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AB de Villiers has been the ghost at South Africa’s feast during their tour of England, but his chirpy presence on social media has hinted at a conflicted mindset

Firdose Moonda at Old Trafford06-Aug-20172:39

Talented South Africa haven’t performed

Twenty-eight tweets. More than the batting average of half the South Africa top six on this tour.Almost 4,000 characters. Greater than the total number of career runs of three of the current top four.As much as South Africa should not be bogged down by looking at what they don’t have, AB de Villiers’ social media presence has served as a constant reminder of what could have been.Currently on a sabbatical from the longest format, and one that seems certain to end in retirement when a new coach is announced before the home summer, de Villiers has spent this series as a cheerleader, spurring his mates on – a clown-doctor of sorts, trying to make them smile even though their problems need more than jokes to fix, and a confused elite sportsman, whose tone carries a hint of conflict between country and commercial obligations that compete for space on his timeline, and in his life.De Villiers’ first tweet came before 5am on the opening morning of the series. Perhaps that’s the time he would wake up when he used to play Test cricket, when the butterflies he described as active even as his career matured to the point where they should have been stilled, fluttered. Or perhaps he was up early tending to his young son, who has just turned two, and whose presence in his life helped prompt a rethink of his own priorities. Either way, de Villiers was excited and expectant.

The day has arrived! Come on the boys, the whole of SA is right behind u guys. Enjoy it out there @deanelgar & co. #ProteaFire @OfficialCSA

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) July 6, 2017

Like many fans, he was engaged throughout the first hour. After Vernon Philander had dismissed the England openers, de Villiers praised the seamer for being “on a different level”, and was impressed with the bowlers “hunting together”. But before the day was up, Joe Root had scored a hundred and de Villiers conceded England had won it. “Credit to Joe Root & Eng for a good fightback! Still in it, we can roll them tomorrow with the new ball.” The next day England added 101 runs before lunch to post 458.De Villiers reserved comment until the end of the second day when he responded to a message from a well-known comedian, Joey Rasdien. “We’re gonna win this Test. The boys will fight all the way,” de Villiers said. South Africa were 214 for 5.A silent third day caused de Villiers to go into overdrive on the fourth. First he called the comeback from the South African bowlers, especially Morne Morkel and Keshav Maharaj, “special”. South Africa took 9 for 114 to set themselves a target of 330. De Villiers would have preferred “under 300”, but decided it was “not impossible” for South Africa to successfully chase it down. He wanted Heino Kuhn and Dean Elgar, who “both know how to score big”, to get in and, “they’ll get us in a position to pull it off”.Instead, the pair were out inside 10 overs, both for single figures, and South Africa were shot out for 119. De Villiers was gutted but somehow saw valiance in what most, including Faf du Plessis, assessed as a limp and error-filled performance:

Well played England. 2nd half of the day didn't work out, but the boys still fought like champions! We'll be back next Test. #ProteaFire

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) July 9, 2017

Exactly 14 minutes later he had moved on, to reality television.Between the first and second Test de Villiers retweeted condolences Cricket SA sent out to Russell Domingo following the passing of his mother and then fulfilled a sponsor obligation to advertise a luxury wrist-watch. Then it was back to business.He acknowledged Hashim Amla’s achievement of 8,000 Test runs, which came up 15 minutes into the Trent Bridge Test. South Africa were already one-down. Ordinarily de Villiers may have been padded up to bat next. Instead, South Africa had a middle-order wobble and lost four for 56 in the evening session. “Too many wickets”, according to de Villiers. He backed Vernon Philander and Chris Morris to take the score over 300 and they did in a 74-run “match-changing partnership”, as de Villiers put it. “This is what this team is all about.”The second day underlined that resilience. South Africa bowled England out for 205 and were 75 for 1 by the close. “What a day for SA Cricket,” de Villiers purred.When the victory was wrapped up, he became nostalgic and then reminiscent. He described South Africa’s performance as “beautiful cricket”, and said there was “nothing better than a Test victory”. He would know. He sounded like he wanted to know again.A 10-day break followed in which de Villiers’ second child was born, the reason he would probably have missed some part of this series even if he had not opted out of it entirely. And then on the eve of the third Test, de Villiers posted a photo inviting sports-loving South Africans to light up some of Graeme Smith’s new product – braai-wood – and enjoy some grilled meat before the game. Another endorsement and this one close to cricket, though Smith is understood to have raised an eyebrow at de Villiers’ social media engagements and, as he said on commentary, “lack of clarity over his future”.For the time being, his only say is on the current series and before the second day of the third Third Test began, with England on 171 for 4, de Villiers was at it again. “Early wickets and we’re right in it” he said. South Africa’s first scalp came at drinks and England were batting until just before tea.By the time de Villiers tweeted again, South Africa were in a mess at 61 for 7. Their top-order had failed again; the No.4 spot still a problem. Dropping JP Duminy seemed a no-brainer but there were now questions over Quinton de Kock’s promotion. The No.4 spot used to belong to de Villiers but, instead, he could only offer support from the sidelines. “A tough day at the Oval,” he posted, “no doubt the guys will keep fighting.”South Africa were bowled out for 175 and then conceded 313 in England’s second innings. They were set an improbable 492 to win, or four sessions of blocking to save the game. De Villiers thought it was possible. “We can still do it if we don’t lose more than 4 today. Keep fighting boys, we’ve done this before! @tbavuma10 & @deanelgar there at the end.”His enthusiasm was well-founded, except that when the ‘we’ had done it before, the ‘we’ included him. In Adelaide in 2012, in Johannesburg in 2013, even in Colombo in 2014, de Villiers was there. This time, they’d need someone else and they didn’t have it.With the chance to win the series gone, South Africa had to prepare for a must-win match at Old Trafford. In that time, de Villiers spent some time at the University of Pretoria Academy and wore his expensive watch again before wishing Faf du Plessis and “the boys” well. As the final Test got underway, de Villiers had just completed a satisfactory trip to a dental spa. “Great team, great service,” he posted, without any intended irony.AB de Villiers is expected to announce his Test retirement this month, but he clearly misses the team vibe•Getty ImagesOld Trafford has so far been an action replay of The Oval but both the team and de Villiers have stayed positive. On the first day, he encouraged the bowlers to get a “good start” on the second morning and the batsmen to show some “grit” to put the team in a “great position”. Forty minutes after lunch on the third day, with England three down, he figured the right result was still in South Africa’s grasp. “Proteas fighting! Love it. Keep going lads. Hoping for a target under 300.”England’s lead swelled to 360 by the time rain stopped play. South Africa’s hopes of saving the series have shrunk and they will return home with questions about the quality of the players the domestic system is producing. They will also return home with uncertainty hanging over them.It is all but confirmed that Ottis Gibson will take over from Russell Domingo but what that means for de Villiers is not known. He has previously said the decision over the coaching position will influence his future and has made it plain he wanted Domingo to continue in the role.It seems as though de Villiers still cares about the South African team and it is obvious that they still need a player of his proven talents. But it is increasingly hard to see how he would manage to fit Test cricket into his life, given his other commitments. His absence in England has become glaring, though, everywhere besides social media.

Plays of the day from Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 15-run win against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Hyderabad

Vishal Dikshit30-Apr-2016One tip, no handDavid Warner had not yet started his barrage of boundaries when Virat Kohli brought on Harshal Patel to bowl the last over of the Powerplay. Sunrisers Hyderabad were 33 for 1 and Kohli would have hoped Harshal would keep the run rate under seven. He angled the first ball into Warner who chased it and got a thick edge that flew to the third-man boundary. Kedar Jadhav leapt with his right hand in the air but the ball bounced just over him. Harshal raised his hands to express disappointment with the fielding effort, but then saw he had overstepped. Warner clobbered the free-hit for a straight six and unleashed a four off the third legal ball of the over to frustrate the bowler further. Harshal leaked 16 runs and it gave Sunrisers the impetus they needed.Back to basicsWarner had raced to 86 off 47 balls when he got strike on the third ball of the 16th over. He had already driven, punched, pulled and ramped during his innings. And this time he tried a switch-hit against chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi. He missed and notched up a rare dot ball; his previous dot ball had come in the 11th over, also against Shamsi. On the next ball, Warner went back to his basics and slogged a straighter delivery from Shamsi to the leg side for six. He cleared his front foot to pack some power into the shot and, even though he didn’t middle it, his muscle and bat thickness were enough to send it beyond the boundary.Third time luckyWarner had propelled his side to 194 and Mustafizur Rahman got rid of Kohli in the Powerplay. Much of the groundwork had been done for Sunrisers. But they dented their own chances when AB de Villiers handed a high but simple catch off Barinder Sran straight to fine leg and Ashish Nehra didn’t even get a hand to it. De Villiers didn’t give up. Four overs later, he handed a catch to extra cover where Deepak Hooda moved to his right to attempt a slightly tougher chance but the ball popped out of his hands. Sunrisers finally cashed in the third time, in the 15th over, when de Villiers swung hard but could not send the ball flying past a diving Kane Williamson at long-on.The familiar chantOnly a few days ago, a chant familiar at any international cricket stadium in India was heard again when the Feroz Shah Kotla crowd cheered for Sachin Tendulkar and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ for him. Delhi Daredevils had hosted Mumbai Indians on April 23 and the Delhi crowd wished Tendulkar a day ahead of his 43rd birthday. On Saturday evening in Hyderabad, the chant ‘Sachinnnnn, Sachinnnnnn’ was heard again even though the match was between Sunrisers and Royal Challengers. The Hyderabad crowd was actually cheering for Sachin Baby, the 27-year-old batsman from Kerala, who came out to bat at No. 5 for Royal Challengers. The batsman was new, but the chant was several years old.

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.

At 35, a lifetime of learning is propelling Kumar Sangakkara’s cricket far further than his innate ability ever could. He is now churning out match-winning innings that have frustratingly eluded him

Andrew Fidel Fernando at the R Premadasa Stadium20-Jul-2013Cricketers are sometimes labeled ‘great students of the game’. Often these students are men who distinguish themselves from the peloton of cricket’s sporty jocks by a yearning to learn more about the history and the nuances of the pursuit that consumes their lives.When he first began playing for Lancashire, Muttiah Muralitharan was said to have had a more thorough knowledge of the team’s previous season than many of the cricketers who had played in those matches. Part of why Michael Hussey’s ‘Mr. Cricket’ moniker endured was because he would speak for hours on end about the game, in what seemed like laborious detail to his teammates. In his years as Australia captain, Ricky Ponting was found perusing grade cricket scorecards from around the country. All men, whose livelihoods had happily aligned with their life’s most ardent passion.At 35, a lifetime of learning is propelling Kumar Sangakkara’s cricket far further than his innate ability ever could, and into the reaches of greatness. Against South Africa, he hit the highest ODI score ever made in Sri Lanka at a breathless pace that would have done Sanath Jayasuriya or Aravinda de Silva proud. Unlike either of those men, Sangakkara is not a natural strokemaker, nor are ODIs his format of choice. Yet the records continue to tumble over and again to a man who was never the precocious teenage talent that every other great Sri Lankan batsman was, before coming of age. By the end of his career, Sangakkara will probably top more lists than the rest of them combined.A year ago, when Sangakkara became the ICC’s Cricketer, and Test Cricketer of the Year, he refused to put himself in the company of the greats, both from Sri Lanka and worldwide. “They dominated attacks,” he said, “and they were great to watch. I’m more of a worker, and I graft for my runs.” Yet 13 years into his career, he is tearing international attacks apart for the first time, and playing the match-winning innings that have frustratingly eluded him in the last decade. Having accumulated 66 from his first 91 deliveries, Sangakkara snapped in the batting Powerplay, and unfurled an array of finishing blows even a 30-year old version of himself would never have attempted – 103 came from his next 46 balls.AB de Villiers later reflected on Sangakkara’s ability to manipulate the field, but the batsman had set such panic upon the South Africa bowlers they seemed incapable of containing him regardless. Even in a Test career that gleams far brighter than his limited-overs returns, he has rarely known such uncompromising dominance. The attack left the field not just emphatically beaten, but roundly humiliated.His unbeaten 134 at The Oval last month, to lead a difficult chase against a strong England, was another innings that showcased a new dimension to his one-day game. There are 77 half-centuries to the 16 hundreds in Sangakkara’s career, and many of those fifties meant little to the team, failing, as they did, to launch Sri Lanka to victory. He has learnt now, what it takes to carry the side over the line, and his ODI average is the best it has been since the honeymoon of his career.The 46th over of the Sri Lanka innings produced a moment that exposed the core of Sangakkara’s success. Going down to one knee, he attempted an over-the-shoulder scoop off a Ryan McLaren full toss, and had his stumps splayed. In an instant he was on his feet, looking from umpire to umpire and pointing at the men on the fence with agitation. De Villiers had stationed too many outside the circle and Sangakkara had counted them mentally before taking guard. He knew the ball would not count, so the risky stroke was no risk at all. The most unique facet of his greatness is that it is foremost a triumph of the mind.Before the series, Angelo Mathews had said Lahiru Thirimanne was capable of becoming the next Sangakkara, and as the young batsmen floundered while the great frolicked at the other end, plenty remarked on the vast gulf in class. Thirimanne’s critics might be surprised to learn that at the same age, and number of ODI innings, Sangakkara averaged six runs less than Thirimanne does now. He may have only made 17 from 33 in a 123-run partnership, but Thirimanne has already hit an ODI ton against a high-class attack. Batting in a similar position to Thirimanne at the start of his career, Sangakkara did not manage that until his 86th game.”There are a lot of things to learn from Sangakkara,” Thirimanne said after the match. “As young batsmen we take a lot out of what he says and the way he plays. He’s a special player and we’re lucky he’s from our country. In matches, I use a lot of what he says.”Thirimanne will do well to adopt Sangakkara’s obsession with improvement. Unfortunately for the young man, his beautiful, bent-kneed cover-drive has already drawn parallels with Sangakkara, and his future will likely be measured on the Sangakkara scale. It is a career that is almost impossible to emulate, because his mentor is himself one of cricket’s greatest students.

After a tough first week, batsmen are slowly finding their feet in IPL 2012

S Rajesh23-Apr-2012The first week of IPL 2012 was characterised by low totals and bowlers generally holding the upper hand, but over the last nine days, batsmen have had more to celebrate, with two of them getting hundreds, and the scores generally being a little higher. The season had started with Rajiv Shukla, the IPL chairman, asking for totals of more than 160 in every innings of every match, but when the action began, it didn’t quite pan out that way: in the first three games, the team batting first didn’t even touch 130. Perhaps the bowlers adjusted to the format faster than the batsmen this season, on pitches that weren’t conducive to quick scoring. Over the last week, though, it seems that batsmen are gradually reworking the par scores, and adjusting their strategies to ensure they keep wickets in hand for the final overs.Splitting up the 29 games played so far into the first 15 and the last 14, it’s clear that the big change has been the rise of batting averages: in the last 14 matches, the average has gone up from 19.67 to 27.36, an increase of 39%. The increase in strike rates, on the other hand, is marginal (4.27%). However, more batsmen have gone on to make significant scores – there were only 12 fifties in 199 innings played by batsmen in the first 15 games, but 174 innings in the last 14 games have produced 20 fifty-plus scores. The averages have also gone up because of the not-outs – 26 out of 199 in the first 15; 37 out of 174 in the last 14.The overall batting strike rate so far this season is 122.09, which is lower than the rates in 2008 (128.98) and 2010 (126.76), but higher than last year’s edition (120.71). What’s also noticeable is that the number of sixes has reduced, while the fours have increased, in these last 14 matches.

Batting stats in IPL 2012 after 29 matches

RunsAverageStrike rate100s/ 50s0s4s/ 6sFirst 15 matches407219.67119.580/ 1223335/ 154Last 14 matches410527.36124.692/ 187361/ 131Total817722.90122.092/ 3030696/ 285The early matches were characterised by a lack of significant partnerships among the top-order batsmen, but that’s changed over the last nine days. The top order has taken greater responsibility, and batted a larger chunk of overs. In the first 15 matches, the average partnerships for the first four wickets were all less than 30 runs per wicket; in the last 14 matches, the average partnerships for each of those wickets is more than 30.Rajasthan Royals have led the way in that regard, thanks to an in-form top order. The combination of Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid, Owais Shah and Brad Hodge has ensured that Royals have an average partnership of 39.34 for the top four wickets in IPL 2012, at a run rate of 8.39 runs per over. Both those stats – the average and the run rate – are the highest among all teams. Royal Challengers Bangalore are second-best in terms of run rate (8.20).The average for the opening partnership has gone up from 23.80 to 35.21, an increase of 48%, even though the run rate has dropped marginally. Clearly, teams have preferred to keep wickets in hand, even if that means scoring at a slightly lower rate. The average run rate for the opening partnership this season is the lowest among all years: 7.33, compared to 8.04 in 2008 and 7.97 last year.

Partnership stats in IPL 2012 so far

WicketsFirst 15 – aveRun rate100/ 50 standsLast 14 – aveRun rate100/ 50 stands1st23.807.460/ 535.217.241/ 72nd21.336.891/ 231.077.901/ 43rd29.857.680/ 436.168.050/ 74th27.927.650/ 330.238.211/ 35th17.607.780/ 020.448.300/ 1The stats for the first six overs reflects the top-order improvement. In the first 15 matches, the average in the first six overs of a match was around 25 runs per wicket, and 6.93 runs per over – in terms of score, that translates into a total of 42 for 2. In the last 14 games, the average has gone up to 40.70 per wicket and 7.51 per over, which is a six-over total of 45 for 1.That’s also because teams have figured out the top-order combinations which work better, and have discarded some of the out-of-form players. Chennai Super Kings, for example, had started with Murali Vijay partnering Faf du Plessis at the top of the order, but that combination produced only 115 partnership runs in five innings as Vijay struggled, scoring 31 off 48 balls in five innings. Since S Badrinath took over from Vijay, Super Kings’ two opening partnerships have already produced 171 runs at a rate of 7.43 per over.

First six overs in IPL 2012 so far

RunsDismissalsAverageRun rate4s/ 6sFirst 15 matches12494925.486.93138/ 37Last 14 matches12623140.707.51155/ 29Overall25118031.387.21293/ 66

Middle eight overs in the IPL so far

RunsDismissalsAverageRun rate4s/ 6sFirst 15 matches17146526.367.30109/ 58Last 14 matches15905230.577.09104/ 41Overall330411728.237.20213/ 99

Last six overs in the IPL so far

RunsDismissalsAverageRun rate4s/ 6sFirst 15 matches13329314.328.7988/ 60Last 14 matches14536721.689.39102/ 61Overall278516017.409.09190/ 121The toss puzzleTeams may be slowly figuring out their best combination, but they still haven’t figured out the best strategy after winning the toss: 20 out of 29 matches in IPL 2012, and ten of the last 14, have been won by the team which has lost the toss. Batting first after winning the toss has been a particularly disastrous tactic so far in the IPL – 10 of those 12 matches have resulted in defeats for the team winning the toss. Deccan Chargers have been hit the worst, losing all three matches when they won the toss and batted.The stats for Royals best illustrates the toss conundrum: in the four matches when Dravid has won the toss, Royals have a 1-3 win-loss record; however, Royals have won all three games when they’ve lost the toss. Similarly, Kolkata Knight Rider and Pune Warriors have a 1-2 record in matches when they’ve won the toss, and a 3-1 record when they’ve lost the toss.

Toss factor in IPL 2012

MatchesWonLostWon toss and batted12210Won toss and fielded17710

A speculative look at what cricket’s next decade has in store – from floodlit Tests to international teams in the IPL

Simon Wilde06-Feb-2009

Teams like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka could conceivably play more one-off Tests against each other in future as longer series become unviable for them© PA Photos
Just how radical cricket’s future might be is clear from looking at the past. Imagine we are back in early 1999 and ask who would have thought then that an as-yet uncapped 20-year-old batsman from Delhi, Virender Sehwag, would over the next 10 years maintain as an opener a scoring-rate in Tests of almost 80 runs per 100 balls while averaging more than 50 per innings. Who would have imagined, either, that an England batsman (having already gained fame for winning the Ashes while wearing a skunk on his head) would have introduced switch-hitting into five-day cricket? And who on earth would have said that 20-over matches would take the world by storm? Logically we are in for one hell of a ride between now and 2019.The advent of Twenty20 will prove one of the seminal moments in cricket history. Its major effect will be the end of internationals as the primary goal of every professional player. Instead many players will essentially be free agents, more independent and wealthy than they have ever been. They will be granted seats, and an influential voice, on national boards and the ICC.There will be several Twenty20 leagues around the world – in India, England, Australia and possibly South Africa – plus more exhibition events, like the Stanford Super Series, sponsored by super-rich patrons. These will enable 100 players a year to earn million-dollar salaries from this format alone. All major international cricket is suspended when these events take place.The Champions League, however, may take several years to take root and, given the exorbitant prices for TV rights paid at the outset, may even be junked as a victim of the credit crunch.The popularity and wealth of these events will force Test and traditional 50-overs internationals into change. Test matches will be condensed to four days because five days will seem too long, the tempo of the games will inevitably get faster due to Twenty20, and everyone will regard the chance to save a day and open up valuable space in a crowded calendar as too good an opportunity to miss.In every country outside England most Test matches will be played under floodlights once manufacturers provide a coloured ball that does not misbehave too much. At a stroke this will revitalise spectator interest in Australia and South Africa, but problems with dew will influence which venues stage Tests and when these matches are played.In England day-time attendances will remain strong but this means England will find it harder to win Tests overseas because they will have less experience of Test cricket at night. Generally Test matches will see faster scoring, with the best batsmen achieving strike-rates in excess of 100, and teams will not blanch at being asked to chase down 450 in the fourth innings.Another seminal event is the decision taken by ICC members that from 2012 they will play the World Twenty20 and 50-overs World Cup every three years. These tournaments make up two of international cricket’s three “majors”, the other being the world Test Championship.The Test Championship is basically run on the existing rankings system but with a playoffs season every third year, the main attraction being two semi-finals and a final. These are “special” Test matches, played as two-innings limited-overs matches of 180 overs per side so that draws are eliminated. These games originally take place in London as this is regarded as the most cosmopolitan centre, though the security bill eats up most of the revenue.In defiance of predictions Tests will continue to provide some of the most enthralling matches and remain much loved by television companies anxious to fill their airtime. Test cricket is exciting because, thanks to the influence of Twenty20, batting sides think almost no task impossible and are prepared to risk losing in the quest for victory.The speed at which batsmen score will help keep a balance between bat and ball, with runs per wicket staying at around 30-35, as it has for many years. Those appearing for the main Test-playing nations will continue to record striking personal aggregates. Among those to reach 10,000 runs in Tests will be Australia’s Michael Clarke and AB de Villiers of South Africa, while Kevin Pietersen will be followed to this milestone for England by Alastair Cook. Many players will essentially be free agents, more independent and wealthy than they have ever been. They will be granted seats, and an influential voice, on national boards and the ICC But less Test cricket will be played. Outside the big five who play each other regularly – England, Australia, India, South Africa and West Indies (the latter’s cricket rejuvenated by the disciplines and money brought in through the annual Stanford matches, once Allen Stanford gets the modernised West Indies board he wants) – priorities will lie elsewhere.Under the new Future Tours Programme, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Bangladesh are permitted to play one-off Tests rather than the existing minimum of two.After the disastrous example of Zimbabwe no new countries apply for Test status but several new countries start playing official Twenty20s, including the United States and a well-funded Chinese team.Sri Lanka and New Zealand among others will be relieved not to play so many Tests because TV companies and sponsors there had less interest in covering matches and the national boards found the games expensive to stage. Most of their leading players, in any case, will be happy concentrating on Twenty20s and ODIs. These countries will rarely deny players a No-Objection Certificate for domestic Twenty20s for fear of losing them altogether.The way for the Pakistani players was led by Sohail Tanvir’s decision in December 2008 to sign to play Twenty20 for South Australia. Pakistan will stage what few home Tests they host in Abu Dhabi or London (security permitting), as Pakistan itself continues to suffer from a boycott on security grounds. The Pakistan board will fulfill foreign tours, but results are poor as they struggle to put out a full-strength XI.Pakistan also have what are effectively national teams in the ICL and IPL, as do Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. This means that their players can make up for their smaller earnings from Test cricket. Even without so many opportunities against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, Ajantha Mendis, the Sri Lankan spinner, will have little trouble passing 500 Test wickets.The experience of playing so much Twenty20 will help the Asian nations, Bangladesh included, dominate the World Twenty20 and World Cup, thanks to their strength in unorthodox spin, inventive fast bowlers, and greater use of the muscle-building supplements like Creatin.All round, India, their talent base enlarged through the inspirational effect of the short formats, become indisputably the best team in the world. They have one of the strongest packs of fast bowlers, several of whom are left-armers. The best of them is Ishant Sharma. India’s new breed of batsmen includes Murali Vijay, who blends a solid technique with the strength to smite big sixes.Australia will win fewer trophies. Their Test cricket will suffer from their board allowing so many leading players time to play in the Twenty20 leagues and their sloth in integrating ethnic minorities, who may follow the example of Moises Henriques, a former Under-19 captain born in Madeira, who signed for the IPL in 2008.

Switch-hitting is set to become as big as reverse-sweeping is now, and the likes of David Warner will see their value rise© Getty Images
South Africa remain strong in fast bowling – led by the world’s best new-ball pair, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel – but pay the price for being unable to produce world-class spinners and lacking imagination when it comes to limited-overs cricket. Their team is bolstered by expatriate Zimbabweans with nowhere else to go.West Indies produce several dazzling strokemakers but their most reliable batsman is likely to be Adrian Barath, a low-wicket player from Trinidad in the style of Shivnarine Chanderpaul. England become a strong Test side thanks to a rich seam of Asian-extraction slow bowlers – led by legspinning allrounder Adil Rashid – who can win them day-time matches at home. These spinners will not be as one-dimensional as Monty Panesar, as multi-faceted cricketers are strictly de rigueur. Because they continue to play more Tests than anyone else, England lag behind in the shorter forms of the game.Spin bowling will generally have a big part to play as it is seen as the best way of slowing down the scoring. In turn the challenge for batsmen will be to find ways to break the shackles. Switch-hitting will become as common as reverse-sweeping is today. The United States team, in particular, is keen on switch-hitters. In the Twenty20 leagues every team will have at least one switch-hitter, a pattern begun by David Warner of New South Wales, who can bat with almost equal facility left-handed or right-handed. To this end it is common for players to use double-sided bats, which are currently being developed by Gray-Nicolls in Australia.Wristy batsmen will prosper but what will underpin the games of the vast majority of batsmen will be raw muscle. The open-chested stance will be more common, as batsmen look to free their arms for baseball-style swings. The number of six hits will rise to record levels; in Twenty20s more sixes will be hit than fours, as batsmen go aerial to ensure they elude fielding that is more athletic than ever.Yellow and red cards will belatedly be introduced for slow play, indiscipline and physical contact, all of which will rise in response to the greater financial rewards on offer. The ICC will also consent to on-field umpires acting in unison with the third official.

He will be available for the team’s last game of the Sylhet leg, against Khulna Tigers on February 3

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2024Shoaib Malik will rejoin the Fortune Barishal squad on February 2, after leaving the BPL abruptly last week. He will be available for the team’s last game of the Sylhet leg, against Khulna Tigers on February 3.It was not clear initially why Malik had left. Later, he tweeted: “I would like to address and dismiss the recent rumours circulating about my playing position with Fortune Barishal. I had a thorough discussion with our captain, Tamim Iqbal, and we mutually planned the way forward. I had to leave Bangladesh for a pre-committed media engagement in Dubai.”In his three outings for Barishal so far, Malik batted at No. 6 and scored 7, 5* and 17*. He bowled one over in each of the first two games but didn’t get to bowl in the third.There was a storm around Malik on social media during the second game, against Khulna Tigers in Mirpur. Bowling the fourth over of the innings, he overstepped three times and leaked 18 runs as Fortune Barishal failed to defend 187.Malik is the only spinner to overstep three times in an over in men’s T20s (where data is available with ESPNcricinfo). Only Miguel Cummins bowled more front-foot no-balls in an over, when he overstepped five times in a CPL 2014 match.Barishal are currently fifth on the points table with two wins from five games.

MatériaMais Notícias

A partida de ida da final do Campeonato Paulista acontece neste domingo (2), às 16h, na Arena Barueri. Em busca do bicampeonato estadual, o Palmeiras disputará a decisão diante do Água Santa. Com isso, o executivo de futebol da equipe de Diadema Júlio Rondinelli, em entrevista ao LANCE!, falou sobre a disparidade entre os clubes, exaltando a campanha do Netuno na competição.

> Palmeiras anuncia o retorno do atacante Artur, ex-Bragantino

O Verdão, multicampeão com Abel Ferreira, fechou seu balanço de 2022 com uma receita de quase R$ 800 milhões e enfrenta na final do Paulistão um adversário que não terá calendário para disputar após o término do estadual. Logo, o executivo elogiou a estrutura geral do Alviverde e revelou a folha de pagamento do Água Santa, uma das menores do Paulistão.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasArtur reencontra velhos companheiros e se declara ao Palmeiras em sua volta: ‘Aprendi a amar o clube’Palmeiras31/03/2023PalmeirasPalmeiras segue com dúvida no ataque e faz trabalhos táticos antes da final do Paulistão; veja provável timePalmeiras31/03/2023PalmeirasCom Palmeiras perto de anunciar Artur, Abel explica reforço para a ponta: ‘Necessidade lógica’Palmeiras31/03/2023

– O Palmeiras é um gigante, hoje é o clube com melhor estrutura, elenco, tem grandes profissionais trabalhando na sua comissão técnica. É um clube que em qualquer partida tem no mínimo 35 mil torcedores, atrai muito investimento de patrocinador, extremamente organizado, vende muito bem os seus jovens, os seus bons jogadores, contrata muito bem, com muito critério e muito profissionalismo nas ações. O Água Santa é uma equipe modesta, jovem de existência, mas é uma equipe de muita fibra, que dentro do período que nós estamos aqui, a gente pratica todos os atos no mais alto profissionalismo – disse Júlio Rondinelli.

– Eu descrevi o planejamento de renovação, a ampliação que a estrutura física do estádio vai ter agora nesse segundo semestre. A nossa folha de pagamento dos atletas gira em torno de 800, 900 mil reais, é uma folha de pagamento pequena dentre as do Campeonato Paulista. Tem equipes da Série A2 que tem investimento superior ao nosso. A responsabilidade de tudo isso ou mérito de tudo isso são das pessoas que pensam o futebol, da direção, com a nossa participação, da comissão técnica, e principalmente dos atletas que enxergaram no Água Santa uma grande oportunidade de projeção no mercado, disputar um Campeonato Paulista e duelar com todas as equipes de igual pra igual.

Ainda, Júlio relembrou o confronto com o Palmeiras na fase de grupos, que terminou com vitória alviverde por ‘apenas’ 1 a 0, e reafirmou a boa campanha do Netuno na competição, que eliminou clubes da elite do futebol brasileiro como São Paulo e Bragantino.

– Mesmo o jogo contra o Palmeiras na primeira fase que foi um jogo muito duro para o Palmeiras, eles venceram pela contagem mínima. Na eliminatória, vencemos o São Paulo com um público de 40 mil torcedores, foi um ato gigante. Fazer o jogo na Vila contra o Santos também, onde nós empatamos. A vitória contra o Bragantino também, que a gente sabe que é uma equipe de Série A respeitadíssima, profissionais altamente capacitados do outro lado e nos respeitaram. Vencemos o Bragantino em duas oportunidades na competição, na primeira fase e eliminamos ele agora na decisão da semifinal.

> Abel fala das chances do Palmeiras na final do Paulistão: ‘Se não igualarmos na vontade, teremos dificuldades’

Por fim, Júlio Rondinelli afirmou que o Água Santa chega forte para a decisão contra o Palmeiras, enaltecendo tanto os jogadores quanto a direção do clube de Diadema.

– Então, chegamos forte, com os guerreiros que a gente diz, os atletas que realmente buscam sua oportunidade ou buscam um cenário maior e principalmente muito bem comandado, organizado pelo treinador, onde a presidência, a direção proporciona uma condição muito positiva e profissional a todos que representam esse clube.

Na história, a única vitória do Água Santa diante do Verdão foi em 2016 pelo placar elástico de 4 a 1. O jogo marcou uma das goleadas mais icônicas da história recente do clube.

Como teve melhor campanha, o Verdão irá decidir o título do Paulistão em casa em busca do bicampeonato estadual e do seu segundo título em 2023. O primeiro foi o da Supercopa do Brasil contra o Flamengo.

Benjamin Sesko's shirt number at Manchester United has been confirmed, with the £74m striker taking the jersey he wore at Salzburg and RB Leipzig.

• Sesko takes No.30 shirt
• Arrived at United for £74m
• Fellow new signing switches jersey

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  United have confirmed Sesko will wear the No.30 shirt following his arrival from RB Leipzig. The 22-year-old has donned the shirt previously for Salzburg and Leipzig and will do so again at Old Trafford, though that choice has forced fellow new signing Diego Leon to switch to the No.35 jersey.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Not many prominent United players have taken the No.30 shirt in recent years. Prior to Leon's initial decision to wear it, the number was last filled by reserve goalkeeper Nathan Bishop, who left the club in 2023. Previously, the shirt had been worn by Matteo Darmian, Guillermo Varela and Ritchie De Laet.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  It's hardly an illustrious list of No.30 wearers for United, but Sesko is still under pressure to deliver quickly, albeit for different reasons. The Red Devils have forked out a massive £74 million ($100m/€85.6m) for the Slovenia international, who scored 21 goals in all competitions for Leipzig last season.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

  Sesko has just under a week to work himself into manager Ruben Amorim's starting XI for United's Premier League opener against Arsenal on Sunday. The 22-year-old could line up in attack alongside fellow big money arrivals Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha following a summer of heavy investment from Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS.