, refocus and reflect”) his enthusiasm has been infectious ever since he came into international cricket in 2004.Now if he could sort out all the off-field nonsense as well, he would instantly take over as board president and team captain. But no one has yet found the formula for cricketing peace for 20 years and counting.

Plays of the Day from the first day of the second Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Durban

Firdose Moonda at Kingsmead26-Dec-2011Debut of the day
Fifteen minutes before the toss, the South African squad got into a huddle. At the centre was a face that has not been seen in national colours since the last time South Africa won a Test at Kingsmead in 2008, Shaun Pollock. The much-loved Pollock was not making a surprise comeback but was tasked with handing over a debut cap to the latest quick to be named in the starting XI – 21-year old Marchant de Lange.Pollock gave a small speech, which every member of the squad listened to with intent and when he handed the cap over, the players did a collective jump and clapped hands for de Lange. Then, they stood for a while in what looked like a prayer before getting ready to take the field. This year has been particularly kind to bowlers playing Test cricket for the first time and de Lange was the latest to benefit from that, taking two wickets in his first spell.Needlessness of the day
Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene shared the highest stand of the morning – 37 runs – and looked to be settling well on a flattening pitch. Dilshan had taken a liking to Imran Tahir, who was brought on after just 70 minutes of play and in the legspinner’s third over dispatched a full toss for four. The next over, Tahir presented him with another full toss down the leg side that Dilshan could have hit anywhere behind square. He chose to send straight to Morne Morkel at fine leg. It was almost as careless as the hoick he played to be dismissed for six in the first innings of the first Test in Centurion. This time, he added 41 more runs before doing it.Dinesh Chandimal’s careless reach to be dismissed in the dying minutes of the day comes a close second.Milestone of the day
Sri Lanka’s batsmen set the bar pretty low in Centurion after being bundled out for 180 and 150 in their two innings. On a much flatter deck, with few demons, they made better starts at Kingsmead. Although they still gave away their wickets on occasion, they appeared a slightly more composed unit. Thilan Samaraweera and Chandimal guided them through most of the post-lunch session and it was up to the rookie to take them into unchartered territory. His pull through the square leg, off a rare Jacques Kallis boundary ball, took the score to 184 for 5, and brought up Sri Lanka’s highest total of the series so far.Non-wicket of the day
Tahir bowled better from the Umgeni End, the breeze helping him with drift. He should have got Samaraweera out, shortly after he became the first Sri Lankan to score a half-century on this tour. Samaraweera lobbed the ball back to Tahir who took the catch one-handed and in deflated fashion – because the delivery was called a no-ball by Umpire Steve Davis. Replays showed that Tahir did have some part of his back foot behind the line and should have had another scalp to his name.Decision of the day
With calls to end play early causing annoyance around the world, most recently Australia, umpires Davis and Richard Kettleborough can be lauded for their decision to keep going in a venue notorious for bad light, as should the teams. At the press conference, Sri Lanka coach Geoff Marsh said the teams agreed to “try to play for as long as possible” under lights.Even as the new ball came, Dale Steyn bowled short and five o’clock arrived, the umpires made no gestures to indicate they were considering calling play off before the full 90 overs had been bowled. Thisara Perera ended the day with three balls to go after he was dismissed by de Lange.

Star’s bid may seem excessive given the current public attitudes towards Indian cricket but it’s looking at long-term developments, including TV going digital, to recover its investments

Tariq Engineer04-Apr-2012Once again, the BCCI has come out trumps. Star TV’s surprise bid of Rs 3851 crores (approximately $750 million) for the six-year broadcast and digital rights to Indian cricket has the board laughing all the way to the bank. Faced with a potentially embarrassing situation after cancelling its contract with Nimbus over payment problems and the recent poor performances of the Indian team, the board has once again proved that controlling cricket is a gift that keeps on giving.The bundling of digital and broadcast rights has also allowed the BCCI to circumvent the problem of the lack of demand for the digital rights as a standalone property. Two previous attempts to sell those rights – at Rs 3 crores ($5.8 million) and then Rs 2 crores ($3.9 million) – found no takers. But now the board is in the clear and it is up to Star to figure out how to market live cricket on the internet.

The upside for Nimbus

In something of a legal twist, Star’s bid may also have given Nimbus some relief in their battle with the board. The BCCI has claimed the full value of the bank guarantee from Nimbus, worth Rs 1,600 crores ($313 million), but with Star now stepping in to cover the remaining duration of that contract, the courts are unlikely to award damages to the board. “They cannot be expected to pay for rights they have not enjoyed,” legal expert Desh Gaurav Sekhri said, adding that this is an established legal principle the world over.

The situation for Star is a little more complicated. On the plus side, the company’s chief executive, Uday Shankar, made it clear that the rights would be jointly exploited by Star and ESPN. Already possessing rights to the ICC, England and Australia, ESPN STAR Sports* now becomes the dominant broadcaster in cricket in India while also eliminating a rival in Neo Cricket. At the same time, Star prevented another potential competitor from grabbing the biggest property in sports in India. Sony, which already owns the rights to the IPL, reportedly has plans to launch a sports channel of its own. Without Indian cricket, however, Sony’s current menu beyond the IPL – FA Cup football and the NBA – will likely have limited appeal.On the other side of the ledger, Nimbus had trouble making money at Rs 31.25 crores ($6.1 million) a match. Star is paying an average of Rs 40 crores ($7.86 million) per game, but the average only tells part of the story. Star bid Rs 32.2 crores ($6.3 million) for matches up through March 2014 and then Rs 43.2 crores ($8.5 million) through 2018. That is a substantial jump at a time when the future shape of the Indian team is uncertain, as is the future of its biggest draw in Sachin Tendulkar. But what the channel is perhaps betting on is the mandatory digitisation of the broadcast business that is expected to boost subscription revenue as opposed to advertising revenue. The entire country plan is supposed to be digitised by 2014, just in time for the switch to higher rates.”Subscriptions are bound to go up,” Samir Kale, the founder and president of SportzPR, a sports communications division of CMCG India, told ESPNcricinfo. “Pricing in television is very low right now. You can’t really afford to provide top quality content at Rs 5 (approximately 10 cents) a month or Rs 10 a month.” The subscription model is especially important for the sports business, he said, as it allows viewers to pay for whatever sports they like rather than having to pay for a bouquet of channels. “As television matures and people start paying for the content, that will deliver more value for the broadcaster,” Kale said.Another of Star’s advantages is that with its bouquet of channels it can use cross programming to derive more value from the deal. “They can get more value from the same property [than Nimbus], Kale said. “Overall, the valuation is fine.”Not everyone is as confident that Star can make the numbers work, though. An industry professional said the numbers didn’t make sense at Rs 32 crores a match so to stretch that to Rs 43.2 crores from 2014, even accounting for inflation and the looming digitisation of the market, was a big risk. A quick calculation assuming 6,500 seconds of advertising for an ODI translates to a spot rate of Rs 6.1 lakhs or 6.2 lakhs per 10 seconds. “Those numbers are not viable,” the professional said. “They might be available for a one-off India v Pakistan series or a one-off India v Australia series.”ODIs aside, India are scheduled to play 10 Test matches out of 19 games at home over the next year. There are plenty of advertising opportunities over five days but with Test cricket pricing is the problem, he said. “With Twenty20 everything gets tight. In 40 overs, what are you going to get? Maximum of 2000 or 2500 seconds.”However, he admitted that the switch to satellite television and digital cable could mitigate the potential losses that Star might face, though to what extent was still uncertain. “How much freedom do you have on pricing? That is the challenge. As long as the Telecom Regulatory Association of India controls pricing, broadcasters are still going to look at adding channels [as a means of increasing revenue] because there is a cap on what they can charge per channel.” He also didn’t expect the effect of digitisation to be felt until the back end of the contract, further limiting its effectiveness.At a more strategic level, Star winning the rights gives them a monopoly over “interesting cricket in any part of the world”, which makes the bid attractive, this person said, but that still doesn’t mean it isn’t a risk for their balance sheet. “That is the punt broadcasters have to take.”Desh Gaurav Sekhri, a sports attorney with J Sagar Associates, also thinks the bid is a risk proposition. Sekhri said he doesn’t see how India can top the highs of the 2011 World Cup and that, given the perception of cricket, Star will have their hands full making money on the deal. “[Even] if you win the Twenty20 World Cup, it is a poor cousin for [winning] the one-day World Cup,” Sekhri said. “You can’t do better than that.”*ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.), the parent company of ESPNcricinfo, and News Corporation Limited (STAR)

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the second day in Port-of-Spain

Daniel Brettig in Port-of-Spain16-Apr-2012Missed stumping of the dayMichael Hussey and James Pattinson were still getting their partnership established when Hussey advanced to Shane Shillingford and was beaten in flight and turn. A wicket at this juncture would have exposed a longer than usual Australian tail to Shillingford’s spin and a still newish ball, leaving the hosts with a chance of restricting the visitors to less than 250. However Carlton Baugh’s gloves had let him down frequently across the innings, and he had already dropped Hussey off Shillingford late on day one. So there was disappointment but no great surprise among the slim Monday crowd of locals when Baugh fumbled his take for long enough to allow Hussey to lunge back into his crease.Referral of the dayAfter a rain delay Hussey and Pattinson were finally dislodged, in quick succession too. Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Lyon and Michael Beer did not unduly trouble the scorers or the West Indies, but Hilfenhaus did at least show an excellent piece of judgement of where his stumps were. Shillingford struck him on the front pad with an off break as Hilfenhaus propped forward, and the umpire Ian Gould raised his finger in response to the West Indian appeal. However Hilfenhaus took Australia’s final referral, which demonstrated how unlikely it can be for an offspinner to win an lbw decision from over the wicket on a turning pitch – provided the batsman gets well forward. Hilfenhaus was struck in line, but the length of his stride left plenty of distance for the ball to travel, and Hawk-Eye’s projection showed it to be sliding past leg stump.New ball bowler of the dayA crowd that had grown somewhat sleepy during afternoon rain then the patient stand between Hussey and Pattinson was perked up slightly by the rush of wickets to end Australia’s innings. But they were brought to the fronts of their seats by Michael Clarke’s decision to hand the new ball to the slow left-arm spin of Michael Beer for the first over of the West Indies’ turn to bat. Beer had done the trick before in Twenty20 matches for the Perth Scorchers, but it was still a considerably leftfield choice by Clarke given that Pattinson and Hilfenhaus were bound to gain some early swing. Nonetheless, Beer quickly dropped onto a length, and spun the ball past Adrian Barath’s bat with the last ball of each of his first two overs.Non-referral of the dayHaving lost the first of their two referrals when Kraigg Brathwaite’s appeal to technology could not save him from a marginal lbw in favour of Hilfenhaus, West Indies were more cautious about using their second and last. In the case of Kieran Powell he proved too reticent, as Pattinson’s delivery straightened down the line to pin him in front of the stumps, but replays showed the ball had pitched outside leg stump – an automatic reprieve had Powell made the T sign.

William Bosisto and Ashton Turner, who have played together at school and then in age-group cricket for Western Australia, have been critical to Australia winning three out of three games in the Under-19 World Cup

George Binoy in Townsville18-Aug-2012Australia captain William Bosisto and offspinner Ashton Turner, two of four players from Western Australia in the Under-19 World Cup squad, have not made headlines yet. Those have gone to the fast-bowling group and the more aggressive batsmen but the duo’s contributions have been critical to Australia winning three out of three games in Group A.Bosisto’s only made 78 runs in three innings, but is yet to be dismissed in the tournament. His unbeaten 35 against England steered Australia through a testing period of the chase and helped secure victory. His contributions, and his ability to not give away his wicket, have not escaped the coach Stuart Law’s attention. He said there was “no nonsense” about Bosisto.”I’m really pleased with the captain, the way he’s handled himself on the field, and with the bat he’s yet to be dismissed,” Law said. “He just goes about doing the same thing all the time, and to be a consistent international cricketer you’ve got to stay pretty much the same all the way through, no matter what the situation. He’s done that brilliantly.”In Australia’s third game, Bosisto faced 84 balls for his unbeaten 36 against Ireland, showing patience even though the target was only 130. “I think that’s my role in this side, we’ve got a lot of aggressive players who like to get moving and get the scoreboard ticking over,” Bosisto said. “So I think my role is to rotate the strike and get those blokes on strike so they can score quickly. And then when it comes to the end of the innings, I can score quickly too.”Law was also impressed by Bosisto’s captaincy during the group stage. “When he’s had the opportunity to really attack, he’s done it,” Law said. “He’s probably been too aggressive and that’s not a bad thing, that’s a great thing. If you can teach captains to be aggressive and set fields to take wickets rather than set fields to stop a bad ball getting hit for four, it’s amazing how many good balls are bowled.”Shane Warne always emphasised the importance of a good rapport between a captain and a spinner and Bosisto has that with Turner, who became Australia’s first-choice spinner after Ashton Agar broke a finger. While a four-pronged pace attack has been the spearhead of the bowling unit so far, Turner’s managed to take the most wickets, seven in three games.Bosisto and Turner go way back, having played against each other at school and then with each other in age-group cricket for Western Australia. Turner reckons he’s played more than 100 games of cricket with Bosisto.”We get on really well, he knows my game really well, he knows how I bowl in certain situations,” Turner said. “He’s very good at reading the game and knowing when he wants the spinner to come on. When I feel like it is time for me to bowl, I generally look over and he’s already thinking about it and he gives me the nod and I’m ready to go.”The feeling is mutual. “It’s quite easy captaining blokes who know the fields they want,” Bosisto said of Turner. “He’s a smart cricketer himself so he knows how he’s trying to get the batsman out and restrict scoring. I think we work quite well together. We kind of know how the other thinks.”Coming into this World Cup from Western Australia, Turner’s had to get used to a couple of things he wasn’t quite familiar with. “I haven’t played too much cricket in Brisbane or Townsville so it’s sort of new for me as well. [The pitches are] quite hard, they are not really suitable to spin bowling, but I’ve been able to get a bit out of it, so it’s pleasing.”The three-match series against Pakistan on the Gold Coast before the World Cup warm-ups was also the first time Turner played a 50-over game with a new ball at either end. He’s enjoyed bowling with a ball that is about ten overs old. “I find it really easy to grip and obviously it drifts quite a lot, especially because it’s so hard,” Turner said. “I think it offers a little more variation, because if it hits the shiny side, which is harder, it does skid on a bit. The seam is hard still so some spin and some slide on.”Turner’s chosen a craft in cricket that is quite easy to be average at but difficult to master, and few finger-spinners in Australia have had long international careers. He knows the importance of developing into an attacking bowler rather than a largely defensive one. “I like to read the play and know that when the situation suits I can be attacking,” Turner said. “It’s not always about being attacking every ball, but when I feel like I have built pressure, and pressure is coming from the other end, I can slow the ball down and I can try and drift it a bit. I can really put some revs on it and try and spin it as much as I can.”As the pitches wear during the latter stages of the World Cup, Turner’s role in the Australian attack could be more prominent. And when this tournament is done, he and Bosisto will return to Western Australia, where they both have rookie contracts for the coming year.

Eleven numbers from the World Cup

S Rajesh27-Aug-2012South Africa had impressive numbers in the Under-19 World Cup•ICC/Getty3 – The number of centuries Unmukt Chand has scored in tournament finals in Under-19 ODIs. He is the only U-19 batsman to score more than once hundred in a final. In four innings he has scored 358 runs and has been dismissed twice; the second-highest aggregate for any batsman in U-19 finals is 180.3 – The number of U-19 World Cups won by India, which makes them the most successful team along with Australia – both have won three titles. Pakistan have two and England one.365 – The tournament aggregate for Anamul Haque of Bangladesh, which was the highest in this tournament. Haque was the only batsman to score more than 300. Overall, this was the eighth-highest in any World Cup tournament.19 – The total number of wickets for Reece Topley, which was the highest in the tournament, and the second-highest in any U-19 World Cup. Bangladesh’s Enamul Haque had taken 22 in the 2004 edition.4.23 – The overall run-rate in the tournament. Among the nine U-19 World Cups, this one sits right in the middle in terms of run-rates, and fourth in terms of batting averages.15 – The number of centuries in this tournament, which equals the record for any U-19 World Cup – 15 hundreds were also scored in the 2004 tournament in Bangladesh. On the other hand, the lowest is three hundreds, in 1988, 2000 and 2008. Among the individual teams in this tournament, Bangladesh scored three hundreds and South Africa two; no other team managed more than one.5.39 – The batting run-rate for South Africa, which was easily the highest among all teams in this tournament – the second-highest was Sri Lanka at 4.91. South Africa’s batting average of 33.37 was second only to Australia’s 34.23. India’s average of 26.17 was seventh among all teams. South Africa’s 359 for 6 against Namibia was the highest score of the tournament, and one of only two 300-plus totals in this World Cup.3.62 – South Africa’s economy rate, which was also the best among all teams in the tournament, as was their bowling average of 15.80. However, India did better with the ball than with the bat, averaging 19.30 at an economy rate of 3.81. South Africa were also the only team not to concede 200 even once in the tournament (though Australia beat them by scoring 193 for 6 in 48.3 overs in the semi-finals).212 – The stand between South Africa’s Quinton de Kock and Chad Bowes against Namibia, which was the only 200-plus stand of this tournament, and the fifth in all U-19 World Cups.130 – The partnership between Unmukt and Smit Patel in the final, which is the highest, and only the second century partnership, in an U-19 World Cup final. Unmukt’s unbeaten 111 was the fourth century, and the highest score, in a World Cup final.5 – The number of World Cup finals, out of nine, which have been won by the team batting second. However, the team batting first had won the last four finals before this one -in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010.

Dropped by Lancashire, and playing out the rest of the season for Somerset, Sajid Mahmood tries to stay positive and believes he still has plenty to offer

Vithushan Ehantharajah 28-Aug-2012″I blame nerves; I drove down OK, but as soon as I got close to Taunton I lost my way. I had to call Brian Rose [director of cricket at Somerset] to come get me.” In the right area, but ultimately wayward – an apt metaphor, if ever there was one, for Sajid Mahmood and a career that has shown too few glimpses of great potential being fulfilled.The former Bolton League bowler finds himself, eventually, at Somerset after a difficult start to the 2012 County Championship season with Lancashire. The campaign began with Lancashire looking to defend their 2011 crown but is set to end in a relegation battle, as bad weather and poor performances leave the county one point ahead of bottom-of-the-table Worcestershire.Quite the turnaround for all concerned, especially Mahmood, who was determined to rid himself of the “inconsistent” tag even idler cricket fans attribute to him since his short-lived England career. It is an unfortunate tag for any bowler to carry, but one Mahmood feels he fully deserves.”I’ll hold my hands up and be the first one to say that I’ve been inconsistent throughout my career,” he admits. “I do try and bowl fast, and sometimes I get carried away with that. But I try my best to be different to any other bowlers we have in the side.”Last year, Mahmood enjoyed one of his best domestic seasons to date, taking 35 wickets at an average of 29.85. It was only the third time in his career that he averaged under 30 with the ball, after 2003 (his first full season for Lancashire) and 2006, which led to an England call. However, a paltry four scalps in three games earlier this season saw Mahmood dropped, before Somerset offered him a way back into first-class cricket for the remainder of the season. The hardest thing, he says, has been staying positive.”I wasn’t getting too much of a gig at Lancashire,” he says. “Somerset came in and I just wanted to go and play cricket. As soon as I heard they were interested, I was up for it straight away – just the chance to play some games again. It was the only thing I was focused on.”Being dropped as a professional cricketer is tough. I suppose it’s the same in any sport – doubting yourself is one of the worst things you can do as a sportsman. I spent more time doing sessions with Mike Watkinson at Lancs, just to keep ticking over, and I played 2nd XI cricket. It’s very easy to get angry and frustrated by how things have panned out, but I’ve tried to take my mind off it. Otherwise it eats away at you.”It’s an indication of his desire to get back to playing first-class cricket as soon as possible that he chose batsman-friendly Taunton as the place to resurrect his season. His self-belief is welcome to all those who support Mahmood, especially when it seemed he was starting to get disillusioned with his cricket.In June, he was penalised for using “obscene, offensive or insulting language” in Lancashire’s FLt20 defeat to Derbyshire. His figures – 42 runs conceded in 2.3 overs – would test any bowler’s resolve, but it was his second breach of the fixed-penalty system in three years. Another breach could see him serve a ban.

“I do try and bowl fast, and sometimes I get carried away with that. But I try my best to be different to any other bowlers we have in the side”

The previous month, Yorkshire fast bowler and good friend, Ajmal Shahzad, made the switch across the Pennines on loan as Lancashire looked to address their poor start to the season. Mahmood played in Shahzad’s Lancashire debut, against Sussex, with both taking three wickets apiece. However, it would be Mahmood’s last County Championship appearance for the side.”I was really happy when I heard Ajmal was coming over – we even roomed together for the first half of the season. But he’s a great bowler and deserves to be in the side – I can’t really say the same when I look back at my performances. I’ve not been able to get back in the side because they’ve not bowled too badly.”Five years ago, Mahmood was championed as the out-and-out speedster England had yearned for. He looked the part too; his powerful physique and piercing eyes ticked the boxes in England’s “bully or be bullied” mindset that had helped them win the Ashes in 2005. He would go on to win eight Test caps, playing in three of their five defeats in the 2006-07 Ashes in Australia. The match in Sydney was his last Test for England. While he looks back on this time of his career fondly, he can’t help but do so without a feeling of deep regret.”It was tough and it gave me a gauge of where I was in relation to the best players and the best team in the world at that time. I enjoyed every single day of it. To represent your country at the highest level – it’s pretty hard not to enjoy it. It’s every boyhood dream come true – I made my debut at Lord’s, I played against Pakistan – the country of my parents.”But I took it for granted. At the time, it all seemed to come so easy to me. Ultimately, I was picked on potential. I didn’t prepare for games as well as I should have. I just thought, ‘Go out there, bowl fast and knock some people over.’ That doesn’t really fly in Test cricket. But then again, that’s all I used to do in county cricket and it seemed to work – why change?”Mahmood is in the last year of his contract with Lancashire, and nothing has been forthcoming from the reigning county champions. It is unclear whether success at Somerset will influence those at Old Trafford to stick by him. At 30, he is still an attractive proposition for anyone willing to gamble on the explosive spells offsetting the erratic ones.Vithushan Ehantharajah is a freelance journalist. He tweets at @Vitu_E

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from Auckland v Sialkot at the Champions League T20

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers09-Oct-2012Fans of the day
By the time the evening game came, the Wanderers crowd had swelled to around 500 and most of them were cheering on Sialkot. It was up to Auckland’s most charismatic player, Lou Vincent, to change that. Vincent has been on a mission to attract more fans to his franchise and has taken to carrying a Justin Bieber doll around to convince young people to come to the cricket. Some of them must have listened because they were at the boundary rope to high-five him every time Auckland took a wicket.Start of the day
After Imran Nazir showed glimpses of good form at the World T20, especially against Bangladesh, Sialkot may have expected him to start explosively in the Champions League. But Kyle Mills had something else to say about that. He kept Nazir in check with three consecutive short-of-a-length deliveries that nipped away from him and kept him stuck in his crease. Mills only give away two runs in that over and it was Auckland who made the impressive opening.Release of the day
Auckland had held Sialkot in a vice grip until someone the batsman found familiar came on to bowl. Azhar Mahmood did not just open the tap, he allowed water to gush out too. His over cost 18 runs and was an assortment of short balls, wide deliveries and ones that did not have much wrong with them, except that Haris Sohail could get hold of them.Double strike
Sarfraz Ahmed invited comparisons with Sohail Tanvir because of his unconventional action and almost lived up to the billing with his two wickets in the 14th over. Auckland were sailing to their target when Azhar Mahmood slapped a short and wide ball to short cover where Shoaib Malik took the catch. With the set batsmen gone, Sarfraz turned it on and beat Colin de Grandhomme’s bat twice with deliveries that angled away. He nicked the third one through to Shakeel Ansar to send jitters into the Auckland line-up.

On the opening day of the Colombo Test, Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson struck up exactly the right tempo for New Zealand, and worked the bowlers and the field like they had been in form for weeks

Andrew Fernando at the P Sara25-Nov-2012When Sojourner Truth said the “night was often darkest before the dawn”, New Zealand’s Test travails were not the subject of her commentary. But on the first day of the second Test, the endeavours of Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson appeared to give sporting credence to her words, though they have much left to achieve yet.Five days ago in Galle, New Zealand’s batsmen played Rangana Herath like he was bowling grenades at them while they were being waterboarded. Seemingly clueless on how to defuse good spin bowling, the visitors poked, parried and stumbled their way to their lowest Test score in an already distressing year. At the P Sara, suddenly they were transformed. When the evening rains arrived to force an early close of play, Williamson and Taylor were batting on what is by far New Zealand’s biggest partnership this year, and their best stand against a top-eight side since March 2009.What was most striking about New Zealand was the sudden swell of steel in their demeanour. At the toss, Ross Taylor said his side needed “to show the public that we can fight”, and his decision to bat first after their woes in Galle suggested he intended to walk the talk. It would have been easy for him to leave that mountain for another day. It had rained overnight and the P Sara pitch has historically been good for fast bowling, and though some would have questioned his judgement if he had opted to bowl first, that decision would be far from unjustifiable. Moreover, New Zealand’s opening bowlers had built into some fearsome form through the limited-overs series, and were perhaps only one wicket away on the second morning from changing the outcome of the first Test. Still, Taylor chose instead to lay the gauntlet down for his batsmen. It was a track full of runs, and through his decision, he implored the batsmen to pull their weight.New Zealand’s desperation was also manifested in Brendon McCullum’s ire at being wrongly given out lbw. In Galle’s second innings, he punched his bat on his exit out of frustration for having played an unnecessary shot, but in Colombo his mood was closer to fury. He had been playing tightly, and when the umpire raised his finger, he scowled at the official, and cursed and spat his way to the dressing room, where his wrath probably took an even more palpable turn.It is often said of batsmen who defy difficult conditions that they appeared to be playing on a different pitch from their peers, but the temperament and tone of Taylor’s partnership with Williamson was New Zealand batting from a different universe from their incompetence in Galle. There, New Zealand had spoken of being positive, yet batted so dourly in some parts that Sri Lanka were not under any pressure in the field, and attacked so unwisely in others that they gifted away their wicket. Yet somehow in Colombo, Taylor and Williamson struck up exactly the right tempo, one which New Zealand should not stray far from, and worked the bowlers and the field like they had been in form for weeks.Taylor should perhaps be especially pleased with his day’s work, having played perhaps his most mature innings to date. When he reached triple figures off a respectable 189 deliveries, he had only hit eight boundaries in his innings – the fewest he had hit in any innings in which he had made a hundred. His wagon wheel shows only one boundary to midwicket, and even that was on on-drive on which he rolled his wrists. His favourite slog sweep, along with most of the power-strokes that characterise his batting, were shelved during this innings, and singles and twos were preferred instead. He had spoken of being positive against spin bowling ahead of the series – a feat he achieved today, yet he hit no fours off the spinners, not even off the part-timer Tillakaratne Dilshan. It is a statistic that betrays the will of a man who wishes to make a break from the bleak past.Williamson’s natural game is more adapted to handling spin, and perhaps his calm presence at the other end helped Taylor stave away the hankerings to hit out. Off the back foot, Williamson was impeccable, allowing him to pinpoint gaps almost casually despite Mahela Jayawardene’s persistence with aggressive fields throughout the day. Unlike Taylor, who had to battle through a nervy period at the start of his innings, Williamson’s knock was almost chanceless. He picked the lengths early and used his feet effectively to blunt the spinners. His steady hand and a technique built around defence is often a refreshing change in a side in which those qualities seem undervalued, but today, Taylor chose Williamson’s approach and their partnership flourished as a result.New Zealand are still a long way from avoiding a record sixth consecutive loss, and they will know all their success today came on a pitch that gave very little to bowlers of every ilk. It is not only a batting performance that must be extended on day two, it is one that must be emulated in the months to come, if New Zealand are to scramble out of their rut. But Taylor and Williamson have given the visitors a better start to the second Test than anyone would have imagined in the days leading up to the Test, and perhaps the side has left rock bottom behind.