http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/hotTopics/ en hottopics@castrolcricket.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-08T12:31:39+00:00 http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/castrol/blog/pakistans_resurgence_in_test_arena/ http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/blog/pakistans_resurgence_in_test_arena/#When:12:31:39Z The moment Abdur Rehman scalped Monty Panesar leg before on Day 4 of the third Test against England in Dubai, there was a sense of disbelief. Disbelief amongst the players themselves, the cricketing legends and the cricket fans, especially Pakistanis. Yes, their team had achieved something incredible, a 3-0 series whitewash of the No.1 side in Tests, their consecutive and that too in a resounding manner.   Disbelief? Yes, because the same team was at its lowest ebb and down in the dumps two years ago going through a horrendous phase. The terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan side in Lahore made sure that they did not have any home advantage going further; Pakistan’s very own poster boy, Shahid Afridi, relinquished Test captaincy owing to poor form in the longest format; the new captain Salman Butt along with two of the finest talents, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, was jailed on charges of match fixing which brought disgrace to an already grief-stricken country. Pakistan’s Performance in 2010 in Tests The year 2010 saw them lose six of the 10 Test matches played, including two series losses against England (1-3) and Australia (0-2) away. They won just two matches through the year and the after-effects of the turmoil were clearly visible. After Salman Butt’s ouster, Misbah-ul-Haq was named the captain of the Test team ahead of senior stalwart Younus Khan. Many eyebrows were raised regarding his selection. But Pakistan started off well under his leadership as they drew a tough Test series (0-0) against South Africa at their new found surrogate home, the UAE, in November 2010. A high scoring series saw their batting line-up put up a brave fight against a mighty South African pace attack. Pakistan’s Performance in 2011 in Tests A confident Pakistan side started 2011 with a bang as they won their first Test series in four years, beating New Zealand 1-0 (away) in the two-Test series. They thumped them by 10 wickets in the first Test and did exceedingly well to draw the second. Their next stop was West Indies where they hit back hard to draw the two-match series after being 1-0 down. They won the second Test in grand style by 196 runs.The following win in the one-off Test in Zimbabwe saw the birth of two exciting pace talents in Aizaz Cheema, who took 8 wickets in the match, and Junaid Khan, who impressed with his immaculate line and length. They carried their sumptuous form in the series against Sri Lanka in the UAE as they defeated the Lions 1-0 in the three-match series and then finished off the year in style with a 2-0 whitewash of the Bangladeshi Tigers, battering them by an innings and 184 runs, and by seven wickets in the two respective matches away. The year 2011 was prolific for the Asian side as they won six out of their 10 matches and lost just one. Being the second best team after England, winning four out of five series was a huge achievement for this newly transformed side. Two Pakistan bowlers were in the top five wicket takers list of 2011; Saeed Ajmal topped the list with 50 wickets, while Abdur Rehman was the fifth with 36 wickets. Performances of top teams in the year 2011 The resurrection was finally complete as they recently whitewashed the No. 1 side, England, 3-0 in the UAE.With an astute captain in Misbah, upcoming youngsters like Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal and prodigious talents like Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez in their ranks, Pakistan’s future is secure. The resurgence has indeed applied a much needed healing touch to their open wounds. 2012-02-08T12:31:39+00:00 http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/castrol/blog/saeed_ajmal_pakistans_spin_wizard/ http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/blog/saeed_ajmal_pakistans_spin_wizard/#When:06:00:35Z The game of cricket hasn’t been cruel. Just when we thought that the off-spinners breed was on the verge of extinction and the art of off spin bowling was completely in oblivion with the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan and the ouster of the non-performing Harbhajan Singh from the Indian side, the beautiful game gave us two exciting talents, Graeme Swann and Saeed Ajmal.  Buoyed by the 4-0 mauling of India at home, England was brimming with confidence and raring to take on Pakistan in the subcontinent. But one man stood up and took the wind out of their sails as he single-handedly chastened the entire English batting line-up, picking up career best figures of 7/55 and amassing 10 wickets in the first Test in Dubai. As Saeed Ajmal ripped through the English defenses and powered Pakistan to a thumping 10-wicket victory, the cricketing fraternity saw something special. Something special that the Pakistan fraternity hadn’t seen since the departure of Saqlain Mushtaq. The land of Imran’s and Akram’s had seen spin bowling talents like Abdul Qadir, Iqbal Qasim, Mushtaq Ahmed and Danish Kaneria but they only had one talented off-spinner in their ranks, Saqlain Mushtaq. Already termed as the “Doosra Saqlain Mushtaq”, Ajmal has breathed new life into the Pakistan attack. After waiting in the wings for more than a decade since making his first-class debut in 1996, Ajmal finally got a chance to shine on the big stage when he was selected for the Asia Cup in 2008. He performed decently on his debut with figures of 1/47 against India. But his major breakthrough came after his performances in his debut Test series in Sri Lanka in 2009 where he took 14 wickets from three matches. His first five-wicket haul in Tests ended up in a losing cause as Pakistan lost the match by 9 wickets against England at Edgbaston in August 2010. Since then he has performed consistently in both forms of the game. The year 2011 was phenomenal for the star spinner who ended up as the highest wicket-taker in Tests with 50 wickets from just eight matches at a mind boggling average of 23.86. He bowled more overs as compared to 2010 and produced three 5-wicket hauls, including one 10-wicket haul. Amazingly, Pakistan won in five of them, drew two and lost just one.  Exceptional variations in his arsenal set him apart from the other spinners. He has played just 19 Tests and already scalped 100 wickets. Currently, Graeme Swann is his closest competitor with double the number of matches under his belt. What propels Ajmal ahead of Swann is the fact that the former has much more variety in comparison. Swann has the traditional off-spinner and the straighter one, while Ajmal has the traditional off-spinner, the arm ball which goes straight on, a killer ‘Doosra’ which goes the other way and the newly developed ‘Teesra’. Ajmal’s progress as a bowler has been much better than Swann as he took 11 matches to reach his first 50 wickets in comparison to Swann’s 13. It took him just eight matches to pick up his next 50 wickets; and when he grabbed seven wickets in the second Test against England in Abu Dhabi, he overtook Mohammad Asif as Pakistan’s fastest 100-wicket taker and raced to the second spot in the ICC Test rankings. Even his mentor, Saqlain Mushtaq, took 23 matches to get to 100 wickets. Swann took 10 more matches to complete his next 50 wickets. Ajmal vs Swann last 12 months comparison in Tests Player Matches Innings Overs Wickets Best Bowling/Inns Average Strike Rate 5 Wickets/Inns 10 Wickets/Match S.Ajmal 10 20 584 67 7/55 21.19 52.2 4 2 G.Swann 9 17 320.1 34 6/106 30.50 56.5 1 0 In the last 12 months since January 2011, Ajmal is way ahead of Swann as he has bagged 67 wickets from 10 matches at a staggering average of 21.19; while Swann has picked up 34 wickets from 9 matches at an average of 30.50.Ajmal vs Swann Test Career comparison so far Player Matches Innings Overs Wickets Best Bowling/Inns Average Strike Rate 5 Wickets /Inns 10 Wickets/Match S.Ajmal 19 37 1041.5 100 7/55 27.31 62.5 5 2 G.Swann 38 69 1558.4 162 6/65 28.61 57.7 11 1 Overall, Saeed Ajmal has a slightly better bowling average of 27.31 as compared to Swann’s 28.61, while Swann has a much better strike rate of 57.7 to Ajmal’s 62.5. But the rate at which the little spin wizard has been taking wickets, we won’t be surprised if he betters Swann’s strike rate over the next 12 months.  When Ajmal bowled that magical spell to Sachin Tendulkar in the 2011 World Cup semi-final at Mohali, the fans were momentarily taken to cricket’s zenith. With an astute brain, infinite variations and a cool head on his shoulders, he can be a nightmare for any batsman. With Pakistan recovering from the repercussions of match fixing, they have found a much needed gem in their armoury. A gem called Saeed Ajmal. 2012-02-02T06:00:35+00:00 http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/castrol/blog/indias_summer_struggles/ http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/blog/indias_summer_struggles/#When:08:51:35Z Summer only comes around once a year, but the Indian cricket team had a taste of two within six months and both proved to be unhappy ones. After four Test defeats in England between July and August last year, they then lost another four in Australia just recently. On both occasions two were by an innings and none of them were really very close contests. It has been a painful experience for the fans to see what was the number one Test team fall and questions, demands and pleas have all been doing the rounds. Should MS Dhoni be stripped of the captaincy? Or booted out of the Test team altogether? What about Virender Sehwag? The famed trio of VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar have also come in for some stick. And do not forget Gautam Gambhir or Ishant Sharma.Who should stay or go is not within our remit, but what we can do is have a look at the performances of the players during these two big tours that India went on. Whatever criticisms have been levelled against Dravid during the Australia tour - scoring less than 200 runs, averaging less than 25, having a poor strike rate and being bowled six out of eight times - one cannot forget his single-handed attempt at putting much-needed runs on the board in England. He hit three centuries there, the only Indian to reach triple figures, and was by far and away the best Indian batsman on the Castrol Index.Tendulkar, too, did not have the worst of times on either tour; he hit two half-centuries each in England and Australia, but could never push on despite getting within sniffing distance of a century. Was it the pressure of that looming 100th international century? It could well have been, and it will be a big concern for India if it persists.What might really worry India is the lack of form demonstrated by Gambhir and Laxman. The former managed just 102 runs in three Tests in England (an average of 17.00) and did little better in Australia, although he did notch up a fine half-century in Sydney. At least he made it to the top five against the Aussies; in England he was outperformed by both Amit Mishra and Praveen Kumar.However, what is more of a surprise is the depth of the slump Laxman is in. When he scored just 182 runs in England, his fans could waive that off knowing that he would surely perform Down Under, his favourite place to bat in (he struck four centuries in 11 Tests there prior to this tour, his best ratio in any country). He had hit a century in each of his three previous tours, but could only manage one half-century on this one, garnering a series average of less than 20. The bowling did not bring any joy for India, either. Zaheer Khan emerged as a tireless bowler and he had a pretty good series. His absence in England, due to injury, was a big blow, and who knows what problems Kumar could have posed the Aussies if he had been fit enough for the recent series. He was excellent in England, the only bowler to have an average of under 30.Ishant Sharma bowled in both tours and did not get much reward. He could be considered unlucky, beating the edge on many occasions, but that might be the difference between good and great bowlers; the great ones get the edges.Another disappointment for the Indians was how ineffectual Ravichandran Ashwin was versus Australia. He had a dream Test debut in India against the West Indies, firming up his claim to be India’s top spinner, but he made little headway against the Aussies. He was even outdone by Australia’s Nathan Lyon, a fellow off-spinner, who had a better average, economy rate and strike rate. Still, he is a young man, just making his way into Test cricket. So is Umesh Yadav and Virat Kohli, and positives were to be found in all three. That is something, perhaps, for Indian fans to take away as they look to the future. 2012-01-31T08:51:35+00:00 http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/castrol/blog/new_beginning_for_australias_t20/ http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/blog/new_beginning_for_australias_t20/#When:07:54:27Z They have held the Test champions crown, leading Test rankings for a record 74 months from 2003 to 2009, and they have held the ODI World Cup four times (another record!), but the only trophy that has eluded this champion side is the World Twenty20.When George Bailey was named the captain of the Australian Twenty20 side for the two T20Is against India recently, there was a sense of shock and astonishment in the cricketing fraternity. How in the world can an Aussie side appoint a player, who hasn’t played a single international match in any format of the game, as the captain of the T20I side? This has never happened in the history of Australian cricket apart from their first Test match in 1877 in which Dave Gregory led the side! Well, after the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 finals loss to England in West Indies, Australia have had a dismal record in the shortest format of the game as they have won only two out of the nine games played and lost seven. They lost both the T20Is against Pakistan in England in July 2010, lost the one-off match against Sri Lanka at home, drew the two-match series 1-1 at home against England, suffered heavy defeats in both the T20Is against Sri Lanka away and leveled the two match series 1-1 against South Africa in the Safari.       The aftermath was a disappointing fifth position behind England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa in the ICC rankings. After Michael Clarke’s retirement from the shortest format, Cameron White was named the skipper of the side but he disappointed with the bat as well as his captaincy. He scored just 119 runs from six matches at an average of 19.83 and won just two games as captain. He followed it up with an abject performance in the Big Bash League, Australia’s premier domestic T20 tournament, scoring just 55 runs at an average of 7.85.The need of the hour was a change and the Australian selectors have responded in a bold fashion by injecting freshness into the T20 side keeping in mind the upcoming ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September later this year.Bailey, who will lead the T20 side, is a perspicacious personality, a brilliant fielder and a handy hard-hitting middle order batsman. He is currently the captain of Tasmania in the domestic circuit. The reason for his appointment as a leader is his astute thinking which sets him apart from others. He is real captaincy material which can be confirmed from the fact that he has led Tasmania to a Sheffield Shield and a one-day title in the past two years. He also plays for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and for Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League (BBL). David Warner, who is the vice-captain of the side, will add to the attacking instincts at the top order with his destructive hitting. He has a strike rate of 141.68 in T20 Internationals. David Hussey, currently the highest run scorer in combined domestic as well as international T20s with 4185 runs, will add experience to the batting order while the likes of Aaron Finch and Travis Birt will get to learn a lot from this clever veteran. His effective off-spinners in the bowling department will be an added bonus. Western Australian Shaun Marsh is an excellent prospect and can form a devastating opening pair with Warner. Daniel Christian will lead the all-rounder’s category with his monstrous hitting and clever medium pacers followed by Mitchell Marsh and James Faulkner, who has been called up to the national side on the back of some excellent performances in the BBL. Victorian Matthew Wade will keep wickets in place of the ageing and out-of-form Brad Haddin adding agility and alacrity to the team. The fast bowling department will be spearheaded by the fast and the furious Brett Lee, who will add aggression as well as experience. Left-arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg, who makes a sensational comeback to international cricket after nearly four years, will bring the much needed variation in the spin bowling department; he along with Xavier Doherty will form the crux of Australia’s World T20 preparations owing to the spinning conditions in Sri Lanka this year.So, a new beginning with a balanced side filled with exuberant youngsters and experienced campaigners! And a big job at hand. Yes, to bring home that elusive World T20 trophy which has been missing from their gleaming cabinet. 2012-01-31T07:54:27+00:00 http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/castrol/blog/aussies_with_a_tight_grip_on_india/ http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/blog/aussies_with_a_tight_grip_on_india/#When:11:24:27Z It was not long ago when we at Castrol Cricket published a Hot Topic (“Less oomph in the Aussie attack a worry”) suggesting that Ben Hilfenhaus would have to make his inclusion in the first Test count for something otherwise he risked being left out in place of Ryan Harris. And he did just that!With just a day to go before the fourth Test, Hilfenhaus is the leading bowler on the Castrol Index by Bowling Efficiency, with 23 wickets at an average of just 16. In the Boxing Day Test, at Melbourne, Hilfenhaus recorded his career-best figures of 5/75, which was his first five-wicket haul, too. It has been a fantastic series so far for the Tasmanian, as he then bagged another five-for in the second match, before recording his career-best match figures of 8/97 in the third Test in Perth.Bowling against some of the biggest names in Test cricket, Hilfenhaus has had a great level of success against established batsmen. He has accounted for Virender Sehwag three times, twice each for Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli and once for VVS Laxman. Perhaps the only name still on his wishlist is that of Sachin Tendulkar.Other bowlers to have done well by Bowling Efficiency include Peter Siddle (17 wickets) and James Pattinson (11 wickets). Although Pattinson does not have as many scalps as India’s Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav (both with 12), he does have a better average and strike rate.The young Yadav has repaid the faith placed in him, bowling accurately but also with pace. He took seven wickets in the very first Test and although he could not add to that tally in the second, he bounced back and took a five-wicket haul in the third; he and Hilfenhaus are the only two bowlers to do so in the series thus far. He has dismissed the struggling Shaun Marsh three times and has twice dismissed Ricky Ponting and David Warner.Talking now of the batsmen, Michael Clarke has emerged with the best Batting Momentum. With 379 runs, he has outperformed the next closest by more than 100 runs. But the bulk of his runs were made in that one sensational innings of 329 not out in Sydney, which took Australia from a worrying 37/3 to 659/4 declared.Both Ponting and Mike Hussey were in dire need of runs prior to the start of the series and they have responded well by notching up 263 and 253 runs respectively. The first Indian to enter the list is Tendulkar, who, despite still searching for a century, has accumulated 249 runs. He has made two half-centuries but has left his fans (and himself, no doubt) waiting for that 100th international ton. Warner came to the Aussie party with a swashbuckling innings of 180 in Perth, giving him a strong position on the Castrol Index. But in the previous three innings he had only made a total of 50 runs, which just shows the strength of this Australian side; when one or two players have failed with the bat, there has always been someone else to pick up the slack. They have not relied on any one batsman too much. That is something India will crave for in Adelaide. 2012-01-23T11:24:27+00:00 http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/castrol/blog/england_flail_away_in_subcontinent/ http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/blog/england_flail_away_in_subcontinent/#When:09:56:59Z Since 1933, England have played 90 Test matches in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, collectively known as South Asia. Out of the 90 they have won just 20, a 22% success rate. They have drawn 48 Tests and lost 22, giving them a win/loss ratio of 0.91. In all their Test match cricket, that ratio stands at 1.24.They have just lost yet another Test match in subcontinental conditions, even if it was held in the UAE (their first in that country). Pakistan troubled them with spin and rolled them over for less than 200 runs in each innings, a disappointing effort from the number one ranked team in Test cricket. Spin, however, was not their only worry, as their top four batsmen were dismissed by the pacy Umar Gul in the second innings. England in South Asia Matches Won Lost Draw Win % Win/Loss India (1933-2008) 51 11 14 26 22% 0.79 Pakistan (1961-2005) 24 2 4 18 8% 0.50 Sri Lanka (1982-2007) 11 3 4 4 27% 0.75 Bangladesh (2003-2010) 4 4 0 0 100% N/A All 90 20 22 48 22% 0.91 Winning in Pakistan has never been easy for England. They have been there nine times, played 24 matches and have come away with only two Test victories. But it has not been too easy for the home team to win, either, as the Pakistanis have only won four games. That still leaves England, however, with their worst win/loss ratio in any Test-playing nation, if you ignore Zimbabwe, where they have only played two Tests and drawn both of them. Since 2000 Matches Won Lost Win% Win/Loss India 8 1 3 13% 0.33 Pakistan 6 1 2 17% 0.50 Sri Lanka 9 2 3 22% 0.67 Bangladesh 4 4 0 100% N/A All 27 8 8 30% 1.00 Looking at England’s more recent form in South Asia, the numbers do not look all that promising. 2012 will be a big year as the Poms will tour Sri Lanka and India, but their record against the latter since 2000 is poor. They have won just one out of eight Tests and they looked particularly weak against India in the five ODIs played against them late last year.Against Sri Lanka they have fared a little better of late, but the English have not tasted success there since 2001. Rated as a better Test than one-day team, England have been more successful in other countries, as the table below illustrates, but have still not been able to crack the subcontinent. Eng in other countries Matches Won Lost Drawn Win % Win/Loss Australia 170 57 86 27 34% 0.66 South Africa 77 29 18 30 38% 1.61 West Indies 65 13 24 28 20% 0.54 New Zealand 44 18 4 22 41% 4.50 Zimbabwe 2 0 0 2 0% N/A These are important times for English cricket. They did not perform all that well in the 2011 Cricket World Cup, but are defending champions in the ICC World T20, a title that they will have to defend later this year. In amongst all that, their top spot in the Test rankings is also at risk, and being the best in the longest format of the game is a massive priority for them. 2012-01-20T09:56:59+00:00 http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/castrol/blog/dont_count_ponting_out_yet/ http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/blog/dont_count_ponting_out_yet/#When:12:02:54Z Cricket is a game of short memories; whilst performing you are hailed as a king and the moment you drop a touch, you receive a barrage of criticism. At the moment, one person experiencing this is none other than former Australian captain, Ricky Ponting.With calls from critics and his former team mates asking him to consider retirement, Punter, with his intrepid and determined character, has hit back with quite a force, answering those calls with crucial match winning performances against South Africa, New Zealand and recently in the first Test against India which powered Australia to much-needed victories. Tough times for Ponting started after the home series against Pakistan in March 2010 in which he was the highest run-scorer for Australia with 378 runs from three matches at an average of 63. It also included a magical Man-of-the-Match performance of 209 at his home ground, Hobart, helping the hosts thrash Pakistan by 231 runs. In the following series in New Zealand he failed with the bat in both Tests, scoring just 69 runs, and followed it up with just 98 runs from two Tests against Pakistan in England. There was just one half-century (66), at Headingley, which ended up in a losing cause. Shades of the old Ponting emerged again during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India in October 2010, as he scored three half-centuries from four innings. He amassed 224 runs from two matches at an average of 56, but the need of the hour was a larger score. He was not able to achieve that and the visitors suffered a 2-0 drubbing at the hands of the Indians. His major slump began during the 2010-11 Ashes series at home in which he could only manage an abject 113 runs from eight innings at an average of 16.14 with a highest score of 51 not out. What made his performance look worse was the fact that the likes of Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson, Australia’s tail-enders, outscored him in the series. Australia’s form, overall, took a dive as well, so following their quarter-final loss to India in the 2011 World Cup he resigned as captain from all forms of the game. A brilliant seven-year term as Test leader yielded 48 wins and 6,542 runs from 77 matches at an average of 51.51. The horror batting-run continued in the away series against Sri Lanka in August-September 2011. He scored 124 runs from four innings at a disappointing average of 31 and, after the failure in the first Test at Cape Town in November, Ponting had scored just 636 runs from 25 innings at a dismal average of 26.50 without a single century from March 2010 till November 2011.Calls for retirement from every corner emerged after his string of consistent failures. He persevered, however, and with the confidence of his captain and selectors, he began his resurgence with a brave 62 against South Africa in the second Test at Johannesburg. That set the stage for Australia’s chase of 310 in the fourth innings after he came in at a difficult position of 19/2. The innings was even more important as Australia were reeling 1-0 behind in the two-match series and it helped them draw level with the Proteas. He then helped his team out of trouble against New Zealand in Brisbane with a 78-run innings. He resurrected the hosts with two half-century partnerships after Australia were struggling at 25/2. Australia still tasted defeat in the second Test against the Kiwis and Ponting was still under pressure for the India series, with speculation that he could retire at the end of the event.Ponting started the series by playing a major role in the victory against India in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne. He looked confident going into the first innings, where he made 62, but it was his second innings performance of 60 that was more notable. With the Aussies reduced to 27/4, he and Mike Hussey knuckled down to save the situation. They added 115 runs together, which helped set up a target of 292, something beyond India’s reach. Both knocks had some aesthetically pleasing stroke play, earning him the best Batting Momentum in the match. He became the all-time third highest run-scorer against India in Tests with 2,133 runs at an average of 48.47 in 26 Tests against India, only behind Clive Lloyd (2,344 in 28 Tests) and Javed Miandad (2,228 in 28 Tests). He also now has four consecutive half-centuries against India now - 77 and 72 at Bangalore in October 2010 and 62 and 60 at the MCG.The centuries might not be coming, but a strong resurgence has begun and with two solid innings against India in the first Test and with three more to go, a big one is definitely on the cards. The time has come where he can show his critics that “form is temporary, class is permanent.” 2011-12-30T12:02:54+00:00 http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/castrol/blog/less_oomph_in_the_aussie_attack_a_worry/ http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/blog/less_oomph_in_the_aussie_attack_a_worry/#When:11:30:56Z It may seem silly to still point this out, but gone are the (pretty recent) days when Australia could rely on a Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee or Shane Warne to put them in a commanding position against any opposition in any country.With Lee keeping himself only available for ODI and T20I cricket, the bowling options open to the Australian selectors are varied, but somewhat unproven. In the first Test against India, the hosts have gone in with James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and the one spinner, Nathan Lyon.At the end of the second day of the first Test, the three pacers have each taken a wicket, with Hilfenhaus removing Gautam Gambhir early, before Pattinson and Siddle bowled Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, respectively. But India have still managed to score 214 runs for the loss of these three wickets and appear to have the upper hand.   Matches * Balls bowled Runs conceded Wickets Average Strike rate Pattinson 2 365 196 14 14.00 26.07 Siddle 27 5,674 2,881 91 31.66 62.35 Hilfenhaus 17 3,783 1,906 55 34.65 68.78 Lyon 7 1,055 541 22 24.59 47.95 * Does not include the ongoing Boxing Day Test.A string of spinners have been tried out since Warne’s retirement, with few being given a long run. That seems to have changed with Lyon and that does say something about his talent. He has already taken a five-wicket haul, which came against Sri Lanka in his debut match (that in itself is not all that surprising, given the level of success debutant bowlers have experienced this year).But the most experienced bowler has played just 27 matches in his career. A lot falls on Siddle, who is known as a tireless bowler, but one who can go without a break quite often. He took two six-wicket hauls in the last Ashes series - including one hat-trick - but also sometimes struggled to get his name among the wicket-takers.Fellow paceman, Hilfenhaus, has had to fight for his place in the side. Never thought of a first-pick, he has played 17 Tests in three years since making his debut. He needs to make this current opportunity count for something, because if Ryan Harris is fit enough for the second or third game, Hilfenhaus may have to sit on the bench.Harris has had his injury woes and is being made to play some T20 cricket to prove his fitness. Australia were also struck with the loss of Mitchell Johnson and Patrick Cummins, both of whom picked up injuries in South Africa. Johnson is known to be a little wayward, but when he gets it right he can be devastating to any batting line-up. That attacking bowling was taken up by Cummins, who bowled good lines and lengths in his lone Test match to date, where he claimed 6/79 against South Africa in Johannesburg.There is another fast bowler in the squad, Mitchell Starc, who played in both Tests versus New Zealand, but only managed a total of four wickets. Depending on the availability of the other players, he may find it hard to get into the playing XI in this series.Apart from their regular bowlers, the Aussies could always depend on a few good overs from Shane Watson. The all-rounder had a mightily impressive 2011, but is not fully fit to play. A replacement all-rounder, Daniel Christian, is waiting in the wings, eager to make his Test debut.This series against India has echoes of the Ashes one year ago - a vulnerable-looking Australia, not by any means guaranteed of having a successful summer Down Under. They have had a change in captain and a review of how Cricket Australia goes about its business, but problems remain. Just to remind ourselves a little of the recent past, have a look at the figures of the retired trio mentioned earlier.   Matches Balls bowled Runs conceded Wickets Average Strike rate McGrath 124 29,248 12,186 563 21.64 51.95 Warne 145 40,705 17,995 708 25.42 57.49 Lee 76 16,531 9,554 310 30.82 53.33 Between them, they have taken 1,581 Test wickets and they make up three of the top four Australian bowlers by number of wickets. That is something that each of the new guys could seek to emulate as they make their way under their baggy greens. 2011-12-27T11:30:56+00:00 http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/castrol/blog/australias_very_very_special_nemesis/ http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/blog/australias_very_very_special_nemesis/#When:12:23:53Z Does VVS Laxman enjoy playing Tests against Australia? Yes, he does. But does he also enjoy playing Test matches in Australia? An even more resounding yes! Less than two weeks before India play their first of four Tests Down Under, it is an appropriate time to reflect on Laxman’s success against the Aussies, and in their own backyard, too. VVS Laxman Matches Innings Runs High Score Average Strike rate 100s 50s 0s Test career 130 217 8,626 281 47.13 49.58 17 55 13 versus Australia 25 46 2,279 281 55.58 55.72 6 11 2 in Australia 11 21 1,081 178 54.05 54.76 4 3 1 Laxman has had a pretty enviable career as Indian batsman, stretching back from 1996, when he made a half-century on debut against South Africa, to the present day. He has played in a variety of positions but is most commonly found at number four or five. Now 37 years old, age does not seem to have done him any harm, as he averaged more than 67 in 2009 and 2010, although that dropped to 45 this year, which is still good by most standards.This year was tough for many Indian batsmen as they played four disastrous Tests in England, although VVS did manage two half-centuries against the conquering English. What he may be disappointed with is how many times he failed to push on after scoring a half-century; he was thrice dismissed in the 50s and twice in the 80s and has only scored one century this year - a massive 176 not out against the West Indies in Kolkata, a performance which was one of the top-rated on the Castrol Index by Batting Momentum.Now focussing on Laxman against Australia, this will be his first match against, arguably, his favourite opponents since October 2010, when he was involved in a courageous innings of 73 not out, which he made off just 79 deliveries. Laxman was suffering from a bad back, required a runner and only came to bat at number seven, forced to pad up when the Indian top-order made heavy weather of a low target to chase.And yet, perhaps his most memorable innings came in 2001, again in Kolkata, for a performance with the bat that has been immortalised at Eden Gardens where he stood tall and scripted an unlikely win with an imperious innings of 281. India managed to pull off only the second ever Test victory after being made to follow-on and it was thanks to Laxman’s 376-run partnership with Rahul Dravid that made it possible. He has been a thorn in the flesh for the Baggy Greens ever since, deserving of his tag of Very Very Special by demonstrating his ability to win matches almost single-handedly.He has been on three tours of Australia and has made a success of it each time. His average Down Under is 54, higher than in any other country, even at home. He always seems to give his best performance when faced with the Australians, but he did not start out too well in his first series there. That was back in 1999 and his first few scores read as 41, 0, 5, 1 and 7, giving him an average of 10.80, but he then followed that up with a brilliant display of his talent in an innings of 167, albeit in a losing cause.Sydney was the venue for that innings and for two of his other centuries in Australia. He has hit a total of four tons in the country, a figure that is only second to his eight centuries in India. He has struck at least one hundred on each of his tours Down Under and one cannot discount him repeating the feat again this year. He left early for the trip to begin preparations along with a few other team mates, and while this could be his last tour of Australia, seeing Laxman playing his natural, elegant game should be a real pleasure in itself. 2011-12-13T12:23:53+00:00 http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/castrol/blog/will_kohli_top_the_2011_odi_run_list/ http://www.castrolcricket.com/ee/index.php/blog/will_kohli_top_the_2011_odi_run_list/#When:11:07:50Z There is just one more ODI to be played in 2011, which sounds a little strange in a year full of cricket. Is it a little surprising to know that there have been more than 140 ODIs played this year? These include the South Africa-India series, Australia-England, the ICC Cricket World Cup, India in England and vice versa and a host of other one-day series across the world.India have played the most ODIs of any country this year - 33 games in all - and have won 20 of them, including their biggest win, in the World Cup final. However, the team with the most wins is Pakistan, who have won 24 out of 32 games in a year where they have come out strongly despite myriad problems off the field.Following on from our analysis of Test batsmen in 2011, we would now like to see who are the best batsmen to have emerged from the one-day arena over the last 12 months. All the figures below are for the year up to 8 December.As in the case of Test cricket, 2011 has been a good year for left-handed batsmen. Five of them have scored more than 1,000 runs, while only one leftie, Kumar Sangakkara, has achieved the same feat. The top 10 right-handed batsmen have also scored more runs than the top 10 left-handers, and they have a better overall average and strike rate. They have also scored more than twice as many centuries and exactly twice as many sixes.The last match of the year will feature India and the West Indies, so if Virat Kohli gets to bat he will be in a good position to overhaul Jonathan Trott’s total of 1,315 calendar runs. He is just 14 runs behind and has been in good form of late, coming in the top three run-scorers of the India-West Indies series and one of the best by Batting Momentum.The only two Indians that have bettered him in the four ODIs so far are Rohit Sharma and Virender Sehwag, the latter coming up with his record-breaking double century in the last game. Predictably, Sehwag’s double ton is the highest score of the year, but he has not had the same success over the year as a whole and does not feature in the top 10.One batsman who almost had a shot at a double century of his own was Shane Watson. The Aussie smashed 185 not out off just 96 balls in a match against Bangladesh, hitting a record 15 fours and 15 sixes in the process. He did not run out of overs or partners, but as Australia were chasing 229, it was a case of too few runs being available to him. He outperformed everyone on the Castrol Index that day, but, although he scored more than 1,100 runs this year, he may be disappointed in only going on to hit two centuries out of a total of 10 fifty-plus scores.Even if you subtracted those 15 sixes from his year’s total of 42, he would still be the biggest hitter of the year among the selected batsmen. He can also boast of a fantastic average and the best strike rate among these 20 batsmen.Individual performances, however, cannot guarantee a good team performance. But how about four good individual performers? There are four Sri Lankan names in the two tables (Sangakkara, Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardena and Tillakaratne Dilshan), who have all scored quite a healthy number of runs this year. And yet, Sri Lanka have not had their best year of cricket. They did make it to the World Cup final, but have failed to carry through much momentum after that, culminating in their rather disappointing series loss to Pakistan recently.It has been a great year for ODIs. With an exciting World Cup, individual and team records being broken it has all added up to some terrific cricket. What will 2012 hold for us? 2011-12-10T11:07:50+00:00