Action Replay: Cricket in 2012

The end of November, from Nov 21, was the greatest period of Test cricket in 2012. There were 4 Test matches happening during that period and all 4 produced nail biting finishes. Amazing cricket was played then. Lots of Test matches and lots of series’ which deserved one another Test match was what we saw in 2012. The tri-series in Australia was also back. 2012 can very well be termed as the year of batsmen.

Best Matches of 2012

2^nd Test – Australia vs South Africa – Adelaide – Nov 22-26 2012

Faf du Plessis partnered with AB de Villiers, partnered with injured Jacques Kallis, partnered with Dale Steyn, partnered with Rory Kleinveldt, partnered with Morne Morkel, survived 3 reviews, survived 3 sessions and played a match saving innings which lasted more than 7 and a half hours to secure nothing but a draw, a crucial draw in a match where neither teams deserved to lose.

South Africa landed in Australia without losing a Test match away since Feb 2010, and fresh after winning the Test mace from England in their latter’s home turf. And this Test seemed to be a test of character for the South African team. With Australia having momentum from the 1^st Test even though it ended in a draw, and by racing to 482/5 on Day 1 of this 2^nd Test with centuries from Warner and Hussey, another double from captain Clarke, with South Africa deflated with a 1^st innings deficit of 162, 4^th innings target of 430 (the biggest Adelaide Oval chase in 110 years) and with Kallis injured, a definite Australian victory could be sensed. By the end of day 4, SA plummeted to 77/4 with de Villiers and the debutant du Plessis at the crease to save the Test and to be in hunt for the Number one Test ranking (whichever team wins this series will become number one).

This is more than a nightmare for any debutant. Became a part of the playing XI at the last minute to replace an injured Duminy, du Plessis was made to toil hard in the hot sun on day 1. He even tried his hands at bowling, which was ineffective. But that was alright as none of the front-line bowlers could stem the flow of runs. He then came to bat at a time when one more wicket would mean that the tail would be exposed. With Kallis not showing up, the heavy task was on the shoulders of du Plessis. He scored a useful 78.

The second innings was no different. Given a crumbling day 5 pitch and a mountainous target, du Plessis held his nerves under pressure and displayed wonderful show of defense and temperament. He passed the test of survival; he passed the test to become a Test Batsman.

In a Test where both teams faced injury concerns, du Plessis grabbed the opportunity with both hands and stood firm to be termed as the best debutant of 2012. He ended up making an unbeaten 110 – the highest by a debutant for South Africa against Australia since their readmission.

1^st ODI – India v Pakistan – Chennai – Dec 30 2012

India were in a losing streak entering into this much anticipated series and this match didn’t create any change in the approach of the players. The Indian top order failed yet again, leaving India reeling at 29/5. MS Dhoni played the innings of his lifetime and took the team to a respectable total of 227.

Overcast conditions and high humidity welcomed the teams. Chennai conditions were always tough and it has always been a tough challenge to the home team. India were under tremendous pressure after losing the Test series against England and with concerns raised over Dhoni’s captaincy, loosing the toss added salt to the wound. The 7-foot tall Irfan and the reliable Junaid Khan damaged India’s top order in the mandatory powerplay. Dhoni joined with Raina and started with a patient partnership. When it’s thought that the super kings were making the magic happen on their home turf, Raina fell leaving India at a miserable 102/6. In came Ashwin who was not a big hit in ODIs and the tail was exposed soon yet again. Little did anyone think that Dhoni, the batsman, would emerge.

Overnight rain, bouncy pitch, seaming conditions, team’s crisis, Tendulkar gone and even new rules – nothing flattered Dhoni the batsman. He played a very cautious knock to see the 2 new balls off. Very cautious, until Raina perished. A sudden change of approach and Dhoni, who was boundary less in his initial 34 from 78 balls, blasted every good and bad ball. The sixer off Irfan was the beautiful part of his innings. A brutal hit.

India might have lost the match but Dhoni’s knock was awesome. It has been turbulent times for India of late but Dhoni hasn’t shunned his captaincy. Dhoni, the thinking captain, had a part to play in the batsman. Continuing to say that the batsmen failed will not suffice and Dhoni stood up as a batsman. Under humid conditions, Dhoni defied even his aching body to take singles and showed great resistance and in the process, crossed 7000 runs. Dhoni may have been fading as a captain but this particular knock shows he still has lots left in him as a batsman and as a player who can carry on. There may be many memorable ODI innings of Dhoni but this will be the most special one. Hats off Dhoni!

2^nd Test – Sri Lanka v England – Colombo – Apr 3-7 2012

A collective team failure in the 1^st Test and yet again the number one Test team loses their way due to carelessness. Arriving in Colombo didn’t make things better. Everyone wondered how England were going to manage in the more spin friendly conditions. More than the team, Pietersen’s place in the playing XI was being questioned often. And with his attraction towards IPL, the 2^nd Test might well have been his last chance. Pietersen thought different.

With England bowlers taking care to reduce the Sri Lankan first innings to 275 and the England openers giving a solid start, it was evident that England finally got their hold. With that, Pietersen got a solid platform to proceed with his routine – making runs. Dilshan was giving a tough time by retreating from his delivery often as Pietersen was switching his stance even before the bowler released the ball. Pietersen remained unfazed to all the commotion it created, continued switch hitting combined with great stroke play, making 151 and leading England to a 185 runs first innings lead.

The pitch was almost dead when Pietesen came out to bat. But such limitations can’t stop a man of zeal. Others who followed Pietersen to the crease folded up soon but Pietersen had done the damage already. Graeme Swann cleaned up the Sri Lankan second innings and Pietersen finished the victory in style. He showed that he was determined in his job and does stand among the classic batsmen of his era. A great comeback for Pietersen and England which became a great learning, ahead of another challenge that was waiting in India. This win not only leveled the series but also helped England retain their number one Test ranking.

11^th ODI – CB Series – India vs Sri Lanka – Hobart – Feb 28 2012

Every batsman had an awesome strike rate and every bowler had gruesome spells. It was raining centuries. There were imperious batting displays from Dilshan, Sangakkara and Kohli. Spinners kept their economy under 6 and made sure there is a competition to make out of it.

After a pathetic display in the Test series, India were trying to console themselves with a good performance in the limited overs and nothing other than playing against Sri Lanka could give a morale boost. With a win, a tie and a loss against Sri Lanka, this match was to determine who has a stronger chance of reaching the finals. Sri Lanka made 320/4 from their quota and a heavy task lay with the Indian openers to save face. Dropping their rotation policy, India had all their 3 openers Sehwag, Tendulkar and Gambhir in the line-up and all 3 chipped in with useful scores and maintaining the required run-rate.

The openers perished trying to accelerate the innings. Kohli took the challenge and opportunity and made the Sri Lankan bowling look worse than the Indian bowling. They were insipid under pressure, which showed in their fielding. An unbeaten 86 ball 133 from Kohli overshadowed the 87 ball 105 effort from Sangakkara. A match winning knock from Kohli and India reached the target with 80 balls to spare. India were back and with a bang!

3^rd Test – Pakistan v England – Dubai – Feb 3-6 2012

The final result reads Pakistan won by 71 runs. What it doesn’t tell is that this is probably one of the worst Test matches for England in recent times. England lost the series 3-0. A series which Cook and Pietersen will need to forget; a series to be remembered for the spinners; a series which became a lead up to Strauss’s retirement.

It was an unusual total batting failure from Pakistan in the first innings after winning the toss but their spinners made sure England didn’t survive either. The Test match, which had to be at least drawn to save a whitewash, saw Pakistan bundled out for 99 But that too couldn’t help England as they themselves folded for 141. Centuries from Azhar Ali and Younis Khan set up a stiff 4^th innings target of 324 for England, with 2 full days remaining. England started positively and cautiously. But in the end, it was Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman who had the last laugh.

It may not be in this match, but this series brought in the likes of Junaid Khan and Aizaz Cheema to form a splendid bowling line up for Pakistan. They became the first team in 100 years to win a Test match after scoring less than 100 in the first innings.

2^nd ODI – England v South Africa – Southampton – Aug 28 2012

Hashim Amla made a career best ODI ton, South Africa got an 80 run victory and with that the number one ranking in ODI as well. They became the first team to be crowned as number one in all three formats at one time.

This match defined who Amla really was. He is not only a Test specialist but also someone who can adjust to the shorter versions of the game. On course to his century, Amla became the fastest to reach 3000 ODI runs.

A poor day behind wickets and poor fielding can cause more damage than dropped catches. It will ruin the positive mindset of the entire team and England stand a perfect example here. How powerplay plays with the batsman’s mind can be seen from Graeme Smith’s dismissal. He fell trying to score quick during the bowling powerplay.

England looked to be back to rhythm post their series leveling victory in Colombo but the Pietersen saga rocked the boat hard. They did bounce back in the next 2 games but the series on a whole belonged to Amla and South Africa.

1^st Test – England v South Africa – The Oval – Jul 19-23 2012

A whopping innings and 12 runs victory against the number one side in the latter’s home soil shows the hard work and determination from the South African contingent.

With Boucher being injured just at the nick of the moment, AB de Villiers had extra load on him. The battle for number one began with Strauss folding for a duck – yet another left hand batsman’s wicket in Morkel’s kitty. Cook and Prior took England to a safe 385.

But 385 was nothing for the South African batting line up. On paper, any day, this line-up is the most fearsome. You remove Smith, you have Amla followed by Amla, Kallis, de Villiers and Duminy.

The last time when a number one ranked team visited England, both teams celebrated the 100^th match between them and the top team was whitewashed. This time again it was another 100 but for an individual. It was Graeme Smith’s 100^th Test match as well as something more special for him, which was 10 years of leading South Africa. What better way to celebrate other than scoring a century for victory? Smith did exactly that.

But Amla couldn’t be kept quiet. Joining Smith very early in the innings, they created a record partnership and his work didn’t end there. He stood for a record 3^rd wicket partnership as well and batted the whole 3^rd day of the match. His work was too heavy for England, who ended up losing by an innings.

This series marked the beginning of Kirsten’s careful construction which helped South Africa flourish with consistency.

2^nd Test – India v England – Mumbai – Nov 23-26 2012

One’s own gun backfired – that sums up the Test series. India wanted a spinner friendly track to attack the England batsmen and ended up falling to the spinners from the opposite camp.

As planned, India won the toss and decided to bat so that their spinners can have a go in the 4^th innings. What they forgot to plan was to take the 4^th innings to day 5. Driving on the lone warrior Pujara’s efforts, India crossed 300, which was an achievement by itself, considering that they failed to cross that mark when they toured England.

With India’s plans pretty much visible even before the tour, England quickly left their first Test loss, learned the hard way and roped in Monty Panesar into the playing XI. The effect was confidence. Panesar chipped in with 5 wickets in the first innings, which included the wickets of Tendulkar, Kohli and Sehwag while Swann almost accounted for the rest if it hadn’t been for Anderson, who removed Gambhir at the start. That confidence reflected in their batsmen as well. Cook and Pietersen remembered their experience against Sri Lanka and made the Indian spinners toil for their wickets.

Because of turn for spinners early in the Test match, the pitch crumbled and made India rethink their strategy on the day. Panesar and Swann once again didn’t allow India to settle and all was over with England reaching their target of 57 runs with ease with a day and 2 full sessions of day 4 remaining.

Read Part 1 and Part 2