His impact with Somerset has reinforced his reputation as a roving T20 gun but Chris Gayle still considers himself to be the king of all formats

Andrew Miller11-Jun-20152:28

‘I’m the king of all formats’ – Gayle

Chris Gayle may have taken the county circuit by storm in his hard-hitting introduction to the NatWest T20 Blast, but home remains where the heart is for a man who yearns for another chance to represent West Indies on the international stage.With scores of 92, 151 not out and 85 not out in his three appearances to date for Somerset, Gayle has amassed 328 runs for once out, from 170 balls and with a remarkable 29 sixes – almost three times the tally of any other player in the competition.Yet, with a Test series currently underway between West Indies and Australia in the Caribbean, Gayle cannot help but have half an eye on the fortunes of his team, for whom he scored an ODI career-best 215 against Zimbabwe in the recent World Cup.”I’d love to play a few more international games to be honest with you,” Gayle told ESPNcricinfo. “But we’ll have to wait and see. It’s tough, the travelling is very hectic, sometimes you have to know when you’ve reached the limit in life, sometimes you have to draw the line.”But I will still push to play international cricket, when I go back home I will have a discussion with the coach and maybe with the board, so that we can work out Chris Gayle’s future, to see if they are still interested. I am still interested so I’ll look forward to that and see how best it can work out.”Chris Gayle has made a huge impact in his brief stint with Somerset•PA PhotosThroughout his stint with Somerset, Gayle has played with the number 333 on his back, a tribute to his highest Test score against Sri Lanka in 2010.”People all say Chris is the king of T20, Chris is the this and that of T20, I am the king of Test cricket too,” he says. “I scored two triple centuries. And 21 ODI centuries. So I’m the king of something. The king of all formats.”A Test match is fantastic,” he adds. “It’s a test of character but the entertainment part of cricket is phenomenal. T20 has actually brought new cricket fans into the game, so we have to continue with this as well so that people who didn’t watch can eventually get to watch Test cricket.”West Indies are in the middle of a Test series against Australia, so fingers crossed some youngsters get some opportunities and I hope they make the best use of it, we definitely have to look to the future sometimes.”Gayle’s own future seems firmly mapped out as a Twenty20 gun for hire and the reception he has received in England after his long-awaited debut in England’s competition has confirmed his status as one of the iconic players of his age.He has now scored 15 centuries in all Twenty20 competitions – the next most prolific is New Zealand’s captain, Brendon McCullum, with six – and has featured in domestic tournaments in seven different countries.”It’s good to travel the world and share different dressing rooms with different players over the world,” he says. “you learn more about your culture and you make new friends, you gain more fans around the world as well. It’s been brilliant for me, it’s fantastic, and I’ve got a century for, if not all, then most of these teams. It’s great to achieve such things, but I never know which tournament is coming up next.”Few players are better placed to assess the merits of England’s revamped Twenty20 competition, but Gayle’s initial verdict is that the quality falls a long way short of the standards he has encountered in the IPL, as well as Australia and the Caribbean.”There’s no doubt there’s a big gap between other leagues compared to IPL,” he says. “IPL is definitely No. 1, but the Caribbean Premier League is fantastic too and [Australia’s] Big Bash is up there as well. Those three leagues are the top leagues.”His opinion of England, meanwhile, is coloured by the size of the venues he has so far encountered, with his initial matches taking place on two of the country’s smaller grounds at Chelmsford and Taunton, where one of his sixes landed in the nearby River Tone.”Yeah, those two grounds are a bit small to be honest with you,” he says. “Especially Somerset, with a good track out there as well, so that’s even better. You can clear the boundary easily but anything can happen in cricket, you can get one and nick off early. When you do get a chance to score some runs you try and make the best use of it.”

“I’m looking forward to the CPL, that’s the party tournament. You can have a drink before and after the game – but, kids, don’t try this at home”

Gayle’s determination to make the most of time in the middle was exemplified in his opening fixture against Essex, when his acclimatisation to the conditions meant he was restricted to five singles in the first five overs of Somerset’s run chase. However, he eventually opened his shoulders to set up a last-ball victory.”I was trying to get a rhythm, but it just didn’t happen so at the same time I said I’m not going to panic, I know that if I bat a bit deeper I should be able to play catch-up and get it back in the bag, and that’s what happened. It was my first game, I hadn’t had a net session, I struggled to get a feel for the conditions so it was just experience.””It’s a mind thing,” he adds. “You have to prepare yourself mentally for these sort of situations. I knew it was going to be tough here, I knew it was going to be cold as well, so that’s always a trouble from a West Indian point of view. But I stuck to the task and got across the line.”After all three of his starring roles, Gayle took time to sign autographs and take photographs with hundreds of fans who thronged to meet the superstar in their midst.”The fans were fantastic in both games,” he says. “The first game was an away game but the fans were actually cheering for Chris Gayle which was very pleasing to see, and I’m glad I gave them something to cheer about. In England you always get that sort of reception, they like to make you welcome and feel at home.”Gayle’s stint in England will be over all too soon, however – a match sooner than expected, too – with his thoughts set to turn to the Caribbean Premier League in July and August.”I’m definitely looking forward to the CPL, that’s the party tournament,” he says. “You can have a drink before and after the game – kids, don’t try this at home – but that’s the main objective of CPL, to have fun.”The overseas guys come to the Caribbean, they go to the beach, have fun, chill, have a bit of rum, and then on the field we play hard cricket because we all want to win the tournament. It’s only going to get bigger and better, the buzz is going off, it’s the third year, looking forward to getting back home and getting into it.”For the second year running, one of the overseas players will be Kevin Pietersen, surplus to requirements for England’s Ashes summer despite a remarkable statement of form with a career-best 355 not out against Leicestershire last month. And Gayle had a personal message for his friend and foe.”KP, England don’t want you? Okay, come to the CPL. We’ll look after you there, if your own don’t want you, we’ll take you, we’ll accept you with both hands. You play for St Lucia Zouks, entertain the fans there, and it’ll be a cracker.”

Plays of the day from the match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai

Arun Venugopal16-May-2015The surprise saveShane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane were carving up everything that was served up outside off stump. In the fourth over, Rahane began with a vigorous slash off Morne Morkel for four. He employed a much subtler version of the shot in the next delivery, merely patting it behind point. But the ball gained in speed as it went towards the boundary, and Piyush Chawla, running at the ball from third man, didn’t appear like he stood a chance. But before jokes on a Chawla’s podgy build could be unleashed, he made a furious surge at the end and dived full stretch to halt the ball. He attempted something similar in the ninth over to stop Steven Smith’s pull from reaching the fence, but could only land clumsily on his stomach.The sprint gone wrongRahane is said to be the fastest to do the 100-metre dash in the Indian team. There was glimpse of that ability as he pushed Watson for a number of quick singles as if to break the monotony of boundaries. In the seventh over, Rahane drilled one to deep cover, and after completing the first run quickly, set off for the second. Watson, after taking a couple of steps, sent him back. By then Shakib Al Hasan had fired in a flat, accurate throw that signaled Rahane’s end.Threading the needleKarun Nair was struggling to get his timing right for the most part of his 10-ball stay at the crease. In the penultimate ball of the 18th over, bowled at 149 kph by Umesh Yadav, Nair shimmied outside off to shovel the ball between his left leg and the off stump for a boundary. He tried something more orthodox the very next delivery, a full-blooded drive through the covers, but could only edge it to the keeper. Umesh let out an angry roar, an occurrence as rare as Nair’s freakish shot earlier.The collisionYusuf Pathan was late on a pull off James Faulkner, and it flew high towards square leg, for a while looking like it would find a fielder. Suddenly from out of nowhere, Deepak Hooda and Brainder Sran converged for the catch. Hooda leaped up high to his right to catch the ball, but as he came down his head collided into Sran’s shoulder, and they both came crashing down. Hooda was dazed by the impact and the physio was required to check on him.

At Trent Bridge in 1973, a team of “pushovers” were set 479 and they went for it. Not the right time to be studying for an O-level

Steven Lynch07-Jun-2015I’ve always enjoyed watching New Zealand. Especially the current team, arguably their finest. Along with every other non-Aussie, I was rooting for them in the World Cup final in Melbourne at the end of March: this summer, only the most dedicated England fans could have begrudged them a share of the annoyingly short series. It’s not just the attacking batting, although that’s what catches the eye: I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such collective fielding excellence, which often led to three men tearing after the ball towards the boundary. And Trent Boult is a real handful with the ball.New Zealand’s displays this summer brought to mind an against-the-odds performance from my youth – one that, as we’ll see, threatened to derail my school exams.Until the 1970s, New Zealand were usually heavily outgunned in England. The honourable exception was the 1949 side, captained by Richard Hadlee’s father Walter, which drew all of that summer’s four Tests, and brought about a change in thinking. Those were three-day matches: previously, only Australia were thought worthy of the full five days, although South Africa usually got four. But after the New Zealanders’ plucky performance, all Tests in Britain were scheduled to last five days – something that rebounded on England the following year, when they lost 3-1 to West Indies.However, apart from Hadlee’s band (which boasted several fine batsmen in Martin Donnelly and the young Bert Sutcliffe and John Reid), New Zealand’s results weren’t great. The 1958 side was arguably the weakest touring team ever to tour England; only rain prevented a 5-0 whitewash, with Tony Lock taking 34 wickets at 7.47. Five times New Zealand were bowled out for less than 100; in the third Test, at Headingley, England declared at 267 for 2 and won by an innings. The 1965 and 1969 teams were despatched with more whimpers than bangs too.

It was hard to concentrate on dictée and les neiges d’antan when, not too far away, there was a Test match in the balance. Luckily the master invigilating that day was also a cricket lover

New Zealand had still never won a Test against England, home or away, so the arrival of the 1973 team didn’t raise the temperature too much, although Glenn Turner scoring 1000 runs before the end of May in the warm-up games did at least boost their public profile. When the Tests came, though, Turner’s form had fizzled out: in the first one, at Trent Bridge, he scored 11 and 9, while his opening partner John Parker – who I’d seen get a few runs for Worcestershire (though not as many as Turner) – failed to reach double figures in either innings.A peculiar Test match thus unfolded at Nottingham. England’s batsmen hadn’t set the world alight in making 250, but their seamers made that look more imposing by shooting the tourists out for just 97. England’s second innings was strangely lopsided: eight batsmen were dismissed in single figures – but in the middle of that Dennis Amiss made 138 and Tony Greig 139, sharing a stand of 210. The youthful Ask Steven was distinctly unamused when Geoff Arnold at No. 11 ruined what might have been a unique scorecard by making 10 not out.Bevan Congdon batted on and on and ended with 176•Getty ImagesNew Zealand were thus left with a record 479 to win, in more than two days, and the early loss of Turner and Parker didn’t bode well. But then things started getting interesting – and started to impinge on the preparations for my French O-level exam, scheduled for the final day. Who, after all, could be bothered about irregular verbs, and that pesky business about whether nouns are masculine or feminine, when Greig was bouncing in to bowl, or Arnold was wobbling his seamers around?From an unpromising 130 for 4, New Zealand were soon well past 200, thanks to a fine partnership between their captain, Bevan Congdon, and the British-born Vic Pollard – probably the finest Test player to emerge from Burnley pre-Anderson. They batted for most of the fourth day, and slowly the miracle seemed possible. Congdon, old-fashioned of technique and hairstyle, seemed immovable, and reached a career-best 176 before, in a major blow to New Zealand hopes, he was bowled by Arnold just before the close.All the commentators seemed to call him “Bev” Congdon, and the habit stuck with me. Until a couple of years ago, when I mentioned him in an article and received a pained email from a Kiwi: “One of my pet hates! Congdon was always Bevan not Bev in NZ. Not sure why the English media always called him Bev!” Duly chastened, I’ve tried to give him the full Bevan ev since.The next morning the French textbooks were still not getting much attention as Pollard reached his maiden Test century, in the course of a stand of 95 with the ill-fated wicketkeeper Ken Wadsworth. As the total inched towards 400 – less than 100 to win! – I remember giving serious consideration to calling in sick for the exam. But I did eventually tear myself away – it was supposed to be one of my better subjects, after all.But it was hard to concentrate on dictée and les neiges d’antan when, not too far away, there was a Test match in the balance. Luckily the master invigilating that day was also a cricket lover; he’d been at school with Tom Dollery, Warwickshire’s captain when they won the Championship in 1951. And he put my mind at rest by sidling round mid-exam and – probably breaking every known rule – surreptitiously showing me a piece of paper: “England won by 38 runs.”Yes, unseen by me, New Zealand had made it to 402 for 5 – just 77 short of the holy grail – but then England’s persistent seamers claimed the last five wickets for 38. Still, 440 was the highest losing fourth-innings total in a Test at the time (it has since been surpassed, although New Zealand remain the record holders, with 451 against England in Christchurch in 2001-02). And they showed their performance was no fluke, in the next Test, at Lord’s: Congdon followed 176 with 175, and Pollard made another century. This time they managed to draw. England took that series, but New Zealand were clearly pushovers no more. A Test victory over England finally came, in 1977-78, and in 1983 they recorded their first win on English soil.And, dear reader, I passed.

Ten years ago, one of cricket’s all-time great matches played itself out in Birmingham

Rob Smyth01-Jun-2015The biggest turning point of the greatest cricket series ever played came during a game of rugby. Australia were warming up on the morning of the second Test at Edgbaston, playing touch rugby, when Glenn McGrath trod on a stray cricket ball and badly injured his ankle. As word spread that McGrath would miss the match, the whole of England celebrated like a dictator had been overthrown.Although the pitch looked good, Australia had planned to bowl first if they won the toss in an attempt to further expose the wounds opened by McGrath at Lord’s. In his absence, Ricky Ponting took the same decision to the surprise of almost everybody at the ground. The video of the toss shows his opposite number Michael Vaughan having to work exceptionally hard to retain his poker face at the moment Ponting says Australia will bowl. “He’s a lovely guy, that Ricky Ponting,” said Geoffrey Boycott later. “He likes the English so much he changed the series with the most stupid decision he’ll ever make in his life.”Normally a captain is savaged if he bowls first and a side makes 600. England made 407 at Edgbaston, a good score but no more, yet the manner in which they did so changed the mood of the series. They scored those runs in just 79.2 overs, at a staggering 5.13 per over, with 10 sixes. It was an outrageously aggressive response to the crushing humiliation of Lord’s.Marcus Trescothick set the tone with a coruscating 90, and after lunch Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff had a game of unspoken one-upmanship during a partnership of 103. Pietersen made 71 and Flintoff returned to form with 68 from just 62 balls. That included five sixes, one hooked blind off Brett Lee, an unwitting homage to Ian Botham in 1981. Flintoff said he bottled it at Lord’s; if he could have bottled the freedom with which he played for the rest of the series, he would have been one of the greatest players of all time.In the most important game of their lives, England batted with happy abandon. It was their captain Vaughan who imbued the entire side with the same aggressive approach he demonstrated in Australia in 2002-03. “He’s the best liar I ever met,” said Steve Harmison of Vaughan’s ability to make his team believe everything was or was going to be okay.He didn’t need to lie on the second day, as England took a significant first-innings lead of 99. Giles’ dismissal of Ponting – who moved ominously to 61, determined to make up for his decision at the toss – was a key moment, one of three important top-order wickets for a player who had been heavily criticised after the first Test.

You know sport is truly special when you feel nervous even when you watch replays, and Edgbaston 2005 retains that quality

Any sense of English comfort soon started to dissipate, however. Warne bowled Andrew Strauss with a staggering delivery on the Friday evening – his Ball of the Twenty-First Century. On the eve of the match, Warne was asked about his famous delivery to Mike Gatting in 1993. “I’d give up sex to bowl a few more of those balls this summer, that’s for sure.” The delivery to Strauss, and the grainy pictures of Warne in a hotel room with two blondes and an inflatable, suggested there was no need for such a trade-off.On the third morning at Edgbaston, Warne and Brett Lee reduced a jittery England to 75 for six. Flintoff then continued his exceptional match with 73 from 86 balls, including four more sixes. The third, a bunt down the ground off Lee provided one of Mark Nicholas’s many memorable commentaries during the series on Channel 4 in England. “Oh, hello! Massive! MASSIVE!” All the while his co-commentator Boycott could be heard cackling with disbelief and joy. Flintoff added 51 for the last wicket with Simon Jones. Warne, bowling imperiously, ended with six for 46 in the innings and ten in the match. As Flintoff walked off, Warne shouted after him. When Flintoff turned round, Warne mouthed “well played” and applauded.Australia were left needing 282 to win. Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer moved so easily to 47 for none that, even at that early stage, it felt like it was Flintoff or bust. In his first over, he dismissed both Langer and Ponting. It was the moment an ordinary human being became SuperFred. Langer was bowled off his elbow, and then Ponting received the most exhilarating working-over since Michael Holding blew away Geoff Boycott in 1981.A no-ball from Flintoff actually helped England, because it gave him an extra delivery – from which Ponting was dismissed. “They were five of the most vicious deliveries you could ever see,” said Gilchrist. “And then Ricky was somehow good enough to get his bat on the last ball to nick it to Geraint Jones. Flintoff stood there like Hercules and his team-mates mobbed him. I remember, in the rooms, watching and thinking, ‘We are in big strife.'”The third day was one for the ages: there were 332 runs, 17 wickets, and approximately four million momentum shifts. It ended with Australia surely beaten: they were 175 for eight after Harmison bowled Michael Clarke with an outrageous slower ball in the final over of the day.”Jones! Bowden! Kasprowicz the man to go”: the last ball of Edgbaston 2005 as Richie Benaud called it•Getty ImagesThe fourth day was apparently a simple case of England turning up and taking the last two wickets. There was a slight scare when Warne and Lee added 45, but when Warne comically kicked his own stumps down against Flintoff, everyone relaxed again. For about twenty minutes. Then it became apparent that, not only were Lee and Kasprowicz adding runs at speed, they were doing so with alarming comfort. It all happened so fast that, before anyone knew it, Australia needed only 15 to win. That was when Simon Jones, diving forward at third man, dropped a sharp chance offered by Kasprowicz.The target moved into single figures. By now an entire nation had stopped its day of rest. “Physically sick but still watching,” texted the England coach Duncan Fletcher’s daughter to her mother. You know sport is truly special when you feel nervous even when you watch replays, and Edgbaston 2005 retains that quality. With four needed, Lee smashed Harmison through the covers; there was a fleeting yelp of triumph from the Australian fans, before they realised Vaughan had a cover sweeper in place and it would only be one run. Two balls later, Kasprowicz fended a short ball from Harmison down the leg side, where the much-maligned wicketkeeper Geraint Jones took an excellent tumbling catch.England’s celebrations were joyously uncoordinated, with players running in different directions before they eventually came together. Harmison broke off from the celebrations to console Lee and then Flintoff did the same, his face a picture of compassion, respect and empathy. The result was one of cricket’s iconic photographs, a pictorial code for sportsmanship at its finest.The cricket world often wonders what Flintoff said, as if he dispensed one of the great pearls of wisdom. The reality was more mundane. “It came out of my mouth, it’s nothing profound is it?!” said Flintoff. “It’s not gonna be something life-changing!” Lee has a vague recollection. “It was something like, ‘Awesome game, bad luck, I thoroughly enjoyed it.'”Lee cried in the shower area after the game, his batting gloves still on, and then had a beer with Flintoff in the dressing-room. Flintoff sometimes jokes that the sympathetic expression was a smokescreen for an earthy reminder to Lee that England had just made the score 1-1. The reality was far more generous in spirit, of course. Although the essential point of Flintoff’s joke is correct: Lee may not be an Aussie bastard, but it was 1-1 rather than 2-0, and the Ashes were ablaze. In no small part thanks to a stray cricket ball.

Last batsman in, but opening with the ball in the former Australia captain’s Ashes XI: a man who bowled with unwavering accuracy

Ricky Ponting16-Jul-20152:37

Glenn McGrath

“He will certainly take the new ball for me in any game anywhere in the world. His Ashes record is remarkable with 10 five-wicket hauls and an average under 20. He followed the old adage of line and length”

StatsOVERALL: Matches 124 Innings 243 Wickets 563 Average 21.64 5/10 29/3
ASHES: Matches 30 Innings 60 Wickets 157 Average 20.92 5/10 10/0
Best performance8 for 38 at Lord’s, 1997
Put in to bat on the second day of the Lord’s Test in the Ashes series in 1997 – the first day was washed out – England were dismantled by Glenn McGrath, who bowled with unwavering accuracy to pick up 8 for 38, the second-best figures at Lord’s. The slide started early: 11 for 1, 12 for 2, 13 for 3. Only an hour and a half of play was possible on the day, which England ended at 38 for 3. On the next day, they could add only 39 as McGrath picked up five more to dismiss England for a paltry 77, their lowest at Lord’s since 1888. Rain came to the rescue of England, who at that point were leading the series 1-0, and the Test ended in a draw. Australia, though, won the six-Test series 3-2.TriviaGlenn McGrath has a bowling average of 11.50 at Lord’s – the second-best for any bowler with more than 25 wickets at a single ground.

Statsistical highlights from the first ODI between India and Bangladesh in Mirpur

Bishen Jeswant18-Jun-20151:10

Insights – Another debut five-for against India

5 Number of wickets taken by Mustafizur Rahman today (5-50), the most by a Bangladesh bowler on debut. The only other Bangladesh bowler to take a five-wicket haul on debut is Taskin Ahmed, who had figures of 5 for 28 against India in 2014.307 Runs scored by Bangladesh in this game, their highest score in an ODI versus India. Their previous highest score was 296 in Dhaka in 2010. Bangladesh have lost seven out of eight previous matches when they have made a 250-plus score against India.2 Number of times five of Bangladesh’s top-seven batsmen have made 30-plus scores against India. They have not done this more than once against any other team.5 Number of times both Bangladesh openers have made 50-plus scores against a top-eight team. They have done this twice against India, twice against Pakistan and once against New Zealand.2 Number of times Bangladesh have beaten India at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur. They have won once each in Dhaka and Port of Spain.79 Bangladesh’s margin of victory in this game, their second-biggest in an ODI against a top-eight nation. The only time Bangladesh have won by a bigger margin was when they beat West Indies by 160 runs in Khulna in 2012.9 Number of consecutive matches that Bangladesh have won at home. They whitewashed Zimbabwe 5-0, then Pakistan 3-0, and now lead the current series against India by a 1-0 margin.102 The partnership between Soumya Sarkar and Tamim Iqbal, the highest opening stand for Bangladesh in ODIs versus India. The previous highest was 80 in Dhaka in 2010.7.5 Bangladesh’s run rate during the opening stand of 102 between Tamim and Sarkar. This is the best run-rate during a 100-plus opening stand for Bangladesh in all ODIs.19 50-plus scores for Shakib Al Hasan in Bangladesh, the most for any batsman along with Tamim. Overall, Shakib has 35 fifty-plus scores for Bangladesh, one behind Tamim (36).2027 Partnership runs between Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma when opening the batting. They are only the third Indian opening pair to score 2000 runs together, after Tendulkar-Ganguly (6609) and Sehwag-Tendulkar (3919).79 Balls (or 13.1 overs) taken by Bangladesh to reach 100 runs, their fastest against any top-eight team. Their fastest against any team is 73 balls, versus Zimbabwe in 2005.

A look at six members of the ICC Americas squad who made the cut after clearing both phases of the selection trial

Peter Della Penna08-Oct-20151:37

‘Evans: Pleasing to see high level of intensity from Phase One players’

Ali KhanThe poster boy for why the whole ICC Americas Combine in Indianapolis was conducted in the first place – to discover players who had not been earlier identified, or were ignored, by the old system of national selection organized by local governing bodies. Khan hails from Dayton, Ohio, hardly a cricketing hotbed. As such, the fast bowler either travels 470 miles east to Washington D.C., or 300 miles northwest to Chicago, to find a decent game of cricket on the weekend.With the retirements of fast bowlers like Kevin Darlington and Usman Shuja in recent years the pace-bowling depth of the USA squad has appeared thin. But Khan was one of several fast-bowling prospects to emerge at the trial to demonstrate that there was still plenty of talent around the country that had not been found. His ability to bowl yorkers virtually on demand was the highlight of his performances and went a long way towards his progression into the final team.Timroy AllenContrary to Khan, Florida-based Allen has had a distinguished record for USA since his debut at 21 in 2008 in the WICB Regional 50-over tournament against Barbados. Since then, it has been a topsy-turvy journey for Allen, who has battled with his share of injuries – and USACA officials – while being a match-winning allrounder in the Andrew Symonds mould. Coming in at No. 7, Allen’s dynamic hitting with the bat turned matches upside down while he was equally effective bowling medium pace or offspin with the ball.In 2013, however, he vowed never to play for USA again – due in part to disagreements with coach Robin Singh – after a frustrating sequence of tournaments which saw USA fall short of a place in the 50-over World Cup Qualifier and finish last in their group at the World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE. Some people had questioned his attitude and dedication to cricket, but during the trial in Indianapolis Allen was the most electric player on the field. Not only was he a star with bat and ball, but won rave reviews from fellow participants for his leadership on and off the field. He will be a pivotal player for the team’s chances of victory in Trinidad.Danial AhmedLeft out of USA’s squad for the Twenty20 Qualifier in Ireland after a mediocre performance in the Americas Qualifier in May, Ahmed’s career with USA that started brightly in 2012 was dimming down to a flicker. But the left-arm spinner from Washington DC stormed back into prominence during the trial. Consistency, that had evaded him earlier in the year, returned and he produced spell after spell of stump-to-stump lines, strangling run-scoring.Ahmed doesn’t do a lot in terms of turning the ball, but he is solid at mixing up his speeds to keep batsmen off balance and, by attacking the stumps, he gains more than his fair share of leg-before decisions. His one weakness is in the field, but his inclusion is a recognition that his effectiveness with the ball more than makes up for that.An ability to bowl yorkers almost on demand was the highlight of Ali Khan’s performances during the ICC Americas trial•Peter Della PennaAlex AmsterdamOriginally from Guyana, Amsterdam represented his homeland at Under-19 level in 2009 in the WICB Regional U-19 tournament, where he was team-mates with Guyana Amazon Warriors fast bowler Ronsford Beaton. He came to New York not long after playing for Guyana U-19 and represented USA for the first time at the World Twenty20 Qualifier this summer in Ireland after completing the ICC’s four-year residency rule for eligibility.A left-hand bat, Amsterdam is more of a grinder than a flamboyant stroke-maker. His top score at the Qualifier came in a win over Hong Kong, where he made the most of a life on zero to finish 43 not out. In the trial matches in Indianapolis, he similarly made the most of his extra chances and top-scored in one game with 65 before retiring. He’s expected to stake a claim for a middle-order spot in the team.Srimantha WijeratneThe former Sri Lanka U-19 wicketkeeper-batsman was only able to participate on the final day of the trial’s first phase and was not among the eight players invited back for phase two with the expenses being paid for by the ICC. However, the selection panel identified four players who, if they paid their own way to return for phase two, would be given a chance to compete.Wijeratne was one of the four provisional invitees. His own personal investment to fly back from Toronto paid off in a big way with his inclusion in the final 15-man squad. Wijeratne is especially classy off his legs, playing gorgeous flicks to anything straying onto his pads, but also holds a strong cut shot. He only scored 11 runs in two matches at the World Twenty20 Qualifier in Scotland but a major confidence boost may come from knowing he was one of only six Canada players who made the final cut in the combined USA-Canada squad.Jeremy GordonAt 28, Gordon is two days older than Allen and in his prime as a solid medium-pacer for Canada. Like Wijeratne, he only showed up for the final day of the phase one section of the trial but immediately stood out with a hostile short-pitched spell that got him two wickets and threatened several more.In phase two, Gordon did not take a single wicket, but regularly had batsmen under pressure with the new ball. He brings an added dimension to the attack with his height and bounce. Gordon briefly represented Guyana for five first-class games after his debut in 2007, and will be heading back to the West Indies looking to prove that he’s a better player now than he was when he left for a new beginning in Toronto.

ESPNcricinfo’s wrap of the third week of the Women’s Big Bash League

GEOFF LEMON AND ADAM COLLINS24-Dec-2015Everyone is back in town3:49

‘Three teams break losing streak’

Halfway through the third weekend of the Women’s Big Bash League, three teams remained winless. On Sunday all of them broke through. With 14 games to play for each team, there is still time for a winning streak to carry any side into the final.The Adelaide Strikers did it in the most explosive style. The Sydney Thunder would have thought they were cruising after Naomi Stalenberg’s early onslaught of 39 from 19 balls, as the Strikers tried eight bowlers to no avail.But, facing an imposing 149 to win, the Strikers’ English star Sarah Taylor opened the innings with an unbeaten 71 from 47 balls, running down the highest successful WBBL chase with an over to spare.For the Melbourne Renegades it was all about strangulation, as imported all-rounders Danielle Wyatt and Dane van Niekerk took 4 for 13 and 4 for 20 from their respective spells to hold a strong Brisbane Heat side to 110.Beth Mooney raised her fourth half-century of the tournament to stay top of the runs list, but aside from Lauren Winfield’s 26, the rest of the Heat’s batting card resembled a phone number. There were no problems in the chase, with van Niekerk (26) and Wyatt (28*) doing the business in both disciplines.The Sydney Sixers have looked a shambles so far with marquee player Ellyse Perry down on form and no one backing her up. However, South African international Marizanne Kapp came to the fore against the Perth Scorchers at the SCG with a suffocating opening spell.Marizanne Kapp’s early strikes gave Sydney Sixers momentum against Perth Scorchers•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesHer five dot balls at the start of the match provoked Elyse Villani into skying an ugly slog to the wicketkeeper. Kapp then dried up the runs for Nicole Bolton until the Scorchers skipper missed a big shot and was bowled for 2 from 10 balls. In between, Perry had bowled England captain Charlotte Edwards off her pads, leaving the Scorchers at 3 for 14. Kapp had returns of 2 for 4 in three overs and would finish her day with 3 for 9.The Scorchers recovered thanks to a brilliant 51 from New Zealand international Suzie Bates, an innings that was ended by an equally brilliant run-out from her compatriot Sarah McGlashan.Even a chase of 108 looked steep for the Sixers’ fragile batting, but Perry followed up her 2 for 20 by batting through the innings for 32 not out, providing the cohesion. Kapp, meanwhile, brought momentum with her 17 from 19 balls, falling to a poor lbw decision from umpire Claire Polosack to a ball that was pitching and hitting well outside off stump. Luckily the decision could not prevent the end of a seven-game losing streak for the team in pink.And at the other end of the table, for consistency’s sake, the previously unbeaten Hobart Hurricanes had their first defeat on Saturday, when the Scorchers kept them to 109 for 8, and chased the score down with four wickets to spare.A round for the big names from abroadThe WBBL’s drawcard is that it assembles cricketing talent, not just frothe domestic pool but internationally. In its first season, the tournament has immediately become a carnival of the best players on the planet.Sarah Taylor, who has previously been named both ODI and T20 Player of the Year, falls into that elite category. As do van Niekerk and Wyatt, who play for South Africa and England respectively.The other S Taylor – the West Indies Women’s captain, Stafanie – has been consistent throughout. Her returns of 59*, 30, 35, 11 and 43 are not eye-catching on paper, but have been so on the field, given their stylish manufacture. They leave her sixth on the run-scoring charts after only five innings, and have helped the Thunder make the top four after playing only five games.The Hurricanes captain and principal import, England vice-captain Heather Knight, continues to do no wrong. Before the Scorchers finally ended Knight’s winning streak, her 74 was the defining innings in the side’s previous one-run win against Scorchers. Knight’s self-styled Lilac Ladies have firmed their position as the close-finish specialists.Encouraging, too, for the Hurricanes was Hayley Matthews’ breakout performance. After a run of single digit scores, the huge-hitting, 17-year-old from Barbados was moved up to open with Knight, and plundered 77 in 51 balls to end what had been an unbeaten run for the Melbourne Stars. Winning streaks or not, the Hurricanes remain on top of the ladder.Hurricanes captain Heather Knight’s form has played a big role in the side’s climb to the top•Cricket Australia/Getty Images…and the big names at homeFor the Heat, Jess Jonassen compiled what was described as the perfect T20 game – 3 for 11 opening the bowling with her left-arm spin, then an unbeaten 67 to chase the Strikers’ 125 for 9.Their surge after three opening losses has been underpinned by 21-year-old opening batsman and wicketkeeper Mooney. With incumbent national stumper Alyssa Healy in indifferent batting form, Mooney seems to be making a case for a national call up.Not far behind her on the runs tally, from half the number of innings, is the Australian captain. Meg Lanning did what Meg Lanning does: a half-century to knock off the Sixers in their first leg, and 37 unbeaten to see off a chase in the second.Lanning’s team-mate in the baggy green and the Stars cap, Kristen Beams, collected seven more frugal wickets over the weekend to assert why she is the most potent spinner in the land. Delissa Kimmince, meanwhile, is the unlikely wicket-taking leader at this stage of the competition.Everything else was big, so the audiences were tooWho would have thought: if you screen it, they will watch. Watch they did. Channel Ten and Cricket Australia are to be applauded for televising selected WBBL fixtures this season, and they have been immediately rewarded.A quarter of a million people watched the Heat beat the Sixers on Saturday, and nearly 200,000 more when the Sixers surprised the Scorchers early on Sunday. As one major newspaper noted, that’s three times the number who watched the domestic A-League football.So successful was the debut that Ten have immediately announced they will shift the Melbourne derby on January 2 onto their main channel, having originally planned to screen it on secondary digital channel One. Such an early experiment to further test local appetite is an excellent sign for the game. Five others are due to be televised: December 31, January 1, January 9, January 16, and the final on January 24.Between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve we have a four-game carnival at the WACA in Perth, where the Scorchers will host the Stars and t Thunder. In the context of the season, with all three sides travelling well, these are vital fixtures in determining the final four.

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2016Nathan Lyon bowled only three balls before rain interrupted play again•Getty ImagesAnother 80-minute delay ensued before play resumed at noon•Getty ImagesCarlos Brathwaite and Denesh Ramdin stretched their overnight partnership to 87 before rain played truant again•Getty ImagesCarlos brought up his second half-century off exactly fifty balls•Getty ImagesHe smashed a couple of sixes off James Pattinson…•Getty Images…but the quick roared back to bowl Carlos for 69 off 71 balls. Rain refused to relent and wiped out the final session with West Indies at 7 for 248•Getty Images

He wasn’t Australia’s most consistent bowler, but when he was on top of his game he was unstoppable

S Rajesh17-Nov-2015The matchwinnerWhen he was at his best, there were few more compelling sights in cricket than Mitchell Johnson bowling at full pelt: he was among the quickest around, he bowled a fearsome bouncer, and his ability to intimidate was second to none. Consistency wasn’t his strongest suit, but that unpredictability made him even more exciting to watch. He finishes as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs for Australia, which in itself is tremendous given the number of high-quality bowlers who have played for Australia, but Johnson’s biggest attribute wasn’t just the number of wickets he took, but the number of games he won for Australia: in the last eight years (which is the duration of his Test career), no player won more Man-of-the-Match awards in Tests than Johnson – along with Kumar Sangakkara and Dale Steyn, he won nine, which is the highest during this period.

When Johnson bowled well, Australia usually won Test matches. Not only did he take plenty of wickets, he also took them quickly, giving the Australian batsmen plenty of time to overhaul the opposition totals to set up the wins. In the 39 Test wins that Johnson was involved in, he took 198 wickets at 21.72, whereas in defeats his average ballooned to 40.68.Johnson’s strike rate of 42.2 in wins is even more impressive than his average, though. His tendency to always attack and look for wickets ensured that even though he went for a few runs, a dismissal was never far away. Among the 24 bowlers who have taken 100 or more wickets in wins since the beginning of 2000, only two – Steyn and Muttiah Muralitharan – have a better strike rate than Johnson’s 42.2; among the 16 Australian bowlers who have taken at least 100 Test wickets in wins, only one – his idol Dennis Lillee – has a better strike rate. And his career strike rate of 51.1 balls per wicket is the best among the 21 Australian bowlers with at least 150 Test wickets, even though his average is only 14th among that lot.

The inconsistencyJohnson’s highs touched stratospheric levels, but from time to time he also struggled to piece it all together, and his career lows were as infuriating as the highs were intoxicating. His finished with a career average that was closer to 30 than to 20, largely due to periods when form and confidence deserted him. In the period between July 2010 and the end of 2011, he leaked almost 46 runs per wicket over 13 Test matches, taking only 35 wickets. He also conceded 3.7 runs per over during this period, giving the team neither control nor wickets. In the five series he played during this period, be averaged more than 35 in four, and more than 50 in three.When he returned to the team a year later, though, he found his mojo again, and over the next two years was at the top of his game. England were demolished in the home Ashes in 2013-14, and just to prove that wasn’t a fluke performance, he repeated the dose in South Africa early in 2014. In those two series he took 59 wickets from just eight Tests, at an average of 15.23 and a strike rate of 32 balls per wicket. Nearly half the five-fors he took in his entire career came during this eight-Test period.

Johnson’s overall career numbers also reveal an affinity for bouncy pitches, and an aversion for surfaces that were slower and offering less bounce. In 42 Tests in Australia and South Africa, Johnson claimed a rich bounty of 212 wickets – that’s more than five wickets per Test – averaging 25.44 runs per wicket, about three runs better than his career average. In England and in Asia, though, those numbers dropped significantly: from 24 Tests, he took only 71 wickets – that’s three per game – at an average of 38.36. His average in Asia was 40.36 from 12 Tests, which doesn’t compare favourably with Steyn (average 22.66 from 20 Tests in Asia) or Anderson (28.29 in 17 Tests in Asia).

The best during his best yearsClearly, Johnson wasn’t the most consistent fast bowler Australia have ever had, but at his best he was irresistible, and better than anyone else. Between 2012 and mid-2015, when Johnson was at the top of his game, his Test stats were better than any other bowler, pace or spin. In 19 Tests during this period, he averaged more than five wickets per match, and less than 21 runs per wicket. Among all bowlers with at least 50 wickets, the next-best average was Steyn’s 21.88, while the best among spinners were Pragyan Ojha (24.96) and Yasir Shah (25.11).

The head-to-head recordsJohnson didn’t have a preference in terms of bowling to right- or left-hand batsmen – he averaged 27.33 against right-hand batsmen and 28.33 against the lefties – but the list below shows he had a mixed record against some of the top batsmen he bowled to. He dominated Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Smith, Ian Bell and Rahul Dravid, but didn’t do so well against Kumar Sangakkara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Mahela Jayawardene. He has dismissed Alastair Cook and AB de Villiers a fair number of times, but they’ve also scored runs against him. Among the next lot of top batsmen, Virat Kohli and Joe Root both average in the 40s against him, but Kane Williamson has been outstanding against him, scoring 138 runs from 134 balls, without being dismissed. All of those runs have come in the ongoing series – they had never played each other in a Test before.

The ODI bowlerJohnson’s attacking style of bowling wasn’t always the best recipe in ODIs, but the ability to take wickets came in handy in that format as well. Among all bowlers who have bowled at least 500 overs since the beginning of 2006 (which is the period when Johnson played 152 of his 153 ODIs), Johnson’s average of 24.99 is sixth among all bowlers, and third among fast bowlers, after Morne Morkel and Nathan Bracken. The strike rate of 31.1 balls per wicket is fourth overall, with only Ajantha Mendis, Morne Morkel and Brett Lee doing better.Surprisingly, Johnson did much better in Asia in this format than he did in Tests. His 84 wickets in Asia is the third-highest among non-Asian fast bowlers, next only to Courtney Walsh (94) and Heath Streak (85), while his bowling average of 21.89 in Asia is third among bowlers who have bowled at least 250 overs in the continent. (There are 122 bowlers who make the cut.) The only ones better than him are Saqlain Mushtaq and Ajantha Mendis.

More numbers2 Number of left-arm fast bowlers who took more Test wickets than Johnson; only Wasim Akram (414) and Chaminda Vaas (355) took more wickets. Also, the number of times Johnson won the ICC Player of the Year award; the only other player to win it more than once is Ricky Ponting (also twice).37 Wickets Johnson took in the 2013-14 Ashes series – the most by a fast bowler in an Ashes series since Terry Alderman (41) in 1989.13.97 Johnson’s bowling average in the 2013-14 Ashes series – the fourth-best for any bowler who bowled at least 120 overs in an Ashes series.2065 Test runs by Johnson in addition to his 313 wickets; he is one of the only two Australia players, and one of the 13 overall, with 2000 runs and 300 wickets in Tests.8/61 Johnson’s bowling figures in the first innings of the Perth Test in 2008 – the best figures ever by a left-arm fast bowler in a Test innings.64 Wickets by Mitchell Johnson against South Africa in Tests – equals the highest by any fast bowler against them since their return to Test cricket.80 Wickets by Mitchell Johnson in the fourth innings of Tests in just 39 innings – the second-highest by any fast bowler after Glenn McGrath’s 103 wickets.