When the third day dawned in Cardiff, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin were key to Australia’s chances of fighting back but neither could deliver which starts to raise questions of the future

Daniel Brettig in Cardiff10-Jul-20154:27

#PoliteEnquiries: Is the end nigh for Watson?

Late in the day, Ben Stokes kneeled to play a second reverse sweep to Nathan Lyon. A bottom edge bounced near his boot and rebounded out to Michael Clarke at slip. Behind Stokes, Brad Haddin appealed with vigour, compelling the umpires to confer and ask for a replay. But before they had done so, Haddin was already waving them away and returning to his position. He knew, not for the first time this match, that he had got things quite wrong.It was that sort of day for Haddin, who alongside Shane Watson had in the morning represented Australia’s best hope of staying in the first Investec Ashes match after a maddeningly wasteful first innings by the top five batsmen on the second afternoon. The hope Australia had for Haddin was epitomised by the fact that a nightwatchman was spared for him in the final 11 minutes of day two – in days gone by Ian Healy, now commentating, had been a nightwatchman himself.But the faith invested in Haddin and also Watson was based more on history than recent evidence. Haddin’s record in Ashes matches is universally strong, but since a rollicking 2013-14 he has seemingly used up all the luck he rode over those five matches. Watson continues to be chosen more for what he might do with the bat (score a domineering hundred like those at The Oval and Perth in 2013) than what he actually does (have his front pad blown off and fall lbw, as he now has for 28 times in 108 Test innings).During the West Indies tour, the selector on duty Mark Waugh was asked whether history or recent results carried more weight when he was assessing players. Waugh replied that while yes, history was important, it could not be relied upon too heavily when more relevant evidence was available. On that recent evidence, neither Haddin nor Watson could be expected to stand up under Ashes pressure.Nor could Australia’s tail, so often the source of bail out packages that would sate the people of Greece, be expected to do it again. Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon are all more than capable, but it is too much to expect them to succeed as batsmen under pressure time and again. That Australia’s last six first innings wickets went down for 50 runs was startling next to some of their rescue acts in the past few years, but it was hardly something for which the bowlers could be blamed in the face of excellent work from James Anderson and Mark Wood in particular.”As bowlers we pride ourselves on batting and making the tail wag so it didn’t go to plan,” Lyon said. “Hopefully we can work hard in the nets and in practice and come the next opportunity that the tail gets hopefully we can put on a few partnerships. Credit has to be given to England’s bowlers this morning. I was out there from ball one and they were exceptional. They didn’t give you any width and they were pretty ruthless on their line and length. They out-bowled us this morning but tomorrow is a new day and the sun will come up.”Instead, the onus fell upon others in better form and confidence. David Warner, Steven Smith, Michael Clarke and Adam Voges all had reasons for self-recrimination after the second day, and even Chris Rogers had squandered his innings with a hasty stroke after playing with the utmost composure to that point. Rogers’ world record seven half centuries in a row without reaching a hundred was neat, but the standout statistic would be the fact that never before had Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 all been dismissed in the dirty 30s.The coach Darren Lehmann places a premium on first-innings hundreds, and he wore a thunderous expression in Australia’s viewing area at times as his team’s top order degenerated at the first time of asking. Throughout the afternoon there was a sense, too, that Australia’s fielders were lost in their own thoughts, not celebrating wickets with as much excitement as usual, nor even taking every opportunity that came their way. How Haddin, Clarke and others failed to appeal with much vigour at all for a Stokes lbw shout that would have plucked out leg stump will be a mystery as enduring as a Welsh weather forecast.One thought that would have entered more than a few minds is the presence of a couple of capable understudies on this tour. Mitchell Marsh and Peter Nevill are the men most likely to replace Watson and Haddin in the future, and after this day they may each be in line to have their opportunities brought forward. Marsh was the outstanding batsman of Australia’s two warm-up matches, and had his moments with the ball. Nevill was less impressive with the gloves against Essex, but his batting is undoubtedly less flakey than Haddin’s has unfortunately become.Should Australia be defeated here, the tour selectors Lehmann and Rod Marsh will have to consider not only the margin but also the manner in which it took place. Marsh may not yet be Watson’s equal as a fourth seam bowling option, but there was precious little evidence on display in Cardiff that the older man’s medium pace out swing will provide anything more than a moderate proposition for England’s batsmen. Haddin has been the heart – and snarling mouth – of this team for more than five years, but his value is diminishing.For now, though, there is the faintest hope of a fourth innings revival. Were Australia to be victorious, overtaking a cherished record of the 1948 Invincibles in the process, they would overturn another relevant set of facts: under Lehmann, this is not a team that wins Test matches from behind. Save for the Melbourne Test of 2013-14, they have never been able to overcome a significant first innings deficit and win.So for all the brio of Lyon, who said “records are made to be broken”, it is more sensible to conclude that this team will fall short, and must then use the lessons learned in Cardiff to go on to better displays elsewhere. One such lesson is that the team must rely upon Rogers, Warner, Smith, Clarke and Voges for the bulk of their runs. Watson and Haddin will be there too, but as day three showed, they can no longer be relied upon for match-turning feats.

Stats highlights from an action-packed second day at The Oval

S Rajesh21-Aug-20151 Number of times England have been eight down for less than 92 in their first innings of an Oval Test. (In England’s first innings here, they were 92 for 8.) The only such instance was in the 1948 Test against Australia, when they were 45 for 8, and eventually fell for 52. That is also the only instance of England being bowled out for less than 100 in their first innings at The Oval. (Click here for England’s lowest totals in their first innings at The Oval.)32 England’s highest opening partnership of the series so far. Their other stands have been 30, 19, 17, 12, 11, 7 and 0. Australia, on the other hand, have had six 50-plus opening stands in the series.90.23 Steven Smith’s batting average in the first innings of a Test match – ten of his 11 hundreds have come in the first innings. In the second innings he averages 35.30 (one century), in the third 38.06, and in the fourth 29.75.508 Smith’s aggregate in the series, which is the highest for Australia in an Ashes series in England since Matthew Elliott’s 556 in ten innings in 1997. His tally equals Don Bradman’s series aggregate in 1948.105 Adam Lyth’s aggregate in the series. Among openers who’ve batted at least eight times in an Ashes series – there are 148 entries that meet this criterion – only Graham Gooch, in 1981, has scored fewer runs. Gooch managed just 97 in eight innings in that series.6 Number of times Peter Siddle has dismissed Ian Bell in Tests. Only three bowlers – Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Ishant Sharma – have dismissed him more often (seven times each). However, Bell has also scored 294 runs off Siddle, giving him an average of 49 against him.11.42 Jos Buttler’s series average. Only five England wicketkeepers have had a poorer average in an Ashes series (minimum seven innings). Four of those five were before 1930, but the last one was Steve Rhodes, who averaged nine from nine innings in 1994-95.481 Australia’s total, which is the highest first-innings score at The Oval for a team which lost the toss and was sent in to bat. The previous-highest was 476, by South Africa way back in 1935.

Plays of the Day from the third ODI between India and South Africa, in Rajkot

Firdose Moonda and Rachna Shetty18-Oct-2015The dance moves

This is a season for celebration: the festival of Navratri, spread over nine days and nights, is perhaps most colourfully celebrated in the state of Gujarat, with numerous events held across the nine evenings. Some of that fervor spilled on to the cricket field. Between overs, while Amit Mishra geared up to bowl the 13th over, Virat Kohli walked to his fielding position between mid-on and midwicket. The DJ started playing some tunes and Kohli, getting into the festive spirit, did some shadow moves, cheered on by the crowd.The overstep

India had not bowled a no-ball in the series until the 26th over of the third match, when Mohit Sharma stepped over the line. And he could not have chosen a worse time. The rest of that delivery, one of his typical slower balls, tricked Faf du Plessis into attempting an aerial shot down the ground, which he promptly miscued into the hands of Virat Kohli. The celebrations had to be stalled when replays showed that none of Mohit’s heel was behind the line.The under-reach

Six balls after Mohit’s mistake, du Plessis offered India a genuine chance when he tried to flick an Axar Patel ball over the leg side but was surprised by extra bounce and got a leading edge to short cover. Suresh Raina was stationed there and, being a man of fairly small stature, had to stretch as much as he could to reach the ball. He leapt, opted to stick out just the right hand and found his fingers grasping only air as the ball went over him and du Plessis survived again.The non-repeat

Faf du Plessis flirted with danger twice but seemed to be enjoying the risks and scooped Mohit Sharma over MS Dhoni’s head to display some innovation at a time when South Africa’s innings needed acceleration. Du Plessis liked the shot so much he tried to do it again off the very next ball but could not find the same balance and toppled over, skying the ball towards the third-man boundary, where Bhuvneshwar Kumar took a good running catch.The lightshow

When fans in Indore turned on their mobile torches to create a scene worthy of a rock concert, it was noticed by MS Dhoni and the Indian team, so Rajkot wanted to show they could do it too. In the eighth over of India’s chase, fans in all parts of the stadium turned on their flashlights, in support of the side. The tiny dots of light created a magical scene, once again. Will Chennai match up?The stand-in drop

AB de Villiers would not have thought he’d need to keep wicket in the ODIs, but after Quinton de Kock’s exhaustion after batting, he was forced to. And showed that even a man of his skill needs practice before being perfect. The first chance that went his way was a deflection off Shikhar Dhawan’s bat as he tried to defend a full delivery from JP Duminy. It was a tough chance but de Villiers has been known to take those; this time, he could not hold on.The premature celebration

Virat Kohli’s struggle for runs finally ended when he was promoted up the order to No. 3 and given plenty of time to get his eye in, sans the pressure of needing to push on too quickly. Kohli had worked his way to 48 and was facing Imran Tahir, who the Indian batsmen were dealing well with, when he skipped down the track and sent the ball to long-on. MS Dhoni thought there was time for two runs and ran from the non-striker’s end fist-pumping only to find Kohli was happy to wait a little longer for the fifty. Kohli got there later in the over and allowed himself only a subdued celebration.

Stats highlights from the 2nd ODI between Zimbabwe and Pakistan in Harare where the hosts registered only their fourth win against Pakistan in ODIs

Shiva Jayaraman03-Oct-20151:46

By the numbers – Malik stranded four short of record ton

96* Runs by Shoaib Malik in this match – the second-highest by a Pakistan No. 5 and the fourth-highest by any Pakistan batsman batting at No. 5 or lower in a chase. No Pakistan No. 5 has ever made a century in an ODI chase. Ijaz Ahmed got the closest with 98* against South Africa in 1994. 93.20 Malik’s batting average in ten ODIs he’s played since his international return earlier in the year. He has made 466 runs including one century and three fifties. Before 2015, he had last played for Pakistan in 2013 when he averaged 22.55 from 12 ODIs. 180 Runs scored by Pakistan after the loss of their sixth wicket at the score of 76. There are only three instances of teams getting bigger contributions from their last four wickets in ODIs after being six down for less than 100. The record is held by Africa XI, who added 206 runs for their last four wickets against Asia XI. Before this match, the most Pakistan had tallied for their last four wickets was 172 against Australia in 2001.3 Times Zimbabwe had beaten Pakistan in ODIs before this game. The two teams have played 53 ODIs against each other and Zimbabwe’s last victory over Pakistan was also in Harare.0 Zimbabwe batsmen dismissed by Pakistan’s spinners in this match. The hosts also scored 123 runs off the 150 balls they faced off spin. Before this game, they had conceded 15 wickets to Pakistan’s slow bowlers, averaging just 10.40 runs per dismissal in the two T20Is and the first ODI.276 Zimbabwe’s total in this match – their highest when batting first against Pakistan and the third-highest ODI score against them in all. 111 Runs added by Shoaib Malik and Aamer Yamin – Pakistan’s second-highest partnership for the seventh wicket in ODIs, and their highest seventh-wicket stand in a chase.2 Times Chamu Chibhabha has got out in the nineties in ODIs. He made 90 off 125 balls today. The previous instance also came against Pakistan – 99 in Lahore earlier this year. Chibhabha has made 14 fifties in ODIs and is yet to make a hundred.5 Fifties by Chibhabha in 2015 – the most he has made in any year. This has been the most productive year in his ODI career – 611 runs at an average of 47. Overall Chibhabha has 1923 ODI runs at an average of 25.64.9 Zimbabwe batsmen who have been dismissed hit-wicket in ODIs, including Elton Chigumbura in this match. The previous instance had been at the World Cup – Regis Chakabva against UAE.1 Pakistan opener to be dismissed for a duck on debut before Bilal Asif today. Salman Butt had got out without scoring in his first ODI against West Indies in 2004. Overall, Asif is the 17th Pakistan batsman to fall for no score on debut in 50-over cricket.56 Runs Pakistan had made when they lost their fifth wicket. This was the second-lowest score at the fall of their fifth wicket in ODIs against Zimbabwe. The only time they lost their top half for fewer runs came in 1997 in Sharjah, when they had been five down for 41 runs.62 Runs for Yamin in this match which equalled the fourth-highest by a Pakistan No. 8 in a chase. Yamin, who was playing only the second ODI of his career, had a batting average of 22.75 and a highest of 63* in List-A cricket before his ODI debut.

Stats highlights from the third day of the first Test between India and South Africa, in Mohali

Bharath Seervi07-Nov-20151 Away Tests South Africa had lost since their defeat against India at Eden Gardens in 2010. South Africa lost to Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in 2013-14, and the loss in Mohali was only their second in 19 away Tests in the last five years.2 Tests won by India after being bowled out for 201 or less in both innings of a Test. The last such win was against West Indies in Kingston in 2006, when India scored 200 and 171 in their two innings. Overall, this was only the eighth Test win for India when they have made 201 or fewer in the first innings.8-76 Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling figures in this match, the best in his 13 Tests, bettering his figures of 7 for 98 against Australia in Delhi in 2013.19 Wickets taken by India’s spinners in this Test, only the ninth time that they took 19 or all 20 wickets in a Test. Only three times have India’s spinners taken all the 20 wickets in a Test.13 Number of matches Jadeja has taken to complete 50 Test wickets, the joint least taken by an India left-arm spinner. Hashim Amla in South Africa’s second innings was Jadeja’s 50th scalp. Pragyan Ojha had also taken 13 Tests to reach 50 wickets. Jadeja is the 10th India left-arm spinner to take 50 or more Test wickets. Overall, he is the eighth fastest left-arm spinner to take 50 Test wickets, the fastest being Alf Valentine (West Indies) in eight Tests.26 Total runs made by the four opening stands in this Test. This was the second lowest contribution by the first wicket in a Test in India. The lowest is 25, added on two different instances – in the Test between India and New Zealand at Brabourne in 1964-65, and in the India-England Test at the Wankhede in 1981-82.9The highest opening partnership in this Test, the first instance in Tests in India when none of the four innings saw the first wicket add runs in double digits. Of the highest opening partnerships in a Test in India, these nine runs are the lowest. The previous-lowest was 13, during the Brabourne Test of 1964-65 between India and New Zealand.15 Wickets taken by South Africa spinners, the most they have taken in a Test since 1952. Overall, the most wickets the South Africa spinners have taken in any Test is the 16 they took against Australia at the MCG in 1952-53. On that occasion, Hugh Tayfield alone took 13 wickets.15.93Bowling average of the South Africa spinners in this Test. Among all the previous instances of a visiting team’s spinners taking 15 or more wickets, the average of 15.93 is the sixth best in a Test match in India. The best was by Australia’s spinners, who averaged 12.17 in the Eden Gardens Test of 1956-57, where the spinners led by Richie Benaud took 17 wickets.Faf du Plessis lasted just 10 balls in the Test, scoring just one run•BCCI39 Runs added by India’s last seven wickets in the second innings. India lost the third wicket for 161 runs and the last wicket fell for 200 runs. This is the second-fewest runs added by the last seven wickets in an innings for India in home Tests.1 Runs scored by Faf du Plessis in the this Test. In his 23 Tests, this was his worst performance when he has batted in both innings. Only once had he aggregated fewer than 20 runs in any Test before this – scores of 1 and 9 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in 2013-14.4 Consecutive Tests in India – each having been won by the hosts – that have ended inside three days, including this Mohali Test. This is the longest consecutive sequence of three-day Tests in any country. Since the last of the officially scheduled three-day Tests was played back in 1949, there have been four instances of three-match long sequence of Tests ending inside three days, one each in New Zealand, Australia, England and Bangladesh. India’s current sequence of four consecutive wins inside three days is the longest for any country at home since 1950.2008 The last time South Africa lost a Test inside three days, which was also against India, in Kanpur. Since their return to Test cricket, the Kanpur Test was the third such defeat for South Africa, with the previous two having come against Australia, in Cape Town in 2006 and in Johannesburg in 2002.

Australia have a 19-0 win-loss record in their last 26 Tests at the Gabba

S Rajesh03-Nov-20151423 Days since Australia and New Zealand last played a Test match (as on November 5, 2015). The last one they played was in Hobart in December 2011, which New Zealand won by seven runs. During this period Australia have played 43 Tests, including 15 against England and 12 against India. New Zealand have played 34 Tests during this period.9-1 Australia’s win-loss record in home Tests against New Zealand since 1990. Their only defeat during this period was in Hobart in 2011, when New Zealand won a low-scoring game by seven runs. That was also the last time the two teams played each other. In these 16 years, Australia have a better win-loss record at home only against Pakistan (12-1) and Sri Lanka (9-0).19-0 Australia’s win-loss record in Brisbane – the last time they lost a Test here was in 1988, against West Indies. The Gabba is easily Australia’s best home venue during this period, and Australia’s record there is also the most dominant among all teams which have played at least ten Tests at a venue.6 Players from the current Australian 12-man squad who haven’t played a Test against New Zealand: Joe Burns, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, Adam Voges and captain Steven Smith. Among New Zealand’s 14 squad members who have played Tests, six haven’t played against Australia – Mark Craig, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi and Hamish Rutherford.0 New Zealand batsmen from the current squad who average 40 or more in Tests against Australia. Ross Taylor has the best average among this lot (36.83), while the others all average less than 30. Brendon McCullum averages only 25.85 in 21 innings against Australia, and 22.90 in 12 innings in Australia.

30 Wickets for Mitchell Johnson in six Tests at the Gabba, at an average of 23. He also has a Test batting average of 39.33 here, with two fifties in eight innings. The difference of 16.33 between his batting and bowling averages is easily his best among all home venues. Johnson’s batting average of 39.33 is slightly better than Warner’s (37.83 in seven innings) at this ground.7/88 Nathan Lyon’s match haul against New Zealand at the Gabba in 2011, in what was also his first Test match at home. In four Tests at this venue, Lyon has taken 20 wickets at an average of 23.30.37.97 The average for fast bowlers in the last five Tests in Brisbane, since 2010. Australia’s quick bowlers have averaged 33 in these games, while overseas ones have averaged 44.42. Spinners have averaged 45.34, though Australia’s spinners have done much better – thanks largely to Lyon – averaging 30.39, compared to 83.55 by overseas bowlers.6 Number of successive Tests at the Gabba, since 2009, in which the captain winning the toss has chosen to bat. In nine previous Tests here (from 2000 to 2008), the team winning the toss had fielded seven times.38.38 The average runs per wicket in the first innings of the last six Tests here; the average is 42.58 in the second innings, 38.25 in the third and 24.16 in the fourth.

Straight off the bat, India have been coy about the pitches rolled out for the series. They have refused to answer direct questions, comparing the Tests against South Africa with whatever seems convenient to them

Sidharth Monga in Delhi02-Dec-2015India have won a Test series against the best side in the world. They have ended South Africa’s unbeaten away streak of nine years, they should be celebrating, there should be confetti around them, but what we have is an ICC rebuke on one of the pitches and general reluctance to see this series win as an extraordinary achievement. Virat Kohli is simmering. Ravi Shastri is letting out battle cries such as “to hell with the five days”.It makes you wonder if anybody in that set-up has even tried to introspect why pitches have suddenly become such a big issue. Their reaction to the ICC assessment has been to stick their heads further in the sand. Nobody wants to talk about the real issue, which is the quality of the Nagpur pitch where the amount and direction of the turn, the bounce, and the pace off the pitch varied for similar deliveries. Every day a new Test is paraded as a comparison. You don’t even have to ask them about the pitches. It’s almost like there is a tape in their pockets that starts playing the moment words “challenge” or “spin” or “variations” are uttered.Two days before the Delhi Test, somebody asked Amit Mishra how challenging it can be for the batsmen when spinners are bowling so well. You can imagine a hand went inside the pocket and pressed play. “We also get seaming pitches when we go out of India,” Mishra said. “We also adjust. We don’t complain. They need to adjust.”On the second day of the Nagpur Test, when R Ashwin famously brought up Nottingham as an example, the question actually was how it felt when he, a skilled and thinking bowler who likes to work batsmen out, was only about as threatening as other lesser-skilled spinners in the series. In Indian press conferences, you are not allowed to say, “Excuse me, but you haven’t answered my question.” Because when you try to do that, the media manager butts in with words to the effect of, “He has said what he had to say.”This year the policy has extended to even Daljit Singh, the usually affable Mohali curator. He is known around the world for taking journalists next to the pitch on the eve of the Test, and explaining to them how the pitch is likely to behave and the nuances of why the pitch is expected to behave in such a way. This year he cordoned off the whole square, spoke shiftily about the pitch, and when asked when the pitch was watered last, he said something to the effect of: so you want to learn everything about making pitches in one Test? The question remained unanswered.Amit Mishra: “We also get seaming pitches when we go out of India. We also adjust. We don’t complain. They need to adjust”•AFPStraight off the bat, India have played victim, controlling the message, refusing to answer direct questions and comparing these Tests with whatever seems convenient to them. Somewhere along the line, through sheer repetition, it has also become an undisputable fact that Australia beat India 4-0 in 2011-12 on demonic green tops. And since you can’t tell them this in person, here are a few comparisons that might be relevant.In 2013-14, India beat West Indies in two Tests that offered five days worth of cricket put together. Nobody said a word about the pitches. Because the pitches gave the batsmen a chance. Oh it’s just poor West Indies? Let’s go to the Tests India hosted before that. India whitewashed Australia. Even though the Chennai curator was quoted in the saying he had selectively watered parts of the pitch, nobody complained about the pitches because they gave the batsmen a chance. Only one Test ended in three days, and it was good for variety. It is wearying to watch these Tests on the loop, which is what India have sought to do in the current series.It is self-defeating to bring Adelaide in here, which – believe it or not – Kohli has done. This was a first day-night Test. There was some extra grass to make sure the pink ball didn’t get scuffed up, and the ball began to move more under lights because of the atmospherics and not because of the pitch. There is so much to like about Kohli’s team, the vigour, the aggression, the renewed focus on bowlers, the selflessness of putting extra pressure on himself by playing just five batsmen, but Kohli has to realise the world doesn’t hate the Indian cricket team. If it did, the pitches would have been brought up when they beat West Indies and Australia too. Right now we are talking about ICC rating a surface “poor”. Ian Gould, Bruce Oxenford and Jeff Crowe don’t hate the Indian team. Harsha Bhogle, who had asked for a better contest between bat and ball, doesn’t hate the Indian team.As a strategy the pitch in Mohali was sound. India had seen the kind of damage the South African batsmen were causing in the ODIs, and they felt it was worth risking letting their spinners into the game if they could rule out a scenario where they lose the toss, concede 550, and start batting under the scoreboard pressure in the dying minutes of the second day. The execution in Mohali in that regard was a work of genius: a vast real estate on the pitch was lifeless while good-length areas on either end were scuffed up. That pitch was a borderline case, but India’s job was done: they had placed demons in the visitors’ minds, and we had a three-day finish beyond which it becomes boring to watch every ball misbehave.India didn’t stop. They took the short cut. The thing with making dodgy pitches is, it is easy to do so but the line between a turning track and a poor one is very thin. All you do is stop watering and keep rolling, but you are likelier to go wrong when underpeparing a pitch than when doing your job normally. Nagpur crossed that line. At least in the view of those officiating in the match. Now Shastri is not talking.Before this series began Shastri made a comparison with the great series against Australia in 2000-01. Harbhajan Singh became a legend by bowling beautifully and taking 32 wickets in three Tests. He had to work hard for those wickets on normal Indian pitches. Ashwin is bowling beautifully too, he is in the form of his life, the way the ball is drifting away late from the right-handed batsmen is delightful, but for his sake here is an example India might want to consider. In 2002-03, when India went to New Zealand, they encountered the seam bowlers’ version of these conditions. Ashwin has so far taken 24 wickets at an average of 10.75. In two Tests in that series in New Zealand, Daryl Tuffey took 13 wickets at 8.69. Nobody talks about Tuffey’s bowling and skills now, but articles are still being written about the pitches back then. Ten years down the line when they talk of the ending of South Africa’s streak and the wickets Ashwin took in doing so, there will be a similar asterisk next to them. Ashwin has deserved better.

Stats highlights of the first ODI between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Christchurch

Bharath Seervi26-Dec-2015174 The margin of victory for New Zealand in terms of balls remaining. It is their highest against Sri Lanka in ODIs. The previous highest was 129, in Christchurch in 2007. Overall, it is New Zealand’s ninth-best margin of victory, and Sri Lanka’s sixth-heaviest margin of defeat in terms of balls remaining in an ODI.5 Wickets lost by Sri Lanka in the first ten overs of their innings, the most they have lost when batting first in an ODI since 2002. They lost four wickets in the first 10 overs four times during this period, the last of which was also against New Zealand in Cardiff in the 2013 Champions Trophy.27 Runs added by first five wickets for Sri Lanka, their lowest in ODIs when batting first and their fourth-lowest across both innings.10 Instances of 50-plus scores for Brendon McCullum at a strike rate of 200 or more in ODIs. Only Shahid Afridi, with 12, has achieved this more often. Afridi and McCullum share 22 of the 88 such instances in ODIs.108 Runs added by New Zealand in the first 10 overs in this match, which is the fourth-highest in all ODIs since January 2002. The highest is 133 by Sri Lanka against England in Leeds in 2006. New Zealand’s highest during this period is 116 against England in Wellington in the 2015 World Cup. All these instances have come in run-chases.4 Instances of a team successfully chasing a 150-plus target at run rate of nine or more. New Zealand scored at 9.09 an over in this chase. This was the second such instance for New Zealand. They chased 159 at 9.08 an over against England in Hamilton in 2008.1 Number of instances of both New Zealand openers scoring more than 50 at a strike rate of 125 or more in the same innings, before this match: in Hamilton in 2008 Jesse Ryder scored 79 at 127.41 and McCullum 80 at 170.21, with both remaining not out. In today’s game Martin Guptill scored at 141.07 and McCullum at 220.00.123 Runs added by Sri Lanka’s last four wickets, which is their second-highest when batting first in an ODI. They added 129 against India in Dhaka in 2010, recovering from 84 for 6 to 213 all out. In this match, they went from 65 for 6 to 188.3 Instances of Sri Lanka’s top five batsmen all getting out for single-digit scores in an ODI innings. The first instance was in 1985 against Australia, while the second was in 2012 against South Africa.3 Number of ducks for Angelo Mathews as Sri Lankan captain in ODIs. All three have been golden ducks, against New Zealand. Only Arjuna Ranatunga has been dismissed for first-ball ducks more often among Sri Lankan captains, while Mahela Jayawardene also has three.1 Number of previous instances of a Sri Lankan batsman hitting five or more sixes when batting at No. 8 or lower. Both those instances were by Thisara Perera. In today’s game, Nuwan Kulasekara hit five sixes in his 58.27 Sixes hit by Kulasekara when batting at No. 8 or lower in his ODI career, which is now the highest by any Sri Lankan batsman at No. 8 or lower. Perera has 24.

Stats highlights from Centurion where Stephen Cook became the fourth oldest to make a Test hundred on debut.

Shiva Jayaraman22-Jan-20166 Number of South Africa batsmen who have made a hundred on debut in Tests including Stephen Cook. Incidentally, the last one to do it was Stiaan van Zyl, whom Cook replaced as opener in this Test. Van Zyl too had got his maiden hundred in Centurion. Overall, Cook is the 100th batsmen to get a hundred on debut.3 Number of batsmen older than Cook to make a hundred on debut: Adam Voges (35 years and 242 days), Dave Houghton (35 years and 117 days) and Billy Griffith (33 years and 240 days). Cook is 33 years and 54 days old.5 Number of batsmen who took fewer innings to make 25 Test hundreds than Hashim Amla, who has taken 155 innings. Don Bradman – the fastest to 25 hundreds – took just 68 innings. Sachin Tendulkar (130), Sunil Gavaskar (138), Matthew Hayden (139) and Garry Sobers (147) were faster than Amla. Click here for a list of batsman to score 25 or more Test hundreds.1 Number of South Africa batsmen who had made five Test hundreds at a venue before Amla in Centurion. Jacques Kallis made five or more hundreds at three venues: nine in Cape Town, five each in Centurion and Durban. Amla also completed 1000 Test runs at the SuperSport Park during his innings. His average of 87.25 at this venue is the 11th highest for a batsman with 1000-plus runs at a venue. Amla has 1047 runs including five hundreds and four fifties in Centurion.1 Number of stands for the second wicket at this ground that have added more runs than the one between Cook and Amla in this innings. Alex Doolan and David Warner had added 205 runs against the hosts in 2013-14. South Africa’s second-wicket partnership in this match was their highest for that wicket at this venue and the first century stand since Adam Bacher and Brian McMillan added 102 against Australia in 1997. This was also the ninth stand of 200 or more runs by South Africa for any wicket in Centurion.2012 Last time South Africa had put up a total higher than the 237 in this match before losing their second wicket. That instance too had come against England at the Oval when they lost their second wicket at a score of 260. This is also the first time in 16 innings that South Africa have managed to post 150 or more runs before losing their second wicket. The previous such instance had come against West Indies in the Boxing Day Test in 2014 when the hosts lost their second wicket at a score of 226.7.66 AB de Villiers’ batting average against Stuart Broad in this series. Broad has dismissed him three times in this series including twice for a duck. Overall, this was the tenth time that Broad dismissed de Villiers in Tests – most often any bowler had dismissed him. The South Africa captain averages just 16.30 against Broad.17 Number of players used by South Africa in this series including Cook, who made his debut in this Test; the last time they played more players in a Test series was also against England, in 2004-05 when they played 18 in the Basil D’Oliveira Trophy.8 Number of times including this innings, there have been two or more hundreds from South Africa’s top three batsmen in an innings in Tests against England. The last such instance had come at the Oval in 2012.6 Number of South Africa players older than Cook who have made their Test debut since South Africa’s readmission to Tests. Cook’s father, Jimmy Cook, made his debut in 1992-93 when he was 39 years and 105 days old and is the second oldest players to make his debut for South Africa since 1992. Stephen Cook is the oldest player to open on his debut since his father.

Plays of the day from the first ODI between New Zealand and Pakistan in Wellington

Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Jan-2016The moment of zenHaving had a catch dropped early in his spell, Anwar Ali was animated when he seamed a ball through the defences of New Zealand’s best batsman. He ran at the dismissed Kane Williamson in a state of rapture, pumping fists and yelling. Many batsmen would have taken issue with this, maybe venturing their own comment in the bowler’s direction. Williamson, though, waltzed on completely unaffected, a content, faraway look on his face, like he was observing ducks paddling in the distance.The sarcastic applauseMohammad Irfan is not in the side for his fielding, but Sarfraz Ahmed clearly expected a better throw from fine leg in the 19th over of New Zealand’s innings. Irfan had come forward to field the ball smartly enough, but when he attempted to let fly about 40 metres from the stumps, he held on to the ball too long and sent a skidding, wayward return instead. Sarfraz had to dash to his left and bend low to tidy up, and when he looked up to give Irfan a spray, the fielder had already turned his back to walk to his position. Sarfraz stared Irfan down until he was looking in his direction again, and raised his gloves in mock appreciation.The scoopsPlenty of high-quality top order batsmen would not attempt over-the-shoulder scoops, but the shot is not beyond the bravery or the skill of New Zealand’s No.10. Mitchell McClenaghan spat on the long and storied history of tail-end incompetence when in the 47th over, he set himself low to the ground, and perfectly deflected a full Anwar Ali delivery over short fine leg for four. Two overs later he executed the stroke beautifully for a second time, this time taking the ball at about thigh-height from a rattled bowler.The unintentional obstructionHalfway through the 36th over of Pakistan’s innings, non-striker Sarfraz Ahmed made a dash towards the other end, before being sent back by his partner. In his haste to turn back, Sarfraz managed to fall over on his behind, and worse, lost hold of his bat. With short third man having gathered the ball now, Sarfraz flung himself to his feet and sprinted back towards his crease. The throw hit him as he made his ground, and though some New Zealand players thought he had intentionally changed his line to block the return, replays showed he had simply ended up on the other side of the pitch thanks to his having fallen over.