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ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2015

Offspinning allrounder Bilal Asif took five wickets to set up a seven-wicket win for Pakistan over Zimbabwe in the series decider in Harare

The Report by Liam Brickhill in Harare05-Oct-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:26

Bilal Asif’s five-for rocks Zimbabwe

Pakistan cruised to a 2-1 series victory over Zimbabwe with a seven-wicket win in the third ODI at Harare Sports Club. Offspinning allrounder Bilal Asif was the chief architect in the demolition of Zimbabwe’s batting line-up by Pakistan’s spinners, taking 5 for 25 as the hosts were bowled out for just 161. Bilal’s wickets prompted an extraordinary collapse with Zimbabwe losing 10 for 72 to ruin what had been a solid start from their openers. The only downside for Pakistan is that they remain in ninth place in the ICC ODI rankings as a result of the loss on Saturday.Operating from the City End of the ground, Bilal bowled his ten overs on the trot after being brought on in the 13th over by stand-in captain Sarfraz Ahmed – regular leader Azhar Ali sitting this match out with an infected foot. Openers Chamu Chibhabha and Richmond Mutumbami initially seemed to play the offspinner without much alarm, but when Chibhabha popped a simple return catch to the bowler, Zimbabwe’s spectacular implosion was set in motion.Sean Williams shuffled down the track to loft Bilal to wide long-on, but then seemed in two minds as he lunged forward at a flighted delivery and ended up chipping another tame catch to the bowler. Bilal took his second in the over by bowling a noncommittal Elton Chigumbura via the inside edge, and from then on Zimbabwe offered virtually nothing in the way of resistance.Sikandar Raza shuffled right across to the off side as he set himself to sweep, but exposed his stumps in the process and was bowled. When Tino Mutombodzi backed away and missed a cut off when the ball kept a touch low, Bilal had his fifth and Zimbabwe were 127 for 6 in the 31st over.There had been a completely different complexion to their innings in the midst of Chibhabha and Mutumbami’s opening stand. Chibhabha played with characteristic conviction off the front foot and took much of the early strike. He was into the 20s before Mutumbami had even faced his third delivery, and looked set for a 15th ODI fifty before falling to Bilal.His wicket broke an 89-run opening stand, and he was soon followed back to the pavilion by Brian Chari, who was lbw to Imad Wasim playing back when he should have been forward. Darting the ball in from round the wicket, Imad helped himself to two more wickets and in total Zimbabwe lost 9 for 65 to 18.5 overs of spin.Their collapse completely overshadowed a brave innings from Mutumbami. He was attacking from the outset and weathered a fearsome blow to the head from Mohammad Irfan, the ball knocking his helmet off his head, to register a career-best 67 before Irfan won their battle by having him caught behind. After his knock on the head, and a stinging blow to his wrist off Wahab Riaz, Mutumbami did not take the field in the second innings, with Chari filling in as wicketkeeper.The malaise in Zimbabwe’s performance today continued during Pakistan’s chase, which started before the lunch break due to the brevity of the hosts’ innings. John Nyumbu put Bilal down at slip in the second over, and he took advantage of the let-off with a quickfire 38 on either side of the interval as Pakistan cruised past 50.Bilal was eventually well caught by a diving Mutumbodzi at long-on. Mohammad Hafeez didn’t last long and Pakistan were 104 for 3 when Ahmed Shehzad was stumped for a 61-ball 32, but Shoaib Malik and Asad Shafiq faced minimal resistance in knocking off the remaining runs during their unbroken 58-run stand.

Tasmania got through the defenses of the New South Wales tail to complete a crushing innings victory over the visitors within three days in Hobart

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Mar-2011
ScorecardIn a top of the points table clash, Tasmania got through the defenses of the New South Wales tail to complete a crushing innings victory over the visitors within three days in Hobart.New South Wales resumed on 6 for 130, needing to score over 149 runs to make Tasmania bat again. The visitor’s lower order showed some resistance, with overnight No. 8 batsman Steve O’Keefe going on to score 46 – the innings’ top score.O’Keefe strung together fighting partnerships with Peter Nevill and Scott Coyte, but after the top order failed for the second time in the match, New South Wales were never going to make Tasmania sweat. The Tasmania bowlers produced disciplined spells, the pace trio of Luke Butterworth, James Faulkner and Adam Maher picking up three wickets each.Both teams were tied at the top of the points table on 32 points when the match began. With six points from this game, Tasmania move ahead.

The Tamil Nadu left-hand opener, has taken a major step towards national selection by being included in the Board President’s XI squad to take on the South Africans in Nagpur from Tuesday

Kanishkaa Balachandran02-Feb-2010He has a triple-century, hundreds on Ranji and Irani Trophy debuts, a quadruple-century opening stand, a 50-plus average after three first-class seasons and an IPL contract – all this before his 20th birthday. And now Abhinav Mukund, Tamil Nadu’s left-hand opener, has taken another step towards national selection by being included in the Board President’s XI squad to take on the South Africans in Nagpur from Tuesday.Abhinav was named in the squad to take on the touring Sri Lankans in the same fixture last year but the weather prevented him from actually playing. If he takes guard against South Africa, it will be his first knock against an international quality attack, and his survival skills and longevity at the crease will be put to test.The emergence of Abhinav, one of several newcomers starting to find their feet, coincided with – or perhaps was responsible for – the revival of Tamil Nadu’s fortunes on the domestic circuit. The team was in a rebuilding phase after losing a bunch of players to the ICL, and the prime indicator of that revival was the emergence of a strong top order featuring Abhinav and M Vijay.Shortly before the 2007-08 season, Abhinav toured Sri Lanka with the India Under-19 squad where he hit 399 runs in two matches at 99.75. He wasn’t handed a Ranji debut immediately. In fact he had to sit out Tamil Nadu’s first two games but on the morning of the third, against Karnataka, a team-mate’s misfortune gave Abhinav the break he needed.”Honestly, I wasn’t expecting that call-up at all. I was looking forward to another four days of rest when R Ashwin (the offspinner) pulled out with an injury on the morning of the match,” Abhinav told Cricinfo from his home in Chennai. “I came in at the fall of the first wicket and got off the mark with a boundary off the first ball. From then on, I was in the zone.”He has self-belief and youthful exuberance, and is willing to take risks but perhaps his most handy trait is that he’s tough to dismiss once he gets his eye in. He followed his debut hundred with another ton against Saurashtra and almost made it three in a row, falling for 96 against Himachal Pradesh.That streak was matched by Vijay, who hit a similar purple patch on his debut. The two have chemistry at the crease that has translated itself into massive partnerships, including 462 in their 2008-09 Ranji season opener against Maharashtra in Nasik. They were three short of the Ranji record when Vijay fell for 243.”We understand each other’s game very well,” Abhinav says. “We have similar styles, we like to settle down first before going for the big shots. We share a great rapport on and off the field.”Abhinav remembers the final moments of that triple-hundred vividly. “I never expected to get close to a triple,” he says. “I was dropped on 202 and by then was mentally tired. I batted till 247, expecting a declaration but the captain Dinesh [Karthik] gave me another 10 to 12 overs. From then on I just slogged.”That knock was like the pilot episode for a fantastic show that continued through the season, in which he scored 856 runs at 85.60, finishing fourth in the list of run-getters in the Ranji elite group. He also had a 100% conversion rate, going on to score hundreds on each of the four occasions when he crossed fifty. A ton in the Ranji ODI finals guided Tamil Nadu to the title and he began the next season with another century, in the Irani Trophy against Mumbai.That Abhinav took to cricket itself wasn’t surprising, given that his parents played the sport too. A regular on the school cricket scene, Abhinav took it up seriously only in his final year at school.Were his folks pleased with his career choice? “Well my mother found it difficult to digest,” he says. “She wanted me to study, which is natural in many families in the south, where there’s a stress on academics. I did find it hard mixing studies with sports.” He’s still trying to juggle between the two, now pursuing a Commerce degree on the side.He furthered his cricket education in 2009 when he won the Border-Gavaskar Scholarship to spend five weeks at the Center of Excellence in Brisbane. That stint not only tightened his technique but also introduced him to the life of a professional sportsman.”I learnt how to be self-sufficient in life. The facilities were amazing. It was a good experience batting against the Kookaburra ball, especially against the bowling machine. I also got good exposure against the short ball.”Like Gautam Gambhir, he’s a powerful cutter and driver of the ball off the front foot through the off side, and doesn’t mind the odd slash. Having been brought up on flat wickets, however, Abhinav is yet to be tested in conditions where the ball swings for considerable periods. A few A-team tours will do him a world of good, as will an opportunity against the South Africans. He says he’s received offers from clubs in the UK, but he’s yet to commit to them because of the upcoming IPL and the league season in Chennai. Another area he’s working hard on is his fielding. He feels his worth as a utility player may just give him more opportunities in Twenty20 cricket.With another Ranji season just ended, Abhinav already has noteworthy achievements jotted down on his CV. Frequent injuries have opened the doors to fringe players in India like S Badrinath and Sudeep Tyagi. At this rate, his name may crop up more often in selection meetings.

Brook came in for criticism during a relatively lean Test series against Sri Lanka but he has gas left in the tank after a long season

Matt Roller18-Sep-2024It tells you just how serenely Harry Brook’s international career has progressed that he came under scrutiny after averaging 30 in a series win. But by his own admission, Brook finds himself trying to avoid paralysis by overanalysis as he prepares to captain England for the first time at Trent Bridge on Thursday after his approach was questioned during Sri Lanka’s recent victory at The Oval.Brook made 19 and 3 in the final Test of the English season, having made between 32 and 56 in his first four innings of the series against Sri Lanka. If the scores were underwhelming, it was his manner at the crease that drew most attention: he grew visibly frustrated when Sri Lanka bowled wide outside his off stump, to the extent Michael Vaughan accused him of “taking the mick out of the game”.Related

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This has been a long season for Brook, who was England’s only ever-present across both June’s T20 World Cup and their six home Tests. He spent the three weeks between the West Indies and Sri Lanka series captaining Northern Superchargers in the Hundred, and will fly to Pakistan for October’s Test tour only three days after the fifth and final ODI of the Australia series.Brook seemed characteristically relaxed on the eve of his England captaincy debut at Trent Bridge, grinning through his pre-match press conference and laughing off the idea that he had ever craved leadership. He conceded that his Test summer had not quite gone to plan, but played down the suggestion that he was mentally drained after an intense season.”Because I wasn’t scoring the runs I wanted to, I probably was [feeling] a little bit [tired],” Brook said. “But if I’d have gone out and got two hundreds against Sri Lanka then I’d have been like, ‘I’ll just carry on’. But no, not really. I love playing cricket: I want to play as much as I possibly can. I do think breaks are important at certain times, but I was pretty chilled.”Obviously I didn’t do as well as I’d wanted. I want to get a hundred every innings, but it’s not going to happen, is it? Professional sport is not easy… I felt like I batted really well against West Indies and then didn’t play as well as I wanted to against Sri Lanka, but those things happen. You go away and think about it for a little bit, and hopefully come back stronger in Pakistan.”Harry Brook was in good spirits despite a long, busy season•Getty Images

Until the Hundred this year – where he oversaw five wins in six completed games – the majority of Brook’s captaincy experience came with England Under-19s, whom he led in 11 Youth ODIs, including five at the 2018 World Cup. Since then, he has played 50-over cricket only sporadically. Half of his 30 List A games have been full ODIs, and his record in them is underwhelming: 407 runs at 29.07, with three half-centuries.He will aim to keep things simple against Australia, batting at No. 4. “I’m just going to go out there and watch the ball as closely as possible,” he said. “If you have a few low scores here and there, you start thinking about different things and your technique and whatever. I’m just going to go out there, watch the ball as closely as I can and play on instinct.”Brook is only standing in as captain for Jos Buttler, who was with the squad on Wednesday as he continues his rehabilitation from a calf injury and will return for November’s Caribbean tour. “I might pick his brains here and there,” Brook said, “but he’s said I’ve got full rein to do whatever I want.”Buttler has challenged Brook to “identify those moments” in the field where he can change the game – something that Buttler himself has struggled with in ODIs. Brook showed signs of that instinct during the Hundred, and said that he would liberate his bowlers to make decisions: “Whatever you feel like doing, just do it. The only bad outcome is you could get hit for a boundary and the next ball could be a dot ball.”This ODI series is one of only three for England before February’s Champions Trophy, and the first since Rob Key announced that Brendon McCullum will take over as limited-overs coach as part of a “strategic restructure” of the senior set-up. The implication is that there will be greater convergence between formats, as evidenced by Ben Duckett’s promotion to open the batting on Thursday.Brook said that he has hardly spoken to McCullum, who has instead delegated responsibility to his Test assistant coach Marcus Trescothick. “It’s all going to merge into one at some point,” Brook predicted. “We want to go out there and entertain the crowd, take the game on, try to take wickets and put the pressure on their bowlers.”And after ending the Test summer on autopilot at The Oval, Brook hopes that this new challenge will prove reinvigorating. “I’ve only been here for two days, but the way the lads have gone about their business in training just seems so chilled at the minute. We’re all looking forward to going out there and having some fun.”

Bhuvneshwar has led Sunrisers in seven games in the past, winning two and losing five

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2023In the absence of designated captain Aiden Markram, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening match of IPL 2023, against Rajasthan Royals in Hyderabad on April 2.Markram is in South Africa for the two-match ODI series against Netherlands and will arrive in India only on April 3. The series is crucial for South Africa’s direct qualification for the ODI World Cup, to be played in India later this year. They need to win both ODIs against Netherlands (without over-rate penalties) and then hope Ireland lose at least one ODI against Bangladesh in a three-match home series in May.Bhuvneshwar has been with Sunrisers since their inception in 2013, and has led them in the past as well – in six games in 2019 and once in 2022. Sunrisers won two of those seven matches.After finishing eighth on the points table in 2022, Sunrisers revamped their squad ahead of this season. One of the big changes was releasing their then-captain Kane Williamson and handing over the reins to Markram.Markram recently led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the inaugural SA20 title, where he also finished as the tournament’s third-highest run-getter, scoring 369 runs at a strike rate of 127. He also bagged 11 wickets at an economy of 6.19 with his offspin.Apart from Markram, Marco Jansen and Heinrich Klaasen will also be unavailable for the first match. That leaves Sunrisers with only five overseas players – Harry Brook, Glenn Phillips, Adil Rashid, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Akeal Hosein – to choose from for their first match.Sunrisers’ second game is on April 7, against Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow.

He is still enjoying his cricket and expects Bangladesh to provide tough competition to Pakistan in the upcoming series

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2020Pakistan allrounder Shoaib Malik insists he is not getting ahead of himself following his call-up for the series against Bangladesh, and will “not set any long-term goals”. Most notably, that meant he wouldn’t commit to saying whether he aimed to be part of Pakistan’s World T20 squad, saying that was “too far out”.”I am not thinking about the World Cup; my selection is for the Bangladesh series and I will try to avail whatever opportunity I get,” he told reporters in Lahore. “The World Cup is too far out, and I don’t set long term goals. Whatever’s in my hand I will try. There are lots of youngsters in the team who should be groomed and that is the priority. I also don’t want to make a statement that I will retire from T20 cricket after the World Cup. When the time comes, I will see how things are going.”Malik’s remarks on his aspirations for the World T20 stand in stark contrast to his fellow senior player Mohammad Hafeez’s, who was also called up by chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq for this series. The day after his inclusion in the side, he declared the World T20 would mark his retirement from all international cricket, suggesting playing in that event is very much front and centre among his goals.Malik should be more familiar with the visiting Bangladesh side than most. Just last week, he was part of the Rajshahi Royals side that triumphed in the Bangladesh Premier League final in Dhaka. He ranked fourth on the run charts across the entire competition, racking up 455 averaging just under 38. In addition, he shed light on some of the conversations he had had with players in Bangladesh, and his attempts to assuage any concerns players might have about touring Pakistan.”Players do ask us about how things are in Pakistan when we go out and play in different leagues. The sort of security you get in Pakistan, you don’t get anywhere else. Some Bangladesh players also inquired about security, and I told them that they should come and have a look at it themselves. Only one player [Mushfiqur] is not coming because of personal reasons. I just want to say to him ‘please do come next time and see for yourself’. When the Bangladesh team comes and sees the atmosphere here, I think they will also convince others who aren’t coming right now to come for the next leg.”As for the cricket, though, he expects nothing less than the sternest of challenges.”Bangladesh are bringing a strong team. Their system has become stronger over the years. A well-balanced side is coming. But if you look at our T20 team, we have lots of players who have plenty of experience. Babar Azam is highly thought of around the world; when I go play in other leagues, they all praise him. When other players also get chances on a consistent basis, I feel sure they will also perform, too.”But for Pakistan’s oldest serving cricketer – Malik made his international debut in 1999 – being in this side at all defies expectations. After a torrid World Cup campaign he was dropped halfway through, he lost his central contract, and the possibility he had played his last game for Pakistan was very real. Now, back in the side and with a chance to show his worth as a stabilising influence in a team that has begun to slide, Malik has a simple explanation for why he’s sticking around.”I’m still enjoying my cricket,” he said.

The preparations in the lead-up to the Durban Test and their consequent performance there has given his side a lift, says Sri Lanak’s captain

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Feb-2019Bounce. It made rubble out of Sri Lanka’s top order in Australia. It was expected to make rubble out of them again, in South Africa.But somehow, after having mustered only scores of 144, 139, 215 and 149 in Brisbane and Canberra, Sri Lanka got themselves to a score of over 300 for the first time in six Tests in Durban. It took a miraculous Kusal Perera innings to get them anywhere near that total, of course, but it has made the batting order a little more comfortable against the steepling ball. That’s according to captain Dimuth Karunaratne.Of the men in this top order, Karunaratne would know better than most the dangers the bouncer presents, both he and Kusal Perera having had to leave the field after being struck in the helmet in Canberra. But he thinks Sri Lanka’s experiences in Australia have helped them refine their batting strategies against the short ball. Or at least he hopes they have.”Some of us can hit the bouncers really well; some of us can’t. So if you can’t, don’t think twice – just leave it. It’s that’s simple,” Karunaratne said. “The boys are practicing really hard in the nets. The coaching staff knew what kind of bowling attack we will face here, so the preparation was really good in those seven days before the Durban Test. That’s the main reason the boys did really well there.”If we see the Australian tour, they bowled a lot of bouncers, and when they saw we were uncomfortable, they kept doing it. Here, we played the bouncer more comfortably, so they don’t want to bowl the bouncer so much. They want to bowl good areas to get wickets.”The tracks Sri Lanka are playing on South Africa are also not quite as quick as those in Australia, Karunaratne said. The Gabba, where they played their first Test under lights in Australia, has a global reputation for being one of the quickest and bounciest around. Kingsmead and St. George’s Park, meanwhile, are perhaps the two slowest of the South African venues.”We had a tough two games in Australia on fast and bouncy wickets. We consistently got pitches where bowlers were bowling 150kph. But I told my teammates that here it’s much easier than in Australia.”You have to get better, from that experience. You have to keep your head clear and play positively. I think we saw that in the last game. This Port Elizabeth pitch is a pretty good wicket compared to the others, like Johannesburg, which is a fast and bouncy. We have a good batting wicket here.”Karunaratne also expressed support for coach Chandika Hathurusingha on the eve of the secod match. Following the victory at Kingsmead, a viral video had emerged of Kusal Perera and Suranga Lakmal giving dressing room speeches that ostensibly endorsed the coaching of Hathurusingha.With there being strong rumours that the board was moving to sack Hathurusingha from his position before that Kingsmead Test, the coach seems to have at least some support from some players.”We have to support each other. The coach also did a really good job,” Karunaratne said. “All the time, he’s trying to give something to the players. That’s why the players also want to give something back as well.”As a captain I like to see everyone in the dressing room helping each other to get better and better. We have to support the coach as well, and the coach has to realise what our gameplan is. That communication will be really good for Sri Lankan cricket.”

There were half-centuries for Sean Dickson, Darren Stevens and Wayne Parnell but Jofra Archer’s 7 for 67 was the star turn as Sussex dismissed Kent for 304 at Hove

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Hove14-Apr-2017
ScorecardDaniel Bell-Drummond lost his middle stump attempting to leave against Jofra Archer•Getty Images

It is just a day into Sussex’s Championship campaign and, if the supporters are to be believed, player of the year, young player of the year and bowling performance of the year have been wrapped up. Jofra Archer, with figures of 7 for 67 – his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket – bowled with the skill beyond his 22 years and seven matches.On a surface that rewarded patience from both sides, he outbowled the world-class Vernon Philander (who went wicketless) and created havoc at will. Last month, he set himself a target of 70 wickets across all three formats in 2017. He’s already a tenth of the way there. “Just 63 more to go,” he said, with all the chutzpah of a man ready to tick them off in good time.His rise has been a remarkable one. But it is a rise that fans of Sussex and cricket should cherish. Because, at the beginning of 2016, aged 20, Archer was close to retiring from the game. Two years after a stress fracture of the back, he was in still experiencing great discomfort. In agony after a handful of overs, he wondered if he could have a career that took more than it gave him. Luckily, for all of us – though maybe not Kent – he kept with it.”It’s been really frustrating, to be honest. In 2014, I played two games in the Sussex twos and I did really well. Then my back just gave out. The most frustrating thing was that CJ [Chris Jordan] kept telling me that if I played five more games, I probably would have gotten a contract.”Over the next two years, his back showed little sign of progress. Then he thought about packing it in. “Honestly, I almost called it quits. It was just too painful. I probably could only bowl one spell in a day. I couldn’t really come back into an attack: my back would stiffen up a lot. Luckily my parents kept pushing me.”A programme of core work in England and Barbados, coupled with regular physiotherapy helped him get stronger and take the strain away from his back. Watching him bowl, you do wonder where the strain comes from. His action is like no other: velvet strides to the crease that shine the grass beneath his feet, before a gather with all the grace of Gene Kelly skipping over a puddle takes him into delivery. Think of the equivalent of the Moonwalk but going forward, and you’re barely halfway there.The first wicket of the day was box office. Daniel Bell-Drummond, confident enough to leave after seeing what Archer had offered him, left a ball that started wide but ended up poleaxing his middle stump. Last season, a similar set-up and finish that saw a Leicestershire batsman lose off middle went viral. This one is likely to do similar numbers. “It’s already all over Twitter at the moment,” he laughed.”It’s my stock ball, really. I try and set batsmen up with the outswinger: it’s not my strongest ball but, I bowl it a couple of times just to let the batsman know that I have it.”It has taken time for him to develop that ball: hard work combined with the need to “trust” his wrist. Jordan, too, overcame similar back and technical issues to get where he is today – an international cricketer currently plying his trade in the IPL – and it is not lazy to wonder if Archer will glide the same path, given how much the former has relied on the latter already.Jordan originally came across Archer around five years ago while he was still spending his winters playing first-class cricket for Barbados. Brisk in the nets and capable if unspectacular with the bat, Archer immediately impressed and Jordan kept tabs on his progression. When he found out that Archer had a British passport through his father, Jordan advised him to seek opportunities in the UK.In 2014, he signed for Middleton Cricket Club as their overseas player, while Jordan managed to wangle him some 2nd XI games. The stress-fracture stopped him bowling but he used the time to bring his batting up to speed, averaging over 50 across 13 club games. It was only in 2015, when he was bowling again, albeit off a short run-up (and still quick), that the county realised just how good he could be.Reluctant to commit to any deal because of the nature of the injury, Sussex encouraged Archer take it easy over the winter to ensure he was fully fit and return to England the following year. Rather than return to Middleton, he emailed Horsham, who have strong ties with Sussex through opening batsman Chris Nash, whose elder brother Mark is involved with the running of the club. Not long after that email was received, Mark fielded a call from former West Indies and Sussex quick Corey Collymore, Archer’s mentor in Barbados, who gave a glowing reference.As it turned out, he only managed a handful of games for Horsham after a four-for in a tour game with Pakistan led to Sussex hogging him for the remainder of 2016. He took 35 wickets in all competitions – 23 in Championship cricket – along with handy runs down the order, including 73 during a 140-run partnership with Jordan against Essex. At the beginning of August, with counties circling for his signature, Sussex gave him an 18-month deal. In December, they reinforced that with a two-year extension.Kent had ambled their way to 152 for 6 in the 58th over – Archer removing Will Gidman and Adam Rouse in consecutive balls – with opener Sean Dickson’s 68 from 179 balls the only score of note. But a dropped catch at first slip off the bowling of Ajmal Shahzad allowed Darren Stevens a life on 6. By the time the new ball came around after 80 overs, Kent had added more than 100, as Stevens and Wayne Parnell freed their arms and liberated the innings. Their partnership was eventually brought to a halt by Shahzad before Archer stepped in to mop up the tail.The loss of Chris Nash under lights – lbw to Matt Coles – perhaps took the edge off for Sussex. Archer, however, is hopeful of a lead. And who are we to disagree?

“Moments are going to get heated,” Vernon Philander has said of the upcoming Test series against Australia

Firdose Moonda in Perth01-Nov-20161:43

Rabada an exciting bowler to watch – Philander

While some of Australia’s former players have cautioned the current crop against too much talk in the upcoming Tests, Vernon Philander warned things won’t always stay genteel from the South African side, especially not when they are up against it.”There’s going to be a time when a partnership will develop and it will require one or two bowlers to put up their hands and get a bit ugly and make things uncomfortable,” Philander said.When those times come, Philander seems ready to put himself at the forefront. “That tests your character, it’s a part of Test cricket and testing your skills – you need to get out there and win that moment for your team. It’s going to be fun.”For Philander, it may also be personal. He is perhaps more highly regarded at home than in Australia, – as was also the case when he toured England – despite his eight-for on debut against Australia in Cape Town in the match in which they were bowled out for 47. The Australians want to see him do that in Australia, just like the English wanted to see him to do it England.Then, he responded by taking seven wickets at Lord’s, including 5 for 30 in the second innings, to win the Test and the mace and signed off with a line that is still repeated in South African circles: “Stats don’t lie,” he said, when asked what he would like to say the English after that day.They don’t, and Philander’s numbers against Australia could do with some improving. In seven Tests against them, Philander has taken 35 wickets at an average of 30.24, much higher than his overall average of 22.09. In the past two series against them – 2012 and 2014 – he has taken only 11 wickets at 51.00.His powers are considered to have waned since he became the fastest bowler in over a century to 100 Test wickets and the injury that kept him out of most of last summer has not helped him restore his reputation. On this tour, Philander has everything to prove but pre-series, he chose to play that down.”It’s very important for me personally and it’s also important for us as a unit,” Philander said. “We’ve got to take 20 wickets and as long as I play my part in taking 20 wickets in a Test match, then I’ll be happy.”His first chance at doing that will be on the surface that could offer the most assistance. The WACA is set to have something in it for the seamers, as the Gabba was expected to four years ago. Then, looks were deceiving and the all-pace attack Philander was part of backfired so he is being cautious about whether South Africa will go guns blazing this time. “We’ve always had three seamers with a spinner and a part-timer and we’re pretty used to that,” he said.But with the pace pack at their disposal – Dale Steyn, fit-again Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada, Kyle Abbott and Philander – it will be difficult to decide which two must sit out. And if they do opt for a four-pronged attack, Philander’s advice to his team-mates is not to get too excited by the surface.”The simpler you keep it, the better it becomes,” he said. “You can get carried away by the pace and bounce but for seamers you need to be ultra-disciplined here.”Control is something Philander has built his game on. He is known for being able to hit the area outside off for over after over, and only move the ball off the seam slightly. That is likely to be his line of attack in this series.It’s not as emphatic as Steyn’s swing or Rabada’s pace and in many ways, it is indicative of the bowler Philander is. He does not get throbbing veins or send the speed gun above 150kph, he does not have much to say about the opposition except that they are the “11 individuals who are the best in Australia at the moment and we’ve to to respect that for what they are,” and he does not have much to say to them either.Unlike Steyn he did not name a target or threaten to sink an entire side. He just mentioned that he is capable of not being a nice guy too, if he has to.”Moments are going to get heated,” he said, “but you as a person have to be stay calm and collected.”