Ashton Agar has talked about looking up to Daniel Vettori and Australia are now hoping he can have a similar impact

Daniel Brettig at Trent Bridge10-Jul-2013Sixteen years ago, a teenaged left-arm spinner was chosen to face England. Daniel Vettori had played a mere two first-class matches in his life, but his natural aptitude for spin was abundant and would be demonstrated on a debut that would be New Zealand’s only ray of light in an abject defeat. was to note that Vettori “performed with considerable maturity, more indeed than some of the senior players”.Back then, Ashton Agar was not even four years old. But there are unmistakable shades of the young Vettori about his rapid rise to a stunning selection for the first Test against England, and the way he has convinced the decision makers of Australian cricket that he is ready for such a tall task. Selectors, coaches and team-mates have been beguiled by Agar’s languid, flowing bowling action and similarly attractive batting, while his wiry, athletic frame lends itself to sharp work in the outfield just as much as the delivery of a looping, teasing arc with the ball.In the words of Agar’s state coach Justin Langer: “Besides his infectious personality and energy for the game, Ashton’s strength comes in his natural and free style of play. Whether with the bat or ball his movements are reminiscent of the great athletes. Many young players today look very tense and mechanical in their movements. They often look ‘over-coached’ and are unable to move with freedom, power and speed. When you observe the great athletes there are few who look like this. While Ashton has much to learn … his free movements give him the chance to fulfil his undoubted promise.”Melbourne born, Agar’s Sri Lankan heritage provided him with something of an affinity for the spinning ball, and at the Richmond Cricket Club he suggested plenty of ability, learning to ply his trade among older heads from the occasion of his first grade debut at 15. It was not all a completely smooth progression, however, including a spell of four games in the club’s second XI during 2011-12. But he was by then representing Australia as an Under-19, and he was selected for the World Cup in Queensland in mid-2012.It was there that Western Australia’s talent spotters chose to swoop, taking advantage of the fact that a logjam of spin bowlers existed in Victoria. Agar, also a budding law student, took the chance to pursue his cricket with maximum vigour. “It was just opportunity to play first-class cricket,” Agar said of his move last summer. “They had Maxwell, Cameron White bowls, David Hussey bowls, and Muirhead and Holland as well. There were too many spinners over there so I decided to move. Fortunately it’s working out in my favour.”Initially, Agar was still a bowler in reserve. Michael Beer had played for Australia in the West Indies and done well amid a sickly Perth Scorchers campaign in the Champions League. But in late January, following the Big Bash League, Beer injured his shoulder in a training mishap, ruling him out of contention for the forthcoming India Test tour thrusting Agar into the Warriors side for a match against New South Wales in Blacktown. It was to be an influential outing.While the selectors were keeping one eye on the Blues’ Steve O’Keefe, Agar would earn rave reviews that reached the national selector John Inverarity. Figures of 3-103 from 37.3 overs do not sound like much, particularly when lined up next to O’Keefe’s match haul of eight wickets. But the guile, variation and natural ability shown by Agar was considerable, best illustrated by a sharp-spinning ball that utterly confounded the young left-hander Scott Henry. It would not be long before Agar was boarding a plane to India as a developmental member of the touring squad.Two weeks in the subcontinent gave Agar a valuable grounding, and also the chance to become acquainted with members of the team. “I got a lot out of it, I definitely learned a lot, especially off their spinners, you have to be very patient and bowl a lot of good balls to get wickets,” Agar said. “All the same principles apply wherever you bowl. If you’re very accurate and you put enough balls in the right areas you should get wickets.”Agar did not quite manage to surge past Xavier Doherty and Nathan Lyon to earn a permanent place on the tour, but his bowling in the nets and warm-up matches stuck in the mind of Inverarity, a former tall slow left-arm bowler himself. Further evidence of his promise would arrive on his return home in Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield victories in Brisbane and Adelaide, where Agar also contributed valuable runs.On the Australia A tour of England that preceded the Ashes, Agar had the chance to impress another two influential figures. The tour manager Rod Marsh was a selector at the start of the tour, and the batting coach Darren Lehmann would join him on the panel, at the expense of the deposed Mickey Arthur, by the end of it. Like Langer, they were struck by his subtlety, his rhythm. While much attention was taken by Fawad Ahmed, and Lyon showed his own strong form, Agar beguiled quietly but steadily. To them he looked a natural, and a tantalising approximation of the young Vettori.”It’s all just happened, there hasn’t been too much technical work, coaches have been good that way and have just let my action and everything take care of itself,” Agar said of his style. “It’s more the game sense and game awareness that has been tinkered with, and just experience really. Justin Langer’s been really keen for me to just stay the way I am and keep bowling. He just says ‘keep bowling, stay loose, stay loose’, that’s his advice to me, so that’s what I’ve tried to do.”If the comparison with Vettori seems hasty, it has been made before. Nor is Agar uncomfortable to be mentioned in the same sentence. He did so himself, earlier this year: “Of left-arm spinners Dan Vettori is the one I need to try to emulate. His subtle changes in pace and his accuracy are what get him a lot of wickets, so if I can be anything like that it’d be really good.”By choosing him at Trent Bridge, Australia’s selectors are gambling that Agar is ready to do so now.

Plays of the day from England and South Afirca’s Champions Trophy semi-final

George Dobell and Jarrod Kimber at The Oval19-Jun-2013Selection of the day
The selection of James Tredwell and his subsequent success raised an interesting question for England. Graeme Swann believed he was fit enough to play but the England management, keen not to risk him ahead of the Ashes, left him out to avoid any chance of his calf strain becoming a tear and compromising his availability. Bearing in mind how well Tredwell fared, though, it does raise the question of who will win selection for the final if both men are fully fit.Stumping of the day
If you bowl a brilliant offbreak, beat the bat, the ball hits the pad and goes to slip and slip takes off the bails as the batsman is stranded down the wicket, the dismissal is recorded as a run-out. Even though the batsman was not attempting a run and, had the exact same thing happened and a wicketkeeper taken off the bails, it would have been a stumping and the bowler would have been credited with a well-deserved wicket. But that’s what happened to Tredwell, after a smart bit of fielding from Jonathan Trott.Drop of the day
If South Africa were to have any chance of clawing their way back into this game, they had to take every chance offered to them in the field. As it was, though, Joe Root was on 16 when he was beaten by one from Chris Morris only to see his inside edge evade the diving AB de Villiers behind the stumps. England would have been 92 for 3 had it been taken.Catch of the day
Jos Buttler is still learning his trade as a keeper but he produced an outstanding performance in this game to underline his improvement and potential. He claimed six catches in all – equalling the record for a keeper in ODIs, the third Englishman to do so alongside Matt Prior and Alec Stewart – with the best of them an outstanding, diving catch down the leg side to dismiss Rory Kleinveldt.Set-up of the day
When Steven Finn was taken off after three overs and Stuart Broad’s first two overs were expensive, it seemed South Africa might fight their way back into the game. But then James Anderson came around the wicket to Robin Peterson. Four straight outswingers that landed within a few inches of each other set Petersen up; the straight one that followed dismissed him. It precipitated a decline that saw South Africa collapse from 45 for 2 to 80 for 8.Delivery of the day
Like R Ashwin, Robert Croft and Saeed Ajmal, Tim Bresnan’s wife, Hannah, appears to have mastered the art of pausing just before delivery. Bresnan missed training on Tuesday in order to spend time with his wife, with the England management having arranged a driver to take him back to The Oval in time for the game. The baby appeared as hard to get out as Jonathan Trott but, shortly after England’s victory, the birth of Max Geoffrey Bresnan was confirmed.Lap of the day
The break between innings allowed the Cricketeers, the volunteers who have done so much to make the Champions Trophy such a success, the chance to take a lap of honour around the boundary at The Oval’s playing surface. Around 2,600 people volunteered to help with this tournament, with 800 selected to help supporters with directions to and around the ground, to support the media and to fulfil a multitude of other tasks that aid spectators’ enjoyment of the games. Immediately recognisable with their red shirts and over-sized foam fingers, they have been cheerful and willing, with the idea considered such a success that it will be repeated to help with the Ashes.

Canada captain Rizwan Cheema talks about his side’s recent performances, his role in the team, and plans for the near future

Interview by Faraz Sarwat17-Aug-2013You must be disappointed that Canada couldn’t win either the 50-over matches or the T20s against the UAE?
Definitely. I’m very disappointed. They won three of the four games easily. We had control of one match, but in the end couldn’t hold on. That’s what’s really disappointing – when there are things within your grasp and they slip away. Even against Kenya and Namibia (in World Cricket League matches) this happened to us. In both games against Namibia we had them out cheaply, but won one and lost one. Against Kenya in a match we had six wickets in hand at the 40th over and we couldn’t capitalise on that. These are the types of things that really hurt. At the end of the day you’re not winning, so the morale of the team suffers and the confidence level drops too.What was the difference between Canada and the UAE?
The difference is experience. They have mature players, many of whom also play in Pakistan. They always knew what they were doing, especially their batsmen, who were taking singles and doubles and then picking boundaries when it was needed. Experienced players can do that more easily, and we were lacking that because we have a young team and we’re in a rebuilding process. When you are in a position to win a game and still you don’t, that means the problem is mental and a lack of experience. But having said that, I think our players have been around long enough now to pick themselves up.What do you see as your role in this team now? You started out as an opening batsman and front-line bowler, but in the one-day matches against UAE you were coming low in the order and were taking the ball late in the innings too.
I’m still always most comfortable when I’m opening. This period we were going through was really about checking out players and having back-up plans. It’s for that reason that I’ve been batting lower in the order. I think in one game we only had three overs left when I went in. But I feel I have a very important role in this team. I know I have to do well and score runs if the team is going to post a big total. I have to take wickets too, to help us win games.If I’m in the side, I want to play the way I always did. I want to lead from the front. I don’t want to hold myself back and then tell another player to go and do something I won’t do. I like to be up front, whether it’s batting or bowling. I know my abilities and what I can do, but we’ve also been trying to give other players a chance.Do you have the same confidence that you had when you first started to play for Canada?
Definitely. I even feel I am a better player today. At that time maybe there was a different mindset. At that time when batting you only thought of the ball coming to you. Now when you have a young team around you, there’s a lot to think about. When maturity comes there’s sometimes too much information in your mind, which can be good for you but sometimes bad for you too.Is the captaincy a burden?
I wouldn’t say that. Captaincy is never a burden. When you’re a batsman, you just worry about your own batting. Captaincy really only comes into it out there on the field and I’ve always enjoyed that. I’ve been a captain on the local scene since I’ve been around, and my team won the championship three out of four years.In our young team the issue is that the batsmen have to score. The day our batsmen score runs, we’ll do well and it doesn’t matter who the captain is.

“When you are in a position to win a game and still you don’t, that means the problem is mental and a lack of experience. But having said that, I think our players have been around long enough now to pick themselves up”

In your first interview with ESPNcricinfo you said that you could score ten runs an over whenever you wanted. Do you still feel you can do that?
When I’m batting, hitting sixes is never a problem. Before, there was a different mindset; now you don’t want to look ugly trying to hit something you’re not supposed to hit. I know I have hit Test bowlers from England, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies. It’s not like I’ve only hit one big-name bowler for a six. Muralitharan was only hit for two sixes in the World Cup, and I hit them both. So hitting a six or scoring ten runs in an over is no issue.In a World Cup warm-up match, it was special to score runs against England because they were hot, having just won the Ashes, and their bowlers were right on top. Whenever there’s a Test team around, for some reason my power and everything else comes back. The focus is different. I have a history of playing good cricket against the Test nations. Some people score big against weaker opposition, but it’s the opposite for me.How do you feel about your bowling right now?
My bowling is coming good. The last three games, the ball was coming out well, right on top [of off stump]. I never think I’m not a good-enough bowler. If I don’t bowl in a match, or bowl fewer overs, it’s only because I’m giving someone else a chance. As a captain sometimes you do these things.With the World Cup qualifiers around the corner, shouldn’t the time for experimenting be over?
Yes. Now is the time to start focusing. The series against Netherlands is an opportunity to stick to one thing and bring the team back to a winning streak – quit trying out different things. No team likes to lose. I know people expect better from us, but I would like them to be patient and support us. It was nice to have people coming out to watch these recent games. I’m hoping they’ll come to the Netherlands matches too.How was the Bangladesh Premier League experience?
It was the best experience. You learn a lot sharing a dressing room with some of the top players in the world.I didn’t play much in the BPL because I arrived late and they were already winning. There was no reason to change a winning side. But even though I didn’t play much, it was still a great experience. The chance to be in the dressing room and see how those players approach the game, prepare for matches, do things around their cricket – I definitely learned a lot.You did however have a side match during the BPL where you hit a barrage of sixes.
It was a 35-over game and we scored 370-odd. I think I made 160-something and hit 20 sixes in that match. That’s the story of my life. Whenever I hit all these sixes there are no cameras around! I better start doing this in proper games.

While Harshad Khadiwale has shown glimpses of his talent in seasons past, his consistent start to the 2013-14 Ranji Trophy shows how much he has matured as an opener

Amol Karhadkar in Pune22-Nov-2013When Harshad Khadiwale first toured with Maharashtra’s squad as a teenager, almost a decade ago for the West Zone one-dayers in 2004-05, he was labelled the boy wonder of Maharashtra cricket. But, despite creating ripples on the Under-19 circuit and making his first-class debut as an 18-year-old, Khadiwale somehow couldn’t live up to his potential.The first half of the current season, though, seems to suggest Khadiwale has finally matured as an opener. No doubt he has had the advantage of flat decks and mediocre opposition in Group C of the Ranji Trophy. Still, a century in each of Maharashtra’s three games so far, the latest being a double, has supported the notion that Khadiwale has finally reached the peak of his career. His 262 against Goa was a lesson in pacing an innings as an opener.He began cautiously, then focused on rotating the strike, before getting into boundary-scoring mode. When an aggressive batsman like Kedar Jadhav was in full flow, Khadiwale was happy to take the back seat. But the moment Jadhav perished, he balanced the roles of sheet anchor and aggressor to perfection. It reflected in his numbers, as more than half of his runs came in boundaries in an innings that lasted seven minutes shy of 10 hours.Khadiwale may have been sporting a beard, perhaps to appear mature, but his face still has that boyish charm. Usually a man of few words, Khadiwale did open up a bit after his marathon innings, admitting he has taken time to come of age, but adding that he doesn’t think he has done badly either. “First and foremost, it’s difficult for an opener to be consistent at any level. Opening the batting is perhaps the most difficult role and I don’t think I have fared badly. It’s just that the big runs were not coming as consistently as it is happening now,” Khadiwale told ESPNcricinfo. “I am glad things are falling in place now and I hope to continue in the same vein.”The other major factor behind his lack of consistency was captaincy, which was thrust upon him at the tender age of 21. Ever since Hrishikesh Kanitkar’s relationship with the state association’s top bosses turned sour, Maharashtra seem to have experimented too much with leadership and team selection. As a result, in 2009-10, when Khadiwale was perhaps too young for such responsibility, he was entrusted with it. “You had to think of not just your batting but also about all other things, so it may have affected me a little,” Khadiwale said. “Once I was relieved of the captaincy, I have been able to concentrate much more on my batting.”Over the past eight seasons, Khadiwale had given glimpses of his talent. Except for his debut first-class season, in 2006-07, he hasn’t had a season without at least one century. But he hasn’t been able to convert his starts into big hundreds. This is the first time that he has managed to score more than two hundreds in a season.Khadiwale said the presence of Surendra Bhave – the former Maharashtra stalwart who was Khadiwale’s mentor ever since he was child – as the team’s coach has helped a lot. “He has always been supportive and some of the small tips that he gives helps us a lot. Since he has also been an opener, he understands my game very well,” Khadiwale said.Bhave said while there is no doubt about Khadiwale’s technique, he had been conditioning him mentally. “He has got the most fluent technique of all our batsmen and it has reflected into his performance,” Bhave said. “[But] before the season, we had to prepare him mentally for greater responsibility, and he has delivered by carrying [the team] on his shoulders.”Khadiwale said that he has “stopped setting targets” for himself. “All I am thinking of right now is to spend as much time at the wicket as I can. If I can do that, the runs will obviously follow.”If he can convert his words into action, by the end of the season Khadiwale would have done a world of good not only for himself but also for Maharashtra, who are looking to be promoted from the lowest rung of the Ranji Trophy.

If you were to compare the current Australian Test team and its style of play with another, you’d probably go with England’s Ashes-winning side of 2005

Matt Davies 10-Dec-2013So Australia have a solid opening partnership of two left-handers, one of them more aggressive in his play than the other. They have only one arguably world-class batsman who also doubles as an inventive captain. There is a batsman who has made his name with some great one-day innings, a sometimes unstoppable, big, blond allrounder. A pugnacious keeper is present, a reliable but unspectacular spinner, a work horse of a seamer, a fantastic fast bowler who can be injury-prone and one of the more mercurial pace bowlers the game has seen in recent years, but with the capacity for brilliant hostility. They play with controlled aggression and seemingly no fear, with some good bowling plans, against a team with pedigree and class who have dominated for a while. Does that sound familiar? If it does, you may be thinking of one particular team from 2005. A team that wasn’t Australia.This Australia team reminds me of England’s Ashes-winning team of 2005. In Mitchell Johnson they have someone capable of unsettling England’s batsmen just as Steve Harmison did at Lord’s eight years ago. The blood that Johnson has drawn may be more metaphorical than literal (though we haven’t seen what he can do at Perth yet), but it has been no less effective. The bowlers, also, as a unit, have worked excellently to plans to both dry up the runs and take wickets of class batsmen, as has been demonstrated by their bowling as a unit to Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott, which has been just as good as Andrew Flintoff’s around the wicket attack against Adam Gilchrist. Michael Clarke has also supported his bowlers excellently with some unorthodox fields and well-timed bowling changes, reminiscent of Michael Vaughan’s much lauded captaincy in 2005, though unlike Vaughan he is unarguably a world-class batsman and has shown it, whereas his spiritual predecessor was not at his best, bar Old Trafford, in 2005.So there are some comparisons to be made here, especially in the way Australia have been playing the game in this series, in terms of their attitude. They have a confidence that belies their recent history against their opposition, and a level of aggression that seems to be creeping under the skin of their opponents. While I doubt that Cook will storm off the field in Melbourne giving a foul-mouthed rant to anyone who will listen about substitute fielders (although it’s fun to imagine that from Cook), England do seem rattled just by the sheer force that Australia are directing their way. This is not like South Africa’s defeat of England where they were clinically ground into submission by an undeniably better team, this has been the cricketing equivalent of the Powell Doctrine – a use of overwhelming strikes executed with maximum speed, which is exemplified by David Warner and Johnson, as well as Clarke’s overnight declaration in Adelaide. It is not beyond the realms of thought that England would have batted on into that fourth morning, yet Clarke knew he had enough, and knew he had the artillery.Of course, the results after two Tests don’t quite resemble 2005. England were crushed at Lord’s and only narrowly won at Edgbaston, so is it really that similar a situation? Well, there are some differences. The 2005 Australia team had been a real No. 1 side, without question, whereas the current England team’s stay at the top was short-lived. Also, no matter how good you consider James Anderson to be (and he is good), he is no Glenn McGrath – the destroyer at Lords – and Graeme Swann, even at his best (which we’ve not seen for quite some time now), will never replicate the sheer unstoppable force that was Shane Warne. Also, England were fighting against more history than Australia are now – Australia can look back more fondly on more recent times than the 18 years of hurt that England had to overcome. Australia also seemed to show far more fight and grit in that series, perhaps because of the confidence accrued over those 18 years, while England’s recent Test series have not always gone to plan (Pakistan in the UAE, South Africa at home).So there are quite a few similarities to the make-up of the teams and the way they are playing, but the circumstances in which this series is being played is far different. This is why I, an England fan, can’t even anticipate a whitewash the other way next time around. In fact, unless something changes in the England camp and they start playing with the same brazen attitude of the Australians, it could be another Australian period of dominance that is established by this series.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line

ESPNcricinfo evaluates the performances of Australia’s players after their 5-0 Ashes whitewash

Daniel Brettig06-Jan-201410Mitchell JohnsonIn a word, terrifying. So fast did Johnson bowl and so finely calibrated were his previously untrustworthy sights that England’s batsmen and bowlers were often made to look like club cricketers who had stumbled their way into batting in Tests. Starting with a nightmarish burst on day two in Brisbane and concluding with arguably his finest new ball spells of the series at the SCG, Johnson did not slacken off at any point, a tribute as much to his long-standing physical durability as his new-found mental strength.Brad HaddinIn any other era, Stuart MacGill would have taken 400 Test wickets. In any other Ashes, Haddin would have walked away with the man of the series award. Bailing out Australia’s batting every first innings of the contest, Haddin’s batting bore the fearless look of a man with life and cricket in perspective. He was also wonderfully nimble behind the stumps, claiming fewer catches than he had done in England only because edges flew more frequently to the slip fielders beside him. Michael Clarke’s best lieutenant, Haddin also added much wit and wisdom to the dressing room.9Ryan HarrisUnrelenting in his effort and unwavering in his skill, Harris repeatedly punched through England’s top order batting to allow Johnson to surge through the breach. Lacking only the extreme speed of Johnson, Harris is otherwise the complete fast bowler, across the series earning comparisons with anyone from Malcolm Marshall to Sir Richard Hadlee. Although aged 34 and nursing a battered body, Harris now wants to push on to the 2015 Ashes tour. Provided his fitness holds up he will be the first man chosen.8Nathan LyonFlight, turn and bounce reaped 19 wickets for Lyon as he outshone Graeme Swann to be the most accomplished spinner on either side. Lyon’s confidence grew throughout, as he benefited from the decision to have his mentor John Davison at hand for most of the series. Gave his all with the bat and in the field also, while also settling happily into his role as the team song master. Still only 26, Lyon is on his way to becoming Australia’s most prolific offspinner of all.Chris RogersUnobtrusive but endearingly consistent, Rogers wore down England’s bowlers in the manner of the best opening batsmen. He struggled initially for batting form and rhythm, but fought out the series admirably to compile centuries in Melbourne and Sydney. Having waited so long to add to his one Test, the garland of leading run-maker over the two Ashes series was just reward for his persistence.Peter SiddleUnsung but indispensable, Siddle bowled spell after spell of wholehearted and questioning fast medium. His role in building up pressure by bowling “boring” was rewarded most of all by the wicket of Kevin Pietersen, England’s most dangerous batsman developing a major problem with an adversary he was prone to underestimate.Steven SmithConsistency is still to flow completely through Smith’s batting but his best in the series was worth waiting for. First-innings centuries in Perth and Sydney, on pitches favourable to fast bowling, spoke volumes for his progress from the fidgety stripling who was directed to “come into the team and be fun” in 2010-11. Has a long Test career ahead, not only as a lively batsman but also the most likely next long-term captain of Australia.7Michael ClarkeThough his returns tapered off somewhat around the time the series was won, Clarke made critical runs when it mattered most while also leading his team with typical aggression and nifty tactics. A calculated attack on Swann in Brisbane neutered England’s most critical bowling option, before his barked threat to the arm of James Anderson revealed Clarke’s ruthless side to the Australian public. His catching at slip was never less than exemplary. At series end there was no prouder man in Australia.David WarnerFitter, happier and more productive, Warner confirmed his threat to England by scoring swiftly and decisively to build Australia’s leads. Reaping the rewards of pre-season work with his personal batting coach Trent Woodhill, Warner batted with a clear mind and intent to attack, no longer muddled by defensive thoughts. If this meant the occasional low score, the rewards outweighed the risks. A few more first-innings runs will further enhance his improving reputation.6Shane WatsonA useful rather than overwhelming contributor, Watson cracked the most brutal century of the series in Perth and also played busily to help Rogers guide Australia home in Melbourne. His change bowling was invariably handy, claiming useful wickets at important times, while his problematic body held up decently to the challenge of five Test matches.4George BaileyLimited in his stroke range and vulnerable outside off stump, Bailey found the going harder than many teammates. Only one half century from five Tests was a poor return, even if he contributed usefully to the team’s cause at times while also catching well at short leg. The only member of the Ashes XI whose place is in doubt for the South Africa Tests.

From a young age, Nicolas Pooran was identified as a batsman of high caliber and his maturity came to the fore during his 143 in a losing cause against Australia Under-19s

Kanishkaa Balachandran in Dubai23-Feb-2014The Under-19 World Cup is not just about the untold stories of the journeys taken by the players getting there, but also of the time, money and emotion invested by their parents. Nicolas Pooran’s father had flown to the UAE to watch his son play his first World Cup. Had he delayed his departure back to Couva in Trinidad by a day, he would have witnessed his son play one of the most memorable innings under pressure in the tournament’s history.At 70 for 8, West Indies looked in danger of imploding for a sub-100 total but Pooran, a left-hand middle-order batsman, salvaged whatever he could and trusted No.10 Jerome Jones’ batting abilities enough to keep Australia on the field for almost the full 50 overs, making them earn the last two wickets. Pooran smashed 143 and contributed an incredible 69% of the team’s total. When he was finally dismissed in the 50th over, he got handshakes and pats on the back from all the Australians for his stupendous effort. A warm embrace from his dad would have been the icing on the cake.While Pooran said it was “unfortunate” his father had left before the game, he found moral support from a countryman in the commentary box. Daren Ganga, the former West Indies and Trinidad batsman, has been tracking Pooran’s performances since his school-cricket days and spoke of Pooran’s dad’s dedication to his son’s game. Pooran senior, who once studied law with Ganga before dropping out, has allowed his own job as a police inspector with the Protective Services in Trinidad to take a backseat for the sake of his son’s cricket.”I spoke to Nicolas today and he reminded me that his dad left yesterday,” Ganga said on the sidelines of the match. “I told him that I will take over the role of supporting him.”When Pooran flicked a boundary down to fine leg to record his first hundred in U-19 one-dayers for West Indies, his thoughts went to his friend Christian, who had succumbed to dengue fever before the tournament.”I was talking to a friend last night and I told him that I will get a hundred in this game,” Pooran said. “It was a tribute to a friend, who passed away recently. He always supported me, every time.”Pooran’s knock stood out not just for the power in his shots, that cleared the long boundaries, and the precise placement when the Australians attacked him but also his temperament. Batting with the tail demands you trust them to shed their aggressive instincts, defend the last couple of balls and also turn down easy singles. When the pair had added 50 of 47 balls, Jones had faced just eight of those. In their stand of 136, Jones contributed just 20. Jones was the understated hero, who allowed Pooran as much time as possible to size up the field and the bowlers.”Farming the strike is never as easy as it looks as you don’t know which ball will get you out,” Pooran said. “I was basically trying to bat four balls every over, and fifth and sixth ball I was just trying to make him confident.”While the nature of his strokes can evoke mild comparisons with Darren Bravo and Chris Gayle, Pooran’s biggest inspiration doesn’t even hail from the islands. “I look up to MS Dhoni,” Pooran said. “As you can see, whenever he goes out to bat, he will be under pressure. That’s the lesson I took from his book.”That Pooran displayed so much maturity for an 18-year-old in a back-to-the-wall situation didn’t come as a big surprise to Ganga.”He has carried the weight and responsibility of his school and club to a lesser extent and he has been in situations like this,” Ganga said. “Unfortunately in this game, he quite did not have the kind of support he would have wanted except for Jones. He has grown accustomed to taking control, and being the lead, so to speak, in the batting.”Ganga said Pooran had, from a young age, shown high caliber as a batsman, dominating cricket at the U-15 level in Trinidad and Tobago and touring with the secondary schools team to India in 2013. Soon after, he was playing in the Regional 50-over competition for his country at the top level. He was then picked up by Trinidad & Tobago Red Steele for the Caribbean Premier League and in his debut game, displayed his big-hitting ability with 54, which included six sixes. Attacking the likes of Sunil Narine was his claim to fame. Though he wasn’t very successful in the Champions League T20 in India, Ganga said Pooran’s talent was “never in doubt.” In this tournament, an unbeaten 67 in the last match against Canada was the boost Pooran needed against tougher bowling.Pooran is yet to play a first-class match and Ganga feels that while he will be defined by his limited-overs game at the moment, he might have to “unlearn a few things and tighten his game.”West Indies may have failed to make it past the quarter-finals, but Pooran’s knock will be one of their biggest takeaways. According to Ganga, the innings has done justice to Pooran’s talent. “He has left an indelible mark in the competition,” Ganga said.

The new format for England’s T20 competition represents an invaluable chance to inspire a new generation of supporters and players

George Dobell15-May-201412:54

The County Show: Prepare for Blast-off

“It’s the economy, stupid.” Bill Clinton was almost certainly not thinking about the re-launch of the English domestic T20 tournament when he adopted that slogan for the 1992 US presidential elections but it remains pertinent, nevertheless.The launch of the NatWest T20 Blast on Friday provides counties with an opportunity not just to boost their finances in the short-term, but reassert their relevance to communities in the long. Which county wins is largely irrelevant. It is about the county game winning as a whole.For many years the counties have been accused – unfairly, given the development role they fulfil – of surviving on hand-outs earned by the England side. While the launch of the original one-day competition, the Gillette Cup, in 1963 and the T20 Cup in 2003 provided welcome revenue, the value of such events has been diluted over the years. There have been times in the last few seasons when some of the T20 cricket seen in England – attritional, percentage cricket featuring flat spinners and begrudging medium-pacers on damp Tuesday afternoons in largely deserted stadiums – has been almost everything it was set-up to avoid.Packed out crowds and inspiration for the next generation: these are key ingredients for the NatWest T20 Blast•Getty ImagesNow, with a regular, predictable place in the schedule, the casual cricket watcher – and that is exactly the sort this competition is designed to attract – can attend games without needing to check and double-check fixture lists. They can budget their finances and their time so they can attend a game every couple of weeks across the summer, rather than face a glut of three games in six days as has, at times, been the case in recent years.It is essential the counties buy into the re-launch. It is essential that they understand the primary aim of the competition is to attract a new generation of supporters. So it is essential that tickets prices remain accessible to a mass-market audience that is just finding its feet after recession and that the visitor experience is, in every way, welcoming.Players must sign autographs until their arms ache, the grim-faced stewards who have presided in some grounds for far too long must be banished. Members, too, must appreciate the requirement for some of the more populist marketing ploys – the cheerleaders, the music, the talk of Andrew Flintoff’s return – that they might find trying. Cricket in England has to realise that it cannot afford to be exclusive.And, crucially, it is vital the counties provide the appropriate pitches. Seasoned cricket lovers may celebrate the absorbing battle of low-scoring games; the uninitiated will not. This tournament requires good-paced pitches that encourage free hitting and fast bowling. Those counties that prepare slow, low surfaces they think will benefit their slow bowlers have to understand the long-term damage they will inflict on the game. This has been spelt out to them by the ECB.Warwickshire’s decision to rebrand themselves ‘Birmingham Bears’ has proved one of the more controversial marketing initiatives of the re-launch. But there is nothing to be feared by such an experiment. The club reasoned that its somewhat austere image – again, a largely outdated image – had failed to engage the inner-city spectators that live within easy reach of Edgbaston. Specifically, the club has failed to attract the Asian spectators that attend in such numbers when their favoured international teams play at the ground. Warwickshire’s attempt to reach out to this audience is laudable and should not be mistaken for a move towards a city-based mentality.A city-based franchise league in England would be a mistake. While such leagues may work in Australia or India, the landscape in the UK is vastly different. Cricket, in England, is a niche sport. It cannot rely on the passionate support that exists in India to draw people from the shires to the cities. It will always live in the shadow of football. If cricket does not go to the people, the people in market towns around the nation, it will be in danger of becoming irrelevant to vast swathes of the country.The counties, especially in an era when cricket is so rarely seen on free-to-air television, do not exist simply to entertain their members or produce England cricketers – worthy aims though they are. They also exist to keep the game alive by inspiring, identifying and developing players. They offer, for many people, the only realistic chance to witness professional cricket and have a role to play in inspiring young people and then going into clubs and schools in their local community to develop their skills. The Blast is their shop window and their opportunity to earn the resources required to afford the development schemes and the wages demanded of the best players.

A city-based franchise league in England would be a mistake. While such leagues may work in Australia or India, the landscape in the UK is vastly different

And that must be the longer-term aim of this re-launch. It must engage and inspire a new generation of players. For as the identity of the next generation of England’s Test team has taken shape over recent weeks, it has become apparent that, once again, a disproportionate number of the new members – the likes of Sam Robson, Chris Jordan and Gary Ballance – will have been, to a greater or lesser extent, products of foreign systems.To a large extent, that is to be celebrated. Not only does it reaffirm the attraction of county cricket to aspiring young players across the world, but it helps England field a team that reflects the mobile, multicultural society that it represents; a team that reflects a nation with a unique history of commonwealth and empire.But it does beg the question: how good could England be if they utilised the hugely untapped pool of talent that must exist in their own backyard? With competitive cricket now hardly played in state schools, England is obliged to draw its side largely from those who attended private school and those who were given their first exposure to the sport abroad. Those breeding grounds will always be valuable, but it makes sense to also try to utilise the vast, underdeveloped resources of the state system. T20 offers a chance to reach that resource.In the long-term, the ECB may well decide that the benefit of returning some cricket to free-to-air TV outweighs any relatively short-term financial gain. Just as the Sunday League proved the ‘gateway drug’ to several generations of cricket lovers, so could a knockout T20 event incorporating, perhaps, the minor counties. With a little imagination, this free-to-air coverage could be provided by Sky. No amount of coaching clinics, Chance to Shine visits, inner city facilities or autograph sessions – excellent though all those things may be – can replace the simple thrill of stumbling upon the sport on TV and falling in love with it.There will always be challenges. Not least, there is the suspicion that the competition’s success hinges to a large extent on a factor beyond the control of governing bodies or marketing companies: the weather. Several counties are concerned that the tournament begins a week or two early and that a later start might provide a better chance of good weather and increase the chances of the event building early momentum.The Caribbean Premier League offers further competition for players and attention from the cricket-watching public. While the county game has long since grown resigned to losing players to the IPL, the likes of Shahid Afridi (who declined an approach from Warwickshire in the hope of securing a deal in the Caribbean) and Kevin Pietersen plans to commute between Blast and CPL commitments. Various football tournaments and the Olympics will compete for attention, too.So it is into a crowded marketplace that the NatWest Blast must venture. But with a sensible schedule, a few more appearances from the England players and some good weather, it has at least given itself a chance to prosper. County cricket is always involved in a fight for its survival; the T20 Blast represents a significant battleground.

Plays of the day from the match between Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Sharjah

Siddarth Ravindran22-Apr-2014The surprise onslaught
Cheteshwar Pujara has had a difficult time adapting to the Twenty20 format, a struggle that continued today as well. He had reached 3 off 8 deliveries when Dale Steyn, the premier fast bowler in the world, was brought back for his second over. Just as his fans braced for more laborious, ineffective strokes Pujara began the over with a crisply-struck lofted boundary to cow corner and unleashed two more fours in the next three deliveries. The gamble of giving Steyn an extra over in the early stages had come unstuck.The drop
With Glenn Maxwell in the form he is in, the opposition need to grab every chance he offers. If Sunrisers Hyderabad could have chosen which fielder they wanted to take a skier from Maxwell, they would have picked David Warner. It was Warner who was under the ball when Maxwell miscued towards long-off in the 10th over. Warner was quick off the rope and was perfectly positioned to pouch it, but he inexplicably missed it, adding to a lengthy list of dropped catches this season. He barely got his hands on it, before the ball hit him on the midriff and fell to the ground. A moment later, Warner too was lying on the ground, clutching his head in disappointment. Maxwell was on 11 at that stage.The miss
Two balls later it was Pujara who offered a chance. He charged down the pitch and launched the ball towards long-on. It wasn’t going to clear the rope, and Darren Sammy was getting in line with it near the boundary. At the last moment, though, Sammy seemed to lose the ball in the lights, and turned away from the ball. He was facing the crowds as the ball whizzed past him for a one-bounce four.The overstep
Even before the ball had got to Warner for that dropped chance, Sammy had been celebrating the dismissal of Maxwell. In the 15th over, he waited till the catch was taken in the deep before giving Maxwell a send-off. The smile was wiped off, again, though, when the umpires asked for the replay and saw that Sammy’s front foot was well over the line when he delivered the ball.