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South Africa’s marks out of ten following their 3-0 defeat to Australia

Peter English04-Apr-2006

9
Makhaya Ntini
A constant threat both as a wicket-taker and potential bruiser. Justin Langer (head) and Andrew Symonds (lip) can vouch for his potency while he compiled a list of 19 wickets at 22.36 with probing lines and a never-give-up attitude. Without him South Africa would have been pummelled and his best performance was the 6 for 100 and 4 for 78 at Johannesburg, his third 10-wicket haul in Tests. Was given out incorrectly to end the second match that signalled the series loss.7
Mark Boucher
Comfortably out-batted Adam Gilchrist, who shaded his opponent in the battle of the gloves. Two fantastic half-centuries showed his love of a contest against Australia; the first almost sealed a draw at Durban and the second pushed them to the brink of a win at Johannesburg. Talked about losing respect for some of the Australians before the series, but gained plenty of kudos for his 175 runs at 35 and 11 catches.6.5
Jacques Kallis
The stand-in captain for the gut-wrenching third Test, Kallis was the lead South African batsman in a bowler-dominated contest. His fighting 114 out of 267 at Durban was admirable and he made other useful contributions against a testing attack to grab 227 runs at 37.83. Also collected seven wickets, but could not steer his temporary side to an almost certain victory

5
Nicky Boje
Australia tried to target him but he coped despite being used strangely by Graeme Smith in the first two games. Seven wickets was a suitable reward for a bowler who offered the attack some variety and he made an important 43 in the first innings at Johannesburg.Ashwell Prince
Fought for every run but passed fifty only once with a fantastic 93 in a tough first innings at Johannesburg when the second top score was 43. Was again troubled by Shane Warne and received a bad decision in the second innings of the final Test, but the team wanted greater returns than his 17, 27, 33 and 7 in the first two games.4.5
AB de Villiers
One good Test at Durban was sandwiched by two poor ones as he had more trouble coping with Australia’s fast bowlers. His 50 and 46 was a fine double in the second Test but he needed to turn one of those into a century. Will look forward to easier series where he can show his undoubted talent.4
Andre Nel
Became most involved during an argument with Gilchrist in the second Test as he was being hit for 22 in an over. Came into the series with a foot injury and by the final match was delivering in the 120kph range and suffering from an illness that restricted him to two overs in the second innings. Only six victims in a disappointing series.Jacques Rudolph
Nothing exceptional in six innings for 125 runs ranging from a duck at Johannesburg to 41 at Cape Town. The peak of his summer was the century at Perth in the first Test against Australia this summer and hasn’t neared it since.

3.5
Shaun Pollock
Missed the first Test with a back injury and was relegated from opener to first-change by the third. Tried a new run-up but was not overly effective as he managed only four wickets on pitches expected to suit him.Graeme Smith
Another series to forget against Australia and he must have been almost relieved to miss the final game with a finger injury. Scored only 75 runs in four innings – he didn’t get a half-century in five Tests – and lost the series with a whimper.Herschelle Gibbs
Has severe technical problems to fix after being bowled four times in the series, including a horrible no-shot offering in the first innings at Johannesburg. His 53 in the second attempt there was the most dominant batting performance of the game, but again his side needed more from such a talented player.1.5
Boeta Dippenaar
Came in for Smith for the final Test and made a bright 32 and 20. May get another chance soon if the captain’s injury is a long-term one.Andrew Hall
Played in only the first Test and picked up 1 for 66 and 0 for 16 before being replaced by Pollock.

Stats highlights from the first match of the Future Cup between India and South Africa

S Rajesh and HR Gopalakrishna27-Jun-2007

Sachin Tendulkar’s 99 against South Africa at Stormont was the first time he missed an international hundred by a solitary run. It was the 26th instance in ODIs, and the fourth by an Indian batsman – Krishnamachari Srikkanth, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid being the others to be dismissed for 99.Tendulkar already has 41 centuries in one-day internationals, but that figure could have been much closer to 50 had he moved on to a three-figure score every time he entered the nineties – he has now been dismissed 11 times when within ten or fewer runs of an ODI hundred, which is more than any other batsman. Nathan Astle, Aravinda de Silva and Grant Flower have scored nine nineties, while Mohammad Azharuddin and Jacques Kallis – who made an unbeaten 91 in the game – have seven.Tendulkar also became only the fifth batsman to be run out for 99 in ODIs. Adam Gilchrist, Sanath Jayasuriya, Ed Morgan and Graeme Smith are the others, which makes Tendulkar (and this is strictly for the trivia-inclined) the first right-hander to be run out for 99 in ODIs.The 158-run stand between Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid is easily the highest for the third wicket for India versus South Africa. The earlier record was a paltry 88 between Dravid and Sourav Ganguly at Jamshedpur in 2000. The stand was also the 11th time the two batsmen had put together a century partnership. In 89 stands, Tendulkar and Dravid have added 3902 runs at an average of 46.45. The only player with whom Dravid has scored more runs is Sourav Ganguly – 4227 runs in 85 innings at 50.32.South Africa, meanwhile, were led by Jacques Kallis yet again – his unbeaten 91 was his tenth 50-plus score in 29 ODIs against India – a team versus whom he averages 68.88. South Africa’s four-wicket win was also their fifth successive ODI victory against India.

With a cacophonous sell-out crowd and the green hills of central Barbados behind him, Brian Lara batted for the last time in an international today. Or so he tells us

Paul Coupar in Barbados22-Apr-2007With a cacophonous sell-out crowd and the green hills of central Barbados behind him, Brian Lara batted for the last time in an international today. Or so he tells us. With Lara nothing is ever quite clear-cut – except his genius.His records pushed back the frontiers of batsmanship. Each shot was a daredevil walk along the tightrope between disaster and triumph, a tightrope he less walked than danced along. He thrilled billions. His love for the game is deep. As he signed autographs tonight he cried.And yet, and yet . More than any modern great except Muttiah Muralitharan, Lara divided public opinion. They thrilled to his batting but wondered about some of the rest.A classic example came this afternoon. Michael Vaughan had just reached fifty, only his 16th fifty in 86 ODIs, when his uppish cover drive grazed Marlon Samuels’s outstretched fingers. Lara stood still at point, hands on hips. The expression was either admirably relaxed or magisterially resigned to the failings of lesser beings, depending on perspective.Those split feelings were reflected in a bumper crowd today. They roared him to the crease. Only a subcontinental one-dayer could touch it in terms of sheer noise. But despite his runs, some West Indians here today thought the side were better off without him.No one thought they were better off without watching him though. Today they didn’t get much chance. Run out for 18 after a “yes, no, maybe, sorry” shocker by Samuels, he walked off with the annoyed-but-resigned air of a dead cert for Olympic gold who found someone had tied his shoelaces tied together.And so he left the stage. Unlike Courtney Walsh at The Oval in 2000, not all of his team-mates formed a guard of honour. Which may or may not be coincidence. But the press box, who only had to watch Lara rather than deal with his foibles, gave him the rare accolade of a standing ovation. They included Angus Fraser who was a bowler on the receiving end 13 years ago, during the epochal 375.Still, huge scores never quite buried the skeptics. On one hand Lara talks eloquently, movingly even, about the need for West Indians to show pride in the team they represent. On the other while the team travelled together in a coach on their last tour of England, Lara travelled in a silver Mercedes lent by an admirer.On one hand he is a tireless advocate of rigorous preparation. On the other, like Ian Botham, the ease with which his success came inadvertently pointed a younger generation to inspiration more than perspiration.At the end today he endured a long and stifling press conference with great charm. He also brought along his daughter Sydney. Touching or contrived? As ever with Lara, there was more than one opinion.But there was always the batting. This was his last day at the office, as the cliché has it. But no image is less appropriate. He has never been businesslike. Even the forward defensive he played to his first ball was extravagant: a huge shuffle right across the crease (has any top batsman been bowled behind his legs so often?) and a swish of the bat.He was a gambler not a banker, and crowds loved him for it. Twenty-two thousand turned out for a dead game to hosanna him into retirement. That on an island with a population of 279,000. Perhaps half were tourists, most looking pinker and pinker. But it still adds up to around one in 20 Bajans at the ground. “Lara, Lara” they screamed, demanding a promotion up the order as the first wicket fell. Everyone wanted one last glimpse.On one thing hardly anyone was divided: Lara was the best batsman to watch of his generation. He brought joy to millions, billions even. “Have I entertained you?” he asked the crowd at the end. The thunderous roar in reply said it all. Clive Lloyd said Lara was a batsman he would pay to watch. “Not that he has to pay”, pointed out Lara in the press conference. But billions would, and did, and will probably never have chance again.

Stats highlights from the fourth match of the CB Series between Australia and India in Melbourne

S Rajesh and HR Gopalakrishna10-Feb-2008

Cricinfo assesses the performances of Australia’s players in their 2-0 series victory over West Indies

Brydon Coverdale17-Jun-2008Australia were forced to alter their usually stable Test line-up thanks to injury, compassionate leave and an unexpected retirement. They still recorded a 2-0 series victory but the triumph was less emphatic than they might have hoped against a team ranked No. 8 in the world. Cricinfo runs the rule over Australia’s contributors to the Caribbean success.

8

Simon Katich
Returned to the Test team for the first time since 2005 and, after some nerves in Kingston, turned in a dream comeback with centuries in Antigua and Barbados. Was asked to open in the absence of Matthew Hayden and looked comfortable against the new ball, scoring heavily through the leg side and finishing the tour with 319 Test runs at 63.80. Is likely to be dropped when Australia play their next Test if, as expected, Hayden returns from injury.Brett Lee
Following two Player of the Series performances against Sri Lanka and India, he was again Australia’s leading wicket-taker and most consistent bowler. Was fast and fiery in Antigua, where he got eight wickets, and made several important strikes in the two victories. Pushed himself to the limit and was clearly exhausted on several occasions but finished the series with 18 wickets at 23.72.7.5

Andrew Symonds
Rescued Australia after a couple of awkward top-order wobbles, notably in the second innings at Kingston, where he first steadied, then counterattacked, with a 79 that was essentially a match-winning contribution. He benefited, not for the first time in the past 12 months, from some incorrect umpiring decisions and topped Australia’s averages with 264 runs at 66.Ricky Ponting
Set up the victory in Kingston with a superb 158 on a pitch that was playing tricks and finished the series as Australia’s leading scorer with 323 runs at 53.83 after adding a half-century in Antigua. As captain, felt some serious pressure at times during the tour but guided his team through for the 2-0 triumph.Stuart Clark
Was almost singlehandedly responsible for Australia getting over the line on the final day in Jamaica, when he swung and seamed the ball in both directions and grabbed a career-best 5 for 32, taking his match tally to eight wickets. After a quieter time in Antigua, he contributed to the Barbados win with two fifth-day strikes, including the key wicket of Shivnarine Chanderpaul.7

Michael Clarke
Missed the first Test due to family reasons but made an impact on arrival, striking 110 in Antigua to help set up a big first-innings total. Enjoyed the vice-captaincy and was clearly a leader in the group, often advising the newer players on the field. Retained his uncanny partnership-breaking abilities with the ball and his four wickets for the series all came at important times.6.5

Phil Jaques
Was badly out of sorts at the start of the series and caused himself problems by walking too far across his stumps and becoming vulnerable to lbws. Gradually came good with a half-century in Antigua and 108 in a double-century opening stand with Katich in Barbados. Took two excellent catches in the second innings at Kensington Oval that helped Australia secure victory and confirmed he is making the short leg position his own.6

Brad Haddin
Made a solid if not spectacular start to his long-awaited Test career. His primary job, behind the stumps, was generally performed cleanly, although there were a couple of dropped chances that he will want to eliminate to keep Luke Ronchi at bay. Did not make a half-century but his batting was sound, and he figured in four handy partnerships when West Indies thought they were breaking into Australia’s lower order.

Brad Hodge
Was unexpectedly thrust into the side in Kingston when Hayden missed out through injury. Quickly readjusted to Test cricket – his last match was in January 2006 – and his 67 and 27 were important contributions in the opening victory. Fell both times to excellent Denesh Ramdin catches and, after Jamaica, was required only as a substitute fielder.5

Michael Hussey
The Bradmanesque average is slipping rapidly. Managed 137 runs at 22.83 and his only half-century came in the first innings of the first Test. That 56 was an important effort, though, as the openers had failed and Ponting needed someone to help in the recovery. Looked most settled when promoted to open in the second innings in Antigua but his usual precision placement was lacking and hitting in the air has become a slight weakness.4.5

Beau Casson
Did not quite do enough to confirm him as Australia’s permanent Test spinner but showed sufficient promise in collecting three second-innings wickets on debut. Recovered from a Dwayne Bravo belting to remove the batsman at an important time in the third Test and was not bullied into a more defensive approach.4

Mitchell Johnson
After his promising displays during Australia’s home summer, this was the sort of series Johnson didn’t want to have. Wildly inaccurate at times, he was stripped of the new-ball duties and was barely threatening during the first two Tests. Began to rescue his reputation with one good spell in Barbados, finding extra pace and bounce to clean up West Indies’ lower order, and finished with a Test-best 4 for 41.3

Stuart MacGill

Deserves to be remembered for his outstanding Test career, not his miserable finale in the Caribbean. Made the bold decision to retire mid-series when he realised his bowling was not up to Test standard. Delivered numerous long hops and full tosses but showed occasional glimpses of his best, as when he lured Ramnaresh Sarwan forward with a venomous legbreak that was edged to slip in Antigua.

Plays of the day for day two of the third Test between New Zealand and India in Wellington

Sidharth Monga in Wellington04-Apr-2009Round the stumps
Zaheer Khan didn’t hit rhythm right away today. It looked New Zealand would get off to a reasonable start, especially from the way Martin Guptill played. In his fourth over, though, Zaheer went round the stumps, and got his first ball from there to bounce into Guptill’s body. Surprised by the sharp bounce and inward movement, Guptill was late in playing the defensive shot, and played the ball on to the stumps.Through the legs
Munaf Patel to Iain O’Brien. The batsman defends the ball back to the bowler, and covers his stumps, and is in the crease. But Munaf still wants a shy at the stumps, so he goes low, and finds a wee little gap O’Brien’s legs to get the ball through. Too bad he still couldn’t find the stumps.Also featuring in the Munaf-O’Brien pleasantries were bouncers, some of which were dished the other way round yesterday. Munaf bounced him one today and looks were exchanged. Wonder what was said then.Bow to the legend
Think twice before believing Jesse Ryder is the most popular player in Wellington. When Chris “Tom” Martin comes to bat, the decibel levels rise like they have never risen before. The first ball Martin faced today was a yorker from Harbhajan down the leg side, and the cheers then, presumably at Martin’s first runs of the series, proved to be too early. But Martin would get off the mark, with a straight loft off Harbhajan, sending the crowd into a frenzy. For someone who has scored just two runs in his 11 previous innings that must have been a particularly satisfying way to get off the mark.Milestone man
This has been a good year for O’Brien for he has established himself in the New Zealand and this Test has been one with milestones for the Wellington lad. He brought up his 50 Test wickets yesterday, and was pretty proud of it. But when he swatted a full delivery off Munaf straight past mid-off, he crossed another milestone, albeit less significant – 100 Test runs, in his 17th Test. Forty-two of those runs have come in this series, and consequently – at 4.9 – his batting average is now more than twice Martin’s – 2.28.

He’s been down so long everyone thought he was out, but the Delhi fast bowler has made yet another comeback, and on current form could stake claim to being among the best in India

Nagraj Gollapudi30-May-2009Ashish Nehra is a proud man. “I bowled my full quota of overs for all the IPL games this year,” he says in his trademark rapid manner. (He actually bowled one short: 51 overs in 13 games).That Nehra, who along with Dirk Nannes formed a lethal strike force for Delhi Daredevils, bowled the most overs is not as surprising as the fact that he did so without breaking down – despite the workload and the constant travelling over the month-long tournament, and his well-known susceptibility to injury.Nehra’s rollercoaster India career, before he played his last international game during the 2005 Zimbabwe tour, is well documented. Back then, as now, what was not in doubt was his fast-bowling pedigree: if fit, he was – and still could be – one of India’s best fast bowlers. The issue was injury.After the 2003 World Cup, he had his first ankle surgery. Before he had recovered fully from it, he suffered a back injury, but played nevertheless. Midway into the 2005 series in Zimbabwe he came back home with the back injury. In 2006 he had another surgery after he tore a ligament when he twisted his ankle in the nets. Between then and early 2007, when he underwent yet another ankle surgery, he tried playing domestic cricket, to no great result.Four scars cut across Nehra’s ankles. Was he ever terrified that he would never walk up to the bowling mark again?”There was this period between 2006 and 2007 when I panicked. I was recovering from one injury before being pulled down by another. I would think, five months gone, six months gone, I’m still not playing, while everybody else was playing. If you don’t play for six months, people forget. Those three years after 2005 Zimbabwe was really frustrating.”Vijay Dahiya, Nehra’s former team-mate, and currently Delhi coach, says it was not the case that Nehra was stubborn about his injuries, but that, like any other player, he thought they would vanish. “His injuries came at the wrong time and stayed for a while,” says Dahiya. Skills-wise, he says, Nehra could match today’s best fast bowlers. “He was never dropped from any team due to lack of performance.”It is a point others have made as well. “Zaheer [Khan] said to me, ‘Nobody ever doubted your bowling. If there is a big injury, which is really giving you problems, sort it out first. Don’t be greedy to play for India without getting out of the injury completely,'” Nehra says.Nehra claims he understands more about his body now than in the past. “Earlier I would play even if the injury was bad. But now I don’t play if something is bothering me. Now I would fix it before coming back. I made my injuries chronic, and that’s why I got dropped for two years.””Maybe I’m jumping the gun. I’m very hopeful he will be back in the Indian team within six months,” says Dahiya. Having been one of the best bowlers in a high-profile tournament like the IPL has boosted Nehra’s hopes. “I’m still waiting for my chance. If they want to give me a chance, it has to be this season,” he says.

To support Nehra’s revival, Dahiya points to the example of Zaheer, who successfully scripted his comeback after being left out of the side for 12 months three years ago. “He [Nehra] is younger than Zaheer, and Zaheer was out for a while but came back as a completely different bowler. We have seen earlier what Ashish is capable of and now he have seen it again in the IPL. A fit Ashish is one of the best fast bowlers in India,” Dahiya says.The optimism may not be unjustified. Nehra walked into both editions of the IPL, having recovered from different injuries, and did well – reasonably so in 2008, superbly this year. In 2008 it was after 18 months of recuperating from his last ankle surgery. This year he joined the Delhi squad just after he recovered from a side strain that he picked up during the Ranji one-dayers, where he took a hat-trick in his last game, against Punjab.Pats on the back from legends like Glenn McGrath and Shaun Pollock, mentors at the two teams he has played in in the IPL, have strengthened Nehra’s resolve. “Last year I played with Shaun Pollock, and I was lucky once again this year to be with someone like McGrath. He was a nice helping hand. He would tell me what I did right and where I went wrong, regardless of whether I had gone for 10 runs or 40 runs in the four overs.”Virender Sehwag, the Delhi captain, is among those who kept faith in Nehra. Both have known each other for long; they used to ride Sehwag’s scooter together to morning nets. It was only fitting that Nehra was bagged by Delhi during the IPL transfer window earlier this year. Mumbai were looking for a batsman and Shikhar Dhawan was swapped for Nehra. “They [the Delhi Daredevils think tank] said, ‘You are our main bowler and you to bowl at death.’ Their confidence encouraged me to do better,” Nehra says.I ask if marriage has brought a change of fortune. Nehra laughs. “It is nothing like that. I got married on April 2, a week later left for IPL. Everybody is asking the question – but it hasn’t been the reason behind the success in IPL.”If there is one thing he is sure about, it is his own role and his utility to the team. Asked what sort of advantage he could provide the Indian bowling if picked, Nehra puts forth a convincing resume: “I see myself as a bowler at any point of time in the game. In ODIs and Twenty20s the captain doesn’t need to make any compromises. I can bowl with the new ball, one-change, in the middle overs, or at the death. I have done all the jobs for India and proved I can do a good job. I know I can do well.”

Sachin Tendulkar’s 134 in Sharjah in 1998 set the bar for his centuries in a one-day final, but damned if today’s effort doesn’t at least nip at its skirts

Jamie Alter at the Premadasa Stadium14-Sep-2009Sachin Tendulkar’s 134 in Sharjah in 1998 set the bar for his centuries in one-day finals, but damned if today’s effort doesn’t at least nip at its skirts. The biggest performers – and few come any bigger than Tendulkar – invariably deliver on the big occasion and today, with India looking to snap a run of five straight completed finals defeats to Sri Lanka, Tendulkar dazzled. When Tendulkar bats like he did today, he is as irresistible as he is artistic, and you can only sit back and enjoy it.He had got starts in the previous two games, but India’s decision to send Dinesh Karthik to open meant Tendulkar was under pressure from ball one. When Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid walked out today, there was a tinge of the 1990s solidity. As it panned out, the innings that followed harked back to the Tendulkar of yore. Dravid, for long India’s most technically sound batsman, allowed Tendulkar to play his game. They did their job efficiently, taking the shine off the new ball, wearing down the quick bowlers, denying Ajantha Mendis a wicket, and paving the way for the batsmen to follow.From the first ball Tendulkar faced, when he stood tall and punched Thilan Thushara wide of mid-off, he oozed confidence. Batting wasn’t too difficult in the first ten overs against a tidy bowling attack on a flat track, but he was intent on sticking around. This wasn’t the kind of pitch to chase the ball and apart from one delivery that he flashed at and edged for four, Tendulkar was patient. A couple of deliveries beat the outside edge; he bided his time and then pushed Nuwan Kulasekara superbly through the covers for four. It helped that the opening bowlers didn’t pitch the ball up enough, and when Kulasekara did, Tendulkar drove past extra cover and clipped past midwicket.Between overs, Tendulkar twirled his left arm and tapped the track. These were the moments needed to gather his thoughts. Significantly, he drew on all his experience to upset the bowlers, especially when they tried something different. Thilan Thushara veered his line to just outside off stump, and Tendulkar forced the ball through the off side for four. Lasith Malinga bowled a couple of testing deliveries, but when he held back the length marginally, Tendulkar glided back and forced the ball through the covers. Tendulkar judged the line flawlessly and was lissome with his footwork as he turned length deliveries away at precisely the right moment. His cover and square-driving were of the highest quality: the balance was perfect, the weight transfer faultless and the ball seldom hit in the air.On a surface where other batsmen often failed to work the ball off the square, Tendulkar’s fluency was astounding. He struck the ball with grace, either when going back or working it across the line. Deliveries pitched on a length were turned through midwicket and square leg, others back of a length were crisply steered between cover and point.As the ball got old in the middle overs, Tendulkar and MS Dhoni found the gaps and rotated the strike. Dhoni complemented Tendulkar beautifully, and the two denied Sri Lanka any wriggle room. On 87, Tendulkar waltzed out and drove Mendis over extra cover for four. A punch off Mendis past mid-off took him to 99, and a single pinched through cover took Tendulkar to three figures for the 44th time. A raise of the arms, a wave of the bat to the dressing room, a lingering look at the heavens and a hug from Dhoni followed, and then he marked his guard again.Dhoni tried to up the tempo in the batting Powerplay and fell for 56. Here Tendulkar’s batting shifted down a gear as he batted with cramps, using Dravid as a runner, but he was no less determined. His strike-rate slowed down as he worked the ball around to get Yuvraj Singh on strike, yet the shot selection was impeccable. Seemingly invigorated by not having to run, Tendulkar launched an onslaught against Mendis in the 45th over, when in three successive deliveries he smote a six over extra cover – the high elbow said much about the strength needed to execute the shot – and reverse-swept fours. He fell attempting another, but his work allowed Yuvraj to smack a belligerent half-century that helped India set an unachievable target at this venue under lights, despite Thilina Kandamby’s bravado.The last time India played a final here it appeared they had forgotten how to play like a half-decent team. Today they took a massive step toward, freeing themselves from a spectre that had haunted them for too long. In Tendulkar – who has now scored nine international centuries and seven 90s since May 2007 – India have a batsman showing no signs of slowing down. With the Champions Trophy next week and the World Cup in 2011, this becomes especially relevant.

Stats preview of the first semi-final between England and Sri Lanka to be played in St Lucia

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan12-May-2010Sri Lanka’s entry in the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty20 further underlines their consistency in major tournaments over the last few years. They’ve made the final of the last 50-over World Cup and the 20-over version, and a win on Thursday will give them the chance to do what they couldn’t on both those occasions – win the trophy. England, though, have been so consistent in all aspects throughout this tournament that they’ll fancy their chances, even in the slower conditions that should favour Sri Lanka.England have the better numbers in the tournament so far. Their only loss was a rain-induced one, while Sri Lanka have lost two games, one of them convincingly. There’s little to choose between the batting run rates of the two teams, but England score over Sri Lanka in terms of economy rate. Tim Bresnan and Michael Yardy have been extremely thrifty while Graeme Swann has been among the wickets consistently. Despite the Sri Lankan fast bowlers going for a few runs, the spinners have managed to restrict the scoring effectively.

England’s opening pair of Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb have been aggressive in the beginning of the innings all through the tournament, which is reflected in the high scoring rate in the Powerplay overs. Sri Lanka have been boosted by the exceptional batting of Mahela Jayawardene, but he hasn’t received much support at the top of the order.

Eoin Morgan and Luke Wright have provided the much-needed fireworks in the late overs for England. Morgan, in particular, has been outstanding with a strike rate of close to 150 in the death overs. Sri Lanka have scored at a fast clip in the final overs with contributions from Jayawardene and, more recently, Chamara Kapugedera, whose quickfire 37 enabled them to topple India in their final Super Eight game.

Sri Lanka have their noses ahead when it comes to bowling performance in the Powerplay overs. While England have been very economical with Bresnan conceding only a little over five runs per over and Stuart Broad offering excellent support, Sri Lanka have also managed to pick up more wickets in the early overs. Angelo Matthews and Lasith Malinga, with their excellent change of pace, have proved extremely difficult to get away even with the fielding restrictions in place.

One bad game against Australia messed up the bowling stats of Sri Lanka in the last few overs, which have otherwise been quite impressive. Malinga, in particular, has managed to curtail the scoring rate superbly with his yorkers and slower balls. England have bowled the final few overs extremely well too, with Ryan Sidebottom picking up six wickets at an economy rate of 6.60 per over in the final overs.

The tables below list the performances of fast bowlers and spinners for England and Sri Lanka. The fast bowlers for England have been top class with Bresnan leading the way, and their performances are bettered only by the Australian pace attack. Sri Lanka’s fast bowling department hasn’t been as good. Matthews has been top-class, but Malinga has been more expensive than usual, going at over 7.5 runs per over.Sri Lankan spinners, though, haves been much better than their fast bowlers and have picked up ten wickets while conceding less than seven runs per over. Ajantha Mendis has been slightly expensive in the last two games while Suraj Randiv impressed with a fine bowling performance against Australia. For England, Swann and Yardy have been consistent throughout with Swann picking up eight wickets and Yardy being among the most economical bowlers in the tournament.

The pitch in St Lucia hasn’t offered the kind of pace and bounce that was seen Barbados, but fast bowlers have still done better than spinners here. The difference in economy rates isn’t much, but the fast and medium-fast bowlers have taken more wickets than the spinners.

The table below summarises the performances of the top batsmen of each team. Jayawardene has had an extraordinary tournament, but his scores have dropped in the last couple of games leading to the semi-final. Kumar Sangakkara, though, has started to find better form, which has reduced the onus on Jayawardene, and will boost a line-up which is fairly top heavy.For England, Kevin Pietersen and Morgan have been the stars. Pietersen has scored half-centuries against Pakistan and South Africa in the Super Eights and Morgan has consistently proved to be a good finisher. Paul Collingwood is due some runs, though: in five innings he has only managed 39.

In a knockout game the captain winning the toss might be tempted to bat, but the stats at this ground are pretty even. There have been eight games played at St Lucia and four games have been won by the team batting first and four by the team chasing. The average run rate is exactly the same, while there’s only a marginal difference in the averages.

Plays of the Day from the fourth day of the first Test in Galle

Sidharth Monga in Galle21-Jul-2010Kumar Sangakkara’s choices
Sri Lanka were the only team that could win the match at the start of day four, but they didn’t begin with their best bowlers. Chanaka Welegedara and Angelo Mathews started the day, Lasith Malinga came on only in the sixth over, and Muttiah Muralitharan didn’t turn his arm over in the first hour. The fields for Virender Sehwag were defensive too, belying a team going for the win. In the end, though, it all worked: Welegedara got Sehwag thanks to defensive fields, and Murali came on and completed a five-for. Captain knows best.Follow-on, or no follow-on?
After Sri Lanka bowled India out 244 short of their score, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana, their openers, charged back to the dressing room. Everyone was baffled. How could they not enforce the follow-on with just one-and-a-half days to go? Turned out it was just a hoax, India were asked to follow on. Dilshan, perhaps, was trying to make the Indian batsmen relax prematurely.Dhoni’s word comes true – almost
“That [no-balls] is definitely a big worry because if you get a wicket in Test matches, especially on flat tracks, and that’s a no-ball, you have only yourself to blame,” MS Dhoni said of his own side’s overstepping troubles (36 times) in the tour game. It was an opposition bowler, though, who made the cardinal sin. Lasith Malinga bowled a superb over to Virender Sehwag in the second innings. Three short balls were followed by a full one, which Sehwag ended up playing in front of his body. Malinga took a superb one-handed catch in his follow-through, threw the ball in the air, and was five steps towards celebrating with the slip cordon when he realised he had over-stepped.Welegedara has Sehwag’s number – almost
Welegedara bowled a load of loose balls to Sehwag throughout the day, but became one of the very few bowlers to have taken Sehwag’s wicket twice in a day. They were not necessarily the best of deliveries – both short and wide – but Welegedara will be the first one to point to the scoreboard, and say there isn’t enough space there to say “short and wide”. Malinga, who got the batsman off a no-ball, wouldn’t mind either.Rahul Dravid’s feat
This tour hasn’t so far been a great one for Rahul Dravid, with dropped catches and the run-out, but he achieved an important landmark during the fourth day’s play. When he gently worked Murali around the corner in the 19th over, he became only the second batsman to score 9000 Test runs in the No. 3 position, behind Ricky Ponting. There are only nine batsmen who have scored 9000 or more overall, leave alone from one position.