27-Aug-2016Stephen Cook partnered de Kock at the top and the two laid a solid platform through a 133-run opening partnership•AFPDe Kock was especially fluent and struck 82 off 114 balls before perishing to the short ball•Associated PressDoug Bracewell invited an uppish drive from Cook who edged it to Kane Williamson at gully•Associated PressHashim Amla and JP Duminy then held firm for about nine overs to take South Africa to 182 for 2 at tea•AFPThe duo added 64 more after the break before Wagner produced a peach that Amla edged to the wicketkeeper•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesDuminy raised a half-century of his own. South Africa moved to 283 for 3 by stumps, with Duminy unbeaten on 67•Associated Press

This son of an apartheid-era wicketkeeper is the sort of spinner South Africa have been looking for for a long time

Firdose Moonda27-Oct-2016Before Keshav Maharaj had turned three, Kiran More looked at his palms and predicted: “This child will be a cricketer.”More was not angling for a career as a clairvoyant, but as a former gloveman and with the knowledge that Keshav’s father, Athmanand, was also a wicketkeeper, he must have seen something. As it turned out, it was not the palms that held Keshav’s future, but his fingers. Two decades later, Keshav has made a career as a left-arm spinner to fulfill More’s prophecy and his father’s dream.Athmanand played for Natal B during the bad old days when sport was segregated. He knew someone of his skin colour would not be able to challenge for higher honours but immersed himself in the sport anyway.”It was difficult for us, but despite the challenges we faced, we managed to produce some outstanding players. We enjoyed the game and we played it hard,” Athmanand told ESPNcricinfo. “It was a big part of our lives.”So big that it consumed Athmanand’s young son. When Keshav wasn’t receiving throwdowns, he was rubbing shoulders with the who’s who of the cricket world when South Africa were being welcomed back to the international community. Players like Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin and Pravin Amre.In 1992, when India travelled to South Africa for the Friendship tour, Athmanand was among the many friends the players made. Back then, it was commonplace for members of the Indian community to host the visiting team for meals, and the Maharaj home was one that the players visited.More became a family friend and remains in touch. He was the first person to give Athmanand the confidence to believe that a cricket career was possible, albeit not for him.With his playing days behind him, Athmanand worked in education, enjoyed a stint as deputy director general of sport in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Province and completed cricket coaching courses, all the while giving his son lessons in the game. Keshav played in the backyard, in the Bakers Mini-Cricket progamme (a developmental sports programme for primary school kids), and at school. He was a left-arm seamer and a decent batsman.One day in the nets, Keshav was “mad about something” and decided to bowl spin. He told the that nobody stopped him from making the switch and the new bowling style simply stuck. No one was happier than Athmanand .

“When we have needed a spinner to stop the game, he has done exactly that, but at the same time he has remained an attacking bowler and has always picked up wickets”Imraan Khan, Maharaj’s Dolphins team-mate

“From my experience as a wicketkeeper, I had learned a lot about spin, so I tried to mould him that way.”Keshav’s twirling earned him places in a team two age groups above his level and made him a star at Northwood School, the alma mater of Shaun Pollock. By the time he was 18, he had become a regular in the school XI.His father remained his most loyal supporter. “I followed him everywhere and kept a scorebook with his performances. I still have it at home,” Athmanand said.In 2008, despite making it to the provincial Under-19 side, Keshav was not picked in South Africa’s U-19 World Cup squad. He confessed to that he was probably a little on the large side, which may have counted against him.Still, he progressed. He was chosen for the South African academy, given a rookie contract at the Dolphins and was on the fringes of the franchise side. Athmanand allowed his son all the time he needed to see if he could carve a career in cricket because he saw in Keshav “someone with a good head on his shoulders, who is very focused and very determined in everything he does. He knows exactly what he wants and I told him I would support him in that.”But he also advised Keshav to have a plan B. Keshav took up a marketing degree part-time but he honed his plan A. He went to play in the Sussex Premier League in 2013, an adventure that took him away from home comforts and his mother’s kitchen.”I turned my life around. I lost weight and worked on my fitness,” Keshav said.When Keshav returned, Dolphins team-mate Imraan Khan remembers that he looked like a “completely different person”, with a more diligent attitude towards eating. Cooking became a passion for him. He started a food blog and has been part of cooking shows on the local radio station .”He’s a pretty good cook,” Athmanand said.Keshav makes a 19-ball 31 in a tour game against England in 2015•Getty ImagesThe leaner Keshav enjoyed vastly improved results. In the 2014-15 season, he was sixth on the first-class wicket charts with 36 at 29.38. Last season he was seventh with the same number of wickets at 32.Even though there was a slew of spinners on the South African radar – Imran Tahir, Robin Peterson, Dane Piedt, Simon Harmer and Aaron Phangiso – Athmanand felt Keshav was doing too well to be ignored.”There were times when we thought he would get a shot, but with team balance and that kind of thing, we always said that if it came, that would be good and if not, he would just keep doing his thing, because eventually he would get there. Statistics play a very important role.”In the first match of this summer’s first-class season, Athmanand was proved right. Sort of. Keshav got a career-best haul of 13 for 157 to bowl Dolphins to an innings victory over Warriors in East London. But his place in the Test squad had been decided after he took his first wicket in the game.After the second day’s play, with Warriors on 104 for 1 in reply to Dolphins’ 478, in which Keshav had contributed a 71-ball 72, he got a phone call.”It was Linda Zondi [the convener of the national selection panel], and he just told Keshav, ‘Well batted,’ and then said that he needs his passport,” Ahtmanand said. “I told him it might mean he was selected but that he mustn’t jump to any conclusions.”Over the next two days, Keshav ran through the Warriors line-up, taking six more wickets in the first innings and six more in the follow-on. Then he found out he was going to Australia.”He was surprised, but it is also a very well-deserved call-up,” said Imraan. “Over the last few seasons what he has really worked on is consistency in length and that’s what he is so good at. When we have needed a spinner to stop the game, he has done exactly that, but at the same time he has remained an attacking bowler and has always picked up wickets.”South Africa are searching for exactly that kind of spinner, especially in a series where they expect the quicks to dominate. Whether that will give Keshav the edge over Tabraiz Shamsi, a left-arm chinaman and the only other spinner in the squad, remains to be seen.Keshav’s family members are unlikely to travel to Australia to watch the series because of the time it will take to get their visas and Athmanand is busy getting Keshav’s new flat ready for occupation. But regardless of whether he gets the opportunity to watch his son walk out in South Africa colours, Athmanand is ecstatic.”It will be fantastic if he gets his first cap, but even if he doesn’t on this tour, he has made us all very proud. We know his journey begins now.”

Stats highlights from the eighth round of the Ranji Trophy, with landmarks for Shadab Jakati and Devendra Bundela too

Bharath Seervi02-Dec-20161 Priyank Panchal became the first batsman to score a triple-century for Gujarat in first-class matches. He made an unbeaten 314 against Punjab to go past Mukund Parmar’s 283, in 1995-96, which was the previous highest. Panchal’s knock is the fourth triple-century of this Ranji Trophy season. Only in 2012-13 there were more triple-hundreds – five.895 Previous highest aggregate by a batsman for Gujarat in a Ranji Trophy season – by Parthiv Patel in 2012-13. Panchal went past that tally with Gujarat having two more games in their league phase. He is now the highest run-getter in this season with 924 runs, moving past Rishabh Pant’s 903. Panchal has made 602 of those runs in his last two matches and has been dismissed only once. In his last match, he made 232 and 56 not out against Mumbai and followed it with 314 not out against Punjab. Panchal averages 115.50 in this season.2006-07 The last time Odisha completed an innings win before defeating Maharashtra by an innings and 118 runs in Waynad. They had defeated Tripura by an innings and 62 runs in 2006-07. This is the first time Odisha won against Maharashtra in eight games.201 Runs scored by Maharashtra in their two innings against Odisha – 94 and 107. This is their lowest match aggregate in the last ten seasons when they were dismissed twice. They managed to face only 62.4 overs in the match, also their lowest in last ten seasons. They lost all 20 wickets on the same day – the second day of the match.8/53 Shadab Jakati’s figures against Andhra in this round – his career-best, surpassing the 6 for 42 against Services in 2003-04. He took 11 for 123 in this match, which is now his best match haul. With 39 wickets, he is currently the second highest wicket-taker this season behind Anupam Sanklecha who has 40.5 Number of five-wicket hauls for Ashok Dinda in this season – the most by him in a Ranji season. He had taken four five-wicket hauls in 2011-12. He has the joint most five-fors in this season along with Sanklecha.3 Number of times Suresh Raina has got out in 90s in his last five first-class innings. He was dismissed for 91 in both innings against Railways. He had got out for 90 in a Duleep Trophy game in August. There have been three batsmen who have got out in the 90s in both innings of a first-class match in this year. Incidentally, all three batsmen have been dismissed in India. Before Raina, Karun Nair made 94 and 92 in the Irani Cup and Suryakumar Yadav made 99 and 90 against Uttar Pradesh earlier in this Ranji season. Two players got out for 99 in the eighth round of this Ranji Trophy – Kerala’s Mohammed Azharuddeen and Services’ Rahul Singh.271 Partnership between Sudip Chatterjee and Manoj Tiwary against Mumbai, which is the highest for Bengal in this season. This is their first stand of 150 or more for Bengal and the fourth-highest for any team in this season.137 Appearances for Devendra Bundela in Ranji Trophy – the most by any player. He went past Amol Muzumdar’s tally of 136 matches. Mithun Manhas is third on the list with 135 Ranji appearances.0 Number of teams that have been winless in this season. Four teams were without a win before this round – Saurashtra, Kerala, Services and Uttar Pradesh. Incidentally, all four teams secured a win in the eighth round. There were five teams without a win in the previous season.

Also: the youngest to reach 100 Test wickets and the most balls faced in an ODI innings

Steven Lynch13-Dec-2016How many people have made a century and a duck on Test debut, as Keaton Jennings did in Mumbai? asked Rajiv Radhakrishnan from England
Before Keaton Jennings’ debut double of 112 and 0 for England against India in Mumbai, there had been three previous instances of this in Tests. Gundappa Viswanath marked his first cap, for India against Australia in Kanpur in 1969-70, with 0 and 137, while Andrew Hudson made 163 and 0 in South Africa’s first Test after readmission, against West Indies in Bridgetown in 1991-92. Mohammad Wasim scored 0 and 109 not out on his debut for Pakistan, against New Zealand in Lahore in 1996-97. New Zealand’s Bruce Taylor had an unusual double in his first match, against India in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1964-65: after making 105 in the first innings – his maiden first-class century – he was left 0 not out in the second when his captain declared. Overall, there have now been 158 instances of a player making a century and a duck in the same Test.At the MCG last week, David Warner scored 159 of Australia’s 264. Was this a record percentage for a one-day international? asked Chris Abraham from Australia
David Warner’s superb effort against New Zealand at the MCG last week amounted to 59.09% of the total. This is the second-highest percentage by an Australian in a completed ODI innings, after 60.73% by Damien Martyn, who made an undefeated 116 out of 191, also against New Zealand, after opening in Auckland in 1999-2000. The overall list is headed by two famous one-day innings from the 1980s: at Old Trafford in 1984, Viv Richards scored 189 not out of West Indies’ 272 for 9 (69.48%) against England, while at Tunbridge Wells during the 1983 World Cup, Kapil Dev thrashed 175 of India’s 266 for 8 (65.78%) against Zimbabwe.Swapnil Patil is one of just two batsmen to have missed out on a hundred on ODI debut by the narrowest of margins•ICCI noticed that the UAE’s Swapnil Patil scored 99 not out in his first one-day international. Has anyone else come so close to a century on debut? asked Khadim Khan from Dubai
Swapnil Patil had reached 98 for the UAE against Scotland when he faced the last ball of the final of the World Cup qualifying competition in Lincoln in New Zealand, in February 2014. Sadly, he could only manage a single, and finished with 99 not out. The only other batsman to score 99 in his first ODI is Eoin Morgan – now England’s captain, but playing for his native Ireland at the time. Morgan was run out towards the end of the Irish innings against Scotland in Ayr in 2006. He received an ICC reprimand for swearing as he left the field following his dismissal.Daniel Vettori took his 100th Test wicket when he was only 21. Was this a record? asked Jamie Houghton from New Zealand
Daniel Vettori is one of three bowlers who took their 100th Test wickets when they were only 21. The others are the Indian pair of Kapil Dev and Harbhajan Singh – and Kapil was 26 days younger than Vettori when he reached three figures, in January 1980. Harbhajan, who reached the landmark in May 2002, was about nine months older than Vettori. Ishant Sharma and Saqlain Mushtaq took their respective 100th Test wickets when they were 22, while Waqar Younis, Irfan Pathan, Graham McKenzie, Wasim Akram, Ian Botham and Alf Valentine were all 23. The oldest of the 175 men to take 100 Test wickets so far was the England slow left-armer Bobby Peel, who was 39 years and six months old when he got there in 1896. Australia’s Clarrie Grimmett and Ray Illingworth of England were also 39 when they reached 100 wickets.Glenn Turner: prolific ODI marathon man•PA Photos Steven Smith faced 157 balls against New Zealand the other day. What’s the longest individual innings in ODIs, by balls faced? asked Chris Appleton from Australia
Steven Smith’s 164 from 157 balls for Australia against New Zealand in Sydney last week was the eighth-longest individual innings for Australia in ODIs, level with Warner’s 163 from 157 against Sri Lanka in Brisbane, in March 2012. The longest for Australia was by David Boon, who consumed 168 balls in making a match-winning 102 not out against India in Hobart, in 1991-92. But they are all a little way down the overall list, which is headed by New Zealand’s Glenn Turner, who faced 201 balls in scoring 171 not out against East Africa in Edgbaston during the 1975 World Cup. Turner is second on the table too, having used up 177 balls for 114 not out against India at Old Trafford a week later. These innings, though – and the next three on the overall list – were in 60-over matches: the longest in a 50-over ODI is 173 balls, by India’s Rohit Sharma in his record 264 against Sri Lanka in Kolkata in 2014-15. That just pipped Ashish Bagai’s 172-ball 137 not out for Canada v Scotland in Nairobi in 2006-07.Which father and son, both Test players, both reached the grand old age of 90? asked David Lambert from England
This long-lived pair were Frank Hearne, who played two Tests for England and four for South Africa in the 19th century, and his son George Hearne, who won three caps for South Africa in the 1920s. Both father and son made it past 90 years of age: Frank died in 1949, and George in 1978. Frank also had two Test-playing brothers – Alec, who lived to 88, and George, who reached 75. The list of longest-lived Test players is headed by Norman Gordon, who played five Tests for South Africa in the late 1930s and died in 2014 at the age of 103.Post your questions in the comments below

Plays of the day from the first T20I between New Zealand and Bangladesh in Napier

Mohammad Isam03-Jan-2017The return of the yorkerLockie Ferguson made a dream start to his T20I career, taking wickets off his first two balls, but Mahmudullah denied him a hat-trick by digging out a superb yorker. Mahmudullah went on to make an important fifty that not only salvaged Bangladesh’s innings, steered them to a decent score, and brought him back among the runs. But it was still Ferguson who got Mahmudullah’s measure, with another yorker, in the final over.The extra diveThere is no shortage of tiptoe-balanced boundary-line catches in international cricket these days, but Shakib Al Hasan’s second grab was special. After he had apprehended Neil Broom’s blast over square-leg, Shakib managed to keep the ball in play but had thrown the ball a little too far, and did well to stretch back into the field of play to complete the catch. The third umpire took a bit of time to make sure but every replay only showed how great the catch was, both from a technical and aesthetic point of view.The slip, the victimAt the start of the 11th over of New Zealand’s innings, Kane Williamson slipped trying to turn for a second run, which gave the debutant Tom Bruce the cue to start from the non-striker’s end. But Williamson froze after taking a couple of steps, enough for Bruce to come down too far. Soumya Sarkar got to the ball quickly, meanwhile, and while his throw wasn’t absolutely accurate, Mashrafe Mortaza stretched, gathered the ball, and broke the stumps in time.The errorSoumya Sarkar is a brilliant outfielder but made an error in judgment in the 13th over when he stood at least 10 yards inside the boundary as Kane Williamson slogged one towards him. After tracking back, Sarkar jumped high but the ball was out of his reach and, rubbing salt on Bangladesh’s wounds, bounced inside the circle before crossing the rope. Sarkar offered a wry smile and when the camera panned to him, the bowler Shakib Al Hasan wore a similar expression. They weren’t exactly smiling at each other, however.

Marks out of ten for each of New Zealand’s players, following their 2-0 series win against Pakistan at home

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Nov-2016

9

Colin de Grandhomme
That rare Test cricketer whose batting average may be higher than the number of words he speaks in a day, it was with his floating lotus petal deliveries that “the big man” made his mark, claiming 6 for 41 at Hagley Oval. He won’t always have such friendly surfaces to bowl on, but his cultured hitting will also be more effective on flatter tracks. Also seems an attitude-appropriate addition to this New Zealand team, who may be keen to get their Nobel Peace Prize campaign back on track after the exit of Brendon McCullum.

8

Tim Southee
Often, it’s Tim Southee’s big-swinging shtick that defines home series, and although he did not get much movement in the air against Pakistan, there was plenty off the seam to put batsmen in trouble. He claimed crucial wickets at Hagley Oval, then when partner-in-crime Trent Boult was ruled out of the Hamilton Test, took Boult’s customary share of the wickets in the second game as well. An impressive return from injury.Ross Taylor
Beset by bad form, McCullum “revelations” and a pterygium in his eye, Taylor needed a good Test in this series, and he got it in Hamilton. His first-innings salvo punctured the Pakistan bowlers’ momentum, and the second innings-ton virtually pushed the opposition out of the match. His was the only triple-figure score of the series.Jeet Raval
The latest batsman charged with breaking the Great New Zealand Openers’ Curse, Jeet Raval struck a composed tone at the crease in Christchurch, and inspired confidence in the slip cordon (though he did drop one of the eight chances that came his way through the series). Strong through the leg side, with decent judgement outside off, he may already have done enough to earn a stable place through the long home summer.

7

Neil Wagner
Curtly Ambrose had a brutal bouncer. Jeff Thompson’s short ball endangered lives. Neil Wagner possibly bowls more short deliveries than either of them, but his bouncers are more annoying than menacing – like an insurance salesman who won’t stop calling at strange hours. Still, he has become the second-fastest New Zealand bowler to 100 Test scalps, and he is often talked about like some kind of Platonic ideal of a team man, so who could possibly argue?Trent Boult
Claimed the key wicket of Azhar Ali in the second innings at Hagley Oval, and was in general a tirelessly accurate performer in that match. He had played 44 Tests in a row until a knee injury forced him out of the Hamilton game.BJ Watling’s relationship with the tail continued in the series•Getty Images

6

BJ Watling
Not a lot was required of him with the bat in this series, but BJ Watling batted with the tail with workmanlike diligence. He was also immaculate behind the stumps. That he does not put on that wicketkeeper’s expression of gobsmacked disbelief when an appeal is turned down, is a minor grouse.

5

Kane Williamson
An assured 61 in the chase of 105 at Hagley Oval was Kane Williamson’s biggest batting contribution, though his second-innings 42 in Hamilton was important as well. So comfortable were New Zealand throughout this series, he was not really tested as a captain. Nevertheless, he has now got four wins on his record, to go with the three away losses.Mitchell Santner
He was unrequired with the ball for much of the Hamilton Test, but made some glorious fielding porn, sliding beatifically as to stop balls near the boundary. His two wickets on day five sparked Pakistan’s collapse, even if he seemed slightly confused as to how he got those scalps.

4

Tom Latham
He was thrice dismissed cheaply by Mohammad Amir, but it was such high-quality bowling at times, that Latham might be forgiven. The second-innings 80 in Hamilton saved his series stats, and it was also a vital knock for the team. It was on the foundation Latham had provided that Taylor would later prosper.Henry Nicholls
He shared a crucial 65-run stand with Raval at Hagley Oval to help New Zealand take control of that Test. Reached for a short, wide ball like he was trying to break a ceiling cobweb in his final innings, to get himself out. Took two good catches on day five at Hamilton, though he had also fluffed a run-out earlier in the game.

3

Todd Astle
On a Hagley track completely unsuited to spinners, he delivered four tight but unmemorable overs. Was replaced when Santner regained fitness.Matt Henry
Bowled better in the Hamilton first innings than his figures suggest, and wound up performing a supporting role to Wagner and Southee most of the time. He is likely to get further Test opportunities through the summer.

Plays of the day from the first ODI between West Indies and England in Antigua

George Dobell in Antigua03-Mar-2017The drop
Had Kieran Powell, at slip, been able to cling on to the chance that came his way off Carlos Brathwaite’s first ball, Eoin Morgan would have been dismissed for just 4. Perhaps Powell was unsighted by the wicketkeeper, Shai Hope, who dived to his left in an unsuccessful attempt to reach the ball, but it seemed a relatively straightforward chance offered when Morgan footlessly wafted a drive at one angled across him. Instead of being out, he went on to make 107.The blow
Who knows what might have happened had Morgan not been wearing a stemguard? Morgan, England’s captain, attempted to pull impressive fast bowler Shannon Gabriel but was caught flush on the clip-on attachment added to the bottom part of helmets to protect a batsman’s neck. Through the shot too soon, Morgan was struck on the left-hand side of his neck; a not dissimilar blow to that which killed Phillip Hughes. Thanks, perhaps, to the addition of the extra protection, the outcome was vastly different. Morgan was able to call for a new stemguard and, after a few minutes taken to ensure he was okay, was fine to resume his innings. The value of such protective equipment as rarely been demonstrated more obviously.The close shave
With Alex Hales back with the tour party and cleared to resume full training and Jonny Bairstow also pushing for a recall, Sam Billings knows that time is running out for him to make a mark in this side. He was almost out before he had scored, though. Facing Gabriel, whose first spell offered pace, control and movement, Billings was drawn into a loose drive only to see the ball leave him a little and pass agonisingly close to the outside edge. Billings survived and went on to make a decent 52, his second ODI fifty in three innings.The six
We’ve become accustomed to athletic boundary catches, with fielders somehow keeping the ball in play despite having to take a step over the rope in completing a catch. So it was something of a surprise when Kraigg Brathwaite, fielding on the midwicket boundary, was unable to cling on to a chance offered by Ben Stokes when he had scored 31. Stokes, heaving a delivery from Gabriel with the wind, must have thought he was in trouble as Brathwaite settled to take the chance. The ball slipped through his grasp, however, just as he took a step back over the boundary – and then rebounded to hit his knee with his other foot over the rope, thereby conceding a six.The catch
The fifth-wicket stand between Jonathan Carter and Jason Mohammed was worth 82 in 13.5 overs and a target that had looked distant had started to look attainable. But then Carter top-edged his pull shot off Liam Plunkett and Jason Roy, running in from midwicket and flinging himself forward, clung on to a fine catch to break the partnership and allow England to breathe a little more easily.

England’s 366 in Cuttack became the 100th 350-plus total in ODIs – here’s a lowdown on all the key stats around these high totals

S Rajesh20-Jan-2017England fell 15 short of a brave attempt to chase down 382 in Cuttack, but they did end up reaching a significant milestone: their 366 was the 100th score of 350 or more in ODI history.For a long time, touching 350 in ODI cricket was considered almost impossible – even when teams batted 60 overs per innings, the highest was Pakistan’s 338 versus Sri Lanka in the 1983 World Cup.The first 350-plus total in ODIs happened in the 1987 World Cup, when West Indies amassed 360 for 4 against Sri Lanka, and it was fitting that the batsman instrumental in making it happen was Viv Richards, who smashed 181 off 125 balls.The 350 barrier was broken, but such scores were still outliers. The next one came almost five years later, when England made 363 for 7 against Pakistan at Trent Bridge in 1992. In 1662 ODIs till the end of 2000, there had only been six 350-plus totals. In the four years between 2001 and 2004, the number doubled to 12, but progress was still rather slow. Till the end of 2004, only 0.27% of all ODI innings had witnessed 350-plus totals.The frequency of 350-plus totals, as a percentage of total ODI innings, has gone up by 200% compared to 2005-14 period•ESPNcricinfo LtdIn the next ten years, from 2005 to 2014, the rate increased to almost six such scores every year, which was roughly about 2% of the total ODI innings. At the end of 2014, the number of 350-plus totals stood at 69.Since the start of 2015, though, there has been an explosion of these high totals: in a little more than two years, 31 more have been made, including seven in the 2015 World Cup, and four in four innings in the ongoing India-England series. In percentage terms, 6.31% of ODI innings have passed 350 since the start of 2015, compared to 2.11% between 2005 and 2014 – that is an increase of 200% in the frequency of such totals. In fact, the frequency of 350-plus scores since the start of 2015 is about as much as the frequency of 300-plus totals in the 2001-04 period.More numbers on 350-plus totals in ODIs23 350-plus totals for India, the most by any team. South Africa have 22, followed by Australia’s 16.India and South Africa have together scored 45 out of 100 350-plus totals in ODIs•ESPNcricinfo Ltd26 350-plus totals in India, the highest in any country. South Africa have played host to 20 such scores, while no other country has had more than 10.10 Instances of 350-plus scores in run-chases – three each by England and India, two by South Africa, and one each by New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Seven of these have been in wins: three by India, two by South Africa, and one each for England and New Zealand.8 Instances of teams losing an ODI after scoring 350 or more in an innings. Australia have suffered the fate four times, England thrice and Sri Lanka once. England’s two defeats in the ongoing series is the first time a team has lost two successive games after making 350-plus totals. The only other instance of two defeats in a series for teams scoring 350-plus was when Australia lost in Jaipur and Nagpur in the series against India in 2013.5 Most 350-plus totals in a bilateral series – there were five such totals in the India-Australia series in 2013. There were four in the England-New Zealand series in 2015, and also in the ongoing India-England one. In all tournaments/ series, the highest is seven, in the 2015 World Cup.

After two full days when this series seemed to have stopped following its well-established plot lines, today was back to normal service in some ways

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2017DRS watchAfter no reviews during the first 164 overs of this Test, Monday was a return to normal service. Ravindra Jadeja was given out first ball, but the decision was overturned as he was instantly convinced that the ball didn’t graze the outside edge of his bat off Pat Cummins. A while later, there was power outage at the stadium, and play went on for more than 10 overs without the ball tracking technology available. As if to say that this series could take no more DRS-based headlines, there were no wrong calls during this period that the system could have helped sort out.Every other review was struck down, and Australia did not have a single successful one out of their four, spread across both Indian innings. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they did not ever look convinced with their “T” signals, and Glenn Maxwell’s call to go upstairs for one he did not offer a shot to, looked close to adding to another Australian “brain fade” for the series.Australia found themselves in a tangle both against pace and spin•Associated PressPitch watchA day after KL Rahul called it the best pitch of the series, the Dharamsala wicket continued to keep everyone interested. Both sets of fast bowlers extracted steep bounce. Some deliveries, as described by our ball-by-ball commentary team, “went off like they would on a trampoline”.There was purchase for the spinners, except it was a lot more due to turn and bounce, unlike frequent, surprise shooters that stayed low in the first two Tests. While batting was by no means easy, those with the temperament and patience to apply themselves got good value for their shots. That this was the first instance this series where India didn’t open with spin in Australia’s second innings was an apt testament to how the wicket played on Monday.Aggression watchAs India went about erasing their deficit during the first session, tempers frayed occasionally as Josh Hazlewood walked up to Wriddhiman Saha and Jadeja to exchange words. All was quiet until, late in the evening session, M Vijay snapped up a catch in the slip cordon to get rid of No. 11 Josh Hazlewood. After most of the players left the field, the third umpire ruled that the ball had bounced before the catch was taken, and Steve Smith could be seen giving a mouthful in the dressing room.The relief did not last long, as Australia were dismissed two balls later, after yet another failed review. There was also some bonhomie in between, as Glenn Maxwell high-fived former Kings XI Punjab teammate Cheteshwar Pujara at short leg, after lashing a full-blooded sweep on to his body.

Jeet Raval and Vernon Philander have called for greater solidity and stickability from their team-mates to build an innings

Firdose Moonda in Hamilton23-Mar-2017Forget the ramp shot, the reverse sweep or the really, really late cut, the simple forward defensive is the stroke batsmen should be practicing ahead of the Hamilton Test. That should seem obvious, shouldn’t it? This is the format for less flash, more focus, the format for a fight, yet so many batsmen seem to be losing it.Both teams have problems in their top six, a result of their attacks being their stronger suits, but an issue that should not be insurmountable considering conditions. New Zealand surfaces do not offer bowlers so much assistance that there is trampoline bounce or sharp turn and the overheads, though cloudy, are not quite a sixties swing band.Instead, slow scoring rates caused by naturally sluggish surfaces and accurate, intense bowling for long periods of time is the biggest challenge and both sides know that their chances of success in Hamilton depend on overcoming that. “They don’t give you many bad balls and you have to work hard for your runs,” Jeet Raval said of the South African attack. “It’s about being strong in your game plans and sticking to it for long periods of time. Then you know the rewards will come later on in your innings. Sometimes you are forced to go for a period of time without scoring runs and that’s what international cricket is about.”Raval has been New Zealand’s stand-out example of how to do that. Even though he has not scored a century in the series, he has contributed on each of the three occasions he has been to the crease, mostly from a time perspective. Raval has not spent less than two hours at the crease in any of his three innings and batted for more than four hours in the second innings in Wellington. He has asked his team-mates to show the same staying power. “I don’t think we need to change a whole lot of game plans, it’s about being better for longer periods of time,” he said. “We showed in the first Tests and bits of the second Test that we are good enough. We just need to be good enough for longer periods of time and we’ll be able to square the series.”Apart from Raval’s ability to stick around, he has also shown a technique which the rest can learn from. Raval is a careful, compact and confident player, who guards his offstump preciously and knows when to leave. Raval has erred once – against the spinner Keshav Maharaj when he pushed at a ball he expected to turn the over before lunch on the first day in Wellington, to give Hashim Amla a catch at slip – but he has not been caught fishing, a problem that runs through both line-ups.Of the 58 wickets to have fallen across the first two Tests, 25 of them have been caught behind the stumps (wicketkeeper or slips). South Africa account for 10 of those dismissals, from the 28 they have which amounts to more than a third. Meanwhile, 15 New Zealand batsmen have nicked off, and considering they have only batted thrice this series, that’s 50% of their wickets. Among the biggest culprits are those in the worst form – Stephen Cook (twice) and Tom Latham (three times) – which suggest that when batsmen are desperately searching for something, they often find the edge.But that is not the only reason more and more Test cricketers are playing rashly and Vernon Philander has a theory to explain. “When we play on flatter wickets, we don’t concentrate on techniques anymore,” Philander, who was talking as a batsman, said. “We just concentrate on where the head and where the feet are going. We could probably brush up on our techniques every now and again. Wickets are generally very good when you play Test cricket so I think batters are more focused on scoring runs than techniques.”For Philander the bowler, batsmen’s preoccupation with keeping the scoreboard moving leaves more than enough room for him to tempt them outside off. Philander has built his career on bowling a fourth-stump line and moving the ball just enough to create doubt but that has not given him much this series. Although he has been bowling as well as ever, he has only two wickets to his name in this series but a return to the venue where he took 10 five years ago, may change that. Even if it doesn’t, Philander doesn’t mind too much. It’s sort of the opposite of a batsman’s block. Philander just keeps practicing how to probe and even if the results don’t come for him, they will for someone else.”There’s always going to be different bowlers that shine in different Tests,” he said. “The way Keshav (Maharaj) has come out and bowled has been phenomenal. The wickets are a touch on the slower side so it is a bit of an adjustment for us as seam bowlers.”