Sports
It’s high time cricket regulated its pace of play
by Ian Chappell
I have often wondered, “Who really loves the game of cricket?”
Is it the first-class player like myself, who had his pads and boots cleaned by the room steward, and whose matches are played on well-manicured fields with meticulously prepared pitches? Or is it those who play in the park on boiling-hot Saturdays, having pegged down a matting pitch, then chasing balls around a tinder-dry outfield?
I’ve come to the conclusion that first-class players love the game in a calculated manner. Although it may change with the money in cricket, you basically have to love the game to play it decently. Nevertheless it’s a calculated enjoyment, as first-class players are always chasing trophies, prize money and contracts.
However, the people who have a real love for the game are those who perform in the park even when it’s parched and the only reward is a cold drink at the end of play. Maybe I could do that for a week, two at the most, but then I’d be looking for other pursuits.
Those dedicated cricketers also regularly attend big matches. When both types mutter in unison, “Get on with the bloody game”, it’s time to evaluate top-class cricket’s speed of play.Using timers is one way to speed up the game. However, it’s better if umpires are empowered by the administrators to ensure cricket keeps moving at an acceptable speed.Other sports I watch, like baseball, rugby league and tennis, now have a timer. The timers are designed to speed up games where administrators are acutely aware that spectators want to see plenty of playing action.
Surely people don’t switch on their devices or go to a ground to watch cricketers adjust their gloves every ball, chat with their batting partner in the middle of an over, change gloves regularly, or down unofficial drinks. These can possibly be decreed health measures or might be purely down to superstition, but they often completely ignore the etiquette of the game.
If a bowler is about to begin his run-up, a batter must be in position to receive the delivery. That used to be, and still should be, part of the etiquette of the game.It’s pretty obvious when players deliberately waste time to avoid another over leading into a break. In that case the player should first be warned, and if they transgress again, then there have to be consequences.
Players are lucky I’m not an umpire. If a batter deliberately wasted time and wasn’t ready to face up, I’d let the bowler deliver and if he hit the stumps, I’d give it out. There would be a huge outcry, but drastic action would ensure that batters don’t cause a problem in the future.
The time captains take talking to bowlers about field placings – I’m not including T20 cricket – is sometimes inordinately long. The captain should be spoken to by an umpire and told to keep the game moving.Umpires must be given license to insist that players don’t purposefully waste time. In turn, the umpires should be backed to the hilt by the judicial system. All players should be made aware of their obligation to the public; they deserve a fair day’s play for what is often an expensive outing at the cricket.
It’s easy to conclude that either most administrators don’t understand the angst slow play causes, or that they are only concerned by the bottom line. Either way the pace of play is not being properly administered.Test matches being completed inside the allotted time frame should not be an acceptable excuse for tardy over rates.
Administrators themselves are guilty of slowing the game. The DRS, replays to decide boundaries, and sight-board advertising are three obvious cases, but there are others like the front-foot no-ball law that are poorly thought out.
There’s a place for pageantry to enhance the importance of games but it should never impinge upon play. The pace of play and over rates are crucial issues where the paying spectator deserves consideration in producing an entertainment package. (cricinfo)
South Africa won their first away T20I series under Shukri Conrad, and second successive bilateral series, with a convincing performance over New Zealand in Christchurch. Put in to bat, they posted the highest total of the series of 187 for 4- and defended it with a six-player attack to seal the series 3-2.
After poor batting performances in the second and third T20Is,2 South Africa went from good to better in the next two. Three of South Africa’s four highest partnerships of the series came in this match, and they have unearthed a potential future star in Connor Esterhuizen. He scored back-to-back fifties in matches four and five and anchored their efforts in the decider. While Zak Foulkes and Josh Clarkson were economical, the rest of their attack conceded at over nine runs an over. Offspinner Cole McConchie’s 0 for 48 was the most expensive.
New Zealand were without their first choice top five and also had to do without Tom Latham, who was due to lead them but fractured his thumb in the third T20I. They were never really in the chase against a disciplined South African effort. None of their batters scored more than Bevan Jacobs’ 36 and they only had one partnership which threatened: 52 between Jimmy Neesham and Jacobs for the fifth wicket.
Overall it was a messy affair on both sides, with nine dropped catches in the game, the most for any men’s T20I as per ESPNCricinfo’s ball-by-ball data logs since June 2018
Rubin Hermann has been involved in half of South Africa’s top stands and looked set for a big one today. Early in his innings, Hermann took down Ben Sears no matter what length he bowled and took 14 runs off four balls. Later, he showed his strength against spin when he joined Esterhuizen in targeting McConchie. But then Hermann did not hit a boundary for 12 balls and needed to take it on. When Sears went hard length, Hermann pulled but got his timing wrong and skied the ball towards mid-off. Nick Kelly ran from mid-on, made his ground and then stuck out one hand to take a superman catch, flying low to the ground. Hermann was out for 39, and the second-wicket partnership was broken on 59.
While Hermann’s promise only peeped through, Esterhuizen went from excellent to exceptional and topped up his maiden international half-century from game four with a new career-best: 75 off 33 balls in the finale. His on-side dominance was on display, as he scored 52 runs in that half of the ground, including five of his six sixes. The biggest ones came off McConchie who he hit back over his head, then over midwicket and over square leg. In total, Esterhuizen scored 21 runs off 8 balls but wasn’t shy to show what he could do against the quicks either. In the last two overs, he took 25 runs off Kyle Jamieson and Sears. His innings ended when he tried to send a Sears full toss to Neesham with two balls to go and he ended the series with a total of 200 runs, 100 more than his nearest competitor, Devon Conway.
It’s been a tough few months for Jason Smith. He only played one game at the T20 World Cup, despite being a first-choice pick in the squad and has not managed to get one score over 20 in five innings on this tour. And then things seemed to become tougher. Smith was at extra cover when Dane Cleaver, on 1, backed away from a Gerald Coetzee ball and smashed it to him. It was hit hard and could have taken some holding onto but Smith let it burst through his hands. Luckily for him, three overs later, the chance to do better came. Ottneil Baartman drew a leading edge from a Cleaver and the ball looped to him at point. He made no mistake and Cleaver was dismissed for 22. New Zealand were 46 for 2 after the powerplay and well behind the chase.
Contrastingly, Coetzee has had a wonderful 10 days after missing out on T20 World Cup selection and recovering from a torn pec muscle. He finished as the joint leading wicket taker, and the one with the lowest economy rate in the series. In today’s match, he didn’t concede a boundary until the final ball he bowled, and by then New Zealand were out of the game. Coetzee bowled two overs with the new ball, for 11 runs, and should have Cleaver’s wicket and then returned for the 17th and 19th overs. His penultimate over was a mix of quick short balls with the odd change of pace and cost two runs. Reward came in his last over, when he had Josh Clarkson caught off a leading edge at cover and McConchie caught at long-on trying to clear the ropes off a cross seam ball. Coetzee finished with 2 for 21 in four overs.
Brief scores:
South Africa 187 for 4 in 20 overs (Tony de Zorzi 12, Wiaan Mulder 31, Rubin Hermann 39, Connor Esterhuizen 75, Dian Foresster 21*; Zak Foulkes 1-22, Ben Sears 2-37, Josh Clarkson 1-14) beat New Zealand 154 for 8 in 20 overs (Tim Robinson 25, Dane Cleaver 22 , Nick Kelley 14, Bevan Jacobs 36, James Neesham 24, Josh Clarkson 13; Gerald Coetzee 2-21, Wiaan Mulder 2-28, Ottneil Baartman 2-33, Keshav Maharaj 1-35)by 33 runs
(Cricinfo)
Kingswood College are riding high on confidence after ending a decades-long wait for victory against arch rivals Dharmaraja in their annual Big Match, but the Kandy school has little time to celebrate as they now shift focus towards securing promotion to Division I in the Under-19 Schools Cricket tournament.
Following their historic triumph on Sunday, Kingswood will next compete in the knockout stage of the Division II Tier ‘A’ competition. Victories in both the quarter-final and semi-final will secure the much-anticipated promotion to the Division I of the premier Under-19 cricket tournament.
Kingswood had spent several seasons in Division II before coming under the guidance of coach Susantha Basnayaka. Their steady progress over the last few years saw them reach the final of the Division II Tier B tournament last season, which earned them promotion to the Tier ‘A’ segment. That gradual development has now placed them on the brink of Division I status.
The school has also gained recognition for producing players capable of performing at the national junior level. One such product is Kavija Gamage, who represented Sri Lanka at the last ICC Under-19 Youth World Cup.
Gamage delivered a remarkable all-round performance to lead Kingswood’s historic win — their first Big Match victory over Dharmaraja in more than 60 years — and was undoubtedly the standout performer of the contest.
No player in the big match season had dominated a game as comprehensively as Gamage, whose contributions with both bat and ball helped Kingswood punch above their weight against a side competing in a higher division.
Despite Kingswood’s growing strength, Dharmaraja entered the encounter as favourites, having held the Big Match trophy for an unprecedented 68 years.
Gamage’s influence was felt from the very first innings. Batting on a difficult surface, he produced a superb knock of 112 — the only score above 20 in the Kingswood innings. His 149-ball effort included 13 fours and two sixes as Kingswood struggled against the bowling of Sasith Bandara (5/80), Sumeda Prasad (2/37) and Keshan Gunawardhana (3/53).
Coach Basnayaka later described the innings as the turning point of the match.
”The century in the first innings was the turning point. We were six wickets down for 99 runs at one stage. Kavija’s century helped us recover and post a formidable total on a difficult wicket,” Basnayaka told The Island.
In the second innings, Kingswood adopted a more aggressive approach as they aimed to accelerate the scoring before declaring. Gamage once again rose to the occasion.
”Our plan was to score as much as possible in the first 15 overs in the morning and declare. Kavija was in his 90s at the end of those overs and we decided to declare after he reached the century,” Basnayaka explained.
Opening batsman Aadhel Sheriff provided excellent support during that phase. Sheriff — the team’s leading run scorer of the season with more than 700 runs — shared a valuable 70-run stand with Gamage for the third wicket.
Gamage went on to complete his second century of the match with an unbeaten 100 off just 80 deliveries, striking six fours and five sixes as Kingswood declared soon afterwards.
Dharmaraja, chasing the target, were eventually bowled out for 166. Spinner Kenula Pihilianga delivered a match-winning spell to claim a remarkable match haul of 11 wickets, while Gamage capped off his outstanding performance by finishing with eight wickets in the match.
While Kingswood now look ahead to the possibility of earning promotion to Division I, Dharmaraja face a contrasting challenge. They currently sit at the bottom of their Division I Tier ‘B’ group and are battling to avoid relegation.
Kingswood team celebrate after recording a historic victory. Coach Susantha Basnayaka is seen in the centre with the trophy.
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