Former India international Lalchand Rajput has been appointed head coach of UAE for a three-year term, taking over from interim head coach Mudassar Nazar.Rajput has previous experience of managing India during their title win in the 2007 T20 World Cup, and also coached Afghanistan when they received Test status in 2017. Most recently, he was Zimbabwe’s head coach from 2018 to 2022.”UAE has emerged as one of the stronger Associate Members in recent years and the players have put in some good performances in both ODIs and T20Is,” Rajput said in a statement from the Emirates Cricket Board. “The current batch is exceptionally talented and I look forward to working with them and further harnessing their cricket skills.”Rajput’s first assignment will be to oversee UAE’s League 2 tri-series campaign against Scotland and Canada starting February 28, a qualifying competition for the 2027 ODI World Cup. He takes charge of a team that most recently lost a T20I series 2-1 to Afghanistan.In November, UAE also lost their chance of making it to the 2024 T20 World Cup by losing to Nepal in the semi-final of the Asia-Pacific qualifiers.”We are confident that under his coaching UAE men’s cricket will flourish further,” Mubashshir Usmani – ECB general secretary said. “I also want to take this opportunity to thank Mudassar Nazar for his stellar work as the interim head coach. Mudassar will now return to his role as Head of the National Academy Programme where he will continue to identify and groom our future stars.”

Can Virender Sehwag dominate Shoaib Akhtar like he did the last time the two played? Can Inzamam-ul-Haq thwart the Anil Kumble menace?

S Rajesh10-Jan-2006

Can Anil Kumble get the better of Inzamam-ul-Haq in this series? © AFP
Shoaib Akhtar v Virender Sehwag
The last time the two met in a Test series, there was little doubt who came out on top. With both teams straining to strike the early blow, Sehwag delivered a statement as emphatic as they come, with his triple-century. Of those 309 runs, 62 came off Shoaib, from 77 balls; in the entire series, Sehwag scored 124 runs off Shoaib at an average of 62. As the table below shows, Shoaib failed to make an impression on most of the Indian batsmen. However, now apparently in the form of his life, this could well be the chance for him to settle old scores.In his last seven Tests, Shoaib has nailed 36 wickets at 25.75, suggesting that he has finally learnt to match performance with pre-match bluster. More than just those stats, though, it’s the manner in which he has applied himself that has been so impressive – the 118 overs he bowled against England was the first time he bowled more than 100 overs in a series, while with the bat he was resoluteness personified. Sehwag, meanwhile, is struggling for form, with just one half-century in his last eight Test innings, and two in his last 25 ODIs. This might well be Shoaib’s best opportunity to even accounts.

Shoaib v Indian batsmen in the 2003-04

Batsman Runs/ Balls Dismissals Average

Virender Sehwag 124/ 150 2 62.00 Sachin Tendulkar 36/ 70 1 36.00 VVS Laxman 23/ 30 1 23.00 Rahul Dravid 28/ 83 0 – Yuvraj Singh 22/ 20 0 – Sourav Ganguly 2/ 5 0 –

Can Danish Kaneria and his terrific googly account for Rahul Dravid? © Getty Images
Irfan Pathan versus Mohammad Yousuf
Mohammad Yousuf’s tendency to waft into his lazy drives outside off was exploited superbly by Irfan Pathan in the previous series in Pakistan: after keeping him quiet with well-directed balls swinging back in, Pathan often delivered the sucker ball, wide of off, and drew an indiscrete stroke. In 119 balls, Pathan conceded just 35 and dismissed Yousuf twice. However, Yousuf learned from his mistakes and handled Pathan much better on the tour to India, scoring 42 off 64 for once out. Yousuf is coming off an excellent series against England, and unlike in 2003-04, he will know what to expect from Pathan. However, in his short career Pathan has shown an inclination to learn new tricks and experiment, and you can be sure he’ll have a few ideas to deal with Yousuf this time around as well.

Pathan v Pakistan batsmen in last two series

Batsman Runs/ Balls Dismissals Average

Yasir Hameed 76/ 113 3 25.33 Mohammad Yousuf 77/ 183 3 25.67 Inzamam-ul-Haq 125/ 232 2 62.50 Younis Khan 93/ 159 0 –Inzamam-ul-Haq versus Anil Kumble
After the initial opening acts from both teams, this pair could be at the forefront of their teams’ fortunes – Inzamam has been in the form of his life this season, playing with an assurance that has made him an immovable object, while Kumble has shown remarkable improvement – at least in Test cricket – with age, adding more weapons to his armoury. Inzamam’s tendency to shuffle across his stumps is a flaw Kumble has exploited more than once. In fact, no bowler has nailed Inzamam more than Kumble (seven times), but it has hardly been one-way traffic: in the last two series, Inzamam has fallen to Kumble four times, but has also scored 188 runs off him for a handy average of 47. In fact, Pakistan’s top batsmen have a reasonably good record against Kumble over the last two series.

Kumble v Pakistan batsmen in last two series

Batsman Runs/ Balls Dismissals Average

Younis Khan 169/ 326 2 84.50 Asim Kamal 114/ 208 2 57.00 Inzamam-ul-Haq 188/ 277 4 47.00 Mohammad Yousuf 125/ 288 3 41.67

Virdender Sehwag will hope to match his heroics at Multan in 2004 © AFP
Rahul Dravid versus Danish Kaneria
One can bat seemingly interminably, the other loves to wheel away at the batsmen, over after over, with relentless accuracy. While Shoaib may be the prime strike bowler for Pakistan, Kaneria, with his ability to bowl wicket-taking deliveries and keep it tight, will play a critical role. He proved just how lethal he could be in that matchwinning effort at Bangalore last year, and the Indians, despite their impressive overall record against him, will do well to be wary.If Kaneria is Pakistan’s Duracell with the ball, then Dravid will be expected to play a similar role with the bat for India. As the table below shows, Dravid has played 411 deliveries from Kaneria in the last two series – how many more he adds to that number could provide an indication of India’s batting fortunes in the series.

Kaneria versus Indian batsmen in last two series

Batsmen Runs/ Balls Dismissals Average

Gautam Gambhir 26/ 53 2 13.00 Sourav Ganguly 37/ 87 2 18.50 VVS Laxman 54/ 167 2 27.00 Yuvraj Singh 55/ 104 1 55.00 Rahul Dravid 230/ 411 3 76.67 Virender Sehwag 144/ 199 1 144.00 Sachin Tendulkar 101/ 193 0 –While the results of these battles could determine which way the series goes, Pakistan will also want a much better performance from their fast bowlers, especially since they’ve announced that they’re putting their faith in pace. The table below shows just how badly Pakistan were let down by their fast bowlers in their last two series – their spinners gave away nearly 23 fewer runs per wicket, while the relatively less renowned Indian pace attack comfortably outdid them too.

How the fast bowlers/ spinners fared in the last two series

Wickets Average Strike rate

Pakistan pace 39 58.15 95.13 India pace 50 40.54 72.56 Pakistan spin 41 35.58 65.34 India spin 48 34.15 68.29The key culprit for Pakistan was Mohammad Sami, who, apart from the odd testing spell, did precious little, taking 17 wickets at 54.60. His stats against the Indian top order indicates just how ineffective he was. Shoaib may be in top form, but he will still want better support from the rest of the cast.

Sami versus Indians in last two series

Batsmen Runs/ Balls Dismissed Average

VVS Laxman 67/ 131 0 – Sachin Tendulkar 100/ 247 1 100.00 Virender Sehwag 185/ 285 2 92.50 Rahul Dravid 132/ 291 2 66.00 Sourav Ganguly 36/ 66 1 36.00 Gautam Gambhir 106/ 171 3 35.33 Yuvraj Singh 67/ 97 2 33.50

A weak batting display from the Indians left South Africa with a target of 211. They have the advantage, but history indicates that it might not be a cakewalk. Cricinfo looks at the stat highlights of the fourth day

George Binoy05-Jan-2007

Would you have bet on Sourav Ganguly scoring the most runs in the series for India? © AFP
331 – Is the highest target successfully chased at Cape Town; by Australia in 2002. However, the second-highest target chased is only 179, also by Australia in 1967.175 for 6 – The highest target South Africa have chased at Cape Town. However, they scored 335 in the fourth innings against New Zealand in 1962 and 224 against England in 1927 but lost both games.This is only Rahul Dravid’s third series (at least two Tests) in which he has failed to score a half-century. The previous two instances were in Australia in 1999-00 and against South Africa at home in 2000.214 – Sourav Ganguly, averaging 42.80, is the highest run-scorer for India in this series. Sachin Tendulkar is second highest with 199 at 33.16.15.1 overs – The amount of time Dravid and Tendulkar took to add 24 runs for the fourth wicket. The innings run-rate before Tendulkar and Dravid began their partnership was 2.84.4 – The number of innings out of five at Cape Town that Tendulkar has batted at No.5. It’s a remarkably high percentage considering he’s played only 20 of his 216 innings in that position.25.71 – Tendulkar’s strike-rate against debutant Paul Harris against whom he scored 9 off 35 balls. He didn’t score a run against ten balls from Shaun Pollock.69.7 – The number of overs South Africa took to dismiss India for 169. Munaf Patel was the last man out off the seventh legitimate ball of Dale Steyn’s over.16.00 – Pollock’s bowling average in this series. His haul of 13 wickets is second to Makhaya Ntini for South Africa. He’s also scored 150 runs at 37.50, the third highest tally and average for South Africa after Ashwell Prince and Graeme Smith.

It’s as if this Test match is being played on two different pitches – one on which Rahul Dravid is batting, and the other on which the rest of the 21 players are battling it out

On the Ball with S Rajesh02-Jul-2006It’s as if this Test match is being played on two different pitches – one on which Rahul Dravid is batting, and the other on which the rest of the 21 players are battling it out. Over two days of the match, Dravid has faced 345 deliveries and been dismissed once; the rest of the motley crew from both sides have lost 25 wickets in 687 balls – that’s an average of less than 28 deliveries per dismissal.The outstanding feature of Dravid’s two innings in this match have been his limitless patience and his impeccable shot selection: out of the 345 balls he has faced in both innings, his response on 202 occasions has either been a dead defence or letting it go through to the wicketkeeper. The two-paced nature of the pitch has meant that batsmen haven’t been comfortable driving, but Dravid has played the stroke extremely well, getting 56 runs from his front-foot drives, evidence of just how well he has been able to judge the length and get to the pitch of the ball. It has mostly been a defensive effort, but whenever the short balls have come along, Dravid has unleashed some superb cuts and pulls – 21 such shots have brought him 45 runs.Dravid’s mastery of the conditions can be gleaned from his in-control factor over his two innings – 91.3%, nearly eight percentage points more than the rest of his team-mates over the two innings.West Indies had one batsman who batted with as much composure as Dravid did – Daren Ganga, fresh from a century and an unbeaten fifty in the previous Test, made a fluent 40 before falling to a huge offbreak in Harbhajan Singh’s first over. In the 64 deliveries he faced, Ganga’s in-control factor was 89%, ten percentage points more than the rest of the West Indian batsmen managed. For much of their innings, it seemed the other batsmen wanted to hit their way out of trouble and get a few runs against their name before an unplayable delivery got them. They will have to do much better than that if they are to chase down a target which is likely to be in the vicinity of around 250 in the final innings.

England’s record since the 2005 Ashes is as mediocre now as before Duncan Fletcher. The Wisden Cricketer compares, contrasts and looks for the positives

Tim de Lisle23-Jan-2008

	Are we watching a sequel here?: The Mediocrity Returns? © Getty Images

It was a time when pop fans were
flocking to see Take That and the
Spice Girls, when house prices
were alarmingly high, when a
government that had been in power
for a long time seemed intent on
bringing itself down with a mixture of
incompetence and sleaze. It was the tail end
of 2007 but it felt like 1996. And then there
was the cricket.The Nineties were supposed to be part of
English cricket’s bad old days. The national
team lurched from one disappointment to
the next, with the odd stirring victory to
show that they were capable of more.They were especially bad at World Cups and in
1999, when as hosts they might have been
expected to do all right, they crashed out at
the group stage. A couple of months later,
as Duncan Fletcher waited to take over,
England hit rock bottom. They lost a home
Test series to New Zealand and slumped
to ninth out of nine in the Wisden World
Championship, the precursor of the ICC Test
Championship. Things could only get better.And, under Duncan Fletcher, they did
– slowly at first, then spectacularly in the
2005 Ashes. We all know what happened
next. They stuttered and stumbled, the
Ashes-winning XI never took the field again,
results went back to being hit and miss and
Fletcher left, nursing a set of grudges that
he turned into a dismally successful book.What may not have been realised is
just how far the results have slipped in the
wrong direction. England have now played eight Test series since the 2005 Ashes and
won only two – which is how they did in the
last eight series before Fletcher took over,
back in 1996-99:

Broken down into Tests won and lost the pattern is similar:

So are we watching a sequel here: The Mediocrity Returns?

That was then

	The team were inconsistent and only Gough played in over half the games © Cricinfo Ltd

To compare the two eras we need first to
do some time travel, to go and gawp at
the pre-Fletcher period. Where were you
in 1996? I was in Guildford, and not even
central Guildford. Some way out of the town
centre, in Merrow, was the office, on the ground floor of a semi,
underneath a flat occupied by an old lady who
was so deaf one could hear all the questions
when she was watching . I had just
arrived as editor and we used to glue each
issue together with cowgum. Page proofs
arrived every day from the printers – by car.
The England set-up was only marginally
more modern. The players were not on
central contracts, there was hardly any
specialist coaching, there were no proper
plans in place for playing Shane Warne.
The coach, David Lloyd, was affable and
passionate but his team were chronically
inconsistent. They were often rather good
– for half a season (see table page 26).
The team were inconsistent partly
because the selectors were. In the eight Test
series that we are talking about here, from
November 1996 to September 1999, England
used 38 players. Half of them appeared six
times or less; seven were picked just once.
Only one bowler, Darren Gough, played in
more than half the matches. The surprise is
not that this team often did badly but that
they ever did well.They had plenty of gifted batsmen – Mike
Atherton, Alec Stewart and Nasser Hussain,
Graham Thorpe, Graeme Hick and Mark
Ramprakash (happy under Stewart and Lloyd,
and averaging 40 in this period) – yet their
average team total was 266. These were low-scoring
times but not that low-scoring: their
opponents’ average was 313. And the batsmen
were not good at dominating. They pottered
along at 2.59 runs an over as other teams, on
the same pitches, managed 2.96.The bowlers were almost as talented –
Gough, Andy Caddick, Dominic Cork, Dean
Headley, Angus Fraser, Phil Tufnell – but
they were missing someone: our old friend
Azhar Unit. The chopping and changing
was even worse at this end of the order. The
first-choice new-ball pair was Gough and
Caddick one minute, then Gough and Devon
Malcolm, then Gough and Headley. Stewart
did not trust Caddick enough to take him to
Australia for the 1998-99 Ashes. If he had, he
might have won them.The tail was useless: the average score for
someone batting in the last four in the order
was 10, the worst of any Test team. Balancing
the side was an eternal conundrum. Five
allrounders were tried, including two very
young men, Ben Hollioake and Andrew
Flintoff, for two Tests each. Many were called
but few were given a real chance.

This is now

Say what you like about today’s selectors,
they are at least more consistent. England
have played 28 Tests in their last eight
series and fielded 26 players. Only four have
appeared twice or less – Stuart Broad, Ian
Blackwell, Owais Shah and poor old Jon
Lewis, who is a mirror image of poor old Mike Smith from the nineties. Eight men
have played in at least 20 of the 28 Tests
(see table below). Flintoff (14) and Michael
Vaughan (11) would be among them if they
had been consistently fit.

Only four of the ’96-99ers managed an
equivalent consistency – Stewart (everpresent),
Hussain (30), Atherton (28) and
Thorpe (25). So England now have a more
settled team. But do they have a better one?
The results have not been quite as bad this
time. The series-win column may be the same
but the draws are more numerous and more
honourable. Then there was only Zimbabwe
away, a draw that felt like a defeat; now,
there is Sri Lanka home, of which the same
can be said, but also India away, which was
more of a moral victory – for the unlikely
forces of Flintoff, Fletcher, Matthew Hoggard,
Shah, Shaun Udal and Johnny Cash.There was no moment like that in 1996-
99. But that may be because we are talking
about different opponents. There is an
element of apples and oranges here. Only two series, home to Sri Lanka and away to
Australia, appear in each set of eight. But if
you look at the opponents more broadly, in
terms of standing, they even out.England’s standing has changed. For most
of the first period they were ranked low.
From 2005 until the other day they were
second. So seven of the past eight series have
been against teams ranked below them. And
they have won only two of those, which is
not good enough.

	A moral victory for the unlikely forces of Flintoff, Fletcher and Johnny Cash © Getty Images

It is too close to call. Results were slightly
worse in 1996-99 but the 2005-07 figures
include an unearned victory against Pakistan
in the forfeited Oval Test. Of the other seven
wins three were at home against West Indies,
who were a soft touch. Which leaves only
four genuine, hard-earned Test wins: against
India away, Sri Lanka home and Pakistan
home. None of them, curiously, was secured
under Vaughan.There is another dog that did not bark
here. The series victories and defeats have
all been to love: the defeats have been 0-2,
0-5, 0-1 and 0-1 and the wins both 3-0.There has been no coming back or blowing
a lead, as Hussain did at home to New
Zealand. (Equally there has been no winning
dead Tests with the series already lost.) It is
not just English excellence that has joined
the list of Test cricket’s endangered species:
ebb and flow has too. Most series are so
compressed and perfunctory that reversals
of fortune have gone out of fashion. There
has been nothing lately to match the drama
of England v South Africa in 1998.Comparatively the runs per wicket are
revealing. In the late nineties England’s
average completed innings was 266 and their
opponents’ 313. Since November 2005 the
batsmen have done far better, averaging 344,
but the bowlers worse: England’s opponents
have averaged 372. Still, those are worldwide
trends and the difference between England’s
score and their opponents’ has narrowed,
from 49 to 28. And England’s scoring-rate has
leapt to 3.27, only fractionally behind their
oppponents’ (3.35). Our batsmen walk taller
these days. Just about all of them average 40
and Kevin Pietersen hovers above 50, while
also scoring at a domineering rate.The problem is that, over the same
period, other teams have had players
averaging 70: Ricky Ponting (71), Mike
Hussey (85), Kumar Sangakkara (78),
Mohammad Yousuf (78). Mahela Jayawardene
and Jacques Kallis are over 60. Pietersen is
top of the list by aggregate, with 2,551 runs
to Yousuf’s 2,498, but he is only 14th in
the averages among those who have played
at least five Tests. The bowling is much
the same: Panesar is seventh and Hoggard
eighth among the wicket-takers but they are
well down the averages.The bowling figures tell a stark story.
This England simply do not take enough
wickets. Since the 2005 Ashes, when
Vaughan could make a breakthrough just by
waving his arms at Simon Jones, the bowlers
have a joint average of 36.82. They are
behind Australia (26), Sri Lanka (29), New
Zealand (30), South Africa (32) and India
(32). So, when it comes to bowling, they are
not fifth in the world, as their new Test
Championship placing might suggest, but
sixth. In the two years to autumn 2005 they
were the world’s second-best bowling unit,
with an average of 30. What has changed?Hoggard has not, except to become more
injury prone. Giles has given way to Panesar,
which (outside Sri Lanka and disregarding
the batting) has been an improvement. The
difference has been Flintoff, Harmison and
Jones: one faltering, one flaky, and one, all
too possibly, finished. England’s various
captains have been deprived of one, two
or three spearheads. Having a couple of
Yorkshire terriers, however admirable, does
not make up for that.Injuries are a perfectly reasonable excuse
but only if the best possible replacements
are picked. England played Ravi Bopara,
aged 22, in all three Tests in Sri Lanka when
they could have played Shah. And they lost
the series not to the wiles of Murali but
to the rectitude, patience and hunger of
Sangakkara and Jayawardene. It was batting
of the kind only one Englishman purveys
these days and he had been deemed too old.Besides going for youth, backing character
over career records was another Fletcher
instinct. One of the characters he backed,
Vaughan, is still applying that policy. The trouble is that there is a fine line between
backing character and picking people you
like. Vaughan is said to warm to Bopara
while finding Shah more tricky. England
paid a high price for that preference.It is still hard to separate the team of
today from that of ’96-99. Man for man
here are the typical teams from each era
(with the batting order jiggled to make the
matches more like for like) and the player I
would choose.

Five places are a tie, there are three wins
for today’s team and three for the Nineties.
It is a dead heat.Today’s team have some hefty advantages:
central contracts, specialist coaching, video
homework. But they have big disadvantages
too – more Tests, shorter series, more tours.
For several players Sri Lanka was the year’s
fifth overseas assignment. There are more
injuries now and they last longer – Vaughan
has missed 17 Tests out of 28, Flintoff 14,
Marcus Trescothick 18, Simon Jones all
28. The batsmen are more attacking and
closer to level terms with the rest of the
world: England’s top six average 40 since
November 2005 while their opposite numbers average 41. The series-losing runs England
are conceding come lower down the order
and they are often made by canny old
competitors – an Anil Kumble or Chaminda
Vaas – who seem to know better than any
Englishman when the moment is there to
be seized.The close catching is worse now than
it was then. The outfielding is much the
same; it does not help that the captain is
ham-handed. But England’s captaincy has
improved. Vaughan is more imaginative and
communicative than Atherton or Stewart
and calmer than Hussain. Wicketkeeping is
still a muddle. Balancing the side happens
only when Flintoff is fit and firing. The
feeling persists that in a bat-friendly era
the batsmen are not playing enough match-winning
innings. They did not in the
Nineties either but the same players
– Atherton and Thorpe especially
– found the knack later.Overall, things are a
bit better now.
England are more united, better at batting and, if they
are worse at bowling, it is partly because
they are injury-prone. They are worse
travellers (won 1, lost 9 in Tests overseas) but
stronger at home (7-2). But in one area the
boys of the nineties have proved
outstanding. Three of the regulars went on
reality-TV shows and won – Tufnell on and Gough and
Ramprakash on . Monty
looks a good bet already but how many
others will follow in their footsteps?

A cultured World Cup classic; one captain comes, another goes; a Boxing Day miracle, and more: in the fourth part of our staffers’ picks of the best and worst of 2007

06-Jan-2008

No violence, all poetry: Jayawardene sweeps during the World Cup semi © Getty Images
Dileep PremachandranBest: Mahela Jayawardene in the World Cup semi-final
He played one sweep with such precision that the fielders running across from deep square leg and fine leg nearly collided. After eking out 22 from the first 50 balls he faced, Mahela Jayawardene proceeded to illuminate the World Cup semi-final with an exhilarating exhibition of strokeplay. He bludgeoned the ball with a straight bat when given the chance, but it was the delicate touches that most enthused the fans of the George Headley-Lawrence Rowe tradition. He finished with 115 from 109 balls, and Sri Lanka won at a canter. “We were outclassed at key moments,” said Stephen Fleming. He was right.Worst: Viv Richards being cold-shouldered at the World Cup
A World Cup opening ceremony in the Caribbean without Viv Richards in attendance? A rock ‘n roll retrospective without any footage of the Rolling Stones? This wasn’t just the worst moment, it was sacrilege that deserved burning at the stake.Sriram VeeraBest: Kumble being appointed captain
To see a bowler given the biggest responsibility was special. To see Anil Kumble get the job was heartwarming. It wasn’t so much an honour earned after playing so many years of ruthless cricket but something he fully deserved.Kumble has made a living of proving people wrong. They said he couldn’t turn the ball, but he has nearly 600 Test wickets; they said he was too focused on his own art to be captain, but he has led the team well. The sample size is too small to pass a verdict, and critics have harped on the late declaration against Pakistan in Bangalore, or not picking Virender Sehwag to open in Australia, but generally, it has been a satisfying performance. Till Dhoni matures, Kumble has shown that he can do the job adequately. For a bowling captain, he has not over-bowled or under-bowled himself, and he took five wickets on the opening day of the first Test in a land where they have made a tradition of targeting opposition captains. Good start, Jumbo.Worst: Pakistan suspected of involvement in Woolmer’s death
It was human nature at its worst. The death of Bob Woolmer held up a mirror to our darker selves. Many suspected the hand of the Pakistan team. In the post-9/11 hysteria, old stereotypes were trotted out. Pakistanis have been accused of being involved in match-fixing in the past, and it seemed all to easy, for many, to go one step further and view them as murderers as well. Pity.

Homeboy: Ganguly get his first Kolkata Test hundred © AFP
Anand VasuBest: Ganguly’s comeback
As a journalist there is only one thing better than making a cricketing prediction and seeing it come predictably true, and that is being proven wrong in the best possible way. It sounds strange, but as a colleague of mine once reminded me, that’s the beauty of sport: no matter how well you know it, how much or how carefully you’ve watched it, it will surprise you.Sourav Ganguly surprised many, and reinforced the faith of those who constantly believed in him, by rediscovering the kind of batting that made him a genuinely great ODI batsman and a good Test batsman. His hundred at one of the genuine homes of cricket in the world, and his own, was a sentimental beauty, the kind of moment you want to be part of just so you can say, “I was there.”At the post-match press conference in Kolkata, one reporter asked Ganguly, “Century at Eden, now what’s left a double-hundred?” He only smiled, and said, “Hopefully.” Even in that emotional moment, even after all that happened in the year gone by, it was scarcely believable. And then it came, as inevitably as the hundred at home, in Ganguly’s 99th Test. These are the moments that take sport from being merely a pastime to a compulsive obsession for some of us.Worst: Dravid resigning from the captaincy
Why did he do it? Was he pushed? What did he know that we didn’t? Rahul Dravid’s stepping down from the captaincy raised a slew of questions and led to a passage of uncertainty that Indian cricket did not need. The one thing that was certain was the manner in which he stepped down: not just quietly but with stonewalling silence and elusiveness, not offering so much as an explanation beyond a two-line press release that the Board of Control for Cricket in India had sent out.Of course, having completed his tenure of two years, he did not owe anyone – save his team-mates – an explanation, but it still left those who had the best of Indian cricket at heart with a feeling of being stranded. To call it a selfish decision is harsh on a cricketer who has done all he has been asked to, and more, for Indian cricket. To think it was an impulsive decision based on something a selector said is to not know Dravid.It was sad that one of the country’s greatest cricketers ever did not want the captaincy, the job everyone who has ever picked up a bat or a ball as a child dreams of. Dravid’s resignation said more about the job itself than the man, and what it left you with was not a happy feeling.S RajeshBest: West Indies winning in Port Elizabeth
No one gave West Indies a chance when they began their three-Test series in South Africa, but they needed just four days to prove all the pundits wrong. Their 128-run win in Port Elizabeth wasn’t special just because it was their first Test win in South Africa, or because it broke a seven-and-a-half-year barren run against meaningful opposition overseas. The win was a result of contributions from almost their entire line-up, who displayed an intensity and passion that has long been missing in West Indies cricket. Here’s to more good times for the Caribbeans in 2008.Worst: Rahul Dravid’s rut
He has long been India’s go-to man, especially overseas, but 2007 was an entirely forgettable year for Rahul Dravid. He oversaw India’s World Cup debacle, but it was as batsman that he let the team – and himself – down. He failed in two successive series outside the subcontinent, and by the end of the year batting had become such a struggle for him that was it was painful to watch. Nothing typified the rut more than his last three innings outside the subcontinent: 12 off 96 balls at The Oval, followed by a match total of 21 runs from 180 deliveries at the MCG. Two thousand and eight will show if this is only a temporary blip or the beginning of the slide.Leslie MathewBest: Australia v India, World Twenty20
Relentlessly electric – a game where both sides kept raising the stakes with their chests puffed out, cranking out the thrills till our eyes popped.And Australia’s third defeat in under two weeks. It’s not just in fairytales that monsters are bested.

Nearly there: Bravo bowls Harris in the final innings at Port Elizabeth © AFP
Worst: McGrath’s retirement
How did it happen? Who told Glenn McGrath he could retire?All good things must come to an end. The point of being a metronome is, you go on and on endlessly, running in in that calibrated, sweatless way, like a marvel of German technology. Then you walk back, eyes on the ground, muttering about how the fringes of your eggs weren’t trimmed just right at breakfast that morning and how bloody humans can’t be relied on to get the simplest things right.Cricket can sell its soul all it likes. It was sold in the Caribbean, apparently, and not for a lot either. But to lose the clockwork ticking away at the heart of the Australian machine in the same year? Tragic. Worse, Australia didn’t even have the good grace to drop a few Tests in acknowledgment of the magnitude of their loss. Sheer gall.Siddarth RavindranBest: Hayden in 2007
A couple of months before the World Cup, Matthew Hayden wasn’t even a certainty to make the trip to the Caribbean for cricket’s showpiece event. Not only did he make the tournament, he finished as the leading run-scorer with an astounding 659 runs. In his team’s first match against significant opposition after a run of five straight losses, Hayden made a ferocious century (off 66 balls) which set the tone for Australia’s clinical campaign, and earned him honorary citizenship of St Kitts as well. The first match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium was graced by Hayden’s masterly 158 – an innings that would have made the Antiguan genius proud. Hayden rounded the tournament off with small but significant contributions in the semis and finals.Worst: Shoaib Akhtar’s spat with Mohammad Asif
Given Shoaib Akhtar’s disciplinary record, one should perhaps not have been surprised that he was involved in an altercation with a team-mate just days before the start of a major tournament. But in an era where batsmen have it easy, it was exasperating to see Shoaib, one of the few bowlers around who batsmen fear, miss out on a third global tournament in less than a year. And for a Pakistan team that had spent much of the year grappling with off-field issues, another controversy was the last thing needed. While there were several calls for a life ban for Shoaib’s latest transgression, he escaped with a 13-match ban.

England began and ended the year with humiliating losses, and it didn’t get much better in the middle either

Andrew Miller01-Jan-2008

Flintoff’s fall mirrored that of his team © Getty Images
England’s 2007 began in ignominy in Sydney, where they succumbed to their first Ashes whitewash for 86 years. It ended with another embarrassing notch in the record-books in Galle, when Sri Lanka bundled them out for 81,their lowest total in 74 years of Test cricket on the subcontinent. In between whiles, they were humiliated in a World Cup campaign for the fourth time running, lost their first home series against India for 21 years, and slipped from their long-term position of No. 2 in the world rankings to No. 5. It was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a successful year.Instead it was a year of closure and new beginnings. A year in which the pretence was finally stripped away. For 18 heady months between March 2004 and September 2005, at the zenith of Duncan Fletcher’s regime, England really were a team of world-beaters. Since that time, however, there has been a steady seepage of class and expertise. The team might one day be ready to push for further summits, but for now it’s all about getting the base camp back in order.That is the task of Peter Moores, whose appointment as head coach on April 20 marked the true start of England’s year. He was given the role ahead of other more glamorous alternatives such as Sri Lanka’s outgoing coach, Tom Moody, and though the on-field results haven’t flattered Moores, the strides he has made are not insignificant. In particular, by turning two Fletcher discards, Ryan Sidebottom and Graeme Swann, into central planks of England’s new Test and ODI teams,he’s sent out a subtle message to the long-neglected county circuit. Fletcher’s bubble has been burst, and from now on things can and will be different.Behind the scenes the team has been acquiring a renewed solidity as well. Andy Flower and Ottis Gibson have been excellent and authoritative appointments as Moores’ deputies, and the overall impression – best exemplified by a rejuvenated Steve Harmison – is of a squad that enjoys its cricket once again.That’s certainly been the case in one-day cricket, which – perhaps for the first time since the early 1990s – has been England’s most successful version of the game. February’s CB Series victory may have been an anomaly, but there was nothing fluky about England’s hard-earned series wins against India at home and Sri Lanka away. Under the leadership of Paul Collingwood, who owes his entire international career to the disciplines he learned in the one-day arena, England no longer treat the format like a second-class citizen. It’s just a shame they’ve woken up to the game at the very moment that the rest of the world is looking towards Twenty20s.England have never treated Test cricket with the same disdain, although their year in whites was a sleepy one nonetheless. They managed just three victories all year – statistically their worst performances since the dog days of 1999 – and all three of those came against West Indies, in arguably the most depressingly uncompetitive four-Test series of all time. West Indies were abysmal and England – certainly their bowlers – were barely better than average. Coming so soon after the World Cup, it was a further reminder of how far the Caribbean has tumbled since the glory days of the 1980s.The most uplifting moment of that dank series came in Headingley, where Michael Vaughan not only took the field for his first Test since 2005, but also caressed his way to a comeback hundred. He added a second century two months later, against India at Trent Bridge, and at times batted with the poise and panache of his glory years at the top end of the decade. As a captain, however, he was strangely off the pace – perhaps he, like his team, needs time to readjust his sightsafter ruling so many contests for so long.England’s year ended dispiritingly beneath the walls of Galle’s ancient fort, where they lost consecutive Test series for the first time since 2001-02. But no result was quite as desperate as the one with which they entered the year. Sydney was the nadir. Everything else, good and bad, has been part of a long rebuilding process that will continue well into 2008.New man on the block
Ryan Sidebottom. At 29, and with a six-year hiatus in his Test career to take into account, he’s not your average spring chicken. But no player has given more to England’s cause this year. Sidebottom has been reliable, aggressive and skilful with the ball – not to mention hugely unlucky – and with the bat he’s done an uncanny impersonation of Ashley Giles, hanging in at No. 8 with tenacity and technique to brace England’s tail against imminent collapse. In the Sri Lanka series, he faced more deliveries than Kevin Pietersen, which tells its own story.

Vaughan again: well, at Headingley and Trent Bridge during the summer at least © AFP
Fading star
Andrew Flintoff’s decline and fall was the saddest tale of the year, and no player better epitomised the heights from which England have tumbled. January’s Ashes captain became April’s World Cup scapegoat, and the Fredalo headlines were quadrupled following the publication of Duncan Fletcher’s memoirs. Running alongside all the tales of drinking and form loss was a very public battle for fitness. The sight of a barely mobile Flintoff hobbling through the ICC World Twenty20 was one of the most poignant of the year.High point
England’s excellent and hugely unexpected ODI series win in Sri Lanka. Nobody gave Collingwood’s men a prayer as they set off for a five-match contest in one of the world’s toughest environments for visiting players. But they came from behind to triumph 3-2 thanks to the extreme diligence of a young and eager seam attack, and the exuberance of a squad that feared no challenge.Low point
If you take Sydney as a given, there’s only one other contender: the desperate first-innings performance at Galle. England won the toss and bowled poorly in friendly conditions, but nowhere near as poorly as they batted. Wicket after wicket tumbled in a feckless frenzy, and Muttiah Muralitharan was only involved in one of them. All out for 81, and the series was settled there and then. Afterwards they were booed onto the team bus, and reconvened the following day with unflattering banners hanging from the walls of the fort.What does 2008 hold?
Consolidation on all fronts. First up, it’s a home and away series against a New Zealand side in a similar state of rebuilding, which ought to suit England better than an Ashes or Asian challenge. South Africa are the main event of the summer, and amid all their fraught politicking there’s no telling quite how they will front up at present. One senses that the year will be especially telling for Vaughan. He desperately wants to lead England in the 2009 Ashes, but he needs to get the results moving in the right direction soon.

Stats highlights from Adam Gilchrist’s international career

S Rajesh26-Jan-2008

	Adam Gilchrist: Nearly 15,000 international runs and more than 850 dismissals behind the stumps © Getty Images

Records never meant a whole lot to Adam Gilchrist, which makes it even more incredible that he achieved the kind of numbers he did through his 11-year international career. Nearly 15,000 runs in international cricket, plus 868 victims behind the stumps are impressive returns for a player who will go down as one of the greatest entertainers the game has ever seen.His ODI record was impressive, but it was as a No. 7 batsman in Tests that he really worked his magic. He averages marginally less than 48, and it was only in the last two years that the average dipped below 50. As a wicketkeeper-batsman he had few peers – the only one to score more than 2500 runs and finish with a 50-plus average was Andy Flower of Zimbabwe. None of them, though, got anywhere close to Gilchrist’s remarkable strike rate of nearly 82 runs per 100 balls. In fact, his strike rate is the highest among all batsmen with at least 2000 Test runs.

Best wicketkeeper-batsmen in Tests (at least 2500 runs; only in games in which they’ve kept wicket)

Batsman	Tests	Runs	Average	Strike rate	100s/ 50s
Andy Flower	55	4404	53.70	44.78	12/ 23
Adam Gilchrist	96	5556	47.89	81.97	17/ 26
Kumar Sangakkara	47	3093	41.24	52.01	7/ 11
Alec Stewart	82	4540	34.92	49.69	6/ 23
Alan Knott	95	4389	32.75	44.43	5/ 30

In one-dayers he took it a notch higher, scoring at almost a run a ball at a healthy average of 36. Among wicketkeeper-batsmen with at least 2500 runs, only two have a higher average.

Best wicketkeeper-batsmen in ODIs (at least 2500 runs; only in games in which they’ve kept wicket)

Batsman	ODIs	Runs	Average	Strike rate	100s/ 50s
Mahendra Singh Dhoni	96	2838	43.66	94.72	3/ 17
Kumar Sangakkara	164	5124	37.95	75.96	4/ 39
Adam Gilchrist	272	9088	35.77	96.89	15/ 51
Andy Flower	186	5845	34.58	73.71	4/ 46
Alec Stewart	138	4017	33.47	70.06	4/ 26

Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi has been slightly more explosive in ODIs, but he has only managed an average of 23.48. Gilchrist, on the other hand, married quick scoring with a fair degree of consistency as well.

Best strike rates in ODIs (at least 4000 runs)

Batsman	ODIs	Runs	Strike rate
Shahid Afridi	251	5284	110.38
Adam Gilchrist	277	36.03	96.90
Virender Sehwag	178	5231	96.88
Andrew Symonds	180	4671	93.43
Sanath Jayasuriya	403	12,207	90.40
Viv Richards	187	6721	90.20

That he relished the big stage is obvious from his performances in the three World Cup finals he played in, in 1999, 2003 and 2007. He scored half-centuries in the first two, but the last was easily the most memorable, as Gilchrist slammed 149 off a mere 104 balls in a knock of stunning audacity. Gilchrist is one of only three batsmen to aggregate more than 150 runs in World Cup finals, and his average (86.67) and strike rate (138.29) indicate just how much he enjoys the big occasion.The stand-out feature of Gilchrist’s batting has always been his ability to score quickly, and find the boundaries with ease. His 57-ball century against England in Perth in 2006 remains the second-fastest Test hundred, and of the 43 fifty-plus scores he made in Tests, 20 came at a strike rate of more than 90, while only seven were at a rate of less than 70.Gilchrist remains the only batsman to hit 100 sixes in Tests – he achieved the feat when he clouted Muttiah Muralitharan for his 99th and 100th hits over the boundary in Hobart last year. (Click here for more on Gilchrist’s six-hitting ability, and here for a list of highest six-hitters in Tests.)His skills in front of the stumps was only one aspect of Gilchrist’s contribution to the team: he was immense behind the stumps as well. His 414 dismissals in Tests and 454 in ODIs are both records. Of the nine instances when wicketkeepers have pouched six dismissals in a single ODI innings, Gilchrist accounts for five of those. Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee have benefited the most from Gilchrist’s presence behind the stumps: c Gilchrist b McGrath has happened 90 times in Tests, which is second only to the 95 instances when batsmen were caught by Rodney Marsh off Dennis Lillee.The other outstanding aspect about his career was his ability to be ready for battle every time he was needed by Australia. Since his Test debut in 1999, Gilchrist played every single Test for Australia. His 96 games in a row is the fourth-highest in the all-time list, and easily the highest by a wicketkeeper.

Cricinfo assess the performance of the New Zealand players after their 2-0 series defeat against England

Andrew McGlashan09-Jun-2008

	On the rise: Brendon McCullum slowly moved up the New Zealand order and is one of their few truly world-class players © Getty Images

Brendon McCullum – 7
Arrived amid all the hype from his extraordinary 158 in the IPL, and lived up the billing with a belligerent 97 at Lord’s after being shifting up to No. 5. Went head-to-head with England’s aggression, returning to the crease after a nasty crack on the arm in the first Test, but got sucked into trying too hard to dominate at Old Trafford, where Monty Panesar grabbed him twice. Unable to keep in the final Test, he moved further up the order to No.3. Failed in the first innings, but his 71 second time around emphasised why he is New Zealand’s prized asset. Now it’s a question of where to bat him. Claimed some stunning salmon-like grabs, but dropped a vital catch at second slip in the final Test. It’s different without the gloves.Daniel Vettori – 7
Midway through Old Trafford, Vettori was ruling the roost. He’d claimed his second consecutive five-wicket haul, helping New Zealand earn a lead of 179. Then it all fell apart and he will always be haunted by the events of Manchester. However, the contest between him and Panesar was enthralling and Vettori’s 5 for 69 at Lord’s, in seam-bowling conditions, was one the best performances by a visiting spinner at headquarters. England slowly got on top of him and by Trent Bridge he looked weighed down by his team-mates problems. However, he never hid behind excuses and is developing into an impressive leader.Iain O’Brien – 6
The surprise package among New Zealand’s seamers after he was drafted in at Old Trafford. His experience of playing in Wellington was invaluable during the gale-force conditions, and he caused plenty of problems for England’s batsmen with his seam movement. Followed up with four wickets at Trent Bridge and was promoted to new-ball bowler, resulting in the scalps of Kevin Pietersen and Tim Ambrose. Will struggle on flatter pitches, but a valuable workhorse. Nothing much on offer with the bat.Ross Taylor – 6
One major innings in six is not a good enough return for a No. 4, but given the paltry numbers of some of his team-mates it still puts him well ahead of the pack. That one innings was breathtaking, too. His 154 at Old Trafford handed New Zealand the momentum and England’s bowlers had no answer to his IPL-style hitting. However, his other innings were characterised by an inability to react to conditions, often dismissed trying something too ambitious, too early. But he can learn selectivity and has a long Test future ahead of him. His slip fielding was also outstanding.Jacob Oram – 6
A strange series for Oram, who often looked all at sea with the bat, but still managed 231 runs with a fine century at Lord’s. He is a far better batsman when he plays his shots and perhaps needs to believe in himself a little more. Admitting his problems against Ryan Sidebottom was refreshingly honest, but more than the opposition needed to hear – even if it was abundantly clear. With the ball he was as miserly as ever, although wickets proved hard to come by with just three in the series. How long the body will hold up for Test cricket remains to be seen.Jamie How – 6
‘Underrated’ is one of common words used to describe New Zealand’s cricket, and it fits perfectly with How. He continued the gutsy displays he produced during the previous series, showing more stickability than any of his colleagues. He faced 419 balls in the series, the most by a New Zealander, but again failed to convert his hard work into something more substantial. However, he looks the most likely opener of recent times to crack the century barrier.Daniel Flynn – 5
Will be remembered for leaving the field at Old Trafford with a mouthful of blood and two missing teeth, but his fighting qualities were evident both before and after his nasty injury. Played an important role in guiding New Zealand to safety at Lord’s with a 118-ball 29, then responded to a first-innings duck at Trent Bridge with a battling 49. He is compact batsman who, unlike some others around him, doesn’t flinch against pace, even after taking one in the mouth. A positive to emerge for New Zealand.

	Hard yards: Chris Martin found wickets tough to come by, a key reason why New Zealand let strong positions slip © Getty Images

Kyle Mills – 5
Wasn’t impressed by the quality of the Duke balls, which had to be changed in every innings, and bowled without luck until the first innings at Trent Bridge, when he finally made a meaningful impact. Would gain more success by bowling a touch fuller, but always ran in hard for Vettori. The body stood up well, too, and there should also be more Test half-centuries to follow his 57 at Old Trafford.Gareth Hopkins – 4
Coped better than most with the swinging ball at Trent Bridge, after his late call-up following McCullum’s back injury. Played within his limitations, but his long-term prospects will depend on whether New Zealand feel McCullum should concentrate purely on batting. Tidy behind the stumps, caught his catches and did his job.Chris Martin – 4
Disappointing or luckless? It’s sometimes hard to know, but the feeling is the latter. New Zealand’s strike bowler ended with just four wickets, a key reason why his team couldn’t ram home a couple of strong positions. Was at his best at Lord’s, struggled with the wind at Old Trafford, and was off-colour at Trent Bridge when Vettori really needed him. But he’s still New Zealand’s next-best quick unless they can get Shane Bond back.Aaron Redmond – 3
New Zealand’s search for an opening batsman brought them to a 28-year-old former legspinner. Redmond churned out runs in the warm-up matches, including a career-best 146 against England Lions, but was out of his depth at the highest level. Troubled by James Anderson’s sharp, late outswing he played with hard hands that always ensured his edges carried. However, given the lack of options in domestic cricket Redmond may get another chance when New Zealand return to Test action in November. It won’t be any easier, though, as they face Australia.James Marshall – 3
An attractive century against Essex raised hopes that Marshall might be able to fill the troublesome No. 3 spot, but as in his previous outings at Test level he was soon found out. Struggled against the swing of Sidebottom and his awful shot against Panesar in the second innings at Old Trafford began the decisive collapse.Tim Southee – 3
Appeared nervous in his one appearance at Lord’s, but slowly improved during the innings. An untimely stomach upset meant he lost his place at Old Trafford, and didn’t get it back as O’Brien impressed. Once he develops his strength and stamina he should be a certain pick. No chance to reprise his explosive batting from Napier.

The mystery is now out in the open and every batsman is out to solve it. The real challenge for Ajantha Mendis, of uncertain categorisation, to maintain that secrecy, begins now

Osman Samiuddin in Karachi06-Jul-2008
Video machines and laptops will start whirring, chewing up Ajantha Mendis’ every step, his every variation, his every grip © AFP
Lord knows how they classify Ajantha Mendis in other areas of the world but round these parts, people of a certain vintage will most likely refer to him as a finger bowler.These were types found mostly in Karachi in the 1970s, tennis ball in hand and an unresponsive tarmac road or cement pitch to bowl on, odds stacked against them. The ball was squeezed in the kind of grip Jack Iverson had, or for locals, similar to how you would strike the striker on a carrom board.On pitching and regaining its original shape again the ball would shoot through, with sharp spin either way, predictably leaving batsmen none the wiser. Nadeem Moosa was a modest first-class left-arm spinner with the cricket ball in hand but a lethal finger champion with the tennis ball. His success on the local circuit, goes the urban legend, hastened the prevalence of the taped tennis ball: the logic being it was harder to squeeze and thus spin.But if Mendis keeps bowling as he has done through the Asia Cup, through his brief career so far, eventually people will not much care how to typecast him. Mendis is what he is, for now at least.His approach to the crease is less run-up and more the hurried walk-through of a harried financial executive. The grips are of the kind super slo-mo was really created for. The absence of a stock ball is the only other tangible conclusion from eight quality overs tonight and many more through the last two weeks. Some he turns one way, some the other, though the most profitable delivery here was the one that threatened much yet did nothing but fizz on straight. In this there were shades of early 1990s Anil Kumble, just wackier and less earnest.And like Kumble, for tonight at least, he located not just the arrow-straight line but the length: too far forward, you look a fool, stay back and risk being trapped. Admittedly, some of his victims gave themselves up, though it can be argued that in playing for something that never came, the victory is also the bowler’s. The legbreak to remove RP Singh should’ve been reserved for a more capable opponent. Even a hat-trick could’ve been his, but you suspect more opportunities might come his way against clueless tailenders.The mystery is now out in the open and every batsman is out to solve it. The real challenge for Mendis, of uncertain categorisation, to maintain that secrecy, begins nowHis most remarkable achievement of the night, however, was that facing the great Muttiah Muralitharan appeared a doddle by comparison. Mahendra Singh Dhoni said later that he just couldn’t be read at all. His men weren’t alone; Mahela Jayawardene admitted he’d been bowled a couple of times facing Mendis and that Kumar Sangakkarra spent an hour a day in the nets before the tournament keeping to Mendis, trying to pick up his variations. It’s one thing, Jayawardene said, to read him from the hand, another altogether to then play him off the pitch.Jayawardene’s ploy not to play him in the group game against India was less to rest him than to keep him cloaked in secrecy, though he coyly suggested otherwise later. There has been a growing curiosity around Mendis over the last few months, but this performance will propel him on to the big stage, right in to the glare. The secret is now out. Video machines and laptops will start whirring, chewing up his every step, his every variation, his every grip.A mystery spinner he has been thus far. The mystery is now out in the open and every batsman is out to solve it. The real challenge for Mendis, of uncertain categorisation, to maintain that secrecy, begins now.