Most of the South African team have good records in Cape Town, and it has also been a favourable venue for Sachin Tendulkar

S Rajesh01-Jan-2011Despite the 87-run defeat in Durban which has swung the momentum away from them, South Africa will be reasonably upbeat about their chances for the third Test, as the match will be played in Cape Town, a venue where South Africa have lost to no team other than Australia since their readmission to international cricket. In 21 Tests at Newlands during this period, South Africa won 14 and lost three, all of them to Australia – in 1994, 2002 and 2006. Their win-loss ratio of 4.66 is second-best among all their home venues. South Africa’s recent record here is equally impressive – in the last nine Tests, since the beginning of 2005, they have won six and lost only one.India’s record isn’t as good: they drew the first time they played here, in 1993, but lost the next two matches, in 1997 and 2007.

In Durban a couple of South African batsmen had poor records, but in Cape Town, almost everyone has done well. Apart from AB de Villiers, all their batsmen, including Mark Boucher, average more than 40.Jacques Kallis leads the way with six centuries in 17 Tests, including hundreds in each of his last two matches. Graeme Smith and Ashwell Prince have also impressed, with averages in the late 50s. Smith will have pleasant memories of his last innings at this ground, a splendid 183 against England in the first week of 2010. Prince failed in that match, scoring 0 and 15, but he made 150 against Australia in 2009, which is one of his two centuries here. de Villiers is the one batsman with a below-par record here, but his only century at this venue came recently, when he scored 163 against Australia in 2009.

After twin failures in Durban, which remains one of his worst Test venues, Sachin Tendulkar returns to a ground where he has done much better – in each of his three Tests in Cape Town, Tendulkar has scored at least a half-century, and averages almost 69. His best innings here, which is also among his best Test hundreds, came in 1997, when he scored a sparkling 169 off 254 balls and added 222 for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Azharuddin after India had slumped to 58 for 5.There hasn’t been much cheer for the other batsmen, though: Rahul Dravid has a highest of 47 in four innings, while VVS Laxman’s best in as many attempts is an unbeaten 35.

Most of South Africa’s current bowling attack has enjoyed the conditions at Newlands too. Dale Steyn has consistently been among the wickets here, averaging six per game in his last five matches. He hasn’t taken a single five-for here, but has taken four in an innings on five occasions, including once against India in 2007. Morne Morkel took a five-for in his only Test here, and even Pul Harris has done well here, taking six in an innings against Australia in 2009.

Harris’ stats are particularly creditable since spinners haven’t generally done well at Newlands. In Tests since 2000, they’ve conceded more than 40 runs for each of their 105 wickets, with only two five-wicket hauls. (Apart from Harris, Shane Warne is the only one to have achieved it in the last ten years.) Fast bowlers have been more successful, averaging less than 33 per wicket. (For a detailed look at the performances of fast bowlers at this ground, click here.)

MS Dhoni has lost the toss 13 times in his last 14 Tests, but if past stats are any indication, he might not mind losing the toss this time: of the last 11 Tests which have produced a decisive result since 2000, eight have been won by the team which lost the toss. Captains have chosen to bat first in 11 out of 14 Tests during this period, but more recently the stats are even: in the last six Tests, three times the captain winning the toss has fielded.In terms of average runs per wicket in each innings, the second and fourth innings have been more productive than the first and third. The last four first innings have yielded scores of 157, 243, 209 and 291. The second innings scores have been higher, with South Africa managing 651 against Australia in 2009. The fourth innings has been pretty productive too, though that’s partly because of teams achieving smallish fourth-innings targets with a fair number of wickets in hand. In the early 2000s, though, teams managed quite big scores in the fourth innings: Australia chased down a target of 331 in 2002, while West Indies made 354 for 5 in 2004 to save the game. In the most recent Test here, England hung on for a draw after being nine down for 296, after South Africa had set them a target of 466.

A dozen books that will give you an insight into the subcontinent when you visit for the cricket

Suresh Menon10-Mar-2011″A famous historian,” wrote CLR James in , “can write the history of England in the 19th century and never once mention the man who was the best-known Englishman of his time. I can no longer accept the system of values which could not find in his book a place for WG Grace.”By a happy coincidence India’s best known historian, Ramachandra Guha, is also its finest writer on cricket. And Sachin Tendulkar finds a mention in his authoritative .But let me start at the beginning. The brief from ESPNcricinfo’s editor was: what books would you recommend to cricket fans travelling to the subcontinent that will give them a feel for the region? That’s a very specific audience. Not one that’s necessarily looking for literary masterpieces – although some of the books in the list are just that – or profound philosophical conclusions. The choices would have to be contemporary rather than historic, concrete rather than abstract, and take in the countries as a whole rather than focus on specific areas.That would rule out a whole lot of my favourites: by Sunil Khilnani, by Guha, by Kiran Desai, , and of course , a fabulous journey of discovery both for Indians and foreigners. His which is a single volume bringing together his two books ( and ) of anecdotal history of the game in the country is the intelligent fan’s paean comparable to the evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould’s homage to baseball, .VS Naipaul’s is remarkable for anticipating the new India, self-assured, one foot on the world stage but with the other still in the wings. It is his most compassionate book on the country, written before the economic liberalisation but with a sense of impending boom.Two of the best travel books on India are William Dalrymple’s , and Alexander Frater’s . Dalrymple’s travels and encounters in India are written about with a rare empathy, while Frater travelled from Kerala to Meghalaya following the monsoon and capturing the sounds and smells and sights with a sharp eye and limpid prose.In recent years three Indian writers have won the Booker Prize, and many have been shortlisted. Yet the contemporary novel that captures India best is Manu Joseph’s . It brings together the two Indias, the rich and the poor (not just financially, but psychologically, emotionally, and intellectually) and is both non-judgemental and subtly humorous.RecommendedAlexander Frater’s •Henry Holt & Co (P)

by Ramachandra Guha
by VS Naipaul
by Alexander Frater
by William Dalrymple
by Mike Marqusee
by Manu Joseph
by Michael Ondatje
by Romesh Gunasekera
by Aravinda de Silva
by Shehan Karunatilaka
by Mark Trenowden
begins with a cricket match between scratch teams and ends with a one-day international between Sri Lanka and India, possibly the first time an ODI made its way in some detail into a work of fiction.The recent novel , by Shehan Karunatilaka, is the story of an alcoholic sports journalist who seeks out a former player he believes is the island’s greatest cricketer.Sri Lanka have had some erudite cricket captains and officials, but few who have put their experiences down in a book. Roshan Mahanama’s caused a minor controversy when it was released about a decade ago because of a story it contained of a politically incorrect response by Glenn McGrath to Sanath Jayasuriya. Let’s leave it at that. Aravinda de Silva’s autobiography includes the glory year of 1996, when he was the hero in the country’s World Cup triumph in the subcontinent.The most evocative books on Sri Lanka have been written by the Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje, who was born there. is a brilliant story of a beautiful country torn asunder by ethnic divisions; the large story is the background against which the individual stories play out, but you are aware of it all the time. Ondaatje returned to Sri Lanka to understand better his mixed Dutch, Tamil and Sinhalese roots. The result was the autobiographical , written with the sensitivity of a poet and a sense of mischief only the most gifted writers can bring to their works.Monica Ali is probably the best known writer from Bangladesh, but her is set in England. The books that capture her country best are probably , a travelogue by Anne Hamilton and by Mark Trenowden. I say “probably” because these are the only books in the list I haven’t read. They are recommended by friends. Still, I am intrigued by Trenowden’s description as a “full-time village cricketer”.The book that is the most inspiring and explains Bangladesh best is the story of micro-credit, written by the man who changed the lives of millions – the Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. details how what began with a loan of $27 evolved into the Grameen Bank, a six-billion dollar enterprise.What does micro-credit have to do with cricket, a sport where, as the IPL has shown, players become millionaires in one afternoon’s hectic bidding? And why is a history of India important to our understanding of its most popular sport? James, with whom we started, provided the answer decades ago with a question of his own: What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?

South Africa’s failure to adapt their approach to the unexpected threat posed by India’s bowlers led to their collapse in the first innings

Firdose Moonda at Kingsmead27-Dec-2010When South Africa took to the field for the second time in two days, there was something markedly different about them. For the first nine overs, they walked around like the zombies out of the movie. They appeared shell-shocked, well and truly bewildered that on day two they found themselves bowling again.Even though South Africa had been saying all the right things about expecting India to put up a fight, the knockout punch that the Indian attack dealt them came as a complete surprise. Although South Africa insisted that they respected India and understood the quality of their opposition, they didn’t expect that quality to unleash itself in the way it did – through the Indian bowlers.Graeme Smith, after the first Test in Centurion, stopped just short of saying that he thought India would not be able to take 20 wickets against South Africa. He was asked if he thought the Indian attack was capable of bowling South Africa out twice. This was his answer: “I’d love to say no, but no one wants to touch the money.”Everything about Smith’s expression and body language as he spoke showed he didn’t believe that India’s bowlers could be much of a threat. Today, they didn’t even have to take 20 wickets, it was the ten they skittled for 131 runs that shook South Africa’s usually solid line-up to its core and exposed one of the team’s biggest weaknesses: the inability to regroup once their plans have been bent out of shape by something that is not in their control.Matters became tense when Smith dutifully put on his bunny ears and fell to Zaheer Khan and the anxiety levels rose when Alviro Petersen was dismissed. But it was when bad luck struck and Jacques Kallis was run out at the non-strikers end by Ishant Sharma that plans started disintegrating. Eight balls later de Villiers fell victim to a peach of a delivery from Sreesanth, a ball he could do nothing about, but it was a sign to South Africa to start taking the Indian threat more seriously.They didn’t seem to do that and when Harbhajan Singh came on to bowl, any strategy South Africa may have had rolled away from them like a Turkish carpet. South Africa targeted Singh successfully in the first Test. Smith even had a little dig at him in the post-match press conference. The South Africa captain was smug in his statement that Paul Harris had had more of an impact than Harbhajan, and performed better throughout the game. His statement may have been accurate, but the manner in which he delivered his observation suggested disdain for Harbhajan.South Africa may have thought that the Turbanator would be ineffective on this tour but he proved them wrong in emphatic fashion. Hashim Amla, who is traditionally strong on the leg side, and had faced Harbhajan many times before, played the sweep shot to a delivery that held its line and went straight on. He was given out lbw and initially it looked as though he was unlucky but replays showed that the ball would have gone on to hit middle and leg stump.Harbhajan’s next two wickets came from outrageous catches. First, Rahul Dravid took his 200th catch with an impeccably timed dive to his left at slip to dismiss Dale Steyn and then Cheteshwar Pujara anticipated well at short leg to send Harris on his way. Harbhajan’s wizardry had not been completely exhausted and he took a stunner of a catch himself on the fine-leg boundary to hand Ishant Sharma a wicket. It was those improbable chances that India latched onto that would have stunned South Africa, who were not expecting such a committed display from the visitors.It may be easier for South Africa to blame it on their Durban jinx. Kingsmead has been a particularly problematic venue, where South Africa have been bowled out in the 130s in three consecutive seasons. In the 2009-10 edition, they were bundled out for 133 in the second innings against England to lose by an innings and 98 runs. Graeme Swann was the chief destroyer then, taking 5 for 54 in that innings and nine wickets in the match. The season before, South Africa were all out for 138 against Australia. Mitchell Johnson did the bulk of the damage as he quite literally punctured South Africa’s plans by breaking Smith’s hand and smacking Kallis on the jaw, sending them both to hospital in the space of 16 overs.Durban is becoming the hoodoo venue for the hosts but they can’t blame it for the tailspin they find themselves in after their clinical approach failed. In Kolkata earlier this year, South Africa went from 218 for 2 to 296 all out after an attack from Khan and Harbhajan. It’s not just in Durban where the batting struggles to adjust when the need arises. What Kolkata tells us is that South Africa need to have a more dynamic approach so that they can improvise when things aren’t going according to plan.

Plays of the day from the IPL match between Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad

Abhishek Purohit24-Apr-2011The stumping
Davy Jacobs has already stood up to Lasith Malinga, of all bowlers. So it was no surprise when he decided to stand up to Munaf Patel. But Munaf would not have expected a stumping to be added to his modes of dismissing a batsman, which is what Jacobs did to Daniel Christian. As the asking rate mounted, Christian decided to have a swipe at a length ball from Munaf, who normally gets extra bounce. He did, and Christian missed. Jacobs didn’t. He collected the ball nonchalantly even as it climbed, saw Christian had stuttered out, and had the bails off before the batsman’s foot was grounded back.The inevitable – I
Sachin Tendulkar held back Malinga, opening the bowling with Munaf and Harbhajan Singh. He even went to Abu Nechim before finally unleashing Malinga in the sixth over. Tendulkar had made him wait but Malinga gave his captain an early birthday present. Three balls into the over, the screaming yorker arrived. Shikhar Dhawan was in the firing line. He backed away to save his toes, but the bat came down too late, and the leg stump took a walk.The inevitable – II
Cameron White can’t buy a run at the moment. He can’t even steal a run at the moment. After pottering around for six balls to get off the mark with an edged single to third man, White managed to push a Kieron Pollard delivery to mid-off and eagerly set off for the single. But to his horror, Malinga was lurking close by. Even as White lumbered across, Malinga fired in a throw that clattered into the stumps, catching White short and putting him out of his misery.The inevitable – III
Pollard just has to turn up, roll over his arm, and he promptly gets a wicket with his slow-mediums. The longer the hop, the sooner the wicket comes. He had MS Dhoni caught at third man with a delivery that was a foot outside leg stump against Chennai. Today he got Bharat Chipli with a short delivery that was miles outside off. It even came excruciatingly slowly off the wicket, begging Chipli to hammer it to the point boundary. Probably tired of waiting for the ball to arrive, Chipli launched into a cut that flew straight to point.The vintage show
Andrew Symonds is slowly cranking it up this season. He showed glimpses of his brute power against Chennai, and today, he displayed another vintage dimension of his batting. While Symonds has always been ruthless in slogging deliveries over long-on, at this best, he also used to back away outside leg and drill deliveries anywhere in the arc from square third man to long-off. He tried that on numerous occasions today, and towards the end, was pulling it off at will against Deccan’s fastest bowlers, Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma. First he made room and dismissed Ishant to the sweeper cover boundary. Then he hammered Steyn over extra cover, and as if to prove that it wasn’t all power, played a pleasing punch from outside leg that split sweeper cover and long-off.

While Ireland may be the most promising of all the Associate nations, they still have many problems to confront in their bid to develop as a strong cricketing force

Ger Siggins31-May-2011The 2-0 defeat against Pakistan in the just concluded ODI series, while disappointing, was a very useful experience for Ireland, as bilateral series against Full Members is high on the priority list for Cricket Ireland. But the games in Stormont also highlighted the challenges that confront the most ambitious of the Associate nations.The most pressing problem, of course, is the one that comes to a head in Hong Kong in late June when the ICC executive must decide whether they will turn the ICC Cricket World Cup into a glorified ‘Full Members Trophy’.It is a decision that has transfixed this land, and exercised government ministers on both sides of the border. For what is at stake is arguably the whole future of the sport in Ireland.The fears can be summarised thus: the plan to develop a national stadium will lose impetus without top-class competition, the commercial funds flocking to the sport will dwindle without World Cup exposure, and a drop in such funding will mean an inevitable slippage in playing standards.The high-quality cricket and thrilling memories Ireland brought to successive World Cups could soon be mere footnotes in a history book.Some of the challenges encountered in Stormont are insurmountable – Ireland’s location on the fringes of the north Atlantic ensures a damp climate where temperatures rarely test the manufacturers of sun-block. The first game against Pakistan started more than three hours late, which was better than what happened the previous two weekends, when almost no cricket was played in the northern part of the island. A five-month summer season can hardly afford to lose so much playing time.The attendance, too, was disappointing. The weather can be blamed for a lack of walk-up spectators, but the 2,000 who attended on Saturday were mainly there to support the visitors. Cricket Ireland, and its players, has done fantastic work spreading the game in recent years but outside Dublin there is a worrying shortage of support for the national team.The final challenge is to increase the number of potential international players – and retain them. The performances at the weekend were not helped by the absence through injury of George Dockrell, Niall O’Brien and Hamish Marshall – and the loss of Eoin Morgan to England still rankles with local followers. A small squad cannot afford to lose key players to injury – and certainly can’t afford to lose any more permanently to its neighbours.The excellent youth development programme can also be encouraged, and has been successful in bringing many of the current side to that level. Several youngsters have already linked up with English counties, and names such as Graeme McCarter (Gloucestershire), Jordan Coghlan (Hampshire) and Craig Young (Sussex) are likely to be in Ireland sides of the near future.Others can be brought on by strengthening and streamlining the domestic game. The inter-union competition was dropped in 2003, and has been partly reintroduced this year with two North v South games (the first of which was cancelled due to rain). For those eight years the only, tiny, bridge between Saturday afternoon club cricket and the team that plays in World Cups were infrequent A-internationals.Of course all the improvements made on the playing and administrative side – and those in the pipeline – will be a complete waste of time if ICC opts to bar the associates from qualifying for 2015.Had a voting member of the ICC Executive Board walked through the gates at Stormont yesterday, he would surely have seen enough in the breathtaking innings of Paul Stirling to convince him that he and his team-mates must be at the 2015 World Cup. Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq confessed to enjoying watching Stirling bat, even as his best bowlers were put to the sword.The idea that Stirling, plus World Cup heroes Dockrell and Kevin O’Brien, might never be seen again on such a stage terrifies those who care about cricket in the Celtic outpost.

Hashim Amla has been a rarity in this series: a batsman prepared to play with the right blend of caution and intent to fashion a Test innings

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers19-Nov-2011Hashim Amla watched five of the first eight deliveries he faced go through to Brad Haddin. The other three, he defended. Twenty-two balls and half an hour after coming to the crease, Amla scored his first boundary, off a ball that was angled on his hips, which he flicked through the leg-side.His was the third individual performance of the match, after AB de Villiers and Ashwell Prince’s first innings efforts, that showed the temperament and technique required to bat in Test cricket. But, it was the best example of the type of execution that the longer form of the game requires.While Shane Watson and Jacques Rudolph played as though they were under instructions to ensure an early end, Amla was happy to leave some balls, defend others and push some into the gap for an ambled single. On the 13 occasions, when he could find the boundary, he did. Amla’s innings brought serenity to the series that has been missing so far, with frenetic batting and poor shot selection negating the efforts of high run-rates and extravagant strokeplay.In Cape Town, Amla played a classy knock, with Graeme Smith on the other end fighting his way back into form. Under the circumstances, on a spicy pitch, with wickets falling at the mere sight of a bowler, Amla’s innings was integral to South Africa’s win. With Smith’s the more emotive knock, Amla’s has had to be content with its place in the shadows of Smith’s comeback, but its importance has been reflected in the context of this game.When other batsmen have been rushed into shots or being tempted by the state of the pitch, Amla has played with the right blend of caution and intent to fashion a Test innings. He has refused to be hurried and remained stoic in his cause to construct an innings, rather than simply allow one to land on the pitch. “Hashim played with great responsibility over the last couple of months,” Jacques Rudolph said.It probably helps that Amla was not involved in the IPL and the Champions League T20 and spent the spring playing first-class cricket. He did not need to change tempo or build the stamina required for a long stint at the crease, something which other South African batsmen have lacked. “Maybe we are guilty of being in too much of a hurry in the first innings, maybe we were a bit anxious, given the importance of the game,” Russell Domingo, South Africa’s assistant coach, said.Since January, South Africa’s players have competed in an ODI series against India, the World Cup, the IPL, the Champions League T20 and a T20 and ODI series against Australia. Many of them are simply not Test match fit and Domingo believes they probably still aren’t.”It’s still pretty early in our Test cricket, I wouldn’t say we have completely adjusted,” Domingo said. “Maybe some of those dismissals can be attributed to that in the first innings, where the guys are still a little it loose and trying to find their way. We are one day closer to getting back into proper Test mode but probably not quite there yet.”One of the players who should be there is comeback opening batsmen Rudolph, who has had time playing first-class cricket but has yet to translate that. This season Rudolph is the leading run-scorer in the SuperSport Series, with 592 runs from four matches, including a double hundred. His Test scores read: 18, 14, 30 and 24 and although they got progressively better, they spin a yarn of potential wasted. Rudolph has looked confident at the crease, especially when driving but as he soon as he has started to find his first-class stride, has been stopped.”When you get recalled, you are desperate to get that one score so that you know you’re back in,” HD Ackerman, the former Test opening batsmen said. “So, you forget about the how you constructed all those other hundreds. The big thing is that Jacques has looked as though he belongs and he is at home in international cricket.”Rudolph did not dispute that he feels comfortable in his country’s whites but admits that he should have more to show for his assurance. “I’ve had a four starts now and it’s time for me to go on to the big one,” he said.In South Africa’s second innings, Rudolph was out to a top edge after a pulling a Pat Cummins delivery that seemed to surprise him. “It’s not really my game plan to pull up front,” he said. “It was one of those balls where you see it and you act instinctively on it. In hindsight, I wouldn’t play it again.”Impulsive batting like that has troubled batsmen from both sides in the series and it is something that Ackerman says is a result of the growth of shorter formats. Instead of blaming 20-over cricket for breeding bad habits, Ackerman said it has, like many other stimulants, been the cause of players letting go of certain inhibitions.”Once players began to understand their capabilities, which is something T20 cricket may have taught them, they are more prepared to take risks,” he said. “In T20 cricket, there are no slips, so you could get one to third-man, and if you are lucky, you may even get four but in Test cricket, there are slips so if you play an expansive shot and you get it wrong, you will get caught.”The high run-rates in this Test match, have given Ackerman a reason to remind players what the longest form of the game is all about. Test cricket is still played over five days and that’s the real Test – it’s about the resilience of players,” he said. “Hashim Amla is playing a proper Test innings out there.”Amla ended the day unbeaten on 89, with his camp saying their main focus will be to score briskly but safely enough in the 11 overs before the second new ball to allow South Africa to bat into the afternoon. Standard instructions for a Test match. Luckily, South Africa have the one player in the batting line-up who is best place to understand and carry them out, at the crease.

After 14 nomadic years with countless teams, South Africa’s exciting new leggie finds himself on the cusp of his Test debut

Firdose Moonda07-Nov-2011If there’s something everyone in the world knows how to speak, it’s the language of food. Tasty treats can bridge the gap between cultures, races, religions and nationalities. So when South Africa’s Pakistan-born legspinner, Imran Tahir, who still has reservations about his English, was first picked for the national team, he introduced himself by making smoothies.Tahir’s concoctions of yoghurt, fruit and the odd sweet surprise have become the most talked-about delicacies in the South African change room. His team-mates rave about the drinks and have posted pictures on Twitter of Tahir with a blender, plying his popular part-time trade. For Tahir it was a way of becoming part of a team for which he is likely to make his Test debut this week.”I am very famous in the team for eating,” Tahir said. “I have a lot of a hunger because it took me 14 years of first-class cricket to become an international cricketer,” he adds with a glint of mischief in his eye.Those years included stints with 10 teams in his native Pakistan – five in his home city of Lahore alone – four English counties and two South African franchises. He finally settled in South Africa in 2006, marrying Durban-born Sumayya Dildar, whom he first met when touring the country with the Pakistan Under-19 side in 1998. But despite his history as a nomadic cricketer, the local conditions made him question his abilities as a sportsman.”I had to bowl on such hard wickets, completely different to Pakistan. When I first started I wanted to bowl slowly, like I have been doing all my life. I got hit everywhere, and I thought I am not good enough to play in South Africa because it’s so easy for them to play against me. Then I started working with Richard Pybus and learnt how to bowl in South Africa. I worked on my pace. You have to be faste in the air, but not flatter.”Once Tahir made the adjustment, his output was impossible to ignore. With an average that never went above 23.80, Tahir took 186 wickets in four seasons. He was picked for South Africa in the third of those, to play in a Test against England in January 2010, but was ineligible to represent the country at the time. When he did qualify, the team was not scheduled to play a Test for the next 11 months, but had a World Cup campaign looming. On subcontinental pitches that would favour his bowling, Tahir was an automatic pick.In January this year he was included in the one-day squad to play India but spent the five matches carrying drinks, as he was held back as a secret weapon for the World Cup. “I hear things from people about why I wasn’t playing but I am actually grateful to Graeme Smith and the team for the way they welcomed me in the team and made me feel comfortable,” Tahir said. “Even though I didn’t play a game against India I felt part of the team. So when I went to the World Cup, I didn’t feel any pressure at all.”He made his international debut in South Africa’s World Cup opener against West Indies in Delhi. “I was told I was playing the day before, and I didn’t sleep the whole night. Once I bowled my first ball, I was very confident because I landed it on the right spot.”He conceded 11 runs in his second over and was taken out of the attack but brought back nine overs later. In that over, Tahir took his first international wicket, catching Devon Smith off his own bowling, with a delivery that was flighted generously. His celebration was explosive: he took off, running around the field and clutching the Proteas badge. It was a routine he repeated 13 times in the tournament. “That celebration is just in me somewhere,” he said. “I didn’t decide to make it up. I want to enjoy every wicket I take, even in club cricket. I just want to celebrate and play the game with passion.”While the tournament was a success for Tahir, it ended in familiar gloom for South Africa, after their quarter-final exit at the hands of New Zealand. Tahir said the defeat was a “big shock” to him and the most emotional loss he had ever experienced. “We left the ground very late. We sat there for two hours after the game. Everybody cried. Everyone was very down. I just sat in the corner for one hour.”

“Playing with Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn, I am a very lucky guy. Not many people are going to attack those two, which means the batsmen will attack me. And if they attack me, there is always a chance I can get a wicket”

He was pleasantly surprised on returning home to see South African fans rally around the team and pledge their support. “Just before we landed, I heard there are people outside, and I was scared. I was getting ready to catch some tomatoes and onions,” he said. “But it went the other way, and it was very nice to see people standing for us and saying we are still behind you and we will always support you. That’s what makes us a complete South African nation, to see so much love from people, even when we lost a big game.”South Africa had nearly a seven-month break and while many of Tahir’s team-mates used the time to go on holiday, he did not. He returned to Hampshire, where he had another successful season, with 28 first-class wickets at 24.46 and 17 in the Twenty20 competition at 16.88. “I wanted to have a little bit of practice.”Well, that is not a little in county cricket, it is a lot,” he laughed. “I wanted to do well and show the selectors that I am capable.”That may well be his last county stint, though, as he looks to focus on international cricket and his family, having bought his first house recently. He is pleased to have left on a positive note, and said county cricket taught him much of what he knows about playing the game now, because he was able to bowl to so many top-class batsmen and learn from bowlers of the calibre of Shane Warne. It also gave him his insatiable desire for wickets. “I don’t like to go back to the hotel and see my family and friends and when they ask how I did and I say I got one wicket, I don’t like that. I’d rather take four or five and be happy so I can face everyone.”Tahir’s aggression has found him a place in the Test squad to play Australia. A wicket-taking spinner has not been part of South Africa’s attack since Paul Adams in the mid-1990s, and Tahir is being talked up as the missing piece. However, on South African tracks, which have traditionally been prepared to suit seamers, spinners have largely had to play a containing role.It is still unclear who among Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Vernon Philander and Paul Harris will be the donkey bowler, but Tahir said he’d be willing to share the burden. “I am an attacking bowler but I can change my plan and go however the team wants me to go. It might be a bit hard for me because I like to see me take wickets and running around the field, but if not, I’d rather not run around and save energy for the next spell.”His elevation to Test level has also meant that Tahir has had to work on other aspects of his game. While playing in the domestic leagues, he has looked a typical No. 11, comical with the bat and in the field, while being a wizard with the ball. Tahir understands that those weaknesses will hinder him on the big stage, and has made big strides in his fielding.”I have heard from people that I have improved a lot from last year,” he said, and there is proof of it too. “In the last county season, I took a catch which became an advert on television. It is a very famous catch.”I was at short fine leg and Robert Key tried to sweep the medium-pacer Dimitri Mascarenhas. It went over my head, far up – miles, in fact. I just had to run and in the end I just caught the ball. I couldn’t believe it. For one moment even Robert couldn’t believe it and he stood there and thought, ‘You can’t take this catch.’ But since then I have taken four or five catches in the same position. So fielding has been really good.””I want to enjoy every wicket I take, even in club cricket. I just want to celebrate and play the game with passion”•Getty ImagesTahir recalls the story with boyish joy. At 32, he is fitter than many younger players and has avoided major injuries through most of his career. He broke his left thumb during the World Cup and missed two group-stage matches, but had surgery on returning to South Africa and has now recovered fully. “If I am going to play international cricket I need to be fitter and stronger.” And so he adheres strictly to his fitness regime. “Whenever I have time, I do my fitness,” he said. “I go running on my own on Sundays or on Eid. I’d rather gym every day than go watch movies.”Tahir has already thought of getting into coaching when he hangs up his boots. “I love to help kids, especially spinners, in South Africa. You won’t see many guys bowling legspin, so I want to try to see if I can develop another Imran Tahir.”For now he has his sights set on Australia. He has not seen much of them, save for a warm-up match before the World Cup in February, but he said he watched their series in Sri Lanka with interest. He expects them to be tough to bowl to but thinks the South African attack will be capable of challenging them.”Playing with Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn, I am a very lucky guy,” he grinned. “Not many people are going to attack those two, which means the batsmen will attack me. And if they attack me there is always a chance I can get a wicket.”

After the events of 2010 Pakistan cricket could have withered away, but due to a combination of determination and desire they are now flourishing

George Dobell06-Feb-2012Perhaps the darkest hour really is just before the dawn. By the end of Pakistan’s tour to England in 2010, the team’s reputation was in shreds. Beaten on the field and discredited off it, it was surely the lowest ebb in the history of Pakistan cricket.From the rubble of that episode, however, a new Pakistan has emerged. A Pakistan that is no longer hindered by infighting or individual agendas. A Pakistan that, in the tough times, pulls together rather than splitting apart. A Pakistan team rather than a collection of talented individuals.If the events of 2010 had not occurred, it is quite possible that either or both Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal, the undisputed stars of this series, would have been unable to force their way into this team.It is quite possible that Misbah-ul-Haq, a man who had been left out of a preliminary 35-man squad that year, would not be in this team, let alone the captain. It is quite possible that younger players such as Azhar Ali, Adnan Akmal and Asad Shafiq would have been unable to enjoy a prolonged opportunity to establish themselves in this team. It is quite possible that Younis Khan, a batsman whose class shone out in this third Test, would have drifted out of the international game having been banned by the PCB after allegations that he had been partially responsible for infighting within the team. It is quite possible that Umar Gul, whose four-wicket burst on the last afternoon was overdue reward for his outstanding work throughout the series, would have been squeezed out of the side. And it is quite possible that Ijaz Butt might still be chairman of the PCB.Pakistan cricket could have imploded. They could have bemoaned their ill-fortune and become embroiled in regrets and recriminations.Instead they rebuilt. They took a long, hard look at themselves and decided that change was necessary. They appointed an experienced captain, they kept faith with a few youngsters who they believe can enjoy a long future in international cricket and they identified a group of players who showed the skill and character to combine as a team when times grew tough.The appointment of Misbah as captain, in particular, was wise. He is not a flamboyant man, nor a great orator or particularly charismatic. And he is a worthy rather than great batsman.But Pakistan have had plenty of charismatic captains. Plenty who have been blessed with more natural ability. Plenty who have looked good in front of the camera. It did not always serve them well.Misbah is not that sort. He is not much interested in the limelight or the glamour. Or soundbites or flash innings. He is interested in developing a winning culture and nurturing a team spirit that can bring pride back to Pakistan cricket. He is interested in winning, not the trappings of success.

Pakistan have the foundations of something quite special at the moment. Whatever happens, they need to retain faith in the people and policies that have brought them so far, so fast

His calm leadership has served Pakistan well. They started with a drawn series against South Africa – no mean feat – before Misbah lead them to wins over New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, with just the aberration of a drawn series against West Indies as the only setback. Now they have completed the fifth series (in three-match series or more) clean sweep in their history. Not only that, but they have done it against the No. 1 Test ranked side. In this game they also illustrated their unity and tenacious spirit by becoming just the sixth side in history to win a Test having been bowled out for under 100 in the first innings of a match and the first to do so since 1907.And remember: all these matches are away from home. Due to security concerns, Pakistan remain unable to play in their own country. It remains remarkable that the PCB are thinking of appointing a new coach, Dav Whatmore, in replace of the interim, Mohsin Khan. What more could they have asked of Mohsin?It will not always be like this for Pakistan. They will face sterner tests in less helpful conditions and results may not always go their way. But they have the foundations of something quite special at the moment. Whatever happens, they need to retain faith in the people and policies that have brought them so far, so fast.Now let us reflect for a moment on what might have been from an England perspective. Let us imagine that, instead of just suffering a bruise, Ian Bell’s arm had been broken when he was struck by a throw-down from Graham Gooch just prior to this series. He would have been sent home and missed the mauling that he and his team have just received. Bell’s series record – just 51 runs at an average of 8.5 – just might prove career threatening.England’s batsmen had no answers to any of Pakistan’s bowling•Getty ImagesBut had he been absent, you can bet that, right now, he would be lauded as the potential saviour of English cricket. In his absence, his reputation as a great player of spin would have risen sharply. It would, we now know, have been nonsense.Bell’s experience has been a microcosm of England’s in this series. Approaching it with a glowing reputation, he and his team have received the rudest of awakenings. They may remain, according to the rankings, the No. 1 Test side in the world, but the title has a hollow sound now. Besides, if South Africa defeat New Zealand by a 3-0 margin, they will have usurped them.England’s travails against spin are clear to see. Ajmal’s doosra remained a mystery to them; Rehman’s control complete. Together the pair claimed 43 wickets in the series at an average of 15.6 apiece. They bowled beautifully.But it is the self harm that will smart most from an England perspective. Even on the last day of the series several England batsmen played a large role in their own downfall: Alastair Cook, playing across the line; Jonathan Trott, top edging a desperate sweep; Kevin Pietersen, punished for a fault in his technique and, most frustratingly, Stuart Broad, who picked out the fielder at long off with an obliging drive.Batting against opposition of this quality is difficult enough without such self-inflicted damage. Yet perhaps self-inflicted is the wrong phrase. It does not adequately convey the pressure applied by Pakistan, or the skill of their bowlers to maintain that pressure, or the ability of their captain to ensure his team remained disciplined and patient.But England could have made Pakistan fight harder for their wickets. They showed some improvement from the first Test to the third, but their much-vaunted middle-order – Bell, Pietersen (who averaged 11.16) and Eoin Morgan (who averaged 13.66) – must take much of the responsibility for this, the seventh series whitewash in England’s Test history. It is inevitable that there will be calls for players to be dropped.England can learn from Pakistan’s approach. They can learn from the technique and temperament shown here by Azhar, who resisted for almost nine hours to set up this victory. They can learn from the determination and patience shown by Misbah in Abu Dhabi and the footwork and skill of Younis in this Test. They can learn, most of all, the balance between attack and defence and the need for calm and confidence. But if the tourists blame the DRS, unusual bowling actions, or simply ill fortune, they will, in the long term, delay their progress.Pakistan rebuilt from a severe setback in 2010. Now it is England’s turn.

It’s a fine country – in more ways than one – our correspondent finds, in his first few weeks covering India’s tour down under

Sidharth Monga13-Jan-2012December 22
Melbourne. Spent years dreaming of the MCG. Feel blank now. Long flight. Delays. Hours spent on runway in Singapore. Sleep-deprived.Melbourne knows no pretence. Electric wires dangle in the open, old buildings don’t wear new facades. Seems an old city. An approachable old city. Got to be quick with a one-liner.Try to go to the MCG but not allowed. Haven’t collected accreditation yet. “No go,” says steward. Have heard Australia is the most regulated of cricket countries. Fear it might be true.December 23
The MCG finally. Lovely bronze statues outside. Shane Warne the latest. Louis Laumen, the sculptor, knows what he is doing. Attention to detail shows best in statue of Bill Ponsford. The top hand coming off on the flick, the old sheer gloves. Then there are the bowling actions of Warne and Dennis Lillee. The hair of Keith Miller. The other sportsmen. Footie stars, athletes, they all form a beautiful inner circumference for the ground, the outer one being Yarra Park. Don Bradman the odd man out. Others seen in action, Bradman prosaically raising the bat. Others’ descriptions talk of their qualities as cricketers, Bradman’s of the number of runs he scored.December 24
Read in a paper: “Trams are the cleverest mode of transport. To suggest otherwise you have to be mad. Or from Sydney. Or both.” Melbourne trams are interesting. Convenient. Having paid no fares so far, read warnings of a fine of A$180 for fare-evaders. Ask co-passenger how much to pay for the MCG from Swanston Street. “Not worth paying for such a short trip.” Oh well.December 25
Australia and New Zealand the best at smart advertising. This at a drycleaner’s: “Wanted: Wire coathangers. Last seen escaping from this business under a customer’s clothing. Believed to be hiding in wardrobes and cupboards in the area. Please return. Reward: less mess around the house.” Or this at a coffee shop: “You can sleep when you’re dead.”Don’t like the Melbourne weather? Walk five minutes. Golf-ball-sized hail at 7pm. Need sunglasses while having dinner at a quarter to nine.December 26
Boxing Day. A crowd of more than 70,000 to watch Australia play India. Michael Clarke chooses to bat first in difficult conditions. The top order does okay, but Zaheer Khan pulls India back in his final spell of the day. MS Dhoni welcomes Brad Haddin, at 211 for 5, later 214 for 6, with a deep midwicket and a long-on. Prefers bowling sides out for 310 rather than conceding 360 in an attempt to dismiss them for 260.Outside, impromptu games of cricket. Innovative equipment. Slippers are bats, pillars stumps.December 27
Paul Kelly. Singer, songwriter, legspinner, Test cricket lover. Sang “Behind the Bowler’s Arm”, an improvisation on a Chinese proverb. Says everybody’s days are numbered, but those spent watching cricket aren’t counted. Especially those spent ten rows back at the MCG on Boxing Day, “right behind the bowler’s arm”. Doesn’t like how Boxing Day has turned into a corporate blockbuster. Can still be seen on the second day, though, in the Great Southern Stand, ten rows behind the bowler’s arm. Meet him later at a pub, the venue of his first gig in Melbourne. He can’t believe how much the place has changed. Listens more than he talks. Traditionalist, but likes the element of drama that the DRS brings. Thinks Test cricket is a radio sport. Doesn’t demand attention, but is there. Can dive in and out.December 28
The day begins with a Ben Hilfenhaus corker to Rahul Dravid. Australia roar back into the contest. The Indian bowlers roar right back before Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey lead Australian fightback. Australia 230 ahead at stumps, two wickets in hand. Lovely final day set up.The kiss cam is introduced to Test cricket. A lady flips the camera the bird during a drinks break. Later writes on her blog: “What they’re actually doing when they home in on unsuspecting couples and associates alike, coercing them into kissing for kicks, is undermining Tendulkar’s elegance with the bat, Sehwag’s solid-footed theatrics, Hilfenhaus’ resurgence with the ball and Siddle’s terrifying aggression with the same. Cricket be damned, they’re saying, let’s watch people make out for no reason.”December 29
“Under the Southern Cross I stand / A sprig of wattle in hand / A native of my native land/ Australia, you f***** beauty”.Australia beat India by 122 runs. First against this opposition in the last nine attempts. India, at home, have been winning the big moments. Here Australia seize them. With late runs. With Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket in the last over on day two. With Dravid’s in the first over the next morning. With late runs again. A game of five days, won in five moments.Could only be one man•ESPNcricinfo LtdMoving celebrations out in the open after everybody else has left the ground about two hours after the finish. Not for the TV cameras. Huddle by the pitch. Ice box in the middle. One man on it. Loud cheers. Team-mates enjoying being together in a deserted MCG. Then the victory song, often sung indoors or after series wins. Shows how important the win is. Finally huddle breaks after about 20 minutes. Australia, you beauty.December 30
A day off because of an early finish. Not a good idea. Cash traveller’s cheque. Forget the rest at the counter. Get a call from Corinne – Western Australian, pleasant, talkative – who changed them.”Did you lose something?””Err…””Your traveller’s cheques…”Rush back to counter. “I panicked. Thought I might have to come to Sydney to return those to you.” Corinne, you beauty.December 31
Melbourne stops you on the street and talks to you. Sydney mistakes you for a bum. Both must have their reasons.New Year’s eve. Millions of dollars’ worth of fireworks go off at Sydney Harbour Bridge. Thousands and thousands gather as early as afternoon to secure vantage points. Almost like waiting for a rock concert to start. At half-past midnight, rush to find a bus back home.January 1
Sydney a city of many small villages. All self-sufficient. All superbly connected by public transport. Busier and quicker than Melbourne.Glenn McGrath. Promoting the Jane McGrath Foundation’s cause. Pink polo shirt and formal trousers. Still stands with hands on his hips, as if an umpire has turned down an lbw appeal. Ask him why only batsmen get to lead the singing of “Under the Southern Cross”. Says, “Batsmen have to do something. Bowlers do all the work in the game.”January 2
Subroto Banerjee. Former India medium-pacer. Debuted against West Indies in an ODI in Perth, in 1991. India tied after scoring just 126. Took three wickets. One of them Brian Lara’s. “Lara maan,” as Banerjee calls him. “Lara maan can change the game anytime, if he starts whacking. Whatever you do, get Lara maan out.” Remembers the West Indies tail’s resistance. Anderson Cummins in particular. After 40 overs all India’s bowlers bowled out. One wicket still needed. Tendulkar goes to Mohammad Azharuddin: ” [Get me on, I’ll get the wicket]”. Tendulkar gets Cummins out on 24. Lovely low catch by Azhar at second slip. Says Banerjee: “Catches and Azzu… what a player. I would pay anything to watch him. I was at my peak – would be bowling beautiful outswing, and he would play it to midwicket. Somebody asked him how to tackle the offspinner. ‘Offspinner, play through off. Legspinner, play through leg.'”January 3
Dhoni chooses to bat on a green pitch. India bowled out for 191. Decision not overly criticised. Never seen any captain criticised for batting first. Considered brave when erring on the batting-first side. Cowards when fielding first, especially when captain is a batsman.Finally break resolution to use only public transport. First time in an Australian taxi. Egyptian driver. Says everybody mistakes him for an Indian. Especially the Indians, who start talking in their language.January 4
Australia 37 for 3 at one stage, 325 for 3 at another. Ray Flockton wouldn’t have liked it. Played 35 games for New South Wales in the ’50s and ’60s. Worked as traffic cop too. Much-loved character around the SCG. Known for his humour. Won’t see another SCG Test. Died on November 22 last year. Could never pronounce “th” properly. So 3 for 33 was “free for firty-free”. The score, and variations, are called “Flockos” in Australia. In the first SCG Test after Flockton, Australia miss reaching Flocko by four runs, and then by eight.It’s 3am, you’re in the middle of nowhere. Would you like a fine on top of that?•ESPNcricinfo LtdJanuary 5
Clarke and Michael Hussey continue to beat India into the dust. Crowd want a contest. Their radios provide them one. In the ABC commentary booth, Harsha Bhogle dares Kerry O’Keeffe to eat a chilli, which the latter turns down. Crowd turns around and gives him a slow clap. O’Keeffe notices, as do players out in the middle. O’Keeffe tells Bhogle that if Clarke were to get out then, he’d be the man to be blamed. Bhogle gets away with that: Clarke and Hussey keep pounding India. No contest.January 6
Tendulkar, Dravid and VVS Laxman will never win a series in Australia or South Africa. Read this again and again. That’s how it shall end. Feel bad for them.Spot Virat Kohli signing autographs for Aussie kids an hour after the game is over. Flipped the bird a couple of days ago. The latter is on camera.January 7
Newcastle. Three hours on the train from Sydney. Rick McCosker lives here. Batted with a broken jaw in the Centenary Test at the MCG. Is surprised everyone knows “Under the Southern Cross” now. “It was something sacred to us, apart from the language. It was something meant just for the 12 of us. The whole time I was playing, it was always done that way. It was never talked about outside. No one I knew knew what was actually happening. Only once did my wife overhear it.”Go to Fort Scratchley, among one of the breathtaking seaside places around. During the shelling of Newcastle in World War II by the Japanese submarine I-21, Australia retaliated, firing from Scratchley. No substantial damage caused. On Anzac Day now, shells are fired in memory.January 8
Gosford. Somewhere between Newcastle and Sydney. Find self here after messing up train timings. Stranded for two hours at the station. From 2 to 4am. Creatures of the night around. Man believing he is a cop because he has a “top for cops” badge on his shirt. Another man says he can tell drug dealers by the way they walk and behave. Another swears at nobody. A fight on the other platform. Could well be at a Mumbai platform, waiting for the first morning train.January 9
Australia is a fine country. Monetary fines for almost every conceivable insignificant offence. Feet up on the seat in a train? That’ll be 100 bucks. Sitting in front of the stairway at Gosford train station? How about 200? Unauthorised parking? Twelve hundred. Step behind those black drapes on an airport carousel? That’ll be $5000, thank you, sir.Take a photo of the warning at Perth airport. Reported to police. By an alert and responsible citizen, no doubt. Longish interview to explain curiosity about fines. No fine for suspiciously taking photographs. Ultimate irony.January 10
Run into Wasim Akram on a Perth street.”Looking for food?” he asks.”No.””Oh, but I have always seen you at the food table at the grounds.”

Jamaican has the qualities to provide more stability in West Indies batting order

Nagraj Gollapudi at Lord's20-May-2012England can blame Steve Waugh, now that West Indies have forced them to turn out on the fifth day at Lord’s. Of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, it was natural to imagine he would drop anchor. But to expect the same of Marlon Samuels, was like imagining Lord’s basking in sunshine.Well, what do we know? Though the sun never made an appearance at the end of the penultimate day, West Indies left with pride, hope and sunny smiles. And that was down to Samuels, whose 157-run alliance with Chanderpaul surprised England and put West Indies in control of the Test.And that is where Waugh could have played a hand. At the completion of his debut Test series, which was in Australia, the then 19-year-old Samuels asked Waugh for his famous red cloth, which the former Australian captain always carried in his pocket. Waugh was generous and obliged and today that piece of cloth was in Samuels’ pocket. Samuels has always valued the piece of cloth as one of the most significant treasures of his life. Just like the rag injected Waugh with more grit and determination, Samuels, too, brought that same never-say-die attitude to the ground today.It was imperative that Chanderpaul had someone at the other end to offer stability. Considering there was only one more specialist batsman left in the ranks, it became more critical that Samuels stay put. It is an irony that a man of his talent does not inspire confidence easily. That is as much a result of his trouble-riddled past including the two-year ban he had to serve after a four-man WICB panel including the current team manager Richie Richardson said he had violated the ICC code of conduct for having links with an Indian bookmaker.Last year Samuels said how he had got his life back on track and was hungry to prove himself once again. After his return Samuels has scored five half centuries but none could be more talismanic than this today’s. England obviously had a plan for Samuels early on as they bowled full and on the fourth stump. Samuels had chased a similar length delivery in the first innings and was caught at backward point as he went for an expansive drive.But today Samuels left those balls alone. So England deployed an alternate plan: fire in an as many short-pitched deliveries as possible and let him face the music. Samuels did appear a little disoriented as he responded unconvincingly. It was a tough ask considering both Anderson and Broad were gunning for nothing less than Samuels’ head. Broad even managed to hit Samuels on the helmet as he ducked under a short ball. Even as he flinched, what Samuels did not forget was to take his eye off the ball.

West Indies needed another man who could play the foil to Chanderpaul; a batsman capable of playing the bad cop and good cop depending on the situation. Samuels today showed he has the credentials to apply for that job.

However, the urge to respond did not go away. Having pulled Broad twice in the same over after he was hit, Samuels tried to hook Anderson, despite Kevin Pietersen patrolling deep square-leg. Sensibly, two balls later, he punched a straight drive to the left of the mid-off to reach is fifty to hearty applause. West Indies now trailed by three runs. He said good morning to Swann with consecutive boundaries, cover drives off the back foot, to put the visitors in the lead.As his confidence grew, he became more relaxed. He even refused Chanderpaul a single and shooed his senior partner back to his crease with a casual flick of the left wrist when Chanderpaul, having tapped an Anderson delivery towards mid-off, had set off for a non-existent single. There had been too many communication gaffes involving Chanderpaul already, and Samuels decided it was time to stem the rot.The pair had silently helped West Indies go without losing a wicket in an hour for the first time in the match. In fact, this was one of the rare times England had failed to dent at least one hole in the opposition ranks.Recently there was an instance of that happening during the second day of the third Test of the away series against Pakistan after England had gone wicketless after lunch until stumps, as Younis Khan and Azhar Ali dug in in Dubai. On the home front, it was the pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Amit Mishra, unbeaten at stumps on the fourth evening of the final Test at the Oval last summer, who denied a wicket in the first session on the final day, to stall England from accomplishing a whitewash.Samuels would be peeved that having the won the battle against the old ball convincingly, his one moment of distraction came shortly after England took the new ball, an over into the afternoon session, robbing him of getting his name inscribed on the honours board. As he edged Broad, who was more relieved and even forgot his two-pistol send-off, Samuels practised the leave, which should have been his response. Waugh would definitely tell him that the biggest lesson in life is to learn from your mistakes.But he should not berate himself too much. West Indies needed another man who could play the foil to Chanderpaul; a batsman capable of playing the bad cop and good cop depending on the situation. Samuels showed he has the credentials to apply for that job. But it is now for him to grow more confident and build on this innings.