ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2015David Warner, though, remained unfazed and punished the short-pitched bowling by using the pull to maximum effect•Getty ImagesHe raced to 100 off 92 deliveries•AFPSteven Smith provided ample support at the other end, as the pair added 260 runs, Australia’s highest ever ODI partnership•Associated PressDavid Warner’s 178 was the highest individual score by an Australian in World Cups•Getty ImagesAfghanistan finally saw the back of David Warner when he skied a Shapoor Zadran delivery to Mohammad Nabi, but he had laid the platform for a late flourish•AFPSmith too fell five runs short of his fourth ODI ton, as Afghanistan looked to limit the damage•Getty ImagesBut that was always going to be difficult once Glenn Maxwell got going. He smashed 88 off 39 balls, entertaining the WACA crowd to a range of innovative shots. Australia compiled 417 for 6, the highest score in a World Cup•Associated PressAfghanistan failed to gather any momentum in the chase, and lost half their side for just 94 runs•Getty ImagesNawroz Mangal gave the Afghanistan fans something to cheer about when he hit back-to-back sixes off Mitchell Marsh•AFPBut he had to depart after Finch pulled off a stunner at slips•Associated PressMitchell Marsh and Steven Smith narrowly avoided a collision while taking a catch at third man•Getty ImagesNo Afghanistan batsman offered a resistance, as Australia wrapped the game up with 12 overs to spare, winning by 275 runs, the second largest margin in ODI history•Getty Images

With the pressure of a first ever knockout win out of the way, and a new-found belief blowing their sails, South Africa are confident of going the whole distance this World Cup

Firdose Moonda22-Mar-2015When Dale Steyn screams, you know it. When Rilee Rossouw flings himself forward to save a run, you know it. When Imran Tahir runs halfway across the city in celebration, you definitely know it. South Africa believe.”In eight days we could be world champions,” David Miller said. When this tournament began, that milestone was eight weeks away. Not only is it much closer now, it is the closest South Africa have ever been. They have been semi-finalists before, but only in tournaments without a preceding quarter-final round. They have already made history with their first ever win in a knockout match.That alone has buoyed them. “It means everything to me,” Miller said. “It’s the first World Cup for me and it’s a dream come true. To play a semi-final is going to be out of this world. It’s actually a privilege to be in that position. The guys have worked really hard in their careers with all their highs and lows and it comes down to a moment like this. A lot of people dream for a moment like this. We have the opportunity to actually be there.”In tournaments past, the pressure caused by pre-tournament expectations, Miller described, has been too much for South Africa. This time, they are finding a way to thrive on it. “This team has a lot of fresh guys in the side – young guys who haven’t been to World Cups before, so we don’t have a lot of baggage behind us,” Miller said.One of those is Kyle Abbott, who has lifted South Africa every time he has been included in the XI, and can also sense the buoyancy. “In the last couple of days there almost seems to be a spring in our step that actually can do it,” Abbott said. “After all the critics and everyone saying that we can’t, it’s gone the other way. I don’t think guys are going to sit back. I think this is going to take us to the next step and just believe even more that whatever the conditions and whoever the opposition is that we can do it.”Leading that sense of self-belief is AB de Villiers, who inspires with the bat almost as much as he does behind the scenes. “AB’s hunger to succeed and his passion for the team is contagious. The guys are biting on to that,” Abbott said.”We showed every bit of that on Wednesday: commitment in the field, diving for the balls. Rilee was outstanding at backward point, making efforts for balls that he was probably never going to get there but at least he knows now that he made an effort and couldn’t get there. That’s what AB asked from us. He said he wants us to create chances and that’s what we did. We gave ourselves every chance the other night. It’s just a confidence thing now that we actually can do it and take it to the next level.”To move another rung up on the ladder to success, South Africa are pulling out all the stops. For the semi-final, all the consultants they have roped in for this tournament have been collected together to form a mega brains-trust.David Miller – “The guys have worked really hard in their careers with all their highs and lows and it comes down to a moment like this. A lot of people dream for a moment like this”•Getty ImagesGary Kirsten, who is on a 50-day-a-year deal and was with the team ahead of the match against India a month ago, is back. Michael Hussey, who also spent a few days with team before both the India match and the quarter-final, is also back. Mike Horn, who joined up ahead of the quarter-final, has stayed on. And in an extended training session on Sunday morning, which stretched to almost four hours, Mark O’Donnell, the former New Zealand assistant coach who has worked in South Africa with the Eastern Province and Gauteng sides and is now part of Auckland’s structures, was also there.O’Donnell was mostly catching up with old friends but may also have been passing some insider tips on how to counter New Zealand’s approach of all-out aggression. South Africa seem to be working on a defensive strategy with bat in hand in the early stages before counterattacking later on.”They’re really good with nipping the ball. I don’t think they give the opposition much in the first 10 overs. So, it’s about absorbing as much as we can and limiting the damage in the first 10 overs,” Miller said.He won’t be doing much of that, though. As one of the middle-order men, Miller was practicing the second element, specifically targeting the short, straight boundaries. “Hopefully I can mishit a few straight sixes,” he joked, before explaining he will be careful not to get too carried away. “It’s all coming down to the crunch moment now so soon there will be a lot more pressure put on this game. It’s just another game, as they say, which is obviously cliched but it’s about pulling in your emotions and doing the job.”For South Africa, that job is believing like they have never believed before.

Tributes for Richie Benaud, who has died at 84

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-20153:13

‘He played the pause outstandingly’ – Harsha Bhogle

“Our country has lost a national treasure. After Don Bradman, there has been no Australian player more famous or more influential than Richie Benaud.” – “Since way back in 1977 Richie has been a much loved member of the Nine family. More than that, he sat at the head of our table. We shall miss him dearly, but we’ll forever treasure his indelible memory and all the marvellous values for which he stood.” – “You didn’t have to know Richie to love him. Everything about him. Best in the business bar none. We will miss him the way you miss loved ones. And at the same time we will thank our lucky stars he came our way at all.” – “Some people would say to me ‘I wish Richie had a sense of humour’. They were wrong, of course. He was as dry as they come.” – “As a cricketer, commentator and as a person, you were the best there’s ever been and to top it off, an absolute gentleman… For me it was an honour and a privilege to call you a close friend and mentor, we had so many wonderful times together, talking cricket and in particular, our love and passion of leg spin bowling.” – “The standard he set has been tremendous for cricket, has been tremendous for television and if any young cricketer wants an example of how to behave and perform, I think Richie Benaud is the man.” – “He didn’t take himself or the game as seriously as people thought. He enjoyed the game. He saw it as a form of entertainment.” – “He has been the most influential, revered and respected person in the game for 50 years. As Australian captain he never lost a series. As a commentator he was precise, authoritative and deliciously understated.” – “Wonderful personality who was always warm and encouraging. Had great insights on the game. Fondly remember our discussion on the art of legspin along with Shane Warne in Sharjah. Last spoke to him late last year. Was not well but full of enthusiasm. Great loss to the world of cricket. Heartfelt condolences to Richie’s family and friends.” – “He was a great assessor of the game. With Richie, it was never a risk but always a calculated decision to do something.” – “He was a great player and a great captain; a wonderful leader of men and he continued that off the field. He loved winning. He helped the Australian team have the attitude where they wanted to win. He played the game the right way.” – “He set an incredibly high standard on the field. The fact that Australia never lost a series under his captaincy says so much. And those standards were just as high when he turned his attention to calling the game.” – “Richie Benaud is irreplaceable to Australian cricket and an enormous loss. He was unique as he covered all facets of the game, as a player, a commentator, an administrator and a writer. His views were researched, balanced and fair. His legacy to the game will always live on.” – “Richie was very positive in his cricket, he was very positive in anything and everything he did. His attitude to the game and players of the game as a journalist and a commentator was always positive. He was an inspiration as a player and was a mentor to many of us, myself included, since his playing days.” – “He was quite simply peerless. Nobody else had his authority, popularity and skill. If you speak to any broadcaster from any sport, they will point to Richie as the standard-bearer.” – “Richie sums up all that is great about our sport. He was a true gentlemen with a real insight into the game, he made heroes of the players he commentated on and his enthusiasm for the sport made you want to get off the sofa and play. He will be sorely missed.” – I grew up with his voice in my ears,on my 1st trip to Aus he was the man I was most nervous to meet. #RIPRichieBenaud – “There would be very few Australians who have not passed a summer in the company of Richie Benaud. He was the accompaniment of an Australian summer.” –

Stats highlights from Australia’s comprehensive win over Scotland in Hobart

Shiva Jayaraman14-Mar-20154:26

Bevan: Batting depth a worry for Scotland

208 Balls unused by Australia in their chase, their second-biggest win in the World Cup in terms of balls remaining. They had beaten Ireland with 226 balls left in a Super Eights match in 2007, which is their biggest win in the World Cup.6 Times Mitchell Starc has taken at least four wickets in his first ODI against a team. Scotland join a list that includes New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Afghanistan. Mitchell McClenaghan is Starc’s only peer having done the same against Australia, England, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies.16 Wickets for Starc in this World Cup – the most by any bowler so far. Starc’s 16 wickets have come at an average of just 8.50 apiece. No other bowler has taken 15 or more wickets in a World Cup at a better average than Starc.Kyle Coetzer is one of three batsmen from the current Associate nations to make more than 250 runs in this World Cup•Getty Images246 Balls the match lasted, the shortest game of this World Cup in terms of balls bowled. The match between Sri Lanka and Canada in 2003 is the shortest in all World Cups – it lasted just 140 balls as Sri Lanka chased down a target of 37 in 4.4 overs after bowling out Canada in 18.4 overs.9 Times Scotland have been bowled out for less than 200 in their 14 World Cup games including today. Their percentage – 63.29% – of such innings is the worst for any team that has played at least five games in the World Cup.2 Times that five Scotland batsmen have got ducks in an innings in this World Cup – in this match and the one against New Zealand. This is the first time a team has had two such innings in a single World Cup. Scotland’s 12 ducks in this World Cup are the most by any team.5 Batsmen from the Associate teams to score 250 or more runs in a World Cup. In 2015, Scotland’s Kyle Coetzer has 253 runs, UAE’s Shaiman Anwar has 309 runs with one more innings left and Afghanistan’s Samiullah Shenwari has 254 runs.15 Wickets for Josh Davey in this World Cup – the most by a bowler from an Associate nation in World Cups. Collins Obuya and Harvir Baidwan took 13 wickets each in 2007 and 2011, respectively and held the previous record. John Blain’s 10 wickets in the 1999 World Cup was the previous highest by a Scotland bowler in any World Cup.

The innings at Edgbaston was not new, but it was extraordinary. Jos Buttler, from a position where England’s innings was in the balance, demolished New Zealand’s bowlers in a style that embodied the approach of a new team

George Dobell at Edgbaston09-Jun-20153:46

‘England have never had an ODI batsman like Jos Buttler’

This was a day that for English one-day cricket offered hope and joy for the future. At the heart of this success was a century of the highest quality from Jos Buttler. Exactly a week since he showed his resilience in the Test defeat at Headingley, he produced an innings that demonstrated his vast range of strokes – there were boundaries within all eight spokes of the wagon wheel – his fearlessness and his skill. England may well never have had a limited-overs player like him.There is much to admire about Buttler. There is the calm that allowed him to face 28 deliveries before he struck a boundary around the time England slipped to 202 for 6. There is the power that allowed him deposit bowlers far over the boundary if they strayed even fractionally in length. There is the class that enabled him, on numerous occasions, to turn good length balls into half-volleys with deliciously timed drives through the covers. And there was the selflessness that saw him, on 95, risk the personal milestone to tread over to the off side and scoop a leg stump delivery to the fine leg boundary.There is a likeable modesty about him, too. A quietly-spoken bashfulness that masks an inner steel. He is Hugh Grant off the pitch and Hugh Jackman on it. He would murder you with impeccable manners and a bumbling apology. It seems safe to assume that alongside Joe Root and Ben Stokes (a trio that are, despite their relative experience, among the youngest in this squad), Buttler will be at the heart of almost everything good that happens in English cricket in the next decade. He is exactly the sort that will regain the love – the trust, even – of the public.Buttler, like the rest of this young England squad, grew up inspired by and developed in T20 cricket. He was 12 when the format was introduced in county cricket and, as an athlete who shone across several sports (he played rugby in the schools final at Twickenham, he won the 100 metres at school and, underlining the fact that sometimes life just isn’t fair, he gained As in all his GCSEs), he employed the innovative stokes the game inspired from the beginning. He isn’t learning new tricks; he’s playing his natural game.The Somerset connection: a young Jos Buttler meets Ian Botham in 1999•Buttler familyBorn and educated in Taunton into a close-knit cricketing family, Buttler was destined to be a cricketer from the start. Born by an emergency Caesarean section, Buttler’s mother was driven past the county ground in Taunton by police escort on the way to the hospital.Nurtured at Kings College Taunton by Dennis Breakwell, a member of the Somerset teams that also boasted Ian Botham and Viv Richards, Buttler broke into the senior county side at 19 and was soon creating a stir not just for his runs, but the manner in which he made them and the circumstances in which they were made.He seemed to thrive under pressure. As a 19-year-old, he hit two England bowlers – Stuart Broad and Ryan Sidebottom – for 55 in 23 balls to win the semi-final of the T20 competition, the following year he made 86 from 72 balls in the 40-over final and then made a 61-ball century – the fastest in England’s ODI history – against Sri Lanka in 2014.Even in England’s last ODI defeat – the match against Bangladesh that sentenced England to an early World Cup exit – Buttler stood above as he top-scored with 65 from 52 balls. As recently as Friday, he produced a masterful innings of 71 to help his new club, Lancashire, overcome Yorkshire in a T20 match that logic said was long gone. He makes the impossible seem probable.His change of gear is remarkable. With such a range of shots, he knows that, once he is underway he is very hard to control so is happy to bide his time. Here, after 21 deliveries, he had scored only 14. Which means, from his next 55 balls, he thrashed 115 runs with 13 fours and five sixes. England have been on the wrong end of such assaults quite often. Very, very rarely have they inflicted such damage.It was intriguing to watch how Buttler’s aggression turned the tables on New Zealand. Suddenly they were the side under pressure and, while they did not exactly buckle, their composure certainly showed some cracks. Buttler was reprieved, on 90, when Ross Taylor at deep midwicket dropped a chance he would expect to take, while Adil Rashid was put down by Brendon McCullum on 43.Even McCullum’s field placements started to look too clever by half. Twice the ball dissected the keeper and a slip placed wide as firstly Root and then Buttler showed that, in this format at least, fortune does tend to favour the bold. And had an England captain set such a field? They would surely have been dismissed as clueless. Sometimes the momentum of a narrative finds facts to fit.But such habits can be changed. Moods can be changed and lifted. And though there will, no doubt, be days when this new England come unstuck, if they play like this, the bad days will be bearable. The public can be won back and a new audience can be won over by cricket’s unique charms. Buttler and co. may just prove irresistible.

The youngest man to play in this IPL, Sarfaraz Khan displayed his cricketing nous with an unbeaten 45 off 21 balls

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Apr-2015At 17 he is the youngest to have played in this IPL. As he walks on to the field Sarfaraz Khan turns eyes. Mainly because of his girth – short, rotund, wobbling around the hips, Sarfaraz makes you wonder what made Royal Challengers Bangalore gamble on this Mumbai talent. His electric cameo against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday evening not only gave Royal Challengers a formidable total, but it also added further wattage to an already charged stadium. Here are five reasons to keep an eye on Sarfaraz.The cunning
James Faulkner’s back-of-the-hand slow ball is a sucker punch delivered at a very slow speed. Many an experienced batsman has been floored. Sarfaraz has already upper cut the Australian for his first boundary. Next ball Faulkner charges in and delivers that slower ball. Far from finding himself in a spot, Sarfaraz has already quickly moved outside the line of the delivery to attempt the reverse sweep. But in the process his bat handle flips and Sarfaraz ends up playing the shot with the back of his bat. He berates himself: not because of his loose grip, but for failing to take advantage of the third man being inside the circle. Even if he got just one run, you realise Sarfaraz’s clever grasp of the field and his cunning motive.The statement
In the next over, Royals’ captain Shane Watson goes for a boundary as Sarfaraz flays wildly at a fuller-length delivery outside off stump. Next ball Watson bangs it in hard short of a length. Sarfaraz nonchalantly takes a step back to play the ramp shot past third man for the second four in a row. Thus he has forced Watson to change his plans. The Australian allrounder now is operating from round the stumps. A fuller ball on the legs is clipped to deep midwicket. Amidst confusion his partner Dinesh Karthik is run out. Sarfaraz is unfazed. He is still wildly swinging even at a wide delivery. He is playing with no fear.The boldness
Royal Challengers are 157 for 5 with three overs to go. This is a phase where teams have taken the game away from their opposition by scoring at minimum ten an over. Sarfaraz is inexperienced. But he is far from wet behind his ears. Instead he is charging one of the best spinners of the IPL: Praveen Tambe. The Royals’ legspinner had already been rendered useless after the initial assault inflicted on him by the raging blade of AB de Villiers. In his return spell he once again is not allowed to settle down as Sarfaraz takes advantage of Tambe’s flatter trajectory and sweeps him for a four off the first ball. Next ball as Tambe tosses it up, Sarfaraz jumps out of his crease to deliver the ball high over long off. Next ball he has once again lofted high over cover for another four. Royals have 18 runs from the over and they are now set for 200.The awareness
Watson had shuffled the field throughout the penultimate over of the Royal Challengers innings which is delivered by Dhawal Kulkarni. A good plan including setting his own field has worked in Kulkarni’s favour as he gets rid of the South African allrounder David Wiese. Next ball, the last ball of the over, Kulkarni pitches down the leg side. Sarfaraz has already read the ball well as he has quickly moved outside the line of the ball to go for the scoop, with which he connects wonderfully to get another four. He is not just seeing gaps, but he is creating them, too.The finish
The Chinnaswamy Stadium is screaming “Sar-fa-raaz, Sar-far-raaz” as Tim Southee runs in to deliver the final over of the innings. Harshal Patel has hit the first ball for a huge six, but the crowd wants Sarfaraz to get his maiden half-century. Sarfaraz cuts a short-pitched delivery on off stump to the right of sweeper cover. But Stuart Binny’s spectacular dive cuts the four to just two runs. An anxious Sarfaraz constantly turns to watch the big screen in the North Stand to ascertain if it was a four. The crowd now wants a six with two balls to go as that would get Sarfaraz to his maiden fifty. He swings and misses a fuller length ball on off stump. He punchs the last ball past Southee and even as Patel turns for a double, Sarfaraz grounds the bat to remain not out. Two balls earlier he had refused a bye even as Patel was halfway down the pitch to take the run. He is bound to learn to be more proactive in future.The crowd, which walked out later disappointed at the rain, had become excited, dazzled by a Sarfaraz special. Such was his dominance that even the Royal Challengers captain Virat Kohli folded both his hands to deliver a (gesture displaying vote of thanks) to Sarfaraz.

Stats highlights from Australia’s extraordinary collapse at Trent Bridge

Bishen Jeswant06-Aug-201560 Australia’s score in the first innings, their seventh-lowest score in Test history, and their second-lowest in the last 79 years. The only time they were bowled out for less in this period was against South Africa – 47, in Cape Town, 2011.214 England’s lead at the end of day one, the third-highest ever after the first day of a Test. The only higher ones have been 286, by South Africa against Zimbabwe in Cape Town in 2005, and 233 by England against Australia at Lord’s in 1896.25 Number of balls (or 4.1 overs) it took Australia to lose their first five wickets, the quickest any team has lost five wickets since 2002 (prior to which ball-by-ball data is not available).111 Number of balls (or 18.3 overs) Australia lasted. It was the shortest-ever first innings of a Test. It was also Australia’s third-shortest Test innings. Their shortest lasted 99 balls (or 12.3 eight-ball overs), in Brisbane in 1936. Thirteen out of Australia’s 14 shortest Test innings have come against England.2 Wickets taken by Stuart Broad in the first over of the match. There have only been two previous instances, since 2002, of a bowler taking two or more wickets in the first over of a Test match – Irfan Pathan against Pakistan (2006) and Chris Cairns against England (2002).0 Chris Rogers made the first duck of his Test career, in his 46th innings. If Rogers had not scored a duck during this Ashes series, after which he is set to retire, he would have had the longest Test career without a single duck, a record currently held by Australia’s Jim Burke (44 innings).5 Number of England bowlers who have taken 300-plus Test wickets. Broad became the fifth bowler to join the list when he took the wicket of Chris Rogers with his third ball. The other four bowlers are James Anderson (413), Ian Botham (383), Bob Willis (325) and Fred Trueman (307).6.1 Overs bowled by England when Stuart Broad picked up his fifth wicket. Since 2002 (prior to which ball-by-data is not available), no bowler before Broad had picked up more than three wickets in the first 6.1 overs of an innings.8 Number of batsmen that Broad dismissed caught during the first innings, the joint-most for any bowler. There have been five instances in Tests of a bowler dismissing eight batsmen caught. The last bowler to do this was also English – Angus Fraser against West Indies in 1994. Interestingly, all eight of Broad’s dismissals were not just caught, but caught at slip.3 Number of hundreds scored by Joe Root in Ashes Tests, making him the youngest England batsman (age – 24) to score three Ashes hundreds. The only other England batsman to score two Ashes hundreds at the age of 24 is Len Hutton.0 Number of Australia’s top-seven batsmen who scored more than 10 runs during the first innings. Clarke was the highest run-scorer with exactly 10 runs. The last instance when each of Australia’s top-seven batsmen were dismissed for 10 runs or less in an Ashes Test was 79 years ago, in Brisbane in 1936. This has happened to Australia five times in all Tests, four of those against England.8-15 Broad’s figures in the first innings of this Test, the best of his career. He has two previous seven-wicket hauls, against New Zealand (2013) and West Indies (2012), both at Lord’s.14 Number of times that extras have top-scored in a Test innings (in all-out innings). This is third such instance for Australia, with the last occasion being against West Indies in 1991. England conceded 14 extras which constituted 23% of Australia’s score of 60.9 Number of times Broad has taken six or more wickets in an innings, the third-most for any England pace bowler, and the sixth-most overall for any pace bowler.1.87 The average runs per wicket conceded by Broad in the first innings of this Test. He took eight wickets and conceded only 15 runs. Broad is the first bowler to concede less than two runs per wicket when taking a five-wicket haul against Australia.5 Number of times that three (or more) out of Australia’s top-four batsmen have scored ducks – Rogers (0), Warner (0), Smith (6) and Shaun Marsh (0). Each of those five instances have been against England, with the last coming 65 years ago, in Brisbane in 1950.1 Number of England bowlers who have returned better figures than Broad during an Ashes Test – Jim Laker. Broad’s figures of 8-15 are next only to Jim Lakers figures of 10-53 and 9-37 at Old Trafford in 1956.43 Alastair Cook’s score in the first innings, his second-highest score at Trent Bridge. Cook’s highest score from 15 innings at Trent Bridge is 50, his only half century at this venue. Today was the third time that he made exactly 43 at Trent Bridge, where he only averages 21.85.

England’s commitment to attacking with the bat, whatever the consequences, has received official endorsement from their new coach

George Dobell01-Aug-2015A few years ago – 2004 if memory serves – an elderly spectator settled down to watch a day of cricket at Horsham before the 11am start of play and promptly died. It was not until 9pm that anyone noticed. Such was the character of the crowd, and the cricket, that one more silent, motionless man in a chair hardly stood out.But cricket has changed. It has changed in much the way that David Icke, the former footballer and sports presenter, changed. Once it existed in the background: reassuringly traditional, calm, unchallenging and talking quietly about snooker. Then one day it woke up, claimed it was the son of God and suggested the Queen Mother was a lizard sent by aliens to rule over us. Okay, cricket is not like David Icke, but you get the picture. It has transformed.

Bayliss on…

Steven Finn
“Since I have been here he has been fantastic around the group. He certainly hasn’t been down in the dumps. He’s taken wickets in county cricket and the way he has been bowling in the nets has been fantastic. He’s had some really good rhythm making the ball move and making it really difficult for the guys facing him in the nets to handle. He’s a very well liked guy in the squad.
Ian Bell
“It didn’t take too much persuading to get him to bat at No. 3. He jumped at the opportunity. He’s obviously a class player and a bit out of the runs. But he took the positive course of action. Yes, the ball might move around more early on but there’s more gaps too and he’s a nice clean striker of the ball.”
Mark Wood
“We are more than hopeful he will be right for the next Test, but you never know with these things. I’d like to see him take the new ball. Our bowling coach, Ottis Gibson, thinks if we get an opportunity we should give him the new ball, because he has been quite dangerous with it with his county team.”

The point is, spectators can no longer snooze. If they do so for even a moment, they are likely to miss several wickets, a glut of boundaries and Michael Clarke’s involvement in the game.Whether the game has changed for the better is debatable. But whether it is due to the introduction of T20, the wealth of rival entertainment options, the pace of modern life or shorter attention spans, it seems there is no going back. The forward defensive has become a stroke so rare that dentists in America plan to hunt it down and shoot it.It was a sense brought home by England’s new coach, Trevor Bayliss, at the end of the third Investec Ashes Test at Edgbaston. Talking about Ian Bell’s first-innings dismissal – he lobbed a catch to mid-on after attempting to hit a Nathan Lyon delivery over the top – Bayliss admitted some concern. But it was more about Bell’s execution of the stroke than his attempt to play it that bothered Bayliss.Bell played nicely in Birmingham. He scored more runs than anyone and saw his side home. It was a classy performance. But his first-innings dismissal – some would call it an indiscretion, some simply a mishit – could have hurt England. Having done the hard work, he was so intent to dominate Lyon that he skipped down the pitch to the fourth ball of his spell and gave David Warner a catch.The weather was closing in – only eight more deliveries were bowled that day – and Bell’s dismissal meant new batsmen had to face a fresh Mitchell Johnson in the morning. He dismissed two of them in his first, brilliantly brutal, over. It could have cost England.”As a captain and a coach you would prefer – and the player himself would prefer – that he hadn’t played that shot,” Bayliss said. “But it was probably more the timing of it.”If you look back, we came off just after it so it makes it look worse. We lost a wicket five minutes before we come off the ground. He probably played the shot to the wrong ball and maybe at the wrong time.”But Bayliss will not be attempting to curb such aggression. While he may want to make it a little more selective, this England camp remain committed – some would suggest overly committed – to the attacking approach. Indeed, Bayliss suggested that such a positive approach should be the default option, with more defensive play only applied when necessary.Ian Bell skied a catch off the bowling of Nathan Lyon in England’s first innings at Edgbaston•Getty Images”The message to the young players in the group that are, hopefully, going to continue this positive brand of cricket is you’ve got to learn to play it. That includes knowing when to pull it back a little bit and knowing when do to the hard yards and go through some tough periods.”I think it’s harder to actually go the other way. If you have a negative-type of approach it’s actually harder to step it up and be attacking. From that point of view I’m quite happy that he tried something.”This contrasts markedly with the traditional view. Traditionally, it was believed that a solid defence was the bedrock of a batsman’s technique and that more positive shots should only be built upon that. Some players seemingly went entire international careers – think of Chris Tavare – with only that foundation.But such cricket seems to belong to a time when coverage was in black of white, male spectators wore ties and everyone appeared to have a Greek-style moustache. The world has changed. Batsmen appear to have ADHD and dying at the cricket is only allowed if it is sponsored by an approved ICC “partner”.It is hard to avoid the impression that Kevin Pietersen was, for England at least, a man ahead of his time. Some of his dismissals – the catch to long-on in Perth in late 2013, for example – would nowadays be treated as the inevitable side effect of “aggressive cricket”. At the time they were treated as something approaching treason.Might there be some contradiction between Bayliss’ commitment towards positivity and his observation that he would like one of the batsmen to “score a hundred and bat for a long time”? It sounds dangerously like “score at 12 an over but don’t get out”.But Bayliss would point out that there is a balance to batting. That there is a time to attack and a time to defend. That the emphasis is still on the former but you have to know when to apply the latter.”You’d like to see someone score a big hundred,” Bayliss said when asked what lessons he had taken from Edgbaston. “One thing we didn’t have, from either side, was someone to score a hundred and bat for a long, long time.”Yes, it might have been a bit difficult, but there were enough guys that actually got starts that showed it wasn’t impossible to bat on that pitch. Sometimes in those difficult situations it just needs that little bit of extra application to get through those tough periods, and then the easy runs come later on.”One thing is for sure: given a half decent pitch, England are more entertaining to watch than they have been for some time. And, in a sport fighting for the oxygen of publicity in a busy world, that is no bad thing. There is no snoozing at the cricket these days.

Steve Magoffin had feared his first-class career was over six months before he arrived at Sussex as a stopgap overseas signing. Since then the Australian has become one of county cricket’s most stalwart performers

Will Macpherson23-Sep-2015Steve Magoffin readily admits that when he arrived at Sussex for the second game of the 2012 season, whisked in as a quick fix, he was not a “sexy” overseas signing. He was uncapped, not Sussex’s top choice and set to stay just six weeks. Few could have thought, least of all Magoffin, that the gangly seamer would still be there four seasons on – with a deal for another contract penned, an inch from British citizenship and 258* wickets under his belt.From his first game – a nine-for against Lancashire – Magoffin has been Sussex’s metronome. He is quiet, unfussy and unglamorous, with old-fashioned virtues at the heart of his method and absolutely no longing for the limelight, to the point that, at times, he has seemed something of a faceless destroyer.The only certainty has been that would appear in the wicket column. Unfashionable, perhaps, but having taken 28% of Sussex’s Championship wickets since he arrived, there is a case for him being the club’s finest player since Mushtaq Ahmed and the most important overseas signing in England. This season he has been ever-present, shouldering a huge burden (over 3,200 balls as the season reached its final week) in an injury-ravaged attack at times shorn of seven quicks.

Did you know?

Steve Magoffin’s first involvement with the Sheffield Shield came not as a player, but as a writer…. for Cricinfo.

In 2001, aged 22 and still three years away from his first-class debut for Western Australia, Magoffin – then on his native Queensland’s books – reported on the Bulls’ late-season victory over WA at the Gabba, on their way to the second of three consecutive titles (in what was then known as the Pura Cup).

This has set minds racing at ESPNcricinfo – was a great Australian correspondent lost because he kept taking too many wickets? Certainly there cannot be many cricketers who can boast reporting on the Shield, then hitting the winning runs 11 years later.

The metronome, however, has an interesting story to tell. Indeed, the stopgap who became the stalwart nearly left the game altogether eight months before he arrived at Sussex. Magoffin played seven seasons for Western Australia (as well as spells at Surrey and Worcestershire, where he met his wife), the last of which – 2010-11, when he was 31 – was entirely ravaged by injury and he was released.”At that stage it was impossible not to wonder whether my professional career was over,” says Magoffin. “You get the meeting where you’re told they are moving in a different direction, which you react to in the only obvious way: anger and disappointment. I tried to secure something at another State and sides were interested but couldn’t commit.”I decided to move back to Queensland to my old club Western Suburbs to play grade cricket. I’ve no doubt that those few months are the reason I’m still going well now. Rocking up on Tuesday night, under poor lighting with average cricket balls with old mates, I fell back in love with the game.”I did a bit of coaching too. I just decided to give it one season and see. Darren Lehmann and Trevor Hohns were clear that just because I wasn’t contracted then didn’t mean I wasn’t a chance to play. I hit my straps immediately and ended up playing Queensland’s first 50-over game, and by the end of the season I’d hit the winning runs in the Sheffield Shield Final! Looking back, for that to be my last moment in Australian cricket, especially with it being for my home state, was unbelievable.”It was not his plan for that to be his final act in Australian cricket. Since his spell with Worcestershire in 2008, overseas player regulations had changed – with his lack of international experience rendering him ineligible – and then changed again – permitting him to play on a spouse visa.

‘In eight months, I went from no job in cricket at all to winning the Shield and being here. Four years later, the rest was history’

So when, a few weeks after that Shield triumph of 2012, Tim Southee was forced to pull out of a deal with Sussex, in came Magoffin on a six-week deal. It was not long before Mark Robinson, Sussex’s director of cricket, recognised his ability.”I started well and Robbo was keen for me to stay, so I blagged a couple of extra weeks, before Queensland said I had to come back for pre-season. At that stage, we decided that if I could secure cricket in England for the following season, we’d stay for good. It was a good time for us, as my thoughts of higher honours were gone and my wife was pregnant and due in December that year. That was a big motivating factor, with her family being in Worcester. Sussex signed me up, I made the call to Queensland, and that was that.”In eight months, I went from no job in cricket at all to winning the Shield and being here. Four years later, the rest is history. It’s funny to think that if I hadn’t made an impact in grade cricket by Christmas, none of this would ever have happened.”A Sheffield Shield triumph began Magoffin’s recovery•Getty Images’This’ has turned out to be wickets, by the bucketload, by finding movement in the air, and hitting the seam on a fourth stump line and good length. “I wasn’t a high-profile signing, and wasn’t the type of person people expected Sussex to sign. I wasn’t an international, had only played six first-class games in 18 months and there was no press entourage. I had no choice but to prove myself quickly, and make people sit up.”The pitches here work for me. I understand how to get the best from them. There are definite phases of the season: early doors on the green seamers it is tough work for the batters. As a bowler you are looking to set your season up by the end of June. Then you move on and work out ways to stay in the game when things don’t quite suit you. I’ve always been able to hit the seam, and the Dukes ball helps. When I was younger, I wouldn’t have been patient enough when conditions weren’t right but now, I know what I’m good at, what works when, and I don’t need great pace to succeed.”What Australia would have given for such knowledge during the Ashes. Magoffin’s style is something of a throwback, but so is what he represents: a reminder of the days of Law, Love and the like – classy, seldom-capped Australians making hay in the shires.Now, though, there is one final box for Magoffin to tick: officially turning his back on Australia. His British citizenship application is being processed by the Home Office, which opens up exciting possibilities for Sussex. During the latter half of the season, the club have been on tenterhooks waiting for approval, with rumours abound that Yasir Shah was set to join with Magoffin playing as a local.It has not come through quickly enough, but in 2016, who knows: Magoffin will be at Hove, and if Sussex avoid relegation – they need nine points from their final game, away at champions Yorkshire to be in charge of their own destiny – it will be as much down to his 66* wickets as any other individual contribution. What a happy six-week stay it has turned out to be.* Figures correct to the end of Yorkshire’s first innings against Sussex on September 23

Nasser Hussain was the hapless victim when McGrath bowled six flawless deliveries at the Gabba in 2002

Vijay Subramanya 14-Oct-2015It was Aristotle, who in , wrote, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. More than 23 centuries later, it was Glenn McGrath, who, over the course of six balls, gave one of the best illustrations of the idea on a cricket field. By any measure, the parts, the individual deliveries, were unremarkable: none of them were comparable to Shane Warne’s Gatting ball or Wasim Akram’s double-swing miracle. But the whole, the over, was a poem whose brilliance transcended the beauty of its lines. And as Nasser Hussain trudged off at the end of it, he must have glimpsed his chances of winning the 2002-03 Ashes melting away in the Brisbane sun.That McGrath was accurate is well-known. In case there is doubt, this over provides a conclusive validation, as Hawk-Eye would attest. However, saying McGrath’s effectiveness lay solely in his accuracy is like saying Warne’s magic could be attributed to his ability to generate sharp turn alone. Of course, turning it square was crucial for Warne, but so were his drift and variations in flight and pace. Similarly, McGrath’s subtle lateral movement and extra bounce, combined with his consistency, allowed him to execute a plan like a computer. It is precisely this ability of McGrath’s that elevated the his over to Hussain to greatness.The scene is a late November afternoon at the Gabba. Chasing an improbable 464 against the Australian attack, England had suffered an early setback, losing the openers within the first two overs. Hussain joined Mark Butcher and the duo’s concern was survival, at least till stumps on the fourth day. As their stand grew stubborn, Waugh brought back McGrath for his second spell.McGrath began the over with a good-length delivery on the fifth stump and moving in off the seam. Hussain shouldered arms. McGrath figured it was time for the good old, tried and tested formula: Get the batsman to leave a few innocuous balls before bringing one in off the seam to sneak through his defence. And so, the second ball mimicked the first but held its line. Hussain let it go. The next one pitched on the exact same spot, hardly deviated but bounced slightly higher. Hussain saw it through to the keeper. Fourth ball, same story. Hussain looked assured and must have thought he had it figured out. At least Tony Greig did, who remarked on air, “Hussain here… has got a pretty good idea where his off stump is at the moment.”The set-up was now in motion. The first act was done and the bluff was around the corner. But Hussain, who had seen Vaughan fall for it earlier, knew the strategy. He just needed to watch closely and play anything that threatened to jag back in. The fifth ball was fuller, but it followed its predecessors’ path and Hussain did not care to disturb it.The sixth ball of the over. Both the bowler and the batsman knew what usually came next. Hussain saw McGrath’s delivery stride go a half-foot wider of the crease to generate the angle. He saw the ball land on the fourth stump, closer than the previous deliveries. Seeing that it had followed the script so far, he decided to put bat on ball. However, little did he know that McGrath was a step ahead of the script. Instead of targeting the pads, the ball moved away, lured the bat to follow it and took the edge. Ponting, at second slip, did the rest.Thus ended Hussain’s nightmarish Test. Deciding to bowl first on a belter of a track, seeing his fielders drop dollies, conceding 364 for 2 on the first day and losing Simon Jones to a horrific injury, Hussain was perhaps relieved to get back to the dressing room. However, he still had to bear England’s capitulation as they collapsed to 79 all out.Test matches are won by bowlers and Hussain had seen the genius of the opponent’s strike bowler first-hand. What chance did England have! George Bernard Shaw once derided cricket as a game played by 11 fools. Had he witnessed those six balls, perhaps he would have reduced the number to ten.Do you have any thoughts on ‘The Perfect Over’? You could send your articles to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line.