In what was ACC’s final training course, coaches from various countries took part in a week-long coaching programme

Mohammad Isam06-Oct-2015Mozhdeh Bavandpour, Iran Women’s national coach, had never seen so many cricketers on one field as she had done at the National Cricket Academy ground in Mirpur. In Iran, she is used to small groups of cricketers taking part in tournaments, which is nothing like the sprawling mass in Bangladesh.Bavandpour had spent the last week in Dhaka attending the ACC’s level-3 coaching course along with 48 other coaches. Tuesday was the last day of the training programme, when the coaches were assessed as they undertook practice sessions by turn. This is the ACC’s last development programme and from now on coaching courses will be different, but no one is really sure of the new direction, which could well be country-specific.In this particular course, there are coaches from Bangladesh (7), Sri Lanka (3), Qatar (2), Iran (1), China (1), Maldives (1), Afghanistan (4), Singapore (3), Bhutan (2), Thailand (2), Kuwait (3), Bahrain (1), Saudi Arabia (2), Oman (3), Malaysia (3), Nepal (4), Hong Kong (3) and UAE (4) in what could be the last such congregation of regional coaches.After finishing her stint, Bavandpour sat with some of her class-mates and with some time in hand, she explained to a few journalists why she chose cricket and how the game is played in her country.”Cricket is not that popular in Iran but I want my country to be interested in the game like Malaysia and Nepal,” she said. “So that’s the basic reason why I wanted to learn about the game and spread it when I go back home.”Cricket is played only in some cities in Iran, maybe around 20 people play this game in a city. In Tehran they play cricket. There it is mainly played on the football ground, not in the schools. When we have a tournament we make a camp for cricket and play the game.”The scenario is slightly different for Ge Tao, the tall Chinese coach who used to play volleyball back home. This is his second trip to Bangladesh, having previously toured with the Chinese women’s team, who conducted a camp in BKSP in 2010. Although cricket is not big in China, some schools and universities have kept cricket in their sporting curriculum. Coaches who have worked in China will tell you that there are some people in certain regions who recognise the game and are interested in playing too.”I like cricket because it involves a lot of team work,” Tao said. “Before I used to play volleyball and by chance I got to learn about cricket back in China and that’s how I started my cricket.”ACC had founded the Chinese Cricket Association in 2004 and they had a foreign coach who taught us cricket. Cricket is being picked up in China at the moment. The game is being developed in the school level at the moment. People are gradually learning the game back home.”Aminul Islam, ICC’s development officer and former Bangladesh captain, encouraged both Bavandpour and Tao to speak to the media. During a break, Aminul said that while it is difficult to have so many coaches in a week-long level-3 coaching programme, the ACC wanted to spend their remaining money on giving these coaches an opportunity.”This is the last course under ACC funding and this is only the third programme,” he said. “We have emphasised on involving coaches from the Associate countries who are, for example, the Under-19 head coach or the assistant coach of their respective national team, with the motive to be upgraded from level 2 to level 3.”It was not wise to bring in so many coaches under one programme but we did that because this is the very last course under ACC so we wanted to give them the opportunity. The result will be given based on their merit and competency.”Aminul, who is credited to have a strong role in introducing cricket to China at the ground level and will continue in his new role as ICC Asia’s development officer, said that the course was to see the efficiency of coaches in areas other than on-field cricket.”We have tried to observe how they run their training, how good they are tactically and mentally,” he said. “We have also tried to find out how they work with individual or the team. They will be given an assignment which is very tough to be honest.”We told them at the beginning that in these six days we cannot make you a good coach. But you can always use the information that you are taking from here when you go back home. It is never possible to make them learn batting in just two and half hours, so what we did is give them as much information as possible.”

Zulfiqar Babar defied those questioning his place in the team with just the sort of reliable performance his captain required

Umar Farooq in Dubai26-Oct-2015In June of this year, when Pakistan were on their tour of Sri Lanka, Zulfiqar Babar began to ponder his age and remaining years in cricket. Babar will turn 37 next month and in Pakistan opportunities start drying up at that age. However, after a difficult first Test against England, his contributions to victory in Dubai almost overshadowed Yasir Shah – who took eight wickets in the match – and helped defuse the rumbling about his prospects.Yasir might be the key bowler for Pakistan but, in England’s second innings, Misbah-ul-Haq had more confidence in Zulfiqar throughout. He bowled 47 overs at a cost of 53 runs to keep the England batsmen at bay, while also snapping up two of the most important wickets of the day in Joe Root and Mark Wood. He also suffered three drops off his bowling, although they were sharp chances; over the two Test matches, he has had five catches put down.In Abu Dhabi, he bowled 72 luckless overs in the first innings and, in the absence of the injured Yasir, shouldered the burden. He created opportunities on an unresponsive track but saw Ian Bell and Alastair Cook dropped by Shan Masood and Fawad Alam respectively. This year, he averages 66.14 in the first innings but is a different bowler in the second inning, averaging 21.12 last year, and 34.75 so far in 2015.But statistics are not the only way to judge a player and Zulfiqar’s role is not always to take wickets but to contain while Yasir attacks. He took the limelight again in Dubai but Misbah also had praise for Zulfiqar. “I think Babar started well and he was bowling well and his balls were landing in the right spot,” Misbah said. “He was the one creating more problems for their batsmen, especially right handers so that is why I bowled him more.”Pakistan’s next Test series is set to be after an extensive gap of eight months. Things can change a lot in Pakistan over such a length period and players like Zulfiqar, another gareeb ka bacha [son of a poor man], are always in a vulnerable position. Despite being one of Pakistan’s best spinners, he received the lowest type of annual contract and was still a happy man. But performances can be forgotten, players fade with time and can easily fell prey to inconsistent selection.Zulfiqar was already racing against time when he made his Test debut at the age of 34 but he was Pakistan’s best bowler in UAE last year, taking 27 wickets against Australia and New Zealand. It appeared that his peak had come in 2009-10, when he had his most productive season and picked up 96 wickets in domestic cricket. He was potentially the most complete spinner in Pakistan but missed out to another slow left-armer in Abdur Rehman.He almost made it into Pakistan’s squad to tour England in 2010 but eventually missed out. He seemingly lacked the required support and connections among the selectors. Zulfiqar hails from Okara, a small agriculture town 85 miles away from Lahore, and still lives a much simpler life in his home town, away from glamour of the bigger cities.It is not hard to imagine that he could have been picked for Pakistan much earlier, during his peak years. The present Test squad is much more settled, however, and Zulfiqar has been able to thrive. With Saeed Ajmal gone, Zulfiqar has been a complete replacement. He showed his ability against Australia last year, becoming the top wicket-taker on either side with 14 scalps at 26.35; his slider, in particular, was very effective. Where once Pakistan relied on Ajmal and Rehman, now they turn to Zulfiqar and Yasir and their partnership has again proved effective against England.Zulfiqar may be nearly 37 but he has Test match experience and plenty of knowhow. There are prospects like Zafar Gohar and Mohammad Asghar coming through the ranks but are they good enough to replace him? The short answer is ‘no’. Misbah can rely on old Zulfiqar, the man who fittingly took the final catch in Dubai.

Also: slowest to 100 Test wickets, run out in both innings, and the oldest surviving Test captain

Steven Lynch29-Sep-2015Who took the longest to reach 100 wickets in Tests? Was it Carl Hooper? asked Ricky Hussain from Trinidad

Carl Hooper took longest to reach 100 wickets in terms of matches – he got there in his 90th Test, well clear of Jacques Kallis (53), Garry Sobers (48), Ray Illingworth and Trevor Bailey (both 47). Hooper also needed more balls to get there than anyone else – around 12,000, just under 2000 more than Ravi Shastri and Trevor Goddard. But Hooper is only fourth in terms of time: it took him almost 14 years to amass 100 wickets, but George Giffen and Wilfred Rhodes both needed around 14½, and Intikhab Alam nearly 15. Kapil Dev was fastest to 100 Test wickets in terms of days (473), while George Lohmann of England got there in just 16 matches, and around 3400 balls (almost 2000 quicker than the next man, Sydney Barnes).Was Ben Stokes the first player to be dismissed “obstructing the field” in a match at Lord’s? And is it true that no player dismissed in this manner has ever finished on the winning side in international cricket? asked Jamie Stewart from Canada

Ben Stokes’ controversial dismissal in the second one-day international against Australia at Lord’s earlier this month was the seventh case of “obstructing the field” in international cricket, six in ODIs and one in a Test (Len Hutton, for England against South Africa at The Oval in 1951). England won that Test, and four of the six batsmen given out this way in ODIs – including two for Pakistan v South Africa in 2013 – ended up winning too. Apart from Stokes, only Rameez Raja – out this way for 99 for Pakistan against England in Karachi in 1987-88 – finished up on the losing side. As for Lord’s, Stokes provided its first instance of a batsman out obstructing the field in an international match, and there have been no cases in first-class cricket there either. But there was one in a List A match: in a Sunday League game at Lord’s in 1972, Leicestershire’s Roger Tolchard was given out after intercepting a shot by his team-mate Paul Haywood, preventing it from reaching the bowler, Keith Jones of Middlesex. I haven’t been able to trace any further instances in other non-county matches, but there might have been the odd one. I thought that the England captain Gubby Allen was given out this way in a wartime match at Lord’s in 1945, but on looking it up I discovered it was actually “handled the ball”. Still, he was apparently furious about it.Is Mark Taylor the only person to be run out in both innings of a Test match twice? asked Michael Dickens from Australia

This unfortunate double befell Mark Taylor in only his second Test – against West Indies at Adelaide in 1988-89 – and then again against England in 1990-91, curiously also in Adelaide. There have been only 24 instances of a batsman being run out in both innings of a Test – and the only other man to suffer this fate was, coincidentally, a long-time team-mate of Taylor’s: Ian Healy was run out twice against West Indies, in Georgetown in 1990-91 and in Kingston eight years later.New Zealand captain Tom Lowry (shaking hands with the the mayor of Southampton) was the brother-in-law of England captain Percy Chapman•Getty ImagesWere Stuart Broad’s 8 for 15 the best bowling figures by a fast bowler in Test history? asked Ian Moore from England

Stuart Broad’s 8 for 15 on that astonishing first morning of the recent Ashes Test at Trent Bridge were the eighth-best Test figures by a pace bowler, according to ESPNcricinfo’s classifications. Top of the list is England’s George Lohmann, who took 9 for 28 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1895-96; next comes Richard Hadlee, with 9 for 56 for New Zealand against Australia in Brisbane in 1985-86. However, with due respect to the others on that list, I think it’s fair to say that the only better figures by a bowler who was definitely faster than Broad are Devon Malcolm’s 9 for 57 for England against South Africa at The Oval in 1994.Which two Test captains from different countries were brothers-in-law? asked George Perry from New Zealand

The pair I know of – and your address suggests you might be thinking of them too! – are Percy Chapman, who won the Ashes for England in 1926 and defended them in 1928-29, and New Zealand’s first Test captain Tom Lowry: Chapman married Lowry’s sister Gertrude (known as “Beet”) in 1925, although they later separated. Chapman played 26 Tests in all, and Lowry seven, but they never opposed each other; they had been team-mates at Cambridge University in 1921 and 1922. I suppose there might be some other similar double acts, although I can’t think of any. Craig White (England) and Darren Lehmann (Australia) are brothers-in-law, too – but neither of them captained their country.Was Brian Close the oldest surviving Test captain at the time of his recent death? asked Babalola Adefarati from Nigeria

Brian Close, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 84, captained England in seven Tests, in 1966 and 1967. He wasn’t quite the oldest Test captain, or even England’s: Donald Carr, who captained them in one match in India in 1951-52, is currently 88, as is Tom Graveney, who skippered in one Ashes Test in 1968. Imtiaz Ahmed (Pakistan), Clive van Ryneveld (South Africa) and John Reid (New Zealand) are all 87, while Neil Harvey (Australia) and Datta Gaekwad (India) are 86. The longest-lived Test captain of all was Bill Brown, who captained Australia in one Test in 1945-46: he was 95 when he died in 2008. For a list of the oldest living Test players (not just captains), click here.

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-2016Martin Guptill, however, was in his zone•AFPHe found support from the ever-consistent Kane Williamson•Getty ImagesTheir 122-run partnership ended when Williamson was caught behind via a deflection off the glove, for 61•Getty ImagesRoss Taylor then joined Guptill and pulled New Zealand further ahead•Getty ImagesGuptill went on to bring up his hundred off 107 balls•Getty ImagesLuke Ronchi and Mitchell Santner provided the finishing touches as New Zealand set Sri Lanka 295•Getty ImagesMatt Henry made early strikes and reduced Sri Lanka to 33 for 3 in the chase•Associated PressAngelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal, though, put their side back on track•Associated PressChandimal was removed for 50 and Thisara Perera followed for 17…•Getty Images…but Mathews, aided by Milinda Siriwardana, pushed on to keep the chase alive•Getty ImagesHenry then came back to pick up the key wicket of Mathews to douse the chase. The visitors eventually fell short by 36 runs•Associated PressThe quick finished with 5 for 40 as New Zealand took the series 3-1•Getty Images

Dale Steyn missed three Tests in India to raise questions about his future. But he translated his excitement at a comeback into three vital wickets

Firdose Moonda in Durban26-Dec-2015Dale Steyn didn’t have to say anything to announce his return to international cricket but he did, complete with an expletive and five exclamation marks.”Fok, I’m excited!!!!!,” he tweeted.Then he actually announced his comeback with his 11th delivery. He removed Alastair Cook with a jaffer that jagged off the pitch and invited the edge and the physical expression came out. The throbbing vein, the pumping fist, the wild hair and the mad, mad eyes. No, he was not lying about being excited.After seven weeks on the sidelines, that was the kind of return that reassured South Africans, who were sensing the start of the end. Steyn’s injury run (eight times in the last two-and-a-half-years) and interests beyond the boundary – surfing, babysitting his nieces, nature conservation – indicated their fears were justified. His reaction to that early incision allayed them, for now.But there was more than just theatre to Steyn’s celebration; there was also proper meaning. It’s one thing to get a breakthrough when your captain has put the opposition in on a muggy morning, it’s another you have broken through in exactly the right place. By taking out the leader of the opposition line-up, Steyn, as the spearhead of his own side, made the statement his captain needed him to make.”Hashim [Amla] is always asking the leader of the attack to set the tone and I felt that was kind of my job today: just to set the tone,” he said. “So it was great to get the first wicket, especially the English captain. It sets the tone for the team.”It also set a different tone for himself. “Normally I come into a series a little bit cold and then I kind of get better,” Steyn admitted. This time he fired from the first exchanges to suggest the enforced time off was, as Allan Donald predicted, a blessing in disguise. But that’s not to say Steyn was overworked before the India tour.Dale Steyn claimed the key wicket of Alastair Cook with the new ball•Getty ImagesAfter the World Cup and the IPL, he sat out the limited-overs legs of the Bangladesh tour in July, watched rain for most of the two Tests and then played in three ODIs against New Zealand before more time off. It is safe to say Steyn’s workload needs to be managed even more carefully in the future. Luckily Amla did not have to think about that immediately.Steyn’s first spell was interrupted by rain so an extra over could be squeezed out of it. By then, he had already taken another wicket when Alex Hales, anxious to make an impression, was cramped by a line just outside the off stump. The line, rather than the venom, accounted for Hales’ edge and underlined the point that pace may not be the most accurate measure of performance.”I’m not too bothered by if the ball is coming out at 150 or 135 or 131[kph] … I always want to bowl fast, that’s the main thing, but if I am causing trouble for the guy at the other end and I feel like I am hitting my straps and I am rushing him, that’s good enough,” Steyn said. “You can’t always look at pace to tell how well a guy is bowling.”

‘India tour was wake-up call’

Although Steyn was on the sidelines for three-quarters of the India series, he watched enough of his team-mates getting beaten to know how careful South Africa need to be to protect their No.1 ranking.

“India was a wake-up call for a lot of us,” Steyn admitted. “We found that we’re probably not as good as we thought we were. It actually started in Bangladesh. Even Bangladesh skittled us out in one innings and there were cracks in the armoury starting there. So the boys have hurt a bit. They hurt while we were in India.”

And now they are determined to turn that pain into an improved performance.

“When we were in the nets, the boys were looking good with the bat. We’re going to go back to being a basic cricket team. Any cricket team that can apply the basics better than anyone else, generally does well. With the amount of flair, talent and skill we have in our side, if we do the basics extremely well and throw in a bit of our own flavour, we’ll be that No. 1 team. It’s just a ranking but we can still play like we have in the past.”

Especially not on this surface. Erratic weather, in which the temperature has varied by up to 20 degrees on consecutive days, and high winds, which have increased the risk of the surface drying out, have played havoc with preparation. As a result, the anticipated green mamba was closer to a brown house snake and there was nowhere near the amount of pace expected. Despite the heavy overhead conditions, there also wasn’t much swing but there was a hint of turn and, later in the day, reverse swing, which Steyn hopes to makes use of tomorrow.”The ball was damp all day so it was tough to get it to swing and shape and with the damp outfield and the ball getting all those little mud clods on it, it was getting a little bit wet all the time, and it delayed that swing,” Steyn explained. “Hopefully tomorrow we can get that ball to reverse and cause some damage.”If that happens, it will require careful management from Amla about how much Steyn bowls. His captain tried to use him in short bursts after his opening six-over spell – three overs after lunch, four after tea, and Steyn was in his third of the evening when play ended – and at the moments when he sensed England were most vulnerable. Dane Piedt had only bowled one over and even though it resulted in the wicket of Joe Root, Amla brought Steyn back on immediately in an attempt to force a collapse.But at other times when England needed to be kept under pressure, Steyn could not be the go-to man. After 32 overs, England were 92 for 3 but with all the seamers in need of a break and Dane Piedt in operation at one end, Stiaan van Zyl was called on. His middling medium pace did not really cost anything but it did raise the question of whether South Africa will find themselves short of a seamer at a later stage in the match.Towards the end of the day, that may have been the case. Dean Elgar was called upon ahead of JP Duminy, who did not feature at all, and the temptation he offered proved hard for England to resist. Elgar was in danger of handing the day to England but Steyn pulled it back.His dismissal of James Taylor in the penultimate over of the day gave South Africa a reason to feel they had salvaged something. And it did a little more than that too. When Steyn got down on one knee, like a man about to pop the question, and waited for his team-mates to say yes, the emotion poured out of his actions. He had announced his return and for a South African side with so much to prove this summer, no sound was sweeter.

Much has changed during Charlotte Edwards’ career and the increasing competitiveness of the women’s game leaves her excited by the future

Shashank Kishore09-Mar-2016Charlotte Edwards has led England to World Cup and World T20 titles and has been in charge of her team for the last 10 years but at her arrival press conference in Chennai she was, briefly, mistaken for an ICC official. Soon the questions on the challenge posed by competing for a title on the subcontinent began, but it was still a glaring example of how the women’s game, at least in India, has some distance to go before it can catch up with the kind of attention it has received in England and Australia.Edwards, though, remained calm and warmed up with a smile, almost as if to suggest this wasn’t the first time she had to be introduced at a gathering. But the experience of nearly 20 years of top-flight cricket since she first started as a 17-year old, shone through as she spoke about how the dynamics of the sport is slowly changing, even if it has taken a little longer than they would have liked.”The Women’s Big Bash League has changed the dynamics in a way,” she said. “It was a great opportunity for women’s cricket to grow. The response was great, there were big crowds. But most importantly, the opportunity of mixing with other international players and home grown Australian players made it competitive. That’s what you want at this level. The game has moved forward massively in the last two years, so I expect this tournament to be as close as it has ever been in women’s cricket.”Edwards wasn’t exaggerating when she said she expects a tough fight this time around. Australia, the defending champions, are gunning for their fourth successive title, while England have been runners-up twice since their 2009 victory. In the interim other sides have made giant strides. India have become of the last of the big teams to be made professional, South Africa qualified for the semi-finals of the 2014 World T20, West Indies have started to refine their flair and flamboyance and New Zealand have remained very competitive.New Zealand, in particular, have been title contenders for the last two editions, only to slip up at the end, but the quality in their ranks, as Edwards suggested pointing to Suzie Bates, who she played alongside for Perth Scorchers in the WBBL, is unmistakable. In a tournament that will be played in conditions as subcontinental as it can get, Sri Lanka, who caused a huge upset over England and India at the 2013 World Cup, can’t be taken lightly either.Understandably, there is an air of curiosity over the tournament this time. Edwards’ response to the buzz is a measured one, but well thought out. “The challenge earlier was we weren’t playing enough cricket throughout the year, but that is slowly changing,” she explained. “Australia and England have been playing a multi-format series, which could be a way forward for all bilateral series, for it brings about a context, a new meaning. The last three Ashes series have been some of the best tournaments I’ve been a part of because of this. With England coming up with a [domestic] league of their own later this summer, it could only get bigger.”Edwards has captained England in over 200 matches since she took over from Clare Connor in 2006. While her predecessor has gone on to become the Director of Women’s cricket at the ECB, Edwards’ undying commitment and hunger to win a title that has eluded her at the last two attempts, she says, keeps her going.If her numbers were to be quantified, there is little doubt about the legendary status she commands in the women’s game. After all, winning 64 out of the 88 T20Is in charge is impressive. Alongside 72 wins in 117 ODIs, to go with 8395 ODI runs, the most by an England cricketer in limited-overs cricket, male or female and it goes to show the kind of impact she has had over the last decade. Then there’s the two world titles and leading her side to four Ashes victories.As a mark of recognition for her achievements, Edwards was drafted into the MCC World Cricket Committee in 2012, when she became the first woman to be inducted into elite company. The women’s wing has, over time, proposed several measures to make it a level-playing field. With most teams coming under a contract system, the next logical step, many believe, is a standalone tournament, which the World T20 will become from 2018.”There has been crowd support enormously and there has been this change happening compared to five or ten years before. Viewership has improved drastically,” she observed, acknowledging the fact that the 2016 edition will have the most number of televised matches in the tournament’s short history. “We are hoping to have big crowds in India. We are international cricketers and we are going to see big crowds. We will be attracting more and more people to the game.”While acknowledging several measures taken by the governing body to raise the profile of the game, Edwards felt bringing in a balance between formats had to be foremost, even though she acknowledged that a women’s version of the IPL would also give the game a shot in the arm.”India’s doing so well, aren’t they? We’ve all seen the impact IPL has had on world cricket, so I’m sure everyone will embrace a women’s version if it comes about,” she said. “The biggest challenge going forward won’t be as much the facilities, because most teams have access to good facilities, coaches and trainers. But apart from being professionals, you need to have more game time.”Domestic competitions around the world are one way of ensuring that, where players get exposed to different conditions, and also get paid well. While playing Test cricket is the utmost thing for an international cricketer and I would love to see the Twenty20 format being played at the Olympics.”

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2016Hamilton Masakadza then took charge, reaching his fifty off 35 balls•AFPHe found good company from Richmond Mutumbami and…•AFP… Malcolm Waller, before both batsmen were bowled•AFPHamilton, though, stayed unbeaten on 93 as Zimbabwe finished strong on 180•AFPTendai Chisoro and Neville Madziva then reduced Bangladesh to 17 for 4 within three overs•AFPMahmudullah, however, pulled the hosts back into the match with a fifty•AFPBut timely strikes from Zimbabwe’s bowlers ensured that the visitors squared the four-match series 2-2 with an 18-run win•AFP

The slow turning tracks in Mohali have left David Miller, Glenn Maxwell and the rest of the Kings XI Punjab lineup looking like they are playing away matches at home

Sidharth Monga in Mohali19-Apr-2016

Glenn Maxwell has only scored 38 runs in four innings in IPL 2016•BCCI

Twenty20, out of the sheer duration of it, is often a game of fine margins. Coaches and captains look at that extra edge they can get out of small plays. Every little thing matters, like a catch off the helmet grille wrongly ruled out – as happened with Wriddhiman Saha – but Kings XI Punjab are struggling so much that little things are likely to make a big difference.They even had some luck going their way: the first ball Piyush Chawla bowled, a legbreak to start the eighth over, flicked Shaun Marsh’s pad before hitting the bat. It would have made for a really good lbw shout but nobody noticed. Marsh was on 10 at the time and went on to make an unbeaten 56, but in the end it only delayed an inevitable defeat.From the moment Kings XI lost the toss – they were gifted a chance to chase by Rising Pune Supergiants two days ago – they were under incredible pressure. David Miller and Glenn Maxwell need a flat pitch or a chasing scenario. Miller has scored 37 runs in four innings, Maxwell 38. No other team is being let down by their biggest players in this IPL.In all IPLs, Miller averages 61 batting second with a strike rate of 152. Those numbers come down to 26 and 139 batting first. The numbers don’t say Miller can play well only when batting second, but when you are in a bad patch you can do with what you excel at. So once Kings XI were put in, and they scored only 41 in the Powerplay – by a distance the lowest such score in the last six matches in Mohali – only a sensational return to form for either Miller or Maxwell could bring them back into the game.There is another bigger issue that Miller and Maxwell might not be able to address. Their roles in other T20 teams are usually one-dimensional: push it to the limits with big hitting. From the moment Kings XI let George Bailey go, this squad didn’t have any middle-order batsman who can stabilise an innings. With the resources available to them, Kings XI need quick pitches for Miller and Maxwell to become factors, especially when Miller has repeatedly said he sees no need to change the way he plays.Mohali, unfortunately, is not going to provide them that. It is almost like they are playing away matches at home. The Mohali square has not been relaid in 23 years. Daljeet Singh, the chief groundsman in Mohali, keeps saying there is no life left in these “buddhi” [old] pitches. The Punjab Cricket Association, though, is focusing on its new ground in the outskirts of Mohali, which means the square here is not a priority.To add to that, Mohali’s pitches have been prepared in exceedingly uncharacteristic fashion this season to suit India’s needs. From the Test that finished in three days to the World T20 match that India played – where they had to sweat out a chase of 160 against Australia – this pitch has been a slow turner. It has to be difficult to change the nature of such pitches overnight, especially with IPL matches being played on it so quickly one after the other. Give the home side such a pitch against a squad that has Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla and Brad Hogg, and they are left on a hiding to nothing.In having missed out on the three games in Nagpur – another turning track this season – there might be an opportunity for them to move to Dharamsala with its small boundaries and quicker pitch. For it is unlikely they will get any favours via the pitches when they are on the road.

The failure of Glenn Maxwell and David Miller in the middle order underpinned yet another last-place finish for Kings XI Punjab

Shashank Kishore23-May-2016

Where they finished

Eighth, with four wins and ten defeats.

How they got there

Two years is a long time in sport. Ask Kings XI Punjab, who had an underwhelming season for a second time running despite retaining a core that played a key role in their march to the final in 2014. Like 2015, they finished this season, too, at the bottom of the table. The team made more news off the field than on it, and a mid-season captaincy switch from David Miller to M Vijay was the first sign of a creaking unit under pressure to deliver. When results marginally improved, the team was forced to deal with off-field issues.Reports of heated verbal exchanges between a co-owner and the head coach were swirling around, in addition to bizarre selection strategies and criticism from one of their own players, Shardul Thakur, who vented his frustration after his release midway through the season. Shaun Marsh was ruled out due to a back injury, even as players strongly denied rumours of an alleged bust-up in the squad. The churn may have not directly affected their performance, but may have all added up to Kings XI’s season of woes.

Highlights

Mohit Sharma, Kings XI’s most expensive Indian buy, at INR 6.5 crore, and Sandeep Sharma were arguably their biggest delights in a forgettable campaign. Sandeep used the width of both the creases to make his yorkers less predictable. Mohit added a yorker and an offcutter to his one big trick, the back-of-the-hand legcutter. The two played a leading role in three of the side’s four wins this season. The pair played in all 14 games, and Sandeep ended as Kings XI’s best bowler with 15 wickets, while Mohit picked up 13.

Disappointment

That the combined tally of Miller and Glenn Maxwell – 340 runs in 24 innings – was 113 short of their highest run-getter Vijay, puts their twin failures into perspective. By the time Hashim Amla was summoned as a replacement for Marsh, Kings XI’s season was already headed downhill as they had won just two of their first seven games. As the season progressed, bowling – their stronger suit – came crashing down too, with the side conceding 211 in a 15-over game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Axar Patel’s inability to defend 22 off the last over against Rising Pune Supergiants was an apt summation of how rapidly the curtains came down on them.

Key stats

• Kings XI’s bowlers picked 10 wickets in the Powerplays, the least by a team this season. Kolkata Knight Riders topped the charts after the league phase, with 25 wickets in the same period.
• As well as Sandeep and Mohit bowled, Kings XI finished with the second-lowest dot-ball percentage for bowling teams after Royal Challengers Bangalore
• David Miller’s average of 16.10 (161 runs) and strike-rate of 122.9 are his worst in any IPL season
• Vijay’s four 50-plus scores in eight innings are the most by a Kings XI captain in a single season.

Best win

Delhi Daredevils should have cantered to a win in Mohali. They needed 54 off the last six overs with eight wickets in hand. Daredevils’ middle order comprised Karun Nair, Carlos Brathwaite, Sam Billings, Chris Morris and Rishabh Pant, all of whom are capable of striking big when needed. Instead, they were undone by an outstanding display of end-overs bowling by Marcus Stoinis, Sandeep and Mohit.
Kings XI’s defence of 181 was all the more remarkable because they had to deal with dew as well. Daredevils finished at 172 for 5.

Worst defeat

Their one-run loss to Royal Challengers in Mohali wasn’t their worst defeat in terms of margins, but it left them deflated. Kings XI required 24 off the last two overs but Shane Watson varied his pace and lengths to concede seven in the penultimate over. Chris Jordan, playing his second IPL game, then offered hittable deliveries – full tosses and half-volleys, which Stoinis muscled for a six and four to bring the equation down to six off three deliveries. But the Australian allrounder could only muster a dot ball followed by two runs each off the next two balls to fall agonizingly short. That also meant Vijay’s 57-ball 89, a fine exhibition of uninhibited hitting and calculated running between the wickets went in vain.

What they need most next season

While they may have unearthed Vijay, the captain, a stronger core of match-ready overseas professionals and solid Indian batsmen will help their cause. This year, the team was forced to persist with the misfiring Miller and Maxwell in the middle order because of the absence of a strong batting force. Wriddhiman Saha failed to convert starts and, at times, consumed too many deliveries; Farhaan Behardien seemed a misfit in the middle order, while Stoinis’ batting lacked consistency. Lack of faith in their India internationals – Gurkeerat Singh Mann and Rishi Dhawan – resulted in the team getting their balance wrong.

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2016Vusi Sibanda wasn’t afraid to play his shots, and brought up his 21st half-century, his first since August 2013, to revive the innings•AFPBut Yuzvendra Chahal struck off consecutive deliveries to first remove Sikandar Raza, who holed out to long-on, and then trap Elton Chigumbura lbw•Associated PressThe innings was in free fall once Sibanda fell to a heave for 53; Zimbabwe folded for 126 in 34.3 overs•AFPZimbabwe lost their last six wickets for 20 runs, with Sean Williams, who injured his finger after the toss, unable to bat•AFPKL Rahul chopped one onto the stumps in the 15th over as Chamu Chibhabha broke the 58-run opening stand•Associated PressNair, who had a forgettable debut, dug in to make 39 before being adjudged lbw to a sweep with India needing two to win•Associated PressAmbati Rayudu, who walked in to bat at No. 3, was unbeaten on 41 off 44 balls…•AFP…when Manish Pandey cracked his first ball for a four to seal India’s eight-wicket win and clinch the series•Associated Press