The Champions Trophy trophy lies in wait at Edgbaston

South Africa scraped through in dramatic fashion as Dale Steyn caught Kieron Pollard at third man off what turned out to be the last ball of their game against West Indies. The heavens opened, the covers came on and Duckworth Lewis declared the game tied; The Proteas’s superior net run rate saw them in the semis.

Sri Lanka similarly pulled off something of an escape following a narrow one wicket defeat to New Zealand in their opening fixture. They then majestically chased down 294 to beat the hosts England at the Oval and then saw off Australia to qualify at the expense of the Kiwis.

England have been a mixed bag. There was a solid opening game win at Edgbaston against Australia followed by a surprisingly poor bowling display as they let Sri Lanka home with room to spare. They then batted aggressively and bowled superbly in Cardiff against New Zealand to book their spot in the semis.

India, however, have experienced no such trials and tribulations. A total of 331 in Cardiff in the tournament opener was too stiff a target for South Africa and they easily hunted down West Indies’ 233 at the Oval. The eagerly anticipated clash with Pakistan was something of a wash out, India controlling a rain affected fixture.

There has been some really entertaining cricket so far, even if the weather, notably in Wales, has been somewhat determined to spoil the party. The semi-finals commence at the Oval tomorrow and in Cardiff on Thursday to decide who will contest Sunday’s final in Birmingham.

Previews and Predictions

South Africa Vs England – the Oval

England bounced back from a Test series defeat last year to beat South Africa in the subsequent ODIs and will be optimistic of repeating the trick here. The only snag is the weakness of their bowling at the Oval only last week. A much better performance will be required here.

Likewise South Africa will be hoping that their own much vaunted seam attack can fire here with Steyn’s rehabilitation having had a little longer to take effect. They will also be looking for a little more from the bats of JP Duminy, David Miller and Faf du Plessis.

England’s batting line up has, thus far, been rather impressive, even if there is a perception that they have been a bit conservative atop the order, a point captain Alastair Cook alluded to after the Sri Lanka game. Eoin Morgan hasn’t really fired yet, nor has Jos Buttler.

Key Men – South Africa will not want to meet James Anderson, who is part of Strongbow’s Earn It campaign where you can win the chance to face an over from the England bowler and who bowled superbly in Cardiff on Sunday to blow New Zealand’s top order away. Unless he bowls like he did last week against Sri Lanka, of course…

Ryan McLaren has impressed with the bat for South Africa and has bowled more maidens (three) and taken more wickets (eight) than any of his colleagues in the tournament thus far.

I’m backing England to win this one. They look to have a very clear game plan and South Africa have looked a little short on confidence and quality at this tournament, which has surprised me. They also love a choke…

India Vs Sri Lanka – Cardiff

India have been the form team at this tournament and will be confident of overcoming a side that they are very familiar with. That said, Lasith Malinga nearly inspired Sri Lanka to the most unlikely of victories against New Zealand and Kumar Sangakkara hit a superb century in defeating England.

Key Men – Shikhar Dhawan has been in inspired form opening the innings for India, with two centuries from three games. He tops the run scoring charts across the board and his solid platforms have been crucial to India thus far and will continue to be so in the knock out stages.

Sri Lanka are reliant upon a few key performers and none is more key than Malinga. If he fires, then anything is possible. He’s an incredibly popular figure in India thanks to his IPL exploits with Mumbai Indians and will be keen to show who the main man is.

India have been metronomic in this tournament so far but Sri Lanka are coming in on the back of good wins against England and Australia. There hasn’t been a real surprise so far but I fancy that this may be it and am backing Sri Lanka to win! That said, if it’s another wash out in Wales, India advance as a result of winning Group A…

Join us later in the week for our preview of the final between England and Sri Lanka at Edgbaston!

By Miles Reucroft

England celebrate the 3-1 victory Down Under that means that they defend the tiny little urn in 2013

It was, until very recently, a cause for nervous anticipation for England fans. You looked forward to clashes against Australia in the same way you looked forward to trips to the dentist. Or to an exam. It might rain, was the best the Poms could hope for, in which case everything would be all right.

The boot is on the other foot now, though. Expectant of success against submissive Englishmen, the Aussies are now possessed of the weakest of the two sides, unquestionably. That, of course, will do nothing to dampen their cautious optimism. You won’t find many Australians willing to accept defeat too readily.

Michael Clarke’s side have arrived in England on the back of a 4-0 whitewashing at the hands of India. Conditions on the subcontinent didn’t play into the hands of their strong seam attack and highlighted the impotence of their spin options, a problem that could potentially be resolved by the fast tracking of a passport for Fawad Ahmed.

Australia isn’t a country typically associated with an open door policy when it comes to immigration, but when it comes to sport, exceptions can be made. Such is the desire to have Ahmed available to face England that new rules are being implemented in parliament.

A great vote of confidence for Nathan Lyon, currently the squad’s only spinner, there… Even the politicians are in the act of desperately searching for options to improve a squad that look ill-equipped for the challenge of regaining the famous little urn.

The pace attack, on the other hand, could cause anyone problems (in the right conditions). In James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Jackson Bird and James Faulkner, Australia has the tools to compete with England’s vaunted seam attack of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, Tim Bresnan and the recovering Chris Tremlett.

In Graeme Swann, however, England has by far and away the most dangerous spin option. At any rate, it’s unlikely Ahmed will turn up and leave as big an impression on the Ashes series in England as Shane Warne did in 2005.

The Promise of Endless Summer features obituaries of some of the game's greats, like Don Bradman

The book takes a selection of over 80 obituaries from the newspaper, each chose because of the colourfulness of the writing and the character beyond. Some giants of the game such as Sir Don Bradman, Harold Larwood and Malcolm Marshall sit alongside those who brought their inimitable style and character to the game we all love such as David Bairstow, Norman Mitchell-Innes and Charles Palmer.

The writing featured comes from such luminaries of cricket as E.W Swanton, Michael Parkinson and Scyld Berry, who has the distinction of having his tribute to E.W Swanton featured.

It’s a lovely, staccato book that brings to life an array of cricketers that gave the sport the deep cultural history that it carries today. The book is perhaps best summed up by a quote that Smith uses in his introduction, from Garrison Keillor: “They say such nice things about people at their funeral that it makes me sad that I’m going to miss mine by just a few days.”

We’ve got three copies of this charming book to give away. To be in with a chance of winning one, just answer the following question:

Which county won the 2012 County Championship?

Include your answer in the subject line of an e-mail to competitions@thecricketblog.co.uk and please include your full name and preferred postal address in the event that you are selected.

Please note that we are only able to distribute copies to UK addresses. The competition will close on Midday, Friday May 31. Winners will be notified shortly after.

Good luck!

England will meet Australia in five one day internationals after the Tests, with games also being held in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth before going to Adelaide for the final match which happens to fall on Australia day, 26^th January.

England will then play three Twenty20s against Australia after the Ashes series at the end of the year; they will be played in Hobart, Melbourne and at Sydney’s Stadium Australia.

CA chief executive James Sutherland said: “We are pleased to confirm the full 2013-14 international schedule, which includes 33 days of international cricket and five tour matches. Dates and venues for the five-match Carlton Mid ODI Series and the three KFC T20 Internationals have now been added to the previously-confirmed five-match Commonwealth Bank Ashes Test Series fixture.”

After the last Ashes series which England won 3-1, they took part in a disappointing seven-game ODI series in Australia in January and February 2011. England also played triangular series in 2007 that involved Australia and New Zealand. It was England that were triumphant, lifting the trophy after winning the final series by two games to nil. It was England’s first major one-day tournament win since 1997 and their first Australian tri-series win in 20 years. However, this coming one-day programme is much shorter than England’s last two visits to Australia.

Australia and New Zealand will co-host the next 50-over World Cup in February and March 2015 so the one-day internationals will offer important preparation for the England side. With the Ashes now looming England must stay focused. England are strong favourites in the bookmakers eyes, with some giving odds of 2/5. Updated odds can be found at www.freebets.com, and we look forward to cricket’s oldest and most renowned rivalry, one that has covered more than 300 matches and dates back 136 years. The long tour will begin on the 31^st of October and it will surely be a massive test for the whole squad and backroom staff.

England’s limited-overs fixtures in Australia 2013-14:

12 January: 1st One Day International, Melbourne

14 January: 50-over tour match v Prime Minister’s XI, Canberra

17 January: 2nd One Day International, Brisbane

19 January: 3rd One Day International, Sydney (SCG)

24 January: 4th One Day International, Perth

26 January: 5th One Day International, Adelaide

29 January: 1st Twenty20 international, Hobart

31 January: 2nd Twenty20 international, Melbourne

2 February: 3rd Twenty20 international, Sydney (Stadium Australia)

I’ll mark myself early here. I like the IPL. There is a lot positive about it. It brings together some of the best cricketers in the world and treats us to a six week jamboree of big hitting, clever bowling and incredible fielding.

Yet it is too long. Six weeks is far too much. One overriding positive about the ICC’s World T20 is its snappy format. Every game means something. The IPL leaves itself open to accusations of crassness and existing only as a marketing vehicle with the way the tournament insists upon itself, the way the commentators brown nose the sponsors at every opportunity and the way that the loud music pumps through into half filled stadia with American dancing girls flinging their arms around to greet every boundary.

But no one denies these accusations. The IPL is a marketing vehicle. But that shouldn’t detract from the on field action. There are some fine players on display and once the tournament drags itself through the plodding mid-section, the action is often exciting.

If they could find a way of halving the length, or even making it one month, it would help. If they could find a way of concentrating the talent pool, it would also make for a more incredible tournament. It deserves more than to be an afterthought in the minds of many.

There are too many weak players. This is because there are too many teams. Each can only field four foreigners so we often see the spectacle of young Indians having their careers shredded before our eyes. For every Anjinkya Rahane in 2012 there are several more who slip away into oblivion.

There are also several second rate Australians. The fact Mumbai Indians paid US$1m for Glenn Maxwell screams about the paucity of truly world class talent available. The Indian team made light work of him in the recent Test series.

Even esteemed Australian cricketing historian and journalist Gideon Haigh said before his Test debut that, “if Glenn Maxwell is the answer, I don’t know what the question is.”

There is only one Pakistani and four Englishmen at the tournament, none of whom are likely to feature in Test cricket any time soon. No Sri Lankans will be allowed to play in Chennai due to political tensions in the region.

It’s a shame that more Englishmen can’t follow Kevin Pietersen across. It would be great to see the likes of Stuart Broad, Matt Prior and Ian Bell tested in this format. It’s a shame KP will be missing out for Delhi this year due to a knee injury.

It’s a shame that events are such, outside of cricket, that the likes of Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Mohammed Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal can’t take part.

It’s a shame that big players like Michael Clarke view it as such a distraction that they pick and choose when they participate. There are bigger cricketing targets in mind and a six eek assault on the senses isn’t ideal preparation for a tough year of international cricket.

All of these factors weaken what should be a world leading event. Less would be more, here. But don’t let that deny you the enjoyment that is to be garnered from six weeks of non-stop, in-your-face cricket. It’s a circus and circuses are to be enjoyed!

We’ll be going through the nine franchises tomorrow and assessing their squads and making our predictions. Unusually, I was pretty accurate last year!

By Miles Reucoft

Mickey Arthur (left) and Michael Clarke were unimpressed at the lack of presentation skills in their squad

England got their Test tour of New Zealand off to a typically underwhelming start last week. Bowled out for 167 on the flattest of flat pitches, Kiwi debutant Hamish Rutherford showed his much vaunted opponents the way with 171 runs of his own. Even England bowler Steven Finn had the temerity to upstage his willow wielding colleagues with a turgid 56 in the second innings. Application, my friends. Application.

The innings puts Rutherford seventh on the list of highest scores on debut.

There was also a maiden Test ton for Nick Compton and yet another for Alastair Cook.

England dug in for two days and secured a draw, but the ineptitude of their first innings was completely overshadowed by the ineptitude of four Australians when it comes to filling in forms/sending e-mails/sending SMS messages and making presentations.

Australia coach Mickey Arthur wanted his charges to consider how they could improve the team in the aftermath of two defeats in two Tests in India. I’m sure Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Johnson would simply have suggested ‘I could play a f**king game. I mean, c’mon mate, strewth, Phil Hughes is getting a knock. He’s s**t.’

Shane Watson could have suggested ‘meh, not a lot’ and James Pattinson ‘a bit of support would be nice. Find a decent spinner, too. Just someone who can spin a ball would do. Seriously.’

Say all of the above quotations in a comedy Australian accent and you get a true picture of what’s going on…
Anyway, none of the above bothered with this task set out by Arthur. So he decided to drop them for the third Test. All four of them. Because they didn’t suggest ways that a really average team could improve and start its quest to become world no1.

Here’s a suggestion to Cricket Australia. Invent a time machine and go back to 2002. Or find a way of preventing ageing in human beings. You could then have replaced Hayden, Langer, Ponting, Hussey, Waugh and Waugh, Gilchrist, Warne, McGrath and Lee with themselves.

Then you’d be no1. You’re not no1 because your players, with the notable exception of Michael Clarke, are crap. Mystery solved.

Still, that hasn’t stopped Arthur from managing the side like a man who has got a hefty sum invested in England winning back-to-back Ashes this year. Come on, if his name was Mohammad Arthur from Lahore this point would be taken seriously…

In other age related news India have dispensed with another modern legend. Virender Sehwag’s international career looks at an end as he has been dropped for the third Test in Mohali against Australia. Having got himself out early in the second Test, he had to kick back and watch young whippersnappers Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara pile on the runs. The walls must surely now be closing in on Sachin Tendulkar.

Perhaps the most remarkable event in Test cricket over the past seven days, however, was the performance of Bangladesh, against Sri Lanka, in Galle.

The match bore 18 wickets in five days. I’d suggest it wasn’t the most competitive of surfaces. Still, nearly exactly one year ago England were being rolled over here inside four days.

To wash down the 18 wickets were eight centuries, two from Kumar Sangakkara.

Nothing remarkable there. No sir. The remarkable bit came from Bangladesh’s innings of 638. Mohammad Ashraful, that much maligned one-time Aussie basher of 2005 vintage in a Cardiff ODI, rediscovered how to hold a cricket bat and was desperately unlucky not to become the first ever Bangladeshi to hit a Test double century. He fell for 190.

Mushfiqur Rahim, the pocket rocket Bangladesh keeper/captain was so inspired by his team mate that he went on to take that honour himself. The partnership of 267 between the two was also a new Bangladeshi record for any wicket.

Nasir Hossain also chipped in with a maiden ton. It was a good match for Bangladesh and I truly hope that they build on this and become a tough side to beat.

The fact that Rahim fell for exactly 200 and Hossain for exactly 100 suggests that milestones still come as a huge surprise for this lot, but it’s a nicer problem to have than sitting around saying ’but we have to pick Ashraful. The cupboard is completely bare.’

That’s the past seven days, I hope the next seven are just as good.

By Miles Reucroft

Michael Clarke and MS Dhoni both set records in Hyderabad. One was good, one not so...

The current imbroglio was expected as the initial matches in the tour saw Indian Test aspirants walking away with career best figures against this brittle batting line-up. Right from the moment this team was selected, the Australian selection fiasco was evident and the selectors’ inability to find replacements for Test veterans Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey gave early indications of the quagmire awaiting them.

Only skipper Michael Clarke has so far carried his fine form forward and it looks like he too is now running out of steam. His boys around him have repeatedly collapsed against the guile of Indian spin on wickets doctored to suit the hosts’ spinners.

Though the seamers for India, barring Bhuvaneshwar Kumar in the second Test, did not have any role to play, spinners like R. Ashwin and part-timer Ravindra Jadeja have become a thorn in the flesh of the Aussie batsmen. Having looked like a rudderless boat against England, Ashwin is oozing with confidence all of a sudden. Jadeja has now almost become the perfect Test all-rounder that MS Dhoni has been looking for, though his batting so far has been nothing to shout about.

The Australian batting is full of players who do not seem to have the patience and temperament required to bat in Tests, especially on viciously turning Indian tracks. Also, playing across the line has brought about most of the Australian downfall so far.

Phil Hughes, from whom much was expected, has only 25 runs from four innings. A team with only two batsmen in Clarke and Moises Henriques, who had a dream debut, can probably prolong the agony but never avoid the inevitable rout.

Shane Watson, having declared his team’s aggressive intention before the series began, looks a shadow of himself and has managed just 77 runs in his four innings. His last Test century came 37 innings ago.

It is now clear that Clarke needs to move up the batting order and probably play Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith in the upcoming Tests in an attempt to revive Australia’s dwindling fortunes. Having scored four double tons in 2012 and a century and 91 so far in this series, Clarke is paying for the sins of his batsmen.

The press and fans Down Under are baffled by the spineless displays of their team so far. With the Ashes series only a couple of months away, they must be dreading what is in store for them. Clarke’s challenge is not his own batting anymore, it is in the combination he picks for the remaining Tests. Will he get it right? Clarke has probably never felt this lonely.

Barring James Pattinson in the first Test, the Aussie bowlers too have had a miserable run, too.  Axing Natahn Lyon and picking Xavier Doherty and Glenn Maxwell for the second Test hasn’t gone down well with many. For India, this series has been a fairy tale so far.

Dhoni’s fortunes as a skipper, and as a batsman, are smiling on him. The Indian batting line-up looks confidence personified.  With Tendulkar missing a ton in the first Test, batsmen like Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Dhoni too, have made hay while the sun shines.

It is a sorry story, however, for Virender Sehwag. The veteran who once thrilled the world has been a bad squib of late and it very much looks like the end of the road for one of cricket’s great entertainers. We’ll always have the swashbuckling memories.

Harbhajan Singh, another veteran of the side, has been bowling well but he must be ruing his inability to take wickets whilst his colleagues are unable keep count of their hauls. With the team winning, though, he is likely to get an extended stint, at least for the rest of this series.

While Dhoni became the Indian captain with most the Test wins, Clarke became the first skipper in Test history to lose by an innings after declaring the first innings in Hyderabad.  As things stand, it looks like a 4-0 sweep to India taking them to third position in the ICC Test ranking.

But knowing how funny this game is, Clarke and his men still have an outside chance to atone for the first two Tests. Almost a year ago, India were on the receiving end of a whitewash in Australia. It now looks like payback time. Time for regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy!

By Venkat Balantrapu

You can learn to play like your heros through your phone

Those who have had coaching most likely received it at school. The problem with this, certainly in England, is that not many schools offer cricket coaching. It is usually offered only at private schools and most people don’t get the opportunity to learn the game at a young age.

I know myself, from starting to play cricket in adulthood, that correct technique isn’t something that I possess! It’s not easy to find, either. You can try to emulate what you see on TV, but unless you have the time to practice for a few hours each day, this doesn’t really help.

I recently came across a mobile app that aims to help people with their cricket. The Cricket Coach App, available on your smartphone, aims to tackle the coaching of the individual areas of batting, bowling and fielding across three apps.

I downloaded the batting and bowling apps (my fielding’s okay, I think…!) to see what I can pick up from them. With nets having commenced a few weeks back, I have found the in depth breakdowns of each discipline to be very useful.

The one area that I have really improved upon from last year is the bowling of wrist spin. I’m not really a bowler, but the videos, talk throughs and analysis of this trickiest of arts has been hugely beneficial.

Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t turned into Shane Warne overnight (more Anil Kumble if a comparison must be drawn) but I have been pitching the ball with increased accuracy and bowling a better length than before.

The app also teaches you about seam, off spin and orthodox left arm bowling. In the same vein, the batting app teaches you about front foot and back foot play; defensive, attacking, leg side and offside play. It even goes as deep as your running between the wickets and games you can play in the nets to improve your accuracy and shot selection.

My batting technique is entirely self taught and predominantly back foot devoid of foot movement. My ineptitude is more dyed in the wool than with my bowling, but the app has really helped me.

There are videos from all angles of a delivery/shot and diagrams to help further explain the techniques involved. You can record your own action and compare it against the videos in the app and it also lists all of the common faults that hold most of us back.

I would highly recommend this to any village or club cricketers, or at least anyone who hasn’t got access to coaching. It’s an incredibly affordable way of accessing thorough information and is a great refresher as to correct methodology.

By Miles Reucroft

you can view the app for Android, iPhone and Blackberry

Sachin Tendulkar has always enjoyed playing against Australia

The time for him to retire passed by a couple of years ago, after India’s World Cup triumph. He’d achieved his dream; a dream that took him almost half a dozen World Cups to fulfil.

He carried on, trusting his abilities to the fullest. Although he has scored in patches, most of his contributions have been in vain, especially during the twin 0-4 drubbings at the hands of England and Australia and the recent 1-2 mauling India received from England recently at home.

Every time he failed, he looked to domestic cricket to regain his touch, which he did. But the script in international cricket remained the same. This resulted in his reluctant retirement from ODI’s in Decembe, just before India locked horns with Pakistan, their favourite opponents.

Only Tendulkar was absent from India’s regular XI, but the team’s fortunes remained the same, losing the battle 1-2.

Tendulkar is short of 16,000 Test runs just by 355.  No one in Test cricket is yet to achieve this milestone and this will soon be yet another feather in his cap. His recent domestic stint gave him two hundreds and more than that, must have given him ample confidence. His recent disasters on the field increased calls for his immediate retirement from one and all.

So pathetic were his scores and the manner and modes of dismissals that his most ardent fans were the first ones to call for his early exit from the Indian cricket scene. Many cricket pundits in India and the world over were of the same view, but chose the diplomatic path in joining the retirement cries and cleverly put the ball in the selector’s court.

The end of 2012 was also the end of Tendulkar’s ODI career, inspite of his conveying his availability for the Pakistan series to the selectors just a day before. Only a few were shocked.

His preference to carry on in the Test team must be attributed to his immense self-confidence and should never be interpreted as arising out of other considerations. Even today, he undoubtedly looks the best of the Indian batsmen, always raising hopes of yet another hundred in the making when he is at the crease.

His recent failures were mostly due to his over cautious approach rather than lack of form. A man who has lived international cricket most of his life would certainly like to quit on a high. There cannot be a better occasion than doing it against the mighty Australia.

The four Tests and probably around 6 to 8 innings available to him are bound to show us the vintage Sachin one last time, and it will not be a surprise if he adds another ton or two to his tally before the end of this series.

11 of his 51 Test centuries have come against the Aussies at an astounding average of 60.59, along with 13 fifties from just 31 Tests. With two double hundreds against them, he has been the batsman most feared by the Aussies.

His last double century was against them in 2010-11 in Bengaluru in a match winning knock. When he entered the international scene in 1989 against Pakistan, the world saw in him a boy with a huge talent. Today, the boy as well as the talent are still present in him.

His longevity, as appreciated by Australian captain Michael Clarke, has shown no signs of disappearing. When he takes guard in the first Test on Friday, he will remain as fresh as he always has.

The previous series against the Aussies was the first for Sachin without a century against them.  Neither Rahul Dravid nor VVS Laxman will be by his side against the Aussies now. Heas outlasted them all.

This will not deter him. He has already proved his class to the world countless times. But this time, he will be playing for himself, his pride.

A man who waited for two decades to lift the World Cup will surely know why he is still around. He must have by now set a few personal milestones before this series ends. Millions have rejoiced his batting. They will be awaiting his bat to wield its magic for one last time.

Having remained unsurpassed throughout his remarkable career, Tendulkar will never quit a loser, but will go with his head held high.

His last hurrah against the Aussies has no room for submission. He is on a mission!

By Venkat Balantrapu