February 2009

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WORLD CRICKET MONTHLY

KP, Moores, Strauss: The inside story of England’s New Year Fiasco

Michael Clarke

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“We’ve let ourselves down” 311'#1 ', Australia’s vice-captain on !0'1'1 cricket’s new world order

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T 1 E ORICK NOR C

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6 SPIN FEBRUARY 2009

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FUTURE CAPTAIN’S INNINGS Andrew Strauss celebrates becoming the first Englishman to hit two centuries in a Test in India, at Chennai in December. Within a month, he had been made England captain. Photograph: PA

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02.01.2009 MYSTERY Whether KP, Peter Moores or the ECB brass were ultimately to blame for England’s New Year punch-up, everyone was agreed on one thing: had KP’s secret email to the ECB not been leaked to the press, the affair would have merely involved some hard words behind-closed-doors, rather than yet another very public fiasco. Whatever the intentions of the mystery leaker – or indeed leakers – whose efforts first came to light in a piece by Derek Pringle in the DailyTelegraph, it seems hard to believe that they got the result they wanted: the offing of all concerned and yet more egg on the face of English cricket.

07.01.2009 TWOFINGERED SALUTE

13.12.2008 BIG BROTHER OPERATION

Last March, Alistair Brown turned down the IPL (and personal entreaties from Sachin Tendulkar), putting his commitment to to Surrey first.

Then, midway through the 2008 season, he was offed by the county without much fanfare.

But as the Brown Caps prepare for life in Division Two, rebuilding from scratch after a woeful 2008, Brown picked up a two-year deal with Nottinghamshire, who start the season as title contenders after narrowly missing the top spot in 2008. Brown, who will be 39 when the season starts, will partly act as cover for Samit Patel’s IPL and England absences.

Things widely known about Mushtaq Ahmed: 1) he was the chief architect of Sussex’s rise to cricket’s top table in the mid-Noughties (and possibly of Mooro’s ill-fated elevation to the Top Job). 2) Under the terms of the Qayyum match-fixing report of 2000, he was banned from holding a managerial position in an international team. Common knowledge. Or maybe not. England hired Mushtaq as a spin coach, only to have the ICC call foul – and to demand that special “monitoring procedures” be put in place, including “extra surveillance of his mobile phone calls.” Exactly who is in charge of listening in to the phone tap – or why the issue never came up when Mushtaq was vice-coach of Pakistan in 2007 – is not clear. But the whole oddly-judged episode added another layer of farce to England’s winter of fiasco.

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PICTURES: PA PHOTOS

Mushtaq Ahmed

this winter’s biggest…

09.01.2009 BIT OF LUCK Samit Patel, who became the first England player to sign up to play for the full six weeks of the Indian Premier League (Dimitri Mascarenhas managed a grand total of two weeks and one game last year).

Possibly, the IPL top brass spotted Patel – three wickets at 60 each; economy rate: 7.82 – in the recent India-England ODI series and decided he would provide box office value by serving up buffet balls to the IPL’s top whackers. Possibly, they neglected to watch England’s terrible pasting and instead merely read the great man’s brilliant self-promoting interview in last October’s SPIN in which he acted as a KP mini-me, rubbished previous regimes by implication and predicted, correctly as it turned out, that no way would England lose 5-1 to India this time round.

Whatever, Patel edged into the February IPL auction ahead of Graham Napier, who had been in talks with the Mumbai Indians since Richie Benaud was in short trousers – and ahead of all England’s centrally contracted Test players who still seem set to miss out on most of the IPL riches thanks to their weird sort-of prior commitment: playing the West Indies in a Test match at Durham on May 14. Brrrrrrr.

26.12.2008 NEW GOD If you had a rupee for every time a lame pundit had parroted the phrase about cricket being like a religion in India, you’d have, roughly speaking, a crore. That is to say, £125,000. Yet what other conclusion could be drawn from events in MS Dhoni’s home town of Ranchi? First, fans announced plans to build a temple to the Indian skipper’s glory on a specially purchased plot of land running to 1650 square feet. “We, the Dhoni Fans’ Club, are raising funds among ourselves to build a temple in our idol’s name,” said head worshipper Jitendra Kumar Singh of his lunatic scheme.

“Dhoni has put Ranchi on the map of the cricket world, and constructing a temple will be a fitting tribute to the boy.” But, after objections from Dhoni’s family, Singh and co lowered their sights to producing a life-size statue and a Dhoni art gallery (in the shape of either a) a temple or b) an Alice band) full of pictures of the famously modest stumper.

12.12.2008 THROWBACK Brendan Nash, who became the first white man to play aTest for the West Indies since 1972, when he made his debut against New Zealand. Exactly what the 30-year-old Aussie-born batter’s inclusion in the team for the firstTest at Dunedin says about the West Indies’ (loosely-defined) academy is not plain.

After a patchy eight years playing for Queensland, Nash moved to Jamaica as recently as 2007, with a view to reviving his hopes of international cricket. Because his parents were Jamaican – and he had never played for Australia – he was, in the manner of Darren Pattinson, instantly qualified for his ‘new’ country. Asked exactly how Jamaican you could be after living your whole life in Australia, Nash offered: “I love the rum and the reggae music.

It’s just the dancing I’m not so good at,” before going on to silence any critics by hitting 74 and 65 in the second Test.

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Inside Knowledge ANDY MOLES, coach of New Zealand who have just played Test Overview West Indies are building a new side and it’s going to take some time to find the right combination. The batsmen, in particular, need more games. They need to play 20 or 30 games together. But, if people are patient with them, they have the raw talent to become a good team. The bowlers are looking for consistency, but the West Indies are, traditionally, stronger at home when the conditions suit them better and they enjoy the sun on their backs. They seem to have a good spirit in their camp, so they can’t be underestimated. But they are in a transitional phase.

Strengths Chris Gayle (top) and Shiv Chanderpaul (right) 10 SPIN FEBRUARY 2009

are clearly very fine players. Ramnaresh Sarwan is a good player, too, but he looks as if he’s struggling for form a bit at the moment. Gayle doesn’t complicate his batting.

He punishes anything too full or with any width and can clear the boundary with ease. He seems to have found a new consistency. That’s because he’s identified a couple of areas he needed to look at and he’s worked out how to deal with his potential weaknesses.

We found that, if we bowled just back of a length on middle-and-off stump, with the ball was bouncing between waist and chest height, then Gayle was happy to defend. He’s cautious in the first 20 or so balls of his

innings, too, but once he’s got over any initial danger, he’s very dangerous.

Chanderpaul is superb at rotating the strike. He is very hard to pin down and knows his game inside out. He’s also added a switch-hit to his game; and hit our spinners and seamers over point brilliantly.

Fidel Edwards is easily their best bowler.

He generates good pace – up to 92mph – makes the ball swing conventionally when it is new and reverses it when it’s old. He has the pace to force batsmen on to the back foot and can then fire it in full of length and swinging. That’s always dangerous.

Weaknesses There’s talent in the rest of the squad – Xavier Marshall could be a superstar – but they all tend to go for their big shots too early. It comes down to inexperience. They struggled a bit against us and I feel they’re

PICTURES: PA PHOTOS

and ODI series v the West Indies, on England’s next opponents

Windies preview / Good v Bad

Promotion

David Warner, 22, became the first Aussie player since 1877 to debut for his country without any first-class experience, when opening the batting in the T20 against South Africa at the MCG. What followed was a stunning innings: Dale Steyn was welcomed with two consecutive sixes, a Jacques Kallis delivery almost ended up in the second tier and the resulting 89 from 43 balls helped set up a convincing win. It took an unbeaten 165 in a domestic one-day game to capture the attention of both locals and IPL recruiters. That led to a sponsorship deal involving a two-sided bat designed for reverse sweeps. The size of Warner’s postinnings grin was eclipsed only by those involved with the Delhi Daredevils. The IPL side had secured Warner’s signature just weeks before – presumably for, in retrospect, a bargain price.

Farewell

still coming to terms with international cricket. Daren Powell seemed to lack a bit of discipline: like most of their bowlers, he’s still looking for the consistency you need at this level.

Spin Left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn (right) bowled well in the little we saw of him.

He isn’t a big spinner of the ball, but he uses his height – he’s 6ft7 – and varies his pace. They played another left-arm spinner, Nikita Miller, in front of him sometimes. He bowled alright, but he’s no Vettori.

THE STATS Record West Indies have not won a Test series since beating Bangladesh in May 2004 – a run of 13 series including 10 defeats and three draws.

Since last playing England (May 2007, lost 3-0), they have played 10 Tests (won 2 lost 5 drawn 3).

Finest (recent) hour Despite their indifferent record, the Windies did win the first Test v South Africa in December 2007, thanks to a ton from Chanderpaul and six wickets from Jerome Taylor.

TOP PLAYERS IN 2008

Verdict England should win the Test and ODI series.

They’re stronger in depth and, under pressure, I’d expect a couple more of their batsmen to perform and all their bowlers to perform better.

Batting Chanderpaul 909 runs @ 101; Gayle 535 @ 53.5; Sarwan 606 @ 46.61 Bowling Edwards 31 wkts @ 29.35; Taylor 27 @ 32.92; Bravo 20 @ 36.60

Did he jump or was he pushed? Matthew Hayden’s 15-year international career was ended sooner than planned – and not on a high like most of his former colleagues. The bully boy opener had often expressed a desire to avenge 2005 in England, but instead goodbye came after a loss to South Africa and omission from the ODI squad. He was honoured with a lap around the Gabba outfield: the car ride may have been a tad bumpy due to a fungus – or maybe an obnoxious weed? –in the grass but that could not account for the watering eyes.

After 103 Tests, 8625 runs at 50.73 and 30 Test tons, the career of one of Australia’s greatest openers had ended.

Whether it comes as a relief or a disappointment to England captain Andrew Strauss (correct at time of writing) is anyone’s guess. Harbhajan, on the other hand...

FEBRUARY 2009

SPIN 11

INTERVIEW MICHAEL CLARKE

“Losing is a

new experience… …the truth is we don’t like it” Michael Clarke speaks exclusively to SPIN PICTURES: PA PHOTOS

INTERVIEW SAM PILGER

36 SPIN FEBRUARY 2009

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INTERVIEW MICHAEL CLARKE

D

ecember 28, 2008.

Australia’s vice-captain Michael Clarke calls it one of the worst days of his career, while his coach Tim Nielsen described it as “something your worst nightmares couldn’t come up with.” It was the day when Australia’s 13-year dominance of Test cricket finally came to an end.

Australia had started the third day of the second Test against South Africa at the MCG in a familiar position.

Having made a healthy 394 they now had the tourists struggling at 198/7 and were naturally expecting to establish an mammoth first innings lead.

But then something strange happened. Try as they might, they couldn’t knock over the South African tail. For most of the day under a relentlessly hot sun, Australia’s bowlers failed to intimidate or dislodge the rookie JP Duminy, playing only his second Test, or fast bowler Dale Steyn, with his Test average of 9.80.

The MCG began to realise they were witnessing Australia’s power slowly ebbing away with every boundary or pinched single. It was both painful and embarrassing as Duminy and Steyn put on 180, the third highest ninth-wicket partnership of all time, to give South Africa a barely believable lead of 65.

The experience demoralised Ricky Ponting’s side. On the final day South Africa would eventually win the Test by nine wickets to hand Australia their first series defeat at home in 16 years, only weeks after they had gone down to their heaviest series defeat in nearly 20 years, losing 2-0 in India.

“Yeah, Melbourne wasn’t good,” sighs Clarke, his normally sunny disposition

jolted by the memory. “But that wasn’t even the first time that situation had happened, because in Bangalore a few months earlier we also weren’t able to bowl out the Indians. That was very disappointing. When you have a day-five wicket and runs on the board you would like to back your bowlers and knock the opposition over, but that isn’t happening

any more… I suppose what we’ve done to teams in the past, they’re now doing to us.”

While Clarke can’t quite bring himself to deliver the last rites to Australia’s long reign of Test supremacy, tellingly he also refuses to lend support to the ICC’s rankings which continue to place Australia at the summit.

“That’s not for me to say,” he replies, surprisingly devoid of the customary Aussie confidence. “It is up to the opposition we play to decide whether we are still the best in the world; they will work that out and be able to tell you. The Test scene is changing, we now need to learn from our mistakes and try to find ways to score more runs and get 20 wickets because at the moment we aren’t doing those things enough.”

Amid Australia’s decline, Clarke himself has, statistically at least, just enjoyed the most successful and prolific calendar year of his career.

During 2008, he scored 1063 Test runs at an average of 50.61, almost double his previous best haul in a year, before starting 2009 with scores of 138 and 41 as Australia won a morale-boosting consolation victory over South Africa in the third Test at Sydney.

This summer England will welcome back a very different cricketer to the prodigy who was on the last Ashes tour four years ago. After scoring 91 from 106 balls in the first Test at Lord’s Clarke ultimately failed to live up to the hype and struggled like the rest of the Australian side before being promptly dropped on his return home.

Now Clarke is a more mature and wiser player, with a new game, still full of his natural flair and cavalier shots, but augmented now with a tightened technique and a useful ability to stick around and accumulate large scores.

And as a succession of greats of the modern game have left the Australian changing room over the last two years, Clarke, still only 27, has also increasingly taken on a more vocal and senior role in the side, and last year succeeded Adam Gilchrist as Australia’s vice-captain.

HOW THE AUSSIE WHEELS CAME OFF

1

Team infighting Never a good thing (are you listening, England?), especially when things are going badly. In India, Ricky Ponting snubbed the out-ofform Brett Lee for an entire session and the pair had some terse words as a result.There was some justification to Punt’s hesitance: Lee averaged more than 60 with the ball during the series.

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2

The selection revolving door Twenty-three players were used in 2008, as retirements, injuries and experiments took their toll on team balance.The decision to pick Cameron White – who, when offered spin advice from Bishan Bedi, called himself a “batsman” – ahead of Jason Krejza for the first threeTests in India was particularly puzzling.

3

Curious captaincy On the fourth day in Nagpur, Australia had a sniff of a trophy-saving victory.

They’d taken six wickets in the afternoon – but then, Ponting, fearing retribution for his side’s woeful over rate, resorted to parttimers White, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke, to no effect, and the chance of a win soon evaporated.

4

Lack of legends With Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, bowling a team out twice was never an issue. But in Perth, Australia’s attack took just four wickets as South Africa chased down 414. Of the 14 Protea wickets to fall, 11 were taken by Mitchell Johnson.

The well-rounded bowling attack of yesteryear was a distant memory.

5

Tail-end charlies There are few things more demoralising than to watch opposition tailenders run riot.

Saffer No 10 Dale Steyn’s 76 at the MCG was the last straw. Peter Siddle went from looking like a world class bowler to a trundler, Brett Lee went wicketless, the Aussies’ advantage was gone and soon the series was, too.

Clarke hit 1063 runs at 50.61 in 2008, his most successful year to date in the Aussie team. Opposite, top, with captain Ricky Ponting: “I hope I bring some youthful enthusiasm to compliment Ricky’s experience.” Opposite below: Graeme Smith’s South Africans celebrate Australia’s first home series defeat in 15 years.

The Sydneysider is a naturally optimistic character, personable and chipper, who manfully attempts to remain positive whenever possible. Here, in the aftermath of the historic series defeat to South Africa, Australia’s Test captain-in-waiting talks to SPIN about the reasons behind his country’s demise and the way back.

How do you explain Australia’s series defeats to India and South Africa?

Obviously we have lost a lot of great players, and now Matty Hayden has retired too, so there has been a changing of the guard. Playing India in India is always hard, we have only won there once in the last 40 years, and South Africa are a very good team who simply outplayed us.

No-one expects them to come straight in and immediately be the new Hayden, McGrath or Gilchrist.

the Australian public, the media and the players. It is amazing that we are not bowling teams out like we used to on the last day.

What’s missing from the current side?

We need to recapture the consistency that our success was built upon. What has let us down is that we had opportunities to win

Who is stronger: South Africa or India?

They are hard to compare because we played them in different conditions. India have so many great players, and we played them in India, which is such a hard place to win.

This was my first series against South Africa, and I found them a very tough team: winning like they did in Australia showed their quality, their batting was strong and their bowlers were tremendous. They will be even tougher opponents in South Africa next month.

‘THIS IS THE NEW REALITY AND IT’S HARD TO COME TO TERMS WITH…’

Did the defeats come as a shock to the team or have there been warning signs?

It’s harder for us to continue playing the cricket we have over the last 15 years because we are now without so many of those legends. It’s obvious we are in a rebuilding period, especially with the Test side, and we have to acknowledge that.

We don’t want to make excuses, because we still have the same goal: to win every Test. We have to be patient with the new guys. There is a lot of talent floating about and it will take time before they can live up to the greats who have just retired.

some of these recent Tests and we didn’t grasp them. We are normally so good at taking a firm grip of Tests, so we let ourselves down by not doing that. We need to learn how to nail opponents once again.

After so much success how does it feel to be suddenly losing series?

It’s definitely a new experience, and the truth is we don’t like it. I’d love to win every Test match inside three days, but that isn’t happening now. This is the new reality. It is hard to come to terms with not winning all the time, so we’re all having to deal with that,

Last year Ricky Ponting said Australia’s attack had been brought back to the pack in Test cricket. Would you agree?

It is obvious we continue to miss Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. When I played with them I felt confident that they could bowl any opposition out on any given day on any wicket, they were so good.

Losing those players has had a huge impact.

Are you any closer to finding a new spinner?

I guess at this stage we are still trying to find the right one. Some say we have no spinners, but that’s not true: we have a few guys who can play Test cricket and do a good job. But you can’t compare them to Shane Warne right now, he is the FEBRUARY 2009

SPIN 39

INTERVIEW MICHAEL CLARKE

greatest bowler I have ever seen. I just think that the expectations need to be dropped a little bit for the new guys.

Is there any chance Shane Warne could come out of retirement for the Ashes?

Look, being a close mate of Warnie’s, I can’t see that there is any chance he will play Test cricket again. He’s very happy with his new life at the moment, and he’s very busy. We speak all the time and I don’t see it happening.

Which of Australia’s new generation of bowlers most excite you?

Peter Siddle has got a lot of talent: in only his fourth Test he got a five-for and was Man of the Match, so he should have a very successful Test career. Doug Bollinger has a good first-class record and there is an opportunity for him. There have been a lot of positives because some new guys have come in to the side shown they are capable of playing Test cricket.

How has the Australian changing room evolved since you first entered?

When I first came in to the team it was full of legends like Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn, Justin Langer and Glenn McGrath, but we are moving in to a new era now, the average age is getting

younger, and I notice no-one smokes any more too! We might have lost some experience, but there remains plenty of enthusiasm, talent, and – although I hate this word – potential. The culture of representing Australia is as strong now as it always has been and we have the same goal of trying to win every game we play.

Have you consciously taken more of a leading role in the side?

I’ve always been the type of guy who speaks their mind, and if something needs to be said I will say it. It’s probably one of my strengths, though when I was younger it got me in trouble. I won’t let things simmer, I‘ll come out and say how I feel around the team.

Was there a moment when you realised you were now a senior player?

It was during last year when I got the vicecaptaincy, and also at times when I look

How would you describe the relationship between yourself and Ricky Ponting as captain and vice-captain?

On the field if I think something needs to be done I will approach Ricky and make suggestions. Throughout my whole career, Ricky has always made me feel comfortable about doing that.

Before I was even vice-captain if I wanted to say something he allowed me to. Ricky has a lot of experience, so I am still learning from him. No matter what it is about, on or off the field, our relationship is pretty good. I hope I bring some youthful enthusiasm to compliment Ricky’s experience. Our combination has been working okay so far.

‘WE NEED TO LEARN HOW TO NAIL TEAMS ONCE AGAIN’ around the changing room and realise I am one of the more experienced guys. My role has changed and I feel very comfortable with that. I can relate to the new players as it doesn’t feel that long ago when I was making my own debut. In the past most of the team were older than me, but now guys in the side are either younger than or the same age.

Would you say you had leadership skills?

No-one wants to hear me talk about myself like that. Put it this way I am really enjoying being vice-captain, and learning a lot from Ricky.

PICTURES: WENN PHOTOS, PA PHOTOS. SIDEBARS: JONO RUSSELL

Nice work (clockwise from left): as ‘brand ambassador’ for Bonds underwear; celebrating removing Windies’ Xavier Marshall last May, on his first tour as vice-skip; taking three wickets in an over to clinch the Sydney Test v India, January 2008; picking up the trophy, as stand-in skip, after the 5-0 ODI win v the Windies, July 2008

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FIVE ASHES QUESTIONS THE AUSSIES NEED TO ANSWER Which spinner, if any, to play?

Beau Casson (left-arm chinaman), Cameron White (alleged leg-spin), Nathan Hauritz and Jason Krejza (offspin) have all been given chances, then promptly discarded. Leggie Bryce McGain, soon to be 37, is also in contention. Whether they pick the defensively-inclined Hauritz or the more attacking Krejza, an extended stint in the team is needed to gain confidence and measure their potential.

Above: Clarke is a regular stand-in skip of the T20 side. Below: celebrating one of his four Test tons in 2008

Was sending Andrew Symonds home from Darwin last August a test of you as a (stand-in) captain you had to pass? Did it prove you could make tough decisions?

I didn’t see it like that at the time. When it came up I didn’t think it was a personal test for me to pass or fail. At the time, and I told Simmo exactly this, we made the decision [to send him home] for the benefit of the Australian cricket side and Andrew Symonds himself. If you ask him know, he will agree with that decision. I didn’t make the decision on my own, it was with a few other people, but as I was the captain of that time I had to front the media and be the face of the decision.

Since that controversy Symonds has failed to recapture his best form – what does the future hold for him now?

I still think he has the same passion to play for Australia, and looking to the future he will continue to be a crucial part of the side.

You’ve just enjoyed the best year of your career: how would you account for it?

Well, I wouldn’t say this has been the best year of my life, I would gladly give back all those runs for us to have beaten India and South Africa. Overall, it was a disappointing year. Those runs were pretty irrelevant because they didn’t help. The best year was beating England in the 2006/07 Ashes, because my runs meant something.

How has your approach to the game changed in the last year?

I have just grown up and matured a lot as a player and person and you can see that in my game. I have learned how I perform best.

I now know what the best preparation is for me and how that helps me succeed. I have the mindset now that there is more to life than cricket, I understand that very well, but

every time I walk out to bat I feel the same as I ever did. It isn’t that I was trying too hard when I got dropped three years ago; it is simply because I have naturally matured and know how to score runs.

Shane Warne has increasingly become your mentor: what have you learned from him?

It’s true Warnie plays a very important role in my career, and we speak all the time about cricket and life. He says he wants me to learn from his mistakes, though ‘mistakes’ is probably not the right word because Warnie has no regrets. I guess he has seen the very best and worst of international cricket, he has spent a lot of time away from home, and I’m trying to learn from everything he’s been through. He has an amazing cricket brain, which I have always tried to take from. We have become good friends and I get advice about cricket and the lifestyle that goes with it. He would do anything for me.

In Australia you are treated as a celebrity.

Does that ever make you uncomfortable or do you have to embrace it?

It is part of being a professional athlete, especially for a cricketer in Australia, so you have to live with it. I know I’m a role model and you have certain standards to uphold, but I am happy to accept that responsibility. It can be hard when you’re reading stuff in magazines about your personal life that is completely untrue. But it is a minor thing, and I wouldn’t swap my life now with anyone.

Who should replace Matthew Hayden?

Phil Jaques didn’t do much wrong in his 11 Tests before injury forced him out – 902 runs at 47.47, including three centuries – and, if fit, he’ll be the top choice. He faces tough competition from a state colleague, batting prodigy Phillip Hughes, 20, is averaging 50-plus for a second consecutive first-class season.

Who should be picked at No 6?

Andrew Flintoff’s success in 2005 sent the Aussie selectors up a few blind alleys, in the search for an all-rounder at No 6. Injuries (Watson), form slumps (Symonds) and a lack of commitment (Symonds again) have meant the experiment hasn’t always been successful. But Andrew Hilditch and co refused to abandon the plan, with Andrew McDonald plucked from Victoria to make his Test debut. When the search is called off, David Hussey is ready to fill the role of a more traditional No. 6.

Who will be in the pace attack?

Mitch Johnson’s spot is assured. Other than that, it’s anyone’s guess. Brett Lee’s poor form meant his place in the side was under review before an injury forced him out, while Stuart Clark is still recovering from elbow surgery.Tasmanian Ben Hilfenhaus’ ability to swing the ball both ways may give him the edge over Doug Bollinger, a left-armer from NSW. Can they reverse it?

WithTroy Cooley on board, Mitch Johnson can now reverse it, as can Ben Hilfenhaus, but opposition teams still have a better grasp on the dark art: India got reverse in the eighth over and, as in England in 2005, Australia’s batsmen had no answer – at one stage losing three wickets in four balls to Zaheer Khan.

FEBRUARY 2009

SPIN 41

ENGLAND THE STORY

England’s 2009 started with a very public row between coach and captain, leading to the departure of both. SPIN rounds up the full story of the new year fiasco and asks what we can expect next from new skipper Andrew Strauss – and from the deposed Kevin Pietersen

THAT ALL ABOUT? 26 SPIN FEBRUARY 2009

PICTURES: PA PHOTOS

WHAT WAS

Did Kevin Pietersen issue an ultimatum, demanding Peter Moores’ sacking?

Not quite. “In my email, I said that I can’t lead this team forward and take it to the West Indies if Peter Moores is coach. I did say that, yes,” he admitted in the News of the World, the Sunday after his ‘resignation’.

While that has been interpreted as an ultimatum, it is quite possible that Pietersen would have carried on as captain, but was making the point that his hands would be tied by Moores’ ongoing presence.

The ‘ultimatum’ was initially reported as having come out of the blue. In fact, Pietersen had been asked to produce a strategy for England’s 2009 series. He had had six meetings with, variously, England MD Hugh Morris, chairman of the ECB Giles Clarke and Peter Moores in the previous month – and had already discussed possible new coaches with Morris and ECB chief exec David Collier.

Having had these conversations behind Moores’ back, the ECB had a change of heart when Pietersen put his thoughts in writing in the December 31 email. Pietersen’s ‘him or me’ statement was taken as a resignation letter by the ECB. They told him it was all over on Wednesday January 7, while he was still on safari in South Africa. This was a clear change of heart as both sides had originally agreed to meet in person when Pietersen arrived home on the Thursday.

Andrew Strauss was installed as Test captain immediately; 24 hours later, he was made caretaker ODI and Twenty20 captain too, despite not having been named in the original squads for the shorter formats.

FEBRUARY 2009

SPIN 27

ENGLAND THE STORY

Was the England camp split?

As the row brewed, the ECB management eventually canvassed opinion from members of England’s Test and ODI teams. While it was reported that all players were consulted, SPIN understands the process was not exhaustive.

Monty Panesar, for one, was not spoken to. It was the results of this straw poll that lay at the heart of the ECB’s change of heart.

SPIN understands that Pietersen did have some support from the team. However, while several of the players wanted him to continue as captain and expressed reservations about Moores, they were reluctant to be drawn into a coup that would see the coach axed.

Initial reports suggested that Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison were among those who failed to show support for Pietersen. However, both later said they had pledged their support to Pietersen’s captaincy – but did not back his attempts to sack the coach. Both conceded that the dressing room was divided into friendship groups – with Harmison and Flintoff’s darts league one of them – but denied this was anything sinister.

“The idea that we told Hugh Morris that we supported Peter Moores ahead of Kevin is nonsense,” said Harmison. “My belief is that had the row stayed in-house, there might still have been a chance for Morris to get Peter and Kevin together to thrash out the issue.”

Nonetheless, the caricatured impression of the situation – that the rocky relationship between Flintoff and Pietersen was at the root of the latter’s departure as captain – has persisted in the media, despite denials from all concerned.

Was Michael Vaughan’s omission the final straw?

Early reports suggested that a difference of opinion between Moores and Pietersen over the inclusion of Michael Vaughan in the squad for the West Indies was the final straw. Pietersen had made the case for Vaughan to be given a central contract last September. Pietersen’s email was sent to the ECB two days after the squad was announced – without Vaughan. Pietersen reportedly also sent a text to Vaughan apologising for his exclusion.

However, Vaughan later admitted to the Yorkshire Post that he would not have been ready to tour the West Indies – and that he agreed with the decision to leave him out.

But is it possible that Pietersen did not want him in the team in the West Indies at all – but wanted him as a non-playing back-up member of the party, a coach in all but name?

Sources suggest the idea is not so far-fetched.

Who leaked details of KP’s email?

Which side would have had most to gain from a leak? a) Pietersen’s – because the cricket public would surely side with him against the less established, less illustrious coach and place pressure on the ECB to follow his advice. Or b) Moores’, because the coaching staff he’d brought in thought the captain’s ego-driven disloyalty would put the cricket public behind Moores. Or c) At least one person from each side. Or d) Someone from the ECB Board.

SPIN believes the answer was (c) – but that whoever leaked the row did not fully

Were the ECB already planning to sack Moores, even before KP’s ‘ultimatum’?

foresee the consequences. Pietersen’s supporter(s) meant to have him cast as the hero; the man who wanted the best for England. To some extent that backfired.

While Moores’ reputation was damaged, Pietersen was also dragged down as counter-allegations were made in leaks from other members of the England set-up. He was portrayed as an ego-centric control freak unsuited to captaincy. It was also evident that he did not have the full support from the players that was initially claimed.

Key members of the ECB certainly did leak subsequent information, to ensure that KP did not emerge triumphant: while the ECB had some sympathy for Pietersen’s view, they were not prepared to let him dictate to them.

Pietersen’s other mistake was talking to the News of the World. On January 4 he was quoted as saying: “Obviously, this situation is not healthy, we have to make sure it is settled as soon as possible.”

While there is no evidence that he leaked the initial report, Pietersen’s words did legitimise the debate and did him no favours with the ECB Board.

Who knew Pietersen’s plans?

In the News of The World on January 11, Pietersen said he had told four senior England players – Flintoff, Harmison, Strauss and Collingwood – of his intentions. By Pietersen’s account all four begged him to stay as captain. The ECB management – and the 15-man ECB Board – were obviously aware, as were Moores and his coaching team. Some of them would have confided to friends and colleagues.

They in turn could have told others. In short, there are no shortage of suspects who could have leaked the information.

Yes, he did. Warne confirmed reports in Australia suggesting that Pietersen had contacted him with a view to his becoming England coach and bringing his triumphant Rajasthan Royals assistants Jeremy Snape and Darren Berry with him. However, Warne said that it was a tongue-in-cheek suggestion, at least so far as he was concerned: if he had wanted to spend 11 months of the year on the road, he said, he would still be playing.

As well as Vaughan, the other name believed to have been discussed as a replacement for Moores was Graham Ford, the Kent and former South Africa coach who mentored Pietersen at Natal. Interestingly, though Moores’ lack of international experience was cited as a cause of Pietersen’s lack of respect for him, Ford himself played just seven first-class games.

Any chance that Ashley Giles would take on the role as a stand-in was quickly scotched by Warwickshire. While the club 28 SPIN FEBRUARY 2009

PICTURES: PA PHOTOS

Did Pietersen ask Shane Warne to become England coach?

said they would allow their director of cricket to go with their goodwill, they also pointed out that they could not be expected to keep his job at Edgbaston open for him.

Who’s in charge?

After the buck passing of responsibility (selection, team preparation, etc) during the 2006 Ashes, the ECB’s Schofield inquiry supposedly wiped the slate clean. From October 2007, the England team had Hugh Morris as Managing Director, supposedly responsible for everything. However, Geoff Miller is in charge of selection, the captain is in charge of on-field tactics and the coach is responsible for preparation and assembling the support staff.

Morris’ first big decision, last August, saw Pietersen installed as captain. The decision was ratified by the 15-man ECB board – and SPIN understands that, in appointing Pietersen, Morris was acting on the recommendation of Moores. Hardly the clearly defined responsibilities that the Schofield report recommended. The fact that within five months, both captain and coach had left their jobs, suggests that Morris’ judgement in putting the pair together – surely the main responsibility of the England MD – was flawed and that the pair’s relationship had not been successfully monitored and managed.

Did Moores have to go?

No. Although his credibility was badly damaged, the ECB could have thrown their support behind him. He retained the support of the majority of the support staff and few players wished him ill.

However, once details of the row became public, the ECB were keen to be seen to be

decisive. In the end, the ECB decided that 1) Moores’ man-management skills had been found wanting and 2) England’s record on his watch was hardly impressive enough to save him. Younger players whose potential was unfulfilled at the start of Moores’ tenure were in a similar position 18 months later. The underachieving team was still heavily reliant on a fit Andrew Flintoff to get them out of jail.

The million-dollar question is whether the ECB was originally thinking of sacking Moores in any case and keeping Pietersen on.

The pre-Christmas discussions might suggest they were. Pietersen’s email being leaked may actually have prevented them from taking that course of action.

Did the ECB handle it well?

No. Pietersen, whatever his misjudgments, was effectively sacked by phone ahead of a promised meeting. And, as rumours filled the papers, it was nearly a full week before the ECB came up with an official statement.

Disagreements between captains and coaches are commonplace: it was the leaks that created the fiasco and made the situation so hard to handle for the ECB. After a week of speculation, the ECB’s final answer to the problem appeared to be borne of panic, offing both captain and coach without the promised face-to-face meeting.

The episode’s conclusion also lacks logic.

If Pietersen was right to doubt Moores, why did Pietersen have to go? If Pietersen was wrong, why did Moores have to go? If Strauss was the only fall-back option as captain – with Rob Key the only possible alternative – should the selectors not have persisted with him in the limited-overs squads? As so often with the ECB, it seems they’ve stumbled on a solution by chance.

FEBRUARY 2009

SPIN 29

ENGLAND ANDREW STRAUSS

The making of

Andrew Strauss

Friends, coaches and former team-mates dating back to schooldays trace the development of the new England captain Andrew Wagner I remember the first time

I saw Andrew Strauss. He was about 13 and he was batting in the nets. He played the spinners off the back foot – which is unusual at that age – and he had a fantastic temperament. He was talented, but he wasn’t like Alastair Cook, who was just a superstar at that age. Andrew did well – I think he hit two or three centuries in his final year – but Cook hit seven; two of which were doubles.

Andrew was a very good schoolboy cricketer but no, I never dreamed that he would be England captain. There was no indication that he was that good.

Chris Bishop Not in a million years did

I think he would go on to be a professional cricketer. There were loads of other guys – people like Jonathan Batty (Surrey) – who I thought were 100 times better, but Andrew just kept improving.

Ben Hutton We arrived at Radley at the

same time. We were both 13 and we’ve known each other ever since. Andrew was clearly a very talented sportsman: he plays golf off single figures and could have played rugby to a high level. It was just a question of which sport he was going to pick.

Chris Bishop He came to play in our

under-19 side when he was 15. I needed a wicket-keeper and he was doing that a bit at the time. He was a very ordinary wicketkeeper, If I’m honest, but he stayed in the side because he was so good socially. He was so small that couldn’t hit the ball off the square, but he contributed in other ways. He batted at six or seven, was a good 30 SPIN FEBRUARY 2009

fielder and a terrific lad. He was quiet – the boys used to call him ‘The Mouse’ – but for a 15-year-old in a team of 19-year-olds, he did very well. Everyone liked him and he grew in confidence.

Ben Hutton He hasn’t changed that

much. He’s always been laidback; he’s always been close to his family and friends and, behind that easygoing exterior, he’s remained just as competitive as ever. He’s probably a bit tougher than people who don’t know him realise.

Andrew Wagner The thing that set him

apart was the way he dealt with the short ball. It isn’t all about weight of runs at that age. He was very strong off the back foot and had natural leadership qualities. He wasn’t in the least bit rebellious but he has an inner steel that I’d compare to Mike Atherton. I think he’ll make a very good captain.

Chris Bishop In his second year with us

he started to win us games. He grew a lot and started to hit the ball hard. He murdered anything short and, although he didn’t score hundreds, he made lots of decent scores. He learned a lot socially, too. He was with an older group and they used to take him to the pub. He grew up pretty quickly.

Andrew Wagner When he was 14 I put

him in the nets with the oldest boys. He took a painful blow in the ribs from one of the fast bowlers and I went to see if he was alright. To be honest, I was thinking, ‘God, what have I done.’ He was clearly in pain. He had tears in his eyes and he was struggling

INTERVIEWS GEORGE DOBELL

to talk. But I asked whether he wanted to carry on and he nodded. The bowler asked what he should do, and I said ‘Just carry on as normal; let’s see what we have here.’

The next ball was just as quick, but a bit fuller. Andrew didn’t flinch for a second; he hit right back past the bowler’s head like a rocket. I knew then that he had something about him. He hasn’t changed. I remember seeing him hit in the face by Devon Malcolm when he was just starting out with Middlesex. The ball went through the grill of the helmet. Andrew just went to the pavilion, tidied himself up, and then kept batting. He’s a tough guy; mentally and physically.

Chris Bishop He was a bit frustrating. He

could be so loose that he ended up giving his

THE SPIN PANEL ANDREW WAGNER Strauss’ coach, as a schoolboy, at Radley College

CHRIS BISHOP Strauss’ coach at Oxfordshire Under-19s

BEN HUTTON: Team-mate at Radley, Durham University and Middlesex

MIKE GATTING Strauss’ first director of cricket, at Middlesex

GRAEME FOWLER Ex-England opener and Strauss’ coach at Durham University

MARK WAGH Nottinghamshire batter; team-mate of Strauss on England Academy tour to Australia, 2001/02.

wicket away sometimes. He wasn’t our best player, but he was so committed that he just kept getting better. He was a marvellous captain and a super team man – really, he was a bloody delight to have around – but if I’m honest, it didn’t cross my mind that he would make it as a professional cricketer.

He’s definitely been a late developer, but I guess it just goes to show what commitment and hard work can do for you.

Andrew Wagner I wrote to five counties

and asked them to have a look at him. A couple told me they weren’t looking for any batsmen; Worcestershire wanted to have a look a year or so later. In the end, Ian Gould, who was coaching with Middlesex at the time, came to have a look at him. They gave

him a trial using new balls on a green wicket and Andrew played brilliantly. He wasn’t so good against spin at that stage, so it’s probably just as well they didn’t use old balls on an old wicket.

It says a lot about his improvement – and how hard he’s worked – that he has just taken back-to-back centuries off India in their backyard and that he’s scored two Test centuries against the best leg-spinner (Shane Warne) to have played the game.

Middlesex were really patient with him.

He averaged about 13 (12.41) in one season of second XI cricket (1997), but Gould – and Mike Gatting, who was their director of cricket at the time – saw something in him and stuck by him. It took about three years until he made his first century in the

seconds (in 1999). He just kept working and kept improving.

Chris Bishop Ian Gould started to turn

up a lot. I remember once game when Andrew was out in the first over but Gould stuck around to see how Andrew handled himself for the rest of the day. He was obviously impressed and rightly so: Andrew was a fantastic person to have in a side. Another time, Ian Gould was there and Andrew made a beautiful 80 or 90 against Middlesex at Harrow. I think that was the innings that clinched it; we hardly saw him again and I think he only played one game for the full Oxfordshire side. He just kept rising upwards and we’ve been delighted to watch him go.

FEBRUARY 2009

SPIN 31

ENGLAND ANDREW STRAUSS

Mike Gatting I remember the first time I

directions the best left-handers tend to hit it. He showed he could work with anyone and that he was a solid character. He clearly had a good head on his shoulders.

saw him batting. He was a typical lefthander, in a way, in that he fell over towards the off side and when he tried to drive through extra-cover, the body was working against itself. I was still bowling a bit at the time and I fancied getting him out. I always thought he had a decent chance of making it, though. He was prepared to work hard and he listened; once you see that in a young player, you know they are giving themselves the best chance.

Graeme Fowler He wasn’t the most

talented cricketer I’ve had here. If I were to pick one it would probably be Will Smith.

There have been quite a few – Robin MartinJenkins, Luke Sutton and Mark Chilton – who were very talented, but they all develop at different rates and Andrew was one of those who developed a bit later. The thing that stuck out was how well he played fast bowling – and when the ball is coming at you at 90 mph it doesn’t really matter whether it’s a Test or an ODI – and how good he was in the dressing room.

Ben Hutton Middlesex were in a

transitional stage when we arrived. We were all quite raw, but they gave us a bit of time and stuck with us. To outsiders it must have seemed a surprise when Andrew was made captain – the club had a history of highprofile leaders like Fraser, Ramprakash and Gatting – but to those of us at the club, he really was the natural choice.

Graeme Fowler He was an incredibly

talented all-round sportsman. He was in the rugby 1st XV at Durham as well and could play tennis and golf to a decent level. He was also very laidback with a good sense of humour. That’s ideal, really, as it means he was always calm. I wouldn’t say he stood out as a cricketer – he really struggled at times – but I knew that was always the career path he was going to take.

Mike Gatting There was a time when he

was under a bit of pressure. He made a bit of a slow start and I’m sure he was very keen to get a few decent scores under his belt. I felt he was probably trying a bit too hard. He just needed to relax a bit. The thing with him and Ben Hutton was that they were prepared to work. You do tend to give people a bit more time if they show that.

Mike Gatting Cricket isn’t just about Andrew took a bit of stick for coming from a public school, but he took it well and gave it back. He was clearly a very stable character and got on with everyone. There was never a problem with ego or anything like that.

Even then, I thought he could go a long way.

Ben Hutton He didn’t take to it like a

duck to water. There was quite a long period when he struggled. He was a late developer and it seemed to take a little time for the penny to drop. The thing is, he remained so level-headed that, whatever happened, he dealt with it. If he fails, he doesn’t let it eat away at him; he just puts it behind him. I think that’s one of the reasons why he has had relatively few periods when he’s been out of form.

Mike Gatting I spent a long time feeding

the bowling machine and talking to him. We talked about how to leave the ball and the

Top: being made captain of Middlesex, at 25, “changed his life,” says Strauss’ early mentor Graeme Fowler.

Below: Strauss’ first spell as England captain started with a 5-0 ODI humiliation by Sri Lanka, in 2006

talent. Look at guys like Paul Collingwood and Nasser Hussain: they haven’t got the talent of someone like Ian Bell, but they’ve worked out a way of scoring runs. Andrew is a bit like that. But make no mistake: he’s a bloody talented player.

Ben Hutton Justin Langer was a big

influence. He spent three years at Middlesex [1998-2000], at a time when he was trying to get back into the Australian team, and he gave us all a wake-up call. His work ethic was incredible and both Andrew and I had an eyeopener as to what was required to succeed.

Mike Gatting He came into a strong

dressing room. There were people like Des Haynes, Justin Langer, Mark Ramprakash and me there, so he could talk about batting and pick our brains. In the end, though, you have to do it yourself and he applied that knowledge to his own game. By the time he played Test cricket, he knew his game very well and even though he had a spell where he was out of the England team, I always felt he would work it out and come back stronger. He’s that sort of character.

Graeme Fowler Being made captain of

Middlesex [in 2003] changed his life. Whoever did that really changed his career. It made him think about his cricket more and seemed to give him the kick-start he needed.

Ben Hutton Twenty20 definitely

broadened his game. He just grew in confidence and seemed to realise just what he was capable of doing with the bat. His range of shots improved: suddenly, he could score runs all round the wicket. The captaincy helped, too. He was unproven when he took over, but that responsibility was the making of him.

Graeme Fowler I wasn’t surprised that he did well for Middlesex. And I wasn’t 32 SPIN FEBRUARY 2009

Mark Wagh Playing at Lord’s has been

vital. He’s learned to bat on good pitches and has developed a good technique. I think that’s part of the reason that Australia seem to produce so many good batsmen. To some extent you could say the cards fell for him; but on the other hand he has worked very hard and seized his opportunities.

Andrew Wagner We had a seven-year

‘He was never controversial. He was levelheaded and got on with everyone. I think it would be impossible not to like him…’ surprised he was made captain; he always had good leadership qualities. But nobody could have known how well he would do in the Test team. You can’t really predict a century on debut, can you? He’s been outstanding. Everyone was a bit surprised at how well he took to Test cricket;

Ben Hutton Everything snow-balled for

him. Once he had proved to himself what he could do, he just went from strength to strength. He was in the first in-take of the national academy and impressed everyone with his character as much as anything.

Mark Wagh He didn’t stand out on that

first Academy tour, in 2001/02. All the batsmen made runs at some stage, but Rob Key was the one who caught the eye.

Andrew was a coach’s dream. There was a group of us on that tour – a group that probably included me, Andrew Flintoff, Rob Key and Steve Harmison – who felt that some of the things we were being asked to do were ridiculous. But Andrew was happy to do anything that was asked of him. He’d never be antagonistic or controversial; he was level-headed and got on with everyone.

Everyone liked him; I think it would be impossible not to like him.

Graeme Fowler People forget that he

made his England debut as a limited-overs player. And he did so well he earned a place in the Test team. The selectors have chopped and changed too much; they should have stuck with him in the ODI squad. I bet they wish they had now. They just need to

identify a role for him in ODI cricket and let him grow into it. I think he should open.

Andrew Wagner If there is one thing that sums up Andrew, it’s that innings against New Zealand in the third Test at Napier last year. He was right on the brink then: one more failure and I think he would have been out of the side forever. But he scored 177. He just seems to thrive under pressure.

Mark Wagh I recall something Mark

Ramprakash said: he said that he wished his Test career had started like Graham Thorpe’s: with a century on debut. It makes such a difference. With that success behind you, you can approach the next game with confidence and in a relaxed state. If you fail, then the pressure mounts and so does the self-doubt. With that in mind, it’s interesting to compare Andrew’s career with Graeme Hick’s. Whereas Andrew started with a Test century, Hick really struggled. I think that made a huge difference.

Ben Hutton He did have a period when he

lost form. I think it came from being overlooked for the captaincy in 2006, when they gave it to Flintoff. It was a big mistake; Andrew had done very well against Pakistan and I think history shows that he should have kept the job. Anyway, it seemed to knock his confidence and a couple of technical things crept into his game. He handled that period so well. He knew he had a lot of work to do, so he just got his head down and got on with it. He has great resolve and can be incredibly bloody-minded.

period where we were very strong at Radley.

Apart from Andrew there was Robin MartinJenkins, Jamie Dalrymple, Charlie van der Gucht (Hampshire), Sam Andrews (Surrey seconds), Malcolm Borwick (who became a professional polo player) and Michael Bellhouse (Middlesex seconds). It was a very good team on the pitch and a very nice spirited team. I do keep in touch with Andrew and I know he’s still close friends with several guys from that side.

Graeme Fowler Of all the people I know

in that England team now, he would be the one to pull them all together. I can’t think of anyone better. They should have made him captain before, but they went for Flintoff. I think the selectors know that was a mistake.

Ben Hutton I don’t think the England

dressing room is nearly as split as some in the media suggest. But even if it was, Andrew would be the man to bring it together. He’s tactically astute, he’ll lead by example and, whatever fate throws at him, he’ll remain as calm and good natured as ever. He’ll be a very good captain.

STRAUSS IN BRIEF August 1998: debut for Middlesex, aged 21 2003: Made Middlesex captain, aged 25.

May 2004: hits 112 & 83 on England debut, v New Zealand at Lord’s. Goes on to hit five centuries and average 51 in first year of Test cricket.

2006: Leads England to 5-0 ODI defeat to Sri Lanka and 2-0 (or, possibly 3-0) Test win over Pakistan, but is overlooked for Ashes captaincy the following winter.

2007: Dropped from squad for tour of Sri Lanka March 2008: Returns to team v New Zealand. Struggles (93 runs in first five innings) before match-winning and possibly career-saving 177 in final Test December 2008: Hits 123 & 108 v India as England lose at Chennai.

January 2009: Appointed England captain. Current Test average: 42.37, including 14 centuries and 14 50s.

FEBRUARY 2009

SPIN 33

ENGLAND PIETERSEN’S NEXT MOVE

T

he most riveting cricketer to pull on flannels for England in the modern era has suffered the kind of public flogging that few sportsmen ever have to endure after trying to overthrow his line manager in a brave but ultimately misguided attempt at flexing his muscles.

Amid all the hoopla and headlines, one thing is sure: Pietersen would not have doubted himself for a second. Not when he jumped before the ECB pushed him; not when the flashbulbs were clicking day after day as he opened the front door of his Chelsea apartment.

Pietersen has been dividing opinion, clashing with hierarchy and alienating people since he was at primary school. It is as much a part of his routine as going for a 5km run or munching through bags of his favourite Funny Faces sweets.

Pietersen first began playing serious cricket at Merchiston, the feepaying prep school in his home city of Pietermaritzburg that he attended from eight to 13, and even, at such a young age, he dealt in confrontation.

“He was always at loggerheads with people,” Rob Fuhri, a former coach of the school’s Under-9s and Under-10s side, tells SPIN. “What always struck me was he had his own character, his own personality and did things his own way. I don’t think he has ever done things different to that. KP is his own man. He was always like that.

He was self assured. Why must he fit into a little box?”

Merchiston has been a breeding ground for generations of Natal and South African sportsmen and the talent is thickly spread. The young Kevin played first team cricket but he was not the top dog. He made his mark in other ways. “He wasn’t scared to let the rip on the field,” says Dave Beetar, a former cricket coach who is now the school’s headmaster. “The aggro was there.

Adversity was a huge driving force for him.

That has always been him. If he wasn’t selected as an opener or No 3, his attitude was: ‘I’ll show you what for’. That’s one thing about Kevin that hasn’t changed. He can put his money where his mouth is.”

Pietersen learned self-preservation at home. When his parents closed their eyes to say grace at meal times, his older brothers Tony and Gregg, who were also big units, would try to nick the food from Kevin’s plate. He had to stand up for himself.

In a vigorous, outdoorsy upbringing in an affluent part of South Africa, Pietersen spent much of his time playing sports with his brothers and a tight circle of close

friends. Competitive natures were ingrained and Kevin was reckoned to be the most relentlessly competitive, if not most talented, of a sporty household. “All the boys were similar in ability at sport when they were young but Kevin had the greater heart for it,” recalled his mother, Penny. “He was always in there to win. He would walk though a brick wall to get what he wanted.”

Pietersen first made his mark as a cricketer at Maritzburg College, which he attended from the age of 13, but it was a long time until he was universally regarded

was a solid cricketer, a good all-rounder, but he didn’t set the world alight through the age groups.”

Yet when he was eventually given his chance, the teenaged Pietersen grabbed it with both hands. He took 2/24 in 10 overs on his debut against an Old Boy XI that included a string of Natal first-teamers and smashed a quickfire unbeaten 61 batting at No 7 in his second game. He ended up topping the batting averages and taking 18 wickets at 17.90 apiece.

Aided by his colossal self-belief, Pietersen has been blisteringly active in resisting the setbacks which have shaped his career. It is a theme that has endured from Maritzburg College to the pinnacle of world cricket. “Kevin has always had that,” says Bechet. “He has always been an in-your-face cricketer, an in-your-face sportsman. That’s what’s got him there. If the side were four wickets down and staring down the barrel, it wouldn’t worry him. His attitude would be, ‘Give me the bat and I’ll score the runs’. His personality has always been one of arrogance and he has always had that stop-at-nothing, ‘I’ll show these buggers’ attitude.’”

Even after falling out with Natal after telling the authorities what he thought of their quota system (early in 2000), with Cannock on his first assignment as a club cricketer in England (slightly later in 2000) and at Nottinghamshire (in 2004), where he departed with the air laden with acrimony, Pietersen never doubted himself, even if he did later regret some of his more outlandish actions.

His response to adversity is always to perform when it matters. His ability at blocking out distractions is matched only by his sense of timing and occasion. “He is so thick-skinned,” says Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire coach who was another to fall out spectacularly with Pietersen. “He wants to make himself the best batsman he can and nothing will get in his way.”

The evidence from his many previous runins suggests that Pietersen will respond to losing the England captaincy by coming back an even more determined, more successful batsman; with the same ‘I’ll show you what for’ approach that has served him since prep school days. The question should not be whether Pietersen can ease back into the ranks. But whether he can craft newer, more brilliant scripts that continue to light the imagination’s touch paper. Pietersen will already have the answer lined up in his head.

What will

KP do next?

Wayne Veysey tracks down eye-witnesses to previous KP bust-ups, dating back to his school days in South Africa, for clues

34 SPIN FEBRUARY 2009

as a sportsman of outstanding potential.

The college has an excellent reputation for cricket – it counts two South Africa captains and Jonty Rhodes among its alumni – and the standard of the schoolboys was high.

Astonishingly, Pietersen played only half a season in the first XI before matriculating (by comparison, Rhodes was first team captain for two years in the mid1980s and smashed records that still stand today), gaining promotion from the second XI as a bowling all-rounder only after the team’s leg-spinner, emigrated to New Zealand midway through the year.

“I didn’t see a potential genius at all,” Mike Bechet, the college’s long-time sports master, says of Kevin. “I had Jonty Rhodes here five years before him and Kevin was nowhere near his standard. I thought he

SPIN contributor Wayne Veysey’s biography of Kevin Pietersen will be published by Know the Score books in April.

“Kevin has always been an in-your-face cricketer. He has always had that ‘I’llstop-at-nothing; I’ll show them attitude’”

FEBRUARY 2009

SPIN 35

REVIEW ENGLAND IN INDIA

off message

PICTURES: PA PHOTOS

Going

52 SPIN FEBRUARY 2009

KP’s new England were derailed by a 5-0 ODI thrashing in India – and then their troubles really started. BBC Radio Five Live’s Alison Mitchell presents her diary of the first half of England’s winter of upheaval Weds Nov 12 (Mumbai)

Sad to leave Mumbai after the warm-up games and I can’t wait to return for the Test in three weeks’ time. I can see the Gateway of India from my hotel window and there just hasn’t been enough time to bond with this enthralling, sprawling city.

I’ve chosen a novel called ‘Shantaram’ to accompany me on this tour because it’s set in Mumbai and based around the experiences of its author, Gregory David Roberts, who arrived in Mumbai in 1980 as an Australian convict on the run. Paul Collingwood tells me he read it during the India tour of 2006, and found it thoroughly absorbing. A cafe called Leopald features heavily in the book and has been made famous by it, so I’ve made a point of eating there before leaving Mumbai (noticed Collingwood did too).

There is a proliferation of guitars on the flight to Rajkot, as both Andrew Flintoff and media manager Andrew Walpole have added to their number since last winter. Graeme Swann, James Anderson and Tim Ambrose have theirs strapped happily to their backs as they walk across the tarmac.

Fri Nov 14 (Rajkot)

After England’s heavy defeat, my mission to interview captain Kevin Pietersen is impeded by police telling me to get off the outfield and then forbidding me to get too close to the dressing room. We end up talking on the fire escape. Pietersen gives me a lot of short, sharp answers, which are not necessarily good for radio.

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Above and left: two key wickets for manof-the-moment/pie-chucker Yuvraj Singh in the second ODI in Indore (Matt Prior and Andrew Flintoff) to go with his second consecutive century (right)

The team hotel is extraordinarily well guarded. Soldiers with rifles are doing a pretty good job of scrutinising all those who claim a right of entry (indeed, BCCI accreditation is not holding much sway here as we try to get in for a press conference). But the first obstacle is the shouting, waving throng of people who have gathered outside the building, pressed up against the gates, trying to catch a glimpse of their cricketing heroes.

After squeezing through the mob ecstatic screams break out; a player has appeared at one of the windows. It’s like watching a horde of Michael Jackson fans, such is the celebrity status of the Indian team.

Mon Nov 17

Our car is stopped at a road block and a policeman armed with a five foot long ‘lathi’ (a hefty bamboo cane) forbids us from going any closer to the ground for the second ODI. We’re still three blocks away, but the queue of people waiting to get into the modern-looking stadium, two hours before the start, is incredible. It snakes as far as the eye can see both ahead of us towards the ground, and back down the road we have just come down.

The strangest thing is that despite the state of high excitement, and the broad width of the street, everyone is standing in immaculate single file. Extraordinary.

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Although that might, of course, have something to do with that lathi…

It was still on its way up when it struck the stadium roof.

Weds Nov 19 (Kanpur)

Mon Nov 24 (Bhubaneswar)

I’ve managed to track down the author of ‘Shantaram’ through a Bollywood actor/ director I know. I think Roberts would make a fascinating guest during the Mumbai Test.

I am thrilled to learn he’s in the city at the moment, but I’m swiftly disappointed by the news that he’ll be leaving Mumbai the day before the Test begins.

Sun Nov 23 (Bangalore)

A frustrating day of lengthy rain stoppages which eventually leaves us with 22 overs a side. England again come up short to concede the series. The gap between their top order and the prowess of Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh is as wide as the Ganges’ floodplain. The only England batsman to match their hitting is Flintoff, who launched the biggest six I’ve ever seen.

‘Mumbai’s Taj hotel, where we stayed, is now on fire, with terrorists at large inside…’

It’s the day after the series defeat and I interview Andrew Flintoff. I have never seen him so downbeat. Losing in this manner is clearly hurting.

Tues Nov 25 (Bhubaneswar)

England dispense with training, preferring instead to have a team meeting to talk about how they can improve. I can’t blame them really for deciding to break with what is a highly repetitive schedule of travel, train, match… travel, train, match… travel, train, match…

Weds Nov 26

We’ve just squeezed past four cows in the car park and climbed into our car after England’s 5th ODI defeat, in Cuttack, when Aggers takes a call on his mobile phone. He turns gravely to face Simon Mann, producer Steve Houghton and myself in the back seat and tells us there are reports of explosions in Mumbai. By the time we get back to the hotel and turn on the TV the full scale of the horrors are only just unfolding: a series of coordinated terrorist attacks on Mumbai, apparently aimed at places popular with westerners. I stay glued to the TV until 2.30am, scarcely believing that the Taj hotel

PICTURES: PA PHOTOS

Sat Nov 15 (Indore)

Clockwise from above: Rain and bad light saw the third and fourth ODIs end in Duckworth-Lewis frustration for England; packed stands in Kanpur cheer India towards their 5-0 win; Ravi Bopara reaches 50 in Kanpur; Stuart Broad celebrates removing Tendulkar in the fourth ODI.

in which we, as a tour party, players and media, were staying just a couple of weeks ago, is now on fire, with terrorists still at large inside. There’s been a mass shooting at Leopald’s Café too, apparently. I shudder, knowing how crowded and popular the place is. I make a few phone calls to check on friends in Mumbai, reassure family in England I’m okay, and finally succumb to an uneasy sleep.

Thurs Nov 27

We swing into action to work out just what will happen to the tour. Cricket is the secondary item on all BBC news outlets

after coverage of the attacks themselves, so after making contact with the England camp, we set up the satellite dish and create a makeshift outdoor studio on a patch of grass outside our hotel.

As time ticks on, our scheduled afternoon flight to Guwahati for the sixth ODI is looking increasingly unlikely. I take phone calls from journalists at Indian TV channels asking if it’s true that the whole tour’s been called off. I can only tell them that it’s too early to say; that we understand the ECB are still talking to the BCCI. That doesn’t stop the channels flashing ‘ENGLAND CRICKET TOUR CANCELLED’ across their screens.

Eventually we get confirmation that the last two ODIs have been postponed. We decamp to the hotel where both England and India have been staying.

2.30pm Both team buses are outside the hotel. England’s baggage is being painstakingly unloaded and wheeled back to their rooms while there is a pile of India kit bags in the lobby. Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan are sitting in relaxed fashion by the pool having a quick bite to eat with cabin bags alongside them.

Some of the Indian players have already left for their various home towns.

A few England players are whiling away the time with a game of table tennis.

Some stop to chat to the media and convey just how horrified they feel to see the pictures on television.

4.30pm I almost get flattened by a horde of Indian journalists as they charge up the steps in the hotel towards the function room where Hugh Morris, Managing Director of England Cricket, is about to hold a press conference. There’s loads of time before he starts, just not a lot of room for the multitude of TV cameras that are the norm at press conferences here, and it’s a race to claim a spot on the floor.

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we’re going to have a few more hours to wait until we find out whether they’re staying in India or going home.

9.30pm The England players assemble on a balcony area above reception and it’s clear they are about to go into a team meeting.

They emerge around 45 minutes later and seem very relaxed, indicating that perhaps they’re flying home. Morris confirms the news around half an hour later.

Fri Nov 28

Not enough sleep, and I’ve just stepped out of the shower when our producer calls to say that Kevin Pietersen’s being made available to the media in 45 minutes. I pull clothes on and it’s back to the team hotel. I try to glean from Pietersen’s demeanour, as much as his answers, as to whether England will be coming back for the Tests.

Pietersen is steadfast about some things being more important than cricket and not forcing anyone to return if they didn’t want to, but it is impossible to predict how this one will turn out.

Sat Nov 29

Sitting in Delhi airport finally gives us a chance to digest all the news stories, pictures and eye witness accounts that are only just starting to drip out of Mumbai. They are chilling in the extreme. One paper reports 56 SPIN FEBRUARY 2009

‘Pietersen is firm: he won’t force anyone to return for the Tests if they don’t want to…’

wavering? I’m on standby to go to Lord’s should any decision be made or any press conference called; however, I don’t expect anything will happen for a couple of days.

First thing to do is get another visa in case of returning, as mine was only single entry.

Tues Dec 2

how Worcestershire bowler Kabir Ali had a narrow escape, as he was visiting Mumbai and would have been dining in the Taj but for a late change of plan to go to the cinema instead. Tragically, the stories of many others are very different: eventually, we learn, more than 170 people have been killed.

Dominic Cork reckons he knows of five or six players who will refuse to go back to India, even if they get the all clear on the security front. People I speak to all have some sort of idea as to who will go, but I decide there is no point trying to second guess what the players will do. The situation is very fluid. It’s going to be a matter of waiting for something concrete to happen.

Sun Nov 30 (London)

Weds Dec 3

It feels very strange to land at Heathrow when we had all expected to be leaving Guwahati and heading to Delhi today. It is quite a jolt to arrive in the cold. I don’t remember it being this bitter when we left three weeks ago. The Christmas lights and music are a bit of a shock too. It’s as if we’ve been catapulted into a different world.

Mon Dec 1

This is where the speculation and rumours start. Will the team be going back to India?

Will the ECB deem it safe? Which players will go? Who are the players who are

Still on standby and I have barely left my flat in the last three days. Finally I get a phone call at 4pm to tell me there will be a press conference at Lord’s “very shortly”. On arrival it seems that Hugh Morris and PCA chief executive Sean Morris are still discussing things in the ECB offices, but they emerge around 6.15pm to tell us the whole Test squad will fly to Abu Dhabi to practise before receiving the security report.

Thurs Dec 4

Attend a BBC security briefing at Television Centre. The man who gives the briefing is

Left: Kevin Pietersen celebrates his captain’s-innings hundred in the fifth ODI at Cuttack. Right: Pietersen is removed by Ishant Sharma at Kanpur.

Below: England faced heavy security, even before the Mumbai attacks.

from the BBC High Risk team and normally deals with news reporters going to war zones. I come away feeling rather more uneasy about the whole thing than I did before I went in.

Sat Dec 6

The whole Test squad is returning to India.

Producer Adam Mountford rings round everybody involved in the BBC coverage to see whether they are happy to go as ‘willing volunteers’ in line with High Risk Policy.

Sun Dec 7 (Chennai)

Arrive in Chennai. No sleep on the plane.

Feel dreadful.

Mon Dec 8

Entry into the ground is not as difficult as I thought it would be. The press conference is a crazy affair, as first there is confusion as to which room it is in. There is a stampede of pressmen and TV cameras when someone declares that it’s happening downstairs, only for MS Dhoni and Kevin Pietersen to appear in the original room, leading to a mad rush and much elbowing to set up cameras and microphones again.

Turns out they’re only here for the unveiling of the trophy and a photo opportunity. Cue another stampede.

Somewhere behind the mayhem is a rather bemused and amused KP.

Thurs Dec 11

First day of the Test and security is beefed up at the gates. My bag is searched and I’m told very firmly that lipstick is not allowed. A female officer tries to confiscate it, but I remonstrate with her, demonstrate that is it just a lipstick, and a more senior officer waves his hand dismissively. Bags are searched again as we go into the media area, but everyone is patient with the delays as it’s all for a very good reason. India’s Rapid Action Force (RAF) are positioned around the boundary edge carrying rifles and riot shields.

Fri Dec 12

Security isn’t as obvious on day two. The RAF only appear an hour-and-a-half into play and there aren’t as many of them on the boundary edge. During the afternoon a statement arrives in the commentary box detailing the security measures. Apparently, we’re being looked after by 3000 police personnel including 300 commandos of the Swift Action Group, Swift Action Force, Rapid Action Force, plain-clothes policemen and women, Armed Reserve Police, Sharpshooters Team, Anti-Sabotage Check Teams, Frisking teams, Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad team, VIP Security teams, Intelligence Gathering teams, Escort Parties and horse- mounted police along with local Chennai City law and order police. Phew.

Graeme Swann takes two wickets –

Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid – in his first over in Test cricket. He is put up for the England press conference later. Looking round the room, I can see even hardened hacks enjoying his sincere enthusiasm and one-liners with smiles on their faces.

Sat Dec 13

Well, thank goodness for the Rapid Action Force. I got locked in a toilet cubicle during the tea interval and they were the only people who could get me out. The door had no handle and no lock (or so I thought) but when I went to pull the door open, a mortice lock had somehow clunked down on the inside. I was stuck!

I couldn’t call anyone as my mobile phone was in the commentary box, and my calls couldn’t be heard outside in the noisy stadium. After a long 15 minutes, a couple of female police officers came to use the toilets, realised my situation and quickly called for male assistance as they couldn’t get the door to move either. In came the RAF, plus a crowd of onlookers, and I took shelter by standing on a ledge above the cistern while they did some very hard kicking to eventually bust the door down.

Wood splinters went everywhere, the mortice lock flew onto the floor, and I was able to emerge to a small crowd of people unscathed and even laughing at the ridiculous nature of the situation. I only FEBRUARY 2009

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Far left: A minute’s silence for the victims of the Mumbai attacks, ahead of the first Test. Left: Andrew Strauss celebrates his second hundred in Chennai.

Above: Sachin Tendulkar’s ton anchored India’s improbable win

Never dull…

England’s tour games in full 1ST ODI AT RAJKOT NOV 14, 2008. INDIA WON BY 158 RUNS. INDIA 387/5 (50 OVERS); ENGLAND 229 (37.4)

After being bowled out for 98 by a club side in their last warm-up game, England rack up their third heaviest ODI defeat ever.

Once Sehwag (85 off 73) is removed by Samit Patel, things go from bad to worse for England. Yuvraj Singh belts 138 off 78 balls, including 100 runs in boundaries in the fastest-ever hundred against England.

Despite Pietersen’s 63 and an unbeaten 54 off 38 from Bopara, 58 SPIN FEBRUARY 2009

batting inexplicably at No 8, the chase ends 13 overs early.

2ND ODI AT INDORE NOV 17, 2008. INDIA WON BY 54 RUNS. INDIA 292/9 (50 OVERS); ENGLAND 238 (47)

Another ton for Yuvraj, this time 118 off 122 balls. Stuart Broad, whose spell at Rajkot went for 74, keeps it down to 55 and takes four wickets. Losing Bell in the first over, England’s reply never gets going, despite Shah’s 59.

3RD ODI AT KANPUR NOV 20, 2008. INDIA WON BY 16

RUNS (D/L). ENGLAND 240 (48.4/49 OVERS); INDIA 198/5 (40/40)

Matt Prior drops down to No 8 as Bopara moves up to open, with instant success: Bopara hits 60 in an opening stand of 79 with Ian Bell. England squander their good start before getting the worse of a Duckworth Lewis decision as play finishes early for bad light.

Asked why the half-time interval (or the number of overs) was not cut short to get in a full game, umpires mumble into beards about rules and regulations. KP is left fuming.

4TH ODI AT BANGALORE NOV 23, 2008. INDIA WON BY 19 RUNS (D/L). INDIA 166/4 (22/22 OVERS); ENGLAND 178/8 (22/22)

Duckworth and Lewis stitch England up again, as they score more runs at a better rate than the hosts but still lose. Shah’s 72 off 48 balls in the chase is a highlight. When his partnership with Flintoff is broken, England slump rapidly and traditionally from 134/3 to 178/8.

5TH ODI AT CUTTACK NOV 26, 2008. INDIA WON BY 6 WICKETS. ENGLAND 270/4 (50

Below: KP’s ongoing spat with the ‘pie-chucker’ Yuvraj Singh was a running theme of the tour. Left, from top: KP on his way to 144 in Mohali; Sachin departs; Flintoff and Yuvraj have words

missed one update on Radio Five Live. And it was the tea interval anyway.

Sun Dec 14

Word is out about the toilet incident.

Bumble loves the story and has been talking about it on Sky. Test Match Special are still getting a lot of mileage out of it, and it’s even made a headline in the Mail on Sunday. An Indian reporter stops me on the stairs during tea: “Are you the one who was stuck in the toilet? What happened? How did you get out? Are you just off there again now?” A thrilling day of cricket, though.

Sehwag gives India the most amazing start to their run chase, as if he’s playing an ODI.

Mon Dec 15

What a script. Sachin Tendulkar, from Mumbai, hits a boundary to bring up his hundred and complete a record-breaking run chase for India to win the Test match.

I feel privileged to have watched this game and Tendulkar’s innings in particular. He has finally put to bed the only criticism on his Test career; that he fails to make secondinnings hundreds to win games.

Tues Dec 16 (Chandigarh)

After arriving at Chandigarh airport we’re kept on the runway. We later learn it was because two planes came close to colliding.

We also learnt that our plane had to land as we only had 20 minutes more fuel left.

Thurs Dec 18 (Mohali)

The ECB invite the media for drinks in the team hotel. It’s also an opportunity for them to make a presentation to Angus Fraser who is leaving The Independent to take up a role with Middlesex. This will be his last tour as a journalist (unless he changes his mind).

Sun Dec 21

Second Test, Day Three. Pietersen’s innings [144] had everything, including his staggering switch-hit for six off Harbhajan

OVERS); INDIA 273/4 (43.4)

Pietersen’s 111 off 128 is a true captain’s innings but England’s best effort of the series is no match for the voracious Indian batters – Sehwag (91) and Tendulkar race to 136/0 in the 19th over and despite a rare failure from Yuvraj, India get home with 38 balls to spare.

1ST TEST AT CHENNAI DEC 11-15, 2008 INDIA WON BY 6 WICKETS ENGLAND 316 AND 311/9D; INDIA 241 AND 387/4

Given zero chance ahead of the game, after an even more

Singh. England were looking good with both he and Flintoff batting for the close.

But, with the light starting to fade, Pietersen was out for 144 and Flintoff for 62.

England were left on 282/6, still 171 behind.

Pietersen was absolutely fuming during our close of play interview.

Tues Dec 23

The Test dissolves into a lame draw. India could have declared earlier and gone for the win, but they chose to sit on their 1-0 advantage and give Yuvraj Singh and Gautam

inadequate build-up than usual, England play themselves into a winning position by the fourth afternoon, thanks to Andrew Strauss’ pair of tons (123 and 108) and Paul Collingwood’s second-innings 108. But, chasing 387, Sehwag’s 83 from 68 balls puts India on the front foot on the fourth evening. England spend the fifth day chasing leather and looking bereft of ideas as their hosts close in on the fourth highest run chase in history.

What if England had piled on quick runs ahead of the declaration, instead of crawling

Gambhir the chance to get centuries. Neither of them did, and consequently the crowd had nothing to get excited about.

Kevin Pietersen cuts an isolated, desolate figure as he sits alone at the front of the pavilion, head in hands, before coming over to do our end of Test interview. Peter Moores comes striding out of the dressing-room, headed for his own end-of-series interviews. The pair don’t speak as he passes.

Pietersen is quite philosophical. He’s glad England returned to India, as I think everyone is. It was the right thing to do; they got on with the cricket. But England have shown they need to learn how to convert winning positions into victories if they’re to regain the Ashes next summer.

I ask Pietersen what he has learned about captaincy over the course of the tour. He is reticent and monosyllabic even by the usual standards of our interviews. He says he’s going to take some time out, go to South Africa and take stock.

to a total of 57 runs in the afternoon session on day four?

Whatever. Tendulkar’s unbeaten 103 anchors the chase and he hits the winning run before making a moving speech about the Mumbai attacks.

2ND TEST AT MOHALI DEC 19-23, 2008 MATCH DRAWN INDIA 453 AND 251/7D; ENGLAND 302 AND 64/1

Under pressure for his place, Rahul Dravid takes eight hours over a possibly career-saving 136.

Gautam Gambhir’s 179 is marginally more entertaining.

The upshot is England are behind the game from day one and with fog and bad light shortening the start and end of the day, England have neither the time nor, possibly, the ability to counterattack. Pietersen’s 144 is a massive effort but there are familiar scenes as England lose their last eight wickets for 22.

Golden arm Graeme Swann and India’s hopeless running see them briefly in trouble at 44/3 in the second innings but England run out of ideas and time, with the equivalent of four sessions lost altogether.

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MASTERCLASS FOR ANY YOUNG LADS OUT THERE…

2&# $ 12 -5*',% "-!2-0 5'2& ' , .-,2 When I was a young boy, I was told to brush my ear with my arm when I bowled. It was probably the worst piece of advice I ever got. Imagine standing in front of a bowler and he puts his arm up to bowl in the 12 o’clock position. Well, any hour before 12 is good – but a minute past 12 starts to be a negative: you start to lose some pace and you’re likely to push the ball down the leg side. It’s the difference between being a shot putter and a javelin thrower: if you want to be a shot-putter, put your arm past 12 o’clock. If you want to be a javelin thrower, put it at 11.

Ideally, you should be standing up straight and bowling with your arm in a relaxed position to release the ball at around 11 o’clock.

The 12 o’clock position itself, if you can hit it absolutely spot on, isn’t wrong. But in striving to bowl from that position, you will very probably go past 12 and start pushing 64 SPIN FEBRUARY 2009

the ball. Your bowling hand should be directly above your bowling hip: ie, assuming you’re a right-arm fast bowler, your right hand should be above your right hip. If you end up leaning so far to the offside that your bowling hand is above your left hip at point of release, it’s 1) less comfortable and 2) likely to diminish both your pace and control.

Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga bowls from about ten o’clock and he bowls at 90 mph.

If he bowled at even a minute past 12, he’d lose a lot of pace. You can’t possibly bowl with a high arm at 12 and be quick. The only guy who does it is Shaun Pollock – now, he’s a great bowler but he’s not about pure pace. And I’m talking about generating maximum pace.

Bowlers who think they have to bowl from 12 o’clock will compromise their action to get into that position: they’ll fall to the off-side. You see kids almost bent at right angles falling towards cover but

because they’ve got a high arm, their coaches tell them they’re doing well. But, as well as reducing pace and control, that can eventually make you a candidate for a back injury. And their follow-through just takes them right into the side netting – rather than pulling them down the pitch in the direction of the stumps, as it should.

2 USE THE OTHER ARM A lot of cricketers don’t. But if you want to bowl faster, you need to use the arm without the ball. When you complete your action – again, assuming you’re a rightarmer – your left arm should be pointing upwards towards the sky behind you in a straight line. Your left arm needs to work.

Think about it: your shoulders are connected. If your left arm and shoulder are pulling you through in the right way, your right arm and shoulder will come with them.

Your bowling hand should end up under your armpit like a monkey, as your left arm is

PICTURES: PA PHOTOS

1 BOWLING AT THE RIGHT TIME

',(30#7 -$ 2&& +-,2 Posterior Impingement of the Ankle

By Simon Moyes

Who’s had it? Andrew Flintoff, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Symonds, Steve Waugh.

What is it? Pain at the back of the ankle joint is not uncommon for cricketers – particularly fast bowlers – and the causes of it are frequently missed or misunderstood. Probably the most common problem which causes pain at the back of the ankle is called ‘os trigonum syndrome’. Some 5 to 10 per cent of the population have an extra bone in the back of their ankle joint, about the size of a baked bean. This is joined in a fibrous manner to the main bone in the ankle joint, called the talus. Repeated bending can cause the fibrous joint between the two bones to break and thus for the extra bone to become loose.

pointing behind you. Pulling with your left arm as you bowl gives you 180 degree shoulder rotation – it makes you drive through the ball as you’re releasing it.

Opinions differ on exactly how to work with your leading arm. Some people like to bend it at the elbow and drive it through and down into their ribs. Dennis Lillee compares the movement to pulling down a toilet chain. But I would say that method pulls your weight down into the ground, when you’re actually trying to drive your weight forward.

Instead, try keeping your left arm straight out in front of you and chopping down like a karate chop until it is behind you. This will pull your right shoulder forward through the action. You’ll absolutely fly through the crease – and give yourself plenty of extra speed. Watch Stuart Broad: this is the way he does it.

And remember: your head should be pointing towards the target – not somewhere out towards cover as many people seem to think.

Fast bowling guru Ian Pont has worked with top players including Dale Steyn and Darren Gough and is the author of The Fast Bowlers Bible. For details of Ian’s ongoing courses and one-to-one tuition, see his website: www.maverickscricket.com

1

What are the symptoms?The bone becoming loose can result in local swelling, irritation and inflammation, manifesting in the cricketer with pain and clicking in the back of the ankle joint.

What is the cure? An MRI is required in order to confirm the diagnosis and then there is a simple cure to fix the problem. The bone fragment is removed, either arthroscopically (using a type of endoscope) or with open surgery.

How long does the recovery take? Patients are immobilised in a splint for two weeks after the surgery to let the soft tissues heal and then a physiotherapy programme is commenced. Full recovery can take about six weeks.

2

Are there any other causes? The second most common cause of posterior impingement is the tearing of a lip of tissue on the back of the tibial bone, which is in the rear of the ankle joint. This piece of gristle is difficult to see and is frequently a clinical diagnosis confirmed at arthroscopy. Treatment for this torn lip of cartilage is a day-case arthroscopic procedure. Patients normally recover in three weeks.

Simon Moyes is one of the UK’s leading Orthopaedic surgeons and works out of the Wellington Hospital, where he established the Wellington Foot and Ankle Clinic. His websites are www. ankle-arthroscopy.co.uk and www.simonmoyes.com FEBRUARY 2009

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