All posts by n8rngtd.top

Having slipped off the rails, Liam Plunkett found the simple philosophy he needed at Yorkshire and is now set for a menacing role in England’s attack

David Hopps11-Jun-2014Yorkshire have handed a rejuvenated Liam Plunkett to England with a heartfelt message. Please keep it simple. He is the fastest bowler in England this season: let him show it. He needs to attack: let him do that, too. And please, no messing with his technique or his mind.The days when England bowling coaches could barely look at a quick bowler without wanting to dismantle an action have long gone. David Saker, the current incumbent, prefers to concentrate on tactical approaches rather than intricate analysis of actions – and his problems trying to solve the quandary of Steven Finn in Australia should only have hardened him in that view.That conservative approach should leave Yorkshire and Plunkett confident that England will leave well alone. Their appeal has common sense behind it. Memories of Plunkett at the lowest point of his career are of a bowler beset by technical doubts, anxiously re-enacting his delivery position as he walked back to his mark: wrist cocked, arm pushed through, thoughts troubled. It virtually forced him into premature retirement.As his career went off the rails, so too did his personal life as he suffered two convictions for drink driving – the second of which, reduced to 30 months on appeal – will leave him off the road until early next year.Plunkett’s gratitude to the faith shown by Yorkshire’s caches runs deep. Martyn Moxon, who had seen his potential close hand when director of cricket at Durham, brought him to Yorkshire when the message from some Durham coaches, Alan Walker foremost among them, was that his best days were behind him. Jason Gillespie, a former Australia fast bowler, then arrived at Headingley and the uncluttered philosophy that Plunkett needed was established.”The coaching staff have given me a simple clear vision, which is to run in and bowl fast,” Plunkett told Yorkshire’s website after learning of his selection while returning from a golf day for Tim Bresnan’s benefit year.”I’m not over complicating things. I’m just concentrating on generating as much pace as possible and being as aggressive as I can be in the middle. It is working and is really benefiting my game. I hope that I can reproduce that for England this summer.”I have to thank the coaches and the players at Yorkshire for having faith in me as a cricketer. Before joining Yorkshire, I was going nowhere and coming to Headingley gave me a new lease of life. I have benefited from a change of scenery and from a coaching team that has put faith in my ability. They gave me the confidence to believe in my ability and to go out and perform. I owe it to them for this return to the Test team.”Plunkett is the England bowler expected to rough up Sri Lanka, to bowl at 90mph and make things happen. He will leak runs, just as Finn did, and England’s seeming willingness to accept that fact suggests a slight shift of emphasis from the attritional seam bowling championed under the previous coach, Andy Flower. There again, Flower had Graeme Swann as an attacking force.Making things happen at Lord’s is not always easy. Plunkett has painful personal experience of that. Three of the nine Tests of his youth have been at Lord’s and brought him five wickets at 82 runs each. Eight years ago, Sri Lanka saved a draw by scoring 537 for 9 in their fourth innings with the ninth-wicket pair Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Kulusekara putting on a century stand.

The endless weights sessions that used to take his mind away from his problems, now supply the strength that has made him the fastest bowler in England.

Seven years on from his last Test, Plunkett – and the England selectors – will draw sustenance from his hostile bowling at Lord’s in Yorkshire’s Championship match against Middlesex. As he cranked it up beyond 90mph, it was then that England’s enthusiasm for recalling him took shape. Nothing has been easy for Plunkett at Lord’s though: Middlesex made their highest successful run chase in the fourth innings – 472 for 3 with Chris Rogers striking a double hundred and Plunkett unrewarded as, oddly, he bowled only bowling 13 of the 101 overs. He says he likes Lord’s, but Lord’s has not often returned the favour.Only two years have passed since Plunkett was relegated to Durham’s 2nd XI. Control had deserted him and so had his pace. But the decline had set in much earlier. David Graveney, the former chairman of selectors, was a great fan and on one occasion late in his term of office looked around the Chester-le-Street press box for support for his conviction that Plunkett remained an unfulfilled talent. The next ball flew miles down the leg side for four wides. Graveney left the box to light-hearted derision.”We thought Liam still had something to offer otherwise we wouldn’t have signed him,” Moxon said. “But his re-emergence has been quicker than anyone would have expected. It just shows that when someone with natural ability is confident and relaxed in his game, that is when you get the best out of them. It’s a lesson for everyone that they try to create that state of mind.”Our message to Liam from day one has been to run in and bowl fast. Once he starts thinking about technique and line and length he puts it there. And once he just puts it there he loses pace and rhythm and flow. There are many bowlers whose actions might not be technically perfect but who succeed because they feel strong and natural.”That spell at Lord’s attracted a lot of attention, but he has maintained that hostility all summer. It was no flash in the pan. He did well last year, but this year he has really unsettled batsmen.”The endless gymnasium weights sessions that during his lowest periods seemed to bring him comfort, to take his mind away from his problems, now have a purpose, supplying the strength that this season has made him the fastest bowler in England.”Liam will benefit from the encouragement of being able to run in, bowl fast and hit the track hard and be really positive with the bat in hand as well,” Gillespie told . “I’ve told Liam he’s not going to get it right and land the ball on a shoebox every time you bowl. You’re going to have an off one and batters are allowed to play good shots and they’re allowed to score runs – that’s what the game is all about.”I think the key if Liam plays is how he’s used. If he’s used as a line-and-length bowler who doesn’t go for too many runs then you’re not going to get the best out of him. If they tell him to run in, bowl fast and back him 100 per cent then that’s the best way to go.”

Plays of the day from the first ODI between Zimbabwe and South Africa in Bulawayo

Firdose Moonda17-Aug-2014Turn of the day The Bulawayo pitch was described as being for the bowlers what Lake Kariba can sometimes be for fishermen. With still waters, all there is to be done is sink the line and wait for something to happen rather than make it happen. That appeared to be the case when the seamers were in operation in the opening passages of play, but there were ripples on the surfaces when the spinners came on. With the first ball of Sean Williams’ second over, there was turn and bounce which surprised Hashim Amla and was taken by Richmond Mutumbami at shoulder height. There would be bite for the tweakers, but Zimbabwe struggled to make use of it.Drop of the day Amla has made teams pay for putting him down in the past and Zimbabwe became the latest to learn that lesson. After Amla had played watchfully to get to 62, he played inside the line of a Shingi Masakadza delivery. He tried to drive it straight down the ground, but only managed a leading edge. Shingi stretched to his right to reach across the pitch and grasped desperately, but he could not hold on. Amla went on to almost double that score.AB invention of the day The AB de Villiers textbook of stroke-making includes gems like the paddle sweep and reverse scoop. Today, he showed what happens when you put those two together. Off the sixth ball he faced, de Villiers adopted a switch-hit position and combined the half-swept, half-scooped the ball over his right shoulder. Had the shot come off properly it would have sailed over third man but de Villiers only managed a leading edge for two runs. Probably one to work on in the future.Pony-tail pull of the day Usually this headline applies to schoolgirls on a playground, but there was a place for it in cricket when Wayne Parnell claimed his first wicket. The left-armer struck in his second over when Vusi Sibanda followed one that just moved away and edged to Quinton de Kock. The celebrations included David Miller tugging at the Parny-tail in jubilation of South Africa’s first wicket.Missed Milestone of the day Hamilton Masakadza has made such improvement on his use of the reverse-sweep that it was also the shot he used to bring up his fifty. Or so he thought. When Hamilton placed a JP Duminy delivery that pitched just outside off into the gap at short third man for four, Masakadza was on 45, but the scoreboard operator though he had one more. The numbers “5,” and “0,” were placed next to his name. When he saw it, Hamilton hesitantly raised his bat in acknowledgement but the expression on his face said he knew he needed one more. Luckily for him, he drove the next ball to long-on to ensure he had secured his third consecutive half-century in this format. For real.Disappointment of the day Williams has not had too many opportunities to convert his fifties into something more, but in this match, he had a golden chance to produce a hundred. He reached his half-century with more than 20 overs left to go in an innings in which Zimbabwe still needed 167 runs and he was facing South Africa’s weakest link. Imran Tahir, who had bowled poorly throughout the innings, sent down a short, wide ball that asked to be cut past point and that was what Williams tried to do. However, he cut it straight to du Plessis instead. Williams knew his placement was completely wrong and after the catch was taken, stood in his crease for what seemed like minutes, blinking in disbelief and head moving backwards in despair. He had thrown it away and he knew it.

Four scenic grounds in New Zealand’s North Island that didn’t make the World Cup cut

Will Macpherson04-Dec-2014What’s the most beautiful cricket ground in the world? Everyone has an opinion on this. You’ve probably had the same argument leaning on a bar or sitting in a stand or lying on a grass bank.Adelaide Oval probably features, or at least it would have done before a cricket ground became an AFL stadium. The same doubts probably bubble around the developments at Newlands. Arundel and Wormsley are most likely in the list of gorgeous grounds for their classical beauty, Dharamsala and Galle for their dramatic backdrops, Colombo and Antigua’s Rec for that ramshackle charm.Definitely you’ll have a ground in New Zealand on your list. Regardless of the seven grounds that will be seen and heard about during the World Cup, there will be some aesthetic absences. We take a look at seven grounds that didn’t make the World Cup cut. The reasons are logistical, but a return to these missing grounds will stir a whimsy: whether New Zealand emerged from the oceans simply to provide beautiful places to watch cricket.The North Island is home to four World Cup venues – Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Napier. The following four are the delights that the world will be missing.Pukekura Park, New Plymouth
Part of the weirdly beautiful Pukekura Park’s beauty is that it’s worth visiting even if not for cricket. it boasts a , lakes on which to boat, tea rooms, a seasonal festival of lights, lush lawns, wild bushwalks and all sorts of exotic flora and fauna alongside. Glorious.But the cricket ground, that’s something else entirely. It’s a typically stunning piece of rural New Zealand. is the key word. The air hangs thick with the smell of rhododendrons wafting over from the park; on one side, two adjacent steep hillocks provide natural, angular grandstands with grass poking through the layered wooden, levelled benches. Around the rest of the ground are further, sparser, steeper, more sporadic undulating humps that serve the same purpose; foliage, not uniform in height, forms a ring behind all but one end and provides beautiful dappled lighting over those seated when the sun shines.There’s a grand art deco gate at the only clear end, an end that serves as a window out to the real world that lies outside, however easy it is to forget it’s there. And there’s a perfectly conical volcano within a stone’s throw. The square is an oasis amidst this world of organic funk: a greener scene is not easy to imagine. I dare your jaw not to drop.Cobham Oval, Whangarei

Now this is a beautiful part of the world. Just south of the Bay of Islands, Whangarei is New Zealand’s northernmost city, a charming port boasting spectacular waterfalls, islands in the harbour, beautiful volcanic mountains, white sands, velvety conifers and, you guessed it, a classic cricket ground. Cobham Oval was approved for international cricket in 2011 and hosted its first ODI the following year, between New Zealand and Zimbabwe.Who was Cobham? That would be Charles Lyttelton, the 10th Viscount Cobham, Worcestershire captain in the 1930s and, later, the ninth Governor General of New Zealand. The ground in his name lies next to the Hatea River and minutes from the town centre. It draws on colonial design and an English village-green feel. The pavilion is grand and imperial – sandstone in colour and with a clock and turrets for decoration – dominating the scenery at third man, next to the sightscreen. Beyond that it’s simple: bunds and banks all around.Bay Oval: next door to the Pacific•Getty ImagesBay Oval, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga
“The Mount” is a pretty lovely place in which to summer. Thousands sprawl from the North Island’s urban centres and beyond every year to enjoy the spectacular, narrow peninsula on the Pacific: magnificent surf one side, sheltered bay the other, a dormant volcano at its tip and a cute little town to boot. It’s a lovely place to play or watch cricket too, as New Zealand and South Africa and thousands of fans discovered when Bay Oval hosted the first ever internationals to be played in New Zealand in October, earlier this year.Work started on this ground in 2005, with the excavation of huge amounts of dry land and sand. The result is stunning: a smart modern pavilion surrounded by lush green banks and a vast oval, all just a matter of metres from the sea. The ground feels made for Test cricket. That hasn’t happened yet but those two days against South Africa in October were a fine audition.Bay of Plenty doesn’t often see international sport so the hardy locals flocked in, even though spring was young. They created quite the festival atmosphere and it was a sea of white on green: tall green trees obscured the view of the white beaches; white steps ran from the pavilion to the green outfield, which in turn was flanked by a white picket fence, separating the fans, lounging on gentle green banks with that big green volcano in the background.Basin Reserve, Wellington

The Basin, like the city in which it dwells, has many peculiarities. The home of New Zealand Test cricket sits on Rugby Street, which says plenty about the game’s standing in the country, although it is one of New Zealand’s only sports grounds on the National Heritage list.It just appears from nowhere as you walk through town, is essentially a massive roundabout in the middle of Wellington, and is sheltered, in part, from the city’s famous elements by Mt Cook and Mt Victoria. That it only exists because an earthquake in 1855 flattened a swamp out enough to build a track adds to its charm.Charm it has in spades, and all of it has been retained. Fans are still invited onto the outfield during breaks in play, there’s a footpath that runs the perimeter of the pitch of the viewing areas, which are exquisite: the grass bank to the east is surely one of the most serene places to watch the game, with its rotund trees behind and the recently returned William Wakefield Memorial sat nobly in the middle. There’s ample covered seating opposite in the fanciful colonial Museum Stand (home, unsurprisingly, to the New Zealand Cricket Museum) and the tastefully designed RA Vance Stand next door. It is also solely a cricket ground, which is an important rarity in the Antipodes; it is why the Basin rarely feels misshapen or cavernously hollow like Eden Park can. On off days, you can just wander for a stroll, a lie-down, or simply soak up the unspoiled history of it all.On one such visit earlier this year, I found the Basin showing off about its place in New Zealand’s cricketing story, proudly emblazoning a DIY paint job on a window, reading “Crowe 299 McCullum 302” in honour of the pair’s remarkable feats at the ground. Thankfully, the recent threat of the ground falling in a flight path has been averted, so we can enjoy this virginal, unblemished, boutique cricket ground in the heart of the city just the way it always was.

English cricket has always had an aversion to the bold and, as a result, it is left with a massive image problem, argues Mark Butcher

Mark Butcher14-Jan-20153:47

Richard Gould, Surrey’s chief executive, defends the 18-team NatWest Blast

The BBL & the IPL. Two T20 competitions in which the existing structure of the game in the host country has been side-stepped. One expanding, the other contracting – though both have decided that 8 is the magic number.Two 20 over competitions that have brought excitement to non-international cricket & to non-traditional cricket audiences, whilst converting many sticklers along the way. The IPL is in its 8th year, The Big Bash its 4th. People over here are suddenly aware of the latter, and are beginning to be swayed by its brand of unapologetic entertainment, though the IPL is still viewed with nervous contempt by many – most of whom have never watched it.For my part, the BBL has merely confirmed a long-held view that a shake-up is required, as opposed to suddenly being hit by a realisation about what needs to be done.Jos Buttler, a brilliant T20 cricketer, rarely gets opportunities in this format•Getty ImagesFranchise cricket was on the agenda before ECB’s first T20 back in 2003. Unsurprisingly, it was rejected and the same old compromise was reached:- “You can try something new, but you must do it in a time-honoured way.”We had the chance to blaze a trail but decided stick to the well-trodden path. Imagine if we’d taken the plunge?The IPL has shown that a traditional, 24-state system can be streamlined into a glamorous, high quality and wildly popular competition (not without issues I grant you). What the BBL has picked up and sprinted with is a style of marketing that pushes the game to the forefront of public consciousness.I am increasingly of the view that we have missed the boat and that any change is therefore unlikely. We have always had an aversion to the bold, an aversion to raising standards by making the spoils harder to come by for players, a pomposity that (in the face of all evidence to the contrary) says: “Those colonials have no idea what they’re doing”.The game has a massive image problem, not least because, at county level, it has no image at all. T20 is about hype, it is about household names, it is about big crowds, it is about generating revenue. It is about getting a new, untapped generation to love the game.It is not about developing players (though that will happen as a by-product of tough competition), it is not about satisfying the member who will watch the odd first-class game a summer, it is not a sentimental throwback to the golden age of county cricket.The IPL & BBL cannot be unseen. They have swaggered into the bar, poked the landlord in the chest, turned up the jukebox and demanded everybody’s attention. Meanwhile the regulars are cowering in the corner, wondering if they will go away quietly and leave their commemorative tankards in one piece.We have to change the way we think about the game in this country. Else, in 10 years time, the audience will have made the change for us by spending its summers elsewhere.

Plays of the Day from the Group B match between South Africa and UAE in Wellington

Firdose Moonda12-Mar-2015The body blow It looked like it would turn into a long afternoon for UAE after Hashim Amla struck two fours in his first four deliveries and the bowlers seemed to quickly realise they may need to resort to something else to get him out. Mohammad Naveed delivered a wild full toss at full throttle that followed Amla as he overbalanced. He was hit on the wrist and immediately wrung the hand in pain and removed his glove. South Africa’s physiotherapist, Brandon Jackson, was on the field within seconds and tested his range of motion before applying a healthy dose of magic spray. Amla carried on, but was well rattled.The missed chance South Africa seemed to be asking for a run-out after Quinton de Kock sent Rilee Rossouw back three times in the first 10 overs, but the real risks only came later on. David Miller was trying to sneak a single after pushing the ball straight to cover but AB de Villiers was not as keen. Miller slipped on his way back and if the throw had come in accurately, he would have been well short of his ground. Saqlain Haider had to collect it on the full and fumbled to give Miller enough time to dive in.The backyard rule wicket six There was only one six in the first 37 overs of the South African innings and it seemed likely to stay that way until de Villiers decided to switch gears. He announced his intentions by standing still and smashing an Amjad Javed length ball over mid-wicket for six. The ball ricocheted off a board beyond the boundary and went back into the field, where it was caught. If backyard cricket rules applied, de Villiers would have been on his way. The catch UAE said they would not give anything to South Africa on a plate and they showed that when they forced Morne Morkel to throw the kitchen sink at their stubborn opening pair. In his first over, Morkel started short and got shorter until he had Andri Berenger fending the ball off his chest. It caught the handle and balooned up to where gully should have been and would have found empty space had Rilee Rossouw not taken quick action. He moved in from point, dived to his left and got a hand under the ball just before it hit the ground to get make the first inroad.The golden arm De Villiers has made a habit of bringing himself on in the hopes of burgling a wicket and he did that again, but he will insist there was a lot more than luck involved when he took his second scalp. De Villiers banged in a bouncer and Amjad Javed’s eyes lit up. He pulled on instinct alone and soon released it wouldn’t be enough. His top-edge swirled to deep mid-wicket where Wayne Parnell was fielding as a substitute and tried to catch it overhead. Both de Villiers and Amjad would have had their hearts in the mouths as Parnell juggled it and juggled it and got control and juggled it again before claiming the catch.The room to move The Westpac Stadium is one of the bigger capacity venues in New Zealand and this match had one of the smallest crowds which left everyone with more than enough space to stretch out. Two kids took it quite literally and spent the entire match running around the stands, in a full circle between the seats. They chose an empty row where they did not have to ask people to swing around in the chairs and managed to do more laps than any of the players. That’s one way to keep yourself entertained.

Five players with the best strike-rates in a single IPL season

Mathew Varghese13-May-2015Andre Russell
Strike-rate: 197.93 Season: 2015
Shakib Al Hasan’s absence due to international duty and Jacques Kallis’ move to a backroom role for Kolkata Knight Riders meant more matches for Russell in the 2015 IPL. He started off with an unbeaten 41 off 22 in a loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore, followed by a 36-ball 66 that helped chase down 156 against Kings XI Punjab after it had seemed improbable at 60 for 5. He starred in another close chase against Chennai Super Kings, and top scored in the IPL’s first one-wicket win.Glenn Maxwell
Strike-rate: 187.75 Season: 2014
After two insignificant seasons with Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians, Maxwell’s big splash in the IPL came in 2014 with Kings XI Punjab. His scores in the first three games with them: 95 off 43, 89 off 45, and 95 off 43. He managed to score only one more half-century, though, and failed to make an impact in the closing stages, with scores of 6, 13 and 0 after the league phase.Kieron Pollard
Strike-rate: 185.71 Season: 2010
Pollard came onto the radar of IPL teams with his performances for Trinidad & Tobago in the Champions League T20 in 2009, and was signed up by Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2010 season. He would have scored more than his 273 runs had he consistently batted higher up the order: ten of his 14 innings came at No. 6 or lower, and he surprisingly came in at No. 8 in the final, where his 27 off 10 balls came too late against Chennai Super Kings.Virender Sehwag
Strike-rate: 184.54 Season: 2008
Sehwag had a fairly inconsistent inaugural IPL – half his scores were below 20. However, he did manage to score 406 runs in his 14 innings as opener for Daredevils, and at the brisk pace expected of Sehwag. His best was an unbeaten 94 against Deccan Chargers, which came off just 41 balls. Sehwag led Daredevils to the semi-finals, where they lost to Rajasthan Royals, the eventual champions.Chris Gayle
Strike-rate: 183.13 Season: 2011
Before Royal Challengers Bangalore: . With Royal Challengers Bangalore: . Gayle made the move to Royal Challengers in 2011, and he announced his arrival with his first IPL century against Knight Riders, his former team. He scored another hundred in the season, against Kings XI Punjab, besides three fifties. Though he managed to better his 608 runs in subsequent seasons, he wasn’t able to match his 2011 strike-rate. His phenomenal batting won him the Player-of-the-Tournament award, but his duck in the final effectively ended Royal Challengers’ hopes of chasing down a big target.

Roelof van der Merwe on his South Africa career, what made him turn his allegiance to Netherlands, and the need to find a balance between Associates and Full Members at global events

Interview by Jonhenry Wilson04-Jul-2015Your departure from South African cricket was only made public earlier this week. Six days later, you’ve debuted for Netherlands. How did the swift swap happen?
My mother is Dutch and her mother is Dutch, that’s the ancestry of the qualification. There were a lot of things that I had to get in order to qualify. I was up to my neck in paperwork at one stage. There were certain dates that I had to be born after and those sorts of elements that had to be accounted for. That’s how the qualification for Netherlands came about. The move has been coming for about a year now. I started thinking about it a while back, and from there started putting things into motion to make it happen. Discussions with my family were obviously important too, and things gradually started falling into place.Is the switch a deliberate move to play international cricket again, or just the natural progression of your cricket career?
To play at the highest level, which is international cricket, is where you want to be as a professional cricketer. This move is ticking all those boxes, and also looks after the family aspect. Playing for South Africa was awesome, but I’ve done my own calculations to see if a comeback was going to happen. I saw there is no way back into the national team, and on that basis I made the decision to qualify to play for Netherlands. If the Dutch qualify for the World T20, we will be playing international cricket again – and that’s the highest level I crave.What were the key factors and who were the key points of contact during the move?
Ed van Nierop is the team manager at Netherlands and he is very on the ball with all things cricket. I had a few discussions with him, about the future and possibilities in and around the team. He assisted me plenty and has been a big part in this big move. I’m grateful for his help. I’m part of the squad, there and thereabouts, and now it’s a matter of getting into the playing XI on a regular basis, pushing for a permanent berth in the build-up to more T20I series and the World T20.Would you say that a lack of full-time association with a reputable franchise like Titans in South Africa will limit your opportunities of playing T20 cricket around the world?
I don’t think that is necessarily going to be the case. If you look at a guy like Ryan ten Doeschate, he played for Netherlands and some county cricket – and he is still playing cricket in the IPL and one or two other tournaments around the world. Having played for St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League, Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League and others, I don’t think this move is going to lessen my prospects at all with teams like that in the future.

“I will definitely seek some county cricket. It’s a high level of cricket and that’s what I want to be playing. My time with Somerset was good and I’d like that sort of thing again”

As part of the South Africa set-up previously and now the Dutch set-up, can you relate to the plight of the Associate nations compared to the privilege the Full Member teams have with the ICC?
I’ve been able to see it from South Africa’s point of view and now I can see it from Netherlands’ point of view. The balance between the Full Member teams and the Associate teams is important at World Cups and other major ICC events. The ICC haven’t quite confirmed anything yet, but hopefully they come to a place that includes the Associates as much as possible for future World Cups. A ten-team World Cup probably isn’t the way to go. They need to be more inclusive.You are able to pursue a county cricket contract as a European citizen now, rather than as an overseas recruit. Will you attempt to capitalise on this?
I’ve played for Somerset in the Champions League T20 and the domestic T20 competition in England in the past and I’ll definitely seek some county cricket again. It’s a high level of cricket and, as I’ve said, that’s what I want to be playing. I have had a few discussions with a few people regarding this. My time with Somerset was good and I’d like to make that sort of thing happen again at some stage. Let’s see how the Netherlands games go and take it from there.You played 13 ODIs and as many T20Is for South Africa. Which were the most memorable?
Making my debut in a T20I against Australia in front of my home crowd in Centurion was obviously a highlight. I almost made a half-century, and it was quite a quick innings. I got the wicket of David Hussey and I was reasonably economical. We won the game and I got the Man-of-the-Match award. There was also the home ODI series against the Aussies in 2009. We won that three-two in the end. That features among my personal international career highlights too.You’ve batted anywhere and everywhere, from positions three through nine, across 26 matches for South Africa. Did the lack of specific spot in the order frustrate you?
The team dynamics determined where you were going to bat in the order, and I was okay with that. At that stage, it was what was required of me in the team, in the batting order. In hindsight, you always ponder what could have been, but I really enjoyed the role I played in the South African team then. The period with the national team, playing in those roles – as a batsman, bowler, allrounder, up the order, down the order, finishing the innings and chasing boundaries – was very enjoyable and actually helped expand my cricket career in general.You are only the fifth man to play T20 international cricket for two countries. Do you know who the other four are?
I know Dirk Nannes, who played for Australia and Netherlands, is one of them. The rest I’d think played for England and Ireland. Eoin Morgan is probably one and perhaps Ed Joyce and Boyd Rankin. Other guys, like Kepler Wessels, I know played for two countries but probably before T20 international cricket existed.

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2015Mitchell Starc’s opening over was eventful: his second delivery saw Jason Roy given out lbw, then the decision overturned on review; two balls later, umpire Joel Wilson again raised his finger. Roy decided not to use the DRS only for Hawk-Eye to show the ball missing leg stump•Getty ImagesJohn Hastings then removed Alex Hales, giving him his first wicket for Australia since 2012•Getty ImagesHastings also had James Taylor caught behind as England slipped to 22 for 3•Getty ImagesThings got worse when Eoin Morgan was struck on the head by a 90mph Starc bouncer…•Getty Images…Australia’s players were quick to show their concern and immediately came to his aid•AFPAfter lengthy on-field assessment, Morgan retired hurt to be treated for concussion, his participation in the match over•Getty ImagesBen Stokes provided a fighting response in the middle order but wickets continued to fall around him•Getty ImagesMitchell Marsh collected four wickets, including that of Stokes, and only Adil Rashid’s unbeaten 35 helped England up to 138•Getty ImagesAaron Finch struck a brisk half-century to ensure Australia recovered from losing two early wickets•Getty ImagesFinch and George Bailey put on an unbroken 109-run stand to take Australia to victory and a 3-2 series victory•Getty ImagesAustralia took the one-day trophy to end their tour on a high•Getty Images

ESPNcricinfo marks the South Africa players out of 10 following their 3-0 series defeat in India

Firdose Moonda in Delhi08-Dec-20158Morne Morkel (nine wickets at 20.66) Defied the surfaces and his own bowling style with searing spells to lead the attack in the absence of Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, and did so better than expected. In Nagpur, Morkel produced reverse swing reminiscent of the two Ws and in Delhi, he pitched he troubled batsmen with a clever combination of short balls and fuller ones, even producing a magic yorker that would have made Lasith Malinga proud. Morkel finished as the leading wicket-taker among the seamers on both sides with nine wickets at an average of 20.667.5AB de Villiers (258 runs at 36.85) The only South African batsman to have some measure of conditions at every venue. Was the second highest run-scorer in a series where South Africa did not score one total over 250, and was their only milestone-maker, with half-centuries in Mohali and in his 100th Test in Bangalore where he did not allow the spinners to dictate to him the way his team-mates. De Villiers then switched gears completely in Delhi where he showed discipline required to dead-bat for almost six hours in a valiant, but unsuccessful effort to save the final Test.6.5Temba Bavuma (One Test)Thrust into the opening role in just his fifth Test, Temba Bavuma demonstrated temperament of a man beyond his level of experience. He was compact and calm in the first innings where he also managed to collect more runs than anyone other than de Villiers, and then impressively calm in the second, where he needed to show the restraint required of the South African approach. In total, he batted for four hours and two minutes in the match and showed the staying power South Africa may want in future.Kyle Abbott (Two Tests)As the yo-yo bowler in the side, it can be difficult for Abbott to settle, but he takes his chances whenever he is given them. He only bowled six overs in Bangalore but played a much bigger role in Delhi, where he claimed a first-innings five-for and proved he can be more than just a back-up bowler. Abbott’s ability to swing the ball and threaten with bounce should see him play more of a role for South Africa in future.6Simon Harmer (Two Tests)As the second spinner in South Africa’s XI behind Imran Tahir, Harmer operated more like a frontliner. He was used early on in innings when the ball was still hard as a container and combined that with a decent ability to take wickets. Harmer seems more of a fit for the South Africa team than Tahir – he found turn, took wickets and held an end. He should have some future in the Test outfit.Dane Piedt (One Test)With more variation than Harmer, Piedt is a different kind of offspinner which gives South Africa an interesting conundrum when choosing between them. Piedt took his chance in Delhi and performed admirably in the first innings although fatigue undid some of his good work.5Dean Elgar (137 runs at 19.57, five wickets at 27.20) A feisty competitor, Elgar’s first impression in the series was with ball in hand when he took four wickets on the first day of the series but his value was always going to be judged on how he batted. He got starts in every innings and often threw his wicket away in frustration. As the senior opener, he showed the ability but not always the application to accumulate runs. He however continues to offer South Africa a handy part-time bowling option.Imran Tahir (14 wickets at 21.35) In his comeback series, Tahir should be happy to have ended South Africa’s leading wicket-taker but he had less than half the scalps of his Indian counterpart – 14 to his name compared with R Ashwin’s 31- to put his performance into context. Tahir’s underwhelming was not always his own doing. He was underused and misused by his captain, who was hesitant to bowl him too early because of a tendency to leak runs and his confidence suffered as a result. His Test career now hangs in the balance.4Hashim Amla (118 runs at 16.85) A lean run which started in the limited-overs’ series spilled over into the Tests and Amla appeared a man preoccupied for most of it. His usual elegance and finesse were nowhere to be seen as his shot selection was questionable and footwork non-existent. He played himself back into some kind of form by leading the Delhi blockathon where he was able to tighten up his defense because he did not have to worry about scoring runs. As a captain, Amla showed some creative sparks in the first and third Tests. However, his use of Tahir, eventual running out of ideas, spreading the field to the Indian batsmen and letting them have their way may have some worried.Morne Morkel lead South Africa’s attack admirably in the absence of Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander•BCCI3 Faf du Plessis (60 runs at 8.57) He was the first South African to mention the conditions (saying he was expecting “the worst” in Mohali) and they seemed to affect him the most. A nightmare start to the series that saw him score two ducks in three innings promoted a move to further down the order, but even there, he could not escape the rut. He spent some time in the middle in Nagpur and Delhi to suggest some of the pieces are falling back into place but over the course of this series, Ravindra Jadeja mostly had the better of him.JP Duminy (70 runs at 14.00) Spoken about as the balancer of the South African XI, Duminy’s injury-enforced absence in the first Test was thought to have robbed South Africa of part of their ability to compete, but he did not make much of an impact on return. He struggled to hold together a floundering batting line-up and was barely present as a bowler. With minimal contributions in either department, his role in the side is rightly being questioned.2Stiaan van Zyl (56 runs at 11.20) Opening for just the second time in a series, van Zyl needed to do well to secure a more permanent spot and did not manage that. He appeared completely out of his depth against spin and fell to R Ashwin five times in as many innings, often not playing for tun. He was left out of the Delhi Test.Dane Vilas (60 runs at 8.57) Being the first-choice wicketkeeper on a tour of the subcontinent seemed to flatter Vilas’ ability which did not appear up to standard. He struggled when standing up to the stumps against the low bounce and was equally unsure in front of them. Vilas had a difficult job and the pressure on him only grew as the series went on and South Africa shaky line-up showed no signs of firming up.Unmarked Dale Steyn (One Test)There was no repeat of the magic Steyn produced the last time South Africa toured India because he sat out more than three-quarters of the seres injured. Steyn went wicketless in the 11 overs he bowled in the first innings in the Mohali Test before picking up a groin strain that sidelined him for the rest of the series. Vernon Philander (One Test)This was meant to be the tour that tested Philander’s ability to bowl on surfaces which would not offer him anything, but he did not really get the chance to show what he could do. After three wickets in a probing performance in Mohali, Philander tore ankle ligaments in the warm-ups before Bangalore to bring his tour to a premature end.