On a pitch and in a series where the fast bowlers have only been making up the numbers, a hostile and quick Ishant Sharma helped India seal an incredible comeback after they had slumped to their third-worst defeat ever in the first Test.
In the first session of the day, Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis had made sure India didn't take their lead into the realms of the impregnable, but with Ishant bowling the way he did, the target of 307 stayed secure. Ishant got good support from Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh; the latter finished with his fifth ten-wicket haul.
Sri Lanka were attacked from a quarter they would have least expected hostilities from, and after having done well playing catch-up throughout the match, they finally fell short. The match was much closer than the 170-run margin indicated.
Ishant was accurate, he hit the bat hard, gave Dinesh Karthik some more difficulties behind the wicket, and most importantly, kept producing his special delivery repeatedly: the one that holds its line after having pitched on a length.
Ishant began with a wicket with the third ball he bowled, sending down a perfect right-armer's ball to a left-hander, pitching it around leg and moving it away, making Malinda Warnapura play and edge. Zaheer, in the next over, produced a legcutter for Sangakkara similar to the one he did in the first Test, with similar results. And in his next over, Ishant got the biggest wicket of them all for India - Mahela Jayawardene, who looked to counterattack and cut straight to gully, where Rahul Dravid held on to a sharp chance. Dravid was exuberant at having taken the catch - he
had dropped Michael Vandort in the first over, and had also been pushed out of the cordon.
Ishant and Zaheer then tightened the screws. Ishant, in particular, seemed to be bowling on a different pitch from the one that had been on display on the four previous days. At one point, the preceding 12.3 overs had cost India 11 runs and featured two huge lbw shouts, one catch off a no-ball, and most importantly, robust fast bowling. Harbhajan took advantage of that period, and trapped Vandort with an arm-ball in his first over.
But there was one final twist left in the match, and Ishant it was who pulled India out of a threatening situation. Thilan Samaraweera and Tillakaratne Dilshan had put together a swift 76-run stand, pulling Sri Lanka out of the shell they had played themselves into. Dilshan, in particular, hustled the bowling, briefly changing the texture of the game.
Ishant came up with a special over after tea, bowling at high pace, extracting extra bounce, and getting the ball to hold its line. After having beaten Dilshan twice, he finally got him to edge one, and it was all downhill for Sri Lanka after that.
Harbhajan took control of the situation then; both lower orders have, on this pitch, been hard pressed against quality spin bowling. Samaraweera, who scored a resolute half-century, could not do much about what happened at the other end. The last five wickets fell for 23 runs, Harbhajan taking three of them. When he got Mendis, he completed his ten-for, and a successful redemption after his recent misadventures.
Mendis, incidentally, had finished his first ten-wicket haul by taking Harbhajan's wicket earlier in the day. That was the end of a collapse in which India lost their last five for 17 runs. India had started the day tentatively, but the overnight batsmen - VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly - kept the runs coming. They hadn't yet played themselves in when Mendis nailed Laxman with another one of his special carrom balls - pitching within the stumps, breaking rapidly, and heading for off stump. Laxman's pad intervened, but the umpire had no hesitation in sending him on his way.
Karthik came out aggressive, stepping out and hitting both Mendis and Murali for sixes, and also pulling out a reverse-sweep. He might even have had a hand in suggesting to Ganguly that he ask for a review when Ganguly was given lbw to one that seemed to be missing off stump. But just when it looked like the two might get too many, too fast, Murali pulled them back. Karthik, going for a third six, was beaten in the flight and caught in the deep. Ganguly was suckered out of the crease by a flighted, fiercely dipping delivery, and Prasanna Jayawardene's quickness with the stumping made the dismissal look more even more comprehensive.
The rest contributed enough only for the so-called psychological advantage: when Karthik got out, India's lead was 292; they finished on 306. Ishant, though, rendered the tussle in the first session superfluous.
That India came into the fourth day still alive had all to do with a near-solo effort by Virender Sehwag, who reached his fifth double-century in the first innings, and for the first time in his career scored a fifty in a match in which he had also scored a century. India, out of habit perhaps, managed to waste a fiery start from Sehwag, but he had done enough, as was proved when India went on to win only the third Test in which he had scored a century.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Harbhajan takes Four — Match evenly Poised
Sri Lanka couldn't get Virender Sehwag out, but Ajantha Mendis found a way around him, dismissing most of the others cheaply, before Harbhajan Singh enacted a similar turnaround to restore the balance at the end of day two in Galle.
It was an eventful three sessions: Sehwag was imperious as he scored his fifth double-century even as he lost partners at the other end; Malinda Warnapura and Kumar Sangakkara threatened to run away with the match, but Harbhajan pulled Sri Lanka back with a four-wicket burst in the final session.
Sri Lanka dismissed the last six Indian batsmen for 51 runs; India replied by taking four of their batsmen for 55. When Sangakkara and Warnapura were going hell for leather, it seemed they would take Sri Lanka's second innings out of the equation, but then Harbhajan came up with one of his best spells in recent times.
Warnapura, especially, showed he had learned a lesson or two from Sehwag. He saw his opening partner, Michael Vandort, get out in the first over, and then played at and missed a few times against Zaheer. But all along he kept punishing even the smallest errors of length. Zaheer's fourth over was the most expensive of the series: Warnapura took four successive boundaries to reach 24 off 18 balls.
The Indian bowlers looked helpless in the face of Sangakkara's determination to set right a minor dip in his form. Sri Lanka raced to 50 in 8.5 overs, and by the time spin was introduced Sri Lanka had scored 60 for 1 in 11 overs. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan brought in some control, but their fortunes were not changing just as yet: just before tea, Dinesh Karthik made a mess of a regulation stumping chance off Harbhajan when he couldn't even collect the ball with Sangakkara way down the wicket.
When India came back from tea, they continued with the pressure tactics, and Warnapura yielded, giving Gautam Gambhir a difficult low catch at short cover. The ten overs preceding that dismissal had yielded 15 runs. Harbhajan took heart from that wicket and got a leading edge from Sangakkara, which he caught himself, just in case. Two new batsmen were in, and Kumble and Harbhajan were finally being treated with the sort of respect they have been used to.
Harbhajan went round the stumps and trapped Thilan Samaraweera with a slider. In the same over, he got Tillakaratne Dilshan with one that bounced and turned in sharply.
The collapse that Sri Lanka faced paled in comparison with the two India had endured. India went from 167 for 0 to 178 for 4, and then from 278 for 5 to 327 all out, and both collapses were triggered by Mendis, who was facing the first big test of his short career. Sehwag read him and went after him, taking 70 runs off the 77 deliveries he faced from him. But that failed to intimidate Mendis, who stayed accurate, made the batsmen play almost every ball, and earned his first five-for in Tests.
After the wicket of VVS Laxman, who took his overnight stand of 36 with Sehwag to 100 before hitting a long hop from Mendis straight to midwicket, Mendis began to toy with the tail. Karthik seemed in no mental shape to play high-quality spin bowling; his lack of confidence showed when he didn't ask for the review after he was eventually given out: replays indicated the topspinner from Mendis would just have brushed off stump.
Mendis then repeated the now-famous carrom ball that got Rahul Dravid in the first Test to Harbhajan Singh: it broke away at a rapid pace and took the top of off.
The story of the day, though, remained Sehwag, who scored 61.09% of India's runs. This was the 11th consecutive hundred he had converted into a 150-plus score. He also became the second Indian to carry his bat through, and passed 5000 Test runs.
It is a shame that some of Sehwag's best innings have come when his team-mates have been struggling for form. Only two of his 15 centuries - all scored at a maddening pace - have resulted in victories for India. After many a quick Sehwag hundred, the other batsmen have either folded or slowed the pace down so much as to deprive the bowlers of sufficient time in which to force a result. Something similar seemed on the cards here, but the difference this time was that Sehwag was around for the duration to make amends for the collapses.
Muttiah Muralitharan, surprisingly ineffective in the innings, began bowling with an in-and-out field. Sehwag smartly resorted to opening the face of his bat and finding twos. Mendis, back for a new spell, was welcomed with a six; the off stump at the non-striker's end prevented another certain boundary in the same over.
As the wickets fell, Murali at the other end started to rip his doosras, ending Anil Kumble's resolute innings, and Zaheer Khan's brief one. When Zaheer, the No. 10, launched into an irresponsible sweep off Murali, Sehwag was on 195. At 199, with just two overs to lunch, Sehwag refused the single twice, preferring to shield Ishant Sharma rather than get to the mark. Off the last ball of the over, he then nonchalantly flicked to deep square leg for a single.
The rest of his team owed him an apology for the lack of support - 307 of their 326 runs were scored by three batsmen - and Harbhajan went some way towards doing so. Whether it was enough remained to be seen.
In the final overs Harbhajan twice came close to getting his fifth: first he beat Mahela Jayawardene with a sharp offbreak from round the stumps; the field umpire thought it would have gone down the leg side, and the review said no different. Prasanna Jayawardene offered Gambhir a sharp chance at forward short leg, but Gambhir couldn't cap the good day he had had in the field with another catch.
It was an eventful three sessions: Sehwag was imperious as he scored his fifth double-century even as he lost partners at the other end; Malinda Warnapura and Kumar Sangakkara threatened to run away with the match, but Harbhajan pulled Sri Lanka back with a four-wicket burst in the final session.
Sri Lanka dismissed the last six Indian batsmen for 51 runs; India replied by taking four of their batsmen for 55. When Sangakkara and Warnapura were going hell for leather, it seemed they would take Sri Lanka's second innings out of the equation, but then Harbhajan came up with one of his best spells in recent times.
Warnapura, especially, showed he had learned a lesson or two from Sehwag. He saw his opening partner, Michael Vandort, get out in the first over, and then played at and missed a few times against Zaheer. But all along he kept punishing even the smallest errors of length. Zaheer's fourth over was the most expensive of the series: Warnapura took four successive boundaries to reach 24 off 18 balls.
The Indian bowlers looked helpless in the face of Sangakkara's determination to set right a minor dip in his form. Sri Lanka raced to 50 in 8.5 overs, and by the time spin was introduced Sri Lanka had scored 60 for 1 in 11 overs. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan brought in some control, but their fortunes were not changing just as yet: just before tea, Dinesh Karthik made a mess of a regulation stumping chance off Harbhajan when he couldn't even collect the ball with Sangakkara way down the wicket.
When India came back from tea, they continued with the pressure tactics, and Warnapura yielded, giving Gautam Gambhir a difficult low catch at short cover. The ten overs preceding that dismissal had yielded 15 runs. Harbhajan took heart from that wicket and got a leading edge from Sangakkara, which he caught himself, just in case. Two new batsmen were in, and Kumble and Harbhajan were finally being treated with the sort of respect they have been used to.
Harbhajan went round the stumps and trapped Thilan Samaraweera with a slider. In the same over, he got Tillakaratne Dilshan with one that bounced and turned in sharply.
The collapse that Sri Lanka faced paled in comparison with the two India had endured. India went from 167 for 0 to 178 for 4, and then from 278 for 5 to 327 all out, and both collapses were triggered by Mendis, who was facing the first big test of his short career. Sehwag read him and went after him, taking 70 runs off the 77 deliveries he faced from him. But that failed to intimidate Mendis, who stayed accurate, made the batsmen play almost every ball, and earned his first five-for in Tests.
After the wicket of VVS Laxman, who took his overnight stand of 36 with Sehwag to 100 before hitting a long hop from Mendis straight to midwicket, Mendis began to toy with the tail. Karthik seemed in no mental shape to play high-quality spin bowling; his lack of confidence showed when he didn't ask for the review after he was eventually given out: replays indicated the topspinner from Mendis would just have brushed off stump.
Mendis then repeated the now-famous carrom ball that got Rahul Dravid in the first Test to Harbhajan Singh: it broke away at a rapid pace and took the top of off.
The story of the day, though, remained Sehwag, who scored 61.09% of India's runs. This was the 11th consecutive hundred he had converted into a 150-plus score. He also became the second Indian to carry his bat through, and passed 5000 Test runs.
It is a shame that some of Sehwag's best innings have come when his team-mates have been struggling for form. Only two of his 15 centuries - all scored at a maddening pace - have resulted in victories for India. After many a quick Sehwag hundred, the other batsmen have either folded or slowed the pace down so much as to deprive the bowlers of sufficient time in which to force a result. Something similar seemed on the cards here, but the difference this time was that Sehwag was around for the duration to make amends for the collapses.
Muttiah Muralitharan, surprisingly ineffective in the innings, began bowling with an in-and-out field. Sehwag smartly resorted to opening the face of his bat and finding twos. Mendis, back for a new spell, was welcomed with a six; the off stump at the non-striker's end prevented another certain boundary in the same over.
As the wickets fell, Murali at the other end started to rip his doosras, ending Anil Kumble's resolute innings, and Zaheer Khan's brief one. When Zaheer, the No. 10, launched into an irresponsible sweep off Murali, Sehwag was on 195. At 199, with just two overs to lunch, Sehwag refused the single twice, preferring to shield Ishant Sharma rather than get to the mark. Off the last ball of the over, he then nonchalantly flicked to deep square leg for a single.
The rest of his team owed him an apology for the lack of support - 307 of their 326 runs were scored by three batsmen - and Harbhajan went some way towards doing so. Whether it was enough remained to be seen.
In the final overs Harbhajan twice came close to getting his fifth: first he beat Mahela Jayawardene with a sharp offbreak from round the stumps; the field umpire thought it would have gone down the leg side, and the review said no different. Prasanna Jayawardene offered Gambhir a sharp chance at forward short leg, but Gambhir couldn't cap the good day he had had in the field with another catch.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
South Africa trail by just 26 Runs
South Africa closed in on England's mediocre total on the second day at Edgbaston, despite losing two key wickets during the afternoon session, reaching 205 for 4. Neil McKenzie fell for a stubborn 72, becoming Andrew Flintoff's 200th Test wicket, but Jacques Kallis was looking ominous by tea on 48 as he aims to make up for a quite couple of matches with the bat.
England had their moments, but they were too few and far between to put them back in the match. They were frustrated by a second-wicket stand of 77 between McKenzie and nightwatchman Paul Harris, although there was a small opening after James Anderson produced a wonderful catch off his own bowling to shift Hashim Amla. This was soon followed by Flintoff's milestone strike, but once again South Africa's strong middle order began closing the door as Kallis and Ashwell Prince added 70.
Conditions were perfect for swing bowling in the morning with a heavy atmosphere, but England's attack failed to make the most of them. Flintoff was hostile, but Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom were wayward in their early spells, failing to make the batsmen play on off stump.
McKenzie continued as he has throughout the series, judging what to play and what to leave, drawing the bowlers to attack the stumps and then clipping them through the leg side. For a moment McKenzie thought his innings had ended on 29 when he edged Flintoff low to Andrew Strauss at first slip, but not for the first time in this series there was doubt over the carry. Strauss thought he'd caught it but didn't look entirely convinced, McKenzie remained and Flintoff stayed on 199 wickets.
Next over he sent a slashing cut straight through Paul Collingwood at gully and the indication was that it wasn't picked up out of the background. The bowlers' line continued to vary from too wide outside off, to drifting onto the pads with Anderson guilty of straining too hard. Harris played his role perfectly as he repelled a short-pitched attack. He is a limited batsman, but got behind the line as Flintoff peppered him and even the edges evaded the slips. Eventually, though, his luck ran out as he sparred outside off and sent a comfortable edge to Alastair Cook at third slip.
McKenzie's hard work was rewarded when he brought up his fifty off 100 balls shortly before lunch. After the break he received a life on 57 when Collingwood's miserable match continued with a spurned chance at second slip off Flintoff. However, Anderson then gave England a much-needed boost with a brilliant piece of athleticism, sprinting from his follow through to hold Amla's inside edge that ballooned into the off side. Anderson once again performed manfully for Michael Vaughan, moving the ball late at pace to trouble all the batsmen and could easily have had another wicket.
Anderson's pumped celebrations were soon followed by Flintoff's as he trapped McKenzie plumb in front, being the 12th Englishman to reach 200 Test wickets. Another wicket and England were back in contention, but it was only going to be a matter of time before Kallis made a contribution. It wasn't without fortune, though, as he was twice troubled by yorkers, edging one past second slip and another within inches of his stumps.
Slowly the fluency returned as he picked off consecutive boundaries from Collingwood, although a thick inside edge did rocket into Tim Ambrose's leg as he was stood up to the stumps. Vaughan eventually turned to Monty Panesar in the 52nd over, but he began poorly with a couple of short balls which were easily put away by Kallis. Rain was threatening as tea approached, but South Africa will be very content with their position.
England had their moments, but they were too few and far between to put them back in the match. They were frustrated by a second-wicket stand of 77 between McKenzie and nightwatchman Paul Harris, although there was a small opening after James Anderson produced a wonderful catch off his own bowling to shift Hashim Amla. This was soon followed by Flintoff's milestone strike, but once again South Africa's strong middle order began closing the door as Kallis and Ashwell Prince added 70.
Conditions were perfect for swing bowling in the morning with a heavy atmosphere, but England's attack failed to make the most of them. Flintoff was hostile, but Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom were wayward in their early spells, failing to make the batsmen play on off stump.
McKenzie continued as he has throughout the series, judging what to play and what to leave, drawing the bowlers to attack the stumps and then clipping them through the leg side. For a moment McKenzie thought his innings had ended on 29 when he edged Flintoff low to Andrew Strauss at first slip, but not for the first time in this series there was doubt over the carry. Strauss thought he'd caught it but didn't look entirely convinced, McKenzie remained and Flintoff stayed on 199 wickets.
Next over he sent a slashing cut straight through Paul Collingwood at gully and the indication was that it wasn't picked up out of the background. The bowlers' line continued to vary from too wide outside off, to drifting onto the pads with Anderson guilty of straining too hard. Harris played his role perfectly as he repelled a short-pitched attack. He is a limited batsman, but got behind the line as Flintoff peppered him and even the edges evaded the slips. Eventually, though, his luck ran out as he sparred outside off and sent a comfortable edge to Alastair Cook at third slip.
McKenzie's hard work was rewarded when he brought up his fifty off 100 balls shortly before lunch. After the break he received a life on 57 when Collingwood's miserable match continued with a spurned chance at second slip off Flintoff. However, Anderson then gave England a much-needed boost with a brilliant piece of athleticism, sprinting from his follow through to hold Amla's inside edge that ballooned into the off side. Anderson once again performed manfully for Michael Vaughan, moving the ball late at pace to trouble all the batsmen and could easily have had another wicket.
Anderson's pumped celebrations were soon followed by Flintoff's as he trapped McKenzie plumb in front, being the 12th Englishman to reach 200 Test wickets. Another wicket and England were back in contention, but it was only going to be a matter of time before Kallis made a contribution. It wasn't without fortune, though, as he was twice troubled by yorkers, edging one past second slip and another within inches of his stumps.
Slowly the fluency returned as he picked off consecutive boundaries from Collingwood, although a thick inside edge did rocket into Tim Ambrose's leg as he was stood up to the stumps. Vaughan eventually turned to Monty Panesar in the 52nd over, but he began poorly with a couple of short balls which were easily put away by Kallis. Rain was threatening as tea approached, but South Africa will be very content with their position.
Despite good start India & Sri Lanka share Honours
India started promisingly in their quest to exorcise the ghosts of the SSC Test before being thwarted by double-strikes from Ajantha Mendis and Chaminda Vaas. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir played India into a position of domination but, after a rain break that accounted for the middle session and 75 minutes, Sri Lanka struck gold, taking four wickets for 11, bringing the memories of the collapses in the first Test back to roost.
Like the pitch at the Galle International Stadium, which comprised two polar halves — one cracked and unreliable, the other flat and damp — the first day's play featured startling contrasts. In the first half of the day Sehwag and Gambhir put behind them not only the debacle at the SSC but also thoughts of how, early in the piece here, they played and missed, and how the ball misbehaved when it hit the cracks. They got India off to a flier; Sehwag fell just short for the second time in his career — of a hundred in the first session of a Test, a session in which India scored 151 runs, registering the second biggest opening stand in Galle.
What made Sehwag and Gambhir's partnership - which came at more than five an over —remarkable was that both batsmen were troubled amply by the bowling. Nuwan Kulasekara was the most testing, and the most unfortunate, of the bowlers in the first session, getting the ball to move both off the seam and off the cracks. In his first three overs he beat Gambhir and Sehwag more than once each, even getting a leading edge from Gambhir, and used the variable bounce well, bowling shooters and bouncers.
Gambhir was the first to counter the cracks: he stood outside the crease, and then walked down the pitch, almost like Matthew Hayden, as the bowler ran in. The lbw was ruled out, and a game of tip-and-run got underway, with the batsmen taking singles almost intuitively.
Soon Sehwag shook off the early jitters and shifted gears. No bowler was spared: only a soggy outfield saved Ajantha Mendis from being hit for a four in his first over. Muttiah Muralitharan was hit for a four off the first ball he bowled. Mendis was hit for a six for the first time in Tests.
Kulasekara employed a similar field for Sehwag as at the SSC — two fielders in the deep on the leg side. Here he bowled a head-high bouncer again, and Sehwag went for the pull again, but this time he got on top and hit it to cow corner. This was a batsman who reached a triple-century with a six, after he had tried - and failed - to get to a double the same way. Sehwag was true to character in his approach to moving from 90 to 100. The first ball he faced after the break, he edged Vaas to gully, who collected it first bounce. The second ball, he moved his front leg out of the way and almost hit it into the Galle Fort. Two balls later he bludgeoned a straight boundary to get to his 15th century.
The 21st over best illustrated Sehwag's approach. Mendis started by beating Sehwag with a carrom ball, which he didn't read. Then a straight one that beat him again. And he was almost caught and bowled off the fourth ball. Two balls later, reading the regulation offbreak correctly, Sehwag opened his arms and thrashed it through the covers for a four. The plan was simple for both batsmen: hit whatever you read, and rely on short-term memory loss if you are beaten. It worked in the first session.
In the third over of the second, Mendis got Gambhir with a googly that wasn't. Gambhir had read the wrong'un correctly, playing for the offspin, but this one straightened to trap him in front. He was so befuddled by the deception that he called for the review, which only confirmed the unpalatable truth.
In came Rahul Dravid, not VVS Laxman - that experiment lasted only one innings — to face Mendis. To the second ball Dravid faced from Mendis, he thrust his pad forward to a regulation offbreak, and bat-padded. Malinda Warnapura, at forward short-leg, took the catch on the third take, but the ball had hit the visor of his helmet on the way. In any case, Dravid rendered the debate superfluous by walking. Dravid has now faced 32 balls from Mendis, scored three runs, and got out thrice.
Leading up to the match, there was some debate over Vaas's utility to the side; it was even thought that Dammika Prasad's inclusion in the squad was a nudge. Only three Tests ago, in Providence, Antigua, on a pitch that resembled Sri Lankan wickets, Vaas had taken eight wickets. Here in Galle, he proved once again his utility to the side with two wickets in one over, which helped turn 167 for 0 into 178 for 4.
Sachin Tendulkar played outside the line to one that straightened up enough to be hitting off stump. Sourav Ganguly was done in by the reverse-swing, the ball moving away with the shiny side; with a spectacular diving catch in front of Kumar Sangakkara at slip, Prasanna Jayawardene made amends for a slip he had made in similar circumstances earlier in the innings, causing Gambhir to be dropped on 13.
Sehwag has previously seen fiery starts given by him go to waste — in Melbourne in 2003-04, and in Mohali and Bangalore against Pakistan in 2004-05, to name a few. A similar story seemed to be panning out here, but thank goodness for small mercies — he was still unbeaten when bad light finally stopped play.
Like the pitch at the Galle International Stadium, which comprised two polar halves — one cracked and unreliable, the other flat and damp — the first day's play featured startling contrasts. In the first half of the day Sehwag and Gambhir put behind them not only the debacle at the SSC but also thoughts of how, early in the piece here, they played and missed, and how the ball misbehaved when it hit the cracks. They got India off to a flier; Sehwag fell just short for the second time in his career — of a hundred in the first session of a Test, a session in which India scored 151 runs, registering the second biggest opening stand in Galle.
What made Sehwag and Gambhir's partnership - which came at more than five an over —remarkable was that both batsmen were troubled amply by the bowling. Nuwan Kulasekara was the most testing, and the most unfortunate, of the bowlers in the first session, getting the ball to move both off the seam and off the cracks. In his first three overs he beat Gambhir and Sehwag more than once each, even getting a leading edge from Gambhir, and used the variable bounce well, bowling shooters and bouncers.
Gambhir was the first to counter the cracks: he stood outside the crease, and then walked down the pitch, almost like Matthew Hayden, as the bowler ran in. The lbw was ruled out, and a game of tip-and-run got underway, with the batsmen taking singles almost intuitively.
Soon Sehwag shook off the early jitters and shifted gears. No bowler was spared: only a soggy outfield saved Ajantha Mendis from being hit for a four in his first over. Muttiah Muralitharan was hit for a four off the first ball he bowled. Mendis was hit for a six for the first time in Tests.
Kulasekara employed a similar field for Sehwag as at the SSC — two fielders in the deep on the leg side. Here he bowled a head-high bouncer again, and Sehwag went for the pull again, but this time he got on top and hit it to cow corner. This was a batsman who reached a triple-century with a six, after he had tried - and failed - to get to a double the same way. Sehwag was true to character in his approach to moving from 90 to 100. The first ball he faced after the break, he edged Vaas to gully, who collected it first bounce. The second ball, he moved his front leg out of the way and almost hit it into the Galle Fort. Two balls later he bludgeoned a straight boundary to get to his 15th century.
The 21st over best illustrated Sehwag's approach. Mendis started by beating Sehwag with a carrom ball, which he didn't read. Then a straight one that beat him again. And he was almost caught and bowled off the fourth ball. Two balls later, reading the regulation offbreak correctly, Sehwag opened his arms and thrashed it through the covers for a four. The plan was simple for both batsmen: hit whatever you read, and rely on short-term memory loss if you are beaten. It worked in the first session.
In the third over of the second, Mendis got Gambhir with a googly that wasn't. Gambhir had read the wrong'un correctly, playing for the offspin, but this one straightened to trap him in front. He was so befuddled by the deception that he called for the review, which only confirmed the unpalatable truth.
In came Rahul Dravid, not VVS Laxman - that experiment lasted only one innings — to face Mendis. To the second ball Dravid faced from Mendis, he thrust his pad forward to a regulation offbreak, and bat-padded. Malinda Warnapura, at forward short-leg, took the catch on the third take, but the ball had hit the visor of his helmet on the way. In any case, Dravid rendered the debate superfluous by walking. Dravid has now faced 32 balls from Mendis, scored three runs, and got out thrice.
Leading up to the match, there was some debate over Vaas's utility to the side; it was even thought that Dammika Prasad's inclusion in the squad was a nudge. Only three Tests ago, in Providence, Antigua, on a pitch that resembled Sri Lankan wickets, Vaas had taken eight wickets. Here in Galle, he proved once again his utility to the side with two wickets in one over, which helped turn 167 for 0 into 178 for 4.
Sachin Tendulkar played outside the line to one that straightened up enough to be hitting off stump. Sourav Ganguly was done in by the reverse-swing, the ball moving away with the shiny side; with a spectacular diving catch in front of Kumar Sangakkara at slip, Prasanna Jayawardene made amends for a slip he had made in similar circumstances earlier in the innings, causing Gambhir to be dropped on 13.
Sehwag has previously seen fiery starts given by him go to waste — in Melbourne in 2003-04, and in Mohali and Bangalore against Pakistan in 2004-05, to name a few. A similar story seemed to be panning out here, but thank goodness for small mercies — he was still unbeaten when bad light finally stopped play.
Monday, July 28, 2008
India not fit to Play Tests, says Lankan Media
Ripping apart already bruised and battered Indian team for their below-par show in the first Test, Sri Lankan media said the visitors did not look a side fit to play Test cricket.
"They did not look a side fit to play at this level of the game. The Indian batsmen looked feetless wonders as they stayed manacled to the crease and refused to attack the spin. Had the Indian top order done that, such a disgraceful defeat would not have been slapped on them," the state-run newspaper 'Daily News' said of India's disgraceful defeat.
It would require a cricketing miracle for the visitors to show their resolve and resilience to come good and pocket the series in the next two Tests, the paper said.
Indian batsmen were handed an innings and 239-run defeat by Sri Lankans with a day to spare in the first Test, thanks to the spin duo of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis.
The report wondered how the Indians who taught the world how to play spin could be so disgraceful and "spin shelled and shocked".
"For the Indians, who taught the world to win matches with spin, this batting display was an utter disgrace. No one expected the Indians to capitulate in this poor fashion.
"In name they had some of the best batsmen going in the game. But the meek manner in which they surrendered was a shame and brought their game down to the depths," it said.
The paper felt spin wonder Mendis deserved the man-of-the-match award for his scintillating 8/132 on debut ahead of his senior Muralitharan.
"No one would have faulted the Test adjudicator had he awarded the man-of-the match award to spin sensation Ajantha Mendis," the paper was quoted as saying.
"Muralitharan (who was declared the man-of-the-match) had won this award several times before. Mendis was making his debut. His figures for a debutant were sensational," added the report.
Possibly no other debutant, in Sri Lanka or any other Test playing country, made such a "telling" debut that also earned his side a massive victory, it said in a back page spread article.
"They did not look a side fit to play at this level of the game. The Indian batsmen looked feetless wonders as they stayed manacled to the crease and refused to attack the spin. Had the Indian top order done that, such a disgraceful defeat would not have been slapped on them," the state-run newspaper 'Daily News' said of India's disgraceful defeat.
It would require a cricketing miracle for the visitors to show their resolve and resilience to come good and pocket the series in the next two Tests, the paper said.
Indian batsmen were handed an innings and 239-run defeat by Sri Lankans with a day to spare in the first Test, thanks to the spin duo of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis.
The report wondered how the Indians who taught the world how to play spin could be so disgraceful and "spin shelled and shocked".
"For the Indians, who taught the world to win matches with spin, this batting display was an utter disgrace. No one expected the Indians to capitulate in this poor fashion.
"In name they had some of the best batsmen going in the game. But the meek manner in which they surrendered was a shame and brought their game down to the depths," it said.
The paper felt spin wonder Mendis deserved the man-of-the-match award for his scintillating 8/132 on debut ahead of his senior Muralitharan.
"No one would have faulted the Test adjudicator had he awarded the man-of-the match award to spin sensation Ajantha Mendis," the paper was quoted as saying.
"Muralitharan (who was declared the man-of-the-match) had won this award several times before. Mendis was making his debut. His figures for a debutant were sensational," added the report.
Possibly no other debutant, in Sri Lanka or any other Test playing country, made such a "telling" debut that also earned his side a massive victory, it said in a back page spread article.
Peterson makes use of Practice Time
The South Africans opted for extended batting practice on the final day against Bangladesh A at New Road, continuing their second innings well into the second session before setting a notional target of 637. AB de Villiers and Robin Peterson cashed in on the easy runs available with centuries, while Bangladesh batted out the final 27 overs of the match.
With the third Test starting on Wednesday, Mickey Arthur and Graeme Smith clearly didn't want to over-exert the bowlers with an extended spell in the middle. Andre Nel sent down an extra five overs, following his three-wicket haul in the first innings, as he prepares for a likely call-up in place of the injured Dale Steyn.
However, most of the day wasn't a great advert for first-class cricket. Jacques Kallis didn't resume his overnight 55, but is expected to be fully fit for the Test after a minor injury scare with a finger problem on the second day. de Villiers, who made 174 at Headingley, reached an even 100 before also retiring as the bowlers were given a chance to find some batting form.
Peterson, the reserve left-arm spinner in the squad behind Paul Harris, milked the bowling with ease while Nel made 56. Peterson's fifth first-class century came off 153 balls as Bangladesh used nine bowlers, as they had in the first innings. Mushfiqur Rahim had to leave the field after injuring his shoulder trying to catch Peterson.
When Smith eventually declared before tea Nel and Makhaya Ntini opened with five and four-over spells respectively. The spinners then took over, with Peterson continuing his good day as he removed Bangladesh captain Junaid Siddique with the last ball before tea. Tamim Iqbal responded with a positive 65 off 86 balls, comfortably the highest individual score for Bangladesh in the match. He became Peterson's wicket second before the match was called off at the start of the final hour.
With the third Test starting on Wednesday, Mickey Arthur and Graeme Smith clearly didn't want to over-exert the bowlers with an extended spell in the middle. Andre Nel sent down an extra five overs, following his three-wicket haul in the first innings, as he prepares for a likely call-up in place of the injured Dale Steyn.
However, most of the day wasn't a great advert for first-class cricket. Jacques Kallis didn't resume his overnight 55, but is expected to be fully fit for the Test after a minor injury scare with a finger problem on the second day. de Villiers, who made 174 at Headingley, reached an even 100 before also retiring as the bowlers were given a chance to find some batting form.
Peterson, the reserve left-arm spinner in the squad behind Paul Harris, milked the bowling with ease while Nel made 56. Peterson's fifth first-class century came off 153 balls as Bangladesh used nine bowlers, as they had in the first innings. Mushfiqur Rahim had to leave the field after injuring his shoulder trying to catch Peterson.
When Smith eventually declared before tea Nel and Makhaya Ntini opened with five and four-over spells respectively. The spinners then took over, with Peterson continuing his good day as he removed Bangladesh captain Junaid Siddique with the last ball before tea. Tamim Iqbal responded with a positive 65 off 86 balls, comfortably the highest individual score for Bangladesh in the match. He became Peterson's wicket second before the match was called off at the start of the final hour.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Umpire Referral System Introduced in 1st Test
With the umpire referral system set to be trialled in the Test series between Sri Lanka and India, Here are the basic aspects of this system.
What is the umpire referral system?
It’s an arrangement that will allow the sides to appeal to change a decision perceived to have been incorrect.
Can the sides appeal any number of times?
Both, the fielding and the batting sides, are allowed three unsuccessful appeals per innings, i.e. the sides may continue to appeal against decisions in an innings till three appeals go against them — much like the system used in tennis.
Can the quota of appeals be carried over?
No. The allocation of unsuccessful appeals is three per innings, and can’t be carried over. Again, it’s similar to the system in tennis, where the quota is confined to a set.
With so many players involved — unlike in tennis — who makes the appeal?
These appeals can be made only by the batsman in receipt of the umpire’s original decision or the captain of the fielding side, in both cases by the player making a ‘T’ sign with both forearms at shoulder height.
What happens once an appeal is made?
The on-field umpire consults with the third umpire, who reviews available television coverage of the incident before relaying fact-based information back to his colleague. The on-field umpire then delivers his decision either by raising his finger to indicate “out” or by crossing his hands in a horizontal position side to side in front and above his waist three times — as per a “safe” decision by an official in baseball.
What technological aids can the television umpire use? Can he use Hawk Eye?
The aids available to the television umpire are: slow-motion replays; the wicket-to-wicket “mat” to judge where the ball pitched; sound from stump microphones; ball-tracking technology up to the point of impact on the pad, but not the extrapolation thereafter — so he can’t use Hawk Eye as it is seen by viewers, but he will have access to the measured path of the ball till it strikes the pad. The television umpire will not be able to use snick-detecting devices and “hot-spot” technology in this trial.
This is what experts say:
Anil Kumble: It will be helpful for both the players and the umpires. We have to keep moving with the times, line-ball decisions are accepted in tennis now. We aren’t trying to do away with tradition.
Mahela Jayawardene: It’s to try and eradicate the obvious mistakes, the series-threatening and career-threatening mistakes, so it will help us concentrate on the game. We must be sure to do it in a respectful way to the umpires because they are also human, and I’ll be glad if we don’t use it too much.
Rudi Koertzen (television umpire in the first Test): The pressure will be more since there is immense scrutiny, but everybody’s trying to arrive at the right decision. This won’t erode the authority of the on-field umpires.
Rahul Dravid: I just hope the television technology matches up to it and it gives us a clear picture of what is happening in the middle so that the correct decision is made. It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be interesting — when to appeal and when not.
What is the umpire referral system?
It’s an arrangement that will allow the sides to appeal to change a decision perceived to have been incorrect.
Can the sides appeal any number of times?
Both, the fielding and the batting sides, are allowed three unsuccessful appeals per innings, i.e. the sides may continue to appeal against decisions in an innings till three appeals go against them — much like the system used in tennis.
Can the quota of appeals be carried over?
No. The allocation of unsuccessful appeals is three per innings, and can’t be carried over. Again, it’s similar to the system in tennis, where the quota is confined to a set.
With so many players involved — unlike in tennis — who makes the appeal?
These appeals can be made only by the batsman in receipt of the umpire’s original decision or the captain of the fielding side, in both cases by the player making a ‘T’ sign with both forearms at shoulder height.
What happens once an appeal is made?
The on-field umpire consults with the third umpire, who reviews available television coverage of the incident before relaying fact-based information back to his colleague. The on-field umpire then delivers his decision either by raising his finger to indicate “out” or by crossing his hands in a horizontal position side to side in front and above his waist three times — as per a “safe” decision by an official in baseball.
What technological aids can the television umpire use? Can he use Hawk Eye?
The aids available to the television umpire are: slow-motion replays; the wicket-to-wicket “mat” to judge where the ball pitched; sound from stump microphones; ball-tracking technology up to the point of impact on the pad, but not the extrapolation thereafter — so he can’t use Hawk Eye as it is seen by viewers, but he will have access to the measured path of the ball till it strikes the pad. The television umpire will not be able to use snick-detecting devices and “hot-spot” technology in this trial.
This is what experts say:
Anil Kumble: It will be helpful for both the players and the umpires. We have to keep moving with the times, line-ball decisions are accepted in tennis now. We aren’t trying to do away with tradition.
Mahela Jayawardene: It’s to try and eradicate the obvious mistakes, the series-threatening and career-threatening mistakes, so it will help us concentrate on the game. We must be sure to do it in a respectful way to the umpires because they are also human, and I’ll be glad if we don’t use it too much.
Rudi Koertzen (television umpire in the first Test): The pressure will be more since there is immense scrutiny, but everybody’s trying to arrive at the right decision. This won’t erode the authority of the on-field umpires.
Rahul Dravid: I just hope the television technology matches up to it and it gives us a clear picture of what is happening in the middle so that the correct decision is made. It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be interesting — when to appeal and when not.
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