5 May 2010. At no point in the history of one-day cricket has as much emphasis been put on taking wickets as there is now – though not too many are getting it quite right. In a recent Twenty20 match against Australia played in the land of the long white cloud, Tim Southee produced one […]
4th April 1992. On March 22, 1992, South Africa failed to book its berth in its maiden World Cup. The team was done in by the application of finicky rules, writes Peter Roebuck. In one of the most shambolic finishes of this illustrious game, South Africa was robbed of an opportunity to reach a World […]
9th July 2011. Sangakkara is made of sterner stuff Kumar Sangakkara has blown the bugle on cricket’s version of the Arab uprising. Nor can he be allowed to stand alone. It’s time for all good men to demand the highest standards from the game’s governors. And that requires due diligence, independent Board members, abolishing conflict […]
25 January 2008. Among modern batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar is the master of the single. In some respects, it is not much of a claim. It’s a bit like saying Roger Federer has the best ball toss around. Tendulkar has many other more colourful qualities, a blistering straight drive, a cart that is liable to land […]
21 April 2010. An abbreviated format may not provide enough of a canvas for greatness to be displayed, but cricket is about entertainment foremost. A lot of nonsense is talked about lengths of matches. It does not make much difference. A cricketer is a cricketer. If he is any good, he will quickly learn to […]
23 March 2003. Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly have been the captains of this competition. As men they are as different as meat pies and dhal. Ganguly is a sophisticate from Calcutta, a city of intellect from which have emerged Nobel Prize winners as well as great artists like Tagore and Satyajit Ray, the famous […]
24 March 2010. England’s spin sensation plays like a man eager for a scrap and bowls like one expecting to take wickets. Long may his tribe last. Like all countries of any age, England has endured its share of caricatures. Basil Fawlty, Captain Mainwaring, Richard the Lionheart, Robin Hood, Jonathan Ross, Beau Nash, George Formby, […]
10 March 1998. Sometimes it is best simply to sit back and enjoy. Cricket doesn’t come any better than this – a warm and vast crowd, superb young batsmen of contrasting styles at the crease and spinners ripping their fingers and racking their brains in an attempt to dislodge them. Inevitably, all eyes were upon […]
21 March 2001. Astonishing it is how often a top sportsman follows a poor performance with a strong showing. Setbacks are not allowed to linger in the body lest they fester. Rather, they become a motivation as the competitor tries to re-establish his position in the rankings. Such players do not like to let the […]
16 November 2010. At first sight it will seem that the selectors have lost the plot. Certainly they have invited ridicule. Over the years Australia has considered 16 players sufficient to cover an entire tour of England. Now 17 are required for a single match to be staged just up the road. But it’s not […]
10 March 2010. Twenty20 offers fast bowlers their most convenient stage. It will be a pity if it becomes their only space for expression. Fast bowlers don’t actually like bowling. Labourers don’t like digging holes. Give them a chance to put their feet up and have a cup of chai and they’ll grab it with […]
20 February 2010. Hunting and fishing are still part of his life but the rawness and inconsistency have dropped away and Steyn has emerged as one of the best fast bowlers in the world. Dale Steyn likes fishing and hunting and bowling fast. In his time he has caught a crocodile, shot an impala, and […]
10 February 2010. They have long been among cricket’s most compelling teams, and though the current turmoil in the country bodes ill for the game, there is hope yet. Pakistan is a team struggling for direction, from a nation batting for identity. Ever since the tragic death of its founding father soon after independence had […]
2 February 2010. Cricket Australia ought to consider banning alcohol at matches. It has gone well beyond a joke. Australia needs to start addressing the real issues. Indian students killed in Melbourne, Pakistanis assaulted on the field in Perth, blazing headlines around the world, a nation’s reputation dragged into the mud, and never mind that […]
27 January 2010. It’s back from the dead courtesy of Swann, Hauritz, Benn and others, relying on good old accuracy and slight disguise. Long ago consigned to a cricketing graveyard, finger spin has rallied in the most unexpected and impressive manner. Any student of the rankings will rapidly discover that numerous members of the orthodox […]
13 January 2010. Kohli, Roach, Parnell and 10 other youngsters to look forward to in the years ahead. If cricket changes half as much in the next decade as it did in the last, followers of the game had better fasten their seatbelts. Of course the game itself has not actually changed all that much. […]
16 December 2009. No mere smash-and-grab artist, Sanath Jayasuriya has revolutionised opening and done it with a shy exuberance and no hint of swagger. Sanath Jayasuriya has been at once a devastating hitter and amongst the foremost opening batsmen of his period. It is no mean combination. His career, his very life, has told of […]
2 December 2009. With his matter-of-fact approach, Andrew Strauss is better placed than his predecessors to develop the winning culture his side so needs. Among England captains of the last 20 years Andrew Strauss sits nearer the top than the bottom. Although he lacks the predatory instincts that characterised Michael Vaughan’s best work or the […]
14 November 2009. Tendulkar has gone two decades being a blend of the sublime and the precise, incapable of ugliness or of being dull; and those are among the least of his achievements. Sachin Tendulkar has been playing top-class cricket for 20 years and he’s still producing blistering innings, still looking hungry, still demolishing attacks, […]
24 June 2011. Rahul Dravid has struck a mighty blow for the old-timers. His hundred in the Caribbean served two purposes, putting his team in a powerful position and reminding all and sundry that batsmen are better judged from their performances than from their birth certificates. Apparently his place had been in jeopardy. All sorts […]
25 November 2009. Shivnarine Chanderpaul is the most astonishing batsmen around, and among the finest. From his first outing for the West Indies in Georgetown in 1994 to his forthcoming 389th appearance, at the Gabba, he has batted by his own lights and been effective and entertaining. Remove his wicket cheaply and the job is […]
5 November 2009. Cricket needs to move beyond its cosy cartel of countries, bring in more teams, and have two or more divisions. Ireland’s current application for Test status ought to be taken seriously. Indeed, it ought to be accepted, and that means convincing at least seven of the 10 established nations to give it […]
