He may have played just four Tests but Robin Jackman was an ever-present stalwart for his county through the 1970s

Steven Lynch12-Dec-2012I spent a lot of time at The Oval while growing up – too much time, some said, when they looked at my exam results. As a junior Surrey member it was exciting to be able to swan into the pavilion, even into the Long Room bar, although back then I was confined to the end presided over by the impressively buxom woman whose unchanging cry was, “I only do tea and coffee – no drinks.”Outside it always seemed to be overcast, and if Surrey were in the field either Intikhab Alam or Pat Pocock would be bowling from the pavilion end. Inti, a whirl of rubbery arms as he delivered another puzzling legbreak or googly, seemed always to be smiling; but Pocock wasn’t far behind in the laughter stakes. His own action seemed impossibly dainty, back leg flicking outwards as he bowled.And, in my memory, puttering away almost unchanged from the Vauxhall End was Robin Jackman. He was just below top pace, his legs seemingly shorter than the rest of his body suggested they should be. He trundled in, sent down a ball that tested the batsman’s technique… and probably appealed. I reckon Jackman probably holds the career record for most appeals per over: about 2.5 per six balls.It wasn’t just me who was impressed by these whole-hearted displays. Alan Gibson, the whimsical writer whose reports for the Times were often more about his battles with train services than the match he was supposed to be watching, tagged Jackman the “Shoreditch Sparrow”, mainly on account of those chirping appeals. It was a good name, although it suggested a Cockney background, which was some way from the truth: Jackman was born in India, while his father was serving in the Army there, and his relatives included the suave comedy actor Patrick Cargill. Around the time Jackman’s county career started in earnest, his uncle was starring in the TV sitcom Father, Dear Father, as the absent-minded dad of two high-spirited blonde daughters: one imagines Robin’s popularity in the dressing room would have been cemented if he ever persuaded them to visit The Oval. Jackman once told Cargill he wanted to be an actor too, only to be firmly advised “Don’t.”For years it seemed that Jackers would be nothing more than a consistent county performer: England recognition seemed a step too far. By 1978, he had never taken 100 wickets in a season, but the following year he managed 93 at an average of 17, then in 1980 – in his mid-thirties – sailed into three figures for the first time, ending up with 121 at 15.40. The selectors could ignore him no longer, and Jackman was included in the XII for the showpiece Centenary Test against Australia at Lord’s at the end of the season. It is hard to imagine a selection more popular on the county circuit (or in the Oval Long Room bar).However, being in the squad is no guarantee of playing… as Jackman found out when he reported to the team hotel. Back then the 12th man would stay with the Test team for the first two days before returning home for his county’s match on the Saturday. And when he booked in, Jackman was understandably deflated when the receptionist said: “Ah yes, you’re only with us for three nights, aren’t you?” He knew then he wouldn’t be playing, although he wasn’t officially told until just before the start. It would have been nice, he wrote later with characteristic humour, to “have been informed by someone a little closer to the cricketing network, albeit not nearly so attractive”.

He was just below top pace, his legs seemingly shorter than the rest of his body suggested they should be. He trundled in, sent down a ball that tested the batsman’s technique… and probably appealed

Jackman was not initially required for that winter’s tour of the West Indies either, but was called up when Bob Willis was injured. He arrived at Lord’s to get his instructions on a bitterly cold day in February 1981, only to be buttonholed by photographers wanting a snap of England’s new (or new-ish: he was 35 by then) recruit. I was working at Lord’s then, and when he wanted some cricket gear to lend authenticity to the photos, handed over some of mine, which was kept in the office for winter nets. I proudly informed my club colleagues next day that our sweater was in the Daily Mail, probably the nearest any of us would ever get to an official England tour.That minor kerfuffle was followed by a much bigger one when he got to the Caribbean. Jackman had strong links with South Africa – he had played a lot there, and his wife was from Cape Town – and the hard-line government in Guyana objected to his presence. The Test there was called off, and only high-level diplomatic discussion rescued the whole tour.Jackman finally did make his Test debut shortly afterwards, in Barbados. He made a fine start, with the wickets of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, and later added Clive Lloyd. There were three more Test caps, a tour of Australia in 1982-83, and 15 ODI appearances too. He probably really wasn’t quite quick enough for Test cricket, but few could have tried harder: no one (except possibly the odd man on the Georgetown omnibus) begrudged him those belated moments in the international sun.After retirement, Jackman settled back in South Africa and became an amiable TV commentator. A month or two ago came the news that he was battling cancer – completing an unpleasant treble with Tony Greig, another hero of mine from the 1970s, and a later favourite, Martin Crowe. Good wishes go to all of them: it goes without saying that Jackers will fight with all the energy he displayed during those long spells for Surrey. “If anybody could find a way of bottling Jackman’s energy, zest and full-hearted commitment,” wrote Pat Pocock, “then the future of cricket would be safe for the next century.”

From Andrew Hughes, United Kingdom
Exciting news, cricket chums

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013Andrew Hughes, United Kingdom
Exciting news, cricket chums. Today saw the official re-launch of the English Premier League. Better still, I was lucky enough to win a ticket to the press conference by successfully guessing how many fairy cakes Giles Clarke can store in his cheeks at any one time. (The answer is twenty-seven). So here it is: the full details of what could be the most significant day in English cricket since the last most significant day.As the ECB’s Head of Corporate Nonsense, it was the hamster-faced Clarke himself who opened proceedings with a short slide show about his recent holiday in Antigua and his friend Allen. There followed a brief interlude whilst the assembled gentlemen of the press adjourned to the bar, before the esteemed leader of the free cricket world resumed his presentation and explained how the highly successful Indian Premier League had influenced the English version.“Obviously, we can’t just copy the Indians, so you’ll see a few differences,” said Clarke, gnawing on a piece of cheese. “For a start no-one will want to watch it, because it’ll be rubbish. So we’ve gone away from the idea of big stadia and we’re holding it in my back-garden. Well it was either that or Taunton. And we’ve sold the rights to Mongolian State TV, so those lazy old buggers in their armchairs won’t be able to see it either.”Asked whether there would be IPL-style player auctions, Clarke chuckled. “Oh yes, sure,” he replied sarcastically. “What am I bid for this Gareth Batty? Do I see ten pounds. Ten pounds anyone? Don’t be daft, lad.”The English Premier League will run from January to December, with forty-eight rounds of matches, a month of play-offs and a Grand Final to decide which is the least worst team. Amongst the galaxy of international superstars scheduled to take part are Jonas Van Kolpack, brother of someone who almost played for South Africa and former Australian 12th man Carl Rackemann or someone who looks very much like him. The eighteen counties have also been specially renamed for the tournament, the names being chosen by a consultancy firm, ‘Old Rope Associates’ and finely tuned to reflect the diverse reality of modern British life:Lancashire Drizzle
Durham Beer Bellies
Yorkshire Moan
Nottinghamshire Accents
Derbyshire Fly Tippers
Leicestershire Kolpacks
Northamptonshire Traffic Cones
Worcestershire Wellies
Gloucestershire Flood Warnings
Glamorgan Slag Heaps
Surrey Shooters
Middlesex Mortgages
Sussex Nimbys
Hampshire Chemicals
Somerset Inebriates
Kent Bigots
Essex Nightclubs
Warwickshire Idiots

From Basab Majumdar, India For a person following cricket closely now for a good twenty years, one would think it would be challenging to zero in on a favourite cricketer

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013Basab Majumdar, India
For a person following cricket closely now for a good twenty years, one would think it would be challenging to zero in on a favourite cricketer. Strangely it isn’t and I can say with some certainty that my affection and admiration for no other cricketer reached the extent to which I admired Alvin Kallicharran.Little Kalli, left handed, elegant and compact, came into my life in the winter of 1974. I was just a tad over 6 and this was the first cricket series I remembered following with some intent and interest – in fact, I manufactured my first cricket scrap book where Kallicharran and his latest statistcs adorned pride of place. At that age it was obviously not some rational choice but the newspapers were writing a lot about him in the run up to the tour as a batsman to watch out for. His career was still at a fledgling stage but he had acquired a reputation with centuries in his first two tests a couple of years ago ,and then the monumental 158 against England at home (with the infamous run out incident involving Tony Grieg).In India through that winter he did enough and more to enhance his reputation. In the first Test (where a certain pair by the name of Gordon Greenidge and IVA Richards made their debut), Kalli scored a fine 124 against the best of Indian spinners on a dust bowl in Bangalore and followed that up with fine knocks in Calcutta, Madras and Mumbai. I followed his career closely and apart from some fine hundreds, he had the dubious distinction of getting out in the 90’s 7 times.His career ended in controversy. Bitter at being ignored for the captaincy after leading West Indies during the Packer regime, he lost some form and it seemed interest. He decided to take part in the rebel tour of South Africa and ended up being suspended from all internationals. He finished his career with some excellent seasons with Warwickshire but at 4500 odd runs and 14 hundreds, the figures do not do justice for one of Windies and indeed cricket’s all-time great batsmen.Kallicharran was a complete player and had every stroke in the book. He played spin and pace with equal poise and alacrity and accumulated runs against Indian spinners and Aussie pacers alike, at their pomp. He was also a big-match player with a penchant for playing crucial knocks at critical times. Of the many gems he played, my favourite is of course the much remembered assault on Lillee in the World Cup group game in 1978. Australia scored 190 odd which the West Indies were chasing. Kallicharran got his eye in and then launched himself into the Aussie pace attack, particularly Lillee. One incredible sequence of hooking and pulling produced 30 odd runs of just 10 Lillee deliveries.Not since Sobers splattered him all over MCG enroute to the 254 for the World XI a few summers ago had Lillee been so severely dealt with. Kalli’s 78 in that game and the subsequent 71 in the semifinal against New Zealand made him the player of the series and one of my pleasant memories of childhood is recalling Tony Cozier over the radio brilliantly describing Kalli’s assault that memorable afternoon so long ago.

Pay attention, Confectionery Stallers

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013Pay attention, Confectionery Stallers. I am about to tell you what will happen in the Adelaide Test. Admittedly, by the time you read this, what I am about to say will happen may already not have happened, or, at least, have started not happening. But, as I write it a couple of hours before play begins, it has not yet not happened, so it could still happen.This will enable you to free up some extra family time by not having to watch my forecastings unfold live on your televisions (for any Europe-based readers following our continent’s greatest cricket team take on the best Australasia has to offer, I realise this freed-up family time may be in the middle of the night; your children may not appreciate being woken up at 2 o’clock in the morning to play Scrabble/arm-wrestle with Daddy/Mummy (delete as you wish), but during an Australian Ashes series, you must take such opportunities as they arise).Before unveiling the official Confectionery Stall 2nd Test forecast, I should admit that my Ashes-predicting form has not, thus far, been especially incisive. Indeed, my own personal Ashes began almost as disastrously as Mitchell Johnson’s. I, too, was way off target. I watched the long-awaited opening-day skirmishes of the long-awaited first Test of this long-awaited series on the Test Match Sofa. During the lunch interval, I confidently predicted that Peter Siddle – who bowled reasonably in 2009, since when he had done little of note other than fail to remove his rather unnecessary facial topiary, and be injured − would pose little threat to England at any point in the series.Good prediction, Andy. Bang, bang. Slight gap. Bang-bang-bang, bang. Nearly another bang. Six wickets for not many. There, in two stints of high-class fast-medium probery, went my chances of picking up next year’s Nobel Prize For Cricket Punditry.In my defence, there was not exactly a chorus of disagreement from my fellow Sofa-sitters – “Are we talking about the same Peter Siddle?”, no-one asked. “The guy who has now limbered up in the morning session and is clearly about to scythe through England like a piping-hot chainsaw through suicidal butter?” they did not continue. In further mitigation, I also said that England might have more to fear from bowlers not playing in Brisbane − Bollinger, Ryan Harris, and, at a stretch, Lillee, or, at an even greater stretch, Lindwall (there’s no substitute for experience). So I was potentially not entirely wrong on that score.Siddle’s hat-trick (unexpected on sofas on the other side of the equator as well judging by the pre-match build-up) was probably the best in the Ashes in terms of quality of batsmen splattered since England’s Jack Hearne catapulted Clem Hill, Syd Gregory and Monty Noble back to the Headingley pavilion in 1899. Sections of the Australian press have been arguing that, if the Australian selectors insist on having a batsman in the team with the initials MN who can send down a few tidy overs of spin, they might as well pick Noble in place of Marcus North. Some have even suggesting ex-Panamanian despot Manuel Noriega for the role ahead of the beleaguered offspinner who can intermittently bat a bit.In an effort to replicate and invert my Siddlecasting blooper of last Thursday, I should now predict that, on Day 1 of the second Test, Jimmy Anderson will take 0 for 180 off 25 overs of needlessly short-pitched garbage described by Richie Benaud as “the worst thing I’ve seen in any medium since Tony Greig’s glove-puppet rendition of Verdi’s La Traviata in the MCG toilets in 1979”.However, I will resist that temptation, and instead issue this forecast for England’s first Test match in Adelaide since 2002-03 (neither I nor anyone in my immediate family can remember any Ashes Test there in the interim, least of all one exactly four years ago culminating in the longest all-night cricket-watching waking nightmare of my entire life): England will absolutely not declare at 550-odd for 6, have Australia in trouble, let them off the hook by dropping Ponting, still not really being in trouble despite Australia topping 500, before suffering one of the chokiest of team chokes in sport history and subsiding to an alarmingly easy defeat. That will not happen. That will not happen. That cannot happen. Please don’t let that happen.To conclude, some statistics on England’s second-innings psychologislam in Brisbane:• England smashed the Test record for the first two wickets of a team’s second innings as if it were a cheap and brittle plate as a particularly exuberant Greek wedding between two Olympic discus champions during an earthquake. The previous highest total for the first two wickets of a second innings was 366, by India as they almost successfully chased 429 to win at the Oval in 1979.• Of the 12 times a team has reached 450 for 1 in all Test cricket, seven have been this millennium.• On which point, the eight Tests played in November 2010 produced almost 9000 runs at an average of 43.6 runs per wicket, and 22 centuries, including one triple century, three doubles hundreds (equalling the record for most 200-plus scores in a month), and two more innings in the 190s. Seven of the eight games were draws, none of which even came close to producing a result. Commiserations bowlers. You should have paid more attention at school and got a proper job.• Cook, who scored more runs in Brisbane than he did in either of his previous two complete Ashes series, became the seventh man (and first left-hander) to score 300 runs in a match against Australia, after three Englishmen from a long time ago (RE Foster, Herbert Sutcliffe and Len Hutton), and three Indians from no time ago (Laxman, Dravid and Tendulkar).• Jonathan Trott now has the highest Ashes batting average in history – 108 in two matches − shunting the now-clearly-overrated Don Bradman (89 in 37) down into bronze medal position. In second place – Jonathan’s much, much elder Australian brother Albert Trott, averaging 102 in his three Tests in 1895.• England scored as many 180+ partnerships in their second innings as they had against Australia (a) in the three previous Ashes series combined, (b) in the entire 1990s, 1970s or 1960s, and (c) between the birth of Julius Caesar and the death of Queen Victoria.

Too slow, too negative, too defensive, England are not interested in anyone else’s opinion and know their own plans bring success

Jarrod Kimber at Headingley27-May-2013″Get on with it,” shouted the angry cricket journalist. This was before play. But during play, at breaks, as people ate lunch or went about folding clothes, many people said the same thing. Why won’t England get on with it? Or declare? Or both? And why didn’t they enforce the follow-on yesterday? Why, why?England have, as of yet, decided not to run their cricketing decisions through a committee of media and fans. The media and fans may have suggested that not enforcing the follow-on when you’ve only taken 43.4 overs to bowl a side out is a defensive option. Team England may suggest that they could see how flat the pitch was and that their best chance of bowling New Zealand out again would be a Graeme Swann fourth and fifth day attack.The media and fans could point to the fact that England scored at 3.77-an-over when pushing for a declaration, which was only slightly quicker than their first innings total, and slower than New Zealand’s first innings. Team England could answer that this is their last Test before the Ashes, and they had a chance to get a couple of players back into form.The media and fans might wonder if the added gate receipts of a fourth or fifth day could have persuaded England to bat on and on. Team England might ask which ECB employee would tell Andy Flower that he has to base his and Alastair Cook’s decisions on financial concerns.The media and fans will probably say that no matter what reasons you think 468 is a good total to chase, it’s still 19 more runs than New Zealand have scored in the entire series. Team England will probably say better to be safe than sorry.The media and fans have been looking at the weather updates for days wondering why England haven’t rushed things along. Team England have never trusted two day forecasts.England probably should have enforced the follow-on. Nick Compton and Jonathan Trott shouldn’t have batted like Han Solo in carbonite and batting on beyond lunch was an odd decision, if you’re being nice.But Team England hasn’t been overtaken by an alien life form. This is a conservative team. Replacing Andrew Strauss with Cook wasn’t going to upset the careful, careful, softly, softly approach that once made England the No. 1 Test team on earth.

England will continue to play the way that they believe is best for them and continue to make their own cricket decisions

England weren’t going to declare 300 in front, or 400 in front, they were going to bat until any total was notional. Not notional for people sitting in the press box, or on a couch, who seem to think every single declaration is too late, but notional for cricketers who understand how the pitch is playing. 468 for a team with batsmen as out of form as New Zealand is quite notional.But even with this mythical chase being set, England kept being conservative. Despite some variable bounce, Hamish Rutherford was given a deep point. A run-saving position when runs just couldn’t have mattered less.Yet England would say that Rutherford is a confidence batsman. And that statistically he scores the majority of his runs where they put their man. They were trying to drain his mojo but Rutherford still scored quicker than the England batsmen even with a sweeper out. His eventual wicket was to a bat-pad.Later on, Brendon McCullum faced the penetrating spin of Joe Root. New Zealand had lost six wickets by this stage. They needed more than 300 runs to win. The over started with Cook having three men on the boundary. England would point out that McCullum is more likely to be caught by a deep set fielder than anyone in the circle as their statistical analysis can prove.While some seem to see events like this as momentary lapse in judgment, it is really a deep seated ideology. It may not be one that is popular with fans, but it is one that this team truly believe in.A running joke in this series is how attacking McCullum can be with his fields. His slips cordons are filled with bodies even when his team is not doing well. McCullum’s field this morning often had as many catching fielders as some of those from Cook in the afternoon.Drawing this Test will not be the end of the world for England. They’ve won the series. This Test means very little in the larger picture. Even if by ignoring weather forecasts they’ve not left themselves the 30 to 120 minutes they will probably need tomorrow, it’s not a massive problem.What a full day’s rain might mean is that in future England slightly change their outlook to a more aggressive way of thinking the next time a similar match plays out.What is more likely is that England win this series 2-0 and they continue to play the way that they believe is best for them. I would also assume that England will continue to make their own cricket decisions and not be swayed too much by the opinions of the media and fans.

The most memorable moments from the sixth edition of the IPL

Devashish Fuloria27-May-2013The holy communion
Throughout their careers, they plotted each other’s downfall and divided fans the world over with their contrasting, but equally effective, methods of piling up runs. But when Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting walked out together for the first time in Bangalore, it was not just the confluence of more than 50,000 international runs, it was the coming together of two ideologies, two genres. Unfortunately, the partnership didn’t produce any music, but they inspired a new term for cricket boffins – Pondulkar.Gilly sheds his pads
What do you expect a legendary wicketkeeper-batsman to do for the last ball of his IPL career? Surely not take a wicket. But that is exactly what Adam Gilchrist did when he came on to bowl offspin, for the first time ever, in Dharamsala, and picked up a wicket immediately to end his IPL career with gleaming figures of 0.1-0-0-1. That Kings XI Punjab won the match was incidental; it is the romance of moments like these that leave a life-long impression.Angry birds
Two stalwarts, who throughout their careers had been ambassadors of good on-field conduct, decided to warm-up to the shorter format and the temperatures soared. The stone-faced Jacques Kallis had a go at the umpire in Pune, repeating “You’re calling me a cheat?” a few times after the third umpire had overruled his appeal for a run-out in the absence of evidence. That was the only instance for Kallis, but Rahul Dravid remained hot-headed throughout the tournament. At different points, he got upset with the umpires, with opposition players, and in one case, even upset with himself, the last instance resulting in a comical overthrow.Maradona impression gone wrong
In 1986, Diego Maradona had illegitimately scored a goal against England, and had called it the ‘Hand of God’. Yusuf Pathan tried the cricketing version of it, discreetly kicking the ball – or so it seemed – away from Wayne Parnell, the bowler, while taking a quick run during a close chase in Ranchi. Unfortunately for him, there was nowhere to hide as the numerous replays caught him, and he became the first batsman in Twenty20 to be given out obstructing the field.Irrelevance of the pitch
For a few moments during the second qualifier between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals, the 22-yard strip became irrelevant. Dishant Yagnik employed the ingenious ploy of going outside off and the stumps to counter Lasith Malinga’s yorker, making it a half-volley in the process. For sheer chutzpah from a youngster, only Rishi Dhawan’s outrageous paddle-sweep in the same match, and Raiphi Gomez’s first-ball reverse paddle came close. In the same over in which Yagnik was inventive, Malinga defined new limits of waywardness by slinging the ball full and wide, once to an imaginary batsman standing at first slip, then to another one at leg slip.Three times lucky?
Kieron Pollard pulled a number of outrageous catches throughout the season, however the most memorable of his efforts were the ones he was not able to catch. Three of them off three consecutive deliveries, all at point and all from the bat of Mike Hussey. The catches were not difficult either, but somehow Pollard’s palm refused to wrap around the ball. The chances of this happening are perhaps less likely than winning a jackpot on a fruit machine, but life is never so benevolent for most.Angry young man
Virat Kohli, who has clearly grown out of the spoilt-brat image he adorned a couple of years ago, was named the captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore for the season, a mark of respect for his enhanced reputation. But Kohli is never one to shy away when challenged in a war of words. Nor is Gautam Gambhir. During a match in Bangalore, Kohli and Gambhir were involved in a spat after the former was seemingly provoked by the latter. The two had to be pulled apart by their Delhi team-mate Rajat Bhatia before things got worse. For Kohli, it did get worse when he was booed by a section of the crowd at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, leading him to remind them that he was an “India player too”.Cricket goes for an original after an overdose of •BCCIFrom sir, with love
Chennai Super Kings needed two runs off the last ball with Ravindra Jadeja on strike and they got two with a ball in hand, something, as the Twitter jokes went, only ‘Sir’ Jadeja could have managed. RP Singh bowled a short and wide delivery that Jadeja cut in the air straight into the hands of the third man, sparking delirious celebrations among the Royal Challengers fielders. A moment later, their exhilaration turned to horror as they saw the umpire signal a no-ball. RP had overstepped by a long way.Sammy dumps Gangnam
Chris Gayle brought his Gangnam Style celebration to the IPL and Harbhajan Singh took it to a new level, introducing -inspired movements in his version. But the Gangnam clearly appeared so-2012 and was easily bettered by an original and more innovative style. Darren Sammy, who joined Sunrisers Hyderabad a few days late, due to the birth of his daughter, smashed a half-century in his second match. Raising the bat to the dugout may be popular, but not for Sammy, who began sucking on a pacifier tied around his neck, and mimicked cradling his daughter in his arms. A few days later, Brad Hodge, after hitting the winning runs off Sammy’s bowling in the eliminator, didn’t miss a chance to mock as he danced Sammy-style but without the pacifier. Asked later for the reason, Hodge said he had children too.

Stats highlights from England’s win over Australia at Durham in the Ashes

Shiva Jayaraman12-Aug-2013 The last time England took a lead of 3-0 to win the Ashes was in 1977. They drew at Lord’s and then won at Old Trafford, Trent Bridge and Headingley to win the Ashes by the fourth Test. The fifth and final Test at The Oval in that series ended in a draw. The other two instances of England getting ahead by 3-0 in the Ashes were in 1928-29 and in a three-Test series in 1886. Though England have never won the Ashes by a 4-0 margin, they did get ahead of Australia 4-0 in the 1928-29 series before losing the last Test at the MCG to end up with a scoreline of 4-1. Stuart Broad’s bowling figures of 11 for 121 for the match are his best in Tests. The last time an England fast bowler took 11 or more wickets in the Ashes was way back in 1961 when Fred Trueman took 11 for 88 at Headingley. This is the 16th instance of a fast bowler getting 11 or more wickets in a match in the Ashes. This was Broad’s second Man-of-the-Match award in the Ashes and his sixth in Tests overall. Both James Anderson and Stuart Broad have taken ten-wicket hauls in this Ashes series – only the seventh time England bowlers have taken two or more ten-wicket hauls for the match in an Ashes series. The last time this happened was in 1956 when Jim Laker took both the ten-wicket hauls. He took 11 for 113 at Headingley and followed it up with 19 for 90 at Old Trafford. The 109-run partnership between Chris Rogers and David Warner was the first century partnership by openers – from either side – in this Ashes. This is the only the third time in the Ashes that a century opening partnership in the fourth innings of a Test has ended up on the losing side. The last time this happened was in 1924, when Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe added 110 runs chasing a target of 605 at the SCG. This is also the first time out of ten Tests that Australia have lost after a century-stand from their openers while chasing in the fourth innings. Overall in Tests, an opening pair that has added a hundred or more runs in the fourth innings has ended up on the losing side on only 11 occasions, including Australia in this Test. Ryan Harris’ 7 for 117 were his career best figures in an innings in Tests. The last time an Australia fast bowler took seven or more wickets in an innings in England was Glenn McGrath’s 7 for 76 at Headingley in 2001. The previous occasion of an Australia fast bowler taking nine wickets for the match in the Ashes also involved Harris. Mitchell Johnson and Harris took nine wickets apiece in the Perth Test in 2010. Harris’ was the seventh instance in the Ashes that a bowler ended up on the losing side after taking seven or more wickets in the second innings. This was the 13th occasion of a bowler taking seven wickets in an innings at an economy of four runs or more in Tests and the seventh such occasion by a fast bowler. Australia’s batting followed the now familiar script of undoing the good work done by their bowlers. It was the turn of their middle order (No. 4 to No. 7) this time: their middle order managed to score just 13 runs in their second innings. The last time their middle order failed to aggregate 20 runs in an innings was back in 1981 in the famous Test at Headingley, when Bob Willis ran through Australia side in the second innings. Ian Bell scored the 20th century of his career, in England’s second innings, and his fourth of the Ashes. With this century, he has now become the ninth England batsman to hit 20 or more centuries in Tests. He is only the third England batsman to hit three centuries in an Ashes series at home. The other batsmen to achieve this feat are Maurice Leyland, who had three centuries from eight innings in 1934 and David Gower, who had three centuries from nine innings in 1985. He is the tenth England batsman to hit three or more centuries in an Ashes series.Ian Bell now has 57 scores of fifty or more runs in Tests. He has drawn level with David Gower and Alastair Cook in the list of England batsmen with most fifty-plus scores in Tests. Graham Gooch’s 66 scores of fifty or more runs are the highest by any England batsman. Alastair Cook’ s ordinary form at home in the Ashes continues. In 17 Ashes innings in England, Cook has scored 440 runs at an average of 25.88. He is yet to score an Ashes century at home. Cook’s record in the Ashes playing in away matches, from exactly the same number of innings, is excellent: he has scored 1042 runs at an average of 65.12. He has four centuries and two half-centuries from these 17 innings in Australia. Matt Prior’s batting average of 14.33 in this series after the fourth Test equals his worst in a Test series. Prior averaged 14.33 from four innings in the recently concluded series against New Zealand at home. Against New Zealand, Prior scored 43 from four innings, exactly half of the 86 he has scored from seven innings in this Ashes.

Stats highlights form Afridi’s emphatic return to ODIs in the first match of bilateral series between West Indies and Pakistan

Shiva Jayaraman15-Jul-2013

• Shahid Afridi has now become the only player in ODI history to score 7000 or more runs and take 350 wickets. Dwayne Bravo’s wicket was Afridi’s 350th, making him only the eighth bowler, and the third Pakistan bowler after Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, in ODIs to take these many. The only other player to take 300-plus wickets and score 7000-plus runs in ODIs is Sanath Jayasuriya.
• Afridi has taken a five-wicket haul and hit fifty-plus runs in a match three times in his career. No other player has repeated this feat more than once. The last time this was done in ODIs was also by Afridi, against Sri Lanka, in 2011. This was the 16th instance of a player taking a five-wicket haul and scoring fifty or more runs in the same match.
• Afridi’s bowling figures of 7 for 12 were the second-best in ODIs. The best figures in ODIs belong to Chaminda Vaas, who took 8 for 19 against Zimbabwe in 2001. Afridi’s bowling figures in this match are the best for a spinner in ODIs. These figures were also the best for a bowler bowling third change or later in an innings. In terms of runs given, this was Afridi’s most economical spell in ODIs in which he has bowled five or more overs.
• This was Afridi’s 30th Man-of-the-Match performance, which equals the number of such awards won by Brian Lara and Aravinda de Silva. Only six players have won more Man-of-the-Match awards, but among active ODI players, only Jacques Kallis, with 32, has won more such awards. Among Pakistan players, Afridi holds the record; Saeed Anwar is next with 28.
• Afridi’s performances in matches in which he’s made a return to ODIs (after missing out on one or more series) have been excellent. In eight such matches he averages 46.85 with the bat from seven innings, including four half-centuries. His bowling outshines his batting in these matches: he has taken 23 wickets, including two five-fors, at an average of 10.30 and a strike rate of 15.3. His impact in these matches is reflected in the number of Man-of-the-Match awards he’s won in these eight games – four.
• Afridi’s bowling average of 16.87 in the West Indies is the best by a visiting bowler to have bowled in at least ten innings. His strike rate of 24.5 is the third-best for a visiting bowler, with a minimum of ten innings in the West Indies.
• This was only the eighth instance of West Indies getting bowled out for under 100 runs and only the second at home. The last time West Indies got dismissed for under 100 runs was in February 2011 against Australia at Perth.
• Misbah-ul-Haq’s fifty in the match ranks fourth in the list of slowest fifty-plus scores by Pakistan’s batsmen. Javed Miandad’s unbeaten 63 from 167 balls against West Indies is the slowest fifty-plus score by a Pakistan batsman. Three of the four slowest fifty-plus scores by Pakistan batsmen have now come against West Indies.
• This was Chris Gayle’s 250th ODI of his career. He hasn’t played all of his ODIs for West Indies though. Gayle has represented the ICC World XI in three ODIs. He is three ODIs away from becoming only the third West Indies player, after Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, to play 250 or more ODIs.
• Jason Holder doubled his tally of ODI wickets in this match. Holder’s spell of 4 for 13 bettered his performance in his previous three ODIs.

A first XI of Chris Martin career highlights

Andrew Alderson04-Jul-20131 First wicket: Gary Kirsten
Martin had a tough debut as a 26-year-old against a powerful South Africa in Bloemfontein, in November 2000. South Africa eased to 97 for 1 with Kirsten and Jacques Kallis in control. Then Nathan Astle pouched a catch for the scorebook entry “Kirsten c Astle b Martin 31”. Not the worst first wicket.2 Man of the Match to beat South Africa, Auckland, 2004
Martin took 11 for 180 – the ninth-best match figures by a New Zealander and the best against South Africa. Underlining its significance: six of the eight spots above him were occupied by Sir Richard Hadlee and Daniel Vettori.Having Martin bound in off a long run and swing the ball away from the trio of left-handers in the South African top six proved a great strategy. This led to New Zealand’s first Test win at home in 13 attempts against South Africa, despite a 177-run opening partnership to start the match between Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs.3 Stunning an Indian crowd into silence
In the first Test of the 2010 series, in Ahmedabad, Martin dulled the decibel-levels by reducing the hosts to 15 for 5 within the first 11 overs of their second innings after they started with a 28-run lead.Martin had 4 for 10 from 5.1 overs, yet New Zealand could not fully capitalise despite the dismissals of Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina. The match was drawn when Harbhajan Singh made a ton. Martin finished with 5 for 63.4 Smacking 12 not out against Bangladesh
Martin strode to the wicket amid the usual cheers in Dunedin in January 2008 and promptly blasted two boundaries. Well, sort of. He eased the first down the ground after leaning into an over-pitched delivery outside off. The second he nursed over the leg stump with an inside edge to beat an outstretched wicketkeeper. The crowd went ballistic. It was the only time Martin passed double figures.5 Passing Chris Cairns’ 218 wicket mark
This took Martin to third on New Zealand’s Test wicket-taking list, behind Hadlee and Vettori. Appropriately the victim was Graeme Smith, the player Martin dismissed the most in Tests (eight times). He tempted Smith to drive by pitching the ball up outside off. Smith spooned to cover.6 Getting to a century in his 60th Test
Such is cricket’s obsession with statistical minutiae, the prospect of
Martin reaching 100 Test runs was a talking point ahead of the first Test against Pakistan in Hamilton in January 2011. Sure enough, after three balls in the first innings he had them. He struck a full toss through the covers (the field was closely packed) and ran the three runs required. Cue: a standing ovation. Martin finished unbeaten on 7.7 The Learn-to-Bat-Like-Chris Martin video
Having the grace to film this spoof with Pulp Sport underlined Martin’s
self-deprecating humour. It showed a montage of his dreadful dismissals and included techniques to emulate his “strokemaking”, like switching hands on the grip and tying a batsman’s shoelaces together to assist footwork. The video finishes with him getting bowled followed by a straight-faced Martin saying: “It’s out now.” Not every New Zealand cricketer would be willing to poke fun at themselves to that extent.8 Dismissing Jacques Rudolph
Martin listed this as his favourite wicket. Rudolph had scored 247 runs without being dismissed across two Tests but had no answer to his eighth ball in the South African second innings at the Basin Reserve in 2004. Martin enticed the left-hander to play down the wrong line. The ball moved away slightly and took out Rudolph¹s off stump.9 Taking 6 for 54 to help beat Sri Lanka in 2005
Martin named this one of his best team contributions. His six first-innings wickets came from the Sri Lankan top seven batsmen and helped dismiss them for 211 in Wellington. New Zealand declared at 522 for 9 and routed the visitors for 273 in the second innings to win by an innings and 38 runs.10 Beating England by 189 runs to win the first Test in Hamilton, 2008
Martin rated this as his favourite Test. New Zealand dismissed England for 110 in 55 overs on the final day. He took 3 for 33 in the second innings, but more importantly, the New Zealand attack bowled in useful partnerships and the fielders backed them up.11 The 200th wicket
It took until the 118th over of the Zimbabwe first innings in the Bulawayo Test to shake off 199 wickets. A short-of-a-length ball saw Kyle Jarvis cut too close to his body and Ross Taylor pouched the catch. An unassuming Martin grin completed proceedings.

ESPNcricinfo assesses the performances of the England players who appeared in the Ashes series

George Dobell26-Aug-20139Ian BellMagnificent. Bell was perhaps the only batsman on either side to enjoy a series of unmitigated excellence. Three times, with his side in trouble, Bell produced match-defining centuries and was the obvious selection for Man of the Series. It was not just that he produced an array of well-timed strokes – he has been doing that for years – but that he allied them to sound defence and mature shot selection that took account of the match situation and pitch conditions. He also fielded as well as anyone in the side; indeed, it is hard to think of a better short-leg fielder in world cricket. Now at the peak of his game, with the confidence to add to his inherent talent, he could go on to play a pivotal role in the series in Australia.8.5Graeme SwannA key difference between the teams. Swann claimed 26 wickets in the series – 11 more than all four of the spinners utilised by Australia managed between them – and finished as the leading wicket-taker on either side. While rarely at his absolute best, Swann had the combination of experience and ability to prey about the weaknesses of an Australian side who generally appeared uncomfortable against spin. The pitches in Australia will no doubt offer him less encouragement and Swann may have to be content to play more of a holding role. He remains one of the key men in this side in all conditions.8Stuart BroadThe figures suggest that Broad enjoyed only one good game – at Chester-le-Street – but sometimes the figures mis-lead. Broad bowled well throughout the series. He seemed to target Michael Clarke, Australia’s best batsmen, in particular and troubled him with the bouncer throughout. He produced some inspired bowling in Durham, where he took 11 wickets in the match, to turn a game that seemed to be slipping away back in England’s favour. Importantly, too, his batting showed signs of maturing with important contributions throughout the series.7.5Kevin PietersenAnother batsman who, on the face of it, endured a relatively modest series if judged by previous success. Pietersen scored one century and three half-centuries but, on slow wickets, was often obliged to take an uncharacteristically cautious approach. That he took that role on so willingly underlined his commitment to the team cause and, while he rarely produced the start performance, he played a valuable supporting role in several important partnerships. He also reserved his best for the run-chase at The Oval where his half-century was the quickest by an England player in Ashes history. Recent injuries have reduced his pace in the field, though he remains a safe pair of hands in the outfield, but there is no reason to suspect he will not enjoy what will almost certainly prove to be his final Ashes tour of Australia.James Anderson faded somewhat after his heroics at Trent Bridge•Getty ImagesJames AndersonAnderson played a huge role in the victory at Trent Bridge, where he claimed five-wicket hauls in both innings, and bowled decently without reward at Lord’s. Those efforts appeared to take a lot out of him, however, and he was some way below his best in Manchester and Durham. His performance in Nottingham was pivotal, however, and included a 14-over spell on the final day when he looked head and shoulders more threatening that any other bowler on display. Now with the skill to prosper on both green and dry wickets, he should enjoy the pace and bounce of Australian wickets.7Tim BresnanRecalled to the side for the Lord’s Test, Bresnan performed the unglamorous holding role with selfless skill in the next three Tests. His performance in Durham, where important runs were followed by important wickets, was one of the best in his Test career but he was then diagnosed with a stress fracture that ruled him out of the rest of the season. His value was most apparent in his absence at The Oval, where Woakes was unable to replicate his control. While the England camp remain confident that Bresnan will be fit for the return series, it is far from certain he will have recovered the potency that make his return in this series a success.Alastair CookBy Cook’s own lofty standards, this was a disappointing series as a batsman. He passed 50 three times, but never went beyond 62 and he averaged only 27.70. Unusually for Cook, he was drawn into playing at balls well outside that he could have left and at times appeared as if he was struggling with his technique. His captaincy was criticised – largely unfairly – for negativity, but he won every Test in which rain did not intervene and, less than a year into the job, he has won the Ashes, a series in India and has a team that is unbeaten in 13 Tests. While some have suggested that the burden of captaincy has eroded his success as a batsman, it is not so long ago that he scored three centuries in succession in India. His career has contained several peaks and troughs and he may prefer the extra pace in the pitches in Australia.6.5Joe RootThere were times when it appeared Root struggled with the demands of opening the batting against some impressive bowling. Only twice in the series did he score more than 31 and even his excellent innings at Lord’s contained an early edge that might, another day, have been taken. That Lord’s century did highlight his outstanding talent, though, and while he remains a player under development – he is only 22, after all – he still appears to have the temperament to flourish at this level. As well as scoring England’s highest total of the series, he finished second in their batting averages and claimed three wickets with the ball. Perhaps more importantly, he gained experience that should serve him well in Ashes series of the future. There may be times when he struggles with the bounce of Australian pitches – particularly against the new ball – but Root is certain to open the batting in the return series.Matt Prior had his leanest series since being recalled in 2008•Getty Images5Jonathan TrottA disappointing series by Trott’s standards. He started in fine form only to surrender his wicket with uncharacteristically loose shots and ended it struggling with balance and confidence. He scored 40 or more five times, but passed 50 only twice, had a highest of 59 and averaged 29.30. While Australia’s mode of attack to him – exploiting his desire to hit the ball through midwicket – was successful, he remains a key part of the top three and may prefer the extra pace of the pitches. Still, there is some technical work to be done if Trott is to recover former glories.Chris WoakesRequired to bowl on a slow, low pitch offering him little encouragement, Woakes struggled for penetration at The Oval. But he was not the only bowler to do so and he showed some pleasing ability with the bat and, in that final run-chase, an impressively cool temperament. It is hard to see quite what his role would be in Australia, though, and he faces a nervous wait to see if he makes the Test squad.4.5Matt PriorHis worst series as a player since he was recalled to the side at the end of 2008. He failed to make a 50 with the bat and averaged just 19 while, with the gloves, he missed chances he would have expected to have taken. It says much for his excellence over the previous few years – and the changed nature of England selection – that there have been no serious questions about his place in the side. Like Trott, he has earned the right to a sustained period of loyalty and is certain to remain first choice for the series in Australia.4Jonny BairstowDropped after four Tests had produced only one half-century, Bairstow might still consider himself unfortunate. He was presented with the opportunity to play in this series despite not having had a single first-class innings between the end of the New Zealand series in May and the start of the Ashes in July. As a result, he was understandably low on form and confidence and appeared to lack the temperament to battle through periods of tight, disciplined bowling. He produced one pleasing innings -67 at Lord’s, although he was bowled off a no-ball – and added energy and commitment in the field but, aged 23, this opportunity may have come a year or two early. His best chance of making the tour to Australia is if the selectors decide he can be the reserve keeper as well as the utility batsman.3Steven FinnDropped after the first Test, Finn appeared to be struggling for rhythm and confidence. Confused by conflicting advice from club and country, Finn has not developed as anticipated and, at various stages in the series, found himself behind Tremlett, Bresnan, Onions and Woakes in the battle for selection. While he bowled a couple of impressive spells in that Trent Bridge Test, his tendency to leak runs – he conceded 4.68 runs an over – rendered him hard to accommodate in an England team that prioritises control. He remains likely to make the squad to Australia, however, and may well enjoy the quicker pace of the pitches.1Simon KerriganThere is no getting in the way of the fact that Kerrigan endured a chastening debut. Paralysed by nerves, he failed to do his substantial ability justice and was trusted with only eight expensive overs in the first innings. Aged 24, he has the talent and temperament to come back, but this was a painfully rough start and it is hard to see him winning a place in the series in Australia.This feature is in association with .