How England's spin twins outbowled India's three tweakers

After MS Dhoni called for a rank turner at the Wankhede Stadium, the second Test was supposed to be dominated by India’s spinners, but instead it was the England pair of Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann who outbowled, outthought and outshone the home team’s three slow bowlers.
The pair of Panesar and Swann not only managed to find the right length required to bowl on this surface, but their trajectory was also way better than their Indian counterparts. The English spinners combined to bowl 121.2 overs between them, snatching 19 wickets, while the Indian tweakers - R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha and Harbhajan Singh - bowled 103.3 for just nine wickets. Saying that's where India lost the game is an understatement.After the match Dhoni summed it up well, saying what Panesar managed to do on this surface which his spinners couldn’t manage. "Monty bowled really well. All get turn, but the pace he bowled at made sure that the batsmen were on the front foot,” the Indian captain said. “To some extent, yes I am disappointed with our spinners. We let England bat back. [We] could have brought them forwarded.”
The brownish Wankhede wicket, as expected, had plenty to offer for the spinners from day one. While Panesar and Swann made the life difficult for the Indian batsmen from the outset on day one, which was supposed to be the best day to bat, the trio of Ashwin, Ojha and Harbhajan failed to make a similar impact when England came on to bat later on day two.
While Panesar used flatter trajectory to get more grip and spin from the wicket and also bowled much fuller to the batsmen, Swann kept his attack outside off stump allowing the ball to spin and jump. Both of them also varied their pace cleverly, pitching the ball into the rough and making India's batsmen feel for everything.
It was a case of indiscipline and lack of patience by the Indian spinners. There was hardly a point throughout the match when they bowled consistently on one area. Either they were too short or too full, giving the England batsmen enough time and space to score runs.
Figures of 46.1-6-167-2 have left Ashwin uncertain about his role as India's lead spinner. He is the same bowler who wreaked havoc against New Zealand and West Indies in five Tests, but when it came to facing tougher opponents he was found wanting. He was caught between two minds: whether to bowl as a normal offspinner or trying his variations, including the carrom ball.
Harbhajan should be disappointed as he yearns to bowl on a surface that has plenty of turn and bounce and the Wankhede surface provided plenty of that. But as we have seen with Harbhajan off late that he believes in sending the ball flat instead of giving it air and allowing it to spin. His line of attack had also been more on middle and leg rather than outside off stump. No wonder it took him 20 overs to bowl his first maiden and that was enough for Dhoni to bowl him for just 23 overs than what he could have.
Ojha, the most successful of the Indian bowler with five wickets in 44 overs - including his fifth five-wicket haul - was at least persistent in his effort. But he was put to the sword by Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen, who didn't allow him settle by taking some risk and playing audacious strokes. Pietersen’s assault on Ojha when playing against the turn was especially outrageous.
After seeing the way England’s spinners bowled, the Indian tweakers too tried to replicate it by bowling much fuller in the second innings, but they had neither the time nor the score to make that happen.

Bangladesh not a walkover: Darren Sammy

West Indies skipper Darren Sammy has brushed aside suggestions that Bangladesh were walkovers in the two-Test series which the Caribbean cricketing side won convincingly. Though both matches went the distance, Bangladesh's batting suffered final day collapses on either occasion to send the side to defeat.
Sammy said Bangladesh had been competitive in the series, pointing out that his bowlers did not have straightforward tasks. "We had to work for most of our wickets and the pitches were really good for batting," he argued."We stuck to our plans for most of the time. In the first innings in Dhaka, our bowlers didn't hit the areas. From the second innings and both innings in this Test, we bowled much better. Bangladesh, like us, are naturally aggressive but our batsmen were more patient and let the bowlers come to them, not try to go searching for runs. Once you applied yourself on these pitches, you were bound to get runs.
"We have a lot of respect for the Bangladesh players but we always believed that we could come here and achieve our goal of winning the two Tests, so we are just happy to have accomplished this," added Sammy.
Bangladesh pushed West Indies in both Tests but lacked the killer instinct in their batting when it mattered most. They led on first innings in the first Test in Dhaka, amassing 556 in response to West Indies' first innings 527 for four declared. Even after West Indies tumbled to 273 all out to leave them with a target of 245, Bangladesh's batting collapsed dismally for 167 to hand the tourists victory.
The Tigers also shone in both innings of the Test here but the first innings deficit of 261 proved too much to come back from, after the Windies piled up over 600 runs in their first innings. The West Indies have now won four Tests on the trot dating back to the clean sweep against New Zealand in the summer, and Sammy said the settled nature of the squad was playing a role in this success.
"The guys in this team played against New Zealand and were in England, with Chris Gayle returning to the team, so it's a more settled squad, just like our Twenty20 team is quite settled so is our One-day International team," Sammy pointed out. "The more we play together on the cricket field, the more we know about each other. The most encouraging thing for me is that when we turn up, we know what to expect from the different players. You know what Tino Best will give you, or when Marlon Samuels goes out to bat and he starts his innings, you know what you will get from him, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and all of the other players.
"We also have guys who continue to play domestic cricket at home who perform and will challenge for places in the team. The nucleus of the team is quite settled, but the guys have been performing consistently in the last six to 12 months, so it is a good sign for us."
The series win caps off a mixed year for the West Indies that saw them fail to win a single match on their tour of England and also go down 0-2 in a three-Test series against Australia in the Caribbean. Sammy said his side would continue to work towards playing the quality cricket they knew was possible.
"We will continue to instil that work ethic in the dressing room, and continue to go out there and do what all the West Indies fans want us to do - play a brand of cricket that the world loves to see and be consistent and try to win more matches," he said.
"It's a good feeling when you are winning, and it's even better when you plan and you go out and execute and see your teammates perform consistently. It was good being a part of this Test series and to see the little steps we are taking in bettering ourselves and moving up the ladder in Tests."

SL v NZ, 2nd Test, Day 1: Hosts slump to 42 for 3 after NZ make 412

New Zealand followed their best batting performance in Sri Lanka since 2003 by nipping out three big wickets before the close of play on day two at the SSC on Monday.
New Zealand's first-innings total of 412 was their fourth best on Sri Lankan soil - the highest was 515 for 7 in 2003 - and after a long day in the field, the home side lost Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and their captain Mahela Jayawardene to slump to 43 for 3 by stumps.New Zealand's total - just the fifth time they crossed 400 in Sri Lanka - was driven by centuries to skipper Ross Taylor (142) and Kane Williamson (135) who put on 262 after the team had slipped to 14 for 2 on Sunday morning.
Taylor began the day on 119 before he became the first of left-arm spinner Rangana Herath's six wickets, out lbw, and 14 runs later Williamson was also trapped in his crease. Herath's strikes sparked a collapse from 272 for 2 to 300 for 6, but Daniel Flynn (53), Doug Bracewell (24) and Jeetan Patel (25) battled to get the score past 400. Following a Man-of-the-Match performance in Galle where he had match figures of 11 for 107, Herath picked up 6 for 103 to cross 50 wickets for the year in just his eight Test.
Tim Southee led a remarkable start for New Zealand with the ball. Dilshan was bowled for 5 in the third over of Sri Lanka's reply, and then two balls later Sangakkara was caught by Trent Boult at fine leg when miscuing a pull shot. Southee's double-wicket over was followed by Boult having Jayawardene drive to the fielder at gully for 4. At 12 for 3, Sri Lanka were reeling.
Angelo Mathews (20*) and opener Tharana Paranavitana (9*) kept New Zealand at bay until the close. Sri Lanka trail by 369 runs.

2nd Test: Du Plessis debut ton helps South Africa earn a draw against Australia

After no wickets fell in 35 hours in the first session, Siddle bowled de Villiers just after lunch to end his 220-ball innings — the longest without a boundary in Test records. Kallis batted stubbornly for two and a half hours, facing 110 balls before he walked after giving a bat-pad catch off Nathan Lyon (3 for 49) to Ed Cowan at short leg, making the total 233 for 6 and exposing the South African tail.
Steyn batted for 36 minutes without scoring a run before he miscued a low full toss from Siddle directly to Rob Quiney to make the total 234 for 7 with a half hour to play, and Kleinveldt was bowled three overs from the end.
Australia had been on top of the game since winning the toss, deciding to bat and amassing 550 in the first innings — including a whopping 482-5 on the opening day, a double century for Michael Clarke and hundreds for David Warner and Mike Hussey.
After a promising start in reply and a century by skipper Graeme Smith, the South Africans lost wickets in clusters — around a rearguard partnership between du Plessis and Kallis — to be all out for 388 and give up a 162-run lead.
Clarke declared midway through the penultimate day at 267 for 8, setting South Africa a victory target of 430 and giving his under strength bowling attack four and a half sessions to take 10 wickets.
Australia's push for a win started positively with Ben Hilfenhaus removing Smith (0) in the first over and Lyon picking up a pair to have the South Africans reeling at 45 for 4. That's when South Africa gave up pursuing a record fourth-innings total win, and the stonewalling started.
The South African batsmen batted with resolute determination, blocking, prodding and fending off the attack in the gritty effort to force a draw and protect their No. 1 Test ranking.
The pitch didn't deteriorate as much as expected and the Australian attack was missing fast bowler James Pattinson, who damaged ribs while bowling in the first innings and has been sidelined for the rest of the southern summer.
Siddle and Hilfenhaus had to take up the extra load on the last day while Clarke rotated offspinner Nathan Lyon with the part-time bowlers searching for a wicket.
The Australians had some chances — du Plessis was given out twice for lbw to Clarke by umpire Billy Bowden but had the decisions overturned both times on review, then Wade wasn't able to glove a sharp chance for a caught-behind off Ben Hilfenhaus when he was standing up at the stumps in the over before the tea interval.
Kallis also played a loose drive on 6, with the total at 143 for 5, and Lyon wasn't able to reach the return catch, and Steyn had a life when Ed Cowan put down a difficult chance, at his ankles, at short leg off Siddle with 11 overs to go.
The 28-year-old du Plessis, given his Test debut here after injured JP Duminey was ruled out of the series last week in Brisbane, made a well-compiled 78 in the first innings and proved his worth to the team with a valiant hundred in the second.
He held his nerve in a spell against Clarke that easily could have ended his innings if not for the decision review system, which allows each team two referrals to a TV umpire.
One was close, the ball pitching a fraction outside leg stump when he didn't offer a shot on 33; the other was a poor call from umpire Billy Bowden that didn't even hit him on the pad.
He survived a third review for lbw, this time by the Australians after Bowden gave him not to Lyon in the penultimate over of the morning session, when replays indicated the ball would have bounced over the stumps.
The South Africans need to avoid a series loss to retain the No. 1 ranking and are pushing for a second consecutive draw, while Australia need to win to have any chance of reclaiming top spot.

India's home advantage destroyed

Looking back three and a half days, it is difficult to comprehend that India began the second Test on Friday morning with serious thoughts of taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in Mumbai. MS Dhoni won the toss having stacked his team with three frontline spinners, and having called for a rank turner after the win in Ahmedabad he thus had a great opportunity to take advantage by batting first before the pitch started to crumble. With a big first-innings total, like in the first Test, India could pile on the pressure to their spin-weary opponents. Or so Dhoni’s plan went.
Less than ten sessions later, the momentum of India’s nine-wicket win in Ahmedabad and their cloak of invincibility at home were cut to shreds after a crushing defeat by ten wickets. Though Dhoni did not choose to blame the Wankhede pitch after defeat and admitted his spinners were disappointing, England captain Alastair Cook had no doubt that the difference between victory and defeat was a simple difference in the way the two teams batted and bowled. That is how cricket matches are won, and India were very, very poor in comparison to England.Every captain has that one match he is remembered for, and by this we are not talking of success. For Sourav Ganguly it was Nagpur 2004; for Mohammad Azharuddin it was Lord’s 1990; and for Rahul Dravid it was Mumbai 2006. For Dhoni it will be Mumbai 2012. Eight consecutive Test losses overseas will forever be tagged with Dhoni’s legacy, but this is a blot that will never be removed. India losing to England inside four days at home is bad, very bad. Dhoni cannot be blamed for India’s failings in this match, but he will be held responsible for bringing in three spinners and yet again using defensive fields. The sheer efficiency with which England smashed the psychological barrier that they cannot win in India has left Dhoni utterly powerless to respond.
India were not just outplayed; they were crushed. Years from now if someone comes across the scorecard and reads that India were beaten in Mumbai by ten wickets on the fourth morning by an England side, they could mistakenly assume that this was a minefield and that the visiting side had brought back Jim Laker and Hedley Verity from the grave.
That is as far from the truth as possible. India were beaten by two attacking spinners in Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann and let down by two of their primary spinners – emphatically, it must be said – and their batting was substandard. It was poor cricket from the side with less stacked against them.
Having come plummeting down from Ahmedabad, India must re-examine their strengths and weaknesses. Dravid pointed out that India cannot suddenly become a bad team in four days, but they cannot afford to be so confused, at a loss for words. There is no sugar-coating the pill when a side loses by ten wickets before lunch on day four. Dhoni got exactly what he wanted – a surface that saw the ball turn early on and a toss that gave him a huge advantage – but ended on the wrong side of an embarrassing defeat.
This Test was supposed to be dominated by India’s spinners, but instead it was the England pair of Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann who outbowled, outthought and outshone India’s three slow bowlers. Panesar and Swann took 19 wickets between them in 121.2 overs. Pragyan Ojha, R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh managed nine in 103.3 overs. That’s where the match was won and lost. . Ojha emerged from defeat with his reputation intact after dismissing five of England’s top six in the first innings, but Ashwin has crashed down to earth and Harbhajan looks like being stuck on 99 Test matches.
The batting was even poorer. Apart from Cheteshwar Pujara, Ashwin and Gautam Gambhir no batsman reached fifty. In the second innings, numbers two to seven managed 41 runs between them. Yuvraj Singh had a forgettable match, unable to cope with spin. Sachin Tendulkar must take a look at what he brings to the team, having now not reached 20 in his last six Test innings. Virat Kohli could benefit from watching Pujara more closely to see what difference lies between them in Test cricket.
What a difference three days can make. On Friday morning Cook’s brow was furrowed after he lost the toss. Come Monday morning, and he was beaming from ear to ear. England now hold the advantage going into the Eden Gardens Test after their best performance in India in as long as the memory serves. It wasn’t supposed to be like that, was it India?