Cricinfo Select
How we turned it around
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
There is one simple word that best describes why this Sri Lanka team has changed for the better: It's called "attitude". There has been a sea-change in the way we all are approaching cricket thanks to the efforts of Tom Moody, Trevor Penney and the rest of the management
team. Their greatest success has been to shake us out of our comfort zones and introduce a new culture of self-improvement and dynamism. The changes have been seismic and have ensured that we are now growing stronger by the day.
After Tom's arrival in Sri Lanka we quickly settled into a successful groove. We defeated (a weakened) West Indies, won the Indian Oil Cup and brushed aside Bangladesh. With hindsight I think we were lulled into a comfort zone. We thought this was the best we could be and expected victories to come our way. But the tour of India proved a rude shock to the system. We were still grappling with the Powerplays and Supersub regulations and in the end we were hammered in both the ODIs and the Tests. Suddenly it sunk in that other teams were improving much faster than us.
Full postA deeply stirring spectacle
One-day wins aren't supposed to mean this much are they
Cricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
by Osman Samiuddin
One-day wins aren't supposed to mean this much are they? Or even engage as emotionally as this? Certainly not piddling opening round games of tournaments. But if Australia were watching proceedings at Jaipur tonight, players such as Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds might have smiled to themselves knowingly and thought, "Ah yes, but they often do".
Full postThriving on adversity
Over the last week, of the seven teams that visited Jaipur, it's been Pakistan who have, ironically, appeared most relaxed
Cricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
On the day Pakistan landed in India for the Champions Trophy, in Delhi on
October 8, Younis Khan and Bob Woolmer addressed the media. In the
previous 24 hours, the country's cricket captaincy had been changed twice
and the chairman had changed once and one would have expected them to be
discussing serious matters before the press conference took place. For
most of it, the two communicated by scribbling messages on a piece of
paper but don't be fooled into thinking they were matters of national
interest. It was simply a discussion about whether to grant a television
channel an interview.
On the day before Pakistan's opening encounter of the Champions Trophy, in
Jaipur yesterday, the same duo addressed the media. In the previous 24
hours, the team's two premier fast bowlers had failed dope tests, nobody
knew what the future held in store and one would have, again, expected
them to be discussing serious matters before addressing the press. Before
they began the press conference, both - coughing intermittently -
communicated some thoughts in hushed tones. Surely this time it was
serious. Instead they were trying to out-guess each other on the number of
questions that were likely to be posed. One of them said 60; the other
reckoned it would be 70.
Full postA tale of two captains
Anand Vasu details the history that Stephen Fleming and Graeme Smith share
Nishi Narayanan
25-Feb-2013
by Anand Vasu
The strangest thing happened at the Brabourne Stadium. A batsman slashed hard at a short ball outside the off stump, the fielder at point flung himself attempting to catch the ball - a small but voluble crowd roared - the ball went past, the crowd sighed and was silenced as the ball sped to the boundary. Aren't crowds supposed to applaud the fours and sixes and boo the wickets? New Zealand and South Africa played some tough cricket on a tricky pitch - supposedly good pitches are only those that are good for batsmen - and it was much appreciated.
The strangest thing happened at the Brabourne Stadium. A batsman slashed hard at a short ball outside the off stump, the fielder at point flung himself attempting to catch the ball - a small but voluble crowd roared - the ball went past, the crowd sighed and was silenced as the ball sped to the boundary. Aren't crowds supposed to applaud the fours and sixes and boo the wickets? New Zealand and South Africa played some tough cricket on a tricky pitch - supposedly good pitches are only those that are good for batsmen - and it was much appreciated.
The story of the day was a tale of two captains. First was the man who stands so tall that you have forgive headline writers when they said: Stephen Fleming stood tall among the ruins. Put in to bat, he read the pitch exceptionally well, and that was a good portion of the job done. He ensured two things - first that he was going forward, or aiming to go forward, at all times, and second that he stretched his front foot out fully, for good measure getting it outside the line of the stumps when possible, as he met the ball.
Full postPathan dismisses the blues
Less than a month ago, Irfan Pathan's nascent career appeared to be in danger of slamming into the buffers
Cricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
by Dileep Premachandran
Less than a month ago, Irfan Pathan's nascent career appeared to be in danger of slamming into the buffers. While his team-mates finished practice and went into the dressing room to prepare for a winner-take-all match against Australia at the Kinrara Oval, Pathan was encouraged to bowl at one stump with Jeff Thomson in attendance. His body language was poor, and there was no zip in his bowling, and the little spell in full view of the media and the crowd fuelled endless debate about whether he should be retained in the squad.
Full postA fudged statement of intent
If anyone thought that last week's diet of drivel would come to an end once the so-called "big guns" came out to play ..
Cricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
by Andrew Miller
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Eight interminable days into the competition, and the Champions Trophy is still searching in vain for a contest, any contest, remotely worthy of such lofty billing. If anyone thought that last week's diet of drivel would come to an end once the so-called "big guns" came out to play ... well, they forgot to take into account England's unrivalled ineptitude in one-day cricket.
Ignore the nonsensically close finish to this match - had it not been for a momentum-altering tea interval (which doubtless allowed Duncan Fletcher to have a few strong words with his underperforming charges), India would probably have romped to victory inside 20 overs. Instead, they slammed on the brakes when the spinners entered the fray, and turned a cakewalk into a stodgefest.
Full postThe Shane Bond factor
New Zealand wouldn't top anyone's list of favourites for the Champions Trophy, but they have one bowling weapon that all opposition line-ups will be wary of
Cricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
by S Rajesh
New Zealand wouldn't top anyone's list of favourites for the Champions Trophy, but they have one bowling weapon that all opposition line-ups will be wary of. Shane Bond is back in action, and even on flat Indian pitches, he could be a handful for some of the best batsmen in the world.
Full postPacking a six-shooter
There is no doubt that to do well a team needs to have more than just eleven good players to choose from but it also pays to understand that it's a nucleus of about six who either win or lose the big tournaments.
Cricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
by Ian Chappell
It is rare for teams to compete in two such demanding tournaments as the Champions Trophy and World Cup within six months, therefore it's not surprising that the buzz word among players and coaches in the build up is "flexibility".
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