Australia won this series in spite of some of the flattest pitches seen down under for years. It is three decades since Melbourne and Sydney both ended in stalemate

Daniel Brettig at the SCG10-Jan-20153:46

Agarkar and Bevan’s combined XI

Last time the Melbourne and Sydney Tests both finished in draws, it was 1986. Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border were opposing each other on the field rather than presenting their trophy to the victorious captain. Steve Waugh, Merv Hughes and Geoff Marsh were uncertain debutants, Ravi Shastri a wiry twenty-something allrounder.India were an emerging power in the game, having won the 1983 World Cup and the 1985 World Championship of Cricket. But they were still considered a poor relation by the likes of England and Australia, and it had not been long since they were required to pay for the reciprocal right to tour other nations.Test cricket was a sedate affair – draws were frequent, and scoring rates commonly hovered around 2.5 an over. In Adelaide, the first Test of that series, Australia pottered around for 149 overs to make 381, and India responded with 520 across 202 overs. As Wisden put it: “Adverse weather, which cost 300 minutes’ play during the last three days, was only one of the factors leading to the draw.”For all that, Melbourne would have been an Indian victory without rain washing out the final session when the visitors stood poised at 2 for 59 in pursuit of 126. Sydney was also in the lap of Kapil Dev’s team, and had they batted with a little more purpose early on the second day there would surely have been enough time to round up a nervy Australian team when they followed on later.What this illustrates is how rare it has been for the Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests to both end in stalemates, and how much Test cricket has moved on in pace and proactivity to lessen the possibility of such non-results. What the observer of history and trend is left to conclude is that the pitches for Melbourne and Sydney – and to a lesser extent Adelaide and Brisbane – have left too much to the batsmen’s imagination.As they are apt to do, Australia’s pace bowlers were first to suggest that the surfaces for this series have been a little too friendly to those who wield the willow. Mitchell Johnson reckoned that while Adelaide is expected to be a difficult week for fast bowlers, Brisbane had lost pace and bounce relative to the rapid strip prepared for England, and Melbourne’s drop-in was neither lively enough at the start nor cracked enough at the finish.Johnson’s pace dropped away significantly during the series, as he was pushed into longer spells by Steven Smith and Darren Lehmann on unresponsive pitches. Ryan Harris and Josh Hazlewood had their moments, but the former offered similar critiques of the pitches, and the major share of the work was left to Nathan Lyon. His response was admirable – 23 wickets was a career-best in a single series, the first time an Australian spinner had led the series aggregates in a home bout since Nathan Hauritz against Pakistan in 2009-10.But the struggles of the faster men against opponents who have a reputation of being uncomfortable on pitches affording bounce or movement told a story that went beyond the relative merits of the two teams. Australia’s curators for 2014-15 have been a timid lot, preparing surfaces that they hoped would produce a result on the last day, but not providing enough assistance at either end to make it certain.The administrators, too, have played a part, by excising Perth from the rota of Test match grounds for the first time since 1973. The WACA Ground’s facilities are a matter of some debate, and there has been much conjecture about the future of the ground given the widespread move towards homogenised all-sport stadia with drop-in pitches, as will be built at Burswood in 2018. India would not mind never playing a Test at the WACA Ground again, but Australia’s fast bowlers – and more than a few batsmen – would weep at the same thought.Where is the variable bounce? Where is the seam movement? What do bowlers turn to?•Cricket AustraliaThe bowlers were driven almost to tears on day five in Sydney, as the uncertain bounce they hoped for did not materialise. Only Lyon managed to get the sort of variation desired, one ball in each of first and second innings sliding fast along the floor to defeat Rohit Sharma then R Ashwin. Mitchell Starc gained a tad of new-ball swing and rather more reverse in arguably his best Test match display. But when he and Ryan Harris took the second new ball they found remarkably little movement off the surface.Steven Smith and Virat Kohli, the two opposing captains in this series, have also been masters of every bowler they surveyed. Four hundreds and near enough to 700 runs each, they have batted to a wondrously high standard. But they have had to, in the knowledge that a first innings short of 500 would be decidedly pregnable, and a fourth innings chase was always conceivable no matter how distant the target.”It has been tough to get 20 wickets in this Test series,” Smith said. “The wickets haven’t broken up quite as we thought they might have, I don’t know the reasons for that. But it’s been tough and the bowlers have toiled extremely hard throughout these four Test matches, and I’m really proud of how they’ve gone throughout these games.”I thought 90 overs with them having a little dip at us with the bat, we would be a good chance to win this game but it wasn’t to be. I think the wicket didn’t break up quite as much as I thought it would, there wasn’t much up and down movement with balls on the stumps, I think with Nathan into the rough there were a few that hit the gloves and went straight into the ground, on a different day those pop up and you get wickets.”Kohli cast his mind back to 2011-12. While he reasoned that the MCG’s drop-in barely changed and Adelaide retained its character, he reckoned that Sydney had slowed considerably, while the replacement of the WACA with the Gabba reaped the most equitable pitch of the series.”Melbourne I think was pretty similar last time, I don’t think we played that well the last time around,” Kohli said. “Adelaide again was similar. I think Brisbane was probably was the most true wicket this series. It had a bit for both bowlers and batsmen. This wicket was surprisingly slow. Sydney the last time around was much quicker as far as I remember.”That Indian team had been unhappy with the wickets served up, most notably those in Sydney and Perth. This time they have managed to halve the margin from 4-0 to 2-0, helped in no small part by the pitches prepared. If the cricket of 2014-15 was not quite as slow burning as that of 1985-86, then the gap was uncomfortably close.

A “humble young man” and “a pleasure to be around” are not the words that must be going around in the England players’ heads, considering Trent Boult’s recent form and craftsmanship with the new ball

George Binoy in Wellington19-Feb-2015Trent Boult was sitting on a cardboard box – presumably containing water bottles – all padded up and waiting for his turn to bat at the Basin Reserve nets. An elderly gentleman came by and asked him if he would like a chair, because that box did look rather low, but Boult cheerfully said he was all right.Not long after that Boult’s turn was up, but as he entered the gate, he paused for a moment at a whiteboard listing the net bowlers and their style of operating. He bent down, rubbed out the F from the RAF (presumably, right-arm fast) next to one of the names and sketched in an M (presumably for medium) to the amusement of those close enough to observe his act. The friendly sledge – it must have been – as he walked into the net was inaudible.Those few minutes may not be indisputable proof of Boult’s sunny disposition, but they did not contradict his Northern Districts coach James Pamment’s assertion that he is a “humble young man” and “a pleasure to be around.”England, though, are unlikely to see that side of Boult during their World Cup match against New Zealand in Wellington on Friday, because Pamment also says Boult is a “fierce competitor” – be it fishing or playing golf – and “a very aggressive guy with the ball in his hand.”They have also had problems against left-arm quicks in the recent past. Their batsmen’s failings against Mitchell Johnson across the Tasman sea have been meticulously documented, and even Mitchell Starc has troubled their top order in the recent tri-series. Boult swings the new ball later and to a greater degree than both the Mitchells, and England will have to watch for both deliveries, the one that bends in viciously late and the one that zips across, and spotting the movement is only half the challenge.Brendon McCullum talks about a blueprint his team has been playing to in the lead-up to the World Cup – one that prescribes attacking cricket – and Pamment says Boult is the sort of bowler who complements the New Zealand captain’s philosophy. Boult is at present one of New Zealand’s best two quicks – the other is his good mate and sounding board Tim Southee – across formats and it’s certainly not because they are short of options. It wasn’t so not too long ago, though.When India toured New Zealand in early 2014 and played five ODIs, Boult didn’t get a game. New Zealand chose their specialist quicks from among Southee, Kyle Mills, Mitchell McClenaghan, Hamish Bennett, Adam Milne and Matt Henry. Boult was reserved largely for Test cricket.”The sheer volume of cricket we were playing meant we weren’t necessarily able to give him [Boult] the opportunity we would have liked to with the white ball,” McCullum said. “Other guys were standing up and performing well. So that’s probably why he didn’t get a great deal of opportunities, but I think the way he’s stepped up and performed the role for us so far – him and Southee are a very dangerous bowling partnership.”His ability to swing the ball – and also the two new balls help too – he’s really developing nicely as one of our strike weapons at the start. He’ll face some challenges where opposition teams will try and be more aggressive against him, but I think he’s got the skills to overcome that. He’s a nice level-headed guy…so I’m confident he will be able to do a good job for us even if he is under a bit of pressure at times.”Boult won his place in the World Cup squad ahead of Henry and then his spot in the XI ahead of Mills and McClenaghan. It wouldn’t have surprised Pamment.”I’ve known Trent for a long number of years. We’re from the same, small district, we’re from the Bay of Plenty,” Pamment said. “His desire and determination to be an outstanding bowler has always been evident. I guess the most significant thing about Trent is that he’s very self-sufficient. He drives himself very diligently. He’s a good learner and he’s always been passionate to be one of the best in the world.”The goal of being among the best in the world seemed distant in 2009, when after a limited-overs tour of Australia during which he didn’t play an international game, an 18-year old Boult had stress fracture of the back that sidelined him for about two years. His brother Jono Boult, who also plays for Northern Districts, said Trent had taken that experience on board. “I think that helped him to getting back to where he is now,” Jono Boult says, “with the strength and conditioning sort of stuff.”Strength, conditioning and athleticism are words often spoken by Pamment when talking about Boult’s growth as a bowler over the last few years. He says a tremendous improvement in the bowler’s fitness has allowed him to exploit his greatest gift.”He’s got a lovely wrist position and the fact that the wrist goes right behind the ball gives him that control,” Pamment says. “And as he’s got stronger as an athlete, he’s increased his pace and he’s increased his accuracy through being stronger at the crease. He’s always presented the ball fantastically well but as he’s got stronger he’s been able to hold himself at the crease and run in with more vigour. It just complements what has always been a great strength of his, which is that wrist position.”He’s a fantastic athlete now and I think he’s still developing as an athlete as well. He’s very diligent around his preparation with his strength and his conditioning. He’s an outstanding athlete first and foremost and then his skills as a cricketer come to the fore.”Pamment also believes Boult can get far better, and given his penchant for self-improvement he could develop steadily over several years to come. “I think he’s got a lot of development to do and he is passionate about doing it. He’s probably enjoying the success that he has been experiencing but he will be working extremely hard to continue to develop, and most importantly to contribute to what is a good team at the moment. He’s passionate about that, I don’t think he’s anywhere near his peak. He’ll get fitter, he’ll get stronger, and his knowledge around what is required to do the job especially in white-ball bowling will only develop with more experience.”Boult’s burgeoning skills were recognised at the IPL auction three days into the World Cup, when a bidding spiral ended with him being bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise for $633,000. There have been concerns in the past of how young cricketers deal with the challenges of sudden fame and fortune. Boult seems well equipped.”He’s from a very good family, a very supportive family,” Pamment says. “He’s very humble, he loves his golf, he loves his surfing, and he’s a pleasure to be with, you know. He’s a nice young man. He’s got a very good balance in his life.”Jono Boult also painted a similar portrait of his brother – that of a “normal sort of Kiwi young guy…into his golf and fishing and surfing. Just the same as other cricketers really, nothing too interesting there!”Apart from the ability to swing the ball prodigiously and late, and accurately, at pace, as England might find out on Friday.

Australia, India and England will use the tri-series to fine tune their strategies and performances ahead of the World Cup

Daniel Brettig in Sydney15-Jan-2015Pondering whom Australia might meet in the World Cup final on March 29, David Warner offered two names, one part of this triangular series and one not.It was not surprising to hear Warner mention South Africa given their abundance of mature talent and familiarity with Australian conditions. More startling was Warner’s contention that England would give a good account of themselves and be a strong chance for the final. Either way, India were left with reason to wonder why they did not rate a mention, given their preponderance of explosive batsmen and standing as defending champions.There is something fitting about Australia, India and England crossing paths and swords as the prelude to the Cup. It was down under where the “big three” plans of N Srinivasan, Wally Edwards and Giles Clarke first loomed into view, when the three administrators wandered onto the middle of the WACA Ground together during a break in play at the third Ashes Test in December 2013.A little more than a year on and their plans have come to fruition. The Future Tours Program has been dismantled and reassembled as a patchwork of bilateral agreements, the game’s financial modeling has changed irrevocably, and the tournament in Australia will be the start of a sequence where every ICC event over the next eight years, including the popular World Twenty20 and the exhumed Champions Trophy, will be hosted by one of Australia, India or England.The landscape in which the players are to battle one another has changed a good deal on the pitch too. Tighter fielding restrictions, allowing for only a maximum of four men outside the 30-yard circle at any time, have made life exceptionally difficult for bowlers of spin. Dual new balls at either end make for plenty of early movement but just as much free scoring – the possibility of reverse swing has also been reduced.George Bailey, Australia’s captain for now, believes the changes have encouraged higher scores but also made it more likely that the odd game will see quite the opposite, as greater risks are taken in search of richer rewards. The selection of Xavier Doherty epitomises the view that all but the most exceptionally gifted spin bowlers must be rigid in their obedience to accuracy, method and field settings over flair and flight.”Particularly with spin, in many regards you are almost having to give up one side of the ground or give up a length,” Bailey said. “So it does provide some challenges for them in some conditions that you get in Australia. I think it also provides good spinners opportunities as well because what you will find is that batsmen will tend to be slightly more aggressive towards the spin that will come on.”That and the two new balls are the two biggest changes. Certainly on good wickets we have seen over the last 12-15 months … it tends to send the scores either one way or the other. Scores have been pretty high or the two new balls have had an effect and it can really bring the scores down. It has been two really interesting dynamics. It does force captains to be a little more left field or a little bit more I guess open to options with what they can do with their fields and it can pose some challenges to bowlers late in the innings if you haven’t taken many wickets.”India have powerful batting but insipid bowling•Getty ImagesAustralia’s greatest challenge for the moment is to try to plan two Cup scenarios – one that includes Michael Clarke and another that does not. Bailey will have the chance to get into a leadership groove during the triangular series, but will have Clarke’s presence at training and rehab sessions as a reminder that things could go in a quite different direction. The hosts are flushed with batting options in particular, meaning Bailey could find himself either captain or drinks carrier within the space of a few days. Alongside Clarke and the hamstrung Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood are sitting out the early matches to replenish their energy after the Tests.England have felt the refreshing winds of change since their selectors belatedly concluded Alastair Cook did not merit a place in their best 15. The hesitance of Cook’s latter days at the top of the order could not have contrasted more sharply with the elegant power and ample confidence shown by Moeen Ali, who will have the advantage of unleashing his opening salvos on numerous teams yet to face him. Two of these, of course, are Australia and India. Though the sample size is small, there is every indication that England have found a winning path – something Warner clearly noticed.”Certainly in an England shirt that I’ve played with, yeah,” Morgan said of whether this was the most powerful England batting line-up he had seen. “The guys have unbelievable talent and attitude to the method we want to use. We’ve seen yesterday, and in stages over the last 12 months, that when we perform to our potential we’re a dangerous side.”As Australia and England trained on the eve of the series opener in Sydney, India’s players bestrode the roof of the Great Southern Stand at the MCG to unveil their new playing kits. They looked confident enough, and in Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and company they have batsmen capable of chasing down most targets. But looking down a bowling attack that is unchanged from the modest group toyed with by Steven Smith during the Border-Gavaskar Tests, it is apparent that they will need to. Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav hold few fears for opponents.Nevertheless, the imminence of a World Cup will focus minds and bodies to reach for a pitch of performance higher than otherwise attained during the usual rounds of revenue-raising but otherwise aimless ODIs. It is the opinion of Cricket Australia’s chairman Edwards that one-day internationals should be known as World Cup Cricket (TM). For the course of this triangular series at least, the title would be apt.

He was India’s best player in England, but how would he cope with Australian conditions when the Kookaburra ball fails to swing? Sydney showed he wasn’t able to

Sidharth Monga at the SCG07-Jan-2015Bhuvneshwar Kumar was India’s conscience on the tour of England. Not only was he their best player of the tour, he was their spirit, their fight, their pride even when others capitulated towards the end. Only in The Oval Test did he play a loose shot to get out. Yet there were question marks over whether he would be in the Test XI in Australia because the ball doesn’t seam much. Or swing, it is mysterious.Nobody has ever figured out a fool-proof cause-and-effect relationship with regards to swing. When suggested that Bhuvneshwar might not be effective in Australia because of his low pace and no seam movement, former India captain Rahul Dravid said, before the start of the series, “He swings the ball, boss.” If a cricket ball is going to swing, you can trust Bhuvneshwar to do it.Only the Kookaburra swings the least of the three cricket balls used in Tests, SG in India and Duke in England. And if selected for a match this series, it would have been Bhuvneshwar’s first with the Kookaburra. In Adelaide, the team was spared an uncomfortable decision: do you play your best player from the previous series despite conditions not being conducive to his type of bowling? Bhuvneshwar was injured, and India had no choice. Given the inconsistency of the attack, though, by the time India reached Brisbane they became desperate to get him fit. He bowled in the nets before the MCG Test, but was not match fit.There was much anticipation around Bhuvneshwar when he was finally picked for Sydney. There was trepidation too. His ankle was strapped and he hadn’t quite gone all out in the nets on the day before, or at least that’s how it seemed. The bigger question, though, was what if it doesn’t swing? In this series no bowler has been able to swing the ball conventionally apart from the odd one here or there. What would Bhuvneshwar fall back on when there is no swing?It was apparent soon enough that there was no swing. Or seam. Or variable bounce. The pace soon dropped. The keeper began to stand up to the stumps. Bhuvneshwar even got some treatment on his ankle in the final session of the day. On day two he regularly bowled around 120kmph. When Ryan Harris smacked him around he had to wait and wait – he could have signed a few copies of his newly released book – and wait for the ball to arrive.As usual the areas he bowled was immaculate. If Mohammed Shami starts to bowl those areas he will be a real mean Test bowler. Yet there was no pace or movement. ESPNcricinfo’s graphs have yellow balls for speeds between 55mph and 80mph, and orange ones for 80 to 85. The orange ball is ideally where Bhuvneshwar wants to be. He has them only for left-hand batsmen, who were the openers. By the time he came back for later spells Bhuvneshwar had ceased being a factor, bowling only two balls that breached the yellow zone. You are not going to be a threat at Test level if you don’t do anything with the ball, and hardly bowl 130kmph. At least he didn’t go at four an over.Yellow fever: Bhuvneshwar Kumar barely got past 80mph•ESPNcricinfoThe pitch was so flat the India attack would have conceded 500 regardless. When there is no encouragement from the pitch and when the batsmen are running rampant, it is difficult to keep bowling with the same intensity as when you were successful. Yet you can’t help but wonder if India had been a bit too desperate, rushing him back to Test cricket, with not much cricket under his belt. MS Dhoni had said before the last Test that he was fit for a one-day international, but not quite up to Test-match fitness. Now with Ishant Sharma, too, injured, India possibly fell for the need for experience and got Bhuvneshwar in prematurely. This is only the third time in his career that Bhuvneshwar has bowled at least 10 overs in an innings, and has gone wicketless.The India camp won’t have any of it, though. Shami said at the end of the day’s play that there was no way Bhuvneshwar would have been picked had he not been a 100% fit, and that his fitness shouldn’t be judged based on his pace. What about the treatment he received on the sidelines when the play was on? Was it possible he worsened his ankle during the game? Shami said those were just running repairs.Don’t take India’s words on players’ fitness, though. A day after BCCI sources had ruled Bhuvneshwar out for at least the first two Tests, but on the eve of the match in Adelaide, then stand-in captain Virat Kohli said there was nothing wrong with Bhuvneshwar and that he was available for selection for Adelaide. Go figure.

Stats highlights from the World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand

Bishen Jeswant29-Mar-2015547 Runs scored by Martin Guptill in the 2015 World Cup, the most by any batsman in the tournament. He is the only New Zealand batsmen to score 500-plus runs in a single World Cup. Scott Styris scored 499 runs in the 2007 edition.0 Runs scored by Brendon McCullum in this match, the lowest by any captain in a World Cup final. No other captain has scored a duck in a World Cup final, with the previous lowest being Clive Lloyd’s 8 against India in the 1983 final.1 New Zealand’s opening partnership, their lowest this World Cup. New Zealand’s opening pair averaged 56.5 in the World Cup prior to the final.400 The final was the 400th World Cup game. In all, there have been 3646 ODIs, so World Cup matches account for 11% of all ODIs.Brad Haddin, old and chirpy•Quinn Rooney/Getty Images1 Number of individuals who have played in a World Cup final and also umpired in one; Kumar Dharmasena is the only such man. He played in the 1996 final and officiated as an on-field umpire in the 2015 edition.37 Brad Haddin’s age (37 years, 157 days), making him the oldest Australia player to feature in a World Cup final. The previous oldest Australian was Glenn McGgrath (37 years, 78 days) when he played the 2007 final. The oldest man to play in a World Cup final is Rohan Kanhai (39 years, 177 days), in 1975.6 Number of players who have made 50-plus scores in the semi-final and final of the same World Cup. Grant Elliott became the fifth while Steven Smith became the sixth. The other players to do this are Mike Brearley (1979), David Boon (1987), Javed Miandad (1992) and Aravinda de Silva (1996).7 Ducks scored by New Zealand against Australia in this World Cup. They scored four ducks in the Final and three in the group game. No New Zealand batsman has a scored a single duck against any other opposition during this World Cup.22 Wickets taken by Trent Boult and Mitchell Starc during this World Cup, the joint-most in this tournament. Trent Boult’s 22 wickets is also the most wickets by any New Zealand bowler in a single World Cup.5 Number of World Cups that Australia have won, by far the most for any team. No other team has won more than two World Cups. India and West Indies have won a couple of World Cups each, while Sri Lanka and Pakistan have won one each.

As Matt Prior hangs up his gloves, a look back at some of the highs and lows of his career which included three victorious Ashes series

Andrew McGlashan11-Jun-2015April, 2001: Sussex debutsMatt Prior made his one-day and first-class debuts for Sussex early in the 2001 season, both against Worcestershire.December 2004: Bulawayo bowHis England debut came at one-day level first, against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, where he made 35 off 48 balls playing as a batsman and opening the innings with Ian Bell.May 2007: Larging it at Lord’sMarked his Test debut with a ferocious hundred against West Indies, 126 off 128 balls, becoming the first England wicketkeeper to make a century on his first appearance.December 2007: Drops and droppedPrior remained in the Test team for the remainder of 2007, but he endured a difficult series against India where he was embroiled in the controversy over who threw sweets on the pitch at Trent Bridge and, more importantly, spilled catches behind the stumps. That continued in Sri Lanka and at the end of that tour he was left out in favour of former Sussex team-mate Tim Ambrose.December 2008: Chennai comebackHe made his comeback towards the end of the 2008 season in the one-day side, under the captaincy of Kevin Pietersen, and then returned to the Test team on the tour of India when it resumed following the Mumbai terror attack. He made an unbeaten 53 on his return – although England lost to a Sachin Tendulkar-inspired run chase – and he would remain a fixture in the Test side for five years.March 2009: Tonking in TrinidadOn the following tour of West Indies – the first under the leadership of Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower – Prior capped off the series with his career-best 131 in Port of Spain, followed by 61 in the second innings.August 2009: Ashes gloryPrior’s first taste of Ashes cricket ended with England regaining the urn at The Oval. He made two half-centuries in the series (although he nearly missed the Headingley Test with a back spasm) and on the fourth day at The Oval produced a slick piece of work to stump Marcus North.January 2011: Sydney stunnerHe emerged from a slow start to his next Ashes – he was the middle victim of Peter Siddle’s Brisbane hat-trick – with a surge of runs in the famous victories at Melbourne and Sydney, finishing with 118 at the SCG, and he also claimed 23 dismissals behind the stumps, the most he took in a series.May-August 2011: Ruling the worldA golden period for Prior as he made it three hundreds in five Tests with centuries against Sri Lanka and India at Lord’s – although the match against Sri Lanka also saw him make headlines for the slightly more unfortunate incident of putting his bat through a dressing-room window. Made more important runs against India at Trent Bridge on the way to England’s 4-0 series victory which lifted them to No. 1 in the Test rankings.March 2013: Great escapeAlthough England’s Test fortunes soon started to slip from their 2011 peak, Prior remained at the heart of the team. He scored 275 runs in three Tests against South Africa and was a central figure in the famous victory in India, but he saved his best for New Zealand in Auckland. Five down at lunch on the final day – and seven at tea – England were given little hope of saving the match and hanging on for a share of the series but no one told Prior. Surviving a huge piece of luck on 28 when the ball did not dislodge a bail, he produced an unbeaten 110 and, alongside Stuart Broad and Monty Panesar, pulled off a great escape.December 2013: Not quite the endNamed England’s Player of the Year at the start of the 2013 season, Prior’s form took a dip as he started with a pair against New Zealand at Lord’s and was never at his best during the subsequent Ashes which England won 3-0. He started the return series down under, but when the Ashes were conceded he was dropped after the Perth Test where he had struggled with the gloves.June 2014: Battling backPrior was never one to give up and he fought his way back into the Test side at the beginning of the following summer, marking his return with 86 against Sri Lanka, but his injury soon started to take its toll again.July 2014: Leaving at Lord’sShortly after England had fallen to defeat against India at Lord’s, Prior announced that he was withdrawing from the team due to his injury although he would likely have been dropped. That Test would prove to be his final professional match. For a player who had such a fine record at Lord’s, it was ultimately fitting.

24-May-2015But Alastair Cook continued his good work of the third evening to steer his side into the lead in decent shape•PA PhotosJoe Root was also key to England batting their way out of trouble•Getty ImagesRoot shared 158 with Cook for the fourth wicket as England moved into a much healthier position with New Zealand unable to break through despite the favourable bowling conditions•Getty ImagesEventually Matt Henry did strike and Root fell caught at long leg to fall short when looking dead set for a century for the second time in the match•Getty ImagesBut Cook made no mistake, going to his first Test century in England for two years•PA PhotosThen came the fireworks as Ben Stokes came out in superb touch and began to smash New Zealand all over Lord’s•Getty ImagesStokes launched his way to an 85-ball century – the fastest Test ton at Lord’s – with 15 fours and three sixes•Getty ImagesStokes fell for 101 but Cook ploughed on past 150 to give England a lead of 295 by the close•Getty Images

The India batsman on the advantages of having his father coach him in cricket, and life

Interview by Haresh Pandya21-Jun-2015
What role has your father played in your life, and your professional career?
He has played a very big and crucial role. Being the only child, my parents loved me so much. I was particularly close to my mother, who always dreamed of seeing me play for India one day. While my father took care of my cricket, my mother ensured that I became a good human being. She was very religious and it was she who taught me the importance and value of prayer. She passed away in 2005. I was away from home, playing a match in Bhavnagar. You can imagine the state of my mind when I was returning after I got the news.Do you think your father began to look after you more after your mother¹s death?
Yes, he had to play the role of my mother as well. We were the only two members in the family. He used to work in the railways at the time. He would get up early, do the necessary work in the kitchen, including preparing tea and breakfast, and ensure that I did not get late for school. He would also attend to his office work and take care of his wards, including me, at his coaching camp in the morning and evening. Was he a coach or a father when he coached you?
He was a very meticulous, disciplined and strict coach. He still is, when we discuss the technical side of the game in person or on the phone. And when I was a junior cricketer, his approach towards me was no different than his approach towards other trainees. He never hesitated to scold me in front of others if I made a mistake. And he would not compliment or praise me more than a mere “well played” or “good shot” if I was doing well in the nets. He never made me or others feel that a father was teaching his only son. It was always Arvind Pujara, the neutral coach.Is he a hard taskmaster as a coach?
Not any more. He has reduced his coaching work following a heart surgery. But in his prime, before I started playing Test cricket for the country, he tended to be a hard taskmaster. He never tired of teaching a particular point or two again and again till he was convinced that the lad had learnt it well. If someone kept making silly mistakes repeatedly, he would sometimes be a bit harsh. But he loved the game genuinely, even passionately, being a Ranji Trophy player himself. We knew that he was toiling selflessly for us. He was, after all, not a professional coach. It was his passion to pass on his knowledge to budding cricketers.Arvind Pujara: a hard taskmaster as coach•Haresh PandyaDid he tell you that you needed to go on and play Test cricket for India?
No, never. Both of us knew what was lying ahead after I started playing junior international cricket for the country; more so after I was playing and scoring consistently well. Any cricketer, talented or not, always wants to represent his or her country. He or she might not say so, nor do their parents, but the secret dream and desire are always there. So my father, though he never told me categorically that I should keep one eye on the India cap, was not an exception. He wanted me to wear the national colours.What were his feelings when you were selected for your maiden Test, against Australia in Bangalore in 2010?
He was obviously very happy. He said that our combined efforts have finally been rewarded. He told me that I had to perform well to deserve the honour of playing for India. He wanted me to play a big innings on my Test debut.What were his immediate reactions?
Well, he is not the kind who would show his emotions. You have to read his eyes and face to know what he is thinking or feeling. Anyway, I was away from home, so there was no question of getting a hug or a pat on the back. Of course, he called me and told me how happy he was. He was laughing, and you could sense the joy of a cricketer father whose son was selected to play for the country. He did not forget to tell me that my mother would have been the happiest if she were alive. Both of us got a bit emotional for a while.What do you think is the best gift your father has given you?
I owe him a lot. Whatever I am today is all thanks to my father. He has worked very hard for me, sacrificed so much for me. I think the greatest gift for me from my father is that he has made me a cricketer. A Test cricketer. How many in India get to play for the country? I must be one of the luckiest few.And what is the best gift that you have given him?
I think it has to be my playing for India in Test cricket. If you are asking about things that money can buy, let me tell you he is never keen about such stuff. He is a simple, unassuming person. Even the car he has begun driving is a small, simple, affordable, middle-class-family four-wheeler. He is so passionate about cricket that he hardly thinks about any other thing. I have often asked him if he wants any particular thing from me. But he always tells me that god has given him the greatest gift in me as his son. I know he is humbly proud about me. “Keep making big scores consistently. They are more than any other gift you can get me now,” he keeps saying.I know how happy he was to accompany me to England when I was playing county cricket there. He seldom or never comes to see me play, home or away, when I represent India. He loved the traditional English cricket culture. It was a happy change for him. It was also good for me to have someone close to me for company. When you play county cricket, you often feel lonely because there is usually no one from your country to accompany you, to share your happy and unhappy moments as a cricketer. Since my father is a former cricketer and my coach, it was even more beneficial. At the end of the day we would discuss my game and try to find out what went wrong and what were the right things I did.

Sri Lanka’s mistakes on the fourth day in Pallekele were only minor but one complacent hour turned into two, allowing Pakistan a way back into the match

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele06-Jul-2015Sri Lanka, full of pep when they had Pakistan at 13 for 2, softened their grip and deflated like a party balloon for two sessions. They were flying around the room making rude noises towards stumps. Sri Lanka had dominated this match since day two. They could even have been looking at a four-day finish. But, as has been the case everywhere from Sharjah, to Lord’s, to the Basin Reserve in January, and Galle a mere two weeks ago, one complacent hour became two, and the opposition returned to the match, inch by inch at first, then in galumphing strides.The mistakes were only minor, but this is their umpteenth airing in recent times. Angelo Mathews went for the throat briefly, but when Younis Khan and Shan Masood rebuffed him with a spate of boundaries, Sri Lanka eased off too quickly. You feel for Mathews sometimes. Aside from him, no one else in the side has played 25 Tests. There are batsmen in the side after long hiatuses, and bowlers nursing averages twice their age. This is a rag-tag motley crew of novices, and leading them to victory means not putting a foot wrong.He is clearly missing the advice of Mahela Jayawardene, and the support of Kumar Sangakkara. For this match he is without Rangana Herath’s control as well. Kaushal over Herath was the sensible move for this match, but fans, along with Mathews will be pondering the what-ifs. Kaushal’s lines and lengths in the final session laid bare his inexperience. He went at 4.6 in his 20 overs.Running the drinks throughout the day, Herath looked more at home in those bibs supporting players have to wear, than in his unaccessorised cricket kit. His words to an uninspired Mathews during each drinks break grew more voluminous as the afternoon wore on. With the benefit a little amateur lip-reading and imagination, we might surmise he said something like: “Do you wish you never dropped me now, you boring doofus? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a spinner who consistently pitched the ball in the same time zone as the batsman?” Maybe this is using a little too much imagination. Herath’s comments were probably more constructive – something like: “Would it be ok, if, just once in a while, you captained with more zest and creativity than a lamp post?”The thing with Mathews for now, is that you can’t really have the slamming batsman without the ka-blamming strategist. He is iron-willed and granite-hearted at the crease, letting little to faze him, much less shake him from his batting plan. Those virtues can be liabilities when he is leading on the field. As on Monday, he has not reacted quickly to worsening situations. He’s shown little capacity for innovation. Sri Lanka fans are left hoping that, along with pretty much everything else in this team, Mathews improves tactically over time. The worst of his detractors though, might be reminded that if it weren’t for his second-innings ton, Sri Lanka might have already lost this match.In the morning, he had made a raid for a 400 lead, showing disappointment as the lower order played 2015 Imran Khan like he was 1980s Imran Khan. Perhaps that frantic Pakistan chase in Sharjah last year played on his mind. Either way, Mathews seems like the kind of captain who needs a gigantic lead, an ace bowler, and for the army to be shooting mortars at the batsmen, to feel comfortable attacking without relent, for a long period of time.On a pitch that has given the bowlers plenty all game, 376 should be more than enough to claim victory. It may still turn out that way, if Sri Lanka can gather themselves overnight, and set out with intent on Tuesday. Dinesh Chandimal, whose 67 alongside Mathews seemed to have put Sri Lanka in an outstanding position, said the team would even have settled for far fewer runs.”We actually thought we had enough,” Chandimal said. “At the start, we thought if we could put 300 on the board, we could win the match. But after my partnership with Angelo, we thought, ‘No, we can go to 400’. That way we could completely lock them out of the match. Unfortunately we couldn’t get to 400. But 376 is a great total, and what should be a winning total in the fourth innings. There’s one more day to play, and we’re hoping to get a couple of wickets in the morning and move towards victory.”There are 17 overs to play before the second new ball is available. With Pakistan so far ahead in the game now, though, Sri Lanka can’t wait that long to make headway. “When the ball was hard, the seamers had something from the pitch,” Chandimal said. “But after about 30 overs, there wasn’t much for them. The seam movement disappeared. In the last hour and a half, we saw quite a bit of turn from Kaushal. I’m hoping Kaushal will get us two or three wickets before the new ball is available.”Pakistan will look to their epic chase in Sharjah for their encouragement. Sri Lanka, to Pakistan’s collapse in Galle in 2009 for theirs. Both series between these teams last year produced at least one sublime finish. Maybe it will be so again.

Kraigg Brathwaite had three first-class wickets before his 6 for 29 at the P Sara Oval. ESPNcricinfo looks back at other standout performances by the ‘occasional’ bowlers

Mathew Varghese24-Oct-2015Allan Border
7 for 46 v West Indies, Sydney, 1989The ball turned from the start in Sydney, but West Indies would have not been perturbed by the prospect of facing Allan Border, who had taken 16 wickets in his 100 Tests till then. Australia were playing two specialist spinners in Peter Taylor and debutant Trevor Hohns, while West Indies had brought in Roger Harper for Patrick Patterson.West Indies were in control in their first innings at 144 for 1. Border then turned it around, with wickets off deliveries that would remind one of tactics used by kids in the 1990s to take wickets in computer games like Allan Border Cricket. Two short balls well outside off, and both Richie Richardson and Carl Hooper only managed to find the fielders on the offside. Border then got the big wicket of Viv Richards, who was given out caught at silly point. Gus Logie got an inside-edge on to the stumps, and Border had his maiden five-for – in both Test and first-class cricket – when Jeff Dujon was caught in the deep off the sweep.Border went on to get Australia’s best figures by a spinner at the SCG; his 7 for 46 – he took four more in the second innings – set up a consolation win for the hosts.Michael Clarke
6 for 9 v India, Mumbai, 2004On a pitch that was tailor-made for the spinners, it was a part-timer who had the most astounding figures. In 2004, Australia headed into the final Test against India in Mumbai with the series already won, and started on a dominant note, bowling out India for 104. India had three specialist spinners in Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, and Murali Kartik, but Australia managed to take a lead of 99 as 18 wickets fell on the second day.Offspinner Nathan Hauritz, making his debut, opened the bowling for Australia in the second innings. Ricky Ponting, though, perhaps missed a trick in not turning to Clarke’s left-arm spin earlier than the 57th over. Clarke, who didn’t bowl in the first innings, required only ten balls to strike; he had Rahul Dravid caught behind for his first Test wicket. He then blitzed through the rest of India’s line-up – in 38 balls, he had taken six wickets for nine runs. It still remains the only six-for by a spinner for less than ten runs.Clarke’s effort, though, didn’t win Australia the match, as they crashed to 93 all out chasing 107 – 20 wickets fell as the Test ended in three days despite a first day marred by rain. Clarke however did turn a Test against India in Sydney less than four years later.Basil Butcher
5 for 34 v England, Port of Spain, 1968Butcher, an occasional leg-break bowler, had only bowled in one innings in his Test career spanning 31 Tests before Port of Spain. West Indies put on 526 for 7 declared in the first innings. The hosts had a setback after fast bowler Charlie Griffith suffered a leg injury after three overs. Colin Cowdrey led England’s reply with his 148, and put on 113 for the sixth wicket with Alan Knott before Butcher, who was the sixth bowler to be brought on in the innings, had him caught behind. It sparked a collapse from 373 for 5 to 404 all out; Butcher had figures of 5 for 34 off his 13.4 overs. reported: “In three overs, Butcher took four wickets and in his full spell of 10 overs, interrupted by rain, five for 15.”West Indies gained a lead of 122, and Garry Sobers made an adventurous declaration, setting England a target of 215 on the final day. The visitors scored at more than four an over to seal a seven-wicket win.Butcher took only those five wickets in his Test career, averaging less than six balls per match in his 44 Tests.Denis Compton
5 for 70 v South Africa, Cape Town, 1949After bowling out England for 308, South Africa seemed on course to take a big lead in the third Test in Cape Town, having lost only two wickets for 298. However, Denis Compton, bowling his slow left-armers, triggered a slide. He caught and bowled Dudley Nourse, South Africa’s captain, for 112, and Billy Wade was dismissed for a duck to make it 298 for 4. Bruce Mitchell, the other centurion in the innings, was bowled five runs later. A 39-run stand for the sixth wicket followed, but Compton struck again. He took the final wicket – No.11 Cuan McCarthy was stumped – as the last five wickets fell for 14 runs.Compton bowled 25.2 overs (eight-ball overs) for his 5 for 70, and three more overs in the second innings as the Test ended in a draw. He took 25 wickets in his 78 Tests at an average of 56.40, with 2 for 32 being his next-best figures.Simon Katich
6 for 65 v Zimbabwe, Sydney, 2003
Katich, who made his debut in the Ashes in 2001, had to wait two years for his second Test, against Zimbabwe in Sydney. Australia’s weakened attack had Brad Hogg as the only specialist spinner, and Katich, a chinaman bowler himself, bowled seven overs as Zimbabwe scored 308 in the first innings. Katich then scored his maiden fifty as Australia managed a 95-run lead, with left-arm spinner Ray Price taking 6 for 121.Without an injured Brett Lee, Katich had greater bowling responsibilities in Zimbabwe’s second innings, and he out-bowled Hogg. He removed Stuart Carlisle, Zimbabwe’s top-scorer in the first innings, and opener Trevor Gripper in the space of five overs. He went to take the vital middle-order scalps of Craig Wishart and Tatenda Taibu. Price became his fifth victim, and he had his sixth when Andy Blignaut was the last man out for 44.Katich took 21 wickets in 56 Tests at an impressive average of 30.23, with the Sydney haul his only five-for.Any other performance that you can think of? Tell us at [email protected]