The quality of cricket was high, the noise levels in the ground were high. The only downer was the struggle to get into the stadium

Hamza Khan24-Feb-2016Choice of game
Watching the PSL final live with friends was a no-brainer.Predicting the winner of the final was difficult as Quetta Gladiators (the best team in the PSL) was facing a very strong and resurgent Islamabad United side that had won four games on the trot including two eliminators. I predicted that Quetta will achieve a narrow win. As it happened, Islamabad won comfortably.Team supported
Ever since they released their official team song (the best in my opinion out of all PSL teams) and the choice of captain, my support was firmly with Quetta, reinforced after their unexpected and strong win on the opening day of the PSL. Hence I was doubly delighted to see my team in the final.Key performer
Brad Haddin to me was the most influential player, and deserved to share the Man-of-the-Match award with Dwayne Smith. Although the West Indian scored more runs, I feel it was Haddin’s presence at No. 3, and his complete calm and assurance at playing pace and spin that created an illusion of no pressure. In addition, after Smith’s dismissal when the game could have potentially turned, Haddin hung in till the end to close off the game.One thing you’d have changed about the day
I would have bowled Zulfiqar Babar in the Powerplay instead of Nathan McCullum during Islamabad’s chase. Babar had done brilliantly in the first six overs throughout the tournament, and I felt Babar was both more aggressive and a more skillful option. Also, I can’t resist watching his twirling arms.The face-off you relished
The biggest face-off in the match was the battle of captaincy between the old warhorse Misbah and the emerging leader in Sarfaraz. Some people in Pakistan are backing Sarfaraz for a leadership role, including me, and were relishing this contest. Although Sarfaraz had already beaten Misbah twice in the tournament, you felt the winner of the final would be the real victor. Sarfaraz lost it this time.The inclusion of Mohammad Sami in the World T20 and Asia Cup squads had given real context to his battle with KP and Sanga. I wanted to assess how Sami would respond when bowling in pressure and against great batsmen. Sanga was the clear winner.Plenty of fireworks lit up the start of the PSL final•Chris WhiteoakWow moment
A guy had brought an African djembe to the match and I borrowed it from him to play. Pakistanis love dancing to their respective cultural beats, and as I started playing the drums, hundreds of people around me in the lower stands joined in the fun, clapping, singing, shouting and dancing. It went on for over an hour and it was incredible fun, and a great joy to see people from all cultures and backgrounds join in the celebrations of an incredible tournament and two fantastic teams!Shot of the day
Ahmed Shehzad’s flick off his legs over square leg for 6. Sami was bowling fast and the ease with which Shehzad picked him up over square leg was breath-taking. A split second before the crowd started to celebrate, there was a discernible murmur oh ‘Ohh’ – the crowd was equally impressed. To add to the majesty of the shot, Shehzad held his pose for a second.Crowd meter
Overall Quetta had more support, but not overwhelmingly so. Tickets were already sold out about three days before the final. About an hour into the match, the stadium was completely full and it was difficult to find seats once you left yours. The noise was deafening and I went home with a sore throat. Mexican waves had been a regular feature throughout the tournament and it was the first time I had the chance to be a part of a Mexican wave – we had four consecutive 360 degree Mexican waves at one point in time.The biggest cheers were reserved for Afridi and Darren Sammy. Yes, they were not part of the match, but their mere presence in the VIP stands being broadcast on the big screens at the stadium was enough to get the crowd into a frenzy. Afridi’s supporters in particular, easily beat the crazy levels of his detractors.Inflatables and stuffed toy obsessions
And then there is the stuffed toy obsession with Pakistani men in UAE stadiums that just fascinates me. And not just standard sized, those toys are always huge. Varieties on display today were teddy bears, tigers and sea lions.Fancy-dress index
There were many Quetta supporters with gladiator masks on, a successful merchandising idea. It is also impossible to go to a Pakistani game without seeing one of its beloved ‘chachas’; three of them were present today. The most entertaining is the newest ‘chacha’ in Pakistan cricket, the guy in his green outfit and yellow headgear, tossing his long hair from side to side as part of his Pushto dance routine! Hard to believe, but there were V for Vendetta masks as well.However the most smartly dressed were the PSL’s commentary team, all showing up in traditional Pakistani dresses. Pat Symcox looked the best.Entertainment
For each small milestone, the PA blared out the relevant team’s official songs. During over breaks and timeouts, many of the famous Punjabi numbers and Coke Studio hits were also played. I personally am not a huge fan of constant music during a match though. The PA kept prompting the crowd to do something or the other, the highlight being when they were asked to whistle; for about 15 seconds, the stadium was filled with extremely shrill whistles.ODI v Twenty20?
ODIs. I prefer context, narratives and time for stories to build within a game. Although Twenty20 is proper thrill-a-minute format, it just doesn’t give you that time. Hence I’ve watched more Tests in stadiums than ODIs or T20s.Overall
The quality of cricket was really high. Quetta made a good score, and yet there were pockets of some high-class bowling. So while you could marvel at Sanga’s silken class and Dwayne Smith’s brutality, you could still appreciate the steep bounce and seam of Irfan or the guile on display from Mohammad Nawaz. The fielding however, was below par, even though the standard of fielding has been very impressive throughout the tournament. Watching a tournament final in a full-house was a privilege.Marks out of 10
Eight out of 10. Could have been 10 if Quetta had won, or if the management of ticketing and security was a little more organised. Although the experience within the stadium was fantastic, getting into the stadium remains a big hassle in Dubai, and is a mood destroyer.

Despite having most bases covered and unearthing an exciting young talent, defending champions Mumbai Indians endured a frustrating, stop-start season

Sirish Raghavan23-May-2016

Where they finished

Fifth, with seven wins and as many defeats

How they got there

Mumbai Indians entered the tournament as defending champions and one of the favourites to win the title. They had retained the core of their title-winning side from the previous season – including Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh and Mitchell McClenaghan – while adding Jos Buttler, Tim Southee and Krunal Pandya to their ranks. It looked a well-balanced side, packed with batting firepower, boasting pace and spin resources, and carrying a lot of good memories and experiences from seasons past. What could possibly go wrong?Quite a lot, actually. The side was struck by injury blows early in the season. Lendl Simmons played only the opening match before being ruled out for the rest of the season by a back injury. Lasith Malinga, Mumbai’s star pacer and the highest wicket-taker in IPL history, was ruled out without playing a match due to continuing struggles with his left knee. An opening loss to debutants Rising Pune Supergiants kicked off another slow start to a season as Mumbai lost four of their first six matches.Three wins on the bounce left Mumbai decently placed by the end of April, rekindling hopes that they would once again shrug off early stutters and peak at the right time. It was not to be. The shift to Visakhapatnam as their home venue in May did not work well for them. The batting unit struggled to adapt to the stickier surfaces and turned in two limp performances that led to two heavy defeats. That punctured Mumbai’s momentum at just the wrong time.Mumbai lost their last league match to close out a patchy, stop-start season that never really kicked into top gear. They certainly had their moments and only narrowly missed out on a berth in the playoffs on the last day of the league stage.

Highlight

With promising India allrounder Hardik Pandya already in the squad, Mumbai paid INR 2 crore in this year’s auction to recruit his brother Krunal. And what a buy it was. Krunal impressed from the outset with his sparkling strokeplay, his effective left-arm bowling and his energy in the field. He was the centre of many of the best moments in Mumbai’s campaign. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede Stadium, Krunal dismissed Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in the same over to help limit the target to 171, which Mumbai chased down comfortably. In a crunch match against Delhi Daredevils, Krunal’s 37-ball 86 and two wickets were instrumental in Mumbai’s big win. Mumbai seem to have unearthed an exciting young allrounder who could serve them well in seasons to come.

Disappointment

Mumbai’s principal shortcoming this season was their opening partnership. While Rohit did well – scoring 484 runs at 48.40 while opening – he did not find a reliable partner at the top. Parthiv Patel played 10 matches but managed just one innings of note – a 58-ball 81 against Kings XI Punjab – and, on that occasion, Rohit bagged a second-ball duck. Martin Guptill, drafted in as Simmons’ replacement, played just three matches and registered one decent knock. The upshot was a string of poor starts, which often put the middle order under pressure.

Key stats

• Mumbai’s average opening partnership of 16.07 was the worst among all teams this IPL. They had just one half-century stand
• Mumbai lost 25 wickets in the Powerplays – the highest among all teams. Their Powerplay run rate of 7.14 was better than only Daredevils’
• When bowling in the closing overs (overs 16-20), Mumbai conceded a run rate of 9.87, joint third-best in the tournament

Best win

Mumbai’s penultimate league match, against Daredevils in Visakhapatnam, was a crucial encounter as defeat would have all but ended their playoff chances. They had underperformed in their two previous “home” matches at the venue. This time, they were dominant from the start. Rohit and Guptill put on 46 – Mumbai’s second-best opening stand of the season – before Krunal made a blistering 86 that propelled the side to 206. This was followed by a strong bowling performance, headlined by Jasprit Bumrah and Krunal, who took 5 for 28 between them. The 80-run win was not only a statement of intent, but also a timely boost to their net run rate.

Worst defeat

Mumbai’s first match in Visakhapatnam was an unmitigated disaster. Poor, indisciplined bowling enabled Sunrisers Hyderabad to score 177 on a sticky wicket where batting was not straightforward. Then the chase went horribly wrong as Mumbai lost half their side for 30. Only some late resistance from Harbhajan helped them limp to a still-embarrassing 92 all out.

What they need most next season

Jos Buttler scored 255 runs this season; Kieron Pollard scored 207. Both averaged in the 20s and had strike-rates around 140. Both chipped in with a few bright cameos, in chases and when batting first. Overall, their returns this season were commendable, but not commanding. If these two overseas stars could find another gear and become regular match-winners next season, it could provide Mumbai with the inspiration and intensity that they mostly lacked this time around.

With Mohit Sharma confounding batsmen with two kinds of slower balls and Sandeep Sharma firing in yorkers from around the wicket, Kings XI Punjab managed to defend 54 off the last six overs against a power-packed Delhi Daredevils line-up

Sidharth Monga08-May-2016There’s a reason why, going into Saturday night, that teams defending totals had won only nine times in the 35 previous matches. Batting while chasing has gone to the next level, and bowlers are struggling to keep up. It seemed Kings XI Punjab would continue the trend when they had only 53 runs in the bag in the last six overs. Their fielding was coming apart a little. There was dew around. Delhi Daredevils had eight wickets in hand. Only excellent death bowling – a commodity that is becoming rarer every day with heavy bats and short outfields everywhere – could prevent Daredevils from winning. It came from two of the best bowlers in this IPL, Mohit and Sandeep Sharma, with Marcus Stoinis and KC Cariappa contributing an over each.Mohit and Sandeep have arguably been the biggest delight of this otherwise predictable IPL. Sandeep has used the width of both the creases to make his yorkers less predictable. Mohit has added a yorker and an offcutter to his one big trick, the back-of-the-hand slower legcutter. The two have played a big role in all three wins for Kings XI this season.This comeback began with Mohit, who conceded only four runs in the 15th over, although it should have really only been two. He began with a slower legcutter, followed it with a quick bouncer, then the slower offcutter bouncer, and gave Karun Nair the yorker fourth ball. There was no room on the bouncers, the yorker was accurate, and Nair had now faced three dot balls. He had fallen behind a run a ball. The pressure showed in how he didn’t pick the next slower legcutter, only to watch David Miller drop it at wide long-on. Miller, running to his right, dropped the ball because he took his eyes off the ball momentarily to check if there was any danger of Glenn Maxwell, stationed at deep midwicket, was going to collide into him.going for the catch. Maxwell, who had earlier failed to dive for a ball not more than six feet away from him, was nowhere near him. That would have hurt more than the drop.The pressure on Nair, though, didn’t lift, and he lofted one towards Miller in the next over too. Cariappa benefited this time. His over went for just six, and Daredevils now needed 44 in the last three overs. With seven wickets in hand, two of them being Carlos Brathwaite and Chris Morris, Daredevils were still the favourites. The big decision for Kings XI was to be made now. Mohit had one over left, Sandeep had two. If they didn’t bowl Sandeep now, he would have to bowl 18 and 20. They trusted him enough to do so, and asked Stoinis to bowl the 17th.Now Stoinis knew the batsmen had to go after him. He knew the batsmen couldn’t afford to leave too much for the other two bowlers’ overs because they were in good form, and also because Mohali is a big playing field. Stoinis had already gone for 37 in three overs. If he kept up the rate, it would be difficult for the Sharmas to defend. He had to do better. He was up against the in-from Sam Billings and Brathwaite. Billings is dextrous, Brathwaite had hit seven sixes in 23 balls faced before this match. Stoinis gave it away that he was going to bowl slower balls by bringing third man and fine leg up. He wanted the batsmen to hit towards the bigger square boundaries. Brathwaite started cleverly with a bunted two, but Stoinis managed three perfect slower balls to Billings later in the over. The third was a bouncer, which Billings edged to the keeper as he looked to cut him over short third man.Now it was muscle v muscle. Brathwaite and Morris in, 40 to get off three overs, and the first of them would be bowled by a youngster they were hoping to bully. Sandeep bowls yorkers. He doesn’t do slower balls. But his yorkers can be wide, at the stumps, angling across the batsman from round the wicket or at the toes from that angle. On this day he chose to go round the wicket, asking Brathwaite to hit against the angle and into the bigger square boundary on the leg side.Sandeep’s first yorker to Brathwaite was a little short, perhaps by six inches, and Brathwaite whipped it through midwicket with a top-handed grip. Four. Still, Brathwaite knew if Sandeep got the yorker right it would be difficult to keep hitting there. Sandeep followed it with a short-of-a-length slower ball. Brathwaite tried the cute reverse shot over short third man, and missed. It might have looked strange, but Sandeep had executed his plan, bowling into the pitch with a strong leg-side field. Sandeep erred again next ball with Brathwaite biffing the low full toss way back into the stands.This can be demoralising for a young Indian bowler, who would have watched with awe as Brathwaite dismantled Ben Stokes in the World T20 final, but Sandeep didn’t budge from his plan. The next ball was a bouncer, which gave no room, and Brathwaite top-edged it to the deep fielder on the leg side.With 27 to defend in the last two, Mohit delivered the final blow. Four yorkers, a slower legcutter, and an offcutting slower bouncer handcuffed Morris and Rishabh Pant to leave Sandeep 24 to defend. This was excellent defensive bowling without mystery balls or unorthodox actions. This was just good plans and good execution of those plans. In a game with little room for error, this was one performance to cherish.

Ebadot had joined the Bangladesh Air Force as a volleyball player in 2012 before a pace bowling competition conducted by the BCB put him in the 2016 High Performance programme

Mohammad Isam04-Aug-2016Ebadot Hossain who? Not many had seen or heard of the fast bowler before he was talked up by former Pakistan quick Aaqib Javed. Ebadot had joined the Bangladesh Air Force as a volleyball player in 2012 before turning to cricket. He chanced upon a pacer hunt, which was about to start in January 2016, last December.Ebadot wanted to register through the Dhaka leg of the event, but someone told him that he had to do it elsewhere. So he went 140 kms to the southwest of the Bangladesh capital to Faridapur to bowl two deliveries in a competition where 14,611 bowlers took part.Ebadot caught the attention of coaches in Mirpur and was brought into the Bangladesh High Performance squad after impressing in that competition.”But Sarwar Imran Sir told me to bowl six deliveries,” Ebadot said. “With one of those, I clocked 133 kph. I made it to the final 30 and then the top 10. In the final round in Dhaka, I hit 139.9 kph with one of those deliveries.”Joining the Air Force wasn’t my dream, neither was playing volleyball. I loved cricket from childhood, so I always tried to pursue the game in whichever way possible. I needed a job but the Air Force has always been very good to me. But after all of these things happened in the past few months, my squadron officer told me that no matter how big a cricketer you become, you will always be with the Air Force.”Ebadot has not played first-class or List A cricket so far, and is the first Bangladeshi cricketer to emerge from the Air Force. He is likely to return to the Air Force after completing the HP programme, and will stay out of touch with cricket, unless he gets picked in any first-class squad for the 2016-17 season. Javed suggested that he should be handed a contract to keep him close to proper training.Ebadot felt overawed by Javed’s presence during the short camp and learnt a lot from the former Pakistan bowler.”Aaqib Javed worked with our pace and run-up on the first day,” Ebadot said. “He explained to us how to increase our pace. Then he taught us swing, variation and reverse swing on the last day. He couldn’t gauge my pace by seeing my body structure. He said that I lack physical strength but I can increase my pace by proper muscle build-up.”Ebadot said that the Air Force would give him breaks from work whenever the BCB would require him to play a tournament. But it could be a tough balancing act.”After coming here I realised that I have to stay in touch with cricket,” he said. I have a job in Bangladesh Air Force and they have been positive about me whenever I have needed a leave to play cricket.”I will take a letter from here so that I can come back regularly to do my gym, work with the trainers and keep raising my fitness.”Ebadot had played only a handful of one-day matches in the Dhaka First Division Cricket League in the 2014-15 season. But he is looking forward to more cricket in the upcoming season, but for that he may have to give up volleyball permanently.

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jun-2016Quinton de Kock kept Amla good company and they put on their second fifty-plus stand of the series•AFPAmla brought up his half-century off 37 balls and soon passed 1000 ODI runs against West Indies•AFPAmla extended his fluency and brought up his 23rd ODI century off 89 balls …•AFP… before the 182-run opening stand ended when Kieron Pollard had Amla slicing a loft to long-off for 110 at the start of the 34th over•AFPSix balls later, Jerome Taylor castled de Kock for 71•AFPHaving been promoted to No.3, Chris Morris slammed 40 off 26 balls•AFPFaf du Plessis unfurled scoops and went on to score his second successive half-century …•AFP… while AB de Villiers contributed 27 in a 64-run stand for the fourth wicket as South Africa finished with 343 for 4•AFPJohnson Charles got West Indies’ reply off to a strong start with a flurry of boundaries•AFPAndre Fletcher added 69 for the first wicket with Charles before Imran Tahir had him holing out to deep midwicket for 21•AFPCharles fell two short of a half-century when he was undone by a googly from Tabraiz Shamsi. The left-arm wristspinner then dismissed Denesh Ramdin to reduce the hosts to 121 for 4 by the 22nd over•AFPMarlon Samuels survived a couple of run-out chances before becoming Tahir’s 100th ODI victim•AFPFrom 169 for 5, West Indies were dismissed for 204 in 38 overs•AFPTahir finished with figures of 7 for 45, the best by a South African in ODI cricket•AFP

Marks out of 10 for New Zealand, who had a few bright spots amid the 0-3 defeat to India

Sidharth Monga12-Oct-20163:09

Insights – Ross Taylor’s poor numbers against stronger teams

7Tom Latham (194 runs at 32.33)One of the three batsmen to score a fifty or more in each of the Tests. Latham has little experience of playing in such heat and on such pitches, and he showed a lot of courage and determination to fight it out for long periods of time. Not for long enough as it turned out.Luke Ronchi (200 runs at 33.33)A bit of a surprise as he was not an established Test player coming into the series, but showed quickness of feet and eye to put India under pressure for brief periods of time. Got two rough lbw calls, but still would have liked to convert one of those contributions into a big one.Mitchell Santner (159 runs at 26.5, 10 wickets at 52.4)On his first Test tour to a country where he is expected to win his side matches, Santner did not quite answer that call but showed a lot of promise as an important player for the future. There was a lot of application in his batting and determination in his bowling. Could well end up as a genuine allrounder for all conditions.5Trent Boult (10 wickets at 33.3)With only one of the Tests played in conditions that kept him in the game, Boult did well to end up as the third-highest wicket-taker in the series. Never let up the intensity that New Zealand pride themselves on. Would have loved to run through the tail at least once.4Kane Williamson (135 runs at 33.75)Came as arguably the best Test batsman going around, began brightly enough with a half-century in his first innings of the series, but fell all four times to R Ashwin when playing on the back foot. Missed the middle Test with illness. Couldn’t win a toss either.Neil Wagner (5 wickets at 39.2)Brought the hostility he is known for, took out Virat Kohli once and played a part in setting him up on another occasion, but again failed to run through the tail, which you expect of hostile bowlers. With little or no reverse swing happening, he became a bit of a one-trick pony.Jeetan Patel (6 wickets at 48.66)Coming back after he had almost given up on playing for New Zealand, Patel bowled better than the numbers suggest. He was close to the pace required on the Indian pitches, stayed accurate for long periods, and could have perhaps made a difference in Kanpur, the most helpful pitch for the spinners in this series. Scored a 47 too.Jimmy Neesham (71 runs at 35.5)These are not the conditions for Neesham’s bowling; that and his injury meant he played only one Test. In that Test, though, he showed his aggressive intent could have helped them with the bat, and he did not bowl untidily either.Matt Henry (6 wickets at 42.33)Bowled with pace, precision and spirit, and once again the numbers don’t tell the whole story. What the numbers do say is that on a green pitch, he and his two partner fast bowlers were stalled by India’s tail twice. There was enough to suggest, though, that he will push Tim Southee for a place in the New Zealand conditions even if the incumbent is fit.Tom Latham did well against India bowlers in spite of little experience in the conditions•BCCI3.5BJ Watling (111 runs at 22.2 and five dismissals)Always seemed to find himself in the middle just when the ball began reversing. Kept fighting with the bat, and no blemish behind the stumps.3Martin Guptill (159 runs at 26.5)Got out caught off his own boot, bowled off his elbow and run out by the bowler through a deflection onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Having said that, opening is one of the less difficult jobs in India and, as the aggressive batsman, he was expected to set the tone, which he managed to do only once in six efforts.Ish Sodhi (3 wickets at 49.66)On the most responsive of the pitches for spinners, failed to put enough pressure on India and also bowled a fair few loose balls, getting cut or pulled. Sodhi was consequently dropped for the second Test, and played no further part in the series.Mark Craig (2 wickets at 69.5)Showed better control than Sodhi, but less menace. Did not make a difference with the bat either as New Zealand lost five wickets for seven runs in the first innings of the series. Unfortunate injury meant he did not get a shot at redemption.Henry Nicholls (25 runs at 12.5)Got thrown into the deep end with Williamson injured in Kolkata. Showed application in the second innings but India’s bowlers proved to be too good.1Ross Taylor (89 runs at 14.83)Just couldn’t trust his defence after he was out lbw to a straighter one in his first innings of the series. Guilty of plonking the front foot across and getting caught in between, making him a proper candidate for lbws. Not known anyway for disciplined defence, he couldn’t bring his cavalier approach against such good bowling in these conditions. Thirty-two of the runs came in a devil-may-care hit-out in the final innings of the series when not much was left to lose.

Max Walker’s character came through at the height of his television fame, in a meeting with a star struck teenager

Jonathan Rose28-Sep-2016My memories of Max Walker go back to my days as a teenager in Year 11, when I was producing a documentary on the history of the MCG for a school media studies assignment.I hand-wrote a letter to Max via GTV-9 Publicity, asking whether he would be willing to be interviewed by me (using the school’s elaborate Super VHS video camera!) about his experiences at the ground as a Test cricketer and VFL footballer. For me it was shooting for the moon, as he was well and truly at the peak of his TV fame in those days and I didn’t hold out much hope that anything would come from it.Only a day or two had passed when the home phone rang in the kitchen one night while my brother and I were washing up. On the other end of the phone was that distinctive and unmissable voice. “Hello Jonathan?” he asked. “Yes,” I replied, suddenly knowing full well who it was. “Yeees, it’s Max Walker mate, I got your letter. How are ya?”My heart skipped a beat and then all I can remember is trying to shoo the family away as they tried to listen in to the conversation I was having with this national icon! Then again his voice was so strong that they could have been standing in the next suburb and still heard him. None of us could believe it, least of all me.Soon enough, though, it was down to business as the big Wide World of Sports host went on to ask me about the assignment and politely and very encouragingly told me that he’d be happy to be involved. Not only that, but he would meet me at the “G” and could even “pull a few strings” to get us access to the ground for the shoot. This was too good to be true!But it was true. Dressed immaculately in a suit and tie he met me and two school mates one afternoon.

Each time I saw him I thanked him for that afternoon. He laughed by saying that he was happy to be a part of it, but was still waiting for his “appearance fee”, which was accumulating interest

He introduced himself as “Max Henry Norman Walker” then proceeded to help frame the interview shoot, showing us school kids the angles Channel Nine used to help capture his “good side”. He chuckled after that, saying that no man with umpteen broken noses could possibly have a good side!As the camera rolled, that enormous smile broke out along with an endless supply of anecdotes and gags. He proceeded to fill up a couple of tapes talking about the ground and his sporting memories at the MCG from playing under the legendary Norm Smith to the Centenary Test.He was insightful, funny and supportive and for that reason I will never forget that afternoon or his generosity. He even signed my school diary with the words, “Well bowled Jono. Hope you get a good mark.” Thanks to Max that’s exactly what happened.In later years I crossed paths with him when I became involved with cricket through work. Each time I saw him I thanked him for that afternoon. He laughed by saying that he was happy to be a part of it, but was still waiting for his “appearance fee”, which was accumulating interest.I will always think fondly of the great Max Walker. Not for the fact that he was a gun Australian Test cricketer, a ruckman for my beloved Melbourne Football Club, or a loveable TV personality, but for that fact that he was a wonderful human with a great heart. I will miss him.

The longest gaps between Test centuries by a player (since World War 2)

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-20163660 days Hamilton Masakadza (Zimbabwe)
July 2001 to August 2011 (Zimbabwe didn’t play Tests between Sep 2005 and Aug 2011)•AFP3639 days Bob Simpson (Australia)
December 1967 to December 1977 (Simpson returned from almost a decade-long retirement to lead a Packer-weakened Australia in 1977)•John Dawson/PA Photos3367 days Bert Sutcliffe (New Zealand)
November 1955 to March 1965•Huw John/ESPNcricinfo Ltd3234 days Mushtaq Mohammad (Pakistan)
July 1962 to June 1971•Getty Images

Coach Kulkarni and captain Kaif have helped quickly mould a set of positive but inexperienced players into a team capable of challenging established opposition

Shashank Kishore09-Oct-2016In July, on his first day in charge as Chhattisgarh’s head coach, Sulakshan Kulkarni was asked to give a motivational speech to the probables selected for a camp ahead of the state’s Ranji Trophy debut. The former Mumbai wicketkeeper, who had been a part of six winning teams, adopted a unique method.He brought with him from Mumbai a replica of the Ranji Trophy and placed it on the table next to him. “Is it a trophy you won for being the best coach?” someone in the group asked him just before he began. “That is when it struck me that I was with a state that didn’t have a cricketing tradition, and that we needed to build one,” Kulkarni told ESPNcricinfo.”I replied: ‘This is what you will be playing for. Come one by one, feel it, take photos, selfies, whatever. Post it on social media – Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, wherever. One day, we will win this trophy. That’s the privilege you all have after 16 years of struggle. Make it worth it. Imagine the feeling of holding this together as a group. You will understand that only when you win.’ There was silence.” The motivational speech ended there.On Saturday, the group led by Mohammad Kaif became the first side since Punjab, in 1968-69, to win their first Ranji Trophy match, when they outclassed Tripura by nine wickets in Ranchi. Once victory had been sealed, the team remembered their coach’s words. As well as they had begun, though, Kulkarni was quick to remind the group that bigger battles lay ahead.

****

A man with a sharp eye for talent, Kulkarni remembers being spellbound by the team’s belief at an Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy game against Mumbai in Mumbai in 2014. “Chhattisgarh almost beat them,” he says. “They dared to declare to have a chance of an outright win. I was watching from the stands; the attitude excited me immensely. That they lost is a different issue, but they showed intent. That told you they had something. So when this opportunity came up [to coach Chhattisgarh] my mind went back to that.”Upon assuming his duties, one of the first things he needed to do was prepare a plan to get the side game-ready in less than three months. Kulkarni, in no uncertain terms, told the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh to organise matches. “I wanted to identify a core group of 20-22 players before the season,” Kulkarni says. “And I wanted to get in at least six to ten matches.”The side played in the All-India Invitational Buchi Babu tournament in August in Chennai, where they beat more accomplished sides from Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh in matches played in a two-day format. “It was there that I first saw their ability to play on rank turners, especially against the hosts,” Kulkarni says. Amandeep Khare’s 193 against UP, according to the coach, infused self-belief into the batting unit. Chhattisgarh finished runners-up.

Captain Kaif, the senior-pro and domestic veteran, is the man-manager, motivator and elder brother who “chills” with the boys

Then at the Bapuna Cup, a tournament featuring four-day games organised by the Vidarbha Cricket Association in Nagpur in September, the side got a taste of playing on flat surfaces. The bowlers delivered, the batsmen piled on the runs and they emerged champions in the four-team tournament. “I think that’s where the boys were pushed hard with the ball, the same qualities they showed here [in their Ranji Trophy opener],” Kaif, the captain, says. “They learnt to make things happen when there was nothing.”In their final league game against Himachal Pradesh at the Bapuna Cup, Chhattisgarh had the option of batting out for a draw, which would have given them the trophy. At 400 for 4 with little over a day left, Kaif and Kulkarni decided to push for an outright result. They blasted 97 in the next hour to declare. “Next day we bowled them out and chased down 30-odd to win,” Kulkarni says, pointing to Kaif’s leadership as the driving force.The idea, according to him, was to have the team get a feel of an outright win. “Kaif led the side superbly, he handled all the bowlers well and that’s where his experience had a telling effect,” Kulkarni says. “It showed in our first game [at the Ranji Trophy] too.”He elaborated on an incident to show the value of having an aggressive captain. “[Himachal’s] Robin Bist, at this level, is a superb player. Against a quality player, you need a quality attack or a great captain. In the second innings of that Nagpur game, the ball was reversing, so Kaif had three fielders on the leg side – short mid-on, short midwicket and short square leg.”He told the bowler to stick to his normal line and not try to reverse. He kept bringing it in and then got one away, which the batsman edged to the keeper. After the match, even Bist came up to us and acknowledged the plan. You have won half your battle if you can plot and execute plans like that. So he’s a bowler’s captain.”I’m not worried about the runs he makes; he can make a zero, but his contribution in bringing the best out of ten players is worth more than just his personal contribution. He gives you variety as a captain, which will augur well for this team. He’s that sort of a person. A good captain can make bowlers better than they are.”

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At training and off the field, there’s a clear demarcation in the roles played by the captain and coach. Kaif, the senior-pro and domestic veteran, is the man-manager, motivator and elder brother who “chills” with the boys. Kaif says he wasn’t ready to coach full-time because he believed he could contribute as a player, just like he did in Andhra after his decade-and-a-half journey with Uttar Pradesh. Dealing with a young group eager to prove themselves, according to him, was the biggest motivation.”At this stage of my career, I wanted to give back to the game,” he says. “I wanted to groom a set of players who can move up. I wasn’t ready for a coaching opportunity alone though. If I wanted to just score runs and take slip catches, I could have opted to do that. But I wanted to interact with younger players, guide them and share my experiences. That’s what excited me about the Chhattisgarh role.”Ashutosh Singh became the first-ever centurion for Chattisgarh in the Ranji Trophy, in the game against Tripura•ESPNcricinfo LtdKaif is outspoken about his objectives. “When I was coming through in Uttar Pradesh, you were recognised as someone’s brother or someone’s relative or son,” he says. “People didn’t have their own identity. Even if they did, there was someone to always pull you down. So there was a senior-junior divide, because seniors were often insecure if they saw a talented youngster. Here, I want everyone to know I am around at any time. They can talk to me freely without the fear of saying something wrong. Basically, they should speak up and not be shy.”I was shy too as an 18-year-old. It affected me when I played for India. Maybe I didn’t make the effort to mingle freely with seniors like Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly outside the field. So I want these players, many of whom are in a professional set up for the first time, to be comfortable. So we often have team dinners, get-togethers and team activities to understand the group. They’re a lot more comfortable now than they were two months ago.”Kulkarni adds: “It’s easier mingling with these boys and talking to them because there are no ego battles. That’s because everyone is starting off at the same level. Unlike other sides, where those who have played for India may or may not gel with the group, everyone is hungry for success, so coaching is a lot simpler. You can’t sink further from the basement. You can only climb with this sort of an approach.”

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Mentoring aside, Kulkarni deals with specifics: batting, slip catching, fielding, flat throws, and video analysis. At each session, players are asked to identify what they could have done better, what they did right and wrong. At the end, the coach has his say. It’s a ritual that is limited not just to the playing squad, but to the entire set of probables, some of whom might come into the XI at different stages this season. “It’s important to have a feeder system,” Kulkarni says. “This is one way of building it. Players outside the group need to know they belong too.”

“I’m not worried about the runs he makes; he can make a zero, but his contribution in bringing the best out of ten players is worth more than just his personal contribution.”Coach Sulakshan Kulkarni on captain Mohammad Kaif

Ask Kulkarni and Kaif who they’ve been most impressed with, and both of them hardly bat an eyelid. Khare is the unanimous choice. “Amandeep Khare is like a gem,” Kulkarni says. “After Rahane and Pujara, I haven’t seen a more talented batsman at the Under-19 level than this guy. I would rate him more promising than these two when they were his age. Also Ashutosh Singh is very talented. He reminds me of Karun Nair. He is solid, technically correct and reliable.”What are the worries then? “The bowling,” Kaif points out. It is not surprising. In their build-up to the season, the batsmen produced 11 centuries. The bowlers could manage just four five-wicket hauls across both preparatory tournaments leading into the Ranji Trophy. “But we have identified how many bowlers we’ve got, and how to tackle issues like resting bowlers since we will be playing without a break for nine rounds. We have had the winning momentum right from our preparatory tournaments, so the boys are happy.”Kulkarni adds: “We have formed a core group with five-six pacers and three spinners, who we plan to rotate based on performance and fitness. It will be important to monitor workloads. In Ranji, the bowlers need more rest than the batsmen. We have 20 boys; we will take it one game at a time.”Both of them agree, the key to the long season ahead will be to maintain their intensity and play a positive brand of cricket, considering they will have to fight with nine other sides for two quarter-final spots, unlike in Groups A and B where three out of nine sides qualify. But, as Kaif says: “Teams can’t take us lightly, we’ve shown that.”

How do you explain exchanging a big-hitting, big-impact player for a man with little experience and unproven potential – even if the latter is a local lad?

Jarrod Kimber02-Jan-2017T20 is about resources. You have probably heard that already. It is one of cricket’s buzzwords, along with units and data.The resources that are available to you on the field first have to be obtained off it. That brings us to a Big Bash League game from last season where Hamish Kingston took 1 for 23 in two overs at Adelaide Oval, playing for the Strikers. You probably don’t remember him, or haven’t heard of him, or are wondering why on earth he would even be mentioned right now. Kingston is now a Hobart Hurricanes player. The player he was traded for is Ben Dunk. It was only the second trade ever in the Big Bash.Kingston is a 26-year-old journeyman cricketer, who, before this season, had played 23 top-level matches – nine first-class, 13 List A and that one T20 where he only got two overs. In the world of professional cricket, he is yet to make his mark, although his death bowling has been impressive at times.In Dunk’s first game for the Adelaide Strikers, he made 85 from 43 balls in a chase of 207. There were eight fours, five sixes, and, by the time he was out, the required run rate had dropped from 10.6 to 8.6. It should have been enough to win the match, but a horrid innings from Travis Head and good cricket from the Brisbane Heat meant that the Strikers conceded the game.But that is what Dunk can do – destroy. And no one knows that more than the home crowd in Hobart. In 12 BBL innings before tonight at Bellerive Oval, he had 368 runs and a highest score of 96. My taxi driver was talking about Dunk; there was a kid in the crowd with a hand-made Dunk shirt, and Channel 10 made Roz Kelly trot out to the middle and “interview” Dunk as he walked onto the ground. It was quite clear that Dunk had made quite the impression on the local fans, and that his trade left them perplexed.And you can see why, when Dunk gets in, his name is basically an onomatopoeia warning for what he does. His shoulders have a Wally Hammond cricket masculinity about them. He doesn’t hit the ball, he whacks and bashes. It isn’t about fine margins; it’s about tremendous impact. The Hobart fans know it well; they see it when he gets a short ball and crushes it through extra cover to start his attack.The crowd makes a noise that seems to be the sound of 16,000 people saying what my taxi driver said: “Why’d they get rid of him?” And that before Simon Milenko enters his vision and he mis-hits a small six, properly hits a massive six, eases one through the offside and then bashes one through the offside. Six, six, dot, four, four, before Milenko recovers and clean bowls him. Dunk’s first trip back to Hobart has 31 runs come from 17 balls.Kingston never bowled to Dunk. In fact, he never bowled to anyone; he was dropped for this match.This season, Kingston has played three matches for Hobart. His first game was handy – he made 12 off six and took 2 for 20 off three overs, including the wicket of Brad Haddin. In his second match, he was taken for 37 off three overs. And in his third, he made 17 off 10, but went for 22 off his one over after running into Chris Lynn and Brendon McCullum. Kingston is a change-up bowler, you can tell he is a smart cricketer, and his batting makes him handy.But the reason given for his trade with Dunk was to bolster Hurricanes’ death bowling. Andrew Dykes, Hurricanes’ cricket manager, told Cricket Australia’s website: “Hamish is a wonderful death bowler who performed really well at the most recent Matador Cup.” In three games, Kingston has not bowled a single over in the last four of the innings. He might have against the Melbourne Stars, but only two death overs were required in that match, and he was going at over 12, so they might not have used him.Ben Dunk largely wasn’t used as a wicketkeeper in his previous season with Hurricanes•Cricket AustraliaSo there are other reasons this trade happened. One is that Dunk and Hobart were perhaps a bit over each other. Dunk had a poor season last year. He only made 113 runs, and did so at a poor strike rate; both parties might have wanted to move on. He also didn’t keep wicket in most matches for the Hurricanes – last season, he kept in only two matches, including his final match for them – so he isn’t an allrounder there, making him more valuable to other teams. Hurricanes were probably looking for more space in their salary cap; Stuart Broad wouldn’t be a cheap signing. And, importantly, Kingston is a local Tassie boy.So the trade was made, a straight swap, Dunk for Kingston. This is how the Strikers general manager Bronwyn Klei described it to Cricket Australia’s website: “To sign a previous Australian T20 representative and a former player of the tournament is really exciting for our fans, and gives our squad great depth and an injection of experience.” It must have been hard for her to say at all even as she was so clearly doing cartwheels.Anyone who has ever followed a sport involving trades knows that there is rarely a perfect trade where both teams win. But Hobart have traded away a player who in 2013-14 was the best Big Bash player, an Australian representative, a fan favourite, a power hitter, and an allrounder. And they’ve traded him for a bloke with no experience at this level at all, a bloke who has been floating around cricket for years and is only three years younger than Dunk. With all due respect to what Kingston may be able to do, his death-bowling potential, his handiness with the bat, and what the Hurricanes may be able to get out of him that the Strikers never were able to, this is a stinker.There are reasons: the trade system of the Big Bash doesn’t have draft picks to trade with, nor are there other options for sweetening a deal when a player is just clearly better than another player. The player lists aren’t huge, and this is largely an exhibition tournament in the way it is run, rather than the more professional versions of T20 sport or how most major sports operate. But that doesn’t excuse the Hurricanes, as almost nothing can.You don’t trade an automatic starter, a power player, an impact player, a game-winner, a tournament boss, for some bloke because he’s a local lad. Even if your salary cap is a bit jammed or you think the bigger-named player has been worked out. You get three Hamish Kingstons, a year’s worth of gold class cinema tickets for the entire team and a year’s supply of sports drinks, at least, before you trade. You ask for a young kid who the Strikers are not sure about, but you think may do well in the Hurricanes. Or first dip at their rookie list. You ask for a veteran benchwarmer who can do a job if injuries deplete your fast bowlers. You try and orchestrate a three-way trade, a four-way trade, an entire league trade if need be. You do anything to make the trade one where you haven’t just given up a match-winner for nothing more than the potential of a 26-year-old with one game under his belt.Roz Kelly reported that Hurricanes coach Damien Wright had said that part of the reason they traded Dunk was that they wanted a “less predictable” opening partnership. Today, their opening partnership won the game, after Dunk had threatened to do the same. And it was because of the Dunk trade and salary cap shuffle that allowed for D’Arcy Short to play for Tasmania. Also Dunk’s keeping in this game was weak, he gave up seven byes in one over, and helped the Hurricanes scoot away early. Despite the fact that he outscored his meagre total from last year in only three games, you can argue that the Hurricanes were right to trade Dunk based on his last two years, and the fact that they already have a better keeper. But you cannot argue, in any way, that they made a good trade for Dunk.You get the most resources you can for Dunk, because T20 is about resources. And even if it wasn’t, you are trying to build the best team you can, and he can help you do that. You want to sell your resources for what they are worth, not for a single locally sourced magic bean. Today, the Hurricanes won because they used their resources on the field much better as a team. If they want to continue to do that, they have to be smarter off the field.