Scheduling has been a cause of concern and a change of venue is currently not a practical option

Danyal Rasool15-Mar-2024What’s going on with PSL crowds in Karachi?When Usman Khan punched a single down to mid-off to seal Multan Sultans’ place in their fourth successive PSL final, it was met by deathly silence at the National Stadium Karachi. It wasn’t because the crowd wanted a different outcome, but because there was barely a crowd for the game at all. The two best teams in the tournament so far – Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi – shook hands in front of a nearly empty stadium, uncomfortable surroundings for a league that has branded itself as the second best in the world.The lack of crowds in Karachi, in stark contrast to the other three venues, has been a point of focus this tournament, but it’s been thrown into even sharper relief since Ramzan began earlier this week. It meant the games began at 9pm local time, finishing well past midnight to ensure there was enough of a gap following iftar at sunset.With all remaining games scheduled in Karachi, the possibility of knockout games – as well as the final – playing out in front of a largely empty stadium has worried those involved in the PSL, given how damaging it would be for the prestige of the tournament.No question of shifting remaining knockouts elsewhereESPNcricinfo spoke to a number of officials involved with the PSL who justified the playoffs being held in Karachi. “We have moved to a home and away format,” a senior official told ESPNcricinfo “and Karachi is home to the [Karachi] Kings and the [Quetta] Gladiators.”While Kings have been eliminated from the tournament, it is understood any possibility of moving any remaining games out of Karachi has been categorically ruled out. The logistical challenges of such a move have been deemed to be insurmountable. While changes to venues at short notice have been made in the past, most notably in 2019 when a flare-up in tensions between India and Pakistan resulted in the final tranche of games shifting from Lahore to Karachi, the PCB do not believe such a move is practical at given the tight window.Why haven’t more people shown up?An official acknowledged turnout was surprisingly low, but told ESPNcricinfo they expected a higher turnout at the remaining three games. Citing the popularity of Ramzan cricket in Karachi, they said “observing the first few fasts in Ramzan is tough”, and as spectators settle into a routine, they are likelier to be able to attend in larger numbers. However, it is unclear how significant a difference that makes given the next two games are on the consecutive days which immediately marked the first qualifier, and still very much within the first week of Ramzan. That they fall on the weekend, though, may make some difference.Is a Monday final the issue for PSL?But the most puzzling issue, and one about which official explanations have proved in short supply, concerns the day of the PSL final. Breaking with all previous tradition and standard procedure to ensure finals fall on the weekend, the PSL has a rest day this Sunday, with the final taking place on the following Monday – a working day – instead.Sources within the PSL’s organisation insisted there were multiple reasons for the unconventional scheduling. They cited a desire to accommodate maximum home games for all teams “without breaking momentum”, while also attempting to avoid back-to-back fixtures for one of the sides playing the final. There is a confident assumption within the PCB that interest in the PSL final can be taken for granted, regardless of the day, time, or city it is held in.The next three days will reveal how well-placed that confidence is.

The allrounder plundered his fifth T20I century then West Indies’ chase faltered with too many early wickets

Tristan Lavalette11-Feb-2024An unstoppable Glenn Maxwell equalled Rohit Sharma with a record fifth T20I century as Australia wrapped up the series after a comfortable victory over West Indies at the Adelaide Oval.Maxwell flattened a full-strength West Indies in perfect batting conditions with eight sixes and his unbeaten 120 runs off 55 balls was the second highest T20I score for a batter at No.4 or lower.Australia’s 241 for 4 was their highest on home soil and proved well beyond the reach of West Indies despite an attractive 63 from 36 balls from skipper Rovman Powell.Marcus Stoinis claimed three wickets, while left-arm quick Spencer Johnson, in his first home international, took 2 for 39 as Australia clinched the series following their 11-run game one victory at Bellerive Oval.There was late controversy when Alzarri Joseph was short of his ground attempting a tight single, but he remained at the crease after umpire Gerard Abood said there had been no appeal. Tim David insisted he had appealed as Australia remonstrated in heated scenes, but the incident ultimately didn’t affect the match’s outcome.The series has effectively started T20 World Cup preparations for both teams with the third and final game to be played in Perth on Tuesday.

Marsh dominates powerplay before Maxi magic

Josh Inglis started well in Hobart to kick-start the race over who will partner opener David Warner at the T20 World Cup. He hit 39 off 25 balls in the series-opener but couldn’t back up and fell for 4 in the second over.The dismissal brought captain Mitchell Marsh to the crease, who did not bat in the powerplay in game one and played having tested positive to Covid-19. He was feeling better and relished batting in the powerplay by blasting 29 off 12 balls.He smashed a first-ball boundary before unfurling his power with a six over backward point and another over the legside boundary. Attempting to maximise the powerplay, Marsh holed out in the sixth over and Australia soon fell to 64 for 3 when Warner was dismissed in the next over.Maxwell started slowly and should have been run out on 10 when wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran missed a shy at the stumps. He capitalised on the next delivery with an incredible sliced six over cover point off Romario Shepherd to ignite his innings.Maxwell completely dominated a half-century partnership with Stoinis and targeted Powell with a trio of boundaries, including a clever reverse sweep.He raced to his half-century off 25 balls before producing another inventive stroke with a switch hit for six off left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein. Maxwell notched an incredible century off 50 balls in the penultimate over of the innings to reach a second T20I ton in his last three innings.Rovman Powell gave West Indies a glimmer of hope•Getty Images

Joseph bowls rapidly, but West Indies fall away

Despite his attack conceding 213 for 7 at Bellerive Oval, Powell again decided to bowl but he bafflingly stuck first up with Hosein who was hit for six on the second delivery by a reverse swat from Warner.But their seamers had much better success against Warner, who had blasted 70 off 36 balls in Hobart, as they bowled a straighter line with Joseph producing swing and hitting speeds close to 150 kmh. A frustrated Warner groaned loudly when he fell to a slower Shepherd delivery, but West Indies were then monstered by Maxwell.With Maxwell in a mood, West Indies were made to look helpless and there probably wasn’t a lot they could do. But some of their tactics were head-scratching, including often not having a third man despite their strategy of bowling wide yorkers.

Hometown hero Johnson impresses

West Indies, of course, came out swinging and smashed 42 off the first over fours. That was despite Josh Hazlewood delivering a wicket-maiden in the second over as left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff’s tough series continued with his first two overs costing 31 runs.Johnson entered the attack in the fifth over and immediately started with a 143 kmh short delivery. Two balls later he had Pooran spooning to midwicket before nicking off Sherfane Rutherford with a line and length delivery that was more reminiscent of the longer formats.Having debuted for Australia late last year and then starring for BBL champions Brisbane Heat, Johnson is a bowler of considerable interest across formats and he might be in the frame for a T20 World Cup spot.

Dre Russ provides big hitting in vain

Andre Russell had only played one T20I in Australia before the series. He had been a fan favourite in the country due to the BBL, but only faced two deliveries in Hobart.Coming to the crease with West Indies at a forlorn 63 for 5, Russell started with three boundaries off Johnson. With no helmet or cap, he whacked legspinner Adam Zampa for six over deep midwicket before clubbing a short delivery from Stoinis into the second tier.But he succumbed to the short delivery later in the over to end an entertaining 37 off 16 balls. An overshadowed Powell then took over, but West Indies never threatened.

There might be a little over three months left for June’s Men’s T20 World Cup, but for Afghanistan and Sri Lanka that leaves just six competitive fixtures each before the start of the tournament – three of which will take place over the next week, starting on Saturday with the first T20I in Dambulla.This means that any flaws that crop up or game-plan tweaks that need doing take on added significance – essentially, this is the time to perfect your game, there’s not much time left for much else. And for Sri Lanka, team composition will likely take precedence.In the just-concluded ODIs a line-up featuring four frontline bowlers, six batters and Wanindu Hasaranga as a sole allrounder proved to be a winning combination. In T20s though, Sri Lanka have tended to favour more allrounders, with the likes of Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka and Dhananjaya de Silva capable with both bat and ball. With World Cup surfaces in the Caribbean and the USA likely to vary from batting friendly to sometimes slow and low, similar to subcontinental wickets, sides need to be prepared for any eventuality, something captain Hasaranga is cognisant off.”We saw in the ODIs that going in with just one allrounder worked. When we play on good wickets we can play like that. The batters have confidence when they know the wicket is good. In T20s also I would very much like to play like that,” he said on the eve of the first T20I. “Because I bowl four overs [along with his batting], there is also a line of thinking as to whether we need another bowling option or not.”So the plan largely depends on the type of wickets we’re playing on as well; the plan has to suit that. We need to be thinking about the World Cup coming up when playing these games.”Sri Lanka’s last two T20 World Cup outings have been underwhelming, plagued with injuries and general underperformance. While they won a T20 Asia Cup in between, inconsistency in the format has been a recurring theme. When everyone is fit though, Hasaranga is confident that Sri Lanka’s bowling attack in particular measures up with the best in the world.”If you look at world cricket, we’re one of the best teams in terms of bowling outfits. If you look at the rankings, myself and Maheesh [Theekshana] are in the top 10. Dushmantha Chameera was unlucky with his injury, otherwise he’d also be here. But in his place we have Binura [Fernando] who has come in, and there’s also Matheesha [Pathirana] and Nuwan Thushara. We know how good those two are. Dilshan Madushanka is also there.”In terms of bowlers we have quite a few options, so when we come to playing on good tracks – especially T20s – we need to see exactly how to bowl. We’ve bowled on good wickets before, so I think in T20s it’s from the bowlers that you’re going to win matches.”The types of wickets we’re going to play on at the World Cup, there’s a good chance we’ll play on similar wickets during these next six games. With that we’ll be aiming to figure out how we can win a game with our combination of bowlers.”As for Afghanistan, the upcoming World Cup is a chance to build on their growing reputation. Previous appearances have seen them notch up big scalps, while in last years ODI World Cup they registered wins against three former world champions on their way to securing qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy by virtue of finishing in the top eight.With arguably their best format, T20s, now in focus, they’re targeting their best performance yet in a major tournament.”I think lots of people before the World Cup [last year], they didn’t consider Afghanistan a strong side. But what we did, it was a good answer to anyone, especially those people that thought Afghanistan was only a T20 side,” said Afghanistan assistant coach Raees Ahmed. “But as a Full Member we’re working a lot, our players are working hard. The way we performed in the World Cup, we want to continue.”Most of our players are playing in different franchises around the world – we have eight or nine players playing the IPL – so this will help the team. I don’t think Afghanistan will be an easy side to face, I think we could be in the top four or five. Every team will think twice before playing Afghanistan in the World Cup.”An area that they will need to improve quickly though is in their fielding. Across the recent ODI series, Afghanistan were guilty of dropping a spate of catches – many of which in hindsight might have been game-defining.”This is the area that we should work harder in, if you want to beat the stronger sides. It will help the team and give it some nice momentum when you have a strong fielding side. Yes, this is the area that we should be working on a lot. Honestly, we’re far behind as a fielding side. But we have time, we will work on it, and we will cover that weakness.”

Government funding of £35m over five years can make “massive difference” to game’s accessibility

Matt Roller05-Apr-20240:42

UK Prime Minister Sunak gets bowled by young cricketer

James Anderson believes that the British government’s £35 million investment in grassroots cricket will “make a massive difference” to the sport’s profile and accessibility over the next five years.Rishi Sunak, the UK’s Prime Minister, announced a funding package at The Oval on Friday morning which Richard Thompson, ECB chair, described as a “seminal” step towards his ambition to make cricket “the most inclusive team sport in the country”. The ECB plans to build 16 “all-weather cricket domes” in cities across England by 2030.”Cricket [in England] has never had an investment of this size before from government,” Thompson said. “A million children that would never have had the chance to play cricket will now get that chance… that is frankly outstanding. [We] hope that will really develop into something bigger and make schools even more committed to cricket because we’re going to be providing the coaching, the facilities and the equipment.”Related

Government funds £1.5million all-weather domes in Luton and Lancashire

ECB to train teachers as coaches to boost cricket in secondary schools

Ebony Rainford-Brent targets 2030 in ACE's long road to representation

The ECB has already funded a prototype dome in Bradford, which opened last year, and plans to launch two more in Walsall and Luton before the end of this summer. “When the government invests this amount of money, they need to invest in something they know works – and this works,” Thompson said.The funding package also includes investment into the ECB’s partnerships with charities Chance to Shine, the Lord’s Taverners and the ACE Programme, which have an emphasis on engaging children from lower socio-economic groups, those with special educational needs and disabilities, and the black community respectively.”If we can get a bat and ball in people’s hands early enough, and you’ve got the facilities there, then you hope they enter a pathway,” Thompson said. “We’ll work into a hub-spoke model so you’ve got a school, a dome, local clubs – everything will be linked back into local clubs as well – so it’s a bit more joined-up, more coordination.”Things aren’t happening in isolation… my ambition for cricket is to become the most inclusive team sport in the country: you can’t do that if you’ve not been playing at state schools. Take Jimmy, as the best example: if Jimmy’s dad hadn’t played cricket, he probably wouldn’t have played. That shouldn’t be the case.”Anderson, who is part of the ECB’s state-school taskforce, said: “Being in a dressing room of very few state-school players, this could just make a huge difference. I would have loved the chance to play more at school. I know my mates who showed an interest in it would have liked access to the equipment and to have played more – but we just didn’t.”UK prime minister Rishi Sunak plays indoor cricket at The Oval•PA Photos/Getty Images

Only around 6% of schoolchildren in the UK attend fee-paying schools, but more than half of the contracted England men’s players for 2023-24 did so at some stage in their education – some after winning cricket scholarships. Anderson attended his local state school in Burnley, and started playing the sport thanks to his father Mick’s passion for it.”My experience of getting into cricket was basically through my dad,” he said. “Getting into the county set-up was a bit of my mate’s mum telling the coach to have a look at me, and stuff like that. So it was a lot of luck involved to get where I’ve got to. I think anything we can do to make those steps easier is important.”Anderson said that cricket facilities at his school were “non-existent” with “no access” to the sport. “I actually had to ask my dad to ask our cricket club to cut a pitch on the outfield to help us play one or two games a year, because we just didn’t have the facilities at all. We had a shale-type athletics track, then a couple of grass football pitches – but that was literally it.”There’s always been a big number of privately-educated players in the [England] changing room. We talk a lot about trying to make the game inclusive and diverse and if you don’t give kids a chance to play at school, then it’s not making it inclusive or diverse. That is what this is going to help; it’s going to make a massive difference.”But also, I love playing the game – and this isn’t all about getting the next generation of England cricketers. It’s also just about getting people to experience this sport, which teaches you so much as a person: teamwork, communication, and so many other skills that will benefit you in life.”The funding is linked to England’s hosting of the women’s and men’s T20 World Cups in 2026 and 2030 respectively, events which Thompson hopes can help cricket to further grow its profile. “Football suffocates everything,” he said. “We have to double down on the fact that cricket is England’s summer sport and do everything we can to enable that to be the case.

RCB’s overseas batters haven’t fired and they are up against a bowling attack with a superb powerplay and death-over record this season

Karthik Krishnaswamy05-Apr-20242:36

McClenaghan: Royals arguably have best bowling combination this IPL

Match detailsRajasthan Royals (RR) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Jaipur, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)Big picture – RCB stars looking for spark New season, newish team name, same old problems. Four games into IPL 2024, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have just one win. The top quarter of their line-up is full of superstars, but most of them are yet to fire, which has put immense pressure on the not-quite-superstars who make up the rest of their batting. The bowling has been, well, RCB.Rajasthan Royals have a pair of not-quite-firing superstars too, right at the top of their line-up, but that hasn’t impacted their results so far, with their opening three games bringing them three wins. How good could the Royals be, then, if Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler begin scoring runs?Equally, though, it may take just one of Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green to find form for RCB’s campaign to spark to life. It’s still early days in IPL 2024, and you only have to go back to last season to know that a good start is only a start. Royals began with four wins in their first five games, and RCB with two wins in five, but by the end of the league stage both teams had the same points and similar net run rates.There’s a long way to go, then, but RCB will know that a turnaround, if there is to be one, will need to begin soon.Form guideRoyals WWW (most recent match first)
RCB LLWL1:59

Moody on Maxwell: ‘You need to allow the free spirit to be free’

Team news and Impact Player strategyRajasthan Royals
Sandeep Sharma missed Royals’ last match, away in Mumbai, with a niggle. If he’s fit again, expect him to slot back, with Nandre Burger slipping back into the Impact Player rotation alongside the likes of Rovman Powell and Shubham Dube. Royals like to use their substitute depending on match situation rather than in a wholly toss-dependent way, and ideally like to have six full-time bowling options whenever possible.Likely XII 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Dhruv Jurel, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Trent Boult, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 Royal Challengers Bangalore
Since making an impressive 25-ball 48 in the season opener in Chennai, Anuj Rawat has scored 25 off 48 balls across his next three innings. There is a chance RCB might leave him out on Saturday and hand the keeping gloves back to Dinesh Karthik. It could allow them to start Mahipal Lomror instead of using him as an Impact Player, and give the middle-order batter Suyash Prabhudessai or the allrounder Manoj Bhandage a look-in. There could be a temptation to try and bring Will Jacks into the mix too, but RCB may find it hard to fit him in unless they leave out their big-money trade signing Cameron Green.Likely XII 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis (capt), 3 Rajat Patidar, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Cameron Green, 6 , 7 Mahipal Lomror, 8 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 9 Mayank Dagar, 10 Reece Topley, 11 Mohammed Siraj, 12 Yash Dayal.In the spotlight: Shimron Hetmyer and Dinesh KarthikHe has one of the most specialised batting roles in the IPL, to the extent that R Ashwin routinely bats ahead of him if Royals feel the ideal entry point for their death-overs hitter hasn’t yet arrived. Consequently, IPL 2024 has seen very little of Shimron Hetmyer so far. He’s batted only twice in their first three games, and one of his innings was an unbeaten 14 off seven balls. And when Royals bring in a bowler as Impact sub, it’s usually Hetmyer who makes way. If he makes an appearance in his designated role on Saturday, he’ll be up against an RCB attack that has an economy rate of 11.30 in the death overs this season, while picking up just four wickets in that phase in four games.2:39

Jaffer: Green has to bat at No.3 and Rawat at 4

For RCB, Dinesh Karthik plays a similar role to Hetmyer, his entry point is often delayed so he can bat at the death. Royals are aware of this, and also of Karthik’s preference for batting against pace. Karthik is particularly averse to batting against legspin, and doesn’t have a great record against Yuzvendra Chahal. In all their IPL meetings, Chahal has bowled 51 balls to Karthik and conceded only 47 runs while dismissing him three times. Chahal is happy to bowl at the death, and Royals are happy to keep two of his overs for that phase whenever they’re up against RCB and Karthik. Chahal bowled the 17th and 19th overs in both meetings between these sides last season, picking up 2 for 11 in that mini-spell in Bengaluru, where he got to bowl to Karthik, and 0 for 22 in Jaipur, where he didn’t.Stats that matter RCB did the double over Royals in IPL 2023, beating them by seven runs in Bengaluru and walloping them by 112 runs in Jaipur, where Royals were bowled out for 59. Jaipur is the scene of one of Virat Kohli’s most jaw-dropping international innings, an unbeaten 52-ball 100 against Australia in a landmark ODI chase in 2013, but it hasn’t been a happy venue for him in the IPL. In eight innings here, he’s yet to score a half-century, and he averages 21.28 while striking at less than a run a ball. Of all venues where he’s batted at least eight times in the IPL, he has the worst average in Jaipur. Du Plessis, Maxwell and Green have scored 159 runs between them so far this season at an average of 13.25 and a strike rate of 119.5. Royals have by far the best death-overs economy rate (7.41) of any team in IPL 2024 so far, with Lucknow Super Giants a distant second best at 9.60. Royals also have the second-best powerplay economy rate (8.44) of all teams behind Chennai Super Kings (8.16), while taking more wickets (9) in that phase than any other team. Any Royals-RCB game is an opportunity to bring up Kohli vs Sandeep Sharma. In 15 IPL meetings, Kohli has scored 87 off 67 balls from Sandeep while being dismissed seven times. No bowler has dismissed Kohli as often, with Ashish Nehra in second place with six dismissals.Pitch and conditionsRoyals have won both their home games so far, batting first both times and defending totals of 193 and 185. The chasing team was in with a good chance in both games, so the Sawai Mansingh Stadium isn’t necessarily a bat-first ground, though the large outfield and relative lack of dew do tend to even things up for the team bowling second.

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta was full of praise for teenage sensation Max Dowman after the 15-year-old delivered a standout display in a pre-season win over Newcastle. Dowman won a penalty and impressed with his pace and confidence, leaving fans and coaches stunned. Arteta labelled the youngster’s impact as 'special' after a strong outing at the Singapore National Stadium.

• Dowman won penalty, dazzled in pre-season against Newcastle
• Arteta praises “special” performance by 15-year-old talent
• Youngster quickly becoming one to watch at Arsenal

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Dowman was introduced in the second half and quickly made his presence felt against Newcastle in Singapore as the 15-year-old drew a foul from Joelinton to win a penalty, showing maturity and fearlessness well beyond his years. He also came close to scoring after a dazzling solo run that nearly ended in a spectacular goal, and Gunners boss Arteta has heavily praised the teenager.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  WHAT ARTETA SAID

  Speaking to the media, Arteta said: "Yeah, it is special. Obviously, what he's done today against this team in the time that he had on the pitch is something certainly not common to witness for a 15-year-old. We are extremely happy to have him.

  "I think again the environment that he's around in, his family, the people at the club and around the academy as well, super helpful because they put him into this position so early in his journey, having a real chance and a real presence when he plays for the first time."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Dowman is quickly emerging as one of Arsenal’s most exciting Hale End prospects. His inclusion was a rare exception in Arteta’s typically senior-focused pre-season squad, but one that has paid off. Arsenal fans are already buzzing about what the future could hold for the fearless 15-year-old.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR DOWMAN?

  Arsenal are up against their North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, next at Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong, and it is possible that Dowman could be afforded his first senior start for the Gunners. In the main part of the season, however, it is unlikely that we will see a lot of the 15-year-old in the first team.

Statistical highlights, South Africa v Australia, 2nd ODI, Cape Town

Kanishkaa Balachandran04-Mar-2006

From Benaud’s brilliance to Harbhajan’s humdingers, Australia and India have engaged in some fearsome tussles over the past five decades

By Siddhartha Vaidyanathan07-Jul-2005

Neil Harvey of Australia hits out© Getty Images
1956-57
Australia arrived for the first-ever Test series in 1956 on a demoralised note, after being “Lakered” in the Ashes and “Fazalled” by Pakistan in the one-off Test at Karachi. However, Ian Johnson’s Australia dominated the three Tests. Richie Benaud set the tone in the first innings of the first Test at Madras, as his 7 for 72 spun India out for 161. Benaud snapped up 23 wickets in the three Tests and the Australian batsmen, especially Neil Harvey, didn’t have too many problems against the spin trio of Subhash Gupte, Vinoo Mankad and Ghulam Ahmed. SK Gurunathan summed it up in the where he wrote, “The Australians showed themselves to be a superior side even when their batting failed.”1959-60
Arriving as captain this time, Benaud carried on from where he had left off in 1956, and his 8 for 76 in the first Test at Delhi (including 3 for 0 in the first innings) engineered the crushing victory. His ally in the mission, which Australia won 2-1, was the left-arm fast bowler Alan Davidson, who finished with 29 wickets in the five Tests. However, Davidson’s most successful haul (12 for 124) came in a losing cause at Kanpur as India managed to pull off their first win over Australia. Jasu Patel, an unheralded offspinner with a jerky action, conjured up this completely unexpected win with 14 for 124 in the match, including 9 for 69 in the first innings. Jasu, though, turned out to be a one-Test wonder and the final match of the series, at Calcutta, was his last.1964-65
Bobby Simpson’s men had just retained the Ashes and were odds-on favourites to win the three-Test rubber. But under Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, India were slowly acquiring some steel, which came to the fore in the first Test at Madras. After Australia were bowled out for 211 on the first day, Graham McKenzie had reduced India to 76 for 5. That was when Pataudi (128) and Chandu Borde shared a crucial partnership of 142, which meant that India took a first-innings lead for the first time in a Test against Australia. Despite losing at Madras, India clinched a thriller in the second Test at Bombay when Borde held his nerve with only the tailenders for support. The third Test was drawn, and as Mihir Bose wrote in , “There was a real belief that, under Pataudi, India had begun to turn the corner.”1969-70
The wheel had turned a full circle for Pataudi, by the time Bill Lawry’s Australia arrived for the five-Test series. India were undone by the wiles of Ashley Mallett, the offspinner, while Ian Chappell enjoyed a great series with the bat. India were crushed in the first Test at Bombay – only their second defeat there – and the series was sealed with Australian wins in the last two matches. India’s only consolation was the win at Delhi. On a dustbowl where 31 wickets fell on the first three days, India comfortably chased down 181 on the fourth day with Ajit Wadekar leading the way with an unbeaten 91.1979-80
Depleted owing to the absence of the World Series Cricket players, Australia didn’t pose too much of a challenge in a series dominated by the Indian batsmen. Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Viswanath piled up two centuries each, while Kapil Dev’s 28 wickets produced the crucial breakthroughs at the top. India also found two matchwinning spinners in that series with Dilip Doshi, the left-armer, and Shivlal Yadav, the offspinner, picking up 51 wickets between them. Kim Hughes and Allan Border enjoyed good runs with the bat but, most importantly, as Border was to write later: “This trip to India had been the first true test of my character as a cricketer.”1986-87
Border came back in 1986 with a young team that displayed a lot of character, as exemplified by Dean Jones’s epic innings in an energy-sapping cauldron at Madras. A dehydrated Jones had to fight acute bouts of vomiting, leg and stomach cramps on his way to 210 as Australia piled up 574. Leading by 347 at the end of the fourth day, Border decided to declare overnight and set India a challenging target, which Gavaskar duly went after. At 331 for 6, India were almost there but Ray Bright snapped up three quick wickets before Greg Matthews had the last man, Maninder Singh, adjudged lbw when the scores were level to bring about only the second tie in Test cricket. The next two Tests were drawn, but Australia had greatly benefited from the experience, as was evidenced soon after in their World Cup triumph.

Harbhajan Singh on song again in 2001© Getty Images
1996-97
The one-off Test at Delhi marked the institution of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Nayan Mongia notched up his only Test hundred, a fine 152 on a turner, as a Warne-less Australia struggled. Their batsmen also realised why India were such a hard team to beat at home as Anil Kumble, as he did so often in the ’90s, got to work.1997-98
If 1996 had given the Australian batsmen a sneak preview of Kumble’s destructive ability, 1998 was a gory trilogy. With 23 wickets in three Tests, Kumble ensured that India maintained their fantastic record at home, and he was an unstoppable force when bowling with a huge total to back him up. Australia had their moments, though. They led in the first innings of the first Test, until a stunning 155 not out from Sachin Tendulkar snuffed out all hope. And Michael Kasprowicz fashioned an emphatic win at Bangalore, but by then the series was long gone. In the same Test, an 18-year-old named Harbhajan Singh made his debut.2000-01
Harbhajan spun India to arguably the most incredible series victory of all time. Australia wrapped up the first Test in three days, with Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist smashing counter-attacking hundreds, and India slumped further in the second Test at Kolkata when they were made to follow on. That was when VVS Laxman, as if in a trance, scripted a fantastic 281 and along with Rahul Dravid (180) put India in an impregnable position. Harbhajan, who had taken a hat-trick in the first innings, took 6 for 73 in the second and India had conjured up a win from strands of straw. Harbhajan took 15 wickets in the third Test, and India scraped home to a nailbiting two-wicket win despite Hayden’s double-century.

Greg Chappell speaks up on a range of issues

Dileep Premachandran at Johannesburg19-Dec-2006

.Was the decision to bat first, in some ways, an Australian one? An attempt
to take the bull by the horns, so to speak?It was Rahul’s decision. You give up a huge advantage if you don’t bat
first when you win the toss. The state the pitch was in, it was a real
lottery. I think it took a lot of courage for Rahul [Dravid] to take that
decision. Sachin’s 44 and the 60-odd partnership with Rahul was very very
important in the scheme of things. Had we lost those guys early, a hundred
might have been hard for us.Do you think this could be a turning point after a few rough months?Who knows? It’s certainly a big confidence builder. As I’ve said a number
of times in the past, the truth is somewhere in between two extremes. We
haven’t been as bad as we’ve looked in recent times, nor were we as good
as we looked when we won 18 out of 22, or whatever it was. It’s amazing
what confidence can do on the one hand, and what lack of confidence can do
on the other. We didn’t bat well in the one-dayers. We batted very well in this game in difficult conditions. The hard work that the boys have put in over the
past few months on their batting is starting to show results.After all the criticism of the processes in place, does this ease pressure
on the team management?It certainly stops or slows down the discussion. All through it, we had
confidence that what we were doing was correct, and what we had to do. All
we could do was stick with that thought-process. Even after the one-day drubbing, the team spirit didn’t go down.I think that’s been the most pleasing thing. Not only on this tour, but in
the West Indies. We had a disappointment in the one-dayers and the spirit
remained strong there as it had done in Pakistan before that, after losing
a tough Test series and the first one-dayer on a Duckworth-Lewis decision.
There’s some real resilience in the group, as there is in India. The
battle for survival in India is such that one thing you do learn is
resilience. These boys have got plenty of it.Dravid talked yesterday about the involvement of the senior players. How
did they help?For any team to be a good team, you need a strong leadership group. The
important thing on this tour was that when we got to Potchefstroom, the
management sat down and had a look at where we were at. One of the main
things that needed to happen was that everything from that point onwards
had to come from the playing group. It couldn’t come from the coaching
group. We had done pretty much whatever we could do.
They had a team meeting on their own, without the coaching staff, and
talked about getting together and being stronger as a group. They started
each day with a 20-minute session, with one player taking responsibility
for it. All of that has really made a difference. It’s kept the group
together. The win in Potch was important but that in itself wasn’t the
turning point. The discussion that Rahul had with his senior players,
about sharing the workload and mentoring and all the other things that
good teams do, has been the icing on the cake.Is that a very Australian thing, the idea of mentoring and having
leadership groups?It’s certainly an Australian thing but it’s also a success thing. Whether
it’s a sporting group or one from another sphere, there’s a strong
leadership group. That’s something that we perhaps didn’t have as
well-defined as it needed to be. What I was seeing was Rahul taking on too
much responsibility, more than one person could possibly hope to be able
to handle. He was taking on not only too much of the physical
responsibility but the emotional responsibility as well. You’ve got to
share it around. I defy any team to be strong without a strong leadership
group on the field.To be fair, we’re no closer to the game than you are once it starts. We
see them come back into the dressing room at breaks and things like that,
but are still far way from the action. The decisions and the recognition
of the key moments in a day’s play, key moments in a game, have to be done
on the field. It can’t be recognised in the dressing room, or it’s too
late. That’s something we’ve worked hard on over the last six months,
trying to get Rahul and the senior group to understand.Some of them have had their own problems in recent times, that’s probably
taken up their time and mental space. I think Potch was the turning point,
where Rahul was able to impress upon them the need for all of them to take
up responsibility. We’ve got small groups within the team. We meet from
time to time. We also need to build leadership within the middle group and
the younger group. In time they’re going to be leaders and senior players.

You talked about senior players and mentoring. Did you ever expect though
that a guy playing his sixth Test would go out and blow the game open for
you?We recognised some things in Sree [Sreesanth] last year and we felt that he had what
it took to do that sort of thing. But realistically, you don’t expect it
to happen in the sixth or seventh Test match. You might expect one spell
here or there, or one day here and there, but to do it for
three-and-a-half days.It was a collective effort too, wasn’t it? Your three pace bowlers
together had 49 Test caps, while [Shaun] Pollock alone had more than 100.Everyone starts from somewhere. Everyone at some stage or another is a
novice. What we recognised many months ago was that you need certain types
of bowlers to have a good bowling attack, particularly in Test cricket. It
has to have variety, can’t be all bowlers of one type. We looked at
what we had in Pakistan last year when three left-armers all bowled
similarly. That’s not going to work. It never has and it never will.
You need height, you need swing, you need angles. It’s as much about
angles as it is about pace or swing. Pace on its own is not the answer in
Test cricket. Good players can handle pace. What they find more difficult
is variety. When a bowler comes on, he’s got a window of opportunity of a
few overs. After that, good players adjust to it. It’s no good coming on
and taking three overs to warm up because by that stage, they’d work out
what you do and be ready for it.We needed guys who had the physical and mental capabilities to be able to
handle the stress of international cricket. Sree, remarkably, in one of
his first Tests in the West Indies bowled 30 overs in a game for the first
time in his life. Now, what we’re asking these boys to do, and they’re
boys, is to do a man’s job. And he did it as well as any man could do it
in this Test.The tough thing will be to back up and do it again because the emotional
and physical strain is huge. He had diarrhoea yesterday and I’m sure that
it was as much from the emotional strain than anything he might have
eaten. It’s a huge thing to keep going, day after day, game after game.
These guys don’t have the grounding in domestic cricket. We’ve thrown them
in at the deep end, but in a way that it gives them the chance to succeed.
We’ve tried not to overload them, tried not to ask them to do too much.
Because you can lose them very quickly if you do.We’ve got Munaf at the moment who’s out with a foot injury. We’ve got to
be very careful with him because he’s probably the most experienced of the
young bowlers because he’s played more domestic cricket. Not only have
they played only 49 Tests, but they’ve played less than 100 first-class
games between them.There’s no doubt in my mind that we won that series in the West Indies
because of the bowlers as much as because of the batting. We tried to find
three or four guys – if you can find six, it’s even better – and we need
back-up because you won’t always get through without injury. It happened
to [Dale] Steyn in this game, Munaf is injured, and each of our guys has
been injured at some stage or the other. The more stress you put on them,
the more likely that they’ll break down. It’s a hell of a thing to try and
manage, and see them do what they’re doing is well worth it.
Munaf in the West Indies was fabulous. VRV came to the West Indies to get
experience and ended up playing two Tests. And he didn’t let us down. He
didn’t let us down in this game. He had a couple of overs at the end that
were disappointing, but again, it’s a hell of a strain for a 20-year-old
with the little preparation that he’s had for it.

Wasn’t Sehwag doing the job required of a vice-captain in the early part
of the tour?He was doing his job, but it’s not just two people. You need four or five.
I can’t comment on the Sehwag thing as far as the selectors’ choice to
change the vice-captain is concerned.What has Sreesanth done so that he was a changed bowler in the Test match?What he’s understood for the moment, and hopefully for ever more, is that
it’s not about how fast you bowl or how much aggression you show, it’s
about how consistently you can put the ball in the right areas. The lesson
he’s learnt, which every bowler has to, is that if you’re running up
trying to take a wicket every ball, you’re not going to be successful.
It’s not about bowling magic balls. It’s about bowling good balls, good
overs, good spells. That’s what he did in this Test. He bowled good ball
after good ball.All of the experts kept commenting on the seam position and how well it
came out. I’ve never seen anyone do that as consistently. It was
remarkable how well the seam came out every time. The good bowlers do that
consistently over periods, and probably three or four times in an over.
He was doing it six times an over, time after time after time.
He may not always do that, but the lesson he’s hopefully learnt is to
resist the pressure that will come on him from all parts, his own
expectations as well as that of others.We’ve been working with him on this since the day he started. It’s not
about running in and bowling magic balls, it’s about bowling consistently
well. It’s a lesson that Munaf learnt very quickly in the West Indies. We
explained to him what good fast bowling is all about and he took it on
board. I don’t think there was any language problem. He was able to do it
very quickly. That’s a tremendous skill in itself.The conversation that Sree had with Allan Donald, the beauty of that was
that what Allan talked to him about was thought processes, rather than
physical processes. It’s all very well to understand mechanics but the
engine of the mechanics is the brain. Your technique will vary depending
on what you’re thinking about. What Sree understood in this game was that
he had to try and bowl good ball after good ball in a particular area.Where do we stand on Sourav Ganguly? Your relationship with him, Dravid’s relationship with him.Everyone’s relationship with him is fine. Sourav made some comments in the
team meeting the other day, about how the last 10 months has been a great
learning experience. To be fair, he probably needed time away to reassess
his own cricket, and also no longer being captain – Rahul having time to
take over that role. The thing that so few people want to understand is
that from my point of view, there was nothing personal.The discipline that a good team requires is that everyone needs to be on
the same page and working in the same direction. Zaheer Khan went through
a similar thing and he’s come back. We had a discussion yesterday after
the game, and he believes that he had to go through that to come back to
where he is now. Sourav’s in the same boat. He’s got a lot to offer. And
we saw some of it in this Test match.Hopefully, from this point, we can go forward without this cloud hanging
over the head of the personalities involved. It’s not about Greg
Chappell or Sourav Ganguly; it’s about Indian cricket. And it’s about what
a successful team needs to do. And if he does the things we saw from him
in this game, he can have a long stint. Most of us have been cautious about what we say, for fear of it being distorted.With Ganguly, you gave an honest opinion (in Zimbabwe). Time to give a
similar opinion to Sehwag?I don’t intend to do my coaching through the media. Virender and I have
got an ongoing dialogue all the time, as with all the players.Were you a little uncomfortable that with Sourav coming here, all the
attention would be on what you and Sourav, on every little glance or
gesture instead of being on the team and what it did?It was definitely a volatile situation, there’s no doubt about it, because
of the emotion that was surrounding the whole thing. It was always going
to be an interesting period. I would like to think that both of us would
be professional enough for this to go through reasonably smoothly.
Internally, it’s been very smooth. Only he can speak on his behalf.He feels he’s very comfortable. And I’m very comfortable.What kind of role did the seniors play in facilitating Ganguly’s comeback?The players have been most welcoming and supportive and it’s been a
difficult time for everyone I suppose; it was never going to be easy for
Sourav but I think the fact that he had some good support from the playing
group, not just the senior players, the junior players too were very
supportive. He is a world-recognised and well-credentialed Indian player
from within the playing group and that has hopefully helped make the
transition for him very smooth.Is it pleasing for you to see how he has batted?
I felt when we talked back in Zimbabwe, he had a lot to offer as
a batsmen. The difficulty was that he was at a stage from the captaincy
point of view that was taking up a lot of mental space that he needed for
the batting and, as I said, he made a comment at the team meeting the other
day that he’d learnt a lot. That there’s more to life than just cricket.We had a session where we got everyone to talk about two or three
different things that were going to be important for the Test series, let
alone this match. Sourav’s comments were along the lines of courageous,
gutsy play and I think it was Sachin that asked him what he meant by
courageous, gusty play and he talked about how, in these 10 months or so,
whatever it is that he’s been away, he’s been able to reassess a lot of
things and cricket’s not the most important and only thing in life and
this has taken the pressure off him from a batting point of view. That
every inning is not the most important thing in life and it’s given him
the chance to be a little more relaxed about his approach to batting.
These were the things we talked about many months ago in Zimbabwe, and I
think he’d have to speak for himself though.But we thought every innings was important for him now.
Yes, it is, up to a degree it is important for everyone. But if you bat as
if every innings is your last, you’re not going to bat with freedom. And I
think we saw some freedom from Sourav in this innings, in this game, that
perhaps he’s not had in his batting for a long time. These were some of
the things we talked about.Does he look a different batsman from the one of 10 months ago?
Certainly mentally he’s a different batsman, there’s no doubt about this.
He’s always been a strong character. I mean, we’ve seen from him in the
time he’s been out of the team that he’s got a will and a desire to play
for India that is very strong. It showed through in Potchefstroom and it
showed through in this Test match.Mike Hussey has a brilliant record over the past couple of years. But he
said he goes out and plays every innings like it’s his last. He seems
pretty relaxed.

There are fine lines between the thought processes and I’m sure he doesn’t see it as his last in the sense of if he fails. What I think he’s talking
about and I know Michael a little bit and I’ve had some discussions with
him about batting over the years, he’s talking about making the most of
it. He’s come into Test cricket late in life as far as cricketers are
concerned and what he’s saying is to go on and make the most of it, make
it count rather than bat as if this could be my last chance and if I get
out, I’m in trouble. If you bat like that, the second version, you’re in
serious trouble.The team has obviously won just one Test but does that give a different
perspective to the way you look at the one-day team? Is it time to re-look
that?
I think we’re always reviewing the situation and we want the best team we
can possibly have for both forms of the game. There are slightly different
requirements for Test cricket rather than one-day cricket. So what works
for the Test team doesn’t necessarily work for the one-day team but I
think it at least gives us some options for things to think about and
consider. We still have 90 days, 80-odd days to the end of the World Cup, I don’t
know what it is to the start of the World Cup. It’s not long but I think we still
have time, two series back in India. I still feel, as I did many months
ago, that we have the bulk of our 15-man squad in place. As with most
selections, it’s the last two or three that come under the most
discussion. Every time you sit down to pick a team, you got seven. It’s
the last three or four that the discussion is about and I’m sure that will
still be the case.

How do you react to criticism? Do you take it badly?
Well, about the same as everyone else. I don’t like it any more than
anyone else does. But worrying about it is not going to change it nor help
me do my job. There are certain things I understand that are important in
what I do and I can’t expect everyone to agree with it or understand it.
So criticism, it depends where it’s from, there are some people I am more
likely to take note of their critical comment than others. For fear of any
lawsuits I won’t make any comment about which direction they might be from
but some people I worry about more than others. But I’m like anyone else,
I don’t like to be criticized, I would much prefer that everyone loved me
but I know they won’t. So let’s just get on with it and accept it.You had been pretty emphatic about non-negotiable things in one-dayers.
You had talked for instance, about the fielding. But has that changed, in
the face of experience? Would you compromise?
I think at all stages in life you have to be prepared to compromise and
yes, I would be prepared to compromise. I mean runs and wickets are more
important than the runs you can save on the field but there is still a
balance that I think is non-negotiable and I think its trying to get that
balance that is the most difficult thing. And as I’ve said many times
before, its not just about my vision, there are seven of us involved in
selecting teams, five actually make the selections. I’ll certainly give my
views very strongly but at the end of the day, I’m the coach. What they
give me I have to work with and I’m happy to work with. I don’t know how
many players have been through the group in the time I’ve been here, maybe
as many as 30 and there’s not one of them I wouldn’t work with, so I’ll
take whatever we’re given. But being the person I am and probably, being
Australian, I’ll always have strong views and I’ll make those views heard.
Then I just accept what comes.You said it gives you a few more options, are you willing to experiment
with those options in the eight games left?
I think we have to look at what those options are and we have to face
reality. At the end of the day, we’ve got to give ourselves the habit of winning, of
performing well in the World Cup. I don’t want to talk about wining the
World Cup as that’s a pie in the sky and even the best team in the world
arriving at the World Cup is not guaranteed to win it. I think a realistic
goal is to get to the semi-finals and then it’s a new series. Anyone can
win it from there. That’s what we have to aim for and go there with the
team that gives us the best chance to do that. I’m the last person that is
going to stand on a philosophical argument that gives us less chance to do
that.

What kind of pressure were you under after the one-day series loss and the
Champions Trophy loss? Did you feel at any stage feel, to hell with it
all?
To answer the first part, I was frustrated, disappointed, even dejected at
stages, all of those emotions came to the fore. But I don’t have the
luxury of being able to think like that for very long. You got to face
realities and get down to what needs to be done, keep looking at the
things that we can do with what we got in the situation we’re in. Shuffle
the deck chairs on the Titanic is occasionally what you have to do.There were days as captain that I had no clue but the minute you showed
that you had no clue left, you were gone. Because that sort of emotional
state is contagious. And as coach I can’t afford to display that, I can do
it behind closed doors, I can scream and shout when I’m on my own but I
can’t do that when I’m around the team. Again, within reason we had the
best possible group we could get and to throw the baby out with the
bathwater was not an option. You can’t just say you got to get rid of
these guys and bring in some new because I don’t know that we have those options. It’s a matter of trying to get the best out of the group
we’ve got because within reason, this is the best group that we’ve got.To go to the World Cup, we’re talking about one-day cricket. We had to work out
these options, work on different aspects of our game, individuals and
collectively. Those of you that have been around may have noticed how hard
some of the guys have worked in certain areas and not least of all, the
support staff and coaching staff. Ian Frazer and Greg King especially have
put in some seriously long hours, to be available for the guys, to do
whatever’s needed to be done and I would like to think that even in a few
months time, we will look back at this period and say this was the best
thing that happened to us. That in this period, we were forced to address
things that we would probably need to address anyway and we were
forced to address that at this point now, with enough time left to make a
difference. Maybe this could be the secret ingredient that does make a
difference when we get to a World Cup and we are in a tight position, a
tight game – the fact that the guys have been in some tough periods,
individually and collectively and have had to delve into the depths of
their emotions and reserves might stand in good stead when we come to
say a semi-final match or if it’s a close game.Which day was the most disappointing one? You looked very upset when you came for the press conference at Centurion.
That was another issue involved .. very little to do with the game. Nothing to do with the media manager.

You’re a forceful personality. Do you think some players have been unable
to come to you with their problems because they find you intimidating?
I am sure that happens. That’s why you have different persons and the
coaching and support staff within the group, players, and not only seniors, to
collect feedback and sometime carry messages. Sometimes I am the wrong
person, the worst person to carry the message to the player, not because
it’s me but that’s true with any coach. Everyone has different
personalities. Some people relate to me better while I relate better with
others. That’s the way it is. You rely on different methods and techniques
to get the message across.There are some players, I won’t mention names. I have no problems going to with certain players with a strong message because I know they can take it and be able to do with it. I know there are some who can’t take it. So I have to get the message in a slightly different way. Maybe through another person. That is one of the reasons why I insisted on having Ian
Frazer with me from the start because he’s a very different personality
than me. We believe in the same philosophies and I know he’s not going to
take mixed messages into the group, and you get conflicting messages
going into the group and Ian is not as intimidating to some people as I
can be. And for that reason, he has been a very important part of getting
the messages through to the group.Greg King is another one, John Gloster, Ramki. [Ramesh] Mane is a very important part of our support staff because he is the one that spends most of the time with them. And he is with them often in their down moments. They come to see him when they are down, mentally and emotionally down. He is massaging their minds as much as he is massaging their bodies. And he is a very important part of our support staff because
he does carry messages through, not in the sense of a secret agent, but he
is able to carry the message in a much softer and meaningful way than I
can. Because he can talk to them in their own language for a start. He can
understand their emotions much better than someone else, particularly an
outsider, can do. So, coaching is not about one person and one personality
and it can never be. And if it was, if one person was expected to do it
all, it would fail.

Do you think Rahul has the same problem?
Whether we like it or not we (captain and coach) are perceived to be a
part of the selection process. And so there’s always going to be some
diffidence in coming up and opening up to the coach and the captain. And
that’s why a strong leadership group is absolutely critical. Because they
got to have an avenue somewhere. To be able to come to the captain or
coach. Forget the names attached to it, you got to have an avenue to get
their voice heard or get their message across or find out what’s going on.And that’s again where the small groups we have is very important. It
gives each player a chance to speak up without the captain there, or
without the coach there. They have their own meetings as well and it’s
important that they do so because if somebody is struggling to be heard or
to get a message through, it’s going to affect the way they play. And that’s
why you can’t just have one person. There’s got to be a group of people.
And the leadership within the team group is absolutely critical to the
long-term success and the ongoing success of a team. You guys understand
Indian culture much better than I do. It’s all about the elders and
seniors and people in responsibility who have to be listened to, no matter what.
I don’t claim to own all the wisdom about cricket. I have been wrong, not
often, but I have been wrong. But the players need a voice, they need an
avenue, they need to be heard, they need to be understood. And one person
can’t always be guaranteed to do that.Who are there in this senior group?
Rahul, Sachin, Laxman, Sehwag, Sourav, Harbhajan. In little ways, there are
leaderships within their own groups. There are two or three players who
may relate to each other better than they might relate to another two or
three players. Within each one of those cells, they are leaders. They are
the ones who carry messages to us. And they don’t always come directly
either. They can come through Mane, they can come through Ramki, they can
come through Frazer. They can come through one of the other players.
It’s not a single-lane highway, this communication thing.

Andrew White, the Ireland allrounder, speaks to Cricinfo about trying to be a professional in an amateur game

Andrew McGlashan26-Jun-2007

Jig of delight: Andrew White celebrates Ireland’s tie against Zimbabwe at the World Cup © Getty Images
Andrew White became an instant Irish hero when he bowled the final over of their World Cup match against Zimbabwe, forcing a tie after nine were needed. Half the deliveries were full tosses, two were long hops, but the one that mattered – the final ball – was a full, spearing yorker that went under Stuart Matsikenyeri’s bat. Ireland had their first World Cup point and the rest, as they say, is history.”If it’s not mentioned every day, it’s mentioned every other day. I think the legacy will always be there after what we achieved,” White said proudly while talking to Cricinfo during the delayed start to Ireland’s match against South Africa at Stormont. “But we are very conscious it can’t be a flash in the pan, which is why it’s great to have India and South Africa here, we need to play more games at this level otherwise we will slip backwards.”The warning signs have already starting flashing since Ireland returned from the Caribbean. Their Friends Provident campaign ended without a win as they struggled to compete without many of the World Cup stars. White would like to see all touring teams warm up with games in Ireland and an annual fixture against England, who they played and ran close in the World Cup – “Bar those last ten overs of Paul Collingwood at his very best it could have been a very different story”. But he understands the fixture congestion in international cricket makes it difficult.Ireland’s captain Trent Johnston has spoken regularly about the difficulties the side faces and White admits keeping the momentum going has been tough. “People go back to their full-time day jobs, it’s been mentioned quite a bit by most of the players, but that’s the reality of it,” he said. “It leaves very little time to put into the cricket. We are meeting up the day before and it’s very difficult to step up and turn it on. We are going to have to come up with ways and means around it, but that’s for the hierarchy to try and sort out.” We are going to have to come up with ways and means around it, but that’s for the hierarchy to try and sort out The hierarchy in question is the Irish Cricket Union, headed by the chief executive, Warren Deutrom, and they have already begun looking into how to turn the game professional. However, it’s not as simple as getting everyone to sign a piece of paper. Somehow the money has to be found and a regular supply of decent cricket scheduled to keep the players in form. The decision by Eoin Morgan to remain with Middlesex is completely understandable because he has a career to think about, while Jeremy Bray’s recent newspaper comments highlight the problems.Another idea suggested is a semi-professional set-up, which would give the ICU some control over the players. White, though, isn’t convinced. “It could work for the younger members of the squad, but for the likes of Kyle [McCallan], myself who starts a full-time teaching job in September, and others who are in full-time jobs I can’t see semi-professional working.”The argument is that senior players like Kevin O’Brien should be going into full-time contracts because they are the ones at a stage in their life and career where they’ve finished their studies and aren’t working. So why not invest money in players who are going to be the spine of the team for the next 10 years.”White will get a proper taste of the problems faced when he takes up a full-time teaching post, at the same school as team-mate McCallan, in September. “The principle of the school both Kyle and I are involved in has been extremely good in allowing us the time,” he said. “But there’s only a limit to that and how much time we can have. Kyle had to take a sabbatical for six months and if you kept asking for that they wouldn’t be too chuffed.”

‘It’s an impossible task trying to balance your day job and the cricket ‘ © Getty Images
So what does a typical week have in store for White as tries to maintain his two careers? “You are practising with your club two nights a week then you have a club game on Saturday if there’s no game for Ireland and besides that you are trying to get into the gym when possible. People like Kyle are leaving the house at half seven and he’s not home until six, then he’s got family time to consider as well. It’s an impossible task trying to balance your day job and the cricket at this level.”But while the current system remains, the players will continue to try and, somehow, find a work-life balance. White says every player is “extremely proud” to play for Ireland and the decisions taken by Morgan and Boyd Rankin have not come easily. Club cricket is thriving around the country with participation reaching record levels, so the desire to play is clearly still climbing after the World Cup success.”Club cricket has been played in Ireland for so long and hopefully it will continue to be so because the success of the national team encourages the club system, and the players, to keep going and play week after week. They are reporting that numbers have doubled, tripled and quadrupled.”That’s why I fail to understand when people like Michael Holding and Mike Atherton said we shouldn’t have been at the World Cup, because we weren’t good enough. I think it was a very narrow-minded insight into what it meant to the game back home. Our performances at the World Cup were truly inspirational from that point of view and the numbers coming into the game have been fantastic.” However, what sort of future is waiting for those who make it to the top level is still uncertain.