Plays of the day from the Champions League match between Kings XI Punjab and Hobart Hurricanes

Karthik Krishnaswamy18-Sep-2014The run-out
After a stuttering start, Hobart Hurricanes had recovered momentum courtesy Travis Birt and Jonathan Wells. Their partnership had moved to 52, and Hurricanes looked poised to post a 150-plus total, when Wells chopped Akshar Patel straight to backward point and set off for a single. There was no run in it, but Wells was halfway down the pitch by the time Birt sent him back. Karanveer Singh only had the simple task of throwing the ball to the keeper, and Wells was caught well short of his crease. In the 14 balls that remained after Wells’ departure, Hurricanes only scored 14 runs.The over
Hobart Hurricanes had just lost Wells, but they still had a set Birt in the middle and two overs to come from seam bowlers without too much exposure to the big time. If they thought Anureet Singh would provide them the fodder to launch to a fairly big total, they were mistaken. Anureet bowled the first ball into the blockhole, angling it into the left-handed Birt, and all he could get was a leg-bye. The right-handed Evan Gulbis came on strike, but Anureet stayed around the wicket, and continued to attack the base of the stumps from that angle. Giving neither batsman any room to free their arms, Anureet conceded five singles from the last five balls, and Kings XI were keeping Hurricanes to a very manageable total.The first-baller
It’s Twenty20, of course, but Virender Sehwag is still likelier than any other batsman to chase an extremely wide ball when it’s the first ball of the innings. Having thrown his bat at Doug Bollinger’s first delivery, short and wide and potentially one that the umpire would have called a wide, he only got the toe-end of his bat to it, and third man took an easy catch. It was the 14th time Sehwag had been dismissed in the first over of a T20 innings, enabling him to join David Warner on top of that list.The footwork
Glenn Maxwell might be in the process of writing a new textbook for batsmen, but the virtues that allow him to do so are as old-fashioned as they come – a good eye and lightning-quick feet. On a difficult pitch for unorthodox strokes, he had already struck three fours and two sixes when Evan Gulbis began the 11th over. First ball, Maxwell charged out of his crease, making room to hit through the off side. Gulbis saw this and followed him, angling a shortish ball in towards his body. Far from being cramped for room, Maxwell found a way to adjust, skipping away from the ball in one quick step and freeing his arms to slap the ball over wide mid-off for four.

For the outdoorsy traveller, Napier makes for happiness

Ian Smith03-Nov-2014Tour the city
A tour of Napier is essential for anyone even remotely interested in architecture. It’s the art deco capital of the world.Soak in the views
Take a trip up Te Mata Peak for a full, panoramic view of Hawkes Bay. And while you’re there, don’t miss out on visiting Craggy Range Winery at the foot of the peak.If you’re after a relaxing day on the ocean, a fishing excursion out into Hawkes Bay and its bountiful waters should be on your list.Visit a winery
Another winery well worth a visit is the Mission Estate Winery on the outskirts of Napier. Take a tour and enjoy a meal there.Play a round
If you’re a golfer, you should play a round at Cape Kidnappers, a spectacular cliff-topped golf course that features highly in the world golf-course rankings.Visit a village
Havelock North is only a short drive from Napier and well worth a visit for its trendy shops, restaurants and cafes.

Zimbabwe have endured win-less tours before, but wouldn’t have expected to slip to that level against the team they are to be competitive against

Firdose Moonda02-Dec-2014Cricket tours are often long enough to reach the point where a visiting side wants nothing more than to return home. For Zimbabwe, that day probably came sooner than it should have in Bangladesh, where they lost all eight internationals they played.As far as returns go, this is among Zimbabwe’s more embarrassing. It is the second three-Test series they have been blanked in, after last playing in a rubber of that length a decade ago. Although they have been on the receiving end of more ODI series whitewashes before – 3-0 to South Africa this year and 5-0 to India last year are the most recent examples – and have also been guilty of losing every match on a tour – West Indies in 2013, New Zealand in 2012 – to have slipped to that level against the team they are to be competitive against has taken Zimbabwe to a new low.It has laid bare issues of inconsistency and instability and, with the World Cup looming, has left them more insecure than they usually are. To sum it up in a sentence, what Zimbabwe demonstrated in Bangladesh was that they are unable to stay in a game – any game – long enough to challenge for victory.Like many teams in the lower tier of cricket’s rankings, Zimbabwe’s troubles begin at the top, where they have unable to find an opening combination that works. They tried four different combinations in the eight matches but could not manage anything more substantial than a first-wicket stand of 19 in the Tests and 48 in the ODIs. A glaring common denominator is Vusi Sibanda, whose future must now be examined. .Sibanda is a stalwart of the Zimbabwe game whose career has stretched for more than a decade but he has yet to score a Test century. He has not managed a fifty in 17 innings and more than three years, and has gone 10 matches and 15 months without reaching the milestone in an ODI. He was put on notice earlier in the year when he was dropped against both Afghanistan and South Africa and the 104 runs he managed in six innings on this tour may have been the end of his rope.Zimbabwe might be better served at the World Cup with Sikandar Raza and Hamilton Masakadza opening but will need a leap of faith to invest in someone else at No.3. They will also need more from Raza, who showed promise with three fifties in the Test series but could not transfer that form to the ODIs.Masakadza did not have that problem. After a career-best 158 in the second Test, he was the second-highest run-scorer for Zimbabwe in the ODIs. He prefers to bat at one-drop but would likely be so keen to play in a World Cup after missing out on the last two that he would gladly open.The temptation would be to persist with Sibanda at No.3, if only for the reassurance he provides as a regular, but Zimbabwe should have learnt the dangers of over-reliance from this trip. Their usual run-getter Brendan Taylor had a torrid Test series, with 135 runs in six innings, and Zimbabwe desperately needed more from him. They got that in the ODIs, where he scored two fifties and was their most successful batsman, but by then they should have had others contributing as well.Between Taylor and Elton Chigumbura, Zimbabwe remain shaky. They have rotated through the likes of Craig Ervine, Richmond Mutumbami, Solomon Mire, Regis Chakabva and Malcolm Waller, but none of them have done enough or been given long enough to make a spot their own. Effectively, that means Zimbabwe always find themselves doing similar things when they bat. They have to recover from shaky starts and just as they find steady ground, they stumble again. For evidence, there is this tour. In six Test innings, they scored over 300 just twice and they could not get to 250 in any of the ODIs.Then there are other problems like their techniques, which need sharpening against spin, particularly left-arm spin, and their temperaments, which falter because of a lack of regular game time. In the second Test, 16 of their 20 wickets went to the left-arm spinners. Zimbabwe have only played four Tests in the last 13 months, not nearly enough to learn how to bat for long periods.The result is that Zimbabwe’s attack seldom has anything substantial to work with but Tinashe Panyangara tries. He was their standout bowler of the tour, with 14 scalps at 20.28 in the Tests and nine wickets at 24.44 in the ODIs, but he lacks support. Natsai M’shangwe, the legspinner, was the next most incisive Test bowler but his seven wickets cost 435 runs, at 62.14 apiece. Malcolm Waller took six wickets but their other seamers struggled.Tendai Chatara would have been a particular concern, with just three wickets in two Tests. He had a better ODI series with six wickets at 31.50 and will still be an important part of the long-term plans but Zimbabwe still need more. Chigumbura will provide will be one of the seamers who will carry a greater load at the World Cup. Zimbabwe’s spin cupboard remains their best-stocked resource. Even without Prosper Utseya, they have choices that range from John Nyumbu to Tafadzwa Kamungozi and even when they are not taking wickers, they do a decent containing job.That is one of the few positives Zimbabwe can pull out of a trip otherwise steeped in disappointment. Masakadza’s maturity, Chakabva’s coming of age with his maiden century and Taylor’s return to form are other highlights. But on the whole, the Bangladesh visit would have dented Zimbabwe’s already fragile confidence and left them with more questions than answers. They won’t have much opportunity to confront all of them because they play no international cricket until next year’s World Cup but what they will know is that when they get there, they not want to feel like they should have one foot in the boarding tunnel midway through the trip.

Much is made of the trans-Tasman rivalry – and both Australia and New Zealand will go hard at each other in perhaps contrasting ways at Eden Park – but their players get on well with each other

Brydon Coverdale in Auckland27-Feb-20153:59

‘The fittest I’ve been in five years’ – Clarke

On Friday night, John Key and Tony Abbott were due to share a stage with Brendon McCullum and Michael Clarke at a pre-match function in Auckland. The Australians might ask their New Zealand counterparts for some advice. A poll this week showed Key was New Zealand’s preferred prime minister, daylight second; Abbott barely survived a party-room challenge this month.McCullum is like a rock star in New Zealand at the moment, universally revered for the way he has brought out the best in his players; Clarke’s injury problems and the emergence of Steven Smith as a captaincy alternative have led to leadership speculation. If stable management is the foundation for success, New Zealand have the trans-Tasman edge at the moment, in and out of cricket.Clarke has played only two ODIs in the past year, McCullum has played 14. On paper, there are currently so few differences between the Australia and New Zealand sides that the leadership stability stands out. But there is a deep mutual respect between the two captains, and McCullum has no doubt Clarke’s return for the World Cup clash in Auckland will strengthen Australia.”Michael Clarke is the leader of the Australian team,” McCullum said. “We saw during the tragic circumstances of Phil Hughes’ passing how strong a leader he is in the way he carried himself and spoke on behalf of the team. We were certainly in awe of how he was able to carry himself. They are strengthened by his inclusion back in the side.”Such niceties may not fit the narrative of across-the-ditch argy-bargy, stretching back to the underarm delivery, but they reflect the current reality between the players from both sides. When Hughes died in November, New Zealand were playing a Test against Pakistan in Sharjah; the next day’s play was abandoned, and the New Zealanders were profoundly affected by the tragedy.They put out their bats in tribute, wore black armbands, and played in a sombre mood when the match resumed. This is the first meeting of Australia and New Zealand since then, and while much is on the line in a World Cup campaign, Clarke said the respect between the teams was mutual, and the ties only stronger after the events of last year.”Both teams will compete hard on the field, we always have against each other,” Clarke said ahead of Saturday’s match. “But I think there’s that mutual respect, that we get on really well off the field. I’ve got a great relationship with Brendon and have played a lot of cricket against him over both our careers. I have the utmost respect for the people of New Zealand, and especially Brendon and his team, in the way they showed that extra respect to Phillip and Phillip’s family when he passed.”Such off-field words might not seem to gel with the way the teams play. Australia are renowned on field for their verbal aggression as much as their attacking play, while for the New Zealanders it is all about letting bat and ball do the talking.”If you look at the Australian team and our team we probably played a similar brand, although the teams go about it slightly differently,” McCullum said. “Australia have had a lot of success with that aggressive style of cricket and that’s what we are trying to play, be as positive as we can in every situation and endear ourselves to the public with the way we play.”There is no question that the Australians do not always endear themselves to the public with their sledging, or as they often call it, “banter”. But Daniel Vettori said this week he could not remember being sledged by an Australian in his 18-year international career, and McCullum had no issue with David Warner’s comments that McCullum might be susceptible to “a brain explosion”.”I probably am guilty of brain explosion,” McCullum said. “If you play long enough you will make some mental errors. I’ve read most of the reports and think the Australians have been very complimentary of us. Think there’s been some sensationalism, I think they have been very respectful of our team.”For Clarke’s part, he wishes the debate would go away. “Sledging, my god, I’m sick of talking about it,” he said. But he went on to acknowledge that it was discussed behind closed doors in the Australian camp.”We talk about it regularly as a team, because we understand and respect the fact that we set a standard for the people watching at home, young boys and girls who want to play cricket, that example is really important,” Clarke said. “But I certainly wouldn’t expect Australia and New Zealand to walk on that field tomorrow and be best of mates on the park.”Whatever the relations between the sides at Eden Park on Saturday, there is plenty at stake. New Zealand have won three from three in this World Cup campaign and one more win is enough to secure a quarter-final place. Australia have played just one game in a fortnight, and need to feel bat on ball again after their washout against Bangladesh last weekend in Brisbane.New Zealand trained on Friday morning in perfect conditions, but when the Australians arrived around lunchtime, so did the rain. It bucketed down, precisely what they didn’t want to see. Fortunately for Clarke and his men, the downpour was only temporary, the sun came out and a training session was possible.”I don’t think it’s made any difference,” Clarke said of Australia’s lack of cricket. “The boys have had a long summer, we’ve played a lot of cricket, everybody is ready to play. We were ready to play against Bangladesh, that got washed out, we are ready to play here. If this game was to get washed out we will be ready for the game in Perth [against Afghanistan].”

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the final one-day international as South Africa produced another powerful display

Andrew McGlashan28-Jan-2015Shot of the dayIt might seem odd, in an innings that included 29 fours and 17 sixes, to pick out one shot, but there was a blow by Hashim Amla towards the end of his hundred that verged on the extraordinary. Reaching out for a wide delivery from Andre Russell, he was at full stretch when he connected but still managed the slice the ball clean over wide third man. AB de Villiers was having the day off – he would have been proud of the shot.Come-down of the dayRussell was the hero in Port Elizabeth with his match-winning batting – it wasn’t such a good day this time. Having bowled five overs for a semi-respectable 32, his sixth over was dispatched for 28 as Rilee Rossouw found top gear. Russell did not help himself, either, as he sent down two no-balls and a wide. His final tally of 3 for 85 was the most expensive analysis for a West Indies bowler who sent down eight overs or fewer in an innings – and the fifth worst for any team – and also the fifth worst for any West Indian spell (with three coming in this series).Review of the dayIt can be risky to use up the single review available in a one-day innings so early, but South Africa had no doubt about asking for the third umpire to have a look at the first ball of the innings after Chris Gayle played at a wide ball from Kyle Abbott. Those behind the wicket were convinced there was an edge and although there was no Hot Spot in this series the evidence of Snicko was enough to send Gayle packing.Repeat of the dayMarlon Samuels and running do not always go well together. For the fourth time in this series he was involved in a mix-up and on this occasion it was his partner, Narsingh Deonarine, who paid the price. Such was Deonarine desperation to try and reach the crease that he lost his bat, but would still have struggled to beat the throw. As his team-mates fly to Australia, he heads back to West Indies as he is not part of the World Cup squad.

Plays of the day from the Group A match between Scotland and Bangladesh in Nelson

Devashish Fuloria in Nelson05-Mar-2015The statement
Matt Machan had spent considerable time the previous day practicing his slog sweeps and lofted shots in preparation for Bangladesh’s spinners. He also practiced using his feet a few times but missed one completely. One would have thought he would be more careful using his feet on match day, but Machan’s first scoring shot against spin was a sign of his confidence – or possibly his nerves – as he stepped out to Mahmudullah and effortlessly lofted one over long-on.The 55th
Birthdays after a certain age, much like an old car, are reminders for an annual service. It’s time to check if all functions are in order. There was a birthday boy at the ground today and he got a chance to test himself. As Kyle Coetzer pulled Mahmudullah in the 13th over the square-leg umpire Bruce Oxenford, who turned 55, barely had any time to evade injury. The ball was heading straight for his head, but he dived to his left, landed on his shoulder, fixed his sunglasses and raised his thumb to signal all was well. He hopped and skipped to the other side two balls later to further show that age was just a number to him.The gate
While Oxenford was sprightly, Taskin Ahmed, 36 years younger than the umpire, showed the agility of an octogenarian. The 19-year-old fast bowler had spent 11 overs after his four-over spell manning the dead posts around third man and fine leg, but as Coetzer’s outside edge rolled towards him at third man, Taskin got behind the ball, but couldn’t get his hands low enough. Much to the annoyance of his captain Mashrafe Mortaza, the ball rolled between his legs and to the boundary.The own goal
Richie Berrington had smashed two huge sixes, no bowler making an impression on him, before he suffered a blow from his own. Matthew Cross swiped a length delivery from Taskin so hard that Berrington had hardly any time to get out of the way at the non-striker’s end. The ball smacked him on the left wrist and he dropped his bat in pain. Meanwhile, all Cross was interested in was a single. Berrington recovered composure to complete the run, with Cross bringing his bat to him. Berrington, however, lost his momentum after the injury, getting a thick top-edge the very next ball. More points for Oxenford.The toe-crusher
On pitches like these, the onus of getting a wicket seldom sits with bowlers. It’s mostly either batsmen throwing it away or a freak dismissal. The previous game in Nelson had a hit-wicket dismissal and today, Mahmudullah’s toe was in focus. The batsman was making room to drive, but the bowler Iain Wardlaw followed him with a yorker that was sliding down leg. Mahmudullah’s bat missed it, but his back leg somehow got in the way. It hit him on the full before deflecting on the stumps, leaving him with the pain of both an injured toe and of missing what looked like a century for the taking.

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Apr-2015The openers Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar were initially starved for runs, culminating in the run-out of Sarkar in the 14th over•Associated PressMahmudullah, too, failed to get going, as he was bowled by Rahat Ali for 5•AFPThe hosts were 67 for 2 when Mushfiqur Rahim joined Tamim at the crease, and the pair launched a counterattack•AFPTamim was dropped by Saad Nasim on 47 and made the most of the reprieve, drilling 15 fours and three sixes•AFPHe eventually made his way to 132 off 135 balls, his first ODI century since March 2013•AFPThe pair’s 178-run partnership was Bangladesh’s highest in ODIs for any wicket, against any team•AFPTamim eventually fell in the 42nd over, but his wicket brought no respite for Pakistan, as Mushfiqur carried on and slammed a 77-ball 106 to power Bangladesh to 329•AFPPakistan began the steep chase steadily, as Azhar Ali and Sarfraz Ahmed put up a 53-run opening stand•AFPAnd two overs later, Sarkar’s direct throw found Mohammad Hafeez short of his crease, reducing the visitors to 59 for 2•AFPAzhar, on captaincy debut, rebuilt the innings, picking out boundaries at regular intervals to hit 72•AFPHe received ample support from Haris Sohail, who scored 51, as the pair combined for an 89-run association•AFPHowever, Taskin Ahmed dismissed both batsmen in quick succession to once again jolt Pakistan’s chase•AFPMohammad Rizwan offered some resistance, becoming the ninth Pakistani to score an ODI fifty on debut, but was left with too much to do with too few wickets in hand, as Bangladesh ended a 16-year hoodoo against their opponents with a 79-run victory•AFP

ESPNcricinfo presents the key match-ups ahead of the quarter-final match between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Sydney

Firdose Moonda and Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Mar-2015Kumar Sangakkara v AB de Villiers
It’s often asked if there is anything AB de Villiers cannot do. Kumar Sangakkara may have the answer. His four centuries in succession are more than anyone else has collected, and would surpass de Villiers’ if this was a comparison of accumulation. But de Villiers is the record-holder for the fastest fifty, hundred and 150 in international cricket and has a range of strokes which have yet to be given names. Between them, they occupy the top two positions on the ODI batting rankings and are expected to provide each other’s attack with plenty to ponder. Both sides have already stressed the importance of dismissing these two cheaply but while Mathews described their meeting as a clash of “two legends of the modern game”, de Villiers played it down: “To be very honest with you, and I hope you don’t take it in the wrong way, I couldn’t care less about him or me. I just want to win the game.”Dale Steyn v Dushmantha Chameera
“We just want him to go there and bowl fast.”Angelo Mathews said that about Sri Lanka’s speedy sensation Dushmantha Chameera. The same has been said of Dale Steyn for almost a decade. Although South Africa’s spearhead has not sliced through any line-up with his usual sharpness yet, his coach Russell Domingo has been impressed with how he has progressively upped his pace and intensity and expects him to be at his best when it matters most. Chameera will have none of the same pressures. He is only two internationals into his career, but has pushed the speedgun to 147kph, which Mathews called “extraordinary for a Sri Lankan”. Although at almost opposite ends of expectation, the two quicks should provide some excitement, especially for the batsmen.Tahir v Sri Lanka spinners
Spin has historically been the area Sri Lanka would bank on having an edge against South Africa, but if Rangana Herath does not play, – he is still in serious doubt for Wednesday – Tahir has the form and the record to suggest he will outperform the Sri Lanka slow bowlers. He took spin’s only five-wicket haul of the tournament against West Indies at the SCG three weeks ago, and has 11 wickets at 23.36 in the tournament. What may count against him is the number of left-handers in Sri Lanka’s batting order – there are four in the top seven – but Sri Lanka’s legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna may also encounter the same problem against South Africa’s top order. Neither Prasanna nor Sachithra Senanayake have been particularly impressive so far in their limited opportunities in this tournament, so South Africa’s middle order will aim to rattle them in the last 20 overs.Lahiru Thirimanne v Quinton de Kock
Quinton de Kock has the better record and reputation of the two young opening batsmen, but Lahiru Thirimanne has the World Cup runs. De Kock’s last innings against Sri Lanka, though, was an outstanding one. He hit 128 from 127 balls to set up a total of 339 in Hambantota, as he overcame an apparent weakness against the bowling of Lasith Malinga. Thirimanne has had a couple of quiet matches after his 139 not out against England. His Achilles heel appears to be the full ball pushed across him by a right-arm quick. Several times in the series, he has edged to the slips, but to his credit, has gone on to make a sizable contribution after a let off. Thirimanne also has the more proven big-match temperament. He hit a hundred in last year’s Asia Cup final, and top-scored in the World T20 semi-final against West Indies.David Miller v Angelo Mathews
Sri Lanka perhaps edge the match-up between the middle-order finishers. While Miller is the more dynamic batsman, with his strike-rate above 100, Mathews has more batting pedigree, averaging over 40, with a history of playing clutch innings in Sri Lanka’s hours of need. Miller has hurt Sri Lanka before, however. His 85 not out off 72 balls set up a South Africa victory in Pallekele in 2013, and he’s also made a few more runs than Mathews in this tournament. However, Mathews appeared to have returned to destructive form as he hit Sri Lanka’s fastest-ever World Cup fifty against Scotland last week, reaching the milestone with a fourth consecutive six, off the 20th delivery he played.

The teams visiting England this summer hold the blueprints for rapidly returning from the depths of underachievement. Cook & Co will hope to sneak a peek

Andy Zaltzman19-May-2015In a parallel universe, the Test series between England and New Zealand is being awaited with eager anticipation. An intriguing showdown between two well-matched teams on contrasting recent trajectories has captured the cricket-loving public, and people talk of little else in the pubs, bars, bus stops, law courts, playgrounds, police stations, laboratories, crematoria, temples, bare-knuckle brawling pits, opium dens, and farmyards of the parallel England.In that universe, admittedly, things are a little different. It is a series of at least three Tests, not just a brief interlude in the unending Test deluge of England’s cricketing year, nor does it involve players who have just stepped off an aeroplane and are expected to translate their skills instantly from subcontinental slugfests to the technical disciplines and patience of a May Test match in England. It is not being overshadowed by the looming imminence of a fifth Ashes series in the insanely condensed space of six years, nor is it coloured by the protractedly infantile squabblings of a cricket board and a former player. That player has not alienated himself wilfully from the team he is so desperate to represent via the medium of an unnecessary autobiography. That cricket board has not allowed its most compelling individual to become an outcast who felt he needed to write an autobiography.Instead, as the parallel English public goes about its business in a post-election glow, revelling in the early days of Prime Minister Mike Atherton’s rabidly popular government, after the Cricket Party won a landslide majority (albeit with only one seat in Scotland), the nation’s focus is on the entrancing cricketing fascinations ahead. “Can New Zealand maintain their 18-month surge, in conditions in which they have traditionally struggled?” parallel children excitedly ask their parallel parents. “I don’t know, boy and/or girl,” reply the parallel parents. “I’m more interested in whether Williamson can confirm his status as one of the most complete players in the game, whether Cook can survive and prosper against Southee and Boult, and whether Root and Ballance are able to maintain their striking statistics when faced with a bowling attack superior to the ones they have plundered in the past year.”Parallel radio stations ignore the troubles of their parallel world – the feasibility of jetpacks for all by 2025, the banning of the inappropriate use of the word “like”, and the plague of penguins that has surprisingly broken out in the Middle East – and hold four-hour-long discussions about whether Broad can still turn Test matches, and whether we will see the vulnerable McCullum who failed in England in 2013, or the scoreboard-dissolving titan of 2014.

England have not been a cricket team as much as a soap opera plot over the past year and a half, lurching from crisis to crisis on and off the pitch

In parallel Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth gently rocks her new great-granddaughter Beyoncé-Petula, whilst anxiously asking Prime Minister Atherton: “Is Guptill still the player who has averaged fractionally over 20 against other top-seven-ranked nations, and 85 against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and West Indies, or has he matured into a genuine Test force?””Ma’am,” replies Atherton, admiring Her Majesty’s full-scale golden statue of Darren Gough in the middle of his pre-delivery leap, “time will tell. And it will also tell us how far England are away from becoming a good team again. Which might be not far. Or quite far. Or very far.””Thank you, Prime Minister. Your turn on the royal karaoke machine. No Abba. Anything else is fine. FYI, best I’ve ever seen was Harold Wilson’s ‘Born To Be Wild’.”Sadly, this universe is not paying quite such avid attention to the two-match microseries beginning at Lord’s on Thursday. Happily, the above questions are still relevant, despite the various factors that may diminish the contest.England have not been a cricket team as much as a soap opera plot over the past year and a half, lurching from crisis to crisis on and off the pitch. Both of their visitors this summer offer hope, blueprints for how a team can slingshot itself from the depths of underachievement with alarming rapidity.As of November 2013, New Zealand had won five and lost 30 of their 50 Tests against top-eight opposition since April 2006. From December 2013 until now, they have won eight and lost only two of 13 such Tests.Stuart Broad resorts to ancient cricket wisdom in his quest to be more than merely reasonable•Getty ImagesAustralia’s abject capitulation at Lord’s in 2013 all but secured a third consecutive Ashes loss for only the third time since the 19th century. After a ritual drubbing in India, and amidst scattergun selectorial madcappery, they had lost six successive Tests for just the third time ever (they had done so in the mid-1880s against England, and in back-to-back series with West Indies at their 1984 peak). Defeat in Durham was their seventh defeat of 2013, tying with Australia’s all-time record for defeats in a year, with five Tests against a dominant England still to come. Seven months later, they had annihilated England 5-0 (if anything, the scoreline was a little unflattering to Australia), and won in South Africa.This is not to say that England will do something similar. But they could do something similar. Conceivably. Broad’s form will be a critical factor. Since the Brisbane Test in November 2013, when he took 6 for 81 in the first innings, he has taken 49 wickets in 14 matches, at a respectable average of 29.40. But he has taken four wickets in an innings just twice in that time. In his previous 26 Tests, from July 2011 until Brisbane, he had done so 14 times in 26 Tests (whilst taking 118 wickets at 24.52). Some of this decline is due to England switching from a four to five-man attack, but Broad’s impact has significantly diminished.The influence he exerts on Test matches when he finds his wicket-taking mojo is shown by the fact that in the 21 innings in which he has taken four or more wickets his average is 11.06. Of the 64 bowlers who have taken four in an innings 20 or more times in Tests, Broad’s average in those innings is the best – fractionally ahead of Curtly Ambrose (11.09) and the legendary SF Barnes (11.11), two tidy performers in anyone’s book. (And, of the 97 bowlers with 15 or more four-wicket innings, Broad’s 11.06 average in those innings is second only to Jason Gillespie, who averages 10.78 in 16 four-wicket hauls).This suggests that when Broad fires, he fires hard. For all the criticism hurled his way, and worrying speed-gun readings, his performances have been reasonable. But for England to have a successful summer, reasonable will be insufficient, and Broad will need to refind what used to make him exceptional.

Brendon McCullum has converted his last five Test fifties into hundreds; he had converted none of his previous 11 half-centuries into three figures

● The individual Test rankings reveal much about the differing trajectories of the two teams. New Zealand now have three batsmen in the top 15 (Williamson seventh, Taylor 13th, McCullum 15th), England just one (Root, eighth, with Ballance the next highest at 20th). Two years ago, when the Kiwis last visited, England had four of the top 12 as the Lord’s Test began (Cook sixth, Prior tenth, Pietersen 11th, Trott 12th), plus Bell at 17th, whilst New Zealand had only Taylor (13th then as now) and McCullum (19th) in the top 30.In 2013, all of England’s four-prong bowling attack were in the top 16 (Anderson seventh, Swann eighth, Broad 13th, Finn 16th); Southee, at 21st, was the highest-ranked Kiwi bowler. Now both teams have two in the top 10 – Anderson (second) and Broad (eighth); Boult (sixth) and Southee (ninth) – but no others within the top 20.● Kane Williamson has averaged fractionally under 75 in 14 Tests since his and New Zealand’s last tour to England (and 56 in ODIs). However, since the World Cup final on 29 March, he has faced 27 balls, the most recent of which was five weeks ago, during an entirely pointless IPL campaign.● Brendon McCullum is, currently, the only man to reach 90 twice in Tests at Lord’s without ever scoring a century there. He flies in from a rather busier IPL. The New Zealand captain had an extraordinary 2014 in Tests, in which he passed 50 a decent but unspectacular four times in 16 innings, but converted those half-centuries into a triple-hundred, two double-hundreds, and a 134-ball 195. He has converted his last five Test fifties into centuries; he had converted none of his previous 11 half-centuries into three figures.● Since 2007, in 13 Tests in South Africa, Australia and England, the three toughest venues for visiting batsmen, New Zealand have passed 300 only once (381 at Old Trafford in 2008), and been bowled out for under 180 in half of their 26 innings. However, the most recent of those matches was on their 2013 tour to England, before their recent successful run began.● From 1986 to 1999, New Zealand won three, lost three and drew seven of their 13 Tests in England, winning two series and losing the other two. In the 2004, 2008 and 2013 series combined, they have drawn one and lost seven of eight matches. prediction: 1-1. Roughly.

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-2015Bangladesh didn’t let go of the advantage and reduced Pakistan to 77 for 3 in the 13th over•AFPDebutant seamer Mustafizur Rahman picked 2 for 20, stifling the batsmen for runs•AFPIt seemed to be a day for the debutants as Mukhtar Ahmed was Pakistan’s top-scorer, with a 30-ball 37 that helped them to 141 for 5•AFPPakistan spurred hopes of a fightback when they had Bangladesh 17 for 2 in the chase•AFPWahab Riaz then dismissed Mushfiqur Rahim to leave the hosts at 38 for 3 in the sixth over•AFPShakib Al Hasan struck nine fours for his 41-ball 57, which was part of an unbeaten 105-run fourth wicket stand with Sabbir Rahman•AFPSabbir brought up his maiden T20I fifty to guide Bangladesh to a seven-wicket win with 22 balls to spare•AFP